Monday, Oct. 5
New Supreme Court term begins
Monday marks the beginning of a new Supreme Court term. The court will hear cases on climate change, assault weapon bans, immigration, voting and religious rights, according to the Associated Press.
The court will hear an appeal by energy corporations Suncor and ExxonMobil, who face lawsuits in Boulder, Colorado. Local officials claim the energy companies should help pay for damages relating to climate change.
The Supreme Court will also hear two cases on immigration. One is on the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to deport people to a third country when it is not possible to send them to their native country. The second is regarding the administration's mandatory detention policy for illegal U.S. immigrants, even if they have been living in the country for multiple years, according to the AP.
Tuesday, Oct. 6
Trump announces his super PAC will pay for political ads
President Donald Trump announced Monday television advertisements glorifying him will no longer be paid for with taxpayer money and will instead be paid for by his super PAC. The change comes after the ads garnered backlash for being paid for using federal funds, according to the AP.
Trump announced this on his social media, where he defended the ads and blamed the “Radical Left” for the criticism. The ads cost at least $1.5 million in federal funds, according to the AP.
The White House did not say anything about reimbursing taxpayers for ads already aired. Legal experts warn that Trump may have violated federal statutes with his ads, including one against congressionally appropriated funds used for “publicity or propaganda” and another limiting partisan political activities of government employees, according to the AP.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
CNN bought by Skydance
Paramount’s owner, Skydance, purchased Warner Bros. Discovery in an $81 billion purchase Tuesday. The buyout officially placed both CBS and CNN, owned by Warner Bros., under Skydance. Skydance confirmed Mark Thompson will stay on as CNN’s editor-in-chief, according to the AP.
David Ellison’s role as Skydance’s CEO raised questions about editorial independence as Ellison’s family has close ties with Trump. Ellison promised “complete” editorial independence and Skydance agreed to create a “News Editorial Independence Board” to monitor both CNN and CBS, the AP reported.
Thursday, Oct. 8
Attempting to execute Christa Pike again could raise legal questions
After Christa Pike’s failed execution, legal experts said attempting to execute her again could put Tennessee in uncharted legal territory, according to the AP. Pike suffered both burns and blisters to her arms after the execution attempt of two doses of pentobarbital.
Other states attempted second executions, but in those cases, the first attempts were stopped before the drug was administered. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee has not responded as to whether the state will continue with a second execution attempt for Pike, but paused executions in the state.
Similar cases happened in the past, raising the question of the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition of “cruel and unusual punishment.” Although the argument worked in lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against it, and the executions were carried out.
Friday, Oct. 9
Execution of Fort Hood shooter to be livestreamed
The Pentagon announced Thursday the execution of the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, will be livestreamed, according to the AP. The execution will be by firing squad.
Hasan was sentenced to death for killing 13 people and injuring 32 at Fort Hood military base in 2009. Hasan’s execution date is set for Dec. 3. The last military execution was in 1961 when Army Pvt. John Bennett was executed by hanging.
Experts said Hasan could fight the execution by filing a request to determine the legality of his detention, which could delay the execution, the AP reported. Trump has been critical of public executions in Iran before, according to the AP.
Sunday, Oct. 11
Isaias brings rain to Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic
The storm known as Isaias hit the Florida Panhandle and Southern Alabama. It moved North and brought heavy rainfall and flooding risks to central Appalachia and the Mid-Atlantic on Sunday, according to the AP.
Tornadoes were possible in parts of North Carolina and Virginia. Life-threatening surf and rip current conditions were expected to continue along the Gulf and Southeastern Atlantic coasts, according to the AP.
Isaias made landfall Friday near Destin, Florida, as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm continued to move into Alabama. At least four deaths have been linked to the storm, according to the AP.
