Florida man Jimmy Wayne Hammonds, known as “The Monkey Whisperer,” was charged Wednesday for allegedly trafficking primates across the United States.

Hammonds allegedly trafficked a capuchin monkey from Florida to California in September 2017. The person who received the monkey was not legally allowed to have it, according to the indictment that United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez unsealed Wednesday.

The monkey arrived at the person’s house in California around Oct. 11, 2017, where it stayed until law enforcement seized it in January 2018, according to the indictment. 

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The monkey was also transported through individuals who were also not legally allowed to have possession of a primate. Hammonds is being charged with conspiracy, trafficking, submitting a false record in violation of the Lacey Act, violations of the Endangered Species Act and witness tampering.

Hammonds owned an LLC called “The Monkey Whisperer” where he bred and sold wildlife. Hammonds also illegally sold cotton-top tamarins to people in Alabama, South Carolina and Wisconsin. Cotton-top tamarins are an endangered species. 

Hammonds allegedly told a witness in August 2020 to lie to authorities and submitted false records to a law enforcement officer in order to get away with his illegal monkey smuggling. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife were the ones involved in investigating this case. 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezOcasio-Cortez: Facebook, Zuckerberg ‘bear partial responsibility’ for insurrection Belfast’s Troubles echo in today’s Washington AOC’s Ministry of Truth MORE (D-N.Y.) on Friday condemned Facebook as well as co-founder and CEO Mark ZuckerbergMark Elliot ZuckerbergOcasio-Cortez: Facebook, Zuckerberg ‘bear partial responsibility’ for insurrection ‘Nationalize’ Facebook and Twitter as public goods Amazon cites death threats in push to keep Parler offline MORE for misinformation posted on the platform, arguing that both Zuckerberg and his company “bear partial responsibility” for the deadly Jan. 6 pro-Trump riot at the Capitol. 

In her monthly livestream town hall for constituents, the progressive congresswoman said that while Facebook is “trying to do as much damage control as possible” following the mob attack by removing accounts posting false information about the 2020 election, which served as the basis for the violent demonstration, Ocasio-Cortez said the effects of online misinformation were “coming for a long time.” 

“I believe that this is directly connected to the complete lack of accountability that monopolies like Facebook have to democracy,” the New York representative said in the virtual event, adding that the social media giant “knew” there was misinformation on its platform and “allowed it” anyway. 

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Ocasio-Cortez then referenced a viral moment in an October 2019 congressional hearing when she questioned Zuckerberg on the potential for widespread misinformation in political ads, with the congresswoman on Friday saying that this should have prompted the Facebook head to take action ahead of the 2020 election. 

“Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook bear partial responsibility for Wednesday’s events. Period,” she argued. “We knew this was a problem. We knew this so far out that, pre-COVID, I asked him specifically about election disinformation and its ties on Facebook to white supremacist organizations and the ties that Facebook’s fact-checking organizations have to other white supremacist outlets so that they could avoid being flagged and taken down.

“There’s a very clear link here,” the congresswoman added. 

Following the violent mob, Facebook announced an indefinite suspension of President TrumpDonald TrumpFacebook temporarily bans ads for weapons accessories following Capitol riots Sasse, in fiery op-ed, says QAnon is destroying GOP Section 230 worked after the insurrection, but not before: How to regulate social media MORE’s account at least until President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenMissouri woman seen with Pelosi sign charged in connection with Capitol riots Facebook temporarily bans ads for weapons accessories following Capitol riots Sasse, in fiery op-ed, says QAnon is destroying GOP MORE’s inauguration to limit the possibility of the further spread of Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of a “stolen” election.

Facebook on Friday announced that it is no longer allowing people to create new events near the White House, the Capitol or state Capitols until after the inauguration, with the FBI warning of possible future violence amid the presidential transition. 

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This came after Facebook said Monday it would take down content containing the phrase “Stop the Steal” under its Coordinating Harm policy after the deadly riot at the Capitol last week. The phrase had been used to promote debunked claims about widespread election fraud, which were boosted by Trump and other Republican lawmakers ahead of the insurrection. 

However, an analysis released Thursday by nonprofit advocacy group Avaaz found that 90 groups on Facebook promoting debunked election claims remained on the platform as of Wednesday. 

Ocasio-Cortez has repeatedly called on social media platforms to take action in preventing the spread of false information online and on Tuesday said in an Instagram Live Q&A that she was exploring media literacy initiatives in the wake of the Capitol mob attack. 

“We’re going to have to figure out how we rein in our media environment so that you can’t just spew disinformation and misinformation,” she said in the video. “It’s one thing to have differing opinions, but it’s another thing entirely to just say things that are false.”

Opposition leader Alexei Navalny plans to return to Russia on Sunday despite his alleged poisoning by Kremlin officials and warnings that he will be subject to arrest after arriving in Moscow.

Navalny said Wednesday that he will fly to Moscow from Berlin, according to The Associated Press. The Kremlin has said Navalny will face immediate arrest upon return for violating the terms of an earlier conviction, which he has said was political in nature.

Russia’s Federal Penitentiary Service said last week it had issued an arrest warrant after Navalny did not report to its office and that it is “obliged to take all the necessary action to detain Navalny pending the court’s ruling.”

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The opposition leader is set to land at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow, to the AP noted. While crowds of his supporters were expected to assemble in the terminal, airport officials have banned journalists, saying crowds would be a coronavirus hazard. The airport has increased security and parked numerous prisoner-transport vehicles outside.

Navalny became ill on a flight from Siberia in August, and was transferred to a Berlin hospital, where doctors diagnosed him as having been poisoned with Novichok, a Cold War-era nerve agent. Russian officials have denied poisoning him and have claimed there is no evidence he was poisoned.

Last month, Navalny released a recording of a phone call between himself and the leader of a Russian security agency toxins squad. In the call, the man, believing Navalny to be another Russian intelligence official, seemingly confirms the intelligence service targeted Navalny and says the poison was applied to the inseam of his underpants. The Kremlin has continued to deny culpability since the release of the recording, and a spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinNavalny ally jailed in Moscow on extremism charges Biden selects Wendy Sherman for No. 2 State Department post Bill Burns knows Russia inside out — and that will be critical to Biden MORE has suggested Navalny suffers from a persecution complex.

A national lawyers group on Thursday filed an ethics complaint against Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiLawyers group calls for Giuliani’s suspension from law practice, ethics probe Would Trump have gotten away with a self-pardon? History will never know Trump grants clemency to more than 100 people, including Bannon MORE that asked a New York court panel to suspend the Trump ally’s law license and undertake a review of his role in promoting false election fraud claims that some argue fueled the insurrection at the Capitol.

The 18-page ethics complaint from the non-partisan group Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD) alleges that Giuliani’s conduct on behalf of former President TrumpDonald TrumpIran’s leader vows ‘revenge,’ posting an image resembling Trump Former Sanders spokesperson: Biden ‘backing away’ from ‘populist offerings’ Justice Dept. to probe sudden departure of US attorney in Atlanta after Trump criticism MORE crossed “ethical boundaries” that separate zealous legal advocacy from attorney misconduct.

“Mr. Giuliani personally advanced and argued claims in court that were frivolous and had no reasonable purpose other than to fuel the extrajudicial campaign of falsehoods,” the petition states.

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The complaint urges the grievance committee of the New York courts to suspend Giuliani from practicing law while it investigates further.

Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Giuliani was the most prominent lawyer leading Trump’s failed effort to overturn President Biden’s election victory. Both Trump and his allies falsely alleged that the election results were subject to rampant voter fraud.

The former New York City mayor also appeared at a Jan. 6 pro-Trump rally during which he called on Trump’s supporters to engage in “trial by combat.” Following his remarks, some of the supporters marched to the Capitol and breached its security, interrupting Congress’s certification of Biden’s win. The violent event left five dead. 

Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University and an ethics expert, told LDAD that Giuliani’s post-election conduct warrants investigation.

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“In his extensive court filings and public statements baselessly challenging the legitimacy of the election, and by urging ‘trial by combat’ to impede the operation of the Constitution and laws of the United States, Rudolph Giuliani has behaved disgracefully,” he told the group. 

Pro-Trump lawyers Sidney Powell and Lin Wood have also been accused separately of pressing lawsuits containing unreliable assertions, flimsy claims and even outright lies, in violation of their obligations as officers of the court.

As a result of these post-election efforts, a growing number of judges and bar associations may soon be tasked with sorting out whether the conduct amounted to hard-fought advocacy or crossed an ethical line.

President-elect Joe BidenJoe BidenAzar in departure letter says Capitol riot threatens to ‘tarnish’ administration’s accomplishments House Democrats introduce measures to oppose Trump’s bomb sale to Saudis On The Money: Retail sales drop in latest sign of weakening economy | Fast-food workers strike for minimum wage | US officials raise concerns over Mexico’s handling of energy permits MORE on Saturday formally announced longtime diplomat Wendy Sherman as his pick to serve as the No. 2 official at the State Department, putting forward another top Obama-era official for a key role in his incoming administration.

Sherman served as the under secretary of State for political affairs, the fourth-highest post at the State Department, during the Obama administration and was the lead U.S. negotiator on the nuclear deal with Iran. She also previously had stints as a counselor at the State Department and assistant secretary of State for legislative affairs. 

She is currently the director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and a senior counselor at the Albright Stonebridge Group.

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Biden also announced that Victoria Nuland will be nominated for the role of under secretary of State for political affairs. She previously served as assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs in the Obama administration.

Nuland set off a diplomatic row in 2014 when a recording of her conversation with Geoffrey Pyatt, then the U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, was leaked. Nuland was heard profanely panning the European Union and discussing her partiality to working with the United Nations, remarks that earned her a rebuke from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. 

Republicans might also raise roadblocks to Nuland’s nomination over her work crafting talking points for the Obama administration’s response to the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya during her time as a State Department spokesperson. However, she was still confirmed as an assistant secretary in 2013.

Sherman and Nuland have both been vocal critics of President TrumpDonald TrumpCIA chief threatened to resign over push to install Trump loyalist as deputy: report Azar in departure letter says Capitol riot threatens to ‘tarnish’ administration’s accomplishments Justice Dept. argues Trump should get immunity from rape accuser’s lawsuit MORE since they left government, particularly over policies they said were intended to appease Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinBill Burns knows Russia inside out — and that will be critical to Biden The Hill’s Morning Report – Trump impeached again; now what? Overnight Defense: Trump impeached for second time | National Guard at Capitol now armed, swelling to 20K troops for inauguration | Alabama chosen for Space Command home MORE.

Besides Sherman and Nuland, Biden is tapping Brian McKeon to serve as deputy secretary for management and budget, Bonnie Jenkins to serve as under secretary for arms control and international security affairs, and Uzra Zeya to serve as under secretary for civilian security, democracy, and human rights. All also had roles during the Obama administration.

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“This diverse and accomplished team… embodies my core belief that America is strongest when it works with our allies. Collectively, they have secured some of the most defining national security and diplomatic achievements in recent memory — and I am confident that they will use their diplomatic experience and skill to restore America’s global and moral leadership. America is back,” Biden said in a statement.

“To meet this moment, we need a Department of State that looks like America, led by diverse women and men who will be unafraid to challenge the status quo. That is this team,” added Secretary of State-designate Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenOvernight Defense: Agency watchdogs probing response to Capitol riots | 25,000 guardsmen now approved for inauguration security | Troops levels in Afghanistan, Iraq hit 2,500 Biden nominates Samantha Power to lead USAID State Department cancels travel amid transition efforts MORE. “These passionate, energetic, deeply experienced nominees will help keep our people and our country safe, secure, and prosperous.”

Biden has leaned heavily on Obama-era officials to fill out his administration, particularly his national security and diplomacy teams. 

The scheduling of Senate confirmation hearings for Biden’s nominees is still up in the air given uncertainty over the timing of the upper chamber’s impeachment trial.

The House voted this week to impeach Trump for a second time over his role inciting last week’s mob that stormed the Capitol, though it is still unclear when Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiDemocrats point fingers on whether Capitol rioters had inside help Pelosi suggests criminal charges for any lawmaker who helped with Capitol riot Pelosi mum on when House will send impeachment article to Senate MORE (D-Calif.) will send over the article of impeachment for a trial.

State and local governments face a $225 billion shortfall for the coming fiscal year, according to a study from the left-leaning Center for Budget and Policy priorities.

The study estimated that the governments’ revenues, which had in recent months come in higher than expected, were still 7.8 percent below pre-coronavirus estimates.

Once federal aid was taken into account, states, localities, tribal nations and territories were left about $300 billion short of revenues. States still have an estimated $75 billion in rainy day funds that could be used to plug some of those holes.

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President Biden has requested $350 billion in state and local aid as part of his $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, a figure that is likely to be pared back in negotiations with Republicans.

Other relief efforts and proposals have sought to address some of the additional costs states face, such as education costs, funding related to the coronavirus and various public health measures.

The study noted that shortfalls among state and local governments had already contributed to 1.4 million jobs lost since the pandemic took hold, including 177,000 in the fourth quarter alone.

“Congress should act quickly to provide it or risk more public-sector layoffs and cuts in services for families and businesses as states balance their budgets,” the report said.

The Senate will consider President Biden’s nomination of former Michigan Gov. Jennifer GranholmJennifer GranholmOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden EPA asks DOJ to hit pause on defense of Trump-era rules | Company appeals rejection of controversial Pebble Mine | Nomination hearing for Biden Energy pick Granholm set for Wednesday Nomination hearing for Biden Energy pick Granholm set for Wednesday Record number of women to serve in Biden Cabinet MORE (D) to lead the Energy Department on Wednesday. 

Granholm will face questions from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which is led by Democrat Joe ManchinJoseph (Joe) ManchinOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden EPA asks Justice Dept. to pause defense of Trump-era rules | Company appeals rejection of Pebble Mine | Energy pick Granholm to get hearing Wednesday Nomination hearing for Biden Energy pick Granholm set for Wednesday Bipartisan Senate gang to talk with Biden aide on coronavirus relief MORE (W.Va.) and Republican John BarrassoJohn Anthony BarrassoOVERNIGHT ENERGY: Biden EPA asks Justice Dept. to pause defense of Trump-era rules | Company appeals rejection of Pebble Mine | Energy pick Granholm to get hearing Wednesday Nomination hearing for Biden Energy pick Granholm set for Wednesday Trump impeachment article being sent to Senate Monday MORE (Wyo.), though it’s unclear how many senators will be joining the hearing in person amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Biden announced last month that he was nominating Granholm to the position, which oversees a broad portfolio ranging from energy production to national security. He emphasized her experience on clean energy and jobs, particularly as governor during the Great Recession. 

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“Throughout her career, she’s worked with states, cities, business and labor to promote [a] clean energy future,” Biden said in December. “Now I’m asking her to bring that vision and faith in America to the Department of Energy.”

Since her nomination, Granholm stressed the economic opportunity in fighting climate change, echoing similar statements from Biden.

“Every country is going to be buying solar panels and they’re going to be buying wind turbines and they’re going to be buying electric vehicles and the batteries and they’re going to upgrade their electric grids,” she said in December. 

“We could be producing that material, those products here in the United States, and stamping the Made in America and exporting them around the country. We need to be the leader, rather than passive bystanders or otherwise we’re going to allow other countries like China and others who are fighting to be able to corner this market,” she added.

In recent days, Granholm has faced some scrutiny over her position on the board of directors of and stock options in an electric vehicle technology manufacturer.  

She said in an ethics filing that upon confirmation, she will resign from the board and will divest from or forfeit her stock options. 

COVID-19 has appeared to have reached every county in the United States throughout the course of 2020, according to an analysis from the Wall Street Journal released on Friday.

The last known county impacted by the virus was an isolated Hawaii enclave that was established more than a century ago for patients with leprosy, now known as Hansen’s disease.

In early December, Hawaii health officials reported the first and only known positive case of COVID-19 in an adult resident of the Kalaupapa Settlement in Kalawao County on the island of Moloka‘i.

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The resident tested positive after returning on a local flight, ending the county’s run as a virus-free location. However, the individual and all recent close contacts immediately went into self-isolation and no one reported any symptoms.

“The individual who tested positive did the right thing in notifying us of the positive test result,” said Ken Seamon, the state’s health administrator for the settlement. “We believe we can contain the virus here without a stay-at-home order for the entire settlement.”

Kalaupapa Settlement was established in 1865 as a location where anyone with Hansen’s disease could move if they had been forced into exile for life, according to the National Parks Service.

The peninsula was chosen for being remote and fairly inaccessible, surrounded by cliffs to the south and ocean to the east, north and west.

Medications to cure Hansen’s disease were introduced into Hawaii in 1946, vastly improving the quality of life for patients with the disease. The century-old policy of forced quarantine was eventually abolished in Hawaii in 1969, however many former patients living in Kalaupapa have chosen to remain there.

Today, less than 100 residents live in Kalawao County including 12 survivors, health workers and employees for the National Park Service.

Residents must take a rare plane, hike down 1,600-foot cliffs or take a three-mile trek by mule to reach the single town. The Wall Street Journal reported that the settlement relies on yearly barge visits for vital supplies.

From ROHWrestling.com:

“ROH on HDNet” makes its move to Monday nights starting TONIGHT at 8pm! For over 15 years, Monday night has been considered THE night for pro wrestling, but unfortunately the wrestling is something that’s been lacking for quite some time now. But starting August 17th, at 8pm, Ring of Honor brings the wrestling back! Here’s a look at the card featured on this edition of “ROH on HDNet”:

– Former ROH World Champion Nigel McGuinness vs. Tyler Black:
The former World Champion looking to get back in the hunt faces off with one of the toughest challengers of his title reign. The outcome of this battle will go a long way towards shaping the future of the ROH World Title picture

– Sami Callihan vs. The Necro Butcher:
The young Calahan is looking to cement himself as a player in ROH, but has ran into the brick wall called The Necro Butcher. Can Sami overcome The King of The Deathmatch, or will he end up yet another body on Necro’s pile?

– Cheech and Cloudy vs. Sal Rinauro and Tony Kozina:
Two tag teams are looking to work themselves in the title picture alongside The Briscoes, Steen & Generico, and King & Titus. Which ever team manages to pick up the win here will began their climb up the ranks of ROH’s stacked tag team division.

– Eddie Edwards vs. Kevin Steen
This feud has been raging for months, and was only intensified by the brawl that capped off the Richards/Generico battle on 8/8. Can Steen get a measure of revenge for his team, or will Edwards leave his opponent a broken man?

Monday night wrestling is back starting tonight at 8pm on HDNet, and if you don’t get HDNet, contact your local provider and tell them you want your “ROH on HDNet”!

** HUGE List Of Celebrities Contacted By WWE To Host Raw (Some Weird & Shocking Names)