A California U.S. Army veteran serving an 18-month prison sentence for obstructing Congress on Jan. 6, 2021, was ordered released July 12 under the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the most commonly charged Jan. 6 felony and its maximum 20-year prison term.Jorge Aaron Riley, 46, of Sacramento, will be released “forthwith” from the federal lockup in Lompoc, California, under an order issued July 12 by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington, D.C. Mehta granted Riley's request for bail pending resolution of a motion to vacate the sentence.Riley’s release is the latest fallout from the Supreme Court’s ruling in the landmark case Fischer v. United States. In a 6-3 opinion on June 28, the high court said the U.S. Department of Justice could only use the felony obstructing charge if it could prove defendants impaired the use of documents, objects, or “other things” used during counting of Electoral College votes at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6.Riley was arrested in January 2021 and later indicted on five criminal counts, including felony obstruction and misdemeanors related to alleged trespassing on Capitol grounds. In March 2023, he accepted a plea deal on the one obstructing count under 18 U.S. Code §1512(c)(2).In the FBI’s original statement of facts in the case, Riley was seen on various videos boasting that he made it into the Capitol. “We broke windows, we went into the door, we pushed our way in, and then we just kept going further and further,” Riley said, according to the FBI.'Tom Caldwell is literally the Richard Jewell of January 6.'Despite that statement, Riley was not charged with damage to property or assaulting law enforcement. The FBI quoted Riley’s words extensively from more than 150 posts he made on Facebook on Jan. 6 and in the days after.“We stopped the steal because they were in there and they weren’t going to stop the steal, so we stopped the steal,” he wrote in one post. “We took our country back. F*** you guys.”Although many Jan. 6 defendants and their attorneys hailed the Supreme Court ruling as a victory, it appears that the DOJ is not giving up on making the felony charge stick. In numerous court filings since June 28, prosecutors expressed the view that the Supreme Court did not ban them from using §1512(c)(2), a law enacted in 2002 to fight corporate fraud after the Enron accounting scandal.In the case of Guy Wesley Reffitt, “the court did not reject the application of §1512(c)(2) to January 6 prosecutions,” a DOJ filing said. “Rather, the court explained that the government must establish that the defendant impaired the availability or integrity for use in an official proceeding of records, documents, objects, or other things used in the proceeding — such as witness testimony or intangible information — or attempted to do so.”In some court filings, the DOJ made what appear to be new allegations. Responding to probationer Tara Stottlemyer’s motion to vacate her §1512(c)(2) conviction, prosecutors said she “intended to stop the certification proceeding and affect the voting and balloting underlying the certification.”Defense attorney William Shipley said this approach is not going to work. He filed a motion to compel the government to produce grand jury testimony proving Stottlemyer impaired documents or records used in the counting of Electoral College votes.“There can be no dispute that the second superseding indictment did not describe in any fashion records, documents, objects or ‘other things’ being impaired or otherwise manipulated by Ms. Stottlemyer at any time on January 6, 2021,” Shipley wrote July 5.'There is no evidence he engaged in any such conduct on January 6, 2021.'Shipley said the motion was filed "on the grounds that the failure to offer testimony about 'evidence impairment' is now exculpatory if the government suddenly has some magic evidence or theory to try and salvage these convictions."Prosecutors are asking for delays in most obstruction-related cases to more fully assess the impacts of the Fischer decision. The High Court remanded the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals “for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.”The sentencing hearing for Thomas E. Caldwell — found guilty in the first Oath Keepers trial in November 2022 of obstruction of an official proceeding and tampering with documents or proceedings — is scheduled for Oct. 22. Caldwell was found not guilty of three other counts.Defense attorney David Fischer said he plans to file a renewed motion for acquittal on Caldwell’s obstruction charge. Before the Supreme Court ruling in the Fischer case, prosecutors said they would ask Judge Mehta to sentence Caldwell to 14 years in prison. "The Supreme Court dealt a major blow to the DOJ's over-zealous prosecution of Tom Caldwell and other J6ers," Fischer told Blaze News. "We will be requesting that the court reconsider its earlier denial of our motion for acquittal and find Tom not guilty. Tom Caldwell is literally the Richard Jewell of January 6." Jewell was a security guard falsely accused of taking part in the bombing of the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. Despite helping clear the area around a suspicious backpack that detonated a short time later, Jewell fell under FBI suspicion and the resulting hail of negative media coverage. He was later exonerated.John Strand, serving a 32-month prison sentence for §1512(c)(2) obstruction of Congress and four misdemeanors, has filed a second motion for release pending the appeal of his sentence.Defense attorney Nicholas Smith said there was nothing introduced at trial showing Strand committed evidence impairment. Even if there was such evidence, Smith wrote, it would have to be charged under §1512(c)(1), which was not among Strand's counts.In a February 2024 memorandum opinion denying Strand's release, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper said if the Supreme Court were to toss out §1512(c)(2), "Strand’s conviction under the same statute would likely be reversed as well because there is no evidence he engaged in any such conduct on January 6, 2021."

Two little girls who died in an alcohol-related crash near Las Vegas about 18 months ago have now received a small measure of justice as the adults in the vehicle — their mother and aunt — are both sentenced to time behind bars.On the night of December 11, 2022, Kayleah Manning was in a van driving around North Las Vegas, Nevada. Her older sister, Raenysa Clydette-Glenn Washington, was in the passenger seat, and Washington's two daughters — Taylor Wilmer, 3, and Rose Wilmer, 2 — were in the backseat restrained by adult seatbelts, as Blaze News previously reported.'The problem is I’m not sure that all of these mistakes are things that could happen to a responsible parent.'Suddenly, Manning veered from her lane, struck a curb, and hit a small tree and light pole before crashing into a large palm tree.As a result of the crash, little Rose was decapitated and pronounced dead at the scene. Her sister, Taylor, was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to her injuries the following day.Both Manning and Washington were also transported to the hospital, where they remained in critical condition for some time. They were also placed under arrest while they underwent treatment for their injuries.Witnesses claimed that at least one of the women seemed "nonchalant" about the deadly crash. "When she was getting out of the car, she just stepped on the baby and walked to the grass," one witness said.Another witness claimed one of the women just "left the baby there." Whether the witnesses were referring to Manning or Washington is unclear.Evidence that Manning was under the influence of alcohol was apparent from the start. Police described her eyes as bloodshot, her speech as slurred, and her breath as smelling strongly of "an alcoholic beverage." Tests taken about two hours after the crash reportedly revealed that her blood-alcohol level was over .19, more than twice the legal limit. Manning allegedly admitted to consuming two shots of tequila that night. Washington reportedly told police that her sister may have split an entire bottle of tequila with a friend.Washington also apparently admitted that she knew putting toddlers into adult seatbelts and not car seats was wrong but felt she "couldn’t argue" since it was not her car. Other reports indicate Washington had sold the car seats a week before the crash.Though Manning, 25, was initially assessed a bevy of serious charges, in April, she pled guilty to two counts of DUI resulting in death. That same month, Washington, 27, pled guilty to two counts of child abuse or neglect.On Thursday, the two women stood before Judge Erika Mendoza to learn their sentence. Both wept as they made statements asking for mercy."No matter if it was an accident, no matter if I would never hurt my children, no matter if it was a mistake, it was my fault," said Washington. "And today I'm ready to take full accountability of this, and for the remainder of my life, I will.""I never imagined being the cause of so much hurt to my family, my nieces, or myself," said Manning. "But while I have been incarcerated, I've enrolled in the SOARS program to seek the help that I may need to understand myself and what led me to the position I am in today."Judge Mendoza reportedly shed tears herself but still sentenced both women to serve time.Manning was sentenced to three to 10 years in prison with credit for the 108 days already served. Once she is released, she must have a breath monitor in her car for at least a year.Washington was sentenced to just shy of a year in jail with credit for the 11 days already served. She was given a prison sentence as well, but that sentence was immediately suspended. So long as Washington remains out of trouble once she is released and on probation, she will never have to serve the suspended sentence. However, one technical violation will land her back in jail, the judge ruled.Since the crash, Washington has given birth to a baby boy. She is also currently pregnant, due sometime in December.Washington asked to delay starting her jail sentence until Monday so that she could say goodbye to her son, but Judge Mendoza refused. "The problem is I’m not sure that all of these mistakes are things that could happen to a responsible parent," Mendoza said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A New Mexico judge tossed out involuntary manslaughter charges against Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin on Friday in a stunning development.Baldwin was facing charges over the Oct. 2021 accidental shooting on the set of his movie "Rust" that took the life of 42-year-old cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injured director Joel Souza. Baldwin has maintained his innocence and even claimed at one point that he didn't even pull the trigger on the gun. 'The state is highly culpable for its failure to provide discovery to the defendant.' Baldwin's attorneys argued that prosecutors were hiding new evidence after they failed to hand over the evidence to the defense. The evidence were bullets that they said were relevant to the case. Lead prosecutor Kari Morrissey testified that she did not believe the bullets had evidentiary value, but the judge disagreed. “The state is highly culpable for its failure to provide discovery to the defendant,” Sommer said. “Dismissal with prejudice is warranted.”Baldwin broke down in tears after Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer made her decision. No new charges can be brought up against Baldwin. Baldwin could have faced up to 18 months in prison had he been convicted. This is a breaking story and will updated with additional information. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

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I arrived in Paris, France, for Samsung’s big Unpacked event a few days ago, fully prepared to use public transit to navigate the city to the various places I needed to be. This wasn’t my first time in Paris. I know where all the important stuff is and how easy it is to get around using public transportion, especially the metro. What changed since my last time here is how you purchase public transportion tickets in Paris. You no longer have to use ticket machines (though they still exist) if you have an iPhone or Android phone. Just load the right app and start adding tickets to your smartphone. You’ll then be able to simply tap your phone near a turnstile reader on the metro or a standard NFC reader in a bus or tram to scan your pass. The new feature was made available just in time for this summer’s big sporting event. If you’re traveling to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in the coming weeks, you should expect big crowds everywhere. Many people will want to use public transit to get around. The ability to use an iPhone or Android device to quickly buy and scan tickets will be invaluable. In what follows, I’ll show you how easy it is to set this up on your iPhone and Apple Watch. Continue reading... The post How an iPhone can help you navigate Paris public transit during the Olympics appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: Galaxy Z Flip 6 & Fold 6 offers, $30 Blink Video Doorbell, $25 Amazon Echo Buds, more Today’s deals: $19 myQ smart garage controller, $799 75-inch smart TV, $90 Ninja Air Fryer Pro, more Today’s deals: Philips Hue sale, $30 Crest 3D Whitestrips, 50% off Echo Dot, Vitamix blenders, more Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales

Former Trump National Security Adviser John Bolton said Friday that President Joe Biden's message to Democrats is that his reelection campaign is going over a cliff, and he's taking them with him.

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