Local
Case Deepens in Atlanta Bribery Scandal
On Thursday, April 5, the 11-count indictment of Atlanta politician and pastor Mitzi Bickers was unsealed. The case charged Bickers with conspiracy to commit bribery, money laundering, wire fraud, tampering with a witness or informant, and filing false tax returns. This comes after Mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms March, 24 speech to the March for Our Lives, telling the crowd the city is resolute in rooting out corruption from its procurement process.
National
National Guard Deployed as Border Security
President Donald Trump requested the use of National guard forces of Defense Secretary James Mattis, who granted the request on Friday, April 6. The plan authorized funding for 4,000 National Guard troops to be deployed until Sept. 30. This is in response to Trump’s inability to fully close a deal with either Congress or Mexico for the funding of his border wall proposal. The Texas Army National Guard confirms 250 guardsmen, aircraft, vehicles and surveillance equipment will be deployed to the state’s border with Mexico as of Sunday.. While the government has not yet announced how the national guard will be used, the secretary of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security have 30 days to submit an action plan for their use of the new resources.
Global
Brazilian President Surrenders
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva announced Saturday, April 7 he would surrender to police after initially defying a judge’s sentence of 12 years for charges of corruption. Colloquially known as Lula among Brazilians, he also served as the President of the left-wing Workers Party since 1980. Lula denies ever taking bribes or awarding government contracts unfairly. He said to a crowd of party members and supporters that while he was imprisoned, “all all of you will become Lula.” The charges come two years after Da Silva’s successor, Dilma Rousseff’s impeachment, who was accused of manipulating the government’s budget.
