Rear Admiral Barry Black (Ret.), the Senate chaplain, opened the legislative session with a powerful prayer for lawmakers to take action in the wake of the recent school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee. He urged them to reject “the paralysis of analysis” and move beyond “thoughts and prayers” to make a difference. Black invoked the words of Edmund Burke, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing,” as a reminder of the urgent need for gun control legislation.
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On Tuesday morning, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department released body camera footage of the moment officers Rex Engelbert and Michael Collazo confronted and killed the shooter at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee. The shooter, Audrey Hale, had killed six people, including three nine-year-olds, in the deadliest US school shooting in nearly a year. The Covenant School released a statement expressing their heartbreak and grief, and the community of Nashville is still reeling from the tragedy. The investigation is ongoing, and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department has not released any further information.
Sam Bankman-Fried, co-founder of the now-defunct cryptocurrency firm FTX, has been charged with a 13th criminal count of bribery by federal prosecutors. The new indictment accuses Bankman-Fried of bribing “one or more” Chinese government officials with $40 million in 2021 in an effort to unfreeze accounts belonging to his hedge fund. Bankman-Fried has already pleaded not guilty to eight criminal counts of fraud and conspiracy, and faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted. The case is being closely watched by the cryptocurrency industry as Bankman-Fried was one of its most prominent figures prior to his arrest.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has issued a subpoena to Secretary of State Antony Blinken for sensitive cables from the U.S. embassy in Kabul. The subpoena, signed by Chairman Rep. Michael McCaul, requests an internal dissent cable written by 23 State Department employees in Afghanistan. The document is seen as a vital piece of information as the committee investigates the withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Biden administration is facing criticism from both sides of the aisle. The State Department has yet to comment on the subpoena.
Twitter is introducing a premium service and asking verified users, such as William Shatner, to pay for it or lose their blue check marks. Elon Musk has set a deadline for users to make a decision, and many are refusing to pay for the service. The changes have caused some controversy, and it remains to be seen how it will affect the platform and its users.
Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), who represents the district where a school shooting occurred on Monday, faced criticism after a 2021 photo resurfaced showing him and his family posing with firearms in front of their Christmas tree. Ogles released a statement offering “thoughts and prayers” to the victims’ families, but gun control advocates and Democrats argued that the post was insensitive and called for stricter gun control measures. Ogles has yet to respond to the criticism, but has previously expressed support for gun rights.
Chris Christie, former New Jersey Governor, suggested that the only way to defeat Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential nomination is to have a candidate who can challenge him on the debate stage like Christie did to Marco Rubio in 2016. Christie recalled the moment fondly, noting that it had "stopped the momentum" of Rubio's campaign. Trump is reportedly considering another run for the nomination and is still a powerful force in the Republican party.
Prince Harry and Elton John are in court for a hearing to determine if their phone hacking lawsuit against the publisher of The Daily Mail can proceed. The lawsuit alleges that Associated Newspapers Ltd. hired private investigators to illegally bug homes and cars and to record phone conversations in order to obtain dirt on celebrities. The hearing is expected to last several days and could have far-reaching implications for the media industry and the protection of celebrities’ privacy.