Dna, Trump, Saudi Arabia: Your Monday Evening Briefing

In the final day of testimony on Friday, Jan. 17, Colorado-based social media influencer David Lesh took the stand at his own trial as the defense rested its case and both sides gave closing arguments. Related Articles Courts | Social media influencer, Virtika owner David Lesh scheduled for trial on assault charges in Summit County Courts | David Lesh, influencer behind social media stunt at Keystone, calls case “outlandish” after appeals court throws out part of conviction Courts | Details emerge in Summit County snowmobiler assault case involving social media influencer David Lesh Courts | David Lesh found guilty of illegal snowmobiling at Keystone Resort Courts | Instagrammer David Lesh may be temporarily banned from forests The jury began deliberations late Friday evening, finding Lesh, 39, not guilty of second-degree assault by strangulation, a Class 4 felony, but guilty of third-degree assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and guilty of disorderly conduct involving fighting in public, a misdemeanor, according to the verdict read in court around 10 p.m.

The world needs whistleblowers, perhaps now more than ever. But whistleblowing has never been more dangerous. Jennifer Gibson has seen this problem develop up close. As a whistleblower lawyer based in the U. K., she has represented concerned insiders in the national security and tech worlds for more than a decade.

By BERNARD CONDON, AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Right-wing extremists are celebrating Elon Musk’s straight-arm gesture during a speech Monday, although his intention wasn’t totally clear and some hate watchdogs are saying not to read too much into it. “I just want to say thank you for making it happen,” Musk said during a speech at Capitol One Arena on Monday afternoon, referring to Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election.

Firefighters are making progress on containing the wildfires that have been raging for weeks in Southern California. But even once the physical threat of the fires diminishes, the mental-health toll will linger for months and even years, experts say. With thousands of people evacuated and homes destroyed, rebuilding people’s social and psychological resources is one of the next pressing challenges.

Welcome to the third (and short) week of the 2025 Colorado legislative session. A handful of early bills are set to hit the House floor in the next few days as lawmakers settle in for more marathon oversight hearings and the first contentious committee hearing of the year. That hearing is for Senate Bill 5, which would eliminate a unique provision of Colorado law.

Attorneys general from Colorado and 21 states sued Tuesday to block President Donald Trump’s move to end a century-old immigration practice known as birthright citizenship guaranteeing that U. S.-born children are citizens regardless of their parents’ status. Trump’s roughly 700-word executive order, issued late Monday, amounts to a fulfillment of something he’s talked about during the presidential campaign.