April 18: Latest U.S. and Global News

The Manhattan courthouse at 100 Centre St. was abuzz today as jury selection continued in Donald Trump’s hush money trial. After a day off yesterday, the process resumed with seven jurors already seated. However, one juror was dismissed this morning after expressing concerns about impartiality due to conversations with friends and relatives about the case. With a total of 12 jurors and six alternates to be selected, the trial is moving swiftly and opening arguments could begin as early as next week if the pace continues.

In a surprising turn of events, former Attorney General William Barr, who had previously criticized Trump and warned against chaos in a second term, has now endorsed Trump for re-election. Barr, known for interfering in investigations of Trump allies, made the announcement in a Fox News interview, calling for Trump’s return to the presidency.

Meanwhile, a Republican effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was defeated in the Senate with a 51 to 46 vote along party lines. The impeachment attempt, initiated by the House without evidence of wrongdoing, was based on claims that Mayorkas had not adequately addressed immigration issues at U.S. borders.

In other news, investigations are underway to determine the cause of 911 outages in Nevada, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Texas. The Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Homeland Security are looking into the incidents, which raised concerns about the vulnerability of emergency call systems to cyber-attacks.

Lastly, police have made arrests and issued warrants in connection with the theft of $22 million worth of gold bars and currency from an Air Canada facility at Pearson International Airport in Toronto. The suspects, including two Air Canada employees, are believed to have planned to use the stolen goods to purchase weapons for smuggling into Canada.