As US cities heighten security, Iran's history of reprisal points to murder-for-hire plots
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security is warning of a 'heightened threat environment' following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and the deputy FBI director says the bureau's 'assets are fully engaged' to prevent retaliatory violence, while local law enforcement agencies in major cities like New York say they're on high alert.
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CNN
15 minutes ago
- CNN
Sean ‘Diddy' Combs will not testify in his criminal trial, source says
Sean 'Diddy' Combs is not planning to testify in his criminal trial, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Monday. The source said that the decision for Combs not to take the stand in his defense was not made until recently. The case is expected to go to the jury as soon as Friday of this week. While it is possible that Combs could change his mind, the source said that would be highly unlikely. CNN has reached out to representatives for Combs for comment. Combs has pleaded not guilty to five counts, including one count of racketeering conspiracy, two counts of sex trafficking and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. If convicted of the most serious charges, Combs could face as much as life in prison. On Monday, the expected trial schedule was discussed in court. Prosecutors indicated the defense was not planning to call any witnesses in the case, though that could change. At one point in the trial, the defense had said they intended to call witnesses for two weeks. Last week, the defense said their presentation of witnesses would last one to two days. Testifying would carry risks for Combs, according to CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson. A potential cross-examination of Combs by prosecutors could be 'brutal and highly unfavorable,' Jackson said, adding he could be confronted by his alleged 'troubling, problematic and lawless behavior.' His 'demeanor and comportment would be assessed closely' by the jury, Jackson said. 'The case becomes about believability and relatability of Diddy and his narrative — not about whether prosecutors have met their burden in proving their case,' Jackson said, adding that there is not much upside for Combs to testify. 'While Diddy would get to tell his side of the story in his voice during the direct examination,' Jackson said. 'The potential exposure to a savage cross examination would make such a move fraught with trouble and risk.' Closing arguments in the case could potentially take place on Thursday, with the jury deliberations starting as early as Friday. At the beginning of the trial last month, the judge in the case said he aimed to have the case with the jury before the July 4 holiday.
CNN
15 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump used Juneteenth to denounce ‘nonworking holidays.' Some political observers say it wasn't a coincidence
For social justice activist Glenn Harris, President Donald Trump's statement on Juneteenth, arguing there are 'too many nonworking holidays in America' costing the country 'billions of dollars,' was no surprise. Harris said the comments coming on the federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States were consistent with Trump's most recent policies and practices working against people of color. 'In many ways it's just a continuation of this administration's attempt to erase the civil rights, free speech and literally the history of Black and brown people,' said Harris, who is president of Race Forward. Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has sought to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the federal government, corporate America and college campuses. The administration has also dismissed high-ranking minorities from the military, removed government webpages celebrating the historic achievements of people of color and accused the National Museum of African American History and Culture of being influenced by 'divisive, race-centered ideology.' Trump's attacks on DEI led some groups to scale back or cancel Juneteenth events this year. Juneteenth marks the day Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger went to Galveston, Texas, to tell slaves they were free in 1865. This came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. In 2021, former President Joe Biden signed legislation passed by Congress to designate June 19, or Juneteenth National Independence Day, as a US federal holiday. The bill came one year after the nation faced a racial reckoning sparked by the murder of George Floyd. It was the first federal holiday to receive approval since Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which was established in 1983. Civil rights activist Opal Lee spent years lobbying for Juneteenth to receive national recognition, including leading a walk from Texas to Washington, DC, and starting a petition which garnered millions of signatures. Lee has been nicknamed the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth.' Jeremy Paul, a constitutional law professor at Northeastern University, said making Juneteenth a federal holiday gave it fresh significance to the US. 'It changes the culture of the country when we decide that this is something that we either want to celebrate or commemorate,' Paul said. Harris shared those sentiments, saying Juneteenth represents joy for Black Americans. But Harris said he's concerned Trump's comments on the holiday are only creating more division. 'It's the nation naming its values, and I think in that moment people find hope, find inspiration, lean into possibility,' Harris said. 'But sadly for some people they find fear. They are worried about losing power rather than imagining that collectively we as a nation are more powerful when we see and hear each other and learn from each other about what it means to be free.' Trump himself once supported making Juneteenth a holiday. During the 2020 presidential campaign, Trump rolled out a plan to appeal to Black voters, including a pledge to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. He also took credit for making Juneteenth 'very famous,' saying during his first term, 'nobody had ever heard of it.' Despite Trump's decision not to recognize or honor Juneteenth this year, it will remain a federal holiday, experts said, because just like it required Congressional approval to make it a holiday, Congress would have to also vote to rescind it. In 2021, the bill passed the House 415-14 after the Senate unanimously passed the legislation. 'He lacks the legal authority' to cancel the holiday, Paul said. Still, some experts said it was no coincidence Trump complained about the number of federal holidays on the day celebrating Black liberation. Paul said he believes it was an appeal to Trump's base. 'It's unlikely that the fact that he chose to make the statement on Juneteenth was accidental,' Paul said. 'I think he's trying to send a message to the people who wish that Juneteenth had never been made a holiday, who are unhappy with the growing multicultural nature of our society … that he sees them and they have a place in America too. It's sad but that's where he is.'
CNN
16 minutes ago
- CNN
Man facing federal firearms charge after allegedly brandishing a gun at Nashville ‘No Kings' protest
A teenager from central Tennessee is facing a federal firearms charge after allegedly brandishing a gun at a 'No Kings' protest in Nashville, the Department of Justice announced Monday. Elijah Millar, 19, of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, attended the June 14 protest near Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in downtown Nashville, where he allegedly spat at and yelled at protesters before pulling out a gun, federal prosecutors said. Millar was a counterprotester, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said. He kept his gun pointed at the ground, but left 'others in the crowd in fear,' police said. The demonstration was part of the nationwide 'No Kings' day of protests on June 14, which saw people come together at more than 2,000 events across the country to protest Trump administration policies, organizers said. The protests were largely peaceful, but isolated incidents – including a deadly shooting at the Salt Lake City, Utah, protest, did occur. In Nashville, officers arrested Millar at the scene, seizing the pistol, and charging him with disorderly conduct, police said. Days later, in a separate incident, Murfreesboro police found Millar carrying another loaded firearm, the Justice Department said. Federal prosecutors said Monday they charged Millar with a count of unlawful possession of a firearm. They cited a 2023 case that barred Millar from owning or possessing firearms under a conservatorship order issued by the Chancery Court in Rutherford County. The court found Millar to be 'at risk of substantial harm to his health, safety, and welfare,' and restricted his access to firearms. A 2024 court order reaffirmed these restrictions, describing him as a 'disabled person needing care, prosecutors said. 'The right to peaceably protest government action is guaranteed by the First Amendment and cannot be infringed upon by armed individuals whose actions put people in danger,' said Robert E. McGuire, acting US Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. 'Our efforts to hold firearm offenders accountable are designed to keep all members of the public safe from potential violence.' If convicted, Millar could face up to 15 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Nashville Field Office, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and the Murfreesboro Police Department, the Justice Department said.
