News briefs

Tribune News Service on Mar 17, 2025

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Trump declares Biden pardons of Jan. 6 panel to be invalid

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump claimed without evidence early Monday that pardons granted by then-President Joe Biden to lawmakers on the disbanded select House committee that investigated the 2021 Capitol riot were invalid because he used an automatic pen.

“The ‘Pardons’ that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen,” Trump posted on Truth Social early Monday. “In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more importantly, he did not know anything about them!”

It’s unclear if Trump’s proclamation will be acted upon. Members of the House Jan. 6 select committee — who were targeted by Trump in the past with threats of prosecution — have not been charged with violating any committee-related crime.

But it could set the stage for a high-profile legal fight over executive power, if Trump’s assertion is used as a basis to pursue criminal charges.

—CQ-Roll Call

Gene Hackman’s wife called doctor before death, changing timeline

The timeline for the deaths of actor Gene Hackman and wife Betsy Arakawa has been changed after a doctor revealed Arakawa called them after the time of death investigators previously estimated.

The Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Arakawa called a concierge doctor service on Feb. 12, a day after officials thought she had originally died from hantavirus, a serious illness transmitted from rodents to humans. She was last seen the day before getting a prescription from a pharmacy and wearing a mask.

“That would indicate to me that she was seeking medical advice or medical help and may have not been feeling well,” Santa Fe Sheriff Adan Mendoza said during Monday’s episode of “Good Morning America.”

Cloudberry, the concierge service, confirmed the call with ABC News. Arakawa asked about what the service described as an “esoteric treatment” without elaborating on the nature of treatment she sought. Arakawa did not call back after Cloudberry made several attempts to get back in touch with her. She displayed no signs of difficulty breathing or distress during the initial call.

—New York Daily News

Texas bill would ban ‘furry subculture’ from public schools

A bill in Texas would ban “furry subculture“ from Texas public schools. Under the Forbidden Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education, or FURRIES Act, students would be forbidden from barking, hissing, meowing, wearing leashes, fur or tails at school. They would also not be permitted to use litter boxes or use licking as a means of grooming.

Republican state Rep. Stan Gerdes of Smithville, who filed the bill last week, said he wants to keep furries — people who have an interest in animal characters with human characteristics — out of public schools.

Previous rumors of furries culture in Texas public schools have been debunked. However, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott referenced the bill last week when talking with a group of pastors in Austin about the need for private school vouchers.

Gerdes called furry subculture “unhealthy role playing” and “radical.” The bill makes exceptions for mascots, school plays and Halloween. “No distractions. No theatrics. Just education,” Gerdes wrote on social media.

—The Dallas Morning News

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney tries to pull France, UK closer with more tariffs coming from Trump

Mark Carney used his first international trip as Canada’s prime minister to pitch a closer alliance with European allies as the country aims to reduce its dependence on an increasingly antagonistic U.S.

Standing beside French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Carney said Canada must deepen its trade and security ties with the democratic nations of Europe.

“I want to ensure that France and the whole of Europe works enthusiastically with Canada, the most European of non-European countries,” he said.

Carney, who was sworn in as prime minister on Friday, added that Canada remains “resolutely North American,” and will seek to “maintain the most positive relations possible with the United States.”

—Bloomberg News