Week Thirty-One: 4/16-4/22

4/16

China’s defense minister Li Shangfu stated that the country is willing to have strategic military communications with Russia.

4/17

4 people were killed and 28 were injured following a shooting at a birthday party in Alabama.
Rep. George Santos announced his reelection bid (see 3/2).
U.S. federal agents arrested 2 New York residents for supposedly running a Chinese “secret police station” in Chinatown. The residents face charges of conspiring to act as agents of China’s government without notifying U.S. officials and obstruction of justice.
The Rapid Support Forces fired on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in Sudan (see 4/15).

4/18

Fox News reached a $787.5 million defamation settlement with Dominion Voting Systems following its accusations of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election.
4 Americans were charged with conspiring to use U.S. citizens as illegal agents of the Russian government after spreading pro-Russia propaganda and attempting to interfere with elections in the United States.
Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ request to temporarily replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein on the Judiciary Committee (see 4/11).
President Biden signed an executive order to expand access to long-term care and childcare.

4/19

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched his bid for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination.
The family of Tyre Nichols filed a $550 million lawsuit against Memphis police Chief Cerelyn Davis, the 5 police officers facing criminal charges for the murder, 2 additional officers, and 3 fire department employees (see 3/8).
3 people, including 2 teenagers, were arrested and charged with 4 counts of reckless murder in connection with the mass shooting at a birthday party in Alabama (see 4/17).
The Florida State Board of Education voted to prevent middle school and high school teachers from teaching students about sexual orientation and gender identity, unless the lessons require it.
At least 78 people were killed in a stampede in Yemen as residents crowded to receive Ramadan donations.

4/20

House Speaker McCarthy proposed changing access to food stamps by increasing the number of people required to show they are working in order to be eligible for food stamps.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Durbin invited Chief Justice John Roberts to testify next month for a hearing on Supreme Court ethics rules amid the recent report on Supreme Court Justice Thomas (see 4/10).
MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell was ordered to pay $5 million to software developer Robert Zeidman, who debunked Lindell’s 2020 election fraud claims in the “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge” contest.

4/21

The Supreme Court ruled to preserve legal access to mifepristone (see 4/13).
3 people were injured after Russia accidentally bombed its own territory, dropping a weapon over Belgorod near the Ukrainian border.
Manhattan District Attorney Bragg dropped his lawsuit against the House Judiciary Committee following an agreement that allows Mark Pomerantz to testify before the committee on May 12 (see 4/11).
The death toll due to the violence in Sudan increased to 413 (see 4/15)

4/22