Wednesday, June 8 top stories
It is Wednesday, June 8. Here are today’s top stories.
Armed man arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home
A California man carrying weapons was arrested just before 2 a.m. today near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home in Chevy Chase, Maryland after he made threats to kill the justice.
The suspect’s name is Nicholas John Roske (26). U.S. Deputy Marshals who were on duty near the home said they saw a person dressed in black clothing and carrying a backpack and suitcase get out of a taxi that stopped in front of a current justice’s house at 1:05 a.m. The person made eye contact with the marshals and then walked down the street.
Not long afterwards, Roske dialed 911 to say he was having suicidal thoughts and had a firearm in his suitcase. He said on the phone that he came from California to kill a specific justice. Police officers then found Roske and arrested him without incident. He had in his possession a tactical knife, a Glock 17 pistol, two magazines, ammunition, pepper spray, and zip ties. He also had tools that could be used to break into a house, such as a hammer, screwdriver, crow bar, duct tape, and other items.
Roske told police that he was upset about the leaked draft of an opinion by the Supreme Court that said it would overturn Roe. v. Wade, which is about abortion. The suspect was also angry over the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Roske said he wanted to have a purpose in his life and decided he would kill Kavanaugh after he found his address on the internet.
Roske was charged with attempt to murder a Supreme Court justice. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
News reports said there have been an increase in violent threats against members of the Supreme Court after the draft leak in early May. There were several protests that took place in front of justices’ homes and the Senate passed legislation to provide additional security for justices and their families. Now after this incident, there are calls for the House to act quickly to pass the bill.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers condemned the threat.
Olympic gymnasts seek $1B from FBI over Nassar
Over 90 women who survived sexual abuse from former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar are taking court action against the FBI seeking $1 billion in damages for the FBI’s failure to properly investigate and stop Nassar.
Last summer the FBI’s inspector general said senior FBI officials received tips and complaints about Nassar’s behavior in 2015 but did not respond with seriousness and urgency. That allowed Nassar to continue to abuse victims for more than a year.
Nassar was indicted and later arrested at the end of 2016 on charges related to sexual assault of minors and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced to 40-175 years in prison in 2018.
Many of the gymnasts, including Olympic stars Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney, hoped the Justice Department would charge FBI agents accused of botching the case, but two weeks ago the Justice Department declined, and the result is this $1 billion court action.
EU to require USB Type-C for all phones, tablets and cameras
The European Union announced that beginning in fall 2024, USB Type-C will be the standard charging port for all mobile phones, tablets, cameras, and all other medium-sized portable devices.
This move is aimed at saving consumers’ money as they will no longer have to worry about carrying different charging ports for various devices. It would also reduce waste.
This will affect Apple, who uses Lightning ports. Apple will have to switch to USB Type-C if they want to continue selling devices in the European Union.
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San Francisco voters recall progressive DA Boudin
In San Francisco, voters recalled District Attorney Chesa Boudin. This means he will be removed from office. He was elected in 2019 on a progressive platform in which he vowed to reduce incarcerations and reform the criminal justice system. But voters in San Francisco are clearly not satisfied with his job, saying he is too soft on crime.
Over the past two years, crime overall has fallen, but burglaries and homicides have gone up. San Francisco has made news headlines for hate crimes against Asian Americans and burglaries that took place in daylight at stores like CVS or Walgreens.
Political analysts say Boudin’s recall shows that voters are shifting away from supporting leaders who say they’ll be softer on crime or reform the criminal justice system.
Berlin car attack
This morning in Berlin, Germany, a young man drove his car into a crowd of people in a busy shopping district. A female teacher who was guiding a group of high school students on a school trip was killed. Several of the students were injured.
The location of the crash was on a sidewalk near the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. The car then got back on the road before plowing into a shop window. Over 12 people, including the students, were injured.
The driver was detained by civilians before a police officer made an arrest. Law enforcement are now trying to determine whether the man intentionally plowed his car into people or if it was an accident. The man is 29 years old and is a German-Armenian national who lived in Berlin.
Controversial LIV Golf league
There is a new and controversial professional golf league called LIV Golf. Its CEO is golf legend Greg Norman and the league is funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The league will have its first tournament in London on Thursday and many big-name golfers will play in it, such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Sergio Garcia. The tournament will be broadcast live on YouTube and Facebook.
The league is controversial because it is backed by the Saudi government, which has a bad human rights record with the most notable example the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. It is also controversial because the PGA Tour in the U.S. has warned its members that if they play in LIV Golf on a conflicting weekend with a PGA Tour event, they will face fines, suspension, or be banned.
Money is the main attraction for the professional golfers who are joining the league. Some players have been paid over $150 million just to join. Reports say Mickelson will be paid $200 million for playing in LIV Golf. Tiger Woods was offered a very high amount, in the “high nine digits,” but he declined to join. Several players have resigned their PGA Tour membership to play in LIV Golf.
There will be eight tournaments in the 2022 season. Two of the tournaments will take place on golf clubs owned by Donald Trump — Bedminster on July 31 and Doral Miami on October 30. Each tournament has a purse of $25 million and offer individual and team competitions.
Rory McIlroy, a golf star from Northern Ireland, warned those joining LIV Golf that decisions “you make in your life purely for money doesn’t usually end up going the right way.”
That is all the top stories for today. I will be out of town tomorrow and Friday. Callie Frye will cover top stories. Have a great week and weekend and stay with the light!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/06/08/kavanaugh-threat-arrest-justice/
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/08/politics/man-arrested-near-brett-kavanaugh-home/index.html
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/08/larry-nassar-victim-lawsuit-fbi
https://apnews.com/article/simone-biles-sports-larry-nassar-5aee7d6f66009dcae571249481a3558f
https://www.axios.com/2022/06/08/san-francisco-district-attorney-loses-recall
https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/08/europe/berlin-vehicle-incident-germany-intl/index.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/germany-berlin-vehicle-hits-pedestrians-1-death-multiple-injuries/
https://www.golfchannel.com/news/liv-golf-explained-format-captains-teams-and-team-names