Thai court rules minister can keep job despite alleged heroin trafficking link
CNN
Thailand's Constitutional Court on Wednesday ruled that a prominent politician should keep his cabinet post, thwarting opposition moves to disqualify him over news reports he was jailed in Australia for drug trafficking in the 1990s.
The ruling said Thammanat Prompao, a deputy agriculture minister and power broker in Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha's ruling coalition, did not violate the constitution because he had not been convicted by a Thai court. "Although Thammanat received judgment, it was from a court in New South Wales, Australia ... but not a judgment from a Thai court and so is not prohibited from holding office based on constitution," it said in its decision.
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced his picks for critical remaining public health roles in his incoming administration.
The defense has rested its case in the trial of Daniel Penny, the former Marine who held Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on the New York City subway last year, after four days of witness testimony.
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday named former NFL player and White House official Scott Turner to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
President-elect Donald Trump named billionaire Scott Bessent as his pick to serve as the next secretary of the Department of the Treasury.
Venezuelan authorities are investigating opposition leader Maria Corina Machado for alleged treason after she expressed support for a US bipartisan bill that seeks to block Washington from doing business with any entity that has commercial ties with the government of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro.
President-elect Donald Trump has selected Russell Vought as his pick to lead the Office of Management and Budget, he said in a Truth Social post.
President-elect Donald Trump on Friday announced Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon as his pick to serve as the next secretary of the Department of Labor.
Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s pick to lead the intelligence community, was briefly placed on a Transportation Security Administration list that prompts additional security screening before flights after her overseas travel patterns and foreign connections triggered a government algorithm earlier this year, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
The Supreme Court agreed Friday to wade into a fight over Congress’ ability to delegate power to federal agencies — opening the next chapter in a decadeslong effort by conservatives and business interests to reduce the power of the federal government.
At least three professional sports leagues warned their teams this week that organized and skilled groups are targeting the homes of athletes for break-ins, including while the players are away at games. The warnings came after reports of burglaries at the homes of players in the NBA and the NFL.
The Nicaraguan parliament, dominated by the ruling Sandinista Front, on Friday approved a constitutional reform that hands more power to President Daniel Ortega as well as the Central American nation’s police and military.