Wildfire probe focuses on Christian sect
Investigators looking into the cause of a wildfire in Colorado that forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people are focusing on a property owned by a Christian fundamentalist sect, after witnesses reported seeing a structure on fire there moments before the blaze spread. Sheriff Joe Pelle of Boulder County said Monday that the property owned by Twelve Tribes, which was founded in Tennessee in the 1970s, had become a target of the probe after investigators ruled out the possibility downed power lines may have sparked the fire. Authorities are still searching for two people missing in the blaze.
Senate Democrats up pressure to change rules
Democrats plan to intensify their push to enact new voting rights protections in the coming days, hoping to persuade holdouts in their ranks to embrace fundamental changes to Senate rules that would allow them to force through the stalled measures over Republican opposition. The plan appeared aimed as much at a pair of key Democrats as at Republicans, who have shown no willingness to allow the bills to advance. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., have resisted any attempt to muscle through a rules change, leaving Democrats short of the minimum 50 votes that would be required.
Prosecutor seeks to question Trump children
The New York state attorney general’s office, which last month subpoenaed Donald Trump as part of a civil investigation into his business practices, is also seeking to question two of his adult children as part of the inquiry. The involvement of the children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump, was disclosed in court documents filed Monday as the Trump Organization sought to block lawyers for the attorney general, Letitia James, from questioning the former president and his children. The subpoenas for the former president and two of his children were served Dec. 1, according to one of the documents.
China Evergrande halts shares in Hong Kong
Trading in the shares of the indebted property developer China Evergrande Group were suspended on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday as the company raced to deliver apartments to millions of homebuyers and raise cash to manage its $300 billion in debt. Evergrande said its shares were halted pending an announcement “containing inside information.” The company had halted its shares once before, in October, as it tried to finalize the sale of a $2.6 billion stake in its property management unit. That deal fell through. The giant property developer owes an estimated 1.6 million apartments to homebuyers and is facing dozens of lawsuits.
Trump endorses Hungary’s far-right prime minister
Former President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, formally pledging his “complete support” to a far-right foreign leader who has touted turning Hungary into an “illiberal state.” Orban and his party have steadily consolidated power in Hungary by weakening the country’s independent and democratic institutions — rewriting election laws to favor his Fidesz party, changing school textbooks, curbing press freedoms, overhauling the country’s constitution and changing the composition of the judiciary. The actions have caused consternation in the European Union but also made Orban a cause celebre in conservative American political circles, after years of an aggressive influence operation to bolster his image in the United States.
Suspect in fire at South African parliament to appear in court
A fire that ripped through South Africa’s Houses of Parliament on Sunday flared up again Monday afternoon, fire officials said. The cause of the fire was being investigated, and a man in police custody in connection with the blaze is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, officials said. The speaker of Parliament, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, on Monday said she did not believe the fire was an accident because it burned in two distinct areas of the complex. As the wind picked up Monday evening in Cape Town, there were fears that the fire would move toward the president’s office, and firefighters were dispatched to ward off the possible spread of flames.
Judge orders charges dropped against Epstein jail guards
A judge on Monday ordered charges dropped against two Bureau of Prisons guards who admitted falsifying records after Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in jail over two years ago. The guards — Tova Noel and Michael Thomas — had agreed to deferred prosecution deals last May that required them to admit their guilt with the understanding that charges in a federal indictment would be dismissed if they followed the rules of their agreement for six months. They also were required to do 100 hours of community service.
By wire sources
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