Iran defies Trump admin on nuclear program after deadly Israel strikes
Iran on Friday confirmed it will not end its nuclear programs despite the overnight attacks by Israel on its atomic facilities and apparent continued U.S. efforts to meet with Iranian counterparts on Sunday.
In a statement released by the Iranian government, Tehran claimed Israel’s attack proved it has a “right to enrichment and nuclear technology and missile capability.”
“The enemy has caused our victimhood and legitimacy to be proven as to who is the aggressor and which regime threatens the security of the region,” the statement said.
IRAN CALLS ISRAELI STRIKES A ‘DECLARATION OF WAR,’ SWIFTLY REPLACES KILLED MILITARY LEADERS
The comments not only followed Israel’s strike that killed seven top officials – including four military commanders, one official allegedly involved in the nuclear talks with the U.S., and two nuclear scientists – but also after the board of governors from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog on Thursday declared Iran is in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in nearly 20 years.
Despite the formal rebuke over its nuclear violations, including its substantial stockpiles of near-weapons-grade uranium, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed Tehran would continue to enrich uranium – the core hiccup in ongoing U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations.
ISRAEL HITS THE ‘HEART’ OF IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IN NATANZ FACILITY STRIKE
“The cowardly nocturnal operation while the diplomatic process on the nuclear issue of Iran was underway is a sign of this regime’s fear of Iran’s power of persuasion and defense for the world,” Tehran said Friday.
Iranian political heads have claimed that the overnight strikes mean Tehran will not continue with nuclear negotiations with Washington, D.C., and that a meeting set with Middle East Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Oman on Sunday was off.
However, the Trump administration has not confirmed these claims and neither has the Iranian regime.
When asked if Iranian officials have notified the U.S. that Iran is withdrawing from nuclear negotiations, a US official said, “We still hope to have talks.”
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Neither the White House nor the State Department immediately responded to Fox News Digital’s questions regarding the talks.
President Donald Trump is set to hold a security meeting at 11 a.m. on Friday, when the future of the talks is expected to be addressed.
‘High budget requests’ to join anti-ICE riots exposed by firm as probe begins
An investigation is underway into who is funding anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) riots disrupting Los Angeles and other major U.S. cities after a major company revealed it had received requests for help.
Crowds on Demand, a California-based company that specializes in providing on-demand crowds for protests, told Fox News Digital it received “numerous high budget requests” to get involved with the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and other cities but declined to participate.
A company spokesperson said it declined to get involved in what is happening in Los Angeles because it did “not want to get close to any form of illegal activity, including violence, vandalism or blocking off roads without a permit.”
“We receive inquiries regarding practically every major social cause imaginable, and the anti-ICE demonstrations are no exception,” the company said. “The fact that we receive requests does not mean we take them, in many cases, because the budget does not match the ambition.”
SENATOR LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO DEMOCRATIC ORG OVER POTENTIAL SUPPORT FOR LA RIOTERS
The company added it only takes on “impactful commonsense causes both for liberals and conservatives, but always represent(s) the commonsense position.”
“Even organizing peaceful demonstrators around this issue (anti-ICE) could put those demonstrators at risk due to the presence of violent agitators and the difficulty for law enforcement in distinguishing between peaceful and violent activists,” the company said.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said anyone found to be abusing the law will be held accountable.
“We’re not here to negotiate with criminals. Break the law, attack our agents — you will be arrested, prosecuted, and held accountable. No exceptions,” the agency vowed in a statement on X.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism, shared that the committee is sending letters to multiple organizations believed to be behind the funding.
One of the organizations called into questioning by Hawley and Republican California Rep. Kevin Kiley is the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights, or CHIRLA, an advocacy group believed to be at the center of the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles.
“Who is funding the LA riots? This violence isn’t spontaneous. As chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime & Terrorism, I’m launching an investigation to find out,” Hawley posted in a statement on X.
FBI WILL INVESTIGATE ‘ANY EVIDENCE OF A CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY’ IN LA RIOTS
Hawley’s letter noted that “credible reporting” has indicated the organization has provided “logistical support and financial resources to individuals engaged in these disruptive actions,” referring to the Los Angeles riots.
“Let me be clear: bankrolling civil unrest is not protected speech. It is aiding and abetting criminal conduct. Accordingly, you must immediately cease and desist any further involvement in the organization, funding or promotion of these unlawful activities,” Hawley wrote.
Kiley also questioned who was behind the funding for the rioters and suggested that California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s motive may be a conflict of interest.
“The ‘nonprofit’ behind the LA riots donated almost $500,000 to support Newsom’s campaign. It then received $34 million in state funding. I’m sure this is all a coincidence,” Kiley wrote in a post on X.
Kiley also shared with Fox News Digital that CHIRLA has reportedly also sponsored a campaign to abolish ICE in the past.
CROWDS ON DEMAND HAS RECEIVED OVER 100 ‘LUCRATIVE’ ANTI-ISRAEL REQUESTS SINCE OCT 7
“The NGO known as CHIRLA was centrally involved in the LA riots. The organization, which has previously sponsored a campaign to abolish ICE, alerted the rioters to where ICE operations were occurring in real time. The agitators would then show up and disrupt ICE activities, including through the use of violence,” Kiley said.
“This group is a major campaign contributor to Gavin Newsom and has received $34 million in state funding. An investigation is absolutely appropriate and necessary.”
IRS records obtained by Fox News show CHIRLA has received $34 million in government grants, including three from former President Joe Biden’s administration for $750,000.
The Million Voter Project, which received a portion of these funds and opposed Newsom’s recall, has also supported anti-ICE protests, according to records.
It is not clear whether either group funded any protest activity, and there is no evidence that they supported rioting.
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“It is absolutely absurd that either myself or the governor would be supportive in any way, shape or form to the vandalism and the violence that has taken place in our city,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told CNN in an interview Tuesday.
“I have been abundantly clear that what is happening on our streets is unacceptable. Looting is criminal behavior. People will be arrested and prosecuted. I don’t believe anybody who vandalizes the city supports immigrants.”
Bass’ office told Fox News Digital she also set a curfew in downtown Los Angeles to “curb bad actors who do not support the immigrant community.”
Law enforcement will arrest individuals who break the curfew, and you will be prosecuted,” Bass vowed.
Fox News Digital reached out to CHIRLA and Newsom’s office for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Second federal judge sides against Trump’s election executive order
A second federal judge on Friday blocked an executive order from President Donald Trump aimed at overhauling elections in the U.S.
Trump’s March 25 executive order sought to compel officials to require documentary proof of citizenship for everyone registering to vote for federal elections, accept only mailed ballots received by Election Day and condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to the new ballot deadline.
“The Constitution does not grant the President any specific powers over elections,” Judge Denise J. Casper of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts said in Friday’s ruling.
A group of Democratic state attorneys general had challenged the executive order as unconstitutional.
TOP DEMOCRATS SUE TRUMP OVER EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS
The attorneys general said the directive “usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.”
The White House defended the order as “standing up for free, fair and honest elections” and called proof of citizenship a “commonsense” requirement.
“Despite pioneering self-government, the United States now fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing,” Trump wrote in the executive order, titled “Preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections.”
“India and Brazil, for example, are tying voter identification to a biometric database, while the United States largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship. In tabulating votes, Germany and Canada require use of paper ballots, counted in public by local officials, which substantially reduces the number of disputes as compared to the American patchwork of voting methods that can lead to basic chain-of-custody problems,” he continued.
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER REQUIRING PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP IN FEDERAL ELECTIONS
“Further, while countries like Denmark and Sweden sensibly limit mail-in voting to those unable to vote in person and do not count late-arriving votes regardless of the date of postmark, many American elections now feature mass voting by mail, with many officials accepting ballots without postmarks or those received well after Election Day,” he also said.
Casper also noted that, when it comes to citizenship, “there is no dispute (nor could there be) that U.S. citizenship is required to vote in federal elections and the federal voter registration forms require attestation of citizenship.”
Casper cited arguments made by the states that the requirements would “burden the States with significant efforts and substantial costs” to update procedures.
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The ruling is the second legal setback for Trump’s election order. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., previously blocked parts of the directive, including the proof-of-citizenship requirement for the federal voter registration form.
Migrant deported under Trump administration arraigned on trafficking charges
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadorian migrant who was erroneously deported to El Salvador before being returned to the U.S. to face federal prosecution last week, pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of human trafficking and conspiracy charges.
Garcia’s legal team told U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes on Friday that they have had time to review the indictment, and Garcia understands what he is accused of, before he formally entered the plea, which stems from a 2022 traffic stop.
Abrego Garcia is charged with the trafficking of undocumented migrants, and conspiring with others to do so.
The criminal case against Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 member, comes after a high-profile, protracted legal fight over his deportation and the Trump administration’s efforts to delay his return to the U.S., even after the Supreme Court ordered the administration to “facilitate” his release earlier this year.
US JUDGE BLASTS TRUMP LAWYERS FOR 11TH-HOUR TACTICS IN MS-13 DEPORTATION CASE
His case has become a national flashpoint in the broader fight over Trump’s hard-line immigration policies in his second White House term.
In a court filing Wednesday night, lawyers for Abrego Garcia urged U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Holmes in Tennessee to release their client from custody while awaiting trial, arguing that the government’s grounds for a detention hearing – and his alleged status as an MS-13 gang member – are meritless.
“Mr. Abrego Garcia asks the Court for what he has been denied the past several months – due process,” his lawyers said, adding that there is no evidence their client is a flight risk, or that he has “systematically engaged in international travel in the recent past.”
Abrego Garcia’s attorneys have also disputed his status as a member of MS-13, which was based on allegations made by a confidential informant, according to court documents. The informant had alleged Abrego Garcia belonged to an MS-13 chapter in New York, where he had never lived.
TRUMP’S REMARKS COULD COME BACK TO BITE HIM IN ABREGO GARCIA DEPORTATION BATTLE
Federal prosecutors disputed that and have urged the judge to keep him in custody, saying in a filing of their own that Abrego Garcia “would have enormous reason to flee” if he were not immediately detained by ICE.
Court documents show the Justice Department filed the charges against Abrego Garcia on May 21– prompting a flurry of questions as to when the investigation and impaneling of a grand jury would have taken place.
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Abrego Garcia’s family sued the Trump administration in March after the Salvadoran man, who entered the country illegally around 2012 and was living in Maryland, was abruptly deported to El Salvador in March. An immigration judge had ruled in 2019 that he could be deported, just not to El Salvador.
Upon being returned to the U.S. last week, Abrego Garcia was immediately sent to Tennessee to face federal charges related to transporting undocumented immigrants.
Major US sports body cuts rules preventing national anthem, prioritizing blue states
USA Fencing’s board of directors voted to amend its current policy that prioritized states with LGBTQ-friendly laws for host sites for competitions and a policy that may have prevented the playing of the national anthem at some events.
The decision comes after months of criticism for punishing a woman fencer who refused to fence a trans opponent, which included scrutiny from federal lawmakers at a congressional hearing in early May.
The changes were voted into effect at a board of directors meeting on Saturday.
An official announcement states that USA Fencing “adopted a streamlined policy that applies criteria prioritizing cost, safety and convenience to every national-event bid across all 50 states.” The new policy “ensures host cities meet stringent member-safety and cost-efficiency standards.”
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Meanwhile, the board’s new national anthem policy will go into effect at the 2025 Summer Nationals and will be reviewed annually by the tournament committee.
“On recommendation of the tournament committee, the board adopted a uniform national anthem policy governing all USA Fencing national events,” the announcement said, adding that the new policy will “provide consistent, respectful minimum guidance for honoring the flag and anthem across nine annual tournaments.”
Back in December, the board held a vote to play the national anthem at the start of tournaments before “all NACs and National Championships,” but it was voted against 8-2 with one abstention.
USA Fencing has provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the new anthem policy.
“The anthem has been played at the start of every national tournament. The Board simply wrote that long‑standing practice into policy and added that it will also be played on any U.S. holiday that occurs during an event, such as Independence Day, which falls during our upcoming Summer Nationals,” the statement red.
The previous host site policy, which was announced in November 2022, gave preference when selecting host cities for national tournaments to states without laws that “harm members of LGBTQ communities” and states that do not “have laws undermining the reproductive health of women.”
That policy went into effect in the 2023 season, the same year it changed its gender policy. It later released a list of states that it intended to “avoid where possible” and the states that it flat out would not allow hosting major events.
The states on the “do not allow” list were Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas.
The states on its “avoid where possible” list included Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia.
The organization now claims it will have events in several of those states over the next year.
“We merged several overlapping documents into one policy that scores every bid — regardless of state — on cost, safety, and travel convenience. Using this rubric, next season’s national events will span nine states including Texas, Missouri, Florida, Utah, Ohio, Virginia, Oregon, Tennessee and Nevada,” read a statement to Fox News Digital.
The previous policy became one of the organization’s biggest points of criticism after fencer Stephanie Turner ignited global backlash against the organization when she recorded a video of her kneeling in protest of a trans opponent during a competition in Maryland in late March.
USA GYMNASTICS ASSESSING TRANSGENDER INCLUSION POLICY
The footage went viral amid news that Turner was disqualified from the event and dealt a black card for refusing to fence.
The controversy was then the subject of a federal hearing on May 7. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Subcommittee’s “Unfair Play: Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” saw Turner testify against USA Fencing chair Damien Lehfeldt.
Lehfeldt took harsh criticism from Republican lawmakers for the organization’s transgender inclusion and host site selection policies.
DOGE Subcommittee Chairwoman Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called out the organization for its host city policy.
“In selecting sites for its national fencing events, for instance, the board policy is to avoid states whose laws and policies on LGBTQ rights and abortion it opposes. It uses ‘Equality Maps’ to determine which states to blacklist from its competitions, and which to favor,” Greene said.
“This ends up favoring a lot of blue states and harming a lot of red ones. So, it creates politically-determined winners and losers — but it has absolutely nothing to do with fencing. And it contradicts USA Fencing’s statutory duty as an NGB to ‘develop interest and participation throughout the United States’ in fencing.”
USA Fencing also announced that it is preparing to change its current policy that allows trans athletes to compete in the women’s category back in April.
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“In the event that USA Fencing is forced to change its current stance in accordance with oversight bodies or federal legislation, the new policy states athletes competing in USA Fencing-sanctioned tournaments must compete according to their biological sex,” the announcement read.
The proposed updated policy ensures that the women’s category “will be open exclusively to athletes of the female sex.” The men’s category “will be open to all other athletes who are otherwise eligible for competition.”
Hollywood star calls Riley Gaines ‘a hero of all girls’ after Simone Biles spat
The Riley Gaines-Simone Biles dust-up seems to be settling down – mainly after Simone babbled through a PR apology after getting wrecked for three straight days – but that doesn’t mean Hollywood hasn’t taken notice.
Rob Schneider – the dude in every single Adam Sandler movie – has thrown his support behind Riley for essentially saving women’s sports.
For those who missed it, in the wake of Riley’s takedown of Simone, USA Gymnastics told Fox News this week that they were re-assessing their transgender policy. Better late than never, I reckon.
Anyway, Schneider – who is a big MAGA guy – took to Elon’s Twitter early Friday morning to praise Riley for taking on #TheMob.
“I am proud to call Riley Gaines my biological female friend,” Schneider wrote. “And an American hero of all girls everywhere!”
Riley Gaines wins again!
Look, I know the Riley-Simone feud is pretty-well simmered at this point – especially in a news cycle now filled with potential WWIII stories – but it’s still important to claim victory whenever we can.
And OutKick has been atop the podium in this case for several years now. Slowly but surely, the #MOB is dying down. They keep trying to work in a couple of sneak-attacks on us, but they usually fail at this point.
That’s what we had last weekend, and earlier this week, with the insufferable Simone Biles. She tried to attack Riley for sticking up for women, and she got dragged through the mud for it. Did anyone, outside of Keith Olbermann and Jemele Hill, agree with her? Not really, and those ain’t folks you want in your corner.
After a few days of some nasty back-and-forth, Simone’s PR team finally waved the white flag and begged for mercy. They cobbled up some rambling social media post for her to hit ‘send’ on, and that was that.
Sure, Rob’s a little late to the party. But the bandwagon has plenty of room for more! Especially for dudes in Hollywood who have the balls to say what the rest of those insufferable elites won’t.
So, welcome to the party, Rob! Can’t wait for Grown Ups 3.
Diddy’s defense team slams secrecy as famous rapper’s identity hidden in trial
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defense team has complained about the secrecy of certain aspects of the trial, including a famous rapper being mentioned – but not named – during testimony.
Before the 55-year-old rapper’s trial resumed on Thursday, lawyers representing Combs and federal prosecutors engaged in a back and forth about naming individuals who were present with Combs’ ex-girlfriend Jane during a Las Vegas night that took place in Jan. 2024. However, this was done behind closed doors and even Combs himself was not present.
Once all parties were back in the courtroom, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo complained to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian about the fact that Combs was excluded from the meeting.
Agnifilo emphasized the public nature of trials and wanted his objection on the record, adding that what they “didn’t consent to, and we don’t, most respectfully, is that these events which play important parts in the background of some of the most critical events in the trial, should be in any way not fully public.”
DIDDY’S EX’S TESTIMONY COULD PROVIDE POWERFUL CORROBORATION TO ALLEGATIONS IN SEX CRIMES TRIAL: EXPERT
“Part of the reason that trials are fully public is so if other people realize they know something about an event discussed in a public courtroom they can come forward and share their recollection about it,” Agnifilo stated. “And I think that is kind of the practical side of the constitutional right to a public trial; that it’s public for a reason, and the facts are public for a reason, and the names are public for a reason. And that reason is so the public can do what the public does in all issues of importance, which is receive them, and if someone has something to add, that person can come forward and add whatever it is that person has to add.”
The prosecution argued the defense’s suggestion regarding the use of real names was “nothing more than a pretense to attempt to harass and intimidate” Combs’ ex-girlfriend, who testified this week under the pseudonym Jane.
During her testimony, Jane told the jury about a secret Vegas trip she took in January 2024. Combs’ ex-girlfriend noted she traveled to see a very famous rapper who is close to Combs.
The rapper is “an icon in the music industry,” according to Jane.
Jane recalled that she and others attended a play before heading to a strip club, and then they went to a hotel room. Antoine – one of the male escorts Jane and Combs often turned to for alleged “hotel nights” – was part of the group. Jane said that she and Antoine greeted each other.
Jane recalled watching Antoine have sex with a woman in front of others after she went to the hotel room. She told Combs’ defense lawyer there was flirtatious banter between her and the rapper, but nothing happened between them.
In late May, the defense had previously objected to Combs’ former assistant “Mia” testifying under the pseudonym when she took the stand.
On Thursday, Judge Subramanian told both legal teams that his ruling had not changed.
“The idea that somehow public revelation of the details that we discussed would in any way… result in some kind of investigation that would bear on the actual charges raised is not a real concern,” the judge said.
The prosecution’s Maurene Comey added, “I will also note that the identity of the people who were on that particular event is not a defense to any of the conduct that Jane testified the defendant engaged in on June 18 and 19 of 2024. So it is extreme –its probative value is extremely minimal and has nothing to do, from our perspective certainly, with the defendant’s guilt or innocence of the sex trafficking charges.”
Criminal defense attorney John W. Day, owner of the Santa Fe, New Mexico-based law practice John Day Law, agreed, telling Fox News Digital, “The judge is right — there’s no reason other than intimidation for trying to publicize the names of other people present at ‘hotel nights,’ since this is not part of any charged conduct. The defense’s claim, that naming names will bring other witnesses out of the woodwork, ignores that anyone who would be a potential witness has been following this trial from the start.”
On Monday, Jane told the court about the incident that allegedly occurred on June 18 and 19. She claimed she and Combs got into a physical altercation after she confronted him about being with another woman. She told the jury that she pushed his head into a marble countertop and threw candles toward Combs out of anger, and then Combs allegedly attacked her.
The rapper allegedly followed her into the master bedroom, bathroom and closet before she attempted to run for the front door.
Photos of the master bedroom door, the master bathroom door and a guest bedroom door of Jane’s home were entered as evidence. Jane testified that Combs kicked the doors “literally off the hinges” during the altercation.
“Sean kicked me from the back of my thigh, and then I fell down on my butt,” Jane testified. “And then he picked me up in a chokehold and choked me.” Jane claimed she ran about six blocks away from the home and waited for approximately two hours before returning. Once home, she claimed the fight between her and Combs continued. As the fight turned physical, Jane recalled Combs punching her twice. She ran into the backyard and laid down in the grass, covering her face, head and body with her hands. Combs allegedly punched and kicked her “several times” while in this position before he dragged her back into the home.
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Jane testified that she went to the shower to cool off, which is where she saw two golf-ball-sized welts on her forehead and a black eye forming. She said meekly, “I’m smaller than Sean.”
At this point, Combs allegedly came in and slapped her three times in the face. She said she lost her balance and fell over.
Last month, Cassie Ventura, a singer who had a 12-year on-again, off-again romantic relationship with Combs, gave four days of testimony during the first week of the rapper’s trial. The “Me & U” singer alleged that Combs forced her to participate in drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts called “freak-offs” which the Bad Boys Records founder filmed. She claimed that Combs used the recordings of the “freak-offs” to blackmail her.
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Ventura also accused Combs of physically and emotionally abusing and raping her in 2018 when she attempted to end their relationship.
In November 2023, Ventura filed a civil lawsuit against Combs. She testified that she settled for $20 million, 24 hours after filing the suit. She does not have any pending lawsuits against Combs.
Before cross-examination of Jane earlier this week, Subramanian denied Combs’ second request for a mistrial. Combs’ legal team had argued that the prosecution knowingly presented false testimony to the court in a letter filed June 7 and obtained by Fox News Digital.
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In a federal indictment unsealed on Sept. 17, Combs was charged with racketeering conspiracy (RICO); sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and transportation to engage in prostitution. If found guilty, he faces a minimum of 15 years behind bars or a maximum sentence of life in prison.
He has maintained his innocence throughout the trial, in which witnesses have testified to alleged rape, sexual assault, severe physical abuse, forced labor and drug trafficking. The trial is expected to wrap up by July 4.
Jane’s cross-examination finished on Thursday and the government indicated they would rest their case by next Friday, but as early as next Wednesday.
Defense hammers ‘ridiculous’ evidence in Karen Read final argument: Case is ‘cooked’
Karen Read’s lead defense lawyer Alan Jackson urged jurors to find her not guilty Friday in a closing argument that disputed the prosecution’s entire timeline from the night Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe died in Canton, a suburb about 20 miles south of the city.
Read, 45, is accused of slamming her 2021 Lexus SUV into her 46-year-old former boyfriend and leaving him to die on the ground in a blizzard on Jan. 29, 2022.
“There was no collision,” Jackson told jurors. “There was no collision. There was no collision.”
KAREN READ TRIAL NEARS ITS FINALE: WHAT EACH SIDE IS BANKING ON
He argued that a sloppy investigation, a lack of physical evidence and witness testimony left a mountain of reasonable doubt in the case. He said the commonwealth’s case is “cooked” after an expert analysis of O’Keefe’s injuries and called the prosecution’s crash reconstruction a “ridiculous blue paint kindergarten project.”
KAREN READ ANNOUNCES SHE WILL NOT TESTIFY IN HER DEFENSE AS MASSACHUSETTS TRIAL NEARS CONCLUSION
The lead homicide detective got fired from the Massachusetts State Police and did not testify at trial.
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WATCH: Karen Read’s father addresses media as she prepares for closing arguments
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Special prosecutor Hank Brennan is up next.
The case is expected to go to jurors later this afternoon after more than 30 days of testimony.
Although Judge Beverly Cannone asked for an earlier start than normal, court kicked off with a sidebar conference that lasted over a half-hour.
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Read’s defense and Brennan are expected to turn up the heat as they hope to convince jurors of their diametrically opposed claims about what happened to O’Keefe. According to the defense, her vehicle never hit him.
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Read faces 15 years to life in prison if convicted on the top charge of second-degree murder. If convicted of drunken driving manslaughter, she would face 5 to 20.