The Nation in Brief – Arkansas Online

Accused ricin mailer appears in court

WASHINGTON -- A Canadian woman accused of mailing a package containing ricin to the White House included a threatening letter in which she told President Donald Trump to "give up and remove your application for this election," according to court papers filed Tuesday.

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Pascale Ferrier of Quebec was arrested Sunday at the U.S.-Canada border and made her first court appearance Tuesday afternoon in federal court in Buffalo, N.Y. She faces a charge of threatening the president.

The envelope containing the toxic substance and the threatening letter was addressed to the White House but was intercepted at a mail sorting facility Friday. The package, postmarked from Canada, included a letter in which she referred to Trump as "The Ugly Tyrant Clown," according to an FBI affidavit filed in the case.

"So I made a 'special gift' for you to make a decision. This gift is in this letter," she wrote, according to the affidavit. "If it doesn't work, I'll find better recipe for another poison, or I might use my gun when I'll be able to come. Enjoy! FREE REBEL SPIRIT."

Ferrier appeared in court briefly Tuesday, and U.S. Magistrate Judge H. Kenneth Schroeder Jr. entered an innocent plea on her behalf.

Darknet drug case leads to 179 arrests

WASHINGTON -- Law enforcement officials arrested 179 people and seized more than $6.5 million in a worldwide crackdown on opioid trafficking on the darknet, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday.

The operation, which mainly occurred in the U.S. and in Europe, comes more than a year after officials took down the "Wall Street Market," which was believed to be one of the largest illegal online marketplaces on the darknet.

The darknet is a part of the internet hosted within an encrypted network and accessible only through specialized anonymity-providing tools, most notably the Tor Browser.

As part of the initiative, law enforcement officials seized more than $6.5 million in cash and virtual currency, in addition to 500 kilograms of drugs, the Justice Department said. About 275 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, Ecstasy and other opioids, had been seized in the U.S.

The arrests include 121 made in the U.S., two in Canada, 42 in Germany, eight in the Netherlands, four in the United Kingdom, three in Australia and one in Sweden. The Justice Department said its investigation was ongoing, and investigators were still working to identify other individuals behind darknet accounts.

Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said the takedown showed "there will be no safe haven for drug dealing in cyberspace."

CDC issues guidance on holiday visits

New guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the coming holiday season warns that hosts and attendees at holiday celebrations will need to take steps to limit the risk of contracting and spreading the novel coronavirus.

Virtual gatherings or those that involve one's immediate household are low-risk, the agency said in a posting Monday. If people do gather in person for Christmas and other holidays, the CDC recommends doing so outdoors, keeping groups small, using measures like mask-wearing and social distancing, and considering local virus conditions as well as where attendees are coming from.

Traditional celebrations like Halloween trick-or-treating, large indoor Dia de los Muertos gatherings, crowded Thanksgiving parades and Black Friday shopping sprees could spread the virus and should be avoided, according to the guidance. The CDC recommends alternatives such as virtual Halloween costume contests, holding a small dinner for household members and shopping online.

City readies for Taylor findings unrest

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Officials in Kentucky's largest city were preparing Tuesday for more protests and possible unrest as the public nervously awaits the state attorney general's announcement about whether he will charge officers in Breonna Taylor's shooting death.

Photo bySouth Florida Sun-SentinelKyle Welp plays tuesday with his dog Ryder at the freshwater dog swim area of Snyder park in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (AP/south Florida sun-sentinel/Joe Cavaretta)

With timing of the announcement still uncertain, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer declared a state of emergency because of the potential for civil unrest, hours after police said they would restrict access in the city's downtown. The mayor and police said they were planning ahead of time to protect demonstrators, and the people who live and work there.

But some involved in protests seeking justice for Taylor questioned why the police were going to such "overkill" lengths when the city has been the site of peaceful protests for months.

Attorney General Daniel Cameron has declined to set a deadline for his decision. Earlier this month, he remarked that "an investigation, if done properly, cannot follow a certain timeline."

Interim Police Chief Robert Schroeder said officials from Cameron's office have promised to give authorities a heads-up.

-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports

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The Nation in Brief - Arkansas Online