Don Lemon, a former host at CNN, has entered a plea of not guilty in connection with his reporting on a recent protest at a church in Minnesota, where federal immigration raids had taken place.

The 59-year-old journalist faces charges of conspiracy to deprive rights and interfering with religious freedoms, specifically for allegedly using force to obstruct someone's First Amendment rights.

Lemon's arrest stemmed from an incident on January 18, when he accompanied protesters into the Cities Church in St Paul, where they claimed one of the church's pastors was involved in immigration enforcement.

During the protest, Lemon livestreamed the events, which ultimately led to charges being filed against him and eight other individuals.

On Friday, Lemon appeared in a St Paul, Minnesota courtroom, where approximately two dozen protesters had gathered to show their support, chanting slogans that included a call for the removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi.

In addition to Lemon, four co-defendants also pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against them.

Lemon has maintained that his actions were justified, stating that as an independent journalist, he was simply fulfilling his duty to cover the protest.

Following his arrest, Lemon affirmed his commitment to continuing his work as a journalist, saying, "I have dedicated my career to covering the news, and I will not stop now."

During the hearing on Friday, one of Lemon's attorneys, Abbe Lowell, raised concerns with the judge regarding the seizure of Lemon's cellphone by investigators during his arrest in Los Angeles last month.

Lemon, along with eight other co-defendants, including another journalist, has been charged with conspiracy against religious freedom and interfering with the exercise of religious freedom at a place of worship.

The January 18 incident involved protesters interrupting a church service, chanting slogans such as "ICE out" and "Justice for Renee Good," who was fatally shot by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

Video footage captured the chaotic scene inside the church, which is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, as protesters and congregation members engaged in a heated exchange.

In a separate incident two weeks later, federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse, in Minneapolis, marking the second protest-related death in the city, after Renee Good.

In response to Lemon's arrest, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a statement on social media, saying that the Trump administration would not tolerate intimidation or harassment of Christians in their places of worship.

Lemon, a longtime critic of the Trump administration, was previously fired from CNN in April 2023, after 17 years with the network, following controversy over on-air comments he made about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.

A major career milestone was achieved by Jack Pinnington Jones when he defeated world number 20 Flavio Cobolli during the Dallas Open.

Jack Pinnington Jones' impressive run at the Dallas Open came to an end in the quarter-finals, where he was defeated by experienced player Marin Cilic.

The 22-year-old Briton navigated two qualifying rounds to secure a spot in the main draw, then went on to upset world number 20 Flavio Cobolli of Italy and America's Eliot Spizzirri, ranked 68th, to advance to the quarter-finals.

In his first-ever ATP Tour quarter-final, Pinnington Jones lost to 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic in a match that lasted 78 minutes, with a final score of 6-1 6-4.

Cilic, 37, a former world number three, will face the winner of the all-American match between top seed Taylor Fritz and Sebastian Korda in the semi-finals.

At the Qatar Open, Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko secured a spot in the final after defeating former French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, following her earlier upset of Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina.

Mboko, 19, won 6-3 6-2, setting up a title match against Karolina Muchova, who came back from a set down to defeat Maria Sakkari 3-6 6-4 6-1, a day after Sakkari eliminated top seed Iga Swiatek.

As a result of his performance, Pinnington Jones is expected to rise 43 places in the ATP rankings, moving up to 138th from his current 181st position.

Since losing his first qualifying match at the Australian Open in January, Pinnington Jones has been on a strong run, reaching the final at the Soma Bay challenger event in Egypt before winning four consecutive matches in Dallas.

His most notable victory during this period was his win over Flavio Cobolli in the opening match, which marked the biggest win of his career to date.

Pinnington Jones' decision to forgo his final year at Texas Christian University, after completing his junior season in May, has allowed him to focus on his tennis career full-time.

After successfully holding his serve in the first game, Pinnington Jones struggled in the second, conceding a break point that led to Cilic taking five consecutive games and winning the first set.

Cilic broke Pinnington Jones' serve again in the fifth game of the second set, paving the way for his victory, although he had to fend off two break points while serving for the match.

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A major opportunity for Chelsea to take the lead against Hull City in their FA Cup fourth-round match at the MKM Stadium slipped away when Liam Delap failed to capitalize on a chance.

Live coverage of the Hull City vs Chelsea match is available for viewing.

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