Supreme Court blocks execution of Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip, who many believe innocent – National & International News – FRI 5May2023

Supreme Court blocks execution of Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip, who many believe innocent.

Millions of jobs will be lost if debt ceiling drama isn’t resolved in time.

Russian mercenary chief threatens to withdraw his troops from Bakhmut.

NATIONAL NEWS

Supreme Court blocks execution of Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip, who many believe innocent

Richard Glossip, 60, was facing his 9th execution date for his conviction in the 1997 murder of his boss Barry Van Treese. Another man, Justin Sneed, admitted bludgeoning Van Treese to death. However, he claimed that Glossip had hired him to do it. His testimony kept Sneed off of death row.

The Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a pro-death penalty Republican, joined Glossip’s attorneys in their appeal before the high court to halt Glossip’s May 18 execution. Drummond had already appealed to the state appeals court to vacate Glossip’s conviction due to numerous problems with both his trials. The appeals court rejected this appeal, and last month the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 2-2 not to grant Glossip clemency. 

 The Supreme Court has put a hold on Glossip’s execution while they consider his case.

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Former Oklahoma parole board chief: Glossip’s near execution shakes faith in the morality of the death penalty –

Evidence points to Glossip’s innocence.

Millions of jobs will be lost if debt ceiling drama isn’t resolved in time

The White House has released new analysis that shows how much even a brief default on US debt could cost the average American. Economists have already said a default would fully tip the US over into recession. The ongoing “manufactured crisis“, as the Nevada state treasurer described it, is already shaking markets and consumer confidence. 

House Republicans’ insistence on playing chicken with the good faith and credit of the US has already had an effect. After Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced the US could run out of money to pay its bills in June, US borrowing costs jumped 5%, potentially adding billions of dollars to the debt.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers has warned that even taking negotiations to the June 1 deadline could cost 200,000 jobs. A brief default could cost 500,000. The CEA predicts a protracted default could cost about 8.3 million jobs. 

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Russian mercenary chief threatens to withdraw his troops from Bakhmut

 Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner mercenary group, has announced he will withdraw his troops from the intense battleground of Bakhmut in Ukraine on May 10. In a video address surrounded by Wagner soldiers, Prigozhin accused Russia’s military leaders of intentionally starving his soldiers of munitions. Prigozhin has previously bemoaned the high number of Wagner troop losses in Ukraine. The US has estimated more than 100,000 Russian troops have been killed or wounded since December, more than half of them Wagner troops.

Kremlin emails intercepted by US intelligence do suggest that Russia’s military leadership bears a great deal of enmity towards Prigozhin and Wagner. Prigozhin even tried to obtain ammunition from Turkey, a NATO member, to plug the gaps in supply.

It’s unclear at this stage how serious Prigozhin’s intention is to withdraw from Bakhmut. He has been known to make outlandish claims and threats, only to back down from them later. 

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