Third indictment for Trump; charged in conspiracy to overturn 2020 election – National & International News – TUE 1Aug2023

Trump indicted over attempts to overturn 2020 election. 

Settlement for family of Black woman whose stolen cells led to medical breakthroughs. 

Kenya wants to lead force in Haiti after US woman, child kidnapped. 

NATIONAL NEWS

Trump indicted over attempts to overturn 2020 election

Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith has announced an indictment against former President Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat. The indictment accuses Trump and six unnamed co-conspirators of embarking on a “criminal scheme” to defraud the US, including by appointing slates of fake pro-Trump electors in battleground states that Trump lost. The co-conspirators include several attorneys and one Justice Department official.

The four counts against Trump include: conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. These charges have to do with a disinformation campaign and behind-the-scenes attempts to short-circuit the official certification of the election results. This does not specifically mention Trump’s conduct on January 6, 2021, or any attempt to foment the violent insurrection at the Capitol.

This is the second federal indictment and the third overall indictment to come out against Trump this year. A fourth indictment from Georgia connected with a conspiracy to reverse Trump’s loss in that state may be coming later this month. 

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Related: Is Trump’s political campaign designed to bankroll his legal defense?

Family of Black woman whose cells made breakthroughs in medicine settles with biotech firm

The family of Henrietta Lacks, a Black woman who died of cancer in 1951, has reached a settlement with major biotech firm Thermo Fisher. Before Lacks died, doctors at Johns Hopkins harvested a sample of cancerous cell’s from Lacks’ cervix without her consent and sent them off for scientific testing. Instead of dying out in the lab, Lacks’ cells replicated indefinitely, and are still being used in scientific research to this day. The cells, dubbed HeLa cells in honor of Lacks, have been vital in research that has led to major breakthroughs that led to the polio vaccine, treatments for cancer, HIV, and Parkinson’s disease.

Lacks’ contribution to medical research and her story only came to light in the last few years, and her family was completely unaware of it. Meanwhile, for over 70 years, various medical research have used HeLa cells to make billions of dollars in profit. They reached a settlement with one of these companies today which both sides are reportedly happy with. Today would be Lacks’ 103rd birthday.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Kenya wants to lead multi-national force in Haiti after American woman and child kidnapped

Months ago, Haiti’s government requested an international peacekeeping force to help restore order in the currently lawless country. The assassination of Haiti’s president Jovenel Moise two years ago created a constitutional crisis and power vacuum in which gangs have flourished. Currently, gangs control more than 80% of the capital Port-au-Prince. They’ve also seized control of ports and oil depots and have deprived the population of basic necessities including gas, food, and medicine.

Many of the humanitarian groups that have been in Haiti for over a decade have withdrawn over security concerns, but some remain. Over the weekend, and American aid worker and her child were abducted.

Despite the desperate situation, the US and other major countries have declined to send any troops, citing the fraught history with international intervention in Haiti. Now Kenya, which is one of the UN’s most active African countries, wants to send 1000 of its policemen to help bolster Haiti’s overwhelmed police force. In addition to other African countries, some of Haiti’s Caribbean neighbors, like Jamaica, have also volunteered.

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