Paul Pelosi in intensive care:Â Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, this morning remained in intensive care in Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery for a skull fracture. Charges of attempted murder are expected to be filed today against David DePape, who was arrested in the Pelosi’s house and seen by police hitting him with a hammer. Investigators have found a long trail of internet posts by DePape reflecting far right antisemitism, white supremacist violence, and support for Donald Trump. Meanwhile, some leading Republican politicians and right wing news media such as Fox News are positioning DePape as a deranged lone attacker rather than a right-wing loyalist.
Death toll in South Korea stampede: The death toll this morning stood at 153 with 133 injured in Saturday night’s stampede during a Halloween celebration in Seoul, South Korea. The party was to mark the return of in-person Halloween celebrations after the lifting of Covid restrictions. So many people were crowded onto narrow streets that some reported being trapped for more than an hour while trying to escape the melee.
Russian missiles target Ukraine infrastructure:Â Most of Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv was without water today as Russian missile attacks on the country’s infrastructure increased. Electrical power was out in large sections of Kyiv along with hundreds of other communities in Ukraine.
Trump Organization trial begins:Â Opening statements were on the docket in New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan today in the trial of the Trump Organization on charges of tax fraud and other financial misdeeds. Twelve jurors along with six alternate jurors were picked last week. Trump’s former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg has agreed to testify against the company in a plea bargain that got him five months in jail instead of a possible 15 years.
Supreme Court looks at affirmative action:Â After hearing oral arguments today, the U.S. Supreme Court Justices were expected to begin deliberating the fate of affirmative action in college admissions. Edward Blum, a political conservative, formed an organization known as Students for Fair Admissions that brought lawsuits against Harvard and the University of North Carolina challenging their use of race as a factor when deciding which students to admit to their schools.
Suspension bridge collapses:Â The death toll in the collapse of a suspension bridge in India’s province Gujarat stood at 141 this morning. The bridge designed for pedestrians recently had been reopened after undergoing repairs. The bridge was more than 750 feet long and it was estimated that about 350 people were on it when it collapsed.
