NEWS OF THE DAY
_1 Border seizures: U.S. Border Patrol agents seized more than 3,500 pounds of opioids between 2013 and 2017, mostly near the southern border, and seizures of fentanyl by this federal agency were up by almost 72 percent in a single year, according to a report by investigators for Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., who is the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Earlier this month, McCaskill reported that another federal agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, seized almost 1,400 pounds of illicit fentanyl in 2017, double that of the year before. _2 Ethics complaint: The head of the Montana Democratic Party on Thursday asked for a congressional ethics investigation into whether Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Gianforte lied to the police and the public when he assaulted a reporter last year. The request by the party’s executive director, Nancy Keenan, comes exactly one year after Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs said Gianforte “body slammed” him for asking a question. Gianforte won a special election for Montana’s only U.S. House seat, and eventually pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and said Jacobs did nothing wrong. But Gianforte initially told police that Jacobs instigated the attack. 3_ Zimmerman in debt: The ex-neighborhood watch volunteer who killed a black teen in Florida in 2012 says he’s $2.5 million in debt and has no income. George Zimmerman filed paperwork detailing his financial state as he fights a misdemeanor stalking charge. The Orlando Sentinel reports a public defender filed a not-guilty plea for Zimmerman and a request for a jury trial. Zimmerman is accused of sending threatening messages to private investigator Dennis Warren, who had contacted Zimmerman about a documentary series on the slain Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was acquitted of criminal charges.
_4 Actor accused: Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman apologized on Thursday to anyone who may have felt “uncomfortable or disrespected” by his behavior, after CNN reported that multiple women have accused the A-list actor of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior on movie sets and in other professional settings. _5 “Stormy Daniels Day”: The porn actress who is suing President Trump was praised Wednesday as a heroine in West Hollywood, Los Angeles County. About 100 people cheered and chanted “Stormy! Stormy!” as Daniels appeared outside an adult entertainment store called Chi Chi LaRue’s. Mayor John Duran officially declared it “Stormy Daniels Day” and presented her with the key to the city. “This community has a history of standing up to bullies and speaking truth to power, and I’m so lucky to be a part of it,” Daniels said. A liberal city of 35,000 with a huge LGBT population, West Hollywood has declared itself a sanctuary city and a “safe space” for people of all nationalities and immigration status.