NEWS OF THE DAY
Shooting lawsuit: The family of a woman killed by a gunman raining down gunfire from a Las Vegas highrise hotel suite filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against eight gun makers and three dealers, arguing their weapons are designed in a way that could be easily modified to fire like automatic weapons. The lawsuit, which targets Colt and seven other gun manufacturers, along with gun shops in Nevada and Utah, is the latest case to challenge a federal law shielding gun manufacturers from liability. It charges that gun makers marketed the ability of the AR15style weapons to be easily modified to mimic machine guns and fire continuously, violating both a state and federal ban on automatic weapons. The family of 31yearold Carrie Parsons, of Seattle, argue in the lawsuit that the firearms are “thinly disguised” machine guns that the manufacturers knew could be easily modified, even without the use of a “bump stock,” an attachment used by the Las Vegas gunman that allowed him to fire in rapid succession, killing 58 people and injuring more than 800 others in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Fetal manslaughter charge: An Alabama district attorney said Wednesday she is dropping the manslaughter charge against a woman who lost her fetus when she was shot during a fight. Marshae Jones was arrested last week after a grand jury concluded she intentionally caused the death of her fetus by initiating a fight, knowing she was five months pregnant when 23yearold Ebony Jemison shot her in the stomach during a December argument over the fetus’ father, authorities said. Alabama is one of dozens of states that have fetal homicide laws allowing criminal charges when fetuses are killed in violent acts, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Census reversal: The Trump administration reversed course again on the controversial issue of putting a question about citizenship on the 2020 census, as Justice Department lawyers told a federal court Wednesday that they had been “instructed” to try to find a way to add the question, despite statements from the administration Tuesday that they were giving up the effort. President Trump, in a tweet Wednesday, said reports that he had given up the fight were “incorrect or, to state it differently, FAKE!” A White House official declined to comment on what — if anything — Trump’s tweet meant and whether it would change the administration’s policy, which is hemmed in by deadlines and legal requirements.
Boeing compensation: Boeing said Wednesday that it will provide an “initial investment” of $100 million over several years to help families and communities affected by two crashes of its 737 Max plane that killed 346 people. The Chicagobased company said some of the money will go toward living expenses and to cover hardship suffered by the families of passengers killed in the crashes. Boeing faces dozens of lawsuits over the accidents.