Updated May 21, 2019

Christchurch mosque attacks: Suspect charged with terrorism

The New Zealand flag on a Wellington Parliament building. Photo: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images

The Australian man accused of killing 51 people in 2 New Zealand mosques faces fresh charges including engaging in a terrorist act, Christchurch police said in a statement Tuesday.

Details: Police said they also filed 1 additional charge of murder and 2 more of attempted murder against Brenton Harrison Tarrant, 28. That brings the total number of murder and attempted murder charges to 51 and 40, respectively. The death toll from the Christchurch shootings rose to 51 after a Turkish national died of his injuries this month.

Why it matters: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the suspect a terrorist soon after the March 15 shootings. But this is the first charge filed that alleges a terrorist act was carried out in the South Island's most populous city. It'll be a test case of a 2002 terrorism law, brought in after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S., per AP.

What's next? Tarrant, a self-proclaimed white supremacist who was ordered by a judge to undergo a psychiatric assessment to determine his fitness to stand trial, is due to face court on June 14.

Go deeper:

Go deeper

Axios
46 mins ago - Podcasts

The art and business of political polling

The election is just eight days away, and it’s not just the candidates whose futures are on the line. Political pollsters, four years after wrongly predicting a Hillary Clinton presidency, are viewing it as their own judgment day.

Axios Re:Cap digs into the polls, and what pollsters have changed since 2016, with former FiveThirtyEight writer and current CNN politics analyst Harry Enten.

Orion Rummler
3 hours ago - Technology

Twitter launches warnings on election misinformation and delays

Photo: courtesy of Twitter

Twitter will start pinning notices to the top of all U.S. Twitter users’ timelines warning that results in next week’s election may be delayed and that they may encounter misinformation on mail-in voting.

Why it matters: Delayed election results are expected across many states that are handling unprecedented amounts of absentee and mailed ballots, which President Trump has baselessly called "very dangerous" and "corrupt."

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Miriam Kramer, author of Space
3 hours ago - Science

NASA confirms water exists on sunny parts of the Moon

Photo: NASA/JPL/USGS

Water on the Moon might be more easily accessible than previously thought, opening up new possible avenues for future human exploration, according to a new study.

Why it matters: NASA is aiming to send people back to the Moon as part of its Artemis program by 2024, with plans to eventually create a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. That sustainability relies on mining the moon for its resources, like water.

Go deeper (1 min. read)Arrow