New Jersey’s Democratic lieutenant governor has resigned after being pushed out by the governor over accusations of ethics lapses and inappropriate behavior with women. Gov. Mikie Sherrill had given Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell an ultimatum to resign by Friday, a day after a law firm she hired issued a report on the alleged misconduct. Caldwell denies the accusations and says he suspects he's being scrutinized because he's a single Black man. Republicans have hammered Sherrill for weeks on the investigation into Caldwell, who served as acting governor in her absence. He is a Methodist pastor and former university president.

One of the organizers who says she was sexually abused by Latino labor leader César Chavez decades ago has sued nonprofits tied to him. A complaint was filed last week in Southern California. It is the first step to a lawsuit since the explosive allegations surrounding Chavez in March. The New York Times also first reported the complaint Wednesday. An attorney for the woman says she continues to suffer from anxiety and depression. The César Chavez Foundation and the United Farm Workers Foundation are both named as defendants.

Democrats are descending on Donald Trump’s midterm convention in Texas and urging voters to consider the reality of his presidency rather than the spectacle of his made-for-TV event. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a potential 2028 presidential contender, says Trump is trying to distract voters from the Iran war, his trade wars with Canada and rising consumer prices. Texas Democrats, meanwhile, hope the convention spotlight ends up helping Senate candidate James Talarico and their nominee for governor, Gina Hinojosa. Talarico's campaign held a food drive Wednesday where the candidate compared his volunteers' efforts to wealthy Republican donors paying for access to Trump. Hinojosa met with women who've accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse.

Erik and Lyle Menendez are eligible to face a parole board again in March 2027 after getting an early parole suitability hearing. They were initially eligible for a hearing in August 2028. The brothers were sentenced to life in prison for fatally shooting their parents in 1989. Last year, the parole board rejected their parole petitions. A Los Angeles judge also denied a petition seeking a review of their convictions based on new evidence of alleged abuse by their father. Their family says they have worked to take responsibility and heal from past trauma.

A former missionary with an Ohio-based ministry has pleaded guilty to federal charges of sexually abusing two boys in Haiti. Authorities reached a plea agreement with 45-year-old Jeriah Mast and on Tuesday he admitted to the charges. The agreement could lead to a prison sentence of 25 to 33 years. Mast had previously confessed to molesting more than 30 boys in Haiti and four children in Ohio. He was arrested on federal charges last November after being released early from an Ohio state prison. Mast's case has highlighted broader issues of sexual abuse within conservative Anabaptist communities, including the Amish and Mennonites.