News Wrap: Closing arguments begin in Proud Boys Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy trial

Correction: The word synagogue was misspelled in a graphic during this broadcast's news summary. We regret the error.

In our news wrap Monday, closing arguments began in the Jan. 6 trial of the far-right Proud Boys leaders accused of seditious conspiracy, President Biden welcomed a trio of Tennessee lawmakers who gained national notoriety for demanding stiffer gun laws and Russia claimed a Ukrainian sea drone tried to attack a naval base in Crimea which the Russians illegally annexed in 2014.

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  • Amna Nawaz:

    In the day's other headlines: Closing arguments began in the January 6 trial of the far right Proud Boys' leaders.

    The group's former national chair, Enrique Tarrio, and four lieutenants are accused of seditious conspiracy. Federal prosecutors in Washington argued they intended — quote — all-out war to keep then-President Trump in power." In turn, a defense attorney told the jury the case is built on misdirection and innuendo.

    Jury selection is under way for a man accused of killing 11 worshipers at a synagogue in Pittsburgh. The shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 2018 was the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history. If convicted, Robert Bowers could receive a death sentence.

    President Biden today welcomed a trio of Tennessee lawmakers who gained national notoriety for demanding stiffer gun laws. The president and Vice President Harris met with Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson.

    Mr. Biden praised their efforts after a deadly school shooting in Nashville.

    Joe Biden, President of the United States: It's just tragic to see what's happening in your state, in particular, in your city, but also across the country. And nothing is guaranteed about democracy. Every — every generation has to fight for it. And you all are doing just that.

  • Amna Nawaz:

    Jones and Pearson were expelled from the state House after leading a protest from the chamber's floor. They were reappointed days later by officials in their districts.

    The former Minnesota police officer who killed Daunte Wright in 2021 was released from prison today. Kim Potter said she mistook her gun for a Taser during the confrontation. She served 16 months of a two-year sentence for manslaughter and is now on supervised release.

    And the one-time officer who killed Breonna Taylor in her Louisville, Kentucky, home is now a sheriff's deputy in a nearby town. The hiring of Myles Cosgrove grove prompted a small protest today. He fired the shot that killed Taylor during a mistake and drug raid, but he was cleared of wrongdoing.

    In the war in Ukraine, Russia claimed a Ukrainian sea drone tried to attack a naval base in Crimea, which the Russians illegally annexed in 2014. Moscow said the Black Sea port city of Sevastopol was the target, but the attack failed. Kyiv did not comment on the report.

    Elsewhere, Ukrainian forces reportedly have crossed the Dnipro River. It could signal an effort to cut Russia's land access to Crimea.

    Russia faced a sharp rebuke from Western diplomats today at a tense U.N. Security Council meeting. The Russian foreign minister chaired the session, as Moscow holds the rotating presidency for April. He blasted Western policies, but U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield fired back.

    Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: Our hypocritical convener today, Russia, invaded its neighbor Ukraine and struck at the heart of the U.N. Charter and all of that I will use we hold dear.

    As we sit here, we brace ourselves for the next Bucha, the next Mariupol, the next Kherson, the next war crime.

  • Amna Nawaz:

    Thomas-Greenfield also demanded that Russia release Americans Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, and Evan Gershkovich of The Wall Street Journal.

    In Pakistan, twin bombings at a counterterror police station killed at least a dozen people today and wounded at least 50. It happened in the Swat Valley in Northwestern Pakistan. The area was once a Taliban stronghold. There was no claim of responsibility, but the Pakistani Taliban have been stepping up attacks in the region.

    Back in this country, the Supreme Court will decide if public officials get to make their social media accounts off-limits to critics. The two cases accepted today involve California school district officials and a Michigan city manager. The court had dismissed a similar case involving former President Trump after he was barred from Twitter and left office.

    The White House says President Biden's top domestic policy adviser, Susan Rice, is stepping down after two years. She oversaw issues from health care and immigration to gun safety and racial equity. Rice previously served as national security adviser and U.N. ambassador during the Obama administration.

    And, on Wall Street, stocks mostly drifted as investors wait for more corporate earnings reports. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 66 points to close at 33875. The Nasdaq fell 35 points, and the S&P 500 added three.

    And longtime "Dancing With the Stars" judge Len Goodman has died. He had a career as a professional ballroom dancer in Britain. Then, in his 60s, he became head judge on the BBC hit show "Strictly Come Dancing." That led to his spot on the American spinoff for more than 15 years. Len Goodman was 78 years old.

    Still to come on the "NewsHour"": Tamara Keith and Amy Walter analyze the latest political news; a new list identifies the top library books that people tried to ban last year; why one man started walking tours in an underserved San Francisco neighborhood; plus much more.

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