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One of the two Tennessee lawmakers who were expelled for protesting gun violence has been reinstated
The Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County voted unanimously to send Justin Jones of Nashville back to Tennessee's state Legislature on an interim basis.
Jones and Justin Pearson of Memphis were voted out by the House's Republican supermajority on Thursday for protesting against gun violence in the state capitol after six people, including three children, were killed in a Nashville school shooting on March 27. Democratic Rep. Gloria Johnson, who also participated in the protest, survived by a single vote.
Their removal was widely criticized by leaders across the country, including President Joe Biden, who tweeted, "The expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protest is shocking, undemocratic, and unprecedented." Expulsions have previously been used to remove members accused of serious offenses, like soliciting a bribe or allegedly committing sexual misconduct.
Pearson could be reappointed later this week. Jones and Pearson, both young Black men who were in their first terms, have said they plan to run in the coming special elections for their seats. If reelected, they could not be expelled for the same offense.
Egypt’s secret aid for Russia goes against decades of US allyship
- Egypt planned to secretly send rockets to Russia, despite being a longtime US ally, the Washington Post reports. In response to the newly leaked US intelligence documents detailing this deal, a spokesperson for Egypt's Foreign Ministry said that the country is "committing to maintain equal distance with both sides" of the war in Ukraine.
SNAPSHOTS
The Justice Department asked an appeals court to block a federal judge's decision to overturn the FDA's approval of mifepristone. The DOJ has called upon the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals to keep the medication abortion pill on the market as courts debate the issue.
The mother of the 6-year-old who shot an elementary school teacher was charged with child neglect. No charges are expected to be brought against the 6-year-old; however, teacher Abigail Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit against administrators of the elementary school, accusing them of negligence.
Twitter Circles is broken, revealing nudes not meant for the general public. A number of users are publicly warning those who use the feature that their supposedly secure posts are leaching into the For You feed, the algorithmically driven homepage of Twitter.
Five people were killed in a shooting at a bank in downtown Louisville
A shooter opened fire at Old National Bank on Monday morning in Louisville, Kentucky, killing five people and injuring nine more.
In a press conference Monday afternoon, police identified the deceased victims as Joshua Barrick, 40, Thomas Elliott, 63, Juliana Farmer, 45, and James Tutt, 64. All four worked at Old National Bank. On Monday night, authorities announced that a fifth person, Deanna Eckert, 57, had died. Fighting back tears, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear told reporters that Elliott, the bank's vice president, had been a close friend and "one of the people I talked to most in the world."
The suspected shooter — who police confirmed they killed at the scene — was Connor Sturgeon, 23. According to his LinkedIn page, the suspect had worked at Old National Bank since 2018, when he began as a summer associate intern. He used a rifle for the attack and livestreamed it on social media, Louisville Metro Police Department Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel said.
As of April 10, there have been 146 mass shootings in the US this year. At least 4,916 Americans have died from gun violence in 2023 so far.
IMAGE OF THE DAY
Heading to Cornelia Street after Taylor Swift's breakup
Over the weekend, Entertainment Tonight reported Swift and Joe Alwyn — the Conversations With Friends actor and reported muse for the singer’s four most recent albums — had broken up after six years.
Less than 48 hours after ET’s news, some of Swift’s biggest fans flocked to the sidewalk outside her former Cornelia Street apartment in New York to parasocially pay their respects. A few people took photos of the apartment building or the street sign. At one point, a teenage girl laid two bouquets of flowers outside the door, took a photo, and ran away. Neighbors avoided the press, declining to comment on any increased foot traffic in the area.
“Cornelia Street,” a song on her 2019 Lover album, is theorized to be about the beginning of her and Alwyn’s relationship. While some fans doubt that the song is about Alwyn, the song remains a display of Swift’s heartbreak at the thought of a relationship ending. According to the Chart Data Twitter account that tracks music data, “Cornelia Street” had its biggest streaming day on Sunday on Spotify since 2019.
Celina De Leon, a 27-year-old flight attendant from Seattle, told BuzzFeed News outside Swift’s former apartment that she wanted to pay homage to the singer during her layover in New York — despite never being a huge fan of Alwyn. “I’m one of those Swifties who’s like, Joe, can you fight? But if he makes her happy, I support it,” she said. “But I’m also a glutton for sadness, and I really enjoy her sad lyrics.” After all, heartbreak for Swift might mean new songs for Swifties.
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