Wednesday catch-up: FBI domestic terrorism arrests, and today’s other news

By Robert A. Vella

President Trump has made it clear that any official in his administration who doesn’t toe-the-line on his dictatorial edicts faces the wrath of his anger.  FBI Director Christopher Wray may be the next official to fall after he informed the Senate Judiciary Committee about the rise of domestic terrorism committed by white supremacists.

From:  Wray says FBI has recorded about 100 domestic terrorism arrests in fiscal 2019 and many investigations involve white supremacy

FBI Director Christopher A. Wray told lawmakers Tuesday that the bureau has recorded about 100 arrests of domestic terrorism suspects in the past nine months and that most investigations of that kind involve some form of white supremacy — though an FBI spokeswoman later clarified the percentage is smaller.

The figure, which Wray conceded was imprecise, is similar to the number of arrests made in international terrorism cases and represents an uptick compared with the prior year. He revealed the data at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, seeking to assure lawmakers that the bureau was aggressively pursuing cases of racially motivated violence.

From:  Federal judge allows Trump administration rule restricting asylum access to continue

President Trump’s move to sharply cut asylum requests by Central Americans and others fleeing persecution cleared its first legal hurdle Wednesday, as a federal judge said migrant advocacy groups failed to quantify how their legal services would be harmed by the change.

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington, D.C., denied a request by the groups to block the 10-day-old rule while their lawsuit proceeds. A second federal judge in San Francisco will weigh a similar challenge brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and civil rights groups at a hearing later Wednesday.

The cases present the first court tests of the new rule, announced July 15, which bars migrants from applying for asylum if they passed through any other country en route to the U.S.-Mexico border and failed to seek protection first in that country. The change imposes the heaviest burden on people from Central American countries, who constitute the vast majority of asylum seekers.

Related story:  ICE targeted thousands in raids, but so far has only arrested 35

From:  Judge temporarily blocks new Arkansas anti-abortion laws

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A federal judge blocked three new abortion restrictions in Arkansas minutes before they were set to take effect Wednesday, including a measure that opponents say would likely force the state’s only surgical abortion clinic to close.

U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker granted a 14-day temporary restraining order shortly before midnight Tuesday. The 159-page ruling blocks the state from enforcing the new laws, including a measure prohibiting the procedure 18 weeks into pregnancy. The blocked laws also included a requirement that doctors performing abortions be board-certified or board-eligible in obstetrics and gynecology. An official with a Little Rock clinic that performs surgical abortions says it has one physician who meets that requirement, but he only works there a few days every other month.

Baker found that if that surgical clinic closed, about 1,800 women a year — or 66% of those seeking to terminate a pregnancy in Arkansas — would be denied an abortion, based on evidence introduced into the court record.

From:  San Francisco PD omitted that raid target was a journalist

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Investigators seeking a court order to search a man’s cellphone records to find out who leaked a report on the death of a San Francisco public defender failed to clearly tell a judge the target was a freelance journalist, documents unsealed Tuesday revealed.

The journalist, Bryan Carmody, had his home and office raided in May by police investigating the leak. News media groups have criticized it as a violation of California’s shield law, which protects journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources and from search warrants.

Last week, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Rochelle East, who authorized a search of Carmody’s cellphone records, ruled the warrant never should have been issued and barred investigators from using any evidence obtained with the order.

From:  Associate of Michael Flynn Is Found Guilty of Secretly Lobbying for Turkey

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A business associate of the former national security adviser Michael T. Flynn was convicted on Tuesday in Northern Virginia of secretly lobbying for Turkey, a victory for the government after the judge considered dismissing the case because prosecutors lacked evidence.

Judge Anthony J. Trenga had described the evidence against Mr. Flynn’s associate, Bijan Kian, as speculative and very circumstantial but let the case go to the jury. Judge Trenga could still toss the verdict and scheduled a Sept. 5 hearing on the matter.

Senate passes bill ensuring 9/11 victims fund will never run out of money