Harvard University has announced that former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will be joining the school later this year. Douglas Elmendorf, Dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, praised Ardern for her “strong and empathetic political leadership” and said her presence at the school will “generate vital conversations about the public policy choices facing leaders at all levels of government.” Ardern’s appointment to Harvard is a testament to her leadership and commitment to public service.
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Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) has requested documents from Harlan Crow, a Texas billionaire who has donated millions to conservative causes, to investigate whether his gifts to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas violated federal tax law. Chief Justice John Roberts has responded to a request from Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) for Roberts to testify about Thomas’s relationship with Crow by providing a statement of ethics principles and practices to which all current Supreme Court members subscribe. Wyden's letter to Crow requests documents and communications related to the gifts, as well as any records of payments made to Thomas or his wife, to investigate whether the gifts violated federal tax law.
Ed Sheeran is facing a copyright infringement lawsuit in a Manhattan federal courtroom, with the heirs of Marvin Gaye's co-writer claiming that Sheeran's hit "Thinking Out Loud" violates the copyright of the soul classic. At the start of the trial, attorney Ben Crump said they had "smoking gun" proof of the infringement, and Sheeran was called to the stand to face questioning. The jury will get to see concert footage of Sheeran flipping between the two songs, and the outcome of the trial is yet to be determined.
Chief Justice John Roberts has declined an invitation from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin to testify before the committee on May 2, citing judicial independence and separation of powers concerns. The revelations about Justice Thomas' close ties to a billionaire Republican donor have “contributed to a crisis of public confidence” in the nation’s highest bench. Roberts' decision to decline the invitation is likely to add to the controversy surrounding the court and will be met with further action to address the ethical issues raised by the reports on Justice Thomas.
Key takeaways: The amendment would change the language of the “resign to run” law so that the resignation requirement would not apply to “Persons seeking…
Sheila Keen-Warren has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 1990 shooting of Marlene Warren, a case that was solved decades later due to advances in DNA technology. The plea deal will likely see her released from prison in no more than two years, and the family of Marlene Warren has agreed to the deal.
Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the seditious conspiracy trial of former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio and four co-defendants, who are accused of plotting to keep President Donald Trump in the White House after the 2020 election. Attorneys for the Proud Boys placed blame for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol on Donald Trump during closing arguments on Tuesday. If convicted, the defendants could face up to 20 years in prison, and the jury's decision will be closely watched by both sides of the political aisle.
A senior administration official has confirmed that the mastermind behind the deadly August 2021 attack at Kabul International Airport, which claimed the lives of 13 U.S. service members and more than 150 Afghans, has been killed by the Taliban in Afghanistan. The U.S. has intelligence and other sources confirming his death, and the death of the ISIS leader is a major victory for the U.S. and its allies in the fight against terrorism. It is hoped that his death will bring some measure of justice to the families of the victims of the attack.