Author: CNN

CNN
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Here’s a look at the Tony Awards which honor achievements on Broadway.

June 11, 2023 – The 76th Tony Awards take place.

The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League.

Only productions staged in designated Broadway theatres are eligible for nominations.

The musical that holds the record for most Tony Awards is “The Producers,” in 2001. It won 12 awards out of 15 nominations.

The hip-hop infused musical “Hamilton” earned a record-setting 16 Tony nominations on May 3, 2016, including Best Musical and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical for playwright/star Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Producer/director Harold “Hal” Prince has won the most Tony Awards overall (21).

Actress Audra McDonald has won the most Tony awards as a performer (six).

The Tonys are named after Antoinette Perry, a Broadway actress and director who died in 1946. Her charitable work with the American Theatre Wing during WWII inspired the Broadway community to create an award in her honor.

The American Theatre Wing became famous for the “Stage Door Canteens,” in which GIs could drop in and be entertained by famous Hollywood and Broadway stars.

If there is only one nominee, the category is submitted to the Tony Voters. An affirmative vote of 60% of the total ballots cast will grant an Award in that category.

April 6, 1947 – The first Tony Awards are presented at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.

The first “Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play” award is a tie with Ingrid Bergman for “Joan of Lorraine” and Helen Hayes for “Happy Birthday.”

The first “Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play” award is also a tie, between Jose Ferrer for “Cyrano de Bergerac” and Fredric March for “Years Ago.”

1956 – The Tony Awards are broadcast on television for the first time, on the Dumont Network.

Best Play
“Leopoldstadt”

Best Musical
“Kimberly Akimbo”

Best Revival of a Play
“Topdog/Underdog”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play
Sean Hayes, “Good Night, Oscar”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play
Jodie Comer, “Prima Facie”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical
J. Harrison Ghee, “Some Like It Hot”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical
Victoria Clark, “Kimberly Akimbo”

The full list of winners

CNN
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Mother’s Day is observed on the second Sunday in May in the United States. It is also celebrated in other countries.

May 12, 2024 – Mother’s Day.

In 2022, 27.4 was the average age in the United States for first-time mothers, according to the CDC.

In its early days, people observed Mother’s Day by going to church and by writing letters to their mothers. Eventually, sending cards and giving gifts and flowers were added to the tradition.

In 2024, the National Retail Federation (NRF) estimates that US consumers will spend $33.5 billion celebrating Mother’s Day. Shoppers will spend an average of $254.04 on mom.

Most consumers will give cards (74%) or flowers (74%) to their mothers in 2024. Special outings are also a popular gift (59%), according to the NRF.

According to the Insure.com 2023 Mother’s Day Index, the various tasks moms perform at home would be worth $133,440 a year in the professional world.

Anna Jarvis started the tradition of wearing a carnation on Mother’s Day. A colored carnation means that a person’s mother is living. A white carnation indicates that a person’s mother is deceased.

While many countries celebrate Mother’s Day on the second Sunday in May, a tradition which began in the United States, it’s celebrated annually on May 10 in Mexico. Similar celebrations of mothers are held on various days of the year in other countries, often following ancient or religious traditions.

In Britain and some parts of Europe, the fourth Sunday of Lent was often celebrated as Mothering Day, but that has been replaced by Mother’s Day, for the most part.

1872 – Julia Ward Howe, a pacifist, suffragette, and writer of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” first suggests Mother’s Day in the United States. She suggests the day as a day mothers could rally for peace and for several years, she holds an annual Mother’s Day meeting in Boston.

1908 – Anna Jarvis begins a campaign for a nationwide observance of Mother’s Day in honor of her late mother, a community health advocate. Anna Jarvis was deeply dismayed over the commercialization of Mother’s Day. Before she died in 1948, she admitted that she regretted ever starting the holiday.

May 9, 1914 – President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday.

Here’s a look at the life of Associate Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. She is the fourth woman to serve on the US Supreme Court.

Birth date: April 28, 1960

Birth place: New York, New York

Birth name: Elena Kagan

Father: Robert Kagan, attorney

Mother: Gloria (Gittelman) Kagan, teacher

Education: Princeton University, A.B., 1981, graduated summa cum laude; Worcester College, Oxford University, M. Phil., 1983; Harvard University, J.D., 1986, graduated magna cum laude

Religion: Jewish

Was editor of the Harvard Law Review.

First female dean of Harvard University Law School.

Nicknamed “Shorty” by Thurgood Marshall. He was 6’ 2”; she is 5’ 3”.

Taught at the University of Chicago Law School at the same time as future US President Barack Obama.

1986-1987 – Law clerk for Judge Abner Mikva, US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit.

1988 – Clerk for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

1989-1991 – Associate with the DC law firm Williams & Connolly.

1991-1995 – University of Chicago Law School professor.

1993 – Senator Joe Biden appoints Kagan as the special counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee. During this time Kagan works on Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings.

1995-1996 – Associate counsel to US President Bill Clinton.

1997-1999 – Deputy assistant to President Clinton for domestic policy. Kagan is also deputy director of the Domestic Policy Council.

1999 – Clinton nominates Kagan to the US Court of Appeals. Hearings are never scheduled, and the nomination lapses.

1999-2003 – Harvard Law School professor.

April 3, 2003-March 20, 2009 – Dean of Harvard University Law School.

January 26, 2009 – Obama names Kagan to be US solicitor general.

March 19, 2009 – Confirmed by the US Senate 61-31 to become the first woman to serve as US solicitor general, despite opposition by over 75% of Republican senators.

May 10, 2010 – Obama nominates Kagan to be a justice on the US Supreme Court.

July 20, 2010 – The Senate Judiciary Committee votes 13-6 to send her nomination to the full Senate for consideration.

August 5, 2010 – The Senate confirms Kagan as an associate justice of the US Supreme Court.

August 7, 2010 – Kagan is sworn in as the 112th Supreme Court justice.

January 23, 2012 – The Supreme Court denies a request from Freedom Watch, a political advocacy group, that Kagan should recuse herself from the upcoming appeals over the constitutionality of health care reform. Kagan served as the Obama administration’s top government lawyer handling appeals to the Supreme Court when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed.

June 22, 2015 – The Supreme Court rules in favor of Marvel Entertainment against Stephen Kimble in a case that deals with patent fees. The opinion, written by Kagan, includes several references to Spider-Man.

March 7, 2019 – Kagan appears before House lawmakers to voice the court’s entrenched opposition to televising oral arguments. She acknowledges benefits to the public seeing the nation’s highest court at work, but tells a House Appropriations subcommittee that, “If seeing [the court] came at the expense of the way the institution functioned that would be a very bad bargain. And I do worry that cameras might come at that expense.”

June 21, 2019 – Kagan says that a 5-4 opinion that broke along ideological lines “smashes a hundred-plus years of legal rulings to smithereens.” The case addresses when property owners can sue the government to claim its actions are an unconstitutional “taking.” Under existing Supreme Court precedent, the plaintiff couldn’t sue to challenge the taking until the state was given a chance to pay just compensation. The new decision holds that the plaintiff can sue in federal court as soon as the taking occurs. In her dissent Kagan says, “when a theory requires declaring precedent after precedent after precedent wrong, that’s a sign the theory itself may be wrong.”

June 27, 2019 – Reads a dissent following the 5-4 decision that gerrymandering is beyond the reach of the court. “The practices challenged in these cases imperil our system of government. Part of the Court’s role in that system is to defend its foundations. None is more important than free and fair elections.”

October 8, 2020 – Kagan denies a request from Republicans to block Montana Governor Steve Bullock’s directive allowing counties to send mail-in ballots to all registered voters amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

September 22, 2023 – Kagan says she thinks it would be a “good thing” for the Supreme Court to adapt some version of a code of ethics that governs lower court judges and that she hopes the justices would make progress on the issue soon.

CNN
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Here is a look at some US citizens who have been convicted of spying against the United States.

1962 – Aldrich Ames, son of a CIA analyst, joins the agency as a low-level documents analyst.

1967-1968 – Enters the Career Trainee Program at the CIA and becomes an operations officer.

1970s – Specializes in Soviet/Russian intelligence services.

April 16, 1985 – Volunteers to spy against the United States to KGB agents at the Soviet Embassy in Washington, DC. He receives a payment of $50,000.

1986-1989 – Ames is stationed in Rome and continues to pass information to Soviet agents. He is paid approximately $1.8 million during this period.

Late 1980s – The CIA and FBI learn that a number of Russian double agents have been arrested and some executed.

May 1993 – The FBI begins investigating Ames, with both physical and electronic surveillance.

February 21, 1994 – Ames and his wife, Rosario, are arrested in Arlington, Virginia, by the FBI, accused of spying for the Soviet Union and later, Russia. It is estimated that Ames has received approximately $2.5 million from Russia and the Soviet Union for his years of spying.

April 28, 1994 – Ames pleads guilty and is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In October 1994, Ames’ wife receives 63 months in prison.

October 31, 1995 – CIA Director John Deutch testifies before Congress about the scope of Ames’ espionage. He states that more than 100 US spies were compromised and that tainted intelligence was given to Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

1970-1991 – David Boone serves in the US Army as a signals intelligence analyst. During the late 1980s, he is assigned to the National Security Agency as a senior cryptologic traffic analyst.

October 1988 – In the midst of a divorce and financial problems, Boone goes to the Soviet embassy in Washington, DC, and offers to spy on the United States. He is paid about $20,000 a year for his work over the next three years. He continues spying after being transferred to a post in Germany.

1991 – Boone loses his security clearance and retires from the Army, remaining in Germany.

1998 – He is contacted by a retired FBI agent posing as a Russian agent. The agent meets with Boone in London and the United States and pays him $9,000 to return to spying for Russia.

October 14, 1998 – Boone is charged with passing defense documents to the Soviet Union. He pleads guilty in December 1998.

February 26, 1999 – He is sentenced to 24 years in prison.

January 14, 2020 – Boone is released from prison.

1996 – Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins makes visits to Russia to meet with their intelligence agents. He is given a code name and signs a settlement “attesting that he wanted to serve” them.

1998-2005 – Debbins joins the Army, where he serves in chemical units before being selected for the US Army Special Forces.

August 21, 2020 – The Department of Justice announces that Debbins has been charged with providing information about US national defenses to Russian agents.

May 14, 2021 – The DOJ announces that Debbins is sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for conspiring with Russian agents to provide them with US defense intelligence.

1968-1986 – Noshir Gowadia is employed by Northrop Grumman where he works on technology relating to the B-2 Spirit Bomber, aka the “Stealth” bomber.

July 2003-June 2005 – Travels to China six times to “provide defense services in the form of design, test support and test data analysis of technologies to assist the PRC with a cruise missile system by developing a stealthy exhaust nozzle.” He is paid over $100,000 during this period.

October 2005 – Arrested and charged with passing national defense information to China. Superseding indictments are issued in 2006 and 2007.

August 9, 2010 – Gowadia is found guilty.

January 24, 2011 – He is sentenced to 32 years in prison.

January 12, 1976 – Robert Hanssen joins the FBI.

1979 – Begins spying for the Soviet Union.

1980 – Begins working for the counterintelligence unit, focusing on the Soviet Union.

1981 – Transfers to FBI headquarters, initially tracking white-collar crime and monitoring foreign officials assigned to the United States. He is later assigned to the Soviet Analytical Unit.

1981 – Hanssen’s wife catches him with classified documents and convinces him to stop spying.

October 4, 1985 – Resumes spying.

1991 – Breaks off relations with the KGB.

1999 – Resumes spying, this time for the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

2000 – The FBI identifies Hanssen from a fingerprint and from a tape recording supplied by a disgruntled Russian intelligence operative. The FBI also obtains the complete original KGB dossier on Hanssen.

December 2000 – The FBI begins surveillance of Hanssen.

February 18, 2001 – Hanssen is arrested in a Virginia park after making a drop of classified documents. Agents find a bag nearby containing $50,000 that they believe is Hanssen’s payment for the documents.

July 6, 2001 – Pleads guilty to 15 counts of espionage and conspiracy in exchange for the government not seeking the death penalty.

May 10, 2002 – He is sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

June 5, 2023 – Hanssen dies in prison.

1984 – Ana Montes is recruited to spy for Cuba. She is never paid for her spying.

1985-2001 – She is employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency as an analyst. She is promoted several times, eventually becoming the DIA’s top Cuba analyst.

Fall 2000 – The FBI and DIA begin investigating Montes.

September 11, 2001 – In response to attacks on the United States, Montes is named acting division chief, which gives her access to the plans to attack Afghanistan and the Taliban.

September 21, 2001 – Montes is arrested in Washington, DC, and is charged with conspiracy to deliver defense information to Cuba.

March 20, 2002 – Pleads guilty to espionage and is sentenced to 25 years in prison.

January 6, 2023 – Montes is released from prison.

1977 – Walter Kendall Myers begins working for the US State Department on contract, as an instructor.

1978 – Myers travels to Cuba and is recruited by Cuban intelligence.

1979 – Myers and his girlfriend [later his wife], Gwendolyn, begin spying for Cuba. It is believed they receive little to no payment for their services.

1985 – He is hired by the State Dept. as a senior analyst.

October 31, 2007 – Myers retires from the State Dept.

June 4, 2009 – The Myers are arrested.

November 20, 2009 – He pleads guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit espionage. Gwendolyn Myers pleads guilty to conspiracy to gather and transmit national defense information.

July 16, 2010 – Myers is sentenced to life in prison. His wife is sentenced to 81 months.

1980 – Harold Nicholson joins the CIA after serving in the United States Army.

1982-1989 – Nicholson works for the CIA in the Philippines, Thailand and Japan.

1992-1994 – Deputy Chief of Station/Operations Officer in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

June 1994-November 1996 – Provides Russian Intelligence with sensitive information.

November 16, 1996 – Arrested at Dulles International Airport carrying classified CIA information.

November 27, 1996 – Nicholson pleads not guilty.

June 5, 1997 – He is convicted of espionage and sentenced to 23 years in prison.

2008 – Nicholson’s son, Nathaniel, is arrested on charges he met with Russian agents to collect money owed to his father.

January 18, 2011 – Harold Nicholson is sentenced to an additional eight years in prison on charges of conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Nathaniel Nicholson is sentenced to five years probation.

1965-1979 – Ronald Pelton works for the National Security Agency, with top-level security clearance.

1979 – Pelton leaves the NSA due to financial problems.

January 1980 – After declaring bankruptcy in 1979, Pelton begins spying for the Soviet Union. He discloses classified information on the United States’ ability to intercept Soviet communications.

November 25, 1985 – After a KGB defector reveals his name, Pelton is arrested and charged with espionage.

June 5, 1986 – He is convicted of spying.

December 17, 1986 – Pelton is sentenced to three concurrent life sentences plus 10 years.

November 24, 2015 – Pelton is released from prison.

1983-1996 – Earl Edwin Pitts works at the FBI.

1987-1992 – Pitts passes information on FBI operations to the Soviet Union and Russia.

1995 – A Russian diplomat at the UN names Pitts as a former spy. FBI agents posing as Russian intelligence officers contact Pitts to attempt to lure him back to spying. Pitts delivers documents in exchange for $65,000.

December 18, 1996 – Pitts is arrested. He is charged two days later with conspiring and attempting to commit espionage.

February 28, 1997 – Pleads guilty. At the time, he is only the second agent in the FBI’s history to be found guilty of espionage.

June 23, 1997 – He is sentenced to 27 years in prison.

December 20, 2019 – Pitts is released from prison.

1979 – Pollard is hired to work at the Navy Field Operational Intelligence Office. He had been rejected previously from employment at the CIA due to drug use. His specialty is North America and the Caribbean.

June 1984 – He begins spying for Israel, passing on information on Arab countries. He earns $1,500-$2,500 a month.

November 21, 1985 – Pollard is arrested outside the Israeli Embassy after his request for asylum is denied.

June 4, 1986 – Pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit espionage.

March 4, 1987 – US District Judge Aubrey Robinson Jr. rejects a plea agreement reached by federal prosecutors and Pollard. Instead, he sentences Pollard to life in prison. Pollard is the only person in US history to receive a life sentence for spying on behalf of a US ally. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have rejected pleas for clemency.

1995 – Israel grants Pollard citizenship.

May 11, 1998 – Israel admits for the first time that Pollard was working as its agent.

2002 – Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Pollard in prison.

July 28, 2015 – Pollard’s attorney announces that Pollard has been granted parole and will be released in November.

November 20, 2015 – Pollard is released on parole.

November 20, 2020 – Pollard completes his parole. A month later Pollard and his wife arrive in Israel to start a new life.

1969-1994 – George Trofimoff, a naturalized American citizen of Russian parentage, works as a civilian for the US Army at the Joint Interrogation Center in Nuremberg, Germany. He also attains the rank of colonel in the Army reserve.

1994 – Trofimoff and a priest in the Russian Orthodox church, Igor Susemihl, are arrested in Germany on spying charges. The charges are later dropped.

1994 – Retires and moves to South Florida.

June 14, 2000 – Trofimoff is arrested. US Attorney Donna Bucella describes him as “the highest-ranking US military officer ever charged with espionage. He is accused of passing classified information on Soviet and Warsaw Pact military capabilities from 1969-1994. Allegedly, he received payment of over $250,000 during that time.

June 27, 2001 – He is convicted of spying for the Soviet Union and Russia. He is later sentenced to life in prison.

September 19, 2014 – Trofimoff dies in prison.

CNN
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Here’s some background information about the Summer Olympics, which is held every four years.

The 2020 Olympic Games were held July 23-August 8, 2021, in Tokyo. The Games were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Paris is slated to be the host city for the 2024 Olympic Games.

The 2028 Olympic Games will be held in Los Angeles, marking the first time since 1996 the competition is taking place in the United States.

The 2032 Olympic Games will be held in Brisbane, Australia.

Summer Olympics Facts and History

The first revival of the Olympics was held in Athens, Greece, from April 6, 1896, to April 15, 1896.

The first modern Summer Olympics champion was James Connolly (USA), who won the triple jump event.

Fourteen nations and 241 athletes (all men) competed in 43 events at the first modern Summer Olympics.

The Olympic Flame was first lit during the opening ceremony of the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam.

The ancient Games were held between, at least, 776 BC and 393 AD.

1896 – Swimming is part of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens. The first events are freestyle and breaststroke.
1900 – Men’s water polo is added to the Olympic Games in Paris. Backstroke is added to the swimming events.
1904 – Diving is added to the Olympics in St. Louis.
1912 – Women’s swimming and diving are added to the Olympics in Stockholm.
1984 – Individual and duet synchronized swimming are added to the Olympics in Los Angeles.
1996 – Synchronized swimming is changed to team competition. Each team has eight members.
2000 – Synchronized diving and women’s water polo are added to the Olympics in Sydney. Synchronized swimming is altered again to include both team and duet competition.
2008 – A 10km swimming race, in open water rather than a pool, debuts at the Olympics. Both men and women compete.

1900 – Archery is added to the Olympic Games in Paris.
1912 – Archery is excluded from the Olympics in Stockholm.
1920 – The last time archery appears in the Olympics until 1972.
1972 – Archery is added back into the Olympic competition in Munich, Germany.
1988 – Team archery is added to the Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
1992 – The Olympic Round archery format is established at the Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

776 BC – Athletics are part of the first ancient Olympic Games in Greece.
1896 – Athletics are part of the first modern Olympics in Athens. Competitions included are 100m, 1,500m, 110m hurdles, Marathon, long jump, triple jump, pole vault, discus, shot put and high jump.
1924 – Women’s athletics events are added to the Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Competitions included are 100m, 800m, 4 x 100m, high jump and discus.
1984 – Women’s marathon is added to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
2008 – The women’s 3000m steeplechase debuts as an Olympic event.

1972 – Badminton is a demonstration sport at the Olympics in Munich.
1992 – Badminton is officially added to the Olympics in Barcelona.

1992 – Baseball is added to the Olympics in Barcelona.
2012 – Baseball is dropped from the Olympics in London.
2021 – Baseball and softball return for the Tokyo Games.
2024 – Baseball and softball are dropped from the Paris Games.

1904 – Basketball is an exhibition event at the Olympics in St. Louis.
1936 – Men’s basketball is added to the Olympics in Berlin.
1976 – Women’s basketball is added to the Olympics in Montreal.
1992 – Participation rules are changed to allow professional basketball players to participate on the Olympic teams.
2021 – 3×3 basketball is officially added as an Olympic event.

1996 – Men’s and women’s beach volleyball is added to the Olympic Games in Atlanta.

688 BC – Boxing is added to the ancient Olympic Games.
1896 – A committee decides that boxing is too dangerous for the modern Olympic Games.
1904 – Boxing is added to the Olympic Games in St. Louis.
1912 – Boxing is eliminated from the Olympics in Stockholm due to a law banning boxing in Sweden.
1920 – Boxing is added again to the Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium.
2012 – Women’s boxing makes its debut at the London Olympics.

2024 – Breaking will appear in the Paris Games.

1924 – Canoe/kayak flatwater racing is an exhibition event at the Olympics in Paris.
1936 – Men’s canoe/kayak flatwater racing is added to the Olympics in Berlin.
1948 – Women’s canoe/kayak flatwater racing is added to the Olympics in London.
1972 – Canoe/kayak slalom racing is added to the Olympics in Munich.
1992 – Canoe/kayak slalom racing is a competition in the Olympics in Barcelona for the first time since 1972.

1896 – Cycling is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens. The two events are road race and track cycling.
1996 – Mountain bike racing debuts at the Atlanta Olympics.
2008 – Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX) debuts as an Olympic event, for both men and women.

1900 – Jumping is added to the Olympic game in Paris.
1912 – Dressage and Eventing are added to jumping as the three areas of equestrian events at the Olympics in Stockholm.
1952 – Participation rules are changed to allow non-cavalry officers to compete in the Olympics.

1896 – Fencing is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens.

1896 – Football is an exhibition event at the first modern Olympics in Athens.
1908 – Football is added to the Olympic Games in London.
1984 – Participation rules are changed to allow professional football players to participate on the Olympic teams.

1900 – Golf makes its debut at the Olympics in Paris.
2016 – After a 112-year hiatus, golf is included at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

1896 – Men’s artistic gymnastics is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens. The men compete in six apparatus: horizontal bar, parallel bars, pommel horse, rings, vault, and rope climbing.
1928 – Women’s artistic gymnastics is added to the Olympics in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
1936 – Men’s artistic gymnastics individual events are changed to include floor exercises, side horse (pommel horse), rings, parallel bars, horizontal bar and long horse (vault) at the Olympics in Berlin.
1952 – Women’s artistic gymnastics individual events introduce the four-apparatus format: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercises at the Olympics in Helsinki.
1984 – Rhythmic gymnastics is an exhibition event at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
1996 – Rhythmic gymnastics is added to the Olympics in Atlanta.
2000 – Trampoline is added to the Olympics in Sydney.

Handball

1936 – Handball is an exhibition event at the Olympic Games in Berlin.
1972 – Handball is added to the Olympics in Munich.

1908 – Field hockey is added to the Olympics in London.

1964 – Men’s judo becomes the first Asian sport to be added to the Olympics in Tokyo.
1992 – Women’s judo is added to the Olympics in Barcelona.

2021 – Karate appears in the Tokyo Games.
2024 – Karate is dropped from the Paris Games.

The Modern pentathlon includes shooting, fencing, swimming, riding, and cross-country running.
708 BC – Ancient pentathlon is added in the ancient Olympic Games.
1912 – Men’s modern pentathlon is added to the Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.
2000 – Women’s modern pentathlon is added to the Olympics in Sydney.

1900 – Men’s rowing is added to the Olympics in Paris.
1976 – Women’s rowing is added to the Olympics in Montreal.

2016 – Rugby sevens debuts at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

1900 – Sailing is added to the Olympics in Paris.

1896 – Men’s shooting is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens.
1984 – Women’s shooting is added to the Olympics in Los Angeles.

2021 – Skateboarding appears in the Tokyo Games.

1996 – Softball is added to the Olympics in Atlanta.
2012 – Softball is dropped from the Olympics in London.
2021 – Softball and baseball return for the Tokyo Games.

2021 – Sports climbing appears in the Tokyo Games.

2021 – Surfing appears in the Tokyo Games.

1988 – Table tennis is added to the Olympics in Seoul.

1980 – The IOC officially recognizes taekwondo as an Olympic sport.
1988 and 1992 – Taekwondo is an exhibition event at the Olympic Games in Seoul and Barcelona.
2000 – Taekwondo is officially added to the Olympic Games in Sydney as a competitive event.

1896-1924 – Tennis is included in the Olympic Games.
1984 – Tennis is an exhibition event at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
1988 – Tennis is reinstated at the Olympic Games in Seoul.

Participants swim 1500 meters, cycle 40 kilometers and run 10 km in succession.
1994 – The IOC officially recognizes the triathlon as an Olympic sport.
2000 – Triathlon is added to the Olympics in Sydney.

1964 – Men’s and women’s volleyball is added to the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

1896 – Weightlifting is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens.
2000 – Women’s weightlifting is added to the Olympics in Sydney.

776 BC – Wrestling is part of the first ancient Olympic Games in Greece.
1896 – Greco-Roman wrestling is part of the first modern Olympics in Athens.
1904 – Free style wrestling is included in the Olympics.
1908 – After a brief hiatus, Greco-Roman wrestling is reinstated in the Olympics.
2004 – Women’s free style wrestling is added to the Olympics in Athens.

CNN
 — 

Here’s a look at the Penn State sexual abuse scandal. On November 4, 2011, a grand jury report was released containing testimony that former Penn State defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky sexually abused eight young boys over a period of at least 15 years. Officials at Penn State purportedly failed to notify law enforcement after learning about some of these incidents. On December 7, 2011, the number of victims increased to 10. Sandusky was found guilty in 2012.

Included is a timeline of accusations, lists of the charges against Sandusky, a list of involved parties, a post grand jury report timeline, information about The Second Mile charity and Sandusky with links to the grand jury investigation.

Jerry Sandusky

Birth date: January 26, 1944

Birth place: Washington, Pennsylvania

Birth name: Gerald Arthur Sandusky

Marriage: Dorothy “Dottie” (Gross) Sandusky (1966-present)

Children: (all adopted) E.J., Kara, Jon, Jeff, Ray and Matt. The Sanduskys also fostered several children.

Occupation: Assistant football coach at Penn State for 32 years before his retirement, including 23 years as defensive coordinator.

Initially founded by Sandusky in 1977 as a group foster home for troubled boys, but grew into a non-profit organization that “helps young people to achieve their potential as individuals and community members.”

May 25, 2012 – The Second Mile requests court approval in Centre County, Pennsylvania, to transfer its programs to Arrow Child & Family Ministries and shut down.

August 27, 2012 – The Second Mile requests a stay in their petition to transfer its programs to Arrow Child & Family Ministries saying, “this action will allow any pending or future claims filed by Sandusky’s victims to be resolved before key programs or assets are considered for transfer.”

March 2016 – After years of dismantling and distributing assets to Arrow Child & Family Ministries and any remaining funds to the Pennsylvania Attorney General to hold in escrow, the organization is dissolved.

Source: Grand Jury Report

1994-1997 – Sandusky engages in inappropriate conduct with different boys he met separately through The Second Mile program.

1998 – Penn State police and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare investigate an incident in which the mother of an 11-year-old boy reported that Sandusky showered with her son.

1998 – Psychologist Alycia Chambers tells Penn State police that Sandusky acted the way a pedophile might in her assessment of a case in which the mother of a young boy reported that Sandusky showered with her son and may have had inappropriate contact with him. A second psychologist, John Seasock, reported he found no indication of child abuse.

June 1, 1998 – In an interview, Sandusky admits to showering naked with the boy, saying it was wrong and promising not to do it again. The district attorney advises investigators that no charges will be filed, and the university police chief instructs that the case be closed.

June 1999 – Sandusky retires from Penn State after coaching there for 32 years, but receives emeritus status, with full access to the campus and football facilities.

2000 – James Calhoun, a janitor at Penn State, tells his supervisor and another janitor that he saw Sandusky sexually abusing a young boy in the Lasch Building showers. No one reports the incident to university officials or law enforcement.

March 2, 2002 – Graduate Assistant Mike McQueary tells Coach Joe Paterno that on March 1, he witnessed Sandusky sexually abusing a 10-year-old boy in the Lasch Building showers. On May 7, 2012, prosecutors file court documents to change the date of the assault to on or around February 9, 2001.

March 3, 2002 – Paterno reports the incident to Athletic Director Tim Curley. Later, McQueary meets with Curley and Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz. McQueary testifies that he told Curley and Schultz that he saw Sandusky and the boy engage in anal sex; Curley and Schultz testify they were not told of any such allegation. No law enforcement investigation is launched.

2005 or 2006 – Sandusky befriends another Second Mile participant whose allegations would form the foundation of the multi-year grand jury investigation.

2006 or 2007 – Sandusky begins to spend more time with the boy, taking him to sporting events and giving him gifts. During this period, Sandusky performs oral sex on the boy more than 20 times and the boy performs oral sex on him once.

2008 – The boy breaks off contact with Sandusky. Later, his mother calls the boy’s high school to report her son had been sexually assaulted and the principal bans Sandusky from campus and reports the incident to police. The ensuing investigation reveals 118 calls from Sandusky’s home and cell phone numbers to the boy’s home.

November 2008 – Sandusky informs The Second Mile that he is under investigation. He is removed from all program activities involving children, according to the group.

November 4, 2011 – The grand jury report is released.

November 5, 2011 – Sandusky is arraigned on 40 criminal counts. He is released on $100,000 bail. Curley and Schultz are each charged with one count of felony perjury and one count of failure to report abuse allegations.

November 7, 2011 – Curley and Schultz are both arraigned and resign from their positions.

November 9, 2011 – Paterno announces that he intends to retire at the end of the 2011 football season. Hours later, university trustees announce that President Graham Spanier and Coach Paterno are fired, effective immediately.

November 11, 2011 – McQueary, now a Penn State receivers’ coach, is placed on indefinite administrative leave.

November 14, 2011 – In a phone interview with NBC’s Bob Costas, Sandusky states that he is “innocent” of the charges and claims that the only thing he did wrong was “showering with those kids.”

November 15, 2011 – The Morning Call reports that in a November 8, 2011, email to a former classmate, McQueary says he did stop the 2002 assault he witnessed and talked with police about it.

November 16, 2011 – Representatives of Penn State’s campus police and State College police say they have no record of having received any report from McQueary about his having witnessed the rape of a boy by Sandusky.

November 16, 2011 – A new judge is assigned to the Sandusky case after it is discovered that Leslie Dutchcot, the judge who freed Sandusky on $100,000 bail, volunteered at The Second Mile charity.

November 21, 2011 – It is announced that former FBI Director Louis Freeh will lead an independent inquiry for Penn State into the school’s response to allegations of child sex abuse.

November 22, 2011 – The Patriot-News reports that Children and Youth Services in Pennsylvania has two open cases of child sex abuse against Sandusky. The cases were reported less than two months ago and are in the initial stages of investigation.

November 22, 2011 – The Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts announces that all Centre County Common Pleas Court judges have recused themselves from the Sandusky case. This is to avoid any conflicts of interest due to connections with Sandusky, The Second Mile charity, or Penn State.

November 30, 2011 – The first lawsuit is filed on behalf of a person listed in the complaint as “John Doe,” who says he was 10 years-old when he met Sandusky through The Second Mile charity. His attorneys say Sandusky sexually abused the victim “over one hundred times” and threatened to harm the victim and his family if he alerted anyone to the abuse.

December 2, 2011 – A victim’s attorneys say they have reached a settlement with The Second Mile that allows it to stay in operation but requires it to obtain court approval before transferring assets or closing.

December 3, 2011 – In an interview with The New York Times, Sandusky says, “If I say, ‘No, I’m not attracted to young boys,’ that’s not the truth. Because I’m attracted to young people – boys, girls – I …” His lawyer speaks up at that point to note that Sandusky is not “sexually” attracted to them.

December 7, 2011 – Sandusky is arrested on additional child rape charges, which raises the number of victims from eight to 10 people. He is charged with four counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and two counts of unlawful contact with a minor. He also faces one new count of indecent assault and two counts of endangering a child’s welfare, in addition to a single new count of indecent assault and two counts of corruption of minors.

December 8, 2011 – Sandusky is released on $250,000 bail. He is placed under house arrest and is required to wear an electronic monitoring device. He is also restricted from contacting the victims and possible witnesses, and he must be supervised during any interactions with minors.

December 13, 2011 – Sandusky enters a plea of not guilty and waives his right to a preliminary hearing.

December 16, 2011 – A hearing is held for Curley and Schultz. McQueary testifies he told university officials that he saw Sandusky possibly sexually assaulting a boy in 2002. Following the testimony, the judge rules that the perjury case against Curley and Schultz will go to trial. The incident is later said to have happened in 2001.

January 13, 2012 – Curley and Schultz enter pleas of not guilty for their failure to report child sex abuse.

January 22, 2012 – Paterno dies at the age of 85.

February 14, 2012 – Penn State says that the Sandusky case has cost the university $3.2 million thus far in combined legal, consultant and public relations fees.

June 11, 2012 – The Sandusky trial begins. On June 22, Sandusky is found guilty on 45 counts after jurors deliberate for almost 21 hours. His bail is immediately revoked, and he is taken to jail.

June 30, 2012 – McQueary’s contract as assistant football coach ends.

July 12, 2012 – Freeh announces the findings of the investigation into Penn State’s actions concerning Sandusky. The report accuses the former leaders at Penn State of showing “total and consistent disregard” for child sex abuse victims, while covering up the attacks of a longtime sexual predator.

July 23, 2012 – The NCAA announces a $60 million fine against Penn State and bans the team from the postseason for four years. Additionally, the school must vacate all wins from 1998-2011 and will lose 20 football scholarships a year for four seasons.
– The Big Ten Conference rules that Penn State’s share of bowl revenues for the next four seasons – roughly $13 million will be donated to charities working to prevent child abuse.

August 24, 2012 – “Victim 1” files a lawsuit against Penn State.

September 20, 2012 – Penn State hires Feinberg Rozen LLP (headed by Kenneth Feinberg who oversaw the 9/11 and BP oil spill victim funds).

October 2, 2012 – McQueary files a whistleblower lawsuit against Penn State.

October 8, 2012 – An audio statement from Sandusky airs in which he protests his innocence and says he is falsely accused.

October 9, 2012 – Sandusky is sentenced to no less than 30 years and no more than 60 years in prison. During the hearing, Sandusky is designated a violent sexual offender.

October 15, 2012 – Plaintiff “John Doe,” a 21-year-old male, files a lawsuit against Sandusky, Penn State, The Second Mile, Spanier, Curley and Schultz. Doe alleges that he would not have been assaulted by Sandusky if officials, who were aware he was molesting boys, had not covered up his misconduct.

November 1, 2012 – The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania files eight charges against former Penn State President Spanier. The charges include perjury and endangering the welfare of a child. Former university Vice President Schultz and former Athletic Director Curley face the same charges, according to Attorney General Linda Kelly.

November 15, 2012 – The Middle States Commission on Higher Education lifts its warning and reaffirms Penn State’s accreditation.

January 30, 2013 – Judge John M. Cleland denies Sandusky’s appeal for a new trial.

July 30, 2013 – A judge rules that Spanier, Curley and Schultz will face trial on obstruction of justice and other charges.

August 26, 2013 – Attorneys announce Sandusky’s adopted son and six other victims have finalized settlement agreements.

October 2, 2013 – The Superior Court of Pennsylvania denies Sandusky’s appeal.

October 28, 2013 – Penn State announces it has reached settlements with 26 victims of Sandusky. The amount paid by the university totals $59.7 million.

April 2, 2014 – The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania also denies Sandusky’s appeal.

September 8, 2014 – NCAA ends Penn State’s postseason ban and scholarship limits. The $60 million fine and the 13 years of vacated wins for Paterno remain in place.

January 16, 2015 – The NCAA agrees to restore 111 of Paterno’s wins as part of a settlement of the lawsuit brought by State Senator Jake Corman and Treasurer Rob McCord. Also, as part of the settlement, Penn State agrees to commit $60 million to the prevention and treatment of child sexual abuse.

December 23, 2015 – A spokeswoman for the State of Pennsylvania employee retirement system says Sandusky will receive $211,000 in back payments and his regular pension payments will resume. This is the result of a November 13 court ruling that reversed a 2012 decision to terminate Sandusky’s pension under a state law that allows the termination of pensions of public employees convicted of a “disqualifying crime.” The judge said in his ruling that Sandusky was not employed at the time of the crimes he was convicted of committing.

January 22, 2016 – A three-judge panel reverses the obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges against Spanier, Curley and Schultz, and the perjury charges against Spanier and Curley.

May 4, 2016 – A new allegation purports Paterno knew that his assistant coach Sandusky was sexually abusing a child as early as 1976, according to a new court filing. The ongoing lawsuit, filed in 2013, seeks to determine whether Penn State or its insurance policy is liable for paying Sandusky’s victims. At least 30 men were involved in a civil settlement with Penn State, and the number of victims could be higher.

May 6, 2016 – CNN reports the story of another alleged victim who explains how he was a troubled young kid in 1971 when Sandusky raped him in a Penn State bathroom. He says his complaint about it was ignored by Paterno.

July 12, 2016 – Newly unsealed court documents allege that Paterno knew about Sandusky’s abuse and that he dismissed a victim’s complaint.

August 12, 2016 – In a bid for a new trial, Sandusky testifies at a post-conviction hearing claiming his lawyers bungled his 2012 trial. On the stand, Sandusky describes what he said as bad media and legal advice given to him by his former lawyer, Joseph Amendola.

November 3, 2016 – The Department of Education fines Penn State $2.4 million for violating the Clery Act, a law that requires universities to report crime on campuses. It’s the largest fine in the history of the act.

March 13, 2017 – Curley and Schultz plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of endangering the welfare of children in exchange for the dismissal of felony charges.

March 24, 2017 – Spanier is found guilty on one misdemeanor count of endangering the welfare of a child. Spanier was acquitted of more serious allegations, including conspiracy charges and a felony count of child endangerment.

June 2, 2017 – Spanier and two other former administrators are sentenced to jail terms for failing to report a 2001 allegation that Sandusky was molesting young boys. Spanier whose total sentence is four to 12 months incarceration, will be on probation for two years and must pay a $7,500 fine, according to Joe Grace, a spokesman for Pennsylvania’s attorney general’s office.

– Curley is sentenced to seven to 23 months’ incarceration and two years’ probation, Grace said. He will serve three months in jail followed by house arrest and pay a $5,000 fine.

– Schultz is sentenced to six to 23 months’ incarceration and two years’ probation. He will serve two months in jail, followed by house arrest and pay a $5,000 fine, according to Grace.

January 9, 2018 – Penn State reports that the total amount of settlement awards paid to Sandusky’s victims is now over $109 million.

February 5, 2019 – In response to an appeal for a new trial that also questions the validity of mandatory minimum sentencing, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania orders Sandusky to be re-sentenced. The request for a new trial is denied.

April 30, 2019 – US Magistrate Judge Karoline Mehalchick vacates Spanier’s 2017 conviction for endangering the welfare of a child. Spanier was set to be sentenced on the one count conviction, instead, the court ordered the conviction be vacated because it was based on a criminal statute that did not go into effect until after the conduct in question. The state has 90 days to retry him, according to court documents. The following month, Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro appeals the judge’s decision to throw out the conviction.

November 22, 2019 – Sandusky is resentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison, the same penalty that was previously overturned. The initial sentence of at least 30 years in prison was overturned by the Pennsylvania Superior Court, which found that mandatory minimum sentences were illegally imposed.

March 26, 2020 – The US Office for Civil Rights finds that Penn State failed to protect students who filed sexual harassment complaints. OCR completed the compliance review after it was initially launched in 2014, and found that the University violated Title IX for several years, in various ways. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announces that the US Department of Education and the university have entered into a resolution agreement that compels Penn State to address deficiencies in their complaint process, reporting policy requirements, record keeping, and training of staff, university police and other persons who work with students.

December 1, 2020 – Spanier’s conviction is restored by a federal appeals court.

May 26, 2021 – A judge rules that Spanier will start his two month prison sentence on July 9. Spanier reports to jail early and is released on August 4 after serving 58 days.

Sandusky Verdict

Victim 1
Count 1 – guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 2 – guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 3 – guilty: Indecent Assault (Felony 3)
Count 4 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 1)
Count 5 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 6 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Felony 3)

Victim 2
Count 7 – not guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 8 – guilty: Indecent Assault (Misdemeanor 2)
Count 9 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 1)
Count 10 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 11 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Misdemeanor 1)

Victim 3
Count 12 – guilty: Indecent Assault (Misdemeanor 2)
Count 13 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 3)
Count 14 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 15 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Felony 3)

Victim 4
Count 16 – ****DROPPED****: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 17 – guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 18 – ****DROPPED*****: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 19 – ****DROPPED*****: Aggravated Indecent Assault (Felony 2)
Count 20 – guilty: Indecent Assault (Misdemeanor 2)
Count 21 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 1)
Count 22 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 23 – guilty” Endangering Welfare of Children (Felony 3)

Victim 5
Count 24 – not guilty: Indecent Assault (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 25 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 3)
Count 26 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 27 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Felony 3)

Victim 6
Count 28 – not guilty: Indecent Assault (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 29 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 3)
Count 30 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 31 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Misdemeanor 1)

Victim 7
Count 32 – guilty: Criminal Attempt to Commit Indecent Assault (Misdemeanor 2)
Count 33 – ****DROPPED****: WITHDRAWN BY PROSECUTORS (unlawful contact with minors)
Count 34 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 35 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Misdemeanor 1)

Victim 8
Count 36 – guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 37 – guilty: Indecent Assault (Misdemeanor 2)
Count 38 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 1)
Count 39 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 40 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Misdemeanor 1)

(Due to 2nd indictment, counts start over with Victims 9 and 10)

Victim 9
Count 1 – guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 2 – guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 3 – guilty: Indecent Assault (Felony 3)
Count 4 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 1)
Count 5 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 6 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Felony 3)

Victim 10
Count 7 – guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 8 – guilty: Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse (Felony 1)
Count 9 – guilty: Indecent Assault (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 10 – guilty: Unlawful Contact with Minors (Felony 1)
Count 11 – guilty: Corruption of Minors (Misdemeanor 1)
Count 12 – guilty: Endangering Welfare of Children (Felony 3)

Upon leaving the courtroom on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump approached media cameras, began talking, and complained that he is “not allowed to talk.” 

Trump was criticizing Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order on him. Merchan had held a hearing on Tuesday morning to consider prosecutors’ allegations that Trump violated the gag order with a series of online posts, including some in which the presumptive Republican presidential nominee shared others’ articles related to the case on social media.

Trump claimed, “Can’t even allow articles to be put in.” He claimed the articles he is referring to say “the case is a sham.” He added, “I don’t even know if you’re allowed to put them in.” He also claimed that although others are permitted to lie and speak about him, “I’m not allowed to say anything.”

“I’d love to talk to you people, I’d love to say everything that’s on my mind, but I’m restricted because I have a gag order,” Trump said.

Facts First: As he has before, Trump made Merchan’s gag order sound far broader than it is. The gag order does not prohibit Trump from declaring the case a sham or from sharing others’ claims that the case is a sham. It also does not prohibit Trump from speaking to the media about the case, from defending his conduct at issue in the case, from denouncing the judge and district attorney involved in the case, or from campaigning for the presidency with speeches, media interviews and online posts. Rather, the gag order forbids Trump from three specific categories of speech:

In his comments on Tuesday, Trump made the point that an article may have a certain headline that generally denounces the case but, “somewhere deep” in the body of the text, may mention somebody’s name he is not permitted to mention because of the gag order. It’s not clear how Merchan would view Trump having shared an article in which, say, a witness’s name was only mentioned deep in the text. To date, though, articles that prosecutors have alleged Trump violated the gag order by sharing featured headlines that made it entirely clear the articles discussed likely witness Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer. 

President Joe Biden and his allies have nearly tripled Donald Trump’s network in ad spending over the last month and a half while the former president has had to devote millions of campaign funds to legal expenses — and sit in a New York courthouse for his hush money trial.

Since March 6, after Super Tuesday when Trump effectively secured the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, through April 21, Biden’s campaign and other Democratic advertisers spent $27.2 million on advertising for the presidential race, while the Trump campaign and GOP advertisers spent about $9.3 million, according to AdImpact data.

Ad spending data (presidential race, March 6 to April 21)

During that time, Biden’s campaign has spent millions in key battleground states, including $4.1 million in Michigan, $3.9 million in Pennsylvania, and at least $2 million in Arizona, Wisconsin, and Georgia. And the Biden network has used its plentiful airtime to promote the administration’s first-term record and slam Trump, focusing on key issues such as the cost of living and abortion rights.

Meanwhile, Trump’s network has failed to match that effort since he became the presumptive nominee, though a pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., recently ramped up its advertising, booking over $1 million worth of airtime in Pennsylvania to coincide with Biden’s recent campaign swing through the state last week.

Trump has also benefited over that stretch from a nearly $3 million anti-Biden campaign from outside groups aligned with the oil and gas industries, which have been running ads in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, criticizing California fuel standards defended by the Biden administration. But despite some recent signs of activity, Trump’s network has been significantly outspent on the airwaves since his general election matchup with Biden came into focus. And the latest round of FEC filings shows how Biden’s fundraising edge is enabling that advertising advantage, as Trump’s ongoing legal battles drain millions from his campaign coffers.  

Passover is a Jewish holiday symbolizing emancipation. But this year, with the backdrop of the war against Hamas, still-missing Israeli hostages and devastating civilian causalities in Gaza, the celebration — and the conversations around it — will be more complex for many who will be partaking.

Rabbi Jan Uhrbach, the founding director of the Block/Kolker Center for Spiritual Arts at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, told CNN she will host two Passover Seders this year.

“The whole ritual of the Seder is grounded in the notion that when we speak to each other in deep, holy ways, and we listen in deep holy ways, that’s what brings redemption,” she said. “It’s about uncovering the complexity of what we’re seeing. It’s about uncovering the struggles, the things that are hard to talk about. Not only because we worry that someone may disagree, but because we have trouble articulating what we ourselves may feel and believe.”

It’s important to remember that discussions at the Seder table could get contentious in part because people care, not because they want to hurt one another, she said.

“We human beings long for things to be simple, especially to be morally simple,” she said. “We want clear good guys and bad guys that enable us to feel like we are right. But the reality of morality isn’t like that. The reality of a moral life for a mature person is that we make complex choices.”

Rabbi Uhrbach says that this year’s Seder is ultimately about gratitude.

“We’re all here at the same table,” she said. “That’s what matters.”

An independent review of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has said the agency’s neutrality must be strengthened.

Earlier this year, Israel accused at least 12 UNRWA staffers of being involved in Hamas’ October 7 terror attacks and has alleged that about 12% of the agency’s 13,000 staffers are members of Hamas or other Palestinian militant groups.

The review, which was led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and published Monday, was not tasked with addressing Israel’s allegations, but had a broader mandate to “assess whether UNRWA is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality.”

Despite UNRWA adopting a “robust framework” in 2017 to address issues of neutrality, the issues persist, the review said. However, the report did note that “Israel has yet to provide supporting evidence” for their allegations that “a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations.”

“They include instances of staff publicly expressing political views, host-country textbooks with problematic content being used in some UNRWA schools, and politicized staff unions making threats against UNRWA management and causing operational disruptions,” it said.

Israel’s response: “The Colonna report ignores the severity of the problem, and offers cosmetic solutions that do not deal with the enormous scope of Hamas’ infiltration of UNRWA,” Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Oren Marmorstein alleged in a statement, adding this is not what a “genuine and thorough review looks like. This is what an effort to avoid the problem and not address it head on looks like.” Israel has longstanding issues with UNRWA, accusing it of aiding Hamas and calling for it to be entirely dismantled.

This post has been updated with additional statements from the independent review.