The post Traditional Publishing Isn’t Dead appeared first on The Santa Barbara Independent.

By Hannah Rabinowitz, Paula Reid, Kara Scannell, CNN

(CNN) — The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who accused President Donald Trump of sexual assault, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

The investigation is focused on whether Carroll committed perjury in testimony tied to her two civil lawsuits against the president – one alleging he sexually abused Carroll in a New York department store in the mid-1990s, and a second for defaming her when in 2019 he repeatedly denied the assault, said she wasn’t his type and claimed she made it up to boost sales of a book.

Prosecutors’ theory hinges on a 2022 deposition statement by Carroll, 82, that she received no outside funding for her lawsuit, though it was later revealed that billionaire Reid Hoffman had paid some legal fees and expenses.

Carroll’s team declined to comment for this story. Attempts to reach Hoffman on Wednesday were unsuccessful.

“We can confirm that no U.S. Attorney’s Office has declined to investigate any case relating to the subject matter of CNN’s inquiry,” a Justice Department spokesperson told CNN. “We will not comment beyond that.”

The probe is the latest move in the department’s ceaseless, and somewhat strained, efforts to meet Trump’s demands to target his long-standing personal foes.

Under acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, the department has pushed to speed up Trump’s campaign of retribution. But the cases he’s brought since taking the reins of the department in April have been heavily criticized and are likely to face challenges in court over allegations of politicization.

But Blanche has been recused from this matter because he worked as one of Trump’s personal attorneys on the Carroll appeals, according to a source familiar with the matter. Blanche has not attended meetings or been involved in discussions about the investigations, and the investigation is being overseen by other officials in the deputy attorney general’s office.

Senior leaders at the Justice Department referred the investigation to federal prosecutors in Chicago, according to two sources familiar with the matter. While Carroll’s deposition took place in New York, one of the individuals who helped cover some of Carroll’s legal fees, Hoffman, has a nonprofit based in Chicago.

Hoffman’s support of the case caught Trump’s attorneys off guard when it came to light on the eve of trial.

In a 2022 videotaped deposition, Carroll told then-Trump attorney Alina Habba that no one else was paying for her legal fees. But two weeks before the trial Carroll’s attorneys informed the judge and Trump’s lawyers that they secured funding from Hoffman’s nonprofit.

Carroll’s lawyers said she never met nor had conversations with anyone associated with the nonprofit. Habba said in court at the time that Carroll’s team “conspired to conceal the truth for nearly six months.”

The judge permitted Trump’s attorneys to question Carroll again in a deposition, which has not been made public.

When the trial began two weeks later Judge Lewis Kaplan said he saw no issue with Carroll’s credibility and blocked the lawyers from asking about Hoffman’s funding.

Caroll is still embroiled in multiple legal battles with the president. Juries awarded Carroll millions of dollars in damages, which the president is appealing. Trump has appealed the $5 million sexual abuse case judgement to the Supreme Co

Por CNN Español

Los ciudadanos ya pueden consultar si fueron designados como jurados de votación para las elecciones presidenciales del 31 de mayo en Colombia, que definirán el período 2026-2030.

La Registraduría Nacional habilitó la plataforma para verificar esta información de manera rápida y gratuita.

Quienes deseen consultar si fueron designados como jurados de votación para las elecciones presidenciales deben seguir estos pasos:

1. Ingresa al sitio web oficial de la Registraduría para jurados de votación.
2. Da clic en el botón “Consultar aquí”.
3. Se abrirá una nueva página en la que deberás ingresar tu número de cédula de ciudadanía, sin puntos.
4. Presiona el botón “Consultar”.

Luego de completar el proceso, el sistema te indicará si fuiste seleccionado como jurado de votación.

Sí. En Colombia, ser jurado de votación es una función obligatoria. Las personas designadas deben asistir y cumplir las funciones asignadas durante la jornada electoral.

Quienes no se presenten sin una justa causa o abandonen sus tareas podrían enfrentar sanciones establecidas por la ley. Según la Registraduría, las personas que sean servidores públicos podrían enfrentar la destitución del cargo, mientras que quienes no lo sean podrían recibir multas de hasta 10 salarios mínimos legales mensuales vigentes.

Los jurados de votación también reciben beneficios por prestar este servicio, como un día de descanso compensatorio remunerado dentro de los 45 días siguientes a las elecciones.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

The post ¿Cómo saber si soy jurado de votación para las elecciones presidenciales de Colombia de 2026? appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif.—After years sitting in evidence storage, thousands of sexual assault kits in Ventura County are now being re-examined using advanced DNA technology — leading to new investigative leads and renewed hope for survivors.

The Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, known as VCSAKI, has tested more than 2,000 sexual assault kits so far through a collaboration between the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office and the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office Forensic Services Bureau.

Emily Reber, a senior deputy district attorney involved in the initiative, said many of the cases are deeply disturbing and emotionally difficult to revisit.

“Sometimes these cases are some of the most horrible cases I've ever read,” Reber said.

Investigators say DNA evidence collected from the kits has generated hundreds of leads through the national Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS database.

So far, officials say 125 cases have been closed, and 21 victims were notified that their cases had been solved because of advances in DNA testing technology.

Reber said one of the most meaningful parts of the work is being able to reconnect with victims years — and sometimes decades — later.

“It’s extremely rewarding to be able to go and meet with a victim and tell them, after 20 years, sometimes older than I am, that we've been able to solve this case,” Reber said.

However, authorities say those conversations can also reopen painful trauma for survivors.

“These conversations, they can be very challenging because victims kind of suppress this information and it kind of catches them off guard,” Reber said. “And they're completely, at times, retraumatized.”

Victim advocates play a major role in helping survivors navigate the process.

Destiny Sao, a victim advocate working with survivors connected to the initiative, said many experience a mix of emotions when they are contacted about developments in their cases.

“The most common emotions that the survivors experience are anger, frustration, anxiety, and sometimes relief,” Sao said. “They express their anger that comes from the lack of resources and the time that it had taken to test their kits. And then they feel relief. They finally feel that somebody is there to believe them and support them throughout this process.”

Officials say prosecutions are not always possible because of statutes of limitations and other legal barriers, but the initiative continues to provide answers and support for survivors.

More than 800 sexual assault kits in Ventura County still need to be tested using advanced forensic methods.

The post Ventura County Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Tests More Than 2,000 Kits, Revives Cold Cases appeared first on News Channel 3-12.

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Rain chances are up to 80 and 90 percent for Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo Thursday as steady showers will arrive in the morning.

Up to half an inch is possible north of Pt. Conception with much less rain expected for southern areas.

Showers are expected to linger into the afternoon and past 7pm Thursday night, not drying out until early Friday morning.

The sun will return quickly late Friday and stay for the weekend with a warmup.

Weak offshore winds may not be strong enough to clear the marine layer but high pressure will keep us summerlike into early June, upper 70s.

The post Rain Thursday: up to 90% chance, Santa Maria Rodeo forecast appeared first on News Channel 3-12.