The Bulletin
World in Brief
Welcome to the Bulletin,
Mayorkas impeachment charges dismissed: Republican lawmakers expressed outrage after the Democrat-controlled Senate dismissed the impeachment case against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Here's what could happen next.
- Trump's juror remarks violate gag order: Donald Trump's social media remarks about the jury in his hush money trial may be in breach of a gag order imposed on him in the case, according to legal experts. Here are his posts about the jury on Truth Social. Read more on the trial below.
- Diddy faces another court summons: Sean "Diddy" Combs has been hit with a court summons by Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, the music producer who has accused the rap mogul of sexual misconduct. Here's the latest.
- 911 outage: On Wednesday, outages and disruptions on emergency 911 call lines were reported across multiple states. Here are the affected states.
- In the ongoing war in Ukraine, Ukrainian forces struck a factory in eastern Russia charged with producing bomber aircraft for Moscow's military, according to Kyiv officials.
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Johnson Gives Impassioned Ukraine Speech as He Defies MAGA
Speaker Mike Johnson said he will "take personal risk" by pushing ahead with his plans for a House vote on foreign aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan as fellow Republican representatives continue to call for him to vacate the chair.
Why it matters: The foreign aid package includes separate bills for Taiwan, sanctions on Russia, China, and Iran, and measures to assist Ukraine. Johnson also announced a fifth bill to provide further funding for security measures at the southern border with Mexico. The speaker's decision to send the legislation to the House floor comes with severe political risk. His party's right flank has indicated it would move to oust him as speaker if he proceeds with the foreign aid package. Asked why he was willing to lose his job by moving forward with his foreign aid plan by reporters in the Capitol Wednesday evening, Johnson responded: "My philosophy is you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may. If I operated out of fear of a motion to vacate, I would never be able to do my job."
Read more in-depth coverage:
Marjorie Taylor Greene: Members Who Vote For Ukraine Aid Have to Join Army
Mike Johnson's Letter Sparks New Flood of Republican Backlash
Ukraine's Desperate Wait May Soon Be Over as Mike Johnson Vows Vote
Refugees Would Get Millions for Housing Under New Bill
TL/DR: “I think providing legal aid to Ukraine right now is critically important—I really do believe the intel and the briefings that we've gotten,” Speaker Mike Johnson said.
What happens now? The House of Representatives is expected to vote on sending additional aid to Ukraine and Israel on Saturday as part of the $95 billion military funding.
Deeper reading Mike Johnson Gives Impassioned Ukraine Speech as He Defies MAGA
Trump Scores Win on Abortion
More Americans believe abortion restrictions should be decided by the states rather than the federal government, according to polling conducted for Newsweek, suggesting many nationwide are coming to share former President Donald Trump's view on the issue announced last week.
Why it matters: 41 percent of Americans believe individual state governments should determine abortion laws, while 39 percent say the federal government should. Amid the overturning of Roe v. Wade, 14 states banning abortion at every stage of pregnancy and the recent Arizona Supreme Court ruling, abortion has been a winning issue for Democrats, and President Joe Biden is campaigning on restoring abortion rights to draw a contrast with Trump in this year's heated presidential contest.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Abortion Activists Are Winning
Kamala Harris Blames Trump for Abortion Ban: 'Enough With the Gaslighting'
Kari Lake Tells Arizonans to Travel for Abortion
TL/DR: Trump sides with states governing abortion, and polling shows the American public is in agreeance.
What happens now? The shift, however, might not be a critical indicator of the November election. Political science professor Costas Panagopoulos cautioned Newsweek that polling estimates "can frequently appear to bounce around somewhat even if real change is elusive."
Deeper reading Donald Trump Scores Win on Abortion
US Water Supply Targeted by Russian Hackers: Report
A hacking group behind cyberattacks on water systems in the United States, Poland and France is connected to the Russian military, a cybersecurity firm has found, signaling a possible escalation by Moscow to target adversaries' infrastructure.
Why it matters: Sandworm has long been identified as Unit 74455 of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency and has been tied to attacks on Ukrainian telecom providers and the NotPetya malware attack that affected companies around the world. Researchers at security firm Mandiant, which Google Cloud owns, said it found Sandworm appears to have a direct link with several pro-Russia hacktivist groups. One of them is the Cyber Army of Russia Reborn (CARR) also known as Cyber Army of Russia, which has claimed responsibility for cyberattacks on water systems this year.
Read more in-depth coverage:
US Government Tried to Spy on People, Telegram Founder Claims
US Revealed As 'Hotspot for Cybercrime' in Global Study
China Accused of Major Cyber Hack on NATO Ally
TL/DR: Cyber Army of Russia Reborn is linked to Russia's GRU military intelligence agency, according to research by Mandiant.
What happens now? U.S. water systems have become hacking targets with Iranian-linked operators breaking into at least six American utilities last year, while in November, North Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) was hit by a cyberattack. The White House and the Environmental Protection Agency sent a letter to U.S. governors last month asking them to improve cybersecurity defenses on water facilities, CNN reported. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin and the FBI for comment.
Deeper reading US Water Supply Targeted by Russian Hackers: Report
Trump Trial's Jury Selection Is 'Unprecedented,' Former Prosecutor Says
The jury selection process in former President Donald Trump's New York criminal trial has featured " unprecedented moments," according to former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner.
Why it matters: Trump's hush-money trial began with jury selection in Manhattan on Monday, with seven of 18 total required jurors and alternates being selected by Tuesday's end. Kirschner, a former assistant U.S. attorney, said during the latest episode of his Justice Matters podcast on Wednesday that selecting a jury in the trial had included some "unusual" moments from New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial. Merchan dismissed potential jurors immediately if they expressed impartiality toward Trump. Kirschner described it as unprecedented, as jurors typically undergo follow-up questions.
Read more in-depth coverage:
Donald Trump's Mad About How Jury Selection Is Going So Far
Fact Check: Are Donald Trump's Jurors 'Open' Joe Biden Supporters?
Donald Trump Already Showing 'Contempt' for His Jurors: Mary Trump
TL/DR: The selection of two lawyers as qualified jurors was also deemed "unusual" by Kirschner, who said that "most lawyers" who work in criminal cases are "not wild about having lawyers" serve on juries because they might be "second-guessing" their decisions.
What happens now? Jury selection in Trump’s hush-money trial resumes today. Opening statements are expected on Monday. The trial is expected to last six weeks. Kirschner predicted that the proceedings against the former president would amount to "one giant step on the road to fulfilling the promise that no one is above the law."
Deeper reading Trump Trial's Jury Selection Is 'Unprecedented,' Former Prosecutor Says
Bryan Kohberger Defense Plans New Alibi for Quadruple-Murder Trial
In a new court filing, Bryan Kohberger's attorneys shared their client's alibi defense for the murder trial where he will stand accused of killing four University of Idaho students.
Why it matters: Kohberger, 29, was arrested in December 2022 and charged with four counts of murder in the first degree and one count of felony burglary in the fatal stabbings of Kaylee Goncalves, 21; Madison Mogen, 21; Xana Kernodle, 20; and Ethan Chapin, 20. Kohberger's attorney submitted a 10-page filing on Wednesday, which serves as his official alibi and includes new information about his purported whereabouts the morning of the deadly knife attack in November 2022, which allegedly shows him traveling in the opposite direction at the time. Kohberger's defense team plans to call an expert witness specializing in cell tower data to partially corroborate the new alibi.
More in-depth coverage:
Who Is Sy Ray? Bryan Kohberger Turns to Retired Officer to Prove Alibi
Bryan Kohberger Lawyer's Latest Move May Backfire
Bryan Kohberger Defense Team's Move Slammed by Prosecutor: 'Half-Baked'
TL/DR: Attorneys for Kohberger, the man accused of killing four Idaho college students in November 2022, shared his alibi in new court filings.
What happens now? A start date for Kohberger's trial has not been set. However, the judge scheduled a hearing for May 14 on the defense motion to move the trial out of Latah County. In the motion seeking to change the trial venue, Taylor argued that a fair and impartial jury could not be found in the county where the killings occurred.
Deeper reading Bryan Kohberger Defense Plans New Alibi for Quadruple-Murder Trial
Could 'Palestine's Nelson Mandela' Help Bring Peace?
Among his supporters, he is sometimes hailed as "Palestine's Nelson Mandela." To his opponents in Israel, he is a terrorist. Yet Marwan Barghouti could help bring a solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, or at least hope for the Palestinians living there and in the West Bank, according to a filmmaker who has explored his case.
Sophia Scott made a documentary about Barghouti with her sister, Georgia Scott, called Tomorrow's Freedom. It tracks the fight to free him from an Israeli jail by documenting the experiences of those closest to him.
Barghouti is one of the best-known Palestinian leaders and his mural is plastered across walls across the Middle East. He was a key figure in the Palestinian self-determination movement as a contemporary to Yasser Arafat until he was jailed by Israel in 2002. He was sentenced to five cumulative life sentences for murder, attempted murder and terrorist activities. However, his supporters say he is a political prisoner.
