Five former Memphis Police Department officers who were fired following the arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died days after a forceful traffic stop, have been charged with second-degree murder and booked into the Shelby County jail.
The latest: Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said officials will release footage of Nichols' arrest Friday after 7 p.m. ET.
More than two dozen people have been charged for their involvement in a scheme to sell fraudulent degrees and transcripts from Florida-based nursing schools to aspiring nurses, according to newly unsealed court documents.
Driving the news: The wire fraud scheme distributed over 7,600 fake diplomas, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is backing a change at the top of the Republican National Committee in Friday's election, telling conservative activist Charlie Kirk that he likes what he's hearing from challenger Harmeet Dhillon.
Why it matters: DeSantis is the only candidate currently polling in double digits against former President Trump among Republican voters.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is running for California’s U.S. Senate seat in 2024, he announced Thursday.
Why it matters: Schiff is the second House Democrat so far to launch a campaign for the seat held by 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who has not yet announced her retirement but is widely expected to do so.
Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis on Wednesday said she had fired five police officers who were found to be "directly responsible" for the "physical abuse" of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died days after a forceful encounter with officers during a traffic stop.
Why it matters: Davis said other Memphis Police Department officers are also under investigation for department policy violations during the Jan. 7 stop, though she did not say how many officers in total are currently under investigation.
House Democrats today are set to introduce a largely symbolic bill that would lift longstanding government restrictions on the use of federal funds to cover abortions.
The big picture: Abortion rights advocates have argued that such funding is needed to assure access to the procedure, particularly for low income people and people of color. But its prospects are practically nil in the Republican-controlled House.
In reinstating former President Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, Meta is also pushing Trump toward a moment of decision about the fate of his financially troubled social media app, Truth Social.
Why it matters: Trump raised hundreds of millions of dollars to create Truth Social after he got barred from many social platforms following the Jan. 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol. Now he must decide between recommitting to his new company or reaping the benefits of getting back on Facebook and Instagram.
Thousands of Australians protested Thursday the Australia Day national holiday marking the anniversary of a British fleet landing in the country for the first time on Jan. 26, 1788.
Why it matters: There are calls to change the date of the annual event that's also known as "Invasion Day," because of the devastating impact colonialism and its racist legacy had on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who'd lived in the country for tens of thousands of years before the British arrived — or abolish it altogether.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump joined Florida students on Wednesday in announcing they would sue the state and its Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, if they don't reinstate the African American studies course in the Advanced Placement curriculum.
Driving the news: There's growing outrage at the Florida Education Department's decision to block the course. The department last week told the College Board, the nonprofit group overseeing the AP program, that it is "contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value."
Former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao responded to former President Trump's latest racist social media post attacking her, saying that his remarks reveal "a whole lot more about him than it will ever say about Asian Americans," Politico reports.
The big picture: Trump in recent months has been on a tirade against Chao and her husband Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has publicly feuded with Trump for years.
Why it matters: The departure of 21 out of 66 "A-Team" officials puts Biden's turnover rate at the second highest since Ronald Reagan's presidency, though Biden's first-year turnover was low compared to former President Trump's.
A raft of legislative promises that House Republican rebels secured in exchange for supporting House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are quickly crumbling in the spotlight.
Why it matters: McCarthy's historic concessions to the fringeright gave Democrats a golden opportunity to paint Republicans as extreme. But the Freedom Caucus' influence when it comes to substantive policy has — at least so far — appeared to be more bark than bite.
A trio of freshmen House Democrats is asking House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to organize a classified briefing on mass shootings, according to a letter obtained by Axios.
Why it matters: The move follows a string of mass shootings in recent weeks and demonstrates how some new Democratic lawmakers — striving to show constituents they are making an impact in Washington — are trying to maneuver around the legislative roadblocks of being in the minority.
