The corruption conviction of former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver was overturned Thursday by a federal appeals court that cited a recent Supreme Court ruling that narrowed the definition of what it takes to convict a public official.
The three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said it could not conclude that a rational jury would have convicted the Democrat if it had been properly instructed on what constitutes an "official act."
Sheldon Silver, former NY Assembly Speaker, Has Corruption Conviction Overturned
CBO rejects Trump's claim that budget plan would eliminate deficit
The Congressional Budget Office cast doubt Thursday on the White House’s claim that President Trump’s proposed budget would balance in 10 years.
In its analysis of the spending plan Trump unveiled in May, the non-partisan budget office said that the deficit would shrink under the Trump budget but would still total $720 billion in 2027. The White House had projected a $16 billion surplus in 2027.
The difference is mostly Trump's economic optimism.
The Latest: Senate Judiciary head wants Trump Jr. to testify
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says he's sending a letter to Donald Trump Jr. to ask him to testify.
Sen. Chuck Grassley says he'd subpoena the president's eldest son if necessary. The Iowa Republican says he wants Trump Jr. to appear "pretty soon," and it could be as early as next week.
Trump Jr. released emails this week from 2016 in which he appeared eager to accept information from the Russian government that could have damaged Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Israel sentences Khalida Jarrar to six months in prison without trial or charge
An Israeli military court has sentenced Palestinian politician and human rights activist Khalida Jarrar to six months of administrative detention.
The ruling on Wednesday came after Jarrar, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, was arrested from her home in a pre-dawn raid at the beginning of the July by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Afghan girls robotics team given US visa after outrage
US officials have decided to allow a group of Afghan girls - whose visa applications had been rejected twice - to travel to the United States and participate in an international robotics competition, ending a saga that had sparked an international backlash.
Department of Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said the US Citizenship and Immigration Services approved a Department of State request for six girls from the war-torn country to be allowed in, along with their chaperone, so they can participate in the competition.
US intelligence 'detected Russian officials discussing meetings with Trump associates in 2015'
Newly revealed intelligence shows Russian officials discussed meeting with associates or advisers to Donald Trump in 2015 just months before he declared his candidacy to become president, the Wall Street Journal reports.
At that time, intelligence analysts didn't really know what to make of the intercepted conversations, since Mr Trump was a global celebrity who had done business in Russia before. In light of recent emails posted on Twitter by Donald Trump Jr that detail a conversation to facilitate a meeting between himself and a Kremlin-connected lawyer in June of last year, intelligence officials are taking a second look.
Veterans, lawmakers demand answers about Vietnam-era Pentagon tests
The Pentagon conducted a series of secret chemical and biological weapons tests involving military personnel in the 1960s and 1970s. Veterans groups and members of Congress are demanding to know exactly what happened – and who has suffered.
The tests, known as Project 112 and SHAD (Shipboard Hazard and Defense) involved some 6,000 military personnel between 1962 and 1974, the Vietnam War era. Most served in the Navy and Army. The purpose was to identify any weaknesses to U.S. ships and troops and develop a response plan for a chemical attack.
Trump-Russia investigators probe Jared Kushner-run digital operation
Investigators at the House and Senate Intelligence committees and the Justice Department are examining whether the Trump campaign’s digital operation – overseen by Jared Kushner – helped guide Russia’s sophisticated voter targeting and fake news attacks on Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Congressional and Justice Department investigators are focusing on whether Trump’s campaign pointed Russian cyber operatives to certain voting jurisdictions in key states – areas where Trump’s digital team and Republican operatives were spotting unexpected weakness in voter support for Hillary Clinton, according to several people familiar with the parallel inquiries.
Trump cranks up defense of son: It’s a ‘witch hunt’
President Donald Trump proclaimed his eldest son’s innocence on Wednesday, offering the most vigorous defense yet of Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting last year with a Russian government lawyer promising dirt on Hillary Clinton.
“My son Donald did a good job last night,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning, praising his son’s Tuesday night interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity. “He was open, transparent and innocent. This is the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Sad!”
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