Judge Anne Hwang Keeps Jury Deadlocked in Jonathan Rinderknecht Palisades Fire Arson Trial

A jury in the arson trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht said it was at a standstill and could not reach a unanimous verdict, after US District Judge Anne Hwang read out loud a note stating, “We have people on both sides, dead set, unwavering to change their opinion, we are at standstill,” in court.

The Palisades Fire claimed the lives of a dozen people and scorched thousands of homes and businesses in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood in Los Angeles, and prosecutors said Rinderknecht ignited a blaze that later erupted into the Palisades Fire.

CNN

Prosecutors called more than 30 witnesses over six days, painting Rinderknecht, 30, as a vengeful and angry person who ignited the fire, while the defense said no one saw him light a fire and argued he had been made a scapegoat.

Rinderknecht pleaded not guilty to three federal charges: Destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire, and prosecutors argued he was alone in a clearing on a Palisades hillside in the early hours of New Year’s Day 2025 when a fire dubbed the Lachman Fire broke out.

In Washington, a new blue coating is peeling from the Reflecting Pool near the Lincoln Memorial, prompting political scrutiny and technical questions as officials demanded records and testing.

CNN reported that the Trump administration wanted the work completed by July 4 and required the bottom of the pool to be blue, and two Sika Corporation employees from New Jersey said those requirements made the project unfeasible.

mezha.net

The initial estimate of $1.8 million rose to $14.7 million, according to the contract summary between the Interior Department and Atlantic Industrial Coatings, and Donald Trump blamed left-wing vandals while contractors pledged to fix localized problem areas.

A Department of Justice court filing said the sealant over the polyurethane lining of the pool was cut with a sharp knife or blade and that the tops of about 70 fencing posts were tossed into the pool, while Rhino Linings said it was “aware of reports of localized delamination” and that the condition is limited to isolated areas of the top layer.

In New York City politics, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani attended the Democratic Socialists of America’s victory party on Tuesday, where attendees chanted for the end of Israel, with a video posted by David Sivella showing Mamdani hugging New York State Assemblywoman Emily Gallagher.

“A new blue coating is peeling from the Reflecting Pool, prompting political scrutiny and technical questions”

mezha.net

CNN reported that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro told Dana Bash he had “profound differences” with Darializa Avila Chevalier, the 32-year-old democratic socialist who defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in Tuesday’s primary elections.

Shapiro said, “Her district voted for her. But I have profound differences from that particular candidate based on the citations that you read there,” as CNN’s KFile uncovered a deleted X account belonging to Avila Chevalier with thousands of posts and reposts expressing support for abolishing police, prisons and borders, and calling into question Israel’s right to exist.

The CNN report also tied Avila Chevalier to campus protests at Columbia University over Israel and its treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, where more than 70,000 have died since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.