Shooting of Teen Who Rang Doorbell at Wrong House Unsettles Kansas City
On Tuesday morning, hundreds of Staley High School students filled the street outside their school in a display of anger and support for fellow student Ralph Yarl, who was shot by a homeowner after he rang a doorbell at the wrong house in Kansas City last week. By day’s end, they found some measure of relief, as Andrew Lester, the 84-year-old man accused of shooting Ralph, surrendered to authorities after being charged with assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. Jail records showed that Lester was released on bond from Clay County jail shortly after surrendering. It was not clear when he might appear in front of a judge.
Pentagon Details Review of Policies for Handling Classified Information
The Pentagon on Tuesday released details of its review of procedures across the Defense Department for using and securing the nation’s secrets following the arrest of an Air National Guard member in Massachusetts in connection with the leak of classified documents. Additionally, the Air Force announced several new actions focused on security protocols servicewide, including a pause in training and a review of each airman’s requirements for accessing classified information. In an extraordinary move, the secretary of the Air Force also directed an inspector general investigation into an entire wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard and temporarily shut down its operations.
Atlanta Prosecutor Seeks Removal of Lawyer in Trump Case
The lead prosecutor investigating election interference by former President Donald Trump and his allies in Georgia filed a motion Tuesday accusing two defense lawyers in the case of misconduct. The prosecutor, Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, sought to have one of the lawyers, Kimberly B. Debrow, thrown off the proceedings. Debrow represents 10 Georgia Republicans who were part of a bogus slate of electors for Trump under a broader plan to reverse the results of the 2020 presidential election and keep him in power.
GOP Blocks Feinstein Swap, Leaving Democrats in a Conundrum
Republicans on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Democrats to temporarily replace the ailing Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California on the Judiciary Committee, raising new questions about how her party will be able to move forward with Senate work without her. Pressure is mounting for Feinstein, 89, who was hospitalized with shingles in February and has announced she will not seek reelection in 2024, to resign now. Her prolonged absence means Democrats will be unable to advance President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees and could be short of a vote on other crucial matters.
Rowan Wilson Is Confirmed as New York’s Chief Judge
Judge Rowan Wilson, a liberal-leaning jurist, was confirmed by the state Senate in a 40-19 vote as chief judge of New York state’s highest court on Tuesday, making him the first Black judge to hold the post at a time when state courts are playing a crucial role in deciding questions of fundamental rights. Wilson’s elevation from associate judge to chief judge of the Court of Appeals could open a new chapter for the court after the six-year tenure of Janet DiFiore, who wielded her influence to push the court to the right.
Los Angeles Teachers Reach Tentative Deal to Boost Pay
After an overnight bargaining session, the teachers’ union representing 35,000 members reached a tentative agreement early Tuesday with the Los Angeles Unified School District and avoided the threat of a second labor strike this year that could have shut down campuses. United Teachers Los Angeles, whose members have been without a contract for 10 months, successfully pushed for a raise that would increase pay by more than 21% over three years.
Fighting in Sudan Traps Families as Generals Fail to Keep a Cease-Fire
Street battles and rocket strikes erupted across Sudan Tuesday as a cease-fire between the country’s two warring generals fizzled, paralyzing the capital and trapping families in their homes for fear of the crossfire. Since the fighting broke out over the weekend, at least 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 injured, United Nations officials said. Hope that the violence would ease was raised by word Tuesday that a cease-fire had been reached, but just after 6 p.m., when the fighting was supposed to stop, several residents reported blasts and gunfire. Within a few hours, the rival sides were accusing each other of violating the cease-fire.
Russian Court Rejects Wall Street Journal Reporter’s Appeal
The Wall Street Journal reporter arrested in Russia on suspicion of espionage declared his innocence in a Moscow courtroom Tuesday after flashing a smile from a glass defendant’s cage. The judge denied Evan Gershkovich’s appeal to lift his pretrial detention, and Gershkovich was ordered back to Moscow’s Lefortovo prison. The case represents one of President Vladimir Putin’s most drastic attacks to date on freedom of the press. It is the first time the Russian government has brought such serious charges against a journalist officially accredited by the country’s Foreign Ministry, and the first time a Western journalist in Russia has been charged with espionage since the Cold War.
Top G-7 Diplomats Stress Unity on Russia and China
Top diplomats from the United States and the rest of the Group of 7 nations closed a three-day meeting in Japan on Tuesday with a forceful statement of unity against new assertiveness by both Russia and China. The statement by the diplomats amounted to a declaration by a core of liberal countries rallying to push back against what many of their officials called the separate predations of Russia and China. But the discussions in Japan failed to address the thorniest issue in the countries’ dealings with China: How to reconcile their opposition to Beijing’s strategic and military goals while continuing to maintain deep trade ties with the world’s second-largest economy.
One Climber Dies and Another Is Missing on Himalayan Mountain
A Northern Irish alpinist was found dead and a climber from India went missing on a mountain in central Nepal Tuesday. Noel Hanna, who had scaled Mount Everest 10 times, was found dead inside his tent Monday after scaling 26,545-foot-tall Mount Annapurna, officials said. Hanna had just descended from Annapurna, the world’s 10th-highest peak, to the final camp before the summit, his expedition agency said. The other climber, Anurag Maloo, was still missing. Hanna’s death was the second in a week as the mountaineering season in the Himalayas got off to a deadly start. Last week, three Sherpas were believed to have died while climbing Mount Everest.
India’s Top Court Begins Hearing Same-Sex Marriage Case
Bhawna and Kajal fought their families, survived beatings, put up with death threats and were forcibly separated before they could live together as a couple. Now, the women are fighting for their right to get married in India. On Tuesday, India’s Supreme Court began hearing arguments in a case to legalize same-sex marriage. In recent years, the court has struck down a ban on consensual gay sex, granted rights to India’s transgender community and declared privacy as a constitutional right of all Indians. A ruling in favor of the petitioners would make India an outlier for gay rights in Asia.
Tunisia Arrests a Leading Opposition Figure
Tunisian authorities have arrested a prominent opposition leader and three other officials from his party in an escalation of President Kais Saied’s campaign against political opponents. The arrest Monday evening targeted Rachid al-Ghannouchi, the leader of the Ennahda party, which dominated Tunisia’s parliament for years during the country’s short-lived democratic experiment, becoming deeply unpopular for its Islamist views and missteps while in power. That unpopularity has made Ennahda a convenient target of Saied’s campaign against political rivals. Since mid-February, facing intensifying unpopularity over a looming economic collapse, Saied has ramped up his repression of dissent. Al-Ghannouchi is the most prominent opponent to be targeted so far.
By wire sources
