Here’s your Daily Digest for Wednesday, Nov. 2:
Assange
Though his legal battle likely won’t end any time soon, the United Kingdom’s high court upheld Wednesday a ruling that Julian Assange should be extradited to Sweden to face questioning for allegations of sexual assault, Reuters reports.
The WikiLeaks founder and Australian national has two weeks to consider appealing again – this time to the Supreme Court. He’s been fighting the legal battle against being shipped off to Sweden, where prosecutors are trying to question Assange on behalf of two former WikiLeaks volunteers who accused him of sex crimes.
“We will be considering our next steps in the days ahead,” he said after the ruling.
Assange has spent nearly the last year under house arrest in Britain as the legal battle plays out – the condition of his bail. He has repeatedly said that the accusations are baseless and were perhaps put in motion by the U.S. government as retribution for his organization’s release of classified documents in 2010.
For an enthralling (if slightly out-dated) profile of Assange, read Raffi Khatchadourian’s piece from the New Yorker. Seriously: the 11 pages will fly by.
Fixing the state’s Capitol
Plain grey scaffolding blemishes the otherwise beautiful State Capitol in St. Paul and the iconic golden statue of four horses that crowns the building.
State lawmakers are gearing up for a $200 million project that would repair a litany of problems: structural concerns like a leaky roof and cracks in the marble exterior, among others, according to the Pioneer Press.
The state Legislature’s Capitol Preservation Commission approved some initial funding to get started on plans to repair the 106-year-old building. Once underway, the process could take about six years, said David Hart, the project’s architectural consultant.
Nov. 2 in history:
-1889: North and South Dakota are admitted into the U.S – the nation’s 39th and 40th states.
-1976: Jimmy Carter defeats incumbent Gerald Ford to become the 39th president of the United States