N. Korea conducts third missile test in 10 days
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea test-fired what are believed to have been two short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, the general staff of the South Korean armed forces says.
The launches came after North Korea's Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of "provocation" for imposing further sanctions on Pyongyang for its weapons program and threatened Washington with a clear response.
The test was the third carried out by North Korea within 10 days. South Korea's National Security Council expressed its "deep regret" about North Korea's continued missile launches.
Pyongyang said the rockets were "tactical guided missiles" fired from a train-mounted ballistic missile system, the NKnews website reported, adding that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was not present for the launch.
The missiles reportedly hit a fixed target in the East Sea of Korea.
The United States Indo-Pacific Command accused North Korea of destabilizing the region through its "illegal weapons program" and said that it also believed the latest test to have involved ballistic missiles.
—dpa
Prosecutors in Loyd case ‘improper,’ defense expert says
ORLANDO, Fla. — Before jurors unanimously recommended the death penalty for convicted cop killer Markeith Loyd last month, prosecutors told them in closing arguments that a life sentence for the 2017 killing of Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton would be “no punishment at all.”
Loyd had already been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend Sade Dixon, Assistant State Attorney Ryan Williams said.
“The reality is it would be another piece of paper in Mr. Loyd’s file,” Williams told jurors over the objection of defense attorneys.
Those statements were “improper” and likely influenced the 12-person jury’s verdict, undermining the ability of a juror to vote for a life sentence, a defense expert told a judge during a Friday sentencing hearing at the Orange County Courthouse.
Circuit Judge Leticia Marques heard additional evidence from defense attorneys at the hearing before she decides whether to follow the jury’s recommendation or sentence Loyd to life in prison.
Loyd, 46, was found guilty of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Clayton when she tried to arrest him for killing his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
—Orlando Sentinel
Fugitives accused of running illegal LA-area money operation
LOS ANGELES — The FBI is searching for two Chinese citizens accused of running an illegal money transfer business in Southern California.
A federal indictment filed Thursday charges Dianwei Wang, 31, and Zhili "Ethan" Song, 36, both formerly of West Covina, with conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and obstruction of justice. Both men are also separately charged with witness tampering.
Wang's and Song's whereabouts are not known and they are considered fugitives, according to the U.S. attorney's office for the Central District of California.
The men allegedly ran an "informal value transfer system," a kind of underground banking network that they used to move money from China to the U.S., prosecutors said.
According to the indictment, Wang and Song told their customers to make deposits into Chinese bank accounts the men controlled or had access to, and agreed to deposit the equivalent amount of U.S. dollars, minus a fee, in American bank accounts set up by the customers.
From April to December 2017, the men transferred or attempted to transfer about $2 million from China to the U.S., according to the indictment.
—Los Angeles Times
NY Rep. John Katko announces retirement from Congress
WASHINGTON — John Katko, a former federal prosecutor who was one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump, announced Friday he will retire later this year.
Katko said in a statement he made the decision in order to, “enjoy my family and life in a fuller and more present way,” but he added has was also “guided” by his personal set of ethics.
“My conscience, principles, and commitment to do what’s right have guided every decision I have made as a member of Congress, and they guide my decision today,” he wrote.
The man he voted to impeach celebrated the announcement in his own statement. “Great news, another one bites the dust,” Trump said. “Katko, from Upstate New York, is gone!”
Katko, who took office in January 2015 and staked out a reputation as a moderate who could win elections in a central New York district that has long voted mostly for Democrats, had faced backlash from far-right members of his party and promises of vengeance from Trump after his impeachment vote.
He also faced an uncertain political future in 2022, when New York will lose a congressional seat to account for population changes in the last census.
Katko is the 13th House Republican to announce plans to retire or seek another office at the end of 2022, compared to 26 Democrats. Katko is also the third House Republican who backed impeaching Trump to announce retirement. Adam Kinzinger, of Illinois, and Anthony Gonzalez, of Ohio, have also announced they would not seek reelection.
—CQ-Roll Call
