NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
1 Execution: The highest criminal appeals court in Texas on Friday stopped the execution of Rodney Reed, whose conviction is being questioned by new evidence in his case. The stay of execution issued by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals came just hours after the state’s parole board unanimously recommended a 120day reprieve for Reed. The appeals court returned the case to the trial court in Bastrop County so it could examine Reed’s claims that he is innocent and that prosecutors suppressed evidence and presented false testimony. Reed was set for lethal injection Wednesday for the 1996 killing of 19yearold Stacey Stites. Reed’s efforts to stop his execution have garnered support from lawmakers and celebrities including Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey.
2 Campaign 2020: Billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who is deciding whether to open a Democratic presidential bid, is pouring $100 million into an online advertising campaign attacking President Trump. The campaign targets voters in four general election battleground states — Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — according to Bloomberg spokesman Jason Schechter. The former New York City mayor already has filed paperwork in at least two states to appear on presidential primary ballots.
3 Customer targeted: Police in Maryland have arrested a bank teller accused of breaking into the home of a customer who had recently withdrawn a large sum of money. The Harford County Sheriff ’s Office said Nathan Michael Newell, 19, assaulted a 78yearold man and his stepdaughter inside a Bel Air home. He was arrested at the bank Wednesday. Charging documents say Newell confessed to the crime and said he did it because he was tired of working two jobs. Sheriff Jeff Gahler said it was “almost like a reverse bank robbery” and he hadn’t seen anything like it in 34 years in law enforcement.
4 Acid attack: A 61yearold man accused of throwing acid on a Latino man’s face during a racist attack will undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether he can assist in his criminal defense. Clifton Blackwell’s lawyer asked for the evaluation during a Friday hearing in Milwaukee. Blackwell, who is white, is charged with firstdegree reckless injury in a case that’s being prosecuted as a hate crime. He’s accused of confronting Mahud Villalaz near a restaurant and throwing acid on his face after accusing him of being in the country illegally and invading the U.S. Villalaz suffered seconddegree burns. 5 School game shooting: Players and spectators ran for cover Friday night when a gunman opened fire at a New Jersey high school football game, hurting two people. A man and a boy were seriously injured after a gunman shot into a crowd in the bleachers at Pleasantville High School, city Police Chief Sean Riggins said. The shooting happened about 8:30 p.m. during a playoff game between Camden and Pleasantville, he said. The wounded man and boy were not identified, and the child was flown to a children’s hospital in Philadelphia.