December 1 top stories
It is December 1. Here are today’s top stories.
Rep. George Santos expelled from Congress
The House of Representatives voted to expel Rep. George Santos (R-NY) from Congress.
He was expelled after a House Ethics Committee released a report accusing Santos of committing various financial crimes and fraudulent activity. He has already been charged with over 10 federal crimes.
The vote to expel him was 311-114. Reporters swarmed him as he walked out of the Capitol. He said, “To hell with this place.”
Santos’ downfall started last year after the New York Times revealed that he made up many things about his past, including studying at certain universities and working for major banks.
Santos’ empty seat will be filled by a special election in Santos’ district, which includes parts of Long Island.
Sandra Day O’Connor passes away at 93
Sandra Day O’Connor, who was the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, passed away today at the age of 93. The Supreme Court announced her death and said the cause was complications of dementia.
O’Connor grew up in Arizona, lived there for most of her life, and passed away in Phoenix.
She was appointed to the Supreme Court by former President Ronald Reagan in 1981. She was 51 years old when she became a justice and served for 24 years, retiring in January 2006.
Before O’Connor was a justice, she was an Arizona state senator and was the majority leader in 1972. She then served in Arizona state court before moving up to the Supreme Court.
The New York Times said during O’Connor’s time, she was the most powerful woman in the country because very little could happen in the Supreme Court without her support.
Fighting resumes in Israel-Hamas war
The pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas has ended after seven days and today the Israeli military resumed its strikes on Gaza and rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.
U.S. Sec. of State Blinken said Hamas bears responsibility because they reneged on commitments it made, such as carrying out the shooting attack that killed three people in Jerusalem.
A kibbutz in southern Israel said three hostages died in Hamas captivity: 85-year-old Arye Zalmanovich, 56-year-old Maya Goren, and 55-year-old Ronen Engel.
Government officials in Gaza said over 100 people were killed today from Israeli airstrikes. Israel has urged people who are in southern Gaza to leave and head further south near the Egypt border.
The U.N. said it is a serious mistake for the truce to end and that the civilian population in Gaza cannot bear any more violence because they are going through a humanitarian catastrophe.
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Court says Trump not immune from lawsuits over Jan. 6 attack
CBS News said a federal appeals court in D.C. said former President Donald Trump is not entitled to broad immunity from civil lawsuits seeking to hold him accountable for actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump argued that he is immune because he was acting in his role as president. The court disagreed, saying Trump was acting in a campaign role, that he was seeking to secure a second term, and that some of his actions surrounding Jan. 6 were done as an “office-seeker, rather than an office-holder.”
This means that lawsuits from Capitol police officers and House Democrats who were affected by the Capitol attack may be able to proceed. The lawsuits accuse Trump of inciting a mob.
Trump can appeal the court’s ruling.
Sen. Rand Paul rescues choking colleague using Heimlich maneuver
CNN reported that Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) rescued his colleague Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) when she choked during a GOP lunch by using the Heimlich maneuver.
Ernst tweeted that she is okay, thanked Paul, and joked that she couldn’t help but choke on the “woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats.”
Some senators said they should get training to perform the Heimlich and increase awareness of how to notice if someone is choking. |
That is all the top stories for today. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2023/12/01/george-santos-house-expulsion-vote
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/01/us/sandra-day-oconnor-dead.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-middle-east-67584895
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-not-immune-jan-6-civil-lawsuits-federal-appeals-court-rules/
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/30/politics/joni-ernst-heimlich-maneuver/index.html