Judge declines to dismiss Steve Bannon’s criminal contempt conviction
Steve Bannon speaks during Semafor World Economy 2026 on April 16, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Semafor World Economy)
(WASHINGTON) — A federal judge in Washington, D.C., declined a request from the Justice Department to dismiss the contempt of Congress conviction for Trump ally Steve Bannon, telling prosecutors in a ruling Wednesday that they will need to come back with a better explanation if they want to clear Bannon’s record.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed to the federal bench by President Donald Trump in 2019, faulted prosecutors for failing to comply with local rules that requires them to explain their motivations for dismissing the indictment against Bannon.
Bannon, who served as Trump’s chief White House strategist during Trump’s first term, was convicted in 2022 on two counts of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He served four months in prison in 2024.
In February, the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, under the leadership of Trump ally Jeanine Pirro, moved to dismiss Bannon’s indictment while he was seeking to appeal his conviction before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court in April vacated the charges against Bannon and returned the case to a lower court for dismissal.
Nichols’ ruling Wednesday notes that his denial of the DOJ’s request for dismissal is “without prejudice,” meaning he will give prosecutors another shot to offer a fuller explanation for why the case against Bannon should be dismissed.
People walk by the Comcast building which houses NBC Studios in Manhattan on June 29, 2026 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A man is in custody after he allegedly snuck into an NBC building at New York City’s Rockefeller Center on Thursday morning, authorities said.
The suspect said he was looking for “Today” show weather anchor Al Roker, and he allegedly repeatedly uttered a racial slur, police said.
He also made other statements that lead police to believe he is emotionally disturbed, police said.
The man was detained by an NYPD officer working a paid detail, police said.
Charges are pending, police said.
ABC News has reached out to NBC for comment.
NBC News told Variety in a statement, “An individual entered an unauthorized area in a vestibule near Studio 1A. The person approached anchor Craig Melvin, who alerted security.”
“The individual was detained and taken into custody by law enforcement without further incident. There was no altercation, and no one was injured,” NBC said.
NBC said it takes “the safety and security of our employees, talent, staff and guests extremely seriously. We are reviewing the incident and our security protocols and remain committed to providing a safe and secure environment for everyone who works at and visits our studios.”
Kohen Wiley is seen in an undated photo released by Ben Crump Law. (Courtesy Ben Crump Law)
(SENATOBIA, Miss.) — An officer who fired upon a vehicle, killing a 1-year-old boy, outside a Walmart in Mississippi has been placed on administrative leave, officials said, as outraged community members call for justice amid an ongoing investigation into the deadly shooting.
The incident occurred Sunday afternoon outside a Walmart in Senatobia, located in northwestern Mississippi about 40 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee.
Law enforcement officers who responded to a shoplifting call encountered two adults allegedly fleeing from the store with a child and going into a vehicle, according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, with one opening fire when the driver allegedly drove toward them, the bureau said. The child was killed and an adult critically injured, officials said.
One-year-old Kohen Wiley, his mother and a family friend were in the vehicle at the time, according to Ben Crump Law, which has been retained by the victim’s family. Kohen was killed and the family friend was critically injured, the law firm said.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on leave, according to Senatobia city officials. The decision was made during a meeting with city officials on Tuesday.
The name of the officer has not been released.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting. Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, who oversees the bureau, promised transparency in the investigation.
“To make no mistake, this is a very tragic situation,” Tindell said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “I want the public to be assured that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation will conduct its independent investigation.”
He said five agents are working on the case, gathering evidence and witness statements, to ultimately present to the state’s attorney general’s office. He said investigators are also working to get security footage from Walmart.
“I would ask that the public maintain patience as much as possible,” Tindell said. I know this is a very frustrating time, but maintain patience as this process is done.”
Tindell declined to get into the details of the case due to the ongoing investigation. He said body-camera footage will be released once the investigation is completed.
Civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Kohen’s family, said the child’s mother has not been charged with any crime and that she says she was “trying to communicate to officers that there was a baby in the car.”
“They fired anyway, leading to the death of an innocent 1-year-old,” Crump said in a statement. “We intend to seek justice for baby Kohen and the life that was stolen from him.”
Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, said in a video released through her attorneys that her friend was being pursued for allegedly shoplifting diapers.
“I raised my baby up trying to show them that he was in the car,” she said. “By the time I sat my baby down, it was like three to four shots. One of the shots hit him in his ribcage.”
Wiley said her friend was driving the vehicle at the time.
“They tried to say that she forcefully was trying to drive and hit them, but they was all on the right side and she was driving towards the left,” she said.
Protesters outraged over the deadly shooting gathered outside the Senatobia City Hall on Tuesday for a rally, some holding signs saying “Justice for Kohen.”
Later that night, protesters gathered in the Walmart parking lot where the shooting occurred, shouting, “No justice, no peace.” Officers in riot helmets and gas masks formed a line at the front doors of the store, at one point appearing to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The Walmart temporarily closed, before reopening on Wednesday morning.
“We’re saddened by what took place at our Senatobia, MS, store,” a Walmart spokesperson said in a statement on Monday in response to the shooting. “The safety of our associates and customers is a top priority. We’re working with law enforcement as they continue investigating.”
City officials called the deadly shooting a “heartbreaking tragedy” while urging residents to await the results of the investigation.
“We understand that emotions are high and that many questions remain. We respectfully ask our community to avoid speculation and the spread of unverified information while the investigation is underway,” the city said in a statement on Tuesday. “Please allow the investigative process to take its course so that the facts — not rumors or assumptions — guide our understanding of this tragic event.”
A drone is seen carrying a payload as photographed by the Georgia Department of Corrections. (Georgia Department of Corrections)
(NEW YORK) — Twelve individuals have been charged in what the Justice Department is calling a vast conspiracy to smuggle contraband into 10 federal prisons across the country through a coordinated drone operation.
The 17-count indictment, unsealed Wednesday, alleges that starting in September 2023, those charged allegedly used six drones to drop contraband at least 38 times into 10 federal prisons from Atlanta to Mississippi.
The Bureau of Prisons has a drone alert system that notifies prison staff when a drone is nearby, according to court documents.
Some of the individuals charged in the indictment unsealed Wednesday were inmates at prisons around the country and used cellphones to schedule drops at various prisons.
The contraband was allegedly stored at what is referred to in court records as “The Lab.”
