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The Biden administration announced Wednesday it will cancel seven Trump-era oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protect more than 13 million acres in the federal National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, stymieing a years-long attempt to drill in the protected region.

Japan-based Astellas Pharma on Wednesday withdrew a lawsuit filed against the U.S. government, days after its prostate cancer

Georgia prosecutors estimate a four-month trial with more than 150 witnesses for the 19 defendants in a sweeping racketeering indictment targeting an alleged criminal enterprise to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state. Prosecutors offered an early glimpse of the courtroom arguments against Donald Trump and 18 of his co-defendants during the first-ever televised hearing connected to the case on 6 September. Fulton County prosecutors shot down arguments from attorneys for Kenneth Chesebro and Sidney Powell, who have sought to be tried separately from the 16 others wrapped up in the indictment, which charges the defendants under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations, or RICO statute, alleging 40 separate crimes and 161 different acts connected to an alleged criminal conspiracy to unlawfully reject election results. That four-month timeline does not include jury selection, prosecutors said. Attorneys for Mr Chesebro, among the chief architects of an allegedly fraudulent scheme to enlist Trump loyalists as presidential electors for the state won by Joe Biden, and Ms Powell, who is accused of leading an effort to unlawfully breach voting machines, have alleged that the allegations against them have nothing to do with dozens of other acts involved in the case. By comparison, in 2014, Ms Willis served as the chief prosecutor in a similarly sweeping RICO case targeting corruption within the Atlanta Public Schools system. Eleven of the 12 defendants were convicted in April 2015, roughly seven months after the beginning of the trial. One of the defendants died before the end of the trial. In arguments before Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Wednesday, attorneys for Mr Chesebro and Ms Powell argued that their clients would be wrapped up in hours, days or weeks of testimony and evidence presentation that would unfairly wrap them up with crimes they had nothing to do with. But Fulton County prosecutor Will Wooten argued that their involvement in those incidents showed that the criminal enterprise “existed, and “that the enterprise was working.” This is a developing story Read More Trump hearing underway in Georgia election case as lawsuit seeks to bar him from 2024 race - live

Atlanta officials claim that "anarchists" conspired to illegally occupy a planned police training site.

Reza Baluchi tried to "run" from Florida to London in a homemade vessel during hurricane season.

Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca “Becky” Hill has not yet responded to allegations of jury tampering in Alex Murdaugh’s double murder trial - but her co-author is staunchly defending the clerk he describes as someone of integrity and genuine character. Neil R Gordon appeared on Court TV Tuesday night just hours after Murdaugh’s defence attorneys filed a motion requesting a new trial for the convicted killer on the basis that Ms Hill tampered with the jury because she was driven by fame and a desire to secure a book deal. Mr Gordon and Ms Hill worked together for months after the trial on a tell-all book titled Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders, which was released on 1 August. Mr Gordon told Court TV’s Vinnie Politan on Tuesday that he was shocked when he heard about the allegations and what Murdaugh’s attorneys Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin believed to be Ms Hill’s alleged motivation. “I was pretty upset at what Harpootlian said was the motivation Becky had,” Mr Gordon said. “Last time I checked, Simon and Schuster did not send us a check for $200,000.” Mr Gordon explained that his family and Ms Hill’s family together forked over their own money, about $30,000, to self-publish the book. “We put up our own money because we thought it was an interesting story to tell,” he added. “We felt like it was a story that should be told,” adding that he doesn’t believe there would be another trial like this one in our lifetime. After six weeks of harrowing testimony back in March, the jury took just three hours to convict Murdaugh in the June 2021 murders of his wife Maggie and son Paul. It was Ms Hill who read the verdict. Now, months later, the defence team has accused the court clerk of telling jurors not to trust him when he testified in his own defence, having private conversations with the jury foreperson and pressuring jurors to come to a quick verdict. The request filed by Murdaugh’s lawyers on Tuesday also accuses Ms Hill of giving jury members business cards from reporters during the trial. After the verdict, she traveled to New York City with three of the jurors to do interviews. Ms Hill has not released an official statement, except for a brief comment to Court TV, in which she told the outlet the allegations are “untrue.” Mr Gordon said he has spoken with her, and said the “allegations are so deep” that the court clerk has hired legal counsel and they are planning to put out a statement in the “near future.” “What I do know is that she will answer each and every one of these allegations truthfully.” When asked about any possible conversations Ms Hill might have had with the jury, Mr Gordon said his friend, who he described as a “very spiritual person”, is known to pray with her staff. And knowing the jury to also be very prayerful, he said he asked her if she ever prayed with them. She responded to him, “Oh no no no. No legal entity is allowed to have prayer with the jury,” Mr Gordon said. “It was very clear that there was a line there,” he added. Mr Gordon and Ms Hill met through his wife, photographer Melissa Brinson Gordon, who, like many in the area, attended the jury proceedings of the trial that had gripped the nation. She had requested to take a selfie with Ms Hill which eventually led to friendship and talk of a mutual desire to capture the trial in Ms Hill’s words and Melissa’s photos. In the motion filed on Tuesday citing allegations against Ms Hill, Murdaugh’s attorney Mr Harpootlian, a state senator and lawyer for 50 years, said trial court clerks “aren’t someone who should even talk to them about the case. I’ve never heard of that.” The motion claims that when Murdaugh took the stand, Ms Hill instructed the jury to “watch him closely,” to “look at his actions,” and to “look at his movements” on the stand – something at least one juror said they understood to mean that Murdaugh was guilty. When the defence presented evidence, they were allegedly urged not “to be fooled”. The motion also claims that Ms Hill had frequent private conversations with the jury foreperson and repeatedly asked jurors for their opinions about Murdaugh’s guilt or innocence. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson released a brief statement on the motion, saying only that “we are currently reviewing the defense’s latest motion and will respond through the legal process at the appropriate time”. Maggie and Paul were found shot dead on the family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate back on 7 June 2021. Alex Murdaugh had called 911 claiming to have found their bodies. During his high-profile murder trial, jurors heard how Paul was shot twice with a 12-gauge shotgun while he stood in the feed room of the dog kennels on the affluent family’s 1,700-acre Moselle estate. The second shot to his head blew his brain almost entirely out of his skull. After killing Paul, prosecutors said Murdaugh then grabbed a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle and opened fire on Maggie as she tried to flee from her husband. During the dramatic six-week trial, Murdaugh confessed to lying about his alibi on the night of the murders but continued to claim his innocence of the killings. The jury didn’t agree and the disgraced legal scion was convicted in March of the brutal murders. Read More Alex Murdaugh juror back in spotlight as killer accuses clerk of court of tampering in trial – latest Alex Murdaugh accuses ‘fame seeking’ court clerk of jury tampering at his murder trial Alex Murdaugh has a new victim story. We should be paying attention

YouTube influencer Ruby Franke has been formally charged with six counts of felony child abuse after one of her sons escaped her home and requested help from local police. Ms Franke ran the "8 Passengers" YouTube channel, which focused on her and her now ex-husband's lives with their six children in Utah. She became notabe for the backlash her videos generated, with some viewers accusing her of being too strict and controlling of her children. Ms Franke was arrested last week along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt. Ms Hildebrandt, who invited Ms Franke to join her Connexions life counseling service, was also charged with six counts of felony child abuse, according to NBC News. Though neighbours had previously complained to police about Ms Franke, the situation at her home became critical last week after her 12-year-old son escaped and sought help. The boy was emaciated, had duct tape on his hands and ankles, and appeared to be suffering from open wounds. After police connected with the boy, they searched Ms Franke's house, where they found a 10-year-old girl also allegedly underfed and suffering from wounds. Four of Ms Franke's children were put into the care of Utah's Division of Child and Family Services. Her two oldest children are adults. Ms Franke's estranged 20-year-old daughter, Shari, celebrated her mother's arrest on social media, writing "finally" over a video of police removing her siblings. "Today has been a big day," she said in another post. "Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We've been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up." Each of the child abuse counts facing Ms Franke and Ms Hildebrandt carries a prison sentence of up to 15 years and a fine of up to $10,000 if convicted, according to the Washington County Attorney's Office. “There are two juvenile victims in these cases, and each defendant is accused of causing or permitting serious physical injury to the victims in three different ways: (1) a combination of multiple physical injuries or torture, (2) starvation or malnutrition that jeopardizes life, and (3) causing severe emotional harm,” the county attorney said. Both women are expected to appear in court on Friday, according to a probable cause affidavit. YouTube has removed Ms Franke's channels. Read More Who is Ruby Franke? Everything we know about the family vlogger’s rise to fame before child abuse charges Mommy blogger Ruby Franke’s neighbors feared police would pull ‘body bags’ from her home Ruby Franke’s sisters speak out after influencer’s arrest for child abuse

The U.S. Interior Department on Wednesday will announce the cancellation of oil and gas leases in a federal

Jason Kelce hints that family history could allow for his younger brother Travis Kelce to be healthy enough in time to play in the Kansas City Chiefs' season opener at home vs. the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.

By Helen Coster and Samrhitha A Comcast has moved up the date for the sale or purchase of

A Pennsylvania man has opened up about the terrifying moment an escaped murder convict Danelo Cavalcante apparently broke into his home while his family was sleeping. The manhunt for Cavalcante entered its seventh day on Wednesday, with at least five confirmed sightings of the fugitive since he escaped from Chester County Prison on 31 August. Law enforcement initially set up a two-mile perimeter around a wooded area where Cavalcante was believed to be hiding, but the search was expanded after Cavalcante was caught on trail camera sneaking past the perimeter on Monday. Schools in the district have been closed, and authorities have urged residents to remain aware of their surroundings and secure their homes from the killer. West Chester resident Ryan Drummond claimed in an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer that one of Cavalcante’s confirmed sightings occurred at his home. Mr Drummond said that he woke up to noises downstairs on 1 September and realised that there was an intruder. “I decided not to confront him and thought it was a better move to flick the light switch,” Mr Drummond, whose wife and children were also in the home, told the Inquirer. “And he flicked it back at me, which was terrifying, so I told my wife to call 911.” Mr Drummond said that Cavalcante entered the home through an old French door that couldn’t lock properly. He said his nine-year-old daughter had raised fears about Cavalcante being able to gain access to the home through the door, but he tried to reassure her that the murder convict was likely far away. “The last few days have been surreal. It’s tough,” Mr Drummond said. “We’re all jumpy, and I could see this has taken a psychological toll on my kids. If they’re in the room by themselves, they’re calling for us.” Fortunately, Cavalcante left the Drummonds’ home after reportedly taking a backpack, a baseball cap and some fruit from the kitchen. When asked during a press conference about the incident, state police confirmed that Mr Drummonds’ home was within the perimeter of the search but declined to elaborate on the break-in. Chester County residents have been asked to “remain indoors at this time, lock your vehicles and review your surveillance cameras and contact police if you observe anything suspicious,” DA Deb Ryan said. The most recent sighting came Monday night at Longwood Gardens, where trail surveillance video captured him walking through the area with a duffel bag, backpack and hooded sweatshirt he apparently stole while on the run. That sighting led officials to move the search area farther south after they determined that Cavalcante had likely slipped through the original perimeter set by hundreds of local, state and federal law enforcement officers. Officials said his movements show he’s feeling the pressure of the massive search and that his options are dwindling. “I intend to stress him. I want to push him hard. He’ll make mistakes,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bevins said at a press conference. “He’ll show himself. He’s already shown himself, we believe, a few times.” Law enforcement teams, including the US Marshals, SWAT, local, state, and other federal agencies, have joined the search to find Cavalcante Authorities are also offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to his arrest. On 22 August, Cavalcante was sentenced to life without parole for stabbing his 33-year-old ex-girlfriend Deborah Brandão to death. Cavalcante attacked Brandão in Schuylkill Township, back in August 2021, in front of her two children, who were just seven and three years old. He is also wanted for a 2017 murder in Brazil. Read More Danelo Cavalcante killed his girlfriend in front of her children. Now he’s on the run after a prison break Pennsylvania police hone in on heavily wooded area during ongoing manhunt for dangerous fugitive Danelo Cavalcante Authorities try to flush out escaped murderer in suburban Philadelphia manhunt

(Reuters) -Flexible workspace provider WeWork said on Wednesday it has started off a process of global engagement with its landlords