June 25 top stories

Hello, it is June 25. Here are today’s top stories.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to plead guilty in exchange for release

According to court documents, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was released from a British prison and on his way to a remote Pacific island on Tuesday where he will plead guilty to a conspiracy charge as part of a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department.

The agreement will free Assange and end the more than a decade legal battle and extradition over the publication of a trove of classified documents.

A letter from the Justice Department said Assange would appear in court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S.-controlled territory north of Guam, at 9 a.m. local Wednesday (7 p.m. ET Tuesday) to plead guilty.

Australia is Assange’s country of citizenship, where the Justice Department expects he will return following the proceedings.

Assange had been held in the UK prison for five years, and he previously spent seven years in self-exile at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London until his asylum was withdrawn and he was forcibly carried out of the embassy and arrested in April 2019.

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents hearing

During a two-hour hearing Monday morning in Fort Pierce, Florida, Judge Aileen Cannon challenged prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith’s team to show how former President Donald Trump’s repeated comments about the FBI translated into a threat against law enforcement officers.

The special counsel’s office says that a gag order is needed because Trump has repeatedly, and misleadingly, alleged that the agents who searched his Mar-a-Lago estate in 2022 were authorized to murder him.

Cannon showed some skepticism toward prosecutors’ arguments and did not seem inclined to approve the limitations on Trump’s speech. She did not immediately issue a ruling.

The judge also heard arguments on Trump’s motion alleging that the special counsel’s office is being improperly funded. Cannon pushed the Justice Department’s team to explain how much money the department has used for its work in the Trump criminal cases. She did not rule on that motion either.

Federal judges block part of Biden’s student loan repayment plan for millions

Two federal judges in Kansas and Missouri on Monday blocked the Department of Education from further implementing parts of a new student debt relief plan that lowers payments. Their rulings also barred the department from granting further loan forgiveness under the Biden administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) Plan.

The SAVE plan provides more generous terms than past income-based repayment plans, lowering monthly payments for eligible borrowers and allowing those whose original principal balances were $12,000 or less to have their debt forgiven after 10 years.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican who helped lead the litigation, hailed their decision. He wrote on X: “Congress never gave Biden the authority to saddle working Americans with half-a-trillion dollars in other people’s debt.

The White House said it strongly disagreed with the rulings and criticized Republican politicians who have fought against student debt forgiveness.

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Surgeon General declares gun violence a public health crisis

Multiple sources reported that the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, issued a new advisory on Tuesday declaring gun violence a public health crisis.

In his announcement, Murthy also called for an evidence-based approach to public health change and a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use.

Murthy said in a statement: “Firearm violence is an urgent public health crisis that has led to loss of life, unimaginable pain, and profound grief for far too many Americans.”

Gun violence is now the leading cause of death in the U.S. among kids and teens. Gun-related suicides have risen in all age groups from 2012 to 2022; the greatest rise has been among 10-14 years old.

Rates of gun-related deaths among kids 1-19 years old in the U.S. are astronomically high and significantly higher than in other high-income countries.

See Alex’s brief on the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup final.

Florida Panthers defeat Oilers to win Stanley Cup

Thanks, Callie.

The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers last night to win their first Stanley Cup title in franchise history. It was a very hot championship series because the Panthers won their first three games only to see the Oilers win three straight.

Then it was Game 7 to decide the championship and the Panthers came out on top with a 2-1 score.

For Canada, it’s tough, because no Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens did in 1993.

This championship series was unique because it provided a separate broadcast with two Deaf commentators.

Congratulations to the Florida Panthers.

Thanks for the brief. That’s all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to plead guilty in exchange for release

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jun/25/julian-assange-wikileaks-press-freedom-biden-administration

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nmid.6474/gov.uscourts.nmid.6474.3.0_1.pdf

Trump’s Mar-a-Lago classified documents hearing

https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/june-24-donald-trump-classified-documents-trial

Federal judges block part of Biden’s student loan repayment plan for millions

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/24/courts-block-biden-student-loan-repayment-plan-00164771