Unbiased headline news – In a stunning development, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked the controversial plea deal for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices announced on Wednesday, stating he was taking control of the military tribunal at Guantanamo.
The decision reinstates the death penalty as a potential outcome for three of the five 9/11 defendants who would have faced life imprisonment at the U.S. base in Guantanamo, in exchange for pleading guilty to the murder of 2,997 individuals in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and United Flight 93.
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Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced a historic $4.037 billion settlement to resolve claims from the devastating August 8, 2023, Maui wildfires.
The settlement comes just before the one-year anniversary of the tragedy. The seven defendants – State of Hawai’i, County of Maui, Hawaiian Electric, Kamehameha Schools, West Maui Land Co., Hawaiian Telcom, and Spectrum/Charter Communications – “undertook significant efforts to find a resolution that addresses the needs and ensures the well-being of plaintiffs.”
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Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, will face sentencing for his three-count felony conviction on Nov. 13, just a week after the presidential election.
Biden was found guilty in June by a Delaware jury of breaking the law when he acquired a firearm in 2018, during his struggle with drug addiction. For the three felony convictions, Hunter Biden could face up to 25 years in prison, though legal experts believe he will avoid jail time as a first-time and nonviolent offender.
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The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s federal election interference case has scheduled a hearing for Aug. 16 at 10 a.m. Trump is not required to attend.
This will be the first appearance in Judge Tanya Chutkan’s courtroom in seven months. Chutkan also denied Trump’s motion to dismiss the case on statutory grounds. She indicated that they may refile the motion once issues of presidential immunity are addressed. The case has been paused as Trump’s legal team appealed presidential immunity.
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Three Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were shot, one fatally, while responding to a disturbance report at a Florida home.
One deputy is deceased. Another was hit in the shoulder and is now in stable condition. The third deputy, who was struck in the armpit, groin, and stomach multiple times, has undergone surgery and remains in critical condition, Lake County Sheriff Peyton Grinnell said during a press conference.
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Two Georgia National Guard soldiers died Wednesday in Iraq in what the U.S. Army described as unrelated noncombat deaths.
Specialist Travis Jordan Pameni, 23, of Douglasville, died in Baghdad following an incident at another location, the Army said. Pameni was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, based in Lawrenceville. That unit began a mission at an undisclosed location in the Middle East in April.
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A Frontier pilot was handcuffed onboard an aircraft in Houston and removed by Houston Police ahead of the flight’s scheduled departure, officials confirmed on Saturday.
The pilot was removed from Flight 3195 before its planned departure from Houston to Dallas. Houston police identified the pilot as Seymour Walker, 45, who was wanted on an assault-family violence warrant. Law enforcement said they waited until the plane reached a specific gate at the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
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The Park Fire has become the fourth largest wildfire to ravage California. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported that the fire has expanded to nearly 401,000 acres and is just over a quarter contained, destroying hundreds of structures.
The state is contending with 16 active wildfires, with the Park Fire being the largest, spreading across four counties and Lassen National Forest. Cal Fire reported that over 95,000 acres of the fire involve Forest Service land and that it is impacting “a variety of vegetation and ecosystems.”
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