Monday, Jan. 23
- Federal
prosecutors unsealed an indictment against former top FBI agent Charles McGonigal, who has been charged with violating United
States law by aiding sanctioned Russian energy magnate Oleg Deripaska.
- The
Treasury Department issued another round of sanctions against Iranian
officials and entities in response to the Middle Eastern countryÕs
crackdown on ongoing anti-government protests. The sanctions were set in
place in coordination with the European Union and United Kingdom to target
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cooperative Foundation, five of its
board members, and four senior corps commanders.
- Richard
Barnett, the Capitol insurrection participant who was photographed with
his foot on former House Speaker Nancy PelosiÕs desk, was found guilty on
all eight counts that he faced related to his participation in the Jan. 6,
2021, attack. Charges include civil disorder and obstruction of an
official proceeding.
- A jury
convicted four members of far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers on
charges of seditious conspiracy over their roles in the Capitol riot. All
were also found guilty of various obstruction and other felony charges.
Tuesday, Jan. 24
- President
Joe Biden named career diplomat Julie Turner as special envoy for human
rights in North Korea. Turner currently heads the Asia section of the
State DepartmentÕs human rights bureau and previously worked on North
Korean human rights as a special assistant in the envoyÕs office.
- Classified
documents were recovered at the Indiana home of former Vice President Mike
Pence. Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, have both recently been
involved in investigations regarding their handling of classified
materials.
- Treasury
Secretary Janet Yellen activated a cash
management measure to avoid breaching the U.S.Õs $31.4 trillion federal
debt limit by suspending daily reinvestments in the Government Securities
Investment Fund, a large government retirement fund that holds Treasury
debt.
- NASA
announced that it plans to partner with the U.S. military to develop a
nuclear thermal propulsion engine and launch it into space by 2027. The
project is named the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar
Operations, or DRACO.
- The
Justice Department sued Google, alleging the tech giant uses
anti-competitive and unlawful means to stifle competition for digital
advertising revenue. The federal government filed the antitrust lawsuit in
conjunction with eight states, including California.
Wednesday, Jan. 25
- Biden
announced that the U.S. will provide Ukraine with American-made Abrams
battle tanks, which he described as the Òmost capableÓ in the world, to
further bolster UkraineÕs defenses against Russia.
- The
Secret Service released a report investigating commonalities among
incidents of mass violence in public spaces throughout the country. The
report identified 173 targeted attacks between 2016 to 2020 and concluded
that Òtargeted violence is preventable when communities are equipped with
the appropriate tools, training and resources to intervene before violence
occurs.Ó
- The
U.S. AttorneyÕs Office said that the federal investigation into the police
killing of Tyre Nichols in Tennessee Òmay take
some time.Ó
- The
State Department announced that it is restricting entry into the U.S. to
people Òbelieved to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining
democracy in Nigeria,Ó ahead of the west African countryÕs elections this
year.
- Dairo Antonio Usuga David, a
former Colombian drug trafficker known colloquially as ÒOtoniel,Ó admitted
in federal court to overseeing a network of criminal operations, including
a drug cartel and violent paramilitary group known as the Clan del Golfo. He pleaded guilty to charges of drug
distribution and running a continuing criminal enterprise.
Thursday, Jan. 26
- The
Biden Administration formally labeled the Wagner Group, a Russian
mercenary group, as a Òtransnational criminal organization.Ó The label
sanctions the group by freezing its assets in the U.S. and prohibiting
American citizens from providing support to it.
- Attorney
General Merrick Garland announced that the Justice Department shut down an
alleged ransomware network known as Hive, which
is accused of extorting more than $100 million from more than 1,500
victims around the world. ÒCybercrime is a constantly evolving threat,Ó
Garland said. ÒBut as I have said before, the Justice Department will
spare no resource to identify and bring to justice, anyone, anywhere, who
targets the United States with a ransomware
attack.Ó
- A U.S.
government advisory panel recommended adding a Middle East and North
Africa, or ÒMENA,Ó category to the U.S. Census in support of a
longstanding push by Arab-American activists who have advocated creating a
response category for such demographics that is separate and distinct from
the ÔWhiteÕ category.
Friday, Jan. 27
- Biden
named Jeff Zients, former COVID-19 policy
coordinator, as the new White House chief of staff. Zients
will replace Ron Klain, who is resigning after
two years.
- The
Justice Department charged three people in an alleged, botched,
Iran-backed plot to assassinate an undisclosed Iranian-American
journalist. ÒThese charges arise out of an ongoing investigation into the
government of IranÕs efforts to assassinate on U.S. soil a journalist,
author and human rights activist who is a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin,Ó
Attorney General Garland said.
Saturday, Jan. 28
Sunday, Jan. 29