“The Big Apple’s controversial law allowing noncitizens to vote in city elections was struck down by the state’s highest court Thursday. The New York Court of Appeals ruled 6-1 that the law — passed by the City Council in late 2021 — violated the state constitution. ‘Whatever the future may bring, the New York Constitution as it stands today draws a firm line restricting voting to citizens,’ the opinion states. The ruling closes the matter in the state courts and dashes hopes by many lefty City Council members and advocates of the city’s 800,000 green card holders getting a voice in local elections. Supporters had argued that noncitizens here legally should be able to vote because they pay taxes and make contributions to their communities. But Republicans and other opponents viewed the law as a nonstarter, especially because the state constitution appeared to clearly limit voting to US citizens.” (03/20/25)
“Finland is the happiest country in the world for the eighth year in a row, according to the World Happiness Report 2025 published Thursday. Other Nordic countries are also once again at the top of the happiness rankings in the annual report published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford. Besides Finland, Denmark, Iceland and Sweden remain the top four and in the same order. … the United States has dropped to its lowest-ever position at 24, having previously peaked at 11th place in 2012.” (03/20/25)
“A Minnesota state senator who was caught in a sting operation resigned under fire Thursday after he was charged with soliciting a minor for prostitution. Republican Justin Eichorn, of Grand Rapids, submitted his resignation in a letter to Gov. Tim Walz, Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said in a statement. ‘This is the right thing to do for his family and the Senate,’ Johnson said. ‘We are ready to move on and do the important work that needs to be done at the Capitol.’ Eichorn, 40, has been jailed since his arrest Monday in Bloomington in an undercover operation targeting commercial sex involving juveniles. … Investigators had placed multiple ads online offering sex for money, according to the charging documents. Eichorn exchanged text messages with an undercover officer purporting to be a 17-year-old girl for several days until they arranged a meet-up, where he was arrested.” (03/20/25)
“The number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits increased slightly last week, suggesting the labor market remained stable in March, though the outlook is darkening amid rising trade tensions and deep cuts in government spending. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits rose 2,000 to a seasonally adjusted 223,000 for the week ended March 15, the Labor Department said on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast 224,000 claims for the latest week.” (03/20/25)
“The mysterious force called Dark Energy, which drives the expansion of the Universe, might be changing in a way that challenges our current understanding of time and space, scientists have found. Some of them believe that they may be on the verge of one of the biggest discoveries in astronomy for a generation – one that could force a fundamental rethink. This early-stage finding is at odds with the current theory which was developed in part by Albert Einstein. More data is needed to confirm these results, but even some of the most cautious and respected researchers involved in the study, such as Prof Ofer Lahav, from University College London, are being swept up by the mounting evidence. ‘It is a dramatic moment,’ he told BBC News. ‘We may be witnessing a paradigm shift in our understanding of the Universe.'” (03/20/25)
“The leader of Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in eastern Congo said on Thursday that a call by Kinshasa and Kigali for an immediate ceasefire ‘doesn’t concern us’ as his forces pushed deeper into Congolese territory by capturing the strategic town of Walikale. Walikale is the farthest west the rebels have reached after fighting on Wednesday with Democratic Republic of Congo’s army and allied militias. The town of about 15,000 people, is in an area rich in minerals including tin. Its capture leaves the rebels in control of a road linking four eastern Congo provinces and within 400 km (250 miles) of Kisangani, Congo’s fourth-biggest city. Three Walikale residents and two M23 sources said the rebels were in full control of the town. Congo’s army did not respond to requests for comment.” (03/20/25)
“A Tennessee man who faces the death penalty if convicted of killing three people in a daylong series of shootings in 2022 has changed course and decided not to serve as his own lawyer in the case. Ezekiel Kelly briefly appeared in court Thursday with his court-appointed lawyer, weeks after he told a judge that he wanted to represent himself in the Memphis shootings that also wounded three people. The September 2022 shootings, which were livestreamed on social media, led to a citywide shelter-in-place order and a frantic manhunt. Kelly, 22, had made the unusual request to represent himself about six months before his trial, which is scheduled for July 14. His court-appointed lawyers had been helping Kelly with his case in an advisory capacity until Shelby County Judge James Jones Jr. issued an order re-appointing the lawyers to represent him.” (03/20/25)
“Arizona has [killed] a 53-year-old man convicted of kidnapping and murdering his girlfriend’s former partner in 2002, marking the first death by the state since 2022. Death row inmate Aaron Gunches was [killed] by lethal injection at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence on Wednesday morning. … Gunches pleaded guilty in 2007 to first-degree murder and kidnapping and was sentenced to death for fatally shooting Ted Prince four times — three times in the chest and once to the back of the head — in an isolated area of the Arizona desert near Mesa, a city located east of Phoenix, in November 2002.” (03/20/25)
“Four Canadians were executed in China on drug-related charges earlier this year, Canadian authorities have confirmed. All of them were dual citizens and their identities have been withheld, Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly said. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Canada reportedly urged Ottawa to ‘stop making irresponsible remarks,’ as pundits feared a further downturn in relations between the countries after years of strain. China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that it had acted ‘in accordance with the law,’ while the embassy said there was ‘solid and sufficient’ evidence for their crimes. Beijing had ‘fully guaranteed the rights and interests of the Canadian nationals concerned,’ the embassy said, urging Canada to respect ‘China’s judicial sovereignty.’ China does not recognise dual citizenship and takes a tough stance on drug crimes. However, it’s rare for the death penalty to be carried out on foreigners.” (03/20/25)
“The Houthis have launched a hypersonic missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, days after the Israeli army broke a ceasefire in Gaza, the Yemeni group said. ‘The Yemeni armed forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting Ben Gurion airport in the occupied Jaffa region with a Palestine-2 hypersonic ballistic missile,’ Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said on Thursday. … The Israeli military said it intercepted the missile before it entered the country’s territory early on Thursday. Sirens sounded in several areas in Israel after the projectile was fired, the military said in a post on Telegram. The Israeli police said sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel’s ambulance service said no serious injuries were reported.” (03/20/25)
