QUICK HITS

1 2 3 4 5 Police find Missouri student’s body in river; no foul play suspected:

Missing University of Missouri student Riley Strain has been found dead in a Tennessee river. Police say no foul play is suspected. Metro Nashville police officials confirmed Friday that Strain’s body had been recovered from the Cumberland River about 8 miles west of downtown. Police previously said the 22-year-old Strain was last seen just before 10 p.m. on March 8 after drinking downtown. Authorities said an autopsy will be conducted to determine a cause of death.

Juror bias to be investigated in Boston Marathon bomber’s case:

A federal appeals court has ordered the judge who oversaw Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s trial to investigate the defense’s claims of juror bias and determine whether his death sentence should stand. The Bostonbased 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not throw out Tsarnaev’s death sentence Thursday. Defense lawyers had pushed for that while claiming bias by two people who sat on the jury that convicted Tsarnaev.

Republicans plan blitz of election-related lawsuits:

The Republican Party is now striking a more aggressive tone as it recruits poll observers to keep an eye on in-person voting and boasts of positioning thousands of lawyers to challenge ballots and bring lawsuits of the kind former President Donald Trump has explained he wants. The strategy is an outgrowth of the party’s actions both before the 2020 election and after. Trump has repeatedly complained about “election interference” in 2024 as he faces a slew of criminal and civil cases. Democrats have raised huge sums to fight Republican efforts.

No charges to be filed in fight involving Oklahoma nonbinary teen:

An Oklahoma district attorney says he doesn’t plan to file any charges in the case of Nex Benedict, the nonbinary 16-year-old Owasso teenager whose death following a fight in a high school bathroom was ruled a suicide. Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said in a statement Thursday the fight between Nex and three girls was an“instance of mutual combat.”

300,000 Dodges, Chryslers face air-bag recall:

Nearly 318,000 Dodge and Chrysler sedans worldwide are being recalled by parent company Stellantis because the side air bag inflators can explode with too much force and hurl metal fragments at drivers and passengers. The recall covers air bag inflators on both sides of certain Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 large cars from the 2018 through 2021 model years.