An Ignoble Experiment: Trump Org executive surrenders in tax scam

By Kurt Heine

TOP STORIES

Thursday, July 1

TRUMP ORG, FINANCE EXECUTIVE INDICTED Ex-President Donald Trump's business and its longtime chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg were indicted by a Manhattan grand jury. Weisselberg surrendered to authorities this morning in an alleged fraud that evaded taxes on employee perks. The charges follow Weisselberg's reported refusal to cooperate with prosecutors against Trump in a broader investigation. How can a company be put on trial for a crime? [HuffPost]

SEX MONSTER BILL COSBY WALKS FREE Bill Cosby, the once-beloved comedy star accused of drugging dozens of unsuspecting women and forcing them into sex, was released from prison after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled an old deal with a prosecutor prevented him from being charged. His accusers are "disgusted" and "outraged." Cosby, 83, posted a raised-fist photo of himself on Twitter. [HuffPost]

SURFSIDE CONDO BOARD MEMBERS QUIT IN 2019 AMID REPAIR INFIGHTING Five of the collapsed building's seven condominium board members quit two years ago as repair estimates skyrocketed, stalling work that engineers said was needed to halt accelerating deterioration. One week after the building's collapse, at least 18 people have been confirmed dead and up to 145 are still missing. New video shows the crumbling garage seven minutes before the collapse. The disaster spotlights the tragic cost of deregulation. Girl who lost a parent breaks the mayor's heart. [HuffPost]

DEATHS SOAR IN HEAT DOME More than 100 people have died in climate change-fueled record heat scorching the Pacific Northwest, and extreme temperatures may persist until mid-July. No place in North America is ready for this heat. Workers say it's too damn hot. [HuffPost]

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WHAT'S BREWING

HOUSE RIOT COMMITTEE IS ALL SET The House voted to create a select committee to investigate the pro-Trump mob's Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Still unanswered is whether GOP lawmakers conspired to aid the insurrection. All but two Republicans — Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois — opposed creating the panel. [HuffPost]

WARMONGER DONALD RUMSFELD DIES Rumsfeld, who led America through the Cold War of the 1970s and the disastrous invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan in the era of terrorism, died at 88 from multiple myeloma. He was an unwavering supporter of torture. [HuffPost]

IMMIGRATION ARRESTS SOAR UNDER BIDEN The number of immigrants detained by ICE has risen significantly under President Joe Biden, swamping detention centers and private prisons. The influx raises questions about whether detaining so many people is the best way to handle immigration. [BuzzFeed]

WHO IS THE GOP MEGADONOR PAYING FOR BORDER TROOPS? Willis Johnson, billionaire founder of a global junkyard company called Copart, lives in Tennessee. But he sent a large donation to South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to fund her deployment of National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border. "I believe in her state and Texas," he said. [Politico]

OATH KEEPER WHO STORMED CAPITOL IN A GOLF CART FLIPS ON FELLOW RIOTERS A Trump supporter who admitted he was part of a paramilitary "stack" that stormed the Capitol to overturn the election pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate against fellow rioters. Meanwhile, a Proud Boys enthusiast who posed for riot photos while signing his name was arrested. [HuffPost]

SPYING ON AMERICANS' DATA NOW 'ROUTINE' A Microsoft executive told Congress the company gets thousands of federal law enforcement secrecy orders for customer data each year, "a sea change from historical norms." [AP]