Senate clash over Patel, Murdaugh murder convictions overturned, basketball pioneer dies

Kash Patel’s combative denial of drinking allegations turned an FBI budget hearing into a wider test of how much political damage the bureau can absorb while still asking Congress for money. Before the Senate Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Patel called the claims “unequivocally, categorically false” after Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen pressed him on a recent Atlantic article alleging excessive drinking and job-performance problems.

The clash mattered beyond the personal accusation. The hearing was part of the FBI’s annual budget session, a setting where the bureau is supposed to defend its fiscal 2027 request and reassure lawmakers about its leadership. Instead, Patel’s denial and Van Hollen’s questions over alleged misuse of FBI resources turned the exchange into a broader argument over credibility, oversight and the line between aggressive scrutiny and partisan performance. Patel, who has also filed a $250 million lawsuit over the Atlantic story, rejected the accusations as baseless and said he would not be tarnished by them.

The same day brought another major legal reversal with national resonance. The South Carolina Supreme Court overturned Alex Murdaugh’s murder convictions and life sentence for the 2021 killings of his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and his younger son, Paul Murdaugh, 22. In a 5-0 ruling, the court ordered a new trial after finding that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill’s conduct created improper external influence on the jury and denied Murdaugh a fair trial by an impartial jury.

The case had already become one of the most closely watched criminal proceedings in the country after the guilty verdict in March 2023. The victims were shot near the dog kennels at the Murdaugh family hunting estate, and the latest ruling reopened a case many had treated as settled.

The day also ended with a loss for sports. Jason Collins, the NBA’s first openly gay active player in a major North American men’s professional sports league, died at 47 after an eight-month battle with aggressive brain cancer, later identified as stage 4 glioblastoma. His family said he died surrounded by loved ones. Collins played 13 seasons across six franchises, came out publicly in 2013 near the end of his career, and later became a league ambassador and a symbol of inclusion.