Rudy Giuliani was found in contempt of court Friday for the second time in a week, as a federal judge warned him he could be sent to jail if he doesn’t stop spreading lies about two former Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgement against him.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington, D.C., found the former New York City mayor and onetime attorney for President-elect Donald Trump violated court orders barring him from defaming Wandrea “Shaye” Moss and her mother, Ruby Freeman. The judge ordered him to review trial testimony and other materials from the case, and warned him that future violations could land him behind bars.

Moss and Freeman sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation for falsely accusing them of committing election fraud in connection with the 2020 election. His lies upended their lives with racist threats and harassment.

Giuliani smiled and chuckled as the judge explained why she was holding him in contempt of court. Howell, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama, said it is “outrageous and shameful” for Giuliani to suggest that he is the one who has been treated unfairly in this case.

“This takes real chutzpah, Mr. Giuliani,” she said.

The judge didn’t fine Giuliani for his most recent defamatory comments about the case, but she said would impose daily fines of $200 if he doesn’t certify within 10 days that he has complied with her order to review trial testimony and other case-related material.

A jury sided with the Atlanta mother and daughter in December 2023 and awarded them $75 million in punitive damages plus roughly $73 million in other damages.

Exiting Wray issues call for FBI’s independence

The FBI must remain independent, above the partisan fray and “committed to upholding the rule of law,” outgoing Director Christopher Wray said in a farewell address just days before his expected retirement at the conclusion of the Biden administration following more than seven years on the job.

“No matter what’s happening out there,” Wray said, “in here, we’ve got to stay committed to doing our work the right way every time, with professionalism, with rigor, with integrity. That means following the facts wherever they lead, no matter who likes it or doesn’t — because trust me, if there’s anything I’ve learned in this job, there’s always someone who doesn’t like you.”

The remarks at FBI headquarters steered clear of any direct political reference, with no overt mention of President-elect Donald Trump’s scathing criticism of him or the turmoil the bureau has encountered amid a spate of highly charged investigations into both Trump and President Joe Biden. But the backdrop was unmistakable, coming amid concerns that Trump — who last month forced Wray’s departure by naming loyalist Kash Patel to the job — could seek to use the FBI’s law enforcement powers to exact retribution against adversaries.

Salvadoran immigrant crisis stays extended

More than 200,000 Salvadorans who have lived more than two decades in the United States can legally remain another 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday in one of the Biden administration’s final acts on immigration policy.

In explaining its determination, DHS said that the extension is due to “environmental conditions in El Salvador that prevent individuals from returning.”

The decision is the Biden administration’s latest in support of Temporary Protected Status, which he has sharply expanded to cover about 1 million people.

TPS faces an uncertain future under Donald Trump, who tried to sharply curtail its use during his first term as president.

Congress created TPS in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strive, giving people authorization to work in increments of up to 18 months at a time.

Israel launches new strikes on Houthi rebels

Israel’s military says it carried out new airstrikes in Yemen against what it said were Houthi rebel targets. Its statement Friday said fighter jets struck “on the western coast and inland Yemen,” a day after the Houthis launched three drones at Israel. The U.S. military bombed Yemen earlier this week.

Houthi-controlled media reported one worker dead and six people wounded at the Ras Isa port.

The Houthis said the strikes occurred while Yemenis were rallying in the capital Sanaa in support of the Palestinians in Gaza.

4 hurt as MSP-bound flight aborts takeoff

Four passengers were injured Friday at the Atlanta airport after a Delta Air Lines jet bound for Minneapolis -St. Paul aborted its takeoff.

The plane had experienced an engine problem, Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant said. The incident happened while a snowstorm was causing widespread cancellations and delays in Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport. But officials can’t say if the problem had anything to do with the weather.

The 201 passengers, two pilots and five flight attendants aboard evacuated the Boeing 757-300 using inflatable slides and were bused back to a concourse. One of the injured passengers was taken to a hospital, while three were treated at the airport for minor injuries.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate.

U.S. settles charges against McMahon

The Securities and Exchange Commission says that it has settled charges against former WWE CEO Vince McMahon over his failure to disclose to the sports entertainment company’s board and others that he signed two settlement agreements worth $10.5 million with two women in order for them not to reveal potential claims against himself and WWE.

McMahon resigned from WWE’s parent company in January 2024 after a former employee filed a federal lawsuit accusing him and another former executive of serious sexual misconduct.

At the time, McMahon stepped down from his position as executive chairman of the board of directors at WWE’s parent company, TKO Group Holdings.

He continued to deny wrongdoing following the filing of the lawsuit.

McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid an investigation into allegations that match those in the lawsuit.

IRS announces tax season starts Jan. 27

The IRS on Friday announced Jan. 27 as the official start date of the 2025 tax season, and expects more than 140 million tax returns to be filed by the April 15 tax deadline.

The announcement comes with agency in the midst of a massive overhaul, attempting to improve its technology and customer service processes with tens of billions of dollars allocated to the agency through Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in August 2022.

The IRS said it is expanding its program that allows people to file their taxes directly with the agency for free.

The federal tax collector’s Direct File program, which allows taxpayers to calculate and submit their returns to the government directly without using commercial tax prepara- tion software, will be available to taxpayers in 25 states starting Jan. 27, up from 12 states that were part of last year’s pilot program.

Baldwin sues N.M. over ‘Rust’ prosecution

Alec Baldwin filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing New Mexico prosecutors and law enforcement officials of waging a “malicious prosecution” against him after the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the “Rust” film set.

Their involuntary manslaughter case against Baldwin in the shooting death of the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, came to a dramatic end in July during his trial in Santa Fe, N.M.

The judge found that the state had withheld evidence from the defense, and dismissed the case without the potential for it to be retried.

Defendants named in the lawsuit include special prosecutor Kari Morrissey and Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies, along with investigators from the Santa Fe County sheriff’s office.

Video: NOLA attacker shot first at police

The Islamic State group-inspired attacker who killed 14 people in a truck rampage on New Year’s Day in New Orleans shot at police from inside his truck before officers fatally shot him, police bodycam footage released Friday shows.

The footage presented to news outlets by New Orleans Police shows Shamsud-Din Jabbar shooting from behind an airbag as several officers surround his truck after it crashed into a crowd of revelers on the city’s famed Bourbon Street.

Three officers discharged weapons, police officials said at a news conference.

Citing the ongoing investigation and pending litigation, they said they would not yet disclose how many shots Jabbar fired.

— From news services