The Senate Votes For New Sanctions on Russia, The Officer Who Killed Philando Castille is Found Not Guilty of Manslaughter, and Trump Opines About the "Witch Hunt" Against Him: P.M. Links

|

  • Germany threatens retaliation if the U.S. ends up going through with new sanctions against Russia, which German government officials worry will harm German companies. The Senate approved sanctions yesterday in a 98-2 vote, with only Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee objecting. The House has yet to vote on the measure.

  • Jeronimo Yanez, the Minnesota police officer who shot Philando Castille in a highly publicized incident caught on video last year, was aquitted of all charges related to the shooting, including second-degree manslaughter. If convicted he would have faced up to 20 years in prision. The decision comes a month after police officer Betty Jo Shelby was found not guilty for her shooting of an unarmed black motorist in Oklahoma.
  • Less lucky was Michelle Carter, who was convicted of involunatry manslaughter for urging her boyfriend to commit suicide via text. The case raises a number of issues surrounding speech and violence.
  • President Trump supposedly admits to being investigated for obstruction of justice in a Tweet today, saying an investigation into his firing of former-FBI director James Comey was a "Witch hunt".