A judge on Tuesday granted prosecutors' motion to exonerate Kevin Strickland in one of the longest wrongful conviction cases in U.S. history, Kansas City Star reports.
Why it matters: Strickland walked free after spending more than 43 years in prison for three murders he did not commit.
A federal jury in Charlottesville, Virginia, found prominent white supremacists Richard Spencer, Jason Kessler and Christopher Cantwell, and others liable for civil conspiracy in the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally, AP reports.
Why it matters: The ruling came after a nearly month-long trial and awarded more than $25 million to nine people who suffered injuries at the violent demonstrations.
Darrell Brooks, the alleged driver of an SUV that plowed into a crowd gathered at a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Sunday, was charged with five counts of first-degree intentional homicide on Tuesday.
Driving the news: The incident left 62 people injured as of Tuesday, according to court documents.
The Jan. 6 House select committee issued subpoenas Tuesday for several members of the far-right Proud Boys and Oath Keepers groups, and the chair of an organization that provided security at several rallies leading up to Jan. 6 that amplified false claims of election fraud.
Details: The committee subpoenaed Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, the chairman of the Proud Boys at the time of the Capitol Riot, as well as Elmer Stewart Rhodes, the current president of the Oath Keepers.
John Hamercheck, president of Ohio's Lake County Board of Commissioners, on Tuesday denied knowing about any attempts to breach the county's election network during the spring primary.
Driving the news: According to the Washington Post, a private laptop was plugged into the network inside Hamercheck's government office on May 4. No sensitive data was obtained.
President Biden's first flight on the new presidential helicopter is being delayed, Bloomberg reports.
Driving the news: The Pentagon's testing unit warned that the helicopter made by Lockheed Martin was not "operationally suitable," especially in emergency situations, according to Bloomberg.
A federal jury said Tuesday that Walgreens, CVS and Walmart recklessly distributed pain pills in two Ohio counties and played a hand in the hundreds of overdose deaths that plagued the communities, AP reports.
Why it matters: It's the first verdict for pharmacy companies in a case involving the opioid crisis, per AP. The verdict — with a judge set to rule on damages this spring — could set a precedent for other local governments that seek to hold pharmacies accountable.
The Biden administration on Tuesday asked a federal appeals court in Cincinnati to lift a block on a national mandate that requires companies to ensure that employees are vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly.
Why it matters: The government's 52-page motion comes more than a week after a panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans issued a stay on the rule, writing that it "grossly exceeds [the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's] statutory authority" to regulate hazards within the workplace.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) published an extensive timeline this month of the legal battles, union formations and political strategies used to advance the civil rights of U.S. Latinos.
Why it matters: The organization’s timeline comes amid a broader discussion of the marginalization Latinos still face across the United States, including health care inequities and structural racism.
Young adult Latino authors, ranging from Ashley Hope Pérez to Benjamin Alire Sáenz, are facing threats from conservative school boards that want to remove their work from schools for tackling issues of race and sexuality.
Why it matters: The growing backlash against lessons on slavery, racism and LGBTQ issues in classrooms has engulfed young adult Latino authors whose work is often overlooked in discussions about race in education materials.
A federal judge in Colorado on Monday ordered two lawyers who brought an unsuccessful lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results to pay more than $186,000 to cover the legal fees of the groups they sued, including Facebook (now Meta) and Dominion Voting Systems.
Driving the news: Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter said the lawsuit "has been used to manipulate gullible members of the public and foment public unrest." He added that the two lawyers, Gary Fielder and Ernest John Walker, "should have known better" and they "need to take responsibility for their misconduct."
Sheila Bakia was 19 when she was killed in Montenegro. Albanian Sabrina Bengaj was killed at 23. Marigona Osmani was just 18 when was she beaten to death in Kosovo. Authorities believe all three women were killed by their husbands or ex-partners, and all three recent murders have sparked mass calls for change.
The big picture: As the world prepares to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women this week, activists across the Balkans are highlighting how the systemic failures to monitor and prevent femicide have allowed violence against women and girls to continue unchecked.
President Biden directed the Department of Energy on Tuesday to release 50 million barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve to help lower fuel prices.
Why it matters: It's the Biden administration's most direct effort yet to tamp down on high gasoline prices that have become a political headache for the White House amid wider inflation.
Two-in-three Americans will celebrate this Thanksgiving with friends or family outside their immediate households, and about half of those say their gatherings could include unvaccinated people, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.
Why it matters: Vaccinations and booster shots are giving more people confidence to resume traditions like sitting around a packed table with masks off. But many are doing so with heightened awareness of what they don't know when it comes to their holiday companions.
New legislation would force policy experts who testify before Congress to disclose any foreign government funding for nonprofits employing them, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Existing rules provide a measure of disclosure, but Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) says loopholes have allowed congressional witnesses to routinely sidestep the requirements, potentially obscuring foreign funding behind expert testimony used to shape U.S. law. The law could affect numerous experts from think tanks.
Rep. Louie Gohmert announced Monday his bid to become Texas attorney general in 2022 and said he's already raised $1 million in his effort to unseat the incumbent, fellow Republican Ken Paxton.
Four Black men wrongly charged with rape were exonerated Monday, more than 70 after being convicted of what prosecutors now say were baseless charges.
Why it matters: Prosecutors said the case against the men, who all died before it was re-examined by Florida officials, "lacked due process and would not be tried today," the New York Times reports.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are urging public and private sector organizations to remain vigilant and bolster protections against ransomware and other cyberattacks during the holidays.
Why it matters: Malicious cyber actors often take advantage of holidays and weekends to disrupt critical networks, the agencies said. Ahead of Thanksgiving, the federal government is warning organizations to be proactive about reducing vulnerability to cyberattacks.
The Florida man who paraded around the Capitol on Jan. 6 with Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) lectern pleaded guilty on Monday to entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, the Washington Post reports.
Driving the news: Under the plea deal, prosecutors have agreed to toss out charges related to theft of government property and violent entry on Capitol grounds.
Migrants are "dying in the snow" along the Belarus-Poland border, caught in freezing temperatures between hostile border guards from both countries and cut off from lifesaving aid, Stefan Lehmeier of the International Rescue Committee told Axios.
Context: Lehmeier spoke by phone with Axios Monday, immediately after helping to administer first aid to three Iraqi men suffering from hypothermia in a forest on the Polish side of the border. Lehmeier and his fellow aid workers gave them blankets, hot soup and waterproof boots.
