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• Headlines: Saturday, April 20, 11:10 AM

• A man who set himself on fire outside the New York City courtroom where former President Donald Trump is facing a criminal trial has died of his injuries, police said Saturday. A New York Police Department spokesperson told NBC News and Deadline that Maxwell Azzarello of St. Augustine, Fla., had succumbed to his burn injuries hours after he lit himself on fire at a designated protest area in Collect Pond Park across the street from Manhattan Criminal Court on Friday afternoon. Azzarello unexpectedly set himself on fire outside as jury selection was wrapping up at Trump's New York hush-money trial, which is set to begin Monday. CNN was reporting live outside the courthouse and captured the scene as bright orange flames engulfed the man and witnesses screamed. Some people rushed to try to help before police officers rushed over and put out the flames. The Fire Department of New York responded to the scene within minutes and took Mazzarello to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was initially listed in critical condition. The man threw pamphlets into the air before he set himself on fire, NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny told reporters. "The pamphlets seem to be propaganda-based, almost like a conspiracy theory type of pamphlet," he said. "Some information in regards to Ponzi schemes, and the fact that some of our local educational institutions are a front for the mob." The man's writings or comments did not seem to be directly tied to Trump or his trial, officials said. An examination of Azzarello's social media postings and arrest records appeared to show he was unattached to any political party suggest the self-immolation stemmed from beliefs in conspiracy theories and paranoia which worsened following the death of his mother in 2022, the New York Times reported. Just before Azzarello's act, a full jury of 12 people and six alternates had been chosen in Trump's trial, in which the former president is charged with 34 felonies for allegedly falsifying business records to cover up payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to prevent the story from affecting his 2016 presidential campaign. He has pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts.
• Those born on this date are under the sign of Taurus. They include: -- Roman Catholic St. Rose of Lima in 1586 -- French Emperor Napoleon III in 1808 -- Sculptor Daniel Chester French in 1850 -- German dictator Adolf Hitler in 1889 -- Silent film comedian Harold Lloyd in 1893 -- Spanish surrealist painter Joan Miro in 1893 -- Musician Lionel Hampton in 1908 -- Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens in 1920 -- Actor Nina Foch in 1924 -- Actor George Takei in 1937 (age 87) -- Actor Ryan O'Neal in 1941 -- Steve Spurrier, football coach/1966 Heisman Trophy winner, in 1945 (age 79) -- Actor Jessica Lange in 1949 (age 75) -- Actor Veronica Cartwright in 1949 (age 75) -- Singer Luther Vandross in 1951 -- Actor Clint Howard in 1959 (age 65) -- Miguel Daz-Canel, leader of Cuba, in 1960 (age 64) -- Actor Crispin Glover in 1964 (age 60) -- Actor Andy Serkis in 1964 (age 60) -- Actor Shemar Moore in 1970 (age 54) -- Actor Carmen Electra in 1972 (age 52) -- Rapper Killer Mike, born Michael Render, in 1975 (age 49) -- Actor Joey Lawrence in 1976 (age 48) -- Musician Clay Cook (Zac Brown Band) in 1978 (age 46) -- Model Miranda Kerr in 1983 (age 41) -- Fashion designer/TV personality Tan France in 1983 (age 41)
• Today is Saturday, April 20, the 111th day of 2024 with 255 to follow.The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Mars, Saturn and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter and Uranus. Those born on this date are under the sign of Taurus. They include Roman Catholic St. Rose of Lima in 1586; French Emperor Napoleon III in 1808; sculptor Daniel Chester French in 1850; German dictator Adolf Hitler in 1889; silent film comedian Harold Lloyd in 1893; Spanish surrealist painter Joan Miro in 1893; musician Lionel Hampton in 1908; former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens in 1920; actor Nina Foch in 1924; actor George Takei in 1937 (age 87); actor Ryan O'Neal in 1941; Steve Spurrier, football coach/1966 Heisman Trophy winner, in 1945 (age 79); actor Jessica Lange in 1949 (age 75); actor Veronica Cartwright in 1949 (age 75); singer Luther Vandross in 1951; actor Clint Howard in 1959 (age 65); Miguel Daz-Canel, leader of Cuba, in 1960 (age 64); actor Crispin Glover in 1964 (age 60); actor Andy Serkis in 1964 (age 60); actor Shemar Moore in 1970 (age 54); actor Carmen Electra in 1972 (age 52); rapper Killer Mike, born Michael Render, in 1975 (age 49); actor Joey Lawrence in 1976 (age 48); musician Clay Cook (Zac Brown Band) in 1978 (age 46); model Miranda Kerr in 1983 (age 41); fashion designer/TV personality Tan France in 1983 (age 41).On this date in history:In 1871, the U.S. Congress passed the Third Force Act, popularly known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, authorizing President Ulysses S. Grant to declare martial law, impose heavy penalties against terrorist organizations and use military force to suppress the Klan. In 1902, Marie Curie and Pierre Curie isolated radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. In 1961, Radio Havana announced that seven members of the group which attempted an overthrow of Fidel Castro's communist government in Cuba had been executed. It raised the number of executions over the previous three days to 24. In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal courts could order low-cost housing for minorities in a city's white suburbs to ease racial segregation. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a $165 billion Social Security rescue plan to keep the retirement system solvent. In 1992, Madonna signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Time Warner to form an entertainment company that would make her the world's highest paid female pop star. In 1999, two teenage boys killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., before turning their guns on themselves. In 2008, Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 auto race, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar event. In 2010, an explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon BP oil rig off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and caused a massive oil spill. It became the largest U.S. marine oil spill in history, stretching over almost three months and releasing about 4.9 million barrels of crude. In 2011, Michel Martelly, an entertainer who performed under the name "Sweet Micky," was elected president of Haiti in a runoff with former first lady Mirlande Manigat. In 2012, a Pakistani Bhoja Air jetliner on a flight from Karachi crashed 5 miles from Islamabad, killing all 127 people aboard. In 2013, an earthquake in China's Sichuan province killed nearly 200 people and injured thousands. In 2021, a Minnesota jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd. He was later sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison. A thought for the day: "Gratitude is when memory is stored in the heart and not in the mind -- American musician Lionel Hampton
• On this date in history: In 1871, the U.S. Congress passed the Third Force Act, popularly known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, authorizing President Ulysses S. Grant to declare martial law, impose heavy penalties against terrorist organizations and use military force to suppress the Klan. In 1902, Marie Curie and Pierre Curie isolated radioactive radium salts from the mineral pitchblende in their laboratory in Paris. In 1961, Radio Havana announced that seven members of the group which attempted an overthrow of Fidel Castro's communist government in Cuba had been executed. It raised the number of executions over the previous three days to 24. In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal courts could order low-cost housing for minorities in a city's white suburbs to ease racial segregation. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a $165 billion Social Security rescue plan to keep the retirement system solvent. In 1992, Madonna signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Time Warner to form an entertainment company that would make her the world's highest paid female pop star. In 1999, two teenage boys killed 12 students and a teacher at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., before turning their guns on themselves. In 2008, Danica Patrick won the Indy Japan 300 auto race, becoming the first woman to win an IndyCar event. In 2010, an explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon BP oil rig off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and caused a massive oil spill. It became the largest U.S. marine oil spill in history, stretching over almost three months and releasing about 4.9 million barrels of crude. In 2011, Michel Martelly, an entertainer who performed under the name "Sweet Micky," was elected president of Haiti in a runoff with former first lady Mirlande Manigat. In 2012, a Pakistani Bhoja Air jetliner on a flight from Karachi crashed 5 miles from Islamabad, killing all 127 people aboard. In 2013, an earthquake in China's Sichuan province killed nearly 200 people and injured thousands. In 2021, a Minnesota jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty in the murder of George Floyd. He was later sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison.
• New York Attorney General Letitia James on Friday asked a judge to void former President Donald Trump's $175 million bond in his civil fraud case as she cast doubt on the ability of the company that posted it to secure an amount that high. Ahead of a hearing to discuss the issue on Monday, James in court filings questioned whether Trump's surety, California-based Knight Specialty Insurance Co., could secure the $175 million bond. James' office argued KSIC is a "small insurer that is not authorized to write business in New York" and had "never before written a surety bond in New York" prior to working with Trump. According to the filing, KSIC has a total policyholder surplus of just $138 million. Under New York state law, the firm cannot expose itself to liabilities, like a bond, greater than 10% of its surplus, or just $13.8 million. James' office also criticized Trump's apparent control of $175 million in cash he placed in an account as collateral, arguing the defendants "failed to meet their burden to demonstrate that the bond is 'sufficiently collateralized by identifiable assets.'" "KSIC does not now have an exclusive right to control the account and will not obtain such control unless and until it exercises a right to do so on two days' notice," her office wrote. When Trump's bond was posted, his attorney Alina Habba had said he "looks forward to vindicating his rights on appeal and overturning this unjust verdict." James earlier this month filed a motion asking Trump's lawyers or the insurance company to "file a motion to justify the surety bond" or to provide additional information about the collateral backing the bond within 10 days. Trump's bond so far ensures James's office can't collect on the $464 million verdict Judge Arthur Engoron earlier this year handed down to Trump, the Trump Organization and top executives for conspiring for years to inflate the net worth of the organization's assets. Trump, alone, had been liable for $454 million. A state appeals court in March reduced the bond to $175 million after Trump's attorney's successfully argued it would be "impossible" for him to secure a full bond.
• A South Carolina man on Friday pleaded guilty to charges related to his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Tyler Bradley Dykes, 26, of Bluffton, S.C., pleaded guilty to two felony charges of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and agreed his use of a police riot shield constituted a dangerous weapon, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia. Dykes was among the people near the front of the mob that pushed a line of Capitol police officers to the east entrance before breaking into the Capitol building, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Dykes then pushed his way to the front of the mob, grabbed and officer's riot shield and forcibly took it away, leaving the officer vulnerable to pepper spray from the other rioters, according to authorities. He continued to use the shield once the mob had broken into the Capitol building, deploying it to "obstruct and intimidate" police officers, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Leading up to the riot, Dykes subscribed to several Telegram groups that alleged the 2020 presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump and anticipated events that would take place on Jan. 6, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The office said one Telegram group Dykes was a part of called for the violent overthrow of the government, quoting Adolf Hitler, among other things. Dyke's sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 19. The U.S. Attorney's Office said more than 1,387 people have been arrested and nearly 500 have been charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement related to Jan. 6.
• A third House Republican is seeking to strip the gavel from the hands of Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., on Friday announced he will cosponsor Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's resolution to oust Johnson from the speaker's post in the wake of the House advancing a $95 billion foreign aid package with Democratic support. Gosar, in his statement backing Johnson's ouster, referenced his opposition to sending money to Ukraine over providing more funding for border security. "Rather than spending the resources to secure our southern border and combating the invasion of 11 million illegals and despite repeated promises there would be no additional money going to Ukraine without first securing our border, the United States House of Representatives, under the direction of the speaker, is on the verge of sending another $61 billion to further draw America into an endless and purposeless war in Ukraine," Gosar wrote. Gosar joins Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who voiced his support for Greene earlier this month. It's still unknown when Greene might force the vote to remove Johnson. Some Republicans speculated she's waiting to gather a larger number of like-minded representatives. Other Republicans such as Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., have indicated they might join in on the effort. While Greene this week has been vocal in her disapproval of Johnson's approach to the Ukraine debate, she stopped short of forcing the vote then. "I'm a responsible person," she said Thursday. If the matter of Johnson's removal does come to the floor, he would need to reach out again to Democrats to keep his job. Some centrist Democrats who were supportive of the foreign aid bills have said they would be open to the task. "I would be one of the first to raise my hand and say that I want to be part of that conversation, to see if we can really govern together or be in a position where he's able to govern and bring those bipartisan bills," Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, told Politico. "I have said over and over that bringing us bipartisan bills is such a huge part of this role as speaker right now, and that those bills will pass. We just need them." Johnson already is at odds with the GOP over his willingness to negotiate with Democrats to pass a federal spending plan and to reauthorize the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
• A school in Australia set off 2,013 confetti cannons at the same time to celebrate its 40th anniversary and break a Guinness World Record. Students at St. Stephen's School in Western Australia sent confetti flying into the air Friday to break the record for the most people launching confetti cannons simultaneously. The previous record stood at 1,116 people, a target the students nearly doubled with 2,013. "A big thank you to everyone involved and well done to our students who were so amazing," the school said in a Facebook post.
• The International Olympic Committee Friday launched its so-called Olympic AI Agenda to lay out guiding principles and identify governing rules to mitigate risk and promote the responsible use of artificial intelligence. In a statement, IOC President Thomas Bach said, "While we have already seen some stand-alone AI initiatives in some specific areas of sport, there has not yet been an overall strategy for AI and sport. This is why, today, we are presenting this first holistic approach: our Olympic AI Agenda." Bach said the IOC is determined to harness "the vast potential" of in a responsible way. He said the AI Agenda creates a robust framework to implement it while ensuring equal access for all and to ensure self-determination for any individual. He added that at the center of that agenda are human beings. "This means: the athletes. Because the athletes are the heart of the Olympic Movement. Unlike other sectors of society, we in sport are not confronted with the existential question of whether AI will replace human beings. In sport, the performances will always have to be delivered by the athletes." Bach said AI can be used to help identify athletes and talent worldwide. Bach said AI also can improve safeguarding in sport, transform sports broadcasting and improve the spectator experience by making it more individualized and immersive. The IOC held a 90-minute session with various experts from sport, technology, business and academia to discuss aspects of the practical application of AI tools to sport and how to implement them. Intel Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Christoph Schell said in a statement, "The impact of AI everywhere will be transformative ... Adoption of AI is going to make sport more inclusive, competitive, safer and fairer. As a sports fan, this is incredibly exciting." Molly Soloman, Executive Producer of NBC's Olympics & Paralympics Production said in a statement, "AI can enrich our presentation through data analysis, with graphics and enhanced video, personalization and predictive analysis. It can also help navigate the plethora of content the Olympic Games provide, connecting fans with the events and athletes they love, which will result in deeper engagement and spending more time on our platforms."
• A wandering moose on the loose sparked a temporary shelter-in-place order at a Montana high school before the animal was chased off by a wildlife control officer and police. Sean McCarthy, an urban wildlife control officer for the city of Helena, said the female moose was spotted Friday morning outside Capital High School. McCarthy initially used loud noises to chase the moose off school grounds, but the agitated animal repeatedly charged at him, leading him to request assistance from the Helena Police Department. McCarthy told the Independent Record newspaper that the "stubborn and mangy old cow moose" had been seen on multiple occasions during the past week visiting the duck ponds at the nearby Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds. "We are blessed to live in an area where we get to experience wildlife," McCarthy said. "But, obviously this could pose a danger to the public." A shelter-in-place order was instituted at the school while McCarthy and police officers chased the moose a safe distance north of campus.