The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from former Kentucky clerk Kim Davis challenging same-sex marriage. Davis sought to overturn the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. She argued the ruling misused the 14th Amendment’s due process clause and violated her religious rights. About 823,000 same-sex couples are now married in the U.S. (Story URL)
President Trump pardoned Rudolph Giuliani and several others involved in efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt called those pardoned “great Americans” who were “put through hell by the Biden administration for challenging an election.” The pardons are largely symbolic since none of them are facing federal charges. Their state-level cases with continue. (Story URL)
A surge of Arctic air is sweeping across most of the United States, bringing snow and record cold to many regions. The eastern two-thirds of the country will feel the chill, with freezing temperatures stretching from Texas to the Carolinas. Parts of Florida could see wind chills in the 30s Fahrenheit (minus 1 degree Celsius). Forecasters expect 4 to 8 inches of snow in the Great Lakes and Appalachian regions. (Story URL)
President Trump plans to sue the BBC for $1 billion, his legal team told NBC News on Monday. They accuse the broadcaster of trying to “interfere in the presidential election” by editing one of his speeches. The threat came after BBC Director General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness resigned Sunday under growing pressure. The edit involved omitting parts of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech. (Story URL)
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was released Monday after a Paris court approved his request for judicial supervision. The decision came less than three weeks after the 70-year-old began serving a five-year sentence for criminal conspiracy linked to alleged Libyan funding of his 2007 campaign. Sarkozy left prison by car and returned quietly to his Paris home. He remains barred from leaving France. (Story URL)
