Legislator Kendra Johnson named one of USA TODAY's Women of the Year
State Rep. Kendra Johnson, who has made it her mission to better the lives of fellow Delawareans, is honored as one of USA TODAY's Women of the Year.
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USA Today
11 hours ago
- USA Today
R. Kelly's lawyer seeks Trump pardon, claims singer 'fears that he might be killed'
R. Kelly's lawyer seeks Trump pardon, claims singer 'fears that he might be killed' Show Caption Hide Caption Witness says she resented Diddy over hotel nights, sex with escorts Witness Jane testified in Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial she resented him over hotel nights that involved sex with escorts. R. Kelly's lawyer said he will attempt to pursue a pardon from President Donald Trump as the disgraced rapper serves his 30-year prison sentence. Kelly's attorney, Beau B. Brindley, said in a statement to USA TODAY on June 12 that the "Ignition" hitmaker's legal team is in talks with unnamed members of Trump's team. The 58-year-old singer, born Robert Kelly, has been serving a prison sentence for racketeering and sex trafficking since 2022. Brindley said in his statement that Kelly's legal team believes Trump is the "only person with the courage and the power to fight corruption in the prosecution of public figures and stomp it out." "The president understands what it's like to be victimized by Obama and Biden era prosecution teams' intent on destroying public figures. He experienced that himself," Brindley continued, comparing the disgraced singer-songwriter to Trump. "R. Kelly is now living with the consequences of the same kind of shameful and criminal prosecutorial tactics," the lawyer said. R. Kelly's lawyers: 'Our client fears that he might be killed' "President Trump has been fighting against this kind of criminal weaponization of the DOJ against public figures since he took office," Brindley added. "And we will ask him to now stand up with us as we advance his fight and as our client fears that he might be killed to cover up the corruption that we seek to expose." In his statement, Brindley said the need for a pardon from Trump "becomes more imminent by the day," claiming that "immediately after our motion became public, Robert was thrown into solitary confinement" and he "cannot make phone calls to his family" nor does he have "access to commissary." "He has spiders crawling over him while he tries to sleep," Kelly's lawyer claims. "He has not been able to eat in two days because he's afraid the chow hall food could be poisoned. And they refuse to give him anything else." R. Kelly's lawyers say prison officials tried to plot his murder, requests release "The worst of it is that they have told him that, as long as we keep up our investigation and our motions, it is only going to get worse for Robert," Brindley claimed. "This is why we need President Trump to step in now. He is the only force strong enough to quell the corruption before it gets worse." R. Kelly's lawyers say prison officials tried to plot his murder, requests release News of the pardon attempt comes a day after lawyers for the "I Believe I Can Fly" singer said on June 11 that Kelly should be moved from federal prison to home detention after an alleged murder-for-hire plot involving prison officials and an inmate. "Federal officers have solicited the murder of R. Kelly because he intends to expose the corruption underlying his federal prosecutions. We have filed our motion to make sure that they fail," Brindley wrote in a statement to USA TODAY June 11. "The only thing that can protect Mr. Kelly behind the prison walls now is the fact that now the world is watching," Brindley added. "And we will call on the courts and President Trump to help put an end to the corruption that now threatens Mr. Kelly's life." The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on "pending litigation or matters that are the subject of legal proceedings." R. Kelly pardon attempt comes after Trump pardoned Chrisleys, NBA YoungBoy The pardon attempt comes just weeks after a pair of star-studded pardons from Trump. On May 27, Trump announced he was pardoning reality TV couple Todd and Julie Chrisley of "Chrisley Knows Best" fame. The pair were serving respective sentences for bank fraud. The Chrisleys have since been released and returned to their homes. On May 28, Trump also pardoned Louisiana-born rapper NBA YoungBoy, whose real name is Kentrell Gaulden, who was serving a 23-month sentence for federal gun charges. Kelly is serving his sentence in North Carolina after his 2021 and 2022 convictions for racketeering, sex trafficking, child pornography and enticement. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison in a Brooklyn federal court in 2022 and 20 years in a Chicago federal court in 2023, to be served concurrently. One year from the latter sentence is set to be served consecutively.
USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
'One Big Beautiful Bill' boosts highest earners most, Congressional Budget Office says
The legislation dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill'' by President Donald Trump would increase resources for middle and top earners at the expense of lower-income Americans, according to a new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. The nonpartisan CBO analyzed the combined effects of many of the House bill's tax reductions and its cuts to federal programs, including Medicaid and nutrition assistance, over the period between 2026–2034. The mega bill's now in the Senate, which is considering changes. Benefits of the bill increase with income, with the lowest tier households losing out, CBO said. The agency compared the bill with current tax law, which encompasses Trump's 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The current pending bill would extend the 2017 tax cuts, add work requirements to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps), give seniors an additional tax credit to help offset Social Security taxes, and create savings accounts for babies, among other things. Here is how the CBO says the bill would affect Americans: Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. Those in the lowest income group would lose about $1,600 in resources per year, which is about 3.9% of their income, mostly because of reductions in non-cash transfers, such as Medicaid and SNAP. Since many in this group pay little to no federal taxes, they would benefit less from tax cuts than higher income groups. Middle-income households would see their resources increase by $500 to $1,000, or 0.5% to 0.8% of their projected income. The top 10% of households would see a gain of about $12,000, or about 2.3% of income, mostly because of tax cuts. Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@ and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday.
USA Today
12 hours ago
- USA Today
Army Sec: $40 million parade on Trump's birthday a 'Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'
Army Sec: $40 million parade on Trump's birthday a 'Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' Show Caption Hide Caption Armored tanks arrive in DC for Trump's military birthday parade As Washington, D.C. prepares for the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, armored tanks have begun to arrive ahead of Saturday's celebration. WASHINGTON — The Army's $40 million parade Saturday to celebrate its 250th anniversary is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase the service, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll told USA TODAY. That it also falls on President Donald Trump's birthday, and that he'll preside over the tanks and troops that rumble and march past him from a specially built reviewing stand? Simply coincidence. 'Unless soldiers 170 years before he was born somehow timed that date,' Driscoll in a June 12 interview. Driscoll talked about the parade and who's expected to attend (invitations almost certainly have been extended to Mark Esper and Mark Milley, top former officials who clashed with Trump, he said). Driscoll also addressed the deployment of National Guard troops to Los Angeles over the objection of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and the No. 1 threat to his soldiers – cheap, lethal drones. Planning for the Army's 250th birthday began before Driscoll became the civilian leader of the Army on February 25, he said. A longstanding tradition for armies, a military parade was deemed a natural way to highlight the Army's strength and service to the America. 'I think sometimes the media gets in its own way in telling stories,' Driscoll said. 'The coincidence that the president's birthday is on this date that occurred 250 years ago, and that we the Army want to tell this story, is I think going to be backed up. The reason we are spending this money, the reason we are so excited about it, I think we'll be backed up by recruiting data in the months ahead. 'This is not intended to be performative. We sincerely believe this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity.' The parade, which includes potential damage to streets in Washington, D.C. from armored vehicles including 38, 70-ton Abrams tanks, will range in cost from $25 million to $40 million. The televised parade will reach a broad audience of Americans and spur some of them to serve, Driscoll said. 'We believe that so many Americans are excited about this and will tune in,' Driscoll said. 'And it will quantitatively fill up our recruiting pipeline for the years to come. We think it is absolutely worth the investment.' Driscoll said he believed with near certainty that Esper and Milley had been invited to attend the parade. The Army, a spokesman for Milley and the White House have not confirmed that. Esper is the former Army secretary Trump promoted to Defense secretary and then fired in November 2020 after he lost the election. Esper incurred Trump's wrath for urging restraint in deploying the military against protesters. Milley, a retired Army general, its chief of staff and the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also lost Trump's favor after apologizing for appearing in uniform near Trump after law enforcement officials forcibly cleared racial justice protesters from Lafayette Square, near the White House, so Trump could walk across it. The parade features dozens of armored combat vehicles, helicopters, vintage warplanes, thousands of soldiers in uniforms from the Revolutionary War to the present, horses, two mules and a dog. More: Soldiers excited (and nerve wracked) to drive tanks in DC military parade The procession will highlight the 'robustness and incredible talent of our soldiers,' Driscoll said. He hopes that Americans 'feel pride and honor' when they watch the parade. 'This is their Army,' he said. In 2017, during his first term, Trump wanted to hold a military parade, but Pentagon officials were leery of appearing to politicize the armed forces. Then-Defense Sec. Jim Mattis said he would 'rather swallow acid,' according to 'Holding the Line,' a book by his former speechwriter Guy Snodgrass. That Army, through its National Guard troops, is engaged at Trump's order in helping protect federal buildings and Los Angeles and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials as they continue their crackdown on migrants expected of being in the country illegally. The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops to is justified and was approved by the voters who elected Trump. Trump, Driscoll said, is doing exactly what he said he'd do during the campaign. 'Our system was designed for exactly these moments,' Driscoll said. 'The reason we have presidential elections, the reason so many Americans turned out in November to support our president, Donald J. Trump, was for exactly these kinds of moments. If you look at the four-year period when President Trump was out of office, I think the American people didn't want violence in their communities.' The National Guard soldiers deployed to Los Angeles are talented, well trained and 'excited' about being there, Driscoll said. The Department of Homeland Security has asked the Pentagon for more than 20,000 additional National Guard troops for law enforcement support for its immigration crackdowns. More: Trump wants 20,000 troops to hunt, transport immigrants. Cost estimate: $3.6 billion Driscoll said he hasn't been briefed on the request but that the Army is ready to operate inside U.S. borders in legally appropriate ways. 'If the president feels, in consultation with the rest of the administration leadership, that is the best use of our National Guard, the Army stands by to support,' Driscoll said. Rising risk from drone warfare On a separate issue, Driscoll talked about what he considers to be the top lethal threat to soldiers. Cheap, weaponized drones have become the weapon of choice in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Driscoll wants the Army to lead the Pentagon's effort to counteract drones. 'It's the number one thing we talk about every single day,' Driscoll said. Ukraine stunned Russia with a drone attack on its strategic warplanes. 'That should send fear into the hearts of armies around the world,' Driscoll said. 'A solution that was tens of thousands of dollars and pretty cleverly done over six months with very little signature to catch. It took out multiple billions of dollars of equipment, and that threat is real, and that threat is one that is being faced by every country.' Is the Pentagon better prepared than Russia for such an attack? 'I don't know,' Driscoll said. 'Hope so.'
