Friday, October 21 top stories
It is Friday, October 21. Here are today’s top stories.
Steve Bannon sentenced 4 months for contempt of Congress
Steve Bannon, a former top advisor to former President Trump, was sentenced to four months in prison for contempt of Congress. He refused to comply with a subpoena from the Jan 6. House Committee. Bannon was also fined $6,500.
Bannon isn’t going to prison yet because a judge stayed his sentence to allow his side to appeal his conviction. He has 14 days to file his appeal.
Kevin Spacey found not liable in sex abuse trial
Actor Kevin Spacey won a sexual abuse lawsuit that was brought against him by actor Anthony Rapp. Rapp accused Spacey of groping him in 1986, at a time when Spacey was 26 and Rapp was 14.
Spacey testified before a jury that the allegations were untrue. He said he was never with Rapp. The jury found Spacey not liable for battery and the lawsuit was dismissed.
Spacey has a sexual assault case against him that is pending in the U.K.
Daycare workers who wore scary masks get felony charges
Five daycare workers in Mississippi were charged with felony child abuse and related charges after a viral video showed them wearing scary masks to scare small children at the daycare center. The children were crying and clearly terrified.
Law enforcement in Monroe County said they met with parents of the children in the video and decided to bring felony child abuse charges.
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Updates on Raleigh teen shooter
Police in Raleigh, North Carolina said they believe the 15-year-old boy who is accused of shooting and killing five people last Thursday, Austin Thompson, shot and killed his 16-year-old brother, James, at their home before he went outside in his neighborhood to carry out a rampage.
Police said Austin shot and wounded a woman in front of her home, shot and killed another woman and her dog on their porch, then shot and killed an off-duty police officer who was in his personal car and about to leave for work.
Austin then went to a nature trail and shot and killed a woman who was walking her dog and another woman who was jogging.
Police said there does not appear to be any connection between Austin and the last four victims other than the fact that they lived in the same area.
Police said they were in a standoff with the suspect in which they exchanged fire. An officer was wounded and the boy was shot once before he was arrested and hospitalized in critical condition. He had a shotgun and a handgun with him.
The boy’s parents said they are devastated and that they do not understand why the shooting happened. Austin will be charged as an adult.
Courts deny attempts to block Biden student loan forgiveness
The Supreme Court denied a request from a Wisconsin group that sought to block President Biden’s plan to forgive student loans.
CNN explained that Justice Amy Coney Barrett is the one who rejected the challenge brought upon the Wisconsin group and that in a separate but related case in a federal district court, a judge rejected a lawsuit brought by six Republican-led states that also sought to block Biden’s plan.
Many lawsuits said Biden does not have the authority to cancel student loan debt. But the Biden administration argued that Congress gave the secretary of education the power to discharge debt according to a 2003 law.
The Biden administration is forgiving up to $20,000 in student loans for those who earned less than $125,000 in either 2020 or 2021 or for those who received a federal Pell grant when they were enrolled in college.
Body of missing Princeton University student found
A Princeton University student who was reported missing a week ago was found dead on campus on Thursday afternoon. Her name was Misrach Ewunetie and she was 20.
Law enforcement said her body was found near tennis courts and that there is nothing that seems to be suspicious or criminal in nature. This means that the student may have had a health issue or died by suicide.
There will be an autopsy to determine the cause of death. The university said it is an “unthinkable tragedy.”
That is all the top stories for this week. Have a good weekend and stay with the light.
https://www.axios.com/2022/10/21/steve-bannon-sentencing-jan6-criminal-contempt
https://abcnews.go.com/US/day-care-workers-horror-mask-scare-children-charged/story?id=91790564
https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/20/us/raleigh-north-carolina-mass-shooting-report/index.html