Monday, September 21 top news briefs
It is Monday, September 21, the first day of autumn. Here are top news briefs.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to be first female to lie in state
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s body will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Friday. She is the first woman to be honored in this way. Rosa Parks was honored at the U.S. Capitol in 2005, but she was “lain in honor.”
What is the difference between “in state” or “in honor?”
To lie in state, it means your body is in a coffin that is placed on the same catafalque (wooden framework) that was used to support Abraham Lincoln’s coffin after his assassination in 1865. There are guards of honor from all the branches of the Armed Forces to watch over the body. That is “in state.”
To lay in honor means the body is guarded by the U.S. Capitol Police. The casket is not placed on the Lincoln catafalque. That’s the difference.
Ginsburg continues to be a trailblazer for women even in death to be the first woman to lie in state.
Ginsburg will lie in response on the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday and Thursday.
Her burial will be in a private service next week at the Arlington National Cemetery.
Trump to make nomination for Supreme Court empty seat
President Donald Trump said he wants to nominate a justice to fill the empty seat on Friday or Saturday. He said he wants to nominate a woman.
The nomination and the Senate confirmation process will be a very controversial one because we are less than two months away from the election. Many say the nomination process should begin after the election with whoever wins the presidency, but President Trump and the Republican Senate are still in power, and they want to move forward “now.” Trump said, “We won. We have an obligation to voters.”
Two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) said they do not support voting for a new justice before the election.
Canadian woman arrested for mailing ricin to President Trump
A Canadian woman was arrested trying to enter the U.S. border at Buffalo and will be charged with mailing ricin to President Trump at the White House a few days ago. Ricin is a very dangerous poison that is made from castor beans. The suspect, who has not been named at the time of signing, had a firearm with her. She was deported from the U.S. last year for possession of an unlicensed weapon and overstaying her six-month visa. The envelope was apparently mailed from Canada and intercepted at an off-site processing facility that was the final stop before the mail would have been sent to the White House. The New York Times said it is the second time someone has tried to send ricin to President Trump, with the first in 2018. Former President Barack Obama had ricin sent to him twice in 2013.
Omaha bar owner commits suicide after being indicted for murder of BLM protester
A bar owner in Omaha, Nebraska — Jake Gardner — committed suicide after he was indicted by a grand jury with shooting and killing a 22-year-old Black Lives Matter protester named James Scurlock.
The incident was on May 30, five days after the death of George Floyd. There were protests in downtown Omaha. Gardner fired his handgun several times while fighting with protesters and shot at Scurlock in the neck, killing him.
Gardner was in Oregon when a grand jury indicted him with manslaughter and other charges. He was supposed to return to Nebraska and turn himself in on Sunday, but committed suicide near Portland. His attorney said Gardner was “really shook up” by the indictment.
That is all the top news briefs for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light!
https://www.axios.com/trump-supreme-court-top-choices-rbg-8aa4a52d-dd23-4fa6-a867-4d326c730009.html
https://www.wyff4.com/article/lying-in-state-versus-lying-in-honor/18659120#
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/20/us/politics/ricin-white-house-trump.html