PIKETON, Ohio – Attorneys for a woman facing charges in connection to an Ohio family massacre are seeking dismissal of obstruction and perjury charges against her.
Seventy-six-year-old Fredericka Wagner's son, daughter-in-law and two grandsons pleaded not guilty to the 2016 slayings of eight Rhoden family members in Pike County.
Wagner pleaded not guilty to charges against her. The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reports her attorneys filed a motion Friday to dismiss those charges. The newspaper reports Wagner testified she bought two bulletproof vests after the shootings through Amazon, but investigators found no purchase records of the vests they suspect Wagner's family wore during the slayings.
Wagner now says she bought them on eBay.
An Ohio Attorney General's Office prosecutor says she couldn't comment on the filing.
___
Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com
In stark contrast to attempts in numerous western countries to stifle free speech online, Russian President Vladimir Putin defended Internet freedom during a conference earlier today.
When rulers of authoritarian regimes are more pro-freedom than western leaders, you know we’re in trouble.
Putin told the Russian Internet Governance Forum, “I am confident that we should continue to follow the principle of the freedom of the Internet, creating conditions for a wide exchange of information and the implementation of business initiatives and startups.”
The Russian leader said that it was important to balance free speech online with concerns about tackling cyber-crime and illegal content.
When the leader of an openly authoritarian regime believes in free speech more than most western leaders. pic.twitter.com/2LisRR4eqZ
Putin’s position is at odds with many western leaders, who have elevated concerns about “fake news” and people’s feelings being hurt over free speech.
In addition to the widespread banning and deplatforming of numerous dissident speakers over the course of the last year, Internet regulation by the state is also intensifying in the west.
According to reports, the UK is about to impose what some are calling “the toughest Internet laws in the world” in the name of stopping cyber-bullying and the spread of “disinformation”.
The European Union also recently passed Article 13, which some fear could lead to the banning of memes.
In the not too distant future, the Russian Internet, where for example you can criticize transgenderism without the risk of being arrested (unlike in the UK), might be more free than anywhere in western Europe.
I can think of nothing more humiliating than that.
FILE PHOTO: Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves Manhattan federal court after a hearing on his fraud settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in New York City, U.S., April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton
April 12, 2019
By Lawrence Delevingne
NEW YORK (Reuters) – David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital renewed criticism of Elon Musk and his Tesla Inc, saying the electric car company again appeared to be on the “brink” of failure, according to a letter sent to clients of the hedge fund on Friday.
The letter cited a lack of demand, “desperate” price cuts, layoffs, “closing-and-then-not-closing” stores, closing service centers, slashing capital expenditures, rushed product announcements and “a new effort to distract investors from the demand problem with hyperbole over TSLA’s autonomous driving capabilities.”
“We believe that right here, right now, the company appears to again be on the brink,” the letter said. Greenlight is short Tesla stock, recently a profitable bet.
Tesla did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Greenlight said its funds gained 11 percent over the first three months of 2019, slightly below the gain of the S&P 500 Index. Despite the gains so far this year, “it continued to be a challenging environment for our investment style with growth stocks performing much better than value stocks,” the letter said. “In the context of this headwind and a sizable short portfolio, we are pleased with the quarterly result.”
Greenlight noted that last summer, Musk promised Tesla would be profitable and cash flow positive in every quarter going forward. “He repeated that forecast as recently as the end of January,” Greenlight pointed out. “That promise has failed to materialize. The question at hand is: in a few months will Musk be again bragging that he saved the company from the brink of failure, or will TSLA in fact fail this time?”
Greenlight Capital and its founder Einhorn first rose to prominence for making a prescient call on Lehman Brothers’ accounting troubles before the firm’s collapse. Late last year, Greenlight compared Tesla to Lehman.
(Reporting by Jennifer Ablan and Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Susan Thomas)
Feb 19, 2019; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Blues center Ryan O'Reilly (90) salutes the fans after the Blues defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in overtime at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
February 20, 2019
Ryan O’Reilly scored 34 seconds into overtime as the St. Louis Blues extended their winning streak to a franchise-record 11 games with a 3-2 victory over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist, and Colton Parayko scored a goal for the Blues, who built a 2-0 lead in the first period. Tyler Bozak added two assists.
Zach Hyman and Auston Matthews scored in the third period for the Maple Leafs, who ended the Blues’ shutout streak at 233 minutes and 50 seconds, second in franchise history to a run of 258:30 from March 16-29, 2016.
Jordan Binnington, who made his first career start Jan. 7, recorded 31 saves for St. Louis. He is 13-1-1 with nine straight wins, a franchise record for a rookie goaltender. Frederik Andersen made 38 saves for Toronto.
Lightning 5, Flyers 2
J.T. Miller and Ryan McDonagh had a goal and an assist apiece, and Alex Killorn, Mikhail Sergachev and Yanni Gourde each scored a goal to lead visiting Tampa Bay past Philadelphia.
Backup goaltender Louis Domingue was terrific with 28 saves as the Lightning won their seventh in a row. Domingue also won his 11th in a row.
Oskar Lindblom scored a goal, his third in two games, and Travis Konecny also scored, but the Flyers had their three-game winning streak snapped. Sean Couturier had two assists for Philadelphia.
Predators 5, Stars 3
Roman Josi scored twice in the third period — the deciding goal and clinching empty-netter — and Ryan Ellis racked up three assists as visiting Nashville defeated Dallas.
Josi netted the game-winner at the 7:35 mark of the third period as his shot deflected off the stick of Dallas’ Andrew Cogliano then floated lazily over the head of goaltender Anton Khudobin and into the net.
The Predators also got goals from Rocco Grimaldi, Brian Boyle and Filip Forsberg. Esa Lindell, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza scored for the Stars.
Coyotes 3, Oilers 2 (SO)
Vinnie Hinostroza scored once and then netted the shootout winner as visiting Arizona claimed a victory over Edmonton, which was without star forward Connor McDavid because of illness.
Coyotes goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 35 saves through overtime — including seven in the extra frame — and stopped three of four Oilers in the shootout.
Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins forced overtime by scoring with 11 seconds remaining in regulation. Mikko Koskinen made 33 saves for overtime for the Oilers, who had veteran defenseman Andrej Sekera in the lineup for the first time this season. He had been sidelined due to a torn Achilles tendon.
Ducks 4, Wild 0
Ryan Miller made 31 saves, Jakob Silfverberg, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler and Hampus Lindholm scored, and visiting Anaheim won at Saint Paul, Minn.
Devan Dubnyk made 20 saves for the Wild, who have lost five straight games and haven’t scored in the past seven periods and part of an overtime.
Miller posted the 44th shutout of his NHL career, moving into a tie with Miikka Kiprusoff for 34th on the NHL’s all-time list.
Canadiens 3, Blue Jackets 2
Tomas Tatar scored the go-ahead goal with 6:52 left in the third period, and Montreal snapped a four-game skid Tuesday night with a win over visiting Columbus, which was minus ill star Artemi Panarin.
Carey Price made 31 saves for the Canadiens, who prevailed despite blowing a 2-0 lead and earned at least a point in their seventh consecutive home game. Tatar proved to be hero, taking a nifty feed from Jordie Benn for the eventual winner.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves for the Blue Jackets, whose four-game road winning streak ended.
Rangers 2, Hurricanes 1
Vladislav Namestnikov scored with 13:50 remaining, and the goal held up as New York won at Raleigh, N.C.
Namestnikov’s goal came on the second rebound of a sequence and just seconds after a Rangers power play had expired. Connor Brickley scored earlier for the Rangers. Jordan Martinook collected Carolina’s goal just before the midway mark of the second period.
Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist made 43 saves and was under heavy pressure late in the game. Hurricanes goalie Curtis McElhinney stopped 24 shots.
Penguins 4, Devils 3
Pittsburgh scored three consecutive goals spanning the first and second periods to take a lead it never relinquished in a victory at Newark, N.J.
Bryan Rust’s go-ahead goal was the second score in the flurry for the Penguins. Zach Aston-Reese, Nick Bjugstad and Chad Ruhwedel also scored for Pittsburgh, which has won two straight and four of five. Matt Murray made 33 saves.
Jesper Bratt and Marcus Johansson scored go-ahead goals in the first for the Devils, while Miles Wood scored late in the third to close the Penguins’ lead to 4-3. Keith Kinkaid recorded 24 saves for New Jersey, which had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Panthers 4, Sabres 2
Jonathan Huberdeau, Jayce Hawryluk and Aleksander Barkov scored 2:35 apart in the third period as Florida rallied to defeat Buffalo in Sunrise, Fla.
Huberdeau then scored again, a spectacular goal with 3:15 left in the third period, deking All-Star Jeff Skinner and then making another move, this one on Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark.
Panthers goalie James Reimer made 32 saves and won his third straight start, a stretch that coincides with Florida’s three-game win streak. Buffalo got goals from Jack Eichel and Vladimir Sobotka. Ullmark finished with 37 saves.
Burt Reynolds stands next to a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am, which was the last Trans Am owned and driven by Reynolds, in this Julien's Auctions photo, released from Culver City, California, U.S., on April 11, 2019. Courtesy Julien's Auctions/Handout via REUTERS
April 12, 2019
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – One of Burt Reynolds’ favorite cars is going up for auction in June along with some of his cowboy boots, hats, sports jackets and other items from his estate, Julien’s Auctions said on Friday.
The two-day auction in Beverly Hills, authorized by the actor’s family, comes almost a year after the death at age 82 of the charming star who was one of Hollywood’s favorite actors.
The highlight of the auction is a 1979 Pontiac Trans Am car that Reynolds used on photo shoots and drove on the Bandit Run cross country rally, which re-enacts the journey at the center of his 1977 film “Smokey and the Bandit.”
The car, which Reynolds co-owned with his business partner Gene Kennedy, is expected to fetch up to $500,000 at auction, Julien’s said in a statement.
Two pairs of leather cowboy boots – one red and one yellow – are also offered for sale with estimates ranging from $800 to $2,000 a pair, along with two cowboy hats.
Reynolds started out as a football player at Florida State University (FSU) before injuries suffered in a car crash wrecked his hopes of a professional career.
But his attachment to FSU remained strong. The auction includes several custom or personalized FSU baseball, basketball and varsity jackets.
Other highlights include an oil on canvas painting of the actor’s favorite horse titled “Cartouche,” which carries an estimate of $20,000 – $30,000. Other art works, furniture and dozens of personal items are also being offered for sale.
The auction will take place in Beverly Hills on June 15 and 16, and will be preceded by a public exhibition of some of the items from June 10-14.
Reynolds, who was also known for the 1960s television series “Gunsmoke” and the movies “Deliverance” and “Boogie Nights,”” died of a heart attack in Florida in September 2018.
(The story was refiled to correct the name of the auction house in paragraphs one and four)
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
GRAND CHUTE, Wis. – Police have arrested a high school junior in the killing of two people at a home in eastern Wisconsin.
Grand Chute police officers found the victims at the house in Grand Chute during a welfare check Sunday morning. The 17-year-old boy was arrested at the home.
The teen is being held in the Outagamie County Jail on possible charges of first-degree intentional homicide.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims, but police said in a news release that the Neenah High School student knew them. No information has been released about how they died.
Grand Chute police say investigations are ongoing but that they believe the killings were "an isolated incident, with no danger to the public."
Commuters walk past an advertisement discouraging the dissemination of fake news at a train station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 28, 2018. REUTERS/Stringer
April 2, 2019
SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore’s parliament on Monday began considering a law on “fake news” that an internet watchdog has called the world’s most far-reaching, stoking fears the government could use additional powers to choke freedom of speech and chill dissent.
Governments and companies worldwide are increasingly worried about the spread of false information online and its impact on everything from share prices to elections and social unrest.
Human rights activists fear laws to curb so-called “fake news” could be abused to silence opposition.
Here are details of such laws around the world:
SINGAPORE
Singapore’s new law would require social media sites like Facebook to carry warnings on posts the government deems false and remove comments against the “public interest”.
Singapore, which ranks 151 among 180 countries rated by the World Press Freedom Index, defines “public interests” as threats to its security, foreign relations, electoral integrity and public perception of the government and state institutions.
Violations could attract fines of up to S$ 1 million ($737,500) and 10 years in prison.
RUSSIA
Last month, President Vladimir Putin signed into law tough new fines for Russians who spread what the authorities regard as fake news or who show “blatant disrespect” for the state online.
Critics have warned the law could aid state censorship, but lawmakers say it is needed to combat false news and abusive online comment.
Authorities may block websites that do not meet requests to remove inaccurate information. Individuals can be fined up to 400,000 rouble ($6,109.44) for circulating false information online that leads to a “mass violation of public order”.
FRANCE
France passed two anti-fake news laws last year, to rein in false information during election campaigns following allegations of Russian meddling in the 2017 presidential vote.
President Emmanuel Macron vowed to overhaul media laws to fight “fake news” on social media, despite criticism that the move was a risk to civil liberties.
GERMANY
Germany passed a law last year for social media companies, such as Facebook and Twitter, to quickly remove hate speech.
Called NetzDG for short, the law is the most ambitious effort by a Western democracy to control what appears on social media. It will enforce online Germany’s tough curbs on hate speech, including pro-Nazi ideology, by giving sites a 24-hour deadline to remove banned content or face fines of up to 50 million euros.
Since it was adopted, however, German officials have said too much online content was being blocked, and are weighing changes. [https://reut.rs/2RP1OeW]
MALAYSIA
Malaysia’s ousted former government was among the first to adopt a law against fake news, which critics say was used to curb free speech ahead of last year’s general elections, which it lost.The measure was seen as a tool to fend off criticism over graft and mismanagement of funds by then prime minister Najib Razak, who now faces charges linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal at state fund 1 Malaysia Development Berhad.
The new government’s bid to deliver on an election promise to repeal the law was blocked by the opposition-led Senate, however. [https://reut.rs/2R4IR6I]
EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union and authorities worldwide will have to regulate big technology and social media companies to protect citizens, European Commission deputy head Frans Timmermans said last month.
EU heads of state will urge governments to share information on threats via a new warning system, launched by the bloc’s executive. They will also call for online platforms to do more to remove misleading or illegal content.
Union-level efforts have been limited by different election rules in each member nation and qualms over how vigorously regulators can tackle misleading content online.
(Reporting by Fathin Ungku; Editing by Clarence Fernandez; and Joe Brock)
Police secure the area where the body of a woman was discovered near the village of Orounta, Cyprus, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Stefanos Kouratzis
April 26, 2019
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cypriot police searched on Friday for more victims of a suspected serial killer, in a case which has shocked the Mediterranean island and exposed the authorities to charges of “criminal indifference” because the dead women were foreigners.
The main opposition party, the left-wing AKEL, called for the resignation of Cyprus’s justice minister and police chief.
Police were combing three different locations west of the capital Nicosia for victims of the suspected killer, a 35-year-old army officer who has been in detention for a week.
The bodies of three women, including two thought to be from the Philippines, have been recovered. Police sources said the suspect had indicated the location of the third body, found on Thursday, and had said the person was “either Indian or Nepali”.
Police said they were searching for a further four people, including two children, based on the suspect’s testimony.
“These women came here to earn a living, to help their families. They lived away from their families. And the earth swallowed them, nobody was interested,” AKEL lawmaker Irene Charalambides told Reuters.
“This killer will be judged by the court but the other big question is the criminal indifference shown by the others when the reports first surfaced. I believe, as does my party, that the justice minister and the police chief should resign. They are irrevocably exposed.”
Police have said they will investigate any perceived shortcomings in their handling of the case.
One person who did attempt to alert the authorities over the disappearances, a 70-year-old Cypriot citizen, said his motives were questioned by police.
The bodies of the two Filipino women reported missing in May and August 2018 were found in an abandoned mine shaft this month. Police discovered the body of the third woman at an army firing range about 14 km (9 miles) from the mine shaft.
Police are now searching for the six-year-old daughter of the first victim found, a Romanian mother who disappeared with her eight-year-old child in 2016, and a woman from the Phillipines who vanished in Dec. 2017.
The suspect has not been publicly named, in line with Cypriot legal practice.
A public vigil for the missing was planned later on Friday.
(Reporting By Michele Kambas; Editing by Gareth Jones)
FILE PHOTO: An employee looks up at goods at the Miniclipper Logistics warehouse in Leighton Buzzard, Britain December 3, 2018. REUTERS/Simon Dawson
April 26, 2019
LONDON, April 26 – British factories stockpiled raw materials and goods ahead of Brexit at the fastest pace since records began in the 1950s, and they were increasingly downbeat about their prospects, a survey showed on Friday.
The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) quarterly survey of the manufacturing industry showed expectations for export orders in the next three months fell to their lowest level since mid-2009, when Britain was reeling from the global financial crisis.
The record pace of stockpiling recorded by the CBI was mirrored by the closely-watched IHS Markit/CIPS purchasing managers’ index published earlier this month.
(Reporting by Andy Bruce, editing by David Milliken)
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks at the opening ceremony for the second Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Florence Lo
April 26, 2019
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Fewer than half of Malaysians approve of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, an opinion poll showed on Friday, as concerns over rising costs and racial matters plague his administration nearly a year after taking office.
The survey, conducted in March by independent pollster Merdeka Center, showed that only 46 percent of voters surveyed were satisfied with Mahathir, a sharp drop from the 71 percent approval rating he received in August 2018.
Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan coalition won a stunning election victory in May 2018, ending the previous government’s more than 60-year rule.
But his administration has since been criticized for failing to deliver on promised reforms and protecting the rights of majority ethnic Malay Muslims.
Of 1,204 survey respondents, 46 percent felt that the “country was headed in the wrong direction”, up from 24 percent in August 2018, the Merdeka Center said in a statement. Just 39 percent said they approved of the ruling government.
High living costs remained the top most concern among Malaysians, with just 40 percent satisfied with the government’s management of the economy, the survey showed.
It also showed mixed responses to Pakatan Harapan’s proposed reforms.
Some 69 percent opposed plans to abolish the death penalty, while respondents were sharply divided over proposals to lower the minimum voting age to 18, or to implement a sugar tax.
“In our opinion, the results appear to indicate a public that favors the status quo, and thus requires a robust and coordinated advocacy efforts in order to garner their acceptance of new measures,” Merdeka Center said.
The survey also found 23 percent of Malaysians were concerned over ethnic and religious matters.
Some groups representing Malays have expressed fear that affirmative-action policies favoring them in business, education and housing could be taken away and criticized the appointments of non-Muslims to key government posts.
Last November, the government reversed its pledge to ratify a UN convention against racial discrimination, after a backlash from Malay groups.
Earlier this month, Pakatan Harapan suffered its third successive loss in local elections since taking power, which has been seen as a further sign of waning public support.
Despite the decline, most Malaysians – 67 percent – agreed that Mahathir’s government should be given more time to fulfill its election promises, Merdeka Center said.
This included a majority of Malay voters who were largely more critical of the new administration, it added.
(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Nick Macfie)
The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Staff
April 26, 2019
By Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh
(Reuters) – European shares slipped on Friday after losses in heavyweight banks and Glencore outweighed gains in healthcare and auto stocks, while investors remained on the sidelines ahead of U.S. economic data for the first quarter.
The pan-European STOXX 600 index was down 0.1 percent by 0935 GMT, eyeing a modest loss at the end of a holiday-shortened week. Banks-heavy Italian and Spanish indices were laggards.
The banking index fell for a fourth day, at the end of a heavy earnings week for lenders.
Britain’s Royal Bank of Scotland tumbled after posting lower first quarter profit, hurt by intensifying competition and Brexit uncertainty, while its investment bank also registered poor returns.
Weakness in investment banking also dented Deutsche Bank’s quarterly trading revenue and sent its shares lower a day after the German bank abandoned merger talks with smaller rival Commerzbank.
“The current interest rate environment makes it challenging for banks to make proper earnings because of their intermediary function,” said Teeuwe Mevissen, senior market economist eurozone, at Rabobank.
Since the start of April, all country indexes were on pace to rise between 1.8 percent and 3.4 percent, their fourth month of gains, while Germany was strongly outperforming with 6 percent growth.
“For now the current sentiment is very cautious as markets wait for the first estimates of the U.S. GDP growth which could see a surprise,” Mevissen said.
U.S. economic data for the first-quarter is due at 1230 GMT. Growth worries outside the United States resurfaced this week after South Korea’s economy unexpectedly contracted at the start of the year and weak German business sentiment data for April also disappointed.
Among the biggest drags on the benchmark index in Europe were the basic resources sector and the oil and gas sector, weighed down by Britain’s Glencore and France’s Total, respectively.
Glencore dropped after reports that U.S authorities were investigating whether the company and its subsidiaries violated certain provisions of the commodity exchange act.
Energy major Total said its net profit for the first three months of the year fell compared with a year ago due to volatile oil prices and debt costs.
Chip stocks in the region including Siltronic, Ams and STMicroelectronics lost more than 1 percent after Intel Corp reduced its full-year revenue forecast, adding to concerns that an industry-wide slowdown could persist until the end of 2019.
Meanwhile, healthcare, which is also seen as a defensive sector, was a bright spot. It was helped by French drugmaker Sanofi after it returned to growth with higher profits and revenues for the first-quarter.
Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES led media stocks higher after it maintained its full-year outlook on the back of the company’s Networks division.
Automakers in the region rose 0.4 percent, led by Valeo’s 6 percent jump as the French parts maker said its performance would improve in the second half of the year.
Continental AG advanced after it backed its outlook for the year despite reporting a fall in first-quarter earnings.
Renault rose more than 3 percent as it clung to full-year targets and pursues merger talks with its Japanese partner Nissan.
(Reporting by Medha Singh and Agamoni Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Gareth Jones and Elaine Hardcastle)
U.S. President Donald Trump gives a thumbs up to his audience as he hosts Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
April 26, 2019
By Jan Wolfe and Richard Cowan
(Reuters) – The “i word” – impeachment – is swirling around the U.S. Congress since the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted Russia report, which painted a picture of lies, threats and confusion in Donald Trump’s White House.
Some Democrats say trying to remove Trump from office would be a waste of time because his fellow Republicans still have majority control of the Senate. Other Democrats argue they have a moral obligation at least to try to impeach, even though Mueller did not charge Trump with conspiring with Russia in the 2016 U.S. election or with obstruction of justice.
Whether or not the Democrats decide to go down this risky path, here is how the impeachment process works.
WHAT ARE GROUNDS FOR IMPEACHMENT?
The U.S. Constitution says the president can be removed from office by Congress for “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” Exactly what that means is unclear.
Before he became president in 1974, replacing Republican Richard Nixon who resigned over the Watergate scandal, Gerald Ford said: “An impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history.”
Frank Bowman, a University of Missouri law professor and author of a forthcoming book on the history of impeachment, said Congress could look beyond criminal laws in defining “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Historically, it can encompass corruption and other abuses, including trying to obstruct judicial proceedings.
HOW DOES IMPEACHMENT PLAY OUT?
The term impeachment is often interpreted as simply removing a president from office, but that is not strictly accurate.
Impeachment technically refers to the 435-member House of Representatives approving formal charges against a president.
The House effectively acts as accuser – voting on whether to bring specific charges. An impeachment resolution, known as “articles of impeachment,” is like an indictment in a criminal case. A simple majority vote is needed in the House to impeach.
The Senate then conducts a trial. House members act as the prosecutors, with senators as the jurors. The chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court presides over the trial. A two-thirds majority vote is required in the 100-member Senate to convict and remove a president from office.
No president has ever been removed from office as a direct result of an impeachment and conviction by Congress.
Nixon quit in 1974 rather than face impeachment. Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998 were impeached by the House, but both stayed in office after the Senate acquitted them.
Obstruction of justice was one charge against Clinton, who faced allegations of lying under oath about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Obstruction was also included in the articles of impeachment against Nixon.
CAN THE SUPREME COURT OVERTURN?
No.
Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday that he would ask the Supreme Court to intervene if Democrats tried to impeach him. But America’s founders explicitly rejected making a Senate conviction appealable to the federal judiciary, Bowman said.
“They quite plainly decided this is a political process and it is ultimately a political judgment,” Bowman said.
“So when Trump suggests there is any judicial remedy for impeachment, he is just wrong.”
PROOF OF WRONGDOING?
In a typical criminal court case, jurors are told to convict only if there is “proof beyond a reasonable doubt,” a fairly stringent standard.
Impeachment proceedings are different. The House and Senate “can decide on whatever burden of proof they want,” Bowman said. “There is no agreement on what the burden should be.”
PARTY BREAKDOWN IN CONGRESS?
Right now, there are 235 Democrats, 197 Republicans and three vacancies in the House. As a result, the Democratic majority could vote to impeach Trump without any Republican votes.
In 1998, when Republicans had a House majority, the chamber voted largely along party lines to impeach Clinton, a Democrat.
The Senate now has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who usually vote with Democrats. Conviction and removal of a president would requires 67 votes. So that means for Trump to be impeached, at least 20 Republicans and all the Democrats and independents would have to vote against him.
WHO BECOMES PRESIDENT IF TRUMP IS REMOVED?
A Senate conviction removing Trump from office would elevate Vice President Mike Pence to the presidency to fill out Trump’s term, which ends on Jan. 20, 2021.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe and Richard Cowan; Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh and Peter Cooney)
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