May 24 top stories
It is May 24. Here are today’s top stories.
Trump hush-money trial scheduled March 2024
A Manhattan judge scheduled Donald Trump’s trial in his hush-money case for March 25, 2024.
If you remember, about two months ago, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trump was accused of covering up payments made to women to buy their silence about affairs they allegedly had with Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Yesterday, Trump appeared virtually in a Manhattan courtroom. The March 2024 trial means Trump may be in a courtroom for a few weeks during a critical time in the presidential primary season, while he is battling other Republican candidates.
The judge said Trump is not allowed to share evidence turned over by prosecutors but he is free to speak out about the case and defend himself.
Trump posted on his Truth Social platform that he feels the trial date is very unfair and that it is election interference.
Netflix charges $8 for out-of-household subscribers
Netflix said it now has a new policy on subscribers who share their account information with those who live outside of their household.
It will charge an additional $8 to share their information.
Netflix said it would allow everyone living in the same household to stream content under the same account, but for those living in a different home, they have to pay $8.
AP News said Netflix did not provide details on how it authenticates subscriber identities or accounts.
Illinois AG: 2,000 sexually abused by Catholic priests
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul said he has completed a five-year investigation on child sexual abuse by Catholic priests in the state. The investigation found that there are almost 2,000 victims/survivors of abuse by 451 individuals who were Catholic clergy.
Raoul’s office documented the abuses in a report. Many of the cases go back decades. They said almost all victims/survivors exhibited some form of mental health challenge and that many suffered in silence.
The report said a common problem, especially in the 1980’s and 90’s, was that some churches would transfer and protect accused priests to other locations without informing the new churches about the allegations.
Target removes some LGBTQ merch due to threats
Target said they would remove some of its LGBTQ merchandise from stores nationwide due to threats against employees from angry customers.
Target usually sells merch that supports LGBTQ individuals during Pride month in June.
AP News said Target did not specify which items it was removing but that there was a lot of attention and controversy over swimsuits that were tailored for trans women.
Target said in some Southern states, it moved its Pride merch from the front of the store to the back due to confrontations from shoppers.
This is yet another major U.S. company that is struggling with a divided customer base.
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Guam hammered by Super Typhoon Mawar
Guam, a U.S. territory, was hit by a powerful typhoon on Wednesday night. The storm is named Super Typhoon Mawar and it is as powerful as a Cat. 4 hurricane. The storm passed just north of the island.
There are about 150,000 people who live in Guam. Weather forecasters said up to 25 inches of rain is expected with wind speeds of about 115 mph. Reporters on the island said there is a constant, low rumbling with trees everywhere outside.
President Biden declared an emergency for Guam, which allows federal agencies to help with relief efforts. Guam is home to several facilities for the U.S. military but all military aircraft either left the island or were placed in protective hangars and all but one of the ships left.
Elderly Australian woman dies after being tased by cop
In Australia, a 95-year-old woman named Clare Nowland was tasered by a police officer last week. She was hospitalized and died today.
A news report said Nowland was tasered at an elderly care facility and that she was holding a knife. Nowland had dementia and was using a walking frame. When she was tasered, she fell to the ground and hit her head, fracturing her skull.
This happened in the Australian state of New South Wales. The police officer involved was charged with recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and assault. The officer is now suspended and has a court date in July.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/24/us/typhoon-mawar-guam.html
https://apnews.com/article/super-typhoon-mawar-guam-pacific-fd49b810f85f69d1e86f9ee6b0cc3583
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-criminal-case-manhattan-cc2dbf565678eeaf8246a96b0fd1f461
https://apnews.com/article/target-pride-lgbtq-4bc9de6339f86748bcb8a453d7b9acf0