NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
➊ Hunter Biden: Presidentelect Joe Biden’s son Hunter said Wednesday that he is facing a federal investigation into his taxes, putting a renewed spotlight on the questions about his financial dealings that dogged his father’s campaign. Federal investigators served a round of subpoenas on Tuesday, including to Hunter Biden, according to a person familiar with the investigation who spoke on condition of anonymity. The investigation centers on his business dealings in China and potential tax fraud crimes, the person said. Hunter Biden said he learned about the investigation on Tuesday, but did not disclose any specifics.
➋ Teen lifer: A Black man who has spent nearly two decades behind bars says he’s grateful a panel of legal experts was able to review his case with “fresh, unbiased eyes,” helping to expose serious flaws in the police investigation that put him away for life as a teenager. The panel, made up of experts from around the country, released a report this week recommending the immediate release of Burrell, who was convicted in the killing of a little girl hit by a stray bullet in 2002. It said Minneapolis police appear to have suffered from “tunnel vision” while investigating his case, ignoring witnesses and evidence that might have helped clear him.
➌ Biden’s team: Presidentelect Joe Biden is set to nominate Katherine Tai to be the top U. S. trade envoy, according to two people familiar with his plans. Tai, who is chief trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, will be tapped as the U. S. Trade Representative, according to the two people, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Senate will vote on whether to confirm Tai for the position. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Tai earlier oversaw China trade enforcement for the Office of the U. S. Trade Representative, setting U. S. strategy in trade disputes with China.
➍ Police shooting: A Black man shot by an Ohio sheriff’s deputy died from multiple gunshot wounds in his torso, a coroner said Wednesday, citing preliminary autopsy results. The autopsy was conducted on Casey Goodson Jr., with final results not expected for at least three months, said Dr. Anahi Ortiz, the coroner representing Franklin County, home to Columbus, where Goodson was killed. Ortiz listed the cause of death as homicide. The FBI is reviewing the Dec. 4 fatal shooting of Goodson, whose family says he was holding a sandwich, not a gun when he was shot, and that he was shot by a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy in front of two toddlers and his grandmother while inside his home, not outside it, as authorities assert.
➎ Mosque bombing: A jury on Wednesday convicted the leader of an Illinois antigovernment militia group of several civil rights and hate crime charges in the 2017 bombing of a Bloomington, Minn., mosque. Michael Hari, 49, was found guilty on all five counts. They were damaging property because of its religious character, forcibly obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs, conspiracy to commit felonies with fire and explosives, using a destructive device in a crime of violence, and possessing an unregistered destructive device.