Here are the week’s major headlines:

Details emerge in former House speaker’s molestation case

Prosecutors have asserted that former Speaker of the House of Representatives J. Dennis Hastert molested at least four boys while he was a wrestling coach in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. Hastert cannot be charged with abuse because of statutes of limitation, according to The New York Times.

Hastert is in the process of being sentenced for a banking violation. He pled guilty in October to illegally structuring bank withdrawals that he was using to pay off one of his victims.

In a court filing on Friday, prosecutors outlined instances of Hastert sexually abusing the young boys on his team in a graphic manner.

More: Dennis Hastert’s abuse becomes clearer

 

Bernie Sanders wins Wyoming caucuses

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) defeated Hillary Clinton in the Wyoming Democratic caucuses on Saturday. He beat her 56 percent to 44 percent, which is better than Clinton was expected to do, according to POLITICO.

This means that the win will not put much of a dent in Clinton’s delegate lead. It does mark Sanders’ eighth win in the last nine contests. The next primary is in New York on April 19.

More: Sanders takes Wyoming

 

Donald Blankenship sentenced with jail time

Six years and one day after an explosion killed 29 coal miners in West Virginia, a judge sentenced coal executive Donald Blankenship to one year in prison for conspiring to violate mine safety standards. The explosion happened in a mine owned by Massey Energy Company, of which Blankenship is the CEO.

The incident was the deadliest in American coal mining in the last 40 years, but Blankenship was only found guilty of a misdemeanor. The judge gave Blankenship the maximum sentence allowed by law, according to The New York Times.

He will also serve a year of supervised release and must pay a fine of $250,000, which is above federal sentencing guidelines.

More: Blankenship sentenced for safety violations

 

Police arrest 13 in India for deadly fireworks display

At least 109 people were killed in the Indian state of Kerala on Sunday during an unauthorized display of fireworks. The accident occurred at Puttungal Devi Temple during a Hindu celebration, according to the Press Trust of India.

As of Tuesday, police had arrested 13 people in relation to the accident. A lit firework fell on a storehouse containing other fireworks, which caused the explosions.

More: Deadly fireworks accident kills 109

 

Negative advertising disproportionately directed to Trump

More than half of the spending on negative campaign advertisements during the 2016 presidential election has been directed toward Donald Trump, according to an analysis conducted by The New York Times.

Nearly $70 million of the record $132 million that has been spent on negative advertising has gone to commercials attacking the media mogul. Three Republican super PACs have also formed solely to attack Trump and are not affiliated with a particular candidate.

The ads have had a mixed effect on Trump’s campaign, which continues to lead in the delegate count.

More: Candidates and super-PACs direct negative campaigning towards Trump

 

Pope Francis softens language toward controversial issues

Pope Francis released a document on Friday outlining the papacy’s stance on issues surrounding modern family life. The document, “Amoris Laetitia,” uses more inclusive language for topics such as remarried divorcees and same-sex relationships, but it does not significantly change church doctrine.

For instance, the pope said remarried divorcees and gay people should be treated with dignity, but maintained that the Catholic Church does not support divorce or gay marriage. The language will help local churches make their own judgements, according to The Guardian.

More: Pope issues new guidelines on modern family life

 

Australian mother and 8 others arrested for kidnapping

Sally Faulkner, an Australian woman, was arrested along with four journalists and four others for the kidnapping of her two children in Lebanon. The children have been living in the country with Faulkner’s estranged husband, Ali al-Amin, a Lebanese citizen.

The journalists, working with Australia’s “60 Minutes,” had traveled with Faulkner to Lebanon. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that three “armed persons” took the children and a yacht was set to take them out of the country, according to The New York Times.

The children have since been returned to their father.

More: 9 arrested in connection to kidnapping

 

Celebrities protest anti-LGBT laws in North Carolina and Mississippi

Celebrities Bruce Springsteen and Bryan Adams have decided to cancel their concerts in light of new laws in North Carolina and Mississippi affecting the LGBT community. Numerous others, including Jimmy Buffett and Joel McHale, have spoken out against the laws but continued their shows in those states, according to The Atlantic.

The law in Mississippi allows individuals and institutions to deny service to gay people to protect religious beliefs and the law in North Carolina bans anti-discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and requires people to use the restroom that matches the gender on their birth certificates, according to The New York Times.

Businesses, such as PayPal, have also pulled out of the states. PayPal cancelled a $3.6 million investment in North Carolina.

More: New laws cause divides in North Carolina and Mississippi

 

Suspect in Brussels and Paris attacks is in custody

The man seen with two suicide bombers that killed 15 others in Brussels Airport in March has been caught and identified as Mohamed Abrini, prosecutors announced Saturday. Abrini had been arrested for a connection to the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris and confessed to his involvement in Brussels.

Officials said that this arrest means that all of the important members of the attacks on both cities are either dead or in jail, according to The New York Times.

More: “Man in the hat” arrested

 

Danny Willett wins Masters

In a major upset, Danny Willett defeated reigning Masters champion Jordan Spieth on Sunday. Spieth collapsed at Augusta National after taking a five-shot lead to the back nine.

Spieth was on track to become the fourth player in Masters history to win two consecutive titles. The other three are Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo.

Willett’s comeback ranks among the most unexpected in Masters history, according to ESPN.

More: Unlikely comeback results in Masters win

Published on April 13, 2016 at 2:25 am

Contact Delaney: dovanwey@syr.edu