Three things for February 12
1. Trump’s defense lawyers to make case today
Today, former President Donald Trump’s defense lawyers will make their case, explaining why the former president is not guilty of inciting last month’s deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump’s lawyer David Schoen said the defense team would take “three to four hours” to lay out its arguments against convicting Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 riot.
Schoen did not discuss the defense strategy, but Trump’s lawyers have argued his rhetoric was protected by the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech, and prosecutors had not directly connected the rioters’ actions to Trump, according to Reuters.
Conviction requires a two-thirds majority in the 100-member Senate, meaning at least 17 Republicans would have to vote against their party and side against Trump.
2. Gina Carano fired from “Mandalorian”
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Lucasfilm said Gina Carano was no longer employed by the company with “no plans for her to be in the future.”
The announcement comes after social media users called for her firing over her social media post that likened the experience of Jews during the Holocaust to the U.S. political climate.
Carano fell under heavy criticism after she posted that “Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors … even by children.”
Carano, who played the recurring character Cara Dune on the “Star Wars” series, deleted the post, but it was shared widely online. This is not the first time Carano has faced backlash on social media. According to AP News, she has also faced criticism for social media posts that mocked mask-wearing during the pandemic and alleged voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election. She also mocked the use of gender pronouns, listing “beep/bop/boop” in her social media bio.
Lucasfilm has not announced how they will handle the replacement — or removal — of Carano’s character Dune.
3. President of Tokyo Olympic committee resigns
Yoshiro Mori resigned as the president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee today after sexist comments made last week in which he said women “talk too much.”
The resignation of the former Japanese prime minister at an executive board meeting comes five months before the postponed Olympics are to open.
Mori’s departure comes after more than a week of non-stop criticism about his remarks. He initially apologized but refused to step away, which was followed by relentless pressure from television commentators, sponsors and an online petition that drew 150,000 signatures, according to AP News.
The executive board did not immediately choose a successor for Mori, which CEO Toshiro Muto said would come “as soon as possible” and will be made by a review committee, according to AP News.
Muto also declined to say if Mori’s replacement would be a woman. Gender inequality in Japan is exactly the issue that was raised last week by Mori’s demeaning comments and what drove his resignation.
“For myself in selecting the president, I don’t think we need to discuss or debate gender,” Muto said. “We simply need to choose the right person.”
