Jun 12, 2017

Putin's biggest critic gets 30 days in prison for unsanctioned protest

Shane Savitsky

Pavel Golovkin / AP

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has been sentenced to 30 days in prison for his role in organizing nationwide protests against government corruption, per the AP.

What happened: Navalny had organized protests in more than 100 cities across Russia, but he called for the Moscow protest to be moved to Tverskaya, one of the city's main streets, instead of a location previously approved by the government.

The charges: Moscow handed down Navalny's prison sentence based on "repeated violations of the law on public gatherings." 1,000 others were arrested across Russia for taking part in the demonstrations.

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Orion Rummler

America's dwindling executions

The Trump administration wants to reboot federal executions, pointing to a 16-year lapse, but Pew Research reports the government has only executed three people since 1963.

The big picture: Nearly all executions in the U.S. are done by states. Even those have been steadily dropping for two decades, per the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) — marking a downward trend for all executions in the country.

Go deeperArrow40 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Jonathan Swan, Margaret Talev

Top NSC official may be moved after "Anonymous" rumor fallout

President Trump at the Daytona 500. (Photo: Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Top Trump administration officials are in discussions to reassign deputy national security adviser Victoria Coates to the Department of Energy from the National Security Council, per two sources familiar with the planning.

Why it matters: Coates' working relationship with National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien, who elevated her to the deputy role only months ago, has strained amid an effort by some people inside the administration to tag her as "Anonymous" — a charge she has vehemently denied to colleagues.

Go deeperArrow57 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Orion Rummler

Jeff Bezos commits $10 billion for climate change research

Bezos at Amazon Smbhav in New Delhi on Jan. 15. Photo: Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos announced the launch of his "Earth Fund" on Monday via Instagram to fund climate change research and awareness.

What he's saying: Bezos says he's initially committing $10 billion to fund "scientists, activists, and NGOS" that are working on environmental preservation and protection efforts.

Go deeperArrow1 hour ago - Energy & Environment