Month: August 2023

In an unanimous decision, a jury in Pittsburgh has recommended a death sentence for the gunman who killed 11 people and injured seven more in a mass shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018.  The jury, who were on their second day of deliberations after almost 10 total hours deliberating, were weighing either a death sentence or life in prison for the gunman, Robert Bowers. Bowers was found guilty in June of all 63 federal charges brought against him in connection with the massacre, including criminal counts for hate crimes resulting in death.

Judge Robert Colville, who presided over the case, denied a motion from the defense for a mistrial prior to the sentencing hearing on Tuesday morning. Judge Colville said “the task before the jury was an enormous task and they seem to have embraced it with an earnestness and seriousness.”  The 12-member jury had to reach a decision in the penalty phase on whether what are known as aggravating factors outweighed 115 mitigating factors. The decisions on each of those factors on the 25-page verdict form were read before the jury announced its final decision. The jury found Bowers eligible to face the death penalty in July.

Bowers opened fire inside of Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, during Shabbat morning services, in the deadliest antisemitic attack in the country’s history. Police said the gunman was armed with an AR-15 rifle and three handguns, shouting “All Jews must die!” during the shooting  The gunman was shot multiple times by responding officers and taken into custody. Bowers had a documented history of antisemitic and violent extremist views that he posted about online, and his attorneys admitted during the criminal trial that he was responsible for the massacre; however, the defense focused on his mental state, raising questions as to whether Bowers was driven by hate or schizophrenia when he carried out the attack. Prosecutors rejected the defense’s claims related to mental illness, arguing that the gunman methodically planned the shooting.

Formal sentencing for Bowers will be Thursday, and victims will also have the chance to share statements before the judge officially imposes the final sentence.

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The World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) disclosed on Wednesday that federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant on executive chairman Vince McMahon  last month, serving him with a federal grand jury subpoena.

The WWE also revealed Wednesday that McMahon “went on medical leave after undergoing major spinal surgery.”   The WWE said in its quarterly report to the Securities and Exchange Commission that McMahon’s leave began July 21, and he will “remain on medical leave until further notice but will remain Executive Chairman” of WWE. WWE CEO Nick Khan revealed news of McMahon’s surgery during the company’s second-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Khan said McMahon had major spinal surgery nearly two weeks ago and is taking the leave in order to focus on his recovery, but did not specify the duration of the leave.

The new subpoena is part of an ongoing investigation into allegations that McMahon paid millions of dollars over the years to women after being accused of sexual misconduct. WWE said in the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that while government investigations into McMahon remain ongoing, no charges have been brought in them. The company said it has received voluntary and compulsory legal demands for documents concerning the investigation and related subject matters, sharing in a statement: “WWE has cooperated throughout and fully understands and respects the government’s need for a complete process.”

It was revealed last year that the WWE was investigating an alleged $3 million payment from McMahon to a departing female employee following a consensual affair. WWE’s investigation into the misconduct allegations was completed last year. McMahon said in a statement: “In 2022, WWE formed a special committee to review allegations of misconduct against me. That review was concluded in November 2022 following an extensive investigation. Throughout this experience, I have always denied any intentional wrongdoing and continue to do so. I am confident that the government’s investigation will be resolved without any findings of wrongdoing.”

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Former President Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on four counts related to charged he conspired to defraud the Unite States and overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The indictment from special counsel Jack Smith’s office said: “The purpose of the conspiracy was to overturn the legitimate results of the 2020 presidential election by using knowingly false claims of election fraud to obstruct the government function by which those results are collected, counted and certified, and it accuses Trump of taking part in three criminal conspiracies: “to defraud the United States by using dishonesty, fraud and deceit” to obstruct the electoral vote process; to “impede the January 6 congressional proceeding at which the collected results of the presidential election are counted and certified;” and “against the right to vote and to have that vote counted.”

Tuesday’s development is the latest in a series of legal troubles for the former President. He also faces separate federal charges over allegedly obstructing an investigation into classified documents at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago. In addition to these federal charges, Trump is fighting criminal charges over accounting for hush money payments in Manhattan; a defamation lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll, the writer; and a grand jury investigation in Georgia over his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state.

Trump is due to be arraigned on these latest charges on Thursday.  The continued legal troubles for Trump are looming over the 2024 presidential election; the former President remains the front-runner for the Republican Party nomination.

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CVS is laying off about 5,000 employees in a cost-cutting effort, the pharmacy chain confirmed Tuesday. CVS employs about 300,000 people. The news comes ahead of CVS’s quarterly earnings report on Wednesday.

The Rhode Island-based company said in a statement that it is “evolving to adapt to new consumer health needs and expectations” adding, “we do not expect there to be any impact to our customer-facing colleagues in our stores, pharmacies, clinics, or customer services centers as and communities deserve and depend on. Throughout our company’s history, we’ve continuously adapted to market dynamics to lead the industry. The difficult decision we are making will set the company up for long-term success.” Employees will receive notice of potential layoffs in the next few weeks and the company said affected employees will receive benefits as well as severance pay.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the changes are part of CVS’ effort to focus on health services. In recent years, the chain has added more primary care offerings and expanded its “HealthHub” store layout.

In 2021, CVS announced it was closing 900 stores nationwide, amounting to nearly 10% of its footprint, in response to the changing of “consumer buying patterns.” CVS has since increased its focus on healthcare services in recent months, acquiring Signify Health for $8 billion and Oak Street Health for $10.6 billion earlier this year.

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Lori Vallow Daybell was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering her two children, as well as conspiring to murder her husband’s first wife in a plot that stemmed from the ‘doomsday’ prophesies she believed. Daybell was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder for the 2019 deaths of her children, Joshua “J.J.” Vallow, 7, and Tylee Ryan, 16, whose remains were found on an Idaho property belonging to her husband, Chad Daybell, following a months-long search. She was also found guilty of conspiring to kill her children and her husband’s first wife, Tamara Daybell, who died on Oct. 19, 2019, less than a month before Lori and Chad married in Hawaii.

Judge Steven Boyce gave the 50-year-old Vallow consecutive sentences of life without parole months after the Idaho mom’s May conviction for the deaths other children, as well as 49-year-old Tammy Daybell. The judge had previously granted the defense’s motion to dismiss the death penalty in the case. Vallow was also convicted of grand theft by deception in the case for collecting government payments after the murders of her children, receiving a 10-year sentence for that conviction.

Vallow and her husband Chad Daybell are members of an offshoot sect of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Chad Daybell is the author of more than a dozen apocalyptic-themed novels, which have been described as religiously extreme. During the trial, prosecutors presented evidence that the two belonged to a Christian fundamentalist “doomsday cult” in which they expressed beliefs that dark spirits can possess bodies and should be cast out and that Vallow believed she would help bring about “the end of days.” Chad Daybell, 54, is charged in connection with the deaths of Tylee, J.J. and Tammy, but will be tried separately. He has pleaded not guilty.

Vallow Daybell also faces separate charges in the July 2019 death of her husband, Charles Vallow, who was shot by her brother Alex Cox. Cox claimed he shot Vallow in self-defense and was not charged in the shooting; he died in December 2019. Vallow Daybell has been charged in Arizona with conspiracy to commit murder in his death. She has also been charged in Arizona for conspiracy for the 2019 attempted shooting of Brandon Boudreaux, who was married to Vallow Daybell’s niece.

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A Georgia judge has rejected former President Donald Trump’s request to quash an investigation by a special grand jury into his alleged attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state, and to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from further involvement in the case.

In a nine-page order on Monday, Judge Robert McBurney of the Fulton County Superior Court turned aside a request by Trump’s lawyers to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from any further involvement in the case. Trump’s motion was joined by Cathleen Latham, one of the “alternate” electors in Georgia who claimed Trump won the state in 2020.

The former president’s attorneys had argued that Willis’ actions are politically motivated and that a report produced by a special grand jury she impaneled is unconstitutional.  McBurney, however, disagreed in his ruling: “Having reviewed the pleadings, the court now finds that neither Trump nor Latham enjoys standing to mount a challenge — at this pre-indictment phase of the proceedings — to the continued investigation into and potential prosecution of possible criminal interference in the 2020 general election in Georgia. [W]hile being the subject (or even target) of a highly publicized criminal investigation is likely an unwelcome and unpleasant experience, no court ever has held that that status alone provides a basis for the courts to interfere with or halt the investigation.”  McBurney also said Willis has done nothing to warrant her recusal from the case: “[T]he District Attorney’s Office has been doing a fairly routine — and legally unobjectionable — job of public relations in case that is anything but routine. None of what movants cite rises to the level of justifying disqualification.”

The special grand jury was convened in May 2022 to investigate alleged efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election in the state, which Joe Biden won. Willis has spent months probing claims that Trump meddled in the state’s voting process during the 2020 presidential election.  A new grand jury was convened in July to consider potential charges in the case. Willis, the district attorney, said over the weekend that a decision on charges would come soon.

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