April 13 top stories
It is April 13. Here are today’s top stories.
Second expelled Memphis Rep. Justin J. Pearson reappointed
Shelby County commissioners voted and passed 7-0 Wednesday on reappointing Rep. Justin Pearson back to the Tennessee House of Representatives. He represents the 86th district covering parts of the city of Memphis.
Pearson told a crowd of cheering supporters, “You cannot expel hope. You can’t expel our voice and you sure can’t expel our right. We look forward to continuing to fight, continuing to advocate.”
Last week, the GOP-dominated chamber voted to expel three lawmakers for participating in the demonstration on the floor of the House. Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who are Black, were forced out in a two-thirds majority vote. While, Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white and protested with them, survived the vote and kept her seat.
Historic rainfall slams south Florida
The local news reported that the greater Fort Lauderdale metro area experienced a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event - the rainiest day in its history Wednesday. That means there is a 0.1% chance of it occurring in any individual year.
More than 25 inches of rain floods the region, most within 6 hours. It has caused widespread flooding, the closure of the city’s airport and the suspension of high-speed commuter rail service.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis declared a weeklong state of emergency and the city released a statement urging residents and visitors to stay off the roads until the water subsided.
Updates on Dominion lawsuit against Fox News
Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News over the network’s promotion of debunked conspiracy theories and the role of disinformation about the 2020 presidential election.
Dominion has argued that Fox destroyed its reputation as a trusted voting technology company and Fox News says it didn’t defame Dominion and maintains that it is still proud of its 2020 election coverage.
The high-stakes trial is expected to last about six weeks. Jury selection began Thursday and roughly 300 potential jurors have been summoned to the Delaware Superior Court. The pool of jurors will be narrowed down to a panel of 12 jurors and 12 alternates.
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Suspect in Cash App founder’s murder arrested
San Francisco Police have made an arrest in the murder of Cash App founder Bob Lee, according to a tweet from the department member. Lee was stabbed to death in San Francisco early in the morning of April 4th. Lee was a prominent figure in the tech world for his talented contributions.
The local news, Mission Local, first broke the news that police arrested the male suspect. The suspect is Nima Momeni, who also works in tech and knew the founder. The founder’s wife, Krista Lee, said she is perplexed as to the motive behind the violent attack.
Person behind leaked Pentagon documents identified
A 21-year-old Massachusetts Air National Guardsman, Jack Teixeira, has been identified by The New York Times as the leader of an online gaming chat group where a trove of classified documents was posted. The leaker is described by his friend as a lonely young man and gun enthusiast.
After the major leak of classified information, the Pentagon has begun to limit who receives its highly classified daily intelligence briefs. President Biden said he was concerned about the fact the leaks happened, not necessarily about their content.
That is all the top stories for today and stay with the light!
Justin Pearson:
Florida:
Fox News:
Cash App:
https://missionlocal.org/2023/04/bob-lee-killing-arrest-made-san-francisco/
Pentagon:
https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/04/13/us/documents-leak-pentagon