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Wednesday, April 23, 2025

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Top 8 today

Top eight stories for today including the Jan. 6 committee revealed President Trump called for reduced security after being warned about armed rallygoers; Russia was accused of launching a missile attack on a shopping mall; Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking, and more.

National

Told of armed rallygoers on Jan. 6, Trump called for relaxed security

President Trump was repeatedly warned about armed rallygoers on Jan. 6, and he responded by calling for the Secret Service to reduce security so he could have a larger audience for his speech that preceded the violent attack on the Capitol, the Jan. 6 committee revealed Tuesday.

Cassidy Hutchinson, a top former aide to Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, is seen during a June 23, 2022, hearing that featured video of her interview with the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Supreme Court halts redraw of Louisiana congressional map

In an apparent 6-3 vote on Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court threw out a lower court order requiring Louisiana to create a second majority-Black congressional district.

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen behind a fence on May 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Biden administration rolls out plans to protect women in post-Roe America

Bracing for at least half of the country to outright ban or otherwise slash abortion services following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade last week, the president’s top health official assured an anxious public Tuesday that the federal government has no plans to forsake women in post-Roe America.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra speaks on June 28, 2022, about the government's response to the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade days earlier. (Screenshot via Courthouse News)

Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking

Sentencing the former socialite to 20 years in prison, a federal judge chided Ghislaine Maxwell on Tuesday for refusing to accept responsibility for her involvement with Jeffrey Epstein in the decadeslong operation of an underage sex ring.

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell arrives at Epsom Racecourse on June 5, 1991. (Chris Ison/PA via AP, File)

Regional

Former Congressman Fortenberry dodges prison time for concealing illegal campaign donation

A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced former U.S. Congressman Jeff Fortenberry to two years probation following his conviction for concealing an illegal campaign contribution from a Parisian billionaire with whom he shared a passion for the plight of Christian minorities in the Middle East — and lying to the FBI about it.

U.S. Representative Jeff Fortenberry, a Republican from Nebraska, and his wife Celeste arrive at the federal courthouse in Los Angeles on March 16, 2022. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

At least 50 migrants found dead inside trailer in San Antonio

At least 50 migrants have been found dead in a tractor-trailer near an Air Force base outside San Antonio, Texas, according to an updated death toll provided by authorities Tuesday.

Police and other first responders work the scene of a human smuggling tragedy where dozens of migrants were found dead in a tractor-trailer in San Antonio on Monday, June 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Michigan justices toss charges against ex-governor, others over Flint water crisis

The long-winding criminal cases against former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and members of his administration related to the Flint water contamination crisis were dealt a significant blow Tuesday morning when the Michigan Supreme Court ruled a judge did not have the authority to issue indictments against them.

Former Gov. Rick Snyder stays silent as reporters asks questions after arraignment on charges related to the Flint water crisis outside the Genesee County Jail in downtown Flint, Mich., in January 2021. (Cody Scanlan/The Flint Journal via AP)

International

Russia accused of ‘abominable’ strike on Ukraine mall

Russia was accused of launching a missile attack on a shopping mall and killing at least 18 people, an act condemned by Western leaders meeting in Bavaria as an “abominable” war crime.

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire at a shopping center burned after a rocket attack in Kremenchuk, Ukraine, Monday, June 27, 2022. (Ukrainian State Emergency Service via AP)
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