Helicopter crash: Iran confirms that its president and foreign minister were among those killed in a helicopter crash over the weekend. First responders had difficulty finding the wreckage because of low fog and severely reduced visibility. President Ebrahim Raisi was the second most powerful person in Iran after the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. All nine people on the helicopter were reported to have died in the crash.
Arrest warrants: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is going through the process of issuing arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the leader of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. The ICC is charging both with crimes against humanity because of the fighting in Gaza. The ICC previously had issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin because of his invasion of Ukraine but so far has been unable to take action against Putin. It’s not anticipated that the ICC will be able to have Netanyahu and Sinwar arrested.
Ship moved: The container ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore causing it to collapse was freed from the position where it was stuck and was moved by tugboats back to the Port of Baltimore this morning. The ship’s crew, which had been on board since the ship Dali left port and then stuck the bridge remained onboard. The ship needed to be moved out of the way for reopening of the main channel into and out of the Port of Baltimore.
Red Lobster: The restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for bankruptcy. The company said it has arranged for $100 million in new financing to help with reorganization in bankruptcy. Red Lobster said in its bankruptcy filing that it has more than $1 billion in debt and less than $30 million in cash on hand. Red Lobster said it had 576 restaurants and grossed approximately $2 billion a year. Â
Trump trial: Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding in the hush money trial of Donald Trump, said today that he expects closing arguments in the trial will be held next week. Former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen returned to the witness stand today for more cross-examination by Trump’s attorneys. They continued alleging that Cohen is a liar. Prosecutors take the position that other witnesses corroborate what Cohen testified about Trump being actively involved in the scheme to buy porn star Stormy Daniels’ silence about her sexual encounter with Trump.
Nordstrom: Bruce Nordstrom, former chairman of the department store chain, died at his home over the weekend in Seattle. He was 90. The department stores trace their roots to a shoe store opened in 1901 in Seattle. Bruce Nordstrom took over the stores in 1968 and in 1971 took the company public. He retired as chairman of the board in 2006.
