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Tag: Robert Menendez

  • Andy Kim and Curtis Bashaw clash over abortion and immigration in New Jersey Senate debate

    Andy Kim and Curtis Bashaw clash over abortion and immigration in New Jersey Senate debate

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    NUTLEY, N.J. (AP) — Democratic Rep. Andy Kim and Republican Curtis Bashaw clashed over abortion and immigration Sunday in their first debate for New Jersey’s Senate seat, open this year after Bob Menendez’s conviction on bribery charges and resignation.

    Kim, a three-term representative from the 3rd District, hammered Bashaw for his support of former President Donald Trump and expressed skepticism about Bashaw’s position as an abortion rights supporter. Bashaw, a hotel developer from southern New Jersey and first-time candidate, sought to cast himself as a moderate and Kim as a Washington insider.

    The debate was briefly derailed at the start when Bashaw stopped speaking mid-sentence and stared ahead, nonresponsive. He was helped from the stage and left the room for roughly 10 minutes.

    “I got so worked up about this affordability issue that I realized I hadn’t eaten so much food today,” Bashaw said when he returned. “So I appreciate your indulgence.”

    Among the most pointed exchanges was over abortion. Both candidates support abortion rights, but Bashaw has said he supported the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that ended Roe v. Wade. New Jersey has enshrined abortion protections in state law.

    “I just fundamentally have a problem with using the term ‘pro-choice’ to describe yourself when you have talked about the important of the Dobbs decision being correctly decided,” Kim said.

    He also hammered Bashaw for his support of Trump, who has twice lost New Jersey’s electoral votes.

    “The one endorsement that he has made is for Donald Trump to be president of the United States,” Kim said. “And I guess we get a sense of his judgment from that.”

    Bashaw, who defeated a Trump-endorsed rival in the primary, didn’t defend the former president explicitly.

    “Elections are binary choices, and we all have to make a decision,” he said.

    He touted his own candidacy based on his credentials as a businessperson and resisted being typecast as a traditional Republican, pointing out that he backs abortion rights and is a married gay man.

    “I am pro-choice, congressman. I am for freedom in the home,” Bashaw said. “I don’t think government should tell me who I can marry. I don’t think it should tell a woman what she can do with her reproductive health choices.”

    Bashaw hammered on immigration repeatedly throughout, saying it’s “a crisis in New Jersey” and is costing the state.

    In a reflection of how Democratic-leaning New Jersey has been in Senate races, which Republicans haven’t won in more than five decades, Bashaw addressed his closing statements to women and moms of New Jersey.

    “I am a moderate, common-sense person that will work to be a voice for New Jersey,” he said.

    Kim declared his candidacy a day after Menendez’s indictment last year, saying it was time for the state to turn the page on the longtime legislator. It looked as if the Democratic primary in a must-win state for the party would be contentious when first lady Tammy Murphy entered the race, winning support from influential party leaders.

    But Kim challenged the state’s unique ballot-drawing system widely viewed as favoring the candidates backed by party leaders. A federal judge sided with Kim in his legal challenge, putting the system on hold for this election. Murphy dropped out of the race, saying she wanted to avoid a divisive primary, leaving a clear path to Kim’s nomination.

    What to know about the 2024 Election

    Kim first won office to the House in 2018, defeating Republican Rep. Tom MacArthur. He got national attention after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection when he was photographed picking up trash in the building.

    Bashaw won a contested primary in June, defeating a Trump-backed opponent. The hotel developer from Cape May is running for office for the first time.

    Menendez was convicted this summer on federal charges of accepting bribes of gold and cash from three New Jersey businesspeople and acting as an agent for the Egyptian government. He has vowed to appeal the conviction.

    He resigned in August, capping a career in politics that spanned roughly five decades. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy appointed George Helmy as interim senator. Helmy said he’ll resign after the election is certified so Murphy can appoint whoever wins the election to the seat for the remainder of Menendez’s term, which expires in January.

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  • Corruption trial for Nadine Menendez, wife of Sen. Bob Menendez, postponed indefinitely

    Corruption trial for Nadine Menendez, wife of Sen. Bob Menendez, postponed indefinitely

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    The corruption trial for Nadine Menendez, the wife of New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez (D), has been postponed indefinitely due to her health issues. 

    Nadine Menendez and her husband are accused of aiding the foreign governments of Egypt and Qatar in exchange for cash, luxury cars and gold bars. Her trial initially had been postponed until August, because she had a mastectomy for breast cancer. On Monday, Judge Sidney Sine ordered the trial adjourned until further notice, CBS News reported. 

    MORE: Social media posts after Trump’s attempted assassination lead to firings, resignations locally

    Bob Menendez’s trial began in May, and the jury is in deliberations. The senator’s lawyer’s have argued that Nadine accepted bribes from real estate developer Fred Daibes and businessmen Wael Hana and Jose Uribe without his knowledge. 

    Bob Menendez revealed Nadine’s diagnosis in a statement on May 16 – shortly after his trial began – but the jury in his case has not been notified of her health issues. 

    Bob Menendez is accused of sharing information about staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and ghostwriting a letter from an Egyptian official to U.S. politicians about human rights issues. He also allegedly helped strike a $45 million real estate deal between Daibes, who also is facing charges, and a member of the Qatari royal family by making public statements in support Qatar. 

    Prosecutors say the bribery scheme began in 2018, when Bob and Nadine Menendez began dating. Bob’s defense lawyer argued that they lived separately until April 2020, had separate finances and led largely separate lives. The gold bars were found in Nadine’s locked closet. 

    Menendez previously faced public corruption charges for allegedly accepting bribes from an eye doctor in Florida. The 2017 trial ended in a hung jury.

    Despite his ongoing trial, Menendez has filed to seek reelection by running as an independent. 

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  • Prosecutor tells New York City jury at bribery trial that Sen. Bob Menendez put power ‘up for sale’

    Prosecutor tells New York City jury at bribery trial that Sen. Bob Menendez put power ‘up for sale’

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    NEW YORK – A prosecutor accused Sen. Bob Menendez in a closing argument at his bribery trial Monday of putting his power up for sale to benefit three New Jersey businessmen who bribed him with gold and cash.

    The presentation by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Monteleoni that will continue on Tuesday prompted the Democrat to scoff as he left the courthouse, saying: “The government is intoxicated with their own rhetoric.”

    Minutes earlier, Monteleoni urged the Manhattan federal court jury to follow a trail of hundreds of emails and text messages between the businessmen and Menendez and his wife to see the link between the businessmen and the bribe proceeds found in an FBI raid on the Menendez residence in June 2022.

    He said they’ll also be able to match fingerprint evidence linking the businessmen and Menendez to the bribes, including fingerprints on the tape that bound thousands of dollars in cash hidden in coat pockets, boots and boxes found at the Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, home owned by his wife, Nadine Menendez.

    Monteleoni said the senator “put his power up for sale.”

    The prosecutor said it wasn’t enough that the senator was one of the most powerful people in Washington as the ranking member and later the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he could block or approve hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid to nations such as Egypt.

    “He also wanted to use it to pile up riches for himself and his wife,” Monteleoni said.

    Monteleoni’s closing as the trial enters its ninth week in Manhattan federal court was about half finished when court concluded for the day.

    As he left the courthouse, Menendez mocked the prosecutor’s closing, saying the government had “spent two hours on charts, not witnesses that came before the jury.”

    He added that Monteleoni had spent “two hours telling jurors about what they believe conversations should be that they never heard.”

    Monteleoni cited a clear pattern of corruption and told jurors to closely review communications between the Menendez couple and the businessmen to see evidence of bribes along with proof that they were trying to cover up their schemes.

    Prosecutors say gold bars, over $480,000 in cash and a Mercedes-Benz discovered during the FBI raid are the proceeds of bribes.

    Monteleoni said defense claims that gold in the house had mostly been inherited by Nadine Menendez was belied by serial numbers on gold bars which showed they had come from the businessmen who paid bribes.

    “All this talk about Nadine having family gold is a distraction,” he said.

    In return for bribes, prosecutors say, the senator took actions from 2018 to 2022 to protect or enhance the business interests of the businessmen — including helping Wael Hana obtain the sole right to certify that meat exported to Egypt from the U.S. conformed to Islamic dietary requirements.

    Menendez, 70, along with Hana and real estate developer Fred Daibes, have pleaded not guilty and are on trial together. A third businessman pleaded guilty in the case and testified against the others during the federal trial, the second the senator has faced in the last decade. None of the defendants testified.

    An earlier trial against Menendez in New Jersey ended in 2017 with a deadlocked jury. After the charges were lodged last fall, Menendez was forced to give up his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    Nadine Menendez, 57, the senator’s wife, is also charged in the case, but her trial has been postponed while she recovers from breast cancer surgery. She also has pleaded not guilty.

    As part of his defense, Menendez’s lawyers have argued that tens of thousands of dollars in cash found in Bob Menendez’s boots and jackets resulted from his habit of storing cash at home after hearing from his family how they escaped Cuba in 1951 with only the cash they had hidden in their home.

    His lawyers have also asserted that Nadine Menendez, who began dating the senator in 2018 and married him two years later, kept him in the dark about her financial troubles and assistance she requested from the businessmen.

    Menendez was born in Manhattan after the family moved to New York City, though he was raised in the New Jersey cities of Hoboken and Union City, according to testimony by his sister.

    Menendez has held public office continuously since 1986, serving as a state legislator before serving 14 years as a U.S. congressman. In 2006, then-Gov. Jon Corzine appointed Menendez to the Senate seat he vacated when he became governor.

    Several weeks ago, Menendez filed to run for reelection this year as an independent.

    Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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    Larry Neumeister, Associated Press

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  • Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to latest federal corruption charges

    Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to latest federal corruption charges

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    N.J. Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to latest federal corruption charges


    N.J. Sen. Bob Menendez pleads not guilty to latest federal corruption charges

    01:59

    NEW YORK — New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez was back in federal court in Lower Manhattan on Monday afternoon after the indictment against him was rewritten to add an additional charge.

    Menendez said nothing as he walked into court. The 69-year-old stood and answered the judge’s questions and told him he was pleading “not guilty, your honor.”

    READ MORE: Sen. Chuck Schumer says he’s had “serious discussions” with Sen. Bob Menendez about federal charges

    The longtime senator, his wife, Nadine Menendez, and Egyptian-American businessman Wael Hana are accused of conspiring to have Sen. Menendez act as an agent of the Egyptian government while he chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

    Sen. Menendez has since stepped down from that role leading the committee.

    READ MORE: New Jersey attorney general’s office looking into deadly 2018 car crash involving Nadine Menendez, wife of Sen. Bob Menendez

    Nadine Menendez and Hana entered not guilty pleas to the superseding indictment last week, but Sen. Menendez was allowed to delay his arraignment due to Senate obligations.

    Among the allegations, he’s accused of passing non-public, highly sensitive information to the Egyptians about the staff at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, allegedly texting it to Nadine Menendez, who forwarded it to Hana, who then sent it to an Egyptian government official.

    Sen. Menendez is also accused of ghostwriting a letter on behalf of Egypt, “lobbying other U.S. senators to support U.S. aid to Egypt.”

    READ MORE: Sen. Bob Menendez holds high-stakes meeting with fellow senate Democrats

    Prosecutors say the senator and his wife accepted bribes that included gold bars, cash and a luxury car from three New Jersey businessmen in exchange for official acts.

    Last month, Sen. Menendez pleaded not guilty to federal bribery and other charges and was released on $100,000 bond.

    The other defendants also pleaded not guilty.

    On his way out of court Monday afternoon, there was again silence from Sen. Menendez as reporters asked questions.

    However, the senator later released a statement to CBS New York, saying:

    “The government’s latest charge flies in the face of my long record of standing up for human rights and democracy in Egypt and in challenging leaders of that country, including President El-Sisi on these issues. Anyone who knows my record, knows this latest charge is as outrageous as it is absurd.

    “I have been, throughout my life, loyal to only one country — the United States of America, the land my family chose to live in democracy and freedom.

    “The facts haven’t changed. The government is engaged in primitive hunting, by which the predator chases its prey until it’s exhausted and then kills it. This tactic won’t work.

    “I will not litigate this case through the press, but have made it abundantly clear that I have done nothing wrong and once all the facts are presented will be found innocent.”

    More than 30 Democrats have called on Sen. Menendez to resign. He maintains his innocence.

    The latest charges have a penalty of up to five years in prison. Federal law prohibits Sen. Menendez, as a public official, from serving as a foreign agent.

    Alice Gainer


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    Alice Gainer joined CBS2 as a reporter and anchor in January 2013. She covers breaking, feature and general assignment stories.

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  • Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife plead not guilty to bribery, fraud

    Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife plead not guilty to bribery, fraud

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    Sen. Robert Menendez and his wife plead not guilty to bribery, fraud – CBS News


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    Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife, Nadine Menendez, appeared in a federal courtroom Wednesday where they pleaded not guilty to federal charges that they used the senator’s powerful position to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes. The senator was released on $100,000 bail, while his wife was released on $250,000 bail. Nikole Killion has the latest.

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  • Wael Hana, co-defendant in Robert Menendez case, arrested at JFK

    Wael Hana, co-defendant in Robert Menendez case, arrested at JFK

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    One of three businessmen federally charged with coordinating hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and his wife was arrested Tuesday after flying into New York.

    Wael Hana, 40, was taken into custody at JFK Airport, according to the Associated Press. His attorney, Lawrence Lustberg, told CBS News in a statement that Hana “returned voluntarily from Egypt so that he would have the opportunity to prove his innocence which we are confident he will be able to do after a full and fair trial.”

    Hana, a New Jersey resident originally from Egypt, was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to one count each of conspiracy to commit bribery and conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, according to U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

    Prosecutors allege Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, accepted bribes in exchange for using the senator’s power and influence to enrich and protect Hana and the two other indicted businessmen, as well as benefit Egypt’s government.

    Sen. Bob Menendez
    New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez flanked by supporters is pictured during a full room press conference at the Hudson County Community College – North Hudson Campus in Union City, New Jersey, on Sept. 25, 2023. 

    Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Daily News via Getty Images


    Menendez chaired the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee until he stepped down last week following his indictment, as required under Senate Democratic Caucus rules.

    The bribes included cash, gold bars, mortgage payments and compensation, the indictment reads, and federal agents found more than $480,000 in cash during a search of the couple’s home in June 2022.

    Beginning in 2018, according to prosecutors, Hana and Nadine Menendez “worked to introduce Egyptian intelligence and military officials to” the senator with the goal of establishing a “corrupt agreement.”

    Among the allegations was that Hana hired Nadine Menendez at his halal meat export certification company, IS EG Halal Certified, for a “low-or-no-show” position, in exchange for the senator facilitating foreign military sales and financing to Egypt, which had been withheld for years, the indictment read.

    Menendez also in 2019 intervened to protect a monopoly for Hana’s company which led to increased costs for U.S. meat suppliers and others, the charging documents said. The monopoly in turn provided a revenue stream for the bribes, prosecutors said.

    Nearly two dozen Senate Democrats have called on Menendez to step down, but he has so far rejected those calls, saying that he will “be exonerated.”

    The other two New Jersey businessmen charged in the case, 56-year-old Jose Uribe of Clifton, New Jersey, and 66-year-old Fred Daibes, face the same charges as Hana.  

    If convicted as charge, Hana could face a maximum sentence of five years in prison for the bribery count, and 20 years in prison for the fraud count. 

    — Melissa Quinn, Caroline Linton and Stefan Becket contributed to this report. 

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  • New Jersey Gov. Murphy, Assembly speaker call on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign

    New Jersey Gov. Murphy, Assembly speaker call on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign

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    WASHINGTON — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, the state’s General Assembly speaker and the Democratic State Committee chairman all called on U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez to resign Friday after their fellow Democrat was indicted on federal bribery charges.

    “The allegations in the indictment against Senator Menendez and four other defendants are deeply disturbing,” Murphy said about Menendez, the state’s senior senator.

    “These are serious charges that implicate national security and the integrity of our criminal justice system,” said Murphy.

    “The alleged facts are so serious that they compromise the ability of Senator Menendez to effectively represent the people of our state. Therefore, I am calling for his immediate resignation.”

    Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin said, “The charges laid out against Senator Menendez today go against everything we should believe as public servants.

    “We are given the public’s trust, and once that trust is broken, we cannot continue,” Coughlin said, adding that Menendez must resign to “allow New Jersey, and America, to move forward.”

    Democratic State Committee chairman LeRoy Jones, Jr. said Menendez should step down “in the interest of insuring that New Jerseyans continue to be granted the federal representation that they deserve.”

    Jones also noted the upcoming state legislative elections in November, and said Menendez’s resignation would allow the Democratic party “to keep its focus” on state level races.

    Two New Jersey Democrats in Congress, U.S. Reps. Andy Kim and Mikie Sherrill, also called on Menendez to resign.

    Menendez responded to his critics late Friday. “Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades,” he said in a statement.

    “This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere,” he added. 

    The statement hinted at how bitter the debate over the senator’s political future is likely to become.

    Menendez, 69, and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were indicted on three criminal counts, along with three New Jersey businessmen who were charged with two of the counts.

    The couple is accused of having taken hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes over at least four years, while the senator performed, in return, political favors for the three businessmen.

    Prosecutors allege the favors included providing sensitive national security information to Egyptian officials.

    Menendez insisted he and his wife had nothing wrong, and accused prosecutors in a statement of having “misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office.”

    He did not address the specific charges other than to say the “facts are not as presented.”

    U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, in a statement said, “Bob Menendez has been a dedicated public servant and is always fighting hard for the people of New Jersey.”

    Menendez was appointed to the Senate in 2005, but went on to win reelection on his own three times, and will face voters again in 2024. Democrats have a difficult Senate map next year, when they will be defending 23 of the 33 contested Senate seats.

    In states that are dominated by just one political party, as New Jersey is by Democrats, Senate seats change hands far less than they do in swing states, where elections tend to be more competitive.

    In New Jersey, for example, only four people have been elected to the U.S. Senate in the past 23 years, the last one being Sen. Cory Booker in 2013.

    In the event that Menendez were to resign or to retire when his current term ends, the race to fill his Senate seat would likely draw a who’s who of the state’s elected Democrats. Some of the top names already being floated Friday were Kim and Sherrill.

    New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin in a statement late Friday afternoon said, “The allegations are deeply disturbing to me and my Office, and we are already in the process of reviewing the concerns raised by the indictment.”

    “As the now unsealed indictment makes clear, there are allegations that Menendez attempted to pressure a senior member of this Office under a prior administration,” Platkin said.

    “The conduct alleged in the indictment occurred prior to my tenure as Attorney General, and involved a matter that was resolved prior to my time in office. My Office has cooperated fully with the Southern District of New York’s investigation. We will continue to do so. We are also engaged in our own independent internal inquiry into the allegations set forth in the indictment.”

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  • Sen. Menendez defiant after second corruption indictment: ‘Prosecutors did that the last time’

    Sen. Menendez defiant after second corruption indictment: ‘Prosecutors did that the last time’

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    Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., walks through the Senate subway on his way to a vote in the Capitol on Thurssday, May 4, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

    Bill Clark | Cq-roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images

    WASHINGTON — Sen. Robert Menendez on Friday vowed to remain in the Senate while he fights federal charges of bribery and extortion announced earlier in the day. The indictment was the second time the New Jersey Democrat had been prosecuted for alleged corruption as a sitting senator.

    As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez holds one of the most powerful gavels in Congress. But any committee chair “who is charged with a felony shall immediately step aside” under Democratic caucus rules.

    Menendez planned to relinquish his committee chairmanship while he was prosecuted, NBC News reported. But not his seat in Congress.

    “I remain focused on continuing this important work and will not be distracted by baseless allegations,” Menendez said in a statement.

    CNBC Politics

    Read more of CNBC’s politics coverage:

    The senator and his wife, Nadine Menendez, were indicted on three criminal counts each Friday after a multi-year federal investigation.

    The couple is accused of having “accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes in exchange for Senator Menendez using his power and influence to protect and to enrich” three New Jersey business associates, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York, who brought the charges.

    “Those bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a low-or-no-show job [for Nadine], a luxury vehicle, and other things of value,” the federal indictment alleges.

    Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a press conference after announcing that U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) was indicted on corruption charges charges at the SDNY office on September 22, 2023 in New York City. 

    Alexi J. Rosenfeld | Getty Images

    In response to the charges, Bob Menendez was defiant and accused prosecutors of having, “misrepresented the normal work of a Congressional office” and “attacked my wife for the longstanding friendships she had.”

    This counterargument, namely that what prosecutors claim are bribes in exchange for favors were actually just personal friendships and the typical work of a U.S. senator, was the same one Bob Menendez made the last time he was charged with corruption in 2015. In that case, it worked.

    Menendez was charged with 14 counts alongside co-defendant Salomon Melgen, a Florida ophthalmologist whom prosecutors accused of having bribed Bob Menendez with lavish gifts in exchange for using his Senate powers to advance Melgen’s business interests.

    But the jury in the case was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, and the judge declared a mistrial in 2017.

    On Friday, Bob Menendez said prosecutors were running the same failed play a second time.

    “The facts are not as presented,” in the indictment, he said. “Prosecutors did that the last time and look what a trial demonstrates.”

    This is a developing story, please check back for updates.

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  • Today in History SUN JAN 01

    Today in History SUN JAN 01

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    Today in History

    Today is Sunday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2023. There are 364 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states shall be “forever free.”

    On this date:

    In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened.

    In 1942, the Rose Bowl was played in Durham, North Carolina, because of security concerns in the wake of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor; Oregon State defeated Duke, 20-16.

    In 1953, country singer Hank Williams Sr., 29, was discovered dead in the back seat of his car during a stop in Oak Hill, West Virginia, while he was being driven to a concert date in Canton, Ohio.

    In 1954, NBC broadcast the first coast-to-coast color TV program as it presented live coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.

    In 1959, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, who fled to the Dominican Republic.

    In 1975, a jury in Washington found Nixon administration officials John N. Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and Robert C. Mardian guilty of charges related to the Watergate cover-up (Mardian’s conviction for conspiracy was later overturned on appeal).

    In 1979, the United States and China held celebrations in Washington and Beijing to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

    In 1984, the breakup of AT&T took place as the telecommunications giant was divested of its 22 Bell System companies under terms of an antitrust agreement.

    In 1985, the music cable channel VH-1 made its debut with a video of Marvin Gaye performing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

    In 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two new countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

    In 2006, President George W. Bush strongly defended his domestic spying program, calling it legal as well as vital to thwarting terrorist attacks. The Medicare prescription drug plan went into effect.

    In 2014, the nation’s first legal recreational pot shops opened in Colorado at 8 a.m. Mountain time.

    Ten years ago: The Senate approved a compromise in the small hours to avert the “fiscal cliff” and sent it to the House, which approved it in a late-night vote; President Barack Obama announced he would sign the measure. In Maryland, same-sex marriage became legal in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line. No. 8 Stanford held off Wisconsin 20-14 in the 99th Rose Bowl. Singer Patti Page, 85, died in Encinitas, California.

    Five years ago: Former Fox News Channel anchor and 1989 Miss America Gretchen Carlson was named chairwoman of the Miss America Organization’s board of directors, with three other past pageant winners joining her on the board. In the first Rose Bowl to go into overtime, Georgia advanced to college football’s national championship game with a 54-48 win over Oklahoma. Alabama advanced by beating top-ranked Clemson, 24-6, in the Sugar Bowl. Peter Martins, the longtime leader of the New York City Ballet, announced his retirement in the midst of an investigation into accusations of sexual misconduct. California launched legal sales of recreational marijuana, with customers linking up early for ribbon cuttings and promotions.

    One year ago: A Louisiana federal judge ruled that President Joe Biden could not require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A year after New Year’s Day passed without a Rose Parade due to the coronavirus pandemic, the floral spectacle marched on in Pasadena, California, despite a new surge of infections. Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was remembered at a state funeral in South Africa for his Nobel Peace Prize-earning role in ending the country’s apartheid regime and for championing the rights of LGBTQ people. Chicago police said 2021 had ended as one of the deadliest years on record in the city, with 797 homicides. Former Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves died at his Atlanta home at the age of 77.

    Today’s Birthdays: Documentary maker Frederick Wiseman is 93. Actor Frank Langella is 85. Rock singer-musician Country Joe McDonald is 81. Writer-comedian Don Novello is 80. Actor Rick Hurst is 77. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is 69. The former head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, is 67. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 65. Actor Renn Woods is 65. Actor Dedee Pfeiffer is 59. Country singer Brian Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 57. Actor Morris Chestnut is 54. R&B singer Tank is 47. Model Elin Nordegren is 43. Actor Jonas Armstrong is 42. Actor Eden Riegel is 42. Olympic gold medal ice dancer Meryl Davis is 36. Rock musician Noah Sierota (Echosmith) is 27.

    xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxToday in History

    Today is Sunday, Jan. 1, the first day of 2023. There are 364 days left in the year.

    Today’s Highlight in History:

    On Jan. 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that slaves in rebel states shall be “forever free.”

    On this date:

    In 1892, the Ellis Island Immigrant Station in New York formally opened.

    In 1942, the Rose Bowl was played in Durham, North Carolina, because of security concerns in the wake of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor; Oregon State defeated Duke, 20-16.

    In 1953, country singer Hank Williams Sr., 29, was discovered dead in the back seat of his car during a stop in Oak Hill, West Virginia, while he was being driven to a concert date in Canton, Ohio.

    In 1954, NBC broadcast the first coast-to-coast color TV program as it presented live coverage of the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.

    In 1959, Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries overthrew Cuban leader Fulgencio Batista, who fled to the Dominican Republic.

    In 1975, a jury in Washington found Nixon administration officials John N. Mitchell, H.R. Haldeman, John D. Ehrlichman and Robert C. Mardian guilty of charges related to the Watergate cover-up (Mardian’s conviction for conspiracy was later overturned on appeal).

    In 1979, the United States and China held celebrations in Washington and Beijing to mark the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

    In 1984, the breakup of AT&T took place as the telecommunications giant was divested of its 22 Bell System companies under terms of an antitrust agreement.

    In 1985, the music cable channel VH-1 made its debut with a video of Marvin Gaye performing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

    In 1993, Czechoslovakia peacefully split into two new countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

    In 2006, President George W. Bush strongly defended his domestic spying program, calling it legal as well as vital to thwarting terrorist attacks. The Medicare prescription drug plan went into effect.

    In 2014, the nation’s first legal recreational pot shops opened in Colorado at 8 a.m. Mountain time.

    Ten years ago: The Senate approved a compromise in the small hours to avert the “fiscal cliff” and sent it to the House, which approved it in a late-night vote; President Barack Obama announced he would sign the measure. In Maryland, same-sex marriage became legal in the first state south of the Mason-Dixon Line. No. 8 Stanford held off Wisconsin 20-14 in the 99th Rose Bowl. Singer Patti Page, 85, died in Encinitas, California.

    Five years ago: The nation’s first legal recreational pot shops opened in Colorado at 8 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Actress Juanita Moore, 99, died in Los Angeles. No. 4 Michigan State romped to a 24-20 victory over No. 5 Stanford in the 100th Rose Bowl. No. 15 Central Florida pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the bowl season by outlasting No. 6 Baylor 52-42 in the Fiesta Bowl.

    One year ago: A Louisiana federal judge ruled that President Joe Biden could not require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19. A year after New Year’s Day passed without a Rose Parade due to the coronavirus pandemic, the floral spectacle marched on in Pasadena, California, despite a new surge of infections. Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu was remembered at a state funeral in South Africa for his Nobel Peace Prize-earning role in ending the country’s apartheid regime and for championing the rights of LGBTQ people. Chicago police said 2021 had ended as one of the deadliest years on record in the city, with 797 homicides. Former Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Reeves died at his Atlanta home at the age of 77.

    Today’s Birthdays: Documentary maker Frederick Wiseman is 93. Actor Frank Langella is 85. Rock singer-musician Country Joe McDonald is 81. Writer-comedian Don Novello is 80. Actor Rick Hurst is 77. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., is 69. The former head of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, is 67. Rapper Grandmaster Flash is 65. Actor Renn Woods is 65. Actor Dedee Pfeiffer is 59. Country singer Brian Flynn (Flynnville Train) is 57. Actor Morris Chestnut is 54. R&B singer Tank is 47. Model Elin Nordegren is 43. Actor Jonas Armstrong is 42. Actor Eden Riegel is 42. Olympic gold medal ice dancer Meryl Davis is 36. Rock musician Noah Sierota (Echosmith) is 27.

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  • Biden eases Venezuela sanctions as opposition talks resume

    Biden eases Venezuela sanctions as opposition talks resume

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    WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Saturday eased some oil sanctions on Venezuela in an effort to support newly restarted negotiations between President Nicolás Maduro’s government and its opposition.

    The Treasury Department is allowing Chevron to resume “limited” energy production in Venezuela after years of sanctions that have dramatically curtailed oil and gas profits that have flowed to Maduro’s government. Earlier this year the Treasury Department allowed the California-based Chevron and other U.S. companies to perform only basic upkeep of wells it operates jointly with state-run oil giant PDVSA.

    Under the new policy, profits from the sale of energy would be directed to paying down debt owed to Chevron, rather than providing profits to PDVSA.

    Talks between the Maduro government and the “Unitary Platform” resumed in Mexico City on Saturday after more than a yearlong pause. It remained to be seen whether they would take a different course from previous rounds of negotiations that have not brought relief to the political stalemate in the country.

    A senior U.S. administration official, briefing reporters about the U.S. action under the condition of anonymity, said that easing the sanctions was not connected to the administration’s efforts to boost global energy production in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that the decision was not expected to impact global energy prices.

    The official said the U.S. would closely monitor Maduro’s commitment to the talks and reserved the right to reimpose stricter sanctions or to continue to ease them depending on how the negotiations proceed.

    “If Maduro again tries to use these negotiations to buy time to further consolidate his criminal dictatorship, the United States and our international partners must snap back the full force of our sanctions that brought his regime to the negotiating table in the first place,” said Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in a statement.

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