Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Paul Whelan, and Starbucks was ordered to pay millions of dollars as part of a wrongful termination suit. These stories and more highlight The Rundown for Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023.
Blinken speaks to Paul Whelan by phone
Secretary of State Blinken has spoken by phone with Paul Whelan, the American who is being held in a remote prison camp in Russia. The U.S. government has deemed Whelan is being wrongfully detained after he was sentenced to 16 years on espionage charges he and the U.S. said were fabricated.
Sources told multiple news outlets that Blinken told Whelan the U.S. is doing everything it can to bring him home as soon possible. This is the second time Blinken has spoken to Whelan since he was jailed in 2018.
In addition to speaking with the secretary of state, sources said Whelan was able to call his parents. Blinken said earlier in 2023 that the U.S. had made a “serious proposal” for Whelan’s release, but Moscow has not engaged in any serious negotiations.
The U.S. was able to secure the release of two other wrongfully detained Americans, Trevor Reed in April and Brittney Griner in December, as part of separate prisoner swaps. In addition to Whelan, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich also remains wrongfully detained in Russia.
Legal battle over Mifepristone headed to Supreme Court
The legal saga over the abortion pill Mifepristone expected to end at the Supreme Court. The latest ruling comes from a federal appeals court on Wednesday, Aug. 16.
The court wanted access to the pill to be limited after finding the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) overstepped its authority in three ways:
- Allowing the drug to be taken late in pregnancy
- Allowing the drug to be mailed directly to patients
- Having medical professionals other than doctors prescribe the pill to women seeking abortions
While the ruling seeks to limit access to Mifepristone, availability will remain unchanged for now. The Justice Department says it will go back to the Supreme Court to appeal the latest ruling.
Fulton County DA recommends Trump trial begin day before Super Tuesday
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has put forward the date she would like to see former President Donald Trump’s trial in Georgia to begin. She recommended it start on March 4, 2024.
The date happens to be the day before Super Tuesday, when voters in more than a dozen states cast their ballots for the Republican presidential nomination. Former President Trump’s team has not commented on the proposed date.
The proposed start date will have to be signed off by a judge. Trump’s other state trial in New York begins March 25, 2024.
According to a recent Associated Press poll, Americans are divided in their opinions about Trump’s most recent indictment. About half of Americans believe Trump should be prosecuted. The poll was split along party lines.
Items seized during police raid of newspaper returned
A police raid conducted at a Kansas newspaper’s office and its publisher’s home gained national attention over whether the police search was an infringement on First Amendment rights. The items police took during the raid have been returned to the newspaper.
The search warrant was withdrawn after media across the country condemned the raid. The newspaper is sending the seized computers and reporters’ cell phones to a forensics lab to be examined in order to figure out what police did with the electronics.
The Marion County Record’s publisher has promised his paper will continue to operate despite the disruption. It published its first edition since the police raid with the front-page headline reading “Seized but not Silenced.”
“This is the way things go here too often and too often people are brought into silence and intimidated by reactions like this,” Marion County Record Publisher Eric Meyer said on Monday, Aug. 14.
Marion police have said the public doesn’t have all the facts to the story yet. According to police, the raid was related to an ongoing investigation into whether the paper illegally obtained and used personal information about a local business owner.
Starbucks ordered to pay $2.7 million more in wrongful termination suit
Starbucks has been ordered to pay an additional $2.7 million in wage loss damages as part of a wrongful termination suit. The latest ordered payment is in addition to the $25.6 million awarded to former regional director Shannon Phillips in June of 2023.
Phillips, who is white, sued her former employer saying that her race was a factor in Starbucks firing her after the controversial arrests of two black men at a Philadelphia location in 2018 sparked nationwide protests. The two men, who were waiting for a business meeting, were arrested after an employee called 911 saying they were trespassing due to them not ordering anything while inside the store.
Phillips, who worked for Starbucks for 13 years, said she was not at the store when the incident occurred. She was fired the following day.
Starbucks said there was no evidence of intentional discrimination. The two men arrested at the store reached a private settlement with Starbucks and the city.
Chick-fil-A unveils twist to Original Chicken Sandwich
After experimenting for more than a year, Chick-fil-A has created what it calls the first ever twist to its beloved Original Chicken Sandwich. It is called the Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich.
The sandwich will feature a chicken filet topped with pimento cheese, pickled jalapenos and honey. The Honey Pepper Pimento Chicken Sandwich will be available at Chick-fil-A restaurants nationwide beginning Monday, Aug. 28.
