Biden: Families of separated children deserve compensation
President Joe Biden said Saturday that the families of children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during the Trump administration should be compensated, as his Department of Justice is in settlement talks with affected families. He said that regardless of the circumstances, people who had their children taken from them under the Trump administration’s family separation policy, meant to deter families from crossing into the U.S. illegally, should be remunerated. The government was considering payments of around $450,000 to each person affected but has since changed the figure, though not dramatically, a person familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the discussions are private.
Georgia grand jury looms in Trump inquiry
An Atlanta district attorney is moving toward convening a special grand jury in her criminal investigation of election interference by former President Donald Trump and his allies, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deliberations. The prosecutor, Fani Willis of Fulton County, opened her inquiry in February. By convening a grand jury dedicated solely to the allegations of election tampering, Willis, a Democrat, would be indicating that her investigation is ramping up. Her inquiry is seen by legal experts as potentially perilous for the former president, given the myriad interactions he and his allies had with Georgia officials about the election.
Prosecutors charge Rhode Island man with stealing COVID unemployment benefits
A Rhode Island man who federal prosecutors said used stolen identities to obtain more than $450,000 in pandemic-related unemployment assistance was arrested in Michigan, authorities said. Dquintz Alexander, 34, of Cranston, Rhode Island, was indicted and charged in federal court in Boston on five counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts. Alexander faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the six counts in the indictment.
Iraqi officials: Prime minister survives assassination bid
Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi survived an assassination attempt with an armed drone that targeted his residence early today, and is unharmed, officials said. Two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press that seven of his security guards were injured in the attack which occurred in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone area. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to give official statements. The prime minister tweeted shortly after the attack: “The rockets of treason will not shake one bit of the steadfastness and determination of the heroic security forces.”
By wire sources
© 2021 The New York Times Company
