New evidence reveals Trump’s actions on January 6th and, the jury is planning the trial of Tire Nichols

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today’s top story

The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump’s case on January 6 has unsealed a new court filing revealing more details about Trump’s. Prosecutors say they have enough evidence to convict him, even after the Supreme Court ruled this summer that the president enjoys broad immunity for official acts while in office but not for unofficial acts as a candidate or private citizen.

• 🎧 The filing revealed former Vice President Mike Pence took extensive notes on meetings with Trump and outside advisersNPR’s Carrie Johnson tells Up first. Prosecutors say Trump himself tweeted an attack on Pence from the White House on January 6 while rioters were storming the Capitol. The Trump campaign said the court filing was an attempt to interfere in the November election and elect Vice President Harris. If Trump is re-elected, he is likely to order new Justice Department officials to drop the case.

The Israeli military said yesterday that eight soldiers were killed in land invasion to South Lebanon. The “limited” strikes are part of Israel’s campaign against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Last night, Israel hit another building in the center of Beirut. Lebanon’s health authorities say that nearly 1,400 people have died in less than a month.

• 🎧 Israel ordered about 50 villages in Lebanon to evacuateNPR’s Eyder Peralta says. The evacuation order has almost reached the central part of the country. “The fear is that this will be a prolonged war that could wipe out all of Lebanon,” added Peralta. Hezbollah gave reporters a tour of the damage in Dahieh, the neighborhood where an explosion killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. “When you get close to the blast site, you see all these fragments of life scattered in the middle of the road,” Peralta said. “It feels like almost everyone in this neighborhood has left.”

Jury deliberations are set to begin today in a police brutality case related to his death Nichols tires. Police video shows officers beating Nichols, a Black man they pulled over during a 2023 traffic stop. He died three days later. The three fired detectives – Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, and Demetrius Haley – are charged with multiple crimes, including depriving Nichols of his civil rights by using excessive force, conspiracy to cover up an assault and obstruction of justice and more.

• 🎧 NPR’s Debbie Elliott reports that two officers pleaded guilty and testified against the other during the trial. Federal prosecutor Kathryn Gilbert urged jurors to believe their eyes when they saw the footage that showed the officer assaulting Nichols and seemingly bragging about the beating as he gasped for life. Defense lawyers said that it was a high-risk traffic stop and their client acted reasonably after Nichols ran a red light and failed to stop for police.

dive deep

When fentanyl began spreading in America’s street drug supply, most experts believed it was unstoppable. Some of the world’s most sophisticated and ruthless criminal gangs operate supply chains that drive demand for these deadly synthetic drugs. Over the past six months, Dan Ciccarone, a doctor and street drug researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, has heard from experts who have noticed more overdoses and a significant decrease in the presence of fentanyl. This mirrors what Ciccarone’s team saw in areas where illicit fentanyl has been flowing for years.

• 💊 Drug gangs appear to “abuse” or weaken potency of fentanyl for sale. They often use an industrial chemical known as BTMPS for watering.
• 💊 Some drug policy experts believe the shift in the supply of fentanyl is a factor in the sudden national decline in fentanyl-related deaths. That’s down about 10% from last year, according to the CDC.
• 💊 The crackdown on Mexican drug cartels that smuggling these drugs into the US could also affect the supply chain.
• 💊 Dan Salter, who heads a federal task force targeting drug dealers, said This trend is likely to be temporary and a modest supply disruption.

Life advice

The biggest threat in a typhoon is not the wind, but the water that accompanies it. With two months remaining in hurricane season, it’s important to understand that flooding from heavy rains can happen at any time and in any location, especially as climate change makes heavy rains more frequent. As the water subsides, the slow recovery process begins. Here’s what you need to know to prepare for flooding and how to start the process of picking up the pieces afterward:

• 🌧️ If your house is flooded, check first electricity and gas networks are damaged, and cracks in the foundation to ensure that it is safe to go inside.
• 🌧️ If there is no standing water inside, turn it off electricity in the circuit breaker. Call the fire department if you smell natural gas or propane, or hear a hissing sound.
• 🌧️Can’t evacuate? Remember, flood water is dangerous. If possible, wait for the water to recede or for help to come.
• 🌧️ Document how high the water is for insurance claims or federal assistance. Take lots of photos inside and outside the house.

This is the tea a complete list of tips to help you if your house is flooded.

3 things to know before you go

1. Three-time Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis has ended his seven-year retirement from acting to appearing in anemone, the film was directed by his son, Ronan. The pair co-wrote the film.
2. Mark Chavez, the doctor accused of giving ketamine to friends star Matthew Perry has pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute drugs. Perry died in October 2023.
3. A New Jersey appeals court sided with Uber, ruling that the couple could not sue over near-fatal car accident because they agreed to the terms and conditions of our application. The couple said their daughter agreed to the terms when ordering from Uber Eats.

This newsletter is edited by Suzanne Nuyen.