First thing: Christa Pike in ‘critical condition’ as Tennessee halts all executions | US News

Good morning. Tennessee’s governor has suspended executions, with Christa Pike’s lawyer saying the state’s failed attempt at execution by lethal injection left her in critical condition. Bill Lee, the state’s Republican governor, suspended all executions in the state until at least the end of the year and ordered an independent investigation.

Prominent voices in favor of the death penalty in the United States told the Guardian that the failed execution was such a violation of the constitutional ban on “cruel and unusual punishment” that all judicial executions should cease across the country.

• What have Pike’s lawyers said about his condition? Randy Spivey, one of her attorneys, said, “We have no information on her prognosis or an update on her health at this time, but we do know that she is alive at this time and receiving life-saving medical treatment. She is in critical condition.”

• According to witnesses, what happened during the attempted execution? Catherine Sweeney, a reporter for Nashville public radio WPLN, said: “They went two rounds, and she was still breathing at the end. She was very ragged. She raised her head and looked around. At one point she said … there was a place that was burning and hurting, and she asked if that was normal. None of that was normal.”

• What was Pike convicted of? She was convicted of the brutal murder of Colleen Slemmer in 1995, alongside her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp. Lee said he has yet to speak to Slemmer’s family after his failed execution.

Renée Good’s family sues administration officials and ICE agent who shot her

The family of Renee Good, the woman killed by immigration agents in January in Minneapolis, filed two federal lawsuits Thursday against the agent who shot her and several senior Trump administration officials. In the lawsuits, Good’s partner, Becca Good, and his brother, Brent Ganger, alleged wrongful death and other violations of federal law, according to a news release issued by their attorneys.

• Why the DNC problema lawsuit against the administration? The Trump administration broke the law by imposing a last-minute change to the form used by foreign citizens to register and request mail-in ballots, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) said in a lawsuit filed Thursday. “Trump and the Republicans are so desperate to cling to power that they are trying to eliminate the way some U.S. citizens abroad register to vote and request mail-in ballots,” said DNC Chairman Ken Martin.

• Which states are leading the resistance to Trump’s EPA repeal of emissions rules? Twenty-one states, led by New York, are challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s power plant rule. New York Attorney General Letitia James said the federal government is showing “complete disregard” for Americans’ health and the environment, and future generations will pay the price. Power plants that burn fossil fuels are a major source of pollution contributing to global warming.

Hegseth puts the future of the war in the hands of major Maga donors

By appointing tech billionaires Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey to advisory roles in a Pentagon project on the future of warfare, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has given extraordinary influence to two of Maga’s biggest campaign donors — and both men own companies that benefit from federal defense contracts.

Luckey, 34, whose company is backed by Joshua Kushner’s investment fund, has acquired makers of underwater drones, unmanned aerial vehicles and space technology, and has previously been voluble about his philosophy on war, saying he believes war in the second half of this century will involve a “subterranean” conflict, with vehicles capable of “moving through the earth’s crust the same way submarines move through water.”

• What have been the latest developments with US forces in the Middle East? The US military is sending a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East, as Donald Trump warned that new strikes against Iran could be on the horizon. Given the personnel already in place in the Middle East, the move would increase the U.S. naval presence to an unusually high number of more than 20,000 sailors and Marines as well as hundreds of aircraft.

Letitia James named special prosecutor for alleged gang rape at Cornell

New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that she was appointing state Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor to investigate allegations of gang rape at Cornell University.

“The young woman at the center of this case deserves to know that all the facts will be investigated and justice will be served,” Hochul said in a statement. “This action will ensure that the matter is fully and thoroughly investigated, free of conflict and bias, and handled independently with the rigor this matter demands.”

In other news…

Statistic of the day: Lyft agrees to pay California $272.5 million in largest wage theft settlement ever.

Lyft has agreed to pay $272.5 million to the state of California to settle allegations that it stole drivers’ wages by falsely labeling them as independent contractors rather than employees.

Culture selection: The 20 best making-of documentaries – ranked!

From tropical disasters and doomed sci-fi epics to the corruption of Orson Welles and the tusk of a mountain lion, Ryan Gilbey assesses cinema’s most revealing behind-the-scenes glimpses.

Don’t miss this: I’m allergic to cold

Californian Shauna Castaner recounts her extraordinary experience: she gradually realized that her condition was becoming so serious that she had to closely monitor her body temperature and could not eat refrigerated foods.

…or this: Erasure on how 40 years of friendship helped them overcome their heartbreak – and why Vince Clarke stopped filming

Erasure was a regular on the Billboard charts in the 1980s and 90s with hits like Chains of Love, A Little Respect and Always. They return with their 20th – TWENTIETH! – studio album. Tim Jonze speaks to the iconic British synthpop duo.

Climate assessment: do you think more rain means more river water? Not necessarily

More rain and snow equals more water in rivers, right? Not necessarily. A new study shows that despite more rainfall than before, water levels in rivers are falling due to climate change.

Last thing: Bear treats himself to baked goods at the Colorado Farmers Market

An animal from Aspen, Colorado seemed to decide to make a late attempt at winning Fat Bear Week, as he headed to a farmers’ market and began devouring fresh bread and pastries at one of the stands. The music video is priceless.

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