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Accused D.C. Bomber Reportedly Confesses
To Pipe Bombs Outside Parties’ Headquarters
Brian J. Cole Jr. has a detention hearing set for Monday as he faces charges related to pipe bombs set Jan. 5, 2020 outside the Democratic and Republican national committee headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The criminal case is expected to end faster than normal after Cole reportedly admitted setting the bombs, which failed to detonate.
Prosecutors say he told them he was angry and incited to revenge by President Donald Trump’s accusations the 2020 election was stolen from him by voter fraud. He reportedly told FBI agents he supported Trump and held anarchist views.
Cole, 30, was living in Woodbridge, Va., with his mother when he was arrested. He worked as a bail bondsman. Neighbors described him as quiet and someone who stayed mostly to himself.
The FBI tracked him down through a combination of cellphone records, surveillance video and receipts for his purchases of bombmaking material.
Cole is charged with transporting an explosive device in interstate commerce and attempted malicious destruction by means of fire and explosive materials. Both charges are felonies.
Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, said the evidence is strong enough that “it makes it very clear that we can prove this case to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt."
The fact the bombs were placed outside both the Democratic and Republic national committee headquarters led her to say, "This guy was an equal opportunity bomber."
Prosecutors said additional charges against Cole are likely.
For more information, contact The Legal Forum (www.legal-forum.net) at email: tramstack@gmail.com or phone: 202-479-7240.
Supreme Court to Decide Copyright Case
With Wide Implications for Internet Access
The Supreme Court is set to determine when internet service providers can be liable for their users' copyright violations after hearing arguments last week in a high-stakes case that the music industry says creates a potential “disaster” scenario.
The music entertainment industry blames Cox Communications for failing to intervene in its users' music downloads, posts and illegal reuse of their copyrighted work.
They say the company is trying to put profits over any regulatory compliance that requires them to prevent illegal online enterprises.
Cox says in a court filing that they lack enough control over their users to stop all the copyright infringement.
If the music industry wins, Cox could be hit with a $1 billion damages judgment.
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Latest News
New York Times Sues Defense Dept.
Over Press Credentialing Policy
The New York Times is suing the Defense Department over a new set of rules for journalists that the lawsuit claims violate First Amendment rights.
The rules, which took effect in October, require journalists to sign a 21-page agreement limiting who they can interview and how they request story tips. Reporters who fail to comply could lose their press passes.
The agreement gives the Pentagon “unbridled discretion” on enforcing the policy, according to the lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
It says the rules violate "the Constitution’s guarantees of due process, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”
The new rules also require that journalists agree not to solicit or disclose any “unauthorized information,” even if that information is unclassified.
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We fight alongside people facing the effects of gentrification like Amira Moore. Our work empowers the people and communities who need it most, “We can do more than we think. There’s a path to equity, we just have to step to it.” –Ms. Moore
For more than 50 years, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee has been on the frontlines of the fight for civil rights in our community. We deploy the best legal talent, we tackle the tough cases, we fight, and we win.
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Letters to the Editor
D.C. in Brief
Amazon Employees Warn Management
Of “Staggering Damage” from AI
Amazon employees warned their corporate leadership in a recent open letter that the company's aggressive move into artificial intelligence is likely to have frightening social consequences that could trample the privacy of millions of people.
The company might save itself and customers money through AI development, but it also could help empower authoritarian governments, according to the employees.
The most alarming prediction said Amazon’s AI is helping governments in the United States and worldwide engage in "militarized surveillance."
Amazon has a major office in Arlington, Va., which is sometimes known as its second headquarters, or HQ2. The company plans to eventually employ as many as 25,000 workers in Arlington.
The letter signed by more than 1,000 Amazon employees said the company was “re-introducing a tool for police to request footage; it’s using AI to surveil warehouse workers, and, of course, its own customers.”
Part of the warning in the open letter is similar to allegations in a class action lawsuit pending against Amazon. The plaintiffs in Garner v. Amazon.com Inc. say the company’s Alexa voice activation service secretly records voice data even when users do not issue a “wake word.”
They accuse Amazon of permanently storing the recordings and using them for their own purposes, such as improving voice-recognition and AI capabilities. In some cases, the plaintiffs say Amazon disclosed or permitted third-party access to the recordings or transcripts of them.
The plaintiffs argue Alexa and its recordings violate multiple state privacy laws.
Judge Denies Bail for Accused National Guard
Shooter as Immigration Backlash Grows
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia is pledging a widening investigation into the Afghan man accused of shooting two National Guardsmen last month a short walk from the White House.
Rahmanmulla Lakanwal pleaded not guilty last week to first degree murder and other charges from his hospital bed, where he is recovering after being shot by a third National Guardsman.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said additional charges are likely as the investigation continues. Lakanwal's possible links to terrorist organizations are part of the investigation, Pirro said.
“This is an individual about whom we don’t know a lot,” Pirro said outside of D.C. Superior Court. “But we will. Trust me.”
President Donald Trump is using the shooting to justify excluding immigration and travel from 19 Third World countries.
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Thousands of DC residents need a lawyer, but can’t afford one. They could be illegally evicted from their homes, lose custody of their children, experience domestic violence, and more, all because they lack legal representation.
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That way, DC residents like Keith King (pictured above) can get the legal representation they need to win their cases. As Mr. King put it, if it wasn’t for his Legal Aid lawyer, “I would have been homeless again.”
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