DOJ releases extra Epstein recordsdata. And, immigration courtroom ‘no-shows’ surged, NPR finds

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At this time’s prime tales

The Trump administration says the U.S. Coast Guard is pursuing an oil tanker linked to Venezuela. This motion is the newest within the Trump administration’s strain marketing campaign towards Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s authorities. The transfer can be a part of the administration’s effort to implement a blockade towards sanctioned oil tankers touring to and from Venezuela.

• 🎧 A U.S. official, who was not approved to talk publicly, knowledgeable NPR yesterday that the Coast Guard was in “active pursuit of a ship.” The official described the tanker as a darkish fleet vessel that was trying to illegally evade sanctions. Darkish fleet vessels use misleading practices like flying pretend nationwide flags to cover the place they have been and the place they’re going, NPR’s Carrie Kahn tells Up First. Final week, President Trump threatened Venezuela with a complete blockage and stated extra army strain would come until it returns the belongings, together with oil, that it stole from the U.S. Venezuela denies stealing something and says Trump simply needs the nation’s pure sources and huge oil reserves.

The Justice Division continued its partial launch of recordsdata on convicted intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein over the weekend, unveiling some beforehand redacted data. Lawmakers criticized the DOJ for lacking its full launch deadline, and a few are threatening to maintain Legal professional Normal Pam Bondi in contempt.

• 🎧 The DOJ launched two extra information units, however NPR’s Luke Garrett says that, after an in depth studying of the 119-page doc, there have been no main revelations. The names of co-conspirators remained largely redacted, even if Epstein’s crimes and conspiracy had been described in brutal element. The DOJ deleted over a dozen recordsdata from their unique launch over the weekend. It is because a New York decide requested the company to take heed to victims’ and victims’ rights teams’ issues over what content material it ought to make out there to the general public.

Hundreds of immigrants with out authorized standing have skipped immigration courtroom this yr, and NPR discovered that these absences are driving a surge “in absentia” deportations. This comes as immigration courts face intense strain, because the administration has fired judges, the federal government has deported some individuals to international locations they’ve by no means lived in, and extra.

• 🎧 If somebody who’s within the nation illegally misses an order to look in immigration courtroom, the federal government can concern in “in absentia” removing order to deport them, in keeping with NPR’s Ximena Bustillo. Primarily based on early evaluation from January by way of November, NPR found that almost each U.S. immigration courtroom has issued extra of those orders for failure to look, Bustillo says. Orders spiked round June, coinciding with the time when ICE officers started making arrests contained in the courthouses. Immigrants had been hesitant to go to courtroom after studying about these arrests, says Ruby Powers, an immigration legal professional in Texas.

At this time’s pay attention

Irma Thomas; Huge Freedia; Tarriona “Tank” Ball

Sean Gardner/Getty Pictures; Nelson Cosey; Josh Brasted/Getty Pictures for Essence

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Sean Gardner/Getty Pictures; Nelson Cosey; Josh Brasted/Getty Pictures for Essence

Once you image New Orleans music, Christmas carols are in all probability not the primary style that involves thoughts. You doubtless affiliate the Huge Simple with brass bands and bounce, however many native musicians have deep roots within the church. This Christmas, NPR community station WWNO’s Rosemary Westwood chatted with a few of the town’s favourite stars, from jazz singer John Boutte to bounce queen of New Orleans Huge Freedia about which vacation songs they prefer to take heed to round this time. Hearken to snippets of these songs or learn the transcript right here.

Life recommendation

Nervousness, distraction, and vulnerability can rise through the last-minute frenzy of vacation reward purchasing and journey. In a latest AARP survey of practically 2,000 U.S. adults, practically 9 out of 10 reported that somebody had focused them or they’d fallen for some sort of rip-off through the vacation season up to now yr. Widespread schemes embody pretend delivery notifications, stolen packages and pretend donation requests. Amy Nofziger, a fraud specialist with AARP, shares with Life Equipment the highest schemes she’s been seeing this season and recommendations on methods to shield your self.

• 🎁 Earlier than utilizing a vendor that’s new to you, search their title plus “scam,” “fraud,” and “complaint” to see different clients’ experiences. Use this data as a information.
• 🎁 Keep away from pretend reward playing cards by shopping for those which can be near the entrance of the shop and have extra eyes on them. You may also buy digital reward playing cards as a substitute of bodily ones.
• 🎁 If an sudden textual content from UPS or FedEx requests your private data, contact the corporate’s customer support line individually and make sure {that a} package deal is certainly coming your approach.

For extra on what vacation scams to pay attention to this season, take heed to this episode of NPR’s Life Equipment. Subscribe to the Life Equipment publication for professional recommendation on love, cash, relationships and extra.

3 issues to know earlier than you go

John Lowery, a New Carolina state consultant and chairman of the Lumbee Tribe (proper) is comforted by Rob Jacobs, as they be part of with different members of the tribe to have fun Wednesday on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., after the passage of a invoice granting the tribe federal recognition.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

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Jacquelyn Martin/AP

1. The U.S. authorities has granted the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina full federal recognition. Its members have sought this historic milestone since 1888.
2. Cartagena, Colombia, a metropolis well-known for its horse-drawn buggies, is set to ban the enduring carriages. The transfer is dividing the town over issues about custom, tourism, and animal welfare.
3. Comic Bowen Yang left Saturday Night time Dwell halfway by way of his eighth season. He made his closing SNL look this weekend in an episode hosted by Depraved star Ariana Grande.

This text was edited by Suzanne Nuyen.