Jury Questions Released for Trump's Hush-Money Trial; FBI Arrests Teen Over ISIS-Inspired Plot

Norfolk Southern Corp. announced on April 9 that it had reached a $600-million agreement to resolve a class action lawsuit related to a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The settlement comes in the wake of the Feb. 3, 2023 incident in which a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train carrying 151 cars derailed, spilling hazardous chemicals—including vinyl chloride—onto the ground and into the air, with the chemicals catching fire and burning for days. Upon combustion, vinyl chloride produces a small amount of phosgene gas, which was used as a chemical weapon on World War I battlefields.

The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s hush money case released a questionnaire on April 8 for jury selection, and stated that prospective jurors will not be asked about their voting preferences. Justice Juan Merchan also rejected President Trump’s attorneys’ argument that asking about political affiliation is relevant to the jury selection process. He said that “the purpose of jury selection is not to determine whether a prospective juror does or does not like one of the parties.” Jury selection will begin on April 15.

The FBI announced that it has arrested an 18-year-old Idaho man for concocting a “violent plot” on local churches on behalf of the ISIS terrorist group. Alexander Mercurio is facing a federal charge of attempting to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, the Department of Justice wrote in a press release. The DOJ added that the suspect was plotting to incapacitate his father, restrain him, steal his guns and other weapons, and carry out attacks on churches in Coeur d'Alene, a city in northwestern Idaho, last Sunday.