U.S. and world news for April 17

Jordan hearing: Right-wing Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio was scheduled to bring members of the House Judiciary Committee that he leads to New York City today to hold a field hearing on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Jordan claims that Bragg is pro-crime and anti-victim and has spent too much time on the Donald Trump hush money case. The cable network C-Span, which normally airs Judiciary Committee hearings, has declined to broadcast this one.

Fox trial: Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis is delaying today’s scheduled start of the Dominion Voting Systems/Fox News trial until tomorrow. Jury selection and opening statements had been scheduled for today. Dominion is suing Fox for $1.6 billion, charging that Fox defamed the company when it knowingly broadcast lies about Dominion being responsible for fraud in the 2020 Presidential Election, with no facts to demonstrate that there was fraud in the election or that Dominion had done anything improper.

McConnell’s recovery: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was expected to be back at work on Capitol Hill today after spending six weeks recovering from a concussion and broken rib suffered in a fall at a Washington restaurant. McConnell briefly visited his Capitol Hill office on Friday.

Birthday party shooting: Police in Dadeville, Alabama, continue investigating the mass shooting at a birthday party over the weekend in which four people were killed and 28 injured. In a statement, President Biden decried the shooting and pointed out that gun violence is the leading killer of children in the U.S.

Starship rocket: Elon Musk’s company SpaceX has postponed today’s scheduled launch of its 400-foot rocket named Starship. This was to be the first test flight for the rocket. Starship is intended to carry astronauts and cargo to the moon and eventually to Mars. The company hopes to be able to conduct the test launch on Wednesday.

Thomas’ income: The Washington Post reports that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been reporting that he has been from $50,000 to $100,00 each year in income from a real estate firm that was closed down in 2006. The reported income was from Ginger Ltd. Partnership, which was controlled by Thomas’ wife, according to the Post. Democrats who have the majority on the Senate Judiciary Committee today called for Chief Justice John Roberts to open an investigation into Thomas’ financial reporting and failure to report gifts from Texas billionaire Harlan Crow.