Florida jurors deliberate about activists accused of helping Russia sow political division, chaos

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Florida jurors deliberate about activists accused of helping Russia sow political division, chaos

2024-09-11 07:27 Last Updated At：07:30

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jurors in Florida will deliberate Wednesday in the trial of four activists accused of illegally acting as Russian agents to help the Kremlin sow political discord and interfere in U.S. elections.

All four are or were affiliated with the African People’s Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement, which has locations in St. Petersburg, Florida, and St. Louis. Among those charged is Omali Yeshitela, the 82-year-old chairman of the U.S.-based organization focused on Black empowerment and the effort to obtain reparations for slavery and what it considers the past genocide of Africans.

The government also charged Penny Hess, 78, and Jesse Nevel, 34, two leaders of branches of the group’s white allies. A fourth defendant, Augustus C. Romain Jr., 38, was kicked out of the Uhurus in 2018 and established his own group in Atlanta called The Black Hammer.

Attorneys finished their closing arguments late Tuesday, and jurors told the judge they wanted to go home for the night, the Tampa Bay Times reported. The trial had been scheduled to last a month but moved quickly, concluding after a week of testimony.

“The defendants knowingly partnered with the Russian government,” prosecutor Menno Goedman told the jury in closing arguments. “Just look at their own words.”

But the defense argued that Yeshitela was only guessing and was not sure.

Chicago attorney Leonard Goodman, who represents Hess, argued that Aleksandr Ionov, who runs an organization known as the Anti-Globalization Movement of Russia, concealed from the Uhurus his relationship with Russian intelligence.

The government has “not proven that they knew Ionov was a Russian agent or a Russian government official,” Goodman said.

The defense attorney called the case “dangerous” for the First Amendment and asserted that the government was trying to silence the Uhurus for expressing their views.

Yeshitela, Hess and Nevel each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and failing to register with the Justice Department as agents of a foreign government. Romain faces up to five years for a registration charge. They have all pleaded not guilty.

Three Russians, two of whom prosecutors say are Russian intelligence agents, are also charged in the case but have not been arrested.

Although there are some echoes of claims that Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, U.S. District Judge William Jung has said those issues are not part of this case.

Prosecutors have said the group's members acted under Russian direction to stage protests in 2016 claiming Black people have been victims of genocide in the U.S. and took other actions for the following six years that would benefit Russia, including opposition to U.S. policy in the Ukraine war.

The defense attorneys, however, have said that despite their connections to the Russian organization, the actions taken by the African People's Socialist Party and Uhuru Movement were aligned precisely with what they have advocated for more than 50 years. Yeshitela founded the organization in 1972 as a Black empowerment group opposed to vestiges of colonialism around the world.

Japan celebrates record Emmy wins for 'Shogun'

2024-09-17 09:05 Last Updated At：09:12

TOKYO (AP) — Japan erupted with joy Monday as the samurai series “Shogun” won a record 18 Emmys for its first season.

It took home prizes including Outstanding Drama Series, as star and co-producer Hiroyuki Sanada became the first Japanese actor to win the Emmy for best lead actor in a dramatic series. Co-star Anna Sawai won best actress in a dramatic series, also a first for Japan.

“You did it. You did it. Congratulations,” Takashi Yamazaki, director of ” Godzilla Minus One,” wrote on social media.

People followed the awards live as the wins made national headlines. Entertainment media Oricon proudly reported that a work whose spoken lines were mostly in the Japanese language “made Emmy history.”

“The grand scale of Hollywood combined with the high quality of the production, including costuming, props and mannerisms; the collaboration between the Japanese professional team, headed by producer Sanada, and the local production team; as well as the acting that delivered a strong sense of reality, all came together,” the report said.

Actor Kento Kaku, who starred in the 2024 series "Like a Dragon: Yakuza,” said he was feeling inspired to pursue Hollywood dreams.

“After seeing how cool that was, who’s not going to want to take up the challenge,” he wrote on X.

Actress Tomoko Mariya said she broke into tears the moment Sanada’s win was announced.

“What hardships you must have endured, choosing to leave your entire career behind in Japan and going to America alone. But it has borne fruit,” she wrote, referring to Sanada’s move to Los Angeles 20 years ago.

The accolades for “Shogun” reflect not only the growing diversity in American entertainment, but also the legacy of Japan's “jidaigeki” samurai films, which have influenced directors worldwide.

The first Asian actor to win the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series was Lee Jung-jae, for the hit 2022 Korean series “Squid Game.”

Sanada is one of a handful of Japanese actors to land major Hollywood roles, including “The Last Samurai,” released in 2003, and “The 47 Ronin,” starring Keanu Reeves in 2013.

The role Sanada plays in “Shogun” was first portrayed by Toshiro Mifune in the 1980s.

Sanada, who also starred in Yoji Yamada ’s 2002 “Twilight Samurai,” alluded to those who went before him in his acceptance speech.

“I thank all those who supported and kept the legacy of jidaigeki alive,” he said in his speech in Japanese, clutching his trophy.

“The passion and dreams we inherited traveled across the seas and crossed borders.”

Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://x.com/yurikageyama

Florida jurors deliberate about activists accused of helping Russia sow political division, chaos

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Florida jurors deliberate about activists accused of helping Russia sow political division, chaos

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