Federal judge finds Trump likely committed crimes over 2020 election
A federal judge ruled on Monday that former President Donald Trump and a lawyer who had advised him how to overturn the 2020 election most likely committed felonies, including obstructing the work of Congress and conspiring to defraud the United States. The judge’s comments in the civil case of the lawyer, John Eastman, marked a significant breakthrough for the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The committee, which is weighing making a criminal referral to the Justice Department, had used a filing in the case to lay out the crimes it believed Trump might have committed.
Supreme Court to weigh California law on humane treatment of pigs
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to hear a challenge to a California law that requires that pork sold in the state come from breeding pigs housed in spaces that allow them to move freely. Proposition 12, approved by more than 60% of the state’s voters in 2018, was challenged by two trade groups that said it interfered with interstate commerce and sound business practices. In a brief, California’s attorney general said “a number of pork producers and suppliers have publicly announced that they have taken steps to ensure that their products will continue to be sold lawfully in California.”
Coronavirus deaths in US fall to lowest point since summer
Fewer than 800 coronavirus deaths are being reported each day in the United States, the lowest daily average since before the omicron variant took hold late last fall. The last time the rate was this low was in mid-August, according to a New York Times database. Trends in deaths lag behind cases and hospitalizations by weeks because of the time it takes for people to become seriously ill, and the time needed to complete and file death records. The seven-day average of new cases has also dropped significantly from the height of the omicron surge.
Israeli summit mixes historic symbolism with sharp disputes
For all its powerful geopolitical symbolism, the first multilateral Arab-Israeli summit on Israeli soil was a largely transactional affair. The meeting of the top diplomats of Israel, the United States and four Arab countries at a resort hotel in the Negev Desert on Monday showcased Israel’s growing legitimacy among Middle Eastern leaders. But the real business was urgent diplomacy, spurred by the war in Ukraine and the pending nuclear agreement with Iran: The United States wanted to press the other five countries to take a harder line against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, while they in turn wanted American assurances that Iran would be constrained.
Pope meets with groups requesting apology for indigenous schools
Pope Francis on Monday held his first Vatican meeting with Indigenous groups from Canada who were seeking his apology over the Roman Catholic Church’s involvement in a system of boarding schools that abused Indigenous children for over 100 years. The meeting suggests that the pope, who had declined to apologize over the matter, is now prepared to discuss the church’s role as a way of making amends for the harm it caused. The church has appeared more open to apologizing since several Indigenous communities announced last year that they had discovered signs of human remains in unmarked graves on the grounds of former schools.
By wire sources