usatoday--2020-12-03--Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects Trump's election lawsuit

MADISON , Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out President Donald Trump 's election lawsuit Thursday , two days after he asked the justices to revoke the certification of a contest he lost by nearly 21,000 votes .
In the 4-3 decision , the justices said they would not accept the case he filed directly with them .
The president can try to pursue the matter in a lower court , but Thursday 's ruling is a setback that shows he is near the end of the road with his legal challenges in Wisconsin .
Conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reject the case , saying any challenge should start in circuit court .
`` We do well as a judicial body to abide by time-tested judicial norms , even — and maybe especially — in high-profile cases , '' he wrote .
`` Following the law governing challenges to election results is no threat to the rule of law . ''
The court ruled hours after Trump filed a separate lawsuit in federal court seeking to have the Republican-controlled Legislature , instead of voters , decide how to cast Wisconsin 's electoral votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does another one filed in federal court by Trump allies .
Recognizing the tight time frame , the justices acted quickly .
Tuesday is the `` safe harbor '' date recognized in federal law by which any challenges to election results are to be resolved .
If challenges are not resolved by then , there is a higher risk the state 's electoral votes wo n't be counted .
The Electoral College is to meet Dec. 14 and Congress will count its votes on Jan. 6 .
According to states ' returns , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has 232 .
Biden 's sizable victory means he would become president even if Wisconsin 's electoral votes were shifted from him to Trump .
Trump has not made headway with legal challenges in other states either .
He has been furiously fundraising to fund his election challenges in Wisconsin and elsewhere , raising more than $ 170 million since Election Day , according to the New York Times .
But much of that money will go to pay off campaign debt or sustain his future political ambitions rather than his legal fight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after Trump released a 46-minute video packed with falsehoods about how the Nov. 3 election was conducted .
Nonpartisan observers have said there were no major flaws with the election and Trump 's attorney general , William Barr , this week said there is no evidence of widespread fraud .
In his Wisconsin lawsuit , Trump was not alleging fraud .
Instead , he argued long-standing election practices were illegal and asked to throw out hundreds of thousands of votes in Dane and Milwaukee counties , the two most Democratic parts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toss votes in Republican parts of Wisconsin , even though ballots there were cast the same way .
Biden won the state by a margin of 0.6 percentage points , according to initial results .
Trump paid $ 3 million to recount the ballots in Milwaukee and Dane counties , which turned up dozens more votes for Biden .
The recount concluded Sunday .
On Monday , the Democratic head of the state Elections Commission determined the results of the state 's 72 counties were accurate and Democratic Gov .
Tony Evers certified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Tuesday , asking the high court to revoke the certification , revive the recount and disqualify more than 220,000 ballots in Dane and Milwaukee counties .
Among the votes he wanted to throw out were all those cast early in-person in those two counties — including one by Jim Troupis , his lead attorney in Wisconsin .
He also sought to toss ballots cast by those who said they were indefinitely confined because of age or disability .
Those voters do n't have to show ID to get absentee ballots and Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ meet the criteria .
His lawsuit took aim at the heart of an election system created by Republicans over eight years when they controlled all of state government .
Republicans created the commission that oversees state elections , established the state 's voting procedures and have long encouraged their supporters to vote in-person early without questioning the legitimacy of the practice .
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley @ jrn.com .
Follow him on Twitter at @ patrickdmarley .

Patrick Marley, Patrick Marley and Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wisconsin Supreme Court rejects Trump's election lawsuit
Show Caption Hide Caption Completed Wisconsin recount confirms Biden's win Wisconsin finished its two-county presidential results recount on Sunday, confirming Democrat Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump. The Dane and Milwaukee County totals found Biden adding 87 to his 20,000-plus lead over Donald Trump. (Nov. 30) AP
MADISON, Wisconsin – The Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out President Donald Trump's election lawsuit Thursday, two days after he asked the justices to revoke the certification of a contest he lost by nearly 21,000 votes.
In the 4-3 decision, the justices said they would not accept the case he filed directly with them. The president can try to pursue the matter in a lower court, but Thursday's ruling is a setback that shows he is near the end of the road with his legal challenges in Wisconsin.
Conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn joined the court's three liberals to reject the case, saying any challenge should start in circuit court.
"We do well as a judicial body to abide by time-tested judicial norms, even — and maybe especially — in high-profile cases," he wrote. "Following the law governing challenges to election results is no threat to the rule of law."
The court ruled hours after Trump filed a separate lawsuit in federal court seeking to have the Republican-controlled Legislature, instead of voters, decide how to cast Wisconsin's electoral votes. That case remains pending, as does another one filed in federal court by Trump allies.
Recognizing the tight time frame, the justices acted quickly. Tuesday is the "safe harbor" date recognized in federal law by which any challenges to election results are to be resolved. If challenges are not resolved by then, there is a higher risk the state's electoral votes won't be counted.
The Electoral College is to meet Dec. 14 and Congress will count its votes on Jan. 6. According to states' returns, Biden has 306 electoral votes and Trump has 232. Biden's sizable victory means he would become president even if Wisconsin's electoral votes were shifted from him to Trump.
Trump has not made headway with legal challenges in other states either. He has been furiously fundraising to fund his election challenges in Wisconsin and elsewhere, raising more than $170 million since Election Day, according to the New York Times. But much of that money will go to pay off campaign debt or sustain his future political ambitions rather than his legal fight.
Thursday's ruling came a day after Trump released a 46-minute video packed with falsehoods about how the Nov. 3 election was conducted. Nonpartisan observers have said there were no major flaws with the election and Trump's attorney general, William Barr, this week said there is no evidence of widespread fraud.
In his Wisconsin lawsuit, Trump was not alleging fraud.
Instead, he argued long-standing election practices were illegal and asked to throw out hundreds of thousands of votes in Dane and Milwaukee counties, the two most Democratic parts of the state. He did not ask to toss votes in Republican parts of Wisconsin, even though ballots there were cast the same way.
Biden won the state by a margin of 0.6 percentage points, according to initial results. Trump paid $3 million to recount the ballots in Milwaukee and Dane counties, which turned up dozens more votes for Biden.
The recount concluded Sunday. On Monday, the Democratic head of the state Elections Commission determined the results of the state's 72 counties were accurate and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers certified Biden as the winner.
Trump sued on Tuesday, asking the high court to revoke the certification, revive the recount and disqualify more than 220,000 ballots in Dane and Milwaukee counties.
Among the votes he wanted to throw out were all those cast early in-person in those two counties — including one by Jim Troupis, his lead attorney in Wisconsin.
He also sought to toss ballots cast by those who said they were indefinitely confined because of age or disability. Those voters don't have to show ID to get absentee ballots and Trump argued some claiming that status didn't meet the criteria.
His lawsuit took aim at the heart of an election system created by Republicans over eight years when they controlled all of state government. Republicans created the commission that oversees state elections, established the state's voting procedures and have long encouraged their supporters to vote in-person early without questioning the legitimacy of the practice.
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.


usatoday--2020-12-03--'Every parent's worst nightmare': 3-year-old loses legs after skinning his knee on vacation

SAN DIEGO – Beauden Baumkirchner , 3 , is finally out of the pediatric intensive care unit – about two months after he skinned his knee on vacation in San Diego .
In that time , he has been battling a rare and `` vicious '' bacteria that cost him both his legs .
One of his doctors said it 's a `` miracle '' the boy is alive .
Beauden 's parents , Juliana and Brian Baumkirchner , have nearly lost track of the number of times their boy has gone under anesthesia – they said he has endured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when he fell off a bike and his condition rapidly deteriorated .
Beauden and his family were visiting California , on vacation from their home in Arizona , when the incident happened .
Doctors do n't know where the staph bacteria that infected Beauden came from , Dr. John Bradley told USA TODAY .
Bradley is the medical director of Rady Children 's Hospital 's Division of Infectious Diseases and was involved in Beauden 's treatment within days of the boy 's admission to the hospital .
That skinned knee acted as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which despite showing up in lab tests as a `` garden-variety staph , '' caused an illness similar to toxic shock syndrome in Beauden .
The day after the fall , the boy had a fever , was lethargic and holding his foot , his parents said .
By the following day , he was having trouble breathing , and his fever had n't subsided .
His knee and lip were swollen .
He went to the hospital for an X-ray , which turned into an MRI .
By that point , his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were clearly infected as well .
That 's when he went to the ICU , where he spent nearly two months , his parents said .
For days , he fought for his life .
He was intubated for more than a week .
His doctor and his parents called what happened next `` a miracle . ''
`` He wasn ’ t supposed to make it , ” Brian said .
Bradley explained that Beauden had entered shock – his body had shut down blood flow to his arms and legs as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of bacteria .
The body did that to protect something more important , Bradley said : The “ body ’ s defenses maintained blood flow to the brain.
” As a result , Beauden has had no neurological issues , Juliana said .
The infection that plagued Beauden is a troubling , complicated diagnosis .
When examined in a lab , it looks like MSSA – an easy-to-treat staph infection caused by bacteria commonly found on human skin , Bradley said .
Further analysis shows it was laced with a toxin , something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a virus or another bacteria .
Racism is a declared public health crisis in 154 cities and counties across 27 states : Now what happens ?
Bradley said it 's possible other people have been infected with the strain , so the hospital is looking out for any similar cases .
It 's also possible the strain of staph Beauden encountered is rare and not especially contagious .
Similarly tragic one-off cases show up about once a year at his hospital , Bradley said .
Bradley praised Beauden 's parents for quickly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ boy needed help .
Other parents who see a child 's condition rapidly worsening should do the same , he said .
Beauden 's life will be forever altered by his battle with that rogue bacteria , but his parents credit the work of doctors and support from their community with saving his life .
Strangers sent cards ; the hospital arranged for fire trucks to brighten Beauden 's day ; a GoFundMe has raised more than $ 150,000 .
Juliana said the hospital has been `` phenomenal '' : `` Rady Children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` As terrible of a year as 2020 has been … humanity has been the best in our eyes .
”

'Every parent’s worst nightmare': 3-year-old loses legs after skinning his knee on vacation
SAN DIEGO – Beauden Baumkirchner, 3, is finally out of the pediatric intensive care unit – about two months after he skinned his knee on vacation in San Diego.
In that time, he has been battling a rare and "vicious" bacteria that cost him both his legs. One of his doctors said it's a "miracle" the boy is alive.
Beauden's parents, Juliana and Brian Baumkirchner, have nearly lost track of the number of times their boy has gone under anesthesia – they said he has endured at least 18 surgeries since Oct. 5, when he fell off a bike and his condition rapidly deteriorated.
“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare when you’re completely helpless," Brian told USA TODAY.
Beauden and his family were visiting California, on vacation from their home in Arizona, when the incident happened.
Doctors don't know where the staph bacteria that infected Beauden came from, Dr. John Bradley told USA TODAY. Bradley is the medical director of Rady Children's Hospital's Division of Infectious Diseases and was involved in Beauden's treatment within days of the boy's admission to the hospital.
That skinned knee acted as a portal for the toxin-laced bacteria, which despite showing up in lab tests as a "garden-variety staph," caused an illness similar to toxic shock syndrome in Beauden.
The day after the fall, the boy had a fever, was lethargic and holding his foot, his parents said. By the following day, he was having trouble breathing, and his fever hadn't subsided. His knee and lip were swollen.
He went to the hospital for an X-ray, which turned into an MRI. By that point, his feet were freezing cold and his hands were clearly infected as well.
That's when he went to the ICU, where he spent nearly two months, his parents said.
For days, he fought for his life. He was intubated for more than a week. His doctor and his parents called what happened next "a miracle."
"He wasn’t supposed to make it,” Brian said.
Bradley explained that Beauden had entered shock – his body had shut down blood flow to his arms and legs as it battled a “vicious strain” of bacteria. The body did that to protect something more important, Bradley said: The “body’s defenses maintained blood flow to the brain.”
As a result, Beauden has had no neurological issues, Juliana said.
The infection that plagued Beauden is a troubling, complicated diagnosis.
When examined in a lab, it looks like MSSA – an easy-to-treat staph infection caused by bacteria commonly found on human skin, Bradley said. Further analysis shows it was laced with a toxin, something the bacteria could pick up by interacting with a virus or another bacteria.
Racism is a declared public health crisis in 154 cities and counties across 27 states: Now what happens?
Bradley said it's possible other people have been infected with the strain, so the hospital is looking out for any similar cases.
It's also possible the strain of staph Beauden encountered is rare and not especially contagious. Similarly tragic one-off cases show up about once a year at his hospital, Bradley said.
Bradley praised Beauden's parents for quickly seeking medical attention when they realized their boy needed help. Other parents who see a child's condition rapidly worsening should do the same, he said.
Watch: One family saved this man's life twice
Beauden's life will be forever altered by his battle with that rogue bacteria, but his parents credit the work of doctors and support from their community with saving his life. Strangers sent cards; the hospital arranged for fire trucks to brighten Beauden's day; a GoFundMe has raised more than $150,000.
Juliana said the hospital has been "phenomenal": "Rady Children's saved his life," she said.
"As terrible of a year as 2020 has been … humanity has been the best in our eyes.”


usatoday--2020-12-03--Pressure builds on Roku with Wonder Woman, Godzilla, King Kong and The Matrix

Will Godzilla , King Kong , the gang from `` The Matrix '' and `` Mortal Kombat '' do the trick ?
In an unprecedented move for a major movie studio , AT & T owned Warner Bros. said it would release every one of its first-run theatrical films next year in theaters and on its HBO Max streaming service .
The move begins on Christmas Day with the previously announced `` Wonder Woman 1984 '' sequel , and will be followed with sequels to `` The Matrix '' and Godzilla and a film based on the `` Mortal Kombat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ move by AT & T to exert additional pressure on Roku , the streaming platform that has declined to carry HBO Max since it debuted in May .
NBC Universal owner Comcast tried something similar in September , when it threatened to yank all of its channels ( which includes Bravo , CNBC and MSNBC ) if Roku did n't start carrying its new Peacock .
Streaming platforms : Consumer Guide : What you need to know before buying that cheap smart TV More : Amazon says 2020 shopping season has been their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Cyber Monday sales Movies : Warner Bros. releasing all 2021 movies on HBO Max same day as theaters , industry reacts : 'It 's seismic' This time , `` the odds are good that it could happen the week before Christmas , '' says Phil Swann , the author of the TV Answer Man blog .
`` But I would n't say it 's a guarantee .
Roku still has a lot of leverage .
AT & T needs Roku a lot more than Roku needs AT & T . ''
While the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day and date streaming , many of the films on the slate wo n't be out for some time , `` so besides 'Wonder Woman , ' it 's not like these films are on people 's minds , '' he adds .
Roku pioneered streaming , originally as a division of Netflix before breaking off in 2008 and sells popular streaming players that connect TV viewers to internet programming .
Roku , says Swann , `` is a God , '' in the streaming world that just dominates sales .
Not being @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Max 's growth , as it represents 40 % of the market .
`` Roku has thousands of channels available , '' Swann says .
`` It does n't need HBO .
What people love about it is they bring it home , connect the device to the HDMI on the back of the TV , and there 's all those channels to watch , many of them for free . ''
Rival Amazon also serves the streaming audience with its Fire TV Streaming Stick product , which the company regularly touts as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amazon cut a deal with HBO in November to add the service to the Fire TV platform .
AT & T 's foray into television has been rocky .
It paid $ 49 billion for the DirecTV satellite service in 2015 , only to see it bleed subscribers .
The company is said to be seeking buyers for DirecTV .
So with HBO Max and the first-run films from Warner Bros. `` this is AT & T at the casino , cashing their DirecTV chips and putting them all down on HBO Max @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it a success . ''

Pressure builds on Roku with Wonder Woman, Godzilla, King Kong and The Matrix
Wonder Woman didn't make Roku blink.
Will Godzilla, King Kong, the gang from "The Matrix" and "Mortal Kombat" do the trick?
In an unprecedented move for a major movie studio, AT&T owned Warner Bros. said it would release every one of its first-run theatrical films next year in theaters and on its HBO Max streaming service.
The move begins on Christmas Day with the previously announced "Wonder Woman 1984" sequel, and will be followed with sequels to "The Matrix" and Godzilla and a film based on the "Mortal Kombat."
This is seen as a move by AT&T to exert additional pressure on Roku, the streaming platform that has declined to carry HBO Max since it debuted in May. NBC Universal owner Comcast tried something similar in September, when it threatened to yank all of its channels (which includes Bravo, CNBC and MSNBC) if Roku didn't start carrying its new Peacock.
Roku caved.
Streaming platforms: Consumer Guide: What you need to know before buying that cheap smart TV
More: Amazon says 2020 shopping season has been their biggest ever with big Black Friday, Cyber Monday sales
Movies: Warner Bros. releasing all 2021 movies on HBO Max same day as theaters, industry reacts: 'It's seismic'
This time, "the odds are good that it could happen the week before Christmas," says Phil Swann, the author of the TV Answer Man blog. "But I wouldn't say it's a guarantee. Roku still has a lot of leverage. AT&T needs Roku a lot more than Roku needs AT&T."
While the move by Warner Bros. is unprecedented in day and date streaming, many of the films on the slate won't be out for some time, "so besides 'Wonder Woman,' it's not like these films are on people's minds," he adds.
Roku pioneered streaming, originally as a division of Netflix before breaking off in 2008 and sells popular streaming players that connect TV viewers to internet programming. Roku, says Swann, "is a God," in the streaming world that just dominates sales.
Not being on the Roku platform has limited HBO Max's growth, as it represents 40% of the market.
"Roku has thousands of channels available," Swann says. "It doesn't need HBO. What people love about it is they bring it home, connect the device to the HDMI on the back of the TV, and there's all those channels to watch, many of them for free."
Rival Amazon also serves the streaming audience with its Fire TV Streaming Stick product, which the company regularly touts as one of its most popular products. Amazon cut a deal with HBO in November to add the service to the Fire TV platform.
AT&T's foray into television has been rocky. It paid $49 billion for the DirecTV satellite service in 2015, only to see it bleed subscribers. The company is said to be seeking buyers for DirecTV.
So with HBO Max and the first-run films from Warner Bros. "this is AT&T at the casino, cashing their DirecTV chips and putting them all down on HBO Max, doing whatever it can to make it a success."
Roku had no comment.
Follow USA TODAY's Jefferson Graham (@jeffersongraham) on Twitter


usatoday--2020-12-03--Who has President Trump pardoned? Allies, supporters and inspirational figures

WASHINGTON – Since taking office in 2017 , President Donald Trump has pardoned 29 people .
As he serves the final days of his term , that list is expected to grow .
Presidents have broad clemency powers granted by the Constitution .
They can grant full pardons – a full legal forgiveness for a crime – and commute , or shorten , prison sentences .
Trump has commuted 16 sentences .
As of Dec. 3 , Trump had granted pardoned or granted clemency to allies such as former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and campaign aide Roger Stone and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Rod Blagojevich and former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik .
His first pardon was to Joe Arpaio , the former Arizona sheriff who was an early supporter of Trump 's candidacy .
Others involved people whose cases were taken up by activists who considered the sentences unduly harsh .
And some had celebrities , such as Kim Kardashian West , lobbying on their behalf .
Here 's a look at the pardons Trump has granted : Flynn , who served more than three weeks as Trump 's top security adviser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ three years ago to lying about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak .
Awaiting sentencing , he sought to withdraw his plea by claiming he was entrapped by federal investigators .
That move was followed early this year by the Justice Department 's decision to abandon the prosecution , prompting a federal judge 's challenge .
Flynn was awaiting a ruling in the case by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan when Trump issued the pardon in November .
Johnson was convicted in 1996 of five counts of drug trafficking and one count @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in prison – despite the fact that it was her first offense .
President Barack Obama denied her clemency request in 2017 .
A long list of officials – Congress members , the U.S. attorney and even the warden at her prison – asked the pardon attorney to reconsider .
More : Trump pardons Alice Johnson , who praised him in a speech at the Republican convention Kardashian West lobbied Trump on Johnson 's behalf , and Trump commuted her life sentence in 2018 .
She was then pardoned by the president in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for bank robbery , Ponder became a Christian and devoted himself to helping other prisoners .
After his release , he founded Hope For Prisoners , a Las Vegas-based organization that helps ex-prisoners re-enter society .
The group has partnered with the Las Vegas Police Department to help thousands of former inmates .
The president called Ponder ’ s life “ a beautiful testament to the power of redemption ” when announcing his pardon in August .
Ponder also was pardoned by the state of Nevada .
Anthony , one of the leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rights for women , was arrested for voting in Rochester , New York , in 1872 , violating the laws that said only men could vote .
She was convicted the following year .
Trump granted her posthumous pardon on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment in August .
More : Trump honors 100th anniversary of 19th Amendment by announcing pardon for Susan B. Anthony DeBartolo , a former owner of the San Francisco 49ers , was fined $ 1 million as part of a gambling fraud case in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Trump in February .
DeBartolo testified that he paid then Louisiana Gov .
Edwin Edwards $ 400,000 in exchange for his help in securing a riverboat casino license .
DeBartolo pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to report a felony .
Ex-49ers owner gets pardon : Trump grants full pardon to former owner of the San Francisco 49ers Eddie DeBartolo Jr. Kerik , the former New York Police Department commissioner who was hailed alongside then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the response to the 9/11 attacks , was sentenced to four years in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charges of tax fraud and lying to White House officials while being interviewed to head the Department of Homeland Security .
He served three years in federal prison before he was released in 2013 , later becoming an advocate for prison reform , and a recurring advocate for Trump on Fox News .
He was pardoned by the president in February .
The White House said in a statement that since Kerik 's conviction , `` he has focused on improving the lives of others , including as a passionate advocate for criminal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pogue , the owner of a construction company near Dallas , pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison in 2010 for filing a false federal tax return .
Authorities said Pogue under-reported his income on his tax returns for three years .
The fraudulent returns cost taxpayers a loss of $ 473,680 , according to court records .
Besides the prison sentence , Pogue was ordered to pay a $ 250,000 fine and more than $ 473,000 in restitution .
Pogue 's family has made campaign contributions to Republicans , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Construction is now run by Ben Pogue , Paul Pogue 's son , who donated $ 85,000 last year to Trump Victory , the joint fundraising committee for the president ’ s reelection campaign and Republican National Committee .
Ben Pogue also maxed out to the Trump presidential campaign , giving $ 5,600 in August 2019 .
He was pardoned by the president in February .
Milken , a rogue financier known as the `` junk bond king , '' pleaded guilty in 1990 to several counts of securities and tax violations .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ February , the White House described Milken as `` one of America 's greatest financiers '' and credited his work fighting prostate cancer .
Safavian , former chief of staff of the General Services Administration , was sentenced to a year in prison for lying about his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff .
Safavian was convicted in 2009 for obstruction of justice and making false statements to authorities investigating Abramoff ’ s activities .
Prosecutors said Safavian lied to conceal his efforts to help Abramoff in his dealings with the government .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Safavian assisted Abramoff in connection with the lobbyist ’ s attempts to acquire GSA-controlled properties , and Abramoff took him on a luxury golf trip to Scotland and London .
Safavian made false statements to conceal that , around the time of the golf trip , he aided Abramoff with business before the agency , prosecutors said .
He was pardoned in February .
Friedler , the founder and chief executive of an Arlington , Va. , -based software company , pleaded guilty in 2014 and served two months in prison for conspiring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ two competitors .
Friedler ’ s company , Symplicity Corp. , was a government contractor that provided provided student disciplinary records management services to colleges and universities .
According to court records , Friedler conspired with two other Symplicity employees between 2007 and 2011 to hack into the computer systems of two competing companies .
Friedler and others decrypted account passwords of former customers .
Fiedler was forced to sell the company as a result of his guilty plea .
He was pardoned by Trump in February of 2020 .
Stanton is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activist who serveda six-month home confinement sentence for her part in a stolen car ring .
An avid Trump supporter and the goddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr. ’ s politically conservative niece Alveda King , she spoke at the 2018 Women for Trump Conference and frequently posts pro-Trump messages on her Twitter account .
Lorance , an Army 1st lieutenant , was convicted in 2013 of second-degree murder after ordering soldiers to open fire on three unarmed Afghan men , two of whom died .
He was serving a 19-year sentence when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Golsteyn was charged with executing a man in 2010 who was suspected of being a Taliban bombmaker who had been ordered to be released after an interrogation .
Golsteyn said he shot the man because he was certain his bomb-making would `` continue to threaten American troops and their Afghan partners , '' the White House said .
In a 2018 tweet , Trump described Golsteyn as a `` U.S. military hero . ''
He was pardoned in November 2019 .
Jeffries was convicted of conspiracy to commit treason for anticompetitive conduct .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ his work after he was indicted in 1941 .
His work helped the U.S. develop shells that could pierce German tanks .
He also contributed to the Manhattan project .
He received a posthumous pardon in October 2019 .
Takumi received a pardon in July of 2019 for a conviction over a 1987 arrest from working at an illegal gambling parlor .
Williams stole at least 20 firearms and 16 boxes of computers in 1995 with the help of partner Christopher Glacken from checked luggage at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport .
He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the weapons .
He was pardoned in July 2019 .
More : Trump pardons Kentucky man who helped steal 20 firearms for having ‘ exceptional character ’ Bubala , who pleaded guilty in 1990 to illegally transferring federal government automotive equipment to Milltown , Indiana , was praised in a White House statement for his reform when he was pardoned in July 2019 .
`` His primary aim was to help the town , and he sought neither compensation nor recognition for his actions , '' the statement said of Bubala , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work .
McKeever was convicted of using a telephone to distribute marijuana in 1989 .
In July 2019 , when McKeever was pardoned by Trump , the White House said : `` He has spent the past 29 years of his life atoning for his offense through charitable works in his community . ''
Tedesco was pardoned by Obama in 2017 , but because of a clerical error , his pardon for a fraud conviction was not official until Trump corrected the issue in July 2019 , according to the White House .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a former conservative newspaper mogul who spent 3½ years in jail in on a 2007 fraud conviction that was ultimately reviewed by the Supreme Court .
The White House described Black as an `` entrepreneur and scholar '' who `` has made tremendous contributions to business . ''
Black has also been an outspoken Trump supporter and wrote a book about the president the year before the pardon .
More : Trump grants pardon to conservative former media mogul and supporter Conrad Black Nolan , director of the American Conservative Union Foundation ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was pardoned by Trump in May 2019 .
A former state lawmaker in California , Nolan was convicted of accepting illegal campaign contributions in 1994 and was sentenced to 33 months in prison .
Nolan was an instrumental voice supporting the bipartisan criminal justice legislation Trump signed into law in 2018 .
Trump pardoned Behenna , a former Army first lieutenant , who was convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner , in May 2019 .
Behenna was sentenced to 15 years in 2009 for killing Ali Mansur Mohamed , a suspected al Qaeda @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before being shot .
In July 2018 , Trump pardoned father-and-son cattle ranchers serving prison time for arson , a case that helped inspire the armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in 2016 .
The two were convicted of starting two fires in 2001 and 2006 that damaged federal lands .
The White House said the evidence against them was `` conflicting '' and the jury acquitted them on most of the charges .
The Hammonds were initially given sentences of three months to a year .
Trump blamed the Obama administration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because the judge 's sentence was too lenient under federal sentencing guidelines .
That appeal sent the Hammonds back to prison .
D'Souza , a prominent conservative filmmaker and pundit , pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance law in 2014 .
President Donald Trump pardoned D'Souza after sharing a plane flight with him in 2018 .
Trump granted a rare and historic posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson in May 2018 , 72 years after his death , clearing the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion of racially motivated charges resulting from his relationships with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Libby , the George W. Bush administration aide convicted of lying to the FBI in an investigation into a leak of the identity of a covert CIA agent , in April 2018 .
Libby was the chief of staff to then-Vice President Dick Cheney .
Libby had became a key figure in what became known as the Valerie Plame affair .
Saucier , a former Navy submariner who was convicted in a federal court in Connecticut of taking pictures of a nuclear propulsion system and keeping them on his phone , was sentenced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , during the height of the presidential campaign .
Trump took note of the case , citing Saucier as evidence that Hillary Clinton , a former secretary of State , should be jailed for mishandling classified information on a home email server set up to circumvent public records laws .
Arpaio , an Arizona sheriff known for his brutal treatment of undocumented immigrants , was held in contempt of court for refusing to end the practice of `` immigrant roundups . ''
Before Arpaio was sentenced , Trump issued a full pardon of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supporters , on August 25 , 2017 .
The lower court has refused to throw out Arpaio 's conviction , and he remains in ongoing legal disputes .
The Supreme Court refused to hear his most recent case .

Michael Collins and Savannah Behrmann, USA TODAY

Who has President Trump pardoned? Here's the list of allies, supporters and inspirational figures
Show Caption Hide Caption Flynn: Trump gives 'full pardon' to ex-national security advisor Michael Flynn pleaded guilty three years ago to lying about his conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Since taking office in 2017, President Donald Trump has pardoned more than 60 people. As he serves the final days of his term, that list is expected to grow.
Presidents have broad clemency powers granted by the Constitution. They can grant full pardons – full legal forgiveness for a crime – and commute, or shorten, prison sentences. Trump has commuted 21 sentences.
As of Dec. 3, Trump had granted pardoned or granted clemency to allies such as former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and campaign aide Roger Stone and high-profile figures, such as former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich and former New York Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik. His first pardon was to Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff who was an early supporter of Trump's candidacy. Others involved people whose cases were taken up by activists who considered the sentences unduly harsh. And some had celebrities, such as Kim Kardashian West, lobbying on their behalf.
Here's a look at the pardons Trump has granted:
Roger Stone
Stone, a Republican operative, was convicted of lying to Congress to protect the president's campaign from an investigation into Russian election interference.
Trump had commuted Stone's sentence in July. He was sentenced to a 40-month sentence handed down in February of this year.
Paul Manafort
Manafort, Trump's former campaign chairman, was sentenced last year to more than seven years in prison in a pair of criminal cases that resulted from former Russia special counsel Robert Mueller's two-year investigation.
The cases in federal courts in Virginia and Washington, D.C. centered on Manafort's decade-long work as a lobbyist in Ukraine.
More: Trump pardons former campaign chairman Paul Manafort along with Charles Kushner, other allies
Manafort was sentenced to nearly four years in prison in Virginia, where he was convicted of defrauding banks and taxpayers out of millions of dollars he had amassed through illicit lobbying. He was sentenced to a little over three years in prison in Washington, D.C., where he pleaded guilty.
Charles Kushner
Kushner was convicted in 2005 of preparing false tax returns, witness retaliation, and making false statements to the FEC.
He pleaded guilty and served a 24-month sentence.
The witness he was accused of retaliating against was his brother-in-law, who was cooperating with federal officials with an investigation into Kushner. He arranged to have a prostitute seduce his brother-in-law in a motel room where video cameras were installed and sent the tapes to his sister.
The case was prosecuted by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, a Trump-ally.
Charles Kushner is the father to Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who also serves as a senior advisor to the president.
Stephanie Mohr
Mohr is a former Maryland police officer who served 10 years in prison in a police brutality case after her canine partner attacked a man suspected of burglary.
More: Trump pardons former officer convicted in police brutality, dog bite case
Her case was controversial at the time and was the result of a Justice Department civil rights investigation into the Prince George's County Police Department, which had been facing allegations of police brutality.
Margaret Hunter
Hunter is the estranged wife of former Congressman Duncan Hunter, and pleaded guilty last year to one count of conspiracy to misuse campaign funds for personal expenses.
She was sentenced to three years’ probation. Her husband was also pardoned by Trump.
More: GOP Rep. Duncan Hunter and his wife indicted for alleged misuse of campaign funds
Christopher Wade
Wade pleaded guilty to various cyber-crimes and served two years’ probation.
James Kassouf
Kassouf pled guilty in 1989 to one count of filing a false tax return.
The White House stated that since he was convicted, he has since worked with charitable organizations and been devoted to his church.
Mary McCarty
In 2009, McCarty, a former Palm Beach County Commissioner, pleaded guilty to one count of honest services fraud, and served nearly two years in prison.
Christopher II X, formerly Christopher Anthony Bryant
Bryant, a former drug addict, was convicted of several cocaine charges for two decades leading up to 1998, according to the White House.
Cesar Lozada
Lozada was charged in 2004 of conspiring to distribute marijuana and served 14 months in prison.
Joseph Martin Stephens
Stephens pleaded guilty in 2008 to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to a statement from the White House, this was sentencing was predicated from 1991, when he was 19, and he was prosecuted nearly 20 years later and served a sentence of 18 months in prison.
Andrew Barron Worden
Worden was convicted in 1998 on a wire fraud charge.
According to the White House, Worden "had just graduated from college and made mistakes in running an investment firm he founded" but "voluntarily stopped his wrongful conduct and began to repay his victims before any criminal charges were filed."
Robert Coughlin
Coughlin had pleaded guilty to a count of conflict of interest while working as a Department of Justice official.
He served as the former deputy chief of staff in the U.S. Department of Justice’s criminal division and pleaded guilty in 2008 for doing favors for former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his lobbying team and its clients while accepting free meals and drinks and tickets to sporting events and concerts.
John Boultbee and Peter Atkinson
Boultbee and Atkinson served a year each in prison for mail fraud.
The two men were senior executives at Hollinger International and associates of media tycoon Conrad Black, who was a co-defendant in the case and was also convicted. Trump previously pardoned him.
Joseph Occhipinti
Occhipinti was convicted of conspiracy to violate civil rights under the color of law and making false statements, according to the White House.
Occhipinti was a former Federal immigration agent and imprisoned for conducting illegal searches and filing false reports against Hispanic store owners.
His 37-month-long sentence was commuted by President George H.W. Bush.
Rebekah Charleston
Charleston was a former sex trafficking victim who was arrested for tax evasion in 2006.
She now works as a consultant and advocate for victims. Her pardon was also supported by a law enforcement agent who arrested her.
More: Sex trafficking, prostitution is anything but a 'victimless crime,' experts say
Rickey Kanter
Kanter, former CEO of Dr. Comfort, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud and was sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison in 2011.
He later sued the Justice Department and the state of Wisconsin because federal and state laws prohibit felons from purchasing firearms. Kanter's claims were rejected by the court.
Topeka Sam
Sam served three years of a 130-month sentence in 2012 as a result of pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine.
Sam founded a group to help incarcerated women transition back into society and helped the passage of the First Step Act that Trump signed into law in 2018.
James Batmasian
Batmasian pleaded guilty and went to federal prison in 2008 for failure to collect and remit payroll taxes in 2008.
William J. Plemons, Jr.
Plemons, Jr., was convicted of various financial crimes in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and served a sentence of 27 months in prison, according to the White House.
Russell Plaisance
Plaisance was given a posthumous pardon for a count of conspiracy to import cocaine in the 1980's, which the White House said stemmed from “one conversation in which he participated.”
Mark Siljander
Siljander, a former GOP congressman, pleaded guilty in 2010 to charges of obstruction of justice and failing to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
In 2012, Siljander was sentenced to a year in federal prison.
Gary Brugman
Brugman is a former U.S. Border Patrol agent and was sent to prison for nearly two years after violating the civil rights of a man who attempted to cross the U.S. border into Texas in 2001, and was convicted in 2002.
John Tate and Jesse Benton
Tate and Benton were convicted in 2016 of various public corruption charges for paying a former Iowa state senator to switch his endorsement to then-U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, during his 2012 presidential campaign, days before the first-in-the-nation nominating event.
More: President Trump pardons two Ron Paul aides convicted in 2012 Iowa caucus bribery scandal
Tate and Benton each served six months of home confinement and two years’ probation.
George Papadopoulos
Papadopoulos is a former campaign aide who admitted lying to the FBI about conversations in which he was told that the Russian government had obtained “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. He used that connection to try to set up a meeting between then-candidate Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
More: Trump pardons Papadopoulos and former Republican members of Congress in raft of clemency grants
Papadopoulos was the first former Trump aide to be sentenced in special counsel Mueller’s investigation of Russian election interference.
Duncan Hunter
Hunter, a former GOP Congressman from Calilfornia, pleaded guilty to misusing campaign funds in 2019 and was sentenced to 11 months in prison.
He stole the campaign funds and spent the money on outings with friends and his daughter’s birthday party, among other things.
More: Ex-California Rep. Duncan Hunter gets 11 months in prison
Chris Collins
Former New York GOP Rep. Collins pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to commit securities fraud and making false statements to the FBI and is currently serving a 26-month sentence, the White House said.
Collins was the first member of Congress to endorse Trump to be president.
Alex van der Zwaan
Van der Zwaan is a Dutch lawyer who served a month of prison time in Mueller's investigation and was deported to the Netherlands in 2018. He was the first person convicted in the investigation.
He pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his work with two of Trump's former campaign aides.
More: Dutch lawyer deported after serving prison time in Mueller's Russia probe
Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty and Dustin Heard
The men, former government contractors at Blackwater Worldwide, were convicted in a 2007 massacre in Baghdad that left more than a dozen Iraqi civilians dead and wounded 17 others.
More: Former Blackwater guard convicted of instigating mass shooting in Iraq
Slatten, who was convicted of murder, had fired, “without provocation,” according to the Justice Department, and had been serving a sentence of life in prison.
Slough, Liberty and Heard also were convicted of manslaughter and firearms charges and sentenced to 30 years in prison. But a federal appeals court ruled in 2017 that they should be resentenced because their convictions included one count of committing a felony while armed with a military weapon. A federal judge cut their sentences in half last year.
Crystal Munoz
Munoz, who spent the last 12 years in prison after being convicted on marijuana charges, was granted clemency by Trump in February.
February 2020: Who got pardoned, who got shorter prison sentences under Trump's clemency spree?
Tynice Nichole Hall
Hall served nearly 14 years of an 18-year sentence for allowing her apartment to be used to distribute drugs before Trump granted her clemency earlier this year.
In a petition spelling out her case for clemency, Hall wrote that she was dating a man who was distributing drugs and, while not directly involved with his illegal activities, she reaped the financial benefits of the drug trade.
Alfonso Costa
Costa was convicted of health care fraud in 2007, and charged with padding bills for tens of thousands in dental work serviced.
He is close to Trump's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson.
Alfred Lee Crum
Crum pleaded guilty in 1952 when he was 19 to helping his wife’s uncle illegally distill moonshine.
Crum, who is now 89, served three years of probation and paid a $250 fine.
Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean
Ramos and Compean, Border Patrol agents, were convicted of shooting and wounding an unarmed illegal immigrant in 2006. They then covered up the shooting.
President George W. Bush had issued commutations for both men during his final days.
Michael Flynn
Flynn, who served more than three weeks as Trump's top security adviser at the White House, pleaded guilty three years ago to lying about his conversations with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.
Awaiting sentencing, he sought to withdraw his plea by claiming he was entrapped by federal investigators. That move was followed early this year by the Justice Department's decision to abandon the prosecution, prompting a federal judge's challenge.
Flynn was awaiting a ruling in the case by U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan when Trump issued the pardon in November.
Alice Marie Johnson
Johnson was convicted in 1996 of five counts of drug trafficking and one count of money laundering and sentenced to life in prison – despite the fact that it was her first offense.
President Barack Obama denied her clemency request in 2017. A long list of officials – Congress members, the U.S. attorney and even the warden at her prison – asked the pardon attorney to reconsider.
More: Trump pardons Alice Johnson, who praised him in a speech at the Republican convention
Kardashian West lobbied Trump on Johnson's behalf, and Trump commuted her life sentence in 2018. She was then pardoned by the president in August.
Jon Donyae Ponder
While serving a 63-month sentence for bank robbery, Ponder became a Christian and devoted himself to helping other prisoners. After his release, he founded Hope For Prisoners, a Las Vegas-based organization that helps ex-prisoners re-enter society. The group has partnered with the Las Vegas Police Department to help thousands of former inmates.
The president called Ponder’s life “a beautiful testament to the power of redemption” when announcing his pardon in August.
Ponder also was pardoned by the state of Nevada.
Susan B. Anthony
Anthony, one of the leading figures in the movement to secure voting rights for women, was arrested for voting in Rochester, New York, in 1872, violating the laws that said only men could vote. She was convicted the following year.
Trump granted her posthumous pardon on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment in August.
More: Trump honors 100th anniversary of 19th Amendment by announcing pardon for Susan B. Anthony
Edward DeBartolo Jr.
DeBartolo, a former owner of the San Francisco 49ers, was fined $1 million as part of a gambling fraud case in Louisiana in the late 1990s. He was pardoned by Trump in February.
DeBartolo testified that he paid then Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards $400,000 in exchange for his help in securing a riverboat casino license. DeBartolo pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to report a felony.
Ex-49ers owner gets pardon: Trump grants full pardon to former owner of the San Francisco 49ers Eddie DeBartolo Jr.
Bernard Kerik
Kerik, the former New York Police Department commissioner who was hailed alongside then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani for the response to the 9/11 attacks, was sentenced to four years in prison after he pleaded guilty to felony charges of tax fraud and lying to White House officials while being interviewed to head the Department of Homeland Security.
He served three years in federal prison before he was released in 2013, later becoming an advocate for prison reform, and a recurring advocate for Trump on Fox News. He was pardoned by the president in February.
The White House said in a statement that since Kerik's conviction, "he has focused on improving the lives of others, including as a passionate advocate for criminal justice and prisoner re-entry reform."
Paul Pogue
Pogue, the owner of a construction company near Dallas, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison in 2010 for filing a false federal tax return. Authorities said Pogue under-reported his income on his tax returns for three years. The fraudulent returns cost taxpayers a loss of $473,680, according to court records. Besides the prison sentence, Pogue was ordered to pay a $250,000 fine and more than $473,000 in restitution.
Pogue's family has made campaign contributions to Republicans, including Trump's re-election campaign. Pogue Construction is now run by Ben Pogue, Paul Pogue's son, who donated $85,000 last year to Trump Victory, the joint fundraising committee for the president’s reelection campaign and Republican National Committee. Ben Pogue also maxed out to the Trump presidential campaign, giving $5,600 in August 2019.
He was pardoned by the president in February.
Michael Milken
Milken, a rogue financier known as the "junk bond king," pleaded guilty in 1990 to several counts of securities and tax violations.
In the announcement of his pardon in February, the White House described Milken as "one of America's greatest financiers" and credited his work fighting prostate cancer.
David Safavian
Safavian, former chief of staff of the General Services Administration, was sentenced to a year in prison for lying about his ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Safavian was convicted in 2009 for obstruction of justice and making false statements to authorities investigating Abramoff’s activities. Prosecutors said Safavian lied to conceal his efforts to help Abramoff in his dealings with the government.
According to testimony during his trial, Safavian assisted Abramoff in connection with the lobbyist’s attempts to acquire GSA-controlled properties, and Abramoff took him on a luxury golf trip to Scotland and London. Safavian made false statements to conceal that, around the time of the golf trip, he aided Abramoff with business before the agency, prosecutors said.
He was pardoned in February.
Ariel Friedler
Friedler, the founder and chief executive of an Arlington, Va.,-based software company, pleaded guilty in 2014 and served two months in prison for conspiring to hack into the computer systems of two competitors. Friedler’s company, Symplicity Corp., was a government contractor that provided student disciplinary records management services to colleges and universities.
According to court records, Friedler conspired with two other Symplicity employees between 2007 and 2011 to hack into the computer systems of two competing companies. Friedler and others decrypted account passwords of former customers. Fiedler was forced to sell the company as a result of his guilty plea.
He was pardoned by Trump in February of 2020.
Angela Stanton
Stanton is an author, reality TV star and prison-reform activist who served a six-month home confinement sentence for her part in a stolen car ring.
An avid Trump supporter and the goddaughter of Martin Luther King Jr.’s politically conservative niece Alveda King, she spoke at the 2018 Women for Trump Conference and frequently posts pro-Trump messages on her Twitter account.
Trump pardoned her in February.
Clint Lorance
Lorance, an Army 1st lieutenant, was convicted in 2013 of second-degree murder after ordering soldiers to open fire on three unarmed Afghan men, two of whom died. He was serving a 19-year sentence when he was pardoned in November 2019.
Mathew Golsteyn
Golsteyn was charged with executing a man in 2010 who was suspected of being a Taliban bombmaker who had been ordered to be released after an interrogation.
Golsteyn said he shot the man because he was certain his bomb-making would "continue to threaten American troops and their Afghan partners," the White House said.
In a 2018 tweet, Trump described Golsteyn as a "U.S. military hero." He was pardoned in November 2019.
Zay Jeffries
Jeffries was convicted of conspiracy to commit treason for anticompetitive conduct. A leading American scientist, he continued his work after he was indicted in 1941. His work helped the U.S. develop shells that could pierce German tanks. He also contributed to the Manhattan project. He received a posthumous pardon in October 2019.
Rodney M. Takumi
Takumi received a pardon in July of 2019 for a conviction over a 1987 arrest from working at an illegal gambling parlor.
Chalmer Lee Williams
Williams stole at least 20 firearms and 16 boxes of computers in 1995 with the help of partner Christopher Glacken from checked luggage at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. He was convicted of theft and the sale of the weapons. He was pardoned in July 2019.
More: Trump pardons Kentucky man who helped steal 20 firearms for having ‘exceptional character’
John Richard Bubala
Bubala, who pleaded guilty in 1990 to illegally transferring federal government automotive equipment to Milltown, Indiana, was praised in a White House statement for his reform when he was pardoned in July 2019.
"His primary aim was to help the town, and he sought neither compensation nor recognition for his actions," the statement said of Bubala, while also praising him for his volunteer work.
Roy Wayne McKeever
McKeever was convicted of using a telephone to distribute marijuana in 1989.
In July 2019, when McKeever was pardoned by Trump, the White House said: "He has spent the past 29 years of his life atoning for his offense through charitable works in his community."
Michael Anthony Tedesco
Tedesco was pardoned by Obama in 2017, but because of a clerical error, his pardon for a fraud conviction was not official until Trump corrected the issue in July 2019, according to the White House.
Conrad Moffat Black
Trump granted a pardon to Black, a former conservative newspaper mogul who spent 3½ years in jail on a 2007 fraud conviction that was ultimately reviewed by the Supreme Court. The White House described Black as an "entrepreneur and scholar" who "has made tremendous contributions to business."
Black has also been an outspoken Trump supporter and wrote a book about the president the year before the pardon.
More: Trump grants pardon to conservative former media mogul and supporter Conrad Black
Patrick James Nolan
Nolan, director of the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Center for Criminal Justice Reform, was pardoned by Trump in May 2019.
A former state lawmaker in California, Nolan was convicted of accepting illegal campaign contributions in 1994 and was sentenced to 33 months in prison.
Nolan was an instrumental voice supporting the bipartisan criminal justice legislation Trump signed into law in 2018.
Michael Chase Behenna
Trump pardoned Behenna, a former Army first lieutenant, who was convicted of killing an Iraqi prisoner, in May 2019.
Behenna was sentenced to 15 years in 2009 for killing Ali Mansur Mohamed, a suspected al Qaeda operative who was stripped naked for questioning before being shot.
Dwight and Steven Hammond
In July 2018, Trump pardoned father-and-son cattle ranchers serving prison time for arson, a case that helped inspire the armed occupation of a federal wildlife refuge in 2016.
Oregon ranchers pardoned by Trump arrive home Dwight and Steven Hammond were welcomed home in Burns, Oregon. They were pardoned by President Trump and left a prison in Los Angeles. Anger over their sentences led to a group of ranchers taking over a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon in 2016. (July 12) AP
The two were convicted of starting two fires in 2001 and 2006 that damaged federal lands. The White House said the evidence against them was "conflicting" and the jury acquitted them on most of the charges.
The Hammonds were initially given sentences of three months to a year. Trump blamed the Obama administration for filing an "overzealous appeal" because the judge's sentence was too lenient under federal sentencing guidelines. That appeal sent the Hammonds back to prison.
Dinesh D'Souza
D'Souza, a prominent conservative filmmaker and pundit, pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance law in 2014. President Donald Trump pardoned D'Souza after sharing a plane flight with him in 2018.
John Arthur Johnson
Trump granted a rare and historic posthumous pardon to Jack Johnson in May 2018, 72 years after his death, clearing the first African-American heavyweight boxing champion of racially motivated charges resulting from his relationships with white women in 1912.
I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby
Trump pardoned Libby, the George W. Bush administration aide convicted of lying to the FBI in an investigation into a leak of the identity of a covert CIA agent, in April 2018.
Libby was the chief of staff to then-Vice President Dick Cheney. Libby had become a key figure in what became known as the Valerie Plame affair.
Kristian Mark Saucier
Saucier, a former Navy submariner who was convicted in a federal court in Connecticut of taking pictures of a nuclear propulsion system and keeping them on his phone, was sentenced to a year in prison in 2016, during the height of the presidential campaign.
Trump took note of the case, citing Saucier as evidence that Hillary Clinton, a former secretary of State, should be jailed for mishandling classified information on a home email server set up to circumvent public records laws.
Trump pardoned Saucier in March 2018.
Joe Arpaio
Arpaio, an Arizona sheriff known for his brutal treatment of undocumented immigrants, was held in contempt of court for refusing to end the practice of "immigrant roundups."
Before Arpaio was sentenced, Trump issued a full pardon of Arpaio, one of candidate-Trump's earliest supporters, on August 25, 2017.
The lower court has refused to throw out Arpaio's conviction, and he remains in ongoing legal disputes. The Supreme Court refused to hear his most recent case.
Contributing: Kristen DelGuzzi, John Fritze, David Jackson, Courtney Subramanian; The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-12-04--Monolith in California, similar to structure found in Utah, removed, replaced with cross

Another monolith , similar to the one discovered in the Utah desert , has appeared and vanished – this time in Southern California .
It ’ s unclear who placed the monolith on a hiking trail in Atascadero , KEYT-TV and The Atascadero News reported Wednesday .
The tall , silver structure drew some hikers to the area after photos were posted on social media .
Connor Allen , news correspondent for the Paso Robles Press and Atascadero News , shared photos of the structure , adding it was located `` at the top of Pine Mountain in Atascadero !
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that unlike the Utah monolith , the `` Atascadero obelisk was not attached to the ground , and could be knocked over with a firm push . ''
And , like other monoliths before it , the California structure vanished as strangely as it appeared .
According to a press release from the city of Atascadero , the 10-foot-tall monolith , which weighed an estimated 200 pounds , disappeared early Thursday morning .
Video on social media shows a group of men removing the monolith and replacing it with a plywood cross , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upset that these young men felt the need to drive 5 hours to come into our community and vandalize the Monolith , '' Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno said in a statement .
`` The Monolith was something unique and fun in an otherwise stressful time . ''
The city encourages anyone with information about the monolith to contact the Atascadero Police Department , which is looking into the incident .
At least two other monoliths have been spotted elsewhere .
A similar structure that officials said was made of riveted plates of stainless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a group of people who said “ leave no trace . ''
In Romania , a journalist with a local publication reported a monolith also disappeared shortly after being found on a hill .
A local official said that structure was placed without permission , as well .
Two adventure sportsmen , Utah residents Andy Lewis and Sylvan Christensen , stepped forward to say they were part of the team who removed the Utah monolith .
They posted a 23-second video showing the monolith , once embedded into the rock , being dismantled @ @ @ @ @ @ @ carried away at night .
The structure had been placed without permission on public land .
Visitors left behind a mess of human waste and debris and parked cars on vegetation as well , officials said .
“ Right after it had fallen over and made a loud thud , one of them said , ‘ This is why you don ’ t leave trash in the desert , ’ ” Colorado photographer Ross Bernards wrote in an Instagram post .
'If you think we ’ re proud , we ’ re not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say they removed the Utah monolith More : Photographers captured removal of the mysterious Utah monolith .
Here 's why it vanished .

Monolith in California, similar to structure found in Utah, removed, replaced with cross
Show Caption Hide Caption Monolith found in California after Utah one disappears At least three monoliths have been spotted in recent weeks. USA TODAY
Another monolith, similar to the one discovered in the Utah desert, has appeared and vanished – this time in Southern California.
It’s unclear who placed the monolith on a hiking trail in Atascadero, KEYT-TV and The Atascadero News reported Wednesday. The tall, silver structure drew some hikers to the area after photos were posted on social media.
Connor Allen, news correspondent for the Paso Robles Press and Atascadero News, shared photos of the structure, adding it was located "at the top of Pine Mountain in Atascadero!!"
The Atascadero News also reported that unlike the Utah monolith, the "Atascadero obelisk was not attached to the ground, and could be knocked over with a firm push."
And, like other monoliths before it, the California structure vanished as strangely as it appeared. According to a press release from the city of Atascadero, the 10-foot-tall monolith, which weighed an estimated 200 pounds, disappeared early Thursday morning. Video on social media shows a group of men removing the monolith and replacing it with a plywood cross, the release adds.
🚨 🚨 BREAKING NEWS 🚨 🚨
There is currently a monolith at the top of Pine Mountain in Atascadero!!
(Photos by @Atownreporter) pic.twitter.com/0vPhEWYkeY — Connor Allen (@ConnorCAllen) December 2, 2020
"We are upset that these young men felt the need to drive 5 hours to come into our community and vandalize the Monolith," Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno said in a statement. "The Monolith was something unique and fun in an otherwise stressful time."
The city encourages anyone with information about the monolith to contact the Atascadero Police Department, which is looking into the incident.
At least two other monoliths have been spotted elsewhere. A similar structure that officials said was made of riveted plates of stainless steel was reportedly toppled in Utah by a group of people who said “leave no trace."
In Romania, a journalist with a local publication reported a monolith also disappeared shortly after being found on a hill. A local official said that structure was placed without permission, as well.
Monolith structure found in Utah vanishes A three-sided metal column discovered embedded in Utah's remote Red Rock Country has reportedly vanished without a trace. Associated Press, USA TODAY
Two adventure sportsmen, Utah residents Andy Lewis and Sylvan Christensen, stepped forward to say they were part of the team who removed the Utah monolith. They posted a 23-second video showing the monolith, once embedded into the rock, being dismantled, loaded onto a wheel barrow and carried away at night.
The structure had been placed without permission on public land. Visitors left behind a mess of human waste and debris and parked cars on vegetation as well, officials said.
“Right after it had fallen over and made a loud thud, one of them said, ‘This is why you don’t leave trash in the desert,’” Colorado photographer Ross Bernards wrote in an Instagram post.
Contributing: Bryan Alexander, Charles Trepany USA TODAY; The Associated Press
'If you think we’re proud, we’re not': Meet the outdoor sportsmen who say they removed the Utah monolith
More: Photographers captured removal of the mysterious Utah monolith. Here's why it vanished.


usatoday--2020-12-03--Facebook plans to remove false posts about COVID-19 vaccines

As vaccines to fight the novel coronavirus near deployment , Facebook says it will ramp up its fight against misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on its social media platforms .
There are no authorized coronavirus vaccines in the U.S. yet , but preparations for distribution are ramping up , and drugmakers are filing with the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorizations .
With vaccines expected to begin becoming available this month , Facebook says it plans to begin removing vaccine misinformation on Facebook and Instagram .
`` This is another way that we are applying our policy to remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to imminent physical harm , '' the company said in a blog post Thursday .
Changing careers during COVID-19 : Here 's how one millennial went from violist to medical technician Spotify 2020 Wrapped : How to find what music , podcasts and playlists you listened to this year The platforms plan to remove vaccine claims that have been debunked by public health experts on Facebook and Instagram .
Facebook has a coronavirus information site that includes a discussion this week between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Anthony Fauci , director of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Among the misinformation online , as far back as June , was the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 vaccinations would be part of a global plot by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to implant microchips in everyone .
`` We will remove false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips , or anything else that isn ’ t on the official vaccine ingredient list , '' Facebook said .
`` We will also remove conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines that we know today are false : like specific populations are being used without their consent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
But the sites wo n't immediately begin enforcing the policy .
`` Since it ’ s early and facts about COVID-19 vaccines will continue to evolve , we will regularly update the claims we remove based on guidance from public health authorities as they learn more , '' Facebook said .
Facebook has taken similar steps to crack down on misinformation about climate change and the Nov. 3 presidential election .
Early on in the coronavirus pandemic , Facebook began posting COVID-19 news and facts atop news feeds .

Facebook plans to remove false posts about COVID-19 vaccines
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19 vaccines: What are the potential side effects? Experts say side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine range from soreness to fatigue. USA TODAY
As vaccines to fight the novel coronavirus near deployment, Facebook says it will ramp up its fight against misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines on its social media platforms.
There are no authorized coronavirus vaccines in the U.S. yet, but preparations for distribution are ramping up, and drugmakers are filing with the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorizations.
With vaccines expected to begin becoming available this month, Facebook says it plans to begin removing vaccine misinformation on Facebook and Instagram. "This is another way that we are applying our policy to remove misinformation about the virus that could lead to imminent physical harm," the company said in a blog post Thursday.
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The platforms plan to remove vaccine claims that have been debunked by public health experts on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook has a coronavirus information site that includes a discussion this week between Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Among the misinformation online, as far back as June, was the conspiracy theory that COVID-19 vaccinations would be part of a global plot by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to implant microchips in everyone.
"We will remove false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain microchips, or anything else that isn’t on the official vaccine ingredient list," Facebook said. "We will also remove conspiracy theories about COVID-19 vaccines that we know today are false: like specific populations are being used without their consent to test the vaccine’s safety."
But the sites won't immediately begin enforcing the policy. "Since it’s early and facts about COVID-19 vaccines will continue to evolve, we will regularly update the claims we remove based on guidance from public health authorities as they learn more," Facebook said.
Facebook has taken similar steps to crack down on misinformation about climate change and the Nov. 3 presidential election. Early on in the coronavirus pandemic, Facebook began posting COVID-19 news and facts atop news feeds.
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usatoday--2020-12-03--A mother asked a North Carolina police officer to help teach her son how to ride his bike

A mother asked a North Carolina police officer to help teach her son how to ride his bike Officer Sepulveda @ @ @ @ @ the boy as he pedaled around the police department 's parking lot .

Police officer helps boy learn to ride his bike in North Carolina
Officer Sepulveda held the bike up for the boy as he pedaled around the police department's parking lot.
USA TODAY, Storyful


usatoday--2020-12-03--Here's how you can start getting back on track and paying off your credit card debts

Here 's how you can start getting back on track and paying off your credit card debts If you 're @ @ @ @ @ credit card debt , here are 6 steps to help you out along the way @

Credit card debt: 6 steps to help get you through paying them off
If you're ready to start tackling your credit card debt, here are 6 steps to help you out along the way.
USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-12-03--Best friend leaps into airman's arms

Best friend leaps into airman's arms

Senior Airman Zach Carr has n't seen his best friend in over a year and a half .
When they @ @ @ @ @ like no time had passed .

Best friend leaps into airman's arms
Senior Airman Zach Carr hasn't seen his best friend in over a year and a half. When they finally reunited, it was like no time had passed.
Militarykind, USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-12-04--House passes bill featured in 'Tiger King' series that would ban big cat ownership

WASHINGTON – Legislation addressing the trade and ownership of big cats featured in the Netflix docuseries `` Tiger King '' was passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday .
The bill , the Big Cat Public Safety Act , passed by a 272-114 vote .
It would ban the private ownership of big cats like lions and tigers , a measure `` Tiger King 's '' Carole Baskin and Big Cat Rescue , the organization she runs with her husband Howard , have spent thousands of dollars and years lobbying for .
It would allow existing facilities to keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would prohibit most contact between the public and the animals .
Carole Baskin told USA TODAY she was `` thrilled '' the legislation was finally coming up for a vote , calling it part of a `` decades-long effort '' to end the abuse of cubs and private ownership of big cats .
The bill faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate .
The Senate version of the bill has support from both sides of the aisle , but it is unlikely the Senate will act on the bill with only two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major issues like COVID relief and government spending on the a. Sen. Ted Cruz , R-Texas , criticized Democrats for acting on what he said would `` Prosecute Tiger King '' rather than address issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic .
The bill 's sponsor , Rep. Mike Quigley , D-Ill , .
rejected Republicans ' argument and told USA TODAY in a phone interview Democrats could address COVID relief and the economy at the same time they tackled the trade in big cats .
All about pardons : Can Trump pardon himself @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Experts explain the sweeping power Quigley said the legislation was `` long overdue '' because ownership of the animals is `` inherently dangerous '' and their confinement is inhumane .
His family taught him it was a `` sin to treat any animal inhumanely , '' he said .
The Illinois Democrat said the Netflix series had helped `` shed light '' on the problem , but he `` could n't watch the show because I ca n't watch animals being treated inhumanely . ''
Howard Baskin , the advisory board chairman of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group 's efforts on the bill , told USA TODAY he was `` ecstatic '' about the bill , which they had been working on since 2012 .
Education secretary : Betsy DeVos vowed to change American education .
For the most part , she didn ’ t .
The bill was passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee in September 2019 .
At the time , six Republican lawmakers objected to the legislation , saying it would `` hinder conservation and education efforts by destroying structured big cat breeding programs '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ layers of regulation '' on existing facilities .
Baskin disagreed , saying the legislation `` does n't put anybody out of business .
It does not stop breeding . ''

House passes bill featured in 'Tiger King' series that would ban big cat ownership
Show Caption Hide Caption Here's what happened to 'Tiger King' animals after doc Joe Exotic had hundreds of tigers in the Netflix 'Tiger King' documentary. The Wild Animal Sanctuary saved 39 of them. Animalkind, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Legislation addressing the trade and ownership of big cats featured in the Netflix docuseries "Tiger King" was passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday.
The bill, the Big Cat Public Safety Act, passed by a 272-114 vote. It would ban the private ownership of big cats like lions and tigers, a measure "Tiger King's" Carole Baskin and Big Cat Rescue, the organization she runs with her husband Howard, have spent thousands of dollars and years lobbying for.
It would allow existing facilities to keep their big cats and exotic animals but would prohibit most contact between the public and the animals.
Carole Baskin told USA TODAY she was "thrilled" the legislation was finally coming up for a vote, calling it part of a "decades-long effort" to end the abuse of cubs and private ownership of big cats.
The bill faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate. The Senate version of the bill has support from both sides of the aisle, but it is unlikely the Senate will act on the bill with only two weeks left in session and with other major issues like COVID relief and government spending on the a.
Handwritten letter to Trump: 'Tiger King' star Joe Exotic formally requests pardon
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, criticized Democrats for acting on what he said would "Prosecute Tiger King" rather than address issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dem priorities:
☑ Prosecute Tiger King
❌Emergency COVID relief
❌Help small businesses
❌Reopen the economy
❌Get kids back in school https://t.co/wU9enukZkP — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) November 30, 2020
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill,. rejected Republicans' argument and told USA TODAY in a phone interview Democrats could address COVID relief and the economy at the same time they tackled the trade in big cats.
All about pardons: Can Trump pardon himself? What's a preemptive pardon? Experts explain the sweeping power
Quigley said the legislation was "long overdue" because ownership of the animals is "inherently dangerous" and their confinement is inhumane. His family taught him it was a "sin to treat any animal inhumanely," he said.
The Illinois Democrat said the Netflix series had helped "shed light" on the problem, but he "couldn't watch the show because I can't watch animals being treated inhumanely."
Howard Baskin, the advisory board chairman of Big Cat Rescue and who spearheaded the group's efforts on the bill, told USA TODAY he was "ecstatic" about the bill, which they had been working on since 2012.
Education secretary: Betsy DeVos vowed to change American education. For the most part, she didn’t.
The bill was passed out of the House Natural Resources Committee in September 2019. At the time, six Republican lawmakers objected to the legislation, saying it would "hinder conservation and education efforts by destroying structured big cat breeding programs" and "create and place harmful bureaucratic layers of regulation" on existing facilities.
Baskin disagreed, saying the legislation "doesn't put anybody out of business. It does not stop breeding."