#1: Shinzo Abe:
The former Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, was assassinated on Friday in Nara, Japan. He was shot during a campaign speech. He was 67-years-old. An unemployed man, 41, was arrested. It appeared the man shot him due to disagreements about politics. Masked individuals were seen at the crime scene, including the shooter. Abe was the longest-serving Japanese Prime Minister in history. He stepped down from his position in 2020, due to health problems.
#2: Trump’s Former Lawyer Ty Cobb:
Ty Cobb, the former White House lawyer during the Trump administration, had defended him during Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation. Cobb told CNN on Thursday that it is “justifiable” that Trump should be investigated for his role in the January 6 attack and his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Cobb said the prominent issues are witness tampering, seditious conspiracy, the ‘Big Lie,’ his interference in the Georgia electoral count, and his actions regarding former Vice President Mike Pence. He doesn’t think that it would go as far as sedition, but he indicated that Trump could be convicted of crimes.
#3: Russia Wants Alaska:
Alaska was purchased from Russia by the US in 1867 for $7.2 million. After some allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia should take back Alaska, Alaska’s Governor Mike Dunleavy wrote his response to their proposal on Twitter: “To the Russian politicians who believe they can take back Alaska: Good luck.” The discourse escalated with a statement by Russian official, Vyacheslav Volodin, during a parliamentary session on Wednesday, who said: “Let America always remember, there is a part of [Russian] territory: Alaska. So when [U.S. lawmakers] attempt to appropriate our assets abroad, they should be aware that we also have something to claim back.” To add to the fire, another Russian government parliament official, Pyotr Tolstoy, has also suggested holding a vote among Alaskans about the possibility of rejoining Russia. Not hard to predict how that would turn out.
#4: Brittney Griner Pleads Guilty:
Brittney Griner appeared at her court trial in Moscow on Thursday, where the American basketball star pleaded guilty to drug charges. Griner’s supporters are hoping that the US and Russia can make a deal to get her out of Russia, maybe with a prisoner switch. Griner told the court she had unintentionally carried vape cartridges and cannabis oil into the country because she had packed in a hurry. “I’d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn’t want to break the law,” she said. She was caught at the airport and has been detained ever since. She is facing 10 years in a penal colony.
#5: George Floyd Murder:
On Thursday, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 21 years in prison on federal civil rights charges Thursday in the death of George Floyd. In April 2021, Chauvin was also found guilty on three counts in Floyd’s death — second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter — for pressing his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, even after George Floyd was unresponsive. Chauvin made a plea agreement for a 20-25-year sentence, which will be served at the same time as the state sentence. He will go to federal prison.
