5 Memphis officers plead not guilty in death of Tyre Nichols
The next hearing for five former Memphis, Tennessee, police officers charged with killing Tyre Nichols has been scheduled for May 1. All five pleaded not guilty Friday to second-degree murder and other charges. Nichols’ mother said afterward that none looked her in the eye in court. RowVaughn Wells says that the officers will see her at every court date “until we get justice for my son.” Nichols died three days after a beating caught on video during a Jan. 7 arrest. His case is the latest to prompt protests and discussion about police brutality. The officers have been fired. They are Black, as was Nichols.
Off camera, Fox hosts doubted 2020 election fraud claims
To millions of viewers, Fox News hosts gave allies of former President Donald Trump a platform to champion false claims that he lost the 2020 election because of voter fraud. To one another, they expressed doubts about the claims and mocked the people making them. Private exchanges between Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, and other network bigwigs — including Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch — show a wide chasm between what the network promoted in primetime and the doubts that its stars held behind the camera. That’s according to new court filings in a defamation lawsuit being waged by a company whose voting systems were regularly maligned on air.
6 fatally shot in small Mississippi town, suspect in custody
A Mississippi sheriff says a lone gunman man killed six people including his ex-wife and stepfather at multiple locations in a small, rural town near the Tennessee state line. Tate County Sheriff Brad Lane says investigators still don’t have a motive behind Friday’s rampage in Arkabutla. The killings occurred at a convenience store and two homes within a few miles of each other. The suspect has been identified as 52-year-old Richard Dale Crum. Crum was jailed without bond on a single count of capital murder, and investigators are pursuing additional charges. It was not immediately known if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Fetterman case highlights common stroke, depression link
Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman is seeking treatment for severe depression months after having a stroke. Fetterman last year had the most common kind of stroke, caused by clots that block a blood vessel to the brain. Fetterman’s office has said the senator had bouts of depression before his stroke. Experts say depression occurs after a stroke in about 1 in 3 patients. There may be a biological reason, with some evidence suggesting that strokes might cause brain changes. Strokes can also have a psychological impact, making it hard for some people to accept that they may have new limitations.
Lawsuit: Mentally ill man froze to death in Alabama jail
A lawsuit alleges a mentally ill man froze to death at an Alabama jail, arriving at a hospital emergency room with a body temperature of 72 degrees. That’s according to a suit filed in federal court by the man’s family. They say said he was kept naked in a concrete cell. They believe he was also placed in a freezer or other frigid environment. Thirty-three-year-old Anthony Don Mitchell died Jan. 26 He’d been held at the Walker County Jail for two weeks. An emergency room doctor wrote that he died of hypothermia. Lawyers representing the Walker County sheriff’s office declined to comment amid the ongoing investigation into his death.
Saudi wealth fund becomes biggest outside Nintendo investor
A Saudi sovereign wealth fund now holds 8.26% of the stock in the video game maker Nintendo, making it the largest outside investor in the Japanese gaming company. That’s according to a company filing Friday. The investment is part of efforts by the kingdom’s Public Investment Fund to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy away from oil. However, the purchase of Nintendo and other gaming stocks also entangles the video game companies into the politics surrounding Saudi Arabia and its assertive 37-year-old crown prince. American intelligence agencies believe Prince Mohammed ordered the slaying of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Power outage cancels, diverts flights at Kennedy Airport
A power outage in a terminal of New York’s Kennedy International Airport has stretched into a second day. The outage has stranded passengers and forced flights to be canceled or diverted to other airports. The airport operators said Terminal 1 would remain closed Friday “due to electrical issues,” but that limited operations could resume Saturday. Airport operators say the outage was caused by an electrical panel failure that led to a small fire. An Air New Zealand flight was two-thirds of the way across the Pacific Ocean when it had to make a U-turn and head back to Auckland. The flight landed back in New Zealand after more than 16 hours in the air. No update on the outage in New York has been provided Friday. JFK has five active terminals.
US prosecutors ask for 25 more years in prison for R. Kelly
Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to give singer R. Kelly 25 more years in prison for his child pornography and enticement convictions last year in Chicago. That recommendation in a late Thursday court filing would add to the 30 years another federal judge imposed previously in a New York case. The 56-year-old wouldn’t be eligible for release until he was around 100 if the judge agrees both to that sentence and another government request that Kelly begin serving his Chicago sentence only after his New York sentence. Kelly’s sentencing is next week. His lawyers say any punishment extending his imprisonment beyond 30 years would amount to a life sentence. They want a sentence of around 10 years that would be served simultaneously with the New York sentence.
Japan aborts launch of new rocket carrying missile sensor
Japan’s space agency has aborted the inaugural launch of its next-generation H3 rocket after the auxiliary booster engines failed to ignite. Officials say the main engine of the rocket, which is carrying an observation satellite and an experimental sensor to detect missile launches, had already ignited when the launch was halted. They described it as an aborted launch — not a failure — because it was suspended as a result of safety features that functioned properly. Still, the unsuccessful launch was a setback for Japan’s space program, which suffered an earlier failed launch in October of a smaller rocket. The new H3 rocket was developed at a cost of $1.5 billion as a successor to Japan’s H-2A rocket.
Facebook ran ads in Moldova for oligarch sanctioned by US
Facebook allowed a Moldovan oligarch with ties to the Kremlin to run ads on its platform urging protests against that country’s government — even though he and his political party are subject to U.S. sanctions. The ads were removed, but not before they were seen millions of times in Moldova. They were bought by Ilan Shor, a pro-Russian politician who fled his country after he was implicated in a $1 billion theft from Moldovan banks. The U.S. sanctioned Shor last year for his role in Russian efforts to destabilize Moldova. Meta, which owns Facebook, said it follows all U.S. sanctions laws and removed the ads as soon as it identified them.
EPA moves to restore rule on mercury from power plants
The Environmental Protection Agency is reaffirming the basis for a rule that requires “significant reductions” in mercury and other harmful pollutants from power plants. The EPA’s announcement Friday reverses a move late in former President Donald Trump’s administration to roll back emissions standards. The EPA said it found it “appropriate and necessary” to regulate emissions of toxic air pollution under the Clean Air Act. Coal-fired power plants are the largest single manmade source of mercury pollutants, which enter the food chain through fish and other items that people consume. The EPA’s finding puts back into place air quality protections enacted when President Barack Obama was in office.
By wire sources