Citing "exceptional circumstances," a D.C. judge has ruled that the federal government cannot refile its Reflecting Pool charges against David Hearn, despite pressure from President Trump to do so.
NPR – Politics Judge barred further charges against David Hearn, whom Trump blamed for damage caused by flawed installation Federal prosecutors in Washington DC can never again charge the former Olympic canoeist David Hearn over damage to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, a judge ruled on Thursday, closing a case the US attorney’s office had already conceded it should not have brought. Judge Todd Edelman, of the DC superior co…
Federal criminal charges against former Olympian David Hearn for damage to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool have been permanently dismissed by D.C. Judge Todd Edelman, who cited “exceptional circumstances” and barred the government from refiling them; prosecutors had earlier moved to dismiss after concluding the damage was caused by a contractor’s botched installation rather than vandalism.
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NPR – Politics Judge barred further charges against David Hearn, whom Trump blamed for damage caused by flawed installation Federal prosecutors in Washington DC can never again charge the former Olympic canoeist David Hearn over damage to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, a judge ruled on Thursday, closing a case the US attorney’s office had already conceded it should not have brought. Judge Todd Edelman, of the DC superior co…
In August, prosecutors asked a judge to dismiss Reflecting Pool vandalism charges against David Hearn because the damage had been caused by a contractor's "botched installation."
Sky News – World A drone strike on a market in the disputed Abyei border region killed at least 153 people, according to local officials. The attack hit a fuel depot and caused a large fire. South Sudanese officials blamed Sudan's military; Sudan's army was described by South Sudan authorities as having launched the strike. Médecins Sans Frontières said it was treating 20 wounded people.
NYTimes – US Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has commuted the death sentence of Toforest Johnson, convicted of the 1995 murder of a sheriff's deputy, to life in prison without parole. The decision followed growing doubts about Johnson's conviction, which relied partly on testimony from a woman paid a $5,000 state reward.
A former Cornell student, identified as Jane Doe, said she felt "unsupported and disbelieved" by the university's president after alleging she was gang raped at a fraternity house in 2024. Cornell denied claims made in her letter about a remark by the president.
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