SCOTUS Rejects Death Penalty Challenge: The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal on Tuesday filed by a Louisiana man convicted of fatally shooting his pregnant former girlfriend, who asserted that the death penalty violates the U.S. Constitution's ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Lawrence Hurley of Reuters reports that the justices declined to hear the appeal brought by Lamondre Tucker, a black man who argued that endemic racism in the state's Caddo Parish increased the likelihood of him being convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Tucker was sentenced to death in 2008 for fatally shooting 18-year-old Tavia Stills and dumping her body in a pond. Stills was nearly five months pregnant and had told Tucker she believed he was the father, though later testing showed he wasn't. His conviction was upheld by a September 2015 Louisiana Supreme Court ruling.
Bloody Memorial Weekend in Chicago: Crime ran rampant over Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, leaving six people dead and 69 injured by gunfire, Peter Nikeas, Grace Wong, Alexandra Chachkevitch and Joe Mahr of the Chicago Tribune report. The shootings mirrored last year's holiday weekend when 12 people were killed and 44 were injured. Chicago police believe that the violence has been fueled by gang conflict, the proliferation of guns and weak gun law enforcement. Shootings have more than doubled with an estimated 1,500 in 2016 alone, with at least 250 killed. At this point last year, 957 people had been shot, with 164 killed.
ISIS Attacks on West likely in June, say Analysts: A D.C.-based think tank predicts that there is a high likelihood that the Islamic State, the terror group known as ISIS, will launch attacks against the West over the next 45 days during the Muslim celebration of Ramadan. Jacqueline Klimas of the Washington Examiner reports that the Institute for the Study of War issued a report stating that traditionally, ISIS uses the annual religion observance, which begins June 6 and ends July 5, to increase attacks and tweak its strategy. Europe faces the greatest threat of attack on sporting events in crowded public venues, which prompted the State Department to issue a travel alert warning Americans traveling to Europe to remain vigilant, as increased summer tourism will provide more targets for potential attacks. Attacks against the U.S., especially around July 4, are possible as well. The think tank also expects ISIS to announce new "global affiliates" outside of Iraq and Syria, including in Bangladesh and Southeast Asia.
Bloody Memorial Weekend in Chicago: Crime ran rampant over Memorial Day weekend in Chicago, leaving six people dead and 69 injured by gunfire, Peter Nikeas, Grace Wong, Alexandra Chachkevitch and Joe Mahr of the Chicago Tribune report. The shootings mirrored last year's holiday weekend when 12 people were killed and 44 were injured. Chicago police believe that the violence has been fueled by gang conflict, the proliferation of guns and weak gun law enforcement. Shootings have more than doubled with an estimated 1,500 in 2016 alone, with at least 250 killed. At this point last year, 957 people had been shot, with 164 killed.
ISIS Attacks on West likely in June, say Analysts: A D.C.-based think tank predicts that there is a high likelihood that the Islamic State, the terror group known as ISIS, will launch attacks against the West over the next 45 days during the Muslim celebration of Ramadan. Jacqueline Klimas of the Washington Examiner reports that the Institute for the Study of War issued a report stating that traditionally, ISIS uses the annual religion observance, which begins June 6 and ends July 5, to increase attacks and tweak its strategy. Europe faces the greatest threat of attack on sporting events in crowded public venues, which prompted the State Department to issue a travel alert warning Americans traveling to Europe to remain vigilant, as increased summer tourism will provide more targets for potential attacks. Attacks against the U.S., especially around July 4, are possible as well. The think tank also expects ISIS to announce new "global affiliates" outside of Iraq and Syria, including in Bangladesh and Southeast Asia.
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