DENVER (AP) — A woman has struck a plea deal to testify against her boss, a Colorado clerk who became a hero to election conspiracy theorists after she was charged with breaking into her county’s voting system.

Belinda Knisley, who has long been on administrative leave from her role as chief deputy to Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters, appeared in district court in Grand Junction on Thursday and pleaded guilty to misdemeanor counts of trespass, official misconduct and violation of duty. She was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation.

“You engaged in concrete acts to undermine the integrity of our democratic process under the guise of protecting it. In doing so, you abdicated your role as a clerk, you violated your oath and you betrayed your duty,” Judge Matthew Barrett told Knisley during the hearing.

Peters and Knisley were being prosecuted on allegations they allowed a copy of a hard drive to be made during an update of election equipment in May 2021.

WASHINGTON — Federal authorities have charged five members of a militia allegedly run by a former candidate for Congress for their alleged actions on Jan. 6.

A criminal complaint only names one of the five individuals, Brian Preller, who, according to court records, was arrested in Vermont in connection with the case. Four of the individuals face a felony count of civil disorder, while one faces two misdemeanors.

The individuals all refer to themselves as members of the “B Squad" and were associated with the Three Percent movement, authorities said in the criminal complaint. They wore “Guardians of Freedom” logos on Jan. 6.

The leader of the group is referred to as “B Leader” in court filings, but he is not charged

The Justice Department has issued a new grand jury subpoena to the National Archives for more documents as part of its investigation into the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol, two sources familiar with the investigation tell CNN.

This latest subpoena, issued on August 17, is in addition to a subpoena the Department of Justice sent to the Archives earlier this year, requesting the same documents and information that the Archives had previously handed over to the House select committee investigating January 6.

This new subpoena, which has not been previously reported, is understood to request additional documents and data from the Archives, pertaining to a period of time both before and after January 6.

Thomas Windom, an Assistant US Attorney, who is leading the criminal probe into the effort to impede the transfer of power after the 2020 election, including the potential role played by former President Donald Trump and allies to organize a group of fake electors who could keep Trump in power despite losing the election. The US Attorney’s Office declined to comment.

Alan Dershowitz, the lawyer who defended former President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, told Insider that most reputable law firms aren't letting their attorneys go anywhere near Trump as his legal issues snowball.

"All big firm lawyers have told me that their firms won't let them do it," Dershowitz said in an interview. "The firms won't let them go near any case involving Trump. These are firms that want to continue to have clients, and they know that if they represent Donald Trump, they'll lose a lot of clients."

Dershowitz spoke from experience.

After he represented Trump in his second Senate impeachment trial following the deadly January 6 Capitol riot, Dershowitz said he lost job opportunities and many of his speaking engagements.

"Everybody who has called me has shown reluctance to do it," he said. "They say their law firms won't let them do it. Their husbands or wives won't let them do it. Their children won't let them do it. Their friends won't let them do it even though they want to do it.

In Vietnam, Afghanistan and many other conflicts, the stronger power lost because it could not win, and the weaker power triumphed simply because it did not lose. So shall it be in Ukraine, where the same process is playing out rapidly.

In less than six months, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war of choice has had catastrophic consequences — for Russia itself. It has resulted in at least 60,000 Russian casualties, more than the total number of fatalities suffered during the 10-year Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. It has led to a long-term Russian loss of political influence and energy leverage in the West. It has helped resuscitate the NATO alliance, which just a few years ago seemed to be on its last legs. And it has inflicted severe, long-term damage on the Russian economy, effectively erasing all of the gains made since the Soviet Union’s collapse.

And what has Russia gotten for this? Only a few more slivers of land in Ukraine — land that the Kremlin may not be able to hold for very long.

Russia’s elites already know this. As the body bags, wounded and discharged soldiers return to Russia, the Russian people are beginning to comprehend it as well. All of which increases Putin’s domestic political vulnerability — and puts him under growing pressure to find some way to declare victory.

Vladimir Putin’s propagandists have once again threatened to attack Britain, this time warning of missile attacks on Tower Bridge and the use of nuclear weapons against British troops assisting Nato in Estonia.

The threats are the latest outpouring of ant-Western bile broadcast from state TV in Moscow as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to falter.

Senior MP Oleg Morozov claimed that Boris Johnson was plotting with Kyiv to explode Putin’s vanity project bridge which links the annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland.

Last week Ukrainian special forces destroyed an airbase in Crimea which sent shockwaves rippling through Putin’s top brass as many of them began to fear more retaliatory strikes from their neighbours.

RICHLAND HILLS, Texas (AP) — Police in suburban Fort Worth fatally shot a man who pointed a rifle at them, authorities said.

The shooting Friday in Richland Hills happened as two officers were investigating reports of gunshots along a city street. They found a man carrying a rifle about two blocks away, according to Richland Hills Officer Sheena McEachran.

“The suspect raised and pointed what has been identified as a semi-automatic rifle at the officers,” McEachran said. “Officers fired at the suspect,” who was pronounced dead at the scene.

It wasn’t yet known whether the man shot at the officers or how many times he was shot, McEachran said Saturday, saying that is part of the ongoing investigation.

BEIJING (AP) — China on Wednesday criticized a U.S. law to encourage processor chip production in the United States and reduce reliance on Asian suppliers as a threat to trade and an attack on Chinese business.

The law signed this week by President Joe Biden promises $52 billion in grants and other aid to investors in U.S. chip factories. It responds in part to warnings that supplies might be disrupted if China attacks Taiwan, which produces up to 90% of high-end chips. China's ruling Communist Party claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory.

The measure will “disrupt international trade and distort global semiconductor supply chains,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin. “China firmly opposes that.”

Parts of the law “restrict companies’ normal investment and economic and trade activities in China,” Wang said, without giving details.

A Chicago teenager died days after he and a group attempted to rob an armed 32-year-old woman on the city's South Side.

The incident occurred July 29 in the Woodlawn area around 8:00 p.m., according to a report.

At least four males attempted to break into the woman's parked car when she confronted the would-be robbers

One of the males whipped out a weapon and pointed it at the woman, the report noted.