From the prison killing of a man who was accused of killing almost two dozen women, to Hunter Biden suing the IRS, here are the top national news stories from the past week.
Man accused in deaths of 22 elderly women in Texas killed in prison by his cellmate, official says
DALLAS — A man accused of killing nearly two dozen older women and who was convicted last year in the slayings of two was killed Tuesday morning by his cellmate at a Texas prison, an official said.
Billy Chemirmir, 50, was found dead in his cell, said Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokeswoman Hannah Haney. She said that Chemirmir's cellmate, who is serving a sentence for murder, was identified as the assailant, but said she couldn't release the cellmate's identity or how Chemirmir was killed.
A look at some of the most notorious serial killers in the US since 1970
1970-2005: Samuel Little
Samuel Little claims to have killed more than 90 women across the country between 1970-2005. The FBI said that federal crime analysts believe all of his confessions are credible, and officials have been able to verify 50 confessions so far. He says he strangled his 93 victims, nearly all of them women.
Little has been behind bars since 2012 and is serving multiple life sentences in California.
Juan Corona was convicted of murdering 25 farm workers whose bodies were found buried near Yuba City in northern California. Local authorities believe he may be responsible for several other murders.
Corona died in prison in March 2019.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1972-1978: John Wayne Gacy
John Wayne Gacy killed 33 young men and boys in suburban Chicago from 1972-1978. He was known as the "Killer Clown" because he often performed as a clown at fundraisers and children's parties.
Gacy was sentenced to death for 12 of the murders and was executed in 1994.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1975-1998: Robert L. Yates Jr.
Robert L. Yates Jr. was convicted of 13 counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder in Spokane County, Washington, as well as two additional murders in Pierce County. The 13 women he killed in Spokane, were sex workers on the city's E. Sprague Avenue.
Yates's original death sentence was commuted to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 2018 after Washington abolished the death penalty.
JACKIE JOHNSTON
1976-1977: David Berkowitz
David Berkowitz, also known as the "Son of Sam," killed six people and wounded seven others in New York City. He sent several taunting letters to police before he was caught in 1977. Initially, he claimed to be carrying out the orders of a demon that took the form of his neighbor's dog.
Berkowitz is serving six consecutive 25-years-to-life sentences.
Anonymous
1976-1986: Joseph James DeAngelo
Joseph James DeAngelo, a former police officer in Auburn, California, is suspected of being the so-called Golden State Killer. He has been arrested on four murder charges but is suspected of 170 crimes, including a dozen murders and 45 rapes between 1976 and 1986. He cannot be charged for the rape or burglaries due to statute of limitation laws.
Rich Pedroncelli
1977-1978: Angelo Buono Jr. and Kenneth A. Bianchi
Cousins Angelo Buono Jr. (pictured) and Kenneth A. Bianchi, known as the "Hillside Stranglers" killed 10 young women in California in the late 70s. Bianchi also killed two other women in Washington state. The pair would often pretend to be undercover police officers to lure their victims into their vehicle.
Buono was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He died in prison in 2002.
Bianchi agreed to testify against Buono in exchange for leniency. He is currently serving life in prison and is also a suspect in three murders in Rochester, New York.
McLendon
1977-1978: Ted Bundy
Ted Bundy was convicted of three Florida murders that occured after he had escaped from a Colorado jail. He eventually confessed to more than 30 murders in seven states, but the number of actual victims is unknown.
He was executed in 1989.
SF
1978-1992: Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer, also called the "Milwaukee Cannibal" or the "Milwaukee Monster," killed 17 men and boys from 1978-1992. Sixteen of the murders took place in Wisconsin, with one occurring in Ohio.
He was sentenced to 16 consecutive life terms. Dahmer was killed in prison in 1994.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1978-1995: Theodore Kaczynski
Theodore Kaczynski, also known as the "Unabomber," carried out a series of mail bombings that killed three people and injured 23. He is serving a life sentence in Colorado.
ELAINE THOMPSON
1979-1981: Wayne B. Williams
Wayne B. Williams was convicted and sentenced to two life terms for killing two men in Atlanta in 1981. Police believed he may have been responsible for the deaths of at least 23 of the 30 children who were murdered in Atlanta between 1979-1981. He was never tried for any of those crimes.
Authorities announced in early 2019 that they would re-test some of the evidence related to the Atlanta Child Murders.
Wayne is currently serving a life sentence at Telfair State Prison.
Gary Gardiner
1983: Henry Lee Lucas
Henry Lee Lucas was arrested on murder charges and confessed to police that he killed hundreds of people. He later recanted. Lucas was convicted of 11 murders. He was sentenced to at 10 life terms and one death sentence. Then-Gov. George W. Bush commuted that to life in prison, his only commutation as governor.
Lucas died in prison in 2001.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1984-1985: Richard Ramirez
Richard Ramirez, also known as the "Night Stalker" was convicted of killing 13 people during break-ins in the Los Angeles area. He was also convicted of five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries. A fourteenth victim who was also killed in 1984 was connected to Ramirez in 2009.
Ramirez died in prison in 2013.
LENNOX MCLENDON
1984-1985: Charles Ng and Leonard Lake
Charles Ng and Leonard Lake are suspected of raping, torturing and murdering between 11 and 25 victims at a cabin in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Ng was convicted of 11 of the murders and is on death row in California. Shortly after his arrest, Lake killed himself with cyanide pills that were sewn into his clothing.
NICK UT
1985-2007: Lonnie David Franklin Jr.
Lonnie David Franklin Jr., known as the "Grim Sleeper," was convicted in the deaths of nine women and a teenage girl in Los Angeles. Franklin was linked at trial to 14 slayings, including four women he wasn't charged with killing. Police have said he may have had as many as 25 victims.
He is on death row in California.
Al Seib
1989-1990: Aileen Wuornos
Aileen Wuornos, a rare female serial killer, was convicted of murdering six men while working as a sex worker along highways in central Florida. She claimed the murders were committed in self-defense and that the men either raped or attempted to rape her.
She was executed in 2002.
PETER COSGROVE
1989-1993: Joel Rifkin
Joel Rifkin is believed to have killed up to 17 women in New York City and Long Island. He was sentenced to 203 years in prison for the murders of nine women between 1989 and 1993.
His first victim, Heidi "Susie" Balch, was killed in 1989 but went unidentified until 2013. The identities of two of his suspected victims are still unknown.
Eric Michelson
1990-1993: Heriberto Seda
Heriberto Seda, also known as the "New York Zodiac Killer," killed three people and wounded four in New York City. He also sent cryptic messages to police and claimed to kill people based on their zodiac signs.
Seda was caught in 1996 after an unrelated shootout with police and is currently serving a 232-year sentence.
CHRIS KASSON
1997-1999: Ángel Maturino Reséndiz
Ángel Maturino Reséndiz, nicknamed the "Railroad Killer" (also "The Railway Killer"), was convicted of murdering Claudia Benton, but was linked by confessions and evidence to at least 15 other killings nationwide. He also confessed to killing seven people in Mexico. Reséndiz was executed in 2006.
DAVID J. PHILLIP
2005-2006: Mark Goudeau
Mark Goudeau, a former construction worker who was also known as the "Baseline Killer," was convicted of killing eight women and a man in Phoenix, Arizona. He was sentenced to death in 2011 and remains on death row.
PAT SHANNAHAN
2007-2009: Anthony Sowell
Anthony Sowell, known as the "Cleveland Strangler," was convicted of killing 11 women and hiding the remains in and around his home in Cleveland, Ohio. He is on death row in Ohio.
Mark Duncan
2014: Darren Deon Vann
Also known as the "Gary Strangler," Darren Deon Vann was arrested in the killing of a 19-year-old woman at a motel in Indiana and later confessed to the murders of six other women. He was sentenced to seven concurrent life sentences in May 2018.
Lake County Sheriff's Office
Republican Texas AG Ken Paxton is acquitted of 16 corruption charges at impeachment trial
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was acquitted Saturday of all charges at a historic impeachment trial that divided Republicans over whether to remove a powerful defender of former President Donald Trump after years of scandal and criminal charges.
The verdict reaffirmed Paxton’s durability in America’s biggest red state and is a broader victory for Texas’ hard right after an extraordinary trial that put on display fractures within the GOP nationally heading into the 2024 elections. In the end, Paxton was fully cleared by Senate Republicans, who serve alongside his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton.
From an old-style Afghan camera, a new view of life under the Taliban emerges
KABUL, Afghanistan — The odd device draws curious onlookers everywhere. From the outside, it resembles little more than a large black box on a tripod. Inside lies its magic: a hand-made wooden camera and darkroom in one.
As a small crowd gathers around the box camera, images of beauty and of hardship ripple to life from its dark interior: a family enjoying an outing in a swan boat on a lake; child laborers toiling in brick factories; women erased by all-covering veils; armed young men with fire in their eyes.
Photos: A new view of life under the Taliban emerges
The Moradi family sits for a portrait on a small boat in Band-i-Mir lake, one of the tourist attractions in the Bamiyan Valley region in Afghanistan, Saturday, June 17, 2023. The family traveled a long way from Helmand to spend a few days for their summer vacation. During their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban banned photography of humans and animals as contrary to the teachings of Islam. Many box cameras were smashed, though some were quietly tolerated, Afghan photographers say. But it was the advent of the digital age that sounded the device’s death knell. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Habibollah, 27, gathers wood to make a fire for cooking, accompanied by his son, Ali Sina, 5, in a camp organized by Afghan nomads, known as Kuchis, in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A bird is kept in a cage waiting to be used in a fight, next to a grave at the Kart-e Sakhy cemetery in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A general view of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Traffic officers work in the middle of a street in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, Monday, June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Street photographer Lutfullah Habibzadeh, 72, poses for a portrait at his house on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A Taliban flag waves from a U.S. military vehicle which had been used during the years of military intervention, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, June 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children cool off in an irrigation canal in the Arghandab River valley in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Monday, June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Taliban fighters gather before lunch inside an adobe house used to rest near their makeshift checkpoint in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Nikbakht, 70, works in a carpet factory in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Nikbakht's husband and three sons have died of illness. She has other five daughters who are married. She lives with one of her daughters. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A woman in a burqa walks home carrying bread for her family and neighbors in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, June 18, 2023 (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A mannequin with a covered face stands outside a store in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, June 5, 2023. The heads of mannequins are wrapped in adherence to the renewed ban on the depictions of faces by the Taliban. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Zermine, 32, poses for a portrait while taking a break from her job in a carpet factory in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Zermine has three children. Her husband was killed in a suicide attack by the Taliban five years ago. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Villagers ride a motorcycle near the remnants of the giant Buddha statue destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Hakimeh, 55, is embraced by her daughter, Freshta, 16, while posing for a portrait in a carpet factory where they have been working for a year, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Before this, Hakimeh worked in the homes of the wealthy. Freshta had studied until eighth grade when schools closed and helps to earn money and support her family. Her husband is a laborer who works with a cart in the city. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Women wait in a line to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Nearly half of Afghanistan’s 40 million people face acute food insecurity, the U.N.’s World Food Program says. Malnutrition is above emergency thresholds in 25 of 34 provinces. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children play on swings near the Kart-e Sakhy cemetery in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Students of a religious school pose for a portrait after praying inside the Jama Masjid mosque, also known as Great Mosque, during Friday prayers in Herat, Afghanistan, June 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Kabir Jan, 27, prays next to Qargha Lake on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 9, 2023. Kabir, who rents out his horse, Tajdar, to tourists at the lake, earns the equivalent of U.S. $140 a month. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children pose for a portrait holding the Quran inside a school in the Jama Masjid mosque, also known as Great Mosque, in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Worshippers pray inside the Jama Masjid mosque, also known as Great Mosque, in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Taliban commander Mazlumyar, 32, center, poses for a portrait with security guards who work for the Migration department, after the distribution of food rations for women by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Mujeeburahman Faqer, a 26-year-old Taliban fighter, sits for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Like many others, he’s struggling to adapt to a peacetime mentality, because all he’s ever known was war. “I had prepared my head for sacrifice,” he says, “and I am still ready.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Taliban fighters pose for a portrait at a makeshift checkpoint in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Monday, June 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Addicts take doses of heroin under a bridge in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Marwan, 7, scoops out a chunk of mud with his hands, kneading it until it's pliable enough to put into a mold, in a brick factory on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children, working in a brick factory with their parents, pause for a portrait on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Khayesta Gul, 57, stands for a portrait with his children, from left, Osna, 5; Yesna, 8; Ali, 3, and Gulalai, 7, while taking a break from working in a brick factory on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Khayesta, a seasonal brick worker, comes in the summer with thousands of other villagers to work in the brick factories and then goes back to Nangarhar where he lives the rest of the year. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children gather outside their house near the remnants of the giant Buddha statue destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Actor Nabi Attai, 74, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Nabi has appeared in more than 76 films and 12 series. When the Taliban banned movies, Attai had nothing to fall back on. In his 70s, the actor appeared in a dozen television series and 76 films, including the Golden Globe-winning 2003 movie “Osama.” Now he is destitute. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Destroyed Humvess used by the U.S. Army during the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan are stacked to be sold as scrap metal in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, Monday, June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Imperial Continental wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. With a ban on music and dancing, gone are the live musicians and even the DJs who would bring in extra revenue. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Empty seats are seen in the Ariana Cinema in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, June 21, 2023. Hundreds of people used to come to this theater every day to watch movies, but the Taliban government has banned movies. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A man walks in front of the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A road marked by an explosion during the conflict between the Taliban and the former Afghan Army is seen in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Thursday June 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Businessman Abdul Khaliq Goddadi, 39, poses for a portrait at Rayan Saffron Company in Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday June 3, 2023. Twenty five women work at the company which exports saffron to different countries. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Mohammad Wesal Quaoni, 30, manager of Imperial Continental wedding hall, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The former Kabul University lecturer in economics and politics is trying to ensure the business thrives amid the country’s economic woes. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Women working for the Rayan Saffron Company have lunch together in Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday June 3, 2023. Twenty five women work in the company that exports saffron to different countries. The Taliban takeover and ensuing sanctions left many foreign clients reluctant to do business with an Afghan company – even though it’s one of the few still allowed to employ women, whose hands are deemed more suitable than men’s to extracting and handling the delicate crocus flowers. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Shahram, 18, poses for a portrait while taking a break from working in a wheat field on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Mirwais, 11, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. He collects plastic and bottles and sells them in the capital, earning 100 afghanis, around 1.14 U.S. dollars, a day, and he can't go to school because his family cannot afford it. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Mohammad Shafiq Azizi, 29, manager of the Imperial Continental wedding hall, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Marghuba Timuri, 22, poses for a portrait in Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday June 3, 2023. Marghuba, who is not married, is a web designer at the Rayan Saffron Company where 25 women work exporting saffron to different countries. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Men ride horses next to Qargha Lake on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Khatira, 7, poses for a portrait outside her home near the remnants of the giant Buddha statue destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Traffic officer Muhammad Yaseen Niazi, 27, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. His monthly salary is 12,000 afghanis, around 142 U.S. dollars, and says it is not enough for him and his family. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Pigeons fly over the Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
An Afghan nomad, known as a Kuchi, leads his donkeys in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Photos: A new view of life under the Taliban emerges
The Moradi family sits for a portrait on a small boat in Band-i-Mir lake, one of the tourist attractions in the Bamiyan Valley region in Afghanistan, Saturday, June 17, 2023. The family traveled a long way from Helmand to spend a few days for their summer vacation. During their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban banned photography of humans and animals as contrary to the teachings of Islam. Many box cameras were smashed, though some were quietly tolerated, Afghan photographers say. But it was the advent of the digital age that sounded the device’s death knell. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Habibollah, 27, gathers wood to make a fire for cooking, accompanied by his son, Ali Sina, 5, in a camp organized by Afghan nomads, known as Kuchis, in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A bird is kept in a cage waiting to be used in a fight, next to a grave at the Kart-e Sakhy cemetery in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A general view of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Traffic officers work in the middle of a street in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, Monday, June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Street photographer Lutfullah Habibzadeh, 72, poses for a portrait at his house on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A Taliban flag waves from a U.S. military vehicle which had been used during the years of military intervention, on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, June 21, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children cool off in an irrigation canal in the Arghandab River valley in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, Monday, June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Taliban fighters gather before lunch inside an adobe house used to rest near their makeshift checkpoint in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Nikbakht, 70, works in a carpet factory in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Nikbakht's husband and three sons have died of illness. She has other five daughters who are married. She lives with one of her daughters. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A woman in a burqa walks home carrying bread for her family and neighbors in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, June 18, 2023 (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A mannequin with a covered face stands outside a store in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, June 5, 2023. The heads of mannequins are wrapped in adherence to the renewed ban on the depictions of faces by the Taliban. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Zermine, 32, poses for a portrait while taking a break from her job in a carpet factory in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Zermine has three children. Her husband was killed in a suicide attack by the Taliban five years ago. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Villagers ride a motorcycle near the remnants of the giant Buddha statue destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Hakimeh, 55, is embraced by her daughter, Freshta, 16, while posing for a portrait in a carpet factory where they have been working for a year, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, May 29, 2023. Before this, Hakimeh worked in the homes of the wealthy. Freshta had studied until eighth grade when schools closed and helps to earn money and support her family. Her husband is a laborer who works with a cart in the city. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Women wait in a line to receive food rations distributed by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 28, 2023. Nearly half of Afghanistan’s 40 million people face acute food insecurity, the U.N.’s World Food Program says. Malnutrition is above emergency thresholds in 25 of 34 provinces. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children play on swings near the Kart-e Sakhy cemetery in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Students of a religious school pose for a portrait after praying inside the Jama Masjid mosque, also known as Great Mosque, during Friday prayers in Herat, Afghanistan, June 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Kabir Jan, 27, prays next to Qargha Lake on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 9, 2023. Kabir, who rents out his horse, Tajdar, to tourists at the lake, earns the equivalent of U.S. $140 a month. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children pose for a portrait holding the Quran inside a school in the Jama Masjid mosque, also known as Great Mosque, in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Worshippers pray inside the Jama Masjid mosque, also known as Great Mosque, in Herat, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Taliban commander Mazlumyar, 32, center, poses for a portrait with security guards who work for the Migration department, after the distribution of food rations for women by a humanitarian aid group, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, May 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Mujeeburahman Faqer, a 26-year-old Taliban fighter, sits for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Like many others, he’s struggling to adapt to a peacetime mentality, because all he’s ever known was war. “I had prepared my head for sacrifice,” he says, “and I am still ready.” (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Taliban fighters pose for a portrait at a makeshift checkpoint in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Monday, June 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Addicts take doses of heroin under a bridge in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Marwan, 7, scoops out a chunk of mud with his hands, kneading it until it's pliable enough to put into a mold, in a brick factory on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children, working in a brick factory with their parents, pause for a portrait on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Khayesta Gul, 57, stands for a portrait with his children, from left, Osna, 5; Yesna, 8; Ali, 3, and Gulalai, 7, while taking a break from working in a brick factory on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, May 30, 2023. Khayesta, a seasonal brick worker, comes in the summer with thousands of other villagers to work in the brick factories and then goes back to Nangarhar where he lives the rest of the year. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Children gather outside their house near the remnants of the giant Buddha statue destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Actor Nabi Attai, 74, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Nabi has appeared in more than 76 films and 12 series. When the Taliban banned movies, Attai had nothing to fall back on. In his 70s, the actor appeared in a dozen television series and 76 films, including the Golden Globe-winning 2003 movie “Osama.” Now he is destitute. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Destroyed Humvess used by the U.S. Army during the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan are stacked to be sold as scrap metal in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, Monday, June 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Imperial Continental wedding hall in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. With a ban on music and dancing, gone are the live musicians and even the DJs who would bring in extra revenue. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Empty seats are seen in the Ariana Cinema in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, June 21, 2023. Hundreds of people used to come to this theater every day to watch movies, but the Taliban government has banned movies. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A man walks in front of the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
A road marked by an explosion during the conflict between the Taliban and the former Afghan Army is seen in Wardak province, Afghanistan, Thursday June 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Businessman Abdul Khaliq Goddadi, 39, poses for a portrait at Rayan Saffron Company in Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday June 3, 2023. Twenty five women work at the company which exports saffron to different countries. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Mohammad Wesal Quaoni, 30, manager of Imperial Continental wedding hall, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. The former Kabul University lecturer in economics and politics is trying to ensure the business thrives amid the country’s economic woes. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Women working for the Rayan Saffron Company have lunch together in Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday June 3, 2023. Twenty five women work in the company that exports saffron to different countries. The Taliban takeover and ensuing sanctions left many foreign clients reluctant to do business with an Afghan company – even though it’s one of the few still allowed to employ women, whose hands are deemed more suitable than men’s to extracting and handling the delicate crocus flowers. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Shahram, 18, poses for a portrait while taking a break from working in a wheat field on the outskirts of Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday, June 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Mirwais, 11, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. He collects plastic and bottles and sells them in the capital, earning 100 afghanis, around 1.14 U.S. dollars, a day, and he can't go to school because his family cannot afford it. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Mohammad Shafiq Azizi, 29, manager of the Imperial Continental wedding hall, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, May 31, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Marghuba Timuri, 22, poses for a portrait in Herat, Afghanistan, Saturday June 3, 2023. Marghuba, who is not married, is a web designer at the Rayan Saffron Company where 25 women work exporting saffron to different countries. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Men ride horses next to Qargha Lake on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, June 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Khatira, 7, poses for a portrait outside her home near the remnants of the giant Buddha statue destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, Sunday, June 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Traffic officer Muhammad Yaseen Niazi, 27, poses for a portrait in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, June 7, 2023. His monthly salary is 12,000 afghanis, around 142 U.S. dollars, and says it is not enough for him and his family. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Pigeons fly over the Shah-Do Shamshira Mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
An Afghan nomad, known as a Kuchi, leads his donkeys in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, Saturday, June 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Rodrigo Abd
Unveiling the ultimate '70s rock anthems: No. 1 hits of the decade according to Billboard Hot 100
Sen. Bob Menendez, wife indicted as probe finds gold bars, $480,000 cash, prosecutors say
NEW YORK — U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and his wife were indicted Friday on charges that they took bribes of cash, gold bars and a luxury car for a range of corrupt acts, including having the Democrat use his influence over foreign affairs to benefit the authoritarian government of Egypt.
A search of the couple's home turned up $100,000 in gold bars and $480,000 in hidden cash, said prosecutors, who announced the charges against the 69-year-old Democrat nearly six years after an earlier criminal case against him ended with a deadlocked jury.
Sen. Joe Manchin is in the spotlight after a trip to New Hampshire sparked speculation about a potential third-party presidential bid. The moderate Democrat – widely seen as the only Democrat who could hold this Senate seat in a state Trump twice carried by double digits – has said he won’t make a decision about running for reelection until the end of the year. He did step up his fundraising in the second quarter, which is usually a sign an incumbent is gearing up for another race. For now, he appears to be keeping his options open while watching the Republican primary boil.
National Republicans are firmly behind Gov. Jim Justice – a Democrat-turned-Republican whose party switch mirrors the partisan realignment of the state. He’s up against Rep. Alex Mooney, a member of the House Freedom Caucus with strong backing from the Club for Growth Action, which, along with an allied super PAC, has announced raising nearly $13.6 million to support his bid. Justice, who raised more money than Mooney in the second quarter but trails in cash on hand, is also likely to have plenty of outside help. National Republicans see the popular governor and Trump ally as the more formidable option to take on Manchin – and Democratic attacks on Justice would indicate that they agree. Mooney, a five-term member of the House who previously served in the Maryland legislature, doesn’t start with the same statewide recognition.
A Trump endorsement could be key in a state he won by nearly 40 points in 2020. The former president has privately suggested to Mooney that the congressman is unlikely to be getting his backing, CNN reported. But regardless of which Republican emerges on top, Mancin – who won reelection by just 3 points in 2018 against an underwhelming challenger – will be in for a tough race if he runs. No one’s likely to steal the “most likely to flip” spot from West Virginia anytime soon.
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2. Montana
2. Montana
Incumbent: Democrat Jon Tester
National Republicans have landed a candidate they think can defeat Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in what’s likely their second-best pick-up opportunity. Former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy launched his campaign in late June, quickly picking up the backing of Gov. Greg Gianforte and Rep. Ryan Zinke as well as senators from around the country. And while some of those endorsements may not curry much favor with Montana voters, they’re less the intended audience than Rep. Matt Rosendale, who lost to Tester in 2018 and is expected to launch his own Senate bid.
Rosendale only raised about $443,000 in the second quarter – a far cry from what would be needed for a top-tier race – but he’d likely start a primary with name recognition from his previous statewide bids. The Freedom Caucus member could benefit from assistance from the political arm of the Club for Growth, potentially setting up another duel between the conservative anti-tax group and the establishment GOP, although the group has sounded less committed to him recently. As in West Virginia, the former president appears – for now – to be cooperating with Senate leadership. Although he campaigned for Rosendale in his 2018 race, Trump recently told the congressman that he wouldn’t get his backing, CNN reported.
This likely contentious primary would also test the national GOP’s ability to see their preferred candidate through to the general election. Democrats are already pouncing on Sheehy as a wealthy transplant and questioning his rancher bona fides, seizing on an attack they used effectively against Rosendale five years ago. Tester’s brand as a working dirt farmer has helped him defy the state’s partisanship in the past, and he raised an impressive $5 million in the second quarter.
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3. Ohio
3. Ohio
Incumbent: Democrat Sherrod Brown
The Republican primary to take on Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown got a little more crowded this month with the entrance of Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose. Unlike in the two other Trump states with Democratic incumbents that top this list, national Republicans are staying neutral in this primary for now.
Businessman Bernie Moreno, who has received warm nods from Trump and has the backing of Sen. J.D. Vance, raised nearly $2.3 million in the second quarter. State Sen. Matt Dolan, who finished third in last year’s primary after running as a conservative outside the Trump lane, is also in the race. It remains to be seen if Dolan can win a primary with that positioning, but with a family that owns the Cleveland Guardians baseball team, he’s got plenty of resources to try and is already on TV with ads about the border and touting sheriff support. He loaned his campaign $1 million and raised $320,000 in the second quarter.
LaRose doesn’t have those personal resources, but he does have name recognition as a statewide elected official who won reelection by 20 points last year. A week after launching his campaign and ahead of a dinner at Trump’s Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club with Ohio lawmakers, he reversed his decision not to endorse in the presidential race because of his role as an election official and backed the former president, noting that they “don’t agree on every point of style or substance.” LaRose is also a prominent player in this year’s battle over abortion rights in Ohio – an issue he could parlay in a GOP primary. He’s pushing an August ballot measure that would make it more difficult to amend the state constitution, which he has admitted is intended to push back against another November ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the constitution.
Brown, meanwhile, raised $5 million in the second quarter. With a strong economic populist streak, the senator has a history of winning here, but the increasingly rightward shift of the state makes it highly competitive territory regardless of which Republican emerges.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
4. Arizona
4. Arizona
Incumbent: Independent Kyrsten Sinema
Ask any political strategist about Arizona, and the response is generally a shrug. There remain a lot of unknowns in this highly competitive state – chief among them whether the incumbent, Democratic-turned-independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, is running for reelection. She already has a challenger on the left. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego raised about $3.1 million – almost double what Sinema did in the second quarter, although she still has a healthy cash-on-hand advantage with about $10.8 million in the bank.
The GOP side has been relatively quiet since Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who raised about $600,000 during the quarter, announced his bid earlier this year. But all eyes are still on failed 2022 gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake to see whether she’ll run for Senate. After spending much of the year thus far challenging her 2022 loss, Lake has been busy cozying up even closer to Trump. She appeared outside the courthouse at his federal arraignment in Miami last month and she recently stumped for him in Iowa. National Republicans aren’t getting involved here right now, but it’s clear Lake’s election conspiracy theory rhetoric isn’t the message they’re looking for in a state President Joe Biden narrowly flipped in 2020. Lake has met with the NRSC, however, and Daines recently told CBS News she was receptive to his message about the importance of focusing on the future.
Whether she changes her tune in public anytime soon, though, remains to be seen. Her best shot could be if this is a three-way race and Gallego and Sinema end up splitting votes. But given the red tilt of this recently purple state, Arizona remains No. 4 despite an uncertain candidate field.
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5. Nevada
5. Nevada
Incumbent: Democrat Jacky Rosen
Republicans welcomed retired Army Captain Sam Brown into the race to take on Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, with Daines sending out a fundraising email for him soon after he announced his candidacy in mid July. Brown, however, won’t have the race to himself.
Former state Assemblyman Jim Marchant is running for the GOP Senate nod after losing last year’s secretary of state race. He also lost a general election for US House in 2020, but his campaign was quick to point out his primary track record in slamming Brown’s entrance into the race. (Brown lost last year’s Senate nomination by more than 20 points.) Marchant only raised about $112,000 in the second quarter and burned more than half that, leaving him with $43,000.
While national Republicans see Marchant’s lackluster fundraising and espousal of Trump’s election conspiracy theories as a liability, it remains to be seen whether primary voters will feel differently. Americans for Prosperity Action, the Koch-backed outside group, backed Brown last week. This race will be yet another key test of how much the national GOP is willing to do to help their preferred candidates secure the nomination.
But even if they’re successful, Brown – who moved to the state in 2018 – remains relatively untested. Severely burned by the explosion of a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, he’s leaning into his military service and trying to tie Rosen – who served one term in the US House before being elected to the Senate in 2018 – to Washington, DC. Rosen raised $2.7 million in the second quarter and will be running for a second term in a state Biden carried by about two points in 2020.
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6. Wisconsin
6. Wisconsin
Incumbent: Democrat Tammy Baldwin
Republicans still don’t have a top recruit to take on Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin after Rep. Mike Gallagher passed on the race. They are watching two businessmen, though, who could have the ability to self-fund: Eric Hovde, who lost the Republican Senate nomination in 2012, and Scott Mayer, who’s never run for office before. Meanwhile, Rep. Tom Tiffany’s $114,000 second quarter haul doesn’t suggest he’s getting ready to run statewide. Controversial former Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke has said any decision isn’t coming soon. He was the best known potential GOP candidate in a Marquette University Law School Poll last month, but he’d likely pose problems for the GOP as nominee in a state Biden narrowly carried.
For now, Baldwin has the race largely to herself. She raised $3.3 million in the second quarter, although any cash advantage could disappear if she ends up facing a self-funder. Among registered voters, 40% viewed her favorably in that Marquette poll, while 37% viewed her unfavorably and 22% hadn’t heard enough to have an opinion, which suggests she has room to reintroduce herself to voters as she runs for a third term. Her narrowly positive favorability rating may not seem wildly impressive for a two-term incumbent, but GOP Sen. Ron Johnson, who won reelection last fall, was faring worse at this point in the cycle two years ago.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
7. Pennsylvania
7. Pennsylvania
Incumbent: Democrat Bob Casey
Pennsylvania moves up one spot on this month’s ranking. Republicans dodged a bullet when state Sen. Doug Mastriano, the state’s most well-known election denier and failed 2022 gubernatorial nominee, decided in late May not to run for the GOP Senate nod to take on Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, leaving the GOP lane clearer for Dave McCormick. The former hedge fund executive, who lost last year’s Senate nomination to the Trump-backed Mehmet Oz, would bring vast personal resources to the race – an appealing prospect as the GOP tries to unseat a three-term incumbent who comes from a well-known Pennsylvania family. (Casey’s father was a two-term governor.)
With the ability to self-fund, McCormick doesn’t appear to be in any rush to announce, although he already picked up an endorsement from Americans for Prosperity Action. Even if he doesn’t have a competitive primary, he could have liabilities from his last one – when he veered right in hopes of securing Trump’s endorsement – that could cost him among suburban voters in a general election.
Still, Casey is in for a tougher election than in 2018, when he won reelection by 13 points against a hard-line congressman. He raised a healthy $4 million in the second quarter and, in his official capacity, has been making speeches about combating China’s “economic aggression” – which is likely to be a key element of the race if McCormick runs. Biden won this state by about a point in 2020 and returned last week for his 27th visit since taking office, underscoring the competitiveness of the turf in 2024.
Mark Makela/Getty Images
8. Michigan
8. Michigan
Incumbent: Democrat Debbie Stabenow (retiring)
Michigan – an open seat with Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow retiring – bumps down one spot on this month’s ranking, trading places with Pennsylvania. Although open seats can often be harder to defend, Democrats feel decent about this one in part because of the party’s strong performance here last fall and the fact that Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who announced her bid earlier this year, is a battle-tested candidate and strong fundraiser. (She raised $2.8 million in the second quarter.) Contributing to that optimism is the fact that Republicans haven’t landed a top candidate.
They’re hopeful that either New York Stock Exchange Vice Chairman John Tuttle or former Rep. Mike Rogers, who’s been exploring a presidential bid, will enter the race later this summer. Former GOP Rep. Peter Meijer is still out there, too, but after losing a primary last year over his vote to impeach Trump, it’s hard to see how he’d win the Republican nomination.
Slotkin has a clear head start, but she doesn’t have the primary to herself. Actor Hill Harper – of “CSI: NY” and “The Good Doctor” fame – announced his candidacy earlier this month, trying to cast his political inexperience as an advantage. “I’m not a politician,” he told Laura Coates on “CNN Tonight” the day he launched, name-dropping his old Harvard Law School classmate – former President Barack Obama – as someone who made it to the Senate in an open-seat primary. But he acknowledged the difficulty of taking on Slotkin. “It’s a massive challenge,” he said.
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9. Texas
9. Texas
Incumbent: Republican Ted Cruz
Democrats now have not one, but two prominent candidates trying to defeat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. If history is any indication, a big name is far from enough. But Democrats are impressed that Rep. Colin Allred has already raised more money at this point in the cycle than Beto O’Rourke had when he tried to take on Cruz in 2018. Allred raised $6.2 million and transferred more than $2 million from his House campaign. The former NFL player cuts a moderate profile – he’s touted previous endorsement from both the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO – and first came to the House by unseating a Republican in 2018.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, announced his campaign in July, touting his leadership in the wake of the 2022 deadly school shooting and calling out “the neglect of rural Texas.” Trump won by about six points in Texas, which has been an elusive target for Democrats and will likely be an uphill challenge yet again next year. But given the candidates running – especially Allred’s fundraising – it’s the more competitive of the two Democratic offensive opportunities on this list.
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10. Florida
10. Florida
Incumbent: Republican Rick Scott
Florida presents the only other realistic chance for Democrats to knock off a Republican. But they need a strong candidate to do that, and likely one with plentiful resources. GOP Sen. Rick Scott’s war chest – and his ability to refill his coffers with his own money – is daunting, especially in a state that’s trended more red in recent years. Still, the right Democrat could harness the dynamics of a presidential year to make this a race.
Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters
Analysis: Senate map remains offensive opportunity for Republicans
In a presidential contest cycle, Senate races don’t get the same kind of attention when there’s still a year to go until Election Day. But the start of the second fundraising quarter earlier this month brought a host of new candidate names – some declared and some still biding their time – that will help shape the race for control of the chamber in 2024 and the ultimate power dynamics for whoever is president in 2025.
With more candidates launching their campaigns this month, the prospect of competitive primaries has become more real – especially on the Republican side. That’s especially true in the top three seats most likely to flip, which represent the GOP’s best chances to pick up the one or two seats they’d need to control the chamber, depending on who wins the presidency. (Rankings are based on CNN’s reporting, fundraising figures and historical data about how states and candidates have performed.)
