This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.
U.S. air travel was thrown into disarray this morning as there were nearly 2,000 flight delays and at least 700 cancellations on the east coast. The Federal Aviation Administration blamed a range of issues—weather, overcrowded airports, and issues with staffing—for the headaches. The FAA says that Thursday, June 29 will be the heaviest travel day, so prepare accordingly if you’re flying somewhere for the Fourth of July.
Debris From Titanic Sub Returned
Debris from the lost submersible Titan has been brought back to the surface after a fatal implosion during its voyage to the wreckage of the Titanic. Officials say the submersible debris will be investigated in hopes of finding out what caused the implosion. The Coast Guard is leading that investigation. On June 22, just days after the vessel went missing, officials announced that the submersible had imploded and all five people on board had died.
Michigan Hate Speech Bill Advances
A Michigan hate speech bill that has passed the state House and is now in the hands of the Senate is alarming conservatives, people of faith, and legal experts.
The bill is part of a package of legislation that would replace Michigan’s existing Ethnic Intimidation Act and make it a hate crime to cause someone to “feel terrorized, frightened, or threatened.” Under the bill’s framework, “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” are included as protected classes. Violators guilty of a felony could be punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
Many conservatives have voiced concerns that the bill infringes on Americans’ First Amendment rights. Distinguished Professor Emeritus William Wagner, a former federal judge and legal counsel in the U.S. Senate, told The Daily Wire, “Make no mistake about it. Those advocating for this legislation will wield these policies as a weapon capable of destroying conservative expression or viewpoints grounded in the sacred.”
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Daniel Penny Pleads Not Guilty
U.S. Marine Veteran Daniel Penny pleaded not guilty today to second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Penny was charged after a viral video appeared to show the 24-year-old place a subway vagrant named Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold. The case continues to receive national attention.
For the first time in two decades, people in the U.S. have contracted malaria from mosquitoes inside the country, prompting the CDC to issue a health alert. Four people in Florida and one person in Texas have contracted the disease in the U.S. from mosquitos, and the CDC said the patients appeared to be in stable condition and health officials were monitoring the situation. Experts say to be mindful of mild symptoms like headaches, fever, and muscle aches, as well as more severe symptoms like changes in mental status, and lung and kidney failure.
Former President Donald Trump is suing writer E. Jean Carroll for defamation in their protracted legal fight. Trump’s lawyers filed a counterclaim on Tuesday in New York federal court, listing various instances over the years when Carroll accused Trump of raping her. The court previously rejected Trump’s bid to countersue last year, but the fresh attempt comes after the judge allowed Carroll to amend her complaint earlier this month with new comments from Trump denying that he knew Carroll and calling her allegations a “hoax and a lie.”
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