Grammy-winning hip-hop artist Pras Michel is on trial in Washington, D.C. for allegedly conspiring to make illegal campaign contributions and failing to register as an agent of China. He has taken the stand in his own defense, claiming that he accepted $20 million from a Malaysian businessman and used it to pay friends to donate to a political campaign. Prosecutors allege that Michel was attempting to gain access, peddle influence, and make money. Michel's testimony is ongoing and will provide insight into the case.
News Mash
A Texas woman has been charged with murder after punching a pregnant medical worker, causing her to lose her unborn child. Cheri Akil had been arrested two days prior for credit card or debit card abuse and was restrained due to suicidal tendencies when the alleged assault occurred. The medical worker is recovering from her injuries, and the motive for the attack is still unknown.
This article details the tragic death of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis, who was shot by a landowner in Hebron, New York after she and her friends mistakenly pulled into his driveway. The landowner, Kevin Monahan, has been arrested on a second-degree murder charge and is being held pending a bond hearing. Friends and family have expressed their shock and grief, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help cover funeral expenses.
At least 174 civilians have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the five days of fighting between two military commanders in Sudan, raising fears of a civil war that could derail the nation's hopes of democracy and threaten the stability of surrounding countries. The United Nations Security Council and African Union have called for an immediate end to the violence and for the two sides to return to the negotiating table.
At least 29 people have died in a fire that broke out at Changfeng Hospital in Beijing on Tuesday afternoon. The fire is believed to have originated from welding sparks and was extinguished in half an hour. Dozens of people were forced to evacuate, with some trapped patients resorting to tying bedsheets together in order to escape from the windows. This is the deadliest fire in Beijing in at least two decades, with authorities still determining the cause of the fire and the full extent of the damage.
Connecticut divers have discovered the wreckage of the 92-foot-long Defender, an experimental submarine built in 1907 by Simon Lake, the grandson of one of the founders of Atlantic City. After months of research and exploration, Richard Simon, a commercial diver from Coventry, Connecticut, identified the vessel and acknowledged its role as a step in the evolution of American submarines. The discovery of the Defender is an exciting moment for the submarine community, highlighting the ingenuity and innovation of early submarine designers.
On Tuesday, a car crashed into pedestrians near Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, California, resulting in the death of a 15-year-old boy and injuries to four other people. The driver of the vehicle was wanted for allegedly stabbing a person earlier in the day, and the crash is being investigated as an intentional act. The Thousand Oaks community is mourning the loss of the student and sending their thoughts and prayers to the injured victims and their families.
A grand jury in Virginia has indicted multiple people on felony charges for carrying flaming torches with the intent to intimidate at a white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville in 2017. The incident, which resulted in violent clashes with counterprotesters, has been widely condemned as a hate crime and is the subject of ongoing investigations. The indictments are a reminder of the need for continued vigilance against hate and bigotry, and serve as a warning to those who would seek to spread fear and hatred in our communities.