Former President Donald Trump has pleaded not guilty to 13 felony charges related to overturning the 2020 presidential election, entering his plea through a filing released by his attorney. This has sparked controversy in Georgia, with far right members of the state legislature attempting to punish the Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis, for the indictment. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has shot down these proposals, and at least five state senators have reported receiving threats from Trump supporters. The outcome of the case remains to be seen.
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Joe Biggs, a leader of the Proud Boys organization and former Army veteran, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison on Thursday after being convicted of seditious conspiracy in connection to the January 6th attack on the US Capitol. The sentence is the second longest handed down in the Justice Department's investigation into the Capitol attack, and Biggs was also convicted of conspiring to obstruct Congress and civil disorder. The US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia said in a statement that Biggs "served as an instigator and leader" during the attack and had "encouraged and directed other Proud Boys members to join him in the attack on the Capitol."
Former President Donald Trump and two of his co-defendants have requested to have their cases separated from the indictment in Georgia over attempts to overturn the state's 2020 election results. Trump entered a plea of not guilty and waived his right to appear in court, while attorneys Sidney Powell and Kenneth Chesebro filed motions to have their cases severed from the other defendants. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is currently in negotiations with the squadron of co-defendants, and the outcome of the requests for separation is yet to be seen.
Donald Trump has entered a plea of not guilty to 13 felony counts related to an alleged scheme to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. He waived his right to be present at his arraignment and submitted the plea in writing, as is allowed under Georgia law. This is the first time a president in U.S. history has faced criminal charges after leaving office, and it is still unclear how the case will proceed.
On Monday, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was rocked by a deadly shooting on campus, leaving students in a state of panic. In response, the student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel featured a string of real text messages exchanged by students during the hours of lockdown on its front page, accompanied by a headline that read “LOADING ERROR LOADING”. The paper’s coverage of the shooting was a fitting tribute to the life of Zijie Yan, and a reminder of the need for gun control measures to protect students and faculty on college campuses.
At least 58 people have died and 43 have been injured in a devastating fire in a five-story building in Johannesburg, South Africa, that had been taken over by homeless people. Firefighters are searching the building floor-by-floor and the death toll is expected to rise. Robert Mulaudzi, a spokesman for the emergency services, said he had "never come across something like this" in his 20 years of service. The South African government has promised to provide assistance to those affected by the tragedy.
Over 100 former clerks of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas have signed a letter defending his "integrity" and "independence" in response to reports of unethical gift-giving. The signatories argue that the reports are part of a "larger attack on the Court" and its "legitimacy", and include high profile circuit court judges and John C. Eastman, who is now criminally indicted in Georgia. The letter focuses on defending Justice Thomas' "integrity, character and ethics" without addressing Eastman's involvement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James' office has alleged that former President Donald Trump routinely overstated his personal net worth to financial institutions by up to $2.2 billion each year between 2011 and 2021. The lawsuit, filed in October 2020, seeks $250 million in damages from Trump, his three eldest children, and the Trump Organization, and the filing seeks to have the court declare that Trump and his company violated New York's civil and business laws. The case is scheduled for trial in October, with the outcome potentially having major implications for the former president and his family.