Transgender Delaware lawmaker Sarah McBride launches trailblazing bid for Congress
Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride is running to become the first transgender member of Congress.
McBride, 32, a two-term state senator who is the nation’s most senior trans lawmaker, on Monday announced her bid for the open seat as the state’s at-large member of the House of Representatives.
“For our democracy to work, it needs to include all of us,” McBride tweeted. “If elected, I’ll be the first openly trans member in Congress.”
McBride said a victory in the race to succeed Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who is running for U.S. Senate, would represent a powerful rebuke to far right-wing Republicans who have “tried to use the LGBTQ community as a scapegoat for their policy failures.”
—New York Daily News
Fla. couple drop suit against OceanGate CEO who died in Titan sub
The Winter Park couple who sued OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush for fraud have dropped the lawsuit in light of his death aboard the lost Titan submersible, according to a statement released by the couple’s spokesperson Monday.
Marc and Sharon Hagle, the millionaire adventurers who previously were the first married couple to go on a commercial space flight in 2022, sued Rush for fraud in February after multiple planned expeditions to the wreckage of the Titanic were delayed and they said they were denied a refund.
“Like most around the world, we have watched the coverage of the OceanGate Titan capsule with great concern and enormous amount of sadness and compassion for the families of those who lost their lives,” the statement said. “We honor their zest for life, as well as their commitment to the exploration of our oceans.”
The couple have informed their attorneys to withdraw all legal actions against Rush in light of his death, according to the statement. The spokesperson, Jessica Garcia, said the couple were not giving interviews on the matter.
—Orlando Sentinel
Idaho prosecutors make their decision on death penalty in Bryan Kohberger case
BOISE, Idaho — Prosecutors decided Monday to pursue the death penalty against Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with murder in the killing of four University of Idaho students in November.
The state found several aggravating factors to the stabbing deaths, Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson wrote in a court record filed Monday. Idaho law requires such elements to exist beyond a first-degree murder charge to pursue capital punishment.
The state “has not identified or been provided with any mitigating circumstances sufficient to prohibit the triers of fact from considering all penalties authorized by the Idaho Legislature,” to include capital punishment, Thompson wrote. “Consequently, considering all evidence currently known to the state, the state is compelled to file this notice.”
The quadruple homicide incident in Moscow included more than one murder, Thompson noted — the first of five such aggravating factors he listed in the court record. The prosecution had 60 days from the date Kohberger entered a plea to submit the filing, known as a notice of intent to seek the death penalty.
—The Idaho Statesman
Xi’s bet on Putin looks even more risky after Russian rebellion
Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Xi Jinping’s gamble on a “no limits” friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has looked like it could backfire. This weekend’s brief uprising against Moscow again underscored the risks facing the Chinese leader.
China gave a vote of confidence in Putin on Sunday, noting the Russian president’s strong relationship with Xi while saying it was necessary to “safeguard the common interests of both sides” amid a “complex and severe international situation.”
Asked directly about Putin’s deal with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, China’s Foreign Ministry said it supports Russia’s bid to maintain “national stability” in dealing with an “internal affair.”
But despite the show of support, the stunning challenge to Putin’s authority instantly raised questions about the long-term implications for Xi — from his ideological fight with the U.S. to his own grip on power, which was questioned last year during rare nationwide protests against COVID restrictions.
—Bloomberg News
