Prosecutors announce they will seek the death penalty for James Holmes, South Korea promises it will respond if North Korea follows through on threats to launch an attack, and Caroline Kennedy will be named U.S. ambassador to Japan. Meanwhile, the star of MTV’s “Buckwild” has been found dead, Chris Brown confesses that beating women is wrong on “The Today Show,” and Cory Monteith checks into rehab.
Caitlin + Liza
CRUCIAL:
Prosecutors will seek death penalty against ‘Dark Knight’ theater massacre suspect, http://bit.ly/10swxvI
Prosecutors will pursue the death penalty for James Holmes, who is accused of killing 12 and injuring 70 when he opened fire at a midnight premiere of The Dark Knight Rises in July. The announcement came at a court hearing days after the prosecution team publicly rejected Holmes’ lawyers’ offer to have him plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence rather than the death penalty. Holmes’ defense team is expected to argue that Holmes was legally insane at the time he carried out the attack. A final verdict on the case could still be years away, a district judge said.
South Korea Vows Fast Response to North as U.S. Deploys Stealth Jets, http://nyti.ms/XTgyGM
South Korea vowed on Monday that it is ready to strike quickly if North Korea carries out any attacks. North Korea had said that the two nations are “entering a state of war” in response to what it called “hostile” U.S. and South Korean joint military drills being and UN sanctions placed on North Korea for its February nuclear test. South Korea changed its engagement rules to allow local units to respond independently and immediately to any attacks without waiting for permission from the capital. North Korea continues to assert that nuclear war is imminent, though it has not yet taken any military action to follow through on these claims.
Caroline Kennedy to Be Named Ambassador to Japan, http://abcn.ws/YO3HZE
Caroline Kennedy is expected to be named the U.S. ambassador to Japan, replacing John Roos, who has served as the ambassador since 2009. The appointment of Kennedy, who is the only living child of President John F. Kennedy, has yet to be made official. Caroline Kennedy played a key role in President Obama’s reelection effort, campaigning for him in key states like New Hampshire. She is the author of ten books, and was once strongly considered as a successor to Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate seat.
Killing of Texas district attorney, wife, seen as targeted, http://reut.rs/ZPGLZr
A Texas district attorney, Mike McLelland, and his wife Cynthia were found dead on Saturday, just two months after fellow Kaufman County prosecutor Mark Hasse was similarly gunned down. Mayor Darren Rozell of Forney, Texas acknowledged that the murder of a second prosecutor from the same county appeared to be a “planned attack,” and did not rule out a link between the two killings. Authorities have had yet to make any arrests in the murder of Hasse, and McLelland had vowed to bring his killer to justice.
Keystone XL Spill Risk Troubles Nebraskans, Others Who Point to Previous Spills Like Mayflower, http://huff.to/XmhOqK
The Keystone Pipeline controversy gained a boost on Friday when an Exxon Mobile pipeline exploded in Mayflower, Arkansas, releasing about 10,000 barrels of tar sands and forcing 40 families to evacuate. The incident fueled continuing protests by rural Nebraskans who oppose the construction of the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline, which would be used to send tar sands oil from Canada through the American midwest to Gulf Coast ports through a 36 inch pipe. To American farmers, the Exxon Mobile spill appeared to be a preview of what might happen if the Keystone pipeline were to explode, endangering animals, crops, and water supply.
CULTURAL:
‘Buckwild’ Star Shain Gandee Found Dead, http://bit.ly/YWQfQ8
Chris Brown on ‘Today’– I Finally Learned That Beating Women is Wrong, http://tmz.me/YqreQN
Glee’s Cory Monteith Checks Into Rehab, http://eonli.ne/1264oNC
Chace Crawford’s New Gal-Pal: 5 Things to Know About Rachele Goulding, http://eonli.ne/14J8ujk



