Attorney General Merrick Garland is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday to discuss the Justice Department's accomplishments over the past year, including combating violent crime and hate crimes, working with Ukraine against Russia, and protecting reproductive freedom. He will also be asked to explain the department's stance on a variety of issues, including civil rights, immigration, and gun control. The hearing is expected to last several hours and will be streamed live on the Senate Judiciary Committee's website.
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Los Angeles County has agreed to a $28.5 million settlement with the family of Kobe Bryant to resolve the remaining claims in a lawsuit over deputies and firefighters sharing grisly photos of the crash site. The settlement includes a $13.5 million payment from the county and the $15 million awarded to Vanessa Bryant by a federal jury in August. The lawsuit alleged that the deputies shared the photos with friends and family members, causing emotional distress to the family. The settlement is a major victory for the Bryant family, who have been seeking justice for the past year.
The U.S. has been urged to respect science and facts in its investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. FBI Director Christopher Wray suggested that Covid-19 may have originated from a potential lab incident in Wuhan, China, and the Chinese government has interfered with the FBI's ongoing probe. The World Health Organization has called for more international cooperation and collaboration to help uncover the source of the virus.
At least 29 people were killed and 85 injured in a tragic train collision in northern Greece on Wednesday morning. Local resident Vassilis Polyzos described the scene as chaotic, with multiple cars derailed and at least three bursting into flames. Survivors reported that several passengers were thrown through the windows of the train cars due to the impact. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has expressed his condolences and promised to provide assistance to those affected. This is the second major train crash in Greece in the past year.
Vanessa Bryant, the widow of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, has reached a settlement of nearly $30 million with Los Angeles County to resolve a lawsuit over photos taken at the scene of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed her husband. The settlement brings to an end litigation over photos taken by first responders and shared with others, and is a major victory for Vanessa Bryant and her family. It is also a reminder of the importance of respecting the privacy of those affected by tragedy.
Chicago's mayoral race is headed to a runoff election on April 4th between Paul Vallas and Toni Preckwinkle, after none of the nine candidates won an outright majority in the first round of voting. Incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot, the city's first Black woman and first openly gay person to serve in the position, failed to get enough votes to move on. The runoff election will be a choice between Vallas' law-and-order platform and Preckwinkle's progressive agenda, and will decide the direction of the city for the next four years.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has confirmed that the FBI has assessed that the Covid-19 pandemic is most likely the result of a laboratory incident in Wuhan, China. He noted that the FBI has a team of agents, professionals, analysts, virologists, and microbiologists dedicated to researching the origins of the virus, and that the FBI has "moderate confidence" in the lab-leak theory. Wray's comments come at a time when the US government is divided on the origin of the virus, and the FBI's assessment is an important step in understanding the origin of the virus.
Chicago voters denied incumbent Mayor Lori Lightfoot a second term on Tuesday, setting the stage for a runoff election between Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson. Lightfoot faced criticism over a spike in crime during the pandemic and her leadership style, while voters expressed concerns about the city’s slow recovery and public safety. The April 4 runoff election will decide who will lead the city for the next four years.