Outgoing West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin expressed strong disapproval on Thursday over President Joe Biden's decision to commute the death sentences of two men convicted in the brutal 2002 murder of Samantha Burns, a 19-year-old student at Marshall University. The two men, Brandon Basham and Chadrick Fulks, had been sentenced to death for their roles in Burns' killing. On Monday, as part of a larger commutation effort, Biden reclassified their sentences from execution to life in prison without the possibility of parole, along with 35 other inmates on federal death row.
The recent seizure of 61 tons of drugs and the arrest of over 7,000 individuals by Mexican authorities has sparked both praise and criticism. While the operation is one of the largest in recent history, questions are being raised about the long-term effectiveness of such tactics in addressing the root causes of drug trafficking.
Apple has requested to participate in the next phase of the ongoing antitrust trial against Google, emphasizing that it cannot rely on Google to defend the revenue-sharing agreements that benefit both companies. The iPhone maker argues that these agreements, which make Google the default search engine on Apple's Safari browser, are central to its financial success, contributing up to $20 billion annually. In court documents, Apple stated that it received an estimated $20 billion from this arrangement in 2022 alone.
A majority of likely voters support an FBI investigation of Liz Cheney, a key member of the partisan January 6 Committee, according to a Rasmussen Reports poll released on Thursday. Some House Republicans are calling for an FBI investigation into Cheney for allegedly tampering with “at least one” witness of the partisan panel.
Taiwan's Presidential Office has conducted its first-ever tabletop exercise simulating a military escalation with China, reflecting the island's intensified efforts to prepare for potential conflict.
BioNTech has entered into two separate settlement agreements with the U.S. National Institutes of Health and the University of Pennsylvania regarding royalty payments for its COVID-19 vaccine.
New York will fine fossil fuel companies $74 billion over the next 25 years for environmental damage. The bill creates a "Climate Superfund" that supports state projects bolstering its environmental agenda.
Authorities are investigating the discovery of a body in the wheel well of a United Airlines Boeing 787-10 aircraft that landed at Kahului Airport in Maui on Tuesday.
