March 31 top stories
It is March 31. Here are today’s top stories.
Trump is indicted by Manhattan DA
Yesterday evening the grand jury in Manhattan indicted Donald Trump over his role in a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg tweeted a statement saying, “This evening we contacted Mr. Trump’s attorney to coordinate his surrender… for arraignment on a… indictment, which remains under seal…”
Trump is expected to appear in a Manhattan court on Tuesday afternoon for his arraignment. News reports said he is facing more than 30 counts related to business fraud.
The Secret Service will meet with law enforcement in New York today to discuss the process and to consider security threats. Trump will have to be fingerprinted, take a mugshot, and face a judge.
Trump’s attorneys said he wouldn’t accept a plea deal and would fight the indictment by filing motions to dismiss his indictment. The case could go to a trial.
Trump is the first president in U.S. history to face criminal charges. Trump said last night that he is being politically persecuted and that Democrats are weaponizing our justice system to punish a political opponent and the leading Republican candidate for President.
Gwyneth Paltrow not at fault in ski crash trial
The jury in the Gwyneth Paltrow ski crash trial found that she was not at fault in an accident that caused a retired Utah optometrist to sustain broken ribs and a concussion.
The man, Terry Sanderson, filed a $300,000 lawsuit against Paltrow with the allegation that she skied recklessly. But the jury, after listening to testimony from both individuals, found that Sanderson is at fault for the crash.
Las Vegas mass shooter was angry about casinos
The FBI released documents of its investigation into the Las Vegas mass shooter Stephen Paddock, who killed 58 people in 2017 when he shot up a concert from high up in his hotel room at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. He then shot and killed himself.
The documents show that Paddock was a heavy gambler and was angry about how casinos treated him because he felt like he was banned from some casinos and did not get good perks such as a penthouse suite. He had a bankroll of about $2 million to $3 million. He gambled hundreds of thousands of dollars in Las Vegas, Reno, and other Nevada properties for about 10 years prior to the shooting. He had $2.1 million in 2015 but in 2017 he had only $530,000.
Investigators said there was no single or clear motivating factor that caused Paddock to decide to shoot. But the documents help us understand that he had negative feelings about the casino and may have been under stress due to his losses.
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Wimbledon no longer banning Russian and Belarusian players
The All England Club, which organizes and runs the Wimbledon tennis tournament, announced that Russian and Belarusian players will be able to play in the tournament as neutral athletes. The organization said players must sign declarations of neutrality and not express support for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
This means players like Aryna Sabalenka, who is the Australian Open champion, and Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev can return to Wimbledon.
A Ukrainian official said the decision is “immoral” because Russia has not ceased its war. He called on the UK government to deny visas to Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Pope Francis hospitalized but will be discharged
Pope Francis went to a hospital on Wednesday for respiratory problems and was diagnosed with bronchitis. The Vatican said he would be discharged from the hospital on Saturday.
Pope Francis is 86 years old. The Vatican said he would be present for the Vatican’s Palm Sunday ceremonies.
Miami Seaquarium to release orca to wild
The Miami Seaquarium said it plans to release an orca that it has held in captivity for more than 50 years. The animal’s name is Lolita and it weighs 5,000 pounds.
The Miami Seaquarium will be working with a nonprofit organization to release the orca in the Pacific Northeast within two years. The cost to transport the orca may cost about a million dollars. The Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said he would help to pay the costs.
Lolita was first captured in 1970 near Seattle, so she will be returning to her home waters. Orcas can live up to 80 years.
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a nice weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/18/trump-stormy-daniels-payment-probe
https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/wimbledon-drops-ban-russians-lets-play-neutrals-98261391