Judge cancels court deadlines in election interference case

WASHINGTON >> The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case canceled any remaining court deadlines Friday while prosecutors assess the “the appropriate course going forward” in light of the Republican’s presidential victory.

Special Counsel Jack Smith charged Trump last year with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and illegally hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate. But Smith’s team has been evaluating how to wind down the two federal cases before the president-elect takes office because of a longstanding Justice Department policy that says sitting presidents cannot be prosecuted, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.

Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris means that the Justice Department believes he can no longer face prosecution in accordance with department legal opinions meant to shield presidents from criminal charges while in office.

Trump has criticized both cases as politically motivated and has said he would fire Smith “within two seconds” of taking office.

Spanish phone company subsidiary to pay $85M to resolve U.S. probe

WASHINGTON>> A Venezuelan subsidiary of a Spanish phone company will pay more than $85 million to resolve a U.S. Justice Department investigation into a scheme to bribe Venezuelan government officials, the department said Friday.

Telefónica Venezolana, a subsidiary of Telefónica S.A., bribed Venezuelan officials to participate in an auction that allowed it to get U.S. dollars in exchange for Venezuelan bolivars, Justice Department officials said.

Telefónica Venezolana bought equipment at inflated prices from suppliers, who then paid the bribes on its behalf in an attempt to hide the illegal scheme, prosecutors said.

The subsidiary is charged in U.S. federal court with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act but will avoid prosecution under an agreement with the Justice Department if it follows certain conditions.

Pompeii archaeological park sets visitors’ limit to combat over-tourism

ROME>> The Pompeii archaeological park plans to limit visitor numbers to 20,000 a day and introduce personalized tickets starting next week in a bid to cope with over-tourism and protect the world heritage site, officials said Friday.

The move comes after what authorities called a record summer in which more than 4 million people visited the world-famous remains of the ancient Roman city, buried under ash and rock after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

The park’s director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, said visitors to the main archaeological site now exceed an average of 15,000 to 20,000 every day, and the new daily cap will prevent the numbers from surging further.

Elwood Edwards, voice of AOL’s “You’ve got mail” greeting, dies at 74

Elwood Edwards, who voiced America Online’s ever-present “You’ve got mail” greeting, has died. He was 74.

He died Tuesday at his home in New Bern, N.C., said his daughter Heather Edwards. The cause was complications from a stroke late last year, she said. Edwards taped his AOL greeting in 1989 into a recorder while sitting in the living room of his home. “You’ve got mail” became a pop culture catchphrase in the late 1990s and served as the title of a 1998 Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan film.

He was also the voice of AOL’s “Welcome,” “Goodbye” and “File’s done” messages. He made $200 from the recordings.

His second wife, Karen, was a customer service representative for the internet provider that later became known as AOL. She heard the company was looking for someone to be the voice of its software and suggested her husband.

— Denver Post wire services