Former Catholic Priest Sentenced for Making False Statements in Connection With Church Sex Abuse Investigation
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/former-catholic-priest-sentenced-making-false-statements-connection-church-sex-abuse
Two Senior Leaders Of Lev Tahor Sect Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison For Kidnapping And Sex Trafficking Crimes
Nachman Helbrans and Meyer Rosner Orchestrated a scheme to Kidnap 14-Year-Old Girl to Return Her to Her Child Marriage
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/woman-ordered-pay-more-465-million-stealing-huntington-children-s-charity
Biotechnology Firm Director Sentenced for Obstruction of Justice Relating to Attempts to Acquire Ricin
Defendant was the director of advanced research at a Massachusetts biotechnology firm
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/biotechnology-firm-director-sentenced-obstruction-justice-relating-attempts-acquire-ricin
Woman Ordered to Pay More Than $4.65 Million for Stealing from Huntington Children’s Charity
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/woman-ordered-pay-more-465-million-stealing-huntington-children-s-charity
Springfield Health Care Charity Pays More Than $8 Million Related to Federal Embezzlement, Bribery Investigation
https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmo/pr/springfield-health-care-charity-pays-more-8-million-related-federal-embezzlement
Former Puerto Rico Legislator and Two Capitol Employees Plead Guilty to Bribery and Kickback Scheme
https://www.justice.gov/usao-pr/pr/former-puerto-rico-legislator-and-two-capitol-employees-plead-guilty-bribery-and-kickback
White House responds to Trump's request of Putin in JTN interview
Trump was referring to 2020 Senate report that disclosed a deal with Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina in public request of Putin
The White House is criticizing former President Trump's request for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to release information about any possible Hunter Biden business dealings in Eastern Europe, saying the request was at least poorly timed considering the Russia-Ukraine War.
Citing a 2020 Senate report that disclosed Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, then the wife of Moscow's mayor, provided $3.5 million a decade ago to a company co-founded by Hunter Biden, Trump wanted to know why the money was given.
"She gave him $3.5 million. So now I would think Putin would know the answer to that. I think he should release it," Trump said. "I think we should know that answer."
Hunter Biden is the son of President Biden. His business dealings while his father was vice president became of great interest during the 2020 presidential race and continue to be. News reports about the discovery of a laptop owner by Hunter Biden in a Delaware repair shop in October 2020 that contained related emails have until recently been dismissed as disinformation.
"What kind of American, let alone an ex-president, thinks that this is the right time to enter into a scheme with Vladimir Putin and brag about his connections to Vladimir Putin?" White House spokesperson Kate Bedingfield said Wednesday in response to reporters' questions on the issue. "There is only one, and it's Donald Trump."
https://justthenews.com/government/white-house/white-house-responds-trumps-request-putin-jtn-interview
Judge strikes down Democratic-drawn New York congressional map over 'political bias'
New York's primary is scheduled for June 28, but it may be moved to August if needed.
New York's proposed congressional map that would have skewed 22 of the states 26 congressional seats toward Democrats was struck down by a New York judge on Thursday.
Steuben County State Supreme Court Judge Patrick McAllister, a Republican, ruled the map created by the Democratic-controlled legislature "was unconstitutionally drawn with political bias" and not have any competitive seats, CNN reported.
The New York state legislature has until April 11 to pass a new map with "bipartisan support," McAllister said, and then submit the map to the court for review.
This is the second Democratic defeat in redistricting over the last week. A judge on Friday struck down Democrat-drawn districts in Maryland.
Judge McAllister ruled that the New York legislature violated a 2014 constitutional amendment on a bipartisan redistricting commission because the legislature redrew the map after the commission could not agree, CNN reported.
Republicans celebrated the court victory. Steuben County GOP Chairman Joe Sempolinski applauded McAllister's ruling, telling Just the News that "I'm proud of the decision that was made because these maps were a blatant violation of the New York State constitution which explicitly banned partisan gerrymandering."
"Anyone could see that these were partisan gerrymanders," he asserted, before expressing his hope that the state's appellate body upholds McAllister's ruling.
New York's primary is scheduled for June 28, but it may be moved to August if needed.
https://justthenews.com/government/courts-law/democratic-drawn-new-york-congressional-map-struck-down-over-political-bias
5:5
German Chemical Giant Warns Of "Total Collapse" If Russian Gas Supply Cut
CEO of Germany's multinational BASF SE, the world's largest chemical producer, has warned that curbing or cutting off energy imports from Russia would bring into doubt the continued existence of small and medium-sized energy companies, and further would likely spiral Germany into its most "catastrophic" economic crisis going back to the end of World War 2.
Company CEO Martin Brudermuller issued the words in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper just ahead of German officials by midweek giving an "early warning" to industries and the population of possible natural gas shortages, as Russia appears ready to firmly hold to Putin's recent declaration that "unfriendly countries" must settle energy payments in rubles, related to the Ukraine crisis and resultant Western sanctions.
According to Bloomberg he mused that while "Germany could be independent from Russia gas in four to five years" it remains that "LNG imports cannot be increased quickly enough to replace all Russian gas flows in the short term."
But in the meantime, Brudermuller described that "It's not enough that we all turn down the heating by 2 degrees now" given that "Russia covers 55 percent of German natural gas consumption." He emphasized that if Russian gas disappeared overnight, "many things would collapse here" - given that "we would have high levels of unemployment, and many companies would go bankrupt. This would lead to irreversible damage." He continued:
"To put it bluntly: This could bring the German economy into its worst crisis since the end of the Second World War and destroy our prosperity. For many small and medium-sized companies in particular, it could mean the end. We can't risk that!"
The dire warning of coming disaster in the event Russian gas is shut off came in response being questioned over whether it's at all possible to abandon Russian energy.
Asserting that this issue is not "black and white" - and that the German economy stands on the brink of catastrophe, the BASF CEO said that if this standoff continues to escalate it will "open the eyes of many on both sides"…
Below is the question posed by the newspaper, and Brudermuller's response:
And what if, for example, Putin's demand for payment in rubles leads to an immediate stop in gas supplies?
"A delivery stop for a short time would perhaps open the eyes of many - on both sides. It would make clear the magnitude of the consequences. But if we don't get any more Russian gas for a long time, then we really have a problem here in Germany. At BASF, we would have to scale back or completely shut down production at our largest site in Ludwigshafen if the supply fell significantly and permanently below 50 percent of our maximum natural gas requirement. Minister Habeck has already activated the early warning level of the gas emergency plan."
https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/basf-ceo-warns-germany-total-collapse-if-russian-gas-supply-cut
Russia transfers Chernobyl plant to Ukraine, withdraws troops from airport near Kyiv
Ukraine has not reported staff rotation at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in nearly two weeks.
Russian forces have reportedly transferred control of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant to Ukrainian personnel after seizing the facility at the start of its invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow further appears to have started withdrawing forces from some areas, including the Hostomel airport outside of Kyiv, in order to "regroup" troops on key fronts such as the Donbas, a breakaway region of southeast Ukraine.
The International Atomic Energy Agency on Thursday reported that Ukraine said Russian forces have transferred control of the Chernobyl plant back to Ukraine in writing. The authorities also told IAEA that three convoys of Russian troops were headed toward Belarus, a close ally of the Kremlin.
Russia is also reportedly moving equipment to Belarus as well.
Ukrainian Ground Forces Command claim they have seen "'almost 700 units of equipment withdrawing towards Ivankov, towards the Belarusian border,'" New Lines magazine reporter Michael Weiss tweeted.
A senior US defense official said Russians "have abandoned Hostomel airport," according to VOA reporter Carla Babb.
Hostomel Airport was the site of an intense battle in late February that resulted in the Russians capturing the key site.
"Russia is trying to regroup, resupply and reinforce," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, per the BBC.
The UK claims the Kremlin is trying to send up to 2,000 troops from Georgia into Ukraine as reinforcements.
Russia's Defense Minister on Tuesday said the Kremlin would "reduce military activity" in portions of Ukraine to focus on "liberating" Donbas.
"We see continued shelling of cities and we see that Russia is re-positioning some of the troops, moving some of them around, most likely to reinforce their efforts in the Donbas region," Stoltenberg said.
"At the same time, Russia maintains pressure on Kyiv and other cities. So we can expect additional offensive actions, bringing even more suffering," he added.
Ukrainian officials have expressed doubts that Russia is going to order a mass removal of troops.
https://justthenews.com/world/europe/russia-transfers-control-chernobyl-ukraine-withdraws-troops-airport-near-kyiv
yep