Coercion

Attorneys for Brian Cole, charged in connection with the pipe bombs placed near the DNC and RNC headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021, have filed a motion to suppress statements he made to the FBI, calling the interrogation "psychologically coercive." They argue Cole's autism made him unable to withstand the tactics used, and plan to call an expert witness at trial to testify about interrogation methods linked to false confessions.

The motion includes a full transcript showing Cole initially denied recognizing himself in surveillance footage before confessing after agents warned that lying to federal agents was itself a crime. His lawyers argue the resulting admission was the product of that threat rather than genuine recognition.

The FBI maintains it has independent evidence supporting Cole's guilt, including license plate reader data placing his car near the scene, cellphone tower records showing his phone in the area, and evidence he purchased bomb-making materials. The case comes as prosecutors filed a new indictment adding four counts. Cole's trial is scheduled to begin Feb. 16.

Georgia's state election board on Thursday did not vote on a GOP-backed proposal to address a software flaw in the state's voting equipment that could allow voters to be matched to their cast ballots. Two Republican board members criticized the plan, which was submitted by the Georgia Republican Party and the RNC and would have required county officials to collect and shuffle ballots at polling sites before casting. Critics warned the change could burden poll workers, risk ballots going uncounted, and arrive too close to the Oct. 13 start of early voting.

The underlying flaw, discovered by researchers in 2022, does not allow vote tampering but could expose how individuals voted, raising ballot-secrecy and coercion concerns. Republican board members separately urged the secretary of state to update voting software with help from the Trump administration, a move the board's lone Democrat opposed as too close to the midterms. Georgia remains a key presidential battleground with a closely watched Senate race.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 1905, which restricts law enforcement from using "Perkins operations" against most people under age 26 who allegedly committed a crime at 17 or younger. These undercover stings place agents posing as incarcerated people in jail cells with suspects to elicit incriminating statements, a tactic the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1990 does not count as custodial interrogation, leaving it exempt from prior protections for minors. The new law, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz, closes that gap, with exceptions when someone's life may be at risk. It takes effect January 1.

A CalMatters investigation found the practice widespread across several California counties, often involving false evidence ploys, recording devices, and paid operatives who posed as violent gang members. Ten related cases challenging convictions are pending before the California Supreme Court. Defense attorneys and some lawmakers argue the tactic is coercive and risks false confessions, disproportionately affecting Black and Latino defendants, while law enforcement groups, including the California State Sheriffs' Association, opposed the bill as a loss of investigative tools. The measure passed largely along party lines.

Tensions between Washington and Seoul have grown after President Trump publicly criticized South Korea for declining to send warships to the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran standoff, prompting his administration to scale back joint military exercises that have underpinned the decades-old alliance. Trump has said he would "remember" the perceived slight, while the State Department has sought to reassure Seoul the remarks were not meant to single Korea out.

Polling shows the fallout: trust in Trump among Koreans has fallen sharply since his return to office, a majority now hold an unfavorable view of the United States for the first time in two decades of surveys, and large majorities oppose his tariffs and Iran policy. Critics note Korea has funded U.S. troop presence under cost-sharing deals since 1991 and pledged roughly $350 billion in investment under a recent tariff agreement. Despite the friction, most Koreans still call the U.S. their most important ally, underscoring a gap between public frustration with Trump personally and continued support for the alliance itself.

Arizona State University researchers are developing methods to reuse wastewater in semiconductor manufacturing, a process that demands large volumes of high-purity water. The effort comes as Arizona's chip industry expands rapidly even as the state confronts long-term water scarcity, putting pressure on researchers and manufacturers to find ways to stretch limited supplies.

The initiative was highlighted in an Arizona Central morning briefing alongside other state news, including backlash against a state senator over comments on the 9/11 anniversary, a labor dispute at Banner Health over a unionization vote, new state laws on lab-grown meat and drones, and reports of bears wandering into Navajo communities. The water-reuse research underscores a broader challenge facing semiconductor hubs in arid regions, where sustaining industrial growth increasingly depends on innovations in resource efficiency rather than sheer supply.