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November 6: Newsom Plans Death Row Commutations as Democrats Expand House Majority
California’s death row
California Governor Gavin Newsom says he will commute the death sentences of all 548 people on the state’s death row to life in prison without parole. In a letter to Californians, he called capital punishment “morally wrong.” Newsom imposed a moratorium on executions in 2019, and California last executed a prisoner in 2006.
The planned commutations would change those prisoners’ sentences, but would not abolish capital punishment. The death penalty would remain a sentencing option under state law, and future governors could resume executions.
Russell Brand convicted
Russell Brand was convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault at London’s Southwark Crown Court on November fifth. Sentencing is scheduled for November ninth.
Ukraine’s power grid
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asking Latin American leaders for help obtaining equipment to repair Ukraine’s power grid after Russian attacks. He made the appeal at the Ibero-American Summit in Madrid.
In Washington
The National Capital Planning Commission voted eight to four to approve President Trump’s proposed 250-foot triumphal arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. More than one hundred public comments preceded the vote, largely opposing the project. The administration says construction could begin as early as this week, while the project faces several legal challenges and protesters threaten to block it.
Meanwhile, Democrats have expanded their House majority to more than 250 seats, according to The New York Times. Their gains include a Montana seat won by a former smokejumper. The Times reports that neither party has held that many House seats since Democrats’ 2008 victory.
Paraguay’s president impeached
Lawmakers in Paraguay have voted to impeach President Santiago Pena amid a bank collapse that has roiled the country.
Tracking Pacific microplastics
University of Bergen researchers analyzing satellite data from 2002 through 2022 found that waters near the Great Pacific Garbage Patch became brighter in blue and green wavelengths compared with surrounding areas. The accumulation zone lies between Hawaii and California.
The team says laboratory experiments support microplastics as a possible cause, but direct ocean samples are needed to establish the link. Researchers hope those color shifts could eventually help locate other microplastic accumulations.
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