Democratic Representative Jamaal Bowman of New York has been charged with a misdemeanor for falsely pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol Hill office building. Bowman has admitted to activating the alarm and the charge carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail. The U.S. Capitol Police have sent the case with charges to prosecutors for their consideration, and Bowman's case is still pending.
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Key takeaways: The Musée Grévin in Paris responded to social media outcry over the wax figure of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, announcing that it will…
Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected as the 56th speaker of the House in a party-line vote, with all 220 Republicans voting for him. Johnson is a close ally of former President Donald Trump and had led many of the 2020 election challenges, including an amicus brief signed by more than 100 House Republicans. Johnson is the most ideologically conservative speaker since Newt Gingrich in the 1990s and is now second in line to the presidency.
John Drake Jr., the estranged son of Nashville's police chief, was found dead Tuesday night from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after a four day manhunt. He was wanted in connection with the shooting of two officers outside a Dollar General store in La Vergne, TN on Saturday. The TBI is continuing to investigate the incident and will release more information as it becomes available.
Residents of Mexico's southern Pacific coast were caught off guard as Hurricane Otis made landfall as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane with 165 mph winds and heavy rain. The storm rapidly intensified by 115 mph in just 24 hours, a feat only matched by one other storm in recorded history. Residents scrambled to prepare for the five to 10 inches of rain forecast, with as much as 15 inches possible in some areas, raising the threat of landslides and floods. The National Hurricane Center is continuing to monitor the situation and provide updates.
The Biden administration has made adjustments to the entertainment portion of Wednesday's state dinner for Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, replacing the B-52s performance with a string quartet. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Albanese are set to hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office before a joint press conference. The change in entertainment is a sign of respect for those affected by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, as the Biden administration has been vocal in its support for a ceasefire and an end to the violence.
Mark Meadows, former Chief of Staff to President Donald Trump, has been granted immunity to testify before a federal grand jury regarding Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Meadows reportedly told prosecutors that Trump was being "dishonest" when he first claimed to have won the election and that he had informed Trump several times that the voting fraud allegations were unfounded. Meadows had at least three meetings with special counsel Jack Smith's team in 2021.
The Federal Court of Australia has ruled in favor of passengers of the Ruby Princess cruise, finding that Carnival and its subsidiary Princess Cruises had been negligent in their duty of care to passengers by allowing the cruise to depart in the early months of the pandemic. The ruling found that Carnival had failed to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of passengers, and that the cruise operator had been aware of the risks posed by the pandemic. The outcome of the case will be determined at a later date.