RU Informed?

5 things you need to know from this week, plus 1 you don’t.

Mar. 22, 2019 – The Mueller Investigation is done, but you’re not going to stop hearing about it anytime to soon. There has been mounting pressure on the Justice Department to make Mueller’s report public.  Some of Mueller’s aides are reportedly upset about how Attorney General William Barr has presented the investigation’s findings. Many lawmakers are saying the government should be transparent with the American people and release the report. Others are saying that now the investigation is complete, the country needs to move on. If you need a recap of Mueller’s two year investigation, see here.

Apr. 4, 2019 – Joe Biden thinks he is friendly. Some women say “creepy” might be a better word. A total of seven women have accused the former vice president of inappropriate contact. Biden says that his conduct was never sexual in nature, but rather was an attempt to make a “human connection.” Alyssa Milano believes him. Kamala Harris does not. To read all seven women’s stories, click here.

Apr. 4, 2019 – Chicago wants Jussie Smollett to pay up. Last week, a prosecutor dropped all 16 charges against the Empire actor, citing a lack of evidence. Chicago Police were outraged and claimed that there was plenty of evidence. Smollett agreed to forfeit his bail money. The city also told Smollett to hand over a $130,000 check. The money would cover expenses the city racked up investigating Smollett’s false report. Smollett refused to pay, so now Chicago is suing him. The Chicago Tribune breaks it down here.

Apr. 4, 2019 – Norfolk’s Confederate soldier statue may be removed. The movement to remove or relocate Confederate statues has been stalled in Virginia. Most cities were waiting for the Virginia Supreme Court to rule on the legality of a state code that prevents war memorials from being removed. The Virginia Supreme Court decided against taking up the case, which means a lower court’s ruling stands. A court in Danville had previously ruled that the code only applied to memorials that were built before 1998. Norfolk’s statue was built long before that, so it may be able to be removed. For a more detailed summary, see this article from The Virginian-Pilot.

Apr. 5, 2019 – An ex-convict from Ohio claimed to be a boy from Illinois who has been missing for 8 years. In 2011, a Kentucky woman named Amy Fry-Pitzen committed suicide. She left a note saying that Timmothy, her 6-year-old son, was safe but would never be found. On Wednesday, a very young-looking man told Kentucky police that he was Timmothy. He claimed to have been held captive the whole time and escape only recently.  The story quickly attracted national attention, but after a DNA test was conducted, the man’s claims were found to be false.  He was actually Brian Michael Rini, a 23-year-old man from Ohio, who had just been released from jail in March. Read the whole story here.

And the bonus – McDonald’s Australia division attempted an April Fool’s joke. It backfired.



Julie Taylor is a contributor to the Daily Runner.