Michigan man wins long shot appeal over burglary linked to his DNA on a bottle

DETROIT (AP) — A Michigan prisoner has persuaded a judge to throw out his burglary conviction, overcoming long odds by serving as his own lawyer in an appeal of a case that rested solely on his DNA being found on a soda bottle. Sixty-five-year-old Gregory Tucker argued that the DNA wasn’t sufficient on its own to convict him in the 2016 break-in near Detroit, citing U.S. Supreme Court rulings about evidence. Federal Judge David Lawson agreed that the case against Tucker was thin. Tucker’s victory hasn’t meant that he’s free. He’s still serving time for a different conviction. Prosecutors plan to appeal Lawson’s ruling.

Prosecutor asks for charge to be reinstated against Alec Baldwin

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A prosecutor has asked a New Mexico judge to reconsider the dismissal of an involuntary manslaughter charge against Alec Baldwin in the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of a Western movie. In a court filing made public Wednesday, special prosecutor Kari Morrissey says there were insufficient facts to support the ruling in state district court and that Baldwin’s due process rights hadn’t been violated. Baldwin, the lead actor and co-producer for “Rust,” was pointing a gun at Hutchins during a rehearsal on a movie set outside Santa Fe in October 2021 when the revolver went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. The judge dismissed the case halfway through the trial.

Ex-police officer who joined Capitol riot receives a reduced prison sentence

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Virginia police officer who stormed the U.S. Capitol has received a reduced prison sentence of six years. Former Rocky Mount Police Sgt. Thomas Robertson’s resentencing on Wednesday makes him one of the first beneficiaries of a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that limited the government’s use of a federal obstruction law. Robertson originally was sentenced to seven years and three months of imprisonment for joining a mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. He was the first Capitol riot defendant to be resentenced after the dismissal of his conviction on an obstruction charge at the center of the Supreme Court’s ruling in June.

With charges and sanctions, US takes aim at Russian disinformation

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has announced criminal charges, the seizure of internet domains and sanctions related to Russian disinformation efforts to influence the U.S. presidential election. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday that the actions relate to Russia’s use of state media to enlist unwitting American influencers to spread propaganda and disinformation. Much of the concern around Russia centers on cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns designed to influence the November vote. The tactics include using state media like RT to advance anti-U.S. messages and content, as well as networks of fake websites and social media accounts that amplify the claims and inject them into American’s online conversations.