Title: Significant Updates from National and International News
In a shocking turn of events, three Israeli hostages were reportedly killed by Israel Defense Forces soldiers in Gaza last Friday. According to an IDF official, the hostages were shirtless and waving white flags when they were shot, an act that is considered a violation of their rules of engagement. The unnamed official described the killings as a tragic event, occurring amidst intense combat in the area.
In another major headline, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has been ordered by a D.C. jury to pay nearly $150 million to two individuals, Ruby Freeman and Shea Moss for defamatory statements he made about them post the 2020 election. Freeman and Moss were awarded over $16 million each for defamation, $20 million each for emotional distress, and a collective $75 million for punitive damages.
In Louisiana, a candidate for sheriff, who won his runoff by a singular vote, is struggling to rebuff an order for a new election. As per KTBS reports, the contestant, Henry Whitehorn, unsuccessfully attempted to overturn the order and is now hoping to take his case to the state’s Supreme Court. The earliest the new election could take place would be in March if the Louisiana Supreme Court decides against hearing the case.
Meanwhile, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are coming under fire in two states. In Oklahoma, the GOP governor signed an executive order to defund D.E.I. efforts in public colleges. Simultaneously, the University of Wisconsin’s Board of Regents has come to a provisional agreement with GOP lawmakers to curtail diversity initiatives in exchange for $800 million in state funding.
According to an investigation by the Chronicle of Higher Education, these measures are part of a broader, nationwide initiative. The report indicates that as many as 40 anti-D.E.I. bills have been introduced across 22 states, with at least seven of them having been passed into law.
