Special counsel charges Hunter Biden with felony gun crime – National & International News – THU 14Sep2023

Special counsel charges Hunter Biden with felony gun crime.

UAW, automakers still far apart in contract talks with strike deadline tonight.

NATIONAL NEWS

Special counsel charges Hunter Biden with felony gun crime

Early this summer, President Biden’s son Hunter was in court ready to admit wrongdoing on tax crimes as well as a felony gun charge. The gun charge arose from the fact that Hunter admitted that he was using illegal drugs when he purchased a firearm in 2018. The fact that Hunter answered “no” on a form asking whether he was using drugs at the time he purchased the weapon is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. As part of the plea deal Hunter had agreed to, he would serve probation but no jail time. However, that plea deal unexpectedly fell apart, and Hunter entered a plea of not guilty.

Today, Department of Justice special counsel David Weiss, a Trump-era hire, has announced he is bringing felony charges in a Delaware court against Hunter for the gun violation. Weiss said that the other potential tax charges would be filed in other jurisdictions.

The announcement coincides with the start of an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. Those inquiries have mainly to do with the elder Biden’s possible involvement with some of Hunter’s business dealings back when Joe Biden was Obama’s Vice President. So far, House Republicans poring over documents and witness statement have not yet come up with anything concretely linking Joe Biden to any improper fashion to Hunter’s business dealings. 

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UAW, automakers still far apart in contract talks with strike deadline tonight

The three-year contracts for the 150,000 members of the United Auto Workers with the Detroit Three automakers (Ford, GM and Stellantis) are set to expire at 11:59 pm CT tonight. After weeks of negotiations, UAW and the automakers appear to be nowhere close to striking a tentative contract agreement by tonight’s deadline.

UAW President Shawn Fain has warned that any of the firms without a deal will face walkouts at midnight. For now, the plan is not for a full work stoppage. Rather, workers at certain key undisclosed plants and facilities will strike. Fain hopes this strategy will create maximum “confusion” and disruption for the automakers.

This will be the first time that UAW has called walkouts at all of the Detroit Three simultaneously. Depending how negotiations progress, a full strike is “still on the table” according to UAW officials.

UAW is seeking 40% raises for its workers over the next three years; the restoration of defined benefit pensions; a 32-hour work week with 40 hours of pay; an end to the firms’ heavy reliance on temporary workers as well as other benefit enhancements. The union also wants 10 electric vehicle (EV) battery plants being built by the automakers to be union workplaces.

The White House is reportedly planning economic measures to protect suppliers from the effects of the strike. A prolonged strike could be enough to put smaller smaller upstream and downstream suppliers for the Detroit Three out of business. If the strike goes on for several weeks, car buyers may also see the price of new and used cars rise.

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