The most important thing America can do in response to mass shootings is to modernise the background check system, according to a new op-ed in the New York Times. The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System is designed to approve consumer purchases from federally licensed firearms dealers or deny them to ten categories of prohibited buyers, including those convicted of certain crimes or with particular mental health histories. However, the system is prey to numerous data gaps, loopholes and also depends on reform of state and federal privacy laws to ensure comprehensive background checks. Since assault weapons bans aren’t coming back and AR-15-style rifles are here to stay, this is the most viable short-term solution for reducing gun violence, the newspaper’s editorial warns.
An ancient, handwritten Hebrew Bible dating back to 900 AD has sold for $38m at an auction in New York City, setting a new record price for a manuscript. The codex, named after its former owner David Solomon Sassoon, contains almost the entirety of the Hebrew Bible, according to Sotheby's. It was unknown for 600 years before it was bought by Sassoon in 1929. The winning bidder, American lawyer and former ambassador Alfred Moses, will donate it to the ANU Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv.
The Vegas Golden Knights have taken a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final after a 3-2 overtime victory against the Dallas Stars. Chandler Stephenson scored the winning goal, while Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone each had a goal and an assist for Vegas. The win marks the first time in NHL history that all four conference final games have gone to overtime, and Dallas is the fifth team to lose four overtime games in a postseason. Game 3 is set for Tuesday in Dallas.
Various sporting events on Sunday saw the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in overtime in the NHL Western Conference Final, putting the Knights 2-0 up in the series. The Miami Heat also extended their lead against the Boston Celtics, going 3-0 up in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals with 128 points to Boston's 102. Meanwhile, in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees beat the Cincinnati Reds 4-1, and the San Diego Padres beat the Boston Red Sox 7-0.
A GoFundMe page for the Cho family, who were among eight people killed by a neo-Nazi gunman in Texas earlier this month, raised nearly $2m for their only surviving son. Kyu and Cindy, who were both born in Texas and had moved back home upon starting their family, left behind two sons aged three and six years old respectively. The couple had met in Boston congregation, a church that they both attended, where their supportive relationship had become one of its defining strengths, earning them the title “relationship goals”.
Kyu and Cindy Cho died alongside their son, James, in a recent shopping mall shooting north of Dallas in a case that has disgusted the world. The demented individual who killed the Cho family as well as five others is understood to have a background with white-supremacist and dangerous misogynistic beliefs and writings. The Cho family has set up a fund to support their extended family, following the murder of their children's parents. The family's hope is to allow all of William’s future needs and dreams to be realised and to keep his parents’ legacy alive.
Democrats have increased criticism of the US Supreme Court, claiming the court's conservative justices are corrupt, partisan and extreme. Last year, only 25% of Americans said they had a lot of confidence in the court, down from 50% as recently as 2002, according to Gallup. The Republican-appointed justices have pursued an ambitious agenda that overrules public opinion, according to the Democrats, while most of the nine justices refuse to address questions about their ethical standards. Republicans believe Democrats are being sore losers, trying to subvert legitimate court decisions they disagree with. However, Democrats hope to lay the groundwork for laws which could constrain the court’s authority or change its makeup. Republicans refused to allow Barack Obama to fill a court opening in his final year in office, then paved the way for Donald Trump to fill three positions. The Democrats’ criticism seeks to damage the court’s credibility with other political leaders and the public, making it uncomfortable for the justices to issue unpopular rulings.
The Indiana Fever are not dwelling on their past 20-game losing streak, which dates back to last year, and instead are focusing on the present season. Indiana head coach Christie Sides said that the team has poured their "mess" out in their first team meeting and will not discuss last year. With nine first- and second-year players on the roster, including No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston, the team is excited for the future. However, Sides was not pleased with the team's third consecutive slow start and defensive effort. The Fever hope to turn things around in their next game against Atlanta.
The Center for Reproductive Rights has filed a lawsuit in Texas, challenging some of the state's abortion restrictions. The Center is calling on a Texas court to place an emergency hold on prohibitions which prevent pregnant women from terminating their pregnancy unless it poses a physical threat to the mother's life, or if the fetus has a disease that is fatal. Lead lawyer on the case, Molly Duane, claimed in an interview with the Associated Press that numerous women who contacted the organization had similar stories: they were trying to end their pregnancy for health reasons, but their doctors advised that they could not due to the state's restrictive legislation. The case could pave the way for Congress around the US to contest heightened abortion controls.
The Donbas city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine appears to have been almost entirely destroyed, with Kiev moving its military focus to the city's outskirts after 10 months of heavy fighting. Reports say the Russians claimed victory last week and Ukraine conceded that only a few of its soldiers remained. However, there are ongoing battles for land surrounding Bakhmut including high ground taken by Russian forces over the winter months. The capture represents Russia's first major battlefield victory in Ukraine since last summer. Climate-related drought and population growth have also played their part in the tribulations of the Ukraine in recent years. Meanwhile, Arizona, California and Nevada have agreed to take less water from the drought-strained Colorado River to avoid jeopardising cities like Phoenix and Los Angeles and, particularly, some of the country’s most productive farmland.
The National Football League (NFL) has announced that the 2025 draft will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at Lambeau Field and Titletown. It is the smallest market to host the event, which has selected new talent for the league every year since 1965. More than 2.2 million people have attended NFL draft festivities since it began hosting in 2015. Over 312,000 fans attended this year's draft in Kansas City.
Former University of Texas and University of New Mexico football player Jaden Hullaby has died. The details of his death are unknown to the public. Hullaby transferred from Texas to New Mexico in 2020. He played eight games for the Lobos as a redshirt sophomore. Both Texas and New Mexico have expressed their sadness and offered condolences to Hullaby's family.
