Defense lawyers for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton scored a major victory Tuesday as special prosecutors announced a deal to forego a trial on securities fraud charges against the politician nearly a decade after he was indicted. Prosecutors announced Tuesday morning that they had reached a deal to dismiss charges against the third-term Republican attorney general. Paxton was first indicted in 2015. However‚ Paxton must pay approximately $300‚000 in restitution to victims‚ complete 100...

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has struck a deal to resolve securities fraud charges brought by state prosecutors nearly a decade ago‚ his lawyers said on Tuesday. Paxton‚ a Republican and ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump‚ was indicted in July 2015 on charges related to stock sales and compensation from the Texas technology firm Servergy. He also faced charges of acting as a securities agent without registering with the state. The state will drop the charges in 18 months if...

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday agreed to pay nearly $300‚000 in restitution under a deal to end criminal securities fraud charges that have shadowed the Republican for nearly a decade. The announcement by special prosecutors in a Houston courtroom came less than three weeks before Paxton was set to stand trial on felony charges that could have led to a prison sentence. It was the closest Paxton — who was indicted in 2015 — has ever come to trial over accusations that he duped...

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he expects Congress to fully cover the cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore‚ which collapsed overnight after it was rammed by a massive cargo ship. “It is my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge‚ and I expect the Congress to support my effort‚” Biden said in brief remarks at the White House before departing for a campaign event in North Carolina. “We’re going to spend all...

The Supreme Court today will hear a challenge to the FDA's approval of mifepristone‚ a medicine used to help induce abortions. Why it matters: Were SCOTUS to rule in favor of mifepristone's opponents‚ it could chill future biotech investment for almost every medical indication. Zoom out: The core question in the case is over whether the FDA has sole discretion to determine a drug's efficacy and safety‚ or if courts also can play a role. The former is how biotech has traditionally...

A court in the United Kingdom on Tuesday ordered a delay in the possible extradition of Julian Assange‚ allowing the WikiLeaks founder to continue his appeal fighting a transfer to the United States to face charges in connection with one of the largest thefts of classified government information in American history Assange is accused of conspiring with Chelsea Manning‚ who was then an intelligence analyst in the U.S. Army‚ in a leak of hundreds of thousands of classified documents‚ including...

Fast food workers in California will benefit from a minimum wage rise that is due to come into effect in a week's time—but franchises have warned that its implementation could force them to increase their menu prices. On April 1‚ fast-food restaurants will be required to pay employees at least $20 an hour‚ up from $16 as of January and $15.50 in 2023. The new law‚ signed by Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom in September‚ will also see minimum wages for health care employees go up...

Security researchers believe a Russia-based disinformation group amplified and added to the frenzy of social media conspiracies about the Princess of Wales's health. In the days before Catherine revealed her cancer diagnosis in a video message‚ there had been a surge in online rumours and often wild claims about her health‚ adding to the emotional pressure on the princess and her husband Prince William. Now security experts analysing social media data say there were hallmark signs of a co...

Ronna McDaniel‚ the former chair of the Republican National Committee‚ was ousted by NBC News as a paid contributor after vocal protests from the network’s staff over her hiring. NBCU News Group Chair Cesar Conde announced the decision to part with Daniels‚ who just made her inaugural network appearance Sunday‚ to staff in a Tuesday memo obtained by The Hill.  “No organization‚ particularly a newsroom‚ can succeed unless it is cohesive and aligned‚” Conde wrote. “Over the last few...

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed 30 gun control bills on Tuesday afternoon‚ using his perch as a Republican governor to restrain Democrats from taking the state in a leftward direction despite the party having taken full control of the legislature in November. “I swore an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America and the Constitution of Virginia‚ and that absolutely includes protecting the right of law-abiding Virginians to keep and bear arms‚” Youngkin said in a...