Key takeaways: Residents in Mississippi’s capital city have been without power and air conditioning for almost 100 hours. Texas’ power grid operator has asked residents…
News Mash
At a private fundraising event in California, President Biden referred to Chinese President Xi Jinping as a dictator, and implied that Xi was caught off guard by the U.S. military shooting down a Chinese surveillance balloon in February. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had just visited China for a rare diplomatic trip, in an attempt to ease tensions between the two countries. The meeting between Blinken and Xi was the first high-level diplomatic meeting between the two countries since President Biden took office, and the White House has said that the U.S. will continue to push for a more equitable relationship with China.
A New Hampshire judge has unsealed a 48-page probable cause statement that sheds light on the police investigation into the death of 5-year-old Harmony Montgomery. Adam Montgomery, 33, has been charged with second-degree murder and other related charges, and the affidavit outlines the events that led up to Harmony's death and how her father allegedly hid her body. The judge released the affidavit in response to a public records request from WMUR-TV, providing more insight into the events leading up to Harmony's death and the subsequent investigation.
However, Democrats need the unanimous consent of all 100 senators for the bills to move forward, which they do not have.
A federal judge in Arkansas has struck down the state's first-in-the-nation ban on gender-affirming care for children, ruling it unconstitutional. The ruling, which noted that the law would have caused "irreparable harm" to transgender youth, is being seen as a victory for transgender rights advocates and is likely to have implications for other states considering similar bans. The American Civil Liberties Union, which represented the plaintiffs in the case, said the ruling was a "victory for transgender youth and their families."
Deputy William Hollingsworth of the Escambia County Sheriff's Office in Pensacola, Florida, was caught on body camera video attempting to rescue a man caught up in floodwaters, only to be swept away himself. Despite the darkness and rushing water, Deputy Hollingsworth managed to call out to the driver and wade towards him, eventually leading to the driver's recovery. Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons praised Deputy Hollingsworth for his heroic actions.
Senator Bernie Sanders has launched an investigation into Amazon's labor practices, citing dangerous and illegal conditions in the company's warehouses. The letter alleged that Amazon's warehouses are "uniquely dangerous" due to physically demanding work and "aggressive productivity quotas," and that Amazon has failed to protect its workers from the coronavirus pandemic. Sanders has been a vocal critic of Amazon in the past, and is calling for the company to raise wages and improve working conditions for its employees.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has accused the Department of Justice of having a "two-tier system of justice" after the announcement of criminal charges against President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and enter a pre-trial diversion agreement for a felony firearm offense, potentially avoiding incarceration or a trial. Republicans have argued that the Biden administration has "weaponized" the Department of Justice against former President Donald Trump and his supporters.