Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Former Special Prosecutor, Martin A. B. K. Amidu has asked the embattled Special Prosecutor, Kissi Agyebeng to stop the propaganda of saving the public purse millions of Ghana Cedis through payroll audits with the Controller and Accountant-Generals Department (CAGD). But rather confess to Ghanaians with contrition for his suspected commission of several specified corruption and corruption-related offences under Section 79 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act 2017 (Act 959) since his assumption of office as the Special Prosecutor before the law catches up with him. According to him it is nauseating to read a report from Kissi Agyebeng deceiving Ghanaians that he is saving this nation millions of Ghana Cedis of the public purse from payroll audits in the Northern Region when Kissi Agyebeng and the CAGD have been committing the same suspected offences of abuse of the payroll system in the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) since his assumption of duty as the Special Prosecutor at the OSP. "I have in my possession letters written and signed by Kissi Agyebeng without reference numbers violating Article 195 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 21 of Act 959. Kissi Agyebeng, the Chief Accountant of the OSP, (who is an employee of the CAGD), and the CAGD are paying unconstitutionally employed staff of the OSP vast amounts of salaries and allowances each month from the public purse without any authority under the 1992 Constitution," he stated. Read below his full statement.... Kissi Agyebeng - Stop The Propaganda Of Being Holy And Confess To The Suspected Crimes Under You As The Special Prosecutor Before The Law Catches Up With You It is time to demand that Kissi Agyebeng should stop the propaganda of saving the public purse millions of Ghana Cedis through payroll audits with the Controller and Accountant-Generals Department (CAGD) and rather confess to Ghanaians with contrition for his suspected commission of several specified corruption and corruption-related offences under Section 79 of the Office of the Special Prosecutor Act 2017 (Act 959) since his assumption of office as the Special Prosecutor before the law catches up with him. It is nauseating to read a report from Kissi Agyebeng to-day, dated 20 May 2024, deceiving Ghanaians that he is saving this nation millions of Ghana Cedis of the public purse from payroll audits in the Northern Region when Kissi Agyebeng and the CAGD have been committing the same suspected offences of abuse of the payroll system in the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) since Kissi Agyebengs assumption of duty as the Special Prosecutor at the OSP. Anytime Kissi Agyebeng suspects that suspected criminal activities of the OSP may come to public notice and attention he resorts to using his supporting rented press and media to throw dust into the eyes of Ghanaians of his indispensability to the fight against corruption in Ghana. Whether anybody shares the same moral and cultural values with me, I cannot allow the continued deception of Ghanaians by suspected criminals who ought to be under investigation by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) for causing financial loss to the state in the process of the commission of specified corruption and corruption-related offences under Section 79 of Act 959. Law enforcement cannot be a selective enterprise as Kissi Agyebeng and his particular media houses want to impose on Ghanaians in violation of the right to defend the 1992 Constitution. I have in my possession letters written and signed by Kissi Agyebeng without reference numbers violating Article 195 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 21 of Act 959. Kissi Agyebeng, the Chief Accountant of the OSP, (who is an employee of the CAGD), and the CAGD are paying unconstitutionally employed staff of the OSP vast amounts of salaries and allowances each month from the public purse without any authority under the 1992 Constitution. The OSP and Kissi Agyebeng who heads it ought to be confessing to Ghanaians that Kissi Agyebeng wrote and signed letters without any constitutional authority appointing and paying staff without stating their conditions of service in the appointment letters. Kissi Agyebeng then signed another set of two letters in his personal capacity as the Special Prosecutor months later with conditions of service bearing the same dates confirming those appointments with two separate ranks assigned to the same staff. The implication as Kissi Agyebeng knows is that the staff petitioned against the rank initially assigned, and Kissi Agyebeng in suspected criminality wrote the second letter and back dated it to enable the abuse of the OSP payroll by the CAGD and himself. This is the tip of the iceberg! When you live in a glass house you do not throw stones! Kissi Agyebeng is so full of himself that he does not recognize that by selectively appointing and giving higher ranks to some staff and neglecting others who think they deserve the same or better ranks he has antagonized several of his unlawfully appointed staff. How then does it lie in Kissi Agyebengs mouth to be parading a report which the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) is contesting as reasons for his indispensability in the fight against corruption in Ghana? The staff on the OSP payroll whom Kisis Agyebeng and the CAGD have been paying in violation of Article 195 of the 1992 Constitution and Section 21 of Act 959 from the public purse are all ghost workers on the OSP payroll under the 1992 Constitution. Kissi Agyebeng: Why do you see the speck that is in your brothers eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? see Matthew 7: 3-5 in the RSV Catholic Edition for Africa. Kisi Agyebeng ought also to remember Hamlets statement to Laertes when Hamlet said: ...Let Hercules himself do what he may, The cat will mew and every dog will have his day. No earthly pretence of attending the same church with the head of one of the arms of Government and sharing the same pastor can override Gods edict and truth to save Kissi Agyebeng and the OSP in escaping from confronting their suspected crimes. The 1992 Constitution must be defended no matter the entrepreneurial motives of Kissi Agyebeng as the Special Prosecutor and his media friends to loot the public purse through the abuse of the payroll of the OSP while deceiving the Ghanaian public about the Ghana Education Service and its Trade Unions committing the same or lesser offences. Martin A. B. K. Amidu 20 May 2024 See attached Martin Amidu's statement Your browser does not support iframes. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Nana Akomea has cautioned the Electoral Commission against recording mathematical errors as it was seen in their limited registration exercise. The Electoral Commission (EC) commenced the registration exercise on Tuesday, May 7, to give opportunity to eligible people who couldn't register in the 2023 exercise to do so in order to exercise their voting right in this year's December 7 polls. During the second and third days of the exercise, the EC tabulating the number of registrants made errors and later rectified them. They have apologized for this blunder but it comes without caution to them not to repeat this mistake. The Electoral Commission has corrected errors in the previously released daily voter registration numbers. The inaccuracies were in the cumulative totals for days two and three, though the regional numbers were correct. The Upper Easts day threes total was mistakenly repeated for day four. These have been amended, a statement by the EC read. Tackling this issue during Tuesday's edition of "Kokrokoo" morning show on Peace FM, the Chief Executive of the InterCity State Transport Corporation, Nana Akomea found these mistakes unpardonable, alluding to a similar case in the 2020 elections. He advised the electoral management body to find a lasting solution to this problem. "This EC arithmetic calculation that they can't do, I can hardly understand it. That 1 plus 1 that they can't get correct, it is disgraceful and they should be careful about that. That 1 plus 1 that the Electoral Commission cannot get right is not good because I remember they repeated the same thing in the 2020 elections resulting in them announcing the election results about twice. It is not good!" Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video A man was killed after a moose charged him in Alaska. According to Alaska State Troopers, the incident occurred when the cow encountered two men near Homer around 11:52 a.m. on Sunday. Alaska State Troopers say the moose had charged two men, kicking one of them. Medical crews responded to the scene where the man was later pronounced dead. The moose was no longer in the area by the time they arrived, troopers said. An investigation is ongoing. The man has not been identified by name. Bull moose are generally known to be more aggressive toward humans, but during calving season, which runs from mid-May to mid-June, cow moose with calves can be defensive and charge or attack humans who come too close to their young The Alaska Department of Fish and Game provides information on how to deal with aggressive moose on its website. PITTSBURGH A Dauphin County woman who took a Lyft ride to suburban Pittsburgh last year and opened fire on her biological sons adoptive family and their neighbors pleaded guilty to multiple charges on Monday. Kayla Menne, a 26-year-old Middletown resident, pleaded guilty to three counts each of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person, as well as one count each of carrying a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm into an occupied structure and criminal mischief. Initially, Menne faced 24 charges, including seven counts each of aggravated assault and recklessly endangering another person. Allegheny County Court Judge Jennifer Satler said a pre-sentencing evaluation of Menne will occur before she is likely sentenced later this year. HARRISBURG An ailing prison inmate serving a life sentence in Pennsylvania for killing a man during a 1975 robbery won a compassionate release order from a judge Monday, although the order came hours after he was put on life support. Ezra Bozeman, 68, won the release order from an Allegheny County judge while on a ventilator in an intensive care unit battling sepsis because of complications from his quadriplegia, his lawyers said in a statement. Bozemans petition for medical release from prison was supported by Gov. Josh Shapiro and the superintendent of the state prison at Laurel Highlands where he has been incarcerated. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala had opposed Bozemans petition. On Sunday night, Bozeman was rushed to the hospital. Pennsylvanias 15-year-old compassionate release law allows a judge to grant the transfer of a seriously ill inmate who is expected to die within one year to a private medical facility. His lawyers said they hoped Bozemans condition stabilizes so that he can be transferred to a long-term care facility. Ezra Bozeman has been a shining example of what it means to live as a dignified human being, even as he received poor medical care as a quadriplegic, Sean Damon of Amistad Law Project said in a statement. Bozeman was represented by the Abolitionist Law Center and Amistad Law Project. Bozeman emerged paralyzed from the chest down after a February surgery to remove a large blood clot near his spinal cord. After that, his lawyers filed papers seeking compassionate release. Bozeman was convicted of second-degree murder in 1975 for killing Morris Weitz during a robbery at a dry cleaner in Pittsburgh. Bozeman has maintained his innocence, saying that he was not involved in the robbery and was nowhere near the scene, and that a key witness against him had recanted his testimony. A 17-year-old boy is missing from his home in Lower Paxton Township, police said. Julian Luttrell was last seen around 9 p.m. Sunday. He left his home on the 6100 block of Locust Street overnight between Sunday and Monday, according to police. He may have a hiking-style backpack and a black scooter with him. Luttrell is known to visit businesses in the Linglestown area, police said. Police said Luttrell has high-functioning autism. He is about 5 feet, 9 inches tall; 180 pounds, with long, curly blonde hair. Police are asking anyone with information to call 717-558-6900 or submit a tip through CrimeWatch. Sen. John Fetterman was part of congressional delegation that made a trip to Turks and Caicos to discuss the release of five Americans, including one from Pennsylvania, being held on ammunition charges. The individuals, including Bryan Hagerich from Somerset County, are being detained for carrying ammunition in their luggage when traveling to islands. The minimum sentence for the offense in Turks and Caicos is 12 years in prison, according to a U.S. State Department alert. Senator Fetterman said Hagerich and the others were being held because they inadvertently had ammunition in their luggage. Fetterman said after meeting with officials from the islands he was optimistic that we can get this resolved. A Pennsylvania woman pleaded guilty Monday to shooting a county prosecutor after a confrontation about a property transfer and was sentenced to several years in prison. Porice Diamond Mincy pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for shooting Cameron County District Attorney Paul J. Malizia in the leg at Malizias law office last June. The 32-year-old Brookville woman was sentenced to four to eight years in prison. Malizia was released from a hospital the day he was shot. Attorney General Michelle Henry, whose office prosecuted Mincy, called it a brazen act of violence, and noted Malizia has remained in office since the attack. Henrys office said in a statement that Mincy showed up without an appointment at Malizias office in rural Emporium, about 130 miles east of Erie, and made some sort of demands concerning a property transfer, a matter he handled as a private practice lawyer, not as district attorney. Mincy became belligerent, Henrys office said, and shot him in the leg before leaving in a vehicle. She was arrested shortly afterward. Her lawyer, Lonny Fish, said Monday that the other charges against her were dismissed. She showed up in the office, she wasnt happy with the answers that the secretary gave, Fish said. So she went and trashed one of the other offices, and then he approached her in the waiting room. And he hit her. To be honest, I think he was probably within his rights to do that she was a trespasser. Fish said Mincy did not have a license to carry a concealed weapon so she was going to, most likely, be convicted of that, regardless. He described Mincy as a mother of small children who had not been in trouble before. She had moved to the area from New York and was home schooling her kids. Malizia said in a phone interview Monday that after Mincy confronted his office worker and threw office material on the ground, she sucker punched him, breaking his nose. He said he took a swing at her but missed. Fish produced a cellphone video Mincy that recorded that he argued shows Malizia did actually punch Mincy. Malizia, who is 70 and in his fourth term in office, said he grabbed Mincy around the waist and tried to get her down some stairs and out of the office. She stopped for a second and she turned her head and bit me on the thigh, on my left thigh, he said. The bite did not tear through his jeans but was strong enough that it caused a wound. After that, she pulled a .25 caliber automatic handgun out of, he thinks, a fanny pack, and shot him in the other leg, Malizia said. The barrel was against his leg and the bullet passed through the outside of his leg, ricocheted off a wall and landed about 35 feet down a hallway. Malizia was treated at a hospital and released that night and did not miss any work as a result. Mincy was upset about which names had been put on a deed when ownership was transferred, Malizia said. I wish her the best of luck, Malizia said. I mean that very sincerely. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference in New York on Thursday, Sept. 21, 2023. Trudeau is in Philadelphia today, on his first trip south of the border since his government launched a new "Team Canada" charm offensive in the United States. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld Donald Trump didnt testify at his criminal trial where a verdict could come as soon as the end of next week. CNN reported: Trump didnt take the stand: Publicly, Trump left open the prospect that he could testify in his own defense, but his attorneys had always seemed to discount the possibility. Closing arguments set for Tuesday: Now the jury will get a week off thanks to the Memorial Day holiday, with closing arguments set for next Tuesday. A verdict is possible by the end of next week. Pretend tough guy Trump was never going to testify. If Trump had taken the stand, the cross-examination would have been brutal and probably gotten him a criminal conviction and ended his presidential campaign. Trump lacks the self-discipline to testify. The hush money trial could have a verdict before next weekend. It is impossible to predict what a jury is thinking or what they will do, but prosecutors presented nearly two dozen witnesses and a vast paper trail documenting the scheme and the crimes. The ex-president has been complaining about the judge and the trial process at every opportunity so it certainly seems like he is planting the seats for an appeal after he is convicted. However, it is possible that the jury doesnt think the crimes were proven to be connected to Trump, or that they were not felonies. The trial phase will come to an end when the jury delivers its verdict, but if Trump is convicted, his legal expenses will balloon even more as the appeals process begins. A Special Message From PoliticusUSA If you are in a position to donate purely to help us keep the doors open on PoliticusUSA during what is a critical election year, please do so here. We have been honored to be able to put your interests first for 14 years as we only answer to our readers and we will not compromise on that fundamental, core PoliticusUSA value. [wpedon id=344887 align=center] It was a bat Read moreRidge Spring-Monetta football comes out victorious over Williston-Elko in defensive standoff Two of the better football teams in Region 7-5A, if not the best two, did battle on the first cool night of the season and the defensive units showed up ready to play. Read moreImproved defense on display for Gators in key region win CHAPIN The Lexington-Richland Five school board voted May 20 to add a $240 million bond referendum to the Nov. 5 general election ballot for voters in the Chapin- and Irmo-area school district. The 5-1 vote is a key step towards financing the district administrations plan to reorganize and rezone its schools, which Superintendent Akil Ross has laid out in board meetings and workshops for over a year. If approved, the referendum would go towards security renovations, building a new elementary campus and making swaths of building repairs and expansions, aimed at addressing overcrowding and fixing aging campuses. Our facilities are not the best, and that might not be the popular thing to say out loud, but it is the truth, board chair Rebecca Blackburn Hines said. So, put it to the voters, thats what were going to do. Ross has stressed that the bonds would not increase the property tax rate assessed on district residents. But the decision on allowing the district to sell the bonds is now in the voters hands, and opposition from one board member over financial guardrails and future costs may provide a preview of any possible future opposition. The top-line spending priorities for the bond-raised $240 million would be new secure vestibule entrances at 12 campuses and security camera upgrades at every facility. Next would be the construction of a new Dutch Fork Elementary School, whose current campus would be renovated into a new center for various district-wide education programs called the Richlex Education Center, named after the segregated Black school formerly housed on the site. COLUMBIA Richland County is considering closing the juvenile wing of its jail, a move that will put young detainees in state care and put more of a burden on South Carolinas already overcrowded facilities. Richland and Charleston are the only counties with juvenile detention facilities. Juveniles detained in other counties are put in the custody of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice and placed in its Juvenile Detention Center in Columbia. While just 27 juveniles are being housed at the countys Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, the states pretrial detention facility is stretched thin. The potential closure would affect all juveniles being held in the states secure facilities. Our facilities are already extremely overcrowded, and adding additional youth to facilities, it just exacerbates those overcrowded conditions, SCDJJ Communications Director Michelle Foster said. Raise the Age, a law passed in 2019 to raise the minimum age to be considered adults in the criminal justice system from 17 to 18, was implemented without proper funding, which has contributed to the overcrowded conditions, according to Foster. In March 2022, Greenville closed its juvenile detention center to address critical staff storages at its adult jail, a move that also put more strain on the state. Some have said the children and teenagers are in worse conditions under state custody. Back in 2019, Joker managed to make over $1 billion at the global box office and earn itself 11 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and a Best Actor win for Joaquin Phoenix. I recall respecting the movie for Phoenixs performance and the inspired idea to paint him as a Scorsese-style Read moreJoker: Folie a Deux If you have a hummingbird feeder in your yard, youre probably enjoying watching the hummers sipping nectar to fuel up for their long migration south in the coming weeks. But did you know that nectar makes up only a small percentage of a hummingbirds diet? Up to 80% of it comes from insects Read moreCommentary: Protect insects, protect birds On Dec. 23, he went to the house the GPS showed his wife frequented and told the residents it was surrounded by gang members until he found his wife, according to a resident of the house interviewed for the report. That same resident said she saw a Black man she didnt recognize pull a black mask over his head and walk past her window. Patrick Miles kept asking the residents in the house where his wife was and said the people out here aint good and that he was tight with the 349 crew, according to the report. He allegedly said they would drag his wife out of the house. Those in the house told Miles his wife wasnt there. When the homeowner, Marshall Kendall, asked, Who you got on us, Miles promised nobody. Patrick Miles drove around Florence looking for his wife again on Dec. 25 when the GPS tracker placed her car at an office building. His wife wasnt in her car, and he used it to drive to the house he visited days earlier, allegedly thinking she was there for drugs or infidelity. On the way to the house, Patrick Miles saw his wifes friend Richard Feagin walking down Melrose Avenue. He stopped the car and approached Feagin. Feagin said Miles was clutching something behind his back, according to the report. Feagin thought Miles had a gun, according to the report. In the report, Miles said Feagin pulled a knife but didnt charge him. Miles later told authorities he just wanted to talk to Feagin. Feagin left but dropped his cellphone. Miles picked it up. Miles drove back to his truck and found Alisa Miles waiting there. She told Patrick Miles she had returned to the house to get her stolen property, according to the report. She walked to the house to swap the phone for her makeup bag. Patrick Miles later told authorities the makeup bag had been stolen and had money in it. Patrick Miles parked at a nearby fire station when she went to make the exchange. He said he bumped his lights to let any cameras know it was a police officer parked there. He said he does it anytime he pulls up somewhere. JOHNSONVILLE Two hundred forty-four years ago, the legend of Francis Marion began here at Witherspoons Ferry. In the swamp-infested backcountry of what is now Florence County, Marion took command of a ragtag group of farmers and merchants charged with keeping South Carolina from falling into British hands during the Revolutionary War. It was in these rivers that Marion led his men in a David-and-Goliath-style battle with the British, eventually helping to force them out of South Carolina and America. A small crowd again assembled at Witherspoons Ferry on May 17 to remember Marions legacy. People munched on cookies emblazoned with Marions silhouette, listened to experts recount his story and rededicated a historic marker that commemorates the day in September 1780 that he received his command at Witherspoon's Ferry in Johnsonville. We can only wonder how different things might have been for the colonists, how different our lives might be today, were it not for Francis Marion, said William Bolt, a history professor at Francis Marion University, at the ceremony. Lawrence Eaddy, whose mother erected the original marker in 1980, led the charge to replace the deteriorating sign on Highway 51. After a year and a half of work with city officials, they proudly unveiled the gleaming white marker in front of about 20 people. That is a connection that our area has to a very noteworthy leader in the Revolutionary War, and Johnsonville has proudly claimed that connection, Eaddy said. Not only was the ferry a key site during the Revolutionary War, it was also a prominent commercial route for many years before and after the fighting. Both South Carolinas 15th governor, David R. Williams, and William Johnson, Johnsonvilles namesake, owned the land during the 19th century. PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 13:54:44 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1074 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Not for distribution to United States newswire services or for dissemination in the United StatesVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 /Arras Minerals Corp. (TSXV:ARK) ("Arras" or "the Company") is pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") of up to 7,692,308 units of the Company ("Units") at a price per Unit of C$0.26 (the "Offering Price") for aggregate gross proceeds of up to C$2 million.Darren Klinck, President of Arras, commented, "Over the past 18 months since we announced the initial strategic equity investment by Teck, Arras has successfully and significantly advanced our project portfolio in Kazakhstan with the funding from that associated financing in 2022. We are now pleased to have a strategic alliance with Teck on a portion of our land package and a US$2.5 million budget in 2024 funded by Teck which is expected to advance targets to drill-ready status this year. In addition, the highly successful soil-sampling program at our 100%-owned Elemes project which we announced results from in Q1 this year, has attracted considerable attention from major mining companies as we have identified two coherent copper-in-soil anomalies stretching more than 8 km each and containing porphyry mineralization which Arras intends to begin testing later this year." Tim Barry, CEO of Arras, went on to add, "As we commence our third field season this month in Kazakhstan, we expect to be advancing and drilling at least three new copper-gold porphyry targets this year. By utilizing modern exploration techniques in a region that has had very little to no exploration focus since pre-1990, our thesis is continuing to strengthen that the Bozshakol-Chingiz metallogenic belt has the potential to contain multiple new copper-gold deposits masked under shallow cover. This is truly a very exciting time for Arras as we quickly advance in a new tier-one jurisdiction for exploration of base and precious metals." Private Placement TermsUnder the Offering, each Unit shall comprise of one (1) common share in the capital of the Company (each, a "Common Share") and one-half of one (1/2) non-transferable Common Share purchase warrant (each whole warrant, a "Warrant"). Each whole Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to purchase one (1) additional Common Share at a price of C$$0.40 for a period of (3) years from closing of the Offering (the "Expiry Date").In the event the volume weighted average trading price of the Common Shares on the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV") meets or exceeds C$$0.60 for fifteen (15) consecutive trading days at any time after four months and one day following closing of the Offering, the Company shall have the option, but not the obligation, at any time thereafter to accelerate the Expiry Date to a date that is thirty (30) days following the date of issuance of a press release by the Company announcing the acceleration of the Expiry Date.The net proceeds of the Offering will be used to advance the Company's exploration program in Kazakhstan and for general corporate purposes. Finders' fees may be payable on a portion of the Offering in accordance with applicable laws and TSXV policies.The Offering is scheduled to close on or about June 4, 2024 and is subject to the approval of the TSXV. The securities issued pursuant to the Offering will be subject to a four-month hold period in Canada and will be subject to U.S. resale restrictions under U.S. securities laws as applicable.The securities to be sold in the Offering have not been, and will not be, registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("U.S. Securities Act"), or any state or other applicable jurisdiction's securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state or other jurisdictions' securities laws. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation, or sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.Qualified Person: The scientific and technical disclosure for this news release has been prepared under supervision of and approved by Matthew Booth, Vice President of Exploration, of Arras Minerals Corp., a Qualified Person for the purposes of NI 43-101. Mr. Booth has over 19 years of mineral exploration experience and is a Qualified Person member of the American Institute of Professional Geologists (CPG 12044).On behalf of the Board of Directors"Tim Barry"Tim Barry, MAusIMM CP(Geo) Chief Executive Officer and DirectorINVESTOR RELATIONS: +1 604 687 5800 info@ arrasminerals.com Further information can be found on:the Company's website https://www.arrasminerals.com or follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arrasminerals or follow us on X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/arrasmineralsAbout Arras Minerals Corp.Arras is a Canadian exploration and development company advancing a portfolio of copper and gold assets in northeastern Kazakhstan, including the Option Agreement on the Beskauga copper and gold project. The Company has established the third-largest license package in the country prospective for copper and gold (behind Rio Tinto and Fortescue). In December 2023, the Company entered into a strategic alliance with Teck Resources Limited ("Teck") in which Teck will sole fund a US$5 million generative exploration program over a portion of the Arras license package in 2024-2025 focusing on critical minerals. The Company's shares are listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "ARK".Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements: This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding the Offering, future events and Arras' future results that are subject to the safe harbors created under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Exchange Act, and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the Offering, the participation in the Offering by Teck Resources Limited, the amount of securities that may be sold and proceeds raised by the Company from the Offering, timing of closing of the Offering, the terms to the securities offered under the Offering, the receipt of TSXV and other required regulatory and third party approvals in respect of the Offering, exercise of the Company's acceleration right in respect of the Warrants (or the satisfaction of the acceleration condition in respect thereof), and plans and expectat PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 13:50:56 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 365 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 STOCKHOLM, SE / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Bambuser AB (STO:BUSER)(FRA:5JL) Singapore/Stockholm - Singapore headquartered brand specializing in frictionless live commerce solutions, Mela Platforms, and Bambuser, the global leader in video commerce technology, are excited to announce a new strategic partnership. This collaboration is set to redefine the e-commerce landscape by integrating Bambuser's video commerce solutions with Mela Platforms' robust thematic event capabilities.Mela Platforms has established itself as a key player in maximizing revenue for brands, e-commerce platforms, and publishers through immersive, theme-based event production and live shopping experiences. The partnership aims to leverage each company's strengths, with Mela bringing its expertise in seamless event integration and Bambuser enhancing the user experience with interactive, shoppable video content."We look forward to our partnership with Mela platform, and we're eager to embark on this journey of exploration together, said Jonas Lagerstrom, Chief Operating Officer at Bambuser.The integration of Bambuser's shoppable video solutions into Mela Platforms' service offerings is expected to drive significant growth in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) for all stakeholders involved. The new partnership is not just about technology; it's about creating a dynamic and engaging shopping experience that resonates with the modern consumer's expectations.About Mela PlatformsBased in Singapore, Mela Platforms specializes in providing a fully integrated solution for running zero-cost, high-impact thematic live shopping events. Their platform is designed to optimize ROI through continuous learning models and state-of-the-art analytics.For further information, please contact:Mela Platforms: trigam@ theprophets.in About Bambuser Bambuser is the world's leading video commerce company with the largest customer base in its industry. More than 250 brands from 40+ countries leverage Bambuser's best-in-class solutions. Bambuser is truly global with headquarters in Stockholm and offices in New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, and Turku, and with a passionate team speaking more than 30 languages. Founded in 2007 as a livestreaming pioneer, trusted by the world's leading news agencies, Bambuser pivoted to Live Shopping in 2019, leveraging its legacy as the industry leader in video-first technology.Follow us Subscribe to Bambusers press releases here .Bambuser on LinkedIn.Contact information Bambuser press@ bambuser.com AttachmentsBambuser Explores New Opportunities in the Southeast Asia Market Through Strategic Partnership with Mela PlatformsSOURCE: Bambuser AB PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 19:52:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 737 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Jeffrey Getty and Lisa Clifford join Callan Family Office to help clients prepare for the sale and/or transition of their closely-held businesses.PHILADELPHIA, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Callan Family Office, a registered investment advisor serving ultra-high-net-worth families, family offices, foundations and endowments across the United States, today announced the launch of a new offering focused on supporting business owners considering transacting or transitioning their businesses.The Business & Transaction Advisory Practice will be led by industry veterans Jeff Getty and Lisa Clifford. They educate owners on value optimization, exit option strategies, and value enhancement through due diligence preparation. Additionally, they work closely with the business owner's legal and tax counsel on transaction structuring to minimize all levels of taxation in alignment with the client's financial, philanthropic, legacy and estate planning goals."Business owners represent a large segment of the U.S. GDP and most owners' net worth," said Jack Ginter, Chief Executive Officer of Callan Family Office. "Before selling or transitioning, an owner should ensure that their business is in its strongest possible position to allow them to generate maximum value. Jeff and Lisa have spent decades strengthening companies and preparing them for sale. We are excited to bring them on to lead this practice and deliver holistic support to business owners during all phases of their business lifecycle." Getty and Clifford join Callan Family Office from Key Private Bank, where Getty led the family wealth consulting team and founded the Business Advisory practice. During his 14-year tenure, he managed a team of 12 professionals, providing support on approximately 30 to 40 transactions per year.Getty holds a Juris Doctor and Master of Science in Taxation. In addition, he is a Fellow in the American College of Trust & Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Accredited Estate Planner (AEP), Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA), Certified Financial Planner (CFP), and Certified Value Growth Advisor (CVGA). He is author of the book The Descent is the Real Climb: The Unexpected Truths About Successful Business Transitions."Having spent two decades advising thriving business owners, we are thrilled to join a company synonymous with entrepreneurial success," Getty said. "We look forward to assisting clients of Callan Family Office on how to prepare for this life-changing event." Clifford holds the Certified Private Wealth Advisor designation (CPWA) and is a Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor (CM&AA)."Unlike other firms, we have an extremely narrow focus: maximize the value of our clients' businesses in preparation for a sale," Clifford said. "I'm proud of our work for hundreds of owners, helping them achieve their goals for their businesses and families. I look forward to delivering optimal value to Callan Family Office clients." About Callan Family OfficeIndependently owned and operated, Callan Family Office was founded by experienced wealth professionals to provide investment management, thoughtful personalized advice, and holistic financial planning to ultra-high-net-worth families, foundations, and endowments. The firm's principals have spent their careers serving ultra-high-net-worth clients and institutions. Callan Family Office has agreements with Callan LLC to use the Callan tradename in providing investment advisory services to the ultra-high-net-worth market segment and to access Callan's institutional quality research, education, and investment guidance experience. Callan Family Office and Callan LLC are independent, unaffiliated investment advisory firms separately registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.Callan Family Office has agreements with Callan LLC to use the Callan tradename in providing investment advisory services to the ultra-high-net-worth market segment and to access Callan's institutional quality research, education, and investment guidance experience. Callan Family Office and Callan LLC are independent, unaffiliated investment advisory firms separately registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.Callan Family Office (CFO) is the exclusive trademark licensee of Callan LLC. Callan LLC provides products and services to CFO. Clients of CFO are not clients of Callan LLC, and the parties are not affiliated. CALLAN, CFO and the other Callan trademarks and service marks are registered and/or unregistered trademarks of Callan LLC and may not be used without its permission. INVESTMENT ADVISORY SERVICES AND PRODUCTS PROVIDED TO CLIENTS OF CFO ARE PROVIDED SOLELY BY CFO AND NOT BY OR ON BEHALF OF CALLAN LLC. REPRESENTATIVES OF CFO ARE EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS OF CFO AND NOT EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS OF CALLAN LLC.Contact DetailsFor Callan Family Officeinfo@ callanfo.com Company Website https://callanfamilyoffice.com/ SOURCE: CALLAN FAMILY OFFICE PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 15:16:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1019 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 /Centenario Gold Corp. (TSXV:CTG) ("Centenario" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it will host a Webinar at 10:00 am PDT on Thursday May 30th, 2024. In attendance from Centenario and presenting will be, Alain Charest, CEO & VP of Exploration and Doug Fulcher, President. The purpose of the webinar is to provide investors with an update on the project and the next phase exploration and drilling program on the Eden Property, Mexico.Format: Management presentation (20 minutes) update and planned next phase exploration program on the Eden property, near Cosala, Mexico, followed by a question period. Please email your questions before or during the meeting to Steve McGuire at smcguire@ centenariogold.com 6ix Meeting Link: https://events.6ix.com/preview/centenario-gold-update-and-2024-drilling-3 The investor update will be posted on the Company's website following the Webinar.Alain Charest, CEO & VP of Exploration states "The geological information obtained from the maiden drilling program completed in February 2024, has greatly improved our understanding of the mineralized systems found on the Eden property." "During the last two months, the Centenario geological team has processed this new information and outlined several new targets to drill-test across the Eden property. We feel it is important to give our shareholders and potential new investors an opportunity to ask questions directly to management and we look forward to speaking with you on May 30 th." Non-Brokered Private Placement FinancingCentenario is also pleased to announce a non-brokered private placement financing (the "Private Placement") for a total of up to $1,000,000 through the issuance of up to 20,000,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit. Each Unit will be comprised of one common share (each, a "Common Share") in the capital of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant"), whereby each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one common share of the Company at a price of $0.10 per Common Share for a period of 24 months following the closing date of the Offering. All securities issued pursuant to the Private Placement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation in Canada. The Company will use the proceeds of the Private Placement to fund further work at its Eden Gold-Silver Property in Mexico and for general working capital purposes. Completion of the Private Placement is subject to TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. The Company may pay finders' fees and finders' warrants to eligible finders.The Existing Shareholder Exemption and Investment Dealer ExemptionThe Private Placement is also made available to registered shareholders of the company who, as of the close of business on May 31, 2024, hold common shares of the company pursuant to the prospectus exemption set out in British Columbia Securities Commission Rule 45-534, Prospectus Exemption for Distribution to Existing Security Holders, and in similar instruments in other jurisdictions in Canada. The existing shareholder exemption limits a shareholder to a maximum investment of $15,000 in a 12-month period unless the shareholder has obtained advice regarding the suitability of the investment and, if the shareholder is resident in a jurisdiction of Canada, that advice has been obtained from a person who is registered as an investment dealer in the jurisdiction.The company is also making the Private Placement available to certain subscribers pursuant to the investment dealer exemption. In accordance with the requirements of the investment dealer exemption, the company confirms that there is no material fact or material change about the company that has not been generally disclosed.About Centenario Gold Corp. and the El Eden Gold-Silver Project:Centenario Gold Corp. is a natural resource exploration company that was formed to focus on exploring and generating high quality mineral prospects in Mexico. During 2020, the exploration team of Centenario visited and evaluated more than 12 mineral prospects before finding the Eden gold silver property located in Durango State, Mexico. On March 24th, 2021, after completing the preliminary evaluation work and due diligence review, Durango Gold Corp S.A de C.V., the 100%-owned Mexican subsidiary of Centenario Gold Corp., signed a 4-year option agreement to acquire 100% of the mineral rights to the Eden Au-Ag property subject to a 1% NSR. The Eden property consists of three adjoining mineral concessions totalling 5,689 hectares in size hosting a series of high-grade N to NE trending, epithermal Au-Ag vein structures. The Eden property's northern border is adjacent to Americas Gold & Silver's Nuestra Senora producing mine while the Eden property's southern border is adjacent to Prime Mining Corp's, Los Reyes advanced exploration property.Prime Mining has outlined a new resource on the Los Reyes property of, indicated 1.47 M AuEq and Inferred 0.73m AuEq. (Prime Mining Corp. NI 43-101 dated June 12. 2023) AuEq grade (gpt) = Gold grade (gpt) + Silver grade (gpt) x ($22 / $1700).Further information on the Centenario Gold and the Eden Property can be found on our website at www.centenariogold.com along with the NI43-101 compliant Technical Report filed on SEDAR+.On behalf of the Board of Directors,Doug Fulcher President, DirectorFor further information, please call:Doug Fulcher 604-803-5901 Steve McGuire 604-762-7869 Alain Charest 011-52-618-299-9885 www.centenariogold.com The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Statements in this press release, other than purely historical information, including statements relating to the Company's future plans and objectives or expected results, may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on numerous assumptions and are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties inherent in resource exploration and development. As a result, actual results may vary materially from those described in the forward-looking statementsCaution Regarding Forward Looking Statements:Certain information included in this press release, including information relating to future financial or operating performance and other statements that express the expectations of management or estimates of future performance constitute "forward-looking statements". Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding copper, gold and silver forecasts, the financial strength of the Company, estimates regarding timing of future development an PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 14:04:09 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 398 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 HUNTSVILLE, AL / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Curiteva, Inc., announced today the addition of Chris Schultz as Vice President of Marketing to the rapidly growing technology company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. This addition is part of a recently initiated strategy to enhance the company's brand and propel Curiteva towards the next level of innovation and growth. This effort aligns with the company's ongoing commitment to innovation, marked by the continuous introduction of products with its novel Inspire Technology.Schultz brings more than 17 years of extensive clinical, marketing and leadership experience in the Spine Industry. Prior to joining Curiteva, Schultz spent a decade honing his expertise at Nuvasive as a Spine Specialist, followed by an advanced marketing role with Integrity Implants. Most recently, he served as Sr. Director of Product Management with Accelus, where he was responsible for helping drive the company's marketing strategy, growth initiatives, and market penetration efforts."Chris is a talented, experienced leader in our industry, and we are honored to have him join the Curiteva team," said Chief Commercial Officer David Schmidt. "His expertise will be instrumental as we continue to innovate and bring revolutionary technology to market to meet the evolving needs of our customers and the patients they serve." Schultz will be responsible for developing and executing strategic marketing plans, building brand awareness, and driving market adoption."Curiteva is poised to set a new bar on how implants are constructed and ultimately received by the patient. The Curiteva brand, its people, core products, and the Inspire Technology have a very bright future and I am honored and excited to be a part of the team. I look forward to helping lead the charge for this transformative company and its technology," commented Chris Schultz.About Curiteva:Curiteva is a privately held technology and manufacturing company based in Huntsville, Alabama. Our business is founded on a commitment to building world-class manufacturing, accelerating research and development, maintaining lean operational discipline, and delivering novel technology to meet the evolving needs of our customers and the patients they serve. Curiteva is pioneering 3D printing of Trabecular PEEK implants with a bioactive nano-surface to revolutionize how engineered structures and implant biomaterials accelerate immunomodulation, enhance healing, and improve patient outcomes. For more information, please visit www.curiteva.com Contact InformationKristen KyzerDirector of Business Developmentkkyzer@ curiteva.com 256.213.1057SOURCE: CuritevaView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 15:42:24 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 998 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 On May 17, 2024 the British Columbia Provincial Health Services Authority (BC-PHSA) Posted the Contract Award Notice Valued at $9.4 million CAD.News in SummaryAfter a successful competitive RFP process, on April 23, 2024 the Company executed a Province-wide contract for Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) products and services. The Company announced the execution of the contract on May 7, 2024. The contract has a term of 36 months with 2 extensions of 12 months each. The average contract value of each individual subscription is expected to be approximately $1,520 CAD per year which covers the cost of the Connected Health Kit prescribed to patients, software and connectivity. Subsequently the BC-PHSA has posted the award of the contract at BCBid.gov.ca , with a value of $9,412,277.06. So far in 2024 Cloud DX has announced 26 new contracts with hospitals, paramedic services, US clinics and 2 Canadian Provinces with a total value of $14.6 million CAD indicating an inflection point in the company's growth. KITCHENER, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Cloud DX (TSXV:CDX)(OTCQB:CDXFF), a leading North American provider of virtual care and remote patient monitoring platforms is pleased to update investors regarding the terms of the Remote Patient Monitoring Agreement for Cloud DX RPM Services with a British Columbia Provincial Health Services Authority, initially announced on May 7, 2024.On May 17, 2024 BC-PHSA posted the Award of the contract at BCBid.gov.ca , with a value of $9,412,277.06. The contract has a term of 36 months with 2 extensions. The average contract value of each individual patient subscription is expected to be approximately $1,520 CAD per year which covers the cost of the Connected Health Kit prescribed to each patient, software, and connectivity. Certain additional fees, including customizations and integrations can be added on an as-needed basis. In the most recent financial statements Cloud DX reported a gross margin of 71%.Cloud DX is now one of the leading suppliers of Remote Patient Monitoring services in Canada. In addition to contracts at the clinic, hospital, institute and municipal government level, Cloud DX has secured 5 Provincial level contracts for RPM including Alberta Health Services, Alberta Primary Care Network, Yukon Health, Health PEI and now BC-PHSA. On June 21, 2023 Cloud DX announced a Master Services Agreement to supply members of the Mohawk Medbuy shared services organization, which manages procurement for over 100 Hospital Systems and provincial authorities across Canada. In addition to these large contracts the Company supplies RPM solutions to 11 Ontario Community Paramedic Services and over 8 hospital systems including Hamilton Health Sciences, The Ottawa Hospital, the Ottawa Heart Center, Kingston Health Sciences and several more. Further details of this agreement will be released by the client upon publication of the contract award as per provincial regulations.Cloud DX has now announced 26 new contracts and/or contract renewals so far in 2024. Notable announcements include new contracts with Ontario Paramedics, Ottawa University Research Institute, VHA Home HealthCare and Health PEI. Together the announced value of these contracts now exceeds $14 million CAD, with terms of 12 to 36 months (not including extensions).Cloud DX Founder and CEO Robert Kaul stated: "The announcement of the Provincial Remote Patient Monitoring contract by the British Columbia PHSA marks a critical milestone in Cloud DX's growth. With an announced value of $9.4 million CAD this award proves that Remote Patient Monitoring has become a priority with Canadian Provincial Health Authorities. As the largest supplier of Remote Patient Monitoring in Canada Cloud DX now has the capability to bring the benefits of this new mode of care to well over 50% of the population. We look forward to working with all our Provincial Government partners to improve care for all Canadians." About Cloud DXAccelerating digital healthcare, Cloud DX is on a mission to make healthcare better for everyone. Our Connected Health remote patient monitoring platform is used by healthcare enterprises and care teams across North America to virtually manage chronic disease, enable aging in place, and deliver hospital-quality post-surgical care in the home. Our partners achieve better healthcare and patient outcomes, reduce the need for hospitalization or re-admission, and reduce healthcare delivery costs through more efficient use of resources. Cloud DX is the co-winner of the Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, winner of "2022 Top Innovator" from Canadian Business, a 2021 "Edison Award" winner, a Fast Company "World Changing Idea" finalist, and one of "Canada's Ten Most Prominent Telehealth Providers." Cloud DX is an exclusive partner to Medtronic Canada and Teladoc Health Canada.Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.Cloud DX Investor Site https://ir.clouddx.com/overview/default.aspx Social LinksTwitter https://twitter.com/CloudDX Facebook https://www.facebook.com/clouddxinc/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/cloud-dx/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cloud.dx/ For media inquiries please contact:Marketing Enquiries Phone 888-543-0944 marketing@ clouddx.com For investor inquiries please contact:Jay Bedard Cloud DX Investor RelationsPhone 647-881-8418 investors@ clouddx.com Officer responsible for this Press Release:Robert Kaul Chief Executive Officer Phone 888-543-0944 ceo@ clouddx.com Forward Looking StatementsThis news release contains forward-looking statements and information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release. In particular PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 16:17:15 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 572 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Do you, or did you, own shares of Compass Minerals International, Inc. (NYSE:CMP)? Did you purchase your shares between November 29, 2023 and March 22, 2024, inclusive? Did you lose money in your investment in Compass Minerals International, Inc.? Do you want to discuss your rights? NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Compass Minerals International, Inc. ("Compass Minerals" or the "Company") (NYSE:CMP) between November 29, 2023 and March 22, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the "Complaint").If you purchased or acquired Compass Minerals securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Compass Minerals International, Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later thanJune 24, 2024 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.According to the Complaint, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that:(1) Compass Minerals overstated the likelihood that it would be awarded a renewed U.S. Forest Service contract for the use of its proprietary magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardants for the 2024 fire season, as a result of safety issues presented by its fire retardant; and (2) Compass Minerals materially overstated the extent to which testing had confirmed that its fire retardants were safe.On March 25, 2024, before the market opened, the Company announced that the U.S. Forest Service had informed the company that it will not be entering into a contract for the use of magnesium chloride-based aerial fire retardants for the 2024 fire season. On this news, Compass Minerals' stock price fell $3.00 per share, or 17.09%, to close at $14.55 on March 25, 2024.If you purchased or acquired Compass Minerals securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Compass Minerals International, Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for sixteen consecutive years.ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2024 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.Contact Information:Peter Allocco Investor Relations ManagerBernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (212) 951-2030 pallocco@ bernlieb.com SOURCE: Bernstein Liebhard LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 01:50:21 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 486 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 KINGSTOWN, SAINT VINCENT and THE GRENADINES / ACCESSWIRE / May 20, 2024 / Crypto analysts are watching closely as NFTFN's ongoing presale generates significant buzz. This revolutionary web3 fintech platform is captivating investors with its potential to disrupt the NFT market and reach staggering heights. Can it outperform even Solana's all-time high (ATH)?NFTFN: A New Player Challenging the Status QuoInvestors are on the hunt for the next big cryptocurrency, and NFTFN is emerging as a frontrunner. Its presale has attracted a passionate community with its innovative solutions designed to revolutionize the NFT landscape.Tackling Real Issues in the NFT Market Head-OnNFTFN is a web3 fintech company addressing critical challenges in the NFT market. Their flagship product, SuperNova (SNV), is a DEX offering a unique range of assets, including NFT perpetuals (perps). This allows users to speculate on the price of NFTs without needing to own the underlying asset. SuperNova (SNV) also features crypto perps and even ordinal perps.Democratizing the NFT Craze for AllThe presale has been a magnet for smaller investors who were previously priced out of the blue-chip NFT market. With SNV's ingenious NFT floor price index, users can gain exposure to top collections for a mere $10.Industry Heavyweights Back a Rising StarNFTFN isn't going it alone. They've secured the backing of influential figures like Polygon founder Sandeep Nailwal and established partnerships with industry leaders such as OpenSea and Binance Smart Chain.Positioned for a BreakoutFollowing a successful first presale round, the second stage is underway. Investors are eager to grab a share of the 25 million tokens available. Early adopters are already seeing rewards, with stage 1 investors enjoying a 20% paper profit.Potential to Surpass Established Players?With a well-structured tokenomic model and events like the Bitcoin Halving acting as catalysts, NFTFN has the potential to deliver a staggering 50x return on investment for presale participants. This meteoric rise could position it to challenge even Solana's impressive ATH.Don't Miss the OpportunityThe NFTFN presale has already surpassed a remarkable $600,000, with over 20 million tokens finding new homes. This enthusiastic response is a testament to the immense potential of SuperNova (SNV).Join the PresaleStage 1: The initial stage offered a limited pool of 10 million tokens at an incredible price of $0.025 each. It sold out rapidly, highlighting the enormous investor demand.Stage 2: The second stage is nearing completion, with 25 million tokens available at a slightly increased yet undervalued price of $0.030 each. This limited-time opportunity allows investors to secure NFTFN tokens at a competitive rate before prices rise in subsequent stages.By participating in the presale, investors are aligning themselves with a rapidly growing NFT market expected to reach a staggering $230 billion by 2030.Discover the Most Exclusive Presale Opportunity of 2024 Now:Visit NFTFN Token PresaleNFTFN Official WebsiteJoin Official Telegram GroupFollow Official X AccountMedia Contact:Name - Abhishek Email -abhishek@ nftfn.xyzCompany - NFTFN City - Kingstown Country - St. Vincent and the GrenadinesSOURCE: NFTFN PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 16:16:30 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 600 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Do you, or did you, own shares of Doximity, Inc. (NYSE:DOCS)?Did you purchase your shares between February 9, 2022 and April 1, 2024, inclusive?Did you lose money in your investment in Doximity, Inc.?Do you want to discuss your rights?NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the common stock of Doximity, Inc. ("Doximity" or the "Company") (NYSE:DOCS) between February 9, 2022 and April 1, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the "Complaint").If you purchased or acquired Doximity common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Doximity, Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later thanJune 17, 2024 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.According to the Complaint, Defendants repeatedly touted the Company's business prospects and the sustainability of its revenue growth and profitability, while downplaying both the impact of competition and tightening macroeconomic conditions, as well as Doximity's reliance on "upselling" products and services (such as additional advertising) to existing customers to sustain performance and future growth.On August 8, 2023, after the market closed, Doximity provided disappointing guidance for the second quarter of fiscal year 2024 and slashed its guidance for the full fiscal year 2024. In conjunction with the disappointing guidance, Doximity announced that it would reduce its workforce by approximately 10%.On this news, Doximity's stock price fell $7.49 per share, or nearly 23%, to close at $25.30 per share on August 9, 2023.Then, on April 1, 2024, Jehoshaphat Research published a report alleging, among other things, that "Doximity's underlying sales . . . are declining at a negative -3-6% rate, but [] this decline has been masked through accelerated revenue recognition." On this news, Doximity's stock price fell almost 2%, closing at $25.80 per share on April 1, 2024.If you purchased or acquired Doximity common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Doximity, Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for sixteen consecutive years.ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2024 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.Contact Information:Peter AlloccoInvestor Relations ManagerBernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (212) 951-2030 pallocco@ bernlieb.com SOURCE: Bernstein Liebhard LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 06:10:51 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 627 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / At the heart of San Francisco, TRUSTKID is making a name for itself as a tech-driven media startup with the goal to elevate the voices of the world's mission-driven brands and individuals.Spearheaded by Oliver Kim (21) and powered by Blingkle Labs, TRUSTKID leverages the collective talent of an all-Gen Z ensemble that has previously contributed to raising over $45 million in their early-stage startup valuation.Kim's unique personal background cannot be overlooked. With support from South Korea's dictator Park Jung Hee in the 1970s, Kim's grandfather, Kim Jung Woong, founded the Korean Folk Village, a cultural site in South Korea dedicated to preserving traditional Korean customs with a real estate value of approximately 3 billion USD. Kim's maternal grandmother is now-passed Chun Rak Won of Paradise Company Inc., one of Asia's wealthiest first-generation casino tycoons. Despite his upbringing, Kim, as a teenager, found himself with a deeper longing for fulfillment beyond the comfort of his family's generational wealth.As a teenager, Kim was drawn to the world of entrepreneurship, entering the startup world by bootstrapping and exiting two startups in the ed-tech and e-commerce sectors as a high school student at Brooks School. He later established Blingkle Labs with fellow Gen Z serial entrepreneurs and operators who share the same level of passion as him in the startup space. Blingkle Labs is a San Francisco-based, mission-driven venture studio that draws a wide network of young industrial engineers from institutions like Disney, Citadel, and the MIT Media Lab, as well as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. The Studio focuses on creating ventures that address global challenges like the mental health crisis, infusing TRUSTKID, one of its portfolio startups, with a deep sense of mission and purpose.Johnny Rapp (26), co-founder of TRUSTKID, discovered his talent even earlier than Kim. He started his career in marketing at the age of 13, quickly establishing his reputation as the internet marketing prodigy.' When Rapp was just 18 years old, he led and managed a team of digital marketers to plan, execute, and oversee campaigns for public figures like Jennifer Lopez, Drake Bell, and Terrell Owens.Beyond that, TRUSTKID team directed the growth of 13 social media accounts with a total of more than 18 million followers as of January 2024, including the household social media account @clips that has more than 14 million followers. As of the aforementioned date, these accounts have generated more than 15 billion video views and, together, attract up to 2.4 billion views every month, with an average of 1.3 billion, demonstrating the Team's ability to engage and scale audiences online at a rapid pace.TRUSTKID has developed end-to-end digital marketing solutions for brands and individuals of all sizes by combining the analytical strengths of AI with human marketers' creative direction.Kim emphasizes that TRUSTKID combines the "best of both worlds" by combining technological precision of the latest tech with talented human marketers' insights. TRUSTKID utilizes machine learning algorithms to predict digital trends, personalize content, and optimize engagement. Then, marketers at TRUSTKID enriches this data with creative storytelling and strategic oversight. "In a nutshell," says Kim, the co-founder.Kim says, "When it comes to partnerships, we look for brands and individuals whose missions are positively impactful and truly worthy of being seen and heard by a larger audience. I think that's another aspect of TRUSTKID that sets us apart from our competitors." As the world of marketing continues to evolve, Kim and Rapp remain committed to transforming how brands and individuals with missions communicate with the world, making sure their messages not only spread widely but also inspire action and change.Media DetailsContact Person Name: Oliver Kim Contact Email: oliver_kim@ blingklelabs.xyz Company: TRUSTKIDWebsite URL: https://www.trustkid.co Location: San Francisco, United StatesSOURCE: TRUSTKID PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 19:32:20 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 502 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Announcement reflects Avenue Z's client-centric focus as the Company unifies its branding under one banner and strengthens its Senior Executive Team for its next stage of growth.NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 /Avenue Z, a strategic marketing and communications company announces the appointment of Jessica Dalziel as its Chief Client Officer. Dalziel brings over 15 years of experience in unlocking top-tier solutions, fostering innovative thinking, and harnessing exceptional talent across strategic accounts. With this appointment, she will oversee the full breadth of client relationships across the Company."Our strategy revolves around nurturing the growth and success of our clients across multiple channels. To accomplish this, we're embracing a more client-centric approach than ever before," stated Jeffrey Herzog , Chairman and CEO of Avenue Z." Jess' natural leadership talents and steadfast connections bolster and accelerate our commitment to industry-wide revolution, amplifying customer experiences along the way." Dalziel will enhance client experience through solutions tailored to each client's unique needs and business goals, elevate service delivery standards, and fortify Avenue Z's reputation as a trusted advisor in the industry. In this role, Dalziel will report to the company's COO,Dave Johnson."Jess has been pivotal in shaping NightWise's strategic marketing initiatives, elevating our brand's presence, and fostering smooth, productive collaborations with her exceptional talent and friendly demeanor", said Danny RinaldiFounder & CEO of NightWise. "Her adept management of complex projects has positioned us as frontrunners in the sleep industry, while her partnership with every team member has greatly contributed to our successes." Dalziel shared, "Many agencies focus solely on advancing technologies such as AI or the latest trends. A successful client strategy harnesses both but never loses sight of human empathy and trust. It delves into the intricacies of each client's needs, enabling our teams to tailor solutions that resonate on a deeper level and drive impactful results. I'm thrilled to leverage my background to strengthen our client relationships and bring unparalleled value alongside the talented team at Avenue Z".Before joining Avenue Z, Dalziel served as the VP of Strategic Accounts at Investis Digital in New York. In this role, she spearheaded business growth, innovative processes, and resources, with a keen focus on business development and nurturing client relationships. Prior to that, Dalziel held value-creation positions at Isobar, a dentsu company, where she adeptly coordinated project plans on a global scale, seamlessly integrating them across diverse stakeholders.Dalziel earned her MBA from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, and a bachelor's degree in Advertising from Grand Valley State University.Avenue Z is a strategic marketing and communications company breaking traditional boundaries between marketing, advertising and PR. From the Wall Street Journal to TikTok, PR to social and search, we create narratives that drive commerce, connections, and conversion, across all channels. With experts, tech and teams based in New York, Boston, Orlando, Miami and global reach - we drive influence. Visit www.avenuez.com Contact DetailsAvenue Z Madeleine Worrall+1 817-808-1521 madeleine.worrall@bevelpr.com SOURCE: AVENUE Z PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 16:16:43 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 606 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Bernstein Liebhard LLP:Do you, or did you, own shares of Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC)?Did you purchase your shares between November 4, 2020 and November 2, 2022, inclusive?Did you lose money in your investment in Lincoln National Corporation?Do you want to discuss your rights?Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the securities of Lincoln National Corporation ("Lincoln National" or the "Company") (NYSE: LNC) between November 4, 2020 and November 2, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the "Complaint").If you purchased or acquired Lincoln National securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Lincoln National Corporation Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later thanJune 24, 2024 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.According to the Complaint, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) the Company was experiencing a decline in its variable universal life insurance business; (2) the goodwill associated with the life insurance business was overstated; (3) the Company's policy lapse assumptions were outdated; (4) the Company's reserves were overstated; and (5) the Company's reported financial results and financial statements were misstated.On November 2, 2022, after the market closed, Lincoln National released its third quarter 2022 financial results, reporting a net loss of $2.6 billion for the quarter. This was compared to a net income of $318 million for the third quarter of 2021 the previous year. The Company explained that "[t]he current quarter's adjusted operating results included net unfavorable notable items of $2.0 billion, or $11.62 per share, related to the company's annual review of DAC and reserve assumptions." The Company also disclosed that it "incurred a $634 million goodwill impairment to the life insurance business." On this news, Lincoln's stock price fell $17.27, or 33.2%, to close at $34.83 per share on November 3, 2022.If you purchased or acquired Lincoln National securities, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Lincoln National Corporation Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for sixteen consecutive years.ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2024 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.Contact Information:Peter AlloccoInvestor Relations ManagerBernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (212) 951-2030 pallocco@ bernlieb.com SOURCE: Bernstein Liebhard LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 04:50:56 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 420 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / May 20, 2024 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until June 24, 2024to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Lincoln National Corporation (NYSE:LNC), if they purchased or otherwise acquired the Company's securities between November 4, 2020 and November 2, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Lincoln National and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-lnc/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action, you must petition the Court byJune 24, 2024 .About the LawsuitLincoln National and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On November 2, 2022, post-market, the Company released its 3Q 2022 financial results, disclosing a net loss of $2.6 billion for the quarter, compared to a net income of $318 million for the third quarter of 2021 the previous year, due to "net unfavorable notable items of $2.0 billion, or $11.62 per share, related to the company's annual review of DAC and reserve assumptions," and that the Company "incurred a $634 million goodwill impairment to the life insurance business." On this news, the price of Lincoln's shares fell by $17.27, or 33.2%, to close at $34.83 per share on November 3, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.The case is Meade v. Lincoln National Corporation, et al., No. 24-cv-01704.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, Delaware, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partnerlewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 16:41:11 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 432 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Cincinnati's leading veterinary services, Animal Care Center (ACC), is proud to announce and invite the community to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its newest facility in Anderson on May 23, 2024, at 11 am.CINCINNATI, OH / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Cincinnati's leading veterinary services, Animal Care Center (ACC), is proud to announce and invite the community to a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its newest facility in Anderson on May 23, 2024, at 11 am.Dr. Ben Walter and Tigger With existing locations in Forest Park, Fairfield, and Blue Ash, the addition of the Anderson location further solidifies ACC's commitment to providing top-notch care to pets across the Cincinnati area.For over 40 years, Animal Care Center has been dedicated to offering a complete range of veterinary services, ensuring beloved pets' optimal health and well-being. From routine check-ups to emergency procedures, ACC's team of experienced veterinarians utilizes the latest in veterinary technology to provide comprehensive care for dogs and cats."At Animal Care Center, we understand that pets are more than just animals - they're family members," said Dr. Alyssa Myers, Lead Veterinarian at ACC. "With the opening of our Anderson location, we're excited to extend our exceptional services to even more pet owners in the Cincinnati area." The new Anderson facility boasts state-of-the-art amenities and a team of skilled professionals dedicated to providing compassionate care to furry companions. Whether it's routine vaccinations, dental cleanings, or advanced medical treatments, pet owners can trust ACC to deliver high-quality care in a welcoming environment."At ACC, we believe in going above and beyond to keep pets healthy, happy, and thriving," added Dr. Myers. "We're thrilled to open our doors in Anderson and look forward to serving the needs of the local pet community." The Anderson location will host an open house on June 1, 2024, with special promotions and activities planned for pet owners and their furry companions. For more information about Animal Care Center and its services, visit www.animalcarecenters.net Media Contact: Jenny Baker, Public Relations at (513) 405-0718 Email: Jenny.Baker@cvpco.com About Animal Care Center: Animal Care Center (ACC) is Cincinnati's leading provider of veterinary services, pet care, boarding, and grooming. With convenient locations in Forest Park, Fairfield, Blue Ash, and now Anderson, ACC has been serving the Cincinnati community for over 40 years. Committed to providing compassionate care and state-of-the-art services, ACC offers a complete range of veterinary services to keep pets healthy and happy. For more information, visit www.animalcarecenters.net Contact InformationJenny BakerDirector of Strategic Communicationsjenny.baker@cvpco.com 513-405-0718SOURCE: Animal Care CenterView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 18:01:06 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 510 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 New State-of-the-Art Facility Offers Unique Non-Surgical Treatments for Chronic PainDUBAI, ARAB EMIRATES / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Physiowell , a Physiotherapy, Osteopathy and Chiropractic center in Dubai, is raising the bar higher than ever for patient-centered treatment and healthcare quality. Established by the forward-thinking businessman Zafer El Khatib, Physiowell is leading the way in the UAE's wellness revolution. The facility is impressively devoted to improving the physical health of its community by using customized and cutting-edge wellness strategies.Physiowell Center Physiowell is a chiropractic, osteopathy, and physiotherapy center (physio) in Jumeirah, Dubai Zafer's Expertise in Wellness Transformation in the UAEWell-known in Dubai's business community, Zafer El Khatib offers a wealth of experience and creativity to the physical therapy industry. With a decade of experience in design and building, as well as a background in business administration and civil engineering from the American University of Beirut, Zafer's strategic vision has been essential in developing the culture and cutting-edge infrastructure of Physiowell. His knowledge of the UAE's changing market and his connections with important business figures have been crucial in creating a wellness facility that not only meets but also exceeds patient expectations. With a dedication to wellness transformation in the UAE, Zafer believes in always moving forward conscientiously in a competitive environment.Personalized Wellness Services in the UAEPhysiowell works with a very simple philosophy and that is prioritizing patient care above everything else. Every patient receives individualized therapy that is catered to their unique health concerns and wellness objectives. Every facet of the facility demonstrates this patient-first philosophy, from the selection of its highly qualified team of international physiotherapists, osteopaths, and chiropractors to the custom treatment programs created for each patient.The innovative wellness approach by Physiowell is what they hold at the core of their ethos. The facility is proud to offer the Vertonex iDU machine, a state-of-the-art technology for non-surgical relief of herniated discs. This exclusive machine uses advanced technology to provide effective and long-lasting relief for patients suffering from herniated discs. With a remarkable success rate, the Vertonex iDU machine is a game-changer for those seeking a non-invasive solution for their disc-related pain.Leading Wellness Services in the UAEChiropractic care: Proficiency in using spine adjustments and manipulations to treat headaches, neck discomfort, and back pain.Physiotherapy: Tailored treatment plans intended to regain mobility, strength, and functionality.Osteopathy: A complete medical discipline that enhances general health and well-being by addressing the alignment of the body.Disc non-surgical treatment: The Vertonex iDU machine uses technology to precisely determine the pressure in the area of the vertebral segments and intervertebral discs, ensuring safe and efficient treatment for acute and chronic disc problems.Physiowell's dedicated and experienced team of specialists is dedicated to offering individualized wellness services, creating a true haven for people looking for a comprehensive route to recovery and ideal health. They aim, as best as possible, to ensure that every patient not only recovers but flourishes.Contact InformationZafer ElKhatib CEOinfo@ physiowell.ae +971(4)2692121SOURCE: Physiowell Chiropractic and Physiotherapy Center in DubaiView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 14:00:42 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 496 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Willems Brings Deep Experience to the Burgeoning European Retail Media MarketSAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / PRN announced the launch of a new in-store retail media focused division, PRN Europe, led by industry veteran Tijmen Willems, PRN Europe Vice President of Retail Media EMEA. In this role, Willems will spearhead the growth of PRN In-Store Retail Media Networks in Europe. Willems and his team will partner with PRN sister company Scala to develop new retail media platforms with current retail clients and prospects and will grow PRN's retail media sales organization in the EMEA region.Tijmen Willems Tijmen Willems, PRN Europe Vice President of Retail Media EMEA.Willems , based in Amsterdam, has deep experience working in retail media and leading growth. Having previously held the Country Director Benelux and Nordics role with Criteo, an industry leader in handling media programs for some of the world's top e-commerce retailers, Willems was responsible for setting and implementing Criteo's growth strategy."With exceptional expertise and vision, we are confident that Tijmen will drive significant growth in retail media advertising sales for our clients, further solidifying our position as the global leader for in-store retail media advertising," commented PRN CEO Kevin Carbone. "With the number and quality of in-store retail media networks in Europe projected to grow dramatically in the next three to five years, Scala and PRN offer a complete in-store solution that creates a superior in-store shopper experience and delivers maximum retail media revenue to retailers." "I look forward to supporting retailers and brands in creating innovative in-store experiences that drive sales and increase customer engagement. The STRATACACHE group offers a unique suite of solutions that provides retailers and brands with greater in-store performance measurement and gives consumers a more personalized shopping experience. Together with the talented team, we will further grow the business in EMEA," said Willems.Chuck Billups, PRN SVP Global Retail Media, adds, "Tijmen brings years of experience to this role, striking the perfect balance between shopper experience and delivering retailer revenue results for our partners. Getting him on the team and working with Scala's retail technology experts and the rest of PRN's in-store retail media experts is going to have a huge impact." About PRN:PRN, part of the STRATACACHE family of marketing technology companies, delivers end-to-end solutions providing retail media monetization, hardware, software, services and support, driving content to 41,000+ screens for major brands in over 13,000 locations. PRN has over 30 years of success in architecting, deploying, and monetizing multi-stakeholder rich media networks. PRN's proprietary set of tools, technologies, content partnerships and creative services have been expressly designed to deliver fresh and engaging experiences that delight out-of-home and retail consumers, engage brands, and deliver maximum value to our venue partners. Learn more about PRN at www.prn.com , on LinkedIn, Twitter @PRNllc or on Facebook.Contact InformationAndrea PoleyDirector, Communications & Digital Marketingandrea.poley@scala.com 610-704-8142SOURCE: PRNView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 09:02:37 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 532 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / In the afternoon of October 4, 2024, Li's client, a 68-year-old real estate agent/property manager/loan originator and a breast cancer survivor was on her way out of a Safeway parking lot in San Mateo, when she was hit on her driver side by an elderly driver who was making a left turn. After the impact, the elderly driver was rude and refused to give Li's client her driver license information or her car insurance policy number.In the next two days after the collision, Li's client's condition rapidly worsened, and on day three, she was rushed to the hospital for severe sepsis. She stayed in the hospital for seven days. It turns out because Li's client was a cancer survivor and because she had diabetes and was on blood thinner medications, Li's client was more susceptible to seatbelt injury than a normal healthy person. Li's client sustained two hematomas (blood clots) from the seatbelt injury: one in her left breast and one in her right pelvis. The hematoma caused infection to her bladder which threw her into sepsis. In the next three years, Li's client was in and out of hospital for a total of eight breast surgeries, trying to remove the hematoma. Eventually, the doctor decided to perform a complete mastectomy of her entire left breast.The elderly driver's insurance is Farmers Insurance. After unable to receive any offer pre lawsuit from Farmers insurance, Li filed the lawsuit in San Mateo Superior Court on June 8, 2022, Chang v. Webb, case No. 22CIV02340. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Farmers Insurance's last offer was $100,000. Farmers Insurance disputes the severity of the injury, brushing it off as a low impact collision--it claims the difference in impact speed is only 3 miles per hour and car repair only costs a couple of thousand dollars.After reviewing thousands of pages of medical records, consulting with the best medical experts in the area, and deposing treating doctors, Li was able to make Farmers Insurance pay its policy limit of $1,5000,000 to Li's client on the eve of trial. The settlement was reached on May 8, 2024."I am happy for my client. What I can get for my client pales in comparison with the amount of pain and humiliation she has to suffer through. No woman would want to lose her own breast. I am glad that this is over," said Teresa Li.About Teresa Li, Law Offices of Teresa Li, PCTeresa Li has recovered over $35 million on behalf of injured clients. She specializes in traumatic brain injury/concussion in addition to other practice areas including brain injury, Uber/Lyft, car, truck, bike and motorcycle accidents, wrongful death and more. Li has been selected by Super Lawyers Magazine as Super Lawyers in 2024, and repeatedly selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star and has been included in the Top Women Attorneys in Northern California list since 2014. For more information, please call (888) 635-3259, or visit http://www.lawofficesofteresali.com . The law office is located at 315 Montgomery Street, 9th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104. To read more about Teresa Li in the news, please visitLaw Offices of Teresa Li, PC .SOURCE: Law Offices of Teresa Li, PC PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 14:00:49 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 1038 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Closing of Metaworld Corporation's (dba Syntheia) Brokered Private PlacementVANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Stock Trend Capital Inc. (CSE:PUMP)(FRA:P0G)(OTC PINK:STOCF) (the "Company" or "Stock Trend") is pleased to provide an update on its investment in Metaworld Corporation (dba Syntheia) ("Syntheia"), a Canadian-based AI technology company operating, developing, and commercializing conversational AI technology.On May 16, 2024, a news release was issued announcing the closing of Syntheia's brokered private placement offering of subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts") through the issuance of 8,144,199 Subscription Receipts for gross proceeds of $2,850,469.65 (the "Financing"). The May 16th, 2024, press release is referenced below in its entirety.Additional Information - News Release131 Announces Closing of Private Placement of 8,144,199 Subscription Receipts in SyntheiaMay 16, 2024 - Toronto, Ontario - 1319472 B.C. Ltd. ("131") is pleased to announce, further to its press release dated April 12, 2024, the closing of Metaworld Corporation's (dba Syntheia) ("Syntheia") brokered private placement offering of subscription receipts (the "Subscription Receipts") through the issuance of 8,144,199 Subscription Receipts for gross proceeds of $2,850,469.65 (the "Financing"). Syntheia may close a second tranche of the Financing in the upcoming weeks.The Financing was carried out in connection with the proposed reverse takeover of 131 by Syntheia by way of amalgamation (the "Proposed Transaction") pursuant to the terms of an amended and restated letter agreement (the "Amended Letter Agreement") dated April 10, 2024. The resulting issuer from the Proposed Transaction (the "Resulting Issuer") will continue to operate the business of Syntheia. 131 has applied to list the Resulting Issuer's common shares on Cboe Canada Inc. (the "Exchange") and, if and upon the satisfaction of the Exchange's initial listing requirements, the common shares of the Resulting Issuer are expected to begin trading on the Exchange following the closing of the Proposed Transaction.Assuming the closing of the Proposed Transaction and completion of the listing on the Exchange, the net proceeds from the Financing will be used by the Resulting Issuer for operational expansion, business development and working capital purposes.Pursuant to the Financing, Syntheia, First Republic Capital Corporation and 131 entered into a subscription receipt agreement (the "Subscription Receipt Agreement") dated May 16, 2024 with Endeavor Trust Corporation as subscription receipt agent (the "Subscription Receipt Agent").The Financing was brokered by First Republic Capital Corp. as lead agent (the "Lead Agent") and Hampton Securities Ltd. (together with the Lead Agent, the "Agents"). In connection with the closing of the Financing, Syntheia paid 50% of: (a) a fee of $7,253.40 (the "Advisory Fee") for advisory services provided to Syntheia in connection with the Financing; (b) a corporate finance fee of $49,755.99 payable to the Lead Agent (the "Corporate Finance Fee"); (c) aggregate cash fees of $171,028.18 payable to the Agents and certain eligible persons (the "Commission" and together with the Advisory Fee and the Corporate Finance Fee the "Cash Compensation"); and (c) the Agents' expenses. The remaining 50% of the Cash Compensation and the Agents' expenses has been deposited into escrow with the Subscription Receipt Agent and shall be released upon satisfaction or waiver of the escrow release conditions set out in the Subscription Receipt Agreement, together with any interest earned thereon.In addition, Syntheia has issued: (a) 20,724 advisory warrants (the "Advisory Warrants") to the Lead Agent; (b) 142,160 corporate finance warrants (the "Corporate Finance Warrants") to the Lead Agent; and (c) 488,652 compensation warrants (the "Compensation Warrants", together with the Advisory Warrants and the Corporate Finance Warrants, the "Agent's Warrants") to the Agents and certain eligible persons. Each Agent's Warrant entitles the holder to subscribe for one Unit at $0.35 for a period for twenty-four (24) months from the date that the Resulting Issuer's common shares commence trading on the Exchange.Upon the satisfaction or waiver of, among other things, all of the condition precedents to the completion of the Proposed Transaction, each Subscription Receipt will be exchanged for one unit of Syntheia (a "Unit") with each Unit being comprised of one (1) common share of Syntheia (a "Common Share") and one (1) Common Share purchase warrant of Syntheia (a "Warrant"). Each Warrant will be exercisable for one Common Share at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of 24 months following the date that the Resulting Issuer shares begin trading on the Exchange.Upon closing of the Proposed Transaction, the Common Shares, Warrants and Agents' Warrants will be exchanged for Resulting Issuer shares and Resulting Issuer warrants on economically equivalent terms on a 1:1 basis.The Warrants are subject to acceleration at Syntheia' option, if at any time prior to the expiry of the Warrants the 10-day volume-weighted average price of the Resulting Issuer shares is greater than $0.75, provided that: (i) the Resulting Issuer disseminates a press release providing notice of its intention to accelerate the expiry of the Warrants, and (ii) the accelerated expiry date of the Warrants falls on the earlier of (unless exercised by the holder prior to such date): the 30th day after the date of dissemination of such press release, and/or 24 months following the listing of the Resulting Issuer shares on the Exchange.The securities referred to in this news release have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from the U.S. registration requirements. This release does not constitute an offer for sale of, nor a solicitation for offers to buy, any securities in the United States. Any public offering of securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus containing detailed information about the issuer and its management, as well as financial statements.Additional Information The common shares of 131 have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement. This press release shall no PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 16:19:23 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 717 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Do you, or did you, own shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH)? Did you purchase your shares between March 14, 2022 and February 27, 2024, inclusive? Did you lose money in your investment in UnitedHealth Group Inc.? Do you want to discuss your rights? NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the common stock of UnitedHealth Group Inc. ("UnitedHealth" or the "Company") (NYSE:UNH) between March 14, 2022 and February 27, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the "Complaint").If you purchased or acquired UnitedHealth common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit UnitedHealth Group Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later thanJuly 15, 2024 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.UnitedHealth is a health care and well-being company comprised of two distinct and complementary businesses: Optum and UnitedHealthcare. UnitedHealthcare provides health insurance to individuals, employers, and small businesses and is the largest insurance provider in the United States. Optum provides healthcare-related services, including software solutions, payment services, and data analytics.On February 24, 2022, the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ") filed a lawsuit challenging UnitedHealth's previously announced acquisition of Change Healthcare ("Change"). The DOJ alleged that the proposed acquisition would violate antitrust laws because the integration of Change and Optum would give UnitedHealth unparalleled access to information regarding nearly every health insurer, as well as health data on every single American. UnitedHealth assured the DOJ, investors and customers that Optum would "maintain robust firewall processes" to prevent confidential supervisory information (CSI) from being shared between Optum and UnitedHealthcare.On February 27, 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that the DOJ had re-opened its antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth. In that article, the public learned for the first time that the DOJ was investigating the relationships between the Company's various segments, including Optum.UnitedHealth was aware of the DOJ investigation since at least October 2023. Instead of disclosing this material investigation to investors or the public, UnitedHealth insiders sold more than $120 million of their personally held UnitedHealth shares. In the four months between learning about the DOJ investigation and the investigation becoming public, UnitedHealth's Chairman Stephen Hemsley sold over $102 million of his personally held UnitedHealth shares and Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, sold over $15 million of his personally held UnitedHealth shares.On this news, UnitedHealth's stock price fell $15.14 per share, or 2.95%, to close at $498.28 per share on February 28, 2024.If you purchased or acquired UnitedHealth common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit UnitedHealth Group Inc. Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for sixteen consecutive years.ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2024 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.Contact Information:Peter Allocco Investor Relations ManagerBernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (212) 951-2030 pallocco@ bernlieb.com SOURCE: Bernstein Liebhard LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 19:40:44 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 542 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 California company offers customized solutions depending on a business' requirements to facilitate them during relocation.CONCORD, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Valley Relocation, a renowned provider of commercial relocation services, announces its commitment to delivering tailored relocation solutions to businesses across the Bay Area. With a wealth of experience and a dedication to customer satisfaction, Valley Relocation continues to redefine industry standards by offering personalized services that cater to the unique needs of businesses in this dynamic region.Trucks in transit during the day.Understanding the diverse requirements and challenges faced by businesses in the Bay Area, Valley Relocation specializes in crafting customized relocation strategies that ensure a seamless transition to new locations. From start to finish, the company's team of experts works closely with clients to develop comprehensive plans for the process.Key features of Valley Relocation's tailored relocation services in the Bay Area include:Comprehensive Consultation: Valley Relocation begins each project with a detailed consultation to understand the specific needs and objectives of the client. By taking the time to listen and assess the unique circumstances of each business, the company develops personalized relocation plans that align with their goals and requirements.Flexible Solutions: Recognizing the ever-changing nature of the Bay Area market, Valley Relocation offers flexible solutions that adapt to evolving needs and circumstances. Whether clients require adjustments to their timeline, additional services, or changes to their relocation strategy, the company remains agile and responsive to ensure a successful outcome.Specialized Expertise: With years of experience serving businesses in the Bay Area, Valley Relocation possesses specialized expertise in navigating the complexities of local regulations, traffic patterns, and logistical challenges. This knowledge allows the company to anticipate potential obstacles and implement strategies to overcome them, ensuring a smooth and efficient relocation process.Transparent Communication: Valley Relocation believes in transparent communication throughout the relocation journey. Clients in the Bay Area can expect regular updates, clear explanations of processes, and open lines of communication with the company's team of professionals, fostering trust and confidence every step of the way.Exceptional Customer Support: The company's dedicated team of experts is committed to providing exceptional support and guidance to clients throughout the relocation process. Whether addressing inquiries, resolving issues, or providing assistance, Valley Relocation ensures that clients receive the highest level of service and support.Commenting on the company's dedication to serving businesses in the Bay Area, a spokesperson for Valley Relocation stated, "We understand the unique needs and challenges faced by businesses in the Bay Area, and we are committed to providing tailored relocation services that exceed expectations. With our personalized approach and unwavering commitment to excellence, we aim to deliver a seamless and stress-free relocation experience for every client." For a comprehensive overview of Valley Relocation's services, prospective clients can explore their website. Alternatively, their customer service team is readily available to answer any questions.About Valley RelocationValley Relocation boasts an impressive near-forty-year history as a leading California commercial relocation provider. Their unwavering dedication to client satisfaction and achieving the highest quality standards has positioned them as a trusted partner for businesses navigating the complexities of relocating to new facilities.Contact Information:Contact: Terri Mierkey Website: https://valleyrelocation.com/ Phone Number: (800) 284-6285 Address: 5000 Marsh Creek Road, Concord CASOURCE: Valley Relocation PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 16:19:25 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 678 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Bernstein Liebhard LLP:Do you, or did you, own shares of Vestis Corporation (NYSE:VSTS)?Did you purchase your shares between October 2, 2023 and May 1, 2024, inclusive?Did you lose money in your investment in Vestis Corporation?Do you want to discuss your rights?Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the common stock of Vestis Corporation ("Vestis" or the "Company") (NYSE: VSTS) between October 2, 2023 and May 1, 2024, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the "Complaint").If you purchased or acquired Vestis common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Vestis Corporation Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later thanJuly 16, 2024 . A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.Vestis was created as the result of its September 2023 spinoff from food service and facilities services provider Aramark, in which Vestis became an independent publicly traded company (the "Spinoff"). Prior to the Spinoff, the company that was to become Vestis operated as the Aramark Uniform Services division of Aramark, providing rental uniforms and workplace supplies, including uniform delivery; laundering for rental linens, floor mats, and towels; restroom services; and first-aid supplies.According to the Complaint, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Aramark had historically underinvested in the business that became Vestis; (2) Vestis operated with outdated facilities and an underperforming sales force; and (3) Vestis' outdated facilities and underperforming sales force led to "service gaps" that had impeded the Company's levers of growth and had resulted in customer attrition.On May 2, 2024, Vestis issued a press release reporting its financial results for the second quarter of FY2024 ended March 29, 2024. The Company reported revenue of $705 million, a mere 0.9% year-over-year increase. CEO Scott was quoted in the press release, stating, "Our results in the quarter and our outlook for the year are not in line with expectations." Indeed, in the press release, Vestis also provided a "Revised Fiscal Year 2024 Outlook," reporting that it "now expect[ed] to deliver fiscal 2024 revenue growth in the range of [negative] (1)% to 0%."On this news, Vestis' stock price fell $8.31 per share, or nearly 45%, to close at $10.16 per share on May 2, 2024.If you purchased or acquired Vestis common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit Vestis Corporation Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@ bernlieb.com Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal's "Plaintiffs' Hot List" thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for sixteen consecutive years.ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. 2024 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.Contact Information:Peter AlloccoInvestor Relations ManagerBernstein Liebhard LLP https://www.bernlieb.com (212) 951-2030 pallocco@ bernlieb.com SOURCE: Bernstein Liebhard LLP PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 18:01:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 378 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 Vedula harnesses decades of expertise in technology, operations, and product development to propel WellnessLiving's growth trajectory into 2024 and beyond.TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / WellnessLiving, the fastest-growing, all-in-one business management software for the fitness and wellness industry announced today the appointment of Krishna Vedula as its Chief Technology and Product Officer.Krishna Vedula WellnessLiving Appoints Krishna Vedula as Chief Technology and Product OfficerIn this role, Krishna will oversee the development and implementation of technology across the entire company, including Product Engineering, Artificial Intelligence (AI) development, Product Management, Technology Operations, and Information Security, among other areas."We're thrilled to welcome Krishna to the WellnessLiving team," said Len Fridman, CEO and co-founder of WellnessLiving. "Krishna's proven track record of driving exponential growth and shareholder value using technology and product innovation makes him the perfect fit for WellnessLiving. We're excited to welcome him aboard and look forward to the incredible contributions he will make to our company." Previously, Krishna has held leadership roles across technology, operations, and product development at notable companies, including 365 Retail Markets, ACI Worldwide, Lumen Technologies, among others. Most recently, at 365 Retail Markets, he led his teams to consistently deliver award-winning innovations in hardware, software, and payment solutions. These achievements, year after year, resulted from both in-house developments and multiple strategic acquisitions. His success was fueled by close collaboration with key customers and internal stakeholders, guaranteeing the alignment and integration of cutting-edge solutions."I am excited to join WellnessLiving and work alongside such a talented team, dedicated to revolutionizing the fitness and wellness industry. I look forward to leveraging the potential of AI and technology to enhance our platform and provide even more value to our customers," said Krishna Vedula.Before his time at 365 Retail Markets, Krishna spent several years at ACI Worldwide and Lumen driving transformational initiatives while managing world-class teams of hundreds of engineers around the globe. Krishna holds a master's in business from Mumbai University and executive education from Harvard Business School.Please join us in welcoming Krishna Vedula to the WellnessLiving family. Together, we will redefine the standard for fitness and wellness solutions and empower businesses to thrive.Contact InformationNadia MilaniVP of Marketingpr@ wellnessliving.com 1-888-668-7728SOURCE: WellnessLivingView the original press release on newswire.com PR-Inside.com: 2024-05-21 15:03:08 Press Information Published by ACCESSWIRE News Network 888.952.4446 e-mail http://www.accesswire.com # 537 Words ACCESSWIRE News Network888.952.4446 PASADENA, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2024 / Whittier Trust, the oldest multi-family office headquartered on the West Coast, is pleased to announce that Greg Geary has joined the firm as Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer in its Pasadena office.In this role, Greg Geary will spearhead all facets of information technology at Whittier Trust. He joins the firm at a time of extensive growth, creating an immense opportunity to evolve the Whittier Trust IT infrastructure to realize new opportunities to enhance client service. His leadership will also allow for a greater focus on cybersecurity and client data security matters."We are thrilled to welcome Greg Geary to our Whittier Trust team," says Tom Frank, Executive Vice President. "His extensive experience and profound expertise in information technology, particularly within the financial services domain, align seamlessly with our commitment to delivering unparalleled client service. As Whittier Trust continues to experience remarkable growth, Greg's leadership will undoubtedly enhance our technological capabilities and further fortify our position as a leader in wealth management," he added.Greg Geary brings to Whittier Trust more than twenty-five years of comprehensive experience in information technology, with fifteen of those years dedicated to serving financial services firms spanning the investment management, private equity, and mortgage banking sectors. Geary's recent tenure as Vice President at DigitalBridge, an investment management firm, showcases his adeptness in navigating complex IT landscapes within the financial industry. Noteworthy past engagements also include pivotal roles at Disney, IndyMac Bank, and Avanade. Geary holds an MBA in Corporate Finance from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Science in Management Information Systems from California State University Northridge.A distinguished figure in the Southern California IT executive community, Greg Geary serves as an executive board member of Innovate@UCLA, a nonprofit organization with strong affiliations to UCLA, and holds a board position at the Southern California Chapter of the Society of Information Management (SIM), a prominent national IT executive community organization.Greg Geary's appointment underscores Whittier Trust's dedication to fostering innovation and excellence in client service. With a focus on leveraging technology to augment client experiences, bolster client security and drive organizational growth, Whittier Trust remains steadfast in its mission to exceed client expectations and deliver superior wealth management solutions.About Whittier TrustCollectively, Whittier Trust Company and The Whittier Trust Company of Nevada, Inc. (referred to herein individually and collectively as "Whittier Trust") are state-chartered trust companies wholly owned by Whittier Holdings, Inc. ("WHI"), a closely held holding company. As the oldest multi-family office headquartered on the West Coast, Whittier Trust isn't just a financial institution, it's a trusted partner with a long, rich history of successfully navigating the financial markets to preserve, protect, and enhance its clients' wealth and well-being across generations. Whittier Trust operates with the singular focus of providing holistic, top-tier client service and highly personalized investment solutions to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and their families designed to advance and secure their long-term financial legacies and goals. The firm has offices in Pasadena, San Francisco, Menlo Park, Newport Beach, West Los Angeles, Reno, Seattle, Portland and Austin. To learn more, visit http://www.whittiertrust.com Contact:Brandi J. FieldsWhittier TrustEmail: BFields@ whittiertrust.com SOURCE: Whittier Trust The Gambias ambitious transition to democracy started when President Adama Barrow was elected in 2016, ending Yahya Jammehs 22-year rule. But socio-political disagreements are preventing the country from fully breaking away from its autocratic past. The Gambia could become a model for democratic governance in a region affected by coups, democratic backsliding and political instability. Efforts have been made to implement reforms that could redefine the countrys politics and governance. The Gambias democratic potential is clear from its formulation of a draft constitution anchored, among other things, in human rights, the rule of law and institutional checks and balances. External partners and many Gambians view the draft constitution as the mother of all reforms. It provided the basis for security sector reform, transitional justice and judicial and other institutional changes. The draft also introduced presidential term limits, curtailed presidential powers and strengthened judicial powers and the Independent Electoral Commission. However, in September 2020, the National Assembly rejected the draft, which was the product of a two-year consultative process involving Gambian citizens, including those in the diaspora. That rejection has had significant implications for the whole transition process. The draft limited the president to two terms of five years each, consecutive or not meaning Mr Barrow would not be eligible to run in 2026. As candidate of the coalition that defeated Mr Jammeh, he promised to step down after a three-year (2017-2020) transitional period but then ran for another term in December 2021. The main opposition, the United Democratic Party (UDP), has expressed support for the rejected draft and vowed to oppose any amendments. However, Mr Barrows political allies in and outside the ruling National Peoples Party (NPP) rejected a retroactive application of the presidential term limit, saying it should start from the date the new constitution is adopted. The draft constitution also introduces higher requirements for presidential candidacy and electoral victory. A presidential candidate must have a university degree and win an absolute majority of valid votes. The latter is especially significant as it could necessitate a run-off. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Moreover, for the first time, Gambians in the diaspora would have the right to participate in both presidential and parliamentary elections. Proposals for a separate diaspora constituency were, however, rejected. For Mr Barrow and his allies, winning an absolute majority in future elections could prove difficult. The NPP, formed in 2020 following Mr Barrows decision to end an alliance with the UDP, doesnt have enough support for a one-off victory on its own. In April 2022, it failed to win a convincing majority in the National Assembly elections. The party currently holds 24 of the National Assemblys 58 seats, including five nominated by Mr Barrow. Furthermore, the draft constitution subjects the presidents nominations of ministerial posts, key law enforcement and security positions, and the Chief Justice, to approval by the National Assembly. The president would also no longer be able to nominate some National Assembly Members. A total of 53 (of 69) members would be elected from single-member constituencies, 14 women would be voted for separately (two from each administrative area), and two members would be nominated by the national federation for persons with disabilities. Disagreements over these and other provisions, including those on the Gambian states secularity or otherwise, mean the country remains governed by its 1997 Constitution, also known as the Jammeh Constitution. Mediation efforts, including those led by former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, have failed to break the deadlock. The Barrow-allied 23 National Assembly Members who voted to reject the draft seem unlikely to change course, meaning another attempt to pass it would fail. With no clear strategy and roadmap for restarting the reform process, the absence of term limits under the current constitution makes Barrow legally eligible for another term. So far, he hasnt been definitive on a possible 2026 candidacy, but the potential for a controversial and destabilising third term cannot be ruled out. Deciding not to run could reduce tensions and provide a political impetus for restarting the transition. Such a decision would require Barrow to select a successor, which would no doubt spark divisions in the NPP and among allies who may either have presidential ambitions or favour particular individuals. Nevertheless, another Barrow run would certainly deepen tensions, creating political problems that could require an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) intervention as happened during the December 2016 and January 2017 post-election crisis. The nature of such a crisis would depend on the position taken by the opposition. It could accept Mr Barrows candidacy and mobilise to defeat him in the polls or organise mass protests or other actions that might undermine the countrys stability. Post-Jammeh, The Gambia has an opportunity to reshape its politics, institutions and governance. But this can only happen if the countrys political actors and external partners urgently work to end the current stalemate. Political actors especially should demonstrate greater sincerity, adopt a collaborative and consensus-building approach, and be prepared to compromise on thorny issues. ECOWASs 2017 intervention and continued maintenance of the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia has given the regional bloc considerable political and military influence. This could be leveraged to play a more active mediation role in breaking the deadlock. Specifically, it could build consensus on key provisions of the draft constitution and help draft a roadmap for completing the reform process. Continuing to govern under the 1997 Constitution risks undermining the efforts of the Gambian people and international partners. Renewed instability, six years after ECOWAS intervened in the country, would further erode the institutions credibility as it struggles to manage political crises and unconstitutional changes of government in West Africa. Sampson Kwarkye, Project Manager, Paulin Maurice Toupane, Senior Researcher and Seydou Daffe, Junior Fellow, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Regional Office for West Africa, the Sahel and the Lake Chad Basin (This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish). Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The governor of Kebbi State, Nasir Idris, mobilises the military for surveillance operations with N500 million monthly. The Senator representing Kebbi South Senatorial District, Garba Maidoki, disclosed this during the plenary on Tuesday. Mr Maidoki, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the remarks while contributing to a motion sponsored by Isah Jibrin (APC, Kogi East) on the need to rehabilitate communities ravaged by gunmen in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi State. My governor was telling us that every month, he spends N500 million on the Nigerian Army. Where is the money?, the Kebbi senator queried. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, asked if the senator had evidence showing that the Nigerian Army used to receive the money as claimed. Mr Maidoki responded by saying that he is relying on what the governor of Kebbi State told him. Well, that was what he said. I am quoting the governor of Kebbi State he added. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later He, however, cautioned the military from relying solely on the finances of the state governors before mobilising troops for operation. I think if the Nigerian Army relies on the governors to give them money to mobilise for operation, I think, in this country, we are not making any headway. Lives under threat Mr Maidoki also told the Senate that despite the monthly package paid to the Nigerian Army, many of the communities are still under siege by terrorists and the lives of the residents are threatened. Distinguished senator, my people from my senatorial district came to me during Sallah. Our lives are under threat. As a senator representing them, I told them to go and see the governor. They made a convoy and went to see the governor. Unfortunately, the governor was not on seat. They went back. A week later, they were attacked and 20 of them were killed and then we rushed to go and condole them, he narrated. Military base The senator noted that three communities prone to attack have been identified in his senatorial district but the military is not doing enough to stop the attacks despite the money allegedly given to them monthly. We agreed with the Nigeria security when we were here that certain places that are prone to attacks, they will establish front bases there. In my senatorial districts, they have identified three, they set up one. That one alone has reduced our banditry by more than 80 per cent. The remaining two, as I am talking to you, they have not established it and if we appropriate money to the Nigerian Army and they are telling us they cannot set up a base until the governor gives them money, I think we have a problem, Mr Maidoki said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Abuja Light Rail System is set to be inaugurated by President Bola Tinubu for commercial operations, as part of his administrations first-anniversary celebrations. The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, announced this on Monday during an inspection at the Abuja Metro Station in the Central Business District. He inspected the facilities and travelled on the train, making stops at the Stadium, Idu, and Airport stations along the route. He expressed satisfaction with the quality of work and the facilities at the train stations and stated that the project was ready for inauguration for commercial operation by President Tinubu, fulfilling a presidential promise. In a few days, the president will inaugurate the commercial operation of this Metro line. We have to thank God Almighty that we are good to go. We are ready, and you can see the facilities. So, we are very happy, and we thank God the promise Mr President made has been kept, he said. The minister also said that access roads to the train stations had also been completed, allowing residents from various communities to drive to any of the stations and board the train to their destinations. Mr Wike also said some facilities omitted during the projects design, including escalators and lifts for the sick and elderly, as well as air-cooling systems in the waiting areas, would be addressed in due course. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later He assured that these omissions would not hinder the operation. We have been able to identify one or two things that were omitted during the design, and we believe that during the operation, some of those things will be taken into consideration. Particularly, I believe that as a standard metro line, where passengers will be waiting to board the trains, there should be air conditioners. I also thought that some of the stations should have had escalators and lifts for the elderly and those who may not have the strength to climb the staircases. Apart from that, I think we are happy with the work that has been done, and we believe Nigerians will be happy, particularly the residents of the FCT, he said. Mr Wike attributed the achievements by the FCT Administration to the support of President Tinubu, thanking him for his backing. Assuming we were not getting his support, this wouldnt have been a reality. So, we want to thank him for the support, he said. Financial savings in training costs Speaking further on the projects funding details, Mr Wike said that the FCT Administration had renegotiated the training cost for personnel from $128 million to $75 million, thereby saving about $53 million for the federal government. Before we came, the former administration approved $128 million for the training of our people by CCECC for 29 months, and we said no, thats very exorbitant. We renegotiated with CCECC, and now it has been brought down to $75 million. We have saved no less than $53 million for the government, he said. The Abuja Rail Mass Transit scheme consists of eight stations:, namely Abuja Metro, Stadium, Kukwaba I, Kukwaba II, Wupa, Idu, Basanjiwa, and Airport stations. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Army 6 brigade in Taraba State says soldiers attached to Sector 3 Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have arrested two suspected kidnappers and rejected a N2 million bribe offered by the suspects. The brigades acting Public Relations Officer, Oni Olubodunde, stated this in a statement issued in Jalingo on Tuesday. He said Usman Ali, 25, and Abdulrahman Amadu, 28, offered the bribe to escape arrest but the soldiers turned it down. Mr Olubodunde said the suspects were wanted for alleged involvement in multiple kidnapping cases in the Wukari area of the state. Acting on a tip-off, troops from the 93 Battalion Sub-Sector 3B OPWS, stationed at Forward Operating Base Wukari, carried out a well-planned raid in Chinkai village of Wukari Local Government Area. This raid led to the apprehension of two individuals identified as Usman Ali, aged 25 and Abdulrahman Amadu, aged 28. The suspects have been on the wanted list of the security agencies for their involvement in multiple kidnappings in Wukari and its surroundings. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Upon their arrest, the suspects attempted to bribe the troops with 2 million Naira for release. However, the soldiers staunchly refused the bribe, underscoring their dedication to justice and integrity. The suspects were also overheard stating that if money failed to secure their freedom, their associates would resort to armed means to rescue them from custody. The statement also disclosed that in a separate operation in Ibi Local Government Area, troops stationed at Sarikin Kudu arrested four more suspected kidnappers: Jafaru Banyi, aged 28, Mohammad Ardo, aged 25, Amadu Shatta, aged 20 and Biyu Ardu, aged 25. These captured suspects have been linked to numerous high-profile abductions in the region, targeting both locals and foreigners for ransom and have long been under the surveillance of security agencies. The Commander 6 Brigade/ Sector 3 OPWS, Kingsley Chidebere, a brigadier general has since commended the troops for their courage and unwavering commitment to ethical standards. He emphasised that the successful apprehension of these suspects is a testament to the diligent efforts and dedication of the soldiers, highlighting their refusal to accept bribes as a clear demonstration of their professionalism and integrity, Mr Olubodunde stated. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) has concluded plans to conduct a mass burial for 270 unclaimed corpses if not claimed within the next six weeks. Ehizogie Adeyemi, coordinator, Mortuary Services of the hospital, disclosed this in an interview with journalists in Benin on Tuesday. Mrs Adeyemi gave the breakdown of the corpses as 201 infants and 69 adults, noting that the hospital had in a statement given six weeks ultimatum to the owners of the corpses to claim them. The coordinator of the mortuary services said the corpses of the 201 infants had been in the hospital since 2023 while that of the 69 adults were there between April 2021 and December 2022. She said the contact addresses and phone numbers provided by the owners of the corpses to the hospital were no longer reachable or valid. READ ALSO: Police rescue kidnap victims in Abuja She added that at the expiration of the six weeks ultimatum, the hospital would conduct a mass burial for the unclaimed corpses if the owners failed to claim them. The statement earlier issued by the hospitals management urged owners of such corpses to claim them within a six-week notice, starting from 20 May. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Many residents have fled their homes in Kopako in a crisis over the appointment of a traditional ruler for the village in Lavun Local Government Area of Niger State PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the crisis began when Mohammed Yisa was installed as the village head, contrary to the directives of the Etsu Nupe, Yahaya Abubakar. The position became vacant after the death of the last occupant, Muhammed Gana, in March. PREMIUM TIMES was told that after the death of Mr Gana, the Zhitsu Gbogbo ruling house was waiting to produce his successor, in line with a tradition of rotation of the stool among the ruling houses. However, Mr Yisa of the Zhitsu Yisa ruling house was installed by the villages kingmakers and is said to be popular with the youth of the community. Angered by the development, the other ruling houses filed their objection with the Etsu Nupe, the paramount ruler of the Nupe ethnic group to which the villagers belong, at his Wadata Palace in Bida on 24 April. After listening to the parties, Mr Abubakar ruled that Mr Yisa should quit the position as the candidate of the Zhitsu Gbogbo ruling house. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later However, Mr Yisa reportedly refused to comply with the Etsus directive, with the supporters of the other party alleging that they were being attacked by thugs, forcing many of them to flee the village. According to a letter by their lawyer, Oluwole Oluranti, which he made available to journalists in Minna, the state capital, titled, Complaint against threat to life, causing grievous hurt, possession of dangerous weapons, the situation in the village has become volatile. He said his clients were under incessant attacks and that the inaction of the police had emboldened the attackers. In the letter, Mr Oluranti said the police in Bida and Doko intervened but were quickly overwhelmed by the situation, allowing the attackers to regroup and launch fresh attacks on his clients on 25th, 26th, and 27th April. He said no action had been taken against the perpetrators of the violence, whom he said were more than 20. Mr Oluranti urged the security agencies to urgently bring the situation under control to enable his clients to go back home and for lasting peace to prevail in the village. READ ALSO: Police arrest two suspected ATM thieves in Niger The police spokesperson in the state, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the crisis and said the letter was referred to the SCID in Minna for investigation. According to him, the SCID sent officers to the village but found that the alleged suspects were on the run. He said the police were working to apprehend the perpetrators. The state commissioner for homeland security, Abdullahi Bello, also said the state government was working to restore peace in the village. The government is not resting to put the situation under control; all security agencies have been put on their toes to avert any possible outbreak of law and order, and measures have been put in place to punish anyone found wanting, Mr Bello said. The state government has not spoken on the main succession dispute in the village. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Director-General of National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), Abubakar Sulaiman, has urged the legislative arm of government at the national and subnational levels to prioritise staff training for effective lawmaking processes in the country. Mr Sulaiman said this at the opening ceremony of a three-day workshop tagged Effective Management and Administrative Structure of the Legislature in Abuja on Tuesday. He said the legislature as a democratic institution required well-trained personnel to man, manage, account, record and follow up on all the processes within the arm. According to Mr Sulaiman, a professor, there are evidence-based researches which show relationships between well-trained personnel and the overall performance of the legislature. He said the contribution of administrative staff of the legislature, in terms of supporting legislative activities, has contributed to national development. The effective and efficient performance of the legislature depends, to a large extent, on the capacity of the administrative structure. Thus, the capability and capacity of their core human resources must be constantly improved through training and retraining. It is in the realisation of the above that NILDS has designed this three-day intensive capacity building workshop on Effective Management of Administrative Structure of the Legislature. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later READ ALSO: NILDS DG tasks AU on good governance The workshop is aimed at equipping participants with the necessary knowledge, skills and experience that will support effective and efficient running of the legislatures at both national and sub-national levels, he said. In his remarks, the Chairperson of Ogun Assembly Service Commission, Waliu Taiwo, commended the institute for organising the workshop. Mr Taiwo said such training would improve the knowledge of the personnel and enhance their efficiency. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Two suspects have been arrested by the police in Bida, Niger State, for alleged ATM swapping. Philip Adefemi, 46, and Joseph Michael, 42, both of Masaka Area of Nasarawa State, were arrested on 18 May after a case of ATM card swapping was reported at the Bida A Division. The police spokesperson in the state, Wasiu Abiodun, in a statement on Tuesday, said their victim was at a commercial bank in Bida on the same date to withdraw money, but when he inserted his ATM card, the machine didnt dispense cash. Noticing the development, the person standing behind the victim at the ATM gallery offered to assist him. However, his ATM was swapped in the process, unknown to the victim until a few minutes later when he received a debit alert of N400,000 on his phone. On receipt of the complaint, officers from the Bida Division tracked down and arrested the suspects, while one Bala escaped arrest. The police spokesperson said 42 ATM cards were recovered from the suspects, including those of the victim, and a Mercedes-Benz C230 with Reg Number KUJ 44 NT. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Mr Abiodun said the suspects during interrogation claimed that they were from Abuja and heading to Offa, Kwara State, for a burial ceremony when they decided to spend a night in Bida and look for victims to rob of ATM cards in the morning. According to the police spokesperson in the statement, most of the cards the suspects used for swapping expired, and they used the victims cards to withdraw after observing the passwords at the ATM. Mr Abiodun said the suspects were still under investigation and would be charged in court at the end of the investigations. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has decried the escalation of insecurity in the three northern regions of Nigeria. According to the socio-political group, these problems reflect the regions political, social, and economic challenges. The group stated this in a communique issued on Tuesday by its spokesperson, T. A. Muhammad-Baba, after a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) in Kaduna. It said the NEC reiterates ACFs position that the problems, if untamed, could lead to social chaos. The meeting acknowledged the efforts of the government at all levels towards tackling the identified challenges. It, however, lamented that perhaps due to the quantum and widening dimension of the problems, the public policy response to the problems remains weak and ineffective at best. Equally worrisome is the widening regional disparities in social demographic factors, such as access to education, health public infrastructure, economic inclusion, political participation, living conditions, etc. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Governments must move to curb such disparities so as to ensure that Nigeria does not become two states in one. Factors that unify rather than divide citizens along any lines should attract the attention of all concerned, government and citizens alike. As it has severally reiterated in recent public outings, ACF calls for urgent action and definitive attention by the government at all levels to confront the rapid decline in living conditions of citizens. The addition of new taxes and levies becoming increasingly burdensome, too heavy to bear for ordinary Nigerians. ACF calls on citizens to rally around the government and offer prayers for God Almightys intervention in our various tribulations such as will translate into a new, prosperous Nigeria where justice, equity, love, righteousness, and hope emerge to replace the current despair and hopelessness. To inspire the spirit of needed sacrifices by citizens, ACF calls on public functionaries to shun profligacy and recklessness in spending public funds, the communique reads. The forum also expressed its support for security agents in their efforts to rid the country of criminality, insecurity, and instability and prayed that they very soon prevail over insurgents, terrorists, and bandits. For years, Nigerias northern region has been under attack by terrorists, locally known as bandits. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday inaugurated the 6th National Stakeholders Working Group also known as the Governing Board of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). Inaugurating the 15-member committee, Mr Tinubu said he was proud of the board with the members carefully selected, based on their diverse competencies, skills, knowledge, integrity and track record of service in their previous assignments. Represented by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, who also chairs the new NEITI Board, the president said prudent management of Nigerias resources was central to this administrations economic agenda and anti-corruption policies. Mr Tinubu reaffirmed Nigerias commitment to the implementation of the principles and standards of the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in Nigeria. The present administration is passionate and remains fully committed to the global EITI, the work of NEITI and the visible impacts which the EITI process has achieved so far in Nigeria. Nigeria is, therefore, irrevocably committed to the implementation of EITI in the oil, gas, and mining industries, he said. He said NEITI had demonstrated a high degree of competence, integrity and commitment to the values that the country required to achieve economic growth and development in the sector. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later The president added that the effort was through the availability of reliable information and data required for national planning and reforms. As members of this board, your job is clearly and specifically evolving strategic policy direction and oversight that supports NEITI management and the secretariat to continue to implement its activities smoothly without any distractions or interference. It is also very important that the board supports NEITI to preserve its corporate values, remain focused and committed to its values of transparency and accountability for the benefit of all of us present here today and our future generations, he said. Addressing the Board shortly after the inauguration, Mr Akume said his appointment demonstrated the federal governments prompt response to the recent EITI assessment of Nigerias implementation of the initiative which stressed the urgent need to reconstitute NEITIs Board to avoid sanctions. He said the new NEITI Board would take steps to address outstanding issues raised by the EITI validation report which the NEITI secretariat has already prepared a detailed corrective action plan for the Board to consider. This Board has the responsibility to understand the issues and provide policy support to the secretariat to successfully implement the plan. Nigeria scored 72 points in that global Assessment. And it is my hope that Nigeria will score 100 points at the next validation due in January 2026 under this Board and my chairmanship. `We must support the ongoing independent audits of the industry, reforms in the oil and gas sector being driven by the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, the reforms in the solid minerals sector and the proposed amendments of the NEITI Act, he said. Earlier, Ogbonnaya Orji, executive secretary of NEITI, while expressing gratitude to the president over his approval for the inauguration, said global EITI was also delighted over the decision for Nigeria to get a new board. The 15-member NEITI Board also include the Executive Chairperson of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), representing the government, while the Group Chief Executive Officer, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) is representing the National Oil and Gas Company. The Board also has a representative of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and the President of Miners Association of Nigeria, representing Extractive Companies (Oil, gas and mining companies), among others. (NAN) Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The former Nigeria President, Goodluck Jonathan, has called for a ceasefire in the political feud between Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his predecessor, Nyesom Wike. Messrs Fubara and Wike, who is the FCT minister, have been engaged in a protracted political battle since last October when some lawmakers in the state assembly backed by Mr Wike attempted to impeach Mr Fubara. The relationship between the two former allies has deteriorated, defying the peace deal brokered by President Bola Tinubu after the seats of pro-Wike lawmakers were declared vacant following their defection to the APC. The crisis has battered the state legislature, with three lawmakers, backed by Mr Fubara, taking over the legislative business of the assembly after a court barred the 27 pro-Wike lawmakers from parading themselves as members of the assembly. Speaking while flagging-off the 12.5km Trans-Kalabari Road project in the state on Monday, Mr Jonathan, a former governor of the neighbouring Bayelsa State, urged Governor Fubara and the FCT minister to give peace a chance, adding that Rivers State is the heart of Niger Delta. If Rivers State is destabilised, the whole Niger Delta will be destabilised, and it will not end within the Niger Delta alone. Because I am from this part of the country, I know how the system works. We dont want a crisis in Rivers State, Mr Jonathan said in a statement sent to PREMIUM TIMES by Chukwudi Nelson, the spokesperson to Governor Fubara. And I join the leaders of Rivers and well-meaning Nigerians who have been calling for a truce, who have been calling for a ceasefire, to also re-emphasised that there is a need for a ceasefire. Let us do things that would rather project this state positively. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later There is this common saying that when two elephants fight, the grass suffers. Both the governor and the minister are young people, very young people but they are powerful. And if you continue to fight, Rivers people will suffer and we dont want Rivers people to suffer, Mr Jonathan emphasised. Mr Jonathan helped Mr Wike, who served as his then minister of state for education, to become governor of Rivers in 2015. The former president was in the oil-rich state to flagg-off the road project on the invitation of Governor Fubara. Fubara warns against sabotage of project In his remarks at the ceremony, Mr Fubara advised the three local government areas where the project passes not to sabotage the project to enable the contractor deliver it on record time. He said that the project, when completed, will bring economic growth to the area, adding that he has fulfilled his campaign promise to the people that he would construct the road if they would vote for him. We are not going to focus only on roads. But this particular road is important to the development of our state. That is why we are starting it now because of the time that is required to deliver it. So, please give us the necessary support so that this project will be achieved in a record time. This way we can also look at other aspects of the state economy. Mr Fubara thanked Mr Jonathan for accepting to perform the flag-off of the project. He said the former president understands the magnitude of the project and the transportation needs it would address. The project flag-off by Mr Jonathan is part of events marking the one year anniversary of Governor Fubara. Abia State Governor Alex Otti was a guest to Governor Fubara last week, where he inaugurated a 10.98km Aleto-Ogale-Ebubu-Eteo Road in the state, as part of an event marking Mr Fubaras one year in office. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, Nnaghe Obono, has ordered disciplinary action against some officers who allegedly assaulted a resident in the state. The police spokesperson in the state, Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday. The officers were said to have been filmed assaulting a yet-to-be-identified resident in an unknown location in the state. Anambra State Police Command wishes to let the members of the public know that the police officers seen on a viral video assaulting a citizen have been identified, and the Commissioner of Police, Nnaghe Obono Itam, has ordered immediate disciplinary proceedings to commence on the incident, Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said. But, the police spokesperson did not mention the identities and the number of the officers. He did not also mention when and where the incident happened. He said police authorities in the state have invited the victim to the State Police Headquarters to help in facilitating the necessary procedures involved in the process. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Mr Obono, according to the statement, has reiterated that the police command under his watch would not tolerate any form of unprofessional conduct by police operatives in the state. The police commissioner stressed that police operatives need to be courageously calm when dealing with the residents, especially when provoked. He urged Nigerians to always respect civil authority and be law-abiding. Viral video clip In the clip, seen by PREMIUM TIMES, an armed police officer was seen violently hitting the resident with bare hands along a road. The officer, afterwards, used his rifle to hit the resident. The resident, who was standing beside a tricycle in the area, did not retaliate. It is unclear if the resident was a tricyclist. The video did not show other officers involved in the alleged assault. Not the first time Cases of police brutality and assault against Nigerians are not new. In October 2020, Nigerian youths protested against police brutality across the country and called for the disbandment of the now-defunct SARS, formerly a police unit. Despite the ban on SARS, the cases of police brutality have persisted across the country. Six officers, for instance, were caught in a viral video in April 2023, using a machete to smack two unidentified people in Imo State. The police in the state would later begin an orderly room trial of the officers. Four police operatives were arrested in September 2023 for allegedly assaulting a traveller in Rivers State. Days after, a young man accused some officers in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, of allegedly kidnapping, locking him up in a police cell and forcing him to pay some money before being released. The police in the state subsequently arrested the officers who allegedly carried out the act. Again, in April 2023, a police officer who was filmed slapping a motorist in the Emouha Area of the state was demoted. The Emouha incident occurred a few days after Ubi Ebri, another officer, allegedly shot dead a young man in the neighbouring Delta State for reportedly refusing to give a N100 bribe. PREMIUM TIMES reported how youths in Delta State protested with the victims corpse along major roads in Asaba. Mr Ebri, the officer, was immediately arrested, dismissed from service and later arraigned. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Bello Mohammed, has confirmed an attack by bandits on residents of Shiroro Local Government Area of the state. Speaking with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday on the phone, Mr Mohammed, a retired army brigadier-general, confirmed reports of multiple attacks in the area. It could be recalled that dozens of residents in Shiroro LGA fled their homes on Sunday night following a series of attacks by bandits. The affected communities include Kemaka, Roro, Unguwan-Usman, Karaga, Rumace, and Bassa. The displaced residents, who spent Sunday night hiding in the bush, reported that the attackers were about 200. Before the Sunday night attacks in Shiroro, bandits had blocked the Zungeru-Tegina road on 12 May and kidnapped an unspecified number of traders who were on their way to the Zungeru weekly market. Sources said the bandits blocked the road near Kundu village in broad daylight. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Niger is one of the worst affected states by banditry as it shares a long boundary with the troubled North-west region where the outlaws are most active in Nigeria. But Mr Mohammed said efforts were ongoing to combat the menace, especially in the states farming communities. The states large and fertile land makes it a food basket, but output from the sector has been severely affected by bandits routinely kidnapping farmers and traders for ransom. READ ALSO: Students feared abducted as bandits invade university Meanwhile, the commissioner said the state government was also working to establish temporary settlement centres for displaced persons. The government is taking steps to bring the situation under control. We are providing resettlement centres for the affected communities because, even if they return home now, there is no peace of mind. Some of them dont even have a place to sleep if they go back. If there is life, there is hope, he said. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Senate on Tuesday resolved to convene a national summit to find a lasting solution to the incessant clashes between farmers and herders. The upper chamber said the summit will be coordinated by an hoc committee which has yet to be constituted and will be attended by interest groups and individuals. The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio announced the decision after a majority of the senators supported it through voice votes. The resolution was a sequel to a motion sponsored by Isah Jibrin (APC, Kogi East) during the plenary. Mr Jibrin, while presenting his motion said a recent clash between farmers and herders in Omala LGA of Kogi led to the death of over 500 persons while properties worth millions of naira were destroyed. He added that survivors and displaced persons have returned home but cannot afford shelters and have no means of sustenance. The senator noted that the incident has increased the number of out-of-school students in the state. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Mr Jibirin thereafter prayed the Senate to encourage the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to assist the affected communities with relief materials and other forms of support necessary for their rehabilitation. He also requested that the federal government should provide capital for the women and youth in the community to facilitate their various economic activities. Debate Many of the senators who contributed to the motion supported it. Titus Zam (APC, Benue North-west) canvassed the enactment of a law that prohibits open grazing. Mr Zam said the law will prohibit herders from grazing cattle openly from one state to the other. Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) proposed the establishment of an ad hoc committee to organise a national summit on the issue, look into the causes and proffer solutions. Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West) lamented the incessant clash between farmers and herders in his senatorial districts. Mr Karimi also supported the call for a national summit on the issue. Last week two men were killed while returning from the farm. Another lady was shot in her farm Mr Karimi said. The immediate past Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, also supported the call for a national summit. He urged the federal government to be sensitive in funding the security agencies. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The House of Representatives has asked the federal government to exempt military personnel from paying tolls at airports, seaports and train stations across the country. This resolution was a sequel to a motion of urgent public importance by Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto) on Tuesday during plenary. The Federal Executive Council (FEC) last week approved the cancellation of all exemptions on airport access payments for VIPs in Nigeria due to the huge revenue losses they cause to the government Before now, very important Nigerians including the president, vice president and some government officials, were exempted from paying access fees at the airports gates. Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, said the approval for this category of Nigerians to start paying the fees was given following a memo he presented at the FEC meeting. Moving the motion, Mr Dasuki said armed forces personnel must be exempted from paying tolls to access airports. The lawmaker argued that the exemption would serve as an honour to the personnel for the sacrifices they make. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later Men and women of the armed forces honour our nation with the highest form of service and without reservation; keeping us safe from harm, protecting our wealth and territorial integrity, ensuring safe navigation on our territorial waters, protecting our borders including the Gulf of Guinea, Creeks, Sahara Desert and forests, and fighting armed bandits who invade our communities. It is important to show gratitude by honouring our brothers and sisters who are voluntarily serving under our flag, putting in their active years to keep our nation safe with some losing their lives, and some becoming disabled from the battlefield amidst other effects, the legislator said. Mr Dasuki said the action would be symbolic to encourage recruitment into the military. He urged the government to be intentional in honouring uniformed men. Concerned that their services, though remunerated, cannot be quantified, especially when the risks to them and their dependents are considered. Therefore, we should not be hesitant to show them in our little way that we see them and we acknowledge their sacrifices, he said. Mr Dasukis motion was specifically on airports, however, Hussein Jalo (PDP, Kaduna) moved an amendment to the motion that the privilege should be extended to seaports, railway stations and motor parks. The amendment was adopted. When the motion as amended was put to vote by the presiding officer, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, it was overwhelmingly supported by the lawmakers. Consequently, Mr Tajudeen directed the relevant committees of the House to ensure compliance. Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print The Nigerian Army has formally announced the closure of Banex Plaza in Abuja, a move expected to raise concerns about the armys role in a democracy. Army spokesperson Onyema Nwachukwu said the plaza, popular for the sale of phones and other electronics, was shut down after an agreement with the management of the plaza to identify individuals who recently assaulted two soldiers. In response to this unfortunate incident, a meeting was convened with the management of Banex Plaza to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous act by temporarily shutting down activities in the plaza Mr Nwachukwu, a major general, said in a Tuesday statement. PREMIUM TIMES reported how a mob, believed to be workers at the plaza, on Saturday, assaulted two soldiers allegedly over the sale of a mobile phone. A viral video on social media showed the assault as the soldiers in uniform tried to flee from their attackers. In an apparent retaliation, a group of soldiers invaded the plaza where they also assaulted some civilians. The army spokesperson had told PREMIUM TIMES that the assault on the soldiers would be investigated. Article Page with Financial Support Promotion Nigerians need credible journalism. Help us report it. Support journalism driven by facts, created by Nigerians for Nigerians. Our thorough, researched reporting relies on the support of readers like you. Help us maintain free and accessible news for all with a small donation. Every contribution guarantees that we can keep delivering important stories no paywalls, just quality journalism. SUPPORT NOW x Do this later This newspaper also reported on Sunday that soldiers blocked the entrance to the plaza, essentially preventing any business from going on in the shops in the plaza. Such incidents as happened at Banex Plaza are supposed to be investigated by the police who would then prosecute those found culpable. The shutdown could also have been announced by civil authorities such as the Abuja administration or the Abuja Municipal Council Area where the plaza is located. Both the police and Abuja administration told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday night that they were not aware of the shutdown of the plaza. With all due respect, you know very well that Police are not involved why all this. Channel all your complaints to the military pls, Abuja police spokesperson Josephine Adeh told this newspaper via WhatsApp in response to our enquiry. The military feels that somebody has offended some of them and then you went to shut down the market. It is wrong morally, it is wrong legally, it is unlawful, it is unconstitutional and should not be allowed in a democratic setting, human rights lawyer Mojirayo Ogunlana told PREMIUM TIMES. In his statement, Mr Nwachukwu suggested that the army was leading the investigation, saying the army wanted to prevent a fatal assault on soldiers as happened in Okuama, Delta State, recently. This investigation ultimately aims at ensuring the security of the Federal Capital Territory and to prevent such unwarranted attacks on own personnel and other security operatives, as has been observed in other areas, such as the unfortunate attack in Okuama, Mr Nwachukwu wrote. Read the full statement by the army below. Following the recent unrest at Banex Plaza in Wuse, Abuja, on Saturday 18 May 2024, by yet to be identified hoodlums who launched a brutal attack on some Nigerian Army personnel, a swift intervention by soldiers and policemen on internal security duties salvaged the situation and rescued the attacked personnel from being lynched by the hoodlums. It is important to note that the soldiers attacked were unarmed, did not engage in any form of aggression, and posed no threat to anyone. Therefore, the cruel treatment meted out to them was entirely unwarranted and unjustifiable. In response to this unfortunate incident, a meeting was convened with the management of Banex Plaza to identify and apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous act by temporarily shutting down activities in the plaza to ensure that the hoodlums who have been using the Banex neighborhood as a sanctuary to pose a security threat to the Federal Capital Territory were apprehended. This, is in furtherance of the need for extensive investigation to be conducted at the scene to determine both the immediate and underlying causes of this mayhem. This investigation ultimately aims at ensuring the security of the Federal Capital Territory and to prevent such unwarranted attacks on own personnel and other security operatives, as has been observed in other areas, such as the unfortunate attack in Okuama. The Nigerian Army will equally ensure that it diligently investigates the circumstances surrounding the presence of the personnel at the plaza and the attack that ensued. Nonetheless, such acts of violence against personnel are not only condemnable, but could degenerate to a breakdown of law and order, orchestrating threats to national security. Accordingly, the NA enjoins members of the public to exercise caution and restraint in dealing with military personnel and other security operatives, especially when they are in uniform. There are established channels through which grievances or misconduct by personnel could be reported to the appropriate authorities. It is imperative that these channels are utilized to maintain order and respect for those who serve and protect our nation. ONYEMA NWACHUKWU Major General Director Army Public Relations Share this: Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Telegram LinkedIn Email Print NICB's Contractor Fraud Awareness Week runs May 20-24, 2024 OAK BROOK, Ill., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Twenty states across the nation are joining together with the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), the insurance industry's association dedicated to preventing and prosecuting insurance crime, to fight contractor fraud that often occurs after a natural disaster. NICB works to educate homeowners and business owners about how to avoid becoming a victim of deceptive contractors as part of its annual Contractor Fraud Awareness Week (CFAW), which runs from May 20 to May 24, 2024. Contractor Fraud Awareness Week 2024 "Contractor fraud, especially after a natural catastrophe, not only affects individual homeowners, but also impacts insurance premiums and costs Americans billions of dollars every year," said David J. Glawe, President and CEO of NICB. "This type of fraud not only undermines trust within communities but also inflicts significant financial and emotional harm on families across the nation." Last year was a historic year for billion-dollar weather and climate disasters in the U.S. with 28 separate events costing at least $1 billion and totaling more than $93 billion in catastrophe losses. Upwards of 10 percent or $9.3 billion is lost to post-disaster fraud. The following states and Puerto Rico have officially recognized Contractor Fraud Awareness Week to combat this growing trend: Alabama Arkansas Connecticut Florida Illinois (Resolution) Indiana Kentucky Louisiana Massachusetts Missouri Mississippi Montana Nebraska New Hampshire North Dakota Oklahoma Pennsylvania South Carolina West Virginia Wisconsin NICB partners with government agencies, as well as insurance carriers, to educate homeowners and businesses on how to avoid becoming victims of insurance fraud. NICB also sponsors public awareness events across the country and works with local law enforcement agencies to help catch fraudsters taking advantage of hardworking Americans. Additionally, NICB participates in federal, state and local task forces, fusion centers, and intelligence groups, while working strategically with lawmakers and regulators in all 50 states to boost efforts by insurers and law enforcement to combat insurance fraud. "Contractor fraud is a crime that thrives in the shadows. By arming ourselves with knowledge, vigilance, and a healthy dose of skepticism, we can protect our homes and our hard-earned money," Glawe said. "Homeowners should be wary of high pressure sales tactics and should seek multiple bids. Always get a signed contract and beware of upfront payments. Finally, watch for red flags and trust your gut feelings." NICB recommends following these tips before hiring a contractor: Be Proactive Assess Damages: If you think you have catastrophe-related damage, reach out to your insurance company, and ask for clarification on your coverage. Recruit a Professional: Seek out a licensed, insured, and well-reviewed contractor before any potential fraudulent contractors come knocking on your door. Research and Verify Before Signing Anything Research and Verify: Before hiring a contractor, research their credentials, reputation, and track record. Check for licenses, certifications, and reviews from previous clients. Verify their insurance coverage and inquire about any past complaints or legal issues. Get Multiple Quotes: Obtain bids from multiple contractors for comparison. Be wary of significantly low bids, as they may indicate substandard work or hidden costs. Aim for a balance between affordability and quality. Beware of Red Flags: Be alert to red flags such as high-pressure sales tactics, vague or evasive answers, or reluctance to provide written estimates or contracts. Trust your instincts and proceed with caution if something seems off. Stay Involved and Take Account Written Contracts: Always insist on a written contract detailing the scope of work, materials, timeline, and a payment schedule that does not include large upfront payments. Review the contract carefully, ensuring that all terms and conditions are clearly outlined and agreed upon by both parties. Stay Involved: Stay actively involved in the project by regularly communicating with the contractor and monitoring progress, while keeping records of all work communications. Seek Legal Advice if Necessary: If you suspect contractor fraud or encounter significant problems during the project, seek legal advice promptly. A legal professional can help you understand your rights, explore options for resolution, and take appropriate action to protect your interests. Report Fraud Anyone with information concerning insurance fraud or vehicle theft can report it by calling toll-free 800.TEL.NICB (800.835.6422). About the National Insurance Crime Bureau: Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is the nation's leading not-for-profit organization exclusively dedicated to combatting and preventing insurance crime through Intelligence, Analytics, and Operations; Education and Crime Prevention; and Strategy, Policy, and Advocacy. NICB is supported by more than 1,200 property and casualty insurance companies and self-insured organizations. To learn more, visit NICB.org. SOURCE National Insurance Crime Bureau SINGAPORE and NEW YORK, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- AlphaGeo is proud to announce the launch of the first ever integrated spatial index combining localized risk and adaptation measures, delivering the "ground truth" of resilience for any location worldwide. The future profile of any place isn't what a climate risk model tells us today it's what we do about it. AlphaGeo's proprietary risk and adaptation datasets combine to give the "ground truth" of any location's resilience. Physical climate hazards such as floods, fires, hurricanes, heatwaves and drought are becoming more acute, making adaptation a central priority for governments, industry and asset managers everywhere. Adding to its proprietary climate physical risk forecasting (covering all risks under multiple scenarios and timescales), AlphaGeo has now added a comprehensive "adaptation layer" including water treatment and sanitation facilities, seawalls, flood barriers, fire monitoring stations, water desalination plants and more. This combined risk and adaptation data guides authorities in understanding the gaps to be addressed in their locations and measures that can be taken to achieve greater resilience. AlphaGeo's clients leverage its easily accessible datasets via Snowflake, API, CSV file or directly on its enterprise SaaS platform and apply it directly to core business needs such as risk management, cap-ex planning and due diligence for acquisitions. Founder & CEO Dr. Parag Khanna says, "Foresight into location dynamics due to market, socioeconomic, demographic and climate factors enables investors to act with much greater confidence despite today's volatility. We've built a platform that caters both to risk and opportunity -- defense and offense." Users who visit https://alphageo.ai/explore/ can view risk and resilience-adjusted data for sample locations in Florida, California and the United Kingdom, viewing their scores changing over different time periods and benchmark location performance against others. Visitors to AlphaGeo's website are also invited to click "Login" and create a free account in which they can access data on locations of interest to them. Institutional customers can create large portfolios of location data and leverage tools such as "Alpha Finder," which generates maps of locations that best match your selected criteria. For more information, please visit AlphaGeo's webpage: https://alphageo.ai/ Additional queries can be directed to COO Mark Langan ([email protected]) or Chief of Staff Jennifer Kwek ([email protected]). SOURCE AlphaGeo Board-certified dermatologist shares 5 tips for Skin Cancer Awareness Month ROSEMONT, Ill., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sunburns can be painful and damaging to your skin, while also increasing your risk of skin cancer, the most common cancer in the United States and one of the most preventable. A new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology shows that one in three Americans (36%) got a sunburn in 2023, a significant increase over the previous year. "No matter your skin tone, you can get a sunburn if you are outside without proper protection," said Veena Vanchinathan, MD, FAAD, a board-certified dermatologist in Morgan Hill, Calif. "It's important to practice safe sun because both tanning and sunburning harms your skin. If you repeatedly experience sunburns, your skin will become more damaged over time." A new survey by the American Academy of Dermatology shows that one in three Americans (36%) got a sunburn in 2023. Post this Prevention is key. Protect your skin from the sun to prevent sunburn and reduce your risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging. Seek shade, and wear sun-protective clothing such as long sleeves, pants, a wide-brimmed hat, and sunglasses with UV protection. Apply a broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to all skin not covered by clothing. The same AAD survey showed that fewer than 34% of Americans use sunscreen, with only one in three reapplying it every two hours, which is the recommended timeframe. As many as 27% of people who do use sunscreen tend not to reapply sunscreen at all. Since sunscreen's protective qualities wear off over time and sweat and water can wash it off the skin, it's important to reapply sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun's harmful rays and reduce your risk of sunburn. If you do get a sunburn, the first step to treating it is to get indoors and out of the sun. Once indoors, Dr. Vanchinathan and the AAD recommend following these tips to help relieve your sunburn: Take cool baths or showers to help relieve any pain. Afterward, gently pat your skin dry. Soothe your sunburn by applying moisturizer containing aloe vera or soy while your skin is still damp and whenever you feel discomfort. You can also apply calamine lotion, place a cool, damp washcloth on the affected area, or take a colloidal oatmeal bath. Take aspirin or ibuprofen to help reduce swelling and discomfort from your sunburn. Drink extra water, as having a sunburn can make you dehydrated. Do not pop sunburn blisters. A blister means you have a second-degree sunburn. Allowing blisters to heal instead of popping them protects you from infection. Keep blisters clean and apply petroleum jelly to protect them while they heal. If your sunburn gets worse, partner with the sun protection expert, a board-certified dermatologist. Signs of a worsening sunburn that requires medical attention include high fever, chills, or nausea, or pus or swelling of the skin, a potential sign of a skin infection. "While a sunburn is often treatable at home, symptoms occasionally require additional attention by a board-certified dermatologist," said Dr. Vanchinathan. "Not only are we able to help make you more comfortable, it's also a great time for your dermatologist to check you for signs of skin cancer." These tips are demonstrated in "How to treat a sunburn: Dermatologist tips," a video posted to the AAD website and YouTube channel . This video is part of the AAD's "Your Dermatologist Knows" series, which offers tips people can use to properly care for their skin, hair, and nails. To find a board-certified dermatologist in your area, visit aad.org/findaderm . More Information Sun protection How to perform a skin self-exam How to select a sunscreen AAD B-Roll Library About the AAD Headquartered in Rosemont, Ill., the American Academy of Dermatology, founded in 1938, is the largest, most influential and most representative of all dermatologic associations. With a membership of more than 21,000 physicians worldwide, the AAD is committed to advancing the diagnosis and medical, surgical, and cosmetic treatment of the skin, hair, and nails; advocating high standards in clinical practice, education and research in dermatology; and supporting and enhancing patient care because skin, hair, and nail conditions can have a serious impact on your health and well-being. For more information, contact the AAD at (888) 462-DERM (3376) or aad.org. Follow @AADskin on Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube and @AADskin1 on Instagram. SOURCE American Academy of Dermatology Recipients include pioneer of the Safety Plan Intervention, Dr. Barbara Stanley, and leading youth suicide prevention expert Dr. Jeff Bridge NEW YORK, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), the largest private funder of suicide prevention research globally, will honor its 2024 Research Award recipients at its annual Research Dinner on May 22 at the Conrad Hotel in New York City. The honorees include trailblazing suicide prevention researcher Barbara H. Stanley, PhD who will be recognized posthumously with the Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as Jeff Bridge, PhD, whose research is focused on youth suicide and improving outcomes and care for young people at-risk for suicide. "Research is the foundation of all our efforts to prevent suicide including our public education, advocacy, and support for those affected by suicide" said AFSP Senior Vice President of Research Dr. Jill Harkavy-Friedman. "It's through the tireless work of researchers like Dr. Stanley and Dr. Bridge that we learn more about what leads to suicide and how we can save lives. We are honored to spotlight their many contributions to the field of suicide prevention and the efforts of the entire research community who dedicate their time to tackling this urgent public health challenge. Recognizing all that we have achieved through research reminds us that there is hope and that suicide can be prevented." The event is closed to the public, but media interested in reporting on suicide prevention research and award recipients are invited to contact AFSP's PR Team for more information. This year's research awardees include: AFSP Lifetime Achievement Research Award Barbara Stanley, PhD (1949-2023, Awarded Posthumously) Dr. Barbara Stanley was a trailblazing clinical psychologist who dedicated her life to advance learning and interventions to improve mental health. She specialized in the treatment of individuals with borderline personality disorder, depression, and self-harm. With her colleague Dr. Gregory Brown, Dr. Stanley developed the widely used Safety Planning Intervention. It is implemented in emergency departments, inpatient and outpatient facilities, Veterans Affairs, and crisis hotlines and has no doubt played a role in saving countless lives. She has also mentored several young investigators on fMRI studies examining the interpersonal dysfunction dimension of borderline personality disorder, genetics studies of borderline personality disorder, and treatment engagement trials with suicidal individuals. Dr. Stanley was a force in her field authoring and editing more than 200 articles and book chapters, was editor-in-chief of the Archives of Suicide Research and served on several editorial boards. She was a past chair and member of the American Psychological Association Committee on Human Research, and also served as a standing member of the Adult Psychopathology and Disorders of Aging NIH CSR study section. Besides serving on the faculty in Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, she held numerous appointments across private and government sectors. At AFSP, she served on both the Research Grant Committee and Scientific Council and was the recipient of several AFSP research grants throughout her career. Annual AFSP Research Award Jeff Bridge, PhD Dr. Jeff Bridge is director of the Center for Suicide Prevention and Research in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. He is receiving this year's Annual Research Award for his outstanding recent work related to youth at risk for suicide. His research focuses on the risk factors contributing to suicide and suicidal behavior in young people and improving the quality of care they receive. He has received multiple AFSP grants for his work including a 2006 Young Investigator Award and 2011 AFSP Early Career Researcher Award in 2011. He was also a senior investigator for a 2014 AFSP Linked Standard Research Grant. Dr. Bridge is also the Nationwide Foundation endowed chair of innovation in behavioral health research, and professor of pediatrics, psychiatry, and behavioral health at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. At AFSP, Dr. Bridge serves as a scientific advisor, member of the Research Grants Committee, and Scientific Council member. Annual AFSP Paula J. Clayton Early Career Research Grant Award Alison Athey, PhD Dr. Athey is an associate behavioral/social scientist at RAND and a licensed clinical psychologist in Maryland. A recipient of a 2023 AFSP Early Career Research Grant, her study aims to identify what interventions will help loss survivors stabilize their own mental health after their loss and where these interventions are best delivered. This award honors Athey's work that reflects the career focus of the late Dr. Paula J. Clayton, a leader in the field and AFSP's Chief Medical Officer from 2006-2013. By setting out to test the effectiveness of a postvention intervention for suicide loss survivors, Dr. Athey's study relates closely to one of Dr. Clayton's primary research interests, bereavement by suicide. Her work focuses on understanding risk for and preventing life-threatening behaviors including suicide, overdose, and gender-based violence. She has a special interest in evaluating strategies to promote the implementation of evidence-based assessment, prevention, and postvention strategies with high-risk groups, following high-risk events, and in low-resource settings. AFSP Lifetime Achievement Award in Public Health & Community Impact for Suicide Prevention Catherine Barber, MPA Catherine Barber, MPA, is a senior researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health's Injury Research Center where she led the effort to design and test the pilot for the CDC's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). This novel database is used across sectors to provide the public and professionals with a clearer understanding of violent deaths so they can be prevented. This award honors Barber's leadership in public health and community action, for her contributions to the field of suicide prevention, which led to programs and broad community change at AFSP and across the U.S, with respect to how we address firearm suicide. Barber's expertise is in designing and evaluating injury surveillance systems and interpreting their data for prevention. She is the founding director of Means Matter, a project to disseminate research and interventions aimed at reducing a suicidal person's access to highly lethal suicide methods. Barber was the lead author with Elaine Frank on the original CALM-Online (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means), a free online course for health care and social services providers that was produced with the Suicide Prevention Research Center (SPRC). She was also one of the originators of the Gun Shop Project, a novel approach to bringing firearm retailers, instructors, and other firearm stakeholders into the suicide prevention field. She was the recipient of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention's Allies in Action Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017. Learn more about the role of research in preventing suicide. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide, including those who have experienced a loss. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through public education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, with a public policy office in Washington, DC, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico, with programs and events nationwide. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and TikTok. Media interested in comment on this news are encouraged to fill out this press request form and review AFSP's Ethical Reporting Tips. SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Grant to help TCUs enrich their arts curricula by incorporating Indigenous practices DENVER, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Indian College Fund (College Fund) announced new efforts to enhance Native arts curriculum development programs at six tribal colleges and universities (TCUs). Each of the participating TCUs will receive $100,000 to enrich their curricula by integrating Indigenous education values and incorporate Native knowledge, language, and cultural practices. The project will also help to expand institutional capacity, developing or revising academic courses, minors, and certificate and degree programs. The six participating TCUs and their programs are: Ilisagvik College, Barrow, Alaska Inupiat Art Curriculum Development and Enhancement Northwest Indian College , Bellingham, Washington Xwel'xweleqw (A metaphor for the "people who survive) , Salish Kootenai College , Pablo, Montana Puti es sxilwisi : Continuing the Journey by Rethinking Culture and Language Education at SKC , Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute , Albuquerque, New Mexico Weaving Art into the Curriculum , Stone Child College , Box Elder, Montana Neiyahwahk Kahyahs Kahkitahsinahikechik (Traditional Chippewa-Cree Artwork) , United Tribes Technical College , Bismarck, North Dakota Mitakuye Oyas'i Native Arts , American Indian College Fund President and CEO, Cheryl Crazy Bull, said, "Native arts are both the symbolic and the practical embodiment of Indigenous ways of knowing and being in the world. We are honored to support our communities as they increase the visibility of traditional and contemporary Native arts and appreciate the partnership with our TCUs and MACP that makes this possible." This work, made possible through a three year, $600,000 project with Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, will help to build a solid foundation to encourage the advancement of Native arts. About the American Indian College Fund The American Indian College Fund has been the nation's largest charity supporting Native higher education for 34 years. The College Fund believes "Education is the answer" and provided $17.4 million in scholarships and other direct student support to American Indian students in 2022-23. Since its founding in 1989 the College Fund has provided more than $319 million in scholarships, programs, community, and tribal college support. The College Fund also supports a variety of academic and support programs at the nation's 35 accredited tribal colleges and universities, which are located on or near Indian reservations, ensuring students have the tools to graduate and succeed in their careers. The College Fund consistently receives top ratings from independent charity evaluators and is one of the nation's top 100 charities named to the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance. For more information about the American Indian College Fund, please visit www.collegefund.org. Journalists The American Indian College Fund does not use the acronym AICF. On second reference, please use the College Fund. SOURCE American Indian College Fund ADELAIDE, Australia, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Amp Energy ("Amp" or the "Company") announced today it has finalised all required commercial agreements for the development of the Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct one of the leading green hydrogen, green ammonia and advanced fuel projects in Australia. The agreements, which were executed with Iron Road Ltd, include the purchase of a 630-hectare parcel of land at Cape Hardy as well as finalised royalty structure and common user infrastructure agreement. Amp will continue to build upon development progress made since announcing the Strategic Framework Agreement with Iron Road Ltd in April 2023 to bring advanced fuel production capacity to Cape Hardy. The Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct will provide production at scale with up to 10 GW of planned electrolyser capacity. Development will be structured to initially bring 1 GW online with incremental stages to reach 10 GW of total capacity. The project will both cater to the domestic Australian market, supporting the Australian Government's net zero goals, while also featuring global export capabilities. To facilitate distribution, Cape Hardy will be equipped with Australia's first purpose-built advanced fuels export terminal. Amp has been in discussions to develop the Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels precinct, in collaboration with Iron Road Ltd and The Government of South Australia, for the past two years. During that time, Amp has made significant development progress. The project's concept, design, and pre-Front End Engineering Design (FEED) phase have been studied and reviewed by two leading global engineering firms, Arup and Technip Technologies, as Amp targets completion of pre-FEED studies for the first 1 GW electrolyser phase over the next 9 months. FEED scoping and contracting is currently underway ahead of awarding the FEED contract in late 2024 or early 2025. Desalinated water is to be sourced from the recently announced Northern Water Supply (NWS) seawater desalination plant that will be located at Cape Hardy to meet the project's demand for electrolyser feed water, cooling water, process plant water, and fire water. Amp is co-funding pre-FID expenditures for the NWS project. Additionally, Amp is working closely with the Barngarla Determination Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC ("BDAC"). With continued support from the BDAC, Amp is confident the Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct will have a meaningful economic impact on the region. Amp currently estimates this will include approximately 4,000 direct and 6,000 indirect jobs for the first gigawatt of electrolyser capacity alone. "We are seeing growing demand for Advanced Fuels both in Australia and abroad. This includes green ammonia, liquid hydrogen, methanol, and sustainable aviation fuel. The Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct will allow for large-scale production of these fuels that will be critical to the energy transition and achieving net zero targets. We could not be more excited about the project's potential impact, and we are grateful for the partnership and continued support from Iron Road Ltd, the South Australian Government and BDAC as we progress full steam ahead on development" said Paul Ezekiel, Amp President and Co-founder. Minister for Trade and Investment, Joe Szakacs said "The State Government recognises the strategic importance of the Cape Hardy Advanced Fuels Precinct attracting investment into the state for domestic and export opportunities, as there is an increasing flight to quality for hydrogen projects worldwide." About Amp Amp Energy is a global energy transition development platform, which delivers renewables, battery storage, Advanced Fuels and green AI data centers at scale, together with proprietary AI-enabled grid flexibility through its Amp X platform. Since its inception 15 years ago, Amp has developed and built or contracted 14 GW of assets globally. Amp is backed by major investments from institutional capital partners including global private equity firm the Carlyle Group, who has invested over US$440 million. The company has global operations throughout North America, the UK, Australia, Japan, and Spain. For more information, please visit amp.energy PHILADELPHIA, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Andreozzi + Foote, a prominent national law firm representing victims of crime based in Pennsylvania, has filed a lawsuit against UHS of Doylestown, LLC, doing business as Foundations Behavioral Health, on behalf of Joel Nunez, an incapacitated adult resident of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, filed in Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County on May 17th, seeks justice for Joel Nunez, who suffered a brutal physical assault at the hands of a Foundations Behavioral Health employee. Joel Nunez, who brings this action through his court-appointed guardian, Araceli Nunez, resides in Pennsylvania and can be contacted through Andreozzi + Foote. Joel suffers from multiple disorders and mental health diagnoses, rendering him non-verbal and in need of substantial support in all aspects of his life. At the time of the incident, Joel resided at the Foundations Behavioral Health facility located at 833 East Butler Pike, Doylestown, Bucks County, PA. On June 26, 2022, Joel was physically assaulted by a Foundations employee, Jophany Raphael, after Raphael followed Joel into his bedroom. Raphael blocked Joel from leaving, pushed him to the floor, and repeatedly kicked him in the head, chest, and abdomen while other staff members witnessed but did not intervene. Despite Joel's evident injuries, Foundations staff delayed seeking emergency medical attention, opting instead to observe his bruises and red marks before eventually sending him to the hospital two days later. Raphael has since pleaded guilty to simple assault in the Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County. The lawsuit also highlights that Foundations Behavioral Health had a history of non-compliant inspections and citations from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services prior to the assault on Joel. "We are dedicated to fighting for justice for Joel Nunez and ensuring that those responsible for his suffering are held accountable," said Veronica Hubbard, attorney at Andreozzi + Foote. "The failure of Foundations Behavioral Health to protect Joel from such egregious abuse is unconscionable, and we will work tirelessly to see that justice is served." The lawsuit alleges negligence, gross negligence, carelessness, and recklessness on the part of Foundations Behavioral Health, citing failures in abuse prevention policies, inadequate screening and supervision of staff, and delays in providing necessary medical attention to Joel. The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the severe emotional, psychological, and physical harm Joel has endured. "We hope this lawsuit will not only bring justice for Joel but also lead to systemic changes that prevent such abuse from occurring in the future," added Veronica Hubbard. "No one should have to endure what Joel has been through, and we are committed to holding Foundations Behavioral Health accountable for their actions and omissions." For more information or to speak with one of our attorneys, please contact Ben Andreozzi at [email protected] or 717-525-9124. About Andreozzi + Foote: Andreozzi + Foote is a national law firm dedicated to representing survivors of crime. With a commitment to justice and advocacy, the firm provides compassionate and skilled legal representation to ensure that survivors receive the justice they deserve. For more information, visit victimscivilattorneys.com SOURCE Andreozzi + Foote "One of the biggest challenges for schools dealing with this abundance of tech is what to do with it when it breaks," says former K-12 Technology Director, Eric Wells. Since his career shift to regional operations leadership at Trafera, Wells has played a critical role in kick-starting operations facilities nationwide, including the 2023 opening of a facility in Mabscott, West Virginia . "Building on our plans over the last several years, we continue to look for opportunities to partner more closely with school districts nationwide, delivering exceptional service for their deployed technology," commented Scott Gill, CEO of Trafera. "Charlotte, North Carolina is the perfect next hub for us, allowing us to serve schools throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, and the surrounding region." This new facility is being equipped and staffed to provide device repair, warranty services, and technical support for K-12 districts in the area. Wells concludes, "We are excited to continue our investment in people, processes, and premises. Every move we make underscores Trafera's commitment to customer success!" A ribbon-cutting ceremony will officially mark the facility's opening, with local leaders, educators, and community members in attendance. Guests will get to tour the facility and witness the advanced technical support infrastructure Trafera has established. Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting Celebration Date: Monday, June 10th Ribbon Cutting Ceremony: 2:00 PM ET Location: 5400-M West W.T. Harris Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28269 As the educational technology landscape evolves, Trafera remains at the forefront, helping schools seamlessly integrate technology into the classroom. This expansion underscores the company's commitment to delivering unparalleled support to K-12 organizations nationwide. For more information about Trafera and its educational technology solutions, visit trafera.com. To attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony or for media inquiries, please contact Chad Dehmlow at [email protected]. SOURCE Trafera Leading Massage, Skincare & Wellness Franchise Strengthens its Corporate Bench to Further Elevate Lives Across the Nation SAN ANTONIO, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Massage Heights, esteemed massage and wellness brand, has appointed Austin Alexander as Vice President of Franchise Development. This announcement follows the release of the International Franchise Association (IFA) report , which forecasts personal services to remain the top industry for franchise expansion in 2024. With health and wellness concepts ranking on the top of this list, the brand is primed for significant growth, with a network of over 115 Retreats across North America. Known for exceptional massage, skincare and wellness services, adding Alexander to the team sets them up to embrace new opportunities and achieve even greater success. Austin Alexander's Background With an impressive background of being a franchisee as well as on the franchisor side within the development team of a fitness concept, Alexander brings a wealth of experience from the health and wellness industry to Massage Heights. Having been on both sides of a franchise model, he understands the ins and outs of brand growth and will offer a unique perspective to franchisees. Austin's track record speaks volumes, demonstrating his adeptness in various aspects of franchising, from market analysis to territory selection. Prior to his current role, he held key positions within well-established franchises such as Self Esteem Brands and Lift Brands, refining his skills in operations, sales, and business development. From firsthand experience, Alexander understands the challenges new franchisees face and what it takes to run a successful business. His knowledge of franchise ownership gives him unique insights into the desires of potential franchisees and the ability to truly resonate and empathize with them. "Stepping into this role is a privilege, and I'm thrilled to continue leveraging my extensive franchising experience within this respected brand," said Alexander. "My goal is to further propel growth, forge strong partnerships, and support franchisees as we expand the Massage Heights community together. With a deep understanding of our brand's values and a commitment to excellence, I am dedicated to fostering a culture of success and empowerment within our franchise network." Top of Form Along with the IFA, FranData posted strong projections for 2024, reporting that personal services will maintain its position as the top industry for franchise expansion this year. With that knowledge, Massage Heights has identified key target growth markets and has prime territories available nationwide. "An energetic and enthusiastic entrepreneur at heart, Austin is deeply committed to empowering others to realize their own entrepreneurial aspirations and contribute to community well-being through business ownership," said Shane Evans, Founder & CEO of Massage Heights. "His strong background and passion for franchising, particularly in the health and wellness sector, align perfectly with our mission to empower individuals to own their own businesses and promote well-being within communities. We are on a strong growth trajectory being in our 20th anniversary year, and I'm confident Austin will help us continue this momentum." Massage Heights is currently seeking single and multi-unit operators to join its growing brand. To learn about Massage Heights franchise opportunities, visit https://www.massageheightsfranchise.com/ . About Massage Heights The massage franchise started in 2004 and has grown to more than 115 Retreats throughout North America by providing personalized wellness treatment options through therapeutic massage and skincare services. Massage Heights is a massage and wellness franchise dedicated to elevating the lives of others by providing Members and Guests with professional, affordable and resort-quality massage, skincare and wellness services. SOURCE Massage Heights The automotive climate control system market has expanded as a result of rise in demand of comfort and convenience, stringent environmental regulation, and rise in sale of electric and hybrid vehicle. PORTLAND, Ore., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Automotive Climate Control Systems Market by Technology (Automatic and Manual), Vehicle Type (Passenger Vehicle, Commercial Vehicle, and Electric Vehicle), and Distribution (OEM and Aftermarket), by Component (Control and Sensor, Compressor, Condensor, HVAC, Evaporator, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the automotive climate control systems market was valued at $8.4 billion in 2022 and is estimated to reach $27.3 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 12.8% from 2023 to 2032. Prime Determinants of Growth Consumer preferences for comfortable driving experiences, regardless of external weather conditions, drive the demand for advanced climate control systems in vehicles. Increasingly stringent regulations regarding vehicle emissions and energy efficiency drive the adoption of climate control systems that are more fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly. Innovations such as dual-zone and multi-zone climate control, advanced air filtration systems, and smart climate control interfaces enhance the appeal and functionality of automotive climate control systems, driving market growth. The rise of electric and hybrid vehicles presents opportunities for innovative climate control solutions that optimize energy usage and extend vehicle range while providing effective heating and cooling. Request Sample of the Report on Automotive Climate Control Systems Market Forecast 2032 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/A134914 Report Coverage & Details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $8.4 billion Market Size in 2032 $27.3 billion CAGR 12.8 % No. of Pages in Report 485 Segments covered Technology, Vehicle Type, Distribution, Component, and Region Drivers Rise in Demand for Comfort and Convenience Stringent Environmental Regulations Rise in Sales of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Opportunity Rapid Advancement in Technology Restraints High upfront cost Complexity of Integration Procure Complete Report (485 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/automotive-climate-control-systems-market-A134914 Impact of Russia-Ukraine War Scenario Both Russia and Ukraine are significant players in the global supply chain for automotive components, including control systems. Any disruptions in the production and supply of components from these countries due to the conflict can affect the availability of parts for automotive manufacturers worldwide. This could lead to delays in production and potential shortages, impacting the automotive control system market. and are significant players in the global supply chain for automotive components, including control systems. Any disruptions in the production and supply of components from these countries due to the conflict can affect the availability of parts for automotive manufacturers worldwide. This could lead to delays in production and potential shortages, impacting the automotive control system market. The conflict may lead to volatility in commodity markets, including those for metals and minerals used in the production of automotive control systems. Fluctuations in raw material prices can impact the cost of manufacturing automotive components, potentially affecting pricing strategies within the market. The automatic segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period On the basis of technology, the automatic segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global automotive climate control system market revenue. This is attributed to automatic climate control systems offering unparalleled convenience and ease of use for vehicle occupants. Instead of manually adjusting temperature settings, users can set their desired cabin temperature, and the system automatically maintains this temperature by adjusting fan speed, air distribution, and heating/cooling settings as needed. This hands-free operation enhances user experience, especially during long drives or in changing weather conditions. However, the manual segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 14.8% from 2023 to 2032, This is attributed to the fact that the cost of manufacturing and installing manual climate control systems is lower than that of automatic systems. Automakers may choose manual controls to keep overall vehicle prices cheaper in price-sensitive countries or vehicle categories, appealing to purchasers on a tight budget. The passenger vehicle segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. On the basis of vehicle type, the passenger vehicle segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than half of the global automotive climate control system market revenue. This was due to passenger comfort and convenience being given the most importance in the design of passenger vehicles, which include automobiles, SUVs, and luxury cars. With the ability to customize comfort settings, maintain ideal cabin temperatures, and reduce driver and passenger fatigue on lengthy trips, automotive climate control systems are essential to improving the entire driving experience. However, the electric vehicle segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 13.2% from 2023 to 2032. This was attributed to electric vehicles being inherently more energy-efficient than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. This efficiency extends to climate control systems, where electric vehicles require less energy to heat or cool the cabin as compared to their fossil fuel counterparts. As a result, climate control systems in EVs can operate more efficiently, contributing to extended battery range and improved overall efficiency. The aftermarket segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period On the basis of distribution, the aftermarket segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than two-thirds of the global automotive climate control system market revenue. This was due to vehicles' age and their original climate control systems may become less efficient or malfunction, leading to a need for replacement. The aftermarket segment benefits from this demand for replacement parts as vehicle owners seek to restore or upgrade their climate control systems to maintain comfort and functionality. However, the OEM segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 17.3% from 2023 to 2032. This is attributed to OEMs integrating climate control systems directly into new vehicles during the manufacturing process. As the automotive industry experiences growth in new vehicle sales, the OEM segment naturally benefits from the inclusion of climate control systems in these vehicles. This direct integration ensures that OEMs capture a significant portion of the market share for climate control systems. The compressor segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period On the basis of component, the compressor segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for more than one-fifth of the global automotive climate control system market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. This was due to the compressor being a critical component of automotive air conditioning systems, responsible for compressing and circulating refrigerant throughout the system. It plays a central role in cooling the air inside the vehicle cabin during hot weather, making it an indispensable part of climate control systems. However, the condenser segment is projected to manifest the fastest CAGR of 16.3% from 2023 to 2032. This is attributed to condensers playing a crucial role in the refrigeration cycle of automotive air conditioning systems. They are responsible for cooling and condensing the high-pressure, high-temperature refrigerant vapor into a liquid state, which is then circulated back to the evaporator to absorb heat from the vehicle cabin. This essential functionality ensures that condensers are integral components of all automotive air conditioning systems. North America to maintain its dominance by 2032 On the basis of region, North America held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022, accounting for more than one-third of the global automotive climate control system market revenue. This is attributed to the automotive manufacturing industry in North America being strong, with top automakers creating a wide variety of cars with cutting-edge temperature control systems. The widespread adoption and integration of temperature control systems across vehicle models is facilitated by the presence of significant automotive OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) and component suppliers. However, Asia-Pacific is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 15.9% from 2023 to 2032. This growth is attributed to China, Japan, India, and South Korea being among the largest automobile markets in the world, and all located in the Asia-Pacific region. The demand for advanced temperature control systems in passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and electric vehicles (EVs) has increased due to the automotive industries' explosive rise in these nations. To Talk With Our Industry Expert @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/A134914 Leading Market Players: - DENSO CORPORATION Hanon Systems Hitachi Astemo Indiana, Inc. Johnson Electric Holdings Limited MAHLE GmbH Marelli Corporation Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. OMEGA Environmental Technologies Sanden Corporation Sensata Technologies, Inc. The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global automotive climate control system market. These players have adopted different strategies such as expansion and product launch to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario. Browse More Trending Reports India Satellite Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Function, by Orbit Type, by Application, by End Use : Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2032 Military Drones Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Type, by Range, by Technology, by Application : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 Satellite-Based Earth Observation Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Product Type, by Satellite Orbit, by End-use : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 Small Caliber Ammunition Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Size, by Applications, by Casing Type : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware 19801 USA. USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-800-792-5285 [email protected] Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com AMR Resource Center: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/resource-center Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research SODERTALJE, Sweden, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scania starts sales of autonomous mining trucks, opening up for safer, more efficient and more sustainable mining operations. The realisation of autonomous transport is taking a big step forward as Scania opens up for orders of the company's self-driving mining solutions. It is now possible to place orders for Scania's 40-tonne autonomous heavy tipper for mining, with the 50-tonne model to follow shortly afterwards. As a first step, Scania will start sales of its autonomous mining solutions in Australia, with first deliveries and start of operation scheduled from 2026. The next market in line will most likely be Latin America, a region where Scania has a significant market presence in the mining segment. "The transition from research and development to the launch of a commercial product is a major milestone for us and for autonomous heavy transport in general. This is the most advanced product Scania has put on the market so far," says Peter Hafmar, Vice President and Head of Autonomous Solutions at Scania. Easier to go electric and to achieve sustainable mining Mines have long been seen as one of the most promising environments for autonomous vehicles, as they can contribute to safer working conditions and more efficient operations. Scania's mining solutions with smaller, civil-class trucks also have overall potential advantages over the industry's traditional heavy haulage trucks, both in terms of emissions and productivity. By utilising Scania's autonomous mining trucks, the overall mining footprint including energy and infrastructure requirements can be reduced, meaning that capital and operating expenses may also be reduced at suitable sites. Scania's autonomous trucks can also be smoothly fitted into an existing operations set-up in a mine, thanks to their interoperability with other systems and vehicles. "Another benefit with our solution is that it allows mining companies to more quickly take the next step towards zero-emission operations. It's easier to electrify operations with Scania's autonomous trucks compared with traditional heavy haulage trucks," says Hafmar. Developed in close cooperation with mining customers Over the past ten years, Scania has invested heavily in the development of self-driving vehicles. Innovations include applications for hub-to-hub transport on highways as well as autonomous vehicles for confined areas such as mines. Scania's autonomous tipper truck has been developed in close cooperation between Scania's R&D department and customers in the mining industry, with extensive testing in the harshest real-life conditions. "It's probably the most ambitious research and development project we have done so far together with a customer, and I am very pleased about the result. Thanks to all the rigorous checks and numerous on-site tests we have been able to develop an optimal autonomous transport solution for mines," Peter Hafmar concludes. CONTACT: Erik Bratthall Corporate Public and Media Relations [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com https://news.cision.com/scania/r/autonomous-trucks-go-commercial---scania-opens-up-orders-in-the-mining-segment,c3984476 The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/scania/i/autonomous-trucks-go-commercial-scania-opens-up-orders-in-the-mining-segment,c3302061 Autonomous trucks go commercial Scania opens up orders in the mining segment https://news.cision.com/scania/i/scania-autonomous-trucks,c3302062 Scania Autonomous Trucks SOURCE Scania RADNOR, Pa., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Avantor, Inc. (NYSE: AVTR), a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences and advanced technologies industries, announced that Michael Stubblefield, President and CEO, will be participating in a fireside chat at Bernstein's 40th Annual Strategic Decisions Conference in New York on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at approximately 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time. To hear a live audio webcast of the session, visit Events & Presentations in the Investor section of Avantor's website, ir.avantorsciences.com. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days. About Avantor Avantor, a Fortune 500 company, is a leading life science tools company and global provider of mission-critical products and services to the life sciences and advanced technology industries. We work side-by-side with customers at every step of the scientific journey to enable breakthroughs in medicine, healthcare, and technology. Our portfolio is used in virtually every stage of the most important research, development and production activities at more than 300,000 customer locations in 180 countries. For more information, visit avantorsciences.com and find us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. Investor Relations Contact Christina Jones Vice President, Investor Relations Avantor 805-617-5297 [email protected] Global Media Contact Emily Collins Vice President, External Communications Avantor 332-239-3910 [email protected] SOURCE Avantor and Financial News These 200 lawyers are the deep expert "core" of Axiom's broader network of over 1,000 legal professionals with varied AI experiencea talent network where only the top 3% of applicants are accepted. In collaboration with clients, Axiom builds focused AI legal teams that help clients address the key areas they say require top AI legal talent today: Commercial and Contract Law, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity, Legal Ops, IP Regulatory and Compliance, Finance, and AI Technology and Product Development. "We anticipated high demand for legal AI talent over a year ago and have focused on recruiting the highest-quality legal AI talent to the Axiom network ever since," said David McVeigh, CEO of Axiom. "The industry has passed the tipping point with the high volume of new AI regulations globally, concerns around ethical AI use, an AI skills gap internally, and AI technology evolving faster than legal teams can keep up. Many companies are finding demand for high-quality AI legal talent outstripping supply and extraordinarily expensive. With Axiom's deep bench of high-quality AI legal talent, we can help in-house teams quickly meet their AI talent, compliance, and technology needs without breaking their budget." It's no secret that corporate in-house legal teams are embracing the transformative power of AI to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of their legal operations. GCs and legal ops leaders increasingly recognize this era as a transformative moment for corporate law and want to invest in AI to automate and streamline processes in their day-to-day work. And in the case of technology and services vendors, in-house legal teams are being called upon to support the integration and use of safe, effective, and regulatory compliant AI into new products and services.1 2 But there's a catch. A recent study of 300 small, mid-sized, and large enterprise businesses found 41% of GCs reporting AI as among the new or emerging practice areas most likely to be in demand in the next two yearsyet most in-house legal departments said they're unprepared to meet the daunting challenges posed by AI. More than two-thirds (65%) reported a lack of technology and product development lawyers in-house, about half (47%) had no data privacy and cybersecurity lawyers on staff, and most (70%) lacked in-house resources for new or emerging practice areas such as AI and machine learning (ML). "Legal teams and technology developers are under immense market pressure to use AI for strategic business advantage and advancement, but they also need to be in lockstep with a rapidly evolving global regulatory landscape, and ensure their AI use is trustworthy and safe," said C.J. Saretto, Chief Technology Officer at Axiom. "It's crucial for in-house legal departments to invest in experienced legal talent to harness AI's power while ensuring safe, effective, and legally acceptable use. The shift towards AI-savvy legal teams is quickening and having the right AI legal talent at the right time will be the decisive factor between success or failure and effective risk mitigation." Axiom is no stranger to helping in-house legal teams and legal operations with complex legal technology matters, having completed more than 1,400 technology engagements in the past five years. And even while building the company's deep legal AI talent bench, Axiom talent was stepping up to help Fortune 100 clients, other large enterprises, SMBs, and innovative startups capitalize on AI's capabilities and navigate related policy, regulatory, and operational challenges across industries and practice areas. Some of Axiom's recent AI engagements include: Helping a high profile, cutting-edge legal AI startup train and ensure the trustworthiness of its legal AI models. A large project team approaching 100 Axiom lawyers is embedded within this startup's legal and application development teams to review and test the company's forthcoming research tool, which employs AI to review, analyze, and answer complex legal research questions based on published case law, filings, regulations, and other sources. Then, in the final phase of a three-phase approach, a fresh contingent of more than 750 Axiom lawyers will stress test the tool to help optimize it at scale and verify accuracy for niche law subsets and specific regulations. train and ensure the trustworthiness of its legal AI models. A large project team approaching 100 Axiom lawyers is embedded within this startup's legal and application development teams to review and test the company's forthcoming research tool, which employs AI to review, analyze, and answer complex legal research questions based on published case law, filings, regulations, and other sources. Then, in the final phase of a three-phase approach, a fresh contingent of more than 750 Axiom lawyers will stress test the tool to help optimize it at scale and verify accuracy for niche law subsets and specific regulations. Helping a global Fortune 100 pharma company launch a new digital technology group operating at the complex intersection of MedTech, AI/ML, and pharma and healthcare law. A project team of seven Axiom lawyers with specialized digital and AI technology roll-out experience, led by an Axiom project manager, drafted and negotiated vendor agreements, statements of work, and affiliate agreements. The team ensured data processing, privacy, and healthcare regulations such as HIPAA and anti-kickback rules were properly addressed. Additional Axiom technology IP lawyers were also brought in to support patent drafting for the innovative digital tools the new organization was developing internally and/or acquiring and integrating from third parties. launch a new digital technology group operating at the complex intersection of MedTech, AI/ML, and pharma and healthcare law. A project team of seven Axiom lawyers with specialized digital and AI technology roll-out experience, led by an Axiom project manager, drafted and negotiated vendor agreements, statements of work, and affiliate agreements. The team ensured data processing, privacy, and healthcare regulations such as HIPAA and anti-kickback rules were properly addressed. Additional Axiom technology IP lawyers were also brought in to support patent drafting for the innovative digital tools the new organization was developing internally and/or acquiring and integrating from third parties. Helping a global Fortune 100 financial services corporation define, enhance, and manage generative AI risk assessment, data privacy, and information security policies and processes across the organization. An Axiom lawyer was embedded in the company's generative AI technology group to attend meetings, compile notes, and provide detailed risk analysis; develop communications, training, policies, and processes for gen AI use; recommend and incorporate regulatory changes into action plans and controls; track AI usage and other metrics; maintain the company's AI tools inventory; and provide executive reporting and updates on AI risk management. Still another Axiom lawyer is addressing the privacy and information security implications of the EU AI Act and other relevant regulations in all of the company's contracts and workflows. define, enhance, and manage generative AI risk assessment, data privacy, and information security policies and processes across the organization. An Axiom lawyer was embedded in the company's generative AI technology group to attend meetings, compile notes, and provide detailed risk analysis; develop communications, training, policies, and processes for gen AI use; recommend and incorporate regulatory changes into action plans and controls; track AI usage and other metrics; maintain the company's AI tools inventory; and provide executive reporting and updates on AI risk management. Still another Axiom lawyer is addressing the privacy and information security implications of the EU AI Act and other relevant regulations in all of the company's contracts and workflows. Helping a global Fortune 100 technology company ensure responsible AI use across their product offerings. Five Axiom lawyers advise business teams on AI product development on relevant matters at each stage of AI model creation, from training to adversarial testing to general availability release. This includes IP, privacy, and ethics; model accuracy, fairness, inclusivity, and bias mitigation; data use and copyright (fair use); LLM development, expansion, and sustainability; and more. The team also helps ensure the company's products are compliant with US and international AI regulations (GDPR, CCPA, EU AI Act, etc.). And some 15 Axiom lawyers with AI experience are embedded in business and product teams as part of their overall work, including projects where AI is not the primary focus but intersects or otherwise has a role to play. And those are just for starters. "When you need top-quality AI legal talent, you'll find it at Axiom," said Catherine Kemnitz, Chief Strategy & Development Officer at Axiom and Managing Director of Axiom Advice and Counsel. "This might be the biggest bench of AI all-stars in the industry, reflecting Axiom's history of leading legal services transformationsuch as establishing our Arizona-based affiliated law firm. Axiom is disrupting the industry again with the most robust bench of on-demand AI legal talent out there, which we'll continue to invest in for our clients. Our bench lets clients deploy large numbers of the best legal minds to train legal generative AI models and establish innovative partnerships between technology and human talent. This ensures legal AI meets the trustworthiness and compliance standards both lawyers and tech vendors need before they can harness the power of AI." For more information or to talk to an Axiom representative, visit https://www.axiomlaw.com/practice-areas/artificial-intelligence. For more information about Axiom, please visit our website, hear from our experts on the Inside Axiom blog, and connect with us on LinkedIn. Related Axiom News About Axiom Advice & Counsel Located in Arizona, Axiom Advice & Counsel (AA&C) is setting a new standard for the modern law firm. From prioritizing clients and the lawyer experience, to finding the right legal talent for the right legal matter, AA&C's approach to the law firm model provides clients with better value for every dollar spent on outside counsel. AA&C represents a diverse set of clients, ranging from growing mid-market businesses to global multinationals with large in-house teams. The firm focuses on corporate law including general counsel services, real estate, litigation, labor and employment, mergers and acquisitions, data privacy, intellectual property, and regulatory matters. For more information, please visit https://www.axiomadviceandcounsel.com. About Axiom Axiom is where high-caliber legal talent meets full-service law firm work. We invented the alternative legal services industry 24 years ago and now serve more than 1,500 legal departments globally, including 68% of the Fortune 100, with 95% client satisfaction. Axiom gives small, mid-market, and enterprise clients a single trusted provider who can deliver a full spectrum of legal solutions and services across more than a dozen practice areas and all major industries at rates up to 50% less than national law firms. To learn how Axiom can help your legal departments do more for less, visit axiomlaw.com. 1 https://www.lexisnexis.com/community/insights/legal/b/thought-leadership/posts/corporate-legal-departments-are-seizing-the-genai-opportunity 2 https://www.law.com/legaltechnews/2023/11/07/reinventing-the-legal-department-a-roadmap-to-integrating-ai-for-strategic-business-advancement/ SOURCE Axiom The Potent Herb, Properly Processed and in the Right Concentration, Acts as an Antioxidant and a Potent Immunomodulator FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Many health concerns stem from a compromised immune system. When the body's natural defenses are weak or ineffective, it opens up the doors for a variety of health concerns. These range from allergic reactions to rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, and other autoimmune diseases. BIRM is an innovative supplement designed to safely and effectively restore the immune system, naturally boosting individuals' health in the process. "In Ecuador, BIRM is considered a natural product," explains BIRM creator and esteemed doctor and scientist Edwin A. Cevallos. "The formula contains one primary ingredient: Dulcamara root. This is carefully harvested and processed to create our BIRM formulasone of which is stronger for active immunocompromised conditions, while the other is our preventative formula for those seeking to preserve health through a strong immune system." BIRM's impact comes from restoring a sense of balance to the immune system. If someone has an allergic reaction, their immune system is overactive. If they have Type 1 diabetes, their immune system is compromised. BIRM regulates the immune system, restoring balance and helping the body function more efficiently. Along with providing unobtrusive secondary support, BIRM is made with herbal, 100% natural ingredients and is a toxic-free supplement. This makes it helpful as a coadjuvant dosage that can support additional medical treatments, such as antibiotics or chemotherapy. "Whether you're already sick or you're trying to stay healthy, health is a sensitive issue, and we take it seriously," says Dr. Cevallos. "We always try to approach it with a positive perspective. How do we help people live healthy lives? How can we create solutions that can safely enable their bodies to function well without creating additional side effects in the process? BIRM is that solution. It is balancing immune systems for our customers across the globe, and improving their health and quality of life in the process." About Dr. Edwin Cevallos and BIRM The creator of BIRM, Dr. Edwin A. Cevallos , is an oncologist, chemo and radiation therapist, researcher, and scientist and has received international recognition for his work on the world's first immunomodulator product of natural origin. BIRM is developed using a proprietary manufacturing method to process specific species of Dulcamara root in varying concentrations. The result is a product that can both proactively and reactively balance the immune system and restore quality of life. Learn more at birm.us . Media Contact: Alexandra Orbe [email protected] (593) 2 2509851 / 2563918 SOURCE BIRM Global digital asset regulation is rapidly advancing as national leaders race to enable digital monies, commodities, and assets. Most geographies have drafted, approved, and in some cases fully implemented pro innovation regulation. Europe , Asia , and the Middle East regulatory frameworks are providing clarity for innovators and government issued CBDCs are in active pilots in many countries. , , and the regulatory frameworks are providing clarity for innovators and government issued CBDCs are in active pilots in many countries. US and Australian regulators have been slow to provide clarity for innovators, having favored regulation by enforcement, an increasingly untenable situation. SAN FRANCISCO, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Blockchain Coinvestors, a leading blockchain venture fund-of-funds and co-investment program with a combined portfolio of more than 1000 blockchain enterprises and projects, including more than 80 blockchain unicorns, today unveiled its bi-annual Digital Asset Regulation Report which tracks the state of digital asset regulatory progress among the world's top 25 financial centers. Driven by increasing consumer demand for the benefits afforded by blockchain technology of faster, cheaper, and easier access to commerce solutions, leading financial centers are rapidly implementing regulatory frameworks for the future of digital finance. "The world's financial capitals are now firmly focused on upgrading to digital finance with the consequent requirement to provide pro innovation digital money, commodity, and asset legislation," said Matthew Le Merle, Managing Partner of Blockchain Coinvestors. "You will not be a global financial center of the future if you are not a global digital finance leader." Blockchain regulation is advancing rapidly in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East: Europe's MiCAR framework is now in place; the UK and Switzerland have provided broad regulatory frameworks; both Hong Kong and Singapore have announced plans to be global centers for the industry; and in the Middle East, Dubai's VARA regulatory body represents an advanced crypto regulatory framework. Central Bank digital currencies (CBDC's) are also rapidly progressing abroad, including many live pilot programs. As a result, the value creation of web3 is proving to be a more global phenomenon than web1 or web2, which were dominated by the US, enabled by early pro innovation legislative leadership in the 1990's. With US presidential elections on the horizon in November, we are now seeing the emergence of a more organized pro digital asset movement. The Republican presidential candidate and many members of the existing Democrat administration are now firmly supportive of the underlying technology. As such, the report anticipates digital asset regulation will be a key US electoral issue for the first time this year, especially amongst politicians looking to attract the votes of digital natives. "Voter demographics is driving a rapid reassessment of the need for US politicians to also embrace this emerging technology," said Alison Davis, Managing Partner of Blockchain Coinvestors. "Digital finance is required to power the ways in which the next generation wishes to conduct their commerce. They represent almost 50% of the US electorate and are highly in favor of digital finance." Blockchain Coinvestors assesses a variety of factors in determining the world's top 25 financial centers, both qualitative and quantitative, such as market capitalization and liquidity, population, GDP per capita, corporate activity, role in international trade, and others. To track regulatory progress, we continually review a variety of public sources and gather information from our regular conversations with industry leaders, policy makers, and government officials. We also track key legislative agenda items and notable litigation. The Blockchain Coinvestors Digital Asset Regulation Report is available at www.blockchaincoinvestors.com/regulation About Blockchain Coinvestors Blockchain Coinvestors is the best way to invest in blockchain businesses. Our vision is that digital monies, commodities, and assets are inevitable and all of the world's financial infrastructure must be upgraded. Our mission is to provide broad coverage of early stage blockchain investments and access to emerging blockchain unicorns. Blockchain Coinvestors' investment strategies are now in their 10th year and are backed by 400+ investors globally. To date we have invested in 40+ pure play blockchain venture capital funds in the Americas, Asia, and Europe and in a combined portfolio of 1000+ blockchain companies and projects including 80+ blockchain unicorns. Blockchain Coinvestors' first fund of funds ranks in the top decile amongst all funds in its category on both Pitchbook and Preqin. Headquartered in San Francisco with a presence in London, New York, Grand Cayman, Zug and Zurich, the alternative investment management firm was co-founded by Alison Davis and Matthew Le Merle. Visit us at www.blockchaincoinvestors.com Media Contact Armel Leslie RFB | Peaks Strategies [email protected] SOURCE Blockchain Coinvestors Management LP LONDON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The 'shoulder season' is upon with double the number of Brits expecting to travel this May and June to save on high season costs. However, budget conscious Brits defaulting to debit cards abroad could be stung by an extra 32.32 bill reveals research by payments firm Caxton. This is due to card fees banks impose on customers who pick the wrong plastic to use overseas with charges of up to 2.99% for each overseas transaction, and 4.75% for getting cash. Caxton Travel Card Calculating these fees against new holidaymaker data on summer spending and ATM use, consumers could waste an average of 32.32 per trip on charges1. With 19.4 million foreign holidays taken by UK residents between July and September last year, Brits following suit could face a bill of 627m this summer2. The tourist 'tap' Caxton research shows Brits make an average of 19 card transactions overseas, typically spending 32.33 per tap1. During their trip they'll take money out three times, withdrawing around 150 each time1. In the UK, debit cards account for half of all payments made, with contactless methods surging by 30%3. Using these cards abroad can become an unnecessary holiday expense. Toll in the wall Most high street banks charge for using their standard debit cards overseas as a cost for converting the money from pounds into a foreign currency. This conversion fee typically applies to both spending and taking out cash abroad with a debit card. However, for ATM use HSBC also adds on a 2% non-sterling cash fee for standard account holders, meaning customers will be charged 4.75% of the amount withdrawn. Although the number of foreign holidays Brits took rose 12% last summer, the research showed the typical card use per person had fallen year on year, with purchases down 10% and spend per transaction down 2%4 5. Over the same period the average amount UK consumers withdrew from cashpoints was up by 17%, while the number of ATM withdrawals per trip dropped 7%, suggesting a greater focus on budgeting and fewer impulse buys. Caxton Chief Operating Officer, Alana Parsons commented: "When you're abroad it's easy to let your guard down when it comes to bank card fees. We've become used to making quick taps with our cards, so it's understandable why many people continue to do so on holiday. "However, this leads to needless charges. To break the habit and hold onto your hard-earned cash get a currency card for holiday spending. Having a separate card will help you budget and can also be pre-loaded with the money you need so you can relax." Notes to Editors: Download full release and figures 1 Caxton researchers analysed 1,249,798 foreign currency transactions made by 64,737 consumers and 81,751 overseas ATM withdrawals made by 27,922 consumers between July and September 2023; These figures were used with the high street bank debit card fees to calculate the average bill of using a high street debit card overseas Contact [email protected] for the full analysis 2 ONS: Overseas travel and tourism: July to September 2023; 19.4 million x 32.32 = 627,008,000 3 UK Finance: Half of all payments now made using debit cards 4 ONS: Overseas travel and tourism: July to September 2023 5 Caxton 2023 research showed average amount withdrawn at overseas ATM from July to September 2022 = 126.63; Average count withdrawals = 3.16 About Caxton Caxton is an award winning fintech payments company which processes tens of millions of international and domestic transactions each year. Website: https://www.caxton.io/cards Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2417115/Caxton_Travel_Card.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2414860/Caxton_Logo.jpg SOURCE Caxton ALMATY, Kazakhstan, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bulat Utemuratov's Group has donated around $30 million to support residents of the regions in Kazakhstan affected by some of the worst flooding in a century. The donation, comprising $24.2 million from Bulat Utemuratov's Foundation, a $4.5 million donation from Beeline Kazakhstan and RG Gold, and a $1.1 million donation from Alidar Utemuratov, will be used to provide financial support, restore vital infrastructure and rehouse local residents who have been left homeless in the Aktobe and Akmola regions. Photo Credit: Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan (PRNewsfoto/Bulat Utemuratov Foundation) Over 440 families displaced by floods in the Aktobe region and 50 families in the Akmola region will receive keys to their new homes in the coming months. Last week, the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation handed over 34 houses to the affected families in towns located in the Aktobe region including Kobda, Uil and Alga. This week 31 families in the Aktobe region and 20 families in the Akmola region will receive keys to their new homes. The whole process of the transfer of houses and apartments in both regions is set to be completed by the end of August 2024. Bulat Utemuratov commented: "The state is working hard to return thousands of our fellow citizens affected by the flooding to normal life as soon as possible, and our task is to support these efforts in every possible way. I am pleased we are already making a difference, with families in the Aktobe and Akmola regions receiving new homes and more to follow soon." Humanitarian relief is a key tenet to the Foundation's work and is evidenced across the efforts of its portfolio companies. The Foundation's Aid Card project continues to provide financial aid to people in areas affected by floods, fires, and dam failures. Last year, the Foundation donated $5 million to victims of the earthquake in Turkey, along with $1 million to support families of victims of the Kostenko mine disaster. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2418067/Bulat_Utemuratov_Donation.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2200082/4717737/Bulat_Utemuratov_Logo.jpg SOURCE Bulat Utemuratov Foundation ALMATY, Kazakhstan, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Bulat Utemuratov's Group has donated around $30 million to support residents of the regions in Kazakhstan affected by some of the worst flooding in a century. The donation, comprising $24.2 million from Bulat Utemuratov's Foundation, a $4.5 million donation from Beeline Kazakhstan and RG Gold, and a $1.1 million donation from Alidar Utemuratov, will be used to provide financial support, restore vital infrastructure and rehouse local residents who have been left homeless in the Aktobe and Akmola regions. Photo Credit: Ministry for Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan Over 440 families displaced by floods in the Aktobe region and 50 families in the Akmola region will receive keys to their new homes in the coming months. Last week, the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation handed over 34 houses to the affected families in towns located in the Aktobe region including Kobda, Uil and Alga. This week 31 families in the Aktobe region and 20 families in the Akmola region will receive keys to their new homes. The whole process of the transfer of houses and apartments in both regions is set to be completed by the end of August 2024. Bulat Utemuratov commented: "The state is working hard to return thousands of our fellow citizens affected by the flooding to normal life as soon as possible, and our task is to support these efforts in every possible way. I am pleased we are already making a difference, with families in the Aktobe and Akmola regions receiving new homes and more to follow soon." Humanitarian relief is a key tenet to the Foundation's work and is evidenced across the efforts of its portfolio companies. The Foundation's Aid Card project continues to provide financial aid to people in areas affected by floods, fires, and dam failures. Last year, the Foundation donated $5 million to victims of the earthquake in Turkey, along with $1 million to support families of victims of the Kostenko mine disaster. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2418067/Bulat_Utemuratov_Donation.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2200082/4717737/Bulat_Utemuratov_Logo.jpg BOCA RATON, Fla., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Anthology, the leading provider of education solutions that support the entire learner lifecycle, today announced Centennial College, one of Canada's Top Research Colleges, has selected Blackboard Learn Ultra as its new learning management system (LMS). With a commitment to exemplary teaching and a focus on educating students for career success, Centennial College required an LMS that could deliver an unparalleled experience for faculty and students. "In tests and focus groups, our students chose Blackboard's intuitive, mobile-first design as their strong favorite." Post this "It was important for us to have a partner that truly understands the needs of faculty and staff and that encourages development of features in collaboration with its customers," said Dr. Cary DiPietro, Dean of Learning, Teaching and Scholarship, Centennial College. "It's clear that Anthology has made significant investments in reimagining Learn Ultra based on pedagogical best practices and with an eye towards leveraging cutting-edge technology to deliver a robust learning environment. In tests and focus groups, our students chose Blackboard's intuitive, mobile-first design as their strong favorite." Blackboard Learn Ultra was selected following an open competition and review process and demonstrated industry-leading innovation and vision. The innovation is the result of significant investment in fresh functionality and client involvement in the development of new features such as the AI Design Assistant, a tool that provides instructors with inspiration and a starting point for the course design process. The AI Design Assistant helps build more engaging courses more quickly by suggesting a course structure, sourcing images, generating rubrics, creating test and quiz questions, and proposing more authentic assessments. Features like Flexible Grading provide streamlined navigation to prioritize workflow by instructor preference and were developed with substantial input from faculty and users. "Centennial College is looking to the future and needs a partner that is delivering innovative education solutions that offer an intuitive, seamless user experience," said Joe Belenardo, Chief Revenue Officer at Anthology. "This partnership is the first page in the next chapter for Blackboard Learn Ultra as we deliver innovation with a purpose, like AI-facilitated tools to help faculty spend less time on administration and more time engaging students. We're proud to serve Centennial College on their mission to educate students for career success." The college will also implement Anthology Ally with Blackboard Learn, a separate application that creates inclusive online content and supports web accessibility, aligning with institutional commitments to fostering an environment where everyone feels welcome and like they belong. Centennial College is recognized as one of the most culturally diverse post-secondary institutions in Canada and the ability to provide digital course content in multiple formats and languages is imperative to deliver an inclusive student experience. Learn more about Blackboard Learn Ultra. About Anthology Anthology offers the largest EdTech ecosystem on a global scale for education, supporting more than 150 million users in 80 countries. With a mission to provide dynamic, data-informed experiences to the global education community through Anthology Intelligent Experiences, we help learners, leaders and educators achieve their goals by offering over 60 SaaS products and services designed to advance learning. Discover more about how we are fulfilling our mission for education, business and government institutions at www.anthology.com. About Centennial College Centennial College, founded in 1966, is Ontario's first public college. Anchored primarily in the eastern part of the Greater Toronto Area, the college boasts five campuses and two satellite locations. Renowned for its outstanding teaching, creative curriculum, and robust network of partnerships, Centennial annually welcomes over 40,000 full-time and part-time students from over 130 countries. These students pursue their education in over 400 diploma, certificate, and degree programs across various fields, including business, media, arts, community and consumer services, engineering technology, health care, and transportation. Media contact: Erin Mitchell, Director of Communications, Anthology. [email protected] Michelle Ervin, Media Relations Manager, Centennial College. [email protected] . SOURCE Anthology DALLAS, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- National mortgage lender Certainty Home Lending, a Guaranteed Rate Company, today announced the appointment of Shadi Kamran as its new National Business Development Executive, poised to drive increased productivity and efficiency across Certainty's national platform. Kamran is based out of Los Angeles, supporting strategy and sales performance. Certainty Home Lending With a career spanning over 20 years in lending, Kamran brings deep experience in personal loan originations and leading high-performance teams. He also has a deep understanding of product guidelines, pricing, capital markets, and emerging technology's role in the lending process. He is credited as a top industry producer, having managed over $10B transactions over his award-winning career. Franco Terango, Chief Executive Officer at Certainty Home Lending, expressed his enthusiasm for Kamran's addition to the team, stating, "We are thrilled to welcome Shadi to the Certainty family. His dedication to building enduring partnerships across diverse business segments, extensive mortgage finance experience, and team leadership expertise will be leveraged within Certainty's network of originators and branches. Our clients stand to benefit greatly from Shadi's particular blend of career experience in the field." Reflecting on Certainty Home Lending's thriving culture, financial strength, and core mortgage capabilities as critical areas of strength, Kamran stated, "Our comprehensive product suite offers solutions for virtually every mortgage and home financing need. The technologically advanced mortgage platform empowers loan officers to serve both customers and business partners with ease and excellence. Additionally, the people and culture at Certainty are unique, and I am excited to once again collaborate with industry colleagues and leaders who I've regarded so highly over years in the business." Certainty Home Lending operates under the umbrella of Guaranteed Rate, offering an array of industry-leading loan products complemented by cutting-edge mortgage technology. This technology streamlines the origination process, benefiting both loan officers and consumers. For more information about Certainty Home Lending solutions and services, please visit www.certaintyhomelending.com or contact Shadi directly at shadi.kamran@certaintyhomelending[dot]com. About Certainty Home Lending Dallas-based Certainty Home Lending is a national mortgage lending company and a Guaranteed Rate Company. The company has helped borrowers achieve the dream of homeownership for over two decades. It takes pride in its team-oriented atmosphere, fostering a culture of excellence that focuses on delivering an exceptional experience to each of its customers. This approach earned Certainty the MortgageCX Best-In-Class Lender award from 2018 2022 and recognition as one of National Mortgage News' Best Mortgage Companies to Work For in 2023. At Certainty, clients come first. We understand that the best customer experience is delivered by satisfied, empowered financial service professionals with access to the best loan products and tools. Learn more at certaintyhomelending.com. About Guaranteed Rate Guaranteed Rate Companies is a leader in mortgage lending and digital financial services. Headquartered in Chicago, the Guaranteed Rate Companies is the #2 retail mortgage lender in the U.S. with over 850 branches across the U.S. serving all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Since its launch in 2000, Guaranteed Rate Companies have helped more than 2 million homeowners with home purchase loans and refinances. The company has cemented itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates, and delivering unparalleled customer service. Honors and awards include Best Mortgage Lender for First Time Homebuyers by NerdWallet for 2023; HousingWire's Tech100 award for the company's industry-leading FlashClose in 2020, digital mortgage platform MyAccount in 2022, and Language Access Program in 2023; No. 2 ranking in Scotsman Guide's 2022 list of Top Retail Mortgage Lenders; The most Scotsman Guide Top Originators for 11 consecutive years; Chicago Agent Magazine's Lender of the Year for seven consecutive years; and Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces list for seven consecutive years. Visit rate.com for more information. Media Contacts: Kendall Allen Rockwell Broadsheet Communications For Guaranteed Rate [email protected] SOURCE Guaranteed Rate With 130 million registered members worldwide, the Chinese tea brand aims to sell 15 billion of servings annually as it pioneers modern Oriental tea in future SHANGHAI, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- CHAGEE, a leading tea brand in China, is aggressively expanding its global reach. At the International Tea Day 2024 - Modern Oriental Tea Innovation Forum, held on May 21st, Junjie Zhang, Founder and CEO of CHAGEE, revealed that the brand now serves over 130 million registered members worldwide. CHAGEE has set its sights on catering to consumers across 100 countries and delivering 15 billion of modern oriental tea each year. Junjie Zhang, Founder and CEO of CHAGEE CHAGEE Targets 100 Countries and 15 Billion Cups Annually in Global Expansion Drive Since opening its first shop abroad in Malaysia in August 2019, CHAGEE has further expanded into Thailand and Singapore, and now operates over 4,500 stores globally. The expansion underscores the increasing international demand for oriental tea, with CHAGEE at the forefront of the trend. Speaking at the forum, Zhang said, "CHAGEE is dedicated to revitalizing ancient tea-making methods that date back 900 years through the use of modern technology. The initiative not only returns us to the origins of tea but also redefines the contemporary tea-drinking experience. CHAGEE is focused on promoting the health benefits of our products while facilitating cultural exchanges between China and the global community. Our objective is to build a world-class brand in the ready-to-drink tea market, offering consumers worldwide the opportunity to enjoy the taste of contemporary Asian tea." The Rise of Oriental Tea Brands on the Global Stage CHAGEE, which was established just six years ago in Yunnan provinceconsidered one of the historic origins of tea in China, has swiftly climbed the ranks to become a leader in the competitive tea beverage sector. Specializing in raw-leaf fresh milk tea, the company melds traditional oriental culture with tea heritage and innovation. Its expansion across all major provinces and cities throughout China illustrates CHAGEE's rapid growth and significant penetration in the global market. In 2023, CHAGEE achieved a Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) of 10.8 billion yuan in Chinese market. As of the first quarter of 2024, CHAGEE had achieved over 5.8 billion GMV and it's expected over 20 billion yuan by the end of 2024. More importantly, the oriental tea brand is increasingly attracting a younger audience. Diverging from the traditional tea market, which typically skews older, CHAGEE has captured the interest of consumers in the 15 to 50 age demographic. The broad appeal is significantly unifying the perception of modern oriental tea across generations. Over the past few years, CHAGEE has fused modern technology and health-conscious values with oriental traditions to promote its innovative tea products worldwide. In 2023, the brand enhanced its product formulations by removing artificial flavorings from its tea bases, eliminating creamers from its milk, and ensuring that its beverages contain zero trans fatty acids. CHAGEE also introduced novel features such as the Product ID Card and a Health Calculator, and took the unprecedented step of publishing calorie and nutrient content reports for its products, a first in the ready-to-drink tea industry. In early 2024, the company continued the lead in the industry by implementing the Nutritional Choice label at its Shanghai locations, introducing the first nutritional grading system specifically for tea beverages. The development ushers in a new era focused on managing sugar intake. In March, CHAGEE announced the glycemic index (GI) values for several tea beverages for the first time, providing a scientific basis for sugar management. Today, CHAGEE's signature offering, Jasmine Green Milk Tea, enjoys robust sales, with over 230 million servings sold annually. The standout beverage not only maintains a growing repurchase rate but also demonstrates the brand's commitment to meeting consumer expectations for quality, user experience, and health benefits. Modernized Operation Boosts Profitability Over the past few years, CHAGEE has dramatically transformed its operational processes, crucial in its mission to become a competitive force worldwide. The company has integrated modern management tools into its operations, establishing an online system that synchronizes the management of personnel, inventory, delivery, and store locations. This integration has led to the development of a holistic digital operations framework and a comprehensive digital management system, marking significant advancements in the industry's operational practices. CHAGEE stands alone as the sole freshly brewed tea company in the country to have successfully implemented a decentralized local service center. The company operates according to the '1+1+9+N' model, which encompasses a central headquarters, a dedicated local team, nine directly-managed stores, and an unlimited number of franchised stores. This structure offers substantial support for its franchisees, bolstering local operational capabilities and enhancing responsiveness to market dynamics. CHAGEE also maintains a policy of operating directly-managed stores prior to opening up a new market to franchising. When entering a new city, it first opens a flagship store to test the business model and establish a market presence. Depending on local market needs, the number of directly-managed stores may exceed nine to ensure business consistency is achieved prior to expanding the franchise network. The strategy has enabled rapid expansion and high profitability rates among CHAGEE's domestic stores over the past six years, significantly aiding its franchisees in becoming profitable. In the critical areas of digitization and intelligent technology, CHAGEE has continued to invest and achieve significant results. The company began integrating automated tea-making equipment in select shops in 2022 as part of a pilot initiative. The subsequent year, CHAGEE unveiled the next-generation TEA BAR, featuring innovative offerings like Tea Extreme Extract and Oriental Ice Tea, modernizing the traditional tea-drinking experience with a technological twist. The period also marked the official rollout of CHAGEE's proprietary automated tea-making equipment across its stores. To ensure a robust supply chain, CHAGEE directly sources all tea and milk for its domestic operations, managing distribution through the group's headquarters. The company has established multiple urban warehouses across the country to maintain optimal freshness of all raw materials. Internationally, tea products for CHAGEE's shops are also sourced and logistics are handled through the headquarters, adhering to all necessary international quarantine protocols. Additionally, high-quality milk and other raw materials used in each location comply with local regulations, supported by CHAGEE's local supply chains and storage solutions to facilitate procurement and distribution. At the forum, Zhang also discussed the intrinsic appeal of tea as one of the world's primary beverages, capable of transcending age, borders, and economic cycles. He envisages the future of modern oriental tea as both a return to its roots and a means of connecting people globally. "CHAGEE is focused not on creating demand but on discerning and satisfying the expectations of tea drinkers around the world." Zhang added. SOURCE CHAGEE JOHANNESBURG, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- In compliance with para 3.59 of the JSE Listings Requirements and para 6.39 of the JSE Debt Listings Requirements, shareholders and noteholders are advised of the following changes to the board of directors of the Company (the Board) in accordance with the Company's nomination and succession plan for directors and the chairman: 1. Appointment of independent non-executive director Mr David G P Eyton has been appointed as a non-executive director of Sasol with effect from 1 September 2024. Mr Eyton satisfies the independence requirements for directors under applicable requirements in South Africa and the United States. David will also join the Company's Capital Investment, Safety, Social and Ethics and Remuneration Committees. David held various positions at BP Plc between 1982 and 2022. He has extensive experience in the oil and gas sector, having held various business and functional leadership roles. He provided leadership in BP's energy transition and managed BP's digital and operating management systems, corporate venture capital and research and development functions. David has been the chairman and trustee of the John Lyons Foundation since 2016 and serves on the board of the UK Royal Academy of Engineering. David holds a BA Engineering degree from the University of Cambridge. He is a fellow of The Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and the United Kingdom Institute of Directors. The Chairman of the Sasol Board (Chairman), Mr Steve Westwell, said: "We are pleased to welcome a person of David's calibre to the Sasol Board. His background in energy transition and digital technologies will be valuable to Sasol as we progress our transition." 2. Retirement of chairman of the Remuneration Committee Ms Mpho Nkeli has decided to retire as non-executive director and chairman of the Remuneration Committee of Sasol on 31 August 2024. The Chairman said: "Mpho enabled the Board to consciously take account of the competing interests of the diverse stakeholders of Sasol, in carving out and implementing a remuneration philosophy and policy that sought to balance the interests of employees and investors in pursuit of a sustainable Sasol. We wish her well in her future endeavours." Mr Timothy Cumming, appointed as a director with effect from 1 June 2024, will take over as chairman of the Remuneration Committee on 1 September 2024. Tim has been appointed as a member of the Capital Investment, Remuneration and Safety, Social and Ethics Committees with effect from 1 June 2024. The Board is satisfied that his remuneration oversight experience in the South African market will stand him in good stead as chairman of the Remuneration Committee. 3. Retirement of chairman and appointment of interim chairman Mr Steven Westwell retires as non-executive director and Chairman on 1 June 2024 when he reaches the twelfth anniversary of his appointment to the Sasol Board. Ms Muriel Dube, Sasol's Lead Independent Director (LID), said: "The Board expresses its gratitude and appreciation for the immense contribution made by Steve on the Board and its Committees, including on statutory committees. In addition to serving as LID, Steve most ably led the Board's oversight on capital investments in his capacity as chairman of the Capital Investment Committee. He also recently presided successfully over the succession of the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and the filling of two vacancies on the Board. Steve's expertise, wisdom and experience will be sorely missed." Muriel Dube, in her capacity as LID, will carry out the responsibilities of the Chairman of the Board until the appointment of the Chairman is made. In particular, Muriel will bring to completion the Chairman succession process currently underway. SOURCE Sasol Limited SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As a bill holding oil drillers accountable for health harms awaits a vote on the California Assembly Floor, Chevron reported spending $3 million lobbying in the first three months of the year to defeat that bill, AB 3155, the only bill it claims to be lobbying against, according to state disclosures analyzed by CalMatters. Chevron spent more lobbying in the first quarter than any entity in the state according to the analysis. In addition to lobbying against AB 3155, Chevron also lobbied various state agencies. AB 3155 (Friedman) holds oil drillers legally accountable for birth defects, cancer, and respiratory problems in people who live within a half mile of an oil well that doesn't use the most protective leak control technology that is commercially available. The bill creates a presumption of liability that can be rebutted if the company uses the best pollution control technology or can prove the health problems were caused another way. "Chevron is scared of AB 3155 because it will hold the company accountable to the people it harms in communities surrounding its wells," said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog. "All the company has to do to avoid liability is use the best commercially available pollution control technology. But Chevron spends its money trying to influence politics instead of cleaning up its wells. The Assembly should tell Chevron it needs to be accountable for unsafe drilling." A state scientific panel for CALGEM found a link between birth defects and respiratory problems and living within the setback zone. 5 of the top 12 most common toxins at LA oil drilling sites are carcinogens. More than 2.7 million Californians live within 3,200 feet of an existing operational oil or gas well. SOURCE Consumer Watchdog SAN JOSE, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --On May 9, 2024, construction owners from the Wisconsin and Illinois areas gathered to network, establish valuable connections, and spark new partnerships at the inaugural CO Summit 2024. Co-organized by Lumber , the event was a tremendous success, with 23 companies from Wisconsin and Illinois showcasing their offerings, attendees had ample chances to connect with industry peers, share ideas, and explore potential collaborations. Co-Summit 24 Panel Discussion The highlight of the event was a thought-provoking session led by Oleg Pravdin on the emerging Trends and Challenges faced by construction owners, focusing on issues such as compliance, intricate payroll processes, and unintegrated applications that necessitated manual data entry. Pravdin meticulously explained the difficulties in managing payroll, time tracking, and adhering to building compliance regulations, which often prevent construction owners from concentrating on their core expertise - construction. Additionally, he delved into the complexities of prevailing wages, a crucial aspect for contractors working on federal projects. This part of the session was particularly illuminating, as it highlighted the specific requirements and common pitfalls associated with prevailing wage laws under the Davis-Bacon Act. Pravdin provided actionable insights on how to navigate these challenges, ensuring compliance while minimizing administrative burdens. Furthermore, the session shed light on common errors in Davis-Bacon projects, explaining their causes and providing strategies for correction. Lou Perez, Head of Sales at Lumber, commented on the summit's success: "The inaugural CO Summit 2024 exceeded our expectations in every way. The phenomenal networking opportunities allowed construction owners to connect, share ideas, and form valuable partnerships. This event has truly highlighted the vibrant potential of the construction industry and opened up exciting possibilities for everyone involved." Shreesha Ramdas, CEO of Lumber, added, "CO Summit 2024 has been an eye-opening experience, highlighting the immense possibilities within the construction industry." With enthusiastic participation and support from various organizations, CO Summit 2024 set a strong foundation for future events, promising continued growth and innovation in the construction industry. The next CO Summit will be held in Sacramento, California, around September this year. Visit the CO Summit 2024 page for more information. About Lumber Lumber is a construction workforce management platform that streamlines payroll, time tracking, safety, compliance, field productivity, rewards, and recognition for contractors. Visit lumberfi.com for more information. SOURCE Lumber Joel's journey to Smile 4 Ever Mexico in Tijuana exemplifies the transformative power of affordable dental care. Struggling with dental problems that affected his quality of life, Joel found a solution in Tijuana, where dental procedures are significantly cheaper. Tijuana dentists offer savings of up to 75%, with single implants costing between $800 and $1,800 and full mouth restorations ranging from $6,900 to $16,000. Joel's experience was marked by exceptional care from the welcoming staff, including appointment scheduler and patient coordinator. Overcoming initial uncertainties, Joel received All-on-4 implants, a minimally invasive procedure that revitalized his smile and life. His story highlights the affordability and quality of dental care in Tijuana, making it a beacon of hope for others facing similar challenges. TIJUANA, Mexico, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Take Care of Yourself, You Deserve It, Joel's Message to Everyone A Dental Implant History Dental Tourism | The Best Dentists Option in Tijuana Mexico Smile 4 Ever Mexico Pictures with family, laughter with grandchildren, all lost to a dental problem that had consumed his quality of life. When Joel first contacted us, He knew that his dental problems needed fixing, but the path to it was filled with uncertainty. Was it worth the effort? Could he overcome his reservations and finally take care of himself? Taking a good decision, choosing Tijuana Dentists Tijuana, a place often misunderstood, had what he needed for his transformation. Stories swirled about the city, but Joel knew better; he knew that the real danger lay instead in not taking the leap. With determination, Joel embarked on his journey to Smile 4 Ever Mexico for her all on 4 dental implants in Mexico treatment. Filled with smiling faces and outstretched hands. From Jorge, the appointment scheduler, to Magda, the patient coordinator, to the skillful doctors, everyone greeted him with warmth and understanding. Ready to Fly to Mexico Sorting out insurance and phone services, and overcoming misconceptions were all part of the questions we helped him solve. But he wasn't alone. Assistance was always at hand, just a phone call away, and every encounter with the staff at the clinic brought him closer to his goal. His nephew, too, joined him on this trip. As our bonds grew stronger, and the process became more seamless, and soon enough, here at the clinic we all turned from caretakers to friends. Soon Joel's name, was spoken with genuine care and affection here. It became a symbol of his transformation, a name no longer hidden behind a frown but radiant with a new smile. The Final Transformation 4 implants per arch was placed on Joel, supported by 2 hybrid dentures, the dental procedure was more than just a medical intervention; a turning point that brought Joel back to life. The once-hidden smile emerged, glowing and full of life. "What price could one put on a smile like that?" he said His reflection in the mirror told a new storya story of self-love, acceptance, and renewed joy. Every smile with his wife, every laugh with his grandchildren, was a testament to his courage and the unwavering support of those who had joined him on this journey. Returning to his life in California, Joel was a changed man. The streets of Tijuana, the smiling faces at Smile 4 Ever Mexico, and the experiences he had shared with his nephew were now part of his life's story. His story became an inspiring one for us, a beacon of hope for those who felt unworthy or afraid. The echoes of "Hey Joel, Hi Joel, how are you?" still rang in his ears, a constant reminder that he had not just found a solution to a dental problem but discovered friends, joy, and a new way to live. Joel's journey to Smile 4 Ever Mexico is a tale of transformation that goes beyond the physical. It's a story of human connection, self-discovery, and the unbreakable bond between a man and his smile. A story that all of us should hear. Author: Fer For more amazing histories visit: Patient Testimonials About Smile 4 Ever Mexico At our Smile 4 Ever Mexico, we pride ourselves on being a cost-effective choice without compromising quality. While we offer significant savings compared to dental options in the United States, rest assured that we prioritize the highest standards of care and attention to detail. Press Contact: Fer 619-906-7481 https://smile4evermexico.com SOURCE Smile 4 Ever Mexico Bain analyzes more than 900 US higher ed institutions; finds graduation rates can be misleading, data can help institutions learn from schools that outperform BOSTON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Graduation rates and student earnings data are not enough to assess the performance of higher education institutions, according to new research released today by Bain & Company. During its analysis of more than 900 US higher ed institutions, Bain found that differences in student body mix such as underlying readiness for college and cost of living, as well as geographic location, can mask which institutions excel in terms of student outcomes. "More than a third of college students fail to graduate within six years of enrolling and many don't see the growth in their income necessary to provide a strong return on investment," said Jeff Denneen, global head of Bain's Higher Education practice. "Colleges and universities need to change track and focus on the interventions that matter most to delivering better student outcomes. Our research identifies four areas higher education leaders should focus on if they wish to provide the most value to students. For example, universities can leverage advanced analytics to avoid students slipping through the cracks due to their socio-economic circumstances. By helping all their students succeed, universities can create a virtuous cycle of differentiation and increased demand." Predicting student outcomes As part of its analysis, Bain built a tool that assesses student outcomes and performance of public and private four-year institutions while controlling for student body characteristics and socio-economic factors. Many institutions outperform expectations that are often impacted by factors, such as family income and education history, academic preparation, full or part-time status, or racial, ethnic, and gender demographics. There is a strong relationship between actual and predicted outcomes, Bain found. "The media, policymakers, and general public are starting to talk much more about outcomes than student debt and tuition, but most reports aren't considering the full story," said Mark Krafft, Bain partner and member of Bain's Higher Education practice. "Many colleges and universities aren't getting enough credit for the outcomes that they support their students to achieve because they are working with student bodies or in geographies with historically lower graduation rates and career outcomes. People talk about the impressive graduation rates and starting salaries from the top ranked universities while most of those students were destined to succeed regardless of the institution. Our analysis allows us to tease that apart so that we can better understand who is helping students succeed the most." Four areas for success Four critical areas that higher ed leaders should prioritize if they wish to improve student outcomes according to Bain include: Make student outcomes leadership's top priority: Announce publicly that student outcomes are the top institutional priority, and shift time, attention, and resources accordingly. Boosting student outcomes requires sustained support from an institution's board and senior leadership. Announce publicly that student outcomes are the top institutional priority, and shift time, attention, and resources accordingly. Boosting student outcomes requires sustained support from an institution's board and senior leadership. Address systemic barriers to student success: Map the student journey from admission to graduation to tackle barriers preventing students from succeeding. These can include internal barriers such as complex course registration or degree requirements, and external barriers such as financial need, mental health challenges, and family obligations. Map the student journey from admission to graduation to tackle barriers preventing students from succeeding. These can include internal barriers such as complex course registration or degree requirements, and external barriers such as financial need, mental health challenges, and family obligations. Implement a strong career-connected learning strategy: Prepare students for successful careers and lives through a combination of classroom learning and real-world experiences. Partner with employers to determine the skills and experiences they value most. Prepare students for successful careers and lives through a combination of classroom learning and real-world experiences. Partner with employers to determine the skills and experiences they value most. Employ data to set targets and inform the approach: Use data to understand institution- and department-level student outcomes and set realistic improvement targets. Media Contacts: Katie Ware (New York) Email: [email protected] About Bain & Company Bain & Company is a global consultancy that helps the world's most ambitious change makers define the future. Across 65 cities in 40 countries, we work alongside our clients as one team with a shared ambition to achieve extraordinary results, outperform the competition, and redefine industries. We complement our tailored, integrated expertise with a vibrant ecosystem of digital innovators to deliver better, faster, and more enduring outcomes. Our 10-year commitment to invest more than $1 billion in pro bono services brings our talent, expertise, and insight to organizations tackling today's urgent challenges in education, racial equity, social justice, economic development, and the environment. We earned a platinum rating from EcoVadis, the leading platform for environmental, social, and ethical performance ratings for global supply chains, putting us in the top 1% of all companies. Since our founding in 1973, we have measured our success by the success of our clients, and we proudly maintain the highest level of client advocacy in the industry. SOURCE Bain & Company BOGOTA, Colombia, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) ("Ecopetrol") reports that on May 20, 2024, the ordinary meetings for bondholders of Ecopetrol's 2010 and 2013 local bonds were held, in accordance with the notices published on May 9, 2024 by Alianza Valores Fiduciaria S.A. and Itau Fiduciaria Colombia S.A., as representatives of the 2010 bonds and the 2013 bonds, respectively, in a widely circulated newspaper. Itau Fiduciaria Colombia S.A. held the meeting for bondholders of the 2013 bonds, today at 8:00 a.m., and registered a quorum corresponding to 0.16% of the outstanding 2013 bonds. Alianza Valores Fiduciaria S.A. held the meeting for bondholders of the 2010 bonds, today at 10:00 a.m., and registered a quorum corresponding to 5.28% of the outstanding 2010 bonds. In accordance with article 6.4.1.1.22 of Decree 2555 of 2010, a decision to approve a statutory reform must be taken by the favorable vote of the majority of bondholders present at the meeting who also represent eighty percent (80%) of the outstanding bonds. Therefore, given that such eighty percent (80%) was not present at the meetings, a second call to approve the statutory reform approved by Ecopetrol's shareholders on March 22, 2024, will be published tomorrow on May 21, 2024 by Alianza Valores Fiduciaria S.A. and Itau Fiduciaria Colombia S.A. in a widely circulated newspaper. For more information about the general conditions to attend the bondholders assemblies, please visit the following link: https://www.ecopetrol.com.co/wps/portal/Home/es/Inversionistas/asamblea-de-tenedores-de-bonos Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia and one of the main integrated energy companies in the American continent, with more than 18,000 employees. In Colombia, it is responsible for more than 60% of the hydrocarbon production of most transportation, logistics, and hydrocarbon refining systems, and it holds leading positions in the petrochemicals and gas distribution segments. With the acquisition of 51.4% of ISA's shares, the company participates in energy transmission, the management of real-time systems (XM), and the Barranquilla - Cartagena coastal highway concession. At the international level, Ecopetrol has a stake in strategic basins in the American continent, with Drilling and Exploration operations in the United States (Permian basin and the Gulf of Mexico), Brazil, and Mexico, and, through ISA and its subsidiaries, Ecopetrol holds leading positions in the power transmission business in Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Bolivia, road concessions in Chile, and the telecommunications sector. This press release contains business prospect statements, operating and financial result estimates, and statements related to Ecopetrol's growth prospects. These are all projections and, as such, they are based solely on the expectations of the managers regarding the future of the company and their continued access to capital to finance the company's business plan. The realization of said estimates in the future depends on the behavior of market conditions, regulations, competition, and the performance of the Colombian economy and the industry, among other factors, and are consequently subject to change without prior notice. This release contains statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements, whether made in this release or in future filings or press releases, or orally, address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, including in respect of the Company's prospects for growth and its ongoing access to capital to fund the Company's business plan, among others. Consequently, changes in the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements: market prices of oil & gas, our exploration, and production activities, market conditions, applicable regulations, the exchange rate, the Company's competitiveness and the performance of Colombia's economy and industry, to mention a few. We do not intend and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements. For more information, please contact: Head of Capital Markets Carolina Tovar Aragon Email: [email protected] Head of Corporate Communications Marcela Ulloa Email: [email protected] SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A. Dedicated Investment Program II Will Further Eir Partners' Strategy of Partnering with Companies Across the Healthcare Technology & Technology Enabled Services Marketplace MIAMI, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Eir Partners Capital, LLC ("Eir", "Eir Partners" or the "Firm"), a middle market private equity firm focused on healthcare technology and tech-enabled services, today announced the final closing of Eir Partners Investment Program II with $496 million in capital commitments. Eir previously raised $255 million in capital commitments for its inaugural program, Eir Partners Program I, which closed in 2021 and invested in five platform investments. The oversubscribed program was raised in less than four months and secured commitments from a diversified range of investors including leading financial institutions, insurance companies, family offices, funds-of-funds, endowments and foundations, and seasoned industry executives. "We are thrilled to receive support from a distinguished group of investors to continue our strategy of partnering with exceptional businesses and teams," said Brett Carlson, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Eir Partners. "Their commitment will help grow and establish Eir as a leading health-tech investment firm in the market." Eir Partners Investment Program II will continue to invest in disruptive companies that have proven market fit and scale demonstrating outsized organic growth potential coupled with accretive M&A opportunities. Eir seeks to partner with businesses where the firm's operating experience and executive advisor network can make an impact across all aspects of the business including technology, finance, sales, and human capital. Lazard Freres & Co. LLC acted as the exclusive placement advisor, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel in the formation of Eir Partners Investment Program II. About Eir Partners Eir Partners Capital, LLC is a Miami-based private equity company focused exclusively on healthcare technology and tech- enabled services. Eir combines its operational expertise with bottoms up thematic sourcing efforts to accelerate value creation. Since inception, Eir has completed transactions across payer, provider, employer and pharma tech, including leading industry names such as Apixio, Capta, GiftHealth, Helpware, and ReviveHealth. Targeted stages of investment include growth equity through control buyouts and equity check sizes range from $25 - $100 million. For more information, please visit the Eir Partners website at https://www.eirpartners.com/ or the Eir Partners LinkedIn page at https://www.linkedin.com/company/eir-partners. Contact Chris Tofalli Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC 914-834-4334 [email protected] SOURCE Eir Partners Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are shaping the future SUGAR LAND, Texas, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that CEO and co-founder, Stuart Hinchen, and CDO and co-founder Peter Jenkins of QuVa Pharma were named as Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Gulf South Award finalists. The Gulf South program celebrates entrepreneurs from Central and South Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized the daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world. Stuart Hinchen and Peter Jenkins are regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes. "Peter and I are humbled to be considered amongst the finalists for this prestigious award," said Stuart Hinchen, QuVa Pharma CEO and co-founder. "QuVa Pharma continues to be the embodiment of so many creative people dedicated to improving healthcare across the USA, and we are honored to represent them all". QuVa Pharma is a national, industry-leading, FDA registered 503B outsourcing services company that provides health systems and hospitals essential sterile injectables medications critical to patient care. QuVa's mission is to enable healthcare providers the ability to make informed decisions by providing high quality and effective medications, services, and solutions that facilitate efficient and accurate delivery of patient care. Entrepreneur Of The Year honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future. Regional award winners will be announced on June 13, 2024 during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation's most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential. Sponsors Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Gulf South, sponsors also include ADP, DLA Piper, Marsh McLennan Agency, vcfo, Big Picture Inc., and Pierpont Communications. About Entrepreneur Of The Year Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally. The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum in November where National finalists and award winners are announced. The overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy. About EY EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets. Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate. Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. SOURCE QuVa Pharma, Inc. The regulatory approval process with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has commenced for Innocan's LPT-CBD release technology, marking a key step in the advancement of non-opioid pain management HERZLIYA, Israel and CALGARY, AB, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Innocan Pharma Corporation (CSE: INNO) (FSE: IP4) (OTCQB: INNPF) ("Innocan" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce significant advancements in the regulatory process for its Liposome-Cannabidiol (LPT-CBD) technology, which provides an innovative solution in non-opioid pain management. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") has granted Innocan an Investigational New Drug ("IND") number and approved an initial meeting with the Company to discuss the strategic path forward. The meeting with the FDA has been set for July 31, 2024, where Innocan will present its preclinical results and proposed clinical development plan. This meeting is key to launching human clinical trials for the LPT-CBD injectable drug, developed to provide a novel treatment option for chronic pain. "We are very pleased with this crucial step towards launching our IND program for LPT-CBD in the United States," commented Iris Bincovich CEO of Innocan Pharma. "This upcoming FDA consultation is pivotal, poised to set the stage for our clinical trials and drive forward our mission to revolutionize pain management. We look forward to the FDA reviewing our development program and providing us with guidance on our advancement to human clinical trials." Continued Iris Bincovich, CEO, "I thank Prof. Chezy Barenholz and Dr. Ahuva Cern of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, renowned experts in liposome research, for their continued efforts providing strong supportive data on LPT-CBD, enabling our upcoming engagement with FDA." LPT therapy, which requires only one single monthly subcutaneous injection, offers a groundbreaking alternative to opioid-based approaches. Addressing the critical opioid crisis, where, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over three-quarters of drug overdose deaths in the U.S. involve opioids, Innocan's LPT-CBD presents a compelling, life-saving alternative. In multiple pre-clinical trials, Innocan's therapy has shown consistent efficacy of its LPT-CBD injectable treatment, through prolonged and controlled release of CBD in animals with chronic pain conditions. About Innocan Innocan is a pharmaceutical tech company that operates under two main segments: Pharmaceuticals and Consumer Wellness. In the Pharmaceuticals segment, Innocan focuses on developing innovative drug delivery platform technologies based on advanced cannabinoids science, to treat various conditions to improve patients' quality of life. This segment involves two drug delivery technologies: (i) LPT CBD- loaded liposome platform facilitating exact dosing and the prolonged and controlled release of CBD into the blood stream. The LPT delivery platform research is in the preclinical trial phase for: Pain Management. In the Consumer Wellness segment, Innocan develops and markets a wide portfolio of innovative and high-performance self-care products to promote a healthier lifestyle. Under this segment, Innocan has established a joint venture by the name of BI Sky Global Ltd. that focuses on advanced targeted online sales. https://innocanpharma.com/ For further information, please contact: For Innocan Pharma Corporation: Iris Bincovich, CEO +1-516-210-4025 +972-54-3012842 +442037699377 [email protected] NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. Cautionary note regarding forward-looking information Certain information set forth in this news release, including, without limitation, information regarding research and development, collaborations, the filing of potential applications with the FDA and other regulatory authorities, the potential achievement of future regulatory milestones, the potential for treatment of conditions and other therapeutic effects resulting from research activities and/or the Company's products, requisite regulatory approvals and the timing for market entry, is forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. By its nature, forward-looking information is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond Innocan's control. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by Innocan, including expectations and assumptions concerning the anticipated benefits of the products, satisfaction of regulatory requirements in various jurisdictions and satisfactory completion of requisite production and distribution arrangements. Forward-looking information is subject to various risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or expectations expressed in this news release. The key risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: general global and local (national) economic, market and business conditions; governmental and regulatory requirements and actions by governmental authorities; and relationships with suppliers, manufacturers, customers, business partners and competitors. There are also risks that are inherent in the nature of product distribution, including import / export matters and the failure to obtain any required regulatory and other approvals (or to do so in a timely manner) and availability in each market of product inputs and finished products. The anticipated timeline for entry to markets may change for a number of reasons, including the inability to secure necessary regulatory requirements, or the need for additional time to conclude and/or satisfy the manufacturing and distribution arrangements. As a result of the foregoing, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking information contained in this news release concerning the timing of launch of product distribution. A comprehensive discussion of other risks that impact Innocan can also be found in Innocan's public reports and filings which are available under Innocan's profile at www.sedar.com . Readers are cautioned that undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information as actual results may vary materially from the forward-looking information. Innocan does not undertake to update, correct or revise any forward looking information as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2046271/3968398/Innocan_Pharma_Corporation_Logo.jpg SOURCE Innocan Pharma Corporation Business unit leaders with expanded executive responsibilities to support better execution and customer investments at the local level Jim Fakult, President, New Jersey Operations, to retire after 37 years of service AKRON, Ohio, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- To help drive its transformation to a premier electric company, FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) today announced the appointment of four new executives to oversee the company's Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey state electric company businesses and its stand-alone transmission companies: John Hawkins President, Pennsylvania , effective June 2 , effective Torrence Hinton President , Ohio , effective June 24 , , effective Doug Mokoid President , New Jersey , effective June 17 , , effective Mark Mroczynski President , Transmission, effective June 2 The company is in the final stages of selecting an executive to oversee its combined West Virginia/Maryland division and expects to announce the appointment in the near term. These four executives will report to Wade Smith, President, FirstEnergy Utilities. Each leader will help execute FirstEnergy's new business structure that shifts decision making and accountability closer to customers. The executives leading these state businesses will be accountable for operational excellence and "profit-and-loss" financial performance, as well as regulatory strategy and outcomes in their jurisdictions. This structure will foster better execution and customer investment at the local level, where it will make a positive difference in the communities served by FirstEnergy's electric companies. Mroczynski will lead the strategic direction and efficient operation of FirstEnergy Transmission, LLC (FET) assets American Transmission Systems, Incorporated (ATSI), Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission (MAIT) and Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line Company (TrAILCo) as well as assets owned by Keystone Appalachian Transmission Company (KATCo.) He will be responsible for profit and loss of the transmission business, directing transmission's regulatory and policy strategy and building consensus and collaboration with transmission business investors. Wade Smith, President, FirstEnergy Utilities: "This group of dynamic executives has the experience and knowledge to help our state and transmission businesses execute on our investment plan while elevating the customer experience and achieving successful financial and regulatory outcomes. Their proven track records include driving financial and operational performance and accountability, a commitment to continuous improvement and the ability to lead organizations through change. They champion safety, transparency and financial discipline and model FirstEnergy's core values and behaviors, which are foundational to FirstEnergy's vision for the future." Jim Fakult, President, New Jersey Operations, has decided to retire after 37 years of service, including 11 years in his current role. He will remain with the company through September 1 as Mokoid transitions into his new role. Smith: "I thank Jim for his many contributions during his career at FirstEnergy. Through his leadership at JCP&L and his extensive involvement in business and community initiatives, Jim has made a positive difference for our customers and communities." John Hawkins Biography Hawkins joined FirstEnergy in 2022 as Vice President, Operations Support & Distribution Engineering, overseeing numerous departments that support distribution, transmission and customer experience functions. Prior to FirstEnergy, he served in a variety of leadership roles in operations at Entergy Louisiana, including Vice President of Reliability, where he was the incident commander for major restoration events following hurricanes Laura and Ida. He also has held operational and engineering positions of increasing responsibility in transmission and distribution with NextEra/Florida Power & Light, Lone Star Transmission and Duke Energy. Hawkins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering technology from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University. He is a licensed professional engineer in Ohio and Texas. Torrence Hinton Biography Hinton joins FirstEnergy from WEC Energy Group, where he serves as President of its Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas companies in Chicago and northern Illinois. He joined Peoples Gas in 1999, progressing through several roles with increasing responsibility before being named to the company's top leadership team. Prior to his most recent position, Hinton was Vice President, Operations, at Peoples Gas, responsible for public and employee safety, regulatory compliance, operational excellence, financial performance and top-tier customer service. Hinton holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a master's degree in business administration with a concentration in strategy and leadership from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He is active in numerous community, educational and industry organizations, serving on the boards of Chicago Commons, Chicago United, Chicago Urban League, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Utilities Business Diversity Council, Navy Pier, United Way of Metro Chicago (Vice Chair) and World Business Chicago. He is an active member of the Commercial Club of Chicago and its Civic Committee, The Economic Club of Chicago and Youth Guidance's BAM Advisory Council. Hinton has achieved numerous leadership recognitions and awards, including as a 2023 recipient of Chicago United's Business Leaders of Color award and the Ada S. McKinley Community Services' Legacy award. Doug Mokoid Biography Mokoid comes to FirstEnergy from Atlantic City Electric/Delmarva Power (an Exelon Company), where he serves as Vice President & Region President responsible for shaping company regulatory and legislative strategies while building meaningful relationships with internal and external stakeholders. His prior role was Director of Operations for Atlantic City Electric, where he developed and implemented strategies to improve safety, reliability, customer satisfaction performance and employee engagement. Mokoid has also held construction, maintenance and safety leadership positions with Philadelphia-based PECO and as a lead engineer with Public Service Electric and Gas. A graduate of Rutgers University, Mokoid received a bachelor's in mechanical engineering and his juris doctorate degree. He is on the board of directors of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, New Jersey Utility Association and the Drumthwacket Foundation. Mokoid is also a member of the Delaware Business Roundtable and a trustee of the Atlantic Cape Foundation. Mark Mroczynski Biography Currently the Acting Vice President, Operations, for FirstEnergy, over the past year Mroczynski has led a series of major business units including Transmission and Distribution Operations, Information Technology/Cyber Security, Transformation, External Affairs and Corporate Affairs & Community Involvement. He joined the company in 2004 in Fossil Generation, serving in technical services roles at power plants before being promoted to Director of Operations for Ohio Edison/Penn Power in 2008. He also has held senior leadership positions in Construction & Design Services and Transmission Programs, helping establish and develop FirstEnergy's transmission investment program into a premier transmission business. Prior to FirstEnergy, Mroczynski worked in operations, engineering and supply chain at J&L Specialty Steel, Inc. Mroczynski earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from The University of Akron and an Executive MBA from Kent State University. He is a registered professional engineer in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Active in the industry and community, Mroczynski is a board member of FET, JCP&L and Grid Assurance, LLC. He is involved in the North American Transmission Forum, EPRI, Lean Construction Institute, and the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies. He is a Founding Director of the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers. Mroczynski also serves on the boards of Embracing Futures, LLC, the Lake Erie Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the International Soap Box Derby, where he is a former Chair. FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than 6 million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, @FirstEnergyCorp. Editor's Note: Professional photos of Hawkins, Hinton, Mokoid and Mroczynski are available for download on Flickr. (052124) SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. COCOA BEACH, Fla., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- From kayaking on bioluminescent waters to witnessing sea turtles lay their eggs on the sand, Florida's Space Coast ( VisitSpaceCoast.com ) is a nature lover's dream destination, and some of the area's must-do outdoor experiences are coming up this summer. Miles and miles of beautiful beaches aren't the only thing that await outdoor enthusiasts on the Space Coast. Some of the best ways to connect with nature while visiting this bucket list destination include: Florida's Space Coast is a nature lover's dream destination. Post this Brevard Zoo is the only zoo in the country to offer guided kayaking tours around an animal exhibit! The Magic of Bioluminescence : From June through September, the waters of Indian River Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon and the Banana River come alive with nighttime bioluminescence. See for yourself while embarking on a guided kayak or boat excursion. : From June through September, the waters of Indian River Lagoon, Mosquito Lagoon and the Banana River come alive with nighttime bioluminescence. See for yourself while embarking on a guided kayak or boat excursion. Thrilling Nighttime Turtle Walks : On Wednesday and Saturday evenings in June and July, Friends of the Carr lead unforgettable public tours of the sands of Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. See loggerhead sea turtles lay their eggs, cover them and return to the ocean. : On Wednesday and Saturday evenings in June and July, Friends of the Carr lead unforgettable public tours of the sands of Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge. See loggerhead sea turtles lay their eggs, cover them and return to the ocean. Kayak Through the Zoo : Now celebrating its 30th year, the Brevard Zoo is the only zoo in the country to offer guided kayak tours around an animal exhibit. Take a floating tour through Expedition Africa or go off on your own through Wild Florida. : Now celebrating its 30th year, the Brevard Zoo is the only zoo in the country to offer guided kayak tours around an animal exhibit. Take a floating tour through Expedition Africa or go off on your own through Wild Florida. Peak Summer Fishing : The Space Coast offers incredible fishing all year, from Mosquito Lagoon all the way south to Sebastian Inlet, with more than 500 species of fish available. Many fishing enthusiasts will agree that summer offers some of the best catches around, including redfish, snook and trout. : The Space Coast offers incredible fishing all year, from Mosquito Lagoon all the way south to Sebastian Inlet, with more than 500 species of fish available. Many fishing enthusiasts will agree that summer offers some of the best catches around, including redfish, snook and trout. Meet Manatees : Remember to look at but don't touch the Space Coast's beloved sea cows. VisitSpaceCoast.com offers tips for where to go and what to look for to increase your chances of a manatee encounter. : Remember to look at but don't touch the Space Coast's beloved sea cows. offers tips for where to go and what to look for to increase your chances of a manatee encounter. Travel Sustainably : From beach restoration projects to eco-friendly accommodations, the Space Coast has tons of options for travelers who wish to practice sustainable travel. : From beach restoration projects to eco-friendly accommodations, the Space Coast has tons of options for travelers who wish to practice sustainable travel. Al Fresco Dining : There's no better way to take in the great outdoors than to savor an amazing meal with a view of the water and a fresh salt-air breeze. A few restaurants to check out include Dolphins Grill at Cape Crossing (the largest tiki bar on the Space Coast!), Marker 99, Yellow Dog, Shiloh's, Pier 220, Marker 24, Grills Seafood and Intracoastal Brewing Co. "The Space Coast will forever be an outdoor lover's playground, but summertime is when nature really comes alive in our area," said Peter Cranis, Director of the Space Coast Tourism Development Office. "With so many ways to interact with and explore our gorgeous environment and its unique habitats, this is the perfect time to book a trip to Florida's Space Coast." For information on more things to do and places to stay throughout the Space Coast, go to VisitSpaceCoast.com . About Florida's Space Coast Florida's Space Coast is a family-friendly destination located 45 minutes east of Orlando. Encompassing Cocoa Beach, Melbourne and The Beaches, Port Canaveral, Titusville, Palm Bay and Viera, it is home to the world's second-busiest cruise port and 72 miles of beaches (the longest stretch in the state), as well as 190,000 acres of wetlands and waterways full of habitat found nowhere else. Florida's Space Coast is home to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, where rockets still soar into orbit. For more information, contact the Space Coast Office of Tourism at 877-572-3224 or go to VisitSpaceCoast.com . SOURCE Florida's Space Coast Office of Tourism IRVINE, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The IRS Criminal Investigation (CI) unit is responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, money laundering, public corruption, and more. There are several methods that they may use to uncover financial crimes. However, the data available to CI through the Banking Secrecy Act (BSA) has proven to be one of their most powerful tools in uncovering instances of tax evasion. Criminal Tax Evasion Defense CI relies heavily on BSA data, with nearly 88% of its criminal tax investigations in fiscal year 2023 involving individuals or entities with a BSA filing. BSA data has proven instrumental in allowing CI to execute substantial asset seizures and secure increased convictions. With a federal conviction rate of nearly 90% and a presence across the U.S. and internationally, CI is dedicated to prosecuting tax criminals and maintaining the integrity of the financial system. If you need help resolving your civil or criminal tax exposure issues, get help from our Dual-Licensed Tax Lawyers & CPAs by calling the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing today at (800) 681-1295 or click here to schedule a reduced rate initial consultation. IRS Criminal Investigation Unit's Use of BSA Data IRS CI recently disclosed using Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) data in combating financial crimes, underscoring its effectiveness in investigations. According to CI, in fiscal year 2023, nearly 88% of the investigations initiated by the agency involved individuals or entities with a BSA filing. This highlights the critical role BSA data plays in uncovering financial wrongdoing across various sectors. Impact on Financial Crime Investigations From FY21 to FY23, CI reports that BSA data played a pivotal role in securing significant outcomes in financial crime investigations. Notably, it contributed to an average prison sentence of 39 months for convicted individuals and the seizure of $7.4 billion in assets linked to criminal activities. Furthermore, restitution orders totaling $434 million and forfeited assets totaling $629 million were attributed to BSA data, representing substantial increases compared to previous fiscal years. Diverse Application in Investigations CI Chief Jim Lee emphasized the versatility of BSA data in uncovering a wide array of financial crimes, including those related to COVID relief programs, skimming schemes, and employment tax fraud. Among investigations originating from BSA data in FY23, approximately 77% relied on information from suspicious activity reports, while 63.6% utilized data from currency transaction reports. Additionally, fraudulent Small Business Association loans tied to COVID relief programs, skimming incidents, and employment tax fraud constituted significant portions of investigations leveraging BSA data. CI's Jurisdiction and Achievements As the law enforcement arm of the IRS, CI holds jurisdiction over a range of financial offenses, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, and public corruption. Notably, CI boasts a federal conviction rate of nearly 90%, a testament to its effectiveness in prosecuting offenders. With 20 field offices across the United States and 12 attache posts internationally, CI maintains a robust presence in combating financial crimes both domestically and abroad. Accordingly, if you are concerned that you may be accused of a tax crime, then you must seek legal support. Our Dual-Licensed Tax Lawyers & CPAs can help assess your case and identify the proper course of action. We will work diligently protect your interests and reduce or eliminate the potential penalties you face. What is the Banking Secrecy Act? The BSA is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1970 aimed at combating money laundering and other financial crimes. It requires financial institutions to assist government agencies in detecting and preventing money laundering by maintaining records of cash purchases over $10,000, filing reports of cash transactions exceeding this amount, and filing suspicious activity reports (SARs) for transactions that appear to be connected to illicit activities. The BSA also imposes requirements on financial institutions to verify the identity of customers and maintain effective anti-money laundering programs. Methods the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit Uses to Uncover Tax Crimes Ultimately, there are several strategies that the CI may use to uncover tax crimes. For instance, charges may stem from any of the following: Review of Tax Returns and Documentation IRS Criminal Investigation meticulously reviews tax returns and supporting documentation to detect discrepancies and irregularities that may indicate tax crimes. By cross-referencing reported income with other financial records and conducting thorough examinations of tax filings, CI can identify inconsistencies or fraudulent activities, laying the groundwork for further investigation and potential prosecution. Analysis of Offshore Accounts and Complex Financial Structures CI specializes in scrutinizing offshore accounts and complex financial structures utilized by individuals and entities to conceal income and evade taxes. Through comprehensive analysis of international financial transactions and collaborations with foreign tax authorities, CI can uncover hidden assets and income streams, exposing tax evasion schemes and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions. Cooperation with Informants and Whistleblowers CI may collaborate with informants and whistleblowers who provide insider information on tax crimes. These individuals, often with knowledge of fraudulent activities, can assist CI in gathering evidence and identifying key players involved in tax evasion schemes, enhancing the agency's ability to investigate and prosecute offenders effectively. Surveillance and Undercover Operations In certain cases, CI may conduct surveillance and undercover operations to gather evidence of tax crimes. This may involve monitoring suspect individuals or businesses to observe their financial activities and interactions, providing CI with valuable insights into potential tax evasion or fraudulent behavior that can be used in criminal investigations and prosecutions. Partnerships with Other Law Enforcement Agencies CI frequently partners with other law enforcement agencies, both domestically and internationally, to uncover and combat tax crimes. By sharing information and resources, CI can leverage the expertise and capabilities of partner agencies to conduct comprehensive investigations, track down tax evaders, and bring them to justice. Monitoring Social Media Activity Finally, CI may monitor social media activity to gather intelligence and evidence related to tax crimes. By analyzing publicly available information, including posts, photos, and interactions, CI agents can identify individuals flaunting lavish lifestyles inconsistent with reported income or engaging in activities suggestive of tax evasion. This information can provide valuable leads for further investigations and enforcement actions against tax offenders. Contact Our Attorneys for Help with Your Tax Issue If you have failed to file a tax return for one or more years or have taken a position on a tax return that could not be supported upon an IRS or state tax authority audit, eggshell audit, reverse eggshell audit, or criminal tax investigation, it is in your best interest to contact an experienced tax defense attorney to determine your best route back into federal or state tax compliance without facing criminal prosecution. We Are Here for You Regardless of your business or estate needs, the professionals at the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing are here for you. We are open for business and our team will help ensure that your business is too. Contact the Law Offices of David W. Klasing today to discuss your business with one of our professionals. In addition to our fully staffed main office in downtown Irvine California, the Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing has unstaffed (conference room only) California based satellite offices in Los Angeles , San Bernardino , Santa Barbara , Panorama City , Oxnard , San Diego , Bakersfield , San Jose , San Francisco , Oakland , Carlsbad, Sacramento . We also have unstaffed (conference room only) satellite offices in Las Vegas Nevada , Salt Lake City Utah , Phoenix Arizona & Albuquerque New Mexico , Austin Texas , Washington DC , Miami Florida and New York New York that solely handle Federal & California Tax issues. Our office technology allows clients to meet virtually via GoToMeeting . With end-to-end encryption, strong passwords, and top-rated reliability, no one is messing with your meeting. To schedule a reduced rate initial consultation via GoToMeeting follow this link . Call our office and request a GoToMeeting if you are an existing client. We also now offer a convenient scheduling option, where you can secure David W. Klasing, Esq M.S.-Tax CPA's undivided attention for a 4-hour consultation at any of his satellite offices. See our Audit Representation Q and A Library See our Criminal Tax Law Q and A Library See our Non-Filer Q and A Library Public Contact: Dave Klasing Esq. M.S.-Tax CPA, [email protected] SOURCE Tax Law Offices of David W. Klasing, PC SION, Switzerland, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- H55, a pioneer in electric aviation technologies, is thrilled to announce the intention of the Governement of Quebec to invest in equity in H55. Led by Investissement Quebec, a key driver of economic development in Quebec, this investment would mark a major milestone in H55's journey to bring certified electric propulsion solutions to North America, supporting the company's production ramp-up and research and development activities. This investment in H55 would be in line with Government's plans to establish a new innovation zone, Espace Aero, focusing on the aerospace industry. Headquartered in Switzerland, H55 leads the way in electric aviation, specializing in certified electric propulsion, battery storage, and energy management solutions. With a steadfast commitment to safety, performance, and sustainability, the company is enabling the aviation industry to achieve net zero emissions, offering cutting-edge technologies for a greener and more efficient future of air travel. This significant development follows several recent announcements, driving growth momentum for H55. In late March, H55 announced European Union Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) approval of its Compliance Check List for its electric motor, battery packs, and energy management systems, making it the first company to meet all requirements for the entire Electric Propulsion System (EPS). Regulatory engagements with the FAA and Transport Canada are underway to expedite North American Type Certification. H55 Canada, located in the Greater Montreal region in Longueuil, will serve as the primary hub for H55's North American manufacturing operations. Equipped with a state-of-the-art facility, initial battery pack production is set to commence in late 2024. H55 Canada will continue to collaborate on product development and engineering customization with key customers, including Pratt & Whitney Canada, CAE, and Harbour Air. Investissement Quebec's investment would represent a pivotal moment in H55's journey, providing financial support to scale up North American production, engineering, and research and development activities. This strategic partnership would underscore Quebec's dedication to fostering innovation in aerospace, reinforcing its position as a hub for cutting-edge technological advancements in sustainable aviation, and accelerating H55's ambitions in Canada and the USA. Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister Responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for de Metropolis and the Montreal Region, stated : "Today's announcement is an excellent demonstration of our commitment to developing Quebec's economy. With the arrival of a key player like H55, our ecosystem will be stronger than ever." Expressing gratitude for the Government of Quebec's steadfast support, Andre Borschberg, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of H55, emphasizes, "Invest Quebec's investment in H55 would accelerate our operational expansion in Quebec." Emphasizing the Aerospace Innovation Zone's dynamic environment, he adds, "This zone offers unparalleled opportunities, uniting companies and academic institutions aligned with our vision of revolutionizing aviation paradigms. We are honored to be chosen by the Government to play a pivotal role in shaping Quebec into a leading global hub for clean aviation." In response to the investment intentions, H55's CEO, Martin Larose expressed enthusiasm, stating, "We would be delighted to welcome Invest Quebec as a valued strategic partner. This investment would mark a key moment in our journey, empowering us to expedite scaling up production, propelling our research and development endeavors, and bolstering our ongoing customer initiatives in Canada alongside PW&C, CAE, and Harbour Air. Having the Government of Quebec onboard provides all the right prerequisites in positioning H55 as a leader in sustainable aviation". Furthermore, H55 and the Government of Quebec will partner closely to foster innovation around battery technologies and sustainable energy solutions. Leveraging its abundance of clean energy resources, Quebec aims to promote clean energy storage solutions and support the transition to a low-carbon energy system. This investment represents a significant development for H55, propelling the company forward in its goal of revolutionizing the aviation industry through sustainable innovation. With the Government of Quebec's funding, H55 would be poised to make even greater strides in advancing the future of flight. For more information about H55 and its groundbreaking electric propulsion technology, please visit www.h55.ch . About H55 H55 is a Swiss-based company founded and led by the former Solar Impulse management team, Andre Borschberg, Sebastien Demont and Gregory Blatt. H55's mission is to revolutionize the aviation industry by providing certified electric propulsion and battery management systems tailored to a diverse range of aircraft to achieve sustainable air travel. Through a commitment of providing certified solutions and its pioneering legacy, the H55 team of visionary engineers and aerospace experts is at the forefront of driving the aviation industry toward a more environmentally responsible future, setting new standards, and pushing the boundaries of what is possible in electric aviation. For more information [email protected], T: +41 79 464 22 60 Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2345318/H55_Logo.jpg SOURCE H55 SA OSLO, Norway, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Havfram has signed a contract with Iberdrola for the installation of 21 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines at their Windanker project in the Baltic Sea. The agreement covers transport and installation support, which will be executed by one of Havfram's newbuild NG20000X-HF wind turbine installation vessels. The contract will start in the summer of 2026 and makes a perfect fit towards high utilization for the vessel planned to be used. Windanker, located in the German Baltic Sea, will reach an installed capacity of 315 MW after its commissioning in 2026. Most of the renewable electricity generated by the new Siemens Gamesa 15 MW turbines will be commercialized through long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) on the German market. Even Larsen, CEO of Havfram Wind, commented: "Iberdrola is one of the most experienced developers in the market and has demonstrated a strong commitment to renewable energy solutions. Currently, they have 1,793 MW offshore wind capacity in operation and a further 3,000 MW under construction. Havfram is proud to be supporting Iberdrola's ambitions within offshore wind and their efforts to mitigate climate change." Martin Degen, Commercial Director and Vice President of Havfram, described the relationship as follows: "The entire procurement process with Iberdrola was pragmatic and uncomplicated as both organizations share rigorous standards for quality and sustainability. To be selected as T&I partner for Windanker, Iberdrola's third Baltic Sea project, proves our established position in the market and that we, at Havfram, are trusted to carry out installations in the crucial end phase before the wind farm goes into operation. The project adds to our strong and growing contract backlog." CONTACT: HAVFRAM Corinna Thiel Marketing & Communication Manager [email protected] havfram.com This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com. https://news.cision.com/havfram/r/havfram-awarded-contract-by-iberdrola-for-windanker-project,c3984036 The following files are available for download: https://news.cision.com/havfram/i/havfram-wind-ng20000x-jack-up-vessel-with-a-3-250-tonne-crane,c3301826 Havfram Wind NG20000X Jack-Up vessel with a 3 250-tonne crane LITTLE ROCK, Ark., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- High Street Equity Partners (HSEP), a leading venture capital firm committed to investing in innovative technology companies within emerging innovation hubs across the United States, proudly announces its selection by the Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA) for the Arkansas State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) program. Reauthorized and expanded under President Biden's American Rescue Plan, the SSBCI is a nearly $10 billion initiative aimed at supporting small businesses and entrepreneurship across the United States. The program provides essential capital and technical assistance to promote small business stability, growth, and success. Administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, SSBCI funds are allocated to states, the District of Columbia, territories, and Tribal governments to support capital programs that encourage lending and investment in small businesses, build entrepreneurial ecosystems, and create high-quality jobs. Arkansas has been approved for up to $81.6 million in SSBCI funding. Through its partnership with High Street Equity Partners, the State of Arkansas aims to catalyze high-growth companies based in Arkansas. Mark A. Conine, President of the Arkansas Development Finance Authority, stated, "This partnership represents a significant vote of confidence in our state's innovation ecosystem, creating new opportunities for local talent to thrive and redefine the success stories of tomorrow. High Street Equity Partners is well-positioned to leverage their expertise and experience to fuel the growth of visionary entrepreneurs and strengthen the state's economic landscape." Mitch Brooks, Founding Managing Partner of High Street Equity Partners, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, "We are thrilled to enter into this investment partnership and to have ADFA amplify our mission to support resilient founders building remarkable companies in emerging innovation hubs like Arkansas. We believe that extraordinary talent exists beyond traditional tech hubs such as Silicon Valley, which have historically captured the majority of seed capital. After sharing our vision with ADFA's leadership and board, it is gratifying to see their alignment and shared goals. Together, we will invest in, support, and scale the next generation of promising technology companies in the state." Arkansas has a rich history of entrepreneurial spirit, from its robust agricultural sector to its growing high-tech community. Over the past decade, the state has seen a surge in startup activity, with the establishment of numerous co-working spaces, incubators, and accelerators. The SSBCI program is designed to catalyze private capital and provide crucial support to this entrepreneurial ecosystem. For more information about High Street Equity Partners, please visit www.highstreetequity.com . SOURCE High Street Equity Partners NEWPORT NEWS, Va., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- As New York City hosts the annual Fleet Week in celebration of the nation's sea services, HII (NYSE: HII) the nation's largest military shipbuilder and a sponsor of the Intrepid Museum's commemoration of the event is launching a hiring campaign to spotlight the contributions and rewards of building ships for the U.S. Navy. The HII "Build It" campaign is dedicated to the men and women who partner with the U.S. Navy to build ships critical to the national defense. Shipbuilders value the mission and pride in ship construction, steady advancement and job security, and comprehensive benefits such as health coverage and professional development opportunities. "The breadth of our workforce at HII is astonishing," said Xavier Beale, vice president of human resources at HII's Newport News Shipbuilding. "From the craftsmen and women in our shipyards who build the most powerful ships in the world with their own hands, to the nuclear engineers who enable safe nuclear power and propulsion, all the way to the cyber and data scientists who build the tools that deliver decision advantage: it's a workforce for our 21st century national defense." In addition to Newport News Shipbuilding, which is the nation's only builder of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of two builders of nuclear-powered submarines, HII's divisions include Pascagoula, Mississippi-based Ingalls Shipbuilding that delivers amphibious ships, destroyers and cutters, and McLean, Virginia-based Mission Technologies, which builds technologies and solutions that connect and strengthen an all-domain force. HII's Build It campaign targets workers of all ages and skill levels, and highlights paid training and development at its shipyards for those who require it. Russell Dawson, 36, was accepted into the century-old Newport News Shipbuilding Apprentice School right out of high school. Since graduating in 2010, Dawson has supported aircraft carrier and submarine programs at the shipyard, moved up the ranks and is currently working on the Columbia-class program, the Navy's top acquisition priority. "I've always wanted to serve my country," said Dawson. "I see my work as a shipbuilder doing just that. It's an honor to help build the greatest ships for our Navy." From an apprentice to a master shipbuilder who has worked over 40 years at the company, HII shipbuilders contribute daily to national security. Stan Brazell, manager of quality receipt and inspection at Ingalls Shipbuilding, began his career in 1991 as an outside machinist apprentice and over the course of his career has worked on almost every ship program at Ingalls, including the construction of USS Bataan (LHD-5). "I view this job as my way of serving our country," said Brazell. "While I may not be wearing combat boots, I do wear work boots and those boots have allowed me to contribute to building freedom." The Build It campaign will appear on social media, digital and display advertising, and local television. HII expects it will complement a current national advertising campaign launched by the U.S. Navy, which is aimed at energizing a movement to attract workers in support of shipbuilding and the national defense. Examples of videos in support of HII's campaign are: Build It: Preshus Build It: Kevin Build It: Grant Build It: Quadale Engaging Future Shipbuilders Throughout the year HII is proud to play a role in fostering a culture of innovation, growth, and community engagement by investing in initiatives that support and inspire the leaders of tomorrow. For example, HII recently partnered with the Tall Ship Providence Foundation in Alexandria, Va., on an upcoming educational video series for fourth graders about the history of shipbuilding. The series emphasizes the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and the ongoing significance of shipbuilding to the nation. HII believes that the video series and the Foundation's continued educational efforts will inspire young talent to explore career opportunities in shipbuilding. Watch a preview of the video titled "How to Build a Ship: Who Builds Ships" here. For information about employment opportunities and careers at HII, including shipbuilding, visit HII.com/careers. About HII HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII's mission is to deliver the world's most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world. As the nation's largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII's workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit: HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/ HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII SOURCE HII In partnership with Leeward Community College and the State of Hawai'i, Farmers and Entrepreneurs Gain Access to HPP Technology for Naturally Fresh, Extended Shelf-Life Products MIAMI, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Hiperbaric, the global leader and manufacturer of high pressure processing (HPP) equipment, has partnered with Leeward Community College and the State of Hawai'i to provide the first state-of-the-art HPP system in the State of Hawai'i for the new Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC). The Hiperbaric 55L HPP equipment installed at the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC). (Photo courtesy of Hiperbaric) The Hiperbaric 55L HPP equipment, manufactured by Hiperbaric. (Photo courtesy of Hiperbaric) The 33,000-square-foot facility, located in Central O'ahu, is designed to empower Hawai'i's entrepreneurs, students, and farmers alike. With a mission deeply rooted in fostering growth and opportunity in Hawaii's agricultural industry, it serves as a catalyst for economic advancement and food innovation statewide. The centerpiece of the new center is a Hiperbaric 55L HPP machine, which has a 55-liter (14.5 gallons) vessel and a 200mm (7.9 inches) diameter. With a throughput of around 600 lbs. per hour, it is the ideal unit for SMEs, food companies serving niche markets, seasonal production, or R&D centers. Its robust and compact design, with one single integrated intensifier, makes it easy and quick to install in almost any facility. The machine gives access to High Pressure Processing (HPP) technology, which is a non-thermal (5C 20C) food and beverage preservation method that guarantees food safety and achieves an increased shelf life while maintaining the organoleptic and nutritional attributes of fresh products. "We are thrilled to partner with Leeward Community College and the State of Hawai'i to bring HPP technology to the new center," said Hiperbaric USA Executive Director Roberto Peregrina. "This is the first piece of HPP equipment in Hawai'i, which will provide a natural processing method for local farmers and entrepreneurs to add value to their agricultural products and bring more locally made foods to market across the islands and beyond." "The HPP system is a game-changer for our facility and the local food ecosystem," said Chris Bailey, Manager at WVAPDC. "It opens up so many new possibilities to create innovative value-added products with longer shelf lives in a way that preserves nutrition and flavor." In addition to HPP equipment capabilities, the WVAPDC offers product development consultation, lab testing, production kitchens, and educational programming through Leeward CC's Aina to Makeke program. The goal is to empower local entrepreneurship, increase opportunities for farmers and growers, and advance Hawai'i's foods globally. "Here, our focus is on education. Priming mindsets and investing in our students with entrepreneurial vision, skills and providing resources our entrepreneurs lack, like equipment and subject matter experts to get their products noticed and on shelves," Leeward Community College Chancellor Carlos Penaloza said. "High pressure processing is an important component to realize the State's goals of food resilience and regional economic diversification. We are excited to activate the State's first high pressure processing machine at the Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC), a food innovation facility that provides product development consultation services, lab testing and production kitchens," added Senator Donovan M. Dela Cruz, who represents a district in Central Oahu with rich agricultural history. "By extending the shelf life of food and value-added products, our local entrepreneurs can share their creations with customers from across the globe. The State is also planning the development of commercial manufacturing facilities to compliment educational facilities like WVAPDC to provide opportunities for businesses to scale up. These efforts reaffirm the State's commitment to our farmers and entrepreneurs." On April 12th, more than 300 people gathered for a blessing ceremony to celebrate the opening of the Wahiawa Value Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC). The WVAPDC will also be hosting a free 90-minute online seminar on Thursday, May 23rd at 10am HST. The session will introduce the significance of HPP as an innovation of food commercialization, producing food and beverage products that are food-safe and have longer shelf life. The seminar is open to members of the Hawai'i community interested in learning how to develop value-added products at WVAPDC. Current users of the facility are also encouraged to attend. The session will be recorded and available for viewing at a later time. To register, visit Intro to High Pressure Processing, hosted by WVAPDC. About Hiperbaric Hiperbaric is the global leader in high pressure technology, designing, manufacturing, and marketing its high pressure processing equipment internationally. The company is recognized for its reliability, customer support, teamwork and continuous effort in R&D. Hiperbaric has installed more than 400 machines in more than 50 countries across five continents. Hundreds of companies worldwide use Hiperbaric HPP equipment to process juices and beverages, meat, fish and seafood, fruits and vegetables, dairy and ready-to-eat meals. Hiperbaric is headquartered in Burgos, Spain, with a U.S. office in Miami, FL, and commercial and technical offices in Mexico, Asia, and Oceania. For more information, visit: www.hiperbaric.com About Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC) The Wahiawa Value-Added Product Development Center (WVAPDC) is a 33,000 square foot food manufacturing facility located in the town of Wahiawa in Central O'ahu. Our center is a resource for food entrepreneurship and education. We offer product development consultation services, lab testing and production kitchens. We serve Hawai'i's producers, processors, entrepreneurs, farmers, and students. We are committed to taking value-added food and beverage products to market and advancing Hawai'i foods across the globe. For further information, please contact: Anthony Zapata Hiperbaric HPP Business Development Manager [email protected] Mobile (USA): +1 305 746 0209 SOURCE Hiperbaric Entrepreneurs should focus on brand representation, raising awareness and rewarding customers. WASHINGTON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- For entrepreneurs, creating a comprehensive marketing plan can seem like a daunting and overwhelming task. However, a solid marketing plan is crucial to reach your target audience, increase brand awareness, and ultimately drive sales and revenue. As mentors to America's small business owners, SCORE understands the importance of a well-crafted marketing plan and is committed to helping business owners create one that will put your business on the path to success. "Repeat customers are a critical asset to a small business." -SCORE mentor Rex Winter Post this David and Susan Sperstad worked with SCORE mentors when opening their business, Touright Bicycle Shop, in Little Falls, Minn. Instead of trying to conquer your corner of the business world by marketing everywhere all the time, it's important to plan your marketing thoughtfully. Your plan doesn't have to be overly ambitious. But it does need to help set you up for success, rather than leaving you feeling frazzled or overwhelmed. Represent your brand You might already have a logo and branding materials, but it's time to take that branding to the next level. Envision your logo in various advertising and marketing forms - on community bulletin boards, in newspaper ads, on bus shelters. Where do you want to see your logo? Where do you want to hear people talking about your brand? Consider asking a mentor for assistance with this process. Luke Jian, founder of Agora Coworking in Grayslake, Ill., turned to SCORE mentors Alan Blitz and Paul Rosenstrock for help with starting his business. "They were always available to answer my questions and provide guidance, even outside of our scheduled meetings," explained Jian. "Their input helped me to develop a comprehensive business plan and marketing strategy that has set my coworking space up for success in the long run." Raise awareness Once you've thought about your brand aesthetic, it's time to figure out how to reach your target customer. Define who your potential customers are and where they are already consuming information. Try to get a sense of their lifestyle and set your marketing efforts to match. Not sure where your customers learn about products and services like yours? Ask them. Hearing their preferences can guide where you invest your marketing dollars as you work to raise awareness of your business. Reward loyal customers "Communicate often and effectively with your customers," recommends SCORE mentor Rex Winter. "Repeat customers are a critical asset to a small business. Work at building loyalty through effective communication and programs that reward repeat business." A discount after a certain number of visits might be the perfect incentive to keep a customer coming back, but be sure you are incorporating sales, promotions and rewards programs into your overall marketing plan. Consider in advance your resources and cash flow if you plan to offer flash sales, discount programs or seasonal events or specials so you don't get overwhelmed. If you're looking for individualized support in creating your marketing plan, contact SCORE for free business mentoring. Touright Bicycle Shop owners David and Susan Sperstad in Little Falls, Minn. explain why they sought the expertise of a mentor: "We knew experience is the best teacher, so we couldn't go wrong in reaching out to a SCORE mentor who had successfully run a small business," said David. Interested in more information on marketing strategies and best practices? SCORE is hosting a webinar, How To Create A Marketing Plan For Your Small Business, on May 30 at 1 PM ET. Registration is free and available here. About SCORE: Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 17 million entrepreneurs start, grow or successfully exit a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free, expert mentoring, resources and education in all 50 U.S. states and territories. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Funded [in part] through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. CONTACT: SCORE 202-968-6428 [email protected] Looking for a small business expert or owner for an upcoming media story? Email [email protected] to request an interview source. SOURCE SCORE NEW YORK, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global hunting equipment accessories market size is estimated to grow by USD 10.00 billion from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.44% during the forecast period. For more insights on the forecast market size and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download Free sample report in a minutes Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Hunting Equipment Accessories Market 2024-2028 Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered Distribution Channel (Offline and Online), Product (Gun and rifles, Auxiliary equipment, Archery, and Others), and Geography (North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa) Region Covered North America, Europe, APAC, South America, and Middle East and Africa Key companies profiled American Outdoor Brands Inc., BERETTA HOLDING SA, Blaser Group GmbH, BPS Direct LLC, Buck Knives Inc., Cote Reco Inc., DICKS Sporting Goods Inc., Easton Technical Products Inc., FALCO SK s.r.o., FeraDyne Outdoors LLC, Herstal SA, Leupold and Stevens Inc., Outfit International AS, Pure Fishing Inc., Quebec Inc., Revo Brand Inc., RKA Gun Gallery, Spyderco Inc., Sturm Ruger and Co. Inc., Under Armour Inc., Vista Outdoor Inc., and Vortex Optics Key Market Trends Fueling Growth The trend of smart technology integration in hunting gear is reshaping the hunting equipment market globally. Smart optics and rangefinders use advanced sensors for precise measurements and real-time data, enhancing hunting accuracy. Smart GPS devices enable seamless sharing of location data, promoting safety and coordination during group hunts. Additionally, these devices offer emergency response features, improving hunters' situational awareness. Smart trail cameras employ motion sensors and image recognition to provide real-time wildlife surveillance, aiding hunters in strategic decision-making. These innovations cater to the demand for data-driven hunting experiences, driving growth in the hunting equipment market. Market Challenges The hunting equipment and accessories market has faced tough challenges due to strict regulations on hunting activities. These rules have caused a drop in demand for certain items like high-capacity magazines and specific types of ammo. For instance, where magazine capacity limits are in place, sales of high-capacity magazines have fallen sharply. This has hit manufacturers hard, reducing production and sales. Also, hunting regulations have changed how consumers behave. Many hunters have adjusted their preferences and practices because of legal restrictions, meaning they don't need certain gear anymore. For example, bans on hunting certain species or strict hunting seasons have lowered the demand for related accessories. Manufacturers are adapting by focusing on making products that meet these tough regulations. They're producing eco-friendly gear, non-toxic ammo, and accessories promoting ethical and sustainable hunting. This shift in product development shows the market's response to changing rules. Research report provides comprehensive data on impact of trend, driver and challenges - Download Free sample report in a minutes Segment Overview Distribution Channel 1.1 Offline 1.2 Online Product 2.1 Gun and rifles 2.2 Auxiliary equipment 2.3 Archery 2.4 Others Geography 3.1 North America 3.2 Europe 3.3 APAC 3.4 South America 3.5 Middle East and Africa 1.1 Offline- The offline segment is set to grow significantly in the coming years. It includes various products and services vital to the hunting community, highlighting the importance of traditional retail stores and in-person experiences. Specialty hunting and outdoor retail stores play a key role, acting as essential hubs for hunters to get equipment and accessories. Valued at USD 12.54 billion in 2018, this segment offers hands-on shopping, allowing customers to check products like firearms and hunting apparel before buying. Retailers like Cabela Inc in the US exemplify this. Local hunting supply stores and firearm dealerships also play a significant role, catering to hunters' specific needs and offering personalized services and expert advice. These factors drive the growth of this segment, thus boosting the market during the forecast period. For more information on market segmentation with geographical analysis including forecast (2024-2028) and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download a Sample Report Research Analysis The hunting equipment accessories market offers a wide array of tools and gear to enhance outdoor experiences. From hunting knives to game calls, hunters rely on these essentials for success. From hunting rifles and guns to bows and arrows, the market accommodates various weapon preferences. Ammunition options abound, ensuring hunters are adequately equipped for their pursuits. Apparel such as clothing and boots offer comfort and durability in rugged environments. For elevated vantage points, tree stands provide hunters with strategic positions. Adventure tourism enthusiasts also find appeal in these accessories for immersive outdoor experiences. In summary, the hunting equipment accessories market caters to the diverse needs of hunters, offering essential tools for successful outings in the wilderness. Market Research Overview The hunting equipment accessories market offers a range of tools and gears essential for outdoor enthusiasts. From hunting optics like binoculars and riflescopes to spotting scopes, hunters rely on precise vision. Field dressing kits with gut hooks, bone saws, and skinning blades ensure efficient processing of game. Camouflage patterns and fabrics provide hunters with effective concealment. Game calls attract targets while adhering to bag limits and licenses ensures compliance with regulations. Certifications are important for demonstrating proficiency. Technological advancements like GPS tracking devices aid in navigation and tracking game patterns and behavior. The market thrives on providing hunters with reliable, durable equipment that enhances their outdoor experience. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Distribution Channel Offline Online Product Gun And Rifles Auxiliary Equipment Archery Others Geography North America Europe APAC South America Middle East And Africa 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Company Landscape 11 Company Analysis 12 Appendix About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio DENVER, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa a legendary hotel located in the heart of downtown Denver since 1892 proudly announces the launch of a reimagined Summer menu for Palace Arms, one of the city's most iconic restaurants. Through the talents and expertise of executive chef Kim Moyle, Palace Arms comes to life with a reimagined, "Colorado inspired and Summer embracing," menu. Open Thursday through Saturday, from 5pm to 9pm, the reconceptualized menu offers flavor focused cuisine incorporating local ingredients and cultural influences that reflect the state's unique character alongside a hand-crafted specialty cocktail menu and an award-winning wine list. The newly curated menu features an array of delectable dishes including the Elk Chop complimented with Colorado Mountain Mushrooms and a Colorado Huckleberry Demi Glaze as well as the Rocky Mountain Trout with a locally sourced Vegetable Farro among other Chef favorites. Additionally, patrons are able to buyout or cater from Palace Arms which offers a unique and fun experience as guests get to celebrate any occasion amongst Napoleonic artifacts and elevated decor all while enjoying the revamped culinary creations of Chef Kim Moyle. "I am excited to showcase such a refined, yet approachable menu that boasts the bold and intrinsic tastes of Colorado," said executive chef Kim Moyle. "The reimagined menu is a true celebration of Colorado cuisine and a tribute to the city that has embraced the Grand Dame of Denver for over a century." This relaunch follows the proactive decision to temporarily suspend operations of Palace Arms while the restaurant underwent a reimagination to better reflect the experiences diners are currently seeking. "As we continue to evolve to best meet the interests of both guests and locals, our mission to protect the integrity of the Palace Arms' experience while delivering the exceptional service we pride ourselves on remains the same," said general manager Jana Smith. "The reimagined Summer menu is just the start of our ongoing goal to weave in fresh and modern offerings, while upholding many of the time-honored traditions The Brown Palace is known for." In an effort to further support the local community, The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa has partnered with Food for Thought Denver for the month of June. Food For Thought is a non-profit organization that strives to eliminate weekend hunger for children in the Denver Metro Area by providing food for the weekend to those who rely on free and reduced lunch programs at school for their daily meals. Ten percent of all sales at Palace Arms will be donated to help make a difference in the lives of the deserving children in the Denver community. The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa is a Forbes Four Star, AAA Four Diamond luxury landmark located in the heart of downtown Denver. Having played host to presidents, celebrities and royalty for more than 128 years, The Brown is known as one of the city's oldest and most prestigious businesses. Encompassing 243 richly appointed guestrooms and presidential suites; six iconic dining options such as Ellyngton's, Palace Arms, Ship Tavern and the renowned Afternoon Tea in the Atrium Lobby; more than 20,000 sq. ft. of flexible meeting space and the luxurious spa, The Brown Palace captivates guests with its historic heritage fused with modern-day amenities. This icon is also part of Marriott International's signature Autograph Collection, an exclusive collection of upscale and luxury hotels within the global portfolio. For more information on Palace Arms at The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa, please visit www.brownpalace.com. To make a reservation at Palace Arms, please call 303-294-3659 or visit Open Table. MEDIA CONTACT: Kaitlin Harris The Zimmerman Agency [email protected] SOURCE The Brown Palace Hotel & Spa SAN FRANCISCO and SUZHOU, China, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent") (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high-quality medicines for the treatment of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune, ophthalmology and other major diseases, today announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for IBI311, a recombinant anti-insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) antibody, has been accepted and granted priority review designation by the Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) of the China National Drug Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED). IBI311 is the first anti-IGF-1R antibody with NDA submitted in China. As a biological drug with a novel mechanism of action, IBI311 will potentially resolve an over 60-years shortage of innovative TED drugs in China by offering an effective, safe and accessible treatment option for Chinese TED patients. This NDA was accepted based on the positive results of a Phase 3 registration clinical study RESTORE-1 (CTR20223393) in subjects with TED in China. The primary endpoint of the study was successfully met in February 2024. Significant improvements in proptosis, disease activity, and quality of life were observed in the IBI311 group compared to placebo. The overall safety profile of IBI311 was favorable, and no new safety signals were identified. Detailed results of the RESTORE-1 study will be presented at medical conferences or journals in 2024.https://www.prnasia.com/story/436967-1.shtml TED is an autoimmune disease that causes progressive inflammation and damage to tissues around the eyes. The annual incidence of TED is estimated to be 16/100,000 in women and 2.9/100,000 in men [1], with the estimated prevalence of 0.1-0.3%[2].The use of IGF-1R-targeted antibody has been recommended in multiple clinical treatment guidelines worldwide[3, 4, 5]; particularly, IGF-1R-targeted antibody is recommended as first-line therapy for patients with clinically significant proptosis. In China, there exists an urgent need for effective, safe and accessible treatment options. Professor Xianqun Fan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and the leading principal investigator of the study, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, stated, "TED is one of the most common orbital diseases in adults, with proptosis as the most apparent clinical manifestation. The course of TED is protracted, which seriously impairs patients' visual function and appearance, and usually brings a heavy psychological burden to patients. In China, physicians are hampered with limited choice of treatment. IBI311 has shown encouraging efficacy with respect to proptosis and orbital soft tissue inflammation with good safety in clinical studies. As the principal investigator of the RESTORE-1 study, I am proud of the NDA submission based on IBI311's promising efficacy and safety demonstrated in the pivotal study and would like to thank the effort of all investigators from participating sites. We look forward to the approval of IBI311, which will be a great advance in the management of TED and benefit more Chinese patients." Dr. Lei Qian, Vice President of Clinical Development of Innovent, stated, "We are honored to receive the regulatory acceptance of NDA for IBI311 with the support and dedication of participants, investigators and regulatory authorities. IBI311 has demonstrated favorable safety and comprehensive efficacy benefits in the RESTORE-1 study, including relief of proptosis, control of disease activity, and improvement in quality of life. We will actively communicate with the regulatory authorities during the NDA review and hope to provide an effective, safe and more accessible treatment option for Chinese TED patients as soon as possible. Innovent is strategically establishing its innovative commercial and late-stage portfolio in the fields of ophthalmology, autoimmunity, cardiovascular and metabolic (CVM) , aiming to help more people pursue a healthy life." About Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) TED is an autoimmune disease involving ocular tissues and is usually associated with Graves' disease (GD) and is the most common orbit-related disease in adults. TED occurs in approximately 25 to 50% of GD patients and can also be seen in other thyroid diseases, even in euthyroidism[6]. The annual incidence of TED is estimated to be 16/100,000 in women and 2.9/100,000 in men[1]and the estimated prevalence of clinically relevant TED ranges from 0.1% to 0.3%[2]. According to disease severity, it can be divided into mild, moderate and severe. Although TED appears to affect women more often, severe cases occur more frequently in men. Patients aged 30 to 50 years are most commonly affected, and severe cases occur more frequently in patients over 50 years[7]. At present, the pathogenesis of TED is not fully understood, but several studies have shown that orbital fibrous present in muscle fibers, orbital fibrous connective tissue space are key factors leading to orbital soft tissue enlargement in TED[8]. The natural history of TED is divided into active and inactive phases[9]. The most common symptoms are dry eye, ocular gritty, photophobia, lacrimation, diplopia, and pressure behind the eye, while typical signs include upper eyelid retraction, eyelid edema, periorbital and conjunctival edema, and proptosis. TED is usually mild to moderate, and about 35% of patients with TED are severe, manifesting as severe pain, vision-threatening corneal ulcers, or compressive optic neuropathy[10]. In addition to potentially affecting vision, TED can have an extremely severe impact on the patient's appearance and social functioning and quality of life. Currently, the first-line treatment option for moderately severe active TED is intravenous glucocorticoid therapy, which suffers from unsatisfactory improvement of proptosis and systemic side effects, and second-line treatment includes other immunomodulators, which also have risks related to unclear improvement of proptosis and treatment. Teprotumumab, Tocilizumab and Rituximab are recommended by the Chinese Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for Thyroid Eye Disease (2022)[3], the European Group on Graves' orbitopathy (EUGOGO)[4] and the consensus on thyroid eye disease of the American Thyroid Society and the European Thyroid Society[5] as the second-line treatment options for moderate to severe active TED. Teprotumumab targeting IGF-1R is recommended as first-line therapy for patients with clinically significant proptosis. About IBI311 IBI311 is a recombinant anti-IGF-1R antibody developed by Innovent for the treatment of TED. IGF-1R is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor that plays a role in the development, metabolism, and immune regulation, and is overexpressed in OFs, B, and T cells of TED patients[11]. IBI311 can bind IGF-1R, block IGF-1R signaling pathway activation mediated by IGF-1 and other related ligands or agonistic antibodies, reduce the expression of downstream inflammatory factors, thereby inhibiting the synthesis of hyaluronic acid and other glycosaminoglycan caused by OFs activation, as well as related inflammatory reactions including tissue congestion and edema; inhibit adipocyte cellularization of OFs, thereby reducing the disease activity of patients with TED and improving proptosis, diplopia, ocular congestion and edema among other symptoms and signs. In May 2024, the NDA for IBI311 was accepted by the NMPA for the treatment of TED. About Innovent Innovent is a leading biopharmaceutical company founded in 2011 with the mission to empower patients worldwide with affordable, high-quality biopharmaceuticals. The company discovers, develops, manufactures and commercializes innovative medicines that treat some of the most intractable illnesses. Its pioneering therapies to treat cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic, autoimmune and eye diseases. Innovent has 10 products in the market, 4 new drug applications under the NMPA review, 4 assets in Phase III or pivotal clinical trials and 18 more molecules in early clinical stage. Innovent partners with over 30 global healthcare leaders, including Eli Lilly, Roche, Sanofi, Adimab, Incyte and MD Anderson Cancer Center. Guided by the motto, "Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action," Innovent maintains the highest standard of industry practices and works collaboratively to advance the biopharmaceutical industry so that first-rate pharmaceutical drugs can become widely accessible. For more information, visit www.innoventbio.com , or follow Innovent on Facebook and LinkedIn. Statement: Innovent does not recommend the use of any unapproved drug (s)/indication (s). Forward-looking statement This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Innovent Biologics ("Innovent"), are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly. These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of the Company with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the Company's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, the Company's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions. The Company, the Directors and the employees of the Company assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or is otherwise inaccurate. References 1. Li Z, Cestari D M, Fortin E. Thyroid eye disease: what is new to know? Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2018; 29 (6): 528-534. 2. Bartley G. The epidemiological characteristics and clinical course of ophthalmology associated with autoimmune thyroid disease in Olmsted Country, Minnesota. Trans Am Ophthalmol Soc 1994; 92: 477-588. 3. Hiromatsu Y, Eguchi H, Tani J, Kasaoka M, Teshima Y. Graves' ophthalmopathy: epidemiology and natural history. Intern Med. 2014; 53 (5): 353-60. 4. Edsel I. Thyroid Associated Orbitopathy. Retrieved June 7, 2011, from Medscape Reference: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1218444-overview # a1http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1218444-overview 5. Ali F, Chorsiya A, Anjum V, Ali A. Teprotumumab (TEPEZZA): From the Discovery and Development of Medicines to USFDA Approvals for Active Thyroid Eye Disease (TED) Treatment. Int Ophthalmol. 2021; 41 (4): 1549-1561. 6. Dolman P J. Evaluating Graves' orbitopathy. Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012; 26 (3): 229-248. 7. Bahn R S. Graves' ophthalmopathy. N Engl J Med. 2010; 362 (8): 726-738. 8. Bartalena L, Kahaly GJ, Baldeschi L, et al. The 2021 European Group on Graves' Orbitopathy (EUGOGO) clinical practice guidelines for the medical management of Graves' Orbitopathy. Eur J Endocrinol. 2021; 185 (4): G43-G67. 9. Group of Oculoplastic and Orbital Diseases, Chinese Ophthalmology Branch, Chinese Medical Association; Group of Thyroid Diseases, Chinese Endocrinology Branch, Chinese Medical Association. Chinese Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid Associated Ophthalmopathy (2022). Chinese Journal of Ophthalmology. 2022; 58 (9). 10. Burch HB, et al. Management of Thyroid Eye Disease: a Consensus Statement by the American Thyroid Association and the European Thyroid Association. Eur Thyroid J. 2022; 11 (6): e220189. 11. Douglas RS, Naik V, Hwang CJ, et al. B cells from patients with Graves' disease erase express the IGF-1 receptor: implications for disease pathogenesis. J Immunol 2008; 181: 5768-5774. SOURCE Innovent Biologics AUSTIN, Texas, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- QuoteWell, a tech-driven insurance wholesale broker, has partnered with industry trade association the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) to help deliver a responsive and transparent wholesale brokerage experience to IIAT's 9,000+ agency members. By leveraging QuoteWell's advanced AI-driven platform, IIAT members will gain access to a more efficient submission process, real-time status updates, and comprehensive support from experienced underwriters. "We are thrilled to partner with QuoteWell to enhance our members' capabilities in accessing specialty commercial markets," said Marit Peters, IIAT President and Executive Director. "QuoteWell is an innovative solution that will empower our members to expand their business horizons and deliver exceptional value to their clients." "Partnering with IIAT is fantastic opportunity for QuoteWell to join forces with a respected Texas institution, reinforcing our commitment to supporting independent agents and fostering their success in the ever-evolving insurance industry," said Joey Bouchard, QuoteWell CEO. For more information about the partnership and how IIAT members can benefit, please visit the QuoteWell partnership page on the IIAT website. About QuoteWell Founded in 2021, QuoteWell is a tech-driven insurance wholesale broker delivering a responsive and transparent experience to retail agents and carriers. The company has raised $20MM in funding and is licensed to operate in 44 states. Learn more about how to get appointed and their appetite at quotewell.com. About IIAT The Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) is the largest association of independent insurance agents in Texas, dedicated to promoting the success and growth of independent agents. IIAT provides its members with advocacy, education, and resources to help them thrive in the competitive insurance industry. SOURCE QuoteWell LAS VEGAS, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- InventHelp's Virtual Invention Browsing Experience, or VIBE, will be exhibiting at Licensing Expo 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Licensing Expo, the world's largest licensing trade show, will once again open its doors to attendees May 21-23, 2024. Companies registered to exhibit this year include Paramount, Hasbro, Funko, Pokemon, and more. InventHelp's Virtual Invention Browsing Experience, or VIBE, will be exhibiting at Licensing Expo 2024 in Las Vegas. Post this "Brands at Play", the theme for 2024's annual show, will celebrate the concept of play and the power it holds for all ages. The theme will spotlight the creativity that play allows when building a brand. Among the brands, InventHelp will exhibit VIBE, a technology platform that allows qualified companies to review InventHelp client invention ideas in confidence. VIBE utilizes large touchscreens to present inventions as 3D models or images along with invention descriptions. These state-of-the-art viewing stations allow business representatives to enjoy privacy and comfort as they review InventHelp client inventions that are available for licensing or sale. The first 50 qualifying companies who enter VIBE at booth G-188 to look for new ideas will receive a Starbucks gift card. Attendees can take advantage of this year's multitude of roundtables, parades, and events including keynote speaker, Paris Hilton. According to the show's description of the keynote, "The session will feature insights from Hilton, Gersh, and Dekel on how to leverage influence, build a brand, and scale IP across multiple categories and platforms." InventHelp will also be hosting an event to commemorate 40 years of helping inventors on day 2 of Licensing Expo. InventHelp's 40th Birthday Party will feature Cavey, InventHelp's mascot. Cavey will also be walking in the Character Parade among other beloved characters including Bluey, the Kool-aid Man, and more. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to see content from the show. CONTACT: Maria Jones, [email protected] SOURCE InventHelp Wraparound before and after school programming through KinderCare's Champions brand now available in select National Heritage Academies schools in Colorado, Michigan, and Ohio LAKE OSWEGO, Ore., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- KinderCare Learning Companies today announced that Champions, KinderCare's before-and-after school program, will be available for registered National Heritage Academies charter school families across 16 select schools in Colorado, Michigan and Ohio in the 2024-2025 school year. Champions currently provides out-of-school-time learning programs for school-age children at more than 900 schools nationwide. "A recent study showed that 7 out of 10 parents are constantly thinking about child care gaps. We know it can be challenging for some parents to bridge those gaps between school hours and work hours," said Dan Figurski, President of Champions and KinderCare for Employers. "We're proud to provide this solution for National Heritage Academies parents and childrenit's an extension of the school day, at their school." Before and after school programming through KinderCare's Champions brand available in select National Heritage Academies Post this The Champions programs will provide before-and-after school care from 6:30 a.m. to the start of the school day and again from the end of the school day until 6 p.m. Many families in the National Heritage Academies network also qualify for child care subsidy programs, which Champions can assist with, making before-and after-school programs accessible for eligible families who may otherwise struggle to find affordable out-of-school-time options. Champions, which has more than 25 years of experience in before- and after-school programs, earned corporate accreditation from Cognia. Children enrolled in Champions programs learn from qualified providers important skills and life lessons related to STEM, social and academic development, physical education, literacy, creative expression and more to create a whole-child approach KinderCare is known for. Participating Schools: Colorado Mountain View Academy, Colorado Springs Ohio Alliance Academy of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Orion Academy, Cincinnati Bennett Venture Academy, Toledo Winterfield Venture Academy, Toledo Stambaugh Charter Academy, Youngstown Michigan Flagship Charter Academy, Detroit Ridge Park Charter Academy, Grand Rapids Paramount Charter Academy, Kalamazoo Holly Park Academy, Lansing Prevail Academy, Mount Clemens Reach Charter Academy, Roseville Metro Charter Academy, Romulus North Saginaw Charter Academy, Saginaw Quest Charter Academy, Taylor East Arbor Charter Academy, Ypsilanti Families interested in learning more about Champions programs at these National Charter Academies charter schools or enrolling their student can find additional information online. About KinderCare Learning Companies A leading provider early childhood and school-age education and care, KinderCare builds confidence for life in children and families from all backgrounds. KinderCare supports hardworking families in 40 states and the District of Columbia with differentiated flexible child care solutions to meet today's dynamic work environment: In neighborhoods, with KinderCare Learning Centers that offer early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old and with Creme de la Creme School , which offers a premium early education model using a variety of themed classrooms; that offer early learning programs for children six weeks to 12 years old and with , which offers a premium early education model using a variety of themed classrooms; At work, through KinderCare Learning Companies for Employers , providing customized family benefits for employers across the country, including employer-supported child care benefits, on-site and near-site early learning centers and back-up care for last-minute child care, and In local schools, with Champions before and after-school programs. KinderCare programs meet the highest standards, validated by independent, third-party evaluation including: Gallup , measuring workforce engagement, , measuring workforce engagement, National Association for the Education of Young Children , ensuring individual early learning center quality, Cognia , accreditation for before- and after-school programs BRIGANCE and TerraNova assessments of children's academic progress and achievement, and WELL Health-Safety Rating , validating health and safety practices in our facilities. Headquartered in Lake Oswego, Oregon, KinderCare operates more than 2,400 early learning centers and sites. In 2024, KinderCare earned its eighth Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award one of only two current organizations worldwide to achieve this milestone for eight consecutive years. To learn more, visit KC-Learning.com. Media Contact Colleen Moran KinderCare Learning Companies 503-872-1300, option 3 [email protected] SOURCE KinderCare Learning Companies CHANHASSEN, Minn., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LTH) today announced the webcast information for its Investor and Analyst Day taking place on Thursday, May 30, 2024. As shared during its first quarter financial results call on May 1, 2024, Life Time will host the Investor and Analyst Day at its Corporate Office in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The Life Time leadership team will present on a range of topics of interest for the investor community, including an overview of the Company's evolution into a leading healthy way of life leisure company. A question and answer session will be held following the presentations. Attending In-Person Institutional Investors Institutional investors who would like to attend in-person should contact Ken Cooper at [email protected] or (952) 406-2322. Webcast Information Date: Thursday, May 30, 2024 Time: 9:30 a.m. ET ( 8:30 a.m. CT ) until approximately 12:30 p.m. ET ( 11:30 a.m. CT ) ( ) until approximately ( ) Register for the Webcast: LTH May 30 Investor & Analyst Day To view the webcast, you will be provided a password upon confirming your email. It is recommended to register in advance. A link to register for the live webcast will also be available at https://ir.lifetime.life . Replay Information Webcast A recorded replay of the webcast will be available within approximately four hours of the conclusion of the event and may be accessed at: https://ir.lifetime.life. Materials The Investor Materials will be posted to https://ir.lifetime.life at approximately 7:00 a.m. ET (6:00 a.m. CT) on Thursday, May 30, 2024. About Life Time Life Time (NYSE: LTH) empowers people to live healthy, happy lives through its portfolio of more than 170 athletic country clubs across the United States and Canada. The health and wellness pioneer also delivers a range of healthy way of life programs and information via its complimentary Life Time Digital app. The Company's healthy living, healthy aging, healthy entertainment communities and ecosystem serve people 90 days to 90+ years old and is supported by a team of more than 39,000 dedicated professionals. In addition to delivering the best programs and experiences through its clubs, Life Time owns and produces nearly 30 of the most iconic athletic events in the country. SOURCE Life Time Group Holdings, Inc. MIAMI, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockton Caribbean & Central America (CCA) announced today the launch of CCA FAB, the insurance broking industry's first Food, Agriculture & Beverage practice focusing exclusively on the region. The new Food, Agriculture & Beverage practice within Lockton CCA the Miami-based wholesale insurance and reinsurance operation focused on the region, within Lockton's Latin America and Caribbean Insurance Services Series (LACIS) will deliver tailor-made insurance solutions to companies at all points along the value chain of the food, agriculture and beverage industries. Among other potential offerings, these include bespoke liability insurance and contract review, crop insurance, stock throughput solutions, product liability and recall insurance, reputational damage insurance, and financial and professional coverages. Lockton CCA has historically served many high-profile local and global food, agriculture and beverage companies with exposures within the region, including food distribution companies, distilleries, breweries, and soft drink manufacturers, on behalf of local independent brokers and insurers. The new CCA FAB practice, working as a wholesaler, will deliver new and innovative solutions designed for the food, agriculture, and beverage industry to these brokers and insurers to better serve their clients. Lockton named Simon Arden and Mario Martinez as co-leaders of CCA FAB. They will jointly report to Julian Pratt, CEO of Lockton CCA, and Tony Matta, President of CCA. Arden and Martinez, insurance industry veterans with history and experience in the Caribbean and Central America, will work closely with Lockton's global Food, Agriculture & Beverage practices in both London and the United States to help food, agriculture and beverage industry companies effectively manage their risk. "As the food, agriculture, and beverage sector in the Caribbean and Central America grows and evolves, businesses need tailored advice from brokers who understand the industry and the region," Arden said. "Lockton CCA is excited to help deliver outside-the-box thinking and problem-solving to help industry participants manage their most critical operational, financial, and reputational risks and build competitively priced and responsive insurance programs." About Lockton What makes Lockton stand apart is also what makes us better: independence. Lockton's private ownership empowers its 11,500+ Associates doing business in over 140 countries to focus solely on clients' risk, insurance and people needs. With expertise that reaches around the globe, Lockton delivers the deep understanding needed to accomplish remarkable results. For more information, visit www.lockton.com. SOURCE Lockton C$ unless otherwise stated TSX/NYSE/PSE: MFC SEHK: 945 TORONTO, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife Financial Corporation ("Manulife") today announced the applicable dividend rates for its Non-cumulative Rate Reset Class 1 Shares Series 15 (the "Series 15 Preferred Shares") (TSX: MFC.PR.L) and Non-cumulative Floating Rate Class 1 Shares Series 16 (the "Series 16 Preferred Shares"). With respect to any Series 15 Preferred Shares that remain outstanding after June 19, 2024, holders thereof will be entitled to receive fixed rate non-cumulative preferential cash dividends on a quarterly basis, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Manulife and subject to the provisions of the Insurance Companies Act (Canada). The dividend rate for the five-year period commencing on June 20, 2024, and ending on June 19, 2029, will be 5.77500% per annum or $0.360938 per share per quarter, being equal to the sum of the five-year Government of Canada bond yield as at May 21, 2024, plus 2.16%, as determined in accordance with the terms of the Series 15 Preferred Shares. With respect to any Series 16 Preferred Shares that may be issued in connection with the conversion of the Series 15 Preferred Shares into the Series 16 Preferred Shares, holders thereof will be entitled to receive floating rate non-cumulative preferential cash dividends on a quarterly basis, calculated on the basis of the actual number of days elapsed in each quarterly floating rate period divided by 365, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Manulife and subject to the provisions of the Insurance Companies Act (Canada). The dividend rate for the three-month period commencing on June 20, 2024, and ending on September 19, 2024, will be 1.77245% (7.03200% on an annualized basis) or $0.443113 per share, being equal to the sum of the three-month Government of Canada Treasury bill yield as at May 21, 2024, plus 2.16%, as determined in accordance with the terms of the Series 16 Preferred Shares. Beneficial owners of Series 15 Preferred Shares who wish to exercise their right of conversion should instruct their broker or other nominee to exercise such right before 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on June 4, 2024. Conversion inquiries should be directed to Manulife's Registrar and Transfer Agent, TSX Trust Company, at 18007839495. The Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") has conditionally approved the listing of the Series 16 Preferred Shares effective upon conversion. Listing of the Series 16 Preferred Shares is subject to Manulife fulfilling all the listing requirements of the TSX and, upon approval, the Series 16 Preferred Shares will be listed on the TSX under the trading symbol "MFC.PR.S". The Series 15 Preferred Shares and the Series 16 Preferred Shares have not been and will not be registered in the United States under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or the securities laws of any state of the United States and may not be offered, sold or delivered, directly or indirectly in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a "U.S. person" (as defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities in the United States and any public offering of the securities in the United States must be made by means of a prospectus. About Manulife Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. With our global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, we provide financial advice and insurance, operating as Manulife across Canada, Asia, and Europe, and primarily as John Hancock in the United States. Through Manulife Investment Management, the global brand for our Global Wealth and Asset Management segment, we serve individuals, institutions, and retirement plan members worldwide. At the end of 2023, we had more than 38,000 employees, over 98,000 agents, and thousands of distribution partners, serving over 35 million customers. We trade as 'MFC' on the Toronto, New York, and the Philippine stock exchanges, and under '945' in Hong Kong. Not all offerings are available in all jurisdictions. For additional information, please visit manulife.com . SOURCE Manulife Financial Corporation The Mini-Doc Showcases Midea's Cold-Climate Heat Pump System and the Transformation of a Residential Facility in Alaska LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Midea America, in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery, is proud to present "Project Homestead," an inspirational mini-documentary showcasing the transformative renovation of Willow Ranch. Willow Ranch is a residential facility near Willow, Alaska operated by Hope Community Resources, the foremost provider of support services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, traumatic brain injuries, mental health challenges and complex medical conditions in Alaska. Project Homestead highlights the installation of various Midea home appliances and its innovative, energy-efficient, cold-climate heat pump system, which will provide a warm haven for a deserving household for years to come. To watch the mini-documentary, please follow this link. An Inside Look into Project Homestead In this heartwarming film, viewers will witness the transformation of a house on the Willow Ranch property, home to four residents supported by Hope Community Resources. The collaborative efforts of Midea, Warner Bros. Discovery, Hope Community Resources, local contractors and volunteers provided a life-changing, all-expense-paid home renovation. Willow, Alaska, with its extreme climate, serves as the perfect backdrop for this project, underlining the importance of warm, energy-efficient living environments. Midea was thrilled to be involved in this project to showcase its desire to make energy-efficient heat pump technology more accessible across all communities. Hosted by Jeff Thorman, seasoned general contractor and the face of Home RenoVision DIY, the film explores how home renovation can positively impact the lives of people in need. "I am thoroughly impressed with the exceptional performance of Midea's cold-climate heat pump system, especially in the challenging harsh winter conditions of Alaska," expressed Jeff Thorman. "Having been in the home renovation industry for 25 years, I have a deep appreciation for innovative technologies that not only provide essential comforts but do so in an energy-efficient and cost-effective manner. Midea's system is a testament to what modern engineering can achieve delivering reliable heating even in extreme cold, which is a game-changer for regions like Alaska." Midea's Heat Pump System Midea's cold-climate heat pump system can deliver efficient heating and cooling in all American climates, even northern regions during harsh winters. While heat pumps historically have a reputation for underperforming in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, in recent lab testing sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge, Midea's cold-climate heat pump system achieved 118% of rated capacity heating output at -15 degrees Fahrenheit debunking the myth that heat pumps only work in mild climates and proving that heat pumps are the HVAC systems of the future, everywhere. This also comes at a time of extreme demand for cost-effective and energy-efficient options, with the supply and transportation costs of fossil fuel in Alaska continuing to rise. "Midea is at the forefront of heat pump innovation, designing contractor and user-friendly systems that are making this modern technology accessible for all," said David Rames, Senior Product Manager, Midea America Corp. "Our commitment to innovation and diverse solutions reflects our dedication to making a positive impact on everyone who needs high performing, highly efficient comfort solutions. The efficacy of our heat pump system in Alaska especially for residents in need is the ultimate proof and something in which we take immense pride." Production units of Midea's forthcoming cold-climate heat pump system are slated to be available in the summer of 2024. Additional Midea Appliances Beyond the Midea cold-climate heat pump system, the renovation also featured the installation of other Midea home products and technologies intended to enhance the comfort and well-being of the residents: a refrigerator, air fryer and oven. Midea's SmartHome application and technology will also allow Hope Community Resources to control and monitor operation remotely and provide useful information regarding usage, condition and energy consumption. For more information, please visit midea.com/us. ABOUT MIDEA AMERICA Midea America Corp. is the U.S. subsidiary of Midea Group Co., Ltd., a publicly listed, Fortune 500 company and the world's leading manufacturer of home appliances. Midea America Corp. is headquartered in Parsippany, NJ and has a Research and Development Center in Louisville, Kentucky. With more than 150,000 employees and presence in over 195 countries, Midea's products touch the lives of millions of families through air treatment, refrigeration, laundry, small and large kitchen appliances, water appliances, floor care and lighting. ABOUT WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates and distributes the world's most differentiated and complete portfolio of content and brands across television, film and streaming. Available in more than 220 countries and territories and 50 languages, Warner Bros. Discovery inspires, informs and entertains audiences worldwide through its iconic brands and products including: Discovery Channel, Max, discovery+, CNN, DC, Eurosport, HBO, HGTV, Food Network, OWN, Investigation Discovery, TLC, Magnolia Network, TNT, TBS, truTV, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Warner Bros. Television Group, Warner Bros. Pictures Animation, Warner Bros. Games, New Line Cinema, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies, Discovery en Espanol, Hogar de HGTV and others. For more information, please visit www.wbd.com. SOURCE Midea PHOENIX, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Box Load Share, the latest green initiative from U-Haul to support today's gig economy, is a 2024 Champions of Change honoree. U-Haul was among 10 finalists recognized as the "Most Innovative" companies on May 16 at the DoubleTree Resort in Paradise Valley, thanks to its implementation of the groundbreaking Load Share program. U-Haul customers have performed more than 35,000 U-Box Load Share transactions since the ecofriendly program's inception, helping families get their belongings sooner while cutting down on freight tractor-trailer shipments and carbon emissions produced. The Champions of Change awards are hosted by Az Business Magazine, an AZ Big Media publication, to celebrate dynamic innovators and trailblazers, visionary thinkers and philanthropists, and business and nonprofit leaders across Arizona. "Being named a Champion of Change is a great honor, and it's further affirmation that U-Box Load Share is needed in today's economy," said Sam Shoen, U-Box Program Director. "The environmental impact of Load Share is very real, and our customers appreciate that along with the many other benefits. We are providing a safe, collaborative way to engage in smarter and greener moving solutions." This is the latest in a line of commendations for U-Box Load Share. In December, it was named the 2023 Best in Biz Awards gold winner for Most Environmentally Friendly Service of the Year. It also earned silver awards for Most Innovative Service of the Year and Consumer Service of the Year. That comes on the heels of winning 2022 Sustainability Service of the Year from The Business Intelligence Group and being named a 2022 Social Impact Awards finalist by PR News. How does U-Box Load Share work? A Load Share occurs when a family moving its belongings in a U-Haul truck agrees to tow a trailer loaded with another family's U-Box portable moving container to the same destination city. Each transaction is monitored and managed by centralized U-Haul personnel. A vetting process is used to pre-select potential candidates, with priority on those customers with previous rental truck and towing experience. When a Load Share is performed, the cost savings from not needing to contract a freight tractor-trailer for the U-Box shipment is allocated in three ways: A discount to the U-Haul truck rental customer's rate Lower one-way rates charged to all U-Box customers Funding newer and safer equipment, and retrofitting existing equipment with improved safety and convenience features The unique thing about U-Box Load Share is that it is not intended nor designed to make U-Haul a profit. It was created to facilitate people helping people and benefit the environment. To date, more than 35,000 Load Shares have been completed. Shared Use, Shared Responsibility Allan Yang, U-Haul Chief Sustainability Officer and Scientist, noted that awards for U-Box Load Share underline the Company's commitment to sustainability, decarbonization and industry-defining innovation. "U-Haul is a shared-use business," Yang stated. "Our shared-use products and services not only address the challenges of resource efficiency, but also cultivate a sense of community among our sustainability stakeholders. By pooling resources and optimizing the towing capacity of trucks, U-Box Load Share brings forth a paradigm shift towards sustainable and shared mobility." Beyond U-Box Load Share, U-Haul environmentally friendly initiatives include the Company's core model of having communities share a moving truck or trailer rather than individuals needing to own trucks and large-capacity vehicles to transport their belongings; U-Haul Adaptive Reuse, a program for preserving and repurposing existing buildings for new stores rather than engaging in teardowns and ground-up projects with each acquisition, thus reducing carbon emissions and the need for new-building materials (about 70% of U-Haul-owned facilities are the result of Adaptive Reuse); U-Haul truck modifications to incorporate a low profile, rounded corners and advanced chassis skirts to reduce wind drag and improve fuel economy up to 20% (in addition to fuel economy gauges in every new-production U-Haul truck); and green products like plastic U-Haul Ready-To-Go Boxes that get shared hundreds of times before being recycled. About U-HAUL Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers with more than 23,000 rental locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The enhanced U-Haul app makes it easier for customers to use U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 to access trucks anytime through the self-dispatch and self-return options on their smartphones through our patented Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to 192,200 trucks, 138,500 trailers and 44,500 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America with 967,000 rentable units and 83.3 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the top retailer of propane in the U.S. and the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. Get the U-Haul app from the App Store or Google Play . Contact: Jeff Lockridge E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 602-760-4941 Website: uhaul.com SOURCE U-Haul WASHINGTON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA announced Tuesday it selected a new instrument to study the Sun and how it creates massive solar eruptions. The agency's Joint EUV coronal Diagnostic Investigation, or JEDI, will capture images of the Sun in extreme ultraviolet light, a type of light invisible to our eyes but reveals many of the underlying mechanisms of the Sun's activity. The Joint EUV coronal Diagnostic Investigation (JEDI) will fly aboard the European Space Agencys Vigil space weather mission and capture new views that will help researchers connect features on the Suns surface to those in the Suns outer atmosphere, the corona. Once integrated aboard the ESA's (European Space Agency's) Vigil space weather mission, JEDI's two telescopes will focus on the middle layer of the solar corona, a region of the Sun's atmosphere that plays a key role in creating the solar wind and the solar eruptions that cause space weather. The Vigil space mission, planned to launch in 2031, is expected to provide around-the-clock space weather data from a unique position at Sun-Earth Lagrange point 5 a gravitationally stable point about 60 degrees behind Earth in its orbit. This vantage point will give space weather researchers and forecasters a new angle to study the Sun and its eruptions. NASA's JEDI will be the first instrument to provide a constant view of the Sun from this perspective in extreme ultraviolet light giving scientists a trove of new data for research, while simultaneously supporting Vigil's ability to monitor space weather. "JEDI's observations will help us link the features we see on the Sun's surface with what we measure in the solar atmosphere, the corona," said Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Combined with Vigil's first-of-its-kind, eagle eye view of the Sun, this will change the way we understand the Sun's drivers of space weather which in turn can lead to improved warnings to mitigate space weather effects on satellites and humans in space as well as on Earth." The project is led by Don Hassler at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado. The instrument is funded by the NASA Heliophysics Space Weather Program with a total cost not to exceed $45 million. Management oversight will be provided by the Living With a Star Program of the Explorers & Heliophysics Projects Division at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. For more information on NASA heliophysics missions, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/heliophysics SOURCE NASA Museum to Offer $5 General Admission on Memorial Day; New Exhibition, Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II, Opens May 25 COLUMBUS, Ohio, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM) will host its annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony on Monday, May 27, at 10 a.m. ET on the Rooftop. The event is open to all and included with a special $5 admission price on Memorial Day and free, as always, for Veterans and active-duty service members. The event will honor our fallen military members and the families they left behind with a wreath-laying ceremony and keynote address from Patrick J. Murphy, 32nd undersecretary of the U.S. Army and America's first Iraq War Veteran elected to U.S. Congress. The event will be live streamed nationally on YouTube and Facebook. New Exhibition, Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II, Opens May 25 at National Veterans Memorial and Museum Post this The National Veterans Memorial and Museum will host an annual Memorial Day Remembrance Ceremony on Monday, May 27, at 10 a.m. ET. "It is with great honor and respect we remember the men and women of our armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms," said Colonel Bill Butler, U.S. Army (Retired), acting president of the NVMM. "At the NVMM, we tell the stories of all Veterans from all service branches throughout history, however, stories of the brave men and women whose lives were lost in service are among the most revered stories we have the privilege to share. We invite Veterans, patrons and the public to join us in honoring them and their families." This year, the NVMM is asking the public to help fill the museum lawn with flags to honor our fallen heroes. For a gift of $20 or more , the NVMM will plant a flag on the lawn and list your service member's name, service branch and rank on nationalvmm.org in remembrance of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. Memorial Day weekend also marks the opening of a new exhibition, Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II, exclusively sponsored by the E.L.Wiegand Foundation, and created by the National World War II Museum. Ghost Army explores how a little-known, 1,105-member, top-secret special troop of artists, engineers and soldiers were able to create and deploy the first mobile, tactical deception unit in U.S. Army history. The "Ghost Army," or officially the U.S. Army 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, was capable of simulating up to two divisions or 30,000 soldiers utilizing inflatable rubber tanks, trucks and planes, false radio messages, sound effects, and more to mislead enemy forces. Ghost Army, presented at the NVMM by the Central Ohio For Dealers, will be on view from May 25 through August 25 as part of a year-long commitment by the NVMM to tell stories from World War II, in honor of the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Thursday, June 6. On that day, the NVMM will host reenactors, offer special crafts and activities for children, and, at 3 p.m., hold a panel discussion on how aviators cleared the skies for D-Day. All activities are included in a special admission price of $5. About the National Veterans Memorial and Museum The National Veterans Memorial and Museum takes visitors on a narrative journey telling individual stories and sharing experiences of Veterans from all military branches throughout history. The National Veterans Memorial and Museum pays tribute to the sacrifices of men and women in service and their families. History is presented through a dynamic, participatory experience with photos, letters and personal effects, multi-media presentations, and interactive exhibits. Together, these elements link our national story of service to the larger context of the world. SOURCE National Veterans Memorial & Museum White House Historical Association President Stewart McLaurin and Author Edward O'Keefe Discuss the Women Who Made Theodore Roosevelt Into a President WASHINGTON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The White House Historical Association released a new episode of The White House 1600 Sessions podcast today featuring a conversation on the five extraordinary women without whom Theodore Roosevelt may never have become the 26th President of the United States. Stewart McLaurin, president of the Association, met with Edward O'Keefe, CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation and author of the new book, "The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt: The Women Who Created a President," to discuss the impact his mother, sisters and wives made on Roosevelt's life. In this episode, McLaurin and O'Keefe visit Theodore Roosevelt Island, the national memorial located in Washington, D.C.'s Potomac River, and reflect on the man born in New York City who would become known as "the conservation president." Theodore Roosevelt was an imperfect man of his time, one born to privilege but who advocated the strenuous life after struggling with ill-health and losing two of his greatest loves on the same day: his mother, Mittie, a Southern belle with a keen wit, and Alice, his college sweetheart and first wife. Both drew him away from science and into politics, including the support of women's suffrage. His older sister, Anna, would become his trusted advisor and political strategist, and his younger sister, Corinne, would be his top supporter and informal spokesperson. First Lady Edith Carow Roosevelt, Theodore's childhood playmate and second wife, would go on to leave her own mark on the White House both in the role of presidential spouse as well as with a major renovation of the Executive Mansion. The full video of this podcast episode is also available on the White House Historical Association's YouTube channel here. The White House 1600 Sessions podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. The White House 1600 Sessions The White House Historical Association's President Stewart McLaurin is the host of The White House 1600 Sessions, the Association's official audio and video podcast devoted to exploring the history, cultural impact, untold stories, and personal accounts of America's most iconic residence and highest office. About the White House Historical Association The White House Historical Association was founded in 1961 by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to support her vision to restore and preserve the Executive Mansion and its legacy for generations to come. Mrs. Kennedy sought to inspire Americans, especially children, to explore and engage with American history and its presidents. Supported entirely by private resources, the Association is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has contributed more than $115 million to the White House in fulfillment of its mission. To learn more about the White House Historical Association, please visit WhiteHouseHistory.org. SOURCE The White House Historical Association Gathering hosted by CoHNA comes against the recent introduction of SCR104 condemning Hinduphobia TRENTON, N.J., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 15 State Senators and Assembly Members (Democrats and Republicans), attended the first ever Hindu Advocacy Day in New Jersey, hosted by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA). New Jersey is home to one of the largest Hindu communities in the US, and the bi-partisan event focused attention on their many contributions to the state across all sectors. Lawmakers also pledged support for the Hindu Heritage Month resolution for New Jersey , which has passed the Assembly and is now making its way to the Senate. Coming on the heels of the recently introduced resolution SCR 104 , CoHNA's Hindu Advocacy Day also focused on the growing problem of anti-Hindu hate and Hinduphobia . Senator Vin Gopal, the primary sponsor of the bill, joined the event in the middle of a busy senate schedule, recalled how he took his oath on the Bhagavad Gita while being sworn in, and that hate in any form must not be tolerated. He thanked CoHNA for working with his office on the resolution and invited the attendees to the Senate voting session for a special shoutout. "I am really excited CoHNA got a special shoutout and recognition in the Senate for coming to Trenton and hosting the Advocacy Day and working on the Hinduphobia resolution," said Hitesh Trivedi, CoHNA Board Member and Director of its NJ chapter. "We thank our New Jersey leaders for standing with the Hindu community and engaging in a constructive dialogue. As many of our lawmakers stressed today, it is critically important for Hindus to engage and talk with our elected officials - and a grassroots platform like CoHNA has been the starting ground for so many of us." FBI data and research from universities like Rutgers have documented the growing hate against Hindus in America. The rash of attacks on individuals and on Hindu temples from New York to California has brought the problem home in a most visceral way, traumatizing the community and impacting the ability of some to freely practice their faith. The gathering was addressed by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, all of whom thanked the Hindu community for the scale, depth, and impact of their contributions to their districts, to New Jersey, and to the US as a whole. Others shared their experiences of being part of vibrant Hindu celebrations - be it Diwali, Holi, Navratri, Guru Vandana, or International Yoga Day. Upendra Chivukula , the first Hindu Assemblymember ever to be elected in New Jersey, shared insights from his decades of experience on why representation matters and how far the community has come. "If we don't ask, others will ask for us. Whoever gets to the lawmakers first will get their attention first," he said, thanking CoHNA for organizing this important day and bringing the community to Trenton to meet public officials. A Community Effort A number of Hindu community leaders attended the event and spoke of the important work that CoHNA is doing in representing the community and advocating for the causes that the community cares about and giving Hindus a platform. Speakers at the event explored the many different ways American Hindus can serve and give back to their community. "I was inspired by the Hindu values I learned while growing up through Bal Vihar camps in Massachusetts and New Jersey," said Cherry Hill Councilwoman Sangeeta Doshi , recalling her decision to run for office. The NJ Democratic Hindu Caucus Co-chairs, Falguni Pandya and Venu Menon, also talked about why the caucus was formed and how it has been advocating for the Hindu community. Collaboration between different organizations was also an important theme, where leaders like Dhiren Amin, President of Indian Business Association, Ganesh Ramakrishnan, NJ Communications Coordinator for Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, and community leader Dr. Mukund Thakar highlighted the need to work in tandem to amplify the positive impact on the community in various areas - from political representation and education to serving people regardless of race, ethnicity, or religion. Find pictures and comments from the event on our feed on X formerly known as Twitter. About CoHNA CoHNA is a grassroots level advocacy and civil rights organization dedicated to improving the understanding of Hinduism in North America by working on matters related to the Hindu community and by educating the public about Hindu heritage and tradition. For more information, please visit https://cohna.org or follow us on X(Twitter) , Facebook , LinkedIn and on Instagram . SOURCE Coalition of Hindus of North America Key Survey Data Points One-in-four Americans consider themselves and their partner car-incompatible 50% said they frequently have to readjust their car's seat positions, mirrors, seatbacks and stereo volume Mazda partnered with expert LMFT, Elizabeth Earnshaw , to share advice on how to address car-incompatibility conflict resolution and how features in the all-new 2025 CX-70 can help ease these disagreements IRVINE, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) is revealing what could be driving arguments with couples when it comes to their vehicles. While infidelity and financials are frequently cited causes for riffs in relationships, a new culprit is creating turmoil in garages across the country: sharing a vehicle. A recent survey of 2,000 married or cohabiting couples, fielded online by Talker Research on behalf of Mazda, found surprising facts about what couples argue about when it comes to sharing a vehicle. 2025 Mazda CX-70 The survey found that nearly half (45%) of married or cohabiting couples admit they argue over a shared vehicle monthly. Some of the items that participants cited as topics that they often argued about when it comes to sharing a vehicle are the need to frequently have to readjust seat positions (62%), mirrors (55%), seatbacks (51%) and stereo volume (50%) after their partner uses the vehicle. With this in mind, the 2025 CX-70 , Mazda's all-new two-row mid-size crossover SUV, was thoughtfully designed to bring harmony to the driving experience and to relationships across the country, through new technologies such as its available Driver Personalization System. The Driver Personalization System uses the vehicle's internal camera to scan facial features and converts them into numeric information creating a driver profile. The system then uses the driver profile to automatically restore over 250 personalized driver settings to their desired positions such as seat position, mirror position, driving display and stereo settings. This means that the next time the driver gets ready to hit the road after their spouse last drove the vehicle, all of their preferred settings will be adjusted with no extra effort on their part. The driver profile is secured locally on the vehicle only and is not subject to remote access. Saved driver profiles can be deleted at any time. The Driver Personalization System within the CX-70 can help you focus on the things more important in life. In fact, 21% of those surveyed would reward their spouse for properly readjusting vehicle settings by taking them out on a romantic dinner date. To address car-incompatibility issues, one in four Americans with long-term partners would completely clean the car once a week to avoid arguments about their shared vehicle. In order to provide additional help for partners to feel less car-incompatible, Mazda is partnering with Elizabeth Earnshaw, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, founder of A Better Life Therapy, author of "I Want This To Work" and the upcoming "Till Stress Do Us Part" and influencer. Earnshaw, LMFT has developed tips for couples to address car-incompatibility while highlighting how features of the Mazda CX-70 can help mitigate these arguments. "Many times in my sessions, I see arguments around vehicles causing deeper problems with couples in their marriages," said Earnshaw. "Clear communication and understanding of your partner's wants and needs is important to a healthy relationship and the Driver Personalization System within the Mazda CX-70 can help alleviate relationship pain points." Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT tips for dealing with car-incompatibility: Understand your mental load: Couples should take time to sit down with their partner to make a list of all of the things that have to be remembered in a day in order to manage their relationship, home and car. Explore who tends to be responsible for the bulk of it. Discuss together whether this feels fair or if things need to be redistributed and work to redistribute as necessary. Couples should take time to sit down with their partner to make a list of all of the things that have to be remembered in a day in order to manage their relationship, home and car. Explore who tends to be responsible for the bulk of it. Discuss together whether this feels fair or if things need to be redistributed and work to redistribute as necessary. Manage your stress : Too much stress makes it difficult to relate to others, even the people we love the most. To manage stress, partners should prevent the small stressors as much as they can, learn to self soothe by doing things like deep breathing and muscle relaxation and work together to solve big problems. When dealing with stress around a vehicle, make sure to take the time for deep breathing before addressing the issue. : Too much stress makes it difficult to relate to others, even the people we love the most. To manage stress, partners should prevent the small stressors as much as they can, learn to self soothe by doing things like deep breathing and muscle relaxation and work together to solve big problems. When dealing with stress around a vehicle, make sure to take the time for deep breathing before addressing the issue. Interdependent Relationship: Even though partners share their car, they still want to be able to be themselves. Interdependent Relationships are the gold star and means that as a couple, partners can integrate who they are as a unit and who they are as unique individuals. Couples who have the ability to make space for time together and time apart tend to be the happiest. Work together to understand each other's needs for personal time and regularly schedule time to spend together and apart for relationship balance. Even though partners share their car, they still want to be able to be themselves. Interdependent Relationships are the gold star and means that as a couple, partners can integrate who they are as a unit and who they are as unique individuals. Couples who have the ability to make space for time together and time apart tend to be the happiest. Work together to understand each other's needs for personal time and regularly schedule time to spend together and apart for relationship balance. Practice Active Listening: Couples get stuck arguing about their differences in preference, especially with their vehicles, when they focus on who is right and who is wrong when they should be practicing active listening. Partners can practice active listening by putting their own agenda to the side so you can truly hear and understand their partners viewpoint. If they catch themselves starting to drift towards other thoughts, bring their attention back to what their partner is saying. After they've finished talking, summarize what they shared and then they should ask if they've missed anything before providing solutions or sharing their own point of view. With its inspiring, yet sophisticated design with thoughtful cargo solutions paired with the latest technology and conveniences, couples can expect that the Mazda CX-70 will deliver peace and help you focus less on the little things, like adjusting settings, and more on the important points of life with your partner. To learn more about the all-new Mazda CX-70 visit: www.mazdausa.com/vehicles/cx-70 About Mazda North American Operations Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Colombia through approximately 795 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario; operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City; and operations in Colombia are managed by Mazda de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom. Follow @MazdaUSA on social media: Facebook , Instagram , X , YouTube , and Threads . About Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT Over the last decade, Elizabeth Earnshaw, LMFT has become one of today's most trusted relationship teachers. Elizabeth is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Clinical Fellow of The American Association of Marriage & Family Therapy. She founded A Better Life Therapy, where her team serves thousands of couples a year and is the creator of the Instagram Account @lizlistens where she shares relatable relationship advice. In addition to making couples therapy more accessible, she is the author of "I Want This To Work". Elizabeth often contributes to publications like The New York Times, USA Today, and The Washington Post. *Survey Methodology Survey was conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Mazda from Apr. 9 to Apr. 15, 2024, with a panel of 2,000 married or cohabitating Americans who have been in a relationship for at least five years and share a vehicle. SOURCE Mazda North American Operations VANCOUVER, BC, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - NexGen Energy Ltd. ("NexGen" or the "Company") (TSX: NXE) (NYSE: NXE) (ASX: NXG) is pleased to announce that on May 21st, the Company is submitting to the Federal regulator the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission ("CNSC") responses to the remaining 49 technical review comments received on February 12, 2024 as part of the Federal Environmental Assessment ("EA") review process for the Company's 100% owned Rook I Project (the "Project"). The 49 technical comments represent the remaining aspects of the original 274 questions received from the CNSC from their technical review of the Rook I Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") submitted by NexGen in June 2022. As part of this submission, NexGen has also submitted a revised Federal EIS to the CNSC as part of the response process. Leigh Curyer, NexGen's Chief Executive Officer, commented: "The Company received Provincial EA approval in November 2023 and then submitted responses to the full Federal technical review comments and received ~80% accepted in round 1. The submission of these remaining 49 responses represents another significant milestone in the final advancement of the Federal EA for the Rook I Project. The NexGen team commends the rigour and diligence of the Federal EA process which formally began 5 years ago with the submission of the Project Description as it validates the technical robustness of the Project, which, once approved, will be the world's largest and lowest-cost uranium fuel producer, providing outstanding environmental, social, and economic benefits for current and future generations. With NexGen's Federal Licence Application having been accepted by the CNSC in September 2023, and full support and consent for the Project from the four local, Rights-bearing Indigenous Nation partners, we look forward to the successful conclusion of the Federal EA technical review process and the establishment of a Federal Commission Hearing date to conclude the approval process for this generational project, enabling construction and operation of this environmentally elite and fully supported green energy project." All four Local Priority Area ("LPA") Communities the Clearwater Dene Nation ("CRDN"), Birch Narrows Dene Nation ("BNDN"), Buffalo River Dene Nation ("BRDN"), and Metis Nation Saskatchewan ("MN-S") on behalf of MN-S Northern Region 2 ("NR2") have formally confirmed their consent and strong support for NexGen's stewardship of the Rook I Project through the signing of industry-leading Benefit Agreements. All four have fully signed off on all aspects of the Federal EA process required at this time and are advocating for its imminent approval. In accordance with established Federal EA process, the CNSC will now conduct a completeness check of NexGen's most recent submission, which will be completed within 30 days. Upon conclusion of the completeness check, technical review of NexGen's comment responses and revised EIS will be undertaken by the CNSC through the Federal-Indigenous Review Team which is prescribed as 60 days. Upon confirmation from the CNSC that all technical comments have been resolved and acceptance of the EIS as final, the CNSC will establish a Federal Commission Hearing date. About NexGen NexGen Energy is a Canadian company focused on delivering clean energy fuel for the future. The Company's flagship Rook I Project is being optimally developed into the largest low cost producing uranium mine globally, incorporating the most elite standards in environmental and social governance. The Rook I Project is supported by a NI 43-101 compliant Feasibility Study which outlines the elite environmental performance and industry leading economics. NexGen is led by a team of experienced uranium and mining industry professionals with expertise across the entire mining life cycle, including exploration, financing, project engineering and construction, operations and closure. NexGen is leveraging its proven experience to deliver a Project that leads the entire mining industry socially, technically and environmentally. The Project and prospective portfolio in northern Saskatchewan will provide generational long-term economic, environmental, and social benefits for Saskatchewan, Canada, and the world. NexGen is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "NXE" and on the Australian Securities Exchange under the ticker symbol "NXG" providing access to global investors to participate in NexGen's mission of solving three major global challenges in decarbonization, energy security and access to power. The Company is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with its primary operations office in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. www.nexgenenergy.ca Forward-Looking Information The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable United States securities laws and regulations and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. "Forward-looking information" includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, the 2021 Arrow Deposit, Rook I Project and estimates of uranium production, grade and long-term average uranium prices, anticipated effects of completed drill results on the Rook I Project, planned work programs, completion of further site investigations and engineering work to support basic engineering of the project and expected outcomes. Generally, but not always, forward-looking information and statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates", or "believes" or the negative connotation thereof or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotation thereof. Statements relating to "mineral resources" are deemed to be forward-looking information, as they involve the implied assessment that, based on certain estimates and assumptions, the mineral resources described can be profitably produced in the future. Forward-looking information and statements are based on the then current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about NexGen's business and the industry and markets in which it operates. Forward-looking information and statements are made based upon numerous assumptions, including among others, that the mineral reserve and resources estimates and the key assumptions and parameters on which such estimates are based are as set out in this news release and the technical report for the property , the results of planned exploration activities are as anticipated, the price and market supply of uranium, the cost of planned exploration activities, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms, that third party contractors, equipment, supplies and governmental and other approvals required to conduct NexGen's planned exploration activities will be available on reasonable terms and in a timely manner and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner. Although the assumptions made by the Company in providing forward looking information or making forward looking statements are considered reasonable by management at the time, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be accurate in the future. Forward-looking information and statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results, performances and achievements of NexGen to differ materially from any projections of results, performances and achievements of NexGen expressed or implied by such forward-looking information or statements, including, among others, the existence of negative operating cash flow and dependence on third party financing, uncertainty of the availability of additional financing, the risk that pending assay results will not confirm previously announced preliminary results, conclusions of economic valuations, the risk that actual results of exploration activities will be different than anticipated, the cost of labour, equipment or materials will increase more than expected, that the future price of uranium will decline or otherwise not rise to an economic level, the appeal of alternate sources of energy to uranium-produced energy, that the Canadian dollar will strengthen against the U.S. dollar, that mineral resources and reserves are not as estimated, that actual costs or actual results of reclamation activities are greater than expected, that changes in project parameters and plans continue to be refined and may result in increased costs, of unexpected variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates or other risks generally associated with mining, unanticipated delays in obtaining governmental, regulatory or First Nations approvals, risks related to First Nations title and consultation, reliance upon key management and other personnel, deficiencies in the Company's title to its properties, uninsurable risks, failure to manage conflicts of interest, failure to obtain or maintain required permits and licences, risks related to changes in laws, regulations, policy and public perception, as well as those factors or other risks as more fully described in NexGen's Annual Information Form dated February 24, 2023 filed with the securities commissions of all of the provinces of Canada except Quebec and in NexGen's 40-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and Edgar at www.sec.gov. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking information or statements or implied by forward-looking information or statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information and statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated, estimated or intended. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or reissue forward-looking information as a result of new information or events except as required by applicable securities laws. SOURCE NexGen Energy Ltd. At its 35th anniversary celebration, New Jersey Community Capital highlighted its recent achievements and new strategic plan to support homeownership, economic development and wealth creation in underserved neighborhoods nationwide NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- New Jersey Community Capital (NJCC) unveiled an ambitious five-year growth strategy developed to drive equity and opportunity in underserved communities at its spring celebration on May 1st. The community development financial institution (CDFI) is not only accelerating its mission to finance and develop affordable housing, small businesses and school and child-care facilities but also expanding its geographic focus to serve eligible communities nationwide. To support its broader efforts, NJCC has added key team members to its board and leadership team. Bernel Hall, President and CEO, New Jersey Community Capital NJCC's Unique Business Model Delivers Double Bottom Line Results "We plan to leverage our deep-rooted expertise and proven community finance model to become a national leader in driving equitable development. We have an expansive roadmap that aims to catalyze widespread economic stability and wealth generation through innovative, accessible financial solutions," NJCC President and CEO Bernel Hall said during the event. "The heart of our strategy is our unique business model. It has been so effective that we believe it will enable us to scale our lending, equity investment and real estate development programs beyond the Tri-state area. Initially, we plan to extend them along the eastern seaboard and eventually across the nation. We are not just growing in scalewe are enhancing the depth of our impact by targeting communities that are most in need of transformative capital," Hall explained. Alongside geographic expansion, NJCC's roadmap includes growing its two subsidiary firms, University Ventures and Community Asset Preservation Corporation. These entities support a broad spectrum of critical community-based needsfrom affordable housing and quality educational facilities to robust social services. "Each of these ventures are designed to reknit and strengthen the fabric of the communities they support. At the same time, they ensure that our investments offer the double-bottom lines our funders hope to achieve by generating social and financial dividends," Hall added. Accomplished Leaders Join NJCC To Power Its Expansion As NJCC embarks on this ambitious journey, several accomplished leaders recently joined its executive team and board. All bring unique strengths and experiences to the CDFI that are key to its expansion and goals. They include: Sabrina N. Conyers , a seasoned partner with McGuireWoods, LLP, joined the NJCC Board of Directors, Investment and Credit Committees. She brings extensive expertise in tax transaction planning, corporate governance and real estate finance to guide financial strategies and ensure all investments the organization makes are not only impactful but also financially prudent. , a seasoned partner with McGuireWoods, LLP, joined the NJCC Board of Directors, Investment and Credit Committees. She brings extensive expertise in tax transaction planning, corporate governance and real estate finance to guide financial strategies and ensure all investments the organization makes are not only impactful but also financially prudent. Claudia Lima , a veteran impact investor, joined the NJCC Executive Team as chief investment officer. She will oversee NJCC's investment, lending and real estate subsidiaries. Prior to joining NJCC, Lima was an executive vice president at SDS Capital, where she managed a $200 million impact investment fund. Prior to SDS, she was managing director of community lending and investments at CIT Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank, covering 22 states. Lima will be based in Los Angeles, California as part of NJCC's national expansion efforts. , a veteran impact investor, joined the NJCC Executive Team as chief investment officer. She will oversee NJCC's investment, lending and real estate subsidiaries. Prior to joining NJCC, Lima was an executive vice president at SDS Capital, where she managed a impact investment fund. Prior to SDS, she was managing director of community lending and investments at CIT Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank, covering 22 states. Lima will be based in as part of NJCC's national expansion efforts. Johvanna Sampson will join NJCC as managing director of lending with over two decades of community development and lending experience. Sampson has worked in retail banking, commercial lending, mortgage lending and most recently as vice president of commercial lending at BlueHub Capital. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in driving market expansion in the Southeast, West Coast and Midwest and will lead NJCC's lending capacity nationwide. Brian Waweru , an emerging market private equity investor with 15 years of experience at renowned institutions like Blackstone and RMB Ventures, joined NJCC as director of strategic investments. Waweru will expand NJCC's private equity and mezzanine debt initiatives as part of NJCC's specialized small business investment company's investment platform, University Ventures. "As we expand our operations, these leaders will play a pivotal role in not only executing our strategic vision but redefining what is possible in community development finance," Hall said. "Their diverse skills and shared passion for economic justice position NJCC to lead effectively across the nation." Keynote Speakers Addressed NJCC's Legacy of Impact In a keynote address, NeighborWorks America's SVP of Field Operations Kathryn Watts lauded NJCC's ability to apply creative and innovative solutions to affordable housing challenges. "They [NJCC] keep us on our toes by always stretching the envelope with creative, groundbreaking business strategies," Watts said. NeighborWorks America awarded nearly $2 million in grants in New Jersey projects alone in the last fiscal year, catalyzing $350 million in total investments. Acting Commissioner Jacquelyn Suarez of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs also addressed the audience during the event. "New Jersey Community Capital's mission of advancing equity and opportunity through strategic investments in traditionally underserved communities intrinsically aligns with the work of the Department of Community Affairs," Acting Commissioner Suarez said. "Creating affordable housing, supporting local communities and promoting equitable redevelopment are central components to what we do at DCA, which is why we truly appreciate NJCC's efforts in these important areas." The NJCC Spring Celebration also included the formal recognition of NJCC's most distinguished partner organizations. NJCC presented the following awards: Funder of the Year PNC Bank PNC Bank Developer of the Year GonSosa Development GonSosa Development Community Organization of the Year The Children's Home Society of New Jersey The Children's Home Society of Small Business of the Year JAS Group Enterprise, Inc. With these changes to its Strategic Plan, NJCC reaffirms its commitment to investing in areas that traditional finance has overlooked, striving to close the wealth gap and fostering economic inclusivity. The Spring Celebration marked the start of a new and exciting chapter for NJCC and served as a launchpad for future ambitions that aim even higher and reach even further. To support NJCC in its efforts to increase affordable housing, advance community development and promote women- and BIPOC-owned businesses, visit newjerseycommunitycapital.org. About New Jersey Community Capital: NJCC is a nonprofit community development financial institution (CDFI) dedicated to creating thriving communities through strategic investments and knowledge. Founded in 1987, NJCC has grown to serve as a critical architect of community development initiatives, driving economic stability and prosperity in underserved areas. Media Contact: Beshanda Owusu [email protected] 773-398-9194 SOURCE New Jersey Community Capital Seeing Eye Survey Finds Majority of Guide Dog Users Report Service Denials, Despite Legal Protections MORRISTOWN, N.J., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Findings in a recent report from The Seeing Eye about access barriers faced by guide dog handlers, reveals that 80% of guide dog handlers have experienced a denial of service from a rideshare service; 62% of respondents encounter challenges with air travel due to accessibility; and 54% of guide dog handlers surveyed were illegally required to show ID before entering a business. The full report is available at www.seeingeye.org/accessreport. Access barriers are not just about a denial of service. Service dog handlers face challenges with unequal access to goods or services in the form of discrimination which can include segregated seating at a restaurant, isolation of the team for the convenience of other patrons, requests for pet deposits, or requests for identification. "As a guide dog handler, it is challenging to encounter access barriers while simply trying to go about everyday life. There's not only an economic impact from missed opportunities, but also an emotional toll of having to justify one's right to be accompanied by a guide dog for independent travel," said Seeing Eye Sr. Specialist of Advocacy and Government Relations Melissa Allman. "However, ninety-five percent of guide dog handlers responded that they would not let these challenges stand in their way. It's heartening to hear how many of my fellow handlers are prepared to self-advocate and will continue to exercise their right to work with service animals." The report comes from an online survey completed by more than 500 guide dog handlers across the United States and Canada in October and November 2023. The survey was broken down topically with questions about access barriers encountered in public places, rideshares, and air travel. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FINDINGS: The statistics below were gathered from responses by guide dog handlers in the United States. The full report includes results from Canadian guide dog handlers and a breakdown by U.S. Region. Access to Public Places: 22% of respondents have been told their dogs must wear a vest to enter public places. There is no legal requirement in either country that service animals wear specific equipment to demonstrate that they are in fact service animals. 54% of respondents have been told they must show ID to enter a business. ADA regulations make clear that it is illegal in the U.S. to require that people with service animals show ID to enter a business. 55% of respondents were told they could not enter with their dogs because other people accessing the business could have allergies, which is illegal in both the U.S. and Canada . . 48% of respondents have been told at restaurants that they could only sit outside or far from other patrons with their dogs, even though laws in both countries make it illegal to segregate or isolate patrons due to the presence of a service animal. 75% of respondents reported that within the past 5 years, they have been prevented from safely working with their guide dogs inside businesses and other public places due to an increase in poorly behaved dogs. Rideshares : 76% of respondents said they use rideshares to get around with their guide dogs. 81% of respondents who are rideshare users have experienced a denial of service due to the presence of their guide dogs. 45% said they sometimes decide not to bring their guide dogs with them because of their experiences with being denied rides. More than 62% of respondents had drivers who accepted the ride but complained about having to transport the dog throughout the trip. Some guide dog handlers were charged cleaning fees or received bad ratings. Air Travel : About 63% of respondents said they travel by air at least once per year. 62% of respondents have had problems completing the behavior and health attestation forms air travelers with service animals must now complete pursuant to current regulations, due to inaccessibility or a lack of technology. 55% of respondents have been required by TSA to be separated from their guide dog during screening or to remove equipment from their dog that is necessary for the dog to work, such as the leash, harness, or collar even though these demands go against TSA protocol for screening service animals. These findings come in the wake of the organization's 95th anniversary which was accompanied by a call for stronger advocacy for service dog handlers' rights, and on the heels of a 2019 Seeing Eye study published in the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness about public interference with guide dogs which also emphasized the need for more education among the public. Visit The Seeing Eye Advocacy Center at www.seeingeye.org/advocacy for more about guide dog handlers' rights and to download The Seeing Eye Advocacy App for Apple and Android devices, which contains federal, state, and provincial laws and regulations in the United States and Canada and other educational materials. Established in 1929, The Seeing Eye provides specially bred and trained dogs to guide people who are blind or have low vision. Seeing Eye dog handlers experience greatly enhanced mobility and independence, allowing them to retain their active lifestyles. The Seeing Eye is a 501(c)3 non-profit supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, bequests, and other planned gifts. The Seeing Eye does not receive government or insurance funding. The Seeing Eye is a trademarked name and can only be used to describe the dogs bred and trained at the school's facilities in Morristown, N.J. If you would like more information on The Seeing Eye, please visit the website at www.SeeingEye.org, call (973) 539-4425, or email [email protected]. Contact: Ronica Cleary 302-414-9977 [email protected] SOURCE The Seeing Eye Saturday, June 15, 8 PM: Freight & Salvage, Berkeley Friday, June 21, 8 PM: Bankhead Theater, Livermore OAKLAND, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC), a beacon of harmony and unity, will celebrate Juneteenth this year with two soul-stirring performances across the Bay Area. Led by Founding Artistic Director Terrance Kelly, OIGC invites attendees to reflect on the past, celebrate the present, and embrace the promise of a more equitable future through the power of Black gospel music. Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir's 2024 Juneteenth Series with two concerts. Saturday, June 15, 8pm at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley and Friday, June 21, 8pm at Bankhead Theater in Livermore. Tickets now available at www.oigc.org/tickets Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19th, marks the day in 1865 when enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, finally learned of their freedom, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous occasion, now observed nationwide, symbolizes the resilience and triumph of the human spirit over adversity. OIGC kicks off Juneteenth festivities with a performance on Saturday, June 15, 8 PM at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, and will perform again at the Bankhead Theater on Friday, June 21 at 8 PM, wrapping up Livermore Valley Arts' Juneteenth celebration. "Gospel music was the only escape for African American people during slavery," says Director Kelly. "Celebrating Juneteenth with Black gospel music brings people in from being a spectator to experience the resilience, joy, and strength that can change hearts and minds. I'm so excited about this concert we're not just gonna sing, we're gonna saaang!" Tickets for OIGC's Juneteenth performances range from $25 to $35 and are available for purchase at www.oigc.org/tickets. Audiences can expect a dynamic blend of new repertoire and classic favorites, showcasing the choir's exceptional talent and unwavering dedication to the cultural tapestry of the Bay Area. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the transformative magic of gospel music in celebration of Juneteenth. About the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, founded in 1986 by Terrance Kelly, unites over 300 singers across multiple choirs from diverse faiths, races, and cultures. The namesake award-winning choir performs 25-30 times annually, including notable events such as jazz festivals, tours, and inauguration ceremonies. Additional ensembles include the Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir, the Oakland Interfaith Community Choir, the Oakland Interfaith Kids Choir, and the virtual Oakland Interfaith World Choir. In 2022, OIGC acquired the Oakland Youth Chorus, further expanding its youth program and outreach. With their mission to inspire unity and joy among all people through black gospel and spiritual music traditions, the OIGC continues to touch the hearts of audiences around the world. Learn more at www.oigc.org. Media Contact: Isa S. Chu, Marketing Manager, [email protected], (510) 587-9409 SOURCE Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir RIA continues swift growth with addition of several new advisors and expansion into South Carolina. BEACHWOOD, Ohio, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OneSeven, a prominent RIA dedicated to providing advisors with transformative opportunities, proudly announces the arrival of four esteemed advisors, expanding its nationwide presence across 16 states and counting. Bernard Semon, Stephen Shaffer, Tim Valentine, and Christopher Lakian join OneSeven from various regions of the United States, enriching the firm's advisory services with their diverse expertise. Bernard Semon transitioned to OneSeven on April 1st, assuming the role of Portfolio Manager for Stratos Investments, a DBA of OneSeven, based in El Paso, Texas. With experience at Raymond James and Morgan Stanley, Bernard brings valuable insights to portfolio management and financial advising. Stephen Shaffer, CFP, AIF, of Yardley, Pennsylvania, joined Lake House Private Wealth Management, a DBA of OneSeven, as Partner and Director of Financial Planning on April 9th. Steve's specialization in serving high-achieving professionals, particularly airline pilots, adds depth to OneSeven's financial planning capabilities. Tim Valentine, CFP, APMA, BFA, joined OneSeven on April 24th as a Private Wealth Advisor in Canton, Ohio. With a passion for building meaningful client relationships, Tim's financial expertise and creative approach enhance OneSeven's client-centric solutions. Christopher Lakian, AIF, became part of OneSeven on April 26th as CEO and Founder of Magnetic North Financial, a DBA of OneSeven, based in Charleston, South Carolina. With two decades of experience, Chris brings a wealth of knowledge in financial services to his role. "We are thrilled to welcome Bernard, Stephen, Tim, and Christopher to the OneSeven family," said Todd Resnick, Co-Founder and President of OneSeven. "Their varied expertise and profound insights enhance our dedication to superior customer service, enabling us to deliver personalized and effective financial solutions to clients across the country. This underscores our unwavering commitment to achieving excellence in every client interaction." The addition of these accomplished advisors from various regions underscores OneSeven's dedication to providing unparalleled wealth management solutions to clients across the nation. About OneSeven: OneSeven is not your typical financial firm. Our mission is to make a meaningful impact in the world of wealth management, where unique experiences are rare. With offices now spanning 16 states and boasting 32 advisor teams, we're proud to oversee over $4.3 billion in assets under management (AUM). Our independent financial advisors go beyond the numbers, striving to provide holistic and tailored solutions for each client. We take the time to understand what truly drives our advisors their interests, long-term goals, and aspirations. By becoming your trusted partners, we serve as sounding boards for your ambitions, challenges, concerns, and successes, aligning your practice to what really matters. Brian Hart Flackable (866) 225-0920 ext. 101 [email protected] SOURCE OneSeven MONTREAL, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - LGI Healthcare Solutions (LGI), a leader in Canadian healthcare IT, is proud to announce that over 250,000 patients have been successfully redirected from emergency departments to more adapted care, greatly reducing waiting room congestion. Each redirected patient secured an appointment within 48 hours, thus aiding in the reduction of emergency wait times. The LGI Emergency Redirection solution, now implemented in over 120 healthcare facilities across Europe and Canada, originated from a 2015 project initiated at Montreal's Sacre-Cur Hospital. By 2016, the model's effectiveness and replicability led to wider adoption in other hospitals. The solution was then adopted in France in 2020, and in Switzerland in 2023, with the redirection count reaching 250,000 by 2024. Francis Cuerrier, Product Director, attributes the model's success to its straightforward deployment. "After establishing a partner network, we can roll out the solution in a matter of weeks, " he remarks. "Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with over 95% of patients advocating for its universal application in emergencies, and 99.6% of nurses are comfortable using it." Michel Desgagne, President and Chief Executive Officer of LGI, celebrates this achievement. "Redirecting emergency traffic significantly advances our mission of improving performance in healthcare," he states. "Each redirection optimizes resource use, cutting costs for the healthcare network and reducing urgent care wait times. We hope this model will be adopted more widely to decrease overall healthcare expenses and improve urgent care accessibility," he concludes. About LGI Healthcare Solutions For over 40 years, LGI Healthcare Solutions has distinguished itself through a rich and diversified solutions portfolio. We help improve the performance of healthcare facilities and the experience of their staff and patients. We serve thousands of facilities across Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and France. SOURCE LGI Healthcare Solutions Agreement includes continued local governance and management, ongoing community commitment and significant capital investment in the region. TACOMA, Wash., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Overlake Medical Center & Clinics and MultiCare Health System announced today that they have signed an affiliation agreement emphasizing their joint long-term commitment to deliver the highest quality, most advanced health care to communities across Washington. Through this agreement, Overlake and its network of clinics will comprise the new North Sound region of MultiCare's statewide network and will be the North Sound region's flagship health system. "Overlake and MultiCare have a shared commitment to transform health care in the region. This affiliation will enable both of our organizations to grow and thrive," said Jason Thompson, chair of Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Board of Trustees. "Overlake is an exceptional organization, and this affiliation will allow us to sustain and strengthen our 64-year commitment of providing care to our community." Together, these two well-regarded health systems will work to expand local access to health care and invest in the communities they both serve. This affiliation will provide opportunities for Overlake and MultiCare to collaborate and integrate in ways that will best enable both organizations to respond to health care industry challenges and advance the quality of care they collectively provide. Commitments outlined in the agreement will create a combined strategic, financial, operational and clinical platform that will better position the organizations to achieve their goals. Key details of the commitments include: Significant capital investment in the region: Overlake and its network of clinics will comprise the new North Sound region within MultiCare's statewide network, reflecting Overlake's expanding regional service area within King and Snohomish counties. The two organizations will invest significantly to meet the growing health care needs of the Eastside and North Sound communities. Together, the organizations will provide ever greater access to the excellent clinical care for which Overlake is known. Overlake and its network of clinics will comprise the within MultiCare's statewide network, reflecting Overlake's expanding regional service area within and counties. The two organizations will invest significantly to meet the growing health care needs of the Eastside and North Sound communities. Together, the organizations will provide ever greater access to the excellent clinical care for which Overlake is known. Amplification of Overlake services : MultiCare has a shared interest in growing Overlake's services in the new North Sound region and maintaining their strong levels of clinical performance . Overlake will retain its name and logo as the two organizations work together to increase access to exceptional, compassionate health care. : MultiCare has in the new North Sound region and maintaining their . Overlake will retain its name and logo as the two organizations work together to increase access to exceptional, compassionate health care. Local leadership, medical staff and foundation: Overlake's Board of Trustees, leadership team, medical staff structure and local Foundation will remain. Overlake will continue their unique local culture as a community institution, while drawing upon the strengths of the affiliation. Any gifts made to the Overlake Foundation will continue to support Overlake and the community it serves. Overlake's Board of Trustees, leadership team, medical staff structure and local Foundation will remain. Overlake will continue their unique local culture as a community institution, while drawing upon the strengths of the affiliation. Any gifts made to the Overlake Foundation will continue to support Overlake and the community it serves. Sharing of resources and expertise through measured integration: Overlake and MultiCare have opportunities to learn from one another to better serve the health care needs in the state of Washington . "For more than six decades, Overlake Medical Center & Clinics has served the Eastside and Puget Sound communities, and I am confident that this is the right next step for our health system," said J. Michael Marsh, president and chief executive officer of Overlake Medical Center & Clinics. "In fact, one of our reasons for pursuing an affiliation with MultiCare was to ensure the ongoing fulfillment of our mission for decades to come. As we move forward, we will be led by our guiding principles that keep patient care and the local community at the forefront." "MultiCare's mission is partnering for healing and a healthy future," said Bill Robertson, chief executive officer of MultiCare. "In Overlake, we have found a like-minded partner that shares our interests in advancing the health status of King County and beyond. We are excited for Overlake to join MultiCare's network of 12 hospitals and 300 clinics across the Pacific Northwest. We look forward to the future we will create together and look forward to welcoming them to the MultiCare family." This transaction is subject to routine regulatory approval as well as customary closing conditions with an anticipated closing date in the second half of 2024. To learn more, patients and the community can visit OverlakeForward.org. About Overlake Medical Center & Clinics Overlake Medical Center & Clinics is a nonprofit regional health care system based in Bellevue, Wash., serving the Eastside community since 1960. The health system includes a 349-bed hospital and a growing network of primary, urgent and specialty care clinics located throughout the region. Overlake is recognized locally and nationally for quality and safety, including recurring Leapfrog A ratings, Healthgrades' Patient Safety Excellence Award and recognition as a Best Regional Hospital by US News & World Report in its Best Hospitals 2023-24 rankings. Overlake offers comprehensive advanced services, including a dedicated Cancer Center, Level lll Trauma Center, Childbirth Center and Level lll NICU, cardiac, neurosciences, orthopedic and mental health services. Employing more than 3,500 people, Overlake is dedicated to its mission of compassionate care for every life we touch. Overlake provided nearly $48 million in charity care over the past three years and is committed to providing exceptional patient care and services. For more information, visit overlakehospital.org. About MultiCare Health System MultiCare Health System is a not-for-profit health care organization that's been caring for communities in Washington state since the founding of Tacoma's first hospital in 1882. With more than 23,000 team members, including employees, providers and volunteers, we've grown from a Tacoma-centric, hospital-based organization into one of the largest community-based, locally governed health systems in the state of Washington. Our comprehensive system of health serves patients across the Pacific Northwest and includes a dozen award-winning hospitals across the state of Washington, as well as numerous primary care, virtual care, urgent care, pediatric care and specialty services, including MultiCare Behavioral Health Network; MultiCare Indigo Urgent Care; Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Network (named a "Top Children's Hospital" five times by The Leapfrog Group, and home to the South Sound region's only Level IV NICU); Pulse Heart Institute; MultiCare Connected Care, our accountable care organization; and MultiCare Rockwood Clinic, the largest multispecialty clinic in the Inland Northwest region. MultiCare provided nearly $168 million in charity care over the past three years and is committed to our mission of partnering for healing and a healthy future. Overlake Contact: MaryBeth Dagg, Director of Marketing, Communications & Community Engagement p. 425-631-6611, [email protected] MultiCare Contact: Lori Meyers, AVP, Corporate Communications p. 206-915-7384, [email protected] SOURCE MultiCare Health System PANAMA CITY, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The vibrant landscape of Panama City has come into focus this year as a favored bleisure destination. Travelers discover this city as a place where modernity meets a captivating historical legacy, inviting exploration of both business and leisure pursuits. Amidst this array of enriching experiences, Marriott Panama Hotel emerges as a stellar choice for those seeking an authentic hotel experience. Marriott Panama Hotel The Marriott Panama Hotel offers a magnificent experience of hospitality and comfort. With 21 event rooms and a convention center that can accommodate up to 2000 people, many bleisure travelers may need to organize or attend events, meetings, or conferences during their stay in Panama. This hotel provides sophisticated spaces for hosting business events of any size, backed by a team of experts in event organization and conventions, and talented chefs who work closely to create customized menus that reflect the tastes and needs of each occasion. However, the excellence of the Marriott Panama Hotel goes beyond its event spaces and culinary offerings. All hotel rooms are designed to offer an immersive accommodation experience, with internet access and spacious desks that invite those working remotely to reach new levels from the comfort of their room. Additionally, the hotel offers internet access in all areas, including the spectacular pool terrace overlooking the iconic Cerro Ancon, creating an inspiring environment for creativity and productivity. "At the Marriott Panama Hotel, we understand the importance of providing an environment that facilitates work and relaxation," states Glenn Simon, the hotel's general manager. "Our strategic location, combined with our modern amenities, allows our guests to make the most of their time in Panama City, whether they are here for business or pleasure." The location of the Marriott Panama Hotel adds another level of convenience for business travelers, as it is located just meters away from Panama's national transportation terminal, close to business centers, and the city's main tourist attractions, such as the Panama Canal, Casco Antiguo, and Amador Causeway. Additionally, just outside the hotel's door, guests can access Albrook Mall, the largest shopping center in Latin America, for an unparalleled shopping experience. With its unwavering commitment to excellence in service, guest comfort, and attention to detail, the Marriott Panama Hotel continues to be a wonderful choice for those who want to experience the best of Panama City. Contact Information Zasha Perez Gallardo Director of Public Relations Central and South America Caribbean & Latin America (CALA) [email protected] SOURCE Marriott International Dream vacation for two from America's favorite olive company launches on National Olive Day TRACY, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Olive lovers, rejoice! Pearls Olives , from the Musco Family Olive Co., makers of America's favorite olives, is adding a little extra flavor to National Olive Day with its annual Pearls Greece Vacation Giveaway. Launching on June 1, this year's sweepstakes will send two olive enthusiasts on a nine-day immersive vacation to the birthplace of the authentic Mediterranean flavors found in each jar of Pearls Specialties Olives . For National Olive Day, Pearls Olives will send two olive enthusiasts on a nine-day immersive Greece vacation. Post this Pearls Garbanzo Salad courtesy of Chef Jamie Gwen incorporates Pearls Specialties Kalamata Olives for delicious flavor straight from the Mediterranean. This trip honors the natural beauty, cuisine and flavors of the Mediterranean while giving the winner the chance to indulge in beautiful beaches, cultural sights and culinary delights. An itinerary created by Intrepid Travel will include activities like a Greek cooking class, a winery tour and tours of ancient sites. "Our founder, Nicolo Musco, always believed in 'making a good thing even better,' and that's exactly what we hope to do with this annual sweepstakes," said Tracy Wood, senior director of brand and product management at Musco. "We have always been passionate about incorporating the most authentic ingredients into our Pearls Specialties Olives and our research shows that olives are growing in popularity, with premium specialty olives leading the way. This trip of a lifetime is the highlight of our year, and we couldn't be more excited to give olive lovers a taste of our rich Mediterranean heritage." This growing desire for olives has inspired new and flavorful additions to Pearls' offerings, from Garlic & Jalapeno Double Stuffed Queen Olives and Pimiento Strips Jumbo Queen Olives to Castelvetrano. Perfect for entertaining or sharing with loved ones, these refined yet indulgent additions elevate meals and snacking or pair deliciously with cheese and charcuterie, a dirty martini or a glass of wine. With a family heritage that dates back to the 18th century, the Pearls brand is passionate about selecting and handpicking fresh olives of the highest quality, directly from sun-kissed Mediterranean regions. This attention to quality is captured in each jar of Pearls Specialties Olives with beloved favorites like Garlic, Blue Cheese, Jalapeno, Kalamata, Sliced Kalamata, Pitted Medley and Martini Vermouth. "Our passion for olives runs deep. This amazing fruit is in our DNA and defines what we do best," said Wood. "Last year's response to our inaugural giveaway was phenomenal. We saw tens of thousands of entries from olive lovers across the country and anticipate even greater enthusiasm this year as we continue to celebrate our passion for olives." For more details and to enter with just an email address, visit olives.com . Entries are limited to one per person. For more information about Pearls Specialties Olives and to explore Mediterranean-flavored recipes, visit olives.com/recipes . About Pearls and Musco Family Olive Co. Pearls is well known for its growing line of Specialties Olives and their pimento-stuffed green olives along with its innovative line of Olives To Go! in easy-to-use, single-serve cups in varieties for snacking or cooking. Additionally, Pearls is famous for its ripe olives, which are 100 percent grown and packed in sunny California and picked at the peak of freshness. Pearls olives can be found nationwide at your favorite retailer and its sunny yellow package is the symbol of quality you can taste and trust. Founded more than 80 years ago, Musco Family Olive Co. is America's favorite brand of olives. The third-generation, family-run business is the country's only 100 percent U.S.-owned full-line olive company and is the largest producer of ripe olives in the world. Together with hundreds of multi-generational family farms throughout California's Central Valley for its ripe olives and the finest producers of imported olives for its Specialties olives and green olives, Musco Family Olive Co. brings delicious olives from orchard to the table nationwide. Musco Family Olive Co. is proud of its industry-leading environmental stewardship program and has been recognized with numerous awards. The company is committed to olive lovers, its California growers, long-tenured family of employees, and countless valued vendors and business partners. For more information, please visit www.olives.com . SOURCE Pearls Olives, Musco Family Olive Co. BERNSTEIN STRATEGIC DECISIONS CONFERENCE KEYBANC CAPITAL MARKETS INDUSTRIALS & BASIC MATERIALS CONFERENCE HOUSTON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Quanta Services, Inc. (NYSE: PWR) announced today that company management will participate in two institutional investor conferences in May: the Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference and the KeyBanc Capital Markets Industrials & Basic Materials Conference. Bernstein Strategic Decisions Conference Duke Austin, Chief Executive Officer, Jayshree Desai, Chief Financial Officer, and Kip Rupp, Vice President Investor Relations, will meet with institutional investors during the conference on May 29, 2024. Mr. Austin and Ms. Desai will also participate in a fireside chat hosted by Bernstein analyst Chad Dillard on the same day at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, which will be broadcast live over the Internet. Live webcast links and archived replays of this presentation will be available in the "News & Events" area of the Investor Relations section of Quanta's website (https://investors.quantaservices.com/news-events ) . KeyBanc Capital Markets Industrials & Basic Materials Conference Duke Austin, Chief Executive Officer, Jayshree Desai, Chief Financial Officer and Kip Rupp, Vice President Investor Relations, will meet with institutional investors during the conference on May 30, 2024. About Quanta Services Quanta is an industry leader in providing specialized infrastructure solutions to the utility, renewable energy, communications, pipeline and energy industries. Quanta's comprehensive services include designing, installing, repairing and maintaining energy and communications infrastructure. With operations throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and select other international markets, Quanta has the manpower, resources and expertise to safely complete projects that are local, regional, national or international in scope. For more information, visit www.quantaservices.com. Kip Rupp, CFA, IRC Quanta Services, Inc. (713) 341-7260 SOURCE Quanta Services, Inc. Powered by Regent Access, the Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA) enables undocumented students to apply for state need-based financial aid FREDERICK, Md., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Regent Education, a leader in SaaS-based financial aid and scholarship management solutions, announced today that the Massachusetts Department of Education (MA DHE) is live with Regent Access, the solution that powers its new Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA) . The MASFA, a critical piece of the Massachusetts Tuition Equity Law , gives students who cannot complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) because of their immigration status a way to apply for state need-based financial aid. Regent Access powers the MASFA, providing a user-friendly, responsive online experience that mirrors the FAFSA. In production in five states including Massachusetts, Regent Access eliminates enrollment barriers for undocumented students by helping them gain access to the state financial aid needed to help finance their education. The MA DHE sought to launch the MASFA quickly, but required additional help to do so. They identified Regent Access as the only vendor solution that would both support the MASFA project requirements and also meet the Department's expedited timeline. To date, close to 200 schools across the state have received training on Regent Access. "Massachusetts is making great strides in expanding access to state need-based financial aid," said Jim Hermens, CEO, Regent Education. "Launching the MASFA is a critical step in helping undocumented students realize their educational goals, and we are proud to partner with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in support of this effort. We look forward to continuing our support of their initiatives for years to come." About Regent Education Regent Education enables colleges and universities to simplify and automate the management of the most complex financial aid scenarios, maximize institutional scholarship dollars, eliminate enrollment barriers, and exceed enrollment goals. With a sole focus on financial aid, Regent Education delivers a holistic suite of SIS-agnostic, cloud-based solutions designed to meet an institution's scholarship and financial aid needs across all enrollment and educational models. Learn more at www.regenteducation.com . Media Contact: Heather A. Hodgson Vice President, Marketing [email protected] SOURCE Regent Education Expansion of the e-commerce industry, increased product recall due to stringent government rules for product quality in the automotive industry, rise of tech-driven reverse logistics services, and increase in adoption of IoT-enabled connected devices drive the growth of the global reverse logistics market. PORTLAND, Ore., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Reverse Logistics Market by Return Type (Recalls, Commercial Returns & B2B Returns, Repairable Returns, End-of-use returns, and End-of-life returns), and End User (E-commerce, Automotive, Pharmaceutical, Consumer Electronics, Retail, Luxury Goods, and Reusable Packaging): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032". According to the report, the reverse logistics market was valued at $630.9 billion in 2022, and is estimated to reach $947.7 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 4.3% from 2023 to 2032. Prime Determinants of Growth The global reverse logistics market has experienced significant growth and transformation driven by a combination of expansion of the e-commerce industry, increased product recall due to stringent government rules for product quality in the automotive industry, rise of tech-driven reverse logistics services, and growth in adoption of IoT-enabled connected devices. Moreover, the introduction of blockchain technology and reduction in losses owing to the adoption of a multi-modal system are likely to shape the industry's future. Request Sample of the Report on Reverse Logistics Market Forecast 2032 https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/5191 Report coverage & Details: Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $630.9 billion Market Size in 2032 $947.7 billion CAGR 4.3 % No. of Pages in Report 280 Segments Covered Return Type, End User, and Region. Drivers Expansion of the E-commerce industry Increased product recall due to stringent government rules for product quality in the automotive industry Rise of tech-driven reverse logistics services Growth in adoption of IoT-enabled connected devices Opportunities Introduction of blockchain technology Reduction in losses owing to adoption of a multi-modal system Restraints Lack of control of manufacturers on reverse logistics service Uncertainty in the reverse logistics process Procure Complete Report (280 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, and Figures) https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/checkout-final/reverse-logistics-market The end-of-life segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. By return type, the commercial returns and B2B returns held the highest market share in 2022, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to the expansion of the e-commerce industry, changing customer expectations, and rise in environmental concerns in the e-commerce industry. However, the end-of-life returns segment is projected to have the highest CAGR of 6.3% from 2023 to 2032, owing to growing environmental concerns among manufacturers and strengthening government regulation for safe disposable of end of life returns products as they contain hazardous materials. The demand for reverse logistics services in end of life products, primarily waste electrical and electronic equipment, has increased in recent years, which is further boosting its market demand. The e-commerce segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period By end user, the e-commerce segment held the highest market share in 2022 and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. Similarly, the e-commerce segment is anticipated to portray the fastest CAGR of 5.5% during the review period owing to a rise in the volume of products ordered through e-commerce platforms and increased demand for effective reverse logistics. Product returns add about 7%-11% to the base price of any product sold through e-commerce, and this figure is likely to climb up, necessitating the rapid implementation of an effective reverse logistics solution. Asia-Pacific to maintain its dominance by 2032 By region, Asia-Pacific held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2022 and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period. Similarly, the Asia-Pacific segment is anticipated to portray the highest CAGR of 5.1% from 2023 to 2032, owing to the growing logistics industry due to the expansion of the manufacturing sector in the region. Moreover, strong government assistance for the development of regional logistics infrastructure aids in the growth of reverse logistics market. Furthermore, the expanding E-commerce business in emerging economies such as India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and others is helping drive the reverse logistics market's expansion. To Talk With Our Industry Expert @ https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/5191 Leading Market Players: - C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Reverse Logistics GmbH Core Logistic Private Limited DB Schenker Deutsche Post DHL Group FedEx Corporation Kintetsu World Express, Inc. Safexpress Pvt. Ltd. United Parcel Service, Inc. Yusen Logistics Co., Ltd. The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players in the global reverse logistics market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario. Browse More Trending Reports Boat Rental Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Boat Type, by Boat Size, by Power, by Activity : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2031 Car Leasing Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Lease, by Vehicle and by End-user : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032 Cargo Shipping Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Cargo Type, by Ship Type, by Industry Type : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2031 Contract Logistics Market Size, Share, Competitive Landscape and Trend Analysis Report by Service, by Type, by Industry Vertical, by Mode of Transportation : Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2031 About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 1209 Orange Street, Corporation Trust Center, Wilmington, New Castle, Delaware 19801 USA. USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1-800-792-5285 [email protected] Web: www.alliedmarketresearch.com AMR Resource Center: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/resource-center Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/636519/Allied_Market_Research_Logo.jpg SOURCE Allied Market Research NEW YORK, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights today announced the winners of its 2024 RFK Book and Journalism Awards during a virtual ceremony with remarks by president Kerry Kennedy and featuring special guest presenters Kimberly Adams, Michael Beschloss, Margaret Engel, Annette Gordon-Reed, Van Jones, Rory Kennedy, Nicholas Kristof, Arantxa Loizaga, Craig Melvin, Natalie Morales, Amna Nawaz, Soledad O'Brien, Symone Sanders, and John Seigenthaler. Award winners were honored for their work documenting pressing social issues and human rights abuses. Winning entries were selected from roughly 400 global submissions. "Journalists and authors empower change. Their work is a rallying cry, drawing attention to the abuses and inequities that cannot be ignored," said Kerry Kennedy, president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. "The writers, photographers, artists, and producers who tell these stories are critical to preserving democracy and protecting human rights. We are honored to celebrate them today." Among the Journalism Award winners: Carnegie-Knight News21, housed at Arizona State University, won the College Journalism Award for its project America After Roe. Featuring the work of 25 student journalists from nine universities, the project examines how the monumental decision has gone beyond abortion bans and courthouse battles to more broadly affect health care, culture, policy, and people. America After Roe was also named the Grand Prize Winner. won the for its project America After Roe. Featuring the work of 25 student journalists from nine universities, the project examines how the monumental decision has gone beyond abortion bans and courthouse battles to more broadly affect health care, culture, policy, and people. America After Roe was also named the The Marshall Project won this year's Criminal Justice Award for its three-part series "When Guards Abuse Prisoners," which investigates how a correctional department disciplines or fails to discipline its officers. won this year's for its three-part series "When Guards Abuse Prisoners," which investigates how a correctional department disciplines or fails to discipline its officers. Netflix and Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting won the Domestic Television Award for their piece "Victim/Suspect," which documents a shocking nationwide pattern - young women tell police they've been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they're charged with a crime, arrested, and imprisoned by the very system they believed would protect them. and won the for their piece "Victim/Suspect," which documents a shocking nationwide pattern - young women tell police they've been sexually assaulted, but instead of finding justice, they're charged with a crime, arrested, and imprisoned by the very system they believed would protect them. The Associated Press won the International Photography Award for its coverage of the war in Gaza , with judges praising the skill, empathy, and experience of staff photographer Fatima Shbair as she covers the ongoing humanitarian crisis. "War in Gaza " also received the John Seigenthaler Courage in Journalism Award. This year's Book Award winner is "Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class" by acclaimed historian Blair LM Kelley. Spanning two hundred years, "Black Folk" highlights the lives of the laundresses, Pullman porters, domestic maids, and postal workers who established the Black working class as a force in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Kelley weaves her ancestors' story into the history, adding a personal, moving, and very human narrative. The annual competition, in place since 1969 for journalism categories and 1980 for the Book Award, highlights exemplary work that explores issues of human rights, social justice, and the power of individual action. It is one of the few awards in its field determined by peers. We are grateful to Mort Zuckerman and the Zuckerman Family Foundation for their support of this year's Robert F. Kennedy Book and Journalism Awards ceremony. Special thanks to historian and author Michael Beschloss, head of the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award committee, and Margaret Engel, director of the Alicia Patterson Journalism Foundation and chair of the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards committee, as well as the committees and many volunteer judges who participated this year. The full list of honorees for the 2024 RFK Book and Journalism Awards can be found below. High School Journalism The Hidden Homeless Naperville Central High School Nathan Yuan College Journalism and Grand Prize America After Roe Carnegie-Knight News21 Housed at Arizona State University, in partnership with University of Oregon, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Florida International University, University of Colorado Boulder, St. Bonaventure University, University of Oklahoma, University of North Texas, Ohio Wesleyan University Nontraditional Media Alone and Exploited The New York Times Hannah Dreier Domestic Print Inside the Psychiatric Hospitals Where Foster Kids Are a "Gold Mine" Mother Jones Julia Lurie Domestic Photo Black Maternal Mortality The Washington Post Jahi Chikwendiu Domestic Television Victim/Suspect Netflix and Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting Rachel De Leon, Chris Celements, Nancy Schwartzman, Julie Goldman, Tracy Elizabeth Jarrett, Amanda Pike, Alice Henty, Inbal Lessner, J. Daniel Torres, Sabrina Schmidt Gordon International Print China: The Superpower of Seafood The Outlaw Ocean Project Ian Urbina International Photo and John Seigenthaler Courage in Journalism Award War in Gaza The Associated Press Fatima Shbair International Television Inside the Iranian Uprising Frontline (PBS) Majed Neisi, Sasha Joelle Achilli, James Allnutt, Dan Edge, Andrew Metz, Raney Aronson-Rath Criminal Justice When Guards Abuse Prisoners The Marshall Project Joseph Neff, Alysia Santo Radio Hidden Confessions of the Mormon Church Reveal from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX Michael Montgomery, Michael Rezendes, Jason Dearen, Brett Myers, Tom Berman Cartoon Art by Peter Kuper Book Black Folk: The Roots of the Black Working Class Liveright Blair LM Kelley About Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that has worked to realize Robert F. Kennedy's dream of a more just and peaceful world since 1968. In partnership with local activists, RFK Human Rights advocates for key human rights issues, championing change makers and pursuing strategic litigation at home and around the world. And to ensure change that lasts, we foster a social-good approach to business and investment and educate millions of students about human rights and social justice. SOURCE Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights NEW YORK, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of HireRight Holdings Corporation (NYSE: HRT) pursuant and/or traceable to the registration statement and prospectus (collectively, the "Offering Documents") issued in connection with HireRight's October 2021 initial public offering (the "IPO"), of the important June 3, 2024 lead plaintiff deadline. SO WHAT: If you purchased HireRight securities you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement. WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the HireRight class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=23874 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than June 3, 2024. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually litigate securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers. DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the Offering Documents made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) HireRight was exposed to customers with significant employment and hiring risk and HireRight derived greater revenue growth from existing client hiring than from new client hiring; (2) as a result, HireRight's revenue growth was unsustainable to the extent that it relied on the stability of its current customers' hiring and/or the profitability of securing new customers; (3) accordingly, HireRight had overstated its post-IPO business and/or prospects; and (4) as a result, defendants' statements about HireRight's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. To join the HireRight class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=23874 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] for information on the class action. No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/. Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Contact Information: Laurence Rosen, Esq. Phillip Kim, Esq. The Rosen Law Firm, P.A. 275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor New York, NY 10016 Tel: (212) 686-1060 Toll Free: (866) 767-3653 Fax: (212) 202-3827 [email protected] www.rosenlegal.com SOURCE THE ROSEN LAW FIRM, P. A. MILWAUKEE, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating FISB (OTCQX: FISB) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its transaction with West Coast Community Bancorp. Click here to learn how to join the https://www.ademilaw.com/case/1st-capital-bancorp or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you. In the transaction, FISB shareholders will receive West Coast Community shares valued at approximately $10.78 per FISB share, based on the closing price of $29.94 for West Coast Community Bancorp shares on May 20, 2024 in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $63 million. The transaction agreement unreasonably limits competing transactions for FISB by imposing a significant penalty if FISB accepts a competing bid. FISB insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements. We are investigating the conduct of FISB's board of directors, and whether they are fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders. If you own FISB common stock and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Guri Ademi either at [email protected] or toll-free: 866-264-3995, or https://www.ademilaw.com/case/1st-capital-bancorp. We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Contacts Ademi LLP Guri Ademi Toll Free: (866) 264-3995 Fax: (414) 482-8001 SOURCE Ademi LLP AMERICAN FORK, Utah, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Shawn Moon, CEO of Zerorez, Inc. was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Mountain West Award finalist. The Mountain West program celebrates entrepreneurs from Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Mr. Moon was selected as a finalist by an independent panel of judges who evaluated candidates based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact. This recognition highlights Moon's exceptional leadership and visionary approach, which have significantly contributed to Zerorez's growth and success. His foresight in partnering with Banner Capital has been instrumental in accelerating Zerorez's expansion. Under his leadership, the company has not only grown organically but also expanded through strategic acquisitions. This partnership has enabled Zerorez to operate at a greater scale, enhancing the company's ability to deliver superior cleaning services to a broader customer base. "Being named a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of the Year award is a humbling validation of the tireless dedication and innovation by our team at Zerorez," said Mr. Moon. "This recognition is a testament to our relentless pursuit of excellence and our unwavering commitment to becoming your trusted provider in creating clean and healthy environments." About Zerorez Founded in 2003, Zerorez, Inc. is a premier provider of carpet, flooring, and air duct cleaning services, headquartered in American Fork, Utah. With franchisees and operations extending across North America and now in the United Kingdom, Zerorez is celebrated for its pioneering technology and dedication to delivering superior results without the use of harsh chemicals. The company revolutionized the cleaning industry with its proprietary Zr Wateran ionized, alkalized water that is non-toxic, safe for people, pets, and the planet, yet powerful enough to clean effectively. Zerorez's commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction is reflected in its impressive track record, boasting over 200,000 reviews and an average rating of 4.9 stars on Google. No other cleaner in the world gets your carpets, rugs, and other surfaces as clean or keeps them clean as long as Zerorez. For more information, visit www.zerorez.com. About Entrepreneur Of The Year Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors and have a transformational impact on lives. Entrepreneur Of The Year has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and has since expanded globally. Regional award winners will be announced on Saturday, June 15 during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum. PR Contact: Bill De Groot Company: Zerorez, Inc. Email: [email protected] SOURCE Zerorez, Inc. Kansas Food Bank and Geary County Food Pantry will collaborate to distribute the company's protein donation to Kansas veterans and neighbors facing food insecurity SMITHFIELD, Va., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Smithfield Foods donated more than 38,000 pounds of protein to help veterans and families in Geary County, Kansas, who are facing food insecurity. Feeding America's Kansas Food Bank will collaborate with Geary County Food Pantry to distribute protein servings throughout the community. At Smithfield Foods, we are on a mission to ensure that no one goes hungry. Post this Tolcha Mesele, senior community development manager, Smithfield Foods, presents a donation check for more than 150,000 servings of food during Armed Forces Day Celebration event in Junction City, Kansas. "At Smithfield Foods, we are on a mission to ensure that no one goes hungry, especially military veterans and families that have made the ultimate sacrifice to serve our country," said Steve Evans, vice president, community development for Smithfield Foods. "We're honored to do good in this community through this food donation to take a bite of out hunger in Geary County." The donation, which included bacon, sausage, smoked sausage, ham steaks, hot dogs and various sandwich meats, will provide over 150,000 servings of protein to individuals at risk of hunger in Geary County. The donation was announced during the Armed Forces Day Celebration on May 18 hosted by the Military Affairs Council near Fort Riley in Junction City, Kansas. Geary County experiences the highest rate of child food insecurity and one of the highest rates of overall food insecurity in the state. "We are deeply grateful to Smithfield Foods for their generous donation to our community and being a huge part of our Armed Forces Day event," said Isreal Waddell, director for Military Affairs Council for Junction City, Kansas and Geary County, Kansas. "Their commitment to supporting our military families and combating food insecurity in Geary County is truly commendable. This donation will make a meaningful difference in the lives of the community and the men and women who have selflessly served our country." Smithfield's hunger relief program, Helping Hungry Homes, has provided hundreds of millions of servings of protein all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Poland, Romania and Mexico, since 2008. Smithfield donated nearly 28 million servings of protein to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs across the U.S. in 2023 and has pledged to donate 200 million servings of protein by 2025. For more information about Smithfield's programs to support local communities, please visit smithfieldfoods.com/helping-communities. About Smithfield Foods, Inc. Headquartered in Smithfield, Virginia, since 1936, Smithfield Foods, Inc. is a U.S. food company that employs more than 54,000 people in seven countries and partners with thousands of American farmers. As one of the world's leading vertically integrated protein companies, we are dedicated to producing "Good food. Responsibly." to feed a growing world population. We have pioneered sustainability standards for more than two decades, including our industry-leading commitments to become carbon negative in our U.S. company-owned operations and reduce GHG emissions 30% across our entire U.S. value chain by 2030. We believe in the power of protein to end food insecurity and have donated hundreds of millions of food servings to food banks, disaster relief efforts and community outreach programs in all 50 U.S. states. Smithfield boasts a portfolio of high-quality iconic brands, such as Smithfield, Eckrich, Gwaltney and Nathan's Famous, among many others. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com and connect with us on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Threads. SOURCE Smithfield Foods, Inc. MIAMI, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sonny Meraban Scholarship for Entrepreneurs proudly announces its call for applications, inviting undergraduate students from around the world to embark on a journey of innovation and excellence. Named in honor of Sonny Meraban, a visionary figure in real estate investment and cryptocurrency, this esteemed scholarship is dedicated to nurturing the entrepreneurial spirit and fostering transformative ideas. With a generous one-time award of $1500, the Sonny Meraban Scholarship seeks to provide financial support and mentorship to individuals who exemplify a strong commitment to entrepreneurship, creativity, and community impact. Applicants for the Sonny Meraban Scholarship for Entrepreneurs must meet rigorous criteria to be considered: Undergraduate Status: Applicants must be enrolled as undergraduate students at an accredited college or university. Entrepreneurial Spirit: Candidates should demonstrate a robust entrepreneurial mindset, characterized by creativity, innovation, and a passion for pursuing business ventures. Academic Excellence: Applicants must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 or equivalent academic achievement. Leadership Potential: Individuals should exhibit leadership qualities and a dedication to making a positive impact in their communities or industries. In addition to meeting these requirements, applicants are invited to respond to an essay prompt, where they are tasked with describing a business idea or project they are passionate about. Sonny Meraban, the esteemed founder and CEO of Bitcoin of America, is the visionary behind this scholarship. His illustrious career and indomitable spirit serve as a testament to the transformative power of entrepreneurship. Despite Bitcoin of America's closure in 2023, Sonny Meraban's legacy as a trailblazer in the cryptocurrency industry continues to inspire aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide. "Welcome to the Sonny Meraban Scholarship for Entrepreneursan initiative dedicated to nurturing the next generation of innovative thinkers and trailblazers in the world of business," says Sonny Meraban. "Join us in honoring Sonny Meraban's legacy and shaping the future of entrepreneurship." For more information about the Sonny Meraban Scholarship for Entrepreneurs and how to apply, please visit https://sonnymerabanscholarship.com/. About Sonny Meraban Sonny Meraban is the founder and CEO of Bitcoin of America, a visionary real estate investor, and a pioneer in the cryptocurrency realm. Through the Sonny Meraban Scholarship for Entrepreneurs, he seeks to empower the next generation of business leaders to pursue their dreams and make a lasting impact on the world. SOURCE Sonny Meraban Scholarship LONDON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialist Risk Group ("SRG"), the fast-growing, people and culture focussed, specialist insurance intermediary has today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Warburg Pincus, a leading global growth investor, and Temasek, a global investor. Closing is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. SRG's management team will invest alongside Warburg Pincus and Temasek and will continue to hold a significant stake in the business. SRG was launched in January 2020 under the leadership of Group CEO Warren Downey and Group Deputy CEO Lee Anderson and currently employs over 600 people and places premiums of more than 1 billion. A combination of strong organic growth and a series of strategic investments and acquisitions has seen SRG grow dramatically into the natural home for specialist people and businesses since its inception. Warburg Pincus and Temasek are both world class investors in their own right who will support the realisation of SRG's growth ambitions and its strategy. James O'Gara, Managing Director, Warburg Pincus, said: "We've been following SRG's progression over the past few years with keen interest and are delighted to partner with the business and its very talented team on their next stage of growth. As active and experienced investors into insurance businesses globally, we believe SRG has all the right ingredients talent, capabilities, and culture to build on its position as a true standout amongst European and international intermediaries. We look forward to working with the team and Temasek to help realise that potential.'' Warren Downey, SRG Group CEO, said: "We are thrilled to be partnering with such outstanding investors as Warburg Pincus and Temasek. They are ideal partners who will provide the support and firepower we need as we embark on the next exciting stage of our growth journey. I would like to take this opportunity to thank HGGC for their support over the last 3 years, we have thoroughly enjoyed working with them during this time, and their involvement has played a significant role in SRG becoming what it is today." HGGC said: "We've enjoyed a tremendous partnership with Warren and the SRG team and seeing them achieve many of the business goals we set together ahead of schedule has been especially rewarding." Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. HGGC / SRG were advised by Evercore (financial advisor) and Kirkland and Ellis (legal advisor). Warburg Pincus was advised by Macquarie Capital (financial advisor) and Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (legal advisor). Management was advised by Liberty Corporate Finance and Eversheds (legal advisor). For press enquiries please contact: SRG Russell O'Connor [email protected] 07760 282 586 Warburg Pincus [email protected] +44 7570 844 338 About Specialist Risk Group Specialist Risk Group is an insurance intermediary bridging Retail, Wholesale, International and Underwriting disciplines. Founded under the mantra, "Building a company we are proud to tell our friends and family about" SRG is rapidly becoming natural home for specialist people and businesses. The business focusses on specialisms in which it can take a leadership position and now numbers 640 staff, places premiums of 1bn. About Warburg Pincus Warburg Pincus LLC is a leading global growth investor. The firm has more than $81 billion in assets under management. The firm's active portfolio of more than 250 companies is highly diversified by stage, sector, and geography. Warburg Pincus is an experienced partner to management teams seeking to build durable companies with sustainable value. Since its founding in 1966, Warburg Pincus has invested more than $116 billion in over 1,000 companies globally across its private equity, real estate, and capital solutions strategies. The firm is headquartered in New York with offices around the globe. About Temasek Temasek is a global investment company with a net portfolio value of S$382 billion (US$287b, 232b) as at 31 March 2023. Its Purpose "So Every Generation Prospers" guides it to make a difference for today's and future generations. As an active investor, forward looking institution and trusted steward, it is committed to deliver sustainable value over the long term. Temasek has overall corporate credit ratings of Aaa/AAA by rating agencies Moody's Investors Service and S&P Global Ratings respectively. Headquartered in Singapore, it has 13 offices in 9 countries around the world: Beijing, Hanoi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Singapore in Asia; and London, Brussels, Paris, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Mexico City outside Asia. For more information on Temasek, please visit www.temasek.com.sg About HGGC HGGC is a values-driven, partnership-focused private investment firm. The firm's ecosystem of investors, operators, and professionals are united by the shared mission to develop leading enterprises and build long term value together. HGGC invests in technology, business services, financial services and consumer enterprises generally valued between $200M - $1.5B+. The firm is based in Palo Alto, CA and manages over $6.9 billion in cumulative capital commitments. Since its inception in 2007, HGGC has completed more than 600 platform investments, add-on acquisitions, recapitalizations, and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of over $71 billion. More information, including a complete list of current and former investments, is available at www.hggc.com. SOURCE Specialist Risk Group NEW YORK, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Specialty Food Association (SFA) has released a second edition of its groundbreaking research report, Understanding the Real Value of Specialty Foods. Built on interviews with 1,000 shoppers, 100 retailers, and other data points, the new report outlines the positive impact of specialty products on retailer profitability and shopper loyalty, impact that has only increased in importance since the first edition came out in 2014. Sales of specialty foods have grown from $88 billion in 2013 to an estimated $207 billion in 2023, an increase of 149%. Post this Specialty Food Association: Understanding the Real Value of Specialty Foods - 2024 Edition Describing the current moment as "an era of specialty food prominence," the report notes that sales of specialty products have grown from $88 billion in 2013 to an estimated $207 billion in 2023, an increase of 149%. With specialty food and beverages now representing 21.6% of all center store grocery sales in the 63 categories measured by SFA, they are no longer regarded as niche products, but a major driver of growth in the grocery sector. "There is a general perception of specialty foods as inherently worth more, whether in price or in time shoppers spend to procure them. This updated research proves that perception correct," said Bill Lynch, SFA president. "This has meaningful implications for many SFA members and the industry as a whole. In a time of economic uncertainty and fluctuating prices, we hope this research helps food makers, buyers, brokers, and distributors understand the positive impact that specialty products have on retailers' bottom lines." Top Takeaways: Specialty foods drive shopper loyalty. The report outlines a clear relationship between how customers rate their primary store and that store's selection of specialty food items. Almost half (44%) of primary store shoppers surveyed for the report make trips to secondary stores specifically "to find specialty food items that their regular store does not carry." These trips, along with others made to dedicated specialty stores, represent $1,200 in sales per household per year, sales which retailers could be retaining themselves. "If my favorite store carried a wider selection of specialty food products," said 41% of shoppers surveyed, "I would be less likely to make shopping trips elsewhere." "For my stores, specialty foods provide guests moments of joy," said Dwight Richmond, director of center store for Town & Country Markets. "Helping them re-discover unique foods they loved or encounter new foods they are going to love helps us create a guest who is excited to come back. They're telling their friends about the 'treasure hunt' of foodie finds in our stores, and that makes them a loyal customer for years to come." Specialty foods drive retailer profits. In addition to the sales generated from retaining more trips, specialty foods are disproportionately more profitable on the shelf, according to this report. In fact, specialty food items generate a gross margin dollar return that is 3-4 times higher per unit than mainstream items, which, the report posits, helps to balance out "somewhat slower turns from specialty products." Given specialty products' higher average prices and gross margin rates, these items deliver more than twice the return on inventory investment (ROI) for retailers: 50.1% compared with 19.8% for non-specialty items, according to this report's data. "From a business perspective," said Richmond, "specialty foods provide needed boosts in margin and dollar-sale profitability across all the categories they belong to." SFA's new report contains sections on the economic impact of specialty foods, consumer insights and market dynamics, retailer case studies, growth opportunities, the role of distributors, private-label trends, e-commerce strategies, and the future outlook for the specialty foods market. Understanding the Real Value of Specialty Foods - 2024 Edition is available for purchase in the SFA Learning Center . Qualified food industry professionals who register for the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show can also download a complimentary copy of the report with a redemption code. Learn more and register on the SFA website . About the Specialty Food Association The Specialty Food Association (SFA) was founded in 1952 and is the not-for-profit trade association of the $207-billion specialty food industry. Representing more than 3,800 businesses worldwide, SFA champions industry participation and success for a diverse community of makers, buyers, importers, distributors, and service providers by developing resources, information, education , and events that celebrate innovation and inclusivity. SFA owns and operates the Fancy Food Shows as well as the sofi Awards , which have honored excellence in specialty food and beverage annually since 1972. The SFA also produces the e-newsletter SFA News Daily , the Trendspotter Panel annual predictions and Fancy Food Show reports, the State of the Specialty Food Industry Report , Today's Specialty Food Consumer research, and the Spill & Dish podcast. Find out more online and connect with SFA on Facebook , X , Instagram , LinkedIn , and TikTok . SOURCE Specialty Food Association The fastest-growing spice company in the U.S. retains new broker to further expand foodservice footprint SPOKANE, Wash., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Spiceology, known for its Periodic Table of Flavor and innovative signature spice blends, announced its partnership with the leading foodservice sales agency in North America, CORE Foodservice. Named a fastest growing company by Inc. 5000 five years in a row, Spiceology continues to expand its product offerings and flavor solutions in foodservice, alongside its DTC and retail channels. Partnering with CORE provides a robust network to bring Spiceology into more professional kitchens across the country. Spiceology "CORE and Spiceology are a natural fit," said Darby McLean, CEO of Spiceology. "As we focus on scaling up our foodservice offering, it made sense to partner with the largest, best-connected broker in the sector. And CORE's emphasis on culinary innovation is a strong match for our chef-centered ethos." A chef-founded company, Spiceology supports the evolving needs of chefs through the highest quality core raw ingredients and never-before-tasted, fresh-ground flavors; the company's ultra-versatile spice blends and salt-free product line help professional kitchens save on food costs and labor without sacrificing creativity. And more chefs are embracing the spice blend; in a recent study, Spiceology found that using blends in a professional kitchen reduces costs by an average of 25% vs mixing core ingredients. "When compared to other spice providers, you can taste the difference Spiceology is bringing to the table," said Travis King, President of CORE Foodservice. "That kind of flavor innovation, along with dish consistency and time and cost savings are what chefs and pro kitchens are actively looking for as economic and diner trends shift. We're excited to get boots on the ground and share these game-changing spices and spice blends with our foodservice clients." Visit Spiceology.com for more information. ABOUT SPICEOLOGY Founded in 2013, Spiceology is at the heart of the kitchen for all who love food. Named a fastest growing company by Inc. 5000 five years in a row, Spiceology is home to chef-created and never-before-tasted flavors and over 300 ingredients that are ground fresh and shipped fresh. Bestsellers like Greek Freak and Smoky Honey Habanero have become pantry and counter staples in both professional and home cook kitchens around the world. Spiceology's ingredients and blends can be found in the aisles of retailers large and small, in the pantries of hundreds of thousands of home cooks, and in the kitchens of some of the world's greatest chefs. ABOUT CORE FOODSERVICE CORE Foodservice is a re-imagined, best-in-class North American agency focused on providing solutions for the foodservice industry's new operating environment. As one of the most progressive foodservice sales agencies, CORE Foodservice brings together industry-leading capabilities from both Acosta Group and CORE Foodservice, creating a strategically resourced organization designed to meet the requirements of new customer behaviors and expectations. For more information, please visit https://corefoodservice.com. Media Contact: Vicky Franco 619-410-2929 [email protected] SOURCE Spiceology LAIYANG, China, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 20, the State Grid Laiyang City Power Supply Company dispatched its staff to Zhaowangzhuang Village. They distributed convenience cards to villagers tending to their pear orchards, assessed their electricity needs for irrigation, and swiftly addressed any complex issues related to their electricity usage, ensuring reliable power support for their irrigation needs. In Laiyang City of Yantai, Shandong Province, the cultivation of Autumn Moon pears has become a significant income source for local farmers. With the expansion of pear orchard cultivation, the regional power load has seen substantial growth. Proactively, the State Grid Laiyang City Power Supply Company collaborates closely with village committees and farmers to gauge the actual electricity demands for irrigation, refine power supply measures, and enhance service capabilities to support rural development and the revitalization of the countryside. To robustly secure electricity for local farmers' irrigation needs, the State Grid Yantai Power Supply Company has comprehensively inspected the operation of power supply facilities. It has established 126 irrigation power supply service teams, leveraging a "grid management" model to assign specific managers to designated service areas. Utilizing drones and visual devices, these teams conduct thorough and multi-dimensional inspections. They enhance the monitoring of power load in irrigation facilities, make timely adjustments to transformers and load settings to prevent severe overloads, low voltage, and unbalanced three-phase power. The company optimizes the allocation of repair resources, stocks essential items like cables and circuit breakers, pre-positions large repair materials, and adheres to the principle of "restore power first, then repair" to swiftly address and rectify faults. An "emergency green channel" for irrigation electricity has been opened to launch an emergency service mechanism, accelerating the processing of electricity applications and capacity increases, streamlining procedures, and prioritizing farmers' irrigation electricity needs with special treatment. To date, the State Grid Yantai Power Supply Company has inspected and patrolled 1,591 agricultural drainage lines and 18,555 agricultural transformer areas individually. They have also conducted infrared thermography and ultrasonic partial discharge live testing, eliminating a total of 356 defects and hidden dangers, proactively handled 56 cases of severe overload in transformer areas, refurbished more than 120 kilometers of low-voltage lines, and resolved 275 electricity-related issues. The company continues its diligent efforts in securing electricity supply for irrigation, deepening its services to ensure increased agricultural production and income for farmers. SOURCE State Grid Laiyang City Power Supply Company MCLEAN, Va., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Steampunk announced today that the company has been awarded a Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The BOA was awarded as part of the STRATUS program for cloud integration and development support services. The STRATUS program aims to accelerate cloud adoption by providing rapid access to hyperscale cloud service providers, integration and development service providers, and SaaS providers/resellers. Steampunk was selected for the program's unrestricted portion and has a 10-year ordering period to support USDA's cloud solution objectives. "Steampunk is thrilled and honored to continue our partnership with USDA through STRATUS," said Joe Nizhnikov, Senior Vice President at Steampunk. "Over the last four years, Steampunk has had the privilege of working directly with USDA to exploit the power and innovation of cloud computing using our Design Intelligence delivery framework. Together we have demonstrated the very real business value of cloud-based solutions through cloud migration, modernization, and innovation engagements." Since 2019, Steampunk has supported the majority of USDA mission areas, as well as the Department's Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) Digital Infrastructure Services Center (DISC). Steampunk thrives on producing mission outcomes with capabilities in DevSecOps, Data Exploitation, Digital Platform modernization, Cybersecurity, and Design & Strategy. Steampunk is delivering on some of the most complex technology challenges at USDA using its Design Intelligence delivery framework that combines a continual focus on customer experience with deep technical expertise and proven Agile delivery methods to achieve Quality at Speed for the USDA mission. About Steampunk Steampunk is a change agent in the federal contracting industry, bringing new thinking to clients in the Civilian, Homeland Security, Health, and Department of Defense sectors. Through our unique Design Intelligence delivery framework we are fundamentally changing the expectations our federal clients have for true shared accountability in solving their toughest mission challenges. As an employee-owned company, we focus on investing in our employees to enable them to do the greatest work of their careers and rewarding them for outstanding contributions to our clients. If you want to learn more about our story, visit http://www.steampunk.com. Media Contact: Robert Pearson, Chief Marketing Officer [email protected] | 571.344.5538 www.steampunk.com SOURCE Steampunk, Inc. The SubieEvents enthusiast series will take place in six cities across the U.S. and feature thousands of Subaru vehicles Post this Events will include opportunities for fans to test drive the updated 2024 Subaru Solterra EV, as well as to drive their own Subarus on specially designed autocross courses to test themselves while gaining valuable driving experience. Subaru will present a curated showcase of vintage and special edition vehicles, Subaru Motorsports rally, and Gymkhana vehicles. Some event locations also will include meet-and-greet and ride-along opportunities with Bucky Lasek, as well as Subaru Motorsports USA drivers Travis Pastrana and Scott Speed. Each event will also feature an All-Subaru Car Show for participants (registration required) and spectators to enjoy. Alan Bethke, Senior Vice President of Marketing, Subaru of America, Inc.: "The joy of Subaru fans celebrating together is the best part of the SubieEvents series. We have it all, from Lightning Lap leaders to Goodwood Festival favorites to enthusiasts' own rides, and we're excited to share amazing vehicles and experiences with even more attendees this year." Vehicles on-site will include the Airslayer STI and Travis Pastrana's 1983 Subaru GL "Family Huckster" Gymkhana cars, Brandon Semenuk and Keaton Williams' 2023 Subaru Motorsports USA #180 WRX rally car, numerous vintage, performance, and lifestyle vehicles, as well as the latest BRZ and WRX models, plus new surprises as the event series progresses. The full schedule of the 2024 SubieEvents series includes: Date Event Location June 2nd Wicked Big Meet Stafford Motor Speedway, Stafford Springs, CT August 4th Subiefest California Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA August 18th Boxerfest York Fairgrounds, York, PA September 8th Subiefest Midwest RT66 Raceway, Joliet, IL October 5th Subiefest Florida Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL October 19th Subiefest Texas Lone Star Park, Dallas, TX In conjunction with the Subaru Loves Pets pillar of the Subaru Love Promise, the SubieEvents series will feature pet adoption opportunities in partnership with local pet organizations at each location. Fans will also have the chance to purchase custom Subaru Gear, create their own Subaru event stickers, test their skills on iRacing simulators, and much more. Subaru partners at SubieEvents include pro skater Bucky Lasek, Crankshaft Culture, Subaru Motors Finance, Subaru Certified Collision Centers and Subaru Motorsports USA. For more information and details on SubieEvents, visit subiefest.com and follow #Subiefest2024, #Wickedbigmeet2024 and #Boxerfest2024 on social media. About Subaru of America, Inc. Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $300 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged nearly 88,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Diane Anton Corporate Communications Manager (856) 488-5093 [email protected] Adam Leiter Corporate Communications Specialist (856) 488-8668 [email protected] SOURCE Subaru of America, Inc. HUNTSVILLE, Ala., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit 7, the leading provider of IT services for the Defense Industrial Base, is pleased to announce the appointment of Darron Makrokanis as its Chief Revenue Officer (CRO). In this role, Makrokanis will be responsible for driving revenue growth, expanding market presence, and leading the sales, marketing, product, and partnership teams. Darron Makrokanis, CRO at Summit 7 With over 20 years of experience in the technology industry, Makrokanis brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Summit 7. He has a proven track record of driving sales and revenue growth through innovative practices in various leadership positions, including President, Senior Vice President, and CRO. "We are thrilled to welcome Darron to the Summit 7 team," said Scott Edwards, CEO of Summit 7. "His extensive experience and strategic mindset make him the ideal candidate to lead our revenue generation efforts. We are confident that his leadership will accelerate our growth and help us achieve even better client experience throughout Summit 7" Prior to joining Summit 7, Makrokanis held executive positions at several prominent technology companies, where he successfully led sales teams and achieved exceptional growth. His deep understanding of the cybersecurity landscape and his ability to build strong customer relationships will be invaluable in driving Summit 7's product, marketing and customer success initiatives. "I am excited to join Summit 7 and contribute to its continued success," said Makrokanis. "The company has a strong reputation for delivering innovative cybersecurity solutions to defense contractors, and I look forward to accelerating the mission of Protecting the American Dream." Makrokanis has a diverse educational background including a Graduate-level Certificate in Leadership & Management from Harvard Extension School and another in Data Analytics from MIT Professional Education. He also holds a B.Sc. in Forensic Science/Criminal Justice and an Associate of Arts in Business Administration from American InterContinental University, both with honors. Additionally, he studied Criminal Justice at Tiffin University and Montgomery College. About Summit 7 Summit 7 is a national leader in cybersecurity, compliance, and managed services for the Aerospace and Defense industry and corporate enterprises. Summit 7's Microsoft Cloud solutions have led the way in meeting compliance regulations for the DIB regarding CMMC, DFARS, NIST 800-171, ITAR, and CUI data. Summit 7 Systems is privately held and headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. SOURCE Summit 7 Systems Senate President Kathleen Passidomo appointed Couris to advance innovative solutions to Florida's health care challenges. TAMPA, Fla., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo appointed John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, last month to serve as a member of the Health Care Innovation Council, a statewide volunteer organization established this year to advance innovation in health care as part of the Senate's priority Live Healthy initiative. "Florida can serve as a national model in delivering high-quality health care to all Floridians. With support from Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and other leaders on the state level, we can make strategic investments in innovation that have the potential to revolutionize the way we deliver care in the Sunshine State," said Couris. "I'm honored to be a part of the new Health Care Innovation Council, where we will focus on dynamic and strategic solutions that can increase access, cut costs and improve patient outcomes." The Florida Legislature established the Live Healthy Innovation Council with the passage of Senate Bill 7018, proposed by the Senate Health Policy Committee and co-sponsored by Senator Gayle Harrell. Representative Karen Gonzalez Pittman sponsored the bill's House companion. The Legislature passed SB 7018 during the 2024 legislative session with overwhelming support from both chambers. The bill was signed into law by the Governor on March 21. "John Couris was instrumental in the development of the Live Healthy initiative. His transformational vision for our health care system is increasing access, improving care and reducing costs for patients," said President Passidomo. "I am pleased to appoint him to the Live Healthy Innovation Council." The goal of the legislation is to harness the innovation and creativity of entrepreneurs and businesses, in collaboration with the state's health care system and stakeholders, to lead the discussion on innovations that will address challenges in the health care system, transform the delivery of care and strengthen the quality of health care in Florida. The Health Care Innovation Council consists of 15 members who will lead discussions with innovators, developers and implementers of technologies, workforce pathways, service delivery models or other solutions. Based on the public input and information gathered at public meetings, the bill requires the council to create best practice recommendations and focus areas for the advancement of the delivery of health care in Florida, with an emphasis on: Increasing efficiency in the delivery of health care. Reducing strain on the health care workforce. Increasing public access to health care. Improving patient outcomes. Reducing unnecessary emergency department visits; and Reducing costs for patients and the state without reducing the quality of patient care. Through a revolving loan program within the Florida Department of Health (DOH), low-interest loans will enable applicants to implement one or more innovative technologies, workforce pathways, or service delivery models to: Fill a demonstrated need. Obtain or upgrade necessary equipment, hardware, and materials. Adopt new technologies or systems; or A combination thereof to improve the quality and delivery of health care in measurable and sustainable ways that will lower costs and allow that value to be passed onto the health care consumer. The Health Care Innovation Council will review loan applications and submit to DOH a prioritized list of proposals recommended for funding. As president and CEO of Tampa General, Couris has led the hospital to become one of the leading academic health systems in the nation through the implementation of emerging technologies and innovations. In partnership with University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine (USF Health), Couris and Tampa General established the Tampa Medical and Research District. Modeled after renowned medical districts in the nation's greatest cities, the district is an ever-growing hub of world-class clinical care, academics, research and biotechnology. Couris oversaw the creation of the CareComm command center within Tampa General nearly five years ago, which uses data and analytics to increase efficiencies and direct hospital resources to better support patients. As a result of this effort, Tampa General has improved patient outcomes and reduced the length of stay, resulting in lower risk for infection and overall health costs. Recent adaptations of the CareComm command center, which relies on GE Healthcare technologies, focuses on early warning and management of sepsis which had reduced the sepsis mortality rate at Tampa General to a quarter of the national average. Couris also spearheaded the launch of a new, innovative program TGH at Home which provides access to best-in-class hospital care from health care providers in the comfort of a patient's home. Since the program's launch, TGH at Home has demonstrably reduced the risk of readmission for participating patients. As part of the Health Care Innovation Council, Couris will advance innovative, science-driven, reproducible solutions, capable of meeting the state's growing need for health care. ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL Tampa General Hospital, a 981-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2023-24 Best Hospitals, with six specialties ranking among the top 50 best hospital programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings in the top 100 nationally in the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women and top 25 in Florida in the 2023 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital for the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit of approximately $240.3 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Muma Children's Hospital at TGH, the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes TGH North which is comprised of three hospitals and several outpatient locations in Citrus and Hernando counties, 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Outpatient Center, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org. Media Contact: Amanda Bevis (202) 680-9262 cell [email protected] SOURCE Tampa General Hospital DAYTON, Ohio, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tangram Flex, Inc., a leading provider of innovative software integration and interoperability solutions for mission-critical systems, is pleased to announce its software integration platform, Tangram Pro, is now designated as an "Awardable" solution on the Department of Defense Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office's (CDAO) Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace. Design, build, and verify the behavior of software integration and interoperability of mission-critical systems Design, build, and verify the behavior of software integration and interoperability of mission-critical systems The CDAO Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace serves as a platform for identifying and procuring cutting-edge technologies and solutions in the fields of digital and artificial intelligence. Through rigorous evaluation and adherence to stringent standards, Tangram Pro has demonstrated its capability to deliver exceptional value and expertise in the realm of software integration, interoperability, and verification. Submissions are independently reviewed and evaluated for acceptance to the marketplace having one of the judges comment, "Your software integration platform solution holds potential for bringing significant value to the Department of Defense (DoD)". This designation underscores Tangram Pro's commitment to excellence and its ability to meet the evolving joint all-domain command and control needs across the DoD. Tangram Pro's innovative approach to software integration and interoperability allows for the management of the complexity of integrating with Government provided architectures, while driving reusability, flexibility, security and operational efficiency. "We are honored to be recognized as an 'Awardable' vendor on the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace," said Matt Naveau, CTO at Tangram Flex. "The Tradewinds Marketplace gives our Department of Defense partners a rapid path to access the solutions we're developing to quickly and effectively address critical national security efforts." Tangram Pro's inclusion in the Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace signifies a significant milestone in the company's journey to become a trusted partner for software integration agencies seeking advanced tools and processes to rapidly bring new technologies and connecting mission-critical systems across the DoD. By harnessing the power of software visualization and modeling paired with executable code-generation, Tangram Pro aims to drive innovation, enhance interoperability, and ultimately, make a meaningful timeline and security impact on the defense and national security landscape. For more information about Tangram Flex and its solutions, visit https://tangramflex.com. About Tangram Flex: Located in Dayton, OH, Tangram Flex is a leading provider of innovative software integration solutions, tools, and processes. We empower our customers and partners to manage the complexity of integrating and enhancing mission-critical system software. By leveraging our software integration platform, Tangram Pro, we focus on driving system engineering and software development efficiencies, bringing advanced system visualization, verification of system behavior, and the auto-generation of executable code delivering new technologies to our warfighters across the DoD faster than ever. Media Contact: Matt Zolman Marketing Manager Tangram Flex, Inc. (937) 287-4936 [email protected] SOURCE Tangram Flex NILES, Ill., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bradford Exchange Mint, source for coins of enduring value worldwide, announces an extraordinary tribute to the "Greatest Generation" heroes as we mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day. D-Day 6 June 1944 over 150,000 heroic Allied forces from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and 10 other nations participated in the largest air, land and amphibious assault of the 20th century. Code-named "Operation Overload", the success of the monumental D-Day mission led to European victory in World War II. Now, as we approach the 80th anniversary of that unforgettable day of heroism, heartbreak, and timeless courage a limited edition Silver masterpiece has been created. An intricately sculpted and oversized Silver ingot, containing 2 troy ounces of 99.9% pure Silver, portrays three courageous Allied soldiers storming the beaches at Normandy on the front. In addition, a quote from the Supreme Allied Commander, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, states "The Free Men of the World are Marching to Victory" is engraved at the bottom. GENUINE WORLD WAR II-ERA 90% SILVER COIN The Bradford Exchange's Chief Numismatist, Walter J. Kole remarks: "What makes this tribute truly a remarkable piece of World War II history is the ingot is inset with a GENUINE and very fine condition 1944 Walking Liberty Half Dollar. This 80 year-old Silver U.S. coin may even have been carried by military troops serving overseas or at home." The reverse side of the ingot displays an engraved map of the Normandy, France coastline highlighting five beach landings, UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, and SWORD. This is a superb Silver salute to our Greatest Generation's courage and sacrifice to defend democracy the save free world. The work is strictly limited to just 300 editions worldwide with the first 160 editions serial-numbered for North America collectors. Additional international versions of this masterpiece will be made available for the Australian and the United Kingdom markets. ABOUT THE BRADFORD EXCHANGE MINT: The Bradford Exchange Mint is a trusted resource for genuine coins of enduring value worldwide. Partnering with some of the world's most acclaimed artists and world mints, The Bradford Exchange Mint creates original and limited minted designs, timely tribute Proofs, and offers rare and curated collections of historic U.S. coins. To learn more, CALL 1-877-739-6220 SOURCE The Bradford Exchange Mint NEW YORK, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The global travel vaccines market size is estimated to grow by USD 3.97 bn from 2024-2028, according to Technavio. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of almost 8.64% during the forecast period. For more insights on the forecast market size and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download Free sample report in a minutes Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Travel Vaccines Market 2024-2028 Forecast period 2024-2028 Base Year 2023 Historic Data 2018 - 2022 Segment Covered Disease Type (Influenza, Diptheria, Hepatitis, and Typhoid and others), End-user (Adult vaccines and Pediatric vaccines), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW)) Region Covered North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of World (ROW) Key companies profiled Abbott Laboratories, Altimmune Inc., AstraZeneca Plc, Bavarian Nordic AS, Bharat Biotech Ltd., CSL Ltd., Dynavax Technologies Corp., Emergent BioSolutions Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, KM Biologics Co. Ltd., LG Chem Ltd., Merck and Co. Inc., Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc., Sanofi SA, Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd., Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products Co. Ltd., SK Chemicals Co. Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., and Valneva SE Segment Overview This travel vaccines market report extensively covers market segmentation by Disease Type 1.1 Influenza 1.2 Diptheria 1.3 Hepatitis 1.4 Typhoid and others End-user 2.1 Adult vaccines 2.2 Pediatric vaccines Geography 3.1 North America 3.2 Europe 3.3 Asia 3.4 Rest of World (ROW) 1.1 Influenza- The Travel Vaccines Market experiences robust growth, driven by the rising incidence of diseases such as influenza during vacations and medical tourism. Microbes and pathogenic organisms pose health hazards for travellers, necessitating immunization against various diseases. Vaccines, including attenuated organisms and bio-based drugs, play a crucial role in building immunity against illnesses like influenza, Dengue fever, and Hepatitis B virus. Top players like GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi, and CSL dominate the market with their influenza vaccine offerings. Travel vaccinations, such as HEPLISAV B and Takeda's Dengue fever vaccine, are essential for safety during overseas travel. Novel vaccine technologies, like those based on molecular genetics, are also gaining popularity. Emporiatrics offers vaccine formulations for diseases like Yellow fever, Cholera, and Diarrhea. While vaccines ensure disease prevention, it's essential to consider dosages, side effects, and pandemic situations when planning travel vaccinations. 31.North America - The Travel Vaccines Market in North America is expected to dominate the global scene due to the presence of organizations like the Pan American Health Organization and the requirement of proof of vaccination for international travel. The market caters to first-time travellers and regular vacationers, offering vaccines such as BOOSTRIX, INFANRIX, Pediarix, BEXSERO, MENVEO, and influenza vaccines. With the increasing prevalence of diseases like influenza, rabies, typhoid, measles, and mumps, travel clinics have become essential for ensuring complete immunization before overseas travel. New vaccines, including those for dengue fever, hepatitis B, and measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR), are continually being introduced, incurring substantial cost for consultation fees and administration charges for multiple doses. While vaccines offer immunity against various microbes and pathogenic organisms, it is essential to consider disease type, likelihood of illness, and health hazards before use. Safety, side effects, and dosages are critical factors to consider when choosing travel vaccinations. Companies like Takeda, Dyanavax, and those producing bio-based drugs and antibodies are at the forefront of developing innovative travel vaccine solutions. For more information on market segmentation with geographical analysis including forecast (2024-2028) and historic data (2018 - 2022) - Download a Sample Report Key Market Trends Fueling Growth The travel vaccines market is influenced by various factors, including demographics and disease prevalence. Migrants, particularly those from younger age groups, have lower vaccination rates, increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases in host countries. Key vaccines include those for hepatitis B, Dengue fever, and yellow fever. Novel technologies like mRNA vaccines and recombinant DNA technology are driving industry gains. Travelers should be aware of potential side effects, dosages, and safety concerns when using vaccines for diseases like cholera, hepatitis B, and yellow fever. Market Challenges The Travel Vaccines Market caters to travelers requiring vaccinations against vaccine-preventable diseases, primarily in endemic regions. High costs and limited insurance coverage are major barriers, with consultation fees and vaccine administration charges varying widely. Travel clinics offer essential vaccines like rabies, typhoid, measles, mumps, and more, but the substantial cost deters first-time travelers and those on vacations or medical tourism. New vaccines and initiatives aim to address these challenges, utilizing advanced technologies like recombinant DNA and mRNA. Research report provides comprehensive data on impact of trend, driver and challenges - Buy Report Research Analysis The Travel Vaccines Market is a significant segment of the broader Biotechnology industry, focusing on the production and distribution of vaccines for travel-related diseases. This market caters to the needs of travellers, ensuring their immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases and health hazards associated with Overseas travel. Recombinant DNA technology and mRNA vaccines technology are the latest advancements in this field, enabling the production of specialized vaccines against pathogens causing infectious diseases such as Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, and Rabies. The prevalence of these diseases varies based on disease strains and geographical locations, making it essential for travellers to stay informed and get immunized accordingly. Initiatives like the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Travel Vaccine Network aim to increase awareness and accessibility of travel vaccines, contributing to the gains of the industry. Ultimately, the use of vaccinations is a crucial aspect of Travel Safety, protecting travellers from illnesses caused by pathogenic organisms and ensuring a healthy and enjoyable travel experience. Market Research Overview The Travel Vaccines Market refers to the production, distribution, and sale of vaccines used to prevent illnesses contracted during international travel. These vaccines are essential for preventing diseases such as Hepatitis A and B, Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Rabies, and Japanese Encephalitis. The market is driven by factors such as increasing international travel, government initiatives to promote vaccination, and the rising awareness of health risks associated with travel. The market is segmented based on vaccine types, end-users, and regions. Key players in the Travel Vaccines Market include Sanofi Pasteur, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., and Pfizer Inc. The market is expected to grow at a significant CAGR during the forecast period. The demand for travel vaccines is particularly high in developing countries due to the increasing number of travelers and the rising awareness of health risks. The market faces challenges such as the high cost of vaccines and the lack of reimbursement policies in some countries. Despite these challenges, the Travel Vaccines Market is expected to continue its growth trajectory due to the increasing number of travelers and the rising awareness of health risks associated with travel. Table of Contents: 1 Executive Summary 2 Market Landscape 3 Market Sizing 4 Historic Market Size 5 Five Forces Analysis 6 Market Segmentation Disease Type Influenza Diptheria Hepatitis Typhoid And Others End-user Adult Vaccines Pediatric Vaccines Geography North America Europe Asia Rest Of World (ROW) 7 Customer Landscape 8 Geographic Landscape 9 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends 10 Company Landscape 11 Company Analysis 12 Appendix About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focuses on emerging market trends and provides actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios. Contacts Technavio Research Jesse Maida Media & Marketing Executive US: +1 844 364 1100 UK: +44 203 893 3200 Email: [email protected] Website: www.technavio.com/ SOURCE Technavio Series of solutions and initiatives to be released throughout 2024 DALLAS, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global leader in cybersecurity, today unveiled its plans for protecting consumers as they increasingly adopt generative AI applications alongside the expected growth in adoption of AI PCs. Designed to address the unique opportunities and risks posed by AI, Trend's strategy helps consumers embrace the use of generative AI applications safely to lower their risk of being harmed by the use and abuse of AI. In addition, Trend has, and will continue, to innovate using AI in its own cybersecurity solutions and services for greater security effectiveness and efficiencies. While AI presents great promises to consumers, it has also afforded cybercriminals the opportunity to more effectively perpetrate scams and fraud in the form of tactics such as harder to detect phishing emails or deepfake videos. In a recent study conducted by Trend, nearly 72% of respondents expressed excitement about AI's potential to enhance task quality and uncover new opportunities, but almost 65% said they worry about AI's role in spreading misinformation while 58% are concerned about AI's misuse of their images and likeness. Beyond these potential abuses of AI, there are other possible vulnerabilities to AI applications themselves that, without protection, may result in consumers unknowingly being misdirected or unintentionally exposing their private data. Trend's strategy helps consumers embrace the use of generative AI applications safely to lower their risk. Post this Eva Chen, Co-Founder and CEO at Trend: "Generative AI represents an infrastructure shift that requires us to use our long history of understanding digital threats to develop innovative solutions and meet the moment. Our goal is to ensure every user, from individual consumers to the largest organizations in the world, can harness the full potential of AI and AI PCs securely and confidently." The arrival of AI PCs also represents another shift in how consumers will use AI applications in the future, thanks to the neural processing units (NPUs) that power them. IDC predicts AI PCs will make up nearly 60% of all PC shipments worldwide by 2027, growing from 50 million units in 2024 to more than 167 million in 2027.* With an AI PC, consumers will now be able to use AI applications locally on their devices, promising better speed and privacy than having to access or send data to be processed in the cloud. This additional computing power also presents the opportunity for Trend to deliver some of its cloud AI capabilities on device and introduce new capabilities that take advantage of the efficiency and data privacy benefits that AI PCs offer. Trend will be delivering solutions for consumers in the second half of 2024 that are designed to protect AI, protect users from AI abuses, and leverage AI in both existing and new products and services including: AI Application Protection: Protection capabilities against tampering with AI applications, contaminating the AI application with malicious input, and preventing AI applications from inadvertently or maliciously accessing sensitive data. Protection capabilities against tampering with AI applications, contaminating the AI application with malicious input, and preventing AI applications from inadvertently or maliciously accessing sensitive data. Malicious AI Content Protection : Solutions that protect consumers from malicious AI-generated or AI-altered content. : Solutions that protect consumers from malicious AI-generated or AI-altered content. NPU-powered Cybersecurity Capabilities: Solutions designed for AI PCs that leverage the additional compute power. As a sign of the significance of AI threats, MITRE has introduced its ATLAS matrix which assesses the risks associated with AI assets. The MITRE Adversarial Threat Landscape for Artificial-Intelligence Systems https://atlas.mitre.org/matrices/ATLAS. Trend is mapping its capabilities to this matrix where applicable for consumer use cases. * "IDC Forecasts Artificial Intelligence PCs to Account for Nearly 60% of All PC Shipments by 2027," IDC, February 7, 2024. Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are sometimes accompanied by words such as "believe," "may," "will," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "expect," "should," "would," "plan," "predict," "potential," "seem," "seek," "future," "outlook" and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning Trend's AI related consumer solutions. These statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in our forward-looking statements are reasonable, we do not know whether our expectations will prove correct. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, even if subsequently made available by us on our website or otherwise. We do not undertake any obligation to update, amend or clarify these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. About Trend Micro Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro's cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of AI-enabled threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.TrendMicro.com. SOURCE Trend Micro Incorporated The inaugural U.S.-Colombia Binational Summit for Afro Descendant Leaders, held at Morehouse College a few days ago, marked a significant milestone in U.S.-Colombia relations. ATLANTA, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- This initiative, led by the Global Black Economic Forum with the theme "Connecting the African Diaspora," underscored Colombia and the United States' dedication to advancing racial equality, fostering knowledge exchange, and building support networks to address disparities in opportunity and equity. Drawing together around 400 leaders and business representatives from both nations, the event was centered on bolstering bilateral relations through economic collaboration and cultural interchange. Photo credit Chris Mitchell / CME 3000 Photography. Over the years, the U.S. has become Colombia's main commercial ally and the primary issuer of international travelers and foreign investment. Within this strong partnership between nations, the state of Georgia has played a pivotal role, being the first U.S. state to establish a full-time international representation in Colombia since 2013, which is current up to this date. It is worth noting that, in 2023, a partnership between the Atlanta Black Chamber of Commerce and the Colombian Government, including the Embassy of Colombia in the United States, The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism and ProColombia, the promotion agency of the country, facilitated a delegation of Afro-American entrepreneurs to Cali, Valle del Cauca, to explore opportunities for exporting products and services and attracting global investments. "At ProColombia, we are committed to keep supporting the internationalization process of our territories and we are convinced that afro-descendant communities hold immense potential for driving economic and social change. This summit symbolizes a continued effort to provide entrepreneurs from both countries with a deeper understanding of the business landscape that encourage sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships between the United States and Colombia", said Carmen Caballero, President of ProColombia, the promotion agency of the country. "The Colombia-U.S. relationship stands as one of the most robust and enduring partnerships in the Western Hemisphere," said Luis Gilberto Murillo, acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia. "Addressing issues shared by Afro-descendent communities in both countries is paramount and must take a front seat in our bilateral agenda. Our business, social and political leaders play crucial roles as agents of change in this process. Their leadership is essential to ensure we remain committed to bridging our shared history and challenges, paving the way towards a more equitable future for Afro-descendant peoples across the Americas", Minister Murillo concluded. SOURCE ProColombia SINGAPORE, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vantage Foundation proudly announces its partnership with Teach For Malaysia (TFM) to empower indigenous Orang Asli communities in Malaysia through education. This collaboration underscores Vantage Foundation's mission to shine the spotlight on the invisible challenges faced by marginalised communities around the world. Vantage Foundation will offer strategic support to TFM's initiatives addressing the educational challenges of Orang Asli students, aiming to raise awareness and empower them to reach their full potential. Vantage Foundation and Teach For Malaysia join forces to empower indigenous children through education "Our partnership with Teach For Malaysia highlights our commitment to inclusive education and empowering marginalised communities, especially the Orang Asli, to thrive," said Steven Xie, Executive Director of Vantage Foundation. TFM's expertise in recruiting, training, and supporting teachers aligns with Vantage Foundation's mission of promoting social mobility and inclusive education. Together, they aim to break down systemic barriers and empower the Orang Asli community. "We're thrilled to collaborate with Vantage Foundation to empower our children through education," said Fam Li Ying, Director of Growth at Teach For Malaysia. "Together, we hope to realise a vision that all children in Malaysia will have access to quality education." One impactful example is Shawn Stanly, a teacher at a school in Banun. Shawn's innovative teaching methods create an immersive learning environment where imagination thrives and dreams take shape. His approach bridges the gap between students and unfamiliar concepts, fostering a love for learning. For instance, Shawn captivated his students by transforming the classroom into an airplane interior. Inspired by a student's longing to experience air travel, Shawn created a "flight simulation" to broaden their horizons. Despite limited resources, Shawn dressed as a pilot and turned the classroom into an airplane cockpit, complete with a makeshift window projector. Using a hailer, he guided his mesmerized students through a virtual journey on Air Banun to destinations like Paris and the Himalayas, sharing fascinating facts along the way. "This experience opened their minds to the world beyond their village," Shawn reflects, his passion for teaching evident. "It's not just a job; it's a calling," he adds with a smile, underscoring his commitment to empowering Orang Asli communities through education. The Vantage Foundation and Teach For Malaysia partnership marks a significant stride toward educational equity and social justice in Malaysia. Through collaboration and expertise, they aim to transform the lives of Orang Asal students nationwide. Discover more about Teach For Malaysia's initiatives at https://teachformalaysia.org/ About Vantage Foundation Vantage Foundation is an independent charitable organisation launched at the McLaren Technology Centre in the UK with the support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and the NEOM McLaren Extreme E team in 2023. For more information, please visit www.vantage.foundation SOURCE Vantage Foundation SAN JOSE, Calif., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Vantis Vascular, Inc. (Vantis), a pioneering medical technology company founded by physicians with a passion to revolutionize vascular interventions, announced today the successful closing of a $5 million SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity) financing round, which is convertible upon Vantis' future Series C preferred round. This financing, which follows a total raise of $24 million to date from high-net-worth individuals and NIH grants, marks a significant milestone in Vantis' journey to advance the field of interventional cardiology and improve patient outcomes. "At Vantis, we're on a mission to transform the way the medical community navigates and treats complex and calcific arteries," said Jason Turner, Chief Executive Officer at Vantis. "This financing underscores the confidence of our investors in our vision, experienced management team, and the potential of our technologies to drive innovation and make a lasting impact in vascular interventions. This round will aid to accelerate our development efforts, while supporting the near-term commercial launch of our CrossFAST system." Funds will accelerate development efforts, while supporting the near-term commercial launch of our CrossFAST system. Post this Vantis' flagship products in development include the CrossFAST Integrated Microcatheter Guide Extension System and the CrossSHOCK Intravascular Lithotripsy (IVL) System. These innovative, next-generation solutions aim to enhance the delivery, safety and efficacy of vascular interventions, ultimately improving patient outcomes and quality of life. "Coronary interventions are becoming increasingly more challenging, requiring specialized tools to deliver lifesaving therapies," stated Tim Fischell, MD, Chief Medical Officer at Vantis. "We are excited about the potential of our purpose-built, next-generation products to address these critical challenges. Physicians express a significant need to improve existing catheter-based technologies given anatomical challenges and the fact that we are treating more complex cases. Providing an integrated catheter system that will enhance procedural efficiency from start to finish will be game-changing." The CrossFAST Integrated Microcatheter Guide Extension System, with 2-in-1 DuoPro Interlocking Technology, provides interventionalists with enhanced control and maneuverability to traverse the most calcific and tortuous anatomies, while the CrossSHOCK IVL System utilizes a low profile, micro electrode design to optimize the IVL experience, while striving for a safer, faster and more efficient approach to treating calcified arteries. Both products serve large and growing cardiovascular markets, including the multibillion IVL opportunity. Products are currently in development and are not commercially available for sale in any geography. For more information about Vantis and its groundbreaking technology, visit www.vantisvascular.com. About Vantis Vascular: Vantis Vascular, Inc. is a medical technology company dedicated to revolutionizing vascular interventions. Founded by physicians, Vantis develops performance-driven technologies that aim to provide faster, safer and more effective treatments to patients. With a focus on innovation and patient-centric solutions, Vantis is committed to advancing the field of interventional cardiology and improving patient outcomes worldwide. SOURCE Vantis Vascular, Inc. Copperweld explores the challenges and offers potential solutions BRENTWOOD, Tenn., May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Copper crosses the $5-per-pound threshold Copper is currently trading at two-year highs, which analysts suggest may be driven by the potential that copper supply will struggle to keep pace with rising global demand. Depleted inventory combined with an uptick in demand from industries with high copper consumption translates into a scenario where many analysts predict the price of copper to rise far beyond $5/lb.1 CCA building wire reduces the impact of rising copper prices in the new construction industry. Post this Copper prices soar while supply struggles to keep pace with rising global demand, and the copper theft crisis isnt helping. What will $5/lb copper mean for new construction and the building wire market, and is there hope for some relief? CCA building wire uses 1/6th the amount of copper when upsized two AWG sizes against copper conductors, as is required by the NEC for most electrical circuits. Utilizing CCA instead of single-metal copper for commodity building wire applications could have potentially saved the nation nearly 700 million pounds of copper in 2022. Many experts saw May's new price point coming as copper had already increased in value by about 20%, but an understanding of the numerous factors impacting copper supply are leading some experts to accelerate their prediction timelines for reaching the long-expected $15,000-per-metric-ton ($6.80/lb) milestone as early as 2025.1 The rising price of copper Analysts attribute much of the copper price explosion to soaring demand, mainly due to the large role the metal plays in renewable energy, decarbonization efforts, and power grid investments. However, this latest round of copper price increases does not stem from demand alone; it is also due to concerns about copper production and standing inventory's struggle to keep pace.2 Copper supply is further threatened by the increased tightening of mining regulations and geopolitical tensions. In 2022, copper production was about 22 MMT, while demand was about 26 MMT, with recycled copper scrambling to help make up the 4 MMT difference. Despite copper producers' efforts to increase output, there is also a shortage of new mine development. Simply put mines are not producing as much copper as the market requires.2 As a result of these factors, the U.S. Department of Energy classified copper as a "Critical Material" in their 2023 report.3 This classification is reserved for a substance that the Secretary of Energy designates as "a high risk of supply chain disruption; and serves an essential function in one or more energy technologies."4 What does this mean for the building wire market? The greater a market's reliance on a critical material, the greater its vulnerability to instability. Few industries will feel the impact of record-setting copper price increases like the construction industry, which accounts for almost half (46%) of the nation's copper supply. According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), within the construction industry, building wire alone uses 20% of the total U.S. copper supply.5, 6 But, the factor impacting the building industry's vulnerability to copper price fluctuation is more closely tied to a single product's dependency on copper: building wire. For decades, the primary conductor material for building wire has been composed of 100% copper. So logically, the price of copper has an outsized impact on the price of building wire. Steep increases in building wire costs Over the past few months, builders and electrical contractors who use solid-copper building wire have felt the financial and administrative fallout of record-setting building wire costs. When copper prices spike, building costs soar, requiring copper price approvals, re-estimations, construction delays, and slower cycle times. These factors devastate budgets, reduce profits, and frustrate relationships. From March to May of 2024, copper building wire experienced several wire cost increases, each around 5%.7, 8 During these events, building wire distributors buy wire at higher levels, allowing them to 'hold back' price increases for a few weeks; but when distributors exhaust lower-price copper wire inventories, builders and contractors see dramatic price increases. As a result, copper wire cost fluctuations occur in cycles rather than through a linear relationship with the price of copper. Currently, the construction market is anticipating the build-up of another building wire cost increase. During copper events like this, home builders are getting 'hammered' by increase after increase after increase in copper pricing. The resulting impact on building wire costs has been dramatic: a massive surge of 25%-35%, on average. And, that's just over the past 3 months! The relationship between copper price and wire theft There is another, more sinister, relationship with the price of copper the incidence of wire theft. Home builders have long observed the direct impact of high copper prices on the prevalence of building wire theft. The higher the price of copper, the greater the incentive for thieves to assume risk in hopes of a big payoff. Copper building wire is a prime target for thieves because of its increasing value as scrap. Whether via outright theft of complete circuits by skilled thieves or pilferage via liberal end-cutting by third-party installers, many job sites experience some degree of copper theft. It is estimated that as high as 8% of the copper wiring in new construction is lost to copper theft and insider pilferage. Annually, this would amount to enough copper building wire for 112,000 homes (15.7 million pounds of copper). And, when copper wiring is stolen from a new construction site, there are even more costly factors to consider: production delays and lost time for the builder, repairs to circuit components and sheet rock, replacement of appliances and luminaires caused by damage, the cost of private security, and an increased risk of fire hazards all costs that come out of the builder's pocket. What are the obvious solutions? Use less copper. Deter incentives for theft. Fortunately, the building construction industry already has an alternative to single-metal copper wire in place. Copper-Clad Aluminum (CCA) is a bimetallic conductor that has been referenced by the NEC since 1971 and is listed for use by UL and ETL. CCA building wire is being rapidly adopted by builders and electrical contractors who are looking for safe and effective alternatives to copper building wire. CCA building wire uses less copper CCA building wire uses 1/6th the amount of copper when upsized two AWG sizes against copper conductors, as is required by the NEC for most electrical circuits. This upsizing allows CCA to provide comparable electrical performance to equivalently rated copper conductors. Credible reports also find that CCA conductors, when upsized, are on average 2.7% more efficient due to lower impedance.9 Utilizing CCA instead of single-metal copper for commodity building wire applications could have potentially saved the nation nearly 700 million pounds of copper in 2022! That's equivalent to the copper required for 3.8 million EVs or 3.6 million homes. Using this 2022 potential saving model, CCA building wire could conserve 3.2 billion metric tons (7 billion lbs) of copper resources over the next decade, not even accounting for market growth.10, 11 CCA building wire reduces theft incentives While substations have used CCS grounding conductors to reduce theft incentives for decades, builders and electrical contractors are turning to Copperweld's CCA products to help mitigate the costs associated with copper wire theft. Copperweld's metallurgically bonded CCA building wire has little scrap value, making it less attractive to copper thieves. If a thief carts a load of CCA wire to a local copper recycler, he will likely leave embarrassed, empty handed, and bimetal educated. CCA reduces the impact of rising copper prices While increasing copper prices send shock waves through the building wire market, there is a simple way to mitigate the impacts. Implementing a CCA building wire adoption strategy can help better protect profits in addition to positively impacting copper conservation efforts and reducing theft incentives. Sources: If you'd like to assess the effects of switching to CCA building wire for your residential and commercial construction projects, contact a Copperweld representative at 615-377-4200 or [email protected]. Media contact: [email protected] SOURCE Copperweld If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here London, May 21 : The UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologised for the infected blood scandal on behalf of successive governments and declared it was a "day of national shame". Addressing the House of Commons following the publication of the inquiry, Sunak said on Monday: "I want to make a whole-hearted and unequivocal apology for this terrible injustice." He also promised to pay "comprehensive compensation" to those infected and those affected by the scandal, Xinhua news agency reported. "Whatever it costs to deliver this scheme, we will pay it," he said, adding that details will be set out on Tuesday. Earlier on Monday, a damning 2,527-page inquiry concluded that the contaminated blood scandal in the UK which has caused more than 3,000 deaths, "could largely, though not entirely, have been avoided." The report said that "a catalogue of failures" by successive governments and doctors caused the "calamity," in which tens of thousands of patients with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses after receiving infected blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s. "It may also be surprising that the questions why so many deaths and infections occurred have not had answers before now," the report added. The scandal has been called "the worst treatment disaster" in the history of Britain's National Health Service (NHS). The report also revealed that there has been "a hiding of much of the truth" by the government and the NHS "to save face and to save expense". Such a cover-up was "not in the sense of a handful of people plotting in an orchestrated conspiracy to mislead, but in a way that was more subtle, more pervasive and more chilling in its implications," it said. The scandal was linked to supplies of a clotting factor imported from the US, which used blood from high-risk paid donors. The government announced the establishment of a UK-wide public inquiry in 2017 to examine the circumstances that led to individuals being given contaminated blood and blood products. In 2022, the government made interim compensation payments of 100,000 British pounds (about $127,000) to about 4,000 infected individuals and bereaved partners who were registered with the country's infected blood support schemes. Varanasi, May 21 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will interact with 25,000 women at Kashi's Sampurnanand Sanskrit University ground on Tuesday. He will address an election rally in Prayagraj too. Kashi region BJP Spokesperson Navaratan Rathi said: "There are 1,909 booths in Varanasi Lok Sabha and 10 women from each booth have been invited for Prime Minister Modi's interaction with women. All preparations for the event have been completed." Doctors, engineers, lawyers, professors, chartered accountants, and teachers have also been invited to the programme that will start around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, he added. BJP's state unit secretary and Mahila Morcha in-charge Archana Mishra said: "Our enthusiastic participation at his Kashi roadshow on May 13 made the Prime Minister very happy and that is why he is coming here again to share his happiness with us." She said BJP's women wing members have gone door-to-door in Varanasi to invite women for the Tuesday event. Lok Sabha coordinator and MLC Ashwini Tyagi said: "Prime Minister has done many things for the upliftment of women during his 10 years in office. It was because of him that 33 per cent reservation to women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies under the Nari Shakti Vandan Act could become possible." After the event, Prime Minister Modi will spend the night at the BLW guest house in Varanasi. The Prime Minister will address a meeting at the Government Polytechnic Ground on Wednesday (May 22), said Basti Superintendent of Police, Gopal Krishna Chowdhury. He said that members of SPG security had already reached Basti and inspected the rally venue and added that no flying zone had been declared in nearby areas. He said from May 20 to May 22, flying drones or balloons in the region have been banned due to security reasons. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Anupriya Patel, too, would share the stage with Prime Minister Modi. Moscow, May 21 : Rocket attacks on a town in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine have caused a fuel depot to catch fire, according to the occupation authorities. "As a result of a missile strike with cluster munitions on Sverdlovsk, a fuel and lubricants storage facility was damaged," wrote Leonid Pasechnik, the head of pro-Russian separatists forces in the Luhansk region, on Monday on his Telegram channel. Ukraine renamed the small town of Sverdlovsk, which has been occupied by Russian forces since 2014, and Dovzhansk in 2016. According to Ukrainian media, a Russian military base was also hit in the missile attack. Videos on social networks show heavy clouds of smoke, but also a burning multi-storey barracks-style building. The Russian authorities on the ground have not officially released any information on casualties or injuries. Ukraine has been fending off a full-scale Russian military invasion for more than two years. Kiev has recently fired missiles at oil processing plants and fuel depots in addition to purely military targets to hamper the Russian military's logistics. --IANS/DPA khz Tel Aviv, May 21 : Three former US foreign policy officials in Donald Trump's administration are in Israel and have met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition leader, Yair Lapid. Tel Aviv, May 21 (IANS) Three former US foreign policy officials in Donald Trumpas administration are in Israel and have met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition leader, Yair Lapid. The three aides are Robert OaBrien, who was Trump's National Security Advisor (NSA), John Rakolta, former Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and Ed McMullen, former Ambassador to Switzerland. John Rakolta as the US Ambassador to the UAE was instrumental in normalizing the relationship of Israel with UAE and Bahrain and played a key role in signing the Abraham Accords. The three are considered to be the close policy advisors of Donald Trump. Sources in the Israeli Prime Ministeras Office confirmed the visit of the three high-ranking former US officials, who are Trump's close aides. According to sources, the senior policy advisors have discussed with Netanyahu and Lapid the situation in Israel, the war with Hamas and the policy stand taken by the current US President Joe Biden. It was during the period of Donald Trump as the US President between 2017 and 2021 that the capital of Israel was shifted from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem -- a long demand by the Israelis. With Donald Trump being the Republican candidate for the US presidential post, he is trying to pitch himself as a much more reliable ally to Israel than Biden. Sources in Israel's Prime Ministeras office said that the three policy advisors of Trump have communicated to the Israeli leadership the wholehearted support of the Republican presidential candidate for the Israeli cause. Seoul, May 21 : South Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said on Tuesday the government will closely monitor the impact of Washington's recent decision to raise tariffs on some Chinese imports. The remark came as the US announced last week its plans to raise tariffs on around $18 billion worth of imports from China, focusing on strategic sectors, such as solar cells, semiconductors and electric vehicles, reports Yonhap news agency. "While South Korea has been posting export growth for seven consecutive months, the uncertainties in the global economy and trade environment have been growing," Choi said during a meeting with trade experts, referring to the latest US tariff hikes. "In response, we need to assess the impact on the South Korean economy based on previous trade dispute cases and the current trade trend between the US and China, and come up with measures to prepare for various potential scenarios," Choi added. Experts also urged the government to implement tailored measures for different businesses, including those operating in China and those competing with Chinese firms, as well as to monitor Beijing's response to the new US tariff policy. Choi added that South Korea will continue to communicate with local businesses to help them maintain competitiveness in the global market. Raichur, May 21 : In a tragic incident in Koravinahala village of Karnataka's Raichur district, a four-year-old girl fell victim to a stray dog attack and succumbed to injuries on Tuesday. The deceased has been identified as Lavanya, daughter of Keralinga. Fifteen days ago, seven children were attacked by a stray dog while they were playing. Lavanya was bitten on the back of her neck and other parts of her body. Lavanya was discharged from the hospital two days ago and was under treatment at her residence. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries. The other children who were attacked by the dog are still under treatment. Keralinga, Lavanya's father, stated that his daughter was attacked right in front of their residence. He urged the authorities to take action to ensure that other children in the village do not meet the same fate as his daughter. The villagers said that to date, the authorities have not visited the village to enquire about the affected children. The dog was killed by the villagers on the same day of the attack. Kariyappa, the Panchayat Development Officer of Samagakunta village, said that he got information about the incident on Tuesday and will visit the village. He said that a rescue team would be sent to look out for stray dogs that were attacking people. "We received information that the dog was not local and had strayed from a different region. While traveling to another place, it attacked the children," he said. The villagers have expressed their outrage alleging negligence by the authorities. New Delhi, May 21 : As temperatures continue to soar in the national capital, doctors on Tuesday advised caution against prolonged exposure to heat. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a heatwave and hot and humid weather warning for the next seven days in New Delhi. The maximum temperature will range between 44 and 47 degrees Celsius. On Monday, the national capital's maximum temperature reached 47.4 degrees Celsius -- the highest in the country. The IMD has also issued a severe heatwave red alert for Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, predicting that the heatwave to severe heatwave conditions will persist over the coming days. "Exposure to high temperature for a prolonged time can lead to heat stroke," Dr Satish Koul, Senior Director, Internal Medicine, Fortis Gurgaon, told IANS. "Exposure to excessively high temperatures during summer months is leading to various illnesses, including heat stroke, dehydration, drowsiness, food and water-borne illnesses and electrolyte imbalance," said Dr Atul Gogia Senior Consultant and Head Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Dr Satish noted that the high temperatures can also "turn fatal when a person develops neurological symptoms like altered mental status or altered behaviour". Dr Atul told IANS that severe dehydration leading to renal shutdown can also be life-threatening. Health experts noted that rising temperatures can affect everyone but, people of extreme ages, such as the elderly or children, are more prone to heat illness. Meanwhile, the Delhi government has ordered an immediate closure of schools given the rising heatwaves. A high body temperature may lead to nausea and vomiting, poor concentration and drowsiness, cramps, throbbing headache, confusion, dizziness, palpitation, fast strong pulse, and loss of consciousness, Dr G. J. Singh from Yashoda Super Specialty Hospital, Kaushambi, told IANS. The experts advised staying indoors during extreme heat waves, wearing light clothes, keeping proper hydration, eating good and balanced food at home, and avoiding meals from outside. New Delhi, May 21 : A 29-year-old criminal, who was wanted for killing his maternal uncle over a property dispute, was arrested in the national capital after a massive operation, a Delhi Police official said on Tuesday. The accused identified as Pawan Bhati, a resident of Loni, was also carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 on his head. At the time of his arrest, a 'star mark' pistol loaded with two bullets was recovered from him. The officials said that he was also found previously involved in five cases of a heinous nature and a case under the Uttar Pradesh Gunda Act. Bhati was on April 23 was externed from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. Deputy Commissioner of Police (southwest) Rohit Meena said that on May 18, specific input was received regarding the movement of a suspect with an illicit weapon in the market of Sector 1, R.K. Puram. "The team immediately laid a trap at the place of information. Ultimately, Bhati was located near Khalsa Restaurant, Sector 1 and apprehended with one sophisticated Star mark pistol loaded with two live cartridges in the magazine," said the DCP. During interrogation, it was revealed that Bhati was involved in the gruesome murder of his real maternal uncle (Mama) on May 11. "The accused was avoiding arrest in this case and a reward of Rs. 50,000 was declared for his arrest," said the DCP. On interrogation, Bhati revealed that in the first week of this month, his uncle and others attacked his family members. Following this, a criminal case was filed against his uncle and others. "On May 11, in order to take revenge, he along with his associates attacked his maternal uncle Vikram Mavi with knives, rods, swords and a pistol. Mavi sustained more than 50 injuries. He and his associates also fired 7-8 rounds with the illegal weapon and managed to escape from the spot," said the DCP. "In this murder, 11 males and females have been arrested so far. Bhati disclosed that one of his associates, Prasant a.k.a Muttu, arranged the recovered weapon for him to commit the crime. Further investigation revealed that Prasant had already been arrested in the above-mentioned gruesome murder and is in judicial custody" the DCP added. Chennai, May 21 : The National Investigation Agency (NIA) was conducting raids at the residences of two Coimbatore-based doctors in Tamil Nadu. According to the investigating agency sources, the raids were connected to the blast at the Rameshwaram Cafe in Bengaluru on March 1. A low-intensity IED bomb had exploded at the cafe injuring 10 people. According to sources, two teams of NIA were conducting the raids at the residences of the two doctors at Narayanaguru Street in Sai Baba colony. There is a heavy deployment of local police in front of both residences to prevent any untoward incident. Two suspects in the case, Mussavir Hussain Saheb and Abdul Matheen Thaha, were arrested in West Bengal on April 12. On October 23, 2022, there was a car bomb explosion in front of the Arulmigu Kottai Sanagameswar temple in Ukkadam, Coimbatore. Later a charred body of a 29-year-old youth, Jamesha Mubin was found at the blast site. The suicide bomber was planning to explode himself along with the car near a market on October 23, 2022, which was Diwali eve. However, the blast occurred before the expected time thus saving several people. Several people and organisations in the Coimbatore region have been under the radar of the Central agencies ever since this attack. Rohtak, May 21 : The third generation of the Hooda clan in politics, Deepender Hooda, who is in the fray from the Jat-dominated Congress bastion Rohtak, which was won by his family nine times and three consecutive terms by him, is aiming the revival of the Congress with the parliamentary polls. He's extensively campaigning in a blistering heatwave in this parliamentary constituency that spreads over nine assembly segments to ensure his return to the lower house of Parliament. He is currently a member of the upper house. Deepender's father Bhupinder Hooda, who is campaigning aggressively across all 10 parliamentary constituencies, has represented the Rohtak seat, the state's political capital, four times, while his grandfather Ranbir Singh Hooda twice. Predicting that people now want to change the government in the state too, Deepender, who on average covers 25-30 villages in a day by holding public meetings and face-to-face interactions, told IANS the Lok Sabha election has set the ball rolling for the assembly elections in Haryana too that are less than five months away now. "People want change in the state government too. First, the Congress-AAP alliance will root out the BJP from the state in the Lok Sabha polls by ensuring a win on all 10 seats. Later, we will show the exit door to the BJP from the state's helm," said a confidant Deepender, who believes anti-incumbency is banking high on the 10-year helm of the saffron party in the state. Out of the 18 parliamentary polls in Rohtak, the Congress has won 11 times. In the 2019 general elections BJP's Arvind Sharma, a surgeon by profession, defeated Deepender by a slender margin of 7,503 votes. Deepender's major loss was in the Ahir-dominated Kosli constituency, despite major gains from his family's pocket borough, Garhi Sampla Kiloi. Deepender and Sharma are in a straight contest again. In his campaign to reach Parliament for the fourth time, the 46-year-old Deepender speaks of the development done during his three stints. Also in his speeches, he tries to drive home the point that winning from the Rohtak Lok Sabha not only ensures a ticket to the Parliament but also to Chandigarh, the state's capital. "I am focusing on the development works done by me and the previous Congress governments in the state. I am telling the people that only the Congress can bring them back on the path of overall growth," said a soft-spoken Deepender, who completed an MBA from the US, known to be an easy access to the public. During his campaign, the junior Hooda was seen making crispy and crunchy "jalebi" at a roadside stall. In his public meetings, women with their faces covered in a ghunghat (veil) are coming in strength to raise issues concerning them and the treatment meted out to wrestlers. His rival Arvind Sharma, 62, a dental surgeon by profession, has been promising to bring the Metro to Sampla in Rohtak district and announced to quit politics, if he failed to do so. His vote percentage was 47 per cent in 2019, just .6 per cent higher than his nearest rival Deepender. Four-time MP Sharma, who largely banks on PM Modi's wave, previously represented the Sonipat and Karnal Lok Sabha seats. Two-time chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, the father of Deepender, rose to fame by defeating former deputy prime minister Devi Lal thrice. "It is only the Hoodas who are emotionally attached to grassroots. Deepender Hooda, as an MP of the Rajya Sabha, provided funds from his discretionary funds for constructing toilets in our village school. Our MP (Arvind Sharma) was not visible in the past five years, even amidst tough times of Covid-19," octogenarian farmer Naib Rathi in the Badli assembly constituency in Jhajjar district told IANS. "If Rohtak has been developed so far, it is because of Bhupinder and Deepender," he said while admitting the farmer protests weigh heavily on the minds of the electorates in rural areas. Echoing similar sentiments, another villager Ram Yadav, while pointing towards bad roads, said, "Yeh chhora hamara hai, hum isko vote karenge, aur yeh kaam bhi karega (He is our son, we will vote for him and he will work for us." The Hooda junior was the only Congress candidate among 10 in the state to make it to the 2014 Lok Sabha despite being bedridden then. "The victory of Deepender Hooda will mean the revival of the Congress just ahead of the assembly elections," a political analyst who wished to remain anonymous told IANS. The stakes are high for Hooda senior in these elections as he is trying to prove that he is still a mass leader and could lead the party in the forthcoming assembly polls also, a senior party leader said. Hooda was marginalised after the party's two consecutive defeats in the assembly polls. Still, he remains the Congress' top leader, despite an ongoing struggle with a rival camp comprising former Union minister Kumari Selja and Randeep Surjewala, who owes proximity to the Gandhis. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has not fielded a candidate for Rohtak, while its offshoot Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) has given a ticket to its youth wing state chief Ravinder Sangwan. As per the INDIA bloc's seat-sharing pact, the Congress is contesting nine seats in the state, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in the fray from Kurukshetra. The BJP and its former coalition partner JJP are contesting on 10 seats each and the INLD on seven seats. In the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat, there are 18,86,796 voters who will cast votes along with nine other seats in the state on May 25, while the results will be out on June 4. (Vishal Gulati can be contacted at gulatiians@gmail.com) Bengaluru, May 21 : The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has approached the Karnataka High Court challenging the bail to former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda's son and JD(S) MLA HD Revanna in a sexual assault case registered by a former maid. Sources confirmed that the petition has been filed by the SIT in this regard and the Karnataka government has appointed former Advocate General Prof. Ravivarma Kumar as the Special Public Prosecutor to argue for the SIT. Senior counsel CV Nagesh is most likely to appear for HD Revanna, who is the father of the main accused Prajwal Revanna in the sex videos case that has taken the state by storm. The 42nd Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's (ACMM) court had granted bail to HD Revanna recently. The counsels representing the SIT had put forth vehement arguments to send HD Revanna to judicial custody in the case. They had also argued that the ACMM court does not have jurisdiction to deal with the case as the prosecution has added rape charges in the case. To recall, HD Revanna recently came out of prison in a kidnapping case involving a victim of the sex video scandal in which JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna can be seen sexually abusing the woman. The prosecution had argued that, "The victim claimed that she had left her house, as she was unable to bear the harassment at the hands of HD Revanna and his son Prajwal Revanna. The house allotted to her under the Ashraya scheme was taken back, but a complaint to the District Commissioner in this regard made no difference." "HD Revanna and Prajwal Revanna both committed sexual assault, and the court should not see the case against Revanna as separate from that of Prajwal Revanna. Under no circumstances should he be granted bail. Since the rape charge has been added to the case, the trial should be conducted in the session's court," the prosecution argued. "Repeated atrocities were committed against the same victim. The father and son committed the same offence. The first accused, HD Revanna, is protecting the second accused, his son Prajwal Revanna. The first accused helped his son to escape from India," the prosecution had submitted. CV Nagesh, the counsel for HD Revanna, had claimed that the complaint in this regard was not lodged by the complainant. "It is a false case created intentionally. The victim does not know what sexual assault is," he argued. "The rape charge against Revanna has been added only now. The alleged act was not committed on the day when the complaint was lodged. It did not occur a week ago or even a year ago. The complaint states that the alleged act was committed years ago," he had submitted. "The victim did not register the complaint at the Holenarasipur Police Station. Instead, the Sub-Inspector from Holenarasipur Police Station went to Bengaluru and got the complaint written as wanted by the victim. The station book mentions that at 11 P.M. on April 24, one victim had come from Bengaluru who was in a distraught state," Nagesh stated. New Delhi, May 21 : Delhi Police on Tuesday took Bibhav Kumar, the former personal secretary of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to Mumbai in connection with the assault on AAP Rajya Sabha member Swati Maliwal, police official privy to the probe said. "Kumar had formatted his phone on May 17, citing a malfunction. Kumar is taken to Mumbai to retrieve the data as he had formatted the phone there," said the official. On May 18, CM Kejriwal's close aide Bibhav Kumar was arrested in connection with the assault on Maliwal and produced late at night before a local court which sent him to a five-day police custody. Kumar was also taken to CM residence on Monday where the crime scene was recreated. Delhi Police registered a case against Kumar for molestation and attempted culpable homicide after he allegedly assaulted Swati Maliwal at the Chief Minister's residence on May 13. The FIR includes charges under sections 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354(B) (assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to disrobe), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code at the Civil Lines police station. Guwahati, May 21 : Leader of the opposition in the Assam assembly, Debabrata Saikia, has sought action against Kamtapur Autonomous Council (KAC) Chief Executive Member Gokul Barman who has been embroiled in a controversy for assaulting a woman police constable. Saikia wrote a letter to the state women commission chairman on Tuesday mentioning that Barman using his political clout thrashed a woman police constable who happened to be his love interest and even sexually assaulted the woman. The victim had to be hospitalised in Dibrugarh following the attack on May 10; however, no action was being initiated against Gokul Barman, said the Congress leader. Saikia appealed to the state women commission to call upon the Assam Director General of Police to record his statement on the assault of the woman police constable. Moreover, he also demanded that all government perks and benefits provided to Barman must be withdrawn immediately. The opposition leader also urged for a detailed inquiry collecting the call detail records of Gokul Barman. He has also advised a thorough forensic examination of the whole incident. For the unversed, Gokul Barman, who was married to another woman, was accused of being involved in an altercation with a Dibrugarh-based woman police constable who he is supposedly having an extramarital affair with. After the incident, the constable, who was from Boitamari in the Bongaigaon district, required hospitalisation. In response to these claims, Gokul Barman denied any connection with the incident; however, Hiteshwar Barman, the President of the Kamtapur Autonomous Council, demanded an official inquiry into the matter. New Delhi, May 21 : Amid the surge in unsolicited commercial communications (UCC) or spam voice calls on mobile phones, the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI) on Tuesday urged the government to ensure a level-playing field in regulatory compliance requirements between telecom service providers (TSPs) and other messaging platforms providing similar communication services. While the industry continues to assist the Department of Telecommunication (DoT), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Department of Consumer Affairs in addressing the spam calls and SMSs menace, the top industry body said it looks forward to progressive action from the authorities. Under the TRAI's Telecom Commercial Communication Customer Preference Regulation (TCCCPR) the industry has developed various modules, which have been "reasonably successful" considering the noticeable decline in the volume of spam originating from SMSs over the last couple of years. "However, UCC from voice calls, is still an issue that the regulator and TSPs are working together to address," said Lt Gen Dr SP Kochhar, Director General, COAI. The issue involves multiple stakeholders -- TSPs, telemarketers, aggregators, principal entities (PEs) like banks, financial institutions and real estate agencies. "TSPs are currently working on bringing a few more models to address the issue of UCC through voice calls. The government has allocated the 140 series for promotional voice calls and has now prescribed the 160 series for transactional and service voice calls," informed Kochhar. These modules are being worked upon and designed under discussions between all TSPs and technology partners and will be implemented by TSPs in the coming months, he added. Further, the digital consent acquisition (DCA) framework is an important module developed by the TSPs, wherein PEs are required to digitally take explicit consent from the users for sending commercial/business communications. TSPs are trying to engage and onboard various PEs to implement the DCA framework. The committee formed by the Department of Consumer Affairs is working to prepare draft guidelines under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, to safeguard consumers from unwarranted commercial communications. "We believe that these guidelines, once notified, will be helpful in addressing the menace of UCC substantially as it will put a deterrence on the unregistered telemarketers," said COAI. Washington, May 21 : US President Joe Biden's security adviser, Jake Sullivan, has insisted on access to humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip in talks with the Israeli leadership. It is important that Israel and Egypt conclude their talks on the early reopening of the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, Sullivan stressed in talks with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Galant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the White House said on Monday. Humanitarian workers must be able to safely deliver aid to those in need throughout the Gaza Strip, Sullivan stressed. He added that all available border crossings must be used for aid to reach the coastal territory. Galant and Halevi had informed Sullivan about "new alternative approaches" to fighting the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas in Rafah. The US has harshly criticised a major Israeli ground offensive in the southern Gaza Strip city, located on the border with Egypt. "Both sides agreed to continue talks," the White House said. Sullivan also met with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In his meetings with the ministers in the war cabinet, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, Sullivan reiterated that the US wanted to see Hamas defeated and all Israeli hostages still in the group's hands released. He had made similar comments in talks with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. During his visit to the region, Sullivan also met with Hussein al-Sheikh, the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa of the Palestinian Authority (PA), it was reported. They had discussed ending the fighting through a hostage agreement. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Colombo, May 21 : Sri Lankan intelligence agencies have launched a fresh probe into the ISIS activities on the island nation following the arrest of four suspected ISIS terrorists, all natives of Sri Lanka, from the Ahmedabad airport. Sources said that Sri Lanka's State Intelligence has requested for more details from their Indian counterparts to identify the background of arrested suspects in Ahmedabad and their alleged links to ISIS. According to reports, the four suspects - Mohammad Nusrat (33), Mohammad Farish (35), Mohammad Nafran (27) and Mohammad Rashdeen (43) - left Colombo for Chennai a few days ago. From there, they travelled to Ahamedabad where they were arrested by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad on Monday. The reports stated that the suspects were given a task by their Pakistani handler to carry out terror attacks in Gujarat in order to "teach a lesson" to Jews, Christians and members of the BJP and RSS. Sri Lanka's Public Security Minister Tiran Alles told the media that the Lankan security agencies are taking the developments quite seriously and are closely monitoring the situation. "We are working in close coordination with our Indian counterparts to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to address any potential threat," Alles told the media. Five years ago, a group of Islamic State bombers carried out a series of suicide attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, killing 270 people, including 45 foreigners, and injuring over 500. Weeks before the coordinated bomb attacks on three churches and several hotels, the Indian intelligence agencies had alerted their Lankan counterparts about the Islamic State's plan to carry out such suicide missions. However, in a major security lapse, the Lankan authorities ignored the warnings. They later admitted to receiving an "intelligence brief" from India about six terrorists planning a suicide attack on some important churches in the country. -- IANS sushita/as/svn Kyiv, May 21 : German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday morning and made a plea for more international support to protect the country's skies from Russian airstrikes. "To protect Ukraine from the hail of Russian missiles and drones, it urgently needs more air defence," she said at the start of her seventh visit to Ukraine since the all-out war erupted in February, 2022. Her trip had not been announced for security reasons. Baerbock said that Kyiv's allies must "join forces" both for Ukraine's sake and to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from sending troops to "our own borders." She noted that a German-led initiative aimed at building up Ukraine's air defences has raised almost $1 billion. "And we are working hard to ensure that this will be even more," the minister said. "We are turning over every stone several times and have even gone ahead with an additional Patriot unit." Ukraine has been on the back foot for months due to shortages of equipment, ammunition and soldiers in the war's third year. The large city of Kharkiv in the north-east of the country, not far from the Russian border, is being bombarded daily. Russian ground forces have also been advancing into the broader Kharkiv region. Baerbock had to cancel a planned visit to Kharkiv on Tuesday due to the Russian attacks. She had visited the city, which was heavily attacked by Russian troops at the beginning of the war, in January 2023. Shortly before Baerbock's visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again stressed the urgency of getting air defence systems and Western fighter jets to his country. "Unfortunately, the free world lacks speed on these two issues," he said on Monday evening. Zelensky has repeatedly requested the delivery of two more Patriot air defence systems to protect Kharkiv. Ukraine reportedly has three of the most powerful US-made air defence systems. The German government has provided two of them and recently promised a third unit. The other Patriot unit currently active in Ukraine comes from the US. Washington is considering the delivery of a further system. German attempts to procure Patriots from partner countries in Europe or overseas have not been successful so far. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Kolkata, May 21 : The framing of charges in the coal smuggling case at a special CBI court in West Bengal's Asansol area in West Burdwan District was postponed on Tuesday till July 3. Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) The framing of charges in the coal smuggling case at a special CBI court in West Bengalas Asansol area in West Burdwan District was postponed on Tuesday till July 3. The process was delayed because of the absence of the three accused in the case. One of the three accused, Binay Mishra has been absconding for a long time. As per information available with the CBI, he is currently settled in Vanuatu Island where he has taken citizenship after surrendering his Indian passport. Apart from him, Joydeb Mondal and Narayan Kharge are the two other accused who were absent at the special court on Tuesday. Their counsels informed the court that they could not be present physically because of ill-health. The next date for the process of charge-framing in the case is July 3 and the judge ruled that all the accused should be present in court on that day. The CBI has submitted two supplementary chargesheets at the special court in the matter. On Tuesday, the CBIas counsel informed the court that they will file another supplementary chargesheet in the matter by the next date of hearing and some new names would be included in it. However, the judge questioned the reason for filing a fresh supplementary chargesheet in the last stage of the investigation. In the previous chargesheets 43 individuals were named apart from some corporate entities, some of which have already been declared as bankrupt. New Delhi, May 21 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday fired fresh salvos at the INDIA bloc in Bihar at a poll rally and tore into Congress-RJD governments for "forced" migration of youth from the state. Prime Minister accused the Congress and its allies of ruining 60 years of the country and also destroying the lives of three to four generations and said that they will be made to pay the price for such 'injustice' by the citizens. He said that the 21st century cannot move forward with the 'sins' of the INDIA bloc and asserted that people of the country will 'strike back' at the "ill-intentions" and "misdeeds" of Congress and RJD on June 4, the day when results for Lok Sabha elections will be declared. "This strike will be against rampant corruption, politics of appeasement, tukde-tukde gang, Jungle Raj, anti-Sanatan mindset and also on their devious plot to divide society for political gains," PM Modi said at the public rally. PM Modi, on a campaign trail to Bihar, addressed two rallies on Tuesday, first in East Champaran and second in Maharajganj. Both rallies saw a groundswell of support as thousands of people gathered at the venues. PM Modi slammed the past dispensations of Bihar for decades-long migration of youth and said that it was only stopping now due to the efforts of the NDA government. Taking a swipe at Congress and its "prince", PM Modi said that the Opposition doesn't have any agenda in the elections, other than "abusing" him. "Somebody is saying that they will dig Modi's grave, someone is saying that they will bury him while Congress prince wants to see tears in my eyes," he told the huge gathering. Taking on the INDIA bloc, PM Modi stated that the nation can't run as per their whims and fancies. Further mocking the Opposition, the Prime Minister said that they have been completely defeated and decimated by the fifth phase of elections. "INDI alliance was in low spirits in the first phase and by the fifth phase, they have been completely decimated. The sixth and seventh phase will see their further downfall," he said. Lambasting the Opposition for its "anti-Ram" stand, PM Modi said they not only "opposed" Ram Temple construction but also declined the invite for Pran Pratistha. "A person who was convicted and sentenced to jail term was released on health grounds. But, he chooses to relish good food at home and decline an offer to visit Ram Temple," PM Modi told the gathering, taking a jibe at RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav. Kolkata, May 21 : The Election Commission of India (ECI), on Tuesday barred former judge of Calcutta High Court and BJP candidate for the Lok Sabha polls, Abhijit Gangopadhyay from campaigning for 24 hours, as a fallout of his derogatory comments against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made earlier this month. As per the ECI's order Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who is contesting from Tamluk Lok Sabha constituency in East Midnapore District of West Bengal, has been barred from campaigning for a period starting from 5 P.M. on Tuesday till 5 P.M. on Wednesday. At a public meeting in Haldia on May 15, Abhijit Gangopadhyay said in Bengali, "Mamata Banerjee, how much are you being sold for? Your rate is Rs 10 lakh, why? Because you're getting your make-up done by Keya Seth? Mamata Banerjee, is she even a woman? I keep wondering sometimes." On May 17, the ECI slapped a show-cause notice on Abhijit Gangopadhyay acting on a complaint from the Trinamool Congress accusing him of making derogatory comments about Mamata Banerjee. Accordingly Abhijit Gangopadhyay replied to the show-case notice within the stipulated time-frame on May 20. After reviewing his reply, said insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, the commission decided to bar him from campaigning for 24 hours. The demeaning remarks by Abhijit Gangopadhyay went viral after a video emerged online a day later in which he could be heard wondering about the amount at which CM Banerjee was getting sold. Polling for Tamluk along with seven other Lok Sabha constituencies is scheduled in the sixth phase on May 25. Islamabad, May 21 : Calling it a "black law", almost all journalist organisations in Pakistan have rejected the controversial 2024 Defamation Bill which was bulldozed and passed by the provincial Assembly of Punjab on Monday. Condemning the bill as a direct and serious assault on press freedom in the country, the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) slammed the government for ignoring the demands of the media community and forcibly passing the bill from the provincial Assembly. CPNE maintained that the relevant stakeholders were not taken on board, nor any consideration was given to the recommendations of the provincial Punjab government. "The bill, rushed through without any due consideration, not only establishes a parallel judicial system but also empowers self-styled tribunals to impose hefty fines, ranging from Rs three million to Rs 30 million," read a statement issued by the CPNE. Under no circumstances will the CPNE accept such draconian legislation and we stand ready to protest alongside other journalistic organisations," the statement added. As per the bill, a special tribunal would be formed to try those involved in drafting, publishing and/or airing fake news. The tribunal shall decide the case within six months and may impose a fine of up to Rs three million. However, in case of allegations against individuals holding constitutional posts, the High Court will hear the cases. The bill also maintains that the government will provide legal assistance to women and transgender individuals in defamation cases through an official legal team. Despite the fact that a meeting was held between Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari and journalist bodies on Monday, in which the bodies recommended the government put it on hold for some days, discuss amendments and remove some proposed measures, the bill was introduced in the provincial Assembly, ignoring the recommendations of the journalist bodies. The passing of the bill in the provincial Assembly saw protests by opposition benches and journalists covering the parliamentary proceedings. "The bill would provide the administration with unchecked authority to suppress dissenting voices," maintained CPNE. "All major journalistic organisations, including the CPNE, Pakistan Broadcasters Association (PBA), All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS), Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), and Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND), are united in demanding that the Punjab Information Minister postpones the defamation bill," the CPNE statement read. Journalist bodies have decided to announce protests against the draconian law, insisting that any law or legislation impeding freedom of expression or press freedom would face strong resistance and opposition. Tel Aviv, May 21 : At least seven people were killed in an Israeli military operation in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, according to Palestinian health authorities. The Health Ministry in Ramallah on Tuesday said that nine Palestinians were injured, with two of them in critical condition. The director of a hospital in Jenin told Palestinian television that a doctor had been killed by gunfire on his way to work. According to the Palestinian Education Ministry, a teacher and a pupil were also among the dead. Extremist Palestinian groups reported that they had engaged in fierce firefights with Israeli special forces in Jenin. According to media reports, they also used explosive devices. The Israeli army said it conducted an anti-terrorism operation in Jenin. The city is considered a militant stronghold and has faced repeated Israel raids since the outbreak of war in Gaza. Since October 7, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the occupied West Bank has counted at least 490 Palestinians killed in the territory during Israeli military operations, confrontations, or their own attacks. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Kolkata, May 21 : A Border Security Force (BSF) jawan accused of outraging the modesty of a woman at a village in the Uluberia Lok Sabha Constituency in Howrah, West Bengal, on Sunday, has been taken off poll-related duties and suspended. According to an official statement issued by the BSF, an inquiry is underway and the jawan will be severely punished if found guilty. The complainant had alleged that she was out for her morning walk on Sunday when the accused jawan and a colleague -- both of them in uniform -- gave indecent proposals. After she protested, the accused jawan allegedly hugged and kissed her. Locals nabbed him after she raised the alarm. The alleged incident has given the Trinamool Congress fresh ammunition to attack the decision of the Election Commission to deploy Central Armed Police Forces personnel for the elections. "Central forces personnel are here to outrage the modesty of women in Bengal," Trinamool leader and Minister Shashi Panja commented. "The BSF has set up an inquiry to investigate the matter and strict action will be taken if the accused is found guilty. The BSF is a professional force and does not tolerate any act of indiscipline by its personnel. BSF has been performing election duties with utmost seriousness and any misconduct by the troops is taken very seriously. In the alleged incident of outraging the modesty of a woman, BSF acted promptly and the accused constable was taken off election duties and placed under suspension. BSF takes the matter of indiscipline with utmost seriousness and urgency," the official statement by the BSF stated. Bhubaneswar, May 21 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik saying that he has 'insulted' Odia pride and was imposing bureaucracy on the state. He said this while addressing an election meeting in Sambalpur Lok Sabha constituency from where Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan is contesting the elections. The constituency will go to polls on May 25. Home Minister Shah in the meeting claimed that BJP has already crossed the 310 seats mark after the end of five phases of polls. He also said the Bharatiya Janata Party will form a government in Odisha by winning more than 75 seats in the Assembly elections. Launching a scathing attack on ruling Biju Janata Dal, HM Shah said, "Naveenji, you are imposing bureaucracy on Odisha. You have insulted Odia people and ruined Odia culture, self-identity and pride. Can a bureaucrat from Tamil Nadu rule this great Utkal Pradesh (Odisha state)? A Bhumiputra who can speak in Odia language and take forward the tradition of Lord Jagannath will only rule this Odisha." HM Shah further alleged that the BJD government has been engaged in destroying the culture and tradition of Lord Jagannath in the name of tourism. "Odisha government wants to turn the Puri Srikhetra into a commercial centre. Mutts & Mandirs were demolished and the four gates of Srimandir are not being opened. A conspiracy was also hatched to stop the Rath Yatra and it is PM Modi who worked to keep the tradition of Rath Yatra intact," Shah said. The Home Minister said that Odisha is one of the richest states in the country in terms of its rich natural resources but the people here are poor. He accused the state officers and bureaucrats of looting the huge mining resources of the state. HM Shah said that once BJP is elected to power here the mining resources of the state will not be exported outside Odisha and the value addition on the mining resources will be carried out in the state only after setting up of a complete production chain here. "We want to make an Odisha where not a single youth will be forced to go to Maharashtra, Haryana or Bangalore for labour leaving his wife and elderly parents here. He can get work in his home state. Odisha has a beautiful location, a long coastline, a huge store of mining resources and industrious youths but the state only lacks a Chief Minister who can work hard. Elect BJP to power in the state, we will make Odisha developed with a laborious and energetic young CM," HM Shah added. He alleged stepmotherly treatment towards the western part of Odisha by the BJD government. Speaking on the Ratna Bhandar (treasury trove of Puri Shree Jagannath Temple) issue, Shah said that if the BJP forms government in Odisha then it will carry out the inventory of the ornaments, precious stones and other assets kept in Ratna Bhandar by the Reserve Bank of India and make all the details public. HM Shah also assured the establishment of a 500-bed hospital and medical college for the labourers at Sambalpur. He also promised to start the study of medical science courses in the Odia language. The Minister said that all the guilty involved in the Chit fund scam will be put behind bars and the money looted from investors will be returned within 18 months of the BJP forming government in Odisha. Amit Shah is scheduled to address three more public gatherings at Parjang in Dhenkanal district, Keonjhar, and Lathipada in Nayagarh district. Jaipur, May 21 : As Rajasthan continues to reel under an intense heat wave, the maximum temperature breached the 45-degree Celsius mark in many parts of the state in the last 24 hours. Pilani recorded the highest temperature at 46.6-degree Celsius, followed by Ganganagar (46.3) Barmer (46.1), Phalodi (46), Dholpur (45.9), and Kota (45.8). R.C. Sharma, Director at the Jaipur Met Centre, said, aIn the next 4-5 days, the minimum temperature in some parts of the state will be 2-5 degrees Celsius above the average while the night temperature will also increase at some places. "The maximum temperature is likely to increase by 2-degree Celsius in the next 72 hours. There is a possibility of a severe heat wave in most parts of the state in the next two days. The temperature may shoot up to 48-degree Celsius in some parts of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaipur, Kota, and Bharatpur divisions." The Met office has advised kids and elderly people to stay indoors and avoid going out at noon. It also advised people to stay under shade and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. ORS, homemade drinks like lassi, lemonade, etc. can be used to keep the body hydrated, it said. Farmers are advised to take appropriate measures to protect their livestock from heat and irrigate crops regularly during the morning or evening hours. New Delhi: Actor Rajkummar Rao during an event for his induction as a National Icon by the Election Commission of India (ECI). Image Source: IANS News New Delhi, May 21 : Actor Rajkummar Rao skipped the promotions of his upcoming film 'Mr & Mrs Mahi' in the national capital as he is currently busy shooting for his other film. In a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday, Janhvi said: "He (Rajkummar) wanted to come. We were in Varanasi. We promoted the film there but he's actually shooting for a film there. Whatever cities we go to he will try coming." She shared that Rajkummar was sad as he couldn't be a part of the promotions. "He got very sad yesterday because he said the fun of promoting a good film is something else. He really wanted to be here but he's got his film commitments. That's why I have got double energy here," Janhvi said. Talking about visiting Varanasi and doing Ganga aarti, the actress shared: "It was beautiful. Our promotions started on a divine note. Since childhood, there has been this different fascination for Varanasi. It is a historic place and the energy there is just beautiful." "I am very happy that we started our promotions from Varanasi and with Ganga aarti. I think it was a divine thing because we couldn't have asked for a better start of promotions," she said. The film is all set to release in theatres on May 31. Kolkata, May 21 : Three employees of the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, who were booked on the charges of allegedly confining a woman contractual employee to stop her from filing an outrage of modesty complaint against West Bengal Governor C. V. Ananda Bose, on Tuesday secured bail. A lower court in Kolkata granted anticipatory bail against personal bond. The employees who have secured bail are Kusum Chhetri, SS Rajput and Sant Lal. The FIR was registered against the three employees, including a woman, based on an in-camera statement given by the complainant to a judicial magistrate where she had accused three Raj Bhavan employees of illegally detaining her within the Raj Bhavan. Kolkata Police had summoned these three employees twice before. All three of them, besides demanding copies of FIRs, sought time from the police to appear. However, the police refused to grant them the time and instead cautioned them of direct arrest if they did not answer the third summons. Thereafter, the three employees approached a lower court in Kolkata for anticipatory bail, which was granted on Tuesday. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Kolkata Police issued summons for the interrogation of four other employees of Raj Bhavan. The notice has been issued under Section 160 of the Indian Penal Code (punishment for committing affray). The Governor, since the beginning, had vehemently denied those allegations and said that the entire event was plotted with the sinister motive to malign him in the political interest of a political party. Recently, the video footage of two CCTV cameras installed at the North Gate of Raj Bhavan was screened for the public within the Governoras House premises. Recently, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at a public meeting that she is scared to go to Raj Bhavan. Brussels, May 21 : EU ministers on Tuesday have unanimously given their final approval to the Artificial Intelligence Act, a major new law regulating the use of transformative technology in "high-risk" situations, such as law enforcement and employment. The European Union hopes that laying down strict AI rules relatively early in the technology's development will address the dangers in time and help shape the international agenda for regulating AI. Systems intended for use in "high-risk" situations, listed in the law's annexes, will have to meet various standards spanning transparency, accuracy, cybersecurity and quality of training data, among other things. Some uses, such as Chinese-style social credit scoring, will be banned outright. High-risk systems will have to obtain certification from approved bodies before they can be put on the EU market. A new "AI Office" will oversee enforcement at the EU level. There are also more basic rules for "general purpose" systems that may be used in various situations - some high-risk, others not. For example, providers of such systems will have to keep certain technical documents for audit. However, providers of especially powerful general-purpose AI systems will have to notify the European Commission if the system possesses certain technical capabilities. Unless the provider can prove that their system poses no serious risk, the commission could designate it as a "general-purpose AI model with systemic risk," after which stricter risk-mitigation rules would apply. Meanwhile, AI-generated content such as images, sound or text would have to be marked to protect against misleading deepfakes. The European Commission proposed the first draft of the AI Act in April 2021, having published a "white paper" outlining its plan for a risk-based approach in February 2020. The European Parliament pushed for much stricter rules - such as a blanket ban on police use of real-time facial recognition in live CCTV feeds. However, EU member states were reluctant to impose too many restrictions on law enforcement and border security and feared too much red tape would harm economic competitiveness. Negotiators for the parliament and the member state finally reached a compromise in December after several rounds of gruelling late-night talks. The final law does impose a general ban on real-time facial recognition in CCTV, however, there are exceptions for law enforcement uses, such as finding missing persons or victims of kidnapping, preventing human trafficking, or finding suspects in serious criminal cases. Now that the law has been finalised by unanimous vote among ministers, it must be signed by the presidents of the EU legislature and then published in the EU's statute book. It then technically becomes law 20 days later, but most of its provisions won't take effect until two years after that. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Kochi, May 21 : The Kerala High Court on Tuesday quashed proceedings against state Congress president K. Sudhakaran in an attempt to murder case involving CPI(M) leader P. Jayarajan. The incident, according to Jayarajan, the present Left convenor of the ruling CPI(M)-led Left, took place while he was travelling by train through Andhra Pradesh on April 12, 1995, when two people fired at him and injured him. Jayarajan was returning after attending a party meeting in Chandigarh. He had alleged that it was on the behest of Sudhakaran that a revolver was purchased and a group of people was sent to eliminate him. The case was handled at a lower court in the state capital and in 2016 it had ruled that Sudhakaran face trial. But Sudhakaran approached the High Court to quash the case and acquit him. On Tuesday, the court said, "In this case, I have already found that there is a legal bar in proceeding against the petitioners herein, in view of the fact that the FIR based on which the entire prosecution case is built, amounts to a second FIR in respect of the very same transactions covered by the FIR and final report in Crime No.14/1995 of Chirala Railway Police Station. Hence the invocation of the Revisional Powers of this Court is justified," stated the court. Reacting to the judgment, Jayarajan said he would request the Kerala government to appeal to the Supreme Court. "The real target was Pinarayi Vijayan, but on that day, he did not take the train and it was me who was travelling. I am also seeking legal advice if I can also approach the apex court. I will see if the evidence which we gave was enough and if it was due to the lack of it, the case was dismissed. At the time of the incident, the Congress was ruling at the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh, and hence the probe had its deficiencies," said Jayarajan. Over the years, especially after the shooting incident, both these veterans hailing from Kannur have been attacking each other on this. Reacting to his acquittal Sudhakaran said the CPI(M) has been trying their best to malign him by registering false cases and this is a classic example. " I will fight the case in the apex court as I did here," said Sudhakaran. New Delhi, May 21 : A man absconding for the past 20 years in connection with the abduction and murder of a Delhi-based businessman for ransom was arrested from near the Ramlila Maidan in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, where he was selling chole bhature after changing his identity, Delhi Police said on Tuesday. An official of Delhi Police's Crime Branch said that to track the movement of Sipahi Lal a.k.a Gurdayal, ASI Sonu Nain posed as a mango seller and put up a 'rehri' near the Ramlila Maidan in Mainpuri. Sharing details of the 20-year-old case, the police said that on October 31, 2004, a businessman named Ramesh Chand Gupta left his house in Delhi's Shakarpur area in his Santro car, but did not return home. His brother Jagdish Kumar lodged a case of abduction with the Shalimar Bagh police station. On November 2, 2004, Gupta's car was found deposited at the Bahadurgarh police station, but the man was still missing. Based on the suspicion of the family members, a person named Mukesh Vats was arrested. "On interrogation, Vats disclosed that he along with his associates Sipahi Lal, Shareef Khan, Kamlesh, and Rajesh abducted Gupta and later killed him," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Rakesh Pawariya. Vats ran a vegetable business at the Azadpur Mandi and Shareef Khan, Kamlesh, Rajesh, and Sipahi Lal were his employees. The accused put the body in a gunny bag and dumped the same in a drain near Karala village. During the investigation, Shareef Khan and Kamlesh were arrested from Karala where Gupta's body was also found. However, Sipahi Lal and Rajesh could not be arrested and were declared proclaimed offenders by the court. "Recently, the police got a tip-off that Sipahi Lal was selling chole bhature under a different name near the Ramlila Maidan in Mainpuri. To trace his movement and activities, ASI Sonu Nain was placed there in the disguise of a mango seller," the DCP said. After two days, the ASI came to know that Sipahi Lal was selling chole bhature under the name of Gurdayal. "When confronted, he tried to hoodwink the police by identifying himself as Gurdayal. But later he broke down and disclosed his real name and identity. The accused has been arrested under the appropriate sections of the law," the DCP added. Mumbai, May 21 : Actor Rohit Saraf, who is gearing up for his upcoming movie 'Ishq Vishk Rebound', has shared his idea of love. The actor attended the launch of the film's title track on Tuesday along with his co-actors at a multiplex in Mumbai's Juhu area. Talking to the media, Rohit said: "I believe in old school romance and monogamous relationships. I hear the new lingo of 'polygamy', 'polyamory', or a 'situationship', I respect it but, I won't like it for myself." The actor also mentioned that he would like to have the kind of love story that his parents have had. He said: "I love movies and like to be in them, I'm in one but, the thing about films is that it's born out of someone's imagination and are not necessarily real. But, having seen the love story of my parents up close, I would like to have that kind of love in my life." 'Ishq Vishk Rebound' also marks Rohit's return to the romantic genre. The actor, previously, rose to fame with his popular series 'Mismatched' in which he played Rishi Shekhawat. The film, directed by Nipun Avinash Dharmadhikari, is produced by Ramesh Taurani and Jaya Taurani. Astana, May 21 : Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) grouping met in Astana on Tuesday to discuss regional security issues and also finalise preparations for the upcoming Summit of the SCO Council of Heads of State, slated to be held in the Kazakh capital in July. India's delegation at the meeting, which was opened by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is led by Dammu Ravi, Secretary, Economic Relations, at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). "The cooperation programme agreed with you on the fight against terrorism, separatism, and extremism is a concrete step in this direction. In turn, the completion of work on the SCO's anti-narcotics strategy will strengthen mutual measures to combat the drug threat, including the blocking of terrorist financing channels," Tokayev said in his opening remarks. Foreign Ministers from Russia (Sergei Lavrov), China (Wang Yi), Kazakhstan (Murat Nurtileu), Kyrgyzstan (Jeenbek Kulubayev), Uzbekistan (Bakhtiyor Saidov), Belarus (Sergey Aleynik), Tajikistan (Sirojiddin Muhriddin), Pakistan (Ishaq Dar) along with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran (Mehdi Safari), Secretary General of the SCO Zhang Ming, Director of the Executive Committee of the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure Ruslan Mirzayev also participated in the meeting. Meanwhile, Ravi has held a series of meetings, including with Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Rudenko and senior officials of the Kazakhstan government since he arrived in the country on Monday. "An exchange of views took place on a wide range of bilateral and international issues, with an emphasis on interaction in the UN, BRICS and SCO. The focus on further strengthening the versatile India-Russia Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership was confirmed," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the Astana meeting. Prayagraj : , May 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that the character of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress is anti-development and they have no respect for Sanatan Dharm. Addressing a rally in support of BJP candidates in Prayagraj and Phulpur, the Prime Minister said, "Inke liye, sushasan aur Sanatan ka 36 ka rishta hai." He said that the people of Prayagraj had been deprived of development till 2017 when the BJP came to power in Uttar Pradesh. "You have seen stampedes in the Kumbh Mela but now these events are organised on a huge level and peacefully. SP and Congress had no concern for Kumbh Melas -- they were more concerned about their vote bank. They are competing with each other in appeasing their vote banks. Their boycott on the Ram temple decision was a part of this," he said. The Prime Minister said that his mantra was "Virasat bhi, Vikas bhi' where development was done keeping the heritage intact. Listing the development works done in Prayagraj, PM Modi said that the SP and Congress 'princes' cannot think beyond their family. "The Congress gives the entire credit of Independence to one family. We built the world's tallest State of Unity as a tribute to Saradar Patel but the Congress family did not even visit it. The people of Prayagraj will never forgive those who insult Lord Shri Ram. I salute this holy land of Triveni," he said. He further said that Prayagraj was now touching new heights of development and the dreams of people are coming true. He said that many first-time voters do not know that in the INDIA bloc regime, women were unsafe. "There was extortion and bomb blasts on roads. Can the traders forget those days when the mafia would take away their money and land? The BJP government has taken back that land and built houses for the poor. These people had turned UPSC into Parivar Service Commission," the Prime Minister said. He further said that the Congress and SP had now started telling lies because their boat was now sinking. "They are telling lies about the Constitution. Everyone knows who tried to change the Constitution by imposing the Emergency. It was the Allahabad High court here that put brakes on the Congress misdeeds," he said, adding that it was Modi's guarantee that no one will be allowed to tamper with reservation and the Constitution. Taipei, May 21 : Thousands of people, on Tuesday, gathered outside the main building of Taiwan's Parliament to voice their worries about what they see as a dysfunctional legislature and the erosion of democracy by China-friendly parties. Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in the Parliament in the January elections and has faced major challenges in the current session, which started in February. On Friday, ruling and opposition lawmakers engaged in brawls over several controversial bills, including the expansion of the legislature's investigative powers. Several injured lawmakers required hospital treatment. The fear is that the power of the legislature is being expanded without the appropriate dialogue and procedures. The main reason behind the chaos is that the opposition parties - including the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) - voted last month in committee, where bills are usually reviewed and discussed, to take their versions of the bills directly to a floor vote without clause-by-clause deliberation, and left out bills proposed by the independence-leaning DPP. On Tuesday, when lawmakers continued their meeting to vote on the contentious legislation, huge banners reading "Democracy is dead" and "Hong Kong-ization in Taiwan" were hung at the podiums in the conference hall. Ordinary people and activists from NGOs gathered outside the legislature to express their dissatisfaction, displaying banners reading "No discussion, No democracy," "I defy the parliament," and "Democracy overturns." "Are such bills (proposed by the opposition lawmakers) designed to expand their power or to let our sovereignty be asserted?" Citizen Congress Watch chairman Tseng Chien-yuan said at a news conference at the protest scene. "Taiwan is not a normal country. So I'm afraid that Taiwan's democracy could be easily taken away, just like that in Hong Kong," Amy Yang, a 45-year-old obstetrician, told dpa on the sideline of the protest. Yang, also a mother of an 11-year-old son, said she is worried about the erosion of democracy, which would leave a dim future for the next generations. --IANS/DPA sd/svn Chennai, May 21 : The Tamil Nadu Special Police commenced an investigation into an organ trading racket on Tuesday. All Superintendents of Police have been directed to investigate whether any people from the state were sent to Iran. This is following the arrest of Kerala native Sabith Naseer from Cochin International Airport following a tip-off from central agencies regarding his frequent travels to Iran from Kochi and other destinations. Sabith Naseer was arrested on Sunday and is now under judicial custody. According to his remand report, he has admitted to taking 20 people from various states of India to Iran to sell their kidneys. While Sabith Naseer has not named anyone from Tamil Nadu as being part of the racket, police are not taking any chances and have begun a probe. The Vigilance Department has asked all SPs to trace any missing persons cases or people who have recently gone to countries like Iran. Central Intelligence agencies are also assisting the Tamil Nadu Intelligence and providing inputs on the movement of people from the four international airports in the state, including Chennai, Coimbatore, Tiruchi and Madurai. According to information, the case is likely to be taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as this has international ramifications. Iran had in 1988, legalised Living Non-Related Donation (LNRD) of kidneys and is considered the only country to do so. This was reported in a 2008 study published by Rupert WL Major in the McGill Journal of Medicine. Compared to this, there are stringent laws in India for organ donation. The Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA) 1994 was enacted to provide a system of removal, storage, and transplantation of human organs for therapeutic purposes and for the prevention of commercial dealings in human organs. Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011 was enacted and the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Rules 2014 were notified in 2014. Sabith has admitted that he used to get Rs 5 lakh per kidney donor and each donor was paid anywhere between Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh. He has also admitted that there is an organised network behind this. However, sources said that the kidneys fetched much more than has been admitted by Sabith Naseer and that this was only the tip of the iceberg. Jaipur, May 21 : The Army wives in Rajasthan and their kids will soon be able to narrate tales of valour, sacrifice, local culture, art and experiences as Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) Sapta Shakti Command has launched a skill-based three-month-long Media Masterclass Programme. The programme has been launched in association with Army Public School (APS), Jaipur and Saksham Sanchar Foundation. The skill-based course that was launched during the summer vacations will be attended by students and Army wives. "AWWA in association with APS and Saksham Sanchar Foundation, has launched the three month Media masterclass programme in which students and Army wives will be empowered to turn into entrepreneurs, influencers, mediapersons, and so on. "The idea is to train students to learn stories catering to art, craft, culture, tourism, historical assets and so on. The students have been using mobiles, however, if they learn the art of mobile journalism, they can do wonders. "The idea is to give them direction for using mobile phones cautiously and for a reason," said Ravindra Nagar, spokesperson Saksham Sanchar Foundation. Also, Army wives and war widows can turn into influencers and entrepreneurs at their native place and start earning without having to migrate, he added. Around 400 students on May 9 attended the career counseling session held in Sapta Shakti Auditorium in which Saksham Sanchar Foundation filtered around 60 students on Monday. In fact, 7 Army wives have also been registered for the programme. Speaking on the occasion, Geetanjali Bahl, Chairperson education, South Western Command said, "Media education by Saksham Sanchar Foundation will help students choose their desired career in multiple fields and build upon skills to shape their future." School principal Gayatri Kulshreshtha said, "The National Education Policy has been talking about skills, and skill-based education has become necessary in present times." Students will be taught script writing, video making, story writing by veterans from the media field, said Dimple Arora, course coordinator of Saksham Sanchar Foundation. "In the next phase, we will take this programme to the interiors where war widows and local students will be empowered by teaching them the art of storytelling," Arora said. New Delhi, May 21 : India is set to play a pivotal role in facilitating the first-ever focused discussions on regulating tourism in Antarctica at the ongoing 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) in Kerala's Kochi, an official statement said on Tuesday. The annual high-level global meetings, being held from May 20-30 in Kochi, have been organised by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR), Goa under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, and the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. The meetings are based on the provisions of the Antarctic Treaty -- a multilateral agreement of 56 Contracting Parties signed in 1959 -- of which India has been a part since 1983. While discussions around regulating tourism have been ongoing in ATCMs since 1966, a dedicated working group for regulating tourism in Antarctica has been formulated for the first time at the 46th ATCM, hosted by India, said the ministry. "India is honoured to lead this crucial initiative at the 46th ATCM, which is expected to bring a series of actionable recommendations to be incorporated into the broader framework of the Antarctic Treaty System. Antarctica represents one of the last frontiers of wilderness and scientific discovery," Secretary, Earth Sciences, Dr M. Ravichandran, who is the head of the Indian delegation, said. Calling it a collective responsibility, he implored nations "to ensure that all activities, including research and tourism, are conducted in a manner that preserves its ecological integrity for future generations". The meeting, with over 350 participants from nearly 40 nations, stressed the need for comprehensive regulations for sustainable and responsible exploration amid increasing tourism activities in Antarctica over the past few years. Dr Ravichandran noted that "India has advocated for a comprehensive, proactive, and effective tourism policy anchored in precautionary principles". In the last 40 years, "India has established itself as a significant player in Antarctic research, environmental stewardship, and international cooperation within the framework of the Antarctic Treaty System", added Dr Vijay Kumar, Adviser, Ministry of Earth Sciences, and Head of the Host Country Secretariat. --IANS rvt/ssp/vd RSS chief to be in Udaipur on June 8-9. Image Source: IANS News Agartala, May 21 : Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) supremo Mohan Bhagwat will visit Tripura for five days from May 23 and attend a series of events. Sources said on Tuesday that Bhagwat would stay at Khayerpur Seva Dham in west Tripura and would attend a series of events before departing from the state on May 28. Chief Minister Manik Saha, senior BJP leaders and ministers would meet the RSS Sarsanghchalak and discuss the prevailing political issues of Tripura. He will meet with pracharaks of the northeastern region. Political observers felt that Bhagwat's visit to the northeastern state ahead of the counting of Lok Sabha votes on June 4 is significant as the RSS has been expanding its bases in the northeastern states. Security has been further tightened in the Khayerpur Seva Dham areas in west Tripura in view of the visit of RSS chief. Rohtak/Jind, May 21 : Taking a jibe at two-time Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, BJP President J.P. Nadda said on Tuesday that the Congress leader is only focused on making his son an MP, but Rohtak desires 'Teesri Baar, Modi Sarkar' (Modi government for a third term). The Congress has fielded Bhupinder Hooda's son Deepender Singh Hooda as its candidate from the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat. Conducting roadshows in Rohtak and Jind in support of BJP Lok Sabha candidates Arvind Sharma and Mohan Lal Badoli, respectively, amid slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai', 'Jai Shri Ram' and 'Modi-Modi', Nadda said, "Congress and the INDI Alliance are living examples of corruption, dynastic politics, and appeasement. "The massive public support for the roadshows clearly indicates that the BJP is receiving overwhelming public endorsement, and Narendra Modi will become the Prime Minister for the third consecutive time with more than 400 seats." He also said that along with Rohtak and Sonipat, the lotus will bloom with more than 50 per cent of vote share on the remaining eight Lok Sabha seats in the state as well. "The entire INDI Alliance, including the Congress, is attempting to divide people and the nation. While the previous Congress-led governments kept issues like 'One rank, One Pension' hanging for 40 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi resolved them in his first term. "Congress leader Rahul Gandhi says they speak for the welfare of farmers, but the Congress insulted Jat farmer leader Jagdeep Dhankhar who sits in a constitutional position. Also, the Congress-led UPA government sent only Rs 41,000 crore to Haryana in 10 years, but the Modi government provided Haryana with Rs 2.70 lakh crore in the past 10 years," the BJP President said. He also said that despite the assault on an AAP MP at the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the entire INDI Alliance has chosen to remain silent on the issue. "Their silence has made it clear that while Congress raises slogans like 'Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon', when it comes to standing up for women, they choose to remain silent. This also indicates that for Congress, the leaders of the coalition are more valuable than the safety of the country's women. "Kejriwal, who talks about respecting women, allowed the assault on a female MP of his party inside his home. The true character of the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal have been exposed before the public," the BJP chief said. As per the INDIA bloc's seat-sharing pact, the Congress is contesting nine seats in Haryana, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in the fray from Kurukshetra. Both the BJP and its former coalition partner JJP are contesting 10 seats, while the INLD is in the fray on seven seats. Polling in all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will take place in the sixth phase on May 25. The results will be out on June 4. Hyderabad, May 21 : The Telangana government on Tuesday assured paddy farmers that it will continue procurement of paddy till the last grain. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the government was procuring even the soaked and wet paddy. Addressing a news conference, he alleged that the opposition parties were running false propaganda against the government over the issue of paddy procurement, and uttering lies has become a habit of the leaders of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Vikramarka advised the opposition parties not to politicise paddy procurement for political mileage and accused them of troubling farmers for their political interests. He said the farmers need not worry as the government would procure even the last soaked and wet grain. Noting that the procurement started 15 days in advance, he said that more procurement centres were opened across the state. Stating that the government is committed to purchasing the entire crop, the Deputy Chief Minister remarked that perhaps this commitment is not digestible to the opposition parties, and recalled that the previous government had not procured soaked and sprouted paddy. He said when he undertook his padayatra, thousands of farmers lamented their plight. "Our government is procuring wet, soaked and sprouted paddy and also ensuring Minimum Support Price for farmers," he said. He said that the government was crediting the amount into farmersa bank accounts within three days, claiming that no government in the past paid the amount within three days. He also brushed aside the criticism by the opposition parties over the paddy bonus issue, saying that the government initiated the process to pay a bonus of R .500 per quintal with fine varieties of paddy. He recalled that former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had remarked that sowing paddy is like getting a noose around the neck. Meanwhile, a note on the status of Rabi paddy procurement shows that the government has so far procured 37.59 lakh tonnes so far, against 33.97 lakh tonnes procured during the Rabi season of 2022-23. Paddy procurement this year began on March 25 while it started on April 9 last year. This time the government has opened 7,171 paddy procurement centres against 6,889 last year. Sufficient tarpaulins were provided to every paddy purchase centre to protect the paddy from rain. An increased number of paddy cleaners and weighing machines were provided. Fans and blowers were used for quick drying of paddy. Technology was harnessed and Accuweather App was used for near-accurate forecasts of hourly weather. --IANS ms/vd Bengaluru, May 21 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Tuesday said that the Congress government came to power in Karnataka under his leadership. "In my four-year term as the President of Karnataka Congress, it is significant that the party came to power under my leadership," the Deputy Chief Minister said while being felicitated by the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) in Bengaluru. His statement has brought back the debate about the rift between the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister over the post of Chief Minister. Shivakumar added that although he is currently the President of KPCC, he is unsure how long he will hold this position. Lashing out at party workers for not working for the party at the grassroot, he said those who are not capable of getting votes for the party should not seek any position. "First, organise the party at booth level. Ensure a lead at the booth level, and then ask for leadership roles. Otherwise, you won't get the opportunity. Simply wearing white clothes and getting out of white cars does not qualify one for any position. Organise or vacate. New leadership will be groomed if you fail," Shivakumar told party workers during the function. He said that as per the directions of Sonia Gandhi, a granite stone from Kanakapura has been used at the site where the late PM Rajiv Gandhi lost his life in Tamil Nadu. "In Bengaluru, Rajiv Gandhi's statue has been replaced. t was inaugurated by AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge," he said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was enraged during the oath-taking ceremony on the occasion of Anti-Terrorism Day to mark the occasion of 33rd death anniversary of former PM Rajiv Gandhi, organised at Vidhana Soudha after being asked to wait until Deputy Chief Minister Shivakumar arrived. The Chief Minister arrived on time but Shivakumar was late. Chief Minister instructed Chief Secretary Rajneesh Goyal to begin the program and let Shivakumar join later. The Chief Minister lost his cool when his Personal Secretary Venkateshaiah also informed him of the same. Siddaramaiah insisted that the program begin while Shivakumar could join later. The Chief Minister went on to administer the oath to the staff and officers at Vidhana Soudha and then rushed to Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district to attend the memorial ceremony organised by the family of five-time MLA K. Vasantha Bangera. Mumbai, May 21 : Rattled by growing public outrage over the hit-and-run accident by a drunken minor driving a Porsche that left two techies dead, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday made a surprise visit to the Pune Police Commissionerate to take stock of the case status and said that the police had dealt correctly with the sensational matter. Fadnavis met the Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime, Shailesh Balkawade and other officials who gave him a detailed briefing on the case which has snowballed into a political issue. Later, speaking to media persons, he said that the Pune police had correctly invoked the Indian Penal Code's Section 304, and urged the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to treat the accused a" 17 years and 8 months old a" as an adult since he was involved in a heinous crime. "I examined the JJBas order and found it astonishing how they could treat such a serious case in this manner... we consider it shocking," Fadnavis said. He said that three accused a" owners and managers of the hotel and the pub a" who were arrested early on Tuesday in the case, have been sent to police custody till April 24 by a Pune court. Cosie Bar and Restaurant owner Prahlad Bhutada, manager Sachin Katkar, and bartender Sandeep Sangle were taken into custody for allegedly serving alcohol illegally to a minor customer and his friends, and the premises were raided and sealed by the Excise Department this afternoon. Fadnavis said that the police have challenged the JJB in a higher court which has sent the matter back for a review by the JJB and the latter is expected to reconsider its order in a day or so. "The police are very firm that they will go to all lengths to ensure justice in this matter that has resulted in the public outrage. They have already invoked IPC Section 304 at the beginning, there was no pressure or delay or afterthought," he said. On the allegations by the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders like Congressa Vijay Wadettiwar, Pune MLA Ravindra Dhangekar, and Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut that the accused was served pizzas after he was taken into detention when two bodies were lying outside, Fadnavis said that the police stationas CCTV footage will be scrutinised and anyone found guilty shall be punished. He said that the Pune Municipal Corporation, Pune Police and State Excise Department will also examine issues of public concern like the locations of bars and pubs in residential localities, no check on age or I-cards of customers, etc, and proceed against those flouting norms strictly, including shutting down such establishments. Chandigarh, May 21 : Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday called Narendra Modi 'Jhoothon Ka Sardar' (king of lies), as he accused the Prime Minister of abusing Rahul Gandhi to hide his failures of the last 10 years. He also alleged that PM Modi wants to "snatch the Constitution" and "destroy democracy". Speaking at a press conference here after addressing a public meeting in Haryana's Jagadhari, Kharge said, "He (PM Modi) claims that it is because of him that the nation is strengthened today. We had leaders like Indira Gandhi, who broke Pakistan into two and created a separate country (Bangladesh). "He is constantly saying 'I did this, I did that'. But will the country be strengthened? What Rajiv Gandhi did, what Indira Gandhi did, what Nehru-ji did -- those are called real work." He also said that Haryana, which was ruled by the Congress from 2004 to 2014, has always been the state to walk the path of development. "However, the current government has forgotten this. PM Modi always says that he has a double-engine government that can do anything. However, he never provides the records to back his claims. The only thing he does is abuse the Congress. "The Congress came to power with a historic majority of 414 seats in 1984 under the leadership of Rajiv Gandhi. During that time, Rajivji formulated 11 important policies considering every section of the society," the Congress chief said. Earlier, addressing the public meeting in Jagadhari, Kharge said the current fight is between the people of the country and PM Modi, because the public is "fed up with him". As per the INDIA bloc's seat-sharing pact, the Congress is contesting nine seats in Haryana, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in the fray from Kurukshetra. Both the BJP and its former coalition partner JJP are contesting 10 seats, while the INLD is in the fray on seven seats. Polling in all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will take place in the sixth phase on May 25. The results will be out on June 4. Kolkata, May 21 : The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday barred the West Bengal Police from initiating action against the BJP candidate from Basirhat Lok Sabha constituency, Rekha Patra, till June 14 on an FIR registered against her. The single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta also put an interim stay on the FIR till the same period. On May 15, Patra, the face of the movement in Sandeshkhali against the alleged sexual harassment of women by a section of local Trinamool Congress leaders, approached the high court seeking protection from coercive action by the state police. She approached the court days after a video went viral wherein a local BJP leader from Sandeshkhali, Gangadhar Kayal, could be heard claiming that the movement in Sandeshkhali was plotted and orchestrated by the BJP. After the sting operation video surfaced, the West Bengal Police registered FIRs against both Patra and Kayal in the matter. The matter is scheduled for next hearing on May 12. New Delhi, May 21 : A 42-year-old man from Bengaluru has successfully achieved "durable remission" from a relapsed cancer via CAR T-cell therapy, said doctors on Tuesday hailing it as a revolutionary cancer treatment. The patient, Hamza Khan, was initially diagnosed with follicular lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes, in 2020. His condition required multiple rounds of chemotherapy and maintenance with rituximab. Despite the efforts, his cancer relapsed in February 2022, leaving him with few viable treatment options. Standard chemotherapy and an autologous stem cell transplant proved ineffective, and his prognosis worsened following a severe Covid-19 infection. With traditional therapies failing and his disease progressing, doctors at Narayana Health City in September 2022, treated him with cutting-edge immunotherapy known as CAR T-cell therapy, initiated by IMMUNEEL in Bengaluru. "CAR T-Cell therapy has revolutionised the landscape of cancer treatment, offering a lifeline to patients who have exhausted conventional options," Dr Sharat Damodar, Senior Consultant Haematologist and Head of Adult BMT at Narayana Health City, told IANS. "This groundbreaking success heralds a new era in cancer treatment, providing hope to countless patients facing relapsed cancers," he added. CAR T-cell therapy, or Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, is a groundbreaking form of immunotherapy used primarily to treat certain types of cancer, particularly blood cancers like leukaemia and lymphoma. The therapy involves modifying a patient's T-cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a central role in the immune response, to better recognise and attack cancer cells. "The advancements ensure that world-class treatment options are accessible within India. This has a lot of potential, as immunotherapy has fewer side effects and hence can be given to more people and uses the patient's own cells," Dr Damodar said. "Hamza's case exemplifies the potential of CAR T-Cell therapy to provide durable remission in relapsed lymphoma," he said. The therapy was approved for commercial use by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) in October 2023. NexCAR19, jointly developed by scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and Tata Memorial Hospital in association with industry partner ImmunoACT, became the first CAR-T cell therapy to get approval in India. "The manufacturing process is different for different varieties of CAR-T cells and this will change potency and efficacy. Long-term cure rates are also different," Dr Damodar said. "Cancer is just like bacteria and viruses. You get cancer when your body's immune cells become dysfunctional. So in CAR T-cell therapy, we remove the immune cells from the patient and engineer them so that they become active against cancer again," Dr Vipul Sheth, Senior Consultant, Hemato Oncology department at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Centre (RGCIRC), told IANS. He called the therapy a "living drug". Dr Sheth said that "the one-time treatment fights against and eliminates cancer, and remains in the body". "So next time if there is an exposure to the cancer, it can get activated and fight on its own. Because of this treatment, you can treat many refractory patients. So basically those that do not even respond to stem cell transplant or chemotherapy, in those patients you can give CAR T cell therapy," he said. New Delhi, May 21 : Amid the global furore over the alleged presence of a "cancer-causing substance" in certain spices from India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has cleared more than a dozen samples of spices from MDH and Everest brands. According to the analysis report, the extensive testing found no traces of ethylene oxide (ETO) in the samples collected from several states. The rigorous process of testing for ethylene oxide was performed at NABL-accredited laboratories notified by the FSSAI. The food regulator also picked up 300 spice samples of other brands for testing and found "no presence of ETO". The testing process began after several countries started monitoring spice products manufactured by Indian spice giants MDH and Everest over the alleged presence of a acancer-causinga agent. Food regulators in Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand warned against using certain products from MDH and Everest over the presence of ethylene oxide at " levels exceeding the permissible limit". The Spices Board, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, had said that all spice consignments would be accompanied by a cleared analytical report for ETO issued by the Spices Board. Both MDH and Everest have said their products are safe for consumption. Chennai, May 21 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi "not to denigrate Tamil Nadu and Tamil people for garnering votes" in north Indian and other states. Taking strong exception to a speech by the Prime Minister in which he said that the keys of the Puri Jagannath temple treasury were in Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister said that the PMas statement had, apart from insulting crores of believers of Lord Jagannath, been offensive to the people of Tamil Nadu who maintain a cordial relationship with the people of Odisha. "Can Prime Minister Modi accuse the people of Tamil Nadu of stealing from the treasury of Lord Jagannath of Puri? Will calling the people of Tamil Nadu dishonest not amount to insulting the people of Tamil Nadu? Why does the PM harbour so much hatred towards the people of Tamil Nadu ?" Stalin, who is also the DMK chief, said in a statement. Hitting out at the Prime Minister, he said: "The Prime Minister who glorifies Tamil language and lauds the intellectual capacity of Tamils while he is in Tamil Nadu, projects the same people as 'thieves' and 'hate-mongers' while he is campaigning in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha." "People will understand his double standards, the Prime Minister must stop denigrating Tamil Nadu and Tamils for votes." Stalin also accused PM Modi "of promoting enmity between states and their peoples through his hate speeches instead of being a role model and highlighting his governmentas achievements and partyas ideology and levelling constructive criticism against the opposition during campaigns without violating political decorum". The Prime Ministeras speeches do not augur well for the country, he contended. Mumbai, May 21 : The Emirates airline confirmed that its Dubai-Mumbai flight EK-508 suffered a Flamingo hit late on Monday night near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) minutes before it landed, here on Tuesday. According to an official spokesperson, the aircraft, a Boeing 777, with around 310 passengers landed safely without any casualties. The aircraft hit, in which a flock of 39 Flamingos were killed in the Pant Nagar area of Ghatkopar suburb according to the officials, forced Emirates to cancel its return Mumbai-Dubai service EK-509, last night. Owing to the cancellation, the Emirates arranged for an overnight stay for the passengers and crew and organised an alternative aircraft for the return flight which will depart tonight (Tuesday) at 9 pm. The Emirates spokesperson, terming the loss of the Flamingo flock as asada, said it is cooperating with the concerned authorities in the matter, besides apologising to the passengers for the inconvenience caused. It may be recalled that around 9.15 pm last night, the Emirates incoming flight suffered a hit by a flock of Flamingos over Ghatkopar, minutes before it touched down safely at CSMIA. The Forest Department said in a statement that a total of 39 of the majestic pink birds were killed in aircraft hit, and their carcasses have been sent for an autopsy to determine the causes of the tragedy. Kolkata, May 21 : Kartik Maharaj, a monk associated with the Bharat Sevashram Sangha's Beldanga unit in Murshidabad district, approached the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday seeking protection against a possible attack on the Ashram. On Monday, Kartik Maharaj sent a legal notice to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after she accused him at a public meeting of working on BJP's behalf to influence the voters to vote in favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party. On Tuesday, Kartik Maharaj claimed before mediapersons that he received a threat call on Monday wherein the caller threatened to demolish the Bharat Sevashram Sangha's entire setup in Beldanga which he is heading. "I am a monk. I am not afraid of anything. But I am concerned about the outfit, especially the hospital attached to it and the residents of the Ashram. I have also informed the top officials of the state police about the threat call," he said. In the legal notice sent to the Chief Minister on Monday, Kartik Maharaj claimed that her comments were "baseless, false, and highly libelous". He also sought a reply from the Chief Minister within the next four days failing which he will initiate legal actions against Banerjee. Meanwhile, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has called for a protest against the comments made by the Chief Minister, not just against the Bharat Sevashram, but also the Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission and ISKCON. The protest rally titled 'Sant Swabhiman Yatra' will start from the residence of Maa Sarada at Bagbazar in North Kolkata and end in front of the ancestral residence of Swami Vivekananda at Simla Street, also in North Kolkata. Guwahati, May 21 : Assam Congress President Bhupen Borah asserted that former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi is still relevant among the people of the state as he thought about bringing peace to the region by signing the Assam Accord. Borah told reporters here on Tuesday, "Rajiv Gandhi signed the Assam Accord with All Assam Students Union (AASU) to end six-year-long agitation in the state. The accord gave powers to the people of Assam." He claimed that at the present time when the BJP brought the CAA to undermine the provisions laid down in the Assam Accord to give safeguard to the indigenous community, Assamese people are fondly remembering former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Congress leader alleged that BJP passed CAA in the parliament as the ruling party had a majority. But people have never accepted this "undemocratic" law. "Congress party's stand is very clear on CAA. We have been opposing this act since the beginning and we will continue to do so. CAA has killed the soul of the Assam Accord. As Rajiv Gandhi was one of the signatories of the accord, we can never accept the CAA," he added. Borah said that after the declaration of Lok Sabha poll results on June 4, the situation will change in the entire nation. Meanwhile, he also took a jibe at the BJP saying that the ruling party initially claimed to win 13 LS seats in Assam but now they have dropped their numbers. "BJP leaders went into a defensive mood and they have changed their numbers. I am sure that they have sensed the defeat. The poll results for the Congress party will come as a blow to the BJP," Borah claimed. New Delhi, May 21 : We first ran into Atsushi Suzuki in the elevator of a five-star hotel and mistook him for a student visiting India in his gap year, but moments later, we met again and realised that he's the celebrated bartender from Tokyo on his first visit to India. The presiding deity of The Bellwood, a bar rated among Asia's Top 50 in Tokyo's vibrant and trendy Shibuya district, Suzuki speaks about bar trends that seem to be straight out of some film set in the future. From cocktails on tap to drinks inspired by food (from your favourite pizza to mango sticky rice, as is being offered at New York's celebrated new bar, Double Chicken Please), the future meets the present in Suzuki's wondrous world. Suzuki, who has worked in such trend-setting bars as Angel's Share in New York, was in New Delhi for a Beam Suntory event, One Night in Toki-O, at Khi Khi, which is a favoured watering hole of the city's young and happening crowd. And it may not be a coincidence that he works closely with another celebrity bartender, Shingo Gokan, whom IANS had met when he was also in New Delhi not very long ago. Suzuki's bar, which has become quite a pilgrimage for cocktail lovers in Tokyo, is influenced by the culture of jazz cafes known as 'kissa' (a term familiar to us, but the meaning is quite different!) dating back to the era of Japanese history (1912-26) coinciding with the reign of Emperor Taisho. These upscale cafes were all about good food, creative cocktails and hip-swinging jazz. The Bellwood recreates this tradition with a seasonal menu of 18 cocktails, each one inspired by an element of the 'kaiseki' spread, the multi-course expression of Japanese haute cuisine, and Suzuki's own inspirations. His newest is his take on the classic Negroni (gin, sweet vermouth and Campari). Suzuki's 'New-groni' consists of, apart from gin and Campari, a cherry blossom vermouth, lacto-fermented strawberries and distilled Tabasco vinegar -- the sweetness of the Campari balanced by the tartness of the strawberries and Tabasco vinegar. Suzuki serves the New-groni with rice crackers and a dollop of jam. The drink reflects his love for gin-based classic cocktails, but, as in his bar, where the classical and the contemporary co-exist happily, he keeps experimenting -- his latest love being a Japanese BBQ-inspired martini. Even the high-end nigiri sushi served in one exclusive corner of The Bellwood has elements of the cultures Suzuki got to know in the course of a working life that took him to New York, Shanghai, Toronto and London. The nodoguro (Blackthroat seaperch) nigiri, for instance, comes with a topping of flakes of the famed New York cheesecake! On his first visit to India, Suzuki couldn't stop talking about the "super warm hospitality" of the people. It reminded him of the small town near Tokyo where he comes from -- Katsushika, where, contrary to what people believe the Japanese to be (formal and reserved), "every grownup was my mum and dad ... it was like one large and happy family, where all of us knew each other and about our affairs!" During his brief stay in Delhi, Suzuki visited four well-regarded bars -- Sidecar, Hoot, PCO and Rick's -- and met one of the city's most celebrated chefs, Yutaka Saito, a Japanese married to a Delhiite, at Home, an exclusive restaurant at the PVR Ambience Mall. Suzuki's most memorable meal in Delhi was at the Gulati restaurant, which has become an institution at Pandara Road, where he had biryani, butter chicken and fish tikka. Maybe Suzuki will be inspired by the meal to concoct a butter chicken-inspired gin cocktail! As our conversation progressed, I couldn't help but ask Suzuki about the Japanese Highball cocktail -- whisky, soda and ice (just like how Indians imbibe their whisky) -- a favourite at Japanese izakayas, or informal bars where drinks are served along with snacks. Has Highball been inspired by Indians? Suzuki smiled and said that is the only way you can imbibe whisky and not get drunk because the soda dilutes the alcohol content! At izakayas, Suzuki added on a more serious note, people have their whiskies along with food and the only way not to let your whisky overpower your food is to dilute it with soda. So the next time you have your whisky, splash it with soda topped up with ice, and forget the classicists, who insist that whisky tastes best when drunk only with a little water served at room temperature. Kochi, May 21 : Kerala High Court's Justice Devan Ramachandran, who heads the Arrears Committee, has asked the Kerala High Court Advocates' Association (KHCAA) for suggestions to tackle the pendency of cases. The Judge has written to the KHCAA to come up with their recommendations and suggestions on how best the pendency of cases in the High Court can be reduced and has also asked them to list out the details of infructuous cases so these can be disposed of on a particular day. The KHCAA on Tuesday asked its members to come up with ideas on how this issue can be tackled London, May 21 : The person who died in turbulence on board a plane that encountered severe turbulence over South-East Asia was a 73-year-old man from Britain who probably had a heart attack, the BBC reported on Tuesday. The Singapore Airlines flight heading from London Heathrow to Singapore was diverted to the Thai capital following the turbulence. Citing statements made during a press conference at Bangkok's international airport, the BBC reported seven people are in a critical condition. A total of 53 passengers were injured, including the wife of the victim and a crew member, the BBC reported, citing airport officials. The aircraft "suddenly dropped" and people who were not wearing seatbelts were thrown against the ceiling. Images shared in social media showed chaos inside the Boeing 777-300ER, with crockery and food strewn along the aisle of the cabin. --IANS/DPA int/as/dan Paris, May 21 : French President Emmanuel Macron is set to travel to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, which has been rocked by serious unrest. A French government spokeswoman said Macron will leave late on Tuesday for the Pacific archipelago, which lies 1,500 kilometres east of Australia. France has deployed 2,700 police officers and some military units to New Caledonia in the wake of riots which have killed six people and seen over 200 detained. A state of emergency is also in effect in the territory, although the situation has improved in recent days, the spokeswoman said. Earlier on Tuesday, Australia and New Zealand dispatched aeroplanes to bring stranded citizens home from the violence-stricken region. The protests emerged in response to proposed electoral reforms which would give French nationals the right to vote in provincial elections after ten years of residency in the territory. The indigenous Kanak population of New Caledonia, which has long campaigned for independence, accused Paris of pushing ahead with the controversial reform without considering strong opposition among the majority of the territory's residents. The archipelago gained extensive autonomy through the NoumAa Agreement of 1998. Paris is currently trying to conclude a new agreement with political leaders in the territory, which is strategically located in the southern Pacific Ocean. --IANS/DPA int/as/dan Next chapter of the Great Game unfolds as terror outfits find new home in northern Afghanistan. Image Source: IANS News Islamabad, May 21 : The Taliban Supreme Court said on Tuesday that 10 people accused of robbery had been publicly whipped in two Afghan provinces. Eight convicts in the south-western province of Nimruz received between 15 and 30 lashes, the statement said. In the eastern province of Paktika, two convicts were sentenced to one year in prison and received 30 lashes each, according to a separate statement. The Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan has seen the reintroduction of corporal punishment, including execution and whipping, for crimes including murder, robbery and adultery. The United Nations has criticised the Talibanas use of corporal punishment, saying it violates the Convention against Torture, and has called for an end to the practice. The Taliban authorities rejected the criticism, saying this form of punishment is in line with the law and is necessary to ensure security and safety for the public. --IANS/DPA int/as/dan Kolkata, May 21 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that she will visit Sandeshkhali only after Trinamool Congress wins the Basirhat Lok Sabha seat in North 24 Parganas district under which the Sandeshkhali Assembly segment falls. "I will visit Sandeshkhali soon after our party candidate from Basirhat, Haji Nurul Islam, gets elected. Nurul has always been my favourite. I like him because he never differentiates between people based on religion. He always has a smile on his face," the Chief Minister said while addressing an election meeting at Basirhat in support of Nurul Islam on Tuesday. Banerjee also accused the BJP of hatching a fresh plot to create tension in Sandeshkhali. After the 'fake' reports of sexual harassment of women in Sandeshkhali, the BJP is now trying to create tension over temples there, she claimed. "I have got some specific information about BJP's Plan B, which includes attempts to create tension over religious places. I request all of you not to get trapped in this plot," the Chief Minister said. Banerjee also claimed that the BJP will be ousted from power after the Lok Sabha elections. "They only know how to spread false propaganda. They are constantly saying that everyone in Trinamool Congress is a thief. But they are the most notorious thieves in the entire country," the Chief Minister said. Bengaluru, May 21 : Continuing his attacks on Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar regarding the alleged sex video scandal, former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Tuesday said that he should be sacked immediately or should be forced to resign from his post for conspiring to bring disrepute to former PM H.D. Deve Gowda's family. Kumaraswamy said that the audio clipping shows Shivakumar's involvement and he must resign. "People who misuse power cannot remain in power indefinitely. Everything will come to an end," he said. He said that it is unfortunate that the Chief Minister and the entire government are protecting him. He said that Karthik Gowda, the former driver of Prajwal Revanna, handed over the alleged videos to Shivakumar in the presence of the Hassan Lok Sabha candidate. He said that after the audio conversation between BJP leader G. Devaraje Gowda (jailed in a sexual harassment case) and former Congress MP L. Shivarame Gowda came out, Shivakumar has refrained from making statements. "The handling of the case by the government appears to be aimed at destroying former PM Deve Gowda's family," he said. He said that Congress is under the illusion of winning 20 Lok Sabha seats in the state against the JD-S and BJP alliance. "Their dream will be shattered. They are depressed about the results. To change the scenario, they attempted to bring this issue to the forefront and embarrassed the state," Kumaraswamy said. Responding to the allegations, Deputy Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar said Kumaraswamy is targeting him only because he is getting "restless" without power. "Kumaraswamy thought he would be a kingmaker but people gave him only 19 seats while people gave us 136 seats. Let him ask for my resignation, he is free to express his opinion," he said. Bhubaneswar, May 21 : The Congress on Tuesday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expel BJP spokesperson and Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra from the party for his controversial remark on Lord Jagannath. Patra found himself in the middle of a political storm after he suggested on Monday that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi, drawing sharp criticisms from different quarters. Patra later apologised for his comment, saying he "will observe a three-day fast as penance". Speaking to media persons in Puri, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera said, "PM Modi should show courage and sack Sambit Patra from the party to show respect to the faith of the devotees. The Prime Minister should have apologised to the devotees of Lord Jagannath across the world." He also said that had Patra been in Congress, he would have been expelled from the party immediately for insulting Lord Jagannath. New Delhi, May 21 : The Supreme Court has dismissed a batch of review pleas filed against the Constitution Bench verdict upholding the revocation of Article 370 as valid. "Having perused the review petitions, there is no error apparent on the face of the record. No case for review under Order XLVII, Rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules 2013. The review petitions are, therefore, dismissed," a bench, headed by CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, said. Further, the 5-judge Bench, also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B.R. Gavai, Surya Kant, and A.S. Boppana, dismissed the applications seeking listing of the review petition in open court and seeking permission to appear and argue in person. The review petition, filed under Article 137 of the Constitution, against the decision rendered on December 11, said that the impugned judgment should not have left open the question of whether the Parliament can extinguish the character of statehood by converting a state into one or more Union Territories. In its verdict delivered on December 11, a Constitution Bench, headed by CJI Chandrachud had upheld the status of Ladakh as a Union Territory under Article 3(a) read with Explanation I of the Constitution, which permits the formation of a Union Territory by separating a territory from any state. However, it did not deal with the question of whether the Parliament could extinguish the character of statehood by converting a state into one or more Union Territories. "In view of the submission made by the Solicitor General that statehood would be restored of Jammu and Kashmir, we do not find it necessary to determine whether the reorganisation of the State of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir is permissible under Article 3," the apex court had said. Further, the SC held that the President has the power to issue a notification declaring that Article 370 ceases to exist even after the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir. It added that Article 370 was a temporary provision, considering the historical context in which it was included in the Constitution of India. In its verdict, the top court had also asked the Election Commission of India to take steps to conduct elections to the Legislative Assembly of Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024. Generally, review petitions are tested on very narrow grounds like mistakes of law, an error apparent on the face of the record, etc., and are often dismissed in chambers and are rarely given open court hearings. Chandigarh, May 21 : Manish Tewari, the INDIA bloc Lok Sabha candidate from Chandigarh, on Tuesday lashed out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his statements on Covid management and for describing the Congress leader as an 'Udan Khatola'. "It is a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black," Tewari said, adding, "Uttar Pradesh under Yogi Adityanath was the most mismanaged state during the Covid pandemic with bodies overflowing in the Ganga river. Yet, that man has the audacity to question our Covid management." Reacting to Adityanath's 'Udan Khatola' remark, Tewari said, "I am not sure if he actually meant me or was targeting his own Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is from Gujarat and is fighting elections from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and with whom Adityanath does not enjoy a comfortable relationship." Reacting to the UP CM's election speech here on Monday, where he made claims on Covid management, Tewari said that not a single person from his previous parliamentary constituency (Anandpur Sahib) needed to move out or walk back home. He said as an MP, he ensured that everyone got proper food and care during the lockdown which the BJP had imposed arbitrarily. Tewari also asked his rival BJP candidate, Sanjay Tandon, to provide the balance sheet for 10 years of BJP government, in an apparent dig at Tandon for describing the Congress manifesto as a "bunch of lies". Stating that manifestoes are promises that cannot be dismissed instantly, Tewari said, "You need to wait and watch before being dismissive." The lone Lok Sabha seat in Chandigarh will go to the polls on June 1. Bengaluru, May 21 : The leader of opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R. Ashoka, on Tuesday accused the Congress government in the state of being involved in phone tapping. "If this is not true, the matter should be immediately handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and taken to a logical conclusion," the BJP leader said. Speaking to reporters here, Ashoka said that former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy spoke about phone tapping and he must have been informed by some police officers. He also said that the equipment required for phone tapping can be purchased from China. "A probe should be carried out to find out how many such equipment were bought and where they were used. I have been informed by the police that the phones of opposition leaders are being tapped. The government should conduct a probe," Ashoka said. "Those involved in phone tapping must be sent to jail. The government should hand over the case to the CBI. If the government claims it is not tapping phones, then it should allow the CBI to investigate the matter," he added. On Monday, JD-S leader H.D. Kumaraswamy accused the state government of tapping the phones of the family members of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda in connection with the alleged sex video scandal involving the veteran JD-S chief's grandson Prajwal Revanna. "Our phones are being tapped. The phones of 40 people in my close circles are also being tapped. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar knows everything about this. The new phones can also be tapped within 24 hours. The phones of all my family members are being tapped," Kumaraswamy claimed. Hyderabad, May 21 : The Telangana government will formulate six new policies for industrial development, including one for the MSME sector and one for exports, it was announced on Tuesday. A new life sciences policy, a revised policy for electric vehicles, a medical tourism policy, and a green energy policy will also be unveiled. This was decided at a review meeting that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy held on Tuesday with officials of the Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation. He suggested that the policies should be formulated to compete with other countries in industrial development, and also gave some proposals for the new industrial policy to be adopted by the state government. He asked them to study the best industrial policies in other countries. The officials apprised the CM of the decisions taken in the previous review meetings and the progress of the works. CM Revanth Reddy also advised the officials to formulate a new policy to benefit the power loom and handloom workers to promote the textile industry in the state. He directed the officials to finalise the industrial policies before the model code of conduct ends. Chennai, May 21 : Heavy to very heavy rains are expected in Tamil Nadu's Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, and Tenkasi districts on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre forecast. It has also forecast the formation of a low-pressure area over the Southwest Bay of Bengal on Wednesday, and this is expected to move northeastwards initially and intensify into a depression over the central Bay of Bengal by Friday. The Tamil Nadu Revenue Department has deployed ten State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams, comprising 296 personnel, in Kanniyakumari, Coimbatore, Tirunelveli, and Nilgiris districts. Heavy rains are lashing the southern and western regions of Tamil Nadu and the state Disaster Management Department has already issued an alert, warning tourists and others from travelling to the Kanniyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Dindigul, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Virudhunagar, and Theni districts till May 24. Chennai, May 21 : The Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, Shiv Das Meena, has written to the Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, reiterating the state government's request for the release of four Tamil Nadu fishermen who were arrested by the Coast Guard in Kuwait in December last year. Chennai, May 21 (IANS) The Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu, Shiv Das Meena, has written to the Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, reiterating the state governmentas request for the release of four Tamil Nadu fishermen who were arrested by the Coast Guard in Kuwait in December last year. A statement issued by the state government said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had on February 9 written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the arrest of four fishermen from Ramanathapuram by the Kuwait Coast Guard on December 5, 2023. Stalin had requested the Centre to secure their release through diplomatic channels. The statement also said that the Chief Secretary has sent a communication to the Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs as a reminder of the request. The four fishermen -- M. Karthik (22), J.Sesu (43), M. Chandru (23), and S. Vinodkumar(27) -- were working as labourers in Kuwait since 2023. They were recruited by a Kuwaiti boat owner on a contract basis. The four fishermen had gone into the sea for fishing in a vessel in which a narcotic substance was found, following which they were arrested and sent to judicial custody. Gurugram, May 21 : BJP candidate Rao Inderjit Singh held a roadshow in Gurugram on Tuesday ahead of the sixth phase of the ongoing Lok Sabha election, which will see all 10 constituencies in Haryana exercise their franchise. BJP District President Kamal Yadav joined Rao in an open flower-bedecked vehicle as they acknowledged the enthusiastic supporters. Holding the party symbol 'lotus', Yadav waved at the cheering crowd which greeted the Ahir leaders with the slogans of 'Abki baar 400 paar' (400-plus seats for NDA this time), 'Har Har Modi' and 'Jai Shri Ram'. The roadshow started from the Prem Mandir located on the old Railway Road in Gurugram and culminated at the Maharaja Agrasen Chowk, covering a distance of nearly three km. Inderjit said that the power given by the people will be used only for the benefit of the public. "I never did politics of lies. Whatever has been said, that has been done. I am true to my words. 2019 was a trailer of the development that will take place in 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has prepared a roadmap for development for the next five years. BJP is moving forward with the resolve to make India a developed nation by 2047. To fulfill this resolution, cooperation and support of the countrymen is necessary," he added. Rao said that the situation in the Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency has changed completely in the last 10 years as commercial and business activities have received a new impetus. "The dreams of farmers, poor, industrialists, women, and youth have got new wings. Expressways, highways, AIIMS, Universities, and Medical Colleges are such gifts that were unimaginable for this region. Orbital Rail Corridor, dedicated Rail Freight Corridor, redevelopment of railway stations, doubling of railway lines, electrification. He never made false promises to the people of the area. He has shown by doing what he has said. He has lobbied strongly for projects like the Dedicated Rail Freight Corridor and AIIMS," he added. Rao said that whatever shortcomings have been there in the last 10 years will be addressed over the next five years and the infrastructure of the Gurgaon constituency will be strengthened. Ramallah, May 22 : The Palestinian presidency has slammed the US administration for its support of Israel amid the latter's ongoing attacks on Palestinians in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank. In a statement published by Palestine's official news agency WAFA, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the presidency, said on Tuesday that the Israeli government and its army continued their "crimes" in Palestinian territories as a result of the "continued and unjustified support" provided by the US, Xinhua news agency reported. He said that the American support for Israel, including financial aid, weapons, and the shielding from accountability for its "crimes," "pushed Israeli leaders to commit more crimes in northern Gaza and Rafah". He also warned of the danger of ongoing Israeli attacks on the Palestinians from the southernmost city of Rafah to the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank. Earlier on Tuesday, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that seven Palestinians were killed and 12 others were injured during an Israeli operation in Jenin. Among the injured, three were in critical condition and have been hospitalised. Palestinian security sources said that Israeli soldiers conducted a raid on Jenin and its refugee camp on Tuesday, resulting in an exchange of gunfire between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces in the refugee camp and several neighbourhoods of the city. Avichai Adraee, a spokesperson of the Israeli military, said in a post on the social media platform X that security forces carried out an operation to "thwart terrorism" in Jenin, where several gunmen were reportedly injured. Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that Israeli bulldozers continued to demolish infrastructure near Jenin Governmental Hospital and in the city's neighbourhoods. Since October 7, 2023, Israelis have killed 513 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 127 from Jenin, according to official Palestinian statistics. Tel Aviv, May 22 : The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) temporarily suspended food distribution in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip, it wrote on the social media platform X. The reasons given were supply shortages and the security situation. The Israeli military operation was continuing in Rafah on the border with Egypt, particularly in the east of the city. A military spokesman reported on Tuesday that terrorist structures had once again been destroyed and underground weapons caches discovered. According to Israeli information, 403 lorries carrying aid arrived in the Gaza Strip on Monday. Since the beginning of the war, the Israeli authorities say more than 572,000 tons of aid have been delivered. The Gaza war was triggered by the massacre carried out by the Palestinian Islamist organisation Hamas and other groups on October 7. More than 1,200 people, including around 400 soldiers, were killed in the terrorist attack and more than 200 were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. More than 35,000 people, mainly women and children, have been killed in the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, and around 80,000 injured. More than 80 per cent of dwellings are estimated to have been destroyed, and most of the territory has been rendered uninhabitable. --IANS/DPA khz Beirut, May 22 : A Hezbollah member was killed and three civilians injured in an Israeli airstrike on the village of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told the media. Israeli drones conducted four airstrikes on villages and towns in southwest Lebanon, while its military airplanes carried out six raids in the eastern and central areas of the border region, Xinhua news agency reported. Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its fighters attacked several Israeli sites. Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 479 people on the Lebanese side, including 303 Hezbollah members and 89 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources. After more than 50 years in childrens publishing, most recently as SVP and publisher of Delacorte Press, Beverly Horowitz will retire on May 31. Under her leadership, Delacorte has established a sterling backlist of middle grade and YA novels and nonfiction titles, many of which have graced bestseller lists and award rosters. The robust roundup of celebrated authors whose work Horowitz has edited includes Rob Buyea, Caroline Cooney, Lois Duncan, S.E. Hinton, Daniel Kraus, E. Lockhart, Joan Lowery Nixon, Louis Sachar, and Adeline Yen Mah. Following Horowitzs departure, Wendy Loggia, VP and senior executive editor, will be promoted to VP and president and publisher of Delacorte Press. Krista Marino, VP and senior executive editor, will become VP and associate publisher. Horowitz launched her childrens publishing career in the editorial department at Little, Brown in 1973. Childrens books were having a new beginning and growth in the early 1970s, and I had the opportunity to apply for a job at Little, Brown in Boston, she told PW. The aspiring editor was hired by publisher John Keller, whom she called a dream-come-true boss. John said to me, You must work as hard as you can and try to get my job, so I can sit around and eat bonbons. He let me do so many things and he helped me realize that working for someone is a two-way street. When I first met him, I asked him a lot of questions, and he said, Wait, are you interviewing me? And I said, Yes, I am! John was one of my earliest mentors and I was enormously lucky to work for him. Finding a Professional Family After several years at Little, Brown, Horowitz moved on to publicity and marketing positions at various houses before returning to her passion: editorial. In 1979, she settled into new work digs as an editor at Dell in Manhattan, where she encountered other individuals who, like Keller, enriched her publishing knowledge and acumen. One was an older gentleman who appeared at her office door one day. Horowitz wasnt sure who he was but, she recalled, He had a kind smile and asked me if I had a stapler and some pens and pencils he could use. So, I gave him what he asked for and off he went. A few days later he was back at my door, and said, Now I need some padded envelopes. It turned out that man was Ian Ballantine, who was a giant in publishing. He was one of the people who brought paperbacks to the United States and had retired after being president of Bantam Books and starting Ballantine Books. At that time, he and his wife were doing special projects and had been given an office on the kids books floor. He was a font of knowledge and kindness and, although we only chatted a few times, he took the time to tell me the history of paperback publishing. It was fascinating. Another colleague who shared his extensive publishing expertise with young Horowitz was George Nicholson, for whom she worked for many years. George was the powerhouse who changed childrens books with the creation of Yearling Books, she noted. Paperbacks allowed kids, teens, teachers, families to have access to books at a reasonable price. I was so curious and eager to learn, and George, like Ian Ballantine, responded to that and passed along so much to me. They both left a big impression. Words of Wisdom With retirement on the horizon, Horowitz reflected on what sets childrens publishing apart from other branches of the business. Its important, as an editor in childrens books, to realize that the work you are doing is not about you, she said. Its about what you bring to kids, who are blank slates, and publishing books that have ideas and information that entertain children and help them on their intellectual journeys. Kids and teens may not know what it is they are looking for in a book, but they will find it in the best books. And that is what has always kept me going. Horowitz cited agency and hope as key components of optimal childrens books. Giving characters choices has always been important to me, she explained. I remember a book I read as a little girl, Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer. A girls parents go away and leave her with two guardians in New York City. They give her a pair of roller skates and she goes all over the city on her own exploring and befriends people on all rungs of the socioeconomic ladder. The story is about being independent and making decisions for yourself. I loved the novel, and it has stayed with me all this time. In many of the best books for young readers, including some of the titles she has published, Horowitz affirmed, characters do not always make the right decisions. People make mistakes, but they figure it out. Our obligation to readers is to give them a slice of hope, no matter how bleak life seems. We cant always give them a happy endingthat is not lifebut there is always some kind of hope and resilience. The theme of hope resurfaced as Horowitz discussed the element of risk involved in publishing for the protean childrens audience. Publishing books for young people is in some ways a powerful position, but you have to be humble and publish not just for yourself but for the kidsand hope it works, she said. Were optimistic gamblersbut were still gamblers. The final vote is cast by the reader, and sometimes it takes time to know if you got it right. In some cases, books skip a generation and then come back more popular than ever. As childrens publishers, we have to believe that time is on our side. Bright Skies Ahead And hope, in fact, is in the forefront of Horowitzs mind as she looks to the future. We cant go back, so its better to look ahead, and hope that you have been the best that you could have been and believe that what you have achieved has made a difference in childrens lives. This is a hopeful business and the new generations working in it are moving the industry forward. Discussing her retirement, Horowitz quibbled with that term. Actually, Im calling it a lifestyle change, she clarified. I am leaving corporate lifenot that I had any problems with corporate lifeor if I did, I learned to live with them. The thought popped into my head not long ago that it is time for a new challengetime to find something big or small that I might master. Im not sure exactly what that isI have a list that keeps changing. Barbara Marcus, president and publisher of Random House Childrens Books, who has worked with Horowitz for 12 years, paid tribute to her many contributions to the company and to the industry. Beverly was a pioneer in the early licensing of young adult and middle grade paperbacks from hardcover publishers, she told PW. She was part of the team that grew Dell Yearling, which remains one of the most recognized childrens paperback imprints today. Beverlys work on the development of paperback publishing is how authors such as Judy Blume, Lois Lowry, and iconic titles like Harriet the Spy and Holes and so many others reached young readers and teachers for the first time. Marcus said that Horowitz is leaving Delacorte in strong and capable hands under the direction of Loggia and Marino. There is no question that the team will work seamlessly together to continue the strong legacy Beverly created. Horowitz echoed Marcuss confidence, noting, Delacorte is in terrific shape. I feel as though all the puzzle pieces are in place, and I am happy to leave on my own terms. I have worked with Wendy and Krista for 20 years eachand weve been together as a team for a long time. Everyone has grown and we have challenged ourselves and each other. I know that the growth and energy of Delacorte will continue. Victorias most underrated travel destinations, towns and hidden places French Island Phillip Island might be Victorias best-known island, but its by no means the only island you can visit. French Island is located in Western Port Bay and is a haven for travellers looking for wildlife and outdoor adventures. There are no sealed roads on French Island, and the only cars youll see belong to the small number of permanent residents. There are however several scenic walking tracks (try the West Coast Walking track to the Pinnacles or stroll along Fairhaven Beach) as well as more than 500 species of native birds to spot. Amongst all the windswept nature and wildlife, youll also find a winery which is open for visitors during summer. Dont want to explore the island solo? You can also book a tour departing from the mainland covering all the main attractions. Limited accommodation, including camping, is available on the island though ferries to the island can be caught from either Phillip Island (near RACV Inverloch Resort) or Stony Point (close to RACV Cape Schanck Resort). Fun fact: There are more koalas on French Island than permanent residents. Clunes Tourisms big hitters in the Victorian Goldfields might be Bendigo and Ballarat, but Clunes is worth visiting too especially if you love books. This ex-goldmining town is now known as one of only 15 internationally recognised Booktowns in the entire world, and is home to the largest collection of books in regional Australia. Every year (visit the website for exact dates) Clunes brings dozens of booksellers to the small town offering new, secondhand and rare books for sale, in addition to hosting numerous literary events. Famous authors also often visit during this time, and in recent years Clunes Booktown festival has also started celebrating storytelling in all its forms, including film, music, theatre and the visual arts. You might also get a sense of deja vu walking around Clunes the town was used as a filming location for both Mad Max (1979) and Ned Kelly (2002). Fun fact: In 1850, Clunes became the first location in Victoria to register a gold discovery. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale Buy real estate. Find a great selection of commercial real estate, manufactured homes, timeshares and more for Sale in US and Canada. Search Real Estate Property details: This is a rare opportunity to own a beautiful land in Cherokee Village, Arkansas. The 0.43 acreage lot is located on Chinook Lane and has a zip/postal code of 72529. It is a residential zoning property that is perfect for building your dream home. The seller is from New Jersey and has no closing costs. This item falls under the Land and Real Estate categories on eBay. Don't miss out on the chance to own this stunning piece of land, Lot with houses on both sides with electricity at the door, pave... Price: $ 710 Seller State of Residence: New Jersey Property Address: CHINOOK LN Type: Homesite, Lot Zip/Postal Code: 72529 Zoning: Residential City: Cherokee Village State/Province: Arkansas Location: 720**, Alexander, Arkansas You will be redirected to eBay When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Nearby Arkansas Four suspected terrorists arrested in Ahmedabad have told the investigators that their Pakistan-based handler was going to give them the exact location and time to carry out the attack after they collected the weapons dropped for them in Ahmedabad, an official said Tuesday. IMAGE: Gujarat ATS with four ISIS terrorists, who were arrested from the airport, in Ahmedabad, May 20, 2024. Photograph: ANI Photo The Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad arrested four Sri Lankan nationals from Ahmedabad airport on Sunday night after they landed here to carry out terrorist activities at the behest of Islamic State following the directions of their Pakistan-based handler. The ATS had also seized three pistols and cartridges abandoned at a location in Ahmedabad on the basis of geo coordinates found on a mobile phone seized from their possession. "So far during the interrogation, they have refused to reveal as to where exactly they were planning to carry out the terrorist attack," superintendent of police, ATS, Sunil Joshi told media persons. All they have said so far is that their handler was going to inform them about the exact location and time of the target after they collected the weapons," he said. The terrorists were taken into a 14-day police remand and were being questioned by the ATS officials regarding their plans. The investigating agency was also trying to find out about the persons who were supposed to help them in India in meeting their objectives, Joshi said. "Forensic extraction of data of their phone devices is underway. Details are being sought from the communication applications found on their mobile phones, through which they stayed in touch with their Pakistani handler," Joshi said. He said that drop points on their mobile phones were also being technically analysed and effort being made to find out if there were others who were supposed to help them carry out their objective. Joshi said that since the accused persons are from another country and arrived in Ahmedabad via Tamil Nadu, police of other states and central investigation and intelligence agencies have also joined the probe. The accused, identified as Mohammad Nusrat (35), Mohammad Faarukh (35), Mohammad Nafran (27) and Mohammad Rasdeen (43), had taken a flight from Colombo and reached Chennai on Sunday morning and took another flight to Ahmedabad, where they landed around 8 pm that day. Talking to reporters on Monday, director general of police Vikas Sahay said the men travelled to India to carry out terror activities at the behest of the Islamic State. He said the ATS team has also recovered three Pakistan-made pistols and 20 cartridges lying abandoned at a location in the city's Nana Chiloda area based on geo-coordinates and photographs found on the mobile phone seized from the accused. According to Sahay, it is suspected that the men were allegedly directed by their Pakistani handler to collect these weapons. The men told the investigators that they were earlier associated with the banned Sri Lankan radical militant outfit, National Thowheeth Jamath (NJT), and joined the IS after getting in touch with Pakistani handler Abu Bakr Al Bagdadi. The men were booked under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act. The police on Tuesday arrested the father of a 17-year-old boy, who in an inebriated state allegedly crashed his speeding high-end car into a motorcycle killing two software engineers in Pune, and four executives of restaurants for serving liquor to the minor, officials said. IMAGE: The Porsche car that hit a motorcycle at Kalyani Nagar in Pune on Sunday. Two people died in the accident. Photograph: ANI Photo he car, a Porsche, allegedly driven by the boy, who the police claim was drunk at the time of the accident, fatally knocked down two motorbike-borne IT engineers in Kalyani Nagar in the early hours of Sunday. The minor was granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board hours after the crash. As the horrific crash caused a nationwide outrage, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the home portfolio, expressed shock and surprise over the JJ Board taking a "lenient view" of the fatal car accident and granting bail to the accused, and pushed for trying the teenager as an adult. "The father of the teenager boy was placed under arrest on Tuesday evening hours after he was detained from Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar," said Amitesh Kumar, commissioner of police. The man, a real estate developer, will be produced before a court on Wednesday, he said. The police had registered a case against the teenager's father under sections 75 and 77 of the Juvenile Justice Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Section 75 deals with "willful neglect of a child, or exposing a child to mental or physical illnesses," while section 77 deals with supplying a child with intoxicating liquor or drugs. A case has been registered against the boy under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder ) of the IPC and provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act. According to the FIR lodged in connection with the incident, the man, despite knowing his son did not have a valid driving license, gave him the car, thus endangering the latter's life. He also allowed him to party despite knowing he consumes liquor. The deceased were identified as Anish Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 24-year-old IT professionals hailing from Madhya Pradesh and working in Pune Meanwhile, a Pune court on Tuesday remanded three accused - an owner and two managers of different restaurants -- where the boy consumed liquor along with his friends before getting behind the wheel of the car -- to police custody till May 24 in the case. The accused -- Naman Pralhad Bhutda, the son of Cosie restaurant owner, its manager Sachin Katkar, and the manager of Blak Club hotel Sandip Sangle - were produced before the court. While seeking their custody for seven days, the prosecution told the court that the establishments owned or managed by the accused served liquor to the boy and his friends without confirming his age (legal age of drinking is 21). Police told the court they have served a notice to Pralhad Bhutada, the owner of Cosie restaurant, asking him to make himself available for questioning as and when required. According to the police, though Pralhad Bhutda is the owner of the establishment, he does not look after day-to-day management of the hotel. The state excise department, on Pune district collector orders, has sealed the two establishments. Police commissioner Kumar said another accused, Jayesh Bonkar, is a staffer at Blak Club hotel and he was also arrested. Amid the slew of developments, deputy CM Fadnavis made a surprise visit to the Pune police commissionerate to take a review of the case, and later addressed the media. "I took a review of the case. I also discussed with officials what steps can be taken to prevent such incidents," he said. Fadnavis said after the crash, the police immediately invoked IPC section 304 along with relevant provisions and in its remand plea before the JJB, mentioned that since the teenager was 17 years and eight months old, he should be treated as adult. "After the (2012) Nirbhaya case (of Delhi), there was an amendment in the law stipulating that in heinous crimes, juveniles (accused) who are above 16 should be tried as adults. Taking this point, the Pune police sought permission to allow them to treat the juvenile (in Pune crash case) as an adult. However, the board took a different stand," Fadnavis maintained. He said the JJB took a "lenient view" on remand report filed by the police and granted bail to the boy on grounds he will do community work for 15 days and write an essay of 300 words on road safety." "The order (granting bail) passed by the JJB was shocking and surprising and it aggravated the public outrage," the deputy CM opined. The police moved an application in a higher court challenging the JJB order. "The court, however, asked the police to again approach the Board and file a petition for revision of the order. The court also said if the JJ Board does not review its order, then police can approach the higher court," he said. Fadnavis said the police have approached the JJB for a revision of its order and a decision is expected by Wednesday. He said the police will do whatever it takes to ensure justice in the case. "The police have taken the case seriously and they will not tolerate someone getting bail despite fatally knocking down two persons," Fadnavis asserted. Concerns have been raised regarding pubs and restaurants where age checking is lax, he said. "The police have been asked to enforce rules meant for liquor serving establishments. Instructions have also been given to curb drunken driving," said Fadnavis. Four times more liquor has been seized in the 2024 election than during the 2019 polls. Kindly note the images have only been published for representational purposes. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters Shahzad and Vinod (names changed), both illicit liquor traders, are delighted by the high demand to supply liquor in dry Bihar during the current Lok Sabha elections. "Demand for liquor was never so high as it is at this time. We are unable to meet the high demand. Unlike the last two elections (the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2020 assembly polls), there is unbelievable demand this time," says Shahzad. "We are likely to make a record profit," add Shahzad and Vinod who operate their illicit business from an upmarket area in Patna. There are scores of such liquor traders active across Bihar. Some of them smuggle liquor from outside the state, some manufacture hooch locally. Photograph: Reuters Despite total prohibition in the state, liquor is freely distributed in Bihar's villages and towns. Leaders across political parties use alcohol to woo voters and keep their workers and supporters active during the hectic campaigning, especially in heatwave conditions. Officials of Bihar's Prohibition and Excise Department and the state police have seized more than 450,000 litres of liquor in the state till May 15, after the Model Code of Conduct came into force in mid-March. The current seizure of liquor is more than four times the seizure of alcohol during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The excise department and police have also seized thousands of litres of desi mahua-made liquor during this period. The authorities have seized more than 80 liquor-laden trucks during this period. A senior police officer told this reporter that the liquor was smuggled to the state before the election and stored to meet the high demand during the polls. "The seized liquor is hardly 10 to 20 percent of what has been smuggled," the police officer says. "We have received reports that politicians have been distributing liquor bottles during the campaign and especially a day ahead of the polls on a large scale," says the police officer, adding, "But we cannot take action against anyone because it is election time." Photograph: ANI Photo This is the second Lok Sabha election in Bihar after total prohibition was imposed in April 2016, when the manufacture, storage, transportation, sale and consumption of alcohol was banned in the state. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who took credit for prohibition in Bihar during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to reach out to women voters, is silent on the issue this election. The mention of 'sharab bandi' (prohibition) is missing from the Janata Dal-United president's election campaign. More than 200 people have died in a series of hooch tragedies in the last two years in the so-called dry state. Another reason for Nitish Kumar's silence on his prohibition policy is that his allies -- the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Hindustani Awam Morcha and the Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas -- have reservations against the liquor ban. The BJP, till early January 2024, used to attack Nitish Kumar for failed prohibition but after joining hands with him on January 28, 2024, the party has gone mum on the issue. The opposition Mahagathbandhan (comprising the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Congress and the Left parties) has repeatedly alleged that prohibition has failed in the state. Mahagathbandhan leaders allege that liquor is freely available in the state and the sale of alcohol is a lucrative trade in urban and rural areas. Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com The mother of an infant dramatically rescued recently from the sunshade of an apartment in Chennai, died by suicide as she was 'deeply disturbed' by the criticism over her alleged negligence. IMAGE: A screengrab from the rescue video that recently went viral on social media. Photograph: X According to police, the 33-year-old woman resorted to the extreme step at her parent's house in Karamadai. A case was registered under section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. "She has been deeply disturbed after her girl child accidentally slipped from her hands and fell onto the sunshade of the apartment where she was living with her husband in Thirumullaivoyal, Chennai," a senior police officer said on Tuesday. The woman was found lying unconscious at her parents' house on May 18 and was immediately rushed to a hospital by her parents but was declared brought dead at the hospital. Recently, a video of the eight-month-old child being rescued by the apartment residents holding a bedspread went viral in social media. While a group waited below the sunshade of the first floor, hoping to catch the girl unharmed, two men climbed onto the balcony and one of them grabbed the girl by her dress and brought her down safely, much to the relief of everyone The woman reportedly faced criticism from certain quarters on social media for her alleged negligence. Many praised the residents for rescuing the child. Following the incident on April 28, she came to her parents' house in Coimbatore, police added. Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested a 41-year-old man who allegedly assaulted and attacked with ink Congress' Lok Sabha candidate Kanhaiya Kumar last week, officials said. IMAGE: Congress candidate from North East Delhi, Kanhaiya Kumar addresses party workers' meeting, at Yamuna Vihar in New Delhi on May 15, 2024. Photograph: Amit Sharma/ANI Photo The police said the accused, Ajay Kumar, was arrested from his residence in New Usmanpur, the area where the incident occurred, adding that efforts are on to round up the other accused in the case. The incident took place on May 17 when Kanhaiya Kumar, Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) nominee from North East Delhi seat, was coming out from the Aam Aadmi Party office in New Usmanpur after a party meeting with local Councillor Chhaya Sharma when a group of people attacked him. According to the complaint by Sharma, "Some persons came and put garland around Kanhaiya Kumar. After garlanding him, some persons threw ink on Kanhaiya Kumar and tried to assault him." Sharma had added that when she tried to intervene, the group misbehaved with her and threatened her. Based on Sharma's complaint, an FIR was lodged against the accused under sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), 354 (assaults or uses criminal force), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, the police said. Ajay was arrested from his house in New Usmanpur on Tuesday morning, a senior police officer said. "Efforts are being made to round up the other accused," the officer added. An Emirates flight from Dubai struck a flock of flamingos, resulting in the death of around 40 birds in Mumbai, an official said on Tuesday. Image used for representational purpose only. Photograph: ANI Photo Emirates can confirm that EK508 from Dubai to Mumbai on May 20 was involved in a bird strike incident upon landing. The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew disembarked without injury, however sadly a number of flamingos were lost and Emirates is cooperating with the authorities on the matter, an Emirates spokesperson said. The aircraft was also damaged in the incident on Monday night and, as a result, the return flight EK509 scheduled to depart to Dubai Monday night was cancelled, the spokesperson said in a statement. All passengers and crew were accommodated overnight and a replacement aircraft is being arranged for all passengers, Emirates said. The flight is scheduled to depart Mumbai on Tuesday night, the airline added. Emirates apologises for any inconvenience caused. The safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance and will not be compromised, the airline said. The bird strike, which happened closer to Laxmi Nagar in Ghatkopar East, claimed the lives of at least 36 flamingos, a forest official said. Environmental activists demanded a probe by DGCA, claiming urban planners had ignored warnings about such incidents. While a police official said the birds were hit by the aircraft before it landed, Emirates said its aircraft was involved in the bird strike incident upon landing. Stray dogs scavenged a few birds after they fell on the ground and some body parts were also spotted by locals, said Pawan Sharma, honorary wildlife warden with the forest department. The carcasses were sent for an autopsy and would later be disposed of as per the protocol, he said. Zoologist Chinmay Joshi said the Wildlife Conflict Mitigation and Management Plan needs to be reviewed by the airport authorities in coordination with the forest department and wildlife experts to avoid such incidents. BN Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation, an environmental protection organization in Navi Mumbai, said he has written to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation seeking a high-level probe to ascertain how the Emirates aircraft hit the birds. Kumar wondered why the pilot could not notice the flock on his radar. "Had any passenger been affected due to the bird hit, it would have made global headlines, but the death of 40 flamingos does not seem to bother the authorities and urban planners in particular," Kumar said. Kumar cautioned that the upcoming international airport in neighbouring Navi Mumbai could also be prone to such incidents. This is because the wetlands and the flamingo abodes in Navi Mumbai are being systematically buried despite warnings from organisations such as BNHS, he said. The flamingos were apparently on way to Gujarat and their death is a warning on impending disasters, Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) researcher Mrugank Prabhu said. Environmental activist D Stalin from NGO Vanshakti suggested that the new power lines through the sanctuary area might be causing disorientation among the birds, leading to Monday's incident. A 62-year-old polling booth agent of Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasabeh Thackeray was found dead inside the toilet of a polling booth in Mumbai's Worli area on May 20, said police on Tuesday. Image only for representation. Photograph: ANI Photo The deceased has been identified as Manohar Nalge. According to the police, the incident took place in the evening, when Manohar went to the toilet and didn't come out for quite some time. When his colleagues went to check, they found Manohar lying unconscious. They rushed him to the nearby hospital where the doctor declared him dead upon examination. Speaking about the incident in Worli, Mumbai police officers said that people present at the scene reported that Manohar was feeling uneasy and was struggling with the scorching heat and humidity. However, the police are waiting for the post-mortem report to determine the actual cause of death. The Mumbai Police have taken possession of the body and a case has also been registered at the NM Joshi Marg police station of Accidental Death Report (ADR). The dead body has been sent for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death. Authorities have stated that an investigation is currently underway to uncover the circumstances surrounding Nalge's death. "A 62-year-old polling booth agent of Shiv Sena (UBT), Manohar Nalge was found dead inside the toilet of a polling booth in Mumbai's Worli area. Mumbai's NM Joshi Marg police took possession of the body and sent it for post-mortem. A case has been registered ADR. Further investigation underway," Mumbai police said. Further details are awaited as the police continue to probe the incident. On May 18, 2024 night, terrorists struck at two places in Kashmir killing a former sarpanch, Aijaz Sheikh in Shopian and injuring a tourist couple from Rajasthan in Anantnag. The first attack took place on an open tourist camp near Pahalgam and the second on the former sarpanch at Hirpora in south Kashmir. Sheikh, who was associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party, was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to injuries. The back-to-back attacks came at a time when campaigning for the parliamentary polls in the Anantnag-Rajouri seat was going on. As a result, on Tuesday, May 21, Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and workers led by BJP district president Ashok Bhat burnt Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's effigy during a protest against the killing of Sheikh and wounding tourists. All Photographs: Umar Ganie for Rediff.com IMAGE: BJP workers carry Shehbaz Sharif's terrorists. IMAGE: BJP workers raise slogans during the protest. IMAGE: The effigy is lit. IMAGE: BJP workers burn the effigy. WATCH: Bharatiya Protest Against Aijaz Sheikh's Killing Photographs curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff.com Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook. BRATTLEBORO A new film by Vermont director Jay Craven that explores the stories of rebel schemer Ethan Allen and poet and activist Lucy Terry Prince premieres in Brattleboro this summer. "Lost Nation," with scenes filmed in Brattleboro and Marlboro in 2022, premieres at 7 p.m. July 10 and 11 at the Latchis Theatre in Brattleboro, followed by 7 p.m. July 12 and 13 at The Film House at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington. These premiere events will include a Q&A with Craven and appearances by co-stars Eva Ndachi (Lucy Terry Prince) and Kevin Ryan (Ethan Allen). Then will also be screenings, with Q&As with Craven, on: July 26 and July 27: 7 p.m., Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury Aug. 7: 7 p.m., Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro Aug. 13: 7:30 p.m., Arlington Common, Arlington Aug. 14 and 15: 7 p.m., Bennington Museum, Bennington More dates, including one in Bellows Falls, TBA. To request a local screening, contact Craven: jcraven1590@gmail.com Lost Nation explores the parallel and intersecting journeys Vermont founding father Allen and Prince, a Guilford settler whose poem, Bars Fight, is the first known work of African-American literature. Craven, of Peacham, founded Kingdom County Productions with Bess OBrien in 1991. Lost Nation is Cravens 10th feature film, and he said it may be the last major project he oversees. This is a very ambitious film, and I sort of viewed it as my last big film, Craven said during a shoot in Marlboro in 2022. Its a story I wanted to tell before I stopped making films. Craven, having long held an interest in Allens life, learned about Prince through research for a previous film that connected him with Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, author of Mr. and Mrs. Prince: How an Extraordinary 18th-Century Family Moved out of Slavery and into Legend. Ndachi, speaking with Vermont News & Media in 2022, said she was not familiar with Lucy Terry Prince before her role in Lost Nation. I was just kind of stunned, I think would be the word, at the enormity of the story, the character herself, Ndachi said, and remembers thinking, This is a woman larger than life and that telling her story would be no small feat. This monumental woman just kind of fell through the cracks. It could have been information destroyed on purpose, we dont know, she said, noting that Princes history remains fragmented. Jay has done a pretty good job of trying to cram a lot of things in 90 minutes. The film was produced through Kingdom County Productions Semester Cinema program, an intensive program through which professionals mentor and collaborate with students to make a feature film. The film was co-produced with Upper Valley Vermont resident Elena Greenlee and co-stars Vermont actors Rusty DeWees and Ariel Zevon. Patrick Kennedy, of Waterford, edited the film. For tickets to screenings and to keep track of new dates and locations, visit catamountarts.org/kcp-presents. Brattleboro, VT (05301) Today Abundant sunshine. High near 65F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 34F. Winds light and variable. Photos emerged in Korean-language social media posts that claim they show a Chinese man arrested in Seouls Daerim-dong area for heckling a conservative candidate during South Koreas April local election. But the claim is false. The photos were taken from a 2016 documentary. Keyword searches found no credible reports to show that there was an arrest of a Chinese citizen in Daerim-dong area during the April election. The claim was shared on South Koreas popular Band social media platform on April 24, 2024. A Joseonjok man was arrested after heckling a candidate from [conservative] Peoples Power Party in Daerim-dong, read one post. Joseonjok refers to ethnic Korean citizens of the Peoples Republic of China, one of its recognized ethnic minority groups. The claim was shared alongside three images that show South Korean police arresting a man whose face is blurred. Screenshot of the Band post, taken on May 14, 2024. Daerim-dong is a neighborhood-level subdistrict of Yeongdeungpo district in Seoul, where many Joseonjok immigrants live. Multiple South Korean media outlets report that Joseonjok immigrants are frequent targets of discrimination and are often stereotyped as contributing to a rise in violent crime. There have been claims that voters in areas with high Joseonjok populations in South Korea have a tendency to support political parties with pro-China and anti-U.S. stances, which has allegedly put the ruling Peoples Power Party at a disadvantage, given its pro-U.S. position. An identical claim that the photo shows a Joseonjok mans arrest in April was shared on another Band group. But the claim is false. The images were in fact taken from an old documentary. 2016 documentary Keyword and reverse image searches on Google found the images were included in the documentary series In the Line of Fire, aired by South Koreas public education broadcaster EBS. The images came from the episode Police Patrol Unit: Guardians of the Night, aired in 2016 and published on the broadcasters official YouTube channel. The images in the false posts were stills taken at the episodes 11:35, 11:30 and 21:35 marks. The episode followed the activities of a mobile police unit in Daerim-dong on an evening in September 2016. According to the documentary, the first two images show police subduing and arresting men involved in a fight, while the third image shows other officers detaining a man for carrying a knife. The documentary made no mention of elections or political candidates. Keyword searches found no credible reports to show that there was an arrest of a Chinese citizen in Daerim-dong area during the April election. Edited by Malcolm Foster and Eugene Whong. Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) was established to counter disinformation in todays complex media environment. We publish fact-checks, media-watches and in-depth reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers understanding of current affairs and public issues. If you like our content, you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X. Five Chinese vessels carrying hundreds of troops are on deployment in Cambodian waters. Two large Chinese warships have arrived in Cambodias Sihanoukville on the Gulf of Thailand on a goodwill visit, joining three vessels already operating in Cambodia. Chinas defense ministry announced the arrival of the training ship Qi Jiguang (Hull 83) at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port on Sunday. The Cambodian navy, meanwhile, disclosed that the Qi Jiguang was accompanied by a Type 071 amphibious landing dock, the Jinggangshan (Hull 999). During their four-day visit from May 19 to May 23, officers and crew from the two vessels are to pay a courtesy call on Cambodian navy leaders, visit military sites and conduct exchanges with Cambodian partners. There was no mention of the ships possible participation in the Golden Dragon exercise, involving Cambodian and Chinese forces, which began on May 16 and last until May 30. Three other Chinese vessels, including two corvettes and a landing dock, are already taking part in the exercise the sixth iteration of the annual bilateral wargames and the largest to date. From my memory, there werent that many Peoples Liberation Army Navys vessels at any one time in the country, said Collin Koh, a regional military analyst based in Singapore. Two Chinese warships, top left, are moored at the pier at Cambodias Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, May 18, 2024. (Planet Labs) Powerful presence Of the five Chinese vessels, the two corvettes have been stationed at Cambodias Ream naval base for nearly six months. The two Type 071 landing docks Jinggangshan and Qilianshan each have a displacement of 25,000 tons and can carry up to 800 troops, as well as 20 armored vehicles. The 9,000-ton Qi Jigang is one of the Chinese navys main training ships under the Dalian Naval Academy. Training ship Qi Jiguang arriving in Cambodia, May 19, 2024. (Chinese defense ministry) It seems that this unprecedented Chinese naval presence is going to presage a regular presence in Cambodia in the foreseeable future, said Koh, who is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. The Ream base surely has facilitated this greater presence, he said. Another analyst, Paul Chambers of the Center of ASEAN Community Studies at Naresuan University in Thailand, said that the level of Chinese-Cambodian military relations was unprecedented. And then there is a Chinese tourism resort in western Cambodia, which could be easily converted into a Chinese military airfield, Chambers told RFA, referring to the Dara Sakor resort in Koh Kong province. It appears that Cambodia has become a military and economic dependency of China, the analyst said. Cambodias defense ministry has praised joint activities with China for enhancing its militarys capabilities as well as its combat skills. Welcome ceremony for Chinese warships in Sihanoukville, May 19, 2024. (Chinese defense ministry) The Golden Dragon 2024 exercise is taking place in Kampong Chhnang and Sihanoukville provinces. The large number of Chinese vessels this time was not a game changer but a sign of ever-closer China-Cambodia cooperation given Chinas new base there, said Tom Shugart, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security in Washington. Edited by Mike Firn. Military-themed toys are meant to instill pride and possibly gain public support for arms development, experts say. KCTV (Korean Central TV) reported that the Changgwang fireworks store in Hwasong District, Pyongyang, North Korea, is now selling new fireworks, including models of the Hwasong ICBM, May 19 ,2024. A fireworks store in North Korea was featured in the countrys state media for its unique products, including fireworks shaped like intercontinental ballistic missiles, or ICBMs. Experts told Radio Free Asia that the fireworks, shaped like North Koreas Hwasong-17 ICBM, unveiled in 2020 and first test fired in 2022, are meant to instill national pride among children, and the parents who would buy them. Our store carries fireworks that everyone loves, and that teenagers and students enjoy, a worker at the Changgwang Fireworks Store said on the May 19 Korea Central Television broadcast. The report showed an entire section of the store with missile-themed fireworks, including a launcher in the shape of a transporter erector launcher vehicle, or TEL. The stores military-themed products are clearly aimed at children, as its interior includes colorful pictures of animals on the walls, and a small fenced-off play area for toddlers, flanked by two very large Hwasong-17 models and a mural depicting the missile being launched into a sky full of cartoon stars and bursting fireworks. Military themed-toys are very common in North Korea, but the country seems to want the people to be on board with dedicating resources and labor to missile and rocket development. KCTV (Korean Central TV) reported that the Changgwang fireworks store in Hwasong District, Pyongyang, North Korea, is now selling new fireworks, including models of the Hwasong ICBM, May 19 ,2024. (KCTV) In February 2023, North Korean leader Kim Jong Uns wife, Ri Sol Ju, was spotted wearing an ICBM-shaped necklace at a banquet commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Founding of the Korean Peoples Army. In February 2024, the country forced residents to buy laminated photos of a reconnaissance satellite rocket launch to display in their homes as a constant reminder of the countrys military achievements. Instilling pride The missile-themed displays are an attempt to foster national pride among the people, both through children and their parents, Bruce Klingner, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and a former analyst at the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, told RFA Korean. It reinforces the message that North Korea needs nuclear weapons and missiles because of the U.S. threat, he said. And it is a way of explaining away the dire economic conditions that North Korean people suffer from because it's being blamed on the United States. David Maxwell, vice president of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy, said the displays are an effort by the authorities to try to reinforce the legitimacy of North Korea as a military power to show off its nuclear and missile capabilities. It's an example of the prioritization of resources that the Kim family regime does, said Maxwell. It prioritizes enhancing the reputation of the regime over the welfare of the people, while the people suffer the worst lives of really any population in the world today. Such militaristic childrens toys were unheard of decades ago, said Kim Su-kyung, who escaped North Korea in 1998 and resettled in the United States. When I was young, there were no goods like this, she said. We used to play a military game called Kill the Yankee during field day at school, but it seems like that has now been upgraded and made into these types of toys. She said the public would not be receptive to these toys and would not appreciate the governments attempts to manipulate public opinion with useless toys. Translated by Claire S. Lee. Edited by Eugene Whong and Malcolm Foster. Three bombs were dropped while villagers were sleeping, residents said. The town of Buthidaung in Myanmars Rakhine state is seen May 29, 2023, left, and at right on May 21, 2024, after fire destroyed much of the town. (Planet Labs with RFA analysis) Updated May 21, 2024, 03:41 p.m. ET. A Myanmar junta airstrike near the border with Bangladesh on Tuesday killed one civilian and injured 11, residents told Radio Free Asia, the latest casualties in a region that has seen some of the countrys most intense fighting in recent weeks. Junta forces launched air attacks after insurgents from the Arakan Army assaulted the military regimes Border Guard Force near Maungdaw town on Monday. In response, aircraft dropped three bombs on two nearby villages in Rakhine States Maungdaw township. Since November, the Arakan Army has captured eight townships across Rakhine state and has launched several offensives in other areas. Fighter jets bombed Shwe Baho and Baw Di Kone villages at around 4 a.m., one resident, who declined to be identified in fear of reprisals, told RFA. A young woman died in Shwe Baho. She is a university student and was taking refuge in the village. The whole family was fleeing the battle but they were injured, he said. The Arakan Army is attacking Lay Miles Border Guard Force, so [the junta] bombarded all areas and surrounding villages. The dead woman, Pan Ei Pyu, 22, also worked at a social assistance group, residents said. The wounded ranged in age from 5 years to 71, residents said. Myanmars junta has yet to release any information on the attack. Rakhine states junta spokesperson, Hla Thein, did not answer calls from RFA. AA advances Forces of the junta, which seized power in an early 2021 coup, have lost territory in several parts of the country since late last year when militia groups, formed by pro-democracy activists and allied ethnic minority insurgent groups fighting for self-determination went on the offensive. Despite making advances, the juntas opponents have no air power, leaving them, and villages in areas in which they operate, vulnerable to airstrikes. Four civilians were killed and six were wounded between May 14 and 19 when the junta bombed villages in southern Maungdaw township, residents said. On Saturday, the Arakan Army announced it had captured all junta camps in Buthidaung, a township along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Hours earlier, the group was accused of attacking a school with a drone where members of the Rohingya minority, a mostly Muslim community that has faced persecution for decades, were sheltering. Eighteen people were killed and more than 200 were wounded, residents said. The Arakan Army, in its Saturday statement, did not mention the Rohingya deaths, but said its forces were aiming to capture Maungdaw town, about 16 km (10 miles) west of Buthidaung township, also near the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. A house destroyed by a junta airstrike in Maungdaw township, Rakhine state on May 21, 2024. (Citizen journalist) Stoking community conflict Two days later, the group released another statement, accusing junta troops and militiamen of setting fire to houses in the area "with the intention to create racial and religious conflict in Rakhine state." On Tuesday, Myanmar's shadow National Unity Government issued a similar statement, saying that junta forces in Buthidaung had set fire to the homes of Hindus and majority ethnic Rakhines "with the intention of causing community conflict," carried out airstrikes and shelling, destroyed public property and burned villages, and forced the displacement of township residents, including Rohingyas. The statement acknowledged what it called "distressing reports" of an unconfirmed number of civilian casualties. The junta has yet to issue any response to the statement and attempts by RFA to reach Rakhine state spokesperson Hla Thein for comment on the allegations went unanswered. Casualties in resort township Meanwhile, residents of the Rakhine state beach resort town of Thandwe told RFA on Tuesday that fierce fighting between the military and the AA there had left at least 23 civilians dead and five injured since the start of the month. On Monday, a junta navy vessel "opened fire with heavy weapons," killing a child and injuring another person in Thandwe's Kha Maung Tone village, a resident said. In one of the deadliest incidents this month, junta troops shelled Thandwe's Lin Thi and Shwe Hlay villages on May 14, killing 13 civilians. Four days later, a junta jet fighter dropped bombs into Thandwe's Nat Taung Maw village, killing nine and injuring another three. Clashes between the two sides in the Thandwe villages of Yae Kauk and Pu Yit since April 22 have forced around 10,000 people to flee, residents said. Amid the fighting, the military has cut off power to Thandwe township and increased the number of its troops at security checkpoints, they said. International aid groups and local residents in Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Thandwe townships were told to evacuate by the United League of Arakan, the political wing of the Arakan Army, after it issued a warning of more attacks on junta forces on Monday. Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn. This report has been updated to include statements by the AA and the National Unity Government, as well as details of the situation in Thandwe township. Manila accuses Beijing of damaging environment, illegally harvesting giant clams and other species from the shoal. The Philippine Coast Guard shares a photo of a dead turtle allegedly caught by Chinese fishermen in Scarborough Shoal, May 20, 2024. The Philippines on Tuesday demanded an independent and international audit of Chinas alleged environmental destruction of Scarborough Shoal, including illegal fishing for giant clams, sea turtles and other species from those disputed waters. The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has provided incontrovertible proof of such activities by Chinese fishermen in the shoal, according to National Security Council spokesman Jonathan Malaya. The shoal lies within Manilas exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, but Beijing has effectively controlled it since 2012. On Monday, the PCG said it had monitored Chinese fishermen illegally harvesting giant clams from the shoal, which Manila calls Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag Shoal. The agency also said it had underwater footage confirming harvesting activities that degraded the marine environment in the area. We call on China to open up Bajo de Masinloc to international inspection and we also call on 3rd-party inspectors from relevant United Nations bodies or respected environmental organizations to determine the true situation therein in order to protect the environment, Malaya said in a statement Tuesday. He said the PCG had already presented clear and convincing evidence that since 2016, China had been hauling away large quantities of giant clams, sea turtles, puffer fishes, stingrays, topshells, eels and other marine animals from the area. The Philippine Coast Guard shares a photo of giant clams allegedly caught by Chinese fishermen in Scarborough Shoal, May 20, 2024. [Jay Tarriela/Philippine Coast Guard] Chinese entities have been continuously engaged in large-scale harvesting of endangered species, unlawfully exploiting the vulnerable species with wild abandon, Malaya said. Chinas foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, did not categorically deny the allegations by the PCG, but reiterated Beijings indisputable control over the South China Sea, including the shoal. If any environmental degradation appears in those waters, it is the Philippines who needs to reflect on its behavior, instead of wrongly accusing China, he said on Monday. Giant clams are a declared protected species under the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The Philippine Coast Guard shares a photo of giant clams allegedly caught by Chinese fishermen in Scarborough Shoal, May 20, 2024. [Jay Tarriela/Philippine Coast Guard] China has no legal rights over Bajo de Masinloc and all of its expansive claims over the entire South China Sea have been invalidated and nullified by the 2016 arbitral ruling, Malaya said. He was referring to a landmark decision by an international court that nullified Chinas claims to most of the South China Sea on historical grounds, after Manila took Beijing to court over their territorial dispute at Scarborough Shoal. The Tribunal found that Chinese fishermen have engaged in the harvesting of endangered sea turtles, coral, and giant clams on a substantial scale in the South China Sea, using methods that inflict severe damage on the coral reef environment. The Tribunal found that Chinese authorities were aware of these activities and failed to fulfill their due diligence obligations under the Convention to stop them, according to an excerpt from the arbitration ruling. Beijing rejected the ruling and launched a building spree in territories it controls in the sea. Commodore Jay Tarriela, the Philippine coast guard spokesman for the South China Sea, said suspected Chinese maritime militia had been harvesting giant clams from the shoal since 2016. On top of Chinas consistent harvesting activities, underwater footage as early as 2017 confirm that their presence and ecological footprint has led to the degradation of the marine environment in Bajo de Masinloc, Tarriela told reporters on Monday. BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service. A Chinese Communist Party deputy secretary of Gonjo county visits a Tibetan household to persuade the residents to agree to the proposed relocation of their village, in Sa-ngen in western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, March 2024. UPDATED at 9:35 P.M. ET on 05-28-2024 For the past seven years, Tashi and his once-nomadic family have been living in the outskirts of Tibets capital Lhasa after they were forcibly moved from their ancestral home in the grasslands of Tibet. They had made a living raising yaks and other livestock and engaging in sustainable farming in Damxung county, located two hours away by road from Lhasa, until they and others were forced to move to Lhasas Kuro Bridge area, promised improved living conditions by Chinese authorities. But in reality, they have faced joblessness, economic hardship and social exclusion ever since. All our farmlands in Damxung were confiscated by the government under the guise of development projects, said Tashi, whose name has been changed for safety reasons. Having grown up in the village without any education, it is extremely difficult for us to find jobs and make a living in the city. An official ceremony in August 2023 celebrates the mass relocation of 6,000 herders to Xiangheyuan, a multistory development where there is no available land for herders to use, in Nagqu in western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, August 2023. (Wumatang Township government, Dangxiong County, Nagqu, TAR via HRW) Their story exemplifies the forced relocation of more than 700,000 Tibetans since 2016 in the Tibetan Autonomous Region under supposed poverty-reduction measures, according to a 71-page report released Tuesday by Human Rights Watch. Of that total number uprooted, 567,000 people lived scattered across the region and another 140,000 people lived in 500 villages. The report,Educate the Masses to Change their Minds: Chinas Coercive Relocation of Rural Tibetans, is based on information from over 1,000 official Chinese media articles between 2016 and 2023, government publications and academic field studies. Threats and harassment According to official press reports, local officials used coercion and other extreme forms of persuasion to pressure villagers and nomads to agree to relocation. They claimed the moves were voluntary and would improve livelihoods and protect the environment. Their tactics included repeated home visits, disparaging the villagers intellectual capacity to make decisions, implicit threats of punishment and the cutoff of essential services such as electricity and water. A Tibetan villager makes a fingerprint on an official document, agreeing to be relocated to Sinpori, a mass resettlement site 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Lhasa, capital of western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, in an undated photo. (Poverty Alleviation Office, Anduo County, Nagqu, TAR via HRW) The officials also provided misleading information that said the moves would offer employment opportunities and higher incomes, the report said. The Chinese government says that the relocation of Tibetan villages is voluntary, but official media reports contradict this claim, Maya Wang, HRWs acting China director, said in a statement. Those reports make clear that when a whole village is targeted for relocation, it is practically impossible for the residents to refuse to move without facing serious repercussions. The human rights group urged Beijing to suspend relocations in Tibet and conform with Chinese laws and standards and international law concerning relocations and forced evictions. Satellite imagery shows the Sinpori resettlement site 60 kilometers (37 miles) southwest of Lhasa, capital of western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Dec. 25, 2020. (Google Earth via HRW) Senior authorities put pressure on local officials to carry out the relocations as non-negotiable policies, threatening disciplinary action against local officials who failed to meet targets, the report said. Labeled separatists Tashi, who was forcibly moved to Lhasa, said he told Chinese officials they didnt want to move. But Chinese authorities accused us of disobeying national orders and labeled us as separatists, he said. Many like Tashi were forced to sell their herd in a hurry after the Chinese government ordered the relocations. The order to relocate came so suddenly and we couldnt disobey, [so] we had to sell our herds in a rush, leaving us with nothing, a Tibetan nomad told Radio Free Asia. Ever since we moved to Lhasa, we have never been happy. Tibetan villagers demolish their former houses in Tanggu Xiang, Lhundrup, in western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, June 2021. (Tanggu township government, Linzhou County, Lhasa TAR via HRW) He said that the houses provided by the Chinese government are very small and crowded, with large families of 10 or so members living in only two to three rooms, forcing some to sleep in tents on verandas, he said. When the relocated Tibetans sought jobs in restaurants, they were told they were not hygienic enough, he said. Self-employment is out of reach, and we cant even get cleaning jobs in restaurants, he added. Rooted to the land Elaine Pearson, director of HRWs Asia Division, told RFA that relocations have occurred both across the Tibetan Autonomous Region and in Tibetan-populated areas in Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Its important to note that forced relocations do happen across China, and they arent unique to Tibet, she said. Tibetans have a particular connection with the land and their livelihoods, and they lose that connection if they are forced to move, she added. County officials announce a relocation policy to Tibetans in Mindu township, Gonjo, in western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, December 2018. (WeChat account Internet Information Gongjue via HRW) The Chinese government says relocations are poverty alleviation measures and that the new locations are ecologically sound, so that affected Tibetans can improve their livelihoods by relocating, Pearson said. But in reality, that hasnt been the case because many of the people are pastoralists, and they live off the land, but when they move to more urban-like areas, the work options are different [and] they would need to speak Chinese rather than Tibetan, she added. Pearson also said the United Nations should be pushing for unfettered access to Tibetan regions, which has not occurred for many years. The rights group wants the U.N. Human Rights Council to set up an independent investigation into human rights violations across China, including these violations in Tibet, she said. Local officials visit a relocation site to check occupancy in Drubarong township, Markham county, in western China's Tibet Autonomous Region, September 2023. (WeChat account Zhubalong on the Jinsha River via HRW) Chinas coercive mass displacement of Tibetans destroys the Tibetan way of life and culture under the misleading policy labels of poverty alleviation and ecology protection, said Tencho Gyatso, president of Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet. Tibetans have lived on the Tibetan Plateau for thousands of years and have adapted genetically and socially to how best to live and protect the high-altitude environment. Chinas reckless relocation policy and programs are pulling apart Tibetan society, its ancient culture and its environmental best practices, Gyatso said. Additional reporting by Tashi Wangchuk, Tenzin Pema and Dolma Lhamo for RFA Tibetan. Edited by Tenzin Pema of RFA Tibetan and by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster. The story has been updated and corrected to show that "hundreds of thousands," not "more than 700,000" have been forced to relocate. But the UNHCR said Thailand has refused access to nearly 50 Uyghur asylum seekers. In this photo taken on September 30, 2022, an immigration detention center, where human rights activists believe that a group of Uyghurs are being detained, is pictured in the Sathorn area of Bangkok. The United Nations refugee agency has declined Thailands request to assist nearly 50 Uyghur asylum seekers held in the countrys detention centers for a decade because of fears of Chinese disapproval, an independent news agency reported, citing leaked internal documents. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, denied the allegation, while a senior Thai official said he could not immediately confirm whether the government had sought the assistance of the U.N. agency. The 48 Uyghurs were among more than 500 members of the mostly Muslim minority who fled from Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to Southeast Asian countries in 2013 and 2014, according to Thai officials and aid groups trying to help them. They hoped to be resettled in Turkey, where some of them eventually traveled. More than 100 were sent back to China. The New Humanitarian news agency, citing what it said were internal UNHCR documents dating back to 2020, said the Thai government had made an unofficial request to the refugee agency to help resolve the issue of the 48 detainees but the agency had advised against it. The Thai government began informally petitioning UNHCR almost five years ago to play a more active role in resolving the Uyghurs indefinite detention, and agency staff advised against doing this, the independent, nonprofit news agency said. The internal documents suggest that Chinas influence also extends to the U.N.s refugee agency, rights advocates who reviewed the documents said, it reported. A UNHCR spokesperson said the news agencys suggestion that his agency had declined to help the detainees would reflect a misunderstanding of what has transpired. UNHCR has and continues to proactively raise this issue with the Thai authorities, Babar Baloch, the UNHCR's Asia-Pacific spokesperson, told RFA. Despite requests, however, at no stage have we been permitted to access the group or engage with the caseload for the purpose of facilitating solutions. But John Quinley III, director of the group Fortify Rights in Bangkok, told RFA that after reviewing the documents cited by The New Humanitarian he had concluded that the UNHCR has been reluctant to actually react. We would say that the U.N. is not proactively trying to solve the indefinite detention of Uyghur refugees They are afraid of Beijing and the pushbacks that Beijing may have with UNHCR working to try to solve the Uyghur detention issue, Quinley told RFA. A Thai government spokesperson said he could not immediately confirm whether Thailand had approached the UNHCR for help to resolve the issue of the 48. I dont have the information about the Uyghur matter, including Thailands reported request for UNHCR assistance, Chai Watcharong told RFA. Chai said he did not know whether the government of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who replaced a former junta chief as premier after a general election last year, had addressed the Uyghur issue at all. Some rights workers have said they have been disappointed by the new governments lack of focus on human rights. Officials at the National Security Council, or NSC, which advises the government on refugee matters, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from RFA. Thailand, which is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, has played host to hundreds of thousands of refugees from its Southeast Asian neighbors over the decades. The 48 Uyghurs, who are being held as illegal immigrants not refugees, are enduring poor living conditions and are unable to speak to outsiders, an adviser to Thailands National Human Rights Commission, Rattikul Chansuriya, told a recent seminar. She said the Uyghurs could be in danger if repatriated to China. The director of the Peoples Empowerment Foundation, a Thai non-governmental group that helps Uyghur refugees, said the NSC had declined to grant access to the detainees. The NSC is strict. No matter how much we urge them to allow visits to the Uyghur detainees, it doesnt happen due to Chinas pressure, said Chalida Tajaroensuk. She said Chinese embassy officials keep a close watch on Uyghur detainees in Thailand. The embassy did not respond to requests for comment on the Uyghur detainees. Edited by Mike Firn. Additional reporting by Pimuk Rakkanam. Authorities at Vietnams Xuan Phuoc prison have punished political prisoner Dang Dang Phuoc, putting him in solitary confinement for violating unspecified regulations, his wife told Radio Free Asia. Le Thi Ha said her husband may have been punished for asking her to forward his cellmates phone number to his family. When she visited Phuoc on May 9, her husband gave her a piece of paper with the number on, but prison officers confiscated it. She told RFA Vietnamese she received a notice from the prison on Sunday telling her Phuoc was being disciplined. The letter, dated May 10, said he had violated prison regulations but did not say what he had done. Phuoc was kept in solitary confinement in a disciplinary cell from May 10 to 20. In addition, visits from relatives will be cut to once every two months, from once a month, until his attitude improves, she said. According to the Law on Execution of Criminal Sentences, during detention in the disciplinary cell, prisoners can be chained to the spot but Ha said she didnt know whether her husband had been shackled. She said she was worried about the halving of family visits because prison rations lack nutrition, and she wanted to make sure her husband got enough decent food. Ha added she would apply to the Phu Yen Provincial Procuracy to complain about her husband being disciplined. An officer at Xuan Phuoc prison declined to comment on his behavior but said that prisoners who are disciplined are put in solitary confinement for 10 days. Phuoc, 62, is a former music lecturer at Dak Lak Pedagogical College. He was arrested on Sept. 8, 2022, on charges of anti-state propaganda. He was sentenced to eight years in prison and four years of probation at his trial in June 2023. After losing an appeal, he was sent to Xuan Phuoc prison in Phu Yen province. Phuoc is one of hundreds of activists being detained for peaceful activities. International organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have called on Vietnam to drop the charges and release him. Before being arrested, he had demanded that Vietnam ensure civil and political rights, including freedom of speech, expression, association, assembly and religion. He also publicly opposed Vietnams repressive 2018 Cyber Security law and spoke out against polluters such as Formosa Plastics, a Taiwanese company that dumped toxic waste along the central coast of Vietnam in 2016. Translated by RFA Vietnamese. Edited by Mike Firn and Taejun Kang. Vu Minh Tiens arrest would be the second arrest of a union activist in a month. In this file photo, garment workers sew clothes at Pro Sports factory in Nam Dinh province, Vietnam. The country only has one state-affiliated union, despite international calls for it to allow workers to unionize freely. Updated May 21, 2024, 10:51 a.m. ET. Police in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi have arrested trade unionist Vu Minh Tien, according to The 88 Project, an international nonprofit that campaigns for freedom of speech in Vietnam. Tien is head of policy and legal affairs at the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor and director of the Institute for Workers and Trade Unions, the group said. Tien was being held under Article 337 of Vietnams criminal code, which covers deliberate disclosure of classified information; appropriation, trading [and] destruction of classified documents, the group said. Tien was last seen in public at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on March 21, The 88 Project said. News of his arrest follows the detention on April 24 of Nguyen Van Binh, director general of the Labor Ministrys legal department. Binh was arrested for disclosing state secrets under Article 337, according to state broadcaster the Voice of Vietnam. Vietnam only has one state-affiliated union. The two unionists were working to bring labor law in line with international standards by ratifying International Labour Organization Convention 87 which allows workers to form unions, The 88 Project said. These arrests are yet another example of the failure of international organizations to say a mumbling word about the advocates and reformers they are so keen to champion until these people wind up in jail, said the groups co-director, Ben Swanton. He called on the International Labour Organization, the European Union and the United States to immediately issue public statements condemning Vietnam for arresting the trade unionists. Western governments that claim to care about human rights need to break their silence about Vietnams policy of violating those very same rights, Swanton said. Radio Free Asia phoned Vietnams Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ask about Tiens arrest but no one answered. A call to the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor was also not answered. International nonprofit CIVICUS joined calls for the unconditional release of Tien and Binh. These arrests highlight the systematic targeting of human rights defenders in country by the regime and makes a mockery of Vietnams membership of the Human Rights Council, said CIVICUS Asia researcher Josef Benedict referring to Vietnams place on the United Nations rights body for a three-year term. We call on the international community to speak up, especially the EU, and push for the release of the two union activists and for greater freedom for trade unions in the country. International naivety A human rights activist based in Hanoi, who wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, told RFA that Vietnam's one-party government will never allow the establishment of independent trade unions or similar organizations outside their control. Consequently, they will seek to eliminate trade union advocates by any means necessary, the activist said. When participating in economic agreements, Hanoi initially pretends to comply with the terms. However, they soon find ways to arrest many activists, from environmentalists to civil society leaders, and now trade union advocates, he said. According to the activist, the international community was naive to believe that Vietnam would adhere to the agreements it signed. Hanoi will continue to strengthen its authoritarian regime and has no intention of empowering its citizens, he added. A senior university lecturer in Hanoi, who also declined to be named, noted that independent trade unions were "unlikely to have room to maneuver" in Vietnam at this time, as the "police force dominates the country's leadership." Five out of 16 Politburo members come from a police background, and the current Minister of Public Security, To Lam, has been nominated for the position of State President, the lecturer said. Phil Robertson, former deputy director for Human Rights Watch in Asia, told RFA that the latest arrests show that the Communist Party intends to "crack down hard on any sign of liberalization for workers." "Going after top [Labor Ministry] officials, and now the [Vietnam General Confederation of Labor], shows a degree of rights abusing paranoia that is truly astonishing," he said. "The EU needs to take action under the EU-Vietnam [Free Trade Agreement] to show that rights respecting labor reforms are not negotiable in Vietnam." Patti Gossman, associate director and senior editor of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, said the international community shouldn't assume Vietnam is going to honor its international agreements on labor rights. "Vietnamese authorities are trying to convince the world otherwise, but the truth is that there is simply no possibility for any independent organizations, particularly anything supporting independent labor unions or supporting labor rights in Vietnam," she said. Edited by Mike Firn and Joshua Lipes. RFA Vietnamese contributed reporting. This report has been updated to include comments from a Vietnamese activist and university lecturer, as well as from former Human Rights Watch officials. 4 A view over Noumea, the capital of New Caledonia The Pacific archipelago is populated by around 41 percent indigenous Kanaks, with some 24 percent of the residents being Europeans of mostly French heritage. Tensions between the two communities have previously erupted into deadly violence, most notably in 1984. However, in referendums on New Caledonias independence held in 2018, 2020, and 2021, voters chose to remain a French territory. At least 22 people were killed and 117 others injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported on October 10 after an Israeli strike on a school sheltering Palestinians in Gaza killed dozens of people. Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported two evening air raids in central Beirut. The first targeted an eight-story building and the second a four-story building that completely collapsed as a result of the strike, NNA said. A Lebanese security source quoted by Reuters said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was targeted in the attacks, which were the third on Beirut since Israel started a military campaign in southern Lebanon last month targeting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militia and sparking fears of an all-out regional war. Hezbollahs Al Manar TV reported after the strikes that an attempt to kill Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, had failed. It said that Safa had not been inside of either of the targeted buildings. Hezbollah kept up rocket fire into Israel on October 10. The military said several drones heading toward Israel were intercepted. Earlier on October 10 an Israeli strike on a school in the Gaza Strip killed at least 27 people, Palestinian medical officials said, while a separate Israeli strike hit UN peacekeeper headquarters in southern Lebanon, prompting Italy to summon the Israeli ambassador. The Israeli military said it carried out a "precise strike on terrorists" who had a command and control center embedded in the school. "This is a further example of the Hamas terrorist organization's systematic abuse of civilian infrastructure in violation of international law," a military statement said. The Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and the EU, has denied such accusations. People who had been sheltering at the school said the strike hit a meeting of aid workers and injured 54 other people. Israel has continued to strike at what it says are militant targets across Gaza as it battles Hamas militants even as the war broadened to include Hezbollah in Lebanon amid rising tensions with Iran. In a separate incident on October 10 the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon said an Israeli tank fired on its headquarters in the town of Naqoura, hitting an observation tower and wounding two peacekeepers. The nationality of the injured peacekeepers was not released. The UN peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL said in a statement that Israeli forces also fired on a nearby bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communication system. The Italian Defense Ministry summoned Israel's ambassador in protest, and Defense Minister Guido Crosetto told a press conference that "hostile acts committed and repeated by Israeli forces against the base...could constitute war crimes." Crosetto added that Italy has asked for an official explanation "because it was not a mistake." The French Foreign Ministry said that while no French solider was injured in the incident, it also demanded an explanation. The Israeli military announced earlier on October 10 that it had eliminated another important Hezbollah member as it kept up its attacks against the Iran-backed group. Adham Jahout, a member of Hezbollah's Golan Terrorist Network was killed in an air strike in the area of Quneitra in Syria, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. Jahout was relaying intelligence from Syrian regime sources to Hezbollah and facilitating operations against Israel in the Golan Heights, the IDF said. Israel annexed the Golan Heights after capturing them from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war. The annexation has not been recognized by most countries. Separately, the Israeli military said on October 10 that it had eliminated two Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon and its warplanes attacked munitions depots in the Beirut area and in southern Lebanon. It did not immediately reveal the identities of the two commanders. Hezbollah, a militant group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon, is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the European Union blacklists its armed wing but not its party, which has seats in the Lebanese parliament. The latest strikes came as the United States, Israel's main ally, warned against bombardments in Lebanon similar to those that caused large-scale destruction in Gaza as Israel retaliated against Hamas following the U.S.- and EU-designated terrorist group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that left more than 1,100 people dead. Israel's bombardment of central and northern Gaza in recent days has killed dozens of people and trapped thousands in their homes, Palestinian officials say. "There should be no kind of military action in Lebanon that looks anything like Gaza and leaves a result anything like Gaza," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists on October 9. The warning came after U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized in a call on October 9 with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the need for a diplomatic arrangement for the return of both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border. The United States warned Israel on October 9 against launching a military action in Lebanon like the one it has conducted in Gaza, and U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the need for a diplomatic arrangement for the return of both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border. Biden also condemned Iran's ballistic-missile attack on Israel on October 1, a White House statement said. Biden "affirmed Israel's right to protect its citizens from Hezbollah, which has fired thousands of missiles and rockets into Israel over the past year alone, while emphasizing the need to minimize harm to civilians, in particular in the densely populated areas of Beirut," the statement said. U.S. tourist Bryan Bingham speaks with RFE/RL about being detained by Georgian security forces at a demonstration in Tbilisi against the so-called foreign agent law. He says he was beaten by police wearing black masks. A pro-government media channel has reported that he came to Georgia to create unrest, a claim he denies. During the same protests, a Russian activist who escaped a "foreign agent" law in her own country is now trying to help Georgians in their battle against the controversial legislation. One year ago, Hamas -- the U.S.- and EU-designated Palestinian terrorist group that controls the Gaza Strip -- carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel, the deadliest in the countrys history. In response, Israel launched an aerial bombardment and ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave to destroy Hamas and rescue the 251 hostages taken by the group. Israel has expanded its war in recent weeks by invading Lebanon and launching air strikes targeting Hezbollah, the armed group and political party that controls much of southern Lebanon. RFE/RL spoke to Lior Yohanani, manager of quantitative research at the Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem-based independent research center, which on October 7 released a wide-ranging survey of Israeli public opinion after one year of war. RFE/RL: Can you explain what your study found as to how Israelis view the past year since Hamas's October 7 attack? Lior Yohanani: Well, I think Israelis still don't see October 7 as an event that's over. Sure, the actual horrific events of that day ended, but Israelis are still living with the consequences. There are two main aspects to this. First, since October 7, Israel has been in this multifront war that doesn't seem to have an end in sight. And then, of course, there is the issue of the hostages still being held in Gaza. So, we're seeing a sharp drop in people's sense of personal security. Almost three quarters of the public feel less safe compared to before October 7, and that's despite a year of war and some significant military achievements. On the flip side, we're also seeing that most people say their lives have returned to normal when it comes to things like work, media consumption, and family and social gatherings. Another thing we're noticing is that the Israeli public is giving pretty low marks to all the political and military leaders for the performance since October 7. For example, almost two-thirds of Israelis are rating Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu's performance since then as poor or not good. RFE/RL: How has Israel's involvement in a two-front conflict, in both Gaza and Lebanon, as well as a confrontation with Iran affected public opinion among Israelis? Yohanani: It's tough to answer that question, because we're at the point where things could go in a few different directions. In the last few weeks, we've seen a major escalation in the conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and just last week, Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, which Israel is expected to respond to. In a survey we just did recently, we asked whether Israeli society and the military could handle fighting on two or more fronts for an extended period of time, and the results were pretty striking. Over 70 percent believe that yes, both Israeli society and the military can handle that kind of prolonged fighting. So, while the situation is complex and evolving, there seems to be a strong sense of resilience and capability among Israelis, even in the face of these multiple threats. But of course, public opinion could shift depending on how events unfold in the coming weeks or months. RFE/RL: Is there support for Netanyahus response to October 7? Is there debate in Israeli society, as well as political circles, over Netanyahus strategic choices? Yohanani: First of all, it's important to say that the Israeli public has largely supported significant military operation against Hamas in Gaza. That said, the Israeli discourse around the October 7 events, the ongoing war, and especially toward Prime Minister Netanyahu, is very polarized between right-wing supporters on the one hand and left and center supporters on the other. People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term." So, on the left and the center, there is a high level of distrust and suspicion toward Netanyahu and his government. For instance, Netanyahu's apparent reluctance to pursue a deal for returning the hostages in exchange for ending the fighting in Gaza is seen by large parts of the public, even on the right, as resulting from Netanyahu's dependence on far-right, ultranationalist members of his government who refuse any compromise or ceasefire. Now for a long time, Netanyahu and his ministers argued that only significant military force would lead Hamas to compromise and release the hostages. Now, with military attention and resources shifting to the north, people are asking, where is this massive military force that was supposed to bring the hostages home? One question we have asked several times since October 7 in our polls is what should be the main goal in Gaza: Dismantling Hamas or bringing back the hostages? And as time goes on, public opinion is increasingly supporting the return of hostages. In our current survey, 62 percent saw bringing the bringing back the hostages as Israel's main goal, while only 29 percent pointed to dismantling Hamas as the primary objective. RFE/RL: How do ordinary Israelis see the question of the remaining hostages amid the continued protests by the hostages' families? Yohanani: As I mentioned before, most of the public supports a deal to release the hostages, even if it means ending the war and withdrawing the military forces from Gaza. There's this widespread feeling that we've left the hostages behind, and that's really hitting at our sense of solidarity, which is a deep and fundamental value, I think, in Jewish history in general and in Israel society in particular. At the same time, the campaign run by the Hostages And Missing Families Forum has become very politicized. Many right-wing supporters see it as weakening Israel. As time goes on, we're seeing more and more harassment of protesters who support bringing the hostages back. There are cases of passersby cursing, even hitting and throwing eggs, at hostages' families. In our latest survey, we asked about the effectiveness of the protests and actions taken by the hostages' families. Despite most of the public feeling empathetic toward the hostage issue, only less than a third think these actions are actually helping to advance a deal for the hostages' release, while almost 40 percent think they're actually hurting the cause. So, you've got this complex situation where people want the hostages back, but there is disagreement and some backlash about how to make that happen. RFE/RL: Can you explain the reasons behind the apparent contradiction in views regarding prioritizing a negotiated return of the hostages, or destroying Hamas? Yohanani: You're right to point out that apparent contradiction. Let me break it down a bit. As I mentioned earlier, a clear majority of the public sees a deal to release the hostages as the main goal. But there is a big gap between political camps on this issue. In the center and left, about 80 percent support the deal for the hostages' release, while the opinions on the right are evenly split. So, for most of the left and center, the fighting in Gaza has run its course. They feel most military objectives have been achieved, and Hamas's military power has been significantly weakened. From their perspective, continuing the fight now only puts the hostages at greater risk. It's important to know that about half of the right-wing also shares this view of prioritizing the hostages' release, but the other half of those on the far-right thinks dismantling Hamas is more important. Why? For a couple of reasons. First, there's a security stance that Hamas must be wiped out and not allowed to recover. There is also a very strong sentiment of revenge, with minimal consideration for the cost, whether it's the lives of the hostages, soldiers, let alone innocent civilians in Gaza. Another significant component openly discussed in religious nationalist circles is the return of Jewish settlement to the Gaza Strip after Israel evacuated Jewish settlements from there in 2005. RFE/RL: Is there public confidence that Israel will ultimately be able to remove the threat of Hamas and Hezbollah and come out of this conflict with greater prospects for a peaceful and stable near-term future? Yohanani: Right now, the Israeli public isn't showing a lot of optimism. In our current survey, when we asked people if they're optimistic or pessimistic about Israel's future, we found more pessimists, 48 percent, than optimists, 45 percent. I also think it's important to note that a peaceful future, as you put it, or peace in general, isn't really a common concept in the current Israeli discourse. I would say the hope of Israelis is that the military actions against Hezbollah and Iran will lead to a situation where Israel's existence isn't in question, and that Israeli military superiority will prevent events like October 7 from happening again. So, it's less about peace in the traditional sense, and more about security and deterrence. People are hoping for a future where Israel can exist without constant threats, rather than expecting a harmonious relationship with its neighbors in the near-term. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has accused the the International Criminal Court (ICC) of trying to deny Israel the right to self defense after the court's chief prosecutor announced he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, including Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as senior figures in Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. "The attempt by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, to reverse the creation [of Israel] will not succeed -- the parallel of the prosecutor between the terrorist organization Hamas and the State of Israel is despicable and disgusting," Gallant said in a social media post on May 20, adding that any attempt "to deny the State of Israel the right to self-defense and to free its hostages must be rejected out of hand." ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said on May 19 that he has "reasonable grounds" to believe Netanyahu, Gallant, and three Hamas leaders -- Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and Ismail Haniyeh -- are responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Khan specifically noted the starvations of civilians as a method of warfare, willfully causing great suffering, intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population, and other inhumane acts as the grounds for the warrants. The three Hamas leaders were accused of responsibility for extermination, taking hostages, rape and other acts of sexual violence, torture, and other inhumane acts. The courts three pretrial judges will determine whether there is sufficient evidence to issue warrants. ICC spokesman Fadi Al-Abdallah told RFE/RL in an e-mail that the ICC judges "will issue their decision in due course" but did not offer a specific time frame. The latest conflict, which has consumed the Gaza Strip where some 2.3 million Palestinians live, was sparked by a cross-border raid Hamas carried out on October 7 that killed some 1,200 people, mainly Israeli civilians, including children. In addition, Hamas took about 240 Israeli hostages back to Gaza, many of whom are still being held. In response, Israel has launched a withering war against Hamas that has seen the devastating destruction of much of Gaza -- including the deaths of at least 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-led Health Ministry -- and the breakout of a massive humanitarian crisis in the tiny coastal area. Israel has denied committing war crimes during the seven-month-old conflict. The ICC decision has launched a wave of strong reactions around the world, both for and against the prosecutor's controversial move. France and Belgium released statements late on May 20 supporting the ICC decision, with the French Foreign Ministry saying it "supports the International Criminal Court, its independence, and the fight against impunity in all situations. "Crimes committed in Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of the perpetrators," Belgium's Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib said. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden condemned the courts bid to issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders as an "outrageous" action. "And let me be clear: Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence -- none -- between Israel and Hamas," Biden said in a statement. 'More Complicated Cases' David Bosco, a professor at Indiana University-Bloomington and an expert on the ICC, told RFE/RL that one thing that's important to note is that over the years that the ICC has been operating, the judges and the prosecutor do not always agree. So it's not a foregone conclusion that the prosecutor will get all the arrest warrants that he wants, or for the precise charges that he wants. I think the arrest warrants for Hamas are probably more straightforward in the sense that you have...the October 7 attack that seemed to be aimed primarily at civilians, he said. With Israel, he added, you've got a more complicated situation involving humanitarian aid and whether Israel has been allowing enough humanitarian aid in and has it actually been trying to use starvation as a weapon? Those are somewhat more complicated cases, I would say, from a legal perspective, he said. Israel is not a member of the ICC, and, even if the warrants are issued, it is unclear whether Netanyahu and Gallant would face prosecution. But Khans announcement does increase international pressure against Israel over its conduct of the conflict. The Rome Statute, a 1998 treaty establishing the International Criminal Court, has been signed by 124 countries. Sinwar and Dief are believed to be in Gaza, while Haniyeh is reportedly based in Qatar. "The Hamas movement strongly condemns the attempts of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to equate the victim with the executioner by issuing arrest warrants against a number of Palestinian resistance leaders," the group said in a statement on May 20. Russian President Vladimir Putin used a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Masud Pezeshkian, to cement their growing bilateral ties that have raised concern in the West as war rages in Ukraine and the Middle East. The two leaders met in Ashgabat on the sidelines of a conference in the capital of the tightly controlled Central Asian country of Turkmenistan on October 11. It was the first of two meetings between the men, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24. It was the first of two meetings between the two, with another scheduled at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan that runs on October 22-24. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters ahead of the meeting that while the talks will focus on bilateral relations, "the situation in the Middle East definitely will not be ignored and will also be on the agenda." The meeting was the first between the two since Pezeshkian assumed office on July 30 after winning an election to succeed his hard-line predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Relations between Moscow and Tehran have strengthened since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. "Pezeshkian is trying to gauge to what extent Iran can rely on Russia for help," Touraj Atabaki, professor emeritus of Middle East and Central Asia social history at Leiden University in the Netherlands, told Radio Farda. "Russia wants to stand with Iran due to Iran's support in its war on Ukraine but Moscow doesn't want to darken its relationship with Israel further and cut all ties," he added. Since the early months of the Ukraine war, Russia has been accused of using Iranian-made Shahed and Mohajer-6 drones, many of which have been found after being shot down over Ukrainian cities and battlefields. Iran initially denied arming Russia before relenting and admitting that it had supplied a "limited number of drones" to Moscow before the war. Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, Tehran continues to deny that its drones are being used by Russia against Ukraine. That has not stopped the United States and the European Union from imposing sanctions on Iran for helping Moscow. Last month, the EU said it had "credible" information provided by allies suggesting that Iran has supplied short-range ballistic missiles to Russia to help Moscow wage war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, tensions in the Middle East have been heightened since Tehran launched some 200 missiles at Israel on October 1, saying the attack was in response to the killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders and a general from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Israel has vowed to launch a "deadly, precise, and surprising" attack on Iran in retaliation, while it continues to pound targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip that it says are aimed at Iran-backed proxies. At least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded on October 11 by Israeli strikes in Jabalia in northern Gaza, according to the territory's civil-defense agency. The recent spiral of violence was sparked by the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel by Hamas that killed around 1,200 people and saw some 250 taken hostage. Hamas has been designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. The fighting in Gaza prompted another Iran-backed group, Hezbollah, to fire missiles into Israel in support of Hamas. Hezbollah is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, while the EU blacklists its armed wing but not its political party. The Israeli military has launched massive air strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon in response, as well as a ground incursion into southern Lebanon intended to destroy the Iran-allied militant group, whose political party has seats in the Lebanese parliament. Israel faced condemnation on October 11 after its forces fired at what it said was a threat near a UN peacekeeping position in Lebanon. Israeli soldiers had responded to "an immediate threat" around 50 meters from the UNIFIL post, the military said. "An initial examination indicates that during the incident, a hit was identified on a UNIFIL post...resulting in the injury of two UNIFIL personnel," the statement added. The army pledged to carry out a "thorough review." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the firing as "intolerable" and "a violation of international humanitarian law," while the British government said it was "appalled" by reports of the injuries. U.S. President Joe Biden said he was "absolutely" asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers, while the French, Spanish, and Italian leaders issued a joint statement expressing "outrage." French President Emmanuel Macron renewed his call for an end to exports of weapons used by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon, while saying the UN peacekeepers had been "deliberately targeted." In Iran, more than three dozen hard-line lawmakers on October 10 demanded the government revise its nuclear doctrine to pursue atomic weapons. In a letter to the Supreme National Security Council, they said Western powers could not control Israel, thus making nuclear weapons "Iran's option to create deterrence." Iran has been hit with waves of crippling economic sanctions for its nuclear program, which has seen a sharp increase in its uranium enrichment capacity after the United States under former President Donald Trump withdrew from a 2015 landmark deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that restricted Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from sanctions. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful civilian purposes, but government officials caused alarm recently by saying it could change its "nuclear doctrine" if it is attacked or its existence is threatened by Israel. With reporting by Reuters and AFP Hundreds of Pakistani students have left Kyrgyzstan amid safety fears after mob attacks on South Asians last week left dozens injured in the capital, Bishkek. Many of the students' parents urged Islamabad to bring their children home and some students say they are unsure about ever returning to Kyrgyzstan to continue their studies. The violence also prompted some embassies in Bishkek, including the U.S. and Turkish ones, to advise their citizens to exercise caution in Kyrgyzstan due to safety concerns. The violent events in Bishkek have damaged Kyrgyzstan's image as a safe place for foreigners and could potentially deprive it of a major source of revenue. Kyrgyz authorities say foreign students studying in English-language universities bring in up to $180 million annually to the economy. Kyrgyzstan hosts about 28,000 students from countries outside the former Soviet Union, according to Deputy Education Minister Rasul Abazbek-uulu. The huge majority of the international students -- some 24,000 -- are from India and Pakistan and they mainly study medicine, paying about $3,000 in tuition per year. They collectively spend millions more dollars in Kyrgyzstan for room and board and living expenses. "The foreign students who live here spend money in our country by using services such as taxis, restaurants, and hair salons, to name a few," Abazbek-uulu said in Bishkek on May 20. "They bring in between $136 million and $181.4 million to our country every year, contributing to our economy," he added. The total number of foreign students in Kyrgyzstan is about 60,000 according to official statistics, with the bulk of them from former Soviet republics. That includes some 24,500 from Uzbekistan and more than 2,000 from both Russia and Kazakhstan. Students from neighboring countries study in Russian and Kyrgyz-language faculties that charge lower tuition than the English-language courses. Abazbek-uulu said the violent attacks on at least four different student hostels in the capital will tarnish Kyrgyzstan's reputation as an "education hub" for foreign students -- an image Bishkek had spent "many years building." The number of foreign students in Kyrgyzstan has significantly increased in the past decade. According to official statistics, there were about 11,300 foreigners studying in Kyrgyzstan in the 2012-13 academic year, including 4,457 from Kazakhstan and some 1,140 from India, and 778 from Pakistan. Abazbek-uulu mentioned the intense "competition" among countries trying to attract foreign students to boost their education sector and their economies. Medical schools in Kyrgyzstan and its Central Asian neighbors Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have become increasingly popular with Indian and Pakistani students due to their comparatively low tuition fees and living costs, as well as their relatively easy visa regimes. Jobs in the medical sector are highly regarded and well-paid in India and Pakistan. The tuition fees in other Asian countries are usually much higher and it costs tens of thousands of dollars to study medicine in the West. Most Kyrgyz Welcome Foreign Students Meerim Osmonalieva, the head of the Oasis Foundation in Kyrgyzstan, said it will take a "long time" for the country to rebuild its image after foreign students in Bishkek suffered "beatings, violence, and attacks on their dorms." "Kyrgyzstan is a hospitable country. It's a shame that the reputation of our country is suffering. Recovery will take a long time," she told RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service. A survey conducted by the International Organization for Migration in 2021 showed that most Kyrgyz were in favor of their country hosting foreign students and migrants, saying they have a positive impact on Kyrgyzstan. Between 80 and 90 percent of respondents said that foreigners bring money to the economy, increase peoples' interest in learning foreign languages and culture, while also creating new business and investment opportunities. Rebecca Black, PA A man has been arrested after a vehicle rammed into the front of a bank building in Derry. The incident took place in the Culmore Road area of Derry on Monday night and resulted in what police termed significant damage to a bank building. A police spokesperson said a 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of offences, including criminal damage and dangerous driving. Shortly after 11.40pm, officers responded to a report that a red-coloured vehicle had rammed the front of a bank on Culmore Road several times before making off from the scene and then returning, they said. The male driver was subsequently arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving with excess alcohol in breath, dangerous driving, criminal damage, and attempted theft. When inside the police vehicle, the man was verbally abusive to officers, and kicked the headrests of the car. He was further arrested on suspicion of disorderly behaviour and attempted criminal damage and remains in custody at this time, assisting police with inquiries. Police have appealed for any witnesses, including drivers, who were in the area at around 11.40pm or shortly before it, and captured footage of what happened to contact officers on 101. The Taoiseach visited Lough Funshinagh over the weekend for what was described as a private meeting with locals and politicians. The Tanaiste Micheal Martin is due to visit the lake tomorrow, Wednesday, May 22. At yesterdays meeting of the Athlone Municipal District, Cllr Laurence Fallon highlighted that Taoiseach Simon Harris was at the South Roscommon lake. He was shocked at what he saw, he said, adding that the visit was positive. He gave a commitment that he would go back and expedite the resolution as soon as possible. He added that what was needed now was action and action quickly. He also said that the leader of the Green party Eamon Ryan declined his invitation to visit. I have to say I had a letter from Eamon Ryan, Minister for the Environment, who declined to come down. That makes very obvious his commitment to rural Ireland and I am disappointed that he has decided to decline. He added that the bottom line is that if we dont get a metre of water out of the lake between now and Christmas, the overflow pipe will be secondary because there will be so much damage done. Municipal Cathaoirleach Cllr Emer Kelly was also disappointed that Minister Ryan declined the invitation, especially given the gravity of the situation. While he welcomed the visit of the Taoiseach, Tony Ward said it was his understanding that there could be no work done until the High Court injunction was lifted. I would like to see the works done as quickly as possible, he said. This has dragged on for nine years. Cllr John Keogh agreed that the injunction had to be lifted and he appealed to the Friends of the Irish Environment to consider their position on it. Only the Friends of the Irish Environment are in a position to go into court and seek to vacate that, Cllr Keogh said. Cllr Donal Kilduff said it was very welcome that the Taoiseach came to view the lake but expressed concern that the visit might be electioneering. He said that the situation at Lough Funshinagh was a shining example of the impotence of the local government system. We have had the Taoiseach looking into the lake, MEPs, senators, TDs, all showing up in their wellies looking into the lake, he said. Cllr John Naughten said he understood the frustration of the councillors about the pace of finding a permanent solution, adding that families were being put in an unacceptable position. He said that the Taoiseachs meeting was private with no media present. On social media last night, Cllr Fallon posted the response he received on behalf of Minister Ryan, which said Unfortunately the minister currently has a very hectic schedule" and a meeting could not be organised. The Department of the Taoiseach also said that Taoiseach Simon Harris made a private visit to the area on Sunday to meet with the families affected. He wanted to see first-hand the situation and hear directly from homeowners. The Taoiseach is very grateful to local residents for their time and found the visit very helpful and informative, a spokesperson said. He greatly feels for those impacted and the stress and pressure they face on a daily basis. The Taoiseach continues to work with OPW Minister Kieran ODonnell and the Attorney General to find a path forward for the families involved and will keep in close contact with them. When contacted the Department of the Environment said that Lough Funshinagh and the resolving of the flooding is an important task that Minister Ryan "fully supports the OPW and Roscommon county councils efforts to resolve". However, the department has no direct role, other than the scientific advice provided by the Geological Survey Ireland. Chandigarh Announces Dry Day for 3 days Check Schedule for Dry Days in Chandigarh Ahead of Lok Sabha Election 2024. Chandigarh Dry Day on Lok Sabha Election 2024 Date news: In view of the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Chief Electoral Officer, Chandigarh, in compliance with the directions from the Election Commission of India, has announced the schedule for Dry Days for Chandigarh Parliamentary Constituency. In accordance with Section 135-C of the Representation of People Act, 1951, and Rule 37(9) of the Punjab Liquor License Rules 1956 (applicable to U.T. Chandigarh), the Excise & Taxation Commissioner has ordered the closure of all liquor vends/shops in Union Territory of Chandigarh and specified areas along the inter-state borders as follows: Advertisement Schedule for Dry Days in Chandigarh Ahead of Lok Sabha Election 2024 Date: From: 30th May 2024 (6:00 PM) to 1st June 2024 (6:00 PM) On the counting day: 4th June 2024 (whole day) The orders will also be implemented in areas within 3 Km of inter-state borders with Haryana and Punjab. Advertisement During the specified dry days, no spirituous, fermented, or intoxicating liquors or substances of a similar nature shall be sold, given, or distributed in any hotels, restaurants, taverns, clubs, community centers, CSD canteens, shops, or any public or private places within U.T. Chandigarh and the specified border areas. Additionally, the storage of liquor by individuals will be strictly curtailed, and enforcement of restrictions on the storage of liquor in unlicensed premises will be rigorously implemented. Swiss drug major Roche Holding AG (RHHBY) and its U.S. Unit Genentech announced Tuesday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for inavolisib to treat advanced hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer with a PIK3CA mutation. The designation has been given to inavolisib, an investigational oral therapy, in combination with palbociclib (Ibrance) and fulvestrant. It is for the treatment of adult patients with PIK3CA-mutated, hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer, following recurrence on or within 12 months of completing adjuvant endocrine treatment. The designation is based on Phase III INAVO120 results, which showed that inavolisib-based regimen more than doubled progression-free survival compared with palbociclib and fulvestrant alone in the first-line setting. The companies noted that around 40% of people with HR-positive breast cancer have a PIK3CA mutation and often face poorer prognosis and resistance to endocrine treatment. Overall survival or OS data were immature at this time, but a clear positive trend has been observed. Follow-up for OS will continue to the next analysis. The FDA issues Breakthrough Therapy Designation to accelerate the development and regulatory review of medicines intended to treat serious or life-threatening conditions where preliminary clinical evidence has indicated they may demonstrate substantial improvement over existing therapies. Roche's oncology portfolio so far has received 29 Breakthrough Therapy Designation, including the latest one. Levi Garraway, Roche's Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Product Development, said, "We are pleased that the FDA granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation for inavolisib in recognition of the substantial clinical benefit observed with this regimen. This promising inavolisib-based regimen could transform the PI3K inhibitor class, potentially becoming the standard of care for this patient population in the first-line setting." The company is also submitting the data from INAVO120 to other global authorities, including the European Medicines Agency. Inavolisib is currently being investigated in three company-sponsored Phase III clinical studies (INAVO120, INAVO121, INAVO122) in PIK3CA-mutated locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in various combinations. For More Such Health News, visit rttnews.com For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Health News As Iran mourns the death of President Ebrahim Raisi, the White House described him as "a man who had a lot of blood on his hands". This remark was made by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby while responding to a question during a routine briefing Monday if the U.S. will be sending a delegation to the Iranian president's funeral. "President Raisi was responsible for atrocious human rights in his own country the arrest and the physical violence against hundreds of protesters, for instance. And, of course, he was responsible for the support that Iran provided to terrorist networks throughout the region, which obviously led to the support that he'd given Hamas led to the slaughter of 1,200 innocent Israeli people on the 7th of October," Kirby told reporters. He dismissed Iranian officials' allegations that U.S. sanctions limiting aviation parts and supplies to Iran is partly to blame for the crash as "utterly baseless." Kirby added that every country has a responsibility to ensure the safety and reliability of its equipment, and that includes civil aviation. "And it's not surprising, sadly, but not surprising that the Iranian regime would once again find a way to try to blame the United States for problems of its own making." Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian died in a helicopter crash on Sunday. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News The FDA has given the Elon Musk-owned Neuralink approval to implant a chip in another patient for its early clinical trials, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Neuralink intends to insert the device in a new patient in June and up to 10 individuals by the end of the year. The consent for the second person to receive a Neuralink chip followed the emotional account of the first patient, Noland Arbaugh in the US. The updated chip for the second recipient includes enhancements such as embedding some of the device's ultrathin wires further into the brain. In an exclusive interview with "Good Morning America," Arbaugh, who has quadriplegia, described how this groundbreaking device positively impacted his life. The device, about the size of a coin, was surgically placed under the skull and contained 64 small wires, or threads, with over 1,000 electrodes capable of interpreting brain neuron activity and connecting to a computer or smartphone, according to the company. Following his surgery, several of the fine threads from the device became detached from his brain, initially hindering the translation of his thoughts into actions. However, 15% of the threads that remained intact eventually stabilized, and software modifications helped restore many of the device's functions, as showcased in live broadcasts, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. Neuralink outlined the device modifications in a recent blog post, stating, "We adjusted the recording algorithm to enhance neural population signals, refined the methods to translate these signals into cursor movements, and improved the user interface." The ongoing trial participants are involved in the PRIME Study, which stands for Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface. Neuralink aims to assess the safety of the implant and surgical robot, as well as test the device's functionality. More than 100 quadriplegic individuals have registered to participate in the patient registry. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News [L-R] Dean of Science, Prof Joanna Dames; Distinguished Research Awardee, Prof Makaiko Chithambo; and DVC: Research, Innovation & Strategic Partnerships, Dr Kwezi Mzilikazi [PIC CREDIT: Andrea Cole] By Siyamthanda Hobo On 15 May 2024, Rhodes University hosted the 2019 Vice Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award lecture with recipient Professor Makaiko Chithambo, Head of the Department of Physics and Electronics. The Vice-Chancellor's Distinguished Senior Research Award is made annually to a staff member of Rhodes University, to recognise their indisputable academic status, engagement in research and general scholarly activity. Prof Chithambos lecture delved into the intriguing realm of materials science, specifically focusing on the significant role of imperfections in solid materials. Setting the stage, DVC of Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Dr Kwezi Mzilikazi introduced Prof Chithambo, emphasising the importance of the topic at hand and the insights that were about to be shared. Professor Chithambo commenced the lecture by presenting a fundamental concept: the idea that the characteristics of solid materials are defined by their imperfections rather than by their perceived perfection. To illustrate this concept, Professor Chithambo began by depicting a hypothetical perfect solid, characterised by a two-dimensional lattice of atoms arranged in a periodic and repetitive manner. However, such ideal structures do not exist. Instead, imperfections such as vacancies (missing atoms) and substitutional atoms (atoms replacing others) are prevalent and play a crucial role in determining the physical properties of materials. Going deeper into the necessity of imperfections, Prof Chithambo turned to the realm of thermodynamics to explain how the state of a material can be quantified through thermodynamic properties such as entropy, which is a measure of disorder. In the context of solids, the presence of vacancies contributes to a material attaining an equilibrium state, highlighting the natural and inevitable nature of imperfections in solid materials. Introducing the concept of Gibbs free energy, Professor Chithambo elaborated on the equilibrium of solids, emphasising that at equilibrium, the number of defects in a solid is not zero. This underscores the essential role of imperfections in maintaining equilibrium and further explains their significance in shaping material properties. Throughout the lecture, Professor Chithambo provided numerous practical examples to illustrate the importance of imperfections in solid materials. One such example was the alloying of copper, tin and zinc to produce bronze. While pure copper is soft and malleable, the introduction of imperfections through alloying elements significantly enhances its strength and durability, making bronze a highly valued material in various applications. Another example highlighted the role of imperfections in gemstones. The colour and value of gemstones such as rubies and tanzanite are often attributed to impurities within their structures. For instance, rubies derive their vibrant red colour from chromium impurities embedded within the aluminium oxide lattice. Furthermore, Professor Chithambo discussed the formation of amorphous materials, such as glass, which lack the long-range order characteristic of crystalline solids. Instead, glass is formed by rapidly cooling a liquid, resulting in a solid with a disordered structure. Despite their apparent imperfections, amorphous materials possess unique properties that make them invaluable in various industries. The lecture also touched upon the crucial role of imperfections in electronic devices. In semiconductor materials, imperfections facilitate the movement of electrons, which is essential for the operation of devices such as cell phones and credit card chips. By understanding and manipulating these imperfections, scientists can enhance the performance and efficiency of electronic devices, driving innovation in the field of electronics. Shifting focus to luminescence, Professor Chithambo discussed various methods used to study defects in solids, including thermoluminescence, which measures the light emitted by an irradiated material as it is heated at a controlled rate. This method provides valuable insights into the concentration of defects within a material and aids in understanding its solid-state dynamics. The lecture accentuated the beauty and necessity of imperfections in solid materials. By embracing these imperfections, scientists can better understand material properties and harness them for various practical applications. The event at Rhodes University served as a platform for advancing knowledge in the field of materials science and highlighted the intricate relationship between imperfections and material properties. As attendees departed with newfound insights, the significance of ongoing research in this area was reaffirmed, promising further discoveries and advancements in the future. The panel discusses the Carnegie Classification System in the South African context [PIC CREDIT: Andrea Cole] By Lance Myburgh On the first day of Rhodes University's 2024 Community Engagement Conference, an afternoon session focused on the evolving role of community engagement in university-society relationships. This three-day event provided a forum to discuss historical insights, current status, and future possibilities for community university initiatives. Participants delved into the complexities of community engagement, stressing the need for ongoing adaptation and responsiveness to the societal demands within the South African context. Mr Sakhe Ntlabezo, Programme Manager for Makhanda Circle of Unity and the session's facilitator, emphasised the value of the Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement of Higher Education Institutions as an independent, rigorous tool to evaluate a university's commitment to community engagement, particularly relevant to South Africa. Ms Diana Hornby, Director of Rhodes Universitys Community Engagement (RUCE) Division, discussed the Institution's strategic and targeted programmes. She emphasised the importance of reflective practices within programmes and jointly with community partner organisations. She also stressed the lack of a national framework to measure the effectiveness of community engagement in societal, community and university development in terms of fostering transformation and socio-economic progress. Ms Bibi Bowman, Director of Sustainability and Community Impact at North West University (NWU) delved into the complex task of assessing the impact of community-based efforts in community engagement. She presented NWUs multifaceted strategy, which combines high-level strategic goals and grassroots actions to evaluate the success of its community engagement efforts comprehensively. Dr Marisol Morales, Executive Director of Carnegie Elective Classifications, shed light on the Classification's goal, placing community engagement as central to universities' commitment to solving critical societal issues. Dr Morales noted the growing international interest in adopting the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification to improve practices worldwide, adapting it to local needs and promoting democratic interaction with the public. She stated, Interest in expansion beyond the US comes from international partners' desire to enhance their community engagement practices by utilising the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. She elaborated that the set of values held by the Carnegie Foundation will adapt to the classification for the local context to promote democratic engagement with citizens. Prof Darren Lorton, Chairperson of both the South African Higher Education Community Engagement Forum and the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement, acknowledged the classification's Western bias but encouraged adapting it to suit different national contexts. He cautioned South African universities against potential pitfalls while considering this framework. Should South African universities opt to participate in this framework study, these universities would need to exercise prudence and guard against the potential for southern colonial leaders, Prof Lorton said. Dr Phetiwe Matutu, CEO of Universities South Africa forum (USAf), spoke on the need for responsiveness to ensure sustainability. She highlighted the process undertaken to date, which was a feasibility study and the way forward with a task team to be established. The session concluded with a lively Q&A led by Mr Ntlabezo, where conference participants discussed the importance of knowing that community engagement was of benefit to communities, the cost-benefit analysis of this approach, and the importance of protecting communities from research fatigue, as mentioned by Dr Matutu. The discussion provided an insightful understanding of the potential changes and strategies within the South African context that could eventuate under the collaborative partnership with the Carnegie Classification Community Engagement framework. The panel was optimistic about using these tools and insights to foster broader impacts through cooperative efforts among communities and universities. Maruti Suzukis recent launch of the New Swift has generated considerable buzz However, its pricing is on the higher side compared to competitors like the Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS While the new Swift is well-equipped, it lacks certain features. Here are the top features that the Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS offers but are missing in the New Swift. 1 Smoother and More Refined 4-Cylinder Engine The New Swift comes with a 3-cylinder Z12E engine. In comparison, the 1.2L 4-cylinder Kappa engine in the Grand i10 NIOS is notably quieter and smoother. Hyundai i10 NIOS has among the lowest Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) in its segment. 2 More Power and Torque Both cars feature a 1.2-liter petrol engine, but the i10 NIOS delivers more power and torque. The i10 NIOS boasts 82 bhp at 6,000 rpm and 114 Nm at 4,000 rpm, whereas the Swift offers 80 bhp at 5700 rpm and 111.7 Nm at 4,300 rpm. 3 CNG Option The Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS is available with a CNG option, which the New Swift lacks. With rising fuel costs affecting purchase decisions, the availability of a CNG option is a significant advantage for the Grand i10 NIOS. 4 Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) The New Swift provides various metrics and real-time data on its MID but lacks a real-time tyre pressure reading feature. In contrast, the Grand i10 NIOS comes with a proper TPMS that displays tyre pressure readouts on the MID screen of its instrument cluster. 5 USB Type-C Port While the New Swift has improved its ports and connectivity compared to its predecessor, it lacks a Type-C port for front passengers, offering it only for rear passengers. The Grand i10 NIOS provides a Type-A port, a Type-C port, and a 12V socket for front passengers. 6 Cooled Glovebox Hyundai was one of the first brands in the mainstream car segment to introduce a cooled glovebox. This feature, which keeps water bottles, beverages, and chocolates cool on hot days, is available in the Grand i10 NIOS but not in the New Swift. 7 Shark Fin Antenna The Grand i10 NIOS comes with a shark fin antenna, unlike the New Swift. Traditional antennas can be problematic in tight parking spaces or when passing through areas with trees at lower height or while parking in tight spaces (malls, double stacking, etc). 8 Pricing Last but not the least. Pricing is one of the biggest factors when it comes to making a car buying decision. Maruti has increased prices of the new Swift substantially. It is priced in the range of Rs 6.49 lakh to Rs 9.65 lakh, ex-sh. In comparison, Hyundai Grand i10 NIOS is priced in the range of Rs 5.92 lakh to Rs 8.56 lakh, ex-sh. An Encinitas dancer is taking on her first big role as part of the cast in a Romeo and Juliet-based show that modernizes the classic Shakespearian tale with urban choreography. Noelle Franco, 20, is lending her dance skills as part of the ensemble of Beyond Babel, which was written by Carlsbad residents Keone Madrid and Mari Madrid, as well as the Hideaway Circus. The show, which opened in September, is currently running on select nights through Nov. 25 in a new immersive San Diego theater space called the Beyond Babel Theater, 2625 Imperial Avenue. Beyond Babel, which tells its story through West Coast Urban choreography, is based off the classic romance written by William Shakespeare where a town becomes split in half with rivalries and two lovers try to continue their affair despite all obstacles. The production with large crochet backdrops, art installations and yarn-based props created by artist London Kaye also includes an orchestra section that moves throughout the theater, immersing viewers into the show and offering multiple perspectives of the performers and the sets. Prior to being cast in the show, Franco who began taking ballet lessons as a tot before taking it seriously at age 9 danced with the Madrids at the now-defunct Studio 429 in Encinitas about five years ago. They are so talented and creatively genius, Franco said, referring to the Madrids. I definitely knew from the start that they were going to make something wonderful, and I wanted to be a part of that. While Franco had been dancing on a competitive team for about a decade, she considered Beyond Babel her biggest role. She said the show has been a learning experience for her, particularly in regard to balancing time. The 12 dancers and crew are regularly at the theater every day from early morning to midnight, she said. Its a really big time commitment, and it sounds exhausting it is but its also so beneficial, so much fun and so exciting to see it grow from the first day, not doing anything, to now and having a complete show, Franco said. While the performances close Nov. 25, ideally, she and her fellow castmates would like to see the show travel to other parts of the country. I just really want to meet amazing people, and I want to create amazing things, Franco said. I love to dance, so I hope I can do it for years to come. (Photo : Pixabay / Michelle_Raponi) According to a new study, ocean water is pushing miles under the Doomsday Glacier in Antarctica, fueling its vulnerability to melting. The study used space radar data to conduct an X-ray on the extremely important glacier. Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier West Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier, dubbed the Doomsday Glacier because its collapse could result in catastrophic sea level rises, is considered the widest glacier in the world. It is roughly as big as Florida. This glacier is also the most unstable and vulnerable in Antarctica. This is mainly because the land it sits on has a downward slope, enabling ocean waters to eat its ice away. The Doomsday glacier already accounts for 4% of the rise in sea level worldwide. It also contains sufficient ice for rising sea levels by over two feet. However, since it works as a natural dam to the ice that surrounds West Antarctica, its complete collapse has been estimated by scientists to lead to roughly 10 feet of sea level rise, which could be catastrophic for coastal communities worldwide. ALSO READ: 23-Foot Underwater Vehicle Exploring Doomsday Glacier Disappears Without a Trace Ocean Water Pushes Doomsday Glacier Several studies have noted the Thwaites' immense vulnerability. Based on a 2022 study, global warming driven by fossil fuel burning has left it hanging on its fingernails. Now, the latest study adds another alarming factor to its projections. As part of the study, a team of glaciologists, led by University of California, Irvine scientists, used high-resolution radar data from satellites from March to June 2023. They used the data to create an X-ray of the Doomsday Glacier. This enabled them to construct a picture of the changes in the Thwaites' grounding line, which is where the glacier rises from the seabed to become a floating ice shelf. Such grounding lines are crucial for ice sheet stability and are key to Thwaites' vulnerability. However, they have remained hard to study. Eric Rignot, a university Earth system science professor and study co-author, explains that previously, only sporadic data was available to examine this. With the new data set, they have strong observations of what is happening. The researchers observed seawater pushing under the glacier for several miles. It then moved out once more, following the tides' daily rhythm. When water flows, this will raise the glacier's surface by centimeters. Rignot suggests a "grounding zone" could be more apt than a grounding line. The seawater speed boosts glacier melt because when the ice melts, freshwater is washed out and replaced by warmer seawater. Such an intrusion will heighten sea level rise projections from Antarctica. Several mysteries remain regarding what the study's findings could mean for the Doomsday Glacier's future. It also remains unclear how widespread the process is across Antarctica. While sea ice melting does not directly impact the rise of sea level due to its float, it leaves glaciers and ice sheets on the coast exposed to warm ocean waters and waves, fueling their vulnerability towards breaking up and melting. The study adds to the evidence that a lasting regime shift has been happening throughout the region in the past few years. Findings were noted in the "Widespread seawater intrusions beneath the grounded ice of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica" study. RELATED ARTICLE: Antarctica Doomsday Glacier: What Places Will Be Affected When It Melts? Check out more news and information on Environment & Climate in Science Times. Autism Alliance of Michigan was founded with the vision that people with autism will lead lives that meet their greatest potential. We lead efforts to raise expectations and expand opportunities for people touched by autism across the lifespan. Connect with an AAoM Navigator at www.autismallianceofmichigan.org. depression Katie Oswald Communication with the autistic family member about their needs is paramount. AstraZeneca has unveiled medium-term growth targets to nearly double group revenues by the end of the decade as it predicts significant growth from existing oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare disease portfolios. The pharma giant said it expects to total revenues to hit $80bn by 2030, helped by the launch of 20 new medicines over the year six years, compared with $45.8bn in 2023. To drive this growth, the company said it will continue to invest in disruptive innovation and new technologies "that will shape the future of medicine". "Today AstraZeneca announces a new era of growth," said chief executive Pascal Soriot. "In 2023 we delivered the ambitious $45bn revenue goal set a decade ago. With the exciting growth of our innovative pipeline, which has the potential to transform millions of lives, we are now aiming for $80bn by 2030." Soriot said that many of the 20 new medicines in the pipeline have the potential to generate more than $5bn in peak-year revenues. AstraZeneca also reiterated its commitment to decouple carbon emissions from its revenue growth. By 2026, it is targeting carbon zero for scope one and scope two emissions, having reduced both by 68% since 2015. By 2030, scope three emissions are expected to halve, and by 2045 at the latest the group will be "science-based net zero". Superdry is reportedly preparing to run an emergency four-week sale process if creditors block its founder's plans to inject up to 10m of his own money into the fashion chain in a bid to stave off insolvency. According to Sky News, the accelerated M&A process would be launched if a restructuring plan is not approved by creditors in the coming weeks. Under the proposed survival plan, Julian Dunkerton would stump up either 8m in an open offer available to other shareholders or 10m in a placing that would only be accessible to him. The share sale would precede Superdry's delisting from the London Stock Exchange. It was understood that the restructuring plan would need to be approved by creditors, including landlords, in the coming weeks. According to a document circulated to creditors in recent days and seen by Sky News, rejection of the restructuring plan would be followed by a four-week sale process for Superdry, with the likely outcome of a pre-pack administration deal. Sources told Sky that Dunkerton's willingness to inject such a substantial chunk of his own fortune into the company reflected his confidence in the company's turnaround prospects. Last month, Sky News revealed that M&G, the asset manager which owns Superdry's flagship store in central London, was weighing a challenge to its rescue plan. M&G is believed to have been alarmed by the absence of their participation in a mechanism to allow creditors to benefit from any future recovery in the retailer's performance. The restructuring plan will not entail immediate shop closures but will impose sizeable rent cuts on landlords of dozens of Superdry outlets. Sources told Sky the firm is also planning to pull out of a number of overseas markets, including the US. A Labour government would aim to announce the sites for a series of new towns within a year of taking office, with the promise that homes would be built in them by the end of a first term, Angela Rayner is to say in a speech. Giving more detail to a plan first outlined in Keir Starmers party conference speech in October, Rayner will tell a housing conference that Labour will strongly support private developers who create high-quality and affordable housing. Guardian The sectors of the global economy most heavily exposed to artificial intelligence (AI) are witnessing a marked productivity increase and command a significant wage premium, according to a report. Boosting hopes that AI might help lift the global economy out of a 15-year, low-growth trough, a PwC study found productivity growth was almost five times as rapid in parts of the economy where AI penetration was highest than in less exposed sectors. Guardian The decision to block a UAE-backed takeover of The Telegraph has damaged relations with the Gulf state, a former Cabinet minister has warned. Sir Brandon Lewis, the former Northern Ireland secretary, said that it would be logical if the handling of Redbird IMIs bid had contributed to a diplomatic breakdown between the UK and UAE that puts billions of investment at risk. Telegraph TalkTalk founder Sir Charles Dunstone is preparing to inject fresh funding into the debt-laden broadband provider, as looming repayment deadlines stoke fears over its future. Sir Charles and TalkTalks other main shareholders have offered to inject 150m into the company to stave off a potential debt crisis, sources said. Telegraph Mike Ashley is eyeing up a stake in Exeters Princesshay estate, The Times has learnt, in what would be the first joint venture between the retail mogul and the Kings property company. Frasers Group, the FTSE 100 retailer majority-owned by Ashley, is the frontrunner to buy a 50 per cent interest in the estate from Nuveen, a retail property source said. The Times The Bank of India is delighted to announce the Golden Jubilee celebration of its Paris Branch, marking 50 years of exceptional service since its establishment on May 17, 1974. The event, held in Paris, was a grand affair, attended by eminent guests and loyal customers, symbolizing the deep bonds and trust the Paris Branch has cultivated over the years. Since its inception in 1974, the Paris Branch of the Bank of India has been instrumental in enhancing economic and cultural ties between India and France. The branch offers a comprehensive range of financial services, including corporate banking, trade finance, and remittance services, catering to the diverse needs of its customers. Shri. Rajneesh Karnatak, Managing Director & CEO of Bank of India, graced the Golden Jubilee celebration. The event was further enriched by the presence of the Guest of Honour, Mr. Javed Ashraf, Indian Ambassador to France, and Mr. Prafullachandra Sharma, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India in France. Padma Shri Awardee and renowned Sanskrit scholar Dr. Pierre-Sylvain Filliozat was felicitated on this occasion, adding to the grandeur of the event. Several dignitaries, including Shri Nitin Deshpande, Chief General Manager, International Division, Shri. Manish Gupta, Chief Executive for Europe, and Shri. Sujan Salian, Country Head for France, were in attendance, alongside long-serving employees of the Paris Branch. The event was also attended by over 50 valued customers, highlighting the enduring partnerships and confidence the branch has built over the past five decades. "Marking 50 years of our Paris Branch is a testament to the strong relationships and trust we have built with our customers and the wider community in France", said Shri. Rajneesh Karnatak, MD & CEO of Bank of India. "We take pride in our legacy of excellence and innovation, and we are excited to continue this journey, building on the robust foundation laid over the past five decades", he added. US manufacturer Wabtec has officially inaugurated its new manufacturing campus in Rohtak, Haryana, on May 20. Built at a cost of Rs 1.5 billion ($18 million), the facility will produce components and subsystems for rolling stock, including metro cars, wagons, and locomotives for Indian Railways (IR). The 10,000 square meter plant's initial production will focus on the passenger market, manufacturing axle-mounted disc brake systems, distributor valves, brake calipers and actuators, and friction materials. Wabtec plans to extend its production to serve the mining and industrial sectors as well as the rail industry. The new facility underscores Wabtecs commitment to the Indian market and supports the governments Make in India initiative aimed at encouraging domestic production. Rohtak joins Wabtecs existing Transit business plant in Hosur, which produces brake systems, couplers, pantographs, relays, air-conditioning systems, and passenger doors. Wabtecs engineering presence in Hosur and Bengaluru further provides global engineering and service support. India is an important growth market for Wabtec, especially for the transit business, said Pascal Schweitzer, president of Wabtecs Transit business. The new site will further improve Wabtec's ability to deliver enhanced value through our diverse product offerings for both Indian and global customers. Sujatha Narayan, senior vice-president and India regional leader at Wabtec, announced plans for additional investment and growth. We intend to grow this site with plans to invest an additional Rs 800 million over the next few years, she said. We currently employ 300 people and as the business grows, we do intend to add another 200 employees with a keen focus on diversity hires. Wabtec is one of the largest rail equipment manufacturers in India, currently employing 3,000 people. The Rohtak plant reinforces Wabtecs position in the Indian market and its contribution to the global supply chain for rolling stock components and subsystems. A 2-year-old boy was found trapped in a makeshift cage covered in feces, according to Syracuse.com. Troopers responded to a home on Chadduck Avenue in Buffalo on Feb. 8 to arrest Naesha Lumpkin for a previous felony charge. It was during that visit authorities discovered the toddler soaked in urine and stuck inside of a cage. The boys mother had created the cage using a playpen with a piece of crib tied on top, the New York State Police told the publication. Troopers told the news outlet everything, including the walls surrounding the cage, bedding and the toddler found inside, was covered in feces. The cage was so small that the boy could not stand up while inside of it, according to the report. Doctors identified bruises on the boys face and body as well as two fractured ribs that were beginning to heal, according to Syracuse.com. Lumpkin was arrested and charged with child endangerment, according to the report. The woman told police her son had fallen down a staircase in either late December or early January, but she did not seek medical attention for his injuries, according to the outlet. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. Under Gov. Kathy Hochuls direction, flags across the state are at half-staff today in honor of a fallen retired New York state police officer who died of a 9/11-related illness. Staff Sergeant Benedicto Albizu Jr. died on May 9 after contracting a sickness in the wake of his closeness to the World Trade Center after the terrorist attacks claimed thousands of lives, including 275 Staten Islanders. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As Staten Island mourns the loss of one the boroughs most tireless advocates, one of New Yorks top elected officials has joined in the grieving process. On Monday, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) issued a statement on the death of Lee Covino, a U.S. Army veteran turned tenacious advocate for veterans issues here on Staten Island and across the United States. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- St. George resident KC Hankins said while it has always been a scary world for LGBTQ+ people, recent threats of worldwide violence against the queer community is also right here in the United States, New York and on Staten Island. They [threats] are a direct result of the constant drumbeat of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric across the globe. Whether it is the Ugandan government legalizing the death penalty for homosexuals, or the over 500 anti-LGBTQI+ bills introduced across the United States, this rhetoric creates a breeding ground for hate against queer folk and inspires violence from hate groups from ISIS to the Proud Boys, Hankins, a New York City LGBTQ+ advocate, said. Pictured is KC Hankins speaking before the Staten Island St. Patrick's Parade for which LGBTQ+ groups are banned from marching under their own banner, on March 5, 2023. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) As we approach Pride Month, which is celebrated in June, the U.S. Department of State issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday for all LGBTQIA+ Americans. And it has many members of Staten Islands LGBTQ+ community fearful for their safety. Due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests, the Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution, the alert says. The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution. IN OUR OWN BACKYARD But the caution level abroad is also felt here in the U.S. every day of many LGBTQ+ individuals lives. While the State Department is warning of foreign terrorist threats against LGBTQIA+ people, us queer folk know full well that we are in danger from domestic threats as well, said Hankins. Stapleton resident Chris Bauer, former president Lambda Associates of Staten Island, who has long been a driving force for LGBTQ+ rights on Staten Island, agreed. We are not only seeing this overseas, but its here as well, which is really sad, and its especially against the transgender community, he said. People feel embolden that they can lash out with violence. Stapleton resident Chris Bauer has long been a driving force for LGBTQ+ rights on Staten Island, and former president Lambda Associates of Staten Island, (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) And many Staten Island activists say its sad the State Department has to issue such a warning, and that widespread discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community continues. The good news is we have a government that actually cares about people, their safety and their well being. Tragically, we still need these advisories, said Richmond County Surrogate Court Judge Matthew J. Titone and former North Shore assemblyman, who was Staten Islands first openly gay elected official. The bad news is that here we are going 10 paces backwards, because people cant tolerate other people who are different from them. Its disheartening. And certainly, its frightening. ...But then I think we have to go to the root. Where is it coming from? And I think we need to look no further than in our own backyard, he added. Hon. Matthew J. Titone, Surrogate Judge with his dog Bari, who is a trained therapy dog. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) CAUTION TRAVELING ABROAD Because of the caution alert, many local elected officials urge their LGBTQ+ constituents traveling domestically and abroad to take the Department of State warning seriously. It is devastating that in 2024 people from the LGBTQ+ community are targets of hateful bigotry. This advisory should not be necessary, but the sad reality is that it is. I urge my friends to take caution while traveling and stay alert, said State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton (D-Staten Island/Brooklyn). My heart is with you if you are feeling singled out and please stay safe. Said Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island), Staten Islands first openly gay Republican elected official: Frankly, it is alarming that conditions have reached the point where the State Department has to warn members of the LGBTQ community to be concerned about being victims of violence when they travel abroad, but it should underscore how truly fortunate we all are to be Americans and how misguided some people are for denigrating this country so often. I have travelled internationally with my husband, and I know how mindful we have to be with respect to these advisories. Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island) is Staten Islands first openly gay Republican elected official. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) When asked about the caution alert for LGBTQ+ individuals, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said: All Americans are less safe, here and abroad, because of Joe Bidens policies of appeasement that have emboldened our adversaries. WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE? Activists say for there to be widespread acceptance of LGBTQ+ individuals, allies and more members of the community need to have their voices heard. Theres strength in numbers and theres obviously education, said Carol Bullock, executive director of The Pride Center of Staten Island. There was a hate crime that happened last week against a transgender individual. So I think its about making people aware that this is going on. And its so crucial for allies to get involved because that makes us feel safer. And the more we can educate people and not have them be afraid of our differences, the better it will be. Theres strength in numbers and theres obviously education, said Carol Bullock, executive director of The Pride Center of Staten Island. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) In addition, those in the closet need to join activists in their fight for inclusion, said Bauer. When more people come out as gay, lesbian or transgender, more people realize that the stereotypes are false, he said. Some of the biggest enemies of gay people, are people in the closet who dont want to face it [discrimination] themselves. ...People need to be politically engaged if things are going to change. Said Hankins: But we know how to protect ourselves and keep each other safe. Will I still attend as many pride events as I can this June? You better believe it. These cowards threatening us for existing will not scare us back into the closets, but instead will spill us into the streets until we have fair and equal treatment under the law in every corner of this earth. STATE DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATIONS The Department of State said U.S. citizens should: Stay alert in locations frequented by tourists, including Pride celebrations and venues frequented by LGBTQI+ persons. Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive information and alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency overseas. Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK and X NEW YORK, N.Y. Controversy broke out Monday in Manhattan Supreme Court as the prosecution rested and the defense began its case in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan cleared the public courtroom of reporters, while leaving other members of the audience, to reprimand defense witness Robert Costello for antics during his testimony meant to refute that offered by the prosecutions star witness, Michael Cohen. Ive never seen anything like it in my life. A tyrant, and everyones talking about it, Trump said of Merchans actions. The press I imagine is not happy they just got thrown out of a courthouse. Nobodys ever seen anything like it. Costello is a former federal prosecutor turned defense attorney who sought to represent Cohen, Trumps former lawyer and longtime fixer, shortly after the FBIs 2018 raid of his Manhattan office and the hotel where he was staying at the time during which the agency sought business records and other documents related to a variety of topics, including his 2016 hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Costello became testy with Merchan over a series of objections prosecutors made talking through the judges sustaining of the objections, and letting out an audible jeez at one point in apparent reaction to one of Merchans rulings. Merchan initially began a public admonishment of Costello telling him to stop rolling his eyes or making side eye at the judge, but cleared out reporters after saying that the witness was staring down the bench. Reporters had to clear the courtroom--including the Advance/SILive.com reporter who has been covering the trial--while members of Trumps entourage along with staff from the office of District Attorney Alvin Bragg were allowed to remain. Bragg charged Trump last year with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in jail, according to the state court system. Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan is overseeing the trial. The former president has denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors say Trump directed the falsification of the business records by characterizing 12 $35,000 payments in 2017 to Cohen as legal expenses and income for the former attorney. Prosecutors say those payments were actually Trumps refunding of Cohens hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Both Cohen and Daniels have testified that the $135,000 payment was ahead of the 2016 presidential election to keep Daniels quiet about a 2006 sexual encounter she claims to have had with Trump. On Monday, Merchans somewhat private talking to of Costello came towards the end of a drawn out day that saw proceedings start about 45 minutes early, and run past the usual end time of 4:30 p.m. Trumps lawyers put Costello on the stand to refute testimony offered by Cohen about his reaction to the FBIs raid. He testified before congress last week offering a similar rebuttal to Cohens story about why he turned against Trump. Cohen has said his decision to tell his current truth and turn against his former boss came after federal prosecutors threatened his wife with an indictment, but Costello offered a different version of events. He said during a Manhattan hotel meeting he and a colleague had with Cohen after the FBI raid that Trumps former fixer was beside himself. He was absolutely manic at the beginning and throughout the two hours of that meeting, Costello said Monday adding that Cohen was looking for an escape route from the legal trouble he was facing. Costello also said that he advised Cohen he was not the likely target of the investigation, with Trump at the top of the chain, and that his easiest way out of trouble was telling the truth about the former president. Costello has said multiple time that Cohen told him and his colleague repeatedly that he had nothing on Trump. Costellos testimony followed the end of Cohens time on the witness stand, which included a Monday revelation about Cohen stealing from the Trump Organization. The 12 $35,000 payments amounted to $420,000. It included the doubling of the initial $130,000 to Daniels in an effort to make Cohen whole after taxes, added $50,000 for technical services Cohen paid for, and added a $60,000 bonus to the former fixer. That $50,000 was for services provided by a company called RedFinch that helped sway online polls in favor of Trump, but Cohen said he only paid them back $20,000 effectively stealing $30,000 in the alleged repayment scheme. While Mondays proceedings ran long, Tuesdays look to be a short affair with Costellos testimony expected to end in the morning, and no other witnesses on deck for the defense. Merchan said Monday morning that he expects the trial to break for a week after Tuesdays portion with both sides offering closing arguments after Memorial Day, and deliberations to follow. NEW YORK, N.Y. Witness testimony in the Manhattan criminal trial of former President Donald Trump wrapped Tuesday, but jurors are looking at extended downtime thanks to scheduling conflicts. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan told jurors he would see them again in a week for closing arguments May 28 with their deliberations to follow. Both sides finished presenting their evidence to the jury after defense witness Robert Costello finished his testimony. Costello is an attorney who tried to represent Michael Cohen in 2018 following an FBI raid on Trumps former personal lawyers office and the hotel in which he was staying. Following a contentious Monday, during which Merchan reprimanded Costello for antics on the witness stand, the attorney made it through the rest of his testimony without incident despite facing a crisp line of questioning from prosecutor Susan Hoffinger. The prosecutor, from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, referenced several emails from Costello to Cohen and his colleague, Jeff Citron, when his firm hoped to represent Trumps former fixer following the FBI raid. Bragg charged Trump last year with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, which carries a maximum sentence of four years in jail, according to the state court system. The former president has denied wrongdoing. Braggs office is using some of the same evidence secured during the 2018 FBI raids. Prosecutors say Trump directed the falsification of the business records by characterizing 12 $35,000 payments in 2017 to Cohen as legal expenses and income for the former attorney. Prosecutors say those payments were actually Trumps refunding of Cohens hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Both Cohen and Daniels have testified that the $135,000 payment was ahead of the 2016 presidential election to keep Daniels quiet about a 2006 sexual encounter she claims to have had with Trump. The former presidents lawyers put Costello on the stand to refute testimony offered by Cohen about his reaction to the FBIs raid. He testified before congress last week offering a similar rebuttal to Cohens story about why he turned against Trump. Cohen has said his decision to tell his current truth and turn against his former boss came after federal prosecutors threatened his wife with an indictment, but Costello tried to offer a different version of events. He told defense lawyers Monday that Cohen was absolutely manic during a meeting he had with Cohen following the raid and that he suspected Cohen to be suicidal due to the pressure he faced from the federal government. Cohen, however, characterized Costello and his firm as loyal to Trump working to ensure Cohen maintained his loyalty. That was the reason, he said, why he never retained the firm as his representation or paid them for their services. Hoffinger bolstered Cohens position with the series of Costellos emails in which he offered a backchannel communication through former New York City Mayor and Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani to the then-president. Costello confirmed during his testimony that he has had a 50-year relationship with the former mayor dating from their time working together at the federal prosecutors office in Manhattan. Additionally, emails Hoffinger shared from Costello to Citron showed some of his behind-the-scenes opinions of his prospective client. What should I say to this a------? he wrote in reference to Cohen when it began to become clear he would not remain loyal to Trump. Hes playing with the most powerful man on the planet. Costellos testimony concluded around 10 a.m. after which Merchan dismissed the jury. The parties returned to the courtroom around 2 p.m. to discuss how the judge would present his instructions to the jury ahead of their deliberation. They are expected to reach a verdict next week. STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. The 2023-2024 academic year for New York City public schools is winding down but there are still some days off for students. Each school year, the city Department of Education (DOE) academic calendar includes some two dozen days off between the first day and the last day of classes. The calendar gives time off for federal and religious holidays, as well as weeklong breaks for winter, mid-winter, and spring recess. Dates for parent-teacher conference days for elementary, middle schools and high schools are also posted in the calendar. The calendar is for all 3-K to 12th-grade DOE public schools. If your child attends a private, parochial, charter school, NYC Early Education Center (NYCEEC) or Family Childcare Program, please contact your childs school for information about the calendar. With just weeks left of the current school year, there will still be plenty of time off before the school year ends. The first is long three-day weekend when schools close on Monday, May 27, for Memorial Day. They return to classes on Tuesday, May 28. Students will not attend school on June 6 for Anniversary Day/Chancellors Conference Day for staff development. The day after, on June 7, is a clerical day. It means no classes for students attending 3K, Pre-K, elementary schools, middle schools, K-12 schools, and standalone D75 programs Schools are then closed on June 17 for Eid al-Adha, and on June 19 for Juneteenth. For those counting down the days to summer, the last day of school for New York City public schools is Wednesday, June 26. Ivan Boesky, who reached the pinnacle of fame and fortune as a high-flying Wall Street arbitrageur in the 1980s only to be exposed as a cheat in the insider-trading scandal that defined the era, has died. He was 87. The New York Times reported his death, citing his daughter, Marianne Boesky. No details were immediately available. Ivan Boesky leaves court in 1987. Credit: AP As junk bonds fuelled a wave of hostile acquisitions, Boesky became the archetype of the savvy speculator, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in profits on takeover bets. Then, after admitting to insider trading, Boesky became the poster child for Wall Street greed, his elongated face and toothy smile on the cover of Time magazine with the headline, Ivan the Terrible. He spent two years in prison. Boeskys case set off shock waves not only on Wall Street but across the US, confirming some investors worst fears about how capital markets worked. He was believed to have been the model for the character of Gordon Gekko, the rapacious villain played by Michael Douglas in the 1987 film Wall Street. Gekkos speech in the movie, declaring that greed is good, echoed Boeskys own assessment. Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site. 0108263 License for publishing multimedia online Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349 Donald Trumps Aussie catcher-and-killer Dylan Howard, fresh from many dishonourable mentions in the former US presidents hush-money trial in New York, is facing another spot of bother. Howards End: Qs digital comeback lasted just months. Credit: SMH For those living under a rock, the case has laid bare evidence about the Geelong-born Howards role as editor of US supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer in locating and burying negative stories about Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign. And while Howard, whos recently been spotted in the Victorian coastal hamlet of Lorne, hasnt been charged with anything, it wasnt a great look for the man who calls himself Americas most feared journalist and claims to have taken down the careers of Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen and Hulk Hogan. He hasnt done much either for the prospects of the six journalists on either side of the Atlantic who were clearing out their desks last week after the attempt by Howards company, Empire Media, to revive music magazine Q ended just five months in. This is a damning outlook of students life in Australian schools and suggests there is a long road to educational recovery for our school systems, Fahey said. The results follow a worrying PISA report into academic results in December, which found Australian teens had fallen almost two full academic years behind those who went to school in the early 2000s, with nearly half of pupils failing to reach national standards in maths and reading. The fresh analysis also underscores Australias growing equity gap. Students from advantaged backgrounds reported a more favourable disciplinary climate and feeling safer at school, while those from disadvantaged backgrounds and First Nations students reported higher levels of bullying and greater educational shortages. Students in Catholic and independent schools reported a more favourable disciplinary climate, less exposure to bullying and reported feeling safer than those in government schools. Students at public schools reported higher levels of perceived educational and instructional leadership than those at private schools. Loading Chronic teacher shortages have contributed to classroom disruptions, with 61 per cent of students attending schools where the principal reported a lack of teaching staff. Students in regional areas were more likely to report greater exposure to bullying, teacher shortages and a lack of educational material. As classrooms have become crowded with screens and states mull restricting social media usage for children, 15 per cent of Australian students said they felt nervous or anxious when they didnt have their digital devices nearby. One in 10 said they felt pressured to be online and answer messages when in class. Girls rated themselves worse than boys on every measure of stress resistance. Seventy-one per cent said they got nervous easily, compared to 39 per cent of boys, while 75 per cent said they felt nervous about approaching exams, compared to 49 per cent of boys. Exposure to bullying has decreased for all countries since the previous PISA testing in 2018 possibly because schools were still returning to normal after COVID in 2022 but Australian students reported higher levels than all comparison countries except Latvia. Australias reporting of disciplinary climate was one of the least favourable among the comparison countries. Students in NSW and Victoria reported a more favourable disciplinary climate than students in Tasmania, South Australia, the ACT and Queensland. Victoria, NSW and the ACT also reported the lowest levels of bullying. De Bortoli said students in high-performing countries had a far greater sense of belonging and less exposure to bullying, which could range from teasing to being threatened. The latest analysis also measured curiosity for the first time, with results showing students who have high levels of curiosity performed better in maths. Loading Australian students demonstrated moderate levels of perseverance, with 60 per cent of students saying they applied extra effort when work becomes challenging. One in four principals said parents discussed their childs progress with a teacher on their own initiative. The latest analysis is based on OECD testing and survey data taken by about 690,000 students aged 15 from 81 countries, including 13,437 from Australia. Fahey said it was now well accepted that Australias classrooms were among the most disruptive and disorderly in the world, highlighting the need to go back to basics to better prepare teachers with evidence-based strategies for managing rowdy classrooms. Countless students are suffering as a result of this and putting Australian students at an international disadvantage, he said. Indigenous children are tragically suffering from alarming levels of bullying and concerns for safety in school. Its jarring that so many children dont feel safe school, while some schools are compelled by feel-good wellbeing gurus to engage in well-meaning, but ultimately ineffective, practices, Fahey said. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the government was investing in short courses and improving teacher training to ensure current and future teachers were taught how to manage disruptive classrooms. All students and staff should feel safe and be safe at school, he said. Disruptive and anti-social behaviour hurts everyone our students, our teachers and our principals. The 2024-25 Victorian budget allocated an additional $15.8 million to continue the School Wide Positive Behaviour Support program in more than 400 schools. A government spokesperson said Victorian students reported a high sense of belonging at school, among the lowest levels of bullying in Australia and a low rate of disruption due to teacher shortages. A NSW spokesperson said the PISA report highlighted the urgent need to tackle the teacher shortage. It also vindicated the NSW decision to ban mobile phones in all public schools. NSW has also overhauled its school behaviour policy since the 2022 PISA survey. Loading The policy now strikes the right balance in maintaining safe, positive and respectful classrooms for all students and staff, the spokesperson said. PISA is conducted every three years by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to test the knowledge of 15-year-olds. In addition to academic results, the latest survey collected contextual data on students background and school experience. In Australia, 743 schools participated in the survey in 2022. Each week, Dr Kirstin Ferguson tackles questions on the workplace, career and leadership in her advice column Got a Minute? This week: a workplace where complaining is not allowed, a lack of public holidays and a disappointing promotion. Its not unreasonable to be frustrated by toxic positivity at work. Credit: Dionne Gain My manager has created a workplace culture of toxic positivity. I feel like I am being gaslit unless Im spouting positivity regardless of what is going on with my job and in my workplace. What can I do? The research is clear that toxic positivity which demands happiness and denies other emotions can trigger shame, impact connection with others, reduce wellbeing and increase stress. Is your manager someone open to feedback? If so, in the first instance I would try talking to your manager about how you are feeling. You might be able to ask them for ways to support all employees and all aspects of the human experience. I am sure your manager thinks they are being empathetic but may not be aware they are, in fact, failing to show empathy by minimising feelings different from their own. If your organisation has an EAP service, you can also try and access their services to help manage your own mental health. You might also like to pick up a copy of Whitney Goodmans book called Toxic Positivity for further advice. Funds invest in a range of things such as Australian and international shares, residential and commercial property, cash, bonds and fixed-interest securities. How much of your super contributions are invested depends on your fund and how its super products are mixed. The main product mixes and their average returns are as follows: Growth: Typically 85 per cent invested in shares or property and 15 per cent in fixed interest or cash. According to super research provider Chant West, over the past 15 years, the median growth fund has returned 9.4 per cent per year on average. This is the option most Australians are invested in. Typically 85 per cent invested in shares or property and 15 per cent in fixed interest or cash. According to super research provider Chant West, over the past 15 years, the median growth fund has returned 9.4 per cent per year on average. This is the option most Australians are invested in. Balanced: Typically 70 per cent invested in shares or property and 30 per cent in fixed interest or cash. Over the past 15 years, balanced growth funds have returned 6.5 per cent per year on average. Typically 70 per cent invested in shares or property and 30 per cent in fixed interest or cash. Over the past 15 years, balanced growth funds have returned 6.5 per cent per year on average. Conservative: Typically 70 per cent invested in fixed interest and cash and 30 per cent in property and shares. Over the past 15 years, balanced growth funds have returned 5.3 per cent per year on average. On June 30 every year, your funds investment earnings are then paid into your super account. You have the power to look at your investment earnings via your funds online portal, compare performance with other funds and change if youre not happy. Quyen Truong has been in the finance industry for over 20 years. Shes worked in financial services at banks, super funds and is now a co-director at Bruining Partners, a Perth-based financial consultancy. She is passionate about people turning attention to their super. It was introduced as the government could foresee an ageing population and increased reliance on our pension system, says Truong. Super means youre not going to rely a hundred per cent on the aged pension and have another nest egg to draw upon. There are a few phases to super. The accumulation phase is when your contributions are going in. This includes employer contributions or extra personal contributions you might make (more on that later). When you retire, super then goes into a drawdown or a pension phase, which is when you start taking money from your super account to pay for your expenses and lifestyle. When it does enter that phase, super can actually still grow because its still invested. Why is it important to care about your super? Super performance is not naturally on everyones radar, especially at a younger age considering how far off and intangible retirement seems. But it is critical to give it some love as early as possible. For anyone rolling their eyes, youre going to turn more attention to it eventually, so you may as well start now and reap the rewards. This is a lesson well and truly in delayed gratification. Often, we hear of people starting to care about their super balance in their 50s when retirement is nearing. Sadly at this point, theyve already missed out on many years of compounding interest. Compound returns are earned on your total super account balance, meaning the more you have in your super account earlier in life, the greater your balance will be when you retire. Outside of a home, superannuation is the largest asset that most people would have in their lifetime. It can be quite a tax-effective vehicle, says Truong. During the accumulation phase, super contributions and earnings are taxed at 15 per cent. Outside of super, investments are taxed at your marginal tax rate. When you get to the draw-down or pension phase in retirement, super investment earnings are taxed at zero per cent. There is no other kind of investment you have, like an investment property or shares, that are taxed at zero per cent, says Truong. Its worth considering the time you might take away from the workforce at different stages of life and finding ways to bolster super to account for these absences. On average, women retire with 50 per cent less superannuation earnings than men. So its particularly important that women especially pay attention to their super. If youre currently 30, you should have $59,000 in your super for a comfortable retirement; $156,000 if youre 40 and $281,000 if youre 50. This is due to the motherhood penalty, where women still typically take more time off to care for a child. When they decide to go back to work, sometimes this is part-time. This reduces super earnings. Then, theres the other side of life, when people might take time off to care for elderly parents. That time out of the workforce means employers arent contributing to super. When can I access super, and how much do I need? Bruining Partners director Quyen Truong. Super is generally only accessible when someone reaches their preservation age. This age ranges between 55 and 60, depending on your day of birth. People born 1965 and after can start accessing their super at 60. For those born before 1965, it could be as young as 55. Take a look at the ATOs exact preservation dates of birth and age here. In terms of how much super you should have, this is a contentious question, and usually, it depends on what kind of retirement youre aiming for. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australias (ASFA) super balance detective is a handy tool for advising what your current super balance should be, to ensure a comfortable retirement. According to the calculator, if you were 67 and to retire today, youd need close to $584,000 for a comfortable retirement. That means if youre currently 30, you should have $59,000 in your super for a comfortable retirement; $156,000 if youre 40 and $281,000 if youre 50. There are very limited circumstances when someone could access their super before retirement. These include if someone is experiencing severe financial hardship, incapacity to work or diagnosis of a terminal illness. What are some common super misconceptions? Truong says one of the biggest super falsehoods is people thinking they have plenty of time to look at their super and as such its not worth worrying about it now. It comes back to, do you want a modest retirement or a comfortable one? she says. The other misconception is thinking the Centrelink age pension will be enough. Its generally not. It provides a baseline standard of living. The amount someone can get from Centrelink is informed by their income (which includes super payments) and assets (including whether you own a home). The maximum pension for a single person is $1116.30 per fortnight and for a couple $1682.80. Loading For instance, if you dont own a home and might still be renting, $900 a fortnight will probably not be enough. Another misconception Truong says is that people feel they might not have enough money or be too young to seek financial advice. Its never too early to get financial advice. You can think about it as getting a health check on your super and finances. This is the first part in our six-week Super Fit series, covering everything you need to know to get your superannuation in its healthiest possible shape. Come back next week for our next piece on how to choose a good super fund. Examine, a free weekly newsletter covering science with a sceptical, evidence-based eye, is sent every Tuesday. Youre reading an excerpt Sign up to get the whole newsletter in your inbox. The fluoridation of water has been hailed as one of the great modern public health interventions, along with the proliferation of vaccines and the recognition of tobacco as a health hazard. But reports linking fluoride in water to lower IQ and other cognitive issues in children have fuelled speculation much of it conspiratorial that theres something sinister lurking in your Warragamba Slammer (a mocktail named after Australias largest dam that simply consists of a tall glass of tap water). A Warragamba Slammer: refreshing or making your kids dumb? Credit: iStock Even Erin Brockovich and the mayor of Port Macquarie have counted themselves among those who want fluoride ditched. Peter Dutton has flagged a coalition government could withdraw Australia from the worlds top criminal court over its stance on alleged Israeli war crimes. The International Criminal Courts chief prosecutor Karim Khan has sought arrest warrants for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Khan said on Monday that he believed Netanyahu, his defence minister and three Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Dutton says the Albanese government should pressure the court to make sure that they reverse this terrible decision. The opposition leader says a coalition government could cut ties with the court if it failed to bow to pressure. I dont rule it out, he said on Wednesday. But I think the pressure at the moment needs to be for like-minded countries that share our values, to stand shoulder-to-shoulder ... to make sure that this anti-Semitic stance that theyve taken does not advance. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday said it would be inappropriate to comment on a matter before the court as the Department of Foreign Affairs defended the courts independence. A department spokesperson said: Australia respects the ICC and the important role it has in upholding international law. The spokesperson rejected any equivalence between Israel and Hamas, which is a designated terrorist organisation in Australia. They unequivocally condemned Hamas actions as they called for the release of hostages and a humanitarian ceasefire. Only a handful of state parties have withdrawn from the court and two of those countries rescinded their withdrawal before it came into effect. - with AAP Asked why Charlises mother would do that, Stein said Kallista Mutten was three days deep into the ice bender. Annemie Stein said she just cant work out the barrel, and why he had been travelling with it. Her son replied that it was Kallista Muttens doing, and his partner had put it on the back of his Holden Colorado utility. Justin Stein allegedly drove his red ute across Sydney with the body of Charlise Mutten in a barrel in the tray. Credit: NSW Police Im literally at Bunnings, and I get a phone call, and she says no, youve got Charlise with you, he said, according to the call. I was driving around with a f---ing kid on the back of my ute. The court heard Stein told his mother he had panicked. In another call, he said Kallista Mutten was going to get charged for everything, thats the truth. They cant even pin me for murder, he said. I know what happened, I saw it happen. In the calls, Stein said Kallista Mutten had paranoia and recalled her taking apart a suitcase handle thinking it was bugged. He said he didnt want contact with his partner, adding, I want to cut her f---ing head off. I ran back, and she shot her again The court also heard on Tuesday from two prison guards who spoke with Stein after he was charged. One female officer said that on January 19, 2022, she had asked Stein, Did you do it? and he said, No. She said Stein told her, Her mum shot her twice. Her mum was on ice all week, I heard a shot, then I heard her screaming out for me, then I ran back, and she shot her again, Stein said, according to the prison guard. I keep having flashbacks. Im not going down for this, I didnt do it, Im stuck here with these charges Im not going down for that bitch. Loading She said Stein said he had been trying to tell people this for days and no one will listen and thanked her for letting him vent. The jury has previously heard Stein was interviewed twice by police on January 14, the day Charlise was reported missing by her mother. A male prison officer said he spoke with Stein on January 20 and 21, and the accused said he was looking forward to clearing my name at court. I saw her mum shoot her, and I keep replaying it in my head, Stein said, according to the guard. The court heard the male guard told Stein he might serve jail time if he was involved, and Stein replied that he accepted that, but I dont understand why Im charged with murder. He said Stein, on a number of occasions, said, I didnt pull the trigger and I wasnt the one. Accused killers fingerprint found on gun The court heard police spoke with Steins mother on February 17, 2022, during which she was shown photographs of two firearms that had been excavated from a Mount Wilson fire trail. Police were alerted to the location after a wildflower enthusiast came across an area covered over with branches during a walk on January 30, and thought it was odd. Loading The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Sergeant Bradley Gardiner, said police were able to identify the two firearms recovered as those stolen by Stein and Kallista Mutten from a Mount Wilson home in August 2021 due to the descriptions and serial numbers provided. He said Annemie Stein said she had not seen the guns and was informed they had been forensically examined, and her sons fingerprint was identified on the BSA .22 calibre bolt-action rifle. In a prison call on March 21, 2022, which was played to the jury, Justin Stein told his mother I need you to retrieve some stuff in the mountains. As far as political attack lines go, overseas travel is the lowest of the low-hanging fruit. So low, in fact, it can be considered a windfall in the traditional sense of the word to be hastily exploited lest it be claimed by ants. How can [insert minister here] jet off on an overseas junket while [insert current event] is happening here at home? Travel is an occupational hazard for politicians, not a perk. Credit: iStock That line, or a variation thereof, is wheeled out by all sides of politics (when theyre in opposition at least) with monotonous regularity. That politician from that other party? Theyre taking you for a ride, jet-setting around the world on a taxpayer-funded holiday. Teagen Fergusons smile is something her sister Courtney will always cherish. Shed always be laughing. Youd hiccup and shed laugh. Youd sneeze and shed laugh. Her smile and her laughter is the one thing I remember her by, Courtney said. Teagens family has now suffered for many years; from her father inflicting terrible brain injuries on her when she was a toddler, and now from her eventual death due to those injuries. Credit: 9 News Perth Next month marks four years since Teagen died from catastrophic injuries inflicted by her father Terrence Bice when she was just two years old. Bice lifted Teagan up and threw her violently to the floor of their home in the northern Perth suburb of Wanneroo after being unable to stop her crying. Each week, WAtoday reaches out to the Perth community to discover three things people love most about our coastal capital. Today features DJ Lee and his wife Emily Lee, who this July will mark their 10th year operating Le Vietnam in Perth citys Bon Marche Arcade. While performing as a DJ around the world, Lee ensured he tried each citys take on the traditional Vietnamese sandwich, and when settling in Perth decided to make use of this knowledge. Little Keanu joined the family in 2020 and has since become a well known mascot. Lee, Emily and Keanu. 1. I love Perth for its food adventures and how local businesses support each other. Our weekends are jam-packed recent Saturday mornings start about 7am at La Vista Coffee in Malaga (I need coffee to function); about 7.30am we would head out to Mings Bakery in Woodvale to grab some bakery goods (pies, sausage rolls and sweets), making sure to overstock to put some in the freezer for those unexpected craves. We would then drive down to Montello on Main in Osborne Park for some Italian gourmet goodies and cold cuts for spontaneous picnics. By this time, our lunch stomachs are almost ready, so we head into Kaze Bento in Mount Lawley for a casual Japanese meal before heading to Hyde Park to catch some fresh air while Keanu uses up his energy at the playgrounds. Here we might dig into some antipasto goodies we picked up earlier. As the sun goes down, we prepare ourselves to head over to Big Dons Smoked Meats in Bayswater to collect our barbecue tray (that we had ordered on Tuesday you need speedy fingers to secure your trays). Best to bring LV Rice Lager by Nowhereman, shelved at [specialist bottle shop] Mane Liquor. Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Two years after the election of Anthony Albaneses government, the prime minister has not lost a single minister to scandal, retirement or incompetence. But it has also become clear that some ministers are more equal than others. Looking beyond their ministerial day jobs, here are the people Albanese turns to for advice and problem-solving and a couple who are running their own show. The brains trust Credit: Marija Ercegovac Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong is one of the governments best-performing ministers. She is loved by the Labor faithful and has carefully repaired connections with Pacific and South-East Asian neighbours while thawing relations with Beijing. Wongs handling of the Israel-Hamas war has not been perfect, however, and she has shown a distinct lack of interest in Europe. But her most important job is the one you dont see publicly the veteran South Australian senator is Albaneses closest political confidante and, often, the first person he turns to for advice. Katy Gallagher, the minister for finance, women and the public service, has perhaps the broadest portfolio responsibilities of anyone other than Albanese. After Wong, Gallagher has arguably the most in the room influence on the tone and direction of the government, and she has the ear of the PM. Dubbed the co-deputy prime ministers by some in the caucus, the pair sits on the powerful expenditure review and national security committees of cabinet (known as the ERC and NSC), wield covert influence and play an important role in taking the fight to the opposition. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is one of the governments best communicators. While he is not as tight with Albanese as Wong and Gallagher, he has formed a powerful duo with the finance minister and helped steer Labor towards consecutive budget surpluses. Albanese and Chalmers might go a couple of days without talking, but will then speak six times in one day to exchange notes. Chalmers sits on the ERC and NSC, too, and is viewed as the person most likely to succeed Albanese one day he is quietly biding his time and building his credentials. Importantly, he is the most senior Queenslander in a state where the party is desperate to win more seats. Advertisement Tony Burkes day job is minister for employment, workplace relations and the arts, but its his other job leader of the House that places him firmly in the governments brains trust. In this role, Burke plays a big role in determining when legislation is brought forward and votes are called, and ensuring the government has command of the House in question time. He works closely with Albanese, himself a former leader of the House, in ensuring parliament runs smoothly. And although Burke is not on the ERC, he has another important job that hes handled with aplomb so far delivering union-friendly industrial relations laws that keep the partys industrial base happy. Covert influencers Credit: Marija Ercegovac Trade Minister Don Farrell has played a big role in restoring trade with China, which is of major importance to Australian exporters. He failed to land a trade deal with the European Union, but for the right reasons: it wasnt good enough. But Farrells biggest influence is behind the scenes as a steady hand, advocate for policy focused on middle Australia and, most of all, as the head of the small states Right faction. He has MPs loyal to him in every state and territory and his support for Albanese is vital. Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles has been a solid performer and kept a low profile in what can be a tricky portfolio for Labor. Marles is closer to the PM than people realise and, along with Albanese, bedded down Australias commitment to the AUKUS submarine deal despite the objections of some Labor faithful. Marles is the only other MP who sits on the ERC and NSC and serves as a Right faction gatekeeper in Victoria for Albanese. Resources Minister Madeleine King, much like her former boss and predecessor in the West Australian seat of Brand, Gary Gray, is a low-profile cabinet minister. But she matters as she is the most senior WA MP, and Labor is desperate to hang on to the swag of seats it won in the state in 2022. King is a strong advocate in cabinet for the resources sector, which can sometimes be a lonely task in a Labor government, but its core business for her home state. As members of the ERC, ministers Michelle Rowland, Catherine King, Mark Butler and Stephen Jones all get an honourable mention, as do Mark Dreyfus and Chris Bowen as members of the NSC. Advertisement Running their own show Credit: Marija Ercegovac Bill Shorten has licence to roam across portfolios after six years leading the party, and hes an accomplished performer. His desire to reform the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which he championed as a junior minister in the Rudd and Gillard governments, is genuine. If he can pare back its rapid growth rate and put it on a sustainable footing, it will be a singular legacy item. Although Shortens in the cabinet, hell never be in the tent while Albanese is leader and as such is allowed to run his own show. Tanya Plibersek is a cut-through media performer and former deputy leader, so shes allowed more freedom to run her own race. Though she isnt in the inner circle of trust, she can land a killer blow on her political opponents. The difficult environment portfolio requires her to approve coal mines while representing one of the nations most left-wing, climate-friendly electorates. Attack dogs and shutdown merchants Credit: Marija Ercegovac Murray Watt is a close political ally of the PM and, along with ministers Pat Conroy and Andrew Giles and assistant minister Tim Ayres, is a member of Albaneses Left faction Praetorian Guard. Watt, the agriculture and emergency management minister, is often the man sent to speak outside his portfolio, put out political spot fires and shut down an issue. His input on Labors hunt for Queensland seats will be crucial if the party is to make gains up north. On track for promotion. Advertisement Education Minister Jason Clare had a spectacular 2022 election as the temporary face of the campaign when Albanese got COVID-19, but has since seemed to retreat into his shell. Juggling school funding deals with the states and an even bigger fight with universities over cuts to the number of foreign students, he is still sent occasionally to speak outside his portfolio such as the instant response to Opposition Leader Peter Duttons budget reply speech and take the fight to the opposition. Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth has a portfolio that can make news for the wrong reasons, such as problems with pension payments or the low rate of JobSeeker. A patient explainer in the media, Rishworth controls about one-third of the $700 billion federal budget and has delivered two successive rises in rent assistance and an increase in JobSeeker payments decisions that pleased the party faithful and the sector, even if they may have wanted more. Shes also the person the prime minister relies on to be the caring voice of government, anchoring the 10-year plan to tackle domestic violence. The lone wolf Credit: Marija Ercegovac Ed Husic is one of the governments best plain-speaking communicators and Labors Future Made in Australia agenda has made his industry and science portfolio more high-profile than usual. But while Husic is in the tent, unlike Shorten and Plibersek, he functions as a sort of pressure release valve for the backbench. Thats because he is not afraid to put a dissenting view in cabinet or speak out publicly on issues such as Gaza. This is a rare trait in a ministry, and a caucus, that has been well-behaved to the point of being supine for two years. Next into cabinet Credit: Marija Ercegovac Advertisement Kai Lohmann has teased at more goal celebrations but pledged to knuckle down, too, now the Brisbane Lions forward has carved out a role in the side. The 21-year-old kicked five goals and earned the latest Rising Star nomination in the Lions thumping of Richmond at the Gabba on Saturday. Kai Lohmann kicks a goal during the round 10 match between the Brisbane Lions and the Richmond Tigers at The Gabba on May 18. Credit: Getty Images And he celebrated them all with gusto, regardless of the swollen margin, in a graphic example of the enthusiasm he has brought since earning a regular spot in the team. I love celebrating, Lohmann said on Tuesday. Australian passengers started arriving home on Wednesday night after surviving severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight that left one person dead, dozens injured and three Australians in intensive care. The shell-shocked passengers, some in tears, arrived to cheers and the embrace of family members at Sydney Airport after one Australian traveller recounted how she was hurled to the ceiling before landing on the floor among glass and breakfast food during the incident. The plane, whose passengers included 56 Australians, was about 10 hours into the London to Singapore flight on Tuesday night (AEST) when it hit turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar, flinging passengers and crew around the cabin. The pilot requested an emergency landing and the plane was diverted to Bangkok, where it landed safely. Three Australians were among 20 passengers in intensive care on Wednesday, according to a statement from a network of Thai hospitals. Another 38 people, including nine Australians, were receiving treatment in inpatient departments at the Srinakarin and Sukhumvit hospitals. A retired British grandfather was killed and 70 others were injured after a flight from Heathrow to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence. Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, 73, died after the aircraft suffered a dramatic drop, with those not wearing seatbelts launched immediately into the ceiling. Geoffrey Kitchen died on the Singapore Airlines flight. Credit: Facebook The Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-ER aircraft was forced to perform an emergency landing at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport, where Thai authorities described encountering a chaotic scene on board. Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of the airport, said Kitchen, who has two grown-up children and two grandchildren, suffered a suspected heart attack. Zelensky called again for faster military aid from the United States and other partners. Weapons and ammunition from a recently passed US package are now arriving in Ukraine, but the package was delayed for months by internal political wrangling. Every decision to which we, then later everyone together, comes to is late by around one year, Zelensky said. But it is what it is: one big step forward, but before that two steps back. So we need to change the paradigm a little bit. Risk of escalation? Zelensky said he wanted his partners to be more directly involved in the war but understood they were wary of antagonising Russia. Its a question of will, he said. But everyone says a word that sounds the same in every language: everyone is scared of escalation. Everyone has gotten used to the fact that Ukrainians are dying thats not escalation for people. Loading He proposed that the armed forces of neighbouring NATO countries could intercept incoming Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory to help Kyiv protect itself. Russia has fired thousands of missiles and drones at Ukraine since the start of the wider conflict, and air defences are a priority for Kyiv. Russians are using 300 planes on the territory of Ukraine. We need at least 120, 130 planes to resist in the sky, he said. Ukraine is waiting for the delivery of US-designed F-16s which have yet to be used in anger. He said that if countries could not supply the planes straight away, they could still fly them from neighbouring NATO states and shoot down Russian missiles. The Ukrainian leader also said Kyiv was negotiating with international partners to use their weapons to strike Russian military hardware at the border and further inside Russian territory. So far, there is nothing positive, he said. Loading Russian President Vladimir Putin would likely view such developments as escalatory. He casts the war as part of an existential battle with a declining and decadent West which he says humiliated Russia after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 by encroaching on what he considers Moscows sphere of influence, including Ukraine. Ukraine and the West reject such an interpretation, calling the invasion an unprovoked land grab. Zelensky reiterated that he had not broken agreements with allies not to use their weapons inside Russia. We cant put the whole volume of weapons at risk. International stage Ukraine is gearing up for international talks in Switzerland next month that will exclude Russia and are aimed at trying to unify and harden opinion against Moscow. Putin has said he believes the talks may convert Ukrainian demands for a Russian withdrawal into an ultimatum for Russia, a strategy he said would fail. Zelensky said it was crucial to get as many countries around the table as possible. And then Russia will have to answer to the majority of the world, not Ukraine ... no one says that tomorrow Russia will agree, but it is important that we have the initiative. Loading Beijing has yet to say whether it will participate, although Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin met last week in China and pledged a new era of partnership between the two most powerful rivals of the United States. It is very important that they [China] are there, said Zelensky. Because in principle, after this summit, it becomes clear who wants to end the war, and who wants to remain in strong relations with the Russian Federation. On US politics, he sought to dampen concerns that any win for Republican candidate Donald Trump in November elections could spell trouble for Ukraine. Trump is a Ukraine aid sceptic who has stressed America First policies. I dont believe that Republicans are against support for Ukraine, but some messages that are coming from their side raise concerns. Zelensky, a former comedian, said he would let others judge his performance as leader of a country at war, but he expressed his gratitude to the Ukrainian people for their stoicism in the face of adversity. He also insisted that Ukraine could still win the war, despite the setbacks. I think we need to walk this path to the end, preferably a victorious one, he said. Even though today people look somewhat sceptically at the word victory I understand it is difficult because it is long. On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces shot down 28 out of 29 drones used by Russian forces in an early Tuesday attack on seven regions, Ukraines air force said. Loading The drone attack damaged four homes, 25 trucks and buses in Kharkiv, injuring five people, according to the regions governor, Oleh Syniehubov, and Ukrainian Internal Affairs Ministrys statements on the Telegram messaging app. A missile attack later in the morning targeted transport infrastructure and injured two more people in the city, the governor added. Two drones shot down in Dnipropetrovsk region damaged outbuildings, with no casualties reported by the regions governor. Three Shahed-type drones were shot down over the Kherson region, with 14 more shot down over the Odesa region, according to the Ukrainian military. The rest of the drones targeted the Mykolaiv, Cherkasy and Kirovohrad regions. Reuters could not independently verify the information on damage. Russia has stepped up drone and missile attacks around Ukraine this northern spring, dealing significant damage to its energy infrastructure. New York: In their three years in power, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his equally hard-line foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, did everything they could to consolidate the Axis of Resistance against the United States and Israel. They funded Hamas and Hezbollah. They armed the Houthis, feeding the militia intelligence that fuelled attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea. They cracked down on dissent at home; launched Irans first direct missile attacks on Israel, after Israel killed several Iranian generals; and turned Iran into a threshold nuclear state that could produce fuel for three or four bombs in short order. People hold up posters of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a mourning ceremony for him in downtown Tehran, Iran. Credit: AP But for all those aggressive moves, the two men, both killed in a helicopter crash in the mountains near Azerbaijan on Sunday, were also careful. Last week, days before their deaths, they approved talks with the United States through intermediaries aimed at making sure the war in the Gaza Strip was not the prelude to a wider war in the Middle East. And they stopped just short of making those bombs, at least as far as US intelligence agencies and international inspectors can determine. PHILIPSBURG:--- The board of the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) publicly expresses its profound disappointment following the decision by Member of Parliament, Mr. Kevin Maingrette, to withdraw his support from the governing coalition. Mr. Maingrettes recent actions starkly contradict his earlier public assurances, notably his commitment as outlined in his statements titled, "MP Elect Maingrette vows to remain steadfast in coalition. I will not be moved." This reversal not only undermines his credibility but also poses a direct threat to the stability and progress of our nation. Maingrette also informed the current coalition of the promises, offers, and gifts he claimed he would have received had he joined ranks with the opposition. These offers were seemingly made by wealthy businessmen in Sint Maarten who over the years have interfered with government formation. The interference in our political system is classified as "undermining" to say the least. The board views this move as motivated by personal interests rather than the collective welfare of St. Maarten, potentially stalling critical developmental initiatives. The formation of what appears to be a new coalition, based on this latest shift, seems to prioritize individual agendas over the urgent needs of our citizens. At a time when unified leadership is crucial, we find this development both troubling and regressive. URSM remains committed to its vision of advancing St. Maartens future through cooperative governance and integrity. We call on all members of Parliament to reaffirm their dedication to the electorate and to prioritize the nation's progress over personal gain. URSM will continue to advocate for transparent and accountable leadership that genuinely reflects the aspirations of the people of St. Maarten. Microsoft unveils 'AI-ready' PCs Redmond, United States, May 20 (AFP) May 20, 2024 Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella unveiled a new category of PC on Monday that features generative artificial intelligence tools built directly into Windows, the company's world leading operating system. The tech giant estimates that more than 50 million "AI PCs" will be sold over the next 12 months, given the appetite for devices powered by ChatGPT-style technology. "We are introducing an entirely new class of Windows PCs engineered to unleash the power" of on-device AI, Nadella said at a launch event in Redmond, Washington. "We call this new category 'Copilot Plus'...the fastest, most AI-ready Windows PCs ever built," he added. Of all the tech giants, Microsoft has pushed the most aggressively to infuse the powers of generative AI into its products, often leaving rival Google to play catch-up. ChatGPT-style AI, which is called Copilot at Microsoft, is available across the company's products, including Teams, Outlook and its Windows operating system. Microsoft even tried, so far unsuccessfully, to rejuvenate Bing, its poor-performing online search engine, with generative AI powers. "These improvements provide the most compelling reason to upgrade your PC in a long time," said Microsoft Vice President Yusuf Mehdi. Microsoft said Copilot Plus PCs, built with powerful AI-ready chips, are 58 percent faster than the M3 MacBook Air. Companies like Lenovo, Dell, Acer and HP said they would also release PCs that run on Microsoft's new Copilot Plus software. Microsoft said that the AI features will take place on the device, so you won't have to wait for data to get sent to and from remote data-centers or pay for a subscription. AI offerings will include live translation, image generation and a state-of-the-art ability to interact with your computer through chats and simple prompts instead of clicking on files or drop-down menus. Microsoft's pivot to AI has been celebrated by Wall Street, and the company is now the world's biggest company by market capitalization, after dethroning Apple. Microsoft is OpenAI's main investor and has injected some $13 billion in the form of cloud computing credits that fulfill the ChatGPT-maker's huge needs for computing. In return, Microsoft depends on OpenAI's models -- such as GPT-4 for text or Dall-E for images -- to feed AI to its products. Nadella's announcement on AI comes on the heels of those made by Google and ChatGPT-maker Open AI last week. They showcased updates to their chatbots, with even more human-like interactions and new abilities to understand their surroundings via video. Google also announced it was adding AI answers to its world-leading search engine, despite fears it may eat into its advertising revenues or starve web sites of traffic. - 'AI revolution' - Analysts believe that the hunger for AI products is helping buoy Microsoft and Google's cloud computing businesses, with clients ready to pay a premium to adopt ChatGPT-like capabilities. In a note to clients, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said that AI will add $25 billion-$30 billion to Microsoft's sales by 2025. "The spending on AI is unprecedented across the tech world and this is just the first phase of the AI Revolution playing out," Ives said. Microsoft's injection of AI into PC's came just ahead of an Apple event next month that is widely expected to see ChatGPT's abilities feature in a new iPhone. Media reports also suggest that Apple could announce a partnership between Apple and OpenAI. The tech giants are racing the products out the door despite worries that generative AI poses a threat to society. Authorities, including in the US, are drawing up ways to more closely track the developments in AI, and potentially put limits on its deployment. OpenAI to 'pause' voice linked to Scarlett Johansson San Francisco, May 20 (AFP) May 20, 2024 ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Monday said it was working on temporarily muting a synthetic voice that sounds a lot like that of actress Scarlett Johansson. The artificial intelligence powerhouse said in a blog post that the "Sky" voice at issue was based on the natural speaking voice of a different professional actress and not meant to sound like Johansson. "We believe that AI voices should not deliberately mimic a celebrity's distinctive voice," OpenAI said in the post. "Sky's voice is not an imitation of Scarlett Johansson." OpenAI is working on a way to "pause" Sky as it addresses what appears to be confusion about who it sounds like, the company said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "We've heard questions about how we chose the voices in ChatGPT, especially Sky," OpenAI said. The company explained that it worked with professional voice actors on synthetic voices it named Breeze, Cove, Ember, Juniper and Sky. But Sky became the focus of attention last week when OpenAI released a higher-performing and even more humanlike "GPT-4o" version of the artificial intelligence technology that underpins ChatGPT. In a demo, the new version of Sky was at times even flirtatious and funny, capable of seamlessly jumping from one topic to the next, unlike most existing chatbots. But several observers noted the resemblance with Johansson, who voiced the central character in the film "Her" -- a cautionary tale about the future in which a man falls in love with an AI chatbot. Adding to the confusion, on the day of the demo, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted a single word tweet on X: "Her." So far in the AI frenzy, most tech giants have been reluctant to overly humanize chatbots. Microsoft vice president Yusuf Mehdi told AFP his company, which has a partnership with OpenAI, sought to make sure that AI was not "a he or a she," but rather a "unique entity." "It should not be human. It shouldn't breathe. You should be able to...understand (it) is AI," he said. OpenAI said it was working to address the problem just days after confirming it disbanded a team devoted to mitigating the long-term dangers of artificial intelligence. OpenAI weeks ago began dissolving the so-called "superalignment" group, integrating members into other projects and research. Company co-founder Ilya Sutskever and superalignment team co-leader Jan Leike announced their departures from the San Francisco-based firm last week. Meta supreme court weighs posts calling ethnic groups criminals San Francisco, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 An independent board considered a top court for Meta content moderation said Tuesday it is taking on the issue of whether accusing entire nationalities of crimes violates hate speech rules. The Meta Oversight Board said it is tackling the question through three separate cases from Facebook, Instagram and Threads. "The Board selected these cases to consider how Meta should moderate allegations of criminality based on nationality, especially during times of crisis or conflict," it said in an email to AFP. One involves a comment on Threads in which Israelis were accused of taking part in genocide regarding the conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to the board. The other two posts involve Americans, Eastern Indians and Russians being accused of criminal behavior, the board said in a release. In each case, Meta removed the post for violating its ban on hate speech. Meta referred the cases for review because they represent the challenge of balancing attacks on ideas or institutions, which is allowed, with a ban on accusations aimed at people, according to the board. While Meta has agreed to be bound by specific content decisions by the independent oversight board, the tech titan considers policy recommendations advisory. 16 top AI firms make new safety commitments at Seoul summit Seoul, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 More than a dozen of the world's leading artificial intelligence firms made fresh safety commitments at a global summit in Seoul on Tuesday, the British government said in a statement. The agreement with 16 tech firms -- which include ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Google DeepMind and Anthropic -- builds on the consensus reached at the inaugural global AI safety summit at Bletchley Park in Britain last year. "These commitments ensure the world's leading AI companies will provide transparency and accountability on their plans to develop safe AI," UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement released by Britain's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. Under the agreement, the AI firms that have not already shared how they assess the risks of their technology will publish those frameworks, according to the statement. These will include what risks are "deemed intolerable" and what the firms will do to ensure that these thresholds are not crossed. "In the most extreme circumstances, the companies have also committed to 'not develop or deploy a model or system at all' if mitigations cannot keep risks below the thresholds," the statement added. The definition of these thresholds will be decided ahead of the next AI summit, due to be hosted by France in 2025. The firms that have agreed on the safety rules also include US tech titans Microsoft, Amazon, IBM and Instagram parent Meta; France's Mistral AI; and Zhipu.ai from China. In his opening remarks, South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol flagged "growing concerns over potential risks and negative impacts of AI, including fake news through deepfake and the digital divide." "Since the digital space is hyper-connected and transcends national borders, we need digital norms at the global level," he added. - Danger of 'deepfakes' - The stratospheric success of ChatGPT soon after its 2022 release sparked a gold rush in generative AI, with tech firms around the world pouring billions of dollars into developing their own models. Generative AI models can generate text, photos, audio and even video from simple prompts, and its proponents have heralded them as a breakthrough that will improve lives and businesses around the world. But critics, rights activists and governments have warned that they can be misused in a wide variety of situations, including the manipulation of voters through fake news stories or so-called "deepfake" pictures and videos of politicians. Many have called for international standards to govern the development and use of AI, and have called for action at summits such as the two-day gathering in Seoul this week. In addition to safety, the Seoul summit will discuss how governments can help spur innovation, including into AI research at universities. Participants will also consider ways to ensure the technology is open to all and can aid in tackling issues such as climate change and poverty. The Seoul summit comes days after OpenAI confirmed that it had disbanded a team devoted to mitigating the long-term dangers of advanced AI. "The field of AI safety is quickly evolving and we are particularly glad to endorse the commitments' emphasis on refining approaches alongside the science," Anna Makanju, OpenAI's vice president of global affairs, said in the statement announcing the new commitments on Tuesday. The two-day summit will be partly virtual, with a mix of closed-door sessions and some open to the public in Seoul. qan/ceb/sn IBM Russian bid to counter weapons in space fails at UN Security Council United Nations, United States, May 20 (AFP) May 20, 2024 The UN Security Council on Monday rejected a Russian draft resolution to counter military activity in space, as countries questioned Moscow's sincerity after it vetoed an American text in April against nuclear proliferation in the final frontier. The Russian text called on all states to "take urgent measures to prevent for all time the placement of weapons in outer space and the threat or use of force in outer space." It received seven votes for -- including from China -- and seven against, including from the United States, United Kingdom and France, with Switzerland abstaining. US envoy Robert Wood said the move was "the culmination of Russia's campaign of diplomatic gaslighting." "Russia does not want the Security Council to focus on its dangerous actions in space," he said, citing US accusations that Moscow was attempting to put a nuclear weapon into orbit. Russia's UN ambassador Vasily Nebenzya meanwhile said those on his side "on the whole are pleased with the results of the vote." "The vote has demonstrated a watershed -- a watershed between those who are striving towards peaceful use of outer space and those who are moving towards militarization of outer space," he said. "Western countries have today essentially turned out to be isolated at the Security Council." The text closely followed a draft resolution proposed by the United States and Japan in late April, which received 13 votes for but was vetoed by Russia, with China abstaining. UN Security Council proposals need nine votes in favor to be adopted, and no opposition from the five veto-wielding members. The American text called on "all states, in particular those with major space capabilities, to contribute actively to the objective of the peaceful use of outer space and of the prevention of an arms race in outer space." It affirmed "the obligation of all States Parties to fully comply with the Outer Space Treaty, including not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction." Nebenzya claimed after the vote in April that the text hid a "devious plan by our Western colleagues that has nothing to do with this noble objective." He charged that Washington and Tokyo had a "lack of interest" in banning all weapons from space, instead trying to put the focus solely on nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction. Questions swirl a day after DR Congo 'coup attempt' Kinshasa, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 A day after the army in DR Congo said it had thwarted an attempted coup involving several Americans and a British man, many in Kinshasa had questions on Monday about the attackers' motives and how they were able to access key government sites. The coup bid took place in the early hours of Sunday outside the residence of Economy Minister Vital Kamerhe in the capital's northern Gombe area. The group then went to the Palais de la Nation that houses President Felix Tshisekedi's offices, brandishing flags of Zaire, the name of the Democratic Republic of Congo under ex-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was overthrown in 1997. Shots were heard near the building, according to several sources. An army spokesman later announced in a message broadcast on national TV that defence and security forces had stopped "an attempted coup d'etat". Kamerhe, who is a candidate for National Assembly president, and his family were unharmed but two members of their security detail were killed. The attack "aimed to assassinate" the minister, his team said on Monday, showing reporters where the bullets had hit vehicles and his residence's walls, and broken windows. While daily activity resumed as normal in Gombe on Monday, many questions remained. "It (the government) is trying to divert our attention from social and security problems," Joel, a civil servant, told AFP. "I don't think that in the city centre of the capital, attackers could storm a minister's house or the Palais de la Nation without the authorities being informed." - 'Not afraid' - The group had planned to attack the home of new Prime Minister Judith Suminwa and the residence of Defence Minister Jean-Pierre Bemba, army spokesman General Sylvain Ekenge said late on Sunday. But they "could not identify the home" of Suminwa and had not been able to find Bemba at his residence, leading them to Kamerhe's home and the Palais de la Nation, he added. The ECiDe party of opposition figure Martin Fayulu pointed on Monday night to questions surrounding what they termed the "alleged attempted coup d'etat". People are "right to wonder what the next pretence will be", the party said in a statement signed by secretary general Devos Kitoko. "Politicians, stop distracting us, life is already very hard in this country," bread and avocado seller Maman Ndosi told AFP, sitting in front of her merchandise in Gombe district. "I'm not afraid, because I've already seen more than this joke!" added the mother who, like many Congolese people, is very sceptical of official information. The plot was led by Christian Malanga, a Congolese man who was a "naturalised American" and who was killed by security forces, Ekenge said. "We also have a naturalised British subject, the number two of the group," Ekenge said. But in Washington, the State Department said it had no record of Malanga being a US citizen. The State Department said it could not confirm the US citizenship of two purported Americans in custody due to privacy laws. The United States nonetheless said it would cooperate "to the fullest extent possible" in the investigation and again condemned the coup attempt. "We are extremely concerned by the reports of involvement by US citizens," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said. - Condemnation - Ekenge, the army spokesman, said the attackers were made up of "several nationalities" and that around 40 were arrested, with another four -- including Malanga -- killed. Malanga's son, Marcel Malanga, was also among the assailants. But the exact motives of the group behind the coup bid remain unclear. The government said it condemned the "attempted destabilisation of the institutions". The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union both condemned the attempted coup. African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat was also following events with "great concern", the AU said in a statement. The coup attempt comes five months after Tshisekedi was reelected with more than 70 percent of votes in the first round. He became president in 2019 promising to improve living conditions in DRC -- which boasts mineral riches but has a largely impoverished population -- and to put an end to 25 years of bloodshed in the east. The parties backing Tshisekedi won around 90 percent of seats in parliamentary elections held the same day, but he has yet to form a government. US, Philippines to train Filipinos in nuclear power Manila, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 The Philippines and the United States agreed Tuesday to train Filipinos how to build and operate nuclear power plants, as the Southeast Asian country seeks to boost its electricity supply. The announcement comes after Manila and Washington struck a nuclear cooperation agreement in November that cleared a path for US investment to jumpstart atomic power in the energy-hungry Philippines. Under Tuesday's deal, the Philippine Department of Energy and the Philippine-American Educational Foundation will offer scholarships and exchange programs for Filipinos to learn about civil nuclear power and renewable energy. "This will help the Philippines develop the skilled workforce needed to build a clean energy infrastructure, including the ability to operate state of the art nuclear power plants," Daniel Kritenbrink, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told a trade forum in Manila. Philippine Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla said the "advanced training" will ensure the country has the "human resources that are needed" for the sector. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos has signalled determination to adopt nuclear power in the country and has even flagged the possibility of reviving a mothballed $2.2 billion plant built during his father's dictatorship. The deal signed in November on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific summit in San Francisco committed the Philippines to safeguards against the use of transferred nuclear material to produce nuclear weapons. Known as 123 agreements after their section in the US Atomic Energy Act, the pacts are critical for investment by US nuclear companies, which are wary of running afoul of laws related to proliferation. The United States also plans to set up a civil nuclear industry working group for Southeast Asia based in Manila. The group will "connect Philippine partners with US companies", helping to "accelerate the Philippines transition to clean and safe nuclear energy", Kritenbrink said. The Philippines -- regularly affected by electricity outages -- relies on imported carbon-belching coal for more than half of its power generation. It has some of the region's highest energy costs and faces a looming crisis as the Malampaya gas field, which supplies about 40 percent of power to the archipelago's main island Luzon, is expected to run dry within a few years. As part of its climate goals, the Philippines aims for renewable energy -- not including nuclear -- to make up 50 percent of its power generation by 2040. N Korea's Kim 'sincere' in Trump talks: Seoul's ex-president Moon Seoul, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un offered to give up his nuclear arsenal if America guaranteed his regime would survive, former South Korean president Moon Jae-in said in a recently released memoir. Moon, who led South Korea for five years from 2017, was instrumental in brokering two high-profile summit meetings between Kim and then-United States president Donald Trump, aimed at securing Pyongyang's denuclearisation in return for sanctions relief. But after the second summit collapsed in 2019, diplomatic outreach was abandoned, with relations between the two Koreas now at one of their worst points in years, as Kim doubles down on weapons production and draws closer to ally Moscow. In the memoir released Friday, titled "From the Periphery to the Centre," former president Moon outlined in great detail his interactions with the North Korean leader. "Kim said he would forsake nuclear weapons if there was a guarantee of regime survival," Moon said in the book, adding that he felt the young North Korean leader was "very honest". According to Moon, Kim's reasoning was: "I have a daughter and I do not wish her generation to live with nuclear weapons... Why would we continue to live in difficulty, under sanctions, with nuclear weapons if our security can be guaranteed?" But the North Korean leader was "well aware of mistrust from the international community and the (belief from the) US that the North had been lying" about its commitments to denuclearisation, Moon said. Kim specifically asked him how the North could manage to "make Washington believe in our sincerity" to disarm. - No diplomacy - In five years since the Hanoi summit, Pyongyang has declared itself an "irreversible" nuclear weapons power, accelerated weapons development, branded Seoul its "principal enemy" and threatened war over "even 0.001 mm" of territorial infringement. It has also moved closer to Moscow, purportedly supplying it with arms in exchange for space technologies, something which would violate rafts of United Nations sanctions on both countries. Despite how things have played out, Moon said in his memoir that he still believed Kim was sincere in his plans to denuclearise, but that it was strongly contingent on "corresponding measures" from the US. Kim and Trump failed to strike a deal because Washington demanded complete denuclearisation before it would consider providing sanctions relief, Moon wrote. "In retrospect, I regret that (South Korea) did not mediate more effectively by listening to the North's demands and relaying them to Washington if deemed reasonable," he said. "Though there are negative views about Trump, he was a very good fit for me as a counterpart in alliance diplomacy," he said. "While there are assessments that he is rude and harsh, I liked him for his honesty. A person who has a smiling face but acts differently and thus can't be read is more difficult to deal with," he added. Trump was both apologetic and regretful that the Hanoi summit ended without a deal, Moon wrote. Trump was "willing to accept (the North Koreans' terms) but then-Security Advisor John Bolton fervently opposed it," Moon wrote. When Trump asked then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a second opinion, he agreed with Bolton, leaving Trump no option but to walk away, Moon wrote. It is impossible to take Kim's words at face value now, Hong Min a senior analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, told AFP. What was clear "is that Kim tried to change the status quo by expressing his intention to denuclearise," he told AFP. The only way to know if Kim was serious, would have been to strike a deal in Hanoi and "gauge how far the North would go towards denuclearisation," he added. Moon was succeeded by conservative Yoon Suk Yeol, who has taken a significantly more hawkish stance on North Korea. Yoon has not commented on the memoir but his minister for unification Kim Yung-ho said on Monday that taking Kim's words at face value could have lead to a security-related "miscalculation". "While ignoring North Korea's (nuclear) capability, if we only focus on the North's intentions, this could result in a miscalculation of the security situation," he said, according to the Yonhap news agency. Over 3,000 Ukrainian inmates seek to join military Kyiv, Ukraine, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 Thousands of Ukrainian inmates are seeking to join the military, Kyiv said Tuesday, following a decision by lawmakers enabling some categories of prisoners to join the armed forces. The move echoes a policy in Russia, where tens of thousands of prisoners have been sent to Ukraine with the promise of amnesty and were killed in gruelling battles that produced few gains. Ukraine is suffering critical ammunition and manpower shortages on the battlefield that have allowed Russian forces to advance on the eastern and northern front lines. "This is more than 3,000 people. We predicted this before the adoption of this law," Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska said, referring to the number of prisoners who have submitted applications to join the military. She said authorities had identified 20,000 eligible prisoners and that of them, 4,500 had "expressed interest" in joining. She added that the figure was likely to fluctuate. Only prisoners with fewer than three years left on their sentence can apply. Mobilised prisoners are granted parole rather than a pardon. Among those not eligible to serve include those found guilty of sexual violence, killing two or more people, serious corruption and former high-ranking officials. Russia has recruited prisoners to serve on the front lines since the first days of its invasion, initially offering presidential pardons for six months' service. Ukraine says allies should consider shooting down Russian missiles Kyiv, Ukraine, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 Ukraine on Tuesday called on the West to consider shooting down Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory to better protect its cities from Russian aerial barrages. Speaking in Kyiv alongside his German counterpart, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on Ukraine's Western backers not to see such a step as "escalatory." "There is no legal, security or moral argument that stands in the way of our partners shooting down Russian missiles over the territory of Ukraine from their territory," he said. Kuleba said he would like Ukraine's partners "to consider the possibility" of intercepting missiles from their territory. "If you don't want to do it, then just provide us with all the means necessary for this. We will deploy them on the territory of Ukraine and intercept these missiles ourselves," he added. Kuleba highlighted the provision of "air defence systems" and "combat aircraft with the appropriate technical capabilities." German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock acknowledged the importance of providing air defence systems and said delays in providing military support to Ukraine harmed the West's security. "It is clear that every hesitation and every delay in supporting Ukraine costs the lives of innocent people. And every hesitation in supporting Ukraine also jeopardises our own security," she said. Fighting in Niger kills 7 soldiers, dozens of 'terrorists' Niamey, Niger, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 Niger's military regime said Tuesday that seven soldiers and several dozen "terrorists" have been killed in fighting in a restive region plagued by insurgents linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. Suspected jihadists attacked a military position on Monday in Boni in the western Tillaberi region near Burkina Faso, the defence ministry said. Two people including a civilian were also wounded, the ministry said in a statement read out on state television. "Several dozen terrorists" were "neutralised" and their means of transport were destroyed, it added. Defence Minister General Salifou Modi in the statement also reassured people of the "unwavering determination of the defence and security forces to continue the fight against the terrorist threat". Tillaberi is in the vast and unstable "three borders" region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, where jihadist insurgents have carried out attacks for years despite the massive deployment of anti-jihadist forces. Seventeen Nigerien soldiers were killed in a "terrorist ambush" in the area between Boni and Torodi in August. Niger is ruled by military leaders who seized power in a July coup, citing a worsening security situation as justification for the power grab. The Niamey regime also faces violence by Boko Haram jihadists and their rivals Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) from the southeastern region of Diffa near Nigeria. Former UK marine in Hong Kong spy case found dead: police London, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 A former member of the UK's Royal Marines, bailed by a court last week over allegations of assisting Hong Kong's intelligence services in a Chinese-linked espionage case, has been found dead, British police said Tuesday. Matthew Trickett, 37, was found dead in a park in Maidenhead, west of London, on Sunday following a report by a member of the public, Thames Valley Police said. Trickett had more recently been employed as an immigration enforcement officer and private investigator, the UK's PA news agency reported. "An investigation is ongoing into the death, which is currently being treated as unexplained," the police force said in a statement. Trickett, from southeast England, was one of three men accused in the Hong Kong spy case. He was formerly employed by the UK Border Force at Heathrow Airport, before joining Home Office Immigration Enforcement on February 21, 2024, PA said. He was also the director of MTR Consultancy, a security firm formed in April 2021. He was released on bail along with Chi Leung Wai, 38, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63, pending their next court appearance, scheduled to take place on Friday. The three were charged with assisting a foreign intelligence service and with foreign interference, in violation of the 2023 National Security Act. The act came into force in December and is designed to bolster UK national security against "hostile activity" targeting the country's democratic institutions, economy and values. Police said earlier the "foreign intelligence service" in question was Hong Kong's. China's foreign affairs commissioner in its territory of Hong Kong "strongly condemned" Britain for "cooking up charges" and accused it of a "vicious intention to interfere" in Hong Kong's affairs. The office warned that Britain would receive "China's firm and strong retaliation". - China spying charges - The UK has been outspoken about the Hong Kong government's new national security law, which it views as eroding the territory's rights and freedoms. Britain has repeatedly denounced the treatment of pro-democracy campaigners in its former colony, and launched a visa scheme to allow Hong Kong residents to come to the UK. As a result, it has become a refuge for dissidents, including pro-democracy politician Nathan Law. Hong Kong police last year issued a wanted list of eight overseas activists that included Law. As part of the UK police investigation, 11 people were taken into custody this month. The case involving Trickett comes after two men, one of whom works in the UK parliament, were last month charged with spying for China. They are due to be tried next year. Former prime minister David Cameron, now foreign minister, in 2015 hailed a "Golden Age" of ties between London and Beijing, but relations have deteriorated significantly in recent years. As well as clashing over Hong Kong, the two countries have argued over the treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority in China's Xinjiang region and over human rights in Tibet. Amnesty International said in a recent report that China was targeting citizens studying abroad for their political activism, with some students reporting harassment of family members back home. Asked about the Amnesty report, Beijing's foreign ministry dismissed it as "purely malicious smears". Disclaimer: Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SpoilerTV. Greys Anatomy has been on the air for 20 seasons now and fans are used to jaw dropping moments. The show initially followed the life of surgical intern Meredith Grey and her fellow doctors at what is now Grey Sloan Hospital. The show currently does not have a main character that is the focus but an ensemble cast of characters that have fans invested in their stories. Greys provides stories that are full of passion, deep dives into dynamic relationships, trauma and tragedy. With so many amazing moments, it is hard to condense them all into a list but below check out 10 moments that left us shocked (in no particular order): 10. Active Shooter Gary Clark, a grieving widow is so distraught at the loss of his wife that he blames the hospital and any surgeon that he comes across but especially wants to confront Derek Shepherd (Chief of Surgery at the time). He shoots and kills Reed Adamson and wounds Dr. Alex Karev. He does eventually shoot Derek while April stands there in shock. Meredith and Cristina witness this and Meredith has a miscarriage due to the stress. Miranda Bailey has to treat Charles, another doctor that was shot while helping their patient Mary (Mandy Moore). The episode is often described as the best in the entire series. 9. April and Jackson Lose Their Baby Just when it seemed that April and Jackson finally made it through their difficult coming together and was going to have a baby, fans were devastated to learn that the baby was not going to survive. Their baby named Samuel was diagnosed with Type 2 Osteogenesis and would not survive should he be born to term. They made the sad decision to terminate. The scenes were beautifully acted and the repercussions were felt throughout later seasons. 8. Meredith is Attacked Meredith is fighting with Amelia who ignores her call for a consult on a patient that has had a seizure and later attacks Meredith. The attack seems to go on for an eternity before she is discovered and her friends and fellow doctors rush to save her life as well as her attackers. The attack leaves her temporarily unable to speak or hear. Directed by Denzel Washington, everyone brought their A game for this episode and left fans in shambles. 7. Cristina Yang Leaves We knew that cast members would leave the show but it hit different when Meredith (and our) person, Cristina Yang decided to leave and take Burke up on his offer to run his facility in Zurich our hearts broke. We did not know what that would mean for the show and who could fill that void that we desperately needed; Alex did beautifully. Meredith and Cristina danced it out one last time in an emotional scene that brought closure. 6. Denny Duquette Dies Before he was wreaking havoc on Walking Dead, he was breaking hearts on Greys Anatomy as Denny. Izzie and Denny were a fan favorite, even with fans wanting her and Alex to be together. You couldnt help but to love Denny and his positive outlook on life even though he was dying. Everything seemed to be fine as he got his transplant (Izzie may have broken the law to help him, but we let that slide) but he ended up having a clot after the transplant and died, breaking Izzie and our hearts. 5. Meredith and Derek Adopt Zola When Meredith and Derek decided that they wanted to adopt Zola, it definitely came as a surprise. Especially because Meredith can be indecisive at times and the pair were fighting in previous episodes. However, when Zola showed up at the end of an emotional rollercoaster of an episode fans were treated to a heartwarming scene and a brand new family. Plus baby Zola was so cute. 4. George O'Malley Dies When George O'Malley died it felt like someone punched us in the face. He didnt have much of a story in his final seasons but we all thought he was joining the military. So when a faceless patient showed up after an accident we were left with our mouths open when Meredith declared the John Doe patient was in fact George. Some of us still are not over this death. 3. Airplane Crash The airplane crash storyline is one of the best arcs in television. Not only was the acting spectacular but fans just did not know what would happen next. Arizona losing her leg led to some great stories for her as well as Derek having to break his hand to get free. The most gut wrenching moment from the episode is the death of Lexie Grey and her final moments with Mark Sloan who died the next season due to his injuries. This storyline always ranks high among fans. 2. Dereks Death When Derek is hit by a car, you just figured he would survive it and return to his family. No such luck, this is Greys Anatomy after all and they love to break our hearts. When Meredith visits Derek and tells him it's ok to go, the tears would not stop flowing. Meredith and Derek were put through the ringer and it was sad to see their story end this way. 1. Merediths Covid-19 Visions We would all like to forget the pandemic but it is hard for a medical show like Greys Anatomy to ignore. They have always tackled real life issues in their writing and the pandemic was not different. When Meredith contracted covid-19 it seemed that perhaps the show was ending and this was her send-off. We were treated to seeing all our favorite characters return to the show in Merediths dreams. We saw Derek, Lexie, Andrew, George and Mark after years of being off the show. It brought so much closure and was a surprise to fans. There you have Greys Anatomy fans. The top 10 moments that have shocked fans. Did your favorite moment make the list? Let me know in the comments and follow me on X @jereereviews to discuss more. The cap will apply from the three months from 1 July, and is down from 1,690 for the April-June period. The cap itself is set per unit of energy, and the figure used for the cap refers to the amount an average household would spend in a year with bills at that level. This means that some households annual bills will be higher than the cap figure. Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, was right last week to observe that a fundamental rewiring of the political system was required to correct this power imbalance. In the Kings Speech, the Government promised that the new office of Independent Public Advocate would be created to support and speak up for families in cases such as these. But it is far from clear that the necessary legislation will be passed before the election or that the new IPA will have the powers necessary to be more than a group therapist with an official crest. What I think is worth remembering this time round after all the other cuisines weve welcomed, embraced, and debauched is to not get carried away. I dont want to get into an appropriation debate, but lets respect bao a little more than some of the other dishes weve come to love. Dr. Oetker pizza and Yo! Sushi are prime examples. 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SIGN IN By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. After the trip, Harry and Meghan landed back in LA with a couple of rather bruising bumps. It has since been revealed that the couple were flown in Nigeria by Air Peace airline, whose CEO and chairman is Dr Allen Onyema, who is currently wanted in the US over an alleged 16 million money laundering and bank fraud racket allegations which he denies. The controversial Onyema was also part of the welcoming committee of dignitaries who met the Sussexes when they arrived in Nigeria. It was also revealed their Archewell Foundation had been sent a delinquency notice by Californian authorities for failing to file its annual report or related fees on time. It later emerged that Archewell had sent a $200 (158) cheque which had not been processed by the Attorney Generals office. A statement was then released by Californias Department of Justice on Tuesday night which said the delinquency notice had been removed and that the Archewell Foundation was current and in good standing. But despite the matter being resolved quickly, it remained an acute embarrassment for the Duke and Duchess. That would come as news to the 73 per cent of pupils who are not White British, to the 41 per cent whose first language is not English, and to the 4.1 per cent of pupils who have Education, Health and Care Plans (as opposed to a national average of 2.5 per cent). Patients were asked about the timing of 29 neurological and mental health symptoms such as depression, hallucinations and loss of balance, and were requested to list them in the order they appeared when the disease was flaring. One of the most common symptoms was disrupted dream sleep, experienced by three in five patients. A third of them said the symptom appeared a year before the onset of Lupus which Lupus UK believes 50,000 people in the UK currently have. Id ask him where he is and what hes doing, and he would always be somewhere with someone from some area of work, or hed be meeting friends from school. The Ministry of Health informed on Tuesday that 120 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infected persons were registered during the week of May 13-19. According to the cited source, 39 of the new cases are in re-infected patients who tested positive more than 90 days after the first infection. To date, 3,530,604 cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been recorded. The 14-day incidence rate is 0.01. In contrast to new cases, following re-testing of patients who were already positive, 12 people have been reconfirmed with COVID-19. In the last week, 734 RT-PCR tests and 6,991 rapid antigen tests were performed. To date, 14,014,913 RT-PCR tests and 14,802,192 rapid antigen tests have been processed nationwide. The Ministry of Health also informs on Tuesday that 18 people with COVID-19 are admitted to health units. Of the total number of patients admitted, three are minors, all of whom are being treated in wards. In the week 13 - 19 May five deaths (three men and two women) were reported by the National Institute of Public Health. Two deaths were recorded in the 70-79 age category and three in the over 80 age category. All patients had comorbidities and one was vaccinated against COVID. To date, 68,946 people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania. A number of 60 artificial nests will be placed on high-voltage poles in the south of the country this year, announces the Romanian Ornithological Society. The first new nests were mounted on poles in mid-April, under a partnership with Transelectrica, in several locations in Dobrogea, Baragan and southern Muntenia. The measure is part of an international project for the conservation of the saker falcon (Falco Cherrug), an endangered species in both our country and Bulgaria. "This conservation measure is necessary because, from observations made in other parts of the areal occupied by Falco Cherrug, a major limiting factor to population growth is the availability of nesting sites, as these falcons do not build their own nest, but occupy the nests of other species," reads a press release posted on the SOR website. The nest is based on a model used in similar saker falcon conservation projects in Europe and is made of aluminium, with a volume of 0.2 cubic metres and a weight of about 8 kg. It has a metal mesh at the base to prevent rainwater from accumulating, over which a layer of gravel has been laid for protection. The artificial nest can also be occupied by other species of birds of prey, especially the common kestrel (Falco Tinnunculus) or the long-legged buzzard (Buteo Rufinus), the latter having its own nest made of branches inside the aluminium nest. Specialists have observed that these nests are also occupied by rooks (Corvus Frugilegus) and could also be occupied by the common ravens (Corvus corax), a species that lives in the Dobrogea area and whose nesting in such structures has been reported in Bulgaria by BSPB, partner in the Life for Falcons project. "One of the advantages of these constructions is that they provide a permanent nesting site, as opposed to natural nests, which are periodically removed to prevent potential damage to power lines, an activity carried out by electricity companies outside the nesting season," the source said. At the same time, power lines provide protection against nest poaching, a major threat to many species of birds of prey, including the saker falcon. In the coming months the action will continue in the same area, with artificial nest sites being placed both in and near Natura 2000 areas included in the LIFE for Falcons project. The project 'Securing the recovery of the endangered Saker Falcon in Bulgaria and Southern Romania' spans over 5 years and is co-financed by the LIFE Programme of the European Union. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu declared on Tuesday that there has been a long-standing relationship between the Turkish and Romanian secret services regarding the fight against terrorism. "Romania and Turkey are not competitors. They are two complementary states, in both fields: the aid to Ukraine and, for example, the demining project, which will start working very soon, between Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria, so important for the Black Sea, in the context of the war in Ukraine, there has been a relationship between the Turkish secret services and the Romanian secret services for a very long time, a relationship of substance, not one of form, as President Erdogan said, first and foremost, in what concerns terrorism", Marcel Ciolacu told a press conference held in Ankara. He mentioned that the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, the equivalent of joint government meetings, demonstrates the interest of the two countries for a relationship at all levels and for ensuring stability in the region. "We decided to have a working group regarding the connectivity between Romania and Turkey, but also between Asia and the Caucasus and Europe, so that it is reconfirmed that the Port of Constanta becomes the main port on the Black Sea and a gateway to the European Union With certainty, in the coming period we will have several joint projects, including in the energy field, including in terms of connectivity and gas transit on the Vertical Corridors and the Southern Corridor," said Prime Minister Ciolacu. The President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated on Tuesday, during a press conference held together with the Romanian Prime Minister, that the fight against terrorism was among the topics addressed. "We shared with the Prime Minister our expectations from Romania in the fight against terrorist organizations such as the PKK and FETO," Erdogan said. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, accompanied by a delegation of ministers, was in Ankara on an official visit on Tuesday, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The first joint meeting of the Governments of Romania and Turkey represents a big step forward, a step that will bring the two states even closer strategically, economically and socially, said prime minister Marcel Ciolacu. "With certainty, today we are witnessing the most important moment in the relationship between Romania and Turkey since the establishment of the Strategic Partnership between our countries in 2011. And I say this because by formalizing the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council we were able, practically, to organize the first joint government meeting between Romania and Turkey. It is a big step forward, a step that will bring our states and nations even closer, strategically, economically and socially. I would like to congratulate Mr president Erdogan for this initiative!" said Marcel Ciolacu during the statements made together with president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at the end of the official meetings that took place at the Presidential Palace in Ankara. He declared himself honored that thus Romania gets its well-deserved place and is officially recognized as "a country of main interest" for Turkey. In this context, the prime minister thanked President Erdogan for the "special gesture" he made towards the Romanian citizens regarding the travel regime. "Through today's decision, Romanians who want to travel to Turkey will be able to do so only with the ID, no longer needing a passport. We know very well that many Romanians prefer Turkey as a tourist destination and I think this will help a lot", stated Ciolacu. The prime minister also mentioned another very important decision agreed with the Turkish side, with impact for Romanian farmers, regarding the resumption of exports and transit of meat and live animals to Turkey. "Last year we surpassed $10 billion in trade, but together we set an ambitious goal of $15 billion to cross in the coming years. And we can only do this if we continue to we encourage the presence of Turkish companies on the Romanian market, mirroring a more solid representation of Romanian companies in Turkey", said Ciolacu. Queues of lorries up to 11 kilometres long have formed on Tuesday before the main border crossing points with Hungary in Arad county, after vehicles over 7.5 tonnes were prevented from entering the neighbouring country for two days, a restriction that was lifted on Monday evening at 11:00. According to the Traffic online app on the Border Police website, lorry drivers are waiting at least 350 minutes to exit the country via Varsand, where three lanes are open for heavy traffic. At Nadlac II border crossing point, the queue of lorries is 11 kilometres long on the motorway and the waiting time for entry formalities into Hungary is at least 200 minutes, although five lanes are open. At Nadlac I border crossing point, one lane is available and there is at least a 90-minute wait in the queue. Representatives of the Arad Border Police told AGERPRES that the congestion of trucks is generated by the two days of restrictions on heavy traffic on the territory of Hungary, namely Sunday and Monday between 07:00. and 11:00 (Romanian time). The restrictions did not concern the transport of dangerous goods, live animals, perishable foodstuffs or those subject to a certain temperature regime. Light and tourist traffic is normal at border crossing points at border crossing points in Arad county. Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu was received on Tuesday at the Presidential Palace in Ankara by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during his official visit to Turkey, told Agerpres. The Turkish president welcomed the Romanian prime minister within a military ceremony with the guard of honour and the singing of the state anthems of Romania and Turkey. Also, 21 volleys of cannon were fired during the ceremony. The two high dignitaries will have a one-on-one meeting, followed by the signing of the Joint Declaration for the Establishment of the Council of High-Level Strategic Cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Turkey. Based on the said document, the first joint meeting of the two governments, Turkish and Romanian, will take place. The plenary reunion of the two delegations will be followed by a signing ceremony of several Agreements and Memoranda of Understanding on sectoral cooperation in several areas, such as social security, SMEs, tourism, functional aspects regarding the activity of diplomatic missions of the two countries, and urbanism. The meetings will be followed by joint press statements by PM Marcel Ciolacu and president Recep Erdogan. President Klaus Iohannis had a telephone conversation on Tuesday with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, about the upcoming NATO Summit and security consolidation at the Black Sea. "I just had a comprehensive telephone discussion with @ZelenskyyUa, focusing on our continued support for Ukraine, priorities for the upcoming #NATO Summit & consolidation of the overall security in the #BlackSea. Also expressed our commitment to Ukraine #PeaceFormula," Iohannis wrote on his X page. President Klaus Iohannis will visit Piatra Craiului National Park on Wednesday, on the occasion of the International Day of Biodiversity and on the sidelines of the European Day of National Parks, which will be marked on May 24, the Presidential Administration informs. "By participating in Wednesday's event, President Klaus Iohannis highlights the importance of preserving the natural heritage and the role of national parks for educational and awareness-raising activities, as well as for recreation, provided that a responsible behavior towards nature is adopted," the source says. During the visit, the president of Romania will have discussions with the relevant central authorities regarding environmental protection, biodiversity conservation and the promotion of environmental education and will also meet with the directors of national and natural parks from various regions of the country, gathered at the Piatra Craiului National Park. On the agenda of the discussions will be topics that require an approach and a coordinated effort at the national level, such as increasing the access of the general public to national and natural parks, the development of educational programs in the parks, such as the implementation of the National Junior Ranger Program, the source states. Other points of interest include the establishment of a national framework for the protection of biodiversity, for the preservation of the integrity of ecosystems and landscapes, as well as for the optimal management of national and natural parks. The President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressed the situation in the Gaza Strip in discussions with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, emphasizing the responsibilities of the international community in terms of a "secure future" for Palestinians. The clarifications were made during a joint press conference held together with Marcel Ciolacu, who is on an official visit, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "I exchanged ideas with the Prime Minister about the developments in our region and in the world. Of course, the most important of these was the Israeli oppression in the occupied Palestinian territories and especially in the Gaza Strip. The responsibilities of the international community are obvious in stopping Israeli atrocities and ensuring the safe future of our Palestinian brothers. I believe that our ally, Romania, will make the necessary contributions to international efforts on this issue," said Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He mentioned that the situation of the war in Ukraine, now in its third year, was also discussed. "Since the beginning of this war, Turkey has made significant contributions to ensuring global food security and ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and continues to do so," the leader in Ankara said. At the same time, he specified that the fight against terrorism was among the topics discussed with Prime Minister Ciolacu. "We shared with the Prime Minister our expectations from Romania in the fight against terrorist organizations such as the PKK and FETO. We note that the Turkish communities and the Tartar Turks living in Romania are a bridge of friendship between us. We are happy that these compatriots ours live in harmony with Romanian society. I want to thank the Romanian authorities for making this possible. On this occasion, I want to give you an update, saying that we have implemented the regulation that will allow Romanian citizens to travel to our country only with identity cards. Thanks to this fact, we believe that our human relations will grow", said Erdogan. The total value of real estate investments registered in Romania in the first quarter of this year was 202 million euros, up 69% compared to the same period in 2023, informs Colliers in its 'CEE Investment Scene Q1 2024' report, released on Tuesday. According to the cited source, Romania has thus demonstrated the best performance compared to the other five major economies (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Colliers' consultants believe that the outlook for the real estate market remains quite solid in the region, with environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria becoming increasingly relevant in the decision-making process of real estate investors, banks and tenants. Across the six CEE countries, total investment volumes fell, overall, by 15% compared to Q1 2023, to around 1.2 billion EUR. In this context, the Czech Republic became the new leader in the region, with investment volumes accounting for 46% of the region's total, surpassing Poland, which had a combined share of 30% of transaction volumes in Q1 2024. Overall, the expert report highlights that results varied significantly across the region, from a 94% drop in activity in Slovakia to a 69% increase in Romania. The first three months of 2024 brought Romania a 16% share of the region's total investment volume, compared to 5% - 7% in the years before the pandemic. In addition, the retail sector was dominant locally during the period under review in terms of trade activity, with around 66% of the total commercial real estate investment volume, followed by the hotel sector (around 21%). Moreover, retail is the new leader in the CEE region as well, accounting for 43% of transaction volumes in the period January - March 2024, followed by hotels (20% share) and industrial and logistics (I&L) - with 15%. On the other hand, office investment volumes continued to decline, accounting for just 13% of CEE volumes. Romania's capital has one of the highest investment returns in the region for the industrial and office building sectors (7.5% for prime assets), but also retail (7.25%), notes the report. Colliers is a leader in real estate services and investment management, with operations in 68 countries and 19,000 professionals. AGERPRES special correspondent Daniel Florea reports: Romanian citizens will be able to travel to Turkey only with their identity cards for a maximum period of 90 days, according to a decree signed by President of the Republic of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan. According to the presidential decree published on Tuesday in the Turkish Official Journal, Romanian citizens holding identity cards will be granted visa exemption for tourist travel and transit permits in Turkey for a maximum stay of 90 days every 180 days. The decision taken by President Erdogan comes in the context of the official visit that Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu will pay to Ankara on Tuesday. Why are three times as many Black women in Southern Illinois more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than White or Hispanic women? Why do Black women also have the highest severe maternal morbidity (SMM) rate compared to White, Asian, or Hispanic women? Why do Black babies born to Black women die at rates more than double that of infants white, Hispanic, or Asian women in Illinois? The answer? Racism. That was one of the findings from an Illinois state health report late last year that pinpointed racism as a public health crisis while also noting the state needed to drastically improve in the areas of maternal and infant health, mental health and substance use disorders. The State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) is part of Healthy Illinois 2028- a five-year plan outlining major public health crises the state hopes to address in four years. The plan outlines goals, objectives, and recommends strategies to improve the health of Illinois residents and advance health equity in general. After two years of assessment and planning, SHIP prioritized five major public health issues: Racism as a public health crisis Maternal and infant health Mental health and substance use disorders Chronic disease COVID-19 and emerging diseases The report emphasized: There is an overwhelming volume of evidence highlighting how systemic racism throughout the health care system negatively impacts maternal morbidity and mortality for women of color. Data from another 2022 report, The Illinois Task Force on Infant and Maternal Mortality Among African Americans, stated that Black women in Illinois are about three times as likely to experience a pregnancy-related death as White and Hispanic women. Additionally,Black women have the highest severe maternal morbidity (SMM) rate at more than two times that of non-Hispanic white women and significantly higher than Asian and Hispanic women. For infants those born to non-Hispanic Black women the report states they die at rates more than double that of infants born to White, Hispanic, or Asian women in Illinois, according to the health report. The health improvement plan, for the first time, made a point of listing racism as an overarching public health crisis in Illinois. It is essential to emphasize that disparities in health outcomes according to race/ethnicity have nothing to do with biology and everything to do with inequitable distributions of money, power and resources, the plan stated. Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) senior program manager, Janece Gough added: Racism is both a cross-cutting issue and a standalone priority because it is at the root of many, if not all health issues. In a commentary published here last week, Bethany Johnson-Javois, pastorof Monument of Faith Church in Jennings and President & CEO of the Deaconess Foundation spoke to the dire health disparities in Illinois and Missouri. Deaconess is dedicated to improving the health of people living in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois-which includes Alton, Centralia, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Godfrey, Granite City, OFallon, and Carbondale. After reviewing several health studies on pregnancy-related deaths in Missouri Johnson-Javois stated that 84% were determined to be PREVENTABLE. Citing data from the Illinois Maternal and Mortality Report, she noted that of the 263 people who died while pregnant or within one year of giving birth from 2018 to 2020, 91% of pregnancy-related deaths might have been PREVENTABLE. Johnson-Javois said there is a serious lack of health data on the maternal health inequities in Southern Illinois compared to Missouri. Without this accountability and transparency, she said, skewed data will continue to paint an incomplete picture of maternal and infant health in Illinois. In Southern Illinois,I desire my community to receive even more activation and transparency around the issues that surround maternal and infant health that squander the potential of generations of its people, Johnson-Javois wrote in her commentary. During an open hearing on the SHIP plan last year, Creola Hampton, president of the Black Leadership Advocacy Coalition for Healthcare Equity, or BLACHE (pronounced black) a network of organizations from Chicago to East St. Louis, spoke to the need to address inadequate funding to combat racism in maternal morbidity. The unfortunate dilemma is the Illinois Department of Public Health funding is so highly racially inequitable that it perpetuates racism being a public health issue, Hampton toldCapitol News Illinois, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service. Hampton further stressed: If the state is going to be leading saying that racism is a public health issue, then, the state has to be actively involved and making sure that there is equitable funding going to African American-led organizations to do the work that needs to be done to negate the inequity of health. IPHI director Laurie Call said that eight Illinois entities including the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Peoria City/County Health Department, and a Champaign school board, have already issued a formal declaration of racism as a public health crisis. According to the American Public Health Association, 19 other states have also declared racism a public health crisis, including Michigan and Wisconsin. SHIPs Healthy Illinois 2028 plan includes the following recommendations aimed at addressing disproportionate pregnancy-related deaths among Black and Hispanic women: Improve accessibility, availability, and quality of equitable reproductive health and well-woman/person preventative health care services across the reproductive lifespan. Promote a comprehensive, cohesive, and equitable system of care and support services for all birthing persons to have a healthy pregnancy, labor and delivery, and through the first year postpartum. Promote a comprehensive, cohesive, and equitable system of care and services to improve birth outcomes and support infants healthy development in their first year. The plan states that it will be updated and refined as Illinois begins implementation. Its success, according to the document, is dependent on all health partners-navigating and implementing the goals, objectives, and recommended strategies to achieve better health outcomes for all (Illinois) residents. Sylvester Brown Jr. is the Deaconess Foundation Community Advocacy Fellow Senior Airman Ayanna Dickerson embraces Senior Airman Roger Fortsons mother after singing the national anthem during a memorial service at Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 20, 2024. (Alex Stephens/U.S. Air Force) Senior Airman Collin Courtney stood in a packed Hurlburt Field aircraft hangar and told the audience his friend, fallen Senior Airman Roger Fortson, was made to be an AC-130 gunner. Fortson was confident, caring and an exceptionally fast learner, Courtney said Monday at a memorial service at the Air Force base in Florida to honor the late airman who was killed in a May 3 police shooting at his off-post apartment. While training to become a gunner on the AC-130J Ghostrider special operations gunship, Fortson once grabbed a fire extinguisher from the aircraft and handed it to his evaluator who was preparing to test him on a series of difficult questions about the aircrafts various weapons systems, Courtney recalled. The evaluator stared at Fortson confused. Roger, without missing a beat, said, Youre going to need this because Im going to be on fire answering these questions today, Courtney told the gathering of his fellow member of the Air Forces 4th Special Operations Squadron. Hundreds of friends, family and airmen gather for Senior Airman Roger Fortsons funeral service at Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 20, 2024. (Alex Stephens/U.S. Air Force) Fortson, 23, was respected by those who served alongside him and those who trained him, according to Capt. Malcom Lee, an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship evaluator pilot with the 4th SOS. Lee said the fallen special missions aviator scored the highest evaluation possible on his first AC-130 evaluation ride. He was a gifted athlete and student, Lee said. Roger can be summarized by the word exceptional, he told the crowd at Hurlburt, which included hundreds of uniformed airmen, Fortsons mother and father, and 14 other members of his family. Everything about him was exceptional and he was an exceptional special missions aviator. The Air Force service Monday came three days after Fortsons funeral service at a church in Stonecrest, Ga., just east of his hometown of Atlanta. Fortsons funeral, attended by hundreds, was described as a sea of Air Force blue, by Col. Patrick Dierig, who commands the Air Forces 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field. Dierig credited Fortsons family with producing a great person who would become a great air commando and a great aviator. If you want to be a great airman, be a great person first, Dierig said. And Senior Airman Fortson did just that. Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David Flossi and Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, Air Force Special Operations commander, salute during the playing of the national anthem at Senior Airman Roger Fortsons memorial service at Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 20, 2024. (Alex Stephens/U.S. Air Force) Fortsons family was presented the Air and Space Commendation Medal, posthumously awarded to the late airman for meritorious service while serving with the 4th SOS. The Monday ceremony was the latest example of the Air Force and its special operations community standing up for Fortson, whose killing is being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Fortsons family and lawyers representing them have described the shooting by an Okaloosa County sheriffs deputy as unwarranted. The police officer who shot Fortson has not been identified yet. A pastor who led Fortsons funeral went further describing the killing as murder of a Black man by a law enforcement officer. Weve got to call it as it is Roger died of murder, the Rev. Jamal Bryant said during the funeral. He died of stone-cold murder. And somebody has got to be held accountable. Roger was better to America than America was to Roger. Hundreds of friends, family and airmen gather for Senior Airman Roger Fortsons funeral service at Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 20, 2024. Senior Airman Fortson was 23 years old when he was shot and killed in an Okaloosa County Sheriffs Department deputy-involved shooting on May 3, 2024, at his off-base apartment. (Alex Stephens/U.S. Air Force) Body camera footage of Fortsons shooting released by the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Department shows the airman answered his Fort Walton Beach apartment door holding his legally owned handgun pointed down. The deputy shouted, Step back, and immediately fired six rounds into Fortson the moment the door opened, the footage showed. Only after firing those rounds did the deputy order Fortson to drop the gun, the video showed. An attorney for Fortsons family, Donald Crump, has said the deputy went to the wrong apartment to investigate a possible domestic disturbance before shooting Fortson. Crump told reporters earlier this month that Fortson was home alone when he was shot. He had been speaking with his girlfriend on the phone when he heard someone outside his apartment and grabbed his gun just before the shooting, Crump said. Officials for the Okaloosa County Sheriffs Department have said the deputy shot Fortson in self-defense. The deputy has been placed on administrative leave while the shooting is probed by state law enforcement and the State Attorneys Office, officials said. Children explore a classroom in the reopened Child Development Center at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 10, 2024. (Audree Campbell/U.S. Air Force) The Child Development Center at Andersen Air Force Base reopened this month, concluding one of the last major on-base repairs one year after a major typhoon struck Guam. The center closed two days before the eye of Typhoon Mawar, a Category 4 storm, passed just north of the U.S. territory on May 24, 2023, 36th Wing spokeswoman 1st Lt. Ariana Wilkinson said by email Tuesday. The center was significantly damaged by the storm, which brought heavy rain, flooding and wind gusts of up to 167 mph. Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske, commander of Andersens 36th Wing, ceremoniously reopened the center May 10, several weeks ahead of schedule, Wilkinson said. It provides day care and enrichment programs for ages 6 weeks to 5 years old. Mawar damaged the centers interior walls, windows, heating, refrigeration, and ventilation and air conditioning system and left the building contaminated with mold and mildew, Wilkinson said. Most of the classroom furniture had to be replaced due to water damage. Airmen and their families attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the renewed Child Development Center at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 10, 2024. (Audree Campbell/U.S. Air Force) Airmen and their families walk through the renewed Child Development Center at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, May 10, 2024. (Audree Campbell/U.S. Air Force) The biggest setback for reopening was the challenge of operating the CDC while preparing for the move and necessary inspections, center director Ana Kosko said in a May 15 news release. Acquiring specific furniture and equipment which is not available in Guam, that had to be delivered through freight forwarders, also contributed to the delay. While the center was down for more than 11 months, its services werent entirely unavailable. Infant and pretoddler classrooms were moved to Andersens school-age care facility and were available to families with mission-essential personnel on June 26, Wilkinson said. Toddler and preschool classrooms relocated to Andersen Elementary School for mission-essential families on July 10, she added. The repair time, while inconvenient for many families, allowed for enhancements and major improvements, including new flooring, furniture and alarm system, according to the release. The renovations mark one of the last major projects to be completed following last years typhoon, but not the last. Repairs continue for Andersens passenger terminal. The terminal is operational, Wilkinson said, but its services have been moved to portable office buildings. Construction and renovation on the passenger terminal are expected to be completed by July 2026. Were rebuilding the base to make it more resistant and more resilient, she said in a follow-up phone call Tuesday. Lift Aircrafts Hexa aircraft, an Air Force Agility Prime project vehicle, demonstrates its abilities to U.S. airmen and civilian staffers at Hurlburt Field, Fla., May 3, 2022. Lawmakers are pushing for the rapid adoption of electric and hybrid aviation technologies in the military, aiming to enhance efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint of defense operations. (Taylor Crul/U.S. Air Force) A U.S. military with flying cars may soon no longer be the stuff of science fiction, as House legislators seek to push the Defense Department to speed up integration of commercial electric and hybrid technology into aircraft. A House subcommittees section of the proposed 2025 National Defense Authorization Act directs the Air Force and the Pentagon to set up a working group made up of top-ranking defense officials to spur applications of a program called Agility Prime. The 4-year-old Air Force program explores the potential military applications for electric aircraft through industry partnerships. It involves testing of electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles, dubbed flying cars or flying taxis, with an eye toward using them for such tasks as search-and-rescue and carrying passengers or cargo. The aircraft can move people and things around in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way, according to an Air Force Research Lab news bulletin. Agility Prime which is run by the Air Forces innovation arm, known as AFWERX has contracts with a spate of manufacturers producing electric aircraft for the program. Among AFWERXs repertoire are aircraft from California-based Joby Aviation and at least one Alia plane from Beta Technologies that was delivered in October to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to begin testing. In November, the Alia completed its first test flight. It flew 68 nautical miles round trip, making a pit stop to recharge its batteries at a DOD charging station, Air Force officials said. The Pentagon sees all-electric manned aircraft as a way to reduce its carbon footprint. If the new proposal becomes law, the working group will have to be set up within six months. It would be run by the Air Force secretary and would include the Army and Navy secretaries, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and representatives of U.S. Special Operations and Transportation commands, according to the proposal. The group would be tasked with identifying military applications for advanced aviation technologies and figuring out how to transition those from research and development to operational use across the services. Those capabilities include hybrid and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, advanced air mobility platforms, and autonomous flight, test and evaluation software, according to the proposal by the subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. The Air Force secretary would have to submit reports on the working groups preliminary progress to the House and Senate defense committees by the end of September 2025, followed by two more annual reports. (Tribune News Service) Threats in and from space were one focus of a gathering of national intelligence principals Monday and Tuesday at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. In recent months, U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R- Dayton, has aired concerns about suspected Russian development of satellite-destroying nuclear weapons, pressing leaders at the Pentagon and within the Biden administration to discuss or acknowledge the possible consequences of such weapons. A spokesman for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence which Turner leads as chairman agreed that Turner and others brought those concerns, among others, to Wright-Patterson, where they gathered for a two-day retreat beginning Monday. The reporting about Russia attempting to put a nuclear weapon in space, I definitely think that that is why space is a focus, said Jeff Naft, a spokesman for the Intelligence Committee. He emphasized, however, that the retreat is not being held solely in response to the perception of greater dangers in space. This gathering at Wright-Patterson has been planned for months, Naft noted. Other subjects drew attention. Late Monday, Turners office released a statement urging U.S. defense leaders to expedite the delivery of new weapons to Ukraine, a nation that has faced renewed Russian pressures in the countrys northeast. The letter was signed by members of both parties and urged the Biden administration to authorize the use of U.S. weapons within Russian territory. Ukrainians have been unable to defend themselves due to the administrations current policy, the letter said. It is essential the Biden administration allows Ukraines military leaders an ability to conduct a full spectrum of operations necessary to respond to Russias unprovoked attack on their sovereign land. Turner and fellow committee members are planning a press conference at Wright-Patterson Tuesday afternoon. This will be the second retreat for the Intelligence Committee at the Air Force base. This year, Turner expected his ranking committee member, Rep. Jim Himes, D- Conn., to join him, with other House members and their staffs. While Naft cautioned that itineraries can change, the CIA director, FBI Director Christopher Wray and others, including leaders of the U.S. Space Force, were expected to join them, Turner said at a ribbon-cutting last week for the new home of NASIC (the National Air and Space Intelligence Center) at the base. Naft has said that for safety purposes, he cannot share a complete list of the national security leaders who are expected to attend. Wright-Patterson is home to NASIC and the National Space Intelligence Center (NSIC). Those intelligence-gathering missions inform the work of other crucial Air Force missions at Wright-Patterson, such as the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Air Force Materiel Command, as well as policy leaders and national decision-makers. Last week, the House Intelligence Committee held an open panel with think tank experts to discuss threats facing the U.S. Rebeccah Heinrichs, senior fellow and director of Keystone Defense Initiative for the Hudson Institute, told the committee that satellite-destroying Russian space weapons would be a potential violation of the Outer Space Treaty, which is fitting with the pattern of the Russian systemic violations of treaties, from the INF Treaty to the Open Skies Treaty and then now they are not complying with the New Start Treaty. It would be a highly provocative, very dangerous and threatening problem for the United States for which the United States has no answer, Heinrichs added. Last week, the New York Times reported that the Pentagon is rushing to counter what leaders there see as advances by China and Russia in space-based operations. The Times quoted Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, the chief of space operations at the U.S. Space Force, who said in March: We must protect our space capabilities while also being able to deny an adversary the hostile use of its space capabilities. Because if we do not have space, we lose. And the Wall Street Journal recently reported that Russia launched a satellite in 2022 that is designed to test components for a potential antisatellite weapon that would carry a nuclear device. (c)2024 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) Visit at www.daytondailynews.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A casket holding the remains of U.S. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Robert Ferris Jr. is carried from a plane at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, N.C., May 16, 2024. (North Carolina Department of Military and Veterans Affairs) A U.S. Army Air Forces staff sergeant was laid to rest Monday in North Carolina, eight decades after he went missing when his bomber was shot down over France during World War II. Robert Ferris Jr., whose remains were accounted for last fall, was buried with full military honors at New Bern National Cemetery, according to a news release Monday from the states Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. Bringing SSgt Ferris home will help his family find some measure of closure, Grier Martin, the departments secretary, said in the release. After eight decades, this coming Memorial Day will have additional meaning to SSgt Ferriss family. Ferris served in the 401st Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force, according to an online biography posted by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which officially accounted for him on Sept. 22. The 91st had the highest losses of any Eighth Air Force bomb group, with 197 aircraft reported missing in action during the war, according to the American Air Museum in Britains website. The group suffered 887 killed and 123 missing in action, and claimed the most enemy aircraft destroyed, 420, according to the 91stBombGroup.com, a memorial website. Army Air Forces Staff Sgt. Robert Ferris Jr. was buried in North Carolina on May 20, 2024, after his remains were recovered and identified more than 80 years after his bomber was shot down over France during World War II. (Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency) On Dec. 20, 1942, Ferris was a gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress that took off from Cambridgeshire, England, for a bombing mission against targets around Romilly-sur-Seine, France, the DPAA biography states. The bomber, with its nine-member crew, was shot down by a German fighter plane and crashed near the village of Bernieres-sur-Seine. One crew member bailed out before the crash and later reported the remaining crew had all died, DPAA said. After the war ended, the American Graves Registration Service disinterred four sets of remains from the city cemetery in Evreux, France. One set was identified as belonging to the B-17s top turret gunner, but the other three could not be identified, the DPAA states. Those remains were buried as unknowns at Normandy American Cemetery. Historians with the entity that preceded DPAA began reanalyzing the case in 2011 and determined there was enough evidence to pursue the case, DPAA said. In 2019, the Department of Defense and the American Battle Monuments Commission exhumed the three sets of unknown remains believed to be associated with the bomber crew, DPAA said. The remains were transferred to the DPAAs lab in Hawaii where Ferris was identified. The caisson platoon of the Armys 3rd Infantry Divison, also known as the Old Guard, leads a funeral procession in December 2016 at Arlington National Cemetery, Va. (Huey D. Younger Jr./U.S. Navy) WASHINGTON The yearlong suspension of horse-drawn funerals at Arlington National Cemetery is expected to extend for several more months as the Army faces obstacles in improving horse care, service officials said Tuesday. The Army pulled the 3rd Infantry Regiments Caisson Platoon from operations in May 2023 after several horses died from poor living conditions. A year later, the popular program is still struggling to restart, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said. Its surprisingly complex and challenging, she said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. We have quite a bit of work to do before we can operate that particular service, which is so important, safely and efficiently. The horses of the platoon, known as the Old Guard, provide gravesite escort to caskets of fallen service members on a caisson, which is a wagon once used to carry ammunition and bring dead soldiers off the battlefield. There were up to eight horse-drawn funeral services at Arlington National Cemetery per day until the Army paused the program over health concerns last year. Two of the platoons horses died within days of each other in 2022, both with gravel and sand in their digestive systems. An Army investigation showed horses were living in cramped and unsatisfactory conditions, grazing on fields littered with construction debris and manure, consuming low-quality hay and suffering from parasites. Officials blamed the poor conditions on mismanagement, lack of resources and poor training on how to care for horses. The Army had hoped to rehabilitate the horse program and slowly reintroduce horses into memorial services in late June, beginning with a riderless horse trailing a hearse. Full horse-drawn funerals were expected to return by the fall. But Wormuth said the platoon still needs to purchase 30 additional horses and find pastureland to support them. The stables at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Va., also need to be reconstructed to care properly for the horses, she said. Its going to be several more months before we can offer caisson funerals again, Wormuth said. The remains of the fallen have been carried in a hearse or a cemetery vehicle since the suspension. Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 400,000 veterans and family members and conducts up to 30 funeral services each workday. Only higher ranks are eligible for full honors funerals that include the caisson platoon. The support we provide at Arlington National Cemetery is sacred to us and to all of our veterans, and were trying to stand up this capability [again], Gen. Randy George, the Army chief of staff, assured lawmakers on Tuesday. Army Pfc. Katia Duenas-Aguilar, 23, was found dead May 18, 2024, in a residence in Clarksville, Tenn., according to the Clarksville Police Department. (U.S. Army) Police are seeking the publics help as they investigate the death of a 23-year-old Fort Campbell, Ky., soldier in nearby Clarksville, Tenn. Clarksville police responded to ambulance call at about 8:33 p.m. Saturday on Tiny Town Road where they found Pfc. Katia Duenas-Aguilar dead inside a residence. Her death was ruled a homicide, and the Army Criminal Investigation Division is assisting in the investigation, according to the Clarksville Police Department. Information about the cause of death or the circumstances were not released Tuesday. We are stunned by the death of Pfc. Duenas-Aguilar, said Lt. Col. Tony Hoefler, spokesman for the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell. In the meantime, we will continue to cooperate with Army and local investigative authorities on this matter. Duenas-Aguilar was a member of the divisions Combat Aviation Brigade from Mesquite, Texas, according to the division. She enlisted in 2018 as an information technology specialist and attended boot camp and advanced individual training at Fort Eisenhower in Georgia. She has been assigned to Fort Campbell since 2019. Duenas-Aguilars awards and commendations included two Army Achievement Medals, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. Anyone with information regarding Duenas-Aguilars death is asked to call Detective Hofinga at 931-648-0656, ext. 5684. To remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward, please call the Clarksville Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Tips Line at 931-645-8477 or submit a tip online at https://P3tips.com/591. The gate sign at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. (U.S. Army) One soldier was killed and another injured Saturday in a single-vehicle crash near Fairbanks, Alaska, the Army said. Pfc. Cierra Nglias Truce, 19, of Koror City, Republic of Palau, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash on Parks Highway near Nenana. She was a passenger in the vehicle, the Army said. The driver was transported to Fairbanks Memorial Hospital where he was treated and released. Nenana is about 50 miles southwest of Fairbanks, where Truce was stationed at Fort Wainwright. Truce was a supply specialist with the 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division. She joined the Army in March 2023 and trained at Fort Jackson, S.C., and Fort Gregg-Adams, Va., before arriving in Alaska in August 2023, the Army said. Pfc. Truce was a high-performing member of the Bobcat Battalion, and her loss is devastating across the formation, Lt. Col. Jon Doiron, 1-5 Infantry Battalion commander, said in a service news release. Her tragic death truly impacts the entire Bobcat family, and our support and prayers go out to all of those who considered Cierra friend or family. Truces death follows that of two soldiers who died in October near Fairbanks when the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle that they were riding in flipped on a dirt road. The two killed in the crash Spc. Jeremy Daniel Evans, 23, of Knoxville, Tenn., and Spc. Brian Joshua Snowden, 22, of Lonedell, Mo.were among 17 soldiers in the vehicle. Earlier this month, 1st Lt. Brandon Keyon Moultrie, 28, of Columbia, S.C., died at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital after being shot in the back of the head during an altercation outside a downtown Fairbanks bar. Moultrie was a bystander and not involved in the dispute. U.S. Army Spc. Brandon Lu shoots an M4A1 carbine during the weapons qualification event of the 2024 Georgia Army National Guard State Best Warrior Competition at the Catoosa Volunteer Training Site, Ringgold, Ga., March 13, 2024. (Alexandria Higgins/U.S. Army National Guard) (Tribune News Service) The U.S. Army has awarded West Hartford-based manufacturer Colts Manufacturing Co. a $57.2 million contract for M4 and M4A1 carbines, according to the U.S. Department of Defense Website. The contract, awarded on May 16, is scheduled to be completed by Sept. 18, with the location of the work yet to be determined. The Army Contracting Command in Newark, N.J., awarded the contract. Carbines, or long guns with shortened barrels, are used in military settings by troops including special operations soldiers and paratroopers. Colt developed the M4 platform in the 1980s and has since introduced the M5 and other carbine models. A Czech company, Ceska Zbrojovka Group SE, bought Colt in 2021 for $220 million in cash and 1.1 million shares of its stock. The parent company did not respond to requests for comment on the new contract. Czech President Petr Pavel visited the West Hartford plant last year, highlighting the gunmakers symbolic and economic importance. Colt sales were up 50 percent since the acquisition and the West Hartford location employed 340 people, company officials said at the time. Colts Manufacturing has secured several major Army deals in recent years, including a $26.7 million contract awarded on May 1 for M4A1 carbines, suppressors and flash suppressors, with the work to be done in West Hartford. Fiscal 2024 Foreign Military Sales (Israel) funds in the amount of $26,675,000 were obligated at the time of the award, reads the announcement on the Defense Department website. The Army awarded Colts Manufacturing a $41.9 million foreign military sales contract for M4 and M4A1 carbines in 2019, and two domestic carbine contracts for $88.6 million and $57.7 million in 2018. Colts gun sales to Israel drew protest to the companys West Hartford headquarters at 545 New Park Ave. last November, with picketers denouncing Israels actions in Gaza and demanding that Colt stop doing business with the country. Colts Manufacturing Co. is the modern incarnation of the pioneering firearms maker founded by Samuel Colt in Hartford in 1855. The historic Colt factory complex south of downtown Hartford has been redeveloped into housing and office space. (c)2024 the New Haven Register (New Haven, Conn.) Visit at www.nhregister.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Chaplain Cristiano DeSousa, then a lieutenant commander, delivers the invocation at a memorial service at Naval Station Mayport, Fla., in October 2015. (Timothy Schumaker/U.S. Navy) The Coast Guard on Tuesday fired a Miami-based chaplain, the second one to be dismissed in less than a month. Cmdr. Cristiano S. DeSousa, who had served as the Seventh District chaplain since July 2023, was relieved because of a loss of confidence in his abilities to fulfill the expectations of his position, according to service officials. Rear Adm. Douglas Schofield, the district commander, made the decision following an administrative investigation, said Lt. Cmdr. John William Beal, spokesman for the district. The Coast Guard found Cmdr. DeSousa demonstrated poor judgment and performance constituting a breach of trust with the workforce, Beal said. The Seventh Coast Guard District chaplain serves as a trusted command adviser and is charged with the pastoral care and spiritual needs of nearly 9,000 Coast Guard members throughout our 1.8 million square mile area of responsibility. His performance undermined his position of leadership and authority, and the Coast Guard has higher expectations of officers in these key leadership positions. DeSousa, a Presbyterian minister, was reassigned to the Navy, which provides chaplains to the Coast Guard. Capt. Daniel Mode, a Catholic priest who became the Coast Guards top chaplain in April 2022, was reassigned April 24 for failing to act appropriately when he learned of another chaplains sexual misconduct that predated military service. The Archdiocese for the Military Services refuted the Coast Guards investigation and argued Mode received documentation in 2022 of the incident that occurred in 2011 and reported it within hours. Mode provided the report to key Coast Guard personnel and chaplains responsible for advising and briefing their commanders with the assumption it would be more broadly communicated. The dismissals of DeSousa and Mode are not related, Beal said. DeSousa was commissioned as a naval officer in September 2006 and has served in Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard units, according to his official service record. Before moving to Miami with the Coast Guard, he served with the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force in Okinawa, Japan. His awards and decorations include two Meritorious Service Medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, the Coast Guard Commendation Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and two Sea Service Deployment Ribbons. USS Hershel "Woody" Williams transits the Gulf of Guinea on May 2, 2024. The expeditionary sea base includes a roughly 52,000-square-foot flight deck capable of accommodating up to four Chinook helicopters. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) ABOARD THE USS HERSHEL WOODY WILLIAMS Shortly after docking in the west African country of Gabon earlier this month, sailors aboard this ship learned that no one would be allowed to disembark. It would be the next day before the necessary Gabonese approvals would allow shore leave, including to attend the opening ceremony of the 13th iteration of the U.S.-led Obangame Express exercise hosted this year by Gabon. It didnt get easier for the ship in the days ahead. Were pretty much a floating embassy. We go to countries almost no one goes to. Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel Gajda, a yeoman assigned to the USS Hershel Woody Williams The crews experiences during a recent exercise underscored the challenges the Woody Williams faces as one of the few U.S. military vessels to almost continually transit African waters, as part of collective U.S. government efforts to build and sustain partnerships in a region America considers vital to its national security interests. International terrorism, drug smuggling, Chinese interest in building an Atlantic naval port and a growing Russian military presence all come into play in this region. The sailors aboard the only Navy ship assigned to the U.S. Africa Command area of responsibility know that their role is unlike many others in the service. Were pretty much a floating embassy, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Gabriel Gajda, a yeoman assigned to the ship. We go to countries almost no one goes to. Chock-full of challenges The bridge of USS Hershel "Woody" Williams is visible from this photo taken May 1, 2024, from the ship's 50,000-square-foot mission deck below. The ship is manned by a hybrid crew of 100 Navy sailors who manage flight and other operations, and 50 civilian mariners responsible for navigation and maintenance. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) Gold crew sailors gather on the mission deck of the USS Hershel "Woody" Williams for an evacuation drill on May 3, 2024. To sustain nearly constant operations in Africa, the ship is manned by two crews, dubbed blue and gold, which rotate five-month deployments aboard the ship to keep it at sea about 10 months a year. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) The expeditionary sea base USS Hershel "Woody" Williams sails near the coast of Ghana on May 1, 2024. (U.S. Navy) The countries that most Navy ships regularly visit are well-practiced at hosting them. Its a different story in Africa. The ports dont have much capacity to handle a vessel like Woody Williams, which is a little smaller than an aircraft carrier. And the immature supply chain needed to restock and maintain the ship often requires MacGyver-like ingenuity and problem-solving, officials say. For example, an Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System team is aboard to offer lifesaving care if needed to U.S. forces operating in the region. The team also demonstrates the ships capabilities to African countries. But there isnt a way to sterilize the surgical equipment the team uses while at sea. Officials are considering alternatives, such as purchasing a sterilizer for the ship and training sailors in its use. The team also is working out the process of getting blood and other medical supplies regularly replenished. Our biggest hurdle is logistics in nature, said Cmdr. Ben Coyle, gold crew executive officer of Woody Williams. He noted that the lack of ports able to accommodate the ship limits engagement opportunities with government and military officials as well as citizens. Our greatest successes are in presence and interactions, Coyle said. To sustain its presence, the ship is manned by two separate crews, dubbed blue and gold, which rotate five-month deployments. Political pitfalls The crews also must negotiate the dynamics of instability and military coups, such as that of Gabon in August 2023, which can hamstring diplomatic efforts and limit training opportunities with African navies. Last year, conflict and government upheaval in Africa, particularly within the Gulf of Guinea region, kept Woody Williams sidelined for part of its deployment, said Capt. Lenard Mitchell, gold crew commanding officer of Woody Williams. We were not able to engage with local countries as much as we planned to and then we ended up being pulled for additional tasking later in the deployment, he said. The flight deck and operations center are visible in this photo of USS Hershel "Woody" Williams as it transits the Gulf of Guinea headed to Libreville, Gabon. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) Cmdr. Martin Boese, assigned to an Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System team deployed on USS Hershel "Woody" Williams, supervises as Corpsman Kayle Newberry practices putting an IV into the hand of a sailor on May 3, 2024. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) Meanwhile, U.S. efforts to gain influence in Africa through military relationships also are being tested by Chinas attempts to wield soft power, such as financing a fishing harbor in Accra, Ghana, set to open in August. And Russias work to create instability in countries, such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, played parts in coups and opportunities for their forces, including the Kremlin-linked Wagner Group, to fill the void, U.S. officials said. Those challenges dont deter Woody Williams leadership or its crew. The ship can embark U.S. helicopter crews or Marine Corps units, or participate in a variety of military operations. But Woody Williams primary mission isnt warfare, Coyle said. Keeping a broader perspective The focus is on building relationships, with the desire to increase stability and create opportunities in a largely overlooked, underserved (area of responsibility), Coyle said. As one sailor said: We are in it for the long game, not the short wins. The Navy is seeing success in that regard with Gulf of Guinea countries, said Rear Adm. Michael Mattis, director of strategic effects for U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa. Our challenge is to meet our partners where they are at and not push our own agenda on them, Mattis said. This isnt about the (U.S.) military doing something. This is about our partners, and building capacity with them and building trust with them, because without trust no capacity is possible. That effort has included building operations centers, coastal radar systems and other infrastructure, and donating retired vessels and equipment to help African navies grow. The service also leads and participates in exercises, such as Obangame Express, often used to help train African forces in the fight against illegal fishing, drug smuggling, human trafficking, piracy and other illicit activities. For example, U.S. sailors, Coast Guardsmen and Marines embarked on Woody Williams worked with Cape Verde authorities to interdict about 13,228 pounds of cocaine from a Brazil-flagged ship in international waters near West Africa in April 2022. In September, two former U.S. Coast Guard cutters were commissioned into the Ghanaian navy, and the U.S. contributed an additional $6 million in equipment for maritime projects last year. Those contributions were part of $28 million in U.S. security assistance to Ghana in 2023, Virginia Palmer, the U.S. ambassador to Ghana, said while speaking at the African Maritime Forces Summit in Accra last month. Those and other efforts appear to be gaining ground, although U.S. presence and influence in west Africa is being challenged. Earlier this month, 1,000 U.S. troops were ordered to leave Niger and abandon a $110 million drone base opened just five years ago. That breakdown in relations followed a military coup in the central African country in July 2023. Last month, the U.S. temporarily pulled most of its roughly 100 special operations troops out of Chad in advance of a presidential election there, following three years of military rule. Junta leader Mahamat Deby Itno subsequently was declared winner of the May 6 election. Well come back for discussions within a month to see what ways and what they need to be able to build further in their security construct and also against terrorism, especially in the Lake Chad region, Gen. Michael Langley, commander of AFRICOM, told reporters in Accra on May 1. Successes and setbacks There are bright spots, however. African countries accounted for about 75% of 15,550 logins in March this year into a Navy-introduced software program that, among other capabilities, allows tracking of vessels at sea and unclassified communications between nations. West African countries accounted for 53% of that number, according to Navy data. The worldwide system also is used by the U.S. and some European and Black Sea countries. During Obangame, the Navy introduced new technology: a drone with surface and underwater capabilities that was eagerly anticipated by Gabon and other countries. But while the exercise served as a showcase, it also laid bare the difficulties of engagement. Woody Williams ran aground as it departed the port of Libreville, Gabons capital. It broke free a few hours later after high tide, ultimately being forced to anchor outside the port to wait for an inspection. USS Hershel "Woody" Williams enters the port at Libreville, Gabon, on May 5, 2024. The ship was in Libreville for the Obangame Express opening ceremony and other events related to the exercise. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) A sailor aboard USS Hershel "Woody" Williams prepares lunch for a crew of about 100 Navy sailors in the Gulf of Guinea on May 3, 2024. (Alison Bath/Stars and Stripes) The ship, with its hybrid crew of about 100 sailors managing air and other operations and 50 civilian mariners responsible for navigation and maintenance, remained there for more than a week. It couldnt participate as planned in the Obangame exercise, which ended Friday. Still, the crew did what they could to make the trip productive. A limited test of a new drone with their Gabon counterparts showed promise. The partnership between the two navies is strong, said Rear Adm. Charles-Hubert Bekale Meyong, Gabonese chief of naval staff. Training together, the establishment of a maritime operations center built by Navy Seabees in Port Gentil and other new programs were some of the benefits, he said. The partnership has to stay in the real life more than just exercises and trainings, said Meyong, who added he is eager to see the Gabon fleet grow. This allows us to enhance our cooperation in the management of global maritime security. Military leaders like Meyong say theyre committed to building their capabilities and expertise in order to protect their resources, such as fish, and grow their economies. As one military leader recently shared with Mattis: We know we will have reached success with Obangame Express and these other exercises when the partner nations convene the exercise themselves and invite the U.S. in to participate. To me, that is exactly the right approach, Mattis said. A package of Oreo Sour Patch Kids cookies is shown on May 23 in Ann Arbor, Mich. They are one of about a dozen limited-edition Oreo flavors that Chicago-based food and beverage company Mondelez International plans to release this year. (Dee-Ann Durbin/AP) Van Leeuwen Ice Cream usually draws customers with gourmet takes on classics like vanilla and pistachio. But occasionally, the artisanal ice cream maker headquartered in New York slips in what it calls a shock flavor, like Hidden Valley Ranch or pizza. Surprising flavor combinations think gravy-flavored Jones Soda or Sour Patch Kids Oreos are showing up more frequently in grocery stores and restaurant chains. Hershey recently introduced pink lemonade-flavored Kit Kats, while IHOP and Lays brought out Rooty Tooty Fresh n Fruity potato chips, designed to taste like strawberry-topped pancakes with a hint of bacon. In the United Kingdom, Little Moons made fish-and-chips mochi ice cream in 2021, while potato chip brand Walkers is known to celebrate Christmas with a Brussels sprout-flavored edition. Usually, these are limited-time flavors, although occasionally theyre so popular they wind up on store shelves permanently, as Lays Flamin Hot Dill Pickle chips did in 2019. While its tempting to pass them off as social media stunts, experts say theres more to the story. Food companies are responding to the changing and expanding tastes of consumers while also trying to keep brands relevant and distinct to win space on crowded store shelves. Were in a really exciting time of flavor development where consumers are not just one thing. Youre not just a sour lover or a sweet lover. You want a little of this and a little of that, said Kristen Braun, the senior brand manager for Oreo innovation at Chicago-based food and beverage company Mondelez International. Companies are finding the freedom to explore a little bit more and get more creative. Sour Patch Kids Oreos vanilla cream-filled cookies speckled with colorful bites of the sour candies are one of about a dozen limited-edition Oreo flavors that Mondelez plans to release this year. Braun said it takes the company one or two years to develop such products, which stay on shelves for about nine weeks. Shes already thinking ahead to future flavors that blur the lines between sweet, salty and spicy. Oddball pairings arent entirely new in the food and beverage industry. Hubba Bubba released a bubble gum-flavored soda in the late 1980s, for example. But manufacturers and their suppliers have gotten more sophisticated and efficient, making it easier to experiment and put out limited-editions more frequently, said Mark Lang, a food marketing expert and associate professor of marketing at the University of Tampa. Kyle Shadix, who as the corporate executive research chef for PepsiCo, has worked on beverages like Pepsi Maple Syrup and a strawberry shortcake Pepsi sold in Japan, said the members of Generation Z are also fueling innovation. Theyre diverse, adventurous and pick up on food trends quickly through social media, he said. Theyre every chefs dream to design for, said Shadix, who is currently experimenting a lot with Mexican, Korean and Japanese flavors. Gen Z is going to drive us faster. Were going to start to see even more exploration quicker than in the past because theyre just so open to it. Toying with flavors can boost brands in several ways. Sometimes they bring new customers to a brand. They might also nudge buyers to pick up the original flavor, Russell Zwanka, director of the food marketing program at Western Michigan University, said. Sour Patch Oreos sound interesting, but nobody wants to risk buying Oreos that dont taste good, so people buy both, Zwanka said. When companies combine brands, theyre trying to build an association in consumers minds. Peeps-flavored Pepsi, which came out last year, sends the message that Pepsi is current and fun, Lang said. Mustard-flavored Skittles, which came out last summer, made the 104-year-old Frenchs brand seem playful. Enter Kraft Heinz, which approached Van Leeuwen Ice Cream a few years ago about macaroni and cheese-flavored ice cream. Ben Van Leeuwen, the companys co-founder and CEO, was doubtful at first but found that Krafts powder blended well with the Brooklyn-based companys ice cream. Van Leeuwens Kraft Macaroni and Cheese ice cream came out to rave reviews in 2021 and was re-released for a short time last fall. Ben Van Leeuwen scoops Kraft Mac & Cheese flavored ice cream, May 15, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. Kraft Heinz approached New York-based artisanal ice cream maker Van Leeuwen a few years ago about macaroni and cheese-flavored ice cream. It came out to rave reviews in 2021 and was re-released for a short time last fall. (Frank Franklin II/AP) We will only do a shock flavor if we can make it good and distinct. We will not do a shock flavor where its just shock in name but taste like vanilla, Van Leeuwen said. But novel flavor combinations dont always work. Van Leeuwen couldnt eat more than a few bites of his companys Hidden Valley Ranch ice cream, which contained onion and garlic powders. And shock flavors typically dont end up on the permanent menu because of their lower eat-ability, he said. I think you would taste our mac and cheese and youd say, Oh, thats good, but do you want to take a pint of that mac and cheese from your freezer when youre watching whatever show on Netflix and eat the entire thing? Probably not, Van Leeuwen said. Candy brand Brachs ran into that issue with its Turkey Dinner Candy Corn, a 2021 limited-edition version of the fall staple that tasted like turkey, stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, apple pie and coffee. Katie Duffy, vice president and general manager of seasonal at Ferrara Candy Co., which owns Brachs, acknowledged there was a gross-out factor. We have learned from consumers that we dont want to have something where they eat a few pieces of candy and then they toss it because theres some things that they dont want to repeat, Duffy said. We want it to be a delicious flavor journey. Brachs recently introduced Easter Brunch-flavored jelly beans, and they hit that mark, she said. The candy beans mimicked the flavors of blueberry maple pancakes, chocolate doughnuts, caramel cold brew, cinnamon rolls, berry smoothies and mimosa cocktails. A package of Brachs recently introduced Easter Brunch-flavored jelly beans is shown on May 13 in Ann Arbor, Mich. They mimic the flavors of blueberry maple pancakes, chocolate doughnuts, caramel cold brew, cinnamon rolls, berry smoothies and mimosas. (Dee-Ann Durbin/AP) Shannon Weiner, senior director of insights and analytics at Ferrara, said the company closely tracks social media to see what flavors are trending. People are increasingly looking for dessert and dairy-flavored candies, she said. Theyre also seeking more international flavors like Tajin, a brand of chile-lime spice from Mexico that recently did a collaboration with Pop Tarts. Lang thinks the more time people spend in restaurants or trying out new foods, the more they seek out unusual flavors. We are variety-seeking animals. We constantly are seeking something new and different; its in our wiring, he said. We like to experiment. Using IMAX-certified cameras mounted on a helicopter, The Blue Angels documentary filmmakers were granted unprecedented access to the U.S. Navys Flight Demonstration Squadron, both on the ground and in the box, the tightly guarded performance airspace. The film has no staged re-creations, second takes or computer-generated shots. (Amazon Prime/AP) If youre looking for a little bit of fresh Top Gun: Maverick spectacle and thrill this summer, youre in luck. A groundbreaking new documentary, The Blue Angels, is flying off of IMAX screens and onto Prime Video May 23. Using IMAX-certified cameras mounted on a helicopter, the filmmakers were granted unprecedented access to the U.S. Navys Flight Demonstration Squadron, both on the ground and in the box, the tightly guarded performance airspace. Unlike in a Hollywood movie, there were no staged re-creations, second takes or computer-generated shots. And they had about 5% of the budget Top Gun had, those involved estimated. The film was the brainchild of Rob Stone and Greg Boss Wooldridge, a former Blue Angel and subject of a 1994 film about one of their historic tours in Europe. COVID-19 derailed plans to follow their 75th anniversary season, but a silver lining would emerge in the delay. By that point, aerial coordinator Kevin LaRosa II had worked several times with actor Glen Powell, on Top Gun and Devotion. Powell, hed learned, had grown up with a Blue Angels lithograph in his childhood bedroom. (Powell) said, Ill hook you up with the Creative Artist Agency in Hollywood and well get this done, Wooldridge said in a recent interview. Soon, they were also talking to J.J. Abrams company Bad Robot and figuring out ways to collaborate with IMAX and show audiences things that no civilian has seen before, under the direction of filmmaker Paul Crowder. Abrams, who also produced, had grown up living across the street from a former Blue Angel pilot and wrote in an email that hed always been intrigued by their skill, bravery and heroism. This film would take that fascination to the next level. The footage was filmed especially for IMAX, Abrams continued. Watching these pilots do their thing in this format the jets literally inches apart is utterly bonkers. Truly spectacular to see. A scene from the documentary The Blue Angels. According to producer J.J. Abrams, The footage was filmed especially for IMAX. Watching these pilots do their thing in this format the jets literally inches apart is utterly bonkers. Truly spectacular to see. (Amazon Prime/AP) One of the craziest ideas was to put a helicopter with a camera mounted on it in the middle of a demonstration, in airspace where no civilian aircraft has ever been allowed. It would be during a practice demonstration, but Wooldridge is quick to remind that there is no real difference between a practice and the real show when it comes to execution, the level of excellence expected and the danger involved. When Kevin said lets do this, my eyes got as big as saucers, Wooldridge said. I led the (Blue Angels) on three occasions and I said, Im not sure I would allow this to happen. LaRosa had exhaustively studied how it might happen safely and ensured everyone was properly debriefed. Still, on the day, everyone was prepared to hear no maneuver (flight canceled) as everyone got used to the distraction of a helicopter in their airspace. Much to their surprise, the boss never called no maneuver. It all went according to plan. We researched every possible way to film that information, and everybodys done it different ways from the ground. But to get into the air with a wing-mounted camera and all the cameras in the cockpit? Wooldridge said. It was unbelievable. LaRosa had done such a good job flying the helicopter that they were able to inch even closer to the jets by the end of the shoot. Crowder also used a Phantom camera, which can shoot 1,000 frames per second (the standard is 24 fps), to get spectacular shots of the vapors coming off the jets. Beyond the spectacle, the film looks at the people in the jets as well, including the first woman to fly with the squadron as a pilot, Lt. Amanda Lee, of Mounds View, Minn. You can read all you want, but until youve spent time in Pensacola at the air base and really spend time with these guys, watching them do what they do and dedicated everything that they are to it, you dont really get it, Crowder said. What we were hoping to do in the film was to portray a lot of that. Crowder recommends ignoring moms advice and sitting as close to the television screen as possible for the best viewing experience. Wooldridge, who led the Blue Angels three times, said the experience of watching this film is better than being up there. Ive seen it from the cockpit, my cockpit, a bunch. Ive seen it from the ground as we debrief, he said. But Ive never seen it the way you see it in this movie. The perspective was so much better than I ever saw as a pilot. Im wowed and awed by it. A Marine Corps photo illustration depicts a 2010 advertisement for the Camp Pendleton Transition Assistance Management Program. (Michelle Brinn/U.S. Marine Corps) In October 2001, less than a month after the 9/11 attacks, the first American troops began combat operations in Afghanistan. Nearly two years later, the war in Iraq began. Over the next two decades, about two million American service members answered the call to serve in these conflicts. The wars may be over, but Americas duty to the veterans who returned is not. Transitioning from military to civilian life can often be a difficult challenge. This reality is especially true regarding their return to the civilian workforce, beginning a new career or resuming a former one, and building financial security. The good news is that there are real concrete actions that we as a society can take to ensure our nations veterans and their families are successful in this transition. The generation of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan looks quite different than previous generations of troops returning home. The post-9/11 wars were the first extended conflict to depend on an all-volunteer force, meaning many soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines deployed multiple times. The long duration of the conflict also meant that troops born after the war began later fought in it as young adults. Because military service is often a family tradition, some families even saw multiple generations parents and their children serving in the same conflict. The economy is also different from what earlier veterans experienced. Todays modern economy demands new and constantly evolving skill sets, often on highly technical issues. However, employers do not always understand how professional skills developed in the military can translate to the private sector. Often civilian hiring managers do not understand the unfamiliar terms and jargon used in the military. The irony is that many skills common in the military, such as engineering, IT and logistics, are in high demand by private sector employers. These effects are compounded for veterans with disabilities who face unique circumstances returning to the civilian workforce. The current generation of veterans has the highest level of reported disabilities compared to previous generations. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 39% of post-9/11 veterans have a service-connected disability, compared to 26% of Vietnam veterans and 14% of World War II veterans. The compounded effects are true for disabilities that are both apparent and not apparent; in fact, a recent survey of veterans found that mental health was often cited as a top barrier to employment. Many employers want to do more. They understand that Americas veterans possess expertise, talent, and leadership qualities that can enhance an organization. Well-intentioned programs to hire veterans have resulted in relatively lower unemployment rates compared to the population at large. However, this statistic overlooks the fact that many veterans are dealing with underemployment, are in jobs that are not in career paths they trained for, are making less money than they did while serving in uniform, or feel they lack opportunities for growth and development. These experiences have left many veterans, particularly disabled veterans, feeling uncertain about their long-term financial security and prospects for retirement. Additionally, many veterans cite dissatisfaction in their professional lives. A job isnt just about financial stability; as crucial as it is, having a fulfilling career that makes you happy improves your overall life satisfaction. Many veterans want their post military employment to match the satisfaction and fulfillment they enjoyed on active duty but find it difficult to identify and secure jobs that adequately utilize their skills and experience, are appropriately challenging and provide opportunties for growth. This can be disillusioning for veterans and their families. The good news is that there are steps that employers who want to do more can take to help ensure assimilation into the civilian workforce is smoother for veterans and military families. Even better, these steps should help all employees. Employers should consider the needs of veterans, especially disabled veterans, when designing their benefits packages. Benefits as simple as a tool to help coordinate employee benefits and VA benefits could go a long way in navigating complex, sometimes overlapping programs. Other benefits, such as emergency savings plans, retirement plans, or health savings accounts, can help with unforeseen expenses and better position employees for retirement. Specifically, providing education about mental health care and coverage and ensuring the information is easy to access can help employees take advantage of benefits they may not be aware of. Employers also should be proactive in creating a culture that is safe and inclusive for disabled veterans to disclose their situations and their needs. Concerns about stigma and bias are a common impediment that keeps many employees from using existing programs and benefits that they have earned. Fostering a supportive environment may include creating opportunities for confidential conversations about employer benefits, potentially through a trusted partner organization that can provide support or training for managers and employees to reduce bias and stigma around disabilities especially mental health. Finally, employers can work with nonprofit organizations as trusted partners. Easterseals has been supporting veterans since World War II, adapting for the needs of each new generation. Such support includes helping veterans navigate byzantine government benefits systems and running programs that offer skills training, job search assistance, employment preparation, and guidance. While these steps may not be a comprehensive solution to complicated generational issues, they are tangible actions that employers can take today. They are a small cost but could have a tremendous benefit in helping to serve those who have served us. Kendra Davenport is president and CEO of Easterseals, one of the largest and oldest disability service providers in the country. Although the primary goal of foster care is for the children to be reunited with their parents, in some cases this is not possible. (Pixabay) Military families make up a third of the approximately 80 foster families on Guam that take in children removed from their homes on account of neglect. Despite that contribution, foster care is still critically short of parents willing to accept at-risk children, according to the supervisor of the islands Division of Childrens Wellness. Unfortunately, the short tours typical of most military families also mean their foster experience is abbreviated, Pamela Brewster told Stars and Stripes by email Saturday. Military families offer our foster children unique experiences and opportunities, she said. The short tour of duty for some military families does have an impact on foster care in that some of our best foster families leave the island. The commander of Andersen Air Force base recently recognized his communitys reputation for providing homes to children in need. As many of you know, a lot of our Air Force families serve as foster families here on Guam, Brig. Gen. Thomas Palenske wrote on his Facebook page May 13, part of his promotion of a walk and fun run to raise money for foster families. May is National Foster Care Month and Palenskes shout-out highlights a drastic need for foster parents on Guam, Bethany Taylor, executive director of Harvest House, told Stars and Stripes by phone on Thursday. Harvest House is a Baptist ministry for foster children and families on Guam that acts as an emergency triage center for children in crisis entering the foster care system. Theres 675 foster children on Guam and theres only 80 licensed foster families, roughly, Taylor said. Twenty-five of those families are with the military. Guams severe shortage of foster homes creates a never-ending recruiting challenge to meet that need, Brewster said. The No. 1 reason that Guams Child Protective Services removes children from their families is neglect due to the parents drug abuse, Brewster said at a legislative committee on health on March 25, according to Pacific Daily News. Makayla and Senior Airman Joseph Carmichael were foster parents for two years to 10 children, three of whom they adopted while stationed on Guam. They became foster parents through Harvest House. The first time we had encountered this need for foster parents wasnt something that we really ever thought about doing until we went to Guam, Makayla Carmichael said by phone Thursday. The Carmichaels time as foster parents ended when Makayla and their children evacuated Guam for the United States following Typhoon Mawar last year, she said. We had a lot of damage, and our daughter needed another surgery, so we moved back to Kentucky temporarily, she said. Although the Guam foster care system loses out when a military foster family makes a permanent change of station, there is an upside, Brewster said by email. Many military families have been given the opportunity to become legal guardians, and in some cases, adoptive parents for the children in their care when they PCS out of Guam, she said. This offers our children an even greater opportunity stateside, especially if the child has special needs and requires services that are not readily available on Guam. Although the primary goal of foster care is for the children to be reunited with their parents, in some cases this is not possible, or the reunification time is delayed for various reasons, Brewster said. Carmichael said the community support at Anderson was a great help while being a foster parent, from navigating housing issues to answering questions about enrolling foster children into Defense Department schools and child care centers. Taylor said becoming a foster parent on Guam is much easier and quicker than in the States. If you ever wanted to foster, this is the best place, the best opportunity that you can get involved right away and make such a huge impact on the foster childs life, she said. Taiwans new President Lai Ching-te gives a speech at his inauguration ceremony on May 20, 2024 in Taipei, Taiwan. Lai urged China to stop its military threats against Taiwan in his inaugural address. China slammed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for extending his congratulations to Lai. (Annabelle Chih, Getty Images/TNS) (Tribune News Service) China slammed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for extending his congratulations to Taiwans new president and separately sanctioned a former U.S. congressman who supported Taipei, underscoring how the islands status divides the two superpowers. Its a serious violation of the political commitment made by the U.S. to maintain only cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the Taiwan region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Tuesday in response to Blinkens comments at a regular press briefing in Beijing. The remarks by the U.S. top diplomat sent a seriously wrong signal to the Taiwan separatist forces, Wang said. He added that Beijing had filed a diplomatic complaint with Washington, and called on the U.S. to immediately correct their mistakes. Blinken congratulated Lai Ching-te on Monday shortly after he took over as Taiwans new president. The Biden administration official also said in a statement that his nation looked forward to working with Lai and others in the democratically run island of 23 million people to advance our shared interests and values. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., addresses Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 29, 2024. Gallagher, a Marine veteran, was on Tuesday, May 21, sanctioned by China, which accused him of interfering in Chinas internal affairs and harming Chinese sovereignty. (Carlos Bongioanni/Stars and Stripes) Also on Tuesday, Beijing announced sanctions on former U.S. Congressman Mike Gallagher, accusing him of interfering in Chinas internal affairs and harming Chinese sovereignty, according to a statement on the Chinese Foreign Ministrys account on WeChat. The former chair of the House select committee on Chinas Communist Party led a delegation to Taiwan in February, when he met then President Tsai Ing-wen. Gallagher called on Washington to arm the island to the teeth against Chinese military intimidation in an op-ed in January. China opposes nations it has official ties with having contact with Taiwan, which it views as part of its territory to be brought under its control eventually, by force if necessary. The U.S. is Taiwans main political and military supporter, irking Beijing. U.S. President Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged to defend Taiwan if China attacks. Lai has signaled that during his four years in office he will follow many of the policies of his predecessor, Tsai, including embracing the U.S. That stance means ties between Taipei and Beijing will likely remain tense in the coming years. With assistance from Colum Murphy. 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. A memorial service for Humphreys West Elementary School teacher Eric Chipps is scheduled for Thursday, May 23, 2024, inside Freedom Chapel at Camp Humphreys, South Korea. (U.S. Army) CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea A memorial service for Humphreys West Elementary School teacher and Army veteran Eric Chipps is scheduled this week at the home of U.S. Forces Korea. All are welcome to say goodbye, especially former students, at 4 p.m. Thursday at Freedom Chapel, according to a Monday post on Humphreys official Facebook page. Chipps died May 11, according to the post. Officials from Humphreys West and Department of Defense Education Activity-Pacific did not respond to requests for further information by phone and email Tuesday. Chipps, 64, a native of Chesterville, Ohio, attended West Chester University in Pennsylvania, according to his Facebook page. His 24-year teaching career included stints at DODEA schools in Japan and Germany, according to his LinkedIn profile. He also served in the Army as an electronic intelligence analyst for over 20 years. Humphreys West is one of four schools on the base. The others are Humphreys Central Elementary School, Humphreys Middle School and Humphreys High School. European Union flags fly outside European Commission headquarters in Brussels in March 2023. (Johanna Geron/Reuters) BRUSSELS EU countries have formally adopted a plan to use windfall profits from Russian central bank assets frozen in the EU for Ukraines defense, Belgiums government said Tuesday. The text only needed a rubber-stamp by ministers after EU ambassadors reached the agreement in early May. Russia has repeatedly warned the West of consequences if its assets are touched and accused Washington of bullying Europe to take more radical steps to thwart it in Ukraine. Under the agreement, 90% of the proceeds will go into an EU-run fund for military aid for Ukraine against Russias invasion, with the other 10% going to support Kyiv in other ways. The EU expects the assets to yield about $16.30-$21.70 billion in profits by 2027. The assets are gaining exceptional interest, resulting in so-called windfall profits. Ukraine is expected to receive the first tranche in July, EU diplomats said. The Group of Seven countries (G7) froze around $300 billion worth of Russian financial assets soon after Moscows invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, the EU and other G7 countries have debated how and whether to use the funds to help Ukraine. Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba thanked the EU for the decision on Tuesday but reiterated Ukraines ultimate goal of seizing Russian financial assets, not just benefiting from interest. With all our gratitude for this decision today, the amounts are not commensurate (with the amount of frozen assets), Kuleba told reporters. That is why the third step, which we have been talking about since the beginning of the year, should actually be the confiscation of the assets themselves, he added. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is pushing fellow G7 nations this week to agree a plan to use the profits as collateral to back a larger loan to help Ukraine. Reporting by Julia Payne, Yuliia Dysa, and Anastasiia Malenko. In this photo provided by Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, the helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi takes off at the Iranian border with Azerbaijan, Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Ali Hamed Haghdoust/IRNA) The helicopter that crashed while carrying the Iranian president through mountainous fog was a U.S.-designed Bell 212, according to state media and photographs verified by The Washington Post. The Bell 212 aircraft is a widely used civilian version of the Vietnam-era Huey military helicopter, operated by armed forces and businesses around the globe. The model is a two-blade twin-engine medium helicopter with up to 15 seats that first flew in 1968, according to Skybrary, an aviation database. Authorities in Iran have provided little information about the circumstances of the crash that killed President Ebrahim Raisi and eight others but have attributed it to a technical failure. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Monday that the United States had no part to play in the crash and that the Pentagon had no insight into the cause. Despite poor relations between Tehran and Washington, the Iranian air force maintains five of these U.S.-designed aircraft for its VIP squadron, including the one involved in the presidents crash, according to Scramble, a Dutch aviation website. Some may be decades old - data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that the average age of the 15 Bell 212 aircraft registered in Iran was 35 years old with their maintenance complicated by international sanctions on Iran. Bell Helicopter, now Bell Textron, which developed the helicopter in the 1960s, said it had little information about the state of the helicopter. We can confirm that Bell does not conduct any business in Iran or support their helicopter fleet, and we do not have knowledge about the active state of the helicopter involved in this accident, Bell said in a statement to The Post on Monday. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on Monday denied accusations that U.S. sanctions may have led to the crash, calling any such claims utterly baseless. (The Washington Post) The helicopter crashed Sunday amid dense fog in the mountainous terrain of Irans East Azerbaijan province. Dozens of search teams worked into the night, struggling through the rugged landscape to reach the scene; word that the site had been found and all nine people aboard were dead came more than 12 hours after news first emerged of the helicopters disappearance. There has been no indication of foul play. John Cox, an American crash expert, said investigators are likely to also focus on the bad weather and poor visibility reported at the time of the crash. Mountainous terrain and bad weather is never a good combination for a helicopter flight, said Jeff Guzzetti, a former federal crash investigator. He described the Bell 212 as a stalwart. A database maintained by the Flight Safety Foundation lists about 430 Bell 212 accidents since 1972, including the Iranian presidents helicopter crash, with 162 of them just under 40% involving fatalities. Globally, there are 443 Bell 212 aircraft in service by 144 different operators, and their average age is 42 years old, according to Cirium. The last fatality involving a Bell 212 occurred in September, when a helicopter on a training flight crashed off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to the Flight Safety Foundation. Typically, overseas crash investigators call in the expertise of foreign aircraft manufacturers to help their probes, under a process overseen by the U.N. aviation agency. Its unclear whether Iran will seek that assistance, but, Cox said, It would be better if Bell aircraft were involved to assist the Iranians. Iranian authorities have blamed sanctions on U.S. aviation equipment for the crash. Cox said it would probably be difficult to operate the Bell helicopter inside Iran without a third-party source for parts or cannibalizing aircraft for spares. Iran has faced U.S. sanctions since 1979. The measures have broadened and deepened over the years and been complemented by European and U.N. sanctions, negatively affecting the Iranian aviation sector and other industries. There have been times when Iran was able to legally import entire aircraft and their parts from Western countries, said Farzan Sabet, a senior research associate at the Geneva Graduate Institute. Especially since sanctions and export controls have intensified in the last decade and a half, [Iran] has increasingly had much more trouble doing this, except for a brief period during the implementation of the Iran nuclear deal before the withdrawal of the United States under President Donald Trump. The United States sanctions block not only U.S.-manufactured aircraft that can be sold to Iran, but also aircraft that use sophisticated U.S. components, Sabet added. Sanctions also make international transactions involving Irans civil aviation sector and fleet much more difficult. John Hudson contributed to this report. The ruins of al-Shifa Hospital, the largest medical complex in the Gaza Strip, in Gaza City, taken by a photographer embedded with Israeli forces March 31. (Lorenzo Tugnoli for The Washington Post) Hayfa Charity Hospital in Gaza City had already been evacuated by the time projectiles plunged into the building on Dec. 27, a hospital project manager said. It was a terrifying day in which bombing was everywhere and random, Shaima Raafat said in a voice message. That strike was one of about 90 documented incidents involving hospitals in Gaza since the war between Israel and Hamas began on Oct. 7, according to information from sources including aid groups and hospitals analyzed by The Washington Post. Some, such as Israeli raids on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, drew international headlines. Others such as the destruction of Hayfa, once a bustling six-floor facility serving about 9,000 patients a month have gone relatively unnoticed as the fighting rages on. Of the 36 hospitals in Gaza tracked by the U.N. humanitarians affairs office, only four have not been reported damaged by munitions, raided by the Israel Defense Forces or gone out of service over more than seven months of war, The Post found. Of those, two Kuwait and al-Helal al-Emirati hospitals are in Rafah. Earlier this month, al-Najjar Hospital, also in the southern city where Israel is expanding its assault, was the latest to be shuttered. Israel has made hospitals a key target of its military campaign in Gaza, damaging or destroying the Strips most important medical facilities after claiming Hamas used them for militant activity. (In the Hayfa attack, for instance, an IDF spokesperson said the strike was against a military target inside the building.) In other instances, hospitals and clinics were struck as part of the fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas. They have been damaged by Israeli ground and air bombardment, and also by munitions fired by Palestinian militant groups, including rockets falling back onto Gazas territory, as appeared to be the case at al-Ahli Hospital in October. The source of damage by munitions is often not possible to confirm because The Post and other media outlets are not able to enter the Strip. Israel has consistently said that when it raids or inflicts damage on hospitals, the attacks are justified because Hamas and other militant groups are embedded inside them. Hamas and staff at individual hospitals have rejected this. A central feature of Hamas strategy is the exploitation of civilian structures for terror purposes, the IDF said in an emailed statement. It should be clear that it is absolutely prohibited to misuse hospitals for military purposes, and turn patients into human shields. The IDF also accused Hamas of holding hostages within hospitals. It said its strikes were always an operational necessity. The evidence that Israel has publicly provided has at times fallen short of supporting its claims of hospitals being used for military purposes. The Post is unable to independently verify the accounts. Ravina Shamdasani, a U.N. Human Rights Office spokesperson, said in February that there appeared to be a pattern of attacks by Israeli forces striking essential lifesaving civilian infrastructure in Gaza, especially hospitals. As of May there were 15 hospitals partially functioning, according to the World Health Organization and communication from hospitals. Some have gone out of service after they were raided or damaged, but have later reopened, causing the number of operating hospitals to fluctuate throughout the war. Aid organizations have also set up field hospitals inside the Strip. Functioning hospitals are severely overcrowded and have faced shortages of important supplies such as anesthetics, antibiotics and gauze, relief groups have said. The maps in this story draw on information released over the course of the war by aid groups (U.N. agencies including the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the WHO, Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and the Palestine Red Crescent Society) as well as staff at hospitals and the organizations that run them, media reports, nonprofit research group Insecurity Insight, the IDF and the Gaza Health Ministry. The Post has not been able to independently verify some accounts. International law governing war prescribes that hospitals must not be attacked during conflicts. They only become viable targets if they are being used to commit harm and if the attacking force takes measures to protect civilians. Even if Israel contends that a medical facility has lost its protection as a result of being used for acts harmful to the Israeli forces, it must nevertheless comply with the principles of precautions and proportionality, Shamdasani said. But the facilities widespread destruction since Oct. 7 may reflect the overall rate of devastation in Gaza, where experts say housing has been destroyed at a rate of intensity unseen since World War II, almost 90 percent of school buildings have been damaged, and the rate of infrastructure loss in the early months of the war outstripped recent conflicts including in Aleppo, Syria, and Mosul, Iraq. Medical complexes in Gaza were damaged by bombardment at about the same rate as other buildings between Oct. 7 and Nov. 7, according to a Yale University-led analysis of satellite imagery published in April. Lead author Danielle Poole, an associate research scientist with Yales Humanitarian Research Lab, said in an interview that a follow-up study, which is undergoing peer review, found that over subsequent months there was a fourfold increase in hits to hospitals, which were damaged at a statistically significant higher rate than other buildings. Even one attack raises concerns about international humanitarian law, she said. After 1 month of war On Oct. 7, Hamas fighters broke through the barrier separating Gaza and southern Israel and carried out an attack that killed about 1,200 people, including more than 300 soldiers, according to Israel. More than 35,500 Palestinians have since been killed and almost 80,000 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children. Israel says more than 280 of its soldiers have been killed since the launch of its military operation in Gaza. Hospitals in Gaza were drawn into the war from the very start. Indonesian Hospital in the Strips north was damaged by a strike in its vicinity on Oct. 7, according to Doctors Without Borders. On Oct. 17, an explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City killed at least 100 people and caused global condemnation. Hamas blamed Israel; Israel, backed by the United States, denied culpability. Israel said the source of the munition was a militant group operating in Gaza, Islamic Jihad. A Washington Post analysis found that fighters in Gaza launched a barrage of rockets toward Israel and in the direction of al-Ahli Hospital 44 seconds before the blast. The IDF launched its ground operation on Oct. 27. After 3 months of war In November, a pattern began that would be repeated against at least seven hospitals, according to The Posts analysis: the IDF surrounding the building, cutting off movement in and out including, in at least five examples, with sniper fire, according to aid agencies with staff on the ground and the Gaza Health Ministry; often facilitating an evacuation; and entering the hospital in a raid. The most high-profile example of this was at al-Shifa, Gazas largest medical facility, which was raided in November. At al-Nasr Childrens Hospital that month, staff were ordered by the IDF to evacuate and given assurances that babies left behind would be taken care of, they told The Post. Two weeks later, a Palestinian journalist returned to the empty building and found the decomposing bodies of four babies left behind. His video of the horrific scene was verified by The Post. An IDF spokesperson later cast doubt on the account during a question-and-answer session on social media. In December, an analysis of satellite imagery published by The Post found evidence of dozens of apparent craters near the majority of hospitals in northern Gaza, including 10 craters that suggested the use of bombs weighing 2,000 pounds, the largest in regular use. In early December, the IDFs ground operation, which began at the Strips northern border and moved through Gaza City and the central Strip, continued into Khan Younis, the biggest population center in the enclaves south. After 6 months of war Nasser Hospital, the most significant hospital in Gazas south, was raided and rendered nonfunctional for months in February after a siege lasting at least a week. Eight patients in intensive care died of lack of oxygen and some departments were flooded with sewage, the U.N. humanitarian affairs office said, citing the Gaza Health Ministry. The IDF detained about 70 staff members, the ministry said. Israel described its operation as precise and targeted. It added it had found weapons at the hospital as well as medicine marked with names of hostages. Al-Shifa Hospital, which had resumed providing limited services, was raided for a second time in March after the IDF said Hamas members returned to the building. After days of heavy fighting, it was left an empty shell with no patients, most buildings damaged or destroyed and most equipment unusable or reduced to ashes, according to the WHO. The IDF called its operation precise and said weapons, ammunition and fighters were found in the building. In May, Israel started ordering mass evacuations from Rafah, heightening fears for the two partially functioning hospitals in that city that have not been reported damaged or raided during the war. One of them, Kuwait Hospital, is within an evacuation zone. The WHO is extremely worried about the prospect of a full-scale Israeli military operation in Rafah, its representative for the region, Rik Peeperkorn, told the United Nations in Geneva this month. An incursion, he said, is something the ailing health system will not be able to withstand. Victoria Bisset and Meg Kelly contributed to this report. A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit by American Airlines pilots over the carriers failure to pay them for short-term military leave. (Mike Stone/Reuters) A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a lawsuit by American Airlines pilots over the carriers failure to pay them for short-term military leave. In a 3-0 decision, the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia said a reasonable jury could find short-term military leave comparable to jury duty leave or bereavement leave, for both of which American pays pilots. The court revived a class action by pilots who took short-term military leave, defined as 16 or fewer days, from January 2013 to October 2021. During that period, the leaves averaged 3.3 days, while jury duty and bereavement leaves averaged 1.8 days and 2.7 days respectively. But pilots took short-term military leave more often, averaging about 22 days annually, compared with about two days of jury duty leave and three days of bereavement leave. Without ruling on the merits, Circuit Judge Arianna Freeman said the leaves had similar lengths, and pilots had little or no control over when to take them. She also said jurors could find that military leave and jury duty leave shared a common purpose: civic duty. Pilots sued under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994, which gives employees on military leave a right to the same benefits as other employees. The pilots were led by James Scanlan, a retired major general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve, and Carla Riner, a brigadier general in the Delaware Air National Guard. American and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A lawyer for the pilots had no immediate comment. The appeals court agreed with American that the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier did not breach the pilots profit-sharing plan. It returned the case to U.S. District Judge Harvey Bartle III in Philadelphia, who had dismissed it in November 2022. The lawsuit began in 2018. The case is Scanlan et al v American Airlines Group Inc, 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, No. 22-3294. An American service member in the Saudi Arabian desert in 1991 tends a burning trash pit. (Stars and Stripes) WASHINGTON The delivery of benefits to veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins from military service reached a milestone Tuesday, with the Department of Veterans Affairs announcing 1 million claims totaling $5.7 billion have been awarded to former service members. More than 880,000 veterans and their survivors have received military service-connected services and benefits under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, known as the PACT Act, which was signed into law two years ago. The VA released a state-by-state list Tuesday showing the number of claims that the VA has paid to veterans since 2022. Texas led with more than 110,000, followed by Florida at 88,000 and California at 74,000. Veterans seeking benefits related to an illness or injury from military service are assigned a disability rating of 0-100% prior to an award decision. The average service-connected disability rating under the PACT Act is 70%, which results in $20,000 in yearly benefits, according to the VA. The toxic exposures fund for compensating disabled veterans is projected to provide more than $24.5 billion in benefits in fiscal 2025, up $4 billion from this year. The VA disability claim for Bradford Blodgett, a Vietnam War-era veteran exposed to Agent Orange, is among the one million approved. Blodgett, who was a sergeant in the Air Force from 1966-1970, worked on underground communication lines at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand during the war. He would watch U.S. military planes pass overhead spraying herbicide to clear the dense jungle, family members said. He suffered from multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer, when he died in January in a nursing home in Connecticut at the age of 82, according to his daughter Grace Blodgett. Bradford Blodgett received compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs related to his diagnosis of advanced-stage multiple myeloma related to military service during the Vietnam War. Blodgett began receiving benefits under the PACT Act after filing for benefits in 2022. He is shown here in 1967 with his wife, Anne Blodgett. (Grace Blodgett) But his widow Anne Blodgett credits the PACT Act for enabling his disability claim to be processed quickly, according to her daughter. Blodgetts claim was approved in December 2022, four months after he applied. My fathers cancer went from a dormant category to an extremely aggressive cancer, really overnight, Grace Blodgett said. He loved the service and his country. But the use of Agent Orange and other defoliants made the last years of his life hell. Anne Blodgett is now receiving survivors benefits through the PACT Act. Prior to the laws passage more than 70% of disability claims for toxic exposures had been denied, according to the VA. Since the PACT Act was approved, qualifying veterans may be approved after providing information on their diagnosis, years of service and where they served. Veterans who had contact with a range of hazardous substances including radioactive materials, asbestos, Agent Orange and burn pits could qualify for benefits for specific medical conditions without having to prove the connection. The burden of proof required to receive disability benefits has been lowered under the PACT Act, the VA said in a statement announcing that a million claims were awarded. The approval rate in 2024 is more than 75%, according to the VA. Named after a combat medic who died from a rare form of lung cancer, the PACT Act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs presume that certain illnesses including cancers, skin conditions and respiratory diseases are connected to exposure. Veterans must have served at specific military installations and other identified locations in the U.S. and around the globe to qualify. Under the PACT Act, veterans also qualify for free health care at VA hospitals and clinics. President joe Biden also was expected to laud the milestone achievement of one million benefit claims awarded to veterans during a speech scheduled for Tuesday afternoon in Nashua, N.H. Biden has stated he believes carcinogens from burn-pit smoke resulted in the brain cancer diagnosis of his son, Beau Biden, a military veteran who died in 2015. Beau Biden was a major in the Delaware Army National Guard who served at military installations in Iraq where large burn pits were used. Vets and their survivors submitted over 2.4 million claims in 2023 an all-time record. And were processing those claims at the fastest rate in history, VA Secretary Denis McDonough said Monday. McDonough described the legislation as the most significant expansion of benefits for toxic-exposed veterans in decades. The VA now is following up with veterans whove filed forms expressing their intent to file for benefits to make them aware of assistance at veterans organizations for following through with their submissions. Service eras for eligible veterans span the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and any other combat zone post 9/11. But some Republican lawmakers have criticized spending from the toxic exposures fund as shifting resources away from basic VA functions. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, raised questions last month about whether the large allocations under the PACT Act are affecting the delivery of health care at the VA, which plans to cut full-time staff by 10,000 in fiscal 2025. We need to have a serious conversation on how the VA is managing taxpayer dollars. New hiring is cut back or frozen, the health care workforce is shrinking, and construction has flatlined to only two major projects, he said. Veterans will be able to get routine medical services at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., through a new partnership between the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs that gives former service members access to outpatient care at the military base hospital there. (David Kidd/U.S. Army) WASHINGTON Thousands of veterans soon will be able to receive routine medical services at Joint Base Langley-Eustis through a new partnership that gives former service members access to care at the military base in Virginia, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced Monday. Services will include treatment for minor and chronic illnesses, mental health counseling, specialty womens health care and diagnostic lab tests. Veterans also will be able to make appointments for dental care at a separate clinic on the base, the VA said. The clinic opened to some veterans May 9 and will be fully available to veterans by the end of May, according to Marion Pierce, a VA spokeswoman. Virginia has one of the fastest-growing veteran populations in the nation, according to the VA, and there often are delays for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics in the state that vary depending on the site. The Hampton VA Medical Center has a 45-day wait to see a doctor, and the Portsmouth VA Clinic has a wait of two months, according to an online VA site that tracks waits at VA facilities across the nation. Up to 10,000 veterans are expected to obtain health care at the base each year, the VA said. The clinic will primarily offset delays patients are experiencing at Hampton VA Health Care System, which includes the Hampton VA Medical Center, less than 10 miles from the base. This sharing agreement [between the VA and the Defense Department] specifically allows the Hampton VA to leverage available space from U.S. Air Force Hospital Langley to make clinical services more easily accessible to local area veterans, Pierce said. But veterans in other parts of the state will be able to benefit as well. The VA will send veterans to non-VA doctors and dentists, when the same service is not readily available at VA clinics and hospitals. Richard Barnhart, a 73-year-old Vietnam War veteran who lives in Mineral, Va., said it was a challenge for him recently to find dental care for an emergency tooth extraction. He said he would have made the two-hour drive from his home in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Joint Base Langley-Eustis, if the services already were available to veterans. The dental clinic at the base probably would have gotten it done at my first visit or in a few days, said Barnhart, who experienced a lot of pain from an infection. Barnhart, a former sergeant who served in the Marines from 1969-1977, said he used a private dentist after waiting four months for a referral from the VA to see a non-VA provider. He had the tooth extraction on May 6. The VA, which has an aging network of hospitals and clinics, has signed more than 175 agreements with military installations to supplement the care provided at VA hospitals and clinics. The 633rd Medical Group, which has about 1,000 medical personnel, runs military health services at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, according to Arif Patani, a spokesman with the Defense Health Agency. Barnhart said he previously traveled from his home to Maguire VA Medical Center in Richmond. He said he stopped going to the Maguire VA because of the lack of security in and around the hospital campus, which has problems with crime. There also were delays for care. I wouldnt even consider going down to Maguire, Barnhart said. The average age of a VA hospital is 60 years old, and many VA facilities are in need of costly upgrades to update and meet a growing demand by veterans for services. More than 20,000 veterans across Virginia have enrolled in VA health care in the past year, a result of the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act. Adopted in 2022, the PACT Act enables veterans exposed to burn pits, herbicides and other toxins during military service to enroll in free and low-cost health care. Collaborations are critical at times like this, Shereef Elnahal, the VA undersecretary for health, said in reference to the added pressure on the VA system for care. Barnhart has been enrolled in VA health care for 40 years. He said he has been seeking referrals from the VA to see private doctors. While seeing a private doctor still requires a long drive to Charlotte or Richmond from his home in Mineral, Barnhart said he has no plans to return to the Maguire VA facility. But I would head over to the base at Langley for my care, he said. The mission of the Irreverent Warriors is to bring veterans together using humor and camaraderie to improve mental health and prevent suicide. (Irreverent Warriors/Facebook) PITTSBURGH (Tribune News Service) No one can throw a party like a group of veterans when they have time and a purpose, and especially when that purpose is saving their fellow soldiers. For the fourth annual Irreverent Warriors Pittsburgh Silkies Hike on May 18, about 140 veterans and currently enlisted military personnel mounted an 8-mile jaunt from Acrisure Stadium on the North Shore to the Strip District and Station Square on the South Side. Veterans wore short shorts known as silkies, many red, white and blue, as well as rucksacks and patriotic leis. Rock n roll anthems Bon Jovis, Wanted Dead or Alive, and Guns N Roses, Welcome to the Jungle blared while veterans joked and grabbed snacks before their eight-mile hike. The event promotes camaraderie and fun while fighting veteran suicide. Suicide rates track higher for military veterans than the general public, according to studies. On average, 16.8 veterans committed suicide daily in 2020, according to the 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report. Lamar Hatchett, 35, of Washington, Pa., who served in the Marines, was decked out in American flag-inspired Chubberalls, a hybrid of overalls and shorts, and wore the Marine Corps flag as a cape. Hatchett said he has survived the loss of comrades. Im going to walk for them and to be with my brothers and sisters. Although some vets are years removed from combat, they are still haunted as civilians and grapple with unique mental and emotional challenges. We want to spread the word what we do, who we are and who we are there for veterans in need of mental health. Come and join us. We have fun, said Patricia Stuecklen, 59, of Plum, a Navy veteran and a hair stylist who is part of the leadership team for the Pittsburgh chapter of Irreverent Warriors. Back in the comfort of their military family, the veterans didnt flinch in the soggy aftermath of the strong storms and tornadoes that swept through the region the previous day. They walk in rain or shine because that is what they do. Irreverent Warriors, a national nonprofit, organized hikes in more than 120 cities around the world this year. Veterans share that special bond. When we come together, you dont feel so alone, Stuecklen said. Theres a new generation of veterans who have returned from the Middle East and many struggle with PTSD, she noted. For the hike, they are with people who are safe and they know what you are going through. We dress a little goofy. Its all about humor as we parade around the streets. Kaycee Kennedy, 33, of Franklin, Pa., served in the Army as a human intelligence collector. She wore U.S. flat-inspired silkies, a patriotic lei, oversized mirrored aviator sunglasses and her military-issued rucksack. Kennedy said she knows of many veterans who committed suicide. One was contemplating taking his own life but remembered promising a friend to walk in the Pittsburgh Silkies hike in 2022. That walk saved his life, she said. There was a point where I had contemplated and thought about it (suicide) often. That is why Im so passionate about this organization and to put on the best events possible. Transitioning from military to civilian life is difficult everything from finding a job to moving into a new home, Kennedy said. She experienced trauma unrelated to military service. Eight years after her time in the Army, she was starting over. I had moved to a new city and didnt have anyone and didnt feel that camaraderie. It can sneak up on you. The Pittsburgh chapters first Silkies hike in 2021 saved her, Kennedy said. It was like night and day. After that hike, I got involved and took a leadership role in the hike that year and now am part of the national team. Many veterans on the hikes are people who are broken from one thing or another, she said. On the hikes, they are connected with other veterans and dont feel so alone. I always explain to people that the hikes are magic. mthomas@post-gazette.com (c)2024 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit at www.post-gazette.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Aidan Grew is an alleged former IRA man who is believed to have been at the centre of cross-border smuggling for many years This is the notorious cigarette smuggler who now faces more tough questions about his ill-gotten gains. The UKs National Crime Agency (NCA) has secured an order forcing Aidan Grew, who was convicted in 2008 of smuggling millions of cigarettes across the border, to explain where he got the money for a 270,000 house in Co. Armagh. Grew, an alleged former IRA man who is believed to have been at the centre of cross-border smuggling for many years, was also forced in 2021 by the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) to hand over a house and land in Monaghan. A court was previously told Grew claimed he has been unemployed since 2007 and living off sickness benefit. In the first Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) granted in Northern Ireland, the NCA case relates to a house built on land at Grange Blundel Road in the Co Armagh village of Loughgall. The crime-fighting agency is seeking to establish if proceedings from any criminal activity by 68-year-old Grew were used to help pay for the houses construction. In 2008, he pleaded guilty to evading duty on millions of cigarettes recovered during a police and customs operation three years earlier. In November 2005, police officers went to premises at Battleford Road near Armagh city. There they discovered 10 million cigarettes stored in two sheds. They also found five cigarettes loaded on a lorry, hidden among a consignment of peat moss. They arrested three people, including Grew, at the premises. Grew admitted evading duty of an estimated 2.5m on almost five million cigarettes. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment suspended for two years. Grew, formerly of Benburb Street in Blackwatertown, Co. Armagh but now believed to be living in Co. Monaghan, was also subject to a 500,000 confiscation order and warned he would be jailed if the money was not paid. It wasnt paid and Grew was jailed for three years in 2011. Introduced in Northern Ireland under the Criminal Finances Act, UWOs compel those suspected of involvement in serious criminality to explain the origin of assets which appear to be disproportionate to their known income. The NCA probe centred on the Grews alleged holding in the Loughgall property and unaccounted for construction costs of approximately 70,000. In an affidavit from 2015, Grew stated that he worked in the mining industry until becoming unemployed around 2007. His only declared source of income since 2008 was sickness benefit, the court heard. Ruling on the NCA application in Belfasts High Court on Friday, Mr Justice Rooney said there were reasonable grounds to believe that Grew and his wife Nuala retained a beneficial interest in the property. He agreed to grant the order after setting out the Agencys claims that Aidan Grew has been involved in serious criminal activity over many years. The aim of the measure, namely the application for a UWO, is intended to improve the States capability to combat, investigate and, where appropriate, to recover the proceeds of crime. This is clearly a legitimate aim, the judge said. In my view, the terms of the order are limited and proportionate and would enable the NCA to determine whether to commence civil recovery or other proceedings. Suzanne Foster, Head of Asset Denial at the NCA, said: This is a significant milestone in the fight against criminal finance in Northern Ireland. With the first Unexplained Wealth Order granted here, we continue to show that the NCA will use all the tools available to us to target those we believe are involved in serious crime, whoever and wherever they are. To get to this stage we have had to overcome significant legal challenges, and we can now continue to investigate the source of these funds. In 2021, Grew and his wife settled a 1 million case with CAB and agreed to hand over development lands and a house near the border. However, the couple were allowed keep their home in Glaslough, Co. Monaghan, and a Mercedes car. The settlement meant Grew did not contest a proceeds of crime case taken against him by CAB, who had identified a property portfolio they say he amassed through smuggling contraband cigarettes across the border. In 2019, when CAB officers raided properties connected to Grew they found a stash of Viagra tablets along with documents they hoped would unlock the secrets of his hidden property portfolio. A property at Drummans in Scotstown and development land at Glaslough and Mullaghmatt, all in Co. Monaghan, were subsequently handed over as part of the CAB deal. In the mid-1980s, Grew was jailed for 15 years for his part in an IRA landmine attack on UDR soldiers in Co Armagh. He had also been accused in a court in the Republic of being a member of the Real IRA, but the charge was withdrawn in 2004. Noeleen Coakley Hutch received 10k in damages after payout. The sister-in-law of Gerry the Monk Hutch who has received payouts for several personal injury claims has pointed out that all the claims were genuine and people wrongly believe she got more than she did in each case. Noeleen Coakley Hutch settled a damages claim for 10,000 at the Circuit Civil Court this week after she suffered injuries when a car crashed into the back of her before a third car crashed into the second car, causing a three-car pile-up. Ms Coakley Hutch told the Sunday World she didnt want people getting the wrong impression about the amount she had been awarded and pointed out that all her claims had been legitimate. People taking claims in the Circuit Civil Court can be awarded up to 60,000 and Ms Coakley Hutch said some people thought she had received 60,000. The award was 10,000, she told the Sunday World. I work very hard, Im just trying to get on with my little life and do my work. I work as a carer. I was coming from work that day when that accident happened. Gerry The Monk Hutch Ms Coakley Hutch told how she has been working as a carer to an elderly people in the community for the past 20 years and was out of work after the accident. I was out of work for four weeks, she said. She works as a carer for a number of clients and told how she gets on really well with them. Ms Coakley Hutch said had been on her way back from a supermarket to deliver groceries to an elderly woman when her car was crashed into from behind before another car then crashed into the vehicle, leading to a three car-pile up. I was getting a ladys messages. She couldnt come outside her door. She lives in the old folks home at Croke Park. I was coming from Tesco with the ladys shopping and on my way back to the old folks home and the two cars crashed into the back of me. A car came into the back of me and then a third car crashed into the back of the second car, which crashed into me again. Ms Coakley had sued Seamus Russell of Alderwood Park, Tallaght, and Robben Jeofrey Phili, Gateway Crescent, Ballymun, for damages arising out of a road traffic accident in April 2016 in which she alleged she had suffered soft tissue whiplash-type injuries. The court heard she was injured when the car in which she was travelling in was struck by another vehicle owned by one of the defendants and driven by the other. While the Circuit Court has the power to award up to a maximum of 60,000 in damage, in Ms Coakleys case it is understood she accepted a settlement of 10,000. Judge Michael Walsh was told that the settlement, together with a court order for costs, was to be recorded against both defendants, neither of whom was in court at the time. Ms Coakley Hutch was also not present when it was announced the case has settled. I wasnt even in the court and I wanted to be. People dont even hear that youre working as a carer, she said. Ms Coakley Hutch (52), of Upper Buckingham Street, Dublin 1, was previously awarded 28,000 damages arising from another traffic accident when someone crashed into her in Ballybough in 2014. However, she said she didnt actually get a 28,000 pay-out for that crash. It was appealed and I came out with 18,000, she said. The judge in the case described Ms Coakley Hutch as an entirely honest lady. She said this week that she didnt want people getting the wrong impression about her because she had taken personal injury claims. He [the judge] said youre a very honest woman, Ms Coakley Hutch said. At that previous hearing the court heard that Ms Coakley Hutch had been involved in six previous accidents and received compensation. Judge Raymond Groake said he believe she was a honest lady who had quite a history of accidents. He said insofar as she had described all the previous accidents to her, he accepted she was an entirely innocent party. He said: She seems to have an attraction for misfortune and the moral of the story is dont travel in a car with Ms Coakley. Ms Coakley Hutch told the Sunday World that she doesnt drive too much nowadays. I work. I hardly drive now. My back is in bits, she said. Aisling Kennedy (13) died at Childrens Health Ireland at Temple Street in Dublin on July 12, 2022 over three months after the incident A Waterford teenager suffered fatal injuries after being struck by the wing mirror of a van moments after getting off a school bus near her home two years ago, an inquest has heard. Aisling Kennedy (13) of Glasha, Ballymacarbry, Co Waterford, died at Childrens Health Ireland at Temple Street in Dublin on July 12, 2022 over three months after the incident. The 1st Year student at Presentation Convent in Clonmel never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital by air ambulance following the accident a short distance from her home on April 7, 2022. The driver of the school bus, John OBrien, told an inquest into her death at Dublin District Coroners Court that he had pulled into the left-hand side of the road at a crossroads near Glasha. Mr OBrien said several vehicles overtook his bus while he had stopped to allow Aisling to get out. The bus driver said she was standing to the left of the bus as he moved off to continue his journey. Mr OBrien said neither he nor any of the remaining students on the bus witnessed the accident and he only learnt about what had happened when he was subsequently contacted by his employer. In reply to questions from the coroner, Crona Gallagher, the witness said students on the bus were generally advised to wait for the bus to move off before crossing a road. A motorist, John Fahy, said he was returning from working in Dungarvan, Co Waterford in a van with two of his employees when he saw the school bus stopped on the opposite side of the road to his direction of travel. Mr Fahy, who runs a construction firm based in Borris-in-Ossory, Co Laois, recalled that he had slowed down as a number of other vehicles coming towards him were overtaking the bus. The witness said that he just caught sight of a girl approaching his van from the right-hand side as he was driving past the bus before hearing a bang. Mr Fahy said he stopped the vehicle and got one of his employees to ring the emergency services after seeing the girl lying on the ground. He told the coroner that everything happened in an instant but he believed the girl had appeared from a car that was behind the bus. One of Mr Fahys passengers, Mark Kelly, also gave evidence of seeing a girl coming out onto the road and seeing the vans wing mirror move after hearing a bang. Mr Kelly recalled that Aisling had remained unresponsive while he held the girls head in a steady position until emergency services arrived. He estimated that the van had been travelling at around 40km/h at the time of the accident. Another eyewitness, Catherine Troy, who was travelling towards Ballymacarbry from Clonmel, said she had seen a girl waiting on the side of the road at the back of the bus. Ms Troy said she was looking in her rear-view mirror when she saw the teenager emerge from behind the bus in a split second straight into the side of the van. She told the inquest that she doubted that she had seen something fly up into the air until she checked again and saw the girl on the ground. Another motorist, Linda Skehan, who came on the scene and provided first aid to Aisling, said she knew from Mr Fahys demeanour with his head on his hands that something had happened. Ms Skehan recalled that he told her: She just ran straight out. She said they covered the victim with blankets and coats after detecting that she still had a pulse. The inquest heard that an examination of Mr Fahys Ford Transit van, which had a damaged wing mirror, found the vehicle to be otherwise in good roadworthy condition. A forensic collision investigator, Garda Maurice Mahon, said the incident had happened on a straight stretch on the R671 regional road between Clonmel and Ballymacarbry in dry, bright conditions. Garda Mahon said there was no evidence of pre-impact skidding by the van and it was impossible to determine the exact location of the impact. He said the damage to the vehicle was consistent with a van and a pedestrian glancing off each other but it was not possible to estimate the speed of the vehicle at the time. Garda Conor ODonovan confirmed that Mr Fahy had a full driving licence and had tested negative for alcohol and drugs. Garda ODonovan said he believed Aisling had come from a blind spot which left the van driver with no opportunity to react. The witness observed that if the victim had been an adult, they might only have been hit on the shoulder by the wing mirror. The inquest heard Aisling was placed in a medically induced coma by doctors at Temple Street but her condition never improved despite several operations. A post-mortem confirmed she died from traumatic brain injuries she had suffered from being struck by the wing mirror with bronchial pneumonia being a contributory factor. Aislings parents, Thomas and Louise Kennedy, attended the inquest but did not give evidence to the court. Ms Kennedy had previously told an earlier sitting of the case in June 2023 how she formally identified her daughters body to gardai. Dr Gallagher, was also informed on that occasion that the DPP had directed that no prosecution should arise from the circumstances of Aislings death after reviewing a Garda file on the case. Her parents also confirmed to the coroner that they were not appealing the DPPs decision. Aisling is also survived by her sisters, Eimear and Aoife. Returning a verdict of accidental death, Dr Gallagher said the incident had come out of the blue and could not have been predicted or prevented. The coroner said Aisling had been very unfortunate to have received the glancing blow from the vans wing mirror. On another occasion, it might just be a broken arm, she remarked. Offering her sincere sympathy to the teenagers parents, Dr Gallagher said she could not imagine what they had gone through over the months between the accident and her death. Im sure the shock is with you to this day, she added. Darren John Armstrong told to expect long prison sentence after he admits killing Ali Jayden Doyle Ali Jayden Doyle died from head injuries she sustained in a house in the Park Avenue area of the Co Tyrone town in August 2021. Darren John Armstrong initially blamed the toddler's one-year-old brother for causing the fatal wound by throwing a toy at her but today he admitted his guilt and was told to expect a long prison sentence. Armstrong who at the time of the child's death was in an on-off relationship with her mother Jade Dempsey appeared in the dock of Belfast Crown Court. At a previous court appearance Armstrong, whose address was given as HMP Maghaberry, pleaded 'not guilty' to the murder charge. He was back in court today where his barrister Brian McCartney KC told Mr Justice O'Hara "there is an application to have the defendant re-arraigned." After confirming his identity to a court clerk and with his head bowed throughout, Armstrong was then charged with murdering Ali Jayden Doyle on August 6, 2021. As relatives of the child sat in the public gallery, Armstrong was asked how he pleaded to the murder charge and he replied "guilty." The self-confessed child killer was then addressed by Mr Justice O'Hara who said: "Mr Armstrong, Ali Jayden Doyle was murdered on the 6th of August 2021. "Your trial was scheduled to start in two weeks' time. "Initially you blamed her one-year-old brother for throwing a toy which hit her and caused her to suffer fatal and terrible injuries to her head. "More recently you admitted that you yourself had thrown her so that she hit her head on the fireplace and claimed that when you did so you had lost your temper under the influence of drugs - yet you still denied murder. "You were not supposed to have any contact at all with Ali or her brother because Social Services knew you were such a risk to them both. Social Services were absolutely right. Darren Armstrong "For murder, the mandatory sentence in this jurisdiction is life imprisonment and I impose a life sentence on you. "At a later hearing, I will hear submissions about the minimum period you must serve in prison before the Parole Commissioners decide when you can be released. "You can expect a long minimum sentence for what you did to a defenceless two year old who should never have been left in your care." Mr McCartney confirmed he will be seeking reports ahead of sentencing and told the judge "the court might be assisted by a psychiatric report". The defence barrister said there have been "difficulties" arranging consultations in Maghaberry due to Armstrong's "safety status" within the prison - and revealed that earlier this month he was "the victim of a vicious beating in which he sustained facial injuries." Mr Justice O'Hara was then addressed by Gavan Duffy KC, the barrister representing Jade Dempsey. The 27-year-old, whose address is the subject of a reporting restriction, has been charged with two offences arising from her daughter's death. At a previous court hearing, Dempsey was charged with, and denied, causing the death of a child by an unlawful act on August 6, 2021 and wilfully neglecting and exposing Ali in a manner likely to cause unnecessary suffering or injury to health. Her barrister said that in light of today's developments, he asked that Dempsey's case be re-listed this Friday. Mr Justice O'Hara agreed to this request and told Armstrong's legal team that he hoped a date for the plea hearing in his case could be set on Friday. Armstrong was then led from the dock and returned back into custody by prison staff. Dublin District Court heard gardai on patrol at Westmoreland Street on September 18 last year saw the accused in what was believed to be a drugs transaction. A man caught with a knife on him in Dublin city centre had been using it when fishing earlier in the day and still had it on him when he went into town to buy drugs. Gary Dunne (31) also had five wraps of cocaine in his possession when gardai stopped and searched him. Judge Paula Murphy gave him a six-month suspended sentence. Dunne, of Landen Road, Ballyfermot, pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon and cocaine. Dublin District Court heard gardai on patrol at Westmoreland Street on September 18 last year saw the accused in what was believed to be a drugs transaction. They stopped and searched him and found a knife and five wraps of cocaine. He had no previous convictions. Dunne was a heavy drug user at the time and the knife was for fishing, his solicitor Donal Quigley said. He had been fishing earlier that day, as he did most days, and should not have still had the knife in his possession. He understood he should put knives away afterwards, especially if he goes into town to buy drugs. The accused suffered with his mental health and was medicating at the time with illicit substances, the court heard. A court heard Conor McLoughlin (28) had been stopped while driving in a bus lane when gardai discovered he was already banned. Conor McLoughlin was stopped while driving in a bus lane. A musician caught driving uninsured while already under disqualification for the same offence had made a youthful mistake, his defence said. A court heard Conor McLoughlin (28) had been stopped while driving in a bus lane when gardai discovered he was already banned. Judge Treasa Kelly banned him from driving for another four years and fined him 1,250. McLoughlin, of Woodstown Abbey, Ballycullen, pleaded guilty at Dublin District Court to uninsured and unlicensed driving. Garda Aaron Ronayne said he was on patrol at Sarsfield Road, Inchicore at 5.50pm on March 27 this year when he stopped McLoughlin driving in the bus lane. It was established that he was serving a driving disqualification and he was arrested and brought to Kilmainham Garda Station. The court heard McLoughlin had five previous convictions, including two for driving without insurance. He had been banned from driving for two-and-a-half years at a court in June last year. McLoughlin understood it was completely unacceptable for him to be driving on the day, his solicitor Holly Laher said. He had taken a chance when he was stopped and it was a youthful mistake. McLoughlins work as a musician took him around the country and he was currently involved in some opportunities in the UK and would potentially be on television, Ms Laher said. The judge imposed a 1,000 fine for the no insurance charge and 250 for the other. The suspected scammers have been doing work that was likely not needed and overcharged for work that was not completed Three men have been arrested in California as part of an investigation into alleged roofing scammers with Irish accents. US police claim that elderly residents in San Mateo County in California have been targeted a group of men with "Irish accents" operating a fake construction company. According to police, the suspected scammers have been doing work that was likely not needed and overcharged for work that was not completed. It is claimed there are a number of victims in the area. On May 7, San Mateo police received a report from a man who believed the company he hired to fix the roof of his mother's home was scamming him. The man said after a "free" inspection, the roofers said only minor changes were needed but, once they began, they claimed that the entire roof needed replacement. Police claimed the suspects used fake names. All three suspects were contacted by police the next day and were arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail. The suspects are identified as Charlie Anderson (22), David Anderson (39) and Darren Temple (39). All three men are residents of Herndon, Virginia, a suburb in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Police said the suspects are facing charges of theft from an elder or dependent adult, obtaining money by false pretenses, fraudulent use of a contractor's license and conspiracy. Jail records show that all three men remain in the San Mateo County Jail as of Thursday, with their next court appearance set for May 22. Innocent plumber Anthony Campbell was brutally murdered by a gunman in 2006. You could see where the bullet had gone through his hand, like where he obviously put his hand up to try and protect himself or shield himself from what was coming. A new podcast series from Crime World called Caught in the Crossfire investigates how an apprentice plumber found himself caught in the crossfire of the murder of crime boss Martin Marlo Hyland. In December 2006, Anthony Campbell was working at a home in Dublin when he was brutally murdered by gunman who feared leaving a witness alive. An innocent bystander caught up in the brutal assassination of Hyland, Anthony Campbells senseless murder is still unsolved almost 20 years later Launching on Tuesday, Caught in the Crossfire speaks to the people most intimately affected by one of Irelands most shocking gangland killings. "It was a tough scene. It was really cruel, says former detective Brian Sherry of innocent apprentice plumber Anthony Campbells brutal murder 18 years ago. The 20-year-old was just doing an honest days work. On December 12, 2006, he was gunned down as he worked on radiators in a house owned by the niece of gang boss Martin Marlo Hyland in Finglas, north Dublin. But Anthony was not the target that day Hyland was. The notorious criminal was shot six times as he slept in a bedroom after two gunmen snuck inside and crept upstairs. Fearing Anthony would be able to identify them, one of the hitmen raised his gun and a single shot went straight through the young mans hand and hit him in the head, leaving his dead body lying slumped by the radiator hed been trying to fix. Innocent apprentice plumber Anthony Campbell Almost two decades later, the baby-faced plumbers senseless killing is still unsolved. The horrifying case is the focus of Crime Worlds latest podcast series, Caught In The Crossfire, an investigation into the events of that fateful day launching weekly from Tuesday, May 21. Across six episodes, Nicola Tallant speaks to those most intimately affected by one of the countrys most shocking killings, including Joey OCallaghan, the youngest person ever to enter the Witness Protection Programme in Ireland. Retired detective Brian Sherry was on the scene on the morning of the murders and describes it as one of the most devastating cases hes ever worked on. When I walked into the house that morning, I saw him on the floor with a hole in his head and he was lying just under the radiator, he recalls in episode one. Young Anthony was just left on the ground. He was a young man; he was 20 years of age, but he certainly didnt look 20. When I saw him, he looked like a young lad of 15 just lying curled on the ground. I have seen some horrendous scenes and Ive been in horrendous situations and things like that, and it never affected me. This was one murder of [several] murders that we didnt solve, obviously, but none of them affected me like this one. Gardai believe deceased mob boss and former Marlo Hyland gang member Eamon The Don Dunne was behind the hit and ordered the murder of his former boss. Anthony Campbell and his mum Christine In March 2012, journalist Paul Williams, in evidence given before Dublin Circuit Criminal Court, alleged that the murder was carried out by imprisoned criminals Willie Hynes and John Mangan. He also alleged the late Eamon Dunne acted as the getaway driver in the hit. Dunne himself died in a hail of bullets when a gunman opened fire on him in a Cabra pub in April 2010. However, Sherry admits that while there was a lot of pressure on him and his investigations unit to get to the bottom of the murders, no one has ever served time for Anthony or Hylands deaths. Eamon The Don Dunne We put our backs and bones into it. The amount of work that went into it was just incredible. We didnt leave any stone unturned. It was horrendous. It was one that we all wanted to solve, every one of us. Anthonys mother, Christine Campbell, also tells her story in Caught In The Crossfire, detailing the horrific moment she learned her only child had been killed by criminals and the nightmare that followed. You associate gangsters with one another, not innocent people, but it was just like what way would I put it? your heads okay, but your body shuts down because youre just in shock, she tells Nicola in a later episode. As I always say, I wish God had taken me. I think for any mother to lose their child, its the worst feeling ever, no matter what way you lose them. Its your child. We shouldnt be losing kids, should we? Seeking justice for Anthony has always been the bereaved mums priority, but its taken her a long time to reconcile with the fact that whoever took his life wasnt caught and still walks free today. As a mum, I can be hard on myself because I dont feel I got the justice I should have for him... Im let down by that, she shares. After two years I thought, Well, Im getting nowhere here... I had to start protecting myself, saying to myself, dont wish. You get your hopes up, and then your hopes are crushed. As the years start going on, it does something to you. You cannot say you havent changed in all the grief, but youre still looking, but you feel like you havent done him proud because you didnt get justice. That will live with me. Crime World Presents: Caught In The Crossfire will be available on all podcast platforms from Tuesday, May 21, with new episodes dropping weekly. Listen on Apple Podcasts here Listen on Spotify here Two-year-old Maebhe has a genetic condition called MLD and her family is pleading with the government to screen newborns for this disorder to save other families from heartache. Two-year-old Maebhe has been in and out of hospital in her young life as the illness takes hold Maebhe Gorman is a little girl with a beautiful face and big, round eyes, but its her heart that truly wins people over. Despite being just two, she brings joy to everyone she encounters. Ive never met a child like her, says her proud aunt, Susan Gorman from Rathgar in Dublin. Maebhe lights up a room. Theres something about her, she just makes people happy. Shes always smiling, always kind, and rarely cries. It makes her diagnosis, last November, with a rare genetic condition called MLD (Metachromatic Leukodystrophy) all the more difficult to bear. Maebhe is dying, and it is a living nightmare for her family. Ironically, Maebhe appeared perfectly healthy when born, and it was only last year that her parents, John and Veronica Gorman, who live in Galway, realised something was wrong, as she wasnt hitting normal developmental milestones. Two-year-old Maebhe has been in and out of hospital in her young life as the illness takes hold Maebhe was sent for an x-ray, and then to a physiotherapist, explains Susan. She was then referred to a neurologist, who noticed an issue with her reflexes, and ordered genetic tests. The result came back as MLD. This is a highly unusual genetic condition, and Maebhe is unique in the British Isles in having not one but two different faulty genes. Its a disease that causes a toxic build up, which attacks the melanin sheath of the nerves, due to the lack of a protein, ultimately causing the nerves to die. As long as children with MLD are in their mums womb theyre safe, but as soon as theyre born, they start to deteriorate, says Susan. Its a deterioration that sneaks up on you and punches you in the face. John and Veronica were informed just last December that tragically there is no cure. The disorder is terminal, and they must bring their little girl home to die slowly, before their very eyes. They were also told that because of the nature of the disease, babies with this condition feel no pain, adds Susan. But this is simply not true, because Maebhe regularly screams with pain, as her nerves are dying. Whats more, all of the MLD families Ive spoken to say the same thing. Their babies are also in immense pain. Maebhes father John, who was born with a heart condition and survived against the odds, has an acquired brain injury, following an accident aged 24, and her mum Veronica is Brazilian and has little English. As a result, they both struggled to understand the diagnosis at first. Even after she was diagnosed, Maebhe continued to learn new words and games. We were all secretly hoping the doctors had got it wrong, says Susan. But then Maebhe started having little seizures and screaming with pain, and these became increasingly frequent. Maebhe with her mum Veronica, dad John and big sister Tina From last February on, they really ramped up and you could see the difference in her, says Susan. Every day, we lose a little more of our beautiful Maebhe. She was admitted to hospital last month with a bad infection. It was so bad the doctors had a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) discussion with her parents given expectations for Maebhes quality of life. Whats even more heart-breaking is that had she been tested for MLD when she was born, Maebhe could be treated for it. But unlike other parts of Europe, Ireland doesnt screen for this condition. Susan is angry as a result. Across the EU, they screen for 40 conditions in newborns, but in Ireland, they test for just 10, of which MLD is not one, she says. Shes and other members of Maebhes family are campaigning for the Irish Government to include MLD in the screening of all newborn children, because if its caught at birth, a child can be treated with stem cell therapy and effectively saved. Research shows it can completely halt the disease, she says. Currently the only newborns tested for MLD in Ireland are the ones who have a sibling who has already died from it. Theres another form, which presents around the age of four, which is juvenile onset. Theres an adult form of it too, which shows up in the late teens or early 20s. While the treatment can be given to the juvenile of adult-onset patients, it cant be given to someone as young as Maebhe. At this stage, it would only exacerbate her condition. Susan has emailed more than 60 politicians and received only two replies, with nobody willing to take responsibility for changing this situation. Maebhe with her big sister Tina Meanwhile, Maebhe is going downhill rapidly. Shes on a cocktail of pain-killing and anti-spasmodic drugs. Her movement is limited as her muscles dont work properly and shes being fed, through an nasogastric (NG) tube. Its a huge risk factor as the tube goes through her nose and down her throat and it could cause food to lodge in her lungs, says Susan. She cant cough and MLD children often pass away from lung complications. The tube has a tape which wraps around and takes up half of her face. Its dangerous as she can pull it out, when she has seizures. But its also highly distressing for her. It would break your heart to see her smile, as only one half moves. Maebhe needs a peg, a tube that goes through her stomach, but theres an HSE waiting list of 220 other children, and it could take nine months. The reality is she might not be alive in nine months, says Susan. As she can no longer lie on a mat, she spends every day on the kitchen floor on a baby cot mattress. She desperately needs a peg and a special cot, as well as an adapted vehicle and car seat to ferry her to and from for her numerous medical appointments, to make whats left of her life as comfortable as possible. The Gorman family have set up a GoFund me page to raise money for these necessities. Meanwhile Meabhes sister, Tina, is four and doesnt really understand whats happening. Maebhe will leave a massive hole in all our hearts when she dies, says Susan. We hope that her legacy will be that no other child ever has to go through this. Thats why were campaigning to have MLD tested at birth. Thomas Stokes (23) with an address at a halting site at Oldcastle Park Lawns, Clondalkin, Co Dublin, was found unresponsive in his cell A senior prison official has admitted that the death of a prisoner on enhanced status from a heroin overdose on a wing in Wheatfield Prison with no history of drug problems was unusual. Thomas Stokes (23) with an address at a halting site at Oldcastle Park Lawns, Clondalkin, Co Dublin, was found unresponsive in his cell in Wheatfield Prison on the morning of September 16, 2017. Mr Stokes, who was the youngest of a family of 11 children, was subsequently pronounced dead the following day at Tallaght University Hospital. The deceased inmate had been serving a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence for a series of robberies of shops and businesses over a 10-day period in the Clondalkin area in July 2016. A court heard that Mr Stokess crimes has been motivated out of his need to discharge a drug debt after his family had been threatened. The inquest heard that a postmortem confirmed that the prisoner died as a result of a lack of oxygen to the brain due to a heroin overdose. The assistant governor of Wheatfield, Joseph Hernon, told a sitting of Dublin District Coroners Court on Monday that drugs were a problem across all prisons in Ireland. However, Mr Hernon said there was no problem with drugs at the time on the landing where Mr Stokes had been kept within Wheatfield. He explained that the wing was used to house prisoners on enhanced status so that the death of an inmate from that area of the prison from a heroin overdose would have been unusual. The inquest heard no evidence of any drugs had been found in the deceaseds cell. However, Mr Hernon confirmed that daily searches would be carried out in all parts of the prison to check for drugs. In reply to questions from the coroner, Clare Keane, the assistant governor said he believed heroin was in less use in prisons now compared to seven years ago. Although he had no figures to substantiate his claim, Mr Hernon said he felt there was now more pill use by prisoners as they regarded heroin as a dirtier drug. He acknowledged that drugs remained a widespread problem across the prison population but added that the Irish Prison Service used a mix of tools to address the issue. Mr Hernon also revealed that fewer nighttime checks were now carried out on prisoners over which there were no concerns compared to at the time of Mr Stokes death. He explained there was a balance between the need to check on prisoners and their human right to privacy. Following a report by the Inspector of Prisons into Mr Stokes death, Mr Hernon confirmed that low lighting was now used on landings at nighttime to ensure staff conducting checks on cells could be seen clearly on CCTV. In reply to questions from jury members, Mr Hernon said he had no idea how the deceased had got access to heroin. Two of Mr Stokes brothers who attended the hearing left the inquest before a verdict was delivered. One of them, Martin Stokes, had earlier given evidence that his parents had visited his brother in prison the day before he was found unresponsive when he was in very good form and humour. Mr Stokes said his brother did a bit of drugs but he had not come across to us as taking drugs in prison. He claimed his family were shocked to be told by doctors in TUH that too much damage had been caused to his brothers organs before he had been brought to hospital by prison staff. The witness voiced claims, which the coroner classified as hearsay, that his family were told that his brother had been screaming in his cell for help and he was ignored. He questioned why no prisoner officer had attempted to directly check on his brother when he had remained in the same position on his bed during the night. A prison officer, Philip Neenan, said he had visibly checked on Mr Stokes once every hour during the night as required under IPS policy. Mr Neenan said he had no need to open the prisoners door as he appeared to be sleeping and he had not noticed any issue of concern. The prison officer said Mr Stokes personal call button in his cell had not been activated at any stage. Mr Neenan confirmed he would have heard screaming if Mr Stokes had been looking for help. The inquest heard evidence that the alarm was raised after the prisoner was unresponsive in his cell at 8.15am and he was brought to TUH by ambulance arriving at 9.33am. The coroner was also informed Mr Stokes began breathing again following intervention by nursing staff at Wheatfield. Counsel for the Irish Prison Service, Asim Sheikh BL, said he did not believe it could be said there had been any delay in attending to the prisoner. Prison officer, Andrew Fitzpatrick, said prison staff faced a constant battle to stop drugs getting into Wheatfield. Mr Fitzpatrick said drugs were either dropped by drones, thrown over the prison wall or smuggled into the prison. In reply to questions from Dr Keane, Mr Fitzpatrick said the first thing prison staff usually think about if they find a prisoner unresponsive is drugs. However, he said there had never been an issue in relation to drugs with Mr Stokes. Mr Fitzpatrick pointed out that prisoners on enhanced status, like the deceased, tended to avoid issues that would result in a loss of privileges. A jury of five females and one male returned a verdict of death by misadventure without making any recommendations. Fr Patsy Lynch left very disappointed and feels discriminated against after retirement plans scuppered A priest has been refused the state pension because he does not have enough PRSI contributions after spending 31 years working as a missionary in Ghana. Fr Patsy Lynch (75), who has been the parish priest in Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, for the past 17 years after returning from more than three decades in Africa, said he is very disappointed. As far as the social welfare are concerned, before 2007, I did not exist, Fr Lynch said. It is deeply frustrating as it appears the department think I was doing nothing for the three decades I was in Ghana. Looking forward to his retirement when he turned 66 in 2015, Fr Lynch applied for the non-contributory pension. However, he was refused after a means test showed that he was over the threshold while still earning a priests salary of 32,500. Appealing is a waste of time. Im not bitter, it is as it is Last year, he applied for the state contributory pension but was refused again, as he did not have the required 500 fully paid social welfare contributions, coming up short with just 416. The Castleisland native, who will have reached 50 years of service in the priesthood next month after being ordained in 1974, said he is disappointed and feels discriminated against. Kerry priest Fr Patsy Lynch denied a pension due to missionary work In an attempt to appeal against last years decision, his provincial superior submitted a letter to the tax office detailing his work with the Society of African Missions (SMA group, which is involved in building schools, and working in healthcare and in the community. However, the appeal was rejected and any stamps since his 66th birthday do not count towards his social welfare contributions, meaning that he must continue to work or quit his parish. Fr Patsy Lynch planned to indulge his passion for drones during retirement. Photo: Don MacMonagle Under the rules, leaving his parish and returning to the Society of African Missions in Cork would mean he could retire and avail of the state pension. However, with two years left on his contract in the parish, he plans to honour his agreement and focus on his parishioners. Appealing is a waste of time. Im not bitter, it is as it is. I have put a lot of energy into trying to get this over the line. It is not fair, but it is what it is, he said. An avid cyclist, rugby enthusiast and a lover of drones and technology, Fr Lynch said he was looking forward to spending time on the things he loves while in retirement. I have tried but the system is the system I really feel let down He had plans to pursue his passion of landscape photography, as well as availing of his free TV, and even wanted to start a YouTube channel where he could post daily drone shots with spiritual reflections. I love it here. I was feeling very down about the whole thing but since I decided to put my focus on the people, I have felt the contentment start to come back into my life, he said. While remaining stoic, Fr Lynch said he still feels there should be some recognition for all of the years he spent in the west African country. I have tried but the system is the system I really feel let down, he added. The Department of Social Protection when queried, said it "does not comment on individual cases. They said the State pension (contributory) is a contributory pension based on the social insurance record of each recipient. "Those who have 40 years worth of contributions, paid or credited, or have an average of 48 contributions for each year since they entered the social insurance system, receive the maximum rate of payment. Those who have a lower average and do not qualify for the maximum rate of payment receive a payment aligned to their contributions, a spokesperson said. Ministers of Religion who were in employment (as a minister of religion) gained access to social insurance cover for the first time in 1974. However, this access was subject to an application to, and the agreement of, the then Minister for Social Welfare by an appropriate authority or body acting on behalf of the relevant ministers, they added. The provisions of the 1974 Act meant that all religious authorities or bodies had, if they so wished, the opportunity to apply for social insurance access for their employed members and, therefore, did not discriminate in any way against or in favour of any particular congregations. Only one such body, the Church of Ireland, applied and this group of ministers was accepted into social insurance cover. 1988 saw significant changes to the scope of the social insurance system. Ministers of Religion who were in employment became insurable in the same way as other employed workers. "Those who were not in an employment but had income for (income) tax purposes were brought into cover as self-employed contributors. These arrangements reflect the gradual extension of cover over the period 1974 to 1988. Religious missionaries outside Ireland do not pay PRSI into the Irish social insurance system but can pay voluntary contributions subject to fulfilling eligibility conditions. If they fulfil the eligibility criteria, they may qualify for a State pension contributory, they said. For those who do not qualify for the State pension (Contributory), they can apply for the State Pension (non-contributory) pension scheme. To qualify for State Pension (non-contributory) a person must satisfy the habitual residence condition, live in the State while getting this pension, be aged 66 or over, have a valid personal public service number, and satisfy a means test. Missionaries who have chosen to resettle in Ireland will be considered to have their main centre of interest in Ireland thereby satisfying the habitual residency clause. A person will, of course, have to be present in Ireland at the time of making an application for the State Pension (non-contributory) and will need to continue to reside in Ireland while in receipt of the payment, the department spokesperson added. Those affected will see heavy downpours and thunderstorms with the potential impacts of spot flooding, difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility. Met Eireann has issued two thunderstorm warnings for 25 counties as Ireland braces for heavy downpours with the possibility of flash floods. A Status Yellow warning came into effect at 1.16pm for all of Leinster as well as Cavan, Monaghan, Cork, Limerick, Tipperary and Waterford. It will be in place until 10pm tonight. Meanwhile, an Orange alert has been issued for Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Tipperary and Waterford which came into effect at 1.44pm today and will last until 8pm tonight. A forecaster warned: Slow moving thunderstorms with very heavy downpours and hail. Those affected will see heavy downpours and thunderstorms with the potential impacts of spot flooding, difficult travelling conditions and poor visibility. Kerry is the only county in the Republic of Ireland to escape the weather warnings while the UK Met Office has also issued a Status Yellow thunderstorm warning for all of Northern Ireland which expires at 10pm tonight. A Met Office forecaster said: While some places will miss them, heavy showers and thunderstorms are likely again on Tuesday, potentially bringing disruption and flooding. This morning was cloudy and misty with more frequent showers developing in the morning, turning heavy this afternoon and evening. The best of the dry weather will be in Connacht as highest temperatures of between 15 and 19 degrees with light northerly or variable winds are forecast. A cloudy night with heavy showers and isolated thunderstorms continuing at first. The showers will ease and become less frequent overnight. Lowest temperatures of 7 to 11 degrees in light northwesterly winds. Met Eireann forecasts cloudy weather on Wednesday with scattered showers, though showers will be lighter than in previous days. Patchy light rain and drizzle will push into the northeast tomorrow evening. Highest temperatures of 13 to 17 degrees in moderate to fresh northwest winds. Turning mostly dry for the end of the working week with temperatures returning closer to average. Becoming wetter on Saturday. Wednesday night will be generally cloudy and dry apart from patchy light rain and drizzle in the northeast. A few clear spells will develop in the south. Lowest temperatures of six to nine degrees in moderate to fresh northwest winds. Thursday will be mainly dry and cloudy with scattered showers. Feeling fresher with highest temperatures of 11 to 15 degrees in moderate northerly winds. Thursday night will be dry overnight with long clear spells developing. Lowest temperatures of 5 to 9 degrees in light northwesterly winds. Friday will be another largely dry but cloudy day with the chance of isolated light showers. Highest temperatures of 12 to 15 degrees in light southwest to west winds. It will be overcast and wet on Saturday with a band of rain spreading across the country from the west. Highest temperatures of 14 to 17 degrees in moderate to fresh southwest winds. Current indications suggest that it will gradually turn drier and more settled for Sunday and the start of next week, Met Eireann added. The lifesaving emergency services officer with the National Ambulance Service died suddenly at Beaumont Hospital last Tuesday. Paramedic Ross Murphy received a guard of honour from members of the National Ambulance Service at his funeral on Monday afternoon. The lifesaving emergency services officer with the National Ambulance Service died suddenly at Beaumont Hospital last Tuesday. The Maynooth native previously studied Fire and Ambulance at Blackrock Further Education Institute (BFEI) and is survived by his parents Niall and Yvonne, sister Aoife, and grandparents Carmel, Elizabeth, and Jim. His funeral service took place at St Mary's Church, Maynooth at 1pm, followed by burial in Laraghbryan Cemetery. Today we were honoured to be able to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of Ross Murphy with his family. An exceptional young man. Rest easy Ross @AmbulanceNAS @AmbulanceDublin @NAS_HonourGuard @NAS_Swords @PeopleofHSE pic.twitter.com/KL1vQ7ZK3c NAS Education - East (@nas_training) May 20, 2024 Mr Murphy, a paramedic in Dublin South Central Ambulance Station, received a guard of honour from his colleagues at the National Ambulance Service in the town as the funeral procession made its way to the church. The organisation shared photos of the tribute online, including one picture of Mr Murphys coffin being lifted by colleagues in their formal dress uniforms. Today we were honoured to be able to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of Ross Murphy with his family. An exceptional young man. Rest easy Ross, they wrote. Morton Robert, Director of the National Ambulance Service, last week shared a message with staff about the paramedics tragic passing. He said it was with a sense of shock and disbelief that colleagues across the country learned of his sad and untimely death. The message said that in the words of those work colleagues closest to him, Ross was extremely well thought of both socially and professionally and was beloved by his many friends. "Ross excelled during his training and carried this knowledge out onto the road where he carried out his duties to the very highest standards. We have lost an exceptional man and Paramedic, whos values, beliefs and professionalism attest to the type of individual Ross was. Above all else we have lost a dear and honoured friend. The Director said that during his relatively short career with NAS, Ross changed the lives of the many patients and families he encountered in the course of his duties. NAS Dublin South Central Ambulance Station also stated: It is with the deepest ever regret that our colleague and friend Ross passed away today. "Our station and service will never be the same without you, my friend. You were our future. You were the epitome of everything we aim to be. We will miss you forever. Joe Mooney, advanced paramedic wrote: Ambulance NAS have lost a true gentleman yesterday. Ross will be sadly missed. I will miss our chats and also your huge level of knowledge. "If asked a question, I didn't know my expression was always hold on Ross will know' and he always did. I will really miss you pal. RIP Ross. I cant believe youre gone pal, Im honoured to have known you Tributes have been paid to the motorcyclist who was tragically killed on Dublins M50 last week ahead of his funeral this weekend. Derek Martin passed away following the collision on the motorway last Friday, May 17. On his death notice on RIP.ie it states that Derek, of Santry and the Irish Prison Service, who (died) following a tragic accident, was the beloved husband of Vanessa and adoring father of Caitlin and Reece. The notice reads: Very sadly missed by his heartbroken family, his parents Ethel and Derek, sisters Michelle, Jennifer and Helen, mother-in-law and father-in-law Marie and Brendan, brothers-in-law Neil, Brendan, Mark, Graham, Nigel and their partners, his aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, extended family from Liverpool, his best friend Noel, colleagues from the Irish Prison Service, and his many friends. Derek will be reposing at the Kirwan Funeral Home, Ballygall Road West on Sunday May 26 with a gathering of family and friends from 2pm to 4pm. All are welcome. His removal on Monday morning to the Church of Our Lady of Victories, Ballymun Road for 10am Requiem Mass will be followed by a funeral service at Dardistown Crematorium. The family has asked for donations, in lieu, to Crumlins Children Hospital, which was very close to Dereks heart. In the condolences section people have left numerous messages of sympathy including on that reads: Ethel, my dearest friend, I am so very sorry for the loss of your beautiful son, Derek. Taken too soon. And condolences to Dereks wife and children. May he rest in peace. Another adds: I cant believe youre gone pal, Im honoured to have known you. Condolences to your family who you never stopped telling me about. Ill always remember you. Another offered sincere condolences to all of Dereks family and large circle of friends and colleagues. He was a true character and will be missed by all. Rest in Peace, Derek. The Prison Officers' Association branch at Mountjoy also offered sincere condolences to Dereks family and work colleagues at this tragic time, may he rest in peace. Derek died after his motorbike was involved in a collision with a truck shortly after 10.15am on the northbound carriageway between Junction 7 (N4 Liffey Valley) and Junction 6 (N3 Castleknock). The 42-year-old, from Ballymun, was a prison officer at Wheatfield Prison. It has been reported that he had joined the Irish Prison Service in 2007 and was involved in raising money for the Irish Cancer Society. Helen Martin, his sister, later made an appeal online asking those who stopped to help Derek to get in touch. She said he had "the biggest heart ever" and "loved his work pals". She said in a post on X: "I've just been told that when my brother passed away on the M50 on Friday that several cars stopped and people sat around him until the ambulance came so he wasnt alone. "I really want to find them, if people can please share." Following the crash, the driver of the lorry, a man in his 50s, was taken to hospital for assessment. The scene was closed for several hours for a forensic examination on Friday. Gardai have appealed for witnesses to the tragedy to come forward. Noeleen Creen (38) carried the infant from a store inside the Park Centre before his mother managed to snatch him back The incident allegedly occurred at the Park Centre in west Belfast. A woman has been remanded into custody accused of abducting a one-year-old child at a busy west Belfast shopping centre. Noeleen Creen (38) carried the infant from a store inside the Park Centre before his mother managed to snatch him back, the citys Magistrates Court heard on Tuesday. Creen, of Bunbeg Park in Belfast, was arrested after the incident led to a temporary lockdown at the retail complex on Monday afternoon. She was refused bail on a charge of child abduction. An investigating detective said Creen allegedly picked up the infant and tried to leave one of the stores inside the Park Centre. The defendant was stopped about five to ten metres away by the childs mother, who snatched her child away, he told the court. Security staff were alerted and spotted Creen in a nearby seating area within the mall. Based on CCTV footage, police also disclosed that prior to the alleged abduction she approached and kissed the forehead of another child accompanied by its parents. That family left the shopping centre before the alert was raised. In interviews following her arrest Creen provided a disjointed account without a clear recollection of the incident, the court heard. She claimed to have drunk half a bottle of vodka the previous night, visited a friend in hospital and then attended the Park Centre. Asked to explain her actions, Creen suggested: Maybe the child was upset, I was comforting him. She denied trying to leave the mall with the infant. Opposing bail, the detective claimed: There is a serious risk to the public, this was a busy shopping centre where there are young parents and children around. Defence solicitor Philip Breen described it as a very, very strange incident all captured on 90 seconds of CCTV footage. He contended that the initial kiss on the forehead of the other child had been an act of friendship where no complaint was made by that family. Dealing with the alleged abduction, Mr Breen argued that his client was carrying the little boy towards the seating area and not towards the exit. She wasnt attempting to leave the scene, he insisted. Throughout the interview when she was shown the video she was adamant that she wouldnt harm children. The lawyer told the court Creen is a mother of four and self-described alcoholic. She is a pitiful (individual), he added. Bail was denied due to the risk of re-offending. Remanding Creen in custody until June 18, District Judge Steven Keown ordered that a mental health assessment should be carried out before she makes any future application for release. Discontent in ranks over installlation of Wee lad as comander UDA crime boss Gary Fisher is facing revolt as he moves to retake control of South East Antrim, a source has claimed. The Sunday World understands Fisher is back at the helm of the organised crime gang after his health scare and the imposition of a new command structure. According to well-placed sources, Fishers position as Brigadier of the breakaway UDA unit has been bolstered by the dissolution of a three-man committee which had been in place as he recovered from a suspected heart attack. A newly appointed Brigadier has also stood himself down as Fisher returns to centre stage. His return has divided opinion and his decision to appoint a man, who is in his early 20s, as Military Commander (MC) in the Rathcoole estate has drawn stinging criticism from veteran members. The young man now has the power to order punishment beatings and shootings and ultimately can call life or death. It is understood the new MC is a close associate of Fishers and it is being seen as an attempt by the Brigadier to extend his control over the organisation. One source told us his appointment is a kick in the teeth to many long-standing members. Hes only a wee lad who wouldnt know one end of a gun from the other, he said. Hes now in a position where he can order people who have been combatants in the struggle against republicanism he wasnt even born when the ceasefires were called. The youngster is believed to have already ordered a punishment beating. A source has said Fishers medium-term plan is to prepare the ground for his departure from Northern Ireland. There will be a new Brigadier, Gary has his own views about who that should be but he is cashing in his chips and getting ready to get out. Sources have told the Sunday World that Fishers preferred choice is to have long-term sidekick Clifford Trigger Irons installed as his successor. Clifford Trigger Irons It is understood Fisher intends to continue reaping a dividend from SEAs highly lucrative drugs operation and Irons provides the easiest opportunity for him to exert control from a distance. Convicted drug offender and mortgage fraudster Irons was Fishers closest ally in the days of SEAs total domination of the drugs trade in Carrickfergus. Irons was in charge of collecting the money which helped make Fisher a very wealthy man believed to be worth more than 1 million. Fishers descent into ill-health weakened his position as leader and when he suffered a near-fatal heart attack in 2022, he was replaced as Brigadier by a three-man committee. There was widespread speculation that Fisher was washed up and done but the Sunday World understands he has reasserted himself. But his plan is a temporary one. Fisher, who took over as SEA chief in the wake of the murder of John Grug Gregg in 2003 having worked as his driver, is planning his escape from Northern Ireland. The Sunday World understands he has been a frequent visitor to Liverpool where he has long established contacts with organised crime gangs. He is believed to have forged strong links there as a result of his involvement in the drugs trade. SEA has strong connections with organised crime gangs in Liverpool who have supplied SEA with drugs and guns. Fisher is relying on those connections to smooth his way out of Northern Ireland. It is a startling return to power for Fisher who was regarded as a dead duck after his heart scare and it heralds a huge shake-up for the organisation he headed for years. William Duck McTaggart The smart money is on William Duck McTaggart stepping in as Brigadier on his release from prison, according to sources. The SEA hardman has been running the gangs drug operation from behind bars where he is serving a sentence for possession of cocaine with intent to supply. He was due for release early this year which was delayed and is now scheduled to be back on the streets by the summer. He has already instigated a strict new code which has seen dealers independent of the UDA being taxed as much as 20,000 for dealing on SEA territory. It is an uneasy transition for SEA, with a number of veteran members who have said they are ready to make the move away from paramiltarism. SEA UDA is believed to command a membership of more than 2,500, the vast majority of whom are veterans who are no longer active but who are keen to step away from any association with criminality. The controversial Legacy Bill makes that easier, removing the prospect of prosecution for legacy crimes. Sources have told us Fisher is determined to get out and take his money with him. He has taken control back, but it is with a different purpose, its all a means of feathering his nest. The pair, who tied the knot in 2015, welcomed their first child - a baby girl named Blake - in September 2022. Artur Gourounlian has slammed trolls for sending vile messages about his family as he and his husband Brian Dowling prepare to become fathers for the second time. The pair, who tied the knot in 2015, welcomed their first child - a baby girl named Blake - in September 2022. Brians sister Aoife acted as surrogate for the couple at the time and is once again carrying their second child, who is due to arrive into the world on July 4. Speaking on Ireland AM this week, Arthur revealed that they decided to keep quiet about the pregnancy for as long as possible to avoid backlash from trolls after receiving dozens of hate-filled comments before Blake was born. Its homophobia, Im not going to lie. That were not allowed, two men, having a kid, the Dancing With the Stars judge said. People saying its wrong, why should we do surrogacy, its incest - educate yourself to understand whats happening. Its nothing to do with Aoife shes helping us. Shes not doing it for fame, for money. Shes doing it for her brother and brother-in-law, to help us. People know its her but at least she enjoys life, you know? Theres no need for [the hate]. The Armenian insisted he was strong-minded but said reading vile comments isnt nice. Those bad comments dont affect me. These people are not in my life. These people are not my friends, Arthur told hosts Muireann OConnell and Tommy Bowe. Ive said to Brian, If we cant handle it give up everything. Stop presenting, stop writing, stop posting. If I dont want to listen or hear those comments, stop doing it. He added that most of the hate comes from accounts that were created to attack them. Speaking about Aoife offering to act as surrogate again, Arthur admitted he never expected her to help them again. She always knew we wanted siblings for Blake but for the second time we cried. We were like, No, youre lying. Youre lying. This is not right. Its not going to happen. She said, No, no. I want to help you, but we have to do it now, he said. Brian revealed their second childs due date when accepting a gong for Irelands Most Stylish Man at this years Platinum VIP Style Awards, gushing: Arthur and I are technically pregnant with our second child, so Im going to dedicate this award to our second child whos due on Independence Day, July 4th! Speaking to the Sunday World about expanding their family, Brian admitted that his sister Aoife kept her pregnancy private as she got a bit of a hard time from online trolls before. We obviously went through a lot of it the last time, as in the negativity and the trolling, so this time Aoife made a conscious decision herself not to be so obvious on Instagram because she got a bit of a hard time and we got a bit of a hard time, he explained. So, this time Aoife said to us, listen, Id rather if I just stepped back a little bit, and we obviously have to respect that. Shes doing great, just really tired. Shes not been sick, which is amazing. The bump is so different. The pregnancy is so different. Blake moved around so much but this baby is a little shyer. Would they allow it? At a certain time of night? I dont want to get arrested for indecent exposure Irish glamour model and OnlyFans star Bridget Byrne aka Ava Van Rose will take to the portal The Irish and American OnlyFans stars whose tit-for-tat war erupted over the Dublin-New York portal have agreed to a boob off at the controversial sculpture. We revealed this weekend how Dublin glamour model Bridget Byrne, whose stage name is Ava Van Rose, defied knockers across the pond by claiming her breasts are bigger and better than those of American rival Ava Louise. Ava Louise gave Irish people an eyeful during the week when she lifted up her top to flash her naked breasts on the New York side of the portal. But the Dubliner promised to give the Americans a taste of bigger and better Irish potatoes now that the portal has re-opened. Now, both have met live on air and in an exclusive interview with host Gary Brennan on Night-time Talk on Irelands Classic Hits Radio theyve both agreed they are up for boob off at the portal. Irish glamour model and OnlyFans star Bridget Byrne aka Ava Van Rose will take to the portal However, Ava Van Rose said she wanted to know what she was officially allowed to do in public on the Irish side. Would they allow it? At a certain time of night? I dont want to get arrested for indecent exposure, she said. I am asking for an official okay. The American Ava said she was not afraid of the law on the NYC side. This would be awesome if we could do it, she declared. I know I am legally allowed to in New York City. Despite their rivalry both stars bonded over their experiences in making adult content. Ava Van Rose gave host a Gary a crash course in the notion of Pay Pigs, men who want to be abused. It is a term of financial domination, she explained. They want to pay me and buy me things to verbally humiliate them. That is my biggest request. Ava Louise confirmed that while this was a common occurrence stateside she hasnt had that many of them. Irish Ava is very lucky that she doesnt have to do much, she joked. Both women agreed that OnlyFans content is like therapy for some men. Ava Louise revealed how she had talked men down off the ledge while Ava Van Rose said: I think women dont understand that you can be happy and be in love with your wife but that doesnt mean that your fantasies and needs are being met. American OnlyFans star and adult model Ava Louise Since flashing her boobs at the portal in New York Ava Louise says her Only Fans subscribers have jumped from 50,000 to 114,000, many of whom are Irish men. About the portal, Ava Louise said: Everyone over here thinks its hysterical. No one is offended by anything that anyone did. I dont know why the organisers felt the need to shut it down. The American, who has over 400,000 followers on Instagram and also sells pictures of herself on OnlyFans, had boasted she thought the people of Dublin deserved to see my two New York homegrown potatoes. The portal was temporarily closed after not just Ava Louises carry-on, but also flareups on the Dublin side which included lads mooning as well as someone holding up a picture of the Twin Towers in flames during 9/11. Bridget, who has 160,000 followers on her Ava Van Rose Instagram account, has been waiting for the portal to re-open so she can give Americans a taste of her assets. I wouldnt be tacky enough to go nipple front but Id like to do it with nipple covers or nipple tassels, Bridget (34) told us. It would definitely be a tit-for-tat. My boobs are definitely bigger than hers mine wont really go with much larger than I have, but Id love to get larger. Im currently 32E and would like to go to 32GG. I think its great fun, added Bridget, who has been called Irelands answer to Jordan/Katie Price. I have been watching some of the stuff, and its very artistic. It gets to see different people on either side of the borders. I think its mad, a bit of craic and I think it does connect people. American OnlyFans star and adult model Ava Louise gave Irish people an eyeful on the portal Bridget recently took a break from social media, but still kept her OnlyFans account open, in which she claims she has a army of slaves. Im flying out to Turkey in two weeks to get my bum done. This will be my third time to get my bum done, adds the mum of four. Last year I graced the cover of 12 magazines in the space of six months all over the world and I still go to the dominatrix and fetish and glamour awards in the UK. I think there should be an Irish version, because Ireland has become more open to the European ideas on the concept of people who are genuinely and aesthetically themselves. Bridget, from Clondalkin, Dublin, has been a glamour model for the past 13 years and rose to fame through her modelling work and reality TV appearances on shows such as Rise of the Instababes and on MTVs Botched. She has been classed as Irelands most surgically enhanced woman, with two boob jobs, two bum lifts, a tummy tuck, abdominoplasty, liposuction, lip fillers and a designer vagina. She wants to focus on rebranding her makeup business and reveals she is single at the moment. Im business-focused and I want to get my surgery, so that will put me out for a while, she points out. Your Aerocool Rescue Helicopter carried out 47 life-saving missions within the Coastal Bay of Plenty region over the month of April. These missions included 29 inter-hospital transfers, 9 medical events, 2 rural/farm incidents, 1 motor vehicle accident, and 6 miscellaneous missions. Your Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was most often seen in Rotorua with 13 inter-hospital transfers, Whakatane with 7 inter-hospital transfers and Matakana Island with 2 missions. The month began with your Aerocool Rescue Helicopter being dispatched to Rotorua Hospital for a male in his 30s who was suffering from a serious medical event. The patient was quickly airlifted to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment. Later that day, April 1, your Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Rotorua Hospital for a man in his 30s who was experiencing a serious medical event. The patient was swiftly airlifted to Tauranga Hospital for urgent treatment. On Tuesday night, April 2, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was called to Rotorua Hospital for a woman in her 40s who was suffering from a severe medical emergency. The team wasted no time in transporting her to Tauranga Hospital for specialized care. Your Aerocool Rescue Helicopter. Photo supplied. On Sunday morning, April 7, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Tauranga for a female in her 30s who had slipped and fallen, sustaining serious injuries. The patient was flown to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment. On Tuesday morning, April 9, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked with transferring a male in his 80s who was suffering from a medical condition from Waihau Bay to Whakatane Hospital. The patient was transported for further treatment. On Sunday night, April 14, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Rotorua Hospital for a male in his 30s who had been involved in a mountain bike accident and sustained serious injuries. The patient was flown to Middlemore Hospital for further treatment. On Tuesday afternoon, April 16, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Opotiki for a male in his 70s experiencing a serious medical event. The patient was transported to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment. On Monday morning, April 22, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Rotorua Hospital for a woman in her 30s experiencing pregnancy difficulties. The patient was transported to Auckland City Hospital for further treatment. That same day, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Matakana Island, due to its remote location, for a woman in her 90s experiencing a cardiac condition. The patient was transported to Tauranga Hospital for further treatment. Later that day, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was called to Rotorua for a male in his teens that was suffering from lower body injuries after being ejected from a vehicle. The patient was swiftly flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment. On Thursday afternoon, April 25, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Tokoroa Hospital for a male in 40s who was suffering from a serious cardiac condition. The patient was transported to Waikato Hospital for further treatment. The next morning, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Whakatane Hospital for a young female who was experiencing a serious medical event. The patient was transported to Auckland Starship Hospital for further treatment. Your Aerocool Rescue Helicopter. Photo supplied. On Saturday afternoon, April 27, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was called to Te Puia Springs for a male in his 20s who had sustained fracture injuries to his leg after a rugby related incident. The patient was transported to Gisborne Hospital for further treatment. On Monday morning, April 29, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Te Kaha for a woman in her 60s who was experiencing a medical condition and subsequent breathing problems. The patient was transported to Whakatane Hospital for further treatment. The month ended with your Aerocool Rescue Helicopter being dispatched to Rotorua Hospital for a female in her teens who was experiencing a medical condition. The patient was transported to Auckland City Hospital for further treatment. The fast response of the rescue helicopter and its highly trained crew ensures the patients receive the best care as quickly as possible. These life-saving missions happen every day and its what happened next that makes the difference you make that difference. Donate to your Aerocool Rescue Helicopter at https://give.rescue.org.nz/event/aerocool-rescue-helicopter/donate State Highway 35 between Te Puia township and Tolaga Bay is closed, due to surface flooding. The stretch of road was closed just before 10.30 today following heavy and persistent rainfall, causing surface flooding and rising river levels. The road will remain closed until further notice. Metservice is warning of further rainfall in the area during the day. NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi System Manager Martin Colditz says the decision has been taken to close the road for the safety of all motorists and the local community. NZTA is advising road users to avoid travel if possible and drive to the conditions on other parts of the network. Crews are regularly assessing other parts of the network for any signs of flooding or safety risks. Please keep up to date by visiting NZTAs Journey Planner. Plan ahead for a safe, enjoyable journey. Keep up to date with: Emma Rawson-Te Patu will be welcomed by the World Federation of Public Health Associations in Geneva, Switzerland, next week as its new president. She will be the first New Zealander and first indigenous woman to head the organisation in its 57-year history. "It is a privilege to take up this Public Health leadership role as a wahine Maori and an indigenous leader," Emma says. "The United Nations and World Health Organisation have declared the importance of indigenous knowledge and traditions. Our federation is well positioned to show leadership globally by leaning into this responsibility." Emma says the immediate priority for her two-year tenure was decolonising public health globally. "Inequities for indigenous people are still as significant as they have ever been. Public health is about reducing inequities across the board. "This is an opportunity for the global public health community to authentically understand how they can implement solutions to address Indigenous inequities that will also support the health and wellbeing of the total population." Based at the University of Geneva, the WFPHA is made up of more than 100 national public health associations and represents five million academics, researchers, health promoters, doctors, epidemiologists, public health nurses and students. Public Health leaders from across the globe will attend the inauguration including indigenous leaders and members of the organisation's Indigenous Working Group. Dignitaries from New Zealand include whaea Martha Rodgers, past president of the Public Health Association of New Zealand and its first wahine Maori president. Director-General of Health and chief executive of the New Zealand Ministry of Health Dr Diana Sarfati, and Deputy Director-General of the Public Health Agency Dr Andrew Old will also attend. Emma Rawson-Te Patu (centre) speaks at the United Nations permanent forum on Indigenous issues as president elect of the World Federation of Public Health Associations. Photo: Supplied / LDR. Emma (Ngati Ranginui, Ngai Te Rangi, Raukawa, Ngati Haua) describes her appointment, following on from two years as vice president, as a "huge responsibility and a massive opportunity". "I'm excited about the possibilities but at the same time I'm very aware of the responsibilities as an indigenous woman, and what this means not just for our people in Aotearoa but for indigenous peoples across the planet." University of Otago epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker MNZM says Emma's appointment was "very good news" for public health in Aotearoa and globally. "Emma brings huge mana and expertise that will enhance the work of the World Federation," Baker says. "At the same time, Aotearoa will benefit from the global perspective that Emma will be able to apply through her continuing work here." Next week's inauguration will take place during the WFPHA general assembly. The inauguration will for the first time include indigenous processes and protocols, including an acknowledgement of the past president, a tikanga Maori process in te reo Maori to formally deliver Emma into the presidency, and haka and waiata. Emma will then preside over the remainder of the general assembly. Later in the week, the new president and the Indigenous Working Group will host an event focusing on Indigenous determinants of health and decolonising public health globally. The workshop at the University of Geneva will include speakers from New Zealand, Australia and special guest Geoffrey Roth, expert member of the United Nations permanent forum on indigenous issues. LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air. Eugenio Cabezas xarquia Tuesday, 21 May 2024, 13:38 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads The Axarquia can boast a species of toad that is unique to the area in Malaga province. Specifically, it is the Iberian midwife toad, which is from the Sierras Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama Natural Park. This small amphibian, extremely endangered, is different from the one found in the rest of Spain. It was discovered on 16 May 1995, 29 years ago last Thursday. It was then that the first scientific work on the species was published, with Canillas de Aceituno responsible for the research. It was in this municipality in the Axarquia region the data was taken to determine this important discovery. On the occasion of the 29th anniversary of the discovery of Alytes Dickhilleni by the authors Arzten and Garcia-Paris, the environmental educator and resident of Canillas de Aceituno Lidia Jimenez, in collaboration with a group of scientists from the Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Madrid, the University of Oviedo and published by the Spanish Herpetological Association (AHE), released their new work as an ebook. It is called Emerging Diseases in Amphibians, and focuses on the diseases that are currently causing significant population declines worldwide. Canillas de Aceituno mayor Vicente Campos said: "from this local authority we echo the problem of emerging diseases that are impacting on amphibians worldwide and that particularly affects our herpetofauna, especially the species Alytes". "In this work presented by our local resident Lidia Jimenez, we can find out what they are, how they affect these animals and how we can prevent them," he said. Campos also said that next year, Canillas de Aceituno will host the meeting of scientists to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the discovery of the Betic midwife toad. Lidia Jimenez said: "these are fungi and viruses that do not affect humans, but we can be a vector of contamination if we do not know about them and act accordingly". "The aim of this work is to raise awareness of what they are, how they affect this animal group and what can be done to try to prevent humans from transmitting them," she added. The researcher from Canillas de Aceituno has given some guidelines to follow in order to protect the amphibian species in the area: "Keep the water bodies where there is aquatic life intact and do not intervene in them. Do not allow your pet to get into the water of fountains, troughs and ponds, as its paws can transmit fungi and pathogens to other places". Zoom Researcher Lidia Jimenez, in the sierra of Canillas de Aceituno. SUR The expert also advised owners to not to leave their pets in the area, as they can seriously harm the native fauna. "When hiking, do not empty your water bottles into the fountains, and if you want to renew the water, throw it away from the wetlands. The most important thing: know our natural enclave, conserve it, maintain it and, if possible, improve it," she said. For more information people can visit sosanfibios.org/ebook-enfermedades-emergentes/. Antonio Munoz, from Malaga, on the motorbike with which he is making the trip to Mongolia with Cristina Pinto Malaga Tuesday, 21 May 2024, 17:23 Opciones para compartir Copiar enlace WhatsApp Facebook X (antes Twitter) LinkedIn Telegram Threads He has lived in Canada, England, Mexico, Indonesia, Tanzania... and has travelled all over the world. But for his next destination, he plans to get there on just two wheels. Antonio Jesus Munoz Benitez from Malaga is setting off today (21 May) on his motorbike from Malaga to Mongolia: "I feel I have to do it. I'm about to turn 52 and I think it's the right time to do it because I still feel young, I don't know what will happen in a year's time. I don't have any children to tie me down, Cupid told me 'Antonio, I'm going to show you the world and you'll stay single'", he told SUR. Antonio estimated that by the end of July he will have reached Mongolia. "From 12 July I have the visa to enter Russia," said Antonio Munoz, who is taking his tent to sleep in campsites. "In Istanbul I know there are cheap hostels, but I'll be camping a lot because I like it, even if I have to spend more money in some places. In any case, in some cities I'll try to find a hotel and a bed to rest and clean myself in peace," he said. "If I go and do everything I want to do, it will be about 30,000 kilometres round trip because I will travel through Mongolia and in Kazakhstan. I want to visit many things as well. There is even the possibility of leaving the motorbike somewhere and continuing on to Indonesia, but that will depend on how the trip goes," said Antonio Munoz, who has had the help and collaboration of companies such as Le Grand Cafe, Matahambre Teatinos, Grupo YPH, Franesmu Construcciones, Vitrac Obra Publica, Motos Garrido, Alan Automatismos, Los Dolmenes, ClimaLimit and TransMarruecos. Zoom The man from Malaga estimates that he will cover about 30,000 kilometres. Antonio Carretero He is travelling on his 2005 Honda Transalp 650 and will document the whole story of his journey on social media @eltitoviajando. "I've been planning the trip for a year and a half and I'm really looking forward to it. I've been preparing the bike little by little, fixing things over the last few months and travelling around Andalucia a lot to check that everything was going well," said Antonio Munoz. "I want to feel the freedom of doing this on my own," he added. Five employees of the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry were honored by Chancellor John B. King Jr. for outstanding service to the State University of New York. The awards pay tribute to those who are role models for students and their colleagues. Janine DeBaise, an instructor in the colleges writing program, was recognized for excellence in teaching. She joined the ESF faculty in 1992 and has more than 100 publications spanning poetry, essays, and fiction in esteemed journals. Her influence extends beyond the written word; she has actively contributed to both community initiatives and editorial endeavors for decades. As an instructor, she is noted by students for her engaging and inclusive teaching style, evident in both mandatory ESF courses and specialized electives focusing on environmental literature. Georgetown, N.Y. A wanted Central New York man Monday tried to get away from police on a farm tractor, driving it into an armored police car and running into woods, deputies said. On May 16, deputies went to the home of Michael S. DeBottis, 37, of Georgetown, to arrest him on a warrant, said Samantha Field, a spokesperson for Madison County. DeBottis was wanted for domestic-related offenses, out of Broome County. DeBottis managed to get in a car and flee, Field said. The Madison County Sheriffs Office asked the public for help finding DeBottis but also told the public not to approach him. On Monday, deputies from Broome County and Madison County went to his home. DeBottis ran to a farm tractor on the property and hopped in, starting the police chase, she said. During the pursuit he used the bucket on the tractor to hit an armored police car, damaging it, she said. Eventually, he managed to evade police by going into a wooded area, she said. The Onondaga County Sheriffs Office helicopter, Air 1, responded to help search the woods. DeBottis was found under a boat in the woods off Route 80, she said. He was then taken into custody and taken to Hamilton Hospital for dehydration, she said. Once he is released from the hospital, he will be arraigned in Madison County on: Three counts of first-degree attempted assault Three counts of attempted aggravated assault of a police officer Three counts of first-degree reckless endangerment One count of second-degree criminal mischief Three counts of second-degree menacing One count of obstructing governmental administration One count of resisting arrest These charges are not the first for DeBottis. In 2011, he was convicted of third-degree rape for having sex with a 16-year-old girl, according to the states sex offender registry. He was 23 years old at the time. He was sentenced to 308 days in a local jail. In 2015, DeBottis sent threatening text messages to a woman, sending police to his home and triggering a standoff. He escaped police overnight but eventually turned himself in. In 2018, he was charged with reckless endangerment, criminal possession of a weapon, menacing and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child after threatening two people with a gun. Michael S. DebottisProvided photo Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com. DeWitt, NY The DeWitt Town Board today approved finalizing a separation agreement with Chase Bilodeau, who has been DeWitts police chief since April 2020. The board unanimously agreed to direct the towns lawyers to finalize the agreement with Bilodeau by the end of the week. YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS. Mourning has been declared in at least eight countries of the world, including Iran, in connection with the death of President of the Islamic Republic Ebrahim Raisi and the accompanying delegation as a result of the helicopter crash. According to "Armenpress", the IRNA agency informs about it. Earlier it was reported that Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria declared mourning. India, Tajikistan and Turkey also joined these countries. One-day mourning has been declared in most countries, only in Syria and Lebanon it will last three days, and in Tajikistan - two days. Mourning events in the Islamic Republic will last five days. The helicopter carrying President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi crashed during landing in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. The incident occurred as the president was returning from the opening ceremony of a reservoir on the Iran-Azerbaijan border, accompanied by Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other officials. Tragically, none of the occupants survived the crash. The Taos News delivered to your Taos County address every week for a full year! We offer our lowest mail rates to zip codes in the county. Click Here to See if you Qualify. Plan includes unlimited website access and e-edition print replica online. Your auto pay plan will be conveniently renewed at the end of the subscription period. You may cancel at anytime. YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS. The "Yerevan Ballet Festival", which will be held on June 2-5 in the park named after Hovhannes Tumanyan, will give art lovers the opportunity to get acquainted with the performances of theater groups from different countries. The Municipality of Yerevan informs that Boris Eifman Saint Petersburg Academic Ballet Theater, Tbilisi Paliashvili Opera and Ballet Theater and Spendiaryan National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater will perform at the outdoor ballet festival. Performances start at 20:00, admission is free. New Teagasc study highlights the low environmental impact of small farms in Ireland A new Teagasc study investigates the economic, environmental and social sustainability of small farms, using data collected through the Teagasc National Farm Survey (NFS). While these small farms mainly produce cattle or sheep, there is also a third category of small farms where leasing out much of the farm is a revenue source. While there are over 135,000 farms in Ireland, over 48,000 of these farms are classified as being particularly small in economic terms. These small farms occupy about 15% of the agricultural land area in Ireland. The average small farm has an area of about 13 hectares, with a typical herd size of about 5 suckler cows or 20 ewes. These small farms are not included in the annual Teagasc National Farm Survey, but are surveyed every five years instead. In terms of economic performance, the results of the study confirm the very low levels of income earned on small farms, reflecting their low level of output per hectare and their high fixed costs of production relative to their size. In 2022, the average family farm income (FFI) on small cattle and sheep farms was just 2,638, compared to an average FFI for the rest of the cattle and sheep farm population of 15,082. While farming related income on small farms is particularly low, the study finds that over 80% of small farm households also have non-farm income sources, either through off-farm employment or through a pension. While small farms are not particularly significant in economic terms, due to their very extensive nature (low stocking rate) they differ from the rest of the farm population in terms of their environmental sustainability and contribution to biodiversity. The low level of chemical fertiliser use on small farms is reflected in lower nitrogen and phosphorus balances compared to the rest of the farm population. The low stocking rate on these farms also means that they have very low levels of Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with just 4% (less than 1 million tonnes of CO 2 equivalent) of the GHG emissions produced by Irish agriculture originating from these 48,000 small farms. However, while the low level of GHG emissions from these small farms is notable, the level of output from these farms is also low. Taking these factors into account, the study finds that small farms produce more GHG per kg of meat than is the case for the rest of the cattle and sheep farm population. This means that even though they produce very little GHG emissions in total, small farms are less GHG emissions efficient than the rest of the farm population. Due to their extremely extensive nature and minimal use of grassland management, small farms are likely to be an important repository for biodiversity, with ongoing Teagasc research developing ways of assessing their role in maintaining natural habitats. In terms of the social dimension, the study indicates that the age profile of small farm households is slightly higher than that of the rest of the farming population, with the average farmer aged 60 years. The survey found that the main farm operator on small farms has been in place for more than 20 years on about 60% of small farms. Almost 8 in 10 small farm households have access to the internet, with 7 in 10 farm operators using a smartphone. About 50% of small farm operators make use of either their smartphone or the internet for some farming related purpose. Looking ahead, given the large number of small farms in Ireland, the future intentions of small farm operators and the potential future trajectory of small farms is of real interest, since it may have implications for the overall sustainability of Irish agriculture. The study reveals that over the next 5 years, more than one-third (35%) of small farm operators intend to continue farming as is, with a further 27% intending to lease out their land. A further one fifth expect to have changed farm system, or to have scaled back their farming activity, while the remainder expect to be farming with a successor, or to have scaled up their farming activity to some extent. In the context of generational renewal, the study finds that a farm successor has been identified on more than half (56%) of the farms in the small farm population. The survey also finds that about half of current small farm operators would expect to transfer the farm to the successor in the next 5 to 10 years. Somewhat surprisingly, close to half of small farm operators did not expect the emerging potential of remote working to lead to an increase in the likelihood of farm succession. Among those who plan to continue to farm, more than 50% were interested in switching from a conventional system to organics, with 40% interested in further involvement in agri-environmental schemes. For the purposes of the study small farms are defined by the amount of output they produce rather than their farm area. Farms with a standard output of 8,000 or less were identified for inclusion in the study. The full report can be viewed at https://www.teagasc.ie ValarMorghulis BHPian Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Bangalore Posts: 385 Thanked: 3,403 Times Re: Climate activists want airplanes grounded | Protest at Munich Airport leads to flight cancellati Quote: Jeroen Originally Posted by In most western countries the right to protest is guaranteed by law. And most jurisprudence will also show that society needs to accept a fair degree of inconvenience. ... Without disruption the impact of just any protest is very small. Think about the big protests in the world. Vietnam protests, East Germany wall, women equality etc etc. All of them had a very large part of disruption and inconvenience to the general public. ... You mentioned that right to protest is guaranteed by law. 100% agreed. As it should be. Everybody should be allowed to protest for whatever cause they wish for. I am conflicted with the second part of the statement. "...society needs to accept a fair degree of inconvenience. Without disruption the impact of just any protest is very small". -Why? Why should others be inconvenienced for what is clearly a "cause for a few" or even when isn't a cause for few? -And what is the degree of inconvenience one should tolerate? -And what are the causes that justify such inconveniences? -Is the inconvenience only acceptable to the affluent? (Caking the Monda Lisa. The poor don't go to the Louvre. Global Warming is much bigger cause). -Or blocking access to a hospital is OK as well? Say, only for a noble cause like "food for the poor" or is it OK even for "demanding the rich don't use their private jets"? -Is a cause by a town that demands better roads OK for them disrupting schools? I mean what is the "cause nobility" versus "disruption scale" that is acceptable? Obviously if 200 people demand free PS5s and block roads, they'd be sent to jail. But what is 100 people demand cleaner air and stop a train line? Why is the convenience of an innocent person on the road, who by the way has nothing to do or is a part of this protest, an acceptable sacrifice? This is really a genuine query. It might have come across as snide few lines, but I am genuinely curious. This is a genuine query. I agree with few points, but I am also struggling with few others. Would love to hear your thoughts and others'.You mentioned that right to protest is guaranteed by law.. As it should be. Everybody should be allowed to protest for whatever cause they wish for.I am conflicted with the second part of the statement.-Why? Why should others be inconvenienced for what is clearly a "cause for a few" or even when isn't a cause for few?-And what is the degree of inconvenience one should tolerate?-And what are the causes that justify such inconveniences?-Is the inconvenience only acceptable to the affluent? (Caking the Monda Lisa. The poor don't go to the Louvre. Global Warming is much bigger cause).-Or blocking access to a hospital is OK as well? Say, only for a noble cause like "food for the poor" or is it OK even for "demanding the rich don't use their private jets"?-Is a cause by a town that demands better roads OK for them disrupting schools?Obviously if 200 people demand free PS5s and block roads, they'd be sent to jail. But what is 100 people demand cleaner air and stop a train line?Why is the convenience of an innocent person on the road, who by the way has nothing to do or is a part of this protest, an acceptable sacrifice?This is really a genuine query. It might have come across as snide few lines, but I am genuinely curious. In brief: Assisting with various tasks is one of the primary proposed functions of generative AIs from companies like Microsoft, OpenAI, Google, and possibly soon Apple. At a recent unveiling of "AI PCs," Microsoft claimed that its AI, Copilot, can help players in certain video games in real time, but its effectiveness in real-world scenarios remains to be seen. While revealing its new AI-powered Surface laptops this week, Microsoft shared a demonstration where the device's Copilot onboard AI offered real-time tips in games like Minecraft and Sea of Thieves. The fully voiced digital assistant appeared to conduct a natural conversation and react to in-game events. In one video, a Minecraft player asks Copilot how to craft a sword. The AI can see what items are in the player's inventory and suggests that they still need to collect some wood or stone. Another video shows zombies attacking the player. Copilot quickly shifts to an alarmed tone of voice and advises the player to either find shelter or build a barrier to stay out of their reach. Real time conversations with your AI companion Copilot, powered by OpenAI's GPT-4o. pic.twitter.com/Ug7EWv2sah Microsoft Copilot (@MSFTCopilot) May 20, 2024 It isn't clear which games Copilot will support, but a screenshot from Windows Central suggests it can also help with Sea of Thieves. If the AI must be tailored on a per-game basis, it might debut for specific Microsoft-published titles. Stressing an emphasis on privacy, Microsoft stated that all of the information Copilot gathers for in-game assistance will remain on the device. The company won't upload data to the cloud or use it to train AI models. Real-time guides are somewhat different from other AI-based applications for video games. The most successful gaming-related uses for the technology have been machine-learning-assisted upscaling and frame generation features that dramatically improve performance. Meanwhile, Nvidia has proposed filling games with AI-controlled characters that can react to a wide range of player input. Conversely, in-game assistance would presumably be optional, and wouldn't directly affect a game's content. However, some might express concern over the feature's impact on hand-written guides. Hallucination is another risk to consider. So far, developers have been unsuccessful in stopping AI-based chatbots from confidently stating false information. The recently unveiled AI summaries for Google search were immediately caught hallucinating, so there's a good chance the same could happen to Copilot's game assistant. Microsoft's Surface Pro Copilot+ PC will begin shipping in mid-June, starting at $999.99. The PC uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite processor to run an Arm-based version of Windows. The Hexagon NPU performs AI workloads at 45 TOPs. What just happened? At Microsoft's Surface event this week, leading PC manufacturers, including Dell, HP, Acer, Asus, Samsung, and Lenovo, announced their first batch of laptops powered by the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus processors. The new devices meet Microsoft's Copilot+ standard that requires laptops to include an NPU powerful enough to process 40+ trillion operations per second. Microsoft claims that all Copilot+ PCs will be 58 percent faster than the MacBook Air M3. Starting with Microsoft's own offerings, the new Surface Laptop can be configured with either the Snapdragon X Elite or Snapdragon X Plus. Available for pre-order starting at $999.99, it is offered with two display options, up to 64GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The Surface Pro is powered by the same two chips and features an OLED screen with HDR support. Microsoft is offering the device with up to 32GB of memory, up to 1TB of storage, and a new detachable keyboard called the Surface Pro Flex Keyboard. Pricing starts at $999 for the base model. Dell announced five laptops powered by Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus, including the XPS 13, Latitude 7455, and Inspiron 14 Plus. The XPS 13 is powered by the 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor with Dual Core Boost, while the Latitude 7455 will be offered with both the Elite and Plus options. The Dell Inspiron 14 Plus will ship with only a 10-core Snapdragon X Plus processor. The XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus are available to pre-order now at starting prices of $1,299 and $1,099, respectively. Samsung announced the Galaxy Book 4 Edge, powered by the Snapdragon X Elite. It comes with 14-inch and 16-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X displays and includes Galaxy AI features like Live Translate and Chat Assist. It will be available in select markets, including the US, from June 18. Lenovo is releasing the Yoga Slim 7x 14 and ThinkPad T14s with the Snapdragon X Elite chip. The former is aimed at creators and will start at $1,199, while the latter is designed for business users and has a starting price of $1,699. Both will go on sale next month. Finally, Taiwanese tech majors Asus and Acer also announced new Copilot+ PCs. The Asus Vivobook S 15 will ship with either the Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus, feature a 120Hz OLED display, and include up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. It will go on sale June 18 at a starting price of $1,299. Then there's the Acer Swift 14 AI that will come with a 14.5-inch 120Hz display, a flexible 180-degree hinge, up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. It will have a starting price of $1,099. The big picture: Desktop users will swear they've been in situations where they had to desperately search through emails, browser histories, and file folders trying to find that one thing they vaguely remember seeing or working on a few days prior. It's frustrating, but Microsoft may have cracked this problem with a new feature called Recall. Launching for the upcoming Copilot+ PCs powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite chips, Recall is essentially an all-seeing eye that keeps tabs on everything you do on your computer. It then presents a scrollable timeline you can search through, using AI. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella described the feature as an upgrade over traditional keyword search, dubbing it was "semantic search over all your history." Satya Nadella says Windows PCs will have a photographic memory feature called Recall that will remember and understand everything you do on your computer by taking constant screenshots pic.twitter.com/Gubi4DGHcs Tsarathustra (@tsarnick) May 20, 2024 "It's not just about any document. We can recreate moments from the past," he said. He also provided a glimpse into what happens behind the scenes when the feature's turned on. Essentially, Windows takes screenshots of your screen constantly. It then uses a generative AI model right on the device along with the NPU to process all that data, including photos. As an example, a Microsoft executive used Recall during a demo at its preview event this week to instantly pull up her recent Pinterest searches for "blue dress" just by saying that phrase out loud. With a couple more details like "sequined lace" and "for Abuelita," Recall homed in on the exact item she'd been eyeing. As you can tell from the demo above, the level of data captured seems pretty vast. Recall's timeline lets you scroll through a visual recreation of everything you've done, seeing past browser sessions, video meetings, you name it. Meetings get automatically transcribed and translated too, thanks to Live Captions tech also integrated into Recall. All this does sound kind of similar to the Cortana-powered Timeline feature Microsoft abandoned in Windows 10 a few years back. Despite its promise, the feature never caught on. And with Cortana's looming deprecation, it probably made sense to axe the whole thing at the time. But cut to now, with Copilot's improved generative AI powers, Microsoft thought it would revive the feature in a new avatar. Of course, there may be some privacy implications here, too. Microsoft's laying those to rest by claiming all Recall data stays local and private on your PC, and you can pause or delete logging as needed. However, it added that Recall won't proactively hide sensitive stuff like passwords or payment details. "Your snapshots are yours; they stay locally on your PC. You can delete individual snapshots, adjust and delete ranges of time in Settings, or pause at any point right from the icon in the System Tray on your Taskbar. You can also filter apps and websites from ever being saved. You are always in control with privacy you can trust," notes Microsoft. There are some hardware limitations as well. Recall requires one of the freshly announced Copilot+ PCs with a special neural processing unit for the heavy AI lifting involved. And you'll need a decent chunk of storage too Microsoft recommends a minimum of 256GB of space, with 25GB allocated to Recall out of the box for roughly 3 months of snapshots. Performance is another open question. Could having an AI assistant perpetually logging all your activities affect battery life? We'll have to wait for real-world tests to know for certain. Identifying the main ideas and facts of a text takes less time and effort when using a summary tool. It can help anyone focus on the most important information without losing sight of its context. The best tools now leverage artificial intelligence to read and analyze text and generate accurate summaries in seconds. An AI summarizer uses intelligent algorithms to extract meaningful information from documents or text, including videos or audio files. It provides an overview of content anyone can digest easily without spending hours yet only retaining a fraction of the information consumed. Summaries make complex topics digestible and accessible to the average reader, especially when the source material requires subject expertise. Choose from the top 5 best AI summarizer software in 2024 to grasp the gist of any article, document, or video in minutes. #1 Wordtune Overview Wordtune leverages generative AI technology to streamline the writing process. It can summarize any academic paper, magazine article, or video content from YouTube. It generates summaries that sound human and easy to follow. The AI summarizer software supports Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Microsoft Word platforms. While its add-ons are free to use, it also has a dedicated mobile app for iOS devices. It also has an editor site where users can access its AI tools. Companies can also opt for its API to integrate its generative AI into their apps, platforms, and products. This summary tool also doubles as an AI-powered writing companion as it possesses a deep understanding of context and semantics to assist anyone in writing with confidence. It can offer suggestions that align with unique writing styles or create quality content from scratch at the press of a button, like emails, social media posts, headlines, and more. This AI writing assistant checks at least five sources before it gives suggestions to support the content of the draft. While it can rewrite or improve writing, Wordtune tends to change the meaning of a text. It may offer suggestions that slightly change what the user intends to convey. These suggestions may seem out of context only because its AI continually learns from all existing writing to offer phrases and ideas that fit into the topic or word choice. Wordtune can also source information from a personalized knowledge base. It offers a library where it finds answers based on the questions asked by the user. It can also translate multiple languages, making it ideal for non-native English speakers. Features Sectioning This summary tool automatically sections the content to make information easier to consume and understand. It presents the main topic of the article, magazine, or YouTube video and then lists the supporting details at the click of a button. Sectioning prevents overwhelming users with so much information. Wordtune effortlessly transforms any heavy course material into focused summaries that users can export anywhere. It cuts their reading or watching time in half, as they can only consume the parts they need to know. Library Wordtune lets users store and control all links, video files, summaries, etc., inside a personal library. It can understand and match the keywords used in a question to provide the answers needed, referencing the personalized knowledge base. AI Rewriter Students or professionals can spend less time on improvements and iterations with AI rewriter. Wordtune can instantly paraphrase emails, articles, messages, and more, so users can present written work confidently with options to expand the content, shorten it, and make it casual or formal. Even if they're non-English speakers, the AI summarizer software can translate up to 10 languages into English. Grammar Checker As an AI writing companion, Wordtune can check for grammatical errors, misuse of punctuation, and typos present in a written work. It offers nuanced suggestions to elevate the writing style. Coupled with AI-powered suggestions, anyone can improve their writing with alternative phrases and synonyms, enhancing the clarity and readability of the text. Reasons to consider: Discounts are available for customers in academic institutions and NGOs. Semantic search Dedicated mobile app (iOS) Enterprise-level security Reasons to avoid: Translation limited to 10 languages Unlimited features exclusive to more expensive subscription plans. #2 QuillBot Overview QuillBot leverages natural language processing to locate critical information to generate summaries while preserving the original context. It is a free-to-use AI summarizer software with extensions that work for Chrome, Word, and macOS. It takes minimal effort to use and learn due to its intuitiveness. It also integrates seamlessly with platforms like Gmail, Google Docs, LinkedIn, and Facebook. QuillBot contains multiple AI tools anyone across industries can utilize to improve fluency, vocabulary, tone, and style. It can also translate into 40+ languages with high accuracy. This AI translator can help users decipher idioms and other language quirks. It can also prevent accidental plagiarism as it offers a fast way to generate citations for various writing projects. Features Multiple Modes QuillBots can paraphrase texts in different ways, depending on the use case. It can improve the clarity and readability of a text with "fluency," make a text sound more technical and scholarly with "academic," etc. It offers multiple modes, ensuring anyone has the appropriate vocabulary, tone, and style for any occasion. Synonym Slider This AI summarizer software also lets users modify the words in the summary. Moving the synonym slider to the left gives them a more accurate rephrase while moving it to the right results in more options to customize the text. It can also show the list of suggested synonyms with a click. This summary tool can also provide information about citing different types of reference materials. It also stays up to date with the latest editions of citation styles. QuillBot can generate citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago style formats, ensuring all sentences lifted from books, research journals, or videos are correctly cited to avoid plagiarism. It also highlights any information missing for completeness. QuillBot can also search for the source if it's not available. The citation generator is verified by experts and PhDs, ensuring proper credit to the source material. AI Detector Using AI for generating content has its drawbacks, as AI tools sometimes fail to add proper flow to a piece of text or prioritize keywords over being informative to the reader, practices that cannot meet the quality standards of the Google search engine. QuillBot can identify content generated or paraphrased by AI to appear original. It understands the differences between human-written and AI-generated content. Hence, it can save users from losing credibility. Reasons to consider: Free and easy to use Affordable Built-in Citation tools Reasons to avoid: Manual intervention is needed. The free version has character limitations. Multiple modes are exclusive to paid plans. #3 Semrush AI Text Summarizer Overview Semrush AI text summarizer provides quick and concise summaries of text. It works by analyzing the content to identify the most important points in a lengthy text. Unlike other AI tools, it does not limit the amount of characters to be used as the basis for the summary. This summary tool can easily transform paragraphs, articles, and other textual content into a digestible and engaging copy. Besides paragraphs, it can also be summarized in bullet points. It works incredibly fast and offers the option to shorten or lengthen the summary so users can quickly access insights and better understand a text without thoroughly reading the source material. Based on its results, the summary tool understands the context, maintaining the quality and accuracy of the text. Features Fast Content Creation Semrush generates summaries in seconds for fast content creation. It does not require human intervention and only takes one click to produce the summary. The summary tool can save users hours of work without compromising the quality of the text. Dual Modes The AI text summarizer offers two modes: paragraph and bullet point list. Users can choose between the two to identify the main points in an article and remove unnecessary text. Customizable Length Semrush lets users decide whether they want a longer, medium-sized, or short summary. This feature applies to both "paragraph" and "bullet point list" modes. The summary tool keeps a straightforward and neutral tone so the text becomes more digestible and optimized for readers. Once the summary is generated, anyone can copy the result completely with one click of a button. Free AI Content Tools Semrush contains other AI tools for generating content, like a paraphrasing tool, sentence rewriter, and proofreader. These free content tools can improve anyone's writing for better readability. Reasons to consider: Completely free No character/word limit Straightforward functionality Reasons to avoid: Limited to English Limited to text Files cannot be uploaded. #4 AISEO Overview AISEO leverages AI technology to extract the most important information from any text. It understands the meaning of every sentence and rewrites each one from scratch while still optimizing for originality and readability. Any lengthy document gets converted into an easy-to-digest summary at a fast speed. Features Different Expressions for Similar Concepts AISEO can generate hundreds of different ways to summarize similar concepts, ensuring no duplicated content. This AI summarizer software can offer multiple alternatives based on the goals set by the user that cover narrative voice, emotion, formality, content focus, and variety. The summary tool can focus on conveying information when the content focus is set to information or focus on convincing the reader when it is set to persuasive. Users can balance the delivery by setting a neutral, fact-based tone. Custom Styles, Commands, and Tones AISEO lets users customize the style and tone of the summaries. The summary tool can also follow the command input, such as paraphrasing a text in a Shakespearean style or optimistic tone or summarizing a text like a copywriter. Show Similarity The AI summarizer software can also show the similarities between its summary and the original text. It highlights the words lifted from the source and displays the uniqueness of its summary for transparency. While it cannot always achieve 100% originality, AISEO only keeps the phrases integral to maintain the context and accuracy of information. Reasons to consider: Customizable Transparent Multi-language support Fairly priced Reasons to avoid: Free version is limited to 125 words. Premium features exclusive to paid plans No support for video/audio files #5 Video to Blog Overview Video to Blog transforms video content into publishable, SEO-optimized content. Powered by OpenAI, it leverages GPT 3.5 or GPT 4 AI models to generate summaries of any video taken from YouTube. This summary tool can also extract information from uploaded video and audio files. It excels in curating information to create a personalized AI summary. Features SEO-Driven Video to Blog boasts many SEO-driven features that optimize content, such as SEO metadata generation, table of contents, and primary keyphrase. Leveraging this AI summarizer software properly sections blogs or articles and informs search engines about their content. It breaks up large blocks of text to make the content easier to follow and understand, improving user's comprehension and retention without overwhelming them with information. Customizations This summary tool follows specific instructions like the tone, point of view, or language to be used before generating a summary. It can summarize in multiple languages and convey information in different tones that best match the objective of the text or branding of the company. Video to Blog can also convert videos to other formats like a product review, a news report, or an interview. Utilizing its customizations makes summaries more accessible to readers consuming media outside of their expertise. Email and Social Media Promotions Video to Blog also lets users generate email and social media promotions. This feature takes the mental work off marketers or sales teams to compose captions and emails that hook customers or improve engagement. AI Image Generator Video to Blog can also automatically add images into the blog by leveraging AI. Visual content can grab the reader's attention and make them understand the blog post better as pictures complement the text summarized by the summary tool. Moreover, it can also automatically add screenshots from the video where the summary is based on, which is beneficial for taking notes, learning visually, following instructions, or remembering specific information for future reference. Reasons to consider: SEO-friendly Customizable Multi-language support Built-in AI image generator Free to use Reasons to avoid: Premium features require paid credits. Limited to video and audio files Conclusion A summary tool can help anyone repurpose content and understand the source material better without spending hours reading text. Professionals, students, and even business owners can utilize its function to derive insights and increase awareness on topics outside their expertise. Summaries exist to highlight the key points and concepts so readers of all levels can easily digest information without feeling overwhelmed. Choose from the top 5 best AI summarizer software to conquer lengthy texts or video content. YEREVAN, 21 MAY, ARMENPRESS. On May 20 ARARAT legendary Armenian brandy, celebrated the centennial of Maestro Charles Aznavour with a special event ARARAT Charles Aznavour Signature Blend. Maestros Centennial. The event took place at the "One & Only" theater within the Seven Visions Hotel. In its unique form, the event was a heartfelt homage from ARARAT to the legacy of Charles Aznavour, commemorating his contributions as a musician, artist, philanthropist, and diplomat. The event served as a wonderful occasion to reveal Aznavours immense heritage and mastery. Upon entering the theatre, guests were invited to uncover the world of Aznavour filled with his songs, character, and warmth, which he generously shared throughout his creative path. A highlight of the event was an invitation to an immersive journey into the passionate realm of the Maestros world. Each guest, having shared their feelings and impressions, had the chance to create and capture their unique moment with the help of artificial intelligence within a few minutes. A special platform was created by ARARAT https://aznavourcentennial.araratbrandy.com/explore to extend the emotional journey of ARARAT and Maestro Charles Aznavour's collaborative project initiated in 2017, giving birth to the ARARAT Charles Aznavour Signature Blend. The unique blend includes rare vintage spirits, reflecting the significant milestones of Aznavours creative life. Notes of First Triumph Debut Performance at the Olympia in Paris 1960. Notes of Global Fame The launch of "Je mvoyais deja" song, Rise of International Recognition Notes of Eternal Passion. Creation of a classic hit "Une vie damour" Comprised of a unique bouquet of notes, ARARAT Charles Aznavour Signature Blend encapsulates the following rare spirits, echoing through decades. Guests of the event had the chance to reveal the brandy on the course of special tasting during the event. Presented in the main markets of ARARAT worldwide, ARARAT Charles Aznavour Signature Blend a bright member of ARARAT Ultra-Premium Range - stands out for its elegant packaging, personally confirmed by the Maestro. What makes it even more special is the Maestros signature, which in a form crowns the collaboration between two Legends. Commemorating the 100th anniversary, the packaging is now ornamented with a unique addition, marking this symbolic date. A Legend, who shaped an entire era, a symbol of Armenia and French chanson, "Artist of the Century" declared by "Times". An artist, and a humanist. Aznavour is beyond time yet remains timeless. He sang for all of us but had a personal conversation with each of us. While talking about himself, he always said that his duty and eternal desire is to share all his sincerity and tenderness. Today we remember Aznavour and pay homage to the eternal love, sincerity, and mastery with which he generously shared. I am infinitely glad that in this significant year, ARARAT Armenian Brandy, together with Aznavour Foundation, is supporting a whole series of events dedicated to the maestro. I am sure that the memory of the legend will always live on. And the joint story with ARARAT will continue to reveal new facets of Legends. noted Serge Khachatryan, Chief Operating Officer of Yerevan Brandy Company. OpenAI is reportedly in discussions with Scarlett Johansson regarding a ChatGPT voice that bears a striking resemblance to hers. The company is engaging with the actress's representatives to address concerns about the similarity between Johansson's voice and that of Sky, one of ChatGPT's personas. Speaking with Scarlett Johannson OpenAI has contacted Scarlett Johansson's representatives following the removal of a ChatGPT voice that closely resembled the actress. The company decided to withdraw Sky, one of ChatGPT's default voices after it drew attention for its striking similarity to Johansson's character in the film Her. As per The Verge, the company emphasized that the resemblance was unintended and is working to address the concerns raised. Joanne Jang, the model behavior lead at OpenAI, explained that the company has been in dialogue with Scarlett Johansson's representatives to address concerns and clear up any confusion. As she's involved in selecting actors for ChatGPT's voice roles, Jang noted that the resemblance to Johansson's character might be due to the limited number of realistic female voice assistants. Unlike Siri and Alexa, which often sound mechanical, the voice in question was crafted to sound more natural and lifelike. While ChatGPT has featured various voices since its inception last year, it was only recently that Sky's voice gained significant attention. This surge in popularity coincided with introducing more expressive voice capabilities through OpenAI's GPT-4o model. According to Jang, users now have the ability to customize their chosen voice to reflect a particular personality. Whether peppy, measured, or even somber, ChatGPT users can tailor their interactions based on the personality that resonates most with them. Jang underscores the significance of user comfort, highlighting that customization is pivotal in crafting a seamless user experience. She emphasizes the importance of offering a product that allows users to authentically express themselves without adopting a different persona. In September, OpenAI initiated discussions with Johannson about providing her voice. However, Johannson declined the offer "after much consideration and for personal reasons" and expressed being "shocked" upon hearing the demo released. The statement further indicates that Johannson felt compelled to seek legal representation and that OpenAI "reluctantly agreed" to alter the Sky voice. Amid widespread concerns surrounding deepfakes and safeguarding personal likeness, work, and identity, she stressed the importance of achieving clear answers to these pressing questions. She expressed anticipation for a resolution characterized by transparency and enacting relevant legislation, emphasizing the necessity of protecting individual rights. Removing Sky After Sky gained widespread attention last week for its resemblance to Johansson's portrayal of an intelligent voice assistant in the movie Her, OpenAI decided to remove it. OpenAI's CTO, Mira Murati, clarified that the company had no intention of replicating Johansson's character. OpenAI supports the creative community and has collaborated closely with the voice acting industry to meticulously cast ChatGPT's voices. Each actor receives compensation above top-of-market rates, a practice that will be upheld for as long as their voices are utilized in our products. Warnings regarding generative artificial intelligence only continue amidst the upcoming elections as reportedly seen by the most recent federal bulletin by the Department of Homeland Security. The research developed by the Department of Homeland Security and distributed to law enforcement partners nationally suggests that local and foreign actors could use technology to pose significant obstacles leading up to the 2024 election cycle. Federal bulletins are infrequent communications that alert law enforcement partners to particular threats and concerns. According to the warning, AI capabilities could aid efforts to sabotage the 2024 U.S. election cycle. A range of threat actors are expected to try to influence and sow unrest during this election cycle. Generative AI techniques will probably give foreign and domestic threat actors more opportunity to meddle in the 2024 election cycle by exacerbating emergent events, interfering with election procedures, or targeting election infrastructure. During a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing last week, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines also cautioned Congress about the dangers of generative AI, stating that the technology can produce realistic "deepfakes" whose source can be hidden. Since refuting or countering the misleading information circulating online could take some time, the timing of AI-generated media related to an election can be just as important as the content itself, as stated in the bulletin. The report also mentioned the threat that still exists abroad, stating that in November 2023, an AI-generated video urged voters in a southern Indian state to support a certain candidate on election day, leaving officials with little time to refute the video. AI Giants Against AI Disinformation Microsoft and OpenAI have recently established a $2 million fund to fight deepfakes and fraudulent AI content in response to the threat posed by GenAI. Concerns over misinformation produced by AI have reached a critical mass as an unprecedented 2 billion voters prepare to cast ballots in 50 different countries this election year. Misinformation specifically targets vulnerable communities. With the advent of generative AI technologies, such as chatbots like ChatGPT, the amount of tools accessible for creating deepfakes has increased substantially. These open-source resources can be used to produce phony photographs, audio clips, and movies of public officials. An open-source deepfake detection tool has been made available to help scholars spot fraudulent content produced by the DALL-E image generator. The recently established "societal resilience fund" is essential to advancing the cause of ethical AI use. Teresa Hutson, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft for Technology and Corporate Responsibility, emphasized the value of the Societal Resilience Fund in AI-related community initiatives. To counter AI misinformation, she emphasized Microsoft and OpenAI's dedication to collaborating with other like-minded businesses. AI Deception Effectivity Even though the quality of the newest AI technology is remarkable, most deepfakes lose credibility very soon, especially those coming from China and Russia intended for global influence campaigns. Sources claim that experts have observed that AI-generated content is unlikely to alter most people's political opinions, regardless of how persuasive its images, videos, or audio samples may be. Generative AI has been widely used in recent elections in Pakistan and Indonesia, but there is no proof that it has unfairly favored any particular candidate. Social media releases a ton of content daily, making it difficult for AI-powered scamseven realistic onesto acquire traction. Artificial intelligence deepfakes cannot reportedly be fully prevented by the Australian Electoral Commission due to the limited legal powers of the commission regarding booming technology. According to Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers, deepfakes with a political bent are not currently illegal in Australia. He argues that if they were properly approved, the messages would not currently violate the Election Act. The AEC has little authority to interfere with political materials but can take action when false information regarding the election process is disseminated. According to Rogers, generative AI, the technology behind the majority of deepfakes, is becoming a bigger problem for elections domestically and globally. Senator David Shoebridge of the Greens stated that regulators needed more authority to remove deepfake content. He was worried voters could be duped by generative AI content that grows more lifelike by the month. He goes on to say that it is one thing to witness an unscrupulous player fabricating information about and disparaging their political rival; it is quite another to coerce a political rival into telling lies on their own and coming up with the lies being spread by that rival. Read Also : Senate Committee Passes Bills to Combat AI Misinformation Ahead of US Elections Global AI Deepfake Concerns Australia's deepfake concerns show the growing threat AI poses during the elections. A recent US study conducted by the Department of Homeland Security and shared with law enforcement partners across the country raises the possibility that foreign and local actors may utilize AI to create major barriers in the run-up to the 2024 election cycle. Federal bulletins are sporadic alerts sent to law enforcement partners about specific dangers and issues. This bulletin warns that AI capabilities may facilitate attempts to influence the US election cycle in 2024. During this election cycle, various threat actors are anticipated to attempt to exert influence and cause disruption. Thanks to generative AI approaches, the 2024 election cycle will likely be more vulnerable to manipulation by foreign and domestic threat actors. These approaches could intensify emerging events, tamper with election protocols, or target election infrastructure. Continuous Warnings on AI Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines also warned Congress about the risks associated with generative AI during a hearing by the Senate Intelligence Committee last week, pointing out that the technology can create realistic "deepfakes" whose source can be concealed. According to the bulletin, the timeliness of AI-generated media relevant to an election can be just as critical as the content itself because it may take some time to refute or contradict the erroneous material spreading online. In November 2023, an AI-generated video persuaded voters in a southern Indian state to favor a certain candidate on election day, giving officials little time to dispute the video. According to the research, this is just one example of the threat that still exists abroad. (Photo: Tech Times) Michigan is set to welcome a new Chinese electric vehicle factory that promises thousands of jobs, but citizens and legislators are reportedly criticizing the new factory due to the growing tensions between the US and China, among other reasons. The US company with Chinese ties setting up shop about 100 miles from a National Guard base angered the township's residents, who see the factory's construction as a reflection of the current state of U.S.-China relations. Additionally, rumors exist that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will have an office in the plant, which Thelen refuted last year at a meeting at a local high school. Gotion, the American arm of Gotion High Tech Co. Ltd., a Chinese battery manufacturer, was established on August 1. Green Charter Township granted it permission to establish a facility. The town's lawmakers even attempted to stop the factory from being built, but they were unsuccessful when US District Judge Jane Beckering decided on Friday to grant a preliminary injunction, upholding Gotion Inc.'s development agreement with the Green Charter Township board. June saw the U.S.'s acquisition of land by Gotion for an EV battery plant deemed unproblematic by the Treasury Department's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which examines foreign investments for potential threats to national security. Read Also : Republican Bill Threatens US EV Industry Leadership Amid China Concerns Water Supply Concerns Gotion filed a lawsuit after the township's newly elected board decided not to support the project and revoked an agreement allowing the city of Big Rapids to supply water to the plant site. Locals also voiced concerns last year about the 715,000 gallons of water per day that the plant would require to manufacture cathodes and anodes for electric vehicle batteries. Biden Tariffs on Chinese EVs US-China relations continue to intensify, most notably the Biden administration recently announced that China-made electric vehicles and goods will be subject to a new set of tariffs, quadrupling the Chinese EV tariff from 25% to 100%. Following a four-year assessment, the decision was made. Its goal was to avert low-priced, heavily subsidized Chinese goods from reaching the US market and impeding the growth of the nation's green technology sector. According to reports, tariffs on lithium batteries are expected to rise from 7.5% to 25%, semiconductors from 25% to 50%, critical minerals from 0% to 25%, and solar cells from 25% to 50%. Personal protective equipment, aluminum, and steel are currently subject to zero to 7.5% tariffs, which will rise to 25%. Despite Beijing's threat of retaliation, Biden argued that the higher levies were a fair response to China's excess capacity in the electric vehicle market. According to sources, China can only sell 22 to 23 million EVs domestically despite producing 30 million of them annually. Biden's auto tariffs are only symbolic because Donald Trump's tariffs during his administration nearly prevented Chinese electric automobiles from entering the US. Related Article : Chinese EV Maker Nio Introduces Cheaper Rival to Tesla's Model Y (Photo: Tech Times) Samsung looks to solve its ongoing chip crisis and compete in the ongoing chip race powering AI, by appointing a new chief in the company's semiconductor division. Young Hyun Jun was named the new leader of the South Korean technology conglomerate's semiconductor division on Tuesday. According to the Wall Street Journal, Jun used to be the CEO of Samsung Electronics' memory-chip division as well as the battery division of Samsung SDI. He will take over for Kyehyun Kyung, who is set to follow Jun as the head of future business, which is the department responsible for devising future company plans. In addition to being the biggest memory chip manufacturer in the world, Samsung is a significant participant in the foundry, or contract chip, industry. Along with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Intel, it is one of the few companies that can produce the most advanced logic chips in the market. Analysts reportedly stated that Samsung is presumably making this attempt to catch up in the market for high-end semiconductors used in AI, such as high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, where it has lagged behind competitors like SK Hynix. Analysts also noted that it is unusual for Samsung to replace a high-ranking job in the middle of the year, as most staff changes occur at the beginning of the year. Jun will be replaced as leader of the future business unit by Kye Hyun Kyung, the current chief of the chip division. Read Also : Samsung Set to Buy French AI Company as It Looks to Advance Medical Diagnostic Systems Samsung's Success amid the AI Race Following the receipt of a $6.4 billion U.S. government grant last month, Samsung is planning to expand its chip-making facilities in Texas as it competes with rivals to build cutting-edge high-bandwidth memory chips and other AI devices. As a result of its flagship semiconductor sector turning a profit due to increasing memory chip pricing, its net profit more than doubled in the first quarter. According to Samsung, there will be a significant market for HBM chips which power AI systems through the second half of 2024. HBM Chip Demand The competition for artificial intelligence continues to revolve around HBM chips, to the point where high-bandwidth memory chips from Micron and SK Hynix are reportedly almost sold out for the forthcoming year due to the increased demand for AI. Artificial intelligence adoption has surged due to the need for high-performance memory chips for training LLMs, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT. These chips must save data from past contacts with users along with their preferences for LLMs to react to queries in a manner akin to that of a person. In response to the surge in demand, SK Hynix intends to increase output. To do this, investments will be made in the Yongin semiconductor cluster in South Korea, the M15X fab in Cheongju, and state-of-the-art packaging facilities located in Indiana. According to CNBC, big tech giants like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon are driving demand for AI processors by spending billions on LLM training to maintain their competitiveness. Related Article : Microsoft Looks to Remedy Nvidia H100's Constricted Supply With Alternative AMD AI Chips (Photo: Tech Times) NASA's James Webb Space Telescope may have unraveled the cosmic puzzle surrounding the inflated exoplanet WASP-107 b. An Exoplanet with Remarkable Puffiness The warm gas giant exoplanet WASP-107 b has long puzzled scientists with its remarkable puffiness and moderate temperature. In density, it resembles a microwaved marshmallow. However, two research teams' recent findings may shed light on this celestial mystery. Researchers discovered surprisingly little methane in the exoplanet's atmosphere by analyzing data collected from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and previous observations from the Hubble Space Telescope. According to NASA, this revelation suggests that the planet's interior is considerably hotter and its core more massive than initially presumed. The high temperatures are believed to result from tidal heating induced by the planet's slightly elliptical orbit, which stretches and heats the planet akin to silly putty. This newfound understanding explains how exoplanets like WASP-107 b can exhibit such extraordinary puffiness, potentially resolving a longstanding enigma in exoplanet science. Unlike the conventional expectations of a small rocky core surrounded by vast layers of hydrogen and helium, WASP-107 b appears to challenge these assumptions. The discrepancy between its observed characteristics and theoretical predictions has fueled speculation about its formation and evolution. Webb's remarkable sensitivity and capacity to analyze light passing through exoplanet atmospheres has provided invaluable insights into the nature of WASP-107 b and similar low-density exoplanets. WASP-107 b's Atmosphere Through transmission spectroscopy, researchers examined the composition of WASP-107 b's atmosphere, revealing a surprising absence of methane, a molecule typically expected in such environments. This scarcity of methane, coupled with the detection of other carbon-bearing molecules, suggests a vigorous mixing of hot gases from the planet's interior with cooler layers in the upper atmosphere. This internal heat is likely due to tidal heating resulting from the planet's eccentric orbit, which continuously varies the distance between the star and the planet, exerting gravitational forces that stretch and heat the planet. By leveraging these findings, researchers were able to refine their understanding of WASP-107 b's internal structure, revealing a core at least twice as massive as previously estimated. According to NASA, this revised model aligns more cohesively with established theories of planet formation, dispelling some of the mystery surrounding WASP-107 b. Webb's observations offer a compelling narrative of planetary evolution, suggesting that celestial bodies like WASP-107 b may not be as enigmatic as once perceived. Instead, they may represent a variation of familiar planetary compositions, albeit under extreme temperature and pressure conditions. "The Webb data tells us that planets like WASP-107 b didn't have to form in some odd way with a super small core and a huge gassy envelope," Mike Line from Arizona State University (ASU) said in an official statement. "Instead, we can take something more like Neptune, with a lot of rock and not as much gas, just dial up the temperature, and poof it up to look the way it does." The researchers' findings were published in the journal Nature. A 23-year-old individual from Taiwan has been arrested in New York for his alleged involvement in operating an illicit online narcotics marketplace known as the "Incognito Market" on the dark web. Incognito Market Founder Gets Arrested in New York Identified as Rui-Siang Lin, also known by aliases such as "Pharoah," Lin's arrest unfolded at John F. Kennedy Airport over the weekend, with a scheduled court appearance slated for the following Monday, as confirmed by the Justice Department. Attorney General Merrick Garland labeled Lin as the alleged orchestrator behind the illicit enterprise, boasting a staggering $100 million scheme that purportedly trafficked deadly drugs across international borders, including the United States. The incriminating details emerged from investigations into the "Incognito Market," an online dark web platform where users could anonymously buy and sell narcotics worldwide. Lin's alleged role as the brains behind this operation, operating under monikers like "Pharoah" or "faro," thrust him into the spotlight of a multimillion-dollar operation. Incognito Market was conceived in October 2020 and served as a clandestine hub for narcotics transactions, facilitating over $100 million in sales, including substantial quantities of cocaine and methamphetamines, before its closure in March, according to the US Department of Justice (DOJ). It operated within the concealed realms of the dark web, accessible globally via the Tor web browser. According to prosecutors, Lin exercised comprehensive control over Incognito Market's activities, overseeing its workforce, suppliers, and clientele, thus wielding authority over its multimillion-dollar dealings. Incognito Market's Modus Operandi The DOJ further noted that the modus operandi of Incognito Market mirrored that of legitimate e-commerce platforms, complete with branding, promotional activities, and customer support, aimed at streamlining the narcotics trade across international borders. Upon registration, users gained access to a plethora of listings featuring various narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, LSD, MDMA, and oxycodone, often advertised as authentic prescription medication despite being misbranded or counterfeit. The undercover operations unearthed alarming instances, such as the sale of purported oxycodone tablets, which subsequent testing revealed to be fentanyl pills. Vendors on Incognito Market reportedly paid the platform a commission for each sale, contributing to its operational expenses, including employee salaries and server maintenance. Lin allegedly amassed millions in profits from these transactions, facilitated by the platform's proprietary banking system. If found guilty, Lin could potentially receive a mandatory minimum sentence of life imprisonment for participating in an ongoing criminal enterprise and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for involvement in a narcotics conspiracy. Additionally, he could face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for money laundering and up to five years in prison for conspiracy to sell adulterated and misbranded medication. A federal district court judge will make the final sentencing decision, taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant statutory factors. Underwater signals captured by hydrophones could prove instrumental in locating airplanes like MH370 following oceanic crashes, as research conducted at Cardiff University revealed. The study, emerging a decade after MH370's vanishing act, scrutinized over 100 hours of data gleaned from hydrophones after ten historical aircraft accidents and a submarine disappearance. These findings present a roadmap for future investigations into the last known whereabouts of aircraft like MH370 and establish a framework for addressing similar incidents in the future. How Oceanic Crashes Can Help Finding MH370 The researchers note that oceanic crashes, such as airplane crashes, create unique acoustic signatures that traverse extensive distances through water. Subsequently, these signatures are captured by hydrophone technology located across seabeds worldwide. Dr. Usama Kadri, a Reader at Cardiff University's School of Mathematics, underscored the significance of these findings, stating that distinct pressure signals from previous aircraft crashes were captured on hydrophones, even at distances surpassing 3,000km. Dr. Kadri emphasized the necessity for further analysis and future research to better understand the recorded signals and their potential impacts on MH370's disappearance, especially considering that official investigations concluded the aircraft likely crashed near the 7th arc. The study advocates conducting field experiments involving controlled explosions or airguns along the 7th arc while tracking the signals from surrounding hydroacoustic stations. According to the study, these experiments, mirroring the energy levels akin to the impact of MH370, could provide crucial insights into the missing aircraft's location and serve as a valuable tool for authorities in identifying potential crash sites in the future. Dr. Kadri pointed out that similar exercises were undertaken during the search and rescue mission for the ARA San Juan. This submarine went missing off the coast of Argentina in 2017. The researcher claimed that this precedent demonstrates the feasibility of such experiments and their potential utility in determining the relevance of signals to MH370 before embarking on another extensive search mission. The Mysterious Disappearance of MH370 The disappearance of MH370 on 8th March 2014, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, spurred this research, raising pertinent questions about the detectability of aircraft crashes in the ocean and the viability of hydroacoustic technology in aiding search and rescue endeavors. Despite exhaustive multinational search endeavors, the fate of MH370 and the 239 individuals on board remains shrouded in uncertainty. The study primarily revolved around hydrophone data from the Southern Indian Ocean during the aircraft's final leg, seeking signals generated near the 7th arc in alignment with official search recommendations. Additionally, data about the aircraft's disappearance stage around its last communication in the Gulf of Thailand was scrutinized for strange signals, albeit yielding no conclusive findings. Dr. Kadri underscored that while the research hasn't unearthed definitive signals necessitating a new search for MH370, following the study's recommendations could potentially shed light on the aircraft's location if the observed signals are deemed relevant. "The disappearance of MH370 motivated this work because it raised questions about the detectability of aircraft crashes in the ocean and the potential use of hydroacoustic technology to aid in search and rescue efforts. Unfortunately, we've been unable to find a signal with the certainty needed to launch a new search for the missing aircraft," Dr. Kadri said in a press release statement. "However, if the recommendations are followed by the appropriate authorities, we can assess the relevance of the observed signals, potentially shedding light on the location of MH370." The findings of the study were published in Scientific Reports. Related Article : Malaysia Airlines: First Major Airline To Use Satellite Technology To Track Own Fleet Paris Graduate School Physics Professor, Dr. Rashad Richey, was recently granted provisional patent status by the United States Patent & Trademark Office for his latest invention, the Neurological Brain Entrainment Device, which is turning heads in the medical community as one of the most intriguing scientific advancements in recent years for human cognition. The device, set to begin clinical trials in 2024, seeks to revolutionize the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, potentially reversing its effects and enhancing cognitive functions. Currently, Alzheimer's has no known medical cure. During his keynote presentation at the 2023 National Society of Black Physicists Conference in Knoxville, Tennesseethe premier global forum for Black physicistsDr. Richey articulated his conviction that quantum physics is key to unlocking future medical breakthroughs. He emphasized the potential of quantum physics to revolutionize our approach to health and disease, underscoring his belief in its capacity to lead to significant advancements in medical research. This perspective highlights his approach to physics and neuroscience, positioning him as an emerging leader in the scientific community and an already established leader in the social sciences arena. Currently enrolled in science graduate studies at Dartmouth College, one of America's eight Ivy League higher education institutions, Dr. Richey holds multiple advanced degrees, including completing doctoral research studies in federal policy reform at Clark Atlanta University, a Doctor of Law in Immigration law from Azteca University, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence (JD) from Renaissance University (RU has an academic partnership with the Law Faculty at the University of Montreal, one of highest ranked law schools internationally). He also earned his Master of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Pacific, Master of Science in Agronomical Physics from the University of Renaissance d'Haiti, and finished his MBA studies at Beulah Heights University. He has peer-reviewed published research in science, policy, and social science fields. In addition to his studies at Dartmouth, Dr. Richey is also a doctoral research student studying quantum physics at the Paris Graduate School Innovative Knowledge Institute. PGS is a registered college with the French Ministry of Education, approved by Bureau de Certification International and Qualiopia mandatory quality standard accreditation created by the new public institution "France Competencies," harmonizing the practice and quality of training institutions in France. As a private higher education provider, the institution operates under the French Code Decree of January 25th, 1876, Articles L. 731-2, L. 731-3, and L. 731-4since June 25, 2013, under receipt No. E-13-09 to offer higher education awards. PGS's academic partners include Accord Ecole de Langues, the University of Liberia, the Global Counter-Terrorism Institute, and the SMS Higher Education Group. A leader in international education, PGS is an institutional member of ACUNSAcademic Council on the United Nations System. Dr. Richey's interest in human cognition and its complexities is deeply personal. "Watching my grandmother struggle with her memory and awareness was profoundly impactful," Dr. Richey says of a poignant childhood memory. "She was a nurturing soul, and to see her present yet absent was heart-wrenching. The acceptance that nothing could be done to help her was something I could never come to terms with." This early life experience planted the seeds of curiosity and determination that would later drive his latest scientific endeavor and serve as one of his motivations. Author of a best-selling physics-genre book titled, "Ancient Egyptian Mastery of Quantum Physics, Vibratory Frequency, and Geometric Sciences: An Overview of Complex Scientific Applications in Ancient Cultures," Dr. Richey traverses multiple arenas, including broadcast and academia. In addition to being on faculty at Paris Graduate School, he also serves as a professor at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, GA, and his lectures have included the University of Michigan, Reinhardt University, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Clark Atlanta University, to name a few. Dr. Richey was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from Clark Atlanta University in 2023, and in 2021 was inducted into the extremely exclusive Black College Alumni Hall of Fame, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Supreme Court Justice Thrugood Marshall, and Ambassador Andrew Young are all honored past recipients. About the Groundbreaking Invention The Neurological Brain Entrainment Device harnesses the principles of brainwave synchronization to reverse the debilitating effects of Alzheimer's disease potentially. The device, which has received a provisional patent from the United States Patent & Trademark Office, is the culmination of years of interdisciplinary research, blending physics, neuroscience, and quantum mechanics. Dr. Richey's medically certified, double-blind, and peer-reviewed case study was published in the International Journal of Science and Research, titled "Reversing Alzheimer's: Efficacy of Non-Invasive Quantum Therapies on Human Physiology." "Our device aims to synchronize brainwave activity through non-invasive stimuli, potentially restoring cognitive functions in Alzheimer's patients," explains Dr. Richey. It emits synchronized light frequency and sound frequency, utilizing 40Hz along with a unique combination of other frequencies. MIT has shown in lab mice that 40Hz frequency may stimulate brain activity and possibly reduce amyloid plaques associated with Alzheimer's. These findings are congruent with Dr. Richey's published research. The device is being engineered by ProtoType House in Florida, and the concept has been supported by various studies. However, Dr. Richey may be the first person to prove the concept in human physiology through a published case study. The device's development was informed by emerging research suggesting gamma frequency entrainment can significantly impact the neural mechanisms underlying memory and learning cortex, illuminating a potential path to duplicatable brain plasticity. The upcoming clinical trials will be crucial in validating the efficacy of this innovative approach. Understanding the Neurological Brain Entrainment Device Critics caution that, although the theory is promising, researchers have not yet thoroughly tested the practical application in human subjects. Dr. W. Carhee, the Chief Administrator at West Cascade Medical Center, where the clinical trials will be held, said, "What Dr. Richey is attempting to accomplish intersects so many sciences that having an American physicist, French research scientist, a chiropractor specializing in brain and spinal care, coupled with the medical center's resources and neurosurgeon, simply made sense." Dr. Richey's team also includes an auditory (sound frequency) engineering consultant, who's a former United States Army Major. Dr. Richey's Quest to Transform Alzheimer's Care As Dr. Richey prepares for the trials, his plan for the future remains clear and focused. "This is just the beginning. We hope to not only combat Alzheimer's, but also offer a new lease on life to those who believed their diagnosis was a final verdict," he reflects. This blend of optimism and scientific rigor sets Dr. Richey's work apart from his peers. Dr. Richey's role as an innovator in neuroscience and his invention's potential to revolutionize Alzheimer's disease treatment cannot be overstated. His work reinforces the notion that with the right combination of expertise and determination, the boundaries of medical science can be expanded in ways previously unimaginable. The implications of Dr. Richey's invention may even extend far beyond Alzheimer's disease. The principles underlying the Neurological Brain Entrainment Device could potentially be adapted to treat various neurological conditions, from Parkinson's disease to traumatic brain injury. As research progresses and the device's applications broaden, Dr. Richey's contribution to the field could redefine our approach to neurological care, making treatments more effective, less invasive, affordable, and more accessible to those in need. The Neurological Brain Entrainment Device could prove the power of human ingenuity to confront and overcome the challenges posed by some of the most complex diseases known to man. The world will be watching as the clinical trials unfold, and there's an obvious sense of hope that this could be the dawn of a new breakthrough in the treatment of Alzheimer's and our collective understanding of human brain health. About Dr. Rashad Richey Dr. Richey represents a new breed of scientists who are not just researchers but also versatile thinkers pushing the boundaries of what is scientifically possible. A multifaceted scholar and professional, Dr. Richey is also Managing Partner for the Law Office of Richey & Wilson The Fairness Firm LLP in Washington, D.C., with affiliate practices in Atlanta, GA, Spain, France, and Cape Town, South Africa and serves as President of Rolling Out, the largest free-print urban publication in America. He is a member of the board of directors for Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, Chairman of the Georgia Council for International Visitors (a United States Department of State-funded outfit), and a member in good standing with the National Society of Black Physicists, Delta Theta Phi Law Fraternity, American Association of University Professors, American Bar Association and the International Bar Association. His recent work in neurophysics and cognition has piqued the scientific community's interest and garnered attention from potential investors and healthcare providers keen on exploring new treatments for an aging global population increasingly affected by Alzheimer's and other cognitive disorders. Lenovo has unveiled its latest offerings in the realm of personal computing with the introduction of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6, representing the brand's first foray into next-generation Copilot+ PCs. New Era of AI in the PC Industry These new devices, fueled by Snapdragon X Elite processors, aim to usher in a new era of artificial intelligence (AI) in the PC industry, promising enhanced personalization and productivity across Lenovo's PC lineup. Lenovo claims that these new laptops deliver unparalleled performance per watt, boasting the fastest AI NPU processing capabilities to date. With advancements from Microsoft and Copilot+, users can harness Large Language Model capabilities even offline, ensuring seamless productivity and creativity. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 grant users access to Copilot+'s extensive knowledge base. Leveraging generative AI and machine learning, Copilot+ aids in text composition, visual creation, and streamlining productivity tasks, all while seamlessly transitioning between offline and online modes. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x promises creators a smarter way to unleash their creativity, with onboard access to advanced features such as text-to-image, photo and video editing functionalities, and text creation and editing feedback. Its Hexagon NPU ensures efficient processing with a multi-day battery life from its 70Wh battery. With a 14.5" OLED touch panel, advanced camera and call quality, and lossless high-definition audio, the Yoga Slim 7x promises a superior user experience, according to Lenovo. ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 The ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 caters to business users, offering an AI-powered experience for Windows laptops. Equipped with a Snapdragon X Elite processor and up to 64GB high-speed LPDDR5x memory, it promises exceptional performance and efficiency in a sleek 14" form factor. Lenovo asserts that users will enjoy exceptional video collaboration facilitated by the convenient communication bar, which houses an FHD+IR MIPI camera equipped with a physical camera shutter to uphold privacy. Furthermore, users can maintain connectivity through Wi-Fi 7 and optional 5G sub-6 capabilities, guaranteeing uninterrupted connection regardless of their location. Additionally, Lenovo emphasizes that users can capitalize on a 58Wh battery, enabling them to experience multi-day battery life with the aid of a more energy-efficient low-power display panel. Read Also : Motorola and Lenovo Face German Sales Ban After Patent Dispute Available Starting June Both the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 are slated for availability starting June 2024, with expected starting prices of $1,199 and $1,699, respectively. "As we enter the beginning of the AI PC era-a once-in-30-years inflection point in the market-we are proud to offer one of the widest portfolio of AI-ready devices, AI-enabled solutions, and AI-optimized experiences to customers worldwide and bring AI to all," Luca Rossi, President of Lenovo's Intelligent Devices Group, said in a press release statement. "The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x and ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 are the newest members of Lenovo's portfolio of devices that harness the new power of AI including multiday battery life and faster, more secure client-based processing that delivers to users the ultimate in personalization and control, unleashing their unlimited potential for creative expression and unparalleled productivity." Iran mourns President Raisi after tragic helicopter crash Xinhua) 08:13, May 21, 2024 TEHRAN, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after his helicopter crashed in the country's mountainous northwestern region on Sunday. Iran's official news agency IRNA confirmed the deaths of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azarbaijan Province Malek Rahmati, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Representative to East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem and Raisi's bodyguard, all of whom were onboard the same helicopter. Khamenei announced on Monday five days of public mourning. This photo taken on May 19, 2024 shows a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the footage of Iran's state-run IRIB TV. (Xinhua/Shadati) CRASH Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency early Monday that the crash site was located after hours of extensive search in the mountainous region of East Azerbaijan. An image released by the IRNA showed the wreckage of the helicopter scattered across a mountain peak. Rescuers faced harsh weather conditions and low temperatures during their search, which began immediately after the crash was reported on Sunday. The crash occurred as Raisi traveled from the Azerbaijani border following his attendance at a ceremony to inaugurate a storage dam with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. In an interview with state TV IRIB on Sunday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's crash to bad weather conditions, which he said also hindered search and rescue efforts. Raisi, 63, was born in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Before being elected Iranian president in 2021, he held prominent positions, including judiciary chief and Tehran prosecutor. In a statement quoted by the IRNA on Monday, the Iranian cabinet said Raisi was an "indefatigable and hard-working president" who "made the ultimate sacrifice on the path of serving his nation." To mourn Raisi's death, the Iranian government has draped his seat with a black robe. Across various provinces, preparations are underway for mourning ceremonies, while events scheduled for National Cultural Heritage Week have been canceled, as reported by the IRNA. Raisi's death comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, marked by an exchange of attacks in April fueled by the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year, while efforts to revive negotiations and salvage the Iran nuclear deal have hit a deadlock. Armed groups in the region like the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen have launched attacks on Israeli targets in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. This photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows rescue workers arriving at a helicopter accident site in East Azarbaijan province of Iran on the footage of Iran's state-run IRIB TV. (Xinhua/Shadati) CONDOLENCES After Raisi's death, many world leaders and foreign governments expressed sorrow. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, in which the Chinese leader expressed deep condolences and extended sincere sympathies to Mokhber, the family of President Raisi, and the Iranian government and people. Leaders from Russia, Turkiye, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Pakistan, Venezuela and India, along with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and European Council President Charles Michel, have all sent messages of condolence after Raisi's death. "We extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, and to the Iranian government and people," Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said in a statement. Hamas, which has been in an escalating conflict with Israel since last October, expressed sympathy to the Iranian people for "this immense loss," lauding Raisi's support for the Palestinian cause and resistance against Israel. This photo taken on May 19, 2024 shows a poster of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the footage of national Iranian television. (Xinhua/Shadati) IMPACT The Iranian Constitution stipulates that in case of the president's death or incapacity, the first vice president will assume the role until an election is conducted within a maximum of 50 days. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday appointed the country's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, as interim president. Iran's Constitutional Council Spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif said that with Khamenei's approval, a council consisting of the Iranian judiciary chief, parliament speaker and first vice president will take measures to organize elections within 50 days. Even though the death of high-ranking officials is a blow to Iran's political governance, analysts said the "shock" can be absorbed. Khamenei has told Iranian people not to worry, promising "no disruption" to the country's affairs. "Iran, since its Islamic revolution in 1979 ... has proved to be more than capable of taking all sorts of shots (against it), especially when it comes to political leaders," opined Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst from Al Jazeera. On the diplomatic front, while the passing of the foreign minister is a significant loss for Iran, analysts said the country's foreign policy will not undergo substantial changes. Amir-Abdollahian "has been an extremely effective foreign minister, overseeing a successful reconciliation with Saudi Arabia and navigating a series of difficult crises," according to an analysis by the Times of Israel. But "Iran's broad foreign policy won't change," it noted. However, some analysts believe the incident will prompt Iran to shift its political focus toward domestic matters. The country can now be "a little more self-engaged, wrapped up in internal politics, as it sorts out the election for the next president," said Michael Makovsky, president and chief executive of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) YEREVAN, MAY 21, ARMENPRESS. During March and April 2022, the whole amount gathered by "The Power of One Dram", AMD 10.757.867 was directed to the afforestation program of the "My Forest Armenia" NGO, 16.000 trees were planted, and the first of these trees were directly planted by the companies employees. Exactly two years later, representatives of IDBank and Idram visited Jrashen again to see the newly planted forest and to discuss the future activities. Let us remind you that the beneficiary of "The Power of One Dram" in March of this year was again "My Forest Armenia" NGO, and the directed amount was AMD 4.017.648. "Two years ago, we were here with the Idram team and with great enthusiasm planted the first trees of the forest named after Idram and IDBank. On the one hand, there was great enthusiasm, because the forest is a vital issue for Armenia, on the other hand, there was great concern whether the trees would survive in a deserted area. Today we already see the basis of the forest and we are sure that as a result of The Power of One Dram program and the investment of our employees, there will be a big forest here in the future and we will take a step forward in the fight against environmental issues. This year, the amount gathered by The Power of One Dram in March, more than AMD 4 million, will also serve the expansion of this forest," said Mane Gasparyan, an employee of Communications unit of IDBank. "We highly appreciate the consistency of Idram and IDBank. We have been planting a forest together for the third year in a row, and today, together with the representatives of the companies, we are at the Jrashen afforestation area, where we report with great joy that the trees not only withstood the heat of the first summer but also feel very well and have new shoots. After a few years, these trees will be 1-1.5 meters tall. We attach great importance to our partnership with IDBank and Idram, which, by participating in forest creation, show an example of long-term vision, and also involve their clients in building a stable and durable future of our country" - said Lilith Martirosyan, deputy director of My Forest Armenia. Do you want to do charity, but you think it demands a lot of money? This means you are still not aware that it is possible to do many important and good deeds with just one dram, even if that one dram will not be missing from your wallet. Just make all your payments with the Idram&IDBank application, the IDBanking.am online platform, Idram and IDBank terminals, and for each of your payments, the companies will donate one dram to the "The Power of One Dram" initiative. THE COMPANIES ARE SUPERVISED BY CBA Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have introduced a new framework to address the issues of artificial intelligence (AI) models mistakenly reproducing copyrighted images. These AI models, including DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion, can create realistic images from textual descriptions. However, these models have faced criticism and legal action from artists who allege that the AI-generated images closely replicate their original work. Introducing the Ambient Diffusion The research team from UT Austin aims to resolve this by training AI models using corrupted images that do not resemble the original data. The research introduces a framework called Ambient Diffusion, which trains AI models using images corrupted beyond recognition. The models are exposed to significantly altered data, making it impossible for them to memorize and replicate the original images. This method allows the AI to draw inspiration from the corrupted data rather than copying it directly. Training diffusion models with corrupted image data demonstrated the framework's effectiveness. Early results show that the AI can still generate high-quality images without having access to recognizable original images, according to the research team's claims. This approach was first presented at the NeurIPS machine-learning conference in 2023. Since then, the framework has been further developed, leading to a follow-up paper titled "Consistent Diffusion Meets Tweedie." The UT Austin team collaborated with Constantinos Daskalakis from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to expand the framework to include training models on larger datasets corrupted by various types of noise rather than merely masking pixels. Beyond AI-generated Art The new framework is a potential solution for scientific and medical applications where obtaining uncorrupted data is either costly or impossible. Adam Klivans, a computer science professor involved in the research, emphasized the potential applications of this framework beyond the realm of AI-generated art. He highlighted its usefulness in scientific fields where uncorrupted data is hard to come by. "The framework could prove useful for scientific and medical applications, too," Klivans said in an official statement. "That would be true for basically any research where it is expensive or impossible to have a full set of uncorrupted data, from black hole imaging to certain types of MRI scans." The researchers conducted experiments by training a diffusion model on a dataset of 3,000 celebrity images. Initially, the model trained on clean data blatantly copied the examples. However, when the training data was corrupted by randomly masking up to 90% of individual pixels, the model's generated samples were high quality. Still, according to the team, they looked distinctly different from the training images. The researchers noted that their framework controls the trade-off between memorization and performance. According to Giannis Daras, a computer science graduate student who led the work, increasing corruption during training decreases the model's tendency to memorize the training set, thus mitigating the risk of replicating original images. The findings of the research team were published in arXiv. South 8 Technologies' pressurized, liquefied gas electrolyte could cut lithium-ion battery prices by 30 percent. Porsche Ventures, which invested in South 8, saw this innovation. The car maker see's this as an important venture as cold weather makes electric car heaters use more electricity, and batteries charge slower as electrolytes thicken. Porsche hopes the South 8 can improve low-temperature performance of EVs, according to TechCrunch. South 8 CEO Tom Stepien said Porche wants Porsche wants to "keep their finger on the pulse" on the project's direction. How Does South 8's Tech Work? The South 8 technology shrinks expensive battery production components. Gas under pressure in the cell prevents electrolyte freezing until -100 degrees Celsius, lower than most solvents. According to Stephen, South 8's tech retains 75% of energy capacity at -40 degrees Celsius. "Everything else is brick." Pressurized electrolyte works exclusively with cylindrical cells like Teslas, Rivians, and Lucids, not prismatic or pouch cells like other OEMs. Future uses for prismatic cells are imaginable, but pouch cells are not. For cylindrical cells, South 8's electrolyte requires stronger end caps and a revised top cap with an injection valve. This necessitates new equipment, which can be a challenge for gigafactories. However, Stepien expects huge long-term savings. The tech startup's approach might accelerate coal production by decreasing the days-long forming cycle. Stepien claims a 90% time reduction, noting that their standard protocol is 100 hours for customer cells. He said they noticed no performance change beyond 10 hours. 2026 Porsche Cayenne EV Update; Charity Race Coming Up Separately, Porsche plans to launch an electric Cayenne alongside the updated combustion version in 2026. The Cayenne EV will share the PPE platform with Audi's Q6 and Q8 e-tron, offering crossover powertrains and a Macan Electric-inspired appearance. The Cayenne EV's engine is unknown; however, it may be based on the Macan, maybe with more power. The EV Cayenne might reach 60 mph in under 3 seconds with extreme power choices, but performance may suffer, per Carscoops. The electric Cayenne will have elegant lines and futuristic headlights, just like the Macan Electric. The V8-powered combustion Cayenne and the EV version will be displayed in showrooms by late 2026. Meanwhile, the Porsche Penske Motorsport works team will enter three Porsche 963 race cars in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024, extending their tradition. On June 15 and 16, three hybrid cars will compete for sporting and charitable purposes. At the French endurance classic, Porsche will give 750 euros for each work car lap. 'Racing for Charity' sponsors three charities that assist severely ill children and their families, the car company stated in its media release. Porsche has historically prioritized social responsibility in sports, culture, environment, social affairs, science, and education. In 2023, the corporation funded 150 projects globally, and it continues this commitment through 'Racing for Charity' in racing. This year's Le Mans beneficiaries are Kinderherzen Retten e.V., Interplast Germany e.V., and the Ferry Porsche Foundation. Kinderherzen Retten e.V. assists Freiburg University Hospital perform life-saving heart surgery on 10 children from El Salvador, Syria, Albania, and Afghanistan. Interplast Germany e.V. provides vital medical assistance in Tanzania and Mozambique. The Ferry Porsche Foundation extends assistance to severely sick children with severe conditions and their families. A crowded hospital is never good for patients or doctors, as it can lead to treatment delays and, worse, more fatalities. Hospital crowding is a severe issue that healthcare experts seek to avoid daily by making critical decisions such as emergency room admissions. AI Enhances Emergency Room Decision-Making A new study by researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai aims to assist physicians in this life-or-death situation by using AI to analyze data and predict whether a patient visiting the emergency room should be admitted to the hospital (via Medical Xpress). With the United States having a ratio of 28.2 physicians to 10,000 patients, technologies like this promise to streamline hospital operations and ensure every patient is cared for. AI Models and Their Impact on Healthcare The researchers hope to lessen the burden on physicians by allowing advanced large language models like GPT-4 to help with these decisions accurately, even with limited data. To test this concept, the researchers used AI to analyze existing patient data, such as body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rates, as well as notes made by attending healthcare professionals. They ensured no identifiable patient data was included. Read Also : LA Department of Mental Health Confirms Data Breach of Sensitive Patient Information After processing data from more than 864,000 emergency room visits, the AI produced a promising result: 159,857 patients, or a little more than 18 percent, were identified as needing admission. Dr. Eyal Klang, a co-author of the study and Director of the Generative AI Research Program at Icahn Mount Sinai, expressed confidence that AI models like GPT-4 could improve healthcare professionals' decision-making in high-volume settings like the emergency room. Dr. Klang added that the study's results were surprising, as the AI model was able to provide reasoning for such critical decisions. The study also noted that these findings open up other possibilities, such as scaling the AI models to include traditional machine-learning predictions, which promises to improve performance. Future of AI in Healthcare Operations The researchers explained that despite the promising results, using AI to determine admissions from emergency room patients will remain a tool to assist physicians and will not replace expert decision-making. Importantly, the researchers noted that the study demonstrates how large language models (LLMs) can be incorporated into healthcare operations. Due to their rapid training capabilities, they can provide valuable insights even in complex environments. Brendan Carr, MD, MA, MS, a study co-author and emergency room physician who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Mount Sinai Health System, added that this research lays the groundwork for further exploration of AI integration in healthcare, such as diagnostics, treatment, operational, and administrative tasks that require continuous optimization. Social media is an excellent tool for marketing certain businesses, but for others it is an inefficient time drain they wish to avoid. The smaller the business, the more difficult a time they have dealing with both monitoring social media and posting to it because they have fewer personnel resources. Here are some suggested ways to approach dealing with social media as an SME to make it more manageable. Choosing the Right Social Network When youre running a business that doesnt have a great deal of time available for social media, you must make it accessible. Its no good trying to manage 5-10 social media channels because a being everywhere, all the time strategy isnt something that a busy SME can realistically handle. In a sense, companies must pick their battles, so to speak. It is much better to post semi-regularly and be responsive to commenters and direct messages on one or two social platforms than attempt to cover all the major ones. Therefore, narrowing down which social media channels are the most useful for your company is the first step. One way to do this is to look at what your businesss peers are doing. If theres a consistent approach of focusing on one or 2 social channels while limiting activity on the others, its best to follow the same strategy unless your company has a strategic reason not to do so. Use software like HootSuite or SproutSocial to make managing multiple social accounts easier. Protecting the Brand A social media marketing agency is useful to advise about a content marketing strategy as it relates to social media. They have experts in this field who may even be experienced enough to specialize in a single social channel. Certainly, your business should have registered on all the other major social networks to protect the brand. If thats not been done, then an agency can help accomplish that to lock up the accounts before a competitor or someone else decides to register them. What to Post on Your Channels? Each social media channel has a different focus and tone. Since Facebook started off life as a social sharing site, it has more of a personal feel. Business pages were almost an afterthought for the company and it still feels that way. Therefore, posts on Facebook tend to have a factual yet friendly tone from companies. People dont respond well to a hard sell on the marketing front. With Pinterest, this suits companies with lots of visual things to share. Either they have someone taking interesting photographs or they have product images to use. Images and video are regularly shared on Pinterest. The most successful companies can be found pinning images 10-30 times a day which is obviously time-consuming, so getting help to manage this level of image sourcing and posting makes it more manageable. Posting Frequency vs Efficient Business Operations The level of posting frequency depends largely on what is normal or expected from active accounts on the social platform. Obviously, if a business doesnt have useful or interesting things to share five times a day, they should limit themselves to whats both possible and viable for them. But be aware what is normal for different platforms as posting too infrequently is close to not posting at all in terms of effectiveness. Getting your social media marketing plan to work is hard for most companies. Its a good idea to hire experts for the role, especially if youre Generation X and find the whole social thing a bit of a minefield. Founded in Budapest in 2003, LogMeIn has grown to become the 10th largest software-as-a-service (SaaS) company in the world. In this time the company has built up a roster of products that are focused on delivering remote connectivity services across three key areas: IT Management, collaboration, and customer engagement. LogMeIns most popular products include: LogMeIn Pro Remote desktop access software for small businesses and home users Logmein Central IT management software for businesses, including three key feature sets: remote control, background management, and automation Logmein Rescue Remote monitoring and management software for IT service desks and managed service providers Why do you need an alternative? In recent years, LogMeIn has been on a merger and acquisition spreeits most prominent purchases include Lastpass (2015), NanoRep (2017), Citrix GoToMeeting business (2017), Bold Software (2017), and Jive (2018). As a result, LogMeIn now owns more than 10 different software products (including GoToAssist, GoToMyPC, GoToMeeting, and join.me), and like any company that grows so quickly, it has struggled to integrate the operations of all these entities into its own corporate structure. These struggles have left the company facing criticism from its customers. The company failed to deliver some planned product enhancements in 2018 and has also been slow to address some product quality issues that have crept in on the back of its attempts to realign its disparate and rapidly expanding engineering teams. Additionally, the company has mishandled communications with customers. As a result, it is now restructuring, and its co-founder Michael Simon has resigned from the board of directors. LogMeIn User Frustration and Price Hikes Despite the question marks over product quality and operations, LogMeIn has still enforced a number of major price hikes on its users, which impacted most of its product offerings. This brought about serious affordability concerns for many of its users. One example of this is LogMeIn Central shifting from plan-based to menu-based pricing in December 2018. This resulted in LogMeIn Central Basic going from $50 per month to its new base plan, which starts at $80 per month for 25 computers. Meanwhile, the full package, which replaced the Central Premier plan and covers patch management, process automation, and IT reporting, went from $133/month to $219 per month for 25 computers. And its even worse if you manage more than 25 computers. Despite the companys attempts to restructure to manage its operational challenges, there are no reasons to believe that LogMeIn products for remote support, and in particular for IT Management, will ever go back to being affordable. Fortunately, there are a number of excellent alternatives to LogMeIn for companies looking for a remote support solution or video conferencing, that are both excellent value for money and include rich feature sets. In this article, weve set out the 10 best ones for you to check out. Best LogMeIn Alternatives for Remote Support & Remote Desktop Access Goverlan If youre in the market for a business solution for IT management, Goverlan Reach offers a great alternative to LogMeIn Central, Rescue, and GoToAssist/ RescueAssist. Goverlan Reach is designed to provide remote support in an environment where there is a wide mix of end-users, systems, devices, and unattended machines inside or outside the network using disparate operating systems including Windows, Mac OS, Linux, or even VDI machines. Goverlan Reach offers some powerful features for remote support, including Advanced Remote Control, Background System Management, IT Process Automation, Active Directory Management, Software & Patch Management, IT Reporting, IT Compliance & Global Configuration, and Service Desk Software Integrations. Goverlan provides the ability to share screens, record sessions, transfer files, and chat with users during a remote session. It is easy-to-deploy and its user interface is very intuitive. Goverlan Reach is not only the most versatile solution we found, but it is also the best value for money. While many of its competitors have been heavily hiking their prices up over the past few years, Goverlan has kept its price increases modest and its pricing practices straightforward, and continues to focus on adding value through a rich feature set. It comes in three different editions Standard, Pro, and Enterprise. Price: Goverlan Reach starts at $29 per month per concurrent technician and includes unlimited endpoints as well as no cap on the number of sessions. A free trial is available on the Goverlan website. Visit: goverlan Teamviewer Another of the big players in the Remote Access Software market is Teamviewer, and this is definitely worth considering if you are a business or home users looking for remote control, remote desktop sharing, online meetings, web conferencing, and file transfer between computers in one package. The TeamViewer remote access software is easy-to-use, scalable and allows you to connect to and monitor any device, anywhere in the world. From desktop-to-desktop, desktop-to-mobile, mobile-to-mobile, or to unattended devices like servers and IoT devices. It requires no pre-installed, IT-administered software to receive help, and supports Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Chrome OS, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry. It also offers seamless Integration with most of the top IT-enablement platforms, alongside bank-level security and multi-user remote support sessions. TeamViewer is free as long as its only for personal use. TeamViewers Remote Control for professional use costs $49 per month but is limited to 1 concurrent session. The corporate license starts at $199 per month for up to 3 concurrent sessions. Visit: Teamviewer Also Read- Best TeamViewer Alternatives BeyondTrust (formerly Bomgar) BeyondTrust, formerly known as Bomgar, allows cross-platform remote access, either via a cloud-based app or desktop software, depending on the package you choose. You can also take up a seven-day free trial to try out the services. Each plan allows unattended access, screen sharing, file sharing, and collaboration. Designed with security in mind it encrypts all data in transit using TLS 1.2, and data at rest allows for modified encryption. It also offers integration with key business software modules such as CRM, ITSM, SIEM and password tools. You also have the option to use BeyondTrusts open API to create custom integrations. One of the main benefits of BeyondTrust is its customization. The software permits extensive modifications to many features. You can also easily manage team users, roles, and session permission settings. BeyondTrust for remote support is priced at $1,995 per year for a concurrent license. Visit: beyondtrust Windows Remote Desktop Services Windows Remote Desktop Connection is a free feature built into the Microsoft Windows Operating System, Ultimate, and Business versions that give fast and complete access control over a remote PC. Supported by Windows and Mac OS X, the tool is simple, easy-to-use and easy to set up, making this tool a great fit for beginners and amateurs. Windows Remote Desktop Connection can be accessed from your PCs System settings, found in the control panel. The router of the remote PC needs to be routed on port 3389 to direct it to the PC you want to connect to. Note that this tool is not capable of controlling multiple PCs at a time. Visit: Microsoft RealVNC RealVNC provides both free and paid versions of its Remote Desktop Client. The software consists of a server and client application for the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) protocol to control another computers screen remotely. RealVNC offers the dependability and features like cross-platform remote control, VNC authentication, encryption, file transfer, collaboration tools, and chat, to ensure a good remote connection experience for the person on the other end of it. The cross-platform utility allows you to connect individually to a remote computer or also connect multiple PCs behind a public IP Address. The supported platforms for this software are Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, UNIX, Ubuntu, and Raspberry Pi. The software is free for private use, while it is $30 per desktop for Personal Commercial Use and $44 per desktop for Enterprise Use. Visit: RealVNC AnyDesk AnyDesk is another feature-rich alternative that allows users to access their devices from anywhere in the world. In areas like transfer speeds and reliability of connection, AnyDesk performs extremely well. Furthermore, AnyDesk offers high frame rates, even double that of competitors like TeamViewer. As for security, AnyDesk relies on TLS 1.2 technology along with RSA 2048 asymmetric encryption to verify every connection. The free version is perfectly fine for personal use while you have to pay for business or commercial use. Visit: www.anydesk.com Chrome Remote Desktop This remote desktop software is available as an extension for the Google Chrome browser. It is accessible on any operating system and is fully secured. Setting up is simple and the add-on costs nothing. Chrome Remote Desktop provides an easy-to-use setup for getting your remote desktop connection, allowing users to remotely access any desktop and its contents right from their browser. Its simplicity and versatility make it a great LogMeIn alternative for anyone looking to get up and running quickly with a basic remote connection. Visit: Chrome Remote Desktop Best LogMeIn Alternatives for Video Conferencing ezTalks ezTalks provides a reliable web conferencing and video conferencing solution for a wide range of scenariosfrom online meetings to webinars or training and sales presentations. It gives you the ability to host up to 100 participants in its free version and up to 500 in its pro version. ezTalks comes in both cloud and on-premise versions and includes powerful features such as HD video/ audio chat, IM, screen sharing, record, and whiteboard. It also offers mobile-friendly compatibility with iOS and Android platforms. Visit: www.eztalks.com Zoom Zoom is a cloud-based video conferencing platform, designed to offer HD-quality video conferencing as well as simple group messaging. Unlike other services that cater to larger organizations that can afford a premium video conferencing suite, Zoom provides an economical solution that focuses on supporting essential features, such as high-quality HD video and good audio quality. It also offers a wide range of subscription packages. Zoom performs well, and its rich set includes the ability to chat, share files, and invite contacts to a meeting. Zoom also supports phone-dial-in and H.323/SIP room systems that enable video conferencing with anyone you want no matter where they are. Zoom runs on Windows XP or later and on Mac OS X 10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) or later. Visit www.zoom.com WebEx Ciscos WebEx free and premium tool allows you to remotely connect with people based on different systems through free mobile or desktop applications. Meeting hosts can share their desktop and choose to pass over the control of mouse and keyboard to other presenters. Sharing files, chat and face-to-face live interaction, scheduling in Outlook, and password protected messaging are also possible with this tool. Supported by Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Mobile Apps, Ciscos WebEx would be a great fit for your needs if you are looking for a premium business solution or to remotely access a desktop with an added bit of interaction to it. While it is free for 3 people, paid plans include Premium 8 ($24 per month for up to 8 attendees), Premium 25 ($49 per month for up to 25 attendees) and Premium 100 ($89 per month for up to 100 attendees). Visit www.webex.com Not only is the virus causing people to fall extremely ill, in some instances, travel insurance costs can soar into the tens of thousands. Model Emily Gurr contracted a severe case of dengue fever in Asia, and was hospitalised for 10 days before being air-evacuated back home to Australia for further treatment costing $52,000. Source: 1Cover Travel Insurance Aussies are on alert as dengue fever outbreaks continue to surge in several holiday hotspots like Bali and Thailand, with one insurance company claiming the number of cases claimed this year has at least doubled. A month after authorities urged travellers to cover up to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes, 1Cover Travel Insurance revealed on Tuesday it has seen a sharp increase in tourists catching the illness abroad. Not only is the virus causing people to fall extremely ill, in some instances, claim costs can soar into the tens of thousands. Contracting dengue fever overseas can have serious implications to both your health and finances, spokesperson Natalie Smith said. Even in moderate cases, the average cost to treat and assist travellers with dengue fever is about $7,000. Model with dengue fever rushed back to Australia Recently, the company helped a couple, aged in their 20s, with a $20,000 bill after they both fell sick with dengue fever, Natalie said. We also had a $52,000 claim involving model Emily Gurr, who had contracted a severe case of dengue fever during her travels throughout Asia, she added. Emily was in hospital for 10 days and had to be air-evacuated back home to Australia for further treatment. Emily told 1Cover she felt like shed been hit by a bus after waking up in Bali after a night out with friends, but initially thought it was a hangover. I didnt know what it was but by the night time it was excruciating. I couldn't move, I thought I was dying, she said. My recollection of it all is so vague as I was in so much pain. Its believed she contracted dengue fever after being bitten by a mosquito in Vietnam a week earlier. Sydney woman Marley spent eight days in a Bali hospital after contracting dengue fever at the end of last month. Source: Supplied Earlier this month, Yahoo News spoke with Marley, from Sydney, who spent eight days in a Bali hospital after contracting the virus while travelling solo. It was very scary. I have never been in an ambulance or anything before, I haven't really had any health problems when I've been overseas, she said. Dengue fever precautions The best method of prevention is to protect yourself against mosquito bites. According to 1Cover Travel Insurance, these measures include: Insect repellent : Insect repellents containing DEET tend to be more effective than herbal remedies. As aerosols are not permitted on flights, pack a roll-on in your suitcase for convenience. Covering up : Wear light coloured, long flowing pants and long-sleeved shirts to minimise skin exposure. Use mosquito nets when sleeping. Avoid peak mosquito periods : Mosquitos carrying dengue fever are usually more active after sunrise and before sunset. Take extra precautions during these times. Remove stagnant water sources: Mosquitos breed in stagnant water sources. Remove any vases or plants with water trays where possible. Aussie tourists travelling to dengue fever hotspots during the wet season are being urged to cover up and wear insect repellant. Source: EPA/AAP Risk of bleeding for people who catch dengue fever twice There has been over 62,000 cases of dengue fever reported in Indonesia so far in 2024. The WA Health Department has issued a warning to travellers heading overseas after 138 of the state's cases recorded this year were acquired in the country. While most people experience mild or no symptoms, one in 20 develop severe dengue which can result in shock, internal bleeding and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The biggest clinical risk is someone who catches dengue for a second time with the risk of a bleeding syndrome that needs hospital attention and can in a small percentage of cases be fatal, Infectious Diseases Professor Jill Carr said on Tuesday. There has been over 62,000 cases of dengue fever reported in Indonesia so far in 2024. Source: EPA via AAP There are no antiviral treatments for this, but there is a vaccine. The vaccine cannot be given to everyone and is only for adults and those who have had a dengue infection before, and the vaccine comes at the cost to the individual. For many years we have been seeing rises and outbreaks of dengue cases, and Australian travellers should guard themselves against dengue by protecting themselves from mosquito bites using clothing covering the arms and legs, and mosquito repellent. Anyone who develops a fever up to seven days after returning from a dengue endemic area, should consult their doctor. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Trees have been bulldozed along an increasingly busy Australian road, to help service a new housing development. Appin Road is known as Australia's 'killing corridor' because of the large number of endangered koalas killed on the stretch. Source: Patrick Baric/Barry Durman Why did the koala cross the road? In the case of one increasingly busy Australian road, getting to the other side is no longer the answer. Increased traffic on south-west Sydney's Appin Road has resulted in 32 of the endangered marsupials being killed on the notorious stretch since July 2022 roughly half of all deaths in the district over the same period. Wildlife advocates have long referred to it as Australia's "killing corridor". Now a massive operation to widen the road is underway. The plan is contentious because it will create a 2.4km-long barrier in the middle of a habitat that supports Sydney's last growing population of koalas, and individuals either side will be prevented from crossing the road for months. The secretary of advocacy group Save Sydney's Koalas, Diana Pryde, described the clearing of large trees along Appin Road as "pretty horrific". But developer LendLease claims the works around it's $1.6 billion housing development will ultimately make the road safer for koalas and humans. Discover more of our environment coverage. Developer claims project will make road safer Video filmed last week shows how quickly the landscape along Appin Road has changed. Rows of trees that once provided safety for koalas along Appin road have been bulldozed. The plan is to increase capacity of the once quiet thoroughfare by upgrading it from two lanes to four, to help service a new 1700-dwelling housing project by LendLease, which it says will help tackle the NSW housing crisis. The developer has justified its road works by claiming they are an important safety measure. "Following approval from Transport for NSW this year, weve wasted no time in starting works to upgrade Appin Road to improve safety for motorists and koalas," LendLease told Yahoo. It argues the removal of the trees are in fact a necessary part of the preparation required before the eventual construction of exclusion fencing to keep koalas off the road, and the building of long-promised concrete underpasses to allow them to cross underneath. All construction works, including the phasing of works, are in accordance with relevant environmental safeguards, approvals and licenses, LendLease said in a statement, highlighting the NSW and Federal Governments are on board with its development. What's so special about these koalas? The koalas that live in the Cumberland Plain region are the only population in NSW that doesn't suffer from chlamydia which causes sterility and death. Their preservation is seen as critical if the state wants to avoid the extinction of koalas in the next 26 years. A parliamentary inquiry in 2020 concluded "urgent action" was needed to avoid the already endangered populations being wiped out, with development revealed as a key problem. But facing pressure to combat Australia's housing crisis, the state and federal governments have continued to green-light housing projects on land where koalas live. LendLease contractors have removed large habitat trees that once lined Appin Road. Source: Barry Durman But koalas aren't the only species in trouble. NSW has around 1,000 threatened species and around half are expected to be extinct in 100 years according to government figures, with development a key threat. Related: Fears NSW will 'panic log' proposed 315,000-hectare koala park Road widening works begin before underpasses are dug Surprisingly the works have begun before the underpasses were built. For years, LendLease waited on approval from the NSW Government of their final design. Transport said this was because it was required by law to engage with stakeholders about the underpass designs. Transport considered a broad range of views and conflicting expert opinions on the updated plans including the size, location, shape and type of crossings required for the road along with other koala measures before giving the developer approval, a department spokesperson told Yahoo. Wildlife advocates argue overpasses are more effective. But they are also more expensive. Source: Getty (File) Lendlease is required to build two underpasses within 12 months of completing its koala exclusion fencing. But both it and Transport for NSW did not respond directly to a question from Yahoo about when their construction is set to begin. Australias largest wildlife rescue group WIRES has expressed concerns about the design of the underpasses, calling them a dark choice. It has accused Transport for NSW of ignoring advice from WIRES, ecologists and the broader community. With the longest tunnel 53 metres in length, experts are concerned navigating them could prove scary for koalas. Although Transport for NSW said a light source will be placed in the centre of this longer tunnel, Stephanie Carrick from the Sydney Basin Koala Network has questioned its efficacy. "This is experimental and not based on any evidence," she said. Many favour building overpasses, which are believed to superior in meeting the species needs, but also more costly to build. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. Bratislava, May 21 (TASR) - Coalition Slovak National Party (SNS) leader Andrej Danko praised the fact that Parliament on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning last week's assassination attempt on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD). Danko told the media that he apologised at a parliamentary gremium meeting on behalf of his party for emotions that ruled them shortly after the attack on Fico. According to him, SNS will come up with proposals in the area of media and better overview of discussion forums and online platforms. Danko said that the legislative procedure will be started concerning registration of users on discussion forums. There's need to have an overview of those who, for example, contribute to discussions and approve of crimes. He also spoke about establishing the so-called national media office that would oversee the media and communicate with transnational online platforms. Danko also spoke about adjustment of relationship to the media. "We will come up with a very tough law on the right to the protection of personality in relation to the media. The mechanism will be set up so that a person whose rights have been touched knows which editorial desk to contact," stated Danko, adding that the deadlines for publishing a correction will be set. Danko claims that nobody wants to limit the media, but these must be able to defend their claims. Bratislava, May 21 (TASR) - Freedom and Solidarity (SaS) party leader Branislav Groehling praised the fact that the parliamentary coalition and opposition have agreed on the adoption of a resolution condemning last week's assassination attempt on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD). Groehling also highlighted the coalition's will to agree on an amending proposal. He said that the debate at the parliamentary gremium meeting on Tuesday morning was peaceful, with words of mutual apology being voiced as well. He sees it as a step towards a new political culture. "The whole debate within the gremium meeting was calm and constructive," stated Groehling. He believes that from now on, the House will function in a decent manner and without pointless quarrels. He praised the fact that the coalition and opposition were able to unite and agree on the adoption of the parliamentary resolution despite a failed attempt by President Zuzana Caputova and her successor Peter Pellegrini to organise a round table with the parliamentary parties in attendance. The SaS leader views the return of MPs to Parliament positively. "Parliament as a law-making body must function," he said, adding that the debate on bills in Parliament can be held in a matter-of-fact, constructive and at the same time critical manner. "This period has taught us that we'll probably consider some of our words a bit more," stated Groehling. Bratislava, May 21 (TASR) - Praising the adoption of Parliament's resolution on the assassination attempt of Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) by all MPs, leader of the 'Slovakia' party Igor Matovic wishes politicians to comply with it and to show that they want to be decent, TASR learnt on Tuesday. "I'd be very happy for all politicians involved to enter their conscience and for the Parliament to be what it should be from now on, a pedestal, a showcase of politics," said Matovic, adding that this also means that politicians shouldn't put forward proposals that want to turn public-service broadcaster RTVS into a "handmaiden of the government". He pointed out that a decent politician isn't only one who doesn't use indecent words, but one who doesn't submit and forcefully enforce "indecent laws", noting that he also considers the law to change RTVS to be such a law. As for the invitation of President Zuzana Caputova and her elected successor Peter Pellegrini to the round table, Matovic doesn't consider it to be a mistake. It's the other way round. However, he regrets that the politicians were looking for excuses not to sit down together. "The Slovak Parliament and Slovak politicians successfully completed their resit, agreed on a resolution and all those present voted in favour of it," he pointed out, adding that he'd like to believe that this will continue, but he isn't optimistic. Bratislava, May 21 (TASR) - President Zuzana Caputova praised the fact that Parliament on Tuesday adopted a resolution condemning last week's assassination attempt on Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) and MPs thus took a needful and important step towards calming down the atmosphere in society, TASR has learnt from the president's spokesman Martin Strizinec. "I appreciate the fact that the adoption of the resolution was backed by all MPs present for the vote. It is important that other public figures continue in steps like this and jointly contribute to reducing tension in society," stated Caputova. According to the head of the state, the past few days were extremely difficult for Slovakia. The president appreciates all the more that the leaders of the parliamentary parties managed to overcome differences between them and find a common path in this demanding situation. Parliament earlier on Tuesday approved a coalition-sponsored resolution condemning the attack on the premier and calling on people not to spread hatred. According to the resolution, people mustn't become targets of hatred because of their political opinions. Parliament at the same time called on all political parties, state officials, publicly active individuals, the media and NGOs to respect the results of the most recent general election and not to spread hatred against the legitimately elected government. According to Parliament, the aforementioned groups should contribute to social reconciliation, stability and peace in Slovakia and put an end to hateful rhetoric. Bratislava, May 21 (TASR) - The coalition Voice-SD party praises the adoption of a resolution condemning the attack on Prime Minister Robert Fico (Smer-SD) in Parliament, expressing a belief that this is the beginning of a new political culture, Parliamentary Vice-chair Peter Ziga (Voice-SD), who has been temporarily entrusted with the powers of the House chair, said at a press conference on Tuesday. "Voice considers important not only the content of the resolution, but also the fact that it received unequivocal support from MPs across the political spectrum. The fact that parliamentary political parties were able to agree on a common position on the assassination attempt on democracy and to condemn it unequivocally gives Slovakia hope for the future that the political battle could return to the framework of basic political culture and bring more arguments than shallow hatred," he stated. The Voice-SD party highlighted that the resolution applies to political parties as well as representatives of the non-governmental sector and the media. "Easing tensions in Slovakia must be the goal and responsibility of all parts of social life," noted Ziga, also praising the calm discussion in Parliament. "It's a good example for the public that all political camps can agree in important moments," he added. Some pelicans are "repeat offenders" and will come into care again and again after eating discarded rubbish. WARNING - CONFRONTING IMAGES: Remember the limerick, A wonderful bird is the pelican. His bill will hold more than his belican? Comedian Dixon Lanier Merritts clever rhyme highlighted the birds ability to store ample food in its beak enough for a week. But that was in 1910 before the proliferation of plastic. More than a century on, Australias pelicans are routinely swallowing old wrappers, bottles and even nappies. Non-profit animal rehabilitation organisation WA Wildlife has shared shocking images with Yahoo News to highlight the devastation littering can have on these majestic waterbirds. One shows plastic bags and wrappers regurgitated by pelicans. Another highlights a separate case in which huge tears were inflicted on the soft lower pouch after a fish hook was swallowed. Even more depressing is the shot of a juvenile whose leg was slowly amputated by a piece of plastic twine. Sadly because pelicans require two legs to survive it was humanely euthanised. "We X-ray them and we've found bottles, we've found nappies, and we even found jewellery in one of them. They will ingest almost anything that they come across in the wild," WA Wildlife's Dean Huxley told Yahoo News. These pieces of plastic were all regurgitated from pelicans. Source: WA Wildlife Is plastic really such a problem for pelicans? Plastic can cause blockages inside pelicans and stop them from absorbing nutrients or even cause death. But there's an even more debilitating human impact waste problem that's impacting pelicans, according Huxley. And that's fish hooks. Of all the pelicans that his vets and rehabbers see, around 50 per cent have hooks in their flesh or guts. And if there's one hook in the wing then there's often another in the stomach, or the leg. Because individual birds can become quickly humanised and scavenge around piers and boats the team often encounters "repeat offenders". "We've had birds that we've released and two weeks later they've come back with more fishing hooks. There are some individuals who have come in five times," he told Yahoo News. "These sort of hook and line entanglements can be pretty intensive. The birds generally get X-rays to determine if the hooks have penetrated any bone, or any sort of deep muscle." Related: ANOTHER Aussie animal gets trapped in beer can This juvenile pelican had to be euthanised after its foot was cut off by twine. Source: WA Wildlife This pelican was discovered with extensive tearing to its pouch after it swallowed a fishing hook. Source: WA Wildlife More on wildlife ingesting stuff humans dump Is a fish hook injury easy to fix in a pelican? A bird admitted on April 29 with a lure entanglement in its wing required surgery due to significant tissue necrosis and a "nasty" abscess. It was captured by volunteers from Western Australian Seabird Rescue and then brought into care. "It's been on antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, just some basic sort of wound care along with some saline flushes," he Huxley said. "The next step for us is to move it out into pre-release, probably give it two or three weeks to really stretch its wings and exercise, get his fitness back and then we'll get a release it." This is the wing of the pelican you saw at the top of this page. Source: WA Wildlife Fortunately, this problem is almost entirely preventable. "We're trying to get the message out, particularly to recreational anglers not to cut their lines. They do this after they snag a rock, but then our water birds will see it sparkly and shiny, pick it up and ingest it," Huxley said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the weeks best stories. Howler monkeys drop dead during Mexico heat wave Mexico City, May 20 (AFP) May 20, 2024 Howler monkeys are dropping dead in Mexico and authorities said Monday that they were investigating whether extreme heat was killing the endangered species. According to the environment ministry, causes under consideration include "heat stroke, dehydration, malnutrition or fumigation of crops with pesticides." It said studies would be carried out to rule out a virus or disease. Temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) have been recorded in the southern states of Chiapas and Tabasco, where the deaths have been reported. While the government did not say how many primates had perished, Tabasco-based wildlife preservation group COBIUS reported "mass deaths." "It's very likely due to climatic reasons but we cannot rule out other important causes," it said in a statement. "If you see monkeys that are weak and apparently suffering from heat or dehydration, please try to hoist a bucket of water by rope for them to drink," it added. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who hails from Tabasco, also pointed to extreme heat as the likely cause. "The heat is very strong. Since I've been visiting these states I've never felt it as much as I do now," he said at his regular news conference. Authorities and conservationists were carrying out patrols to provide water and food, mainly fruits, to help monkeys stay hydrated, the Tabasco civil protection institute said. In Darwin's footsteps: scientists recreate historic 1830s expedition Puerto Ayora, Ecuador, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 Like Charles Darwin did in 1831, a group of scientists and environmentalists last year set sail from the English port of Plymouth, headed for the Galapagos islands off the coast of Ecuador. But what they found on their arrival last month differed vastly from what naturalist Darwin saw while visiting the archipelago in 1835, in a trip key to developing his world-changing theory on natural selection. The Galapagos today is under protection, part of a marine reserve and classified a World Heritage Site. Yet the area faces more threats than ever, from pollution and illegal fishing to climate change. There to observe the challenges, with a well-thumbed copy of her great-great-grandfather's "On the Origin of Species" in hand, was botanist Sarah Darwin. "I think probably the main difference is that, you know, there are people working now to protect the islands," the 60-year-old told AFP, onboard the "Oosterschelde," a refurbished, three-mast schooner built more than 100 years ago. The ship has been on a scientific and awareness-raising expedition since last August, stopping so far in the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Brazil and Chile among other locales. - Darwin's 'heirs' - In colonial times, the islands -- located in one of the world's most biodiverse regions -- served as a pit stop for pirates who caught and ate the giant turtles that call it home. During World War II, the archipelago hosted a US military base. "I think if (Darwin) were able to come back now and see the efforts that everybody is making, both locally and globally, to protect these extraordinary islands and that biodiversity -- I think he'd be really, really excited and impressed," the naturalist's descendant told AFP. Sarah Darwin first visited the Galapagos in 1995, where she illustrated a guide to endemic plants. She then devoted herself to studying native tomatoes. She also mentors young people as part of a project to create a group of 200 Darwin "heirs" to raise the alarm about environmental and climate threats to the planet. Calling at several ports on the journey from Plymouth to the Galapagos, the Oosterschelde took on new groups of young scientists and activists at every stop, and dropped off others. One of them, Indian-born Laya Pothunuri, who joined the mission from Singapore, told AFP the Galapagos "has a very important place in scientific terms." She was there, she said, to improve the irrigation systems in the islands' coffee-growing regions. "I plan to do it using recycled plastic, which also, again, is a big problem over here," she said, noting that plastic waste ends up being consumed by wildlife. - Plastic peril - In the Galapagos, the expedition members worked with researchers from the private Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the Charles Darwin Foundation and the NGO Conservation International on both confronting invasive species and protecting endemic ones. Last year, a study by the Charles Darwin Foundation found that giant turtles in the area were ingesting harmful materials due to human pollution. Samples revealed that nearly 90 percent of the waste consumed was plastic, eight percent was fabric and the rest metal, paper, cardboard, construction materials and glass. From Galapagos, the Oosterschelde set sail again on Sunday to continue its world tour, with stops expected in Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Flurry of tremors detected at caldera in southern Italy Rome, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 A flurry of tremors of a strength not seen in decades was registered at a volcanic caldera near the southern Italian city of Naples on Monday night, sparking panic among residents but resulting in no major damage, authorities said. One 4.4-magnitude quake was registered shortly after 8 pm (1800 GMT) at a depth of 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles), according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). It was preceded moments earlier by a 3.5-magnitude tremor and followed by dozens of aftershocks. The Campi Flegrei -- or Phlegraean Fields, as the caldera is known -- experienced about 150 earthquakes between 7:51 pm on Monday and 12:31 am on Tuesday, the INGV said in a report. According to the institute's Mauro Di Vito, "this is the most powerful seismic swarm in the last 40 years". Emergency services in the area reported cracks and pieces falling from buildings, while amateur video from a supermarket in the town of Pozzuoli showed bottles strewn across the floor after being shaken off shelves. Schools in the town will remain closed on Tuesday and temporary accommodation has been established to take in frightened residents, mayor Luigi Manzoni announced on Facebook. The INGV said it would continue to monitor the caldera and that "it cannot be ruled out that other seismic events may occur, also of similar energy". The Campi Flegrei is situated between Pozzuoli and Naples, which sits in the shadow of the much better-known Mount Vesuvius further to the east. The Campi Flegrei experienced an eruption 40,000 years ago that affected the planet's climate, and it has been a source of concern to residents and scientists more recently thanks to a resurgence of activity due to gases emitted by the magma. "We have to live with fear all the time," a Pozzuoli resident told the public channel Rainews. "How long will the buildings be able to hold out while experiencing all these shocks? That's what we wonder." Specialists, however, say a full-blown eruption in the near future remains unlikely. gab/jnd/smw/pbt Meta Demise of rangelands 'severely underestimated': report Paris, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 From camel drivers in the Sahara to nomads on the Mongolian steppe, traditional herders the world over rely on earth's wildest open spaces to support an ancient way of life. But the expansive plains, tundra and savanna they inhabit are in much greater peril than previously thought, researchers said Tuesday in a major reassessment of the health of these crucial environments. As much as half of all rangelands -- encompassing some of nature's most striking vistas from the Arctic to the tropics, deserts and mountains -- are believed to be degraded, the report said. Mostly natural grasslands used by livestock and wild animals to graze, they also include scrubland, mountain plateaus, deserts and wetlands. Climate change, urban expansion, population growth and the conversion of land for farming was fuelling their destruction, said the report by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Rangelands were grossly undervalued and their "silent demise" had passed mostly unnoticed despite what was at stake, said UNCCD executive secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. "We as humanity have to pay attention to this," he told AFP. The "persistent loss and deterioration" of rangelands would be felt beyond the pastoralist communities who have adapted to life in these environments over centuries, the report said. - Climate ally - Healthy rangelands are an asset in the fight against global warming, locking away carbon in soil and spurring the growth of vegetation that pulls planet-heating CO2 from the atmosphere. Traditional farming customs -- such as rotating grazing areas and conserving scarce resources in difficult times -- improved soil health and its capacity to store carbon, the report's lead author Pedro Maria Herrera Calvo told AFP. Poor policy, neglect and large-scale rangeland mismanagement had eroded soils, releasing carbon rather than storing it, and stripped the earth of the nutrients needed to support plant and animal life. Rangelands are biodiversity hotspots, providing habitats for Africa's most iconic wildlife, and pasture for one billion grazing animals, the report said. They account for one-sixth of the world's food production, it added, and underpin many national economies. They are also a cultural bedrock for half a billion pastoralist people in more than 100 countries, mostly poor and marginalised communities such as the Bedouin, Fulani and Saami. A quarter of the world's languages are spoken among pastoral groups who call these places home. "It is part of our heritage," said Thiaw. "Losing it would mean not only losing ecosystems and losing the economy, but losing our own culture." - 'Voiceless and powerless' - Yet they are barely studied, said Calvo. Rosier outlooks did not reflect reality, and this reassessment by dozens of experts was long overdue, he added. "We feel that the actual data estimating rangelands degradation around 25 percent is severely underestimated," he said. "We think that almost 35 -- even 50 percent -- of rangelands are already degraded." Rangelands cover 80 million square kilometres -- more than half the land surface of earth. Protecting them would require policy that better supports the pastoralists who understand them best, the report said. Instead of having a seat at the table however, nomadic communities were "voiceless and powerless", the report said. Ignoring their wisdom in sustainably managing these complex environments -- or, worse still, forcing them off the land -- would only condemn these wild places and their custodians to an even bleaker future, Thiaw argued. "It is important for this to be taken much more seriously." Schools, prison checked after quake 'swarm' near Naples Rome, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 Italian authorities were checking schools and a prison on Tuesday after 150 tremors, including the biggest for 40 years, hit the volcanic region near Naples overnight, causing no major damage or injuries but sparking widespread fear. "I'm scared. I opened this morning but there isn't anyone because people are scared," Gaetano Maddaluno, a 56-year-old hairdresser in the city of Pozzuoli, told AFP by telephone on Tuesday morning. One 4.4-magnitude quake was registered shortly after 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Monday evening at a depth of 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles), according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). It was part of what the institute called a "seismic swarm" in which some 150 quakes were recorded, including the most powerful for four decades. Many residents of Pozzuoli rushed out of their homes into the street following the tremors. Local authorities set up tents and were organising around 400 temporary bunks for people too scared to go home. Seismic activity is nothing new in Pozzuoli, located on the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields), Europe's largest active caldera -- the hollow left after an eruption. But many of the 500,000 inhabitants living in the danger zone had already been spooked by a 4.2-magnitude quake last September. Some residents railed against what they saw as a lack of preventative action by authorities, including checking how buildings might withstand an even bigger shock. "My shop has never been checked," said a second hairdresser in Pozzuoli, Nella Aprea, 55. "Action plans are in place but there are still not enough resources." - Prisoners transferred - Emergency services reported cracks and pieces falling from buildings after Monday's quakes. Italy's Civil Protection Department said on Tuesday morning that 39 families had been evacuated from 13 buildings following the outcome of inspections. Schools were also closed in Pozzuoli for inspections, and 140 inmates of the women's prison were transferred to other institutions while damage to the jail was examined. "How long will the buildings be able to hold out while (there are) all these shocks? That's what we wonder," one resident told RAI News television. The mayor of Pozzuoli, Gigi Manzoni, had on Monday night urged people to remain calm but acknowledged it was a situation that was "stressing us all". The mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, insisted on Tuesday the situation was "under control", adding: "There is currently no risk of eruption." The INGV said it would continue to monitor the caldera. "Other seismic events cannot be ruled out, including ones of a force similar to that which has already been recorded during the current swarm," it cautioned. The eruption of Campi Flegrei 40,000 years ago was the most powerful in the Mediterranean. A resurgence of seismic activity in the early 1980s led to a mass evacuation which reduced Pozzuoli to a ghost town. Specialists, however, say a full-blown eruption in the near future remains unlikely. The INGV recalled on Tuesday that in the 1980s, there were more than 1,300 seismic events a month and hydrothermal activity caused the ground to lift by nine centimetres (3.5 inches) a month. By contrast, around 450 seismic events have been recorded in the last month and the lifting speed remained steady at two centimetres a month. NGOs seek climate trial of French oil giant TotalEnergies Paris, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 NGOs filed a criminal complaint against French oil giant TotalEnergies and its top shareholders in Paris on Tuesday, seeking a trial for involuntary manslaughter and other consequences of climate change "chaos". The case targets the company's board, including chief executive Patrick Pouyanne, and major shareholders that backed its climate strategy, including US investment firm BlackRock and Norway's central bank, Norges Bank. In a statement, the three NGOs and eight individuals said they accused the group of "deliberately endangering the lives of others, involuntary manslaughter, neglecting to address a disaster, and damaging biodiversity". The complaint was filed at the Paris judicial court, which has environmental and health departments, three days before TotalEnergies holds its annual shareholders meeting. The prosecutor now has three months to decide whether to open a judicial investigation, the NGOs said. If it does not go ahead, the plaintiffs can take their case directly before an investigative judge. The offences carry prison sentences ranging between one year to five years and fines of as much as 150,000 euros ($163,000). "This legal action could set a precedent in the history of climate litigation as it opens the way to holding fossil fuel producers and shareholders responsible before criminal courts for the chaos caused by climate change," the NGOs said. The plaintiffs include "victims or survivors of climate-related disasters" in Australia, Belgium, France, Greece, Pakistan, the Philippines and Zimbabwe. TotalEnergies did not immediately return a request for comment. - 'Climate change kills' - Oil and gas companies, other corporations and governments are facing a growing number of legal cases related to the climate crisis worldwide. TotalEnergies is facing other legal cases in France related to climate change. Outside the Paris judicial court, the NGOs held a banner reading "climate change kills" and "let's put shareholders behind bars" -- with the "share" in shareholders crossed out and replaced by the "death". The latest complaint aims to "recognise the deadly consequences of their decisions, their stubbornness in voting for fossil projects which threaten the stability of the climate and therefore of all living things," Claire Nouvian, founding director of conservation group Bloom, said at a news conference. Fossil fuels -- oil, gas and coal -- are the biggest contributors to heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions. One of the plaintiffs in the Paris case is Benjamin Van Bunderen Robberechts, a 17-year-old Belgian whose friend Rosa died in flash floods in Belgium at the age of 15 in 2021. In Paris to file the complaint, he said he had come to "demand justice" against those "who choose profit over human lives and climate". In their statement, the plaintiffs said "TotalEnergies has known the direct link between its activities and climate change" since at least 1971. "TotalEnergies followed a climate sceptic line in order to waste time, delay decision-making and protect its increasing investments in fossil fuels," they added. They said they hope to set a legal precedent "whereby opening new fossil fuel projects would be considered criminal". While the case was filed on Tuesday, TotalEnergies announced a deepwater project off the coast of Angola, with production set to start in 2028 to extract 70,000 barrels per day. gd/bfa/lth/gv TotalEnergies Small island states win key climate case in UN court Berlin, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 The UN maritime court on Tuesday ruled in favour of nine small island states who brought a case to seek increased protection of the world's oceans from catastrophic climate change. Finding that carbon emissions can be considered a sea pollutant, the court said countries have an obligation to take measures to mitigate their effects on oceans. "Anthropogenic GHG emissions into the atmosphere constitute pollution of the marine environment" under the international treaty UNCLOS, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled in an expert opinion. Polluting countries therefore have "the specific obligation to take all measures necessary to ensure that... emissions under their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage by pollution to other states and their environment", the court said. The case was brought in September by nine small countries disproportionately affected by climate change, including Antigua and Barbuda, Vanuatu and Tuvalu. They asked the Hamburg-based court to issue an opinion on whether carbon dioxide emissions absorbed by the oceans can be considered pollution, and if so, what obligations countries have to address the problem. The UNCLOS treaty binds countries to prevent pollution of the oceans, defining pollution as the introduction of "substances or energy into the marine environment" that harms marine life. But it does not spell out carbon emissions as a specific pollutant, and the plaintiffs had argued that these emissions should qualify. - 'Just a few years' - The case is seen as the first big international climate justice case involving the world's oceans and experts say it could have far-reaching implications for countries' future climate change obligations. Ahead of the ruling, the Center for International Environmental Law said the case was "particularly significant" because it will be the first of three key international court advisory opinions on climate change. The others are due to be given by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice. Ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. But increasing emissions can warm and acidify seawaters, harming marine life. Global sea surface temperatures hit a monthly record in April for the 13th month in a row, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Over two days of hearings in September, the leaders of the nine countries said the effects of climate change were threatening their nations' very existence. "Just a few years -- this is all we have before the ocean consumes everything my people built across centuries," Tuvalu's Prime Minister Kausea Natano told the court. "This is the opening chapter in the struggle to change the conduct of the international community by clarifying the obligation of states to protect the marine environment," said the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne. The other island states joining the ITLOS case were the Bahamas, Niue, Palau, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Small island states win 'historic' climate case at UN court Berlin, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 The UN maritime court on Tuesday ruled in favour of nine small island states that brought a case to seek increased protection of the world's oceans from catastrophic climate change. Finding that carbon emissions can be considered a sea pollutant, the court said countries had an obligation to take measures to mitigate their effects on oceans. The countries that brought the case called the court decision "historic", and experts said it could be influential in shaping the scope of future climate litigation involving greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. "Anthropogenic GHG emissions into the atmosphere constitute pollution of the marine environment" under the international UNCLOS treaty, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) ruled in an expert opinion. Polluting countries therefore have "the specific obligation to take all measures necessary to ensure that... emissions under their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage by pollution to other states and their environment", the court said. The case was brought in September by nine small countries disproportionately affected by climate change, including Antigua and Barbuda, Vanuatu and Tuvalu. They asked the Hamburg-based court to issue an opinion on whether carbon dioxide emissions absorbed by the oceans could be considered pollution, and if so, what obligations countries had to address the problem. The UNCLOS treaty binds countries to prevent pollution of the oceans, defining pollution as the introduction of "substances or energy into the marine environment" that harms marine life. But it does not spell out carbon emissions as a specific pollutant, which the plaintiffs had argued should qualify. - 'Fighting for survival' - The court's opinion is advisory and non-binding but will influence how the UN treaty is interpreted around the world. "This is the first-ever decision by an international tribunal on climate change and the oceans and clarifies the legally binding obligations of 169 countries that are party to the (UNCLOS treaty)," the nine plaintiff countries said in a statement. The prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, said small island nations were "fighting for their survival". "Some will become uninhabitable in the near future because of the failure to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. We demand that the major polluters respect international law, and stop the catastrophic harm against us before it is too late," he said. The other island nations joining the ITLOS case were the Bahamas, Niue, Palau, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines. The case is seen as the first major international climate justice case involving the world's oceans, and experts say it could have far-reaching implications for countries' future climate change obligations. The Center for International Environmental Law said the case was "particularly significant" because it was the first of three key international court advisory opinions on climate change. "For the first time, an international court has recognised that the fates of two global commons -- the oceans and the atmosphere -- are intertwined and imperilled by the climate crisis," said CIEL attorney Joie Chowdhury. The other climate case rulings, by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), are due to be given in the coming months. - Rising temperatures - Mandi Mudarikwa, Amnesty International's head of strategic litigation, said the ruling was "likely to inform future climate justice cases in national, regional and international courts". Tom Mitchell, executive director at the International Institute for Environment and Development, told AFP the tribunal's opinion "is an important marker on the legal responsibility for the effects of climate change, which will doubtless be influential in shaping the scope and direction of future climate litigation". Ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing much of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. But increasing emissions can warm and acidify seawaters, harming marine life and ecosystems. Rising global sea temperatures are also accelerating the melting of polar ice caps and increasing sea levels, posing an existential threat for small island nations. Global sea surface temperatures hit a monthly record in April for the 13th month in a row, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service. Shell faces shareholder revolt over climate strategy London, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 More than a fifth of Shell investors have revolted against its climate strategy in a key vote, the British energy giant revealed Tuesday. Shell said in a statement that almost 22 percent of shareholders rejected its current climate plan, in a vote held at the group's annual general meeting. Management faced criticism from investors and environmental protestors alike during the AGM that was held in the British capital. Almost 19 percent of shareholder votes supported a proposal for stricter emissions reductions in line with goals of the landmark Paris climate accord. Tuesday's revolt mirrored a shareholder rebellion last year, where a similar proportion voted against the board's proposals. This week's meeting was the first time the shareholders met since the oil and gas giant scaled back several climate targets last year. Shell in March diluted its climate targets, including on "net carbon intensity", a measurement of emissions produced by each unit of energy sold. The group had said net carbon intensity would be cut 15-20 percent by 2030 compared to 2016 levels. That marked a dilution from its previous 20-percent target. Climate activists on Tuesday disrupted Shell's shareholder meeting, accusing the oil giant of "greenwashing" -- or making misleading climate-related statements to boost its reputation. Chairman Andrew MacKenzie was interrupted by Greenpeace activists, who stood up and started singing "Shell kills, Shell kills, Shell kills, Shell kills", to the tune of Dolly Parton's song 'Jolene'. MacKenzie however defended the company's stance, emphasising the goal to be net zero by 2050 and explaining how Shell believed the energy system will transition in the decades ahead. Chief Executive Wael Sawan meanwhile insisted Shell is "very much aligned with achieving a 2050 net zero outcome", when faced with questioning by environmentalists. Under the 2015 Paris deal, nations pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century with the aspirational goal of limiting the increase in global temperatures to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels. str/rfj/rl Half of mangrove ecosystems at risk: conservationists Geneva, May 21 (AFP) May 21, 2024 Half of the world's mangrove ecosystems are at risk of collapse due to climate change, deforestation and pollution, according to a study published Wednesday. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), known for its red list of threatened species, has for the first time taken stock of the world's mangroves, evaluating 36 different regions. IUCN director general Grethel Aguilar said the assessment "highlights the urgent need for coordinated conservation of mangroves -- crucial habitats for millions in vulnerable communities worldwide". Mangroves are trees or shrubs that grow mainly in seawater or brackish water along coastlines and tidal rivers, in equatorial climes. Released on the International Day for Biodiversity, IUCN said its findings show that "50 percent of the mangrove ecosystems assessed are at risk of collapse" -- categorised as either vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. According to the assessment, 20 percent were at severe risk of collapse. Mangroves are threatened by deforestation, development, pollution, and dam construction. However, the risk is increasing due to sea-level rise and the greater frequency of severe storms associated with climate change. Around 15 percent of the world's coasts are covered by mangroves, covering about 150,000 square kilometres. - Disastrous disappearance - Climate change threatens a third of mangrove ecosystems assessed, due to rising sea levels. According to estimates, at the current rate, a quarter of the global area of mangroves is expected to be submerged in the next 50 years, IUCN said. The northwest Atlantic Ocean, the northern Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the South China Sea, and the Gulf of Aden coasts are expected to be particularly severely affected. "Mangrove ecosystems are exceptional in their ability to provide essential services to people, including coastal disaster risk reduction, carbon storage and sequestration, and support for fisheries," said Angela Andrade, chair of the IUCN commission on ecosystem management. "Their loss stands to be disastrous for nature and people across the globe." The study said looking after mangroves was essential for mitigating the effects of climate change, with healthy ecosystems coping better with sea level rise and providing inland protection from the effects of severe storms. Without significant improvement by 2050, climate change and rising sea levels will lead to the loss of 1.8 billion tonnes of carbon stored in mangroves. Mangroves currently store nearly 11 billion tons of carbon -- almost three times the amount of carbon stored by tropical forests of the same size. Maintaining good sediment circulation and allowing mangroves to expand inland will help them cope with sea level rise, IUCN said. It also called for the restoration of mangroves which have already disappeared. "A very good study of mangrove change globally that was published in 2022 indicates about 5,000 square kilometres of mangrove were lost" between 1996 and 2020, IUCN's Marco Valderrabano told AFP. Jasmin Stinger and a group of young women, including a 14-year-old, were allegedly targeted by a woman outside a Queensland shopping complex. Miss World Australia pageant winner Jasmin Stinger was an alleged victim in an unprovoked attack alongside a group of women. Source: Instagram Miss World Australia and a group of aspiring models have been involved in a "terrifying" incident outside a shopping centre, claiming they were set upon by a woman in a targeted and unprovoked attack. Jasmin Stinger, the current pageant winner, rushed outside the Southport Park shopping complex in Queensland on Friday after receiving a call from a distressed teen who'd just completed catwalk training with Stinger at the centre's gymnasium claiming a woman was physically and verbally attacking them. The 26-year-old said she too then found herself fending off the violent woman. It's alleged the group of females, which included a 14-year-old, were waiting for a taxi when the unknown woman approached them. Video taken at the scene shows punches being thrown and hair being pulled. Screaming and swearing can also be heard as the young girls, and a mother, defended themselves. "She came up and tried to hit me straight in the face. I managed to fend her off with my arms," Stinger told 7News on Monday. Stevie Hearl, 23, who was part of the group, claims she was attacked from behind before being "pulled to the ground by my hair". Stinger said the whole incident lasted over 20 minutes, describing it as "very, very terrifying". The women were allegedly targeted while waiting for a taxi outside the Southport Park shopping complex in Queensland. Source Woman charged over alleged shopping centre attack Queensland Police told media a 46-year-old Southport woman has been charged following the alleged disturbance. Police said they attended Ferry Road, Southport, on Friday following reports of a fight in a car park and located the woman who was taken into custody. She has been given a notice to appear for committing public nuisance and is due to appear in court next month. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. State Sen. John Mannion highlights his support for abortion rights and legislation that helped attract Micron to central New York in his first TV ad of the Democratic primary for the 22nd Congressional District seat. The ad, titled "Yearbooks," began airing Tuesday in central New York, according to Mannion's campaign. He is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Brandon Williams in the 22nd district, which includes Onondaga and Madison counties, plus parts of Cayuga, Cortland and Oneida counties. Mannion's ad provides details about his background he's a former public school teacher and his track record in the state Senate. One of Mannion's legislative achievements is the passage of the Green CHIPS legislation, which provides state incentives to chip manufacturers. Micron, which is planning to invest $100 billion over 20 years to build a massive manufacturing facility in Onondaga County, will benefit from the Green CHIPS program. "John Mannion passed a law bringing 50,000 new jobs to our area," the ad's narrator notes. Mannion, D-Geddes, also supported legislation that protects abortion access in New York, according to the ad. After the Supreme Court's ruling in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade, the state Legislature passed an abortion rights package. Records show he voted for the six bills that were signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. In the ad, Mannion pledges he will "work to guarantee abortion rights" in Congress. Mannion and Sarah Klee Hood, a DeWitt town councilor and Air Force veteran, are vying for the Democratic nomination in the 22nd district. Klee Hood also released her first TV ad, which focuses on abortion rights, on Tuesday. The Democratic primary election is Tuesday, June 25. Plans to create a St. George school district are on hold until the new city gets up on its feet, according to newly appointed Mayor Dustin Yates. Yates discussed the school district, among other topics, at a news conference Tuesday morning with St. George Police Chief Todd Morris at the St. George Fire Department headquarters on Airline Highway, which will serve as St. George's city hall for now. "Creating a new school system requires tremendous focus, energy and time," Yates said. "So for now, we're concentrating solely on the creation of our new city." Gov. Jeff Landry appointed Yates and Morris as the first mayor and police chief of St. George last week. The two will serve the city in interim roles until the next available municipal election likely next year when residents can vote on their new leadership. The third season of Netflixs juicy period drama Bridgerton dropped last week, once again immersing us in a world of feathered fans, coming-out ceremonies and torrid love affairs. But with the final half of the season yet to land, as the last four episodes are scheduled for June 13, fans have been left guessing what will become of Mayfairs high society. From The Great to Downton Abbey, there are plenty of period dramas to binge after Bridgerton. Credit: Compiled by Jamie Brown. If you, dearest gentle reader, simply cant wait or have had your fill of Bridgerton and want a different take on the corset and cravat genre worry not. Here are some other similarly scandalous period dramas to watch while Lady Whistledown refills her ink pots. Ive just spent the past two months living and working in New York. For at least the last 20 years, one of the first things I do each morning is check whats happened on the US stock markets overnight. For someone with a keen interest in investments and financial markets, New York is the centre of the universe. You might ask what a two-month sojourn in New York has to do with personal finance, but good planning goes well beyond just the numbers. Credit: Getty My wife and I have always enjoyed travel. Many years ago we tossed around ideas to experience a place by living there, rather than simply visiting and snapping the required photos. And so it was that as our plans for adventure coalesced, New York became destination number one. During our stay we saw Broadway musicals, beautiful art deco architecture, art of all varieties, ate lots of wonderful food, walked for miles and miles, and met some fantastic people. Thanks for joining us, and heres where well finish posting updates for the day. Our live blog will return on Thursday morning. Among the stories that mattered most today: Australian Teandra Tuhkunen hit the roof and was thrown to the floor during turbulence on her way to Melbourne. An Australian woman was hurled into the ceiling of a Singapore Airlines flight before smashing to the floor among glass and breakfast food during extreme turbulence that left one person dead and eight Australians in a Bangkok hospital. Closer to home, opposition MP Ros Bates yelled cross your legs across the floor of Queensland parliament this afternoon while Health Minister Shannon Fentiman was talking about cancelled maternity services. Both politicians sounded off on social media, with Fentiman posting a video of the exchange. Queenslands police minister has slammed unknown culprits making threats to a local MP and her staff in a regional town. Labor MP Brittany Lauga said two staff members in her office faced threats after she disclosed she was drugged and sexually assaulted while on a night out. And new details about the shootings of two police officers and others during the 2022 Wieambilla tragedy have been unveiled in the US case against an Arizona man who has pleaded not guilty to five charges. In sport, a Super Rugby players difficult decision to abandon his NRL dream could earn him a shock call-up, writes Brisbane Times sports journalist Nick Wright. Nundah by Night markets take place next to the station. Credit: Goodwill Projects And the season of night markets has returned in Brisbane. While youll have to mark your diary for each one-off annual night market, others occur monthly, weekly or more often. Heres our comprehensive guide. Donald Trumps Aussie catcher-and-killer Dylan Howard, fresh from many dishonourable mentions in the former US presidents hush-money trial in New York, is facing another spot of bother. For those living under a rock, evidence of the Geelong-born Howards role, as editor of US supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer, in locating and burying negative stories about Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign, has been laid bare in the case. Dylan Howard with then-president Donald Trump in the Oval Office in 2017. And while Howard hasnt been charged with anything, it wasnt a great look for the man who calls himself Americas most feared journalist and claims to have taken down the careers of Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen and Hulk Hogan. He hasnt done much either for the prospects of the six journalists on either side of the Atlantic who were clearing out their desks last week after the attempt by Howards company Empire Media to revive music magazine Q ended after just five months. Inflation options An excellent article from Richard Denniss (Money cant buy everything but ... 20/5) whose think tank The Australia Institute has produced a previous insightful paper on the topic of inflation. That paper showed that the inflationary surge over the last few years was predominantly the result of excess business profits, not consumer demand pressures. If these excess profits (resulting from higher prices) had not occurred (due to principled corporate decisions or government actions), inflation would have remained within the Reserve Bank target band of 2-3 per cent. The financial harm to millions of households as a result of the Reserve Banks interest rate rises would then have been avoided. There are many more policy levers specifically targeting inflation to be used before resorting to the sledgehammer of higher rates in the future. Peter Thomson, Brunswick Nice in theory Re Albanese has a vision splendid. Can Dutton the wrecker spoil it? (Comment, 17/5), who can remember when Australia manufactured cars? We all supported local car manufacturers right up until we drove our new car out of the dealership. It was invariably a foreign made Prado, Pajero or LandCruiser. The same thing will happen with Albaneses solar panels. Murray Horne, Cressy No cash to splash There is much discussion, including in your report by David Crowe (Most voters to resist rebate splurge, 21/5), on how people are going to spend the $300 federal electricity rebate. Many apparently dont realise they will never actually receive the cash. The money is to be given to the retailers to reduce their bill. Many people may not even realise that the money has been taken off the bill, particularly if they have direct debit applied to their bill. Alan Inchley, Frankston Allocation problem The gas industry of course wants us to solve any so called gas shortfalls by opening up new fields (Gas giants call for offshore permits fix to avert shortfalls, 21/5). Then they can continue to export our gas offshore for three times the price; while paying little tax. Australia has plenty of gas. We do not have a supply problem, we have an allocation problem. If we want to ensure the supply of gas on the east coast at a price that is affordable for people and business then lets just reserve it. It has worked for WA and every other gas exporting nation. Kieran Simpson, Blackburn North Failing regulation Up to 60 per cent of new apartments in Australia are riddled with construction flaws including cracked foundations, leaks, balcony defects and flammable cladding (The Age, 19/5). Is it really that hard, in 2024, to make dwellings that dont leak or catch fire? The industry, and its regulators, should be ashamed of themselves. Surely we can now all agree that self regulation is an abject failures, and get back to a system where designs are independently reviewed, and the construction process is monitored by independent inspectors. And directors of the shoddy companies responsible for problems need to be made accountable. David Nelson, Clayton South Value independence Your correspondent (Letters, 21/5) points out an important factor in falling building quality. Independent building inspectors are here to stay but rather than having their pet inspectors who are unlikely to keep working for a particular developer if they keep finding significant faults wouldnt it be more effective for developers to be randomly appointed a qualified inspector from a pool and have tougher compliance standards for all inspectors. David Brown, Armadale Embrace the vision The groundswell of action to save the Housing Commission towers across Melbourne over the past month has been encouraging. As an architect, I believe that saving the towers is about much more than preventing billions from being wasted by the proposed demolition and reconstruction. It should be seen as a social and humanitarian project, embracing and enriching already established and flourishing inner suburban communities. The towers are still useful and easily upgradable buildings, extraordinary examples of post-war architecture cutting edge precast load-bearing concrete panel technology or the tallest multi-storey load bearing brick buildings in the world at the time. Brutalism might not be to everyones taste, but these are excellent examples worth preserving. It is particularly pleasing that the architectural profession is getting involved, in particular the Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter. Various design solutions are already proposed. However, it is worrying that too many of these proposals resemble ego-driven re-imaginings, with fantastical exo-skeletons completely hiding the original structure that would be more at home in Dubai or Hong Kong than in Collingwood or Carlton. They completely miss the point of what saving the towers should be all about affordable and social housing. David Francis, Northcote Extraordinary machine A cow is a highly efficient factory, evolved over millions of years, that turns grass, inedible for humans, into highly nutritious human food. To grow beef cells in vats to the weight of just one cow (Developed in a lab and grown in vat: Its meat, but not as we know it, 21/5) requires hundreds of litres of a nutrient soup in factories. And hundreds of litres of depleted nutrient soup waste. Now think of scaling that up to millions of cows. I cant see the potential of an environmental net gain. Ralph Bohmer, St Kilda West Rogue leader So all Trumps legal troubles are a pile-on according to our former PM Scott Morrison (Scott Morrison explains why evangelical Christians love Trump, 21/5). How did Morrison manage to forget that after losing the more than 60 court actions Trump filed to claim the 2020 presidential election was rigged and stolen from him, the Republican attempted a coup to stay in power? Whats Morrisons agenda in supporting such a rogue leader? Rajend Naidu, Glenfield, NSW Trump mystery Scott Morrison gives a pretty good explanation as to why lots of Americans love Donald Trump. Nowhere, however, can I find an explanation as to why Morrison loves him as well. It is quite baffling. Graeme Rose, Wangaratta Offsets exploited Audits play a critical role in holding governments and corporations to account by exposing malfeasance and paving the way for remedial action. Thats exemplified by the first audit of Australias environmental offsets system (Enviro offsets scheme riddled with breaches, 20/5) that has exposed widespread abuse of the rules by developers. Environment Minister Tanya Pliberseks expressed outrage at their manipulation of the system must fuel her determination to tighten the rules and insist on their rigorous application. Its shocking that its taken 12 years for the audit to be conducted. We cannot afford another such period of environmental degradation under the guise of benefit to nature. Tom Knowles, Parkville Secret is out The beach at Aspendale is indeed one of the suburbs endearing features (Unassuming and all about lifestyle, 21/05). It has panoramic views. To the left is the view down to Arthurs Seat, to the right the view up to the Beaumaris Cliffs. The frontal view is just as enchanting, down to Portarlington and over to the You Yangs. All this over blue seas. The view is peaceful in both summer and winter. It is to be hoped that high rise development, of the type that was approved recently at Frankston, never threatens this environment. The suburb also blessed ample open space at the rear. There is the long beach bike trail meandering down to Frankston, adjacent wetlands, sporting grounds and a magnificent golf course. Aspendales anonymity is slowly disappearing as new residents recognise the suburb value and tastefully redevelop the area. Martin Newington, Aspendale Duty bound We are in our 80s and we have lived for 50 years in a large house. The children have left home and we would like to downsize so a young family could live in our home. Our problem is, if we move to a unit costing $1 million the stamp duty is $35,000. So we stay put. That $35,000 will adequately pay for Jims Mowing and other maintenance. The Victorian governments addiction to stamp duty is one of the reasons this state is not in the state it should be. Alastair Wright, Dandenong North Fashion police Re An Age Ago, and your correspondents letter about the 1980s case of the female barrister wearing trousers (Letters, 21/5). As a defence lawyer, I was wearing culottes, not trousers, when I appeared in the Magistrates Court in 1992. I was severely reprimanded for wearing trousers without the magistrates permission. Anyone have a more recent example? Bernadette Cheesman, Wendouree Village AND ANOTHER THING Credit: Matt Golding Art Re Dear Gina, I get it. I hate my Archibald portrait (21/5) Rembrandt notably turned to self portraits, as there was no need to flatter the sitter. Im disappointed that the Olympic swimmers, endowed by Gina Rineharts patronage, feel obliged to react on her behalf. Would she otherwise not sustain her support? Its hard to think like the richest person in Australia. Sue Parrington, Port Melbourne Protests Australia is a peace-loving, largely inclusive democracy. Palestine and Israels Australian supporters both want the same things end to war and resolution of the causes of the conflict. Why then, do they not march together? John Laurie, Riddells Creek When the suffragettes were agitating for womens voting rights they didnt tap meekly on the door at 10 Downing Street and suggest a cup of tea and a bit of a chat to sort out differences. Protests are inherently somewhat impolite. Jim Spithill, Glen Waverley Furthermore Hasnt Julian Assange spent enough time in prison and embassy refuge? Surely its time for his release even if it requires a commitment from him to lead a simple life with his family. Michael McKenna, Warragul Thats all from us today, thanks for joining us as we brought you the news from Perth and across WA. If youre about to drive home along Tonkin Highway, be aware that Main Roads has warned of a diesel spill at the Thomas Road intersection. Various lanes are affected, but there are no traffic delays. Some of the biggest news we brought you today included the latest development in the defamation fight between WA Senator Linda Reynolds and her former staffer Brittany Higgins and Higgins fiance David Sharaz. The trio went to mediation this morning, but the senator emerged several hours later with news that it looked as though the matter would proceed to trial. Meanwhile, down the road at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, the countrys biggest oil and gas producers have been gathering for their annual conference. Resources Minister Madeleine King labelled calls for no large new gas projects useless, while at the same time attempting to distance herself from the gas-led recovery proposed by the Coalition government three years ago. And the chief executive of Australias biggest oil and gas producer Woodside says energy markets will continue to be rocked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Just earlier we also brought you news of a former immigration detainee allowed to walk free on a suspended sentence for breaching his release conditions despite his lengthy rap sheet. Thank you again for joining us. Check back tomorrow as we continue to bring you the news you need to know. Read the full article on Motorious Good idea or bad idea? One of the worst-kept secrets in the auto industry is that BMW feels wildly jealous of Tesla and its success in the EV segment of the market. Some inside the German automaker feel the way to beat the American company is to become more like it. Considering its working to sell cars directly to consumers, cutting out dealerships, it sounds like that camp might be winning inside the halls of BMW. Read why BMW believes supply chains are stabilizing here. In an interview with German newspaper Muenchner Merkur, BMW CFO Nicolas Peter said his desire was to give customers the opportunity to order directly from us. This isnt exactly the kind of thing which will make dealers happy, so we sure hope theres a plan to address their grievances. Before just diving right into a direct sales model like what Tesla has, BMW will try things out with the Mini brand starting in 2024. If that works, the plan is to do the same with BMW in 2026. In the meantime, the Bavarians are in constructive talks with dealer networks, a characterization we wonder if the other side would agree with. ADVERTISEMENT Exactly how the direct sales model would work and what it would mean for dealers remains a mystery, for now. Some in the auto industry have theorized for years that Teslas way of selling cars would be the future, fundamentally changing the role of dealers. Such a move would also mean significant changes for car shoppers. Depending on how automakers do things, there might be no haggling but instead everyone gets to pay the same bloated price, which apparently is an introverts dream come true. Its unclear if test drives would still be conducted through dealerships as well as customer deliveries, or if automakers like BMW would copy Tesla and put stores in malls and other locations. One thing is for sure, the shape of the auto industry is changing in fundamental ways, creating plenty of uncertainty about the future. Story continues Source: Driving Images via BMW, Tesla Sign up for the Motorious Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Australia will ban replicas of blockbuster weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Mounjaro in a move set to slash their availability and disrupt the businesses capitalising on ballooning demand. Health Minister Mark Butlers decision will limit access for at least 20,000 Australians who have been buying compounded weight loss injections meaning a pharmacist or healthcare practitioner has made the medicine themselves because they cannot get the branded products during massive global supply shortages. There has been overwhelming demand for Ozempic because of its weight-loss effects. Credit: Monique Westermann While pharmacists are allowed to compound medicine on a case-by-case basis for people with prescriptions, it is not supposed to happen at a commercial scale because their products have not been tested for safety or quality by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. But with global demand for the popular weight loss drugs far exceeding supply, Australian vendors have been mass-producing replica versions of Ozempic and Mounjaro, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, despite the regulators warnings. The federal government is being urged to ban the use of generative AI in election materials, amid fears that deepfakes of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese or Opposition Leader Peter Dutton could be used to spread misinformation ahead of the next federal election. ACT independent senator David Pocock and teal independent MP Kate Chaney have written to government ministers to raise concerns about potential risks posed by artificial intelligence to Australian democracy, as a two-day Senate committee hearing into the adoption of the nascent technology wrapped up on Tuesday. Senator David Pocock has called for a ban on AI-generated election materials. Credit: SMH Australia is acutely vulnerable to misuse of generative AI, according to the independents, particularly compared with other jurisdictions such as South Korea, in which citizens face up to seven years in prison if convicted of using AI-generated deepfake content in political campaigning. The technology has already been used widely overseas. In India, politicians are using audio and video deepfakes of themselves to reach millions of voters, while in the US there are reports of robocalls featuring an AI-generated voice sounding like President Joe Biden telling voters to skip a primary vote. While Microsoft has thus far framed Copilot and AI tools in Windows as primarily enterprise tools, CoPilot+ PCs clearly target consumers as well. The company showed off several features that make use of AI models that run directly on the devices rather than in the cloud, including Recall, which is like a supercharged version of the abandoned Timeline that appeared in Windows 10. At any point you can use Recall to move back through the things youve been doing on your PC which Microsoft said remembers literally everything but organises information like a human to get back to a task you left unfinished before. Loading The company also showed off generative AI Windows tools including the ability to turn a scribble from Paint into a fully illustrated art piece, and new filters and styles for photo and video editing. Apps from Adobe, DaVinci and more were also shown processing AI tasks on CoPilot+ PCs. This is not the first time Microsoft has put Windows on a device powered by an ARM chip, which differs in its fundamental structure compared to the x86 chips made by Intel. It tried it with the Surface RT way back in 2012, but a major problem was that all Windows apps were designed for x86 and ran very poorly on the device. This time, the company is confident it can follow Apple in the transition to ARM. Many apps, including all of Microsofts own but also many browsers and creative suites, now have native ARM versions. That means a user spending most of their time in Office, Photoshop and Google Chrome for example will be able to make the most of the new hardware. For apps with no native ARM version, Microsoft uses a new emulation layer called Prism to make them work on the Snapdragon-powered Surfaces. It claims the results are just as efficient as Apples Rosetta 2, which is used to get apps designed for Intel Macs working on devices with M-series chips. To save face and to save expense, there has been a hiding of much of the truth, it said. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to pay further compensation to the victims families. Credit: AP More than 26,000 people were infected with hepatitis C through blood transfusions from 1970 to 1991, the report found. Among those who received tainted blood products, about 1250 people were infected with HIV, including about 380 children; an additional 5000 developed a chronic form of hepatitis C. This disaster was no accident, Brian Langstaff, a former High Court judge who led the inquiry, said at a news conference in London crowded with contamination victims and their families. They cheered and clapped as he laid bare what he said was a string of egregious failings by British health and government officials who did not put patient safety first. People put their trust in doctors and the government to keep them safe, and that trust was betrayed, Langstaff said. The NHS and successive governments compounded the agony by refusing to accept that wrong had been done. Victims of the blood contamination and their families expressed relief over the reports findings but also anger that it had taken so long. Some victims died before the inquiry ended or had even started as did some of the officials who might have been held accountable. Andy Evans, a longtime campaigner who was 13 when he discovered that a blood transfusion for his haemophilia had given him HIV, said he felt validated and vindicated. Weve been gaslit for generations, Evans said. This report puts an end to that. Some of the failings identified in the report occurred before Sunak was even born, but Langstaff said that governments until recently displayed institutional defensiveness by playing down or denying past wrongdoings, even as infected patients continued to die. In some cases, Langstaff said, documents were deliberately and wrongly destroyed in an attempt to make the truth more difficult to reveal. The inquiry did not have the authority to recommend criminal prosecutions, and it was not immediately clear whether the report would lead to any. If theres clear evidence and there is a pathway to that, then its obviously something the government will have to address, John Glen, a British government official who has been in charge of matters related to the infected blood inquiry, told LBC radio Monday. The scandal has its roots in the 1970s and 1980s, when thousands of patients were exposed to the contaminated blood. Some required transfusions after accidents, surgery or complications during childbirth. Many others were patients with haemophilia, a genetic condition that prevents blood from clotting properly. At the time, many of them were provided with a treatment derived from blood plasma called Factor VIII that provided the missing protein that haemophiliacs need for their blood to clot. The treatment was made using pools of plasma from thousands of donors, meaning that even a few tainted donations could contaminate an entire pool. (Later, synthetic clotting factor proteins were developed.) The NHS imported some of the Factor VIII from the United States, where many donations were from prisoners or drug users who had been paid to donate blood elevating the risk of contamination with HIV or hepatitis C. For years, British government and health authorities insisted that the infections were inadvertent, that patients received the best available care and that screening for hepatitis C could not have been introduced any earlier. But Langstaff said British authorities ignored early warning signs some stretching back to the 1940s that blood transfusions could transmit diseases such as hepatitis. They also failed to adequately screen high-risk donors, failed to inform patients of the risks and were slow to adopt new tests that were being used by other countries, he said. The World Health Organisation as early as 1952 had identified how to reduce the risk of transmitting hepatitis through blood transfusion and blood products, for instance by carefully selecting donors and avoiding large donor pools, he said. But British authorities followed little to none of that advice, he added. The report found that British authorities failed to secure a sufficient domestic supply of Factor VIII concentrates from the plasma of United Kingdom donors and, in 1973, authorised the import of blood products from the United States and from Austria even though those treatments were understood to be less safe than current domestic treatments for bleeding disorders. In some cases, victims were even used in medical trials without their consent. In others, diagnoses were delayed or withheld, leading patients to unknowingly infect their partners. The inquiry panel composed of legal professionals, investigators and civil servants heard from people who were infected and their relatives and loved ones, medical and ethics experts, government officials, and politicians. Previous inquiries and compensation offers had been deemed insufficient by victims and their families. In 2009, an independent report concluded that the tragedy could have been prevented if imports of blood from the United States had been halted but stopped short of blaming individual doctors or companies, and no one from the Department of Health was called to testify. In 2015, an inquiry in Scotland prompted an apology from David Cameron, prime minister at the time, but the investigation was deemed unsatisfactory by victims and their families because it was unable to call witnesses outside of Scotland. Other nations, including the US and Japan, have faced similar scandals. London: A man charged with helping Hong Kong authorities gather intelligence in the United Kingdom has died in unexplained circumstances, British police said on Tuesday. Matthew Trickett, 37, was one of three men charged earlier this month with agreeing to engage in information gathering, surveillance and acts of deception that were likely to materially assist the Hong Kong intelligence service from late 2023 to May 2. Prosecutors also alleged that the men forced entry into a UK residential address on May 1. Matthew Trickett. The men had all been bailed and were due to appear at Londons Central Criminal Court for a hearing on Friday. They havent yet entered pleas. AAA: Nearly 44 Million Travelers Leaving Town for Unofficial Start of Summer How To Prepare Your Car For A Smooth Road Trip With the unofficial start of summer in Memorial Day weekend just a week away, AAA said theyre expecting the number of people traveling to hit highs not seen since the beginning of the century. AAA is projecting approximately 43.8 million to travel at least 50 miles from their home this coming Memorial Day weekend, the second most since 2005 when a record 44 million people traveled for the holiday. Long holiday weekends like Memorial Day are the perfect way to kick off the summer travel season, and Americans will be traveling in record-breaking numbers this year, said Bevi Powell, senior vice president of AAA East Central. Whether its a family road trip, a luxury cruise, or a train trip across New England, travelers are making choices that will ensure they have the trip of a lifetime. By far, the leading way people are expected to travel is road trips. AAA is projecting a record-setting 38.4 million people to hit the road for the weekend, the most since they started tracking holiday travel in 2000 and a 4% increase from last year. In the Mid-Atlantic region which includes New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania AAA is projecting 4.6 million people to drive with planes and all other methods adding up to just over 500,000 estimated travelers. As far as gas costs, AAA said drivers can expect similar prices to last year despite the rise in prices lately, although they also said ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine could drive prices up. Drivers leaving Thursday or Friday are also being advised to hit the road early as travel times are expected to increase by 90% between getting mixed in with local commuters and the increase of other road travelers. Travel times are expected to be up to 90% longer than normal. Travelers should stay up to date on traffic apps, 511 services and local news stations to avoid sitting in traffic longer than necessary, said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. Before going on a long road trip, AAA said travelers should get their cars checked for any repairs needed along with other standard maintenance, plan their routes ahead with stops included and have everything ready to go the night before leaving among other travel tips. Travelers can also call 511 for up-to-date travel information or by checking out the 511 website of any state theyre in for a live map of the area and any hazards. Automaker shares plan for 200,000 square foot multi-purpose expansion project and future job opportunities in Coppell, Texas CAMDEN, N.J., May 20, 2024 -- Subaru of America, Inc. today shared plans to expand its operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and grow its workforce by relocating its Central Region office and establishing a new customer support center in Coppell, Texas. The automaker's new Dallas Business Center will be co-located with its existing distribution and training facility as part of a 200,000-square-foot expansion project with Prologis, the leader in logistics real estate. Subaru anticipates this expansion to be completed in late 2024 and ready for occupancy by early 2025. The Dallas Business Center (DBC) will serve as a second location for the Subaru Customer Advocacy Department (CAD), allowing Subaru to dedicate more resources towards offering exemplary customer service to owners and retailers, which is critical to its business operations. The new CAD office will help support Subaru customers, tap into the metropolitan area's professional talent pool, and allow for greater collaboration across several business areas. Around 30,000 square feet of the project's office space will be dedicated to the automaker's Central Region sales and marketing operations, currently located in Itasca, Illinois, along with the Dallas-Fort Worth Zone office. With an estimated 100 employees, the new DBC will be one of the largest SOA team locations after its headquarters in Camden, New Jersey. Jeff Walters, President and Chief Operating Officer at Subaru of America, Inc.: "We are excited to expand our footprint and capabilities in the southern U.S., further supporting our customers and retailer network. Dallas is a vibrant area with diverse talent that will add fresh perspectives and further enhance our company culture." Upon completion, Subaru's multi-purpose expansion project will be LEED certified, offer EV charging for passenger vehicles, and be equipped with high-efficiency HVAC. The building will total 500,600 square feet, including a 170,000 square-foot expansion of its existing Regional Distribution Center, which stores and handles automotive parts and accessories. The automaker's existing Quality & Service Area Training Center, used to train Subaru retailers' technicians and Subaru field service personnel, will gain an additional classroom as part of the expansion to better support Subaru University (Subaru-U), and its local secondary and post-secondary automotive vocational initiatives. Representatives from Subaru of America will attend the Dallas Career Fair on Thursday, May 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel on Market Center Boulevard. Those interested in future career opportunities (see list below) can attend to learn more about Subaru's new and expanding operations. The company will ramp up recruiting efforts in the latter half of 2024. For updates on employment opportunities as they become available, register with the Subaru of America Careers Talent Community or visit Subaru.com/careers. Future Career Opportunities with Subaru of America: Office and Administrative Management Logistics Coordinators Market Sales & Development Leaders Operations and Distribution Associates Customer Service Professionals Automotive Service & Parts Specialists Automotive Tech Specialists Interns Subaru of America, Inc. is the U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan and has been in the United States since 1968. The United States is Subaru's largest market worldwide. Last year, Subaru sold 632,086 vehicles in the U.S. through a network of more than 630 retailers. About Subaru of America, Inc. Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Subaru Corporation of Japan. Headquartered at a zero-landfill office in Camden, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru vehicles, parts, and accessories through a network of more than 630 retailers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. is the only U.S. automobile manufacturing plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. SOA is guided by the Subaru Love Promise, which is the company's vision to show love and respect to everyone, and to support its communities and customers nationwide. Over the past 20 years, SOA and the SOA Foundation have donated more than $300 million to causes the Subaru family cares about, and its employees have logged nearly 88,000 volunteer hours. As a company, Subaru believes it is important to do its part in making a positive impact in the world because it is the right thing to do. For additional information visit media.subaru.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Read the full story on The Auto Wire These Car Brands Will Snitch On You To Police Privacy is a hot topic these days, thanks in no small part to modern technology connecting us like never before. While you might be worried about TikTok or other apps on your phone tracking where you go and what you like to do, theres another privacy risk involving your car and the police. GM says its shutting down a controversial data collection tool. Two US Senators claim eight automakers Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Volkswagen, BMW, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Kia have kept consumers in the dark about their willingness to provide cars locations to police without being served a warrant, reports Automotive News. ADVERTISEMENT Those Senators, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Edward Markey of Massachusetts, say the automakers didnt violate privacy laws, even though consumers might feel differently. Instead, they argue the companies are engaging in deceptive conduct, a practice forbidden by the FTC. All eight of the above listed automakers declared back in 2014 as part of the Consumer Privacy Protection Principles that they wouldnt hand over vehicle information, including location, to authorities without a warrant or court order. That no longer seems to be their disposition, meaning if local, state, or federal law enforcement were to contact them with a request, they apparently would just hand over whatever. After a damning report run by The New York Times on General Motors sharing drivers data with LexisNexis, which in turn sold the info to insurance companies, people have become more aware of their data privacy risks. Hearing that so many mainstream automakers will willingly hand over whatever police want without a court order is understandably concerning. But a spokesman for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation says sharing drivers location information is done under specific and limited circumstances, such as when the automaker is provided a warrant or court order or in situations where there is an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to an individual. Story continues Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Kia, Subaru, and Nissan all contacted Automotive News to clarify their stances. All of them seem to take issue with the simple statement that they will simply hand over drivers data without a warrant. But the big question is whether or not vehicle owners feel they can trust the car companies. In this day and age, it seems trust runs a little thin. Image via Toyota Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook. Is Toyota's New Twin-Turbo V6 Really Less Reliable Than Its Old V8s? photo You don't have to be a car person to know that Toyota prizes quality, durability, and reliability in its vehicles. That said, if you are a car person, you'll know those three attributes are the first items people question when Toyota does something new. Such has been the case over the past two years with the V35A-FTS engine , the twin-turbo V6 that replaced nearly every V8 in the typically traditional automaker's lineup. It's still too early to say, but a swath of issues have called the QDR principles into question with no clear answers up to now. This is a topic I've wanted to investigate for a year at this point, but Tinkerer's Adventure on YouTube beat me to it. They did some serious legwork to reveal what's different about the V35A-FTS, talking with Lexus GX Chief Engineer Koji Tsukasaki as well as a 20-year Lexus tech while also poring over an extensive SAE report on the engine. Like I said, these power plants aren't old enough and haven't been driven long enough in the real world to reach clear conclusions, but this is the most insight we've had yet. Andrew P. Collins Toyotas are known to last forever because their components are usually overbuilt and under-stressed. On the surface, a 3.4-liter V6 that makes 479 lb-ft of torque seems like the antithesis of that. Turbos make a huge difference, of course, but that's still a lot going on inside a far smaller packagethere's more pressure, more fuel, more everything. When you compare it to the old 4.6-liter naturally aspirated V8 inside the Lexus GX460, displacement per cylinder is nearly identical, but there are other, more drastic differences in the engine's makeup. ADVERTISEMENT Notably, the V35A-FTS is under-square, with a 100-millimeter stroke that's bigger than its 86mm bore. This is widely believed to support better low-end torque than over-square engines like the 1UR-FE V8, which had an 83mm stroke and a 94mm bore. Tsukasaki says this is one factor since the V6 makes 479 lb-ft of torque compared to the V8's 329 lb-ft, a 46% advantage. Story continues Tinkerer's Adventure via YouTube There's an inherent concern that engines with high specific power output, or hp per liter, will suffer from poor thermal efficiency. And wouldn't you know it, poor reliability is oftentimes a direct result. Toyota claims to have beaten that, though, with a high-speed combustion process that utilizes optimized intake port angles to promote better tumble flow. That means a better air-fuel mixture and minimized energy losses. Essentially, Toyota promises that you can have your cake and eat it too with the V6 when it comes to specific power output and high thermal efficiency. https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/16jgqck/my_2022_tundra/ None of this explains why some of the engines are suffering main bearing failures. Tinkerer's Adventure spoke with Chris Gonzales , a longtime Lexus technician who owns a 200-Series Toyota Land Cruiser with the old 5.7-liter V8. He explained that in his 20 years of working on Lexus cars and trucks, only three have had main bearing issuesall of them have been LX600s with the V35A-FTS. The issue has also reared its head on Toyota Tundra pickups, as Reddit user u/myoung34 experienced and others in the comments referenced. The SAE documents obtained by Tinkerer's Adventure show that the V35A-FTS features metal overlay bearing liners. In theory, this would be stronger than the previous V8's resin liners, and Toyota itself says the purpose of switching to metal is "to support high load and high-speed driving." And while the V8 had six-bolt main bearing caps, the V6 combines its four-bolt caps into what Toyota calls a ladder frame. This is done with the intent of increasing rigidity and durability. https://www.reddit.com/r/ToyotaTundra/comments/1aqrdj4/2022_tundra_with_15000_miles_burns_up_front_crank/ No common cause of bearing has been identified yet. No matter what's creating the problem, the job is an especially big headache for techs like Gonzales. In every case I've seen, Toyota instructs its dealers to replace the short block while reinstalling the parts from the factory package that aren't affected by the failures. Downtime is certainly a factor for owners to consider, and just looking at the engines in pieces is enough to induce some anxiety. There aren't enough examples to declare this a widespread problem. What's more, there's pertinent information we just don't have like owner driving habits that could contribute to these failures. But it's something that people are keeping their eyes on, whether they be technicians, owners, or shoppers. I'll keep an eye out for any advancements on this story, and if you have any insight to share, shoot me an email. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XdaccfMxn4 Got a tip or question for the author? Contact them directly: caleb@thedrive.com Getty Dealerships have to adapt to electric vehicles just as much, if not more so, than customers. Not only do salespeople need to learn how to educate customers on EVs, but techs need to learn to repair them, and the dealers need to be able to charge them. Many dealers go through expensive overhauls to get themselves ready for upcoming EV models. However, as Ford dealerships are currently undergoing such changes, the Blue Oval is telling them to hold on just a minute. Ford is planning to meet with its dealer council in early June to update its requirements for EV retail, following feedback from previous meetings. "We don't want them to make any decisions between now and the middle of June when you can maybe have a more informed decision-making process based off what we work out with council in the next few weeks," Andrew Frick, president of Ford Blue, the automaker's EV division, told Automotive News . "There's a lot that we'll be reviewing." Getty Late last year, dealerships expressed their lack of trust in the brand's build quality and pricing, as well as the plateauing market for EVs at large. During the previous 11 meetings, all of which Ford CEO Jim Farley attended, breakout tables were set up for the dealers to rotate through, expressing their concerns with the brand openly. Everything from floorplan assistance to electric car standards, to Ford Credit changes were discussed, as Ford tries to regain its dealers' trust through open communication. ADVERTISEMENT "What was great is that we had candid conversations around every aspect of the business," said Frick. "Nothing was off limits." He also said 93 percent of dealers left the meetings with more trust in the brand than before. Dealers have been asked to invest tons of money into meeting the requirements for EV sales, with some paying up to $1.2 million. That's difficult to do without any indication that such an investment will bear fruit, and EV stock's piled up at times . After the upcoming meeting, perhaps dealers will walk away feeling better about making that call. Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com Read the full story on The Auto Wire Oakland Is Eliminating Street Lights Thanks To Theft Its no secret crime in California has gone out of control in many areas. One of the worst is Oakland where the city has been struggling with abandoned, stripped, stolen cars dumped on city streets, among other pervasive criminal activity. But the latest sign of this trend is the elimination of some traffic lights. Watch ATM thieves in Oakland use a backhoe to pull off the heist. According to a report from KPIX, residents near one street intersection which now has stop signs instead of traffic lights blames the whole thing on a nearby homeless encampment. They claim the citys refusal to do something about the criminal activity centered in that encampment has led to rampant theft. ADVERTISEMENT Whats happening to street lights in Oakland, and weve seen in other cities like Las Vegas, is thieves ripping out copper wires. Its happened so much that it appears Oakland officials have decided to just replace the traffic lights with stop signs. One resident on camera told KPIX that Oakland leaders are giving up on us. The guy looked depressed as he said that. We cant imagine what kinds of emotions he and other people in the area are going through, realizing the city will just cede ground to criminals instead of standing up to them. But one man who spoke with KPIX expressed his praise for city leadership, saying he believes the stop signs are better than the lights. After all, the lights didnt work properly for months, if it all, thanks to the constant copper thieves. Weve seen similarly mixed opinions about other crimes in Oakland, including street takeovers and car thefts, even armed carjackings. While some think these problems are just a part of life, others believe stricter enforcement of laws would restore order. Ultimately, we think people are getting exactly what they voted for, and in a way thats sad as well as just. Image via KPIX CBS News Bay Area/YouTube Follow The Auto Wire on Google News. Join our Newsletter, subscribe to our YouTube page, and follow us on Facebook. SoGood Sake arrives in UK from California Californian brand SoGood Sake has launched its debut expression, a Junmai Daiginjo, in the UK. Founded in 2019, SoGood is made with rice grown in Sacramento, California and spring water from the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It is then made at the SakeOne brewery in Oregon. The producers say the ingredient combination and Californian climate give SoGood flavours of citrus, melon, honey, and apple. Ken LaGrande, co-founder of SoGood Sake, commented: Inspired by four generations of rice farming in California, SoGood Sake marks a new standard for sake and were extremely excited to launch this premium liquid in the UK. We hope that our modern take on this iconic drink will inspire consumers to break from tradition and enjoy sake as part of a cocktail or with their favourite foods. But however people choose to enjoy it, we follow one rule: dont pour your own. SoGood Sake (15.5% ABV, RRP 35.50 for 750ml) is available at various on-trade locations in London, online via SoGood Sake, and via select retailers. 21 May 2024 - Lucy Schofield Share this story 19 killed as van plunges into trench Our Correspondent KAWARDHA, IN a ghastly accident near Bahpani village under the Kukdoor police station limits, a pick-up van overturned and plunged into a trench, resulting in the deaths of nineteen villagers including 18 women and a man and injuries to eight others. Thirteen villagers died on the spot, while six others succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. Four critically injured villagers have been referred to a higher center for advanced medical care. On learning about the tragic incident Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai have expressed their condolences and pledged support for the affected families. According to reports, the villagers from Semhara village were engaged in collecting Tendupatta leaves. On Monday, while returning from the forest in a pick-up van after collecting the leaves, their vehicle overturned near Bahpani village and plunged into a deep trench. The broad- daylight incident resulted in the deaths of 19 villagers and left nearly a dozen others injured. On learning about the accident nearby villagers rushed to the scene, and a police team also arrived shortly thereafter and started rescue operations. The injured were promptly taken to the hospital for treatment. The mishap occurred on the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana road, which connects Neur and Rukmidadar via Kui. The site of the incident is a remote, forested, and hilly area that lacks mobile connectivity. Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallav informed that the pick-up truck fell into a trench near Bahpani village under the jurisdiction of the Kukdur police station. Approximately 25 people were in the vehicle, returning from plucking tendu leaves when the unfortunate accident occurred. On receiving information about the incident, the police immediately set out for the location. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma expressed profound grief over the tragic accident in Kawardha which took the life of 19 people. After receiving news of the incident, the Deputy Chief Minister immediately left for Kawardha. He took to social media platform X to express his sorrow, stating, The incident is extremely painful. My condolences are with all the families who have lost their loved ones in this accident. He also wished a speedy recovery to all the injured and assured that the local administration, under the supervision of the State Government, is committed to providing all possible assistance to the victims and their families. Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao stated that he had received information about the tragic accident in Kawardha district. He mentioned that everyone involved was returning home from the forest after plucking tendu leaves and expressed his condolences and prayers for the peace of the departed souls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Speaker Dr Raman Singh, Member of Parliament Santosh Pandey, Durg Member of Parliament Vijay Baghel, Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee President Deepak Baij, former chief minister Bhupesh Bahel and MLA Bhawna Bohra expressed their grief over the incident. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai wrote on X that 19 villagers had died and four others were injured after a pick-up truck overturned near Bahpani village in the Kukdur police station area of Kabirdham district. He assured that necessary instructions had been given to the district administration to ensure the injured receive the best possible treatment. The Chief Minister also prayed for the peace of the departed souls, extended his deepest condolences to the bereaved families, and wished a speedy recovery for the injured. Following the tragic incident, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma promptly arrived at Pandaria Government Hospital in Kabirdham district to oversee the situation, including the medical treatment being extended to injured persons. He also interacted with relatives of the deceased as well as injured and assured for providing best possible assistance. Agniveers Not just soldiers but leaders, innovators, defenders of nations sovereignty: CDS BENGALURU, CHIEF of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Monday visited the Maratha Light Infantry Regimental Centre in Belagavi to address the Agniveers, as they embark on their military journey, an official said. In his address, he underscored the noble purpose of military service and its pivotal role within the military framework. He said the Agniveers are not only soldiers but also leaders, innovators and defenders of the nations sovereignty. In a statement, the Defence PRO said, Addressing the evolving nature of warfare, he underscored the complexity and unpredictability of future conflicts to include cyber warfare, Artificial Intelligence and asymmetric threats which are now an integral part of the battlefield. The CDS also spoke about technology integration and continuous learning and mentioned that in addition to staying abreast with the latest advancements, there is also a need to showcase innovative approach towards combat. He expressed his gratitude for the commitment made by Agniveers by choosing the Armed Forces as a profession which is a testament to their exceptional duty towards the nation. The CDS acknowledged the personal challenges faced by the soldiers and their families and the hardships they endure while operating in challenging environments. He assured that despite the challenges, the Agniveers will find their journey immensely rewarding and each step, will lead to their personal growth and deep sense of pride in serving the nation. The CDS lauded the Regimental Centre and the team of instructors for creating a conducive environment for training and ensuring that best of the training is being imparted to the Agniveers. He also emphasised the critical role of professional instructors in shaping the future of the Armed Forces. Chauhan also emphasised that the quality of training directly impacts the operational readiness and urged to be honest towards it. The CDS encouraged Agniveers to continue striving for excellence, to uphold the values of integrity and honour, and to serve as role models for their peers. AI Training Must By ANJAN ROY THERE are reports in the financial press that the International institutional investors are moving their funds out of the Indian technology scrip. The reason: there is the calculation that the Indian ITeS sector is not getting tuned to the new artificial intelligence tools and therefore likely to fall behind the market. The technology sector indeed is fast changing in the post generative artificial intelligence regime. The ChatGPT4 and its subsequent avatar ChatGPT4o are capable of revolutionising the entire technology sector. Some feel that the basic functions of a call centre the backbone of Indian business process outsourcing business can easily be performed by the generative artificial intelligence products. Thats huge stake for the Indian ITES sector. The industry provides employment to roughly fifty lakh young people in India, if not more. Besides, there are those who are working abroad on various assignments. Any further substitution of humans by machines in these areas could have disastrous impact on employment. Additionally, ITES exports are the principal backbone of Indias services sector. Entire services growth model of India will be threatened by the emergence of the more sophisticated generative artificial intelligence products. The five leading technology firms of America are actively investing on development of these artificial intelligence capabilities. It is not that the leading Indian technology companies are unaware of the threats to their existence. They are currently behind the curve. But if they are aware of the future challenges and take appropriate anticipatory steps, the situation in future may turn to their advantage. But begin they must and immediately. India should develop a broad two-pronged strategy to meet the new situation. First, of course, would be for a huge thrust and crash programme for developing Indian artificial intelligence capabilities. The stepped up generative AI products might just as well be from Indian firms. All we need to do is to attempt such a transformation in earnest. An old English song in the heydays of empire and colonialism was a jingoistic lyric: We dont want to fight/ But if we have to/ We have the ships/ we have the men/ And we have the money too. The current situation is nothing short of an war-time emergency. The developed countries, and China, are showing tearing hurry to augment their AI capabilities. So far, the major technology companies are really at the forefront and showed it. After all, the best and newest products are being released by their companies, like OpenAI. China is also a dominant player, as it did realise the importance of AI for the future and invested heavily in the sector. They have developed capability mainly on the back of their money power and availability of data, which is the fuel for development of these products. But apart from America and China, if anyone is placed to emerge as a major player in the sector, it is India. Three factors are favourable to us: we have the men capable of developing the artificial intelligence sector; admittedly we do not have as much money flowing into AI/ML development effort, though we have such big IT companies; but, the next hopeful sign is that we have the entrepreneurship in the form of ability to launch lean and sharp technology start-ups. India has close to half a million people who have AI and machine learning skills, after Americas count of around 800,000. The next biggest manpower pool is in China of 400,000. What is a more hopeful sign, based on a count of Linked In profiles adding AI/ML skills, India has the largest additions. That is, more people are learning and announcing they are AI/ML literate than anywhere else. In terms of investment, India is the seventh largest private investor in AL/ML. United States is, of course, way above the pack both in 2023 as well as cumulatively between 2013 and 2023. China comes a distant second, and United Kingdom, which is laggard otherwise in overall economic performance, is the third largest private investor in artificial intelligence sector. If you are not investing enough in the sector, you will have fewer new companies entering. India is the seventh largest in terms of newly established private AI companies. America has over 5,500 such new AI ventures. Against that, we have just 338. China is far ahead with 1,446 such new companies. Actions which are needed are clear from the data. We have to perk up our efforts in developing the AI/ML sector with alacrity. Private investment has to flow, for that the centre might evolve some special schemes and make available cheap venture capital, as China is doing. India has a bright future in AI/ML nonetheless, going by the prognostications of the one the leading player in the segment. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, owner of Google, observed in the companys annual conference, that India is the number one country in terms of its AI tools user base. This is what he said: for a lot of Googles Artificial Intelligence products India is the number one user base. He said he was committed to bringing the same AI tools that Google is offering in developed markets. Seeing a lot of development activity on Googles existing products base. India will be well positioned as the AI shift happens. China must stop military intimidation: Taiwans Lai TAIPEI, TAIWANS new President, Lai Ching-te, said in his inauguration speech on Monday that he wants peace with China and urged it to stop its military threats and intimidation of the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own territory. I hope that China will face the reality of Taiwans existence, respect the choices of the people of Taiwan, and in good faith, choose dialogue over confrontation, Lai said after being sworn into office. Lai pledged to neither yield nor provoke Beijing and said he sought peace in relations with China. But he emphasised the island democracy is determined to defend itself in the face of the many threats and attempts at infiltration from China. Lais party doesnt seek independence from China but maintains that Taiwan is already a sovereign nation. Lai, 64, takes over from Tsai Ing-wen, who led Taiwan through eight years of economic and social development despite the COVID-19 pandemic and Chinas escalating military threats. DONNELLY, IdahoA small town public library in Idaho announced last week that it would no longer allow in minors under the age of 18 due to a controversial new law that allows parents or guardians to file lawsuits against public library districts for carrying content they would view as age-inappropriate. The Donnelly Public Library, a small library based in a literal log cabin in the village of Donnelly, Idaho, made the annoucement in a Facebook post after lawmakers adopted House Bill (HB) 710. "Donnelly Public Library was deeply saddened by the passing of HB 710," the public library posted to its official Facebook page on May 14. "Unfortunately, the ambiguous language in the legislation leaves us no options but to make some very drastic changes. ... Our size prohibits us from separating our grown-up books to be out of the accessible range of children. "In order to comply with the legislation, we will be transitioning our Library to be an adult-only library as of July 1," the post contined. "This change is painful and not what we had hoped for at all. We desire to comply with state and federal legislation, but because of size, we have to protect our staff, our library, and our taxpayer money." HB 710 creates a cause of action for parents or guardians to bring a lawsuit for actual damages and statutory damages of up to $250 for a school or public library carrying material that is considered "obscene." Language in the bill considers obscene material to be virtually anything that is sexual and has been criticized by opponents as being overly broad. The bill also provides a cause of action for any county prosecuting attorneys or the Idaho Attorney General to bring a lawsuit against any school or public library that supposedly violates the law. The library said it would continue to offer after-school programs and summer learning targeting local youth. This is the main source of income for the library. "After-school programming has become an essential part of the Library. It is our primary source of funding through both grants as well as tuition monies paid by participants," the library said. "It is imperative we continue to grow our programming offerings. Over half of our payroll is covered through programming and much of our current collection is also covered through programming costs." ED seeks custody for Kejriwal after he surrenders NEW DELHI, THE Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday sought extension of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals judicial custody after he surrenders on June 2 in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case. The ED moved the application before Special Judge for ED and CBI Kaveri Baweja, seeking 14-day judicial custody for Kejriwal when he surrenders on June 2, claiming that the period of judicial custody granted earlier ends on Monday. Kejriwal is out on interim bail till June 1 following an order of the Supreme Court, which has directed him to surrender on June 2. The ED, meanwhile, told the court that there is sufficient evidence against Kejriwal and co-accused, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, to put them on trial in the case. The central probe agency made the submission in support of its supplementary charge sheets filed against both the politicians. The judge will continue hearing the EDs arguments on the point of taking cognisance of the charge sheets on Tuesday. The judge, meanwhile, also extended till June 2 Kavithas judicial custody in the money-laundering and corruption cases, lodged by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) respectively, in connection with the scam. The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi governments now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. European destinations gaining popularity among citizens By Vaishnavi Pillay Travel has long been considered a transformative experience, a way to gain exposure to different cultures and landscapes. Be it domestic tours or international ones, a distinct shift has been observed in travel preferences among families, youth, and senior citizens in recent years. People are now taking time out of their busy lives to travel, and are increasingly seeking experiential tours and services that cater to their interests. Social media is also playing a huge role in influencing travel decisions, discovering new destinations, informing about a places food and culture, and about activities to add to their itinerary. Nagpurs tours and travel company owners and representatives spoke to The Hitavada and shared a common statement that Europe is leading in international trips followed by South Africa, and Baku in Azerbaijan has witnessed a sudden attraction in recent months. Summer brings a surge in domestic travel to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir. Prachi Shah, owner of a tours and travel company, says that destinations like Vietnam, Singapore, Dubai, and Malaysia are also witnessing a rise in bookings, and people are even asking for cruise vacations around Mumbai and Goa. The importance of tourism has risen particularly after the pandemic. Earlier, sightseeing was the main focus but now travellers are opting for locations to relax and enjoy the amenities of the property they are staying in, shared Shah. Staff Reporter The results of Higher Secondary Certificate Examination (HSC) will be declared on Tuesday at 1 pm. The result will be announced online. Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education had conducted examination in all its nine boards all over the State during March-April 2023. It will be announced online on the abovementioned websites. Students can get their result and statistical information on www.mahresult.nic.in . Junior colleges can take out result from www.mahahsscboard.in . After the declaration of results if students want to apply for retotalling or revaluation, those who want photocopies of answersheets, or those who want migration certificates can get it from http://verification.mh-hsc.ac.in. Students can submit their applications on this website on their own or through their institutions. The conditions and rules for applying are given on the website. Students should apply between May 22 and June 5, 2024 for retotaling, they should submit application to get photocopies of answersheets online. Students dont have to go physically anywhere. They can pay fees for the facilities online through debit card/credit card/UPI/Net Banking. Students if want to get revaluation done, they have to first procure photocopies of answersheet of that subject. They will apply for revaluation after five days of receipt of photocopies of answersheet. They will have to submit application to their divisional board online. Indian Coast Guard rescues 26 persons from tourist boat stranded off Goa coast PANAJI, THE Indian Coast Guard has rescued 24 passengers and two crew members from a tourist ferry boat which was caught in rough weather and faced fuel exhaustion near the Mormugao Harbour in Goa, an official said on Monday. The boat, Nerul Paradise, was caught in the rough weather with waves over three metres and was stranded due to fuel exhaustion off the Goa coast on Sunday, a spokesperson of the Coast Guard said in a statement. The marooned boat had sailed out from Panjim with tourists in the morning hours, he said. It was stranded about two kilometres away from the Mormugao Harbour, in the waters at some distance from the Cabo Palace (Raj Bhawan), an official from the Mormugao police station said. Personnel of the Coast Guard ship C-148, which was returning from patrol, felt the signs of distress amongst passengers and responded swiftly, the ICG spokesperson said. The ICG vessel, braving the rough seas, reached the distressed vessel. A team was sent to the boat and personnel on board the boat were calmed down, he said. The Coast Guard team stabilised the situation and brought the boat safely to the harbour, averting a potential disaster, the spokesperson said. On arrival, all the passengers and crew members were provided with medical aid, he added. Iran President, Foreign Minister, Governor, others killed in chopper crash By Jon Gambrell DUBAI : IRANIAN President Ebrahim Raisi, the countrys Foreign Minister and several other officials were found dead on Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of the countrys northwest, State media reported. The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi, who was 63, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel just last month. During Raisis term in office, Iran enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels, further escalating tensions with the West as Tehran also supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine and armed militia groups across the region. Meanwhile, Iran has faced years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy over its ailing economy and womens rights making the moment that much more sensitive for Tehran and the future of the country. Khamenei hours later announced Irans first Vice President, Mohammad Mokhber, would serve as the countrys acting President until elections are held. State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash that occurred in Irans East Azerbaijan province. Among the dead was Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, 60. The helicopter also carried the Governor of Irans East Azerbaijan province, other officials and bodyguards, the State-run IRNA news agency reported. Early Monday morning, Turkish authorities released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they suspected to be wreckage of helicopter. The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire some 20 kilometres south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain. Footage released by the IRNA early Monday showed what the agency described as the crash site, across a steep valley in a green mountain range. Soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language said: There it is, we found it. Condolences started pouring in from neighbours and allies after Iran confirmed there were no survivors from the crash. Pakistan announced a day of mourning and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X that his country stands with Iran in this time of sorrow. Leaders of Egypt and Jordan also offered condolences, as did Syrian President Bashar Assad. Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev said he and his Government were deeply shocked Raisi was returning on Sunday after travelling to Irans border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with Aliyev when the crash happened. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan conveyed his condolences. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement released by the Kremlin, described Raisi as a true friend of Russia. Khamenei, who had himself urged the public to pray on Sunday night, stressed the business of Irans Government would continue no matter what. Under the Iranian constitution, Irans vice first President takes over if the President dies, with Khameneis assent, and a new Presidential election would be called within 50 days. Khameneis condolence message on Monday over Raisis death, declared five days of public mourning and acknowledged Mokhber had taken the role of acting President. Mokhber had already begun receiving calls from officials and foreign Governments in Raisis absence, media reported. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow: PM Modi on Iranian Presidents demise: PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed shock and sadness at the demise of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, and said his contribution in strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. Iranian President Raisi, the countrys Foreign Minister and others have been found dead at the site of a helicopter crash Monday after an hours long search through a foggy, mountainous region of the countrys northwest, State media reported. Raisi was 63. Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Modi said on X. His contribution to strengthening India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow, the Prime Minister said. PM visits Sushil Modis residence in Patna PATNA, PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Monday arrived in Bihars capital Patna, on his second visit to the city within a week, in the thick of the Lok Sabha elections. Modi, who had last weekend held the city in thrall with a spectacular roadshow, was received at the airport by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha. Upon arriving in the city, the PM drove straight to the residence of Sushil Kumar Modi, a senior BJP leader, who died last week battling cancer. A short video footage of the PM paying floral tributes to a portrait of the former Deputy CM and offering condolences to the bereaved family members was shared by the BJPs Bihar unit on social media. Thereafter, Modi went to the partys state headquarters and held deliberations with key functionaries ahead of the last couple of phases of the Lok Sabha polls. Notably, the BJP is contesting altogether 17 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Of these, eight will go to polls in the sixth and seventh phases of elections. Modi is scheduled to retire at the Raj Bhavan for the night and leave on Tuesday morning for election rallies in Siwan and East Champaran districts. Tight security arrangements, including traffic restrictions, were in place across the city. Prachanda wins 4th vote of confidence in Nepal Parlt KATHMANDU, NEPAL Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda on Monday won a vote of confidence in Parliament, the fourth within 18 months of taking office, amidst sloganeering by the main Opposition Nepali Congress that abstained from the voting. Prachanda, 69, a former guerrilla leader from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) -- the third largest party in the House of Representatives (HoR) -- received 157 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives. In total, 158 lawmakers took part in the voting. The main Opposition Nepali Congress boycotted the voting process and chanted slogans against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, accused of misappropriation of cooperative funds, leading to the delay in the session. One HoR member remained neutral. Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire announced that Prachanda had won the floor test as he got a majority in the Parliament. The vote comes days after one of the coalition partners, Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), withdrew its support last week for his Government while quitting the coalition Government. The Government required at least 138 votes to win the vote of trust. Earlier, the voting had to be delayed due to obstructions caused by the Nepali Congress, which has been demanding the formation of a Parliamentary probe committee to investigate Lamichhanes alleged involvement in the scam. This was the fourth time that Prachanda sought a vote of confidence in the House in less since he assumed Prime Ministership in December 2022. According to constitutional provisions, a Prime Minister has to take a vote of confidence after an ally withdraws support to the ruling coalition. Earlier on March 13, Prime Minister Dahal won his third consecutive vote of confidence. Prachanda faced a floor test after CPN-UML withdrew its support to the Government following a rift over backing. Property of Ramakrishna Mission vandalised in W Bengal; probe on KOLKATA, MISCREANTS have vandalised premises of the Ramakrishna Mission in West Bengals Jalpaiguri district and threatened monks and other employees at gunpoint to leave the place, an RKM official said Monday. The official said that a local land mafia was behind the early Sunday morning incident. Around 10 armed youths barged into our ashram at 3 am, went to the first floor and threatened the eight people present there - including senior monks at gunpoint to leave the premises, the RKM official told PTI. They then vandalised the premises, breaking CCTV cameras and locking the main gate before leaving, he said. Police later broke the locks and rescued the monks and staff who were stranded in the open after the attackers left. It was a matter of property dispute and our monks have already lodged a complaint at Bhaktinagar police station against a local tough and some of his associates. We have named him in the complaint, the RKM official said. The police have initiated a probe and promised security to them, the official said. We have full faith in the police and administration, he added. Condemning the attack on Ramakrishna Mission ashram in Jalpaiguri, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the TMC regime of letting loose a reign of terror on monks just to appease vote bank politics. It is shameful that the TMC has taken up the onus of hurting the religious faith of Hindus in Bengal. The CM is threatening the Ramakrishna Mission and Bharat Sevashram Ashram monks, Modi said while addressing an election rally at Jhargram in the State. Release of captured TATR tiger in limbo! By Kaushik Bhattacharya The decision to release the recently captured sub-adult tiger from Khadsangi forest range of Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) is in limbo as the state level committee that decides the fate of captured tigers in Maharashtra has no plans to conduct any review meeting to decide the future of the big cat. As per Forest Department officials, the State-level committee which is headed by Additional Principal Chief Conservation of forest (Protection) takes the decision about the release of captured tigers in the wild. The committee guides the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) to issue orders to release the big cat in forest or to keep it in captivity. Normally the meeting should take place within 3-8 days of the capture of the tiger. The captured tiger, if it is fit to release in the wild, should be released within 10 days in forest, a senior official from the Forest Department told The Hitavada on condition of anonymity. Earlier, the process was quick and the committee took the decision of release of tigers within few days. However, in recent time it is taking too much time, said the official. According to a source, the last meeting of the committee took place around six months ago and since then no decision to release of any captured tiger in the wild has taken place. Nagpur-based Gorewada Rescue Centre, the only shelter for rescued wild animals in Maharashtra, currently has 30 tigers and 29 leopards. Among these 30 tigers there are some injured and some are old. Such tigers have to live in the rescue centre for their whole life. Whereas there are many tigers who were brought in the rescue centre due to man-animal conflict. Among them some are fit to be released into wild. The committee will decide the fate of these tigers but no meeting took place in last six months, which has increased the burden over the rescue centre, which already has excess tigers in their enclosures. Out of 30 tigers, 24 were sent to the Gorewada in last 5 years and many of them are waiting for their release into wild. Gorewada has 10 tiger enclosures. But, we are accommodating 30 tigers and 29 leopards in other herbivorous enclosures. Even, the rescue centre has already exhausted its carrying capacity and only one more tiger can be kept in the rescue centre, said a source. Restoration of J&K statehood is solemn promise we have made, will stand by it: PM Modi By Vijay Joshi and Kumar Rakesh BHUBANESWAR PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has said his Government has made a solemn promise for restoration of Jammu and Kashmirs statehood and will stand by it, adding the Centre was working very hard to create the right conditions. Noting that the record voter turnout in Srinagar is one of the most gratifying things he has seen in his tenure, Modi said people of Jammu and Kashmir have seen the NDA Governments commitment to democracy enhancement in the region, even at the cost of us sacrificing power for ourselves. The restoration of statehood is a solemn promise we have made and we stand by it. We are working very hard to create the right conditions so that it can be done expeditiously, he told PTI in an exclusive interview here Sunday night. The Modi Government had abrogated Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, in August 2019 and the erstwhile State was bifurcated into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Through the abrogation of Article 370, we today have witnessed not just the dreams and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir coming into fruition but also their enthusiasm for participating in one of the biggest festivals in any democracy -elections, Modi said. He said the voting percentage in Srinagar, once a hotbed for all kinds of radical elements, witnessed the highest voter turnout in decades. Srinagar recorded a 36.7 per cent turnout--the highest since 1996--in the fourth phase of Lok Sabha elections on May 13. The world witnessed the growth and enthusiasm of the people in J&K when they welcomed the delegates from across the world during the G20 events, he added. The progress that Jammu and Kashmir has made in the last five years gives me immense hope that we are on the right path to restore statehood. We want to institutionalise the positive changes that have taken place and make the gains irreversible so that the people of the region have to never ever witness the torrid years that generations had to bear. NEW YORKIn the latest day of trial testimony, Manhattan prosecutors have officially rested their case against former President Donald Trump pertaining to felony charges of falsifying business records in an effort to cover up an affair with adult star Stormy Daniels and other allegations of infidelity against the controversial Republican frontrunner in the 2024 election. Michael Cohen, Trump's former personal attorney and fixer, finished testifying on cross-examination where lawyers representing Trump, particularly Todd Blanche, presented him as a liar, former felon and disgruntled former employee looking for revenge. Cohen lost his composure during the prosecution's case only a little, but has remained balanced. With the prosecution finished, the defense started presenting its case. According to court testimony, the defense called Robert Costello to the witness stand. Costello, also an attorney, served as a legal advisor for Cohen and was a "backchannel" for him in 2018 when the former Trump fixer was indicted, convicted and sentenced for some federal campaign finance violations and tax evasion. Before the defense took over, Cohen admitted he stole $30,000 from the Trump Organization when his real estate company owed technology company Red Finch $50,000. Cohen said that he only paid $20,000 and took the rest for himself. On redirect, the prosecution reminded the court that Cohen wasn't on trialDonald Trump is. The federal campaign finance violation Cohen was found guilty of included a payment of $130,000 to an "adult film star," per the U.S. Department of Justice indictment in 2018. The defense called Costello because he claimed that he could prove that Michael Cohen was lying about paying Daniels, being paid $420,000 for reimbursement and compensation, and other claims crucial to the prosecution's case against Trump. Costello testified for the defense that Cohen told him numerous times that Trump knew nothing about the payments made to Daniels through her former Los Angeles-based attorney, Keith Davidson. After just 14 minutes into testifying, Judge Juan Merchan cleared the courtroom over Costello's lack of "proper decorum." Costello could be overheard scoffing and mocking attorneys when they were held in a sidebar over objections. He glared and rolled his eyes at the judge. Merchan warned Costello not to roll his eyes and misbehave. After yet another sustained objection, Costello made an extremely audible sigh and rolled his eyes while side-glancing Judge Merchan. The defense counsel informed the court that Costello was the last witness for the defense. This could change, as some observers have speculated whether Trump himself will be called. The first witness called by the defense was a paralegal presenting evidence. After the jury was excused, the defense once again motioned for the case to be dismissed. Merchan will decide on the motion later. The defense could rest its case as soon as Tuesday, handing the trial off to the jury. RTO truck registration case: Court issues show-cause to officers of Navi Mumbai Police Staff Reporter In a significant setback for the Navi Mumbai Police, the Civil Judge, Senior Division, Nagpur, has issued a show cause notice to two police officers from the unit investigating a case involving stolen truck registrations. The court has questioned why a contempt of court petition filed by an Inspector of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) against the police officers should not be granted. The Navi Mumbai Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) recently which led leading to the arrest of three RTO officials from Amravati on allegations of involvement in registering and selling trucks using forged documents. RTO Inspector Udaysingh Patil filed a petition before the court of S B Pawar, Civil Judge, Senior Division, Nagpur, after receiving phone calls from the Navi Mumbai police to record his statement. Patil's counsel argued before the court that the defendants had violated the civil fundamental rights of the RTO officer which warranted urgent action. In an order issued on May 9, the court observed that various legal provisions dictate that during the investigation of any criminal case, the police cannot contact a persons by phone but must issue written notices under Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. However, in this case, the police made phone calls and sent messages. Finally, the court granted the applications on the condition that the defendants refrain from violating the plaintiff's civil fundamental rights, statutory provisions, constitutional provisions, and binding precedents of the Supreme Court of India and High Court. Despite the court's order, the police contacted the applicant again for investigation. As a result, Inspector Patil's counsel approached the court once more and filed a contempt petition. The court took cognisance of the matter and issued notices to the police officers. The next hearing is scheduled for June 28, with Adv Manoj Mendulkar and Adv Prashant Dharmare representing the applicant. Vayu Seva Sangharsha Samiti submits memo to MP Vivek Tankha Staff Reporter To garner support for the proposed No Flying Day on June 6, members of Vayu Seva Sangharsha Samiti, on Monday met with Vivek Krishna Tankha, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) and handed over a memorandum to him. Himanshu Khare of the Samiti said they held detailed discussion with MP Tankha on their on-going efforts and protest for restoration of air services for Jabalpur. Khare said after lending a patient ear to their concerns, he assured them of all possible support in their on-going endeavours. He is also ready to meet with the Chairman of Airline companies in Delhi and Mumbai and urged them to restart flights from the city. Khare said they also held discussion on the possibility of extending the flights, which are stationed at Nagpur and Bhopal Hangers to Jabalpur. He said the Samiti members will soon also approach the Chief Minister to give needed strength to the ongoing efforts. Members of Vayu Seva Sangharsha Samiti said the expansion of Dumna Airport in Jabalpur was completed at a cost of Rs 450 crores. However, as the airport developed, the number of flights started decreasing. Previously, Jabalpur had 12 flights to various cities in the country, but now it has reduced to 5, with some flights also at risk of being suspended. In response, the citizens of Jabalpur have started a protest called Viman Roko Andolan. On June 6, traders, lawyers, doctors, students and many others from Jabalpur will come together to participate in "No Flying Day," where no one will undertake air travel unless it is absolutely necessary, on June 6. The Vayu Seva Sangharsha Samiti has called upon everyone to refrain from air travel from Jabalpur on the day. The demand is for the initiation of air services not only to Mumbai but also to Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Bangalore from Jabalpur. All models were at least 18 years old at the time of their performance. 18 U.S.C. 2257 Record-Keeping Requirements Compliance Statement. A collage of NASCAR brawl photos from Davey Segal and Bob Pockrass on X/Twitter. One of the old adages in journalism is Dont become the story. Well, several NASCAR journalists wound up very much in the middle of a story Sunday, but thanks to a situation well out of their control. That came from Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who was clipped by Kyle Busch on the second lap and had his race end early. Stenhouse then came up to Busch afterward amidst Foxs interview with race winner Joey Logano and threw a punch. That led to a brawl that also involved both Buschs and Stenhouses pit crews. And that led to several journalists being caught in the middle, including SiriusXM NASCAR Radio host Davey Segal: Yup. Thats me. Youre probably wondering how I ended up in this situation. pic.twitter.com/BxhBTAC3tO Davey Segal (@DaveyCenter) May 20, 2024 Foxs Bob Pockrass, who previously got a quote from Stenhouse that hed handle it after the race, asked how and received a You just watch reply, was also in the middle of this. He put out a bunch of tweets on that: The fight start pic.twitter.com/B5gZYj4aWB Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 20, 2024 I was thinking that the microphone I really like with the pocket-sized stick gimbal camera I use just got knocked out of my hand and how was I going to get more sound? https://t.co/kV8xrqDeyW Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) May 20, 2024 And, as Pockrass Fox colleague Kaitlyn Vincie noted, Pockrass set a wide shot of all the media involved as his new X/Twitter profile header: not sure if anyone noticedbut @bobpockrasss new profile photo will allow us to live that fight reaction forever Kaitlyn Vincie (@kaitlynvincie) May 20, 2024 Heres that, for reference: Its still not clear all that will come of this fight. But it certainly led to a wild moment for many NASCAR media. Forum for Impact returns to Bahamas to help build future of blue economy Why commemorate Naga Plesbicite Day, 16th May, 1951 ? | Dr Phungchamnao Ranreiphi Kharei Nagas from across the world along with well-wishers like UNPO (Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization), Naga International Support Centre (NISC) joined hands in commemorating the Naga Plesbicite Day 16th May, 1951, on 16th May, 2024 after a gap of 73 years. It was a red-letter day in the history of Naga freedom struggle as Naga Plebiscite was conducted to reaffirm the declaration of Naga Independence that was announced before the world on 14th August, 1947. It was the day the Nagas portrayed themselves loud & clear with their thumb impressions in which 99.9% of the Nagas voted for Sovereign Naga Nation. It was the most powerful symbol of Naga People's inalienable right for sovereignty. It also represents the virtue of the Nagas and ignited the flame of irreversible political identity of the Nagas as a sovereign Nation. National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN GPRN), Naga People's Movement for Human Rights (NPMHR), Naga Hoho, Naga Students Federation (NSF), Naga Mothers' Association (NMA), Global Naga Forum (GNF), United Naga Council (UNC) Manipur, Tirap Changlang Longding People's Front (TCLPF) Arunachal Pradesh, Eastern Naga People's Organization (ENPO), Naga People's Organization (NPO) Myanmar, Naga Women Union (NWU), Tribe Hohos, All Naga Students Association Manipur, District Apex Bodies, Naga Churches, Politicians, Social Activists, intellectuals and well-wishers expressed in one voice to reaffirm the stand of Naga Nation. "Remembering with thanks to our ancestors," said Eno Gen Ningkhan Shimray, MC, VC Longvibu, Naga Army in his welcome address on the commemoration day at GHC. As the historical truth is told, Nagas under the banner of Naga National Council (NNC) took the crucial steps to conduct Naga Plebiscite. "We are here today to reaffirm the stand of our Naga Nation that we do not need India and we do not want her. We are here today, to prove to India and the world that Nagaland is United and that our Nation aspires the same conviction to continue to be independent as a distinct Nation as we have always been the sovereign National State of the Nagas," said AZ Phizo, President, NNC on the Naga Plesbicite Day, May 16, 1951. Brief Background of Nagas as a Nation and the Declaration of Naga Independence on August 14th, 1947 Nagas came into existence as a free Nation since time immemorial without any pressure from the outside world. Nagas are politically a distinct Nation with each village as a republic with sovereign authority. Naturally, Nagas were against any kind of intrusion/incursion and domination over the sovereign right. Nagas zealously guarded against the misadventure of alien forces like the Shans from the east and the Ahoms from the west. When the British intruded into the Naga territory, they went through horrible time in the hands of the ferocious Angami Warriors. This depicts the spirit of Naga Nationalism for the love of their mother country. It shocked the forces that dared to test the nerves of the Nagas. The Naga People's allegiance to the Naga Nationhood is the dynamism of the Naga culture. The passion for political freedom and independence are intrinsically linked and had been the motivating factor that drives the Naga political movement. The British ruler which established their authority over the small Naga area known as Naga Hills District in 1879 became more conscious of the Nagas political right and their concern for future political status. They could follow the burning desire of the Nagas who did not want their National identity be buried under the shadow of British India or British Burma. Thus, when JH Hutton, a British officer convened a meeting with the Naga Club to ascertain their wishes after the departure of the British, the Nagas expressed their desire to be left alone just as the British found them at first. When Simon Commision visited Kohima on January 10, 1929, the Naga Club exhibited remarkable political maturity by coming up with more organised system in their political approach towards their stand. They submitted a memorandum that the Nagas be left alone to decide their own future and their political status be reverted to the independence they enjoyed before the British came. The memorandum reads: "We pray that we should not be thrust on the mercy of the people who could never have conquered us themselves, and to whom we were never subjected; but to leave us alone to determine for ourselves as in ancient times." Ironically, things were not moving as desired by the Nagas as the British Government and British India Government showed no sign of withdrawing their hold on the Nagas. This compelled the Nagas to organise themselves under the banner of Naga National Council (NNC) and assert their rights in the manner that carried the weight of authority and credibility. Henceforth, NNC occupied the centre stage to lead the Naga political movement. The NNC submitted a memorandum to the British Government and British India Government on February 20, 1947 with the request for interim Government for themselves and proposed a 'Protected State Status' with India as a guardian power for an interim period of ten years, at the end of which the Nagas would be left to decide their political future. The copy of the memorandum was sent to Clement Atlee, the Prime Minister of England, Lord Simon, Member of the House of Lords and Winston Churchill. Part of the cover letter to Lord Simon, the House of the Lords reads: "No argument is needed to show that the Nagas are a separate people with their own customs, traditions and culture; and to say that the British Government has decided to hand- over to the Indian hands complete authority for governing over Nagaland, in complete inconsistence with the policy of administration hither followed in these Hills and in violation of implied but clear pledges in the past years, without even asking the opinion of the Nagas is not only unjust but immoral." Nevertheless, the Nagas decided to put up a good fight when it became very clear that the overriding geopolitics of the Indian Government was simply to make the Nagas as part of the Indian Union. This was made known when the Indian Constituent Assembly was established in 1946. T Aliba Imti, the first NNC President was made a part of the sub-committee. When this sub-committee met in Shillong over the issue of joining India, Nagas refused to be bogged down under any pressure and stoutly took the stand not to go along with the other princely States and walked away with the comment: "We the Nagas, cannot sign our names to be under India. We do not agree with it and we resign." Not willing to let his name go down in history as having led down the Nagas, Imti plainly told the sub-committee, "I cannot return to my people as a traitor." (To be contd) Anti-Terrorism Day | IMPHAL, May 21: Observing the Anti-Terrorism Day, the Congress party has pledged to stand firm against all forms of terrorism. As in the previous years, the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) observed the 33rd death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi as Anti-Terrorism Day at Congress Bhavan here today. Speaking on the occasion, former Chief Minister and CLP leader Okram Ibobi recalled how Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in the most vicious manner. A suicide bomber killed the former Prime Minister by pretending to be garlanding him, Ibobi said. Every year the people of India and the world observe the death anniversary of Rajiv Gandhi as Anti-Terrorism Day, he said. When Rajiv Gandhi was serving as the Prime Minister of India, he formulated a number of foreign policies all aimed at fostering friendly relationships with all the neighbouring countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Nepal. Learn to look 10/20/30 years hence Wanted : Visionary leaders | Resolving the ongoing ethnic clash between the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos should obviously be on top of the agenda of the Government, but yet at the same time it has increasingly become important for Manipur to have leaders who can look 10/20/30 or even 50 years ahead and accordingly take up the needed steps now. It is the failure to look into the future that Manipur today finds herself neck deep in all sorts of problems and troubles. Missing the bus is a three word term that may be used to aptly describe the Manipur of today. Look at the reality around and the answer should be clear. When the Nagas raised the banner of the continuous influx in the hills and served quit notices in the early part of the 1990s and which inevitably led to the Naga-Kuki clash, Manipur or rather the Meiteis failed to note the danger of unchecked influx and today it is now a case Thangjing metamorphosing into Thangting. Or look at the claims over Mount Koubru, a place deemed to be an abode of worship for the Meiteis, an annual ritual which is practised to this day. Look at the names of places which have been changed to give them an ethnic identity plumb in the heart of Imphal. It was only recently that Imphal woke up to this dangerously unhealthy practise and issued an official notification that no place can be christened as one pleases. Steps which ought to have been taken decades back. Looking back, the writings on the wall were clear but it is just that no Meitei leader or Meitei organisation had the far sightedness to look at what situation could be like 10 or 20 or 30 years down the line. A classic case was the refusal of the State Government and the machin tongba personalities from amongst the Meiteis who refused to let the Meiteis be included in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution. Long before the idea of Nagalim was vocalised, the process of grouping the Naga folks under a single banner had been given shape and perhaps this is the primary reason why no Naga student from Manipur identified themselves with the Manipur student organisations in any of the major cities of the country which has a sizeable number of students from Manipur. It was more or less the same with the Kuki students, who preferred to align themselves with their own kindred and kith under the nomenclature of Kuki Students Organisation or KSO. It was the same when the SoO pact was inked with the Kuki armed groups and which the State Government was made to become a signatory in 2008. Imphal held back before the pact became a tripartite agreement, having been in force earlier between the Government of India and the Kuki armed groups in 2005. The point is, Imphal failed to convince New Delhi of the impending threat and danger in inking a peace pact with outfits which have never, ever trained their guns on the security forces. The State Government did reject, but it was farsightedness at work when the population strength of certain villages in Purul, Mao-Maram and Paomata sub-divisions of Senapati district saw an abnormal growth. This was detected in the 2001 Census, with the abnormal figure continuing to haunt even in the 2011 Census. Leaving aside the opposition from the State Government, Imphal should have noted that here is a mind with a far sighted vision at work. A spike in population would have meant an increase in the number of reserved Assembly seats when the next Delimitation exercise is held. This is where Manipur or rather the Meiteis need far sighted leaders who can look to the future and accordingly act. The War on Drugs campaign is far sighted, no doubt about that, for it is aimed at highlighting not only the extent and power of drug money, the vast scale deforestation, but also draw a link between the burgeoning drug trade and illegal immigration from across the border, and it is here that it becomes important to stress that far sightedness comes with the needed follow up steps. If there is a campaign against drugs, why have no ring leaders been arrested and their identities spelt out to the public so far ? As repeatedly asserted here, the couriers arrested on the Imphal-Moreh line or the dingy bylanes of Imphal are at best drug pushers, the small fishes. Who are those financing the drug trade ? Who are those financing the poppy cultivations ? No answer so far. Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) : In top 10 global health threats | Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant CNS Youth, as key stakeholders in combating AMR, are not only raising the awareness of the public about AMR but also promoting structural and behavioural change in prescription and consumption of antimicrobials. They also have a role in sensitising national and global actors and decision-makers to invest more in tackling AMR, including in actions led by youth. The United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on AMR in 2024 is an opportunity to drive global change, as its resolutions might be crucial in shaping the future of health and AMR. It is in the interest of all that the voices of youth networks and organisations be included and amplified, as they can play a critical role in setting the global AMR agenda. "When I was implementing infection control in an isolation facility in Kenya during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic, it took me 2 years in service without fully knowing AMR. How it impacts human health, animal health, and the environment is important to understand," added Nahashon Gicheru. "National Action Plans on AMR and implementing them, including addressing risk factors of AMR like handwashing, is so key. Working with youth at local level is vital." Rhema Hooper, a student representative of College of Health, Lehigh University, said that "We are being an example of how to educate and engage young people especially students in AMR awareness campaign and advocacy." One positive outcome is that now young students use phones to alert patients on when to take their medicines to combat AMR. Rhema Hooper added that "We can equip university students to connect with local communities on issues like AMR. Schools can play an important role on AMR and food security, for example." Dr Salman Khan who is being trained at government-run Grant Medical College and JJ Hospital Mumbai in India, said that "Knowing grassroots reality (regarding danger of AMR), I had a constant urge to make a difference. This drove me to engage youth in AMR. I was involved and able to witness multiple activities done by medical students, including AMR stewardship, infection control, and a lot more." "Imagine if every region, sub-region, every country, every sub-national level, has a youth group engaged on AMR," what a difference it can make!" added Dr Khan. Listen to the people we serve "We have to keep AMR-affected communities in the centre," when it comes to responding to AMR, said Dr Salman Khan. As per the Youth Manifesto, 'An effective, sustainable response to AMR requires a whole-of-society approach, in which young people can play a crucial role now and in the future. Youth can help to increase awareness and change behaviour in society and to advocate for action on AMR in political and policy fora. Young people should have a seat at the table in shaping responses to global threats such as AMR. The ideas, perspectives and skills of youth must be harnessed to advance global, regional, national and subnational AMR plans and interventions. Meaningful engagement of youth should be a priority for the United Nations General Assembly High-level Meeting on AMR in 2024 and beyond'. Preamble to the Youth Manifesto * Ensure meaningful youth engagement in policy, advocacy and programme implementation to achieve integration of the priorities stated below into local and national action plans. * Foster multi-stakeholder collaboration to establish capacity-building initiatives and mentorship programmes to enable youth-led actions against AMR at national, regional and global levels. * Encourage countries and key stakeholders, such as civil society organizations and institutions, to address the priorities stated below and to include youth in co-creating their strategic plans on AMR. * Enable youth networks to use the AMR-related information provided by the Quadripartite Joint Secretariat on AMR and the Quadripartite organizations, which are the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), for producing educational materials and capacity-building for young people. Top priorities identified by youth include (i) Advocacy and engagement at various levels; (ii) Education and capacity-building and inclusion of AMR awareness and appropriate use of antimicrobials in the health curricula of primary, secondary and higher education institutions, among others; (iii) Equitable patient care, so that people across the world have access to effective, high-quality diagnosis and treatment for infectious diseases and the benefits of research and development reach everyone; and (iv) Addressing AMR with a One-Health approach. Election commission removed a central Armed police Force (CAPF) jawan from duty, who was alleged to have been involved in a molestation charge at Uluberia, Howrah. The ruling Trinamul Congress lodged a complaint with the CEO office of the Election Commission over alleged misconduct to get the jawan removed. The Uluberia police too launched an investigation into the alleged charge. A BSF spokesperson claimed that the jawan, who had allegedly been charged with molestation by a political party, was removed from poll duty and an investigation is underway. Advertisement According to reports, a woman of Chandipur area under Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency faced sexual harassment. The polling agent of Trinamul Congress Uluberia candidate Sajda Ahemed had moved the Election Commission and lodged a complaint on the alleged act against the jawan. In another incident at Jangipara, Hooghly, another central force jawan was allegedly charged with alleged molestation. He had to face an alleged assault by the villagers. The accused jawan was arrested by the police. Calcutta High Court today put an interim stay on the publication of contentious twin advertisements by the BJP on newspapers and also questioned the Election Commission for not taking any action swiftly on the alleged MCC violation after it was brought to their notice by the ruling party. The Bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya of Calcutta High Court during a hearing on the alleged advertisement restrained the BJP from putting the advertisements in any media. The advertisements allegedly accused the Trinamul Congress of corruption and projecting it as being anti-Hindu (Sanatan) on a newspaper and put an interim stay on its further publication till further orders regarding the case from the court. Advertisement The ruling Trinamul Congress had moved the Election Commission regarding the controversial advertisements. On the basis, The poll panel reacting late, issued a show cause notice to the BJP state president Suknata Majumdar and asked him to reply by 5 pm on Tuesday. Earlier, the ruling party had moved Calcutta High Court demanding stay on the alleged publication. Trinamul Congress national spokesperson and state minister for women and child development and social welfare Dr Shashi Panja thanked the people for the unflinching support to the party. Addressing a press conference at Trinamul Bhavan, she said the election was peaceful and in the past four phases, the presence of women voters was remarkable. She is hopeful of win of the party nominees in all the seven seats where election was held today. Coming down heavily on the BJP she said, They have understood that the party would not be able to do well in the ongoing general election, party leaders are trying to create trouble to disturb the election, she said adding, the nervousness of the BJP leaders is very clear as they have realised that ground below their feet is slipping away. Advertisement Without naming Locket Chatterjee, the incumbent BJP MP from Hooghly, she said, As she is a absentee MP, people had staged protest in front of her. If you do not visit your constituency, this is the fate you will have to face. People are awareness of their rights and expect the leader to work for the development of the area. Asked to comment on the criticism of the central forces by the BJP leaders, she said, This shows their nervousness. They thought that the central forces will act at their instruction and intimidate the voters. They must have been annoyed as the central forces did not follow their instruction. We thought the BJP leaders should have condemned the alleged abuse of women by the central forces jawans in two places. It is shocking that the leaders did not say a single word on the issue. She said it is amazing that the BJP leaders are criticizing the Election Commission of India. The leaders did not say anything when the BJP had manipulated the committee appointed to select the members of ECI. Asked to comment on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said that Trinamul is fast losing ground, she said, He is nervous. He knows that he is not coming back and so he is hitting out at the Congress. He should give a list of development projects which his government did in the past one decade. As he does not have anything to say on this issue, he is talking about religion and on issues that have exposed his nervousness. The number of domestic air travelers in India grew 2.42 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) in April, reaching 132 million, according to the data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday. Notably, it is the slowest Y-o-Y growth in domestic air passenger traffic in at least 13 months. However, domestic air traffic fell very slightly in April when compared with March 2024s reading which stood at 133.68 lakh passengers. Advertisement The slow growth can be attributed to multiple factors. One of the key airlines, IndiGo, grounded over 70 planes due to issues with Pratt and Whitney (PW) engines. On the other hand, amid a cash crunch, SpiceJet consolidated its domestic services. Vistara canceled over 2 per cent of its flights in April as pilots went on sick leave over salary disputes. As per the DGCA data, Akasa Air was the most punctual airline operating in India for the second straight month in a row after overtaking AIX Connect in March. The airlines turned in an on-time performance of 89.2 per cent at the four metro airports: New Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. AIX Connect and Vistara were second and third, followed by IndiGo. In terms of domestic passengers, Vistara carried 1.218 million domestic passengers in April, a 5.14 per cent decline month-on-month. SpiceJet carried 6.17 million domestic passengers, marking a 12.1 per cent M-o-M drop. Vistara also canceled 2.4 per cent of its scheduled flights in April, the highest among all major carriers, according to the DGCA data. Air India was the only major carrier that had M-o-M growth in its domestic traffic with 18.8 million domestic passengers, marking a growth of 7.61per cent. The DGCA data also highlighted the cancellation rates of the airlines. In April 2024, the overall cancellation rate of scheduled domestic airlines stood at 0.80 per cent, around 17 basis points higher than the 0.63 per cent in March but lower than the 0.9 per cent seen in February and 3.67 per cent seen in January. Flybig, a regional airline based in Gurugram (Haryana), recorded the highest cancellation rate of 10 per cent, while the new airline Zoom was second with a cancellation rate of 9.55 per cent. During April 2024, a total of 774 passenger-related complaints were received by scheduled domestic airlines. The number of complaints per 10,000 passengers carried for April has been around 0.59, the data said. Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Tuesday said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals deafening silence on the alleged assault on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Swati Maliwal, speaks volumes of his stance on the safety of women. Maliwal had alleged CMs Personal Secretary Bibhav Kumar of abusing and physically assaulting her on 13th May at the CMs residence. In his first reaction on the alleged incident at the residence of the CM, the LG in a statement said, I have been deeply distressed over the unfolding media narrative over the last few days on the issue of alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal at the residence of CM, when she went there to meet him all alone. Yesterday, she called me out of sheer anguish, describing at length her traumatic experience, and the subsequent intimidation and shaming that she is being subjected to by her own colleagues. Advertisement He said Maliwal expressed concern over reported tampering of evidence and coercion against her. The LG noted that it was most disturbing to note that the alleged scene of crime was the drawing room of the CM and the same was carried out by his closest aide on a lady who was alone. Her fellow member of Rajya Sabha confirmed her narrative in full media glare, and assured that the CM would take firm action against the culprit CMs aide. Subsequently, a total U-turn was done in the matter, apparently at the behest of the highest functionary. This too is inexplicable and baffling. I would have expected that at least for the sake of propriety, my CM would have come clean, rather than being evasive and dodgy. His deafening silence speaks volumes of his stance on the safety of women, Saxena said, referring to AAP MP Sanjay Singhs statement on the alleged incident. Last week, Singh said what happened with her was highly condemnable and the CM took cognizance of the matter and would take a strict action in this regard. Stating that Delhi is the national capital and is home to the entire diplomatic community from around the world, the LG said, Such shameful incidents and the insensitive and conspiratorial contemptuous government response, on an issue of women safety, tarnishes Indias image worldwide. Had such an incident happened in any other Chief Ministers residence in the country, external forces with vested interests, inimical to India, would have unleashed a scathing global narrative around women safety in India. The absence of any outrage in this case leaves several questions unanswered,he said. Informing that Delhi Police is investigating the matter, Saxena said that the matter will be brought to its logical conclusion The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) organised a blood donation camp here on Tuesday to commemorate the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. At the blood donation camp held at the IYC office, IYC National President Srinivas BV recalled the contribution of the former prime minister, calling him a visionary leader. He said, The thinking of the former prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi ji, was a revolutionary, which laid the foundation of Young India. The foundation of the digital revolution that we see today was laid by Rajiv Gandhi ji in the country. It was Rajiv ji who gave voting power to the youth by reducing the age limit. Advertisement He further said, During the freedom struggle, Mahatma Gandhi ji had dreamed of strengthening the villages, the dream was fulfilled by Rajiv Gandhi ji. Through Panchayati Raj, he brought rights and power to the doorstep of the villages. When there was an atmosphere of instability in the country, dissatisfaction grew from Punjab to Assam, Rajiv Gandhi ji followed the path of Bapu and kept the country united through peace agreements. Very few can do what Rajiv ji did for the country, he added. Noting that great men become immortal by laying down their lives for a cause, the IYC president said, Rajiv Gandhi ji is one of them. Despite knowing about all the dangers, he continued to work for the country without caring for his life. His contribution to nation-building is unforgettable. Congress leaders, Sandeep Dixit and Jebi Mather, and members of the Youth Congress also participated in the blood donation camp. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for allegedly calling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters as Pakistanis during a rally on Monday. The chief minister asked whether all those people who gave a mandate to the AAP in the Delhi and Punjab assembly elections were Pakistanis. In a video briefing, the AAPs national convener claimed that the rally in Delhi in which he alleged the home minister called the AAP supporters Pakistanis was attended by less than 500 people. Advertisement Addressing Shah, the AAP national convener said, You have so much arrogance about being chosen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his successor that you are abusing and threatening people even before becoming the PM. However, he discounted Amit Shahs prospects of becoming a prime minister as, he claimed, the ruling BJP dispensation would be ousted on June 4 as the INDIA bloc is going to form a government at the Centre. Your enmity is with me, you can abuse me. But if you abuse the people of the country, no one will tolerate it, the Delhi CM warned the home minister. Pointing out that Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, who was in the city, also abused him; he said he would humbly tell him (Yogi) that his real enemies were within his party. After the polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shah plan to remove him from the post of CM. Kejriwal said he wanted to bring three things to the notice of the people. First, going by the trend in the five phases of the Lok Sabha elections it is clear that on June 4 the Modi government is losing and the INDIA going to form a new government. Citing surveys and their findings, he said on June 4, the INDIA bloc is getting more than 300 seats. INDIA alliance is moving towards giving a clean and stable government to the country, the AAP chief added. On May 11, the day after he was released on interim bail, Kejriwal, while addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, said, These people ask the INDIA alliance who will be their prime minister. I asked the BJP who would be their prime minister. PM Modi is turning 75 next year on 17th September. He made a rule that leaders in the BJP would retire after 75 years of age. LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sumitra Mahajan, and Yashwant Sinha were retired and now PM Modi is going to retire on 17th September. The chief minister was granted bail by the Supreme Court in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi Liquor policy scam till June 1. PM Modi is seeking votes to make Amit Shah prime minister. Will Amit Shah fulfill Modis guarantee, the AAP chief had asked. He had even alleged that the BJP ended the political career of its veteran leaders like LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi. The next is Yogi Adityanath. If they win this election, they will change the CM of Uttar Pradesh within two months, he claimed. The Delhi Police arrested a man for allegedly throwing ink at the INDIA bloc candidate for the Lok Sabha elections from North-East Delhi, Kanhaiya Kumar, and misbehaving with an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councilor at the party office at 4th Pushta. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police North-East Delhi Dr Joy Tirkey, the accused was arrested on Monday while efforts are on to round up the others involved in the incident. According to the police, the arrested accused has been identified as 41-year-old Ajay Kumar alias Ranbir Bhatti, who hails from New Usmanpur, Delhi. Advertisement The incident took place on May 17 when Kanhaiya Kumar was about to leave the AAP office located at the 4th Pushta, Swami Satyanarain Bhawan after attending a meeting hosted by Chhaya Sharma, the councilor. When the councilor was about to see off Kumar after the meeting, some people came forward to garland Kumar and allegedly threw ink at him and attempted to assault him. As the councilor tried to intervene, the assailants misbehaved with the lady intimidating her, it was alleged. A complaint was filed by the AAP corporator in this connection based on which a case was registered by the police under relevant sections, and legal action is being taken against the culprit. Investigation into the case is in progress, the police added. Earlier, Kumar had alleged that the attackers were affiliated with the BJP. Addressing BJP MP Manoj Tiwari through social media platform X, he said, MP sir, no matter how many goons you send to attack me, I am not scared. I am a follower of Gandhi Ji and Baba Saheb Ambedkar, and I have the courage of Shaheed Bhagat Singh. I will not stop. In a scathing attack on the Congress on Tuesday, Bollywood actress and BJP candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha constituency Kangana Ranaut asserted that the party neither has a leader nor policy. She accused the Congress of engaging solely in politics driven by appeasement and nepotism. INDI bloc leaders should clarify who will assume the role of Prime Minister in this purportedly arrogant alliance. Are the constituents of this alliance harbouring aspirations of rotating Prime Ministers in five years? The Congress party is not going to win even 50 seats, she claimed during her election campaign in Siraj on Tuesday. The country has witnessed transformation in the last one decade. Today, every person in the country aspires to be a part of Indias growth. The country has left a dark chapter behind and has taken a journey towards Amrit Kaal (the era of elixir) and every citizen of the country is dreaming of making a developed India on the completion of 100 years of Indias independence by 2047, she said. Advertisement It is due to the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the country has emerged from big challenges like Naxalism and terrorism. While, the central government has resolved to take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), the leaders within the INDI alliance are delivering statements in favour of Pakistan, she claimed. The Congress is a party of loot and plunder, she alleged, stating that by voting for the party, the people of Mandi will not become partners of sin. Attacking Congress candidate, Vikramaditya Singh, she said that he is arrogant and a spoiled prince. It seems his mother Pratibha Singh has not taught him to respect women. Vikramaditya Singh described Dev Samaj and gods and goddesses as one level below the monarchy. Today his ego has risen to his head, she alleged. Stating that she is getting full blessings from the people as well as the gods and goddesses, she accused Vikramaditya Singh of instigating the religious sentiments of the people. On June 4, it will become clear who will get the blessings of the gods and goddesses and who will not, she said. Xem them ... Tin bai cuoi cung Khong con du lieu e load Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday attacked the Congress and the RJD on the reservation issue saying if Babasaheb Ambedkar was not there, Nehruji would not have allowed reservation for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) and had written a letter to chief ministers to oppose it. Addressing a BJP election rally in Purvi Champaran, Bihar he said the jungle-raj parties are planning to subvert the reservation scheme and are speaking lies on the Constitution. From Nehruji to Rajiv Gandhi, all Prime Ministers of the Congress family opposed OBC reservation, he said. The Congress has been dishonest with the poor, SCs, STs, OBCs and women, and is now left with only one vote bank, the Prime Minister said. To appease it, the Congress wants to snatch the SC, ST, and OBC reservation on the basis of religion and wants to give it to the vote-jihad people. Since the Constitution does not allow it, the party wants to change the Constitution, he said. Advertisement You have seen Modis track record. Modi has in the last 10 years used the support of about 400 MPs to its government to strengthen the poor, Dalits, the backward and deprived sections of people. The NDA first made a Dalit son and then a tribal daughter President of the country, and gave constitutional status to the Backward Classes Commission, he said. Interests of the SCs, STs, and OBCs were never more protected than under the BJP and NDA, he said. The scope of reservation was extended to medical admissions and in schools. To ensure this level of social security continues, he told the crowds, You must ensure a strong government at the Centre under Modi. The prime minister told the people their affection and enthusiasm showed what would happen during the sixth and seventh rounds of polling. In the first round, the INDI alliance was defeated; it was destroyed in the following rounds, and in the fifth round on Monday, it was completely decimated, he said. Those who considered themselves rulers of people, are going to get such a defeat that the whole world will wonder, he said. The 4 June results will give a blow to corruption, politics of appeasement, tukde-tukde gang, the ideology that causes unrest in the society, the perverse mentality which abuses Sanatan, the criminal-mafia jungle-raj and the anti-woman mindset, Mr Modi said. He said the Congress and its allies wasted 60 years of Independence, and destroyed life of three to four generations. After 60-70 years of Independence, when you gave the son of a poor mother to serve the people, toilets came to every home. Modi is working day and night to provide water at every home, he said. The Congress and its allies like the RJD made people cry for amenities; the poor became poorer. In 60 years, the Congress built its palaces, opened accounts in Swiss banks and you did not have even enough food to fill your stomachs. Their almirahs were stuffed with money; mountains of currency notes, he said. I need a strong government at the Centre, not to make Modi or his family strong, but to make the bright future of your children and to realize your dreams. I have come from Gujarat, the birth place of Gandhi to this karmabhoomi of Gandhi, to seek your blessings, he said. Those born with a silver spoon do not know what is hard work, he said. Amidst shouts of Modi-Modi, the prime minister said somebody had said Modi would get bed rest after 4 June. I pray to God there should be no occasion for bed rest for any citizen in the country. Every citizen should be full of energy, and celebrate life. But what else can be expected from the inheritor of jungle-raj, he said. They are all like this, he said. Congress people say Modi, your grave will be dug. The party has a counterpart in Uttar Pradesh. The shehzada of Uttar Pradesh (Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav) says that Modi will spend his last days in Varanasi. In this election, these people have no issue but to abuse Modi, he said. Some say Modis grave will be dug, and some say he will be given a burial, Congress shehzada (Rahul Gandhi) wants to see tears in the eyes of Modi, the INDI people should know the country does not run according to their wishes, anymore. On 4 June, the INDI alliance is seeing defeat and getting restless. They are raising questions on Modis schemes. They know nothing about the country, he said. I give my report card wherever I go, I ask the INDI alliance for their record. They took land for jobs, can they think about the future of the youth? During their jungle raj only bombs, land mafia, and abductions business flourished, he said. His government removed Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir and ensured the construction of the Ram temple. What kind of people are they, they were given an invitation for Pran Pratishtha but they rejected it, he said. They will go to the house of a person who has served a jail term for theft, and have food there but have no time to go to Ram Lallas temple. Modi has resolved disputes for decades and given solutions. Modi is not like them to cheat the poor, he said. The Congress government in Telangana has come under fire from the Opposition BRS and BJP over its decision to provide a bonus of Rs 500 on MSP to farmers cultivating only the finer variety of rice. The Cabinets decision to invite Sonia Gandhi to the decennial celebrations of the states formation also was questioned by the BJP. Slamming the state governments decision, BRS leader KT Rama Rao pointed out that during the Assembly elections, the Congress had promised Rs 500 as a bonus over MSP on any variety of rice but now decided to extend the bonus to only fine variety of paddy. In the guarantee card (of Congress) announcing a bonus of Rs 500 for rice crop, now restricted only to the finer variety, Rao said, accusing the Congress of indulging in deceit and fraud. He went on to accuse it of being an anti-farmer government that denied water and power, leading to the drying up of crops and now refusing to buy the paddy which got wet due to unseasonal rains. Advertisement The BJP also lambasted the Congress government for its decision to give bonuses to farmers cultivating the finer variety. BJPs official spokesperson NV Subhash said that the cheating tactics and techniques of the Congress party were exposed once again with the cabinet deciding to extend the bonus only for fine variety paddy instead of all varieties. Subhash said that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had promised to extend a bonus for paddy without mentioning the variety and now offering to limit it to fine variety and wondered how long the government would cheat the farming community. He demanded that the bonus should be extended to all the farmers. Referring to the state Cabinets decision to invite AICC leader and Rajya Sabha member Sonia Gandhi to the decennial celebrations of Telangana formation, the BJP leader questioned why she was being invited to the event. The Bharatiya Janata Party has issued a show cause notice to its sitting MP from Jharkhands Hazaribagh for not taking interest in the poll campaign and the partys organisational work. The notice issued by BJPs Jharkhand general secretary Aditya Sahu said that Sinhas conduct has maligned the party image. You did not even feel proper to exercise your right of franchise. The partys image has been maligned due to your conduct, it said. Advertisement The notice said that Sinha stopped taking interest in organisational work and election campaigns ever since BJP replaced him with Manish Jaiswal as its candidate from Hazaribagh parliamentary constituency. You are not taking any interest in organisational work and election campaigning ever since the party declared Manish Jaiswal as the candidate from Hazaribagh LS seat, the notice said. The show cause notice to Sinha came days after his son attended Congress president Mallikarjun Kharges rally in Jharkhands Barhi in support of INDIA bloc candidate. Jayant Sinha is Yashwant Sinha, former Union Finance Minister under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who joined Trinamool Congress in 2021. Before the announcement of tickets, Jayant Sinha had written to BJP national president JP Nadda, expressing his desire not to contest the elections. He has said that he wanted to focus on combating climate change in India and around the world but asserted that he would continue to work with the party. Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) president Devender Yadav on Tuesday paid homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary. The Congress chief of the Delhi unit paid floral tributes at the portrait of Gandhi at the party office here. Remembering the former prime minister, Yadav said, Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the unity, integrity and progress of the country. The people of India will never forget his supreme sacrifice. Advertisement Recalling his contribution, the Delhi Congress president said, Rajiv Gandhi Ji was a visionary leader who brought in the telecom revolution and introduced the computer era to the country. The results of his visionary steps have borne fruits as Indian youths have emerged as a major force in the digital revolution. His decision to introduce Panchayati Raj for the devolution of power to the local panchayats for the overall progress and development of the country, had witnessed amazing results. It was Rajiv Jis vision to make India strong both economically and developmentally to set the process of making the country Atmanirbhar Bharat. This dream of Rajiv ji will be fully realised by Rahul Gandhi through Congress five Nyay and 25 guarantees given in the party manifesto when the INDIA bloc government comes to power at the Centre, he said. Referring to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, he said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is misleading the people with the 400 paar slogan. But Rajiv Gandhi had achieved this historic feat without indulging in theatrics or misleading the people with false promises, to become the youngest Prime Minister of the country, and the record still stands. Due to Rajiv Gandhis vision and action, India can stand confidently with the economic powers of the world, he added. Labeling the SP and Congress as the masters of terrorists and patrons of the mafia, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath alleged on Tuesday that before 2017, every criminal and mafia member exploited the public and extorted money posing a threat to the safety of daughters. Speaking at a public meeting at the Government Girls Inter College here in support of Dumariyaganj MP and Lok Sabha candidate Jagdambika Pal, Yogi said, Today, the SP feels pain as the mafia is punished severely for its wrongdoings. We should not allow the supporters of the mafia or the masters of terrorists to gain power. Calling the alliance between the SP and Congress a disaster, he said, When Congress was in power at the Center and the SP in the state, there were terrorist attacks on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, Sankat Mochan in Kashi, and the courts in Ayodhya, Lucknow, and Varanasi. As soon as Akhilesh Yadav became CM, he tried to withdraw cases against terrorists. At that time, the court had remarked that the government should be ashamed of itself. Advertisement Pointing out that the public is aware of the close relationship between the SP and the mafia; the chief minister said the two cannot be separated. Every mafia member in the state is linked to the SP. SPs sympathies do not lie with the daughters and businessmen, but with the mafia. He continued, Because of their leniency towards the mafia, the public rejected them in 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2022. And now, the slogan of 400 paar worries the SP. Now that the SP is contesting elections on 63 seats they will lose their deposits. This is why the I.N.D.I alliance of the two boys (the SP and Congress) is spreading lies, rumours, and conspiracies to mislead the public. The CM said that the mafia that was driven out by the people of Gorakhpur and Sant Kabir Nagar wont be allowed to thrive in Siddharthnagar, the land of Mahatma Buddha. If this mafia prospers, it will seize the property of the poor. I protested in Dumariyaganj and Kapilvastu, and you received justice. Dont let such a situation arise again. This mafia is selfish; they will take over land and get it registered at gunpoint. We are determined to make life difficult for these mafias. But if they return, they will try to engage in hooliganism and extortion. The decision on both votes and choices is yours. CM Yogi stated that when his party had an opportunity, it enshrined Ram Lalla in Ayodhya. On the other hand, SP people used to open fire on Ram devotees. The SP general secretary even called the Ram temple useless. Lord Ram is the controller of the world and the Supreme Father. Ram ke bina humara koi kaam nahi, Jo Ram ka nahi woh humare kisi kaam ka nahi. The CM questioned the manifesto of the SP-Congress alliance, stating that they plan to allocate property to Muslims who entered India as infiltrators from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, whereas his administration opposes the imposition of inheritance tax in the country. Highlighting the infrastructural development during his tenure, he noted that earlier it used to take six to eight hours to travel from Gorakhpur to Balrampur via Siddharthnagar due to poor roads. However, after the road construction, connectivity across regions including Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Nepal, Basti, and Balrampur improved. Additionally, better flood prevention measures have been implemented. Yogi emphasised the governments efforts to address healthcare disparities, mentioning the establishment of a medical college named after Madhav Prasad Tripathi in Siddharthnagar. He highlighted the eradication of encephalitis, a disease that previously claimed the lives of innocent children in the region, likening the achievement to the elimination of mafia influence. The CM emphasised that individuals who praise Pakistan while residing in India should not burden the nation; rather, they should relocate to Pakistan. Members of the SP and Congress warn against discussing Pakistan citing its possession of an atom bomb. We said we also possess such a deterrent. Should Pakistan provoke India, it risks annihilation. Praising Jagdambika Pal for his unwavering dedication and commitment to attending Parliament sessions till ten in the morning and then reaching Dumariyaganj by four in the afternoon, he said noted that he travels thousand kilometers during these sessions. Regardless of day or night, winter or heat, rain or flood, Pal has remained steadfast in his commitment to serving the public, deserving another opportunity to continue his service, he stated. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that the BJP-led NDA had already crossed the 310-seat mark and was for towards 400-plus seats to ensure a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Amit Shah, who is regarded as the poll strategist of the BJP, predicted the fall of Naveen Patnaik Government in Odisha saying the lotus (BJPs symbol) would bloom in the state. Launching a frontal attack on the Patnaik-led BJD Government, the home minister said Odisha was set to see a double change with the BJP coming to power in the state also. Advertisement Invoking Odia asmita (pride) during an election meeting in Sambalpur, the BJP stalwart said, Naveen Babu (Odisha CM) has let loose Babu Shahi (bureaucracy-centric governance) in Odisha and throttled the culture and pride of the state. This has deeply hurt the pride of Odia people. Seeking votes for the BJP, he said his party would ensure the revival of Odias culture, tradition, and pride. In an indirect reference to Tamil Nadu-born bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian groomed by CM Patnaik as his successor, he asked the people if they would like a Tamil babu to rule the state and asserted that a bhumiputra (son of the soil) would rule the state instead of a Tamil babu if they voted the BJP to power. Pandian, who has emerged as a star campaigner of the regional party after Patnaik, is found taking centre stage in election meetings across the state seeking votes in the name of Naveen Patnaik. The outsider tag attached to him has prompted the BJP to make it its principal poll plank by playing the Odia pride card to woo the voters. At a time when the entire country is celebrating the consecration of Ram Temple at Ayodhya, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) is trying to prevent Odisha from doing so. The BJD Government has also conspired to halt the world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, he said. Listing the corrupt practices under the BJD Government, he alleged, The rich mineral resources here are being plundered by the babus of Naveen Patnaik. It will be stopped if the BJP forms a government in Odisha. Referring to the large-scale migration of labour force from Odisha to other states, he said, We want to ensure that not a single youth from Odisha has to leave his family in search of livelihood. Odisha has everything right from a vast coastline, and natural resources to skilled manpower. The only thing it lacks is a hardworking chief minister at the helm, Shah pointed out referring to Patnaiks dependence on bureaucrats to rule the state. With just two phases of polling left in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, political parties are now stepping up campaigns in 27 seats in the sixth and seventh phase, where polling is scheduled for May 25 and June 1 respectively. The last two phases of polling includes Prime Ministers parliamentary constituency Varanasi, Chief Ministers home district Gorakhpur and Azamgarh seat which is considered a Samajwadi Party stronghold. Apart from NDA and opposition alliance INDIA bloc, Mayawati -led Bahujan Samaj Party will put in full strength to win these seats. Advertisement In the sixth phase, elections are slated to be held in 14 seats which are: Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Phulpur, Allahabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Shravasti, Dumariyaganj, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Lalganj, Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Machlishahr and Bhadohi. The election campaign in the sixth phase will end at 6 pm on May 23. Political parties have only three more days to campaign for this phase. Similarly, in the seventh phase, voting would be held for Maharajganj, Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Deoria, Banggaon, Ghosi, Salempur, Ballia, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Varanasi, Mirzapur and Robertsganj Lok Sabha seats. Election campaigns in these constituencies will end on May 30 evening. The political parties now have 10 more days left to campaign for this phase. Of these 27 seats, in the 2019 election, the BJP had won 18 seats; Apna Dal, an ally of NDA had won two while the BJP had won Azamgarh seat in the by-election. The NDA will fight to retain 21 seats of the total 27 left now. The BSP has won six seats in the 2019 elections which it had contested in alliance with the SP. This time, BSP is contesting alone in the elections. Along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all the big leaders of BJP including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are putting in all-out efforts in Purvanchal. At the same time, SP President Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are also making strategies to campaign in as many seats as possible. Today, the PM will address meetings in Prayagraj and Varanasi while CM Adityanath will hold six meetings in Purvanchal. Both the alliances have instructed their key leaders and workers to camp in Varanasi. Today, the SP chief will campaign in his stronghold Azamgarh. Akhilesh Yadav had won from Azamgarh in the last election but later BJP snatched this seat from it in the by-election held on the seat which became vacant when he resigned from the seat. This time Akhileshs cousin Dharmendra Yadav is contesting from Azamgarh. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals aide Bibhav Kumar, arrested for alleged misconduct with Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, was taken to Mumbai on Tuesday. Its related to his phone which is said to have been formatted there, which the police team will try to retrieve and ascertain all the facts with regard to its formatting and its data, the sources said. The police have also taken statements from some of the staff working at the CM residence who were present there on May 13, the day when the alleged incident took place. Advertisement On Monday, the police team investigating the case had taken Kumar to CM house, in a bid to re- create the scene of crime, and on Sunday the police team had taken the Digital Video Recorder(DVR) from the CM residence. The digital devices taken into custody by the police are being analysed by the forensic experts, sources said. Kumar is presently under five days custodial remand of the Delhi Police, and then will be produced before a Delhi Court on the next date of hearing in the matter. Kejriwals close aide Kumar was arrested on Saturday and produced before a Delhi court later that night. Meanwhile, Maliwal has said that Delhi ministers were spreading rumours that an FIR has been filed against her for corruption, and she did all this on the instructions of the BJP. Taking to social media platform X on Monday, the RS MP wrote that the said FIR was lodged 8 years ago in 2016 after which both the CM and LG appointed her as the Chairperson of the Womens Commission two times. She further claimed that the said case is completely false on which the Honble High Court has put a stay for 1.5 years. Maliwal further took a dig at the AAP leaders, and said that according to them, until she filed a complaint against Kumar, she was Lady Singham and presently had become a BJP agent. She further said that the entire troll army was deployed against her just because she spoke the truth. I will take you to court for every lie you spread, Maliwal added. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will pay a visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on 22 May to attend the official ceremony to pay condolences on the tragic demise of President of Iran Dr Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Dr Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian officials, in an unfortunate helicopter crash on 19 May. President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have conveyed their condolences to the government and people of Iran. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in New Delhi on Tuesday to convey Indias condolences on the tragic loss. India observed a day of national mourning on Tuesday. Advertisement The death of Irans eighth President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in north-western Iran amid bad weather sent shockwaves across West Asia. Raisi and others were travelling to Tabriz after inaugurating a dam with Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev, on the two countries shared border when his chopper went down in Irans East Azerbaijan province. The conflict in Gaza has not only strained Israels military and economic resources but has also exposed deep rifts within its government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus commitment to a total victory over Hamas, without a clear post-war strategy, has drawn criticism from both his defence establishment and political allies. The absence of a coherent plan for Gazas future governance risks prolonging instability and undermines Israels long-term security interests. Defense Minister Yoav Gallants recent demand for a concrete strategy underscores the urgent need for clarity. His refusal to support a permanent military government in Gaza highlights the immense costs and challenges associated with such an approach. Mr Gallants stance, supported by centrist former generals Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, contrasts sharply with the hardline views of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Internal Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. This division reflects broader tensions within the Israeli cabinet, where the military pragmatism of some members clashes with the ideological fervour of others. The financial burden of a potential military administration in Gaza, estimated at over $5 billion annually, is a significant concern. Such an undertaking would not only strain Israels economy but also divert crucial military resources from other strategic areas. Historical precedents, like Israels prolonged occupation of southern Lebanon, serve as cautionary tales about the high costs and limited effectiveness of military governance. Mr Netanyahus vision of a non-Hamas civilian administration under Israeli military oversight raises practical and ethical questions. The feasibility of identifying and empowering local leaders in Gaza who are both capable and willing to cooperate with Israel remains doubtful. Additionally, the absence of support from neighbouring Arab states for this plan further complicates its implementation. Without a viable governance structure, any attempt to stabilise Gaza post-Hamas is likely to falter. The broader Israeli publics waning support for the war, coupled with increasing prioritisation of hostage returns over Hamass destruction, indicates a shift in public sentiment. This change reflects a growing recognition of the human and economic toll of the conflict. The political and social divisions within Israel, exemplified by the contentious debate over conscripting ultra-Orthodox students, suggest that continued instability in Gaza could exacerbate internal fractures. A sustainable resolution to the Gaza conflict necessitates a comprehensive and inclusive strategy. Engaging with the Palestinian Authority, despite its imperfections, offers a more plausible path to stability than unilateral military solutions. Advertisement International legitimacy and cooperation are crucial for any long-term peace effort. Ignoring these realities risks entrenching a cycle of violence and instability that benefits neither Israelis nor Palestinians. Israels path forward in Gaza requires a departure from the current trajectory of indefinite military engagement and ideological entrenchment. A clear, pragmatic strategy that addresses both immediate security concerns and long-term governance issues is essential. The Israeli governments internal divisions, while challenging, present an opportunity to forge a more balanced and effective approach. Embracing dialogue and international collaboration could pave the way for a more stable and secure future for both Israelis and Palestinians. Recently India and Iran signed a ten-year contract to develop and operate the Iranian port of Chabahar. For India the port offers access to landlocked Central Asian republics as also Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan which denies India use of its land routes. Located about 170 km west of Pakistans Gwadar, a port under development by China, Chabahar has major strategic significance. India and Iran first agreed to develop the port in 2003 but it was stalled due to sanctions imposed on Iran. In May 2016, India signed an agreement to develop one of the berths by constructing a container handling facility. It also dispatched equipment to enable the port to function. In October 2017, Indias first shipment of wheat was despatched to Afghanistan through this port. In December 2018, India took over the management of the port. The port has been handling containers and normal traffic. It has moved over 2.5 million tonnes of wheat and pulses for Afghanistan as also environmentfriendly pesticide for Iran. Indias shipping minister, Sarbananda Sonawal, mentioned after the signing ceremony, Chabahar Ports significance transcends its role as a mere conduit between India and Iran. It serves as a vital trade artery connecting India with Afghanistan and Central Asian countries. Irans urban development minister, Mehrdad Bazrpash, who also inked the agreement, mentioned, We are pleased with this agreement, and we have full trust in India. India is expected to invest $120 million and also offer Iran a $250 million line of credit. Chabahar will be connected to the INSTC (International North South Transport Corridor), emanating from Russia for onward connectivity with India. The initial agreement for the INSTC was signed between India, Russia and Iran and subsequently included ten other Central Asian nations including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Syria, Belarus, and Oman. It would be a mix of rail and sea transportation challenging the Chinese BRI (Belt Road Initiative) and CPEC (China Pakistan Economic Corridor). If the US considers sanctions, it would be impacting multiple nations which have signed the project, an act it would seriously need to consider. Afghanistan, which was thus far dependent on Pakistan for all its trade, recently made an announcement to also invest $35 million in Chabahar. The investment includes the construction of an economic development zone in Chabahar for Afghanistan. Advertisement This investment would reshape regional dynamics as Kabul would largely eliminate its dependency on Pakistan, thereby reducing the little influence Islamabad has over it. It would counterbalance Chinas development of Gwadar. Chabahar would make the Chinese plan to extend the CPEC to Afghanistan partially redundant. Hence sanctioning of the port will need deliberation. Pakistan and Iran had signed an agreement to build an Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline in 2009. Iran has already completed the pipeline in its territory, while Pakistan has yet to commence. Failure to do so in the coming months would imply an $18 billion penalty on Pakistan. Islamabads delay rises from fear of imposition of US sanctions which could block funding from global institutions. Hence Pakistan has requested the US for a waiver. On its part, the US has warned Pak, we always advise everyone that doing business with Iran runs the risk of touching upon and coming in contact with our sanctions, and would advise everyone to consider that very carefully. Simultaneously, the US has been renewing quarterly sanction waivers enabling Iraq to import electricity from Iran. Payment for it is deposited in a bank account in Oman which Iran converts into Euros for essential procurements from Europe. The announcement of India signing the agreement also led to a possible warning of sanctions from the US. State depar tment spokesperson, Vedant Patel, when quizzed on the agreement mentioned, Any entity, anyone considering business deals with Iran, they need to be aware of the potential risk that they are opening themselves up to and the potential risk of sanctions. His statement was broad based. India had developed the port when sanctions were relaxed on Iran in 2016 post the Iran nuclear deal also termed as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action from which President Donald Trump withdrew in May 2018. Trump had exempted Indias development of Chabahar project due to its investments in Afghanistans reconstruction. There is no doubt that India was aware of on-going US sanctions as also downward spiral in US-Iran relations, over its support to its proxies currently targeting Israel, shipping in the Red Sea as also its providing drones and ammunition to Russia, when it signed the agreement. Delhi also knows that there could be a change in guard at the White House early next year. External Affairs minister Jaishankar appeared confident of handling US sanctions. In an interaction he mentioned, I think its a question of communicating, convincing, and getting people to understand that this is actually for everyones benefit. I dont think people should take a narrow view of it. They (US) have not done so in the past. He added, If you look at the US own attitude towards the port in Chabahar, the US has been appreciative of the fact that Chabahar has a larger relevancewe will work at it. Jaishankar was referring to the US not sanctioning India earlier as the port benefitted Afghanistan. Evidently, the US imposes sanctions based on a case-by-case basis. India has faced threats of sanctions on multiple occasions including on its procurements of S-400 missile systems as also oil from Russia. It was able to convince the US to ignore these procurements. Further, the US needs Indias support in multiple regions including its handling of Chinese aggression. As its spokesperson stated while commenting on Indian elections, (The US considers India as) the single most important country for it for the next 35 years. It cannot antagonize a major ally. India is also not Pakistan which can be compelled to bow down. Comments by the US spokesperson could be only a threat or a general warning to nations considering trade with Iran and not India specific. The US is aware that losing an ally like India could be disadvantageous in the long term. We need to wait and watch if diplomacy, partnerships and logic prevail over irrational decisions. Sanctions on Chabahar will impact many nations, including US allies. (The writer is a retired Major-General of the Indian Army.) In a poor country like India, public representatives had to appear poor to garner sympathy from their constituents. It was no accident that Mahatma Gandhi, a barrister from Inner Temple, after coming to India from South Africa, always wore only a dhoti. Jawaharlal Nehru, another barrister from Inner Temple, born with a golden spoon, and the other leading lights of the freedom movement preferred to live in austerity, in solidarity with their countrymen. With the rise in general prosperity, Indian politicians nowadays do not need to flaunt their poverty, but spouting propoor rhetoric is a must for vote gathering. The hypocrisy behind such posturing can be judged from an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), which showed that 233 MPs i.e., 43 per cent of the 17th Lok Sabha MPs, faced criminal charges, and 83 per cent were crorepatis. Thus, the overwhelming majority of MPs are rich, with some also being on the wrong side of law. The composition of the 18th Lok Sabha is not likely to be any different; the percentage of candidates with criminal antecedents has not declined, and Lok Sabha aspirants include a number of individuals with a worth of more than one thousand crore rupees. Still, the favourite whipping boys for politicians of all hues are plutocrats ~ personified by Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani ~ conveniently shortened, and conflated into AmbaniAdani. At the beginning of the present elections, and in fact much before, the Congress went hammer and tongs against the duo, accusing them of profiteering at the cost of the common man, with the connivance of the present dispensation. But after the third phase of voting, we find the Prime Minister, an avowed votary of free enterprise, accusing the aforementioned gentlemen of delivering tempo loads of cash to the Congress. Probably, as Cicero had said much earlier, it is a case of o tempora, o mores (Oh the times! Oh the customs!). But are plutocrats really guilty of the crimes they are charged with, viz. amassing fortunes in an underhand manner? The charge does not stick, because in the recent past, not a single prominent Indian businessman has been accused of a serious crime, much less been found guilty by a court of law. Advertisement Agreed, Indian businessmen are sharp and selfish, but that does not make them criminals. Rather, with Government jobs drying up, and the public sector not doing very well, private enterprise has driven growth, and provided lakhs of youth with steady employment. On the other hand, there are innumerable instances where politicians have been caught with their hand in the till, and with Chief Ministers of Delhi and Jharkhand along with cabinet ministers of sundry States being jailed on corruption charges, the public perception of morality of politicians has touched rock bottom. Playing a double game, in good times, politicians consort with businessmen, but abandon them at the first hint of danger. Thus, Vijay Mallya became a Rajya Sabha MP, with the backing of a national party. Politicians, cutting across party lines, travelled in Mallyas private jet, and enjoyed his famed hospitality, but were the first to condemn him when he turned rogue. Similarly, Nirav Modi is said to have accompanied the Indian delegation to the World Economic Forum at Davos, in 2018. The Vohra Committee, set up in 1993, to probe the nexus between criminals, bureaucrats and politicians, concluded: The various crime Syndicates/ Mafia organisations have developed significant muscle and money power and established linkages with governmental functionaries, political leaders and others to be able to operate with impunity (as recently exemplified by the activities of the Memon Brothers and Dawood Ibrahim). The Vohra Committee suggested setting up of a nodal agency to which all existing intelligence and enforcement agencies (irrespective of the Department under which they were located) would promptly pass on all information in their possession, about crime syndicates. Pursuant to the Vohra Committees recommendation, the Central Economic Intelligence Bureau (CEIB), was formed as a statutory agency to co-ordinate the working of myriad investigating agencies. Due to various reasons, mainly institutional resistance, lack of political will and legal hurdles, CEIB failed to achieve the purpose for which it was formed, and till today various investigative agencies continue to function in their respective silos. The case of gangster Vikas Dubey exemplifies the ineffectiveness of enforcement agencies to curb organised crime. To reiterate: Vikas Dubey, a notorious criminal and district-level politician, was involved in a string of murders, and other crimes but had always escaped punishment. Through his criminal activities, Dubey had amassed assets of around Rs.6,000 crore, both in India, and abroad. However, myriad enforcement agencies ~ Police, CBI, SFIO, NIA, NCB and IB, who enforce criminal laws like the IPC, NSA, UAPA, MCOCA etc and agencies like the Income-tax Department, Customs Department, ED, SFIO, DRI, and DGGI, which enforce financial laws like the Income-tax Act, Customs Act, Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Black Money Act, Benami Transactions (Prohibition) Act etc. failed to prevent Dubey from engaging in his nefarious activities, or even to ensure that he got his just desserts. In the end, to assuage resentment of the public, Dubey was encountered and some of his properties were bulldozed ~ a primitive way to deal with a criminal, when the country has so many sophisticated investigative agencies, as also a strong judiciary. The Electoral Bonds affair (2024) shows that the unholy nexus between criminals, bureaucrats, and politicians had strengthened and widened with time, with businessmen being coopted into the triad ~ sometimes reluctantly, for survival, but often willingly, with the expectation of reaping super-normal profits. To elucidate: Electoral Bonds data strongly suggests that some companies had donated money to political parties before or after award of lucrative government contracts. Surprisingly, some companies had donated money many times in excess of their net worth, pointing to those companies being fronts for others, indicating violation of both taxation and electoral laws. Other companies had donated money after the visit of enforcement agencies. Instead of initiating penal action against the erring corporates and political parties, the government and those running it, without any enquiry, denied any wrong-doing and wholeheartedly defended the Electoral Bonds scheme. The PM said that the Supreme Courts decision to scrap the Electoral Bonds scheme had pushed the country towards black money in elections, and that on honest reflection, everyone will regret it. One reason for the criminal, bureaucrat, politician and businessman nexus becoming almost impregnable is that political parties freely co-opt criminals and businessmen to their ranks, so much so, that it would appear that the three streams have merged. For political parties, businessmen are an inhouse source of cash, while criminals help them achieve dubious aims. In return, businessmen-turned-politicians corner lucrative contracts, while criminals get immunity from police action. The criminal-politicianbureaucrat nexus can be broken only by preventing the entry of criminals into politics, and ensuring the honesty of politicians and bureaucrats. Many methods have been tried to achieve this result, like establishing exclusive courts for trying public representatives and disqualifying convicted politicians from running for office. A host of agencies e.g., Lokpal, Lokayukta, CBI and State Anti-Corruption Bureaus try to ensure probity in public life, but with little success, mostly because of lack of political support. The main impediment to rooting out corruption is the public acceptance of corruption. There can be no end to corruption, till the public decides to boycott all kinds of corrupt public servants and not vote for criminals ~ even of their own caste. Institutionalised corruption has been the reason for the downfall of our ancient civilisation. As Salman Rushdie had observed: There are two things in Indian history ~ one is the incredible optimism and potential of the place, and the other is the betrayal of that potential ~ for example, corruption. Those two strands intertwine through the whole of Indian history, and maybe not just Indian history. It is for us to ensure that corruption does not become the bane of our present civilization also. (The writer is a retired Principal Chief Commissioner of Income-Tax) On a hot, sultry evening, in the midst of an intense heat wave, the clap of thunder and rumble of clouds, signalling impending rain, greeted the audience at the Ravindra Bharathi auditorium in Hyderabad. However, they were drenched not by rain but by the mesmerising music created by tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh and his fusion band Rhythmscape. Ghosh was accompanied by a stellar ensemble of musicians: V Suresh on ghatam, S Pranav Dath on drums, Abhisekh Mallick on sitar, Pulak Sarkar on keyboard, and Nirmalya Roy performing the vocals. The musical evening was organised by the Jadavpur University Alumni Association, Hyderabad Chapter, to raise funds for its philanthropic activities. Ghosh, who easily segues between the world of poor classical music and the genre of fusion music, formed his iconic band Rhythmscape about 22 years ago. But as he pointed out to the audience at the very beginning, no two shows were alike since a lot of it was pure improvisation on the part of the musicians. The first composition they chose for the evening was the Dance of Shiva (tandav), based on Raag Jog. And the edgy, energetic piece was the perfect opening for the concert, setting the very mood of the evening. The next composition, Zinc, was based on the musical experiences of listening to jazz performances at New Yorks Zinc Bar. Jazz subtly ran through the entire composition, which was based on Raag Megh, before moving on to Raag Malhar, producing an enchanting blend of musical genres. The audience was transported to a monsoon day complete with the ominous gathering of stormy clouds, the clap of thunder, and the pitter-patter of raindrops. The next one was also a cocktail as Ghosh described it, but of North and South Indian classical music. Since he had trained in Carnatic music and accompanied several renowned musicians, such as M. Balamuralikrishna, he incorporated certain Carnatic influences into his music. The raag chosen was Charukeshi, followed by tani avartam, or drum jamming, between Suresh, Pranav and Ghosh, with each of them displaying their technical and creative prowess and adaptability. Suresh was a treat to watch, and Ghosh, of course, went beyond his percussion instruments and tapped his cheeks to produce unique sounds. He thumped his chest to perfectly replicate the throbbing beat of the heart. Before the concert, Ghosh shared, I do a lot of stuff, which is simply crazy. I play my chest and my body, and I throw the tabla into the air. I was heavily criticised in the early days, and now, after so many days, when people say it is iconic, it is ironic for me. The audience got a glimpse of that iconic percussion wizard during the high-octane drum jam. Advertisement The trio then carried on a conversation between them in their unique drumming language, much to the delight of the audience. Pranav is from Bangalore. What is the traffic in Bangalore like? asked Ghosh. Pranavs reply in rapid beats perfectly captured the hustle and bustle of the citys chaotic traffic. While Pranav sat with his full set of drums and unleashed a storm of beats, Ghosh gave a pitiful look at the three clay pots and wondered aloud if Suresh could at all match up to that. The ghatam maestro had put on an equally sorry face, pointing at his own bald head and Pranavs thick curls before raising a storm of his own on the ghatam. The penultimate piece Ghosh chose for the evening was a composition created by the sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar while raising funds for Bangladesh in 1971. Although a great number of global artists, like George Harrison, participated in the concert, the mellifluous essence of the piece was truly Bengali. Fifty years later too, it struck a chord among the large section of probashi Bengalis in the audience. Sitarist Abhisek Mallick took the lead, but the goosebumps-raising moment of the concert was definitely when Roy sang a few lines of Jodi tor daak shune keu na ashe, the iconic song by Rabindranath Tagore composed during the Swadeshi period, followed by a kirtan Hari haraye namah Krishna and ending in a crescendo. Ghosh had accompanied Pandit Ravi Shankar for 12 years, and he described his first meeting with the maestro as a life-changing one. The last piece of the evening was a composition based on Raag Banjara, one of the ragas composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar. The virtuoso perhaps chose it not only as a tribute to the city of Hyderabad and its famed Banjaras but as one to his guru. Two American mystery thriller writers, Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith, continue to enthral not just readers but also filmmakers who have adapted their stories for film and television series. What set these two writers apart from others before them was that they dived deep into human psychology and crime. Their stories are simply not in the whodunit mould. Patricia Highsmith, who is known for her work like Strangers on a Train, filmed by none other than Alfred Hitchcock, returns again and again on the screen. Her four books on The Talented Mr Ripley are currently packaged into an eight-part series on Netflix. Tom Ripley is an out-and-out con master, initially down and out in New York, resorting to small financial frauds. The older term for such men known to lie, kill, and cheat and yet not get caught was psychopath, until another description came along: sociopath. He is one who is suave and stylish and drinks wine and canapes in polite society with you and me. He is also an excellent conversationalist without giving anything away. But wait, he can also be up to several scams and crimes, including murder. He is the master of reinvention because he knows how to survive and well. Advertisement A scary thought, but such is his power and charm, especially over women. In the Netflix series, Andrew Scott of Sherlock fame is Tom Ripley, while Dickie Greenleaf is played by Johnny Flynn. Dickies rich father, who lives in New York, has sent Tom to look for his estranged son, who spent time on an island in Italy, not bothering to return home. Dakota Fanning is Marge Sherwood, who is with Dickie, working on her book. Shot in black and white, the series is very tightly knit, almost gothic, with long, languor paces almost matching the American droll of both New Yorkers. It captures the laid-back character of Dickie in a seaside town, with the vastness of the sea almost creeping into his spacious villa located next to it. Zaillian, who wrote the script for Spielbergs Schindlers List, is a brilliant scriptwriter known for the television series A Night Of. Little by little, the characteristics of the main characters are revealed, which many viewers may find a bit slow. But that is the unique charm of this series. The Ripley story in the 1999 version by Antony Minghella of The English Patient fame had cast Matt Demon as Ripley and Jude Law as Dickie Greenleaf. Gwyneth Paltrow and Cate Blanchett featured as well. This film is available on Netflix, should you wish to compare the two. Comparisons are odious, but both Ripleys are up for comparison, and Minghellas version shows more happy moments in the seaside town. Steven Zaillians version sticks closer to the neo-noir of Highsmith, with a foreboding of something evil to come. We are first introduced to Tom, who is already established as doing small con jobs in New York; but his acceptance of the job to track down Mr Greenleafs vagabond son is the first step in the plot that involves deceit, fraud, and murder. It has a bit of love, but not too much of it. Giving away spoilers for those who have not read Highsmith would not be fair, but suffice to say that after a long pause, a good series is back on Netflix. It is a good sign because OTT channels are gradually losing out as more and more films are releasing in theatres. US President Joe Biden has termed as outrageous the application by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to have an arrest warrant issued against Israels Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC prosecutors application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence none between Israel and Hamas, Biden said on Monday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken termed the ICC prosecutors equivalence of Israel with Hamas shameful. Advertisement We reject the prosecutors equivalence of Israel with Hamas. It is shameful. Hamas is a brutal terrorist organisation that carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust and is still holding dozens of innocent people, hostage, including Americans, he said. The US had made clear before the current war that the ICC had no jurisdiction in this matter, Blinken said. He noted that Israel had cooperated with the prosecutor, even though it was not a member of the court. Fundamentally, this decision does nothing to help and could jeopardise, ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement that would get hostages out and surge humanitarian assistance in, which are the goals the US continues to pursue relentlessly, Blinken concluded. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to apply for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders will bring shame down on the court and turn it into a farce. As the Prime Minister of Israel, I reject with disgust the prosecutors comparison between democratic Israel and the mass murderers of Hamas. This is a complete distortion of reality, Netanyahu said on Monday. The outrageous decision by the ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, to seek arrest warrants against the democratically-elected leaders of Israel is a moral outrage of historic proportions. It will cast an everlasting mark of shame on the international court, the Israeli Prime Minister said in a video message posted on X. Advertisement Israel was waging a just war against Hamas, Netanyahu said, describing Hamas as a genocidal terrorist organisation. He rejected any moral equivalence between Hamas and Israeli leaders as twisted and false. The warrant application was a travesty of justice and a disgrace, he said. It was an attempt to deny Israel the basic right of self-defence and would fail. Netanyahu accused Khan of pouring fuel on the fires of anti-Semitism and said his abuse of his authority would turn the ICC into nothing more than a farce. Photo taken on Oct 28, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, DC, the United States. [Photo/Xinhua] Global Times-China on Sunday started an anti-dumping investigation into polyformaldehyde copolymer imported from the EU, the US, China's Taiwan region, and Japan. This investigation is well-founded, reasonable and legal, yet some Western media outlets view it as China's "retaliation," claiming that it is suspected to be a "tit-for-tat action" against the recent US intensification of pressure on Chinese products such as electric vehicles. It seems that the latest trade protectionist measures deployed by the US against Chinese manufacturing have caused anxiety and unease among Americans before they could impact China. The anti-dumping investigation is based on a formal application submitted to the Ministry of Commerce on April 22 by six major Chinese polyformaldehyde copolymer producers. This application predates the US announcement of additional tariffs on Chinese goods by three weeks. Therefore, labeling this anti-dumping investigation as "retaliation" is clearly unfounded. Moreover, China's investigation into polyformaldehyde copolymer anti-dumping actually began in 2016, and in 2017, anti-dumping duties were imposed on this product from South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia. This current investigation simply expands the scope to include four more regions. So why has a regular and normal anti-dumping investigation led to such over-interpretation by Western media outlets? Before and after the US imposed additional tariffs on Chinese imports, some political figures and media outlets in Washington have been heavily focused on whether China would "retaliate." US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen previously stated, "Hopefully we will not see a significant Chinese response - but that's always a possibility." The Associated Press also quoted US government officials as saying they expected China to "explore ways to respond to the new taxes on its products." Washington is very worried about China taking countermeasures, which is why it is being so suspicious of China's anti-dumping investigations. In its editorial on May 14, The Wall Street Journal described the US government's imposition of tariffs on China's "new three" products as "the Sarajevo of the global green trade war," warning that this move is "certain to disrupt business supply chains and raise costs for US consumers and businesses," and will provoke Chinese retaliation. This sensitivity of the media to China's "countermeasures" suggests that they acknowledge their own government has made a "major mistake" in its trade decisions with China and believe that China will respond with similar "erroneous measures." In fact, the anti-dumping investigation conducted by China's Ministry of Commerce not only follows established practices but also complies with the WTO Anti-Dumping Agreement, making it the "correct approach." The relevant information is transparent and openly available to stakeholders. The anti-dumping investigation is not targeted at any specific country or region, unlike the US that wields the stick of unilateralism, protectionism, and bullying against China, simply because it cannot tolerate China's manufacturing being stronger than its own. What we need to be vigilant about is that some Western media and politicians are taking this opportunity to hype up the notion of "China's retaliation." They aim to smear China's legitimate anti-dumping investigation by equating it with their own "trade protectionist" measures. In other words, they seek to justify their politicized trade protection policies by questioning the legitimacy of China's trade actions. In essence, they are using the murky waters of the "trade war" to confuse right and wrong, obscuring the truth, and shirking responsibility for the serious consequences their unilateral trade war has had on the global economy. This behavior of blaming China is truly contemptible. Since Washington announced additional tariffs on China, Western public opinion has been anxiously awaiting China's "retaliation." They have been speculating about what kinds of "retaliatory" actions are implied in the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson's statement that "China will take all measures necessary to defend its rights and interests." However, what deserves more attention is the preceding sentence from the spokesperson: "We urge the US to earnestly observe WTO rules and immediately cancel the additional tariffs on China." Although this anti-dumping investigation is not "retaliation," China does indeed have ample countermeasures at its disposal. China calls the shots on when this shoe will drop. Using trade protectionist measures to suppress China has not and will not hinder China's development and rejuvenation; instead, it will only motivate the Chinese people to work harder. We also advise some individuals in the US that, rather than worrying about whether China will "retaliate," it would be better to recognize their mistakes and change their trade protectionist practices. This is the right path to take. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded two $500,000 grants to corporations serving the Blackfeet Nation, Chippewa Cree Tribe and surrounding cities. The Bear Paw Development Corporation will use funds to examine environmental contamination in Havre and Box Elder. The Bullhook Community Health Center, a medical clinic in Havre, recently purchased vacant homes in the area to expand services. Grant funds will specifically be used to assess the presence of lead and asbestos before demolition and expansion of the center, according to a news release. The expansion is expected to create about 15 jobs. Funds will also help the Havre Senior Center assess the presence of petroleum prior to expansion. Women are currently unable to serve in the Havre Fire Department because the building does not have a womens locker room or dorm. The department has wanted to convert an unused shooting range for those purposes, but investigations revealed asbestos and lead. EPA funds will be used for extensive cleanup planning. Hill County owns an old landfill in Box Elder, and local leaders want to use the site for a solar farm to reduce energy costs for reservation residents. Grant funding will be used to examine contamination and determine if cleanup is needed. Executive Director of Bear Paw Development Corporation Paul Tuss said these clean-up efforts will help businesses and organizations redevelop properties to meet community needs. This is a big deal for our area, he said in a statement. The Sweetgrass Development Corporation in north central Montana also received $500,000 to assess potential contamination areas on the Blackfeet Reservation. Funds will go toward expanding the Coops Corner Conoco gas station at the junction of U.S. Highway 2 and U.S. Highway 89. Plans include expanding the stores inventory as well as adding laundry services and a car wash. The Cowboy Museum sits vacant in downtown Browning. Potential developers, according to a news release, are discouraged by the potential presence of asbestos and lead-based paint. EPA funds will be used to assess the site. The Sunburst Car Wash, east of the reservation, is for sale, but developers are concerned about contamination, as the site was once used as a lumber yard. EPA funds will be used to assess the property. The Glacier Village Restaurant and Glacier Park Village will also be examined for asbestos and lead-based paint. Funding for these projects was made possible through the EPAs Brownfields Program, which began in 1995 and has provided almost $2.7 billion for clean-up efforts. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law dramatically increased the yearly capacity of this grant. Sen. Jon Tester was the only member of Montana's delegation to support the law. He said the recent grants will "boost economic development and improve quality of life." For more information, visit epa.gov/brownfields. With days left for Delhi to vote in the Lok Sabha elections, the war of words between AAP and BJP has intensified, with the former alleging 'BJP conspiracy' in the Enforcement Directorate's charges that the party received foreign funds. Stating that the party has transparently accepted donations, AAP leaders Atishi and Sandeep Pathak said the BJP has "brought a new conspiracy via the ED." The Enforcement Directorate has written to the Union Home Ministry alleging the Aam Aadmi Party, which rules Delhi and Punjab, has received more than Rs 7 crore foreign funds in contravention of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA), official sources said Monday. The federal probe agency sent the communication after it recovered some documents and emails during a drugs-linked money laundering probe against former Punjab AAP MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira and some others. Atishi and Pathak alleged that the BJP was trying to rake up an old issue to target the party and claimed that more such allegations will crop up with elections nearing in Delhi. "The BJP can make as many allegations as they want. The people of Delhi and Punjab will answer these allegations. This is a matter of many years and the AAP has already given answers to the CBI, IT, ED and the ECI," the leaders said. "These are baseless allegations. It is an old case where it is already proved that no illegal donation was taken. As the elections are going on, the BJP has hatched a new conspiracy to frame the AAP. They failed to frame us in the liquor scam and the Swati Maliwal issue. They also failed to keep Kejriwal ji behind the bars. That's why they have racked up this new issue now to target AAP," Atishi alleged. Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah sharpened his attack on AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, stating that he has "never seen a shameless person like Kejriwal, who doesn't resign even after going to jail". In a series of posts on X, Amit Shah hit out at Kejriwal. "I have never seen a shameless person like Kejriwal. Laluji (Former Bihar CM Lalu Prasad Yadav) went to jail after resigning due to corruption. Jayalalithaa went to jail after resigning and other ministers also went to jail after resigning. He is one such leader who went to jail but did not leave the post of Chief Minister." While campaigning for BJP's party candidate Ramvir Singh Bidhuri at a public rally in South Delhi, Shah said: "Kejriwal ji, you are sitting on the chair after sticking Fevicol on it. BJP is going to win all seven seats on the 4th. This Fevicol will come off." Attacking the Delhi government sarcastically, Shah said, "This Kejriwal government is a 3G government. The first G is for scams, the second G is for bribery, and the third G is for fraud. Kejriwal, who called himself a staunchly honest man, is today walking on the path of staunch dishonesty," Shah alleged. Retorting Home Minister Amit Shahs shameless remark against him, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the former has become arrogant even before becoming the prime minister. The Aam Aadmi Party leader asserted BJP is not going to form the government after the June 4 Lok Sabha poll results. "Yesterday Amit Shah ji came to Delhi and less than 500 people were present in his public meeting. After coming to Delhi, he started abusing the people of the country and said that the supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party are Pakistani. I want to ask him, the people of Delhi have formed our government by giving us 62 seats, 56 per cent vote share, are the people of Delhi Pakistanis?, Kejriwal said. The AAP leader asked, The people of Punjab have given us 92 seats out of 117 seats, are the people of Punjab Pakistanis? The people of Gujarat, Goa, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Madhya Pradesh and in many parts of the country gave us love and trust, are all the people of this country Pakistanis? Kejriwal charged the Union home minister has become arrogant as Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen him as his successor. PM Modi has chosen you as his successor. You have become so proud of this that you have started abusing and threatening people. You have not become PM, yet, you have become so arrogant, he said. The AAP leader claimed BJP will not form the government after June 4. For your information, let me tell you that you are not becoming the PM, because, people are not forming the BJP government on June 4." Campaigning in Delhi on Monday, Shah said, Kejriwal and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have no support in India, their supporters are in Pakistan. Training guns at Kejriwal, Shah said he has not seen any leader who has taken more "U-turns" than the AAP national convener. "Kejriwal believes in the odd-even formula - on odd days he gives speeches against corruption and on even days he forms Ghamandiya (arrogant) alliance with the corrupt. On odd days, he becomes the owner of Delhi and on even days, the owner of the country. On odd days, he seeks the resignation of others and on even days, he goes to jail without resigning," Shah said. Alleging that there have been numerous scams under the Kejriwal government, the senior BJP leader said, "There has been a probe into the liquor scam only so far. Investigation into seven other scams remains to be conducted." Describing Kejriwal as "shameless", Shah said, "He is the only leader who has remained chief minister even after going to jail. After the BJP wins the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, the 'Fevicol' with which Kejriwal is sticking to the chair of the chief minister will come unstuck." -with inputs from ANI, PTI. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's personal aide Bibhav Kumar who is under a five-day judicial custody in connection with alleged assault on AAP MP Swati Maliwal, was taken to Mumbai on Tuesday to retrieve data from his formatted iPhone. His mobile phone was recovered after his arrest but he reportedly formatted that phone before transferring the data to some person or device in Mumbai. The iPhone is password-protected and the Delhi police are trying to retrive the deleted data with the help of experts. Earlier, police took Kumar to the chief minister's Civil Lines residence on May 20 to recreate the crime scene in the drawing room. They have documented Kumar's statements, mapped the sequence and took photographs of the crime scene. Kumar had also lodged a counter-complaint wherein he accused Maliwal of gaining "unauthorised entry" into the CM's residence and abusing him verbally. Over 36 flamingos died reportedly after an Emirates aircraft rammed into the flock of birds in the Mumbai Ghatkopar area. According to a wildlife welfare group representative, the carcasses of over 36 birds have been recovered from the Rasika Restaurant and Bar in Laxmi Nagar in the Pant Nagar area of Ghatkopar. The incident was confirmed by the Maharashtra Forest Department (MFD) and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). "From the scene, it seemed that the cause of death was a hit by an aeroplane," BNHS Director Kishor Rithe told reporters. The incident came to light after calls from people who spotted the dead birds began to pour in at the Forest Department on Monday night and Tuesday morning. Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) founder and honorary wildlife warden with the forest department Pawan Sharma said the forest department's mangrove cell, along with the RAWW team, launched a search operation during which the bloody remains of the birds were found in the area. "The carcasses were sent for an autopsy to find out the exact cause of the death," Sharma told reporters. Reports quoting airport sources said EK 508, an Emirates flight, reported a bird hit on arrival at 9.18 pm. The flight, which suffered damages, landed safely at Mumbai airport. However, the return flight - bound for Dubai - had to be cancelled. Meanwhile, the incident has triggered speculations about what might have caused the tragic incident. Environmentalist D Stalin on NGO Vanshakti told Hindustan Times that the new power lines through the Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary area could have caused disorientation to the birds. He added that authorities should have never permitted the power lines to pass through the sanctuary. "Alternate routes were many. While giving permissions for power lines (earlier, it was not allowed inside sanctuaries) the wildlife board meekly surrendered to the power company. Instead, the Thane Creek Wildlife Sanctuary was bulldozed and towers erected," Stalin alleged. Last week, the BNHS submitted a study report to the Maharastra government urging it to replace the Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights with Low-Pressure Sodium lights in the DPS Lake area of the satellite township of Navi Mumbai following the recent deaths of flamingos. They also called for the restoration of tidal water flow in the DPS Lake. Amidst the political and climatic heat during the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, general observer of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab has taken up the mantle of making the polling in his constituency "eco-friendly". For this, the parliamentary segment is planning to hand out saplings to voters on the day of polling among other steps. This is in line with the directions of the Election Commission to ensure "environmentally sustainable elections" even though hardly any parliamentary seat on which the votes have been cast so far showed any signs of significantly adhering to the ECs environmental mandate. Election officials planting a saplings as part of the efforts to hold a green election at Anandpur Sahib constituency in Punjab Taking eco-friendly elections as seriously as other aspects of conducting elections, general observer of Anandpur constituency, Punjab, Dr Hira Lal is undertaking 'Green Planning' in his jurisdiction, as part of which 'Green booths' would be set up at the polling stations. "In consonance with the motto of Green Elections, we are urging the candidates of all political parties to plant a sapling every day before going for campaigning," Dr. Hira Lal told The WEEK. "We will be setting up Green Booths on polling stations where we will distribute saplings to people and encourage them to plant more and more trees to neutralise the carbon footprint generated due to the polling exercise." "They can take the saplings to their farms and houses and plant them," he said. Dr Lal, who is presently posted as the Special Secretary, Irrigation & Water Resources Department, Uttar Pradesh, said they will try to make the Anandpur Sahib constituency in Mohali the model of green elections in the country. On May 17, Dr. Lal held a meeting with all district election officers, police representatives, returning officers and others to chalk out the layout of green elections in his segment. "We have asked all involved to plant maximum trees and ensure minimum use of single-use plastic during training, dispatch and collection of EVMs," said Lal. "Our slogan is free, fair, transparent and environmentally-friendly election process. On our end, the government staff engaged in the election arrangements have been asked to be ambassadors of 'Green Elections'. Dr. Hira Lal gained popularity in 2019 after he played an instrumental role in increasing the voter turnout by 10.5 per cent in the Lok Sabha elections by using innovative methods as the district magistrate at Banda in Uttar Pradesh. "Efforts are on to identify the causes of higher voter turnouts from experiences of past elections and take the necessary steps to bring more and more people out of their homes to exercise their right," said Lal, who also received several accolades for bringing dry Bundelkhands Banda region out of water scarcity through various water conservation efforts. "I am not doing anything that has not been asked of me. It is in the ECs guidelines to make the elections eco-friendly. This should be done in other constituencies as well," adds Dr. Lal. For his derogatory remarks against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Election Commission of India (ECI) restricted Tamluk BJP candidate Abhijit Gangopadhyay from campaigning for 24 hours, starting from 5pm on Tuesday. The commissions decision was taken after Trinamool Congress (TMC) lodged a complaint alleging that the former Calcutta High Court justice had made blatant misogynistic comments against the only female chief minister of India. In a video from a rally in West Bengals Haldia on May 15, Gangopadhyay was seen reacting against the TMCs allegations that women protesters in Sandeshkhali were paid Rs 2,000 to speak against the states ruling party. Gangopadhyay said in the video, Today the Trinamool is telling all the lies, claiming that Rekha Patra was bought for Rs 2,000. Mamata Banerjee, what is your selling price then? You give a job if someone pays you Rs 8 lakh. Someone pays you Rs 10 lakh and sells rations to a foreign country. So is your price Rs 10 lakh because you get facials and make-up done. Rekha Patra is poor so she can be brought for Rs 2,000? Can a woman say such things about another woman? I doubt if Mamata Banerjee is at all a woman, he said. Gangopadhyay's comments led to a huge controversy with the TMC urging the ECI to intervene immediately. The commission had issued a show-cause notice to Gangopadhyay and asked him to reply to the TMCs complaint. The BJP candidate submitted his reply on Monday. After going through his reply, the ECI found his remarks against Mamata Banerjee to be low-level personal attack which violated the model code of conduct. The commission also said that Gangopadhyays abominable comments had brought damage to West Bengal which has a distinguished tradition of respecting women. The ECI also warned the former Calcutta High Court justice to refrain from repeating such comments in future public meetings. The Congress history is best reflected in its party office in Patna, Sadakat Ashram. Its foundation was laid by Mahatma Gandhi in 1921. Rajendra Prasad, the first president of India, made it his retirement home. The party office is now longing to see its glory days again. The WEEK caught up with Congress state president Akhilesh Singh, who earlier served as a minister of state in the Manmohan Singh government, and is now a Rajya Sabha member. Singh expressed his hope that results of the general elections from the state would lead to a revival of the Congress party. What is your assessment of the Bihar elections ? One will witness surprising results in Bihar. Those who thought that alliance between Nitish Kumar and BJP will secure majority like 2019 will be in for a surprise. We contested three seats in the second phase and we will win them. Candidates of our alliance partnersRJD and Leftwill also win their seats. You claim BJP will change Constitution after winning 400 seats. The BJP says Congress is misguiding the people. PM Modi has assured it wont be changed. When they can easily form government with 272 seats, they got 303 in 2019. If they dont want to change the Constitution, then why they are claiming to get over 400 seats. One needs 3/4 majority to change Constitution, thats why they are asking for 400 seats. But, let me tell you, no one is taking them seriously. People are now laughing at their claims, saying that if Modi comes to power then price of petrol and diesel will cross Rs 400. Congress has made certain promises in these elections. BJP relies on Modi guarantee. Is this election a contest between two guarantees ? Modis guarantee does not carry much weight. Congress and Rahul Gandhis guarantees are different from theirs. Rahul ji has travelled over 4,000 kilometers from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and then again from Imphal to Mumbai. He listened to people and their aspirations, which is reflected in the guarantees. Moreover, Rahul Gandhi is giving the guarantees by attesting them with his signature. Congress president Malikarjun Kharge has also given his signature. Our workers are taking it to the people and getting them to register their names for women and youth promises. Over Rs 16,000 crore have been written off by the Modi government for the rich. If they can do it for the rich, why cant others give money to the poor? Our Constitution was formed on the premise of a welfare state. Congress always stood for the poor and farmers. Caste census and reservation were the two issues that were highlighted when Nitish Kumar was with you. What will be the change now? It is his problem that he has changed sides, but we are where we are. The BJP didnt want the census. Even when we were not with Nitish, the Congress representative was there in the all-party meeting with the prime minister. Nitish Kumar has changed sides so many times, but none of the parties have found an alternative to him? Others may be thinking so, but I dont think so. Nitish Kumar is now history. He has finished his innings. This is the last election he is contesting. He will not be there, neither will be his party. How will the assembly elections, next year, be impacted? I am not a psephologist. But I can say, BJP alliance will lose badly. The 2019 gave a huge mandate to the NDA alliance. BJP says that duo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM Nitish Kumar will repeat that mandate? Though we lost the 2019 elections, look at 2020 assembly elections. Same alliance existed then. The only difference between the two alliances was a gap of merely 12,000 votes. If we leave out the North Bihar, be it Seemanchal and Mithanchal, where we lost, the difference elsewhere was very less, only 6000 votes. RJD emerged as the biggest party. This is there for everyone to see. As the election is proceeding, the BJP factor is on the wane. If we look at the Congress, it has not been able to recover its ground since 1990s. How can the party be revived in the Hindi heartland? Wait for the election results, you see the change. Even the opinion polls have said that the Congress will gain. Rahul Gandhis leadership has been accepted by the youth, farmers, workers and women. The way Rahul Gandhi has campaigned from road to parliament, it shows he is the only leader in the country who is fighting Modi. He never gave up even when he was questioned in the ED office. His acceptance is going up, while Modis acceptance is coming down. I spoke to a Jat yesterday who came to meet me in my flat in Noida. He belongs to the western UP, and I asked him for whom Jats are likely to vote for in the present parliamentary elections. His reply was simplicity itself. He said: ''We will vote for the Jat candidate, to whichever party he may belong. I then asked for whom will they vote if there were several Jat candidates in a particular constituency. ''We will then vote for the most prominent Jat among them, came the reply. This conversation expresses and sums up the mindsets of not just Jats, but maybe 90 per cent of Indians. Their mindsets are largely feudal, full of casteism, communalism, and superstitions. When they go to vote, most Indians do not see the merit of the candidate, whether he is a good man or bad, educated or uneducated, having criminal antecedents or not (that is why there are so many members in our legislatures with criminal antecedents), but only see his caste or creed (or the caste and creed his/her party claims to represent). They vote in droves like sheep and cattle, skilfully manipulated by our political leaders who are experts in vote bank politics, polarisation of society, and inciting and spreading caste and communal hatred. As long as this situation and such feudal mindsets in the vast majority of our people remain, I do not see how India can progress. Is there a remedy for this? I believe there is, and that is a hard hit on the backsides of our people with a thick danda, which will awaken them, and bring them to their senses. Let me explain by givng some historical examples. There were revolutions in France in 1789, in Russia in 1917, and in China in 1949, which destroyed the feudal regimes in those countries, and brought those countries into the modern age. These revolutions could never have happened without people in those countries getting the danda, as they were steeped in medieval obscurantism and religion. In France, this danda was the acute financial crisis and shortage of bread in Paris and other cities, which made lives unbearable for the people. In Russia, it was World War I which resulted in the deaths of millions of Russian soldiers, and huge sufferings by the civilian people causing bread riots. In China, it was the Japanese invasion of 1937 that resulted in massacres in Nanjing, Shanghai and elsewhere, and a huge suffering of the Chinese people. These dandas woke up these people and brought them to their senses. Without them, they would never have woken up. Something similar happened in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (which Pakistanis call Azad Kashmir). Most people living there are Muslims, and earlier they were all Pakistan supporters since Pakistan was an Islamic state. But in the huge public demonstrations and agitations going on, these Kashmiri Muslims were heard (on YouTube) condemning and abusing Pakistan and hoisting the Indian flag (although India is mostly Hindu.) One needs food to eat, but with food and electricity prices skyrocketing, life for not just Kashmiris but people all over the Indian subcontinent has all but become unbearable. It is this economic danda which is waking up people in our entire subcontinent, and bringing them into touch with realities. I get no pleasure in anyone getting a danda. But sometimes, like bitter medicine, it is a cruel necessity. The Pune police have arrested the owner and staff of a liquor bar which served alcohol to the teenager involved in the fatal car accident. The legal age for alcohol consumption in Maharashtra is 25 years. According to police, hours before the crash, the 17-year-old was seen consuming alcohol at two local pubs, where he was celebrating his class 12 results. Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar told NDTV, The legal drinking age in Maharashtra is 25, making it illegal for the establishment to serve him. Consequently, the bar owners are also facing charges for serving alcohol to a minor. Amitesh Kumar said the bar owner and the manager who served liquor to the minor have been arrested. The accident took place around 3.15 am on Sunday in Kalyani Nagar when the luxury car, reportedly at a speed of over 200 km per hour, hit the bike and crashed into the roadside pavement railings. The bike riders were flung into the air and fell hard, resulting in fatal injuries. Both of them died on the spot. The deceased have been identified as Aneesh Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshtaboth engineers from Madhya Pradesh working in Pune. They were returning home along with other friends after a party at a restaurant in the area. Meanwhile, Suresh Koshta, father of Ashwini Koshta told ANI, As per rules, action should be taken (against the accused) so that people learn a lesson from this. She completed her studies in Pune and got a job there." The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a severe heatwave red alert for the states of Delhi Punjab, Haryana, and the capital, Chandigarh as temperatures soar across Northwest India. The weather agency forecasted continued heatwave to severe heatwave conditions over the next five days. "Heatwave to severe heatwave conditions is most likely to continue over plains of Northwest India and heatwave conditions over north Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat during the next five days," an IMD post read. This comes as the maximum temperature touching 47.4 degrees Celsius in Najafgarh in the national capital -- the highest in the country on Monday. The temperature continued above 45 degrees Celsius in large parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh and Uttar Pradesh. Heatwave conditions are also expected over parts of Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Saurashtra, and Kutch on May 23. According to senior IMD scientist Naresh Kumar, the current situation will prevail for the next week. "Generally, May is considered the hottest month. If there is no rainfall activity in North India, then the temperature normally crosses 45 degrees Celsius. It is forecast that this situation will prevail for the next week. This scenario will continue for the next five days in Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana. We have issued a red alert. A heatwave situation will exist in UP for the next three to four days. Heatwaves will also prevail in North MP. We have issued an orange alert for the region," he said The heatwave threw life out of gear in the national capital and other states, with people staying indoors. Low-income households, which often have poor access to water and cooling, and outdoor workers toiling in the searing sun suffered as the temperature peaked. Schools shut Several state governments have asked schools to declare holidays for a few days. The Delhi government directed the schools that have not closed for summer vacations to do so with immediate effect. A circular issued by the state said the city government's Directorate of Education said all schools were directed to observe summer vacation from May 11 to June 30 for this academic year. The Punjab government announced summer holidays in all government, aided and private schools from May 21 to June 30 amid severe heatwave conditions. Rains in South While heat wave lashes North, the southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu received heavy rains on Monday, an indication of the southwest monsoon's onset later this month. The IMD on Monday sounded an orange alert in Kerala's s Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. BJP national spokesperson and Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra caught himself in the eye of a storm after remarking that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Modi. The remarks have triggered sharp reactions from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and leaders of other parties. Though Patra has clarified that the comment was a slip of tongue, the issue may be politically damaging for the BJP ahead of the two remaining phases of polls in the Odisha assembly and Lok Sabha. Other BJP leaders have not reacted on the issue. Patra's remarks about Odisha's most revered deity came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day campaigning in the eastern state. Modi had a darshan of Lord Jagannath in Puri on Monday morning followed by a roadshow on the citys Grand Road (Bada Danda) where three chariots were dragged by thousands of devotees during annual car festival. Then he addressed two election rallies at Angul and Cuttack where he reiterated that BJP will form government in the state this time. Patnaik condemned Patras remark, saying, Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannatha is the Lord of the Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world." Further taking to X, Patnaik posted, The Lord is the greatest symbol of Odia Asmita. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is totally condemnable. I strongly denounce the statement made by the BJP Puri loksabha candidate and I appeal to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this you have deeply hurt Odia Asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by people of Odisha for a very long time. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also condemned Patras remark while Jairam Ramesh dubbed it an outrageous statement, demanding the BJP leader should be immediately disqualified. Congress on its official handle posted, BJP leader Sambit Patra says that Mahaprabhu Lord Sri Jagannath is a devotee of Narendra Modi. This is a gross insult to Mahaprabhu. This statement has hurt the faith of crores of devotees. Mr Sambit Patra who is immersed in Modi Bhakti should not have committed this sin. Narendra Modi himself should apologise for this disturbing statement. Strongly condemning Patra's statement, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, They (BJP) have started thinking that they are above God. This is the height of arrogance. Calling God bhakt of Modi is an insult to God. On Monday, Odisha witnessed its second round of polls in five Lok Sabha seats and 35 assembly segments. In 2019, Patra had lost to BJDs Pinaki Mishra from Puri Lok Sabha seat. This time Patra is trying his luck again from Puri against BJDs Arup Patnaik, retired IPS officer and former Mumbai Commissioner of Police, and Congress candidate Jaynarayan Patnaik. Puri Lok Sabha seat and seven assembly constituencies under it will go to polls on May 25. Since the state has two more phases of polls in 12 more Lok Sabha constituencies and 84 assembly seats, Patra's remarks is likely to have a political bearing. The brutal impact of the war in Sudan continues to spread beyond its borders and has a catastrophic impact on children. Donors need to do more and act now, and the world needs to be compassionate. Adre, near the Chad-Sudan border, May 3rd week, 2024: When gun battle and violent mobs came closing in, I was left with no options, Aliya recollected. She fled from her home in Darfur to keep her family safe. It was a decision made in fear. One year after the conflict erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces on April 15, 2023, Sudan faces one of the fastest unfolding crises globally. Gun battles and violence have displaced nine million people, equivalent to the combined population of Singapore and Qatar, making Sudan the largest displacement crisis worldwide. By the end of last year, nearly five million children had been forcibly displaced, including two million from previous crises, making it the worlds largest internal displacement crisis for children. In recent days fighting has escalated in El Fasher region of North Darfur, resulting in additional loss of lives and displacement. Children never start wars, yet they bear the heaviest burden and pay the biggest price. Sudan conflict: A childrens crisis In Adre, near a nondescript stone which marks the border between Sudan and Chad, Aliya shared her harrowing journey with me. Aliya and her four young children have been on the move for the past eleven months, seeking refuge in several camps for displaced people and makeshift shelters, before finally crossing into Chad. She looked exhausted, having walked non-stop for 25 days guiding three of her children and carrying Yousef, her 4-month-old son, wrapped in a half-torn cloth sling on her back throughout the long journey. They walked only at night to avoid the scorching heat, and her children were severely dehydrated. The day I met Aliya and her children at the border, it was 42 degrees Celsius. The UN estimates that 88 per cent of Sudanese refugees who arrived in Chad in the past 13 months are children and women. Children are arriving hungry, dehydrated, malnourished, and sick. I met several Sudanese refugee children who were malnourished and suffering from severe exhaustion, they were too weak to play and spent most of their time sleeping. The impacts of the conflict on children are profound and far-reaching. In Sudan, nearly 7,00,000 children suffer from severe acute malnutrition, and 14 million children need aid. Thousands have been killed or injured, and many face grave protection risks. There are reports of children being recruited into armed groups. In Chad, young girls have testified to Plan International about sexual violence they have experienced or witnessed. About 25 million people in Sudan, approximately five times Irelands population, need humanitarian assistance. Disease outbreaks are rising due to disrupted public health services. In Sudan, the economy is in decline, with the International Monetary Fund projecting an 18.3% GDP contraction in 2024. Food prices have soared. UNs World Food Programme warns that staple grain prices are expected to rise over 200 per cent last year, leaving nearly eighteen million people, roughly the population of the Netherlands, facing acute food insecurity. Of these, 4.9 million people are on the brink of famine, experts at the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification initiative warned. The conflicts expansion into key agricultural regions has exacerbated food insecurity. A senior UN official has been quoted as saying that more than 1,000 people have crossed the border into Adre, on some days, and that 90 per cent of them say they left Sudan due to food insecurity. Hunger and violence make a deadly combination. While receiving dignity kits, which contain hygiene products and sanitary items, in the Abutenge refugee camp in Adre, Sudanese refugee girls told Plan International about experiencing brutal sexual violence. UN experts expressed alarm about the widespread use of gender-based violence, including sexual violence, as a tool of war to subjugate, terrorise, break and punish women and girls. Sudanese refugee children draw kites and do art in a Child Friendly Space run by Plan Internation in Adre, Chad | Plan International Only 12 per cent of the $2.7 billion being sought for Sudan by the UN and humanitarian agencies has been raised. Immediate action is crucial to alleviate this unprecedented crisis. Donors need to contribute more. The world needs to be more compassionate to the children of Sudans brutal war. There is no suffering left in hell; it is all in the daily lives and young minds of children in war and conflict zones. Chad- A relative comfort zone for refugees, amidst enduring hardships The suffering triggered by this brutal war is felt far beyond Sudans borders. 1.8 million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries like the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda in the past 13 months. Chad alone received 5,92,000 people from Sudan in the past 12 months. Aliya told me that two of her children scream non-stop and wake up in their sleep, often hugging her hard. They have painful memories of witnessing terrible things no child should see. Back home in Darfur, four of Aliyas family members were shot and killed by armed men. Her children have nightmares about gunshots and the killings they witnessed. With the trauma they have faced haunting them in their sleep, a cocktail of unkind weather and hunger adds to the childrens suffering. People in Chad and local authorities have received Sudanese refugees with open arms and open minds. Chad was already hosting over 5,00,000 Sudanese refugees from previous conflicts. There is only so much local communities can do in a place already under pressure for vital services. Refugees have lost everything. Aliya learned that her house was burnt to ashes. Her only possessions now are two sets of clothes, her four young children, and painful memories. While in Chad, refugees often walk long hours looking for food and water. In Chad, young women refugees told my colleagues in Plan International that their daily struggle for food meant hours of walking every day, increasing the risk of sexual violence. The expected seasonal rains amplify the risk of disease outbreaks. Time is running out to prevent an already severe humanitarian crisis from turning catastrophic. UN officials told me they expect another 2,50,000 Sudanese refugees in Chad in the coming months. Children first Everything is needed here-- clean water, sanitation, food and nutrition assistance and medical care. People also need cash. Cash and voucher assistance is a type of humanitarian aid that allows people to buy goods and services for themselves, based on their own needs and preferences, providing the flexibility that is needed in dynamic emergency settings. Most importantly, such an approach places the dignity of crisis-affected people by giving them choices. Cash and voucher assistance is emerging as a preferred form of humanitarian assistance. State of the Worlds Cash 2023 report says that in 2022, $7.9 billion was transferred as cash or vouchers to crisis-affected people, marking 21% of the international humanitarian assistance, globally. Supporting children who have witnessed horror, who are out of school or missing their education, who have lost their parents or been separated from friends and families and are at high risk is the first step. Plan International and local organisations are running learning and recreational activities to support children. In Temporary Learning Places, children learn the alphabet and arithmetic. Children equally benefit from a safe and supportive environment and the opportunity to continue their education and to develop essential skills. In Child-Friendly Spaces, children play and practise art, techniques to help distract them from painful memories and process traumatic experiences. There is only so much young minds can take. Temporary Learning Places and Child-Friendly Spaces are sanctuaries where children can heal, cope, and rediscover hope. These safe havens offer the invaluable gift of allowing a child to be simply a child. In a Child-Friendly Space in Adre, with a tiny smile on her face, four-year-old Lamia is putting her best effort into drawing a kite. Children in another conflict zone once told me that kites rise against the wind, not with ita simple truth that applies to kites and to the lives of refugee children trying to beat the odds. I come to the Child-Friendly Space to forget the killing I witnessed back home, said Zenab who at just seven years old registers the importance of such safe and play spaces for children who are survivors of wars and conflicts. Her friends remember her as a quiet and shy child when she first came to the play place. They have witnessed her becoming bolder and more talkative, Zenab has even started making plans for her future. She told me she wanted to be a doctor to help children. A decision made in hope. Some decisions are made in fear. Some decisions are made in hope. For Sudanese children, life is often a journey between fear and hope. Names have been changed to protect their privacy Dr Unni Krishnan is the Global Humanitarian Director, Plan International. As state mourning and processions began on Tuesday for Iran's late president Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others killed in a helicopter crash, there is still not much clarity on what exactly happened that led to the accident. According to an initial investigation by the Turkish rescue group that found the wreckage, the chopper either did not have a transponder fitted or had it turned off reported The Guardian. While talking to the reporters, Turkish transport minister, Abdulkadir Uraloglu said that the Turkish authorities had checked for a signal from the helicopter's transponder but they did not find any. The transponder broadcasts the height and location information. This puts the safety of the helicopters used by Iran to transport leaders and officials in question. Reportedly, Iran had sought to purchase two Russian helicopters for its leaders amid maintenance concerns. The helicopter involved in the crash on Sunday was a Bell 212, a two-blade aircraft capable of carrying 15 people. However, the rest two choppers accompanying the presidents helicopter made a safe return. Along with Iran, the Azerbaijan government is also conducting an investigation at the crash site to examine if weather checks were made before the decision to fly was taken. So far, there have been no serious allegations of sabotage and still weather is considered as the main villain. However, the crash amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and escalating tensions in the Middle East could not be overlooked. Five days of mourning A procession Tuesday morning led by a semi truck carrying the caskets of the dead slowly moved through the narrow streets of downtown Tabriz. Hundreds in black walked beside the coffins, some throwing flowers up to them as an emcee wept through a loudspeaker for men he described as martyrs. On Wednesday, a funeral presided over by Khamenei will then turn into a procession as well. The president's body will be buried at the Imam Reza shrine in the holy city of Mashhad on Thursday, the only imam of the Shiite faith buried in Iran. Iranian President Mohammad-Ali Rajai, the only other president to die in office when he was killed in a 1981 bombing, was buried in Tehran. With Raisi facing US sanctions, for his involvement in the 1988 mass executions, it is unclear whether any world leaders would attend the funeral. Under Raisi's rule, Iran also shipped bomb-carrying drones to Russia to be used in its war on Ukraine. The US has said that Raisi had "hands on his blood". Even UK Security Minister Tom Tugendhat wrote on X, "President Raisi's regime has murdered thousands at home, and targeted people here in Britain and across Europe. I will not mourn him." A Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Tuesday indicted three suspects allegedly involved in a gun attack on jailed former prime minister Imran Khan in 2022 during a protest rally in Punjab province. Naveed Mehr, the main accused, was allegedly involved in firing on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder in November 2022, while his accomplices Waqas and Tayyab had provided him arms. A PTI worker died and 14 others, including Khan, were injured in the gun attack in the Wazirabad area, some 150 km from Lahore, where the party's Haqeeqi Azadi (real freedom) march against the-then federal government led by Shehbaz Sharif had stopped on its way to Islamabad. Khan, 71, had reportedly suffered three bullets to his leg. The gun-toting prime suspect Mehr was overpowered by the PTI workers from the crime scene. "On Tuesday, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Gujranwala held the hearing of the Imran Khan attack case in which charges were framed against three suspects. The suspects who were present in the court pleaded not guilty," a court official told PTI after the hearing. The official said according to the charges Mehr opened fire on the container where Khan had boarded along with other PTI leaders. Bullets hit Khan's leg. The other two suspects -- Waqas and Tayyab -- had provided Mehr with weapons. The court adjourned the hearing till May 25. Khan had termed the attack a "planned assassination attempt" and named Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)'s then Major-General Faisal Naseer behind it. He had also accused Naseer of killing Pakistani TV anchor Arshad Sharif in Kenya. Khan had also named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and then Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah as co-plotters in the assassination attempt. "Two to three people were behind the plot to assassinate me. I know that the country's armed forces are giving sacrifices for the country but there are black sheep in every institution," Khan had said. Khan has been imprisoned in high-security Adiala jail in Rawalpindi since August last year in several cases. A Punjab police investigation into the case had claimed that shots were fired by three unknown shooters" from a considerable height other than the gun attack carried out by the prime suspect, Mehr, from the ground. The United Nations Security Council, including the United States, on Monday observed a minute of silence to mourn the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage who were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The move irked Israel, which lashed out at the UN and called Raisi a "mass murderer." The silence was observed after Pedro Comissario Afonso, UN ambassador for Mozambique, asked the Security Council members to stand up and remain silent "in remembrance of the loss of life in a crash of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi". A profoundly shameful moment at the UN Security Council as the US ambassador stands for a moment of silence to honor the Butcher of Tehran pic.twitter.com/EA2U7oMmt0 Eitan Fischberger (@EFischberger) May 20, 2024 However, Israel's UN envoy Gilad Erdan hit out at the move, calling it a disgrace. In a post on X, Erdan said: "You saw correctly. The UN Security Council dedicated a moment of silence in memory of the mass murdering president of Iran, Raisi. What a disgrace," he said in a video message posted on X. "This body, which makes no effort to free our hostages, tipped their heads today to a man who was responsible for the deaths of thousands in Iran, in Israel, and around the world." "Whats next? A minute of silence on the anniversary of Hitlers death? Erdan asks, charging that the UN Security Council has become "a danger to world peace." US condolences The US on Monday condoled the death of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and the other members of their delegation killed in a helicopter crash over the weekend. But, the statement also took a dig at Raisi, for what the US says is his poor track record regarding human rights. "As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms," US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. On the decision to offer official condolences, Miller said the US does not want to see anyone die under such circumstances. He added that the US believes Raisi was a "brutal participant in the repression of the Iranian people for nearly four decades." "Some of the worst human rights abuses occurred during his tenure as president," Miller added. Assets under management have increased by 211% from Q1 2023 to Q1 2024, 107 asset and fund managers operating in ADGM, currently managing 137 funds. The number of operational entities grew by 30%, and the workforce experienced a significant increase at the end of Q1 2024 compared to the same period last year. ABU DHABI, UAE, May 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ADGM, the international financial centre (IFC) of the UAE's capital, continues its solid performance paving the way for another strong year as the fastest growing financial centre in the region, with a record-breaking start during the first quarter of 2024 marked by an increase of 211% in Assets Under Management (AUM) compared to the first quarter of the year 2023. The growth trajectory of ADGM in Assets Under Management, coupled with a significant increase during Q1 2024 in the number of operational entities, the size of workforce and other elements of the IFC ecosystem, underscore the concerted efforts and strategic initiatives undertaken to strengthen its standing as a leading international financial centre, and reaffirms Abu Dhabi's position as a global financial powerhouse and a destination of choice for regional and global entities. Commenting on ADGM's continued growth and strong performance, H.E. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of ADGM said, "Abu Dhabi once again affirms its position as the leading financial powerhouse of the MEASA region. ADGM's unwavering commitment to excellence, demonstrated through its initiatives and achievements, continues to drive remarkable growth, attracting talent, businesses, and quality investments from across the globe. This year holds the promise of even greater growth for ADGM and its ecosystem, marking a significant stride towards achieving Abu Dhabi's economic goals and ambitions." Abu Dhabi: The Region's Premier Financial Hub for Asset Management ADGM's asset management sector began 2024 with vigour, witnessing an unprecedented influx of global asset managers establishing operations in the IFC, and pushing the surge in the size of Assets Under Management within ADGM during the first three months of the year 2024 to unprecedented figures reaching a growth of 211% compared to the same period of 2023. By the end of March 2024, the number of fund and asset managers operating in ADGM reached 107, managing 137 funds. The attractiveness of ADGM as a holistic financial hub which stands as the sole jurisdiction in the region to adopt the direct application of English common law, has resulted in ongoing increase in the number and diversity of prominent regional and global firms establishing in ADGM. By the end of March 2024, the total number of operational entities in ADGM increased by 30% compared to the same period last year, to reach 1950 including 291 financial services entities. Abu Dhabi's Liveability Sparks ADGM's Workforce Surge ADGM's workforce has grown to over 25 thousand individuals, working on Al Maryah Island, as more talented individuals choose Abu Dhabi as their destination to live, work, and thrive. Abu Dhabi's appeal extends beyond its business opportunities, it has been ranked as the best and safest city to live in the region offering a high quality of life with world-class amenities and infrastructure. Out of Abu Dhabi, ADGM is further enhancing its attractiveness as a preferred destination for professionals and investors alike. In its 2024 Outlook, a comprehensive survey conducted among the ADGM community provides insight into the promising prospects for ADGM as a preferred destination. A total of 70.81% of companies anticipate expanding their workforce in ADGM during 2024, with 29.93% expecting significant increases and 40.88% planning moderate growth in staffing. This collective optimism reflects Abu Dhabi's robust economic health and the strong confidence within the business community in the conducive business environment of the IFC. Managing a Seamless Migration of Reem Island Businesses 2024 is the year of transitioning businesses on Al Reem Island for ADGM, which is progressing smoothly and is well underway with several initiatives being announced and implemented during Q1 2024 to support the businesses migration process. In addition to a series of awareness sessions and focus group meetings organised by the RA of ADGM for representatives of businesses on Al Reem Island, ADGM launched its information centre in Shams Boutik Mall, in Al Reem Island. The launch of the centre was followed by ADGM's first community event on Al Reem Island. The community event provided a platform for ADGM to unveil a new incentive initiative tailored exclusively for businesses based on Al Reem Island, operating in non-financial and retail sectors. Under this incentive initiative, eligible businesses on the island will be relieved from any fees associated with acquiring an ADGM commercial licence until October 31, 2024. Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1696045/AbuDhabiGlobalMarketLogo.jpg (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR Tislelizumab is a novel anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibody approved by NMPA, EMA and FDA for the treatment of advanced or metastatic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and broad development for the treatment of various types of cancers, and Zanubrutinib is a BTK inhibitor approved for the treatment of certain hematological malignancies, with results of several studies reinforcing its favorable efficacy and safety profile. Under this strategic collaboration, Glenmark will be responsible for locally required development, registration and distribution providing access to BeiGene's innovative oncology medicines for cancer patients across India. MUMBAI, India, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Glenmark Specialty S.A. (Glenmark), a subsidiary of Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd., a research-led, global pharmaceutical company, today announced an exclusive marketing and distribution agreement with BeiGene, a global oncology company. Under this agreement, Glenmark will register and commercialize BeiGene's oncology medicines, Tislelizumab and Zanubrutinib in India. Speaking on this partnership, Alok Malik, President and Business Head - India Formulations, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. said, "We are excited about our partnership with BeiGene, signifying our commitment to advancing healthcare in India. The addition of Tislelizumab and Zanubrutinib to our oncology portfolio underscores our dedication to the cancer patients' community and our commitment to provide access to novel therapies across India" " This collaboration is a testament to our shared vision of enhancing healthcare access across Asia," said Adam Roach, Vice President, and Head of Asia-Pacific at BeiGene. " We take great pride in advancing mission-driven access, especially given the significant disease burden in India, where rising cancer rates require comprehensive healthcare solutions - a commitment we share with our partners at Glenmark," Mr. Roach said. With a population exceeding 1.43 billion, India stands as the world's most populous country and the largest lower-middle-income nation.1,2 This partnership is timely, as many low-and middle-income countries, including India, are experiencing an increasing cancer burden. Recent statistics indicate that India has the third highest number of cancer cases worldwide, with predictions suggesting this could reach 2.08 million cases by 2040 a 57.5 per cent increase from 2020.3 Currently, cancer claims approximately 900,000 lives annually in India.4 While solid tumors remain the majority of cancers diagnosed, of particular concern is the burgeoning prevalence of blood cancer, ranking third highest globally, following only the US and China.5 In India, a blood cancer diagnosis strikes every five minutes, claiming an estimated 70,000 lives each year.5 Amidst this grim reality, Glenmark envisions a future where affordable and effective therapies serve as a beacon of hope for those in need. About Tislelizumab Tislelizumab is a uniquely designed humanized immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4) anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibody with high affinity and binding specificity against PD-1. It is designed to minimize binding to Fc-gamma (Fc) receptors on macrophages, helping to aid the body's immune cells to detect and fight tumors. About Zanubrutinib Zanubrutinib is a small molecule inhibitor of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) designed to deliver complete and sustained inhibition of the BTK protein by optimizing bioavailability, half-life, and selectivity. With differentiated pharmacokinetics compared with other approved BTK inhibitors, zanubrutinib has been demonstrated to inhibit the proliferation of malignant B cells within a number of disease-relevant tissues. About Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (BSE: 532296) | (NSE: GLENMARK) is a researchled, global pharmaceutical company, having a presence across Branded, Generics, and OTC segments; with a focus on therapeutic areas of respiratory, dermatology and oncology. The company has 11 world-class manufacturing facilities spread across 4 continents, and operations in over 80 countries. In Vivo/Scrip 100 positions Glenmark amongst the Top 100 Companies Ranked by R&D and Pharmaceutical Sales, 2022; while Generics Bulletin/In Vivo places it in the Top 50 Generics and Biosimilars Companies Ranked by Sales, 2022. Glenmark's Green House Gas (GHG) emission reduction targets have been approved in 2023 by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), making it only the second pharmaceutical company in India to achieve this. The organization has impacted around 3 million lives over the last decade through its CSR interventions. For more information, visit www.glenmarkpharma.com. You can follow us on LinkedIn (Glenmark Pharmaceuticals) and Instagram (glenmarkpharma). About BeiGene BeiGene is a global oncology company that is discovering and developing innovative treatments that are more affordable and accessible to cancer patients worldwide. With a broad portfolio, we are expediting development of our diverse pipeline of novel therapeutics through our internal capabilities and collaborations. We are committed to radically improving access to medicines for far more patients who need them. Our growing global team of more than 10,000 colleagues spans five continents. To learn more about BeiGene, please visit www.beigene.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook. References: 1. Statista. Twenty countries with the largest population in 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/262879/countries-with-the-largest-population/ accessed April 2024. 2. Sharma G, Harvinder P, Challenges for Lower-Middle-Income Countries in Achieving Universal Healthcare: An Indian Perspective; 2023. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36655151/#:~:text=India%20is%20the%20largest%20lower,18%25%20of%20the%20world's%20population accessed April 2024. 3. Ferlay J, Ervik M, Lam F, et al. Global Cancer Observatory: Cancer Today. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2020. Available from https://gco.iarc.fr/today/ accessed April,2024. 4. Ferlay J, Ervik M, Lam F, Colombet M, Mery L, Pineros M, et al. Global cancer observatory: Cancer today. India Fact Sheet. Lyon, France: International Agency for Research on Cancer; 2022. Available from https://gco.iarc.who.int/media/globocan/factsheets/populations/356-india-fact-sheet.pdf accessed April 2024. 5. Shalby Multi-Specialty Hospitals. Blood Cancer A growing burden to Indian Society, https://www.shalby.org/blood-cancer-a-growing-burden-to-indian-;society/#:~:text=According%20to%20various%20sources%2C%20India,year%20because%20of%20blood%20cancer accessed April 2024. Contact: From Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Udaykumar Murthy +91 9960377617 corpcomm@glenmarkpharma.com From BeiGene Louise Carter +61 474 231 049 louise.carter@beigene.com Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/451507/PRNEGlenmark_Logo.jpg (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). PTI PWR PWR New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) Domestic air passenger traffic rose by 3.88 per cent to 1.32 crore in April, according to official data released on Tuesday. The traffic stood at 128.88 lakh (1.28 crore) in April last year. As many as 1,370 passengers were affected due to denied boarding, with airlines spending Rs 136.23 lakh towards compensation and facilities in this regard, as per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data. The data showed there were a total of 32,314 flight cancellations in April and airlines spent Rs 89.26 lakh towards compensation and facilities. Last month, a total of 1,09,910 flights were delayed. Airlines shelled out Rs 135.42 lakh towards facilitation. In terms of On-Time Performance (OTP), Akasa Air topped the list at 89.2 per cent, followed by AIX Connect (79.5 per cent), Vistara (76.2 per cent), IndiGo (76.1 per cent), Air India (72.1 per cent), SpiceJet (64.2 per cent) and Alliance Air (49.5 per cent). IndiGo's market share inched up to 60.6 per cent last month while that of Air India rose to 14.2 per cent. However, the market share of Vistara and AIX Connect fell to 9.2 per cent and 5.4 per cent, respectively. Air India, Vistara and AIX Connect are part of the Tata Group. While Akasa Air's market share remained unchanged at 4.4 per cent in April, that of SpiceJet declined to 4.7 per cent. "Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January April 2024 were 523.46 lakh as against 503.93 lakh during the corresponding period of the previous year thereby registering an annual growth of 3.88 per cent and monthly growth of 2.42 per cent," the DGCA said. Mumbai, May 20 (PTI) Popular Hindi cinema stars Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar, Farhan Akhtar and Tabu were among the celebrities who stepped out to exercise their right to vote for Lok Sabha Election 2024 here on Monday. Polling was underway since 7 am in 13 Lok Sabha constituencies of Maharashtra, including six in Mumbai. While Ranveer and Deepika cast their votes at a polling booth in Bandra, Dhawan and Kapoor took to their social media accounts to encourage others to vote. Kumar, who voted for the first time since receiving Indian citizenship, was one of the early voters. "I want my India to be developed and strong and Ive kept these things in my mind when I went to cast my vote, and all the Indians should think what is right for them and vote, Kumar said after voting at a polling station in Juhu. Akthar, who queued up at a polling station in Bandra West to cast his vote, told PTI: My vote is for good governance, the government that looks after all people, gives us a better city. The actor-filmmaker urged people, especially youngsters to step out and vote. "I just heard from somebody that young people are complaining that its too hot but it's not hot at all, so please do step out, do vote, Akhtar said. Tabu was also seen showing her inked finger to the paparazzi. Filmmaker Zoya Aktar and mother Honey Irani also accompanied Farhan to cast their votes. Actor Hema Malini, who's BJP candidate from Mathura Lok Sabha constituency, said she is hopeful that voters' turnout will be good. "We are very much concerned (about voter turn-out). Weve done maximum publicity for people to come and vote. Across India, celebrities have requested (people to vote). Im sure the voter turnout will be good, Malini, who was accompanied by daughter Esha, said after casting her vote in Mumbai. Malinis husband Dharmendra, 88, said, They (voters) know how to be a good Indian citizen. They know how to take India to great heights, and they know how and what to do for that. Other Bollywood celebrities, who have voted so far, include Sanya Malhotra, Govinda, Manoj Bajpayee, Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, filmmakers Ashutosh Gowariker, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Subhash Ghai, noted poet and lyricist Gulzar, his filmmaker daughter Meghna Gulzar, Aamir Khans children Ira Khan and Junaid Khan. Bajpayee also urged people to cast their votes. "It is the biggest celebration of democracy, and you get this chance to elect your leader in five years. I appeal to everyone to use your rights because you will get this chance again after five years and for those five years, you will not have the right to complain," the actor told PTI. "Vote because you have a choice! Vote because you have a voice!! Vote because it is duty! Vote because it is your right! #Election2024 #LokSabhaElection2024 #Vote #Votingday," Gowariker wrote on X alongside a photo of himself. "There are hundreds of issues facing a nation but I am voting for positivity, development, unleashing the potential of this beautiful country, unleashing the potential of young, voting for equal distribution of wealth and not to be lopsided, and voting for a happier society which can take care old and children, Mehra said after casting his vote. Veteran actor Paresh Rawal said, Everyone should cast their vote no matter if it's hot or cold. You are voting for the country and Indias growth. Anil Kapoor said it his duty and right to vote. "I am proud to be a citizen of this country, there is no country like India. The voter turnout is terrific. Im sure more people will come (to vote), Kapoor said. Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt, who along with her filmmaker father Mahesh Bhatt came to vote, also urged others to vote. "Please go out and cast your vote. Your voice matters! #MumbaiNorthCentral #Bandra #Mumbai, Pooja Bhatt wrote on X. Filmmaker Kunal Kohli, who cast his vote in Pali Hill, Bandra West, Mumbai, appealed to people to vote. "I appeal to people to vote because that's your right, and later you don't have the right to complain if you don't vote. So, you must vote and enjoy the rest of the day, Kohli told PTI. Actor Shriya Saran said voting is the easiest thing to do. "Voting is the biggest power that youve and with this you can have a better future. Voting is the easiest thing to do, it barely takes a minute or two to vote. It feels good to see how senior citizens have stepped out to vote, then the new generation can do it too, Saran, who cast her vote in Versova, told PTI. Veteran actor Shubha Khote and her actor daughter Bhavana Balsavar also cast their votes. "I've come here and want everyone to vote for the right person. Whatever is needed we should get that. I hope everyone gets inspired watching us and comes out to vote," Khote said after casting her vote at a polling booth in Juhu's Gandhigram school in Mumbai. Jerusalem, May 21 (AP) France and Belgium released statements supporting the world's top war crimes court's request for arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas, after Israel and the United States both harshly condemned the effort. The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. While Netanyahu and Gallant do not face imminent arrest, the announcement Monday was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel's isolation over the war in Gaza. Israeli forces raided a militant stronghold Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing at least seven and wounding several, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The raid into Jenin is part of months of surging violence in the Palestinian territory. Sri Lanka announced a national day of mourning Tuesday after Iranian officials announced that President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian were found dead Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders. Iran backs Hamas, and the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah, also supported by Tehran, has fired rockets at Israel. In April, Iran launched its own an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel. Israel launched its offensive after Hamas' October 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed about 1,200 people mostly civilians and abducted about 250. At least 35,000 Palestinians have died in the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between combatants and civilians. Around 80 per cent of the population of 2.3 million Palestinians has been displaced within the territory, often multiple times. Currently: Iran's president and foreign minister die in a helicopter crash. ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Netanyahu. These photos show Palestinians' quick exodus from Rafah after Israel issued evacuation orders. Israeli forces kill at least seven Palestinians in a West Bank raid. Here's the latest: ` ISRAELI FORCES KILL 7 IN A RAID ON A WEST BANK MILITANT STRONGHOLD, PALESTINIAN HEALTH MINISTRY SAYS JERUSALEM Israeli forces raided a militant stronghold Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing at least seven and wounding several, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it struck militants during an operation into the city. In addition to the seven fatalities, the Palestinian Health Ministry said nine people were injured. Among those killed was Dr. Ossayed Kamal Jabareen, the surgery specialist at Jenin Governmental Hospital who was killed on his way to his work, according to Dr. Wissam Abu Baker, the hospital's director. The raid was ongoing and the casualty numbers could rise. The raid into Jenin is part of months of surging violence in the Palestinian territory. Nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, part of an Israeli crackdown on militancy in the territory. Attacks by Palestinians against Israelis have also increased. Saraya al-Quds, the military arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said its fighters battled Israeli forces raiding Jenin. Israel has arrested more than 3,000 Palestinians since the start of the war. FRANCE AND BELGIUM SUPPORT WAR CRIMES COURT'S REQUEST FOR ARREST WARRANTS France and Belgium each released statements supporting the world's top war crimes court's request for arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas. International Criminal Court top prosecutor Karim Khan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders Yehya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. While Netanyahu and Gallant do not face imminent arrest, the announcement Monday was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel's isolation over the war in Gaza. France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence, and the fight against impunity in all situations, its Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Monday, around the same time Belgium Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib posted on X, Crimes committed in Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of the perpetrators," along with a statement. Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. United States President Joe Biden also lambasted the prosecutor and supported Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas. SRI LANKA DECLARES NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING FOR IRANIAN PRESIDENT COLOMBO, Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan government declared Tuesday a national mourning day for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The government also ordered all state institutions to hoist the national flag at half-staff. Raisi visited Sri Lanka in April to inaugurate a long-delayed hydropower and irrigation project. The project, valued at USD 514 million, was started in 2010. It was scheduled for completion in 2015 but was delayed by the sanctions, technical issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. Raisi was the first Iranian leader to visit Sri Lanka since then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited in 2008. (AP) GSP Dubai, May 21 (AP) Mourners in black began gathering Tuesday for days of funerals and processions for Iran's late president, foreign minister and others killed in a helicopter crash, a government-led series of ceremonies aimed at both honouring the dead and projecting strength in an unsettled Middle East. For Iran's Shiite theocracy, mass demonstrations have been crucial since millions thronged the streets of Tehran to welcome Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution. An estimated 1 million turned out in 2020 for processions for the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was slain in a US drone strike in Baghdad. Whether President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others draw the same crowd remains in question, particularly as Raisi died in a helicopter crash, won his office in the lowest-turnout election in the country's history and presided over sweeping crackdowns on all dissent. Prosecutors already have warned people over showing any public signs of celebrating his death and a heavy security force presence has been seen on the streets of Tehran since the crash. But Raisi, 63, had been discussed as a possible successor for Iran's supreme leader, the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His death now throws that selection into question, particularly as there is no heir-apparent cleric for the presidency ahead of planned June 28 elections. Raisi's death comes at a moment when the Islamist regime is consolidated, wrote Alex Vatanka, an Iran expert at the Middle East Institute. In short, there will be no power vacuum in Tehran; nonetheless, post-Khamenei Iran suddenly looks far less predictable than it did just a few days ago. A procession Tuesday morning led by a semitruck carrying the caskets of the dead slowly moved through the narrow streets of downtown Tabriz, the closest major city near the site of the crash Sunday. Thousands in black slowly walked beside the coffins, some throwing flowers up to them as an emcee wept through a loudspeaker for men he described as martyrs. The bodies will travel on to the holy Shiite seminary city of Qom before travelling to Tehran later Tuesday. On Wednesday, a funeral presided over by Khamenei will then turn into a procession as well. On Thursday, Raisi's hometown of Birjand will see a procession, followed by a funeral and burial at the Imam Reza shrine in the holy city of Mashhad, the only imam of the Shiite's faith buried in Iran. That shrine has long been a centre for pilgrims and sees millions visit each year. Over the centuries, its grounds have served as the final burial site for heroes in Persian history. It's an incredibly high, rare honour in the faith. Iranian President Mohammad-Ali Rajai, the only other president to die in office when he was killed in a 1981 bombing, was buried in Tehran. Iran's theocracy declared five days of mourning, encouraging people to attend the public mourning sessions. Typically, government employees and schoolchildren attend such events en masse, while others take part out of patriotism, curiosity or to witness historic events. Across Iran, its rural population often more closely embraces the Shiite faith and the government. However, Tehran has long held a far different view of Raisi and his government's policies as mass protests have roiled the capital for years. The most recent involved the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a woman detained over her allegedly loose headscarf, or hijab. The monthslong security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. In March, a United Nations investigative panel found that Iran was responsible for the physical violence that led to Amini's death. On Sunday night, as news of the helicopter crash circulated, some offered anti-government chants in the night. Fireworks could be seen in some parts of the capital, though Sunday also marked a remembrance for Imam Reza, which can see them set off as well. Critical messages and dark jokes over the crash also circulated online. Iran's top prosecutor has already issued an order demanding cases be filed against those publishing false content, lies and insults against Raisi and others killed in the crash, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency. Meanwhile Tuesday, Iran's new Assembly of Experts opened its first session after an election that decided the new assembly, a panel of which both Raisi and the late Tabriz Friday leader Mohammad Ali Ale-Heshem were members. Flowers sat on the seats they would have occupied at the meeting of the 88-member panel, which is tasked with selecting the country's next supreme leader. (AP) GRS GRS Cairo, May 21 (AP) The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Tuesday they shot down an American drone over the impoverished Arab county. The US military did not immediately acknowledge the claim. If confirmed, this would be the second MQ-9 Reaper drone downed by the Houthis over the past week as they press their campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Last Friday, the Houthis claimed downing an American drone over the province of Marib, hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper. And early Saturday, a vessel also came under attack in the Red Sea. Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said Tuesday the drone was shot down with a locally made surface-to-air missile. He did not say when it took place but alleged the drone was carrying out hostile missions over Yemen's southern province of Bayda. The US Mideast-based Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press regarding the incident. Since Yemen's civil war started in 2014, when the Houthis seized most of the country's north and its capital of Sanaa, the US military has lost at least five drones to the rebels. Reapers, which cost around USD 30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The Houthis have also stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage. The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. The rebels claimed last week that they fired a missile towards a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea. However, the US military said the warship intercepted the anti-ship ballistic missile. (AP) GSP Dubai, May 21 (AP) Mourners in black began gathering on Tuesday for days of funerals and processions for Iran's late president, foreign minister and others killed in a helicopter crash, a government-led series of ceremonies aimed at both honouring the dead and projecting strength in an unsettled Middle East. For Iran's Shiite theocracy, mass demonstrations have been crucial since millions thronged the streets of Tehran to welcome Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1979 during the Islamic Revolution, and also attended his funeral 10 years later. An estimated 1 million turned out in 2020 for processions for the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was slain in a US drone strike in Baghdad. Whether President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and others draw the same crowd remains in question, particularly as Raisi died in a helicopter crash, won his office in the lowest-turnout presidential election in the country's history and presided over sweeping crackdowns on all dissent. Prosecutors already have warned people over showing any public signs of celebrating his death and a heavy security force presence has been seen on the streets of Tehran since the crash. But Raisi, 63, had been discussed as a possible successor for Iran's supreme leader, the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His death now throws that selection into question, particularly as there is no heir-apparent cleric for the presidency ahead of planned June 28 elections. Raisi's death comes at a moment when the Islamist regime is consolidated, wrote Alex Vatanka, an Iran expert at the Middle East Institute. In short, there will be no power vacuum in Tehran; nonetheless, post-Khamenei Iran suddenly looks far less predictable than it did just a few days ago. A procession on Tuesday morning led by a semitruck carrying the caskets of the dead slowly moved through the narrow streets of downtown Tabriz, the closest major city near the site of the crash Sunday. Thousands in black slowly walked beside the coffins, some throwing flowers up to them as an emcee wept through a loudspeaker for men he described as martyrs. The bodies will travel on to the holy Shiite seminary city of Qom before travelling to Tehran later Tuesday. On Wednesday, a funeral presided over by Khamenei will then turn into a procession as well. It remains unclear what international presence that funeral will draw, as Raisi faced US sanctions for his part in mass executions in 1988 and for abuses targeting protesters and dissidents while leading the country's judiciary. Iran under Raisi also shipped bomb-carrying drones to Russia to be used in its war on Ukraine. I don't feel comfortable sending condolences while Iran is sending drones that are used against civilians in Ukraine, wrote Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis on the social platform X. On Thursday, Raisi's hometown of Birjand will see a procession, followed by a funeral and burial at the Imam Reza shrine in the holy city of Mashhad, the only imam of the Shiite's faith buried in Iran. That shrine has long been a centre for pilgrims and sees millions visit each year. Over the centuries, its grounds have served as the final burial site for heroes in Persian history. It's an incredibly high, rare honour in the faith. Iranian President Mohammad-Ali Rajai, the only other president to die in office when he was killed in a 1981 bombing, was buried in Tehran. Iran's theocracy declared five days of mourning, encouraging people to attend the public mourning sessions. Typically, government employees and schoolchildren attend such events en masse, while others take part out of patriotism, curiosity or to witness historic events. Across Iran, its rural population often more closely embraces the Shiite faith and the government. However, Tehran has long held a far different view of Raisi and his government's policies as mass protests have roiled the capital for years. The most recent involved the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a woman detained over her allegedly loose headscarf, or hijab. The monthslong security crackdown that followed the demonstrations killed more than 500 people and saw over 22,000 detained. In March, a United Nations investigative panel found that Iran was responsible for the physical violence that led to Amini's death. Meanwhile, Iran's rial currency has cratered after the collapse of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, destroying people's savings and pensions. On Sunday night, as news of the helicopter crash circulated, some offered anti-government chants in the night. Fireworks could be seen in some parts of the capital, though Sunday also marked a remembrance for Imam Reza, which can see them set off as well. Critical messages and dark jokes over the crash also circulated online. Iran's top prosecutor has already issued an order demanding cases be filed against those publishing false content, lies and insults against Raisi and others killed in the crash, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency. No cause has yet been offered by Iran's government for the crash, which took place in a foggy mountain range in a decadesold helicopter. Iranian presidents including hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Abolhasan Banisadr both survived their own helicopter crashes while in office. Iran's military, not its civil aviation authority, will investigate and later offer a report, authorities say. Iran's civil air crash investigators faced widespread international criticism over their reports on the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane by an air defense battery in 2020 after Soleimani's killing. Meanwhile on Tuesday, Iran's new Assembly of Experts opened its first session after an election that decided the new assembly, a panel of which both Raisi and the late Tabriz Friday leader Mohammad Ali Ale-Heshem were members. A flower-ringed portrait sat on the seat Raisi would have occupied at the meeting of the 88-member panel, which is tasked with selecting the country's next supreme leader. Also attending was Iran's acting President Mohammad Mokhber. (AP) PY PY Dubai, May 21 (AP) Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country's foreign minister were found dead Monday hours after their helicopter crashed in fog, leaving the Islamic Republic without two key leaders as extraordinary tensions grip the wider Middle East. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in the Shiite theocracy, quickly named a little-known vice president as caretaker and insisted the government was in control, but the deaths marked yet another blow to a country beset by pressures at home and abroad. Iran has offered no cause for the crash nor suggested sabotage brought down the helicopter, which fell in mountainous terrain in a sudden, intense fog. In Tehran, Iran's capital, businesses were open and children attended school Monday. However, there was a noticeable presence of both uniformed and plainclothes security forces. Later in the day, hundreds of mourners crowded into downtown Vali-e-Asr square holding posters of Raisi and waving Palestinian flags. Some men clutched prayer beads and were visibly crying. Women wearing black chadors gathered together holding photos of the dead leader. We were shocked that we lost such a character, a character that made Iran proud, and humiliated the enemies, said Mohammad Beheshti, 36. The crash comes as the Israel-Hamas war roils the region. Iran-backed Hamas led the attack that started the conflict, and Hezbollah, also supported by Tehran, has fired rockets at Israel. Last month, Iran launched its own unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel. A hard-liner who formerly led the country's judiciary, Raisi, 63, was viewed as a protege of Khamenei. During his tenure, relations continued to deteriorate with the West as Iran enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels and supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine. His government has also faced years of mass protests over the ailing economy and women's rights. The crash killed all eight people aboard a Bell 212 helicopter that Iran purchased in the early 2000s, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. Among the dead were Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, a senior cleric from Tabriz, a Revolutionary Guard official and three crew members, IRNA said. Iran has flown Bell helicopters extensively since the shah's era. But aircraft in Iran face a shortage of parts because of Western sanctions, and often fly without safety checks. Against that backdrop, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sought to blame the United States for the crash. One of the main culprits of yesterday's tragedy is the United States, which ... embargoed the sale of aircraft and aviation parts to Iran and does not allow the people of Iran to enjoy good aviation facilities, Zarif told The Associated Press. Ali Vaez, Iran project director with the International Crisis Group, said that while U.S. sanctions have deprived Iran of the ability to renew and repair its fleet for decades, "one can't overlook human error and the weather's role in this particular accident.'' Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst and consultant, said Iran likely is tapping the black market for parts, but questioned whether Iran has the maintenance skills to keep older helicopters flying safely. Black-market parts and whatever local maintenance capabilities they've got that's not a good combination, he said. There are 15 Bell 212 helicopters with an average age of 35 years currently registered in Iran that could be in active use or in storage, according to aviation data firm Cirium. State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. Footage released by IRNA showed the crash site, across a steep valley in a green mountain range. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the U.S. continues to monitor the situation surrounding the very unfortunate helicopter crash but has no insight into the cause. I don't necessarily see any broader regional security impacts at this point in time, he said. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Raisi's death is not expected to have any substantive impact on difficult U.S.-Iran relations, or Iran's support of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Yemen-based Houthi rebels. We have to assume that the supreme leader is the one who makes these decisions and the supreme leader, as he did in the last so-called election, made sure to stack the deck with only candidates that met his mandates, Kirby said. He called the accusation that U.S. sanctions contributed to the crash baseless, adding: Every country, no matter who they are has a responsibility, their own responsibility to ensure the safety and reliability of its equipment. For now, Khamenei has named the first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, as caretaker, in line with the constitution. The election for a successor is to be held on June 28, IRNA said. Raisi's funeral will take place Thursday in Mashhad, the city where he was born, with other funerals to be held on Tuesday, state TV said. It said Ali Bagheri Kani, a nuclear negotiator for Iran, will serve as the country's acting foreign minister. Condolences poured in from allies after Iran confirmed there were no survivors. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on the social media platform X that his country stands with Iran in this time of sorrow." Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement released by the Kremlin, described Raisi as a true friend of Russia. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, China's Xi Jinping and Syrian President Bashar Assad also offered condolences. Azerbaijan's president, Ilham Aliyev, said he and his government were deeply shocked. Raisi was returning Sunday from Iran's border with Azerbaijan, where he had inaugurated a dam with Aliyev, when the crash happened. (AP) NB Rome, May 21 (AP) The Vatican made another big overture to China on Tuesday, reaffirming the Catholic Church poses no threat to Beijing's sovereignty and admitting that Western missionaries had made errors in past centuries in their zeal to convert the Chinese faithful. The Vatican hosted the head of China's bishops conference for an unprecedented, high-level commemoration of a landmark 1924 meeting in Shanghai that affirmed the need for foreign missionaries in China to give way to local church leaders. The presence of Shanghai Bishop Joseph Shen Bin alongside the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, at the Pontifical Urbaniana University was in itself noteworthy. It marked the first time in memory that a mainland bishop has been allowed by Beijing to participate in a public Vatican event as the keynote speaker. It was also significant given the controversy over Shen's 2023 appointment. Pope Francis in July was forced to recognize China's unilateral appointment of Shen as bishop of Shanghai. The appointment seemingly violated the Holy See's 2018 accord with Beijing over bishop appointments. Francis opened the conference with a video message in which he made no mention of recent troubles but instead pointed to the 1924 meeting in Shanghai as a turning point for Vatican-China relations. The first and only Chinese church council, he said, recognized that the church in China must increasingly have a Chinese face. But the Council of Shanghai did not only serve to forget the erroneous approaches that had prevailed in previous times, Francis said. The participants of the first Chinese Council looked to the future. And their future is our present. It was a reference to the French, Italian and other Western missionary religious orders that evangelized China over the centuries but refused to cede leadership authority to local Chinese clergy. Their attitudes helped fuel the anti-Western and anti-Christian sentiment behind the Boxer Rebellion, which aimed to rid China of foreign influences. Shen in his remarks referred to the superior" attitude of those Western missionaries and their work to protect foreign powers through unequal treaties that China signed with various European nations over the centuries. Speaking through an interpreter, Shen said the Catholic Church today must have a Chinese point of view, respect Chinese culture and develop alongside Chinese society. He also noted that the pope has underlined that being a good Christian is an integral part of being a good citizen. The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that were officially severed over seven decades ago when the Communists came to power. The aim is to unite the country's estimated 12 million Catholics, who were divided into an official, state-recognized church and an underground church that stayed loyal to Rome. Relations had long been stymied over China's insistence on its exclusive right to name bishops as a matter of national sovereignty, while the Vatican insisted on the pope's exclusive right to name the successors of the original Apostles. The 2018 deal sought to find a middle ground, though the Vatican has flagged repeated violations and Rome has acknowledged it was a bad deal but the only one it could get. It was signed at a time when China was tightening controls on all religions, especially Christianity and Islam, which are viewed as foreign imports and potential challengers to Communist authority. Tuesday's conference provided a venue for the Holy See to publicly admit to certain errors of the past, reaffirm its respect for a fully Chinese Catholic Church and insist that the Vatican poses no threat to it. The Vatican secretary of state, Parolin, who played a big role in the 2018 deal, recalled in his remarks that it is the universal role of the papacy that guarantees that the Catholic faith is not piloted by one particular nation or another. The communion between the papacy and local churches, he said, is the best guarantee of a faith that is subtracted from foreign political interests and is rooted firmly in the local culture and society. Obedience to the pope not only doesn't harm the love that one owes one's country, but purifies it and renews it, he added. (AP) AMS Singapore/Bangkok, May 21 (PTI) There were at least three Indian nationals among the 229 people aboard the Singapore Airlines flight that encountered a "sudden extreme turbulence" over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet, the flag carrier of Singapore said on Tuesday. The traumatic incident in which the aircraft descended 6,000 feet in about three minutes, left a 73-year-old British man dead and more than two dozen other passengers injured. The British man, who was not yet identified, "likely" died from a heart attack, the General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport Kittipong Kittikachorn said. Singapore Airlines (SIA) flight SQ321, operating from London (Heathrow) to Singapore on May 20 encountered "sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin at 37,000 feet about 10 hours after departure," the carrier said. The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok, and landed on May 21. "We can confirm that there were multiple injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER aircraft," the carrier said in a Facebook post. A total of 18 individuals had been hospitalised. Another 12 were being treated in hospitals. The remaining passengers and crew were being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Singapore Airlines said. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, it said. The nationalities of the passengers are as follows: 56 from Australia, 2 from Canada, 1 from Germany, 3 from India, 2 from Indonesia, 1 from Iceland, 4 from Ireland, 1 from Israel, 16 from Malaysia, 2 from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, 5 from the Philippines, 41 from Singapore, 1 from South Korea, 2 from Spain, 47 from the United Kingdom, and 4 from the United States of America. Authorities have not released details of the injured passengers and crew or their nationalities. "Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We deeply apologise for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight. "We are providing all necessary assistance during this difficult time. We are working with our colleagues and the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary assistance," it said. Singapore Airlines was using a 16-year-old 777 model for the SQ321 service hit by severe turbulence. A Singapore Airlines team is on its way to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed. SIA is working with the relevant authorities on the investigation into this incident. Relatives seeking information may call the Singapore Airlines hotlines at +65 6542 3311 (Singapore), 1800-845-313 (Australia), and 080-0066-8194 (the United Kingdom), the carrier said. Singapore's new Prime Minister Lawrence Wong extended his condolences to family members and loved ones of the deceased. Unfortunately, we are marking Vesak Day this year with news of the incident on the SQ321 flight earlier today. We are all saddened and shocked by what happened, he said in a Facebook post. He added that Singapore is working closely with the Thai authorities and doing everything we can to support the passengers and crew. We pray for their safe return and smooth recovery for those who are injured. We are still getting more information from Bangkok and will provide further updates in due course, he said. US aircraft manufacturer Boeing extended its condolences to the family of the British man who died aboard SQ321, a Boeing 777-300ER. We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them, Boeing said on X. With light and moderate turbulence passengers might feel a strain against their seatbelt, and unsecured items could move around the cabin. But in severe cases turbulence can throw passengers around the cabin, causing severe injuries and occasionally death, CNN reported. Warsaw (Poland), May 21 (AP) Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Tuesday that three people were recently arrested on suspicion of links to foreign-sponsored sabotage, adding to nine others already under arrest. Tusk was speaking at a weekly news conference about what steps his government was taking to protect Poland against hostile activity, including incidents with suspected links to Russian intelligence services. Another three people were arrested on Monday night, Tusk said, as he praised the efficiency of Poland's national security services. That brings the number of those under arrest to 12. On Monday, Tusk said that nine people have been jailed on allegations of having engaged themselves directly into acts of sabotage in Poland, on commission from Russian (intelligence) services and described them as hired people, sometimes from the criminal world, and nationals of Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. He described these acts as beatings, arson and attempted arson. He said that also other nations in the region, especially Lithuania and Latvia, were threatened by sabotage and provocation. The two countries, along with Estonia, are in the Baltics, a region that neighbors Russia. The three Baltic states were once part of the Soviet Union, while Poland was a satellite state of the USSR before the 1990s. Moscow still regards the area as within its sphere of interests. However, Poland and the Baltic countries all support Ukraine in its efforts to repel Russia's full-scale invasion. Arrests were made last week in Lithuania following a fire at an IKEA warehouse in Vilnius, which was believed to be arson. Tusk has said the suspects could also be linked to sabotage in Poland, while an attempted factory arson early this year in Wroclaw, in the southwest, was without doubt the doing of Russia's secret services. That link was also being investigated in a recent fire of a major shopping mall in Warsaw. Russian authorities didn't immediately comment on the accusations, and they routinely deny such allegations. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda on Tuesday appealed for people to remain vigilant to acts of sabotage in the face of the current political circumstances. Unfortunately, we have information that such acts of sabotage can happen again," Nauseda told public radio LRT. When our opponents, our enemies (...) will try to destabilize our internal political situation, we have to do everything we can to prevent them from doing so, he said. (AP) NPK NPK Officials are warning about potential traffic congestion during the North Dakota State High School Track and Field Meet at the MDU Resources Community Bowl in Bismarck this week. The event is Thursday through Saturday. The state meet typically brings thousands of people to the city. Traffic congestion is expected near Interstate 94's Exit 157, in the area of the Community Bowl, according to the Highway Patrol and the state Department of Transportation. The issue could be exacerbated by ongoing construction work on the Grant Marsh Bridge on I-94 between Bismarck and Mandan, where traffic flow is reduced because of lane closures, and bottlenecks occur during times of heavy traffic. The Patrol is urging local commuters to find alternate routes during the track meet. A portion of Canary Avenue in Bismarck near the Bowl will be closed for the track meet, starting at noon Wednesday and continuing through 6 p.m. Saturday, according to the city Engineering Department. The avenue will be closed from the main parking lot on the north side of the Bowl and then west and south to the parking lot on the southwest corner of the Bowl. No detour will be in place. Attendants will open the barricades for vehicles going to the North Dakota's Gateway to Science building west of the Bowl. Opening ceremonies for the state track meet are at 3 p.m. Thursday, with full days of action Friday and Saturday. Jerusalem, May 21 (AP) France, Belgium and Slovenia voiced support for the world's top war crimes court and its chief prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas, after Israel and the United States both harshly condemned the effort. The accusations center on war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. Arrest warrants were requested for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. Although Netanyahu and Gallant do not face imminent arrest, the announcement Monday was a symbolic blow that deepens Israel's isolation over the war in Gaza. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz headed to France on Tuesday in response. One of the main hospitals still operating in northern Gaza was forced to evacuate Tuesday after coming under fire from Israeli forces, while a second has been surrounded by troops, Palestinian Health Ministry said. And amid months of surging violence in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces raided a militant stronghold in the city of Jenin, killing at least seven people and wounding several others, the Health Ministry said. Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed about 1,200 people mostly civilians and abducted about 250. At least 35,000 Palestinians have died in the war, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't distinguish between combatants and civilians. Around 80% of the population of 2.3 million Palestinians has been displaced within the territory, often multiple times. Currently: Israel tries to contain the fallout after some allies support ICC prosecutor's request for warrants. Israeli forces kill at least seven Palestinians in a West Bank raid. These photos show Palestinians' rapid exodus from Rafah after Israel issued evacuation orders. Israeli officials seize AP equipment and take down live video shot of northern Gaza, citing new media law. Analysis: Iran's nuclear policy of pressure and talks likely to go on even after president's death. Yemen's Houthi rebels say they shot down another U.S. drone Here's the latest: HOSPITAL EVACUATED IN NORTHERN GAZA AFTER ISRAELI FORCES FIRE ON IT, AND A SECOND HOSPITAL IS SURROUNDED FOR 3 DAYS CAIRO The Palestinian Health Ministry says one of the main hospitals still operating in northern Gaza has been evacuated after coming under fire from Israeli forces, while a second has been surrounded by troops. The two hospitals, Kamal Adwan and Awda, are located in or near Jabalia refugee camp, where Israeli troops have been waging an intensified assault for days against Hamas fighters who the military says had regrouped there. The ministry said Tuesday that Kamal Adwan hospital was targeted by Israeli troops, forcing around 150 staff and dozens of patients to evacuate the facility, including intensive care patients and infants in incubators. The ministry did not elaborate but said they fled under fire from shelling. The Israeli military did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Awda hospital issued a statement Tuesday saying it had been surrounded by Israeli troops for the past three days and that an artillery shell had hit its fifth floor. On Monday, the international medical aid group Doctors Without Borders said Awda had run out of drinking water and was encircled by Israel tanks. Awda and Kamal Adwan Hospitals were besieged by Israeli troops for days in December, causing heavy damage to both and forcing them to shut down. They resumed partial operations since then. Israel has claimed in general that Hamas uses hospitals as bases or to keep weapons, an accusation hospital staff deny. Israel's 7-month-old offensive in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, has devastated the territory's health sector. Around two-thirds of Gaza's original 36 hospitals have been forced to shut down, and the rest only partially function. GERMANY OFFERS CONDOLENCES FOR THE DEATH OF IRAN'S PRESIDENT RAISI BERLIN The German government on Tuesday expressed its condolences for the death of Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash. German Chancellor Scholz said in a letter of condolence to Iran's vice president that we have received the news of the helicopter crash and the death of President Raisi. Our condolences go out to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the families of those killed in the crash, Scholz added. ISRAEL'S GALLANT SLAMS ICC PROSECUTOR'S REQUEST FOR ARREST WARRANTS JERUSALEM Israel's defense minister on Tuesday slammed the international court prosecutor's request for arrest warrants against himself and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as Hamas leaders. Yoav Gallant said prosecutor Karim Khan created a parallel between the militant group and Israel, calling that despicable and disgusting. He noted that Israel is not party to the International Criminal Court and does not recognize its authority, and stressed that Israel has a right to defend itself. Prosecutor Karim Khan's attempt to deny the state of Israel the right to defend herself and ensure the release of the hostages held in Gaza, must be rejected explicitly, he said. Khan accused Netanyahu, Gallant, and three Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of warcrimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. While Netanyahu and Gallant do not face imminent arrest, the announcement Monday was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel's isolation over the war in Gaza. ISRAELI FORCES KILL 7 IN A RAID ON A WEST BANK MILITANT STRONGHOLD, PALESTINIAN HEALTH MINISTRY SAYS JERUSALEM Israeli forces raided a militant stronghold Tuesday in the occupied West Bank, killing at least seven and wounding several, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The Israeli military said it struck militants during an operation into the city. In addition to the seven fatalities, the Palestinian Health Ministry said nine people were injured. Among those killed was Dr. Ossayed Kamal Jabareen, the surgery specialist at Jenin Governmental Hospital who was killed on his way to his work, according to Dr. Wissam Abu Baker, the hospital's director. The raid was ongoing and the casualty numbers could rise. The raid into Jenin is part of months of surging violence in the Palestinian territory. Nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, part of an Israeli crackdown on militancy in the territory. Attacks by Palestinians against Israelis have also increased. Saraya al-Quds, the military arm of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said its fighters battled Israeli forces raiding Jenin. Israel has arrested more than 3,000 Palestinians since the start of the war. FRANCE AND BELGIUM SUPPORT WAR CRIMES COURT'S REQUEST FOR ARREST WARRANTS France and Belgium each released statements supporting the world's top war crimes court and its chief prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas. International Criminal Court top prosecutor Karim Khan accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip and Israel. While Netanyahu and Gallant do not face imminent arrest, the announcement Monday was a symbolic blow that deepened Israel's isolation over the war in Gaza. France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence, and the fight against impunity in all situations, its Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Monday, around the same time Belgium Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib posted on X, Crimes committed in Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of the perpetrators," along with a statement. Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders condemned the move as disgraceful and antisemitic. United States President Joe Biden also lambasted the prosecutor and supported Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas. SRI LANKA DECLARES NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING FOR IRANIAN PRESIDENT COLOMBO, Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan government declared Tuesday a national mourning day for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. The government also ordered all state institutions to hoist the national flag at half-staff. Raisi visited Sri Lanka in April to inaugurate a long-delayed hydropower and irrigation project. The project, valued at $514 million, was started in 2010. It was scheduled for completion in 2015 but was delayed by the sanctions, technical issues and the COVID-19 pandemic. Raisi was the first Iranian leader to visit Sri Lanka since then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited in 2008. (AP) AMS Jashpur (Chhattisgarh), May 21 (PTI) Two minor boys were killed and eight other persons injured when a truck collided with their auto-rickshaw in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district in the wee hours of Tuesday, police said. The accident took place at around 2 am when the victims were returning home in Dumartoli village after catering work at a wedding event, an official said. The truck driver lost control over the wheels following which the vehicle collided head-on with the auto-rickshaw carrying 10 persons at Tehsil Chowk under Bagicha police station limits, he said. After being alerted, police reached the spot and the victims were taken to a hospital in Bagicha where doctors declared two boys, aged 11 and 14, brought dead, the official said. Out of the eight injured persons, five were critically hurt and they were shifted to a medical facility in Ambikapur city for better treatment, he said. The bodies were sent for post-mortem. A case was registered under relevant provisions against the truck driver, who fled from the spot, and efforts were on to nab him, the official said. New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar is likely to represent India at the funeral of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash, sources said on Tuesday. They said Dhankhar is likely to leave for Iran on Wednesday. A one-day state mourning is being observed across India on Tuesday as a mark of respect for Raisi. The Iranian president, the country's foreign minister and several other officials were found dead on Monday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region in the northwestern part of the country, Iran state media reported. Raisi, 63, and his entourage were heading to the city of Tabriz after returning from a visit to a locality on the Azerbaijan-Iran border on Sunday. New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) Union minister Ajay Bhatt said Tuesday the strength of a country resides not only in its military might but also in its ability to adapt to changing circumstances and leverage its cultural heritage as a source of power. The minister of state for defence was addressing an event at the National Museum here to mark the culmination of Project Udbhav, which aims to promote indigenous discourse in the Army by integrating India's ancient strategic acumen into a contemporary military domain with a focus on making the force "future-ready". The project is a collaboration of the Indian Army and Delhi-based think-tank United Service Institution of India (USI). Praising the Army and USI, Bhatt said, "The aim of this project envisioned by USI is to find invaluable insights into our strategic culture by finding ancient texts and oral traditions... The geopolitical landscape is continuously evolving and it is necessary for our armed forces to be adaptive and innovative in their thinking." In his address, the minister also praised the ancient Indian philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', which was part of the tagline used by India during its year-long presidency of the G20. "The ancient principle of 'Vasudhaiva Kutambakam'... has transcended cultural boundaries and become a guiding light in international diplomacy," Bhatt said. The Union minister said that in the last decade, the government of India has started a significant journey towards promoting indigenisation initiatives in various areas. From health to manufacturing and from basic infrastructure to defence, solid efforts have been made for a strong national commitment towards indigenisation, he added. "There is a need to honestly make efforts to imbibe Indian thoughts and values even in our works and decisions. The dream of 'Viksit Bharat' can only be realised when we fully understand the priceless wisdom of our ancient past and implement it contextually in shaping modern ambitions and policies," he said. The event was also attended by Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande and other senior officials of the force. Bhatt further said that by delving into India's ancient texts and traditions, Project Udbhav "not only enriches our understanding of strategic culture but also lends a valuable discerning thinking on unconventional war strategies, diplomatic traditions, and moral thoughts in a war". "As we delve into our history and understand it deeply, it is essential to identify that historical narratives are not limited to buildings and objects alone, there is a sea of knowledge beyond that. "In our ancient texts, there is a rich history, historians are well aware of this and it is a subject of continuous research, which the defence minister has earlier done," Bhatt said. Therefore, the minister said, it is important that "we continuously discuss our history, and reevaluate it so that we can ensure that our past is neither distorted nor oversimplified". The Army chief said in his address that the project was launched at the maiden edition of the Indian Military Heritage Festival last October by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Bhatt also said that India's history is an amalgamation of different thoughts and accomplishments which is a source of inspiration not only for Indians but also for people around the world. Today, through social media and other digital platforms, the dissemination of information has connected the world together, due to which curiosity towards India's ancient knowledge systems is growing in the world, the Union minister added. Bhatt also inaugurated an exhibition themed on the 'Evolution of Indian Military Systems, Warfighting, and Strategic Thought -- from Antiquity to Independence', which showcases the evolution of India's military systems and strategy. New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) Indian Youth Congress (IYC) on Tuesday organised a blood donation camp on the death anniversary of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and around 400 units of blood were donated to the camp, according to a statement. Delhi Congress chief Devendra Yadav, senior Congress leader Sandeep Dixit and Rajya Sabha MP Jebi Mather also took part in the blood donation camp, it said. Paying tribute to Rajiv Gandhi, IYC president Srinivas BV said that the former PM was revolutionary in his thinking. "The foundation of the digital revolution that we are in today was laid by Rajiv Gandhi in the country. He gave voting power to the youth by reducing the age limit," he said. The 61st constitutional amendment passed during the Rajiv Gandhi government reduced the voting age from 21 to 18. Srinivas said Rajiv Gandhi's contribution in nation-building and development is unforgettable. Delhi Congress chief Devendra Yadav also paid tribute to the former PM at the state office and garlanded his statue installed there. Many IYC workers also paid tribute to Rajiv Gandhi and participated in the camp. Speaking at the event, Yadav said that Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed his life for the unity, integrity and progress of the country and the people of India will never forget his supreme sacrifice. Kolkata, May 21 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday said he will lodge a complaint with the Election Commission, accusing the West Bengal Police of raiding his election office in Kolaghat in Purba Medinipur without any valid reason. The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly later went to Kolaghat Police Station and enquired about the reason behind the raid without any proper documents. The police neither took the permission of the EC nor the high court before raiding my election office. This must immediately stop. I will lodge a complaint with the poll panel, he said. The ruling Trinamool Congress, while reacting to his claims, wondered whether "Adhikari is above the law. "If the police raided his office or residence, there must be some valid reason behind it," TMC MP Santanu Sen said. Varanasi (UP), May 21 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday offered prayers at the Sankat Mochan temple here. He was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. In a post on 'X' in Hindi, the prime minister said, "Today I had the good fortune of visiting and offering worship at the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple in Varanasi. I prayed for the happiness, prosperity and health of my family members across the country including Kashi." Modi was in Varanasi to address the 'Nari Shakti Samvaad' programme. The temple complex resonated with the chant 'Jai Shri Ram' upon the arrival of PM Modi and Adityanath and they greeted the devotees with folded hands. New Delhi, May 21 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been indulging in polarisation throughout the election and preparing a "communal pitch", but it refused to play on that and pursued its 'paach nyay' agenda. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh's attack came over Modi's remarks in an interview with PTI in which he had said that he has never uttered a word against minorities, and the BJP has "not just today but never" acted against them. Ramesh claimed that Prime Minister Modi's entire campaign from April 19 has been based on "communalisation" with the Hindu-Muslim rhetoric throughout and "no talk of Viksit Bharat, Modi ki guarantee, or issues of the farmers, youth, women, workers, SCs, STs and OBCs". Asked about the remarks, Ramesh told PTI, "What nonsense is he talking about. This prime minister is fast losing his memory. He has never had any adherence to truth. He is 'jhoothjeevi', but now what he says today, he forgets tomorrow and says he never said it." "Of course he has been attacking the Congress party and has been talking of Hindu-Muslim," he said. Ramesh said the PM had raised the issue of 'Muslim League' imprint on the Congress manifesto, the mangalsutra remarks and the allegation that the Congress will give reservations on the basis of religion, which were all "bogus statements". "This is the prime minister who, when asked some years ago whether he had any remorse at the killings during the Gujarat riots, said even when a small puppy comes under a car, one feels bad. This is the language that he has used," Ramesh said. He alleged that the prime minister's entire campaign from April 19 has based on "communalisation and polarisation". "It has been Hindu-Muslim rhetoric all through, no talk of Viksit Bharat, no talk of Modi ki guarantee, no talk of issues of the farmers, youth, women, workers, of the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribes and OBCs...it has been a communal agenda," Ramesh said. The prime minister has been preparing a "communal pitch" and wants the Congress to play on that pitch but "we refused to play on that pitch", he said. "We have refused to do it because our agenda is the 'paanch nyay' -- yuva nyay, kisaan nyay, shramik nyay, naari nyay and hissedari nyay and the 25 guarantees we have given," the Congress leader said. On Prime Minister Modi remarks in the interview, asserting that even if one assumes he acts out of self-interest, his own welfare lies in the welfare of the Constitution, Ramesh said that on November 26, 1949, the Constitution was adopted by the Constituent Assembly and B R Ambedkar made a speech a day before in which he said that without the Congress, the Constitution would not have been made possible. "Four days after the Constitution was adopted, the Organiser, which is an RSS publication, says there is nothing Indian about the Constitution because there are no 'manuvadi values'. Subsequently M S Golwalkar, Deen Dayal Upadhyay, Mohan Bhagwat, Bibek Debroy, so many spokespersons have been attacking this Constitution, saying the time for this Constitution is over," Ramesh alleged. The Congress leader said the Constitution was a flexible document that can be amended but to do away with the document altogether "lock, stock and barrel" is another thing. Ramesh claimed that when Atal Bihari Vajapayee became the prime minister, "L K Advani and company" wanted a committee to review the basic structure of the Constitution. "They appointed justice JMNR Venkatachaliah, a very distinguished former chief justice, to head the panel but he said I am not going to be a party to doing away with the basic structure of this Constitution," he said. Subsequently, the BJP-led dispensation had to change the nature of the committee to one that would review the working of the Constitution, he said. "We (the Congress) of course boycotted that commission. So this has always been the objective of the BJP and the RSS. They are deeply uncomfortable and hostile to the idea of BR Ambedkar's Constitution because one of the pillars of this Constitution is social justice and the road to social justice is through reservation," he said. Ramesh asked why Prime Minister Modi is "silent" on the issue of caste census. He also asked the prime minister to clear his stance as to whether he will remove the 50 per cent cap on reservation for SCs, STs and OBCs. "Why has the PM not said a word on this, he is going around spreading an epidemic of lies that the Congress is giving reservations based on religion. Where have we given reservations based on religion? The 1994 reservations in Karnataka, which he keeps referring to, were given to minorities -- Muslims, Christians, Jains, Buddhists based on socio-economic criteria, and that is how they were introduced in the reservation law," he said. "Subsequently, the PM in an interview to a TV channel had said he himself given reservation to Muslims by adding them to OBC list. If PM does it, it is not religion-based reservation, if the Congress does it, even though it is based on socio-economic criteria, it is religion-based," Ramesh said. Asked about the prime minister's remark that his Adani-Ambani comments were validated by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury's comments, Ramesh said he does not know what the context of Chowdhury's remarks was but Modi should be asked why action has not been taken against the two businessmen. Chandigarh/Amritsar, May 21 (PTI) For the traders and industry in Amritsar, resumption of trade with Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah land route is a key poll issue. They say reviving cross-border trade will also benefit farmers, transporters and labourers. The volume of trade between India and Pakistan through the land route used to be around Rs 5,000 crore per annum before the bilateral trade ties were suspended in 2019. Resuming trade with Pakistan will not only boost the economy of Amritsar but it will also create more employment opportunities, the traders said. The local industry has made it clear to the candidates of all major political parties that the revival of trade was necessary for the betterment and development of Amritsar. Amritsar along with 12 other parliamentary constituencies of Punjab will go to polls in the final round of the seven-phase Lok Sabha elections on June 1. "The government must resume trade with Pakistan because in Amritsar there is no manufacturing industry," said Amritsar-based industrialist Rajdeep Uppal. "A pillar of Amritsar's economy was the Indo-Pak trade which benefitted not only economically but was the largest confidence-building measure for peace in the region," said Uppal, who is the former chairman of CII Amritsar Zone council. Trade between India and Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah land route has not been taking place since 2019. However, imports from Afghanistan still continue through the route. India imposed a 200 per cent customs duty on all products imported from Pakistan following the Pulwama attack in February 2019. Pakistan suspended bilateral trade with India in August 2019 in the wake of the scrapping of Article 370 of the Constitution which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. With the resumption of trade with Pakistan, there will be huge opportunities for work at the Integrated Check Post in the border district, Uppal told PTI. When there were no restrictions on trade, around 2,500 porters used to get work. Similarly, truck drivers used to get business supplying items for import and export, industry leaders said. Every day, 500 trucks would be engaged in importing and exporting duties, they said. India used to export vegetables, including potatoes, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and spices, cotton yarn, soybean extraction, dyes and tyres and used to import dry fruits, cement, gypsum and rock salt. Traders pointed out that the resumption of trade with Pakistan would prove to be beneficial not only for the trade and industry but also for the farmers as they would get back their market. "We speak about our farmers. Pakistan was one of the largest markets for our farmers. Potatoes, tomatoes, peas, and every kind of vegetable used to be exported. If there was any shortage of any vegetable, it used to be imported also. Consumers as well as farmers both were happy," said Uppal. It is in the interest of everyone, be it traders, transporters, farmers and labourers that the trade should be resumed, he asserted. Another Amritsar-based exporter also pitched for the revival of trade with Pakistan. He said Amritsar is the only city which has three gateways -- rail, road and air connectivity. "There is a huge potential for trade with Pakistan," he said, adding that there is also potential for trade with Central Asia through this route. India and Pakistan had agreed to start a cross-border movement of trucks in October 2007, after a gap of 60 years from the Attari Check post at Amritsar in India to the Wagah border in Pakistan to boost bilateral trade. An Integrated Check Post was set up at the Attari-Wagah border in 2012 for smooth movement of traffic between India and Pakistan. The BJP has fielded former US diplomat Taranjit Singh Sandhu, while the Congress has named Gurjit Singh Aujla and the Shiromani Akali Dal's candidate is former minister Anil Joshi. Aam Aadmi Party has fielded Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal. Jammu, May 21 (PTI) A special tribunal in Jammu has dismissed an appeal by a senior BJP leaders wife against the demolition of her illegally constructed palatial bungalow here and imposed Rs 10 lakh as costs on her for serious misconduct involving criminal contempt of court and perjury. Former deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Nirmal Singh and his family had moved into the newly constructed house near the armys ammunition sub-depot at Ban village of Nagrota on July 23, 2020, and were subsequently served a demolition notice by Jammu Development Authority (JDA). The house in the name of Singhs wife Mamta was completed even though the High Court had in May 2018 directed the authorities to ensure strict implementation of a 2015 notification that barred the general public from undertaking constructions within 1,000 yards of defence works. Mamta moved the special tribunal, Jammu, against the demolition order and was granted interim relief on November 12, 2021. On April 13, 2023, after many hearings, the tribunal (bench-II) set aside the impugned demolition order and subsequently, the JDA initiated fresh proceedings for the demolition by serving a show cause notice on May 11, 2023, followed by a demolition order on July 28, 2023. After perusing the record, this tribunal is satisfied that the appellant has willfully suppressed the material facts and made false statements on oath... the construction of the residential house in question is a deliberate act of defiance of the rule of law. "The appeals filed before the tribunal thereafter on false grounds tantamount to abuse of the process of the court. It being so, this appeal is liable to be disposed of for having been rendered infructuous on the face of the order passed by the high court. In view of the above, the instant appeal sans merit. It entails dismissal and is, accordingly, dismissed, Member (Executive) bench-III, J&K Special Tribunal, Jammu Asif Hamid Khan said in his 27-page order. The order, passed on May 17, said the misconduct of the appellant was far more serious, involving criminal contempt of court and perjury. Despite positive directions passed by the High Court on May 7, 2018, against permitting any 'unlawful/impermissible activity in the area', the work on the under-construction building was going on in full swing on May 13, 2018, and continued thereafter, it said. For serious misconduct involving criminal contempt of court and perjury, it imposed Rs 10 lakh as costs on the appellant that shall be deposited in the advocates' welfare fund within a month. The BJP leader had earlier claimed it was a political conspiracy against him. The piece of 2,000 square metre land was bought in 2000 by the Himgiri Infrastructure Development Private Limited, whose shareholders included former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta and BJP MP Jugal Kishore besides Singh. Gupta, however, had claimed that he resigned from the company. The construction work on the plot had started in 2017 prompting the Army to send a communication to Singh, who was then the deputy chief minister in the PDP-BJP coalition government, and ask him to stop the activity as it was in "violation of the Works of Defence Act (WoDA) 1903" which bars any construction activity upto 1000 yards (914 metres approx). The construction activity falls nearly 581 yards (531 metres approx) from the boundary of the depot. A contempt notice was moved by the central government in 2018 against Singh's wife for allegedly violating a 2015 order of the then deputy commissioner of Jammu Simrandeep Singh in which the Army depot was notified by the state government. The high court had on May 7, 2018, while hearing a contempt petition, asked various departments of the state to file their replies and directed Singh and others to "ensure" that the 2015 order is "strictly implemented with all provisions of law/rules and no unlawful/impermissible activity in the area is permitted". The 2015 order was clear that "no variation shall be made in the ground level and on building, wall, bank or other construction....erected, added to or altered otherwise than with the written approval of the General officer in Commanding..." "No wood, earth, stone, brick, gravel and or other material shall be stacked, stored or otherwise accumulated" and the order was applicable to all those living 1000 yards of the ammunition point at village ban. It said that any violation "shall be dealt with by the local Army commander under law and no compensation in respect of removal of such unauthorised structures shall be payable to the owners". The Defence Ministry filed a writ petition on May 3, 2018, when the local administration and police failed to implement the 2015 order. Despite the high court's directive for strict implementation of the order of the deputy commissioner, the construction work continued unabated prompting the Centre to move a contempt petition on May 16, 2018. Officials in the Defence Ministry had said that in view of the terrorist actions, concerns regarding the security of such sensitive defence installations have always assumed importance. Guidelines such as the Works of Defence Act are meant to deter such threats as well as cater for the safety of the civilians residing in the vicinity. However, such construction activity reduces the open area for surveillance and monitoring by the Army too. Haitis main international airport reopened Monday for the first time in nearly three months after relentless gang violence forced authorities to close it. The reopening of the Toussaint-Louverture airport in the capital of Port-au-Prince is expected to help ease a critical shortage of medications and other basic supplies. The countrys main seaport remains badly affected. Gangs control 80% of the capital. U.S.-based airlines are not expected to start using the airport until late May or early June. The first commercial passenger flight since March left for Miami nearly two hours behind schedule, with sweating passengers complaining to local carrier Sunrise Airways about the lack of air conditioning until takeoff. Before Monday, the sole airport operating in Haiti was located in the north coastal city of Cap-Haitien. It was out of reach for many seeking to flee the country, with roads leading from Port-au-Prince controlled by gangs that have opened fire on cars and buses passing through. The U.S. government had evacuated hundreds of citizens by helicopter out of a hilly neighborhood in Port-au-Prince, as did nonprofit organizations, as gangs laid siege to parts of the capital. The attacks began on Feb. 29, with gunmen seizing control of police stations, opening fire on the Port-au-Prince airport and storming Haitis two biggest prisons, freeing more than 4,000 inmates. Gangs since then have directed their attacks on previously peaceful communities, leaving thousands homeless. More than 2,500 people have been killed or injured in Haiti from January to March, a more than 50% increase compared to the same period last year, according to the United Nations. At the Couronne Bar near the sole airport gate operating on Monday, 43-year-old manager Klav-Dja Raphael welcomed her first clients. But her smile belied her fear. We are scared because they can still attack us here, she said. We must come in. Its our job, but were afraid. She recalled how bullets ricocheted through the airport the day it was attacked. While the airport provided workers a months wages, she was left unemployed for the rest of the time, relying on friends and family. She is anxious to join her 13-year-old son who lives in Florida with his father. Other workers, including those at immigration, were all smiles, content to be finally back at work. That was a long vacation! one immigration agent said. Dozens of people lined up hours before the flight. Im very happy, but it hurts that Im leaving my husband and my son, said Darling Antoine as her eyes began to water. She received a visa allowing her to live in the U.S., but the rest of her family is still waiting. They applied because gangs kept encroaching on their neighborhood. There are heavy gunshots every day, she said. Sometimes we have to hide under the bed. Jean Doovenskey, a 31-year-old accountant, left unemployed by the violence, said he was notified in early April that he was authorized to live in the U.S. He will live with his aunt in Florida but hopes to return to Haiti one day and live. I believe in a new Haiti, he said. The attack on the airport also left former Prime Minister Ariel Henry locked out of Haiti since he was on an official trip to Kenya. He has since resigned, and a transitional presidential council is seeking a new prime minister. It is also tasked with selecting a new Cabinet and organizing general elections. In recent weeks, U.S. military planes have landed at the Port-au-Prince airport with supplies as well as civilian contractors to help Haiti prepare for the arrival of foreign forces expected to help quell the gang violence. On Sunday, Kenyas foreign affairs principal secretary, Korir Singoei, said a plan to deploy police officers from the East African country was in final stages. I can tell you for sure that deployment will happen in the next few days, few weeks, he said. In March, Kenya and Haiti signed agreements to try to salvage a plan for the country to deploy 1,000 police officers to the troubled Caribbean nation. Other countries expected to back up Kenyan forces include the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad and Bangladesh. It wasnt immediately clear when those would arrive. (AP) Hunter Biden pressed for a delay in his federal gun case on Monday, asking an appeals court to pause the Delaware trial set to begin next month. Defense attorneys for the presidents son argued there isnt an urgent need to start the trial on the June 3 date set by the federal judge overseeing the case. They also cite the short time between the Delaware trial and the start of another trial on tax charges in California. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to lying about his drug use in October 2018 on a form to buy a gun that he kept for about 11 days in Delaware. He has acknowledged an addiction to crack cocaine during that period, but his lawyers have said he didnt break the law. The lawyers are asking the full 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to hear a bid to dismiss the prosecution. It was rejected by a three-judge panel that did not rule on the merits of his claims, but said the court doesnt have jurisdiction to review the matter. The lawyers are also appealing a separate decision from U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika rejecting a claim that the case violates the Constitutions Second Amendment on firearm ownership. Those rulings paved the way for the Justice Department to bring President Joe Bidens son to trial in the midst of the presidents reelection campaign. Hunter Biden is separately charged in the tax case in California that is tentatively scheduled to go to trial in late June. The investigation had looked ready to wrap up with a plea deal last year, but the agreement imploded after a judge raised questions about it. Biden was subsequently indicted. Under the deal, he would have gotten two years probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor tax charges. He also would have avoided prosecution on the gun charge if he stayed out of trouble. His attorneys have argued that prosecutors bowed to political pressure to indict him amid heavy criticism of the plea deal from Donald Trump and other Republicans. They had also challenged the appointment of Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss as special counsel to lead the prosecution. Prosecutors countered the evidence against him was overwhelming, including cocaine residue found in the pouch where he stored his gun. Noreika, who was appointed to the bench by former President Trump, said that the defense had provided nothing credible to suggest that lawmakers or anyone else had any impact on the special counsel, adding: It is all speculation. The separate tax counts in Los Angeles allege Hunter Biden failed to pay at least $1.4 million in taxes over three years while living an extravagant lifestyle, during his days of using drugs. He is separately challenging rulings rejecting his motions to dismiss those charges. (AP) China on Tuesday sanctioned Mike Gallagher, a former Republican member of Congress from Wisconsin who has shown support for Taiwan. Gallagher will be banned from entering China, any assets he holds in the country will be frozen and he will be barred from various exchanges with Chinese organizations and individuals, the countrys Foreign Ministry announced. The sanctions come a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Taiwans new president, Lai Ching-te, on his inauguration Monday. China claims the self-ruled island of Taiwan as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, and bristles at other countries exchanges with Taipei. Gallagher, who stepped down in April, led the House pushback against the Chinese government, including helping to pass a bill that could ban popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesnt sell its stake. In February, Gallagher led a Congressional delegation to Taiwan in a visit that sought to assure Taipei of Washingtons continued support. The United States, like most countries, doesnt recognize Taiwan as a country but is bound by its own laws to ensure the island can defend itself. (AP) The IDF has announced that approximately 950,000 Palestinians have evacuated the Rafah area in the southern Gaza Strip, as troops continue to operate in the eastern part of the city. According to reports, around 300,000 to 400,000 civilians remain in Rafah, primarily concentrated in the coastal area and parts of the city center. Earlier this month, the IDF issued an evacuation warning for the eastern part of Rafah, which was home to over a million Palestinians before the military push. However, only around 150,000 Palestinians were in the designated evacuation zone, indicating that many civilians from other areas of Rafah, where the IDF has not yet operated, chose to evacuate on their own accord. Currently, Palestinian civilians are largely gathered in the al-Mawasi area, designated by the IDF as a humanitarian zone, along the coastal strip, and in central Gaza, where ground forces have not yet operated. Additionally, a significant civilian population remains in the coastal part of Rafah and some areas of northern Gaza. The IDF says that it drew valuable lessons from past experiences in evacuating the population in Rafah, which was carried out much faster than predicted by the United States. The swift evacuation has likely helped minimize civilian casualties and alleviate humanitarian concerns. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) President Joe Biden strongly defended Israel on Monday, rejecting claims that its military campaign against Hamas terrorists in Gaza constitutes genocide. Whats happening in Gaza is not genocide. We reject that, Biden said at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House. Biden has faced protests from pro-Palestinian advocates at many of his events, with some labeling him Genocide Joe due to his steadfast support for Israel. However, the President stressed that Israel is the victim, dating back to the October 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas terrorists that killed 1,200 people and took hundreds of hostages. We stand with Israel to take out [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar and the rest of the butchers of Hamas. We want Hamas defeated. Were working with Israel to make that happen, Biden said. He also vowed to continue efforts to secure the release of sick, elderly, and wounded hostages still held by Hamas, saying Were going to get them home, were going to get em home, come hell or high water. Biden has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, a position he reiterated in a commencement speech at Morehouse College on Sunday. He also rejected the International Criminal Courts prosecutors request for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense chief over alleged war crimes. Biden has faced growing political pressure from his own party over his handling of the Gaza conflict, as the Palestinian death toll has climbed to over 35,000 people and Israels siege has created dire humanitarian conditions in the territory. Despite this, Biden has maintained his support for Israel, emphasizing the importance of its safety and security. Our support for the safety and security of Israelis is ironclad, he said. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has thrown her support behind a New York state bill that aims to revoke tax-exempt status from nonprofit organizations that support Israeli yishuvim. It is more important now than ever to hold the Netanyahu government accountable for endorsing and, in fact, supporting some of this settler violence that prevents a lasting peace, Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. The bill, which faces slim chances of passing in the New York legislature, seeks to ensure that the ongoing atrocities that we see happening in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as the ongoing enabling of armed militias to terrorize Palestinians in the West Bank, do not benefit from New York State charitable tax exemptions. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog has called on his country to seriously consider normalizing relations with Saudi Arabia, a move he believes could be a game-changer. The US has been pushing for normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, with Sullivan telling Netanyahu that there is an opportunity for normalization if Jerusalem agrees to a pathway to a future Palestinian state. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected any deal that would require a commitment to Palestinian statehood a key sticking point in the negotiations with Riyadh. Speaking at a conference organized by the Israel Democracy Institute, Herzog revealed that he had met with US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who announced an option for normalization with Saudi Arabia. This is a move that could bring about tremendous change, a historic game-changer that constitutes a victory over the empire of evil. I very much hope that this possibility is being seriously considered, as the empire of evil sought on October 7 to destroy the chance for normalization, Herzog said. Herzog stressed that the struggle is not just against Hamas, but a wider, strategic, global, and historic battle, and urged Israel to integrate into the grand vision of normalization. However, Netanyahu has maintained his stance, reiterating that he will not accept a Palestinian state, even if it comes with a Saudi normalization deal. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) The IDF says it has carried out a series of raids and airstrikes on terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, targeting military compounds, weapon storage sites, and terrorist cells. The operations, which took place in the areas of Jabaliya, Rafah, and Central Gaza, resulted in the elimination of several terrorists and the destruction of missiles, rocket launchers, and other military equipment. In Jabaliya, soldiers from the 460th Armored Brigade conducted raids on terrorist infrastructure, locating weapons and intelligence materials. Guided by intelligence, they arrived at a mosque where they found and destroyed missiles and rocket launchers. Over the past day, IDF troops have eliminated several terrorists in the area, including a cell that fired on them. In Rafah, IDF troops identified and eliminated a terrorist shooting mortar shells, and located rockets and additional military equipment. In Central Gaza, troops identified and eliminated a terrorist cell approaching them. In addition to the ground operations, Israeli Air Force (IAF) fighter jets and other aircraft struck and dismantled approximately 70 terror targets throughout the Gaza Strip over the past day. These targets included military compounds, weapon storage sites and warehouses, missile launchers, observation posts, terrorist cells, and additional terror infrastructure. (YWN World Headquarters NYC) I work in London, live in Hertfordshire and get the train and then the tube to work. I usually walk or cycle to my local train station before getting public transport into the capital, but occasionally I have to drive. When I do this I usually take the family car but one day last October I had to take our second car instead, due to personal reasons. I was driving home from the station when I had a slow speed collision with a man walking down the middle of the road in the dark. The police said the man was 'clearly inebriated', and that it was not my fault, and that he escaped without serious injury. His family even wrote to me to say thank you for looking after him after the collision. So I was surprised to get contacted by my broker, Hastings, in February, saying the man had made a claim. Devil in the detail: The definition of just one word, 'commuting', lies at the heart of the problem Hastings told me I was not covered on my Advantage insurance policy, as my contract only covers 'social, domestic and pleasure' (SDP) use. Hastings contends that I was commuting home, and therefore I should have bought a 'social, domestic, pleasure and commuting' (SDP+C) policy. Surely 'commuting' would involve driving my car to and from work, not for a couple of miles of an 80-mile round trip to work and back? I checked my policy and it defines it as, 'travelling to and from one permanent place of business.' That is clearly not what I was doing and I had to drive that car to the station that day for personal reasons that changed my normal commuting pattern I am worried that I am facing a large legal bill and without insurance cover. Sam Barker of This is Money replies: This entire situation revolves around answering one question: what is commuting? To insurers, an SDP car insurance policy would cover use of the car for everyday driving trips, like visiting people, going to the shops, picking children up from school and so on. The upgraded, typically more expensive SDP+C policy also covers commuting. The reason insurance firms care about this is that there can be a higher risk to them with commuting, such as leaving a car parked and unattended in public for a long period of time, or covering more miles behind the wheel. The problem here is how 'commuting' is defined, which varies hugely between insurance firms. Some, such as Comparethemarket, LV, Confused.com and Admiral, explicitly say that driving to the train station and leaving your car there counts as commuting. Others, including your own broker, Hastings, are less clear. Your policy wording says: 'What's not covered: Travelling to and from one permanent place of business or study.' To me, and you, and no doubt many others, that sounds like you are not covered for using your car for an entire commute, all the way to your place of work. It does not clearly say you are not covered for part of it, ie driving to the station. But Hastings accused you, and said you had 'broken the terms of your policy agreement'. A Hastings employee told you: 'Your policy cover is for social use only, however we understand that at the time of the collision it was being used for commuting to Bishops Stortford train station for onward travel to London for work. 'Therefore the 'essential character' of the journey was to commute to/from your place of work.' Obviously this is incorrect on one thing - you were driving home from the train station at the end of the day, not heading towards it at the beginning. Regardless, Hastings stood firm and told you it would not cover the claim, if it was successful, which could have left you to foot a very large bill. This is Money approached Hastings asking the firm to reconsider and agree to cover you for any legal bill resulting from the claim, arguing that it was being both unclear and unfair. Hastings then agreed to fight the claim and cover the cost regardless, and said that it was going to clarify its wording around what 'commuting' meant. The broker said it had tried to contact you, which you deny. A Hastings spokesman said: 'We have continued to investigate the claim and tried to contact your reader to discuss this on a number of occasions, unfortunately as we were unable to reach her, a standard letter was sent. 'We would always prefer to discuss complex claims with our policyholders to confirm and clarify all aspects of the claim. 'We've now been able to speak with Jane and have discussed this fully with her, from this conversation we can now confirm that we intend to cover the cost of the claim. 'Generally, this approach is one we would take with all customers in this position, irrespective of the technical policy wording (clarity on the wording about commuting is already scheduled for an update), although as you can imagine, we would review each case on its own merit depending on its circumstances. 'It is our full intention to challenge and defend the case being brought by the 3rd party, and we do not expect Jane to cover any of those costs.' Jeremy Hunt is plain wrong when he keeps insisting a British Google should be the exemplar of our industrial success and why the UK should be the worlds next Silicon Valley. The Chancellor said it again at the Dorneywood summit he hosted last week in a bid to attract and keep more listings on the London Stock Exchange as well as boosting our capital markets. Id like to see a British Alphabet, Id like to see a British Microsoft a homegrown company with a trillion-dollar cap. That would reflect my ambition for the UK to be the worlds next Silicon Valley, he revealed. Hunt is wrong because we have a Google-type equivalent right under our noses its called AstraZeneca. It may not be a sexy high-tech creature, but its one of the most high-tech and innovative beasts in the life sciences world, and one of its most pioneering in terms of saving lives. Tech drive: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insists that a British Google should be the exemplar of our industrial success Whats more, AZs global research HQ is on the booming Cambridge Biomedical Campus on the citys outskirts the UKs very own Silicon Fen and one of the worlds hottest bioscience hotspots. Its true the pharma giant may be a little shy of being a trillion dollar company its worth 192billion but give it time. It may get there yet if AZs ambitious chief executive, Sir Pascal Soriot, has his way. His latest target is to increase total revenue from a mere 36billion in 2023 to more than 60billion by 2030. Soriot hopes to achieve his grand ambition because AZ has another 20 new medicines in the pipeline, and many of them have the potential to reach 5billion or so each in annual sales. What is even more thrilling is that AZs latest crop of medicines are revolutionary, in the precise sense of the word, in the fields of oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare diseases. Drugs for diabetes and metabolic diseases are also being worked on. And AZ is involved in the war on weight. It recently hooked up with Shanghai-based pharma group Eccogene for a weight-loss and cardio-metabolic drug, pitting itself against the heaviest weight-loss giant, Novo Nordisk, with its astonishing Wegovy and Ozempic drugs. But its the next generation of cancer treatments which are AZs holy grail. Speaking to CNBC in Cambridge yesterday, Dr Aradhana Sarin, its chief financial officer and a physician by training, explained that the most cutting edge of the new drugs are antibody drug conjugates ADCs aimed at replacing classic treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation. They are highly complex and work by delivering potent cancer-killing agents directly to cancer cells. They are also highly complex to manufacture and need end-to-end production, which is why AZ is investing 1.2billion in a new manufacturing facility in Singapore specifically for ADCs. The impressive CFO reckons these new drugs will eventually replace chemotherapy, which often has nasty side-effects for patients. But this will be evolutionary rather than immediate. Luckily, AZ is ahead of the curve in that cycle. Soriot may even pull off his ambitious target he has done so before, tripling the share price over the past decade. He has other new sites to explore. The big question is whether they might be in the UK, as AZ has already switched plans for a mega-new plant from Britain to Ireland because of high corporation tax and regulatory hurdles over clinical trials. Forget Google, Mr Hunt. Hop on the train to Cambridge its only an hour from London and listen to the scientists. Its not only the value of companies such as AZ that matters, but the value of what they do in saving lives and the prosperity they bring to their surrounding communities. Watertight Someone listening to the mood music is Susan Davy, boss of Pennon and parent of South West Water, along with Bournemouth and Bristol Water. The water supplies in her districts have been polluted with dangerous parasites, but normal service is back for most customers. Davy is paying out around 3.5million in compensation to customers affected by the outbreak. She has also trimmed back the dividend payment to shareholders to reflect fines on other incidents. Even so, the payment is going up, to 44.37p per share, at a total cost of 127million. That was a mistake. She should have stayed watertight. Put away the tatty nylon backpack. The leather briefcase is back as men embrace more formal dressing for the workplace. This new preference for a more structured accessory comes as Marks & Spencer plans to seize more of the 935million tailoring market, in response to a pick-up in demand spurred by the return to the office and more extravagant weddings. Ettinger, a family-owned London business, is reporting that sales of its luxury briefcases and elegant tote bags are now above their pre-Covid level. The need for such accessories fell when people were working from home. But there is now an interest in how to Harvey Specter or upgrade your office wardrobe, with a designer briefcase to accompany a perfectly fitted suit. Harvey Specter is the sharp-shooting lawyer in the hit drama series Suits, in which, as the name suggests, tailoring is a big thing. In the bag: Ettinger, a family-owned London business is reporting that sales of its luxury briefcases and elegant tote bags are now above their pre-Covid level Ettinger chief executive Robert Ettinger said: I think city workers are still spending big on buying briefcases for work because it is a fashion statement. He is the son of Gerry Ettinger who founded the company in 1934. The Royal Warrant-holding business still manufactures in the UK. But it is not only the 1,360 Ettinger Heritage Burlington briefcase, with its brass lock and the 550 Pursuits Wimbledon leather-trimmed canvas briefcase, that has won a new clientele. The use of paper money may have declined, but the well-dressed man still wants elegant accessories. Ettinger says: Despite being told that Britain is becoming a cashless society, our sales of wallets and credit card cases are still the same level as, again, pre-Covid. Maxwell-Scott, another family-run business which specialises in Italian-made leather goods, is also experiencing a boost. Eleanor Langan, the brand marketing manager, said: Turbulent economic situations dont seem to have deterred customers from investing in good quality luxury pieces. Suits star: Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter Flexible working options may have become more prevalent, but City workers still want to look professional when they go to the office, attend meetings with clients, or work from shared spaces. The executive who spends some time in the office, other days in a funky shared office space and also picks up their emails in coffee shops may prefer a more casual leather bag. There has been a 103 per cent rise in sales of Maxwell-Scotts satchel bag. The desire for a more dressed-up look has been inspired not only by Suits, which is a Netflix series now also available on the BBC iPlayer, but also by the Netflix film The Gentlemen. The impeccably cut, but edgy, suits and other smart casual outfits worn by actor Theo James are much discussed on Instagram. The platform also features Savile Row tailors, including Davies & Son and Richard Anderson, explaining their craft. Such is the fascination with suiting that the posts on X by the American sartorial chronicler Derek Guy (@dieworkwear) have amassed him 874,000 followers. He debates the finer points of tailoring for those learning the importance of such elements as drape cut and high rise to the fit of a suit. He opines on the suits of politicians, noting, for example, that Keir Starmers jacket sleeves are always too long, while Rishi Sunaks cropped trousers are out-of-date. Against this resurgence of interest, M&S has designs on increasing its share of the market from the current 18.7 per cent by a mix of better service 200 suit fitters will be at hand in stores and more innovation in fabric and cut. These include the Italian linen miracle suit range and summer tweed. Richard Price, the M&S managing director for clothing, home and beauty, says that there is demand for more style, softer and less structured tailoring, as well as smart separates that offer desk-to- dinner versatility. M&S unveils its annual results tomorrow. Analysts at Deutsche Bank forecast an 8 per cent increase in group sales to 12.9billion and a 41 per cent rise in profits before tax to 680million. AstraZeneca is targeting $80billion in annual revenues by 2030, supported by the launch of 20 new medicines. Britain's largest pharmaceutical business achieved $45.8billion in turnover last year, in line with a goal set ten years ago, largely thanks to rising demand for its oncology and diabetes treatments. It now wants to boost annual turnover by an additional 75 per cent by the start of the next decade through continued growth in sales of its oncology, biopharmaceuticals and rare disease portfolio. Goal reached: AstraZeneca achieved $45.8billion in turnover last year, in line with a goal set ten years ago, largely thanks to rising demand for its oncology and diabetes treatments The London-listed company also expects to create 20 more drugs, some potentially generating over $5billion in revenue per year. Alongside this, AstraZeneca intends to lift its core operating margin to a 'mid-30s percentage' within two years by bolstering productivity, while still upholding its research and development commitments. By the same date, the firm hopes to be carbon-zero in its emissions from production and electricity purchased for its use. Pascal Soriot, chief executive of AstraZeneca, said the group was entering 'a new era of growth', powered by an 'innovative pipeline, which has the potential to transform millions of lives'. He added: 'The breadth of our portfolio, together with continued investment in innovation, supports sustained growth well past the end of the decade.' Under Soriot's leadership, AstraZeneca has rebuilt its pipeline of new drugs and overtaken oil giant Shell to become the largest company by market capitalisation on the London Stock Exchange. On Monday, AstraZeneca unveiled plans to build a $1.5billion manufacturing facility in Singapore devoted to making antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). ADCs are drugs that use antibodies to deliver cancer-killing agents directly to cancer cells while sparing healthy cells and having fewer major side effects than traditional chemotherapy. AstraZeneca said the intended site in Singapore will start design and construction later this year and be 'operationally ready' by 2029. The announcement came about a fortnight after the business withdrew its Covid-19 vaccine from global circulation amid concerns that it caused a rare and dangerous side effect. The vaccine is widely credited with saving millions of lives since the pandemic began, and AstraZeneca said the decision to take it off the market was commercial. AstraZeneca shares were 0.7 per cent higher at 121.76 on Tuesday morning and have doubled over the past five years. CVS Group is in the process of selling its Dutch and Irish businesses for a nominal value of just 2 (1.71) as it refocuses efforts on its profitable UK and Australia operations. The veterinary services provider, which runs 500 practices across its four territories, told investors on Tuesday that it would divest from the Dutch and Irish businesses due to their 'sub-scale nature' and 'particular challenges' within each market. The Dutch and Irish units made combined pre-tax loss of 6.8million last year and CVS said they were on track to post another loss of 6million for 2024. CVS bets on more profitable UK and Australian businesses as it offloads Irish and Dutch units CVS added the 'significant management focus' needed to turn around the ailing Dutch and Irish units would be better spent on the group's growth strategy. Boss Richard Fairman said: 'Our Netherlands and Ireland practices no longer fit with our strategy of focusing on growth in the UK and Australian markets. 'We have exciting plans to expand in Australia and this disposal will free up working capital and management capacity to support our continued expansion.' The non-core businesses will be sold to Global Veterinary Excellence, whose owner James Cahill is a vet and former director of the units. CVS is also providing a 600,000 unsecured loan 'at a market rate' to Global Veterinary Excellence, the group said. Fairman added: 'We are delighted to have found a solution that enables our former colleagues to continue to deliver high quality veterinary care in the Netherlands and Republic of Ireland and wish James and Global Veterinary Excellence Limited well as an independent business.' CVS experienced 'considerable operational disruption' in April after it was struck by a cyber incident, forcing it to accelerate the roll-out of the transfer of its IT infrastructure and practice management system to the cloud. Analysts at Peel Hunt said CVS is 'yet to quantify the impact' of the cyber attacks, but the broker expects it to be 'greater than the benefit' provided by disposing of its Irish and Dutch businesses and a 'short-term' impact on like-for-like sales. Peel Hunt reiterated its 'Add' rating on Tuesday with a target share price of 1,500p CVS will also be focused on the outcome of the Competition and Markets Authority's probe into the veterinary sector launched in March, with an update expected soon. CMA concerns that British pet owners might be overpaying for medicines and prescriptions saw shares across the sector plummet, and CVS shares are yet to regain ground after the sell-off. CVS shares were down 1.3 per cent to 1,046p in early trading on Tuesday. Victims of the South West Water parasite outbreak will receive just 215 each while the companys investors share a 127million dividend bonanza. Hundreds of people have fallen ill from the water-born parasite cryptosporidiosis over the past week, with about 17,000 households in the Brixham area affected. Pennon Group, the stock market-listed parent company of the disgraced utility which also owns Bristol Water and Bournemouth Water, yesterday said it would hand affected households a total of 3.5million compensation. But this was dwarfed by the dividend payout to shareholders, which came despite racking up an annual loss of 9.1million. The move led to calls for Pennon chief executive Susan Davy (pictured) to resign. Washed out: Campaigners are now calling for Pennon chief exec Susan Davy (pictured) to resign Dan Coatsworth, an analyst at City investment platform AJ Bell, said: Customers affected by the Brixham parasite crisis will be peeved theyre only getting 215 compensation for considerable disruption, whereas Pennon shareholders are scooping up dividends. It implies that Pennons top brass are totally out of touch with how to behave as good corporate citizens. The row at Pennon comes less than a week after rival United Utilities handed its shareholders nearly 340million despite being accused of pumping millions of litres of sewage into Windermere in the Lake District. Environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey said yesterday: The water industry never ceases to surprise me with the level of utter incompetence, the shambles and the out of control industry it has become. The outbreak of cryptosporidiosis a contagious bug that causes vomiting, fever, cramps and diarrhoea was traced back to a South West Water reservoir. A total of 46 cases have been confirmed and two people have been hospitalised, but hundreds of people are thought to be suffering with symptoms that can last for around two weeks. The crisis is just the latest to hit the industry amid outrage over sewage being dumped in Britains rivers and lakes. There are also fears over the future of Thames Water as it struggles under the weight of its crippling 18billion debt pile. Pennon said investors will receive a dividend of 44.37p per share. The total of 126.9million had 2.4million knocked off to reflect a record sewage fine last year, but the payout was still 3.8 per cent higher than a year earlier. Parasite outbreak: Pennon Group, the stock market-listed parent company of South West Water said it would hand customers supplied dirty water a total of 3.5m Anthony Mangnall, the Conservative MP for Totnes and South Devon, said the dividend payout was completely unacceptable. He added: This tin-eared offering is a smack in the face to those who have been so badly impacted by South West Water. I suggest they either suspend the dividend offering or Susan Davy steps down. Its hugely disappointing, at a moment where the publics confidence in South West Water is at an all-time low, theyve decided to go ahead and pay dividends. Davy insisted that South West Water was working tirelessly around the clock to ensure customer health and safety. We wont stop until the local drinking water is returned to the quality all our customers expect and deserve, she said. Davy took home a salary of 543,000 last year after waiving her six-figure bonus due to public and political pressure over sewage spills. It comes as an annual survey found satisfaction with water companies has seen an unprecedented decline. The Consumer Council for Waters survey found just 35 per cent were happy with how they manage wastewater, down from 88 per cent a decade ago. And every water firm saw its trust score fall, with energy suppliers overtaking them for the first time as a more trusted utility. Shares in sandwich maker Greencore hit their highest level in three years after it unveiled plans to return 30million to investors following a profit upgrade. Having seen profits more than double to 28.3million in the first half to March 29, the FTSE 250 firm said its annual haul is now expected to be between 86million and 88million. Greencore, which produces everything from ready meals to frozen Yorkshire puddings to sandwiches for supermarkets and convenience stores, said the boost came despite revenues falling 6.4 per cent to 866.1million, thanks to ditching a number of low-margin contracts. The 30million share buyback, which Greencore wants to complete within six months, is part of plans to return 50million to investors over the next year. It also wants to pay an annual dividend if trading remains strong. Shares jumped 18.8 per cent, or 26.2p, to 165.6p its highest level since May 2021. Share buyback: Having seen profits more than double to 28.3m in the first half to March 29, Greencore said its annual haul is now expected to be between 86m and 88m Airport caterer SSP found itself at the other end of the FTSE 250 leaderboard as profits slumped 19 per cent to 13million due to industrial action on the railways in the UK, France and Germany. Shares fell 9 per cent, or 18.8p, to 190p. The FTSE 100 fell 0.1 per cent, or 7.75 points, to 8416.45 and the FTSE 250 was down 0.5 per cent, or 89.96 points, to 20783.37. Screwfix and B&Q owner Kingfisher said sales dipped 0.3 per cent to 3.3billion in the first quarter as a solid performance in the UK was overshadowed by a slump in its French businesses. Shares dipped 0.1 per cent, or 0.3p, to 264.4p. Headgear maker Avon Protection ended its first half with 157million of orders following contract wins from the Ministry of Defence and the German navy. Shares gained 3.3 per cent, or 44p, to 1372p. Stock Watch - Naked Wines Naked Wines said its situation may be improving after a tough year that led to job cuts. The wine seller said revenue for the year to April is about 290million down 13 per cent from the previous year but an improvement since it reported an 18 per cent drop over the first half. Naked Wines, which has 792,000 customers in the US, UK and Australia, is expecting to report a loss of between 13million and 18million for the year. Shares rose 9.6 per cent, or 5p, to 57p. Meat producer Cranswick warned that the Governments decision to raise the salary threshold for people arriving in the UK on skilled worker visas from 26,200 to 38,700 will affect its ability to recruit staff. The firm said a key part of its workforce is made up of more than 650 employees from the Philippines, but the change will considerably limit labour accessibility in the foreseeable future. The comments came as its revenues rose 11.9 per cent to 2.6billion in the year to March 30 while profits rose 13.5 per cent to 158.4million. Shares fell 0.9 per cent, or 40p, to 4385p. Self-storage firm Big Yellow Group said revenues rose 6 per cent to 199.6million in the year to March 31 while profits more than tripled to 241million. Shares gained 4.9 per cent, or 58p, to 1238p. GKN Automotive owner Dowlais warned of lower revenues as it faces increased volatility in electric vehicle production. Sales fell 1.9 per cent to 1.7billion in the four months to the end of April. It now expects revenues for 2024 to be slightly below last year. Shares sank 6.1 per cent, or 4.7p, to 72.15p. Shoe Zone shaved more than 1million off its profit forecast, knocking it down to 13.8million, as the retailer said it faces a higher salary bill due to the National Living Wage rise and shipping costs because of disruption in the Middle East. Shares sank 4.8 per cent, or 9p, to 176p. Outcry: Tesla boss Elon Musk is in line for a record 44bn pay package A group of Tesla investors are urging shareholders to reject a record 44billion pay package for chief executive Elon Musk. Shareholders in the electric car maker are due to vote on June 13 on what would be the biggest corporate pay day in history. But a coalition which includes New York City finance chief Brad Lander, SOC Investment Group and Amalgamated Bank said in a letter to investors that ratification of Musks pay package at the AGM would do nothing to promote Teslas long-term growth and stability. Shareholders should not pretend that this award has any kind of incentivising effect it does not, the group said. The letter also criticised Musk as a part-time chief executive, with his time increasingly being spent on other business commitments, and warned that if shareholders ratify the huge pay package it is possible that Musk will push for even more next year. This e-book provides a comprehensive guide on how to prepare for self-certification with the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, covering key principles like notice, choice, security, and more. It also details requirements and best practices like data mapping and opt-out options. Read on to learn how to comply and ensure data protection for EU-US data transfers. RTE 2FM today announced that the Drive It with The 2 Johnnies is to come to an end on May 31. Head of RTE 2Fm, Dan Healy said: "After two very successful years, The 2 Johnnies are leaving 2FM. Johnny B and Johnny Smacks have brought their original South Tipp humour and interesting music choices to 2FM audiences right across Ireland. "The listenership for the drivetime show has been very strong from the very start and the most recent listenership results continued that trend. They've been a great part of the 2FM family here and we'll be sad to see them go but wish them well as they continue their adventures". Johnny Smacks said, "Weve had unreal craic over the last two and half years working on 2FM. We came in with the idea to have a laugh on the afternoons and cheer people up and get more mad scones on the radio from every county in Ireland telling stories and auld yarns. After two and a half years my jaws need a rest from all the laughing. "Thank you to our unbelievable team who backed us and brought our crazy ideas to life with us, to our brother Aindriu de Paor, our producers/mammies Anita and Caroline and to our on-air sister Aifric O'Connell, the show wouldnt be what it is without you thank you so much. And the biggest thank you of all is for you the listeners, the show was all about ye, ye made it what it was. "So, to Bob in Waterford, geezer John, Mouse and the lads, Pip in Toronto and all our listeners, thanks for laughing along with us. Theres great people working in 2FM and we wish them all the success in the world. Who knows, we may be back on the radio someday, but for now as we say on the show Were out the gap!". Johnny B said: "Weve loved our time on the show. The team are legends, our sister Aifric O Connell, the great Aindriu de Paor, Producers Caroline, and Anita.Our listeners have been the funniest, maddest, soundest crowd alive. The stories theyve come on air to tell have been outrageous. "Its made me proud to be Irish to talk with the nation every evening. The Parish Quiz has thrown up some wild characters, weve tried to reach every inch of the island of Ireland. Well keep the mixer going and the ball pucked out". Dan Healy continued: "I want to acknowledge the great content created on the drivetime show by Aifric O'Connell, Aindriu De Paor and Emma Power who shared the airwaves with The 2 Johnnies over the period. Also, a very big thanks to the producers who worked on the show particularly Caroline Clarke and Anita Ward. "We are fortunate to have such great talent working at 2FM and with them the station will continue to prosper". RTE 2FM will announce its summer schedule in the coming weeks. Many tributes have been paid to Derek Martin who was tragically killed in a road crash on the M50 on Friday morning. In a heartfelt post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday afternoon, Helen Martin said that she had been told that when her brother passed away, "several cars stopped and people sat around him until the ambulance came so he wasnt alone" Helen continued, saying that she "really wants to find them", and asked if people could share the post. Ive just been told that when my brother passed away on the M50 on Friday that several cars stopped and people sat around him until the ambulance came so he wasnt alone, i really want to find them if people can please share Helen (@_helenmartin_) May 20, 2024 Derek Martin was from the Ballymun area of Dublin 11, and worked as a prison officer at Wheatfield Prison in Cherry Orchard, Dublin. Martin joined the prison service in 2007, and had led charity drives with his coworkers including a sale for the Irish Cancer Society. A notice on RIP.IE reads: "Martin, Derek (late of Santry and the Irish Prison Service) 17th May 2024, following a tragic accident. Beloved husband of Vanessa and adoring father of Caitlin and Reece. Very sadly missed by his heartbroken family, his parents Ethel and Derek, sisters Michelle, Jennifer and Helen, mother-in-law and father-in-law Marie and Brendan, brothers-in-law Neil, Brendan, Mark, Graham, Nigel and their partners, his aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, extended family from Liverpool, his best friend Noel, colleagues from the Irish Prison Service, and his many friends. "Derek will be reposing at the Kirwan Funeral Home, Ballygall Road West on Sunday afternoon (26th May) with a Gathering of family and friends from 2pm to 4pm. All welcome. "Removal on Monday morning (27th May) to the Church of Our Lady of Victories, Ballymun Road, arriving for 10am Requiem Mass, which will be live-streamed via the link here. Funeral thereafter to Dardistown Crematorium". Donations, if wished, were requested to be made to Crumlin Children's Hospital, which was "very close to Derek's heart". In condolences on RIP.IE, Noreen Clarke wrote: "Deepest condolences to Dereks family at this very sad time. I had the pleasure of meeting Derek through Operation Transformation where he talked about how immensely proud he was of his family and especially his children". A Cork Colleague from the Irish Prison Service promised to "remember Derek on Monday". "Thinking of you and your family at this hard time. Derek was a great character and a pleasure to work with. RIP Derek," wrote Andrew Vigna. "Rest in Peace Derek. You were a larger than life character and always up for a laugh. You will be Sadly missed by all who worked with you. Sincere Condolences to Your Family at this Sad time," wrote Mark Bedford. For the mid-morning we're doubly inspired by model, actress, biz lady and hottie Lindsey as we take another peek at pop culture, community news and top headlines. Check TKC news gathering . . . Ladies Build Up Cowtown Habitat KC women embrace and support home ownership Women Build Kansas City, an initiative within Habitat for Humanity, is designed to break gender biases around construction and home ownership. Rolling With Developer Hype Bike shop owner says new development will make West Bottoms area more special A building demolished Sunday in Kansas City's historic West Bottoms means room for more development. KSHB 41's Caroline Hogan spoke with a business owner about keeping the current vibe in the area. Humorless KCUR Asks Hilarious Question Again Why is it so hard to find Black sperm donors? Black women hoping to conceive using donor sperm often have to choose a donor from a different race or put their fertility journey on hold because of a shortage of Black sperm donors. One woman tells us her story. Plus: Parts of Missouri, Kansas and other Midwest states are still in drought, despite recent rains. Campy Architecture Endures Overland Park's Campbell Dome House stands as a testament to family legacy The 'Campbell Dome House' in Overland Park continues to captivate onlookers with its unique design and enduring family legacy. Local Hero Launches Ed Dwight, KCK native and retired U.S. Air Force Captain, finally reaches space at age 90 After waiting 60 years for his shot, a 90-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, man is finally an astronaut. Deep End Advice Ahead of Memorial Day weekend, YMCA of Greater Kansas City reminds people to swim responsibly Drowning deaths are on the rise in America after years of decline, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Bittersweet Story . . . Chiefs' Andy Reid reveals why he loves KC (including a certain milkshake and burger) "Even though it's a big city, it's still got kind of a small-town presence," Andy Reid says. Smootchies For Many Fans Lindsey Pelas Sending Kisses In String Bikini Offers A Big 'Bang' Lindsey Pelas is thrilling fans in her snakeskin string bikini as she sends "kisses" outdoors and goes full Bang. Time Stamping White House Bill Maher swipes Biden's speech to Black graduates: 'We're not living in that world that he's talking about' Bill Maher called President Biden's remarks about racism at Morehouse College outdated, saying we should live in the present year during an appearance on Fox News. MAGA Keeps Quiet For Once Trump opts not to testify in hush money trial as defense rests Former President Trump will not take the stand in his own defense during his New York criminal trial, after his attorneys rested their case Tuesday, shortly after prosecutors did the same the day before. "We'll be resting pretty quickly - resting meaning resting the case. I won't be resting," Trump said outside the courtroom Tuesday... Supreme Flag Debate 'Not Good Judgment': GOP Senators Ding Samuel Alito Over Upside-Down Flag Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, chided Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to "think it through." Eastern Europe Re-imagined A Theory of Victory for Ukraine With the right support and approach, Kyiv can still win. Faux Tribunal Star Power Amal Clooney played key role in decision on war crimes charges in Israel-Hamas war Amal Clooney is one of the legal experts who recommended that the chief prosecutor of the world's top war crimes court seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leaders of the militant Hamas group. Latest Surrender France backs ICC after prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Israel's Netanyahu France backs the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the 'fight against impunity', its foreign ministry said after the court's prosecutor sought an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others for alleged war crimes. Second Fling Conclusion Ben Affleck has 'come to his senses' about 'fever dream' Jennifer Lopez marriage: 'There is just no way this is going to work' Ben Affleck has "come to his senses" about his marriage to Jennifer Lopez and realized "there is no way" their union will work, a source tells Page Six. Cinematic MAGA Outrage The Apprentice: Donald Trump film biopic causes a stir at Cannes Critics broadly praise The Apprentice, but the former president threatens to sue over its content. Trolls Stay Winning Grinding our bums, flashing our boobs: the internet is making juveniles of us all | Martha Gill When people were offered a window between New York and Dublin, puerile behaviour beat bridging worlds Home Team Win Streak Cont'd Search Concludes At Front Door 'Best person for the job': Independence names Jimmy Walker fire department chief Independence announced Monday the city's "vigorous nationwide search" for a new fire department chief is over after the candidate was found "just down the street." Celebrate Another Local Mudhole Jackson County lake beaches set to open May 25 Summer is around the corner and that means a lot more time spent outdoors at the lake in the Kansas City metro area. Better Amongst B-List Impractical Jokers and more join list of Big Slick celebrities Newest Big Slick celebrities announced, Impractical Jokers among them. Community Fabric Deets KC Cares: Sewing solidarity In this month's KC Cares column, we highlight Pioneer Women Quilting serving comfort to the Leavenworth community. Meth Town Veggies Discounted Independence store to bring fresh produce to location in 'food desert' Dollar General plans to add fresh produce at an location near MO-291 and East Truman Road in Independence to bring more options to people living there. Storm Danger Round II Alert Day: Damaging winds and large hail possible in the KMBC viewing area on Tuesday It's been a busy 24 hours for the Kansas City metro when it comes to weather. It could get even busier for some on Tuesday. Childish Gambino - Little Foot Big Foot is the song of the day and this is the OPEN THREAD for right now. This afternoon we share a preview of bad theater concocted by local politicos. Here's the hint that this mini-rally is mostly staged . . . The demands are carefully crafted and most of the hate speech so many of these activists have spread has been removed before a special guest appearance in council chambers. We're fairly certain that local activists might declare victory after their head pat from local politicos. In the meantime . . . Check the talking points dutifully written up by Mary Sanchez & carried by the local public radio outlet: "After marching through the Country Club Plaza over the weekend, protesters will gather Thursday in the Kansas City Council chambers. Theyre pressing for official recognition of the Palestinian American Medical Association and urging Mayor Quinton Lucas and the council to support a ceasefire." Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . . Kansas City protesters call on Council to support Gaza ceasefire, as states block college divestment After marching through the Country Club Plaza over the weekend, protesters will gather Thursday in the Kansas City Council chambers. They're pressing for official recognition of the Palestinian American Medical Association and urging Mayor Quinton Lucas and the council to support a ceasefire. A new report by Robert Gordon University (RGU) has revealed that the UK will fail to achieve a just and fair transition by 2030 unless there is urgent alignment across the political spectrum to sustain UK offshore energy industry jobs, supply chain investments and the economic contribution of the workforce. In Delivering our energy future, RGU analysed over 6,560 pathways for the UK offshore energy industry between now and 2030. The report concludes that UK and Scottish political decisions, rather than energy market economics, will determine the size of the workforce and supply chain. Of the thousands of pathways analysed, fewer than 15 or <0.3 per cent meet the just and fair transition principles. Even these limited scenarios require success by the renewables sector in achieving higher levels of ambition through billions of pounds of additional investment in the next six years. Professor Paul de Leeuw, Director of the Robert Gordon University Energy Transition Institute, said: The UK still has a unique opportunity to create a new energy future. Accelerating the re-purposing of the North Sea as a world-class, multi-energy basin will ensure the sector can power the country for decades to come. The prize for the UK to get this right is enormous. But to deliver this requires action and urgency, which means faster planning and consenting and access to the grid. We also need more flexible electricity pricing mechanisms to avoid project delays or cancellation and a proactive focus on building UK content so we can design, manufacture, install, commission and operate some of the critical new infrastructure required. This, as well as building and maintaining the world class skills and capabilities developed over the last few decades, will be crucial. While there is consensus across all stakeholders including governments, politicians, industry organisations and economic development bodies that we need to realise a just and fair transition, a far more agile and joined up approach is required to address how the country can best secure its energy ambitions, while addressing the cost-of-living crisis, managing energy security and delivering on the net zero agenda. The latest research reinforces the need for urgent alignment across the political spectrum to agree the short-term actions that will deliver a just and fair transition, maintaining the workforce to 2030 to deliver a long-term net zero future and the associated economic benefits for the country. If the UK is unable to deliver close to 40GW (from 15 GW at the end of 2023) of installed offshore wind capacity and UK content ambitions for the new activities by 2030, it is unlikely to retain the offshore energy workforce without additional activities. The ongoing decline in the oil and gas industry needs to be offset much more rapidly by identifiably greater levels of activity and higher UK content in renewables if any of the pathways to a just and fair transition are to remain open. Otherwise, interim steps will need to be taken to address the decline in activities, including oil and gas production - which is currently expected to reduce by more than 40 per cent by 2030. Professor de Leeuw added: To achieve this outcome, the UK offshore energy sector needs to deliver on spend of up to 200 billion over the remainder of this decade across offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage (CCS) and oil and gas projects. Given the magnitude of change that is needed in the energy industry over the coming years, this report is highlighting that the UK, and devolved administrations must urgently pursue credible energy pathways, which deliver a just and fair transition for the sector and its workforce. For the purpose of its analysis, RGU used the United Nations definition of a just and fair transition ensuring that no one is left behind in the transition to low carbon and environmentally sustainable economies and societies and defined this further by linking it to sustaining the UKs 154,000 direct and indirect offshore energy industry jobs and by maintaining the supply chain and offshore workforce economic contribution at 2023 levels or better by the end of the decade. Other key findings from the report: To sustain the offshore energy workforce at 2023 levels, the UK has to deliver close to 40GW of installed offshore wind capacity (compared to c. 15 GW cumulative capacity in 2023) and up to 40 per cent of the investment needed to achieve this to be spent in the UK by 2030. To sustain the UK offshore energy supply chain activities and capacity at an average of 2023 level, the UK must deliver around 10 billion spend by 2030. If the UK is unsuccessful in delivering the offshore wind ambition and UK content targets by 2030, it is unlikely to be able to retain the offshore energy workforce without progressing additional activities, including oil and gas over the remainder of this decade. Significant levels of new operational capacity and capability will be required to deliver on the ambition of up to 40 per cent UK capex content for new offshore wind projects and up to 50 per cent for oil and gas decommissioning activities by 2030. Each additional 10 per cent of UK capex content for the offshore wind sector is estimated to yield between 3,000 (worst case) and 12,500 (best case) jobs by 2030. Between 50 per cent and 85 per cent of spend in renewables over the coming decade is likely to be capital expenditure related, requiring a shift toward a more capex focused workforce. RGU analysis highlights that every 10 per cent salary differential between oil and renewables may require up to 7 per cent more people to maintain economic contribution. c. 1 in 30 of the working population in Scotland are currently employed in or support the offshore energy industry versus 1 in 220 across the UK. If Scotland fails to capture a significant share of future renewables activities, selective oil and gas activities may need to be sustained until 2030 to retain the Scotland based offshore energy workforce, skills, supply chain and economic contribution. Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero & Energy Mairi McAllan said: Scotlands energy transition presents an era-defining opportunity for our economy and people: delivering on our climate obligations, safeguarding our energy security and ensuring a fair and just energy transition for our workforces and the communities they support. By working together, with absolute clarity of purpose, we will unlock the vast potential. Indeed, the transition is already happening with Scotland fast becoming a renewables powerhouse. In the past week alone - from ground-breaking on a 350 million high voltage cable manufacturing plant to a 100m investment at Ardersier Port - we have seen significant projects getting underway to drive forward the energy transition and kickstart significant economic and social benefits. The Scottish Government is determined to play its role in maximising these benefits - and negotiating the challenges not least through the publication of our Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, which will set out our vision for a future energy system that delivers affordable, secure, clean energy and delivers economic benefits to every part of the country. We will continue to work closely with industry, communities and other key partners to deliver this vision and ensure a just transition for our energy workforce and for everyone in Scotland. --OGN/TradeArabia News Service Much like the celebs who hit up its sunlit boulevards, Cannes is a hotspot of cool and glam. Every year, when the Cannes Film Festival rolls in, the city lights up, transforming into a playground for the biggest names in film. But the magic of Cannes goes way beyond film premieres and celebrity sightings. This city is a ticket to living large, offering a slice of the luxe life, star-studded or not. Think epic beachfronts, iconic palm-lined streets, and boutiques so fancy you might just bump into a Hollywood star. Cannes has been the go-to spot for the rich and famous way before movies were even a thing, attracting everyone from European royalty to today's big-screen legends. Here are the top spots in Cannes that will have you living like a star, blockbuster optional. La Croisette When you hit Cannes, your first stop has to be La Croisette. This legendary promenade is where the city's heart beats loudest, lined with palm trees and framed by the shimmering Mediterranean. Luxury shops, world-class hotels, and chic cafes dot this iconic strip. During the film festival, La Croisette transforms, buzzing with celebrities and film lovers alike, making it a prime spot for those who love to see and be seen. Le Suquet For a taste of Cannes before it became the background for international glitz, head to Le Suquet. This old quarter tells the tale of a small fishing village that grew into a celebrity haven. Wander through its narrow, winding streets and you will find yourself stepping back centuries. The area is crowned with a historic castle and church, offering stunning views over Cannes, perfect for those sunset photos that'll light up your Instagram feed. Marche Forville No visit to Cannes is complete without a morning at Marche Forville. Here, locals and chefs gather to shop for the freshest produce, from just-caught seafood to vegetables and fragrant herbs. Dive into the heart of French culinary culture and maybe even pick up a snack or two - the socca, a chickpea pancake, is a must-try. The place acts as a market and a community hub where you can soak up authentic Cannes vibes. Related Article : These 5 Breathtaking Spots in the South of France Are Calling Your Name Lerins Islands Just a short ferry ride from the bustling city lies the beautiful Lerins Islands. The contrast between the celebrity-packed streets of Cannes and the peaceful nature of these islands is striking. Explore Ile Sainte-Marguerite, where you can visit an ancient fort and perhaps uncover tales of the mysterious Man in the Iron Mask. Next, hop over to Ile Saint-Honorat to visit the Cistercian monks who make their home in a medieval abbey - they even produce their own wine! Nightlife at Medusa As the sun sets, the scene shifts to the vibrant nightlife for which Cannes is famous. Medusa, a stellar beachfront venue, offers more than just dinner. It morphs into one of the hottest clubs around as the night progresses. Here, you can enjoy a spectacular cabaret show featuring dancers in elaborate costumes, all while dining under the stars. It is a favorite spot for both locals and the international elite, ensuring an unforgettable night out. A trip to Lisbon will never be complete without visiting Praca do Comercio, one of the city's must-visit tourist destinations. The plaza, whose name translated to Commerce Plaza in English, is one of the biggest plazas in the whole of Portugal. While many travelers head to the plaza to look for a place to eat or take photos with the statue of Dom Joseph I (otherwise known as King Jose I the Reformer), it's also one of the best places to go to to admire the Tagus river. Specifically, there is a little pier with marble steps that lead to the plaza where locals and travelers alike head to for a view of the Tagus. This pier is known as Cais das Colunas. Cais das Colunas and Its Two Columns In English, Cais das Colunas translates to Column Pier. It gets its name from the two columns or pillars that are partly submerged in the water. Designed by architect Eugenio dos Santos, these columns are said to resemble the columns of King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. One column is believed to represent wisdom, and the other pier is meant to represent devotion. Cais das Colunas was part of the reconstruction plan after 1755 Lisbon earthquake and tsunami that ruined the city. Completed in the late 1700s, the columns were removed and brought back a few times throughout the decades. The last time they were taken down was in 1997, and they were eventually returned in 2008. Related Article : These are the Mistakes You Shouldn't Make When Visiting the Belem Tower A Welcome Point for Royalty, Heads of State While Cais das Colunas serves as one of the best places to enjoy the sunset in Lisbon, back in the day, it served a very important, regal purpose. The pier served as the welcome point for royalty, heads of state, and other important figures who visited Lisbon via the Tagus. A very famous example is the late Queen Elizabeth II, who visited Lisbon in 1957. You can watch her go through the columns of Cais das Colunas below. When the pier didn't serve as a welcome point for famous people, it also allowed access to ferries and boats hoping to reach Lisbon. A Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge stemming from a fatal shooting last year in city's Kaisertown neighborhood, acting Erie County District Attorney Michael J. Keane announced. Ryan M. Crawford, 23, entered his plea to first-degree manslaughter, a Class B violent felony, before State Supreme Court Justice Debra Givens. He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he returns July 1 for sentencing. He continues to be held without bail. Prosecutors said Crawford used an illegal handgun to shoot Duryll Anderson, 38, in the 800 block of Bailey Avenue, near Dingens Street, about 2:30 a.m. on April 2, 2023. Anderson was taken to Erie County Medical Center, where he later died. - Dale Anderson Ukraine and Sweden have begun negotiations on a bilateral security agreement. The Presidential Office reports that the parties have started negotiations on a bilateral security agreement. Ukraine and Sweden have begun negotiations on a security cooperation agreement as instructed by President Volodymyr Zelensky and following his recent telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Sweden Ulf Kristersson .According to the President of Ukraine's order, the Ukrainian negotiating delegation is headed by the Head of the Presidential Office Andrii Yermak. Today's round of talks was conducted by Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva. We are grateful to Sweden for its significant support to Ukraine, including military support, in countering full-scale Russian aggression. It is important that today we are negotiating with Sweden as a new NATO member. We look forward to further deepening bilateral security cooperation with Sweden in all strategic areas, which will be reflected in our bilateral agreement, Zhovkva emphasized. The parties discussed the provisions of the draft document in detail and agreed on further steps to ensure its early finalization and subsequent signing. To date, Ukraine has already signed bilateral security agreements with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, and Latvia. Ten Ukrainian servicemen underwent F-16 fighter jet maintenance training in the Netherlands. This was reported by Ukrinform with reference to the Dutch Ministry of Defense. "Ten Ukrainian servicemen have undergone training in the Netherlands in the maintenance of F-16 fighters. The Netherlands agreed to provide Ukraine with at least 24 F-16s. They also need to be maintained and serviced," the report reads. It is noted that the Ukrainians were trained in the maintenance of all parts critical for a fighter pilot. It is about the helmet, oxygen systems, and parachutes. The training also included assembling and testing an emergency rescue kit. This allows the pilot to survive for several days after the emergency landing. It includes, among other things, food and medicine. The training is to prepare for all possible risks while flying the F-16. Ultimately, it will also provide better protection for Ukrainian pilots. The training program was compiled by the Flight Safety Equipment Cluster (VVU). F-16 pilots are literally putting their lives in the hands of the servicemen who maintain the aircraft. As soon as they take off, they know that they can rely on the knowledge and skills of these people and that the plane is in good condition," the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands stated. The Netherlands is also one of the initiators of the European F-16 Training Center (EFTC) in Romania. Eleven F-16 aircraft have already been placed at the disposal of the EFTC. As Ukrinform reported earlier, the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Kajsa Ollongren, said that already in the summer 2024, the Ukrainian Air Force will be reinforced with F-16 fighters. There is no legal, security or moral argument against our partners shooting down Russian missiles over Ukraine from their territory. The Ukrainian side asks our partners to consider this possibility or to provide us with the necessary air defence systems and combat aircraft with the appropriate technical capabilities. This was stated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "There is not a single legal, security or moral argument that stands in the way of our partners shooting down Russian missiles over the territory of Ukraine from their territory. Those who say that such actions would be an escalation are manipulating," Kuleba said. According to him, we have heard the argument about the need to avoid escalation many times. However, over the past two years, the only party involved in escalation has been the Russian Federation, the Foreign Minister said. "So the first thing is that we do ask our partners to consider the possibility of intercepting Russian missiles - not Russian planes with Russian pilots on board, but pieces of iron that carry death from Russia to Ukraine - from the territory of our partner countries. There is an alternative solution: if you do not want to do this, then simply provide us with all the means necessary for this, we will deploy them on the territory of Ukraine and intercept these missiles ourselves. These are air defence systems and combat aircraft with the appropriate technical capabilities. And to take a position where we will not transfer air defence systems and will not support the shooting down of Russian missiles from our territory over the territory of Ukraine is a position of appeasement of the aggressor," the head of Ukrainian diplomacy stressed. As reported, President Volodymyr Zelensky believes that the possible assistance of the North Atlantic Alliance in shooting down Russian missiles over the territory of Ukraine would help compensate for the deficit of Kyiv's air defence and would not mean NATO's involvement in the war. The Council of the European Union has endorsed a formal decision to use proceeds from the frozen assets of Russias central bank in support of Ukraine. The relevant statement was made by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavsky on the social media platform X, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. We have approved in the EU using revenues from Russias central banks frozen assets to help Ukraine. Up to EUR 3B only this year, 90% goes for Ukraines military. Russia must pay for its war damages, the Czech official wrote. A reminder that, on May 8, 2024, EU Ambassadors endorsed a decision to use Russian immobilized assets in support of Ukraines recovery and military defense in the context of Russian aggression. Today, May 21, 2024, the above decision was finalized at the level of the Council of the EU. With the start of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, world democracies blocked Russian financial assets, totaling more than EUR 300 billion. Most of these assets are believed to be located in financial institutions within the European Union, namely in Belgium. According to the data from open sources, Euroclear currently has EUR 192 billion worth of the assets of Russias central bank on its balance sheet. The EU is looking for legal mechanisms to further deal with these immobilized resources, as well as the interest accrued on them, which has reached EUR 5 billion in the past two years. | By Laura Lee A sense of accomplishment, gratitude, and a commitment to compassionate patient care filled the air at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry's (UMSOD) Honors Convocation on May 17. Held at the Hippodrome Theatre, the ceremony celebrated the hard work and dedication of the newest class of dental and dental hygiene graduates. School of Dentistry graduates read the Convocation Oath. With the notes of Pomp and Circumstance filling the room, family and friends clutched colorful bouquets as they craned their necks trying to catch a glimpse of their graduate processing down the aisle robed in the lilac and black academic regalia of the dental profession. University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, conferred the degrees and praised the graduates' accomplishments. I know you are each very proud of each other, and the faculty and staff are very proud of you, Jarrell said. But theres a whole lot of other people in this room that are even more proud of your accomplishments, he said, motioning to the packed theater. Samantha Vernet beamed while extolling her cousin Laurie France, who was one of four graduates to complete the Clinical Dental Hygiene Leader dual BS/MS degree. Its been a testament of her perseverance and endurance, Vernet said. There were some tough times and some good times, so seeing her being able to finish is really awesome. (See photo gallery below.) During welcoming remarks, UMSOD Dean Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, MA, praised the Class of 2024s technical skills while emphasizing the importance of connecting with patients. It is of utmost importance to strive for excellence in your clinical work, he said. But it is equally important to learn to treat patients with empathy and compassion. UMSOD graduates learn to work with patients by serving the oral health needs of Baltimore and other Maryland communities. During the last fiscal year, faculty, staff, and students provided clinical care on and off campus for more than 21,500 patients. The dental hygiene graduates were recognized first, with Suzanne Burgee, RDH, BS, MS, clinical instructor and academic director of the Dental Hygiene Program, commending their diverse backgrounds and their dedication to improving access to oral health care. This exceptional group has representation from Vietnam, Egypt, Thailand, the Philippines, Ecuador, Brazil, Italy, Haiti, and China, Burgee said. Julia Boras, president of the dental hygiene Class of 2024, encouraged her classmates to prioritize the human connection in their practice. We must remember that were not merely treating teeth. We are caring for individuals, each with their unique fears and aspirations and needs, Boras said. During the doctoral hooding ceremony, Justin Tabatabai, DDS, president of the dental Class of 2024, reflected on the ups and downs of the four-year journey, which started in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was all worth it, because here we are today at the end of our wild ride, he said. Soon-to-be dentists graduating from the world's first dental college. In all, 140 graduates walked across the Hippodrome stage eager to take the next step toward a fulfilling career improving lives through oral health. In her closing remarks, Burgee left the graduates with a powerful call to action: I ask you to be creative, be ethical, and be kind. Work together with other professionals outside of oral health to close the gaps in our health care systems so no one is left behind. Now its your turn to go make the world a better place. And tell them UMB sent you. Congratulations. Lawyers for the man who killed 10 people in a racist mass shooting at a Tops grocery store in 2022 called the governments death-penalty notice barebones, sketchy and vague, leaving them blind as to what facts prosecutors intend to prove about aggravating factors at his capital-sentencing hearing next year. In a federal court filing, Payton Gendrons defense lawyers say this prevents them from fully preparing to defend him during the sentencing phase. His lawyers, who face a Nov. 1 deadline to file pretrial motions, asked U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo to order prosecutors to turn over the governments evidentiary outline of aggravating factors by Aug. 2. For most of the aggravators, including the critical ones involving the crimes effects on the deceaseds relatives and on injured survivors, the indictment and governments death-penalty notice contain only barebones, vague allegations, lacking any information about the facts the government intends to rely upon, his lawyers said in a court filing. Among other criticisms, the defense lawyers said the government failed to identify which people were at grave risk and which of his acts created such a grave risk. Prosecutors scoffed at the notion Gendrons lawyers are not sufficiently informed about the aggravating factors. Plainly, in a situation such as this one where the defendant attacked a crowded grocery store in the middle of the day with ferocity and tactical precision, rapidly firing more than 60 shots from a high-powered rifle during the attack the defendant does not seek better notice of the governments aggravating factor, but rather seeks a roadmap of how the government intends to prove the factor at trial, something to which he is not entitled. Judge rules lawyers for May 14 killer can see his detention records before prosecutors Prosecutors are seeking six categories of records from the Erie County Holding Center and the Livingston County Jail. In their court filing, prosecutors urged Vilardo to deny the defense motion because he is not entitled to the governments litigation playbook. Although the indictment and death-penalty notice do not include evidentiary details, the government has made unprecedented efforts both in the scope and timing in expansive disclosures it has provided the defense team, far exceeding its obligations under federal criminal procedure rules, the prosecutors said. So there is no reason Gendron will be surprised by any facts presented at his trial, according to a filing from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Tripi and Brett A. Harvey, along with U.S. Justice Department trial attorneys Laura B. Gilson and Michael S. Warbel. The governments disclosures to the defense have included Gendrons video recordings of the attack, surveillance video footage, body camera recordings from responding officers and crime scene photos. Also disclosed were booking records and audio recordings of interviews of Gendron, investigative incident reports from the day of the attack, records of physical evidence recovered from the scene, photos of Gendrons weapon and tactical gear, Gendrons writings and digital evidence of his internet activities and summaries of eyewitness interviews. In addition, prosecutors have turned over Gendrons medical records, the autopsy and medical records of his victims, firearm transaction records, and search warrants and relating inventories from searches of his family residence. On May 14, 2022, Gendron targeted Black people at the Tops Markets on Jefferson Avenue in a racist attack that he livestreamed on the internet. He fatally shot 10 Black people and wounded a Black person and two white people. A federal grand jury returned a 27-count indictment against Gendron, including 10 counts of committing hate crimes that resulted in death. The U.S. Justice Department announced in January that it will seek the death penalty. Gendron has already been sentenced by an Erie County judge to life in prison without parole on his guilty pleas to 10 state charges of first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree attempted murder, among other charges. Judge sets September 2025 trial for racist gunman who killed 10: 'We're going to stay on pace' U.S. District Judge Lawrence Vilardo on Friday set a trial date of Sept. 8, 2025, for the white supremacist who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket on May 14, 2022. Vilardo has set a federal trial date of Sept. 8, 2025. In their notice of intent to seek the death penalty, prosecutors cited nine aggravating factors, including that Gendrons murders were racially-motivated killings, showing his expressed bias, hatred, and contempt toward Black persons. Other factors cited included: Multiple killings and attempted killings. Killing several victims who were particularly vulnerable due to old age. Substantial planning and premeditation. Grave risk of death to others. Committing acts of violence to incite violent action by others. Selecting the Tops Markets on the East Side to maximize the number of Black victims. Victim impacts. Injuries to surviving victims. Families of 5/14 victims file lawsuit against social media companies The state Supreme Court lawsuit accuses the social media companies of feeding the shooter "a steady stream of racist and white supremacist propaganda and falsehoods." By Aug. 2, the government will have had more than two years to investigate and prepare its case and surely will be able to share with the court and the defense the essential facts underlying its aggravating factors, according to the filing from Assistant Federal Public Defender Sonya A. Zoghlin, Supervisory Assistant Federal Public Defender Anne M. Burger, Senior Litigator MaryBeth Covert and attorney Julie Brain. Given the September 2025 trial date, further delay in getting the governments evidentiary outline would interfere with the defenses ability to complete the time-consuming process of investigating and preparing to confront and rebut those factual allegations. In a concerted effort to bolster financial aid for students, a group of Democratic senators is urging Senate appropriators to increase funding for the Pell Grant program for fiscal year 2025. In a letter sent Monday, spearheaded by Senators Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, and signed by 38 other Democratic senators, the lawmakers called on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education subcommittee to raise the maximum Pell Grant award and safeguard the program's reserve funds from potential cuts. This push comes in the wake of concerns over a projected $1.3 billion shortfall in the program unless additional funding is secured. A Call for Increased Pell Grant Awards The Pell Grant program, which provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate students, has seen several increases in the maximum award in recent years. However, Congress decided to keep the maximum award flat at $7,395 for fiscal year 2024. The senators' letter emphasizes the importance of continuing to increase the maximum award to ensure that higher education remains accessible to students from all backgrounds. Given the anticipated shortfalls in the Pell Grant program, it is crucial for the Subcommittee to safeguard all Pell Grant reserves from being reallocated, reduced, or eliminated, as this would accelerate any financial deficiencies. The funds should remain within the program to enhance the maximum award, restore previous eligibility cuts, and create new opportunities for historically underrepresented students to access higher education. President Biden's proposed budget, released in March, includes provisions to increase funding for the Pell Grant, proposing a $750 increase to the maximum award. This proposal aligns with the senators' advocacy and highlights a shared priority within the Democratic Party to address the financial barriers that many students face when pursuing higher education. Protecting Reserve Funds Amid Financial Uncertainty One of the critical points raised by the senators is the need to protect the Pell Grant program's reserve funds from any cuts. The letter stresses that reallocating or cutting these reserves would exacerbate the anticipated financial shortfall and limit the program's ability to support students in the future. The senators argue that maintaining and enhancing these reserves is essential to ensure the program's sustainability and effectiveness. The potential $1.3 billion shortfall identified in a federal analysis earlier this year underscores the urgency of this request. Without additional funding, the program could face significant challenges in meeting the needs of eligible students, potentially leaving many without the financial support necessary to pursue their educational goals. The senators' letter suggests that preserving these funds is not only about preventing shortfalls but also about expanding opportunities for historically underrepresented students. By protecting and increasing Pell Grant funds, the lawmakers hope to address disparities in higher education access and support a more equitable education system. The Legislative Path Forward The senators' call for increased Pell Grant funding and protection of reserve funds comes as Senate and House appropriators begin drafting bills to fund the government for FY 2025. This legislative process will determine the allocation of federal funds across various programs and agencies, making it a critical juncture for advocates of increased educational funding. With President Biden's budget proposal already prioritizing increased Pell Grant funding, the senators' letter adds momentum to this effort. However, the legislative path forward is not without challenges. Balancing budgetary constraints and competing priorities will require negotiations and compromises among lawmakers. The support of 41 Democratic senators, as evidenced by the signatories of the letter, signifies a strong backing within the party. Nevertheless, bipartisan support will be necessary to secure the proposed funding increases. Advocacy groups, educational institutions, and students themselves will likely play a role in influencing the legislative process through lobbying and public awareness campaigns. The push for increased Pell Grant funding reflects a broader commitment to making higher education more accessible and affordable for all students. By raising the maximum award and protecting reserve funds, lawmakers aim to address financial barriers and promote equity in education. As the legislative process unfolds, the outcomes will have significant implications for millions of students who rely on Pell Grants to achieve their educational aspirations. Philadelphia police detained 19 pro-Palestinian protesters, including seven students, at the University of Pennsylvania during a Friday night demonstration on campus. The protest, which escalated into an attempted occupation of Fisher-Bennett Hall, resulted in a tense confrontation and subsequent arrests. This incident follows a series of protests on campus, reflecting ongoing tensions and highlighting the complexities of balancing activism with campus safety. The Occupation Attempt On Friday night, pro-Palestinian protesters entered Fisher-Bennett Hall with the intention of occupying the building. The protesters secured exit doors with zip-ties and barbed wire, and barricaded them with metal chairs and desks. Windows were covered with newspaper and cardboard to obscure visibility. According to the university's Division of Public Safety (DPS), the protesters also blocked outside entrances with bike racks and additional metal chairs. Inside the nearly 100-year-old building, which houses the English, music, and cinema studies departments, protesters attempted to establish a stronghold. Police reported recovering lock-picking tools and homemade metal shields fashioned from oil drums, indicating a level of preparation and intent to maintain the occupation. The situation escalated when protesters refused to disperse and ignored police commands. This led to the arrest of 19 individuals, including seven students. Of these, 12 were issued citations for failure to disperse and failure to follow police commands and were subsequently released. However, seven protesters remain in custody, facing more serious charges, including one individual accused of assaulting a police officer. READ MORE : UT Austin Fires Lecturer Following Arrest At Pro-Palestinian Protest University's Response and Public Safety Measures The University of Pennsylvania has been navigating a challenging landscape of campus activism and safety concerns. In a statement, the university's Division of Public Safety detailed the measures taken to secure the campus and ensure the safety of all involved. The use of lock-picking tools and homemade metal shields by the protesters heightened the level of threat perceived by law enforcement and university officials. The interim president of the university, J. Larry Jameson, expressed frustration over the continued disruptions caused by the protests. He highlighted that the university had made attempts to engage with protesters through dialogue, aiming for peaceful resolutions. Despite these efforts, the situation culminated in the need for police intervention to maintain order on campus. The timing of the protest, occurring just before alumni weekend and days before the university's commencement ceremonies, added to the urgency of addressing the situation. James Wolf, a graduating senior, voiced the sentiments of many students, describing the events as a "frustrating distraction" from their academic achievements and celebrations. Ongoing Tensions and Future Implications The confrontation at Fisher-Bennett Hall is part of a broader pattern of campus protests and activism at the University of Pennsylvania. The previous week, the university, with the assistance of local law enforcement, cleared a protester encampment on College Green. This move followed two weeks of attempts by administrators to engage with the protesters. The ongoing protests are reflective of the larger, national conversation surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the role of universities as platforms for activism and free speech. The university faces the challenge of balancing the rights of students to protest with the need to maintain a safe and orderly campus environment. The arrests and charges resulting from Friday's protest will likely have legal and academic consequences for those involved. The university will need to navigate the aftermath, addressing the concerns of the student body, faculty, and alumni, while also reinforcing campus policies on protests and safety. Looking ahead, the University of Pennsylvania and other institutions may need to reevaluate their approaches to handling protests and engaging with student activists. Building channels for open dialogue and finding common ground could be key to preventing future escalations. Additionally, universities may need to enhance their public safety protocols to better respond to similar situations, ensuring the safety and well-being of all members of the campus community. The detention of 19 pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Pennsylvania highlights the ongoing challenges and complexities of campus activism. As the university addresses the immediate aftermath, it must also consider long-term strategies to foster a safe and inclusive environment where all voices can be heard and respected. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has come under scrutiny after suspending and evicting a second-year MBA student, Zeno, for participating in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. The interim suspension, effective immediately, has left Zeno and his daughter in a precarious housing situation, highlighting broader issues around student activism, due process, and university policies. Immediate Suspension and Housing Crisis Zeno, identified only by his surname for privacy reasons, received a notification on May 8 about his interim suspension, which barred him from campus and required him to vacate his on-campus housing. Initially, he and other suspended students were given a week to leave, but this short notice exacerbated an already difficult housing market in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is over $4,000 per month. With his wife out of town and his disabled daughter dependent on a specialized education program nearby, Zeno faced significant challenges finding suitable accommodation on short notice. The situation became more dire when he realized that potential rentals within their price range were either too small or in poor condition. He expressed dissatisfaction with a $3,000-a-month apartment they found, describing it as affordable but in poor condition for his daughter. READ MORE : MIT President Sally Kornbluth Unveils Initiatives To Address Campus Challenges Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict Protest and Disciplinary Actions The suspension notice indicated that Zeno's conduct at the May 6 protest was under investigation. MIT administrators accused him of violating multiple policies, including those related to disorderly conduct, property damage, and misuse of campus facilities. Zeno admitted to participating in the rally but contended that the disciplinary measures were excessive and lacked due process. Zeno argued that the interim suspensions are having lasting effects, emphasizing the need for due process before imposing long-term punishments. MIT's actions are part of a broader trend as pro-Palestinian encampments have led to suspensions and expulsions at various universities across the United States. Notably, Barnard College evicted over 50 student protesters following a police sweep of an encampment on Columbia University's campus. Although Barnard later allowed most suspended students to return, the initial punitive measures raised questions about the balance between maintaining order and respecting students' rights. Legal and Institutional Responses The legal ramifications of MIT's decision to evict students without a court order have also come under scrutiny. Attorneys Lee D. Goldstein and Jeffrey M. Feuer, representing the National Lawyers Guild, argued that the university's actions violated tenant protection laws in Massachusetts. They asserted that MIT needed a court order to evict the students legally and demanded the suspension notices' eviction orders be rescinded. Meanwhile, MIT defended its decision, citing the need to maintain campus safety and order. In a FAQ on the university's website, administrators explained that the encampment infringed on others' rights and posed potential safety risks. The university emphasized that interim measures were necessary to prevent further misconduct and protect the community's well-being. However, critics argue that the university's response has been disproportionate and lacks transparency. Brian Glick, treasurer for the Association of Student Conduct Administration, stated that interim actions should be exceptions rather than the rule, used infrequently and only in extreme circumstances. He highlighted the importance of following institutional policies and ensuring that each case is considered individually. Looking Forward Zeno's hearing is scheduled for this week, and he hopes to contest the charges and mitigate the immediate consequences of his suspension. Meanwhile, other students, like first-year electrical engineering graduate student Prahlad Iyengar, have already been forced to leave their on-campus housing. Iyengar, who moved into a friend's basement, criticized the lack of support from MIT during the eviction process. He noted that no university officials reached out to help him find alternative housing or move his belongings. The controversy at MIT underscores the challenges universities face in balancing disciplinary actions with students' rights and needs. As institutions navigate the complexities of student activism and campus safety, the need for clear policies, due process, and compassionate responses becomes increasingly evident. For students like Zeno and Iyengar, the hope remains that their universities will uphold these principles while addressing the root causes of their protests. In recent weeks, pro-Palestinian campus protests in the United States have garnered attention for their tactics, which some have deemed controversial and alarming. While many of these protests have been peaceful, a series of incidents, including demonstrations at officials' homes and acts of property damage, have raised concerns about the escalation of tactics used by some demonstrators. Incidents at the University of Michigan One of the most prominent incidents occurred at the University of Michigan, where Regent Jordan Acker alleged threatening behavior by protesters who showed up at his private residence in the early hours of the morning. According to Acker, the protesters left a list of demands, including defunding the police. Similar incidents targeted other regents, with protesters demanding that colleges divest endowment funds from Israel, weapon manufacturers, and other companies profiting from the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Acker explained that on the same morning, over 30 student protesters conducted demonstrations at the private home of at least one U-M Board of Regents member, and they also visited several other residences. Their actions involved setting up tents, placing fake corpses wrapped in bloody sheets on the lawn, marching, chanting, and leaving demands on doors. While the protests were condemned by university officials, a coalition of Michigan student groups claimed responsibility for the actions, stating on social media that they were behind the protests. Acker expressed his concern on social media, stating that there are limits to freedom of speech, and showing up at someone's house at 4 a.m. in a threatening manner is not acceptable. He emphasized that this should not be seen as a complicated or controversial issue. READ MORE : Campus Free Speech And Academic Freedom Clash Amid Targeting Of Pro-Palestinian Expression Vandalism at the University of California President's Office In a separate incident, the University of California President's office in Oakland was vandalized, with a pro-Palestinian group taking credit for the damage. Local news outlet SFGATE reported that in addition to breaking windows, protesters claimed to have released 500 cockroaches in the office. According to protesters who wrote on the local website Indybay, the vandalism was an act of solidarity with the Palestinian resistance. The protesters stated that they vandalized the building by covering the facade and breaking seven windows with a fire extinguisher filled with red paint. They also released 500 cockroaches inside the building and used a second fire extinguisher on the interior. Additionally, they left a water jug inscribed with 'Bonk' at the scene as a tribute to the militants of Cal Poly Humboldt and the international student encampment movement. The vandalism has sparked debate and condemnation, with some criticizing the tactics as counterproductive and harmful to the Palestinian cause. University officials have pledged to investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable. Debate Over Tactics and Freedom of Expression These incidents have reignited the debate over the appropriate tactics for protest and the boundaries of freedom of expression. While protesters argue that their actions are necessary to draw attention to the plight of the Palestinian people, critics contend that such tactics are counterproductive and undermine the credibility of their cause. In response to the incidents, some universities have reiterated their commitment to freedom of expression while condemning acts of intimidation and vandalism. They have also emphasized the importance of respectful dialogue and peaceful protest in advancing meaningful change. As the conflict in the Middle East continues to escalate, the debate over the tactics of pro-Palestinian protesters is likely to intensify. While there is broad support for the Palestinian cause, there is also a recognition that the tactics employed by some protesters may do more harm than good. Finding a balance between passionate advocacy and respectful dialogue is likely to be an ongoing challenge for those involved in the movement. The Biden administration's plan to forgive student loans has been met with both praise and criticism, highlighting the complexities of addressing the growing issue of student debt in the United States. The proposal, which aims to provide relief to millions of borrowers, has sparked a heated debate about fairness, personal responsibility, and the role of government in addressing economic inequality. The Promise of Relief For many borrowers, the prospect of student loan forgiveness offers a glimmer of hope in what has become a crushing financial burden. With nearly 28 million Americans expected to benefit from the plan, the relief could be life-changing for those struggling to make ends meet. Supporters argue that forgiving student loans is not only a compassionate response to a systemic problem but also a necessary step toward economic recovery. Suzanne Washington, a borrower in her sixties who owes over $70,000 from attending three universities, including one that has since closed, shared her hope for debt forgiveness. She described how the closure of the school dashed her dreams and expressed a desire to live without the burden of such high debt for the remainder of her life. READ MORE : Biden Administration Proposes Student Debt Relief Regulations The Debate Over Fairness However, not everyone is in favor of the plan. Critics contend that forgiving student loans would unjustly disadvantage individuals who have already settled their debts or opted against borrowing for education. Eric Nickles, who fully repaid his loans, characterized the plan as an insult to responsible borrowers, suggesting it is a political tactic to garner support. Jerry Scott and others argue against the use of taxpayer money by the federal government to assist individuals who they perceive as having made imprudent financial choices. Scott expressed his view that it is inappropriate for taxpayers to bear the burden of college students' financial decisions, particularly when those students willingly took out loans. Legal and Financial Challenges The plan also faces legal and financial challenges. While President Biden has expressed his intention to provide relief to borrowers by early fall, legal challenges could delay the implementation of the plan. Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, has criticized the plan as an unconstitutional wealth transfer, echoing concerns raised by Congressional Republicans. Financially, the plan is estimated to cost $147 billion over ten years, with forgiving interest alone costing about $62 billion. The Department of Education has justified the cost by arguing that it would save money by not servicing or trying to collect loans that are unlikely to be repaid in full. Looking Ahead As the Biden administration moves forward with its plan to forgive student loans, the debate over student debt relief is far from over. Advocates continue to push for more comprehensive relief measures, including the forgiveness of underlying balances rather than just accumulated interest. Critics, on the other hand, remain steadfast in their opposition, arguing that the plan sets a dangerous precedent and undermines personal responsibility. The outcome of this debate will have far-reaching implications for millions of borrowers and the future of higher education in the United States. As the Biden administration works to finalize the regulations and begin forgiving loans, the nation watches closely, eager to see how this bold proposal will reshape the landscape of student debt in America. It was an unlikely scene that concluded an unusual court case centered on the slaying of a 19-year-old in the Town of Tonawanda two years ago. Michael A. Atkinson had just received a sentence of seven years in prison on an illegal weapons charge less than half the maximum sentence sought by prosecutors on Tuesday from State Supreme Court Justice Suzanne Maxwell Barnes. Standing with his wrists handcuffed behind him, Atkinson turned toward the father of his victim, Harith M. Alkhalaf, and said he wanted to apologize for what happened that evening. I can only imagine what its like to lose a son, Atkinson told Mike Hamzah, who sat stoically in the courtrooms first row, adding, I hope you find peace one day. Hamzah didnt address the court Tuesday. Afterward, he told The Buffalo News he was indifferent to the length of Atkinsons sentence. Its not going to bring my son back, Hamzah said. Acting Erie County District Attorney Michael Keane declined to comment on the sentence. Alkhalaf was killed on April 20, 2022, after he went to Atkinsons home on James Avenue, near River Road in Tonawanda. Assistant District Attorney Ryan Haggerty and defense attorney Matthew Albert on Tuesday agreed that Alkhalaf and Atkinson exchanged a series of taunting, threatening messages in the days leading up to the fatal encounter. Haggerty said the two men mutually engaged in the vile digital communication, while Albert painted Alkhalaf as the aggressor who was upset over Atkinsons friendship with Alkhalafs ex-girlfriend. Those threats, Albert said, led Atkinson on April 19 to purchase a firearm for which he did not have a permit. The next day, as Atkinson sat in a car outside his home with Alkhalafs ex-girlfriend, Alkhalaf pulled up across the street, according to authorities. Atkinson, armed with his handgun, walked over to confront Alkhalaf. The two argued, and fought, before Atkinson pulled out his gun and shot Alkhalaf. The gunshot wounds did not stop Alkhalaf from taking out a knife and stabbing Atkinson, who then took away the knife and used it to stab Alkhalaf. Atkinson was taken to Kenmore Mercy Hospital for treatment of his wounds, while Alkhalaf called 911, but died at the scene before help arrived. No one was charged in the case for months afterward, a situation that frustrated Hamzah, Alkhalafs father. He previously told The News that he believed Atkinson should have been charged with murder in his sons slaying. But prosecutors had said the facts didnt support a charge of murder. In September, a State Supreme Court jury deliberated 3 hours before acquitting Atkinson, 24, of the manslaughter charge and convicting him of criminal possession of a weapon. Shortly before Tuesdays sentencing, Barnes ruled on a motion filed by Albert seeking to toss out Atkinsons illegal weapons conviction. Albert had argued that the state law behind the charge was unconstitutional, but Barnes rejected the motion. Haggerty, in arguing for the 15-year maximum sentence, contended that Alkhalaf would still be alive if not for Atkinsons decision to purchase the illegal firearm one day earlier. Atkinson had been too afraid to confront Alkhalaf until, Haggerty said, buying the weapon gave him the courage to bait Alkhalaf into showing up. The gun is everything about this case, Haggerty said. Albert, however, highlighted the unusual circumstances of the case. He said the jury found his client had a right to defend himself against Alkhalaf, but not to do so with an unlicensed handgun. Albert said Atkinson faced a looming danger and didnt have time to begin the process to register the firearm. The threat was coming, and it was coming now, said Albert, who also pointed out Atkinson doesnt have a prior criminal record. He said 15 years was unreasonable because previous discussions about a plea deal for Atkinson, conducted at a time when the manslaughter charge was still in play, had centered on a sentence of nine years. No plea deal was reached before the case went to trial, and Barnes questioned Alberts recall of the promised term. In issuing her sentence, Barnes noted the encounter forever changed the lives of the two men. She said she, too, was troubled by the circumstances of the case and joined in wondering how differently the evening would have gone if Atkinson did not possess a handgun. She also noted that the stab wounds, and not the gunshot wounds, killed Alkhalaf. Ultimately, she sentenced Atkinson to seven years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision. As court officers put handcuffs on Atkinson, he turned to his family and supporters and said, Ill talk to you soon. Love you, Michael, one replied. Barnes had to call Atkinson, the lawyers and the spectators back into the courtroom because she belatedly realized she hadnt given Atkinson the chance to speak on his own behalf prior to sentencing. Obviously, Im sorry and I regret everything, Atkinson told the court. Hamzah, speaking afterward, expressed annoyance with Alberts description of the parties interactions leading up to the night of his sons death. While he remains distressed by the manslaughter acquittal, he said he was glad to hear Atkinson offer remorse for what happened. Thats what Ive been looking for, Hamzah said. The truth. Coordinating efforts in combating transnational drug crime An International Practical meeting for the coordination of efforts in combating transnational drug crime, organized by UNODC RERH22 project and CARICC took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 8-9 June, 2010. The meeting was attended by the heads of operational departments of the law enforcement agencies of CARICC member states and its partners. Mr. Tofik Murshudlu, Sr. Coordinator of UNODC RERH22 project, and Mr. Beksultan Sarsekov, the Director of CARICC emphasized the role and potential of CARICC in the overall coordination of joint law enforcement activities in the region and exchange of intelligence, as well as the issue of better utilization of CARICC capacities and services on the operational level. The focus of the meeting was on the major threat posed by drug trafficking from Afghanistan, as well as on the exchange of intelligence and the organization of bilateral and multilateral operations in the region. Discussions were mainly concentrated on the recent drug trafficking trends in the region and merging criminal groups and organizations. Participants were encouraged to have separate (closed) meetings with interested parties on potential "targets" for possible joint operations and/or investigations. The meeting attracted delegates from all CARICC member-states, as well as representatives of LEA's from such countries as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Ukraine, Romania, Belgium, Norway, US, Italy, Finland, France, Austria and others. Representatives from international agencies including Interpol, SECI Center, BOMCA and the Anti-Terrorist Center of the CIS took an active part in discussions and supported the idea regular meetings. Global Joint Initiative on Preventing Violent Extremism in Prisons Continues Support During COVID-19 The threat of violent extremism in prisons is an issue of growing concern to the international community, presenting complex challenges to Member States, which are much more complicated due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) continues its support to national prison officials to address these complex challenges and responds to new COVID requirements through a global project on preventing violent extremism in prisons. The project is being implemented jointly with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre in coordination with the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (UNCTED) and co-funded the European Union, the Netherlands and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism. Despite new coronavirus health restrictions, UNODC and the implementing partners continued supporting national officials in Kazakhstan, Tunisia and Uganda. In addition to providing equipment and supplies to allow national prison officials to operate during the COVID crisis safely, UNODC and the project team continued to deliver capacity-building activities on the management of violent extremist prisoners and developed a number of tailored training and resource materials. In Kazakhstan, UNODC worked with prison officials to establish a Prison Staff Training Centre on Preventing Violent Extremism in Prisons. In Kazakhstan and Uganda, officials pushed forward the development of critical frameworks for carrying out prison security audits and the classification of prisoners. Finally, in Uganda, six training modules on preventing and combating violent extremism were developed and integrated into the basic training curricula for the Prison Academy and Training School. Furthermore, in Tunisia, a country workplan of assistance was agreed, and the first project steering committee meeting held in September 2020, with the participation of UNODC Executive Director, Ms. Ghada Waly. At the meeting Ms. Waly thanked the Ministry of Justice of Tunisia for convening the high-level meeting, noting that A prison system managed in compliance with the Nelson Mandela Rules will offer powerful barriers against violent extremism taking root in prisons, and provide a strong foundation on which effective interventions can be built. Throughout the year, UNODC and the project team have also worked closely to build strategic relationships in the beneficiary countries, supporting national prison officials to engage with civil society organizations to support the rehabilitation and social reintegration of prisoners and to establish local stakeholder networks for preventing and combating violent extremism. With its unique knowledge of the needs of the prison environment, the project team also strengthened partnerships with governments and international partners in preventing the spread of violent extremism in prisons. Check out this video for an in-depth look at the recent achievements of the project: *** For more information, please contact Vasilina Brazhko (Mrs.) UNODC Communication and PR Specialist Whats app: +996775987817 E-mail: vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org Strengthen the law enforcement inter-agency and cross-border cooperation at the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border The State Border Service of the Kyrgyz Republic in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and with the financial support of the Government of Japan.conducted joint simulation exercises at the border crossing-point "Dostuk" on the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border to intercept drugs and precursor chemicals in May. Real-life scenario at the border area aimed at improving coordination between the border guards, including BLO and other law enforcement representatives. In line with the scenario, Border Liaison Officer of border check-point "Bor-Dobo" (Kyrgyz- Tajik border) informed their BLO colleagues at "Dostuk" check-point on high risk of narcotics which might be trafficked from Kyrgyzstan to Uzbekistan approximately in mid-May 2017. In their turn, officers at "Dostuk" check-point shared respective information with their colleagues and suggested to strengthen the control. Aibek Kutmanov, Chief of the Main Operational Department of the State Border Service of the Kyrgyz Republic, said: "Joint work of law enforcement agencies involved in border control is one more step towards better coordination." He also expressed a hope that the UNODC's efforts will enable beneficiary countries to promote greater inter-agency and cross border cooperation, especially on operational level. Border Liaison Offices (BLOs) is considered to be one of the most sustainable system that can help developing mutual trust and intelligence information sharing system among law enforcement agencies responsible for border protection. Yusuf Kurbonov, UNODC Programme Coordinator, emphasized that communication, coordination and cooperation among law enforcement agencies are the key elements aimed at effectively combating illicit drug trafficking. Representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Border and Customs Services of the Kyrgyz Republic took part at the exercise. The UNODC representatives, Kyrgyz Border Guard Service under the National Security Committee and Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan attended the event as observers. The event was organized in the frame of the sub-programme 1 component Countering the trafficking of Afghan opiates via the northern route by enhancing the capacity of key border crossings points (BCPs) and through the establishment of Border Liaison Offices (BLOs) of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2015 -2019. Successful cooperation between UNODC and the Criminal Justice Task Force of Afghanistan The Criminal Justice Task Force (CJTF) was established in January 2005 by the government of Afghanistan, with support from UNODC and donor countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Belgium. The aim was to bring offenders of drug related crimes to justice quickly. It was created to fast-track major drug cases within Afghanistan. The Task Force is made up of key investigators, prosecutors and judges. It is based in Kabul but is also operative in the provinces. The purpose is to strengthen the institutional capacity to arrest, investigate and detain criminal offenders suspected and convicted of drug related crimes. In 2012 the CJTF Prosecution Directorate successfully completed the investigation and prosecution of 588 serious narcotics and intoxicating drinks cases based on the Law Against Intoxicating Drinks and Narcotics, which they received from CJTF Investigation and Laboratory Department. Over the last few years the CJTF has worked in close cooperation with UNODC's project "Drug law enforcement systems for criminal intelligence collection, analysis and exchange", funded by the Canadian government. A number of intelligence analysis training courses of different levels for Task Forces staff were conducted by International Experts. IT equipment, including hardware, software and local area network were procured and installed. The project also provides continuous support and guidance to the Task Force members through a mentorship mechanism, which facilitates advisory services. The Ministry of Counter Narcotics of Afghanistan is the main governmental coordinating body for the CJTF program, and is implementing activities in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice, Supreme Court and Office of the Attorney General. One of the biggest challenges that the Ministry of Counter Narcotics has in developing the report is getting current and reliable data. The Ministry of Counter Narcotics currently recognizes that the CJTF is one of the best Afghan entities for providing reliable data/statistics that are coherent, current and useful for the Drug Report. Through this project, the CJTF's capacity is reinforced. It is encouraging that UNODC, with Canada's financial support, is reinforcing the work that is carried out under different activities of the CJTF. The Republic of Tajikistan strengthens the national system for combating money laundering and terrorism financing On 11 September UNODC conducted the first working meeting with national partners in Tajikistan on technical assistance within the project Enhancing the efficiency of parallel financial investigations. In 2020 UNODC held a meeting with national counterparts in the Republic of Tajikistan to discuss the project plan on technical assistance to the Republic of Tajikistan in implementing the recommendations of international experts, which were provided within the frame of the mutual assessment of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG). UNODC expressed readiness to provide technical assistance in improving the effectiveness of parallel financial investigations by the countrys law enforcement authorities. The main objectives of this project are to improve the efficiency of the national system for countering money laundering and terrorism financing, and the implementation of the provisions of the UN conventions and the Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). The key partners of the project are the General Prosecutors Office and the Department of Financial Monitoring under the National Bank of Tajikistan. Among the participants of the meeting there were heads and experts of the profile departments of the General Prosecutors Office, State Committee of National Security, Anti-Corruption Agency, Drug Enforcement Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Department of Financial Monitoring under the National Bank of Tajikistan. Considering the current situation with the global spread of COVID-19 pandemic, the working meeting was held online. In his opening speech, UNODC GPML Advisor Mr. Oliver Gadney provided a successful example of parallel financial investigations. Mr. Gadney emphasized the importance of close inter-agency cooperation by terms of live communication. In international experts opinion, the provision of the financial information for operational actions is the key to a successful investigation. Mr. Yusuf Ruziev, the representative of the General Prosecutors Office, thanked UNODC for organizing the workshop and for the expert assistance. Mr. Ruziev noted that according to the outcomes of the 29th Plenary meeting of the EAG, the mutual assessment report of Tajikistan was approved, which contains the recommendation of international experts, including the recommendation on increasing the efficiency of parallel financial investigations. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan approved the plan On Eliminating Technical Compliance Deficiencies and Improving the Effectiveness of the AML / CFT System. In this regard, the General Prosecutor's Office and other law enforcement agencies plan to establish a unified procedure for conducting parallel financial investigations. During the meeting, the Director of the Financial Monitoring Department under the National Bank of Tajikistan, Farhod Bilolov, expressed a high level of interest in cooperation with UNODC in developing a procedure for conducting parallel financial investigations, since the organization possesses significant expert capacity and has an integrated approach to work. Mr. Aliaksandr Vadziany, UNODC Regional Advisor on AML/CFT, emphasized that UNODC cooperates closely with the Republic of Tajikistan and provides technical assistance on an ongoing basis in strengthening the capacity of national AML/CFT partners. The main objectives of the project are to improve knowledge in conducting parallel financial investigations, strengthen inter-agency cooperation and, as a result, increase the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies and financial intelligence units in AML/CFT. During the meeting national partners expressed an interest in cooperation with UNODC within this project, the parties identified further steps in its implementation, and, as a result, a working group was established. This project is implemented within the framework of the UNODC Central Asia Program with the participation of the Global Program Against Money Laundering and with the financial support of the Bureau of the US Department of State on International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in Kazakhstan. Additional information: . For any queries, please contact: Shakhnoza Zafari Communication and External Relations Officer at shakhnoza.zafari[at]un.org UNODC and partners discuss situation with New Psychoactive Substances in Kyrgyzstan New psychoactive substances (NPS) are spreading at an unprecedented rate and are becoming a serious health threat and a real problem in drug policy in Central Asian countries. Little is known about the negative impact of NPS on human health and the harm they cause to society, and this significantly complicates prevention and treatment. To effectively counter this new problem, it is necessary to ensure constant monitoring of the drug situation, exchange of information and raise awareness of the risks. In order to consider the possibility of multisectoral partnerships between government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions and research centers on studying the situation with NPS and improving the availability and efficiency of services for people who use NPS, the UNODC Program Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, together with the Harm Reduction Network Association, the Plus Center Public Foundation, the Institute for Global Research (GLORI) and financial support from UNAIDS Country Envelopes Fund held a conference Finding Effective Solutions to the Problem of New Psychoactive Substances in Kyrgyzstan: An Online Review of Multisectoral Partnerships of Communities, Scientists and Practitioners. Some 46 experts, specialists and representatives of international organizations of Central Asia countries learned on the NPS situation in the country and in region, and discussed issues on improving access to treatment and effective services for drug users. In the Kyrgyz Republic, first cases of synthetic drug use were recorded in 2013. Back then synthetic cannabinoids appeared on the market - smoking mixtures known as spice, the use of which was widespread, especially among young people. Only in 2015, Kyrgyzstan adopted a law prohibiting the abuse of synthetic drugs, including "spice" and other smoking mixtures. But the emergence of new synthetic drugs such as "salts", "bath salts" and "crystals" requires their inclusion into the list of illegal substances. In 2014, more than 400 NPS were identified, and in 2020 there are already more than 800. During the conference, I would like to focus on a very important point: the legality of NPS, said Mr. Timur Isakov, Executive Secretary of the State Coordination Committee for the control over narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors (SCCDC). Currently, these substances exist in the form of new psychoactive substances, they are legal and cannot be withdrawn from a citizen or organization. Their distribution is legal. Let us, in legal terms, say not that they need to be seized, but that they need to be identified. " Taking into account the situation, in 2015 an interdepartmental working group under the SCCDC was established, which resulted in introducing additional substances into the prohibited lists. You can control the spread of NPS in a different way. First, at the global level. But this system is not fast. Therefore, a number of states have started to group NPS as forbidden substances. But in the country we do not adhere to this position, since in Kyrgyzstan there is a very strict law on NPS. In this regard, we form lists of analogues, now we are also doing such work in order to comply with the norms that are laid down in the Criminal Procedure Code and the Criminal Code of the Kyrgyz Republic. The main task is to identify new psychotropic substances, concluded Mr. Timur Isakov. The head of the Harm Reduction Network Association, Mr. Sergei Bessonov, raised the issue of the distribution of NPS in the territory of Kyrgyzstan. In his opinion, the appearance of NPS on the country's market was influenced by a number of factors: close borders with China and Afghanistan, their availability, contactless distribution through instant messengers: Telegrams and Internet resources. He is confident that traditional prevention programs will not work on people who abuses NPS. Provision of prevention services/treatment over the Internet is the future for a new generation of drug abusers, concluded Mr. Bessonov. To organize the provision of medical, psychological and social assistance to NPS abusers from the moment of suspicion or diagnosis, in 2019 UNODC initiated a study, which resulted in the development of the "Clinical Guidelines for Assisting Adult Abusers of New Psychoactive Substances" and a new Clinical Protocol on NPS, which in the near future will be introduced into the work of medical institutions. I hope this clinical guide will be a useful practical tool for our physicians. We launched all this on time, as I see alarming signals - young people in Central Asia are beginning to quite actively switch to new psychoactive substances, especially Mephedrone. This substance is a synthetic psychostimulant - an analogue of amphetamine. And the problem is that at the moment there is no way to help with such addiction, said Mr. Kubanychbek Ormushev, Coordinator of the Drug Prevention Program at the UNODC Program Office in the Kyrgyz Republic. Mr. Danil Nikitin, director of the Institute for Global Research (GLORI), said that during focus groups meetings, drug addicted girls and women complained that their relatives, friends did not notice that they had been addicted for a long time. When this happens, their relatives begin to treat them in every possible way. And sometimes this treatment can be attributed to domestic violence. In this regard, the WINGS model, which began to be applied back in New York, is indicative. There, drug addicted women themselves were able to mobilize and develop for themselves some kind of motivation and goal setting. The result of the conference was the conclusion that the trend of the spread of NPS in the Kyrgyz Republic and Central Asia, in general, continues to grow, overshadowing traditional drugs. However, this creates a problem of ineffectiveness of the existing prevention measures for drug dependence as well as their treatment. And these issues require a separate study. Reference NPS are sold on the market under the names "legal drugs", "herbal drugs", "bath salts" and "chemicals". For terminological clarity, UNODC uses the term new psychoactive substances (NPS), which is defined as substances of abuse, either pure or in the form of a preparation, which are not controlled under the 1961 Convention as amended under the 1972 Protocol, or the 1971 Convention, but may pose a threat to public health . The word "new" in the name indicates not so much the novelty of such substances - some were synthesized 40 years ago, but rather their recent appearance on the market. The use of NPS is often associated with health problems. In general, NPS can cause a wide variety of side effects - seizures, anxiety, aggressiveness, acute psychosis, and the potential for addiction. NPS users often end up in the hospital with severe poisoning. The event was conducted as part of the UNODC Program Office in the Kyrgyz Republic initiative "Assessment of the needs and accessibility of HIV prevention and treatment services for people in Kyrgyzstan who abuse new psychoactive substances and stimulants" implemented by subprogram 3: Prevention, treatment, reintegration and prevention of HIV infections of the UNODC Program for Central Asia for 2015-2021. Article in Russian language *** For more information, please contact Vasilina Brazhko (Mrs.) UNODC Communication and PR Specialist WhatsApp: +996775987817 E-mail: vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org UNODC and partners hold International Forum on Financial Investigations in Almaty Todays global agenda includes investigation of financial crimes, asset recovery, analytical tools and required pool of measures to conduct parallel financial investigation. UNODC jointly with the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies under the General Prosecutors Office of Kazakhstan (Academy) and OSCE Programme office in Nur-Sultan organized an International Forum on Financial Investigations and Interaction of competent bodies for combating the legalization of criminal proceeds on 21-23 June in Almaty UN building. Over 40 representatives of more than 20 competent authorities of Central Asian Countries and Southern Caucasus took part in the Forum. The event gathered international speakers from Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. Specialists in AML/CFT discussed issues of financial intelligence, search for foreign assets based on open and closed sources. The Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies Rector Mr. Suleimenov stated in him opening remarks: Currently, discussions are underway about conducting a financial investigation within the framework of criminal prosecution or its allocation outside the norms of the Code of Criminal Procedure.It must be admitted that there is no judicial and investigative practice to prove the criminality of the origin of financial assets and their legalization. And here, it is important and useful for us to hear the experience of our foreign colleagues. As a result of the forum, it is proposed to develop recommendations for improving investigative practices and developing informal cooperation on the return of capital. Mr. Yelemessov, Deputy Chair to the Agency on Financial Monitoring of Kazakhstan emphasized the importance of the financial investigations in combating money laundering: In September, our country will have to undergo a mutual assessment to compliance with FATF standards. The entire national anti-money laundering system, including law enforcement agencies, will be evaluated. Particular attention is paid to the effectiveness of the work of law enforcement agencies to identify and confiscate criminal proceeds. Mr. Aliaksandr Vadziany, one of the forum moderators, Regional Adviser to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, on Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing, noted that in modern conditions, any rule of law state pays attention to the effectiveness of combating illegal financial flows, money laundering, terrorist financing. We are all aware that, in accordance with the standards of practice, it is necessary to implement elements of technical compliance. In this regard, very serious work has already been done in the Republic of Kazakhstan. At the same time, it is necessary to pay increased attention to the implementation of these provisions, to see how they work in life Mr. Vadziany said. The Forum brough to discussion important aspects of investigative and judicial practice and prosecutorial supervision in cases of this category, the interaction of interested bodies to counter the withdrawal of capital, instruments of international mutual legal assistance and the possibilities of informal networks. Based on the result of the Forum UNODC will unite discussed issues and develop a manual with recommendations on conducting parallel financial investigations, mutual legal assistance, asset recovery and financial intelligence. This project is carried out as part of UNODC programme in Central Asia and the framework of the UNODC Global Programme Against Money Laundering with financial support from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the US. Department of State. Story in Russian Language *** For all inquiries, kindly contact Vasilina Brazhko Communication and PR Specialist at UNODC Criminal Justice and PVE Project in Central Asia +996775987817 WhatsApp vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org UNODC and Prison Service of Tajikistan co-operate to address Foreign Terrorist Fighters Threats in Prison Violent extremism is an affront to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. It undermines peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. No country or region is immune from its impact. Over 2000 Tajik men traveled to conflict zones to engage in terrorist acts, bringing their families women and children. Tajikistan increases efforts to counter violent extremism and terrorism, however, an associated challenge has gained importance and urgency: how to manage violent extremists in prison settings. In this context, the United States Department of State provided financial contribution to UNODC to implement the two-year Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters Detention Programme. The programme serves the aim to provide technical assistance to the Prison Service of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan, in order to address radicalization to violence and violent extremism in prison settings. Representatives of the UNODC and the Prison Service of Tajikistan attended the signing ceremony of the Programme Work Plan and discussed emerging threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) and effective policies on management of violent extremism prisoners, prevention of progression to violent extremism in prisons and interventions. UNODC is pleased to launch the implementation of Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters Detention Programme in cooperation with Prison Service of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan with generous support of United States of America, CT Bureau of US Department of State. It is gratifying to note that the country work plan will address some of the significant areas enshrined in new national prison reform strategy, said Mr. Mustafa Erten, Head of the UNODC Programme office in Tajikistan. According to Mr. Mansur Umarov, Head of the Prison Service of the Republic of Tajikistan: Counter-extremism and rehabilitation programs have the best chance of succeeding when they are nested in a safe, secure, adequately resourced, and well operated custodial setting where the human rights of prisoners are respected. Prison Service of Tajikistan acknowledges the importance of addressing challenges posed by violent extremist prisoners in full compliance with the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treat of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules) and other relevant international standards and norms, including from a gender perspective. The Country Work Plan was designed based on scoping mission results which outlined challenges, needs and priorities of the penitentiary system of Tajikistan, including security and safety needs in terms of a refinement of security procedures, regulations and protocols, the implementation of tailored rehabilitation programmes, the training of prison officers on the management of terrorist and FTF prisoners and the introduction of required security upgrades and/or the procurement of equipment. This program will enhance the Republic of Tajikistan capacity to manage threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) through technical assistance to law enforcement, corrections, and justice sector agencies and, by so doing, encourage partners cooperation in repatriating their FTF nationals in custody. UNODC seeks to enhance the Republic of Tajikistan capacity to manage and mitigate the threat of terrorist and FTF prisoners utilizing international corrections best practice including classification and case management, contraband control, access control between cells and prison buildings, and development of intake processes. The program will build on implementation of international commitments made through the adoption of resolution 2396 (2017), , consistent with the UN Minimum Standrad Rules on the Treatment of Prisoners (Nelson Mandela Rules), international humanitarian law and human rights law, as applicable and in accordance with relevant international law. The project seeks also to develop tailored and gender-sensitive strategies to address and counter terrorist narratives within the prison system. Head of the Prison Service of the Republic of Tajikistan and Head of UNODC Programme Office in Tajikistan endorsed the Country Work Plan that includes key areas of UNODCs assistance, including strengthening the capacity of prison staff, managing risks posed by violent extremist prisoners, enhancing the inter-agency and regional co-operation and implementing of prison-based disengagement interventions, and others. After the fall of the so-called Islamic State, camps contain of women and children from Tajikistan who are waiting for their chance to return home. Given the tribute to the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan, they returned some 84 children from Iraq back in 2019. *** For all inquiries, contact Vasilina Brazhko (Ms.) Communication and PR Specialist UNODC in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan +(996) 775987817 WhatsApp / Cell phone vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org UNODC continues to strengthen the analytical capacities of Uzbek law enforcement officers Newly emerging drug trends and situation show the need for drug enforcement agencies to enhance their officers knowledge and skills in data analysis using open and professional software. UNODC continues to strengthen the analytical capacities of Uzbek law enforcement agencies to better respond to threats of cross-border organized crime, including illicit drug trafficking, and to ensure effective border control. In this effort, intelligence processing and analysis form a key component for effective and efficient law enforcement activities. On 6-11 June, UNODC conducted a national training course on the processing and analysis of information by using special and open programmes (including IBM i2) for 19 law enforcement officers-analysts representing all regions of Uzbekistan. The training was conducted at the premises of the Institute of Advanced Training of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (the Ministry) of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The training aimed to enhance the analytical capacities of law enforcement officers in gathering, compiling, and processing information using analytical software tools through practical exercises and case studies. The challenges related to making dashboards and diagrams and working with billing data and the ArcGIS geoinformation system were reviewed during the training. The training was delivered by the UNODC Paris Pact Liaison Officer and Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors (CARICC) experts. Intelligence analysis and intelligence-led policing are fundamental elements of law enforcement activities. The knowledge and skills acquired by law enforcement officials in these areas during the training will help them in the performance of their duties, said Mr. Shokhzodkhon Turakhonov, Special Operations Officer of the Ministrys Drug Enforcement Department, in his closing remarks. He highlighted the appropriateness of conducting more trainings and organizing Advanced Training Course on the Processing and Analysis of Information by Using Special and Open Programmes (including IBM i2) - Level 2 that will allow professionals to refresh and upgrade their skills and acquire new knowledge. Mr. Erkinjon Marupov, Head of the Information Technology Department of the Ministry's Institute of Advanced Training, encouraged UNODC to actively use the Institute's capacities when conducting similar trainings in the future. The training was organized under the UNODC regional project on Enhancing Capacity of Border Crossing Points and Improving Regional Cross-Border Cooperation by Promoting Border Liaison Offices Concept and Development of Information and Communication Networks for Border Agencies of Sub-programme 1 Countering transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking and preventing terrorism of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025. The project is funded by the Government of Japan. For further information, please contact: Nurangez Abdulhamidova Communication and External Relations Officer UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org UNODC Education for Justice initiative engage teachers, school children and students on rule of law issues Crime, justice, and the rule of law are part of our lives and affect us on a daily basis. While it is possible to read up on these issues on your own, teaching these issues, including todays most crucial threats, to children at youth in a school settings is a tricky matter. In response to this challenge, UNODC Education for Justice (E4J) initiative has set out activities and generated educational resources surrounding crime, justice, and the rule of law for primary, secondary and tertiary education levels. The resources are developed for teachers to support their efforts to transmit knowledge and create a deeper understanding of the subject areas of crime prevention and criminal justice, anti-corruption, organized crime, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, firearms, cybercrime, wildlife crime, counter-terrorism as well as integrity and ethics. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan, along with one secondary school and three Universities, including the Turkmen State University expressed their interest back in summer of 2021 to use UNODC E4J teaching methodology and introducing these subjects into their curriculum. To proceed with the implementation, UNODC in partnership with Winrock International, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and United Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) project Towards a comprehensive implementation of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (UNGCTS) in Central Asia Phase IV, USAID program "Safe Migration in Central Asia" and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan launched a series of training courses for school and university teachers of Turkmenistan. Over 30 teachers obtained knowledge and skills on how to present issues in the field of fighting trafficking in persons, combatting terrorism, cybercrime to the younger generation. Mr. Koen Marquering, International Manager of Criminal Justice Programme for UNODC in Central Asia outlined in his opening speech that education for children and young people plays an important role in shaping the values of future generations, creating a collective consciousness, restructuring public preferences, supplementing them with the necessary skills to form future generations respect for the law, promote the principles of the rule, and prevent and prevent crime. Our Education for Justice initiative is the most innovative and comprehensive educational tool to help achieve these goals, as the integration of crime prevention and criminal justice principles into the education system at all levels is critical in building long-term approaches in the fight against crime and violence, Mr. Marquering concluded. Speaking at the training, Ms. Karina Timshina, UNOCT Regional coordination officer emphasized that since 2011, the UNOCT and UNRCCA have been assisting the countries of Central Asia in the development of a Regional Strategy to Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism, the so-called Joint Action Plan. And education is one of the key points in this paper. It calls on the countries of Central Asia to implement educational initiatives to counter these phenomena. The adoption of an updated version of this document is scheduled for March this year at a high-level conference to be held in Tashkent and representatives of Turkmenistan will also participate in it, she noted. The E4J resources have been created by UNODC and a variety of partners, ranging from governments to academic and non-governmental organizations, as well as in partnership with UNESCO, and involving above all the ultimate target audience: teachers and students. The UNODC, UNOCT programmes and the USAID programme "Safe Migration in Central Asia" in Turkmenistan are looking forward to long-term and systematic cooperation in incorporating these issues into the curricula of the universities and schools invited to participate in our event, stated Ms. Ellie Valentine, head of the Winrock International in Central Asia. The participants highly appreciated the training course, which provided a much-needed supporting materials for students and pupils to promote further a culture that supports the rule of law, crime prevention and criminal justice and expressed interest in future cooperation. It is planned that the group of trained instructors will be the first cohort teachers in Turkmenistan to receive Education4Justice certification, leading to further prospect of cascading the newly gained skills to other teachers and rolling-out of the training program to other educational establishment. *** For more information, contact Vasilina Brazhko Communication and PR Specialist at UNODC Criminal Justice Programme for Central Asia +996775987817 WhatsApp vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org On the eve of its vote on a city budget, Common Council members on Tuesday balked at Mayor Byron Browns proposed 9% increase in the tax levy and predicted a fiscal crisis will hit the city next year. Im hopeful between now and tomorrow we can find some cuts to reduce the tax burden on residents, Council Member David Rivera said at the Council Finance Committee meeting. A 9% increase is going to be devastating, said Council Member Rasheed Wyatt. Under the mayors budget, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 would pay $78 a year more in city taxes. Homeowners also would pay $30 more for garbage collection. A commercial property assessed at $200,000 would see an increase of $464 a year in its taxes and a $40 hike in garbage collection. The Council is planning to vote on the mayors proposed budget during a special meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall. Wyatt said Brown and Buffalo Finance Commissioner Delano Dowell should have suggested spending cuts the Council can make before it votes on the budget. Its the administrations issue, said Wyatt, the University District member. You tell us where the cuts are. Council members who in June 2023 approved 12.63% salary hikes for the mayor, city comptroller and themselves said they have seen the fiscal problems developing for years. (Council Members Bryan Bollman, Joseph Golombek Jr. and Christopher Scanlon voted against the pay hikes.) But even with the proposed 9% tax levy hike the highest property tax increase ever during Browns 18 years as mayor Buffalo is going to be in even worse fiscal shape next year, Council members predicted. Mayor proposes record 9% hike in Buffalo property taxes as he rolls out budget and State of the City Mayor Byron Brown's proposed budget for 2024-25 would increase the city's property tax levy by 9%, the highest property tax increase ever under the Brown administration. That equates to an additional $14 million in property taxes collected by the city this next fiscal year. Thats because City Comptroller Barbara Miller-Williams in her analysis of the proposed 2025 budget warned that it is built upon nearly $41 million in one-time revenue and $11 million in speculative revenue from the Seneca Nation casinos. The one-time revenue includes $25.8 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds and $14.9 million from the citys fund balance which will wipe out that fund. New York is negotiating a new Seneca gambling compact with the Nation and its not clear how much revenue will go to host communities like Buffalo. Miller-Williams said in her budget report that she was deeply concerned about how the city would fill that $41 million hole in future budgets. Rivera, the Niagara District member, predicted residents will be facing tax hikes in the 2026 budget that are even steeper than the 9% levy increase Brown proposed this year. We should cut all new positions that are not contractual, Rivera said of plans to hire new employees. We should cut all pay raises that are not contractual. Nine percent is too excessive, he said. Brown was not at the Finance Committee meeting, but Dowell defended the mayors proposed 9% tax levy hike as necessary to avoid cuts in services that residents will oppose. This 9% hike was not an easy decision, he said. If we dont do 9% now, it will be worse next year. He noted that the 9% tax levy increase will bring in an extra $14 million in revenue this year not enough to replace the $41 million in one-time revenue. UNODC Executive Director attends a roundtable meeting of representatives of Central Asian Border Services On 23 November, as part of her visit to Uzbekistan, Ms. Ghada Waly, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations/UNODC Executive Director, participated in a roundtable meeting of representatives of the border services of Central Asian states held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The meeting was organized by UNODC in partnership with the Border Troops of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan to promote further integrated border management and ensure security around emerging trade and transit corridors. The event brought together senior officials from border and drug control agencies, foreign ministries across the region and UNODC. Ms. Ghada Waly commended the engagement and openness of the Central Asian governments in the region in cooperating with UNODC in implementing its integrated mandates addressing drugs, transnational organized crime, corruption and terrorism. Strengthening cross-border and regional cooperation has been an integral part of UNODCs work through the Programme for Central Asia 2015-2021 and will remain a key element of the next programme cycle. As regional integration increases, regional border management and collaboration must increase too - to stop transnational criminal groups from exploiting new connections, infrastructure, and networks, said Ms. Ghada Waly in her welcoming remarks. Close international cooperation and concerted efforts are key to countering emerging security challenges and threats effectively. In the present geopolitical realities, holding this event and providing a platform for a constructive dialogue will make a significant contribution to ensuring security, said Colonel Salimjon Khusanov, Commander of the Border Troops of the State Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan, in his welcoming speech. During the meeting, Ms. Ghada Waly held consultations with the roundtable participants to identify recommendations and prospects for developing programmes aimed to enhance integrated border management and cross-border cooperation and support capacity-building efforts in the border areas, including in the context of the recent developments in Afghanistan. Based on these consultations, the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia will develop an integrated border management strategy encompassing all aspects of trafficking of drugs, small arms and light weapons, preventing trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, illicit financial flows as well as preventing the movement of foreign terrorist fighters. UNODC in Central Asia utilizes a mechanism of an integrated response to drug-related challenges and border security issues. The organizations initiatives strengthen national and regional law enforcement interagency coordination and cooperation by establishing Border Liaison Offices, Port Control Units, border posts and outposts, and Interagency Mobile Teams in the Central Asian states. The roundtable meeting was conducted by the Cross-Border Cooperation Component of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia. The initiative focuses on enhancing the capacity of border crossing points and improving regional cross-border cooperation by promoting the Border Liaison Offices concept and the development of information and communication networks for border agencies. To date, UNODC has supported the establishment of 19 Border Liaison Offices in geographically remote and potentially vulnerable border crossing points on the Kazakh-Kyrgyz (2), Uzbek-Tajik (6), Kyrgyz-Tajik (4), Kyrgyz-Uzbek (2), Uzbek-Afghan (1), Tajik-Afghan (2) and Kazakh-Uzbek (2) borders. Six BLOs are being established along the Kazakh-Kyrgyz, Tajik-Uzbek and Turkmen-Uzbek borders. For further information, please contact: Nurangez Abdulhamidova Communication and External Relations Officer UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (Dushanbe) Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org UNODC Presents Scoping Report on Management of Stolen Assets in Uzbekistan Reducing illicit financial flows and recovering stolen assets is a priority for Uzbekistan. According to estimates made by the General Prosecutors Office (GPO), damages from corruption amounted to approximately 172.3 billion sums in 2020. 66% of these illicit proceeds were recovered. To strengthen the asset recovery system in Uzbekistan, UNODC is currently working with the GPO and other national stakeholders to build their capacity in this area. Our joint work with Uzbek authorities on asset recovery and management is important because this can unlock new resources to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Uzbekistan, emphasizes Mr. Koen Marquering, Manager of UNODCs Criminal Justice Program in Central Asia. As a first step, UNODC and the GPO Academy completed a study to analyze the regulatory and policy framework, as well as the current situation, responses, and existing capacity of key national partners to manage and dispose of frozen, seized, and confiscated assets. On 6 October, the results were presented at an expert meeting with 14 staff of the GPO Academy, other national specialists and international experts joining online. According to Mr. Uygun Nigmatjanov, Deputy Head of the GPO Academy: UNODC supports the Government of Uzbekistan to optimize existing public finance flows for maximum impact on the SDGs. One way of doing this is by establishing an effective national asset recovery system and to use resources accumulated by recovering stolen assets for SDG investment. At the event, Mr. Paul Mylvaganam, UNODCs international consultant presented the report with key recommendations for further improvement of the national system of asset management and disposal. The initiative is part of a joint program implemented by UNODC together with UNDP, UNICEF and WHO for the establishment of an Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) for sustainable development in Uzbekistan. The program aims at accelerating the attainment of the SDGs in Uzbekistan through more efficient, transparent, and results-oriented use of public financial resources as well as better coordinated and integrated use of public and private resources in social sectors based on the specific needs of women and other groups. A key recommendation from the report is for Uzbekistan to establish an asset management body or unit to harmonize inter-agency asset management efforts, notes Koen Marquering. This also involves the creation of a central database of seized assets. Following the presentation of the report, work is set to continue to develop standard processes and organizational structures for Uzbek authorities to effectively deliver their functions on asset management, to promote inter-agency coordination and to enhance capacity of practitioners through training workshops and development of a manual on asset management procedures. UNODC supports these efforts to establish and INFF and improve the management and disposal of seized and confiscated assets for the achievement of the SDGs with financial support from the Joint SDG Fund, which is an innovative instrument to incentivize transformative policy shifts and stimulate the strategic investments required to get the world on track to meet the SDGs. Material in Russian language *** For more information, contact Vasilina Brazhko (Mrs.) UNODC Communication and PR Specialist +996775987817 WhatsApp vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org . UNODC supports the introduction of e-learning tools for police training in Kazakhstan On 29 November, UNODC supported an online expert meeting to launch two new e-Learning modules for police in Kazakhstan. These new e-Learning modules have been designed to complement the training that police already receive via the police training institutions in Kazakhstan. The modules are available in English, Russian and Kazakh languages. The new e-Learning courses form a part of the UNODCs Global e-Learning Programme and will serve as important tools for the digital delivery of expert training materials to police officers in Kazakhstan, said Ms. Wendy OBrian, UNODC Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Officer, Vienna, Austria. The first module covers the information that a law enforcement officer should know when responding to a crime scene, including a variety of techniques to document the crime scene and how to recognize, recover and package evidence. The second e-Learning module is tailored to complement the work of the police modernization agenda in Kazakhstan and covers good practices in police capacity-building, including the principles of specifying results-oriented learning objectives and the methodology for evaluating the impact of the police training. The launch of the UNODCs e-Learning modules were conducted as part of the UNODC project on support to police reform in Kazakhstan implemented with generous support from the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the U.S. Department of State. Story in Russian language *** For more information, contact Vasilina Brazhko (Ms.) Communication and PR Specialist at UNODC Criminal Justice &PVE Programmes in Central Asia UNODC PO in the Kyrgyz Republic +996775987817 WhatsApp or e-mail: vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org UNODC trains Turkmen law enforcement officers on cargo search techniques and examination of cargo documents On 25 29 July, UNODC conducted a training course on cargo search techniques and examination of cargo documents for officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Customs Service and State Border Service of Turkmenistan in a hybrid format. The training aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of the officers to effectively respond to challenges during an inspection at checkpoints and strengthen their capacity to combat cross-border crime. The training provided theoretical and practical sessions. It was delivered by Mr. Lauris Krivans, a customs expert from Latvia who has extensive experience in conducting search operations and training law enforcement officers. During the training, the participants learned about principles for effective control and inspection, assessment of risk indicators during the inspection, and search of vehicles and trucks, among others. In the course of the practical sessions, the participants prepared and delivered presentations on ways to carry out an inspection at the checkpoints effectively. They shared their experience in seizing contraband items and exchanged views on how to ameliorate their work. The training was conducted within the framework of the Cross-Border Cooperation Project of Sub-programme 1 Countering transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking and preventing terrorism of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025. The implementation of the project in Turkmenistan is funded by the U.S. Department of States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). For further information, please contact: Ms. Nurangez Abdulhamidova Communication and External Relations Officer UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org Victims not Villains - Tajik Prosecutors and Judges Discuss Good Practices in Investigation and Prosecution of Human Trafficking The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) partnered with the General Prosecutor's Office and the Supreme Court of Tajikistan to demonstrate 2 training films on the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking. Entitled "Victims not Villains", the series consists of 2 films, one focusing on good practices in relation to interviewing vulnerable victims and witnesses of human trafficking and another on the role of prosecutors, judges and lawyers in ensuring that court proceedings in which trafficked persons are involved, are not prejudicial to their rights, dignity, physical or psychological well-being. The second educational film "Victims not Villains: Prosecuting Cases of Trafficking in Persons in accordance with International Standards" also discusses commonly encountered defense strategies and how prosecutors can counter these when arguing the case. "Trafficking in Persons in all its forms is a transnational organized crime. The General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Tajikistan cooperates with anti-trafficking subjects and other authorized bodies, as well as with civil society and international organizations on anti-trafficking issues, on a regular basis by exchanging information and taking measures to detect, suppress and prevent cases of trafficking in persons, including assisting victims of trafficking", said Mr. Farrukh Raupov, Deputy Head of Preliminary Investigation Department in General Prosecutor's Office. Some 20 prosecutors and 60 trainee judges viewed and discussed the training films at the training centers of the General Prosecutor's Office and the Supreme Court in Dushanbe. UNODC also presented its Case Digest on evidential issues in trafficking in persons cases at a round table which gathered some 30 representatives of State bodies, international organizations, civil society and victim support providers. The Case Digest, which is due for publication in Russian this year, aims to assist criminal justice practitioners in addressing recurring evidential issues that are typical to trafficking in persons cases. It can help practitioners build a trafficking case; it can give them an arsenal of tools to deal with common evidential weaknesses; it analyzes cases in depth, thus showing how the interplay of different evidential patterns leads to a conviction or an exoneration. The Case Digest has analyzed 135 cases from 31 jurisdictions and provides the reader, based on these real cases tried, with a range of options and possibilities to deal with particular evidential challenges. Most cases are drawn from UNODC's Human Trafficking Case Law Database, set up within UNODC's SHERLOC knowledge management portal. "UNODC stands ready to assist the Tajik authorities to develop capacities of law enforcement and judicial bodies to investigate, prosecute and adjudicate trafficking in persons cases", Ms. Amelia Hannaford noted at the roundtable, which allowed for a frank discussion on the current situation with human trafficking in Tajikistan and the broader Central Asia region and related training needs, based on data recently published in the UNODC 2018 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons. As guardian of the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants Protocols, UNODC supports efforts to strengthen law enforcement responses to trafficking in persons in Tajikistan within the framework of the 2015-2019 UNODC Program for Central Asia with generous financial support from the Government of the United States. For more information: UNODC ROCA on Twitter UNODC in Central Asia on Facebook *** For more information, please contact Vasilina Brazko (Ms.), National Communications and PR Officer, UNODC ROCA Tel. +996 775 98 78 17 e-mail: vasilina.brazhko[at]un.org May 21 2024 The grounds of a Kingussie hotel could host a newly built family home under new plans submitted on behalf of the owners. Jewitt and Wilkie Architects have been appointed by the owners of Ardselma, a Victorian villa converted to a hotel, to build a detached house with a garage and home office on an 865 sq/m woodland plot, close to the village centre. Ohana will adopt a contemporary rural style, segregating living spaces and sleeping quarters with two separate timber-clad blocks linked by a glazed entrance hall. A design report authored by the architects notes: "The design concept saw a separation in the function of the spaces, a living block with the kitchen, dining room and living area that maximised space and light, whilst taking full advantage of the southern views from the site. "This space was to be separated by a single storey overhanging canopy entrance, which provided an alternative muddy entrance for children, pets and working adults into a utility area before setting foot into the main house. The larger family block accommodated the bedrooms and snug, whilst also providing a home office above the garage space." Incorporated office space will support a growing game-keeping business. May 21 2024 Springfield Partnership has earned the go-ahead from Dundee City Council to deliver 131 affordable homes with elements of ground-floor retail at the former Hilltown Market site on Main Street, Dundee. Approval clears the way for the developer to transform the brownfield site with a range of energy-efficient gas-free apartments and houses. Springfield Partnerships managing director, Tom Leggeat, said: We are really pleased our plans to bring high quality, affordable homes to the area have been approved by Dundee City Council whilst transforming a neglected pocket of land in the city. With planning now in place, we expect to start work on the delivery of these homes in the coming months. Designed around a central communal space the homes will be managed by Hillcrest Housing Association with some flats customised for wheelchair users. Selected apartments will also have access to a private balcony. (@FahadShabbir) ASTANA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday addressed the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) wherein he reiterated Pakistan's firm adherence to the SCO Charter and the Shanghai Spirit standing for mutual trust and respect for shared prosperity. In his statement, the deputy prime minister warned against bloc-based or confrontational geopolitics and advocated for a multipolar world firmly grounded in multilateralism. He explained Pakistans priorities as the current Chair of SCO Council of Heads of Government (CHG) which included promoting connectivity, transport links, youth empowerment, poverty alleviation, and enhanced practical cooperation among SCO member states. The deputy prime minister called for upholding international law and the UN Charter, emphasizing the peoples right to self-determination and peaceful settlement of longstanding disputes in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. He stressed the need to combat the menace of terrorism through collective and cooperative approaches including by addressing its root causes. He urged the rejection of myopic and self-serving interests to use the mantra of terrorism for political gains. Ishaq Dar strongly condemned the barbaric Israeli onslaught in Gaza, which had resulted in the killings of over 35,000 innocent civilians, mostly women and children. He reiterated Pakistans firm call for an unconditional and urgent ceasefire and unhindered provision of humanitarian assistance. He also emphasized the need to realize the two-state solution for durable peace and stability. On the Afghanistan situation, he called on the international community to meaningfully engage with the Interim Afghan Government (IAG) for the genuine economic and development needs of Afghanistan and urged the IAG to ensure that Afghan soil was not used for terrorism against any country. The deputy prime minister said that Pakistans geostrategic location offered an ideal trade and transit hub for the SCO region, and underlined the significance of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor for regional connectivity and economic integration. Highlighting the climate change, the deputy prime minister called for collective efforts to address the challenge as any failure in this regard would put global security at stake. He said despite contributing less than one percent of the global emissions, Pakistan suffered huge economic and life losses consequent to the climate change-induced floods which necessitated capacity building of developing countries to overcome the issue. Dar told the gathering that Pakistan fully supported the reform process in the SCO which should also feature an enhanced motoring and implementation capacity in the security and economic field. The deputy prime minister started his remarks with condolence over the sad demise of Iranian President Dr Ebrahim Raisi, the Iranian foreign minister and others sympathised with the bereaved families and Iranian people. He also paid tribute to their services for the promotion of regional cooperation and reinforcement of Pak-Iran relationships. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday discussed the growing bilateral understanding and cooperation between Pakistan and the Russian Federation and recent regional and global developments ASTANA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday discussed the growing bilateral understanding and cooperation between Pakistan and the Russian Federation and recent regional and global developments. During a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting, the deputy prime minister and foreign minister congratulated his Russian counterpart on the peaceful and successful election process in Russia and expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of Pakistan-Russia relations. The two sides agreed to continue working towards further deepening and broadening of Pakistan-Russia bilateral ties by regularly holding meetings of institutional mechanisms and undertaking follow-up actions. They agreed to hold the ninth session of the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) in Moscow this year. ASTANA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday called on President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Presidential Palace Akorda, as part of SCO Foreign Ministers audience. The deputy prime minister conveyed sincere greetings and warm wishes from the president and the prime minister of Pakistan to the Kazakh president and reaffirmed Pakistans strong desire to further expand cooperation with Kazakhstan in all spheres. The deputy prime minister appreciated the role of the leadership of both countries in strengthening the mutually beneficial multifaceted ties and cooperation in multilateral forums. He highly appreciated Kazakhstans Presidency of SCO and reaffirmed Pakistans full support to the success of the Kazakh Summit to be held in July in Astana. News / National by Staff reporter ZIMBABWE was conspicuous by its absence at the recently held US-Africa Business Summit held in Houston, Texas, in stark contrast to last year's edition held in Botswana attended by President Emmerson Mnangagwa and several other regional leaders.Since taking over from long-time ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017, Mnangagwa under his "Zimbabwe is open for business" mantra undertook to anchor the country's foreign policy on economic diplomacy with the international community.The business summit, hosted by the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA), enables leaders to connect with government and private sector decision-makers to drive US-Africa sustainable business partnerships.The CCA, established in 1993, is the premier US business organisation focused exclusively on promoting greater US-Africa trade, investment, and business partnerships.While President Mnangagwa attended the previous edition in 2023 hosted by Botswana, his name did not appear on the list of confirmed heads of state who were part of this year's edition held between 6-9 May in Texas, US.Zimbabwe, which has been taking every opportunity to attract foreign direct investment, did not send a delegation to the summit, with 16 countries sending ministerial delegations.The US-Africa Business Summit brings together US and African government and private sector leaders, including African heads of state, ministers, chief executive officers and senior executives of American and African companies, institutional investors, and international financial institution representatives, to explore and expand trade, investment, and business opportunities.Contacted for comment on why Zimbabwe was not represented at the highest level this time around, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Livit Mugejo, directed questions sent to another spokesperson, Micheal Mukura. He did not respond.Regional heads of state who attended were Liberian President Joseph Boakai, Malawian leader Lazarus Chakwera, Angolan President Joao Lourenco, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, Cabo Verde President Jose Maria Neves and Kashim Shettima, Vice-President of Nigeria.Also in attendance were Nthomeng Majara, Lesotho deputy prime minister and David Sengeh, chief minister of the Republic of Sierra Leone.The summit was also attended by Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US representative to the United Nations, Katherine Tai, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and Reta Jo Lewis, the president and chair of the board of the US Export Import-Bank (EXIM), among others.World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was also in attendance, and Wamkele Mene, secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area secretariat.According to the US-Africa factsheet, the US-Africa Summit is important for enhancing bilateral trade, investment, and commercial opportunities and promoting women's and youth entrepreneurship, among other outcomes.In 2022, Zimbabwe was for the first time invited to the US-Africa high-level meeting, attended by 49 heads of state, after Washington relaxed conditions for Zimbabwe. However, Harare was represented at a lower level by Foreign Minister Fredrick Shava because of travel restrictions slapped on Mnangagwa.Mnangagwa has remained sanctioned despite US President Joe Biden's termination of the US Zimbabwe sanctions programme, unblocking all individuals, entities and property that had been blocked under that authority.Mnangagwa and 11 other individuals, who include First Lady Auxillia, were in March targeted with fresh sanctions under the US Global Magnitsky (GloMag) sanctions programme.Three companies linked to Mnangagwa's ally and businessman Kuda Tagwireyi, were also sanctioned under the latest punitive measures. They were sanctioned for corruption and human rights violations.In July last year, presidential spokesperson George Charamba hinted that there were overtures to bar President Mnangagwa from attending the summit held in Gaborone."With host President Dr. Masisi, Botswana extended an invitation to Zimbabwe in spite of objections from some within Corporate Council for Africa and from elements within the American establishment," he revealed via his X handle Tinoedzazvimwe1 last year."Walking to the venue of the Conference in the company of the President of Niger. The US-Africa Business Summit follows up on decisions of the US-Africa Summit held towards end of last year in Washington."On the insistence of the US government, Zimbabwe was represented by Hon Dr. Shava, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The US Government continues to pursue a policy of petty vindictiveness in spite of the fact that Zimbabwe under the Second Republic has avowed a policy of friendship to all and enmity to none. Africa, led by Sadc countries has adopted a policy of opposing US' ruinous policies towards Zimbabwe, an effort commemorated yearly on 25th October." ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Acting President Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Tuesday paid a condolatory visit to the Iranian embassy here wherein he said that with the death of Iranian President Dr Ebrahim Raisi, the Islamic Ummah had lost a great leader. The acting president expressed deep grief on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan on the sad demise of Dr Raisi, the Iranian foreign minister and others in the helicopter accident, saying that the whole nation shared the grief of the Iranian brothers and sisters. Talking to the Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam, Acting President Gilani said that Pakistan and Iran enjoyed excellent relations based on historical, cultural, and literary linkages. He remarked that both countries needed to promote people-to-people contacts and parliamentary exchanges to bring the two brotherly countries further closer. He highlighted that President Raisi was a noble soul, a scholar and a great friend of Pakistan. The Iranian ambassador said that Pakistan and Iran enjoyed excellent relations and promotion of ties with Pakistan was a cornerstone of Irans foreign policy. He informed that the Supreme Leader of Iran placed special emphasis on promoting relations with Pakistan, adding that the recent visit of the late President Raisi took place in this context. The ambassador expressed gratitude to the people and government of Pakistan for their messages and sentiments sharing the grief of the Iranian people. The acting president also penned condolatory remarks in the visitors book at the Iranian embassy. Later, talking to the media persons, Gilani said that the whole Muslim world shared the grief of the Iranian people. Gilani recalled his representation of Pakistan in the funeral prayer of Imam Khomeini, his frequent travels to Iran, and his interaction with the country's leadership. Referring to his ancestors also coming from Iran, he said Pakistan and Iran shared many cultural and historical commonalities. Even our old Farman Namah in Multan - the 5,000-year-old living city - is also in Persian, he added. (@Abdulla99267510) Justice Kayani observes that no court, judge, lawyer, journalist, or parliament member objects to the agencies working according to the law; they only object to illegal actions. ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 21st, 2024) Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked that it would be beneficial if the operational methods of the agencies are clarified. Justice Kayani gave these remarks while hearing a case concerning the recovery of missing Baloch students and the implementation of commission recommendations. The Attorney General appeared in court as per judicial orders, along with lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha representing the missing Baloch students. At the beginning of the hearing, the Attorney General presented the committee report on missing persons to the court. Justice Kayani inquired about the number of terrorism cases filed against Baloch students over the past 10 years, how many were arrested, went missing, or were harassed. The Attorney General responded that intelligence agencies do not harass anyone. Justice Kayani observed that no court, judge, lawyer, journalist, or parliament member objects to the agencies working according to the law; they only object to illegal actions. He suggested that it would be beneficial if the methods of operation for the agencies were made clear, noting that no Pakistani, whether a journalist or parliamentarian, supports terrorists. The Attorney General responded that unless this issue is resolved politically, it will not be resolved. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani acknowledged that this means the issue is recognized as political and mentioned that this was the 21st hearing on the matter. He compared the situation to war, where a ceasefire is declared by raising a white flag and issues are resolved through dialogue. He emphasized that there is no objection to the work of the agencies, only to their illegal actions. He questioned if the allegations that many people are held by the agencies are true, asking about the costs and whether these expenses come from public funds. He also inquired if there is an annual audit of the agencies' funds. He stressed the need to strengthen the police, CTD, and FIA as they are the Primary investigation bodies, with other agencies supporting them. The Attorney General responded that significant work has been done on the cases of missing persons, and what remains will also be addressed, requesting some time. He also mentioned that a political solution is being sought. At this point, lawyer Imaan Mazari, representing the Baloch students, argued that the families of missing persons have been intimidated. She pointed out that a committee for missing persons was formed, but no one from the committee met with the families, and there has been no progress or information provided to the families. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani asked Imaan Mazari if the information presented in court was inaccurate according to her. He acknowledged the efforts of the Attorney General in this matter. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani noted that due to the Attorney General's efforts, many missing persons have returned home. He stated that the courts will continue to work on missing persons' cases as long as they keep coming. He mentioned that criticism is part of the process, and it does not matter who holds press conferences. He also acknowledged that Imaan Mazari might have faced criticism too. The Attorney General emphasized that the media should support the issue to avoid highlighting negative aspects. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani mentioned another case related to missing persons and asked the Attorney General to be present for that case as well. The Attorney General assured his attendance. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked that the media is free and plays a crucial role in identifying issues, sometimes leading to the recovery of missing persons. He stressed the importance of standing with the people of Balochistan as they are also Pakistanis. The Attorney General responded that the issue of missing persons will be raised in the next two cabinet meetings. He suggested that the court make changes in the committee by including individuals below the level of DGs to facilitate coordination. He warned that if the issue is not resolved, problems will escalate. The court directed that responses to the questionnaire be submitted by the next hearing and adjourned the session until June 14. Minister for Defence and Defence Production, Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday said that it was absolutely saddening that counterfeit cigarette manufacturers were members of the assemblies and watch guard their business' interests through the legislature ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Minister for Defence and Defence Production, Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday said that it was absolutely saddening that counterfeit cigarette manufacturers were members of the assemblies and watch guard their business' interests through the legislature. "Pakistan has a capacity to generate 27,000 billion rupees in terms of taxes and we will not need IMF support if we only collect half of this tax," this was stated by Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif at the launching session of the research report titled Illicit Cigarette Trade in Pakistan Current Situation and Way Forward, produced by the National University of Science & Technology (NUST), a news release said. "Two major cigarette manufacturers are contributing Rs170b in taxes while the share of all the other cigarette manufacturers is just 2 billion rupees," he added. Khawaja Asif quoted ex Chairman FBR Shabbar Zaidi that during his tenure when FBR planned to implement tax on the cigarette industry, at that time Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser pressurized Shabbar Zaidi not to implement taxes on the cigarette industry. The NUST research report on the tobacco sector revealed that Pakistan is losing 310 billion rupees annually due to tax evasion in the tobacco sector. During session, audience was briefed on the complex challenges in administration, revenue collection, policy coordination, and market dynamics, of the cigarette industry which are causing significant tax revenue losses for the national exchequer. Additionally, the inadequate enforcement of existing laws, rules, regulations, and policies has further bolstered the illicit sector. While quoting efficacy of the Track and Trace System (TTS) under the governments enforcement regime, the report mentioned that the TTS had been aimed at reducing the levels of illicit trade in the country. Contrary to that goal, the illicit trade had increased since its implementation. This increase of illicit cigarette trade is feared to cause the market shares of the illicit sector to exceed 63% of the total market in 2024, leaving a dwindling legitimate sector share. To counter the challenges faced by the legitimate tobacco industry, the report urged the government to come up with a well thought-out strategy including excise duty structure reforms, modified price threshold, increased enforcement of the law against sales of non-compliant brands, and extensive and consistent implementation of TTS. Increased law enforcement especially in the areas like AJK could help reduce infiltration of local tax-evaded brands into Pakistan, which is the main component of the illicit cigarette trade with a share of 90%, the report suggested. (@ChaudhryMAli88) ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday highlighting immense potential of boosting German investment, said that Pakistan desired to enhance its bilateral trade and investment portfolio with Germany. He, talking to a delegation of a German NGO Global Bridges Berlin, said that his government was resolved to strengthen Pak-German cooperation in the fields of industry, alternative energy, mining, information technology, agriculture and others. The prime minister, who most of the time spoke in German with the delegation, said that Pakistan always greatly valued its relationship with Germany and considered it as its significant partner in Europe. The delegation members appreciated the prime minster's fluent conversation in their language and thanked him for the gesture. Prime Minister Shehbaz told the delegation that despite meager contribution to the carbon emission, Pakistan was among the countries most affected by the impacts of climate change. He told the delegation that Pakistan wanted to benefit from Germany's experiences in the field of alternative energy, agriculture, and food security. Besides, he said the capacity building of Pakistan's manpower was being done through quality skill training to make them employable abroad. The delegation members, which also included German Ambassador in Pakistan Alfred Grannas and German businessmen and investors, expressed their keen interest in investing in Pakistan's carbon credit market, as well as climate change and agriculture. Federal Ministers Jam Kamal Khan, Rana Tanveer Hussain and Attaullah Tarar, Minister of State Shaza Fatima Khawaja and relevant senior officers attended the meeting. ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Pilgrims coming to Saudi Arabia from Pakistan to perform Hajj rituals this year 1445H expressed happiness as they completed their travel procedures at Islamabad International Airport. They cited benefiting from the Makkah Route Initiative designed by Saudi Hajj authorities to serve the pilgrims in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to finalize their travel procedures at home, Saudi Press Agency reported. Saudi competent authorities have made great strides to provide the best services to the pilgrims during the Hajj season with the aim of facilitating the travel procedures for pilgrims from Pakistan and six other countries with ease and tranquility. The initiative was welcomed and praised by the pilgrims in Pakistan, who appreciated the great work provided by the Hajj host country to serve the pilgrims so that they could enjoy comfort while performing the Hajj rituals, as well as the keenness to provide them with the finest services from their arrival to the Kingdom until their departure back home. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Beijing, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) China said Tuesday it had complained to the United States over Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulating self-ruled Taiwan's newly inaugurated president, Lai Ching-te. Beijing considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory and has branded Lai, who was sworn in on Monday, as a "dangerous separatist". On Tuesday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Taiwan "separatists will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history", according to a statement published by the foreign ministry. "Lai Ching-te's betrayal of the nation and his ancestors is disgraceful," he said at a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation foreign ministers. "But no matter what they do, they will not be able to stop China from eventually achieving complete reunification." Blinken said in his congratulations message that he looked forward to Washington and Taipei maintaining "peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait". Beijing said Tuesday his message "seriously violates the One China principle... and sends a wrong signal to separatist forces". "We are strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this, and have lodged stern representations with the United States," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular news conference. "The Taiwan issue is the core of China's core interests and the first insurmountable red line in relations between China and the United States," he added. "We urge the United States to immediately correct its mistakes." Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but it has remained Taiwan's most important partner and biggest arms supplier. Blinken's statement came as China said Monday it would sanction three US defence companies over their sales of arms to Taiwan. US President Joe Biden sent a delegation -- including former National Economic Council director, Brian Deese, and ex-deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage -- to Taipei for the inauguration. More than 40 other countries, including Japan and Canada, also sent delegations. China on Tuesday strongly condemned their attendance, calling it "crude interference in China's internal affairs" and saying it "endanger(ed) peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait". "We sternly demand that the relevant countries and politicians stop engaging in political manipulation on Taiwan-related issues, stop sending any mistaken signals to Taiwan independence separatist forces, and stop mistaken actions that go against international good faith," spokesman Wang said. Tuesday slammed the inauguration speech of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te as a "confession of Taiwan independence", and warned it would take "countermeasures" Beijing, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) China on Tuesday slammed the inauguration speech of new Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te as a "confession of Taiwan independence", and warned it would take "countermeasures". Earlier, Beijing said it had complained to the United States over Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulating Taiwan on Lai's swearing-in. China considers self-ruled Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control. It has branded Lai, who was sworn in on Monday, as a "dangerous separatist". In his speech Monday, Lai said a "glorious era of Taiwan's democracy has arrived" and thanked citizens for "refusing to be swayed by external forces, for resolutely defending democracy". "Yesterday's speech... can be described as a downright confession of Taiwan independence", a statement from Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) released late Tuesday read. It added that (China) must take countermeasures and penalize the DPP authorities for colluding with external forces in their provocations for independence. The statement -- attributed to TAO spokesperson Chen Binhua -- did not specify what retaliatory measures from Beijing would entail. Chinese warplanes and naval vessels maintain a daily presence around the island, but in recent days, there has not been a significant uptick in the numbers. "I would like to emphasise that no matter what (Lai) says or how he says it, it will not change the status and fact that Taiwan is a part of China... The complete reunification of the motherland must be realised and can certainly be realised," Chen's statement added. Also on Tuesday, China's foreign minister Wang Yi said that Taiwan "separatists will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history", according to a statement published by the ministry. Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, when nationalists fled to the island following their defeat by communist forces in the Chinese civil war on the mainland. Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but it has remained Taiwan's most important partner and biggest arms supplier. Blinken said in his congratulations message that he looked forward to Washington and Taipei maintaining "peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait". Beijing said Tuesday his message "seriously violates the One China principle... and sends a wrong signal to separatist forces". "We are strongly dissatisfied and firmly opposed to this, and have lodged stern representations with the United States," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular news conference. "The Taiwan issue is the core of China's interests and the first insurmountable red line in relations between China and the United States," he added. "We urge the United States to immediately correct its mistakes." Blinken's statement came as China said Monday it would sanction three US defence companies over their sales of arms to Taiwan. US President Joe Biden sent a delegation -- including former National Economic Council director Brian Deese and ex-deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage -- to Taipei for the inauguration. More than 40 other countries, including Japan and Canada, also sent delegations. Eight heads of state from countries that recognise Taiwan were also present. China on Tuesday strongly condemned their attendance, calling it "crude interference in China's internal affairs" and saying it "endanger(ed) peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait". bur-pfc/reb/sst/ (@ChaudhryMAli88) After the conclusion of the SCO-Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Astana, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday departed for Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic on a working visit, where he would meet the Pakistani students ASTANA, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) After the conclusion of the SCO-Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Astana, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday departed for Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic on a working visit, where he would meet the Pakistani students. He is accompanying Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Zheenbek Kulubaev, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. In Bishkek, the deputy prime minister would meet with Pakistani nationals, including the students who were under treatment for injuries as a result of the recent developments in the Kyrgyz Republic. He will discuss with the Kyrgyz Foreign Minister the concerns of Pakistani students, including issues pertaining to their continued education during their temporary stay in Pakistan, it was added. (@FahadShabbir) Rome, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Authorities evacuated 39 families near the Italian city of Naples and schools were closed on Tuesday after a wave of tremors of a strength not seen for decades sparked panic but no injuries. One 4.4-magnitude quake was registered shortly after 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) on Monday evening at a depth of 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles), according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). It was part of what the institute called a "seismic swarm" overnight in which some 150 quakes were recorded. The institute's Mauro Di Vito said: "This is the most powerful seismic swarm in the last 40 years." Many residents of Pozzuoli, a city near Naples, rushed out of their homes into the street following the tremors, which caused some damage to buildings but no casualties. Italy's Civil Protection Department said on Tuesday morning that 39 families had been evacuated from 13 buildings following the outcome of inspections. The mayor of Pozzuoli, Gigi Manzoni, urged people to remain calm but acknowledged it was a situation that was "stressing us all". Four reception centres were set up overnight for people who did not feel safe in their homes, while authorities in Naples arranged to send 400 temporary beds to the area. Schools were closed on Tuesday for inspections. Pozzuoli is on the Campi Flegrei (Phlegraean Fields), Europe's largest active caldera -- the hollow left after an eruption. Riyadh, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) The first day of the Future Aviation Forum 2024, held under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, organized by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) in Riyadh on May 20-22, witnessed the announcement of 47 memoranda of understanding (MoUs), agreements, and deals worth $19 billion. These included aviation services, aircraft purchase orders, cargo and logistics services, advanced air navigation, human resources development, and information technology, in addition to agreements related to maintenance, repair, and renovation. The third annual forum is being held with the participation of over 30 ministers, 77 leaders of civil aviation authorities, CEOs of airlines worldwide, 5,000 aviation industry experts, and leaders from more than 120 countries. The forum discusses issues related to growth, investment, airports, air connectivity, supply-chain management, resilience, human capital, and sustainability. Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Chairman of GACA board of Directors Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser stated during his opening speech at the forum that the Kingdom provides enormous opportunities for the private sector and is working to create thousands of jobs for its citizens. The forum brings together aviation leaders and experts from around the world to collaborate and develop innovative solutions that drive the sector towards a more prosperous future, the minister said. GACA President Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al-Duailej stated that the first day of the forum witnessed great success, with numerous commercial deals, initiatives, and agreements aimed at enhancing global connectivity. The agreements announced during the forum are a testament to the confidence in the growth and investment opportunities provided by the civil aviation sector in the Kingdom, reaffirming the Kingdom's leading position in the global aviation sector, the GACA president said. On the first day of the forum, the GACA signed multiple aviation services agreements with Mozambique, Eswatini, Cambodia, and Brunei Darussalam. Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) entered a deal with Airbus to purchase 105 aircraft of the A320-Neo and A321-Neo models to expand and modernize its fleet, enhancing global air connectivity with various countries. During the forum, the GACA also launched the first edition of the Kingdom's aviation sector report, which highlighted the civil aviation sector's contribution to the Kingdom's economy, amounting to $53 billion and providing 958,000 jobs across various regions. The GACA also issued a roadmap for general aviation, aiming to develop the business aviation and private aircraft sector in the Kingdom, with the goal of increasing its size tenfold by 2030. This plan involves allocating six airports for general aviation and 9 lounges in commercial airports, with an expected contribution of 35,000 new jobs. The National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Greece (ETHEAS) and the Latvian Dairy Committee (LDC) join forces to promote products of Greece and Latvia in Canada, Malaysia and South Korea TORONTO, May 21, 2024 /CNW/ -- The National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Greece (ETHEAS) and the Latvian Dairy Committee (LDC) are proud to announce the launch of the "Information Provision and Promotion Measures on European Added-Value Products" program. This initiative, conducted under the wider "Premium European Products" campaign, represents a significant milestone in the joint efforts of these two emblematic organizations to promote the most prestigious products of Greece and Latvia in key markets. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The ETHEAS, representing Greece, situated on the Mediterranean Sea, and the LDC, representing Latvia, on the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, have formed a consortium to elevate the profile of European products in Canada, Malaysia, and South Korea. Spanning from January 2024 to December 2026, the program aims to raise awareness, enhance recognition among consumers, drive increased consumption, and ultimately, propel a surge in exports of European products to these vital markets under the brand name "Premium European Products." The "Premium European Products" campaign highlights a curated selection of exquisite added-value products, showcasing the rich culinary heritage and unmistakable tastes of Europe. From PDO olive oils, table olives, dried grapes, and saffron sourced from Greece to dairy products, candied fruits, chocolates, and salty snacks from Latvia, these offerings epitomize Europe's culture and history. Underpinning this campaign is the European Union's steadfast commitment to safety, quality, and animal welfare throughout food production. Stringent regulations ensure meticulous safety protocols, guaranteeing consumer trust in EU products. Renowned for their excellence, products like Greek olive oil and Latvian cheese consistently meet high standards, delivering a delightful culinary experience that embodies the essence of European gastronomy. Story continues The "Information Provision and Promotion Measures on European Added-Value Products" program is a cornerstone of this campaign, offering a comprehensive approach to showcase the high-quality offerings from Greece and Latvia. Through strategic measures, including educational initiatives, promotional campaigns, and market research, the program seeks to highlight the unique attributes and exquisite taste of European products to discerning consumers. For more information about the "Premium European Products" campaign and its associated programs, please visit https://premiumeuropeanproducts.eu/ or email us to info@premiumeuropeanproducts.eu . Pages dedicated to this program can be found on Instagram , Facebook and YouTube . About "PREMIUM EUROPEAN PRODUCTS" PROGRAM The campaign: "Premium European Products: Better Knowledge, Better Choices" is co-funded by the European Union and managed by the National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Greece (ETHEAS) and the Latvian Dairy Committee (LDC). It aims to promote exquisite added-value products in Canada, South Korea, and Malaysia, including PDO olive oils, table olives, dried grapes, saffron, hard cheese, gum, and gum oil from Greece, as well as dairy products, candied fruits, chocolates, confectionery, and salty snacks from Latvia. Spanning from 2024 to 2027, the program seeks to significantly elevate the profile of European products in these markets through a four-pronged approach: raising awareness, enhancing recognition among consumers, increasing consumption, and boosting exports to Canada, Malaysia, and South Korea. The beneficiaries: The National Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Greece (ETHEAS), established by the Greek State Law, coordinates over 300 agricultural cooperatives across Greece, representing about 80% of the total turnover of such cooperatives. It focuses on rural and cooperative development, supports member activities domestically and internationally, issues opinions on agricultural matters, supervises cooperative promotion, and conducts educational activities. The Latvian Dairy Committee (LDC), established in 1995, represents Latvian milk producers and aims to protect their interests. It consists of 17 members producing approximately 80% of industrially produced milk in Latvia. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. SOURCE Premium European Products Cision View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2024/21/c8512.html Rome, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) A flurry of tremors of a strength not seen in decades was registered at a volcanic caldera near the southern Italian city of Naples on Monday night, sparking panic among residents but resulting in no major damage, authorities said. One 4.4-magnitude quake was registered shortly after 8 pm (1800 GMT) at a depth of 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles), according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV). It was preceded moments earlier by a 3.5-magnitude tremor and followed by dozens of aftershocks. The Campi Flegrei -- or Phlegraean Fields, as the caldera is known -- experienced about 150 earthquakes between 7:51 pm on Monday and 12:31 am on Tuesday, the INGV said in a report. According to the institute's Mauro Di Vito, "this is the most powerful seismic swarm in the last 40 years". Emergency services in the area reported cracks and pieces falling from buildings, while amateur video from a supermarket in the town of Pozzuoli showed bottles strewn across the floor after being shaken off shelves. Schools in the town will remain closed on Tuesday and temporary accommodation has been established to take in frightened residents, mayor Luigi Manzoni announced on Facebook. The INGV said it would continue to monitor the caldera and that "it cannot be ruled out that other seismic events may occur, also of similar energy". The Campi Flegrei is situated between Pozzuoli and Naples, which sits in the shadow of the much better-known Mount Vesuvius further to the east. The Campi Flegrei experienced an eruption 40,000 years ago that affected the planet's climate, and it has been a source of concern to residents and scientists more recently thanks to a resurgence of activity due to gases emitted by the magma. "We have to live with fear all the time," a Pozzuoli resident told the public channel Rainews. "How long will the buildings be able to hold out while experiencing all these shocks? That's what we wonder." Specialists, however, say a full-blown eruption in the near future remains unlikely. (@FahadShabbir) Kalamata, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) The trial of nine accused smugglers opens on Tuesday, nearly a year after a derelict migrant trawler with hundreds on board sank off the coast of Greece in one of Europe's deadliest shipwrecks. Nine Egyptian men -- who were among the 104 survivors -- will appear before a court in Kalamata, southwestern Greece, to answer charges including negligent homicide, participation in a criminal organisation and facilitating illegal entry into the country. The men, aged 21 to 37 years old, have denied responsibility. Their lawyers say they are being scapegoated to obscure the responsibilities of the Greek coastguard, which failed to mount an effective rescue. The suspects, who have spent the past 11 months in pre-trial detention, face life imprisonment if convicted. As the sinking occurred in international waters, 47 nautical miles (87 kilometres) off the coast of Pylos, lawyers for the defendants say a Greek court is not competent to hear the case. (@ChaudhryMAli88) Puerto Ayora, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Like Charles Darwin did in 1831, a group of scientists and environmentalists last year set sail from the English port of Plymouth, headed for the Galapagos islands off the coast of Ecuador. But what they found on their arrival last month differed vastly from what naturalist Darwin saw while visiting the archipelago in 1835, in a trip key to developing his world-changing theory on natural selection. The Galapagos today is under protection, part of a marine reserve and classified a World Heritage Site. Yet the area faces more threats than ever, from pollution and illegal fishing to climate change. There to observe the challenges, with a well-thumbed copy of her great-great-grandfather's "On the Origin of Species" in hand, was botanist Sarah Darwin. "I think probably the main difference is that, you know, there are people working now to protect the islands," the 60-year-old told AFP, onboard the "Oosterschelde," a refurbished, three-mast schooner built more than 100 years ago. The ship has been on a scientific and awareness-raising expedition since last August, stopping so far in the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Brazil and Chile among other locales. In colonial times, the islands -- located in one of the world's most biodiverse regions -- served as a pit stop for pirates who caught and ate the giant turtles that call it home. During World War II, the archipelago hosted a US military base. "I think if (Darwin) were able to come back now and see the efforts that everybody is making, both locally and globally, to protect these extraordinary islands and that biodiversity -- I think he'd be really, really excited and impressed," the naturalist's descendant told AFP. Sarah Darwin first visited the Galapagos in 1995, where she illustrated a guide to endemic plants. She then devoted herself to studying native tomatoes. She also mentors young people as part of a project to create a group of 200 Darwin "heirs" to raise the alarm about environmental and climate threats to the planet. Calling at several ports on the journey from Plymouth to the Galapagos, the Oosterschelde took on new groups of young scientists and activists at every stop, and dropped off others. One of them, Indian-born Laya Pothunuri, who joined the mission from Singapore, told AFP the Galapagos "has a very important place in scientific terms." She was there, she said, to improve the irrigation systems in the islands' coffee-growing regions. "I plan to do it using recycled plastic, which also, again, is a big problem over here," she said, noting that plastic waste ends up being consumed by wildlife. In the Galapagos, the expedition members worked with researchers from the private Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), the Charles Darwin Foundation and the NGO Conservation International on both confronting invasive species and protecting endemic ones. Last year, a study by the Charles Darwin Foundation found that giant turtles in the area were ingesting harmful materials due to human pollution. Samples revealed that nearly 90 percent of the waste consumed was plastic, eight percent was fabric and the rest metal, paper, cardboard, construction materials and glass. From Galapagos, the Oosterschelde set sail again on Sunday to continue its world tour, with stops expected in Tahiti, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. (@FahadShabbir) JEDDAH, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain praised Saudi Arabia for its exemplary arrangements for Hajj 2024 during a meeting with Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah here on Tuesday. The meeting focused on bilateral matters and the meticulous preparations for the upcoming Hajj. Accompanying Chaudhry Salik were Additional Secretary Dr Ata-ur-Rehman and Director General (Hajj) and Head of the Pakistan Hajj Mission Abdul Wahab Soomro. Chaudhry Salik commended the Kingdom for its extensive and exemplary arrangements made for the millions of Hajj pilgrims, gathering in Makkah for a five-day communion with Allah Almighty to seek forgiveness for their sins and invoke His blessings, starting from the 8th of Zilhajj. The federal minister expressed gratitude for the Saudi government's excellent cooperation in providing services to Pakistani pilgrims. He also informed the Saudi minister about significant progress in establishing new Pakistan House buildings in Makkah and Madinah. However, he expressed concern over the delay in transportation contracts for 40,000 private Hajj pilgrims, which were still pending. In response, the Saudi minister assured that all contracts would be finalized within the next four days. Chaudhry Salik emphasized that Pakistani Hajj group operators must adhere to Saudi guidelines and complete the necessary formalities to prevent any inconvenience for the pilgrims. He warned that stern action would be taken against any private Hajj group operators who failed to fulfill their responsibilities. The meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere, with both sides emphasizing the importance of cooperation and coordination to ensure a smooth and spiritually fulfilling Hajj experience for all pilgrims. Amid the bustling crowds and lively atmosphere of the 33rd Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair, also known as the 8th China-Russia Expo, which kicked off on May 16-21, Habib, an exhibitor of Pakistani handcraft products specially wool rugs, was struck by the overwhelming turnout BEIJING, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) Amid the bustling crowds and lively atmosphere of the 33rd Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair, also known as the 8th China-Russia Expo, which kicked off on May 16-21, Habib, an exhibitor of Pakistani handcraft products specially wool rugs, was struck by the overwhelming turnout. With over 5,000 overseas buyers registered and representatives from 44 countries and regions in attendance, the exhibition area spanning 388,000 square meters showcases more than 5,000 products across 20 major categories from 10 sectors. Joining over 10 other Pakistani exhibitors to present their products to a global audience, Habib made his debut this year. With a focus on retail, wholesale, and local distribution, Habib is aiming to achieve a sales target of $28,000 during the fair. Specializing in Pakistani handcraft wool rugs, he believes that the strong interest from buyers, both Chinese and international, is a testament to the quality and appeal of his products, Chinese media reported. Incredibly proud of our rugs and the craftsmanship that goes into making them, said Habib. Its rewarding to see people appreciate the beauty and quality of our work, and I'm looking forward to building long-lasting relationships with our new customers, especially from northern China. Ali, another Pakistani exhibitor, has been participating in the Harbin Fair since 2015 and has been showcasing Pakistani handicrafts for several years. He expressed his satisfaction with the products that have received overwhelming response of people, stating that the Harbin trade fair provides a valuable opportunity to promote his country's traditional handicrafts and establish business ties with potential buyers. He also praised the smooth transportation, excellent environment and especially the delicious lamb and beef in Harbin fair. The Harbin Fair, approved by the Chinese government, has been held annually since its inception in 1990. It has grown to become a renowned platform for economic and trade cooperation between China and Russia, as well as an important hub for trade cooperation in Northeast Asia. APP/asg/ New York, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) After approximately five weeks, 19 witnesses, reams of documents and a dash of salacious testimony, the prosecution against Donald Trump rested its case Monday, handing over to the defense before closing arguments expected next week. Trump's team immediately sought to undermine key testimony against the former president, who is accused of covering up hush money paid to a porn star over an alleged encounter that could have derailed his successful 2016 White House bid. His attorneys called lawyer Robert Costello -- who once advised star prosecution witness Michael Cohen before falling out with him -- in an apparent attempt to puncture Cohen's credibility. But Costello's start on the stand was shaky at best, as his dismissive tone provoked an angry response from Judge Juan Merchan. The judge ordered the jury out of the courtroom to admonish Costello, and, still unsatisfied, also ordered the press and others to briefly leave. Trump, speaking to reporters afterward, called the episode "an incredible display," branding the proceedings "a show trial" and the judge "a tyrant." Extended quibbling among the two legal teams, along with the upcoming holiday weekend, means closing arguments that the judge had hoped could start Tuesday are now anticipated for next week. It's unlikely and risky, but the door remains open for Trump to take the stand in the criminal trial, the first ever of a former US president. Experts doubt he will, as it would expose him to unnecessary legal jeopardy and forensic cross-examination by prosecutors -- but his lawyer Todd Blanche has raised the prospect. On Monday, Blanche finished his third day of questioning Cohen after hours of at times digressive, at other times bruising, exchanges. Cohen, Trump's former personal lawyer and fixer, recounted last week how he kept Trump informed about $130,000 paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump's lawyers set out to paint Cohen as a convicted criminal and habitual liar, recalling his time in prison for tax fraud and lying to Congress. Blanche also probed Cohen's loyalty to Trump and then to the prosecution, looking to show jurors that Cohen is self-serving and willing to go to great lengths to accomplish his aims. Blanche vied to goad Cohen, who has a reputation for a short temper that could have hurt him on the stand -- but the witness largely maintained his composure. Cohen's story generally lined up with Daniels and David Pecker, the tabloid boss who said he worked with Trump and Cohen to suppress negative coverage during the Republican's White House run. After Blanche finished with him, the prosecution returned for redirect, with prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asking Cohen what the whole experience has meant for him. "My entire life has been turned upside down," Cohen said, genuine emotion in his voice. "I lost my law license, my financial security... my family's happiness... just to name a few." Trump meanwhile has complained his 2024 election campaign for another White House term is being stymied by the weeks-long court proceedings, which he has to attend every day. He did so again Monday, complaining to journalists he's "not allowed to have anything to do with politics because I'm sitting in a very freezing cold, dark room for the last four weeks. It's very unfair." Calling the case politicized, a coterie of leading Republicans have stood in the wings behind him as he gives remarks to reporters outside the courtroom. The growing list includes several lawmakers eyeing Trump's vice presidential pick, including Ohio Senator JD Vance and North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum. Yet despite the palace intrigue and courtroom drama, the charges ultimately hinge on financial records, and whether falsifying them was done with intent to sway the 2016 presidential vote. When the jury begins deliberating, the often juicy testimony will likely linger, but they will also have stacks of documents to consider. (@FahadShabbir) Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st May, 2024) A US congressional investigation released Monday found that carmakers BMW, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen had used components from a Chinese supplier banned in the United States over alleged forced labor ties. The report by the Senate Finance Committee said BMW had produced and imported vehicles with parts "presumptively made with forced labor," while Jaguar Land Rover imported parts with the same issues. VW made vehicles for the US market with such components too, and has "ongoing business ties" to manufacturing in China's northwestern Xinjiang region, the report said. Beijing has been accused of incarcerating over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of detention facilities in Xinjiang -- although officials strongly deny this. In the United States, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) bans the import of all goods from Xinjiang unless companies offer verifiable proof that production did not involve forced labor. "Automakers' self-policing is clearly not doing the job," said the Senate Finance Committee's Democratic chairman Ron Wyden at the end of the two-year probe. He called on US customs officials to boost enforcement and "crack down on companies that fuel the shameful use of forced labor in China." The latest report looks into components from Sichuan Jingweida Technology Group Co, a firm added to the UFLPA entity list in 2023 over participation in business practices said to target members of persecuted groups like Uyghurs in China. A supplier to the automakers was found to have sourced components indirectly from Jingweida, meaning these parts were barred from vehicles bound for the US market. Volkswagen disclosed earlier this year that a shipment of its vehicles for the United States included parts made by a blacklisted supplier, and arranged to replace the components before the cars entered the country. "We acted as quickly and responsibly as possible to replace the part," said a VW spokesperson in response to queries. The spokesperson added that VW is "committed to preventing the use of forced labor in our supply chain." BMW was also found to have "imported thousands of vehicles intended for the United States that included parts banned under UFLPA," the committee said. It added that BMW disclosed after questioning that at least 8,000 Mini Cooper cars containing such components were shipped to the country. "BMW continued to import products manufactured by JWD until at least April 2024," said the report, referring to Jingweida. In response to AFP queries, BMW said it has "taken steps to halt the importation of affected products and will be conducting a service action with customer and dealer notification for affected motor vehicles." The US embassy in London owes millions in unpaid congestion fees (Philip Toscano/PA) (PA Archive) Diplomats owe TfL more than 143million in unpaid congestion charges, new figures reveal - with the US racking up nearly 15m in fees. TfL data shows the US total of 14.6m is the highest among all the embassies in the capital. The Japanese embassy has the second highest debt at 10.1m, followed by the high commission of India at 8.6 million. Togo owes the least, at just 40, with around 40 countries of all the UN-recognised countries in the world not owing TfL money, according to the data. The figures relate to unpaid fees and fines accrued by diplomats between the launch of the congestion charge in 2003 and the end of last year. The scheme involves a 15 daily fee for driving within an area of central London between 7am and 6pm on weekdays, and between noon and 6pm on weekends and bank holidays. There are discounts and exemptions for various groups of people and vehicles, such as residents, taxis and fully electric cars. TfL said in a statement: We and the UK Government are clear that the congestion charge is a charge for a service and not a tax. "This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it. "The majority of embassies in London do pay the charge, but there remains a stubborn minority who refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels. "We will continue to pursue all unpaid congestion charge fees and related penalty charge notices, and are pushing for the matter to be taken up at the International Court of Justice." But a spokesperson for the US embassy in London, which moved from Grosvenor Square to Nine Elms in January 2018, said: "In accordance with international law as reflected in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, our position is that the congestion charge is a tax from which diplomatic missions are exempt. "Our long-standing position is shared by many other diplomatic missions in London." In February 2020, then-foreign secretary Dominic Raab issued a written ministerial statement revealing that his officials have written to "a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations" to "press for payment" of money owed relating to the congestion charge, parking fines and business rates. Vietnam Briefing has developed into a premium source for insight on doing business in Vietnam. It publishes business news concerning foreign direct investment into Vietnam, including the most important tax, legal and accounting issues. The Vietnam Briefing Magazine was first published in 2009, and is contributed to by investment professionals based in Vietnam. The 12-month grace period for student loan borrowers ended on September 30. The "on-ramp" period helped borrowers who are struggling to make payments avoid the risk of defaulting and hurting their credit score. "The end of the on-ramp period means the beginning of the potentially harsh consequences for student loan borrowers who are not able to make payments," said Persis Yu, Deputy Executive Director at the Student Borrower Protection Center. Around 43 million Americans have student loan debt, amounting to $1.5 trillion. Around eight million of those borrowers had enrolled in the SAVE plan, the newest income-driven repayment plan that extended the eligibility for borrowers to have affordable monthly student loan payments. However, this plan is currently on hold due to legal challenges. With the on-ramp period and a separate program known as Fresh Start ending and the SAVE plan on hold, student loan borrowers who are struggling to afford their monthly payments have fewer options, added Yu. Student loan borrowers who haven't been able to afford their monthly payments must consider their options to avoid going into default. If you have student loans, here's what you need to know. What was the on-ramp period? The Education Department implemented this grace period to ease the borrower's transition to make payments after a three-year payment pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this year-long period, borrowers were encouraged to keep making payments since interest continued to accumulate. "Normally, loans will default if you fall about nine months behind on making payments, but during this on-ramp period, missed payments would not move people towards defaulting and then being subject to forced collections. However, if you missed payments, you still be falling behind ultimately on repaying your loans," said Abby Shaforth, director of National Consumer Law Center's Student Loan Borrower Assistance Project. Since this grace period has ended, student loan borrowers who don't make payments will go delinquent or, if their loans are not paid for nine months, go into default. Borrowers who cannot afford to make payments can apply for deferment or forbearance, which pause payments, though interest continues to accrue. What happens if I don't make my payments? Borrowers who can't or don't pay risk delinquency and eventually default. That can badly hurt your credit rating and make you ineligible for additional aid and government benefits. If a borrower missed one month's payment, they will start receiving email notifications, said Shaforth. Once the loan hasn't been paid for three months, loan servicers notify to the credit reporting agencies that the loan is delinquent, affecting your credit history. Once the borrower hasn't paid the loan for nine months, the loan goes into default. If you're struggling to pay, advisers first encourage you to check if you qualify for an income-driven repayment plan, which determines your payments by looking at your expenses. You can see whether you qualify by visiting the Federal Student Aid website. If you've worked for a government agency or a non-profit organization, you could also be eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which forgives student debt after 10 years. What happens when a loan goes into default? When you fall behind on a loan by 270 days roughly nine months the loan appears on your credit report as being in default. Once a loan is in default, it goes into collections. This means the government can garnish wages (without a court order) to go towards paying back the loan, intercept tax refunds, and seize portions of Social Security checks and other benefit payments. What if I can't pay? If your budget doesn't allow you to resume payments, it's important to know how to navigate the possibility of default and delinquency on a student loan. Both can hurt your credit rating, which would make you ineligible for additional aid. If you're in a short-term financial bind, you may qualify for deferment or forbearance allowing you to temporarily suspend payment. To determine whether deferment or forbearance are good options for you, you can contact your loan servicer. One thing to note: interest still accrues during deferment or forbearance. Both can also impact potential loan forgiveness options. Depending on the conditions of your deferment or forbearance, it may make sense to continue paying the interest during the payment suspension. What is an income-driven repayment plan? The U.S. Education Department offers several plans for repaying federal student loans. Under the standard plan, borrowers are charged a fixed monthly amount that ensures all their debt will be repaid after 10 years. But if borrowers have difficulty paying that amount, they can enroll in one of several plans that offer lower monthly payments based on income and family size. Those are known as income-driven repayment plans. Income-driven options have been offered for years and generally cap monthly payments at 10% of a borrower's discretionary income. If a borrower's earnings are low enough, their bill is reduced to $0. And after 20 or 25 years, any remaining debt gets erased. What is the latest with the SAVE program? In August, the Supreme Court kept on hold the SAVE plan, the income-driven repayment plan that would have lowered payments for millions of borrowers, while lawsuits make their way through lower courts. Eight million borrowers who had already enrolled in the SAVE plan don't have to pay their monthly student loan bills until the court case is resolved. Debt that already had been forgiven under the plan was unaffected. The next court hearing about this case will be held on October 15. What happened with the Fresh Start program? The Fresh Start program, which gave benefits to borrowers who were delinquent prior to the pandemic payment pause, also closed on September 30. During this limited program, student loan borrowers who were in default prior to the pandemic were given the opportunity to remove their loans from default, allowing them to enroll in income-driven payment plans, or apply for deferment, among other benefits. Ahead of a trilateral summit involving South Korea, Japan, and China this weekend in Seoul, Washington said it expects the event to be an opportunity for its two allies to manage their relations with Beijing. The United States respects the ability of nations to make sovereign decisions in the best interests of their people, said a spokesperson for the State Department. Just as the United States takes steps to responsibly manage our relationship with the PRC, so do our partners and allies, the spokesperson continued in an email to VOAs Korean Service on May 15. The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) is Chinas official name. The summit would come amid a heightened tension between Washington and Beijing over trade and after China agreed with Russia to establish a new era partnership to create a multipolar world order during their summit last week. The three East Asian countries are expected to hold their summit from May 26 to 27, but the official dates have not been announced. Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to attend in place of Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. The meeting would be their first trilateral summit since December 2019. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA on May 14 that Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul should be main drivers responsible for regional stability and security. Pointing out what Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after a trilateral foreign ministers meeting in November, Pengyu said the three countries need to address differences and disputes in peaceful ways and act as front runner of East Asia cooperation. Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing are planning to discuss trade and investment, peace and security, and science and technology, among other items and include in a joint statement their cooperation on economic issues and infectious diseases, according to the Japan Times, citing Japanese government sources Sunday. Former U.S. officials said while it will be important for the three countries to meet and talk at the summit, differences that Seoul and Tokyo have with Beijing on North Korea are unlikely to be resolved. With China determined to establish a new China-centric regional order and because of Beijings open-ended support for the DPRK, we should not expect progress on this issue, said Evans Revere, a State Department official with extensive experience negotiating with North Korea. North Koreas official name is the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK). Nevertheless, it is important for South Korea and Japan to use this summit to convey their strong concerns, Revere continued. At a bilateral summit last week, Beijing and Moscow criticized Washington and its allies for their intimidation in the military sphere against North Korea. Zhao Leji, who ranks third in the Chinese Communist Party, visited Pyongyang in April and agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to boost cooperation on mutual concerns. It was the highest-level talks the two countries had held in years. The upcoming summit comes after trilateral cooperation was agreed among Washington, Seoul and Tokyo at their Camp David summit in August 2023 to strengthen their deterrence against North Korean threats and to defend a free and open Indo-Pacific against Chinese aggressions. Joseph DeTrani, who served as the U.S. special envoy for six-party denuclearization talks with North Korea from 2003 to 2006, said, China will ask that the ROK and Japan not to align with the U.S. against China, an issue that wasnt on the table in 2019. South Koreas official name is the Republic of Korea (ROK). DeTrani said Seoul and Tokyo will try to get China to convince North Korea to cease providing arms to Russia for its war in Ukraine and to use its leverage with Pyongyang to halt ballistic missile launches. Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of Kim Jong Un, denied Pyongyangs arms dealings with Moscow, according to state-run KCNA on Friday. The same day, North Korea launched a tactical ballistic missile, said KCNA. Gary Samore, who served as the White House coordinator for arms control and weapons of mass destruction during the Obama administration, said the summit will become an opportunity for communication among Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing to avoid conflict, but the differences that grew among them since 2019 will not be resolved as South Korea and Japan leaned in the direction of cooperating with the U.S. Eunjung Cho contributed to this report. The International Criminal Court's prosecutor said on Monday he had requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defense chief and three Hamas leaders over alleged war crimes. We talk to Douglass Cassel who specializes in business and human rights, international human rights law, and international law at King & Spalding. Microsoft on Monday debuted a new category of personal computers with AI features. ChatGPT-maker OpenAI on Monday said it was working on temporarily muting a synthetic voice that sounds a lot like that of actress Scarlett Johansson. And a spoon that makes low salt food taste saltier. Chinas planned deployment of floating nuclear reactors to the disputed South China Sea may risk ramping up tensions with other claimants and undermining regional security, and claimants should work through a multilateral framework to counter China, say experts. China plans to send some 20 floating nuclear power plants to the islands it reclaimed in the South China Sea, where it has long-running territorial disputes with some regional countries, The Washington Post reported early this month. China claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea as its own despite a ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 which rejected the claim as having no legal basis. Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines also have rival claims to some island chains and parts of the sea. These claimants view Chinas planned operation of these reactors as a direct challenge to their sovereignty, Pratnashree Basu, associate fellow with the India-based Observer Research Foundations Strategic Studies Program, told VOA in an email exchange, if the reactors are deployed to islands, rocks, low-tide elevations, or man-made features they claim. Basu cited Vietnams 2008 Law on Atomic Energy, which requires nuclear-powered vessels in Vietnamese waters to be authorized by the countrys prime minister. Such regulations do not exist in the Philippines, she noted, but Manila can still assert its right to monitor [a] Chinese nuclear plant under its maritime laws. Since 2014, China has reclaimed land to build artificial islands on some features it controls in the Spratly archipelago which is also claimed by Hanoi and Manila. Given Beijings record of strengthening its foothold in the South China Sea regardless of international law, the planned deployment of nuclear power plant(s) would potentially bolster Beijings grip on the artificial islands it has built and militarized, she wrote to VOA. The move risks further ramping up tension in an already tense region, she warned. Ha Hoang Hop, an associate senior fellow with the Singapore-based ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, told VOA that it doesnt matter to other claimants if China just sails the floating nuclear plant around the South China Sea. However, if they dock at Spratly or Paracel [another island chain claimed by both Beijing and Hanoi but controlled by Beijing], Vietnam will certainly protest, Hop said. He argued that the deployment to islands Vietnam claims violates Vietnams sovereign rights, noting that such deployment will inevitably support Chinese military and patrol activities in the South China Sea. If the plants power Chinese military activities like electrical warfare, reconnaissance, airspace monitoring, drone warfare, among others, they would pose a serious threat to regional security, he added, warning that if the vessels carry nuclear warhead missiles to the South China Sea, it would constitute a breach of international law. Observer Research Foundations Basu noted that floating nuclear power plants can provide energy to Chinas offshore oil and gas exploration, and especially military bases. Reliable energy also enhances surveillance and rapid-response capabilities, she added. Asked what Vietnam and the Philippines can do to counter the Chinese move, Raymond Powell, a team leader at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, told VOA in an email that he is not sure theres an avenue for contesting Chinas use of floating nuclear power plants in the South China Sea. China is unlikely to respond to outside pressure to hold off, and its not clear it would [be] violating any international law or regulation if it moves forward, he wrote in the email. ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institutes Hop said that other claimants may consider renting nuclear power plants built by Western countries or Russia to deploy in the South China Sea as part of a tit-for-tat strategy. Basu suggested that the claimants and the U.S. work through ASEAN and other regional forums to address concerns about the floating reactors to promote multilateral engagement over unilateral actions. Countries could challenge the deployment of floating nuclear power plants in disputed waters through international courts or tribunals, seeking rulings that could limit or regulate their operation, she wrote. The countries should also advocate for the application of existing international laws such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to floating nuclear facilities, she added. Additionally, according to Basu, building coalitions with global environmental and safety organizations to pressure for stricter regulations of floating nuclear power plants could be an option. A French government spokeswoman says President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the violence-wracked Pacific territory of New Caledonia later Tuesday. Macrons trip to the French-controlled archipelago comes a week after deadly riots broke out over a bill introduced in the French parliament that would allow French-born residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to vote in local elections. Leaders of the islands pro-independence movement say the measure would dilute the voting power of the indigenous Kanak people, who have suffered under decades of discrimination. At least six people have been killed and hundreds more wounded in the violence. Scores of homes and businesses have been looted and burned in the capital, Noumea, prompting authorities to impose a dusk-to-dawn curfew and a ban on public gatherings. The violence has also prompted the closure of schools and businesses, as well as the islands airport, which left thousands of tourists unable to leave. Groups of Kanak protesters have set up roadblocks leading in and out of Noumea which has prevented deliveries of food and medicine to citizens and tourists trapped in their homes and resorts. Australia and New Zealand began sending planes to Noumea to evacuate their stranded citizens from the troubled island. The first of two Australian military transport planes arrived at the airport to begin evacuating 300 Australian tourists. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong posted on the social media platform X late Monday that Canberra has been cleared by France for two government assisted flights to evacuate Australians and other tourists from the archipelago. Wong added that passengers are being prioritized according to need, and that the government will continue to work on further flights. New Zealand Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said the government there is sending a plane to Noumea to evacuate 50 of its nationals. Peters acknowledged that New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days and that bringing them home has been an urgent priority for Wellington. France has deployed more than 1,000 security personnel to help end the unrest, with hundreds more due to arrive Tuesday. At least 270 people have been arrested. France agreed in 1998 to grant New Caledonia more political power and autonomy and to hold three referendums over the islands status. Voters have rejected independence in all three referendums. Frances National Assembly approved the controversial measure last week by a vote of 351-153. The bill still must be approved in a special session of both houses of parliament next month. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse. Chinese President Xi Jinping is not known for public displays of affection. So Xis double embrace of his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, last week broadcast by Chinese and Russian state television was widely seen as a calculated signal to the world of a blossoming personal and geopolitical relationship. Putins visit to China underlined burgeoning economic ties between Moscow and Beijing as the two countries signed a series of agreements aimed at forging closer cooperation, even as the West tries to isolate Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. Personal warmth The show of personal warmth was matched by a series of lavish state ceremonies, ostensibly marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations. It is a shared strategic choice of both countries to deepen strategic cooperation, expand mutually beneficial cooperation and follow the general historical trend of multipolarity in the world and economic globalization, Xi told Putin during the talks in Beijing on May 16. Putin praised increased bilateral trade between Russia and China, which had, he said, reached an annual $240 billion and touted his ambitions to sell more oil and gas to Beijing. Russia is ready and capable of uninterruptedly and reliably supplying the Chinese economy, enterprises, cities, towns with environmentally friendly, affordable energy, light and heat, Putin said following a visit to the northern Chinese city of Harbin. Deepened cooperation The Russian leaders visit to China achieved its aims, according to Liana Fix of the Washington-based Council on Foreign Relations. (Coming) shortly after Putins inauguration, it had a legitimizing effect for his fifth term as president on the international stage, demonstrating that even if the West does not accept his elections as free and fair, China sees him as the legitimate leader. Second, it served the purpose of deepening defense cooperation between these two countries, especially by circumventing U.S. sanctions on Chinese financial institutions for financing Russias war effort, and by facilitating further Chinese deliveries to Russias war machine, Fix told VOA in an email. European snub Putins visit to China came days after Xi traveled to Europe, where EU leaders tried to persuade him to end support for Russias war on Ukraine. Its clear they failed, said analyst Velina Tchakarova, founder of the FACE geopolitical consultancy. China provides the main lifeline for Russia. But China also practically set the stage for Russia to not get internationally isolated. Russia officially has announced that it's going in the direction of a long war that it wants to win, and here we see clearly that China is taking the side of Russia, Tchakarova told VOA. That alliance what Tchakarova calls the DragonBear has ramifications beyond Ukraine. These kind of wars, as the one being waged right now in Europe [in Ukraine], and similarly the one in the Middle East [between Israel and Hamas], and obviously also the military tensions in the Indo-Pacific these are hotspots, military conflicts and wars that are to be seen in this context of emerging Cold War 2.0 between the United States on the one hand, and China and Russia, or the DragonBear on the other, Tchakarova told VOA. Democratic threat Xi and Putin are united by geopolitical aims, and their autocratic ideals threaten democratic societies, according to author Anne Applebaum, a staff writer at The Atlantic magazine. What they have in common is their dislike of the democratic world, their dislike of democratic language, and the ideals of freedom and justice and rule of law and transparency, Applebaum said. And they are willing to join together to fight against them. It's a full-on central challenge from the autocratic world to them, and it's attacking both their citizens and their allies around the world, and we need to face it. Unbalanced relations The relationship is tilted heavily in Chinas favor, Applebaum said. They may have an interest in weakening Russia. A weaker Russia has to sell them oil and gas at lower prices. A weaker Russia is a more pliable ally, is a weaker player on the stage. And maybe they're hoping for that. It's pretty clear already that Russia is the junior partner in this alliance, which isn't something that we would have thought possible a couple of decades ago, she told VOA. Putin is due to host Xi at the October BRICS summit in Russia, as both countries seek to galvanize global support for their vision of Beijing and Moscow as major players in a new, multipolar world. VOAs Russian Service contributed to this report. The worlds most prominent artificial intelligence companies promised to develop technology safely at the start of the two-day AI summit in South Korea. Companies also agreed to stop developing their technology if the most threatening risks cannot be avoided. The conference, co-hosted by Britain and South Korea, involves 16 AI companies, including Amazon, Microsoft, and China's Zhipu.ai. More specific agreements are expected to form as leaders gather to understand both the risks and the benefits of AI. Discussions are centered around accountable governance and transparency to the public. "These commitments ensure the world's leading AI companies will provide transparency and accountability on their plans to develop safe AI," U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement released by Britain's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The leaders of the worlds seven largest democracies, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Britain, have been invited to the opening summit, along with the leaders of Australia and Singapore. South Koreas presidential office says China will send a representative to the in-person ministerial summit that will convene Wednesday. South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Sunak will meet with other world leaders, industry leaders, and heads of international organizations virtually on Tuesday evening. Wang Yun-Jong, a deputy director of national security in South Korea, said to reporters on Monday that the recent conference agenda has been expanded beyond the first AI Safety Summit in Britain. Members will "discuss not only the risks posed by AI but also its positive aspects and how it can contribute to humanity in a balanced manner, he said. Six months ago, representatives from nearly 30 countries met at the first AI Safety Summit in Britains iconic Bletchley Park and pledged to cooperate on mitigating the risks posed by artificial intelligence. Bletchley Park was the base of Britains legendary program to break the secret codes of the Nazi armed forces during World War II. The current summit follows governments now trying to regulate AI, concerned by the threat of disinformation and decreased job security. Generative AI models can create deepfake images and videos of politicians that spread fake news stories to the public. "Since the digital space is hyper-connected and transcends national borders, we need digital norms at the global level," said South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse. Matthew Trickett, 37, was pronounced dead Sunday in a park in Maidenhead, an area of southern England west of London, according to a statement by Thames Valley Police. The police said they discovered Tricketts body after receiving a call from a member of the public. "An investigation is ongoing into the death, which is currently being treated as unexplained," the police said in their statement. Trickett was a former Royal Marine, and he owned a private security firm. After facing the charges of assisting a foreign intelligence service and foreign interference under Britains National Security Act, he was given bail on May 13. The foreign intelligence service referred to in the charges is that of Hong Kong. Trickett was one of three men accused of spying for China. The other men involved are Chi Leung Wai, 38, and Chung Biu Yuen, 63. The National Security Act, which was passed in December, targets threats from foreign countries. It is supposed to enhance UK security and protect the country's democratic institutions, economy and values. Their next court appearance was supposed to be this Friday. Tricketts lawyer expressed surprise at the death of his client and was unable to comment more. His family was "mourning the loss of a much-loved son, brother, and family member," the same statement said. The court case involving Trickett has created diplomatic tension between Britain and China. The British foreign ministry told the Chinese ambassador that espionage and cyberattacks were impermissible in the country. The Chinese Embassy in London accused Britain of fabricating the charges. It also said that Britian did not have the right to interfere with Hong Kong. This comes after Britain has denounced the treatment that pro-democracy figures face in Hong Kong, a former British colony. The country also developed a visa program that allow Hong Kong residents to come to the UK. Britain and China have also disagreed over the conditions of Uyghur Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, a region of China, as well as human rights in Tibet. Officials warned that Britain could face Chinas firm and strong retaliation. The tension follows a Golden Age of stronger relationship between London and Beijing, but those ties have considerably weakened in recent years. Nitte Institute of Architecture (NIA): Architects of a Sustainable Future New Delhi [India] Published : May 20, 2024 As India's urban landscape continues to evolve, the need for ethical and innovative architects has never been more pressing. Nitte Institute of Architecture (NIA), Mangalore, with its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and social responsibility, stands ready to shape the next generation of architects who will not only design buildings but also create a better, more equitable future for all. NIA was established in 2015 as a constituent college of Nitte (Deemed to be University). Nitte University has been ranked 65th in the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2023 by the Ministry of Education, GoI and is accredited with A+ Grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council of India (NAAC). The University is renowned for its engagement in student exchange initiatives and has strong collaborations with global universities. The first step to a career in architecture is a BArch or Bachelor in Architecture degree. NIA offers a 5-year Bachelor in Architecture program, designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in the global architectural landscape, enabling them to register as a professional architect with the Council of Architecture (COA), India. The field of architecture is constantly evolving, offering a dynamic blend of creative expression, technical skill, and personal flair. Architects navigate a diverse landscape where creativity meets practicality, shaping spaces that combine design aesthetics with structural integrity. From conceptualization to construction, architects wear multiple hats, seamlessly transitioning between roles to bring visions to life. Architecture stands as a unique profession, offering students a global outlook and a multitude of career pathways. Whether pursuing entrepreneurship, establishing private practices, delving into urban design, or exploring allied fields like product and graphic design, architects have the opportunity to follow their passion and make meaningful contributions to the built environment. Here are a few of the unique features that set NIA apart: 1). Ethical Design: NIA emphasises innovation, sustainability, and context-responsive architecture, instilling in students a commitment to ethical practice and environmental stewardship. 2). Flexible Curriculum: NIA's curriculum is designed to be dynamic and adaptive, allowing students to tailor their learning experiences to suit their interests and career goals. This choice-based approach empowers students to explore diverse paths within the field of architecture. 3). Hands-On Learning: NIA believes in learning by doing. The institute's state-of-the-art workshops and fabrication labs provide students with hands-on experience in working with materials, experimenting with designs, and utilising cutting-edge technologies such as 3D printers and laser cutters. 4). Entrepreneurship: NIA goes beyond conventional education by nurturing entrepreneurial skills. From ideation to execution, students are mentored to realise their visions and establish successful practices. In line with its vision of building a humane society, Nitte University recognizes the pivotal role architects play in driving societal and environmental change. To attract and support the brightest minds, the university offers merit and excellence scholarships to aspiring architects. These scholarships are awarded based on academic performance in Class 12/Diploma and NATA, providing deserving students with the opportunity to pursue their passion for architecture. For more information regarding architecture scholarships. Find it Useful ? Help Others by Sharing Online Comments and Discussions A 23-year-old man from Taiwan is set to appear in a New York court Monday on charges of allowing the sale of more than $100 million worth of illegal drugs on a dark web website he allegedly founded. Rui-Siang Lin was arrested Saturday at New Yorks John F. Kennedy International Airport and will be presented in Manhattan federal court on Monday, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Attorney General Merrick Garland said Lin is accused of being the architect of Incognito Market, a dark web scheme to traffic deadly drugs to the U.S. and around the world. The long arm of the law extends to the dark web, and we will bring to justice those who try to hide their crimes there, Garland said in the statement on Monday. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the dark web is not a safe haven for those who seek to break the law. The dedicated prosecutors from the Southern District of New York and our law enforcement partners will pursue criminal actors regardless of whether they operate on street corners or in the dark corners of the internet, Williams said in the release. According to the complaint and indictment, hundreds of kilograms of narcotics, including cocaine and methamphetamines, have been sold on Incognito Market since it was launched in October 2020. James Smith, assistant director in charge of the FBIs New York field office, said Lin operated the site for nearly four years and promised anonymity to buyers and sellers of the lethal drugs. Lin is also alleged to have created a bank for drug dealers. Sellers paid a 5% charge for each sale to Incognito Market, providing Lin with millions of dollars in profits. If convicted, Lin faces life in prison for engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise or narcotics conspiracy. Some information for this story came from Agence France-Presse. Testimony ended Tuesday in the New York criminal trial of Donald Trump, the first ever for a U.S. president. But the 12-member jury will not hear closing arguments by one of his lawyers and a prosecutor until May 28. Deliberations on his guilt or innocence will begin a day later. Trump had long said he wanted to testify in his own defense, but in the end, did not. He walked out of court after his defense lawyers rested their case in the sixth week of the trial after calling just two witnesses. Trump raised his hand in a fist in the court entryway where he often has railed against the case but did not stop to answer reporters questions about why he did not testify. The crux of the case against Trump centers on prosecutors claims that he sanctioned his one-time political fixer Michael Cohen to pay $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just ahead of the 2016 election. The aim, prosecutors have contended, was to influence the outcome of the election that Trump won to silence Daniels from talking about her claim of a one-night sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. The 34-count indictment accuses the former president of falsifying business records at his Trump Organization real estate conglomerate to hide his 2017 reimbursement to Cohen for the hush money, by claiming it was money owed Cohen for his legal work, which Cohen said during four days of testimony was not the case. Trump has denied a liaison with Daniels and all the charges he faces. Because the trial has typically been recessed on Wednesdays and with the Memorial Day holiday next Monday, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan pushed off the conclusion of the case. "I think the best thing that we can do is to adjourn now until next Tuesday," he told the jurors. "At that time, you will hear summations from the attorneys. Probably Wednesday, Ill ask you to come in hear the jury charge and then I would expect that you will begin your deliberations hopefully at some point on Wednesday." Merchan ordered the jurors to not talk about or research the case, saying, "It might be tempting to think now that both sides have rested you can kind of let up a bit, but in fact these instructions take on even greater significance." After dismissing the jurors for a week, Merchan held a lengthy discussion with prosecutor Matthew Colangelo and Trump defense attorney Emil Bove about the details in the legal instructions he will read to the jury before it begins its deliberations. Merchan said he would complete a final version of his jury instructions by Thursday. In numerous instances, Bove sought to add language to the instructions that conceivably would make it more difficult for the jurors to find Trump guilty. But Merchan mostly sided with Colangelo to not deviate from standard jury instructions. In one instance, Bove wanted jurors instructed that they not only had to agree unanimously that Trump had falsified records to conceal a conspiracy to win the 2016 election by unlawful means but also had to agree unanimously on what the unlawful means were. Bove acknowledged such unanimity was not required by law but said Merchan could require it because of the importance of the case. Colangelo argued that Trump should be treated like any other defendant. Merchan agreed, saying, "There's no reason to rewrite the law for this case." In another instance, Bove wanted Merchan to tell the jurors that a hush money deal by itself is not illegal. Merchan said he would not make that statement to the jurors because there had been testimony several times in the case to that effect. After the hearing ended, Trump assailed Merchan as he often has, saying, "The judge is so biased, so corrupt. And he is so conflicted." "When you have a corrupt judge, lots of bad things happen," Trump said. Defendants in U.S. trials are not required to testify and when they do, often hurt their case more than help it. Trump was apparently talked out of testifying by his lawyers. Over years in the public eye, both as a real estate magnate and a politician, Trump has waxed and waned in his views on whether criminal defendants should testify. At times he has said they look guilty as hell if they dont take the witness stand to defend themselves, and at other times said they should exercise their constitutional right against self-incrimination. Trump, the countrys 45th president and now the presumptive Republican presidential candidate in the November election against President Joe Biden, would have faced a tough cross-examination by prosecutors about the details of the case and Cohens testimony implicating him. Merchan also had already ruled that prosecutors would have been allowed to ask Trump about two civil cases he lost in the last few months where he was ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. One involved business fraud at his Trump Organization real estate conglomerate and the other his defamation of a New York writer who had won a sexual assault decision against him. But Cohen was a flawed witness for the prosecution, acknowledging he has been a serial liar over the years and stole $60,000 from Trumps company. He also pleaded guilty to a campaign finance law violation linked to the hush money payment, perjury and other offenses and served 13 months in a federal prison. The last witness in the case called by the defense, New York lawyer Robert Costello, attempted to cast Cohen as a liar not to be believed. Costello had advised Cohen after federal agents raided Cohens then-residence, a New York hotel room, in April 2018, but was never hired as his attorney. Costello said Monday that Cohen told him, "'I swear to God, Bob, I dont have anything on Donald Trump. "Michael Cohen said numerous times that President Trump knew nothing about those payments. That he did this on his own. He repeated that numerous times," Costello said. At the time, Trump and his allies worried that Cohen might turn against the president and implicate him in the hush money payment to Daniels but that only came months later. Costello indicated to Cohen that he, meaning Cohen, had friends in high places, a reference to Trump, but Cohen did not retain the lawyer and eventually turned against Trump, ending his years of tending to the future presidents every need. Evidence in the trial shows that Trump repaid the hush money to Cohen in 2017 after he became president, personally signing nine of the 11 checks. Cohen alleged that Trump twice approved the arrangement to pay him back, including once at his Trump Tower in New York and a second time in the Oval Office at the White House after he became president. Blanche never questioned Cohen about the two crucial conversations he claimed to have had with Trump about the reimbursement scheme. Since his release from prison, Cohen has often assailed Trump and testified last week he wants Trump convicted. If Trump is found guilty, he could be placed on probation or sentenced to up to four years in prison. The European Union on Tuesday slammed Kosovo after police closed six branches of a Serbian-licensed bank on Monday, following the countrys ban on the Serbian dinar currency. The bank closures resulted in the loss of all Serbian financial institutions in northern Kosovo. "In the continued absence of sustainable alternatives, this will have negative effects on the daily lives and living conditions of Kosovo Serbs and other communities eligible for financial transfers from Serbia," EU spokesperson Peter Stano said in a statement. Kosovo in February forced ethnic Serbian-dominated areas to adopt the euro, which is used in the rest of the country, heightening Serbia-Kosovo tensions. Many Serbs in the country rely on financial assistance from the Serbian government, which delivers its support in dinars. Serbia also funds health, education and social security systems for Serbs in Kosovo. Kosovos government said payments to ethnic Serbs are not prohibited and can be made in euros. Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said the closures uphold the "rule of law and order," which their government has repeatedly pledged. Stano said Mondays operation proves again that Kosovo authorities prioritize unilateral and uncoordinated actions rather than cooperation with its friends and allies. Kosovo was once a part of Serbia. It declared its independence in 2008, which Belgrade does not recognize. The two sides have previously held talks but have not reached an agreement. The EU urges Kosovo and Serbia to return to the negotiations table, Stano said. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. Russian President Vladimir Putin used a two-day state visit to Beijing last week to decry the United States and portray Moscows actions as a stabilizing force in global affairs. Moscow and Beijing reaffirmed a "no limits friendship, including no forbidden areas of cooperation, which the two sides announced on February 4, 2022 weeks before Russias full-fledged military invasion of Ukraine. Despite Beijings diplomatic and material support for Moscows war, Putin claims Sino-Russian cooperation doesnt threaten other states. It is absolutely crucial that Russian-Chinese relations are not ad hoc contacts and are not aimed against anyone, Putin said. Our cooperation in world affairs is one of the main stabilizing factors on the international stage. Together, we defend the principles of fairness and the democratic world order based on the multipolar realities and international law. That is false. Russia and China are authoritarian states actively seeking to supplant the rule-based international order that U.S. and Western partners have maintained as the foundation for global peace and prosperity since the end of the Second World War. Both China and Russia have acted in defiance of international bodies to assert territorial claims against their neighbors. Russia has consistently violated international law to achieve its goals. Most notably, Russias February 2022 invasion of Ukraine violates the United Nations Charter, as U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council in April of that year. The Charter is the U.N.s founding document, enshrining principles of international law that bind member states. Article 2(4) of the Charter prohibits the threat or use of force in international relations and calls on all Members to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of other States. The Kremlin tried justifying its latest war by claiming that Russian-speaking citizens and ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine faced genocide under Ukrainian authority. The International Court of Justice, or ICJ, the U.N.s top judicial body, has repeatedly dismissed those claims as baseless. The ICJ in March of 2022 called on Russia to immediately suspend all military operations in Ukraine. Only Russian and Chinese judges voted against the ruling. Russia rejected the ICJs ruling although it is legally binding. Russias 2014 seizure of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula. Along with the illegal September 2022 annexation of four Ukrainian territories, also violate international law. International Criminal Court (ICC), an international tribunal that tries individuals with the gravest crimes of concern to the international community, issued arrest warrants for Putin and children's rights commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova when it found them guilty of committing war crimes by illegally deporting Ukrainian children to Russia. The ICC in March charged two top Russian military officials for suspected war crimes in Ukraine. International investigators implicated Russian military forces in a litany of war crimes in Ukraine. Nearly 2,000 Ukrainian children have been killed or injured since the escalation of war in 2022, at least two children a day, UNICEF, the UNs children welfare agency, reported May 13. At least 30,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed or wounded by Russian airstrikes, while Ukraines military has seen some 130,000 killed or injured, according to a May 20 report by Council on Foreign Relations Global Conflict Tracker, which also says the war has left some 10 million Ukrainians displaced and nearly 15 million in need of humanitarian assistance. Despite Russias violations of international law, Beijing, in a joint statement with Moscow, claimed it "supports the efforts of the Russian side to ensure security and stability, national development and prosperity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposes outside interference in Russia's internal affairs. On May 16, China accused the U.S. of hypocrisy for calling out China's normal trade with Russia while pouring unprecedented military aid into Ukraine. U.S. assistance for Ukraine, however, is allocated to fund Kyivs defense against an invading military, while Chinas aid benefits the aggressor. In March 2022, analysts at Just Security, an online analytical forum, argued that Chinas provision of military assistance to Russias operations in Ukraine would run afoul of the core obligations under Article 41 of the U.N. Charter. Article 41 prohibits provision of aid or assistance to support other states efforts to violate the highest legal norms, including wars of aggression sometimes called wars of conquest or wars of choice aggressive military conflicts waged without justification of self-defense. As Polygraph.info and others have reported, there is significant evidence that China has supplied weapons components to support Russias war of aggression. Although U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the BBC last month that China is not providing actual arms to Russia for use in Ukraine, he nonetheless argued the destabilizing influence of supplying technical components is clear. [Chinas] helping Russia perpetuate its aggression against Ukraine, but it's also creating a growing threat to Europe because of Russia's aggression," Blinken said, adding it was "helping to fuel the biggest threat to [Europe's] insecurity since the end of the Cold War. China has also helped dampen the effect of Western sanctions intended to deprive Russia of the means to wage its war of aggression. Beijing has been providing Moscow with the critical components needed to make weapons, while ramping up trade, especially in oil and gas imports, to help keep Russias economy afloat. Declassified U.S. intelligence estimates that China in 2023 accounted for 90% of Russias microelectronics imports needed to produce missiles, tanks and aircraft, and 70% of the machine tools likely used to manufacture ballistic missiles. Beijing has also provided the Kremlin a diplomatic backup for its war against Ukraine, regularly mirroring Russias vote at the U.N. Security Council and using its propaganda machine to boost the talking points intended to justify Russias illegal war. Like Russia, China has also been increasingly aggressive against its neighbors. Beijing has consistently ignored a key international court ruling and the U.N. Law of the Sea, which define territorial waters of Chinas neighbors. The Chinese coast guard routinely engages in malign activities in the Western Pacific Ocean, and beyond, to assert China's claims to territory and natural resources. China has also been increasingly forceful in asserting territorial claims, and has land disputes with many of its neighbors, sometimes resulting in minor skirmishes. More than half of the worlds population lives in a country where free expression is in crisis, according to a new report. The downturn comes as dozens of countries in 2024 are scheduled to hold elections, and where Article 19, which published the report, has already documented efforts to restrict access to information. Overall, about 4.2 billion people, or 53% of the global population, live in countries where freedom of expression is in crisis, according to the report. And just over a fifth 23% lives in a country that is considered open or less restricted. Its not just bad. Its literally the worst that you could get in half of the world, Article 19s executive director, Quinn McKew, told VOA from London. The Global Expression Report shows a marked change from the last annual report, when Article 19 found 34% of the global population lived in countries where free expression is in crisis. Over the past decade, the free expression group has documented a worsening situation in 78 countries. To make its assessment, Article 19 analyzes 25 indicators, including the freedom of media, religion and academia. It then ranks countries and territories under the categories of open, less restricted, restricted, highly restricted and crisis. Now more than any other time this century, more people are living in places where free expression is in crisis, McKew said. That is particularly challenging because we know that freedom of expression is a necessary precursor for actually having true, open democracies, McKew said. With elections underway in several countries already this year, Article 19 has observed an increase in internet shutdowns, as well as a rise in state-backed propaganda campaigns intended to influence elections, according to McKew. The latter is leading to an overall pollution of the information environment, McKew said. Being a savvy information consumer during elections is critically important. Assaults on free expression in India are of particular concern, according to McKew. The country is nearing the end of its six-week-long national election period in which Indias Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third term. The staggered election runs until June 1, with votes set to be counted on June 4. Since Modi became prime minister in 2014, India has declined in 24 out of the 25 factors that Article 19 analyzes in its annual report. This year, India is classed in the report as Crisis. Crackdowns on critical journalists and news outlets in India underscore broader threats to free expression in the country of 1.4 billion people, McKew says. Her findings are backed by data from other watchdogs. Since Indias last general election, in 2019, a record number of journalists have been arrested or faced criminal charges, and several critical outlets have been targeted with raids over alleged fraud or tax evasion, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. India talks about itself being the worlds largest democracy, McKew said. How much longer will it be a democracy if it keeps undermining the one thing that is necessary to truly be considered a democracy in the world? Indias Washington embassy did not immediately reply to VOAs email requesting comment. Other countries that marked a decline since last years report include Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Moldova, Mongolia, Senegal and Togo. On a global scale, free expression is stagnant, the report found. But elections can also bring about positive effects for free expression, as shown by improvements made in Brazil following former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silvas win over right-wing incumbent Jair Bolsonaro. Since Lula da Silva assumed the Brazilian presidency at the beginning of 2023, Brazils free expression score increased 26 points, according to Article 19. Improvements to journalist safety, for instance, helped the countrys free expression categorization move from restricted to open. Brazils example gives us hope that change is possible, Maria Trajan, who works at Article 19 Brazil, said in a statement. But its also a reminder that rights and freedoms must never be taken for granted the work to guarantee, strengthen and improve rights must always continue, she said. Beyond Brazil, other countries that improved over the last year include Fiji, Sri Lanka and Thailand. A Greek court dropped charges against nine Egyptian men who allegedly caused a shipwreck that killed hundreds of migrants last year. The fishing boat the Adriana, traveling from Libya, included up to 700 Pakistani, Syrian and Egyptian migrants who were destined for Italy. The boat capsized off the coast of Greece on June 14. With only 104 survivors and 82 bodies found, the Adrianas case is one of the deadliest boat accidents found in the Mediterranean Sea. The reason for the trawlers wreck remains unclear. Survivors say that an attempt to tow the boat by the Greek coast guard caused the capsize. Both the defendants lawyers and human rights groups have argued that the coast guard should be investigated further. The coast guard has claimed that those on board the Adriana did not accept help and that the coast guard did not have a role in the capsize. The defendants were accused of migrant smuggling, causing a shipwreck and being involved in a criminal organization. They spent 11 months in detention before the trial. At the trial, the defendants claimed that they did not participate in wrongdoing and their lawyers argued that the defendants were simply aiding migrants. The case was dropped within a few hours by Presiding Judge Eftichia Kontaratou. Public prosecutor Ekaterini Tsiron encouraged the dismissal since the boat capsized outside the territorial waters of Greece. It is not yet clear if another court will hear the case. The judges decision on Tuesday was met with celebrations by some. "Nine innocent men are walking free. Finally, after a huge struggle and pain, justice has been served," said Spyros Pantazis, one of the defendants lawyers, to Reuters. "I'm so happy that I just want to hug him and take him with me, said Dalia Abdel-Magid, the aunt of defendant Mohammed Emad Abdel-Magid. Just a few weeks after Russias full invasion of Ukraine, Moscow started to promote a website that claims to tell the truth about the war. War On Fakes was presented as a fact-checking resource where experts and journalists debunk the most "egregious" statements about Russia and the unprecedented stream of fake news about the war. In reality, however, War on Fakes is one of the main groups that push and promote false narratives through fake fact-checking. The purpose, say analysts, is to dispel or distract criticism of Russian policy or action and to flood people with misleading content. Fake fact-checking is an effective way of spreading state propaganda and disinformation, according to Roman Osadchuk of the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab). "War on Fakes," he told VOA, is not only a key source of disinformation but a site that aims to counter credible fact-check initiatives. Hundreds of independent fact-check sites have started up in recent years. Among the most reliable in countering Kremlin propaganda are the American website PolitiFact, the British site FullFact, and Ukraine-based StopFake. VOA also has its own version: Polygraph. But as these sites spread, authoritarian regimes use the language of fact checking to try to discredit critics or justify repression. They are trying to undermine the basis of this tool as an objective presentation of information, said Osadchuk. This harms many media workers and researchers in the world, making their work more difficult. Osadchuk cited a fake analysis that sought to discredit photographic evidence of Russian war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Bucha as a classic example of how these sites seek to change the narrative. A 2022 U.N. report and multiple independent news groups in 2022 detailed the killings of civilians by Russian troops in Bucha, and a February 2024 UN report said more than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians were killed in the first two years of Russias full-scale invasion. War on Fakes seeks to discredit that evidence. They were publishing their forged analysis ... claiming that Russian troops left the city before bodies of the killed people appeared on the streets," said Osadchuk. Eva Maitland of the U.S.-based disinformation research site NewsGuard has also seen a growth in fake fact checks. She cites false narratives around an attack on the Moscow Crocus City Hall concert in March, when gunmen killed more than 140 people and set fire to the building. The militant group Islamic State, also known as IS, ISIS and ISIL, later claimed responsibility. Russia and Russian media said that the ISIS statement taking responsibility for the attack was false, and it was a fabricated ISIS statement, she told VOA. Martin Innes, director of Cardiff Universitys Crime and Security Research Institute, says authoritarian states have "a long tradition of using fact-checking methods as part of their propaganda efforts." When the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in Britain in 2018, the Russian disinformation machine supported Moscow by reinforcing the governments denials and seeking to deflect attention from the allegations. But, says Innes, false fact-checking has been more institutionalized since February 2022. For example, War on Fakes became a brand, he said. Maitland believes the aim is to oversaturate the information space with contradictory information, so that audiences no longer know what to believe. And while the main audience is inside Russia, experts say that the number of languages in which fake fact checks appear are an indication that they also want to reach an international audience. War on Fakes, for example, started with a Russian Telegram channel, said Osadchuk, adding that it also posts in English, Spanish, German, French, Chinese and Arabic. So, they aim not only at the Russian audience, but also at a wider audience," said Osadchuk. Experts also say the Kremlin has developed a massive industry to debunk accusations against Russia. These false narratives are then shared by officials, ministries, embassies, state-run media outlets, and on social media. The Kremlin has dismissed claims it spreads disinformation, accusing the West instead of engaging in "information terrorism." Russia is competing for those people who are sympathetic to their worldview and their narratives and who might give their kind of version of reality some degree of credence, said Innes. Its efforts to undermine Western and credible fact-check sites, however, can run into problems. An August 2022 PolitiFact study found that "War on Fakes" publishes "so many false claims that they sometimes contradict each other." This story originated in VOA's Ukrainian Service. U.N. agencies report Russias escalating military offensive in Ukraines Kharkiv region over the past two weeks is causing an alarming spike in humanitarian needs as deaths and injuries grow and thousands flee in the wake of relentless aerial attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure. Over 14,000 people have been displaced in a matter of days, and nearly 189,000 more still reside within 25 kilometers of the border with the Russian Federation, facing significant risks due to the ongoing fighting, Jarno Habicht, World Health Organization representative in Ukraine said. Speaking from the capital Kyiv, he told journalists in Geneva Tuesday that Russias escalating hostilities are having widespread harmful ramifications throughout the country. Homes and civilian infrastructure are being badly damaged, and people across Ukraine, including here in Kyiv are facing electricity shortages as a result of attacks on critical power facilities, he said noting that a major missile strike Sunday on the outskirts of Kharkiv caused 11 deaths and many injuries, including a paramedic. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, reports that children, first responders and health personnel, are among the multiple casualties. Citing reports from authorities and humanitarian workers on the ground, OCHA said that Attacks in eastern and southern Ukraine over the weekend caused scores of civilian casualties and damage to homes and civilian infrastructure. The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, also expresses alarm about accelerating attacks by Russian forces in the northeastern Kharkiv region, which is prolonging and exacerbating an already dire situation. UNHCR spokesperson, Shabia Mantoo noted that in the past week, Ukrainian authorities with the help of volunteers and humanitarian organizations have evacuated more than 10,300 people from their villages in Kharkiv regions border areas. The majority of the evacuees, who had to escape their homes with only a few belongings, are already highly vulnerable and include mainly older people and those with low mobility or disabilities who were not able to flee earlier. Psychologists with whom UNHCR partners report that as a consequence, many are suffering from acute stress, she said noting that a transit center has been set up by authorities and humanitarian organizations in Kharkiv city to provide basic relief, psychosocial, legal, and other aid to the internally displaced. Mantoo adds that more people continue to flee from front-line communities in Donetsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson towards central and western regions. UNHCR is concerned that conditions in Kharkiv Ukraines second largest city, which is already hosting some 200,000 internally displaced people could become even more difficult if the ground offense and relentless aerial attacks continue, she said. The World Health Organization shares these concerns. Since Russias invasion more than two years ago, WHO has verified 1,682 attacks on health care in Ukraine, resulting in 128 deaths and 288 injuries of medical personnel and patients. It reports, on average, 200 ambulances per year are damaged or destroyed in shelling attacks. That is a tremendous loss, depriving the Ukrainian people of urgent care, said Habicht. With the worsening security situation, humanitarian needs in the region are growing exponentially. The conflict has significantly increased the number of trauma patients. We are currently funding critical care teams and ambulances to support emergency medical services, he said. Anticipating the possible escalation of hostilities, Habicht said the WHO has prepositioned more than 22 metric tons of medical supplies enough for 50,000 people for treatment of acute trauma, surgical interventions and chronic disease management. Additionally, he said the WHO has trained 120 medical professionals in Kharkiv region in mass casualty response, including the management of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents. While saying that he personally did not believe that these dangerous substances are likely to be used or inadvertently discharged in the current conflict, he cautioned that In health, we have learned that we have to be ready for any risk. The bigger problem, he said, is that of funding. He noted that the United Nations $3.1 billion appeal to provide lifesaving humanitarian assistance for 8.5 million people inside Ukraine this year is only 23% funded. The UNHCR is running into a similar problem in that the agency has received only 16 percent of its $1.1. billion appeal targeting 2.3 million refugees and the five communities hosting them. The funding situation is very alarming. We are concerned about the levels of funding for this humanitarian crisis. The war is prolonging. So, we also know that the needs will accrue. We have got winter approaching. It seems far off, but we need to start planning now and make arrangements. More and more people are fleeing their homes that do not have shelter, she said. The UNHCR Official observed that the damage inflicted by Russian forces to Ukraines energy facilities will significantly increase the need for humanitarian assistance during the cold season. As Irans Islamist rulers observe five days of mourning for the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a Sunday helicopter crash in the countrys northwest, many Iranians who oppose the Islamic Republic have been celebrating Raisis demise at home, abroad and on social media. Raisi, who died in the crash at age 63, was reviled by opponents of Irans authoritarian Islamist government for his pivotal role as a prosecutor who ordered mass killings of political prisoners in 1988 and for using his presidential powers to violently suppress a womens rights protest movement that erupted nationwide in late 2022 and continued into 2023. Videos received by VOAs Persian service on Monday and deemed credible appear to show people in different regions of Iran sharing sweets and chocolates to celebrate Raisis death. In one video sent to VOA Persian TV host Masih Alinejad and published by her on social media, a woman whose face is not shown carries a tray of sweet pastries in a public park and offers them to another woman whom she approaches nearby. In the ensuing brief conversation, one woman jokes about wanting to know the occasion for the pastries, while the other says they both know the occasion, in an apparent cryptic reference to Raisis death. VOA cannot independently verify the circumstances of the celebratory videos as it is barred from reporting inside Iran. Iranian opponents of the Islamic Republic in the diaspora engaged in more open celebratory activities outside Iranian diplomatic missions in major European cities on Monday. Videos posted to social media and shared with VOA Persian showed Iranians dancing to music in London, Copenhagen, The Hague, and Hamburg. The Islamic Republics Iranian critics also flooded social media with sarcasm and mockery of Raisi and his allies, using the Persian hashtag helicotlet, a combination of the words helicopter and cutlet. Many Iranian social media users opposed to Islamist rule celebrated the 2020 killing of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. missile strike in Baghdad by referring to him as a cutlet. The head of Irans cyber police warned against that type of social media activity Monday, saying "we are carefully monitoring cyberspace" and advising citizens that "in the current sensitive situation" they should "refrain" from publishing content that "provokes" public sentiments. VOAs Persian service contributed to this report. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden denounce ICC charges of war crimes against Israel. A look at the changing fortunes of Egypt following October 7th. The US and European allies pledge more military aid for Ukraine as humanitarian conditions worsen and the world reacts to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisis death. A rural Michigan community has lost its bid to block a major electric vehicle battery maker from building a factory in Michigan, a state that has welcomed Chinese investment for decades. Gotion Inc. had established a development deal with the board of Green Charter Township. U.S. District Judge Jane Beckering, in a preliminary injunction Friday, ruled that the townships agreement with Gotion remains valid. Chuck Thelen, Gotions vice president of North American manufacturing, told The Detroit News that Gotion is ready to work with the township to move the project forward. However, the board members who approved the arrangement have now been voted out of office and replaced by anti-Gotions. Were just disappointed at this time, Green Charter Township Supervisor Jason Kruse, told The Detroit News, adding that there has been no decision about filing an appeal. Gotions deal with the township is set to create 2,350 jobs generated by a $2.34 billion investment that many see as a way to secure the economic future of the township, a rural enclave just over a three-hour drive northwest from Detroit, the auto industry hub. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and other state officials support the agreement. The townships residents are objecting to a U.S. company with Chinese affiliations setting up shop some 100 miles from a National Guard base, a distrust that mirrors the current state of U.S.-China relations, and suspicions that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will have an office in the plant, a rumor that Thelen denied last year at an meeting at a local high school. In June, the U.S. Treasury Departments Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews foreign investments for national security risks, concluded that Gotion's purchase of land for an EV battery plant wasnt a security issue. On Aug. 1, Gotion, the U.S. subsidiary of the Chinese battery company Gotion High Tech Co. Ltd., received authorization from Green Charter Township to set up a plant. Gotion filed suit after the townships new board rescinded an agreement that would extend water to the factory site from the city of Big Rapids and also voted to drop support for the project. Last year, residents also expressed concerns about the daily 715,000 gallons of water the plant would use in manufacturing to produce cathodes and anodes for EV batteries. The water that we use never even comes in contact with the materials we process. If you get these materials wet, you destroy the material, Thelen said at that meeting at the local high school, according to a news report. So, no, we will not be pumping materials, minerals or chemicals into the water. Green Charter Township is a self-governing entity of 3,000 people within the Michigan city of Big Rapids. The median household income for the township is $53,882, according to 2020 U.S. Census data, which is lower than Michigans median income of $64,392 and the U.S. national median of $76,521. VOAs Calla Yu contributed to this report. Airport officials in Bangkok said a 73-year-old British passenger died and at least 30 others were injured Tuesday when a London to Singapore flight experienced severe turbulence and was forced to land in Thailand. In a statement posted to social media, Singapore Airlines said flight SQ321 departed Londons Heathrow Airport late Monday. The flight encountered severe turbulence from thunderstorms and was diverted to Bangkok. The flight was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, the airline said. During a news conference at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport, General Manager Kittipong Kittikachorn told reporters 30 people were injured, seven critically, and 23 with what he described as medium injuries, including a flight attendant. The injured were taken to a Bangkok hospital. The official said the deceased man is believed to have died from a heart attack. His name was not immediately released. Singapore Airlines did not say at what point the injuries and death took place, but a passenger who spoke to Reuters news service said turbulence led to those not wearing seat belts hitting overhead cabins. Pictures and video taken by passengers on the aircraft shared with media show emergency oxygen masks deployed from the ceiling, and video monitors and parts of the plane's interior appear to be torn off. Data from the website FlightRadar 24 indicates roughly 11 hours into the flight, as it crossed the Andaman Sea and approached Thailand, the aircraft sharply dropped from an altitude of some 11,300 meters to about 9,400 meters in three to five minutes. The flight landed in Bangkok a short time later. The incident came as strong thunderstorms hit parts of Thailand as the regions rainy season gets under way. The airline said it is working with local authorities in Thailand to provide necessary medical assistance and is sending a team to Bangkok to provide additional help. In a statement on his Facebook page, Singapore's transport minister, Chee Hong Tat, said the government would provide assistance to passengers and their families. "I am deeply saddened to learn about the incident onboard Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore," he said. Some information for this report was provided by The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse. The United Nations has suspended food distribution in Rafah, on the Gaza Strips southern border, due to depleted supplies and insecurity. Stephane Dujarric, a U.N. spokesperson, said Tuesday the distribution centers of the World Food Program and UNRWA, the agency for Palestinian refugees, are inaccessible because of the ongoing military operation in Rafah. About 1.1 million people face high levels of hunger, the U.N. said. The Rafah crossing into Egypt, once the main entrance for aid, has been closed since May 6, and no aid trucks have crossed the U.S.-built floating pier in two days, the U.N. said. A WFP spokesperson said the humanitarian operations in Gaza are near collapse. Abeer Etefa warned that if food and other supplies dont resume entering Gaza in massive quantities, famine-like conditions will spread. In addition, UNRWA said its health centers have not received medical supplies in 10 days, but its health care staff still conducts medical consultations at its centers that remain open. Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organization said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza has been "under siege since 19 May, with no one allowed to leave or enter. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that 22 patients, their companions and 148 hospital staff are still trapped inside. The medical staff at al-Awda reported a sniper attack on the building Monday. An artillery rocket hit the fifth floor where the administration office is located, but there were no injuries. The WHO chief called for humanitarian access to the hospital and an immediate cease-fire. A senior Washington administration official briefing reporters on Tuesday said there are now multiple crossing points for aid to come into Gaza, including through the humanitarian sea corridor where aid is inspected in Cyprus and delivered straight to the Israeli port of Ashdod without additional inspection there. "We're looking to flood in [aid] as much as possible. And then it is up to a number of groups inside Gaza to do the distribution in various ways," the official said. He noted the need to coordinate deconfliction and convoys encountering armed elements that "self-distribute" humanitarian assistance. Seven killed in West Bank raid Israeli forces carried out a deadly raid Tuesday in the occupied West Bank and battled Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian health officials said Israeli forces killed seven people during the raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, and the head of the Jenin Governmental Hospital said one of those killed was a surgical doctor. The Israeli military reported an operation targeting militants and said its forces shot a number of fighters. Fighting in Gaza Israeli ground troops and aircraft were involved in fighting in Rafah, while troops also battled militants in central and northern Gaza, the military said. At least five people were killed in Rafah, residents said. International court seeks arrest warrants Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant rejected a move by the International Criminal Courts top prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for Gallant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gallant issued a statement Tuesday calling the application for arrest warrants against him and Netanyahu disgraceful. "The attempt by Prosecutor Karim Khan to deny the State of Israel the right to self-defense and to free its hostages must be rejected out of hand," Gallant said in a post on X. Khan announced Monday he is seeking the warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, along with three Hamas leaders in Gaza, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the Israel-Hamas war. Netanyahu said Monday the prosecutors move was a moral outrage of historic proportions. U.S. President Joe Biden denounced what he called the ICC prosecutors decision to equate Hamas terror attacks and civilian abductions in southern Israel with Israels military practices in Gaza. The International Criminal Court prosecutor's application for arrest warrants for Israeli leaders is "outrageous," Biden said in a statement Monday. "And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence none between Israel and Hamas," Biden said. Hamas, which is designated by the U.S., the U.K. and other countries as a terrorist organization, also denounced the ICC prosecutor's decision and accused him of trying to equate the victim with the executioner. Israel's war in Gaza was triggered by the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the capture of about 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials. Israels subsequent counteroffensive in Gaza has killed more than 35,500 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which includes civilians and combatants in its count but says most of the dead are women and children. Israel says it has killed more than 14,000 militants and around 16,000 civilians. More than 900,000 people about 40% of Gazas population have been displaced during the past two weeks, including some 812,000 people from Rafah and more than 100,000 others in northern Gaza, said U.N. spokesperson Dujarric during a news briefing Monday. He said that more than 75% of the Gaza Strip some 285 square kilometers (110 square miles) is under evacuation orders amid escalating hostilities. Some information for this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Colombian guerrilla fighters killed two police officers and two other people Monday in separate gun and bomb attacks that injured at least seven in the country's troubled southwest, officials said. Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez pinned an attack in the town of Morales, in the Cauca department, on Central General Staff (EMC) rebels who had rejected a peace deal the FARC Marxist guerrilla group signed with the government in 2016. EMC militants opened fire and set off cylinder bombs at a police station in Morales, killing two officers and two other people in the prison holding cells in what Velasquez labeled a "terrorist attack." Three other officers were injured. The army said it had sent 100 soldiers to the town, where Police Director William Salamanca said more explosive devices have been found in the streets. Agence France-Presse (AFP) observed the police station in ruins, with multiple bullet marks in its facade an image reminiscent of the deadly raids of the now-extinct FARC in the 1990s. "It was two hours of anguish," a Morales resident who asked not to be named, told AFP. Velasquez traveled at the request of President Gustavo Petro to Popayan, capital of the Cauca department, where he said officials had reported "harassment" by guerrillas in several other towns as well. Petro described the situation in Cauca as "unacceptable." "We will not tolerate the continued terrorization of the population with terrorist attacks," he wrote on X. In the neighboring department of Valle del Cauca to the north, a motorcycle loaded with explosives was detonated, injuring four people, including three children, officials there reported. The two departments are a hotbed of activity by EMC fighters under the control of guerrilla leader Ivan Mordisco, who quit the peace process in April after a split within the group, which had united some 3,500 combatants. The government has since launched an offensive against Mordisco's forces while continuing negotiations with the other faction. A Russian court on Monday opened the trial of a theater director and a playwright accused of advocating terrorism in a play, the latest step in an unrelenting crackdown on dissent in Russia that has reached new heights since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. Zhenya Berkovich, a prominent independent theater director, and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk have been jailed for over a year. Authorities claim their play "Finist, the Brave Falcon" justifies terrorism, which is a criminal offense in Russia punishable by up to seven years in prison. Berkovich and Petriychuk have both repeatedly rejected the accusations against them. Berkovich told the court on Monday that she staged the play in order to prevent terrorism, and Petriychuk echoed her sentiment, saying that she wrote it in order to prevent events like those depicted in the play. The women's lawyers have pointed out at court hearings before the trial that the play was supported by the Russian Culture Ministry and won the Golden Mask award, Russia's most prestigious national theater award. In 2019, the play was read to inmates of a women's prison in Siberia, and Russia's state penitentiary service praised it on its website, Petriychuk's lawyer has said. Southern African leaders have launched a $5.5 billion humanitarian aid appeal as the region faces acute grain shortages due to El Nino-induced droughts. Leaders from the regions bloc, the Southern African Development Community (SADC), met Monday to deliberate on the crisis following widespread drought and flooding that has left millions without enough to eat. In a communique released after the virtual meeting, leaders from 15 SADC member states agreed to launch an appeal to help affected populations. The leaders said the SADC Regional Humanitarian Appeal will augment domestic resources in response to the impact of El Nino weather patterns. El Nino resulted in warmer and drier conditions, leading to record-breaking droughts across the region in 2023 and the beginning of 2024. SADC executive secretary Elias Magosi said the humanitarian appeal will be revised in August as more member states finalize their assessments on the impact of El Nino and look toward an expected change to the La Nina weather pattern later this year. "Summit called member states to be proactive and strengthen anticipatory action programs to mitigate climate risks such as the La Nina phenomenon, which is projected for the 2024-2025 season, Magosi said. Magosi said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Food and Agriculture Organization have pledged a combined $43 million toward the humanitarian appeal. Angolan President Joao Lourenco, who chaired the Monday meeting, appealed to the international community to respond. This is a very important step taken by the organization (SADC) by launching this humanitarian appeal and we hope that there will be good feedback on the part of the international community of support to help us overcome this difficult moment that the region is facing," Lourenco said. El Nino has resulted in widespread crop failure within Southern Africa and has resulted in national emergency declarations in Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Spain has removed its ambassador to Buenos Aires, saying the action is permanent. The decision Tuesday followed a reported derogatory remark made by Argentine President Javier Milei about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchezs wife. The right-wing libertarian Milei reportedly made comments about Sanchezs wife, Begona Gomez, at a rally in Madrid organized by Vox, a far-right political party. Gomez had faced a court investigation after accusations of influence peddling and business corruption were made by the activist group Manos Limpias for allegedly using her influence to obtain sponsors to pay for a university course. "We have no interest in nor desire for any escalation, but it's the government's obligation to defend the dignity and sovereignty of Spanish institutions, especially when the aggression occurs in the capital of Spain, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said to reporters on the decision to remove the ambassador. In addition to criticizing Gomez, Milei also criticized the Spanish governments socialist system at the rally, claiming that it could create levels of abuse. "What's happening is literally a folly typical of an arrogant socialist, who personally took a comment that didn't contain any names as an allusion and nonsensically decided to go for a diplomatic escalation, so it's Pedro Sanchez's problem," Milei said after the rally in an interview. The recent diplomatic tension could have a larger impact on the business world, particularly for Spanish companies that invest $15 billion a year in Argentina. Only surpassed by U.S. business investment, Spanish companies are Argentinas second largest investors. Some information in this report was provided by Reuters and AFP. The New York criminal trial of Donald Trump, the first ever of a U.S. president, is fast nearing its end, with one of his lawyers signaling Monday that Trump wouldn't take the witness stand to defend himself. The prosecution rested its case in the sixth week of the trial after the 12-member jury heard hours more testimony from its most significant witness, Trumps onetime political fixer, Michael Cohen. Cohen acknowledged over four days on the witness stand that he had been a serial liar and had stolen $60,000 from Trumps real estate conglomerate. Cohen also implicated Trump in the deal at the center of the allegations against the former president - a $130,000 hush money payment Cohen said he made to adult film star Stormy Daniels at Trumps behest just before the 2016 election. The objective of the payment, he said, was to hide her claim of a one-night sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier to keep it from voters as they headed to the polls. A short time after Cohens testimony ended, the Trump defense called Robert Costello, a New York lawyer, to the witness stand for testimony buttressing its contention that Cohen is not to be believed. Trump lawyer Emil Bove said the defense did not expect to call any more witnesses after Costello finishes testifying Tuesday morning. Closing arguments in the case could occur May 28, with the jury then deciding Trumps fate. Trump has long said he would testify but apparently was talked out of it by his lawyers. Trump has denied Daniels claim he had a liaison with her and the entirety of the 34-count indictment against him. Over years in the public eye, both as a real estate magnate and a politician, Trump has waxed and waned in his views about whether criminal defendants should testify, at times saying they look guilty as hell if they dont defend themselves, and at other times saying they should exercise their constitutional right against self-incrimination. Trump would have faced a tough cross-examination by prosecutors, who have accused him of falsifying business records about his repayment to Cohen for the hush money he paid to Daniels. The presiding judge, New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, had already ruled that prosecutors also would have been allowed to ask Trump about two civil cases he lost in the last few months in which he was ordered to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. One involved business fraud at his Trump Organization real estate conglomerate and the other his defamation of a New York writer who had won a sexual assault decision against him. Meanwhile, as the court session ended Monday, in a routine request by defense attorneys at the end of the prosecutions case that's seldom granted, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche asked Merchan to dismiss the case altogether because of Cohens testimony. "You want me to take it out of the jurys hands and decide before it even gets to the jury, that as a matter of law, this person is so not worthy of belief?" Merchan asked Blanche. "We didn't just catch him in a lie, your honor, he came in here with a history of lying," Blanche responded. "You said his lies are irrefutable," Merchan said to the attorney. "But you think hes going to fool 12 New Yorkers?" The judge said he would rule Tuesday morning. Evidence in the trial shows that Trump repaid the money to Cohen in 2017 after he became president, personally signing nine of the checks. Trump is accused of falsifying his business records to claim that the repayment to Cohen was for his legal work. But Cohen said that was a fig leaf for the real purpose paying him back for the hush money to Daniels he paid out of his home equity line of credit. Cohen alleged that Trump twice approved the arrangement to pay him back, including once at his Trump Tower in New York and a second time in the Oval Office at the White House after he became president. Blanche never questioned Cohen about the two crucial conversations he claimed to have had with Trump about the reimbursement scheme. Costello, who advised Cohen in 2018 but was never hired after federal agents raided Cohen's home at the time, a New York hotel room, testified that Cohen was "absolutely manic" about his legal predicament, even suicidal. He said that Cohen swore to him that Trump was not involved in the hush money payments to Daniels. "I swear to God, Bob, I dont have anything on Donald Trump, Cohen said, according to Costello. "Michael Cohen said numerous times that President Trump knew nothing about those payments. That he did this on his own. He repeated that numerous times," Costello said. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger objected frequently to the questions posed by Trumps defense, and Merchan sustained the objections, to Costellos annoyance. Costello said ridiculous after one objection was sustained, said Jesus! after another, and rolled his eyes and sighed at a third. Merchan finally had had enough of Costellos side comments from the witness stand and sent the jury and news reporters out of the courtroom while he lectured Costello on his lack of decorum. Earlier in the day, Cohen, under sharp questioning by Blanche, admitted to stealing $60,000 from the future presidents real estate conglomerate as part of the hush money reimbursement because he felt Trump had cheated him on the amount of his year-end bonus in 2016. In all, Cohen said the reimbursement deal with Trump came to $420,000 $130,000 for the money he paid Daniels; another $50,000 he was supposed to pay to Red Finch, a technology firm hired to rig a poll to show Trump was a highly rated businessman; a doubling of those amounts to $360,000 to cover his tax obligations; and a $60,000 year-end bonus for 2016. But Cohen acknowledged to Blanche that he paid only $20,000 to Red Finch in cash in a brown paper bag while claiming to a Trump company official he had paid $50,000. That amounted, he conceded, to a $30,000 theft, doubled to $60,000 by the time the company accounted for the taxes he would likely owe. "So, you stole from the Trump Organization?" Blanche asked. "Yes, sir, Cohen said. Cohen later explained to prosecutor Hoffinger, "I was angered because of the reduction in the [size of his normal] bonus, and so I just felt it was almost like self-help to stake his claim to the extra money as he worked out the terms of the overall $420,000 reimbursement with Allen Weisselberg, then the Trump Organizations chief financial officer. Weisselberg is now serving a five-month perjury sentence for lying in a previous Trump-related civil trial and is not expected to testify at the current criminal trial. But Cohen also again testified that the $420,000 he was paid had nothing to do with legal services for Trump, the crux of the criminal charges the former president is facing. Even as news of the hush money payment became public in early 2018, Cohen said he continued to lie it about to media outlets, saying that none of it came from the Trump Organization or the Trump campaign and that Trump did not know about it. The misleading statements were made to shield Trump personally, he said. The 57-year-old Cohen, however, is a flawed witness for the prosecution. He pleaded guilty to a campaign finance law violation in connection with the hush money payment to Daniels, perjury for lying to a congressional panel and tax offenses. He served 13 months in a federal prison and another year and a half in home confinement. Since then, he has often assailed Trump and testified last week he wanted Trump convicted. If Trump is found guilty, he could be placed on probation or sentenced to up to four years in prison. Britain's government said Tuesday that thousands of victims of the U.K.'s decades-long infected blood scandal will start receiving final compensation payments this year. The scandal, which lasted between the 1970s and the early 1990s, is seen as the deadliest episode to burden Britain's state-run National Health Service since its establishment in 1948. Around 3,000 people died after receiving contaminated blood products and being infected with HIV and hepatitis, an inflammation of the liver. More than 30,000 people were given blood treatments with contaminated blood. A final report on the U.K.'s infected blood inquiry was published Monday. It found civil servants and doctors exposed patients to "unacceptable risks" by giving them tainted blood and successive British governments attempted to cover up the scandal. British Cabinet Office Minister John Glen said Tuesday that many victims will receive a further interim compensation of $267,000 within three months. He added that family and friends who cared for infected victims are also eligible to claim compensation. "I know that time is of the essence, which is why I am also pleased to say that they will be delivered within 90 days, starting in the summer so that they can reach those who need it so urgently most," Glen told lawmakers. Officials made initial interim payments in 2022 of $127,000 to each victim and bereaved partner. Des Collins, a lawyer representing more than 1,500 victims, said many families have not received any payments and don't have information on how to claim the payments promised to the estates of victims who died. "We will pay comprehensive compensation to those infected and those affected by scandal," British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Monday in the House of Commons. Glen said there was "no restriction" on the total cost of the compensation package but did not confirm the total cost. "Whatever it costs to deliver this scheme, we will pay it," Sunak said. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. In his nightly video address on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again made a plea for the immediate arrival of weapons as his country continues its battle to beat back Russia. While some countries, including the U.S., have promised weapons and other military equipment, their arrival in Ukraine has been slow. Zelenskyy, who met with his defense officials earlier in the day, said it is imperative that countries supporting Ukraine understand the means of destruction that are needed at the front right now, in these weeks, not sometime in the summer. Meanwhile, Russia has begun practical training in the preparation and use of nonstrategic nuclear weapons, its Defense Ministry said Tuesday. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the drills earlier this month in "response to provocative statements and threats by Western officials, the ministry said. French President Emmanuel Macron has said NATO should not rule out deploying troops to Ukraine, while British Foreign Minister David Cameron has said Ukraine has the right to fire Western missiles into Russian territory. The drills are being conducted in Russias southern military district, which borders Ukraine and also includes parts of Ukraine that Russia claims it has annexed. The Russian Defense Ministry said the training is designed to test the readiness of personnel and equipment of nonstrategic nuclear weapons combat units to respond and to unconditionally ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state. It was not immediately clear if any test firings have occurred. The West has accused Putin of irresponsible nuclear saber-rattling. Nonstrategic nuclear weapons, also known as tactical, are less powerful than strategic nuclear weapons, but they also have the capacity to wield devastating destruction. The governor of Ukraines Kharkiv region said Tuesday the area was under Russian bombardment all night, while Ukraines military said the countrys air defenses shot down 28 of 29 Russian drones launched at multiple Ukrainian regions. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said falling debris from destroyed drones damaged several houses and injured at least three people. Serhiy Lysak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said falling drone debris damaged commercial buildings. The latest attacks came after Zelenskyy again appealed to allies to better equip Ukraine with air defense systems and new combat aircraft. Unfortunately, the free world still lacks efficiency in these two tasks, Zelenskyy said. But we still have a perspective and promising work with several partners and we are doing everything to make sure that the day comes as soon as possible when we can add the power of Patriots [air-defense batteries] to our eastern regions, our cities such as Kharkiv, Sumy and others. Russias Defense Ministry said Tuesday its air defenses destroyed a guided missile and two aerial drones over the Belgorod region, and another drone over the Kursk region. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the regional governor of Belgorod, said a Ukrainian drone attack hit a car, killing at least one person. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and at least 50 other defense leaders from Europe and around the world met Monday to coordinate military support to Ukraine as it battles a renewed onslaught from Russia in the Kharkiv region. Austin said Mondays meeting came at a moment of challenge and promised to move U.S. weapons to Ukraine week after week. The U.S. Congress and President Joe Biden approved a $61 billion aid package for Ukraine in late April after political gridlock largely stalled shipments to help Ukraines military for months. Russia during that time intensified its invasion of Ukraine, especially with its campaign in Kharkiv. Austin said Monday the latest U.S. aid package would help Ukraine in Kharkiv and other areas facing Russian pressure. We've already delivered many of Ukraine's top-priority requirements, and much more assistance is on the way. That includes additional munitions for NASAMS and Patriot air-defense systems, more HIMARS systems and ammunition, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, and Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems, Austin said. This package also includes armored vehicles, and that's essential for Ukraine's work to reconstitute its arsenal. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters. A senior U.N. humanitarian official said Monday that more than 800,000 Palestinians have been displaced from the southern Gaza city of Rafah since Israel began its ground offensive there two weeks ago. Today, the once overcrowded camps and emergency shelters in Rafah have now largely emptied, with the majority of the displaced seeking refuge in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah, Edem Wosornu, U.N. director of operations and advocacy for the office of humanitarian affairs, told a meeting of the Security Council on the situation. She said the conditions at the displacement sites they are arriving at are horrendous, lacking adequate toilets, clean water, sewage and shelter. These appalling conditions leave serious doubt as to the compliance with these basic obligations. Wosornu said the United Nations and its partners are struggling to offer the displaced assistance, because they cannot get supplies into Gaza at the scale required. Israels envoy said it is truly terrible that civilians in Rafah have to be evacuated, but the move should be supported, not condemned. They have moved to a designated humanitarian zone that is being filled with aid, Ambassador Gilad Erdan told the council of the Israeli-designated sites. And our hope is for many more civilians to leave Rafah and move out of harms way. He said Israel is advancing its military operation in Gaza slowly and carefully to avoid civilian casualties, but that the operation must be done. Otherwise, he said, Israel would be granting immunity to the remaining Hamas terrorists in Rafah. The Palestinian envoy accused Israel of ignoring international calls to spare Rafah and of forcibly displacing its population. People were forcibly displaced time and time again in horrific conditions, Riyad Mansour said. They are being displaced yet again by the hundreds of thousands, with nowhere to go, nowhere to stay, nowhere to be safe dragging what remains of their lives, confronted with death all around them, abandoned to this terrifying fate. The Security Council, the United States and many other countries have urged Israel not to enter Rafah because of the likelihood of high civilian casualties. Ambassador Robert Wood reiterated Washingtons ironclad commitment to Israels security but said despite clear and consistent warnings from the U.S. and others, Israels preparations to meet the needs of the displaced are insufficient. Israel should take immediate and decisive actions to remedy this situation and ensure protection of civilians, Wood said. There must be no delay. Lives depend on it. Aid crossings Wood said that included immediately reopening the Rafah border crossing. As of Monday, the main humanitarian crossing at Rafah remained closed. The Israel Defense Forces took it over on May 7, a day after launching its ground operation into eastern Rafah, and no aid trucks have crossed it since. The U.N.s Wosornu said 82,000 metric tons of food and medical supplies are stranded and spoiling on the Egyptian side of the border, waiting to cross. The Kerem Shalom crossing is operational, but Wosornu said there is only limited access. While a new crossing into the north, known as Erez West or Zikim, is now being used for limited quantities of aid, humanitarians are not sure how much longer it can be used, since it falls within the vicinity of recent Israeli evacuation orders. Wosornu noted that 10 of 16 U.N.-supported bakeries will run out of stock and fuel within days if no additional supplies come in. She said another six in southern Gaza have stopped working, either because of fuel shortages or active fighting. Meanwhile, a $320 million U.S.-funded and -constructed floating pier off Gaza began receiving aid on Thursday, but only 10 truckloads have come through it since Saturday, a U.N. spokesperson said. Fuel supplies also remain dangerously low, limiting the movement of aid convoys. Humanitarian assistance into Gaza is particularly urgent, as the U.N. says 1.1 million Palestinians face catastrophic levels of hunger and parts of Gaza are on the brink of famine. The URL has been copied to your clipboard The code has been copied to your clipboard. The United States reassured Ukraine on Monday that it would continue providing Kyiv with support to counter the Russian offensive. But on the ground, analysts warn the humanitarian crisis is deepening. Veronica Balderas Iglesias reports. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Tuesday that U.S. and European leaders must address Chinas industrial policies that pose a threat to clean energy industries worldwide. Chinese industrial capacity is currently leading to production that significantly exceeds global demand in key sectors, including electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and solar, she said during a speech in Frankfurt. Yellen said she and U.S. President Joe Biden will take action to protect workers and firms in strategic sectors. China's industrial policy may seem remote as we sit here in this room, but if we do not respond strategically and in a united way, the viability of businesses in both our countries and around the world could be at risk, Yellen said in the German city. Yellen warned Chinese officials in April that the United States would not accept an excess production of underpriced goods flooding global markets. "We've seen this story before," Yellen told reporters last month. "Over a decade ago, massive PRC government support led to below-cost Chinese steel that flooded the global market and decimated industries across the world and in the United States." She added that Biden would not accept that reality again. The Biden administration announced last week new tariffs on Chinese strategic industries, including steel, solar, electric vehicles and battery parts. "We want to see healthy green technology sectors, from innovative start-ups to green manufacturing factories, in the United States, Europe and around the world, not just in China," Yellen said. Some information for this story came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stirred controversy with his anti-Muslim remarks since Indians began casting ballots in the country's parliamentary elections last month. But it's not just Modi trafficking in controversial rhetoric about Muslims; top members of his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been echoing similar sentiment as the party seeks a historic third term in power. In the four weeks since the polls opened on April 19, Hindutva Watch, a U.S.-based watchdog, has documented hundreds of campaign rallies featuring the BJP's "star campaigners" and candidates delivering incendiary speeches targeting Muslims. Hindutva Watch founder Raqib Hameed Naik said that in addition to Modi, the party's list of prominent campaigners includes Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda and the chief ministers of several large states. Hindutva refers to the BJP's Hindu nationalist ideology. "They're the ones at the core of the entire thing," Naik said in an interview with VOA. Largest election in world India's six-week election, considered the largest of its kind in the world, pits the BJP against a broad coalition of opposition parties. Voting runs until June 1, and the results will be announced on June 4. Modi sparked a firestorm on April 21 when he warned supporters that if the opposition Indian National Congress came to power, it would redistribute India's wealth among "infiltrators" and "those who have more children." The word "infiltrator," once used for Bengali refugees, is often employed by right-wing Hindu nationalists to label all of India's 200 million Muslims as outsiders. Muslims are sometimes called "child breeders," a baseless stereotype used to fan demographic fears. Understood in this context, Modi's comments were panned by opposition parties and civil rights groups. But in the weeks since, they've been picked up and echoed by other BJP politicians in what experts call the "elite effect." Naik, an exiled Kashmiri Muslim journalist, founded Hindutva Watch in 2021. In the years since, it has emerged as a respected repository of hate speech and hate crime in India, its work cited by mainstream news outlets. Though Hindutva has documented nearly 3,000 instances of hate speech and hate crime, Naik said the election-related vitriol seen this year is without precedent. "I have never seen this kind of inflammatory, hateful election campaign at the national level targeting Muslim minorities," Naik said. Spokespeople for the BJP in New Delhi and the Indian Embassy in Washington did not respond to repeated email requests for comment. VOA has reached out to the BJP's U.S. lobbying arm for comment. Last week, Modi sought to address the controversy over his "infiltrators" remark. Speaking with a local broadcaster, he denied saying "Muslims have more children." "I won't do Hindu Muslim," he told News18. "This is my pledge." To critics, the pledge rang hollow. The day he disavowed playing the Hindu-Muslim card, Modi warned supporters in the eastern state of Jharkhand, "Infiltrators with jihadi mindset are getting support from [the] opposition and putting our sisters in danger." In the days since, Hindutva Watch has documented at least 10 rallies where Modi has by turn warned voters about alleged plans by Congress to redistribute national wealth among Muslims, award minority quotas to them and shut down a revered Hindu temple built on his watch. Not all anti-Muslim statements documented by Hindutva Watch amount to hate speech, which is not a crime in India. Some are classified as inflammatory, dangerous or communal. What Indians call "communalism" has long colored the contentious electoral politics of India, a country of 1.4 billion people, eight major religions and 22 official languages. In 1984, the Congress Party, now in opposition, swept the polls, riding a wave of anti-Sikh furor created by the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said anti-Muslim rhetoric is "part and parcel" of the BJP's voter mobilization strategy. Founded in 1980 and in power since 2014, the BJP has long pursued two core objectives, Vaishnav said: improving the economic lot of the poor and creating a Hindu state. "I don't think that this rhetoric we've seen on the campaign [trail] particularly surprises me, because it is in a sense attached to every BJP campaign," Vaishnav said. As far back as 2002 when he served as Gujarat's chief minister, Modi didn't shy away from inflammatory rhetoric during violent Hindu-Muslim riots, Vaishnav said. More recently, the country's 2019 elections witnessed a surge in anti-Muslim rhetoric, he added. "In a sense, [the current rhetoric] is unprecedented in part because of the way this gets magnified. But this kind of mobilization is certainly not new," he said. 'Love jihad,' 'land jihad,' 'vote jihad' To mobilize voters, BJP candidates, along with other proponents of right-wing Hindu nationalists, have made frequent use of well-worn tropes and conspiracy theories about Muslims. One is known as "land jihad," a conspiracy theory that alleges Muslims are taking over public lands with unauthorized religious buildings. Another, called "love jihad," accuses Muslim men of marrying Hindu women to convert them, with the ultimate goal of transforming India into a Muslim country. Hindutva Watch has recorded dozens of instances of both conspiracy theories during the campaign. Earlier this month, a new variant of the phrase emerged: "vote jihad." After a local opposition leader called on Muslims to carry out a "jihad" of "votes" to oust Modi from power, the prime minister accused the Congress Party of announcing a "vote jihad" against the BJP. "I hope you all know what the meaning of jihad is and against whom it is waged," Modi said. The topic of jihad has routinely surfaced in campaign rallies. In a May 15 speech, independent candidate Sanjay Sharma warned supporters that "this jihadi mentality will keep spreading" if they "don't wake up now." "Vote for me if you want to stop cow slaughter completely," Sharma said, according to a translation provided by Hindutva Watch. "Vote for me if you want to stop love jihad." 'Fear speech' In a way, much of the rhetoric employed by BJP candidates is typical political strategy: politicians firing up supporters with exaggerated claims and fear-mongering. "Look at what House and Senate candidates are saying on the campaign trail," Vaishnav said. "Look at what Republican social media influencers are tweeting about." Rutgers University Professor Kiran Garimella described the campaign rhetoric suggesting a Muslim takeover through population growth as "fear speech," a term used by researchers. "We see a lot of cases where this kind of rhetoric is being used both in India and in the U.S.," Garimella said. But it's not just rhetoric that's worrisome, said veteran Indian journalist and civil rights activist Ajit Sahi. "In India, the rhetoric is part of a larger movement, which is organized, financed and has boots on the ground," said Sahi, now advocacy director for the Indian American Muslim Council. "If there was just rhetoric, that would be possibly tolerable, but the rhetoric is combined with an organized and deeply financed and widely penetrated movement." A proposal under consideration by some members of the G20 group of advanced economies that would place a worldwide tax on the assets of the ultrawealthy does not have the support of the Biden administration, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Monday. Yellen told The Wall Street Journal that the United States is in favor of progressive taxation, under which the wealthy pay a larger share of their income than those of lesser means. However, she said, the notion of some common global arrangement for taxing billionaires with proceeds redistributed in some way were not supportive of a process to try to achieve that. Thats something we cant sign on to. The plan will have limited chances of being implemented without U.S. support, even though it appears to have the backing of the leaders of some large economies such as France and Brazil. The U.S. position on a global tax on billionaires is in contrast to its support of a global minimum tax on international businesses, for which Yellen helped broker an agreement early in President Joe Bidens term in office. 2% tax would raise $250 billion The object of a global tax on the wealth of billionaires would be to prevent the ultrawealthy from avoiding taxation by moving their money across borders or into tax havens that their home-country tax authorities cannot reach. Taxing wealth instead of income, which is normally where levies are focused, would prevent billionaires from exploiting investment strategies that allow them to increase their wealth while generating little taxable income. In remarks at the G20 finance ministers meeting in February, economist Gabriel Zucman, director of the EU Tax Observatory, cited evidence demonstrating that the current global taxation of billionaires is regressive, meaning that the effective tax rate they pay is lower sometimes much lower than the rates paid by average taxpayers. Although there is a lot that can be done by countries acting individually, the best way to address this regressivity is by creating a common minimum standard through international coordination, Zucman said. This is because the main obstacle to taxing the very rich in practice is the risk that they may relocate to low-tax places. This international competition has exerted considerable pressure on the design of tax systems globally. But with international coordination, a binding floor can be put to the tax rates of the ultrawealthy. Zucmans organization has estimated that a 2% annual tax applied to the wealth of approximately 3,000 billionaires worldwide would generate some $250 billion in revenue each year. Moral debt Addressing a G20 meeting in Washington last month, MIT professor and Nobel Prize-winning economist Esther Duflo spoke in support of the 2% tax, as well as a global tax on international businesses, and argued that the proceeds should be directed toward assisting poor nations as they struggle to adapt to climate change. Rich people and rich corporations are making their income from selling their products everywhere in the world, including in poor countries, Duflo said. Their products also greatly contribute to climate change. She characterized wealthy nations obligation to help poor countries manage the climate transition as a moral debt and said demanding that the ultrawealthy pay more is only just. We are not talking about extortion, she said. We are talking about paying your fair share. Taxation a key concern At the same meeting, Brazilian Finance Minister Fernando Haddad defended the focus on international taxation of the wealthy as essential to economic justice. International taxation is not merely the favorite theme of progressive economists; it is an issue of key concern that is at the heart of the global macroeconomic issue, Haddad said. Inequality has been increasing, and the [United Nations] Sustainable Development Goals are becoming increasingly distant, he said. During Brazil's presidency of the G20, I have advocated for a new globalization based on social and environmental criteria. He added, Each country can go a long way individually. ... However, without international cooperation, there is a limit for national states to act. Without cooperation, those who are on the top will continue to evade our tax systems. France, IMF also in favor French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, at the same event, told Haddad, You can count on Frances absolute support. It is a matter of efficiency and justice, Le Maire said. The idea is that each one will pay with their fair share of contribution. Also in favor was International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, who said, In most countries, the rich pay fewer taxes than the middle class and even the poor. Our first choice is to close the loopholes and prevent tax evasion. We call on the international community to implement agreements that allow sharing of tax information. The White House says it chose Kenya for its first state visit by an African leader for many reasons not least because the East African powerhouse has stepped up on the global stage, offering to staff a United Nations peacekeeping mission to Haiti that could see boots on the ground as early as this week. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell sat down with Frances Brown, the newly appointed director for African affairs at the National Security Council, ahead of a state visit by Kenyan President William Ruto. They discussed a range of issues, including technology, climate management, debt relief, democracy, health and more. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. VOA: In a few days, President Joe Biden hosts Kenyan President William Ruto at the White House, his first African leader for a state visit. Why was Kenya chosen and what deliverables can we expect? Frances Brown, NSC director for African affairs: We chose Kenya for a few reasons. No. 1 is the Kenya-U.S. partnership has really grown from a regionally focused one to a globally focused one. ... and we see a lot of complementarities in terms of what we're trying to do on climate. What we're trying to do on debt for the developing world, and on security issues. The second reason we wanted to have this state visit with Kenya is that we are both democracies, and our bond is very deep as democracies, and our bond is very deep on people-to-people ties. The third reason is that Kenya and the U.S. really work similarly in terms of bringing in the private sector to solve global challenges. So, we'll be talking a lot about those. The deliverables you'll see are in the realms of technology, clean energy and climate transition, of debt relief, of democracy, of people-to-people ties and on health-related issues. VOA: Kenya hopes to soon have peacekeepers in Haiti. Why is this so important to the administration? Brown: We do really welcome the Kenyans raising their hand to help lead this multinational security support mission in Haiti, because it's kind of an example of what I just mentioned of Kenya raising its hand to solve problems even outside of its region. ... As you may know, there's been planning under way for a number of months. It has included policing experts from around the world working to develop a concept of operations. Kenya is not going it alone. The U.S. has provided $300 million towards this, so it's a big thing for us. VOA: Are there any other security agreements these two countries might come up with during the state visit? Brown: I would say watch this space, because I think security cooperation with Kenya is a really important plank. VOA: Is it going to be focused on threats from Somalia or from other parts of East Africa? Brown: The U.S. and Kenya have long cooperated on Somalia. I think you can look for security-related announcements that go beyond that. VOA: U.S. troops are pulling out of the Sahel and the so-called Coup Belt. What are the concerns the administration has about security in the Sahel region, especially as Russia expands its footprint there? Brown: As has been widely reported, we are making an orderly withdrawal from Niger. I will say that is pretty consistent with our administrations [counterterrorism] posture in general that we have made changes to our posture that are consistent with our CT policy. It is no secret that democracy is on the backfoot in a lot of places globally. If you talk to democracy scholars, democracy is on something like its 20th year of global decline. So, Africa is not alone in this regard. The Biden administration is focused on lifting up and partnering with democracies to help them deliver. You may have seen USAIDs initiative on democracy delivering. We're working with a few African countries on that. And I think this is, again, something that we'll be talking a lot to the Kenyans with, because President Ruto has talked about the imperative of democracy delivering. VOA: Regarding issues of trade and the African Growth and Opportunity Act obviously, this is going to be a decision made by Congress, but how does the administration feel about the benefits of trade and of barrier-free trade with the United States? Brown: President Biden has been really vocal that he sees AGOA reauthorization and AGOA modernization as a huge priority. It has been huge, I think from our perspective, but also from the perspective of the region. It's something we hear a lot about from our Kenyan partners. We do look to Congress for that. But as you know, reauthorization is due next year, and obviously we hope that things can get in motion before then. VOA: The Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief which has been a literal lifesaver for people around the African continent is up for renewal next year. How does the White House see this program as contributing to national security? Brown: We see PEPFAR as essential. And as you know, PEPFAR has been supported with bipartisan congressional support and across administrations since the George W. Bush initiative initially. We think PEPFAR is delivering for people across the continent, and we've been proud to support it, and we look for reauthorization. VOA: When is President Biden going to visit Africa, and where will he go? Brown: So, I cannot make news at this moment by announcing presidential travel. But what I will say is thus far, I think President Biden's commitment to the relationship with the continent is pretty clear. If you think about Kenya, it's the first state visit that we're giving to a non-G20 country this term. There's only been five other state visits. ... But then you just look at the steady stream of Cabinet official travels to the continent over the past two years by our count, there's 24 principals or Cabinet-level officials who've made that trip, all of them bringing their own agenda. I'd also say just in terms of the other ways President Biden has shown his commitment, advocating for AU [African Union] membership with the G20 has been huge. Advocating for more African seats and international financial institutions and all the other transformative investment. VOA: Youve just joined the NSC in this capacity. What priorities do you bring to this post? Brown: I think I see this post as moving forward on the affirmative agenda that President Biden laid out first, and the Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy, which was published at the end of 2021. Then the African Leaders Summit, which came at the end of 2022. There were a lot of initiatives launched by those two events. Now we are running forward on implementation. At the same time, of course, at the NSC, the urgent sometimes competes with the important, so of course, we're seized with managing crises. And we're really sobered by the crises that are happening in many parts of the continent. So, I see my role as a balance between those two, and I'm thrilled to be on board. As Botswana prepares for general elections in October, the number of women running for office remains low. Political parties have finalized their list of candidates for the 2024 vote, and the majority of contestants are male. In the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), out of nearly 200 candidates for the National Assembly, only 20 are women. In the last general election, only 5% of women were elected to the National Assembly. Gender activist Pamela Dube said the situation is concerning, especially given how few women were elected in 2019. "The pertaining state of affairs in womens political participation in Botswana is saddening. While statistically, women make [up] more than 50% of voters, womens representation in elected positions remains very low, Dube said. I have serious doubt that we will see an improvement in the upcoming October elections. Botswana falls short of the framework established by the regional bloc the Southern Africa Development Community for achieving gender parity. The groups policy advocates equal representation in political and decision-making positions. Dube said the governing BDP should create gender quotas in order to push for legislated seat allocation. Botswana has no such laws, or even constitutional provisions. It is even sadder that the constitution review bill that is before parliament is silent in this regard, Dube said. Spokesperson for opposition coalition the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Moeti Mohwasa, said the countrys electoral laws do not favor women. Botswana uses the first-past-the-post system, where voters choose a single candidate, as opposed to a list. You cannot expect the very same set-up or situation that is patriarchal, conservative to allow women to rise and occupy positions of authority, Mohwasa said. Our position is that you need to have the mixed system, which will have the current first-past-the-post and also the list system. If you look at countries that have the list systems, you realize that women are much more empowered. Maputo-based Women in Political Participation (WPP) programs officer Sifisosami Dube said Botswana should have amended its electoral laws under a recent constitutional review process. There is a need to handhold women in political leadership from the time they are campaigning, or when they are thinking about campaigning, to the time they will be in elections and to the time they are in political leadership positions. Because once they are in political offices, it is quite cold out there; they need to be continuously motivated, WPPs Dube said. While Botswana struggles to get more women into politics, countries like Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have more than 30% women representation in upper and lower houses of parliament. HARARE (Reuters) - Four lithium mining companies have tabled plans to produce battery-grade lithium in Zimbabwe, a government official said on Monday. Zimbabwe, Africa's top producer of lithium, which is used in electric vehicle batteries and to store renewable energy, is prodding miners to refine the mineral locally as it hopes to boost its economy. Currently, Chinese lithium miners, who dominate the sector in Zimbabwe, only produce lithium concentrates which they ship to China for further processing. Last November, Zimbabwe's finance minister Mthuli Ncube said the government had given miners up to March 2024 to submit plans on refining within the country. The government had extended the deadline by two months at the request of some miners, deputy mines minister Polite Kambamura told Reuters. "They are coming forward with plans but these are long term plans which we are receiving. We have four large scale producers who have come forward," Kambamura said Ezra Tshisa Sibanda Some Zimbabweans drink up to three or more cups of tea a day. Many tea drinkers believe that they cant live without taking a sip or two of the popular beverage per day. As the world marks International Tea Day, in Bulawayos second largest city, Bulawayo, locals held tea parties to discuss many issues facing them. This has become an annual ritual for these tea lovers. Fifty-six year-old Steven Switzman takes a sip of tea at a party in Zimbabwe's second largest city, organized to drink one of the most liked beverages in the world. He is among millions of people who love tea. "I wake up in the morning, lunch time l have a cup of tea about 11 o clock and then definitely at 4 o clock not necessarily with food but even a biscuit is fine, very refreshing and as you can see how l like my tea l boil it with milk for 3 minutes one sugar, Tanganda, Five roses or something like this." Hazel Ndlovu, another Bulawayo resident, takes three cups of tea everyday. She cant live without tea. "I find it very relaxing, everyday l have about 2 or 3 cups. If l don't take tea l actually feel something is not right. I love my tea very much." Some widows living in Bulawayo's Mzilikazi suburb regularly get together to drink tea to talk about issues affecting them. They have over the years held events to mark International Tea Day. Sakhile Mananike, an avid tea party attendant, is a 54-year-old widow who says drinking tea is her way of living. "I like tea because it keeps me healthy, it keeps me home. When it's cold like this l always take one litre of tea and l like one type of tea bags. And then tea with milk, l always boil my water and boil my milk then mix together it will be nice for me and it's called a milk tea. So lm having my rich tea and lm enjoying it. And today is our tea day so lm enjoying my tea." Remington Moyo is a 22-year-old student who says he inherited drinking tea from his parents. I like tea because l think it's an inheritance from our old parents as they to love tea so much so l also take it from them but also tea is very relaxing and also good for health. I drink tea once in the morning and probably sometime in the afternoon depending on the weather. It gives me the renewed energy; it tells me to refresh and to start afresh the day." Remington believes drinking tea can boost your health even if this has no scientific proof. I love it so much because it helps us with our health, it can help you with digestive systems. Continue drinking tea continue going for all types of teas, healthy tea. It will help you a lot, it will help you to keep on refreshing and to keep the legacy alive. Imagine the world without tea. How Will it be? May 21st was set aside by United Nations as International Tea Day for celebrating tea's long history, cultural significance, and its role in promoting sustainable development and fighting poverty in tea-growing regions. According to the UN, tea is the worlds most consumed drink, after water. It is believed that tea originated in northeast India, North Myanmar and southwest China. Tea production and processing constitutes a main source of livelihoods for millions of families in developing countries and is the main means of subsistence for poor families, who live in a number of least developed nations. The United Nations says tea can play a significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries, being one of the most important cash crops. Some Zimbabweans drink up to three or more cups of tea a day. Many tea drinkers believe that they cant live without taking a sip or two of the popular beverage per day. As the world marks International Tea Day, in Bulawayo, locals held tea parties to discuss many issues. The Back to Black star on finding compassion for the late singers ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. Photo: Olli Upton/Focus Features When Jack OConnells version of Blake Fielder-Civil is introduced in Back to Black, he is in OConnells own words a bit of a hellion. Hes celebrating a horse-race win in the middle of the day, knocking back beers with his friends and flirting unabashedly and constantly with Marisa Abelas up-and-coming Amy Winehouse. Of course, he has a girlfriend he doesnt tell Amy about, and of course he brings cocaine over to her apartment the first night they spend together. Hes exactly the kind of guy who seems appealing when youre looking for a bit of danger, so volcanically charming that you might not see how his cocky grin is fueled by equal parts self-destruction and confidence. The way director Sam Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh avoid re-creating certain on-the-record elements of Fielder-Civils relationship with Winehouse (like his admission that he introduced her to heroin) has divided critical responses to Back to Black. But OConnell, who spent an afternoon with Fielder-Civil to prepare for the film, defends its approach, saying the script blindsided him with its focus on the pairs connection. Taylor-Johnson has said OConnell was the only person she could think of for the role, which is indeed a showcase for elements of his previous performances. It requires a wiry physical presence, as seen in Starred Up and Godless; a rough-and-ready romantic appeal, as in Little Fish and Lady Chatterleys Lover; and a hidden core of self-critical vulnerability, as in Jungleland and The North Water. Were not pointing fingers. The easy narrative is to say, Look at this guy. Look what hes doing hes bad news. Why did she ever fall for him? But the reality is not that simple, OConnell says. Youve described this less as a biopic and more as a reimagination, and Im wondering if that twist is what appealed to you the most. Definitely. Much later from jumping on the project, I was made aware that a lot of the script was informed by her lyrics. And I just thought, What a perfect catalyst, to bring it back to the lyrics and to portray these people as theyre being described by Amy through her music. She was such an honest musician and an honest songwriter that it makes total sense. No ones trying to say this is how it happened, when it happened, beat by beat. I dont think, unless you were there, you can ever expect to know that entirely. So to be able to chat with Blake, who was there, and marry his version of events into this story for me, to get my end of it right that felt like a lovely couple of key ingredients. That meeting gave me certain license to go, Theres the guy who has been very, very heavily publicized. Then theres the guy I met, albeit several years on. But there was so much that was genuine about that interaction I had with him. Did you have elements of your performance already determined before meeting with him? A lot of it initially was feeling like I understood the period; I understood the I hate this cliche, but Zeitgeist of that period. I understood the attitudes of the time. I even understood the attitudes of tabloid media at that time through growing up in the U.K. amid the kind of immoral level of intrusion. We met up prior to the shoot; it was just an afternoon. I recognized in him exactly that type of fellow who was cutting about back then, a typical geezer. Someone fun to be around, quite a magnetic personality. He charges into the pub having just had a result on the horses. What a great fucking starting point. We meet him coming into this boozer, ready to splash the dosh. For me, that was the tagline, and I built it from there. Sam was totally game for all that playfulness and the silliness and the charm. Blake was constantly on hand if I had questions. We stayed in touch, even to the point of him seeing the film and his feedback, and its positive. Thats a really important review to me, his. Im not going to go into exactly what he said, but what he said was beyond what I could have ever expected. In early profiles of you, theres a focus on your childhood, your run-ins with the law, and your partying days. In one of them, you said, When I was younger, I got into a lot of trouble and was made to feel guilty for a long time. Im curious if that tendency for people to try to define you by your past was something you saw in common with Blake. If anything, youve made me aware of that link. It was not something Ive been conscious of until you said it. I feel a great degree of compassion for Blake and empathy. I think its always key to point out that these are people in their 20s. And with how that relates to me, where I was then, its very different to where I am now. Same goes for Blake. The same would apply to Amy if she were here. I think its all part and parcel of growing up, isnt it? Was there a lived experience that informed the role the most? The main element of that was just having some reckoning of this time and this period. Just being able to be fully nostalgic about this era, which is an era I am nostalgic about anyway. I think the music was great then, and I think Camden was brilliant. I think our U.K. music scene was, like, world-beating. [Laughs.] Some people might disagree, but I loved it. I loved being around London in this era. You could stumble across anything, step outside with no intentions and see amazing bands and be at amazing venues and hang around with amazing people. I was a kid at this time, so I definitely wanted to bring that into the role, and I thought it was important for the film to make you feel like you were there again, and I think it does. I was having the time of my life cause I was just pretending it was the noughties again. I got a massive buzz off that. When you got the script for the first time, do you remember the first scene you read that made you think, This has to be me? What was that moment? When I first read the Shangri-Las section, where he impromptu bursts out into a performance of Leader of the Pack. I had to read that about four times before I accepted that it was in the script. It wasnt a no-brainer before reading it. This story is fraught with all sorts of badness. By the time I finished reading it, it was clear that, no, were actually telling the very in-depth version, the very colorful version. Theres probably more emphasis on the joy in Amys life and celebrating that about her than the eventual end we all know so well, unfortunately. Can you talk to me about filming that scene? How did you prepare for that? The actual Shangri-Las piece, it was one thing on paper, but once I saw it, I thought, No, were going there. We are going there. I want at least a verse and a chorus, and Im gonna make it really difficult for Sam to cut it. I practiced in my bathroom in front of the mirror. I was listening to the tune over and over again, watching the music video over and over again. The spirit of the Shangri-Las, I wanted to bring all of that in. And I knew I had that as an ace up my sleeve, once Id worked enough on it. I was nervous about that initial meeting scene because we had to get it right; so much depended on it. Obviously with that, there comes an element of nervousness. Yeah, Im quite nervous in that scene. Do you feel like the nervousness helped? I think the nervousness helped. Im certainly less nervous once weve cracked it and we know the shape of the scene and then Im more available to play around. But Marisa shes just great, man. She is a powerhouse. I think this film has got every chance because of her. And that is also a testament to Sam as a director for cultivating that atmosphere. It helped that we were in a pub, which is a very comforting environment anyway. All the alcohol on set is zero percent, but even the act of supping a pretend beer just gives you these comforts and safety nets to be able to go in and say [of Blake and Amys first meeting], Okay. This is relatable. I feel like a dinosaur saying this, but that sort of charisma, that sensibility of that period, that backwards and forwards, not taking yourself too seriously, taking the piss out of yourself and out of the situation, shit-talking Amy definitely embodied that. You can see it in her interviews. She was an embodiment of Camden at that time. Later in the film, theres a scene in Miami, where Blake gives Amy a jewelry box, and inside of it are glowing crack rocks. It feels like the one surreal moment in a film that is otherwise very grounded. What were your reactions to that scene? I suppose with anything like that, to an extent, you cant be judgmental. When youre trying to understand the reality if youre trying to understand it you dont wanna be judgmental. Yeah, it is surreal. Were trying to make a massive point quite subtly. When you understand the naivete around drugs at the time and how young these people were and how readily accessible it must have been for both of them its such an evil concoction, especially when you throw in success. Thats wildfire. Were not pointing fingers. The easy narrative is to say, Look at this guy. Look what hes doing hes bad news. Why did she ever fall for him? But the reality is not that simple. What interested me about the morning-after cocaine scene and the honeymoon-in-Miami scene is that both are incredibly romantic moments between Blake and Amy, and drugs are also there. They fell for each other, and they cared for each other. But also, the drugs are there. Yeah, brilliant. I think addiction on the whole is an awful thing. Its an evil, and there comes a point where the only thing that matters is the drugs. They go from always being there to the only thing thats there and the only thing that really matters, and everything else takes a back seat. Youve played characters who have struggled with addiction over the course of your career: Skins, The North Water, now this film. Has your approach to playing someone with addiction changed over time? I think every circumstance is in a vacuum. There might be similarities, but each circumstance is unique. I find that I have a lot of empathy and a lot of compassion for addicts. And in a lot of cases, and in Amys case, you see these people that had so much to give, so much potential, and it was kind of contributing to the undoing of them. Theres a tragedy in that that really moves me as a storyteller, as an artist. Its something I wanna understand and wanna help people understand. I guess that is the motive. The North Water director and writer Andrew Haigh said of you as an actor, Jack wants to be hurled into the air without a crash mat. He is so deeply committed to finding the gnarly truth of a moment. Was there a moment while making Back to Black when it felt like you were being hurled into the air without a crash pad? Theres an element of that every day, do you know what I mean? With every scene, theres an element of that. [Pauses.] I like that analogy. Its very illustrative. The way that you talked about the Shangri-Las scene, it seemed like that might be in the running. Yeah, because you dont know if anybodys going to like it, either. You can hope for the best, but if its just met with dumbfounded glares after they call Cut, obviously that is soul-destroying. You gotta take risks and embrace the failure. Failure is your friend. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Tossing off a speech at his books New York Public Library event. Photo: Valerie Terranova Famous ad guy Lord Maurice Saatchi co-founded Saatchi & Saatchi, which for a while was one of the largest agencies in the world. So he really knows how to pitch. When I find him at a back table at Il Gattopardo, a quiet-luxury Italian restaurant in the bottom of a townhouse across from the Museum of Modern Art, on a recent Saturday, the elegantly soft-spoken 77-year-old is wearing his trademark Mr. Magoo glasses and a long white shirt that extends down below his knees. Its noon, and he has already ordered a glass of white wine and is prepared to tell me about or sell me on his saucily titled book, Orgasm, a large-format, large-print collection of his essays. Each is designed to rhetorically demolish what he apparently perceives as the readers preconceived notions. Chapter titles include Conservatives Are Cruel, Poetry Is for Wimps, Cocktail Parties Are Stressful, America Is Perfect, and Truth Is Good. He hopes to disabuse you of these beliefs, assuming that you hold them. He has priced Orgasm at $100. Assuming that I havent bothered to read it, he starts off with the big catchy idea. We know that a physical orgasm is the most blissful human experience, he says, the theme music from Succession actually playing in the background. This book claims that there is another kind of orgasm an orgasm of the mind. Which has nothing to do with sex. Which is even more pleasurable. The waiter arrives with an amuse-bouche, with compliments from the chef: arancini, a rice ball with sweet peas, mozzarella, and pear. This Saatchi is not as famous as Charles, his art-collecting older brother who helped invent the YBA and was once married to Nigella Lawson. They were born in Iraq, the children of a prosperous textile dealer, and immigrated to England in 1947 to flee antisemitism. At Saatchi & Saatchi, which the brothers founded in 1970, Maurice was the affable, business-minded Roger Sterling to his brothers volatile Don Draper. He has matured into an Establishment figure in the U.K., where he was a close friend and adviser to Margaret Thatcher and, for a time, co-chairman of the Conservative Party. The brothers were booted from Saatchi & Saatchi in the mid-90s over accusations of mismanagement, two years before Maurice was given his lifetime peerage. He went on to found another successful agency, M&C Saatchi, which he left in 2019 in a dispute over how to handle accounting problems. This isnt Saatchis first book. While at Saatchi & Saatchi, he wrote Brutal Simplicity of Thought: How It Changed the World, more or less an advert for his advertising agency. He is also an inveterate pamphleteer with works including The Science of Politics, about how taxes should be lower, and Happiness Cant Buy Money. In 2022, he published a memoirish book called Do Not Resuscitate: The Life and Afterlife of Maurice Saatchi, in which he imagines himself standing at the Gates of Heaven, trying to make a pitch to join his wife, Josephine Hart, who had died of cancer 11 years before and whom he clearly loved very much. The main question in the book that he had to account for was, Did you or did you not try to change the world for the better? The Times Literary Supplement called it a trauma memoir that reads like a movie script, a mad play. After he sends back our appetizers This wasnt what we were expecting. I think we made a mistake. Im really sorry, but we were expecting something completely different Saatchi attempts to describe how this book came together. Many of these essays had found their origins in musings that hed previously published for the Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail or given in speeches before the House of Lords. Its a sort of best-of of what seem to be Saatchis most cherished brain-teasing topics. I tried to assemble over a period of time what I describe here as popular lies, he says in his plummy drawl. Then I present my version of the truth. The idea is that the reader will then be able to make up its mind whether something is true. Whats true, whats not true. Perhaps its all lies. Thats really the concept. This, he hopes, would lead the reader to the titular orgasm of the mind where the road ahead is straight and the destination is clear. The intense pleasure of knowing that the contradictions in your head have been resolved. To some extent. At which point, presumably, you could smoke a cigarette or just roll over and go to sleep. If this all seems a bit mental-masturbatory, Saatchi, at this time in his life, seems like a supremely indulged man. And frightfully well connected. Its clear that, on some basic level, Saatchi has not lived in the day-to-day world, with quotidian concerns, for many years perhaps ever. Even his wallet is a folded-up envelope with the logo of the House of Lords on its back. Two nights before, President and Secretary Clinton, Letitia James hed never met her before and was impressed Darren Walker, Laurene Powell Jobs, Lynn de Rothschild, and Don Lemon, among others of similarly high-value social status, had showed up at the New York Public Library to toast and take home a free copy of the black clothbound volume imprinted with a silver O on the cover. He was pleased with the books elite reception: There was also a party in Los Angeles, hosted by Sherry Lansing Mike Ovitz, Kathy and Rick Hilton, and Peter Guber were there as well as another, smaller party at Holly Petersons townhouse, here in New York, co-hosted by Tina Brown. Carl Bernstein and Diane Sawyer were present, too; Bernstein told him a story Saatchi quite liked about how when he was reporting on Watergate, they knew they were only going to be able to tell the closest available version of the truth. Thats good. I liked that a lot. Saatchi, it seems to me, is more a just-asking-questions person than a truth-teller. Everything is a bit airy and obscure. Hes far too ensconced in the Establishment to say anything too revealing. He was against Brexit but didnt vote against it Abstained, he tells me. When I ask him what was the last straw that made his fellow Tories force Boris Johnson to resign, he went off the record. Pretty much the only name he drops is Margaret Thatcher, telling a story about how disappointed she was with how big the countrys banks had gotten. This is one of his sort-of mea culpas: He bemoans how the globalized economy, which as an advertising mogul he worked hard to nurture, had evolved into a system of cartels. He gets into this in his book in the chapter that asks if Big Companies Are Wonderful. (The answer: Rubbish.) This book claims Saatchi has a habit of talking about its contents as if he himself had not written it that the end result of globalization is not at all what believers in free markets thought. It could be, the ghastly thought, that Karl Marx was right, because his exact statement was, after years of warfare amongst capitalism, there will be fewer and fewer capitalists controlling vaster and vaster empires. If that isnt whats happened, I dont know what is. As the entrees arrive, I ask him why the book costs so much. Im testing a hypothesis for the publishing world, he says, half-joking, half-relishing what he sees as his own daringly clever insight. Its obviously very expensive. But, for example, if a woman is prepared to pay $10,000 for an Hermes bag, it must come into her mind, I assume, that if a bag is $10,000, it must be good. If you try and apply that to the book-publishing world, well, that will be a tremendous revolution. In the future, people will be very happy to pay $100. If that doesnt pan out, he says, it will be the biggest flop of all time. My guess is that if it does flop, unlike many things he has done in his well-publicized life, it will do so rather quietly. Dining chat: A waiter gave our anniversary bubbly to the table next to us. What should we have done? Recipes What do you want to cook today? Yet ... he did have an image 20 years later of Eilis brother walking on a beach with two tall teenagers with dark eyes and hair who didnt look Irish. And someone stopped to say, oh my, who are they? Oh, theyre Eilis. And someone just says in that very Wexford way, are they? with all the meaning. In writing the book, however, that image didnt get in. Henry James says, have a dream, lose a reader, but once I got the opening, it was a new book, a different book rather than taking up where I left off. Some writers whose work has been successfully adapted for the screen often see their characters as the actors who played them. John le Carre, for example, could see only Alec Guinness when he wrote more about George Smiley. That wasnt the case with Toibin when he returned to Eilis; as a character she was so fixed for him. And anyway, Saoirse Ronans portrayal was so particular. Saoirse Ronan as Eilis in the film adaptation of Colm Toibins Brooklyn. The performance that did matter enormously to him was Domhnall Gleeson as Jim. Its hard to play a quiet, thoughtful man, he says, and whos ever written a quiet, thoughtful Irishman for the screen? Toibin says: The feeling about Jim is that his feelings are deep, that hes very controlled. I was really fascinated by it because it was a performance of something new and I found that very helpful. That fed into the characterisation of Jim, which is appropriate as Long Island is a novel about the secrets kept by various people. The other challenge for Toibin was to do something with Eilis mother as the events in Brooklyn had affected her significantly. The pact was broken in that world where it is agreed that one daughter will stay with the widowed mother. And when that doesnt happen theres shame; she feels that shame going out into the street. And over the 20 or whatever number of years, this eats at her the solitude, the shame and her dead daughter, her dead husband, and sons in England, and her daughter, who seems to have fled and left behind a sort of chaos. But the interest in the idea of homecoming is still there, particularly from America, a country that seemed so glamorous. Except, Toibin points out, to the person coming from America. Nancy feels she has to wear smarter clothes after seeing Eilis, and Jim says Eilis seems to have a quality of ease and confidence, all apparently through having been in America. And Eilis doesnt feel any of this. It isnt as though shes walking through the town as a proud American. She always has an effect on people without trying to have that effect. And so shes almost passive. Toibin knows about life in the US. He teaches a regular semester at Columbia University in New York, and his boyfriend of many years lives in Los Angeles. But he still has his house by the sea in Cush. I spend as much time in LA as I can, and then as much time in Ireland as I can. Loading So like Eilis he is familiar with the experience of moving into someone elses world where you dont know anyone and no one knows you. In Long Island, Tonys father cannot pronounce Eilis name. Its an experience Toibin is familiar with: Its absolutely out of my life. They just cant do it; they wont do it, and they dont even try. Whats lovely about Toibins novels set around the area where he comes from The Heather Blazing, The Blackwater Lightship, Brooklyn, Nora Webster and now Long Island is the way they talk to each other through characters and places reappearing, even if only briefly. In the new novel Eilis looks for directions to her brother Martins house and walks past the judges house, a reference back to Eamon Redmond from The Heather Blazing; in Brooklyn, Nancy spots Nora Webster in Enniscorthy and Martin bought Noras house after her husband died, while Lily Devereux from The Blackwater Lightship also pops up along the way. This is building up if you take all the other novels out to being not just a picture of a society, but a sort of fictional space that gets slightly bigger and more extended each time. I dont know why theres so much pleasure attached to just inserting the name of the characters. There is an emotion around it that anchors something. It suggests this world youre describing is closer to real than imaginary. Employers are voicing their alarm at Coalition plans to slash migration after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton vowed to make deeper cuts than Labor to the annual intake, sparking fears of a shortage of skilled workers. The concerns heighten the political dispute over population and housing after the federal government revealed plans to cut net overseas migration from 528,000 last year to 260,000 next year. Dutton said he would drive the number down to 160,000. From left: The Australian Industry Groups Innes Willox, Business Council of Australias Bran Black and Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Andrew McKellar. Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Andrew McKellar said the Coalition target could not be achieved without having a severe impact on the economy because of the need for skilled workers and overseas students. Its ringing alarm bells for business because we think it would be mathematically very difficult to achieve the sorts of numbers that theyve set out, McKellar said. Manila: The Philippine government will involve Australia in a potentially life-or-death decision about what to do with accused drug trafficker Gregor Haas, raising the prospect of a diplomatic solution that could spare him the worst of Indonesian justice. The father of Brisbane Broncos NRL star Payne Haas faces execution if he is extradited to Indonesia and convicted there. He is accused of sending five kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico to Indonesia in a shipment of ceramic tiles, which was intercepted on December 11 last year. Haas was arrested in the Philippines last week in a dramatic and highly planned joint operation between local police and a contingent of Indonesian investigators who had travelled to Cebu City for the sting. In a possible high-stakes test for the Albanese government, the case has the makings of a diplomatic tangle between Indonesia, Australia and middleman the Philippines. With graduation comes reflection on lessons learned and work yet to be done. For Sophia Akujobi, a Black student at Carlisle High School, this transition also is a clarion call to elders to do more to act on behalf of minority students. When I look back at my seven years within the district, I only remember the few good moments when I was able to exist without the color of my skin being an issue, the senior told Carlisle Area School Board earlier this month. I remember every instance of racism, she said. Every single time that the people within my school chose to protect someone other than me. That will stick with me for the rest of my life. I graduate in June, so maybe nothing can be done about the racism, the individuals that I had to deal with, Akujobi said. However, other students of color will be here next year and will continue to attend the district years after. The next generation of these students deserve to be protected. Her words stung both board members and district administrators. Her story challenged the perception of Carlisle as a district proud of its diversity. In follow-up interviews, school officials acknowledged that the work against racism needs to continue. Students story Time and again, teachers and staff made excuses for bad behavior, and her concerns were dismissed as overreactions, Akujobi said. She cited an example from middle school: The first year I was in the district I experienced some of the worst racism I felt up to that point. I went to the principal after a supposed friend had made racist remarks to me on several occasions. The final straw for Akujobi came after she was made aware of postings on an online message board that included racist imagery and threats to harm Black people. The whole ordeal left me ridden with anxiety, she said. The student would continue to provoke me, including telling me to kill myself. I was made aware that this student had been spoken to and that the school had eyes watching, yet the following year, the student was still placed in my classes and had a locker beside me. It took two years and an incident in the eighth grade before school staff removed the student from her proximity. By then, the treatment convinced Akujobi to think again about reporting the abuse up the chain. I was given a break from racism in school due to the pandemic, she said. But that changed her sophomore year when a former friend told her there was nothing wrong with racial slurs and that white privilege had no effect on them. The student called Akujobi a Black puppet and attempts to correct the persons behavior didnt work. That friendship ended in March 2022. Admittedly I did not go to staff to report these incidents, she said. Much of what I described happened online and through text messages. A few weeks later, a staff member asked her what was wrong when they noticed that Akujobi was uncomfortable. She took the time to explain. I was met with an apology that was quickly followed by This student is a good kid. Im sure they have some growing to do, Akujobi said. Akujobi said her family had moved to Carlisle from Cumberland Valley to escape racism in that school district. Board reaction Board members commended her courage in coming forward. It truly hurts my heart, said George Stroud, the only Black member of the school board. You transferred here because you were moving away from that, hoping that coming here to Carlisle, you would not face those same issues. Unfortunately, it sounds like you faced the same issues and maybe even more, and, for that, I say I am sorry. It is these stories that you share that help us to move forward, Stroud said. Our district is made up of folks from different cultures, different backgrounds, different religions, different political ideologies, and that is a good thing, but we have to figure out a way to do better. We have to figure out a way to engage in civil discourse and be able to talk about our differences. Not to talk down to people because we are different. Bruce Clash said her comments were a wake-up call for everyone to do better. We cant tolerate people making excuses for bad behavior or protecting others over those who are being victimized. No one should ever feel that they are less than anyone else, David Miller told Akujobi. Thank you for saying the words you say. Continue to stand up for yourself and others. Board President Paula Bussard said she is heartbroken that the students reflection of being at Carlisle was tainted by the unacceptable behavior of other students. Since then, Bussard has done her own research, by inviting comments from district residents attending community events. Several people expressed concern that an attitude of mean-spiritedness toward those who are different is playing out in the Carlisle area, Bussard said. They just feel that were not immune to the divisiveness, that we need to focus and do some reflection to improve the culture. Protocols in place District Superintendent Colleen Friend said the words from Akujobi were difficult but necessary to hear. Im very sad that has been her experience, Friend said. Diversity is something we celebrate. We brag about it. We emphasize it. Its just something were very proud of. Carlisle enrolls about 5,200 children from a broad range of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. This includes a yearly influx of children whose parents are students at the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks. These families come in from throughout the U.S. and, in the case of International Fellows, from around the world. Our job is to make sure that the structure of our school system is as inclusive as it can be, Friend said. Theres not a one-shot fix for that. Its constant ongoing work when you talk about whats happening in our community and in our nation. Its a tough time. Our intention is to do what we can to make our kids feel welcome, included and valued. To help in that effort, the district has administrative protocols and a hierarchy of options to discipline students, Friend said. Under this system, students can report concerns through a chain of accountability that starts with the classroom teacher and ends with the superintendent, she said. While there have been some investigations tied to reports of racism, these are not incidents that happen on a regular basis, said Patricia Buffington, Carlisle High School principal. Prior to being appointed as director of secondary operations, Michael Black was the principal with experience at the high school going back to 2006. I would not say that racism would be pervasive, Black said. What I can say is, over the last 16 years or so, we take those situations seriously. There has been no vandalism or physical aggression, Friend said, adding most reports involve racial slurs or insensitive comments. Teaching students to be tolerant of diversity starts in elementary school with lessons on friendship, kindness and patience before moving to middle school and beyond with programs like Character Strong, she said. At the high school level, the district is gearing up to add a third section of an African-American history and cultures course, Friend said. The Black Student Union has achieved club status with its own bylaws, club officers and annual fund balance maintained by the district, she said. Every year, during professional development training, teachers and staff members review coursework that touch on the social aspects of public education, such as working with students from different backgrounds and with different needs, Assistant Superintendent Michael Gogoj said. From 7 to 10 May 2024, the Tunisian Customs (Direction Generale des Douanes (DGD)) hosted a national workshop on Customs laboratories, which was delivered within the framework of the EU-WCO Programme for the Harmonized System in Africa (HS-Africa Programme), funded by the European Union. The workshop was aimed at conducting a scoping mission for setting up a Customs Laboratory in the country. The implementation of a standard Customs Laboratory in Tunis would be the first step. The workshop was facilitated by two WCO recognised Customs chemists from the Belgian and the Spanish Customs Administrations. In his opening remarks, Mr. Bellara Monji, General Controller at the Control Department, on behalf of the Customs Commissioner, confirmed the commitment of the DGD in implementing a modern Customs Laboratory as another step in the modernisation of his Administration. He stressed the importance of Customs Laboratories for the purposes of revenue collection, drug enforcement, protection of the society and the environment as well as trade facilitation. Participants were informed of the structure and the functioning of the Customs Laboratory European Network (CLEN), a WCO Regional Customs Laboratory, and of the possibilities that the instruments developed by the CLEN might offer to the DGD. Discussions focused on the WCO Customs Laboratory Guide, sampling procedures, analysis of narcotics, security and safety issues, as well as laboratory information management systems (LIMS). The workshop was also an opportunity for participants to deepen their knowledge of the relevant technical standards with regard to the infrastructure, instruments and staff of a Customs Laboratory. Following comprehensive discussions of various aspects of the project, an assessment was made as to the way forward and concrete action for establishing a Customs Laboratory network in Tunis. In his closing remarks, Mr. Monji thanked the WCO and the European Union for the support and collaboration in this area of Customs work, and confirmed his Administrations interest in implementing a Customs Laboratory in the country. For further information, please contact wcoHSAfrica@wcoomd.org Defense contractor L3Harris Technologies has entered into an agreement with Orange County to fund a $41.2 million expansion and modernization of the companys Aerojet Rocketdyne facility there. The effort is intended to increase solid rocket motor production while growing the companys presence in the commonwealth, according to a joint statement from Orange County, Gov. Glenn Youngkin and L3Harris. The company plans to construct new facilities, purchase equipment and hire 80 people in Orange over the next three years. The majority of the investment will come from an cooperative agreement Aerojet Rocketdyne signed with the Department of Defense last year, according to the statement. L3Harris, a Florida-based defense contractor and technology company, purchased Aerojet, including its Orange County factory, last year, bringing on 5,000 employees at multiple locations around the country. The acquisition formed a fourth L3Harris business segment focused on missile defense systems and hypersonic and advanced rocket engines, according to reports at the time. L3Harris will contribute internal capital for the Orange plant expansion, alongside $2.18 million in incentives from the commonwealth of Virginia and Orange County to support site improvement and construction efforts. This agreement builds upon company and U.S. government investments in our solid rocket motor production capabilities for critical defense systems, Aerojet Rocketdyne President Ross Niebergall said in a statement. We have been a part of the Virginia community for decades and look forward to growing our talented workforce here as we produce the vital propulsion that helps protect our nation and its allies. An impetus for the expansion and new hires, Aerojet Rocketdyne is relocating manufacturing of Stinger and Javelin propulsion from Arkansas to the Orange County plant. Mark Farley, vice president of site operations and manufacturing, said the move will support a focus on medium and large solid rocket motors in Arkansas while concentrating on small motors in Virginia. Its part of a larger $215 million DOD contract signed last year to meet increased demand for weapons, according to the statement. Aerojet in Orange County is home to some of the most advanced defense and space propulsion research, development and manufacturing operations in the world, according to the company. It includes the Orange Altitude Test Facility, a fully equipped propellant lab and a state-of-the-art air-breathing test facility. The nations security depends on defense manufacturers like L3Harris, said Youngkin. We are proud that this long-term corporate partner continues to reinvest in Virginia, he said in the joint statement. The Commonwealths vibrant industrial and technological ecosystem provides an ideal home for the booming aerospace industry, underpinned by a top-notch workforce pipeline that draws from thousands of service members who exit the armed services in Virginia every year and our excellent schools that ensure a steady flow of new talent. Orange County Board of Supervisors Chairman R. Mark Johnson called it an exciting announcement he said was supported by him and the rest of the board of supervisors and economic development team. L3Harris has been an important member of our business community for many years making their $41.2 million investment particularly gratifying, he said. In 2015, Aerojet Rocketdyne announced an $11 million expansion to add 50,000 square feet to its Orange facility, creating 100 jobs. Then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe attended the groundbreaking to announce a $300,000 contribution from the commonwealths Opportunity Fund. The large fenced-in facility has operated in Orange since the 1980s, near the southern county line of Culpeper, producing boosters for space missions, in addition to missile systems and other weapons and rocket components. On May 7, the company announced Aerojet Rocketdyne had also been awarded a $22 million DOD contract to develop a prototype solution for the Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics (GAMMA-H) challenge. The program is part of the DODs ongoing effort to expand current processes to manufacture hypersonic weapons components. Weber State helps military nurses step into new careers as educators May 21, 2024 OGDEN, Utah A new partnership at Weber State University is helping veterans seamlessly transition from military service to fulfilling civilian careers as nurse educators. The Annie Taylor Dee School of Nursing at Weber State is now an industry partner with the U.S. Department of Defenses SkillBridge program, which gives military personnel the opportunity to gain civilian work experience during their last six months of service. Weber State is known as a military-friendly school, and this shows our continued dedication, said London Draper Lowe, WSU nursing professor and SkillBridge program coordinator. We care about the military community and want them to be part of our school. Retiring or separating military nurses with a masters or doctoral degree can apply for a five-month internship at WSU, which involves working alongside instructors to learn and experience all aspects of nursing education. Weber States nursing program has 63 faculty members who teach and prepare students to meet the ever-changing demands of the industry. The school produces more nurses than any other institution in Utah, training hundreds per year to work in communities nationwide. Lowe describes the SkillBridge partnership as beneficial for all unlocking new career paths for veterans while also allowing WSU to tap into a highly trained, highly skilled workforce. Michael Humphrey, a womens health and family nurse practitioner who recently retired from a 22-year career with the U.S. Air Force, was the first intern to complete WSUs SkillBridge program this spring. The transition out of the military can be extremely stressful and overwhelming, Humphrey said. Thats where SkillBridge came in. It allowed me to try out being a nurse educator with no strings attached. Throughout Humphreys career, he has worked in labor and delivery, postpartum and newborn nurseries. His time in the military took him all over the country, and he served several deployments in the Middle East. Humphrey first discovered a passion for teaching while supervising and mentoring nursing students during their clinical rotations at Hill Air Force Base. Through WSUs SkillBridge program, he made important connections and further refined his skills as an educator. Starting this summer, hell get to continue sharing his experience and knowledge at WSU, where he was recently hired as a nursing instructor in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Military nurses interested in pursuing a new chapter of their career can ask their education or transition assistance office for more information. They can also learn more by contacting a SkillBridge program representative online. This partnership provided an avenue for me to share my distinct experience over the past two decades in the military, Humphrey said. Being given the opportunity to train the next generation of nurses is a true honor for me. Volkswagens ID. Buzz is a battery electric minibus inspired by the brands original Transporter van and built on the German carmakers dedicated battery-electric MEB platform which they use for all their various brands EV models. It is offered as an all-electric passenger car and cargo commercial van. The name Buzz was derived from the word bus, acknowledging its van origins. ID. Buzz is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face, particularly so in the optional two-tone white/yellow colour combination. My car looked a bit bland by comparison with its Candy White exterior. It was the Max 5-seater passenger car version that measures 1,937mm in height, 4,712 in length and 1,985mm in width so it is wider than Volkswagen's Transporter-based camper van. The wheelbase stretches to 2,988mm. This is a large, robust, well-built vehicle. Boxy in shape, with a flat roof and sliding side doors for easy access. You have to climb up high to access the drivers seat. The interior is extremely spacious, with huge head and legroom for all occupants. Its also bright and airy with so much glass front and rear while the cream, black and grey interior with very nice materials (recycled materials, so no animal leather), looked really welcoming. The interior is extremely spacious, with huge head and legroom for all occupants. The dash is dominated by a stand-alone 12-inch infotainment touchscreen display. Sliding side doors are power-operated and provide easy access to the rear seats. The power tailgate opens really high (which could be a problem for some not-so-tall people when they want to close it again) to reveal a boot capacity of a huge 1,121 litres which will swallow up multiple suitcases or fit camping gear even with middle seats still in use. Grades are Life, Family, Tech and Max which was my cars grade. A very good selection of useful features come as standard; dual-zone air conditioning, two C-USB small ports in the front and four in the rear, a leatherette-wrapped multifunction steering wheel that can be heated, set for for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (wired and wireless), and a good navigation system that includes a media and internet package. Driver Assistance systems include Blind Spot Assist, Adaptive Cruise Control, Park Assist, and Front Assist auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist monitoring. My car had a great reversing camera and parking sensors - all needed when trying to park this big un into an average-sized car park as it will extend way over the end line. The powertrain is a 77 kWh battery combined with a 204bhp motor that drives the rear axle, matched with a single-speed automatic transmission. Power consumption for my top Max grade is a claimed 21.3 kWh/100kms. I found the Buzz surprisingly easy to drive, offering a smooth, very quiet drive with good acceleration. It is capable of a 0-100km/h time of 10.2 secs. I liked the not too heavy nor too light steering which offered good feedback and the cars very impressive turning circle of just 12.5m. The official electric range is 417kms. The ID. Buzz was awarded a five-star rating in crash tests by Euro NCAP in 2022. PRICES: My car was priced at 65,584 exclusive of the SEAI grant of 3,500. With the optional trailer hitch, the total OTR price was 66,704 inclusive of VAT. Annual road tax is 120. Your local VW dealer is Connolly Motor Group. See their advertisement on Page 33. The infrastructural inequalities experienced by the West and North-West were laid bare at a major conference in Sligo. The conference, organised by West on Track and hosted by Sligo Chamber, heard calls for urgent infrastructural investment in the West including the completion of the final leg of the Western Rail Corridor project to Sligo More than 300 people attended the conference in the Raddison Blu Hotel in Sligo with a large cross-party attendance from TDs, MEPs, Senators, councillors and election candidates. More than 80 towns were represented and there was also strong representation from multi-national and indigenous businesses and freight interests. The conference was chaired by Paul Deering, Editor of the Sligo Champion newspaper. Welcoming the large attendance on behalf of Sligo Chamber, David Kiely noted that the North-West region had been downgraded to a Lagging Region by the European Commission when its GDP per head of population fell to 71% of the European average, and is now ranked 218th out of 234 in terms of infrastructural development with only 16 regions worse off in the European Union. In his official address, the Mayor of Sligo, Cllr Declan Bree, said that poor transport infrastructure has hindered the regions potential. If transport access infrastructure is not upgraded, there is far greater certainty that the North-West region and Sligo will continue to lag even further behind the more developed Eastern and Southern regions. IDA client companies, manufacturers, small and medium-sized enterprises and those involved in the agricultural and food production sector in Sligo and Mayo are all seeking the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor, he said. The conference heard presentations from Dr Orla Flynn, President of the Atlantic Technological University (ATU), economist Dr John Bradley, Joe Gilmore (Chief Executive, Ireland West Airport), Mike Devane (Atlantic Economic Corridor chambers group) and John Daly, economist with the Northern and Western Regional Assembly. Mr Daly provided put forward the case for positive discrimination for the region. Unless there is a significant intervention from central government, these trends are likely to worsen in the coming years, leading to underdevelopment in the Northern and Western Region of Ireland and overdevelopment in the Greater Dublin Area; an unsustainable trend which will undermine the quality of life of all citizens across Ireland. As such, it is clear that the revised National Planning Framework and the existing National Development Plan (2021-2030) need to adopt a new approach in tackling rising regional inequalities in Ireland, and this approach should focus on adopting a policy of 'Positive Discrimination' towards the Northern and Western Region of Ireland." Dr John Bradley, whose economic analysis has set out the strong business case for the Western Rail Corridor, eviscerated previous reports on rail transport and the regions. The report, All Island Strategic Rail Review, produced by Arup for the Department of Transport was so badly drafted that we struggled for months to deconstruct and understand it. It seems designed to beguile and confuse rather than to instruct and explain. It is a long-term strategy with no real strategic thinking behind it. It displays a worrying level of ignorance about the dynamic performance of the Irish economy in recent decades, while its treatment of the four major regions on the island is cursory and shallow. Our analysis showed that a rail journey time from Sligo to Galway would be approximately 2 hours 10 minutes. Such a journey, in comfort with the ability to work on the move, would certainly be a major attraction. The total cost of reopening of the line was estimated at 412 million, significantly less than the cost of a single kilometre of the proposed Dublin Metro, said Dr Bradley. Helen Rochford-Brennan, of West on Track, also contributed to proceedings, delivering an impassioned call for the completion of the Western Rail Corridor. The likelihood that the Galway line is soon to reopen as far north as Claremorris offers an important opportunity for Sligo, as it means that the Sligo-Galway line will then be more than 60% operational. Mayos industries will then be able to use the WRC line for moving raw materials and finished products southwards via Claremorris, saving time and money and reducing their carbon footprint. The same opportunity now needs to be afforded to the rest of Mayo and Sligo, said Ms Rochford-Brennan. Killala is the first town in Mayo to be chosen as one of 26 locations nationwide to develop a Town Centre First (TCF) Plan. The Town Centre First approach is an initiative of Government policy to build sustainable and resilient communities in rural towns. The approach supports the rejuvenation of Irish rural town centres and is a collaborative initiative, which focuses on developing plans to regenerate rural towns through tailored place-making, addressing dereliction and vacancy in town centres. Short, medium and long-term priorities are identified through public and community consultation. In mid-2023, Pennsylvania State University and University of Galway carried out an extensive community consultation with almost 60% of Killalas population responding. Mayo County Council appointed a multi-disciplinary design team led by land use consultants (LUC) to prepare the Town Centre First Plan for Killala. Meetings, open consultation events and feedback events took place in September, October and November in Killala and a consultation portal was opened for online feedback from September. Information boards listing the proposed projects were available for a month in Killala Community Centre, inviting people to vote on their priorities for the town. The results were generously shared with the Town Centre First team and the resulting Killala Town Centre First Plan is available to view at www.mayo.ie. The plan aims to support the enhancement and revitalisation of Killala and address the broad issues that emerged during the consultation process. Local town teams are essential for the development of Town Centre First Plans and to ensure their delivery. Killalas Town Team have begun working to activate identified priority projects through national funding programmes. However, the full potential of the plan can only be delivered through community action. To find out more and to meet the team, an information sharing evening is taking place in Killala Community Centre (upstairs) on Thursday, May 30, from 6 to 8pm. Abridged versions of the plan will be available, as will the opportunity to get involved and identify how to contribute. This is a drop-in event, so all are welcome to call by anytime that suits from 6pm to 8pm. A Dublin parish priest recently took exception to what he regarded as critical comments about priests by Pope Francis and Fr Tony Flannery in The Tablet, a weekly Catholic periodical. He concluded that both of them seemed "to hold the view that diocesan priests were into power and control" and concluded that both shared "a low opinion of diocesan priests". What was interesting was that the Dublin priest didnt attempt to respond to what Francis and Tony had actually written but dismissed it on the grounds that neither "had held an appointment as a parish priest". What seems to have irked the Dublin priest was the recent news that dioceses in the west of Ireland (Killala and Achonry) were to be merged, that both had 38 and 36 priests respectively, and that he and another priest were under great pressure in Dublin as they were struggling to serve 20,000 Catholics in their united parishes. The Tablet exchange comes at a time when theres a particular focus on priests, especially the challenge we face in adapting ourselves to a new way of being church. Up to now, ordination was the governing sacrament only the ordained were in charge now, with baptism as the fundamental sacrament, the new way of being church is a synodal way. Once the clergy priests, bishops, cardinals were in charge; now with synodality the baptised and the ordained work together. For instance, up to now, the parish priest made decisions for parish councils, which were merely consultative bodies. Now, priests and people will together follow a synodal pathway: together listening attentively to one another; together discussing issues; together discerning what God wants them to do; and together making decisions. Most priests, it seems, are struggling to make the transition from being in charge to becoming synodal. Hence the focus now on the role of the priest. And why, a few weeks ago, 200 parish priests were called to Rome two from each country to share their experiences of the transition to synodality. The main speaker was Fr Tomas Halik, an eminent philosopher, who described the transition to synodality as a conversion from the old and the present to the future God is preparing for us. We must, he suggested, have the courage to change much in the Church. Priesthood, he said, is going through a time of trial when a number of crises show us that we can no longer (as a church) continue on our current path in our thinking, living and working style. Halik repeated what has become a mantra of Pope Francis, the need to dismantle what he calls clericalism effectively, an elitist and exclusivist understanding of vocation, as a power to be exercised rather than a service to be given. Halik described it in direct terms: "We priests are not called to be the ruling class but the servants of all." There are still places, he writes, where the parish priest sees himself as the pope of his parish rather than part of a co-responsible community of equals. Haliks focus is on the need for change. We have to try new and fresh approaches, he argues. If the nets remain empty, is it because we remain in the shallows and havent the courage to push off from the shore, to go to the deep? Or because we are ignoring prophetic voices? Or is it a refusal to move from the unchanging certainties of the past? Or because we are not listening to the people? For Simone Weil, the French mystic, attention is the greatest form of generosity. In talking to the parish priests, Halik pointed out that adapting to the synodal way didnt just apply to them or to parishes but to the wider life of the Church. This surfaces a series of questions, for example, about how bishops will adapt their structures and their practices in becoming more synodal. What effect will the synodal pathway have on the present dynamics of operation that bishops take for granted? On the format and make-up of their meetings? On the way decisions are made and on who makes them? And on the culture of what a recent report from Durham University called hierarchicalism, which was defined as the exclusive power culture of the episcopacy. And indeed on the titles and practices that serve to confer an exaggerated and unreal status, station and rank, whether Your Eminence, Your Grace or the dreadful Americanism Your Excellency. Or the lesser titles of Monsignor, Canon and Archdeacon bishops distribute among priests often as a reward for unquestioning obedience and deference? Or distinctions like Reverend, Very Reverend and Most Reverend? While popes, cardinals, bishops and priests can see their lives as serving the people, an old comment from the late Enda McDonagh places that in context: "It is still very difficult for laypeople to recognise in the privileges and practices of priests, bishops and popes their proclaimed status as servants." But to get back to the Dublin parish priest I mentioned at the top of this column. I think he was very unfair to both Tony Flannery and Pope Francis. To Tony Flannery, by suggesting that because he has never been a parish priest he has no right to comment on diocesan matters even though he has spent over 40 years leading missions in parishes. To Francis, in suggesting that he has no right to challenge parish priests even though he is only the pope. I have every sympathy for the Dublin parish priests and their exhausting efforts to minister to huge numbers of Catholics practising and disinterested and for the increasing number of priests taking sick leave for stress-related illnesses. The real tragedy, of course, is that all of that need not be happening. If sensible decisions could be made to moderate mandatory celibacy and to allow women priests both of which now rest on increasingly unsettling foundations the present agonies and illnesses of priests would decline significantly. Even some parish priests are beginning to recognise the inevitable and are adding their voices to the gathering acclamation. Charitable gesture puts roof over head for patients who've traveled from out of town for treatment Chang Xiangyang (fifth from right in back row) celebrates Spring Festival earlier this year with some children and parents at Xinyu Home in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. [China Daily] A kindhearted woman in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, is providing a much-needed lifeline for out-of-town families with family members requiring treatment in the city, by putting them up free of charge. Xi'an native Chang Xiangyang struck upon the idea after an encounter with a grandmother who had been sleeping in the corridor at Xi'an Children's Hospital, where her 3-year-old grandchild was receiving treatment for leukemia. To pay for his treatment, the family had used all their savings and borrowed a significant amount of money, meaning the grandmother had to sleep on the hospital floor to save costs. As Chang was about to leave, she overheard the grandmother saying: "If there were any other way, I wouldn't be sleeping on the ground. Even the steamed buns in Xi'an are expensive, costing 0.6 yuan (8 cents) each." These words moved Chang deeply, revealing to her the great disparities there are in life. "I realized that while some people wouldn't even bother picking up a one-yuan coin from the ground, others find a 0.6-yuan bun expensive. There are still so many people in need of help in this world," she said. Chang asked the grandmother: "If there were free accommodation and meals available near the hospital, would you stay there?" The elderly woman looked at her with a puzzled expression for several seconds. Chang asked again. After a long silence, the grandmother replied: "If such a place existed, it would be in the next life." This experience stayed with Chang, and was a driving force behind her decision to set up the Xinyu Home. Xinyu means feather in the heart in Chinese. The home, established in 2017, is located just a stone's throw from the Xi'an Children's Hospital, and is capable of accommodating up to 13 families at any one time. To date, Xinyu Home has provided free accommodation and meals to the families of over 2,300 children with serious illnesses from all over the country. "This home does not charge a cent to the people staying here because I want these families in difficulty to know that Xi'an is a place full of kind people who will care for them," the 52-year-old said. Chang Xiangyang looks after sick children at Xinyu Home in Xi'an. [China Daily] Challenges Once everything was ready, Chang began visiting the hospital regularly in order to invite the impoverished families of seriously ill children to stay at the home, but many doubted such good fortune, suspecting it to be a scam. Determined, she sought help from doctors familiar with families in need to back her up and recommend the home. Within six months, Xinyu Home was filled with seriously ill children and their families. To assist those genuinely in need, each family staying at the home must provide a doctor's diagnosis and a poverty certificate issued by their hometown's local government. At first, Chang was able to fund the home herself with the help of her friends and family, but after a while the financial toll of renting and running the 200-square-meter property began to weigh heavily. Xinyu Home's monthly expenses, including daily necessities and utilities, amounted to about 20,000 yuan. Although the parents of the sick children can help with cooking and daily chores, running the home remained a significant challenge, quickly depleting Chang's savings and straining her father's financial support. At times, she even cried alone in her room, despairing at the prospect of having to close the home. "But after crying, and then seeing these lovely children, I had no reason to complain or abandon them," she said. As Xinyu Home's deeds became more widely known, like-minded people with a volunteering spirit started running fundraising campaigns to support it. The Xi'an government and local charitable associations also made donations. Since 2020, the Xi'an Charity Association has covered the annual rent of 50,000 yuan. The home's running expenses are now essentially covered, and its facilities and equipment have been improved, Chang said. In October last year, a social organization put up the money to renovate the home's rooms, including adding a reading corner, a walk-in wardrobe and a new kitchen, providing a better living environment for the children. Chang's compassionate work has had a distinct impression on not only patients and their families, but also the medical staff at Xi'an Children's Hospital. Liu Ansheng, director of the hematology and oncology department at the hospital, said: "The children's treatment is up to us, and their daily life is up to Chang. We can rest assured." Chang Xiangyang looks after sick children at Xinyu Home in Xi'an. [China Daily] Safe Harbor Most of the children and families that stay at Xinyu Home come from areas far from Xi'an, traveling to the city for treatment that can take long. The experience of running the home has been an emotional one for Chang, because although her endeavor is a noble pursuit, there are inevitable losses along the way. However, her warm interactions with the children and their parents have kept her heart warm and her resolve strong. "Everyone here relies on and loves each other," she said. Dealing with loss is never easy. In early March, a father who had once stayed at Xinyu Home shared in the home's WeChat group that his 2-year-old child "had become an angel", meaning that she had passed away, and expressed his gratitude for everyone's care. Chang had no idea how to respond at that time, noting that no one else in the group had replied either. After a while, she responded to the father with three hugging emojis. Following her lead, the rest of the group unanimously replied with hugging emojis as well. "It's not that everyone was indifferent to the father's message, but rather that we initially didn't know how to offer comfort," she said. "When everyone replied with hugs at almost the same time, it meant that we all saw his message, and that he was not alone," she said. "We provide mutual spiritual comfort." A mother surnamed Li from Yan'an, Shaanxi, and her 5-year-old son have been living at Xinyu Home since 2022. Chang Xiangyang looks after sick children at Xinyu Home in Xi'an. [China Daily] Over the past year, Li went from being highly stressed and reserved to opening up and being willing to share her child's experiences with others. In her view, every small family living there became part of a larger family, making their mutual aid flow like "a transmission of love". "When we first arrived, many experienced parents who had been living there for a while guided us," she said. "Gradually, as we gained experience, I began to proactively share our experiences with other newcomers." Thanks to this process, the children have also become more extroverted and cheerful and are willing to initiate conversations with others, with her son saying "good morning" and "good night" to everyone, Li said. Another mother, Minmin, said that all families in the "loving shelter" have been encouraging and comforting, overcoming many difficult moments together. "Our children are the apple of our eye. It's hard for us to comfort ourselves when we are alone, but because we live together with so many people in similar situations, we help and support each other," she said. "When everyone unites, our mental burden is greatly reduced." Chang, who is affectionately called "Momma Chang" by the kids at Xinyu Home, has received support and donations from all sectors of society, and she remains determined to continue this good cause indefinitely. "This is a place that provides confidence, strength and hope. I will keep going," she said. At the same time, she wants to say to families with seriously ill children: "We are not afraid of illness; as long as we persist in treatment, there will surely be good outcomes. "Do not abandon or give up on the children. Nothing can defeat us," Chang said. (Source: China Daily) He Yuqing livestreams a local event in Wuying Village on the border between south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and southwest China's Guizhou Province, Feb. 14, 2024. In 2007, Wu Xinren, a 28-year-old Miao ethnic youth, ended his ten-year working life in a city and returned, with his 22-year-old wife He Yuqing, to his hometown Wuying Village, a Miao ethnic-minority hamlet that nestles snugly in the towering mountains stretching across the border between south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and Guizhou Province. Since then, Wu and his wife have attempted to start there a business ranging from farming, transportation to running grocery and home-stay as well as selling local specialties. Their cultural life also flourished as their business gained them a better living condition. Over the years, they have witnessed the development of the village towards rural revitalization. [Xinhua/Huang Xiaobang] United Airlines travellers get honour of exclusive Wrexham AFC amenity kits and pyjamas This article is old - Published: Tuesday, May 21st, 2024 United Airlines today debuted new, limited-edition Wrexham AFC amenity kits and pyjamas that will be given to those flying in premium cabins. Starting June 1, travellers flying in Uniteds premium cabins on long-haul international routes will receive the complimentary Wrexham AFC inspired amenity kits filled with travel essentials like an eye mask, toothbrush and toothpaste as well as exclusive Therabody skincare products. United Polaris customers on flights 14 hours or longer will also receive pyjamas designed to resemble the teams uniforms, of which United is a front-of-jersey sponsor, including a long-sleeve Wrexham red shirt and gray pants. United and Wrexham AFC collaborated to design the amenity kits and pyjamas, drawing inspiration from the team crest, jerseys and overall look and feel. With our amenity kits, we always aim to provide customers with products that make their travel journey more comfortable as well as create one-of-a-kind keepsakes for them to enjoy well beyond their flight, said Peter Wolkowski, Director of Onboard Product Design at United Wrexhams story is one that has been documented and celebrated these last few years, so were thrilled to now give United customers team-branded gear they wont be able to find anywhere else. United say they are giving fans more access to Wrexham AFC during the clubs 2024-2025 season its second year partnering with the team. As the front-of-jersey sponsor for the mens and womens teams, the United name and logo emblazons the front of the Wrexham AFC shirts during games. The airline will also sponsor the clubs North American summer tour including flying the teams to games and providing MileagePlus members exclusive offerings. Ukrainian operator Kyivstar allocated US$90 million to defend against suspected Russian cyberattacks against its network, a move that affected growth said Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov. The chief executive told Interfax-Ukraine news agency, before a massive cyberattack we were moving with an increase of 11% - 12% quarter-on-quarter in 2023. The cyberattack ate up about 3% of annual growth." The chief executive did not detail exactly which financial metric he was referring to. The cyberattack in December damaged Kyivstars networks and cut mobile signal for millions of Ukrainians. The UAH 3.6 billion (US$90.4 million) was allocated to deal with the aftermath of the attack, repairing damages as well as bolstering defences and funding a loyalty programme for customers. Kyivstar is owned by Amsterdam-based Veon and has 24.3 million mobile subscribers in the country and 1.1 million broadband customers. The Ukrainian military pinned the attack on a Russian military cyberwarfare software called Sandworm. Two British judges today granted WikiLeaks journalist Julian Assange the right to appeal his extradition to the United States. He has spent the last five years resisting extradition to face charges under the Espionage Act, which carry a potential life sentence, while held in Londons Belmarsh maximum security prison. An original decision to bar extradition on mental health grounds, given January 2021, was overturned by the High Court in December that year. Assanges legal team then mounted an appeal on numerous points, including his rights to life, due process of law and freedom from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. Julian Assange [AP Photo/Matt Dunham] These were whittled down by the High Court this March to risks that he might face the death penalty, be prejudiced at trial by his (non-American) nationality and denied recourse to his right to freedom of expressionall bars to extradition under UK law. The High Court gave the US government the opportunity to issue assurances alleviating these concerns, provided this April 16. In court today, Assanges lawyers accepted the assurance given that the death penalty would not be imposed as satisfactory, but challenged those relating to his right to invoke the First Amendment, guaranteeing free speech, in his defence. The lead US prosecutor Gordon Kromberg has indicated publicly that Assange could be denied this protection at trial in the US since he is not a US national. Representing Assange, Edward Fitzgerald KC noted of the blatantly inadequate assurance provided by the US that it does not commit the prosecution not to take the point which gave rise to this courts concerns, i.e., the point that as a foreign citizen he is not entitled to rely on the first amendment at least in relation to a national security matter. Simply a specific promise or undertaking by the prosecutor [Kromberg] would be a first step, but even that first step has not been undertaken. The real risk identified by the High Court in its previous judgment of a denial of Assanges rights survives the equivocal, at best, and downright inadequate assurance. Pinned to the weasel formulations of the assurances, the lawyer for the US, James Lewis KC, was forced to advance entirely new arguments, not raised in previous hearings in the case, that only served to make plain Washingtons intention to deny Assange any free speech protections. Unable to claim that the US assurance of free speech protections was anything of the sort, Lewis essentially argued that no such assurance was warranted in any case. He insisted that Assange would not be unfairly discriminated against by virtue of his nationality in being denied first amendment protections; he was simply, as a non-US citizen, not a person who, as a matter of law or scope, the First Amendment of the US Constitution covers. From this he concluded, He will not be discriminated against because of his nationality. He can and will be able to raise all those arguments [regarding freedom of speech] he will be able to rely on them. This is not true, as Fitzgerald later pointed out. The wording of the assurance only guarantees that Assange can seek to rely on first amendment protections, with a decision as to the applicability of the First Amendment left exclusively within the purview of the US Courts. Lewis then acknowledged and justified this fact by claiming that Assanges alleged conduct did not necessarily fall within the protection of the First Amendment, not by reason of his nationality but because, potentially, as a matter of law, he is a foreigner carrying out acts on foreign soil concerning national security. Here is US imperialisms case stripped bare: That it can use the Espionage Act to seize journalists it deems a threat to its national interests and try them without key legal and democratic protections. Summarising Assanges response to these arguments, Fitzgerald told the court: There are too many issues of fact which remain unanswered; what is the position of the prosecution? There are too many issues of law which have just been introduced for the first time, which are unresolved, to take the irrevocable step of refusing permission [for an appeal]. In a short ruling, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Johnson sided with Assanges legal team, granting him the right to appeal. The judgement is a victory, both for blocking what could otherwise have been Assanges immediate transfer to the Americabarring any successful intervention by the European Court of Human Rightsand for further exposing the reactionary nature of the US prosecution. It was seized upon by campaigners for Assanges freedom to demand the Biden administration drop the charges entirely. Stella Assange speaks to the media and Julian Assange's supporters outside the High Court, May 20, 2024 Assanges wife Stella told reporters outside the court: The United States should read the situation and drop this case now Just abandon this shameful attack on journalists, on the press and the public that has been going on for 14 years. This case is shameful, and it is taking an enormous toll on Julian. He is under enormous pressure. He has been in Belmarsh prison for over five years This case should just be abandoned. The Biden administration should have dropped it from day one. This was echoed by WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson: It shouldnt have taken more than five minutes in this courtroom for the judges to see that the United States was not going to give Julian any assurances, and they would discriminate against him, they would not give him first amendment protections. WikiLeaks Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson speaking outside the High Court, May 20, 2024 It took a couple of hours, but the judges did come to a just and right conclusion. Julian Assange now has the right to appeal. And that in itself should send the right message across the sea to the Biden administration. Youre on losing ground. Youre losing this case. If you want to save any form of face, drop the case against Julian Assange, drop it right now. The Biden administration should drop the case. But to ensure that it does so requires more than legal arguments and moral pressure. Careful political calculations are at work behind the scenes. The last time a decision went in Assanges favour against the grain of the case was the initial refusal of extradition on January 4, 2021. At that time, the future of the US government was in turmoil, with Bidens replacement of Donald Trump challenged by an attempted coup and the storming of the Capitol building just two days later. Another political crisis is raging now. Biden is haemorrhaging support over his backing of the Gaza genocide, ahead of another presidential election contest with Trump in November. There will be a faction of opinion in the White House happier to see a delay in proceedings against Assange rather than the rapid arrival of another potentially explosive political issue for the Democrats, as the WikiLeaks founder is dragged through the US courts. However, such considerations grant nothing more than a delayand a prolonged detention under intolerable conditions in Belmarsh. Nor are they a guarantee against sections of the US state as happy to trample publicly over Assanges democratic rights as they are the rights of students protesting the slaughter of the Palestinians. Securing Assanges freedom means coupling the powerful legal case mounted with a resolute mass movement of the working class in his defence in Britain, the United States and internationally. A date for the full appeal is yet to be decided. The time between then and now must be spent organising that movement. The takeover of Royal Mail by billionaire Daniel Kretinskys private equity firm EP Group moved a step closer Friday, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt appearing to welcome a 3.5 billion buyout of Royal Mail shareholders. EP Groups takeover bid marks a new stage in the wrecking operation against Royal Mail since privatisation. It sets the stage for a further massive assault on jobs, employment terms, conditions and pensions. Daniel Kretinsky, Dave Ward, Royal Mail [Photo: Top left: EP Holding / Bottom left: WSWS / Right: CC BY 2.0] Hunt confirmed EP Groups bid to control Royal Mail and its parent company International Distribution Services (IDS) would be reviewed under the National Security and Investment Act (2022). EP Group is one of Europes largest private industrial groups, with major assets across energy, logistics and retail. But Hunt signalled in-principle support for a takeover: As a rule, we welcome international investment in British companies. One of the reasons we have attracted more greenfield, foreign direct investment than anywhere in the world apart from the US and China is because of our openness to companies from overseas and to the additional, not just capital they bring in, but also the expertise and the funding, so we will continue with that approach. Kretinsky raised his firms takeover bid by 16 percent last Wednesday to 3.70 per sharea downpayment on expected returns to be wrung from the workforce. His Vesa Equity is already the largest IDS/Royal Mail shareholder, with a 27 percent stake. IDS chair Keith Williams confirmed the board was minded to recommend EP Groups latest offer as a fair price, reflecting both the value of GLS (its international parcels division) and progress being made on change at Royal Mail to adapt the business to a significant fall in the demand for letters and growth in parcels. CWU engages with Kretinsky The Labour Party and Communication Workers Union (CWU) postal executive led by Dave Ward and Martin Walsh have made clear they will support a takeover if Kretinsky works with the CWU. On Wednesday, Labours Shadow Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds issued a Dear Daniel letter to Kretinsky, asking EP Group to commit that it will work closely with the Communication Workers Union to build a sustainable Royal Mail. As window dressing, the CWU is seeking worthless assurances from Kretinsky that the universal service obligation and postal workers jobs, conditions and pensions will be protected. An emergency motion passed at last months national conference claimed that in the event of any takeover CWU would oppose by all means possible any attempt to: Break up the company; Introduce franchising to Royal Mail; Introduce outsourcing into the company; Introduce a three or four-day USO or other severe USO cuts; Raid the pension surplus. But this is precisely Kretinskys agenda and the CWU will do nothing to oppose it. Ward told a CWU Live Q&A last Wednesday: The long-standing policy of the union is nationalisation, theres a general election coming up, but we have to realise that in the current political environment that will be difficult. The CWUs policy of nationalisation is pro forma only. The difficult climate is the most right-wing Labour Party in history. Starmer and his Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves have pledged theirs will be a government of fiscal responsibility in the national interest (i.e., the London Stock Exchange). Labour has not only ruled out bringing Royal Mail back into public ownership, it is deeply implicated in the Kretinsky takeover. Former Shadow Business Secretary Chuka Umunna, now an investment banker at JP Morgan, has been the point man for EP Group with the senior Labour team. In place of nationalisation, Ward proposes: This is a moment where we can start to explore different models of ownership mutuals, not for profit, public benefit companies that weve been exploring with the Labour Party. But talk of alternative models giving customers and workers more say is political fantasy. It is a screen for the CWUs active collusion with Kretinsky. Ward and the CWU will work with Kretinsky just as they have colluded with the Royal Mail/IDS board, including joint authorship of last years surrender document that set fire to postal workers terms and conditions. The CWU has lectured postal workers to move on and forgive and forget that betrayal, but anger remains. This intruded on last weeks CWU Live Q&A in a torrent of hostile comments in the online chat, with CWU Head of Communications Chris Webb forced to ask Ward about a group of members who were taking the view that I gave up 18 days of strike action, you guys signed this agreement, and everything we said we were fighting against in terms of a takeover from Vesa, or a company like them, is now happening and those people are laying the blame for that at the doorstep of the trade union. Ward replied contemptuously: Thats just complete nonsense. It shows a lack of understanding of the way the world works, the way private companies work, the way billionaires operate. You cant just stop it. You have to get in there and engage with people. Ward declares there is no alternative to the dictates of the capitalist market. It is a re-run of his arguments last year in support of the negotiators agreement with Simon Thompson. He preaches acceptance of the agenda of the IDS board and private equity parasites like EP Group/Vesa in the interests of a trade union bureaucracy whose salary packages (Dave Ward: 142,485) and lavish expense accounts place them in the top 5 percent of income earners in the UK, with a direct stake in the exploitation of their own members. Walsh lashed-out at criticism from CWU members, backing Ward and claiming the choice last year was either accepting the company-union agreement or administration. He claimed no government can use public money to fund a private companydespite billions being funnelled by the government into corporate subsidies and other handouts since 2008. The alternative was thousands and thousands of job losses. i.e., the very outcome now staring Royal Mail workers in the face, courtesy of the CWU. Ward boasted that CWU HQ is now recognised by Kretinsky and Labour as having a pivotal role to play in helping to broker a new set of arrangements at Royal Mail. He concluded: the outcome of that will really depend on what the government says, what Labour says and on what Vesa says to us, and how strong the members are in getting behind the unions position. Webb, Ward and Walsh have repeatedly stated this past week that the unions realistic policy is one of engagement. This is a euphemism for corporatismthe active collusion between the bureaucracy, corporate management and the government. What postal workers need is not engagement but opposition! CWU head office has called for gate meetings as part of a bogus reconnecting in the workplace exercise. Postal workers must intervene and prepare their own emergency resolutions, demanding the removal of the CWU postal executive and a campaign of non-compliance with last years national agreement that was pushed through based on lies and disinformation. Gate meetings should adopt measures to protect postal workers from impossible workloads and company bullying through collective action, including a ban on overtime. Rank-and-file workplace committees should be set-up at every depot to draw up grievances and prepare for a rank-and-file conference to map out a strategy to fight back. An appeal for support should be made to workers at GLS, Amazon, DPD, UPS and other post and logistics workers in the UK and internationally. The Postal Workers Rank-and-File Committee is holding an online meeting on Sunday June 9, at 7pm. Register here to attend. On May 15 the German cabinet approved a draft bill for a so-called hospital reform put forward by Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (Social Democrats, SPD). The new measure will initiate a nationwide closure of clinics, massively worsening healthcare provision for broad sections of the population. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach [Photo by Raimond Spekking vie wikimedia / CC BY-SA 4.0 The reform is due to take effect on January 1, 2025. Lauterbach himself has spoken of the biggest hospital reform in 20 years. In fact, the healthcare system in Germany has suffered greatly over the last 20 years due to austerity measures and privatisation. The latest reform bill will rapidly accelerate this process and aligns the healthcare system solely with the requirements of the federal budget and the profit interests of large corporations. It is no coincidence that the health minister recently announced a turning point in the healthcare system. What this means in reality is that healthcare spending is to be further sacrificed to free up funds for military armament and making the healthcare system fit for war. The reform paper deliberately lacks many key details. According to Lauterbach, the entire plan is to be implemented gradually over the next 10 years. This will ensure that spending can be tightened further and further. The draft bill essentially attempts to achieve this with a change in financing and the introduction of new forms of specialisation for the approximately 1,700 hospitals still operating nationwide. The bill provides for flat rates and the financing of specific services based on performance. The flat-rate payments for services will supplement the flat-rate payments per case that will continue to apply. In future, up to 60 percent of hospital funding will be provided via flat rates, the amount of which will be based on the hospitals capacities. To this end 65 service groups (e.g., cardiology, oncology) have been defined. Treatments can only be billed if the hospital has been allocated the corresponding service group and has the prescribed, usually very expensive, equipment and the correspondingly qualified staff. Flat rates per case will not be abolished, as Lauterbach has repeatedly promised in the past, but merely supplemented by reserve financing. The cost pressure on hospitals remains undiminished, as the flat rates per case continue to exist and the requirements for reserve funding must also be met. In addition, the reserve budget is calculated on the basis of previous years case numbers and there will be limits imposed on the reserve budget even if case numbers increase. This makes it clear that there will be no de-economisation of any kindthe officially stated aim of the reform. The chairwoman of the Marburger Bund doctors union, Susanne Johna, has confirmed that the reform will not relieve economic pressure. A reform that deliberately aims to reduce the number of clinics has complex consequences for patient care, Johna warned. A Hospital Transparency Act and online clinic atlas are also part of the hospital reform. The atlas has now been published, enabling patients to see which clinics carry out specific procedures and how often and how many staff are on site. In future, complication rates will also be published for selected procedures. It should also be possible to make specific comparisons between clinics and treatments. There are, however, many justified criticisms of this hospital atlas. Firstly, it does not publish any relevant data that is not already available. The German Hospital Directory has already been presenting all important information for some time. Patient associations also criticise the atlas as unsuitable for patients to obtain an overview of the quality of care. However, this is not the governments aim. While it is superficially about a public list of services, case numbers and the staffing of the clinics, the hospital atlas actually creates the basis for the reorganisation of the hospitals according to service groups and various levels. This means that more than 300 clinics will probably be downgraded to outpatient centres and thus lose their current status. Even before the cabinets decision, the reform was criticised from many sides. Above all, this is because the financing of the reform remains almost completely unclear and there are considerable differences between the federal government, federal states, local authorities and the statutory health insurance funds, to which a large proportion of the costs are to be passed on. The deputy head of the AOK health insurance association, Jens Martin Hoyer, explained that the reform would be very expensive for contributors and would lead to higher contribution rates if no changes were made. The CEO of the health insurance group Barmer, Professor Christoph Straub, also predicted that up to 25 billion would have to be raised from member contributions as a result of regulations on the transformation fund. There is general agreement that the reform will lead to the closure of numerous hospitals, particularly in rural regions, and that certain services will no longer be offered. This year alone 30 hospitals in Germany have closed or are about to close. According to a survey by the German Hospital Institute (DKI), 78 percent of hospitals are expecting a loss in their balance sheets for 2023. The survey also shows that large hospitals with more than 600 beds rate their current financial situation as especially poor. For 2024, three out of four hospitals of this size expect the situation to deteriorate. This situation means that hospitals are increasingly forced to cut costs. This no longer only affects material and energy costs, but increasingly personnel as well. In Berlin, the state-owned Vivantes clinics closed the 2023 financial year with a deficit of 131 million and are already threatening the workforce with drastic cost-cutting measures. Against this backdrop, Lauterbachs comments that the government is pulling the emergency brake with the reform are sheer cynicism. Without changing the structures of inpatient care, there is a threat of hospital insolvencies, poor treatment and long journeys, said the health minister. Despite differences of opinion on details, all of the countrys main parties are in favour of massive cuts to the healthcare system at the expense of patients and employees. Even the Left Party, despite issuing some public criticism, is fundamentally in favour of the reform by the German government (a coalition of the SPD, Greens and Free Democratic Party). Bremens health senator Claudia Bernhard (Left Party) praised the reform and welcomed the fact that Lauterbach is fearlessly forging ahead. The health workers union Verdi is also expressly in favour of the reform. Although improvements need to be made to the financing, explained Verdi health expert Grit Genster, Verdi declared its support in principle when the draft for the bill was presented. In recent years, Verdi has played a central role in suppressing the widespread anger of healthcare workers and leading the growing number of strikes and protests into a dead end. Apple Store employees in Towson, Md. [Photo: goiam.org] Workers at the Apple Store in Towson, Maryland voted May 11 to authorize a strike against the multibillion-dollar technology and retail giant almost two years after becoming the first Apple Store to unionize. Workers at the store, located in a mall in the suburbs north of Baltimore, voted in June 2022 to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (IAM CORE). The organization represents about 100 workers at the Towson store. So far, no date has been set for when the strike might take place. IAM said it has been negotiating a labor contract with Apple since January 2023, but no agreement has been reached on key issues to workers at the store such as scheduling, work-life balance, and pay commensurate with the areas high cost of living. Earlier in the year, IAM released the results of an independent survey of 161 current and former employees from 66 Apple stores in 60 cities across six countries, including the United States. The 38-page report found Apple is intensely hostile toward any effort to organize by workers and created conditions for retaliation against workers who attempted to do so. The IAM survey found Apple broke unfair labor practice laws in order to prevent workers from taking up any fight against the corporation, such as by withholding benefits for workers at the Towson location or by interrogating employees in New York. When workers at the Towson store first announced their intent to form a union, Apple hired Littler Mendelson, a company with a reputation for union-busting at Amazon, Starbucks, Nissan, and Delta Air Lines. Regarding contract negotiations for the Towson workers, the IAM report hinted at the lengths to which the company has gone to string workers along throughout negotiations. Kevin Gallagher, a worker at the Towson store, said in the survey, Apple has repeatedly done everything they can to delay negotiations as long as possible. They give lengthy presentations on irrelevant information, ask meticulous questions only to just respond no, and dedicate one or two days a month to bargain while insisting that we must submit proposals for every single benefit included at Apple. These have been clear attempts at delaying, a tactic they employed in every other legal battle they have ever undertaken. The potential strike by these workers comes amid an upswing in activism within the tech industry. As students and demonstrators at universities around the world face brutal police retaliation for speaking out against the genocide in Gaza, Google had several employees arrested last month and fired dozens more for protesting the companys contracts with the Israeli government. Apple is just as complicit in the ruling class policies of war and austerity. Under the guise of protecting children from exploitation, it has opened up its users photo libraries and data to law enforcement agencies in the United States. Last year, Apple censored remarks by Robert De Niro about former President Donald Trump the company considered too inflammatory for the Gotham Film and Media Institute awards. Apples ties to the US military intelligence industry run deep. The corporation has supplied its technology for troop training, enemy targeting and myriad of other applications for many years. Last year, the corporation acquired Mira, a California-based virtual reality technology company. According to Forbes, Apples purchase signaled it was attacking one of the most lucrative markets for high-end VR headsets: the military. The corporation has a revolving door with the military. Last year, the Pentagon appointed former Apple executive Douglas Beck to head the militarys Defense Innovation unit. The position would report directly to the Secretary of Defense, indicating the militarys ambition to access more cutting-edge technologies from the commercial sector, stated Fast Company. In December 2021, Apple employees at multiple stores walked out in protest of the companys pay and benefits during a wave of COVID-19 infections. Earlier this year, hundreds of workers at the Flex manufacturing plant in Chennai went on strike. The plant manufactures iPhone components. Workers must unite their struggles and expand them if they hope to take on Apple, a company valued at $2.91 trillion with over $170 billion in cash sitting in its bank accounts. The pro-capitalist and nationalist unions like the IAM are incapable of providing workers a way forward because more than anything they fear mobilizing the working class against the corporations. In its public statement on the vote to strike, IAM stated the date of a strike will be determined by IAM CORE. In other words, the initiative is being held back. The IAM was one of several unions that worked with Congress and the White House to block a threatened railroaders strike in 2022. For months, the coalition of unions active in the railroads delayed decisive action in order to not interfere with the electoral aspirations of the Democratic Party in the midterms. Once the elections were finished, the unions stood by and let both big business parties pass legislation, signed by Biden, to outlaw the railroad workers job action on the grounds it would impose unacceptable burdens on American families. In reality, corporate executives and the Biden administration were concerned that a mass struggle in a critical transport industry would not only decisively demonstrate the power of the working class, but it would weaken the US as it shifts its economy to a war footing against its rivals in China and Russia. In that struggle, the role of the Railroad Workers Rank-and-File Committee was crucial, debunking the propaganda of management and the government and exposing IAM and other unions collusion with the state. Technology workers at Apple and elsewhere should draw the conclusions from these struggles and take the initiative away from the IAM bureaucracy by forming their own rank-and-file committee to fight to expand their struggle as widely as possible. Vodacom and Orange are reportedly in talks to share infrastructure in Africa to cut network costs and deploy coverage in remote locations. Bloomberg reported, the companies are in talks to share infrastructure in Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Vodacom said in a statement to the news agency that a partnership between the operators could include network sharing and joint deployment in hard to reach rural locations. This would potentially alleviate costs and narrow the digital divide. An Orange spokesperson told Developing Telecoms it does not reply to market speculation, and Vodacom have yet to reply to our questions. Africa has been highlihted as a bright spot for the Orange Group with consecutive quarters of revenue growth. In its recent Q1 2024 results Orange reported double-digit revenue boosts in its Middle East and African operation. Revenue grew 11% to 1.8 billion year-on-year. Meanwhile, Vodacom revealed in its results net income dipped slightly by 2.8% to ZAR 16.3 billion, despite revenue being up by 26% to ZAR 150.6 billion. The passage of the North Carolina House Bill 237, also known as the Unmasking Mobs and Criminals Bill, in the state Senate on Wednesday brings the state one step closer to making it illegal to wear face masks in public, regardless of the threat posed by the COVID pandemic. Simone Hetherington, a speaker during public comment, urges lawmakers not to pass the masking bill during the state Senate Rules Committee in the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 15, 2024. [AP Photo/Makiya Seminera] The legislation was voted on by a margin of 30 to 15 along party lines, with five abstentions. Revisions to the bill will mean the state House will vote on it again. But even if North Carolina Democratic Governor Roy Cooper vetoes the law, the Republican-majority state legislature will have sufficient votes to override him. Although the bill leaves a number of exemptions in place, it specifically deleted the exemption, Any person wearing a mask for the purpose of ensuring the physical health or safety of the wearer or others. Meanwhile, masks can be worn as part of traditional holiday costumes in season, or if the person is Engaged in trades and employment where a mask is worn for the purpose of ensuring the physical safety of the wearer, or because of the nature of the occupation, trade or profession. Public mask wearing has long been illegal in the state, but with many exemptions. The exemption for public health concerns was put into effect with the onset of the COVID pandemic. The measure to remove that exemption was introduced to the Senate Judiciary Committee by right-wing Republican Senator Buck Newton. Newton told reporters that the action was being taken in part because of recent demonstrations by students on college campuses who were protesting the genocidal Israel onslaught against Palestinians, which has completely devastated the Gaza enclave and its more than 2 million inhabitants. Newtons claims that students are attempting to cover up their identities and that this represents some form of criminal enterprise are simply preposterous. This isnt just about protests, Newton said. I think its clear that people are seizing the opportunity to do things theyre not supposed to do, to break the law, or to intimidate people, and to keep their identities hidden, and its time for that to stop. Republican supporters of the legislation openly admit that the purpose of the measure is to help law enforcement crack down on protesters wearing masks, arguing that they were abusing pandemic practices to hide their identities. In reality, students and protesters have, by all accounts, conducted themselves with considerable restraint. They have demonstrated exceptional courage in the face of attacks by the police and fascistic thugs. Police have carried out mass arrests of young people and faculty members who have come out in support. Many also take the ongoing pandemic as a serious reason to protect themselves and others from infection. In that, they represent an important development of conscious social awakening in response to the actions of Biden and company in shutting down all public health measures in addition to the rampant US militarism. The students oppose the governments and respective universities complicity and support for these war crimes, exercising their essential democratic rights laid down in the Constitution. In fact, the assured passage of the law will only strengthen the hand of the state and will be seen as a landmark action that will be mirrored across the country. Challenges to the North Carolina bill will assuredly reach the Supreme Court and find legal expression for state repression while potentially placing the lives and well-being of people in danger. One can even assume that those wearing respirators or who cover their heads and faces for religious and cultural reasons will face hostility and repression from the local police and fascistic mobs. Ohios Attorney General Dave Yosts warnings made in a recent letter to the presidents of Ohios 14 universities underscores the gravity of these developments. Yost wrote, In our society, there are few more significant career-wreckers than a felony charge. I write to you today to inform your student bodies of an [1953] Ohio law that, in the context of some behavior during the recent pro-Palestinian protests, could have that effect. That law states, No person shall unite with two or more others to commit misdemeanor while wearing white caps, masks, or other disguise. The breaking of the anti-disguise carries a fourth-degree felony charge and up to $5,000 fine and five years on community control, Yost reminded them. That the law has never been applied until now means it amounts to a state-sanctioned threat. These anti-mask laws Yost references were enacted in the 1940s and 1950s by states in response to the activities of the Ku Klux Klan, whose members hid their identities to perpetrate violence and terror on their victims. However, as historians have noted, these laws werent intended to protect the victims, but were rather employed to curb the public displays of the Klan which were discrediting Democratic Party efforts to defend Jim Crow segregation. They remain in place in 18 states including North Carolina. The COVID pandemic remains an ongoing public health concern. Despite the dismantling of all metrics that provide real-time information on the state of the pandemic, nearly 22,000 people died of COVID in the first four months of 2024. For the 2023/2024 influenza season, hospitalized COVID patients had a 35 percent higher rate of death than those admitted for the flu. Meanwhile, the Economist update on the impact of Long COVID estimates a prevalence of 2 to 7 percent or upwards of half a billion people worldwide with some level of ongoing impact from their infection. For the US, the magazine estimates a loss of $152.6 billion in GDP in 2024 alone from COVID. For those who have left the workforce, 953.6 million hours of work were lost. Those with reduced hours account for another 366.3 million hours and those who continue to work with their condition cost more than 177 million hours. One needs only to extrapolate these figures to the rest of the globe to understand the magnitude of the COVID pandemic atop the nearly 30 million that needlessly died because of the greed of the ruling elites that have placed profits over life every step of the way. The demand to free Ukrainian Trotskyist Bogdan Syrotiuk, imprisoned by the fascistic government of Ukraine on the baseless claim that he is a Russian agent, is receiving growing support by left-wing websites, artists, intellectuals, workers and youth throughout the world. On Saturday, David North, the chairperson of the International Editorial Board of the World Socialist Web Site, provided a detailed refutation of the accusations leveled against Syrotiuk, explaining that they represent nothing less than a declaration of war against all left-wing and socialist opposition to the Zelensky regime and, specifically, the International Committee of the Fourth International and its public organ, the World Socialist Web Site. The WSWS has explained that support for the fight to release Bogdan Syrotiuk is an essential component of the fight against war and the defense of democratic rights. Bogdan Syrotiuk, April 2023 Already, significant support has been building up internationally. In Finland, the anti-war website Tyovaen Antimilitaristit, which opposes Finlands accession to NATO and the genocide in Gaza, published a report on the case. In Turkey, after initial press coverage by the daily newspaper of the Labour Party (EMEP), Evrensel Gazetesi, on the radio station Sputnik Turkiye and by the online outlet dokuz8HABER, the publication of the state capitalist organization DSIP, marksist.org, and the left-wing website direnisteyiz.org have also reported about the case. On Sunday, the Venezuelan left-wing website Aporrea, which is censored in Venezuela but remains the second-largest leftist website in the country, published the latest statement by David North on the case in Spanish translation. The website Prensa y Gente, which is based in the Dominican Republic, published an article on Sunday entitled Socialist militant opposed to war in Ukraine seeks release from prison. The original video statement in which the WSWS made the arrest of Bogdan Syrotiuk public and initiated the campaign to free him has now been viewed by well over 127,000 on Twitter/X alone. A petition demanding Bogdan Syrotiuks release has been signed by over 1,700 people, including from Finland, Taiwan, Turkey, Australia, the UK, Germany, Sri Lanka, the US, France, Switzerland and India. Among those who signed are Roger Waters, who also prominently endorsed the campaign on his Twitter/X account; Dr. Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, a deputy from the Kurdish nationalist DEM Party in Turkey; Professor Ariyaratne Herath from the Department of Economics at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka; and German historian Christian Gerlach, a leading expert in the history of the Nazi war against the Soviet Union. International model and actress Andreja Pejic published a powerful statement on Instagram Monday, calling on her over 500,000 followers to support the campaign. Pejic, who was born in the former Yugoslavia and fled the region after the 1999 NATO bombing, wrote: Bogdan Syrotiuk is an extremely brave young man who has been imprisoned in Ukraine because of his highly principled opposition to the tragic war between Ukraine and Russia. Every time I read about this war it breaks my heart and reminds me of the Yugoslav wars because it is fratricidal. That is, people who lived together for decades and who share so many cultural and historical roots are destroying each other. It is estimated [that] 500,000 young Ukrainian men have been slaughtered and a 100,000 Russian men. How do their families feel about this war I wonder? In Russia I read that the government was giving families 600 dollars in cities and in poorer areas flour or livestock or fish to take their young boys. In Ukraine Zelenskys forces literally abduct young men in shopping centers and send them off to the front. The government has prohibited the taking of pictures at cemeteries to cover up the massive death toll. It is also cancelling the passports of those who have escaped Ukraine in order to force them back to serve on a front without any training where they will most likely die. Bogdan has tried to tell the truth about this war. He has stood up against the Putin regime as well as the Zelensky regime and especially the wretched imperialist policies threatening to devastate all of Eastern Europe. He has called for [the] unity of the Russian and Ukrainian working classes to end the war. Now he is being smeared as a supporter of Putin, charged with treason and faces life in prison because the Zelensky regime knows this war is becoming more and more unpopular with their population but the West wants this war to keep going forever as it completely serves their economic interests. How can this man be a Putin supporter? This is ridiculous. He is a socialist, a Trotskyist, which means he fights for workers. Putin is a nationalist and defends Russian capitalism. Putin hates Leon Trotsky, Vladimir Lenin, the Russian Revolution and the whole idea of multinational unity established by that revolution. Unsurprisingly, he has a soft spot for Stalin. Like all capitalists and like all nationalists he hates the working class of his own country and also of the world. He doesnt mind that his war of aggression has divided Russian and Ukrainian workers. The same can also be said about the Zelensky regime which links up with fascist Stepan Bandera glorifiers because they are the most reliable fighters in the country, to say nothing of the US ruling class which is more than happy to see all of Ukraine as well as all of Russia destroyed as long as their corporations get first rate access to all the delicious natural wealth spoils The people of both Russia and Ukraine have suffered so much and they deserve to hear Bogdans progressive ideas about unity and internationalism. This mans human rights have been stripped away from him just because his ideas are a threat to the status quo. He has done nothing wrong and he deserves freedom. Anyone who believes in freedom should stand by his side. FREE BOGDAN SYROTIUK! Resolutions supporting the fight to free Bogdan Syrotiuk have been passed by port workers in Sri Lanka, postal workers in Britain, rail workers in Germany and youth and educators in Australia. Mary from Australia wrote: Free Bogdan Syrotiuk, end the war in Ukraine, Workers of Russia and Ukraine unite to fight for world socialist revolution, for the united Socialist States of Europe. End all war. Stop the Genocide in Gaza. Oliver, also from Australia, supported the campaign with the words, Bogdans bravery to stand up for a better future for Ukrainians and Russians is inspiring. Free Bogdan today! Bob from the US wrote: The lie that billions must be given to Ukraine to fund a proxy war against a nuclear armed power in the name of defending democracy is an utter sham, and this proves it. The monstrous lies about Bogdan are simply absurd. To paint a revolutionary anti-war Marxist as being a Russian agent simply for writing and publishing is nothing less than a blatant attack on freedom of speech and thought. Zelensky is seeking to criminalize and slanderize any left-wing opposition to the bloodshed as he prepares to drag even more unwilling men to the front to die for him and his NATO masters. Ann, another reader in the US, commented, The Nazi regime [in Ukraine] has been backed by the West and US in a proxy war against Russia, a basic CIA strategy. Catherine in New Zealand submitted the following statement to the WSWS: How much I welcome the energy and motivation of principled young people everywhere calling out the violence and rank hypocrisy of our administrations, who will stop at nothing to silence the universal drive for equality and democracy. Start by calling for the immediate release of Bogdan Syrotiuk. His arrest by the Ukraine administration is being mirrored in hundreds of arrests of young people across US and other campuses across the world. Bogdan must know the fight he is committed to is shared by anyone willing to fight for the transition to a socialist future. Read everything you can. Donate to SEP. Find ways to step up support for leaders of our young people like Bogdan. And do it now, because Bogdans situation is a clear signal our response is required as never before. To get involved with the campaign, donate and sign the petition, go to wsws.org/freebogdan. On Monday, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan accused the Israeli leaders of presiding over the murder and extermination of Palestinians, as part of a common plan to use starvation as a method of war and other acts of violence against the Gazan civilian population as a means to collectively punish the civilian population of Gaza. Ruins in Gaza, December 2023. [Photo by Tasnim News Agency / CC BY-SA 4.0 In announcing the charges, the prosecutor accused Netanyahu and Gallant of the following war crimes and crimes against humanity: Starvation of civilians as a method of warfare as a war crime; Wilfully causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or health or cruel treatment as a war crime; Willful killing or murder as a war crime; Extermination and/or murder including in the context of deaths caused by starvation. The prosecutor declared, We submit that the crimes against humanity charged were committed as part of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population pursuant to State policy. These crimes, in our assessment, continue to this day. In addition to Netanyahu and Gallant, Khan also applied for arrest warrants against leaders of Hamas, which no doubt reflects pressure from the capitalist governments and supporters of Israel. However, the main political significance of the request for warrants is clear: The state of Israel is a criminal regime. The charges fully vindicate the global mass protests that have erupted over the past seven months, which have been subject to vicious slander from the ruling class and the media. Protesters have been beaten, arrested and accused of antisemitism for denouncing and seeking to halt one of the greatest war crimes of the modern period. Responding to the charges, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared, With what audacity do you dare to compare the monsters of Hamas to the soldiers of the IDF, the most moral army in the world? This most moral army in the world has destroyed the majority of houses, schools and hospitals in Gaza, alongside every single university. Its leaders have referred to Gazas civilian population as animals, declaring, There will be no electricity, no food, no fuel, and asserting their intent to carry out collective punishment against an entire nation. Indeed, it is the most moral army since Hitlers Wehrmacht. The Biden administration responded with its own furious denunciation of the ICC prosecutors charges. In a statement, Biden declared: The ICC prosecutors application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders is outrageous. And let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalencenonebetween Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security. Indeed, there is no equivalence. The Palestinians are living under horrifying conditions of oppression and illegal occupation by Israel. Even if one were to draw an equal sign between the oppressor, Israel, and the oppressed, the Palestininans, Israel has killed 40 Gazans for every Israeli killed in the October 7 attacks. Bidens condemnation of the International Criminal Court came less than 24 hours after he spoke at Morehouse College in Georgia, where he declared, Ive called for an immediate ceasefire to stop the fighting. But Bidens response to the prosecutors indictment makes it clear that his criticisms of the Netanyahu government are cynical exercises in damage control, aimed at facilitating and enabling the Gaza genocide. The Biden administrations efforts to refute the prosecutors indictment consist of one absurdity after another. The United States has been clear since well before the current conflict that the ICC has no jurisdiction over this matter, declared State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. This is not true. In 2021, the International Criminal Court ruled that the Court can exercise its criminal jurisdiction in the Situation in the State of Palestine, including both Gaza and the West Bank, following the adoption of the Rome Statute by Palestine in 2015. Notably, the White House supported ICC proceedings against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the Ukraine war, despite the fact that neither Ukraine nor Russia was a signatory of the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC. When pressed to answer who does have jurisdiction to say whether Israel is committing war crimes, Miller absurdly replied, Israel. That is, the criminals should adjudicate whether or not they are guilty of the crime. Miller declared that the indictment could jeopardize ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement that would get hostages out of Gaza and surge humanitarian assistance. But Hamas has already accepted the terms proposed by the United States for the release of hostages in exchange for a ceasefire, terms that were rejected by Israel. Biden was joined by leading officials in both the Democratic and Republican parties in denouncing the prosecutors actions. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson threatened to sanction the International Criminal Court, which would itself be a violation of international law. Aside from defending Israel, the response of US officials expresses the acknowledgement that they are guilty of aiding and supporting all the crimes the prosecutor detailed. Johnson stated this concern explicitly, warning, If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israeli leaders, ours could be next. Indeed, the entire political establishment in the United States, Johnson and Biden included, stands guilty of financing, arming and politically justifying a genocide. In concluding the indictment, the prosecutor declared: If we do not demonstrate our willingness to apply the law equally, if it is seen as being applied selectively, we will be creating the conditions for its collapse This state of affairs is not a distant hypothetical, but an actual fact. The imperialist powers murder and torture all over the world with impunity. They act as a law unto themselves, defying international law at every turn. While the ICC certainly carries moral weight, it will have no effect on the policies of the imperialist governments. It has been nearly five months since the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to stop killing and starving Palestinian civilians. Since that time, tens of thousands of Palestinians have been murdered, and the entire population has been denied food, water and medical care. Workers and young people should have no illusions in the United Nations or any other bourgeois institutions of international law to stop the Gaza genocide. That can only happen through the mass mobilization of the working class, together with young people all over the world, taking the lead in the fight against Zionism, imperialism and the capitalist system. Over the weekend, autoworkers at Stellantis in the industrial city of Kokomo, Indiana met to ratify the founding statement of the Stellantis Kokomo Rank-and-File Committee. Autoworkers in the city have been hard hit by nationwide layoffs under the new United Auto Workers (UAW) contract, falsely hailed as a historic victory by the union bureaucracy and the Biden White House. The decision to form the committee, to fight both management and the union apparatus, is all the more important because of the start of a strike by academic worker members of the UAW at the University of California. It is a further sign of growing organized opposition among autoworkers, who have formed rank-and-file committees across the country since the start of the year. These committees must unite with the growing movement against war and attacks on the right to protest. To join the Stellantis Kokomo Rank-and-File Committee, or for help starting a committee at your workplace, fill out the contact form at the bottom of this article. Kokomo Transmission Plant workers on July 19, 2023 We, the workers of Stellantis in Kokomo, Indiana, are forming the Stellantis Kokomo Rank-and-File Committee to unite workers across the city, the auto industry and workers internationally. Its now been six months since the end of the auto strike and the ratification of the new contract. We have been forced to make sacrifices, while bureaucrats like UAW President Shawn Fain and UAW Vice President Rich Boyer have continued making six-figure salaries. Like we have in other contract years, we all voted unanimously to strike. Instead, we got a stand-up strike which didnt put a dent in production. We never had oversight over our contract and negotiations that were behind closed doors! Now our brothers and sisters in UAW Local 4811 in California have launched a strike in opposition to police attacks. We support this wholeheartedly, but the UAW isnt doing anything to even alert autoworkers to what is happening. They are also limiting their strike to one campus, patterning it after the stand-up strike which was used to ram through the sellouts were dealing with now. Reality of the historic contract Temporary part-time and supplemental employees were promised top pay and pensions if they ratified the new contract last fall. But only two months later, our TPT and SE coworkers at Warren Truck, Rouge, Kokomo, Toledo, Lansing and Belvidere were fired. Just at Stellantis alone, weve had 2,400 people fired. At our plants, people found out they were fired when they came to the gatesTerminated without cause! There are indefinite layoffs coming to Kokomo Engine Plant, Kokomo Transmission Plant and Kokomo Casting. The UAW has no strategy to fight them. The flipped TPTs and SEs, like in the last round, will not be told until its too late. Instead, they keep us divided and isolated into different locals, tiers and pay scales. For many of us that were fired, the UAW gives us excuses like low performance or missed days. Some of us that still have jobs and were flipped, our seniority dates dont match our hire dates, meaning we have to wait longer to move up in dates. The UAW keeps using the phrase, They [management] can do that; or You voted it [the contract] in. But we only saw the highlights. Some of us that were temporary workers had high hopes, only to see during the standup strike which left most of the plants running that it was a sham. Now people that are flipped or have been here for over 10 years are on edge waiting for another mass layoff! The union is nowhere to be found when we have grievances. Meanwhile, HR with the UAW and Stellantis are bringing back fired workers for summer help, only to be fired again. Here are the abuses we face daily in the Kokomo plants: When theres a slowdown, managers blame TPTs and SEs for not being trainable. Then they complain that products are bad. They just want to push more parts out. Some of us dont get profit-sharing with these down weeks. We are not given breaks, as mandated in the contract. We have managers who have assaulted us and threatened our jobs. Theres no communication between the union and the rank and file. Were overworked and mandated overtime. Weve had full-timers who have lost time because of injuries. Our doctors ask us why our health is worsening. It is because our bodies are torn up. Were not supposed to continuously lift 30 pounds. We sometimes lift up to 50 pounds. Theres maybe one safety person on the line, a situation that the union works with management to enforce. People pass out on the line, and it takes the union, security and management 45 minutes to drive over and get the nurse. Medical is not allowed on the floor without security. Like our brother at Fords Rouge plant who died at work, if someone had a heart attack here, medical would not be able to help in time. The hero Shawn Fain We know first-hand how all of the claims that UAW President Shawn Fain is a great reformer are a lie, because Kokomo used to be his base of power. When Chrysler was bailed out by the Obama/Biden White House in 2009, the UAW bureaucracy helped create bottom-tier TPTs and SEs in our plants. Those of us that were here back then saw how Fain told us that we had to take it. Now theyre doing the same thing today. Since the layoffs, the UAW told some of us that there were grievances filed with the UAW International in Detroit. But nothing happened. They cant even prove there were ever grievances filed. Even if there were, it was only symbolic, like the recent petition which Unite All Workers for Democracy (UAWD) started here in Kokomo earlier this year. But UAWD is in power in the union with Fain. Theyre the same organization that sold us this contract. Our demands In order to fight against job cuts and further attacks on the line, we have to take this out of the hands of the UAW bureaucracy. Every contract, we hear about no more temps, no more concessions or no more corruption. It is all smoke and mirrors. Fain is no better than his predecessor Ray Curry. We still dont even have a local contract! We have had enough. We are calling on our coworkers to organize with us to fight for our own demands. These include the following: End mass firings and bring back fired workers. Abolish tiers and temporary positions! Our coworkers in Kokomo, nationally and internationally are facing mass layoffs to boost the companys bottom line and prepare for the shift to electric vehicles. If EVs require less labor to produce, then it should be used to make our lives better, not worse. We should have our hours reduced with no loss in take-home pay. Our coworkers in Kokomo, nationally and internationally are facing mass layoffs to boost the companys bottom line and prepare for the shift to electric vehicles. If EVs require less labor to produce, then it should be used to make our lives better, not worse. We should have our hours reduced with no loss in take-home pay. Workers control over production and safety. With job cuts come speedups. We face this after every contract. With speedups come more accidents, or worse. The UAW bureaucracy gives its blessing to this. Instead, the rank and file should have control over working conditions, including the authority to shut down production whenever it is unsafe. With job cuts come speedups. We face this after every contract. With speedups come more accidents, or worse. The UAW bureaucracy gives its blessing to this. Instead, the rank and file should have control over working conditions, including the authority to shut down production whenever it is unsafe. Support our UAW brothers and sisters at University of California and free Bogdan Syrotiuk! We do not want war or genocide. Our UAW brothers and sisters are using their First Amendment right to protest. While Fain and Biden shake hands and hug, Biden sends the police after students, including UAW members. Like our brother Will Lehman said: The campuses are not ivory towers, but centers of exploitation just like the auto factories. The graduate student workers voting to strike are treated as a bottom-tier workforce, just like the supplemental workers in the plants. We also demand the immediate release of Bogdan Syrotiuk from the Ukrainian prison. Bogdan is a socialist opponent of the fascist Ukrainian government and the US-NATO war against Russia. He was arrested for calling for the unity of Russian and Ukrainian workers against war. This is an attack on the rights of workers everywhere. Why we need the Stellantis Kokomo Rank-and-File Committee Our committee was formed against the contract betrayals by Fain and the bureaucracy, aided by their supporters in the Biden White House, the Unite All Workers for Democracy faction in the union and the Democratic Socialists of America. From Clarios, to the Big Three, Allison Transmission, Lear, General Dynamics, Daimler and now the academic workers, the UAW bureaucracy is working with Biden to make sure a larger struggle does not happen! With our brothers and sisters of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC), we are for abolishing, not reforming, the UAW bureaucracy, to put power into the hands of the workers. Our committee, like the sister committees of the IWA-RFC, is needed for the fight to defend our standard of living against corporate attacks, as well as our democratic rights. Fain and the UAW work with Biden and the billionaires, offering us up as the new Arsenal of Democracy. This really means they want us to keep our heads down while they gear up for war. This is why our UC brothers and sisters voted to strike after students were attacked by riot cops for peacefully expressing their First Amendment rights. It is also why the the bureaucracy has only called out one campus. We create the billions for Stellantis and the Big Three. Like our brother in Italy told us, Only through the unity of all workers forces can a real fighting movement be created capable of countering the methods that companies use to exploit the proletariat and the working masses. If you agree with this, join us. Fill out the form below to join the Committee and get started fighting for rank-and-file control. An Anniversary of the Nakba and An Evening of Solidarity with the Palestinian people was held at Colombo Public Library Auditorium in Sri Lanka on May 14, followed by special screenings the following day. A section of the Nakba commemoration In Colombo, Sri Lanka, May 14, 2024. The 76th Nakba Day events in Colombo, which commemorated the original ethnic cleansing of 80 percent, or around 750,000 Palestinians from the newly founded state of Israel in 1948, was one of numerous protests, demonstrations and other events held around the world. Nakba means catastrophe in Arabic and is used to describe the violent displacement and dispossession of the land, property and belongings of the Palestinian people, and the destruction of their multi-ethnic society and democratic rights by the Zionist Israeli state. During the 1948 Nakba, over 500 Arab-majority towns and villages were depopulated with dozens of massacres. Some 78 percent of the total land area of Palestine was seized by Israel, with the backing of the UK, the US and other imperialist powers. These and other bloody atrocities targeting Palestinians have continued ever since, up to the current genocide in Gaza, which has killed over 35,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children. According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), over five million Palestinian refugees are presently scattered throughout the Middle East. Around 250 people, including families with children, participated in the May 14 event in Colombo with over 150 attending the film festival the following day. The Evening of Solidarity consisted of exhibitions, speeches and videos, along with poetry, songs and drama performed by Sri Lankan children and adults commemorating the Nakba and expressing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The events were organised by the newly formed Free Palestine Movement in Sri Lanka. One of the highlights of the evening was the launch and free distribution of Children of the Little Olive Park, a childrens book by Sri Lankan playwright, screenwriter and theatre director Ruwanthie de Chickera. As she explained to the media, This is not exclusively a childrens book. However, I wrote it in such a way that even a child could understand how the conflict was created in Palestine, and how it has been stoked throughout the years to bring about the terrible situation we are now in. Ruwanthie de Chickera [Photo: http://dechickera.com/] De Chickeras book is a commendable effort and one that clearly and simply describes the stark reality of the ongoing persecution of the Palestinian people. It will encourage readers to further study the complex historical and geopolitical issues behind Israels Gaza genocide. Speaking to the World Socialist Web Site, de Chickera said: As a human its impossible to watch what is happening in Palestine and not want to respond. I think it is the responsibility of every human being to try and do whatever they can to stop what is happening [in Palestine] I am using my tools as an artist. Asked to comment on the struggle being waged by the WSWS and the International Committee for coordinated global action by the international working class to stop the genocide, she said: I am a socialist Capitalism is imploding and its destroying the worldits destroying all of us, its destroying itself. Yes, I believe in the working class. They are the cogs who run the machines of this world, but mobilising the working class has always been a challenge. Its difficult, but I think this battle [to organise the working class], and what is happening right now, has to be fought on many, many different levels, she said. De Chickeras Children of the Little Olive Park was performed later that evening by the Stages Theatre Group. Another drama, titled Shattered DreamsUnbroken Spirits, was presented by the members of the Iman Academy. The performance, which involved actors whose ages ranged from 10 to 16 years, reflected the anguish and horror felt by young people confronted with the current plight of Palestinians, particularly women and children. Iman Academy drama director Rukshana Hassan told the WSWS that the drama was written entirely by the children involved in the performance. She said it was very difficult for children to deal with the struggles and the torture being inflicted against the Palestinians, which they saw on social media. They were feeling so helpless and so we basically needed to give them a platform, which they grabbed and embraced with their own words, Hassan said. The drama, she added, was a somewhat fulfilling answer for the children and their feelings, and how to deal with questions such as, What can we do now? How can we help? The next day the Colombo Palestine Film Festival screened two filmsFarha, a drama, and The Stones Cry Out, a documentaryboth about the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in 1948. Made in 2021, Farha, is a coming-of-age drama based on a true story about a 14-year-old rural Palestinian girl during the Nakba. Written and directed by Darin J. Sallam, the movie, which was Jordans entry for the best foreign language category in the 2023 Oscars, has won several international awards. Farha (Karam Taher) [Photo: Farha] Farha (Karam Taher), who dreams of studying in a city school and becoming a teacher, is rebelling against a traditional marriage proposal suggested by her father. Her life and dreams are turned upside when her village comes under attack from armed Zionists and their threats that everyone must leave the village or be killed. She rejects an offer to leave in her friends automobile and decides to stay with her father, who was the village headman. As the Zionist forces approach the village, her father locks her in a storage space under their house to protect her, and promises to return. He is captured, however, by the Israeli military and then used by these forces as a hooded identifier of the village fighters. Farhas stay inside the dark storage space is nightmarish and she glimpses the brutality of the Zionists, including their cold-blooded murder of a Palestinian family and their children. The familys pregnant mother, who is murdered by the Zionists, gave birth a few minutes before the Israeli soldiers arrive in the village. The films concluding titles explain that Farha never met her father again but eventually made it to Syria, where she shared her story. Israels culture minister Hili Tropper publicly denounced the film in 2022, claiming it was full of lies and libels and a disgrace to screen it in Israeli cinemas. In fact, the murderous Israeli attacks on Palestinians in Gaza today are simply a continuation of the sort of horrors accurately dramatised in Farha. The Stones Cry Out, the second film screened, is about Palestinian Christians, who have lived side by side with Muslims and Jews for almost two thousand years, an integral part of Palestines multi-ethnic, multicultural society. In 1948 they were among the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from their land and village homes in the fertile hills and valleys of the Galilee by the Zionists Operation Broom. They were dispossessed to make way for settlers in the newly created state of Israel. Israeli troops expelled all the residents of the Palestinian Christian village of Kafr Birim during the operation, telling them that they would be allowed to return. This never happened and in 1953 the village was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force. Some of the expelled villagers lived in Israel, others became refugees in Lebanon and neighbouring Arab countries. All that is left of the ancient rural settlement is the crumbling remains of the abandoned church and its bell tower. Workers, students, organizations and anti-war groups: Send us your statements in support of spreading the strike! Fill out the form below. A banner at the picket line at University of California Santa Cruz, May 20, 2024 A strike by 2,000 academic workers began Monday at the University of California, Santa Cruz against the police repression of campus Gaza protests. The walkout at one of 10 University of California campuses follows an overwhelming statewide strike authorization vote of 48,000 academic workers in United Auto Workers Local 4811. The UC administration is continuing its attempts to ban the UC strike. On Friday, it filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint with Californias Public Employee Relations Board (PERB). A ruling is expected at any time. In its filing, the administration makes the authoritarian argument that the strike must be banned because it sets a dangerous and far-reaching precedent that social, political and cultural issuesno matter how validthat are not labor-related can support a labor strike. The strike is a major development in the growing movement against the genocide and the nationwide attack on the right to protest by both capitalist parties. The use of class struggle methods objectively raises the need for the emergence of the working class as the basic social and political force against war. A protester waves a Palestinian flag near the picket line at University of California Santa Cruz, May 20, 2024 The strike must become the beginning of a broader class movement. In the first place, the entire membership of the United Auto Workers, including autoworkers and defense industry workers, must demand strike action against the war and in defense of the students. This requires a struggle against the union bureaucracy, which is deliberately limiting the strike to a single campus in order to isolate it and shut it down before it can spread. UAW President Shawn Fain, a close ally of Genocide Joe Biden, exemplifies the total integration of the pro-corporate union apparatus with the state. The union is using as a model the so-called standup strike in the auto industry last year, which did nothing to seriously impact production and was followed with mass layoffs. A number of groups active in the protests have issued important public statements denouncing the UAW bureaucracys limiting of the strike to one campus. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has issued a statement criticizing the limited standup strike, writing: The path forward is clear: UAW 4811 must immediately call a strike at all University of California campuses. ... UAW 4811 leadership must support the demands of their rank-and-file workers, and the broader grassroots movement for liberation. Any strike must demand disclosure, divestment, academic boycott, police abolition, amnesty and more. This must be a strike for Palestine. Winning our demands requires immediate strike action, we must not stop and we will not rest! A statement is also circulating among academic workers titled UAW members and students concerned by UCSC UAW leadership. It expresses alarm at the lack of a Cops Off Campus (COC) demand in the official demands of the union at UCSC, especially in the face of heightened police violence on UC campuses against student protesters. It continues, To our dismay, not only did the leadership refuse to address our concerns, they repeatedly attempted to intimidate us into silence. It concludes that the UCSC UAW leadership has [revealed] itself to be unfit to lead in this historical moment. We cannot rely on performative acts by an undemocratic union leadership to achieve justice in Palestine, nor can they keep us safe. These statements are welcome and important developments. They point to the growing potential for the movement to break out of the shackles the bureaucracy is trying to impose on it. As the World Socialist Web Site wrote last week: Academic workers must now impose their democratic will through the formation of rank-and-file strike committees to mobilize for immediate, system-wide work stoppages. Against the attempts by the bureaucracy to limit their struggle, they must turn out to the autoworkers and the entire working class for support, establishing lines of communication to prepare for joint actions. Academic workers at UCLA in particular are demanding to be called out on strike, after police allowed Zionists to brutally attack a protest encampment last month before the police cleared the encampment with rubber bullets and flashbangs and arrested 132 people. One UC Los Angeles academic worker told the WSWS: I was there [in the 2022 UC strike], and its almost exactly the same group of [officials] doing the same thing they always do. And theyve refused to tell us when theyll call us to strike. The rank and file are pressuring them now to back us. Pickets at UC Santa Cruz At UC Santa Cruz, several hundred strikers took part in a picket line at the base of campus. They were joined later by about 100 students, who marched a mile and a half from a university encampment at Quarry Plaza that has been held for more than a week. A section of the picket line at University of California Santa Cruz, May 20, 2024 Strikers who spoke with the World Socialist Web Site expressed a general distrust of the UAW bureaucracy, including UAW President Shawn Fain. One described Fain as a class traitor. Another said, we dont care about him or what he has to say. A third-year undergrad student who attended in support told the WSWS that he felt the genocide was all due to capitalism, and nothing short of ending it will address the issues. Another striker had participated in the 2020 wildcat strikes at UCSC over cost-of-living adjustments. He disagreed that the method of limiting the strike to a few campuses was appropriate and agreed with the need for a UC-wide strike. Sign calling for a general strike on the picket line at University of California Santa Cruz, May 20, 2024 An international student expressed puzzlement at the decision to call out just one campus and wondered whether this was just how strikes normally worked in the United States. He was shocked to learn how a similar standup strike was used to ram through a sellout contract last year in the auto industry, which is now being used to lay off thousands. Asked his opinion on the UC administrations argument before the Public Employee Relations Board (PERB) to get the strike banned, citing the danger of a precedent set by such a political strike, he paused for a moment and then said: This is a very good question. Because this means that if this is allowed, workers would demand systemic change. Protests grow in spite of continuing crackdown Demands for broader action are only growing as capitalist politicians, administrators and police double down on their assaults nationwide. Following a raid and arrests attacking the encampment at UC Irvine last week, on Friday night a dozen people were arrested at the UC Berkeley encampment. The SJP has said that bail for the students was set at a vindictive $120,000 each. This is only the tip of the iceberg. The SJP confirmed on social media Monday that despite an agreement with the arrested student protesters at Harvard, 12 students will be prevented from graduating. Meanwhile, protests and encampments are continuing to grow. On Sunday, 10,000 people rallied at the state Capitol in Austin, Texas despite attempts to de facto ban the protest by closing the Capitol grounds. On Monday, the erection of an encampment in Bucharest, Romania was celebrated globally on social media by tens of thousands. Healthcare workers speak out There is growing support for the protests in the working class. A healthcare worker at UC San Diego Health told the WSWS: I was in Afghanistan, and I saw what happened to women and children there. What is taking place in Gaza is absolutely horrible. Women and children under rubble, citizens constantly bombarded. Why cant they just stop this? I hate war and am opposed to what the US is supporting in Israel. He added: The students have every right to protest. They are exercising their First Amendment rights. There was no reason for the response by the university and police that they got. I defend their right to protest. Responding to the claim that opposing the genocide in Gaza is antisemitic, he said: No, I dont agree with that. These protesters are trying to express their opposition to war. They oppose genocide. Simple as that. Its very similar to Vietnam and the protests then. What this is is major opposition to war and US imperialism. Another healthcare worker said, Im disgusted with how the university has responded to the students. They have the right to protest. She added that she would support a broader strike among workers in their defense, but it would require that we all come out. Some 50,000 postal workers at Canada Post are currently working without a contract. Around 42,000 members of the urban postal operators (UPO) bargaining unit and 8,000 rural and suburban mail carriers (RSMC) are being blocked from waging a genuine struggle against Canada Posts sweeping concessions demands by the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW). Despite both contracts having expired more than three months ago, CUPW has yet to even announce a strike ballot, let alone set a strike date. A Canada Post worker walks to his truck in Richmond, British Columbia [AP Photo/Ted S. Warren] The World Socialist Web Site has received numerous write-ins from angry postal workers determined to wage a fight against Canada Posts profit-driven management. In multiple discussions, they have outlined terrible working conditions, including unbearable workloads, workplace harassment and low wages and benefits. The following comments emerged from a discussion with a postal worker in Ontario that addressed many of these issues. We encourage other postal workers to speak out about working conditions and join the struggle to organize a rank-and-file committee independent of the CUPW bureaucracy by filling out the form at the end of this article. *** Management harassment When I transferred to the Pembroke depot, there was a preexisting conflict of interest to do with a supervisor in an intimate relationship with a subordinate, in breach of the employees code of conduct. The subordinate in the relationship also behaved inappropriately, monitored everybody and reported back to her supervisor-boyfriend. When COVID hit and our letter carriers were forced off of work, she would be monitoring who was outside picketing versus the ones that were put off of work, and she would be taking notes on that and also on workers leaving before 9:15. When I raised this issue that many of my colleagues had already expressed concerns about, I became a target. So when I brought up some of these facts and the conflict of interest with a union rep, CPC [Canada Post Corporation] tried to put it back on me like I was preventing that letter carrier from doing her job, when all along she was preventing everybody from doing their job. Everybody got targeted at one point. Even the superintendent of that building, theres nepotism with him too, hiring his own family to do the repairs on the building. I even took a photo of his last name on a sign of the construction company doing the work. So I can understand why hes siding with the supervisor even though its wrong. Hes protecting his own interests as well. So I was brought into the office a second time. And normally what happens is that you get issued a 24-hour notice of investigation of interrogation, and they issue a letter saying that youre going to be questioned. But I never got this letter. I was pretty much dragged into the office with the superintendent in question for nepotism, my manager, and union reps who were not selected by me. They were given to me. I didnt even have a chance to look at my work folder. The first time we went into the office, I requested to see my work file and it was completely clean. I got pulled into the office and they said, We believe that you were trying to prevent said letter carrier from doing her job, and weve also witnessed some strange behavior. But instead of doing an investigation, we would rather you go see your family doctor and get cleared to go back to work. The second false allegation was that somebody had seen me on the side of the highway in the middle of nowhere, and they were concerned about my wellbeing. What I was doing was cleaning up cans on the side of the highway after work hours to raise money for Mothers Against Drunk Drivers. There was an article in the newspaper Pembroke Observer about that campaign. And the third allegation was that I was talking about spiritual connections with birds. I have a pet pigeon, and he laid an egg on my late sons birthday. Thats pretty spiritual for me. Well, whats wrong with that? If that makes somebody feel uncomfortable, then dont listen. I have two written statements of support from my coworkers at Pembroke, saying that I was a good employee and I wasnt preventing anybody from doing their job. Forced medical treatment Now, I want you to keep in mind that this is during COVID and Im also in Pembroke. There are no walk-in clinics, so I couldnt even see a walk-in clinic doctor because I dont have my own family doctor. The corporation hired a psychiatrist to have a discussion with me and I had my first appointment with a psychiatrist. I had asked the regional union rep from Ottawa to come to Pembroke. He was on board and understood that there was a conflict of interest in that office and a lot of toxicity. So he was coming to that appointment with me just to confirm that there is a problem in the office and I wasnt making things up. Well, the psychiatrist just shut us down and forced me on medication before treatment is what they called it. He deemed that I had psychosis and then put me off on olanzapine [antipsychotic medication]. And obviously that medication was making me feel sick. It was making me depressed. And I had a lot of side effects from it. I even felt suicidal at one point because I felt I shouldnt be on it in the first place. All I had done was bring up a concern that everybody else had at the depot as well. But they decided to shut me up with anti-psychotic medicine. My union rep, Doug Thomas, had told me in the meeting that there is a problem in the Pembroke office. But the doctor said there wasnt. They pretty much said that the issue was all in my head and I had to get back to work. The psychiatrist was basing his opinion on a report from the previous depot I worked at where I experienced hostilities from some of my co-workers. I had just gotten to that office and I opened up to the wrong people because Im such a friendly, bubbly person and Im very open about my life I went through a lot of that office, too. And so they told me to go see a doctor. I was given a psychiatrist there who said its all in my head but she was not really listening to what I was saying. I went through their treatment which was seeing a therapist who gave me cognitive behavioural therapy, and even she believed that it wasnt in my head. But she had to go based on what the CPC psychiatrist said. Moving forward to the Pembroke situation, the psychiatrist didnt even do his own evaluation on me. He just based it off of his colleague. Doug Thomas knew what happened to me in North Bay and he came with me to the appointment with the psychiatrist to just reaffirm that there was a lot of toxicity at this office. And they shut it down saying that psychosis is a hard thing to diagnose and that if I dont take the medication they would force injection on me. I feel we used to have one of the strongest unions, but now the union is sleeping in bed with management. Its awful. And theres no representation whatsoever. A coworker of mine in Pembroke wrote me a character reference letter to back up my grievance, saying that I was one of the most positive individuals she had ever met: At the time of her arrival, the Pembroke office was in the middle of dealing with a substantial conflict of interest revolving around an intimate relationship between a letter carrier and a supervisor. And although many individuals expressed concerns, [she] was the one that quickly became a target of hostility from both the letter carrier and management. Even though [she] faced a lot of unprofessional and unfriendly behaviour from individuals involved in the conflict of interest, she always kept a smile on her face and tried to never let the stress of the situation show. [She] is a very hard worker and took pride in doing her job well and in helping her customers however she could. You could tell from her excellent attitude she loved her job. She is compassionate, a very big heart. I was sad to see [her] leave Pembroke, but it was completely understandable why she felt she could not stay. I transferred out of Pembroke because after I got back to work, I felt extremely uncomfortable working there now because of the conflict of interest and what had happened to me. I made sure to apply for a transfer. Admail deliveries A few years ago we lost one of our local newspapers called the Northern Life, which had a lot of the fliers inside. Now what theyve done is that theyve married all of those fliers together and put them into a plastic bag. We get paid 1.5 cents per bag of fliers when there are four or five fliers in the bag, and there are 4 or 5 sets of fliers in each bag. Then well also have loose fliers that we have to deliver with those bag fliers that are 1.5 cents each. We are getting ripped off as the letter carrier. Its overburdening us. And all the corporation does is say theyre going to put in more grey boxes [boxes on the corner where the carriers load up their mail bags] for the overburden. No, thats not fair. Everybodys going through awful working conditions and I feel for nurses big time. Its awful how management is, theres so much favouritism at our office and I see certain people that are getting away with murder and other people that are struggling and trying to do their job, but theyre constantly bullied and its impacting their mental health. Workers must oppose war I dont agree with war. Why should we be paying for that? I live in Sudbury. I dont know if you know Sudburys background, but back in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, our mines were used to produce bullets and artillery for all sides. And the thing is that all of these miners from different nations were mining underground, fighting against each other on the other side. So, I dont agree with war whatsoever. One thing that I wish would change with our politics: We should be able to choose where our money goes with taxes. We know were getting taxed on our paychecks but I dont support war. Why should I be taxed and give money to that? I want to put my money towards education or healthcare and we should be able to pay like X percent. It should be the power of the people instead of the power of the government. Irans President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian were among eight people killed in a Sunday afternoon helicopter crash in northwest Iran. Their deaths are a further destabilizing element in a Middle East already set ablaze by Israels imperialist-backed genocide against the Palestinians of Gaza and decades of US-instigated wars aimed at establishing Washingtons unbridled hegemony over the energy-rich region. Raisi, Irans president since 2021, and Amir-Abdollahian were returning from a brief visit to Azerbaijan when their helicopter went down in a mountainous, heavily forested region some 55 kilometers from their destination, Tabriz. Due to the inhospitable terrain, inclement weather and the helicopters lack of a functioning emergency signal, rescuers only reached the crash site as dawn broke Monday. Iranian state television has attributed the crash to an as of yet undetermined technical failure. The two other helicopters that returned from Azerbaijan along with that bearing the Iranian president did so without incident. The Chief of Staff of Irans Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri has named a high-level committee of military and aeronautic experts to carry out an on-site investigation of the crash. Since the disappearance of Raisis helicopter, Iranian authorities have sought to project a sense of stability and calm. They have referred to the crash as an incident but have not suggested that it was anything other than a terrible mishap. The weather, as had been forecast, was blustery, with the mountains that the three-helicopter convoy were supposed to traverse covered in dense fog. The downed helicopter was a US-manufactured, two-blade Bell 212, dating from before the 1979 revolution that overthrow the despotic US-backed regime of Shah Reza Pahlavi. People hold up posters of President Ebrahim Raisi during a mourning ceremony for him at Vali-e-Asr square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, May 20, 2024. [AP Photo/Vahid Salemi] For decades, punishing US sanctions have prevented Iran access to Western-made aircraft, whether commercial or military, and to spare parts. In an interview with Iranian state television, former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the US and its economic sanctionswhich under George W. Bush, Obama, Trump and now Biden have expanded to effectively deny Iran access to virtually all goods and technologies, including medical equipment and drugsbear responsibility for the crash. One of the culprits behind yesterdays tragedy, asserted Zarif, is the United States, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts. From the little that is currently known, it cannot be excluded that the crash that killed Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian was an act of sabotage, orchestrated by a dissident faction of the Islamic Republics ruling elite or, as is more likely, Israeli intelligence or the CIA. The Iranian investigation is at this point only hours old, as the first half-day was given over to a desperate search for the crash site and any survivors. Ultimately, the downed helicopter was located with the assistance of Turkish surveillance drones. Even if Tehran did have evidence to suggest Sundays crash was anything more than an accident, they would almost certainly want to scrutinize it at length and reflect on their response before making any public statement, given the explosive ramifications. Indeed, it cannot be excluded that their first impulse would be to cover up an assassination carried out through sabotage, so as not to lay bare a catastrophic security failure, that would undermine the regime and compel it to forcefully respond. Both Israel and the US have carried out brazen and patently illegal assassinations of Iranian officials in recent years. These include the Mossad-organized killings of Iranian scientists inside Iran and the January 2020 US Predator drone strike on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Qasem Soleimani as he left Baghdad airport. On April 1, Israel dramatically upped the ante in its shadow war with Iran when it killed three senior IRGC commanders in a strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Iran responded 12 days later with its first-ever direct attack on Israel. However, its drone and missile strike was telegraphed well in advance on the calculation that a US-defended Israel would counter it and further escalation could be avoided. The assassination of Irans president would be tantamount to a declaration of war, but given the crisis of the far-right Netanyahu regime and the Zionist state, it cannot be ruled out a priori. What is certain is that there was considerable gloating in both Jerusalem and Washington over the deaths of Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and that both powers will seek to exploit their fallout to advance their predatory objectives. The US extended official condolences over the death of Irans president, but both White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby and US State Department spokesman Matt Miller made clear that they did so through gritted teeth. Miller, who speaks for a government that has armed and politically covered for Israel as it starves and slaughters the Palestinians of Gaza and that supports tyrannical regimes across the Middle East, including those of General al-Sisi in Egypt and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, denounced Raisi for killing thousands. We regret any loss of life, said Miller. That doesnt change the record. ... He has blood on his hands. A New York Times article by the long-time CIA conduit David Sanger, purportedly on the choice facing Irans next leaders, indicated that Washington is at this point interested in continuing a secret dialogue it has been holding with the Iranian regime in Oman and in which the dead foreign ministers deputy, Ali Bagheri Kani, acted as the principal speaker for the Iranian side. Washingtons interest in this dialogue, which reportedly has involved multiple meetings over the past seven months as the US-backed Israeli war on Gaza has raged, has nothing to do with securing peace or even limiting tensions. At the very outset of the Gaza war, Washington deployed two aircraft carrier groups to the region to threaten Iran. It has supported Israel in striking out at Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iranian-backed forces and IRGC personnel in Syria, while carrying out its own strikes on Iranian allies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Furthermore, Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, to say nothing of the Pentagon generals, have made clear that Washington is engaged in a multi-pronged drive to reassert US imperialist global dominance that includes the war in Russia, an all-sided economic and military-strategic offensive against China, and countering and effecting regime change in Tehran. Through economic sanctions and constant military pressure from its allies, particularly Britain and Israel, Washington is seeking to degrade Irans military capabilities, destabilize and exploit fissures within the regimeand all with the aim of placing itself in the best position to wage war on Iran at a time of its own choosing. Irans bourgeois clerical regime, meanwhile, finds its room for maneuver shrinking. It is being squeezed by the US and its imperialist allies, while having to contend with a restive working class, angered by mass joblessness, skyrocketing prices, political repression, acute social inequality and the targeting of the remnants of the social concessions made to toiling people in the immediate aftermath of the 1979 revolution. Even before Sundays crash, the Islamic Republic confronted an impending leadership crisis. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has served as the Supreme Leaderwielding ultimate authority over key decisions and regulating the factional squabbles within the clerical bourgeois establishmentfor more the three decades, is 85 years old and has long been in failing health. In all his statements since Sunday, Khamenei has emphasized the stability of the regime and its institutions. As per the constitution, the vice president, Mohammed Mokhber, has been elevated to acting president. Mokhber is said to be close to Khameneifor 14 years he headed the Supreme Leaders foundation, Setad, whose vast holdings serve to underpin a huge patronage networkand to be part of the so-called conservative faction upon which he has come to increasingly rely. That faction, of which Raisi was a leading member, was more reticent in seeking rapprochement with the Western imperialist powers through the 2016 nuclear accord or JCPOA, now scuttled by the US, and favors more religious restrictions in daily life. Amir-Abdollahian has been succeeded by his deputy Kani as foreign minister. This has been interpreted as a signal that Tehran wants to maintain a channel for dialogue with Washington. Soon after Mokhber held his first cabinet meeting, he fielded a call from Russian President Vladimir Putin. In their respective readouts of the conversation, both Moscow and Tehran called for the continued strengthening of bilateral ties. To the consternation of the US and its NATO allies, Iran has responded to the scuttling of the JCPOA by expanding its economic and strategic ties with both Russia and China. This has included supplying Russia with cheap drones to fight the Ukraine war instigated by the US and NATO. Under Irans constitution, if the president dies or becomes incapacitated, a new election must be held within 50 days. Late Monday, the IRNA news agency reported that the first round of a possible two-round Iranian presidential election will be held on Friday, June 28. In the last election held in 2021 and won by Raisi, the Guardians Council arbitrarily barred most prospective candidates from running, including former two-time President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Turnout was under 50 percent for the first time ever, and a further 13 percent of ballots were deemed spoiled or invalid. Kenyas President William Ruto will be arriving in Washington for a state visit to the US Wednesday. The Kenyan press is celebrating the visit, terming it the first state visit by an African leader in more than 15 years, a major milestone and investment opportunity and a historic moment that is putting Kenya on the map. Ruto is eating big things, wrote the Nation newspaper, adding, Kenya has to wear big-boy pants. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with Kenyan President William Ruto, on the margins of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly High Level Week, in New York City on September 21, 2022. [Photo: Ron Przysucha] Far from this delirium, Kenya and the entire African continent are being drawn into the maelstrom of an expanding global war. The continents geostrategic position and vast mineral resources are viewed by Washington as critical in its conflicts with Russia, Iran and China. Ruto is the sixth head of state invited for a state visit by US President Joe Biden since he took office. The other five visits were related to Washingtons war theatres across the globe. Leaders of South Korea, India, Australia and Japan were invited to discuss military alliances against China. France was accorded a state visit to discuss NATOs war on Russia in Ukraine. It was not long ago that Washington viewed Ruto as a political thug threatening US interests in the region. Washington backed the International Criminal Court (ICC) charges against him over his involvement in Kenyas 2007-2008 post-election violence. Ruto played a crucial role in planning and organising violence that that left over 1,200 dead and over 600,000 internally displaced. The case was eventually dropped as witnesses disappeared and the US lost interest in backing Rutos prosecution after he become deputy president. Today, Ruto is given a red carpet to establish Kenya as Washingtons main military ally in the region. His visit coincides with the landing of 200 Kenyan police officers, the first batch of a thousand, in Haiti as part of a US-funded mission. The officers, mainly from the special forces, known for their brutality in anti-terror operations, will operate from US Army-built military barracks. They are tasked with terrorizing the Haitian population and ensuring months of gang warfare does not precipitate an outflow of refugees to the US and Canada and destabilize the Caribbean region. Countering Chinese influence The main issue on the agenda will be countering Chinas influence across the African continent. According to the White House press release, The leaders will discuss ways to bolster our cooperation in areas including people-to-people ties, trade and investment, technological innovation, climate and clean energy, health, and security. The visit will affirm our strategic partnership with Kenya and further the vision set forth at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. The US-Africa Leaders Summit was held in December 2022, with 49 African heads of government attending. It was a clear signal that Washington was not going to let Chinas influence grow unopposed in Africa. The Biden Administrations US Africa strategy states that China views Africa as an important arena to challenge the rules-based international order, advance its own narrow commercial and geopolitical interests, undermine transparency and openness, and weaken U.S. relations with African peoples and governments. The rules-based international order is the world order established by US imperialism in the aftermath of World War II, in which it sets the rules. The expansion of Chinese influence in Africa over the past 15 years directly threatens US and European imperialisms control over the lions share of Africas natural riches and disrupts Washingtons ability to encircle China and strangle it economically. At the same time, Western corporations and banks, eager to plunder Africas vast economic resources and its working masses, have been losing ground to China. In this conflict African governments and political establishments have been torn between their military-political ties to Washington and the economic gains from closer ties with Beijing, whose investments have dwarfed those of the US. Kenya is a clear example of this process. As part of its Look East policy, Nairobis relations with China intensified under the presidencies of Mwai Kibaki (20022013) and Uhuru Kenyatta (2013-2022). China-Kenya trade grew more than thirty-fold, from $106 million in 2000 to $6.55 billion in 2022. China is now Kenya's largest trading partner, with more than 16 percent of the total merchandise trade volume, followed by the European Union, India, and the United Arab Emirates. The US is relegated to fifth place. China has emerged as the preferred source country for electronic goods, textiles, cosmetics, vehicle accessories and machinery. It is responsible for major infrastructure projects in the country including the Thika Super-highway easing transportation of raw materials and finished products between Nairobi and the countrys second-most industrialised town of Thika, the Nairobi-Mombasa railway connecting Nairobi to the coast, and projects like the Kipevu Oil Terminal in Mombasa Port, Lamu Port, Liwatoni Floating Bridge and Thwake Dam. Last October, Ruto, despite his anti-Chinese rhetoric during the presidential elections in 2022, met with President Xi Jinping as part of a three-day state visit. Ruto asked for $1 billion in loans, adding to Kenyas $6.3 billion debt to China, to help complete infrastructure projects. Last week, Kenya secured commitment from Chinas Exim Bank for the funding of the standard gauge railway from Nairobi to the Ugandan border. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, second left, with Deputy president William Ruto, right, look at the SGR route maps during the unveiling of a cargo train at the Mombasa, Kenya, port containers depot, May 30, 2017. [AP Photo/Khalil Senosi] For years, the Kenyan ruling class hoped it could balance between Chinese loans and infrastructure projects and Washingtons political and military support. In 2020, then President Kenyatta told a conference hosted by the Atlantic Council in Washington, We dont want to be forced to choose. We want to work with everybody, and we think there is opportunity for everybody. Those days are over. With the politics of the entire continent on a knifes edge, Biden will demand Ruto to distance himself from China. A glimpse of the underlying threat was seen last December when the US State Department made the unfounded claim that Beijing was planning to set up military bases in Kenya as part of its pursuit of a global military logistics network to counter the US. It stated, China is seeking to expand its overseas logistics and basing infrastructure to allow the Peoples Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Party to project and sustain military power at greater distances. This was only weeks after US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited Kenya and held a series of meetings with defence officials and Ruto. Kenya as the anchor state of US imperialism Rutos visit comes at a time when Washingtons influence across Africa is rapidly diminishing. South Africa, a traditional ally of the US, took its main Middle Eastern ally, Israel, to the International Court of Justice over its genocide in Gaza. Last year, the South African military participated in joint military exercises with Russia and China along South Africas east coast. Ethiopia, Washingtons previous preferred security partner in the Horn of Africa, is increasingly orientating towards China, following decades of authoritarian rule by the US-backed Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) since 1991. In 2020, a civil war erupted between forces aligned with the new Ethiopian federal government and the TPLF. In Niger, the new military junta booted US troops out of the country and handed over the US military bases, one of the largest US drone bases in Africa, to Russia. In Chad, the US has withdrawn its military after the country demanded they leave last month. As one US diplomat bemoaned in an article on International Crisis Group when asked why the Biden administration had invited the Kenyan leader to Washington: If not Ruto, who? Washington is hoping to transform Kenya, which has a track record as a satrap for US and European imperialism in maintaining their strategic grip over Eastern and Central Africa, into a strategic military partner against China and Russia in the Horn of Africa. Over the past 18 months since Ruto came to power, Washington high-ups have visited Nairobi, including CIA chief William Burns, Commander of United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) General Michael Langley, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, and anti-China hawks like US Senator Chris Coons and US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. In September, Austin signed a five-year defence deal with Nairobi providing US-led training of Kenya Defence Forces. In an increasingly complex and interconnected world, our ability to work seamlessly together is paramount, said Kenyan Defence Minister Aden Bare Duale. This cooperation will enable us to respond effectively to the ever-evolving security challenges in our region. These visits took place as Ruto backed US foreign policy. Kenya signed up to US-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, the military operation against the Houthi militias in Yemen that have attempted to disrupt supplies to the Israeli military, in solidarity with the Palestinians. Ruto endorsed airstrikes on the impoverished nation, after supporting Israels genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The US will likely request Ruto to expand its troop presence at its Camp Simba base in Manda Bay, which serves as host for US drones and surveillance to project its control across the Indian Ocean, the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, particularly over the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint critical to securing global energy. U.S. Army Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commander, U.S. Africa Command, addresses force U.S. military service members at Camp Simba, Kenya, February 12, 2020. [Photo by US Africa Command / CC BY 4.0 The base has played a key role in the undeclared war on the Al-Shabaab insurgency in Somalia, where thousands of people have died in US drone strikes, and where Kenya continues to deploy thousands of troops as the US proxy since 2011. The US is also likely to use Kenyas army in proxy wars across Africa. It has already tested the countrys soldiers in its war in Somalia, and in eastern mineral-rich DR Congo, and is now using Kenyas US-trained special forces police in Haiti. Ruto is eager to play this role. In a country where malnutrition is rampant, defence spending grew by 38 percent between 2021 and 2024, from $925 million to $1.2 billion. Earlier this month, Nairobi announced it was acquiring a high-tech missile defense system from the genocidal regime of Israel using a $1 billion loan from Tel Aviv. The sophisticated system, which could have only been offered with Washingtons approval, offers protection against aircraft attacks, helicopters, cruise and ballistic missiles. Nairobi ludicrously claims growing security threats in the Gulf of Aden from Al-Shabaab in Somalia, which has no aircraft, and the Houthis in Yemen, who have a single fighter jet, an ancient F-5. Washington also hopes to use Kenya, the largest economy in the Eastern African Community economic bloc, and its growing influence in the African Union to steer African countries away from Russia and China. The US and Ruto are currently backing Kenyas main opposition leader, the millionaire Raila Odinga, nominated to lead the African Union (AU). Odinga is a longtime supporter of US and French imperialist interventions in Africa. Raila Odinga speaking at visit to Peace Corps, June 19, 2008 [Photo: US Government] Rutos war on the working class and rural masses The intensified orientation to the US and its war aims is not merely a political choice by Ruto. It is based on fundamental objective relations between the Kenyan ruling class and imperialism. In exchange for supporting the US, the Kenya Kwanza government of Ruto hopes to receive crumbs, in the forms of a trade deal and more US investment, which will be syphoned by the parasitical layer running the Kenyan state. The Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry plans to pitch over $20.5 billion in investment opportunities, showcasing more than 30 promising projects to potential American investors. Ruto is also hoping to conclude the US-Kenya Strategic Trade and Investment Partnership this October, to boost US investment and exports to the US. US companies such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger already profit out of the exploitation of cheap Kenyan labour in the Export Processing Zones across the country, which are exempted from paying taxes. In return for Rutos pledge to draw Kenya into wars across the continent and even around the planet, Ruto will seek Washingtons backing for his Kenya Kwanza alliance governments war against the working class and rural poor. Last year, the government imposed brutal International Monetary Fund (IMF)-dictated austerity measures that have decimated the living standards of Kenyan workers, including the introduction of a housing levy, doubling Value Added Tax on petroleum products from 8 per cent to 16 percent, tripling sales tax for small businesses from 1 percent to 3 percent, and introducing a new medical insurance tax of 2.5 percent. Rutos taxes have resulted in a skyrocketing cost of living, compounded by NATOs war in the Ukraine. This year, Ruto has vowed to escalate the class war. A Finance Bill will propose a battery of new taxes including motor vehicle tax, minimum top-up tax, economic presence tax, withholding tax, and digital content tax. Ordinary bread, a staple which was among the zero-rated items, will cost more following the imposition of 16 percent VAT. The Kenyan military and police are being prepared not only to support US-led wars abroad but also as shock troops at home. Last year, mass anti-austerity protests were savagely drowned in blood, leaving over 70 dead, most shot by the police. Widespread discontent is re-erupting. Earlier in the year, Ruto teargassed pro-Palestinian protests in Nairobi, and a pro-Palestinian gathering at a bookshop was dispersed and activists arrested. Last week, hundreds of interim teachers protested demanding permanent jobs, threatening to strike as the unions shut down a two-month nationwide doctors strike. The Kenyan opposition party, Azimio la Umoja, is threatening new countrywide protests, after Odinga called them off last year fearing they were breaking free of his partys control. All Kenyas parties, in government or opposition, support the alliance with the US, austerity and militarism. The only alternative is for workers to take matters into their own hands and fight for a socialist programme against war and to address the pressing social needs of working people. Representative Elise Stefanik, the fourth-ranking House Republican, as chair of the Republican Conference, spoke before a committee of the Israeli Knesset Sunday to deliver a strident defense of the Israeli genocide in Gaza. She condemned the Biden administration for its token gestures of restraining the Netanyahu government, including withholding some 2,000-pound bombs which can level an entire city block. Stefanik addressed her remarks to what the Wall Street Journal described as a handful of lawmakers in the Israeli Parliaments Caucus for Jewish and Pro-Israel Students on Campuses Around the World. She presented herself as a front-line defender of Jewish students in the United States, whom she claimed were under constant attack on the campuses. Elise Stefanik and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meet in Israel, May 20, 2024. [Photo: Elise Stefanik] She glorified her own performance as the witch-hunter in chief at several recent hearings of the House Education Committee, where Democrats and Republicans grilled university presidents from Harvard, MIT, Penn and other colleges, as well as a panel of K-12 school system superintendents. They denounced the educators for insufficient efforts to suppress protests against the Gaza genocide, helping spark the current wave of heavy-handed repression, including suspensions, expulsions, and the arrest of more than 3,000 students and supporters. While declaring her support for wiping those responsible for October 7th off the face of the earth, she made clear in her remarks that she was really talking about all Palestinians, and perhaps even all Arabs. She denounced the many times forces of evil have tried to destroy Israel and the Jewish people, citing the 1948 Israeli-Arab war, the Fedayeen raids of the 1950s and 60s, in the 67 war, the 73 war, the successive wars against Hamas in Gaza, and again, on that dark day, October 7th, 2023. In order words, all armed resistance to the state of Israel is criminal and those involved should be treated as terrorists and murderers! She contrasted the mass mobilization of Israeli youth into the militarybased on compulsory servicewith what she called the pro-Hamas apologists on US college campuses protesting in a paroxysm of blood lust and calling for the destruction of Israel. Denouncing the Biden administration, saying there was no excuse for a policy of dither and hide, she called instead for crushing antisemitism at home, and supplying the State of Israel with what it needs, when it needs it, without conditions, to achieve total victory in the face of evil. Stefaniks trip to Jerusalem follows last Thursdays vote in the House for the Israel Security Act, a purely symbolic bill to countermand Bidens holding up delivery of the largest bombs to Israel. Sixteen Democrats joined a near-unanimous Republican caucus to pass the bill, which is unlikely to be taken up by the Senate and would certainly not survive a Biden veto. The trip was not only an effort to promote the lying claim that the Republican Partyinfested with white supremacists and neo-Nazisis an adamant opponent of antisemitism. It was also aimed at elevating Stefanik in the eyes of the fascist ex-president Donald Trump, who has put her on the short-list for potential vice-presidential running mate this year. While Stefanik began her fascistic diatribe by claiming to be a lifelong admirer, supporter, and true friend of Israel and the Jewish people, her own political record is nothing like that. Two years ago she came under attack from the Anti-Defamation League for echoing the antisemitic Great Replacement Theory, which claims that wealthy Jews are engineering and financing mass migration to the United States from Asia, Africa and Latin America to replace the white American population. This followed the mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket by 18-year-old Payton Gendron, who was a reader of the fascist Daily Stormer web site and an admirer of such fascist mass killers as Brenton Tarrant, who murdered more than 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand. Gendron issued a 180-page manifesto on the subject of racist hatred of African Americans and the Great Replacement Theory before heading to Buffalo to carry out the slaughter. The Anti-Defamation League criticized Stefanik, who represents a rural district in upstate New York, for a series of campaign ads in which she claimed that illegal immigrants were flooding the country because the Democratic Party regarded them as reliable future voters. Their plan to grant amnesty to 11 MILLION illegal immigrants will overthrow our current electorate and create a permanent liberal majority in Washington, the ad declared. Citing the openly racist version of the Great Replacement Theory advocated by fascist pundits like Tucker Carlson, the local newspaper, the Times Union of Albany, wrote that Stefanik isnt so brazen as to use the slogans themselves; rather, she couches the hate in alarmist anti-immigrant rhetoric thats become standard fare for the party of Donald Trump. Last week, on the second anniversary of the Buffalo supermarket massacre, 55 Jewish, civil rights and immigrants rights groups wrote to congressional leaders of both parties appealing for a halt to references to an invasion by peaceful migrants and to plans for replacement of white Americans by immigrants, both of which inspired the Buffalo gunman. They wrote: Two years later, this same false notion of replacement and invasion is leveraged regularly by Members of Congress to further political agendas related to immigration and national security. They echo false claims of an invasion, which, under the twisted logic of the conspiracy theory, is purposefully orchestrated by a powerful Jewish cabal to upend white political power structures. This bigoted, dangerous rhetoric and its related dog whistles dehumanize migrants and communities of color, positioning them as an existential threat that must be met with violence. Nothing will come of this appeal, however well intentioned. It is said that birds of a feather flock together. In the case of the fascistic Republican Stefanik and the fascistic Zionists who applauded her remarks, it is not difficult to see what brings them together: a virulent hatred of the oppressed and a determination to exterminate them and destroy their defenders. The Congolese capital Brazzaville is to house a data centre, supported by funding of 66.55 million (about US$72.2 million) including US$57 million from the African Development Bank (ADB) and US$15.70 million from the government of Congo. The ADB reports that 600 kilometres of fibre optic cable will be laid via the Congo River, with interconnecting routes to Cameroon and the Central African Republic, along with the building of the data centre itself, for which some US$15 million of the overall funding has been allocated to build and run. The three-level data centre will have server rooms, monitoring and supervision rooms, and meeting and conference rooms, as well as locations for the energy and air-conditioning equipment. The centre should be delivered by December 2024. There is, inevitably, a digital sovereignty angle to this development. At the moment much of the data produced in Congo has to be stored somewhere else. Once the data centre is built it is hoped it will host all public data, as well as that of telecoms operators, banks, insurance companies and other private firms that want to have it hosted in the country, along with back-ups of any primary storage sites they use. The Data Centre Dynamics website says that the operator of the data centre is still unknown; the ADB says it will be managed by a 'delegate' once the work is finished. Other specifications of the data centre have also not been shared. While some news services claim this is a first for the country or region, according to regulator ARPCEs website in 2021 Brazzaville had three data centres belonging to ARPCE, the Ministry of Finance and MTN Congo. There was also one data centre in Pointe-Noire. The Data Centre Dynamics website adds that earlier this year, the government launched a data centre in Pointe-Noire. It holds capacity for 54 racks across 156 square metres. Telkom Indonesias satellite services arm Telkomsat said on Friday that it has signed a cooperation agreement with LEO satellite operator Starlink to offer the latters satellite broadband services to enterprises in Indonesia. Under the agreement, Telkomsat will provide Starlink-based business services that are competitive and equivalent to business packages offered on Starlinks web site. The deal is the latest collaboration between the two operators. Telkomsat has been providing Starlink backhaul services since 2022 by utilizing anchoring rights granted by the government. "The backhaul infrastructure deployed by Telkomsat is able to provide quality satellite connectivity services while still guaranteeing national data sovereignty and security," said Telkomsats main director Lukman Hakim Abd. Rauf. According to Telkomsat, its latest agreement with Starlink was signed on Wednesday last week, ahead of the LEO satellite operators official service launch in Indonesia on Sunday. The momentum of this collaboration further strengthens Telkomsat's position as Starlink's first and main strategic partner in Indonesia, said Lukman. 15 Minutes of War is an action drama film written and directed by Fred Grivois. The story follows a school bus hijacked by a group of Somalian men. To rescue them, a special French unit of trained soldiers gets dispatched. They soon find it difficult to carry out the task and come up with a very risky plan. Heres how you can watch and stream 15 Minutes of War via streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video. Is 15 Minutes of War available to watch via streaming? Yes, 15 Minutes of War is available to watch via streaming on Amazon Prime Video. In the city of Djibouti, in February 1976, a group of Somalian rebels hijacked a school bus carrying 21 French children and their teacher. The group drive them into a no-mans land in between the French and Somalian territory. To rescue them, the French government dispatch a highly skilled and newly formed squad. When they arrive at the location of the hijacked bus, they learn that directly going for the bus could put the hostages in danger, risking their lives. Now they have no option but to enforce another risky plan involving five snipers. The film is based on a true story. 15 Minutes of War stars Olga Kurylenko as Jane Anderson and Alban Lenoir as Andre Gerval. We also see Sebastien Lalanne, Michael Abiteboul, and Vincent Perez, as Pierre Cazeneuve, Georges Campere, and General Favrart, respectively. Watch 15 Minutes of War streaming via Amazon Prime Video 15 Minutes of War is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video. It is a leading streaming service that offers a variety of on-demand content to choose from. It also features the latest titles to purchase or rent digitally. You can watch via Amazon Prime Video by following these steps: Go to Amazon Prime Video Select Sign in and Create your Amazon account Sign up for a Prime Video membership: $14.99 per month or $139 per year with an Amazon Prime membership $8.99 per month for a standalone Prime Video membership Amazon Prime is the online retailers paid service that provides fast shipping and exclusive sales on products, so the membership that includes both this service and Prime Video is the companys most popular offering. However, you can also opt to subscribe to Prime Video separately. 15 Minutes of Wars synopsis is as follows: February 1976. Somalian rebels hijack a school bus carrying 21 French children and their teacher in Djibouti City. When the terrorists drive it to a no-mans-land on the border between Somalia and French territory, the French Government sends out a newly formed elite squad to rescue the hostages. Within a few hours, the highly trained team arrives to the crisis area, where the Somalian National Army has taken position behind the barbed wire on the border. The French unit is left with very few options to rescue the hostages. As the volatile situation unravels, the French men quickly come up with a daring plan: carry out a simultaneous 5 men sniper attack to get the children and the teacher out safely. A true story. NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing. The Killers Game, Flight Risk, and Den of Thieves: Pantera Release Dates Set Lionsgate has set the release dates for The Killers Game, Flight Risk, and Den of Thieves: Pantera, fleshing out its Movies Tyler Treese 2 hours ago Imaginary Friend Movies to Watch After John Krasinskis IF This weekend, John Krasinskis IF, a fantasy comedy about imaginary friends, was released. The concept itself is familiar as there Movies Jeff Ames 2 hours ago Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction Trailer Sets Crunchyroll Premiere Date Crunchyroll announced that they have acquired the streaming rights to the movie Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction, and will be Anime Anthony Nash 2 hours ago Yellowstone Season 5 Resumes Production on Final Series Episodes Paramount Networks has announced that production on the last five episodes of Yellowstone Season 5 has finally resumed in Montana. TV Maggie Dela Paz 3 hours ago Read more The post 15 Minutes of War Streaming: Watch & Stream Online via Amazon Prime Video appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. The Trump campaign issued a fiery response to the buzzy biopic "The Apprentice," which debuted at Cannes, but the director of the film isn't fazed. Following the Cannes Film Festival premiere of the movie "The Apprentice" on Monday, a spokesperson for the 45th president's campaign declared its intention to sue the filmmakers in a statement issued to multiple outlets. "We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers," Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, told Variety and Deadline. "This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked." Cheung added that the movie is "pure malicious defamation" and "should not see the light of day." Maria Bakalova, director Ali Abbasi and Sebastian Stan attend a photocall for "The Apprentice" at the Cannes Film Festival. Former President Donald Trump's campaign has threatened to take legal action over the film. USA TODAY has reached out to the Trump campaign and to representatives for "The Apprentice" director Ali Abbasi and screenwriter Gabriel Sherman for comment. Sebastian Stan stars in "The Apprentice" as Donald Trump, while Jeremy Strong plays Roy Cohn and Maria Bakalova plays Trump's first wife, Ivana Trump. The film includes a scene where Trump rapes Ivana Trump, according to The Washington Post and The New York Times. Ivana Trump once accused Donald Trump of rape during a divorce deposition but later walked her comments back. According to The Daily Beast, she said in a statement included in the 1993 book "Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald J. Trump" that in 1989, "Mr. Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently toward me than he had during our marriage. As a woman, I felt violated, as the love and tenderness, which he normally exhibited towards me, was absent. I referred to this as a 'rape,' but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense." On Tuesday, the director of "The Apprentice" shrugged off the Trump campaign's lawsuit threat during a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival. Cannes 2024 to feature Donald Trump drama, Francis Ford Coppola's 'Megalopolis' and more "Everybody talks about (Trump) suing a lot of people," director Ali Abbasi said. "They don't talk about his success rate, though." Abbasi went on to say he understands why the former president might assume the movie is "demeaning" and a "conspiracy" but that he should watch it for himself. Kevin Costner gets epic standing ovation for 'Horizon' at Cannes, moved to tears "I don't necessarily think that this is a movie that he would dislike," the filmmaker said. "I don't necessarily think he would like it. I think he would be surprised. ... I would offer to go and meet him wherever he wants and talk about the context of the movie, have a screening and have a chat afterwards." He added, "Donald's team should wait (until) they watch the movie before they start suing us." During the press conference, Abbasi also said the film was motivated by a "humanist ideology," and he intended to evoke "understanding" and "sympathy" for people "who are icons, who are hated (and) loved." No release date for "The Apprentice" has been announced, but Abbasi jokingly described the November presidential election as a "promotional event" that will "help us with the movie," adding that he hopes it will come out around the time of Trump's September debate with President Joe Biden. Though Strong did not attend the Cannes press conference, Abbasi read a statement from the "Succession" actor describing "The Apprentice" as a "monster movie." "Obviously, we are completely non-partisan, so that's Jeremy's own soul," the director added to laughs. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'The Apprentice': Trump biopic director talks campaign's threat to sue Kehinde Wiley, the American artist best known for painting former US President Barack Obamas official portrait, has denied accusations of sexual assault. In an Instagram post shared Sunday, British-Ghanaian artist and curator Joseph Awuah-Darko alleged Wiley sexually assaulted him twice in 2021. Awuah-Darko said the first incident occurred on June 9, 2021, at a dinner held at the Noldor Artist Residency in Ghana, to celebrate Wileys work. Awuah-Darko is the founder and chairman of the Accra-based program. In the post, he claimed he was inappropriately groped by Wiley, in front of another guest, and that the action was unwelcome and unprovoked. He then described a second incident that day as much more severe and violent, without elaborating further. (In a subsequent interview with the New York Times, he claimed that a sexual encounter began consensually, but that it then moved to a bedroom, where Mr. Wiley forced himself on him after Mr. Awuah-Darko had said he did not want to go further.) The assaults almost destroyed me, Awuah-Darko wrote in the post, adding he hoped that others would feel empowered to come forward. Shortly after the post was published, Wiley denied the allegations, writing on his own Instagram that, Someone I had a brief, consensual relationship with almost three years ago is now making a false accusation about our time together. These claims are not true and are an affront to all victims of sexual abuse. I have no idea why he has decided to target me in this way particularly when there is a litany of evidence showing his claims are false but I hope he gets the help he needs for whatever he is going through, Wiley continued. I kindly ask for privacy as I work to clear my name. Kehinde Wiley and former President Barack Obama unveil his presidential portrait during a ceremony at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, on February 12, 2018 in Washington, DC. - Mark Wilson/Getty Images Representatives for Wiley provided CNN with a copy of a cease and desist letter they say was sent to Awuah-Darko demanding he immediately remove what they describe as categorically false and defamatory, Instagram posts. The letter frames Awuah-Darkos claims as malicious and intended to ruin (Wileys) reputation for financial gain and attention. CNN was also shown copies of messages between Awuah-Darko and Wiley which representatives for Wiley assert were sent in the months following the alleged assault. In some, Awuah-Darko appears to be making arrangements to attend a birthday party for Wiley in Nigeria; in another he asks if he could visit Wiley at his home in upstate New York. (It appears Wiley failed to respond to this message.) Awuah-Darko and his legal representative did not immediately respond to CNNs requests for further comment on his allegations, as well as Wileys response, however, in his Sunday statement on Instagram, he said he did not immediately confront the reality of my abuse as such, and that it took several months to reconcile with what had actually happened. I am aware Im not the perfect sexual assault victim, Awuah-Darko told the New York Times, but this is what happened to me. In an earlier Instagram video posted in March, Awuah-Darko had claimed he was sexually assaulted by someone who outranks me in privilege, power and that he was aiming to raise $200,000 for legal fees. Awuah-Darko said Monday that he planned on taking legal action in a post on his Instagram stories. Awuah-Darkos legal representative did not immediately respond to CNNs requests for further comment. In Sundays Instagram post, he wrote that reporting the assault in Ghana would have been problematic at best dangerous at worst, given the countrys broader attitudes towards LGBTQ people. In February, Ghanas parliament passed a controversial bill that criminalizes LGBTQ relationships and those who support LGBTQ rights. Wiley rose to international fame in 2017, when he was chosen to paint Obamas official portrait for the Smithsonians National Portrait Gallery. The result was a vibrant depiction of the 44th president against a backdrop of green foliage and symbolic flowers. Before that, the Yale University-trained painter had already built a career in portraiture and sculpture, depicting Black people posed in the style of Old Master paintings to bold, ornate effect. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Palouse Habitat for Humanity has selected two families for its next two homes in Moscow and Uniontown. The nonprofit will build homes for Jake Austin and his sons, and Kaylee Jones and her six children. Rungano Nyoni made her name in 2017 with her Directors Fortnight entry I am Not a Witch, a surreal comedy of sorts in which a young Zambian girl named Shula is forced to choose between being turned into a goat or confessing that she is a witch. Opting for the latter, Shula is sent to a witch camp and put to work in the service of the community, the source of some uncomfortable satire, creating a space for Nyoni to explore the points of conflict between superstition and civilization in modern African society. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, by its title alone, suggests something similar, but although the protagonist is also called Shula, Nyonis sophomore film is something darker and altogether more serious. This time, the focus is the rub between tradition and modernity, using the occasion of a family funeral as the jumping-off point for a slow-burn drama that builds, rather stealthily, to an unexpectedly emotional climax. More from Deadline It begins with Shula (Susan Chardy) driving down a country lane in her familys village, on the way back from a costume party. Shulas Afro-futurist outfit a silver headset and a baggy jumpsuit that makes her look like a giant blueberry is at odds with the rural surroundings, and even more conspicuous when she leaves the car to examine a body lying out in the road. Recognizing the body as her uncle Fred, she immediately calls her mother, who refuses to believe her. Fred cant die, she says. Just sprinkle some water on him. But Fred very much is dead, and a pickup truck comes to take him away. Like the Dogme film Festen, Freds subsequent funeral is where the story begins in earnest, and Nyoni takes us right into the custom and pageantry of a Zambian send-off. Death literally comes crawling to Shulas mothers home, as some of the familys womenfolk shuffle over the threshold on their hands and knees. Women, or aunties, feature almost exclusively from this moment on, grieving noisily and at length, in stark contrast to the reserved Shula, whose seemingly aloof behavior is regarded with suspicion by the others (Her eyes are so dry. She doesnt look like someone whos just seen a corpse). Shula watches the preparations with the detachment of an outsider, noting the increasing cruelty with which Freds widow is being treated. The woman is accused of being a bad wife who failed to cook for her husband, and Shula is alerted to an alarming fact about Fred: his predilection for young, younger and much, much younger women. She is soon to find, however, that her family either knows this, like the aunties do, or skeptical, like her lightly estranged father (Henry B.J. Phiri), who prefers to let sleeping dogs lie. Do you want to dig up the corpse and confront it? he asks, calling, drink in hand, from a swimming pool in a sparsely attended nightclub that appears to be located in a library. The dam doesnt ever break in Nyonis elegantly composed drama, which makes the surprise denouement all the more effective. Explaining two of the films key mysteries that baroque title, and a little girl Shula sees peering quizzically at Freds lifeless body On Becoming A Guinea Fowl wraps up with an ambiguous ending that makes perfect emotional sense while not effectively reconciling anything at all. For his family, Freds death is the end of this unsavory matter, but for Shula it just might be the start. Title: On Becoming A Guinea Fowl Festival: Cannes (Un Certain Regard) Distributor: A24 Director-screenwriter: Rungano Nyoni Cast: Susan Chardy, Henry B.J. Phiri, Elizabeth Chisela Running time: 1 hr 35 min Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Being (1983) is a horror movie wherein a monster is making the lives of people in the town of Idaho a living hell. In order to stop the monster from harming people, a police chief and scientist teams up. Jackie Kong wrote and helmed the movie. Heres how you can watch and stream The Being (1983) via streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video. Is The Being (1983) available to watch via streaming? Yes, The Being (1983) is available to watch via streaming on Amazon Prime Video. All of a sudden a lot of people in Pottsville start vanishing, making everyone worried. In order to dig into the matter, the mayor decides to recruit a chemical safety engineer to investigate. As he progresses on the case, he learns that an unstoppable monster is the cause behind the havoc. The cast members include Martin Landau as Garson Jones, Marianne Gordon as Laurie, Bill Osco as Detective Mortimer Lutz, and various others. Watch The Being (1983) streaming via Amazon Prime Video The Being (1983) is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon Prime Video is a renowned streaming destination that showcases hit blockbusters, trendy shows, specials, documentaries, short films, and much more. You can watch via Amazon Prime Video by following these steps: Go to Amazon Prime Video Select Sign in and Create your Amazon account Sign up for a Prime Video membership: $14.99 per month or $139 per year with an Amazon Prime membership $8.99 per month for a standalone Prime Video membership Amazon Prime is the online retailers paid service that provides fast shipping and exclusive sales on products, so the membership that includes both this service and Prime Video is the companys most popular offering. However, you can also opt to subscribe to Prime Video separately. The Beings official synopsis is as follows: Toxic waste dumping in a small Idaho town turns a young boy into horrible mutant monster. The towns police chief and a government scientist team up to stop the monster, which is quickly killing off the towns citizenry. NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing. The Killers Game, Flight Risk, and Den of Thieves: Pantera Release Dates Set Lionsgate has set the release dates for The Killers Game, Flight Risk, and Den of Thieves: Pantera, fleshing out its Movies Tyler Treese 7 hours ago Imaginary Friend Movies to Watch After John Krasinskis IF This weekend, John Krasinskis IF, a fantasy comedy about imaginary friends, was released. The concept itself is familiar as there Movies Jeff Ames 7 hours ago Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction Trailer Sets Crunchyroll Premiere Date Crunchyroll announced that they have acquired the streaming rights to the movie Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction, and will be Anime Anthony Nash 7 hours ago Yellowstone Season 5 Resumes Production on Final Series Episodes Paramount Networks has announced that production on the last five episodes of Yellowstone Season 5 has finally resumed in Montana. TV Maggie Dela Paz 8 hours ago Read more The post The Being (1983) Streaming: Watch & Stream Online via Amazon Prime Video appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. The Birdcatcher is a 2019 war thriller film. It tells the story of Esther, a Jewish girl who disguises herself as a boy to survive the Nazi occupation of Norway. She ends up on a Norwegian farm, where she must keep her true identity hidden while navigating the dangers of wartime. Heres how you can watch and stream The Birdcatcher via streaming services such as Amazon Prime Video. Is The Birdcatcher available to watch via streaming? Yes, The Birdcatcher is available to watch via streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Dreaming of Hollywood stardom, Esthers life takes a dramatic turn when the Nazis occupy Norway. Forced to flee, she finds herself alone and vulnerable. To survive, Esther makes a daring choice: disguise herself as a boy and seek refuge on a remote farm. But as she hides her true identity, a web of secrets and danger unfolds, testing her courage and resilience. The film stars Sarah-Sofie Boussnina as Esther. Arthur Hakalahti plays a character entangled with Esthers fate, while Jakob Cedergren rounds out the cast. Watch The Birdcatcher streaming via Prime Video The Birdcatcher is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video. Amazon Prime Video features several entertaining movies and shows that you can watch anytime on any device. You can watch via Amazon Prime Video by following these steps: Go to Amazon Prime Video Select Sign in and Create your Amazon account Sign up for a Prime Video membership: $14.99 per month or $139 per year with an Amazon Prime membership $8.99 per month for a standalone Prime Video membership Amazon Prime is the online retailers paid service that provides fast shipping and exclusive sales on products, so the membership that includes both this service and Prime Video is the companys most popular offering. However, you can also opt to subscribe to Prime Video separately. The Birdcatcher synopsis is as follows: Norway, 1942, during World War II. After being separated from her family, Esther, a young Jewish girl from Trondheim, arrives at an isolated farm where she must assume a new identity in order to survive the Nazi persecution. NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing. The Killers Game, Flight Risk, and Den of Thieves: Pantera Release Dates Set Lionsgate has set the release dates for The Killers Game, Flight Risk, and Den of Thieves: Pantera, fleshing out its Movies Tyler Treese 10 hours ago Imaginary Friend Movies to Watch After John Krasinskis IF This weekend, John Krasinskis IF, a fantasy comedy about imaginary friends, was released. The concept itself is familiar as there Movies Jeff Ames 10 hours ago Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction Trailer Sets Crunchyroll Premiere Date Crunchyroll announced that they have acquired the streaming rights to the movie Dead Dead Demons Dededede Destruction, and will be Anime Anthony Nash 10 hours ago Yellowstone Season 5 Resumes Production on Final Series Episodes Paramount Networks has announced that production on the last five episodes of Yellowstone Season 5 has finally resumed in Montana. TV Maggie Dela Paz 11 hours ago Read more The post The Birdcatcher Streaming: Watch & Stream Online via Amazon Prime Video appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Restaurants packed with guests who've come for a plate piled with unseasoned, boiled fish and potatoes? Only in Door County, Wisconsin. Well, thats not exactly true. Fish boils, a dinner-and-a-show tradition stemming from the states Scandinavian settlers, can be found in towns outside of Door County, like Bayfield, Genoa City and Trevor (in Southeast Wisconsin), but the picturesque peninsula between Green Bay and Lake Michigan is the epicenter of the curious food tradition that draws visitors for the fiery spectacle before dinner is served. Its difficult to understand the appeal of a fish boil until youve experienced it yourself. But what actually goes on at a fish boil that makes it such a hot ticket in the Cape Cod of Wisconsin? Heres what you should know about the Wisconsin fish boil, from how it started to the restaurants that do it best. Matthew Peterson, center, a master boiler, watches flames engulf a kettle with boiling water and Lake Michigan whitefish, caught that day, at a fish boil at Pelletier's Restaurant & Fish Boil in Fish Creek on Saturday, May 22, 2021. The flames cause the water to boil over the rim of the kettle, which is the end of the fish boil cooking process. What happens at a Door County fish boil? When you arrive at your fish boil destination (usually about half an hour before your reservation time so you can catch the spectacular boilover), youll be guided to an outdoor area with seating (or standing room) circled around a large fire pit in the center. There, the master boiler will likely be tending to a large metal pot, filled with water, a load of salt, baby red potatoes and whitefish steaks some caught from the nearby lake just hours before. Gather round as the master boiler regales the crowd with a history of the fish boil and how it became a Door County tradition as the fish bubbles away in the fire-heated pot. The salt about a pound or two for every gallon of water helps in the boiling process. It causes everything to float, like the fish oils and debris from the vegetables that we dont want to eat. Once it foams to the surface, its time for the show: The master boiler tosses kerosene onto the fire, which roars with a flare reaching roughly 20 feet high, and the water in the pot boils with a sizzle over the sides onto the coals below. With the water goes the unwanted oil and debris, and once the fish and potatoes are filtered out, its time to eat. Diners are ushered to their tables as dinner is servedthe fish from the boiling pot outside, plus simple sides, beverages and a slice of something sweet to finish. Lake Michigan whitefish, caught that day, is served at a fish boil with corn, potatoes and coleslaw at Pelletier's Restaurant & Fish Boil in Fish Creek. What kind of food is served at a fish boil? The highlight of the menu is fresh whitefish, usually caught the same day from the waters of Lake Michigan. It's cut into chunks before boiling, and some restaurants will serve the fish bones and all (look out for the teeny bones as you eat!), while others will de-bone the fish before bringing it to your table. The only seasoning is the salt used in the boiling process, but its typically served with melted butter and lemon to add some oomph. Baby red potatoes and sometimes onions are boiled and served with the fish, and, depending on the restaurant, sides such as coleslaw and fresh-baked rye bread are included with the meal. A fish boil dinner almost always concludes with a slice of cherry pie using locally grown Door County cherries, of course served plain or a la mode. If youre not big on fish, no worries! Most restaurants offer alternatives such as roasted chicken, fried chicken and barbecue ribs. Childrens menus are typically available, too, with options like chicken tenders, hot dogs and hamburgers. How did the fish boil tradition begin? Early European settlers of the Door peninsula were largely Scandinavian, with fishing as their main trade. Fish boils are said to have started out of necessity around the turn of the 20th century, when commercial fishermen turned to a quick meal that could feed a large crowd after they docked for the day. They'd throw their catch in large pots and boil them with vegetables to feed their whole crew. But the restaurant-centric fish boil tradition didnt catch on until the 1960s, when longstanding Door County restaurants The Viking Grill (which closed in 2022) and the White Gull Inn brought the tradition to their establishments. Since then, the fish boil has grown into a summertime tradition for Door County locals and tourists from Sturgeon Bay to Washington Island. Lake Michigan whitefish, caught that day, are ready to be boiled at a fish boil at Pelletier's Restaurant & Fish Boil in Fish Creek on Saturday, May 22, 2021. What are the best Door County fish boils? The White Gull Inn Restaurant (4225 Main St., Fish Creek) is one of the peninsulas oldest restaurants, and has been serving fish boils to the public since 1959. Today, the White Gull Inn hosts fish boils Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May through October and Friday evenings year round, one of the only Door County restaurants that offers a fish boil in the winter months. In the quaint town of Ephraim, the Old Post Office Restaurant (10040 Water St.) hosts its fish boils in a historic building that once operated as you guessed it a post office and general store at the turn of the 20th century. The restaurant now hosts fish boils with indoor and outdoor seating Monday through Saturday and holiday Sundays from May through October. Pelletiers Restaurant (4199 Main St., Fish Creek) hosts fish boils in the heart of charming Fish Creek, and is one of the only Door County spots to hold a fish boil every day of the week. It offers four boil overs nightly from May through October. True to its name, Waterfront Marys Bar & Grill (3662 N. Duluth Ave., Sturgeon Bay) hosts their fish boil on the shore of Sturgeon Bay, with beautiful views of the water during the fish boil show. It offers fish boils Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays in May and Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays June through October. For all restaurants, reservations are highly recommended, with most asking guests to arrive 30 to 60 minutes prior to their reservation to allow for time to hear the history of the fish boil and watch the boil over in action. When is the best time to visit a fish boil? Most fish boils in Door County are served from May through October (much of the peninsula shuts down over the winter months) and are the busiest during summer from Memorial Day through Labor Day. If you want to snag an easy reservation, try to visit in May or October, when the fish is just as tasty but the crowds are smaller. Weeknights tend to have more availability, as well. But if youre visiting during the busy tourist season, call as far ahead as you can to secure your spot for Door Countys most famous dinner and a show tradition. Rachel Bernhard joined the Journal Sentinel as dining critic in June 2023. Shes been busy exploring the Milwaukee area food scene to share her favorite finds with readers along the way. Like all Journal Sentinel reporters, she buys all meals, accepts no gifts and is independent of all establishments she covers. What should she cover next? Contact her at rseis@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @rachelbernhard or on Instagram at @rach.eats.mke. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about the Door County fish boil, a Wisconsin tradition British-born Ghanaian artist Joseph Awuah-Darko accused renowned painter Kehinde Wiley of sexually assaulting him twice in June 2021. In a Sunday Instagram post, Awuah-Darko said he met Wiley in Ghana at a dinner honoring Wiley at the Noldor Artist Residency, which Awuah-Darko founded. Wiley, a Los Angeles-born New York-based artist, is known for painting the official portrait of President Barack Obama. In the first instance of assault described in Awuah-Darkos post, he said that Wiley inappropriately groped him by grabbing his rear end and asking something to the effect of What is this thing? The second assault, according to Awuah-Darko, was much more severe and violent, but he did not go into details online. However, Awuah-Darko told The New York Times in an interview that the encounter began with consent until the two moved to a bedroom and Wiley allegedly forced himself onto Awuah-Darko. Former President Barack Obama and Artist Kehinde Wiley unveil Obama's official portrait on Feb. 12, 2018, at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press Wiley seemingly addressed the accusation Sunday in a post on Instagram: Someone I had a brief, consensual relationship with almost three years ago is now making a false accusation about our time together. I kindly ask for privacy as I work to clear my name, he added. Attorneys for Wiley told The New York Times that they sent Awuah-Darko a cease-and-desist letter, but Awuah-Darko denied having seen it at the time. Awuah-Darko claimed in his Sunday post that the art world has been aware of Wileys predatory behavior, but he didnt specify for how long. Awuah-Darko added that he hopes his decision to come forward will shine a light on more truth to come. Awuah-Darko is not formally pressing charges. Given Kehindes self-described global recognition as a gay man, formally reporting this assault in a West African country like Ghana [where anti-LGBTQIA+ sentiments are prevalent] would have been problematic at best dangerous at worst, Awuah-Darko explained. I am aware Im not the perfect sexual assault victim, Awuah-Darko told The New York Times, but this is what happened to me. Im hoping other people come forward. Need help? Visit RAINNs National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Centers website. Related... Hollywood comes to Mississippi in new Carolyn Haines novel | DON NOBLE Its hard to believe, but Lights, Camera, Bones is the 27th in the Sarah Booth Delaney mysteries. Carolyn Haines, surely one of the most productive authors in the country, has used various techniques to keep the series fresh, most notably moving the characters, on vacation or business, or whatever, to other places. Once they were all in Costa Rica. More: Episodes from poets life are recounted in essays | DON NOBLE In this novel she keeps things fresh right there in the Mississippi Delta. Over In Greenville, a movie is being made. It will be a dramatization of the horrors and devastation of the 1927 Mississippi River flood, a flood that over-ran the levees, and drowned the town and thousands of acres of valuable farmland. Don Noble The writer, director and hero/star of this action movie is a handsome, affable young man, the improbably named Marlon Brandon. (Brandon was on his birth certificate; he adopted Marlon.) This fellow is the grandson of Sen. Brandon, Mississippi plantation owner and political powerhouse. No one but Marlon sees the entire script. He has secret surprises. The family was wealthy long before the flood and, oddly, while most people were bankrupted, their finances were not ruined by the devastation. Brandon's movie, many readers will remember, is modeled after "Lanterns on the Levee, by William Alexander Percy, a popular book which has since become very controversial. The wealthy landowners prevented the agricultural workers from running away to safety, sometimes at gunpoint, and forced them to work on reinforcing the levees, to protect land none of THEM owned. Percy also declared in Lanterns that "Share-cropping is one of the best systems ever devised to give security and a chance for profit to the simple and the unskilled." Many disagree. Sarah Booth and her detective partner, Tinkie, are touring the set, admiring the actors and enjoying the Hollywood ambiance when a young crew member goes missing, possibly drowned. Then his foot is discovered, having been bitten off by a shark. Yes, a bull shark can live in fresh water but how did this shark, named Betty, get to Greenville? By herself or was she transported? Sarah Booth, who is, remember, the creation of Carolyn Haines, who runs an enormous animal rescue and shelter in Semmes, wants divers to catch the shark and return it to the Gulf. The more environmentally sensitive characters, shark-huggers, repeat, several times, that the shark is just doing what sharks do. As with Percy's characterization of sharecropping, others disagree. Kill that shark right now! A crew member is shot no one suspects the shark and Marlon disappears, perhaps kidnapped, but by whom? It becomes clear that two mysteries need to be solved. One: Who is shooting and abducting people, right now? And Two: How was it that the Brandon family survived the Great Flood with more cash than before, able to buy up land at low, public auction, bankruptcy prices? Don Nobles newest book is Alabama Noir, a collection of original stories by Winston Groom, Ace Atkins, Carolyn Haines, Brad Watson, and eleven other Alabama authors. Lights, Camera, Bones Author: Carolyn Haines Publisher: Minotaur Books New York, 2024 Price: $28 (Hardcover) Pages: 337 This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Carolyn Haines publishes 27th novel in mystery series | DON NOBLE It sounds like presumptive third-time GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump got more than he bargained in exchange for a cameo in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York; the 1992 sequel to the popular Christmas comedy. In his forthcoming Simon & Schuster memoir, Home and Alone, star Daniel Stern recalls running up quite the bar tab after Trump offered to pick up his drinks. In an excerpt of the book obtained by Page Six, Stern writes that aside from Trump's cameo, "his real contribution was letting us film there, lending the luster of the [Trump Plaza] to the movie." The 66-year-old recalled that the producers of the film had asked him to meet Trump, who was supposedly a "huge" fan. However, Sterns notes that while Trump "was not a great conversationalist" and "kind of a nothing personality," that the meeting "paid off brilliantly" regardless. During production one night, The Wonder Years narrator recounted how he was having drinks with some crew members in the Plaza's famed Oak Room when Trump walked in with his wife at the time, the late Ivana Trump, and began "waving to the guests and wanting to have his picture taken." "Donald spotted us and proclaimed so everyone could hear that he would be picking up the tab at our table," Stern writes. He said that as Trump walked away, his table lifted their glasses and toasted to the future president so he would feeling like "the host-with-the-most." However, the group quickly abused the gesture, drinking "until there was no more booze left in that bar" and buying "round after round of drinks" for their fellow bar patrons. They then proceeded to shut the bar down, staying until 4 a.m. All in all, while there has been some confusion about exactly how much of Trump's money they spent, Stern estimates the figure to be at least $7 thousand. "We still feel really good about that," Stern added, given that Trump has since become a polarizing figure in American politics. In a 2020 interview with Business Insider, Home Alone director Chris Columbus claimed that fame-obsessed Trump actually "bullied" his way into a cameo in exchange for letting the crew film at the Plaza. (Trump has since denied the claim in a post on his Truth Social platform.) "We wanted to shoot in the lobby. We couldn't rebuild The Plaza on a soundstage," Columbus said at the time, and instead agreed to pay Trump a standard fee for filming in the Manhattan high-rise. "We paid the fee, but he also said, 'The only way you can use the Plaza is if I'm in the movie,'" he continued. "So we agreed to put him in the movie." It's unclear whether Columbus intended to leave the cameo in the finished film, but felt as though his hands were tied when a test audience reacted favorably. "People cheered when Trump showed up on-screen," Columbus added. "So I said to my editor, 'Leave him in the movie. It's a moment for the audience.' But he did bully his way into the movie." Perhaps he did, but apparently it was not without a cost. In any case, Home and Alone hits shelves on Tuesday, May 21. Dana Matheson (played by Ally Harris) has made the SHOCK discovery that abandoned baby Maia has gone missing from the hospital on Home and Away (1:45pm - see our TV Guide for listings)... Hospital nurse Dana now realises she made a BIG mistake sneaking Tane Parata (Ethan Browne) onto the hospital ward to say goodbye to the baby, he originally found abandoned on the beach. Unwilling to let Maia be put into the care of an EMERGENCY foster family, it looks like local gym boss Tane has done a runner with the baby! In a panic, Dana reports both Tane and Maia as missing to the Police. She's left reeling when Senior Sergeant Rose Delaney (Kirsty Marillier) blames Dana for what has happened... Rose races out to the farmhouse to see if she can catch Tane or find some clues as to where he could have gone. But there's an unexpected tense stand-off, when Rose's boyfriend, Mali Hudson (Kyle Shilling), refuses to let her search Tane's room unless she has a search warrant! Rose is shocked that Mali is siding with his mate Tane and interfering with her doing her job... Home and Away spoilers, Rose Delaney Home and Away spoilers, Mali Hudson, Rose Delaney Mackenzie Booth (Emily Weir) and her married lover, Levi Fowler (Tristan Gorey), attempt to reconnect following his wife Imogen's unexpected visit to Summer Bay. Mackenzie realises that she was playing with fire when she introduced herself to Imogen at Salt. But her insecurity got the better of her and she just wanted to find out more about the woman who Levi ultimately returns home to the city to live with. Levi tries to reassure Mackenzie that there is no competition with Imogen. But has Imogen's appearance just served as another reminder that Mackenzie is very much still "the other woman" in Levi's life? Home and Away spoilers, Levi Fowler, Mackenzie Booth Home and Away continues weekdays at 1:45pm on Channel 5 Switch over for FIRST LOOK episodes at 6:30pm on 5STAR The series is also available to stream on My5 Leah Patterson (played by Ada Nicodemou) and Justin Morgan's (James Stewart) BIG day finally arrives on Home and Away! (1:45pm - see our TV Guide for listings) For a while there, it looked like the couple might NOT be destined to make it down the aisle. But they got back on track and Leah is about to marry husband No.4! Just nobody talk to Justin about the fates of Leah's previous husbands! The day doesn't get off to a very good start when there's no sign of Leah's nephew, Theo Poulos (Matt Evans). Theo is supposed to be Justin's Best Man. Has he gone AWOL with bad influence girlfriend, Valerie Beaumont (Courtney Clark), again to score more party pills? Home and Away spoilers, Alf Stewart, Leah Patterson Home and Away spoilers, VJ Patterson, Leah Patterson After the mystery surrounding "The VJ Issue", Leah assumes that her grown son, VJ Patterson (played by Matt Little, last seen onscreen in 2018), won't be attending the wedding. But she gets a big SURPRISE when she is reunited with VJ, who has flown over from Cyprus to walk his mum down the aisle! And that's not the only family reunion. Watch out for the return of Justin's sister, Tori Morgan (played by Penny McNamee), who flies over from London for the celebration. Plus, Justin's teenage daughter, Ava Gilbert (Annabel Wolfe). Let's just hope Ava doesn't cause as much trouble as she did the last time she visited Summer Bay! Then it's all down to marriage celebrant, John Palmer (Shane Withington), to officially pronounce Leah and Justin as husband and wife. But will everything go off without a hitch? Home and Away spoilers, John Palmer, Leah Patterson, Justin Morgan, Theo Poulos Home and Away spoilers, VJ Patterson, Tori Morgan, Ava Gilbert However, it's not all sunshine and roses. Theo is alarmed when Valerie pulls out a baggie of pills. She's seriously ready to party! Unfortunately at that very moment, Justin catches 'em... Will it all kick-off on Leah and Justin's wedding day? Home and Away spoilers, Theo Poulos, Justin Morgan Home and Away continues weekdays at 1:45pm on Channel 5 Switch over for FIRST LOOK episodes at 6:30pm on 5STAR The series is also available to stream on My5 PULLMAN Some Washington State University employees will be receiving pay increases this year. Classified staff members will be the first to see raises, according to a news release on Friday by WSU. Their salaries will be increasing 3% effective July 1. The Washington State Legislature had agreed to provide funds for general wage increase for nonrepresented classified staff, according to the news release. Phil Weiler, vice president of University Marketing and Communications, said nonrepresented classified staff are hourly state employees including program coordinators, custodians and more. Their wages are determined at the state level. Increases for academic student employees as a part of the universitys first-ever collective bargaining agreement has also taken place. [Source] Kevin Kwan's latest novel, "Lies and Weddings," was released Tuesday. Key points: He plans to set the third book in Paris. Kwan, best known for " Crazy Rich Asians ," nearly abandoned the project while struggling with writer's block. "Lies and Weddings," Kwan 's second entry in the Cities trilogy, follows a nobleman's son as he seeks a wealthy woman to marry to save his family from financial ruin. The details: Kwan told Esquire that he basically abandoned his new book when he struggled to make it work after starting it in 2020. However, a six-week trip to Hawaii in late 2021 recaptured his imagination and helped his writing start flowing again. "Lies and Weddings" follows Rufus Leung Gresham, the son of a British earl and a Hong Kong supermodel who must find a wealthy bride after his family spent all of his inheritance. Kwan said it is inspired by English novelist Anthony Trollope's 1858 book Doctor Thorne. The story unfolds in England, Hawaii and Morocco, while providing economic and social commentary. But unlike "Crazy Rich Asians," it delves into mixed-race heritage and gender issues, marking a thematic shift for Kwan. Ive branched out. Im inspired by this new generation of Asians who are so much more comfortable in their own skin, he told the New York Times. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) One of the most infamous stories to come out of Albuquerque is now heading to the big screen. The movie, Boneyard, is inspired by and loosely follows the true events of the West Mesa murders when in 2009, police excavated the remains of 11 women on the West Mesa. Story continues below Vincent McDaniel co-wrote the film in 2020. He said he has a personal connection to this story. There was a time in my life when I was in the street, and I was involved in certain things. And I knew a lot of these girls, he said. McDaniel also plays a detective in the movie, alongside big names like Mel Gibson who plays a seasoned detective, and rapper Curtis 50 Cent Jackson as the Albuquerque Police Department chief. Filmed in Nevada, local audiences will still see familiar sights and logos. Theres some liberties taken of course and theres going to be some truth in there. I think we did it in good fashion, said McDaniel. He said he wants people to walk away from the film with a sense of awareness. Were not sure if the killer is dead or still out there. But the activities that allow these people to be predators, those things are still out there, he said. Boneyard will be released this summer. The film is directed by Asif Akbar and marks the first major production by McDaniels company, Dream Team Productions. He said his upcoming projects will also shed light on New Mexico stories. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. One of the world's richest people just got a serious lesson in the 'Streisand effect' The Australian billionaire Gina Rinehart didn't want her portraits in the national gallery. She demanded they be taken down. Instead, they've garnered global headlines. It's a good example of the "Streisand effect" causing the opposite of what she wanted. Gina Rinehart, Australia's richest woman, did not want people to see her portrait. So she took the most direct route and demanded that the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra remove two paintings depicting her. But Rinehart has learned the hard way that trying to hide something relatively obscure can unintentionally draw far more attention to it. Australian media reported that the gallery refused to take down the paintings. Rinehart's portrait then made global headlines and sparked a debate over art and censorship. The portrait is a satirical work by the artist Vincent Namatjira, who is famed for his caricature style. Vincent Namatjira in front of his "Australia in Colour" series. National Gallery of Australia His "Australia in Colour" series is a satirical look at 21 influential people who have shaped Australia, including Rinehart, Queen Elizabeth II, and former Prime Minister Scott Morrison. With a fortune of $23.6 billion, Rinehart is the richest woman in Australia and the 81st richest person in the world, according to data from Bloomberg Billionaire's Index. She is the chair of Hancock Prospecting, a mining and agricultural business. Her father, Lang Hancock, was the company's founder and was criticized for racist comments he made about Indigenous Australians. He's been quoted as saying: "Nothing should be sacred from mining whether it's your ground, my ground, the black fellow's ground or anybody else's. So the question of Aboriginal land rights and things of this nature shouldn't exist." The National Gallery of Australia said in a statement shared with Business Insider that it "welcomes the public having a dialog" about its displays. Hancock Prospecting did not immediately reply to a request for comment from BI. The gallery also shared a statement from Namatjira, who said that he emphasizes painting wealthy and powerful people who have influenced Australia "whether for bad or for good." "People don't have to like my paintings, but I hope they take the time to look and think, 'Why has this Aboriginal bloke painted these powerful people?'" he wrote. "'What is he trying to say?'" "Some people might not like it, other people might find it funny, but I hope people look beneath the surface and see the serious side too." Reinhart's predicament is a good example of the phenomenon known as the "Streisand effect." The term was popularized after Barbra Streisand's attempt in 2003 to suppress the use of a photo showing her Malibu home in the California Coastal Records Project by suing the photographer. The case was dismissed; she had to pay $177,000 in legal fees and the photo ended up drawing far more attention than it would have sitting in the project's archives. Elon Musk was also a victim of the Streisand effect when he banned a Twitter account that was tracking the use and carbon emissions of his private jet, which drew scrutiny to his use of private jets. Read the original article on Business Insider Prince Harry Got 'Goosebumps' Over Project Supporting for Veterans and Service Personnel in Nigeria (Exclusive) The Duke of Sussex was shown plans for the proposed Invictus Centre in Abuja, Nigeria, when he and Meghan visited in May Defence Headquarters Abuja The proposed Invictus Centre in Abuja, Nigeria Prince Harry has "goosebumps." That's because he was shown the design for a groundbreaking new center that takes his worldwide help for veterans to a new level. The tranquil-looking facility, which is proposed for Abuja, Nigeria, will provide a haven of physical and mental rehabilitation for wounded service personnel, the center's architect and the Nigerian armed forces hope. The Duke of Sussex, 39, spoke with awe about the proposed center when computer-generated images were shown during a reception held by the Chief of Defense Staff General Christopher Musa while Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were visiting Nigeria earlier this month. Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty Images Prince Harry at an event to highlight Nigerian Unconquered and Invictus Games in Abuja on May 11 In his address to the party where he and Meghan, 42, were given gifts of traditional clothing, entertained by dancers and heard from Nigerian veterans Harry said service personnel not being "defined by their injuries" was a growing belief among the wounded. "And that is what the new center youre building is all about. Seeing the plans for the new Invictus Centre gives me goosebumps," he told the reception. Prince Harry added that the Nigerian team had been a welcome addition to his Paralympic-style games. He said they "represented their service and this country, extraordinarily won medals and came back with smiles on their faces." Defence Headquarters Abuja The proposed Invictus Centre in Abujda, Nigeria Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! During the three-day trip, Prince Harry visited a military hospital in Kanuda, meeting dozens of young soldiers who were recovering from gunshot and blast injuries. What this proved to me, what this reminds me of is the power of seeing what is possible, post-injury," he said. Defence Headquarters Abuja Another view of the planned Invictus Centre in Abuja, Nigeria Related: Prince Harry Channels Mom Princess Diana at Bedside of Wounded Nigerian Solider: 'Be Strong' (Exclusive Video) The architect of the new center, which will be a world first for the Invictus organization, Kobina Banning tells PEOPLE, This space will be a healing place for veterans. Banning, 45, met Harry and Meghan and traveled to some of the events with them during their visit to the country earlier this month. Nigeria has the largest army in Africa, and with everything that is happening, this will give more hope for those who are serving as they know that if something was to happen there is this facility to fall back on," he says. "It will help them heal but also is telling them they are not being left alone. Banning says the design for the pioneering institution was inspired by the rich architectural heritage of courtyard housing, the facility's design embodies the timeless beauty and functionality of traditional hollow squares, fostering a sense of unity, community, and openness. Here...soldiers embark on a transformative journey of healing, hope, and renewal." Emmanuel Osodi/Anadolu via Getty Images Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in Abuja, Nigeria on May 11, 2024 Related: Meghan Markle Has Sweet 'Auntie' Moment with Young Fan on Day Two in Nigeria It will have a series of interconnected compounds, inviting soldiers to embark on a holistic path to recovery, as he puts it in the design description. The courtyards will also enjoy panoramic views fostering connectivity between surrounding structures. Walkways will allow service personnel to relax as they recuperate, with allowance being made for visiting families and friends who can join in-patient meditation or at indoor and outdoor gyms. Every corner of the path beckons with the promise of connection, camaraderie, and renewal," Banning says. The description adds: The Invictus Centre stands as a testament to the unwavering courage and fortitude of wounded, injured or sick soldiers, offering them a sanctuary of healing, hope, and empowerment. Here, amidst the embrace of nature and community, lives are transformed, and the human spirit soars ever higher, undaunted by the challenges that lie ahead. Defence Headquarters Abuja The proposed Invictus Centre in Abuja, Nigeria Related: Behind-the-Scenes in Africa with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry: 'We're Really Happy' (Exclusive) Prince Harry is excited about Nigerias pioneering role in his Invictus Games as the first of what he hopes will be many African entrants. The next Invictus Games are set for February 2025 in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Where Is YNW Melly Now? Heres Everything You Need To Know FT. LAUDERDALE, FL - FEBRUARY 13: In this handout photo provided by the Broward's Sheriff's Office, rapper YNW Melly, real name Jamell Demons, is seen in a police booking photo after being charged with two counts of murder in the first degree February 13, 2019 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Demons allegedly conspired with Cortlen Henry to fatally shot two other Florida based rappers, Christopher Thomas Jr and Anthony Williams, October 26. (Photo by Broward's Sheriff's Office via Getty Images) | Broward's Sheriff's Office via Getty Images Jamell Demons, better known by his stage name YNW Melly, is currently awaiting a new trial in a double murder case. Recently named dropped by Kendrick Lamar during his rap feud with Drake and J. Cole, YNW Melly is a rapper accused of shooting and killing fellow rappers, Christopher YNW Juvy Thomas and Anthony YNW Sakchaser Williams two years ago. The first trial was declared a mistrial by the judge on July 22 after the jury failed to deliver a unanimous verdict. Leading up to a second trial, the proceedings have been riddled with accusations from both sides. According to AP News, the prosecution accused the rapper of witness tampering. More recently, a judge denied a defense motion to have the case dismissed. The defense alleged that the prosecution had withheld vital information from the defense during the trial. As the rapper prepares for his next trial, here is a recap of where YNW Melly is now. YNW Mellys Journey From Rap Star to Incarceration Born on May 1, 1999, in Gifford, Florida, YNW Melly gained popularity for his unique rap style of telling captivating stories of street life, love and personal struggles. Like many aspiring artists in the 2010s, Melly utilized SoundCloud and various social media platforms to share his music. By uploading songs and sharing them with fans, he was able to reach a global audience. Mellys collaborations with other popular artists also helped boost his profile as a rapper. Working with artists like Kanye West on the song Mixed Personalities brought him recognition and expanded his fan base in the industry. YNW Mellys career began to take off in 2017 with the release of tracks like Murder on My Mind and Virtual (Blue Balenciagas), which garnered millions of views on YouTube and SoundCloud. And though Melly has garnered worldwide success for his music, his rising fame was overshadowed by legal troubles, resulting in his early life being marked by adversity and challenges. Despite facing difficult circumstances, he channeled his experiences into his music while crafting songs that resonate with his fans who have undergone similar struggles. What Happened to YNW Melly? In 2019, YNW Melly was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder for allegedly being involved in the deaths of his friends, YNW Sakchaser and YNW Juvy. Melly, now 24, allegedly shot two of his friends from inside a car driven by Cortlen Henry (a.k.a. YNW Bortlen). Prosecutors in the case argued that the two then exited and shot through the car to make it look like a drive-by shooting. The case drew significant media attention and sparked debates within the music industry and among his fans. Such things as the legitimacy of both the justice system and of Mellys criminal involvement were questioned. YNW Melly was incarcerated at the Broward County Jail in Florida in 2019 where he remains while awaiting a second trial in October. While Mellys defense previously has focused on the rappers friendship with the victims, along with the fact that a murder weapon was never recovered, Mellys first trial was ultimately declared a mistrial on July 22 after three days of deadlock from the jury. What Has Happened in the Case Since October 2023? Jury selection ended in October for Mellys retrial after the state appealed a Dec. 20 ruling by the judge that threw out evidence prosecutors have said corroborates Mellys involvement in the double murders case. If convicted, Melly could be sent to Floridas death row. Melly, and his childhood friend and recording partner Cortlen Henry who is also on trial, have pleaded not guilty to the two counts of first-degree murder with a firearm in the Oct. 26, 2018 shooting that resulted in the deaths of Christopher Thomas Jr. aka YNW Juvy and Anthony Williams aka YNW SakChaser, who were 19 and 21 years old respectively. Currently, there is no date for Mellys retrial. Still, prosecutors have turned to the Fourth District Court of Appeal in West Palm Beach hoping to reverse the Dec. 20 ruling, which excluded pieces of evidence including some of Mellys phone records, emails and social media posts, as well as a promotional video he released shortly after the murders. Records show that the judge denied a request from the defense to lift a hold he ordered in the trial proceedings after the state signaled it would appeal his ruling. However, the judge is allowing the prosecution and the defense to conduct discovery activities, such as scheduling depositions while appeals are pending. The judge stands by his decision to issue a stay in the event of an appeal in order to prevent the state from having to go to trial without the benefit of materially helpful evidence. To complicate the case further, the defense claimed the state withheld the knowledge that their lead investigator Miramar Police detective Mark Moretti was previously accused of being willing to lie as he gathered evidence for the case. Because of this, lead prosecutor Kristine Bradley was ordered off the case on Oct. 12. Assistant State Attorney Alixandra Buckelew has replaced Bradley and hopes to bar from the retrial any juror with prior knowledge of Mellys first trial. Where Is He Now? Just as Demons October retrial was about to start, court filings revealed that prosecutors charged Melly with seven new felonies related to making sure a key witness didnt testify during his first trial. The new charges include tampering with a witness in a capital felony, directing the activities of a criminal gang, two counts of solicitation to commit tampering, conspiracy to commit tampering and two counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Prosecutors have accused Melly of being a gang member of the Bloods. He reportedly used phone calls made by other incarcerated individuals at Mellys request and letters passed between them to get messages to Blood members outside of jail. Those members, according to prosecutors, successfully ensured that a key witness didnt testify in last years initial trial. Melly has pleaded not guilty to one count each of directing the activities of a criminal gang, criminal solicitation to commit murder and conspiracy to tamper with witness in a capital felony case. Melly could face up to life in prison if he is convicted of witness tampering in a capital case. As Melly awaits a new trial, his future in the music industry remains uncertain, though his music has certainly left a mark on the hip-hop landscape and serves as a cautionary tale about the complex interplay between artistry and the criminal justice system. You can buy luxury watches, clothing, jewelry, home goodsthe list goes on. And now you can snap up high-end fruit, too. A $400 pineapple is for sale via the California-based specialty fruit and vegetable seller Melissas Produce, CNN reported over the weekend. The Rubyglow pineapple, created by Fresh Del Monte, features a rare red exterior and a sweet flavor. Melissas markets the pineapple as the pinnacle of luxury fruit, and its hoping that gourmands see the items appeal. More from Robb Report Consumers are willing to pay for something thats special, Cindy van Rijswick, a fresh produce strategist for the global research team at Rabobank, told CNN. Theres always a small market for higher-end restaurants, or foodies, or certain online channels. Fresh Del Monte spent more than 15 years developing the Rubyglow pineapple, which finally came to market earlier this year in China. The company has experimented with the tropical fruit in the past, debuting in 2020 the Pinkglow pineapple (named such because of its pink flesh), which initially sold for $50. With the Rubyglow, though, Fresh Del Monte is reaching an even higher echelon when it comes to upscale fruit. Melissas Produce ordered just 50 Rubyglow pineapples, and its sold about half of those in one month, Robert Schueller, the companys PR director, told CNN. Some of those have gone to restaurants in Southern California and Las Vegas, where theyre being used in displays rather than on the menu. Theres a market for this, Schueller said. But he also acknowledged that this is not something for everybody. While $400 may seem steep for a single piece of fruit, high-priced produce has in the past been met with extreme demand in the United States. The most well-known instance may be the Oishii berry, a specialty strawberry that gourmands went crazy for when it became publicly available in 2018. Back then, a pack of eight berries would sell for $50. Now, though, thanks to funding and technological improvements, packs of Oishii berries sell for about $12, CNN noted. That price point is probably more palatable for the everyday consumer. But for those who want to ball out in the kitchen, the Rubyglow may be the perfect way to do it. For example, one influencer told CNN that the pineapple would make for a good centerpiece on charcuterie boards during the holidays. It sure beats those measly grapes and figs weve been seeingand eatingfor years. Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. Maybe five or six years ago, I happened to stop at a small, unassuming eatery about a half hour from my house because I was starved and thought I'd pick something up on the way home. Called Catchy, it doubles as both a storefront and a catering business. There was no one else there except for someone behind the counter (who turned out to be the owner) and a cook, so instead of automatically getting something to go, I opted to stay and dine in at one of the few white tables scattered in the small storefront, which had a set of white double doors that opened up into a tiny courtyard with a small, backyard wrought iron table. I perused the menu, dotted with soups, salads and sandwiches galore, as well as some additional options like pastas and grain bowls along with a towering refrigerator on the opposing wall stocked with tons of jams, jellies, sauces and the like. I ended up going pretty retro and unadorned, ordering a grilled cheese and fries, but the grilled cheese happened to have a bacon jam on it. I sat at the table closest to the counter, chitchatting with the owner, until my food came out. And I was blown away. It was served in one of those plastic "baskets" you might get from an amusement park food kiosk, lined with decorated wax paper, but the food itself was so far from pedestrian. The fries were, quite possibly, the single crispiest fry I've ever eaten and with just the right amount of salt. The grilled cheese was immensely gooey and rich, the bread perfectly crisped and with great structural integrity, with no bread slipping or overtly melted cheese causing an absolute mess. But the piece de resistance was most certainly the bacon jam. It was the most beguiling mixture of pork-y, fatty, miniscule pieces of uber-crisp bacon melded together with some sort of jammy-sweet-deeply savory amalgamation. I shoveled every bite of grilled cheese, bacon jam and french fries into my mouth as quickly as possible before fawning over the food to the owner and cook and running out the door, certain that I'd return again and again to get as much of that bacon jam as possible. Then COVID happened. Then I gave up pork. I haven't been back in quite a while. What I am sure of, though, is that that bacon jam was formative for me, so I took it upon myself to create another version, with turkey bacon instead of pork, that hit on all the same textural and flavor notes and so that I could eat it in every possible which way. And I then proceeded to do exactly that. Warning: There's no way this will last very long, but keep it in the fridge and pull it out whenever you want to slather some immensely delicious, wildly well-balanced flavor and texture on practically anything you eat. Turkey bacon & maple marmalade Yields 10 servings Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 45-55 minutes Ingredients 8 to 10 strips turkey bacon, finely chopped 1 large onion, peeled and finely minced 2 to 3 shallots, peeled and finely minced 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced 1/4 to 1/3 cup maple syrup 2 to 3 tablespoons balsamic or Sherry vinegar Dash ground cinnamon Dash ground mustard A splash of coffee A splash of fruit juice, optional Dried herbs, optional Water Directions Add bacon to a deep pot over medium-low heat, adding a touch of oil to help move it along. Stir often until very, very crisp, about 15 minutes. Add onions and shallots, stir well, and cook for another 10 minutes. Add garlic and let toast for a minute until fragrant. Stir well, lowering the heat if anything is starting to scorch. Add syrup, vinegar, cinnamon and mustard, stirring well until well combined. Let syrup caramelize until slightly tacky and aromatic, about 5 minutes more. Add coffee and juice, if using. Turn heat to low and stir, cooking for another 5 minutes. Finish with dried herbs and a touch of water, if the mixture is getting too dry. Pardon my French, but you're going to really need to cook the s**t out of this to take it to its most flavorful capacity. Keep the heat very low, make sure there's enough liquid, stir frequently, but you want the end result to make the onion and the bacon almost indistinguishable from each other. The final product should be viscous, very thick and smell incredibly rich. Add water if the mixture gets too dry but still needs some cook-time. The whole cooking process shouldn't take more than an hour. Transfer to a jar or food storage container, let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate. Use within a week. Cook's Notes -If you're not into turkey bacon, you can also sub. in pork, beef, chicken, or plant-based, if you'd rather. -Do your darnedest to cut the onion and shallot as finely as possible, about the same size as the bacon pieces. -I've mainly been eating this on a ridiculously hard-seared Impossible burger topped with melted, plant-based Cheddar and a touch of some mayonnaise or aioli to help the jam "adhere" to the bun. It's exceptional. But it's also great as a topping for French fries, over a hot dog, as a spread on any sandwich imaginable, served with crudite or, or course, added liberally to a grilled cheese. -Feel free to swap in agave or molasses if you're not a fan of maple syrup, toss in some brown sugar if you're into that, or even add some dried herbs (like chives) at the very end to round it all out. -The depth of flavor here is genuinely bonkers, so don't use too much at once. A little goes a long way, truly. -In regards to the coffee, feel free to throw in a touch of whatever you have on hand; I literally just splashed in some leftover black Dunkin' Americano that I had on hand and the bitter notes were perfect. A drizzle of some cola could work, too. -The fruit component isn't necessary, but it helps to add another dimension of flavor. I'd go with a cherry or orange juice, not an extract. -Do not use regular mustard here; you'll need dry, or just omit it. A new food truck has rolled into town, bringing a unique twist to Charlottes barbecue scene. Union Barbecue, owned by Charlotte native Holden Sasser, has quickly become a hotspot for barbecue enthusiasts looking for something a little different. After a successful stint with pop-up events in San Francisco, where he worked by day in the food technology industry and spent nights and weekends smoking barbecue, Sasser decided to bring his culinary venture back to his roots in the Carolinas. With a family deeply entrenched in the food industry his father owns Burke Hospitality Group, which includes Harpers and Mimosa Grill Sassers return marks a continuation of a lifelong passion for food. I grew up in the food industry, working for my dad by age 15 washing dishes and doing prep work in the kitchen, Sasser said. When I was in San Francisco, I always found more satisfaction doing weekend cooks at home, smoking meats like my uncle and dad taught me growing up. Union Barbecue owner Holden Sasser. Union Barbecue offers a fresh take on traditional barbecue, infusing Tex-Mex flavors with authentic ingredients that reflect the true tastes found across the border. The name reflects a union of flavors, a type of new-school barbecue, said Sasser, who teamed up with chef Chase Young for the venture. We have some family recipes, including my grandmothers homemade pickles, and we created a lot from scratch after studying historical barbecue recipes and taking inspiration from people in Texas, Sasser said. Its really a great mix, and customers seem to be really happy with it. The food trucks menu rotates each weekend to keep the options fresh, but one thing youll always find on the menu is its signature Texas-style brisket, meticulously smoked for 12-14 hours and then rested for another 12 hours to soak in all the juices. This popular item sells out each weekend. USDA prime beef brisket with creamy guac and adobo barbecue sauce from Union Barbecue. Other menu highlights include beef cheek barbacoa, smoked for six hours and then cooked down for an additional five to six hours, resulting in fall-apart tender meat thats perfect for sandwiches or trays with various toppings. The truck also offers sliced turkey, pulled chicken and a couple styles of pulled pork, including a carnitas-style braise and a traditional shoulder with a salt and pepper rub. Beef cheek barbacoa with salsa taquera, onion, cilantro and lime. Vegetarians arent left out either, as the smoky sweet potato, an open-faced dish topped with smoked crema, pepitas, sunflower seeds and Tajin, offers a flavorful option. And those with a sweet tooth will love the Big Deborah, a homemade nod to the Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie. I would follow this truck every day just for this cookie, one person told Charlotte foodie Asha Ellison of @Ashaeatsworld. Union Barbecues Big Deborah oatmeal cream pie. Looking ahead, Union Barbecue hopes to expand its service beyond weekends, aiming to meet growing demand and possibly increase its space and team. The team is overwhelmed by such positive welcome from the community. Vlogger Mirneezy of @Carolinalivin raved about Unions carnitas: A BBQ food truck in North Carolina is the last place I wouldve expected to find the finest carnitas in the state! Union Barbecue is responsible for this glorious, Mexican-style shredded pork topped with luscious Rajas con Crema (poblano peppers in cream) a literal match made in heaven! Food blogger Olivia Schmidt, who along with Anna Schoeck runs the Hungry Girls Club on Instagram, praised the food trucks quality and Sassers hands-on approach. Our experience at Union was amazing, Schmidt told CharlotteFive. The quality and creativity in the recipes are truly outstanding, especially for a food truck. (Sassers) creative blend of barbecue paired with Mexican flavors is different and much needed in the Charlotte food scene. The Union Barbecue food truck visits breweries around Charlotte. Where can I find Union Barbecue? The food truck will be at the following locations in the coming weeks: May 25, 1 p.m.: Middle James Brewing (Waxhaw) June 1, 1 p.m.: NoDa Brewing 5K June 2, 1 p.m.: Chamber at Wooden Robot June 7, 6 p.m.: Petty Thieves June 8, 1 p.m.: Vaulted Oak June 15, 1 p.m.: Hi-Wire Location: Varies Menu Cuisine: Barbecue, Tex-Mex Instagram: @union.barbecue Video: Owl boards Royal Caribbean cruise ship in Florida, takes 2-week Caribbean vacation TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) The newest Margaritaville at Sea ship has begun its journey to Tampa. The Margaritaville at Sea Islander left the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Northern Ireland over the weekend. The ship will take three weeks to cross the Atlantic and arrive at Port Tampa Bay. Florida roadside attraction named one of the best in the U.S. Margaritaville at Sea said the ship underwent extensive reimagining while docked in Ireland. The crew will finish the ships final flourishes along the way. (Margaritaville at Sea) The Islander will set sail on four and five-night cruises in June with stops in Key West, Cozumel and Progreso. It can hold 2,650 passengers and has 12 decks. The Islander is the companys second ship. The Margaritaville at Sea Paradise launched in 2022 and sails from the Port of Palm Beach. For more information about the ship and sailing, visit MargaritavilleAtSea.com . Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Key Points: ACTU proposes stronger right-to-disconnect clauses in workplace awards. Right to disconnect allows employees to refuse after-hours work communication. The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is stepping up its fight to solidify the right to disconnect for workers. They submitted a proposal to the Fair Work Commission advocating for stricter regulations within workplace awards. The right to disconnect, passed by Parliament in February 2024, allows employees to switch off from work communications outside of designated hours. It aims to promote work-life balance and ensure employees are compensated for any out-of-hours work. The ACTU argues for clear award clauses holding employers accountable for proper staffing and minimizing non-essential after-hours contact. They emphasize that employer disorganization shouldnt be an excuse to avoid paying workers for their time. The legislation is set to come into effect in August 2024 for larger businesses and August 2025 for smaller ones. However, the Opposition Leader, Peter Dutton, has pledged to abolish it entirely if the Coalition wins the next election. The ACTU President, Michele ONeil, strongly criticizes Duttons stance. She views the right to disconnect as crucial in the face of rising living costs. Unions are arguing that awards clearly set out workers rights to have a life outside work. Changes in technology and work arrangements cannot be used to undermine the right to be paid for the work you do and to have the right to disconnect. Peter Dutton wants Australians to work longer hours for lower wages while they face cost-of-living pressures. The right to disconnect is an important part of addressing cost-of-living, because people deserve to be paid wages for every hour they work. Peter Duttons promise to take away the right to disconnect shows just how out of touch he is with working Australians. Abolishing this right would worsen the work-life balance of families and create more burnout and stress in peoples lives. A healthier workplace is a more productive workplace. Establishing a clear separation between work and the rest of our lives is important for improving mental health and enabling all of us to spend quality time with our loved ones.Peter Dutton is more interested in appeasing big business than standing up for everyday Australians who are trying to juggle work and life with the wages they earn. Debate Heats Up Oliver Woolrych, from Fiverr, however, highlights the potential conflict between the right to disconnect and flexible work schedules. He suggests clear communication policies from employers, setting expectations for response times outside of regular hours. Transparency and dialogue between employers and employees are seen as key to navigating this new landscape. The right to disconnect law has the potential to make it harder for businesses to be adaptable and flexible, aspects which are crucial to ensure a business thrives. Small businesses, which typically operate with limited resources, may find it challenging to maintain operations with the same level of flexibility and efficiency as before the implementation of the bill. The main point of the right to disconnect is to ensure that employees arent always on and have sufficient time away from work. For employers, the first step should be establishing clear policies outlining expectations for after-hours communication and response times. While many business owners maintain online accessibility around the clock sending messages to employees as their schedules permit, its essential to clarify to staff that immediate responses are not mandatory and employees wont be penalised for only responding during work hours. Its worth noting that in certain circumstances some element of flexibility may be necessary, particularly during emergencies. Thats why continuous and transparent dialogue between employer and employee is crucial to ensure expectations are set and everyone is on the same page. If employees do express a willingness to be available for emergencies, perhaps in exchange for preferred working hours or more flexibility, such contact doesnt violate the new law. Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. After delays, Palo Pinto state park has a new target date to open. Heres a look inside. Inside Look stories give Star-Telegram subscribers exclusive sneak peeks and behind-the-scenes reporting. Story suggestion? Editors@star-telegram.com. The superintendent of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park gestures at the green landscape in front of him, pointing past a pavilion under construction to the rolling hills beyond. When he looks at the railroad tracks snaking around those hills, Superintendent James Adams imagines bandits on horseback chasing after a train like in an old Western movie. This place, so much of it is the Wild West still, Adams said. For years, hes described this future park as like the Hill Country, but in North Texas. It may be a slice of Hill Country heaven, but the state park still isnt open to visitors although, Adams said, more than a few have tried to drive past the construction signs, and the superintendents own house, to get a glimpse. This embedded content is not available in your region. Palo Pinto Mountains State Park in Strawn, a city of fewer than 1,000 people a little over an hour drive west of Fort Worth was supposed to open in 2023, during the state parks systems centennial year. Now, Adams says, he expects it to open in summer 2025. Barricades block the road into the future Palo Pinto Mountains State Park, located in Strawn, on Monday, April 1, 2024. When complete the park will provide 4,800 acres of outdoors recreational space for the metroplex. The much-anticipated opening will mark the first time in many years that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has opened a new state park. The most recent was Resaca de la Palma, deep in South Texas, in 2008. North Texas hasnt seen a new state park open since Lake Tawakoni, east of Dallas, in 2002. Within easy driving distance of Fort Worth, Palo Pinto Mountains will be of particular interest to residents of the Metroplex. Some of those visitors may have gone previously to Fairfield Lake State Park, halfway between the Metroplex and Houston, which the state lost to a developer last year. [MORE: How Fairfield Lake's developer fought Texas on eminent domain and won] Planning and construction has been slowly chugging along at Palo Pinto Mountains for more than a decade. But, as trails and buildings begin to take shape, the vision for the Metroplexs playground is becoming clearer. Crews work to complete the headquarters of Palo Pinto Mountains State Park on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. Much of the infrastructure, such utilities and trails, are in place for as work continues to finish construction of the Metroplexs newest state park. This is our opportunity to get this right Park construction is a lengthy process, which is something the residents of Strawn have learned firsthand. The first land purchases for the nearly 5,000-acre park were completed in 2011, and the city of Strawn donated crucial land along the 90-acre Tucker Lake in 2014. But the property was undeveloped ranch land at the time. That meant that the park had to be built effectively from scratch everything from utilities, such as water and electricity, to new roads and trails, to the headquarters and maintenance buildings that will be park staffs homebase. [MORE: How a shooting at the Mule Lip Bar led to new state park in Texas] A Parks and Wildlife press release in 2014 said the park was still not expected to open to the general public for at least several years and the actual timeline has taken full advantage of that hedged phrasing. It took a while for it to sink in that this wasnt going to happen overnight, said Danny Miller, who is Strawns city administrator. A cut road that is in the process of being grades winds through Palo Pinto Mountains State Park on Monday, April 1, 2024. Much of the infrastructure, such utilities and trails, are in place for as work continues to finish construction of the metroplexs newest state park. As the state parks system headed into its centennial year in 2023, Parks and Wildlife officials began hyping the opening of Palo Pinto Mountains. In press releases, the department specifically tied the park opening to the centennial celebration. Officials also said that the event would mark the first in the departments plan to open a new state park every two years. JJ Fleury, the director of Texas State Parks planning and geospatial resources program, said that the department is learning from the construction of Palo Pinto Mountains, and will use those lessons to create a more streamlined process in the future. Its part of the parks systems shift into the modern era, Fleury said. That shift also includes a focus on building accessibility and sustainability into parks, starting with Palo Pinto Mountains. That includes, for instance, designing trails that are both easier to maintain and easier to access. Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Superintendent James Adams walks along an ADA-compliant trail on Monday, April 1, 2024. As much of the park as possible, including the walkways to scenic overlooks and down to the shore of Lake Tucker, have been designed to meet ADA standards. As much of the park as possible, including the walkways to scenic overlooks and down to the shore of Lake Tucker, have been designed to meet ADA standards. With accessibility baked into the design, Adams said, more people will be able to enjoy the core features of the park. We wanted this to be a park for everybody, Adams said. It adds a lot to the area and (theres) plenty for folks to come back to experience. The new state park also has what Fleury described as heavy front-country development, with development focused in a more confined area, leaving a light footprint on the back portion of the park. This is our opportunity to get this right, Fleury said. But getting it right has taken a lot of time, in the case of Palo Pinto Mountains. And while officials touted a 2023 opening, they never gave an official opening date. By mid-2023, Adams knew it wasnt going to happen. A crew works on the construction of a pavilion at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park on Monday, April 1, 2024. Its clearly taken longer than we thought Palo Pinto Mountains 2023 opening date quietly slipped out of official remarks, until the year came to a close without seeing the proverbial park gates open. Adams said construction has caused some delays some related to the pandemic and others because of unforeseen landscape challenges. But the other factor is that, he said, the 2023 opening was planned as a soft launch that wouldve given visitors access to only a small portion of the park. As 2023 moved along, it became clear that the layout would not have allowed visitors to safely access certain areas while others, including the main road, remained under construction, Adams said. Now, without the pressure of the centennial celebration, the park will open when its fully complete. Adams thinks thatll likely be around summer 2025. Its clearly taken longer than we thought it would, Adams said. Palo Pinto Mountains State Park Superintendent James Adams explains construction in process at the park on Monday, April 1, 2024. When the Star-Telegram toured the park in April, it was clear that a lot of work had been accomplished and that there was a lot more still to do. The maintenance building had just been completed, Adams said. The headquarters was mostly beams and joists, with no walls yet constructed. The main road had been built up enough to be passable in most weather, Adams said, with rocks and construction debris still piled alongside it. The sidewalks along the lake were taking clear shape, but the only signs of the planned fishing pier were a few posts jutting out from the lake. The park, while closed to visitors, was alive with activity. Construction on the fishing pier on Tucker Lake at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park has begun, as seen on Monday, April 1, 2024. At the lakeside, the sound of a saw grinding against stone filled the air. Adams pointed out the sites of long-gone lakefront cabins that belonged to a different era. He talked about the extra work thats gone into making the sidewalks and eventual boardwalk ADA-compliant, so that more people can access and enjoy the park. And when the grind saw pauses for a moment, you can hear the wind moving through the trees above and the water lapping against the shore below. After seven years as superintendent of an unopened state park, Adams is looking forward to sharing the park with visitors soon. It really is just such an awesome place For North Texas residents, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will provide much-needed outdoor recreation opportunities. Compared to other states, Texas has a low percentage of publicly accessible land. The recent loss of Fairfield Lake State Park which was about a two-hour drive from Fort Worth and 90 minutes from Dallas has meant even fewer options. When the park opens, I think were going to be inundated with people, Adams said in a March interview. There are a lot of folks really interested in seeing this place open, and a lot of us here that are super excited about getting to share this place with everybody, because it really is just such an awesome place. The RV sites at Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will provide extra room for a second vehicle, as see from above on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. The park is expected to draw tens of thousands of annual visitors, who will have to drive through the city of Strawn on their way into and out of the parks only entrance. Miller, the city administrator, said that route was Strawns primary stipulation when it donated land for the park. For a city of fewer than 1,000 people, the prospect of so many passers-through will be a game-changer. Jeff Hinkson, the president of Strawns chamber of commerce, said he expects to see tourism become the major driver of the citys economy. Hinkson said that, historically, the citys economy was based on agriculture, especially ranching, as well as oil and gas. Miller said the school district is currently the largest employer. Russell Creek winds through Palo Pinto Mountains State Park on Monday, April 1, 2024. But the parks opening will bring a whole new range of possibilities, particularly for tourist-focused businesses such as restaurants and breweries, as well as outdoors outfitters. New staff at the park could also mean more kids for the school district, Miller said. Hinkson said its still not clear to Strawn residents what type of businesses will be most in demand. But the city is preparing to adapt to the new expectations that tourists will bring. For a small town of only 650 people, it is a town that has become very aware of the opportunities that lie ahead, Hinkson said. Hinkson said the city is also bracing to feel the impact of the Metroplexs rocketing growth, particularly as Fort Worth expands westward along the I-20 corridor. That growth, plus the park opening, will have a big impact on Strawn, Hinkson said. We feel like theres going to be a significant residual effect to the economy locally, Hinkson said. We think that tourism will quickly be the primary driver of the economy. Miller thinks local residents will use the park regularly, too. Some of those residents are a little skeptical of the opening timeline, given the delays. Still, Miller said, the city is looking forward to meeting its new neighbor in earnest. We had been a very sleepy community for many years without much change, Miller said. And when the park came along, people were like, Hey its time, weve got to take advantage of this. Dogs, Guinea Pigs, and Other Rescue Pets Get a Fancy Hotel Photoshoot to Help Them Find Homes A Boston animal shelter is working with a high-end hotel to show off some of their adoptable animals for National Rescue Dog Day Jen Hillenga/@thewaysofthedog Adoptable puppies from Animal Rescue League of Boston at the Fairmont Copley Plaza The Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) and the Fairmont Copley Plaza collaborated on an adorable photoshoot for adoptable animals The shoot, which took place at the high-end Boston hotel, was done to celebrate National Rescue Dog Day on May 20 The stunning photos will be used in the adoption profiles of ARL's available animals A high-end, pet-friendly hotel is helping shelter animals celebrate National Rescue Dog Day in style and find homes! The Fairmont Copley Plaza in Bostonknown for employing canine ambassadors to represent the hotelhas partnered with a local shelter, the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL), to help the rescue's dogs, cats, rabbits, and other creatures find homes for National Rescue Dog Day on Monday, May 20. Using some of the hotel's historic ballrooms as stunning backdrops, the Fairmont Copley Plaza and shelter worked together, along with photographer Jen Hillenga of @thewaysofthedog, to capture stunning new portraits of many of the ARL's adoptable animals. The fancy shots were taken in the hopes that they would help the pets find forever families. Jen Hillenga/@thewaysofthedog Akiro, a 4-year-old male pit bull mix up for adoption "As one of the country's most famous pet-friendly hotels, our team constantly thinks of ways we can extend our hospitality to not only human guests but also the animal community," the Fairmont Copley Plaza's general manager, Tabish Siddiquie, wrote in a press release. "Our magnificent ballrooms offer a picture-perfect backdrop for them to pose in, and we are delighted to open our gilded spaces to help shine a literal spotlight on these animals who deserve a forever home." The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now! Pet photographer Hillenga worked to capture many of the pets up for adoption (which also include a bearded dragon and a few guinea pigs) against the over 100-year-old hotel's gilded interiors, lush carpets, crystal chandeliers, and Italian marble columns. Jen Hillenga/@thewaysofthedog Drew the guinea pig "I know firsthand that a great portrait of a rescue dog goes a long way to helping them find their home," Hillenga said in the press release. "Part of my mission as a dog photographer is to volunteer my time and talent to help these dogs get adopted by showcasing their personalities and how they can make the most beautiful companions." Related: 29 Formerly 'Traumatized' Rescue Dogs Get a 'Second Life' Thanks to Charity Flight (Exclusive) Among the many pets that the ARL has remaining for adoption are Akiro, a 4-year-old male dog who the shelter says has had his adoption fee waived and is considered "very sweet but selective," andCorndog, a 9-year-old male Chihuahua who is "friendly, easy-going and very snuggly" and gets along with other dogs. There are also two 10-week-old golden retriever mix puppies, Goose and Poppy, and Bo Bo, a 4-month-old plott hound. Jen Hillenga/@thewaysofthedog Steven Spielberg, a rabbit up for adoption Two cats with Marvel superhero-inspired names, Tony Stark and Steve Rodgers, and two 11-year-old "stunningly handsome" male Bengals are up for adoption. The Bengal pair is bonded, and the ARL said the felines were surrendered due to allergies. Related: Mass. Man with Terminal Illness Wants to Find His Dog Best Friend a New Home Before His Death Guinea pigs Drew and Luke, both 9-month-old males, are also up for adoption and are both looking for homes with another guinea pig companion. Rabbits Steven Spielberg a 1-year-old male shorthaired rabbit and Persil an 8-month-old male shorthaired rabbit are looking for homes, and bearded dragon Crikey rounded out the photoshoot. The ARL said he was found as a stray and is perfect for "any exotic animal lover." Jen Hillenga/@thewaysofthedog Tony Stark the adoptable cat "ARL is extremely grateful to the Fairmont Copley Plaza and to Jen Hillenga for donating their time, facilities, and talents to highlight these wonderful rescue animals," ARL President and CEO Edward Schettino wrote in a statement. "The Fairmont Copley Plaza is well-known for being pet-friendly, and this is an amazing opportunity to show off the beauty and highlight the variety of adoptable animals that ARL offers to potential adopters." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Those in Boston who want to adopt one of the ARL's animals can visit the rescue's website for adoption applications and more information. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. For generations, Space Coast roadways have jammed with idling vehicles when hundreds of thousands of spectators flock to watch high-profile launches like when up to 250,000 out-of-county visitors were predicted for NASA's historic SpaceX Crew-1 astronaut mission in November 2020. But by and large, the crush of motorists has diminished. Brevard County hosted a record-shattering 72 orbital launches last year. And that unprecedented pace has accelerated, with perhaps 90 launches or more on tap by year's end. "The launches are getting so frequent. You don't have that mad rush anymore. Because everybody's, 'Oh, there's another one in a couple days.' So that initial 40% to 55% (attendance) boost has definitely slimmed down a bit," said Therrin Protze, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex chief operating officer. Huge crowds of launch spectators on the A. Max Brewer Bridge in Titusville walk back to their vehicles in May 2020 after a scrub of the historic SpaceX Demo-2 flight, the first American crewed mission in nearly a decade. "Now obviously, when the New Glenn or Starship launches from here, then that's going to be an absolute madhouse. And of course, the Artemis crewed (mission) next year," Protze said. Regardless of the Cape's frequent launch schedule, Protze said a "huge" crowd descended on the KSC Visitor Complex for the March 28 initial liftoff attempt of United Launch Alliance's last Delta IV Heavy triple-core rocket. SpaceX Falcon Heavy launches have also drawn recent sellout viewing crowds. Cape Canaveral: Is there a launch today? Upcoming rocket launch schedule for SpaceX, ULA, NASA in Florida Elsewhere, Brevard's bountiful beachfront and riverfront coastlines offer tremendous viewing opportunities across dozens of miles "you don't have to be at the Space Center," Brevard County County Communications Director Don Walker said. But that still means traffic jams and overflowing parking areas can generate headaches from Titusville to Cocoa Beach southward to the Pineda Causeway. What to know before driving to see a rocket launch Walker recommends that motorists monitor Brevard Emergency Management social media pages, which are updated with traffic information hours prior to a launch. Brevard emergency officials work closely with the Florida Department of Transportation to alert motorists, should there be accidents or road closures, Walker said. For example, FDOT will occasionally make streets one-way corridors to control traffic before and after major launches. Brevard Emergency Management Facebook: facebook.com/BrevardEOC Brevard Emergency Management X (Twitter): twitter.com/BrevardEOC Advice: Bring 'patience' when driving to a launch "Patience," Walker replied when asked what motorists should bring. He urged people to arrive and find a viewing spot early. For spectators ambitious enough to venture close to KSC or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Walker advises that they pack water and a lunch, as it is possible to get stuck in traffic for hours. "A good rule of thumb is the closer to the launch window, the more traffic there will be and fewer open spots to view the launch. So please plan accordingly," said Rachel Horst, Brevard County public information officer. "If youre behind the wheel, watch out for fellow space enthusiasts," Horst said. Thousands of spectators flock to the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on March 28 hoping to see the final Delta IV Heavy launch. Brevard launch viewing hot spots Jetty Park Beach and Pier, 400 Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral. Parking charges are collected. Playalinda Beach, 1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Note, there's a charge to park, and access to Canaveral National Seashore isn't always granted depending on capacity and time of day. Max Brewer Bridge and Parrish Park, 1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville. Note, parking is available on both sides of Max Brewer Bridge. Space View Park, 8 Broad St., Titusville Sand Point Park, 10 E. Max Brewer Causeway, Titusville Rotary Riverfront Park, 4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville Alan Shepard Park, 299 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs. Cocoa Beach Pier, 401 Meade Ave. Parking fee varies. Lori Wilson Park, 1400 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson Park has a dog park, by the way. Sidney Fischer Park, 2200 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs. Sebastian Inlet Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter) The Space Coast Office of Tourism also maintains a rocket launch page featuring a searchable map of prime viewing locations. This page often includes parking and traffic information, Horst said. High-traffic areas to avoid if I'm not watching a launch "Generally speaking, the closer you are to the Kennedy Space Center, the greater the likelihood youll encounter some amount of launch traffic," Horst said. She warned of congestion at high-traffic areas such as the Max Brewer Bridge, NASA Causeway and State Road 528 causeway. Horst said traffic at those locales generally begins to thin about an hour post-launch. Elsewhere, South Brevard and Central Brevard are less likely to see such traffic increases. Artemis I in 2022: 'Bigger crowds!' Heavy traffic and massive crowds as NASA prepared to launch Artemis 1. For the latest news from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA's Kennedy Space Center, visit floridatoday.com/space. Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact her at bedwards@floridatoday.com or on X: @brookeofstars Space is important to us and that's why we're working to bring you top coverage of the industry and Florida launches. Journalism like this takes time and resources. Please support it with a subscription here. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida rocket launches: Tips and tricks for drivers at Cape Canaveral AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) We are devoting this entire show to follow up with the little miracle child in Augusta. You first met her back in 2018. Her name is Elizabeth. Shes 7-years-old now, but before she was born, doctors doubted that she would live even 7 hours. Elizabeth was born with a rare condition called Caudal Regression Syndrome. It occurs once in about 100,000 newborns. Caudal regression syndrome is characterized by abnormal development of the lower spine of the developing fetus. Bones may be misshapen, even missing. Caudal regression impairs the lower half of the body and can cause abnormal development in certain organs. The rectum and anus and leg, joint and bones. This disorder commonly appears in infants who are born to mothers with diabetes. Watch Elizabeths first appearance on Jennie from 2018. Elizabeth has a really cool wheelchair. And now she has a new bike an Amtryke- youll learn about that a little later. Grandmother Krystina Carrion says its a complete circle. It really is. Shes wanted the bike. Well go to the park. It just makes my heart so happy that she can be included with other kids and what they do and know what it is. Elizabeth says she loves to go bike riding in the park. Elizabeth: And we, like, go down this hill. JENNIE: You go down the hill! Is it scary? Elizabeth: No. Its like I go uphill and when were done we go downhill. And then we go back in our car. Krystina says Elizabeth has come a long way since the days of her Bumbas chair, made for her in Webster, New York. Bellas Bumbas they custom made for her. And that chair was reproduced almost 45 times for other children with her condition who didnt have any clue about it. Because they didnt fit into the regular Bumbas chairs because of the way their legs are. So shes been a trailblazer when it comes to my dedication to find things for her that makes her that gives her some equality with other children. JENNIE: And I know one thing youve done probably way more than other children is travel. Can you tell me some of the cities youve been to and the countries. Elizabeth: Ive been to Paris, London, New York, Barcelona, the Bahamas It was my first time going on a cruise when we went to the Bahamas. Krystinas goal is to give her as many experiences as she can. Krystina: If Im going to continue living my life and she gets the benefit of going with me. Its been more challenging to find what is accessible for her. But I think I told you Im starting a blog that will, like Barcelona, was the most, most accessible place for us to be, from the busses to the trains to everything. London was second because every black cab has a wheelchair ramp. So getting around London was easy. You just had to hail a cab. New York is great to walk around because all the sidewalks have the know. You can go up and down them. But to try to handicap cab, theyll drive right past you in New York. But thats New Yorkers for you. But yeah, I mean, it is the cruising has been amazing because she can go anywhere on the boat with the wheelchair. AMBUCS Augusta is all about helping people with physical challenges gain mobility and independence. Matt Trainor is the president of the Augusta chapter and director of the Southern Region. I joined AMBUCS about 22 years ago, and that was primarily through my daughter, Virginia, who was who was severely handicapped. And so therapeutic equipment was a big part of our life. And when she passed away at the age of five, I decided I wanted to really get into giving back to the community. And so the equipment that the Amtryke was something that I felt like was a great way to serve the community. AMBUCS works with physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists. Carol Collica is the Amtryke coordinator for the Augusta area. She meets with the clients and gets them matched with therapists and helps facilitate adaptations or adjustments for the trikes. When we met Elizabeth, we had her on a trike and she fit perfectly. But we had that one problem: How are we going to support her legs? So I called our national Ambucs and worked with the engineer there, and he was kind of excited to get this challenge. So he built this platform that fit on her Amtryke perfectly. It fit so that when shes riding, her legs are totally supported. AMBUCS is made up of a nationwide network of volunteer chapters who work in partnership with physical, occupational and speech therapists to provide these and trike adaptive trikes. In the CSRA, they serve Richmond, Columbia and Burke Counties. For more information, go to augustaambucs.org or call 706-589-1211. Krystina is in the process of creating a blog for parents of children with special needs. She feels she has learned so much in the past 7 years, and navigated uncharted waters, and she wants to create and help be a resource for others. In the meantime, Elizabeth is looking forward to her summer vacation and a cruise to Alaska! I mean, her only limitation is she cant walk. Her playroom is on the second floor of the house. She will dove into the pool. She swims. You know, shes I do not treat her as if shes handicapped I make her do everything that she can possibly do when its time for dinner, she climbs up onto the chair herself. She gets out of the chair (and back) onto her (wheel)chair herself. JENNIE: Elizabeth, I wonder if you would tell a little story about something that happened to you. Remember when you were at the Kennedy Space Center and you met an astronaut? Do you remember his name? Elizabeth: Steven Swanson! JENNIE: And you told him that you wanted to be an astronaut, right? Elizabeth: He said I can go on the moon. JENNIE: He said you could be an astronaut because in space, you dont need what? You dont need legs! Elizabeth: Yeah. You walk upside down, but youre not falling off. JENNIE: Because theres no gravity. Elizabeth: Yeah. Like you can go upside down! JENNIE: You have so many things in store and so many adventures, and I cant wait to see what youre going to do. We have enjoyed spending time with you! Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF. Lost Mickey ears at Disney? Missing a souvenir you bought? It might be at this store Have you ever gone to Walt Disney World only to get home and realize you lost something at the parks? With a little pixie dust, theres still hope you can be reunited with the item. Youll just have to check some central Florida thrift shops. Walt Disney World keeps lost and found items for about three months and then everything is donated to local charities. Some of the charities, like the Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida, have thrift stores where they sell the goods. Everything from Mickey ears to stuffed animals to clothing is sold to the public once its gone unclaimed in Disneys lost and found. Even if you haven't lost an item, this is the place to go to stock up on Disney merch for a fraction of the price. Where is the Walt Disney World lost and found store? The Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida Thrift Store is located at 2054 State Road 436 in Winter Park. About every three months the store gets a shipment containing lost and found items from Walt Disney World. Theres usually lots of branded Disney items in there, but the shipment can contain anything park goers may have lost on property, which can include brand new items purchased from one of the Disney Springs stores. A lot of items are brand new things people purchased in Disney parks, they leave them somewhere in a bag and they dont claim them, said Betsy Owens, Vice President of Marketing & Community Relations for Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida. Weve gotten brand new Oakley sunglasses with the tags on them. Tips for shopping Disneys lost and found items Be ready. Most of the Disney-branded merchandise sells out quickly once it is brought to the Boys & Girls Club thrift store. The stores employees update a Facebook page regularly. They post when shipments arrive from Disney and when they have sales on certain items. Where does the money from purchased lost and found items go? The Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida Thrift Store in Winter Park. About once every three month the store gets a shipment of lost and found items from Walt Disney World. The Boys & Girls Club of Central Florida Thrift Store helps support 12,000 children in the area. That includes youth from Brevard, Seminole Osceola, Lake and Orange counties. Disney is a huge supporter of the Boys & Girls Club, Owens said. We are fortunate to be one of the local charities that they are extremely generous to. This is just a small fraction of their overall support. Spitzer is a Trending Reporter. She can be reached at MSpitzer@Floridatoday.com. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Disney World's lost and found items go to central Florida thrift store Married 75 years, they stayed together at home to the end. How their 6 children did it QUINCY It's a love story with four generations and in their final days, there never was any other choice. From the time Merrell and Polly Leavens were married in their early 20s in 1948, they settled in Squantum, where she grew up, with a mission to always take care of one another and their families. "They just lived for their families," the oldest granddaughter, Betsey MacAllister Campbell, 54, of Saratoga Springs, New York, said. Seventy years later, as age and health conditions caught up with them, they wanted to stay together. Their six children four daughters and two sons made sure that happened. Merrill and Polly Leavens on their wedding day June 19, 1948 at the Star of the Sea Church in Squantum. The couple renewed their vows on their 75th anniversary in 2023. Five of the six still live in the area Deborah MacAllister and Nancy Skraback in Marshfield, Jane Estabrooks in Hanover and Carole Comeau in Norwell. Christopher, the youngest, moved back into their house with them; Merrill, the other son, isn't far away in Connecticut. They had the help of a small group of dedicated private caregivers and near-the-end, hospice, supported by 15 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren. "There was not one slacker," their daughter Jane Estabrooks said. "All six of us were pulling together, cooperatively. You need all six." 'He's so good-looking, he must be conceited' Polly Rupprecht grew up in Squantum and graduated from North Quincy High in 1944. Merrill Leavens was raised in the Port Norfolk section of Dorchester and attended Boston Mechanics High School. While he was serving in the Navy during WW II, his family moved to Squantum, then "the country." The two met in Squantum after the war ended when Polly went over to visit his sister. "He's so good-looking, he must be conceited," she thought. Instead, she found the opposite. They were married June 19, 1948, and moved into the house he and his father had built on Parke Avenue right behind his parents' home on Bellevue Avenue. They raised their children there and saw no reason to leave, except for summers spent at the family camps, first in Duxbury and then at the log cabin Merrill built in Waldoboro, Maine. Merrill and Polly Leavens of Squantum with their first-born child, Debby, in 1950. "The cabin was their getaway but it was also a place they could offer as a gift to the family," Betsey Campbell said. "It was a place for all of us to feel the importance of being together. That was their whole thing. They wanted us all to have a sanctuary." Betsey and her husband, Rob, spent their honeymoon there in 1996. Over the years, between Squantum and Maine, there were thousands of family parties, holiday get-togethers, neighborhood drop-ins and cookouts. Caring neighbors, incredibly kind firefighters Merrill Leavens, the boy on the right, works on a car in Dorchester with his father, also named Merrill. His neighbor Pat Carson took many family photographs. In the 1960s, they added "the new room" onto the house and it quickly had an antique flavor. The fireplace was an exact reproduction of the 1790 hearth at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury. Merrill was a self-taught connoisseur of early American furniture, antiques, art and old wagons and he filled the room with items from estate and barn sales. The final years are almost a fairy tale, a nostalgic reminder of the way things used to be. It is also a tribute to resilience and survival; in the end, from last summer to this winter, each simply "ran out of steam." The story also includes very caring neighbors and the "incredibly kind" Quincy firefighters at Engine 7 up the street. The medics came countless times to pick Merrill up when he began falling in his 90s, well after his knees first went bad. Merrill was the first to go, much as he didn't want to, after spending months in bed. He died Aug. 17, 2023, at age 99-and-a-half. A strong, determined "doer," a sheet metal worker who always had a fix-it project in his basement workshop, he left quite a cleaning-out challenge, now ongoing. Merrill and Polly Leavens in Squantum in 2013 on the Fourth of July. Back row: Noah, Nathan and Grace Campbell, and Wes Jones. Middle row: Guthrie Gatewood, Merrill with Adeline Gatewood on his lap, Posey Polly Jones, Polly with Tobey Heinrichsen on her lap. Toasting the departed with peanut-butter crackers just as he wished Merrill enjoyed nothing more than having his family around him. He was a man of simple tastes and on the day he died, his family gave him a farewell toast with his favorite snack, peanut butter and crackers, as his body left the house. Polly was her own strong presence, "a very exacting woman" also used to doing everything herself. "There was no way she was going to leave before him," Betsey Campbell said. A year ago, the couple had ended up convalescing together, sharing a room at the Pope Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Weymouth. Merrill might have settled in there, but Polly would hear none of it. Home they went. "Grandma was running that shop and her mission was to be there to care for him," Campbell said. Even though her children had a rotation of delivering meals, she insisted on cooking. After Merrill was gone, Polly was bewildered but hung on, the family network in place. Then, in January, she took to her bed as Merrill had, but while he had lasted many months, she died after just two weeks, on Jan. 14. She was 96. Caregivers who can share the load and want to be there In their final months, each experienced some confusion or dementia, but the family considered itself so lucky in that respect. It could have been for years. Friends have asked about what it takes to "be there" in this way for a loved one to have the fortitude to keep one parent, or both, at home for an extended time. "It takes a lot," Campbell said. "It wasn't easy." Merrill and Polly Leavens at their summer cabin in Maine with great-grandchildren. L to R: Noah Campbell, Polly, Merrill, Grace Campbell and Nathan Campbell. "They had such a wonderful full life," their daughter Jane Estabrooks said. "It wasn't easy, allowing them the comfort of being in their own home. But it was gratifying to make their wish come true and respect what they wanted." While the four daughters were "the glue," coordinating tasks like clockwork, the two sons were also essential. Each respected what the others did. "You have to have people you can communicate with, who can share the load and who are happy to be there," Jane said. 'Mom and Dad' caregivers also caring for their own grandchildren Each sibling had their own area of expertise and responsibility, and there were many. Planning menus, shopping for food, fixing and delivering meals, ordering takeout, keeping track of multiple prescriptions and ordering and picking them up, arranging and getting to doctor appointments, paying household bills, managing the books, coordinating the revolving door of private aides, even hiding Polly's car keys from her. The key family caregivers were themselves in their 70s, managing their own aging, with their own families, some caring for grandchildren as well. One bonus: the Leavens always had been frugal, saved their money, had a pension and were able to pay for their care. I met Merrill and Polly Leavens 10 years ago in 2014, near their 66th anniversary. I asked their secret. We have such a feeling for each other, Polly said. We get along so well. He has such a sweet temperament. Renew their vows after 75 years from a hospice bed Last June 19, they were able to renew their vows on their 75th wedding anniversary with Father Ray Selker from Beacon Hospice. By then, Merrill was bedridden; Polly sat in a chair beside him. Merrill Leavens rides his bike as a boy in Dorchester. He grew up in the Port Norfolk neighborhood of Neponset. Their children and grandchildren talk about how witnessing that bond may have brought them their own magic in marriage. So far, there have been no divorces among 50 children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. "We say that we grew up in a happy home, maybe knowing what to look for in a spouse," Jane Estabrooks said. Merrill and Polly had a full array of health problems, including prostate cancer, skin cancer, COVID-19, a broken hip, a broken shoulder, infirmities of aging. Each time, their children and grandchildren were there for them. This spring, for the first time ever, the house that Merrill Leavens and his father built back in 1947, is being emptied out, rather than filled with more collectibles. Each Wednesday, family members are there, figuring out what to let go of and what to keep. Merrill George Leavens at age 12 in Dorchester on April 4, 1937. One of the best "finds" was a film made on June 19, 1948, of the wedding of Merrill and Polly. Betsey Campbell found it, digitized it and gave copies to other family members. It is less than four minutes long, but people are having such fun. The action begins at Polly's childhood home on Aberdeen Road (where a cousin now lives) and ends at the wedding at the former Star of the Sea Church in Squantum. "I think this is the most amazing thing ever!" Betsey said. Tom Bonomi's most exciting discovery The last name of Tom Bonomi was spelled incorrectly in last week's column about the Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers Museum. I apologize for the error. Bonomi is the museum historian and has given many valuable programs and walking tours. In 2019, he went up to Nahant to meet sculptor Reno Pisano, 95, and returned with the granite hammer used by John Horrigan in Quincy to sculpt the Titanic Memorial, now located in Washington, D.C. You can see this historic hammer in the museum shed. Bonomi describes his most exciting discovery as finding a description of how the Granite Railway inclined plane actually worked. He came across an 1832 Boston Courier news clipping of possibly the first railway death in America, when Thomas Backus was thrown from a Granite Railway car on a turn. The reporter gave a detailed explanation of how the railway operated. "I felt like I was opening King Tut's tomb," Bonomi said. Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com. This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: How their family kept Merrill, 99, and Polly, 96, Leavens together NHSPCA Paws Walk returns to Stratham Hill Park: Here's how you can help animals STRATHAM The New Hampshire SPCA will host its annual Paws Walk at Stratham Hill Park on Sunday, June 2. The dog-friendly event benefits homeless animals, providing lifesaving care, medical treatment, and other support services. With just a few weeks until event day, the NHSPCA is calling on the community to help them reach their $130,000 goal by fundraising or donating. The Paws Walk is the NHSPCAs event responsible for giving a second chance to thousands of unwanted, neglected, and abused pets each year. Organizers say the success of this event comes directly from generous, local animal lovers, who register to walk and raise critical funds through their own network. The New Hampshire SPCA will host its annual Paws Walk at Stratham Hill Park on Sunday, June 2. There will be plenty of fun to be had on Paws Walk day with MC Kelly Brown of iHeartMedias The Morning Buzz and music by DJ Lori D. In addition to the walk, participants can shop for local goods and enjoy food truck treats in the vendor village and watch talented dogs in action from the New England Agility Team, Working Dog Foundation and Heart Stone Farm. There will also be farm animals, kids activities, and adoptable dogs looking for their forever home. Paws Walk is so important for our day-to-day operations at the NHSPCA, said Sheila Ryan, director of development at the New Hampshire SPCA. Its an awesome event that brings out the best of our community, and most importantly, its a critical fundraiser. Ryan said the NHSPCA has seen a significant increase in animals coming to the facility this past year. Many are transported from overcrowded shelters down south, while others are rescued from heartbreaking neglect and cruelty situations, she said. The money raised at Paws Walk allows us to provide critical lifesaving services, including veterinary care, nourishing food, behavioral assessments, and much more. These animals are given a second chance because of our Paws Walk supporters. Every dollar raised is important, and we are so grateful for anyone who contributes to this event. To register for, learn more, or donate to Paws Walk, visit https://nhspca.org/paws-walk/. Adult Paws Walker registration is $35, and Youth Paws Walker registration is $25. Those interested are encouraged to create a team to fundraise and walk together. Additionally, participants can earn their Paws Walk T-Shirt by fundraising $29 or purchasing it at registration. The Paws Walk is presented by Top Dog sponsor Walmart Region 16 and Cool Cat sponsors ICL Autos and Murphy, Powers & Wilson CPAs. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NHSPCA Paws Walk returns to Stratham Hill Park: Here's how to sign up What every parent should know after a young child's tragic death and rising cases. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Contact a qualified medical professional before engaging in any physical activity, or making any changes to your diet, medication or lifestyle. Measles has claimed the life of a Canadian child, after cases have been popping up in parts of the country amid a resurgence of the virus around the world. (Photo via Getty Images) Ontario has reported its first measles death since 1989. The victim, a child under five from Hamilton, was one of five unvaccinated children who contracted measles this year. Now, health officials are warning about the risks of being unvaccinated as measles cases in Canada rise. As of last week, Ontario has seen 22 measles cases in 2024, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total cases documented over the past decade, the CBC reported. Public Health Ontario revealed an increase in the proportion of seven-year-olds without any measles vaccine doses, up from less than four per cent to nearly 17 per cent between the 2019-2020 and 2022-2023 seasons. Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious diseases specialist at Sinai Health System, told the CBC this tragedy was predictable, noting, "There's also a certain aspect of inevitability to it just because of how much ground we lost in measles vaccination around the world" . Measles is notoriously contagious, with the virus capable of lingering in the air for hours. Unvaccinated children are particularly vulnerable. "If you look at the data from any of the provinces," Dr. McGeer stated, "it's unvaccinated kids who are the problem." If you look at the data from any of the provinces... it's unvaccinated kids who are the problem.Dr. Allison McGeer, via CBC. Efforts to curb the spread of measles depend on improving vaccination rates. In Quebec, aggressive public health measures, including contact tracing and post-exposure vaccination, have helped stabilize the situation, despite initially low vaccination rates in some areas. The recent death in Ontario underscores the need to maintain high vaccination coverage to protect the most vulnerable members of society. Kids under 12 months are at highest risk for measles since routine measles vaccination starts at 1 year. Make sure you and your other family members are vaccinated to help protect them. Learn more : https://t.co/7iX6MdCjja pic.twitter.com/4i0kxeEw1Q Health Canada and PHAC (@GovCanHealth) March 13, 2024 A November report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control confirmed measles cases are rising worldwide and more people are dying from it. The report indicated there was an 18 per cent increase in estimated measles cases and a 43 per cent increase in estimated measles deaths in 2022 compared with 2021. Researchers said this is a result of millions of children missing measles vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Global coverage with measles-containing vaccine (MCV) declined during the COVID-19 pandemic to the lowest levels since 2008, and measles surveillance was suboptimal," the report said. Canadian infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch previously told Yahoo Canada he wasn't surprised by the report, adding it was clear there was "a breakdown of many public health programs throughout the course of the pandemic." Bogoch described the virus as the "canary in the coal mine" of public health, adding outbreaks are "visible, and they're explosive, and obviously, they can be devastating." Read on to learn everything you should know about measles and prevention. What is measles and what are its symptoms? Measles cases are rising worldwide, according to a recent report from the World Health Organization. (Photo via Getty Images) According to the WHO, measles is a "highly contagious disease" caused by a virus of the same name. It "spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes," the agency explained, adding the virus attacks the respiratory system first, before spreading through the body. Measles symptoms can include: a high fever coughing a runny nose a rash all over the body red and watery eyes small white spots inside the cheeks Complications from measles are what causes the majority of deaths, including: blindness encephalitis (an infection causing brain swelling or damage) severe diarrhea and dehydration ear infections severe breathing problems These complications are most likely to occur in children under five years old and adults over 30, the WHO said. Bogoch added there's a misconception, "some people think measles is no big deal. ... It's important to note that it's associated with significant morbidity. You can get very, very sick from measles." How common is measles in Canada? Measles has seen a resurgence in Canada over recent years. As of 2024, Canada has reported a significant increase in measles cases compared to the previous year. Specifically, there have been 75 cases of measles reported so far in 2024, with 41 of these cases currently active. Some parts of the country are seeing a decline in vaccine uptake, including Alberta where vaccination rates in 2022 dropped from 2018. Bogoch noted the cases seen in Canada are predominantly imported or linked to travel. Health Canada's risk assessment from March stated there is a "high likelihood of infectious travellers with measles virus continuing to enter Canada and a high likelihood of multiple measles outbreaks." It added major impacts are "expected in health care settings, especially in pediatric facilities, as well as in un/under-vaccinated communities." Measles vaccine in Canada: What to know Two doses of a measles vaccine provides nearly 100 per cent protection from the virus. (Getty) Current recommendation for routine measles vaccines is two doses, the first administered at 12 to 15 months of age and the second dose at 18 months of age or after, but before school. It's also recommended to youth who missed the routine immunization, and susceptible adults born in or after 1970. In Canada, the measles vaccine is only available in combination with mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) or mumps, rubella and varicella vaccine (MMRV). According to Health Canada, a single dose of measles-containing vaccine given at 12 or 15 months of age is estimated to be 85 to 95 per cent effective. "With a second dose, efficacy in children approaches 100 per cent." But, because measles is so contagious, outbreaks have occurred despite high vaccination rates. That's why at least 95 per cent of the population "needs to be immunized to develop herd immunity." The vaccine is safe, effective, and does a remarkable job in preventing infection.Dr. Isaac Bogoch "Could we see the propagation of cases in Canada after we'd have an important case, if we do see lapses of vaccination?" Dr. Bogoch questioned, answering it wouldn't be surprising. "There's so little wiggle room with with measles." Bogoch said some individuals, despite being pro-vaccine, might not be up to date due to receiving only one dose, especially those born before the 1990s. He encouraged those in doubt to consult health-care providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners or pharmacists. "One dose provides pretty good protection against measles, but two doses is much better," he claimed. Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Oscar Mayer Wienermobile coming to Oshkosh this weekend. Here's where you can see it. 'Aioli Anna' (pitured), a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh graduate, and 'BBQ Brady' will share stories from their year-long coast-to-coast tour and give guests a look inside of the 27-foot-long hotdog the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. OSHKOSH The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile is coming to town this weekend. Oshkosh will play host to at least three events from May 25-28 when the iconic Oscar Mayer Wienermobile mobile tour makes its way into the Fox Cities this weekend. Drivers Aioli Anna and BBQ Brady will take the tour to Menominee Park Zoo opening day on May 25 before taking part in the Sons of the American Legion Annual Memorial Day Brat Fry May 27 at 1332 Spruce St. Herd on the move?: Is the Milwaukee Bucks G League team the Wisconsin Herd leaving Oshkosh? Heres what we know. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile then wraps up its Oshkosh leg of the tour May 28 at the Discover Oshkosh Hotel Appreciation Hotdog Party at 100 N. Main St. Aioli Anna, a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh graduate, and BBQ Brady will share stories from their year-long coast-to-coast tour and give guests a look inside of the 27-foot-long hotdog. For more information, visit the tour online at https://khcmobiletour.com/wienermobile. Have a story tip or public interest concern? Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oscar Mayer Wienermobile to visit Oshkosh, Wisconsin Prince Harry, seen here greeting crowds outside the Invictus service in London earlier this month, did not see his father during his brief visit - Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Invictus Games Foundation The Duke of Sussex turned down an invitation from his father to stay at a royal residence earlier this month because of security concerns, The Telegraph understands. Prince Harry, 39, spent three nights in London when he flew from California to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games but did not see the King. He is said to have made several personal requests for a meeting but on arrival in the UK, issued a statement stating that he and his father would not meet. He suggested it was because the King was too busy. However, Charles, 75, did agree to a request from his younger son to stay at an undisclosed royal residence, aware that he no longer has an official UK home. Had the invitation been accepted, it may have provided an opportunity to spend some time together outside of their hectic schedules. The Duke declined because the offer did not come with any security provision, meaning he would have been staying in a visible location with public entrance and exit points and no police protection. Instead, he chose to stay at a hotel, as he has done on all recent visits, meaning he could come and go unseen. Royal residences are among the best protected properties in the country, with armed officers stationed at the gates. However, the Dukes primary concern is the level of security he is afforded outside. The Duke spent three nights in London when he flew from California to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games - Chris Jackson/Getty Images for The Invictus Games Foundation The Duke remains devastated about the withdrawal of his right to automatic police protection, which has become one of the biggest barriers to reconciliation with his father. He applied for a judicial review after the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) declared in February 2020 that he and his family were no longer entitled to the same degree of personal security when visiting Britain. Instead, a bespoke arrangement was created that involved assessing each visit on its merits. The Duke told the High Court he felt forced to step back from royal duties and leave the UK. He accused the Home Office of subjecting him to unlawful and unfair treatment by denying his family the right to automatic security and claimed he had been singled out and treated less favourably than others. He said he believed the decision was imposed upon him as some form of punishment for protecting my family and putting them first. The Duke offered to pay for his own security but was told the Metropolitan Police Service was not for hire. He lost the legal challenge in February, leaving him with an estimated legal bill of more than 1million. Mr Justice Lane insisted that Ravecs decision had not been irrational or procedurally unfair and rejected the Dukes inappropriate, formalist interpretation of the process. Harry is now required to give at least 28 days notice of his visits to the UK, including all details of his travel arrangements, to allow the committee to assess his security requirements. The King hosted a garden party while his son was a few miles up the road - Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire He has been denied almost every request, except for the odd occasion when he has travelled to or from a royal event, such as the Coronation. The Duke was given a police escort when he returned in February and was driven from Heathrow Airport to Clarence House for a meeting with the King, shortly after the monarch was diagnosed with cancer. However, when he left the residence for his hotel, he had no protection. The Duke feels he is currently unable to bring his wife or children to the UK as he cannot guarantee their safety. He is frustrated that his offer to pay for his own protection was turned down, it is understood. Similarly, given that his fathers principal private secretary, and other senior members of the royal household, sit on Ravec, he feels that if there was a desire to help him, things might be different. In announcing his intention to appeal the judicial review ruling in February, his spokesman said: The Duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravecs own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravecs own written policy. He believes that when he stepped back from royal duties in January 2020, the committee failed to adhere to its own written policy by conducting a full risk analysis. The Dukes case is that the so-called bespoke process that applies to him, is no substitute for that risk analysis, the statement said. Australias dream of a thriving small business sector is being hampered by a government procurement system stacked against them, according to a scathing new report by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO). The report paints a grim picture, revealing a system riddled with risk aversion that discourages small businesses from even attempting to compete for government contracts. This not only stifles the growth of small businesses, but also hurts taxpayers in the long run. The existing system is just not working the process involved in bidding is too complicated, not conducive to competition, opaque, inefficient, and incongruent with private-sector processes, ASBFEOs, Bruce Billson said. The Governments initial response to our inquiry is underwhelming several of the substantive recommendations and proposed reforms that have not been embraced, were rejected without any discussion at all. The report, which investigated the effectiveness of Commonwealth procurement rules for small businesses, found a system riddled with problems that leave small suppliers feeling excluded. The Ombudsmans inquiry wasnt just critical of the status quo, it also took aim at the governments initial response to its recommendations for reform, calling it underwhelming and failing to address the core issues. Its abundantly clear that the existing system isnt working as intended for many small businesses The steps already taken have not shifted the dial to achieve the Governments own stated objectives. Introducing retained economic value as the evaluation framework is a crucial recommendation that is too important to dismiss. What we need is real engagement and commitment to improving procurement outcomes Why wouldnt you create a Procurement Commissioner ? Billson calls for a more committed approach to improving the system and proposes the creation of a Procurement Commissioner. Moreover, the inquiry, investigating the effectiveness of Commonwealth procurement rules, found a system riddled with complexities that unfairly disadvantages smaller players. Not only did the ASBFEO criticize the current state of affairs, but it also slammed the governments initial response to its reform recommendations as underwhelming and failing to address core issues. Billson argues the government hasnt adequately addressed the core issues and dismissed valuable suggestions without proper consideration. The report highlights a significant gap between government spending on small businesses as suppliers (around 11%) and their overall representation in the Australian economy (97%). This translates to a missed opportunity for both economic growth and supporting local businesses. Broken system excludes SMEs The Ombudsmans investigation revealed a system riddled with problems: Overly Complex: The current procurement process is excessively complicated, deterring many small businesses from even attempting to participate. The current procurement process is excessively complicated, deterring many small businesses from even attempting to participate. Lack of Transparency: The systems opaqueness creates an uneven playing field, favoring established suppliers familiar with its intricacies. The systems opaqueness creates an uneven playing field, favoring established suppliers familiar with its intricacies. Stifling Competition: The existing rules are seen as hindering fair competition, potentially excluding qualified small businesses from consideration. The existing rules are seen as hindering fair competition, potentially excluding qualified small businesses from consideration. Inefficient Processes: Bureaucratic hurdles slow down the process, making it time-consuming and resource-intensive for smaller businesses. Bureaucratic hurdles slow down the process, making it time-consuming and resource-intensive for smaller businesses. Private Sector Disconnect: The procurement process is out of sync with typical private sector practices, further disadvantaging small businesses accustomed to those methods. Ombudsman proposes reform package Billsons report outlines a reform package that aims to create a more efficient, transparent, and small business-friendly procurement process. These reforms wouldnt require additional funding, but rather a shift in approach and focus on: Streamlining Processes: Simplifying the bidding process to make it more accessible for smaller businesses. Simplifying the bidding process to make it more accessible for smaller businesses. Transparency and Fairness: Ensuring a level playing field by increasing transparency in the evaluation process. Ensuring a level playing field by increasing transparency in the evaluation process. Focus on Value: Going beyond just price to consider broader economic benefits, such as supporting local businesses and innovation. Billson urges the government to seriously consider all the recommendations and their potential to improve the system. He emphasizes the need for a step-change in government procurement, advocating for a system that fosters a fair and competitive environment for small businesses to contribute meaningfully to the Australian economy. The report and recommendations are available at: www.asbfeo.gov.au/procurement Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Its a little-known fact that the Ralph Lauren store in Chicago is actually the largest in the fleet and was also the first to add an adjacent restaurant. And now, the company has completed a renovation of the 37,000-square-foot boutique on Michigan Avenue that houses the complete world of Ralph Lauren: all brands, an RL restaurant and a Ralphs Coffee shop. More from WWD The store, which opened more than 25 years ago, has been redesigned in the manner of a Gilded Age beaux-arts mansion reminiscent of the New York City flagship in the former Rhinelander Mansion on 72nd Street. The four-floor Chicago store carries a comprehensive assortment of the mens and womens high-end Collections, as well as Polo Ralph Lauren, childrenswear, Ralph Lauren Home and Double RL. The mens department. On the mens floor, there is a refurbished Purple Label suite, a new dedicated space for made-to-measure, a large Double RL shop with white bead-board details and vintage fixtures, and a Polo department with stained oak walls, antique brass hardware and vintage artwork. The womens floor features wood and crystal accents bathed in natural light. A new Salon offers select pieces from the home collection, custom plaster crown molding and hard-carved wall paneling and a bay window overlooking Michigan Avenue. In addition to new areas for tailoring, a womens VIP suite is designed with custom Ralph Lauren wall coverings and fabrics. The womens department is bright and airy. Shoppable digital displays have been installed throughout the store as well. The company said the renovation reflects its mission to elevate its stores and deliver a consistent experience around the world. To celebrate the renovation, the company will host a cocktail party in the store followed by a dinner on Tuesday. Inside the RL restaurant in Chicago. The Ralphs Coffee shop. Best of WWD SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (WKRG) Santa Rosa County residents will soon have an opportunity to take a step toward ensuring the health and safety of their community cats. On Wednesday, May 22, the Santa Rosa County Animal Services is hosting Community Cats Day at the Santa Rosa County Animal Shelter at 4451 Pine Forest Road in Milton, Florida. 2 arrested after $300,000 in jewelry stolen at Cordova Mall: Pensacola Police COMMUNITY CATS DAY LOCATION: This embedded content is not available in your region. 50 feral or stray cats will be accepted and administered free spay and neutering. In addition, the cats will also receive a rabies vaccination and ear tip. Participants are required to be residents of Santa Rosa County and provide proof upon arrival. They are permitted to bring up to three community cats, and it will run on a first-come, first-serve basis. Aniahs Law hearing for Tyquan French reveals new info in Stockton shooting Cats must also be heavier than 3 pounds, outdoor and unowned to be eligible for the program. Residents are also responsible for trapping and transporting cats to and from the shelter. Only one cat is allowed per trap, and every trap must be humane, and able to stand on its own. A limited number of traps are available to rent from the Santa Rosa County Animal Services. Cats are to be dropped off by 8 a.m. and picked up between 9 and 10 a.m. the following day, Thursday, May 23. Visit the Santa Rosa County pet help resources tab on the county website for additional resources. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. Erin Austen Abbott and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this story. Pricing and availability subject to change. In the 4th grade, my classmates and I had to select one state to write a report on. I picked Maine, not because I'd been there, but because I read Blueberries for Sal on repeat as a younger child and was enchanted with the simplicity of the hunt for blueberries and the charm of doing so in mirrored form with a mama bear and her cub. I imagined the whole state full of solitude and wonder. Even as a child, that was the type of environment that I was seeking. A big part of me still does today. Rose Foods, Portland, Maine Photo by Erin Austen Abbott (Erin Austen Abbott) It wasn't until many more years later that I visited Maine and found that it's not all quiet and rambling; instead, it's home to the bustling city of Portland. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement I still suggest hunting for those tiny towns and the solitude of Maine, but spend a few days in Portland first. Here are my suggestions for a weekend in Maine's largest city. Great for some summer planning. Shop: Eat: Honey Paw, Portland, Maine Image by Erin Austen Abbott (Erin Austen Abbott) Stay: The Press Hotel AC Hotel Blind Tiger This Airbnb: My son and I stayed here last summer, and I loved it so much! It would be suitable for a family of four. More than that, it would be too small. Portland, Maine Air BNB Image by Erin Austen Abbott (Erin Austen Abbott) Do: Mackworth Island State Park, Portland, Maine, Image by Erin Austen Abbott (Erin Austen Abbott) Walking trails at Mackworth Island State Park, Portland, Maine (Erin Austen Abbott) Ok, with this round-up, you should be able to plan a great trip to Portland, Maine. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement **When planning, check to make sure places are open. A lot of Maine shuts down at different times, especially in the winter and on slower days of the week. As always, thanks for reading here. Follow on Instagram for more travel ideas, tips, and itineraries. - Erin Some cocktail recipes call for half a dozen elements and complex processes that can feel daunting, particularly in summer when we all want to work a little less hard at everything. This is why froccs a tipple that requires only two ingredients is a welcome addition to any warm-weather beverage toolbox. Parts of Hungary are famously hot in summer, and one of the best ways to beat the heat and simultaneously enjoy the country's famous wines is in the form of froccs (pronounced "frurtch"). This prototypical wine-and-fizzy-water drink may seem familiar to fans of an Aperol Spritz, but it is even more straightforward. The recipe here requires nothing more than wine and sparkling water it doesn't even call for ice cubes or garnishes. Froccs isn't new; in fact, it's a drink with quite a long history as part of Hungarian culture in the warmer months. But if it's new to you, you might soon find space for it on your cocktail menu in any season. Read more: The Ultimate Vodka Brands, Ranked Enjoying Froccs At Home Wine spritzers in glasses - Bhofack2/Getty Images Though it originated in Hungary, don't have to travel to Budapest to enjoy a refreshing froccs. You can make this in a snap from any location by combining a Hungarian wine like the white olaszrizling or a rose like kekfrankos with sparkling water. And while it may be fun to travel with Hungarian wine, you can easily find substitutes for these varietals just aim for lighter, crisp, less oaky, or sweet options (and don't worry; proponents of this practice suggest your wine will be enhanced, not ruined, by the addition of a little bubbly water). This drink is also open to interpretation in terms of ratio, as there isn't a standard. Different designations in Hungary exist to describe how strong or diluted you want your froccs, which can depend on your mood. For example, your wine-to-water ratio will determine whether you are a "Mayor" or a "Landlord." So start with a splash of seltzer and adjust from there. For your dinner party purposes, if you're going for a Hungarian theme, you can serve a one-pot goulash or sheet pan chicken paprikash with potatoes. Both of these benefit from the fizzy lift of sparkling water in your wine (as will a sweet treat like a Hungarian nut roll). The Culture And History Of Froccs Vintage seltzer siphons - tolobalaguer.com/Shutterstock Froccs may not seem like the wine spritzer would have any relation to electric model cars, but in fact, it was a Benedictine monk named Anyos Jedlik who made contributions to both of these important cultural creations. It was around the mid-19th century when Jedlik discovered a way to capture sparkling water in a bottle. When he decided to show off his new process (using a siphon) to some friends at a dinner party, he grabbed his wine and sprayed a bit of the bubbly liquid into the glass and a beloved new drink was born. The Austrian-German term "spritzer" loosely translates to "sparkling water," but one of Jedlik's distinguished guests preferred to tie this new invention more closely to its creator's national identity, suggesting "froccs" a reference to the Hungarian froccsen or "to splash." Given that it was allegedly created during a dinner party, it seems fitting that Jedlik's legacy is tied to what has become an integral part of Hungarian gathering customs. Today, you'll find froccs is common in many settings, be it a restaurant or bar, an outdoor market, or a casual picnic. The beauty of this bubbly drink is its adaptability, and froccs is on theme for any summery celebration. Read the original article on Daily Meal Top 10 baby names in SC for 2023 unveiled by Social Security Administration. Take a look The U.S. Social Security Administration recently released its most-frequently chosen baby names for 2023, and in South Carolina they are Noah for boys and Olivia for girls. The list is based on applications for Social Security cards. The most popular names across the country for last year are Liam and Olivia Noah is No. 2 as is Emma. Olivia has been the most popular name in the country for the past five years, Liam for seven. The most popular names are available on the Social Security website, which also includes searchable databases for popularity by year back to 1880, by decade, by state and trending names. You could spend some serious time on the website if so inclined and come up with information like Betty was No. 2 seven times in the 1920s-1930s and never could dethrone Mary. Betty hasnt been in the top 5 since 1940. In 1900, which is the first year the website lists individual names, John was the most popular and held a top 10 spot until 1986. In 2023, John was No. 26. The top girls name in 1880 was Mary. The website, which seems a bit glitchy when searching, did not come up with a timeline for Mary. But the website does say Mary has been ranked No. 1 32 times and Michael 44 times. The name Mary dropped off the top 10 list in 1987 and hasnt been seen since. Robert and James have also been popular through the years. The most popular names in South Carolina for boys in 2023 are: Noah William Liam James John Elijah Oliver Henry Hudson Lucas And for girls: Olivia Charlotte Amelia Emma Ava Elizabeth Sophia Harper Nova Evelyn In the United States, the most popular names for boys are: Liam Noah Oliver James Elijah Mateo Theodore Henry Lucas William And for girls: Olivia Emma Charlotte Amelia Sophia Mia Isabella Ava Evelyn Luna The top trending name in the U.S. in 2023 is Izael for boys and Kaeli for girls. Social Security cards are not required by law, but many government services are not available without one. The SSA says the easiest way to apply for a card is when the hospital in which a child is born registers a birth certificate. Built in 1881, the Dr. Joseph and Olivia Soper House in Sturgeon Bay was listed in May 2024 on the National Register of Historic Places, about two months after it was added to the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places. STURGEON BAY - Special stone has led to a local home becoming a nationally historic place, two months after the state deemed it historic as well. The Wisconsin Historical Society announced May 17 that the 143-year-old Dr. Joseph and Olivia Soper House in Sturgeon Bay was listed earlier this month on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was added to the Wisconsin State Register of Historic Places in late February. What makes the house at 23 N. Fifth Ave. architecturally and historically significant, according to the historical society, is that its exterior is clad in locally produced Frear artificial stone. The society's webpage for the house says it is the only residential structure using this short-lived building material that remains standing in the city and one of just three properties using it in Wisconsin, including a commercial building with Frear stone at 40-44 N. Third Ave. in the city. Frear artificial stone was an early form of concrete, cast from sand or gravel. George Frear of Chicago earned a patent for it in 1868, and it was promoted as an affordable alternative to natural stone, claiming advantages of being both strong and versatile with a wide range of color tones and a nearly infinite variety of molds into which it could be cast. Frear Stone Manufacturing Co. was located in Chicago, but the cast stone used at the Soper House was manufactured in Sturgeon Bay by Giles Kirtland, a former superintendent at the Frear plant who purchased the rights to manufacture and sell the product locally. Frear stone was used at the Soper House for the smooth block veneer, the drip course above the foundation, window sills and decorative arched hoods over the windows. The rear dormer windows and existing garage are later additions, but the interior plan of the building remains largely as it was when built 143 years ago. Use of Frear stone was limited, and by the mid-1880s artificial stone was largely replaced by more modern forms of concrete, which the historical society said makes "Frear stone a short-lived but important chapter in the development of modern concrete construction." Also contributing to the house's historic status is its age, of course, and design. Built in 1881, the Italianate-style residence includes corner quoins, wide overhanging eaves with prominent gable ornamentation, tall and narrow double-hung windows, and a projecting bay window with tall and narrow stilted arch windows, overhanging eaves and decorative brackets, all in addition to the Frear stone features mentioned above. Another detail not necessarily relating to the house but in the same lot is the casting of street names on a flat concrete slab at the inside corner of the Louisiana Street and Fifth Avenue sidewalks. Here, the names of Church (now Fifth) and Cottage (now Louisiana) streets are visible. This detail can be found on many street corners within the older portions of the city and is of some urban design interest. As for the house's history, the Sopers sold it in 1886 to George Spear, a partner in Merchants Exchange Bank (whose building itself, at 10 N. Third Ave., also is on the state and national historic place registers). In the 20th century, the house was divided into two apartment units before serving as office space for a local nonprofit organization. The house is now a private residence that, according to the society, is undergoing restoration as part of a state historic tax credit project. The State Historic Preservation Office at the Wisconsin Historical Society administers both the State Register and National Register in Wisconsin. For more information on the registers, visit wisconsinhistory.org/hp/register; for more on the Soper House, visit wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2795. Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com. MORE: A year-round coffee shop in Door County has new owners who plan to expand its summer hours MORE: A Door County shop specializing in quilted gifts is moving to a new, larger location FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 143-year-old Sturgeon Bay home is named a national historic place If you're living with a drug or mental health problem, here's where to look for help "Deaths of despair" caused by drug overdoses, suicide and liver disease due to alcoholism have risen among Americans of color. (Angelica Alzona / For The Times) Fatal overdoses in the U.S. fell for the first time in five years in 2023, according to preliminary estimates recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but UCLA researcher Joseph Friedman warns that the new findings should not be interpreted to mean that the nation's drug and mental health crises are abating. Friedman has analyzed "deaths of despair" that result from overdose, suicide and liver disease due to alcoholism and found that while death rates for white Americans have dipped, rates have risen in recent years among people of color in the U.S., especially among Native and Black Americans. Illegal opioids such as fentanyl have ravaged Black and low-income communities in Los Angeles. While it's difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons behind substance abuse or suicide, Friedman as well as other experts in addiction medicine and mental health say racial inequality, economic distress and historical trauma have aggravated those problems in marginalized communities. If you or someone you know needs immediate help for a mental health, substance-use or suicidal crisis, call or text 988, or chat online by visiting the suicide and crisis line's website. For mental health resources and referrals, call the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health's Help Line 24/7 at (800) 854-7771. Here are other organizations that offer information, counseling and support services: Read more: Are 'deaths of despair' really more common for white Americans? A UCLA report says no Nakeya Fields, a licensed clinical social worker in Pasadena, founded the Black Mental Health Task Force, a coalition that brings together mental health professionals, clients, nonprofits, community organizations, educators and others in California to raise awareness about mental wellness. Her Therapeutic Play Foundation offers activities designed to improve resilience and coping skills through creative arts, play and sports. It provides individual, couples, group and family therapy for Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and other members of marginalized populations. The American Indian Counseling Center, a division of the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department, offers crisis intervention, 24/7 intensive mental health services and counseling for all ages, as well as physician consultations for medications and referrals to culturally relevant support groups. Call (562) 402-0677 and ask to speak with the on-duty worker. United American Indian Involvement's behavioral health program provides outpatient substance use disorder treatment and mental health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives living throughout Los Angeles County. Visit the website or call (213) 202-3970. Melanin and Mental Health offers an online network of Black and brown mental healthcare providers that is searchable by geographic area, issue type and treatment sought. It's also possible to filter results by therapists' racial background and specialty, as well as by insurance carrier. The Black Mental Health Alliance offers confidential referrals to culturally competent mental health professionals who are in its database of licensed therapists. Painted Brain advocates for mental wellness in underserved L.A. communities by offering self-care, relaxation and therapeutic art and play sessions, support groups and trainings for mental health professionals. As part of its peer-led model, many of the staff have experienced mental health issues themselves. Its community center and art space is located at 5980 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles LGBT Center offers individual, couples, family, group therapy and psychiatric care, as well as support for people struggling with substance use. The center has locations in West Hollywood, at Mi Centro in East L.A., at its Trans Wellness Center near MacArthur Park and in South L.A.'s Leimert Park neighborhood. The Community Health Project Los Angeles provides services to people who use drugs by way of a harm-reduction approach that emphasizes offering clean needles as well as education on how to respond to an overdose. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. One person died and dozens of others were left injured after a Singapore Airlines flight encountered "severe" turbulence, the airline said in a social media post. The Boeing 777-300ER departed London's Heathrow Airport on Monday with 221 passengers and 18 crew members on board, according to the airline. The flight, SQ 321, encountered turbulence about 90 minutes from its destination of Singapore and was diverted to Bangkok, the carrier said. Six people were critically injured, Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager for Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, said. Dozens of other passengers suffered minor or moderate injuries, he said. PHOTO: The interior of Singapore Airline flight SQ321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, May 21, 2024. (Stringer/Reuters) MORE: Iowa governor declares disaster emergency as tornadoes rip through 15 counties Geoff Kitchen, a 73-year-old man from the U.K., died, according to authorities and a music theater group where he worked. The U.K.-based Thornbury Musical Theatre Group said in a Facebook post, "Geoff was always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity and always did what was right for the group. His commitment to TMTG was unquestionable and he has served the group and the local community of Thornbury for over 35 years, holding various offices within the group, including Chairman, Treasurer and most recently Secretary. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and the family at this difficult time, and we ask that you respect their privacy." Singapore Airlines offered its condolences to Kitchens family. "Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased," the airline said in a statement on Tuesday. "Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft." PHOTO: A Singapore airline aircraft is seen on tarmac after requesting an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, May 21, 2024. (Pongsak Suksi via Reuters) The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to assist in the investigation. "Suddenly, the aircraft starts tilting up, and there was shaking, so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop, so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling," Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on the flight, told ABC News. "Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it; they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it." MORE: Father, 2 siblings set to graduate from college killed after small plane crashes in Tennessee PHOTO: A worker wipes a Singapore Airlines logo at the International Tourism Trade Fair (ITB, Internationale Tourismusboerse) in Berlin on March 6, 2023. (John Macdougall/AFP via Getty Images) Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong addressed the SQ321 incident in a video. "We are deeply saddened by this incident, and are committed to providing all necessary support and assistance to the passengers and crew members who were on board SQ321, as well as their families and loved ones. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the passenger who passed away," Phong said. The airline said late Tuesday night that four of the passengers were American. Two of them were injured. The aircraft appeared to have encountered the turbulence in Thai airspace, somewhere over the Andaman Sea. The flight, which had been scheduled to arrive at Singapore Changi Airport, instead touched down in Thailand at about 3:45 p.m. local time, the carrier said. "We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said in a statement. "We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew." ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Will Gretsky and Helena Skinner contributed to this report. 1 dead, 6 critically injured amid 'severe' turbulence on Singapore Airlines flight, carrier says originally appeared on abcnews.go.com BANGKOK, Thailand (NewsNation) One person is dead and over two dozen others were injured after a Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore experienced severe turbulence Tuesday, forcing an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thailand. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, the airline posted to its social media accounts. The statement continued, Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. Authorities have identified the victim as a 73-year-old British man who may have suffered a heart attack, though that has not been confirmed, according to the Associated Press. Record Memorial Day travel set to launch busy summer season In a second update Tuesday, Singapore Airlines reported that 18 individuals had been hospitalized and 12 were being treated in hospitals. Others were examined and given treatment, where necessary at the airport. The majority of the passengers on board four of whom were from the United States were from Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. Flight SQ321 reportedly flew through a region experiencing extreme tropical thunderstorms, which caused severe turbulence and prompted the emergency landing. Tracking data captured by FlightRadar24 and analyzed by The Associated Press show Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet. At one point, the Boeing 777-300ER suddenly and sharply plummeted to 31,000 feet over the span of some three minutes, the data shows. The aircraft then stayed at 31,000 feet for under 10 minutes before diverting and landing in Bangkok less than half an hour later. Researchers studying doomsday glacier make worrying discovery There have been multiple incidents of passengers being injured after planes encountered severe turbulence recently. In September, seven passengers and one crew member were hospitalized after their JetBlue flight from Ecuador to Florida experienced sudden severe turbulence, Nexstars WFLA reported. A month prior, 11 people were hospitalized after a Delta Air Lines flight encountered severe turbulence while flying from Italy to Atlanta. Last July, two passengers and two flight attendants were injured when their Florida-bound flight hit turbulence that caused the plane to drop roughly 5,000 feet in less than two minutes. One passenger on that flight told WFLA he saw several people hit the ceiling. As Nexstars KXAN explains, there are four causes for turbulence: mechanical, thermal, pressure fronts, and wind shear. To avoid injuries caused by unexpected turbulence, the Federal Aviation Administration recommends passengers remain seated during the entire flight with their safety belts buckled. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Providing feedback to your team is an essential part of not only an individuals professional development, but the performance and engagement of an organisation. An effective and regular feedback process can be crucial to ensuring that you are on the same page with your teams, to discuss growth opportunities for the future and of course, to recognise and reward great work. New data from leading employment marketplace, SEEK, has revealed that 60% of Australian workers who have had a difficult conversation with their manager / employer have said it was a negative experience. According to this research, some of the most common reasons for this feedback experience being negative came down to how it was delivered with the feedback not being communicated well, or in the right environment, as well as feeling blindsided by the feedback, ranking highly among employee experiences. As we all know, there are always going to be trickier conversations that are harder to avoid, but there are ways to approach and deliver feedback to ensure the process is constructive and beneficial to both the employee and your organisation. Timeliness is key It can be easy to be swept up in the busyness of day-to-day working life, which may result in delivering feedback being deprioritised until a quieter moment arises. However, we all know that those moments can sometimes be few and far between! According to SEEK research, almost 70% of respondents would prefer to have a difficult conversation in real time, rather than in a more structured performance review. When possible, try to nip difficult conversations in the bud and share feedback with individuals in a timely manner. This not only allows for a discussion on the matter at hand when it is still fresh in both of your minds, but it also allows for it to be addressed and hopefully resolved for future instances. Some practical ways to introduce more regular opportunities for sharing feedback with your time could include scheduling a monthly or fortnightly check-in. On some occasions, you may decide that you can go without these check-ins, however, this means that they are always in the diary and provide a milestone to ensure that youre sharing feedback consistently. Alternatively, consider if there are relevant project milestones which could integrate a touchpoint for employee feedback. For instance, could a quarterly review with a client also serve as a reminder to discuss how a team member is working on a project and discuss how to work better together moving forward? With feeling blindsided being one of the top three reasons for an Australian worker to say theyve had a negative feedback experience, a regular feedback loop could help mitigate this and increase receptiveness to feedback. These regular feedback sessions dont need to be lengthy but brief 10-15 minute check-in conversations can be far more productive and motivating to employees then bi-annual formal performance reviews that usually have negative connotations for both sides. Be problem-focused and specific When sharing feedback, its important to also share the why with your employee. Your employee might not have all the background or context on an issue so, if necessary, give them a sense of how the issue affects the workflow, the business or the project. Providing the big picture and the flow-on effects of how problems or mistakes may affect others will provide greater context and understanding. This can help explain the importance of the feedback being passed along, and why there may be an issue particularly if an employee is not aware of the issue prior to the conversation. The more specific you can make your feedback, the more likely it will be well-received and actionable. Talk about the situation, not the individual Constructive feedback is focused on outcomes and impartial observations not the employees personal attributes. Wherever possible, focus on behaviour or situations, not people and personalities. Feedback centred on the individual could be taken as an attack motivated by personal feelings, rather than objective facts. By discussing the situation itself, youre showing youre most concerned about fixing the problem at hand and not criticising the employee. You are also able to remove emotion from the discussion and purely talk about the situation or observation. Give them a chance to have their say When giving feedback, make sure your employee has a chance to respond. It should always be a two-way conversation.. This shows youre prepared to listen to their concerns and their interpretation of events. Its also an opportunity for the employee to express their ideas to you and become part of the solution. This will help empower them and likely ensure they take on this feedback for the future. Give praise where its due Giving employees positive feedback helps empower them. Acknowledging positives among negatives can be a good way to reassure them that you havent lost perspective. This tells the employee that youre not criticising their overall performance; just that certain aspects of their job need attention. Its always worth keeping in mind that we all thrive on positive reinforcement, so dont assume employees will always know when theyre performing well come out and tell them. One of the biggest gripes with employees is that they dont feel appreciated for all the good work and effort that they put into their work and that feedback is only based on what they are not doing well. Check in with your employee after the conversation Sometimes, no matter the strength of your delivery, feedback wont always be received well. If you find a person has been distressed by the feedback, or reacted negatively, check in and ask them how they feel about the feedback and the process now that theyve had some further time to digest. This could also be an opportunity to ensure that they are clear on how best to resolve the issue at hand and if they need anything further to help with this. This could look like offering additional training or mentoring to help steer them in the right direction. And finally, as obvious as it may sound, always consider how youd like to receive the feedback that youre providing. This can be a valuable sense-check on your approach and delivery, and, while every individual is different, it can be a useful touchstone. If you dont feel confident delivering feedback, find a role model in your organisation who is particularly effective when delivering feedback or even seek out some external resources or training to build your confidence in this area. Many news managers find providing negative feedback challenging in the early days but over time this skill can most definitely be improved. While effectively delivering trickier feedback can take time and effort to master, the positive change it brings is well worth the effort. It is vital to promote personal and professional growth, enhance personal and organisational performance, strengthen relationships and foster a workplace culture of continuous improvement. Be it positive or negative, providing staff with ongoing feedback is one of the most important and powerful development tools at your disposal. For more advice on ways to provide feedback, and navigate tricky conversations, visit: https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/ Keep up to date with our stories on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Ten Ukrainian servicemen have completed F-16 fighter jet maintenance training in the Netherlands. Source: European Pravda with reference to the Dutch Ministry of Defence Details: The Netherlands has agreed to provide Ukraine with at least 24 F-16 fighter jets, which also need maintenance. Ukrainian servicemen practised maintaining all the fighter jet's critical parts that are essential for the pilot, including helmets, oxygen systems and onboard parachutes. The training also involved assembling and checking the rescue emergency kit. This kit, which includes items such as food and medical supplies, enables a pilot to survive for several days after an emergency landing. The training prepares soldiers for all possible risks during F-16 flights, ultimately providing better protection for Ukrainian pilots. The course was developed by the Flight Safety Equipment (VVU) cluster. "F-16 pilots essentially put their lives in the hands of the soldiers maintaining the aircraft. Once they take off, they know they can rely on these people's knowledge and skills and that the aircraft will be in good condition," the Dutch Ministry of Defence noted. The Netherlands is also one of the initiators of the European F-16 Training Centre (EFTC) in Romania. The EFTC has been provided with 11 F-16 aircraft. Background: Dutch Defence Minister Kajsa Ollongren announced the transfer of a batch of YPR-765 infantry fighting vehicles to Kyiv at the 22nd meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein-format meeting. Margarita Robles, Minister of Defence of Spain, announced the delivery of the second batch of Leopard tanks and other military aid to Ukraine at the 22nd Ramstein-format meeting. Support UP or become our patron! 11 children taken to hospitals after 3 school buses crash in Will County, Illinois, police say CHICAGO Eleven children were transported to the hospital after three school buses from Reed-Custer Schools were involved in a crash Tuesday morning on I-55 in the Chicago suburbs, according to Illinois State Police. A multi-unit crash involving the buses happened around 8:35 a.m. at I-55 northbound at milepost 246 in Will County, police said Tuesday afternoon. Officials had initially reported the crash occurring in Grundy County. The buses were traveling northbound in the right line when traffic slowed to a stop, police said. One bus was unable to stop in time and struck the back of another bus, which then struck the rear of the third. No other vehicles were involved in the crash, police said. Eleven children were transported to local hospitals with minor injuries, police said. The Braidwood Police Department said the rest of the children were returned to Reed-Custer Middle School in Braidwood while state police investigate the crash. All lanes of traffic were reopened by Tuesday afternoon, police said. The driver of the bus that didnt stop in time was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash. ____ 14-year-old airlifted to hospital after crash in Mercer County A 14-year-old was airlifted to the hospital after a crash in Mercer County, Monday afternoon. Around 2:19 p.m. Monday, crews were dispatched to State Route 29, east of Fleetfoot Rd in Jefferson Township on reports of a crash. The initial investigation revealed that 16-year-old Wesley Greber of Celina, Ohio was driving a car westbound on SR 19. Gurpreet Puaar, 36, of Fresno, California was driving eastbound in a semi-tractor and trailer. >> 3 people with gunshot wounds walk into hospital after shooting in Trotwood Greber reportedly traveled left of center into the eastbound lane and struck Puaar. Puaar refused treatment at the scene. Greber was transported to Mercer Health ER for treatment. Grebers front-seat passenger, 14-year-old Benjamin Ly of Celina, Ohio was airlifted and taken to Dayton Childrens Hospital for treatment. The crash remains under investigation at this time. The 18th Airborne Corps published a memo over the weekend that says soldiers on staff duty have to sleep for at least four consecutive hours. The memo lays out the logistics for whos in charge of making sure soldiers clock out to take their slumber and explicitly states that units cant hold soldiers past their shift to sleep. Typically, during staff duty, soldiers man the front desk and conduct checks of unit headquarters within their units area of operation. Maj. David Nixon, an operations officer for the 18th Airborne Corps, recommended the sleep guidelines as part of his field officer of the day duties, according to Capt. Victoria Horn, an Army spokesperson. The duties require him to identify issues and recommend solutions. Nixon suggested signing a policy that would mandate strict sleep requirements for soldiers to improve their mental acuity and reduce the possibility of accidents while on the job. The memo was signed by Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the commanding general of the 18th Airborne Corps, on May 13 and will be implemented across the corps, said Horn. Nixon wrote an opinion column in Military Times in 2023 about the lack of sleep for service members. Sleep and the lack of it has been a constant thorn in the militarys side. Improper fatigue management was determined to have played a role in the fatal Fitzgerald and John S. McCain destroyer collisions in 2017, according to National Transportation Safety Board accident reports. The U.S. Government Accountability Office published a comprehensive report earlier this year identifying specific areas of sleep deprivation issues in the military. The report found that a majority of service members say they sleep 6 hours or less, which falls below the Department of Defenses recommended 7 or more hours of sleep each day. Fatigue caused by inadequate sleep can negatively affect a service members performance and has contributed to accidents resulting in deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to ships, vehicles, and aircraft, said the report, which also likened impairment from fatigue to alcohol intoxication The report, which Nixon referenced in his recommendation to the 18th Airborne, also called on the Department of Defense to delegate fatigue-solving responsibilities to specific departments within the services. The effects of sleep deprivation go beyond short-term repercussions, according to Vincent Mysliwiec, director of sleep medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Mysliwiec spent 27 years as an Army doctor 10 of them focusing on sleep and sleep medicine and served as the sleep medicine consultant to the Surgeon General of the United States Army. I think we do see a higher rate of chronic medical disorders later in their career, Mysliwiec said of service members, citing physical ailments and mental disorders. Addressing sleep, said Mysliwiec, helps prevent problems such as these later down the line. Mysliwiec, who researches sleep and sleep disorders in service members and veterans, was effusive in his praise of the 18th Airborne Corps requirement, calling it the best policy hed seen regarding a structured framework for sleep requirements. There are three major hurdles to fixing sleep deprivation in the services, said Diana Maurer, director of the defense capabilities and management team for the U.S. Government Accountability Office. There are operational difficulties that are just a part of the job. A soldier, for instance, might be deployed near loud noises that make it difficult to sleep. Theres also a cultural tide thats hard to shift. A whole suck-it-up-buttercup approach, said Maurer. And there are organizational problems, like deciding who to put in charge of addressing sleep deprivation when the responsibilities cover so many troops and require so much oversight. Regarding the 18th Airborne Corps new sleep requirement, she confessed she didnt know enough to offer much of a comment. But she was optimistic. Four is a start. MILLCREEK, Utah (ABC4) A 19-year-old is facing several felony charges after a house party allegedly escalated into a shooting at a high school campus in Salt Lake City over the weekend. According to court documents, Javier Martinez, 19, fired multiple rounds during a fight at West High School on Sunday, May 19, injuring at least three people. He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail and faces four second-degree felony charges of discharge of a firearm resulting in injury and five third-degree felony charges of discharge of a firearm. Police say Martinez and several friends attended a house party in Millcreek but were quickly kicked out because there were too many people at the party. As they were leaving the party, Martinez claimed someone was throwing up gang signs at him, prompting him to pull out a gun and fire several shots into the air. Martinez said he fired his gun in an attempt to get the person to back up, according to court documents. After leaving the party, Martinez met up with his friends at West High School. Martinez told investigators one friend was upset at him for firing his gun. As they were speaking, one friend began badmouthing Martinez, according to court documents. Unified Police Department involved in overnight shooting in Millcreek The two allegedly exchanged words before the friend squared up to fight Martinez. Martinez told police he hit his friend once in the face and then felt another friend hit him from behind. Martinez told police he felt threatened and pulled out his gun, firing several shots into the ground as he was falling backward. One victim who allegedly admitted to police he joined the fight was shot in the foot while running away from Martinez. He was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery. Another victim reported being grazed in the neck by a bullet. Meanwhile, the victims reported another friend received a graze on their back. Detectives were able to locate Martinez after the shooting and safely take him into custody. Martinez told investigators where the gun he used was located. Police say they found the gun along with several magazines and ammunition. Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. 190,000 consumers in Kharkiv Oblast and 101 settlements in Donetsk Oblast left without electricity Consumers in seven oblasts of Ukraine have been left without electricity because of a Russian attack. Source: press service of the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine Kharkiv Oblast. After todays morning attack, oblast power networks in Kharkiv had been turned off. To prevent technological issues in the city, about 190,000 consumers had been left without electricity; as of now, the power supply has been restored. Due to the fighting, 34,200 metering points remain without electricity. Donetsk Oblast. Over the past 24 hours, Russian attacks have left 3,500 consumers in two settlements without electricity. Power engineers have restored the supply of electricity to 4,600 consumers in six settlements. As of the morning of 21 May, 101 settlements and a total of 47,100 consumers remain without voltage. Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. A total of 557 metering points were de-energized due to hostilities. The power supply has been restored for most of them. Zaporizhzhia Oblast. Repair teams have repaired damage to the networks near the line of contact that had been caused by attacks, and the power supply has been restored to 157 consumers. As a result of the fighting, more than 3,700 consumers in 51 settlements remain without electricity. Sumy Oblast. More than 7,500 consumers in 87 settlements remain without electricity because of Russian attacks. Kherson Oblast. An attack left 131 metering points in Kherson without electricity. More than 3,000 consumers in the city have been left without electricity, and 25,800 consumers in 45 settlements in Kherson Oblast remain without voltage. Chernihiv Oblast. As a result of the fighting, 1,500 consumers in 27 settlements remain without electricity. Background: Due to attacks on Monday, 21 May, consumers in seven oblasts of Ukraine were left without electricity. Support UP or become our patron! $2.1M home listed on Redfin appears to be that of Google engineer who allegedly killed wife (KRON) Move-in ready, freshly painted inside and out, and conveniently close to everything are a few of the descriptors in a Redfin listing for a Santa Clara home listed for $2,120,000. The home, located at 714 Valley Way, appeared on Redfin earlier this week and was built in 1960. It has a two-car garage, air conditioning and is outfitted with exquisite cabinets and top-notch appliances. However, the listing fails to mention the homes unfortunate history. As first reported by SFGate, the home appears to be the same one previously occupied by a Google engineer who allegedly savagely beat his wife to death inside the home. Driverless Waymo car thwarts robbers during police chase On Jan. 16 of this year, Xuanyi Yu, who was also a software engineer at Google, was found dead inside a home that matches the address of the Redfin listing. According to the Santa Clara County District Attorney, police responded to the home around 11 a.m. for a welfare check. Yus husband, Liren Chen, refused to answer his phone or the door, an acquaintance told police. He said he could see Chen inside the home motionless on his knees, had his hands in the air and was staring blankly. Officers entered the home and took Chen into custody. The victim was located deceased on the floor with severe blunt force injuries to her head. Chen, the DA said, had an extremely swollen and purple right hand, blood on his clothing, legs, arms and hands, and scratches on his arms. Paramedics, according to court documents, asked Chen how he hurt his hand. I punched my wife, he replied. Chen, 27, was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife. The California Association of Realtors states that sellers must disclose any deaths on a property listed within the last three years. KRON4 has reached out to the listing agent for the property for clarification. We have yet to hear back. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. 2 arrested after $300,000 in jewelry stolen at Cordova Mall: Pensacola Police PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) Two people have been arrested in connection to a theft of $300,000 worth of jewelry at a Cordova Mall kiosk, according to the Pensacola Police Department. Aniahs Law hearing for Tyquan French reveals new info in Stockton shooting Jorge Giovanni Escobar-Gonzalez, 41, and Linda Mayulay Salazar-Canon, 42, were arrested in Osceola County on Monday on a warrant obtained by Pensacola Police detectives, according to a PPD release. The release said authorities recovered several pieces of allegedly stolen jewelry. Escobar-Gonzalez is charged with burglary, grand theft and criminal mischief, the release said. Salazar-Canon is charged with conspiracy to burglary and conspiracy to criminal mischief. Mobile woman accused of pulling knife on gas station clerk, stealing items: MPD A PPD spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing, and more arrests could be made. Both Escobar-Gonzalez and Salazar-Canon will be returned to Escambia County soon, according to the release. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The Oregon Treasury is in charge of the states investments and debt programs while protecting public assets making the Office of the Treasurer a pivotal role in business and taxpayer money. And as current Treasurer Tobias Read, a Democrat, leaves his office behind to run for secretary of state, the position remains wide open for the three candidates interested in taking over his job. The primary election on Tuesday, May 21 will determine the candidate that will represent their party in the upcoming November election. Candidate Profiles Democrats Jeff Gudman A second-generation Oregonian who has served eight years on Lake Oswego City Council, Gudman has spent years building the citys infrastructure. He has also served as a treasurer for Clackamas Free Clinic and SAGE, a generational equity organization. In a questionnaire submitted to KOIN 6 News, Gudman said he hopes to provide an unvarnished, fact-based review of Oregons financial landscape to expand economic opportunity for Oregon families, use resources more efficiently in the state, and increase transparency in government funding. Elizabeth Steiner You may already recognize her name, because she has served as an Oregon senator representing District 17 for Northwest Portland and Beaverton since 2011. During that time, Steiner has acted as one of the states chief budget writers since 2018 leading billion-dollar investments in healthcare, education, housing, and economic development. Steiner wrote in her response to KOIN 6 News questionnaire that her top issues are protecting retirement funding for the many Oregonians whove served our state diligently, helping Oregonians achieve financial security, and building on savings plans to help Oregonians build intergenerational wealth. Republican Brian Boquist You may also recognize the name of Boquist as another Oregon senator who is currently serving District 12 representing rural Polk and Yamhill Counties. Last year, he was among several Republicans in a walkout that lasted six weeks. He is one of two senators running for different state offices after being barred from reelection for accruing 10 or more unexcused absences under voter-approved Measure 113. He is running uncontested in the Republican primary and did not respond to KOIN 6 News inquiry for a questionnaire. KOIN 6 News is Your Local Election Headquarters. Stay with us as we bring you up-to-date campaign coverage through Novembers General Election. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. For a very long time, it seemed that the wheels of justice had stopped spinning in Libya, that those who were accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity would once again escape with impunity. Back in February 2011, the United Nations International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for three accused war criminals. Two warrants were withdrawn due to the death of the accused, and one, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, remains at large. The second Libyan Civil War started in 2014, and the ICC threatened to prosecute anyone who directly committed or ordered war crimes. But again, the accused seemed to have gotten away with impunity. Indeed, said Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan, for too long I believed that the situations in Libya had been allowed to drift. Three years ago, the ICC breathed new life into the investigation. As part of a briefing before the UN Security Council on May 14, Prosecutor Khan announced that the ICCs investigation will have finished by the end of 2025 and the first trial will begin before that year ends. The United States commends the ICC on increasing the momentum of the investigation, on its new efforts for prioritization, seeking additional arrest warrants, and on intention to commence trial proceedings without delay, said United States Legal Adviser at the UN Mission Mark Simonoff. But success also depends on the cooperation of Libyan authorities. We call on Libyan authorities to do more to support and advance global accountability efforts and to enhance cooperation with the ICC, he said. Former senior officials of the Qaddafi regime, such as Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, who is still subject to an ICC arrest warrant on charges of crimes against humanity, must face justice. The United States welcomes the increased contact with victims and civil society organizations in Libya as crucial to the delivery of justice for victims who have waited far too long to be heard, said Mark Simonoff. Victims and survivors deserve justice, which can be a powerful, stabilizing force for Libyas future. We particularly appreciate the emphasis on empowering victims and survivors and on witness protection. We continue to believe that resolving political uncertainty and promoting accountability will go a long way towards addressing the chronic instability in Libya, said Mark Simonoff. Human rights violations and abuses will continue unless meaningful steps are taken to resolve these issues and promote accountability. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Incumbent Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Democratic challenger Janelle Bynum have won their May primary races for Oregons Fifth District, as called by the Associated Press. As of 10:30 p.m., Rep. Chavez-DeRemer who went unchallenged in the Republican race garnered 98% of the vote with over 33,000 votes counted. Her Democratic challenger, Janelle Bynum secured over 69% of the vote, followed by Jamie McLeod-Skinner who garnered 30% of the vote with over 50,000 votes counted. In a statement celebrating her win, Chavez-DeRemer said, From my decades of experience in local government, I know effective leadership requires putting in the work on the ground. Ive crisscrossed the 5th District listening to constituents, bringing feedback with me directly to D.C. and taking action. Families are understandably concerned with high living expenses and want to feel safer in their communities. As an independent voice for Oregon, Ive worked across the aisle to lower costs, tackle the fentanyl crisis, and reduce crime. Im honored to have such a strong coalition of support from Oregonians of all backgrounds Republicans, Democrats, and Independents and Ill continue fighting tirelessly to grow our movement so we can keep building a better Oregon by advancing commonsense solutions. Celebrating her win on the Democratic nomination, Bynum said, I am beyond honored and grateful to be the Democratic nominee for Oregons 5th Congressional District. As a mother of four, Im running to make the future brighter for them and every child in Oregon for their education, their health, and their opportunities here at home. Im running because working families in Oregon who are struggling with rising costs need a fighter who will deliver for them, not special interests, and I have a proven track record of delivering solutions to the biggest challenges facing our community. There is so much at stake in this election and we have a choice between a democracy that works for folks here in Oregon, or the dysfunction in Congress that works for no one. Our district cannot afford two more years of an extreme enabler like Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who has gone along with the chaos of her far-right party and proven herself to be a part of the problem in DC at a time when our families need answers more than ever. In Congress, Ill work to address our growing housing crisis, create good-paying jobs, and bring federal resources home where they belong. And unlike Lori Chavez-Deremer, I will do everything I can to protect and expand abortion access for Oregon women. The fight for our families and our future starts now and Im ready to lead, Bynum continued. McLeod-Skinner released the following statement conceding the race: To my family, team, volunteers, and Oregonians, thank you for your support and hard work. Im so proud that our work has been driven by, and for, everyday Oregonians fighting for a better future for all of us! I would like to congratulate Janelle Bynum on becoming the Democratic nominee for Oregons 5th Congressional District. I also want to express my appreciation to our families, who sacrifice more than people realize when a loved one runs for office. Its now time for Democrats to unite behind our shared goal of defeating the MAGA extremist agenda and winning this seat in November, so we can take back the House of Representatives. Public service is a tremendous privilege. I have been honored to serve the people of Oregon in several capacities; I look forward to continuing my life of public service. Incumbent Lori Chavez-DeRemer narrowly won the seat by two points in 2022 against McLeod-Skinner. The District 5 seat includes Linn County, most of Clackamas and Deschutes counties, and parts of Multnomah, and Marion counties. Stay with KOIN 6 News for updates on primary election results. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) Two men were arrested after allegedly trespassing onto state property with contraband near the Holman Correctional Facility, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections. Wilmer woman arrested after driving under the influence: Semmes Police Matthew Cameron Jones and Richard Facison were arrested and taken to the Escambia County Jail following the incident, which officials say happened on Monday, May 20. According to an ADOC press release, two male trespassers, later identified as Jones and Facison, were found by the Alabama Department of Corrections Southern Region K-9 Unit on Monday, May 20. Thirteen packages of contraband were also located inside a perimeter fence, the release noted. Jones was charged with prohibited activities, first-degree promoting prison contraband, criminal trespassing, and second-degree possession of marijuana in connection with the incident. Facison was charged with prohibited activities, first-degree promoting prison contraband and criminal trespassing, according to the release. Authorities release arrest numbers for Hangout Fest 2024 The Law Enforcement Services Division is ongoing, and further charges may be pending, the release said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. Democratic state Rep. Janelle Bynum talks with a voter in Oregon's 5th Congressional District in March. National Democrats see her as the best contender to flip a seat that is critical to retaking the U.S. House. Matt Roth/Bynum Campaign Facebook Page Oregon Democrats are set to cast ballots in congressional primaries on Tuesday, where two competitive House races could affect both the partys chances of taking back the House and the relative strength of progressives and moderates inside the House Democratic Caucus. In Oregons 5th Congressional District, former Democratic nominee Jamie McLeod-Skinner is competing with state Rep. Janelle Bynum, the national Democrats pick, for the chance to take on Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. And in Oregons 3rd Congressional District, a solid Democratic seat that contains most of Portland, Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal is locked in a tight race with state Rep. Maxine Dexter, a physician favored by pro-Israel donors and deep-pocketed outside groups. A House Seat Democrats Cant Afford To Lose Last election cycle, McLeod-Skinner, a progressive small-business owner and former civil servant from central Oregon, unseated centrist Rep. Kurt Schrader in a contentious primary in Oregons 5th. Schrader, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and corporate-backed super PACs heavily outspent McLeod-Skinner and her backers, but McLeod-Skinner capitalized on the new makeup of the district and on Schraders obstruction of President Joe Bidens prescription drug price negotiations. But in November, McLeod-Skinner lost the seat to Chavez-DeRemer, a former mayor of Happy Valley. Chavez-DeRemer and national Republicans seized on McLeod-Skinners ties to progressive groups, such as the Working Families Party, and her government work in the San Francisco Bay Area to paint her as an anti-police radical at a moment of growing suburban backlash to Portlands influential activist left. The elections outcome in a district Biden carried by nearly 9 percentage points denied progressives an opportunity to show they could win a general election with a nominee they had propelled through a primary. Former aides to McLeod-Skinner accused her of being verbally abusive, as well as allegedly making her driver feel physically threatened. McLeod-Skinner has denied the accusations, saying instead that her campaign fired the driver because he was physically threatening her. Jamie McLeod-Skinner, Bynum's rival for the Democratic nomination, lost in the general election in 2022. Her supporters insist that she still has a better feel for Oregon's 5th Congressional District. Steve Dipaola/Associated Press This cycle, national Democrats, who would need to flip just a handful of seats to retake the House, were not going to take any chances. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) personally reached out to Bynum, who represents the Portland suburbs in the state legislature, to persuade her to run. Bynum, a mainstream liberal and restaurant owner, would be the first Black member of Congress from Oregon, where only 2% of the population is Black. Police were called on Bynum, the only Black member of the Oregon state House, while she was canvassing a white neighborhood in 2018. Bynums selling points as a more electable candidate are obvious. The Happy Valley resident defeated Chavez-DeRemer in two consecutive state House races, in 2016 and 2018. The DCCC, which has gotten pushback for wading into contentious Democratic primaries in the past, has gone all in for Bynum, using a campaign-finance loophole to co-bankroll TV ads with her campaign. Her list of endorsers is a whos who of important Democratic interest groups and elected officials, including the super PACs 314 Action Fund and Mainstream Democrats, which have jointly spent $1.2 million on her behalf. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) flipped a seat in 2022 that President Joe Biden had won in 2020 by about 9 percentage points. Democrats are now targeting her for defeat. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press McLeod-Skinners only significant source of outside support is from Health Equity Now, which sprung up days ago, seemingly out of nowhere, to spend nearly $500,000 on promoting McLeod-Skinners support for Medicare for All and other progressive values. The groups funders are still unknown, but it has a Republican treasurer and purchased ad time using a Republican-affiliated firm. That has raised the prospect that national Republicans are trying to elevate McLeod-Skinner in the hopes of facing her in the general election. Bynums campaign manager, Blakely Wall, cited it as evidence that McLeod-Skinner is Republicans dream candidate. But McLeod-Skinner could still win this thing. A late April internal poll released by the Bynum campaign had her leading McLeod-Skinner by just 3 percentage points and that was before McLeod-Skinner had begun advertising on television. The handful of policy differences between Bynum and McLeod-Skinner could also be significant to a certain kind of discerning, left-leaning voter. Like other Democratic state lawmakers in Oregon, Bynum has accepted corporate donations; unlike McLeod-Skinner, she refuses to forswear contributions to her federal campaign from corporate PACs and does not support Medicare for All. Bynum is backed by the pro-Israel group Democratic Majority for Israel PAC and the business-friendly New Democrat Coalition. McLeod-Skinners campaign materials, meanwhile, emphasize both her commitment to Democratic priorities, such as abortion rights, and a populist commitment to fighting corruption and corporate abuses of power. More than any other issue, though, McLeod-Skinner has seized on Bynums lone opposition to a 2019 bill extending the statute of limitations on sexual assault survivors ability to sue their alleged attackers, from two years to seven years. Bynum, who cited the need to give the accused due process and to recognize the racial discrimination in the legal system, voted for a more moderate bill lengthening the statute of limitations to five years. Finally, some local Democrats have chafed at the DCCCs intervention in the race. The chairs of four county Democratic parties in the district expressed their objections to the national campaign arms involvement in a February letter. Judy Stiegler, a former Democratic state representative from Bend who is supporting McLeod-Skinner, said she was off-put by the national partys involvement. Asked about electability concerns, Stiegler said, Its going to be a tough race no matter who wins the primary. Susheela Jayapal, a Multnomah County commissioner and older sister to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), is the left-wing favorite to represent an open Portland district. Susheela Jayapal Campaign/Facebook Portland Progressive Battles Pro-Israel Donors Rep. Earl Blumenauers impending retirement has created a rare opportunity for aspiring Democrats to represent Oregons solidly Democratic 3rd Congressional District. The seat, which includes most of Portland, its eastern suburbs and a constellation of rural communities below the Hood River, has historically been one of Congresss more liberal districts. The two most formidable contenders are Susheela Jayapal, who serves in county government and is an older sister to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and state Rep. Maxine Dexter. Eddy Morales, a progressive organizer and Gresham City Council member, is also running but has raised fewer funds with which to communicate his message. Jayapal is the left-wing favorite in the race, having picked up the support of Congresss big-name progressives. Dexter, also a progressive by national standards, has benefited from a last-minute surge in outside spending on her behalf. The 314 Action Fund, which backs Democratic scientists or people from related professions, has spent more than $2.2 million boosting Dexters bid. And a super PAC of unknown origins and funding, Voters for Responsive Government, has arisen to spend more than $3.2 million blasting Jayapal. At about the same time, pro-Israel donors affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have begun rushing donations directly to Dexters campaign, including $220,000 on May 7 alone, according to The Intercepts analysis of campaign finance records. I give all my contributions through AIPAC, donor Jone Dalezman told The Intercept. Whenever I am asked to give to their endorsed candidates, I give. Although Dexter has called for a negotiated cease-fire in Gaza and has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, unlike Jayapal, she has not come out in favor of imposing stricter conditions on U.S. aid to the Jewish state. Dr. Maxine Dexter, a state representative, does not go as far as Jayapal in her criticism of Israel. She has the support of the majority of big-money groups. Maxine for Oregon/Facebook Jayapal and her allies have done their best to at least make the pro-Israel donors support for Dexters campaign a liability, noting that many of the AIPAC donors who have flocked to her are Republicans. One major example is Larry Mizel, the chair of a Denver-based home-building giant, who served as finance chair on former President Donald Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. Republican megadonors have spent millions to defeat my sister Susheela Jayapal all because she is a proud, effective progressive, Rep. Pramila Jayapal posted Sunday on X. The progressive super PAC cavalry has not come out in force for Susheela Jayapal, however, raising doubts about whether she can sound the alarm about Dexters backers in time for it to matter. The Impact Fund, a super PAC that supports Indian American candidates, has spent nearly $160,000 boosting Jayapal in direct mail and text messages. But despite Pramila Jayapals support, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, which has spent six-figure sums in Democratic primaries in the past, has stayed out of the race. A spokesperson for the PAC declined to comment about why and whether an endorsement had been put to a membership vote. Related... BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) Two people have pleaded not guilty in connection to the death of a Genesee County Sheriffs Office sergeant in March. On Monday, Michael Elmore, 33, and Lyndsey Wilcox, 39, appeared in court with counsel. Elmore has been accused of the following: first-degree aggravated manslaughter aggravated criminally negligent homicide first-degree assault second-degree burglary (two counts) second-degree assault obstructing governmental administration Wilcox was indicted on the following charges: second-degree burglary second-degree assault obstructing governmental administration resisting arrest Son of fallen Genesee County sergeant: My dad wouldnt want threats against suspects Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello, 54, had been a member of the Sheriffs office since 1992. Earlier this year, he was working at Batavia Downs when he was notified of an alleged verbal confrontation. He and members of the facilitys security staff responded and began to escort Elmore and Wilcox out of the hotel, according to officials. During an alleged struggle with Elmore, officials said Sanfratello tried to use a stun gun, but suffered a fatal medical event. Prior to the medical event, Elmore allegedly hit Sanfratello in the head and face with a metal necklace. In court Monday, orders of protection were issued for the victims and witnesses, according to the Genesee County District Attorneys office. Elmores bail status of $150,000 was continued, while Wilcoxs was set at $20,000. Both are scheduled to appear in court again on July 31. Latest Local News Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award, JANY Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. Two South Carolina high school students bodies were recovered from a lake on the Georgia border after they jumped off a bridge, according to WJCL. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Rayan Al-nasser, 16, and Zakaria Chaar, 15, were found dead in 15 feet of water Monday morning after they jumped off a bridge into Lake Hartwell on Saturday night. TRENDING STORIES: Both boys were sophomores at D.W. Daniel High School in Central, SC. Lake Hartwell is on the border of Georgia and South Carolina. According to WJCL, the boys friends called 911 Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. when they couldnt find them. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] Officials told WJCL that the boys were among a group of teens involved in a group chat daring each other to jump off the bridge, which is near the Twelve Mile Boat Ramp. Deputies told WJCL that after the boys started jumping in the water, one landed awkwardly. Another student jumped in to help him and both boys became distressed. They both went under and didnt resurface. Another student had to be rescued after getting caught in the swift current under the bridge. The school district released a statement, writing: The School District of Pickens County (SDPC) is heartbroken to learn of the passing of two students from D.W. Daniel High School. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the families, friends, and the entire D.W. Daniel High School community. The loss of these young lives is a profound tragedy, impacting not only their families but also their classmates, teachers, and the broader community. In times like this, our priority is to provide the necessary support and care to our students, staff, and families. SDPC has a dedicated team of school counselors, psychologists, and mental health professionals ready to assist anyone in need during this difficult time. We are also grateful for the support of community organizations that are stepping in to help. We ask for privacy and respect for the families as they navigate through this unimaginable loss. Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by this tragedy. SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) Two suspects were arrested Friday in connection to a shoplifting incident at a San Francisco Walgreens, police said. According to the San Francisco Police Department, a third suspect is sought. SFPD Mission District officers responded to the Walgreens at 1333 Castro Street regarding shoplifters, police said. A description of the suspects was broadcast by dispatch. Walnut Creek BART Station reopened after person removed from tracks En route to the scene, officers observed three suspects who matched the description heading east on 24th Street from Valencia Street on foot. The suspects, police said, dropped two bags containing merchandise and fled. Officers were able to locate and detain one of the suspects within a few moments. A second suspect was located and detained near the 24th and Mission BART Plaza following a brief foot pursuit. Police were unable to locate the third suspect. Officers obtained surveillance footage from Walgreens and confirmed the detained suspects involvement. Both suspects were arrested and charged with second-degree burglary. The discarded merchandise was seized. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) is searching for two men allegedly posing as hotel guests while breaking into rooms and stealing peoples belongings. The MNPD said on Sunday, May 5, the victims reported several thousand dollars worth of their belongings had been stolen from their room at the Westin Hotel, located in the 800 block of Clark Place. North Nashville neighbors concerned for safety after gun battle in street One of the suspects has been identified as 53-year-old Ronald Fillinger Jr., while the identity of his accomplice was not released. Fillingers accomplice was seen with him on surveillance video during the burglary at the Westin Hotel, and police said they have issued warrants against Fillinger charging him with aggravated burglary and theft of property. Ronald Fillinger Jr. (Source: Metro Nashville Police Department) Fillingers accomplice (Source: Metro Nashville Police Department) According to investigators, two additional warrants charging Fillinger with aggravated burglary have been issued against him in two separate cases. Woman arrested for allegedly stabbing WeGo bus driver Police said on March 26, Fillinger is believed to have used an employees key card to get into a hotel room at the Courtyard by Marriot, located in the 1900 block of West End Avenue. Once inside, he allegedly took nearly $1,000 worth of items. Fillinger was in possession luggage and left the luggage behind at the Marriot. Police recovered the luggage and found Fillingers Davidson County Sheriffs Office issued prisoner ID card inside, according to authorities. On March 20, Fillinger allegedly stole multiple items from a room at the Wyndham Hotel, located in the 2400 block of McGavock Pike. Police said several of the belongings taken from the Wyndham Hotel were found in the luggage he left behind at the Courtyard by Marriot. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee Records show Fillinger was last arrested on Jan. 31 after staff at Lea Avenues SoBro Apartments & Homesharing found him sleeping in an unoccupied room. Staff members had reportedly left the door to the room open for the room to be dehumidified. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 615-742-7463. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. A man detained pretrial at the Shelby County Jail at 201 Poplar, who was allegedly assaulted by corrections officers while handcuffed in a medical room, has sued the county, and a number of jail personnel, for a minimum of $500,000 in damages. The lawsuit, filed in federal court Monday night, comes about six months after Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner and District Attorney Steve Mulroy announced that two deputies Reginald Wilkins, a 16-year veteran of the department, and Odell Underwood, a 25-year veteran of the department had been indicted in the alleged beating. That November press conference was the first mention of the incident publicly. This case concerns the reckless, even deliberately indifferent, conduct of the personnel at the Shelby County Mens Jail, who at best stood idly by, and at worst directed and helped facilitate, the common-law assault and battery of plaintiff Damien Florez-Ramirez, a pretrial detainee, by two members of the Shelby County Sheriffs Offices black-uniformed detention response team, the legal filing states. The lawsuit goes on to say that Shelby County government was negligent in hiring, training and retaining Underwood and Wilkins as corrections officers. The two corrections officers face felony official oppression, felony official misconduct and simple assault charges. Florez-Ramirez, the inmate who was allegedly beaten, has retained Sara McKinney and Jake Brown who have litigated a number of cases against the county over the jail conditions. The Shelby County Criminal Justice Center, located at 201 Poplar, is seen in Memphis, Tenn., on Tuesday, November 14, 2023. What happened to Damien Florez-Ramirez at 201 Poplar? According to the lawsuit, Florez-Ramirez was taken to the medical wing of 201 Poplar after getting in a fight with corrections officers. The lawsuit said he threw a chair and punched a corrections officer, identified as Sgt. Kendal Davis. Davis, the lawsuit said, then tackled and "repeatedly punched Florez-Ramirez." The lawsuit also said the inmate was sprayed with Freeze +P, an oil-based chemical irritant. At 1:51 p.m., on May 20, 2023, the lawsuit said Florez-Ramirez was taken to the medical wing at 201 Poplar. He had "no visible injuries" when he went into medical exam room 213 for treatment. The lawsuit also said there were no cameras in the medical exam rooms, and at the time the indictment was announced, Shelby County Deputy District Attorney Paul Hagerman told reporters that there was no footage of the actual assault, but cameras outside the room captured "critical, corroborative evidence as far as the actual assault." More: Attorney for inmate in latest Shelby County jail indictment outlines new beating details At 1:54 p.m., the lawsuit alleged Underwood and Wilkins entered medical room 213 where Florez-Ramirez was laying on an exam bed with his hands handcuffed behind his back and then "threatened" the inmate with physical harm. After the two left room 213, a nurse walked in and examined the inmate. She said, according to the lawsuit, that Florez-Ramirez had his "hands cuffed behind him, and no visible injuries, for the entire time she remained in room 213 with him." She also said she did not remember the "distinct odor" of the chemical irritant when she first examined him, and the room was not in disarray. When the nurse cleared him to be returned to his cell, Wilkins took his wristwatch off and gave it to a sergeant. Attorney Jake Brown, a co-counsel with Ben Crump and Brice Timmons for the Freeman family, speaks about Gershun Freemans death while in custody at Shelby County Jail during a press conference outside of the Shelby County Criminal Justice Center in Memphis, Tenn., on March 17, 2023. "Upon general information and belief, Sergeant Tamiko Swain knew Wilkins took off his wristwatch in anticipation of physically attacking Florez-Ramirez," the lawsuit said. "She did nothing to stop that from happening." At 1:58 p.m., after a lieutenant cleared corrections officers from the hallway, Underwood and Wilkins went back into the room. The lieutenant, the lawsuit said, seemed to be standing guard outside the exam room. The timing of the lieutenants dispersal order just prior to the assault and battery and the fact that the lieutenant remained directly outside room 213 while it happened, support the plausible inference that the lieutenant helped facilitate the assault and battery first by dispersing other personnel, then by standing watch, the lawsuit alleged. At the very least, the lieutenant would have heard everything happening inside room 213. He would do nothing to intervene. For about six minutes, the two corrections officers were alleged to have sprayed chemical irritants at Florez-Ramirez, kicked him and punched him with "handcuffs used as brass knuckles." Wilkins first struck Florez-Ramirez under the right eye, the lawsuit said. That blow knocked Florez-Ramirez still in handcuffs from the medical examination table to the floor, where the blackshirts repeatedly kicked and struck him. Underwood and Wilkins repeatedly kicked Florez-Ramirez in the face and torso while shouting, Get up, (b****)! Florez-Ramirez could not get up because he was trying to protect his head difficult to do with his hands cuffed behind his back while the two blakshirts continued to stomp him. The two blackshirts also struck Florez-Ramirez more than ten times in the head with their fists, handcuffs (used as brass knuckles) and metal Freeze +P canisters. The blows from the metal implements left permanent divots in the bony parts of Florez-Ramirezs forehead and left and right orbitals. More: Shelby County Jail inmates injured after objects in jail set on fire, cell doors broken More: More cell locks broken by inmates, building age in ongoing Memphis jail facility struggles When a nurse was asked to look at Florez-Ramirez by the officers, the chemical agent hung so thickly in the air that she could not breathe, and moved him to a neighboring room. Inside room 212, Florez-Ramirez told nurse (Ashlyn) Cunningham what the blackshirts did to him and pleaded for help, the lawsuit said. He also asked her to take pictures and document his injuries. She did not. Instead, nurse Cunningham pretended not to notice the young mans condition. She refused to report what Florez-Ramirez told her to jail administration, accurately document the facial injuries or summon other medical staff for help. She slapped a band-aid on the gash above Florez-Ramirezs right eye, then left him to the blackshirts while she went about her other work. The corrections officers then took Florez-Ramirez to an administrative segregation unit, and took, him to a room where inmates change clothes on the way to the unit. They told a corrections officer stationed there that they needed to search the inmate. There were no cameras inside the room, the lawsuit said. Inside the changing room, the lawsuit said, officers assaulted him again. Other officers told investigators that they saw Florez-Ramirez going in and out of consciousness, and heard him repeating Im hurting. Im hurting, the lawsuit said, after he was taken from the changing room to an administrative segregation cells. By 2:19 p.m., the lawsuit said Florez-Ramirez lost consciousness in an administrative segregation cell. At about that same time, the lawsuit said that nurses found room 213, where the inmate was allegedly beaten, in disarray. The lawsuit said the nurses said there were medical instruments knocked from the wall to the floor and recalled a moderate or concerning amount of blood pooled on the floor on both sides of the exam table. At 2:44 p.m., Florez-Ramirez was taken from the jail to an ambulance. He was then taken to Regional One Health, where the lawsuit said: he received treatment for a concussion, facial lacerations and blunt-force trauma to the head. The lawsuit also lists four other inmates who have alleged corrections officers used violence on inmates as punishment, asserting that this establishes a pattern of correctional staff maliciously and sadistically inflicting violence on inmates, usually pretrial detainees, for the purpose of punishment after the fact. Lucas Finton is a criminal justice reporter with The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached at Lucas.Finton@commercialappeal.com, or (901)208-3922, and followed on X, formerly known as Twitter, @LucasFinton. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Shelby County Jail inmate files $500k lawsuit after alleged beating 22-year-old on hike with friends falls 60 feet to her death, cops say. Heart is broken A 22-year-old was hiking with friends in a popular river canyon in Oregon when she fell 60 feet to her death, deputies said. Elisha Angelic Macias, of Hillsboro, was pronounced dead at about 4:35 p.m. May 19 in the Columbia River Gorge, the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. Macias and her friends were on the Oneonta Trail together, which is a popular day hike that takes visitors past waterfalls and has steep creek-weathered basalt cliffs, according to the U.S. Forest Service. At one point, deputies said she separated from the group, went off trail, and fell 50 to 60 feet off a cliff west of the Horsetail Falls Trailhead. Another hiker was performing CPR on Macias when deputies got to the scene, but medical responders pronounced her dead. Her body has been turned over to the Multnomah County Medical Examiner. You were a literal angel. Even your middle name is angelic, Marisa Waldo wrote on Facebook. You were such a special soul on this planet! My heart is broken and Im devastated.... god took you to early, Brittney Hernandez wrote. The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area is a spectacular river canyon that runs 80 miles long and is 4,000 feet deep, according to forest officials. Visitors can hike, look for waterfalls, backpack, mountain bike and camp in the forested area. Hiker missing after texting friend he reached stormy mountain peak, CO rangers say Hiker stranded on Utah hoodoo with sharp, catastrophic drop on all sides, photo shows Hiker falls during trek in canyon, spends night in cold with dead phone, rescuers say 22-Year-Old Woman Dead After Falling Off Cliff While Hiking with Friends: 'A Literal Angel' Elisha Angelic Macia, 22, became separated from the group, and she eventually fell 50 to 60 feet near the Oregon trail, authorities said Getty The Horsetail Falls at the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon A 22-year-old woman died over the weekend after she fell while hiking with friends near the Oneonta Trail in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, authorities said. The victim was identified as Elisha Angelic Macia, the Multnomah County Sheriffs Office said in a news release. On Sunday, May 19, 2024, at approximately 4:20 p.m., Multnomah County Sheriffs Office (MCSO) deputies responded to a call that a hiker had fallen from a cliff west of the Horsetail Falls trailhead. When deputies arrived, another hiker was performing CPR," the sheriff's office said. "Cascade Locks Fire & EMS personnel arrived and pronounced the hiker deceased at approximately 4:35 p.m." Related: Missing Hiker Found Dead After 1,000-Foot Fall from Mt. Whitney in California's Sequoia National Park Authorities said that during the hike, Macia became separated from her friends, and she eventually fell 50 to 60 feet. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. It remains unclear at this time how she plunged off the cliff. "No one in the group saw her fall, the MCSO's statement read. Related: Missing 22-Year-Old Hiker Found Dead in Calif. Wilderness Park: 'The Family Is Extremely Grieved' Deputy John Plock stressed the importance of staying with a group while hiking, according to NBC affiliate KGW. If you go off trail, it can be very dangerous," he said. "Unfortunately, thats what happened here. This young lady separated herself from her group, went off trail and ended up falling." Related: Hiker Rescued 12 Hours After His Knee Got Stuck in Crack of Cliff Following Macias death, a friend honored her in a post on Facebook, writing, "You were a literal angel." Even your middle name is 'angelic,' the woman added. "You were such a special soul on this planet! Your voice, personality etc! Ill never forget how much fun we had together in 5th grade. You will be oh so missed!! According to KGW, Macia is the second hiker to die due to a fall in the Columbia River Gorge, following a woman who fell to her death in March. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains dire. The United States continues working relentlessly to surge assistance through all available means to address the impacts of this crisis. The entire population of Gaza around 2.2 million people is facing acute food insecurity, meaning they require food assistance, and the threat of famine is looming, said USAID Response Director Dan Dieckhaus in a recent briefing. More than half of the population in northern Gaza is facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, and nearly 30 percent of the children there are severely malnourished. In the south, in southern Gaza, nearly a quarter of the population is facing this type of food insecurity. The dire situation in Gaza is further complicated by Israeli forces going into Rafah, which has forced approximately 640,000 people to flee since May 6th, said Mr. Dieckhaus. Humanitarian actors are facing significant challenges getting aid into Rafah given the closure of critical border crossings as well as accessing warehouses and distributing aid due to the deteriorating situation. International efforts are under way to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza through all available routes, including by land, by air, and now by sea, said Vice Admiral Brad Cooper in a briefing: To date, the United States along with over a dozen partners has executed more than 38 humanitarian airdrop missions. These missions have focused on dropping humanitarian assistance from the air, predominantly into north Gaza. With our partners, we have cumulatively provided more than 3 million meals into Gaza by airdrops, more than 1 million of which have been from the United States. USAID is coordinating with the Department of Defense to establish a maritime corridor to augment ongoing efforts to scale the delivery of humanitarian aid by land, explained Mr. Dieckhaus: This maritime corridor includes the construction of a temporary pier ... in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Gaza and directly into Gaza to assist humanitarian organizations to receive and deliver lifesaving assistance in an independent, neutral, and impartial manner. We continue working to ensure lifesaving assistance reaches civilians in need through all avenues, said Response Director Dieckhaus, and we will continue to do everything we can to save lives and alleviate the suffering of those in greatest need. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) A Norfolk man already convicted of two murders will soon find out if hes guilty of a third. Cola Beale admits to killing his cousin Downing McLean, but his attorney says this is a case of manslaughter and not murder. The jury saw the police interrogation of Beale, first by Virginia Beach detectives, and then Norfolk detectives. Beale was convicted two months ago in the March 2022 murders in Va. Beach of his girlfriend Czavier Hill and the man he considered his father, Clifton Baxter. Testimony in court indicated that McLean was present at both of those killings. Beale Told investigators he killed his cousin just days later during an argument at an apartment on Sewells Point Road. Beale claimed that McLean wanted Beale to kill someone on his behalf. But Beale refused and told McLean dont put me in the middle of your s***. Beale said McLean kept yelling and was acting crazy and belligerent. Thats when Beale shot McLean once in the mouth and then a second time in the back. The shot to the back would have been fatal according to a forensic pathologist who testified. He was talking to me like I was a b****, Beale told investigators. I killed him straight up. Evidence from the scene included 9 mm shell casings and a bullet that matched a gun that belonged to Beale, as well as several tooth fragments. The Commonwealth has rested, and the defense does not plan to call any witnesses meaning Beale will not testify on his own behalf. The defense tried to have the case converted to a manslaughter charge but was denied. The jury should get the case sometime before noon Wednesday. Cola Beale IV is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the fatal shooting of his cousin, Downing McLean. Beale could face up to life in prison if found guilty. The trial starts at 9:30 a.m. Downing McLean (Courtesy: Ashley McLean) On March 28, 2022, Norfolk Police found 32-year-old McLean dead inside a home on Sewells Point Road. Police said McLean had multiple gun shot wounds. After his death, 10 On Your Side spoke to McLeans sister, Ashley. They grew up together. My aunt, who is [Beales] mother, we would all have cookouts and gatherings, and things of that sort, they were always together, said Ashley in 2022. At the time, she said her brother never spoke to her about fearing Beale. He trusted him, just like a brother. Thats why its so hard to believe, and so shocking. Its just a hard burden to swallow, Ashley said in 2022. Days before McLeans death, Beale shot and killed his girlfriend, 31-year-old Czavier Hill, in Virginia Beach. He then set her home on fire with her and her dog inside. Just one day later, Beales father figure, 73-year-old Clifton Baxter, was found dead from a gunshot wound. New mugshot of Cola Beale released March 31, 2022 (Photo courtesy: Virginia Beach City Jail) Man accused in 3 homicides gives insight into weeks before killings In April 2022, in a jail interview, Beale admitted to the murders. At the time of the interview he said he had no remorse for what happened. Each person had a different reason why I did it. It wasnt like I just woke up and said Im going to kill my girlfriend, Beale said in 2022. In March 20, 2024, a Virginia Beach jury found Beale guilty of two counts of aggravated murder, two counts of arson, abduction, torturing an animal causing death and gun charges. It took the jury of six women and six men about an hour to deliberate before reaching that verdict. Man found guilty for murdering girlfriend and father figure in Virginia Beach Following that verdict, Beale did a second interview with 10 On Your Side. Justice was served: Cola Beale IV says he has remorse after verdict I definitely apologize for everything that happened, but I know what happened he said. The apology is not enough, he said. Justice was served. Beale is scheduled to be sentenced for the Virginia Beach murders on July 2. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. 3 arrested, drugs and guns seized in Clarke County raids Police seized cocaine, meth, fentanyl, heroin, and guns after serving several arrest warrants in Clarke County. On May 16, Athens-Clark County Police Department participated in a multi-agency drug investigation. During the searches, approximately 35 kilograms of cocaine, 5 pounds of methamphetamine, 1 kilogram of fentanyl, 1 kilogram of heroin, and 19 guns were seized. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Two of the guns were pistols modified with switches that enabled automatic fire. Luis Reyes-Juarez of Athens, GA, 23, Luis Angel Campuzano of Athens, GA, 22, and Edwin Rolando Chavez of Athens, GA, 22 were arrested and charged with trafficking illegal drugs. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: A pack of pit-bull dogs has been caught and one killed after attacking an older man and a mother walking with her 12-year-old son in a Chatham County neighborhood. Chatham County sheriffs deputies responded to a 911 call around 6:30 p.m. Monday in the Firefly Overlook housing development near Jordan Lake, according to a news release. They found the woman and her son with multiple bite wounds to their legs and a bite to the womans left hand. Deputies worked to capture the dogs, while the victims were taken by ambulance to WakeMed Hospital in Wake County, the release said. During their investigation, deputies learned the dogs had also bitten a 66-year-old man from Cary around 2 p.m. Monday. The man drove himself to a Wake County urgent-care facility, where he was treated for several bites. Deputies captured three of the four pit bulls and took them to the Chatham County Sheriffs Office Animal Resource Center, where they are being held for the 10-day rabies observation period required under state law. The fourth pit bull got away but was found later Monday. A deputy tried to capture the dog and eventually shot and killed it to prevent further damage to the community, the release stated. That dog was sent to the state laboratory for rabies testing. The owner of the dogs has not yet been found, deputies said. What does state, local law say about aggressive dogs? The local health director can declare that a dog is vicious and a menace to public health when it attacks a person without provocation, causing injuries. The law allows the owner to appeal the decision within 10 days of the health directors decision. The health director can also order the owner to confine the dog to the owners property, unless the dog is leashed, muzzled and in the care of a person who is able to control the dog. The owner of the vicious dog can also be held liable in court for damages and face misdemeanor charges. The owner also can be charged for the cost of keeping the dog in the animal shelter. If the owner is not found, the health director can order the animal to be killed. Anyone with information can call the Chatham County Sheriffs Office at 919-542-2811. 3 local cities make US News Best Places to Live list Editors note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal. Three Central Florida cities are once again among the top 100 on U.S. News & World Reports 2024-2025 Best Places to Live list. Melbourne, Orlando and Daytona Beach which ranked No. 15, No. 49 and No. 52 on the list, respectively, on the 2023-2024 list have weighed in at No. 49 (Melbourne), No. 68 (Orlando) and No. 96 (Daytona Beach) for the 2024-2025 list. The publication ranked the cities according to several factors, including the local job market, cost of living and overall desirability. Read: 2 drown while trying to save 17-year-old friend struggling in Florida river Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journals website. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. Tim McCloud, Brent Barker and Sen. Dennis Linthicum are running for Oregon secretary of state. State Sen. Dennis Linthicum is off to an early lead in the GOP race for secretary of state, according to initial election results. Three Republicans are vying for their party's nomination for Oregon secretary of state in Tuesday's primary election. The candidates are Brent Barker, a small business owner; Linthicum, a state senator representing Klamath County and portions of Deschutes and Jackson counties, and a former Klamath County commissioner; and Tim McCloud, elections chair for the Oregon Republican Party and an analyst in business development and information systems. "Things are looking pretty good in the Linthicum household," Linthicum said Tuesday evening. Diane Linthicum also was in the lead in her race for the nomination to fill her husband's state senate seat in District 28. Linthicum said he was grateful and excited to continue his campaign. He said the battle would be convincing non-registered voters and voters in other political parties that the "ideals that I bring to the table, I can actually keep." The winner of the Republican primary will face the winner of the Democrat primary in the November general election. Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read was in the lead Tuesday night for the Democrat nomination for Secretary of State. The secretary of state is responsible for overseeing Oregon's elections, guiding state audits and managing various records. The secretary of state also serves on the three-member State Land Board with the governor and treasurer and as chair of the Oregon Board of Sustainability and Environment. Barker said his plans include changing vote by mail to in-person voting that would require valid government-issued ID, implementing a statewide holiday for all election and introducing a tax credit to employers that provide half- and full-day paid holidays to employees for elections. He also said he would work to reset voter registration rolls and require equal observers of major parties at all voting stations. Linthicum is barred from running for reelection in the Legislature for accumulating more than 10 unexcused absences during GOP senators' walkout during the 2023 Legislature. He said his priorities include ending a contract with an AI vendor used to track and trace misinformation, disinformation and mal-information, which he referred to as evidence of the offices disenfranchisement of some voters. Linthicum also has advocated ending mail voting in the state. McCloud said he would update and change the secretary of state's complaints process and enhance the functionality of web features. He said he also would change a culture of perceived antagonism by the office into a collaborative one with the public. Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Election results: 3 run in Oregon secretary of state GOP primary SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) A woman was arrested in connection to a fatal stabbing last week, the San Francisco Police Department announced Tuesday. SFPD officers responded on Wednesday, May 15 at 1:44 p.m. to a residence on the 700 block of Post Street on a report of a fight between two people. Arriving at the scene, officers found an adult victim lying on the ground with multiple stab wounds. Responding officers administered CPR and called for paramedics. The victim, however, was pronounced dead at the scene. Walnut Creek BART Station reopened after person removed from tracks Officers detained a woman at the scene. An investigation led to police developing probable cause to arrest the woman, 33-year-old Raymani Yuhashi of San Francisco. Yuhashi was booked into San Francisco County Jail on the charge of unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. Although an arrest has been made, police say the investigation is active and open. The SFPD Homicide Detail is leading the investigation. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. "The patient is in stable condition and is expected to fully recover," officials confirmed in a news release Getty A stock photo of a grizzly bear. A 35-year-old man is recovering following a "surprise" bear attack in a Wyoming national park. On the afternoon of Sunday, May 19, the Teton Interagency Dispatch received a report of a male being injured during an encounter with two grizzly bears in Grand Teton National Park, a news release shared on the National Park Service website confirmed. The man, who was visiting from Massachusetts, was "seriously injured by a bear in the area of the Signal Mountain Summit Road," officials stated. "Grand Teton National Park rangers and Teton County Search and Rescue personnel responded to the scene to provide emergency medical care and airlifted the patient via helicopter to an awaiting ambulance where he was transported to St. Johns Hospital. The patient is in stable condition and is expected to fully recover," the release continued. Getty A 'Be Bear Aware Food Storage Required' sign in Grand Teton National Park. Related: Tourist Mauled After Rolling Down Window to Take Selfie with Bear Per the website, it's thought one of the two grizzly bears injured the man, who authorities have not named. "Based on initial reports from the injured visitor and preliminary information conducted as part of an ongoing investigation of the site, law enforcement rangers and park biologists believe the incident was a surprise encounter with two grizzly bears, with one of the bears contacting and injuring the visitor," the release added. The website confirmed that Signal Mountain Summit Road and the Signal Mountain Trail were currently closed to the public. Per the NPS website, visitors are reminded that they should never leave food unattended unless properly secured, as well as to keep their camp clean and store everything in a bear-resistant food locker/bear box or keep it in a hard-sided vehicle with the windows rolled up. Related: Mama Bear Attacks Driver Head-on, Smashes Truck Windshield - See the Video Getty A photo in Grand Teton National Park. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Officials also reminded visitors to only deposit garbage in a bear-resistant dumpster and not eat, cook or store food in their tents. "If you see a bear, please give it space. Always stay at least 100 yards away. If you choose to watch or photograph the bear, use a spotting scope, binoculars, or telephoto lens," the authorities stated. "Park in designated areas, and never block travel lanes. Follow the directions of staff in places where bears are sighted," Teton County Search and Rescue didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) Sheriffs deputies said they were investigating damage at Starbucks locations in Ashburn after someone or a group of people spray-painted anti-Israel/pro-Palestine messages and symbols on the businesses. The Loudoun County Sheriffs Office (LCSO) said Tuesday that the vandalism took place overnight at Starbucks in Ashbrook, Broadlands, Pipeline, and One Loudoun shopping centers. Person breaks Kwik Mart window, jumps throught it, steals Modelo beer, Stafford County deputies say LCSO said employees at each location found the damage when they arrived at work Tuesday morning. Workers either removed or covered the the words and symbols in the time that followed their reports to the sheriffs office. Hate speech and destruction of property will not be tolerated in Loudoun County, said Sheriff Mike Chapman. We are actively investigating these incidents as we do all similar acts and are determined to identify and charge whoever is responsible. The sheriffs office asked anyone who knows anything about the incidents to call (703) 777-1021. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. Michael Cohen may have directly transferred the funds, but he says it was at the behest and benefit of Donald Trump that he made the hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. After four days on the witness stand, the prosecutions key witness stepped down on Monday following a barrage of fast-paced questions and quick-shifting topics from Trumps defense team. Cohens testimony covered his various consulting gigs and legal work he did for the Trump family, as well as his actions leading up to the Daniels hush-money payment and how, with Trumps blessing, he allegedly falsified business records to pay himself back for the payment. With Trump unlikely to take the witness stand, the former self-described fixer provided the only inside look at what was happening before, during, and after Daniels story came to light. Trump is alleged to have not only known of but also directed Cohen and those below him to falsify 34 fraudulent business records intended to reimburse Cohen for his payment to Daniels. The Trump team has long contended Trump was unaware of Cohens actions and that the records a combination of invoices, checks, and ledgers were what he believed to be a retainer for Cohens legal services. Aided by Cohen, prosecutors have painted a picture of the internal chaos that besmirched the Trump campaign in the weeks leading up to the November 8, 2016 election from the Access Hollywood tape leaking in October to just four days before the election when news surfaced of the National Enquirers attempts to cover up former Playboy model Karen McDougals alleged affair with Trump. During this time, Daniels was in talks to sign a non-disclosure agreement and sell her story for $130,000 in an attempt to catch and kill her story. Cohen was tasked to punt payment to Daniels until it was no longer relevant. What he said to me is, What I want you to do is push it out as long as you can, just get it past the election because if I win, it would have no relevance because Im already president and if I lose, I dont really care, Cohen testified Trump told him. As closing arguments are expected to wrap up next week, heres every argument Trumps team put forth that Cohen deconstructed in his testimony. Trump didnt know about the payment Because Trump had his hands in everything, Cohen and everyone else had to get final confirmation from the boss before carrying out a task especially spending money. It was actually required, Cohen said of getting confirmation from Trump. When he would task you with something, he would then say, Keep me informed, let me know whats going on. And as soon as you had a result or answer you would go straight back, especially if it was a matter that he was worried about. If you didnt immediately provide him with information and he learned it in another manner, that wouldnt go over well for you, Cohen testified. As a result, when he first caught wind of Daniels story, he told Trump immediately. Take care of it. I thought you had this under control. Just take care of it, Trump responded, according to Cohen. When Daniels made clear she would go forward with the story should she not receive payment in the days preceding the election, Cohen testified to telling Trump they could no longer wait. Cohen says Trump directed him to speak with Trump Organization Chief Financial Allen Weisselberg, who said the two had to think of creative ways we can raise the funds to pay off Daniels without having Trumps name attached to the payment. What came next is at the crux of the trial: Cohen and Weisselberg, operating under the direction of Trump, thought of a scheme in which Cohen would transfer the funds from his personal bank account and Weisselberg would then authorize funds from the Trump Organization to repay Cohen for the payment, all in an attempt to remove Trumps name from the original payment to Daniels. Cohen explained that he had to get Trumps confirmation before transferring funds to Daniels.I wanted to ensure that once again he approved of what I was doing because I required approval from him about all of this, Cohen said. Cohen was acting alone Trumps defense argues Cohen acted alone to pay Daniels off. Multiple times during other witness testimony, prosecutors asked if it was plausible for Cohen to make the out-of-pocket payment out of his own volition and kindness of his heart. It would certainly be out of character for Michael, former White House Communications Director Hope Hicks said during her testimony. Cohen directly dismantled much of the defenses argument, saying he needed approval from Trump to make the payment not just because it was standard operating procedure but also to ensure he would be reimbursed. Everything requires Mr. Trumps sign-off, Cohen said on the first day of his testimony. On top of that, I wanted the money back. Cohen immediately squashed claims that he was acting alone, instead testifying he was doing everything I could and more in order to protect my boss but I would not have laid out the $130,000 needed for an NDA needed for somebody else. Perhaps Cohens greatest argument in response to Trumps defense is what he would do with Daniels story. I had no reason to own, no need to own the life rights, Cohen testified. What I was doing, I was doing at the direction and the benefit of Mr. Trump. The only reason Trump would have made the hush-money payment is to protect Melania Not straying from his public persona, Trumps defense team has argued Trump would have made the hush-money payments anyway to protect his personal brand and out of love for Melania Trump. The argument was supported by Hicks testimony, who said earlier in the trial that Trump was concerned how it would be viewed by his wife, and he wanted me to make sure that other newspapers werent going to deliver to their residence that morning. That was not the case, Cohen testified, saying it was he who had brought up Melanias feelings to Trump, who didnt seem too concerned with the fate of his marriage. I asked how are things gonna go upstairs, Cohen testified to asking Trump once news of the affair went public. He goes, Dont worry. How long do you think Ill be on the market for? Not long, Cohen answered. When asked to clarify what he thought Trump meant, Cohen testified: He wasnt thinking about Melania, this was all about the campaign. Daniels lawyer Keith Davidson corroborated Cohens testimony, saying his frequent attempts to reach Cohen left the impression that Trump truly did not care about Daniels story going public. It seems like he was trying to kick the can until after the election, Davidson testified earlier in the trial. Davidsons and Cohens testimony directly support one of the prosecutions key arguments: that the hush money payment was made to directly influence the election, and that is the reason why Trump allegedly hid the payment in the first place, knowing it was election interference and that he had to remove his name from the payment. Cohen was in it for the money and his vendetta against Trump Trump lawyer Todd Blanche attempted to discredit Cohen for holding a personal grudge against the former president, getting Cohen to testify he has amassed over $4.4 million since the fall of 2020, in part from the publication of two books and his podcast on his journey. Cohen described himself as an eager-to-please lawyer looking to protect the boss, as he often called Trump. I wanted to ensure that Mr. Trump was safe, Cohen testified early on. However, Blanches cross-examination left much to be desired in his attempts to discredit Cohen. In a telling moment at the end of Cohens recross-examination, Blanche asked the former fixer if he had a financial interest and wanted to see Trump convicted. The answer is no. Its better that hes not for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future, Cohen retorted, drawing laughter from the courtroom. Its up to the jury to decide whether they will accept Cohens testimony as someone speaking the truth to bring Trump to justice. Just before resting their case, prosecutors asked Cohen what he has gone through since coming forward about Trump, perhaps earning some sympathy with the jury. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result. I lost my law license, my businesses, my financial security, my familys happiness just to name a few things, Cohen concluded. After prosecutors rested their case on Monday, Blanche argued to the court for early dismissal, arguing the defense successfully caught Cohen in a series of lies. An unsatisfied Judge Merchan quashed the argument. You said his lies are irrefutable. You think hes going to fool 12 New Yorkers? I certainly hope he doesnt fool 12 jurors, Blanche responded. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone 5 shot and killed in Columbus last weekend. What New York Times says about city sadly true. The premise of a recent New York Times article is sadly spot on if not at all surprising. More guns and deconstructed gun laws have made Columbus and other cities in Ohio and around the nation far more deadly in the years since the pandemic. This fact was clear even before a spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg clapped back at House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan last year. The Ohio congressman rallied against violence in New York in hearings about Bragg's so-called "pro-crime, anti-victim policies." In D.A. Braggs first year in office, New York City had one of the lowest murder rates of major cities in the United States (5.2) nearly three times lower than Columbus, Ohio (15.4)," the aide wrote in a message posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "If Chairman Jordan truly cared about public safety, he could take a short drive to Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron, or Toledo in his home state, instead of using taxpayer dollars to travel hundreds of miles out of his way," Diligently working for more gun violence Columbus police exchanged gunfire with a man who eventually turned a gun on himself and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the 6800 block of Georges Creek Drive in Canal Winchester May 16. Jordan, an Urbana Republican who represents Ohio's 4th District, including portions of Columbus, Dublin, and Westerville, hasn't heeded that advice to focus on violence in Ohio. Gun violence takes more than life. My cousin's heart was smashed when her son was killed. In fact, he and his counterparts in the Ohio Legislature have worked diligently to make gun violence worse. To the pleasure of the gun lobby and the chagrin of a long list of Ohioans (city leaders, Fraternal Order of Police, county prosecutors and mothers who lost children to gun violence included), Statehouse Republicans have systematically dismantled sensible gun control measures, including the concealed carry permit requirement. Gov. Mike DeWine signed the state's "stand your ground" law in 2021. A bill dropping the training hours a teacher needs to be armed in school from 728 hours to about 24 became law in 2022. Amelia Robinson: Americans don't have horns or fangs, but are we the real monsters? All this while gun violence and the threat of it looms in Columbus and other communities around the state. Just this weekend, five people died as a result of three fatal shootings. Three people have shot at Columbus officers this month and died as a result. Gun violence spreading With relaxed gun regulations and more guns, it is little surprise that the Times analysis found that gun violence is closer to more Americans. Of fatal shootings across the nation between 2020 and 2023, more than 47 million Americans lived within a five-minute walk of a deadly shooting, up from 39 million over the prior four years, the Times found. Forty-one percent of Columbus residents lived within a quarter mile of a fatal shooting, compared to 28 percent before the pandemic. What would be surprising is if Ohio lawmakers did something to address gun violence. 'I cry every day. Im so hurt.' Mother on horror of losing daughters to Columbus shooting. Even the idea of requiring guns be kept under lock and key to keep them out of kids' hands is a road lawmakers refused to travel. About 75% of Ohioans support a law requiring guns to be safely stored, according to a 2023 USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University survey. There have been 205 unintentional shootings by children since 2015, according to Everytown For Gun Safety. There is no shortage of things that can be done to reduce gun violence. There is a shortage of will to do anything about it. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Is Columbus violence as bad as New York Times analysis claims The United States is engaging its partners to help tackle historically high migration in the Western Hemisphere, said National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan at the recent Washington Conference on the Americas. Two years ago, President Joe Biden launched the Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection alongside 20 partners from across the hemisphere. And together, said Mr. Sullivan, we are working on three main pillars of that declaration: addressing the root causes of migration; expanding legal pathways to help replace irregular migration; and promoting stronger and humane enforcement of borders across the region. So far, we see our partners stepping up in unprecedented, unexpected ways, said Mr. Sullivan: For example, Latin American and Caribbean countries are hosting more than 80 percent of the nearly 8 million Venezuelan migrants that have fled the Maduro regime. ... The United States is also stepping up our secure and humane enforcement. Were implementing a new Rule to encourage migrants to use orderly processes for entering our country, including issuing restrictions on asylum eligibility for those who fail to do so. The U.S. has also stepped up its screening measures at the southern border and is quickly returning migrants who do not have valid protection claims. Following a recent conversation, President Biden and Mexican President Lopez Obrador agreed to take concrete steps to improve the migration situation, including responding to migrant surges before they reach the border, said Mr. Sullivan: They also agreed to measures that encourage migrants to stay in their communities of origin and dissuade the use of dangerous modes of transportation that expose migrants to violence on their way north. Our joint efforts, with Mexico and with other LA Declaration partners, contributed to around a 30 percent decrease in encounters with irregular migrants at the southwest border last month, compared to the same time last year. In spite of challenges, including migration, facing the Western Hemisphere, National Security Advisor Sullivan expressed optimism about the future. If you look at all the raw material that we have together as a hemisphere, there is no reason why the Americas should not be the most prosperous, democratic, secure region in the world. We have the capital and the capacity, said Mr. Sullivan. We have the will. And above all, we have each other. A 50,000-Year-Old Block of Ice Paints the Most Chilling Picture of the Future Ever Scientists from the Oregon State University conducted chemical analyses on air bubbles trapped within the West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core. They discovered that, in the last glacial period, Earth experienced its highest CO 2 increase: 14 parts per million in just 55 years. Not, our planet experiences that increase every five years. The mechanism of these natural CO 2 increases suggest that increasing westerly winds in the Southern hemisphere could weaken the Southern Oceans ability to absorb CO 2 . A favorite refrain among the dwindling number of climate deniers is that increases in temperature and carbon dioxide levels are a natural part of the Earths atmospheric cycle. And while the planet has certainly seen some rise and falls in both of those metrics over thousands (and even millions) of years, what the planet is currently experiencing far outstrips everything that has come before. In a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), scientists from Oregon State University identified the fastest natural rates of CO 2 rise over the past 50,000 years. To do this, the research team tapped into bubbles of air trapped in West Antarctic Ice Sheet Divide ice core that essentially preserved the delicate balance of gasses present in Earths atmosphere at the time of their icy entombment. The team had to drill some 2 miles deep to get enough ice to study a 50,000 year time span. After conducting an extensive chemical analysis, the researchers discovered just how extreme and outlier the current rising CO 2 levels fueling our current climate crisis are compared to the rest of Earths recent geologic history. Studying the past teaches us how today is different. The rate of CO2 change today really is unprecedented, OSUs Kathleen Wendt, the lead author of the study, said in a press statement. Our research identified the fastest rates of past natural CO2 rise ever observed, and the rate occurring today, largely driven by human emissions, is 10 times higher. During the most recent glacial period, CO 2 levels rose 14 parts per million in the span of roughly 55 yearstoday, a similar increase takes only 5 or 6 years. Usuallythat is, when humans arent sowing the seeds of own climate destructionthe Earth experiences periodic increases in CO 2 levels due to an effect known as Heinrich Events. Named after German marine geologist Hartmut Heinrich, these events coincide with a cold spell in the North Atlantic caused by icebergs breaking off from the Laurentide Ice Sheet. This causes a kind of chain reaction that leads to a change in global climate patterns. We think [Heinrich events] are caused by a dramatic collapse of the North American ice sheet, OSUs Christo Buizert, a co-author on the study, said in a press statement. This sets into motion a chain reaction that involves changes to the tropical monsoons, the Southern hemisphere westerly winds and these large burps of CO2 coming out of the oceans. This small bit about westerly winds is particularly bad news. Climate models suggest that these winds will only increase as the planet warms, meaning the Southern Ocean could lose a lot of its much-needed carbon dioxide-absorbing ability. While this news is all definitely one big climate bummer, maybe theres at least some hope that this last vestige of climate denialism will finally face oblivion, and humanity can focus on the hard and necessary work of cleaning up our mess. You Might Also Like TOPEKA (KSNT) A state official has announced its giving half a million dollars to 14 awardees to help develop tourism in the Sunflower State. Monday, the Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced it has awarded $500,000 in the latest round of funding for the Attraction Development Grant, according to a release from the Kansas Department of Commerce. This grant program helps build up tourism experiences across Kansas with the hopes of boosting the states economy. High-quality tourism attractions play a large role in the economic success our state has seen over the past five years, Toland said. By establishing and continuing to invest in quality attractions, we are improving the quality of life for current Kansans and creating more reasons for potential future residents to call Kansas home. Advisors Excel names firms to transform West Ridge Mall Fourteen new or existing tourist attractions across the state will receive a portion of funds from the Attraction Development Grant. According to the release, recipients will be matching the investments from the grant for approved projects. That matched total is almost $1.4 million. It is exciting to unveil new attractions that give travelers reasons to visit our great state, immerse themselves in our story, and really get to know Kansas, said Kansas Tourism Director Bridgette Jobe. With these grant awards, were not just building destinations, were crafting dreams and shaping the future of tourism in Kansas. Below is a list of the 2024 Attraction Development Grant awardees: Recipient County Amount A&H Farms Riley County $23,419.00 Atlas Ad Astra, LLC Ellsworth County $80,000.00 Legacy, A regional Community Foundation-Bartlett Arboretum Sumner County $2,200.00 Bronwick Farms, LLC Cheyenne County $18,777.00 Choose Ottawa County, Rock City Inc. Ottawa County $4,153.00 City of Garnett Anderson County $94,181.00 Gearhead Curios, LLC Cherokee County $12,500.00 Sollo Vineyards LLC/Grace Hill Winery Harvey County $20,600.00 Leavenworth County Historical Society Leavenworth County $16,000.00 OZ Museum/Columbian Theatre Pottawatomie County $40,000.00 Purple Meadows Lavender Farm, LLC Johnson County $16,000.00 Republic County Economic Development Republic County $20,441.00 Tanganyika Wildlife Park Sedgwick County $142,500.00 Gordon Parks Museum Foundation Bourbon County $9,229.00 To try and receive the Attraction Development Grant, applications will reopen August 1, 2024. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department completed a week-long operation aimed at crime suppression, performing parole and probation checks that resulted in 51 felony arrests. Authorities say they targeted known gang members and people prohibited from owning firearms during Operation Consequences and seized 29 firearms, including six ghost guns. The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department made 51 arrests and seized 29 firearms, including six ghost guns, during a week-long targeted operation. Deputies released these images on May 20, 2024. (SBCSD) The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department made 51 arrests and seized 29 firearms, including six ghost guns, during a week-long targeted operation. Deputies released these images on May 20, 2024. (SBCSD) The San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department made 51 arrests and seized 29 firearms, including six ghost guns, during a week-long targeted operation. Deputies released these images on May 20, 2024. (SBCSD) The operation was spread throughout the High Desert, with 20 search warrants served in San Bernardino, Adelanto, Hesperia, Victorville and Apple Valley. Deputies conducted the operation between May 11 and 17 in the following locations: 1200 block of North F Street, San Bernardino 18600 block of Casaba Road, Adelanto 15500 block of Smoke Tree Street, Hesperia 2000 block of Fremontia Road, Hesperia 15000 block of Turner Road, Victorville 5900 block of Stanton Avenue, San Bernardino 3700 block of Ridgeline Drive, San Bernardino 15000 block of Comanche Road, Apple Valley The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors authorized funds to assist with county-wide crime suppression. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) Dominic Hensley and Mandi Judy beamed, while Devin Babb flashed a peace sign and Jacob Taylor carefully signed his contract as his dad Jesse looked on proudly. Warrants served to remaining Westside Inn residents It was a new type of signing day at Science Hill High School as six students with disabilities inked one-year internship deals with Ballad Healths Niswonger Childrens Hospital the first Northeast Tennessee students to participate in Project SEARCH. The international network of work sites, headquartered at Cincinnati Childrens Hospital, focuses on helping people with disabilities secure competitive employment. Ultimately, the outcome is that were providing a very structured learning environment for our students with disabilities so that they can be employable and have additional opportunities once they graduate from Johnson City Schools, Allecia Frizzell, the school systems director of special education, said. So were really excited for this opportunity. Dominic Hensley used the same term, telling News Channel 11 hed be helping kids when his job starts Aug. 5. Allecia Frizzell, Johnson City Schools director of special education, pushed for the system to join the Project SEARCH program this year. (Photo: WJHL) Frizzell said Project SEARCH partners with Vocational Rehab, a state-run agency, employers (just Ballad so far) and the school system. Project SEARCH has been at work for 28 years with the primary goal of securing competitive employment for people with disabilities. What we would like to see is be able to provide very structured supports early on in the program and then as students progress be able to pull back on support so that by the time theyre finished, they would be have some competitive employment skills, Frizzell said. By competitive employment, Frizzell means jobs that arent specifically designed to give people with disabilities something to do, but rather those that companies and other employers need done and that could be filled by anyone. Frizzell said Project SEARCH has a track record of producing. About 80% of the students who participate in Project SEARCH, once they graduate, are employed in some form of competitive employment, so were really excited about that, Frizzell said. Project SEARCHs outcome summary on its website classifies competitive employment as occurring in an integrated setting (among co-workers with and without disabilities), year-round at the prevailing wage and at least 16 hours a week of work. ETSU Big Train Show set for May 31 June 1 Shawn Judy said the opportunity is a great next step for his daughter, Mandi, who graduates Saturday. Mandi was born with numerous physical challenges and is on the autism spectrum. Judy said hes seen local opportunities for his daughter both in health care and in education steadily improve through her lifetime. At nine and a half months old, she had to have open heart surgery and we couldnt get an operating room here because they didnt have one dedicated just for children, Judy said. Now theyve got dedicated hospital facilities where they can do surgeries, shes had casts on both feet, several other problems and we have the doctors and the facility to take her to have it done. Mandi Judy and her dad, Shawn, following her signing with Niswonger Childrens Hospital Tuesday. (Photo: WJHL) At the same time, Judys seen the level of inclusion for Mandi increase at school, where shes been learning important life skills for the past six or so years. Were just proud of our teachers that have been with her for years, pushed her to do better, he said. Ballad Health has helped us out a lot and gotten this program so Mandi can further her life skills, so were very proud of Ballad and Science Hill and Johnson City Schools and all of our teachers throughout the years. Frizzell learned about Project SEARCH mid-year after taking over her current role at the beginning of this school year. She said the opportunity sounded too good to pass up, even with some tight deadlines. Stone Castle renovation project on track for completion before football season She said interns will learn job-related skills like coming to work on time, wearing the appropriate uniform and communicating with managers and co-workers, along with the all-important hard skills. Attention to detail, making sure that you have people who are able to understand the task and then perform that task well. Frizzell hopes the current cohort of students begins a tradition of about five to eight interns per year. Eligible students will have met all their graduation requirements but will still have time to complete the internship because students with disabilities can continue being served by public schools until theyre 21. She said Project SEARCH is part of a growing trend of inclusivity for people with disabilities, which she said benefits everyone. Not only does the person whos gaining those skills have a greater opportunity, but I think that the worksite has an opportunity to have a great employee and offer those skills. I think too, just the opportunity to see people from diverse backgrounds in the workplace being able to see an increase in that is helpful to everyone in the community. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. See an earlier report on the death of Rhonda Jones in the video player above. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A 70-year-old Columbus man was sentenced to over a decade in prison on Tuesday after pleading guilty to stabbing his sister to death. Michael Wright Michael Wright was accused in the May 2023 death of his sister, Rhonda Jones. Columbus police were called to a South Hilltop residence in the 1900 block of Vaughn Street and found Jones suffering from multiple stab wounds. She was taken to Grant Medical Center, where she died less than an hour later. She was 66 years old. A second person was hurt in the incident and treated at the scene. Wright was found nearby, arrested and charged with murder. He pleaded guilty to a felony charge of voluntary manslaughter, Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack said in a news release. Judge Kim Brown approved a maximum sentence of 11-16 1/2 years that was mutually agreed upon by prosecutors and Wrights attorney. Columbus machete attack stemmed from fight over parking space, police say This embedded content is not available in your region. Wright will receive credit for his 380 days spent in jail. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. A 73-year-old South Jersey man charged with strangling his wife to death, prosecutor says Gerard Slavin, 73, showed no resistance at the time of his arrest. A 73-year-old man from Moorestown was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree aggravated assault after allegedly strangling his wife Monday, the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said. Gerard Slavin showed no resistance upon his arrest and he is now detained at the Burlington County Jail pending a detention hearing at the Superior Court, the prosecutor office said in a news release. The investigation of Linda Slavin's murder began Monday afternoon after the police was called to the Slavin residence in the Moorestown Woods Apartment Homes in East Camden Avenue. Police said they found her body in the bedroom. An autopsy performed Tuesday by Burlington County Medical Examiner Dr. Ian Hood determined that Linda Slavin died from strangulation, the prosecutor's office said. This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Cops charge 73-year-old man with wife's murder in Moorestown, NJ At 91, hes one of the last surviving participants in a US program some described as legalized slavery Some of Sebastian Corrals memories have faded. But the 91-year-old remembers his 1953 arrival in the US as if it were yesterday. How workers like him were forced to strip naked and sprayed with insecticide. How their hands were inspected to make sure they were qualified for the hard labor that awaited them. How unwelcome he and so many others felt even though theyd been invited across the border by the US government. You felt humiliated. You felt like you were nothing, even though youd come to work and lift yourself up, Corral told CNN in a recent interview via Zoom from his home in Vado, New Mexico. Memories of those first moments in America came rushing back for Corral this month during a dramatically different visit to the place where he took his first steps in the country more than 70 years ago. This time, officials were unveiling plaques designating the former Rio Vista Bracero Reception Center in Socorro, Texas, as a National Historic Landmark. And Corral was a guest of honor. A long-overlooked chapter in US history is getting more attention Corral and millions of others who crossed the border like him between 1942 and 1964 were known as braceros, a term derived from the Spanish word for arm and referencing the grueling labor participants in the Mexican Farm Worker Program would be doing upon arrival. The partnership between the US and Mexico legally brought more than 4 million guest workers across the border to work largely in agriculture in 30 participating states across the country. The program purported to protect workers from discrimination. But the reality was much harsher for many braceros. This photo taken in Hidalgo, Texas, in 1956 shows a masked worker spraying braceros with DDT while others wait in line. - USCIS History Office and Library/Department of Homeland Security Years after the program ended, one of its former directors described it as legalized slavery in an interview with the Dallas Morning News. They were so fearful of being away from their homes and not sending money to their families that they felt pretty much in bondage, former Department of Labor official Lee G. Williams told the newspaper. The bracero program is an important chapter of US history thats long been overlooked, according to Yolanda Chavez Leyva, an associate professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. Many people arent aware of how significantly the program shaped immigration in the US, or the large number of families who can trace their roots in the US back to the initiative. Its coming to light more, but its still not taught very often. History textbooks might have a paragraph on it, Leyva says. Even within former braceros families, she says, sometimes the history has been hidden. What they have told me is that they didnt want to share their experiences with their families, because it was too painful, and they didnt want their children and grandchildren to know what they had gone through, says Leyva, whos spent years collecting hundreds of oral histories from former participants in the program. Blanca McCreary, one of Corrals 14 grandchildren, says she only learned about his experience as a bracero when she was studying World War II in a college course. I asked him, Do you know about this program? And from there is when he told me everything, McCreary says. And every time I hear him talk about it, I feel the same emotions. It makes me angry. I say, How is it possible that they treated my grandpa like this? How is it possible that they treated them, as my grandpa says, like animals? These are human beings. Patrol agents check the papers of agricultural workers in the 1950s. While the bracero program provided a legal pathway for guest workers, crackdowns on illegal immigration were also common during that period. - USCIS History Office and Library/Department of Homeland Security Leyva says Corral and his story immediately came to mind when officials were planning the event at Rio Vista, and looking for a bracero to invite. Hes one of the last known surviving braceros living in the region, Leyva says. Many have died in recent years, she says, especially during the pandemic. Why Rio Vista is so significant and rare The Rio Vista site, a key hub for the program, is about a 30-minute drive from El Paso, Texas. Its comprised of more than 20 buildings, including historic adobe barracks and wooden structures. And its the only one of five locations where braceros were processed thats still standing. According to a description on the National Trust for Historic Preservation website, more than 80,000 braceros passed annually through Rio Vista, where they were met with terrible food, humiliating medical and psychological examinations and fumigation. Aspiring braceros line up to undergo physical examinations by the US Public Health Service in South Texas in the 1950s. Their hats, bags and other belongings are piled nearby. - USCIS History Office and Library/Department of Homeland Security Corral says he was held at the site for several days before a rancher arrived and contracted him. Over the years, the facilities constructed in 1915 have served a variety of purposes. Before its role in the bracero program, the area known as Rio Vista Farm was a poor farm and an orphanage. After the bracero program, it became a law enforcement training area, began housing some city offices and a community center, and even served as a set for the 2000 film Traffic. Sehila Mota Casper, executive director of Latinos in Heritage Conservation, says she was amazed when she first discovered the site while working at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Traditionally our sites have been demolished. Theyve been overlooked. Theyve been displaced, erased, Mota Casper told reporters earlier this month. To find out this building still exists was incredible. Officials in Socorro plan to open the nations first Bracero History Museum at the Rio Vista site in 2027, with groundbreaking on the project slated for later this year. In the meantime, visitors can tour the site online or stop by in person to see the grounds with a visitor's pass from the city. - Courtesy Kip Malone/National Trust for Historic Preservation For years, Mota Casper, Leyva and city officials from Socorro pushed to get the Rio Vista site designated as a landmark. With that accomplished, now theyre working to turn it into the first Bracero History Museum in the United States. Construction is slated to begin at the site later this year, with plans for the museum to open in 2027. In Socorro, a small town outside El Paso, officials view the recent landmark designation as a major milestone. Its like Ellis Island or the Alamo, what we have here, and its so prudent that were good stewards to make sure that we protect it and that we preserve it so others can appreciate it, Victor Reta, the citys director of recreation and historic preservation, told reporters. The city also plans to open its first library at the site, and has been raising money for the project on its website. Once the museum opens, Corral says hes hoping many more Americans will visit Rio Vista and learn the legacy of the braceros. I want them to know that it wasnt easy, what we lived here, he says. What revisiting the site revealed But Corral says he and many others felt like they had no other choice. In an oral history interview last year with the University of Texas at El Paso, Corral noted that farmworkers where hed been living in Delicias, Mexico, made just 4 pesos a day. In the US, he could make eight times as much. So Corral began his first three-month contract picking cotton on a farm in New Mexico and never looked back, though he returned regularly to Mexico to visit family. Corral continued as a bracero for 11 years until the program ended, then did everything he could to stay in the US and keep working. Corral and his wife, Maria, married in Mexico in 1956. Three weeks later, he returned to the US to resume work as a bracero. - Courtesy Corral family Today, he describes the long journey that began at Rio Vista with pride: I came as a bracero. After being a bracero, then I was illegal for some years. After being illegal, then I was a permanent resident. Now I am a citizen. In some ways, Rio Vista wasnt like Corral remembered when he returned this month. The buildings were more worn-down some pure ruins, Corral says. But what Corral noticed most wasnt the buildings; it was how differently he felt being there. I was not the same person as before, he says. So much had changed since those first days when he was a young man waiting for a rancher to arrive at Rio Vista with work. Hed harvested cotton, and driven tractors, and picked beets and cucumbers as a bracero. Hed lived in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Texas during his years in the program. Once, an El Paso restaurant had refused to serve him because he was Mexican. Hed been an undocumented immigrant for decades. Hed washed dishes and prepped food in a Los Angeles restaurant. Hed worked at dairy farms in California. Hed become a legal resident after President Reagan signed a law granting him and millions of others amnesty. Hed finally brought his wife and children to the US after years of separation. Hed saved enough money to buy land for all of them to build homes nearby. Hed had 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. And just two years ago, hed finally become a US citizen after decades of knowing he was American, nearly 70 years after his first arrival in the United States. All of this went through Corrals mind as he revisited Rio Vista on May 11. And in the mix of emotions that hit him, he felt anger at some points, but also, contentment. Some of the buildings around him were in ruins as they awaited renovation. But Corral was standing in the Rio Vista courtyard with generations of his family beside him. And he saw something else: the life that he built. Four generations of the Corral family pose for a portrait at the Rio Vista site during a recent visit. Thinking back on his bracero experience, Corral says hes proud he was able to work hard and support his family. "Something good came out of the bad," he says. - Courtesy Fujiko Yamamoto For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com I-93 construction project worker arrested for DWI while driving a large dump truck in New Hampshire A dump truck operator working in a construction zone on Interstate 93 was arrested for driving a large dump truck while impaired, state police said. Michael R. Pellerin, 49, of Manchester, was charged with aggravated DWI, state police said. At approximately 11 p.m. Sunday, troopers were called to check the welfare of a commercial driver who was actively working at the construction project on I-93 in Hooksett. Troopers received a report that the driver was believed to be under the influence while driving a large dump truck, based on the way he was driving the vehicle in the construction zone, state police said. Trooper Noah Gooch responded to the area and met with the driver, later identified as Pellerin. Gooch spoke with Pellerin and observed indicators of impairment, state police said, adding that Pellerin agreed to a field sobriety test. He was arrested after the test and later released on personal recognizance. Pellerin is scheduled to appear in Hooksett District Court at a later date. Anyone with further information regarding this incident is asked to contact Trooper Noah Gooch at Noah.D.Gooch@dos.nh.gov or 603-223-4381. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW 96 dogs seized, 5 GA men sentenced to prison in dogfighting operation bust Five Georgia men have been sentenced to federal prison for being involved in a large-scale dogfighting operation. Deputies rescued 96 dogs from three locations Johnson County, and two other locations in Laurens and Washington Counties. Two of the men named in the dogfighting operation were also sentenced in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The five men each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the animal welfare act. Travis Martin, 43, of Wrightsville, was sentenced to 24 months in prison and fined $1,000. A judge ordered the new sentence to be served consecutively to the 200-month sentence Martin is serving as the leader of the drug trafficking conspiracy Sentell Carey, 41, of Wrightsville, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $2,000. Carey is serving a sentence of probation in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Dennis Wilcher, 42, of Wrightsville, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $3,000. Terry Gilmore, 28, of Sandersville, was sentenced to 23 months in prison and fined $2,500. Jonathan Linder, 35, of Rentz, was sentenced to 20 months in prison and fined $2,000. Each of the men is prohibited from owning dogs and is prohibited from participating in any activity involving dogs. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) Parents of St. Johns Episcopal students met with members of the Abilene Police Department (APD) Monday to discuss a case against a former preschool employee Mark Eichorn, who is accused of possessing graphic media involving children. Abilene preschool employee accused of possessing child pornography Eichorn was a child care employee at St. Johns Episcopal who was investigated by APDs cybercrime unit, which led to his arrest on May 9 for felony Child Porn charges. The investigation first was initiated when a mother from another state said she discovered an unusually large balance in her 13-year-old sons bank account. When questioned about the balance, the son reportedly admitted to sending Eichorn photos and videos of an inappropriate nature. Abilene preschool employee accused of being a sugar daddy to children That law enforcement agency then contacted APD, where investigators were able to seize Eichorns phone and allegedly found the illicit photos, as well as others on his electronic devices. Parents and St. Johns school officials were invited to the Abilene Police Department on Monday to discuss the investigation and the state of the school moving forward. However, due to the sensitive nature of the meeting, the school and parents in attendance declined to comment publicly. APD told KTAB/KRBC, The case against Mr. Eichorn remains active, as detectives continue working on it. The families were invited to speak with the Detectives regarding any concerns they may have. We also attempted to contact St. Johns episcopal regarding their communication with parents, but as of this time we have received no reply. Mark Eichorn has since been released from the Taylor County Jail after posting a $50,000 bond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTAB - BigCountryHomepage.com. Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene speaks at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023. DelBene spoke to reporters Friday, May 17, 2024, about how abortion will affect U.S. House races in November. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene told reporters Friday that ballot questions on abortion access, which will go before voters in several states this November, can help vulnerable Democratic candidates in swing districts potentially increasing the odds the U.S. House flips from red to blue. Weve seen huge turnout as a result of that over and over in elections since November of 2022, DelBene said during a breakfast hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. And I have no doubt were going to continue to see that all the way through. The Washington state Democrat, who was elected to Congress in 2012 and leads House Democrats campaign arm this election cycle, said that reproductive rights will also be a crucial issue for voters in swing districts that dont have a ballot question on access. Folks support womens reproductive rights across the country, DelBene said. And thats going to be a huge issue. And for some people, it is the issue. Democrats in Congress have been unable to restore nationwide abortion protections that existed for nearly 50 years under the U.S. Supreme Courts 1973 Roe v. Wade case and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey ruling. Conservative Supreme Court justices voted to overturn those two rulings in the Dobbs decision that was released in 2022, writing that the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives. The court is expected to rule this summer on two additional cases related to abortion access, just months before voters head to the polls. One originally filed in Texas will determine whether access to mifepristone, one of two pharmaceuticals used in medication abortion, can remain available as it is now or revert to prescribing instructions in place before 2016. The court heard oral arguments in March. The second case, out of Idaho, has to do with whether doctors who provide abortion as stabilizing care when the pregnant patients life or health is at risk are protected from prosecution under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. Since the Supreme Court ended nationwide protections for abortion access, voters in several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio have voted to keep or instill abortion access as a right. Voters in numerous other states, including Arizona, Florida and Montana, are likely to have the issue directly on their ballots later this year, as well as candidates from president on down. Federal legislation DelBene said Friday that Democrats will bring legislation to the floor to restore nationwide protections for abortion, should they retake the House. That will be one of our top priorities, to make sure that we pass the Womens Health Protection Act again, DelBene said. But Im also hopeful that we will keep the Senate and be able to move forward. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter projects that Republicans are on track to pick up between one and four seats in the Senate, likely moving that chamber of Congress from blue to red. Should Democrats flip the House, that would mean a continuation of divided government, regardless of who wins the presidential contest. The Cook Political Report forecasts 203 seats are at least leaning toward Democratic control while 210 are rated as solid, likely or lean Republican. That leaves 22 seats in the toss up category, with a total of 218 needed for one party to control the chamber. Jessica Taylor, editor for U.S. Senate and governors at CPR, wrote in an update released Friday that the upper chamber remains beyond precarious for Democrats. There is no room for error and if President Joe Biden loses reelection, they will have already lost the majority whether they run the table in all the competitive seats or not, Taylor wrote. Young voters DelBene said during the breakfast at a hotel in Washington, D.C., that turnout will be critical and that Democrats will be especially focused on younger voters showing up at the polls. Traditionally, younger voters havent turned out as much, she said. So that absolutely is a top priority. DelBene took several questions about whether those younger voters would actually back Democratic candidates or Biden, given the increase in protests on college campuses and concern within the progressive wing about the increasing civilian death toll from the ongoing war in Gaza. The top issues for younger voters, DelBene said, are making sure that they are going to have economic opportunity going forward and that theyre going to be in a position where they can have the same opportunities that their parents said that theyre going to have, the same rights and freedoms that their parents did. Candidates in purple districts should speak authentically with voters when theyre asked about their stance on the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, she said. My advice for candidates has always been, Its important for you to have an authentic voice and talk about what you would do, how you feel on issues. Because people can tell if someones scripted and not really talking about their feelings, DelBene said. And on such an important issue, I think, its really important that people talk authentically about their positions, what they think needs to happen. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Abortion ballot measures could lift Dems in U.S. House races, campaign chief says appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. IT WAS JUNE 24, 2022, and Karen Musick was working at Little Rock Family Planning Services, the last abortion clinic in Arkansas. She was guiding patients into the clinic when she heard a protester scream out the news. Thats how she found out the Supreme Court had issued a ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson; the court determined that the Constitution doesnt protect the right to an abortion. We all knew it was coming, Musick says now, two years later. Shes sitting in the clinics old office, surrounded by boxes piled high. I dont know how you stop [the tears]. The whole day was tears. More from Rolling Stone The clinic was forced to shut down that day. Arkansas is one of several states that had near-total abortion bans triggered by the landmark ruling meaning no abortions were allowed in the state except to save the life of the mother in a medical emergency. For patients inside, doctors wrote down information for clinics in other states that were still open. Outside, one family with seven children danced in the street and sang praises to God while employees and clinic escorts on shift helped despondent patients to their cars. The doors shut for the last time. The protesters went home. But in the parking lot, a large group in rainbow-striped vests gathered. The escorts started showing up, says Musick, tears still fresh in her eyes. Soon, Little Rock Family Planning Services would no longer be a clinic but the clinic defenders were still there and determined to continue their fight for abortion access. And theyre not alone. A term first used by activist groups during clinic bombings after Roe v. Wade, clinic defenders physically block protesters from sight, try to drown them out, and in some cases, actively confront masses of anti-abortion activists. [Clinic-focused attacks] began [with] this idea of If we cant end abortion in the courts, we can punish people at the place where they have abortions, says Lauren Rankin, a former clinic escort and author of Bodies on the Line. Pro-choice activists, spearheaded by Black female leaders and queer-rights groups, quickly moved to defense, staging distractions in front of clinics, targeting demonstrators, and even taking punches meant for providers. In 2020, the advent of social media apps brought a fresh wave of support for clinic defense. Disillusioned by the idea of only using voting to fight for abortion access, many groups, once considered simple counterprotest forces, coordinated directly with clinics. Now, as a post-Dobbs world continues to see state legislation strip away abortion access and clinic doors close nationwide, clinic defenders face a brand-new challenge: anti-abortion activists emboldened by sweeping state bans. According to the National Abortion Federation, violence against clinics and abortion providers has continued to rise following the Roe reversal. In 2022, there were four arsons, 20 clinic invasions, and a 20 percent increase in death threats against abortion providers. Before Dobbs, the last reported anthrax scare involving abortion clinics was in 2011; in 2022, there were four. Stricter state abortion laws means increased attacks have concentrated on a dwindling number of clinics. But the select groups of abortion activists left arent letting the pressure get to them. And you know what they say about the best defense. That day in June, Musick left the clinic and joined the escorts, which included her daughter. Musick, 68, is a co-founder of the Arkansas Abortion Support Network, a nonprofit that began as a volunteer group for clinic defense in 2013 and expanded into Arkansas first abortion fund in 2016. The group provided defense services until 2022, when Dobbs closed its clinic doors. That day I didnt take off my vest until probably one in the morning, she says. We had a rally at the Capitol. A lot of people who were there, we went out to dinner, drank, cursed, swore, and decided Were not stopping. YOU NEVER KNOW what you might see outside the Orlando Womens Center in Florida. The one-story brick building blends in with its neighbors, except for the ever-rotating cast of characters who crowd the sidewalks around its entrance. Playing the latest Lil Wayne while youre about to go murder a baby? a protester yells, while a woman blocks him with a pink umbrella. Around him, others wave purple Do Not Murder signs. When Florida resident Tanya was scrolling on TikTok one day, it was a scene just like this one that persuaded her to become a clinic defender. I immediately shut off [the app] and said, OK, Im going down there, she says. The abortion defenders of the Orlando center refer to themselves as SWAN (Stand With Abortion Now). Even with mass reporting and constant attempts to ban its accounts, SWAN remains a staple on the app. Some days its work means putting bodies between people rushing to appointments. Other days, it means Tanya and others film viral TikTok dances on the lawn, place cameras near protesters, or sometimes just frolic around in a unicorn costume nicknamed Unibort a sort of unofficial mascot of the group. But while the group engages with protesters with a bit of silliness to poke holes in their messaging, the SWANs have noted the post-Dobbs world has only increased antagonism. What were now seeing is less of We care about both the woman and the child. It is now These women are harlots who are willfully committing murder, and they also need to go to prison, Tanya says. Theres a rise in this abolitionist kind of sect that is now very much focused on ensuring that anyone who is intent on obtaining an abortion is viewed as homicidal and is incarcerated. Any kind of state law that says they own you after six weeks is devastating to the general community. Its only steadied our resolve were going to keep standing strong and fighting it. For the past two years, Florida was a refuge for patients in the region who could still access care up to 15 weeks there, but on May 1, a new ban went into effect dramatically reducing access across the South. Today, Florida clinics like the Orlando Womens Center can only offer services up to six weeks of gestation before many women even know theyre pregnant. Any patient seeking an abortion beyond that point will now be referred to providers in other states. With more patients needing to travel post-Dobbs, the tension at the remaining clinics has been heightened. Once people started coming to us from other states, it only angered them further, says Shannon Bauerle, the executive director for the Charlotte for Choice advocacy group, about anti-abortion protesters in North Carolina. Like many volunteers, Bauerles work began after a scary encounter during her own abortion. I remember having a blanket over my head because I was so scared, Bauerle says. They were banging on my partners car when we were driving in, and it was absolutely terrifying. She says violent threats have only grown with each restriction. Clinic defenders often straddle a thin legal line while trying to protect patients. Most states allow protesting on public property, which can pack sidewalks outside of clinics. At North Carolinas A Preferred Womens Health Center, the divide is both ideological and physical, as protesters are split down the middle by a public road ever since an anti-abortion group purchased a plot of land next door. On one such day, a woman yelling about instruments of death heading for fetuses is only drowned out by the shouts of another protester almost prostrate on the sidewalk, wailing prayers and cries of Oh, Lord! Oh, Jesus! Harassment and doxing come with the territory, too. But they say posting online has become a major component of their work these days. Defenders film antagonists and use social media to connect with clinics across state lines and identify repeat offenders, especially those who get violent or cause disruptions. In Duluth, Minnesota, the We Health Clinic started using TikTok after the Dobbs ruling to give people a glimpse into the clinic-escort world. What they found was that even as a non-engagement clinic one with a policy not to acknowledge or antagonize protesters simply filming protesters changed their behavior. Our anti-abortion protesters outside film our patients coming into our clinic, and so we wanted to give them a little taste of their own medicine, says Paulina Briggs, executive director of We Health. Once the recordings started drawing shocked eyes on TikTok, we saw that they really reined in some of their more problematic tactics because they knew that they were being watched by a lot of people, Briggs adds. Not all clinic-defense programs have been able to adapt. The Jackson Womens Health Organization the abortion clinic at the heart of the landmark Supreme Court decision was for years the home of the Pink House Defenders, a volunteer program dedicated to helping the Mississippi clinic. Kim Gibson and Derenda Hancock co-founders of We Engage, the groups nonprofit face coordinated daily shifts at the height of the clinics activity in 2021, placing volunteer defenders as physical barriers in front of protesters. And once Jackson Womens became the center of the Supreme Court case, their jobs became even more important, as media attention made the driveway and sidewalks surrounding the Pink House a minefield for incoming patients. If the clinic was open, we were there, Gibson says. But days after Dobbs, the clinic closed its doors for good. Now, what was once the last abortion clinic in Mississippi is an upscale furniture consignment store. Struck by the defeat, the Pink House Defenders quietly disbanded. We had lost on many levels, and it was well-known by antis and such, so it was quite demoralizing, Gibson says. Were quote-unquote back to living normal lives. For Musick and the Arkansas Abortion Support Network, the fear was that the closure of their Little Rock clinic would prevent volunteers from continuing their work. But, in fact, its jump-started renewed interest in supporting it. We had so many people wanting to help initially after Dobbs that we didnt have jobs for them, Musick says. We couldnt figure out what to have them do. Their clinic defense has turned to a health-based offense. The group founded the YOU Center, a pregnancy resource center that operates in the same building as the old clinic. While it cant provide abortions, it offers free services, including contraceptives, pregnancy tests, and STI testing. Theres no blueprint for what the fight for abortion rights will look like next. As more clinics across the country close their doors, clinic defense groups will remain in flux. But the passion has never dissipated, Musick says. You would be hard-pressed to find any state that knew exactly what they were going to see. Im so proud of what weve done so far. All of us wish we could do more. Best of Rolling Stone FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) CBS47s month-long investigation into the impact fentanyl is having on the community and state continues. At the San Ysidro Port of Entry, one of three ports of entry along the border between California and Mexico, the United States Attorney General reports that more fentanyl is seized here than at any of the more than 300 ports of entry into the country. District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp is one part of that fight against fentanyl, both in Fresno County and at the border. She says fentanyl is unlike any other drug and it is most concerning for our youth. The State of Fentanyl: YourCentralValley.coms complete coverage Fentanyl is different from any other street drug that has ever been on the streets of the United States of America. It is an instant killer with alcohol, meth, heroin, cocaine, any drug that they may have any knowledge of. You know, it takes a period of time to from the use phase to the abuse phase to the addiction phase. And, with fentanyl, that happens literally overnight. And every single time that they experiment with one of these pills it is literally an opportunity that that pill has to kill them, said Fresno County District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp. The Fresno County District Attorneys Office confirms more than 12,000 Californians died of a fentanyl overdose last year. Opiate overdoses in California now kill more people than car crashes, homicides, diabetes, and lung cancer. 'Absolutely mind-boggling': Fresno County's DA on the battle with fentanyl Smittcamp says the only way to end this crisis is through a community effort, holding Chinese and Mexican authorities responsible. Major General Matthew Beevers is with the California National Guard, which is stationed at the border working to stop fentanyl from making its way into California. There are soldiers positioned along the border assisting United States Border Patrol agents in seizing fentanyl pills and powder. There are also National Guard members on the other side of that border working through databases and characterizing information to be able to determine what vehicles are likely to have narcotics in them and the work we do on the border at the ports of entry enables CBP to be able to move those officers now in front of the kiosks to they can determine patterns of life, said Beevers. The process frees up border agents so they are able to focus on their task at hand, which is to visually examine documents and vehicles that cross the border into California. The California National Guard has assisted in the seizure of nearly 3.5 million fentanyl pills across the state and at the border since Jan. 1 and 7,100 pounds of fentanyl about the same weight as a limousine. Officials say seven out of 10 counterfeit pills are laced with fentanyl. So that pill that may look like oxycontin, percocet, hydrocodone, or xanax could actually be a fentanyl pill that could kill you in just 20 seconds. Smittcamp says she is doing her part, but there is only so much that officials in Fresno County can do. Its absolutely mind-boggling to me as a U.S. citizen, as an elected district attorney, as a mom, how our elected officials cannot do a better job at the border. I dont purport to understand the theories and politics, how we can have politicians that literally theyre just soundbites. You know, they pretend when something terrible happens and the media says, you know, pays attention to it. Theyll give a soundbite about how we need to be pro-law enforcement and how we have to protect our borders, said Smittcamp. Smittcamp wants more to be done to secure the border and stop fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into California. She says it should not be up to Governor Gavin Newsom and other border state governors to come up with border security policies and adds we must demand more from the Biden administration. We also need to take a really strong look at how we view people who are bringing drugs into this country because the way that weve gone in the last 10 years, drugs have become an insignificant thing in the big picture of public safety and we have watered down to any drug laws nationwide, not just in California, its not just California crazy its nationwide and we really have lost the moral fiber, Smittcamp said. Smittcamp has been focused on educating young people on the deadly dangers of fentanyl. She speaks to high school students all the time informing them that one pill can kill. She is also focused on litigation. In a first for Fresno County, she has filed murder charges in two cases, where a drug dealer is suspected of selling someone fentanyl pills that lead to their death. When asked what she thinks needs to be done here at the border, she tells me we need to strengthen our relationships in Mexico to get them to partner with us and do a better job on our side of the border when it comes to security. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony should be given a written reprimand, placed on an 18-month probationary period and ordered to complete ethics training after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement accused him of lying on at least seven occasions about previously having a suspended drivers license, a judge ruled Monday. Administrative Judge Robert Kilbride found that Tony failed to maintain good moral character because he knowingly provided incorrect and false answers when renewing his drivers license in 2019, court documents reveal. READ MORE: Broward sheriff accused of lying on drivers license applications. What does he face? The probe began in 2020 when Inspector Keith Riddick, who investigates corruption and crimes associated with public servants for FDLE, uncovered that Tonys license was suspended for not showing up to court in 1998, per court documents. Tony, who at the time lived in Pennsylvania, wasnt yet a police officer. His license was reinstated in 2001. The probe was launched at the request of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis office. DeSantis originally appointed Tony to the job in 2019 after he suspended former Sheriff Scott Israel in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting. There can be no doubt that [Tonys] position as a law enforcement officer and Sheriff is also one of great public trust, Kilbride said in the recommended order. [Tonys] action on February 1, 2019, regrettably, has damaged that trust. Andrew Digby, assistant general counsel at FDLE, previously urged Kilbride to suspend Tonys law enforcement certification for six months. His recommendation came after the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission alleged that Tony unlawfully and knowingly lied on drivers license applications from 2002 to 2019. Tony has hinted that the investigation is an intended assault on his character and career. In a filing, attorney Stephen Webster asked Kilbride to dismiss the case. [FDLE] failed to demonstrate by clear and convincing evidence that [Tony] did unlawfully and knowingly make a false statement knowingly conceal a material fact, or otherwise commit fraud when the applications were processed, Webster said. Kilbride, however, said FDLE didnt prove that Tony knowingly lied on the applications before 2019. When applying for a drivers license, prospective motorists are asked under the penalty of perjury a series of questions, including if their license had previously been suspended. But Tony, in several applications from 2007 to 2019, responded that his driving privileges hadnt been revoked or suspended, the filing states. The applications in question were submitted when Tony was already a police officer. He became a certified law enforcement officer in 2005. Riddick, court records show, didnt investigate the applications from the period between 2007 to 2017 due to the statue of limitations. The investigator instead focused on the 2019 application, interviewing the drivers license examiner who issued Tony a license. READ MORE: FDLE probe finds Broward Sheriff Tony lied about past on forms. But state wont prosecute When interrogated, Tony admitted to knowing that his license was suspended, court documents indicate. Though the sheriff vehemently denied being asked the questions and didnt recall having to answer them. [Tony] denied that his license had ever been suspended, Digbys filing states. He attested to the information within his driver license replacement application, under penalty of perjury, by signing on the keypad... Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss, seen here in court, is accused of being part of the plot that aimed at restoring the rule of the German Empire - Shutterstock/Boris Roessler A German aristocrat accused of plotting to overthrow the state and take over as a new Kaiser has been put on trial for high treason. Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, 72, appeared at a court on the western outskirts of Frankfurt on Tuesday morning under heavy security, as a dozen police officers and armed guards patrolled the grounds under barbed wire fences. The alleged coup-plotter was dressed in a dark suit and jumper as he took a seat among the other defendants and their lawyers. Prince Reuss, who claims to be a descendent of the 12th-century Reuss dynasty, and his co-conspirators are accused of plotting an armed coup against the German state. According to an indictment, the conspirators had discussed plans to march into the national parliament in Berlin with an armed group to arrest MPs, on what they dubbed Day X. An indictment suggests that the group discussed the death of Queen Elizabeth II as a possible omen that it was time for them to seize power. Also on trial was a former judge and MP for the far-Right AfD party, Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who is accused of using her access to Germanys parliament to smuggle co-conspirators into the area as part of their coup plans. All eight suspects who appeared before the court in Frankfurt are members of the Reichsburger movement, which rejects the legitimacy of the modern German state and wishes to restore the rule of the German Empire established in 1871. The shadowy group is estimated to have around 23,000 members nationwide. Former far-Right MP Birgit Malsack-Winkemann (R) stands accused of wanting to overthrow the German state - AFP/Boris Roessler Defendant Maximilian Eder, a former army colonel, is one of the eight defendants at the Frankfurt court room accused of being part of the treasonous plot - AFP/Boris Roessler In addition to the hearings in Frankfurt, other key suspects are also on trial at courts in Stuttgart and in Munich, in Germanys biggest and most complex terrorism trial. The trial is expected to run until January 2025 but could last much longer due to its scale and complexity, with seven judges examining 700 folders of evidence in the Stuttgart proceedings alone. In April, nine men accused of being members of the coup-plotters armed wing appeared in court in Stuttgart, separated from judges by bullet-proof glass. The accused, whose faces were hidden from TV cameras by police, shook their heads as the charges were read out. Prince Reuss is a former wine producer, property developer and fan of conspiracy theories. His lawyers have insisted that he is not a violent criminal and suggest that he has been caught up in a fanciful plot which he did not fully understand. But the case is being taken extremely seriously by German authorities as the group possesses a massive arsenal of weapons and counted among its members both serving and ex-soldiers, including a veteran of the German equivalent of the SAS. The plot was foiled in a string of dramatic raids in 2022, as police commandos arrested dozens of alleged plotters across 16 German states. At one address in southern Germany a suspect, now on trial in Stuttgart, shot and injured a police officer. He is facing an attempted murder charge in addition to treason. Last years arrests followed the largest German police investigation in decades, with 300 detectives working on the case. The trial continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. A former Royal Marine arrested for allegedly working with the Hong Kong intelligence service was found dead over the weekend, according to U.K. authorities. Matthew Trickett, 37, was out on bail and awaiting trial when his body was discovered on Sunday evening in a park in Maidenhead, a market town about an hour outside of central London. His death is being treated as unexplained, Thames Valley police said, with an investigation underway and a post-mortem examination to be conducted in due course. In a statement, Tricketts family said they were mourning the loss of a much-loved son, brother, and family member. We would be grateful if the press would respect our privacy at this difficult time and refrain from intruding on our grief, they added. Trickett was arrested earlier this month as part of a larger operation that saw nine other men and a woman arrested. A neighbor told The Telegraph that police had broken down the door to Tricketts apartment with a battering ram on May 2. The neighbor added that theyd otherwise known Trickett as a nice and polite man, if one who was apparently frequently out of the country. While seven of the men and the woman were eventually released without being charged, Trickett was charged under the National Security Act for surveilling and harassing Hong Kong pro-democracy activists living in the U.K. Two other detainees, Chung Biu Yuen, 63 and Chi Leung Peter Wai, 38, were also charged. The trio appeared in court for an initial hearing last week, according to The Guardian. None entered a plea. But prosecutors told the court that Trickett had already made threats to take his own life. He told two separate custody sergeants when he is released he is going to kill himself because he has nothing to live for, one explained. How realistic that is, judge, we dont know, but that is a concern for us. District Judge Louisa Cieciora granted Trickett and his co-defendants bail on the condition they abide by a curfew and report weekly to police. Tricketts regular contact with the Thames Valley police requires that his death be investigated separately by the Independent Office for Police Conduct under British law. Trickett was a member of the Marines between 2007 and 2013, according to The Times of London. He previously worked for the U.K. Border Force at Heathrow Airport before joining Home Office Immigration Enforcement earlier this year. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Additional classified records were discovered in former President Trumps Mar-a-Lago bedroom after the FBI search of his Florida estate, court records filed Tuesday reveal. The detail is buried in filings stemming from a separate legal battle as Trump asks a judge to toss his indictment for prosecutorial misconduct, unsealing for the first time many of the records at play as prosecutors presented their case to a D.C. grand jury. That includes a decision from Judge Beryl Howell, who oversaw those proceedings, which indicates Trump was subpoenaed again in January of 2023, prompting his attorneys to later turn over a mostly empty folder marked Classified Evening Summary. She expressed disbelief at how Trump could be unaware of classified records still in his home well after the August 2022 search of his property. Notably, no excuse is provided as to how the former president could miss the classified-marked documents found in his own bedroom at Mar-a-Lago, Howell wrote. Its another remarkable detail in a case where classified records were found in numerous locations that alarmed prosecutors, including a ballroom stage and even a bathroom. The newly unsealed opinion follows a push by special counsel Jack Smith to secure further testimony from Trump attorney Evan Corcoran along with 88 pages of his own records he said were protected by attorney-client privilege. Howell spends ample time reviewing Trumps legal culpability, including the obstruction of justice charges that would accompany those for willfully retaining classified records. She also reflects on his role in concealing information from his attorney and encouraging his now co-defendant Walt Nauta to return to the storage room boxes they moved to hide them from Corcoran without being caught on camera. The government urged that this scramble to Mar-a-Lago in the wake of the June 24, 2022 phone call reflects the former presidents realization that the removal of the boxes from the storage room before search was captured on cameraand his attempts to ensure that any subsequent movement of the boxes back to the storage room could occur off-camera, she wrote. This theory draws support from the curious absence of any video footage showing the return of the remaining boxes to the storage room. In a superseding indictment, DOJ accused Trump of ordering the footage deleted, one of 41 different counts he faced in the case. Howell later notes Trumps role in encouraging Corcoran to submit a certification to the government that all records had been returned was a representation that the former president knew to be wrong. Howell also explained her rationale for lifting attorney-client privilege, noting the crime-fraud exception pierces the attorney-client privilege even when the attorney is an unknowing tool of his client. The opinion was shared as an exhibit from Trumps legal team, even as it seems to favor Smiths position, showing how Howell agreed prosecutors had demonstrated the former presidents conduct met the elements of each law he was later charged with violating. The matter is now before Judge Aileen Cannon, who is still weighing this motion and several others asking her to toss the case. In the meanwhile, she has indefinitely delayed Trumps trial, refusing to set a new trial date in an order earlier this month while detailing she needed more time to weigh each of the former presidents motions. Updated at 6:20 p.m. ET Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A new photo finally confirms the identity of the launch platform for Ukraines ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) the Soviet-era MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter. While we had seen sporadic evidence of the use of MALD a small cruise missile-like weapon designed to stimulate, confuse, and distract enemy air defenses, not attack them kinetically it had not, until now, been seen mounted on a Ukrainian Air Force aircraft. https://www.twitter.com/front_ukrainian/status/1792638096267231451 The photo in question provides a clear underside view of a single-seat MiG-29 as it performs a low pass. A single MALD is mounted on each of the two inner underwing pylons. Weighing around 300 pounds each, they are well within the payload capacity for the fighters underwing hardpoints. No other weapons are carried, although an external fuel tank is attached between the engine intakes. The date and location of the photo is not known. TWZ previously reported on the emergence of the first evidence of MALD being used by Ukraine in its war with Russia. The first confirmed MALD wreckage appeared in May 2023, following an apparent airstrike in the Luhansk region of eastern Ukraine, as you can read about here . Remains of an ADM-160B MALD that were found in the aftermath of a Ukrainian airstrike on a Russian target in the city of Luhansk, in the region of the same name, in May 2023. via X In December 2023, more wreckage appeared , this time in a field reportedly somewhere in the Kherson region, in southern Ukraine. The wreckage of another MALD that reportedly came down in the Kherson region in December 2023. via X We have also explored in depth exactly what MALD brings to the Ukrainian war effort. Powered by a small turbojet, these weapons fly pre-programmed routes, including loitering over target areas. In this way, they can distract and confuse Russian air defenses, providing a better chance for Ukrainian missiles to reach their targets. In particular, MALD is primarily used in support of Ukrainian air-launched cruise missile strikes, which involve the Storm Shadow (supplied by the United Kingdom , and now Italy ) as well as its French equivalent, the SCALP EG . To support this mission, the MALD has a range of around 500 miles, which also gives it significant loiter time. A Ukrainian Air Force Su-24 Fencer carrying a pair of Storm Shadow or SCALP EG cruise missiles. via X ADM-160s first appeared just as Storm Shadow began being used and in similar areas as their targets, which makes perfect sense. These decoys can be equipped to have more prominent radar signatures than the missiles they are assisting, thus drawing away enemy air defenses. Storm Shadow and SCALP EG have low-observable characteristics, significantly reducing the range from which they can be detected by certain sensors. This, paired with careful route planning based on the latest intelligence on enemy air defense positions and capabilities, can drastically improve the chances of a successful cruise missile strike. The need for additional measures to ensure the protection of the Storm Shadow and SCALP EG was dramatically demonstrated over the weekend, when footage emerged of the apparent engagement of one of the latter weapons by Russian air defenses, over the Luhansk region. Intriguingly, while its by now no secret that Ukraine is using MALD, the supply of these weapons by the United States has never formally been disclosed. As we have observed in the past, however, not only does MALD offer an otherwise unique capability to Ukraine, but having the chance to field the weapon against some of the most advanced and densely layered air defenses ever assembled will feed back into the development of more advanced versions and other countermeasures. An ADM-160 MALD in flight. Raytheon Since MALD can be loaded with the appropriate target data before launch, integration onto the MiG-29 was likely not a major endeavor. With that in mind, its highly possible that examples can also be launched by Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft and Su-27 Flanker fighters, although the former type is prioritized for delivering the Storm Shadow and SCALP EG cruise missiles themselves. Once again, however, the MiG-29 demonstrates its remarkable versatility in Ukrainian hands. The Fulcrum remains the true workhorse of the Ukrainian Air Force combat fleet. Previously, this was the first Ukrainian platform on which we saw the AGM-88 High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile ( HARM ) and the Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range ( JDAM-ER ). The Fulcrum has also been seen with a specially adapted underwing pylon, related to the employment of the JDAM-ER, which you can read about here. New cockpit displays may help expand the operational flexibility of these weapons, as well. Probably the best look so far at the distinctive pylon that Ukrainian MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters use to carry JDAM-ER precision-guided glide bombs. via X More recently, the MiG-29 emerged as the first known launch platform for the French-supplied Hammer precision-guided bomb . At this point, the appearance of new and additional stores on the Ukrainian MiG-29 would be far from surprising. Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com Mansfield City Council is scheduled to vote June 4 to impose a six-month moratorium on marijuana dispensaries. Several council members received more background on the issue during a Monday afternoon webinar by the Ohio Municipal League. "Our goal from the government side is to get the best information out there," said Andrew Makoski, an attorney for the Ohio Department of Commerce. In the Nov. 7 general election, the ballot measure called Issue 2 passed with 57% of the vote, making Ohio the 25th state to legalize marijuana for adult recreational use. Ohio's law on adult-use marijuana is now effective, and sales should begin between June and September throughout the state. The department of commerce's division of cannabis control is finalizing rules on implementation of the program. Ohio gives certain rights to local governments related to adult-use operators in their community. More: Madison trustees prohibit marijuana dispensaries in the township More: Commissioners OK proclamation warning of marijuana use At-Large Councilman David Falquette Several Mansfield City Council members attend marijuana webinar Council members Cheryl Meier, El Akuchie, Deborah Mount and David Falquette attended the webinar in council chambers. Makoski said there are 215 marijuana dispensaries in Ohio, with another 180 to 200 licenses pending. Existing medical marijuana medical facilities can apply for a dual-use license. For context, there are about 500 liquors stores in the state. Bonus licenses will be for additional dispensaries for adult-use marijuana that do not yet exist. Applications for dual licenses will open June 7, with approval likely to happen in late June or early July, Makoski said. There is no time frame for when they would open. Applications for bonus licenses are expected to be considered in September. "This is a serious process," Makoski said, noting several states had rollouts that did not go well. Dispensaries must be at least a mile from each other and 500 feet away from such places as schools and libraries. Joining Makoski on the webinar were John Oberle and Samuel Porter, partners in Ice Miller's Government Affairs and Regulatory Law. Oberle noted the firm was the lead author on Issue 2. "The premise was to regulate marijuana like alcohol," he said. Cheryl Meier Porter said local governments can limit the number of adult-use dispensaries. Regarding current medical operators, local officials can pass an ordinance within 120 days after such a facility has received a license for adult use. "We really are about giving governments some control," Oberle added. "We thought it made sense to give voters a chance as well." Porter said there will be a 10% state excise tax applied at the point of sale at adult-use facilities. Local government will receive 36% of that 10%. There are limits to what local governments can do. Oberle said if there is a university medical center that is doing research, such work will be allowed to continue without additional fees. Regarding home grow, there is a cap of 12 plants per house. At the same time, landlords can prohibit the use of marijuana or growth of the plant in a lease agreement. Private property and business owners can also prohibit the use. In addition, smoking prohibitions already in place in Ohio will remain. "It was interesting to hear what the different rules at the state were that I didn't really understand previously," Falquette said. "I'm still kind of up in the air about what the right thing to do is." Meier agreed with her colleague. "I don't know that it has swayed my opinion one way or the other, but it was informational," she said of the webinar. "I think it's our duty to get as much information as possible." mcaudill@gannett.com 419-521-7219 X: @MarkCau32059251 This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield City Council members attend webinar on marijuana * In an interview with state TV IRIB on Sunday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's crash to bad weather conditions, which he said also hindered search and rescue efforts. * After Raisi's death, many world leaders and foreign governments expressed sorrow. * Even though the death of high-ranking officials is a blow to Iran's political governance, analysts said the "shock" can be absorbed. TEHRAN, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after his helicopter crashed in the country's mountainous northwestern region on Sunday. Iran's official news agency IRNA confirmed the deaths of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azarbaijan Province Malek Rahmati, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Representative to East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem and Raisi's bodyguard, all of whom were onboard the same helicopter. Khamenei announced on Monday five days of public mourning. This photo taken on May 19, 2024 shows a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the footage of Iran's state-run IRIB TV. (Xinhua/Shadati) CRASH Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency early Monday that the crash site was located after hours of extensive search in the mountainous region of East Azerbaijan. An image released by the IRNA showed the wreckage of the helicopter scattered across a mountain peak. Rescuers faced harsh weather conditions and low temperatures during their search, which began immediately after the crash was reported on Sunday. The crash occurred as Raisi traveled from the Azerbaijani border following his attendance at a ceremony to inaugurate a storage dam with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. In an interview with state TV IRIB on Sunday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's crash to bad weather conditions, which he said also hindered search and rescue efforts. Raisi, 63, was born in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Before being elected Iranian president in 2021, he held prominent positions, including judiciary chief and Tehran prosecutor. In a statement quoted by the IRNA on Monday, the Iranian cabinet said Raisi was an "indefatigable and hard-working president" who "made the ultimate sacrifice on the path of serving his nation." To mourn Raisi's death, the Iranian government has draped his seat with a black robe. Across various provinces, preparations are underway for mourning ceremonies, while events scheduled for National Cultural Heritage Week have been canceled, as reported by the IRNA. Raisi's death comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, marked by an exchange of attacks in April fueled by the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year, while efforts to revive negotiations and salvage the Iran nuclear deal have hit a deadlock. Armed groups in the region like the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen have launched attacks on Israeli targets in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. This photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows rescue workers arriving at a helicopter accident site in East Azarbaijan province of Iran on the footage of Iran's state-run IRIB TV. (Xinhua/Shadati) CONDOLENCES After Raisi's death, many world leaders and foreign governments expressed sorrow. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, in which the Chinese leader expressed deep condolences and extended sincere sympathies to Mokhber, the family of President Raisi, and the Iranian government and people. Leaders from Russia, Turkiye, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Pakistan, Venezuela and India, along with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and European Council President Charles Michel, have all sent messages of condolence after Raisi's death. "We extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, and to the Iranian government and people," Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said in a statement. Hamas, which has been in an escalating conflict with Israel since last October, expressed sympathy to the Iranian people for "this immense loss," lauding Raisi's support for the Palestinian cause and resistance against Israel. This photo taken on May 19, 2024 shows a poster of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the footage of national Iranian television. (Xinhua/Shadati) IMPACT The Iranian Constitution stipulates that in case of the president's death or incapacity, the first vice president will assume the role until an election is conducted within a maximum of 50 days. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday appointed the country's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, as interim president. Iran's Constitutional Council Spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif said that with Khamenei's approval, a council consisting of the Iranian judiciary chief, parliament speaker and first vice president will take measures to organize elections within 50 days. Even though the death of high-ranking officials is a blow to Iran's political governance, analysts said the "shock" can be absorbed. Khamenei has told Iranian people not to worry, promising "no disruption" to the country's affairs. "Iran, since its Islamic revolution in 1979 ... has proved to be more than capable of taking all sorts of shots (against it), especially when it comes to political leaders," opined Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst from Al Jazeera. On the diplomatic front, while the passing of the foreign minister is a significant loss for Iran, analysts said the country's foreign policy will not undergo substantial changes. Amir-Abdollahian "has been an extremely effective foreign minister, overseeing a successful reconciliation with Saudi Arabia and navigating a series of difficult crises," according to an analysis by the Times of Israel. But "Iran's broad foreign policy won't change," it noted. However, some analysts believe the incident will prompt Iran to shift its political focus toward domestic matters. The country can now be "a little more self-engaged, wrapped up in internal politics, as it sorts out the election for the next president," said Michael Makovsky, president and chief executive of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. (Video reporters: Sha Dati, Shi Xiaomeng, Dong Yue; video editors: Li Ziwei, Li Qin, Yin Le) Editor: WXY Ukrainian air defenses shot down 28 of the 29 Shahed-type attack drones launched during a Russian attack overnight on May 21, Air Force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said. The drones were reportedly launched from the Russian port town of Primorsko-Akhtarsk, located on the coast of the Sea of Azov, from Cape Chauda in occupied Crimea, and from Russia's Kursk Oblast. Aircraft, missile and electronic warfare units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Air Force intercepted the drones over Odesa, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Kherson, and Kirovohrad oblasts, Oleshchuk said. The fragments of drones damaged two houses, a garage, and a mini-bus in the city of Kharkiv overnight, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. A 61-year-old man and two women aged 69 and 72 reportedly suffered from shock. A Russian morning missile attack on transport infrastructure in Kharkiv injured a 53-year-old man, according to the governor. Drone attacks are a daily occurrence in Ukraine, affecting various regions across the country. In recent months, Russia has intensified attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure, launching massive drone and missile strikes targeting critical facilities. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces control 60% of Vovchansk; heavy battles continue in Kharkiv Oblast Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Air travel and turbulence have always gone hand in hand with many flights, especially long haul, experiencing spells of bumpiness. The severe episode on board a Singapore Airlines plane in which one passenger died raises concerns about how risky turbulence can be. Experts say it is extremely unlikely that most flights will result in injury or damage, but there have been numerous recent incidents in which this has occurred. Understanding what causes turbulence can help air crew and passengers mitigate its impact. Turbulence fatalities on commercial flights are fortunately very rare, but have sadly increased by one today, Paul Williams, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the UK, said in a statement released today. Heres how air turbulence can create problems for air travelers. What is turbulence and what causes it? There are four main levels of turbulence light, moderate, severe and extreme. In cases of light and moderate turbulence, passengers might feel a strain against their seatbelt, and unsecure items in the cabin may move around. However, in more serious cases, turbulence can result in passengers being thrown around the cabin, leading to severe injuries, or death. Turbulence on flights can be caused by storms, mountains, and strong air currents called jet streams, adds Williams. In this last case, it is called clear-air turbulence, and it can be difficult to avoid because it doesnt show up on the weather radar in the flight deck. Clear air turbulence is air movement created by atmospheric pressure, jet streams, air around mountains, cold or warm weather fronts or thunderstorms, according to the Federal Aviation Administration website. Pilots are sometimes warned of reports of turbulence by the Federal Aviation Administration, airline meteorology teams or even other pilots flying ahead of them in advance. However, turbulence can also occur without warning. How dangerous is it? According to the FAA, 30 passengers and 116 crew members were seriously injured due to turbulence from 2009 to 2021. Airline passenger numbers are currently estimated to be at around four billion a year, so such incidents are clearly still rare. The FAA cites turbulence as the leading cause of injuries to flight attendants and passengers in nonfatal accidents on commercial airlines. As airlines arent required to report more minor injuries, the total number of injuries is unclear. Fatalities, such as the Singapore Airlines incident, are also extremely uncommon. A December 1997 United Airlines flight from Tokyo to Honolulu also experienced turbulence that left one person dead. Turbulence makes flights bumpy and can occasionally be dangerous, says University of Reading meteorology researcher Mark Prosser. Airlines will need to start thinking about how they will manage the increased turbulence, as it costs the industry $150500m annually in the USA alone. Every additional minute spent traveling through turbulence increases wear-and-tear on the aircraft, as well as the risk of injuries to passengers and flight attendants. Is it getting worse? A study by the University of Reading reported that severe turbulence had increased by 55% in the past four decades due to the impact of climate change. The report, published in June 2023, found that at an average point over the North Atlantic, which is one of the worlds busiest flight routes the total yearly duration of severe turbulence had risen by 55% between 1979 and 2020. In 2022, Williams, who co-authored the study, told CNN that he believed that severe turbulence could double or triple in the coming decades. He went on to attribute this to clear air turbulence, a type of turbulence that strikes suddenly is very difficult to avoid. According to figures from the National Transportation Safety Board, the flight crew had no warning in about 28% of turbulence-related accidents from 2009 to 2018. Williams analysis predicted that clear-air turbulence would increase significantly across the world in the coming decades. Typically, on a transatlantic flight, you might expect 10 minutes of turbulence, he added. I think that in a few decades this may increase to 20 minutes or to half an hour. The seat belt sign will be switched on a lot more, unfortunately for passengers. Should I wear a seatbelt the entire flight unless Im going to the bathroom? The short answer to this is Yes. A 2021 report by the NTSB indicated that the majority of passengers who were injured in turbulence-related accidents were not wearing their seatbelt at the time. Since its sometimes impossible to anticipate when an aircraft will encounter clear air turbulence, the only way to be 100% safe is to keep strapped in for the whole ride. Does it damage aircraft? In cases of extreme turbulence, where the airplane is tossed violently about and is impossible to control structural damage can be caused to an aircraft, according to the US National Weather Service. Recent incidents, including the one affecting the Singapore Airlines flight, have also resulted to substantial damage to the airplane cabin. Are some routes worse than others? Turbulence can occur almost anywhere and at any height, but some areas are known for being more susceptible. The Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore, appears to encountered severe turbulence over Myanmar after crossing Southeast Asias Andaman Sea. After an analysis of around 150,000 different flight routes, turbulence prediction website Turbli found that the journey between Santiago, Chile and Viru Viru International airport in Bolivia to be the most bumpy, while the route between Almaty, Kazakhstan, and the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, came in second on the list, which was released last year. Nashville, Tennessee to Raleigh/Durham in North Carolina was ranked as the North American route with the highest average turbulence. Duarte Mendonca, Sophie Jeong, Jacopo Prisco and Katia Hetter contributed to this report For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Airbnbs are being advertised by fraudsters as long-term lets in order to steal deposits from unsuspecting would-be tenants. The flats are advertised at reduced rents to attract potential tenants, and official-looking documents are handed out at viewings to encourage them to pay large deposits. But once the deposit is paid, the fraudsters disappear, leaving the victims without their money and with no home to move into. One two-bedroom flat, on a leafy street minutes away from Harrods in Knightsbridge, had been advertised on property website On The Market as available for long-term sharers. It was advertised at the price of 2,350 a month, or 519 a week. The flat hunter told The Telegraph that she had arranged a viewing on May 2, with an agent supposedly working with a company called Real Estate Extravaganza Limited, which was incorporated in March this year, according to Companies House. She was told to message the firms Whatsapp account where she was introduced to a man called Edward who arranged to meet her at the property for a viewing. But when she got into the flat, she found the real owner, who said that the flat was not in fact available for long-term rent but he does let the property out through Airbnb. She picked up one of the 15-page rental agreements that had been left on tables around the flat. It stated that she would need to pay six months rent up front, a sum of more than 14,000, alongside a deposit of one months rent. The property owner said the scam had happened at another of his properties, which he also rents out on Airbnb, and so had become suspicious of a man taking the property for just one night. The owner said when he went to check out his other flat, he found would-be renters taking pictures of the outside of the building. There was also an agent carrying out viewings, who told him he had been hired through messaging platform Telegram, and was being paid by the hour. He said he had previously been paid to perpetrate a similar con on Baker Street. When The Telegraph approached the online agency on the messaging service Whatsapp, which advertises as Real Estate Extravaganza and was registered as a company in March, the messages were delivered but not responded to. One victim was a single father with an 11-year-old daughter Greg Tsuman, of ARLA Propertymark, the membership body for property agents, said that rental scams were becoming a lot more common. Weve seen it a couple of times with some properties [registered with Arla]. Unfortunately, what is contributing to it is the rising rents and the fact that tenants are struggling to find properties on the open market. All the fraudsters have to do is advertise it for a couple of hundred pounds a month less, and suddenly they are inundated with calls from desperate tenants, he said. In one case, Mr Tsuman said fraudsters had managed to take money from three different tenants, who all turned up to move in at the same time. He said: They all arrived at the same time, thinking they were moving in. Clearly, it was all a fraud. It was quite sad because there was a single father with an 11-year-old daughter, and they had nowhere to go. It was absolutely devastating. Mr Tsuman said other rental frauds that are common include tenants who are about to move out subletting the property and then disappearing with the deposit and advance rent payment; and those in council homes renting out their homes to private tenants for a higher rate than they pay themselves. Carry out checks before paying up He said: A Land Registry search costs about 5, and its available to everyone. If you are in doubt, before parting with any money, do a search, which will tell you who owns the property, their name and the address, everything you need to know. When youre being shown around, make sure you see a photo ID to confirm that the person in front of you is one on the title deeds, Mr Tsuman continued. An Airbnb spokesman said: We have zero tolerance for illegal activity and have banned this individual from the platform. With 1.5 billion guest stays to date, issues on Airbnb are exceptionally rare and we deploy strict measures and policies to protect our community, including removing bad actors. Dan Wilson Craw, of campaign group Generation Rent, said fraudsters are preying on desperate renters. We know that scams get more common when there is intense competition for homes, like there has been over the past couple of years, and in late summer as students look for accommodation before term starts, he said. Weve heard of Airbnbs being used for fake viewings, and sometimes scammers pretend to be legitimate letting agents. The government is introducing a landlord registration system which, if designed properly, will give would-be tenants one way of checking that the home theyre viewing is legal to let out. Mr Claw added: In the meantime, tenants should be vigilant about the possibility of scams. If youre being asked for a lot of money, try to contact the letting agent directly via their website to make sure you use correct payment details. And remember if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. A spokesman for On The Market said it is investigating the alleged fraud. The spokesman continued: Unfortunately, while rare, there are occasions when bad actors seek to take advantage of On The Markets site. When that occurs, On The Market acts swiftly to investigate the alleged fraud, as we are doing here. Have you been caught out by a similar scam? Tell us about it by emailing money@telegraph.co.uk Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. New airline flying out of Dulles; one-way fares start at $46 LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) said Tuesday that people looking to fly to New England will have another travel option come July. MWAA formally welcomed Avelo Airlines to the lineup at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) in a post on X, which included a link that provided more information about the airline and reservations. Avelos new nonstop service between IAD and Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN) starts on July 12. The route will be offered twice weekly on Mondays and Fridays using Boeing next-generation 737 planes. Dulles International to get $35M in federal funding; BWI getting $14.5M Avelo already offered flights out of Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI). Air travel from there to Southern Connecticut is seasonal, according to the route map on Avelo Airlines website. Additionally, there is a regular route between BWI and Wilmington International Airport (ILM) in North Carolina. Avelo Airlines launched in 2021 and has bases at Los Angeles Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR), Orlando International Airport (MCO), the Delaware Valleys Wilmington Airport (ILG), Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), and the Bay Areas Sonoma County Airport (STS), as well as Tweed-New Haven Airport (HVN). Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) After a months-long investigation, the New Mexico Department of Justice has arrested an Albuquerque man accused of distributing child sexual abuse material. According to the NMDOJ, 36-year-old Jonathan Anzures was arrested late last week on accusations of distributing child pornography on a network called BitTorrent. Albuquerque police arrest man accused of weekend murder Anzures has been charged with possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material of children under the age of 13. He is currently booked in the Metropolitan Detention Center. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) Its been almost 12 years since the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would start investigating Albuquerque Police. Today, the APD says it has met all requirements in the Court-Approved Settlement Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice, and the reform process will come to an end. This week on the New Mexico News Podcast, APD Chief Harold Medina joins Chris & Gabby to discuss the key changes APD has adopted over the last decade. Are their new policies sustainable? How will APD police itself going forward? Those questions and more are addressed in the full discussion above, or you can listen to the latest episode wherever you get your podcasts. Chief Medina also answers questions about public trust during a federal investigation into APDs DWI unit, and officers resigning amid an internal probe. We are doing our best to hold individuals accountable, Medina said. Every time we hold somebody accountable, view it as a victory that we did something to clean the place up, and to make sure that there was integrity, he added. Story continues below Download new episodes of the New Mexico News Podcast every Tuesday, starting around 5:30 a.m., Mountain time. Episodes are available on most podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Podbean among others. Having trouble finding the show? Try searching your favorite podcast player with the term KRQE or New Mexico News Podcast (without the quotes). You can also use the links above to find the podcast on each respective service or listen to the audio player at the top of this post. If you have a question, comment, or suggestion as to who should be interviewed on the podcast, let us know! Email the hosts at chris.mckee@krqe.com or gabrielle.burkhart@krqe.com. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the flying of an upside-down flag outside Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos home casts doubt on the justices impartiality in handling legal questions connected to the criminal case against Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 election results. Schumer, who called flying the upside-down flag \really the wrong thing to do, said he is consulting with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) about what steps to take next and is considering bringing a Supreme Court ethics bill to the Senate floor this week. I think what he did really was the wrong thing to do and it casts some doubt on impartiality and Im discussing with Sen. Durbin where we should go from here, Schumer told reporters Tuesday. We have a lot of bills we want to get on the floor but thats one of them in high consideration, he said of the ethics bill. Alito has come under intense criticism since The New York Times reported Friday that an upside-down American flag was displayed on the justices lawn after the 2020 election. The reversed flag has become a symbol of the Stop the Steal movement which claims without evidence that President Biden won the election because of widespread fraud. Alito told Fox News that his wife put the flag up on his property after getting into a dispute with a neighbor who posted an anti-Trump flag. Durbin on Friday called on Alito to recuse himself from a pending Supreme Court case on whether Trump should be immune from prosecution for acts committed while in office. Flying an upside-down American flaga symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movementclearly creates the appearance of bias. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former Presidents immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering, Durbin said in a statement Friday. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Monday said that Alito showed poor judgment in allowing the flag to be displayed in a disrespectful manner on his property. Emotions are apparently high in that neighborhood. But no, its not good judgment to do that, Graham said. He said his wife was insulted and got mad. I assume that to be true, but hes still a Supreme Court justice, and people have to realize that [at] moments like that to think it through. But Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday defended Alito and called on his critics to back off. It seems to me there are just non-stop attacks on the Supreme Court, week after week after week. So Im not going to dignify that with a response, he said when asked whether it was appropriate to display the flag in such a way at Alitos home and whether he should recuse himself from Jan. 6-related cases. We need to leave the Supreme Court alone, protect them from people who went into their neighborhoods and tried to do them harm, he said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. The Alitos Let Their Freak Flag Fly High And No Ones Gonna Do A Thing About It A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPMs Morning Memo. Sign up for the email version. Dont Let Sam Alito Fall Off Your Radar Senate Democrats? Fellow justices? Anyone? Is the Alito households protest of Joe Bidens election by flying an upside down American flag in the period between the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and Inauguration Day going to just recede into oblivion? Thats it? Were done with that? Time to move on? Have the Republican Partys sustained attacks on the court system and the rule of law become just more background noise to our national politics? Just par for the course here in 2024? Elected Republicans keep showing up to support the insurrectionist former president at his criminal trial as a defiant workaround to the gag order imposed on him. Its a jarring sight, but not as remarkable as a sitting Supreme Court justice sending out a distress signal that the government has been illegitimately taken over by Joe Biden: Brian Beutler: Heres a simple objective for Senate Democrats: Reveal to the public whatever behind-the-scenes roles Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have played in the Supreme Courts corrupt effort to protect Donald Trump from the law. Jesse Wegman: In short, Justices Alito and Thomas appear to be breaking federal law, tanking what remains of the courts legitimacy in the process. The challenge is whether anyone is willing to do anything about it. Jamelle Bouie: Whether or not Justice Alito was part of the decision to fly the inverted flag, there is no question that he is a genuine Republican partisan who is more than willing to share views that echo narratives aired throughout conservative media. Alitos own admission to the episode was mere hand-wave toward his wife and their very political neighbors as if he knew it would all blow over soon enough. No Senate hearings. Not even a sustained drumbeat from Democratic electeds. Yesterdays Big Blow Up in Court Robert Costello looks to be the primary defense witness for Trump, and things did not go well, as he quickly ran afoul of the judge, who took the unusual step of throwing nearly everyone not a litigant out of the courtroom and closing it while he read Costello the riot act. We didnt know what was said behind closed doors until later in the day when the transcript was released: Heres *that* exchange between Justice Merchan and Robert Costello earlier today: JUSTICE MERCHAN to ROBERT COSTELLO: Are you staring me down right now?Im putting you on notice that your conduct is contemptuous pic.twitter.com/lNyfgRDxI5 Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) May 21, 2024 Live Trial Coverage TPMs Josh Kovensky is back at it this morning. Follow along on what could be another unpredictable day in court. What Comes Next? Today: Trumps defense case isnt expected to last long unless we get surprise testimony from Trump himself in his own defense. After testimony concludes, probably this morning, attention will shift this afternoon to preparing jury instructions and arguments to the judge about what they should say. Joyce Vance runs through that process so you can familiarize yourself. Wednesday: Off Day/No Trial Thursday: Partial trial day (if needed) Friday: Off Day/No Trial Monday: Memorial Day/No Trial Tuesday: Closing Arguments Trump Campaign Vid References Unified Reich AP: The word Reich is often largely associated with Nazi Germanys Third Reich, though the references in the video Trump shared appear to be a reference to the formation of the modern pan-German nation, unifying smaller states into a single Reich, or empire, in 1871. Reichsburger Plotters Go On Trial in Frankfurt The far-right coup plotters who wanted to violently overthrow the German government and install an obscure aristocrat as chancellor went on trial Tuesday in Frankfurt. The Real Danger If Trump Is Reelected Jacob Heilbrunn: Mr. Trumps economic and foreign policy nationalism would subvert the preponderance of power that America has enjoyed since 1945 and that he has promised to bolster. It has been threatened from without but never from within. As he vows to upend Americas relations with the rest of the globe, the danger is not that Mr. Trump would fail to live up to his principles. Its that he would. 2024 Ephemera Donald Trump out-raised Joe Biden in April, the first time this cycle that Trumps beaten Biden in fundraising. Biden still enjoys a significant cash-on-hand advantage. Election officials are increasingly targeting schools and other unconventional sources to address the rising shortage of election workers. Statewide referenda seeking to protect abortion rights in Florida and Arizona are polling extremely well. Youve Been Served WaPo: How Rudy Giuliani tried, and failed, to avoid his latest indictment More here: How Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes found Rudy Giualini to serve him, three weeks after he was indicted, which made him the last of the 18 defendants to be served. As you know, he does a lot of podcastingWe found him through his livestreams. pic.twitter.com/LuQhDnH0gD Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 21, 2024 Do you like Morning Memo? Let us know! Alliance City Council to cut four fireworks dates for residents In Alliance, O., residents on South Webb Avenue watch and record as a series of small red firecrackers that stretch half of a block explode on Monday, July 3, 2023. ALLIANCE Residents should prepare themselves for fewer permitted days to shoot off fireworks. City Council introduced legislation on Monday night that would greatly reduce private fireworks displays inside city limits. In 2022, Ohio enacted a state law that permitted state residents to shoot off fireworks on nine separate holidays througout the year. A loophole let municipalities decide whether they wanted to opt out of these permissions. The city proposal would permitted dates to just five. It also would prohibit anyone younger than 18 from discharging, igniting or exploding certain fireworks, and prohibit non-licensed sales of fireworks. Any violations could be subject to a fine or misdemeanor charge. It is expected City Council will vote on the proposal next month and, if it passes, have it enforced by Fourth of July. In 2022, Ohio law started to allow people to discharge fireworks on specific dates and times. However, municipalities could restrict or ban them outright. The city of Alliance is proposing to reduce displays to these dates and times. "We're trying to," said Councilwoman Cindy King, D-2, who sought the restrictions after a raucous 2023 Fourth of July weekend. "I feel we have enough time to do that. We have a whole month to get it done and let people know." The five holidays in the proposal are: July 4 (8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.) Sunday immediately preceding Labor Day (8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.) New Years Eve (8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.) New Years Day (Midnight to 1 a.m.) Sunday immediately preceding Memorial Day (8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.) All other dates and times allowed under state law would be prohibited unless an individual or group receives city permission. By contrast, current state law allows private fireworks on: July 3, 4, and 5, and the weekends immediately before and after (4 p.m. to 11 p.m.) Labor Day weekend (4 p.m. to 11 p.m.) Diwali (4 pm. to 11 p.m.) New Year's Eve (4: p.m. to 11:59 p.m.) New Year's Day (12 a.m. to 1 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.) Chinese New Year (4 p.m. to 11 p.m.) Cinco de Mayo (4 p.m. to 11 p.m.) Memorial Day weekend (4 p.m. to 11 p.m.) Juneteenth (4 p.m. to 11 p.m.) Mayor Andy Grove said he wanted to make sure the legislation allowed City Council to make more adjustments in the future, if necessary. The proposal does this. Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP. This article originally appeared on The Repository: Alliance City Council hopes to curb fireworks by Fourth of July Mrs Clooney had been criticised on social media for not speaking out about Israel's war - Richard Shotwell/Invision Amal Clooney has revealed she played a key role in the decision to seek an international arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister on charges of war crimes in Gaza. The British human rights lawyer, who is married to the actor George Clooney, was on a panel advising International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Karim Khan after she was criticised on social media for not speaking out about Israels war. Mr Khan had asked the panel of legal experts to review the evidence before he issued warrants against Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, Israeli defence minister. Mrs Clooney said there was reasonable grounds to believe the Israeli politicians have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity including starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution and extermination. The panel also called for warrants against three Hamas leaders, agreeing that Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh had committed war crimes and crimes against humanity including hostage-taking, murder and crimes of sexual violence. Necessary to protect civilian lives Mrs Clooney said the eight-person panel was unanimous in their decision in a post on her Clooney Foundation for Justice website on Monday. More than four months ago, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked me to assist him with evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza, she said. I served on this panel because I believe in the rule of law and the need to protect civilian lives. The law that protects civilians in war was developed more than 100 years ago and it applies in every country in the world regardless of the reasons for a conflict. The British human rights lawyer, who is married to the actor George Clooney, said the eight-person panel was unanimous in their decision - Alberto Pezzali/Invision The barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London has represented Yazidi victims of ISIS and victims of atrocities in Darfur in Sudan. The panel also included Theodor Meron, former President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, and Lord Justice Fulford, a former ICC judge. ICC judges will now consider the arrest warrant applications, which have been criticised by Joe Biden, the US President. Mr Netanyahu said the warrant was outrageous and created a twisted and false moral equivalence between the leaders of Israel and the henchmen of Hamas. Neither the US or Israel are members of the ICC, which claims jurisdiction over Gaza, East Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Palestinian leaders agreed in 2015 to be bound by the ICCs founding principles. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhua) -- If you ask Gen Z what the current fashion craze in China is, "new Chinese style" will probably be a quick answer. After gaining immense popularity during this year's Spring Festival, the organic blend of traditional Chinese aesthetics and modern style continues to charm hearts during the spring and summer seasons, becoming a new buzzword in the domestic consumer market. New Chinese-style clothing is typically defined as attire that seamlessly integrates traditional Chinese elements with contemporary styling. It not only encapsulates traditional aesthetics and cultural heritage but also integrates materials, techniques, and technologies stemming from modern science. On social media platforms like Douyin and Xiaohongshu, the "new Chinese style" remains a fervent topic of discussion. E-commerce data from short video platform Kuaishou showed that in the first quarter of this year, orders for products of "new Chinese style" increased by 700 percent compared to the same period last year, while orders for Han Chinese clothing increased by nearly 300 percent. "Our orders are booked six months in advance, with a compound annual growth rate of over 100 percent in revenue," said Lin Qi, inheritor of the craftsmanship for making horse-faced skirts and the founder of a clothing brand. The horse-faced skirt is a type of Hanfu featuring a high and flat front and pleated sides that originated in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and prevailed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911). In 2016, Lin started creating unique horse-faced skirts, initially selling only a dozen pieces in a year. In just a few years, the annual sales volume of horse-faced skirts her company made has soared to an impressive 100,000 pieces. Reflecting on this remarkable growth, Lin said, "The market has undergone notable changes." Currently, a significant portion of her clientele are young people. Many post-95 said the inherent beauty of the new Chinese-style fashion touches their cultural genes when asked about the appeal of traditional Chinese clothing. In addition, what excites young people are the stunning designs that exude a stronger sense of style and contemporary vibes. A closer look at the prevailing trends of the "new Chinese style" reveals a captivating blend of trendiness and refinement. Whether it's the exquisitely crafted button designs or the embroidery artistry embodying intangible cultural heritage, this fusion always perfectly captures young individuals' aesthetic preferences when seamlessly integrating with contemporary clothing styles and silhouettes. For example, the horse-face skirt has evolved into a more diverse fashion item and has thus gained even greater versatility. To cater to different occasions, it now comes in various lengths, from full-length to midi and knee-length; to meet the demands of various seasons, the fabric has also seen improvements, transitioning from thick wool knits to lightweight cotton, linen, and silk. From the Qipao to Han Chinese clothing, almost every popular fashion item is a reinterpretation of tradition. "We have invested a significant amount of time and money in collecting hundreds of traditional Song brocade patterns, studying weaving techniques, and innovating to make them more in line with the modern aesthetic," said Wu Jianhua, president of a silk research and development company in Suzhou. Wu's company also researched and developed elastic Song brocade, aiming to enhance the fabric's wrinkle resistance, color vibrancy, and comfort to make it more suitable for modern wear. Xue Yadi, born in 2000, praised the "new Chinese style" clothing as "not merely visually appealing but also lightweight." She went on to say, "Wearing these clothes fills me with a sense of pride." "The popularity of traditional Chinese clothing is closely related to the growing interest in traditional culture. Consumers not only pay for the clothing itself but also appreciate the aesthetic significance and cultural value it carries. This phenomenon reflects a strong cultural confidence among the public," said Yang Xiaodong, vice president of the China National Garment Association. Editor: WXL A U.S. national has been mistakenly accused of involvement in last weekend's attempted coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cole Patrick Ducey, an engineer living in Eswatini, told ABC News Monday that he was not involved, despite reports online and in the media. DRC government officials also confirmed to ABC News that Ducey was not involved in the coup attempt over the weekend. Ducey told ABC News he has been the subject of a "huge case of mistaken identity," with his name appearing in social media posts and news articles that erroneously suggest he was arrested Sunday in the DRC. "I learned of what happened yesterday on the news just as you did," he said. PHOTO: Congo (Samy Ntumba Shambuyi/AP) MORE: Trump posts social media video seemingly suggesting his victory will bring 'unified Reich' Authorities in the DRC told ABC News that the coup attempt was led by Christian Malanga, a DRC businessman and politician with U.S. ties. Malanga was killed in the coup attempt, the officials said. The officials also told ABC News that a U.S. national, Benjamin Zalman-Polun, had been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the coup attempt. ABC News wasnt immediately able to locate a legal representative for Zalman-Polun. Ducey verified his identity by sending ABC News a video in which he displayed an identifying document. ABC News further verified Duceys identity by reviewing public records. Ducey told ABC News that he attended the University of Colorado with Zalman-Polun in 2006 and 2007. The two lost contact for many years, Ducey said, until Zalman-Polun contacted Ducey in 2020 about a business opportunity in the mining sector. At that time, Ducey said Zalman-Polun introduced him to Malanga in a phone call. In 2022, Ducey said, the trio met in Mozambique to review mining concessions. Ducey said they started a limited liability corporation but failed to find a viable spot to mine and did not continue working together. MORE: 'Are you staring me down?': Fiery moment between judge, defense witness in Trump hush money trial Zalman-Polun, Malanga and Ducey are listed as partners in that LLC, according to records from the government of Mozambique's official bulletin. Those records, which are publicly available, appear to have led to the case of mistaken identity. However, Ducey claims, and DRC government officials affirm, he was not a part of the attempted coup over the weekend in any capacity. American mistakenly accused of involvement in Democratic Republic of Congo coup attempt originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Analysis: Iran's nuclear policy of pressure and talks likely to go on even after president's death In this photo provided by Fars News Agency, mourners try to touch the coffins of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, top, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, left, and Raisi's chief bodyguard Gen. Mehdi Mousavi, who were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday in a mountainous region of the country's northwest, during a funeral ceremony at the city of Tabriz, Iran, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Mourners in black began gathering Tuesday for days of funerals and processions for Iran's late president, foreign minister and others killed in a helicopter crash, a government-led series of ceremonies aimed at both honoring the dead and projecting strength in an unsettled Middle East. (Ata Dadashi, Fars News Agency via AP) DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) While Iran's nuclear program stands at the precipice of tipping over into enriching uranium at weapons-grade levels, Tehran has held quiet, indirect talks with the United States and invited the head of the United Nations' atomic watchdog into the country for negotiations. While seemingly contradictory, the move follows Iran's strategy since the collapse of its nuclear deal with world powers after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018. Tehran is attempting to exert its own version of Trump's maximum pressure on the international community to see the economic sanctions that have crippled the country's economy and currency lifted in exchange for slowing down its program. The Islamic Republic also appears to be trying to contain the risk it faces from the U.S. after launching an unprecedented attack on Israel amid its war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The assault a response to a suspected Israeli strike on April 1 which killed two Guard generals and others in Damascus, Syria has pushed a yearslong shadow war between Israel and Tehran out into the open. All this is unlikely to change for the time being, even with the helicopter crash Sunday that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other officials on a foggy mountain. That's largely due to the fact that all matters of state rest with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Khamenei, 85, has led Iran since 1989 as only its second supreme leader since the country's Islamic Revolution. Under Khamenei, Iran has seesawed between subtle outreach to outright hostility with the U.S. and other Western powers. Those cycles include reformist President Mohammad Khatami's Dialogue Among Civilizations efforts that hit a wall as the U.S. suffered the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 and soon began its decadeslong wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who came to power in 2005 cheered the country's nuclear program and defied the West. Relatively moderate President Hassan Rouhani ultimately got the 2015 nuclear deal across the line, ending sanctions for greatly limiting its atomic program. Then came the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal. Iran in the waning days of the Rouhani administration began a series of attacks targeting shipping in the Middle East while dialing down its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s watchdog. It ultimately began enriching uranium up to 60% purity a step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Then Raisi, a protege of Khamenei, won the 2021 presidential election in a vote that saw his main rivals barred from running and a record-low turnout for the race. Those policies continued as did Iran's support for regional militias like Yemen's Houthi rebels, now attacking ships moving through the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war. Those groups have long provided Iran with a means to challenge its regional archenemy Israel, as well as the U.S., without a direct military confrontation. Through all of this turmoil, the one constant has been Khamenei. As the supreme leader, he's further empowered the country's Revolutionary Guard, whose all-volunteer Basij forces have been crucial in putting down widespread protests that have struck the nation in recent years. And by ensuring Raisi's election, he narrowed the country's political field to only hard-liners who have embraced that policy of pressure. The Israel-Hamas war, as well as the risk of it expanding into a regional confrontation, has changed some of this calculus, however. The survival of the nezam, or system as Iran's Shiite theocracy is known, remains the paramount concern. The risk of open warfare, as well as the economic pressure squeezing Iran and its people, have made efforts to try to restart the diplomacy or at least alleviate the risk of things getting even worse that much more important. The late Amirabdollahian, as well as the country's now-acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani, had been fierce critics of the negotiations as run under the Rouhani administration. But in the time since, they moved to reach a detente with Saudi Arabia last year. Then they've continued indirect talks with the U.S. in Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula that's been a key interlocutor between Tehran and the West. The full extent of the talks remains unclear, as does what will come from them. However, Iran even reached out to the U.S. government after the helicopter crash for assistance, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told journalists Monday. We did make clear to them that we would offer assistance, as we would do in response to any request by a foreign government in this sort of situation," he said. "Ultimately, largely for logistical reasons, we werent able to provide that assistance. That help was finding the crash site, The Washington Post reported. And such an ask wouldn't have come without Khamenei's approval. ___ EDITORS NOTE Jon Gambrell, the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press, has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006. Anas Sarwar: Ill stop deluge of new laws for landowners if I become first minister Mr Sarwar admitted that the landowners conference was 'not natural territory for a Scottish Labour politician in recent years' - TERRY MURDEN/ALAMY Anas Sarwar has pledged the Scottish government will stop handing down reams of new laws to landowners if he becomes first minister as they demanded a reset in relations. The Scottish Labour leader lamented the SNPs modus operandi of using different constant new legislation to try and solve problems in rural parts of the country. In a speech at the Scottish Land & Estates (SLE) annual conference in Edinburgh, he told the assembled landowners: The job of government is not to impose on you or to tell you how to run your businesses. Mr Sarwar instead promised to take a collaborative and strategic approach rather than chasing short-term headlines with a supposed quick fix. His intervention came as delegates to the conference repeatedly expressed concern about a deluge of new legislation going through Holyrood, including another land reform bill and rent controls. Jim Fairlie, the SNPs agriculture minister, admitted there had definitely been far too much of an urban-centric policy focus in the Scottish government in recent years. He insisted that the election of John Swinney as First Minister and Kate Forbes as his deputy represented a reset of the Scottish governments relationship with the countryside, noting that both represent rural constituencies. Road-tested to destruction But the conference was held the day after another poll found Labour ahead of the SNP in voting intentions for both the upcoming Westminster general election and the 2026 Holyrood poll. Senior SLE figures said it was the first time a senior Labour politician had delivered an address to the conference since the party lost power to the SNP in 2007. To laughter, Mr Sarwar admitted that the conference was not natural territory for a Scottish Labour politician in recent years, to come and speak to an audience like this. But he argued his speech showed he was leading a changed Labour Party that prioritised economic growth and that there were no no-go areas for us. I think for a lot of businesses across the country, a lot of landowners across the country, you will often feel like the policy is imposed on you and your community rather than designed in partnership. That has to change, he said. Mr Sarwar said any new laws proposed by a Labour-run Scottish Government for rural communities would be road-tested to destruction before being introduced. Estates generate an estimated 2.4 billion per year for the Scottish economy, support around 57,300 jobs and provide land for 14,000 rural enterprises, according to recent research. Outlining the principles of how he would seek to govern if he became first minister, he said he would pursue collaboration and partnership with landowners. Land reform He defended the SNPs controversial land reform legislation but agreed with a delegate that a crackdown on short-term lets was a problem that affected Edinburgh but wrongly became national policy. Mr Sarwar also described Scotlands planning system as an absolute disaster, saying the average wait for an application to be approved in Glasgow was 78 weeks compared to 16 weeks in Manchester. Mr Fairlie said: We absolutely have not got everything right by any stretch of the imagination. I think that the reset that were talking about has to be across everything that were doing and saying. Why are we doing this? What are we doing it for? Can we deliver it? And what are the benefits to the people of Scotland? Dee Ward, SLEs chairman, said: I believe that now is the moment for the Scottish Government to reset its relationship with rural Scotland, better understand the positive work we are undertaking to deliver benefits for everyone and create an evidence-based environment for legislation that supports our work to continue delivering these benefits now, and in the future. Recent years have seen the introduction of policies and legislation that fail to recognise the enormous contributions estates are making to our national outcomes. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Democratic incumbent Andrea Salinas and Republican challenger Mike Erickson will face off in the November general election after winning their primary elections May 21, as called by the Associated Press. As of 10 p.m., Salinas secured over 87% of the vote with her Democratic primary challenger Cody Reynolds garnering over 11% of the vote with more than 37,000 votes counted. Republican Mike Erickson secured over 74% of the vote in the Republican primary, followed by David Russ with over 20%, David Burch over 2.9%, and Conrad J. Herold with 1.34% as of 10 p.m. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Salinas said she is honored to be the Democratic nominee. From addressing the fentanyl crisis to bringing down the cost of living, Im fighting for the issues that Oregonians care about most, Salinas said. Now lets win in November and continue to build on that progress. The Sixth District includes Polk and Yamhill counties, as well as parts of Marion, Clackamas, and Washington counties. Salinas won the seat during the 2022 midterm election for Oregons newly created District, defeating Republican Mike Erickson, a businessman. A population boom made Oregon one of just six states to gain a House seat following the 2020 census. The states population jumped by more than 10% in the past decade to more than 4.2 million people, giving it a new congressional district for the first time in 40 years. Salinas Democratic challenger, Cody Reynolds, is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, with a career background in military and finance. Republican challenger David Russ previously served as mayor of Dundee and was a city council member for the city. He also serves on the Yamhill County Parkway Committee, Dundees Urban Renewal Agency, and the Yamhill County Local Public Safety Coordinating Council. Ballots for Oregons primary election must be dropped off by 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, or postmarked by midnight. This is a developing story. Stay with KOIN 6 News for primary election updates. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Britains third new nuclear power station to be built in Anglesey Anglesey's remoteness is likely to mean new chains of pylons will need to be built across the Welsh countryside - Edward Dyer/Alamy Stock Photo Britains third giant new nuclear power station will be built in North Wales, ministers have announced. Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho has designated Wylfa on Anglesey as the Governments preferred site for its planned third large nuclear power station, which it hopes will eventually generate 7pc of the UKs electricity. A number of other sites had been proposed including Bradwell in Essex, Sellafield in Cumbria, Hartlepool in County Durham and Heysham in Lancashire. However, Tom Greatrex, chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, described Wylfa as the best site in Europe for a big nuclear project. He said: It has an existing grid connection, the hard bedrock ideal for a nuclear power station, superior cooling water access, and some work to clear the site for large-scale construction was already done by the previous developer. Wylfa was home to a much smaller nuclear power station which operated from 1972 to 2015 - Phil Noble/REUTERS Wylfa was home to a much smaller nuclear power station which operated from 1972 to 2015 with an output of one gigawatt (GW). Wylfa B, the new station, is expected to eventually generate 3.2 GW of electricity more than three times the output of its predecessor. Its output would likely be similar to Hinkley Point C in Somerset, which has been under construction for several years, and the Sizewell C power station where construction has just started. Construction of both plants is being overseen by EDF, the French state-owned power company, which this week confirmed it wanted to bid for Wylfa B too. The site could eventually also include one or more small modular reactors (SMRs), potentially creating the UKs biggest centre for nuclear power generation. A second site at Oldbury on Severn in Gloucestershire is expected to be designated for more nuclear developments, most likely based around SMRs, according to Whitehall sources. Ms Coutinho said: We are powering ahead with the biggest expansion of nuclear energy in 70 years. Anglesey has a proud nuclear history and it is only right that, once again, it can play a central role in boosting the UKs energy security. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ms Coutinho announced ambitions to build a third large nuclear power plant in January as part of a new nuclear roadmap. The plans will see Britains nuclear power generating capacity increase up to fourfold by 2050. Mr Greatrex said: The Government is absolutely right to pursue more large-scale nuclear power. It is a proven technology that delivers clean, sovereign power and can transform communities with thousands of high quality, long-term jobs and apprenticeships. Angleseys relatively remote location is likely to mean new chains of pylons being built across the Welsh countryside to carry power from Wylfa B to Englands power-hungry cities. An EDF spokesman described Wylfa as a fantastic site and said it wanted to bid to build the new plant. However, it is expected to face competition from Westinghouse, an American company, and Kepco, South Koreas largest electrical utility firm. The costs of the new plant are uncertain. Hinkley Point C was originally costed at 18bn but overruns have already pushed that up to at least 46bn. With several more years of construction needed, final costs are expected to exceed 50bn equivalent to about 1,800 per UK home. Hinkley developer EDF is liable for the extra costs. The French state-owned power company is also overseeing construction of Sizewell C, a near replica of Hinkley, which it claims will cost only 20bn because of the lessons learnt at its predecessor. Wylfa B's output is expected to be similar to Hinkley Point C, which has been under construction for several years - Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images However, it has refused to take the risk of financing the scheme, which is instead being funded under the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) system. This allows companies to impose a charge on consumers before the power station has even started generating. The aim is to reduce borrowing and so cut the financing costs that have crippled Hinkley. The Wylfa B plant is also likely to be financed under the RAB system which means consumers will see bill increases for Wylfa B and Sizewell C before either generates any power. Alison Downes, of Stop Sizewell C, said: The Government seems determined to double down on gigawatt nuclear, the slowest most expensive energy source to build, which the British public in the form of taxpayers and consumers will be forced to pay for. We send our empathy to the people of Anglesey who will be forced to fight yet another inappropriate development. Our advice is to take very little of what is promised in the form of community benefits at face value. Andrew Bowie, the minister for nuclear energy, was on Wednesday scheduled to meet with the Nuclear Non-Governmental Organisation Forum to hear various groups concerns over the expansion of nuclear energy. However, he cancelled the meeting at short notice as news of the Wylfa plan emerged. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Annual Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade to shut down Rockville roads ROCKVILLE, Md. (DC News Now) The Annual Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade will close down several roads in Rockville Town Center on Monday, May 27. These roads will shut down from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.: (Photo courtesy of the City of Rockville) Maryland Ave. from Beall Ave. to E. Jefferson St. E. Montgomery Ave. from Maryland Ave. to Monroe St. Courthouse Square from Maryland Ave. to N. Washington St. Monroe St. from Middle Ln. to Monroe Place Middle Lane from Route 355 to N. Washington St Fairfax County police investigating fatal shooting These roads will shut down from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: N. Washington St. from Route 355 to Middle Ln. Martins Lane from Mannakee St. to N. Washington St. Beall Ave. from Route 355 to N. Adams Street The Rockville City Police Department said bikes lanes along these roads will also be closed but residents will still have access to parking. For more information, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. Another Downtown Disney store has closed as the revamp of the outdoor shopping district continues. California Sole, a shoe and sandal store, closed in early May. The owners, Wayne & Cate Heck, announced the stores closure on Instagram in late April. It is with mixed emotions that we bid farewell to California Sole Anaheim at the Downtown Disney District. While weve had a great ride and will never forget our loyal customers, its time for us to pursue some of our lifelong passions and interests, the Instagram post said. Downtown Disney restaurant closing after 20 years of operation We will certainly miss the fun and energy of the Downtown Disney District and want to express what a true pleasure it has been to serve you. Disneyland hasnt announced what would replace California Sole, but it could be the home to a future Nectar Bath Treats location, according to Mice Chat. Loungefly has apparently inked a deal for a Downtown Disney location, and so has Nectar Bath Treats (which also has a location at Universal CityWalk). Neither has been officially announced yet, so we still need to list this as a rumor, the blog reported. The chain, known for selling bath soap treats in the shape of donuts, milkshakes and cupcakes, also has locations in Costa Mesa, Las Vegas, Hawaii, New Jersey and Dubai. New rooftop bar, food hall coming to Downtown Disney Loungefly is a popular retailer known for selling mini backpacks, purses and wallets themed to characters from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and more. Last year, resort Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock said the Downtown Disney transformation would take 18 months to complete. The 18-month timeline means officials hope to complete construction shortly before Thanksgiving. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. The Associated Press brutally criticized the Israeli government on Tuesday after soldiers with the Israeli Defense Forces seized a camera, equipment, and cut its live feed in southern Israel, citing a new censorship law. The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment, Lauren Easton, the wire's chief communications officer, said in a statement. The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the countrys new foreign broadcaster law. The law, passed last month, allows Israel to shut down any foreign news outlet it believes to be a security risk. It was widely viewed as an effort to shut down the Israel operations of Qatar-based Al Jazeera, which an Israeli minister described as acting from within against us. The Israel government eventually shut down Al Jazeera in the country on May 5. The law was also viewed internationally as an attempt to limit coverage of Israeli military actions in Gaza, prompting a tempered rebuke by the Biden White House. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Tuesday that the White House was concerned by the news of Israels seizures and said journalists must have the right to do their jobs, according to Axios. Last month she noted the U.S. supports the critically important work journalists around the world, and that includes those who are reporting in the conflict in Gaza. The live feed showed an aerial view of northern Gaza, one accessible to the hundreds of outlets, including Al Jazeera, that access the wire services content. Israel asked the AP to take the transmission down on Thursday because of Al Jazeeras access to the feed, but the AP said it refused. That prompted the communications ministry to seize the wire services equipment on Tuesday. In accordance with the government decision and the instruction of the communications minister, the communications ministry will continue to take whatever enforcement action is required to limit broadcasts that harm the security of the state, the ministry told AP in a statement. The AP has abided by Israels military restrictions, which prevent news outlets from reporting on troop movements and similar military actions. However, the outlet said the seizure prevents news organizations across the world from having any view of Gaza, particularly as access to the region is severely limited. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world, the AP said in its statement. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Visitors attend the exhibition "Rising Visionaries" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 19, 2024. The National Youth Visionaries Association (NYVA) hosted the second Annual Young Artists Award Ceremony and the exhibition "Rising Visionaries" showcasing more than 70 artworks by artists aged 5 to 18. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Visitors attend the exhibition "Rising Visionaries" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 19, 2024. The National Youth Visionaries Association (NYVA) hosted the second Annual Young Artists Award Ceremony and the exhibition "Rising Visionaries" showcasing more than 70 artworks by artists aged 5 to 18. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Visitors attend the exhibition "Rising Visionaries" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., the United States, May 19, 2024. The National Youth Visionaries Association (NYVA) hosted the second Annual Young Artists Award Ceremony and the exhibition "Rising Visionaries" showcasing more than 70 artworks by artists aged 5 to 18. (Xinhua/Liu Jie) Editor: WXL In recent months, the U.S. Department of Defense has accounted for dozens of missing airmen killed in combat and for each of them, there's a harrowing story of the their final moments. One servicemember from Michigan died on a World War II bombing mission in Southeast Asia when his plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire, causing its wing to catch fire. A 21-year-old from Pittsburgh was killed when his plane crashed during another bombing mission during that war against oil fields in Romania. A pilot from Florida disappeared during a solo spy mission during the Vietnam War. While most missing troops were identified primarily using DNA and dental records, the U.S. government is now turning to British archaeologists to help find a World War II pilot whose plane crashed in a dense English woodland in 1944. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has tasked Cotswold Archaeology with recovering the remains of the unnamed pilot, who was listed as missing in action after his B-17 went down, the company revealed this week. The crash site is in East Anglia, in eastern England, Cotsworld Archaeology told CBS News on Tuesday. That region, with its rural farmland and tiny villages, became the headquarters of the Allies' so-called "Bomber War" during the 1940s, according to the National WWII Museum. Cotswold Archaeology is working to recover the remains of a pilot who was listed as missing in action after his B-17 crashed in 1944. / Credit: Cotswold Archaeology The bomber, loaded with 12,000 pounds of explosives, crashed after its controls failed, and now Cotswold Archaeology plans to spend six weeks excavating the "exceptionally special site." "This excavation will not be easy the crash crater is waterlogged and filled with 80 years' worth of sediment, the trees and undergrowth are thick, and all soil must be meticulously sieved to hopefully recover plane ID numbers, personal effects, and any human remains," the company said in a social media post showing images of the site. Developed in 1935, the B-17 Flying Fortress is an American bomber that served in every combat zone, according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The bomber was mainly used in Europe during World War II and was best known for the strategic bombing of German industrial targets, the Air Force said. According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, the remains of more than 1,500 Americans killed during World War II have been identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors. More than 72,000 servicemembers from the war remain unaccounted for. While archaeologists will try to locate the remains of the missing B-17 pilot in England, a team from the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency is in Normandy, France, searching for three other missing airmen whose aircraft was shot down by German anti-aircraft fire on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The team is combing the soil to find any bone fragments, as well as personal items such as uniforms, navigation protractors, watches and rings. "It's a real honor being here on this recovery mission. It's a humbling experience, and I'm happy to help bring the full accounting of the missing to their families," said Air Force Master Sgt. Raul Castillo, the team's lead support investigator on the mission in France. Pope Francis: The 60 Minutes Interview Saying goodbye to season 56 and to a man who made 60 Minutes better for 35 years The Dish: Spaghetti stir fry is a family favorite The government of Spain has recalled its ambassador in Buenos Aires after Argentine President Javier Milei publicly lambasted the wife of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Speaking to a crowd at a right-wing rally in Madrid this weekend, the right-wing president took aim at Spains first lady, Begona Gomez, who has been at the center of a messy corruption scandal involving alleged influence peddling. The global elites dont realize how destructive it can be to implement the ideas of socialism, Milei said on Sunday. Even if you have a corrupt wife, lets say, it gets dirty, and you take five days to think about it, he added, referring to the five-day break the socialist Spanish prime minister took from his duties in the aftermath of the scandal. Javier Milei, Donald Trump of Argentina, Wins Presidential Election Spanish officials did not take well to Mileis remarks, with Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares vowing to explain to him the gravity of his offenses and demanding the Argentinian president apologize for the derogatory remarks. There is no precedent for a head of state who goes to another country's capital to insult its institutions and flagrantly interfere in its internal affairs, Albares said, adding in a video statement that Milei has brought the relationship between Spain and Argentina to its most serious state in recent history with his behavior. But no apology was made, and Milei instead doubled down on his remarks in comments to local media this week. I am not going to apologize from any point of view, he told the Argentine network Todo Noticias. Spains PM Announces Finale of Wild Political Soap Opera Spains decision to indefinitely recall its ambassador to Argentina comes after Prime Minister Sanchez threatened to resign over serious and coarse attacks against his wife by right-wing officials in the country. The first lady has not been charged in the probe, which was launched by Spains conservative Vox party. A federal prosecutor has since argued that the case should be tossed for lack of evidence Most of the time we forget that politicians are people, Sanchez said in a public letter after returning to his prime ministerial duties last month. And I do not blush to say it, but I am a man who is deeply in love with my wife, who is living with the feeling of impotence while being pelted with mud. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) revealed Monday how former New York Mayor Rudy Giulianis penchant for podcasting and livestreaming online was key to him being served during his 80th birthday party in Palm Beach, Florida, last week with an indictment over his alleged efforts to undermine the 2020 election result in the state. Arizona Attorney Generals Office agents had over a series of weeks unsuccessfully tried to serve the former Donald Trump lawyer on multiple occasions in multiple ways, Mayes told CNNs Kaitlan Collins. I think Rudy Giuliani knows how this works and obviously, as you know, he does a lot of podcasting. Its pretty easy to locate and to find but he was not accepting service and was dodging our agents, Mayes explained. Is that how you had to find him? asked Collins. Basically, you had to look at his livestreams and his podcasts to figure out where he was? Thats correct, replied Mayes. Wow, said Collins. We found out essentially through his livestreams, Mayes continued. Hes not that hard to find. And so we did that and our agents professionally served him after his birthday party, as the party was winding down and as he himself was leaving the house that he was in, we gave him a copy of the papers, and he went along his way. How Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes found Rudy Giualini to serve him, three weeks after he was indicted, which made him the last of the 18 defendants to be served. As you know, he does a lot of podcastingWe found him through his livestreams. pic.twitter.com/LuQhDnH0gD Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) May 21, 2024 Giuliani took the papers and proceeded to his car, said Mayes. I think he might have been a little bit surprised. But this is a serious case, we expect him to take it seriously. We expect him to be in court tomorrow. Mayes dismissed Giulianis claims to not know he was being sought and that hed told agents his location ahead of being served. He did not tell us where he was going to be except that he told the world where he was through his live cast, said Mayes. Its really hard to believe that he didnt know that we were looking for him given the number of times and the different ways we had tried. Collins called it remarkable. Giuliani, former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and 16 others were indicted in April by an Arizona grand jury over their alleged efforts to flip Trumps 2020 loss to President Joe Biden in the state. Giuliani was the last to be served. He is set to be arraigned Tuesday. He was also indicted in the Georgia case. Related... CNN Rudy Giulianis love for live streams allowed Arizona authorities to finally serve him, the states attorney general told CNN on Monday. The former New York mayor, who was indicted in the battleground last month for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election there, was served just after his 80th birthday party on Friday night in Palm Beach, Florida, following weeks of unsuccessful attempts. It was Giulianis live stream of the party that gave away his location, Kris Mayes told CNNs Kaitlan Collins on The Source. Mayes explained that Giulianiwho has also been indicted in Georgia for election interferencewas the last of 18 defendants in Arizonas sweeping indictment to be served. We had the attempted on multiple occasions in multiple ways to serve Mr. Giuliani, she said. Our agents had traveled to New York City to try to serve him. We were not allowed in his building there where he lives. We stayed there for two days. We mailed him a letter. We made phone calls, and ultimately we had to send agents down to Florida where he went most recently to serve him. Mayes suggested that Giuliani was purposely avoiding being served, which tracks with a since-deleted social media post he had made in which he gloats about authorities not being able to find him. I think Rudy Giuliani knows how this works and obviously, as you know, he does a lot of podcasting. Its pretty easy to locate and to find, but he was not accepting service and was dodging our agents, Mayes said. We found out [Giulianis location] essentially through his live stream, she went on. Hes not that hard to find. And so we did that and our agents professionally served him after his birthday party, as the party was winding down, and as he himself was leaving the house that he was in, we gave him a copy of the papers, and he went along his way. Mayes also refuted Giulianis claim that he told them where I would be prior to being served. He did not tell us where he was going to be, Mayes said with a chuckle, except that he told the world where he was through his live cast. A spokesperson earlier told The Daily Beast: The mayor was served after the party and as he was walking to the car. The spokesman described Giuliani as unfazed by the incident and enjoyed an incredible evening with hundreds of people, from all walks of life, who love and respect him for his contributions to society. We look forward to full vindication soon. Giuliani, who declared bankruptcy in December after being ordered to pay $148 million for defaming two Georgia poll workers, is expected in court in Arizona on Tuesday. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. ***Video above: How to report tips to U.S. Marshals.*** YAVAPAI COUNTY, Arizona (WJW) An Arizona man was sentenced to prison for the murder of his wife, who investigators say was buried alive in a hand-dug grave in 2017. On May 9, a Yavapai County judge sentenced 62-year-old David Michael Pagniano, of Prescott, to life in prison without parole, the Yavapai County Attorneys Office announced on Friday. David Michael Pagniano_mugshot (1) The investigation started in 2017, when his wife, Sandra Pagniano, disappeared under suspicious circumstances during their divorce, prosecutors say. Investigators say her body was found bound and gagged in packing tape inside a hand-dug grave north of Prescott. Mom charged with keeping toddler in cage A medical examiner determined that Sandra had been buried alive. Detectives learned through cell phone data that Pagniano was in the area of the gravesite in the days leading up to her death and the night she went missing, according to prosecutors. Through the investigation, detectives also looked into two notes supposedly written by Sandra, claiming she was leaving her husband the house, vehicles and custody of their children. Forensic scientists later revealed that he had actually written those notes, the attorneys office said. Pagniano pleaded guilty to her murder the day before his trial. Local police call this anti-choking device game changer In a statement on Friday, Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane said his office was pursuing the death penalty in the case due to the horrific circumstances surrounding the abduction and murder of a young mother. The evidence revealed she vigorously struggled while she was in the grave, and was likely conscious for up to five minutes after being buried. I hope the life sentence brings some closure to the victims family, Attorney McGrane said in the release. I want to be clear that my office will vigorously prosecute anyone who commits a violent crime in Yavapai County and we will continue to pursue the death penalty in appropriate cases. Pagniano was also sentenced to another 16.5 years in prison for kidnapping, forgery and fraud schemes, prosecutors say. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Organizers for a ballot initiative that would amend the Arizona Constitution to protect abortion rights set up outside the Arizona Capitol on April 9, 2024, shortly after the Arizona Supreme Court ruled that an 1864 near-total abortion ban is enforceable. Photo by Jerod MacDonald-Evoy | Arizona Mirror An initiative to protect abortion access in Arizona has gathered more signatures than it needs to make the November ballot. If it passes, it wouldnt be the first time Arizonans have used direct democracy to enshrine rights directly relevant to women. A popular initiative gave Arizona women the right to vote in 1912, years before the 19th Amendment brought suffragists nationwide victory. Getting a measure on the ballot is expensive and onerous, says Dawn Penich, a spokesperson for Arizona for Abortion Access, the organization behind this years measure. But her group is determined to champion it to restore abortion rights and overcome restrictions put in place by Arizona Republicans. Theyve raised over $12 million to recruit hundreds of volunteers, train them, and send them out to canvas in high-traffic areas under the blazing desert sun. Their goal: get at least 383,923 Arizonans who are registered to vote to sign a petition so it qualifies for the ballot. This article was originally published by Bolts, which covers local politics and policy around voting rights and criminal justice, and is republished with permission. It is grueling work, Penich said. Im out in the field, on the streets, at trailheads with our volunteers many days a week. Its folks who are oftentimes retired, she added of the canvassers who are securing signatures. Its folks who are fitting this in before or after their full-time jobs. None of this is easy. The GOP is now pushing a separate constitutional amendment that would multiply those hurdles, and make future citizen-led initiatives prohibitively difficult. Republican lawmakers have placed a measure on the November ballot that would severely restrict direct democracy in Arizona by imposing strict geographic requirements on where organizers must gather signatures. Arizonans will vote on it this fall, likely alongside the abortion measure. Penich warns that the amendment would make organizing like hers tougher going forward. This is an effort to make it harder for regular people to engage in the process, she told Bolts. Right now, petitioners need to pass just one statewide test to qualify a measure: They need to gather more signatures than a minimum number defined in the state constitution, regardless of where the signatures come from. (The threshold is 10 or 15 percent of all votes cast in the most recent governors race, depending on whether the proposal would amend the constitution.) If the new measure passes, it would create 30 separate tests instead: Initiatives would need to meet that same threshold of signatures in each and every one of Arizonas 30 legislative districts. This would require tremendous logistical feats from any citizen-led effort. Canvassers would need to dramatically scale up their presence in the most remote parts of Arizona, unable to rely on high-traffic areas and denser population centers. The ruling minority doesnt want to share the power with the public. Pinny Sheoran, president of the League of Womens Voters of Arizona Arizonans who have experience working on signature-gathering told Bolts that this requirement could prove insurmountable to them given the resources and capacity it would call for. This is nothing but a backdoor way to shut down the initiative process, said Jim Barton, an election law attorney who has been involved in numerous legal fights over the rules of initiatives in Arizona. Proponents of this change say it is necessary to ensure rural Arizonans have a voice in the process; they say citizen-led initiatives are typically pushed by voters in Maricopa and Pima Counties, the states two most populous. It shows up on the ballot with very little buy-in from other parts of the state, Republican state Senator J.D. Mesnard, who sponsored the amendment, Senate Concurrent Resolution 1015, told Bolts. SCR 1015 passed both chambers of the legislature on party-line votes, with Republicans in support. Mesnard added that he wants to reel in out-of-state groups that have zeroed in on Arizona as a key battleground state. Weve been seeing an increased use of the initiative process by outside organizations that dont even exist in Arizona coming in and planting themselves in Maricopa County and gathering all the signatures they need, Mesnard said. Sarah Gonski, an Arizona-based lawyer who has represented Democrats in election litigation, predicts that the changes will have the opposite effect. Between the operational expenses of recruiting and training canvassers across every part of the state, and the legal expenses needed to defend the signatures in court, she told Bolts that only those with deep pockets could qualify a ballot initiative. Initiatives are going to be even more expensive. That means as a tool, it is even more inaccessible to actual citizens of Arizona, said Gonski, who also teaches election law at ASU and works as a policy advisor for the Institute for Responsive Government. It pretty much boxes out grassroots Arizona groups and ensures only well-monied special interests can come in and campaign. The geographic requirements in SCR 1015 would force organizers to deploy extensive resources to find thousands of supporters in regions that may be politically hostile to their agenda; while Arizona overall is closely divided, some areas skew very blue or red. (Joe Biden and Donald Trump each received more than 70 percent in at least one legislative district in the last presidential election.) Even when organizers believe theyve collected enough signatures, their opponents would simply have to show that they missed the mark in just one of the states 30 districts for the entire initiative to be scrapped. This would open more opportunities for legal mischief, and multiply courtroom battles. Pinny Sheoran, president of the League of Womens Voters of Arizona, which opposes the proposed changes to the initiative process, agrees that these changes would lock out most Arizonans from a process in which theyve grown used to participating. The ruling minority doesnt want to share the power with the public, Sheoran said. The left doesnt have a monopoly on popular initiatives, but in Arizona, where the state government has been run by Republicans for much of the last few decades, the direct democracy process has been a rare tool progressives can use to champion some of their most popular priorities. Voters approved a minimum wage increase in 2016, they legalized recreational marijuana in 2020, and they approved a hike in teachers salaries and education funding through raising taxes on top earners in 2020. (That last measure was eventually struck down by state courts.) All these measures were initiated by Arizona organizations looking to circumvent the legislature. Other citizen-led initiatives have fueled reforms to the political system. A 1998 initiative set up public campaign funding with an eye to diminishing the power of special interests. A ballot measure in 2000 stopped gerrymandering by setting up an independent redistricting commission. A 2022 measure required groups making independent expenditures to disclose the identity of major donors. Facing this string of victorious progressive campaigns, Republican politicians began chipping away at Arizonans right to put measures on the ballot. In 2017, a law adopted by the GOP over Democratic objections made it easier for signatures to be challenged in court. The law set a higher standard of strict compliance that a voters signature must meet when compared to voter registration files. This has made it more likely for signatures to be tossed or declared invalid based on technicalities like a voter using an shortened version of their name. It is a minority veto. Its allowing people from one part of the state to veto something the majority of the state cares enough about to put on the ballot. Sarah Gonski, Democratic election attorney Republicans said the requirement would protect against fraud, but Penich says the law unleashed a deluge of pricey legal battles to strike signatures on formatting issues, misspellings, illegible characters and other minor details on petitions. What most people would consider a really ridiculous detail could invalidate rows of signatures, Penich said. For instance, if somebodys signature touches the signature below it, that could be grounds to invalidate both signatures. As a result of the tightened standards, campaigns have to set aside more funds to defend the petitions in court, and they also have to invest more time in training circulators to minimize the number of signatures that may end up being tossed. Not only is it 110 degrees, not only is it after a full day of work while their families are at home, Penich said, we also have to be watching like a hawk while they sign that they stay inside the box, that they dont leave out the date. Mesnard, the state senator behind SCR 1015, also supported the strict compliance law back in 2017. If you are bypassing the normal process, it should be pretty strict, he told Bolts this month. If that means there should be fewer things on the ballot, then it might mean a healthier situation than what we had before. Another change that has made it harder to qualify initiatives is a provision tucked into a broad law that passed in 2014 with wide bipartisan support. It allows groups suing to challenge a petition to subpoena individual canvassers who sought out signatures for it; if a circulator does not show up to testify in court, all the signatures they collected are tossed out. In 2018, a group opposed to a clean energy initiative filed a string of subpoenas against roughly 1,400 canvassers as part of a lawsuit alleging that the petition violated Arizonas strict compliance standards. The petitions organizers have said it cost them over $1.3 million to bring all these circulators to court, including costs of flights, lodging, and missed wages. The court let them do it, even though you could never get testimony from so many witnesses, said Barton, the attorney who litigated the case. The clean energy initiative eventually did get enough signatures verified to qualify for the ballot, though it ultimately lost that year. Another petition drive didnt even make it that far: Organizers of an initiative to outlaw dark money were hit by mass subpoenas, and thousands of signatures were tossed because circulators did not show up in court. The Arizona supreme court blessed this subpoena rule in a 2018 ruling. If you are bypassing the normal process, it should be pretty strict. If that means there should be fewer things on the ballot, then it might mean a healthier situation than what we had before. Sen. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, on why making it tougher for initiatives to qualify for the ballot Terry Goddard, a former Democratic attorney general who was behind the dark money initiative, warned that the ruling created a very high barrier of entry for direct democracy. You not only have to get valid signatures but then you have to keep the circulator around and have them appear at a hearing or all their signatures are going to be determined invalid, he said at the time. Critics of this system filed a federal lawsuit, but they eventually withdrew their claims after losing in court. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who at the time served as secretary of state, defended the subpoena system in a court filing, saying it did not pose an undue burden. These restrictions on direct democracythe strict compliance test, the subpoena rulesare still in place. And Barton warns they will get even harder to overcome if SCR 1015 passes this fall. A ballot petition is virtually certain to have less room for error in some individual districts than it does statewide, and opponents would target canvassers in the district where a petition gathered the fewest supporters. Organizers would need to invest in collecting extra signatures in each district, going far beyond the minimum threshold to create buffers in all 30 without exceptions. They dont need to knock off hundreds of thousands of signatures, Barton said. They just need to knock off a few thousand in one district. Arizona Republicans have also sought to close off other threats to their hold on power. In 2016, they expanded the Arizona supreme court, granting then-Governor Doug Ducey additional appointments that cemented a conservative majority. The maneuver helped lock in the right-wing majority that ruled in favor of abortion restrictions earlier this year. The bill to expand the court was sponsored by Mesnard, who at the time was in the state House. Democrats have gained power in recent years in Arizona. Hobbs narrowly flipped the governors mansion in 2022, breaking the GOPs trifecta. This year, Democrats are also aiming to flip control of the state legislature for the first time since 1966. In such a scenario, Gonski predicts, Republicans may end up regretting making it so hard to pass initiatives. In the not-too-distant future, conservative groups could be the ones turning to direct democracy measures, she said. And they would have made it very difficult and expensive for them. The political context is going to change probably in a way that makes this a boomerang theyre throwing into the wind that will come back and hit them in the face a couple years from now, she added. Arizona Republicans push to curtail direct democracy mirrors the partys current efforts in a string of other states to set up additional hurdles for citizen-led initiatives. This includes reforms in several states to create or toughen geographic requirements for signatures. Last year, Arkansas Republicans passed a law that required organizers to gather signatures in at least 50 of the states 75 countiesup from 15. Voters had rejected such a change when it was proposed to them as a referendum in 2022, but the legislature passed it through a regular bill anyway. The grassroots people are going to be screwed, David Crouch, an Arkansas attorney who had helped spearhead a medical marijuana referendum in the state, told Bolts at the time. In total, sixteen states impose some geographic requirements on petitions, but the scheme proposed in Arizona would be the strictest in the country, according to research compiled by Ballotpedia, a digital resource for elections information. In nearly all states with geographic mandates, the requirement is that signatures be gathered from some portion of counties or districtsnot from every single one. The only state that allows no exception, Colorado, applies that rule only for constitutional amendments; Arizonas would apply it to any initiative, including statutory changes. It is a minority veto, Gonski said of the proposed change in Arizona. Its allowing people from one part of the state to veto something the majority of the state cares enough about to put on the ballot. Arizona for Abortion Access says their abortion rights measure had collected more than 500,000 signatures as of early April, already far more than what itd need to qualify the item under current rules, and they were continuing to seek supporters. But if something goes wrong with their proposal this year while the GOP succeeds at restricting popular initiatives, abortion rights proponents warn that a redo would be exceedingly difficult. It has always been a very heavy lift, very hard work with ballot initiatives, said Sheoran of the League of Women Voters. But this is precisely why the Arizona Abortion Access campaign is so critical to have passed now. If this [geographic requirement] initiative passes, a second go-around of an abortion amendment would never happen, she added. Every woman knows that. We know how serious this is. The post Arizona Republicans set up a ballot measure to squash future ballot measures appeared first on Arizona Mirror. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin is ordering two out-of-state companies to stop advertising in the state. Griffin said in a Tuesday release that the two companies were in violation of the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act related to abortion pill marketing and sales. Griffins office sent cease and desist letters to Choices Womens Medical Center, Inc. of New York and Aid Access of the Netherlands. Arkansas co-leads 17-state coalition suing federal pregnancy, abortion accommodation rule The attorney general said the companies were advertising being able to ship abortion pills to the state, the use of which in the state is prohibited. Abortions are prohibited in Arkansas except under very limited circumstances. As such, abortion pills may not be legally shipped to Arkansans or brought into the State for use by Arkansans, Griffin claimed. If the companies do not stop they would be subject to a lawsuit from his office, Griffin said. These companies must cease and desist advertising relating to the performance of abortion services in Arkansas immediately or face the possibility of lawsuits from my office, Griffin said. As Attorney General, I will continue fighting to enforce the laws of our state. Arkansas attorney general leads 23-state coalition supporting West Virginia abortion prohibition The Deceptive Trade Practices Act allows penalties of up to $10,000 per violation. The attorney general said the companies have 14 days to comply with the order. Arkansas enforced a trigger ban on June 24, 2022 that prohibits abortion at all stages of pregnancy. This ban was put in place after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization. Attorney General Tim Griffin certifies Arkansas Abortion Amendment ballot language A group is currently working to gather signatures for an abortion ballot question on the Arkansas November ballot. If they are successful, the right to abortion access would be part of the state constitution. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. LITTLE ROCK, Ark. The number of reported overdose deaths in Arkansas has dropped faster than the national rate in the latest government report. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention preliminary data shows Arkansas drug overdose deaths declined 13.7% from 2023 compared to 2022. CDC data shows the national rate saw a 5.1% decline for the same period. Arkansas group introduces app to prevent opioid abuse, overdose In hard numbers, Arkansas had 510 deaths in 2023, compared to 591 overdose deaths in 2022, according to the CDC report. Nationally, in 2023 there were 103,793 overdose deaths compared to 109,413 in 2022. Officials with the Arkansas Opioid Recovery Partnership believe this drop at least partially reflects the increasing emphasis on the overdose-reversing drug naloxone, commonly branded as Narcan. Partnership director Kirk Lane said the CDC number reflects the relative success of the partnerships program. This decrease marks a monumental step toward our goal of zero drug overdose deaths, Lane said. These numbers spur us on as we work to create a reality where no one else experiences the loss of a child or loved one to opioid misuse. Fewer US overdose deaths were reported last year, but experts are still cautious Partnership officials said it had contributed $2,675,000 toward Narcan distribution to date, with more than 50 community partners selected to distribute 39,384 kits. Still, agencies sound a cautionary note about the trend. CDC Chief Medical Officer Dr. De Houry said that despite the declining death rate, work remains. Todays data showing a decrease in drug overdoses over the 12-month period through December 2023 is heartening news for our nation and demonstrates we are making progress to prevent deaths from drug overdoses, Houry said, adding, The data show we still lost over 100,000 people last year; meaning, there are still families and friends losing their loved ones to drug overdoses at staggering numbers. Students train to use overdose reversal spray as part of new Arkansas law Other experts are cautioning, pointing out that a decline may not be sustainable. Brown University researcher Brandon Marshall told the Associated Press that despite the encouraging downturn, it was too early to draw any long-term conclusions. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. Storm chances return to the Natural State tonight, Tuesday, May 21st, and continue through the next few days. Tonight the threat is mainly for northern, western, and parts of central Arkansas. This risk area is a low, level 2 out of 5, risk for severe storms. Even with a low risk for severe storms, its still important to be weather aware. Severe risk: Tuesday There is a Tornado Watch for NWA including: Benton, Carroll, Madison & Washington Counties. A watch does not guarantee a tornado will form, but does indicate the ingredients are present in the environment for development. Cities under the tornado watch until 10 p.m. cdt include: Bentonville, Fayetteville, Eureka Springs, Huntsville, Boston, Winslow, Bella Vista and Siloam Springs. These storms are expected to move in this evening and push through during the overnight hours. Large hail and heavy rain will be the main threats, however damaging wind gusts and an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out. Forecast track Tuesday Wednesday will bring a more widespread chance for strong to severe storms, with a level 3 out of 5 risk covering much of the state. Large hail and heavy rain will continue to be the main risks with any severe storms that develop on Wednesday. However, damaging wind gusts and a tornado or two will be possible, even with the lower risk for those. Severe risk: Wednesday Wednesdays storms are expected to come in two waves. One arriving late morning/ early afternoon, and one moving in during the evening hours. Forecast track Wednesday Thursday also brings us a low-end risk for severe weather with much of the state under a low, level 2 out of 5, risk for severe storms. Severe risk Thursday Thursday looks to have lots of dry time during the afternoon hours, with a cluster of storms moving into western Arkansas late Thursday night and into early Friday morning. Forecast track Thursday Some areas could see several inches of rainfall from Tuesday night through Friday morning. Those areas with the most thunderstorm activity will have the highest rainfall totals. Flash flooding could be an issue in those areas that see several thunderstorms. Rainfall forecast With an unsettled weather pattern expected over the next few days, stick with The Arkansas Storm Team for continued updates. One way to stay weather-aware is by downloading The Arkansas Storm Team App below. Download the Arkansas Storm Team app To make sure you are staying up-to-date with the forecast, download the Arkansas Storm Team app to get updates anywhere at any time. To watch the latest video updates from the Arkansas Storm Team, you can check them out here. The Arkansas Storm Team is a collaboration of two stations to bring you the largest weather team in the state when covering Arkansas weather. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. An archaeologist observes a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An aerial drone photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows the excavation site of the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An archaeologist shows a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Archaeologists inventory the relics unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An archaeologist shows a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Archaeologists preserve the relics unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An archaeologist preserves a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Archaeologists inventory the relics unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An archaeologist measures a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An aerial drone photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows the excavation site of the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An aerial drone photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows the excavation site of the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Editor: WXY Theres an arms race in Haiti, and its fueled by Floridas pipeline of weapons of war While heavy gunfire was paralyzing Haitis capital in late February, a man using a fake name approached a 45-foot cargo container parked in a Fort Lauderdale lot. He asked if he could drop off three parcels two boxes and a folding casino table to ship to the besieged country. Anestin Predestin, a self-styled broker who was parceling out space in the container for Haitians looking to ship food and merchandise, asked what was inside the taped cardboard boxes. The man, who went by the single name Diamortino, lied. Clothes, he said. The following month, Predestins container left Port Everglades and arrived in Cap-Haitien, a coastal city north of the capital, as fighting raged in Port-au-Prince between police and armed gangs. In Cap-Haitien, the national police discovered that Diamortinos boxes contained more than two dozen illegally imported handguns and assault rifles, along with hundreds of rounds of ammunition all sent from South Florida and destined for criminal gangs in northern Haiti, according to a Haitian investigator. Predestin found out about the April 5 seizure over WhatsApp messages. He said he was shocked by the discovery, not only because it involved his shipment, but because it happened as a united front of gangs was attempting to topple the government. The gunmen launched launched deadly coordinated attacks on state institutions, including the capitals airport, main seaport and prisons. Can you imagine? Predestin, 48, said, sitting a week later in his sparsely furnished efficiency apartment in north Miami-Dade County. There can be a bad guy in front of you and you dont even know it. During a joint operation in the city of Cap-Haitien, Haitian police and customs inspectors discovered a cache of arms in two boxes that arrived in a container from South Florida. The choke point Federal officials readily admit that Florida is the main U.S. pipeline for weapons headed to the Caribbean and South America, fueled by the states easy access to firearms, a lucrative black market, the lack of export inspections at South Florida ports and the rising demands of criminal organizations in countries like Haiti. Those factors have caused a steep climb in illicit shipments of increasingly powerful firearms such as automatic rifles to hundreds of gangs in Haiti, contributing to the doubling of the countrys murder rate over the past two years. The weapons smuggling spike to Haiti began two years ago, U.S. authorities say, coinciding with the escalation of violence carried out by armed groups since the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Jovenel Moise. The gangs have forced thousands of people from their homes, paralyzed the economy and now has millions facing starvation. The ongoing insurgency succeeded in ousting the prime minister and shutting down the main airport and seaport for months. The choke point for this stuff is here, said Anthony Salisbury, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Miami, noting that .308-caliber sniper and military-grade rifles are being regularly smuggled in shipping containers to Haiti and other Caribbean countries. The old-fashioned practice of stashing one or two handguns in a bulk load or in checked luggage going to Haiti has become increasingly less common. A view of Toussaint Louverture International Airport, foreground, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Commercial flights in and out of the airport have been suspended since early March 2024 when armed groups targeted the facility and nearby domestic airport. Unlike luggage screened at airports, inspections of shipments exported through South Floridas ports are low, obviously, Salisbury acknowledged, because Customs and Border Protection agents are more focused on imports coming into the U.S. Instead, he said, customs agents rely on tips from informants about firearms and other contraband in export shipments before deciding whether to inspect them. Salisbury pointed out that, in order to keep much-needed food, medicine and other goods flowing to Haiti whether theyre packed as containerized cargo leaving major ports or in loose, bulk loads at the Miami River customs agents cant afford to check everything. They dont even require paperwork for export shipments valued at $2,500 or less. Theres a whole flow of commerce that we want to make sure is not slowing down, Salisbury said. No change in inspections A spokesman for Customs and Border Protection in Miami declined to address the agencys specific inspection policy on exports to Haiti, but noted that it hasnt changed since the escalation of weapons smuggling and the ongoing insurrection by heavily armed gangs. CBPs mission in regards to outbound inspections from South Florida to Haiti has remained steadfast throughout the years, said agency spokesman Alan Regalado, adding that local and national policy has not changed. Regalado said bulk shipments at the Miami River are the primary source of ocean exports to Haiti. But the Miami Herald has found that since 2022, most of the firearms seizures in the country trace back to container shipments that left Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, with the exception of a Miami River cargo load containing 120,000 high-power rounds later confiscated in Haiti. That reality weighs heavily on the Biden administration, which is leading the effort behind a Kenya-led security mission to help Haitian police take down powerful gangs that now control more than 80% of Port-au-Prince. Were doing more on our end with [key agencies] to figure out how we can detect more of whats leaving the United States, said Todd D. Robinson, assistant secretary of state in charge of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. And were not just doing that for Haiti, were doing it for the entire region. Following an attack on the National Penitentiary in Port-au-Prince, a number of prisoners escaped. Even with Haiti cut off from the world, with its main international airport and government port shuttered since early March, and its border with the neighboring Dominican Republic sealed, weapons continue to flow in. There has been at least one other seizure in Cap-Haitien since the April 5 incident two 9mm pistols and 13 9mm-caliber cartridges were discovered in a blue drum in a container shipped from South Florida on April 29. Police say some of the gangs involved in the ongoing insurgency have also managed to acquire a fresh batch of assault rifles since late February. Amid the barrage of heavy gunfire in Port-au-Prince, a powerful 26-year-old gang leader and aspiring rapper, Johnson Andre, better known as Izo, released a video clip showing masked members of his 5 Segonn gang brandishing new Belgian-made FN FAL battle rifles and AK-47s, weapons that are popular in Venezuela and Colombia. In addition to carrying the new firearms, which until now had not been seen before in the hands of Haitian gangs, the uniformed gang members on the video moved with military-style precision. Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer known as Barbecue, leads the G9 gang alliance. These are no longer kids running around with flip-flops and guns, said a security consultant who has been tracking firearms and international funding going into Haiti for years. This is a terrorist organization. This is an embedded insurgency in the country and its going to require military capabilities to dislodge or remove or control them. Romain Le Cour, senior expert at the Geneva-based Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, was in Haiti at the start of the gang rebellion in February. The general trend is to beef up, said Le Cour, co-author of Haitis Gang Crisis and International Responses. Theyve been evolving into a trained militia. They look like SWAT teams. Christopher Robinson, special agent in charge of the Miami office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, said there has been a stark increase in the number of criminals trying to acquire high-powered assault rifles and cartridges. More weapons come in [to the Caribbean] from the continental United States, Robinson said. The ATF agent declined to name the states linked to gun-involved crimes in Haiti. ATF agents, however, said in a recent report that 57% of the weapons recovered from crimes in the Caribbean between 2017 and 2021 were originally purchased from federally licensed firearms dealers in Florida. According to the National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment report, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Ohio and North Carolina, accounted for 80% of the guns recovered at crimes in the Caribbean and traced back to licensed U.S. dealers. The Commerce Departments Bureau of Industry and Security, which regulates weapons exports from the U.S. to foreign countries, says that since 2020 about half of all firearms-export investigations have been concentrated in the Caribbean region. Florida weapons pipeline Thanks to the South Florida pipeline, Haitian gangs have obtained more high-powered semi-automatic rifles like the highly-popular AR-15 using illicit funds from drug trafficking, kidnapping and other crimes. As a result, they have gained a significant edge in their clashes with the Haiti National Police, whose rank and file are carrying handguns like the 9mm Glock, although a few specialized units are armed with Israeli Galil rifles and U.S.-made M-4s. Youre looking at an arms race who can get their hands on the biggest guns and the most guns can do the most talking, Salisbury said. The Haitian police force has been so outgunned in violent confrontations with the gangs that the agency recently acquired weapons from the U.S. government, which has had a long-standing arms embargo against Haiti and bars firearms exports to the country. In 2022, the United Nations Security Council imposed an arms embargo on Haiti in hopes of stemming the flow of weapons and ammunition to gangs. But a U.N. panel of experts recently questioned its effectiveness, noting that armed groups and others continue to illegally get both. The gangs have managed to develop a network of supply lines stretching beyond the countrys seaports to other entry points and regions of Haiti. Weapons smuggled out of South Florida to Haiti are ending up in boxes among used clothes and other goods being sent by the diaspora for relatives or to be resold. This business in North Miami Dade is where Haitians pack trailers to ship items to Haiti. Officials with the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime have expressed fears gangs are diversifying routes beyond Florida and have begun using routes through the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. The U.N. agency, which issues quarterly reports, also cited flights of small planes containing weapons flying under radar systems from South Florida to at least 11 makeshift clandestine airstrips in Haiti that also used by South American drug traffickers. U.N. officials say Colombian drug cartels that use Haiti as a transshipment point for cocaine exports to the U.S. might also be supplying weapons to Haitian gang members, saying that prominent politicians and business operators sanctioned by the U.S., Canada and the Dominican Republic have been involved in the illicit trade. While the absolute quantity of drugs arriving in Haiti appears to have declined over the past year, both weapons and narcotics continue to be transported to southern Haiti by air and sea from Colombia, Jamaica and Venezuela, the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime says in its latest report. It is frequently the case that drug shipments are paired with firearms and ammunition, the report continued. After firearms and ammunition arrive on the southern coast of Haiti, they are frequently transported directly to Port-au-Prince, where they are redistributed to armed groups. The ongoing gang insurgency in Port-au-Prince, Haiti has led to more container cargo going to the port in Cap-Haitien, where on April 5, 2024 police seized dozens of weapons including assault rifles shipped from South Florida. Diplomatic and police sources acknowledge some gangs are now involved in drug trafficking and have foreigners embedded in them. Theyre aware of the speculation that drug traffickers may be arming Haitian gangs, and saw the recent warning from Colombian President Gustavo Petro that stolen ammunition from the military may have ended up in Haiti. But despite the speculation, they do not have any evidence yet of this. U.S. authorities in South Florida said theyve also seen no proof to back up the speculation. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime found that Haitian gangs are using automatic and semi-automatic rifles as well as higher-caliber weapons, including the M60 machine gun. The gang attacks targeting key infrastructure were another reminder that the fire power available to gangs in Haiti has increased significantly, Ghada Fathi Waly, head of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, told the U.N. Security Council on April 22. Waly cited a U.S. criminal case in which the leader of the 400 Mawozo gang, Germine Joly was convicted earlier this year of running a weapons-smuggling operation from his cell in a Haitian prison. Using his cell phone, Joly ordered the transfer of funds from kidnapping ransoms of U.S. citizens to criminal associates in Florida, straw buyers who were instructed to use the money to purchase high-caliber weapons from federally licensed firearms shops. They then smuggled the weapons, along with ammunition capable of piercing police cars, in boxes and barrels stacked with used clothing, Gatorade and other goods. Predestins shipment seized Predestin ordered his cargo container on Feb. 22 from Alliance International Shipping in Doral. The company then transported it for him to the parking lot in Fort Lauderdale. Seven days later, Predestin, 48, charged the man who went by the name Diamortino $150 for his shipment of two cardboard boxes and the casino table, wrote the number 75 on the packages, and stacked them inside the container. The transaction happened on the same day that armed groups in the Haitian capital began attacking police stations, looting the seaport and targeting the airport. On March 25, Diamortinos boxes and table were among hundreds of packages of food and other merchandise transported on a King Ocean Services cargo ship that arrived in Cap-Haitien two days later. On April 5, as customs inspectors and anti-drug police began clearing the cargo at the port, a customs supervisor tried to elude the inspection by asking for Diamortinos merchandise. The Haitian customs inspectors and eight anti-drug trafficking cops ended up finding one box with weapons inside the container. The other box with firearms was sitting in a vehicle belonging to customs supervisor Jean Bernard Joseph, who was arrested a week later in connection with the weapons-smuggling operation. The boxes contained 12 automatic rifles, 14 pistols and 999 cartridges. Among the U.S.-made brands: Palmetto, Taurus and Smith & Wesson. The firearms had been disassembled and shipped in parts, according to a Haitian police investigator. Two other weapons-smuggling suspects are at large in Haiti: Rod Junior Barthold, the designated recipient of the firearms delivery, and Wilmane Jean, a customs broker, who was supposed to clear the shipment. Both men disappeared before police could make an arrest. A police source says they are part of a criminal network that intended to sell the guns to a gang in the Artibonite Valley. The coastal city of Cap-Haitien in northern Haiti is seeing its share of illegally imported weapons. After armed gangs launched an attack against state institutions on February 29, 2024, police made two seizures of weapons at the port. Haitian police say they believe all three suspects collaborated with the man who shipped the boxes through Predestin. Other suspects believed to be involved fled to South Florida, according to the Haiti national police. Meanwhile, since the April 5 firearms seizure, police have stepped up enforcement in Cap-Haitien. These people are evil, really evil. They are not human beings, said a police investigator on the front line of Haitis arms war. Once people want to make money, they dont consider the impact this is going to have, how many people can die because of these guns. And these arent just any weapons. They are weapons of war. Predestin said he has been leasing containers and renting out space to Haitis small traders, and Haitian Americans to send personal belongings, food and other necessities to their families in the country since 2008. He said this was the first time there was an illegal weapons shipment hidden in one of his containers. As a united front of armed gangs targeted key government institutions in Haiti, some Haitians in March of 2024 took to the streets in protest. Predestin acknowledged the business of shipping containers is risky because theres no way of knowing what customers might put inside their boxes bound for Haiti. He goes by what they tell him, he says, because it would be impractical to check every box to verify the contents. Its high risk and you take it, he said. It could happen to anyone. Now, Predestin said hes afraid its going to cost him a small fortune to get his container back from Haiti investigators because its considered a crime scene. Another problem: All of his customers legitimate shipments are still stuck in police custody. The Doral company that leased Predestin the cargo container is a dominant player in the business of shipping goods to Haiti. Gregory Moraille, president of Alliance International Shipping, said his company handles 52% of all container shipments from South Florida to Haiti. But he said he had no idea what was in Predestins container because his company was responsible only for leasing it and arranging for its shipment to Haiti. Moraille acknowledged this was not the first time his company has had to deal with weapons being smuggled in containers. He said Customs and Border Protection should inspect more shipments being exported to Haiti. We have to do more at this end to inspect the shipments, he said. His companys cargo containers were involved in another weapons seizure in Haiti, though Moraille said he had no clue about the contents in that shipment either. In mid-July 2022 Haitian customs seized 17 semi-automatic weapons, 12 shotguns and four pistols from containers addressed to the Episcopal Church and sent by a Florida-based company, Remy Multi Services, through Port Everglades. An assortment of ammunition and $50,000 in counterfeit bills were also discovered. Thousands of prisoners housed inside Haitis two largest prisons were freed after armed bandits stormed the facilities overnight on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Haitian authorities ordered the arrest of the churchs president, Father Jean Madoche Vil, on suspicion of arms and ammunition trafficking. Experts on weapons smuggling say theres no dispute that the U.S., and in particular Florida, are the main source of weapons being smuggled into the Caribbean and Haiti. We know in the cases that are brought for prosecution [in the U.S.] a lot of the weapons are obtained from federally licensed firearms dealers and acquired by straw buyers, said Matt Schroeder, senior researcher at Small Arms Survey, an independent research group based in Geneva, Switzerland. Schroeder said given how the weapons are transported with innocuous commodities and hidden inside boxes those doing the trafficking are not very sophisticated. The people who are getting caught are amateurs, he said. Its very simple, but because of the volume of trade that exists at U.S. ports, its very difficult to stop. Reginald Delva, a Haitian security consultant, said if Haiti hopes to make a dent in arms trafficking there needs to be greater collaboration from U.S. authorities, who recently signed an agreement with Haiti for the use of the web-based application eTrace to help track the source of weapons. Said Delva: I dont see where they are working together. Army officials said that early this summer they expect to release the results of their long-awaited investigations into mistakes leading up to the mass murder of 18 people by an Army reservist last fall. A report detailing the shooting spree by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Card was originally scheduled to be released in January, three months after the attack at a bar and bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine. On Tuesday, Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said she expects the Army Reserve review to be completed in the next few weeks. There are over 3,000 pages of interviews with witnesses and other documents that theyve collected, which is partly why it has taken so long, she told members of the Senate Appropriations Committee during a hearing on the services operations Tuesday. And then there is a separate review being done by our Army Inspector General, which will follow shortly after that. Cards attack, which injured 13 people in addition to the 18 killed, was the deadliest mass shooting in Maine history. A separate report from a state commission released in March found multiple failures by authorities in preventing the attack, spurring calls for reforms from advocacy groups. Reservists say they warned of Maine killers decline before shootings In the months leading up to the shooting, Card was hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital, and the Army barred him from having weapons while on duty. Family members and fellow reservists alerted authorities that Card presented a potential threat to himself and others, but no action was taken by military or local police to confiscate his personal firearms. Card was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound two days after the shooting. In response to the shooting, the Maine Legislature approved sweeping gun safety legislation in April including background checks on private gun sales, waiting periods for gun purchases and criminalizing gun sales to prohibited people. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has vowed to craft federal rules requiring military officials to report potential threats among personnel to state and local authorities, but said her efforts have been stymied by the delays in the Army investigations. I want to ensure that were taking every action necessary to try to lessen or prevent the chances of such a tragedy ever happening again, she told Wormuth at the hearing. But to draft the most effective legislation, I very much need the results of the review that the Army Reserve has undertaken. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin earlier this year publicly committed to working with Collins on that effort. Nearly two weeks since the May 8 ransomware attack that took down the computer network across the nation's biggest Catholic health system, employees at Ascension's Michigan hospitals told the Free Press they don't know when all of its tech systems will be restored. Patients are paying the price, two Ascension doctors and a registered nurse told the Free Press on the condition of anonymity out of fear that they could lose their jobs. "It's so, so dangerous," the nurse said. Medical orders for lab work, imaging tests and prescriptions still were being written on paper and faxed to various parts of the hospitals and to doctors' offices as of Monday, the workers said. Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit That has led to hourslong delays for testing even for the most critically ill patients and no results at all for some metro Detroit residents who have undergone outpatient testing at Ascension imaging centers. "We are waiting four hours for head CT (scan) results on somebody having a stroke or a brain bleed," the nurse said of Ascension St. John Hospital on Detroit's east side. "We are just waiting. I don't know why they haven't at least paused the ambulances and accepting transfers because we physically ... don't have the capacity to care for them right now." In some cases, what are supposed to be unique medical record numbers assigned to patients when they register in the emergency department at Ascension St. John have been given to more than one patient at a time. Because of that, the nurse told the Free Press she couldn't be confident that a patient's blood test results actually were his own. "If you have to come here, come," she said of St. John Hospital. But, she added, if there is any other option for medical care during the computer outage, "absolutely do not bring anybody here." The health care workers who spoke to the Free Press said the problems are widespread in the Ascension system. Nurses and physicians are using Google documents and text messages as an unofficial digital workaround, but still are losing track of patients, an emergency department doctor told the Free Press. "They are texting me to find out where the patient went," he said. "They don't even know where the patient is going or if they've been admitted. People are getting lost. "The pharmacy is getting requests for patient medications and they have no idea where the patient is in the hospital. Some of the attending physicians are putting in orders for medications, somewhat dangerous medications, and we have no idea if the medications are actually being administered. "It's a scary thing when your medical license is tied to this. ... If medication mistakes become lawsuits, they will follow us throughout our entire careers and that is not fair to us. It's not fair to patients." Ascension: 'Patient safety continues to be our utmost priority' St. Louis-based Ascension did not respond by email or phone to questions from the Free Press about the ongoing problems caused by the ransomware attack or concerns employees raised about patient care while its computer network is disrupted. A nonprofit health system, Ascension has 140 hospitals and 40 senior care facilities across 19 states and the District of Columbia and 134,000 employees. In Michigan, the health system operates 15 acute-care hospitals, but is in the midst of trying to close deals that would split off eight of its southeastern Michigan hospitals and combine them with Detroit-based Henry Ford Health. Additionally, three of its hospitals in mid-Michigan and northeastern Michigan, along with a stand-alone emergency center and nursing home, are to be acquired by Midland-based MyMichigan Health. Ascension said earlier it is working with Mandiant, a cybersecurity consulting company, to investigate and help determine what information, if any, was compromised in the cyberattack. More: Cyberattack hits Ascension hospitals' computer networks: 'It's affecting everything' More: Fallout from Ascension cyberattack continues: Michigan pharmacies can't fill prescriptions It launched a dedicated website last week to post updates about the cybersecurity breach, but as of Tuesday morning the most recent post about the Michigan region was dated May 15. In that update, the health system wrote: "All Ascension Michigan hospitals, physician offices, and care sites across the state remain open and operational. Despite the challenges posed by the recent ransomware incident, patient safety continues to be our utmost priority. Our dedicated doctors, nurses, and care teams are demonstrating incredible thoughtfulness and resilience as we utilize manual and paper based systems during the ongoing disruption to normal systems." However, during the disruption caused by the ransomware attack on the network's computer systems, the health system asked patients to: Bring notes on symptoms, health history and a list of current medications, including prescription numbers or bottles to any medical appointments, tests or hospital visits. Ask their doctors to send prescriptions to other pharmacies because "Ascension Rx retail pharmacies in Michigan cannot fill prescriptions." Be understanding that some diagnostic imaging and testing may be delayed and appointments may need to be rescheduled. Ascension pharmacies shut down Chris Short, a disabled veteran from Commerce Township, said he had to ration his medicine when Ascension shut down its pharmacy services last week as a result of the cybersecurity attack. He also had to cancel an out-of-town work trip to sort it out and get his prescriptions transferred. Short takes controlled substances to manage post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and chronic pain. "These are critical meds that I can't be without because of withdrawal problems and everything," said Short, who is 43 and served in the Air Force and other federal agencies. He has spinal damage, and also dealt with the trauma of losing colleagues to suicide when he was enlisted. "A lot of productivity was wasted because (I had to) try to find a new home for my medications," he said, "as well as cleaning up the mess of having to cancel travel and all the stress." His doctor had to revoke the existing prescriptions and write new ones. CVS and Walgreens didn't have his medicine in stock, he said, and "I couldn't rely on the Ascension pharmacy to do anything." Eventually, Short said he got his prescriptions filled at a nearby Meijer store. But now, he said he's worried about all of his care at Ascension properties. He has an MRI scheduled for later this week. When he tried to cancel it Monday afternoon, he said: "They couldn't cancel my appointment and told me to just not show. It's a real dumpster fire over there." Dearborn woman waits for ultrasound test results Catherine, 43, of Dearborn, who asked not to use her last name because of the personal nature of her medical information, told the Free Press on Monday that she is frustrated, too. She has had an array of symptoms that suggest she could have a form of gynecological cancer or an inflammatory disease. Her doctor ordered a pelvic ultrasound that could provide a diagnosis but the results of that ultrasound, which took place May 10 at Ascension Providence Hospital in Southfield, still aren't available. "We scheduled that pelvic ultrasound ... the week that the cyberattack happened," Catherine said. "It was completely surreal. At the ultrasound department, they had all the patients' names written on paper, and they're using highlighters across the columns. They called me the day before to tell me to bring the paper order. They said, 'We're not going to do this test for you unless you bring the paper order.' " It never occurred to her that the results wouldn't be available within a day or two. She checked her email messages, her online patient portal, called her doctor, and the imaging center, but no one knew the outcome. Everyone she talked to, Catherine said, had "a lot of sympathy, but no help because nobody knows when anything's going to be back online. Nobody knows. So I just waited, and I've just been sitting here, just trying not to think of the worst-case scenarios." Finally, she got word that she could pick up a CD at the Ascension Providence Hospital in Novi that includes the ultrasound images, but has no interpretation from a radiologist or a report of any kind that explains what those images mean. "They have not been viewed by a radiologist," she said. "They have not been read. ... I'm so appalled that they would do this to patients." Now, she has to find a radiology service that will look at the images on the CD and tell her what it shows. "An inflammatory cancer is the thing that I really would like to rule out," she said. Computer shutdown is 'like the Stone Ages' One physician told the Free Press that Ascension isn't being transparent enough about the depths of the problems this ransomware attack has caused, and patients don't understand the far-reaching implications. "They don't understand the magnitude with which this is affecting patient care," he said. "We have been told not to tell people this and it's angering me because it doesn't feel like it's the right thing for patients to not tell them." Another doctor said he doesn't know when patients like Catherine, who have undergone outpatient screening tests, such as ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs and mammograms, will find out the results. That has the potential to delay cancer diagnoses and treatment, which could cost lives. "We're writing little preliminary notes on a paper and faxing it to the doctors," he said. For CT scan results, radiologists now have the ability to dictate their interpretations, but the readings can't be uploaded to any centralized system. Under U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules, results of screening mammograms must be mailed to patients within 30 days of the tests. But Ascension's radiologists are locked out of the health system's dedicated mammography computer program, which generates those patient letters. "It is a nightmare," the physician told the Free Press. "I don't know how they're going to get the letters out. "It's like the Stone Ages." Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com. Subscribe to the Free Press. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ascension hospitals' ransomware hack affecting patient care Jersey faces an influx of death tourists if they vote for assisted dying, campaigners have warned. This week, politicians will vote on whether to establish an assisted dying service on the Channel island. Tom Binet, its health and social services minister, said that the proposals have been very much influenced and informed by the views of islanders. However, campaigners in England have warned that if the vote falls in favour of assisted dying, it could lead to increasing numbers of people moving to Jersey in order to end their lives. According to the current proposals, those wanting to end their own lives have to have been residents on the island for at least a year before making their first request. Ahead of the debate, and subsequent vote, Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, said: The debates on assisted dying in Jersey should concern us all and the dangerous and harmful precedent they could set that could lead to death tourism in the UK. Some will feel pressured Support for assisted suicide and euthanasia is often found among those with least experience of the issues and among people who would be least affected by it. The idea that its compassionate to end another humans life has a corrosive effect on society: it leads to people with all kinds of conditions being treated with death rather than supporting them to live worthwhile lives. A spokesman for the campaign group, Care Not Killing, added: Its not a stretch of the imagination to think that some people will feel pressured to go to those places to end their lives because they become a care or financial burden on their loved ones. Dame Esther Rantzen is considering assisted dying if her cancer worsens - Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty However, Dame Esther Rantzen, the 83-year-old broadcaster and founder of the Childline, who last year revealed that she had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, has rejected their claims. In December, she revealed that she had joined Dignitas and was considering assisted dying if her condition does not improve following treatment. Assisted suicide is banned in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. Dignitas is a Swiss organisation providing physician-assisted suicide to members. Dame Esther said: It is interesting that people are worried about death tourists. I wonder why? By definition, theyre not going to take much resources, are they? Id rather die in my own home Im terminally ill so Im counting myself in this, we wont take up many of your resources because we wont have time to. Secondly, it only becomes death tourism if England, for example, doesnt legalise assisted dying. Otherwise, everybody will be free to have the death we would all wish in our own homes. Much as I love Jersey, I would rather die in my own home surrounded by people I love. So I think what the people of Jersey need to bear in mind is that they will be the torch bearers. I think itll be very, very influential. If at the end of that debate, they do vote for a change in the law. I think it will mean that England and Wales will have to look very carefully [at policies here]. In 2021, just over three quarters (78 per cent) of the members on a citizens jury on the island in Jersey agreed assisted dying should be permitted, and later that year the States Assembly became the first parliament in the British Isles to decide in principle to allow assisted dying. The Jersey flag. The Channel island is voting on whether to back assisted dying - Mike Egerton/PA A debate is expected to begin on Tuesday, although voting may not begin until Wednesday. Five votes will take place, with the first on whether the island should establish an assisted dying service for adult residents who have made a voluntary and informed decision to die. Members of the States Assembly will also be asked to vote on limiting eligibility to people with a terminal illness with a life expectancy of six months, or 12 months if they have a neurodegenerative disease. This is known as route one. Elected representatives will also have a vote on whether the service should be open to someone with an incurable physical condition which might not be terminal but is causing them unbearable suffering, known as route two. Another vote offers an opt-out for health professionals, giving them a right to refuse to participate in assisted dying. A fifth vote asks members to agree on minimum time frames between the first formal request for an assisted death and the act itself 14 days for route one and 90 days under route two. Law limited to residents Sarah Wootton, chief executive of Dignity in Dying, said: Jersey is on the cusp of changing the law to ensure dying people are granted compassionate choice at the end of their lives. A change that the citizens of Jersey have long been in favour of. Right now, the blanket ban on assisted dying results in terminally ill people suffering, often leaving their families with awful memories of their final days. This law will be limited to residents similar to assisted dying laws in countries like Australia and New Zealand. If the proposals are voted through, it is expected the process for drafting a law could take around 18 months, with a debate then taking place by the end of 2025. If a law was approved, it is expected a further 18-month implementation period would begin, meaning the earliest for it to come into effect would be summer 2027. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from The Committee to Protect Journalists, The Intercept, and Euronews Arrow Down Title icon The News Israels Ministry of Communications ordered the return of camera equipment to The Associated Press on Tuesday, after seizing the kit earlier in the day. The news agency had reportedly used it to provide a live feed of northern Gaza to Al Jazeera, which has been banned from operating in Israel under a new media law. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately, the AP said after the equipment was confiscated. The AP provides photos, video, and written journalism to outlets all over the world. The White House said the incident was concerning and the administration would investigate. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Rights groups warn Israeli media under threat Source icon Sources: Committee to Protect Journalists, Foreign Policy Al Jazeera and the AP are subject to Israels draconian new foreign media law, but Israeli outlets are also targets: The Jerusalem Post has experienced cyberattacks, and the government has proposed banning cabinet members from speaking to Haaretz, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Netanyahus government has claimed it is motivated by security concerns, the actions are a signal of intent that show he will punish media critical of his administration, an Israeli media watchdog executive told Foreign Policy. Ukraines controversial media law brought to light Source icon Sources: The Kyiv Independent, Euronews Some journalists have used the AP incident to highlight press freedoms in Ukraine. In 2023, Kyiv passed a law expanding the media regulators powers, limiting which journalists get press credentials and shutting down news outlets if they dont register properly with the regulator, according to The Kyiv Independent. The laws reception has been mixed, according to Euronews: The Ukrainian project lead for Reporters without Borders said the development was a positive move that would help stifle Russian disinformation and propaganda, but the head of the Independent Media Trade Union of Ukraine doubted it would help with political independence because the regulators board is appointed by lawmakers. Semafor Logo ATHENS, Ala. (WHNT) Athens State University has named its 39th President of the University. The Athens State University Board of Trustees has named Dr. Catherine M. Wehlburg as the 39th president of Athens State University. The appointment marks the third woman to be named as a permanent president and the first in almost a century. Wehlburg succeeds Dr. Philip Way and has served as Interim President since January 2023. She originally joined the Athens State team in June 2021 as the Universitys Provost. Dr. Wehlburg received her B.S. in Psychology and her M.Ed. and Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Florida. She is an accomplished leader and has over three decades of experience in higher education. In addition to her faculty and administrative roles, she has also served as a Senior Fellow at the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and at the American Association of Higher Education (AAHE). Man killed by Athens Police identified She is known nationally for her scholarly work in teaching, learning, and the assessment of student learning outcomes. She has been recognized for her work in outcomes assessment by being elected president of the Association for the Assessment of Learning in Higher Education (AALHE) and has received their Outstanding Achievement Award. We are excited to officially begin the President Wehlburg era at Athens State University, said Senator Arthur Orr, Chair of the Athens State Board of Trustees. The Board believes Dr. Wehlburg has the willingness to make any needed changes and adjustments in the months ahead to take Athens State to heightened levels not previously seen. She is deeply committed to our University, and we have great confidence in her leadership. I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to work with the amazing faculty, staff, students, and alumni of Athens State University, and I thank the Athens State Board of Trustees for their confidence in me, stated Dr. Wehlburg. I look forward to partnering with all members of our community as we begin this new era at our historic and distinctive institution. Together we will continue to foster a spirit of innovation and academic achievement that has defined Athens State for over 200 years. Onward ever! Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three, who wrote a children's book about coping with grief after her husband's death and was later accused of fatally poisoning him, looks on during a hearing Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, Pool) A team of attorneys has withdrawn from representing a Utah mother accused of killing her husband with fentanyl then publishing a children's book about loss and grief. Why Kouri Richins' private attorneys withdrew from the case was unclear; they cited only an irreconcilable and nonwaivable situation in a court filing asking to leave. Utah district court Judge Richard Mrazik in Salt Lake City granted the request after a closed hearing Monday. The move could slow the case against Richins, who has been adamant in maintaining her innocence. No new attorney had stepped forward to represent her as of Tuesday. Richins, 33, is accused of killing her husband, Eric Richins, with a lethal dose of fentanyl in a Moscow mule cocktail she made for him at their home near Park City in March 2022. Additional charges filed in March accuse Richins of trying to poison him with fentanyl in a sandwich a month earlier. Prosecutors accuse Richins of making secret financial arrangements and buying the illegal drug as her husband began to harbor suspicions about her. After her husband's death, Richins self-published an illustrated storybook about a father with angel wings watching over his young son titled, Are You With Me? The mother of three has repeatedly called her husbands death unexpected and many praised the book for helping children through the loss of a close relative. In the year since her arrest, the case of a once-beloved author accused of profiting off her own violent crime has captivated true-crime enthusiasts. Richins' lead attorney, Skye Lazaro, had argued that the evidence against her client is dubious and circumstantial. Lazaro and other attorneys for Richins did not return messages Tuesday seeking comment on their withdrawal from the case. Eric Richins, 39, died amid marital discord over a multimillion-dollar mansion his wife purchased as an investment. She also opened numerous life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge, with benefits totaling nearly $2 million, prosecutors allege. Kouri Richins had a negative bank account balance, owed lenders more than $1.8 million and was being sued by a creditor at the time of her husband's death, according to court documents. AUBURN, Ala. (WRBL) -Auburn Junior High School teacher Kimberly Johnson has been recognized with the prestigious 2024 NEA Member Benefits Award for Teaching Excellence. The NEA Foundation announced Johnson, an interventionist and resource teacher at Auburn Junior High School, as the recipient of one of public educations top honors. The award was presented to her at the Salute to Excellence in Education Gala in Washington, D.C., on Friday, May 3, 2024. WRBL takes us inside the classroom of Alabamas 2022 Teacher of the Year, where advocacy and support are paramount. Reflecting on her journey, Johnson said, It was teachers seeing potential in me. Im about to get teared up just talking about it, but it was teachers who saw potential in me, nurtured it, and encouraged it, and here I am. Her advocacy focuses on individual growth, goal setting, fostering good work habits, and building confidence. Through every success and failure, Johnson is there, cheering her students on. The 2024 NEA Award for Teaching Excellence is a testament to her significant impact. Ive always just latched on to the kid that needed a little extraan extra hug, a mama, an auntie, Johnson shared. So I started working with kids who struggled while I was still teaching eighth-grade language arts, and it just morphed into this position where I started working with kids who needed extra support, which was my niche. Principal Ross Reed of Auburn Junior High School remarked, Kim Johnson is like our school mother, not only for the kids but also for the faculty. I sometimes call her our barometer. She gives us information. She knows the pulse of the school, the faculty, the kids, the parents. Shes an outstanding educator who works hard every day for all of our stakeholders here at Auburn Junior High School. After two decades with Auburn City Schools, Principal Reed acknowledged Johnson has guided thousands of students toward successful futures. Johnson emphasized, And just kids, knowing that you think that they can do anything and that education is super important because that supplies you with options. Johnsons dedication to creating meaningful outcomes in her students lives is evident in her approach. An eighth- and ninth-grade interventionist and study skills teacher at Auburn Junior High School, she has spent the last 23 years committed to student-centered learning. Johnson believes in the profound impact of positive teacher-student relationships. By connecting with each student and building trust, she aims to help them grow and have a lifetime of wonderful experiences. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. Auburndale woman has been missing a year. Now a man is accused of stealing from her Tonya Whipp of Auburndale has been missing for about a year. Her romantic partner, Russell Carroll, has been arrested and charged with using her bank account information to make multiple cash withdrawals. About a year after an Auburndale woman was last seen by family members, Tonya Whipps romantic partner has been arrested and charged with repeatedly stealing money from her bank accounts. Auburndale police arrested Russell Carroll last week, charging him with criminal use of personal identification information and grand theft, both felonies. Carroll, 37, was released on combined bond of $35,000, though a prosecutor has asked Polk County Judge Kevin Kohl to increase the bond amount. Auburndale police obtained a warrant last week to search the residence that Carroll and Whipp shared. Officers began the search Saturday and were continuing their efforts as of Monday, Auburndale PD spokesperson Jazmine Jaimes said. The agency has previously searched the home on Caroline Avenue but has not found any evidence tying Carroll to Whipps disappearance, according to news reports. Carroll served about 17 years in prison in two stretches after being convicted in 2004 of attempted first-degree murder in the stabbing of a previous girlfriend, according to court records. He left prison on Jan. 30, 2023. Whipp, 39, has been the subject of multiple searches since family members reported her mission on June 29, 2023. Her relatives said that they had not seen or heard from her in weeks, according to police records. Kohl ordered Carrolls release from custody last week under conditions, including a 9 p.m. curfew and GPS monitoring. In a court filing Thursday, Assistant State Attorney Paul Wallace of the 10th Judicial Circuit asked Kohl to increase Carrolls bond amounts. As of Monday afternoon, Carroll was being held at the South County Jail in Frostproof. In the motion, Wallace argued that Carroll is a flight risk, knowing that he is a suspect in a homicide investigation. Wallace wrote that Carroll has been unable or unwilling to conform to requirements of supervision, citing Carrolls arrest in 2013 on violating the terms of his release following nearly eight years in prison for the attempted murder conviction. Carroll subsequently served another nearly nine years, the motion said. Wallace also cited the strength of proof against Carroll for the two pending charges, which could result in sentence of up to 30 years as a habitual violent felony offender and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. The prosecutor asked the judge to impose house arrest if Carroll proved unable to post an increased bond. Case now considered homicide Auburndale police initially investigated Whipps disappearance as a missing-person case. In October, the department obtained a search warrant based on probable cause that Whipp was the victim of a homicide, according to Carrolls arrest affidavit. The five-page arrest affidavit filed by the Auburndale Police Department last week indicates that Carroll repeatedly drew money from Whipps bank account between July 2023 and March 2024. When first interviewed in late June 2023, Carroll claimed that Whipp failed to return home from her job with a pool supply company on May 26, according to the affidavit. He told investigators that she had disappeared before for a couple of days and that he did not report her missing because he expected her to return. During a preliminary search, Auburndale police found most of Whipps possessions at the home, including her vehicle, purse and dog, though her driver license and cell phone were missing, the affidavit said. A private investigator hired by Whipps relatives found a receipt in her vehicle dated May 26 from an Advance Auto Parts in Auburndale, the affidavit said. Police obtained surveillance video that showed Carroll and Whipp entering and leaving the store together. Officers with the Auburndale Police Department began to search Saturday at a house on Caroline Avenue where Tonya Whipp previously lived with Russell Carroll. Police investigators found ATM receipts in Whipps purse with timestamps from June 26 for four withdrawals totaling $800. Investigators determined that Whipp had an active checking account with Chime Inc. that received monthly Supplemental Security Income deposits of $822.60, and deposits in March and April from her employer. Records also showed 10 electronic transfers to the account from Russell C. From March through May, the account showed regular debit withdrawals, including monthly payments to Geico, T-Mobile and Kikoff Lending, with electronic debit transactions at convenience stores, gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants, the affidavit said. Transactions made at Avenue G Pawn Shop in Winter Haven led investigators to interview an employee, who said that Whipp had made a downpayment on a set of engagement rings on April 28, 2023. The employee said that Carroll and Whipp came to the shop on May 25 to make a payment and pick up a ring for Carroll. Whipp and Carroll returned the next day to make another payment of $160 but did not obtain the other ring, the employee told investigators. May 26 was the day that Carroll told police Whipp had failed to return home from work. After the May 26 transaction at Advance Auto Parts, Whipps account showed four consecutive ATM withdrawals of $203 each on June 26, plus cash withdrawal fees, as well as a $7 transfer from Credit Builder and an SSI payment. Surveillance video showed that Carroll alone had made the ATM withdrawals on June 26, the affidavit said. The card he used was not one found in Whipps purse when it was given to police in July. The Polk County Sheriff's Office examined ATM receipts found in the purse and detected only Carrolls fingerprints, the affidavit said. On Aug. 29, an electronic transaction of $1,400 occurred with the notation Transfer to Russell C. Carroll did not approach law enforcement to report that Whipp might still be alive based on the transfer, the affidavit said. Searches fail to find body On Oct. 4, Auburndale police obtained a warrant, based on probable caused that Whipp was a homicide victim, and searched the residence. Police found a photo on Carrolls computer showing a photo of a cell phone screen displaying Whipps Chime username and password. A subpoena to Chime Inc. found additional withdrawals and transfers from Whipps account from September 2023 through March 2024. Those included three with notations of transfers from Tonya to Russell C., along with 14 ATM withdrawals in amounts as large as $400, the affidavit said. Police found video showing Carroll making three of those ATM withdrawals. 50-year-old cold case DNA evidence identifies victim in 1972 Eloise killing, Polk Sheriff's Office says The affidavit described all the transactions after May 26 as out of the usual pattern of activity for Whipp, with no transactions for food, gas, automotive insurance or other typical expenses conducted. What's happening near Driggers Road? Sheriff's Office looking for 21-year-old Lakeland man We Are the Essentials, a nonprofit group based in Central Florida, has carried out several searches for Whipp on behalf of her relatives, said Billy Lane, the organizations co-founder. The group consists of former law enforcement officers and military members now working as private investigators who conduct searches at no charge to family members, he said. Lane said the group helped in the search in Southwest Florida for the body of Brian Laundrie, suspected of killing his girlfriend, Gabby Petito, in 2021, and found the body of Kathleen Moore near the home of the Pasco County man later convicted for her murder. Lane, who lives in Polk County, said that We Are the Essentials has now searched thousands of acres in the Auburndale and Winter Haven areas but has not found any signs of Whipp. He said the group has been coordinating with family members since last summer. I think they started out, like most families, believing that Tanya, maybe, was clearing her head, maybe there was something not totally right, but they believed Tonya was still with us, Lane said. And I think that hope faded over time. I think they're in a position now, they believe Tanya is no longer with us. Whipps relatives have previously spoken with reporters, but Lane said they had been advised by Auburndale police to avoid public comments as the latest search continued. Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13. This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Man charged with stealing from missing girlfriend's bank account AUSTIN (KXAN) The Austin Police Department is looking for a man believed to be involved in the trafficking and sexual assault of a child. Police said the suspect took a child from the St. Johns neighborhood, near Duval Street and Interstate 35, and sexually assaulted the child at an unknown hotel on Aug. 2, 2023. APD released a sketch of the suspect Tuesday, describing him as a Hispanic man, possibly Honduran or El Salvadorian, in his late 30s or older. Police said he goes by Alex, has chest and arm tattoos and speaks Spanish. He drives a dark pickup truck and was last seen wearing an orange and blue Looney Tunes tank top. The motel is believed to be a two-story, yellow building with stairs on the outside. Additionally, police said the building is surrounded by trees and has a motel sign. Austin Police are looking for a man believed to be connected with a human trafficking investigation. Sketch provided by Austin Police Department Anyone with any information should call APDs Human Trafficking unit at 512-974-4786 or via email at HTU@austintexas.gov. You may be eligible for a $1,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest. Tips can be submitted anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) Australia and Bangladesh on Tuesday said that the two countries would work to expand trade and cooperation on areas including security and the Rohingya refugee crisis. The statements came as Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong arrived in Bangladesh's capital on a two-day visit and held talks with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud. In a briefing with Mahmud after the talks, Wong said that Australia was eager to support Bangladesh as it graduates from least developed country status at the World Trade Organization to developing in 2026. We share a region. We share an ocean and we share a future ... we are determined to do what we can to work with you and other partners to make sure the region is peaceful, stable and prosperous, she said. Wongs visit, her first to Bangladesh, is aimed at enhancing Australias engagement with the Indian Ocean region, a press statement from the Australian Foreign Ministry said. Australia is working with Bangladesh to deepen our cooperation, including on trade and investment, and to find practical solutions to shared challenges such as climate change, regional maritime security and people smuggling, the statement said. Trade relations between Bangladesh and Australia are expanding. The two nations signed a Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement together in 2021, and two-way trade between Australia and Bangladesh now stands at more than $2.67 billion, up from about $200 million a decade back. Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Mahmud called the growing trade volume impressive and said that the ministers had discussed a number of issues including human trafficking. Wong said that the ongoing humanitarian crises in Bangladesh and Myanmar are the largest and most complex in the region. Australia often praises Bangladeshs generosity in hosting more than 1 million Rohingya refugees displaced from Myanmar. Australia will continue to complement our humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya crisis with our efforts in advocating for accountability for the atrocities in Rakhine State; and working with Myanmar, Bangladesh and other regional and international partners to find a durable solution to the crisis, the Australian Foreign Ministry said in the statement. Wong is scheduled to visit the sprawling Rohingya refugees camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district before she flies to Singapore on Wednesday. Australia, New Zealand send evacuation flights to New Caledonia after week of deadly riots Australia and New Zealand said they will send government planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to evacuate nationals from the French territory which has experienced a week of deadly riots, sparked by electoral changes by the French government in Paris. Frances High Commission in New Caledonia said on Tuesday the airport remains closed for commercial flights, and it will deploy the military to protect public buildings. There were around 3,200 people waiting to leave or enter New Caledonia as commercial flights were canceled due to the unrest that broke out last week, the local government has said. Over 1,000 gendarmes and police from France were at work, and another 600 personnel would be added in coming hours, Frances High Commission said. Six people have been killed and the unrest has left a trail of burnt businesses and cars and looted shops, with road barricades restricting access to medicine and food. The business chamber said 150 companies had been looted and burnt. A burnt building is seen in the Normandy industrial zone in Noumea, France's Pacific territory of New Caledonia, on May 20, 2024. - Theo Rouby/AFP/Getty Images New Zealand, French and Australian foreign ministers held a call on Monday evening, after New Zealand and Australia said they were waiting for clearance from French authorities to send defense aircraft to evacuate tourists. A meeting of Frances defense council later agreed for arrangements to allow tourists to return home. New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters said. We want to acknowledge the support of relevant authorities, both in Paris and Noumea, in facilitating this flight, he added. Further flights will be sent in coming days, he added. Australias Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a social media post on Tuesday that clearance had been received for two Australian government assisted-departure flights today for Australian and other tourists to depart New Caledonia. Protests erupted last week, sparked by anger among indigenous Kanak people over a constitutional amendment approved in France that would change who is allowed to participate in elections, which local leaders fear will dilute the Kanak vote. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A Kanak flag waves next to a burning vehicle at an independantist roadblock at La Tamoa. The capital of the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia was rocked by riots after France's National Assembly approved contentious voting reforms to the territory that angered independence supporters. Delphine Mayeur/AFP/dpa The governments of Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday said they would send planes to New Caledonia to assist departures of their citizens after days of violent unrest in the French overseas territory. "We've received clearance for two Australian government assisted-departure flights today for Australian and other tourists to depart New Caledonia," Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on social media platform X. "Passengers are being prioritised based on need. We continue to work on further flights," Wong added. The New Zeland Foreign Ministry said that a government plane would be arriving in New Caledonia on Tuesday to carry 50 passengers most in need of assistance from Noumea to Auckland. "New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days - and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the Government," Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement. "In cooperation with France and Australia, we are working on subsequent flights in coming days," Peters said. After days of serious unrest in New Caledonia, the situation appears to be easing. Six people have been killed so far in the riots on the island 1,500 kilometres east of Australia and over 200 people have been detained. The background to the protests by those in favour of independence for the archipelago are planned electoral reforms emanating from Paris. The changes would give French residents the right to vote in provincial elections if they have lived there for 10 years. However, the Kanak population group in particular - New Caledonia's Indigenous inhabitants - have long hoped for their own state. The national council of the Kanaks accused Paris of pushing ahead with the controversial reform without taking into account the resistance of the vast majority of the Indigenous population. The former French colony had already gained extensive autonomy through the Noumea Agreement of 1998. Paris is currently trying to conclude a new agreement with the political forces in the geopolitically and militarily significant territory. Australia and New Zealand begin evacuating nationals from unrest in New Caledonia A RNZAF Hercules C-130 takes off from Whenuapai airbase near Auckland, New Zealand, bound for Noumea, New Caledonia, on a mercy mission to rescue stranded New Zealand tourists, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The Australian and New Zealand governments say they are sending planes to evacuate their nationals from violence-scorched New Caledonia. (Michael Craig/NZ Herald via AP) NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) Australia and New Zealand sent airplanes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to begin bringing home stranded citizens from the violence-wracked French South Pacific territory. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia had received clearance from French authorities for two flights to evacuate citizens from the archipelago, where indigenous people have long sought independence from France. Hours later, a Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules touched down in Noumea, the capital. The plane can carry 124 passengers, according to the Defense Department. We continue to work on further flights, Wong wrote on the social media platform X on Tuesday. The Department of Foreign Affairs said 300 Australians were in New Caledonia. It did not immediately confirm whether the Australian-organized flights would also evacuate other stranded foreign nationals, believed to number in the thousands. New Zealand's government also announced that it had sent a plane to New Caledonia to begin evacuating about 50 of its citizens. New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. In cooperation with France and Australia, we are working on subsequent flights in coming days. Noumeas international airport remains closed to commercial flights. Its reopening will be reassessed on Thursday. At least six people have died and hundreds more have been injured since violence erupted last week in New Caledonia following controversial electoral reforms passed in Paris. About 270 suspected rioters have been arrested as of Tuesday, and a 6 p.m.-6 a.m. curfew is in effect for the archipelago of about 270,000 people, which is a popular tourist destination with its idyllic beaches and climate. France has sent in over a thousand security personnel, with hundreds more due to arrive Tuesday, to try to quell the unrest and restore control. Armed clashes, looting, arson and other violence turned parts of Noumea into no-go zones. Columns of smoke billowed into the sky, hulks of burned cars littered roads, businesses and shops were ransacked and buildings became smoking ruins. There have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks who are seeking independence and descendants of colonizers who want to remain part of France. The unrest erupted May 13 as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French Constitution to make changes to New Caledonia voter lists. The National Assembly in Paris approved a bill that would, among other changes, allow residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years to cast ballots in provincial elections. Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize Kanaks who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination. Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles looks on during a welcome ceremony ahead of the Australia and South Korea Foreign and Defence Ministers meeting in Melbourne, Australia, May 1, 2024. Marles pledged support to the Solomon Islands during a visit to the archipelago nation on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, as Canberra intensifies efforts to counter China's growing influence in the South Pacific. (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Pool Photo via AP) NEWCASTLE, Australia (AP) Australia's deputy prime minister pledged support to the Solomon Islands during a visit to the archipelago nation on Tuesday, as Canberra intensifies efforts to counter China's growing influence in the South Pacific. Richard Marles trip to the capital, Honiara, was the first by an Australian government minister since Jeremiah Manele was elected Solomon Islands' new prime minister earlier this month. Marles pledged to provide healthcare and border control support to the island nation and said at a news conference his visit provided an opportunity to discuss Solomons' priorities and the way in which Australia can help and contribute. Australia sought to be the Solomons go-to security partner and had to work to earn that right. Hence, going to Solomon Islands quickly, said Marles, who is also Australia's defense minister. Marles said Australia had pledged 50 million Australian dollars ($33.3 million) for border management and a health center for mothers to access pre- and post-natal care. The high-level visit comes at a time of increased competition for influence in the South Pacific. The Solomons became the first regional nation to sign a major policing pact with China in July, sparking concern among the islands traditional partners including Australia, New Zealand and the United States. Solomon Islands lawmakers elected Manele as prime minister on May 2. The move was largely seen as a sign the country will maintain close ties with China that were developed under pro-Beijing former leader Manasseh Sogavare. Manele has indicated the pact would remain under his government and that as leader he would put his nations interests first. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (2nd L) with the Austria's Chancellor, Karl Nehammer (2nd R) during a meeting at the Federal Chancellery Ballhausplatz. Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa Austria will campaign in the European Union for a new migration policy in which asylum procedures would take place in African countries if necessary, Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer said on Tuesday. He made his comments after a working meeting in Vienna with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who is behind a UK plan to send migrants without the required immigration papers to Rwanda and have them apply for asylum there. Nehammer said the British plan played an important and pioneering role in the discussion. "The United Kingdom is thus paving the way for this path, which will also be important for the European Union," said Nehammer. He pointed out that 15 states in the EU are now in favour of this approach. Sending migrants to Africa would destroy the business model of people smugglers and save human lives, said Nehammer, adding there is still a long way to go in the EU before this type of asylum procedure is actually implemented. Sunak delighted with the support. "It's increasingly clear that many other countries now agree that that is the approach that is required - bold, novel, looking at safe country partnerships," Sunak said. The UK leader called illegal migration "truly one of the defining issues of our time." "We face criminal gangs that are growing in strength across the European continent and beyond," he said. He called the business of migration a "vile trade." Commentators said Sunak's visit to Vienna is primarily intended to signal that EU states approve of the UK's controversial migration policy. A new parliament is due to be elected in the UK this year. In view of the large gap in the polls, Sunak wants to score political points with a tough crackdown on migration, according to analysts. In order to circumvent a judgement by the Supreme Court in London, Sunak's Conservative government had the East African country legally declared a safe third country. Opponents criticize the plan as a violation of international asylum agreements. Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer (R) welcomes British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Federal Chancellery Ballhausplatz. Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer (L) welcomes British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Federal Chancellery Ballhausplatz. Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire/dpa Authorities in Fond du Lac investigating complex crime scheme where Nicaraguan national paid for time alone with someones daughter OAKFIELD, Wis. (WFRV) A Nicaraguan man who illegally entered the United States back in 2021 was taken into custody on Sunday after a 12-year-old girl broke free of his capture and sought help. According to the Fond du Lac County Sheriffs Office, on Sunday, May 19, shortly before 12:15 a.m., deputies were sent to a private residence in the town of Oakfield for a sexual assault complaint. Richard Sotka sentenced to life without parole for killing girlfriend and her friend The caller was a resident and reported a 12-year-old girl had just shown up at his doorstep and was seeking help. She had reportedly fled from a vehicle in the area where an adult man had bound and blindfolded her and was attempting to assault her. Bravely, she fought back, broke free from the suspect and vehicle, and ran to the house for help. Due to the nature of the allegations, detectives determined the suspects identity and location, and a tactical plan was developed to take him into custody. During a search warrant on Marquette Street on Monday night, a SWAT team arrested the alleged suspect. This investigation is complex and involves numerous serious potential crimes, including sexual assault of a child, false imprisonment, child human trafficking, failure to protect a child, and others, stated Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt. It is alleged that the suspect paid the victims mother, whom he knew, in exchange for spending time alone with the victim. Sheriffs detectives have determined the suspect of the assault is a 30 or 31-year-old Nicaraguan man who entered the United States illegally from Mexico into Texas in October of 2021. At that time, he was apprehended by US Customs and Border Protection agents, processed at a federal facility, and released from their custody with instructions to follow per current federal immigration policy. Detectives are still working to determine the immigration status of the victims mother. She has been arrested for numerous crimes related to the incident and is currently in custody at the Fond du Lac County Jail. Authorities looking for Wisconsin man who fled crash scene after passenger died The juvenile victim and her siblings have all safely been taken into protective custody. Further details in this case will be released in a criminal complaint when the suspects are formally charged. No additional details were provided. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. Update on May 21 DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) The search for a missing 23-year-old swimmer in Vermilion County has ended with the recovery of his body. Two hurt in overnight Springfield shooting: Police Jane McFadden, the Vermilion County Coroner, said the swimmer was found dead at 9:05 a.m. on Tuesday in the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. She identified him as Jose Alberto Lopez-Fernandez of Champaign. His family has been notified, McFadden added, and an autopsy is scheduled. VERMILION COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) Authorities are actively searching the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River for a swimmer who went missing in Kickapoo State Park over the weekend. Captain Michael Hartshorn, Chief Investigator of the Vermilion County Sheriffs Department, said a 23-year-old man went under the rivers surface Sunday afternoon and he hasnt been seen since. Sheriffs deputies and officers from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Police began a search Sunday evening that paused for the night and resumed Monday morning. The search went on all day and paused again for the night. Man arrested for first-degree murder in Newman Because of the search, the Middle Fork was closed to recreational water activities. Tom Monahan, owner of Kickapoo Adventures, told WCIA his company had to call those with reservations and either cancel or reschedule. He said the man who disappeared was not a customer of his business. The search comes days after Wes Kelley, reported missing from Danville on May 13, was found dead in Bar Lake on Friday. Hartshorn said divers will be on the river again Tuesday morning. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of targeted terror against the infrastructure and civilian population in Ukraine. "The fact that this terror against the infrastructure is continuing after this winter shows that the Russian president wants to destroy the country, wants to destroy people's lives here," she said on Tuesday during a visit to one of Ukraine's largest power stations. Baerbock had been briefed by Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko on the situation at the power plant, which was destroyed last month. Galushchenko said that Russia had fired a total of 11 missiles at the site. Of these, only six were shot down by the Ukrainian air defence system because there were no more anti-aircraft missiles available. In view of the air defence shortages in Ukraine, the German minister appealed "to international partners worldwide that we need more air defence to protect not only large cities, but also the infrastructure." Even in the warm spring days, the power supply in Ukraine had to be reduced because the central coal-fired power plants had been hit by targeted attacks, she said. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visited a power plant in Ukraine on Tuesday that was destroyed by Russian missiles and received information about the attack's effect on Ukraine's energy supply. During a tour of the site of one of Ukraine's largest power stations, the minister was shown the damage to the plant. According to the Ukrainian operator, the plant was completely destroyed in a Russian attack in mid-April. Following the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky complained about a lack of air defence missiles. Only seven out of 11 Russian missiles were intercepted, he said. Ukraine had run out of all the missiles that could have protected the power plant. Russia is also said to have used Kinschal hypersonic missiles in the attack. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa Multnomah County elections officials, shown here conducting a trial run in October 2022, expect votes to pour in through Tuesday night and beyond. (Jordan Gale/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Oregon voters have had their ballots for several weeks now, but relatively few seem to be motivated to pop them in a ballot box or in the mail. Turnout among Oregons more than 3 million registered voters has been slow this primary, but it picked up a bit Monday. Oregon Secretary of State data shows that, as of Monday, about 590,300 voters had cast their ballots less than 20%. That compares with nearly 38% who voted in the primary election in 2022. Oregon has closed primaries, so nonaffiliated voters, who make up the biggest bloc at 1.1 million, have few high-profile races to decide. But for people registered with a party, this is a presidential election year, and those tend to draw relatively high turnout rates, especially if the battle sizzles to the end. That was the case in 2008 for Democrats, with Hillary Clinton competing against Barack Obama. When Oregonians voted that year, the race was still up in the air, and the primary election turnout climbed past 58%, the highest in a primary in decades. But the situation is different this year, noted John Horvick, senior vice president for DHM Research, which conducts political polls and analysis. Former President Donald Trump seems certain to secure the Republican nomination, and President Joe Biden has effectively won the Democratic endorsement. Regardless how Oregonians vote, they wont be deciding those outcomes, and that, along with widespread voter disillusionment, Horvick said, has dampened the mood. I suspect the turnout is going to be low, maybe historically low, Horvick said. State data shows that more of the 721,000 Republican voters statewide have voted nearly 29% compared with more than 26% of the nearly 993,500 registered Democrats. Horvick said thats historically been the case at this point in the vote. But he stressed that late ballots could pour in. Late postmark rule This is the second election in which voting falls under the new postmark rule. Ballots dropped off by 8 p.m. on Tuesday or postmarked by then will count. In 2022, county election offices were flooded with stacks of ballots at the last minute. Its possible people are holding onto their ballots and mailing them in, Horvick said. We dont have experience with this in the presidential primary. The state is also not voting on a governor, which can be a draw. Gov. Tina Kotek has two more years to serve. But three statewide offices are up for grabs and all of them are open races. Ellen Rosenblum, who was first elected attorney general in 2012, is retiring; Tobias Read cannot run for another term as treasurer, so hes seeking to be secretary of state; and the current secretary of state, LaVonne Griffin-Valade, who was appointed in June by Kotek, is not seeking to be elected. And while there are no U.S. senator races on the ballot, all six of Oregons U.S. representatives are up for election, and two of those races are especially competitive. U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer is retiring from the largely Democratic 3rd Congressional District that spans Multnomah County, and two Democrats, Jamie McLeod-Skinner and state Rep. Janelle Bynum, are vying for the Democratic nomination in the 5th Congressional District, which includes Linn County, most of Clackamas and Deschutes counties and parts of Multnomah and Marion counties. Horvick and other analysts expect the winner of the 3rd District Democratic primary to go to Congress, with another Democrat replacing Blumenauer. But the November outcome in the 5th District could determine control of the U.S. House. Nevertheless, Horvick said that doesnt seem to be a big draw in the primary, at least not in Clackamas County. As of Monday, only 16% of Clackamas County ballots had been turned in the second lowest in the state while nearly 25% in Deschutes County had voted. Multnomah County surprise But the biggest surprise in this turnout, Horvick said, is in Multnomah County, where the district attorneys race between incumbent Mike Schmidt and deputy district attorney Nathan Vasquez is drawing big money and interest. But by Monday, only 18% of voters in Multnomah County had turned in their ballots, the fourth lowest rate statewide. That race affects the issues that are most important to local voters, namely homelessness, crime and drugs, Horvick said. Another driver of votes is likely to be the election of Portlands next government. But those races wont come up until November. Still, Tim Scott, Multnomah Countys elections director, said there is still plenty on the ballot to motivate voters and that typically in Multnomah County residents vote late. We anticipate getting a large turnout, Scott said. In May 2022, we ended up with just over 36.5% turnout overall so if we continue to mirror the turnout curve for that election, thats where well likely end up. In the county and across the state, with many late ballots expected, some races are not expected to be called on election night. That was also the case in 2022, the first election under the postmark rule. The post Ballots dribble into county election offices though turnout likely to pick up appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. Ballys wants the state to double how much high rollers can borrow at its R.I. casinos. A roulette wheel inside the 40,000 square-foot gaming space and food hall Bally's opened at its Twin River Lincoln casino in 2023. (Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) A proposal that would double how much money high roller patrons at Ballys Twin River Lincoln and Tiverton casinos can borrow from the house has support from Rhode Island Senate President Dominick Ruggerio. The legislation introduced earlier this month to increase the maximum line of credit Ballys can offer its customers from $50,000 to $100,000 has also drawn no opposition from the head of the Substance Use and Mental Health Leadership Council of Rhode Island. But at least one researcher who studies gambling is worried about the companion bills sponsored in the House by Rep. Gregory Costantino, a Lincoln Democrat, and Sen. Frank Ciconne III, a Providence Democrat, in the Senate. The Senate Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs heard Ciccones bill on May 15. Costantinos bill is scheduled to be heard by the House Finance Committee Thursday afternoon. Since 2014, when table games were first introduced at Twin River, the maximum credit cap has been at $50,000. The state of Massachusetts has no limit on lines of credit. Connecticuts two tribal-run casinos, Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods, also have no borrowing cap. Patrick Kelly, a professor of accountancy at Providence College who studies gambling, told Rhode Island Current that raising the credit limit to $100,000 might lead to an individual chasing losses, which could contribute to problem gambling. If that $50,000 is now at $100,000, they could just go through that original threshold without maybe reflecting or having that pause that might be helpful to them, Kelly said in an interview Monday. We can always argue whats an appropriate limit but the person doesnt pause gambling until they hit that limit. Ballys Vice President of Government Relations Elizabeth Suever told senators at the May 15 committee hearing that extending the credit limit would be an amenity for our players that play very high limits. They dont want to be carrying that amount of cash on their person as theyre coming and going from the casino, she said. To qualify for the proposed $100,000, Suever said patrons will have to file a credit application, provide two forms of identification, undergo bank account checks and credit history evaluations, and get their gaming history verified at all of the regional casinos. Obviously were not interested in extending lines of credit to those individuals who will not pay it back, Suever testified. Were in the business of providing revenue to the state of Rhode Island. Credit would not be issued for Ballys newly-operational iGaming offerings, Suever said. John Tassoni, Jr., a former state senator who now heads the Substance Use and Mental Health Leadership Council of Rhode Island, a nonprofit advocacy organization whose members provide addiction recovery and treatment services, supported Ballys request. He called the Providence-based casino giant a good corporate citizen and highlighted a $600,000 donation Ballys made in 2022 to the International Center for Responsible Gaming to support research on gambling among young adults. Yes theyre a corporation that needs to make money, but theyre also cognizant of people that get themselves in trouble, he said in an interview Tuesday. Tassoni, who also serves on the board of directors for the Rhode Island Council on Problem Gambling, said his concerns when it comes to increasing problem gambling are with third-party sportsbooks such as Draft Kings and FanDuel, which he said are meant to entice young men. Its like every other damn ad is their ad, he said. But its not young patrons Kelly is worried will go into debt if Ballys is allowed to increase its credit limit. What Im particularly concerned about are baby boomers, he said. Boomers, Kelly said, are the demographic most likely to have the kind of income to qualify for Ballys extended credit especially as more start to retire and have their homes paid off. Should the General Assembly approve the credit increase, he said retirees with gambling problems might take out a mortgage on their home or dip into their pension or 401(k) to qualify for more funds. And those people will survive any credit check, Kelly said. For me, in Rhode Island, I think $50,000s a good number actually $25,000 is a better number. Senate spokesperson Greg Pare said Ciccone and Ruggerios legislation was introduced at the request of Ballys to keep them on par with competition from casinos in Massachusetts. The Senate President supports the bill because it helps the casinos strengthen their position in a very competitive gaming industry, Pare added. It is unclear how many casino patrons have hit the $50,000 limit. Ballys does not disclose the number of players at various credit limits due to proprietary reasons, company spokesperson Patti Doyle told Rhode Island Current Tuesday. Ciccone and Ruggerios bill would also authorize the states Department of Business Regulation and Rhode Island Lottery to negotiate a new debt leverage ratio with Ballys something Suever said would allow the company to take out additional credit as it constructs a new casino in Chicago. Additionally, the legislation changes the way promotional points Ballys can utilize annually. The Senate committee held the bill for further study, as is standard practice when legislation is first heard. Ciccone and Ruggerios legislation received no written or additional verbal testimony during the May 15 committee hearing. The Rhode Island Lottery has no stance on the legislation, said spokesperson Paul Grimaldi. If you or somebody you know is dealing with gambling issues, contact Problem Gambling Services, which can be reached 24/7 at (401) 499-2472. The post Ballys wants the state to double how much high rollers can borrow at its R.I. casinos. appeared first on Rhode Island Current. The wait continues for several Baltimore City Council hopefuls this week as mail-in ballot counting inches forward in the city. As of Monday evening, the city still had about 8,300 mail-in ballots left to be counted, according to state records. The vast majority, about 8,100, were cast by Democrats in the overwhelmingly Democratic city. The Democratic primary typically determines the eventual winners of races in Baltimore. That 8,300 ballot figure does not include the roughly 6,300 provisional ballots cast by voters at city polling places which will be considered by the Baltimore City Board of Elections beginning Wednesday. Voters are asked to cast a provisional ballot when there are questions about their residency or eligibility to vote. Armstead Jones, the citys election director, said he does not expect to complete the provisional ballot count Wednesday due to the quantity received. Hanging in the balance are several tight races for City Council separated by thin margins. The contest for Baltimores District 11 City Council seat has remained the tightest matchup since the first results were released on election night. Returns that night showed Councilman Eric Costello had a 25-vote lead over challenger Zac Blanchard. On Thursday, that margin appeared to shrink to 17 votes, but city elections officials also corrected an overreporting error from Election Day on Thursday night which gave Costello an 87-vote lead. After mail-in ballot counting Monday and Tuesday, returns showed the lead had flipped with Blanchard now up by 28 votes. More than 6,400 votes have been counted so far from District 11 voters. The district covers the Baltimore Peninsula in South Baltimore and the Inner Harbor, and runs north to Bolton Hill. The City Councils District 8 seat also remains a close race. With adjusted Election Day totals, Paris Gray, a District 8 council liaison, led former state Del. Bilal Ali by 142 votes. That lead expanded to 211 votes on Tuesday. The West Baltimore district is currently represented by Councilman Kristerfer Burnett. Burnett announced last summer he would not seek reelection and named Gray as his chosen successor. More than 6,100 votes have been counted from District 8 voters. Jermaine Jones, a labor union official, challenging Councilman Robert Stokes for his District 12 seat, also expanded his lead with Monday and Tuesdays counting. As of Tuesday night, he led the race by 383 votes, or 54%. The challenge from Jones is the closest race Stokes has faced in the eight years hes represented his Central and East Baltimore district. He narrowly won his first term in 2016, topping a field of seven Democrats and beat back a well-funded challenger in 2020. While Baltimore counted around 15,000 ballots on Thursday, counting has been slowed this week by the processing of email-delivered ballots. Recipients of email-delivered ballots must print out their ballot and return it via mail or to a ballot drop box. Because the ballots are printed on standard-sized printer paper, they do not fit in the citys ballot scanning machines. They must first be hand-duplicated by teams of election staffers before they can be counted. City officials said last week that they received several thousand email ballots. The recreation of email ballots began Monday and has continued on Tuesday, said Deputy Election Director Abigail Goldman. BBC criticised for absurd article on Butcher of Tehran Raisi Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash - Mert Gokhan Koc/Dia Images via AP The BBC is facing criticism for saying Ebrahim Raisi, Irans hardline president who died in a helicopter crash, left a mixed legacy. An article published by the broadcaster described the former leader, who was confirmed dead on Monday, as a figure loved by hardliners of the Islamic Republic of Iran. President Ebrahim Raisis mixed legacy in Iran, the BBCs World Services social media post promoting the article read. Soldiers carry the body of Raisi at Mehrabad Airport in Tehran - Anadolu via Getty Raisi earned a fearsome reputation as the Butcher of Tehran for his role on the so-called death committee, which ordered the execution of thousands of political opponents of the Islamic Republics regime, in the 1980s. He was subsequently elected president in 2021 in a vote considered by many as rigged because moderates and reformists had been barred from taking part. The BBC described him as the president of the unprivileged and poor, citing depictions by Iranian state media. Security minister Tom Tugendhat said the piece was absurd. The senior Conservative MP had earlier criticised Charles Michel, the European Councils president, for offering Iran the EUs sincere condolences. I will not mourn him [Raisi], Mr Tugendhat wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Iranian citizens march from Shohada Square to Mosalla Square during the funeral ceremony - Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Gabriel Noronha, the US state departments former Iran adviser, said the BBC should receive the worst obituary award for noting Raisis leadership to reform in processing a backlog of court cases. Since 2021, when Raisi took office, the regime executed 1,844 Iranians, including huge numbers of dissidents and religious minorities, most in sham trials, he added. The satirical Sunday Sport newspaper joked that the BBC would likely describe Adolf Hitler as an often-controversial German statesman in modern-day reporting of the Nazi leaders death. The mountainous spot where Raisi was killed - Iranian Red Crescent/AFP via Getty X users also left community-generated notes on the BBCs social media post highlighting Raisis role in the mass murder and brutal torture of political dissidents. The BBCs coverage of Raisis death also included his role in enforcing Irans strict rules requiring women to cover their hair with a hijab or headscarf, as well as the brutal crackdown on demonstrations against the policy after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Belgium says it is 'committed' to starting Ukraine's EU accession negotiations in June Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib said on May 21 that Belgium is "committed" to beginning Ukraine's EU accession negotiations before the end of its rotating presidency at the beginning of July. In November 2023, the European Commissionthe EU's executive armrecommended launching accession talks with Ukraine. The European Council then agreed to open accession talks with Ukraine the following month. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced during a visit to Kyiv on May 9 that official negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU should begin before the end of the first half of 2024. Lahbib's comments followed reporting by Politico earlier on May 21 that officials from the EU and Ukraine are pushing to begin accession negotiations by June 25. Diplomats are reportedly trying to convince Hungary to drop its objections to Kyiv's membership in the bloc. Bucking attempts to create a unified front against Russia, Hungary has maintained close ties with the Kremlin since the launch of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Budapest has repeatedly opposed sanctions against Moscow and obstructed EU support for Kyiv. An unnamed EU diplomat told Politico that Hungary may be keen to get the issue resolved before it takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in July. "As you know, the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU begins on July 1, so it is important to make the necessary decisions before that, during the Belgian presidency," Metsola said in May. Read also: EU Ambassador to Ukraine: Ukraine could join EU in 2030 Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) A Bella Vista man pleads guilty to possession a pipe bomb on May 20 after taking a plea agreement. Lawrence Hickman (Courtesy: Benton County Sheriffs Office) According to court documents, Lawrence Hickman pleaded guilty to possession of a destructive device and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison. Bella Vista man accused of making pipe bombs, trying to flee U.S. in kayak An affidavit says Hickman was arrested last year after police found pipe bombs at his home in Bella Vista. A neighbor told police he was planning to kayak to the Phillipines where his wife was and planned to travel to Alaska and through the Bering Sea. The neighbor said the pipe bombs were for sharks and pirates. Lawrence was arrested on December 13 at a pier with two inflatable kayaks and multiple weapons in Pacific County, Washington. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KNWA FOX24. The Cincinnati Bengals announced they are making a significant financial investment of $100-120 million to upgrade Paycor Stadium, the team announced on Tuesday. Updated video and audio systems, renovations to suites and club lounges and concession upgrades are a few areas the team is highlighting in the revamp at Paycor Stadium. "The Bengals are continuing to invest in our future here in Cincinnati," said Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn. "We are lucky to have a great stadium and we are proud to invest in this great asset to help make it a best-in-class facility. We love our fans and can think of no better way to celebrate our 25th season in Paycor Stadium than to announce these major improvements that will make the gameday experience even better." Williams: How Cincinnati Bengals could move to suburbs without leaving Paycor Stadium The Bengals say construction at Paycor Stadium is expected to run through 2026 and the projects are backed with unanimous support from the rest of the NFL owners and the leagues finance committee. After renovating the training rooms, locker room and getting the team an indoor training facility with a private investment of $40 million, the Bengals say theyve invested approximately $150 million over the past few seasons to Paycor Stadium. Paycor stadium readies the field for the 2024 Bengals season. Cincinnati is also in the midst of installing a new turf field at Paycor Stadium that will be ready ahead of the upcoming season. The county commissioners in December agreed to give the team $39 million in repairs and renovations to Paycor Stadium in 2024. Those repairs included the new playing surface, refurbished club seating and an expanded plaza to improve entering and leaving the stadium. The Bengals and Hamilton County are nearing the end of their current lease that runs through June of 2026. The Enquirer reported that talks between Hamilton County and the Bengals have not progressed as quickly as the team and county leaders have hoped. "In terms of moving forward on lease negotiations, there, we've seen no progress," Aaron Herzig, an attorney for the Bengals told The Enquirer in April. "And we're wondering, we really have genuine questions about what the county wants." The Bengals have a deadline of June 2025 to decide whether to exercise the first of five, two-year extensions allowed under the lease. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Paycor Stadium upgrade: Bengals announce they are making investment Bernheim Forest encompasses 16,000 acres in Jefferson and Bullitt counties. (Bernheim Forest) The Bernheim Forest and Arboretum is asking Kentuckys highest court to take up a legal battle over condemnation of some of its land to build a gas pipeline. In April, the Kentucky Court of Appeals affirmed a ruling last year from the Bullitt Circuit Court that said Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities (LG&E and KU) can exercise eminent domain to acquire land that is protected by conservation easements to build a natural gas pipeline. Now, an attorney working on behalf of the research forest in a Monday filing is asking the Kentucky Supreme Court to reverse the appeals court decision. Its the latest development in a years-long legal battle over LG&E and KUs push to build a gas pipeline through a 494-acre wildlife corridor originally put into conservation through state-purchased easements that restrict development and require the property to be used as habitat for wildlife. Environmental advocates have argued the ecological impacts havent been considered in developing the pipeline, while LG&E and KU representatives have argued the pipeline is needed for natural gas reliability. Louisville Public Media previously reported internal documents from the utility showed the gas pipeline would primarily benefit the Jim Beam distillery, though the chief operating officer for the utility has denied that. In the Monday filing, an attorney for Bernheim Forest argued one of the reasons justices should take up the case is that the appeals court interpretation of the law could extinguish the existence of state-owned conservation easements. The Kentucky Land Heritage Conservation Fund, a state board that invests funding across Kentucky toward preserving land, originally helped purchase the property for the wildlife corridor. Randal Strobo wrote in his filing that eminent domain use was limited to privately-owned lands and that publicly-owned conservation easements cant simply disappear when a party wishes to condemn the encumbered property without violating several constitutional limits on legislative acts. Only a small minority of requests made to the state Supreme Court to take up a case, known as a motion for discretionary review, are granted by justices. In the April appeals court ruling, Judge Christopher McNeil wrote that some of the arguments made by research forest attorneys were previously rejected by the appeals court in a different case brought forward by the Kentucky Heritage Land Conservation Fund. McNeil wrote LG&E and KU can seize the land because Kentucky law doesnt prevent land protected by conservation easements from being taken through eminent domain. An LG&E and KU spokesperson in a statement last week said the utility was pleased with the appeals court decision that reinforces the utilitys plans to enhance reliable natural gas service for customers and support continued growth and economic development within the region. A statement from Bernheim Forest in April said the nonprofits leaders were obviously disappointed with the appeals court decision. The more than 16,000-acre privately-owned research forest founded in the 20th century features an arboretum, educational programs and more than 40 miles of hiking trails. The post Bernheim Forest appeals to Kentucky Supreme Court to stop pipeline in conservation easement appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. The Biden administration fears Israel is disastrously squandering its opportunity for victory against Hamas, losing its best chance to eliminate the groups hold on Gaza and threat to the Israeli people. Top officials are publicly calling Israels strategy in Gaza self-defeating and likely to open the door to Hamas return a level of criticism of the Middle East ally not seen since the war began in October. The officials say Israels government has failed to hold parts of Gaza after clearing them, has turned the civilian population and the rest of the world against it with widespread bombing and inadequate humanitarian aid, and enabled Hamas to recruit more fighters. The U.S. for months kept any criticism private, quietly pushing Israel to shift how it retaliates against Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack that started the war. But the frustration of watching Israel refuse to change course has increasingly spilled into the open, each broadside a crowbar widening the rift between Washington and Jerusalem. We want to encourage a deeper focus on the connection between the ongoing military operations and, ultimately, the strategic endgame, said a senior administration official, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive internal discussions. We're going to keep pressing on that point. The official added that national security adviser Jake Sullivan used his visit with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel last week to discuss how their operation can lead to an achievable and durable success against Hamas. In a Tuesday interview with CNN, Netanyahu said we have to get rid of Hamas. Otherwise, there's no future for Gaza. But recent U.S. intelligence is fueling a growing concern that such an outcome isnt possible. Although Hamas communications and military abilities have been degraded, only 30 to 35 percent of its fighters those who were a part of Hamas before the Oct. 7 attack have been killed and about 65 percent of its tunnels are still intact, U.S. intelligence indicates. Biden officials have also become increasingly concerned that Hamas has been able to recruit during wartime thousands over the last several months. That has allowed the group to withstand months of Israeli offensives, according to a person familiar with U.S. intelligence. Those and other intelligence pieces have likely informed recent striking comments by senior administration officials. Last week, Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said Israels total victory against Hamas was unlikely. Then on Monday, both Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. C.Q. Brown, the Joint Chiefs chair, chided Israel for failing to protect civilians in Gaza and to prevent Hamas from storming back to places it once controlled. Both Pentagon leaders are well-known as quiet professionals who arent prone to airing their grievances. Not only do you have to actually go in and clear out whatever adversary you are up against, you have to go in, hold the territory and then youve got to stabilize it, Brown told reporters. If that doesnt happen, it allows your adversary then to re-populate in areas if you're not there, and so that does make it more challenging for them as far as being able to meet their objective of being able to militarily destroy and defeat Hamas. Those comments followed others by Secretary of State Antony Blinken who last week predicted the eventual withdrawal of Israeli forces could leave a vacuum thats likely to be filled by chaos, by anarchy, and ultimately by Hamas again. Its a sentiment shared by former top officials with deep experience in similar campaigns. Everybody gets the fact that you have to destroy Hamas but then what? said retired Gen. Joseph Votel, who was the head of U.S. Central Command at the height of the fight against the Islamic State. Whats the plan to take care of the 2.5 million Palestinians that are left behind? Whats the plan to deal with the remainder of the Hamas fighters? It seems incomplete and I just dont think that they have communicated or have thought through that as well as I wouldve hoped they wouldve. Dana Stroul, a former top Middle East official in the Pentagon who stepped down in January, recently wrote that the U.S. shared lessons of its failures in Iraq with Israel namely how an insurgency grew out of the botched American occupation but that Israel has not heeded those warnings. Not only has Israel declined to learn from this body of knowledge and experience on the sequencing of activities to prevent worst outcomes for postconflict societies, but it also appears that Israel is on track to repeat the same mistakes, she lamented in a Foreign Affairs essay published Monday. Western officials believe that while Israel has degraded Hamas capabilities in Gaza, the militant group has been able to protect thousands of its fighters, many of whom operate and hide inside a sprawling tunnel network. Others are thought to be mixed in with the civilian population. The upshot is that Hamas still holds ground and maintains significant capabilities, even after Israels all-out war over nearly eight months. Israel has a right and responsibility to defeat Hamas, but its current strategy of large-scale, conventional military operations will backfire and undermine that goal, Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) said in an interview. The U.S. learned over decades that unless you center humanitarian needs and the protection of civilians in conflict that your military goals will fail. We are seeing this first hand as Hamas rapidly resurfaces after IDF operations and retains capabilities despite months of fighting. One reason is that not enough humanitarian aid has gotten into Gaza, spreading famine-like conditions throughout the enclave and angering Palestinians who have to consistently flee violence or risk getting killed like thousands of other civilians. Between worsening conditions and allegations that Israel has purposefully delayed assistance from getting assistance to people in need, the risk grows that Gaza residents will be driven into Hamas arms. This is part of the challenge, the operations and the conduct probably radicalized a lot more, certainly the youth are looking at this and wondering, whats going on? Votel said. The Israelis are not helping their cause here. The Israel Defense Forces' recent military activities have also confused Western officials. Israeli troops have moved into Rafah, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people an operation it said it needed to conduct in order to target Hamas leaders in the tunnels there. But the IDF has also had to send troops northward to strike militant targets in the Jabalia neighborhood. Retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, who led U.S. Central Command from 2019 to 2022, said Israel hasnt deployed a large enough force to clear, capture and hold dense urban areas inside Gaza. In those insecure areas, people are probably going to try to flow back in and Hamas will then move in and reestablish a presence there. Thats classic guerilla strategy, he said. A key part of the U.S. plan to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria was relying on a partner force to secure areas after the military operation was complete, said Votel, the other retired general. Unless you do that, you are going to find yourself going back into these areas and reclearing them and re-fighting them, Votel said. Finding a reliable partner force is not an easy feat, particularly in Gaza, but Votel criticized Israel for not reaching out to Arab nations to help with the day after scenario early on in the operation There shouldve been more deliberation upfront about how they were going to do that part of the campaign, and now they are where they are, he said. The Biden administration is releasing about 1 million barrels of reserve gasoline supplies, framing the move as part of an effort to bring down prices at the pump in the Northeastern U.S. In a statement on the announcement, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday described the effort as strategically releasing this reserve in between Memorial Day and July 4th. This is being done to make sure sufficient supply flows to the tri-state and northeast at a time hardworking Americans need it the most, she said. The Biden-Harris Administration is laser focused on lowering prices at the pump for American families, especially as drivers hit the road for summer driving season, Granholm added. Typically, gasoline prices rise in the summer as Americans hit the roads amid warm weather and summer vacations. Gasoline prices are often controlled by cyclical and global factors, while presidents have limited impacts. Nevertheless, the prices are often the subject of political scrutiny, especially in an election year. Congress mandated the sale of the gasoline in the Northeast reserve as part of a bill to keep the government open earlier this year. Once the barrels are sold, the legislation directs the administration to close the reserve, which was created after Superstorm Sandy. The administration said that the barrels will be sold in 100,000-barrel increments. Most will be sold from the gasoline storage site in Port Reading, N.J., while some will come from a site in South Portland, Maine. Gasoline prices are actually down currently from weeks prior, averaging about $3.60 nationwide, according to the American Automobile Institute (AAA). A week ago they averaged $3.61, and a month ago they were at $3.67, AAA said. When it separately released oil from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve to bring down prices in 2022, the administration received significant Republican backlash, as the GOP argued that the barrels should have been saved in case of an emergency. Updated at 5:59 p.m. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Biden adviser demands Israel allow aid access to all of Gaza Strip US President Joe Biden's security adviser Jake Sullivan has insisted on access to humanitarian aid throughout the Gaza Strip in talks with the Israeli leadership. It is important that Israel and Egypt conclude their talks on the early reopening of the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip, Sullivan stressed in talks with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Galant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, the White House said on Monday. Humanitarian workers must be able to safely deliver aid to those in need throughout the Gaza Strip, Sullivan stressed. In order for aid to reach the coastal territory, all available border crossings must be used, he added. Galant and Halevi had informed Sullivan about "new alternative approaches" to fighting Palestinian militant organization Hamas in Rafah. The US has harshly criticized a major Israeli ground offensive in the southern Gaza Strip city, located on the border with Egypt. "Both sides agreed to continue talks," the White House said. Sullivan also met with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In his meetings with the ministers in the war cabinet, Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, Sullivan reiterated that the US wanted to see Hamas defeated and all Israeli hostages still in the group's hands released. He had made similar comments in talks with Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. During his visit to the region, Sullivan also met with Hussein al-Sheikh, the Secretary General of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), and newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa of the Palestinian Authority (PA), it was reported. They had discussed ending the fighting through a hostage agreement. Israeli Defence Minister Joav Galant (R) shakes hands with Jack Sullivan, US security advisor, ahead of their meeting. Ariel Hermoni/GPO/dpa The PACT Act added 23 illnesses to the list of toxic-exposure-related ailments presumed to be connected to military service. Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images. WASHINGTON President Joe Biden is set to announce in New Hampshire on Tuesday that 1 million claims have been granted for benefits under the toxic exposure law that Congress approved less than two years ago, following the militarys use of open air burn pits in Afghanistan and Iraq. The law, approved with broad bipartisan support following years of advocacy by veterans, their families and service organizations, has also led to more than 145,000 people enrolling in health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough told reporters on a call ahead of the announcement that the law has made tangible, life-changing differences for veterans and their survivors. That has meant more than $5.7 billion in earned benefits for veterans as well as access to no-cost VA health care across all 50 states and the territories, McDonough said. White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden said during the call that the law, known as the PACT Act, represents the most significant expansion of benefits and services for toxic-exposed veterans, including veterans exposed to burn pits and certain veterans exposed to radiation and Agent Orange. This is truly personal for the president given his experiences as a military parent, Tanden said. Bidens son, Beau, died at 46 years old in 2015 from brain cancer. The approval rate for benefits under the PACT Act is about 75%, according to a senior administration official. Biden is set to make the announcement during a trip to Nashua, New Hampshire. Burn pit exposure Congress struggled for years before reaching a compromise on when and how to provide health care and benefits for veterans exposed to open air burn pits during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hazardous chemicals, medical waste, batteries and other toxic substances were disposed of in those burn pits, typically located on military bases. Service members had no choice but to live and work alongside the smoke, often breathing it in. The law added 23 illnesses to the list of conditions that the VA presumes are connected to military service, eliminating the arduous and complicated process that many veterans had to undergo to try to get health care and benefits for those diagnoses. Before the bill became law, veterans often had to prove to the VA that their illnesses were connected to their military service if they wanted to receive benefits or health care for those illnesses. The U.S. Senate voted 84-14 in June 2022 to send the legislation to the House, where it was delayed for weeks over a dispute about incentivizing health care providers to move to rural or very rural areas. The bill passed the House following a 342-88 vote in July, after that section was removed from the package. Senators voted 86-11 in August to send the bill to Bidens desk. The president signed the bill during a ceremony on Aug. 10. When they came home, many of the fittest and best warriors that we sent to war were not the same, Biden said during the event. Headaches, numbness, dizziness, cancer. My son Beau was one of them. The VA has an interactive dashboard that provides veterans with information about how to apply for health care and benefits under the PACT Act as well as how many claims have been submitted. The VA has a calendar of in-person events that can be found here. Veterans or their family members can also call the VA at 800-698-2411 to inquire about PACT Act benefits. The post Biden to announce 1 million claims granted for VA benefits under toxic exposure law appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. FILE PHOTO: Kenya's President William Ruto talks during a Reuters interview on the sidelines of the IDA for Africa Heads of State Summit in Nairobi FILE PHOTO: Kenya's President William Ruto talks during a Reuters interview on the sidelines of the IDA for Africa Heads of State Summit in Nairobi By Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden will play host this week to Kenyan President William Ruto for wide-ranging talks expected to include debt relief for Kenya as well as the way forward for Haiti, Ukraine, Sudan and other areas. Kenya has been grappling with acute liquidity challenges, and a senior administration official told Reuters on Monday that the United States is urging big creditor countries like China, Kenya's biggest creditor, to offer debtor countries relief. "We think it's essential that responsible debtors provide reprieves for countries like Kenya, whether that's by debt service suspensions or via new grant assistance," the official said. Washington is also urging international financial institutions to offer low-cost financing to Kenya and other countries. The official said to expect some significant joint announcements about debt relief during the state visit this week "on how countries like Kenya can tackle this problem of debt." One of Washington's objectives in scheduling a high-profile visit by the Kenyan leader is countering China's rising influence in Africa. U.S. Treasury Undersecretary Jay Shambaugh last month warned China and other countries that have lent extensively to low-income countries against free-riding by collecting debt service payments and curtailing follow-on loans. The comments reflected growing frustration among Western countries and debtor nations about Beijing's foot-dragging on debt restructuring efforts and the slow pace of debt relief deals. Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network, an interfaith alliance of religious, development and advocacy organizations, said the Ruto visit would send important signals about U.S. policy toward the African continent. "When Ruto speaks, he's really speaking for Africa. And given that President Biden hasn't had the chance to visit Africa yet, this meeting is not only about Kenya, it's really about sub-Saharan Africa as a whole," LeCompte said. At a meeting Ruto hosted last month, African leaders called for rich countries to commit record contributions to the World Bank's International Development Association, a low-interest facility that developing nations rely on to help fund their development and combat climate change. The official said Biden and Ruto will also discuss security cooperation as the U.S.-Kenyan relationships expands from regional efforts to more of a global partnership. They will discuss Haiti, Ukraine, Sudan and other global hotspots, the official said. Kenya had reached an agreement with Haiti to fast-track a deployment of police officers to tackle spiraling violence in the Caribbean nation, but did an abrupt about-face in mid-March, saying it was pausing the deployment. Biden and Ruto are expected to hold a joint news conference after their talks on Thursday and then attend a state dinner. (Reporting by Andrea Shalal, Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland; Editing by Leslie Adler) Morehouse College invited President Joe Biden to give this years commencement address, which he delivered on Sunday. Despite mixed feelings from students and faculty about the invitation due to the Biden administrations policy on the war in Gaza, the presidents appearance was not majorly disrupted or interrupted. However, the war factored into the ceremony. Calls for a ceasefire and protest, but no major disruption Before Biden delivered his speech, Morehouse valedictorian Deangelo Fletcher delivered his address, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The declaration drew applause from the audience and Biden, who sat on stage as Fletcher delivered his words. #Morehouse valedictorian, Deangelo Fletcher, calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip met with applause from crowd and @POTUS behind him. pic.twitter.com/jlckIGES8C Garrison Hayes (@garrison_hayes) May 19, 2024 As Biden stood to give his address, he received a positive reaction from the crowd. ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang noted that nearly all of the Morehouse alumni gave him a standing ovation, but almost none of the students stood to welcome him. When Biden is introduced to give Morehouse College commencement speech, almost all alumni standup, but almost none of the students stand pic.twitter.com/PUyB1GNxtO Selina Wang (@selinawangtv) May 19, 2024 Pictures and video from the event also show several students turning their backs to Biden as he delivered his speech. Morehouse College graduates turn their backs on Crooked Joe Biden pic.twitter.com/jf9d5bVQbF RNC Research (@RNCResearch) May 19, 2024 Some students also reportedly walked out during the address, but Bidens speech had no significant interruption. Biden speaks on ceasefire, HBCU funding and more The president said during his speech that I support peaceful nonviolent protest and told the crowd that he was working on more than just a ceasefire but was also working to make sure we finally get a two-state solution. Biden to Morehouse grads: "I want to say this very clearly I support peaceful nonviolent protest I'm working for around the clock for more than just a ceasefire. I'm working to bring the region together I'm working to make sure we finally get a two state solution." pic.twitter.com/43MOpUTwvi Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2024 Biden, whos faced discontent among younger Black voters, acknowledged that the current graduates started college just as George Floyd was murdered, and there was a reckoning on race. He noted that many of them may wonder if the democracy you hear about actually works for you and might question, What is democracy if Black men are being killed in the street? President Biden to Morehouse graduates: The pandemic robbed you of so much. You started college just as George Floyd was murdered and there was a reckoning on race. It's natural to wonder if the democracy you hear about actually works for you. What is democracy if Black men are pic.twitter.com/8JfqMqEEXg Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) May 19, 2024 Additionally, Biden, whose administration has touted that it has contributed $16 billion to HBCUs, told the Morehouse crowd, Im investing 16 billion more dollars, the most in our history, because youre vital to our nation. Biden on HBCUs at Morehouses commencement: I'm investing 16 billion more dollars, the most in our history, because you're vital to our nation. philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 19, 2024 With Biden hoping to mobilize support among Black voters and young Americans who are dissatisfied with the war in Gaza and other policies, the presidents appearance at Morehouse was an attempt to acknowledge objections to his administration and appeal to critical parts of his base. This appearance likely went as well as the administration could have hoped, but it will take more for Biden to address the concerns entirely as he seeks reelection. President Joe Biden touted the PACT Act in front of about 100 people at the YMCA of Greater Nashua. (Annmarie Timmins | New Hampshire Bulletin) President Joe Biden was in New Hampshire Tuesday to talk up his efforts to expand health benefits for veterans, most notably the PACT Act, which he signed into law two years ago. We owe you big, Biden said of veterans during a stop at the YMCA of Greater Nashua, where he spoke for about 10 minutes. Ive long said that America has a lot of obligations, but only one truly sacred obligation. And thats to prepare those we send into harms way and to care for them and their families when they come home, and if they dont come home care for their families. Bidens stops also included a private meeting with veterans in Merrimack that was closed to the media. The White House press office said the Nashua stop, attended by about 100 lawmakers, veterans, and others, was open to the public though Biden did not take questions from the audience or media. The PACT Act legislation expands health care benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances. It adds more than 20 presumptive conditions that allow veterans to receive benefits without having to prove exposure during their military service caused their health condition. Its unclear how many of New Hampshires nearly 96,360 veterans are eligible for PACT Act benefits because all could apply but not all would meet the qualifying criteria. As of this week, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had received 5,486 claims from New Hampshire veterans and granted about 3,305 of them. According to its PACT Act interactive dashboard, it has approved about 75 percent of claims received nationally. The dashboard also includes information about available benefits, how to apply, and where to find local informational sessions on benefits. Veterans or their family members can also call the VA at 800-698-2411 to inquire about PACT Act benefits. The post Biden touts PACT Act benefits for veterans in Nashua visit appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. President Biden and former President Trump are almost tied in a hypothetical three-way general election race in New Hampshire that includes independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., according to a new poll. In the latest NH Journal/Praecones Analytica poll, released Monday, Trump received 36.6 percent support, compared to Bidens 36.5 percent. Kennedy followed the presumptive party nominees in a not-so-distant third place, with 14.6 percent of the vote. Another 12.4 percent of the registered Granite State voters surveyed said they would vote for none of these candidates. Trump leads Biden in every designated age group in the survey, except for voters aged 65 and older 52 percent in this demographic said they support Biden, 27 percent support Trump and 9 percent support Kennedy. Trump maintains approximately a 10- to 12-point lead over Biden with younger voters, per the poll. Among undeclared voters in the state, support is roughly split between the three candidates, with Biden maintaining a narrow lead with 27.5 percent, followed by Trumps 24.2 percent, Kennedys 23.2 percent and 25.1 percent who said they support none of these candidates. The DDHQ polling average for New Hampshire has Biden beating Trump by 4 points, as of Tuesday. Praecones Analyticas Jonathan Klingler attributed these results to the incumbents poor showing among swing voters. Biden won the state in 2020 by 8 points. While registered voters of both parties are largely united around their nominee, independent/undeclared voters are splitting their support in four statistically indistinguishable ways: between Biden, Trump, Kennedy, and other unnamed candidates, Klingler told the NH Journal. In comparison to exit polls from the 2020 presidential election, independent/undeclared voters in New Hampshire demonstrate significantly lower support for Biden, as Biden won around 60 percent of these voters in 2020, compared to around a quarter if the election were held today, he added. Biden traveled to New Hampshire on Tuesday for an event about the PACT Act. This helps to put President Bidens visit this week into greater context, as that sound you hear is the 2024 battleground map expanding for Donald Trump, seemingly putting New Hampshire in play this fall, veteran New Hampshire GOP strategist Jim Merrill told the NH Journal. The poll, conducted Wednesday through Monday, included 862 registered New Hampshire voters and has a margin of error of 3.33 percentage points. Updated at 6:46 p.m. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. (Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden urged the Republican leaders of the House and Senate in calls on Monday to revive a bipartisan immigration measure that failed after Donald Trump proclaimed his opposition. Most Read from Bloomberg In his conversations with Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Biden reiterated that congressional Republicans should stop playing politics and act quickly to pass this bipartisan border legislation that would add thousands of Border Patrol agents and personnel, invest in technology to catch fentanyl and combat drug trafficking, the White House said Monday night. That statement was released as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that he was putting the compromise legislation back on the floor, more than three months after Johnson declared it dead on arrival. Earlier: Trump, House GOP Leaders Reject Senate Border-Ukraine Deal The bill still stands almost no chance of passage, with Trump unyielding, Johnson presiding over a very narrow majority in the House and the election less than six months away. Yet with immigration and a crisis at the US-Mexico border still a concern for voters, the Democrats have been keen to seize the initiative on the issue and make the case that Republicans bear responsibility for the lack of progress. The legislation put forward in February would restrict illegal border crossings, make it harder to apply for asylum and speed up deportations of undocumented migrants but also make more visas for legal immigration available. Both Schumer and McConnell supported the bill, which was endorsed by the US Chamber of Commerce. But Trump, who has made criticism of Bidens border policies a centerpiece of his campaign, condemned the deal in a social media post as a great gift for Democrats and a Death Wish for The Republican Party. Biden, however, has also taken steps that dont require congressional approval to show a tougher stance on migration. Last week, the Homeland Security and Justice Departments announced that asylum reviews would be expedited to prevent migrants from waiting in the US for years while their claims are pending. Biden is weighing a broader executive action designed to constrain illegal migration if the legislative effort fails. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Biden to visit New Hampshire to announce 1 million benefit claims approved under PACT Act President Joe Biden will travel to New Hampshire on Tuesday to tout benefits awarded under the PACT Act to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI May 21 (UPI) -- The White House on Tuesday said more than 1 million claims for benefits for the Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxins Act have been granted since the law was enacted in 2022. President Joe Biden will travel to Nashua, N.H., on Tuesday afternoon to detail the $5.7 billion in benefits earned by more than 888,000 veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their time in the military. "President Biden believes that our nation has a sacred obligation to properly prepare and equip the troops we send into harm's way -- and to care for them and their families when they return home," the White House said. "Some military service can result in increased health risks for our veterans, and some injuries and illnesses like asthma, cancer and others can take years to manifest." The White House has processed more than 1.3 million clams since Aug. 10, 2022, and has prioritized claims involving terminal illnesses and veterans experiencing homelessness. The White House said the PACT Act has delivered $637 million in the processing of cancer claims for veterans. "Thanks to the PACT Act outreach campaign, veterans and survivors are applying for their earned benefits at record rates," the White House said. The PACT Act expands VA healthcare for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits, Agent Orange and other poison during their military service. The law expands those suffering from exposure from the Vietnam, Gulf War and post-9/11 eras. American troops might be pledged to defend Saudi territory soon. President Joe Biden is seeking a "mega-deal" that would bind the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Israel into a Middle Eastern military alliance. After Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman last week, both governments announced that they had a "near-final" version of a defense pact worked out. A group of 9/11 victims' families wants something very different. For years, they have been suing the Saudi government, based on alleged contacts between Saudi officials and 9/11 hijackers. Earlier this month, the Saudi government argued that its officials had nothing to do with the attacks and motioned for the case to be thrown out. The families' lawyers responded with a bombshell filing: They claim to have new evidence that the 9/11 hijackers were assisted by "a covert and illegal Saudi government platform" on American soil. The families' filing focuses on accused Saudi spy Omar Al Bayoumi, who hosted two of the future hijackers in southern California, and Saudi diplomat Fahad Al Thumairy, who allegedly sent an associate to help host them. The Saudi government argues that Bayoumi "had innocent motives: to help fellow Saudis who were new to the San Diego Muslim community and to get a referral fee from his apartment manager. Al Thumairy did not assist the hijackers at all." But the families cited several new pieces of evidence that have not been revealed to the public yetincluding FBI memos, home videos of Al Bayoumi, and phone surveillance recordsthat link Al Bayoumi and Al Thumairy to the hijackers. The families also have a "smoking gun" from British police, a notebook seized from Al Bayoumi that includes "a drawing of a plane, alongside a calculation used to discern the distance at which a target on the ground will be visible from a certain altitude." Former U.S. counterterrorism official Steve Simon, who assisted the families with their case and who was my colleague when I worked at the Quincy Institute two years ago, believes that support for the hijackers did not necessarily come from the top. Saudi government motives "won't be fully understood until the royal archives are opened, assuming that internal discussions were even recorded. But it does seem, in general, that the House of Saud ruled but did not govern; governance was typically for commoners," he wrote in The Atlantic. "Without inquiring closely into the day-to-day operations of the religious and foreign-affairs ministries, the royals could not have had a clear idea of what was being done in their name, including the deployment of Saudis with diplomatic visas for the purpose of attacking the kingdom's strongest, most reliable transactional partner." And the kingdom has changed a lot under bin Salman, who crushed the old Saudi religious establishment during his rise to power and now runs a much tighter ship. Still, the Saudi government does not seem keen to have U.S. courts dig up its past activities, especially since a majority of the American public already opposes a defense pact. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Israel seem to have very different ideas of what Biden's mega-deal would mean for them. Last year, the Israeli side was quite optimistic. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer stated that a Saudi-Israeli deal would be a "reverse 9/11." But the war in Gaza has revived the Palestinian issue in Arab politics, and Saudi Arabia is now demanding Palestinian independence as a prerequisite to a deal with Israel. This weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu implied that he would reject a Saudi deal because an independent Palestine "will inevitably be a terror state." At the same time, Saudi Arabia has been trying to do an end-run around Netanyahu, pushing for a "less-for-less model" that cuts Israel out of the pact. The Biden administration, however, believes that it can still get everyone on board. "The integrated vision is a bilateral understanding between the United States and Saudi Arabia combined with normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia, combined with meaningful steps on behalf of the Palestinian people," Sullivan, the Biden adviser, said earlier this month. "All of that has to come togetheryou can't disentangle one piece from the others." The post Biden Wants a Defense Pact With Saudi Arabia While 9/11 Victims Are Suing the Kingdom appeared first on Reason.com. Billionaire rains cash on UMass graduates to tune of $1,000 each, but says they must give half away The clouds werent alone in making it rain at the commencement ceremony at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth last week. On stage, billionaire philanthropist Rob Hale surprised the graduating class of more than 1,000 by pointing to a nearby truck holding envelopes stuffed with cash. Huddling under ponchos and umbrellas at the soggy ceremony, the graduates yelled and cheered, their mouths agape, as Hale announced he was showering money upon them. Security guards then lugged the cash-filled duffel bags onto the stage. Hale told the students each would get $1,000. But there was a condition: They were to keep $500 and give the rest away. Hale said the greatest joy he and his wife Karen had experienced in their lives had come from the act of giving. In this photo provided by University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, graduate students hold their diplomas at the graduation ceremony Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Dartmouth, Mass. Billionaire Robert Hale gifted graduates at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth each with $1,000., with the condition that they give $500 away. Hale revealed the gift to more than 1,100 graduates. (Karl Christoff Dominey/University of Massachusetts Dartmouth via AP) We want to give you two gifts. The first is our gift to you, Hale told the students. The second is the gift of giving. These trying times have heightened the need for sharing, caring and giving. Our community needs you, and your generosity, more than ever. The founder and chief executive of Granite Telecommunications, Hale is estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $5.4 billion. He owns a minority stake in the Boston Celtics. Its the fourth year in a row that he has given a similar gift to a group of graduating students. Last year it was to students at UMass Boston, and before that it was to students at Roxbury Community College and Quincy College. But the students at UMass Dartmouth had no idea in advance Hale would be speaking let alone giving away money. I was very surprised, said Joshua Bernadin, who graduated with a chemistry degree. Everybody around me was in shock for a few seconds, and then they were all so happy. Bernadin said he, too, was very happy to get the money. He hasnt yet decided what to do with his $500, although it could go toward paying down his student loans. He plans to donate the other $500 to the theater company and gospel choir he was involved in at the university. He said he liked the idea of being compelled to donate. I feel like a lot of people, especially in my generation, are very, like, I need to take this, I need to take that. He said that attitude was somewhat justified given the difficulty in getting established in todays world, but it was also important to remember those who had helped along the way and to give back. In this photo provided by University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, is billionaire Robert Hale, right, onstage with UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark Fuller, left, at the graduation ceremony Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Dartmouth, Mass. Hale gifted graduates at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth each with $1,000., with the condition that they give $500 away. Hale revealed the gift to more than 1,100 graduates. (Karl Christoff Dominey/University of Massachusetts Dartmouth via AP) Hale told students his path to success had been rocky, after his previous company Network Plus filed for bankruptcy in 2002, during the dotcom crash. Have you ever met someone who lost a billion dollars before? Hale said, as he joked about giving the students career advice. I may be the biggest loser you ever met, and you have to sit in the rain and listen to me. In an interview Monday with The Associated Press, Hale said part of the message he wanted to get across was that it was okay to take chances in life and fail. He said he and his wife had started the tradition of cash giveaways in the thick of the pandemic when students had little to celebrate. The most impactful part of it was hearing the heartfelt messages from those who had benefited from the students gifts, he said, from struggling local organizations to families that could suddenly afford Christmas gifts. Graduating students that didnt attend the ceremony missed out on the money. Hale said he hears from some afterward every year, with a variety of reasons for their absences. We say to them, one of the messages is, youve got to show up, Hale said. He said local elementary schools personalize the two envelopes given to each of the students. One says Gift and one says Give and each contains $500. He acknowledged there was no way to ensure the students give away half the money. But I believe that the vast majority do the right thing and then are joyful because of it, he said. Hale is unsurprisingly in hot demand as a commencement speaker, and he said he plans to give away more cash next year. But which commencement he will attend will again remain a surprise. Hale and his wife, Karen, gave a total of $52 million towards establishing endowments at grassroots organizations throughout the 52 weeks of the 2022 calendar year. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on Tuesday said he wants to see Republicans go on the record with a vote on a bipartisan border bill. In this photo, he speaks with reporters in the basement of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democrats are pushing for a second attempt to pass a bipartisan border security bill that failed in February after Republicans walked away from the very deal they helped craft, and its likely to fail again when the Senate votes on the legislation Thursday. So why are we bringing this bill up the second time? said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who was one of three negotiators of the measure. The answer is simple. Democrats care about border security. The expected vote comes as immigration has continued to rise as a top concern for voters in the polls and as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump, has centered his reelection campaign on the issue, promising to reinstate his previous policies and carry out mass deportations. President Joe Biden called Republican leaders in both chambers Monday night to advocate for them to vote for passage of the bill that, among various things, would give Biden the executive authority to close the southern border when its overwhelmed. Mr. President, you caused this problem, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he told Biden in their phone call. McConnell said he pushed for Biden to reinstate Trump-era policies such as the completion of the border wall and the so-called Remain in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while waiting for their cases. The president needs to step up to it, do everything he can do on his own, because legislation obviously is not going to clear this year, McConnell said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, already said in a statement that should the bill pass the Senate, its dead on arrival in the House. Schumer says GOP must go on record Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he wanted Senate Republicans on the record for voting on the stand-alone bill. Republicans last year originally said they would only vote for vital aid to Ukraine if a border security bill was attached. Do Republicans want to improve the situation on the border, or not? Schumer said. Maybe theyre happy with the way things are. Schumer said that Republicans were on board with voting for the border security bill, until President Trump told them to make a U-turn. Murphy as well as Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent, and Republican James Lankford of Oklahoma spent months crafting a bipartisan border security bill that would overhaul U.S. immigration law. Senate Republicans walked away from the bill, eventually siding with their House colleagues and Trump. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said Democrats are only holding Thursdays vote to protect vulnerable incumbents up for reelection this November such as Ohios Sherrod Brown and Montanas Jon Tester. Where we are right now, this has become a political liability, a political vulnerability for the Democrats, Thune said, adding all the charades and political theater the Democrats are trying are meant to protect incumbents. The sweeping border security bill would raise the bar for migrants claiming asylum, clarify the White Houses parole authority and end the practice of allowing migrants to live in U.S. communities as they await their asylum hearings, among other things. The Biden administration expressed frustration after Senate Republicans voted to kill the border security deal, frequently blaming Trump and Republicans for walking away. Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends, Biden said in February. The post Bipartisan border bill likely doomed in approaching U.S. Senate vote appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on Tuesday said he wants to see Republicans go on the record with a vote on a bipartisan border bill. In this photo, he speaks with reporters in the basement of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democrats are pushing for a second attempt to pass a bipartisan border security bill that failed in February after Republicans walked away from the very deal they helped craft, and its likely to fail again when the Senate votes on the legislation Thursday. So why are we bringing this bill up the second time? said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who was one of three negotiators of the measure. The answer is simple. Democrats care about border security. The expected vote comes as immigration has continued to rise as a top concern for voters in the polls and as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Donald Trump, has centered his reelection campaign on the issue, promising to reinstate his previous policies and carry out mass deportations. President Joe Biden called Republican leaders in both chambers Monday night to advocate for them to vote for passage of the bill that, among various things, would give Biden the executive authority to close the southern border when its overwhelmed. Mr. President, you caused this problem, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he told Biden in their phone call. McConnell said he pushed for Biden to reinstate Trump-era policies such as the completion of the border wall and the so-called Remain in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while waiting for their cases. The president needs to step up to it, do everything he can do on his own, because legislation obviously is not going to clear this year, McConnell said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, already said in a statement that should the bill pass the Senate, its dead on arrival in the House. Schumer says GOP must go on record Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he wanted Senate Republicans on the record for voting on the stand-alone bill. Republicans last year originally said they would only vote for vital aid to Ukraine if a border security bill was attached. Do Republicans want to improve the situation on the border, or not? Schumer said. Maybe theyre happy with the way things are. Schumer said Republicans were on board with voting for the border security bill, until President Trump told them to make a U-turn. Murphy as well as Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent, and Republican James Lankford of Oklahoma spent months crafting a bipartisan border security bill that would overhaul U.S. immigration law. Senate Republicans walked away from the bill, eventually siding with their House colleagues and Trump. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said Democrats are only holding Thursdays vote to protect vulnerable incumbents up for reelection this November such as Ohios Sherrod Brown and Montanas Jon Tester. Where we are right now, this has become a political liability, a political vulnerability for the Democrats, Thune said, adding all the charades and political theater the Democrats are trying are meant to protect incumbents. The sweeping border security bill would raise the bar for migrants claiming asylum, clarify the White Houses parole authority and end the practice of allowing migrants to live in U.S. communities as they await their asylum hearings, among other things. The Biden administration expressed frustration after Senate Republicans voted to kill the border security deal, frequently blaming Trump and Republicans for walking away. Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends, Biden said in February. The post Bipartisan border bill likely doomed in approaching U.S. Senate vote appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. enate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on Tuesday said he wants to see Republicans go on the record with a vote on a bipartisan border bill. In this photo, he speaks with reporters in the basement of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democrats are pushing for a second attempt to pass a bipartisan border security bill that failed in February after Republicans walked away from the very deal they helped craft, and its likely to fail again when the Senate votes on the legislation Thursday. So why are we bringing this bill up the second time? said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who was one of three negotiators of the measure. The answer is simple. Democrats care about border security. The expected vote comes as immigration has continued to rise as a top concern for voters in the polls and as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump, has centered his reelection campaign on the issue, promising to reinstate his previous policies and carry out mass deportations. President Joe Biden called Republican leaders in both chambers Monday night to advocate for them to vote for passage of the bill that, among various things, would give Biden the executive authority to close the southern border when its overwhelmed. Mr. President, you caused this problem, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he told Biden in their phone call. McConnell said he pushed for Biden to reinstate Trump-era policies such as the completion of the border wall and the so-called Remain in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while waiting for their cases. The president needs to step up to it, do everything he can do on his own, because legislation obviously is not going to clear this year, McConnell said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, already said in a statement that should the bill pass the Senate, its dead on arrival in the House. Schumer says GOP must go on record Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he wanted Senate Republicans on the record for voting on the stand-alone bill. Republicans last year originally said they would only vote for vital aid to Ukraine if a border security bill was attached. Do Republicans want to improve the situation on the border, or not? Schumer said. Maybe theyre happy with the way things are. Schumer said that Republicans were on board with voting for the border security bill, until President Trump told them to make a U-turn. Murphy as well as Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent, and Republican James Lankford of Oklahoma spent months crafting a bipartisan border security bill that would overhaul U.S. immigration law. Senate Republicans walked away from the bill, eventually siding with their House colleagues and Trump. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said Democrats are only holding Thursdays vote to protect vulnerable incumbents up for reelection this November such as Ohios Sherrod Brown and Montanas Jon Tester. Where we are right now, this has become a political liability, a political vulnerability for the Democrats, Thune said, adding all the charades and political theater the Democrats are trying are meant to protect incumbents. The sweeping border security bill would raise the bar for migrants claiming asylum, clarify the White Houses parole authority and end the practice of allowing migrants to live in U.S. communities as they await their asylum hearings, among other things. The Biden administration expressed frustration after Senate Republicans voted to kill the border security deal, frequently blaming Trump and Republicans for walking away. Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends, Biden said in February. The post Bipartisan border bill likely doomed in approaching U.S. Senate vote appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, on Tuesday said he wants to see Republicans go on the record with a vote on a bipartisan border bill. In this photo, he speaks with reporters in the basement of the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Democrats are pushing for a second attempt to pass a bipartisan border security bill that failed in February after Republicans walked away from the very deal they helped craft, and its likely to fail again when the Senate votes on the legislation Thursday. So why are we bringing this bill up the second time? said Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who was one of three negotiators of the measure. The answer is simple. Democrats care about border security. The expected vote comes as immigration has continued to rise as a top concern for voters in the polls and as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Donald J. Trump, has centered his reelection campaign on the issue, promising to reinstate his previous policies and carry out mass deportations. President Joe Biden called Republican leaders in both chambers Monday night to advocate for them to vote for passage of the bill that, among various things, would give Biden the executive authority to close the southern border when its overwhelmed. Mr. President, you caused this problem, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said he told Biden in their phone call. McConnell said he pushed for Biden to reinstate Trump-era policies such as the completion of the border wall and the so-called Remain in Mexico policy, which required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while waiting for their cases. The president needs to step up to it, do everything he can do on his own, because legislation obviously is not going to clear this year, McConnell said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, already said in a statement that should the bill pass the Senate, its dead on arrival in the House. Schumer says GOP must go on record Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he wanted Senate Republicans on the record for voting on the stand-alone bill. Republicans last year originally said they would only vote for vital aid to Ukraine if a border security bill was attached. Do Republicans want to improve the situation on the border, or not? Schumer said. Maybe theyre happy with the way things are. Schumer said that Republicans were on board with voting for the border security bill, until President Trump told them to make a U-turn. Murphy as well as Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona independent, and Republican James Lankford of Oklahoma spent months crafting a bipartisan border security bill that would overhaul U.S. immigration law. Senate Republicans walked away from the bill, eventually siding with their House colleagues and Trump. South Dakota Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Republican, said Democrats are only holding Thursdays vote to protect vulnerable incumbents up for reelection this November such as Ohios Sherrod Brown and Montanas Jon Tester. Where we are right now, this has become a political liability, a political vulnerability for the Democrats, Thune said, adding all the charades and political theater the Democrats are trying are meant to protect incumbents. Clarify parole authority, raise bar for asylum The sweeping border security bill would raise the bar for migrants claiming asylum, clarify the White Houses parole authority and end the practice of allowing migrants to live in U.S. communities as they await their asylum hearings, among other things. The Biden administration expressed frustration after Senate Republicans voted to kill the border security deal, frequently blaming Trump and Republicans for walking away. Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends, Biden said in February. The post Bipartisan border bill likely doomed in approaching U.S. Senate vote appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. A Black Teen Was Wrongly Executed Nearly 100 Years Ago. His Family is Still Seeking Justice. In 1931, 16-year-old Alexander McClay Williams was sentenced to death in Pennsylvania for the 1930 murder of his teacher. He was executed six months after his convictions. The victim, judge, and jury in his case were all white. In October 2022, 91 years after he was executed, Williams was posthumously exonerated after his family and their legal representatives were able to prove that he was never responsible for his teachers murder and that his case was an example of racial profiling. All the charges against him were dismissed. According to ABC 6, Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Williams was browbeaten into giving a confession and was executed before being given the chance to appeal. On Monday, the Williams family took another step to ensure that justice is served by filing a lawsuit against Delaware County and the estates of the detectives and prosecutors involved in the case, according to NBC News. The family is claiming that their conduct was outrageous, malicious, wanton, willful, reckless and intentionally designed to inflict harm. More from NBC News: Willams who was Black was convicted after 34-year-old Vida Robare who was white and was a house matron at the Glen Mills School for Boys was found murdered inside her cottage on the school grounds on October 3, 1930. Her body was discovered by her ex-husband Fred Robare, who was also an employee at the school. Williams was arrested and charged with stabbing Robare 47 times. However, there were no witnesses to the crime and Williams was never seen at the scene. Instead, prosecutors relied on confessions that were coerced out of the 16-year-old Williams. The Williams family is seeking compensatory and punitive damages along with a statement that the practices of the prosecution and detectives was unconstitutional. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland suggested Sunday that Russian bases should be fair game for Ukraine to target amid a larger debate over reversing a ban on firing U.S. weapons at targets inside of Russia. I think theres also a question of whether we, the United States and our allies, ought to give them more help in hitting Russian bases, which heretofore we have not been willing to do, Nuland said Sunday in an interview on ABC Newss This Week. When asked if she believes Ukraine should be hitting Russian bases, Nuland said, I think if the attacks are coming directly from over the line in Russia, that those bases ought to be fair game, whether they are where missiles are being launched from or where they are where troops are being supplied from. Russia recently launched its Kharkiv offensive from the neighboring Belgorod region, and some Ukrainian officials argued the attacks could have been prevented if they had been permitted to hit targets in the Russian province. Nuland, who retired in March, has often faced criticism for her views about Russia and its actions in Ukraine. She argued Sunday the attacks in Kharkiv have signaled it is time for the U.S. to be assisting Ukraine to hit Russian bases. I think its time for that, because Russia has obviously escalated this war, including, as you said, at the beginning, attacking Russias second city, Kharkiv, which is not on the front lines, and trying to decimate it without ever having to put a boot on the ground, Nuland said. So I think it is time to give the Ukrainians more help hitting these bases inside Russia. A delegation of five Ukrainian members of parliament traveled to Washington last week to meet with Biden administration officials and congressional lawmakers in an effort to push the U.S. to reverse the ban. Ukrainian leaders have repeatedly argued that their own weapons are not nearly as effective at attacking legitimate military targets in Russia as American-made arms, including the missile launcher weapon High Mobility Artillery Rocket System or valued long-range artillery like the Army Tactical Missile System. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a trip to Kyiv last week, said the U.S. was committed to ensuring Ukraine can win the war against Russia but emphasized the embattled nation should focus on taking back Ukrainian territory. This Week co-anchor Martha Raddatz pressed Nuland on why she believes targeting Russian bases is a good idea, given the Biden administrations concern it will escalate things further with Moscow, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Because its Russia that has escalated this war. Russia has learned how to pull its forces back out of the range where we have allowed Ukraine to use our weapons and get our support, Nuland responded. So, they are getting a direct advantage in this war from our hesitation, and they have escalated massively. Nuland further contended the months-long delay of U.S. aid to Ukraine had a role to play in Russias recent advances. Following more than a year of stalemate in Congress, lawmakers passed a national security supplemental last month that sent $61 billion to Ukraine. I think [Ukraine] can certainly turn this around, Martha. But the six-month delay certainly made a difference. The front line for Ukraine needs the artillery that we are sending, Nuland said. They need more air defenses. They need to be able to stop these Russian attacks that are coming from bases inside Russia. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the hot seat as he testified before the Senate and faced questions about U.S. policy toward Israel. It comes as tensions between the two countries remain high after the U.S. held a shipment of weapons over Israels plans to invade Rafah. There is also uncertainty following the death of Irans president. Police carried protestors out of a Senate hearing as Blinken faced pressure over the administrations handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. Were standing with Israel in its efforts to ensure that what happened on October 7th never happens again, as we do everything, we can to bring an end to the terrible human suffering in Gaza, said Blinken The protestors arent the only ones who are upset. Idaho Republican Senator James Risch criticized the administration for punishing Israel by pausing a weapons shipment. You must stop blaming Israel and let Israel remove Hamas from Gaza. That is the only way to move forward, said Risch. Democrats, like Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, are disappointed the administration does not acknowledge that the Israeli government failed to comply with international law. Mr. Secretary, that hurts our credibility around the world, and it sets a dangerously low bar for whats acceptable going forward, Van Hollen said. The international criminal court applied for arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some Hamas leaders. Blinken says the U.S. stands against it. The shameful equivalence implied between Hamas and the leadership of Israel, I think that only complicates the prospects for getting such an agreement, said Blinken. Blinken was also asked by Texas Senator Ted Cruz if the world is better now that Irans president is dead. Blinken said yes and that the Iranian people are probably better off. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. Blinken says he'll work with US Congress on potential ICC sanctions Blinken says he'll work with US Congress on potential ICC sanctions By Simon Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk and Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Biden administration is willing to work with Congress to potentially impose sanctions against International Criminal Court officials over the prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over the Gaza war, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday. At a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham told Blinken he wanted to see renewed U.S. sanctions on the court in response to the move announced by ICC prosecutor Karim Khan on Monday. "I want to take actions, not just words," Graham said to Blinken. "Will you support bipartisan effort to sanction the ICC, not only for the outrage against Israel but to protect in the future our own interest?" "I welcome working with you on that," Blinken responded. Khan said in his announcement that he had reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's defense chief and three Hamas leaders "bear criminal responsibility" for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Both President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and his political opponents have sharply criticized Khan's announcement, arguing the court does not have jurisdiction over the Gaza conflict and raising concerns over process. The United States is not a member of the court, but has supported past prosecutions, including the ICC's decision last year to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. At an earlier hearing on Tuesday, Blinken said he would work with Congress on an appropriate response, calling the ICC's move "profoundly wrong-headed." It would complicate the prospects of reaching a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Israel's conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Blinken said. Republican members of Congress have previously threatened legislation to impose sanctions on the ICC, but a measure cannot become law without support from President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats, who control the Senate. In 2020, then-President Donald Trump's administration accused the ICC of infringing on U.S. national sovereignty when it authorized an investigation into war crimes committed in Afghanistan. The U.S. targeted court staff, including then-prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, with asset freezes and travel bans. Biden lifted those sanctions in April 2021 shortly after assuming office. "These decisions reflect our assessment that the measures adopted were inappropriate and ineffective," Blinken said in a statement at the time. (Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Patricia Zengerle and Simon Lewis; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Stephen Coates) Blinken says he wants to work with Congress to penalize International Criminal Court US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he wants to work with Congress on legislation to penalize the International Criminal Court after it applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Given the events of yesterday, I think we have to look at the appropriate steps to take to deal with again, what is a profoundly wrongheaded decision, Blinken said at a State Department budget hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Blinkens comments were an early indication of the Biden administrations openness to taking action against the Netherlands-based court for its application for arrest warrants for the senior Israeli officials. The courts chief prosecutor Karim Khan also issued warrants for senior Hamas officials, including its leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar. Blinken was responding to questions by the ranking member of the committee, Republican Sen. James Risch, who asked if Blinken would work with him on legislation that includes the question of the ICC sticking its nose in the business of countries that have an independent legitimate, democratic judicial system. The devils in the details, so lets see what you got, and we can take from there, said Blinken in response, adding that he wants to work with the committee on a bipartisan basis. In a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Tuesday afternoon, Blinken said he would welcome working with Sen. Lindsey Graham on bipartisan sanctions against the ICC. The Biden administration came out forcefully against Khan on Monday for his decision to apply for the warrants against top Israel officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Its clear Israel wants to do all it can to ensure civilian protection, said Biden at a White House reception marking Jewish American Heritage Month. Let me be clear: Whats happening is not genocide. Lawmakers from both parties condemned the ICCs actions on Monday, and House Speaker Mike Johnson said that House Republicans are looking into sanctioning the ICC. In the absence of leadership from the White House, Congress is reviewing all options, including sanctions, to punish the ICC and ensure its leadership faces consequences if they proceed. If the ICC is allowed to threaten Israeli leaders, ours could be next, Johnson said in a statement Monday. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has faced questions about its condemnation of the ICCs actions while saying it continues to support the courts investigation into Russian war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine. Regarding the question of whether or not well continue to provide support to the ICC with respect to crimes that are committed in Ukraine, yes, we continue that work, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at a news conference after a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Monday. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news conference on Monday that the ICC has done important work over the years to hold people accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity that the US still supports. Well have the time to look at it, to digest it and perhaps issue a more complete response, Miller said about the ICC applications. The Trump administration previously sanctioned ICC officials by executive order in 2020 over its investigation of possible war crimes by US military and intelligence officials in Afghanistan, sanctions that the Biden administration lifted the next year. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com By Patricia Zengerle, Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced criticism from the right and left over Israel policy in Congress on Tuesday, with Republicans accusing the Biden administration of failing Israel and Democrats saying it's doing too little to help civilians in Gaza. Furious protesters interrupted Blinken as he began his testimony before two committees in the Democratic-controlled Senate, calling him a war criminal and accusing him of involvement in genocide. At the first hearing, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Blinken flinched from a protester who approached him from behind, waving a sign that said "criminal," before security officers carried her out of the room. Blinken reiterated the support of President Joe Biden's administration for Israel, but insisted it was focused on easing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and opposed an Israeli assault on Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza where over 1 million displaced people had taken shelter. "When it comes to making sure that Israel has everything it needs to defend itself, no one has, no one will do more than President Biden," Blinken said, pushing back against Republican accusations that Washington's pause on a weapons shipment to Israel was weakening it in its war against the Hamas militant group that rules the enclave. "At the same time when it comes to Rafah we've been very clear in many conversations with Israeli leadership over the past months about our deep concerns about a major military operation in Rafah and the impact that that would have on civilians," he said. Blinken appeared later on Tuesday before the Senate appropriations subcommittee, which oversees diplomatic and foreign aid spending. He returns to Capitol Hill on Wednesday for two more rounds of testimony at hearings of the Republican-led House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee and a House appropriations subcommittee. Republicans criticized Biden for saying this month that he would delay a shipment of bombs to Israel and consider withholding others if Israeli forces launched a major invasion of Rafah, a refugee-packed city in southern Gaza. Billions of dollars in U.S. military assistance remain in the pipeline for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Republicans also called for action in response to the International Criminal Court prosecutor's announcement on Monday that he had requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his defense minister over alleged war crimes in the Gaza conflict. The prosecutor, Karim Khan, also sought arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders. Blinken said the Biden administration would be happy to work with Congress to formulate a response to what he called "a profoundly wrong-headed decision" regarding the warrants for the Israeli leaders. Democratic Senator Ben Cardin, who chairs the foreign relations panel, also criticized the ICC. "I see it as a step in the wrong direction," Cardin said. HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GAZA Biden also faced criticism from some of his fellow Democrats, who want him to do more - including putting conditions on arms exports - to push Netanyahu's government to protect Palestinian civilians. Israel is fighting to wipe out Hamas, which attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing around 1,200 people and seizing 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Palestinian authorities say more than 35,000 people have been killed during Israel's campaign in Gaza, many of them women and children. Malnutrition is widespread and much of the coastal enclave's population has been left homeless and much of its infrastructure has been destroyed. "I've been especially concerned about the restrictions placed on the delivery of humanitarian assistance to two million Palestinians who have nothing to do with Hamas," Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen said. Israel-related demonstrations have become a feature of congressional appearances by Biden administration officials. When Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin testified on Oct. 31 about Biden's request for security assistance for Ukraine and Israel, protesters repeatedly interrupted them. Protests over Gaza have intensified across the U.S. since then, including on college campuses where there have been dozens of arrests, raising concerns about how they might affect Biden's campaign for reelection against former Republican President Donald Trump. A $95 billion foreign aid package for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and humanitarian needs finally passed Congress in April after being stalled for months by Republicans unhappy about the billions of dollars in assistance Washington has sent Kyiv as it battles Russian invaders. The package only passed the House because a majority of Democrats supported it, and the parties remain divided over how much more help Washington should provide to Ukraine. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle, Humeyra Pamuk and Simon Lewis; editing by Jonathan Oatis) KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Independence Police Department and Community Blood Center (CBC) are hosting a blood drive Wednesday in honor of fallen Officer Cody Allen who was killed in the line of duty in February. Officer Allens family encourages Independence and Kansas City residents to donate and help other police officers who need blood transfusions after being injured on the job. Independence council approves sales tax, raising police wages Donating only takes one hour, and a single donation can save multiple lives. According to the CBC, almost one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion, which typically goes to cancer patients, accident, burn or trauma victims, newborn babies, surgery patients, and many more who suffer from diseases or traumatic injuries. Blood donors can donate every 56 days, and platelet donors can donate twice a month. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration lifted many eligibility restrictions for people who lived in Europe over a specific period of time, allowing more people to donate and give back to those who serve their communities. To determine whether you are able to donate, visit savealifenow.org or call (800) 688-0900. Claude Monet painting sold at NYC Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art auction Here is all the information you need to know about the blood drive: WHEN: Wednesday, May 22nd from 10 a.m. 3 p.m. WHERE: Independence Police Department at 223 N. Memorial Dr., Independence, MO 64050 To make an appointment for the blood drive, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. BOCA RATON Not sure what to do with the items in your pantry as you prepare to leave for summer? Boca Helping Hands might. The nonprofit is asking snowbirds and those who go away during the summer months to consider donating the nonperishables left in their pantries to them before they take off. "We know that many people wonder what to do with the food in their pantry when they get ready to leave for the summer, and we hope they will think of Boca Helping Hands," said Greg Hazle, Boca Helping Hands' executive director. Last year, the nonprofit served more than 103,000 hot meals and distributed more than 114,000 pantry bags of groceries to 10,075 families. What is Boca Helping Hands? Boca Helping Hands accepts donations of non-perishable items Monday through Saturday at 1500 NW 1st Court, Boca Raton, Florida, 33432. It's a community-based nonprofit providing food, medical and financial assistance to people in the area since 1998. It started off as a soup kitchen, and now serves as one of South Florida's largest nonprofit service providers, with 23 staff members and more than 300 volunteers. Through Boca Helping Hands, more than 35,000 South Floridia residents also have access to education, job training and guidance to help them become self-sufficient. In 2024, alone, more than 9,500 pantry bags have been distributed through Boca Helping Hands. Welcome back, snowbirds: Here's what you missed in South Florida How many snowbirds visit Florida each year? Florida gets an estimated 900,000 to one million seasonal residents who stay for at least a month each winter. These travelers, who've come to be known as "snowbirds," raise the state's population by about 5%. The figure, however, does not include the state's yearly 122 million tourists. In Palm Beach County, the number of snowbirds per year is around 145,000. They raise the county's population by about 11%, according to county figures. How to donate non-perishable items to Boca Helping Hands: Items to be donated can be dropped off at Boca Helping Hands, which is located at 1500 NW 1st Court, near the intersection of Dixie Highway and Glades Road. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays. Boca Helping Hands is closed on Sundays. Jasmine Fernandez is a journalist covering Delray Beach and Boca Raton for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at jfernandez@pbpost.com and follow her on X (formerly Twitter) at @jasminefernandz. Help support our work. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Helping Hands asks snowbirds to donate non-perishable pantry items Boeing on Tuesday offered its deepest condolences after a flight heading for Singapore experienced severe turbulence, killing one passenger and injuring others. A Singapore Airlines flight was traveling on a Boeing 777-300ER from London on Monday when severe turbulence over the Indian Ocean forced the plane to suddenly divert to Bangkok, where it landed Tuesday, the carrier said Tuesday. The plane was carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, according to officials at the Suvarnabhumi Airport. A British man died, and dozens of passengers were injured, according to airport officials, which Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, confirmed. We are in contact with Singapore Airlines regarding flight SQ321 and stand ready to support them. We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew, Boeing wrote in a statement on the social platform X on Tuesday. Singapore Airlines also offered its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. Seven passengers were severely injured, while 23 passengers and nine crew members suffered moderate injuries, Kittikachorn said during a press conference, per The Associated Press (AP). Sixteen passengers with less serious injuries went to the hospital, and 14 others were treated at the airport, he reportedly added. He said the man, 73, may have had a heart attack, though that was not confirmed, the AP added. A later statement from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said 71 people had been treated there, including six who were severely injured, the news wire added. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in numbers. Data from FlightRadar24 and analyzed by the AP showed the flight at an altitude of 37,000 feet before it suddenly dropped to 31,000 feet over three minutes over the Andaman Sea. It stayed there for less than 10 minutes before diverting and landing in Bangkok less than 30 minutes later, the news wire added. Singapore Airlines said the nationalities of the passengers were 56 Australians, two Canadians, one German, three Indians, two Indonesians, one from Iceland, four from Ireland, one Israeli, 16 Malaysians, two from Myanmar, 23 from New Zealand, five Filipinos, 41 from Singapore, one South Korean, two Spaniards, 47 from the United Kingdom and four from the United States. The incident comes as Boeing is facing increased scrutiny following a series of high-profile accidents, including a midair blowout in January aboard an Alaska Airlines flight. The plane manufacturing company is facing numerous lawsuits over the blowout, along with investigations from the Justice Department, Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Border Guard: Russian offensive in Sumy Oblast can't be ruled out Russia has "certain units" on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, and an attack in this sector "can never be ruled out," State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) on May 21. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, suggested in mid-May that Russian forces may launch an offensive in Sumy Oblast similar to the ongoing one in Kharkiv Oblast when the conditions are more favorable. Russia may try to attack the region even if it lacks the forces, Demchenko said. "It is in order to stretch the front line, the line of active combat operations, and actually stretch (Ukraine's) defense forces," he added. "We also need to understand that the length of the border with our enemy is quite large. It is more than 560 kilometers (around 350 miles) in Sumy Oblast alone." Ukraine should be prepared for "any situations" and continue to build up its defense capabilities, Demchenko said. Since the Russian-occupied parts of Sumy Oblast were liberated in early April 2022, the region has been experiencing daily shelling and attacks from across the border, as it is located on Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia. Ukrainian authorities ordered further evacuations from the region amid intensified attacks. Read also: Kharkiv Oblast official: Ukraine controls around 60% of Vovchansk Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Foreign Affairs The United Nationss International Organization for Migration (IOM) hired Cornerstone Government Affairs to educate members on the IOM and lobby for consistent core funding in the FY 2025 appropriations cycle, according to a new disclosure. Congress barred funding to the U.N.s agency for Palestinian refugees as part of a foreign aid bill earlier this year, putting the agency responsible for humane and orderly migration on the defensive. To aid in that effort, the IOM has enlisted the help of Steve Marchese, who previously spent 21 years working for the House Appropriations Committee. Defense Lockheed Martin hired Cozen OConnor Public Strategies to lobby on issues related to defense policy and procurement. Lockheed Martin was the federal governments largest contractor in 2022, according to the most recent data available on SAM.gov, and was one of the top 20 spenders on federal lobbying last year, according to the money in politics tracking nonprofit OpenSecrets. Former Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) will work on the account. Telecommunications Comcast hired Miller Strategies to lobby on issues related to telecommunications, broadband policy, internet regulation, intellectual property and competition policy. One of the lobbyists on the account is Ashley Gunn, who was previously special assistant to the president and senior director of Cabinet affairs during the Trump administration. Trade The Canadian American Business Council hired Burke Consulting to lobby on issues related to U.S.-Canada trade and commerce. The lobbyist on the account is Elizabeth Burke, who previously worked for Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.). Education Atlanta Public Schools hired Holland & Knight to lobby on K-12 policy and federal grant funding. Robert Bradner, whose resume includes a stint as chief of staff and counsel to former Rep. John Porter (R-Ill.), former chair of a House Appropriations subcommittee For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ST. LOUIS A kid who had his wish granted at FOX 2 last year is giving back to others this weekend. His mother says that he now has no more brain tumors. The family is setting up a lemonade stand to raise money for local cancer charities. Drew Patchin has been dealing with significant medical treatments this year, including a trip to Houston for surgery and chemotherapy, followed by a return home for further clinical trials. He spent a considerable part of the school year at St. Jude in Memphis, Tennessee, undergoing multiple brain surgeries. Cicadas reaching higher decibel levels than MetroLink, trucks, and more The good news is that Drews most recent surgery successfully removed the remaining tumor. His mother, Jennifer, says he currently has no brain tumors. Drew and his family are now spending more time at home, transitioning back to a sense of normalcy. Drew will be taking donations at a lemonade stand near Parkway Northeast Middle School Sunday. Proceeds will benefit the Bennett Project and St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, both of which have significantly helped Drew. The family is excited to give back to the organizations that have supported them. Patchin had one of his wishes granted a year ago at FOX 2 when he co-hosted FOX 2s 9:00 a.m. show with Tim Ezell. Drew enjoyed a red carpet treatment, signed autographs for the FOX 2 staff, and demonstrated his super ninja skills. Drews Crew Lemonade Stand Sunday 10:30 a.m.-noon 253 Coeur De Ville Lane Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Brazilian Baby Reindeer accused of stalking doctor and sending him 1,300 emails after he saved her life A Brazilian woman arrested earlier this month is accused of displaying stalker behavior similar to that portrayed in the Netflix show Baby Reindeer over a doctor who she said saved her life. Kawara Welch, 23, allegedly called the doctor 500 times, and sent him 1,300 emails in one day. She also contacted his family and broke into his clinic prior to her arrest. Welch, a student studying nutrition at a university in the Uberlandia municipality, was arrested in Ituiutaba, Brazil, on May 8 after allegedly stalking the medical professional who treated her for depression six years ago. The charge of stalking carries a sentence of up to two years in jail, according to Brazilian news outlet Fantastico. Welch is also accused of theft, threats and extortion. She had been considered a fugitive since March 2023, the outlet reported. The doctor, who has not been identified, told Fantastico that after he had treated Welch, she would harass him nonstop, waiting behind corners for him to finish work before following him home. Kawara Welch, 23, alleged to have called the doctor 500 times in one day and broken into his clinic (@kawawelch/Instagram) She said that it wasnt a coincidence, that no one saves someone elses life so many times out of the blue, that there was something more to it, the doctor explained. He added that she broke into his practice and chased him several times. The case bears similiarities to the Netflix show Baby Reindeer, written by British comedian Richard Gadd, which retold the true story of his own experience with a stalker. The hit show drew backlash after social media sleuths, despite being warned off by Gadd, tracked down the supposedly anonymous woman depicted in the show Martha online. Journalist Piers Morgan later conducted a lengthy interview with the real-life Martha on his YouTube series, Piers Morgan Uncensored. In Brazil, the doctor said that Welchs messages had become threatening and he had attempted to cease contact with her, even asking a colleague to treat her instead. She had an incredible ability to track him down, he said. "She ended up sending me 1,300 messages in one day. And calls, she sent me more than 500 calls in one day, a single day, he told Fantastico. Piers Morgan interviewed Fiona Harvey, the real-life Martha, who was portrayed on the Netflix show Baby Reindeer (Piers Morgan/X) I changed my cell phone number three or four times, but I stopped changing because I saw it was completely useless. She had an incredible ability to find my new number. According to Fantastico, in the last five years, the doctor has registered 42 police reports against Welch. In one instance in 2022, she broke into his office and attacked his wife. In 2023, Welch stole the doctors wifes phone, leading to a warrant for her arrest. In March 2023, she was issued with a restraining order, but failed to comply with the terms. Earlier this month another woman, Rebeca Garcia, was dubbed The Venezuelan Baby Reindeer by Latin American media outlets. Dozens of Venezuelan women said that Garcia had been harassing, stalking and threatening them over multiple years. The case went viral on social media in Latin America, in part because of the overwhelming response to the victims accounts and pleas for justice in the country where officials claimed that harassment between women doesnt exist. Garcia allegedly sent hundreds of inappropriate emails to her victims, broke into their residences, and even published a book on Amazon detailing false encounters and fantasies with multiple women. Raymond Velazquez stood in the Asheville post office in a daze. Holding a letter from the blood bank in his hands, he read the lines of print over and over: HIV antibodies had been detected in his blood. He started to shake. Driving home, he fought to keep his grip steady on the steering wheel. There, his worried sister asked if he was okay. And I sat there at the table, and I told her. And I cried. Velazquez is one of 1.2 million people that are estimated to be living with HIV in America. Its been more than four decades since the first cases of AIDS were reported in New York City and Los Angeles. But the nations HIV epidemic is far from over especially in the South. In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated 32,100 new HIV infections across the country. More than half of those infections (52%) occurred in the South. This disproportionate impact is clear in North Carolina. In 2022, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 36,581 people in the state were living with HIV. That year, 1,366 people were newly diagnosed. Many of those people live in rural areas where HIV support and healthcare arent around the corner. For them, a diagnosis can be isolating and frightening, and fear of repercussions can leave them feeling frozen. Facing an overwhelming combination of distance and emotion, taking the steps to care can feel nearly impossible. And the stakes are high: the longer care is delayed, the more sick they will become. Thats where regional agencies step in. They bridge the gap between individuals and their healthcare and give people living with HIV the chance for a long, healthy life long after their diagnosis. When Velazquez received his diagnosis four years ago, he knew about HIV from friends and partners living with the virus. Still, after receiving the blood banks letter, he was unsure where to turn. A Google search for HIV testing directed him to an organization called the Western North Carolina Aids Project (WNCAP). There, when a test confirmed what the letter reported, the staff helped him start medication. Less than two months later, Velazquez was undetectable the level of HIV in his body was so low that the virus could not be transmitted. Along with life-saving medication, Velazquez received something equally valuable that day: acceptance. Velazquez is still tearful when he remembers the kindness of the staff member who gave him his results. He says something very simple to me, but very profound, Velazquez recalled. Would you like a hug? Rise in HIV cases in the South A number of factors are driving the HIV epidemic in the South, according to the CDC. These include poverty and unemployment which are associated with poorer health outcomes lack of access to health insurance, lack of public transportation and stigma. And the impact of the epidemic is uneven; people of color are most affected. In North Carolina, Black adults and adolescents made up 56.7% of those newly diagnosed with HIV in 2022 even though just 22.2% of the states population is Black. Theres no singular reason for the disproportionate geographical impact of HIV in the South. So, for organizations like WNCAP working to end the epidemic on the ground, theres no singular solution. The effort spans across sectors: advancements in medicine, public education, funding, policy and tackling HIV stigma are interconnected, and equally critical to connecting life-saving care to the people that need it most. This work is not simple. It takes staff members driving thousands of miles down remote mountain roads to bring clients to their doctors. It takes distributing thousands of tests, and thousands more clean syringes to keep the community safe. It takes grueling emotional work challenging the deep-rooted fear and shame of HIV still entrenched in some communities. And it takes facing heart-wrenching loss. Not everyone survives. Its not because HIV is deadly anymore, said John Chaffin, WNCAPs community navigation coordinator. It is if its not treated. Its not treated because we face a population of individuals who are underserved. Adolfo Jimenez, Jody Cross and John Chaffin represented the Western North Carolina AIDS Project at the Black Family Wellness Expo in March. The Western North Carolina AIDS Project, based in Asheville, has developed HIV aid programs in four categories: case management, prevention education, harm reduction and pharmacy services. Serving the state The Western North Carolina AIDS Project is housed in a small beige building, tucked in a street corner of Asheville. From there, the headquarters offers a robust array of services to 18 largely rural counties across western North Carolina. The nonprofit was founded by a group of volunteers in 1986, during a decade that saw more than 100,000 AIDS-related deaths across the nation. Since its founding, the organization has developed HIV aid programs in four categories: case management, prevention education, harm reduction and pharmacy services. One of the WNCAPs friendliest faces belongs to Chaffin. He knows firsthand that seeking help after a diagnosis might be one of the most frightening moments of a persons life. Chaffin never pictured a career in public health. But his career path and his life changed the moment he was diagnosed with HIV. Years before his diagnosis, Chaffin worked in HIV education with the Peace Corps in Zambia. But the diagnosis still came as a shock and loaded with personal shame. Youd think for someone whos at least slightly educated in HIV, Chaffin said, that I would have dismantled all that stigma. Fortunately, Chaffin said, he had a connection at WNCAP. In 2019, he joined the team as a harm reduction specialist. Now, he oversees the nonprofits client case management services. The program provides many essential resources for HIV care. That includes housing advocacy, legal assistance, substance abuse services, behavioral health services, hospice care, food delivery, connections to medical providers and more. Making it personal In 2022, WNCAPs case management team provided personalized services to 340 individuals. Many of these clients are poor or are unhoused. Many are gender or sexual minorities. And the disproportionate racial impact of HIV that is reported in the states overall population is reflected in WNCAPs client population, too. We serve an underserved population of individuals, and a lot of the folks we serve are people of color, even though Appalachia is really white, Chaffin said. We know that HIV impacts people in poverty, impacts people of color a lot more heavily than it does other groups of people. Along with addressing physical health, WNCAP focuses heavily on each patients emotional wellness. Many clients struggle with feelings of shame about their diagnosis. This is especially common for those raised in rural areas lacking adequate HIV education, with families and communities hostile towards their identity and diagnosis. Fear of negative backlash often discourages people from seeking help, Chaffin said. And delaying care can have serious consequences; the CDC states that starting antiretroviral treatment as early as possible is crucial to long-term health. Chaffin manages a major part of WNCAPs effort to combat the impact of stigma. He connects the nonprofits high need clients, who might be fearful, lonely or intimidated by the healthcare system, to one of WNCAPs peer navigators. These peer navigators are responsible for developing personal relationships with their assigned clients. Checking in with phone calls or texts, and helping clients understand their medical needs are just some of the navigators daily tasks. For especially nervous clients, navigators will even join them at their medical appointments, offering a comforting hand to hold. At every step of the way, peer navigators personally understand exactly what their clients are going through they are all living with HIV, too. A big problem that we have, not just for people living with HIV, but in the United States in general, is not having health literacy, Chaffin said. Having someone there they know living with HIV, who theyve now built a relationship with theyre more likely to go into care and to stay in care. The case management team works to overcome another barrier for people living with HIV in the South: transportation. WNCAP covers an isolated region shaped by the thickly forested Appalachian Mountain range. Many clients dont own cars, and public transportation is scarce. If youre poor, and you dont have a car in this country, youre up the creek without a paddle, Chaffin said. Hes driven his Nissan Kicks up steep mountains and even through rivers to reach clients some of whom, he said, live in trailers and even tents in the remote woods. Getting clients to their appointments is a major responsibility for 78-year-old navigator Jody Cross. When shes not at WNCAPs office, she spends her days behind the wheel of her 2004 Chevy Blazer, driving through western North Carolina. And when shes not in her car, Cross is calling her clients to check in and chat. And theres a couple of them, if I dont call them, they call me, she said. Many days, Cross clients are emotional, confused or afraid all feelings Cross knows well from her own experience with HIV. A health department worker was the first to inform Cross about her own status. It was 2013 Cross knew little about HIV, and she was overwhelmed by shock. But she clearly remembers her treatment by the health departments representative. She was very condescending, she recalled. And it was almost like an accusation. Later that day, a neighbor found Cross sitting alone in her car, stuck in a daze. When Cross told him what had happened, he directed her to WNCAP. Without her friends guidance that day, Cross said, I cant imagine what might have happened to me. Raymond Velazquez visits Cleveland County with free HIV/HCV testing, Naloxone, and safer sex supplies. The Western North Carolina AIDS Project, based in Asheville, offers a services to 18 largely rural counties across western North Carolina. Prevention as a solution WNCAPs work doesnt stop at individual treatment the organization aims to reduce the spread of HIV throughout the region, overall. The nonprofits harm reduction program operates a free and confidential syringe service program, which replaces un-sterile syringes with sterile ones to decrease the transmission of blood-borne infections like HIV. It is one of the largest in the state, reaching thousands of North Carolinians, as well as people from neighboring South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. In 2020, Velazquez joined the organization as a harm reduction community navigator, providing one-on-one services for clients who use drugs. Today, he serves as WNCAPs director of prevention. The CDC reported that in 2021, one in eight of the 1.2 million people living with HIV in the U.S. did not know their status. Velazquezs prevention team combats this by providing free rapid testing for HIV, Hepatitis C and syphilis. In 2022, WNCAP distributed more than 1,000 of those tests. Education is another critical part of prevention. The team provides the community with safer sex education programming and distributes safer sex supplies like condoms. Velazquezs work also includes representing the nonprofit at local colleges, where he speaks with students pursuing healthcare careers. We bring this material to folks before they go into these settings, so they know how to humanize a person, he said. Not putting their disease or substance use before the person, it makes a difference. Progress and setbacks In the decades since 1981, when the first cases of HIV were reported in the U.S., major developments in prevention and treatment now offer people who are living with HIV hope for a long and healthy life. Prescription antiretroviral medication helps people living with HIV reach viral suppression, or undetectable status. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that in 2022, nine out of 10 individuals receiving medical care were virally suppressed, meaning they can live longer lives without fear of transmitting HIV. The Food and Drug Administration has also approved three different kinds of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), medicine taken to prevent getting HIV. People who take PrEP reduce their risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99%. But where advancements in medicine have been considerable, progress in policy and funding has often lagged behind. In North Carolina, change has been slow, but significant. For decades, the states 1988 HIV control law made it illegal for people living with HIV to have sex without a condom, and required that they disclose their status with all their sexual partners. If those measures were violated, people living with HIV would be found guilty of a misdemeanor. After years of lobbying by HIV advocates, the policy was modernized in 2018. Now, if people living with HIV have been virally suppressed for six months or longer, they are not required to disclose their status to sexual partners or use a condom. In 2021, the ratification of House Bill 96, a law that allows pharmacists to administer post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) without a prescription, was another step forward. The medicine can prevent HIV after a possible exposure if taken within three days. Most recently, in December 2023, North Carolina became one of the last states to support expansion of Medicaid. As part of the expansion, North Carolina Medicaid also removed copayment requirements for HIV antiretroviral medications. The staff at the Western North Carolina AIDS Project is on the front lines lobbying for these changes and discovering lingering gaps in HIV education. In 2016, Cross met with a congressman on her third lobbying trip to D.C. Cross recalls the moment she told the representative that she was living with HIV. He was astounded. Until that moment, with Cross sitting in front of him, he said he had no idea that it was possible for women to contract HIV. He was just sitting there dumbfounded, she remembered. He just sort of fell back in his chair. Because he thought it was only for men and gay men at that! I felt like slapping him! Despite progress, North Carolina still has a way to go for making access to care entirely equal. Some policies have the potential to affect organizations like WNCAP directly. In 2021, Senate Bill 607 (the Substance Use Disorder Safety Act) was filed in the state Senate. If passed, the bill would have placed heavy restrictions on syringe exchange programs. It was having to do with where theyre located, proximity to schools, Velazquez said. It couldnt be mobile, it had to be fixed. For WNCAP, which is located less than a mile from an elementary school, and operates a mobile syringe service unit, that would shut down the majority of our services in harm reduction, Velazquez said. Recent GOP attacks on funding for HIV prevention programs also have WNCAP alarmed. Last year, in the neighboring state of Tennessee, the health department and Republican Gov. Bill Lee announced that the state would reject $8.8 million in federal grant money slated for HIV prevention-related services. The CDC, which was responsible for dispersing those federal grants to Tennessees health department, sidestepped the rejection. It sent $4 million less than half than the original grant total to a single Nashville nonprofit, which then dispersed the funding to other HIV organizations. If a similar decision happened in North Carolina, Velazquez and Chaffin fear the potential fallout at WNCAP. According to the nonprofits most recent annual report, government grants made up 20% of WNCAPs $6.1 million income. Were not a large organization. We have to rely on funding, applying to grants and things of that nature to receive the funding to do these services that really should be done by the state, or local health departments, Velazquez said. Healing from within The Western North Carolina AIDS Project is working hard to dismantle the stigma deeply embedded in its clients and community. And in the process, for many of the staff, the work has done the same for them. This is a family, Cross said. There is no separation. Reflecting on his career with WNCAP, Velazquez thinks back to his test years ago and the kindness, he said, that might have saved his life. Ive met people like me, who are queer and living with HIV, he said. I found family. Found community. Found love. Found work. And something Im passionate about. I never thought in a million years it could have started with that hug, he said. WNCAP cannot prevent every loss of life. And the grief is hard to shake. In this work when youre dealing with overdose deaths, or people that are not receiving care, you hear more bad or sad stories than you hear good ones, Velazquez said, barely holding back tears. Still, the positive impact is undeniable. When clients share the stories of how WNCAP has changed their lives whether they received an HIV test, sterile syringes or just a kind phone call Velazquez hangs onto every word. When you get that diamond, you grab it, he said. And thats what keeps me going. UNC Media Hub is a collection of students from the various concentrations in the Hussman School of Journalism and Media working together to create integrated multimedia packages covering stories from around North Carolina and beyond. (KRON) A Brentwood man was indicted by a federal grand jury after police found large collections of child pornography and guns in his possession, the Brentwood Police Department said Monday. The man was also busted for engaging in an online conversation with a BPD officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. In May 2023, the undercover officer chatted online with the suspect, 43-year-old Michael Patterson, and arranged a meetup to engage in sexual conduct. Patterson was arrested when he showed up at the meet-up spot. IMAGES: Man arrested for DUI after gnarly Petaluma crash Inside the suspects car, police found his phone and a loaded gun, BPD said. Police later discovered that Patterson possessed more than 600 videos and 1,200 images showing child sexual abuse materials on his electronic devices, BPD said. He also had dozens of guns, ammunition, gun manufacturing machines and more weaponry. Three of the guns were short-barreled rifles, and one was a fully automatic unregistered machine gun, per police. A federal judge indicted Patterson for receipt of child pornography and possession of an unregistered short-barreled rifle. He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted, the United States District Attorneys Office said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Welcome to a tasty mailbag! In this week's edition, I hit two of my favorite topics: downtown Indianapolis and fast-food chains. If you want to submit a question for a future mailbag, email james.briggs@indystar.com or use the Google form at the bottom of the online article page. Which fast-food chain do we need downtown, and why is it Popeyes? I'm not going to pooh-pooh the Popeyes suggestion, but it's not the fast-food joint we need downtown. That would be Dunkin'. To be clear, I'm not a huge Dunkin' fan. I prefer several local doughnut shops. Among the chains, I would take Krispy Kreme over Dunkin' any day. But, if you consider what downtown is lacking and which new option would stand the best chance of success, Dunkin' is the populist choice. There are several fast-food joints serving chicken sandwiches. There are not nearly enough places to find custard doughnuts or 460-calorie blueberry muffins. I'm not going to eat those every day. But I'm going to eat them sometimes. Plus, there's always room for more coffee downtown. I landed on Dunkin' based on three criteria: a chain that doesn't have another location within plausible walking distance from Monument Circle; a menu that is most likely to appeal to the average resident or worker; and a business that has proven durable in other downtowns. Dunkin' recently opened on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit. Could downtown Indianapolis be next? Dunkin' is a lock. If you've traveled to many other cities, you've almost certainly seen a downtown Dunkin' somewhere else possibly with a line out the door. It appeals to city dwellers and commuters alike, serving up trusty, albeit regrettable, desserts-as-breakfasts that people can take on the go. Meanwhile, the nearest Dunkin' is on the east side, about four miles from Monument Circle. Downtown is a Dunkin' desert. Yes, it's true that Dunkin' already existed downtown and closed in 2017. But that out-of-the-way Gainbridge Fieldhouse space was not ideal to most people who'd want to visit. There are plenty of better locations, especially considering Dunkin' doesn't need much space. It is geared toward people in transit and operates within small real estate footprints. That's ideal for downtowns. Dunkin' is one of the most successful chains in America and it is perfectly aligned with Indianapolis' convention and tourism vibe. Mark my words: We will get another Dunkin'. If I'm choosing based on what I want without regard to viability, I'd bring back Penn Station or (even more niche) Pita Pit, both of which closed years ago on Washington Street. I'm not saying Popeyes is a terrible idea. It's just that Dunkin' is a (sigh) slam dunk. Indiana's best: Does this Indiana bakery chain have the best donuts in America? Voters said 'Yes'. John Davis: Will we ever see an actual party split again? I mean to the level of Whigs, AIP, etc. What would it realistically take for a schism in today's world? I'd put this in the category of possible desirable, even yet unlikely. Matthew Yglesias a few years ago laid out a pitch for how congressional moderates could leverage the power they wield in tightly divided chambers to form their own party. He suggested at the time that Sens. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, could join together and start a centrist party. Yglesias' theory was that if a few high-profile moderates took the plunge, they'd likely recruit many more members spanning crucial geographic swaths of the country, which would make it unlikely that the big two parties could quash them. Yglesias describes the opportunity as real, yet unappealing to the people best positioned to pull it off. "The opportunity for a cross-party group of moderates to seize control of the Senate has arisen repeatedly over the past 20 years and it never happens," he writes. "Moderate members just dont seem to think along these lines. The habits of partisanship are deeply ingrained, there doesnt appear to be much trust among members of Congress that would let them hatch schemes amongst themselves, and a lot of Americans are firmly convinced (against the international evidence) that multi-party politics is impossible with our electoral institutions." The most extreme members of Congress often love flexing their power to break systems. It'd be great if moderates felt similarly moved to use their power sometimes. I wish we would get rid of the straight-party option in the ballot box. Make people at least read the names of who they are voting for. Any chance that will ever go away? There's a very strong chance. Eliminating straight-party voting is such a mainstream idea that almost every state has already done it. Niki Kelly wrote a good column on this in 2022 for the Indiana Capital Chronicle, noting Indiana is among only six states that still give voters the chance to enter the booth, pick a party and call it a day. Two others, notably, are Michigan and Kentucky. You know how Indiana doesn't like to get out in front of its neighbors. The Indiana General Assembly can end the straight-ticket option any time it wants. Republicans (in Marion County) and Democrats (statewide) both have reasons for hating the practice. So far, though, the legislature hasn't been motivated to do anything about it. Chuck White: I am baffled by the press continuing to ask politicians if they will accept the results of an election. Doesn't this somehow validate their right to challenge an election even if it is only because they lost? Why is the press continuing to feed the idea that politicians can challenge the results? In defense of "the press," such as it is, I'd say there is value in putting supposedly responsible and upstanding government leaders like Sen. Tim Scott, R-South Carolina, on the record making it clear they feel more allegiance to Donald Trump than the U.S. Constitution. On a personal and more contrarian level, though, I don't like to ask interview questions with predictable answers, especially when a hundred other reporters are likely to ask the same question. Ambitious Republicans consider it more advantageous to stroke Trump's ego than to behave responsibly within the norms of American history. That would be clear even with fewer reporters asking questions about who's willing to accept the 2024 election results. Thank you for reading! Send your questions about restaurant chains, politics or anything else to james.briggs@indystar.com and they might show up in a future mailbag. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Does downtown Indianapolis have a Dunkin'? It should. Geoffrey Kitchen was a well-known member of the local community in Thornbury, Glos A retired British grandfather was killed and 60 others were injured after a flight from Heathrow to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence. Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, 73, died after the aircraft suffered a dramatic drop, with those not wearing seat belts launched immediately into the ceiling. The Singapore Airlines flight was forced to perform an emergency landing at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport, where Thai authorities described encountering a chaotic scene. Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said Mr Kitchen, who has two grown up children and two grandchildren, suffered a suspected heart attack. He was travelling with his wife of more than 50 years, Linda, who has been transferred to hospital for treatment. Severe turbulence that hit a London to Singapore flight left one man dead and many injured, with Bangkok emergency services tending to those affected - VIralPress Mr Kitchen was the trustee and the secretary of a musical theatre group in the market town of Thornbury in Glos. The couple lived at the semi-detached home they had purchased in 2009 and he was a well-known member of the local community. He had lived in the town for more than 30 years and last May stood in the Thornbury Town Council elections as an independent candidate for the North East Ward. During his campaign he described how his local town was a good place to bring up a family and it clearly still has that draw for new families and pledged to support the arts, the environment and young people. Mr Kittikachorn reported seven critical injuries, 23 immediate injuries, and a further 30 minor injuries. Images posted on social media showed damage to the cabins ceiling, and food, cutlery and other debris strewn across the floor. Andrew Davies, from Lewisham, said fellow passengers received very little warning to put on their seat belts. He described seeing many injured, some with head lacerations and bleeding ears. A lady was screaming in pain with a bad back, he said. Singapore Airlines said the Boeing 777-300ER took off from Londons Heathrow airport and encountered severe turbulence en route. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board, a spokesman said, offering the airlines deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board Flight SQ321, which took off from Heathrow at 10.17pm on Monday. The Boeing jet diverted to Bangkok around 90 minutes prior to its intended arrival in Singapore, making an emergency landing in the Thai capital at around 4pm local time. Mr Kittikachorn said: We followed the protocol and went in and found lots of injuries and a fatality. Airport officials enacted an emergency action plan and evacuated the passengers right away, he said. The airports medical team rushed to the tarmac and tended to the injured, with waiting ambulances transferring them to a local hospital for further treatment. Passengers were in shock after a flight from London to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence Airport staff brace for the flight's arrival - ViralPress/ViralPress Around 100 passengers were preparing to board a new flight out of Bangkok on Tuesday. Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board the flight, described how the plane suddenly began tilting up and shaking. I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling, he said. Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it, he said. Mr Davies, a freelance project manager, said: Anyone who is injured was not wearing a seatbelt. People who kept them on (including me) are not (as far as I could tell). My heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life and his poor wife. Awful experience, he said. He described how passengers with medical training tried to help as much as they could, including administering CPR to Mr Kitchen. Emergency responders give aid to passengers - UNPIXS/UNPIXS The aircraft encountered extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin about 10 hours after its departure from London. Flight tracking data showed the plane falling around 5,000ft from a cruising altitude of 37,000ft within minutes. Current aviation weather reports indicate thunderstorms reaching up to 51,000ft are spread across western Thailand and well down into the Gulf of Thailand, a distance of around 475 miles. Last week, a British Airways flight was forced to return to Singapore after encountering heavy turbulence. One crew member reportedly needed surgery to her ankle after she was injured during the flight. On June 28 last year, two British Airways cabin crew suffered broken legs when a flight from Singapore to Heathrow was affected by severe turbulence over the Bay of Bengal. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Armed plotters made their way inside the Palace of the Nation in Kinshasa during the attempted coup - REUTERS A British man accused of being a ringleader in a thwarted Congolese coup says he was duped by an eccentric former US car dealer who was leading the putsch. Congos military says a British national who acted as number two in the plot against President Felix Tshisekedi is among 50 suspects held, including three Americans. A video clip shared by the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) shows a man identified as Ezangi Viatochir Youssouf who says he is from England. The Telegraph was unable to independently verify his identity, or whether he was speaking under duress. In the clip the man says that he followed Christian Malanga, an exiled opposition figure killed leading the brazen coup attempt in the early hours of Sunday. Mr Youssoff, described as the plots coordinator and recruiter, said he had followed Mr Malanga because he had been told the plot had American support. He said: Coming from England, where I had followed his movement, he assured us that if we succeeded, he would henceforth be called president of the republic. We were only following his ideology when he told us that he is going to seize power, because he has Americans behind him. There were no Americans. Mr Malanga had planned to rename the country New Zaire, he said. The DRC military has described the detained UK plotter as a naturalised British subject, the number two of the group. The Foreign Office confirmed it was investigating reports a British national was being held. DRC does not recognise dual nationals, meaning consular officials may be denied access to him. As more details of Sundays failed coup emerged, the alleged plotters increasingly appeared to be an amateurish and ragtag bunch. Short-lived uprising The short-lived uprising began when conspirators attacked the house of Vital Kamerhe, the former chief of staff and close ally of President Tshisekedi, sparking a brief gunfight. Mr Malanga was meanwhile live-streaming video from the presidential palace in which he was seen surrounded by several people in military uniforms wandering around in the middle of the night. He was later killed while resisting arrest. A total of six people were killed, including at least two police guards. Mr Malanga described himself on his website as a refugee who thrived after settling in Utah in the US with his family in the 1990s. He later described himself as the organiser of the United Congolese Party, aimed at organising emigres against the current Congolese dictatorship government regime and described himself as president of the New Zaire government-in-exile. He dabbled in gold mining and used cars before persuading his Utah-born son to join in the foiled coup, according to officials description of events. His 21-year-old son, Marcel, is now among those being held in DRC. In a Facebook post, Marcels mother, Brittney Sawyer, wrote that her son had followed his father. Congolese security forces secure the streets of Kinshasa - SAMY NTUMBA SHAMBUYI/AP She wrote: This was an innocent boy following his father. Im so tired of all the videos being posted all over and being sent to me. God will take care of you people! Court records showed Mr Malanga had faced a string of charges in America. In 2001, the year he turned 18, he was convicted in Utah in incidents including assault with a firearm that resulted in a 30-day jail sentence and three years of probation. The same year, he was charged with domestic violence assault in one incident and battery and disturbing the peace in another. He pleaded not guilty and all counts in both cases were dismissed. Later, in 2004, he was charged with domestic violence with threat of using a dangerous weapon, but the charges were again dismissed. Since 2004, records show several cases related to a custody dispute and a child support dispute. Congolese media showed the passport of another American alleged to have taken part in the coup, called Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun. The graduate from the University of Colorado later started a commodity trading business and worked as a courier and Uber driver. In 2015, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to ship 20kg of marijuana to customers across the United States. Details of the outlandish plot have been met with scepticism in the DRC. Dino Mahtani, an independent researcher into African issues, told Reuters that Mr Malanga may have been set up or betrayed in the weekend attack. He said: Somebody put him up to this. It could be external plotters, but given his previous close relationship with at least one of Tshiskedis current military commanders, theres some chance the plot was known about internally and this allowed them to move quickly. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. British Markus Smith trekked the trip on foot from Budapest to Uzhhorod in order to enlist in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The story of the foreigner was revealed for the public in the Transcarpathian Regional Territorial Centre for Recruitment and Social Support (enlistment office ed.). Marcus travelled over 300 kilometres in 8 days, 6 hours, 36 minutes and 14 seconds. "For the past few years, the war in your country has been covered on television around the world. I believe that you deserve great respect and honour, because you are fighting for the peaceful life of your country. I came here to try to help you in this war," said the man from Manchester. According to Smith, Vladimir Putin may want to seize even more territories. "He will want more and more and that could lead to a Third World War in which he would be like Hitler. Putin will continue to go from country to country, saying: I want this and this! And these are my rules! Therefore, I am here: to fight for Ukrainians and, I hope, to prevent a world war," he added. Marcus also stated that the UK only survived and maintained its freedom thanks to the assistance of other countries during World War II. Thus, he wishes to do everything he can to stop the aggressor. Support UP or become our patron! Rudy Giulianis new coffee business must be grinding hard to hock its beans as the dirt-broke former mayor fills his cup with another debt: a $10,000 bond issued Tuesday by an Arizona state court after Giuliani unsuccessfully evaded a subpoena at his own birthday bash. During arraignment, Giuliani pleaded not guilty to nine counts of conspiracy, forgery, and fraud. Prosecutors sought to ensure his return to court by issuing the bond, which will be returned to him if he makes his court date, due to his prior efforts to avoid being served. On Friday night, hours before he was served, Giuliani posted a photo of himself at his birthday party mocking the Arizona attorney general. After he was served, he deleted the post. He has shown no intent to comply with the legal process in Arizona, prosecutor Nicholas Klingerman said of Giuliani when petitioning the court for bond. Giuliani has 30 days to appear in Arizona to be booked. The Arizona fake elector indictment is just the latest in a long series of predictable events for Giuliani, whos been largely left out in the cold by the man he sweat his hair off trying to support. Appearing remotely, Giuliani stated he didnt have a lawyer. When asked by the court if he wanted a public defender, he said, No, no, I think I am capable of handling it myself. At the time of his arraignment, an ad featuring the future convict touting his Rudy Coffee brand began getting double-roasted online. 100 % Arabica coffee beans roasted right here in America You will taste the difference! Order today at. https://t.co/9ZXtDxyWdg pic.twitter.com/ViXVvdn2A3 Rudy W. Giuliani (@RudyGiuliani) May 19, 2024 Im obsessed with how he says chocoley, wrote one Twitter user. If rock bottom was a person, cracked another. This ad is giving Drag Race branding challenge where the queen ends up in the bottom, takes off her wig during the lip sync (only to reveal her wig cap), then goes home, wrote New York City Councilman Chi Osse. Giuliani is charged alongside 17 others for a harebrained fake elector scheme theyre alleged to have crafted in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results. The 18 defendants are all charged with nine counts of felony conspiracy, forgery, and fraud by the state of Arizona, where prosecutors allege the dozen and a half wise guys and gals submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring Trump won Arizona in the 2020 presidential election. According to AP, 11 people were arraigned alongside Giuliani on Tuesday, including Tyler Bowyer, an executive for white nationalistfueled group Turning Point USA, Arizona state Senator Anthony Kern, and miscellaneous leaders and chairs of Arizona state and local Republican organizations. Of the 18 indicted, seven are former Trump aides, including former chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump attorney John Eastman, whos alleged to have cooked up the plan, and Jenna Ellis, another Trump attorney who tried persuading Arizona lawmakers to change the 2020 election results. Nebraska voters in the state's 2nd Congressional District will face a rematch between Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas, left, and U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb. (Courtesy of the candidates; Capitol photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) OMAHA Nebraskas most competitive congressional race is set. Its the expected rematch of Democratic State Sen. Tony Vargas of Omaha and Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon of Papillion. But unlike the first time Bacon and Vargas faced one another, the incumbent who built his reputation on catering to centrist voters is coming off a primary election that forced him to bank to the right. Bacon beat two-time GOP House candidate Dan Frei by 24 percentage points. But Frei made enough noise as a populist candidate with tea party roots to make Bacon work. Last weeks 2nd District race was the first meaningful primary campaign for Bacon since his first contest in May 2016, when he beat former State Sen. Chip Maxwell of Omaha 66%-34%. Bacon and his campaign this time around focused much of their advertising and social media messaging on the general election, but they were forced in spots to emphasize Bacons conservative stances, including on abortion. Freis campaign used guerrilla tactics to organize and energize GOP partisans unhappy with the status quo, including people demanding loyalty to former President Donald Trump. Frei criticized Bacon for waiting so long to endorse Trump. Bacon held off until after it was clear no other GOP candidate could win. Bacon endorsed Trump in 2016 and 2020. Much of the Frei campaign was waged on social media and through 25,000 door-to-door contacts, while Bacons campaign emphasized banking early voting ballots, calls, texts and knocking on 40,000 doors. Frei campaign tried energizing base For Frei, online organizing helped him grab some headlines as leadership teams were flipped in the Douglas, Sarpy and Saunders County GOPs, leading to the three county parties endorsements of Frei. Frei sought but did not receive Trumps endorsement or the backing of the House Freedom Caucus, a right-wing group that ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, an ally of Bacons. Most political observers who spoke to the Examiner in recent days said low turnout in the primary about 24% in the 2nd District likely helped Frei, although Freis campaign disagreed. We were disappointed with the low turnout because we believed in our messaging, said Patrick Peterson, a campaign consultant for Frei. Several political observers argued that Bacons margin of victory showed that conservative populists arent reflective of the broader GOP primary electorate, although they are extremely active online and make up a sizable portion of the partys base. Others said Freis ability to motivate them could signal potential trouble generating enthusiasm from that group for Bacon. Dems spent to soften Bacon National Democratic-aligned groups have spent nearly $2 million on digital, TV and radio since early 2023 to criticize Bacon and drive up his negatives for the general election. Some laid groundwork for issues in November, criticizing Bacons support for income tax cuts for top earners and his willingness to discuss potential ways to shore up Social Security, including some changes ads have criticized as cuts. Most spots were paid for by Nebraska for Us and Unrig Our Economy, groups tied to the Hub Project. Others came from 314 Action, which backs Democrats focused on science and technology. Democratic donors were already watching the 2nd District race because the slightly right-leaning Omaha-based district is one of only a handful of swing districts nationally. Some perked up when they saw the new, more populist-led Nebraska Republican Party endorse Frei and send volunteers to Douglas, Sarpy and Saunders Counties to walk door-to-door. But that backing couldnt overcome incumbency, name recognition or campaign cash. Frei raised only $126,000 to Bacons $3.5 million, federal fundraising reports from late April show. GOP still backs Bacon Bacons campaign said it was clear voters knew who Bacon was and did not want a different candidate. Bacon criticized Freis campaign for misleading people about his votes. Bacon, a retired Air Force brigadier general, drew heat from some Republicans for backing military aid to Ukraine and for helping pass a bipartisan infrastructure bill. If you look around the country at Republican incumbents in swing House districts, we did better than most, said Matthew Zacher, Bacons campaign manager. Bacon got $673,000 in outside help from Big Red Leadership PAC, a group funded by U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., according to OpenSecrets.org, which tracks outside spending. Much of that money was spent on biographical TV and radio ads reminding voters about Bacon. Ricketts, the state GOPs top donor for years, also walloped a GOP-endorsed opponent in the primary. Paul Landow, a retired University of Nebraska at Omaha political scientist who has worked in Democratic campaigns, said he expects most Frei Republicans to find their way back to Bacon this fall. But Bacon beat Vargas by only about three percentage points in 2022, and since this is a presidential year, that will bring out more voters on all sides, Landow said, so marginal changes could matter. Some Frei supporters have suggested the possibility of mounting or supporting a third-party candidate to siphon support from Bacon. No one has yet filed paperwork to do so. Endorsement questions Frei has not endorsed Bacon. He waited until Friday to concede the race, and on Saturday he spoke against the state GOP making a blanket endorsement of the congressional delegation, which includes Bacon. The state GOP postponed a vote on whether to endorse the incumbent congressional delegates. Vargas faced no primary. His campaign team has spent the past several months raising money and criticizing Bacon, saying he talks centrist and votes conservative. At last check, Vargas had raised $2.4 million and had $1.6 million in campaign cash on hand. Bacons most recent report listed $1.7 million in cash on hand. Freis showed $41,268. Vargas, according to Open Secrets most recent database update, faced $10,000 in outside spending against him. His campaign said they did not see any primary ad spending against him. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Bruising Bacon-Frei GOP primary bleeds into Bacon-Vargas rematch this fall appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) A Buffalo man has been arrested for an alleged burglary that occurred on May 18, two months after being arrested for four other burglaries, according to the Buffalo Police Department. 2 charged in Buffalo burglary, 1 of them charged for additional burglaries Police said shortly after 3 a.m. this past Saturday, 27-year-old Walter Dixon was allegedly found at a business on Clinton Street. Officers found burglar tools including screwdrivers, a wrench, and a utility bag in his work bag. He had allegedly caused hundreds of dollars in damage and had stolen around $1,000 in cash. Dixon was arrested in March and faced 12 felony charges at the time for the other burglaries he was allegedly involved in. For this incident, he was charged with: third-degree burglary fourth-degree grand larceny fourth-degree criminal mischief possession of burglar tools Dixon was arraigned and released on $15,000 bail. Latest Local News Kayleigh Hunter-Gasperini joined the News 4 team in 2024 as a Digital Video Producer. She is a graduate of Chatham University. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to News 4 Buffalo. If the Supreme Court rules that bump stocks arent machine guns later this summer, it could quickly open an unfettered marketplace of newer, more powerful rapid-fire devices. The Trump administration, in a rare break from gun rights groups, quickly banned bump stocks after the 2017 mass shooting at a Las Vegas concert that was the deadliest in U.S. history. In the ensuing years, gun rights groups challenged the underlying rationale that bump stocks are effectively machine guns culminating in a legal fight now before the Supreme Court. Justices appeared divided on the issue during oral arguments in February, and they are on the clock to hand down a ruling by June. How they ultimately define machine guns will have a sweeping impact not only on bump stocks but a whole class of similar rapid-fire devices effectively banned in the U.S. David Pucino, legal director at Giffords Law Center, said lower courts are currently treating bump stocks and similar devices like machine guns, which are banned. The use case for new rapid-fire devices lower courts are considering is that somebody wants to have a machine gun, and the law wont let them have one, Pucino said. If the Supreme Court does overturn the ban, he said, it would be very, very dangerous for public safety. Bump stocks, which gained national attention after the shooter in Las Vegas used the devices to kill 60 and injure hundreds more, are inaccurate, sporadic and difficult to control, jolting a gun back and forth. Gun enthusiasts have created new rapid-fire devices without the jolting drawbacks of bump fire. The logic of legalization for all of the devices is basically the same: Its not technically a machine gun. And if its not named, its not banned. Circuit courts have come to different conclusions on whether a bump stock is legally a machine gun, and the Trump-era ban remains in place pending the Supreme Courts ruling in Cargill v. Garland, which pits a gun dealer, Michael Cargill, against the Department of Justice. The conservative majority of the 5th Circuit called the language of machine gun bans egregiously ambiguous, while the more liberal D.C. Circuit said it was the plaintiffs definition that was unworkable, internally inconsistent, and counterintuitive. If the Supreme Court undoes the bump stock ban, it would be up to Congress to decide how or whether to regulate rapid-fire devices, which have proliferated through the gray market since 2017. Some members of Congress are already pressing for action in advance of the Supreme Court decision. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and 67 members of Congress wrote a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in March calling for preemptive legislation against bump stocks and other rapid-fire accessories. This is particularly imperative given the case pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, which could disrupt the current legal landscape, the lawmakers said in the letter. The Closing the Bump Stock Loophole Act would limit gun industry loopholes, as it applies to all parts and modifications that similarly increase the rate of fire by eliminating the need for each single function of the trigger. Speaker Johnson declined to comment on the letter from Spanberger or the GOPs willingness to regulate rapid-fire devices. Only one Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.) signed onto Spanbergers letter, highlighting how the politics have shifted since 2017. At that time, even the influential National Rifle Association (NRA) was calling on federal agencies to review whether bump stocks were legal. The NRA has done an about-face on that position. Writing to the Supreme Court, the organization called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosivess (ATF) ban of bump stocks arbitrary and capricious and said Congress defined machine gun clearly, and bump stocks clearly do not fit that definition. 900 rounds a minute and 100 percent legal In 2022, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) wrote to ATF Director Steven Dettelbach after authorities found the shooter at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, attempted to use a hellfire trigger to accelerate his AR-15s rate of fire. The hellfire trigger is an inexpensive, invisible addition to popular firearms such as the AR-15. The device creates guns with substantially the same rate of fire as fully automatic [rifles], Castro wrote. Authorities found that the device malfunctioned at Uvalde. Castro worried the haunting day at Uvalde when 19 students and two teachers were shot and killed could have been even worse. The outcome in Uvalde was already devastating, and a device that effectively functions as a bump stock should be explicitly prohibited under ATFs regulations, Castro said. Firequest International, which manufactures the hellfire products, currently boasts that its device allows you to pull your guns trigger at up to 900 [rounds per minute], legally. Firequest claims its products arrive with an ATF certificate of legality and that you can fire single, double, bursts or empty [magazines] and it is 100 percent legal. The ATF declined to comment on the legality of Firequests products or its claims about ATF certificates. But Firequest is one seller in a larger gun enthusiast community probing for weaknesses in machine gun bans, and hellfire triggers are just one example of the vague line between whats legal and what isnt. At the center of this debate is the forced-reset trigger (FRT). Unlike a semiautomatic firearm, which requires users to release the trigger to fire again, an FRT pushes itself back into the starting position automatically, as users are still pressing the trigger down with their pulling finger. Manufacturers of FRTs argue their products are not machine guns because the trigger still functions once for every round fired. However, a shooter using an FRT fires much faster than even the fastest speed shooters could ever hope to. So fast, in fact, that enthusiasts have made comparison videos between a real M16 machine gun and a semi-automatic AR-15 with an FRT. Both chew through a 30-round magazine at the exact same rate and are nearly indistinguishable unless you look inside the gun. The government argues that the continuous action of the shooter holding down the trigger effectively converts a semi-automatic gun into a machine gun. In 2022, the ATF released an open letter advising federally licensed gun dealers that some FRT devices are illegal under the 1968 Gun Control Act. The ATF would not comment on what some may mean. The letter hasnt stopped manufacturers from innovating new designs that achieve forced reset, with names including the wide open trigger, the super safety, the Alamo-15 or simply the FRT-15. This has led to a game of regulatory whack-a-mole, with an ongoing cycle of sale, sanction and then confiscation from buyers, forcing manufacturers to attempt a new workaround that may fall outside the some distinction. ATF spokesperson Ruth Clemens told The Hill that ATF has significant concerns about the public safety risks posed by forced reset triggers and similar devices. While ATF and the Department are taking appropriate actions consistent with the pending litigation, we cannot further comment at this time, she added. Spirit vs. letter of the law When Congress signed machine gun bans into law in the 1930s, it banned any gun that fires more than one round with a single function of the trigger. The Supreme Court will decide what Congress meant by single function almost 100 years ago. Though the courts decision will be specific to bump stocks, it will also inform fights over rapid-fire triggers that have been bubbling up at lower courts. In October, a federal district court in Texas ruled the ATFs ban on FRTs is likely unlawful after the National Association of Gun Rights (NAGR) challenged it. NAGR represents the company that created the first FRT design, Rare Breed Triggers, which has since been sanctioned by the Department of Justice. The gun rights group applied the same logic now being used to defend bump stocks at the Supreme Court, winning an injunction against government bans. In that case, Judge Reed OConnor said, the definition of machinegun utilizes a grammatical construction that ties the definition to the movement of the trigger itself, and not the movement of a trigger finger. The statute does not say by a single pull of the trigger finger. Nor does it say by single function of the trigger finger, OConnor said. Gun control advocates argue that a debate over single function misses the point of bans on machine guns. The Justices are aware theres a sort of forced nature to the other sides argument, Shira Feldman, director of constitutional litigation at Brady United Against Gun Violence, told The Hill. Brady, a gun-control advocacy group, has also filed a brief in Cargill. Is it really reasonable that Congress would have written the law such that we have to read these statutes in a way that we wouldnt normally parse language? Feldman said. According to Feldman and fellow legal experts at Brady, the gun industry has been disingenuous in calling rapid-fire accessories legal and has sold them as get them before [theyre] banned products. Weve seen the gun industry do everything they can do to skirt federal regulation to increase the lethality of the weapons that they can sell to civilians, whether its a hellfire [trigger], a bump stock or a host of other accessories, said Christian Heyne, chief programs officer at Brady. The main reason you have these is to kill as many people in this short amount of time as you can. And to victims, it isnt important exactly how the trigger mechanism works, added Douglas Letter, Bradys chief legal officer. The point is that what Congress was trying to do [when it passed machine gun bans] was make these unbelievably dangerous weapons not a part of our civilian society, he said. Cargill, the plaintiff in the bump stock case, is a Texas gun store owner who sued the government after it confiscated his two bump stocks in 2018. He argues the ATF took up powers meant for Congress when it started to treat bump stocks like machine guns. In a phone interview with The Hill, Cargill also said the question before the Supreme Court simply comes down to the letter of the law. Its not justification enough to say that it could be used in a particular crime, even if it was used in the worst shooting in the United States, he said. Its not about the rate of fire this is about the action in the trigger. If I pull the trigger and one round comes out, thats semiautomatic. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. A man is accused of breaking into a neighborhood market in Jennings earlier this month and stealing more than $20,000 in cash and merchandise. According to the St. Louis County Police Departments probable cause statement, the break-ins took place in the early morning hours of May 9 on Hamilton Avenue. Just after 3 a.m., police received a call from a resident reporting that a group of men were trying to break into her attached garage on Hamilton. Officers arrived and found no one in the callers garage. However, officers noticed that the rear door of the nearby Lillian Market at 5200 Hamilton had been left open. Officers discovered that the door and security gate had been pried open, and an ice machine inside the business had been damaged. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Investigators reviewed surveillance footage and saw three men enter the market, one of whom was carrying a pistol. The men took cash from the register, as well as cigarettes, alcohol, and other items. Police said the total value of stolen cash and property was $20,280. The owner of the market estimated the damage to the gate, rear door, and ice machine to be $6,100. Days later, police arrested Rodney A. Caston (age not provided) for an unrelated theft at the Family Dollar store in Jennings. Police claim Caston was identified via surveillance footage from Lillian Market. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office charged Caston with first-degree burglary, stealing $750 or more, and first-degree property damage. Caston is being held on a $50,000 bond. Hes due in court next week for a bond reduction hearing. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Related video: Homes saved, property destroyed in 318-acre Highlands County brush fire TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A burn ban is in effect in Highlands County due to weather conditions in the area, the Highlands County Sheriffs Office said Tuesday. No burning of any kind is allowed without a Florida Forest Service Permit, the sheriffs office said. This includes: Burning of yard trash, vegetation, grass, lumber, trees, household paper products and debris Bonfires, campfires, and outdoor fireplaces Outdoor pyrotechnic displays Open cook fires Cooking on a contained gas or charcoal grill is allowed. The Highlands County Sheriffs Office said the burn ban applies to unincorporated Highlands County, including Lorida and Venus, the special districts of Sun n Lake Improvement District and Spring Lake Improvement District, and the municipalities of Avon Park, Lake Placid, and Sebring. The ban is in effect until June 20. The Highlands County Fire Chief could terminate the ban sooner if conditions improve. Violations of the ban carry a fine of up to $500 and/or up to 60 days in the county jail. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) revived a bill this week to provide mental health resources for families that have been affected by police violence. The Helping Families Heal Act would establish grant programs within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand communities ability to fund a range of mental health programs to support victims, families and students impacted by police violence. The legislation, first proposed by Bush in September 2022, was reintroduced on what would have been the 28th birthday of Michael Brown, a Black teenager who was killed by St. Louis police when he was 18. His death became the catalyst for the Black Lives Matter movement. Though the white officer who killed Brown resigned from the department, a grand jury declined to indict him. Police violence steals precious lives like Mike Brown and so many others, Bush said in a statement. The trauma and grief that it leaves in its wake contributes to mental health crises and disproportionately harms surviving family members, Black and brown communities, and young people. The legislation, Bush added, was drafted with input from Browns mother, Lezley McSpadden. Mike Brown should still be alive, and today, on his 28th birthday, we are honoring him by reintroducing this vitally needed legislation, said Bush, who spent more than 400 days protesting on the Ferguson Frontlines as a nurse and clergy member prior to her time in Congress. The legislation would hire, train and dispatch mental health professionals and community health workers to provide services to anyone who suffered traumatic experiences or are in grief as a result of witnessing or experiencing law enforcement personnel violence. This violence includes those who have been personally affected or those who have lost a friend, colleague or neighbor from such violence. The legislation would also invest in programs to identify and treat intergenerational trauma as a result of witnessing or experiencing police violence. Cosponsors of this legislation include Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), Jesus Chuy Garcia (Ill.) and Rashida Tlaib (Mich.). The Helping Families Heal Act will provide more resources to address the devastating mental health consequences of police violence in our communities, Bush said. As we continue to work to end police brutality, mass incarceration, and cycles of trauma, we must also invest in the health, safety, and well-being of our communities. Together, we can help our families heal. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced a grilling from both pro-Gaza protesters and Senators during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Tuesday. Ostensibly, the hearing was supposed to be about the Biden administrations budget request for the 2025 fiscal year. But even before the hearing began, the committee room on the fourth floor of the Dirksen building had numerous opponents of Israels war in Gaza wearing keffiyehs with their hands up chastizing him. One woman in a hijab wore a shirt emblazoned with the words Bloody Blinken. Blinken, you will be remembered as the butcher of Gaza! one protester said as Capitol police officers threw him out of the hearing. You will be remembered for murdering innocent Palestinians. Other protesters would later be thrown out in just the same manner. Blinken faced aggressive grilling by Democrats and Republicans alike for the administrations policies and actions toward Israel, specifically its support for Israel throughout the war in Gaza. At the same time, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin, who is retiring this year, echoed Blinken and the Biden administrations condemnation of the International Criminal Court. The ICC on Monday asked for the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and numerous Hamas leaders including Yahya Sinwar. I see it as a step in the wrong direction, Cardin said, of the ICCs decision. There's always been an understanding the ICC is there to deal with countries that don't have an independent judiciary. Israel has an independent judiciary. Almost all major US leaders from both parties condemned the ICC prosecutors decision, which Blinken also decried at the hearing. The Secretary of State added that the decision would make it more difficult to reach an end to hostilities between Israel and Hamas. But the agreements seemed to end there. Democrats proceeded to criticize the Biden administration for its unwillingess to hold Israel accountable, while Republicans said that the Biden administration had failed to sufficiently support Israel. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, asked Blinken about reports that the United States and Saudi Arabia were close to making a defense and security deal, but asked why the plans did not include Israel. There's an entrepreneurial opportunity for Israel to become integrated into the region to get the security, fundamental security, Blinken said. But in order for that, to actually go forward, there has to be an end to Gaza. There has to be a credible pathway to Palestinian state. Murphy followed up, accusing Blinken of making an empty promise. I really just express worry at the phrase credible pathway to a Palestinian state, Murphy said. This is maybe, perhaps the final opportunity to actually cement the Palestinian state, which many of us believe is necessary predicate to peace in the region. The hearing about money for the State Department comes shortly after Congress approved a $95 billion security supplemental package that also included $26.38 billion in military aid for Israel. Senator Jeff Merkeley of Oregon, a Democrat who supports a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, asked Blinken about the State Departments recent National Security Memorandum, known as an NSM-20, which said that Israel likely violated international law with weapons that the United States supplied. Blinken said that investigations were ongoing and Israel itself was also conducting investigations. It's very difficult to make final determinations in the midst of a war when we do not have access on the ground, he told Merkeley. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) (C) is one of only a handful of senators who supports a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) (Getty Images) Similarly, Senator Chris Van Hollen said he was concerned about the restrictions placed on the delivery of aid to civilian Palestinians. This issue does not require additional investigation, we've seen this play out in real time, he said. He also mentioned how the Netanyahu government had proven to be an obstacle to a two-state solution and added that he believes settlers in the West Bank are just part of a movement largely empowered by this current government. Blinken responded by saying a Palestinian state was in Israels interest. You've got five million Palestinians between the West Bank and Gaza, and seven million Israeli Jews, he said. Neither is going anywhere. Some Republicans criticised the Biden administration for its pausing of a weapons shipment earlier this month to Israel in response to the countrys plans to attack Rafah. Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska asked Blinken about the fact that British Foreign Secretary David Cameron opposes conditioning aid to Israel. In response, Blinken said that the United States deployed significant assets to the region to make sure that we can deter any further aggression and noted how the United States helped deter Irans recent strike on Israel. But he added that Israel using the 2,000-pound bombs that were in the paused shipments could have terrible consequences for civilians in Rafah. Similarly, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina criticized what he perceived as the Biden administrations weakness, which he warned invited further threats. Minutes after he finished his questioning, Scott, who is seen as a potential running mate for former president Donald Trump, was on the Senate train, having not listened to further questioning. Meanwhile, ahead of his own questioning, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who is up for re-election this year, was seen checking his phone. At the Senate Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken had to contend with protesters upset over the Biden administrations support for Israel during its brutal war on Gaza. Screams of war criminal and butcher of Gaza broke out on the Senate floor before protesters were forcibly removed. Blinken was called to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a review of the State Departments budget for the 2025 fiscal year, and later the Senate appropriations subcommittee. While Blinken was speaking during the first hearing, protesters who had red paint on their hands stood up and called him bloody Blinken, shouting that the blood of 40,000 Palestinians is on his hands. Blinken, you will be remembered as the butcher of Gaza! one protester yelled as Capitol Police officers removed him from the hearing. You will be remembered for murdering innocent Palestinians. NOW: @SecBlinken continues to be disrupted during his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "Blinken is a war criminal! He is a war criminal! The blood of 40,000 Palestinians is on his hands!" pic.twitter.com/bmx0CTfkrJ CODEPINK (@codepink) May 21, 2024 The antiwar organization Code Pink posted video of the interruption to X (formerly Twitter) and also posted video of one protester being picked up and carried outside of the room by police. In a brief moment of levity, Senator Lindsey Graham warned in the hearing that if the ICC followed through on pursuing warrants for Israeli officials, were next. His statement drew applause from protesters, who welcomed the news. You can clap all you want to, Graham said. They tried to come after our soldiers in Afghanistan but reason prevailed. What I hope to happen is that we level sanctions against the ICC for this outrage. Blinken, Graham, and many other Biden officials and politicians from both parties have been confronted by protesters calling for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza. On Tuesday, though, Blinken seemed relatively unfazed, saying the administration is willing to work with a profoundly wrong-headed decision regarding possible warrants for Israeli leaders issued by the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, Israels war has killed over 35,000 people, including at least 15,000 children. Israel has clamped down on press coverage of the war, including briefly shutting down an Associated Press camera on Tuesday. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees has had to shut down food distribution in the city of Rafah, where many Gazans have been displaced, due to the security situation and a lack of supplies. The Biden administration, after briefly pausing one weapons shipment to Israel, continues to send weapons to Israel, instead of listening to protesters and taking steps to end the war by stopping the flow of arms altogether. Blake Evans and Brooke Ann share a smoke and a meal at Irie, upstairs from Pleasure Med cannabis dispensary in West Hollywood. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) A bill that would allow Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes in California passed the state Assembly Monday afternoon on a 49-4 vote and is headed to the Senate. But even if the Legislature's upper chamber approves AB 1775, legalization remains far from a sure thing. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a prior iteration of the bill in October, citing the state's long-standing smoke-free workplace protections. The bill would authorize local jurisdictions to allow licensed cannabis retailers to prepare and sell non-cannabis food and nonalcoholic beverages. The bill would also allow the cafes to host live music and other performances. Under current state law, consumers can consume cannabis at a dispensary, but dispensaries can't legally sell non-cannabis products like coffee and food, as is legal in Amsterdam. Read more: Bill to allow Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes in California goes up in smoke with Newsom veto California's symbolic position at the apex of weed culture has long been rivaled by the Dutch capital, where cannabis cafes have been legal since the 1970s. Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), who introduced the legislation, has framed it as a matter of fairness. He argues that the cafes would level the playing field for the state's highly taxed and regulated legal weed industry, allowing legitimate businesses to compete with black-market sellers who don't operate under the same constraints. "This is a bill that supports our legal small businesses that just want to diversify their businesses and do the right thing," Haney said Monday on the Assembly floor. "The illicit illegal market is continuing to grow and thrive, while our legal cannabis market is struggling." Haney cited the governor's prior veto, saying he had been working to address Newsom's concerns through amendments to the bill. The new version would prohibit cannabis smoking or vaping in "back of house" of lounges, where food is being prepared or stored, creating separation between where people are consuming cannabis and other work areas. Rather than taking a blunt statewide approach, the bill would put the decision to allow cannabis cafes in the hands of local jurisdictions. Should a jurisdiction decide to greenlight the lounges, it would have to hash out its own permitting process and regulations. West Hollywood put a licensing system in place several years ago, and a handful of cannabis lounges operate within the city's 1.89 square miles. The West Hollywood businesses operate with workarounds that separate the food businesses, The Times has previously reported. No such licensing system exists in the city of Los Angeles. Read more: L.A.'s original weed cafe reopens with birthday bongs and pub grub galore The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Heart Assn. and the American Lung Assn. have all opposed the bill, raising concerns about the health effects of secondhand marijuana smoke. They argue that the bill would undo hard-fought workplace protections "by re-creating the harmful work environments of the past. Marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access has argued that patrons and employees would face no health risks because of the highly regulated nature of such establishments. A Newsom spokesperson declined to comment on pending legislation. Staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. A bill that would allow Amsterdam-style cannabis cafes in California passed the state Assembly on Monday after a third reading with a 56-6 vote. The bill, formally known as Assembly Bill 1775, would give local jurisdictions the authority to allow cannabis clubs to make and sell non-cannabis food and nonalcoholic drinks. The bill states that food and drinks will be stored and displayed away from cannabis products. The proposed legislation would also enable cannabis cafes to host live musical or other performances and add states that California bill could ban the sale of anti-aging skincare products to children Under current state law, customers can consume cannabis at a dispensary, but dispensaries cant legally sell non-cannabis products like food and coffee, which is legal to do in Amsterdam. This isnt the first time a bill related to cannabis cafes has reached Sacramento. Last October, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill, citing the states long-standing smoke-free protection for workers. However, this time around, Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco), who introduced the bill in January, says the legislation Is all about fairness. Haney argues that cafes would be on a level playing field for the highly taxed and regulated legal cannabis industry that is being forced to compete in California with a thriving cannabis black market. California bill could change how third-party airport security vendors operate at state airports Its really about fairness and supporting businesses that follow the rules, Haney said in a statement. If we keep allowing unnecessary regulations to strangle Californias legal cannabis businesses, were just encouraging illegal drug sales and all of the problems that come with that. AB 1775 is now headed to the state Senate. It would need a signature from Newsom to be officially law. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert! FIRST UP Please take a minute to fill out our newsletter reader survey. Thank you so much! CADEMS, CAGOP OFFER ENDORSEMENTS, ANTI-ENDORSEMENTS FOR BALLOT MEASURES Both the California Republican Party and the California Democratic Party decided this weekend on endorsements for the issues set to go before voters this November. Perhaps feeling a bit of bipartisan spirit, both parties opted to endorse measures that would require high schoolers to take a financial literacy course and to provide permanent funding for Medi-Cal services. But thats about where the bipartisanship ended. The Democratic Party endorsed measures to allow municipalities to enact taxes to further the construction of affordable housing, raise the minimum wage to $18 an hour, and allow local governments to enact rent control policies. Republicans voted to oppose each of those measures. Democrats voted to support an amendment to remove anti-same-sex-marriage language from the California Constitution. Republicans were neutral on that measure, perhaps in a bid to avoid alienating the LGBTQ community and its allies. Republicans also endorsed a measure to repeal Proposition 47, the 2014 voter-approved initiative that re-classified a number of drug- and theft-related offenses from felonies to misdemeanors. Democrats opposed the effort to repeal. Want the full list of endorsements? You can find the CADEM endorsements here. You can find the CAGOP endorsements here. CALIFORNIA FISH ARE DYING. WHY? Via Ari Plachta... Just east of the San Francisco Bay, Californias giant water delivery system on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has received scrutiny for a spike in native fish deaths. Coming at a time when threatened and endangered fish populations are facing steep declines, the numbers drew ire from environmentalists. Farmers arent happy either, as the delta pumps deliver less water despite a second year of drought-busting storms. In this rare year of average rainfall, renewed attention on the system illuminates one of many perennial tensions of California water: The more thats pumped out of the delta, the harder the hit to beleaguered salmon and steelhead. A Sacramento Bee analysis of data from the Department of Fish and Wildlife shows that since 2002, state and federal water pumping from the delta killed an estimated 600,000 chinook salmon and 50,000 steelhead trout. This year has been historically bad. During February and March, pumps killed an estimated 3,600 winter-run chinook, the highest number killed in any two-month period in 20 years. About 3,200 steelhead died in February and March, the highest number since 2007. State leaders acknowledge this is a problem. To read more about what theyre doing to solve it, look out for our story this Sunday, May 26. QUOTE OF THE DAY The ICC announcement today is not only misguided and repugnant, it is also a terrible overreach of the bodys authority. To make a false equivalence between the actions of a democratically-elected government and those of Hamas a brutal terrorist organization is absurd. - Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, responding in a statement regarding news that an International Criminal Court war crimes prosecutor will seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for their actions during the Israel-Hamas war. Best of The Bee: California gas prices are dropping, expert says. What can you expect at the pump this summer? Fueling up can be painful in California, where the average price of a gallon of regular gas costs nearly $2 more than the national average. Fortunately, theres some hope for drivers, according to AAA. Gas prices are on the decline, AAA spokesman John Treanor told The Sacramento Bee via phone on Monday afternoon. According to a May 16 news release from the automobile association, gas prices have been slowly decreasing due to weak domestic demand and oil costs. Right now, prices are down about 10 cents from a week ago and down 30 cents from one month ago, Treanor said. Heres what current gas prices look like in California and what you can expect to pay this summer: How much is gas in California? As of Monday, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in California was about $5.20, according to AAA. During this time last year, the statewide average was approximately $4.80. Here are the average prices per gallon for regular gas around Californias metropolitan areas: Bakersfield: $5.23 per gallon Chico-Paradise: $5.13 El Centro: $5.09 Fresno: $5.16 Hanford-Corcoran: $5.19 Los Angeles-Long Beach: $5.17 Madera-Chowchila: $5.26 Merced: $5.24 Modesto: $5.10 Napa: $5.53 Oakland: $5.32 Orange County: $5.08 Redding: $5.04 Riverside: $5.08 Sacramento: $5.24 Salinas: $5.43 San Bernardino: $5.07 San Diego: $5.20 San Francisco: $5.39 San Jose: $5.27 San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles: $5.39 San Rafael: $5.37 Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc: $5.18 Santa Cruz-Watsonville: $5.41 Santa Rosa: $5.44 Stockton-Lodi: $5.10 Vallejo-Fairfield: $5.27 Ventura: $5.25 Visalia-Tulare-Porterville: $5.25 Yolo: $5.17 Yuba City: $4.96 Will gas prices increase or decrease this summer? Were on a downward trajectory, Treanor said. We foresee this continuing into the summer. While the highest price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in California was recorded in June 2022, with a gallon averaging $6.44, he said prices will likely not reach that high this summer. The current price of crude oil, which Treanor said is less than $80 per barrel, is a key factor driving down gas prices. About 60% of what you pay at the pump is dictated by how expensive crude oil is, he said. Right now, this price is typically low. However, he said prices can still fluctuate due to global events. A little over a month ago, we saw prices start to rise, because of what was happening in the Middle East and Russia, Treanor said. That is when prices for crude oil were on the rise. If the prices for crude oil continue to decline, he said, We should likely see gas prices plateau where they are or continue to decrease. A land parcel in Southern California with long-ago links to two notorious cults has listed for sale. A promotional video for this listed California property calls it Xanadu the fabled city built by Kublai Khan but its not what many may think. The massive parcel of wild land in Box Canyon in Southern Californias Simi Valley, which asks $6.2 million for sale, has a dark history. For starters, the Spahn Movie Ranch, a former cowboy movie set where many western films and TV favorites like Bonanza were shot, is a neighboring property. Spahn was infamously taken over by the Manson Family in the late 1960s. Krishna Venta (right) and his Fountain of the World cult operated on the now-for-sale land. Getty Images Charles Manson originally wanted to take over Krishna Ventas land. AP Members of the Manson Family are said to have fled to Box Canyons caves after their 1969 murders. AP It was from up there, about 25 miles northwest of Hollywood, that Charles Manson and his followers plotted two of the most brutal multiple slayings in American history. Collectively known as the Tate-LaBianca murders, the six victims included actress Sharon Tate and her unborn child, coffee heiress Abigail Folger and the LaBiancas, an elderly couple. Charles Manson and several Family members were eventually convicted of nine murders, including these, but they are suspected in at least 15 more. That certainly put the dilapidated Spahn Movie Ranch, owned by George Spahn, in the headlines. But it wasnt Mansons first choice as a place to hang his hat. Before moving a few miles west over to Spahn, Manson initially wanted to live on this plot of land in Box Canyon. Today, this property listed as 585 Box Canyon Road is a serene 17-acre spread within the hills around the well-to-do town of Chatsworth. The land has several rental homes built among shading old oak trees at its lower elevation. It is a very unique property huge, probably the largest in the area, listing representative Chris Johnson told The Post. Johnson and his partner Holly Hatch of Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell Banker Calabasas are handling the sale. Its beautiful and peaceful, unspoiled. Its like the wild, wild west up there, he added. But youre very close to Calabasas and you can be in LA in 45 minutes. Those are the comforts of today. Even before Manson came along, bizarre events were already happening in Box Canyon. The land is already home to a number of structures. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas Renovations will need to be made. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas The listed spread spans 17 acres. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas In 1948, a man calling himself Krishna Venta (real name Frank Pencovic) founded the Fountain of the World cult, aka the WKFL (Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith and Love), there. Its not entirely clear who owned the land at that time or how Venta acquired it. But smoke and mirrors was Ventas modus operandi as he spun his doctrine to blindly faithful followers one that said he came to Earth half a billion years before on a spaceship (he was born in San Francisco), and that he was the second coming of Jesus Christ. Venta also predicted that the human race would be all but obliterated after a black vs. white race war, also involving the Russians it was the Cold War era, after all. The eventual survivors would, of course, be the Fountain members, who would then rise victorious in an inheriting the Earth-type scenario. Venta wielded absolute power with his charismatic sermons from his pulpit in the Box Canyon compounds church. He would make grand declarations, then sometimes miraculously disappear from the pulpit. Theres a tunnel on the property, which leads from the pulpit, said Johnson with a laugh. Apparently, hed disappear and pop up and surprise people and say, See, its a miracle! I really am Jesus, he added. There are so many stories about this place its hard to keep up. One of them is especially tragic. Venta had a feud with a couple of men in the cult, who accused him of sexual interactions with their wives. Those men loaded up with explosives and blew up Venta in a suicide bombing, which also killed nine Fountain members including children. An aerial image of the offering. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas There is investment opportunity for a prospective buyer, such as using the grounds for a resort. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas Existing structures on the land come shaded by trees. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas Apparently, according to UCLA records, Ventas right hand man, Bishop Asiaiah, became the cults new leader. Around 1968, the already much-troubled Manson and his followers moved in, and Manson tried to take over the cult. The already-mentally unstable Manson is thought to have admired Venta and is said to have wanted to emulate the way he had absolute control over his followers. Also, Ventas doctrine is eerily similar to Mansons rantings about a race war destroying the US, and it is widely thought that the cult leaders influence steered him onto his megalomaniacal path. Manson seems to have viewed Krisna Venta as a role model, Hatch agreed. The new leader tried to push Manson out of the way. Thats how Manson and his followers ended up at nearby Spahn Movie Ranch. Apparently, Bishop Asiaiah may have thought Manson a bit of a loser, and mocked him, saying Manson didnt hold absolute power over his followers like he and Venta did. According to local lore, to show Bishop Asiaiah who was boss, Manson challenged one of his own followers to prove his loyalty by tying himself to a pole on a nearby rock formation, telling him to stay there for two weeks. That cave-like rock, shaped like a wolfs skull, is called Skull Rock. Despite the apparent state, handsome features remain, such as stone walls and wood-beamed ceilings. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas The exterior of an outbuilding that a buyer can scoop up. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas The offering asks $6.2 million for sale. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas Yes, Skull Rock is right there on the Box Canyon property, said Johnson, who had heard the story. The land has so many caves. I grew up in the area and would hike the hills with my father. The locals called the caves up there the Manson Caves, because the Manson Family members would use them. After the murders, he added, the Manson girls are said to have fled to the caves to hide out. They would certainly have known about them, so that story is quite likely. Hatch agreed: They knew where to hide up there because they had been there on the property so much. The property includes 11 parcels with several buildings, which date to the Fountains occupation, including the original main lodge. Nobody has done much with the buildings since then. They are lived in, but they need modernization, said Hatch. The land has three artisan wells, and there are waterfalls and seasonal creeks, added Johnson. Its really beautiful. An interior of one of the structures on the grounds. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas The lot is also home to caves. Holly & Chris Luxury Homes Group, Coldwell, Banker Calabasas Spahn Movie Ranch burned to the ground in 1970. A couple years after, the Fountain began petering out with members dispersing to found or join other cults two members even died in Jim Jones Jonestown mass suicide in 1978 in Guyana. Only one member of the Manson Family murderers has been freed from prison; Manson himself died in prison in California in 2017 at age 83. After the Fountain folks moved on, the current family acquired the land and buildings, and its been happily inhabited ever since by many tenants. Hatch and Johnson are wary of oddballs being attracted to this listing, but neither thinks the controversy surrounding Box Canyon will harm the propertys sale. Theres so much more to this intricate property than that controversial side, Hatch said. Most people know it for its incredible landscape. Its magical; its very different. Nobody says anything negative about it. This would be perfect as a resort or wellness center with a focus on healing. I dont think its a big deal, the property speaks for itself, agreed Johnson. Its very creative and flowing. It would make a great resort or artist colony. Its similar to Topanga Canyon, but Topanga has become so oversubscribed. Box Canyon is still undiscovered. Its quiet, untouched and mountainous. Its the last frontier of LA. SACRAMENTO, Calif. A California bill aiming to help Arizona abortion seekers by allowing doctors from that state to operate across the border has landed on Gov. Gavin Newsons desk, just a month after he first floated the proposal. Once signed, Senate Bill 233 would offer an expedited pathway for licensed doctors in Arizona to get their credentials in California, with a nonprofit offering to pay the fees to do so. The state Senate held a final vote of 30-8 on Tuesday after it already passed the state Assembly. Newsom is expected to sign the bill when he returns to California from a trip to the Vatican this week and it would take effect immediately. "As much as we talk about women's rights, the decision over one's own body is still in question in the United States," said state Sen. Aisha Wahab. "California is a state where we try to provide for every single community, especially our neighbors who are suffering." Newsoms proposal came in direct response to a Civil War-era abortion ban that was recently upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court and later repealed by that states legislature. Nonetheless, the Arizona ban could still stay in place for weeks if not months due to legislative procedures, and Newsom argues California could fill a critical gap for abortion seekers looking for care during that time. Sacramento has been preparing for an increased demand from out-of-state patients since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortions in 2022. The California legislature has passed roughly two dozen laws to bolster abortion rights and care as well as set aside more than $200 million to shore up the states abortion infrastructure. But the state has also struggled to build new clinics and train new providers. The governors office believes allowing doctors from Arizona to treat patients across the border could help ease the strain. Planned Parenthood of California has pushed back on that narrative, saying the states network of abortion providers is strong enough to accommodate the nations abortion seekers. To be clear, Planned Parenthood in California has been preparing for and already absorbing more out-of-state patients for several years, spokesperson Shelby McMichael told POLITICO in a statement. PPAC welcomes any additional statewide tools that support abortion providers and our collective ability to serve patientsno matter the state they call home. Californias Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on the constitutionality of Proposition 22, the voter-approved law that classified drivers working in the gig economy as independent contractors rather than full-fledged employees. The court must decide whether the law, which Uber, Lyft, Doordash and other app-based delivery companies pushed with a $200-million campaign in 2020, unlawfully interferes with the state Legislature's authority to provide workers compensation protections to those who are injured on the job. How the justices ultimately rule will have enormous implications for the delivery and ride-hail companies that have argued their ability to operate in California depends on the law's survival, as well as the million-plus people in in the state who drive for them. A victory for the group of drivers and unions that brought the lawsuit challenging Proposition 22 would leave Uber, Lyft and companies like them to decide whether to continue operating in California, one of their largest markets. Under the law, drivers are considered to be their own employers, a designation that frees the companies they drive for from having to provide benefits traditional employees in the state are entitled to, such as overtime, sick leave and a minimum wage. Proponents of the law argue it gives workers flexibility to set their own work schedules, while also providing some benefits not typically afforded to independent contractors, such as access to private insurance to cover on-the-job injuries and an earnings guarantee of 120% of the local minimum wage. The Service Employees International Union and a group of drivers first brought the lawsuit challenging Proposition 22 in January 2021, just after the law went into effect. They unsuccessfully sought to take the case directly to the California Supreme Court and were left to pursue the case in a lower court. In a sweeping decision, Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ruled in August 2021 that Proposition 22 was unconstitutional and unenforceable. The law failed to pass constitutional muster, Roesch wrote, because it infringed on the power of the Legislature explicitly granted by the state Constitution to regulate compensation for workers injuries. If the people wish to use their initiative power to restrict or qualify a plenary and unlimited power granted to the Legislature, they must first do so by initiative constitutional amendment, not by initiative statute, the judge wrote. In March 2023, a split three-judge panel from a state appeals court largely reversed that ruling, finding the law did not impede the Legislature's authority and upholding the legality of the law's provision classifying drivers as contractors. Supporters of the law celebrated the ruling as a historic victory for the nearly 1.4 million drivers who rely on the independence and flexibility of app-based work to earn income, and for the integrity of Californias initiative system. Proposition 22 has remained in effect throughout the appeals process. When they make their case Tuesday, attorneys for the drivers and the union are expected to press ahead with their assertion that the law improperly leaves gig economy drivers who suffer injuries while working without access to compensation enjoyed by traditional employees in the state. The state Constitution grants the Legislature unlimited power to protect workers with a complete workers' compensation system, said Scott A. Kronland, an attorney representing SEIU and the drivers. A group backed by Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, called the Protect App-Based Drivers & Services coalition, meanwhile counters that courts should respect the will of voters, who voted by a 58% margin to approve the law. In a statement Tuesday, Lyft spokesperson Shadawn Reddick-Smith said: "The Court of Appeal's decision to uphold Prop. 22 was the right one, and consistent with long-standing legal precedent upholding the voters' initiative power. If Prop. 22 is struck down, drivers could lose access to flexible earning opportunities and millions of Californians could face difficulties finding affordable transportation." The California Supreme Court will be required to issue its ruling within 90 days of Tuesday's hearing. Little would change if the court upholds Proposition 22, although a part of Roesch's ruling that the Supreme Court is not considering left open the possibility of drivers collectively bargaining over pay, benefits and working conditions though their right to do so would need to be decided by the courts. A victory for the drivers, however, could require Uber and the other ride-hailing and delivery companies to treat their drivers as employees, a sea change that would upend the companies' financial structures and raise the prospect of companies pulling out of California. Both Uber and Lyft threatened to leave Minnesota after the state announced a statewide minimum wage for drivers, although they retracted that threat after reaching a compromise with the state officials. Nicole Moore, president of Los Angeles-based driver group Rideshare Drivers United, said if Proposition 22 is upheld, it will be crushing. Provisions of the law make it extremely difficult if not impossible to advance policies that could help drivers, Moore said. We have literally been handcuffed by Prop. 22, Moore said. Drivers are driving more than theyve ever driven before to make the same or less money than they did a couple years ago. On Monday around 9 a.m., scores of drivers gathered outside the office of SEIU Local 721 in Westlake, preparing to travel as a car caravan up to San Francisco to rally outside the courthouse during oral arguments. They loaded into dozens of honking cars lined up along a nearby intersection, plastered with signs denouncing Proposition 22 as bad for workers, bad for the economy, bad for California. Jorge Vargas, 53, among drivers who joined the rally, said benefits drivers receive under Proposition 22 were close to useless. Its really not worth it. Youre stuck in the street with that kind of pay, he said. We hope judges will do the right thing and strike it down. A report released on Monday by researchers with the UC Berkeley Labor Center that analyzed data on driver earnings in January 2022 in major metro areas, including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, found drivers earned less than the local minimum wage. After expenses and excluding tips, drivers median net hourly earnings were found to be $7.12 in California and $10.64 in the other metro areas, the report found. The coalition backing Proposition 22 has commissioned several reports on driver earnings that conflict with such findings. Molly Weedn, a spokesperson for the coalition, pointed to a 2022 study commissioned by the coalition that found app-based drivers earn $34 an hour on average. Michael Reich, a co-author of the UC Berkeley Labor Center report, contends that drivers earn far less than what companies claim, particularly when factoring in gas and maintenance costs. Reich said that while the courts may choose to narrowly focus on technical legal arguments, the ruling could have a ripple effect for drivers and labor policies across the country. A decision to uphold Proposition 22 by the state court "would be a shot in the arm for Uber and Lyft" to redouble efforts in other states where they are pushing similar measures, such as Massachusetts, Reich said. Earlier this month, Massachusetts' highest court heard arguments over whether to allow a similar industry-backed ballot measure to go before voters in November. "Their decision is very consequential for drivers and the companies," Reich said. "Public policy issues are paramount." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. California voters may decide if financial literacy should be required in school. Should they? Latoya DeLong, left, a member engagement specialist for SAFE Credit Union, helps Rancho Cordova High School student Justice Johnson Patterson, right, open a savings account as student Danielle Yeater, center, participates in the schools personal finance program on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com. California high school students may have an additional course added to the eight that are needed to graduate. These courses, such as the ethnic studies requirement passed in 2021, all entered the school curriculum at the direction of the State Board of Education. This proposed new requirement a financial literacy class may end up on high school schedules at the direction of voters. The effort to put financial literacy education into California high schools has been decades-long, with various lawmakers trying and failing to make the class a requirement. One nonprofit seeks success by placing the question on a ballot measure this November. If passed, it would be the first time that curriculum requirements were established at the direction of voters. Polls show overwhelming popular support for adding financial literacy to high school curriculum, but some educators and researchers are nervous about the implications of bypassing the existing process of deciding what and how things are taught in California classrooms. The two roads to financial literacy in schools There are two intertwined efforts to implement one semester of financial literacy in high schools statewide by 2030, requiring districts to start offering classes in fall 2026. The first is Assembly Bill 2927, recently introduced by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty, D-Sacramento. In the case that the bill does not make it through the Legislature, Californians may have the opportunity to approve the same curriculum via popular vote. The California Personal Finance Act received nearly 700,000 signatures of support, making it eligible to be placed on the ballot this year. Each effort seeks the same financial literacy graduation requirement. The class would teach students the basics of personal finance, including developing budgeting skills, understanding the tax system and managing loans and lines of credit. McCartys bill is not the first piece of legislation attempting to establish financial literacy as a requirement; over a dozen similar bills have died or been vetoed in the past couple decades. This is why McCarty is also supporting the ballot measure to put financial literacy in high school classrooms. If passed, Personal Finance Act would represent the first time California has established curriculum via popular. And what is done by a ballot measure can only be undone by a ballot measure. Its our hope that the bill will be the final deal and the measure will not have to go on the ballot, McCarty said. If the bill is not successful, financial literacy has a good chance of making it into classrooms anyway. The measure has no formal opposition; polls in support have proved overwhelmingly positive and California for Financial Education, the coalition supporting the measure, blew past their valid signature goal by nearly 100,000 signatures. Im optimistic that this is going to be law, McCarty said. Should California leave curriculum decisions to the experts? But some experts are concerned about the implementation of such a requirement, and even more so about passing off a complicated policy decision to the voters of California. Heather J. Hough, executive director of Policy Analysis for California Education, is skeptical both of increasing the number of state-mandated graduation requirements and of taking choices that would be made by experienced policymakers and putting them into the hands of voters, who may not consider the broader effects of approving specific curriculum. I think that decisions about what to teach and how to teach it are not ideal decisions that go to voters those are decisions, at least in the way its done in California, that are made locally and through policymaking bodies with professional knowledge, Hough said. Typically, the Instruction Quality Commission develops curriculum which is subject to a series of reviews, edits and public discussion and then goes to the State Board of Education for approval. Sometimes, curriculum changes are driven by the Legislature via Assembly bills, like the recent ethnic studies requirement. Local school districts also have the authority to develop their own curriculum and graduation requirements. Teaching financial literacy to high school students may be well-intentioned, but a policymaker must consider implementation. I think part of how I always come at questions of policy is not just is this policy a good idea, because many things we talk about are on their face good ideas, but how this policy is implemented and how this policy puts pressure on existing strains on the system, Hough said. In the case of adding financial literacy as a graduation requirement, Hough sees several potential snags. For one, with the recent addition of an ethnic studies graduation requirement and talks of a computer science graduation requirement, students could face increasingly bloated schedules that leave little room for electives, career technical education pathways or other programs that appeal to them personally. On a local level, districts must spend money and time coordinating master schedules, training or hiring staff to teach the course and possibly developing their own curriculum. This could be a major problem amid a statewide teacher shortage. Approving this curriculum also takes away flexibility from school districts in assessing what coursework would most engage and benefit their respective student populations. California is also facing a major chronic absenteeism problem, increasing twofold in under a decade. Constraining schools too much in terms of class requirements can make it difficult for them to be flexible enough to meet student needs, Hough said. Hough is not alone in her concern. Other education experts have pointed out that voters of California already have the civil power to support politicians who reflect their interests and to engage directly with school districts and curriculum. Its a very blunt instrument and Im not sure it will accomplish what people want it to, Hough said. Tim Ranzetta, the lead proponent of the ballot initiative, believes that the value of financial literacy for students is enough to justify such an unconventional method of implementation. Ranzetta is a co-founder of Next Gen Personal Finance, a nonprofit that provides free financial literacy curriculum and training to 100,000 educators nationwide. Next Gen isnt just seeking to establish a one-semester requirement in California by 2030, but in all 50 states as part of its Mission 2030 plan. For whatever reason, the legislature has considered financial education bills for upwards of two decades and yet here we stand as one of the worst in the nation, Ranzetta said. Its important to note that while the course will be required, the expectation is that local districts will decide where this fits within existing graduation requirements and will decide what curriculum to use. This initiative will not require a specific curriculum to be used which is an important point. The National Domestic Violence Hotline is experiencing what its calling unusually high call volume, according to our partners at WTVD. According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, North Carolina domestic violence hotlines receive 575 calls a month and average nearly 24 calls an hour. Intimate partner violence affects more than 12 million people a year. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men ages 18 and older have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner, according to WTVD. Our services are needed. Were speaking to individuals who are at different parts of their journey. Some wonder if what they are experiencing abuse, said Associate Director of Interact Jasmine Peyton. Interact is the only organization in Wake County that offers domestic violence crisis lines, an emergency shelter, and a Solace Center. ALSO READ: Woman killed when Gastonia police return gunfire during domestic call They told WTVD, it starts with control. A lot of what abuse is is the offender attempting to gain control of the situation, and in order to do that, isolation is something our survivors experience, Payton explained. Somebody is feeling isolated. Somebody may be active and social, but no longer that way. An individual is constantly being monitored. Control is a tactic abusers use to keep victims silent. While getting them to come forward can be difficult, experts told WTVD thats changing. Individuals are realizing they can go seek help safely, Peyton elaborated. VIDEO: Woman killed when Gastonia police return gunfire during domestic call Amanda Haines succeeds former director Jeff Brindle, who retired last October after a spat with the governors office. (Photo by Mary Iuvone for the New Jersey Monitor) The New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission has appointed Amanda Haines, its acting legal director, to head the campaign finance watchdog months after the retirement of its longtime executive director. Haines, who joined the commission in 2005 as assistant legal counsel, will be the first woman to head the commission in its 51-year history. Amanda Haines has dedicated 19 years to fulfilling the mission of the ELEC and we are pleased to advance her to this pinnacle role at the Agency, said Thomas Prol, the commissions chairman. Her credentials are impeccable, and her service has seen the organization through several significant milestone events and numerous changes. Haines succeeds Jeff Brindle, who retired last October after a spat with the governors office when it sought to oust him over an email the administration believed was discriminatory. Deputy Executive Director Joe Donohue has served as interim executive director since Brindles retirement. Haines took helm of the agency on May 4. She is the sixth person to lead the commissions daily operations since its creation in 1973. With Executive Director Haines at the helm, New Jersey voters can be confident that ELEC will continue to fulfill its transparency mandate and will vigorously monitor and enforce campaign financing laws with an eye toward protecting and lifting up vulnerable and historically disenfranchised communities, Prol said. The New Jersey Globe earlier reported Haines appointment. The post Campaign finance watchdog taps top lawyer to helm agency appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. Despite her cancer diagnosis, the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has been doing a little work from homebut wont be returning to public life anytime soon. Her office said Tuesday that she had remained heavily involved and always on, as a landmark new report for the Early Childhood Center, one of her key causes, was published. However, the office added that her involvement should not be seen as a signal she was about to return to her public role, citing her need for space and privacy to recover. Kate has scarcely been seen at all in public this year. She was treated for cancer, which was discovered after abdominal surgery, and is now receiving preventive chemotherapy. She revealed her cancer diagnosis in an emotional first-person video in March, after the palace botched the release of a U.K. Mothers Day photograph that Kate herself had amateurishly edited. She personally apologized but the picture generated countless online conspiracy theories, which were resolved when she made the statement about having cancer. The Daily Telegraph said that a spokesman for the princess had emphasized that she was not returning to work as she convalesces at home. The report, published with the support of six leading U.K. businesses, looks at the benefits to business of making better provision for parents and young children. A spokesperson for her and Prince William said: The work of the prince and princess projects is always on early childhood is a huge priority for the princess and so she has been kept fully updated throughout the development of the taskforces work and she has seen the report. A source described as a senior royal aide told the Mail: The Princess of Wales was the driving force behind the business task force. She has been kept up to date since the inception of the task force and she has read the report and been briefed on it. This is a clear commitment she has made that throughout her life of public service that this will be focus. That will continue when she returns to work. But we have been really clear that she needs the space and the privacy to recover right now. She will return to work when she has had the green light from doctors. A spokesman for Kate told the Sun: This should not be seen as the Princess of Wales returning to work. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) It remains a tight race between Multnomah County Commissioner candidates Vadim Mozyrsky and Meghan Moyer, who are both vying for District 1. As of 10 p.m., Moyer leads Mozyrsky by 845 votes. The District 4 race between Brian Knotts and Vince Jones-Dixon is also somewhat close. Jones-Dixon currently leads Knotts 9,244 votes to 8,046. Winners will be announced following the May election in races where candidates receive more than 50% of the vote. If candidates for any race fail to reach the 50% threshold, runoff elections will be held in November. Shannon Singleton (District 2) and Julia Brim-Edwards (District 3) both have strong leads in their respective races. However, Singleton has not claimed 50% of the vote. KOIN 6 will continue to update the results as votes are counted throughout the night. See the latest results for each district in the charts below. Multnomah County voters will elect at least three new officials to the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners in 2024. Candidates are vying for seats in District 1, 2, 3 and 4. District 3 Commissioner Julia Brim-Edwards is the only incumbent seeking reelection for the county commissioners race. COMPLETE 2024 PRIMARY COVERAGE District 1 With Multnomah County Commissioner Sharon Meieran reaching her term limit, citizens in District 1 will look to elect a new commissioner this May. There are five candidates on the ballot for District 1. Kenin Fitts : Executive Director of the Oregon Mental Health Consumers Association Chris Henry : Former chair of Oregons Progressive Party Chris Henry Vadim Mozyrsky : Administrative law judge and 2022 Portland City Council candidate Meghan Moyer : Policy Director for Disability Rights Oregon Margot Wheeler: Project Manager for the Multnomah County Treasury Investigating the unexplained: UFOs in Oregon and across the U.S. District 2 The Board of Commissioners declared a vacancy for the District 2 seat in November of 2023 after former Commissioner Susheela Jayapal stepped down to run for a seat in Oregons Third Congressional District. Rep. Earl Blumenauer announced that he will retire in January of 2025. Jayapal has served as Multnomah County Commissioner for five years and was scheduled to hold the position through the end of 2026 prior to her departure. Interim Commissioner Jesse Beason was sworn in as Jaypals temporary replacement in November. Citizens will now look to find an official replacement for the position. There are five candidates on the ballot for District 2. Jessie Burke : Owner of the Society Hotel in Old Town Sam Adams : Former mayor of Portland and city commissioner Carlos Jermaine Richard : Multnomah County Department of Human Services Equity and Inclusion Manager Nicholas Hara : Data consultant Shannon Singleton: Career social worker and former Interim Director of the Joint Office of Homeless Services for the City of Portland and Multnomah County. Portland, Maine outranks Portland, Oregon as summer travel destination District 3 The District 3 race features the smallest number of candidates. Incumbent Julia Brim-Edwards will face a single challenger in the May primary. Julia Brim-Edwards : Current Multnomah County Commissioner for District 3, Nike lobbyist, Portland Public Schools Board of Education member, Oregon State University Board of Trustees member TJ Noddings: Housing navigator for unhoused Oregonians District 4 Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann has reached her term limit and cannot seek reelection. There are three candidates on the ballot for District 4. Timothy Youker : Local resident Brian Knotts : Local business owner Vince Jones-Dixon: Gresham City Councilman Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. (BCN) San Jose has opened its first ever retail storefront for cannabis in the heart of downtown. For years the city had strict rules on where dispensaries could operate, relegating them to industrial areas. Last year the City Council revised regulations on where dispensaries rent space and allowing one operator to have more than one location. Mark Ritchie, president of Ritchie Commercial and owner of a building two doors down, said Purple Lotus, at 66 W. Santa Clara St., has already brought a noticeable number of people to the street, including its staff. Our wonderful bagel lady at City Bagels is happy because their employees are regulars there, he said. Saby-Thai benefits, as will Fuji Sushi when it opens. McDonalds finally reveals flavor of Grandma McFlurry Purple Lotus founder Matt Krishnamachari said the community welcomed him to the neighborhood with gifts of cookies and ice cream. In return, Purple Lotus joined the San Jose Downtown Association, participates in downtown events, offers discounts to service-industry employees and meals to families each Christmas. Weve always been big supporters of the community, Krishnamachari said. Thats the secret to our success. Customer Lena Huynh appreciates having a conveniently located dispensary. Youre in the mecca of all the fun things that folks can do. All the food eateries are here, she told San Jose Spotlight. I like how everything is laid out, so I can see what Im shopping for. I feel very safe. These shops provide a healthy source of revenue to the city. San Joses 16 cannabis dispensaries contributed $16.6 million to San Jose in fiscal year 2022-23, city spokesperson Kia Xiong told San Jose Spotlight. She said the city estimates about $16 million in revenue for this year and the 2024-25 fiscal year. Krishnamachari said the industry is highly regulated and its costly to comply. San Jose receives about $200,000 a month in taxes from Purple Lotus, Krishnamachari told San Jose Spotlight. He said about 30% of gross profits go toward taxes, registration and licensing fees. The business license for the city costs $140,000 and $40,000 to $50,000 to the state, he said. Cannabis dispensaries are also required to have cameras and 24-hour security. City-issued badges cost $50 per year per employee, he added. Krishnamachari said the city should reevaluate regulations and reduce taxes. Hed like his store hours extended from 10 p.m. to midnight to serve customers still out on the town. He chose to open downtown because he sees it reviving through events, bars and restaurants. This is the second location for the family-owned business. The first opened about 14 years ago with a personal investment of about $20,000, he said, in an office building next to the Regional Medical Center before moving to Commercial Street, where it serves about 1,100 customers a day. But for many who operate legal dispensaries sustainability is tough. Sean Kali-rai, founder of the Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance, said theres a 12% to 14% failure rate of cannabis dispensaries in San Jose and the majority are losing money. Driverless Waymo car thwarts robbers during police chase The profit isnt there and the challenges are too great, he told San Jose Spotlight. San Jose is not business friendly in general and absolutely not business friendly to cannabis. Customer Evgenia Z Waite said she spends hundreds of dollars at Purple Lotus almost daily. She once visited the store three times in one day because their joints were so good, she said. Waite appreciates the store being near her home and its friendly staff who ask how shes doing. The people are great. The environments great. They have deals, she said. Go on in and have a good time. Purple Lotus sells a wide selection of cannabis products including joints, vapes, edibles, flowers and topicals from brands such as Alien Labs, Cookies, Stiiizy and its own Blue Chip line. Chief Sales Officer Paul Rivera credits Purple Lotus success with catering to its customers and providing safe, tested inventory, regulated by the city and state. When you go to a street dealer, you have no clue what the hell theyre using because theres no regulation around it, he said. Purple Lotus is part of this community, Rivera said. It wants to help downtown thrive. This company was born and raised in San Jose, he said. Were not venturing out to other cities to find other licenses. Were doubling down on San Jose. We want to bring more access to San Jose residents. Copyright 2024 Bay City News, Inc. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Carnival for individuals with developmental disabilities to return to Farmington Hills A community group serving individuals with developmental disabilities and sensory processing will host a free carnival featuring rides, games, music, entertainment, and quiet spaces. The event will be held on Sunday, June 9, from noon to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of Adat Shalom Synagogue at 29901 Middlebelt Road in Farmington Hills. More than 600 people are expected to attend the carnival. Jason and his caregiver enjoy a ride at the JARC carnival in 2023. We knew there was a demand for a community event like JARCs carnival, but when more than 500 people had attended last year, we realized this was an overwhelming need, said JARC Chief Executive Officer Shaindle Braunstein in a news release. Our accessible, sensory-friendly event is the opposite of what a carnival is often perceived to be crowded and overstimulating. We have incorporated spaces and opportunities to decompress and recenter while enjoying all the fun of a traditional carnival. This year, the carnival will feature vendors and partner agencies with products and services to assist families and caregivers in helping people with developmental disabilities and sensory sensitivities live their best lives. More: Detroit office helps metro Detroit Girl Scouts travel to California (freep.com) While the carnival is not open to the greater public, family members can purchase tickets to attend for $20 per individual or $50 per family. To buy tickets, visit jarc.org/carnival. Jodie and Josh Jacobs cheer on their daughter, Allie, as she plays a game of ring toss at JARC's carnival in 2023. Popcorn, snow cones, and water will be provided for free, and kosher hot dogs and other refreshments will be available for purchase. Proceeds from the carnival will fund JARC's important programs and services that help to enrich the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities. Dan smiles as he takes in all the fun around him at the carnival hosted by JARC in 2023. The carnival is part of JARC's summer-long Ellen Labes Festival Series, sponsored by the Ellen Labes Family, that also includes a sensory-friendly Detroit Symphony Orchestra concert, a picnic in the park with a sensory-friendly drumming activity, and a Motown Summer Concert later this summer. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Carnival for people with disabilities returning to Farmington Hills Carnival says cruise ship will return to Baltimore Sunday, two months after Key Bridge collapse Another cruise line says one of its ships will return to Baltimore next weekend. A Carnival Cruise Line ship that rerouted its departure to Norfolk, Virginia, will return to Baltimore on Sunday as scheduled, the company said in a news release. Last week, Royal Caribbean said a ship would be leaving Baltimore this coming Saturday as planned. The Dali cargo ship was refloated early last week, and the Key Bridge Response Unified Command said that a 50-feet deep, 400-feet wide channel will be open soon. The original 50-feet deep, 700-feet wide channel is expected to be fully restored by the end of the month. While the ship was stuck in the Patapsco River following its March 26 crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, cruise ships have been rerouted through Norfolk. We are extremely grateful to the officials and incredible first responders in Baltimore, whove shown great leadership and resolve in this difficult time, as well as our supportive partners in Norfolk, whose rapid response allowed us to continue to deliver our scheduled sailings for our guests, Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said in the release. Its been our goal to resume operations in Baltimore as soon as possible, and after working closely with local, state and federal agencies, we look forward to a successful return. In 2023, Maryland Port Administration spokesperson Richard Scher said, 444,000 passengers boarded cruises in the terminal, the highest total since 2012. Eight cruise ships are scheduled to depart in June. The cruise terminal primarily services ships from Carnival and Royal Caribbean cruise lines, and the Norwegian Cruise Line also occasionally uses it. The day after Chad Daybell held a rushed 2019 funeral for his wife of nearly 30 years, the Doomsday author introduced his grieving family to his secret paramour, Lori Vallow. Joseph Murray, who is married to Daybells daughter, told Ada County Court jurors on Tuesday that the surprising meeting took place at the familys Idaho homethe same place where his mother-in-law, Tammy Daybell, was found dead inside her bedroom on Oct. 19, 2019. He added that it was the only time he met Vallow. The shocking revelation of Daybells swift introduction came on the second day of the defenses case in the 59-year-old former grave diggers death-penalty trial. Prosecutors allege that Daybell and Vallow were driven by their extreme religious beliefs to murder Tammyand then Vallows two children, 7-year-old J.J. Vallow and 17-year-old Tylee Ryan, a month later. The children were buried in Daybells backyard before the couple fled to Hawaii to start their new life. Defense attorneys, however, insist there is no evidence directly tying Daybell to all three murders. Daybell has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including first-degree murder. Vallow is serving life in prison after she was convicted in July on similar charges. Doomsday Dad Chad Daybells Kids Take Stand in Murder Trial Throughout the trial, Daybells family and law enforcement have testified about his concerning behavior after Tammy diedand at the funeral. Fremont County Coroner Brenda Dye told jurors that Daybell said he found his wife frozen on the bedroom floor after she had spent the night coughing and vomiting. Dye said that despite her questions about Tammy, she respected Daybells wishes not to complete an autopsy, and determined that she died of natural causes. Heather Daybell previously testified that her brother-in-law pushed for a quick funeral because he didnt want to drag this out. His demeanor seemed strange to me, she added, saying that she believed Daybell was disingenuous at the Utah funeral and even showed up late for the luncheon afterward. Daybells daughter, however, came to her fathers defense on Tuesday and insisted his funeral behavior was typical for any grieving Latter-day Saint husband. Latter-day Saints believe we will be resurrected and with our families forever, Emma Murray testified on Tuesday, adding that she saw her father cry at the service. A funeral isnt saying goodbye foreverits a see you later. Its a break. Months later, amid a separate investigation into Vallows missing children, Tammys body was exhumed, and it was determined that she was a homicide victim who had died from asphyxiation. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) The City of Champaign is set to accept a $12 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to build a plaza along Neil Street. According to an agenda published online, the Champaign City Council is expected to vote to approve the measure at their meeting Tuesday night. The grant is for the second phase of reconstruction along Neil Street in downtown. The Hill and Neil intersection will be reconstructed to be a speed table. Map-Neil-Street-plaza-1Download The city would transform a surface level parking lot located at the intersection of Neil and Washington Streets into a plaza. Proposed amenities for the include a pop jet fountain, kiosks for local retailers and a public lawn. Champaigns Virginia Theatre closing for renovations next year The lot south of the Orpheum Theatre will also add art, seating, shade structures and plants. Rendering Map Neil Street PlazaDownload The city will hold a study session later this summer before finalizing the design. What could we do in this space that would attract you here, that would bring you here and help you feel welcome and comfortable? Through that process, we identified the community, Senior Planner Lacey Rains Lowe said, identified lots of ways that theyd like to use the space from simply, I just want a place to be. I want a place to enjoy some shade and some music and the vibrancy of downtown.' City officials estimate construction would start in 2026 and hope to be complete by 2027. The full resolution can be found here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. Charlotte man arrested in murder of roommate in 2018 sentenced to life Charlotte man arrested in murder of roommate in 2018 sentenced to life CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A Charlotte man will spend the rest of his life in prison after a Mecklenburg County jury found him guilty of first-degree murder on Tuesday. Dwayne Evans has been found guilty of killing his roommate, Eric Spells, 28, in 2018, and then reportedly dumping his body in York County, South Carolina. In 2018, authorities had received a missing persons call around 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 25 in the 100 block of South Smallwood Place. A woman reported that her boyfriend, identified as Spells, had been missing since the night before and had not shown up to work that day after an argument with his roommate, Evans. Quickly determined, based on evidence inside the house, that a crime had occurred, Capt. Chris Dozier with CMPD said in 2018. MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS Crime & Public Safety Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police believed, based on evidence, that Evans murdered Spells during an argument and then disposed of his body with two others charged in the case. Evans trial began on April 24 and ended on Tuesday, May 21, with the jurys guilty verdict. The Mecklenburg County District Attorneys Homicide Team tried Evans for first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, concealment of death, and conspiracy to commit concealment of death. The jury found him guilty as charged. Judge Bell sentenced Evans to the mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Charges remain pending against the two co-defendants in this case, court officials said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Fact checked by Nick BlackmerFact checked by Nick Blackmer Key Takeaways A new study on breast cancer in older women shows that chemotherapy can negatively impact physical functioning. Physical, social, and emotional support can improve functioning. Women should ask their doctor about a geriatric assessment before beginning chemotherapy to log their physical abilities, health conditions, and medications. This helps the provider and patient make decisions regarding the best treatment option. A multicenter clinical trial conducted at over a dozen academic medical centers in the U.S. found that chemotherapy can speed up physical decline in older women. However, the researchers say that interventions such as physical therapy and emotional and social support can help reduce the negative effects of the treatment. The study, published recently in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship, found many older women who had early-stage breast cancer and underwent chemotherapy experienced a significant decline in their ability to perform daily tasks like walking or climbing stairs compared to those who didnt have chemotherapy and women without cancer who were the same age. The clinical trial compared the changes in physical function over time in women aged 65 and older. Participants included 444 women with early-stage breast cancer receiving chemotherapy, 98 women with early-stage breast cancer not receiving chemotherapy, and 100 women who did not have cancer. Related: How to Determine a Breast Cancer Prognosis The researchers found that almost 35% of older adults who received chemotherapy for breast cancer had a significant decline in physical function, compared to 8% of those who didnt receive chemotherapy and 5% of those without cancer. In women who had a substantial decline, stair climbing, walking a mile, and moderate activity were especially difficult. The new study is important because doctors have known that older women can face physical challenges when treated for breast cancer, but they werent sure whether it was the cancer or the treatment that caused these issues. The new study is the first to compare functional decline in older adults receiving chemotherapy to older breast cancer patients not receiving chemo. This allowed the researchers to see that the physical challenges, in many cases, were linked to chemo. The study provides a lens on the impact of common cancer treatment on the health and well-being of our patients, and it raises awareness that we should be doing more to support outpatients so that we can improve both the quantity and quality of their survival, Mina Sedrak, MD, director of the Cancer and Aging Program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA and the first author of the study, told Verywell. The findings dont necessarily mean you should avoid chemo after a certain age, especially since it can be an extremely effective treatment. The researchers were able to highlight certain interventions that could help improve the difficulties women experience during and after chemotherapy. A Note on Sex and Gender Terminology Verywell Health acknowledges that sex and gender are related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like female, male, woman, and man as the sources use them. Geriatric Assessments Are a Crucial Tool for Older Cancer Patients As part of the trial, all of the participants completed questionnaires about demographics and health status. They also agreed to a geriatric assessment: an evaluation to look at a persons physical and mental functioning as well as medical conditions, medications, nutrition, and social support, Sedrak said. Another geriatric assessment was conducted 30 days after women finished chemotherapy and at established points during the study for women who were not having cancer treatment. Updated geriatric assessment guidelines were published by the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in July of 2023, which the researchers consider to be critical for older adults facing treatment for breast or any other kind of cancer. We know that there are significant survival advantages for patients who are evaluated with the geriatric assessment, which enables us to provide interventions to help prevent negative outcomes of cancer treatment, William Tew, MD, clinical director of the Gynecologic Medical Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, told Verywell. The study also noted that given the expected rise in the number of older survivors with breast cancerprojected to reach more than six million by 2040understanding the mechanisms of accelerated aging and finding ways to prevent it is critical. Tew said doctors should discuss the risk of decline with patients and family members and let them know what can be done to help alleviate it. Two examples of interventions include physical therapy and encouraging movement to help reduce the risk of neuropathy, or nerve pain. The research team is continuing their work by looking at the interaction between cancer treatment and the aging processes to identify mechanisms that can be targeted by drugs to potentially reverse these processes, Sedrak said. What Else Can Make Cancer Treatment Manageable? Breast cancer treatment is quite individualized these days, and may not require chemotherapy at all. A womans breast cancer may respond to a particular regimen which can make it harder to choose a less toxic therapy [than chemo], Tew said. But depending on the type of cancer, radiation or other medication may be just as effective, which can help reduce physical decline. A combination of physical, emotional, and social support can help keep older chemo patients in the best physical condition possible. Especially at an academic cancer center, your doctor is likely to refer you to specialists for social support and physical therapy of some kind. If they dont, ask them about it, Liz Farrell, LICSW, lead social worker at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, told Verywell. She added that a medical centers website should list a description of these types of services and a directory for accessing them. Miranda Zinn, LMSW, a breast care helpline specialist at the Susan G. Komen Foundation, told Verywell she advises women diagnosed with breast cancer to ask if they have access to a social worker or navigator. This person can help them determine what support is available to them, including help with medical costs and transportation. The researchers are committed to mitigating the physical decline that comes with chemotherapy treatment. There is a lot of work being done around the world on this topic, ranging from efforts to find chemotherapy agents that are tolerable to help with decision making around treatment, study author Rachel Freedman, MD, MPH, founder and director of the Program for Older Adults with Breast Cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told Verywell. Were also exploring early interventions in those who are frail, test exercises in this population as a way to improve outcomes, and ways of making chemotherapy and other treatments more manageable. There is a lot of work being done as well to better understand who needs chemotherapy and who doesnt. What This Means For You Social, emotional, and physical support are paramount if youre being treated for cancer, especially if youre over the age of 65. Resources from the American Cancer Society include: Additionally, social workers staffing the Komen Help Line can help you find a slew of resources for cancer support, ranging from financial aid to online and in-person support groups. Read Next: 8 Things to Know Before Your First Chemo Treatment Read the original article on Verywell Health. CHESAPEAKE Some leaders in Chesapeake are pushing the possibility of transitioning to a district-based election system by posing the question to voters in the upcoming election. A potential change to the citys local election system could be up for discussion in the coming weeks following a request made by council member Don Carey at a meeting earlier this month. Carey asked for background information to be placed on the May 28 meeting agenda so that council members could consider beginning the process of putting a referendum on the ballot that would ask voters to weigh in on a single-member district voting system versus the current at-large system. City council, school board members and the mayor in Chesapeake are elected in an at-large system where the candidates with the most votes from voters across the city win open seats. In a single-member district system, representatives must live in their district and only residents who live in the district can vote for their representative. Some positions, like the mayor, could still be elected at-large. Some cities, like Norfolk, have a mix of wards and superwards for local elections. Its an issue Virginia Beach, which used the district system in 2022, has been grappling with for years as it currently works to make the change official in the city charter. Calls to contemplate a district-based voting system in Chesapeake have been made for years. But it most recently came up in a March 26 meeting when several residents and activists pushed council members to consider it. Proponents of the district system say it helps prevent the dilution of minority votes seen in at-large systems, especially in a city of Chesapeakes size and demographics. Chesapeake is the second most populous city in the commonwealth, measures more than 350 square miles and has a significant minority population. Carey said its an issue hes heard at least since his election to Council in 2020, and that sentiments are revving up. He also deems it an ideal time since the upcoming election is a presidential one, which often sees higher voter turnout. More and more interest is being garnished, and Im simply thinking when are we going to ever be able to have this many citizens gathering together to give feedback on an important issue like this, Carey told The Virginian-Pilot. And thats simply all Im aiming for here is to garnish feedback from citizens in the most effective way whether we go down this route or not. The process for getting a referendum on the ballot is carried out primarily through the Circuit Court. Council could approve a resolution that would authorize the city attorneys office to petition the court for a referendum order, according to City Attorney Catherine Lindley, who cited state code. A public hearing on the resolution would be advertised before the Council voted on it. Carey said he hopes to have the public hearing at the June 11 meeting. If approved, the petition and order must be entered by the court at least 81 days before the date of the Nov. 5 election. Carey said his request at this time is just to get the process started and allow opportunity for the public to weigh in. Council member Ella Ward voiced support for Careys pursuit. Mayor Rick West, however, expressed in the meeting and to The Pilot that he feels the move is premature since not enough information is known at this time. Though hes opposed to any agenda item that would initiate the process, West said he still wants to hear feedback from the general public on the issue. (I) think there are a lot of questions that have to be answered in terms of the process, West said. Should we decide to go to a ward system, what is that going to look like? Is it going to accomplish what the people who are supportive of it are trying to accomplish? Both West and Carey are vying for the mayors seat in the upcoming November election. Even if a referendum is placed on the ballot and voters approve, the measure would still have to get General Assembly approval to make it happen a process currently playing out in Virginia Beach. The at-large ward systems impact on minority voters was the gist of why Virginia Beachs election system was overhauled following a federal lawsuit filed in 2017. A federal judge in 2021 agreed Virginia Beachs at-large system diluted minority representation, and the court imposed a district-based election system on the city. The new system was used in the 2022 election and included 10 districts. The effects of the changes to the citys voter system were immediately evident, according to previous reporting by The Pilot. The Virginia Beach City Council that was sworn into office in 2023 was the most diverse and among the youngest in city history, with four Black representatives and four members under age 45. Virginia Beach, however, continues to grapple with officially changing its election process in its city charter, which was further complicated following a veto this week from Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The governor cited a pending lawsuit against Virginia Beach filed by a former council member and others, who allege the city illegally manipulated the Virginia Beach electoral system by eliminating three at-large seats that are expressly established under the City Charter, and deprived the rights of voters. As Chesapeake leaders consider the issue, some local groups that have previously voiced support for transitioning to single-member district voting system, including the New Chesapeake Men for Progress and Chesapeake branch of the NAACP, will host a town hall informational meeting for residents on Thursday at 7 p.m. at New Galilee Missionary Baptist Church. Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com Chicago police, city officials appear to miss goals on meeting requirement to report and review when officers point their weapons Five years after pledging to firm up recordkeeping on incidents where police officers point their weapons at people while performing their duties, the Chicago Police Department and other city officials appear to have fallen short of goals outlined in a federal consent decree guiding reform, the Tribune has found. That consent decree calls for CPD officers to notify the citys Office of Emergency Management and Communications each time they point a weapon at someone. OEMC is then required to notify the officers supervisor, and those records ostensibly are available to the public through the Freedom of Information Act. But in a response to a FOIA filed by the Tribune seeking those records during the five-year window since CPD agreed to the more stringent disclosure requirement, OEMC first provided records that indicated just 12 incidents where officers had made such a notification. Later, the office provided a spreadsheet with nearly 17,000 rows listing firearm-pointing incident reports, or FPIR notifications, made since early 2019. It is unclear though how many raw incidents there were since many data lines repeat, and OEMC did not provide associated police incident report numbers which would indicate the reports had been forwarded. The consent decree makes it clear how such information is supposed to move up the chain of command after it is gathered by OEMC, saying notified CPD supervisors will ensure that the investigatory stop or arrest documentation and the OEMC recordation of the pointing of a firearm are promptly reviewed in accordance with CPD policy. The consent-decree monitoring team in a recent progress report noted that internal CPD statistics showed thousands of such gun-pointing incidents in recent years. In fact, there were more than 2,000 just in the first six months of last year, the latest period available. And the lapse comes at a time when the number of those incidents is on the rise. Citing data provided, the monitoring teams report found 2,562 incidents during the entirety of 2021 and 2,925 in 2022. While gun-pointing incidents have increased, police shootings have not. Data from the Civilian Office of Police Accountability show agency investigators responded to 34 instances of CPD officers firing their guns in 2022. Last year, COPA responded to 19 shootings involving CPD officers. Answering questions about the reporting process, a police spokeswoman said all officers receive training. Training and supervision are vital to ensuring officers adhere to the firearm pointing incident policy, including promptly notifying OEMC after a firearm pointing incident has concluded, she said. Chicago police Superintendent Larry Snelling hasnt addressed gun-pointing incidents but has said CPD is committed to complying with the consent decree and enhancing transparency. In recent remarks on reform, but he has highlighted other areas where he sees success. Snelling has noted that traffic stops by CPD officers are down slightly year-over-year, while arrests for felony offenses and illegal gun seizures are up. Homicides and nonfatal shootings are trending down, too, even as the city grapples with a proliferation of automatic weapons. I dont think weve done a very good job of explaining what real constitutional, proactive police work looks like, Snelling told the Tribune last year. The way that we balance this is to, one, be transparent about what we do. Sometimes police work does not look good. But if we can explain the constitutionality of stops, of our interactions with individuals, I think itll be a lot more palatable for those who just dont understand what theyre looking at. Little follow up The independent monitoring team said CPD supervisors have, so far, rarely taken corrective action in gun-pointing incidents flagged by the departments tactical review and evaluation division. A 2022 year-end report, cited by the monitoring team, indicated that of the nearly 3,000 incidents reviewed, (The tactical review and evaluation division) made a training recommendation for 1,023 reviews (34%). In contrast, supervisors indicated that they took corrective action at the time of the incident in 1% of debriefings. The vast majority of those training recommendations from the tactical review division concerned officers activating their body-worn cameras a long-standing problem. Theoretically, an officer who has drawn a weapon during an interaction with a civilian should have activated their camera. During a June meeting with the CPD, the IMT expressed concerns about the ability to review use of force incidents when no body-worn camera footage was available 12% of the time, according to the tactical review divisions 2022 year-end Report, the monitoring team recently reported. The IMT requested that CPD come up with a game plan to address the continuing problems of late activation and no activation. CPDs slow compliance with the consent decree is not limited to shortcomings in reporting and assessing when officers point weapons. Staffing levels, along with data collection and retention, continue to plague the departments reform efforts, according to the monitoring team. Overall, the citys and the CPDs compliance efforts continue to lag and, after several reporting periods of minimal progress, bring into question the citys and the CPDs commitment to implementing reforms in community policing practices as required by the consent decree, the team wrote last year. For more than two years, the Police Department has maintained secondary compliance with the consent decree paragraph that requires notifications of drawing a weapon, according to the monitoring teams most recent report. Its next report is expected to be released some time this summer, and that will be the first to gauge the CPDs compliance efforts under Snelling. Slow to adopt reform The consent decree was ordered into effect in January 2019 after nearly a year of negotiations between the city and the Illinois attorney generals office perhaps the most consequential byproduct of the 2014 killing of Laquan McDonald by former CPD officer Jason Van Dyke. The guideline for reporting gun-pointing incidents to OEMC came after a standoff between then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and then-Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and the provision was agreed upon a day after Emanuel announced he would not seek a third term as mayor. The independent monitors report and the CPD stats cited therein do not make clear where or under what circumstances the firearm-pointing incidents occurred. The monitoring team again pointed to the CPDs data collection, retention and analysis policies as hindrances to the citys overall compliance with the consent decree. Last week during a monthly consent-decree status hearing, Josh Levin, an ACLU attorney who represents a coalition of community groups, said lagging data collection is only a symptom of deeper issues at the department. Its just hard to take CPD seriously (when its said) that every officer is a community policing officer when we see what happens in our communities, when CPD is continuing to swarm Black and Latino neighborhoods with heavily armed, plainclothes tactical teams that jump out and terrorize our community members when theyre just simply trying to go about their day, Levin said. Thats what happens in communities particularly on the West and the South side of our city, and that is the fundamental break in trust that needs to be repaired. And no amount of data tracking or collection or analysis or surveys is going to solve that until the actual conduct of our police officers toward our community members changes. The bulk of the consent decree applies to CPD, but changes to policies in OEMC, the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, the Chicago Police Board and Office of Inspector General are also required. The monitoring teams latest report gauged the Police Departments adherence to the consent decree between Jan. 1, 2023, and June 30, 2023, a period of transition that saw three superintendents lead the department for various lengths of time. Former Superintendent David Brown announced his resignation from CPD in March after Lori Lightfoot failed to qualify for the mayoral runoff election. After Brown left, Eric Carter, the first deputy superintendent, led the department on an interim basis until he retired in early May. Once Brandon Johnson was sworn in as mayor, he tapped retired CPD Chief of Patrol Fred Waller to helm the department. The City Council last September confirmed Snelling as permanent superintendent. Most recently, the monitoring team assessed CPDs compliance with each of the 552 consent decree paragraphs that apply to the department between January and June 2023. There are three levels of compliance: Preliminary, secondary and full. Preliminary compliance signifies CPD has developed a training curriculum; secondary compliance means training has been implemented; and full compliance means that the policy is fully part of the CPDs day-to-day operations. In the first half of 2023, the monitoring team found the department to be in preliminary compliance with 279 of the decrees 552 monitorable paragraphs. Secondary compliance was found in 160 paragraphs, while the CPD was in full compliance with 33 paragraphs. No compliance was reached in 74 paragraphs, while six more remain under assessment, according to the monitoring team. Director-General of the WHO Dr. Tedros attends an ACANU briefing in Geneva GENEVA (Reuters) -The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) called on Tuesday for Israel to lift restrictions on aid into Gaza, saying that the primary pipeline for emergency medical aid into the enclave from Egypt had been cut off. Israel seized and closed the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on May 7, disrupting a vital route for people and aid into and out of enclave. "At a time when the people of Gaza are facing starvation, we urge Israel to lift the blockade and let aid through," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference in Geneva, describing the situation in the Palestinian enclave as "beyond catastrophic". "Without more aid flowing into Gaza we cannot sustain our lifesaving support of hospitals and populations," he said. Israel says U.N. agencies are to blame for not distributing aid more efficiently within the enclave, creating backlogs of supplies. Tedros said Israel's move had impacted six hospitals and nine primary health centres and caused 70 shelters to lose their medical facilities. "Daily consultations have fallen by close to 40% and immunization by 50%," he said. "Approximately 700 seriously ill patients who would have otherwise been evacuated for medical care elsewhere are stuck in a war zone." Gaza's healthcare system has essentially collapsed since Israel began its military offensive there after the Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas militants. Tedros said that Gaza's Al-Awda Hospital in northern Gaza remained under siege since Sunday, with 148 hospital staff and 22 patients and the people accompanying them trapped inside. He said that fighting near Kamal Adwan Hospital, also in northern Gaza, had jeopardised its ability to care for patients. "These are the only two functional hospitals remaining in northern Gaza," Tedros said. "Ensuring their ability to deliver health services is imperative." (Reporting by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber and Emma Farge; Editing by William Maclean and Gareth Jones) Child workers were again found working for a poultry plant company that saw a 16-year-old worker die last year after being pulled into a meat processing machine, federal authorities have alleged. A recent search of Mar-Jac Poultrys facility in Alabama found several teenagers deboning poultry and cutting carcasses on its kill floor, in violation of federal labor laws, the Labor Department said in a court filing against the company on May 6. The DOLs Wage and Hour Division found children younger than eighteen-years-old working on the killing floor hanging live chickens on hooks for slaughter and cutting meat from the carcasses, which is a prohibited hazardous occupation for minors, the DOL said in a court order demanding a temporary 30-day restraining order against the poultry company. Several underage workers were allegedly seen "hanging live chickens on hooks for slaughter and cutting meat from the carcasses, which is a prohibited hazardous occupation for minors, the Department of Labor said. Bloomberg Creative via Getty Images The underage workers had been employed there for months. All products produced at the facility, up until May 31, are therefore tainted by child labor and are hot goods under federal labor law, it said in seeking the restraint. The company, responding to the restraining order request in court filings, denied knowing that it had any employees less than 18 years of age, and said that the alleged underaged workers were immediately discharged from employment once the allegations were made. The companys attorneys further argued that none of the jobs performed by the workers involved power machinery or dangerous conditions though it acknowledged that one of the workers was tasked with cutting wings off of bird carcasses with a knife as they passed by on a conveyor. It offered to pull all goods produced at the facility during the work shift that federal inspectors said they saw the minors working, but it argued that putting a freeze on all production at the plant would have seismic economic consequences on the community. The U.S. Department of Labor has alleged that all products produced at the Alabama facility during the workers' employment are tainted by child labor and are hot goods under federal labor law. via Associated Press Mar-Jac estimates that a 30-day shutdown could likely cause approximately $63,000,000 of economic damage not just to Mar-Jac, but to its employees ($3,500,000), contractors, breeders, hatcheries, and feed mills, to name but a few of the potential casualties, it argued. The DOL cited the companys recent child labor law violations, including last years death of a 16-year-old sanitation worker at a Mar-Jac facility in Mississippi, as evidence that it was consistently and willfully not doing enough. Defendant has a lengthy history of very recent child labor violations in its poultry processing facilities, the DOL said in a May 14 court filing. Its past rampant employment of minor children should have incentivized the company to screen prospective employees better, it accused. The company last year had said that the child worker killed, Duvan Tomas Perez, should not have been hired, and that his age and identity were misrepresented on his hiring paperwork with an outside staffing company. The company is undertaking a thorough audit with the staffing companies to ensure that this kind of error never happens again, it told HuffPost back in July. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration in January said that it would fine Mar-Jac Poultry nearly $213,000 following the teens death. Representatives with Mar-Jac Poultry did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment on Tuesday. Related... (Bloomberg) -- China slammed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for extending his congratulations to Taiwans new president and separately sanctioned a former US congressman who supported Taipei, underscoring how the islands status divides the two superpowers. Most Read from Bloomberg Its a serious violation of the political commitment made by the US to maintain only cultural, commercial and other unofficial relations with the Taiwan region, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Tuesday in response to Blinkens comments at a regular press briefing in Beijing. The remarks by the US top diplomat sent a seriously wrong signal to the Taiwan separatist forces, Wang said. He added that Beijing had filed a diplomatic complaint with Washington, and called on the US to immediately correct their mistakes. Blinken congratulated Lai Ching-te on Monday shortly after he took over as Taiwans new president. The Biden administration official also said in a statement that his nation looked forward to working with Lai and others in the democratically run island of 23 million people to advance our shared interests and values. Read More: Taiwans New President Calls On China to End Threat of War Also on Tuesday, Beijing announced sanctions on former US Congressman Mike Gallagher, accusing him of interfering in Chinas internal affairs and harming Chinese sovereignty, according to a statement on the Chinese Foreign Ministrys account on WeChat. The former chair of the House select committee on Chinas Communist Party led a delegation to Taiwan in February, when he met then President Tsai Ing-wen. Gallagher called on Washington to arm the island to the teeth against Chinese military intimidation in an op-ed in January. China opposes nations it has official ties with having contact with Taiwan, which it views as part of its territory to be brought under its control eventually, by force if necessary. The US is Taiwans main political and military supporter, irking Beijing. US President Joe Biden has repeatedly pledged to defend Taiwan if China attacks. Lai has signaled that during his four years in office he will follow many of the policies of his predecessor, Tsai, including embracing the US. That stance means ties between Taipei and Beijing will likely remain tense in the coming years. Read More: Protest Erupts in Taiwan Over Plan to Curb New Presidents Power --With assistance from Colum Murphy. (Updates with Chinese sanction on Mike Gallagher) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Tuesday scolded South Korean and Japanese lawmakers for visiting Taiwan despite its strong opposition, chiding both neighbours for attending Taiwan's "so-called inauguration ceremony of the leader". Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, regarded by China as a "separatist", was officially sworn in on Monday after winning a January election. China, claiming Taiwan as part of its territory, resolutely opposes the visits, its embassies in South Korea and Japan said, and has lodged solemn representations with the two northeast Asian countries. A spokesperson for the embassy in South Korea said the move runs counter to the China-South Korea strategic cooperative partnership, while to Japan, the embassy there said the visit seriously contravened the spirit of Sino-Japanese commitments. China urged South Korea to take "practical actions" to safeguard overall interests of bilateral relations while it seriously urged Japan to cease "provocative political manipulation" of the Taiwan issue. It also told Japan, which has joined the United States in congratulating Lai, to avoid causing further damage to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and to their bilateral relations. On Monday, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi called Taiwan "an extremely important partner and friend of our country", and that Japan's stance was to further deepen cooperation and exchanges at the non-governmental level. Ties between Japan and China have sagged in recent times, weighed down by a host of issues including clashes over mutual maritime claims in the East China Sea, as well as China's actions against Philippine claims in the South China Sea. China, South Korea and Japan are due a trilateral summit next week in Seoul. SEEKING STABLE TIES Last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his South Korean counterpart who visited Beijing that both nations should seek stable ties despite their recent "difficulties" including tensions over Taiwan and other regional issues. South Korea's Cho Tae-yul told Wang both countries should work together and "even if there are difficulties, momentum of cooperation should be continued while carefully managing the relations". South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said last year that democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory, was a "global issue", not just an issue between China and Taiwan. "Anyone who attempts to challenge the one-China principle will end in failure," Wang warned on Monday as Lai was sworn in. "There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is part of China." (Reporting by Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom; Writing by Bernard Orr; Additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko in Tokyo; Editing by Sonali Paul and Michael Perry) FILE - Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., speaks during a hearing at the Capitol in Washington on July 18, 2023. China on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, sanctioned Mike Gallagher, a former Republican member of Congress from Wisconsin who has shown support for Taiwan. Gallagher will be banned from entering China, any assets he holds in the country will be frozen and he will be barred from various exchanges with Chinese organizations and individuals, the country's Foreign Ministry announced. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) BEIJING (AP) China on Tuesday sanctioned Mike Gallagher, a former Republican member of Congress from Wisconsin who has shown support for Taiwan. Gallagher will be banned from entering China, any assets he holds in the country will be frozen and he will be barred from various exchanges with Chinese organizations and individuals, the countrys Foreign Ministry announced. The sanctions come a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Taiwans new president, Lai Ching-te, on his inauguration Monday. China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, and bristles at other countries contacts with Taipei. On Monday, China's Ministry of Commerce announced sanctions on Boeing and two other U.S. defense companies over arms sales to Taiwan. Gallagher, who stepped down in April, led the House pushback against the Chinese government, including helping to pass a bill that could ban popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesnt sell its stake. In February, Gallagher led a Congressional delegation to Taiwan in a visit that sought to assure Taipei of Washingtons continued support. The United States, like most countries, doesnt recognize Taiwan as a country but is bound by its own laws to ensure the island can defend itself. BEIJING (AP) China on Tuesday sanctioned Mike Gallagher, a former Republican member of Congress from Wisconsin who has shown support for Taiwan. Gallagher will be banned from entering China, any assets he holds in the country will be frozen and he will be barred from various exchanges with Chinese organizations and individuals, the countrys Foreign Ministry announced. Police searching for source of ketamine obtained by Matthew Perry The sanctions come a day after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Taiwans new president, Lai Ching-te, on his inauguration Monday. China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, and bristles at other countries contacts with Taipei. On Monday, Chinas Ministry of Commerce announced sanctions on Boeing and two other U.S. defense companies over arms sales to Taiwan. Gallagher, who stepped down in April, led the House pushback against the Chinese government, including helping to pass a bill that could ban popular video app TikTok if its China-based owner doesnt sell its stake. DNR: Cicadas have started to emerge in Wisconsin, will not appear again until 2041 In February, Gallagher led a Congressional delegation to Taiwan in a visit that sought to assure Taipei of Washingtons continued support. The United States, like most countries, doesnt recognize Taiwan as a country but is bound by its own laws to ensure the island can defend itself. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFRV Local 5 - Green Bay, Appleton. By Liz Lee BEIJING (Reuters) -Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called Taiwan's newly-inaugurated President Lai Ching-te "disgraceful" on Tuesday, stepping up Beijing's rhetoric just a day after he took office. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, believes Lai to be a "separatist", and has rebuffed his offers of talks. China's government has generally avoided directly naming Lai since he won election in January, unlike in the run-up to the vote where they regularly denounced him by name and said the election was a choice between war and peace. Speaking at a foreign ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Kazakhstan, Wang said Taiwan was the "core of core issues" for China, and independence activities the most destructive factor for peace in the Taiwan Strait. "The ugly acts of Lai Ching-te and others who betray the nation and their ancestors is disgraceful," China's foreign ministry cited Wang as saying. Nothing can stop China from achieving "reunification" and bringing Taiwan "back to the motherland", he added. "All Taiwan independence separatists will be nailed to the pillar of shame in history." Taiwan's foreign ministry said China's coercive practices would not sway the island. "Political coercion and diplomatic suppression by the authoritarian Chinese government will never change Taiwan's staunch democratic convictions," it said. Lai, like his predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, says only Taiwan's people can decide their future, rejecting Beijing's sovereignty claims. China on Tuesday also admonished the United States for sending its congratulations to Lai, after scolding South Korean and Japanese lawmakers for visiting Taiwan despite its strong opposition. In his inauguration address on Monday, Lai asked China to stop its military and political threats, saying that peace was the only choice and that Beijing had to respect the choice of the Taiwanese people. Lai received loud applause after reiterating that the Republic of China - Taiwan's formal name - and the People's Republic of China are "not subordinate to each other", a line Tsai also took. China views such wording as tantamount to saying China and Taiwan are different countries, a red line for Beijing. China says any move by Taiwan to declare formal independence would be grounds to attack the island. The government in Taipei says Taiwan is already an independent country, the Republic of China. The Republican government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists who set up the People's Republic of China. (Reporting by Liz Lee and Beijing newsroom; Writing and additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Andrew Heavens, William Maclean and Christina Fincher) FILE PHOTO: The skeleton of a Psittacosaurus dinosaur is displayed during the Collector Exhibition at the Grand Palais Museum in Paris FILE PHOTO: The skeleton of a Psittacosaurus dinosaur is displayed during the Collector Exhibition at the Grand Palais Museum in Paris By Will Dunham (Reuters) - A new fossil of the Cretaceous Period dinosaur Psittacosaurus, a dog-sized herbivore with a parrot-like beak, that was donated to a Chinese university came with a surprise - one revealed only after scientists viewed it under ultraviolet light. It retained large patches of beautifully preserved skin, down to its cellular structure, providing new insight into skin evolution in feathered dinosaurs. The fossil points to "zoned development" in the skin of these dinosaurs, researchers said, with Psittacosaurus and probably other feathered dinosaurs possessing scaly, reptile-like skin on body regions without feathers, with soft, bird-like skin on areas with feathers. "Initially we didn't really have much hope of finding any soft tissues because, to the naked eye, our specimen appears to preserve only the bones. We didn't give up, though, because we knew that during fossilization soft tissues can be replaced by minerals, which may blend in with the sediments," said Zixiao Yang, a postdoctoral researcher in paleontology at University College Cork in Ireland and lead author of the study published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. "When I turned on the UV light, I could feel my heart almost skip a beat. Large patches of scaly skin, covering the chest and belly, were glowing in a striking golden-yellow color under the UV. The fossil skin looked really exquisite, covered by tiny, rounded scales of about one millimeter wide," Yang said. Fossils of any soft tissues are rare. Skin fossils of this quality are rarer still. Unearthed in northeastern China, the nearly complete fossil, dating to roughly 130 million years ago, is of a juvenile Psittacosaurus (pronounced SIT-ak-oh-sawr-us), about 2-1/4 feet (66 cm) long and approximately 3 years old when it died. It was donated in 2021 to Nanjing University from a private collection. Psittacosaurus is an early member of the horned dinosaur lineage, called ceratopsians, that later produced large beasts like Triceratops. Psittacosaurus itself lacked horns. Its name means "parrot lizard" based on its protruding beak, adapted for eating plants. Many dinosaurs had feathers. In fact, birds evolved from small feathered dinosaurs. The first rudimentary feathers are thought to have evolved from reptilian scales nearly 250 million years ago in animals ancestral to dinosaurs and the flying reptiles called pterosaurs. Psittacosaurus had simple, bristle-like feathers atop its tail. The rest of its body was covered by scaly skin. The fossil did not have skin from the dinosaur's feathered regions, but the researchers think these areas had bird-like skin. "This discovery adds nuance to our understanding of feather evolution. The acquisition of modern, bird-like skin happened only locally on the body. Tough, reptile-style skin remained essential in body regions not protected by feathers," said University College Cork paleontology professor and study co-author Maria McNamara. The skin of birds exhibits multiple adaptations for feathers. Birds have a dermal network of microscopic muscles that encircles each feather and acts like a hydraulic system, including muscles that pull feathers in different directions. There also is a network of smooth muscles under the skin that keeps feathers separated, as well as deposits of fatty tissue anchored to the base of the skin that create an even skin surface and feather orientation. In addition, feathers are connected by a system of sensory nerve fibers. "Until now, we haven't known whether the skin of dinosaurs and their relatives evolved these skin adaptations first and feathers later, or whether they evolved at the same time, and in which parts of the body," McNamara said. The Psittacosaurus fossil "strongly suggests that evolution of feathers - and the new skin adaptations - happened at the same time," McNamara said. The dinosaur's scaly skin closely resembled the skin of today's reptiles. "They are similar in many aspects, including the shape, size, arrangement and composition of skin cells, and the way the skin produces color patterns," Yang said. (Reporting by Will Dunham in Washington; Editing by Daniel Wallis) Twenty-three acres of ancestral homeland in Southeastern Washington that used to house a juvenile detention center will soon be returned to the Chinook Indian Nation. Thats based on the April 25 vote from a Washington State Office of Financial Management task force convened in July to decide what to do with the land. The Naselle Youth Camp was closed in 2022 and has been vacant ever since. The task force selected Chinooks proposal among 30 others. In their proposal, the Chinook Indian Nation said theyd utilize the land for government office space, archival storage, and space for cultural classes, according to Underscore News + ICT reporting from a task force meeting in March. The Chinook Indian Nation is made up of the five western-most Chinookan-speaking tribes at the mouth of the Columbia River. The tribe was federally recognized by the Clinton Administration in 2001. However, 18 months later, the federal government rescinded the decision after another Washington Tribe protested that recognition. [The vote] does feel like something for the history books and something that our descendants will look back on as an awfully important moment, Chinook Indian Nation Chairman Tony Johnson told Underscore News + ICT. The land transfer came from a bill introduced in 2023 January by state senator Jeff Wilson that would have required the transfer of the property to the Chinook Indian Nation. But the bill was never heard, and instead Wilson added a budget provision to this years legislative budget proposal for a task force to make recommendations about the future of the Naselle property and facilities. About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. " Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net Christa Pike, Tennessee's only woman on death row, the subject of Investigation Discovery's 'Mean Girl Murders' Christa Pike, the only woman on death row in Tennessee, was recently featured on an episode of Investigation Discovery's TV series "Mean Girl Murders." Pike, 48, was convicted of murder for the 1995 killing of Colleen Slemmer at the Job Corps campus in Knoxville. Pike is the last person in Tennessee sentenced to death for a crime they committed when they were 18. The episode featuring Pike, called "She-Devil," aired on ID on Monday. Minutes into the episode, one of the guests compares Pike to serial killers John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer. Here are some of the facts of Pike's case. Who is Christa Pike? Christa Pike was a student at the Knoxville Job Corps, a federal job training program, when she brutally killed fellow student Colleen Slemmer in 1995. Born in West Virginia in 1976, Pike had an extremely traumatic upbringing marked by violence, sexual abuse and substance abuse. Her attorneys say she developed severe mental illness as a result. Pike has been on death row at Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Center in Nashville since she was convicted in 1996. While in prison in 2001, she attempted to kill another incarcerated woman, Patricia Jones, by strangling her with a shoestring. She was convicted of attempted murder in 2004. Christa Gail Pike and defense attorneys Catherine Brockenborough look at paperwork during a break in the hearing on Monday July 30, 2007. Christa Gail Pike's former lover came to her defense today as Pike's attorneys renewed their effort to get her off death row. Who was Colleen Slemmer? Colleen Slemmer was a 19-year-old student at the Knoxville Job Corps when Pike, Shadolla Peterson and Tadaryl Shipp lured her to a remote area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus to carry out the killing. What happened during the murder of Colleen Slemmer? When she was at Job Corps in Knoxville, Pike began dating fellow student Shipp. Prosecutors said Pike and her friend, Peterson, plotted to kill Slemmer when she suspected Slemmer was trying to steal her boyfriend. The three students killed Slemmer on Jan. 12, 1995. The killing involved a lengthy beating and torture during which the killers etched a pentagram into Slemmer's chest and Pike took a piece of her skull. Death row case: Christa Pike, who would be first Tennessee woman executed in 200 years, moves to reopen appeal When was Christa Pike sentenced? Christa Gail Pike is seen during her trial for the murder of Colleen A. Slemmer March 18, 1996, in Knox County Criminal Court. Pike confessed to the crime and was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder at trial on March 22, 1996. She was sentenced to death by electrocution on March 30, 1996. If she is executed, she would be the first woman put to death in Tennessee in more than 200 years. What happened to Shadolla Peterson and Tadaryl Shipp? Shadolla Peterson turned state witness and pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact. She received a six-year probationary sentence. Shipp was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to life. He becomes eligible for parole in 2026, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction. What has happened with Christa Pike's case? Christa Gail Pike in court during a bid for a new trial in 2008. Pike has not yet been executed. She has filed numerous appeals, and her most recent attempt to have a judge review her case was denied in October 2023. Slemmer's mother, May Martinez, has repeatedly called for Pike's execution and said that the piece of her daughter's skull that Pike was taken remains in state custody. Pike has since said that she was experiencing an acute mental health crisis during the killing. A psychologist told The Tennessean she believed Pike was not in touch with reality at the time. She has filed a federal lawsuit arguing that she is subject to de facto solitary confinement as the only woman on death row because those sentenced to death are housed separately from all other incarcerated people. She has been the only woman on Tennessee's death row since 2010, when then-Gov. Phil Bredesen commuted the death sentence of Gaile Owens, who died in 2010. Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him at emealins@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EvanMealins. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Christa Pike: What to know about Tennessee's only woman on death row Christopher Parosa, left, and James Cleavenger are the candidates running for district attorney in Lane County. Early voting results released at 11 p.m. Tuesday indicate Christopher Parosa is leading the Lane County District Attorney's race by a sizeable margin. The first round of returns counted 75,784 of ballots county-wide, for about a 27% turnout. The last Lane County May election in a presidential year had about 47% turnout. Lane County was scheduled to post the next round of results at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Tuesday's election could decide who will replace Lane County District Attorney Patty Perlow, who chose to retire from office after 34 years of working in Eugene. The district attorney is the county's lead prosecutor who is elected to a four-year term in office. They are charged with leading a team of deputy district attorneys to prosecute people suspected of crimes, direct investigations and recommend sentences. The two candidates running are Christopher Parosa, the chief deputy district attorney in Lane County, and James Cleavenger, who works as the Oakridge city administrator and a reserve Oakridge police officer. Cleavenger previously challenged Perlow for district attorney in 2020. Campaign contributions in Lane County district attorney primary election Cleavenger received less than $750 in total contributions to his campaign, according to the latest update from the Oregon campaign finance database. Incumbent and uncontested Lane County Sheriff Cliff Harold gave his campaign a $500 loan and received $401 in cash contributions. Parosa received a total of $63,742 in campaign contributions, with $60,058 of that total coming from cash contributions and $3,684 coming from non-monetary donations. Contributions of at least $2,000 included: $5,000 cash from Wildish Land Company $5,000 cash from Sierra Pacific Industries $5,000 cash from Olsson Industrial electric $5,000 cash from John Murphy, owner of Murphy Plywood $4,000 cash from Lane County Prosecuting Attorneys $3,684 non-monetary from Chuck Hare, owner of Delux Transportation $2,500 cash from Deborah Parosa, immediate family $2,500 cash from Giustina Resources $2,000 cash from Lane Professional Firefighters Association $2,000 cash from Aaron Thomas, owner of Thomas and sons Distributors Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Election results: Parosa leads Cleavenger for Lane County DA CHICAGO A Cicero man accused of opening fire on a vehicle with five people inside on the citys West Side in early May is now facing a slew of felony Charges. 19-year-old Juan Loredo who was taken into custody on Monday, is facing 10 felony charges, including five counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of aggravated battery with the discharge of a firearm, and two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm into an occupied vehicle. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines The charges stem from an early-morning shooting that allegedly unfolded in Austin on Sunday, May 5. 19-year-old Juan Loredo is accused of opening fire on a vehicle with five people inside on the city's West Side in early May, according to Chicago police. Officers say just after 4 a.m., in the 1600 block of North Cicero Avenue, Loredo allegedly opened fire on a vehicle, leaving three of the five occupants injured. Currently, it is unclear what led to the shooting and authorities have not provided updates on the condition of the victims. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Authorities eventually caught up with Loredo in the 5600 block of Old Orchard Road in Skokie where he was taken into custody. On Tuesday, Loredo appeared in court for a detention hearing. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Shauna Murphy will serve as interim superintendent of Cincinnati Public Schools while the board looks for a permanent replacement for outgoing leader Iranetta Wright. Alesia Smith will act as interim deputy superintendent. Both Murphy and Smith have worked in the district for years. Until now, Murphy was chief of student and family services and Smith was chief of schools. The school board voted to appoint Murphy as the interim leader and Smith as the interim deputy superintendent during a business meeting Monday evening. Wright handed in her resignation after six unions that contract with Cincinnati Public Schools voted no confidence in her. Shauna Murphy, left, and Alesia Smith, right, will be leading Cincinnati Public Schools after Iranetta Wright's departure. Murphy and Smith have worked in the district for years prior to the interim appointments. More: How Cincinnati 'star' superintendent became victim of district's 'fragmented culture' Murphy grew up in Bond Hill and still lives there. She said she's excited for the opportunity to serve the city's kids in this capacity. "Superintendent Wright is an amazing, brilliant woman who we definitely learned from," Murphy said. Now, she said, it's time to take what's been learned and move forward. That means addressing a now $26 million budget gap that may involve cutting staff, and restoring a broken culture among the district's workers. "We're gonna restore confidence in the community," Murphy said. Smith agreed that improving culture is a priority in the coming weeks. The board also officially accepted Wright's resignation during Monday's meeting by passing the treasurer's report. Board members Ben Lindy and Kendra Mapp voted against accepting Wright's resignation. Lindy abstained from appointing Murphy and Smith, and Mapp voted no to their appointments. "This transition is just reckless because there is no plan," Lindy said. When former superintendent Laura Mitchell left, Lindy said, the board spent six weeks selecting an interim leader. This time, the board spent six days looking for an interim, interviewed two candidates and those interviews lasted 10 minutes each. "There's been no effort to engage superintendent Wright on the transition process," Lindy said. "In fact, for reasons that I still don't understand, she was asked not to attend these discussions. The whole thing has been rushed and conducted behind closed doors in the middle of a budget crisis of our own making." The board announced Wright's decision to resign last week after the unions that contract with the district made votes of no confidence in her leadership. In the settlement agreement, the district agrees to pay Wright her salary of $270,400 through the end of her original contract, which is up at the end of July 2025. The district's last day of school for students is Thursday. The board's next business meeting will take place on June 3. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati school board announces interim superintendent City Council hears about critical staffing and pay needs for police and firefighters On the day the chief financial officer gave Wichita Falls City Council members a snapshot of budget projections for the coming year, representatives of the police and fire associations made pleas for more personnel and more money. Most of the citys revenue comes from property taxes or sales taxes. CFO Stephen Calvert said property tax revenue is controlled by complicated state-ordered rules that limit how much the city can raise tax rates without a public vote. WIchita Falls City Council members are beginning to think about next year's budget. How much residents pay in property taxes is also dependent on property appraisals, which are also restricted by state rules. In recent years, the city has been able to lower its property tax rate but still get more revenue because property values have increased. Calvert also projected sales tax revenue will be flat during the next budget period. At present, no figures have been plugged into a proposed budget. Related to revenue, Al Vitolo, president of the Wichita Falls Professional Firefighters Association, told councilors the fire department needs more personnel. In addition to needing a couple of key positions filled, Vitolo said the department is understaffed for actual firefighting. I am unapologetic about asking for extra staff. The national standard is four men per unit. We run three, he said. He said the department has seen a steady increase in the number of calls over 14,000 in 2023. We have seen no increase in staffing, Vitolo said He also said the Fire Marshals Office is overwhelmed. They do not have the staff to accomplish the required tasks, he said. Steve Ginger, president of the Wichita Falls Police Officers Association, spoke again to the councilors, reiterating his departments concerns. At a May 7 meeting, Ginger said the local police academy that produces new officers is getting fewer applicants, and larger cities are luring potential officers away from Wichita Falls. He warned that if something didn't change, services might have to be reduced. The problem were having is that nobody is applying, Ginger said Tuesday. Councilor Tom Taylor said the needs of the police and fire departments are critical and suggested the council might entertain the idea of a little bit perhaps of tax increase. Another City Council member expressed his concerns. What those guys are talking about is safety safety for our community, Councilor Bobby Whiteley said. What theyre talking about is being able to recruit and retain and do a job that keeps our community safe. They are not just talking about themselves. The council will tackle the 2024-2025 budget during the summer to have it ready for a final vote in September. This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: City Council hears critical staffing, pay needs from police and fire City Hall aide suspended during FBI probe of Adams campaign fundraising is cooperating with feds: sources A City Hall aide who was suspended for inappropriate conduct amid an FBI probe into Mayor Eric Adams campaign fundraising is cooperating with the feds, sources confirmed to The Post. The Adams staffer who turned on her boss has been identified by sources as Rana Abbasova, whose home was raided by the FBI as part of the federal corruption investigation into the mayors 2021 campaign. After Abbasovas New Jersey house was raided in November 2023, sources have said she urged fellow City Hall staffers to delete texts, leading to her suspension. Rana Abbasova was identified as the City Hall aide suspended for inappropriate conduct amid an FBI probe into Mayor Eric Adams campaign fundraising. twitter The improper behavior was reported to the feds, and City Hall placed her on leave. Federal investigators then obtained a court warrant to retrieve Adams mobile devices to determine if he had also received messages from Abbasova. The mayor did not receive a message, the source said. Its unclear when Abbasova the director of protocol in the Office for International Affairs began cooperating with the FBI and what information she may have shared. The FBI is probing whether Adams team conspired with the Turkish government to fuel his campaign with foreign donations and whether he urged the FDNY to fast-track permits for a new Turkish Consulate that had failed earlier safety inspection. Abbasovas New Jersey house was raided in November 2023. Facebook/Rena Abasova Neither Adams, Abbasova nor any member of his campaign has been accused of any wrongdoing. Abbasova, whose salary is listed as $80,651, performed advanced planning and logistics for mayoral events as part of her role, sources said. The Azerbaijan native also worked for Adams when he served as Brooklyn Borough President, serving as a liaison between him and the Turkish community. City Hall declined to comment, referring questions to the mayors 2021 campaign. Abbasova worked for Adams when he served as Brooklyn Borough President, serving as a liaison between him and the Turkish community. nyc.gov Brendan McGuire, Adams former chief counsel at City Hall who now represents him in the FBI investigation, told The New York Times that Abbasovas cooperation was not a new or meaningful development. It is our understanding that Ms. Abbasova has been talking to investigators since her improper conduct was reported by the administration in November, he said in a statement, noting that the Adams administration had reported her inappropriate behavior following the search of her home. City officials, lawmakers call for funding to be restored for libraries City officials, lawmakers call for funding to be restored for libraries NEW YORK (PIX11) Supporters of the New York Public Library system will rally outside City Hall on Tuesday to call for funding to be restored for libraries. Mayor Eric Adams $112 billion budget for next year has deep cuts, including cutting nearly $60 million in library spending. The cuts could push more branches to only offer five days a week of service and stonewall spending on materials and programs, library leaders said. NYC is a citadel of books in an age of censorship and bans: experts Brooklyn Public Library President Linda Johnson said the citys libraries need all the funding Adams is proposing to cut. Adams told PIX11 News last month that his door is open to compromise as the budget isnt due until the end of June. YouTube star Ms. Rachel calls out Mayor Adams cuts to early education Library officials are also being asked to cut from their $130 million capital plans for maintenance and renovations for the first time since 2008. Public libraries in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn were forced to close on Sundays after Adams announced the full list of proposed cuts to city funding in November 2023. Erin Pflaumer is a digital content producer from Long Island who has covered both local and national news since 2018. She joined PIX11 in 2023. See more of her work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) The City of San Angelo City Council discussed a proposed amendment to the Code of Ordinance that would conditionally prohibit parking on front yards. Heres what the amendment looks like, why it came to be and what comes next. Though a mock-up version of the amendment was introduced at the May 21 City Council meeting, discussions about creating it had been underway for quite some time prior. The City Council met on Jan. 18 to discuss the matter, with multiple members citing their primary reason for wanting the ordinance amended as complaints raised by residents about unsightly vehicles located in their neighbors front yards. RELATED: COSA reviews parking ordinance The meeting These aesthetic complaints raised by locals have persisted throughout the months, leading the City Council to consider amending the Citys existing parking ordinances to prohibit parking in the front yard of residential-zoned areas. The amendments current state, as described in the May 21 City Council meeting agenda packet, would see all parking on unimproved surfaces prohibited with the following exceptions: On a driveway with an improved surface and curb cut On an area screened from public view by a solidly opaque privacy fence or wall at least six feet in height and which otherwise conforms to height limitations prescribed by the Citys zoning ordinance City staff also recommended implementing the following exceptions: The parking of RVs, trailers/semi-trailers used for recreational purposes, when excepted from parking prohibitions under section 10.04.065 Parking in the rear yard, so long as the rear boundary of said lot is not adjacent to a street right-of-way and the lot only has access to street(s) having an improved surface of 36 feet or less in width Vehicles with a valid handicapped license plate or mirror hanger These latter three exceptions, according to Neighborhood & Family Services Director Bob Salas, would limit the current list of additional exceptions. The current list can be found in Article 8.10 of the Code of Ordinance and consists of seven exceptions to the parking prohibition, including one that protects parking on a yard so long as said lot has access only to street(s) having an improved surface 36 feet or less in width. Neighborhood & Family Services Director Robert Salas told the City Council that San Angelos Code of Ordinance has permitted people to park vehicles in front yards, something that other cities in Texas have historically prohibited. Waco, Abilene and San Antonio specifically prohibit parking in residential yards, while other cities like El Paso, Denton, Garland, Amarillo and Lubbock dont address the parking issue specifically, but they do have their own issues they deal with, Salas said. Turns out that very few cities, if any, allow parking in the front yard like we do. The City Council members questioned Salas about whether the proposed amendment would address residents complaints. In response, Salas stated that the amendment is designed to prevent the unsightly situation caused by multiple cars being parked on a single front yard. If the street is 36 feet wide or less, they can park on the front yard, and thats whats causing the problem, Salas said. It becomes very chaotic youll have a house with four or five cars on the front yard in all kinds of directions, and it causes an unsightly situation. Thats the concern we have, and these changes would address that. The City Council chose not to take action on the amendment just yet, instead opting to send it back for further review and revision to answer questions raised during the meeting. The City Council expects at least two readings to occur regarding the amendment before a decision is made. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ConchoValleyHomepage.com. City Watch issued for 3-year-old boy last seen in Frayser UPDATE: MPD says the City Watch has been canceled; the child has been located safe. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Memphis Police are searching for a three-year-old boy who went missing from a Frayser neighborhood Monday night. Residents last saw King Williams in the 1800 block of Driftwood Avenue at around 7:30 p.m. He is described as being 30 tall and weighing 90 pounds. MPD says he has black locs. He was last seen wearing a pink shirt with a snake on the front, light blue jeans, and gray Nike shoes. Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South. If you see King Williams, call the Memphis Police Department. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. City yet to pay for cars destroyed in massive Los Angeles garbage truck fire The owners of three cars burnt to scrap in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Harvard Heights during a massive city trash truck fire want to know why the cars have not been removed and when officials plan to reimburse them for their loss. The May 13 fire occurred at around 2:15 p.m. in the 1700 block of Westmoreland Boulevard when flames erupted inside the trash truck and spread to nearby cars parked at the curb. Firefighters quickly doused the flames with water and foam, but at least six parked vehicles caught fire, several of which appeared to be total losses. My Volkswagen Sport Wagon and my Smart Car are both total losses, Kelton Green told KTLA. A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (viewer photo) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (Citizen) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (Aliysa S.) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (Aliysa S.) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (Aliysa S.) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (Aliysa S.) A Smart car destroyed after an L.A. city trash truck erupted in flames on May 13, 2024, in Harvard Heights. (KTLA) A Smart car destroyed after an L.A. city trash truck erupted in flames on May 13, 2024, in Harvard Heights. (KTLA) A Smart car destroyed after an L.A. city trash truck erupted in flames on May 13, 2024, in Harvard Heights. (KTLA) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (Aliysa S.) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (viewer photo) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (Kelton Green) A trash truck and parked cars seen in flames on a street in L.A.s Harvard Heights neighborhood on May 13, 2024. (Kelton Green) With nothing to salvage and no vehicle to get around in, Green and others were hoping the city would act quickly to reimburse them for the extensive damage, but so far, the burnt-out vehicles remain on the residential street and at least one of the owners, who filed a claim with the city, said he has yet to hear from officials. 3 suspects tied to string of Southern California 7-Eleven robberies arrested Ive been waiting for the city to contact us, Alex De Leon, whose Lexus was destroyed in the fire, said. I filed a claim, and we went to the city office, but we still havent heard anything back. First responders said they did not know what exactly sparked the fire, but that it may have started from an electrical fire inside the truck that ignited the truck. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. What is CKM Syndrome? Report Finds Most Americans Meet Criteria For Early Stages Fact checked by Nick BlackmerFact checked by Nick Blackmer A study found about 90% of U.S. adults met the criteria for stage one or higher of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome. CKM syndrome is broken into different stages; the overwhelming majority of study participants had either stage one or two of the condition. Experts urge people to talk to their doctors about CKM syndrome. Almost 90% of Americans meet the criteria for cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome, according to a new report. The JAMA study, published on May 8, looked at a population of over 10,000 adults between 2011 and 2020, and found that nearly nine in 10 people had at least stage one of CKM syndrome. About 15% had advanced CKM syndrome. The conditionjust classified by the American Heart Association in Octoberis defined as the intersection of heart disease, kidney disease, and the metabolic conditions type 2 diabetes and obesity. Though these four conditions are often diagnosed separately, having one can put a person at a higher risk for the other three. For example, people with heart disease have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease. CKM syndrome is broken into different stages, and earlier stages are generally defined by risk factors for the four conditions, including prediabetes or excess weight, rather than the conditions themselves. Were not saying that millions and millions of people have the disease. Were saying millions and millions of people are at risk, Clyde Yancy, MD, chief of cardiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Health. Heres what to know about CKM syndrome, how prevalent it is in the U.S., and how to manage your risk. Prostock-Studio / Getty Images How Many People Have CKM Syndrome? To investigate just how common CKM syndrome is in the U.S., the authors of the JAMA research letter looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2011 and 2020. They included health information from 10,762 adults, who were 47 years old on average. This allowed the authors to sort participants into one of five different CKM syndrome stages. About 10% of people had stage zero CKM syndrome, which actually means they met no criteria for the condition. These participants had a normal body mass index (BMI), a normal waist circumference, and no other risk factors. Nearly 26% of people met the criteria for stage one, which meant they had elevated BMIs, a higher waist circumference, or prediabetes. These factors raise a persons risk of developing heart disease, kidney disease, obesity, and/or type 2 diabetes. Stage zero and one are similar in terms of risk, Ashish Verma, MD, assistant professor of nephrology at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, told Health. [They] are more risk stages than syndrome stages, as there is opportunity for prevention in these stages. The biggest proportion of participants49%had stage two CKM syndrome. They had kidney disease, and/or metabolic risk factors such as high blood pressure, high triglycerides, type 2 diabetes, or metabolic syndrome. Researchers found the final 15% of the participants had advanced-stage CKM syndrome. This includes stage three (about 6% of people), which is defined as very-high-risk kidney disease or a high risk for cardiovascular disease. About 9% of people had stage four, or established cardiovascular disease. Black Americans, men, and people over the age of 65 had an increased risk for these advanced stages of CKM syndrome. These prevalence statistics were consistent between 2011 and 2020. The fact that there is a high burden of CKM syndrome in the U.S. is not surprising, Sadiya Khan, MD, professor of cardiovascular epidemiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told Health. However, this new research highlights just how common stage two CKM syndrome really is, she said. Related: How Worsening Metabolic SyndromeIncluding High Blood Sugar, Hypertension, and ObesityCan Impact Cancer Risk How Do You Prevent CKM Syndrome? With CKM syndrome being a newer concept, researchers are still learning more about how it progresses. There are many different risk factors and early warning signs associated with CKM syndrome, and we dont know what comes first, Yancy explained. Though obesity is a major driver for CKM syndrome in many people, thats not always the case. Some people are predisposed without being overweight, Matthew Weir, MD, division head of nephrology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told Health. One person may first gain weight, and then go on to develop type 2 diabetes. Another may have kidney issues that lead to heart issues and weight gain. The relationship between all of these conditions is bidirectional, Verma said. Kidney disease is a risk factor for heart disease and vice versa, he explained. Metabolic disease is a risk factor for both kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Because of this, there are a wide number of different CKM syndrome risk factors that doctors can address with their patientsusually lifestyle modifications can have a big impact. In some cases, medications, including Wegovy or Ozempic, might be necessary to help people manage obesity and diabetes, Weir said. As people reduce risks for one area, such as obesity, they may be able to modify risks for other aspects of CKM syndrome, like heart disease, said Yancy. Related: Weight-Loss Drug Wegovy Could Reduce Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke Raising Awareness to Reduce Prevalence of CKM Syndrome With evidence of just how common CKM syndrome is, experts hope the condition becomes more widely discussed, both among healthcare professionals and everyday people. Doctors often treat specific aspects of a patients health without addressing the bigger picture, Weir explained. For CKM syndrome in particular, many healthcare professionals may not even be familiar with it, he added. CKM [syndrome] is a brand new way of thinking, said Yancy. If we modify risk factors and target the entire cascade, might that not be better? More awareness and focus on the overlap between these conditions should have a big impact on health, and hopefully reduce the percentage of people who meet the criteria for CKM syndrome. This is especially important when it comes to reducing health disparities. The JAMA study found very few people who identify as Black were included in the stage zero category, Khan pointed out. This really highlights the importance of earlier intervention beginning in childhood, or perhaps even in the prenatal period, she said. Focusing on social determinants of health could be one way to ease these disparities, Yancy said. This might mean increasing access to nutritious foods, creating more areas to walk, or expanding access to health insurance. On an individual level, people should start a conversation with their healthcare provider about CKM syndrome if they think they fall into any of the stageseven stage one, said Yancy. Any type of clinician should be able to address CKM syndrome, and your primary care doctor can refer you to a specialist if necessary, said Weir. Its real, its comprehensive, and there are many, many people who really do fall into this category, said Yancy. Related: Understanding Racial Disparities in Heart Health For more Health.com news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Health.com. KANSAS CITY, Mo. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri announced on Tuesday morning that the famous Mill at Limetz painting, created by Claude Monet in 1888, was sold at an auction last week. The painting was auctioned off for almost $22 million at Christies in New York on May 16. Prior to its sale, the painting was toured around the world and seen by a variety of prospective buyers in Hong Kong, London, Paris and more. Six beaches in Kansas City you can visit all summer long The buyer who purchased the painting remains anonymous, but the large global interest proves the paintings value and significance in the long history and impact of Monets art. Mill at Limetz was one of only two creations made in the summer of 1888 that showcased a view of the grain mill at Limetz on the River Epte about a mile from the artists Giverny, France home. The other painting was also sold at an auction in the fall of 2023. In 1986, the painting was given to the museum as a partial gift by Ethel B. Atha. However, after almost 40 years at the museum, Atha chose to sell the painting in September 2023 after her daughter, Ethelyn Atha Chase, died. Chase was known to hold a special interest in the painting. Even though the Mill at Limetz is no longer in Kansas City, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art continues to hold onto the legacy of Monet and the art he created over the span of his career. Some of the museums collections include his Boulevard de Capucines, signalizing the birth of the impressionist art movement, and the infamous Water Lilies painting. Nelson-Atkins Art Course opening Friday for the spring season The museum also owns two lyrical snowscapes, both realized in 1875 and, currently, a local Kansas City collector is lending Monets 1881 painting titled, Church at Vetheuil. This ensures the artists 1880s works will always be available and seen by the public. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is located at 4525 Oak Street in Kansas City, Missouri. It is open Saturday through Monday, 10 a.m. 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. 9 p.m., and it is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Admission to the museum is free. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. BALTIMORE The 58-year-old woman couldnt bear to share the details of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child, but its effect on her came across loud and clear Monday in a Baltimore courtroom as she faced the leader of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Do you see me now? she cried toward Archbishop William Lori, who was seated across the courtroom from her. Do I matter to you now? I suffer from PTSD, from anxiety, from depression and panic attacks. Im on disability. It will take me days to recover from talking today. I hope youve heard my truth and feel the pain Ive struggled with. Her testimony as one of eight abuse survivors to speak Monday in the archdioceses bankruptcy case contributed to a chilling picture of children being tormented by Catholic clergy and a vivid portrait of the lives altered permanently by their experiences. Victims recounted being abused in schools, in church rectories and at priests homes. Many remembered feeling confused about what happened to them and being told by their abusers people they looked up to to keep it to themselves. Survivors said the abuse led them to develop substance disorders, to lose their faith and ability to trust, to live in isolation. Mondays was the second such hearing in the archdioceses case. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michelle M. Harner allowed the testimony, unusual in money-oriented bankruptcy cases, to bolster survivor participation and trust in the process. She booked the hearings at the request of a committee of survivors representing all victims in the case, and with the support of the church. Although, unlike others, the 58-year-old woman shared few details of her abuse, she was graphic about how the scars it left on her destroyed her ability to tell right from wrong and led to a life of horrible decisions, promiscuity, substance abuse, eating disorders, persistent nightmares and abusive relationships. At one point, she noted that she was directing her comments to the archdiocese because she was angry, particularly because the church did little when she came forward to report what shed been through after her abuser was exposed. Im sorry, she said at one point, beginning to sob. No, Im not. Im not sorry! A somber Lori maintained eye contact with her throughout her testimony, though he gave no spoken response, and said after court that as difficult as it was to hear, doing so is part of what he hopes is a healing process. Ive met many, many times as a bishop with victim survivors and some of those meetings have been like that, he told The Baltimore Sun. And when people share their raw emotions with me, it certainly brings home to me the horror of abuse. Mondays hearing comes less than two weeks ahead of the May 31 deadline for sex abuse survivors to file claims against the archdiocese in bankruptcy court. As of Monday, there were an estimated 320 such claims filed in the case, Paul Jan Zdunek, chair of the survivors committee, said after court. We also wanted to be sure people know that the process can be completely anonymous if they would like it to be, Zdunek said after court. Standing with other committee members, including two who testified, Zdunek called the hearing truly gut-wrenching. What has been very interesting is to not only understand the abuse but more importantly what has happened in the time since, and in many cases, what hasnt happened, Zdunek said. And that is their lives; they just stopped. Several survivors who testified Monday said they did so with hopes that their stories would inspire others. Among them was Mark Easley, who came from a family of devout Catholics. Easley, who is Black, said he found St. Vincent de Paul Church to be a safe haven during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The pastor of the church, Edmund Stroup, gained his mothers trust. So it was a privilege, when Stroup invited Easley, who was about 6 or 7, and his little brother to spend nights at the church with him, he testified. Stroup brought them to the rectory, where there was only one bed, and told the children to change into pajamas. The priest went to the bathroom and emerged naked. I viewed this man as one of Gods messengers. It was the first time I saw him with his collar off, Easley recalled. The Sun does not identify victims of sexual abuse without their consent. Easley said he was terrified to speak up. The abuse left him unable to finish high school. He said he struggled to make friends and never married. His terrible acts of sexual abuse sentenced me to a life of solitude, said Easley, recalling that he didnt share his story until he sat down with lawyers after Maryland enacted the Child Victims Act in April 2023. That law abolished time limits for people sexually abused as children to sue their abusers and the institutions that enabled their suffering. The church declared bankruptcy Sept. 29, two days before the child victims law took effect. By filing for bankruptcy, the archdiocese sought to protect its assets and limit its legal liability. The church also said it was doing so to be able to fairly compensate the estimated hundreds of survivors with civil claims rather than pay inordinate sums to only a few, allowing the archdiocese to carry forward with its mission. State lawmakers enacted the child victims law following the Maryland attorney generals release of a report that said 156 clergy and other Church officials tormented more than 600 children and young adults, dating to the 1940s. The abuse spanned the dioceses jurisdiction, which covers Baltimore and nine counties in the central and western parts of the state. Teresa Lancaster, a sexual abuse survivor who is now a lawyer and a victims advocate, said it was the Child Victims Act that gave survivors like those who spoke Monday the chance to seek redress. If the archdiocese truly empathized with those survivors, she said, it wouldnt be trying to impede their search for justice. They say they care? I dont believe it. I dont believe it for one minute, Lancaster told reporters. And this bankruptcy is a farce. They declared bankruptcy before any claims were filed. In court, a woman who asked only to be identified as Rebecca talked about how she loved reading and writing and earned As at St. Peter Claver Catholic School in Baltimore. That was until one frightening interaction altered the course of her life. One day he cornered me in the hallway when no one else was around, she said of an archdiocesan employee at the school. I think the first time he did this I was just 12. He was an adult and he was bigger than me. I had no idea what had just happened. There was a next time, and a next time. Rebecca, a member of the survivors committee, remembered the abuse intensifying until she thought she put an end to it by telling a seminarian what happened. She said the seminarian said he would take care of it, leading her to believe she could have some peace at school. Then one day after I had stayed after to help the teacher, and I was leaving the school. I heard this banging and it was him. He told me to come over to him. I was scared to go, but I was scared not to do what I was told. He scolded me. He asked me, Why did you tell on me? Rebecca said the school employee then took her into a bathroom and raped her. The abuse, she said, led her to switch schools. She struggled. She said she attempted to take her own life and that she was sent to a state psychiatric hospital. She began drinking at 19, developing alcohol and drug abuse problems, to drown out my fears and pain, she said. Decades after Catholic school, Rebecca said, she has maintained her passion for writing, an avocation that has helped her discover something she did not realize for many decades that the abuse she suffered was not her fault. She penned a poem titled To My Abuser and read it aloud in court. The verses tell of intense pain and lost innocence, of years of her life stolen by him, of how she worked up the courage to come forward. Its final lines echoed a thought many of the survivors shared as part of their stories. So now to my abuser, you put my life on hold, she wrote. But if my story can save at least one little child, then Im glad it has been told. _____ CLEVELAND, Ohio (WJW) Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and city safety officials have detailed a plan to combat crime in the coming summer months. The FOX 8 I-Team reported a few weeks ago the plan was in motion after a violent weekend in the city where police responded to several shootings that left three people dead. Man sentenced for burying wife alive in hand-dug grave During a Tuesday press conference, Deputy Chief of Police Ali Pillow said Operation Heat Wave began May 1 and will run through August 31. He said the police operation will include heavy traffic enforcement, at least one warrant sweep, focused patrols in identified hot spots, and violent crime reduction details at least 5-6 times per month. It is an ongoing and evolving project for law enforcement, we will adapt to whatever crime trends we see, said Pillow. Mayor Bibb said the safety plan builds on the success of the citys RISE initiative, Raising Investment and Safety for Everyone, with a three-pronged approach including historic investments in the citys police department, expanded partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement, and investments in technology. Results speak for themselves, as you know, we have seen nearly a 50% reduction in homicides over the spring season, said Bibb. And, we hope, we hope, we can continue that progress as we prepare for the summer. Bibb said what is unique about this years summer safety plan is that it recognizes every city department has a role to play in reducing violent crime. A covered stadium option for the Browns on the lakefront? Cleveland Safety Advisor Phillip McHugh previously explained to the I-Team, We are going to have all hands on deck, every city department is going to be engaged in some form or fashion. That means everything from making sure street lights are on, to trash being collected, abandoned autos being towed, high grass being mowed, everything that encompasses public safety is going to be the focus for this summer. This is a vibrant city, it has a lot to offer, McHugh said. We want to see people walking the streets and we want them to feel safe. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. Val Thomason, Democratic candidate in Assembly District 10 (Photo courtesy of Val Thomason) Policy, politics and progressive commentary A coalition of business organizations are behind an attack mailer attempting to tie a progressive state Assembly candidate to former President Donald Trump, whom the groups supported in 2020. A mailer recently received by voters in Nevada State Assembly District 10 in Las Vegas claims that Democratic candidate Valerie Thomason and Trump both hid campaign cash to influence an election and are both facing accusations of misleading Nevada voters. Can we trust Donald Trump or Valerie Thomason? it asks. Thomason is one of three Democrats running in the reliably blue district, which spans across the central part of the Las Vegas Valley. Venise Karris and Kyle Greenwood are the others. No Republicans filed for the seat, so the winner of the Democratic primary is expected to cruise to victory in the November general election, where they will face only Libertarian Sean Moore. The attack mailer was distributed by Nevadans for Economic Opportunity, which describes itself as a coalition of trade organizations standing together to oppose the progressive left and pro public union growth in Nevada that is pushing aggressively anti-business policies in our state legislature. The coalitions board is composed of leaders from the Associated Builders and Contractors, Nevada Trucking Association, Retail Association of Nevada, and Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association. Chris Daly, who as part of the Strong Public Schools Nevada PAC filed an election integrity report against Nevadans for Economic Opportunity over the mailer, said he isnt surprised the groups are opposed to Thomason, but he finds it ironic they are attempting to mar her campaign by tying her to a candidate they supported. Strong Public Schools Nevada, which is affiliated with the Nevada State Education Association, is supporting Thomason. ABC, NTA and RAN all endorsed Trump for president in 2020. Thomason works for Teamsters Local 14 and organized for Bernie Sanders in 2016 and 2020. She is a democratic socialist and active in the Las Vegas Democratic Socialists of America. She lists housing for all and universal free childcare her top issues. Trump is the antithesis of everything she stands for, she says. The allegation referred to in the mailer involves a PAC called Leftists United for Nevada Assembly, which Thomason says she set up to try and support progressive candidates running for office. The PAC received $3,262 in contributions but the majority of the candidates theyd hoped to back ultimately didnt file to run for office. Thomason transferred the majority of the funds $2,826 to her personal PAC. The rest was spent on Jovan Jackson, a progressive running for Assembly District 6, according to Thomason. Thomason had not received notice of any formal complaint filed against her campaign, as of Friday. She says the average donation amount to the Leftist PAC was $40 and all of the donations fell below the threshold required for reporting individual donor names. Im offended they did it, said Thomason of the mailer. I think its offensive to our democracy to send out a blatant lie. She continued, Truthfully, I think this is the biggest sign that I would be the strongest voice on (progressive) issues. If theres a person who will go against the corporations and the corporate lobbyists, its the person theyre attacking with full force. The transferred PAC money makes up the bulk of what Thomason has available for her campaign, according to her finance reports. Thomason has said she is not accepting any donations from corporate PACs or lobbyists. Daly alleges in his election integrity report that Nevadans for Economic Opportunity is the one violating state election law by distributing what is clearly campaign material without being appropriately registered to do so. Nevadans for Economic Opportunity is listed as an inactive PAC on the states campaign disclosure reporting portal and has filed no reports detailing contributions and expenses. Brian Wachter, the senior vice president for government and public affairs at the Retail Association of Nevada, is listed as the executive director of Nevadans for Economic Opportunity. He did not respond to the Currents request for comment on the mailer or the groups interest in the AD10 race. Wachter is a son-in-law to Venise Karris, Thomasons main competitor. Wachter, who unsuccessfully ran for Clark County School Board in 2020, was the first contributor to Karriss campaign, transferring $2,000 from his PAC to hers in October of last year. Karris is a retired union electrician and member of IBEW Local 367. She is endorsed by the Nevada Assembly Democratic Caucus, as well as multiple union and trades groups. Her campaign website lists no policy positions. Karris is not named on the Thomason attack mailer and has not been formally endorsed by any of the groups associated with the coalition. Karris did not return the Currents request for an interview or comment. Kyle Greenwood, the third Democrat in the primary, does not appear to be actively running a campaign. He has collected no campaign contributions and spent no money, according to his campaign finance report. The Current could not find any online campaign presence for him. AD10 is currently a vacant seat in the Nevada State Legislature. It was most recently represented by Democrat Sabra Smith Newby, who in August resigned in order to accept a job as deputy city manager of the City of Las Vegas. Editors Note: This article has been corrected to reflect Jovan Jacksons political affiliation. He is a progressive candidate but does not identify as a democratic socialist. The article has also been updated to reflect how the Leftist PAC was distributed. The post Coalition of Trump backers attacks Democrat running for state assembly by comparing her to Trump appeared first on Nevada Current. Cocktails with your pooch events kick off in Detroit on Tuesday; 8 events announced Get out the leash and get ready to enjoy cocktails with your pooch companion. Summer doesnt officially start until June 20, but the season for Canine to Fives Drinking with Dogs gatherings begins Tuesday. Now in its 17th season, Canine to Five, a local dog day care, boarding and grooming facility, kicks off the annual event Tuesday evening at the Dequindre Cut Freight Yard. Each event this year will also feature a local dog rescue organization. Drinking with Dogs, Canine to Five's annual event that invites owners to bring their dogs to local bars begins May 21 and runs through October. We are so excited to start this summer at The Freight Yard. It is a great space to bring your dog, have a drink and grab a bite, Liz Blondy, Canine to Five owner said in a news release. We are so excited to offer more locations and events for Drinking with Dogs this year. It is a great chance for dog lovers to get together and meet new people at a bunch of locations in southeast Michigan. This year, there are eight events at venues across metro Detroit starting in May and running through October. At each event, which takes place from 6-9 p.m., dogs are required to be on leash the whole time. The final October event features a Halloween costume party. Here is this seasons lineup: May 21: Dequindre Cut The Freight Yard, 3019 Orleans St., Detroit June 4: The Skip, Belt Alley, Detroit June 19: Library Pub West Bloomfield, 6363 Haggerty Road, West Bloomfield Township July 9: Ferndale Project, 567 Livernois, Ferndale July 24: Atwater in the Park, 1175 Lakepointe St, Grosse Pointe Park August 13: Hammer & Nail, 3800 Woodward Ave., Detroit September 24: The Congregation, 9321 Rosa Parks Blvd, Detroit October 22: Batch Brewing Company: Halloween Costume Contest: 1400 Porter St, Detroit Contact Detroit Free Press food and restaurant writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter. Subscribe to the Free Press. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Canine to Five's 'drinking with dogs' events lineup announced College Students Are Getting Blackout Drunk on 'BORG' Drinks Why the Gen-Z Trend Is So Dangerous Teens are bringing gallon-sized cocktails to parties containing up to 17 standard servings of alcohol and some of them are ending up in the hospital Getty Stock image of gallon bottles of juice. College students and sometimes even younger teens are getting blackout drunk on a concoction that has its own listing with Poison Control. A BORG, which is short for Blackout Rage Gallon, is an individual, gallon-sized mix of vodka (or another type of alcohol), water, and a flavored electrolyte powder. The drink is put into a plastic gallon jug and given a nickname usually some play on the word BORG, like Our Borg and Savior or Justin Bieborg and is intended to be consumed by one person. But theyre so loaded with alcohol that they can lead to potentially life-threatening consumption and alcohol poisoning, Anna Lembke, a professor of psychiatry and addiction medicine at Stanford University in California, told CNN. A quick TikTok search shows countless videos of what appears to be teens at crowded parties showing the names they've created for their gallons or college students sharing their drink recipes for a 'BORG Saturday" party. The trend has even caught the attention of older content creators, like Brian Moller, who made a video spoofing the trend. Others have jumped in to defend Gen Z, claiming the BORG isnt much worse than jungle juice a communal mix of alcohol and juice that was popular at college parties in the 90s and early 2000s, often mixed and served in a bathtub or trash can. Borg is WAY better than the stuff I drank out of bathtubs and lined trash cans , said The Holderness Familys TikTok account on a video by millennial creator Momma Cusses, who defended the trend. But its actually very dangerous, Lembke told CNN. A lot of people just pour vodka in and dont measure it, so it can actually be kind of dangerous as opposed to knowing you drank three cans of beer. Related: Women Who Drink More Than 8 Drinks a Week Have a Higher Risk of Heart Disease: Study Also, instead of having to wait in line to get a refill and take a break from drinking kids can continuously swig from their personal gallon-sized drink, which Lembke told CNN often contains a fifth (25.6 fluid ounces or 3.2 cups) of vodka or other hard alcohol, which is about 17 standard drinks, which is a massive amount of alcohol. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. And drinking that much alcohol can be deadly, the Mayo Clinic says. Alcohol poisoning is a serious and sometimes deadly result of drinking large amounts of alcohol in a short period of time. Drinking too much too quickly can affect breathing, heart rate, body temperature and gag reflex. In some cases, this can lead to a coma and death. Last March, 46 students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst were hospitalized from drinking BORGs, CBS News reported. A total of 28 ambulances were needed to take them to the hospital. Getty Stock image of gallon-sized bottles of juice. Related: Rice University Suspends Campus Parties After Annual Underwear-Themed Event Sends 7 to the Hospital And while kids on TikTok claim the water content or electrolytes in the flavoring packet keep them from getting alcohol poisoning, Lembke told CNN that isn't the case. It makes it more palatable, and people generally can drink more than they could of something like straight vodka, she told the outlet. But that doesnt increase the livers ability to metabolize alcohol better. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Colo. Man Pleads Guilty to Murdering Family of 5 in House Fire After Wrongfully Believing They Stole His Phone Djibril Diol, 29, Adja Diol, 23, and their 22-month-old daughter, Khadija Diol, were killed along with Djibril's sister and her infant daughter, Hawa Beye Hyoung Chang/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Djibril Diol (center) and other members of the Diol family who were killed in the August 2020 house fire. A Colorado man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in connection with a 2020 fire that claimed the lives of a family of five, including two children, authorities said. Kevin Bui pleaded guilty on Friday, May 17, and will face 60 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 2, the Denver District Attorneys Office said in a post shared to X (formerly Twitter). Bui is one of three men who admitted to setting fire to a house in Green Valley Ranch and killing five people in August of 2020, the post reads. According to Buis arrest affidavit reviewed by PEOPLE, Bui, now 20, planned and started the Aug. 5, 2020 fire with help from two friends in order to seek revenge against the people he believed stole his iPhone during a purported drug transaction in July 2020. He mistook the people who had previously robbed him for residents of the Denver home after tracking his phone to the general area, the affidavit said. Related: Denver Police Seek Leads in Arson House Fire That Killed 5 Members of 'Thriving' Family The fire claimed the lives of Senegalese immigrants Djibril Diol, 29, his wife, Adja Diol, 23, and their 22-month-old daughter, Khadija Diol, according to the affidavit. Djibrils sister Hassan Diol and her infant daughter, Hawa Beye, also died in the blaze. Three other people who escaped from a window were injured, the affidavit states. AP Photo/Thomas Peiper Authorities stand outside the burned house where five members of the Diol family were found dead. At the time, Denver police released a photo of a masked trio in connection with the case, saying in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that the fire appeared to be deliberately set by three unknown individuals wearing dark hoodies and full-face masks ... who fled the area in a dark-colored 4-door sedan. Authorities had previously offered a $14,000 reward in hopes of identifying the three people. Related: Bui was arrested in January 2021 after investigators executed multiple search warrants and obtained surveillance video and other evidence that placed him and the two other suspects at or around the crime scene, per the affidavit. All were teenagers at the time. Denver District Attorney via AP Kevin Bui Bui was the last of the three suspects to be convicted in the case. According to the Associated Press, Gavin Seymour, 19, and Dillon Siebert, who was 14 at the time of the crime, also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. Seymour was sentenced to 40 years in prison while Siebert was sentenced to three years in juvenile detention and seven years in a state prison program for young inmates, the outlet reports. Following his death, Djibril was remembered by the University of Colorado, where he had obtained a bachelors degree in civil engineering. Denver Police Department Djibril Diol, his wife Adja, and their daughter, Khadija. Djibril Diol immigrated to the United States from Senegal to pursue college studies, and he fulfilled his goal at Colorado State University in December 2018, when he was recognized as an outstanding graduate of the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering, the university said in a statement at the time. He had considered pursuing a graduate degree and dreamed of one day using his engineering knowledge to improve infrastructure in rural Senegal, the statement added. Djibrils close friend and CSU alumnus Ousman Ba described him in the universitys statement as a loving, joyful person who just enjoyed life and was a really good friend, a leader, a brother. Loved ones also launched a GoFundMe campaign following the Diol family deaths. It raised more than $218,000 in donations to help with burial expenses. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Supporters of Colombia's President Petro march in support of reforms proposed by his government, in Bogota By Luis Jaime Acosta BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombian President Gustavo Petro is weighing whether to fully suspend a ceasefire with the Estado Mayor Central (EMC) rebel group, Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez said on Tuesday, after two bombings attributed to the group in the southeastern province of Cauca. The explosions, in the towns of Jamundi and Morales, occurred on Monday. The Morales bomb killed four people, including two police officers. "It has been the subject of consideration, discussion and is still a subject of analysis," Velasquez told journalists. "The president is weighing all the elements that we provide and it is ultimately him who will determine when and where there is or is not a ceasefire." The 3,500-strong EMC are rebels who rejected a landmark 2016 peace deal between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), previously the country's largest guerrilla organization. Petro has promised to end the 60-year conflict, which has killed 450,000 people, through new peace deals, but he is confronting significant hurdles including fraught negotiations with the EMC begun last year. The EMC entered peace talks with the Petro government last year, but Petro partially suspended a ceasefire with them in three provinces in March because of violence. The group has constructed a pseudo-state in some of Colombia's south, building roads and schools, and further complicating the talks. (Reporting by Luis Jaime AcostaWriting by Julia Symmes Cobb) Colorado brewers group to join craft beer scene in SE Asia with federal grant to boost exports Soybeans being loaded from a grain bin onto a truck on June 13, 2018 in Dwight, Illinois. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding $300 million in grants to expand overseas U.S. agriculture. (Photo by Scott Olson / Getty Images) WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday $300 million in funding for more than 60 groups seeking to diversify American agricultural exports. USDA is pleased to be able to provide the startup capital to tap into these opportunities, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a call with reporters Monday night previewing the announcement. In total, 66 organizations will be funded under the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, or RAPP. The USDA launched the $1.4 billion program in October in order to develop new export markets for U.S. food and agricultural products beyond the traditional partnerships with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China. What this program really provides is an opportunity for us not only to expand geographically the opportunities for trade, but also the products that can be made available, Vilsack said. Its a tremendous opportunity for us to diversify in a variety of different ways to grow market opportunity. The program focuses on tapping U.S. exports into new markets in regions such as South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. When you have the major markets, as weve had, where 60 to 65% of what we export goes into four or five markets, that can create a sense of complacency, Vilsack said. The riskiest business in the world Vilsack said the funding would be an important step in building wealth in rural areas of the United States. We want to make sure our foreign-market development programs and agricultural trade in general work for the full spectrum of American agricultural producers, regardless of their size, their location, their product or target market, he said. By investing in exports, were investing in the future of American agriculture and rural communities. Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who leads the Senate Committee on Agriculture, joined the call with reporters. She said that USDA investing in exports is crucial to growing American agriculture. The bottom line is (to) create new revenue for the folks that have the riskiest business in the world, Stabenow said. This is a really important way to support them. The USDA provided a partial list of organizations receiving funding, but did not specify dollar amounts for each grant. Some of the the organizations include: The Southern Forest Products Association, based in Louisiana, is expanding new market opportunities for Southern yellow pine products throughout the Caribbean region. The Hazelnut Marketing Board in Oregon and Washington state will conduct market research and trade missions in several countries in Africa. The U.S. Dairy Export Council, based in Virginia, plans to expand its presence in Africa by using the funds to study and develop dairy import regulations and regulatory frameworks in those markets. The U.S. Meat Export Federation based in Colorado plans to expand its export efforts to new markets throughout Africa. It will also expand its investment in the convenience-store industry in South Korea, Central America and Colombia. The Brewers Association in Colorado will partake in the craft beer scene in Southeast Asia, by participating in the regions premier brewing trade show and festival and bring buyers from that region to top trade shows in the US. The Cranberry Institute in Massachusetts plans to conduct trade education seminars and other events to identify opportunities in India, Brazil, Colombia and Southeast Asia. The post Colorado brewers group to join craft beer scene in SE Asia with federal grant to boost exports appeared first on Source New Mexico. UPDATE: Suspect charged in shooting on Fifth Ave. UPDATE The Columbus Police Department has identified the suspect believed to be involved in the shooting Tuesday afternoon. Kelvin Lee Oliver has been charged with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) One person was injured in a shooting on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Columbus Police Department. Police say the shooting happened in the 1200 block of Fifth Avenue at about 3:42 p.m. A suspect has been taken into custody. The injuries are considered non-life-threatening. WRBL will keep you updated on this developing story. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. On Dec. 21, 2023, Gov. Janet Mills took a tour of the damage caused by the flooding of the Kennebec River in Skowhegan after a devastating wind and rain storm. (via Office of Gov. Janet Mills) Gov. Janet Mills signed an executive order on Tuesday to establish a commission to identify short-term priorities for infrastructure rebuilding following consecutive storms this winter as well as to create the first long-term infrastructure resiliency plan for the state. The Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission will submit an interim report to the governor and Legislature on November 15 and a final report no later than May 15, 2025, evaluating Maines response to recent storms and recommending policy changes, building on the recommendations from the Maine Climate Council. We must ask the hard questions about what we can, and must, do to strengthen our ability to withstand storms that are increasingly more severe and dangerous and that pose a real threat to our infrastructure, our people, and our economy, Mills said on Tuesday. The time is now for these immediate steps and this commission will give us the foundation to do just that so we can protect the Maine we know, love and cherish for our children and grandchildren. In addition to assessing recovery resources, such as available funding and public-private partnerships, the commission will have preemptive responsibilities. It will be tasked to prepare a plan to boost the states ability to bounce back from future devastating weather events through improvements to state and local planning, permitting, engineering and financing. The 21-member commission will be composed of the heads of several state agencies, such as the Department of Environmental Protection and Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Membership will also include climate science and insurance experts, among others, as well as representatives from industries and municipalities specifically impacted by the storms. The governor also appointed two co-chairs, Linda Nelson of Deer Isle, the Director of Economic and Community Development for the Town of Stonington, and Dan Tishman of Port Clyde, a Principal and Chairman of Tishman Realty & Construction, who will set the groups agenda. These co-chairs and the members will not be compensated for their work. The forward-looking commission adds to monetary investments the state has made to aid current rebuilding efforts. The storms in December and January caused an estimated $90 million in public infrastructure damage, as well as millions of dollars in damage to private properties. Many people are still in the process of rebuilding, efforts compounded by the late-season noreaster that swept the coast in April and caused more than $3.5 million in damage. President Joe Biden issued major disaster declarations in response to the winter storms at the request of Mills, who also called for another such declaration for the noreaster on May 2 marking the eighth disaster declaration shes requested over the past two years. This legislative session, lawmakers also included $60 million for disaster relief in the supplemental budget, though the governor had initially asked for the relief to be funded outside the budget through emergency legislation. Part of this funding $10 million is going toward a Business Recovery and Resilience Fund, which the Department of Economic and Community Development started accepting applications for earlier this month. Also earlier in May, the Maine Department of Transportation opened applications for grants administered through the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund for municipalities and tribal governments to improve storm, drinking and waste water infrastructure from flooding, rising sea levels and extreme weather. The governor launched this initiative in 2021. Editors Note: This story was updated to include comment from the governor. The post Commission to establish Maines first long-term infrastructure resilience plan appeared first on Maine Morning Star. Luke Dwenger accesses his coursework online from the parking lot of his local library while his dad Todd Dwenger waits with him in the car. (Photo by Mitchell Lierman) By Arnolt Center staff Mitchell Lierman, Yanai Levy, Ryan Murphy, Stephen Prager and Tyler Spence. Luke Dwenger checks his assignments over the public Wi-Fi connection at the Greensburg Decatur County Public Library while his dad Todd waits with him in the parking lot. The library closed four hours ago, but the Dwengers internet is down again. That Wednesday night isnt the only night the Dwengers have had to leave their home in search of stable internet. The family has visited the library, local parks and the McDonalds parking lot to make sure the kids can do their homework. Relying on the librarys Wi-Fi from the parking lot was far from the perfect alternative to the Dwengers unreliable internet speeds at home. But Tyler and Luke Dwenger still had homework to finish. Its kind of a luck thing because occasionally its on, occasionally its off, said Tyler Dwenger, a senior at Greensburg Community High School. The Dwengers pay Frontier Communications $50 for internet every month, but their connection is often too slow to accomplish basic tasks like sending emails. The family is not unique. Indiana Broadband Coverage When everyday activities like school and business meetings were moved online during the Covid-19 pandemic, millions of Americans from big cities to rural towns were left scrambling to find reliable high-speed internet. According to the consumer data monitor BroadbandNow, a third of Decatur County residents lack download speeds over 25 megabits, the amount considered fast enough to support streaming high definition video, loading webpages, and sending emails across one to three devices at the same time. Rural residents are more likely to not have service because low population densities make it more expensive for internet service providers (ISPs) to connect them with existing infrastructure, according to the Indiana Broadband Office. The return on investment is lower for a provider compared to in a city because there are fewer homes, so fewer customers, office spokeswoman Lela Sibley said in written responses. She noted costs can still be a barrier in urban areas too. Rural Indiana is far from alone. Communities around the United States have been struggling to receive adequate internet access for over 15 years. The U.S. government has attempted to remedy this divide for over 16 years and has thrown increasing amounts of money at the project of broadband access. Since 2009, federal programs have dedicated at least $92 billion to fixing this issue for families like the Dwengers. Reporters at the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism at Indiana University looked at three federal laws funding major broadband programs. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated $20.4 billion toward broadband development, while the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund of 2020 put $7.2 billion toward the cause. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 dedicated a mammoth $65 billion to access, mostly through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program. Indiana got a whopping $868 million out of the program. The state is also using funding from the federal American Rescue Plan to invest more than $350 million in constructing new broadband infrastructure. In March, $500,000 was approved for underserved areas like Decatur County to improve service. In addition to these big-ticket bills, dozens of smaller programs across 15 federal agencies have poured millions more into improving digital equity, according to the Government Accountability Office. But some critique the funding structure. Todd Dwenger explains how his home internet often pushes him to drive his son Tyler Dwenger into town to use the wireless internet at the public library. (Photo by Mitchell Lierman) Historically speaking the approach has been: lets give money to the big ISPs, Chao Jun Liu, a legislative associate at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the Arnolt Center. It sort of disappears into that black box. Indianas broadband office said the BEAD program requires states to award funds through subgrants to ISPs. Non-profits and local governments are eligible, but only after the state can reach every address with appropriate broadband infrastructure, Sibley, the offices spokeswoman wrote in comments to the Capital Chronicle. And she defended the process, adding, The Indiana Broadband Office believes that the subgrantee selection process that matches funding to internet service providers to connect every unserved and underserved location in the State is the most efficient use of this grant money. Partnering with internet service providers ensures that current infrastructure is expanded, and new development meets industry standards and practices in a timely manner. Theyre used to it. Sometimes, it just spins. Well, it spins and it goes out on you and itll say no internet connection, Todd said. These guys, I feel sorry for because, you know, thats their fun, he said, gesturing towards his sons who often try to play online games with their friends when their service lets them. The Dwengers have download speeds of only about two megabits, 50 times lower than what the Federal Communications Commission considers high-speed internet. Roughly half of the people who lacked high speed internet in 2009 still dont have it today, according to data from Arizona State University and the U.S. Census Bureau analyzed by the Arnolt Center for Investigative Journalism. In 2023, as many as 24 million Americans lacked access to adequate broadband internet speeds as defined by the FCC. Last month, when the FCC quadrupled the required speed to meet their definition of broadband, it found that this number had risen to 45 million. The problem is worst in rural areas. Internet companies have been slow to make progress in areas where potential profits might not justify the costs, especially in areas with few providers to choose from. Major broadband initiatives have received increasingly more funding over time. Dozens of smaller programs across 15 federal agencies have also poured funding into digital equity, according to the Government Accountability Office. (Graphic by Ryan Murphy and Yanai Levy) In Gary, one of Indianas largest cities, more than 31% of households lacked broadband of any kind as of 2019. That year, the National Digital Inclusion Alliance ranked it the 4th worst-connected city in America. Many other Indiana counties lag nationwide progress on broadband. In rural counties like Benton, Warren, and Union, the vast majority of residents lack high speed service. The broadband offices Sibley said the federal BEAD program requires it to connect every unserved and underserved location in the state. She said the office would begin the subgrantee selection process in the fall, and that all poorly connected areas throughout Indiana will be accounted for through the awards. ISPs must build out the projects and spend the grant money by the end of 2028, in accordance with BEAD program guidelines. For now, however, 11.2% of Indiana residents lack access to modern broadband internet. Thats no surprise to the Dwengers. Todd Dwenger and his children have shared the same issues. He said it once took him 15 hours to work through an eight-hour training class for a religious community service program. A half hour class took me almost an hour to do because it just buffered, Todd Dwenger said. For more demanding tasks like playing online games, the internet is essentially unusable. When Luke Dwengers friends play video games online, he often has to tell them he cant join. While video games are a hobby, they represent a great deal of how young people connect socially. Over 47% of teens play video games with their real life friends, and the inability to do so can make rural community living that much more isolating. They just kind of know by now because it happens all the time, Luke Dwenger said. Theyre used to it. Better service is always 5 years away While they have a rural address, the Dwengers dont live in the middle of nowhere. They live just six miles from the center of Greensburg, the largest town in Decatur County. However, their $50 monthly rural internet subscription struggles with simple tasks like sending emails and finding coupons for groceries. Frontiers website did not list connection speeds when enrolling new customers, despite pushing service add-ons to its basic internet package with flashy marketing images that some of their users might struggle to load. Indiana joined the FTC and five other states in a 2021 complaint against Frontier. In the complaint, Indianas Office of the Attorney General (OAG) wrote that Frontier committed unfair, abusive or deceptive acts by leading consumers to believe Frontier offered service quality it could not actually live up to. Indianas claims werent heard in court. Attorney General Todd Rokita and Frontier reached a $15 million settlement which requires Frontier to change their advertising efforts to accurately represent to Indiana consumers both the availability and reliability of their internet service according to an OAG news release. The settlement required Frontier to invest in internet infrastructure throughout Indiana over four years. The company has until September 2024 to spend the $7.5 million; its spent $7, 045,658 to date, the OAG said Friday. Frontier was also required to credit from September 2023 to September 2025 customers who pay for internet that doesnt live up to advertised speeds. So far, for September 2023, thats meant $6,153 in credits to 214 customers, per the OAG. Tyler Dwenger checks his grades for his final semester of high school on his school-issued laptop. (Photo by Mitchell Lierman) The company must also deliver two compliance reports annually to the state through September 2026. The OAG said its received two reports to date. (We) continue to review these reports and any consumer complaints we receive that may deal with the same issues to ensure continued compliance, an office spokesperson said in written responses to the Capital Chronicle. Frontier didnt return multiple requests for comment. But for customers like the Dwengers and thousands of others across Indiana, truth in advertising doesnt fix their slow internet. The Dwenger boys hope to continue living in Decatur County. Tyler graduates high school this year and wants to stay in Greensburg. He hopes to begin online classes within the next few years, but slow internet speeds in his hometown may serve as a barrier. Sometimes I do take tests at home from that and theyre only allowed a certain amount of time, Tyler Dwenger said. I start it and Im like, I hope the next 35 minutes of internet are good, because if theyre not, Im not going to be able to get in this test. If I was to get to do an online school, I would have to take that risk a lot more often. Todd says local politicians have campaigned on improving connectivity for Decatur residents for years. But I heard that would be five, 10 years down the road. Ive heard people talking about putting new towers in different places. Every time you hear about it, it goes away. The post Communities struggle to get connected, despite billions in broadband investment appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. People gather in a safe area in the street on the seafront between Naples and Pozzuoli after an earthquake tremor. Salvatore Laporta/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa The area surrounding the southern Italian city of Naples was rattled by an earthquake on Monday evening, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said, putting the magnitude at 4.4. The earthquake hit around 8:10 pm (1810 GMT). As has often been the case in recent months, the epicentre was said to be in the Phlegraean Fields, a highly volcanic area just a few kilometres from the centre of the southern city. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) put the magnitude at 4.2. According to media reports, it was not only clearly felt in the towns near the Phlegraean Fields, but also in Naples, including the harbour area. There were initially no reports of casualties or major damage. The fire brigade said residents reported cracks in some houses and pieces falling off building facades. Emergency services were on site to assess the situation. Some frightened residents ran into the streets as some houses, especially near the epicentre, were literally shaken to the core, the newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno reported. The short but violent earthquake was preceded by weaker tremors. The INGV registered several other weaker earth tremors in the hours that followed. At 9:45 pm, the institute recorded a 3.9-magnitude quake followed by a 3.6-magnitude one at 11 pm. In total some 150 tremors hit the area in under five hours starting at 7:50 pm on Monday. Some residents of villages around the Phlegraean Fields refused to return to their homes. According to the ANSA news agency, tents were set up for the night in four areas of Pozzuoli, the main city of the Phlegrean Peninsula. The Phlegraean Fields have been hit by many small earthquakes for some time. Mostly these are small and barely noticeable tremors that weaken the earth's crust in the area. Researchers have repeatedly warned of this phenomenon. For 11 years, the area has been on yellow alert, which calls for caution. People gather in a safe area in the street on the seafront between Naples and Pozzuoli after an earthquake tremor. Salvatore Laporta/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa People gather in a safe area in the street on the seafront between Naples and Pozzuoli after an earthquake tremor. Salvatore Laporta/IPA via ZUMA Press/dpa NEW CONCORD Members of the East Muskingum school board, Superintendent Dave Adams, Mayor Jennifer Lyle and members of the New Concord Village Council met with community members Monday evening at the New Concord Elementary School to discuss the possible sale of the school and its surrounding property. More than 180 people attended a public informational meeting about the potential sale of New Concord Elementary and surrounding property. More that 180 people filled the small gymnasium to get answers about the future of the school and its students. School board president Renee Coll welcomed the crowd and said, "We as a board have a responsibility to make sure that we are being fiscally responsible with our taxpayer money. So regardless of whether we move forward with the sale of New Concord Elementary and this property, our configuration needs to change. We cannot continue to spend money on six buildings when we can be in fewer." A rendering of the changes that could occur if the district sells New Concord Elementary, as proposed by Connect Realty. Adams addressed the crowd next, followed by Bob Lamb, executive vice president of development of Connect Real Estate, based in Columbus. Adams spoke about the district's enrollment numbers and the issues the district has faced financially. "As we approached last May with an expiring levy, we also saw a significant increase in operational costs, post-COVID. We went to our community last May asking for a renewal and an increase to stay the same way we were. Let's operate these six buildings and in order for us to do that effectively we're going to need more money. I would assume that every person sitting in here today, your costs at home have risen over the last three to five years. We are seeing the same thing as a school district. So therefore we went for that request last May. That request was not met, so we as a district had to make a decision." East Muskingum Schools Superintendent Dave Adams addresses the large crowd at the informational meeting regarding the proposed sale of New Concord Elementary. A reduction in personnel and staffing reconfigurations were able to save the district roughly $150,000 in personnel costs, with most of that coming from the nutrition department. Adams continued to talk about the cost of renovating all of the buildings and how the district is looking to purchase two school buses, costing $122,000 each. "The new fair school funding formula, they call it fair. It's fair for some, it just wasn't fair for us," he added. The new formulation decreases the state funding the district would receive for open-enrolled students. Attendees at the informational meeting concerning the sale of New Concord Elementary looks over project renderings from Connect Realty. "In summary, here's what we have in a real simple business-mode. We have some aging facilities that are costing us more to operate and, in some regard, we're getting less funding because of that open-enrollment situation. That has enabled us to make some really difficult decisions," ended Adams. Connect shows interest In late fall of last year, Bob Lamb and Connect Realty Founder and Cambridge native Brad DeHays approached the district about purchasing the school. Connect was a part of the Appalachian Community Grant application which noted specifically how the building is set for adaptive reuse and will be used by the Village of New Concord for community events, leveraging nearby parks and parking lots." The $120 million grant request was for a New Concord revitalization project the included the school sale. Sherri Saling, an East Muskingum School bus driver, speaks to the crowd during the meeting. After waiting weeks and months to hear about the possible awarding of grant money, Adams said he couldn't wait any longer and asked Lamb how much interest there would be without the grant funding coming through. On May 9 the district received word the grant request would not receive any funding and the board decided the same day to schedule the public forum. "If we (the board of education) are going to move any further, we and the potential sale of public property require a public meeting in order for you to hear exactly what is going on from every aspect. I can assure you I do not have the authority to sell anything in East Muskingum Schools. It takes board of education action in order for that to happen and I can tell you that has not happened," said Adams. Lamb addressed the crowd next detailing the plans for the building. He touched on the ability to attract new restaurants to downtown New Concord and ensure they could serve alcohol. The proposed concept for the building includes a variety of uses. "We're talking about restaurant/hospitality uses, and then also apartments. Approximately 30 to 50 apartments going in to a mixed-use building. So we would have some additional retail on the first floor, and then the apartments up above," Lamb said. Roughly $20 to $25 million is what Connect is planning to invest in the project. The renovation would include 30 to 50 one and two bedroom apartments in the upper levels of the school. Lamb addressed concerns from the crowd about the proposed cost of renting the apartments, to which he replied that the rent would be based on the current market rate at the time of rental. Lamb continued to talk about past Connect Realty projects but did not provide a direct answer from the attendees about how many similar projects have been in a community the size of New Concord. He did point out that Connect Realty has a 100% success rate when it comes to community transformative projects like this, but didn't elaborate on how markers of success are measured. Connect and the district have tentatively agreed to a purchase price of the school and the surrounding properties for $1 million. The crowd had a chance to ask questions, and the group did not hold back. Lamb said the realty group would not be purchasing any private property, only publicly owned land. No bids were taken on the property because the district would be doing a direct sale with a nonprofit organization, the Community Improvement Corp (CIC). According to Lamb, the initial sale would be from the school district to the village. The village would then sell the property to the CIC, which would sell it to Connect, with the $1 million price tag staying constant. Community members spoke about the school and the handling of the sale with shaky voices and tear-filled eyes. When asked if the meeting was being held to fulfill a requirement about informing the public as to the sale of public property and how much the district would consider the public's opinion, Adams responded, "There was no requirement, and if the decision would have been made then the board would have just voted on it. They are absolutely taking what has been communicated seriously and that decision will ultimately rest with them." Adams later went on to say that "Our goal would be to get you a decision as soon as our next board meeting would take place. We have a regularly scheduled meeting in June but there would be an opportunity to have a special board meeting as well. It's a 48-hour notice." Following the informational meeting, a notice was sent out Tuesday morning to announce that the board has called a special meeting for Thursday morning at the middle school. Bussing and concerns about the overcrowding of classes were voiced and community members questioned how the village plans to manage the increased traffic, the increased toll on first responders, and many other issues. The placement of students was lightly touched on by the administration, with the addresses on either side of Ohio 83 determining where students will attend school next year either Perry Elementary or Pike Elementary. As Adams responded to concerns, the crowd became visibly more agitated and weary. Parents and community members spoke with tears in their eyes, demanding answers, with many saying they were leaving the meeting with more questions than when they arrived. People wishing to express their opinion about the matter can reach out to any village council member or school board member. The board will meet at 8 a.m. Thursday at East Muskingum Middle School in the conference room. According to the school board, the meeting will be held to make decisions on personnel, contracts and other operating decisions as needed. This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Proposed sale of New Concord Elementary School discussed at meeting The Senate is set to vote this week on whether to repeal the first major update to national standards for gas furnaces in four decades in a move experts say would save real estate developers and landlords a few hundred dollars but cost ratepayers and renters thousands in heating bills for wasted energy. At least a handful of Democrats are expected to break with the chambers majority and join Republicans to pass legislation revoking the Department of Energys regulation. Starting four years from now, the rule finalized last September requires manufacturers to make the least efficient gas furnaces on the market today waste 15% less energy, cutting back on more carbon dioxide than the entirety of France emits in a single year and saving ratepayers money. The vote could come as early as Tuesday evening, with the House of Representatives following soon after with a sister bill. While mostly symbolic President Joe Biden is almost certain to veto the legislation the vote represents yet another flex of fossil fuel companies political muscle ahead of the presidential election. The industry is heavily betting against a second term for Biden, even though the last four years have brought record production and exports of U.S. oil and gas. Drilling and sales of American fuel overseas may be up. But for the last two years, sales of heat pumps essentially two-way air conditioners that heat and cool nationwide have eclipsed gas furnaces, the gap growing in 2023. That poses a threat to gas utilities and the sector is fighting back on multiple fronts. Utilities have historically enjoyed monopolies over geographical areas, giving the companies a captive market of ratepayers whose monthly bills help pay to maintain the pipeline network. The nationwide shift toward electric appliances and heating systems threatens to throw gas utilities off balance, requiring companies to cut costs, decrease investor payouts and raise prices on loyal customers. Sen. Ted Cruz introduced legislation to revoke President Joe Bidens gas furnace rule under the Congressional Review Act. Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images Slashing the 13% of Americas planet-heating emissions that come directly from burning fossil fuels to heat and cook in homes and buildings means replacing gas furnaces and stovetops with electric alternatives. The landmark climate-spending laws Biden passed include billions in subsidies to support the transition. The regulation in question does almost nothing to nudge homeowners toward replacing fuel furnaces with electric heat pumps. Instead, the rule requires that gas furnaces sold after 2028 convert at least 95% of fuel into heat, up from 80% under the previous regulation. The mandate effectively banned what are called non-condensing or non-weatherized gas furnaces that, as a result of relying on just one heat exchanger instead of two, waste more energy. Contractors often recommend non-condensing furnaces to buyers looking to cut back on upfront expenses, since condensing models which have two heat exchangers need extra ductwork for venting. Renovating existing homes to include new exhaust vents can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of installing a new furnace. The rule does not require anyone to replace an existing furnace. Rather, the first major overhaul of furnace standards since Congress first gave the Energy Department the authority to do so in 1987 simply mandates that all models clear a higher bar. (The standards were last updated in 2007, but with only minor tweaks.) Manufacturers of both the old and new models of gas furnaces broadly supported the Biden administrations rule. In comments submitted to the Energy Department during the rulemaking process, Carrier, Trane and Daikin backed the agencys plans to set a 95% efficiency target for non-weatherized furnaces. Others, such as Rheem and the trade association AHRI, did not raise concerns about the 95% levels. Daikin stands ready to provide only condensing furnaces for U.S. consumers, similar to how such technology has been a minimum requirement in Canada since 2010, Daikin, the parent company of the Goodman brand, said in a statement after the rule was finalized. Some large utilities that sell both gas and electricity even supported the rule. But the nations two largest trade groups representing gas utilities only the American Gas Association and the American Public Gas Association sued in January to block the Energy Department from implementing the rule. The lawsuit is pending. To be clear, the new standards will not require anyone to replace their furnace; rather, they will ensure that all purchasers... have a wider range of efficient options that will result in energy bill savings.Energy efficiency advocates to Congress In the meantime, the APGA threw its weight behind Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who introduced legislation to revoke Bidens gas furnace rule under the Congressional Review Act. Im committed to doing everything in my power to push back against this rule that puts the radical lefts fringe climate agenda before the needs of the American people, Cruz said in a press release. The regulation certainly benefits the worldwide effort to cut planet-heating emissions. The Energy Departments analysis found that, as of 2022, gas furnaces in homes accounted for nearly one-fifth of all residential energy usage. By updating the standards, the agency estimated that U.S. emissions would drop by 332 million metric tons equal to the annual carbon pollution from 42 million homes, or roughly 34% of households in the U.S. over the next 30 years. At a time when Americans debt to utilities has swelled to a record $20.3 billion, with $2.5 billion added last year alone, the regulations benefits to cash-strapped ratepayers are likely the most urgent. With less energy going to waste, U.S. utility bills on the whole would drop by $1.5 billion per year, the Energy Department found. The average household that replaces an old furnace with a new condensing unit would see annual heating bills drop by about $50 per year, according to calculations from advocacy groups that called on Congress this week to vote against the rollback bill. Savings will be much higher for families that live in colder climates, especially if they live in an older, poorly insulated home, reads an open letter published this week and signed by a dozen environment and consumer watchdog groups. To be clear, the new standards will not require anyone to replace their furnace; rather, they will ensure that all purchasers including builders of new homes, owners of rental properties, and homeowners have a wider range of efficient options that will result in energy bill savings. The rule requires that gas furnaces sold after 2028 convert at least 95% of fuel into heat, up from 80% under the previous regulation. Smith Collection/Gado via Getty Images Renters in particular stand to benefit from the new rule, the groups said, because they rarely get to choose their own furnace but are stuck paying the energy bills and are disproportionately lower income households that need the bill savings the most. Momentum to decarbonize buildings started gathering in 2019 when Berkeley, California, became the first city to ban new construction from hooking up to the gas system. More than 140 cities and local governments followed suit, adopting similar policies. In response, more than half of U.S. states ultimately passed laws preempting the local prohibitions essentially banning the bans. Industry groups, meanwhile, filed suit with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruling against Berkeleys ban last year. Around the same time, local governments tried using their power to vote on what building codes made it into the third-party codebook used across the country as a model for construction guidelines. Yet even there the gas industry thwarted its opponents, lobbying the nonprofit International Code Council to strip provisions to make the wiring for electric appliances and car chargers standard in all new construction. When proponents of greener codes once again won widespread support for including similar pro-electrification measures in the latest update to the codebook this time using a new process that reduced the input from governments and gave industry more say gas utilities still managed to block the proposals from taking effect at the last minute. Critics, including a few progressive-leaning lawmakers in Congress, called the latest gutting of the nations building codes a scandal. To those same gas trade groups now backing Cruzs rollback bill, however, it was just the start. One week later, as part of a settlement to end the federal litigation it lost last year, the city of Berkeley agreed to repeal its gas ban. Related... EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Community members were invited to explore the agriculture program at Coronado High School on Tuesday morning, May 21, according to the El Paso Independent School District (ISD). An open house was held Tuesday morning for attendees to tour the student project facility to gain insight into the program, according to the school district. Selected students from the Coronado feeder schools also attended the event and received hands-on experience surrounding program offerings at Coronado High School, according to the school district. Agricultural education programs in high schools, often referred to as AG programs, provide students with opportunities to learn about various aspects of agriculture, including crop production, animal science, agribusiness, agricultural mechanics, and natural resources management, El Paso ISD said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. Starting college wasnt easy for Marcos Farias. After graduating from Tokay High School in Lodi, Farias went straight to community college, a path most high school graduates take on. But once he got to community college, he found himself unprepared. He didnt know how to schedule his time or how to prioritize assignments. Commuting from Lodi to Sacramento everyday was overwhelming. And as a first generation student, college was completely new to him and he didnt know where to turn. During his second semester, he failed two classes and dropped out. However, Farias wasnt giving up on college. I wanted to come back and get my degree, Farias said It was a now or never kind of thing. He took a break during the pandemic and later re-enrolled at Cosumnes River College. Now, Farias is set to graduate from there and transfer to California State University, Channel Islands. Farias wants to be a social worker to help foster youth like himself. During his moments of struggle, he confides in his social worker, who has known him for 12 years. While he cant guarantee he could replicate the same connection with someone else, he sees that support system as one of the most influential part in getting his degree, he said. Somebody always need somebody, Farias said. I want to be that person thats reliable and invested in taking care of other people. Farias was determined to make this go around different when he returned to Cosumnes River College. This was his second chance. Heres a second opportunity that a lot of people dont get, Farias said. I thought that taking advantage of those opportunities is a gift a lot of people dont get or give themselves. Graduate Marcos Farias wears his cap and gown outside Cosumnes River College on Thursday, May 16, 2024. He plans to transfer to California State University, Channel Islands as a psychology major. While adapting to college is confusing at first, asking for help and seeking community, made the difference for Farias. He sought out resources to help him academically. If he didnt understand something in class, he would ask questions during a professors office hours. Jose Gonzalez, director of the Multicultural Innovative Community Academic Success and Achievement Center, more commonly known as MI CASA, first met Farias when he came back to school in 2022. Every morning, Farias can be found studying or finishing up his school work in the center before 8 a.m., before Gonzalez arrives. When Gonzalez is ready to leave home for the day at 4:30 p.m., Farias is still working. Its a sign of his dedication and his resiliency, Gonzalez said. With Marcos, he never gave up. He never stopped. Looking back, Farias said he learned that in the face of failure, its important to be kind to yourself and learn from your mistakes. Sometimes failure is the best teacher. Its OK to mess up and fail, Farias said. Being empathetic to yourself after youre failing and feeling like maybe it wasnt the first go around that you can get it, but the second time, you pick up some skills. Ojo: According to Excellence in Education, 33% of Latinos in community college graduate in two years. That compares with 43% for white students. La Abeja, a newsletter written for and by California Latinos Sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter centered around Latino issues in California. Rejecting arguments by Florida and business groups, an appeals court Monday refused to put on hold a U.S. district judges ruling in a battle about permitting authority for projects that affect wetlands. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia issued an order that said Florida has not satisfied the stringent requirements for a stay while an appeal of U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss ruling plays out. The order did not provide further explanation. The case, which is closely watched by business and environmental groups, stems from a 2020 decision by the federal government to shift permitting authority to the state for projects that affect wetlands. Moss in February ruled that actions by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in approving the shift violated the federal Endangered Species Act. Read: He was my person: Only Channel 9 spoke with the family of motorcyclist killed in Poinciana crash Moss vacated the approval of the transfer of authority and in April issued a final judgment that cleared the way for Florida to appeal. Also, the state asked for a stay of Moss ruling while the appeal moves forward. In a motion seeking the stay, Florida pointed to what it called irreparable injuries if Moss ruling was not put on hold. Vacatur (of the transfer of permitting authority) has also thrown Floridas regulators and regulated community into permitting chaos, deprived Florida of the benefits of years of effort and investment into a comprehensive state program, put over 1,000 pending permit applications into regulatory limbo, blocked Florida agencies from performing legal duties and deprived the state of significant permitting efficiencies obtained from consolidating federal and state wetlands-permitting requirements, the motion said. Read: The restaurants closed down the most for severe safety violations But attorneys for environmental groups that challenged the transfer and the federal government disputed the states arguments, in part because they said the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had stepped in to handle permitting. The Army Corps reviewed permit applications before authority was shifted to Florida in 2020 and conducts such reviews in other states. Attorneys from the Earthjustice legal organization wrote in a May 6 brief that Floridas claims of economic loss are hyperbolic, unsupported, and unfounded. A stay would revert authority once again to a state program that does not comply with the ESA (Endangered Species Act), putting listed species at risk of irreparable harm, the brief said. Read: Orlando police officer wont return to force despite state not taking certification away Earthjustice filed the lawsuit in 2021 against the federal government on behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, the Florida Wildlife Federation, Miami Waterkeeper and St. Johns Riverkeeper. The state later intervened to defend the transfer, and its arguments have been backed by groups such as the Florida Chamber of Commerce, Associated Industries of Florida and the Association of Florida Community Developers. Moss February ruling focused, in part, on whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service properly prepared a biological opinion and what is known as an incidental take statement as part of the process of approving the transfer. Incidental takes are situations in which threatened or endangered species could be killed or harmed as a result of what are allowed activities. Moss said a biological opinion and incidental take statement did not comply with the Endangered Species Act and another law known as the Administrative Procedure Act. He wrote that because the biological opinion and incidental take statement that the Fish and Wildlife Service issued in this case were facially and legally flawed, the EPA unreasonably relied on those documents in approving Floridas assumption application. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. TechCrunch Fidelity Investments, one of the world's largest asset managers, has confirmed that over 77,000 customers had personal information compromised during an August data breach, including Social Security numbers and driver's licenses. The Boston, Massachusetts-based investment firm said in a filing with Maines attorney general on Wednesday that an unnamed third party accessed information from its systems between August 17 and August 19 "using two customer accounts that they had recently established. We detected this activity on August 19 and immediately took steps to terminate the access, Fidelity said in a letter sent to those affected, adding that the incident did not involve any access to customers Fidelity accounts. "Crazy haywire" are not words one usually hears from an official at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), yet that is how Derek Manzello recently described the record-high temperatures threatening to decimate the world's coral reefs. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the coordinator of the NOAAs Coral Reef Watch Program said that more than three-fifths of the world's coral reefs (60.5%) had started bleaching due to high ocean temperatures. Coral reefs "bleach," or expel the algae (zooxanthellae) living with them, when they experience significant stress. This does not kill the coral, although it turns them white (hence the term "bleaching") and usually means the organisms are in poor health. We had to add additional bleaching alert levels to appropriately categorize just how hot it was, Manzello said. In December the NOAA updated their bleaching alert system to create categories for heat stress on a scale of 1 to 5. For an Alert Level 5, we are estimating that approximately 80% or more of corals on a particular reef may die, Manzello said. This is analogous to a Category 5 hurricane or cyclone. NOAA's Coral Reef Watch says that there are Bleaching Alert Level 5 reefs in the southern Atlantic and Bleaching Alert Level 4 reefs in the central Pacific Ocean and off the Atlantic coast of South America. Scientists have determined our "fingerprints" are over the rapidly heating oceans, and it is even changing its color to a more greenish shade. A Cuban government delegation toured Transportation Security Administration facilities at Miami International Airport on Monday as part of ongoing law-enforcement cooperation between the two countries, raising concerns from local politicians who said access to sensitive areas should not be granted to U.S. adversaries. Ralph Cutie, the Miami-Dade County Aviation Department director, said the Cuban delegation spent five hours at MIA on Monday. He said they were shown two areas in the airport: a security checkpoint that screens thousands of passengers daily, and a baggage-screen area thats not open to the public but has been shown to visitors, including members of the media, following a clearance process. Weve provided tours in the past, he said. But it has to be vetted. Cutie said federal authorities did not notify the county-run Aviation Department, which operates MIA, about the visit from a Cuban delegation to the facility. Nobody knew, he said. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the TSA, did not immediately reply to a request for comment. The visit, which coincided with the anniversary of Cubas independence day, caused an uproar among local politicians from both parties. But a State Department spokesperson said similar visits by Cuban officials have happened under previous administrations, including when Donald Trump was president. TSA has cooperated with Cuba on civil aviation security for many years and has facilitated multiple such visits over the years, the spokesperson said. TSA has conducted frequent airport assessments in Cuba as far back as 2003 and Cuba began sending occasional reciprocal visits to the United States in 2011, which continued through the Trump administration until today. The official said TSA members have inspected Cuban airports to certify their ability to host flights to the United States. The occasional reciprocal visits by the Cuban transportation ministry to U.S. airports intend to discuss best practices, the official added. Aviation security is clearly in the national interest, the spokesperson said. Given Cubas proximity and the existence of direct flights to and from our countries, U.S. and Cuban authorities must collaborate while each working to ensure the safety and security of travelers at airports. As we have noted repeatedly, we will engage with the Cuban government when it is in the U.S. national interest to do so. The spokesperson said TSA and the State Department coordinate these visits but did not say if Cuban officials have previously toured MIA facilities. A Cuban government official also said the visits have happened before. It is nothing new, said Abel Derivet, the spokesperson for the Cuban embassy in Washington. This visit is part of the historical bilateral cooperation between the Civil Aviation Institute of Cuba and the TSA on aviation safety matters. Derivet said TSA officials have also regularly toured Cuban airports. According to the MIA flights tracker, 10 flights were expected to arrive from Cuba on Tuesday afternoon. Cuba does not publish the number of Cuban Americans traveling from the United States to the island. But Cubas official statistics agency said 358,481 Cubans living abroad traveled to the country in 2023. Most of them are believed to have traveled from Miami. That number does not include Cuban Americans who were born in the United States and entered with their American passports. The agency said Cuba received 159,032 American visitors in 2023. A local protest In Miami, the visit elicited strong reactions from local officials and members of Congress. Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, who is seeking reelection this year, said she was shocked to learn that a Cuban government delegation was invited to visit the airports TSA facilities. The mayor said she asked Homeland Security to include county officials in future discussions regarding granting foreign officials access to the airport. Miami-Dade County stands firmly with the Cuban people here in our community and on the island as they continue to fight to bring freedom to Cuba, and we are committed to ensuring the safety of our community and all those who travel through MIA, Levine Cavas statement said. Miami-Dade County Chief of Public Safety James Reyes said the decision to invite the Cuban delegation was offensive and done unilaterally by TSA and without any knowledge of County officials. The shocking move, on the day Cubans celebrate Cuban Independence Day, must never happen again. In an election year, the visit gave an opportunity for Florida Republicans, who favor tough sanctions on the islands communist government, to slam the Biden administration. Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio said on X: Only under the Biden administration would they allow a terrorist regime into our secure facilities at one of the busiest airports in America. Republican U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez said he would use his seat as chairman of the House Homeland Security subcommittee on transportation and maritime security to hold the Biden administration accountable for its shameful & dangerous decision to grant Cuban officials access to sensitive TSA facilities at MIA. Last year, a similar visit by a delegation from the Cuban Border Guard that was supposed to tour U.S. ports was cut short after Rubio, Gimenez and other members of Congress complained about its implications for national security. But Biden administration officials have said the U.S. advances its national interests when establishing ways to cooperate with Cuban authorities, especially on law enforcement and migration issues. Commissioners weigh in The incident also upended the agenda of Tuesdays meeting of the Miami-Dade County Commission, which oversees MIA. Commissioners took a break from the regular schedule to unanimously approve a last-minute resolution condemning both the tour and the Biden administrations decision earlier in the month to remove Cuba from a list of countries not fully cooperating with counter-terrorism efforts. This is completely ridiculous and unacceptable, Vice Chair Anthony Rodriguez said after introducing the resolution. Several commissioners said they were convinced the Cuban government picked May 20 as a particularly offensive day to tour one of the largest government facilities in Miami-Dade, the heart of Americas Cuban exile community. They clearly played the TSA administration, said Commissioner Kevin Cabrera, one of five Cuban-Americans on the 13-member commission. They clearly played the State Department and all of these folks. They have no idea. Theyre asleep at the wheel. Cutie, the Aviation Department director, told commissioners the county had requested an apology from the Biden administration. As a Cuban-American and a native Miamian, he told commissioners, Im appalled that this took place. Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins, who is Jamaican-American, said she wanted details on how the federal government allowed the visit to take place. I want to know who green-lighted this, she said. I want names. Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who is also Cuban-American, said she assumes the decision was intentional to keep Miami-Dades government in the dark about the visit. I dont think they forgot to tell you. I think they didnt tell you, she said to Cutie. Because they knew you would lose your mind. Cuba on the list of states sponsoring terrorism The visit to MIA, first reported by Miami Spanish-language newspaper Diario Las Americas, happened just days after the State Department removed Cuba from its list of countries that do not cooperate fully with the United States on counterterrorism. A State Department spokesperson said some reasons for designating the Cuban government last year were no longer appropriate and that the two countries had resumed law enforcement cooperation in 2023, including on counterterrorism. Several members of Congress from Miami expressed concern that the removal was a first step toward eliminating Cuba from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, which carries greater financial restrictions. The Center for Engagement and Advocacy in the Americas, which organized a recent trip to Cuba by members of the progressive congressional caucus, praised the removal as an important step towards normalizing bilateral relations. The Washington-based organization urged the Biden administration to also eliminate Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation that is unwarranted and hinders the delivery of humanitarian aid, and obstructs independent Cuban entrepreneurs and civil society groups from accessing international banking and funding, worsening economic hardship. Cuba has rejected its inclusion on the list, denying it supports terrorism. New curriculum on desegregation teaches elementary students the legacy of the Memphis 13 This story was originally published by Chalkbeat. Sign up for their newsletters at ckbe.at/newsletters. When elementary schoolers learn about Dwania Kyles, theyre struck by her bravery. When Kyles was in first grade, she and 12 others became the first Black students to walk into all-white classrooms in Memphis to begin desegregating the citys school system. Another thing the elementary students marvel at about those pioneers, Kyles says: Theyre still alive! The milestones of the Civil Rights Movement may seem like part of a long-ago history it was 70 years ago this month that the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education against forced segregation. But it took years of battles before the so-called Memphis 13 made it into the all-white schools, with all-Black schools persisting long after the ruling. And the battles didnt end there. Kyles, for her part, has been working to make sure that complete history is better understood, spearheading a new curriculum to teach the citys story of school desegregation. Taught in public elementary school classrooms in Memphis including the very ones the Memphis 13 desegregated the curriculums lessons localize themes of the Civil Rights Movement by encouraging students to make a difference in their own communities and learn from their elders. Dwania Kyles, one of three students who integrated Bruce Elementary in 1961, looks back at a mural painted of her by muralist Jamond Bullock at Bruce Elementary on Friday Jan. 17, 2020. The goal is for students and teachers to develop a richer understanding of Memphis pivotal role in American history, at a time when most Memphis schools have become segregated again, and state laws can make teachers feel uncomfortable helping students investigate racial issues. Curriculum architects Gina Tillis and Anna Falkner developed the community-focused lessons alongside surviving members of the Memphis 13 and other educators, with initial support of a grant from the Library of Congress. The curriculum is a product of the newly created Memphis 13 Foundation, which supports the first graders legacies in other ways including in towering murals of the students at the schools they desegregated. Another important aspect of the curriculum: Children get to learn about other important children, not just important adults, Tillis said. How often do children see themselves? Tillis asked. ... And children in your neighborhood, that went to your schools, that had a profound impact on society? Isnt that powerful? Curriculum connects students to neighborhood, family stories of desegregation Tillis said the professional development courses she leads on the curriculum leave teachers invigorated and eager to take the lessons back to their students and make them their own. One teacher who helped develop the curriculum wrote a play for her students to perform. Another who attended the training created a bulletin board that mixed historical photos and newspaper clippings with student responses. The second grade curriculum includes a picture book project. For fifth graders, students conduct oral-history interviews. As part of the lesson, students learn to develop interview questions, conduct their interviews, and then evaluate what they learned as a class. The three students who integrated Bruce Elementary (left to right) Harry Williams, Dwania Kyles and Menelik Fombi at a ceremony celebrating the legacy at Bruce Elementary on Friday Jan. 17, 2020. Students have returned to their Memphis-Shelby County Schools classrooms with stories from their own elders about school desegregation in Memphis and other American cities, as well as international ones, Tillis and Kyles said. If you are not connected to the Memphis 13, then you probably are connected to another elder that desegregated a school, Tillis said. Because every state, every district, every school, every classroom has its own school desegregation story. And school desegregation impacted everyone differently. Tillis has plans to eventually expand the curriculum to include older students. For Kyles, it is important that students learn how to listen well, and with compassion. What if, she wonders, there had been town halls and public-service ads after the Brown v. Board decision, to help society navigate the change? We can change all the laws. We can come up with all the policies in the world that we want to, Kyles said. Weve now got to really focus on: How do we change peoples hearts and their belief systems? How Tennessee prohibited concepts law affects discussions The Memphis curriculum is aligned with Tennessee social studies standards and focuses on the role of primary sources, like newspaper articles, interviews, and other original documents. The Memphis 13 Foundation has received funding from the state for its curriculum and other programming, which includes other community events. But race is still a sensitive topic for many Tennessee teachers, now that lawmakers have placed restrictions on what they can say. Tillis includes a discussion of the 2021 prohibited concepts law which Tennessee teachers are challenging in court in training teachers to use the new curriculum. Dwania Kyles, one of three students who integrated Bruce Elementary in 1961, stands in front of a mural painted of her by muralist Jamond Bullock at Bruce Elementary on Friday Jan. 17, 2020. The law restricts teachers from discussing 14 concepts that the Republican-controlled legislature deemed cynical or divisive, and the punishments can include stripping teachers of their licenses and cutting off funding to school districts. In practice, the law has made teachers more conscious about how they approach the material, Tillis said. And concerns about compliance have led to more scrutiny of reading lists associated with the curriculum as it has been implemented at MSCS, she said. MSCS declined to make its staff available for an interview in time for the publication of this story. While the curriculum falls within the law, student questions could push the boundaries. For instance, one of the prohibited concepts is inherent privilege based on race. Elementary school students who are just beginning to understand history may ask: Why couldnt they all go to school together? We dont have to say were talking about privilege, Tillis said, but its going to come up. Tillis has encouraged teachers to explain the law itself when prohibited concepts come up in classrooms. The students are so smart. They know when something is not fair, Tillis said. And theyre picking up on inequities in their own schools even small, simple things just like the Memphis 13 did when they began desegregating Memphis schools nearly 70 years ago. It reminded Kyles of Memphis 13 student Alvin Freeman, who desegregated the white Gordon Elementary in North Memphis. Ice cream at Gordon wasnt different from ice cream at Klondike, the neighborhoods Black school, an adult Freeman said in The Memphis 13, a documentary film thats part of the curriculum. Klondike didnt have ice cream. Laura Testino covers Memphis-Shelby County Schools for Chalkbeat Tennessee. Reach Laura at LTestino@chalkbeat.org. Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news organization covering public education. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Desegregation curriculum teaches kids the legacy of the Memphis 13 WORCESTER Parents aired concerns about plans to reduce staff during a public hearing Monday on a budget proposal for the Worcester Public Schools, with particular focus on staffing for dual language programs and special education classes. Last week, school administrators released their plans for cutting a $22 million shortfall in the budget for next fiscal year including cutting 86 classroom teaching positions, 70 student support positions, 22 administrative positions, as well as five vacant psychologist positions and two positions based out of the Chandler YMCA building. Some of the cuts will come from teacher retirements and others from layoffs. The budget would reallocate enough federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds to the general fund to preserve 10 secondary teaching positions. Still, 42 secondary teaching positions were eliminated in the proposal. The end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding, a pandemic relief program, is a key factor driving the deficit. Dual language programs Lashana Fulton, a parent of two students at Chandler Magnet-LaFamilia School, said when the two schools merged, the administration "made promises" to staff and families that she feels have not been upheld. "One of those promises that were made to us was to expand the dual language education. When LaFamilia Dual Language School was first opened in the fall of 2021, the district had made a decision to add another dual language class and continue to expand a class each year," Fulton said. The initial cohort of students, Fulton said, will be fourth graders next school year. The budget does not fund an additional dual language teacher for fourth grade and Fulton said it directly impacts her son. "We would like to see the resources that were promised to us for a program allocated to our school and to the programs we have there," Fulton said. "We ask that our school committee share results of the multilingual audit specifically around the dual language programs, as well as the district's plans for these programs." While the merger of the two schools was successful this past year, Fulton said, that does not reduce the need for equitable resources. "Although it was two schools, we as a community and a family have made it one," Fulton said. "That doesn't take away the fact that we still need the resources that were present at the schools individually. The only thing that is changing is the number of students is increasing." Trevor Standish, a father of three daughters in Worcester Public Schools, also advocated for equitable funding of the dual language program, especially for Chandler Magnet-LaFamilia School. Standish said his family moved to Worcester two years ago. He said they had the choice of moving anywhere in the country and they chose Worcester because of the dual language program. "If you look across the state of Massachusetts, there was clearly (a dual language program) that was shining through, which is why we chose to move here," Standish said. "If you look at the dual-language students, they're about to have a radical change in curriculum. I think you need to ask yourselves, are you comfortable with the way those dual language classrooms are set up for next year?" Standish requested the committee reconsider the budget for the dual language program, emphasizing concern over class size. Special education Worcester Public Schools speech-language pathologist Jessica Bousquet raised concerns over cuts that would affect special education services. "I'm here to speak on behalf of my students with disabilities who cannot advocate for themselves," Bousquet said. "It seems like (the reductions are) almost targeted to students with disabilities, the students with autism and students that are struggling to read that are supported by the learning disabilities teachers." Bousquet said that even if this is a one-year shortfall, the staff reductions could have a lasting impact on students. Bousquet works in the Worcester Public School Transition Program, which is designed to prepare students with disabilities for adult life. To help close the deficit, the school budget plan would cut the coordinator of special education programs within the Transition Program. Bousquet said there is concern among families about this reduction. She said the district should prioritize special education and students with disabilities. "It really does improve climate and culture," Bousquet said. "I think in prioritizing climate and culture, we need to be preventative as opposed to reactive in responding to crisis." This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Hearing on Worcester school budget cuts: Parents voice concerns Nearly half of young adults do not know what D-Day is This year will mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings - Getty Images Nearly half of young adults do not know what D-Day is, a survey has found. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) found only 48 per cent of people aged 18 to 34 recognised D-Day as the date that Allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944. This rose to 59 per cent when surveyed across all age groups. One in five (21 per cent) of young people said they did not know what D-Day was at all, while 12 per cent believed it was the day that Germany surrendered to the Allied Forces unconditionally. The survey of 2,000 people, which was conducted to coincide with the 80th anniversary of Normandy landings, also found that 22 per cent believe there is no need to commemorate it or similar memorial events. One in 10 young people said they find commemoration events boring and repetitive, adding that they think the money could be better spent elsewhere. However, 61 per cent of respondents across all age groups said the anniversary would provide an opportunity for reflection. It is hoped that this year's 80th anniversary of D-Day seen here as Allied troops land at Omaha Beach offers a chance for reflection - Getty Images Claire Horton, director-general of CWGC, has called for efforts to boost public engagement with the history of the two world wars. She said: We are at a turning point for the legacy of commemoration. Events such as these are vital to maintain connection and inspire interest in honouring those who came before. She added: There is clearly work to be done to better engage young people in commemoration efforts. Our research shows that young people are keen to see better educational programmes to support these efforts, and as a nation, we must come together to ensure that the next generation carries on the legacy of liberation passed down to us by those who gave their lives for our freedoms. Akshata Murty, wife of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, greets children at Downing Street as part of events to involve schools in the 80th anniversary of D-Day - i-images/Martyn Wheatley CWGC said apathy and ignorance of younger people has become a cause for concern as many veterans of the war near the end of their lives. The organisations torch roadshow aims to reach hundreds of thousands of young people in the hope of improving their engagement with similar historical events. At the launch of their events, a torch of remembrance was lit and symbolically handed by a veteran to a young person. The torch roadshow is part of a series of events called Lighting Their Legacy, which is touring Britain and Normandy. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. David Covey and Dade Phelan. Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune Under attack from the right, House Speaker Dade Phelan and his allies are outpacing their primary opponents in fundraising going into a heated May 28 runoff thats pitting Republican incumbents against far-right challengers. The incumbents saw key support from politically connected business groups and megadonors in recent weeks capped by a surprise last-minute influx from Miriam Adelson, the owner of the Las Vegas Sands casino empire who is intent on legalizing her business in Texas. Phelan, R-Beaumont, was pushed into an overtime contest after he finished second to GOP activist David Covey in a three-way March primary. [With the Mavericks, Miriam Adelson is poised to be a Texas political powerhouse. Will it help her legalize casinos?] Covey raked in an impressive haul in his own right, raising some $1.7 million and spending nearly as much since late February, according to campaign finance reports due this week. Once dismissed as a longshot, the 34-year-old oil and gas trader has won the support of Phelans high-profile political rivals, including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Midland oilman Tim Dunn, a billionaire megadonor who is funding an aggressive campaign to oust Phelan and rid the party of so-called moderates. Dunns new political group, Texans United for a Conservative Majority PAC, was one of Coveys biggest donors in recent weeks, kicking in more than $400,000 during the runoff. Patrick donated $100,000, while Amarillo businessman Alex Fairly contributed $500,000. Fairly is the father of Caroline Fairly, who is poised to join the House after winning her Panhandle-based Republican primary in March. The trio accounted for more than 60% of Coveys fundraising in his latest finance report, which covered all campaign activity from Feb. 25 through Saturday. That was not enough to match Phelan, who has raked in about $3.4 million and spent nearly $3.9 million over the same span, more than doubling up Covey. Phelans biggest backers included a whos-who of the states usual GOP donor crowd along with a significant boost from Adelsons newly formed group, Texas Defense PAC. All told, he received more than $660,000 from Adelson and Texas Sands PAC, another group linked to the casino empire. Adelson, who took the helm of Las Vegas Sands following the death of her husband, Sheldon Adelson, is among the wealthiest women in the country. She cut a $9 million check earlier this month for Texas Defense PAC the groups only source of funding. The PAC also kicked in more than $400,000 to endangered GOP state Reps. Frederick Frazier of McKinney, Justin Holland of Rockwall and John Kuempel of Seguin. All three easily outpaced their runoff foes in fundraising and spending in the latest finance reports, thanks in part to Adelsons support. Story continues Adelson has pushed for legalized casino gambling in Texas for years, but her efforts have largely been thwarted by the Senate, where Patrick has been cool to the measure. Phelan is more receptive to the idea, saying at the start of last years regular session that he wanted to see destination-style casinos that are high-quality and that create jobs. He also noted that his district, tucked in Texas southeast corner along the Louisiana border, is a stones throw from casinos that are legalized across state lines. Some of the GOP challengers on the other side of Adelsons spending were quick to frame it as a tainted source of funding from an industry that some in the party oppose over concerns that it would stoke gambling addictions and attract crime. Hollands opponent, former tea party leader and Trump spokesperson Katrina Pierson, derided Holland for being funded by out of state billionaires. If youre a Republican, and youre taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from the casino lobby in the primary, youre NOT the good guy. Youre a useful idiot, tweeted Mitch Little, an attorney who recently ousted state Rep. Kronda Thimesch of Lewisville. Last spring, supporters failed to gather enough votes in the House to authorize "destination resort" casinos in large metros areas. The proposal must clear the high bar two-thirds support in both chambers required to amend the Texas Constitution. The chamber approved legislation last year to allow online sports betting, a key milestone in a state that has routinely shunned efforts to loosen its tight gambling restrictions, but Patrick swiftly shot down the proposal in his chamber. Pierson, for her part, got more than three-quarters of her funding in the latest reporting period from Abbott's campaign and Dunn's PAC. Holland has also taken swings at Pierson over her campaign's support from Jeff Yass, the Pennsylvania-based GOP megadonor and TikTok investor whose priority issues include school vouchers. Though Yass labeled in Holland's attack ads as a "TikTok billionaire" has not donated directly to Piersons campaign, he has contributed nearly $12 million to Abbott and a pro-voucher super PAC, AFC Victory Fund, that has also spent six figures backing Pierson. Through late April, the super PAC a political arm of the voucher advocacy group American Federation for Children had spent about $100,000 apiece on ads attacking the four anti-voucher GOP incumbents who were forced into runoffs: Holland, Kuempel, DeWayne Burns of Cleburne and Gary VanDeaver of New Boston. The full scope of pro-voucher spending remains unclear. AFC Victory Fund's latest finance report only goes through April 25, while another deep-pocketed voucher advocacy group, the Club for Growth, is a federal PAC that is not required to say how much it is spending on each race. The Club for Growth, also a recipient of Yass' multimillion-dollar largesse, previously announced it had reserved $4 million in TV and radio ads with plans to target the same four Republicans, plus Phelan. Yass kicked in another $400,000 to Patrick last month, pushing his political spending north of $12 million in Texas this cycle. He is outpaced only by Adelson, who has donated more than $4 million to the Texas Sands PAC on top of her other $9 million infusion. Thus, Texas' two biggest political donors this cycle are residents of Nevada and Pennsylvania who have collectively shelled out $25.5 million. That's more than the next four Dunn, Texans for Lawsuit Reform co-founder Dick Weekley, Democratic megadonor George Soros and H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt combined. Dunn was especially active in the latest reporting period, pumping more than $3.7 million into his PAC, which in turn spent more than $4 million targeting incumbents and backing Dunn's preferred candidates in open races. Its beneficiaries included Covey and Pierson, along with state Rep. Lynn Stucky's opponent, Andy Hopper; Helen Kerwin, who is challenging Burns; and Alan Schoolcraft, Kuempel's runoff foe. It appears to be one of Dunn's biggest ever investments in the House primaries, dwarfing his spending from comparable periods through the 2010s, when he gained his reputation for wielding outsize influence in Republican primaries. And yet, many of Dunn's targets in next week's runoffs reported bigger fundraising hauls than their far-right challengers underscoring the sheer scale of the spending in this year's House contests. Riding to the incumbents' defense was the powerful tort reform group, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, which reported $4.5 million in spending since late February; and Associated Republicans of Texas, a longtime defender of GOP incumbents that spent about $1.9 million in the most recent period. Early voting began Monday and ends Friday ahead of Election Day on May 28. The Texas Tribune answering reader questions about 2024 elections. To share your question or feedback with us, you can fill out this form. Weve got big things in store for you at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Join us for three days of big, bold conversations about politics, public policy and the days news. The Daily T: How should protests be policed? Activists from the group Just Stop Oil block a road in London - Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Lord Walney, author of a new report on political violence and policing protests, joins Kamal Ahmed and Camilla Tominey in The Daily T studio today. He discusses his findings and the controversial recommendation that could force protest groups like Just Stop Oil to pay for disruptions. Plus Camilla and Kamal discuss the ChatGPT artificial intelligence assistant that has left Hollywood actress Scarlett Johansson shocked and angered. Listen to The Daily T on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to The Daily T newsletter for updates. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. BALTIMORE Dwarfing the tugboats to which it was tethered, the container ship Dali returned to the Port of Baltimore Monday morning after crews freed the vessel that had been stranded in the Patapsco River since it struck and collapsed the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. Crews had refloated the vessel around 6:40 a.m, and 20 minutes later, the ship started moving slowly, almost imperceptibly. By 8:40 a.m., tugboats had guided the 984-foot ship into the Seagirt Marine Terminal, still bearing on its lacerated bow a chunk of the pavement from the bridge. We took an enormous step forward in our mission to recover from the collapse, Gov. Wes Moore said in a statement. Moore, who watched the operation from a boat about 500 feet from the Dali, lauded those who have worked safely and speedily in the massive and ongoing recovery effort led by the Key Bridge Unified Command. Thats the multiagency effort led by the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland Transportation Authority and Maryland State Police. The Dalis slow-motion, 2.5-mile journey on Monday returned it to the port it had left 55 days earlier. Shortly after leaving the port, it lost power and careened into one of the bridges support pillars, plunging the span into the river. Six construction workers who were repairing potholes on the span died in the catastrophe. Darrell Wilson, a spokesman for the Synergy Marine Group that manages the ship, said the vessels return to port was a relief for all of us and a reflection of all of the hard work of Unified Command and all of the salvage workers. Crews had begun laborious preparations Sunday to free the Dali, targeting the operation to take advantage of high tide in the Patapsco River at 5:24 a.m. Monday. The ship remained immobile for the next 90 minutes, though, surrounded by salvage equipment, tugboats and a piece of the shattered bridge jutting from the water nearby as it has for nearly eight weeks. The Dali is expected to remain in port for a few weeks and eventually travel to Norfolk, Virginia, for repairs. Its original crew, 20 men from India and one from Sri Lanka, are expected to remain on board for now as the visas that they sail under are believed to have expired, Wilson said. Crew members generally travel on visas that, according to a Customs and Border Protection document, allow them landing privileges to remain in the U.S. as long as the vessel is here but that cant exceed 29 days. The Dali was stranded for 55 days. At a certain point, we will be working with the authorities to see if we can get some shore leave granted for them, he said. Our ultimate goal is to get the crew off the ship so they can get back to their families. That may take some time, though, as investigations in the the March 26 bridge strike continue and the crew may need to be questioned, Wilson said. The FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board are among the agencies investigating the collapse of the bridge. In April, the FBI boarded the vessel and confiscated the crew members phones and have yet to return them. The crew was given replacement phones, but still lack the personal data on their original devices, Wilson said. Unions representing the crew said the members had been experiencing distress, particularly after they gave up their phones and lost access to family photos and online banking information, and feared being criminalized over the incident. Two additional crew members were added to the ship previously to help with the extra workload, Wilson said, with the goal of eventually swapping out the original crew. Early Monday, the Dalis impending movement was signaled by a long blare of a horn. Viewed from the south, at Riviera Beach in Anne Arundel County, the vessel with its now-familiar stack of multicolored containers stirred around 7 a.m. Over the next hour, the freighter progressively moved faster as it was tugged backward into the Baltimore harbor. Then, the tugs pivoted the ship and towed it for roughly another hour toward Seagirt. The refloat operation also required crews to consider an underwater Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. gas line near where the ship had been stuck. BGE and Unified Command spokespersons said Monday that there was no damage to the line, although a Maryland Public Service Commission spokesperson said the condition of the pipeline is still being investigated as the ship has just been refloated. The utility company had released gas from a section of the pipe and is working with Unified Command to restore it, a process that could be done within a month, BGE spokesperson Ann Mooney said. Early Monday morning, Jim Shipp and Darryl Mason went to Riviera Beach to take drone shots of the Dalis refloating from outside of the No Drone Zone surrounding the collapse site. I felt a connection to that bridge, Shipp said, noting hes always enjoyed the tranquility near the bridge and the history of nearby Fort Armistead. The two hobbyists had flown their drones around Fort Armistead quite a bit before the collapse, taking plenty shots of the Key Bridge when it was still standing. Since March 26, theyve been taking drone shots of the wreckage, response efforts and the memorial for the six men who died in the collapse. Once en route to the port, the Dali was clocked at about 1.2 knots at one point, according to an online ship tracker. Just one week ago, crews used controlled explosives to break up a massive section of the bridge that had landed on the bow of the ship. They then had to ensure a clear path for the ship back to port, and, on Sunday, began the final preparations for it to be refloated. The removal of the ship, an action that drastically altered the silhouette of the bridge collapse site, was a large leap forward in crews efforts to clear the main shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore, which has received only limited vessel traffic over the past several weeks via temporary alternate channels. Around 20 vessels are scheduled to arrive within the next seven days at the Port of Baltimores public terminals roughly the same number as in a precollapse week, Maryland Port Administration spokesperson Richard Scher said Monday afternoon. Sometimes we would have more, sometimes we would have less, he said. But were right in that sweet spot. Before Monday, about half of the 50-foot deep, 700-foot wide federal channel was cleared. That channel is expected to fully reopen to commercial marine traffic by the end of the month. The Unified Command said in a news release Monday that it anticipates the federal channel will soon be 400 feet wide and 50 feet deep. The Dali's move also marked a pivotal moment in the Unified Commands daily operations. The agencies will now leave their emergency office at the Maryland Cruise Terminal, parting ways for their respective worksites as cruise ship traffic resumes, according to the release. Unified Command salvage crews will now resume their work of clearing bridge wreckage from the Fort McHenry Channel until its back to normal. The state agency responsible for the bridge, the Maryland Transportation Authority, is in charge of any wreckage outside of the federal channel. To clear the Fort McHenry Channel to its full depth, its likely at least some dredging will be required, Cynthia Mitchell, a spokesperson for the Baltimore district of the Army Corps of Engineers, said in an email. Crews will need to use digging buckets to scoop out an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 cubic yards of sediment from the bottom of the Patapsco River, Mitchell wrote. The sediment will be processed with 7% to 8% Portland cement until it solidifies, Mitchell wrote. Then, it will be loaded onto dump trucks and transported to disposal sites in New Jersey or Pennsylvania. _____ (Baltimore Sun reporters Christine Condon, Hayes Gardner and Dillon Mullan contributed to this article.) _____ Rebecca Wilcox is photographed with her mother Dame Esther Rantzen, who has signed up to Dignitas after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer - David M. Benett/Getty Images Europe Dame Esther Rantzens daughter has said she is considering breaking the law to aid her mothers wish of assisted dying. The 83-year-old, who fronted the BBC show Thats Life!, is one of the leading advocates for assisted suicide in the UK after being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer in January last year. Dame Esther revealed in December that she had signed up for Dignitas, the assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland. Rebecca Wilcox, daughter of the former television presenter, has since suggested that she would break the law to travel to the clinic with her mother to prevent her attending alone. The punishment for assisting another persons suicide is a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England and Wales. In a piece for Saga magazine, Ms Wilcox wrote: If she goes at the moment it would be her only option for an assisted death she will have to go alone. It is against the law to accompany her. I would face prosecution for manslaughter and could receive up to 14 years in prison. Even if it doesnt go to trial, many people face a two-year investigation. I have a young family with two children, a busy home and a complex job. I shouldnt have to risk going to prison just to keep mum company, but Im not sure I could let her go alone. She added: Its an impossible decision to have to make: either risk possible prosecution at the worst time of my life, when I have just lost my adored mum, or do the unthinkable and let her die alone in a foreign country with no one she knows or loves to hold her hand. Dame Esther Rantzen with her husband Desmond Wilcox, who died of a heart attack in 2000, and children Miriam, Rebecca and Joshua in 1986 - Alpha Press The 44-year-old, who is also a television presenter, said the thought of her mother dying was abominable but conceded she was in poor health and suffering from an incurable illness. Ms Wilcox said she was proud of her mothers campaigning, adding: I dont understand the lack of action by our Government, which seems unable to commit to the subject. Its inhumane. The opportunity to have an assisted, comfortable death in countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Switzerland shows a level of compassion in the lawmakers that seems sadly absent from England today. Dame Esther is an outspoken advocate for the right of an individual to choose how they die. In an article for The Telegraph last year, she wrote that her dog had been granted a painless death after a diagnosis of inoperable cancer while she had been denied the same. The UK has a broken palliative care system In 2009, Sir Keir Starmer, then Director of Public Prosecutions, issued guidelines on aiding someone with assisted suicide. The guidelines state that an individual acting out of compassion to aid a terminally ill patient with a clear, settled and informed wish to die was unlikely to go to court. However, those persuading or pressuring someone to end their life, or in some way benefiting from their death, could face prosecution. Assisted dying was also debated in the House of Commons last month after Dame Esthers campaign. Dr Gordon Macdonald, chief executive of the campaign group Care Not Killing, said at the time: We should be talking about how to fix the UKs broken palliative care system so everyone can have a dignified death. The Crown Prosecution Service said that between April 2009 and March 2024, it received 187 referrals for cases of assisted suicide, with four cases of encouraging or assisting suicide being prosecuted. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty. NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) The man accused of throwing his ankle monitor into Bayou Sauvage, escaping house arrest, has been captured. According to Assured Supervised Accountability Program (ASAP) Cofounder and Director of Enforcement Matthew Dennis, 25-year-old Darwin Gonzales-Munoz was captured in Austin, Texas after allegedly cutting off his ankle monitor on May 8. NOPD search underway in Bayou St. John after human remains found over weekend On that Wednesday, at 9:05 a.m., ASAP received an alert of Gonzales-Munoz traveling near 13565 Chef Menteur Highway. The last ping of his monitoring device showed his location at the Madere Marsh Boardwalk. ASAP officials report Gonzales-Munoz threw the monitor into the bayou and continued to travel. On Tuesday, May 21, Dennis said Gonzales-Munoz was taken into custody in Austin and will travel to Houston before being extradited to New Orleans. Separate shootings hours apart leave four people wounded in New Orleans He was originally charged with domestic abuse battery, domestic abuse battery strangulation, theft, simple criminal damage to property and domestic abuse battery aggravated assault. Gonzales-Munozs alleged victim, Ximena Michelle Hernandez, was also taken into custody. She will also be taken to Houston on a warrant, according to Dennis. Stay up to date with the latest news, weather and sports by downloading the WGNO app on the Apple or Google Play stores and by subscribing to the WGNO newsletter. Latest Posts Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) New data shows increasing violence at D.C.s Youth Services Center. The D.C. Council is now hosting a public roundtable Tuesday on safety concerns at the juvenile detention center. Many parents are blaming staffing shortages and a lack of resources for the rise in violence, prompting District leaders to meet at the John A. Wilson building to address their concerns. DC police officer hurt in shooting in Northwest released from hospital; people of interest detained in Prince Georges County Data from the Office of Independent Juvenile Justice Facilities Oversight shows that there were 38 critical incidents as of April this year. It also shows there have been 34 youth-on-youth assaults at the center. Parents who have kids inside the facility are worried for their safety. After a brawl at the facility involving multiple youth, councilmember Trayon White even paid an emergency visit to the facility back in November of last year. The data shows the number of youth-on-youth assaults more than doubled from March to April. Its also the highest its been since October and November of last year. DC police: 2 men shot in Northwest; 1 dead Last year, juvenile justice experts raised also concerns about staffing issues impacting the violence. Staffing levels are down as the facility has reached capacity and at times been overcrowded, Georgetown University Law Center visiting professor, Eduardo Ferrer, said. Were going to see an increase in the number of incidents. The Committee also encourages the public to submit written testimony to be included and will close by Tuesday, June 4. To view the full report, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. A 20-year-old man was arrested today for a double murder in Moline. On May 5, 2024 at approximately 4:35 a.m., the Moline Police Department responded to a 911 call of an unknown problem at a residence in the 1800 block of 31st Street, Moline. Inside the basement, police located two men Giovanni Flores, 17 and Zachary Meincke, 19, both of Moline dead from gunshot wounds. At 5:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 21, Moline Police executed two search warrants related to this investigation, according to a news release. One search warrant was executed in the 2300 block of 3rd Street in East Moline. Another search warrant was executed in the 1600 block of W. 14th Street in Davenport. Both residences were connected to each other and in the same lead that the Moline Police Department was pursuing in connection with this case. Israel Martinez (Scott County Jail) At the Davenport residence, the Moline Police Department arrested Israel S. Martinez, 20, of Davenport, for the murders of Flores and Meincke. Martinez is charged with seven counts including: Two counts of First Degree Murder Class M Felonies Two counts of Aggravated Battery with a Firearm Class X Felonies Two counts of Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm Class 1 Felonies One count Obstructing Justice Class 4 Felony Martinez is being held in the Scott County Jail pending extradition to Illinois. Chief Darren Gault (photo: Moline Police Department) I am proud of all of our officers work in the relentless pursuit of justice in this senseless tragedy, Moline Police Chief Darren Gault said. There are countless numbers of officers to thank, but Id also like to thank their families who understood the very long hours, weekends, sleepless nights, early mornings and missed time off while they pursued every lead to the end. This diligent and tireless dedication led to justice for the families of Giovanni Flores and Zachery Meincke. Id like to especially recognize Det. Mike Griffin and Det. Brett Kopf along with Sgt. Dan Beaudry who led this investigation, Chief Gault said. Today doesnt ease their pain in losing loved ones, but might give them a path to healing. Although it is not a moment for rejoicing, it is a moment of relief for our impacted families and friends and for our community, Moline Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati said. We are thankful for the diligent work of the Moline Police Department to bring us to this point. This is a moment where we can all examine how we can prevent senseless violence and bring our community closer together. The family of the murder victims were at a Moline Police press conference Tuesday afternoon, and Chief Gault read the following statement: The family of Giovanni Flores would like to thank everyone in the community for their support and dedication in bringing justice for Gio. We are grateful for every call, text, video and tip that assisted in this process. We would also like to thank the Moline Police Department for their tireless efforts in ensuring that this cruel act did not go unpunished. Our lives wont ever be the same without Giovanni as his love and friendship spread to all who knew him and although we know our fight for justice is far from over, we are confident that our community will stand strong behind us for the sake of our children and families. The family of Zachary Meincke also wanted to state that they are so grateful for the community support. Rock Island County States Attorney Dora Villareal will file a petition to keep Martinez in custody. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. Xi sends condolences over Raisi's death 08:24, May 21, 2024 By Mo Jingxi and Jan Yumul ( Chinadaily.com.cn President Xi Jinping expressed deep condolences on Monday over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, saying that the Chinese people have lost a good friend who made positive efforts for consolidating and developing ties between Beijing and Teheran. Raisi and other officials were confirmed dead early Monday after a challenging overnight search amid bad weather in northwestern Iran's East Azerbaijan Province, according to Iran's Islamic Republic News Agency. Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei appointed First Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber as acting president, in line with Article 131 of the Iranian Constitution. In a message sent to Mokhber on behalf of the Chinese government and Chinese people, Xi expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Raisi and extended sympathies to Mokhber, Raisi's family and the Iranian government and people. Xi said that since Raisi took office as president, he had made important contributions to maintaining Iran's security and stability and promoting national development and prosperity. Raisi's unfortunate demise is a great loss for the Iranian people, the Chinese president said, adding that the Chinese people have lost a good friend. Xi also said the Chinese government and Chinese people highly value the country's traditional friendship with Iran, while expressing hope that the China-Iran comprehensive strategic partnership will continue to be consolidated and developed with joint efforts from both sides. The Chinese side also expressed deep condolences over the death of Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who also was killed in the crash. Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani was appointed head of the international committee of Iran's Foreign Ministry, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported, citing an announcement by Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi. Raisi's helicopter crashed on Sunday in the Varzaqan region of Iran as he was returning from a ceremony to inaugurate a dam on Iran's border with Azerbaijan, Iran's Mehr News Agency reported. The bodies of those who had been aboard the helicopter were first transported to Tabriz in northwestern Iran before other arrangements were made, according to Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran, who oversaw the search. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters on Monday that after the crash, China provided active assistance with the search and rescue work. "We are willing to continue to provide all necessary support to the Iranian side and believe that the Iranian government and people have the capability to overcome this difficult time," he said. With condolences of other state leaders and heads of international organizations pouring into Teheran, Iran will observe five days of public mourning, as declared by Ali Khamenei on Monday morning. "In this bitter tragedy, the Iranian nation lost a warm-hearted, humble and valued servant," said Iran's supreme leader in a public message. Ali Khamenei expressed his "deep sorrow and regret" on social media platform X for what he called the "bitter news of the martyrdom of the people's President, the competent, hard-working Haj Sayyid Ebrahim Raisi, and his esteemed entourage". Ali Khamenei also honored others who were killed in the crash, including Tabriz Friday Prayer Leader Hujjat al-Islam Ale-Hashem and "the diligent, active Foreign Minister, Mr Amir-Abdollahian". Also expressing grief over the dead were former presidents Hassan Rouhani, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mohammad Khatami. Millions of Iranians had prayed for the safe return of Raisi from Sunday till Monday morning, only to sink in grief upon hearing of his death. "I've been grabbed by grief," a middle-aged man in Teheran told CGTN on Monday, saying he loved the president. Mokhber held an emergency meeting after rescue teams located the helicopter's wreckage, the Islamic Republic News Agency reported on Monday. The meeting was attended by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i. Mokhber said that as the country's system is well-established and strong, there will be no problem in the administration of the country. Ali Khamenei also tasked Mokhber, the Parliament speaker and the judiciary chief to prepare for elections to choose a new president within 50 days. Iran's Foreign Ministry also expressed gratitude to the international community for its concern and assistance since the helicopter went missing on Sunday afternoon. Neighboring Turkiye and Azerbaijan sent rescue teams with night-vision equipment, and Turkish drones located the site of the helicopter wreckage in mountainous forests on Monday morning amid heavy fog. More than 45 local teams were also sent to the region to help find the crash site. Mike Gu in Hong Kong and Xinhua contributed to this story. (Web editor: Tian Yi, Liang Jun) On This Day, May 21: Clara Barton founds American Red Cross On May 21, 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. File photo courtesy Everett Historical On this date in history: In 1832, the first Democratic Party national convention convened in Baltimore. In 1856, Lawrence, Kan., was burned by pro-slavery forces. In 1881, Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. In 1924, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb kidnapped and killed Bobby Franks, 13, of Chicago, in a "thrill killing" that was often called "the crime of the century." They were given life sentences. Loeb was killed in prison; Leopold was paroled after serving 33 years. A series of earthquakes starting May 21, 1960, toppled houses in Valdivia, Chile. File Photo courtesy of Pierre St. Amand/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration In 1927, Charles Lindbergh landed the Spirit of St. Louis in Paris, completing the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic in 33 1/2 hours. File Photo by Library of Congress/UPI Aviator Amelia Earhart pictured sitting in the cockpit of her Electra airplane. On May 21, 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic, flying from Newfoundland, Canada, to Ireland. UPI File Photo In 1932, five years to the day after Charles Lindbergh ended his historic flight, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from Newfoundland, Canada, to Ireland. She completed her flight in 13 1/2 hours. In 1960, the first of what would become a series of earthquakes that lasted through early June rattled just south of Santiago, Chile. The so-called Valdivia earthquake the next day was the most powerful earthquake ever recorded with a magnitude of between 9.4 and 9.6 on the richter scale. Up to 7,000 people died in the temblors. Red Cross volunteer Beatrice Abbot hugs Samantha Eskvowitz in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on January 16, 2010. Clara Barton founded the Red Cross on this day in 1881. Photo by Talia Frenkel/American Red Cross/UPI In 1988, Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev, in an effort to consolidate power, sacked the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan after bloody nationalist demonstrations over the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh. File Photo by Maxim Marmur/UPI In 1991, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated while campaigning. In 2003, an earthquake near Algiers, Algeria, killed more than 2,200 people and injured another 10,000. In 2019, Jokha Alharthi became the first Arabic writer to win the Man Booker International Prize for her novel Celestial Bodies. In 2020, actor Lori Loughlin and husband fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in connection with a college admissions cheating scandal. They each served jail time. File Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI WASHINGTON (DC News Now) D.C. police was investigating a double shooting that happened in Northwest Monday night. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said the shooting happened in the 7300 block of Blair Road. When officers arrived, they found two men who had been shot. MPD said one man died there and the other victim was conscious and taken to the hospital. DC police officer hurt in shooting in Northwest released from hospital; people of interest detained in Prince Georges County MPD said to look out for a man wearing black glasses, black jeans and a gray jacket. Anyone with information was asked to call 911 with the event number: I20240250371 Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. Matthew Perry arrives at the premiere of "The Invention of Lying" in Los Angeles on Sept. 21, 2009. The actor died in 2023 of the acute effects of ketamine, a drug sometimes used to treat depression. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press) Matthew Perry's death from acute effects of the prescription drug ketamine is the source of a criminal investigation, with authorities examining where the actor got the medication, LAPD officials told The Times. Perry was found dead Oct. 28 in the hot tub of his swimming pool at his Pacific Palisades home. Trace amounts of ketamine which is sometimes used to treat depression were found in Perrys stomach, according to the Los Angeles County medical examiner. But the level found in his blood was about the same quantity as would be used during general anesthesia, his autopsy showed. How Perry came to have so much ketamine is now the subject of a probe by the Los Angeles Police Department with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Service, Robbery-Homicide Division Capt. Scot Williams told The Times on Tuesday. TMZ first reported the investigation. The ketamine in Perry's system caused cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression, the medical examiner reported. Other contributing factors in the actor's death included drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid-use disorder. The actor was best known for playing the sarcastic and witty Chandler Bing on NBC's Friends" for 10 seasons, from 1994 to 2004. In his 2022 memoir, Perry said he began abusing substances at the age of 14 and landed the role on "Friends" a decade later. Fame increased his dependency on alcohol and drugs. At one point, he said in his book, he took nearly five dozen pills a day. According to the medical examiner, Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy every other day for a period of time but had reduced that intake, and his last known infusion was a week and a half before his death. Read more: Full coverage: Matthew Perry dead at 54 The medical examiner said the ketamine found in Perry's system at the time of his death could not have been from that earlier infusion as it typically disappears in detectable amounts in three to four hours after intake. According to his autopsy report, Perry had been playing pickleball about 11 that morning, and his live-in assistant last saw him at 1:37 p.m. Upon returning to Perry's home on Blue Sail Drive, the assistant found him floating face-down. The assistant jumped in, pulled Perry's head out of the water and called 911. Paramedics arrived and moved Perry onto the grass, where he was pronounced dead. Read more: Appreciation: Matthew Perry was easy to love. And it went deeper than his acting A legal medication commonly used as an anesthetic, ketamine has been increasingly offered off label at private clinics to treat depression and other mental health disorders, according to Dr. David Goodman-Meza, an addiction-medicine and infectious-disease specialist at UCLA. Some people also snort or inject it recreationally to experience euphoric or dissociative effects that cause someone to feel separated from their own body, Goodman-Meza told The Times in December. At very high doses, it can make people feel immobilized and spur hallucinations, an experience called a K-hole. The drug can complicate breathing and increase demands on the heart. If someone already has coronary artery disease and is taking high doses of ketamine, that could then speed up your heart, create more demand, but then your arteries don't have the ability to supply that demand, the physician explained. Read more: Inside the investigation that will determine how Matthew Perry died The autopsy report noted that Perry had no other drugs in his system and had been 19 months sober at the time of his death. There was no evidence of illicit drugs or paraphernalia at his home. The medical examiner also noted that Perry, 54, had diabetes and suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which refers to a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing-related problems. He at one time had a two-pack-a-day cigarette habit. A coroner's investigator interviewed a person close to Perry who described him as in "good spirits" and said he had quit smoking two weeks prior to his death and was weaning himself off ketamine. In 2006, the National Institute of Mental Health concluded that an intravenous dose of ketamine had rapid antidepressant effects. About 300 clinical trials have been held, and they have broadly found that ketamine is extremely fast-acting compared with traditional antidepressants and can relieve depression for a period that can last days or weeks. Times staff writer Emily Alpert Reyes contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Ebrahim Raisi, known to many as the Butcher of Tehran, is being remembered for his brutality at home and belligerence abroad in his nearly three years as president. Raisi, 63, died on Sunday along with the countrys foreign minister when their delegations chopper went down in northwest Iran, state media confirmed after a 15-hour search and rescue operation concluded with the early morning discovery of the destroyed aircraft. The circumstances around the crash are still unknown. Within Iran, Raisi won the favor of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the ire of the Iranian people for a track record of crushing political dissent dating back to the earliest days of his career. Throughout the Middle East, he helped strengthen Irans network of loyal proxies, setting the stage for Hamas October 7 attack and, months later, a direct confrontation with Israel. Internationally, he oversaw a period of immense tension between Iran and the West. Raisi ascended the presidency in 2021, winning 62 percent of the vote in a contest pre-decided for Iranians through mass disqualifications and pressured withdrawals ahead of Election Day. Prior to taking office, Raisi rose through the ranks of Irans judicial system to eventually serve as chief justice of Iran between 2019 and 2021a position in which he expanded the countrys use of the death penalty to punish political dissidents and to target ethnic and religious minorities. The number of yearly executions have risen steadily since. Last year alone, according to Amnesty International figures, Iran executed 853 peoplethe highest number recorded since 2015. His career was spent in one of the most repressive institutions in the Islamic Republic: its judiciary, Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told The Dispatch. His career is drenched in the blood of the Iranian people, and thats why you saw many celebrating his demise with fireworks overnight. There is no love lost there. Raisis penchant for capital punishment dates back to the 1980s, when he oversaw the states arbitrary detention, torture, and mass killing of thousands of political prisoners. Among them was Farideh Goudarzi, who was arrested while in her third trimester of pregnancy and severely beaten by guards while Raisithen-prosecutor of the Hamedan provincewatched. Raisi is the true representation of the entire Islamic Republic, Goudarzi said in an interview ahead of Raisis election as president in 2021, urging Americans to stop looking for so-called moderates within this regime. Indeed, it was Raisis cutthroat reputation that endeared him to Islamic Republic leaders increasingly beset with domestic upheaval. The regimewhich faced mass anti-government protests in 2018, 2019, and 2020likely hoped the new presidents notoriety would have a chilling effect on future dissent. Not so. In 2022, morality police arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for alleged hijab violations. Her eventual death at the hands of Iranian authorities set into motion the most significant wave of demonstrations in the countrys recent history, described by many as another revolution. Under Raisis leadership, the Women, Life, Freedom movement was met with a swift, severe government crackdown. Over the course of 2022 and 2023, security officials killed some 550 people and arrested more than 22,000 others. In the Middle East, Raisi served as an implementer of the supreme leaders vision of regional dominance. As president he often met with top officials from Irans various proxy groups, including Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as recently as late March. A day after the terror groups October 7 attack on Israel, Raisi hailed the courage, bravery, resistance, and initiative of its fighters, though denied that Iran had advance knowledge of the invasion. Their resistance in this glorious operation is exemplary. Hamas, accordingly, mourned Raisis death in a statement Monday. The late president supported the legitimate struggle of our people against the Zionist entity and provided valued support to the Palestinian resistance, the Iranian-backed militants declared. They werent the only global pariahs to praise Raisis legacy. Russian President Vladimir Putin remembered the Iranian president as a true friend and an outstanding politician whose entire life was dedicated to serving his homeland. Under Raisis leadership, Iran forged stronger ties than ever with Moscow, supporting Putin politically and materially in his 2022 invasion of Ukraine. When the Kremlin burned through munitions in the first months of the drawn-out war, Iran came to its aid by sellingand eventually helping co-producelethal attack drones to Russia. The explosive unmanned systems have been used on the battlefield in Ukraine to devastating effect. Putin called Irans interim president, Mohammad Mokhber, on Monday to assure him of Russias steadfast support. Raisi personally supported pushing his country further into the Russia-China axis, forgoing grudging cooperation with the West and another nuclear deal with the U.S. to chart an aggressive Iranian foreign policy. In a fiery speech before the United Nations in September, Raisi held up his Quran and declared the end of a U.S.-led world order. The global landscape is undergoing a paradigm shift toward an emerging international order, he said, a trajectory that is not reversible. With Raisi gone, the Iranian regimes confrontational approach to the U.S. and Israelultimately set by the supreme leader himselfis unlikely to change. But it could set off a leadership crisis as 85-year-old Khamenei contemplates his successor. Many analysts viewed Raisi as the top choice, and his sudden death opens the door for other contenders, like Khameneis son Mojtabaa shadowy figure with little popular support. Ebrahim Raisi was a leading contender to succeed Ayatollah Khamenei as supreme leader. He was the most experienced member of the Iranian establishment, having presided over two branches of government: the judiciary and the presidency, Brodsky said. It scrambles the politics of succession in the Islamic Republic. Read more at The Dispatch The Dispatch is a new digital media company providing engaged citizens with fact-based reporting and commentary, informed by conservative principles. Sign up for free. Are 'deaths of despair' really more common for white Americans? A UCLA report says no For the record: 11:57 a.m. May 21, 2024: An earlier version of this article said social worker Nakeya Fields is 32 years old. Fields is 44. Nakeya Fields has seen how the stresses that come with being Black racial injustice, financial strain, social isolation can leave people feeling hopeless and push some into substance abuse. It's one of the reasons the Pasadena social worker started offering "therapeutic play" gatherings for Black mothers like herself and children. "I'm trying to host more safe spaces for us to come and share that we're suffering," the 44-year-old said. "And honestly, the adults need play more than kids." Yet while Black and brown mental health practitioners such as Fields have labored to address these issues within their communities, a very different conversation has been occurring in the nation at large. For years, discussions about America's substance-abuse crisis have focused almost exclusively on the narrative that it is white, middle-age adults who face the greatest risk of dying from drug overdoses, alcoholic liver disease and suicide. Read more: If you're living with a drug or mental health problem, here's where to look for help The theory, which was presented by two Princeton economists in 2015 and based on data from 1999 to 2013, argued that despair was behind rising premature mortality rates among white Americans, especially those who were less educated. Virtually overnight, the "deaths of despair" concept began to drive the national discourse over populist far-right politics; the rise of Donald Trump; and deepening political polarization over such topics as addiction treatment, law enforcement and immigration. Read more: Chuckwalla National Monument would protect swath of California desert and preserve a sacred land But after roughly a decade, researchers at UCLA and elsewhere have begun to dismantle this idea. In a study published recently in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, authors found that rates of deaths of despair for middle-age Black and Native Americans have surged past those of white Americans as the overdose crisis moves from being driven by prescription opioids to illegal drugs such as fentanyl and heroin. While the opioid crisis did raise drug overdose deaths among white Americans for a time, it was an anomaly, said Joseph Friedman, a social medicine expert at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine who was the lead author of the journal analysis. In fact, by 2022, the rate for white Americans had started to dip. "What's really important is that now, with these three causes of death, the gap has closed, and it's moving in the other direction," Friedman said. Sandra Mims, who works for Community Health Project L.A., puts out boxes of Narcan a naloxone nasal spray that reverses the effects of opioid overdose at an event at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles in August. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) The analysis found that deaths of despair for Black Americans hit a rate of 103.81 per 100,000 people in 2022, compared with 102.63 for white Americans. The rate for Native American and Alaska Native populations was even higher at 241.7 per 100,000 people in 2022. The UCLA analysis doesn't specify the midlife personal issues that might have led to addiction or suicide. But the authors say that flaws in the methodology of the 2015 report skewed its conclusions about who was most at risk of deaths of despair. Specifically, Friedman said that it failed to give enough consideration to long-standing racial inequities that Black Americans experience in income, educational attainment, incarceration and access to quality medical care, all of which can contribute to drug use and poor mental health outcomes. And statistics for Native Americans weren't factored in at all. "It was burned into the American psyche that it was white people in the rural U.S.," Friedman said. "It was just a very small piece of the truth that was very interesting but was widely sold as something it wasn't." Another recent worrying sign, Friedman said: Deaths of despair among Latinos are starting to catch up to those among Black and Native Americans. Read more: This epic slice of Arizona feeds their souls but lacks a basic necessity: Water Princeton professors Anne Case and her husband, Angus Deaton, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in economic sciences, were thrust into the media spotlight when their findings on deaths of despaire were first published. Deaton told NPR that during a visit to the White House, even President Obama asked him about the phenomenon. Their 2020 book, "Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism," was described by publisher Princeton University Press as "a troubling portrait of the American dream in decline." "For the white working class, todays America has become a land of broken families and few prospects. As the college educated become healthier and wealthier, adults without a degree are literally dying from pain and despair," the publisher said. Fields, who employs yoga and pottery in her therapy, said this framing was misleading and racially biased. "I'm actually flabbergasted that somebody has a term called 'deaths of despair,'" Fields said. "It's 'despair' when white people experience this suffering. But when we experience it, it's just what we have to deal with." Nakeya Fields said it's important to address mental wellness issues early, before people reach a crisis point and become another statistic. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times) Both Friedman and Fields said their critiques are not intended to minimize deaths among white Americans. Still, Friedman wonders: "How do we empower Black and Native American communities in a way that enables them to treat these problems?" Racism must be considered when trying to make sense of the crisis in premature deaths, said Dr. Helena Hansen, head of UCLA's Department of Psychiatry and a senior author on Friedman's analysis. Hansen, who is Black and specializes in addiction psychiatry, also co-wrote the book "Whiteout: How Racial Capitalism Changed the Color of Opioids in America." For years, pharmaceutical companies steered expensive prescription pain medications, such as the opioid OxyContin, as well as the most effective medications for opioid-use disorder, to white Americans with good access to healthcare, she said. But at the same time, Black and brown Americans were unfairly subjected to law enforcement policies that prioritized incarceration for illegal drug use over increasing access to more humane medical strategies to help them, further harming already vulnerable communities, Hansen said. Read more: Black farmer looks to ancestors to help Californians battle climate change "In our society, people with access to the new technologies and pharmaceuticals are more likely to be white," Hansen said. "None of this is by accident. All of this is the direct result of careful racially and class-segmented marketing strategies by pharmaceutical companies." This two-tiered system arose because drug manufacturers, doctors and policymakers have for too long failed to see people from historically marginalized communities who live with addiction and mental health crises as worthy of the same sympathy and treatments that many white Americans receive, Hansen said. Joseph Gone, a professor of anthropology at Harvard who has spent 25 years studying the intersection of colonialism, culture and mental health in Indigenous communities, agreed. "Deaths of despair have been a reality for Indigenous communities since conquest and dispossession," he said. "It's amazing how much grief our people contend with from early deaths there are not that many communities in America that bear it quite the way we do," said Gone, who is a member of the Aaniiih-Gros Ventre tribal nation of north-central Montana. "Until we acknowledge and take responsibility for the casualties of colonization, which endure to this day through deaths of despair, it's going to be very hard to turn this around." Gone, who has collaborated with Friedman on previous research, said the mental health crisis in tribal nations is aggravated by widespread joblessness and generational poverty, and a lack of healthcare resources to treat people in need of immediate or long-term treatment. Just one traveling psychiatrist serves reservations spread across both Montana and Wyoming a region covering more than 243,300 square miles mostly to manage patients' prescriptions, he said. And "for all of Indian country, we're talking about a very small number of in-patient psychiatric facilities," Gone said. General practitioners can serve as a first line of defense, but they are not necessarily equipped to address the ongoing life crises that can lead to excessive drug and alcohol use, Gone said. Fields said it's important to address mental wellness issues early, before people reach a crisis point and become another statistic. While her focus remains on Black women, she's developed additional programming for adults, families and children, such as developmental screenings that measure for high stress levels. In June, Fields will co-present "Rap 4 Peace," a conference and gala featuring hip-hop artists talking about mental health and reducing gun violence. "This 'tragedy of despair' lives in us," Fields said. "We breathe it. We go outside hoping that nobody will harm us or our children because they feel threatened by us. This is truly harmful to our bodies." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Defense rests its case without Trump testifying in his hush money trial Defense rests its case without Trump testifying in his hush money trial Video above: Sen. Rick Scott speaks out after attending Trumps hush money trial NEW YORK (AP) The defense rested its case in Donald Trumps hush money trial on Tuesday morning without the former president taking the witness stand to testify, bringing proceedings one step closer to closing arguments. After more than four weeks of testimony, jurors were sent home with Judge Juan M. Merchan telling them they wouldnt be needed in court until closing arguments next Tuesday. Merchan suggested the court session may run late that day to accommodate summations from both sides the defense and prosecution. Merchan told jurors he then expects his instructions to them will take about an hour. Florida meteorologist goes after DeSantis over climate change rollback Jurors could begin deliberating as soon as next week to decide whether Trump is guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Prosecutors have accused Trump of a scheme to bury negative and often salacious stories that might have torpedoed his 2016 presidential campaign and then falsifying internal business records to cover up hush money payments associated with the alleged scheme. He has denied the allegations. Prosecutors rested their case Monday after star witness Michael Cohen concluded his testimony. Cohen spent nearly four full days on the witness stand, placing the former president directly at the center of the alleged scheme. The defense called just two witnesses following the conclusion of Cohens testimony paralegal Daniel Sitko and attorney Robert Costello. The trial is in its 20th day. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts. The case is the first-ever criminal trial of a former U.S. president and the first of four prosecutions of Trump to reach a jury. Currently: Trump campaign calls Cannes film The Apprentice blatantly false, vows legal action Trumps social media account shares a campaign video with a headline about a unified Reich Trump hush money case: A timeline of key events Key players: Whos who at Trumps hush money criminal trial Hush money, catch and kill and more: A guide to unique terms used at Trumps trial Heres the latest:A REMINDER OF THE CHARGES, AND WHAT MUST BE PROVED FOR A CONVICTION Donald Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in his hush money case. The charge is a Class E felony in New York, the lowest tier of felony charges in the state. It is punishable by up to four years in prison, though there is no guarantee that a conviction would result in prison time. Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty to felony charges in Arizona election interference case To convict Trump, prosecutors must convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that he not only falsified or caused business records to be entered falsely which would be a misdemeanor but also that he did so to conceal another crime, making the charges felonies. Prosecutors allege the other crimes included violations of campaign finance and election law. Any verdict must be unanimous. New York court records and newspaper archives show defendants convicted of felony falsifying business records charges are seldom sentenced to prison for that offense alone. Often, the charge is coupled with more serious felonies like grand larceny. Trumps case involves only charges of falsifying business records. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies any wrongdoing. TRUMP HEADED BACK TO THE COURTHOUSE Donald Trumps motorcade has left Trump Tower and is on its way back to the courthouse where his hush money trial is being held. Attorneys on both sides will meet for a charge conference with the judge overseeing the case. The former president had returned to his residence during a midday break in court proceedings after the defense rested its case. WHO IS ON THE JURY? The jury in Donald Trumps hush money trial is comprised of 18 Manhattan residents. The main jury includes seven men and five women. Six alternate jurors have listened to the testimony, but wont join in the deliberations unless one of the main jurors needs to drop out or is removed. The jurors represent a diverse cross-section of the borough and come from various professional backgrounds, including a sales professional, a software engineer, a security engineer, a teacher, a speech therapist, several lawyers, an investment banker and a retired wealth manager. A RECAP OF THE TESTIMONY JURORS HEARD IN THE CASE Across more than four weeks of testimony in Donald Trumps hush money trial, prosecutors called 20 witnesses. The defense called just two. Among the prosecutions key witnesses: Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, porn actor Stormy Daniels, tabloid publisher David Pecker and lawyer Keith Davidson, who negotiated hush money deals for Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Cohen testified that he paid $130,000 in hush money to Daniels at Trumps behest weeks before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about her claims of a sexual encounter with him a decade earlier. He also said that Trump was involved in an arrangement to reimburse him and log the payments as legal expenses. Daniels gave an at-times graphic account of the alleged encounter. Pecker testified about agreeing to be the eyes and ears of Trumps campaign by tipping Cohen off to negative stories, including Daniels claim. Trump hush money jurors will be asked about QAnon, not political affiliation Davidson talked about negotiating the deals and what he said was Cohens frustration after the Daniels deal that Trump still hadnt repaid him. The defenses big witness was attorney Robert Costello, who testified Monday and Tuesday about negotiating to represent Cohen after the FBI raided Cohens properties in 2018. WHAT IS A CHARGING CONFERENCE? When court in Donald Trumps hush money trial resumes Tuesday afternoon, attorneys for both sides will return for a charging conference. The charging conference is an opportunity for prosecutors and the defense to weigh in on how they want the jury to be instructed in the law and what the verdict sheet will look like. At the conference, the parties may discuss how the charges are organized and the elements of a crime spelled out in the law that the prosecution needs to prove beyond a reasonable doubt to achieve a conviction. Theyll provide the judge with their versions of instructions and the verdict sheet a form the jury fills out listing each charge and the possible verdicts but itll ultimately be up to Judge Merchan to decide how to instruct the jury. Jury instructions are a roadmap to the sometimes complex legalities involved in the case. They are not designed to sway the jury one way or another, but rather to ensure that jurors have a good understanding of the charges theyre weighing and the laws involved. WHERE THINGS STAND NOW After more than four weeks of testimony, jurors in Donald Trumps hush money trial could begin deliberating as soon as next week to decide whether the former president is guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Trumps lawyers rested their defense Tuesday morning without him taking the witness stand, moving the case closer to the moment the jury would begin deciding his fate. After the defense rested, Judge Juan M. Merchan told jurors the court session could run late next Tuesday to accommodate both prosecution and defense summations the last time the jury will hear from either side. TRUMP POLITICAL ALLIES TURN OUT IN SHOW OF SUPPORT A group of Donald Trumps allies that included Republican state leaders, lawmakers, state attorney generals and his son Donald Trump Jr. held a news conference near the courthouse in Manhattan on Tuesday morning. We are here because we are friends of Donald Trump, the president of the United States, and when a friend has trouble, friends have his back, said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. If they can go after the former president of the United States of America, who has the ability and the financial resources to fight back, what happens to the average American? U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas wore a tie with photographs of Trump hugging the American flag patterned on it. They dont want him on the ballot, Nehls said, before comparing Trumps ability to draw crowds to the pope. This is five weeks in a courtroom when he should be out reaching the American people and telling the American people what he would like to do for this country. After the news conference, Donald Trump Jr. was asked why his father did not testify. Thered be absolutely no reason- no justification to do that whatsoever, he said. Everyone sees it for the sham that it is. DEMONSTRATORS GATHER IN PARK NEAR COURTHOUSE As Donald Trumps allies held a press conference near the Manhattan courthouse where his hush money trial is being held, a small group of demonstrators gathered in a nearby park with things growing heated between pro- and anti-Trump contingents. Supporters shouted We love Trump! and waved American flags and a giant TRUMP 2024 SAVE AMERICA flag. Detractors shouted profanities. This St. Pete Beach bar is one of the best in Florida, according to Southern Living Police officers then went into Collect Pond Park, telling them to figure it out. Trumps entourage has been holding its press conferences in the park in recent days, but the group was often drowned out on Monday by protesters. COURT ON BREAK Court in Donald Trumps hush money trial will resume at 2:15 p.m., when prosecutors and the defense will discuss the instructions that will be given to jurors before they start deliberating. Judge Merchan has said he expects deliberations could begin as early as next Wednesday. Trump, meanwhile, has returned to Trump Tower and will be back in court this afternoon. TRUMP WILL NOT TESTIFY IN HIS TRIAL Donald Trump left the courtroom where his criminal trial is taking place without speaking to reporters. He ignored a question about why he wouldnt testify in the hush money case. The former president and presumptive GOP presidential nominee previously said he wanted to take the witness stand to defend himself against what he claims are politically motivated charges. DEFENSE RESTS ITS CASE WITHOUT TRUMP TESTIFYING The defense in Donald Trumps hush money trial rested its case Tuesday morning without the former president taking the stand in his own defense. Your honor, the defense rests, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche told the judge. After the defense rested, Judge Juan M. Merchan told jurors they wont be needed again in court until next Tuesday. Thats when he says both sides will give their closing arguments. He suggested the court session may run late that day to accommodate summations from both sides the defense and prosecution. Merchan told jurors he then expects his instructions to them will take about an hour, after which they can begin deliberating, possibly as early as next Wednesday. Merchan noted that normally summations would immediately follow the defense resting its case, but he expects summations in this case will take at least a day and given the impending Memorial Day holiday theres no way to do all thats needed to be done before then. Ill see you in a week, Merchan said. CROSS-EXAMINATION OF COSTELLO CONCLUDES Before finishing her cross-examination Tuesday morning, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger questioned Robert Costellos true intent in maneuvering to represent Michael Cohen, citing a June 22, 2018, email in which the lawyer complained that Cohen was continuing to slow play us and the president. Costello was in talks with Cohen to represent him in the wake of an April 2018 FBI raid on his apartment, office and hotel room, but Cohen has said he was wary of Costellos ties to the White House and never hired him. Is he totally nuts? Costello wrote in the email to his law partner, Jeffrey Citron In the email, he asked what he should say to Cohen, using an expletive. Hes playing with the most powerful man on the planet, Costello wrote. That email certainly speaks for itself, doesnt it, Mr. Costello? Hoffinger asked Costello, mimicking the witnesss earlier answers that emails he turned over to the prosecutors office speak for themselves. Yes, it does, Costello replied. Hoffinger then asked if, at that point, Costello had lost control of Michael Cohen for the president, did you not? Absolutely not, Costello bristled. COSTELLO STRAIGHTENS UP ON THE STAND SLIGHTLY Defense witness Robert Costello was on Tuesday morning behaving better in the courtroom than he was the previous day when Judge Juan M. Merchan scolded him for speaking out of turn and rolling his eyes. Still, Costello tried to tack on extra details to his answers to questions from the prosecution. At one point, Costello told prosecutor Susan Hoffinger that there was additional context around an email regarding Rudy Giuliani, which I would be delighted to tell you. Florida roadside attraction named one of the best in the U.S. Thats alright. Lets move on to the next one, Hoffinger said. Moments later, Hoffinger asked Costello if he felt like he was being played by Cohen, as he had written in another email. Costello said he did not. You want me to explain it? Costello asked. Again, Hoffinger told him that she did not. Costello huffed, adding: Now you do want me to explain. PROSECUTORS CONFRONT COSTELLO WITH EMAILS HE SENT TO MICHAEL COHEN As testimony in Donald Trumps hush money trial began for the day, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed defense witness Robert Costello an August 2018 email in which former Trump attorney Michael Cohen told him and one of his partners to stop contacting him because you do not and never have represented me and another lawyer did. Asked whether he was upset that Cohen hadnt paid him, Costello said he was and volunteered that he had replied to the message in an email that prosecutors didnt show. Hoffinger went a step further and confronted Costello with emails he sent to Cohen in which he repeatedly dangled his close ties to Trump-ally Rudy Giuliani in the aftermath of the FBI raid on Cohens property. In one email, Costello told Cohen: Sleep well tonight. You have friends in high places, and relayed that there were some very positive comments about you from the White House. Costello testified Tuesday that friends in high places definitely refers to President Trump. Hoffinger also showed Costello an email he sent to his law partner noting that Giuliani was joining Trumps legal team. All the more reason for Cohen to hire me, because of my connection to Giuliani, which I mentioned in our meeting, Costello wrote to law partner Jeffrey Citron in the April 19, 2018, email. Cohen says he never hired Costello. WITNESS TESTIMONY SET TO RESUME Attorney Robert Costello has returned to the witness stand in Donald Trumps hush money trial to resume his testimony. The defense witness turned to Judge Juan M. Merchan and spoke to him briefly as they waited for the jury to file in. Costellos words were inaudible to reporters. The judge acknowledged him, however, and nodded. The vibe in the courtroom was more cordial than it was during the drama that disrupted proceedings on Monday. While waiting for the jury, Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass asked the judge to poll jurors on their availability to work next Wednesday, a typical off day for the trial. According to the judge, closing arguments will be held next Tuesday, the day after Memorial Day, so he may want jurors to work Wednesday to receive instructions in the law or start deliberating. TRUMP ARRIVES IN COURT Donald Trump has arrived at the courthouse in lower Manhattan for the 20th day of his hush money trial. Before court, the former president said, Well be doing something in the morning and then probably coming back in the afternoon. And well be resting pretty quickly. He added, however, I wont be resting. I dont rest. WHO WILL BE IN COURT WITH TRUMP? Donald Trump will be joined Tuesday by an entourage including actor Joe Piscopo as well as his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., former acting attorney general Matt Whitaker and former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, according to his campaign. Hell also be accompanied by members of Congress including Sen. Eric Schmitt and Reps. Ronny Jackson, Troy Nehls and Maria Salazar. RULING ON MOTION TO DISMISS WAITING IN THE WINGS As witness testimony resumes in Donald Trumps criminal trial on Tuesday, a ruling on the defenses motion to dismiss the case is waiting in the wings. Defense attorneys asked Judge Juan M. Merchan to dismiss the case on Monday after court adjourned for the day, arguing that prosecutors had failed to prove their case and there was no evidence of falsified business records or an intent to defraud. Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo shot back that the trial evidence overwhelmingly supports each element of the alleged offenses, and the case should proceed to the jury. Colangelo argued that the jury has seen overwhelming evidence that the records of the payments to Michael Cohen were falsely categorized as payments for legal services instead of reimbursement and that there was ample evidence that the alleged fudging was done to deceive people including the voting public and government regulators. Merchan did not indicate when exactly he would make a decision on the motion. COSTELLO TO RETURN TO THE STAND Attorney Robert Costello will return to the witness stand on Tuesday as Donald Trumps hush money trial enters its 20th day. Costellos testimony was a source of discord on Monday between attorneys on both sides, with prosecutors arguing that he should not be allowed to testify at all. Before the attorney took the stand, Judge Juan M. Merchan ruled that he would allow the defense to question him about two allegedly inconsistent statements in Michael Cohens testimony and to offer some rebuttal to his testimony. Costello, a former federal prosecutor in New York, is relevant to Donald Trumps hush money case due to his role as a Michael Cohen antagonist and critic in the years since their professional relationship splintered. New cruise ship begins journey from Northern Ireland to Tampa The attorney had offered to represent Cohen soon after the lawyers hotel room, office and home were raided by the FBI in 2018 and as he faced a decision about whether to remain defiant in the face of a criminal investigation or to cooperate with investigators in hopes of securing more lenient treatment. Costello was invited last year to appear before the grand jury that indicted Trump after asserting that he had information that undermined Cohens credibility. CLOSING ARGUMENTS COULD BE THE TUESDAY AFTER MEMORIAL DAY Closing arguments in Donald Trumps criminal trial could take place the day after Memorial Day. Judge Juan M. Merchan said Monday that when the defense rests its case, he will send the jury home until closing arguments on the day after Memorial Day. Should that happen, jurors will spend a full week away from the trial. Merchan cited scheduling issues in giving the May 28 date. The defense is expected to rest its case on Tuesday after calling just a handfull of witnesses, including attorney Robert Costello. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been accused of using excessive force on a woman months before George Floyd's murder. The aggrieved victim recently slammed the disgraced law enforcer with a $9 million lawsuit. She cited Chauvin, another Minneapolis cop, and the Minneapolis Police Department as the defendants responsible for her alleged injuries. Derek Chauvin's George Floyd Encounter Was Reportedly A Repeat Offense MEGA According to legal documents, a woman named Patricia "Patty" Dawn Welch Day alleged that two Minneapolis police officers Chauvin and Ellen Jensen used excessive force on her during a January 2020 arrest. She painted a horrific tale similar to the tragic death of Floyd, claiming Chauvin and Jensen "violently yanked" her from her vehicle without justification before throwing her to the ground. The impact allegedly resulted in multiple injuries, including a tooth fracture, injuries to her arm and shoulder, and more wounds. In Day's recollection, per TMZ, these injuries occurred before she was handcuffed, but that didn't stop Chauvin from using more force. Derek Chauvin Allegedly Used His Infamous 'Knee' On The Plaintiff MEGA Despite being forced to the ground, Day alleged that Chauvin continued to abuse his power. She claimed he pressed his knee into her back while she was restrained, comparing it to what "he would later do to snuff the life out of George Floyd." She also bashed the other cop, Jensen, for standing on the sidelines and failing to intervene during Chauvin's excessive use of force. As for why she was going after the Minneapolis Police Department, Day stressed that they didn't take necessary actions to rectify the alleged injustice. According to the plaintiff, there was body cam footage to support her claims. However, the Minneapolis Police Department allegedly ignored it, thereby allowing the cops to go on unchecked. The Alleged Victim Wants $9 Million In Damages Derek Chauvin accused of using excessive force months before murdering George Floyd https://t.co/kjjR4KQzqs WCCO | CBS News Minnesota (@WCCO) May 21, 2024 For the alleged injustices she suffered, Day wants $9 million in compensatory damages from Chauvin, Jensen, and the Minneapolis Police Department. She also wants them to pay an unspecified amount in punitive damages. It is unclear how the other parties will respond to the lawsuit, but for Chauvin, this legal drama may be a significant problem given his current circumstances. The disgraced cop is serving more than 22 years in prison. He was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in 2021 over Floyd's case. That same year, Chauvin took a plea deal on a separate federal charge of violating Floyd's civil rights and received another 21 years in prison. Chauvin Was Attacked In Prison Pexels Last year, The Blast reported that Chauvin had survived a brutal attack from a Mexican gangster named John Turscak. The inmate stabbed the former cop 22 times with an improvised knife in the prison library on November 24, 2023. Turscak claimed he chose this specific date because of its symbolic connection to the Black Lives Matter [BLM] movement, which originated from Floyd's murder. It also served as a tribute to the "Black Hand" symbol associated with the Mexican Mafia gang. The gangster, who is serving a decades-long sentence, claimed he would have killed Chauvin if not for the swift response of correctional officers who subdued him with pepper spray. As for the victim, he was transferred to a local hospital for treatment. The Former Cop's Family Vowed To Sue Prison Officials Following Chauvin's stabbing, his mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, slammed the prison for hiding his injuries. She expressed dissatisfaction about learning about the incident through the news, saying: "How the hell do these news agencies know, and his own mother doesn't even know?" According to Pawlenty, prison authorities had failed to inform her about the incident despite her being listed as an emergency contact. The matriarch added: "I can't even think what to say. I haven't been to bed and made a path in my kitchen and living room floor by pacing." The family's attorney, Gregory Erickson, stressed that they would sue prison officials if they continued to keep Chauvin's family oblivious to his condition. He noted they weren't confident in their system in a statement, claiming: "His family is very concerned about the facility's capacity to protect Derek from further harm. They remain unassured that any changes have been made to the faulty procedures that allowed Derek's attack to occur in the first place." DELTA, Colo. (KREX) The Delta County Sheriffs Office and Delta County Search and Rescue have suspended their search for a Cedaredge man who went missing in December 2023. On Dec. 20, 2023, the Cedaredge Police Department was contacted to perform a welfare check on 39-year-old Steven Volquardsen due to suicidal comments he made. When officers arrived at his home they were unable to find him. On Dec. 22, 2023, deputies with the Delta County Sheriffs Office responded to a report of an abandoned vehicle in the 28,000 block of Surface Creek Road that was left parked and running for two days. Deputies at the scene found a dark-colored SUV with Colorado plates registered to Volquardsen. The drivers side door was left open with the key in the ignition and the vehicle appeared to be out of gas. The Delta County Search and Rescue Team was requested to help search for Volquardsen based on the familys concern; they searched the immediate area for several hours but were unable to find him. Search and Rescue team members returned the following day and searched for him until extreme winter weather made conditions unsafe. Additional searches were conducted several times throughout the winter, but they were still unable to locate him. On May 18, the Delta County Search and Rescue Team, with the assistance of 27 searchers from other teams, performed an extensive search around the Spalding Mountain area Volquardsens last known direction of travel. The teams were unable to find any sign of him. Main search efforts have been suspended, but the Delta County Sheriffs Office and Delta County Search and Rescue will continue to look for him as new information is reported. Sheriff Taylor and Search and Rescue Team Commander Toltz encourage anyone exploring the area of the Surface Creek Round Corrals or Spalding Mountain on the Grand Mesa to keep an eye out for anything out of place and report it immediately to Delta County Dispatch at 970-874-2015. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com. Arizona's 11 fake electors sign a document in Phoenix on Dec. 14 2020, falsely claiming that they were the state's electors and that Donald Trump won the presidential election in Arizona. Screenshot via AZGOP The two GOP state senators who were indicted last month for being fake electors who tried to help Donald Trump steal the 2020 election in Arizona are now facing an ethics complaint. Democratic Sen. Brian Fernandez wants the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Republican Sens. Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern. In a complaint filed Monday, Fernandez says the pair have broken the Senates rules by allegedly committing crimes. Not only do these allegations show shocking and horrifically bad judgment and conduct by Senators Hoffman and Kern, but if proven true, they also show criminal intent to defraud not only the U.S. Congress, the Archivist of the United State, the Chief Judge of the District Court of Arizona, the Arizona Secretary of State, the residents of Arizona and, of course the American people, Fernandez wrote in his complaint. This embedded content is not available in your region. Attorney General Kris Mayes investigation in the fake elector scheme led to a grand jury indictment of 18 people, including all 11 fake electors, for their actions related to the plot concocted by Trump attorneys to keep the former president in office after his loss to Joe Biden. All 18 of those indicted are charged with conspiracy, fraudulent schemes and artifices, fraudulent schemes and practices and forgery, all felonies. The grand jury indicted the fake electors for signing bogus documents claiming that they were Arizonas certified electors and that Trump won the 2020 election. Georgia, Michigan and Nevada have already brought charges against fake electors in their states with Wisconsin still investigating possible charges. In an interview with the Arizona Mirror, Fernandez said he wants the two men to be temporarily removed from committee assignments as the case works its way through the court. He said it is about maintaining the sanctity of the Senate. For me, it boils down to how we should act as senators, Fernandez said. If were indicted by a court, we should step down or be forced to step down from our committee posts. Both Hoffman and Kern are committee chairmen: Hoffman is the chair of both the Government Committee and the Director Nominations Committee, while Kern heads up the Judiciary Committee. Fernandezs 17-page complaint cites the Senate Ethics Committees own rules, which state that the committee has the obligation to conduct an investigation if a senators conduct is found to violate the law or adversely reflects upon the Senate. The committee hasnt met yet this year. The Ethics Committee is led by Trump-endorsed Sen. David Farnsworth, a Mesa Republican who has admitted to believing in the QAnon conspiracy theory. Fernandezs complaint details the election fraud lies spread by the Trump campaign in the lead up to and aftermath of the 2020 election, and claims that the senators should have known the presidents claims were not true. These were lies that any civic minded individual who was paying attention could have picked out, and they were lies that should have been recognized by a then sitting member and a newly elected member of the Arizona House of Representatives, the complaint says. However, both Kern and Hoffman were actively engaged in spreading those falsehoods after the 2020 election. In addition to being a fake elector, Hoffmans company, Rally Forge, played an active role in spreading election misinformation. Hoffman and Kern have both espoused their innocence and alleged that Mayes timed the grand jury indictments to help Bidens reelection campaign. Kern also leads a special committee aimed at investigating Mayes office for political prosecution of Republicans. Fernandez said he is hopeful that Senate President Warren Petersen will take the complaint seriously, even though Petersen pushed back against a previous written request by Fernandez to remove the two men from their committees citing due process. Give us the opportunity to air these issues, Fernandez said, adding that he hopes the complaint wont be dismissed outright. We are innocent until proven guilty, Fernadez acknowledged, but we should be held to a higher standard. Fernandez added that, if the two men are acquitted, then they should have their assignments back but until that point they should be removed to stymie any possible misuse of their positions to unjustly fight their indictment. This indictment was a huge procedural hurdle to be overcome and as such, the Ethics Committee should earnestly consider whether Senators Kern and Hoffman have violated a federal or state law, a Senate Ethics rule involving the conduct of a public office, or have violated the public trust, or engaged in any improper conduct that adversely reflects upon the Senate, the complaint says. Kern is expected to appear in court Tuesday for the first time in the fake elector case. Kern in a written statement accused Fernandez of playing politics again as usual and criticized him for supporting abortion rights. Hoffman did not respond to a request for comment. When reached via text message, Petersen said he had no comment. ***UPDATE: This story has been updated to include a comment from Sen. Anthony Kern. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Dem files ethics complaint against 2 GOP senators indicted as fake electors for Trump appeared first on Arizona Mirror. PORTLAND, Oregon The Keep Portland Weird! t-shirts are on sale and its still common to encounter employees wearing N-95 masks. Yet thats not what greets visitors at the iconic Powells Books downtown here. The first image is of the private security guard staged just past the entrance. With its ubiquitous hipster coffee and IPAs, enduring live-and-let-live ethos and a politics so deep blue that the homeless guy outside the Whole Foods in the Pearl District solicited patrons to buy him a beer by bearing a Fuck Trump cardboard sign, Portland is hardly ripe for a Republican takeover. But on Tuesday, the voters of Multnomah County, the surrounding jurisdiction and a county that has not voted Republican for president since 1960, could replace their incumbent district attorney, Mike Schmidt, with a man who was in the GOP until after Donald Trump became president. What I hear when Im knocking on doors, is Hey, I consider myself very liberal but this is out of step were not getting served well, said Nathan Vasquez, a longtime prosecutor in the county office and now unaffiliated voter whos challenging his boss, adding: People definitely want public safety. It doesnt mean people are wholly abandoning the idea of criminal justice reform. They just want it delivered in a pragmatic, practical way. Should Vasquez prevail, it would represent more than the rejection of a progressive prosecutor. It would be the culmination of simmering local frustration with crime, homelessness and drug abuse and a resounding correction to the shift left on criminal justice that took place here and in so many cities in 2020. It should also get the attention of Democratic lawmakers everywhere. Theyve mostly found success by elevating abortion and MAGA, the partys best one-two since Dobbs, but their vulnerabilities on quality-of-life issues remain and could prove particularly acute with the broader presidential electorate this fall. While San Franciscos recall of San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin momentarily drew national attention two years ago, the prosecutor battles have raged on, overshadowed by the presidential race but offering a more revealing measure of how curdled many voters have become post-pandemic. In Chicago, home to the second-largest DAs office in the country, the progressive Kim Foxx did not run again and was replaced in March by a former judge who pledged to prosecute retail theft as a felony and said Foxx did not believe in accountability. And in Los Angeles, George Gascon, whos called himself the godfather of progressive prosecutors, is facing a challenge this November from a former Republican, whos decrying a culture of lawlessness and sounds a lot like a subscriber to the broken windows theory of law enforcement. It may start with smash-and-grab car theft but it then escalates into violent crimes, Nathan Hochman, the challenger in Los Angeles, told me. Hochman, now an independent, said hes up by double-digits in his polling for one straightforward reason: Angelenos feel less safe today than when Gascon came to office. In Portland, the backlash has arrived. Schmidt is on the ropes. His defeat would represent a full circle moment from 2020, when Portland exploded and Trump officials delighted in the images of Proud Boys and Antifa squaring off. A former assistant DA and legislative aide, the then-38-year-old Schmidt claimed 77 percent of the vote that year, and in that summer of demonstrations and riots said he wouldnt prosecute protestors charged with crimes like disorderly conduct or interference with a police officer. Yet the DA race here is hardly the first sign Portland voters want a shift back to the center. In 2022, Jo Ann Hardesty, a progressive activist and voice for police accountability, lost her city council seat after a single term at the hands of a moderate political novice from the business community, Rene Gonzalez, whos now running for mayor this fall. Then, last month, came the culmination of a revolt against the ballot measure passed in, yes, 2020, that decriminalized hard drugs such as heroin. The implementation of the referendum was malpractice, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) told me. We have one of the worst records in the country for addiction and Measure 110 was predicated on getting people those services and we didnt do it, said Blumenauer. Faced with voter fury over open-air drug dealing and usage along with spiraling deaths, Oregons Democratic governor and legislature approved a bill to recriminalize possession of even small amounts of such drugs. In a state that saw a surge in opioid overdoses in 2023 628 in the first six months of the year, compared to 280 in all of 2019 the repeal represented an admission of a failed policy change. A few weeks after Gov. Tina Kotek signed the recriminalization, The Oregonian went into the field with a poll and found 78 percent of voters in metro Portland believe homelessness is a very serious problem and over 60 percent said local governments should be allowed to fine or arrest anyone who refuses to leave public spaces. All of my lefty neighbors who want to do right thing are like, fuck it, this is not working, Dwight Holton, a Democrat and former U.S. attorney here, told me. Jeff Mapes, who has covered Oregon politics since the 1980s, said: Ive never seen anything like it, the extent of how upset people are. One prominent Oregon Democrat, speaking not for attribution, said Schmidt is effectively the fall guy for fed-up Portlanders eager to register a no-confidence vote on somebody. And in a city where displaying a MAGA sign would amount to a hate crime especially without a trigger warning the DA race is one of the few ballot lines where Democrats can vote guilt-free for change. Its not a mayoral election, let alone a statewide or federal contest. A Republican hasnt been elected Oregon governor since 1982, the GOPs second-longest losing streak in the country after next-door Washington, in no small part because of the Democratic vote trove Multnomah County reliably delivers. In 2022, when Kotek won by less than four points statewide, she took 73 percent of the countys votes. According to Kerry Tymchuk, who runs the Oregon Historical Society, no Republican has carried Multnomah since former Senator Bob Packwoods 1986 reelection. But those are just statistics. Its hard to overstate Portlands capacity for tolerance. It has long been a refuge for those from other parts of the country and the world seeking a fresh start and non-judgmental community. That includes the governor and her wife. This tradition has also meant a stream of homeless people. Portland always had a lot of transients back to the hobos riding the rails, said Mapes, who recalled the well-worn path to Baloney Joes, a homeless shelter by Burnside Bridge. But the camps, the drugs, the robberies it finally has reached a breaking point. And Schmidt is in part the target, Blumenauer explained, because hes the first major local figure up for reelection. It has galvanized a lot of crankiness and people are right to be cranky, said the congressman. Blumenauer has represented Portland since his election to the state house in 1972 and defends Schmidt, saying the DA has governed in a thoughtful way since taking over amid a time of crisis. But the congressman, the picture of Portlandia quirk with his bow ties and bicycle lapel pins, concedes voters here are not getting the performance they expected from their government, I agree. The private security guards always a sign of insufficient or ineffective policing are not just at Powells. Theyre at Nordstroms and inside that Whole Foods. And the CVS across from the Whole Foods doesnt have a single aisle without at least one locked enclosure to prevent theft. Just last week, Willamette Week reported the county signed a five-year, $40 million contract earlier this year with a California-based firm for armed and unarmed security at libraries, homeless shelters and county offices. People are risking their catalytic converter to come downtown for dinner, Betsy Johnson, a salty, Democrat-turned-independent former state senator told me. And now some of the rich people in the southwest and northwest hills [of Portland] have seen the chaos in downtown and theyre wondering: when do we have to get a guard for our community? Vasquez points to the declining size of police and a plunge in prosecutions since 2020 under Schmidt. Prior to him coming into office, we ranged somewhere between 12,000 to 20,000 cases a year, said the challenger. Under him, post-Covid, we were under 6,000. There is, though, a deeper anger thats easy to detect, especially among mainstream Democrats who resent the city becoming a soundstage for Fox News snuff clips of urban excess and blame it on outside progressive groups. The white left decided anarchists were better than cops, said Holton, faulting folks outside Portland treating us as a lab for policy experiments and what were clearly failed experiments. That includes groups such as the Drug Policy Alliance, a New York-based organization that helped bankroll the ballot measure decriminalizing hard drugs and is now a major funder of Schmidt. Not that he minds the race being nationalized. The district attorney is trying to fend off his challenger now the same way other local Democratic candidates, including successful candidates for mayor in Chicago and Los Angeles, did running against candidates to their right: by embracing their party label and painting the opposition as Trumpy or at least MAGA-adjacent. Schmidts allies have sent direct mail accusing Vasquez of pursuing policies deployed by disgraced Trump ally Rudy Giuliani and said hes controlled by MAGA & NRA puppet masters. (Vasquez called himself a moderate centrist and said hed vote for Biden but expressed dismay that he and Trump are our two best options.) Schmidts signs and advertising makes sure to identify him as a Democrat even though the DA race is technically non-partisan. Closer to home, Schmidt has linked Vasquez to Johnson, the former state senator who ran as an independent for governor in 2022, because they share a similar funding base from Oregons centrist business community. Im in half of his ads, Johnson exclaimed, youd think I was fucking Darth Vaders sister. (As a candidate for governor, Johnson called Portland the city of roaches, a play on its preferred nickname, the city of roses.) Schmidts right in the sense that there are moderates and Republicans conspiring against him. Dan Lavey, a longtime GOP strategist and Oregon power player, helped organize People for Portland, a group thats hounded the DA with ads and billboards decrying Portlands Schmidt Show. In a one-party city and state its pragmatic Democrats vs. progressive Democrats fighting it out, Lavey told me. I call it therapy vs. discipline. Thats the DAs challenge. His problem isnt Republicans and the business community money crowd its Portlands Democratic voters. Ben Johansen contributed to this report. Title icon The News Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is eager to put Republicans on defense with a vote on a bipartisan border bill. Not every Democrat is so excited. Schumer announced hed revive a border bill that died in the Senate last February after Donald Trump nixed what was shaping up to be a compromise for Democrats in exchange for funding for Ukraine. The measure would have made it harder to apply for asylum and easier for the government to impose new border restrictions, goals promoted by many conservatives. And yet, it failed at the time, rejected by all but four Republicans in a procedural vote. The White House and the bills backers accused Republicans of deliberately refusing to fix the border in response and are hoping a new vote on it will help make the contrast clear. Vulnerable Democrats up for reelection like Sen. Jon Tester in Montana and Sherrod Brown in Ohio have embraced it. But some Democrats are uneasy with making it their de facto border platform without the added context of getting an aid package over the line. Its...not lost on me that the last time we were here, a lot of people mentioned that this was a price they were willing to pay for the sake of Ukraine funding. Thats no longer the case, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif. told reporters Monday. The foreign aid package has been approved. So this should not be the Democratic starting point for security or immigration reform. Padilla, who also opposed the bill in February, is upset that the newly revived proposal doesnt address adding pathways to citizenship, especially for DREAMers, a component of prior bipartisan talks on major border changes. I agree, we need to address the border, he said. I wish we did it in a more thoughtful approach. But to think we could have something pass, that not one Dreamer is helped, no relief for a single farmworker or any essential worker, no long-term resident of the United States whos been here working hard and paying taxes, its unconscionable. House lawmakers arent thrilled the Senate is taking up the proposal either, which Speaker Mike Johnson has said is dead on arrival even if it somehow gets there. It doesnt include DREAM Act or any relief for people that have been residents for generations, Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif. told Semafor. Title icon Kadias view Theres no real dispute this is a political move. Schumer and the White House understand Senate Republicans will tank the bill. But the substantive stakes are high, especially for Democrats who see the party drifting right as increased border crossings and asylum claims since the pandemic have created new challenges for mayors and governors. In a matter of months, Democrats have gone from being asked to reluctantly embrace a conservative-tilted bill as a concession on Ukraine aid to embracing it as a core promise to voters. Thats especially true as the White House weighs executive orders to take further action on the border, even as they may face hurdles in the courts. The coming Senate vote is seen by many as a setup for Biden to announce a new crackdown just in time to tout the accomplishment at his first debate with Trump on June 27. The expected message: Biden is forced to act on his own because Trump sabotaged the best option. Title icon The View From The White House In a statement, the White House noted that Biden had recently met with Congressional leaders in both parties to discuss the issue. Its been over 100 days since Congressional Republicans blocked the bipartisan bill that included the toughest and fairest reforms to secure the border in decades, the statement read. In these calls, President Biden reiterated that Congressional Republicans should stop playing politics and act quickly to pass this bipartisan border legislation that would add thousands of Border Patrol agents and personnel, invest in technology to catch fentanyl and combat drug trafficking, and make our country safer. Title icon The View From A Republican Negotiator Sen. James Lankford, R-Oklah. was the top GOP negotiator and the bill and did not pull his punches in accusing members of his own party of killing it for political reasons at the time. But he also condemned the vote as a stunt. Its trying to score political points rather than actually trying to solve a problem, Lankford told reporters, according to NBC News. Theres been no attempt to sit down and say, OK, what went sideways last time? Lets figure this out. Title icon Notable Border crossings have dropped in recent months, thanks in part to renewed efforts by Mexican authorities to police their own southern border. Semafor Logo As Republicans gather in Greensboro this week and former President Donald Trump makes an appearance near Charlotte, Democrats are turning their focus to Eastern North Carolina. Beginning Thursday, Jaime Harrison, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is holding a two-day, six-city tour visiting Elizabeth City, Williamston, Rocky Mount, Greenville, Kinston and Smithfield. The path to the White House runs through North Carolina, and Im excited to join folks in Eastern North Carolina to talk about whats at stake in this election especially for rural voters, Harrison said in a written statement. Over the past year, North Carolina has been a large part of the Biden campaigns strategy to defeat Trump and retain the presidency. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and many other surrogates have made numerous stops throughout the state campaigning for Bidens reelection. Eastern North Carolina Eastern North Carolina, a rural area with large pockets of poverty, is often overlooked. But the region could have major impacts in the 2024 election. It is home to North Carolinas only competitive race for Congress. Rep. Don Davis, a moderate Democrat from Snow Hill, is trying to retain his seat against Army veteran Laurie Buckhout, a conservative who has aligned herself with Trump. Theyre both vying to represent 22 of the states far northeastern counties. For 18 years, the area had been represented by former Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat from Wilson, but he retired on Dec. 30, 2022, saying Black voters in his district had their votes diluted by racial gerrymandering. Harrisons tour Harrisons two-day tour will focus on what Biden and Democrats have done for rural and Black voters and the threat Democrats say Trump would pose to the local communities. Simultaneously, the North Carolina Republican Party will kick off its state convention in Greensboro. On Sunday, Trump plans to attend the Coca-Cola 600, a NASCAR race, near Charlotte. Harrison plans to hone in, in his discussion with voters, on programs that Trump has threatened to end, like the Affordable Care Act The Obama-era law allowed for expansion of Medicaid, which North Carolina implemented last year after more than a decade of resistance. Harrison will also talk about ways Eastern North Carolina benefited from changes during the Biden administration. While President Biden and Vice President Harris have lowered costs, expanded access to health care, and created good-paying jobs all through the Tar Heel state, Donald Trump is pushing an agenda that hurts our rural communities, rips away affordable health care, and puts our farmers at risk, Harrison said. Harrison will also join the Biden-Harris campaign and the state Democratic Party in opening campaign offices in Rocky Mount and Smithfield, focused on reelecting Democrats up and down the ballot. These are the 11th and 12th offices opened by the Biden campaign in North Carolina, while the Trump campaign, as of last month, remains without, according to WSOC-TV. Mitch Landrieu, the Biden campaign co-chair and former mayor of New Orleans, will travel with Harrison on Thursday. Together were building a winning coalition including in North Carolina that will defeat Trump in the ballot box in November, Harrison said. Harrisons schedule Thursday, March 23 9:30 a.m in Elizabeth City: breakfast with local leaders. Noon in Williamston: tour of Providence Omnistructure. 2 p.m. in Rocky Mount: meeting with religious leaders and other residents after opening of a campaign field office. Friday, May 24 9 a.m. in Greenville: visiting an unnamed Black-owned business with local elected officials. 10:45 a.m. in Kinston: holding a community roundtable with Mayor Don Hardy. 2 p.m. in Smithfield: opening a campaign office. The backlash is mounting after The New York Times reported last week that an upside-down flag flew outside the house of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito ahead of President Bidens inauguration in January 2021. On Tuesday, a coalition of over 40 House Democrats sent a letter to Alito calling for the justice to recuse himself from cases pertaining to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol. The letter was obtained by HuffPost. Even if you had no involvement in the display yourself, the fact of such a political statement at your home creates, at minimum, the appearance of improper political bias, reads the letter, which adds that reasonable people will doubt Alito can be impartial when ruling on cases about whether Mr. Trump should face criminal prosecution for his actions arising from the Stop the Steal movement. As the Times noted in its report, at the time an upside-down flag was a popular symbol of solidarity among Trumps supporters who believed the 2020 election was rigged. Alito has yet to provide a reasonable explanation for why the upside-down flag was flown outside of his house, telling the Times his wife put it up in response to a neighbors use of objectionable and personally insulting language on yard sign. He further explained to Fox News that his wife had complained to neighbors who put out a Fuck Trump sign near a childrens bus stop, and one of those neighbors later called her the C-word and thats why she decided to hang the flag upside down. Supreme Court justices are currently weighing whether Trump should be immune from prosecution for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election, as he was president while the alleged crime was committed. During oral arguments last month, Alito seemed dubious that presidents shouldnt have immunity, and at one point brought up the hypothetical scenario of a president ordering the military to assassinate a political rival. Presidents have to make a lot of tough decisions about enforcing the law, Alito said. If he makes a mistake hes subject to the criminal laws like anybody else? Making a mistake is not what lands you in a criminal prosecution, replied Michael Dreeben, a lawyer for the Justice Department, which has charged Trump criminally for his role in the attempted insurrection. Democrats arent the only ones irked by the political display outside Alitos house. Emotions are apparently high in that neighborhood but no, its not good judgment to do that, Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) told HuffPost on Monday. I dont know what role he said his wife was insulted and got mad I assume that to be true, but hes still a Supreme Court justice. And, you know, people have to realize in moments like that, to think it through. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Dallenis Martinez talks about her journey to American while waiting to attend an orientation session for recent immigrants Monday, May 20, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) DENVER (AP) In a hotel conference room in Denver, Dallenis Martinez attended orientation with hundreds of other migrants Monday for the city's new, ambitious migrant support program, which includes six month apartment stays and intensive job preparation for those who can't yet legally work. It's an about-face from strategies Denver, New York City and Chicago have used as the cities scrambled to support thousands of migrants and slashed budgets. The largely improvised support strategies have included days- to weeks-long shelter stays or bus tickets to send migrants elsewhere. Now, Martinez, 28, and her two young kids, along with some 650 others in Denver, are being set up with an apartment with six months of rental, food and utility assistance, a free computer, a prepaid cell phone and metro bus passes. Then, the city working in coordination with several nonprofits plan to provide courses on English language, computers, financial literacy, and workers rights, while also assisting migrants in getting credentialed in specific industries, like construction, retail, hospitality, healthcare and early childhood education. Martinez said she will take any job to support her kids. The support will also include help with the paperwork for asylum applications, and eventually work authorization. The goal of the new program is to act as a buffer for new arrivals who have to wait six months for a work permit after applying for asylum under federal law, using that time to prepare migrants for their new life. This is investing in people to set them up to be independent and thrive, said Sarah Plastino, whos overseeing the program. We know that when we set people up for success, people really do succeed. The city expects to enroll 800 migrants in the coming months, though only those who dont yet qualify for a work permit can enter this program. Martinez, who's from Venezuela but was living in Peru when she started her journey north, didn't know she'd end up in a program like this. She didn't even know what the orientation was about when she first took a seat. Martinez, who travelled with her 11-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter, arrived in the U.S. with nothing. On the border of Guatemala and Mexico, she was robbed of the little money she had. Then, it happened again, and she had to hide in a river with her kids for two nights. I was hungry, cold and scared, said Martinez, who turned herself in to U.S. immigration soon after crossing the border. I couldn't take it anymore. Halfway through the orientation, Martinez was excited. Faith is the last thing you lose, she said, a smile broadening on her face. I feel more hope with this program." The mood was upbeat in the Denver Quality Inn; where most who attended the orientation were staying. The city has rented out several hotels to support the some 42,000 migrants who've arrived since the beginning of 2023. Now, the hotels are shuttered or winding down as the number of new migrants drops. Over the last year, new arrivals strained the city's resources, as they did in Chicago and New York City, prompting the mayors to slash city budgets after unsuccessfully asking for more federal aid from President Joe Biden. We were hemorrhaging money. We had over 5,000 people a day in our shelter system, and it was completely financially unsustainable," said Plastino. "We knew we had to make a shift from reactive to proactive. New York City officials said 197,100 immigrants have made their way there. Some 65,500 are currently in shelters. Since a federally-sponsored Asylum Application Help Center started assisting with immigration applications, some 50,000 applications have been submitted, including for asylum, work permits and other forms of immigration relief. Even while Denver's new program is intensive, Plastino said it's still more cost effective. The citys costs for supporting migrants will be roughly half of what they had initially expected in January. Services like recreation centers will open once again after their funding was sliced to help afford the city's previous migrant housing strategy. Renting hotel rooms and paying for premade meals is more expensive than providing rental support for an apartment on the market and food assistance for grocery stores, Plastino said, adding, Its also just the right thing to do. ___ Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. JAMESTOWN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) Two Indiana men have been charged after deputies say they sold stolen boats to people in Ottawa County. Lance Holland, 42, and Ceandra Jackson, 29, both from Fort Wayne, Indiana, were each charged with receiving and concealing stolen property over $20,000 and false pretenses over $50,000. Holland was also charged with two counts of false pretenses over $20,000, according to the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office. The charges stem from early May, when a Jamestown Township resident unknowingly bought two pontoon boats that had been stolen from Kentucky and Alabama in an online transaction, deputies say. Investigators found that boats, trailers and motors totaling over $370,000 had been stolen from dealerships. Detectives learned that Holland and Jackson had two more boats that they planned to sell on Friday. Deputies found the pair with the stolen boats near Jamestown Township and arrested them. Holland was given a $150,000 cash surety bond and Jackson a $100,000 bond. They were both booked into the Ottawa County Jail. The boats will be returned to the dealerships they were stolen from, deputies say. Investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call the Ottawa County Sheriffs Office at 616.738.4000 or Silent Observer at 877.887.4536. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Updated Soon after she had gone to jail for trying to get her children a better education, Kelley Williams-Bolars teenage daughter Jada confronted her mother with an accusation that will stick with her forever. Youre not there for me, said Jada, now 26. Like the rest of her family, Jada still struggles with her mothers 2011 felony conviction for sending Jada and her sister Kayla to a suburban school outside Akron, Ohio, using their grandfathers address. By the time Jada stood firmly in front of her, Williams-Bolger had spent nine days in jail, overwhelmed by how a felony could upend their lives, jeopardizing future housing and employment opportunities. She started to defend herself, then went silent. She knew Jada was right. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter But you know, it was my mind that wasnt there. It wasnt there for years, conceded Williams-Bolar, a longtime educator and child care provider. Honestly, it destroyed me. It was a lot to deal with. I wasnt the same mom for my daughters. Years after their prosecutions and forced removal from districts, families across the country like Williams-Bolars are still paying the price, economically and emotionally, after being prosecuted for acting in the best interest of their children. In Pennsylvania, one family ultimately owed over $10,000 for tuition and amassed legal fees into the six figures for keeping their child enrolled in a suburban school after moving out of the district three months before the end of the school year. In Connecticut, Tanya McDowell, whose family was experiencing homelessness, used her babysitters address to enroll her five year old in a Norwalk school. She was convicted on larceny and unrelated drug charges, serving three years in prison. Outside of the legal ramifications, many families still struggle with depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, their family relationships and work suffering as a result. Their children have felt at times like they had lost their parents and interest in school. Now seven decades after the Supreme Court outlawed sorting children by race and promised quality education for all in the landmark Brown v. Board decision, experts are beating the drum that continuing to exclude children from quality schools based on their home addresses perpetuates segregation. Advocates have also called for an end to the practice of prosecuting parents who, knowingly or unknowingly, disregard zone lines when enrolling their children. Related Report: In 24 States, Using False Address to Get Into a Better School is a Crime Williams-Bolars daughters were zoned for Akron Public Schools, 15 minutes but seemingly a world apart from Copley-Fairlawn, the predominantly white suburban district where her father lived and often cared for her daughters. Visiting Copleys schools, she saw acres of land, science fairs, a sprawling greenhouse, and a full computer room. Akrons schools at the time had rapidly decaying infrastructure. Styrofoam cups filled with dirt were the plants in her daughters science classes. Night and day, she said. She just couldnt have anticipated what the cost of enrolling her kids in Copley would be. Months later, her trial began. Intense scrutiny on the case made their family recipients of unwanted, international attention. A school district contractor showed up to their front door, looking inside their refrigerator, closets, bathrooms, counting each toothbrush. Teachers and students at her daughters school made snide remarks about their mothers jail time. Theyd catch neighbors side eyed, judgemental gazes. White men started driving slowly by their home at any time of day, never speaking, only staring. This would happen about a dozen separate times. Williams-Bolar sometimes stayed in her room crying for days, not knowing how much time was passing. Her depression lingered well after then-Governor John Kasich granted clemency and reduced her convictions to misdemeanors. Three years on probation also meant the family couldnt travel to see relatives in the south. She was also barred from visiting her father in prison for months. Though his involvement with her school enrollment case was dropped, soon after the state convicted him on fraud charges related to government benefits. Williams-Bolar maintains the case against her father would not have been pursued without the unprecedented spotlight on her family. Once you get in the lions den, theyre not just gonna let you go, she said. He served 11 months in prison, and died in its hospital one month before release. He loved going out barbecuing in the front yard. He loved all his grand babies coming over, always listening to music, said Kayla, now 30. I mean, the greatest grandpa a girl could ever ask for. Damn near like a father to me, and Id do anything to have him back. But here we are. Kelley Williams-Bolar with her two daughters, Jada and Kayla Investigations in St. Louis and Philadelphia recently confirmed districts still regularly confront families suspected of living outside of their boundaries. Today, their methods are usually less public, with districts hiring private investigators or threatening prosecution to get families to disenroll their children. The thousands known to be kicked out of their schools for address sharing are disproportionately Black and brown. In at least 24 states, parents can face criminal prosecution, fines and jail sentences for address sharing. Only one, Connecticut, has decriminalized the common practice. To reduce the scale of the issue and promote integration, districts could adopt county boundaries, encompassing more diversity and better reflecting work-life patterns, rather than neighborhood lines that mirror racist housing segregation. But they often lack the political will, to do so; quality schools remain scarce by design, said civil rights lawyer Erika Wilson. Related Q&A: Civil Rights Lawyer Erika Wilson on How to Reignite Desegregation Efforts And though Williams-Bolar knows a friend was similarly confronted by the district who believed her family lived outside the boundary, they never prosecuted her or asked her to remove her two children. The friend was related to a prominent leader in the NAACP. Williams-Bolar later met a former Copley student who alleged he lived in Akron, too, and that the school knew at the time, but let him stay because he was an athlete. I think its common at these, these selective schools. The problem is its very, very selectively enforced, said Tim DeRoche, author, researcher and founder of Available to All, a watchdog organization. Related Report: State by State, How Segregation Legally Continues 7 Decades Post Brown I remember my wife losing her hair Around the same time Williams-Bolar was navigating her trial, just one state over, six year old Fiorella Garcia pleaded with the governor of Pennsylvania to drop charges against her parents. Crying, she said she didnt want to go into foster care. In 2012, her parents Hamlet and Olesia Garcia faced up to seven years in prison, felony convictions, and losing custody of their daughter. The suburban Lower Moreland Township School District alleged Fiorella lived outside of its zone, in Philadelphia. Fiorella and Olesia lived temporarily with her grandparents in Lower Moreland, but failed to notify the district that they had moved out. In records reviewed by The 74, the Garcias repeatedly offered to pay the district the cost for Fiorella to finish the school year in Lower Moreland so as to not interrupt her schooling. Their requests were denied. Their mug shots headlined local news the night they were arrested, alongside headlines that alluded to tax fraud. Olesia, who owned a private insurance company, risked losing her license and business. Their address made its way into coverage, and soon after, their car was vandalized. This has never got off my head I remember my wife losing her hair, Hamlet Garcia said, trying to hold back tears. Losing so much sleep, he tried medication and experienced chest pains, which he attributes to the stress. Their tide only changed after leaving their public defender, who wanted them to settle for a guilty plea. The Garcias incurred close to $100,000 in debt to instead hire a high profile law team from Florida, money they say would have gone toward their daughters college education or family vacations. The Garcia family Ultimately, all charges against Olesia were dropped and Hamlet pled guilty to a lesser charge. The family paid $10,752 tuition to the district and a $100 fine. In the decade that has followed, Garcia has devoted most of his time to learning education law, organizing for school choice and Republican political campaigns, feeling betrayed by the Democrats he felt were responsible. Fiorella, now 17, is about to graduate from high school. Telling her story and becoming a parent advocate has been Williams-Bolars medicine. She feels shes a part of changing education policy to expand access to quality schools and leave a legacy for my dad because he didnt deserve none of that. He didnt deserve to die in jail. Today she works at one of Akron Public Schools high schools as a paraprofessional: the superintendent refused to fire her after the ordeal. Honestly, said Kayla, whos also considering going back to school to be an educator, Im still trying to heal. People attend a funeral procession for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew who were killed in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in the northwest. Ahmad Zohrabi/dpa The first of several funeral ceremonies began in Iran for president Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other victims of Sunday's helicopter crash, as details emerged of the final moments before the accident. Thousands of government supporters flocked to the ceremony in the north-western city of Tabriz on Tuesday to bid farewell, state media reported. Tabriz is the capital of East Azerbaijan province, where the accident occurred. Videos shared by Iranian news agencies showed crowds of people under cloudy skies and an open lorry carrying coffins adorned with flowers driving slowly through the streets. The crowds jostled around the lorry as people tried to lay their hands on the coffin belonging to Raisi and other victims. According to the Tasnim news agency, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi was in the crowd. Further mourning ceremonies are planned in the religious stronghold and pilgrimage city of Qom as well as in the capital Tehran. A military band played as the coffins arrived at Tehran airport for transfer to Qom, as could be seen in a video published by IRNA news agency. The bodies were carried over a red carpet. A number of traffic restrictions were imposed in the capital Tehran because of the funeral procession. Raisi and Amirabdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash with seven other occupants. They went down in dense cloud in the mountains while travelling back from a meeting with Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan. On Tuesday, an official flying in another aircraft who was part of the delegation described the conditions before the crash as clear. The helicopter that crashed was one of three heading back from the meeting and Raisi's chief of staff was travelling in one of the other ones. "The weather was cloudless, completely clear and bright," Gholam-Hossein Esmaili told the state broadcaster on Tuesday. But clouds emerged after around half an hour in the air and the pilot of the presidential helicopter, which was flying in the centre of the fleet, ordered the aircraft to rise higher into the air. Shortly afterwards, the pilot of Esmaili's helicopter realized that Raisi's helicopter was no longer among them. "Why are we turning back?" the chief of staff asked. The co-pilot replied that the president's helicopter was missing and that the crew assumed it had made an emergency landing. The two other helicopters spent several minutes circling over the area before their radio communications were interrupted. The two aircraft then landed near a copper mine shortly afterwards due to the poor visibility. Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ordered five days of national mourning. Tasnim reported that a nationwide holiday has been set for Wednesday. Another funeral procession is planned in Tehran, and a ceremony in honour of the crash victims is also to take place in the afternoon in the presence of high-ranking foreign dignitaries. Raisi is to be buried on Thursday in the Shiite centre of his home city of Mashhad, at the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth imam of Shia Islam. In Iran and abroad, supporters of the government mourned Raisi's death, while critics spoke of his government's suppression. People attend a funeral procession for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew who were killed in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in the northwest. Ahmad Zohrabi/dpa People attend a funeral procession for the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and six other passengers and crew who were killed in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in the northwest. Ahmad Zohrabi/dpa Detroit City Council approved changes to its fugitive dust ordinance to improve accountability and help ensure that operators comply with cleaner air regulations. Dozens of residents urged council members to pass the ordinance, which calls for further mitigation efforts to minimize fugitive dust, such as a 5% opacity limit on the operator's premises and requiring air monitors on certain sites to help with compliance. Opacity measures the level at which dust obscures an individual's view, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Fugitive dust is "particulate matter that enters the atmosphere without first passing through a stack or duct designed to direct or control its flow," according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 'The tools are there' to make the ordinance work Council member Gabriela Santiago-Romero said the ordinance is personal. "I live in southwest Detroit down the street from industry and developments. The wind blows and then so does the dust. It's very scary to know that the implications are really negative health issues," Santiago-Romero said. "The industry concerns are real and valid, and we made sure that we came up with something that could be enforceable that could make a change. So we'll continue to do that and continue to see what is needed to make it stronger in the future. But for now, I think we have something that's good that we can build off of." Detroit City Council member Gabriela Santiago-Romero.. Regulating fugitive dust has been an ongoing effort in Detroit since former council member Raquel Castaneda-Lopez introduced and passed an ordinance to regulate storage and transportation of carbon-containing materials and reduce dust nearly four years after piles of petroleum coke were stored along the Detroit River. Santiago-Romero further aimed to push for dust mitigation efforts after residents faced a series of issues, such as film and soot coating their homes, vehicles and causing respiratory problems. Santiago-Romero emphasized that the ordinance does not include typical dirt on organic grounds, rather it's aimed at targeting dust that carries dangerous particles. The city's Buildings, Safety Engineering and Environmental Department has trained certified inspectors to identify fugitive dust breaching opacity limits. "It's not impossible to do this work. When there's a will, there's a way. The tools are there. The education is there. We are putting those together to make sure that this works," Santiago-Romero said. Particulates sometimes force people to stay indoors Fugitive dust includes any solid particulate matter that becomes airborne or otherwise moves beyond the premises, or if transported by vehicle, moves beyond the confines of the vehicle, by natural or human-made activities, excluding engine combustion exhaust and particulate matter emitted from a properly permitted exhaust stack, according to the ordinance. Dozens of public commenters said changes to the fugitive dust laws are a "life and death matter" and that residents often stay inside their homes due to breathing issues from excess dust spreading across neighborhoods. Erin Stanley, director of climate equity for the Eastside Community Network, said the ordinance is a step toward a broader policy "that can prioritize health over profit and make sure we dont live in a city that doesnt poison its own people." Theresa Landrum, who has spoken out against dust affecting her neighborhood, urged officials to enforce changes that would protect the health of residents. "We would not need these amendments if the industries were not adding to our poor air quality. The protection of our children is paramount," Landrum said. "We continue to wash our houses down because of the dust coming from surrounding industries." Others like Sue Hanf, who works for Cadillac Asphalt, sought a partnership with organizations and companies in compliance to prevent penalizing them unfairly. "There are good operators, bad operators, there are some companies like ours that have been operating under the current fugitive dust that weve been in compliance with. I would just urge that there be some kind of partnership because theres some things in the new fugitive dust ordinance that might be hard to comply with, or at least be unreasonable for some opacity, the timing for correction action measures and some other things like high wind events," Hanf said. Superior Materials Holdings President Jeff Krupcale supports the ordinance but asked officials to ensure it's effective. Krupcale asked officials to reconsider the 5% opacity limit, and pointed out that a two-week window to correct any issues may force businesses to shut down on community projects. He asked officials to extend the timeline to correct potential violations. "Five percent is barely visible to the human eye. Vehicles establish opacity limits from fugitive dust sources from 5% to 20% levels," Krupcale said. "Every community establishment that has a car driven on a paved or unpaved area and parking areas will exceed 5% opacity. We should respectfully suggest the city review the science behind opacity." Dana Afana is the Detroit city hall reporter for the Free Press. Contact: dafana@freepress.com. Follow her: @DanaAfana. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit City Council approves fugitive dust ordinance Did Bob Ferguson go too far responding to fellow Fergusons? State Sen. Mark Mullet, left, and Attorney General Bob Ferguson, right, are both running as Democrats for governor in 2024. (Photos courtesy of Mullet and Ferguson campaigns) Democratic candidate Bob Ferguson pursued various hardball political and legal tactics to get two opponents who share his name out of the governors race including an option the secretary of state said Washington election law doesnt allow. Now, rival Democratic candidate Mark Mullet is accusing Ferguson of going too far, arguing that he pressed Secretary of State Steve Hobbs to break the law. At issue is Fergusons demand that Hobbs redo the order of candidates on the ballot. Mullets broadside, delivered Monday, renews attention on the brief firestorm ignited when Republican activist Glen Morgan recruited two other Bob Fergusons to file on May 10 as last-minute candidates in the race. The lesser-known Fergusons, one from Yakima and the other from Graham, did drop out amid threats from the frontrunning Ferguson who is the state attorney general to see them criminally prosecuted for trying to confuse and mislead voters with their candidacies. I completely condemn what those two Bobs did, Mullet said in an interview. That said, it is shocking to see the attorney general requesting other agencies to break the law. Thats how bad he wants this office. This speaks directly to Bob Fergusons character and that should matter to every voter in the state, Mullet added. Ferguson responded sharply, saying Mullet does not know the law and insisting there are provisions in state code providing Hobbs authority to do what is needed to alleviate voter confusion, including revising the order of candidates on the ballot. Its unfortunate Mullet does not support this simple act for election integrity, but perhaps the fact that he would have benefited from that confusion explains his anti-democratic position, Ferguson said in a statement. A spirited conversation When the other two Fergusons entered the race, Attorney General Ferguson called it a scheme to trick voters, dilute his vote, and prevent him from advancing past the primary. He and lawyers for the state Democratic Party spent the weekend following Friday, May 10 digging into the two Bobs backgrounds and delivering cease-and-desist letters to their homes, letting them know they could land in jail if they didnt withdraw. On May 13, Ferguson held a press conference in Seattle, vowing to see them prosecuted for violating an 81-year-old state law that makes it a felony to challenge someone with the same name and whose political reputation is widely known, with intent to confuse and mislead the electors. That same day, Zachary Pekelis, Fergusons attorney, sent a letter to Hobbs saying he must include occupations for all three and redo the ballot so the other Fergusons appeared behind the attorney general. The order set by state election officials had Bob Arthur Ferguson of Yakima appearing second, Bob Benjamin Ferguson of Graham third and Bob Ferguson of Seattle in the 13th spot. After getting the letter, Hobbs phoned Ferguson to let him know he would include occupations for each but not mess with the order of names on the ballot. I was surprised he was asking me to do something that I clearly cannot do because it is in the [law], Hobbs said. He was very upset. It was a spirited conversation. I think Glen Morgan and the Bobs broke the law, Hobbs said. So Ive got this bad criminal action going but at the same time I have to follow the law. Hobbs stressed state law, embodied in the Revised Code of Washington, or RCW, supersedes regulatory directives of the Washington Administrative Code, or WAC. It doesnt take a first-year law student to know that, he said. He said he followed RCW 29A.36.131 which says the election officer shall determine by lot the order in which the names of candidates will appear on ballots. But Ferguson contended a provision in the Washington Administrative Code, 434-215-060, gives Hobbs discretion to rearrange the ballot to lessen voter confusion. Washington state code specifically grants the Secretary of State authority to differentiate between the candidates by any other means which, in the judgment of the filing officer, fairly and impartially distinguishes the candidates, he said in a statement. To do anything less, Pekelis wrote in his letter, would represent a dereliction of duty, establish a dangerous precedent, and turn a blind eye to the criminal corruption of the democratic process. Ferguson said he was prepared to sue to force Hobbs hand. We would have won. A judge in Thurston County would not allow a ballot to proceed with a fraudulent Bob in one place and another Bob in another place, he said in an interview. Ferguson insinuated Hobbs reluctance might be tied to his endorsement of Mullet. Hobbs said the two never spoke about his decision. Zachary Pekelis Letter to Steve Hobbs -- May 13, 2024 A copy of the letter that Zachary Pekelis, Bob Fergusons attorney, sent to Secretary of State Steve Hobbs on May 13, 2024. The post Did Bob Ferguson go too far responding to fellow Fergusons? appeared first on Washington State Standard. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is among the countries facing a humanitarian crisis. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reported that its not only experiencing one of the worlds longest humanitarian crises but also one of the most complex. A most prevalent issue in the DRC is child labor. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, nearly 25,000 children work in cobalt mines. Despite the alarming rate of exploitation, a case in the U.S. regarding the matter has ended with the defendants not found at fault. Previously, in 2022, Apple, Alphabet Inc. (Google), Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla were said to have been knowingly benefiting from and aiding and abetting the cruel and brutal use of young children in the Democratic Republic of Congo to mine cobalt, according to ABC News. However, in March 2024, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia found the five tech giants not liable due to only having an ordinary buyer-seller transaction with DRC suppliers. Many actors in addition to the cobalt suppliers perpetuate labor trafficking, including labor brokers, other consumers of cobalt, and even the DRC government, the decision read, per the outlet. Issuing an injunction to the Tech Companies to stop the cobalt venture from using forced child labor would not bind the direct perpetrators of the unlawful labor, who are not before this court. The outlet detailed that the 2022 case was filed by 16 plaintiffs. Moreover, members of the group were legal representatives of child miners who lost their lives and suffered major injuries in cobalt mining operations in the DRC. One of the plaintiffs claims was that Apple, Alphabet Inc., Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla were aware of the human rights violations and had known for a long period of time. Expansion of cobalt mines many led by Chinese-owned companies has also continued, forcing many DRC residents from their homes and stripping them of their rights. In the midst of cases such as the aforementioned one, effective action has yet to be taken by the DRCs government to combat such exploitation. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there isnt a national policy that addresses child labor. However, there are initiatives such as the COTECCO (Combatting Child Labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congos Cobalt Industry) project that are working with government to reduce child labor in the cobalt supply chain and push for laws and policies to improve conditions. Did Todd Chrisleys own daughter turn him into the feds? Heres what we know Shortly after oral arguments were heard in Todd and Julie Chrisleys appeal to have their federal fraud conviction overturned, Lindsie Chrisley, Todds daughter from a previous marriage, revealed she was told not to come to the hearing in downtown Atlanta. I was not there. I do feel that it was in the best interest for me and everyone else, Lindsie said during a recent episode of her podcast. My sister privately let the message get to us that she did not want us present at the hearing. And it was shared with me that if we were there, there would be issues and that we would be asked to leave. ... Its mind-blowing to me, the control and manipulation. It very much alarms me and Im just going to leave it at that. Savannah confirmed that she told her sister not to come during a Q&A on Instagram, but gave her side of things as well. I most certainly told her privately to not attend. I told her that she was not wanted, that my dad did not want her there, and that he didnt care to have a relationship with her, Savannah said. Savannah then brought up Lindsies alleged involvement in helping with their parents convictions, People Magazine reported. It hates [sic] me to even discuss this but the record has to be set straight, Savannah said. In an interview with Channel 2 Action News in 2019, Lindsie denied she had anything to do with her fathers conviction. Ive told my dad, I dont want you to go to jail, she said. Ive told my legal counsel, I dont want my parents to go to jail. I dont want to be involved in this. They brought me into this. This was not a choice that I made. She then made allegations that Todd and her stepbrother were threatening her, claiming to have purchased a sex tape she believed could exist. Lindsie said the pair wanted her to lie about an incident and if she refused to do so they were going to release the sex tape involving her. RELATED STORIES: The incident refers to what ultimately led to Todd and Julies conviction. Lindsie Chrisley and her attorney, Musa Ghanayem, said she was never involved with any investigation into the family. All of a sudden, they say shes the one out there, responsible for the federal indictment and at the point, I have to go out and say, Thats just not true, Ghanayem told Channel 2 Action News at the time. In a statement to Channel 2 Action News at the time, Todd Chrisley denied the extortion claims. As I said before, Im at a loss as to why Lindsie is saying these terrible untrue things about her brother and me, Todd Chrisleys statement read. But whatever she says, she is still my daughter. I have always loved her, I will always love her, and I am here for her. The feud between Lindsie and Savannah has been very public. Lindsie told People Magazine that their current relationship is nothing. I have realized that as an adult, its my responsibility to have healthy relationships and cut out unhealthy ones, Savannah has said on her podcast. Especially now with the two kids, its my job to protect them emotionally, physically, psychologically and I just dont have room for people that dont want to show up and show up in a healthy manner. Todd and Julie Chrisley, best known for the reality series Chrisley Knows Best, were found guilty of criminal bank fraud and tax evasion in June 2022. Channel 2 Action News first started investigating the Chrisleys in 2017, when we learned that Todd Chrisley had likely evaded paying Georgia state income taxes for several years. Court documents obtained by Channel 2 Action News showed that by 2018, the Chrisleys owed the state nearly $800,000 in liens. The couple eventually went to trial and a federal jury found them guilty of bank fraud and tax evasion. This Diverted Plane Shows Exactly Why You Shouldn't Retrieve a Lost Electronic While Flying A recent United Airlines flight recently diverted after a passenger's laptop got stuck in an inaccessible location. izusek/Getty Images A transatlantic United Airlines plane headed to the United States was diverted over the weekend after a laptop got stuck on board. Flight UA12 was headed from Zurich to Chicago on Sunday when the laptop got stuck in an inaccessible location, United confirmed to Travel + Leisure. The flight, operated on a Boeing 767 aircraft, was diverted to Shannon, Ireland, over the potential safety risk. The aircraft took off at 9:46 a.m. local time and flew across the British Isles and out over the Atlantic Ocean before making a u-turn and heading back to Ireland, landing about five hours later, according to flight tracker FlightAware. It was not immediately clear where on the aircraft the laptop got stuck. United told T+L the airline provided hotel accommodations for the 157 passengers on the flight and arranged for a new aircraft to take them to Chicago on Monday. Any item with a lithium battery including cell phones, laptops, tablets, or smart watches can be a potential fire hazard, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as the batteries are capable of overheating and ultimately catching fire. Moving a seat to try to access a stuck device could damage the battery and cause a potential fire. Which is why if an item does get stuck, the FAA recommends notifying the flight crew. Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin, according to the FAA. Passengers should notify flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning. These lithium batteries must also be carried in carry-on luggage. In fact, airlines banned these types of batteries in smart luggage years ago. Overall, there have been more than 500 verified incidents involving lithium batteries and smoke, fire, or extreme heat from March 2006 to April 2024, according to the FAA. This year alone, there have been 22. For more Travel & Leisure news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Travel & Leisure. Divestment from Israel roils universities. Would it work? Some are dubious Students, faculty members and supporters demonstrate at UC Irvine on May 15. Divestment from Israel has been a key demand of campus protests nationwide. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) For Ari Huffman, the case for divesting from Israel is clear-cut at least morally. The UC Merced student doesnt understand exactly how university endowments work. But as Israel continues its relentless bombardment of the Gaza Strip, she knows she doesnt want her tuition fees funding a war that has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians. I dont want to be complicit, she said after the UC Board of Regents wrapped up a three-day meeting with student activists on her campus. Huffman, a member of Students for Justice in Palestine, welcomed five UC regents to her schools Gaza solidarity encampment last week for a meeting to discuss withdrawing funds from companies with ties to Israel. The University of California system has stated it will not divest from Israel. But one of its 26 regents told the activists he supported their goals. He warned, however, that it would be a long and difficult process, even if they could win over his fellow board members: 18% of UCs $175 billion in investments is indirectly tied to Israel, including $3.3 billion invested in weapons manufacturers and $12 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds. The obstacles of the current investments are that some of them are in a timed agreement. You cant just pull out, Regent Jose Hernandez told activists. Understand its hard not impossible but it has to take time to divest," he said. Ever since the Israel-Hamas war began last year, student protesters chanting, Disclose! Divest! from California to New York have vowed they will not rest until university administrators agree to their demands. But administrators say it is not so easy. Colleges have long resisted calls to divest, noting that such a move would be logistically complicated, morally tricky and politically divisive, and could open them up to fiduciary risks and legal challenges. Lets recognize that bringing morality into economics is hard, said Luigi Zingales, a University of Chicago professor of entrepreneurship and finance. George Washington University students walk out of a commencement event in support of Palestinians. (Jose Luis Magana / Associated Press) A substantial number of Jewish students, faculty, alumni and donors say that boycotts and divestment campaigns unfairly target Israel. And in recent years, 38 states, including California, have adopted laws or executive orders designed to discourage boycotts of Israel. Many university administrators and financial experts note that untangling endowment funds from Israel would take time and involve potential loss of money that helps subsidize student tuition, faculty salaries and critical research. When youre talking about a country with which the United States has such multiple and deep relationships, it would be quite difficult to identify everything that is connected to Israel, said Nicholas Dirks, former chancellor of UC Berkeley. Even if a board said, Yes, we want to disinvest,' I think it would be complex to identify and then very, very slow to enact without there being financial consequences." :: The campaign to punish Israel economically dates to long before Oct. 7. In 2005, a coalition of Palestinian groups inspired by the 1980s boycott of South African apartheid called for an international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel. Their goal: to divest until Israel ended its "occupation and colonization of all Arab lands, recognized the equal rights of "Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel," and allowed Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral homes. The Anti-Defamation League claims the boycott, divestment and sanctions movements founding goals are antisemitic, because they "reject or ignore the Jewish peoples right of self-determination and if implemented, would result in the eradication of the worlds only Jewish state. Nearly 20 years later, many critics ask: What is students' end goal? A cease-fire that will put an immediate stop to the current violence? The fall of Israel's right-wing government? A one-state solution? The demise of Israel? A sign left after a protest encampment was cleared from the campus of UC Irvine on May 15. (Eric Thayer/For The Times) Students' demands vary from campus to campus. UC protesters are urging the university system to withdraw investment assets from companies profiting from the Israeli occupation, apartheid, and genocide of the Palestinian people. At Columbia, they are pushing to divest from any company that funds the perpetuation of Israeli apartheid and war crimes a broad net they say ensnares Google, which contracts with Israels government to develop cloud infrastructure, and Airbnb, which allows listings in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. At Cornell, the focus is on weapons manufacturers, such as Boeing and Northrop Grumman. Some universities have ruled out any divestment from Israel. The University of Michigans Board of Regents reaffirmed its longstanding policy to shield the endowment from political pressures and base investment decisions on financial factors such as risk and return. But there are signs that pro-Palestinian activists are gaining momentum. Brown University agreed to invite activists to present their arguments to divest the Ivy League institution's $6.6-billion endowment from companies that facilitate the Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territory before holding a vote in October. Over the last few weeks, institutions including Harvard University and Northwestern University have struck deals: Protesters agreed to dismantle camps in exchange for administrators commitment to answer questions about endowments or reconsider the schools investment in Israel. Columbia Universitys president said it will not divest from Israel, but offered to expedite its timeline to review new proposals from students. Some institutions, such as UC Berkeley, have ruled out broad divestment from Israel but pledged to consider withdrawing from a targeted list of companies due to their participation in weapons manufacturing, mass incarceration and/or surveillance." :: Financial experts say activists tend to misunderstand how endowments work. No student tuition is going towards the endowment, said Gary Sernovitz, an executive at a private equity firm and author of "The Counting House," a novel focusing on the chief investment officer of a prestigious university. The endowment is used to subsidize student tuition that doesnt fully cover the cost of an education in a modern university. The logistics of divesting depend on what students are demanding and how the endowment is set up. Divesting from publicly traded companies that are associated with Israel is relatively easy, said Zingales, the University of Chicago professor. If you are involving the private equity and venture capital component a big component of the portfolio of every endowment that is much more complicated. In fact, doing it immediately is impossible. The vast majority of universities hire third-party external investment companies to manage their endowments and give them broad mandates to make decisions, said Kevin Maloney, a professor of finance at Bryant University. Students camp in front of Sproul Hall on the UC Berkeley campus in protest of the war in Gaza on April 26. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) Typically, he said, endowment money is allocated to three groups: an index fund tethered to something like the S&P 500, which makes divesting from individual companies a challenge for managers running the same mandate for multiple clients; active managers of commingled trusts, which makes it hard for one client to impose a restriction on everyone else; and hedge funds that trade in long and short securities and are wary of transparency because they dont want competitors to mimic their trades. Some investment committees, Maloney said, are loath to give in to demands because they think of it as a slippery slope. "The more constraints you put on the process, the harder it is to generate investment performance," he said. "It goes against what they view as their fundamental mission." Still, some financial experts note that universities have divested in the past. Why, they ask, is Israel the exception? Its a bit arbitrary to say we should stop at divesting from oil and private prisons, but not Israel, because Israel is too complicated," Zingales said. Activists point out that during the 1980s, students successfully pressured colleges to cut their financial ties to South Africa over apartheid a system they argue has parallels with Israel. Financial experts, however, note that endowments have changed massively in the nearly 40 years since universities divested from South Africa. Back then, Maloney said, there wasn't as much private equity and hedge funds weren't as ubiquitous. And even if universities can agree that it is logistically possible to divest from Israel, some question whether boycotts have a practical effect. In the 1990s, UC economists studied the effects of the 1980s boycott movement against South Africa and found little discernible effect on South African financial markets or the valuation of banks and companies with South African operations. Despite the public significance of the boycott and the multitude of divesting companies, they argued, financial markets seem to have perceived the boycott to be merely a 'sideshow.'" In recent years, some colleges have divested from private prisons, tobacco firms and fossil fuels. Four years ago, UC became the nations largest educational system to ditch its portfolio of fossil fuels and invest in wind and solar power. But UCs chief investment officer, Jagdeep Singh Bachher, noted that it dumped fossil fuels primarily because they determined renewable energy was more profitable not because it was more moral. We believe," Bachher and a colleague wrote in 2019, "hanging on to fossil fuel assets is a financial risk. :: If universities decide to bring ethical considerations into financial decisions, Zingales said, they must ask difficult questions. Is an association with weapons manufacturers worth tuition discounts? If theres disagreement within the campus community, such as how Israel goes about defending itself, how do they decide? "Ethical investment doesn't always involve a straightforward choice between good and evil. If the endowment doesnt make as much profit, then it can harm the mission of the school, Sernovitz said. That can result in less funding for scholarships or medical research. At the heart of the conflict over Israel are fundamental disagreements about the nature of the war. Activists accuse Israel of perpetrating a genocide, but Israel and its supporters deny that charge, arguing its assault on Gaza is an act of self-defense, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. With widespread disagreement on campus, some institutions, like Columbia, have argued that divestment from Israel is a political position that does not have broad consensus on campus, a nod to the fact that many Jewish students, faculty, alumni and donors question singling out Israel. UC maintains that divesting from Israel or taking part in academic and cultural boycotts would go against students' and facultys academic freedom and the unfettered exchange of ideas on our campuses. Many Jewish students, faculty and donors question why Israel is singled out. Many, perhaps most, Jewish people view BDS against Israel as a double standard, said Mark Yudof, a law professor at Berkeley and former president of UC, using an abbreviation for "boycott, divestment and sanctions." Russia, China, Venezuela, Iran and other countries get a pass; Israel, the only Jewish state, gets all of the attention on campuses. ... It makes us suspicious that its either antisemitism or just a pure form of anti-Zionism. Those who push for divestment say they focus on Israel rather than Russia, China or North Korea because of its special relationship with the U.S. If the United States had the same kind of relationship with China, where it was giving it billions of dollars a year and vetoing things in the United Nations and supporting atrocities, we would obviously say the same thing, said Jess Ghannam, a professor of psychiatry at UC San Francisco who is an activist with the UC Palestinian Solidarity Collective. For one college president who agreed with students, the political repercussions were severe. Last week, Sonoma State University President Ming-Tung Mike Lee came under criticism from Jewish students and alumni after cutting a deal with Students for Justice in Palestine to pursue divestment and an academic boycott of Israeli universities. None of us should be on the sidelines when human beings are subject to mass killing and destruction, he said. Within 24 hours, Lee was placed on administrative leave. California State University Chancellor Mildred Garcia accused him of insubordination. Lee apologized. In my attempt to find agreement with one group of students, I marginalized other members of our student population and community. By Thursday, Lee had retired. :: Amid fierce disagreement, there is one thing experts seem to agree on: Universities should encourage vigorous discussion of the financial, moral and political complexities of divestment. As UC regents met at the UC Merced encampment, Hernandez advised the pro-Palestinian protesters to engage directly with their local university administrators. You dont do it under these types of conditions, he told students as he sat in the sweltering heat under a shade canopy surrounded by Palestinian flags. You go into a conference room and hash it out. But Hernandez also offered the activists some words of encouragement: You are asking the right questions, he said. Huffman, the student activist, left the meeting feeling the regents probably counted on students not fully understanding the finer details of endowments. But the challenge, as she saw it, was ultimately not financial, but political. I do think its probably a complex process, Huffman said. But I guess the more will there is, the less complex it has to be. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) A 17-year-old boy is facing a murder charge after he allegedly shot and killed a man during a drug deal gone wrong last week in East El Paso, according to court documents obtained by KTSM. 17-year-old arrested, charged with murder in East El Paso shooting According to court documents, Aldo David Flores, 17, fatally shot Bryan Castillo, 21, on Tuesday night, May 14, at the Vista Village Apartments parking lot located on 10535 Montwood Dr. Aldo David Flores, 17. Photo: EPPD Two witnesses who were with Castillo on the night he was killed told police that Castillo had picked them up at the Ysleta Port of Entry. Castillo told the witnesses that he needed to stop somewhere and meet with someone to sell an item, according to court documents. Fight at Socorro ISD school going viral on social media The witnesses told police that Castillo parked in the parking lot of the apartments to meet with two male subjects who were inside a black vehicle that had front-end damage, according to court documents. Castillo then met with the male subjects by their vehicle while holding a shoe box and was shot by the driver of the vehicle, according to court documents. Docs: Woman arrested in fatal hit-and-run thought she hit pothole Castillo was then transported to a local hospital where he later died as a result of his injuries. After the shooting, the subjects began driving away and the driver of the vehicle pointed a handgun at one of the witnesses and threatened him, according to court documents. Detectives met with a juvenile witness who provided details on the incident and the witness said they were aware of a drug deal that was set up between Flores and Castillo, according to court documents. The witness told detectives that Castillo met with Flores that Tuesday to sell Flores dispos which are THC cartridges. Flores then called the juvenile witness after the incident, and told the witness that he shot Castillo and took dispos from him, according to court documents. The witness also provided detectives with a physical description of Flores and a social media account that belonged to Flores which were similar in description to what one of the witnesses provided who was with Castillo at the time of the shooting. An officer with El Paso Police Departments Gang Unit confirmed the physical description was Flores and the social media account that was provided belonged to Flores. Detectives then conducted surveillance at Flores last known address and saw a black vehicle with front-end damage parked in the front of the home, according to court docuemnts. Detectives executed a search warrant on Flores vehicle and found five black boxes that contained THC cartridges which were similar in description to what witnesses saw Castillo holding when he was shot, according to court documents. Flores was booked into the El Paso County Jail four days later on May 18 under a $500,000 cash or surety bond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. On Tuesday, lawmakers in Louisiana voted 64-29 to reclassify drugs used in abortion as controlled dangerous substances. Its a move staunchly protested by hundreds of physicians in the state, who fear passing this bill will interfere with patient care given how commonly one of the pills, misoprostol, is used to save lives in pregnancy care. Misoprostol is such a literal life-saver, New Orleans OB-GYN Dr. Nicole Freehill tells Rolling Stone. Its disappointing this bill is moving forward, but I am still hopeful the Senate and/or the governor will listen to the hundreds of physicians who are opposed to this change and not pass or sign the bill. The floor debate for SB 276 was initially scheduled for Monday, but was deferred to Tuesday. State Rep. Mandie Landry sought to pass an amendment deleting the controversial amendments from the bill or recommit the bill to the health and welfare committee for more discussion, but her motions failed. Placing mifepristone and misoprostol on the controlled substances list is harmful and malicious, Landry says. It is purely the product of Louisiana Right to Life and their politics. Doctors and common sense are all against it. Toward the end of a heated debate, state Rep. Aimee Freeman got passionate. I understand that Right to Life runs some of your worlds, and Im sorry that you cant see what the doctors have come to us to tell us. If you believed in the right to life, you would believe in maternal outcomes being the best for the women of this state, she said. Landry, who spoke out against the mifepristone and misoprostol amendments multiple times throughout the debate, said of Right to Life: The amount of power they have in here is so insulting to me. Theyve abused this process so many times; theyve manipulated it. Everyone in here knows that; no ones denying it. And they hijacked a bill. Vice President Kamala Harris weighed in after the vote, posting on X: Absolutely unconscionable. The Louisiana House just passed a bill that would criminalize the possession of medication abortion, with penalties of up to several years of jail time. Lets be clear: Donald Trump did this. Now that the state House has voted to move SB 276 forward, it will head back to the state Senate for another vote, but the legislation is expected to become law. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry (no relation to Mandie) is firmly opposed to abortion rights. His spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Misoprostol and mifepristone both have other clinical uses, but they have come under increased scrutiny because the pills may be taken to induce an abortion. Louisiana has a near-total abortion ban which has been in place since August 2022, with no exceptions for rape or incest, and narrow exceptions for life of the pregnant person and medically futile pregnancies. Last-minute amendments added to the states bill would reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol as Schedule IV controlled dangerous substances under Louisiana law, an unprecedented move. OB-GYNs in the state argue that since abortion is illegal, they do not use the pills for this purpose and rarely use mifepristone at all. But they emphasize that misoprostol is used daily for miscarriage care, to induce labor, to stop postpartum hemorrhaging, and to prepare the cervix for medical procedures. Health care workers are deeply concerned reclassifying the medications will be harmful to their patients and potentially delay care in life-or-death situations. While the bill contains an exception for pregnant women who are found in possession of the medications, anyone else without a prescription can be sentenced to felonies, punishable with up to 10 years in jail. Reproductive health advocates and health care professionals are worried about what precedent this will set not only for Louisiana, but for other red states, where maternal health is already in peril, that might follow suit. This move to classify the misoprostol and mifepristone as dangerous controlled substances could signal the latest front in Republican-led states war on reproductive health. SB 276 STARTED OUT as a bill filed by state Sen. Thomas Pressly (R) with the intent of making coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud a crime. Presslys sister, Catherine Herring, was slipped abortion medication without her consent by her husband, who pleaded guilty to drugging her drinks in a plea deal. After the bill passed the state Senate, it went to the state House and while it was being discussed in a criminal justice committee hearing, Pressly surprised doctors, advocates, and legislators alike by adding amendments, co-written by Louisiana Right to Life, which would reclassify mifepristone and misoprostol. Doctors across the state were stunned and scrambled to put together a response before the revised bill came to a vote. More than 280 physicians, including OB-GYNs and emergency room doctors, signed a letter begging Pressly to reconsider his amendments, which they said create the false perceptions that these are dangerous drugs. Neither drug comes with a risk of addiction, which is generally what is meant by at risk of abuse, when determining whether a medication should be on the controlled substances list. Joe Fontenot, the executive director of the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy, confirmed to NPR that under Louisiana law, abuse refers to addiction. The doctors letter to Pressly states, Mischaracterizing misoprostol, a drug routinely and safely used on labor units throughout the state, as a dangerous drug of abuse creates confusion and misinformation, and harms women seeking high quality maternal care. Pressly responded by saying that since filing his bill, he has heard stories from additional victimized women who have experienced trauma due to misoprostol or mifepristone. He says this led him to believe the drugs were a public health risk, which is why he added the amendments. (Presslys office did not respond to a request for comment regarding these claims.) Pressly, who is not a doctor, said that the doctors he did consult with assured him the re-classification would not harm health care for women. Again, this is in direct opposition to 280 health care professionals who think otherwise. Last week, the states powerful anti-abortion organization Louisiana Right to Life defended Presslys amendments by releasing what they called an investigative report about the supposed rampant abuse of abortion pills. The organization does not use the word abuse in the same way doctors do; instead, they detail stories of women who posed as pregnant minors in order to show how easy it is to acquire abortion medication online. The groups report includes a claim from an anti-abortion pregnancy center about patients who have reached out after experiencing complications while self-medicating. Of course, one way to solve this issue would be to legalize abortion in the state again. Since the Supreme Court issued its Dobbs ruling allowing states to ban abortion, the U.S. has seen an increase in medication abortion as pregnant people attempt to seek care in red states by ordering pills online. On Monday, the president of the Louisiana Society of Addiction Medicine submitted a letter to the speaker of the state house, referring to SB276 as legislative overreach and voicing the organizations opposition to the legislation: This bill goes against the spirit of the drug scheduling system. The Louisiana bill has spurred an outcry from reproductive health advocates across the country, who worry that consequences could reverberate across states with restrictive abortion access. These politically motivated and cruel restrictions undermine the safety and autonomy of individuals seeking abortion care, during a time in our nations history when reproductive care is being used as a political issue, says Nourbese Flint, President of abortion justice organization All* Above All. Now more than ever, its crucial to ensure that medication abortion and all forms of reproductive health care are classified as lifesaving and essential medications and remain accessible and affordable for everyone, regardless of their circumstances. ALL THE HEALTH CARE professionals that Rolling Stone spoke with in recent weeks have stressed the same point: Misoprostol is much more than an abortion pill. Calling it an abortion drug is absurd, it is a very common pregnancy drug, says one health care professional who asked to remain anonymous. Misoprostol is used in many, many routine pregnancies; its use in abortion is the rarity and exception. Itd be like calling a speculum an abortion tool. Literally every single day on labor and delivery, someone, if not multiple people, is receiving misoprostol for induction of labor, says Freehill, the New Orleans OB-GYN. Its a very inexpensive medication and very effective at preventing hemorrhage, for IUD insertions, for endometrial biopsies, to prep a patients cervix when they have a miscarriage. Its utilized for so many things and on a very regular basis. She likens adding misoprostol to the controlled dangerous substance list to reclassifying Tylenol as dangerous. Misoprostol saves tens of thousands of lives every year because of its ability to prevent or stop postpartum hemorrhage, she says. It is just so commonly used and such a fantastic medication in all of these non-abortion uses, so for it to come under attack and go under Schedule IV, it was like What do you mean?! Postpartum hemorrhage is the third-leading cause of maternal mortality. Louisiana is already one of the states with the worst maternal mortality rates in the country, with rates even worse for women of color. Even before the abortion ban, four Black mothers were dying for every white mother. Freehill says that while advocates of the reclassification amendments claim doctors can keep using the medications as they did before, this only works in theory. Since Dobbs, shes had numerous problems getting misoprostol filled for patients and had multiple instances of pharmacists telling her they would not prescribe it under any circumstances. She worries this will only get worse if the medication becomes classified as a Schedule IV drug. Any delay in a patient receiving misoprostol could be life-threatening, adds Freehill. She poses a hypothetical of a patient who is heavily bleeding attempting to fill the prescription and getting denied by a pharmacy. I may or may not get that message right away, and hopefully quickly resolve that problem, she says. Depending on how long it takes the patient to get the medication, it could result in life-threatening hemorrhage or require surgery to fix what should have been resolved with prompt, evidence-based care. Any hoops added to the process create risk. Additionally, Freehill and fellow doctors are worried that patients will be confused about the medication in general. Even if there is an exception for pregnant women who use the drugs without a prescription, Freehill notes most patients dont read the detailed intricacies of legislation. She says she has already provided care to multiple patients who, in the midst of having a miscarriage, have asked her if they are going to be investigated for their medical emergencies. Dr. Jennifer Avegno is the director of New Orleans health department. She says that mischaracterizing misoprostol and mifepristone as dangerous is bad science, and none of her colleagues or the 280 health care professionals who signed the letter have identified any case of the drugs being abused like other Schedule IV drugs like Xanax and Valium. As an emergency physician, neither I nor my colleagues have encountered cases of overdose, intoxication, or withdrawal symptoms from either drug, Avegno tells Rolling Stone. These medications do not meet the medical standard for drugs of abuse, nor are they public health hazards no public health agency has defined or identified them as such. In a state with some of the worst outcomes for maternal health, why would we want to make childbirth and pregnancy care more dangerous through bad science and inappropriate use of the law? Avegno worries about what precedent this will set. What is to stop a legislator from being able to place any medication they might like or they might have some financial reason to decrease use on the list? she says. Freehill expresses a similar concern, wondering if birth control pills or IUDs could be future targets. She also worries that if pharmacies are scared to stock the medication, it would cause a shortage. In her opinion, Pressly should pass his legislation to criminalize coerced abortions by means of fraud, without his recent additions criminalizing mifepristone and misoprostol. I feel like thats appropriate, and right now thats enough, says Freehill. We need to do a lot more research. I dont think we have to go to this next step that could affect so many thousands of women across our state in a negative way that is not intended. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) Doctors with the group OnCall4Kids, a non-partisan coalition of medical advocates championing firearm safety legislation, held a press conference Tuesday to push for further legislative action to prevent the number one cause of death for children in America gun violence. Pediatric firearm injuries continue to rise, disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities. Not only does Doctor Ashlee Jaffee treat gunshot patients, but on July 4th, 2022, she became a victim herself. Ive been hit. Get down, I screamed with uncertainty, Dr. Jaffee said. Dr. Jaffee was one of the dozens shot at the Highland Park, Illinois Fourth of July parade. Seven people were killed. The celebration had turned into a war zone as gunshots blazed overhead. Its a bullet, Dr. Jaffee said. Dozens of doctors did rounds on Capitol Hill to treat a disease they say is the number one killer of children. Its a bullet, Dr. Elliot Lieberman said. The group of doctors are calling on lawmakers to pass new gun laws that strengthen background checks and require safe storage of guns. The best way to treat a gunshot wound is to prevent it from happening, Dr. Sofia Chaudhary said. The call for action comes ahead of the two-year anniversary of the tragic mass shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Illinois Democratic Senator Dick Durbin says his party needs help to address this issue. He is calling on voters to elect people who want to pass legislation that would make it tougher to get high-powered guns. We have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, Durbin said. While speaking over the weekend to members of the NRA, former President Donald Trump said he wants to roll back the new gun laws that passed after Uvalde. And let there be no doubt: the survival of our second amendment is very much on the ballot, Trump said. The former president said he would stop any attempt to restrict gun ownership. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. Updated as of 6/20/2024 at 4:00 p.m. ET Last month, a dismembered arm washed up from Lake Michigan on the shore of Illinois. The Lake County, Michigan Coroners Office says the remains match the DNA of a Black girl whose body has been found in pieces since her disappearance. Sade Robinsons arm was found May 11 by someone walking along Waukegan Municipal Beach, the coroners office stated. The location is 50 miles from Milwaukee, where Robinson lived and was last seen. The office notified her family of the DNA test results Tuesday, per NBC. On behalf of the Lake County Coroners Office, I want to express our sincere condolences to Sades family and friends who continue to endure this tragic loss, Coroner Jennifer Banek said in a statement, via NBC. In response to the findings, family attorney Verona Swanigan said Robinsons mother, Sheena Scarbrough, feels like her heart is being cut out after every update in the investigation into her daughters murder. This latest development in the case led Scarbrough to take matters into her own hands, demanding more information as to how her daughter was found in pieces along the shores of Lake Michigan. Last month, Scarbroughs attorney informed FOX6 News she filed requests to the authorities to formally demand the truth of what happened to 19-year-old Sade Robinson. Specifically, theyre seeking answers to whether an arm that washed up on the Waukegan, Ill. side of Lake Michigan belongs to Robinson. Robinsons family told reporters authorities notified them last week of the floating remains. They wont know for sure if the arm belongs to Robinson until DNA tests are conducted. However, the attorney criticized the police investigation, saying the discovery of a body part potentially belonging to Robinson in a completely different state was entirely too much, the report says. Also, 6th Ward Alderman Keith Turner was slammed for allegedly posting a picture of the severed arm on his Facebook page. Scarbrough previously made a statement saying she wanted him to be held accountable or reprimanded. She wasnt the only one demanding accountability. Read Mayor Ann Taylors response via FOX6: Alderman Keith Turner at no time contacted the Waukegan Police command staff or anyone within Waukegan City government to ask about this incident before posting the photo of the remains on Facebook. The City did not provide Ald. Turner with the photograph, and he was never given permission to post the photo on his Facebook page. Individual Aldermen are not authorized to speak on behalf of the City, much less for the Police Department. On behalf of the City of Waukegan, I find the posting of an image of this type to be morally disgusting, socially irresponsible, and extremely cruel to the victims family. I hope all Waukeganites join me in prayer for the victim of this horrific crime and for the victims family. Previously, authorities confirmed that the other remains found on the Milwaukee side of Lake Michigan were indeed that of Robinsons. The man she was last seen with, 33-year-old Maxwell Anderson, was arrested and charged with first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and arson, per FOX 32 Chicago. Anderson needs to confess, and his parents need to come out of the shadows and get him to stand up for the truth. I want my daughters remains! Sade should not have to spend eternity lost because of Andersons evil agenda, wrote attorney Swanigan on behalf of Robinsons mother per a statement. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I had already started writing this warm and sunny column about how great it was that the U.S. attorney for Kansas, Kate Brubacher, and Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, had actually agreed to listen no promises, but just listen to some people in Kansas City, Kansas, with stories to share about police abuse and misconduct there. But now both Brubacher and Clarke have backed out of a commitment to attend, via Zoom, a 6 p.m. Tuesday night field hearing at Grandview Park Presbyterian Church organized by the faith-based social justice group Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity, MORE2. After someone in the KCKPD expressed concern to Brubacher that one of the flyers for the event was anti-police, Brubacher told MORE2 board member David Grummon that she wouldnt attend after all, and neither would Clarke, Grummon told me. One flyer said, The people vs. the KCKPD. Someone from the KCKPD brought this to Ms. Brubachers attention, and she told Grummon that as a result, neither she nor Clarke could participate. Brubacher did not answer a message asking about their withdrawal from the event. The community has been pushing for a DOJ pattern and practice investigation into the KCKPD for years, and after President Joe Biden took office, there seemed reason to hope that it might finally happen. It hasnt, of course, and any glimmer of optimism that it still could has so far been made to look naive. This is a serious blow. Theyve stomped on the hopes of people who thought somebody in a position of power might finally listen, said Cheryl Pilate, the attorney whose client Lamonte McIntyre served 23 years in prison for a double murder he did not commit because of police and prosecutorial corruption in Wyandotte County. The Justice Department needs to hear this, and they are falling down on their responsibility. Who is this too risky for? Clarkes official DOJ bio says this: Throughout her career, Clarke has focused on work that seeks to strengthen our democracy by combating discrimination faced by African Americans and other marginalized communities. Her role involves ensuring civil liberties for all Americans. All, really? If people pushing for a DOJ investigation because of their own not-good experiences with police cant say that they have had not-good experiences with police without being labeled anti-police, then I dont know what else they can do to get the government to launch an investigation, or exactly how they should be labeling the event. Sending staff members, not officials who need to listen The way they did advertise it made it too scary, in any case. Not for victims, who have bravely stepped forward despite all kinds of threats, but for the officials who are failing them. Its disappointing, Grummon said, and a little hard to swallow that this was all over the name of the event. In some ways, it doesnt surprise me, but I was just hoping for something different from the DOJ under Biden. The runways getting a little short. I do have a sense of urgency. I understand theyve devoted resources to the prosecution of Roger Golubski, the former KCKPD detective charged with conspiracy in a sex trafficking ring and with federal civil rights violations involving rape and kidnapping. But Golubski could not have done any of what he is charged with on his own during his 35 years on the force, and its not clear that the conditions that made his behavior possible are in the past now, either. Tell me one substantive change hes made, MORE2 Executive Director Lora McDonald said of current KCKPD chief Karl Oakman. Everybodys keeping their jobs here, she said, by not doing anything. Im advised theyre going to have staff from DOJ sit in on the meeting instead of Clarke, Grummon said. Instead of anyone who could actually do anything, in other words. Instead of anyone who needs to hear these accounts firsthand. The lack of respect here is stunning. Im livid, McDonald said, because everyone is more worried about themselves than about these victims, or about righting a wrong. Though its not too late to change that, Im beginning to feel foolish for even thinking that could still happen. Federal prosecutors on Monday filed a lawsuit against two anti-abortion groups and seven of their members for violating the FACE Act. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI May 21 (UPI) -- The Justice Department is suing two Christian anti-abortion organizations and seven of its members on allegations of blocking access to two northeast Ohio reproductive health clinics in June 2021. Citizens for a Pro Life Society and Red Rose Rescue are accused of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, and federal prosecutors are seeking compensatory damages, monetary penalties and injunctive relief. "Obstructing people from accessing reproductive healthcare and physically obstructing providers from offering it are unlawful," Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in a statement Monday. Federal prosecutors said the defendants prevented two Ohio reproductive healthcare facilities from providing their patients with reproductive healthcare services because of the defendants. The two-count complaint filed Monday in the Northern District of Ohio accuses the defendants of planning and participating in two coordinated Red Rose Rescue events targeting Ohio reproductive healthcare facilities -- one on June 4, 2021, and the other the next day. Federal prosecutors said the June 4 incident targeted the Northeast Ohio Women's Center in Cuyahoga Falls. The document states defendants Laura Gies and Clara McDonald gained access to the facility's waiting room via a back door at about 11:26 a.m. and lied that they were seeking reproductive healthcare. Minuets later, defendants Christopher Moscinski and Audrey Whipple entered the facility's front entrance and the four of them began handing out roses to patients in the waiting room whom they instructed to not have abortions, the document states. When the defendants refused to leave, staff escorted the patients into a secured area of the facility, prosecutors said, adding that McDonald then "forcefully grabbed a patient's body and told her not to go through with the abortion." The defendants continued to refuse to leave even after Cuyahoga Falls police arrived on the scene, with Gies proclaiming to the staff that "your paychecks are from blood money of the children you're ripping to sheds," according to federal prosecutors. "Please stop killing babies," Gies said, the complaint states. "Please stop dismembering children!" Outside the facility was defendant Monica Miller, who said in an interview posted to Facebook that their tactic was to "stall as long as possible," as in her experience no abortions are performed as long as they remain on the premises. They were arrested and physically removed from the facility by police at about noon, the complaint states, adding that Gies, McDonald, Moscinski and Whipple were convicted of trespassing on the premises in August of 2021. On June 5, 2021, Miller, Lauren Handy and Jay Smith are accused of entering the Planned Parenthood facility and forcing its closure for the day. According to the document, Handy and Miller entered the facility's private fenced-in parking lot shortly before 9 a.m. and approached patients waiting in their cars, then followed some as they exited their vehicles, trying to force roses and anti-abortion brochures into their hands. At around the same time, Smith entered the facility's full waiting room and handed out brochures to the patients, the complaint said. "When a patient asked Smith to leave the facility, Smith used physical force against the patient by pushing him with his shoulder," the complaint said. According to federal prosecutors, staff was able to move patients to a secured area of the facility and get Smith to exit into the parking lot. When police arrived, Smith allegedly told officers that he entered the facility "because they're killing babies in there." After the officers instructed the defendants to leave, Handy knelt in front of the facility's door while Miller approached patients in their cars. Miller then used her body to prevent a patient from exiting their vehicle, and Handy "sprawled her body out on the ground in front of BHSC's entrance and refused to move." Then an unnamed RRR member in a mask entered the parking lot, followed by a second unnamed RRR member. A supervisor then asked the facility's management to close the facility for the day as there was only three officers on duty, including two who had arrested Handy and Miller and were transporting them to jail. The closure affected 24 patients, nine who had scheduled surgeries and 15 with consultation appointments, the document said. According to court records, several of the defendants have been arrested before for violating the FACE Act, including Handy, who was sentenced May 14 to 57 months in prison and three years' supervised release for being involved in a blockade of a Washington, D.C., reproductive healthcare clinic. "Individuals have the right to access facilities in Ohio to make decisions about their own bodies, health and futures, in consultation with health care providers, free from force, threats of force, intimidation or physical obstruction," U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio said. "We encourage anyone with information about potential FACE Act violations to contact our office." FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A Visalia postal worker has pleaded guilty to stealing parcels he believed contained marijuana, according to the federal Department of Justice. Prosecutors say 34-year-old Nathan Vaughn Southard of Visalia pleaded guilty on Monday to theft of mail by a postal service employee. Southard was an employee at the Tulare Main Post Office. According to the Department of Justice, on Oct. 19, 2023, Southard stole a parcel from the post office because he believed it contained marijuana. He intended to sell it for a profit. Southard admitted that he had stolen parcels worth approximately $50,000 over the past seven years. Narcotics and theft offenses committed by Postal Service personnel are completely unacceptable, said U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Western Pacific Area Field Office, Deputy Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher Paige. Southard is set to be sentenced on September 9 and faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. A rendering of EnerVenue's metal-hydrogen battery called Energy Storage Vessels that Dominion will pilot. (Courtesy of Dominion). State regulators approved Dominion Energys long-term energy storage proposals last week, as Appalachian Power Company is seeking bids for a swath of renewable electricity sources, marking the advancement of renewable energy projects at Virginias two largest electric utilities. The approval for Dominion is seen as a critical next step in supplying electricity to the grid in the coming years, when renewable sources like solar and wind wont be producing electricity through storage technology that is more capable than the traditional technology more widely used today. Appalachian Power Companys request for projects comes as the utility, which primarily serves the Southwest region of the state, continues its work to transition to renewable energy sources as part of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a 2020 law that aims to decarbonize the electric grid by mid-century. Dominions approval Toward the end of last year, Dominion filed its application for approval of the three projects, one of which consists of a 5 megawatt iron-air battery and a 4 megawatt zinc-hybrid battery at the utilitys Darbytown Station in Henrico County. The other two projects consist of a 2 megawatt lithium-ion one at the utilitys training center in Chesterfield County and a 1.5 megawatt nickel-hydrogen one at Virginia State University. Altogether, the three projects would join 16 megawatts-worth of battery projects already approved under a pilot program, capped at 30 megawatts, to develop energy storage projects granted to Dominion through the 2018 Grid Transformation and Security Act, Virginias last major legislative overhaul to the electric grid prior to the VCEA. But whats different with the Darbytown and VSU projects is that they would dispatch energy for durations up to 100 hours for one and 16 for another in Henrico County, and 10 hours at the school, rather than the usual four-hour duration of lithium-ion batteries. Two of the pilots not only involve alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, but some of the new technology that will be tested could offer much longer battery discharge times, Dominion spokesperson Tim Eberly stated. Thats very important because we need to be able to store energy from solar and wind for when our customers need it the most. Regulators approved the projects after some questions from the Attorney Generals Office of Consumer Counsel, which is charged with advocating for ratepayer protections on behalf of the public. Assistant Attorney General John Farmer questioned Brandon Martin, Dominions manager of business development, during a hearing on the proposals on how the most expensive of the previously approved projects cost $26 million, and the 100-hour Darbytown one is estimated to be $70 million, despite materials for the latest projects being non-rare earth metals and sourced domestically. When you look at [a lithium-ion project], youre roughly 48 megawatt hours of [duration]. Its a four hour system, Martin said during the hearing. This is 510 megawatt hours [of duration]. So drastically different duration of a battery, and thats where your cost is drastically different. Regulators noted the projects would come with an economic impact for the state, the application stated, though specifics were not provided. The approval also came after regulators reviewed a report from the Department of Environmental Quality to implement environmental protections, such as delineating, or identifying, where wetlands are in relation to the projects. The projects would come online by 2026 in Henrico County, the third quarter of 2025 in Chesterfield and in 2027 at VSU. Reports on the effectiveness of the pilots would be due by March 31 annually. Appalachian Power Company seeking applications Appalachian Power is seeking bids for batteries and several different types of renewable energy technologies. The company has already met an 8% renewable requirement in 2023 and expects to make a 10% requirement in 2024. The first bid package Appalachian seeks is to develop 800 megawatts of wind and/or solar generation, co-located with stand alone battery sources. The utility wants to acquire projects, through a purchase and sale agreement, that are in Virginia or on an eligible site in West Virginia, in accordance with a recently passed law. Projects must be at least 50 megawatts in size for wind and solar, and 10 megawatts in size for battery storage, and be operational by the end of 2028. The second bid proposal is seeking up to 300 megawatts of solar and/or wind resources through a power purchase agreement, or PPA, a way to acquire electricity by buying it from a third party developer and then deliver it to customers without directly owning the generation facility. Environmental and ratepayer advocates have encouraged this business deal because of a lower-cost option it affords customers, rather than a utility building a new source on their own. The projects must be at least 50 megawatts in size for wind and 5 megawatts in size for solar, and also be operational by the end of 2028. The third set of bids Appalachian Power seeks are for renewable energy certificates, or RECs, that are created when one megawatt hour of electricity is generated and sent to the electric grid from that source. The REC is able to be sold from the generator to the receiver so that the company acquiring it can count it toward its renewable energy goals. Appalachian Power is allowed to acquire RECs for compliance with the VCEA. The advertised RFPs play an important role in helping us meet our clean energy commitments, said Aaron Walker, Appalachian Power president and chief operating officer, in a statement. These projects will also support local communities by generating jobs and [a] tax base. The proposals must be submitted by July 16. The utility currently owns one five megawatt solar project in Amherst, and has a PPA with five wind farms and three other solar farms, spokesperson Teresa Hall stated. Appalachian Power has a PPA contract with 10 other solar projects that are not yet in service. Two wind projects approved by the SCC but also not yet in service will be owned by Appalachian power, as well as a battery-energy storage project still needing approval from regulators. We are making steady progress with our projects, Hall said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Dominion gets approval for battery pilots, Appalachian Power seeks bids for renewable projects appeared first on Virginia Mercury. 'Don't roll your eyes': Trump defense witness gets judge's warning. What you missed on Day 19 of the hush money trial. After days of trying to dismantle Donald Trump's former fixer Michael Cohens credibility, the defense began presenting its own case, calling two witnesses that may make up the totality of its presentation. It was during a defense witness' testimony that one of the most heated exchanges of the trial erupted. As attorney Robert Costello grumbled and groused, New York state Judge Juan Merchan grew increasingly irate, asking the jury to leave so he could admonish the witness and ultimately clearing the court in Manhattan of reporters and cutting off feeds to the overflow room where the media is assembled. trump hush money trial (AP) If you dont like my ruling, you dont give me side eye, and you dont roll your eyes, Merchan said before he asked, Are you staring me down? Merchan then ordered the room cleared. Later, Trump implied Merchan had done so to hand the prosecution a break, telling reporters that the highly political and conflicted judge just did something that nobodys ever seen after Costello began to impugn his highly political motive. Nobodys ever seen anything like this, Trump added. Heres what you missed on Day 19 of Trumps hush money trial: Trump's witnesses seek to undermine Cohen The defense's efforts to discredit Cohen didn't end when he left the stand. The second witness called after a paralegal for the defense team who testified about tracking phone calls made by Cohen was Robert Costello. He is an attorney who Cohen said had offered him a back channel to Trump after federal authorities searched Cohens home, office and safety deposit box in 2018. Costello testified that Cohen told him numerous times, I swear to God, Bob, I dont have anything on Donald Trump, and that he paid Stormy Daniels "on his own. It wasn't the first time Costello had provided testimony in this case. He also testified before the grand jury that indicted Trump, at the request of Trump's defense team. His testimony at that time didn't persuade the grand jury not to indict. On the stand Monday, Costello said Cohen appeared absolutely manic after the FBI searched his home and his hotel room. Cohen last week said that he believed he was under a pressure campaign by Trump and his allies and that he was being railroaded into working with Costello, an attorney he didn't trust and who would protect Trump at his expense. Trumps lawyers had told Merchan early Monday that they weren't sure they would call Costello, but they did, and fireworks ensued as he drew repeated objections from prosecutors and ruffled Merchan's typically calm demeanor. Im not going to allow this to become a trial within a trial about a pressure campaign and how it affected Cohen, Merchan swiped at one point. Visibly irritated at the interruptions, Costello grumbled at Merchan's instructions to control his response, drawing fiery blowback from him. Credibility Trump lawyer Todd Blanche's cross-examination of Cohen sometimes seemed to meander, but on Monday he appeared to land another blow in his effort to undermine the witness's credibility. Blanche pressed Cohen about how he lied to Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg about how much was owed to a third party when Cohen felt shortchanged on his bonus. Cohen admitted giving Weisselberg the wrong number. You stole from the Trump Organization, right? Blanche said. Yes, sir, Cohen replied. Cohen said felt he was owed money after his bonus was cut by two-thirds and embittered after he went out on a limb for Trump, personally and financially. It was very upsetting, to say the least, Cohen said of the slashed bonus. Prosecutors work to restore Cohens credibility Prosecutors used their re-direct examination to try to restore some of Cohen's credibility and offer long explanations to answers he gave under Blanche's questioning. Cohen repeated his testimony about Trump's role in the hush money scheme, saying he had no doubt that he discussed the matter with him. Trump told him to work it out with Weisselberg, he said, and he reiterated that he wouldn't have paid Daniels without such an assurance. The district attorneys office tried to end it on a personal note. But the stakes for Cohen today are nowhere as close, he said, suggesting there is no need for him to lie. My life was on the line, my liberty, Cohen said, as was his wifes. Here, Im just a nonparty witness. Scheduling confusion The schedule was in tumult at times Monday. When trial proceedings wrapped last week, Merchan told the lawyers to be prepared to deliver closing arguments Tuesday. But before testimony even resumed Monday morning, the end of the trial had already been delayed by another week. Thats because it wasnt clear whether witness testimony was going to be finished by the end of the day Monday and whether there would be enough time for closing arguments, jury instructions and then deliberations to begin before the long holiday weekend. So Merchan decided to let witness testimony conclude this week and then take off for the holiday. Then, another twist was added when the defense and the prosecution argued over entering a photo from a C-SPAN video. To be able to enter the photo, the prosecution asked to bring in another witness, requesting to do so Tuesday morning. But Trumps lawyers objected, saying they had two witnesses waiting and wanted to conclude by the end of the day. Eventually, they reached an agreement. But Costello's testimony lengthened by the courtroom clearing wasn't over by the end of the day, requiring all parties to return Tuesday morning. As it looks now, Merchan and lawyers will meet Thursday to discuss jury instructions. The trial will take Friday and Monday off for Memorial Day, and closing arguments will be next week. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com President Joe Bidens campaign accused Donald Trump of echoing Nazi Germany with a video that was shared on the former presidents account on his Truth Social platform Monday. The 30-second clip imagined newspaper articles reporting on a landslide Trump 2024 election win. One referred to the creation of a unified Reich under the headline of Whats Next For America? Reich is nowadays mostly used to refer to the Third Reich description that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler gave to Germany during his despotic rule. Bidens campaign wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the video foreshadowed a second Trump term. Trump posts a new ad foreshadowing a second Trump term that says he will create a UNIFIED REICH, echoing Nazi Germany pic.twitter.com/z4ZmMSWuRH Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) May 21, 2024 In a statement shared with multiple media outlets, Trumps campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said it was not a campaign video but created by a random account and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word while Trump was attending his ongoing hush money trial in New York. The Trump accounts post of the video appeared to be removed on Tuesday morning. The presumptive GOP nominee has been accused of invoking Nazi-like rhetoric before. He has claimed undocumented immigrants are poisoning the blood of our country, reportedly praised Hitler during World War I commemorations in France and hosted Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago home. Related... A new social media post from Donald Trump has drawn flak from social media users and Joe Biden's team for containing a Nazi-related phrase. The former president was criticized for seemingly promoting Nazi rhetoric as part of his campaign toward a possible reelection to the White House. He also recently called for a termination of his hush money trial. Donald Trump's Video Post Draws Nazi Comparison MEGA Taking to his Truth Social platform, Trump shared a 30-second clip in which an unseen person is seen asking aloud, "What happens after" the billionaire mogul wins the upcoming presidential election? In the background of the clip, several shocking headlines from mocked-up newspapers came into view. However, one stood out due to its remark, which read, "Industrial strength significantly increased, driven by the creation of a unified Reich." The post quickly drew backlash on social media, as numerous individuals likened Trump's aspirations for the country to Nazism. This seemed to be because the word "Reich" is most often associated with the Third Reich, the former German state led by the Nazi regime from 1933 to 1945. However, it was unclear if that was what the former president was going for when the post was shared on his platform. Social Media Users Slam The Post As 'Un-American' And 'Despicable' MEGA Among those who criticized Trump was Joe Biden's campaign team. They warned that Trump's statements evoke echoes of Nazi Germany and hint at a concerning trajectory for a potential second term. The team posted on X(formerly Twitter), "Trump posts a new ad foreshadowing a second Trump term that says he will create a 'UNIFIED REICH,' echoing Nazi Germany." Another online user wrote, "This sickens me to my core. This is one bit of history that should never be repeated, yet here we are." Im gonna have to ask everyone who said comparing Trump to Hitler was an exaggeration to shut the fuck up now. https://t.co/KoXGYfH6zQ The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) May 21, 2024 A second person commented, "Trump's continued use of Nazi rhetoric is un-American and despicable. Yet too many Americans are brushing off the glaring red flags about what could happen if he returns to the White House. When someone shows you who they are, believe them." However, some individuals supported Trump, claiming he was not promoting Nazi sentiments. One user wrote, "That line 'unified Reich' is from a stock video called 'Newspaper Vintage History Headlines Promo' video. Bad look? Absolutely! Fair to give the Trump campaign some grief for it. But this looks like incompetence, not Nazi malice." Donald Trump's Rep Says The Footage Was 'Not A Campaign Video' MEGA While the former president has yet to comment personally on the issue, a rep has come out to clarify the situation. According to his campaign secretary, Karoline Leavitt, the footage was "not a campaign video," contrary to what many online have claimed it to be. "It was created by a random account online and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word while the President was in court," Leavitt said in a statement to AP News, seemingly confirming that Trump did not approve the post. However, experts have countered this narrative, claiming that Trump's campaign team deliberately posted the video. "While the Trump campaign often seems less-than-discerning in the choice of material they amplify through Truth Social, they're always conscious of the content. The 'mistakes' they make are conscious and deliberate," American Politics teacher Mark Shanahan told Newsweek. The Former President Is Dealing With A Criminal Trial MEGA Trump is currently embroiled in a hush money trial that has lasted several weeks already. He stands accused of paying $130,000 to former adult star Stormy Daniels in 2016 for her to keep quiet about their one-night stand during his then-presidential campaign. Daniels and several other individuals associated with Trump have taken to the stand during court sessions, revealing never-before-heard details about the matter and the possible impact it had on the former president's 2016 campaign. Donald Trump Has Called For The 'Termination' Of His Hush Money Trial MEGA As the controversial case nears its anticipated conclusion and a verdict looms, Trump has demanded its immediate "termination." "I think this case is going very well. We've asked for a termination of the case," the 77-year-old said outside of the court as the trial resumed on Monday, per The Independent. He added, "This case should be terminated. It should not be going anywhere. It should be terminated right now." I don't need to be a Supreme Court justice. But Arizona needs the system that got me here Fifty years ago, Arizona voters adopted then-state legislator Sandra Day OConnors proposed judicial merit selection system. It is one of our states crown jewels, producing judges of great integrity, quality and fairness while providing the means to vote out those who fail to meet the highest standards. But partisan special-interest groups are hijacking the retention process through a campaign against Justice Kathryn King and me called Vote Them Out! a slogan that packs with venom what it lacks in substance. How we reached that abortion law ruling Extending an effort from 2022 that led to the ouster of two highly qualified judges for purely political reasons, these groups are cynically harnessing anger over our recent abortion decision to replace us with justices who will rubber-stamp their ideological agenda. They claim the abortion decision reflected the court majoritys policy preferences rather than the law. Nonsense. Serious commentators, liberal and conservative, who actually read the decision (which I encourage voters to do), agree it is solidly grounded in law. We had before us not a question of policy, or even of constitutionality, but simply whether the Legislature in 2022, following the U.S. Supreme Courts Dobbsdecision, restored an earlier abortion restriction. After careful analysis, we concluded it did. Arizona Supreme Court is guided by the law In a poignant historical moment, my legislator wife immediately joined the effort to overturn our ruling. That caused no marital disharmony because she is a policymaker and I am not. Shortly thereafter, the Maricopa County Republican Party executive committee censured my court for ruling incorrectly, in its view, on certain election challenges. They should debate with their Vote Them Out! counterparts over whether we are a right-wing or a left-wing court. Hint: we are neither. We rule based on the law. I cannot count the number of cases in which I have voted against my policy preferences. One example is when Gov. Doug Ducey vetoed nearly two dozen conservative bills over a budget dispute with the Legislature. They were passed again, then challenged by the Arizona School Boards Association. We struck them all down because they were passed unconstitutionally as part of the budget rather than as standalone bills. Progressive groups attack a progressive reform I am the only independent ever appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court. I have dissented more than any justice in the courts history, though I have also written dozens of unanimous decisions. I am especially passionate about our state constitution and have authored opinions vindicating its speech and privacy guarantees, among others. All my opinions are published at azjustice44.com pick out a few at random and judge for yourself whether I follow the law or my policy compass. That the groups challenging us call themselves progressive is ironic given the system they are attacking was a progressive reform. The liberal Brennan Center, much of whose work I greatly admire, remarked in a brief a decade ago that Arizonas merit selection system is widely regarded as succeeding in producing excellent judges. They warned that [f]or the judiciary to operate fairly and effectively, it is imperative that judges make appropriate decisions under the law, not based on political pressure. By contrast, political pressure is what Vote Them Out! is all about. Why Arizona merit selection works so well Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick, the commission chair, talks during a Maricopa County Commission on Trial Court Appointments hearing on Feb. 13, 2023, at the Arizona Supreme Court building in Phoenix. Under merit selection, judges are nominated by bipartisan citizen commissions, appointed by the governor, regularly evaluated by a bipartisan citizen Judicial Performance Review (JPR) Commission and subject to voter retention. The process is rigorous. As I can attest from having practiced in 18 jurisdictions and chairing the Maricopa County Superior Court nominating commission, merit selection produces some of the best state judges in the nation. Once judges are appointed, the lawyers and parties who appear before them are surveyed, and JPR compiles and studies the results. Judges who perform poorly often retire or lose their retention elections. I am proud that my survey results were excellent and JPR voted unanimously in April that I meet the high standards for retention. Our system won't withstand political attacks For nearly 50 years, the system worked as intended: judges were appointed and retained on merit, not politics. Then two years ago, some of these same groups succeeded in ousting two judges who met retention standards but who they found politically objectionable. Now they are back for more. The system is not built to withstand political attacks, and judges seeking retention are at a massive disadvantage. We cannot ask people for money and funds raised on our behalf would (and should) be scrutinized. Our judicial ethics limit what we can talk about, and even prohibit us from endorsing each other. For those reasons, I will not have a campaign. By contrast, those trying to take us out have no financial limits and no ethics rules. Do we really want elections like other states? Weaponizing judicial retention will be a disaster. I recall that while litigating a case in Texas, where judges are elected, the lawyers assembled for a hearing were all discussing whether they were current in their contributions to the judge before whom we were about to appear. Is that the system we want in Arizona? Should the governor have to ask potential judicial nominees whether they can raise money for retention? Wisconsin recently had a state supreme court race in which more than $50 million was spent, much of it from out of state. Those are exactly the political toxins that merit selection was designed to prevent. I chose a career in law over politics in large part because it has rules and guardrails. I am proud that in more than 30 years as a litigator, I never once had an ethics complaint. As a judge I have never ruled on the basis of politics apparently, to my current detriment. I would rather go down in electoral flames than to compromise my constitutional oath. Arizona needs an independent judiciary The groups opposing us need a serious civics lesson about the role of the courts. Nowhere in their materials will you read about the importance of an independent judiciary in protecting our free society. Instead, they think we should decide cases based on the will of the people. Arizona judges make political rulings: Voters deserve to know How do we determine that? Commission a poll? Convene a focus group? Simply assume the Legislature always reflects the will of the people? We would never get decisions like Brown v. Board of Education or, for that matter, the Obergefelldecision protecting gay marriage if that was our mentality. As Justice OConnor put it following her retirement, the judiciary should not respond to public opinion in its individual decisions, but instead should be accountable to the public for its constitutional role of applying the law fairly and impartially. That is what the iconic image of the scales of justice is all about. Our court does a lot you don't hear about Justice OConnor warned of the danger that a retention election will be infected with issue-based politics. That is exactly what is happening, placing her precious legacy in grave jeopardy. In our state, the people have the ultimate lawmaking power, including the ability to overturn our decisions. But we cannot afford to have conscientious judges voted out for unpopular decisions. I am proud of our court for many reasons beyond our jurisprudence. Applying our regulatory authority over the legal profession, we created a new profession legal paraprofessionals who are extending low-cost legal services to many who previously could not afford them. We were the first court to heed Justice Thurgood Marshalls long-ago call to abolish peremptory jury strikes, which has led to more representative juries. I chaired a task force on no-knock warrants that led to the adoption of model national standards. If you are unaware of these important accomplishments, it is because they do not fit the media narrative and were hardly reported. It's game over if judges look over their shoulders Until recently, I was undecided whether to seek retention. After all, mandatory retirement means I am eligible to serve only three more years. But I cannot stand aside when our merit selection system is under attack. We cannot have judges looking over their shoulders to assess the political fallout of their decisions. If they do, it is game over for the rule of law. I am an unlikely judge. My dad was a welder with an eighth-grade education who died when I was 11, and I was raised by a single mom. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college and was still repaying my loans when my oldest son started college. I never aspired to being a lawyer, much less a judge on one of the finest courts in the country. I don't need this job, but Arizona needs this system That means I do not take a single moment for granted. I have paid it forward by mentoring hundreds of young women and men from high school to law school and beyond, some of whom are now themselves judges. I teach constitutional law every fall at Arizona State University. Every year I speak to dozens of student and community groups, and co-founded a mentoring group for young female professionals. My judicial assistant complains that I never say no, whether it is coffee meetings with aspiring judges, swearing-in officials and new lawyers, or performing weddings (my favorite part of the job, especially during COVID-19). Even though I love it and am honored to hold it, I do not need this job. But we do need this system. And I will do everything I can to pass it intact to future Arizonans. Clint Bolick is an Arizona Supreme Court justice. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Supreme Court could forever change if 'Vote Them Out!' works "I don't think he helped": Law professor says Trump witness may have badly backfired on defense Former federal prosecutor-turned-defense lawyer Robert Costello's testimony may have backfired on former President Donald Trump's team as the prosecution rested its case on Tuesday, a legal expert told Salon. Judge Juan Merchan sent the jury home for the week mid-day Tuesday. Jurors are set to return next Tuesday for closing arguments, with deliberations set for Wednesday, May 29. Trump is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, with prosecutors saying that audio recordings, internal business records and witness testimony prove he was scheming to kill damaging stories about alleged extramarital sex ahead of his 2016 campaign and disguising reimbursements to Cohen as legal fees all in violation of state and federal election law and state tax law. Each count carries up to four years in prison, which Trump would likely serve concurrently if convicted. Trump denies the charges, as well as the alleged sexual encounters. Trump's defense team called just two witnesses Costello, and a paralegal, with Trump opting not to speak in his defense. On Tuesday, the prosecution continued their cross-examination of Costello, who has worked as Rudy Giuliani's lawyer. Costello on Monday lambasted the credibility of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen and also received a reprimand from Merchan, who told him to stop rolling his eyes, saying "jeez" and side-eyeing the judge. John Coffee, a law professor at Columbia Law School, said Costello "greatly antagonized" Merchan. "I don't think he helped," Coffee said. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked Costello at length about his relationship with Giuliani, and whether he worked with others in Trump's camp to ensure Cohen would stay loyal following the 2018 raid at his home. According to The New York Times, Costello acknowledged that an email to Cohen talking about his support in the White House "definitely referred to President Trump." Prosecutors also asked Cohen about another email in which he described his goal in his communication with Cohen as getting him "on the right page without giving him the appearance that we are following instructions from Giuliani or the president. Another email directly used the phrase "back channel" a key part of prosecutors' argument about Costello's role. In that email, Costello told Cohen he spoke with Giuliani, who said thank you for opening this back channel of communication and asked me to keep in touch. Coffee said Costello didn't help the defense much overall as jurors weigh whether Trump played a role in the scheme to reimburse Cohen for payments to adult film star and director Stormy Daniels. Coffee called the references to back channels "harmful" to the defense. "They called Costello, but Costello basically told the jury again and again, that Trump had back channels to get information from and that's not what you want to emphasize," Coffee said. "Because the jury will say, 'Well, see? he gets everything from backchannels. He has Cohen tell somebody and somebody tells him. I'm sure that all those people told him about this.'" Costello repeatedly asked if he could provide additional "context" in response to Hoffinger's questions. Hoffinger declined, saying: "That's alright." Coffee said that's in line with court protocol. "Judges don't like witnesses to give speeches. They want a witness to answer the questions that have been asked," he said. "Costello was a cipher he didn't have the impact they wanted," he added. By Tuesday afternoon, prosecutors and the defense began hashing out the crucial wording of jury instructions. Prosecutors are elevating the falsification of business records charges to felonies because they allege Trump caused the falsification to conceal an underlying crime. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg alleged that Trump tried to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws." New Yorks election conspiracy statute says its a misdemeanor to conspire to promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means. That means prosecutors not only have to prove to jurors that Trump led to the falsification of the business records with an intent to defraud they also have to prove he had a direct role in falsifying the records. Cohen testified about a key 2017 meeting at Trump Tower where he said Trump approved the reimbursement plan. Coffee said even if the jury has misgivings about Cohen's credibility, they could rely on the prosecution's overall evidence of Trump's role as a micro-manager boss who wanted to know about financial decisions. "I think the jury kind of overall sense that there was a conspiracy of interacting people and all of them reporting up to Trump," Coffee said. "He was the boss. No one doubted who was in command. And if you believe who's in command and you wouldn't dare go behind his back that suggests the jury is is likely to attribute things to him." Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course. Coffee said the jury instructions about how to weigh Trump's involvement will be crucial. "I'm sure the defense team is going to insist that you must find that witnesses told you that he had actual knowledge and they communicated to Donald Trump that there would be this repayment system," Coffee said. "And the government is going to want that they're going to say you can find this from all the facts and circumstances, et cetera. So the most important area of the jury instructions will be: what do you have to find?" Coffee added: "Cohen did testify several times that these payments were not for legal services. But that still is not quite enough. You want to know that he was aware that the system was mischaracterizing these payments, these payments for legal services." Coffee said Trump could have "constitutional arguments and some statutory arguments on the appeal." ""The Supreme Court doesn't like the idea that anything you omit in an election campaign can be seen as an attempt to subvert or cheat in that campaign," Coffee said. Coffee said Trump could also raise questions about whether a state prosecutor can charge him for charges related to a presidential election. The Doomsday Glacier is melting fast. How sea level rise could drench the world map. More unsettling news from the bottom of the world. Scientists have uncovered evidence of "vigorous melting" at Antarcticas Thwaites Glacier, (aka the "Doomsday Glacier") according to a new study published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. And for the first time, there is visible evidence that shows warm seawater pumping underneath the glacier. The Thwaites Glacier, part of the vast West Antarctic Ice Sheet, is one of the world's fastest-changing and most unstable glaciers. At 74,000 square miles large, it's roughly the size of the state of Florida. What is the Doomsday Glacier? It's called the Doomsday Glacier because of its potential to dramatically raise sea levels in places such as Florida, and it has been studied for years as an indicator of human-caused climate change. Study results also suggest the Antarctic Ice Sheet is more vulnerable to a warming ocean than previously thought, and, worryingly, may "require a reassessment of sea-level rise projections." A 'most unstable place' Thwaites is the most unstable place in the Antarctic and contains the equivalent of 60 centimeters (2 feet) of sea-level rise," said study co-author Christine Dow of the University of Waterloo in Ontario. "The worry is that we are underestimating the speed that the glacier is changing, which would be devastating for coastal communities around the world." To conduct the study, scientists used high-resolution satellite radar data to find evidence of the intrusion of warm, high-pressure seawater many miles beneath the grounded ice of the Thwaites Glacier. Study lead author Eric Rignot of the University of California, Irvine told USA TODAY that there's much more seawater flowing into the glacier than had been previously thought. These "intrusions make the glacier more sensitive to ocean warming, and more likely to fall apart as the ocean gets warmer." Future projections of global sea-level rise will have to include this new data, Rignot said. "The projections will go up," he said. Scientists have uncovered evidence of "vigorous melting" at Antarcticas Thwaites Glacier, according to a new study published Monday. What happens if the Doomsday Glacier melts? As it melts, Thwaites could cause ocean levels to rise as much as 2 feet, researchers say. But the glacier is also a natural dam to other ice in West Antarctica. If that ice is released into the oceans, levels could rise 10 feet, researchers estimate. Such a rise would put many of the world's coastal cities underwater. According to the new study, it "will gravely impact populations in many low-lying areas like Vancouver, Florida, Bangladesh and low-lying Pacific islands, such as Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands." How many years (or centuries) will it take for the Thwaites Glacier to melt entirely? "It will take many decades, not centuries," Rignot told USA TODAY. "Part of the answer also depends on whether our climate keeps getting warmer or not which depends completely on us and how we manage the planet." The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: As Antarctica's Doomsday Glacier melts, threat of sea level rise looms CHESTER, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Gene Alexzander Scott is awaiting his fate in the 2020 Chester County double-murder trial. Hes accused of killing his grandfather Gene Rogers and great-grandmother Billie Rogers. The prosecution has been laying out its evidence since last Tuesday. The states first witness Monday morning was Scotts former friend and coworker Evan Webb. Webb says Scott proposed a job offer while he was dealing with mental health issues and financial stress after he got out of the Marine Corps in 2019. MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS CHESTER COUNTY GRANDPARENTS He eventually agreed to be Scotts alibi while he and another friend allegedly committed the murders for $10,000. The money would come from Rogerss life insurance policy payout of nearly $700,000. Webb says Scott gathered him and three other friends to their apartment and hashed out the plan to kill his grandfather. Since May 14, the prosecution has presented evidence that demonstrated all four participants were experiencing financial troubles. At least two had recently separated from the Marines. Webb testified the initial plan was to commit the crime on May 9, 2020. Webbs assignment was to stay at Scotts apartment with his phone, and the other friends phone, so it wouldnt ping off any towers and make it look like Scott was at his apartment with friends all day. At trial, Webb recalled Scotts plan on the day the killings were to happen, Driving up there he said that he was going to have a gas can, so he wouldnt have to stop at any gas stations so that no cameras would catch his car, Webb said on the witness stand. And then whenever he got there, he was going to park roughly a mile off of wherever the house was and basically just trek through the woods to get the rest of the way there, do what he was going to do and whenever he left he was going to change the tires on his car so that the tread didnt match up anymore. Scott planned to wear a weighted vest so any tracks left resembled a heavier person. Webb says he planned to take the murder weapon apart and throw it away in different places once they were done. The group tried to carry out the plot on May 9, 2020, but Webb says that Scott and the other friend were scared off by dogs barking and chasing them through the woods that night. Webb testified they went back on June 20, 2020, to try again. That day they succeeded. After the plan was foiled May 9, Webb returned home to Jacksonville, North Carolina. On June 20, he says Scott called him and asked if he was still willing to be his alibi for the plan. John Cravener, a former friend and Scotts roommate says Scott asked him if he needed work. It came after learning Cravener had separated from the Marines and was struggling mentally and financially. Prayer vigil held to honor fallen officers in York County Cravener says Scott told him the job would be working with his business as a bounty hunter and paramilitary work. Cravener moved to South Carolina with his wife and dog, and they slept on an air mattress in the living room of Scotts apartment. He also had one other roommate as well. Cravener testified Scott didnt include him in the plot because he had a wife. However, he was still in the room when the deadly plan was made. He told the jury Scott said he wanted to kill his grandfather because he wanted revenge for his grandfather killing his parents. The defendants uncle, Aaron Scott, testified Scotts mother Jessica passed away from a heroin overdose in November 2014. The family doesnt know where Scotts father is. Alex was named after Gene, if that tells you anything, Aaron Scott testified. My sister named her first child after Gene instead of our biological father. He says they treated Gene like a father, and he made them into the man he is today. Cravener says he hadnt seen or spoken to Scott after the murders. A few days later, he found Scott smoking a cigarette on the balcony. Just casual conversation like, Did you do it? Did you kill your grandparents? Cravener said. And he said yes after pulling my shirt aside and checking me for a wire and then told me never to ask again. Cravener says from that day on, he never told anyone about the plan, even his wife. Authorities called Cravener looking for information, and Cravener testified that he lied to investigators at least twice, saying at the time he was worried about the well-being of his wife. Once investigators detailed the severity of the case, he requested full immunity in exchange for the truth. A South Carolina Law Enforcement Division forensics agent testified that three weapons were examined, but none came back as being the weapon used during the alleged crime. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. The Dover Area School Board heard public comment Tuesday, May 21 on a proposed policy developed by a Harrisburg-based religious law firm that would also address a lawsuit brought by another religious law firm earlier this month. The school district contracted in February with the Independence Law Center on a pro bono basis to review policies on student records, athletics and privacy, two months before a parent filed a lawsuit against the district over its ad hoc policy on student names and pronouns. The attorneys representing the parent in that case are from the Child & Parental Rights Campaign, a Georgia-based law firm that has played a prominent role in the parental rights movement nationally and seems at the very least politically aligned with the firm now guiding Dovers policy. Recent lawsuit between Dover and ILC The lawsuit filed in federal court on April 3, 2024, alleges the district violated the parents parental rights and religious beliefs, including that the natural created order regarding human sexual identity cannot be changed, when the district used a different name and gendered pronouns at one of her childrens requests without parental consent. The student, referred to as O.G. in the lawsuit, asked Dover faculty to refer to them as Caleb starting sometime in the 2021-2022 school year. In August 2022, the mother first learned the child was being affirmed as a boy at school by district staff after her son, then a student at Dover Area School District, was asked by a staff member, How is your brother doing?" The mother, represented by attorney Andrea Shaw, in addition to Ernest Trakas, Mary Elizabeth McAlister and Vernadette Ramirez Broyles on behalf of the Child & Parental Rights Campaign in Johns Creek, Georgia, sent a text message to the middle school principal, saying her child was to be addressed as a female. "There is NO room for discussion about this matter," the complaint read. Dover sued over 'ad hoc' pronoun policy: Dover Middle School parent sues district for using male pronouns to refer to her child Nearly two weeks later, the mother met with Hufnagel and other district personnel, where it was confirmed that during the 2021-2022 school year district staff had in fact affirmed the student as a boy and used a different name and male pronouns. Currently, the district doesnt have an official policy regarding transgender students and social transitioning; however, mental health organizations such as the American Psychological Association and the American School Counselors Association recommend only informing parents of a childs gender identity, sexual orientation and similar details if the child gives consent. The lawsuit is seeking an injunction preventing the school district from following what CRPC described as an internal directive and requiring parental consent and notification if a child appeared to be questioning their gender identity. Coincidentally, a policy on student records drafted by ILC was listed under discussion items at the school boards planning meeting last week. While there was no discussion among the board members in attendance board member Terry Emig was absent board President David Conley said the agenda items at that work session appear in this weeks meeting agenda. ILC expands through central PA: Religious firm known for anti-trans policies has foothold in 40% of York school districts The draft records policy is almost identical to one the ILC drafted in Beaver Countys South Side Area School District in February requiring parental consent before staff could use a students desired name or pronouns. When the policy comes for a vote, Dover officials will not just be voting on a new policy, but a new policy that could quash a lawsuit before it goes much further. Harrisburg attorney Joy Ramsingh, who specializes in government transparency issues, says the timing of the case, the policy vote and the fact the two law firms share more than a few political views should raise concerns for residents. Its important for the Districts board to understand that ILC, who seems to be aligned with CPRC, is now in a position to solve the problem that CPRCs lawsuit has created for the District, Ramsingh said. Its important for taxpayers to understand that outside forces may be influencing the policies of the Board. Ties between ILC and CRPC Theres no evidence to suggest the ILC and CPRC are working together to pass any particular policy through the Dover school district, but the two firms arent entirely disconnected either. As with other districts where ILC has worked, the policies suggested by the firm tend to be updated copies of policies theyve used in other districts. Dover is also poised to vote on an athletics policy adding sex-based distinctions to sports teams similar to one proposed in South Side. Similar versions of that athletics policy have been adopted or considered by several school districts in Pennsylvania, including in Penncrest School District, Crawford County; the Pennridge School and Central Bucks school districts in Bucks County; and Hempfield School District, Lancaster County. ILC policies across PA in 2023: Libraries to locker rooms: How a religious law firm is changing PA school policies Since the group was founded in 2019, CPRC has filed several similar lawsuits to the one against Dover, where parents argue their religious beliefs and constitutional rights have been violated when they were not notified that their children expressed confusion over their gender identities. The firm was founded to respond to a radical new ideology that was endangering children and threatening parents' rights to direct the upbringing of their children, according to the groups website. Children are being led to believe a powerful untruth about their bodies that they could be born in the wrong body, the website adds. One of CRPCs most notable cases is when it represented parents of children enrolled in the Leon County School District in Florida in 2021. The Leon County lawsuit helped state lawmakers crafting the Parental Rights in Education Bill, a bill that would more commonly be referred to as the Dont Say Gay Bill that prohibits Florida teachers from discussing gender and sexuality in public schools. Politico reported in 2022 that, while lawmakers denied suggestions that outside groups worked on the bill, CPRC founder Vernadette Broyles said her group helped tighten the language of the bill. CPRC also sued the Ludlow Public School District in Massachusetts in 2022 in a similar suit to the the ones in Leon County and in Dover. One noteworthy addition to that case, however, was that the initial complaint filed included the CRPC and the Massachusetts Family Institute. This embedded content is not available in your region. The Massachusetts Family Institute has described itself as a "sister organization" to the Pennsylvnia Family Institute, the parent organization of the ILC. Both the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania institutes appear to be part of the Family Research Council, a national biblical world view advocacy group thats also designated an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Family Research Council lists on its website the names of 36 state Family Policy Councils, or FPCs, that share common beliefs and accomplish at the state level what Family Research Council does at the national level - shape public debate and formulate public policy. Broyles was a guest on the Family Research Councils Washington Watch program in February discussing the erosion of parental rights in several cases and one she was about to file. While PA Family has maintained previously it has no affiliation with the national Family Research Council, the group in a 2011 post on www.patownhall.com, identified itself as a "sister organization" of the national organization. Broyles and PA Family Institute member Judge Cheryl Allen also spoke on separate nights during of an event hosted by the Christian Families Against Destructive Decisions national conference in 2023. One final connection between the CRPC and the ILC: Broyles is Facebook friends with Jeremey Samek, ILC senior counsel and often the author of the policies that ILC provides to school districts. A screen capture of Vernadette Broyles' Facebook profile shows Jeremy Samek, senior counsel of the Independence Law Center, included on her friends list. Image captured May 20, 2024. A possible remedy While all of these connections might not rise to an outright conflict of interest, Ramsingh said the apparent ties between the two are at the very least worth reporting on and some pointed questions from concerned citizens. In Pennsylvania, citizens have a platform of public comment at board meetings, where they can ask their elected officials for clarity on how these firms are influencing policy, whether a new policy is truly in the best interest of the local community, Ramsingh said. I would advise any citizen who is concerned about outside influence or conflicts of interest to take their concerns directly to their local board, which they have the right to do. The boards next meeting is May 21, at 7 p.m. in the Board Meeting Room on the first floor of the Dover Area School District Administrative Office Building, located at 101 Edgeway Road. Chris Ullery is the Philadelphia Hub Data Reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at cullery@couriertimes.com or find him on Twitter at @ulleryatinell. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Firm suing Dover over policy may have ties to firm writing new rules A group of House Democrats on Tuesday called on Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from all future cases related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol or the 2020 presidential election. In a letter addressed to the conservative justice, 45 Democrats pointed to recent New York Times reporting of a photograph taken less than two weeks after the Capitol attack in 2021 that showed an upside-down American flag on display outside Alitos home. At the time, this symbol was closely associated with the Stop the Steal movement, which tried to prevent the transfer of presidential power based on false claims of election fraud. Alito has said he had nothing to do with the upside-down flag and that his wife hung it amid a spat with neighbors. Your own public statement attempts to pass responsibility to your wife, but you nonetheless acknowledge that it was a political statement in support of Donald Trumps effort to overturn the 2020 election, they wrote in the letter. Even if you had no involvement in the display yourself, the fact of such a political statement at your home creates, at minimum, the appearance of improper political bias, they added. The letter, led by Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), specifically calls for Alito to recuse himself from the upcoming decision involving whether former President Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for his actions related to the 2020 election and another decision related to the Jan. 6 rioters. It also follows a previous request from Democrats for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to recuse himself from Jan. 6-related cases because of his wifes involvement in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential results. He has refused to do so. Sadly, you are now the second justice who has demonstrated at least an appearance of a conflict of interest related to the events surrounding the January 6 insurrection, the members wrote. They added that Thomass wife, Ginni Thomas, attended the Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally and was actively strategizing with Trump allies about how to overturn the election results, which the Democrats said is precisely the same underlying conduct in both of the upcoming cases. Although Justice Thomas seemingly acknowledged this conflict of interest by recusing himself from the Courts case related to Trump attorney John Eastman, he has shockingly refused to recuse himself from Trump and Fischer, they added. The Hill has reached out to the Supreme Court for a response to the letter. News that the flag hung outside Alitos home in the days surrounding the Jan. 6 attack has spurred mounting criticism among Senate Democrats, who have similarly called on Alito to recuse himself from the upcoming cases. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. WASHINGTON Dozens of pro bono partners, legal counselors and chairs at top law firms and national organizations are backing President Joe Bidens court pick Adeel Mangi and warning that senators are damaging the legal profession itself with their poor treatment of Mangi in his confirmation process. We are gravely concerned about the attacks on Mr. Mangi, reads a letter delivered Friday to Senate party leaders, signed by 49 pro bono attorneys from around the country. However, our main concern is that while these attacks are on Mr. Mangi, they have wide-ranging impact: they serve to demonize, vilify, and ultimately discourage pro bono service by the legal profession. Biden last year tapped Mangi, a veteran civil litigator in New Jersey, for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit. He checks all the boxes for a solid judicial candidate. He was unanimously rated as well qualified by the American Bar Association. Hes been hailed for his legal and pro bono work by groups ranging from the AFL-CIO to the Coalition of the Underrepresented Law Enforcement Associations to more than a dozen Jewish groups. Mangi also happens to be Muslim and, if confirmed, he would be the first Muslim U.S. appeals court judge in the country. His confirmation would also tip the ideological balance of the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals, giving it an even mix of Democrat- and GOP-appointed judges. Chalk it up to plain old Islamophobia or a willingness by the GOP to do whatever it takes to prevent Democrats from balancing out that court, but Mangi has become the target of one of the ugliest smear campaigns against a federal judicial nominee in recent history. Republican senators and dark money groups spent months baselessly trying to cast Mangi as an antisemitic terrorist sympathizer. When those attempts didnt seem to be working prominent Jewish organizations lined up in defense of Mangi the GOP pivoted to a new line of attack, now groundlessly trying to paint Mangi as someone who supports cop killers. Adeel Mangi testifies during his Senate confirmation hearing on Dec. 13, 2023. During the hearing, GOP Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Tom Cotton (Ark.) and Josh Hawley (Mo.) demanded that Mangi share his personal views on the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Oct. 7 attack in Israel and the Israeli-Hamas conflict in general. C-SPAN The attacks on Mangi are tied to his pro bono work with two groups: Rutgers Law Schools Center for Security, Race and Rights, and a New York City nonprofit called the Alliance of Families for Justice, which provides counseling to family members of people who have been incarcerated. In bothcases, the GOP has been attempting to tie Mangi to extreme views held by other people linked to those groups, but to whom he has no direct connection. In their Friday letter to Senate leaders, the pro bono attorneys warned of unintended consequences of some senators attacks on Mangi. They serve to disincentivize law firm lawyers from pursuing pro bono work or volunteer service, which could be seen as hindering future opportunities, including nomination to the federal judiciary, reads their letter. The attacks on Mr. Mangis service tell attorneys they must choose between either serving their communities through pro bono work or pursuing judicial nominations, when in fact, our judiciary is made richer when composed of judges with histories of meaningful pro bono service. Catherine Weiss, one of the signatories to the letter, told HuffPost that the attorneys sent it because they were concerned that people didnt realize the damage that certain senators are doing to the cause of pro bono service. Many of Mr. Mangis advocacy efforts stemmed from laudable pro bono practice, similar to that in many large law firms, said Weiss, a partner and chair of the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest at Lowenstein Sandler LLP. Pillorying Mr. Mangi for these efforts threatens to discourage lawyers in private practice from engaging in the civil rights cases and other pro bono work that assists thousands of clients in accessing justice every year. Heres a copy of the attorneys letter: Adeel Mangi letter from pro bono attorneys by jen_bendery on Scribd This embedded content is not available in your region. Lawrence Lustberg, another signatory, told HuffPost that discouraging lawyers from giving back to their communities has the net effect of preventing already disadvantaged people from obtaining competent representation. Many times, these cases involve representation of those who are least popular in society, in very controversial matters, said Lustberg, the director of the John J. Gibbons Fellowship in Public Interest & Constitutional Law at the firm Gibbons P.C. Those who take on those kinds of cases should not have to face the kind of criticism and obloquy that Mr. Mangi has faced for cases that demonstrated his commitment to pro bono work and is much more appropriately viewed as a truly selfless credit to our profession. For the moment, Mangis nomination is hanging by a thread. Democrats hold a razor-thin majority in the Senate, and three have already said that they wont vote for Mangi. Thats enough to tank his nomination, in the event that the chamber votes when all senators are present. Nevada Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen straight-up caved to the pressure of the GOPs attacks. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), meanwhile, said that he wont support Mangi without at least one Republican also supporting him. But the White House hasnt rescinded Mangis nomination, and the Democratic senator who recommended him to the White House in the first place, Cory Booker of New Jersey, is vowing to keep fighting for him. One of the sadder chapters of my time in the Senate, Booker told HuffPost earlier this month when asked for any updates on Mangis nomination. Asked Monday about any plans for a potential confirmation vote for Mangi, a spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said only, Nothing new to report, unfortunately. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will be increasing their enforcement efforts during the Memorial Day Weekend, encouraging safe driving. In the same data pool, over 1,360 individuals were not wearing a seat belt or had children not having their restraints. One hundred fifty Individuals were arrested for driving while intoxicated. DPS will be conducting its Click It or Ticket and its Crash Awareness Reduction Effort (CARE) campaigns from Monday, May 20 through Memorial Day, May 27. Memorial Day weekend is commonly recognized as the unofficial kickoff to summer, and it is important for drivers to remember that our roads will be a busier than usual. To keep yourself and your loved ones safe, DPS asks that motorists take a little extra time when driving, obey traffic laws and be mindful of others when sharing the road. When we remember to buckle up, be courteous of others and follow the traffic laws in place to keep drivers safe, Memorial Day and every day is safer for everyone in Texas, DPS Director Steven McCraw said. During the 2023 Memorial Day campaign, troopers issued more than 37,820 citations and warnings, including 13,920 for speeding; 1,547 for no insurance; and more than 890 for individuals without seat belts or child seat restraints. DPS also arrested 150 people on DWI charges, 129 fugitives and 316 people for other felony charges. DPS is asking drivers to follow these safety tips: Dont drink and drive. Make alternative plans if you are considering drinking alcohol. Move over or slow down for police, fire, first responders, Texas Department of Transportation vehicles and tow trucks. Buckle up everyone in the vehicle. Slow down, especially in bad weather, heavy traffic, unfamiliar areas or construction zones. Eliminate distractions while driving, including the use of phones. Drive defensively Use the left lane for passing only. Dont cut in front of large trucks and try not to brake quickly in front of them. Steer It, Clear It: if you are involved in a non-injury crash and your vehicle can be moved, clear the traffic lanes to minimize traffic. Keep the Texas Roadside Assistance number stored, it can also be found in the back of a Texas Drivers License. Check your vehicle to make sure its properly maintained and make sure your cargo is secure. Report road hazards or anything suspicious. Monitor weather and road conditions wherever you are traveling. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) A driver crashed into a power pole Tuesday morning in Fresno County, according to the California Highway Patrol. The crash happened around 6 a.m. near American and Bethel avenues near Del Rey. A solo driver was treated at the scene and their condition is unknown. The crash did cause a power outage in the area, and sparked a grass fire. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. The Columbus City Council is providing a "lifeline" to the only domestic violence-focused shelter in Franklin County by following through with the second installment of a $1 million donation it announced last fall. The city's donation is helping fill the void of a precipitous drop in federal funding for domestic violence shelters and other support agencies assisting crime victims, said Rachel Lustig, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services in Columbus, which operates the CHOICES for Victims of Domestic Violence program. Instances of domestic violence "are happening more and more as our community grows, as we're experiencing heightened instances of domestic violence, and violence in general," Lustig told the City Council at a meeting Monday evening. . . CHOICES has tripled in size in the last six years, to keep up with demand, and to provide a trauma-informed and effective solution to people who are fleeing violence." Rachel Lustig, president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services Just last week, the "daily census" of people at the shelter, a snapshot of demand on a given day, hit 160, of which about 60% were children, Lustig said. Lustig told The Dispatch outside the meeting that while its operation has grown substantially, federal funding through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) has plummeted. The federal money, which is distributed by states to local agencies that assist crime victims, has been cut from 19% of the shelter's budget revenue to just 2% of total revenue, she said. Funding for the total federal victim-service grants is projected to be $700 million lower this fiscal year than in fiscal year 2023 a 41% decrease, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced in February, citing federal figures. "Without prompt action by Congress, many victim-service programs nationwide may be forced to close," Yost's office said, joining a bipartisan group of 40 other state attorneys general that urged the U.S. House and Senate to provide short-term funding to keep programs running. The VOCA Fund gets its revenues not from tax money, but from judgments and settlements in federal criminal court cases. According to the National Criminal Justice Association, those judgments have dropped "due mainly to a steady drop in federal white collar crime prosecutions." Such white-collar fines peaked in 2011, before steadily plunging to a record low in January 2019, the association said. "Even if the Biden Justice Department eventually files more white collar crime cases than did the Trump administration did, many prosecutions take years to develop and even longer to produce final convictions or settlements," the association said in a 2023 statement. In 2023, Yost's office said that VOCA funds went to 326 agencies statewide "domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, child advocacy centers and more" helping over 321,000 Ohioans. The Dispatch reported in November 2022 that not only had the number of domestic violence victims in Franklin County being sheltered gone up, but their average stay had increased from 53 days in 2021 to 117 days in 2022, forcing the shelter to convert common areas and offices into living spaces for families. Officials attributed the increased stay to a lack of available affordable housing. In other words, they have nowhere to go. The second $500,000 installment approved by City Council on Monday will fund CHOICES through the end of December. After that, the budget becomes uncertain again, Lustig said. "We are doing everything that we can to sustain this work in our community," including building capacity to bill Medicaid for services, said Lustig, who took over as president and CEO of Lutheran Social Services a year ago this month. "But there will still be a gap to keep up with this growth." In other business Monday, the City Council: Made a $75,000 emergency contribution to the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging to support senior housing stabilization efforts, which have spiked due to residents of major apartment complexes suddenly being given vacate notices by their owners. The focus is keeping older adults out of a shelter, as well as prevention, to keep from reaching a housing-affordability crisis. The funding supports Columbus residents 50 and older by providing limited rental assistance due to a hardship. The agency is assisting older residents in two recent mass-evictions, Peak Property Group's nine-building complex north of Ohio State University and Sandridge Apartments on the Northeast Side. Provided $974,250 in funding for Early Start Columbus, the pre-K initiative that collaborates with Columbus City Schools and community-based preschool providers to allow more children to improve their literacy, language, and math skills. wbush@gannett.com @ReporterBush This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: CHOICES domestic violence shelter gets aid from Columbus City Council Drowning in Southeast Kansas claims life of Coffeyville graduate LABETTE COUNTY, Kan. A teenager is dead after drowning in a Southeast Kansas lake. The incident happened on Saturday at Big Hill Lake in Labette County. The superintendent of Coffeyville Public Schools shared a GoFundMe page, for the victim, Alonzo Juan Juan, 17, from Guatemala. Other news agencies are also reporting the teen died at the lake just a few hours after graduating from Field Kindley Memorial High School in Coffeyville. The GoFundMe has been established to cover costs for returning his body to his parents in Guatemala. You can access it, by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. EYEWITNESS NEWS (WBRE/WYOU) State police announced DUI checkpoints will be placed across various roadways in Pennsylvania for Memorial Day weekend. According to Pennsylvania State Police, sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols aim to deter drinking and driving. Police say they are operating with a zero-tolerance enforcement policy. Police say checkpoints and roving patrols will be placed on roadways for Memorial Day weekend from May 24-27 that are experiencing high rates of DUI-related traffic violations and DUI-related crashes. 91 arrested for DUI in Luzerne County The counties participating in the DUI checkpoints are as follows: Snyder County Lycoming County Monroe County Luzerne County PSP did not give details on the areas where the patrols will be conducted. State police encourage those who are out during the weekend and choose to consume alcohol to not drive a car. Officials warn drivers Pennsylvanias DUI laws issue a legal limit of .08% blood alcohol concentration (BAC). DUI offenses can range from a $300 fine with six months of probation, all the way up to fines of $5,000 with prison sentences of up to 5 years. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, the longtime advocate of Virginia inmate Vince Gilmer (no relation) who is expected to be released from prison later this week, poses outside an Asheville, N.C., restaurant on April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Sarah Rankin) RICHMOND, Va. (AP) On paper, Vince Gilmer was granted freedom more than two years ago. Later this week, he may actually leave prison. The former small-town North Carolina doctor and convicted murderer whose medical mystery captured widespread attention after being documented in a popular radio program and a book, was conditionally pardoned in January 2022. But because of the strict terms attached to the pardon and what his advocates describe as delay or indifference from government officials and health care institutions, he's remained behind bars in a southwest Virginia prison as his health deteriorated. Gilmer, 61, has Huntington's disease, a rare, devastating and incurable disorder that attacks the brain and affects patients' cognition and physical abilities. His diagnosis unraveled after his conviction by the physician who took over his practice and oddly enough shares his last name was the basis of the pardon, which was granted after many years of advocacy. Vince Gilmer admitted to killing his father, whom he accused at trial of committing horrific acts of sexual abuse against him as a child, and he received a life sentence. Though no one claims Gilmer is innocent, his supporters argue that the outcome of his 2005 trial, where he insisted on representing himself and jurors rejected his insanity defense, would likely have been different if he had been properly diagnosed at the time. They argued that mercy, in the form of admission to a treatment center, was the more appropriate outcome. With the help of a North Carolina lawmaker, Gilmer's medical practice successor and now advocate and legal guardian, Dr. Benjamin Gilmer, has found a hospital willing to accept Vince Gilmer as a long-term patient, in line with the pardon terms. He received confirmation from Virginia officials that Vince Gilmer will be released Thursday, he said in an interview. Its such a beautiful moment. But at the same time, were all stressed and anxious because, you know, you never know what could happen in between ... the door to the prison, Benjamin Gilmer said. The Virginia Department of Corrections did not directly address a question about when Gilmer would be released but confirmed in a written statement that it was working through logistics to establish a release date as soon as possible. Benjamin Gilmer, who granted a series of interviews to discuss the case, recently visited the Marion Correctional Treatment Center where Vince Gilmer is in custody, to share the news. The two men are not related. He had a moment of joy and expressed that as best he could. But it was a little anti-climactic in a way because hes in such bad shape, Benjamin Gilmer said. Vince Gilmer is in the terminal phases of his illness, confined to a wheelchair and fairly close to being bedbound, struggling to eat, losing his cognitive abilities and at high risk for aspiration pneumonia, Benjamin Gilmer said. The hospital setting will provide more robust treatment and allow Vince Gilmer to experience a little bit of life and dignity, including more regular visits from his mother, said Benjamin Gilmer, who has arranged secure transportation for the transfer. I'm praying I can get there and just hold him again, said Vince Gilmer's 80-year-old mother, Gloria Hitt. Benjamin Gilmer wrote in his book, The Other Dr. Gilmer, that he became fascinated with Vince Gilmer's case after he joined the family medicine clinic just outside of Asheville, where Vince Gilmer used to work. Patients and former colleagues described Vince Gilmer as a beloved community member and dedicated clinician who made house calls, remembered birthdays and cared for patients regardless of their ability to pay. Benjamin Gilmer eventually wrote to Vince Gilmer and began the effort to try to square his reputation with the horrific crime for which he'd been convicted. His quest was documented by journalist Sarah Koenig, later the host of the wildly popular podcast Serial, on an episode of This American Life" titled Dr. Gilmer and Mr. Hyde. Vince Gilmer's father, Dalton Gilmer, was found dead in southwest Virginia near the North Carolina border in 2004, shortly after Vince Gilmer checked him out of a psychiatric hospital. He had been strangled and his fingers were severed. Vince Gilmer claimed at trial that his father made a sexual advance toward him and he snapped at a time when he was also hearing voices, the Richmond Times-Dispatch previously reported, citing trial transcripts. Two prosecutors involved in the trial could not be reached for comment. The judge who presided over it said through a spokeswoman at the firm where he now works that he is unable to comment on prior cases. Benjamin Gilmer's sleuthing eventually led to a Huntington's diagnosis confirmed by lab work. He began to connect with lawyers and other advocates who would assemble a strategy to free Vince Gilmer from prison by pursuing a clemency petition. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, denied the request. Then Gov. Ralph Northam, his Democratic successor, did too. But Northam, a physician, reconsidered and issued a conditional pardon on one of his final days in office. The terms said Vince Gilmer had to be accepted to a medical or psychiatric facility, remain on probation and parole as directed by the Virginia Parole Board and provide his own secure transportation. Efforts got underway to find Vince Gilmer a placement. Benjamin Gilmer wrote that he unsuccessfully petitioned every Virginia public mental health hospital, as well as appropriate public mental health facilities in North Carolina, but they required that Vince first be in a Virginia hospital for a state-to-state transfer. Vince was stuck in a bizarre no-man's-land, he wrote. Nobody cares that they have a man dying in their prison, Benjamin Gilmer said in an interview before hed received confirmation of a release date, adding that many private facilities were also reluctant to take in a convicted murderer. Efforts by North Carolina state Sen. Julie Mayfield led to a breakthrough. Mayfield said in an interview she found a western North Carolina hospital that by mid-2023 had agreed to take Vince Gilmer. If all goes according to plan, a welcome brigade along with a film crew working on a documentary about Vince Gilmer's story plans to meet him Thursday in Marion, with a special meal in hand: a Coke, Twinkies and a Whopper. Benjamin Gilmer said his advocacy for Vince Gilmer, which has now stretched over a decade, has convinced him that the United States incarcerates far too many mentally ill individuals in a way that's not compatible with ethics or humanity or the Hippocratic oath. We haven't had any trust in the Virginia carceral system over the years," he said. We're not going to celebrate until Thursday. A rendering shows a street proposed in Imagine East Bank, a draft plan by the Metro Nashville Planning Department released on Aug. 22, 2022, that envisions what a redeveloped neighborhood around the Titans stadium could look like. Driving from one end of Nashville's East Bank to the other currently means navigating a disjointed network of streets around parking lots and industrial properties. A north-south trip requires five turns, according to a vision plan adopted in October 2022. The approximately 550-acre strip of prime land lining the Cumberland River is today cut in half by the concrete wall of the James Robertson Parkway Bridge. Interstate 24 divides the East Bank from the more walkable streets of East Nashville. Plans to redevelop the underused area into Nashville's newest neighborhood focus heavily on transportation of all types: an improved vehicle grid, dedicated lanes for public transit, pedestrian corridors and bicycle lanes to name a few. A 2-acre plot of city-owned land is slated to become a hub for WeGo bus service, topped by 300 units of affordable housing. A main boulevard running parallel to the river would include extra-wide sidewalks, bus lanes and lanes for slow-moving vehicle traffic, according to the Imagine East Bank Vision Plan. The "blank slate" nature of the city's East Bank holdings offers unprecedented planning control, something Metro Planning Director Lucy Kempf celebrates. "Future transit" was one of the pillars around which the planning department made core decisions for the land's redesign, a process that took two years. "The way we've thought about the East Bank is that it is a major lynchpin to a number of different existing networks that need to be served, so I would say, firmly, that transit readiness was at the very front of our thinking in developing the plan," Kempf said. With a new Tennessee Titans stadium under construction and a public-private partnership in place with The Fallon Company to develop an initial 30 acres of city-owned land, a handful of factors and their timing will impact how transportation takes shape over the coming decades: The city's ability to acquire land it needs to build the north-to-south arterial boulevard Working with the state to bring the James Robertson Parkway Bridge to street level The removal of the current Nissan Stadium The relocation of the Juvenile Justice Center (planning for a new facility is underway) Exploring a reroute of CSX freight tracks A new grid for more than cars East Bank transportation plans include a wide multimodal boulevard, an extension of the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge and multiple projects designed to make the area more friendly to pedestrians and cyclists. East Bank boulevard The north-south boulevard is currently designed to be about 110 feet in width, featuring extra-wide sidewalks, vehicle lanes with a 25 mph speed limit and lanes dedicated to frequent bus service. "The boulevard has to be, first and foremost, a public place for people," Kempf said. Second Street, which will run parallel to the boulevard, will prioritize pedestrians and cyclists with protected bike lanes and sidewalks, as will Waterside Drive near the riverfront. A pedestrian- and cyclist-exclusive East Bank greenway will connect to Shelby Bottoms Greenway, River North and Frederick Douglass and McFerrin parks in East Nashville. The Fallon Company will develop the first portion of the East Bank boulevard: a quarter-mile stretch from Korean Veterans Boulevard to Victory Avenue. The segment could be complete by 2030, but the timeline for the remainder of the corridor remains fuzzy. The current Nissan Stadium, which will be razed soon after the new stadium opens in 2027, lies directly in the boulevard's path. The James Robertson Parkway Bridge will need to be lowered before boulevard construction can continue north. The city also needs to acquire several parcels of land to create the boulevard, an effort that has been underway since at least 2022. Land earmarked for the boulevard is the subject of a pending lawsuit filed by a developer claiming the city purposefully held up its permits to prevent building on that land. The Music City Mile An extension of the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge will connect Nashville's downtown to a plaza area abutting the new Nissan Stadium, with connections to a new Tennessee Performing Arts Center and street-level green space along the way. The "linear park," called the "Music City Mile" due to its one-mile distance between the west bank of the Cumberland River and the stadium, will feature retail along its edges. The pedestrian bridge will continue to be accessible to pedestrians and cyclists during construction, and no private event will completely shut down the bridge in the future, according to Metro Chief Development Officer Bob Mendes. Fallon President Brian Awe said the development firm's goal is to ensure the Music City Mile "is an inviting space that feels open and accessible for everybody." The pedestrian bridge extension will also serve as a key access point for patrons of TPAC and the new Nissan Stadium, offsetting the removal of about 3,700 parking spaces as the stadium's current lots are used for construction staging or put to other uses. How East Bank plans fit into proposed transit tax vote Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell's "Choose How You Move" transportation plan, which will be on the ballot in November, includes upgrades that touch the East Bank. Under the plan, the East Bank transit center would be one of 12 new hubs throughout the city. Along with WeGo Central and a new hub in South Broadway, the East Bank transit center would round out a trio of key transit connections in Nashville's downtown core. The proposal would upgrade 54 miles of Nashville's most traveled streets into "all-access corridors" that support high-frequency transit, smarter traffic signals and improved pedestrian infrastructure. Many of those corridors, which reach throughout the county, would connect to the East Bank: Gallatin Pike corridor: East Bank to Rivergate Walmart Dickerson Pike/East Bank corridor: Nissan Stadium to Skyline Walmart Downtown-East Bank: SoBro to East Bank Downtown-James Robertson: Elizabeth Duff Transit Center (WeGo Central) to East Bank If voters approve the plan (and the half-cent sales tax increase to pay for it) on Nov. 5, improvements to the Gallatin Pike corridor would begin immediately, with Downtown corridors connecting to the East Bank beginning construction around 2029 and upgrades to Dickerson Pike concluding around 2036, according to plan projections. O'Connell has described the referendum as a way to speed up the implementation of already-mapped concepts from a decade of city studies and plans. The half-cent sales tax increase, a dedicated funding source for transit improvements, would open greater opportunities for Nashville to receive federal grant funding to offset infrastructure costs, he said. Kempf said plans for the East Bank were in place long before plans for a referendum solidified. "What we want to do is make sure that we have the right urban design framework that can support the livability of the city, and all of those decisions about streets and sidewalks ... are so important in whatever neighborhood we're working in," she said. The Titans are also interested in the East Bank's transportation future, including potential transit opportunities. "We are certainly supportive of the city's efforts to expand transit, and we will be at the ready to help them identify how those specific plans can ultimately get people from around the city to and from the stadium for events and other things that happen around the stadium," Titans President and CEO Burke Nihill said. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville's East Bank: Why rethinking transit of all kinds will be key Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) is honoring six staff and faculty members with special awards. The Emeritus Awards were launched in 2015 and recognize retired and retiring employees for their dedicated service. Employees must have worked for EICC for at least 15 years and made significant contributions to the college and their profession to be considered for the award. Nominations are made by peers and supported with letters from colleagues, supervisors, students and members of the community. The nominations are reviewed by a selection committee which recommends recipients to the Chancellor. The award is bestowed by the EICC Board of Trustees. We celebrate this years Emeritus recipients who have not only excelled in their respective roles but have truly embodied the Professional Standards and Core Values of our college, said Robert H. Gallagher, Board of Trustees President. Their dedication and contributions have significantly enhanced our identity as The Communitys College, and we are grateful for their service. These staff members have been honored with the 2024 2024 Emeritus Awards: (left to right): Lisa Wiegel, Suteesh Tandon, Tina Solheim, Julie Aye, Honey Bedell (Eastern Iowa Community Colleges) Staff Emeritus Julie Aye made exceptional contributions and impact during her 30-year tenure at EICC. She previously served as the district office building manager and is now the Community Education accounting coordinator. Staff Emeritus Honey Bedell retired in 2023 as EICCs chief of staff and Board of Trustees secretary. During her 32-year career, she was a pivotal part in mobilizing voters to pass crucial levies and bonds. She served as a legislative liaison and created the Leaders for Engagement, Advocacy, and Development Institute. Staff Emeritus Ellen Bluth retired in 2023 as vice-chancellor for Workforce and Economic Development. During her 30-year career at EICC, she created the Advanced Technology Environment and Education Center (ATEEC), secured millions in grant funds to enhance programs and built numerous community and industry partnerships. Faculty Emeritus Tina Solheim worked in many roles throughout her 33-year career at EICC, including department coordinator and professor in the Administrative Office Professional (AOP) program. She was recognized twice with the Distinguished Faculty Award and in 2022, she was recognized with the Community Colleges for Iowa Faculty Award. Staff Emeritus Suteesh Tandon is retiring in June as the EICCs vice chancellor of administration/CFO. He oversees facilities, technology, and human resources, in addition to financial services roles. Tandon managed financial operations for the SCC Urban Campus, successfully navigated complex bond sales, invested $12 million in IT infrastructure updates and supported large expenditures during his tenure. Staff Emeritus Lisa Wiegel worked for EICC for 43 years and served as executive assistant to the Muscatine Community College (MCC) president, the dean of instruction, and the MCC Foundation. She also served as the campus liaison for the MCC Alumni Association when she retired last year. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. The American criminal justice system is decidedly imperfect. But despite a history of unfair convictions and acquittals rooted in racism and social and financial inequity, it has long been respected above its counterparts in more authoritarian nations for at least aspiring to even-handed treatment of the accused. Its goal is to absolve the innocent and punish the guilty regardless of which party or person holds political power. Confidence in American democracy rests in part on belief in the integrity and independence of the justice system. Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts May 16 pardon of convicted murderer Daniel Perry threatens that confidence. Read more: Editorial: As he leaves office, Trump abuses the pardon power again Perry was a 30-year-old U.S. Army sergeant and Uber driver angry over the protests that followed the May 25, 2020, police murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas since renamed Fort Cavazos as part of a string of base renamings to remove connections with Confederate or racist leaders. On July 25 of that year, Perry ran a red light and drove into a street protest in Austin, about 70 miles from his base. He was confronted by demonstrators, including Air Force veteran Garrett Foster, 28, who held a military-style rifle, as is permitted under Texas open-carry laws. Read more: Editorial: Trumps vow to pardon Jan. 6 insurrectionists is itself an attack on the rule of law Foster motioned to Perry to roll down his window. Witness testimony and Perrys own statements reveal that Foster did not point the gun at him. But Perry said he wasnt going to give Foster the chance to do so. I believe he was going to aim it at me, Perry said in a police interview. I didnt want to give him a chance to aim it at me, you know. So Perry shot Foster with a handgun. Was it self defense? A Texas jury determined it was not, and found Perry guilty of murder. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Read more: Editorial: Trump is politicizing (and personalizing) the pardon process But right-wing commentators, including Tucker Carlson, and politicos who have no business butting into jury verdicts, immediately began pressing Abbott for a pardon because they wanted to push back against Black Lives Matter and the raucous and occasionally violent protests the organization inspired in the latter half of 2020. In Texas, a governor may only grant a pardon if a seven-member Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends one. But the governor appoints the members, who granted Abbotts request. Abbott in turn granted the pardon Thursday, and Perry was immediately set free and his gun rights restored. Pardons are a sort of relief valve, useful when the criminal justice system follows the letter of the law but nevertheless results in an injustice given the particular circumstances of the crime or the offender. But they can easily be abused by leaders to shield their supporters from accountability while leaving political opponents to suffer the full consequences of their crimes. Read more: Editorial: On brand, Trump throws America's reputation in the trash to wink at war crimes The most glaring examples in recent memory may be Donald Trumps pardons of political allies and members of his campaign team, including Paul Manafort, Michael Flynn, Roger Stone and Steve Bannon. Trump has vowed to pardon rioters convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol who were intent on blocking certification of Joe Bidens election victory. And he has promised to use the Justice Department to pursue charges against his political enemies, including Biden, if he is elected in November. Abbotts pardon of Perry is not directly self-serving in the same sense, but it permits him to substitute his own judgment for that reached by the court system, and elevates his beliefs over the findings of a jury. By way of explanation, Abbott released a statement that Texas has one of the strongest stand your ground laws of self defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive district attorney. Read more: Editorial: Pardoning Manafort would be unambiguous grounds for impeachment. Take it off the table, Mr. President But the jury did not nullify anything. Its task was to wade through the evidence and determine the facts, including whether Foster aimed his gun at Perry and, if not, he could be deemed such an immediate threat as to justify Perry shooting him. Given that Perry himself acknowledged that Foster didnt aim at him, theres little room for doubt. Abbotts pardon, together with Texas ill-considered gun laws, could easily escalate any argument into a shooting. And it could transform any criminal proceeding into a political battle. Abbott has repeatedly asserted his unhappiness with Black Lives Matter protesters. Texans are unlikely to believe that Abbott would have similarly pardoned Foster if he had shot Perry, for fear that Perry might shoot him first without aiming at him. That leaves people with the nagging thought that the U.S. criminal justice system will treat people differently based on who they are and who they're allied with. That's not new, and the protests in the wake of the Floyd killing remind us we still have far to go to eliminate race, politics and other inappropriate factors from the system. As much of the nation works to diminish those things, though, it is confronted by political moves such as Abbott's, which push in the other direction. If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised. Edward Edwards was an Ohio serial killer who murdered at least five people from 1977 to 1996. His victims included two couples who were found dead in 1977 and 1980, as well as his foster son, Dannie Boy, who was murdered in 1996. Over the years, several conspiracy theories have suggested that he may be the Zodiac killer. Some others have also suggested that he may be completely innocent and could have been framed. William Lavaco and Judith Straub were found dead in Silver Creek Park in Norton on August 8, 1977. They were 21 and 18 years old, respectively, at the time of death. The killer reportedly shot them at point-blank range with a 20-gauge shotgun, CNN reported. However, the case remained cold for the decades to come until Edwards was taken into custody concerning another case and admitted guilt in this case, too. In August 1980, what later came to be known as the Sweetheart Murders took place. Tim Hack and Kelly Drew were found dead in a cornfield in Wisconsin. Both the victims were 19 and were reportedly there to attend a wedding reception at Concord House, a dance hall in Sullivan. They were last seen leaving the reception and were reported missing on August 10, 1980, as per a report by NBC News. Months later, the couples decomposing bodies were found only a little distance away from the reception hall. Tim Hack was found to be stabbed and killed. Kelly Drew was sexually assaulted and strangled. Her bra, pants, and panties were found shredded on a road nearby. Edwards worked as a handyman in the building beside the wedding reception hall. How did the Ohio serial killer get caught? Investigators questioned the handymen in Edwardss building, but no leads were found. According to Oxygen, the serial killer then packed up the familys stuff and moved away from the area along with his family once the investigation around Kelly Drew and Tim Hacks murders began to elaborate. He reportedly tended to move the family to a different place every time he committed a murder. Edwards killed Dannie Boy, his foster son, when Boy was 25 years old in 1996. He reportedly told him he wanted him out of the army and claimed he would help him get out. When Boy believed him and followed him into the woods where he led him, Edwards shot him in the face and killed him. Cleveland.com reported that he also allegedly retrieved $250,000 of Boys insurance money after his death. More than a decade later, in 2008, the case of the Sweetheart Murders was reopened. With strong suspicion that the killer might have been questioned but not found, investigators reviewed the existing files. Edwards profile included that he was arrested in 1962 following his involvement in an armed bank robbery. He then spent five years in prison. Considering his history with crime, the police became suspicious of his involvement in the Sweetheart Murders. When detectives asked Edwards coworkers about him, they reportedly told them that he was a short-tempered man who likely physically abused his family. In July 2009, Edwards daughter, April Balascio, contacted authorities to reveal her suspicions about her father being a murderer. According to People Magazine, she also had doubts about him being involved in her mothers hospitalization in 1982. How did Edward Edwards die? NBC News reported Edwards was arrested in 2009. He then admitted to the murders of the couples and was convicted of those four murders only. He was sentenced to life in prison. However, after he was also found guilty of the murder of Dannie Boy, the court sentenced him to death. He was supposed to be given the lethal injection on August 31, 2011. However, he died earlier that year of natural causes. He was 77 when he died and had been suffering from diabetes and other complications. He was in a wheelchair at that time. According to The U.S Sun, his children, as well as many investigators and cold case experts, have suggested that Edwards might have been responsible for many more murders than those he was convicted of. Moreover, he told his family that the only reason they kept moving from place to place was because he had snitched on some criminals in jail and that they were after him. He allegedly told his family that he had completely reformed after his imprisonment for the robbery and hadnt engaged in crime since he met his wife. Edwards also wrote a book titled Metamorphosis of a Criminal, which explained how he allegedly rehabilitated himself. He reportedly went to churches, schools, and other community gatherings where he spoke about rehabilitation. It Was Him: The Many Murders of Ed Edwards is a documentary that follows the crimes of the Ohio serial killer and the similarities to other serial killers such as the Zodiac Killer and the Black Dahlia. It additionally explores various theories surrounding his crimes. The post Edward Edwards: Who Was the Serial Killer and How Many People Did He Kill? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Residents in Bryan and Effingham County are speaking up after learning Alex Long, who is running for Effingham County Chairman, may be linked to a proposed development in Pembroke. Lawrence Alexander Long is listed as the name of the organizer for GSL Cattle Company on multiple documents on the Georgia Corporations Division website. GSL Cattle Company is listed as the developer in the planned unit development application. Real estate attorney Stephen E. Jackson Jr. is listed as the registered agent. Long would not confirm if he is part of GSL Cattle Company and did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Long told the Savannah Morning News in a previous interview that he is not a developer but a custom-home builder. Pembroke Mayor Tiffany Zeigler poses in front of her campaign sign during last year's election. Long's potential affiliation with the development has raised some concerns among Bryan and Effingham residents, because Longs cousin, Sarah McCoy, is the sister-in-law of Pembroke Mayor Tiffany Zeigler and is listed as working in sales on Alex Long's business website. Ziegler said she is making every effort to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. I have spoken with our city attorney to verify that there is no conflict of interest in this case. As far as GSL Cattle Company is concerned, I do not know anything about the company other than it is on the PUD document and that is how it was submitted to the city. [Long] has met with both Chris and myself regarding the development as we meet with all developers in the planning process. "I have always pledged to live a life with the highest level of integrity and ethics. I will take it a step further and will ensure that I recuse myself from any vote on this matter should there be a tie, so as to prevent any appearance that there is something unethical about the situation. More: A Georgia Tech study on Coastal Georgia predicted population growth in 2006. Was it right? The proposed planned unit development proposed 2,000 residential units in a mix of homes, townhomes and apartments among retail and other commercial opportunities. The project was up for discussion at last Thursday's Planning and Zoning Commission meeting, but no vote was taken because a development of regional impact report needs to be completed. Rincon resident Nikki Carangelo questions whether Long would have time to tend to his duties as Effingham County chairman while constructing a massive development that could take a decade to build. This is a huge 7-10 year project, said Carangelo. It is essentially building a small city. Is Alex Long going to be able to juggle being a brand-new commission chairman and overseeing a mega housing development? He has never built anything of this size. Will Alex Long be overextending himself? I would ask the same questions of any candidate who is taking on this kind of project. Folks in the north end of Bryan County worry the development would disrupt their quality of life. We live outside the city for a reason, said Bryan County resident Shannon Floyd. My family has been out here for about 100 or more years, along with others. We did not ask for any of this. It's not worth the noise or trouble. Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Effingham County candidate tied to proposed Pembroke development As Hamas and Israel continue to disagree over some of the finer details of a hostage and cease-fire deal for Gaza, theres one issue thats preventing the two parties from restarting formal negotiations: aid shipments. Since the Israel Defense Forces entered Rafah earlier this month shutting down Gazas southern border crossing with Egypt Cairo has reportedly refused to let fuel trucks pass through into the enclave. And two senior administration officials say Egypt has stopped all aid shipments through the Kerem Shalom crossing. Egyptian officials had for months pressed Jerusalem not to move forward with a Rafah ground invasion, claiming it would bring chaos too close to its border and threaten its security. It also pushed back against Israel taking over the Rafah border crossing. Israel went into Rafah anyway. And in response, Egypt restricted the aid shipments. Its all stopped, the official said, referring to Egypts shipments through the Kerem Shalom crossing. The move by Egypt has sparked tensions between Cairo and Jerusalem. The current cease-fire deal on the table hinges in part on the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, officials say. If Egypt were to restart the shipments, it would significantly improve the aid situation on the ground, defuse tensions, and potentially allow for talks to restart, according to the two senior administration officials and two other people familiar with the situation. Sources were granted anonymity to discuss the situation with Egypt in order to protect their ability to help get fuel and other much-needed aid into Gaza. Aid groups inside Gaza are in desperate need of this fuel, one of the senior officials said. Without it, they cant operate. And without the greater flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the deal cant get done. Top U.S. officials, including National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power, have pressed Egyptian officials in recent days to restart fuel shipments. But Cairo has so far refused. The two people familiar with the situation and two other aid workers briefed on Egypts reasoning said Cairo is withholding the fuel in an effort to complicate Israels ability to aid the humanitarian effort inside Gaza during its Rafah operation. It's the blood of the response, said Scott Anderson, the director for Gaza for UNRWA, the main aid group operating in Gaza. The lack of fuel forces us to choose: Do you keep bakeries running or hospitals running or the sewage pumps running? And not doing any of those has different consequences, but they all have consequences to people. The decision by Cairo has severely undercut aid groups ability to not only transport aid into Gaza but also to prop up aid operations, including at hospitals, angering Biden officials. Because aid groups cannot buy discounted fuel from Egypt, they have to buy it at market price from Israel, Anderson said. The U.N. requires UNRWA to keep certain fuel levels in order to operate in Gaza and it is maintaining that level. But that does not leave much fuel for its other operations. CIA Director William Burns returned to Washington from Cairo on May 9, after Israels Rafah invasion halted the latest round of talks. The negotiations are still paused, and the director is not currently scheduled to travel to meet with his counterparts though that could change if Egypt agrees to change course. The aid restrictions from Egypt are not the only complicating factors to the talks. Hamas has claimed publicly that it decided to withdraw from the negotiations because of Israels invasion of Rafah. Other U.S. officials believe Hamas is attempting to pressure Israel to withdraw, which could lead to the resumption of conversations. But Israel has said it plans to continue and expand its operations inside Rafah in the coming weeks in order to expel Hamas from the area. Egyptian intelligence quietly changed the terms of a ceasefire proposal that Israel had already signed off on earlier this month, ultimately scuttling a deal that could have released Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and set a pathway to temporarily end the fighting in Gaza, according to three people familiar with the discussions. The ceasefire agreement that Hamas ended up announcing on May 6 was not what the Qataris or the Americans believed had been submitted to Hamas for a potential final review, the sources said. The changes made by Egyptian intelligence, the details of which have not been previously reported, led to a wave of anger and recrimination among officials from the US, Qatar and Israel, and left ceasefire talks at an impasse. We were all duped, one of those sources told CNN. CIA Director Bill Burns, who has spearheaded the American efforts to broker a ceasefire agreement, was in the region when word reached him that the Egyptians had changed the terms of the deal. Burns was angry and embarrassed, the same person said, believing it made him look like he wasnt in the loop or hadnt informed the Israelis of the changes. The soft-spoken and mild-mannered Burns almost blew a gasket, said the source. A CIA spokesperson declined to comment. The three sources familiar with the matter told CNN that a senior Egyptian intelligence official named Ahmed Abdel Khalek was responsible for making the changes. Abdel Khalek is a senior deputy to the Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, who has been Burns counterpart in leading Egypts mediation in the ceasefire talks. One source familiar with the negotiations said Abdel Khalek told the Israelis one thing and Hamas another. More of Hamas demands were inserted into the original framework that Israel had tacitly agreed to in order to secure Hamas approval, the source said. But the other mediators were not informed; nor, critically, were the Israelis. Hamas was telling their people, We will have a deal in place tomorrow, the first source said. All sides were under the assumption the Egyptians provided the same document that Israel had signed off on and the other mediators, the US and Qatar, were aware of, the person said. Instead, the second source said, the Egyptians sought to blur the lines between the original framework and Hamass response. In response to a request for comment from the Egyptian government, a senior Egyptian source told CNN after the story was published: Some parties play a game of accusing the mediators, blaming and accusing them of bias in order to evade making the required decisions. Egypt is surprised by the attempts of some parties to deliberately insult the Egyptian efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza. Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypts State Information Services, then issued a lengthy response calling the story wrong and devoid of any information or facts, without offering specifics. The ongoing attempts to cast doubt and insult the Egyptian mediation efforts and roles, with allegations that contradict reality, will only lead to further complicating the situation in Gaza and the entire region, and may push the Egyptian side to take a decision to withdraw completely from their mediation role in the current conflict, Rashwan said in a statement. A deal was close at hand A Hamas document obtained by CNN outlining the version of the framework they agreed to included achieving a permanent ceasefire and a sustainable calm to be reached in the second phase of the three-stage deal. Israel has been averse to agreeing to discuss an end to the war before Hamas has been defeated and the remaining hostages are released from captivity. Now, three weeks later, with ceasefire talks stalled, those involved are raising questions about the motives of Egypt, which for years has served as a key intermediary between Israel and Hamas, particularly Hamas members inside Gaza. Asked by CNNs Jake Tapper on Tuesday if he was concerned about Egypt being involved with future ceasefire talks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel was not prepared to agree to terms that would allow Hamas to attack Israel again. I hope Egypt understands that we cant agree to something like that. Israeli army tanks are seen in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday, May 18, 2024. - Abdel Kareem Hana/AP The changes came more than a week after a team of Egyptian negotiators flew to Israel in late April to hammer out some of the final details of a framework to provide for the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for a pause in fighting and the return of Palestinian prisoners. Talks had been ongoing for months by then, since the last pause in the fighting fell apart in early December. With Israel agreeing for the most part to go farther than they previously had, there was a creeping sense of optimism taking hold that a deal was close at hand. Israel appeared willing to accept fewer hostages, release more Palestinian prisoners and allow Gazans in the southern part of the enclave to return home to the north unrestricted. US officials emphasized how extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel the framework was, in the words of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. After discovering the Egyptian freelancing, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani informed Israels intelligence service Mossad that Egypt had acted alone, two of the sources told CNN. Al Thani and CIA Director Burns got to work trying to salvage the proposal and re-balance it with elements they knew Israel would require. It doesnt make sense, a senior Biden administration official said of why Egyptian intelligence would try to push something through without the essential input from the others. Changes made to appeal to Hamas After the Egyptians came back from Israel and conferred with Hamas, it became clear the group wouldnt go along with what Israel was agreeing to, one of the sources said. So the Egyptian official made significant changes to get Hamas to agree. The day before Hamas made their May 6 public announcement agreeing to the proposal, an Egyptian source told CNN that Egypt had received Hamas response and relayed it to the Israeli side. Several alternatives and scenarios were proposed to overcome the main point of contention related to ending the war, said the source. The agreements language about ending the war has been perhaps the thorniest issue throughout the negotiations. But what Hamas sent back, Netanyahu said, was very far from Israels core demands. It wasnt long before the discussions stalled. Negotiators, including Burns, returned to Cairo for one more round of indirect talks with Hamas. Israel agreed to send a team, as did Qatar, but neither sent senior officials, an indication that despite earlier optimism a deal would not be as imminent as hoped. CIA Director Bill Burns - Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images Two days after Hamas response on May 6, Burns returned to Washington and sources told CNN the talks were paused. Mediators had hoped that a pause in the fighting would delay or even prevent a serious incursion into Rafah by Israel. Military operations by Israel in Rafah are now expanding despite protest by the Biden administration that they will threaten the hundreds of thousands of civilians who had fled there for safety. If talks resume, its expected that the Qataris would play a bigger role in the next round, the second source familiar with the negotiations said. A re-launch of the negotiations does not appear imminent but if it were to happen Egypt would still be expected to be central given their essential proximity to Hamas, as well as Israels preference of Egypt to Qatar. The discussions would still be expected to center on a broad framework that would include an initial stage in which up to 33 Israeli hostages would be released over at least 6 weeks. Hamas has been pushing to include the bodies of dead hostages in the initial release and also have the first phase flow into a second with no break. Both are positions Israel has resisted. US officials have argued that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar doesnt actually want a deal since he may think hes winning and the greater the Palestinian suffering the more the world turns on Israel. Critics of Netanyahu, including families of Israeli hostages, have accused him of being more concerned with removing Hamas from Gaza than getting his citizens home. This story has been updated with comments from Netanyahu and a response from the Egyptian government. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com A 17-year-old El Paso teen has been arrested in connection with a fatal shooting last week in the parking lot of an East Side apartment complex, police officials said. Aldo David Flores faces a murder charge in the shooting death of 21-year-old Bryan Castillo on the night of May 14 during an altercation between two groups in the parking lot of the Vista Village Apartment, 10535 Montwood Drive, officials said on Monday, May 20. The apartment complex is near Montwood Mall on Yarbrough Drive. Flores was arrested Friday evening after a murder charge warrant was issued as part of an ongoing homicide investigation by detectives with the Crimes Against Persons Unit, police officials said. Flores is being held under a $500,000 bond at the El Paso County Jail in Downtown, according to jail records. Aldo David Flores was arrested on a murder charge in connection with the shooting death of Bryan Castillo, 21, in the parking lot of the Vista Village Apartments, 10535 Montwood Drive in East El Paso on May 14. Under Texas law, persons 17 and older are considered adults in the state's criminal justice system. The shooting occurred during an argument in the parking lot involving a group consisting of two men, a woman and a child and a second group, police said. The reason for the argument has not been disclosed. Gun violence: El Paso shooting wounds one when driver shoots couple's car at far East Side gas station Jail records show that El Paso police had previously arrested Flores on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful carrying of a weapon on Jan. 13. He was released from jail three days later on a $1,500 personal recognizance bond requiring no cash. The weapon case is pending in court. There have been eight murder cases in El Paso this year compared with seven at this time last year, according to Police Department numbers. Anyone with information on any unsolved shootings, homicides and other gun violence may anonymously call Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 915-566-8477 (TIPS). This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso teen arrested on murder charge in deadly parking lot shooting Irvin Brown held a slight lead over Michael Hoselton in the race to represent Ward 5 on Salem City Council, according to initial election results posted 8 p.m. Tuesday. Sitting City Councilor Jose Gonzalez's decision to not seek reelection opened up the race for a council newcomer. Michael Hoselton, candidate for Salem City Council Ward 5, photographed on March 20. Hoselton, a lifelong Oregonian who grew up in Clackamas County, first moved to Salem in March 2020. He took a job as a litigation paralegal with the Oregon Department of Justice and found a home near Northgate Park, where he joined the Northgate Neighborhood Association. Hoselton said his desire to speak up for the residents of Ward 5 and his opposition to the payroll tax propelled him to run for office. "I'm running because the city isn't being run very well, frankly," he said. "We need to balance the budget without raising taxes because that's what the voters have told us, and I was one of those voters." Hoselton listed the budget, crime and homelessness as top issues for the city and is a supporter of the Siletz casino project in north Salem. On Tuesday night, Hoselton acknowledged that the vote was very close and could change with later ballot drops. After growing up as one of seven kids in Louisiana and joining the Navy at 17, Brown became the first African American to earn a doctorate in education from the University of Portland. He said his parents instilled in him a sense of service and work ethic. This drive led him to volunteer in Salem right after he moved here for work six years ago. Candidate for Salem City Council Ward 1 Irvin Brown reacts as initial results are released Tuesday evening. Brown is a policy advisor for DHS. His governmental experience includes being a Marion County Sheriff's Community Advisory Committee member, chair of the Salem Citizen Budget Committee, city Equity Round Table Committee member, Chemeketa Community College Criminal Justice Advisory Committee member, Chemeketa Community College President's Circle and Salem-Keizer School District Superintendent's Transition Committee. "I really wanted to be someone that could advocate for those voices that may not be being heard and faces that are not being seen," he said. Brown said collaboration, public safety and the budget will be critical issues in Salem. Hoselton recently drew criticism for his comments made to the Salem Reporter about Brown and the budget. "I want to keep the library open as much as possible, but if the budget committee chair puts a gun to my head and tells me I need to shoot a policeman, a firefighter or librarian, then I would rather shoot (the chair), but the library is unfortunately the one that gets cut," Hoselton told the Salem Reporter. Brown, his opponent, serves as the budget committee chair. Several people, including City Councilor Virginia Stapleton, City Councilor Trevor Phillips and budget committee member Stacey Vieyra-Braendle, denounced the comments. "This kind of violent rhetoric has no place in our political discourse," Stapleton said in social media post. "We need better from people running for public office. I'm calling on Michael Hoselton to publicly apologize to Dr. Brown for his violent and harmful speech." After people denounced the comments, Brown said Hoselton's words were hurtful. "Words do hurt, and words do leave a lasting mark," he said. "Regardless of what community you come from, we have to find a way to hold space and make sure that every voice is heard and every face is seen ... We have to call out wrong when we see it." When volunteers like him and elected officials meet to discuss things like the budget, they show up and represent the city, he added. Hoselton said advocates for Brown were trying to distract voters from his own scandal, referring to a report regarding a 2020 reprimand and yearlong probation from the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission that found Brown's misrepresentation of whether he participated in student sleepovers while employed at Westside Christian High School from 2008 to 2012 constituted gross neglect of duty. Brown told the Salem Reporter the events were Bible study groups with parental supervision and there were no allegations of child abuse. An investigation by the commission found no evidence of sexual misconduct but determined Brown gave conflicting answers about the sleepovers. Brown underwent training following the order and his license is in good standing. "I am not a fan of speaking negatively about anyone and from where I sit, I have chosen to focus on the concerns of Salem and moving forward," Brown said. Campaign funding in Salem City Council Ward 5 race As of May 10, Brown's campaign raised $16,123 in cash and in-kind donations. His biggest donations came from individuals including $3,000 from Nadine Lecheminant, $2,500 from Mitchell Canham and $2,000 from Frank Taussig. Hoselton's campaign has raised $12,834 in cash and in-kind donations. His biggest donations include $7,626 in-kind from the Oregon Realtors Political Action Committee, $2,000 from Margaret Hoselton and $1,000 from the Mid-Valley Association of Realtors. For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com call 503-910-6616 or follow on Twitter at @wmwoodworth. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Election results: North Salem voters pick new city councilor Elmsford Mayor Robert Williams was privately censured by the village's governing body in a closed-door session last month, after facing a complaint of harassment. The resolution of censure was initiated by Trustee Joseph Coffey in executive session and supported by Trustees Matthew Evans and Sydney Henry. Only Trustee Nelson Lopez voted no. The mayor recused himself from the Board of Trustees' vote. According to a copy of the censure resolution obtained through a public records request, the village had hired an outside investigator to look into the mayor's conduct after two village employees sent a letter outlining "various allegations against Mayor Robert Williams" and another individual who was employed by the village the time. Elmsford Mayor Robert Williams during a Board of Trustees work session at village hall Jan. 24, 2022. The outside investigator determined that Williams "retaliated against the two employees for their perceived disloyalty" after they had inadvertently livestreamed a discussion between themselves on social media concerning a potential political rival of the mayor, the resolution states. Because of this "perceived disloyalty," the outside investigator found that Williams denied the two employees certain benefits, such as the chance to accrue compensatory time. The investigator further determined that Williams began to treat the employees differently after the incident, including by reducing his level of communication and excluding them from some village meetings. This behavior was deemed to be "rude and unprofessional," according to the resolution. While some of the retaliation documented in the investigator's report was not violative of village policy, it was deemed to be improper. In an interview, Williams disputed the investigator's findings, expressing surprise that he was blamed for the falling-out between himself and the complainants, whom The Journal News/lohud is not naming in this story. "I don't know what people's schedules are," he remarked about the process for requesting compensatory time. "People come to me and say, 'Do you need help?' She (one of the complainants) never came to me to ask." Williams traces the bad blood to a meeting from three years ago where he discussed the use of compensatory time at an all-hands meeting with village staff. "Thats when they changed their attitude towards me," he said. Though the livestream incident may have reopened old wounds between himself and the complainants "I told them I was a little bit disappointed, as to you being one of my dearest friends, saying that" that was not the root cause of the deterioration of their relationship, Williams said. In adopting the resolution, the board expressed its "extreme displeasure" with Williams, calling his actions "inconsistent with the expectations that the board has for the position of mayor of the village of Elmsford." This is not the first time Williams has landed himself in hot water for his deportment towards village staff. In 2021, at the all-hands meeting, Williams was caught on tape articulating a loyalty demand to village employees. "So you're supposed to be loyal and working for me," he told the crowd at the time, according to a recording of his remarks later obtained by The Journal News/lohud. "Some of you have dropped the ball lately." In 2022, Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah opened a grand jury investigation into the village of Elmsford in connection with Williams' use of official resources. This followed an investigation by The Journal News/lohud which found that the mayor had, on occasion, appropriated village resources apparently for his personal benefit or otherwise misused the powers of his office. Do you work for the Village of Elmsford? You can send this reporter a confidential tip at astockler@lohud.com or asher.stockler@protonmail.com. This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Elmsford NY mayor censured by village board after harassment complaint Elvis Presley's granddaughter is trying to halt the sale of Graceland, accusing those involved of using forged signatures A composite image showing Elvis Presley outside Graceland and his granddaughter actor Riley Keough. Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP; Business Wire Riley Keough is fighting to stop the auction of Elvis Presley's Graceland estate. Lisa Marie Presley used Graceland as collateral when taking out a loan, per a public notice. But Keough claims the loan documents are forged. A court granted a temporary restraining order. Elvis Presley's granddaughter, the actor Riley Keough, is fighting to prevent the auction of his iconic Graceland estate. Last week, a public notice announced the foreclosure sale of the Memphis property. It claimed that the Promenade Trust, which operates Graceland, owes $3.8 million to Naussany Investments and Private Lending to repay a loan. According to the notice, the home was scheduled for a public auction on Thursday at the Shelby County Courthouse. However, Keough, a trustee of the Promenade Trust, filed a claim on May 15, alleging that the creditor used forged signatures. Media outlets, including USA Today, citing Keough's legal team, reported that a temporary restraining order had been granted, delaying the auction. Keough's lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment. According to the lawsuit, Lisa Marie Presley, the late daughter of Elvis Presley, is accused of borrowing $3.8 million from Naussany Investments in May 2018, and giving a deed of trust related to Graceland as collateral. But Keough alleged in the lawsuit that the documents used were "fraudulent," claiming that her mother never borrowed the money nor gave the deed of trust. "While the documents bear signatures that look like the signatures of Lisa Marie Presley, Lisa Marie Presley did not in fact sign the documents," the lawsuit says. An injunction hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, according to USA Today. In a statement provided to BI, Elvis Presley Enterprises, which runs the assets of the Elvis Presley Trust, said: "Elvis Presley Enterprises can confirm that these claims are fraudulent. There is no foreclosure sale. Simply put, the counter lawsuit has been filed is to stop the fraud." Business Insider was unable to reach Naussany Investments for comment. Keough, who recently starred in "Daisy Jones and the Six," became the trustee of Graceland after her mother died in January 2023. The 13.8-acre estate was bought by Elvis Presley in 1957 for $102,500. After his death in 1977, Graceland became a National Historic Landmark and one of Tennessee's top tourist attractions. Elvis is buried there alongside several family members, including his daughter, his grandson, and his parents. Read the original article on Business Insider KANSAS (KSNT) A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) rule change that requires individuals to have background checks and federal firearms licenses before selling firearms for a profit took effect on Monday. Firearm owners are waiting to see if U.S. District Judge James Moody will place a temporary injunction on the ATFs rule change. The White House is touting the rule change as the only significant expansion of background check requirements since 1993. The ATF confirmed to 27 News early Wednesday morning that the rule is currently in effect in Kansas. The ATF says a temporary restraining order has halted the rule from being enforced against plaintiffs including the individual Jeffrey W. Tormey, the state of Texas, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, the Tennessee Firearms Association and Virginia Citizens Defense League. Can you openly carry a pistol in your hand in Topeka? Ive spent hours with families whove lost loved ones to gun violence, President Joe Biden said in a written statement. They all have the same message: Do something. Today, my Administration is taking action to make sure fewer guns are sold without background checks. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach joined 26 other Republican attorneys general in a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Arkansas challenging the ATF rule change that would broaden the definition of a person engaged in business as a firearms dealer. In the last three years, Mr. Bidens ATF has revoked the licenses of an unprecedented number of gun stores across the country for what amount to paperwork errors, Kobach said in a Washington Times op-ed. Eight of them are in my state of Kansas. What in the past would have resulted in a friendly phone call and updated paperwork now results in the ATF shutting down the store. On May 20, U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk from Texas blocked the Biden administration from enforcing the rule change with a temporary restraining order (TRO). The TRO lasts until June 2. Some Kansans will pay more for internet starting next month Plaintiffs understandably fear that these presumptions will trigger civil or criminal penalties for conduct deemed lawful just yesterday, Kacsmaryk said in his ruling. Day said plaintiffs in the Kansas-led case filed in Arkansas have informed Judge Moody of the TRO ruling in Texas. Day said the action from Texas could be a factor in Moodys decision. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. WASHINGTON, D.C. (WCIA) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded nearly $18 million in grants going to several Illinois communities. Of the 10 grants, three are going to Central Illinois to help upgrade contaminated waste sites. The sites, called brownfields, can be difficult to work on or improve due to potential exposure to hazardous materials and substances. The EPAs Brownfields Program grants has helped clean and redevelop these sites since 1995, particularly in disadvantaged areas. Cleaning up contaminated and underutilized sites helps protect the health of children and families, and it also helps spur development, job creation and economic growth for affected communities, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said. As a co-founder of the Senates Environmental Justice caucus, Im relieved that this federal funding will help clean up polluted brownfields across Illinois and Ill keep working to ensure the health and safety of our communities is protected and upheld. Champaign City Council to vote on $12 million grant to fund downtown plaza Fellow member of the Senate Environmental Justice Caucus, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), echoed Duckworths sentiment. In addition to improving our environment, restoring Brownfields will provide new opportunities for jobs and economic development, he said. Ill continue to be a strong advocate for EPA investments like this that make our communities safer and healthier. The following communities and institutions will receive brownfield funding to benefit areas in Central Illinois: Decatur $500,000 Assessment Grant Why: To update and maintain a site inventory and conduct 12 environmental site assessments; to support community engagement; to develop reuse plans for Jasper Street and MLK Corridors. Priority sites include three former gas stations, the 21.5-acre former Prairie Farms Manufacturing campus, and the 9-acre former Tire One fuel transfer station and distribution center. Illinois Environmental Protection Agency $3,500,000 RLF Supplemental Grant Why: For 22 in-progress or completed cleanup projects in Springfield, North Chicago, and Waukegan; to help fund future cleanups in more areas. Moving Pillsbury Forward in Springfield $2,652,300 Cleanup Grant Why: To clean up Buildings B, C, D, and G of the Former Pillsbury Plant at 1525 E. Phillips Avenue; to develop fact sheets, provide website updates, and conduct public meetings. Other grant recipients include the Chicago Southwest Development Corporation, Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability, Mendota, North Central Illinois Council of Governments, Rockford, South Beloit and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard leads a news conference at the Nebraska State Capitol on his EPIC Option tax proposals at the Nebraska State Capitol. May 21, 2024. (Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner) LINCOLN Supporters of an effort to replace Nebraskas income, property and corporate taxes with a broader sales or consumption tax say they have cleared a key hurdle in seeking to place the issue on the fall ballot. State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard said Tuesday that advocates of the EPIC consumption tax have gathered signatures from 5% of registered voters in 38 of the states counties. Erdman and other EPIC tax backers still need to gather a total of 123,000 signatures from registered voters by July 3, equal to 10% of registered voters. He wouldnt say how many signatures they had already gathered. Every signature counts, Erdman said. Weve got to figure out a way to fix this broken tax system, and I havent come up with another idea that makes any sense. Theres not another one that gives you the freedom of liberty. Erdman and Steve Jessen, president of the EPIC Option Consumption Tax initiative, said they have seen greater public interest in changing Nebraskas tax system after the Legislature failed this session to pass major property tax relief. Pillen, others oppose EPIC tax Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen has pledged to call state lawmakers back for a special session later this year to move toward his goal of substantive and structural changes that balance out what he calls the states over-reliance on property taxes. Pillen set a goal of reducing the property tax burden by 40%. His plan ran into trouble with senators who could not agree on how hard the caps on local spending on local government and schools should be and how to pay for property tax offsets. Pillen had originally proposed capping local government spending growth and earmarking up to a 2-cent increase in the state sales tax to pay for property tax relief. Lawmakers struggled to find support last session for that proposal or for a 1-cent sales tax increase. Pillen, joined by business leaders and representatives of local governments and school boards, opposes the EPIC tax. He and others criticize the potential loss of local control that could result, the risk of harming retail sales and the uncertainty of how high the tax rate would be. The EPIC tax is not a workable solution, he said Tuesday in a statement. It is not the solution that will save our ever-escalating property tax issue. We need to commit to broadening and balancing the base across property, income and sales tax. State Sen. Brett Lindstrom Former State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, an Omaha financial adviser and spokesman for the anti-EPIC tax group No New Taxes Nebraska, said voters arent ready to increase sales taxes on every item. He said it would create new taxes on health care, dental care, prescriptions, veterinary care and legal bills. Voters know you cant raise taxes to lower taxes, and they resoundingly oppose eliminating local control to give all funding power for local priorities to just a few people in Lincoln, he said. Supporters say drastic changes needed Erdman argued that something has to be done. He compared Nebraskas current tax system to communism, saying people who defend communism often argue it just hasnt been refined enough or implemented correctly. He said wholesale changes are needed in the states tax system. He said he would introduce an EPIC tax proposal during any special session the governor might call because he wants to have public discussions before people vote this fall about whether the tax should be collected and distributed. He and others who have discussed ways the tax might be implemented have said spending needs could be met with a 7.5% consumption tax. Some of the proposals critics disagree and say it could require as much as three times that rate to make it workable. Jessen said he had spoken about the proposal at more than 50 meetings across the state. Organizers said they had heard from wheat farmers, ranchers and senior citizens in lifelong homes who say they risk being forced to move because of high property taxes. EPIC, which would also eliminate the inheritance tax, has some organizational backing from the Nebraska Republican Party. The state GOP has sent supportive tweets, and the EPIC group helped sponsor the partys annual convention. The Nebraska Democratic Party, in a statement from party chair Jane Kleeb, said the EPIC tax would leave all Nebraskans paying more sales tax. She said it is not a solution to high property taxes but a sign of continued division among Republicans. Erdman said about 250 volunteer petition circulators had focused the past several weeks on getting signatures in counties with the lowest population. He said the group would soon be moving into more populous counties, as well. The EPIC option is the only solution, Erdman said. Its the only one that puts the taxpayer in first place. Our current system puts the tax collector in first place. The post EPIC tax backers say petition effort cleared 38-county hurdle appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. (EL PASO COUNTY, Colo.) A man is wanted for Attempted Murder after he allegedly shot his son and left the scene on Thursday, May 16, in the Cimarron Hills area. According to the El Paso County Sheriffs Office (EPSO), deputies responded shortly before 10:30 a.m. on Thursday to a reported shooting in the 6000 block of Chantilly Place, in Cimarron Hills. EPSO said multiple callers to the EPSO Communication Center reported hearing between six and 10 shots fired in the area. When deputies arrived, they provided medical assistance to the victim before he was taken to the hospital. EPSO said the suspect was identified as the victims father, 51-year-old Dan Medina. Medina left the scene and has not been found. Courtesy: El Paso County Sheriffs Office Medina is wanted for Attempted Murder and is considered armed and dangerous. If you see him, EPSO urged that you not approach, and instead call 911. If you have any information on the case or Medinas whereabouts, you are asked to contact the EPSO Communications Center at (719)390-5555. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX21 News Colorado. The Estonian National Defence Council will convene to discuss Russian sabotage and influence operations, as well as the upcoming Peace Summit in Switzerland, on Wednesday afternoon, 22 May, at the invitation of Estonian President Alar Karis. Source: Estonian daily newspaper Postimees, as reported by European Pravda Details: The National Defence Council is an advisory body to the president. It includes the speaker of the Riigikogu, the prime minister, the chair of the National Defence Committee, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Finance, Internal Affairs, Justice and Economic Affairs and Infrastructure, as well as the commander of the Defence Forces. The council discusses and provides opinions on matters of significant importance to national defence. Background: Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk reported that Polish security services arrested nine people who committed acts of sabotage within the country on the orders of Russian secret services. He noted that this concerned several countries in the region. Tusk did not mention Estonia, but Karis is likely convening the National Defence Council in light of these reports. There have been multiple large-scale arson attacks across Europe in recent weeks. A fire at an IKEA shopping centre in Vilnius was reported last week, and a huge fire recently broke out in a Warsaw shopping mall. Support UP or become our patron! Tens of thousands of migrants have been detained each year and pushed back into remote areas - David Rose for the Telegraph The European Union is funding units in North Africa which reportedly round up migrants trying to reach Europe and dump them in the desert. Tens of thousands of migrants have been detained each year and pushed back into remote areas including the Sahara. They faced kidnap, torture, sexual violence and death. Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania were accused of carrying out the desert dumps and other human rights abuses after an investigation by the Washington Post, Lighthouse Reports, and other international media. A report said migrants in Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia were 'apprehended based on the colour of their skin' - David Rose for the Telegraph The EU has struck deals with all three countries to curb migrants trying to go to Europe from Africa, which includes funding to drive down numbers. Tunisia has received about 128 million, Mauritania 179 million and Morocco 533 million from Brussels. This is a difficult situation. Its a fast-moving situation, and we will continue to work on it, the European Commission chief spokesman said on Tuesday. The report said 11 dumps of up to 90 migrants each, one as recently as this month, took place in the desert near Tunisias borders with Libya and Algeria. At least 29 people are believed to have died, with dozens more missing, after being expelled from Tunisia on the Libyan border. Tunisians protesters demand a solution to the African migrant crisis - Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu/Getty Images European funding was being used to train and buy equipment for units involved in the round-ups and desert dumps, the investigation found. Vehicles of the same make and model as ones provided by European countries to the three countries security forces were used to round up black migrants on the streets or transported them from detention centres, it was reported. Clandestine operations The report said: Europe supports, finances and is directly involved in clandestine operations in North African countries to dump tens of thousands of black people in the desert or remote areas each year to prevent them from coming to the EU. It described a system of mass displacement that was run thanks to money, vehicles, equipment, intelligence and security forces provided by the EU and European countries. The report said refugees and migrants in Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia were being apprehended based on the colour of their skin, loaded onto buses and driven to the middle of nowhere, often arid desert areas, without water or food. Others were taken to border areas where they were allegedly sold by the authorities to human traffickers and gangs who torture them for ransom. The report described a 'system of mass displacement' that was funded by 'the EU and European countries' - Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu/Getty Images The Lighthouse Reports said it interviewed more than 50 black migrants all of them from sub-Saharan Africa and West Africa who had been expelled from the three countries. The report also cited two EU sources who acknowledged it was impossible to fully account for how the funding from Brussels was being used. Sometimes the situation is challenging in our partner countries, a commission spokesman said, [but they] remain sovereign states and they continue to be in control of their national forces. They said the EU monitored programmes it provided funding for, and noted pledges from partner countries to uphold international law and human rights. European governments also came under scrutiny in the report, which said German police deployed 449 staff and spent more than 850,000 to train almost 4,000 Tunisian guards. As the dumps continued, a 7.7m border-management training centre, funded by Austria, Denmark and the Netherlands, opened in Tunisia. Security forces there have at least 143 Nissan Navara pick-up trucks, which were provided by Italy and Germany to fight human traffickers. In Mauritania, according to the report, embedded Spanish officials on the ground have enabled aggressive tactics, the Spanish authorities have funded new detention centres, and also appear to be complicit in desert dumps. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. (Bloomberg) -- European Union member states on Tuesday approved a plan to use the profits generated by frozen Russian sovereign assets to support Ukraines recovery and military defense. Most Read from Bloomberg This move will provide Ukraine as much as 3 billion ($3.3 billion) this year, 90% of which will go to Ukraines military, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky wrote on the social media platform X. About $280 billion in assets have been immobilized by the Group of Seven nations since Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with more than two-thirds of those held in the EU. The vast majority of the funds has been held through the Belgium-based settlement giant Euroclear, where they have generated about 3.9 billion in net profit since last year. The US has been pushing a separate plan that would leverage the future revenue of the frozen assets to back a $50 billion loan to Ukraine. Should the G-7 reach an agreement on this accord, it would replace the EU initiative. Bloomberg reported earlier Tuesday that Germany is now ready to support the American plan. Under the EUs plan, Ukraine would receive the net profits from Feb. 15 onwards. Some 159 billion of frozen Russian assets have generated a net profit of 557 million from that date, according to Euroclears first quarter financial results. Profits before the Feb. 15 date will be retained by Euroclear to handle any risks such as those deriving from legal action in Russia. The EU plan also includes a mechanism to allow the clearing house to retain more funds should those resources prove insufficient to manage any sudden and unexpected risks. The adoption of the proposal by EU affairs ministers in Brussels comes after months of haggling between member states amid worries about possible legal challenges, retaliation from Russia and risk to the stability of the euro. The assets are expected to generate about 5 billion a year, with Ukraine receiving the aid twice a year. --With assistance from Megan Howard. (Updates with details on a US plan in the fourth paragraph.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. EU Council approves confiscation of profits from Russian assets in favour of Ukraine On 21 May, the EU Council approved the transfer of proceeds from taxable excess profits of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine. Source: European Pravda; Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the EU on X (formerly Twitter). Most of the funds will go to military support for Ukraine. "The EU Council has confirmed its consent to using proceeds from the immobilised assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in favour of Ukraine. Annual revenues are expected to amount to approximately 2.5-3 billion. 90% of the expected revenues will be used for military purposes to support the defence of Ukraine," the report says. A smaller share, 10%, will go to the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine. Permanent representatives of the European Union member states approved this initiative on 8 May. Background: In February, the EU agreed on another important stage in its plan to use Russia's frozen assets; it concerns the legal rules for storing excess profits from assets. EU top diplomat Josep Borrell proposed redirecting interest earned on frozen Russian assets to Ukraine in March. According to the plan, 90% of the funds should go to the fund used to cover the cost of weapons for Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! The EU Council agreed to use profits from the frozen Russian sovereign assets to aid Ukraine, the Czech representation in the EU announced on May 21. According to the statement, the proceedings could amount to between 2.5 billion and 3 billion euros ($2.7-3.26 billion) annually, with most of it allocated to Kyiv's military needs. "Up to 3 billion euros ($3.26 billion) (could be raised) only this year, 90% goes for Ukraine's military. Russia must pay for its war damages," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said. Ukraine's Western partners and other allies froze around $300 billion in Russian assets at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Roughly two-thirds are held in the Belgium-based financial services company Euroclear. While the U.S. proposed seizing Russian assets outright, the EU has been more hesitant, fearing legal and fiscal pitfalls of confiscation. Instead, Brussels proposed to use windfall profits generated by the frozen assets and funnel them to Kyiv. In March, the European Commission submitted a proposal on using 90% of the generated funds to purchase weapons for Ukraine and allocate the remaining 10% to the EU budget to support the country's defense industry. After many weeks of debates, EU ambassadors reached a political agreement on the proposal on May 8. Ukraine's needs for foreign aid only grow as Russia ramps up pressure along the front and continues in aerial attacks against population centers and critical infrastructure. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for the confiscation of Russian assets as a path toward sustainable external financing that would not put pressure on partners' budgets. Read also: Bloomberg: Germany ready to back US plan to tap Russian assets revenue for funding Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Brussels officials insist on starting official negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union as early as June. Source: European Pravda, citing Politico Details: Politico spoke with five diplomats on the condition of anonymity. They reported that intensive work is currently underway to persuade the Hungarian government to agree to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU. It is proposed to start official negotiations on Ukraine's accession on 25 June. Politicos sources believe that this will bring moral uplift to Ukraine, which is resisting Russian aggression. Reportedly, Ukraine and the EU are negotiating with Budapest to resolve the issues of Hungarian minorities in Ukraine. After the April talks between Andrii Yermak, Head of the Presidents Office, and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, "the parties noted the positive dynamic of the dialogue." According to one of the diplomats, Kyiv has responded to the 11-point list outlined by Budapest and is awaiting Hungary's response. One EU diplomat suggested that Hungary might want to conclude the negotiations on Ukraine's EU accession before it takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council in July. "There was a sense of not doing this before the [9 June European Parliament] election because it could become an election issue," said the EU diplomat, capturing the mood felt among many officials in Brussels. "Now were looking for this slot in June. If youre the Hungarians, you would rather have it [discussions around Ukraines membership] out of the way before the presidency." After EU leaders provided political support to Kyiv, the next step in the accession process is the start of official negotiations through an intergovernmental conference with Ukraine. This would mean the opening of membership negotiations. For this to happen, EU countries must agree on a so-called negotiation framework. The 27 capitals have been bargaining over this document since the European Commission sent it in March. So far, the technical-level negotiations are going well, according to two diplomats, and they expect a new draft to be sent to EU ambassadors in the coming weeks to resolve the most pressing issues. Ukraine and its supporters in the EU are calling for an intergovernmental conference between Brussels and Kyiv to be held before Hungary takes over the rotating presidency of the EU Council on 1 July. At the same time, Hungary is interested in a successful presidency of the EU Council, the diplomats say. The Belgians, who currently hold the presidency, are also trying to persuade Hungary that this is in their political interest, especially considering that Hungary could use one of several methods to block Ukraine's EU accession if it so wishes. Belgian officials have already scheduled an intergovernmental conference for 25 June, a few days before Budapest takes over the presidency of the EU on 1 July. But "as always, it is impossible to predict what Hungary will do until we hear from Orban himself," said one of the diplomats. Background: Katarina Mathernova, the EU Ambassador to Ukraine, believes that Ukraine is ready to start negotiations on joining the European Union and hopes these will begin by the end of June. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, during her last visit to Kyiv, also said that she expects the negotiations to begin by the end of the first half of 2024. Read more: Kyiv will take the Albanian path to EU membership: details of Ukraine's negotiating framework emerge Support UP or become our patron! As Vladimir Putin continues his assault on Ukraine, Russian aggression is tightening its grip on the region. Not only has the war in Ukraine dragged on, but Russia is deepening military integration with neighbouring Belarus, deploying dozens of tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian soil. Nearby Poland is now bracing for further Russian mobilisation, calling on a heavy brigade of European Union defences in response. Putins dream of a new Russian Empire is not to be taken lightly. But an aggressive Russia is hardly the only obstacle to peace and prosperity in the region. Lukashenkos regime is a relic of the Soviet era that, for millions of people, still stands in the way of democracy, the free market, and a functional rule of law. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarus' counterpart Alexander Lukashenko talk during the Eurasian Economic Union summit in Moscow's Kremlin, December 2014 - AP Photo/Maxim Shipenkov Thirty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, former Soviet republics and satellite countries are still grappling with the grave repercussions of the Soviet era. Take Belarus, where the dictator Alexander Lukashenko has remained in power since 1994 and stifles dissent with each passing year. During the countrys 2020 presidential election, Lukashenko falsified the results and awarded himself over 80% of the vote, inciting protests that lasted for months. His regime then responded to the post-election demonstrations with mass arrests and worse. (Belarusian opposition leader Maria Kalesnikava remains in jail today.) This was not the Kremlins doing, although Lukashenko and Putin are close allies. Lukashenkos regime is a relic of the Soviet era that, for millions of people, still stands in the way of democracy, the free market, and a functional rule of law. Freedom champions can bring about change Some are more fortunate. In Lithuania, it took 10 long years to re-establish a free market after the country regained independence from the Soviet Union. But it happened because of local, free-market organisations that pushed for change from the ground up. Because of the Lithuanian Free Market Institutes tireless efforts in particular, Lithuania rid itself of Soviet communism and embraced the concepts of private property, sound monetary policy, tax reform, and eventually a school voucher system. Lithuanias model for business taxation with taxes on profits deferred until the payment of dividends was exported to Estonia and other countries in the region. Fortune favoured the brave, and bravery spread. A woman shops vegetables at the bazar in Vilnius, July 2023 - AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis Between the 1990s and today, the average monthly income in Lithuania jumped from 17 to nearly 1,700. And others took note. Lithuanias model for business taxation with taxes on profits deferred until the payment of dividends was exported to Estonia and other countries in the region. Fortune favoured the brave, and bravery spread. Therein lies the only hope for Eastern European countries to shed their Soviet-era shackles for good: action at the local level. Only through local freedom champions those I call idea entrepreneurs who take action on the ground and inspire others to follow suit will change come to Eastern Europe en masse. You can't win a war from an ivory tower There are numerous examples of localisation at work. In Bulgaria, the Institute of Market Economics is reforming the countrys legal system to roll back much of what remains from Soviet domination of the judiciary. As a result, the Bulgarian National Assembly passed a constitutional amendment last December, reining in the Prosecutor General's previously unchecked power. The amendment reduced the length of the Prosecutor Generals term and removed the offices ability to meddle in the lives and businesses of law-abiding citizens, creating a system of oversight and accountability. In Ukraine, freedom champions are successfully teaching market economics and concepts like entrepreneurship to Ukrainian youth. Even amidst war, the Bendukidze Free Market Center published more than 50,000 economics textbooks in 2023 while also launching an Economic Olympiad that attracted nearly 400 schools and more than 4,300 students. This year, participation is expected to double to nearly 10,000 students. While the threat of authoritarianism is all too real, the likes of Putin and Lukashenko still fear the ever-beating heart of freedom and human dignity. The war for a free society will not be won from an ivory tower in Washington or Brussels, but only through the action taken by local leaders on the ground. Brad Lips serves as CEO of Atlas Network, which has nearly 600 independent partners in over 100 countries. At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at view@euronews.com to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation. European Commission says Ukraine will receive first payment of revenue from frozen Russian assets in July Ukraine will receive the first delivery of funds stemming from the revenue of frozen Russian assets in July, the European Commission said on May 21. Ukraine's Western partners and other allies froze around $300 billion in Russian assets at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Roughly two-thirds are held in the Belgium-based financial services company Euroclear. In March, the European Commission submitted a proposal on using 90% of the generated funds to purchase weapons for Ukraine and allocate the remaining 10% to the EU budget to support the country's defense industry. After many weeks of debates, EU ambassadors reached a political agreement on the proposal on May 8. The EU Council finalized the agreement earlier on May 21, which would provide Ukraine with between 2.5 billion and 3 billion euros ($2.7-3.26 billion) annually, with most of it allocated to Kyiv's military needs. The European Commission then announced later in the day that the "resources will be available to support Ukraine starting from July 2024, with bi-annual payments." The distribution will be reviewed on an annual basis. "Speed remains of the essence and the Commission will continue making all efforts to allow the first payment to be made already in July," said European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis. While the U.S. proposed seizing Russian assets outright, the EU has been more hesitant, fearing legal and fiscal pitfalls of confiscation. Instead, Brussels proposed to use windfall profits generated by the frozen assets and funnel them to Kyiv. Read also: Opinion: The REPO Act hasnt won the war for Russian assets Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Eurostar passengers at St Pancras station will be forced to negotiate a five-step check-in process under strict new EU rules, providing their fingerprints and a mugshot twice and answering a series of questions on the nature of their trip. People planning to travel through the Channel Tunnel will be sent a guide to the new system as soon as they book, including a flow chart and checklist detailing each stage of the process and explaining why it is being implemented. Eurostar has spent 10m (8.5m) on dozens of new border kiosks, which it said on Tuesday will keep passengers moving once the so-called Entry/Exit System (EES) is finally introduced on October 6. Brussels says the EES, which will replace the physical stamping of passports, is aimed at enhancing border security. It will harvest data on EU entries and exits, calculate the number of times people cross the border, and record overstayers and refusals of entry. Implementation of the new post-Brexit system has been delayed several times, most recently to avoid the Paris Olympics, amid fears it could spark long delays at ports and train stations when it is first implemented. Eurostar has doubled the capacity of its departure system to ensure that check-in times remain within the current 45 to 90 minute range (or 20 minutes in first class), with an extra 1,000 square feet of space, 20 extra staff per shift and an app-based live map to show peoples progress. However, concerns remain as to how the uninitiated will cope with the process. A survey published by Coop Group last month suggested that almost two thirds of UK adults were unaware of the changes that the EES will bring, with one in five saying they would be put off travelling by the demands of the new system. Simon Lejeune, Eurostars chief stations and safety officer, said: Weve got a big job on our hands to educate our passengers, to start talking around EES publicly and to make sure there is an awareness there. We are investing in our passenger information processes and we are going to design a checklist that enables passengers to know exactly what to expect. Under the extended check-in process, non-EU passengers will be expected to read and digest emailed travel guidance on negotiating the EES system before they travel. On arrival at St Pancras theyll first encounter a row of automated kiosks, where they must have their passports scanned and fingerprints and a facial photograph taken. They must also answer questions about their trip, specifically how long they intend to stay, if they will be lodging in a hotel or private accommodation, if they have a return ticket, and whether they have sufficient funds to repatriate themselves. While France provided funding for 24 kiosks, Eurostars calculations showed that was insufficient to prevent potential logjams. It prompted Eurostar and High Speed 1, which owns the lease on St Pancras station, to pay for a further 25. After passing through the kiosks, passengers will wait in the departure area before being called to the security barrier for luggage scans. They will then clear the UK border at a further set of booths, much as before. On reaching the final barrier, representing the border with the EU, first-time travellers must provide their fingerprints for a second time and have a further photograph taken, this time by French border police. The number of staffed booths has been doubled to 18, and three new e-gates, which can be used by repeat travellers, have been added. Only then will people be able to ascend to platform level and board their train. Therell be no further checks on arrival, the same as today. Once Britons have made an initial journey their EES records will be stored for three years, though even then theyll have to have a facial scan taken at the kiosks before every trip. Mr Lejeune said he sees zero risk of delays come October, provided people take notice of the guidance and the check-in timings specified in their bookings. He said: Weve invested a huge amount of time in modelling passenger flows using a digital twin of the station to anticipate hundreds of scenarios. With our knowledge of passenger demographics when people arrive, what nationalities they are we know that this setup can cope with the challenges of EES. The Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, which also have French border officials stationed on UK soil, are working on their own responses to EES as they seek to avoid queues of vehicles seeking to cross to France. Airline passengers must negotiate the system once they land. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX11) Family members of Shirley Rodriguez say she was on her way to work when she was stabbed. Sources close to the investigation are telling PIX11 News that the suspect, her ex-boyfriend, waited for her outside of the building where she lived and killed her. Suspect shot during robbery at Queens liquor store: NYPD Hours later, the superintendent washed the blood off the sidewalk where Rodriguez was killed on Monday morning. And neighbors told PIX11 they cannot stop thinking about the screams they heard from the 29-year-old woman as she was being stabbed multiple times. I have been thinking about it all day, how someone can take it to that level? asked Peter, a neighbor. A man who lives across from the building at 134 Haven Avenue described how he heard Rodriguez imploring for help. He said he came down from his apartment and saw the attacker dragging and stabbing Rodriguez at the same time. Then, the perpetrator then ran away leaving her agonizing, he said. Authorities said Rodriguez was taken to Harlem hospital. But it was too late. It has to be someone that is not ok in the head to respond like that, Valerie Reyes said. According to police, the violence started around 5:35 a.m. and the suspect is a man believed to be her ex-boyfriend. Unfortunately, this is very common. The only way to prevent it is to start looking at the red flags. He has a history of physical verbal violence, and he is a controlling guy, said Maria Camilo, intimate partner violence specialist. Police had not made any arrests Monday. Sources told PIX11 News that the man believed to be the killer ran-off towards nearby Fort Washington Park. A neighbor told PIX11 News that when she was leaving to work, she saw a man wearing all black hiding behind a vehicle minutes before Rodriguez was killed. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. A former Tacoma police officer who was acquitted in the death of Manuel Ellis and left his job with a $500,000 payout has filed multi-million dollar claims against city and state officials, alleging he was falsely accused of racially biased policing. Timothy Rankine was one of three officers put on trial last year for the March 3, 2020 death of Ellis. The 33-year-old man known as Manny was beaten, shocked with a Taser three times and pressed to the ground on his stomach with his limbs tied behind his back in a hogtie position while officers knelt or sat on him. The Pierce County medical examiner found he died of oxygen deprivation. Matthew Collins and Christopher Burbank, who first struggled with Ellis after he reportedly punched the window of their patrol car, were found not guilty of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter after jurors deliberated for about two days. Prosecutors from the Washington State Attorney Generals Office charged Rankine with solely first-degree manslaughter. Rankine arrived at the scene as backup and testified at the trial that he got on top of Ellis as Burbank was bucked off. He said he eventually put his knees on Ellis back to control him while the man thrashed on the ground. Rankine also testified that he twice put Ellis on his side so he could breathe better. Ellis last words were, I cant breathe. Manuel Ellis, 33, died March 3, 2020, while being restrained by Tacoma police. Rankine and his wife, Katherine Chinn, claim that Attorney General Bob Ferguson, his staff and contractors, as well as elected officials in Tacoma and city employees defamed Rankine by falsely accused him of criminal misconduct and that those accusations were politically motivated, according to copies of the tort claims, which were first reported by NPR station KNKX. The claims seek a total $47 million in damages. They allege that hes pretty much been forced out of position because of the discriminatory acts of leadership and creating a hostile workplace, Rankines attorney, Joan Mell, said Tuesday. That he cant even do his job safely there. The Attorney Generals Office said through a spokesperson that it didnt have a comment on the claims. Brionna Aho said she confirmed that the office has not received similar claims from Collins or Burbank. A City of Tacoma spokesperson said the city doesnt comment on pending litigation, and it hadnt received tort claims from Burbank, Collins or their spouses. Tort claims are generally precursors to lawsuits. Aho said claims are first submitted to the State Office of Risk Management, which can resolve the claim on its own or assign it to the Attorney Generals Office for investigation and handling. Once submitted, there is a 60-day period before a lawsuit can be filed. The Attorney Generals Office got the claims April 26, and Tacoma received them April 24. Chinns claim against the Attorney General and his staff alleged that they incited racially motivated hatred toward her husband and his work as a law enforcement officer, disrupting their marriage and their ability to live without fear of retaliation. She made similar allegations against the City of Tacoma. Rankines tort claim alleged that the state and city officials incited hatred, threats, and violence against me and my family. His attorney said Rankines family was completely uprooted, and that his wife had to hide out. Mell said its still unnerving for them to go out in public. The attorney said she doesnt know where Rankine and his wife are living. She said shes been working with them in Montana, where one of her law offices is based, but she doesnt think they live there. Rankine, Collins and Burbank each received $500,000 from the City of Tacoma in January for voluntarily separating from the city. Mell said that barely compensated Rankine for what he lost. As you can see in Washington, none of these guys can get jobs anywhere, Mell said. And theres such a lobbying interest against law enforcement officers like these guys, and they cant work in that field. Tacoma police officers Timothy Rankine (center) and Matthew Collins (right) in Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma on Dec. 20, 2023. All three officers remained on paid leave for the duration of their criminal case, collectively making more than $1 million by the time their trial started in September. Burbank briefly found work at the Thurston County Sheriffs Office in April, but he resigned within two days after the community responded to the hiring decision with outrage. Sheriff Derek Sanders said Burbanks family received death threats. He later held a public meeting where Ellis sister, Monet Carter-Mixon, and other Thurston County residents questioned why Burbank was hired. Mell said she thinks its important that Rankine is pushing back against the vilification of law enforcement, which she said makes it impossible to know what their job is, how to do it or how to keep the public safe. The Ellis case is tragic, Mell said. Not only what happened to Manny but how hes been exploited and law enforcement have been exploited around that political issue. A federal review of the officers actions is ongoing by the office of Tessa Gorman, U.S. Attorney for Western Washington. The office is independently reviewing the states criminal case against Collins, Burbank and Rankine for any violations of federal criminal statutes. Ellis family settled with Pierce County in 2022 for $4 million as part of a federal wrongful death lawsuit, and they have an ongoing suit against Tacoma. Editors note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the amount of damages sought by Rankine and his wife. Days before Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned Daniel Perry for killing a Black Lives Matter protester, the Austin Police Department drafted a two-page letter to state officials advocating that Perry be freed. The document, on departmental letterhead, echoes the belief of the lead investigator in the case that the prosecution of Perry in the shooting death of Garrett Foster was based on conjecture, innuendo and a character assassination of Perry, who wrote racist and threatening social media posts. The draft, obtained by the American-Statesman and KVUE-TV on Tuesday, bears the signatory of interim police chief Robin Henderson. The letter rejects the guilty verdict of a Travis County jury a year earlier and reiterates the departments finding that the shooting was justified, adding Mr. Perry should have never been charged. The department was poised to send the document to the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles a day before Gov. Greg Abbott granted clemency to Perry last week. But Henderson said in a statement Tuesday to the Statesman that "ultimately the drafted letter was not submitted. After discussions with city leadership, as is standard in certain situations, I decided not to submit the letter." More: Gov. Greg Abbott announces he will push to pardon Daniel Perry after murder conviction Still, the draft letter represents a highly unusual move by the department in a case marked by extraordinary developments. It offers a deeper insight, extending beyond that of the lead investigator in the case, into how the department more broadly views evidence in the shooting, which polarized much of the community and further splintered the relationship between police and prosecutors. It adds that although retired Detective David Fugitt, who has vigorously fought on Perrys behalf, determined that the June 2020 shooting was justified, the department as an organization supports that finding as well. Daniel Perry, center, walks to the courtroom last March in Austin where Perry was convicted for fatally shooting Garrett Foster during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. (Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/File) As law enforcement officers, we are bestowed the honorable duty to investigate, collect and provide complete and honest unbiased facts to the citizens of this state, the letter stated. This unbiased collection and presentation of evidence must be conducted separate from political and emotional influence. This duty is not taken lightly and is essential for justice to occur in order for the public to maintain trust in a system that is designed to protect the innocent while at the same time holding those who violate the law accountable, the document stated. The letter concluded by saying that the departments homicide unit, including its supervisors, and Henderson believe that the shooting, which Perry contends happened when Foster raised an assault rifle at him, was a justifiable homicide. We collectively feel that for justice to be served, a full pardon and restoration of his firearm rights should be granted to Mr. Perry, the letter concluded. This embedded content is not available in your region. Draft letter sparks reaction In a statement, Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza said that during Perry's trial, a jury heard evidence that Perry's attack was "deliberate and premeditated." He added that Austin police did not investigate the certain facts of the case -- although his statement did not elaborate -- and he added that Henderson did not attend the trial. "Had she been at the trial, she would have known that Mr. Perry had a full and fair opportunity to argue the killing was in self-defense and that after deliberate consideration, the jury did not find that it was in self-defense," Garza said. He added: "I am grateful for the service of the jury members, and unlike the interim chief of police, I believe that jury service is a foundation of our criminal justice system, and their verdict should not be disturbed." Mayor Kirk Watson said in a statement that whether the department sent the letter is "irrelevant. "This is not an appropriate role for the Austin Police Department, and those words have no place on official letterhead," he said. Interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Mills said in a statement released by the city, "We support the chief's decision not to send the letter. Clearly, the draft letter is outside the police department's role." Whitney Mitchell, Foster's fiance, said in an interview with the Statesman on Tuesday that she has struggled repeatedly since the night of the shooting and that her feelings have been intensified by the lead-up and granting of the pardon. "I don't know how to really live with this," she said. "And it makes me feel like I don't feel safe. I don't feel safe being here." A case outside the norm The department began drafting the letter last week after receiving an inquiry from the pardons and parole board into whether it wished to provide input on Perrys proposed clemency. It is not clear who in the department authored the letter. The department typically does not advocate during a pending parole or pardon review. It is not unusual, however, for individual detectives to write letters concerning an inmate's possibility for parole, and generally, to argue against release. But Perrys case has tested norms in the law enforcement and criminal justice community from its earliest days. The shooting happened downtown after Perry, who was stationed at Fort Cavazos as an Army sergeant but was in Austin to drive for a ride-share company, turned his car into a street crowded with protesters. Foster, who was armed with an AK-47, saw himself as a protector of fellow protesters. The case centered on whether Perry shot in self-defense, a claim the jury rejected, or whether he provoked the shooting. The Austin police letter noted that the departmental investigation found that Perry had the right to be on a public roadway and did not provoke the armed encounter. In the months before trial, Perrys attorneys tried unsuccessfully to have the case dismissed, citing statements from Fugitt that prosecutors edited his presentation to a grand jury to exclude evidence supporting Perrys self-defense claims. By law, prosecutors do not have an obligation to present favorable evidence to a grand jury, state district Judge Cliff Brown ruled. Dismissing an indictment would require "egregious conduct," and Brown said he did not see. A day after the April 2023 verdict, following calls from far-right conservatives, Abbott said on social media that he would pardon Perry after receiving a legally required recommendation from the seven-member board he appoints. That week, Brown ordered a trove of social media posts that were excluded during trial to be unsealed. Those posts include messages that Perry might go to Dallas and shoot looters and it is official that I am racist because I do not believe in people acting like monkeys. The messages also show that he had on-line conversations with a 16-year-old girl in which he told her not to send nude photographs of herself until she was of age and to come up with a reason why I should be your boyfriend. The Austin Police Departments letter does not address Perrys social media posts. The Statesman reported in February that the board had begun a more extensive review of the case and had received a presentation from Fugitt. Editorial: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned Daniel Perry and shifted the rule of law | Editorial The departments letter said that it consulted heavily with Fugitt, who it said is an expert in homicide investigations and has participated in hundreds of cases during his career, in writing the letter. In all fairness, the district attorneys office and the judge and the Travis County sheriffs office were all afforded the opportunity to write a letter, and it was my stance that APD should provide one as well, Fugitt, who now works in the prosecutor assistance unit handling capital murder cases for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, told the Statesman. Neither Brown nor the sheriffs office wrote a letter. The day after the department decided not to send the letter, the pardons board recommended Perrys clemency for Perry and a restoration of his gun rights. In a two-hour span, Abbott granted the pardon, and Perry was released from a prison near Houston. Perrys attorney, Doug OConnell, said in a statement that Daniel is optimistic about his future. He wishes that this tragic event never happened. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin police drafted letter advocating for Daniel Perry's pardon Exclusive-UAE and US to seal more AI deals, UAE minister says By Federico Maccioni DUBAI (Reuters) -The United Arab Emirates and United States will invest more in artificial intelligence as part of a strategic partnership, the UAE's state minister for AI Omar Sultan Al Olama said on Tuesday. The UAE, led by government-backed firm G42, is striving to become a global leader in AI, invested heavily in it to help the Gulf nation diversify away from oil. The stakes have risen as neighbouring Saudi Arabia has begun pitching itself as a prospective hub for AI activity outside the United States. "In terms of our investments, since the U.S. is now considering the UAE as a strategic partner, and the UAE is reciprocating that by considering the U.S. as a strategic partner, you will see more deals naturally," Al Olama told Reuters on the sidelines of an event in Dubai. Microsoft is investing $1.5 billion in G42, the two companies announced last month, giving the U.S. giant a minority stake and a board seat and allowing the two to deepen ties. As part of the deal, which the two companies said was backed by assurances to the U.S. and UAE governments over security, G42 would use Microsoft cloud services to run its AI applications. That partnership comes amid Washington's efforts to hobble Beijing's technological advances, with the United States adding four Chinese companies to an exports blacklist for seeking to acquire AI chips for China's military. Asked about further potential divestment of Chinese tech companies by the UAE, Al Olama said "government-to-government the UAE is a neutral country, and in that sense, we are going to be a country that allows the world to do business in the UAE". Al Olama said a diversified energy mix, including nuclear energy, was key for attracting AI investment to the tiny Gulf country. "We will have the ability to expand our energy infrastructure based on the need of the data centres," the minister said. This includes discussions about small modular nuclear reactors but there were no concrete plans yet, he said. The UAE has operated a South Korean-built nuclear plant since 2021. The country plans to also tender as soon as this year for four more nuclear reactors, Reuters reported last month, citing three sources. On Tuesday, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire flagged during a visit to Abu Dhabi that Paris was open to the UAE investing in its nuclear energy industry. He also said he the two countries would sign a strategic partnership on AI. (Reporting by Federico Maccioni; Editing by Nadine Awadalla, Bernadette Baum and Alison Williams) EXETER The Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce invites its members and the community to the 2024 State of the State with Governor Chris Sununu on Tuesday, June 25. The event, from 8:30 to 10 a.m., will be held at the Boulders at Riverwoods at 5 Timber Lane in Exeter. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu talks with attendees at a State of the State 2024 event Tuesday, March 12 at Atlantic Grill in Rye. He will host another State of the State in Exeter on June 25. Sununu will discuss the economic challenges and opportunities facing the state and the impact on the business community. He will also answer questions from attendees. "We look forward to hosting Governor Sununu for our State of the State program in person at Riverwoods," said Jennifer Wheeler, president of the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce. This event is a great opportunity for chamber members and the community to connect with the governor to talk about the issues that are important to them." The 2024 State of the State is underwritten by Cambridge Trust, with additional support from Riverwoods at Exeter. Anyone is welcome to register online at www.exeterarea.org and attend this presentation. The fee to attend is $10 for chamber members, $20 for future members, and includes breakfast. Space is limited- any remaining tickets will be available the day of the event for an additional $5. For more information or to register, please contact the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce at 603-772-2411 or visit exeterarea.org. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter Chamber hosts Gov. Chris Sununu for 2024 State of the State For more than 50 years, Asian American studies has been a recognized field at American colleges and universities. But outside of California, students who want to study it as a major or minor are usually out of luck. However, the tide is beginning to turn. Duke University created an academic minor in Asian American studies in 2022. Harvard University, long criticized for not offering enough courses in ethnic studies, hired two tenured faculty members in Asian American studies over the past two years. Vanderbilt University announced its new major and minor in the field in 2023. That same year, Williams College started its concentration, akin to a minor, and Fordham University started its minor. Amherst College, where I teach, recently created a major in Asian American and Pacific Islander studies, to start in the fall of 2024. Amherst will be the first liberal arts college in the country with its own major in the field. Southern Californias Claremont Colleges Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Pitzer, Pomona and Scripps have collectively offered a shared major for 25 years. Public high schools across the country have similarly experienced growth in content on Asian Americans. Decades of lobbying These programs did not get going overnight. Students on these campuses and others campaigned for Asian American studies for years. Across the nation, student activists in the South, the Northeast and the Southwest continue to lobby for more courses and for majors or minors in the field. But if student activism and faculty interest were all it took to achieve curricular change, Asian American studies and related fields would have been popping up on campuses long ago. At Amherst, students had been pushing for greater attention to Asian American studies for 50 years. The recent commitment to teaching more courses and hiring permanent faculty as opposed to visiting faculty stems, in part, from tragedy. Programs began to grow as attacks on Asian Americans, including the 2021 murders of spa workers in Atlanta, increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Former President Donald Trumps repeated reference to COVID-19 as the Chinese virus added rhetorical fuel to racial animosity. Battles against discrimination inspire new programs Historically, ethnic studies programs have come into existence after protests against public discrimination. The establishment of Black, Native, Latino and Asian American studies in California followed the Civil Rights Movement and protests of the 1960s. The discriminatory attacks that increased during the pandemic inspired a rise in activism among Asian American students. They wanted to embrace their heritage and see their own histories and experiences represented in course offerings. The attacks also made university administrators recognize that contrary to their stereotype as problem-free, high achievers Asian Americans experience a unique kind of discrimination in which they are forever foreign. They deserve greater attention in the college curriculum. As more schools join the roster of colleges offering programs in Asian American studies, the material included within Asian American studies is also expanding. The most common subjects in the Asian American program are cultural studies, literary studies and other interdisciplinary areas in the humanities. The field also has drawn on history and sociology, subjects that similarly question popular views about which racial groups have been in authority and why. Now, prominent topics within Asian American studies include critical race theory and critiques of the United States as an empire and U.S. militarization. Proponents of Asian American studies may be more likely to hold political views such as support for Palestinians and for affirmative action that share the perspectives found in these topics. Given that Asian American studies started in the 1960s and 1970s because of student activism, political activism has remained central to the field. The fields foundation in the humanities and humanistic social sciences, however, has meant that other disciplines have been left out. This is also changing. In the past two years, for example, the Association for Asian American Studies, the largest professional association in the field, has stressed the need for more attention to the study of Asian America in social sciences such as political science, anthropology, economics and psychology. At an April 2024 symposium, the organization connected faculty from psychology, education, political science and other disciplines to the field and vice versa. It also provided a mentoring program for these faculty. The field will likely continue to add to its areas of representation as it expands on campuses. A more comprehensive look at Asian American experiences may lead to a better understanding of the recent conditions that caused the number of programs on college campuses to increase. Understanding the rise of violence against Asian Americans, for instance, requires knowledge of the U.S. wars in Asia and their connection to individual Americans social psychology. More than 50 years ago, Asian American studies were almost unheard of. In another 50 years, perhaps, programs that similarly combine subjects from multiple disciplines may become mainstream. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Pawan Dhingra, Amherst College Read more: Pawan Dhingra does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. In the face of a lawsuit and veto, Virginia Beachs election system still up in the air VIRGINIA BEACH A Circuit Court judge Monday denied a request that would have prevented district-based elections of Virginia Beach City Council members this fall and will issue an opinion soon on whether a lawsuit against the citys voting system can move forward. The 2024 election will continue as planned under the current ward-based system, said Deputy City Attorney Chris Boynton. Former Norfolk Judge Charles Poston presided over a hearing Monday on a lawsuit brought by former Councilman Linwood Branch and several other residents who contend that the city illegally manipulated the Virginia Beach electoral system by eliminating three at-large seats that are expressly established under the City Charter, and deprived the rights of voters. On Friday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have aligned Virginia Beachs city charter with its district-based election system, citing the pending lawsuit. SB189 and matching HB416 would have amended the citys charter to establish a city council with only single-member districts and a mayor. Youngkin had previously amended the bill to say it shall not become effective unless reenacted by the 2025 Session of the General Assembly. The senate rejected the amended bill and sent it back to the governor, who then vetoed it in its original form. Youngkin said in his veto statement that he wants the court to adjudicate the correctness of the implementation, and that the bill could be reintroduced at next years General Assembly session. Following the governors veto, state Sen. Aaron Rouse, a Virginia Beach Democrat and the bill sponsor, said in a statement that the governor has proven to the people of Virginia Beach that he is beholden to special interests that seek to take us back to an old system that was not representative of our city. Last year, the City Council formally adopted a redistricting plan and authorized a ward-based election system, the same method used in November 2022. The council used to have four members, including the mayor, who were elected at large. Those four could live anywhere in the city and were elected by residents across Virginia Beach. The remaining seven members represented districts but also were elected by the population at large. Virginia Beachs election system was overhauled as a result of a lawsuit filed in 2017 that alleged the at-large system that allowed residents from across the city to vote in every council race was illegal and diluted minority voting power. A federal judge agreed in 2021, and the court imposed a district-based election system on Virginia Beach and appointed a special master to draw 10 new voting district maps. The so-called 10-1 system was used in the 2022 election and includes 10 districts. Representatives must live in their district and only residents who live in the district can vote for their representative. The mayor is elected at-large. The General Assembly also approved legislation in 2022 that required candidates for City Council and School Board appear only on the ballots for the voters who reside within the bounds of their district. The effects of the changes to the citys voter system were immediately evident. The council sworn into office in 2023 was the most diverse and possibly the youngest in city history with four Black representatives and four members under 45. But the City Charter doesnt yet align with the election system overhaul, and an amendment requires General Assembly approval. Brandan Goodwin, the plaintiffs attorney, argued Monday state law doesnt allow the city to take away the at-large seats defined in the charter. He had asked to halt an election using the 10-1 system in November, but the judge denied that request Monday. Boynton said the 10-1 system complies with the Virginia Voting Rights Act and was the citys only viable option. We had no other choice, Boynton said. There was one path; we took that path. Poston said he will review the citys defenses and decide if the plaintiffs case can prevail. Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com Claim: King Charles III descends from "Count Dracula," also known as Vlad the Impaler. Rating: Rating: True When King Charles III of England unveiled his new portrait in May 2024, he set the internet aflame with controversy. The red portrait received passionate, but mixed, reactions. Some internet users took the opportunity to share the claim that the monarch supposedly was related to Vlad the Impaler, also known as Prince Dracula (or "Count Dracula" in fictional tales), and had bragged about it in the past: King Charles proudly admitted that his bloodline goes all the way back to Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. Vlad the Impalers bloodlust and cruelty was said to have inspired the most famous vampire of literature. Vlad watched as his men cut off victims limbs while he pic.twitter.com/yPDIVBFgne Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) May 14, 2024 Others made the same claim about Dracula. Several social media accounts claimed not to be surprised by the bold some said bloody choice for the style of the painting: (Jonathan Yeo) As a result, we delved into the genealogy of the House of Windsor, and we found this rumor to be true. Vlad the Impaler Vlad III known as Vlad the Impaler or Voivode (Prince) Vlad Dracula was born in Wallachia (modern Romania) some time between 1428 and 1431, and he died either in 1476 or 1477. He was the son of Prince Vlad II Dracul ("Dracula" means "son of Dracul," son of the dragon, as King Sigismund of Hungary had knighted and inducted Vlad the Elder into the Order of the Dragon). Dracula's childhood was difficult as the Ottoman Empire kidnapped him and his brother to guarantee his father's loyalty. When Hungary invaded Wallachia, his father and older brother died at the hands of Wallachian boyars (nobles). This prompted Dracula to return to Wallachia, the first of many campaigns to reconquer his father's voivodate (principality). Dracula would go on to fight and punish the boyars for their rebellion, but also the Ottomans, to whom his younger brother had remained loyal, and the Hungarians. Assailed from all directions, Vlad III chose unqualified violence and became famous for it. Besides poisoning wells and sending people infected with the plague among his enemies, he is most known for impaling anyone who stood against his authority which is how he earned the "Impaler" nickname. Once, to deter the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet, Dracula left a battlefield, but not without having all dead bodies skewered, turning the field into a "forest of the impaled" some 20,000 bodies held up on spears. The prince's cruelty became the topic of books and pamphlets in Germany, which helped create his legend. King Charles' Ancestor In a 2011 documentary about the Carpathian mountains, King Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales, boasted about his notorious ancestor. "The genealogy shows I am descended from Vlad the Impaler, so I do have a bit of a stake in the country," he punned to the presenter. Using genealogy websites and other documents, we were able to follow his ancestry and confirm that he descends from the cruel 15th-century ruler through his maternal great-grandmother, Mary of Teck, Queen Consort, wife of King George V: (Public Domain) Mary's father was a German Duke. It's from his branch of the family that we were able to trace her roots to the violent prince of Wallachia. We first found Mary's family tree on the website of a self-proclaimed "unabashed royal watcher" based in California. To confirm the blog's claims, we used the website Geni.com, which allows users amateurs and professionals alike to collaborate as they research and establish famous and less-prominent genealogies. Starting with the Geni page of Mary of Teck and following the ancestry through her father and his forebears, we were able to arrive to Vlad Dracula through the two separate ways indicated on the blog's family tree. The claim that this might explain the blood-red portrait, however, is beyond our ability to verify. Sources: Analie, Land of. 'The Bloody Ancestors of the British Royal Family'. The Land of Analie, 6 Nov. 2012, https://landofanalie.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/the-bloody-ancestors-of-the-british-royal-family/. ---. 'The Bloody Ancestors of the British Royal Family'. The Land of Analie, 6 Nov. 2012, https://landofanalie.wordpress.com/2012/11/05/the-bloody-ancestors-of-the-british-royal-family/. Article, Holly Black ShareShare This. 'New King Charles Portrait Sparks Backlash for "Blood-Red" Palette'. Artnet News, 15 May 2024, https://news.artnet.com/art-world/king-charles-portrait-2487305. Family Tree & Family History at Geni.Com. https://www.geni.com/family-tree/html/start. Accessed 16 May 2024. Marie, Abbagail. 'The Dracula Book You've Never Heard Of'. Medium, 19 Nov. 2022, https://medium.com/@abbagailmarie/the-dracula-book-youve-never-heard-of-b2d72e8a0eb8. 'Mary of Teck'. Geni_family_tree, 26 Apr. 2022, https://www.geni.com/people/Mary-of-Teck/6000000001324056123. Oliver, Amy. 'Romanian Tourist Board to Use Alleged Links between British Royalty and DRACULA to Boost UK Visitor Numbers'. Mail Online, 5 Nov. 2012, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2228040/Prince-Charles-heir-Draculas-blood-line-link-used-boost-tourism-Romania.html. Stilwell, Blake. 'The Insane Way Vlad the Impaler Turned Back an Enemy Army'. Military.Com, 23 Mar. 2022, https://www.military.com/off-duty/2020/02/26/insane-way-vlad-impaler-turned-back-enemy-army.html. Team Wild Carpathia. Wild Carpathia 1. 2020. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoO0qxlfYrQ. 'Vlad Dracula, V, Tepelus of Dracula'. Geni_family_tree, 21 May 2022, https://www.geni.com/people/Vlad-Dracula-V-Tepelus-of-Dracula/6000000010575432214. 'Where Does The Word "Dracula" Come From?' Dictionary.Com, 22 Oct. 2020, https://www.dictionary.com/e/dracula-fish/. Vlad the Impaler | Biography, Dracula, Death, & Facts | Britannica. 30 Apr. 2024, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Vlad-the-Impaler. Claim: Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson requested shots of whiskey on his deathbed but was denied them. Rating: Rating: True Various social media platforms, including Reddit and X, have long circulated the claim that Bill Wilson, one of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), was denied shots of whiskey on his deathbed. One Reddit user posting on the Today I Learned subreddit back in 2013 alleged that "Bill Wilson, the well known co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, demanded whiskey in the last days of his life and became belligerent when he was denied": (Reddit) The allegation spread to Instagram in 2023, with the additional claim that he "took lsd." Historical accounts and credible sources corroborate the online claim that Wilson, who was a New York stockbroker prior to getting sober and co-launching AA, did ask for whiskey but was denied his requests on several occasions in the final days of his life. Commonly known as Bill W. (as part of AA's tradition of anonymity), Wilson co-founded the abstinence-based recovery fellowship alongside Dr. Bob Smith in 1935. Having struggled with alcoholism until 1934, Wilson maintained his sobriety until his death in 1971 from pneumonia and emphysema caused by his decades-long smoking habit. According to a profile of author Susan Cheever in the The Washington Post in 2004, she was given access to the archives of Wilson's historic home, Stepping Stones, while researching her biography "My Name is Bill: Bill Wilson." The nursing records kept by the medical attendants who looked after Wilson prior to his death hid among the artifacts. These logs recounted that Wilson did request whiskey on his deathbed, but the medical staff denied him, as The Washington Post reported: Cheever came to the pages covering Christmas 1970. On the eve of the holiday, Bill Wilson passed a fitful night. A lifelong smoker, he had been fighting emphysema for years, and now he was losing the battle. Nurse James Dannenberg was on duty in the last hour before dawn. At 6:10 a.m. on Christmas morning, according to Dannenberg's notes, the man who sobered up millions "asked for three shots of whiskey." He was quite upset when he didn't get them, Cheever writes. Wilson asked for booze again about a week later, on Jan. 2, 1971. And on Jan. 8. And on Jan. 14. Cheever addressed this in her biography on Wilson, writing on page 249 that in his final days he asked Dannenberg for whiskey but "instead of complying, Dannenberg sat down and asked Bill if he wanted to talk." In another passage, Cheever noted that according to Dannenberg's log, "Wilson was quite upset when he couldn't have what he asked for" as there was "no whiskey at Stepping Stones," adding that "a few days later [Wilson] became belligerent and tried to punch the nurse." Cheever noted in her biography: By the fourteenth of January, Bill Wilson, a man who hadn't had a drink in almost thirty-seven years, a man who had discovered what is still the only successful way to treat alcoholism, was asking for whiskey again. He was an alcoholic. Alcoholics drink, they love to drink, and for a long time drinking works for them. Some discover, as Bill had, that it is almost impossible for them to stop drinking. Many never stopped wanting to drink. It's a measure of the power of alcohol that even in his last days alive, Bill Wilson still wanted a whiskey. Journalist Don Lattin also touched on this incident in his 2012 book "Distilled Spirits": Two male nurses cared for him at his home. On Christmas Day, one of the nurses noted in his log that Wilson "asked for three shots of whiskey" and became belligerent when told there was no liquor in the house. He continued to make this demand over the final couple of weeks of his life a testament to the enduring power of alcohol. Moreover, the recovery community has widely discussed the story of Wilson's deathbed request for whiskey, with posts on forums such as SoberRecovery.com and Medium's Illumination reflecting individuals' discussions about Wilson's final days and the significance of his request. Despite maintaining his sobriety for 36 years, we should note that Wilson experimented with LSD in his recovery. In 2012, The Guardian reported on his experiences with the potent psychedelic LSD, citing letters and documents that Lattin obtained for "Distilled Spirits." Beginning in the 1950s, about 20 years after getting sober and establishing AA, Wilson explored the idea that LSD could aid "cynical alcoholics" in finding spiritual enlightenment and overcoming addiction. He initially considered the substance as a means for individuals to understand the hallucinations induced by alcoholism, possibly motivating them to change their behavior. However, after his first LSD experience in 1956, Wilson shifted perspective, believing that LSD-induced insights could align with the spiritual principles of the Twelve Steps program. Although some within the recovery community acknowledged the potential spiritual benefits of LSD, many AA members opposed Wilson's experiments, leading to his eventual withdrawal from the AA governing body to pursue his psychedelics research freely. In sum, evidence presented from credible historical accounts and various books written about him supports the claim that despite his lifelong struggle with alcoholism, Wilson did indeed request whiskey several times on his deathbed, but was ultimately denied it. (While it's well-documented that he believed LSD had potential in treating alcoholism and achieving spiritual awakening, historical records do not indicate that he was high on psychedelics leading up to his death.) Snopes has previously written about alcohol and addiction, including how the federal government poisoned alcohol to curb consumption during Prohibition, and a false claim that booze is illegal in the U.S. unless it's radioactive. Sources: Cheever, Susan. "BILL W. : The Healer." Time, 14 June 1999. content.time.com, https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,991266-1,00.html. ---. My Name Is Bill: Bill WilsonHis Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous. Simon and Schuster, 2015. ---. My Name Is Bill: Bill WilsonHis Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous. Simon and Schuster, 2015. "Did Bill W Ask for a Drink on His Death Bed?" SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information, https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/newcomers-recovery/267301-did-bill-w-ask-drink-his-death-bed.html. Accessed 16 May 2024. Hill, Amelia. "LSD Could Help Alcoholics Stop Drinking, AA Founder Believed." The Guardian, 23 Aug. 2012. The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/aug/23/lsd-help-alcoholics-theory. Kurtz, E. Drugs and the Spiritual: Bill W. Takes LSD. Chestnut.org, 1989, https://www.chestnut.org/resources/82882699-767e-4891-8309-e26fe18a6848/1989-percent-20Bill-percent-20W-percent-20takes-percent-20LSD.pdf. Lattin, Don. Distilled Spirits: Getting High, Then Sober, with a Famous Writer, a Forgotten Philosopher, and a Hopeless Drunk. 2012. "My Name Is Bill: Bill Wilson--His Life and the Creation." Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213610.My_Name_Is_Bill. Accessed 16 May 2024. "One Page At a Time." Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2024. www.washingtonpost.com, https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/05/03/one-page-at-a-time/a44af9b9-a922-4c35-bfc1-a9d9fd1674f4/. Power, Liberty and. "No Friends of Bill W." History News Network, 9 May 2004, https://www.historynewsnetwork.org/blog/5088. Ralston, Bullseye with Matt. "The Founder of AA Asks for a Drink in His Dying Moments." Bullseye by Matt Ralston, 17 Mar. 2022, https://bullseye.substack.com/p/the-founder-of-aa-asks-for-a-drink. Stevens, John W. "Bill W. of Alcoholics Anonymous Dies." The New York Times, 26 Jan. 1971. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/1971/01/26/archives/bill-w-of-alcoholics-anonymous-dies-bill-w-oi-alcoholics-anonymous.html. Susan Cheever -. https://www.susancheever.com/my_name_is_bill__bill_wilson__his_life_and_the_creation_of_alcoholics_anonymous_87508.htm. Accessed 16 May 2024. The Start and Growth of A.A. | Alcoholics Anonymous. https://www.aa.org/the-start-and-growth-of-aa. Accessed 16 May 2024. Urbano, Rodolfo. "Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Almost Screwed Up on His Deathbed." ILLUMINATION, 22 Nov. 2022, https://medium.com/illumination/founder-of-alcoholics-anonymous-aa-almost-screwed-up-on-his-deathbed-e0388b8ef173. https://www.cato.org/commentary/bill-wilson-drug-war#:~:text=In%20Drehle's%20article%2C%20we%20learn,He%20was%20never%20given%20one. Accessed 16 May 2024. Claim: Peru classified transgender people as "mentally ill." Rating: Rating: True In May 2024, rumors spread that Peru had just passed a law that classified transgender and nonbinary people as "mentally ill": This post on Reddit had gained 29,000 votes as of this writing, as well as 2,600 comments. The claim also spread on X, with users expressing outrage and support. Looking closely at those claims, we found them to be true. On May 16, 2024, Peru's government sparked a backlash when its president, Dina Boluarte, ratified Supreme Decree 009-2024, which purported to expand access to mental health services for "transsexual" Peruvians. Standing for LGBTQ+ rights, several organizations and individuals accused Boluarte and her government of "pathologizing" trans people, however. Peru's authorities defended the decree, arguing that it was merely following a classification established by the World Health Organization (WHO) known as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). They said they did so to allow for better health insurance coverage of mental health conditions related to gender identity, "fetishistic transvestism" and "egodystonic sexual orientation" (which means unhappiness with one's gender identity or sexual orientation paired with the desire to change it). Decree 009-2024 lists by name the following "disorders," pulled from the ICD: F64.0 Transexualism F64.1 Dual-role transvestism F64.2 Gender identity disorder of childhood F64.8 Other gender identity disorders F64.9 Gender identity disorder, unspecified F65.1 Fetishistic transvestism F66.1 Egodystonic sexual orientation However, the decree followed the classification used in the 10th revision of the ICD, which the WHO stopped using in 2022, rendering it obsolete. The difference in language between ICD-10 and ICD-11 is striking. For example, focusing on children who do not conform to the gender they were assigned at birth, ICD-10 read: F64.2 Gender identity disorder of childhood A disorder, usually first manifest during early childhood (and always well before puberty), characterized by a persistent and intense distress about assigned sex, together with a desire to be (or insistence that one is) of the other sex. There is a persistent preoccupation with the dress and activities of the opposite sex and repudiation of the individual's own sex. The diagnosis requires a profound disturbance of the normal gender identity; mere tomboyishness in girls or girlish behaviour in boys is not sufficient. Gender identity disorders in individuals who have reached or are entering puberty should not be classified here but in F66.-. ICD-11 considerably adjusted its approach. For starters, it nixed the term "disorder" and replaced it with "incongruence": HA61 Gender incongruence of childhood Gender incongruence of childhood is characterised by a marked incongruence between an individual's experienced/expressed gender and the assigned sex in pre-pubertal children. It includes a strong desire to be a different gender than the assigned sex; a strong dislike on the child's part of his or her sexual anatomy or anticipated secondary sex characteristics and/or a strong desire for the primary and/or anticipated secondary sex characteristics that match the experienced gender; and make-believe or fantasy play, toys, games, or activities and playmates that are typical of the experienced gender rather than the assigned sex. The incongruence must have persisted for about 2 years. Gender variant behaviour and preferences alone are not a basis for assigning the diagnosis. Organizations like Human Rights Watch warned that the Peruvian government's use of ICD-10 could make conversion therapy appear legitimate when the practices can be akin to torture and should be banned, according to a United Nations report. In response, government spokesman Carlos Alvarado told Agence France-Presse that "transexualism" is "not a mental health problem and we agree with that, to the point where various documents at the ministry that specify this." He added that while the only goal of the decree was to expand the number of conditions for which people should have access to care, "the idea is to make the transition to ICD-11 as soon as possible." He also said that changing the current classifications would once again restrict coverage of essential mental health care. Given that Peru does not allow same-sex marriage or even same-sex civil unions, and that it does not let its trans citizens change their gender identity on official identification documents, LGBTQ+ rights organizations expressed concern that this latest move would only set back progress for these groups in the country even more. Sources: 'Controversia en Peru por un decreto que describe la transexualidad como trastorno mental'. LA NACION, 17 May 2024, https://www.lanacion.com.ar/el-mundo/controversia-en-peru-por-un-decreto-que-describe-la-transexualidad-como-trastorno-mental-nid17052024/. Decreto Supremo que modifica el Decreto Supremo N 023-2021-SA, que aprueba la actualizacion del Plan Esencial de Aseguramiento en Salud - PEAS - DECRETO SUPREMO - N 009-2024-SA - SALUD. http://busquedas.elperuano.pe/dispositivo/NL/2287398-1. Accessed 17 May 2024. ICD-10 Version:2019. https://icd.who.int/browse10/2019/en. Accessed 17 May 2024. ICD-11. https://icd.who.int/en. Accessed 17 May 2024. Peru opta por la intolerancia en los servicios medicos | Human Rights Watch. 15 May 2024, https://www.hrw.org/es/news/2024/05/15/peru-opta-por-la-intolerancia-en-los-servicios-medicos. "Practices of So-Called "Conversion Therapy". Report of the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, A/HRC/44/53, 1 May 2020, https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/g20/108/68/pdf/g2010868.pdf?token=eFvh07FwFG3kuqes9k&fe=true. Fact Check: This Is Supposedly a Real Pic of Trump Serving in the Military. We Looked Into It Claim: An image shared in May 2024 authentically showed former U.S. President Donald Trump serving in the military. Rating: Rating: Fake In May 2024, a photograph was spread on social media, allegedly depicting former U.S. President Donald Trump while serving in the Army. "We as a nation are blessed to have such bravery, leadership, and a soldiers love of country to help Make America Great Again," one X post with the photograph read. The same photograph was also circulated online back in December 2023. "So grateful for Donald Trump who has led our troops to victories in every major war since our Nation's birth," one 2023 post on X captioned the viral image. Stollen valor, stollen lives, stollen documents and lies, lies, lies. America deserves better than this failure of a human as our POTUS. pic.twitter.com/isRAXOnl9D Paul Muad'Dib "Worm Boss" (@Paul_Is_Muadib) December 18, 2023 Some social media users suggested the photograph was generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) software, while others claimed it was an example of "stolen valor." We used Google reverse-image search to investigate the photograph's origins. We found that the image was first shared online on July 5, 2023: President Trump is relentless in pursuit of our freedom. pic.twitter.com/HjJCc1fyPP Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) July 5, 2023 "So who is behind this Twitter account?" a post shared on July 6, 2023, asked, with three other clearly absurd images allegedly showing Trump in different eras of U.S. history. So who is behind this Twitter account? pic.twitter.com/mgeYNII4A8 Marina Medvin ?? (@MarinaMedvin) July 6, 2023 A screenshot of the X post with the image in-question was also shared on Reddit with a caption that read, "Ah yes, let's portray the man who was able to get out of the draft for Vietnam because of bone spurs, as a leader in 'freedom' and serving." Importantly, as Snopes reported back in 2016, Trump has never served in the military, as four times he received college draft deferments: 1964: Donald Trump became eligible for the draft on his 18th birthday (14 June 1964) and registered with the Selective Service System 10 days later. He received the first of four 2-S (college) deferments on 28 July 1964. 1965: Trump received his second college deferment on 14 December 1965. 1966: Trump's previous deferment expired and he was reclassified 1-A (available for military service) on 22 November 1966. His 2-S deferment was renewed on 13 December. 1967: No record. 1968: Trump received his fourth and final college deferment on 16 January 1968. After graduating from Wharton, he was reclassified 1-A on 9 July 1968. Trump underwent an Armed Forces physical examination (with a result listed only as "DISQ") on 19 September 1968 and was reclassified 1-Y (qualified for service only in time of war or national emergency) on 15 October 1968. Trump's fifth draft deferment, Snopes reported, was related to "bone spurs in both heels." According to a statement from the Trump campaign, the 1-Y classification stemmed from Trump's having bone spurs in both heels. [...] The details of that medical exemption remain unclear and controversial, and most draft-related government medical records from the Vietnam era were not preserved. 1972: Despite the supposedly "short-term" nature of Trump's disqualifying physical condition, on 17 February 1972 he was reclassified 4-F (not qualified for military service), presumably due to the abolishment of the 1-Y classification the previous year. The New York Times also published an article in 2016 saying as much, with the title, "Donald Trump's Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet." To confirm that the in-question photograph was fake, we used tools designed to detect AI-generated footage. AI or Not tool rated the photo as "likely AI," and Illuminarty tool indicated that the image's "AI Probability" equaled 97.2%. Finally, no reputable sources have ever shared the image allegedly showing Trump serving in the military. Because Trump did not serve in the military and the photograph had signs of being artificially created, we have rated the claim as "Fake." In September 2023, we investigated a similar image allegedly showing Trump dressed as a firefighter, as one of the first responders on the scene of the 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City. (X user @Trump_History45) If you don't want to be deceived by AI-generated images and videos in the future, read our tips here. Sources: Eder, Steve, and Dave Philipps. "Donald Trump's Draft Deferments: Four for College, One for Bad Feet." The New York Times, 2 Aug. 2016. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record.html. Emery, David. "Donald Trump's Draft Deferments." Snopes, 2 Aug. 2016, https://www.snopes.com/news/2016/08/02/donald-trumps-draft-deferments/. Wrona, Aleksandra. "Viral Pic Captures Trump's 'Heroic Efforts' on 9/11?" Snopes, 11 Sept. 2023, https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-wtc-photo/. "Interpretation: Commander in Chief Clause | Constitution Center." National Constitution Center Constitutioncenter.Org, https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution/articles/article-ii/clauses/345. Accessed 26 Dec. 2023. NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's capital, Delhi, has recorded its first heat-related death this year, media reported on Thursday, as India's northwest swelters in record high temperatures. The heat-related fatality was a 40-year-old labourer who died of heatstroke on Wednesday, The Indian Express newspaper reported. RECORD DELHI HEAT, READINGS UNDER REVIEW The temperature in Delhi reached a record high of 52.9 degrees Celsius (127.22F) in the Mungeshpur neighbourhood on Wednesday, while parts of northwest and central India have been experiencing heat wave to severe heat wave conditions for weeks. The reading for Mungeshpur may be revised however, as maximum temperatures in other parts of the city ranged from 45.2C to 49.1C. Delhi's lieutenant governor on Wednesday asked the government to ensure measures were taken to protect labourers by providing water and shaded areas at construction sites and granting them paid leave from noon to 3 p.m. WHY IS INDIA IS SEEING MORE HEAT WAVES? The India Meteorological Department has said a confluence of weather patterns has driven up temperatures. Summer temperatures often peak during May in India, but the IMD predicted 7-10 heat wave days in northwestern regions this month, compared with the usual 2-3 days. This was largely due to fewer non-monsoon thundershowers and an active but weakening El Nino, a climate pattern that typically leads to hot and dry weather in Asia and heavier rains in parts of the Americas, the IMD has said. Warm, westerly winds blowing in from Pakistan also contributed to the heat. Other parts of India have already seen summer temperatures climbing to record peaks, including eastern and southern India, where temperatures in April were among the highest on record. EXTREME HEAT A heat wave alert has been in place for large parts of India since last week. The IMD threshold for a heat wave is when the maximum temperature reaches 40C in the plains, 30C in hilly areas, 37C in coastal areas and when the departure from the normal maximum temperatures is at least 4.5 degrees. Rajasthan state has also been reeling under scorching heat, with mercury touching 50C in some districts. Government data shows four people have died since March with 451 cases of heat stroke reported on Wednesday itself. Asia has sweltered in a hotter summer this year - a trend scientists say has been worsened by human-driven climate change. NEAR TERM RELIEF Heat wave conditions will reduce over the next two to three days due to a gradual fall in temperature along with rainfall and southwesterly winds blowing from the Arabian Sea to northwest India, the IMD said on Wednesday. Late on Wednesday, some parts of Delhi received a spot of light rain. (Reporting by Chris Thomas in New DelhiEditing by Bernadette Baum and Gerry Doyle) (Reuters) - Russia has brought a string of treason cases against scientists researching super-high flight speeds, an area that underpins its development of hypersonic missiles. In the latest, physicist Anatoly Maslov was sentenced to 14 years on Tuesday. President Vladimir Putin has boasted of Russia's prowess in hypersonic missiles and Moscow has acknowledged using them in the Ukraine war. Here is a summary of the cases it has launched against scientists working in this sensitive field. ANATOLY MASLOV, ALEXANDER SHIPLYUK AND VALERY ZVEGINTSEV All three were top scientists at the Khristianovich Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (ITAM) in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. Maslov and Shiplyuk were arrested in 2022, and Zvegintsev the following year. In a rare open letter a year ago, colleagues said the three men were innocent and the cases against them were damaging Russian science. Details of the charges are secret, but two people familiar with Shiplyuk's case have told Reuters he is accused of betraying secrets to China by handing over classified material at a conference there in 2017. VLADISLAV GALKIN Galkin worked at another Siberian university and had co-authored papers with Zvegintsev and Shiplyuk. His arrest was reported in December 2023 but BBC Russian said he was actually detained in April of that year. It quoted his wife as saying she had told their grandchildren he was on a business trip. ALEXANDER KURANOV Kuranov was handed a seven-year jail sentence for treason last month, after being accused of passing state secrets to foreign nationals. Maslov's lawyer, without naming Kuranov, said the case against Maslov had been based on testimony against him from another person who got a seven-year term. At the time of his arrest in 2021, Kuranov was the general director of the St Petersburg-based Hypersonic Systems Research Facility, where he oversaw work on a new version of a Soviet-era hypersonic aircraft dubbed Ayaks. ANATOLY GUBANOV AND VALERY GOLUBKIN Both worked at TsAGI, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute based in Zhukovsky, near Moscow, where Gubanov was Golubkin's boss. Gubanov, arrested in December 2020, had been working on an international project called HEXAFLY-INT to develop a hypersonic civil aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel. In October 2023 he was found guilty of handing over state secrets and sentenced to 12 years. Golubkin, arrested in April 2021, was jailed for 12 years in June 2023 after being found guilty of passing secrets to a NATO member state. However, the verdict was annulled last month and a new trial ordered. VIKTOR KUDRYAVTSEV, ROMAN KOVALYOV AND VLADIMIR LAPYGIN All three worked at TsNIIMash, a rocket and spacecraft centre near Moscow which is a scientific subsidiary of space agency Roscosmos. Kudryavtsev was arrested on a treason charge in 2018, suspected of transferring secret information to a Belgian institute. He died of lung cancer in 2021, before the case came to trial. Kovalyov, who worked with Kudryavtsev at TsNIIMash, was sentenced to seven years for treason in June 2020. He died of cancer in 2022. Lapygin was convicted of treason in 2016 and sentenced to seven years, but was freed early in 2020. (Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Tomasz Janowski) FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va. (DC News Now) Police said they were investigating a deadly shooting Tuesday morning. The Fairfax County Police Department (FCPD) said the shooting happened in the 6200 block of Richmond Hwy. in Fair Haven at around 6 a.m. Stafford County Sheriffs Office looking for man who broke into store, stole beers When officers arrived, they found a man who was shot. He died there. FCPD said it was looking for a dark colored Ford SUV that had Virginia tags. The police deprtment asked anyone with information to call 911. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. FAIRMONT, WV (WVNS) Fairmont State University partnered with two other organizations to bring a new opportunity to West Virginia teens in foster care. Concord University Upward Bound students visit the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine The university, along with KVC West Virginia and the West Virginia Department of Education, will be offering the Middle College Program for teens 16 and older in foster care. The program allows them to earn a high school degree as well as a two-year associates degree. Brent Lemon, President of KVC West Virginia, said the opportunity will mean a lot to these kids. It will be a benefit to them entering the job market when they turn 18 and finish this program. Its a two year program and its 24-7, 365 days of the year. They can stay there, live therethis will be their home, said Lemon. The program is a no-cost program and foster students will stay on campus at Fairmont State University. The application deadline for the inaugural Middle College class is June 14, 2024. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. FALL RIVER As the state Legislature works to pass a new $58 billion fiscal year budget, state lawmakers, as they do every year, have put in earmarks for pet projects both in the public and private arenas. The Boston Globe took a deep dive into those earmarks brought by state representatives and senators. Heres a look at what some of the local leaders submitted to bring home the bacon to the Fall River area, according to The Globes database it created. State Sen. Michael Rodrigues has earmarked a little more than $1 million that will benefit the communities in his district of Fall River, Freetown, Lakeville and Bristol County. Battleship Cove gets earmark Rodrigues' earmarks include the Fall River Emergency Medical Services receiving $300,000, Freetowns Crystal Springs School will benefit from $250,000, Battleship Cove will get $250,000 and the Veterans Association of Bristol County will get an earmark of $150,000. The destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. sits in Battleship Cove alongside the submarine Lionfish and Battleship Massachusetts. State Rep. Carole Fiola has the biggest batch of earmarks by local leaders at $1.9 million, with $1.66 million going to the nonprofit Action for Boston Community Development. Fiola, who has regularly championed family health care, said she co-sponsored the request with a Boston representative. The appropriation will not be coming to the SouthCoast, however. Because it has the family planning language, said Fiola, who once worked a summer internship as a teenager at Reproductive Health Services at Citizens for Citizens' Family Planning. Animal shelter and new explosive detection vehicle get earmarks Fiola said she has several earmarks that will assist local community agencies, like $60,000 to the animal rescue organization, Forever Paws, which she called a no brainer. What I do over the course of the year is to keep my ears open as Im all over the district. What are things, but for a budget, that people could really use, said Fiola. State Rep. Carole Fiola has earmarked $60,000 in the state budget for Forever Paws Animal Shelter. Seen in this 2021 Herald News file photo are Board of Directors Chairwoman Gail Furtado and shelter Director Arianna Silva. What to know Fall River water and sewer rates rising significantly in 2025 budget. Here's how much. The Fall River Fire Department has $50,000 that will be used to upgrade its radio transmission equipment; $40,000 for youth programs; $30,000 to the volunteer organization, Angels Anonymous organization, which among its services organizes a monthly food pantry and clean-up drives around Fall River. Fiola has also earmarked $75,000 for the Fall River Police Department to purchase a K9 explosive detection vehicle. State Rep. Patricia Haddad earmarked $600,000 to assist her district. Both Somerset and Swansea will each receive $200,000 for water and sewer infrastructure upgrades. The Friends of Jack Foundation, which provides services to children facing health issues, will receive $100,000 State Rep. Steven Howitt, submitted $120,000 in earmarks, with $100,000 going to Swansea to upgrade and repair the crossing at Sharps Lot Road and Lewin Brook. State Rep. Paul Schmid, who is serving his last term this year and is a farmer from Westport, earmarked $150,000 for University of Massachusetts Amherst's Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. Hes also earmarked $50,000 for Westport schools. With $125,000 in earmarks, State Rep. Alan Silvia has set aside $75,000 that will go toward Fall Rivers six senior centers. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: State local lawmakers bringing home the bacon in earmarks (FOX40.COM) One person was transported to a Northern California hospital on Sunday after falling from a horse in Nevada County, according to the CAL FIRE Nevada-Yuba-Placer Unit. Crews from Smartsville and Penn Valley Fire were called to the remote area of southwest Nevada County for reports of a medical rescue. Northern California deputies search for mountain lion after second sighting When first responders located the rider, crews found the rider had significant injuries from the fall and determined them to be non-ambulatory. After providing the fallen rider with medical care, the fire crews carried out the patient with a stokes wheel gurney to a waiting ambulance. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. A fallen NYPD detective gets the heros funeral he deserved 100 years later A fallen NYPD detective gets the heros funeral he deserved 100 years later GREEN-WOOD CEMETERY, Brooklyn (PIX11) He was a detective killed in the line of duty, but he was never given a proper burial. That changed on Monday morning, with a high honors funeral in Brooklyn for Detective Sgt. Bernardino Grottano, 100 years after he lost his life. The funeral, and the process of planning it, also transformed some strangers into family quite literally. Grottanos long-delayed funeral united relatives in the police force who would have been otherwise unknown to each other. Inside the cemetery, under a blue sky, there were rows of blue uniforms, including some with top brass. There were also relatives of Grottano from as far away as Michigan, as well as an honor guard, highly-decorated veteran officers, and even canine officers. They all come together to pay tribute to a fallen hero. NYPD officers rescue ducklings trapped in the sewer He got involved, said Paul DiGiacomo, the president of the detectives union, in a eulogy, to help another police officer. The Detectives Endowment Association president was referring to the fact that Grottano seized a robbery suspect who was fleeing from an officer in Brooklyn on May 19, 1924. When Grottano grabbed the man, the man shot him. The detective died days later and was buried in a mass grave inside Green-Wood. All that marked his final resting place was a small, numbered stone marker. It was an unmarked grave, said William Markowski, the fiance of Detective Grottanos great-niece Phyllis Kropacek. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now PIX11 News Headlines Markowski said that hed searched Ancestry.com and other genealogical aids online to find the detectives final resting place, as well as details about Grottanos biography, and more. We honor him finally, said Markowski, and now we open the door to all these new relatives and stuff, that never knew each other. He was referring to a sight in the front row at the graveside funeral service. There, two police officers one with Grottanos last name, the other with a grandmother whose maiden name was Grottano sat side by side. Its just crazy, one of them, Officer Robert Desena, said, in an interview after the ceremony. If you think about a hundred years ago, and to now be wearing the same uniform as well as his new-found cousin, he said, was remarkable. That cousin is Officer Dylan Grottano, a two-year NYPD veteran. It was through online messages among relatives leading up to Mondays burial that the two officers found each other. Desena, a six-year veteran in the evidence collection unit, and Grottano, a patrol officer in the 66th Precinct, met at their great-great uncles funeral service. If it wasnt for this, said Officer Grottano, I wouldnt know I had another family member on the job, as well. We couldve walked right by each other, he continued, and never have known. Kropacek, the great-niece of Detective Grottano, said that the officers reunion, as well as the full tribute and new headstone for her loved one, turned a somber occasion into one that was more sweet than bitter. Overall, theres mixed feeling, she said. But Im happy about the celebration. The day finally came, she continued. A happy day. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. The family of Alexander McClay Williams, a Black teen wrongfully executed by Pennsylvania in 1931 for murder, has filed a lawsuit seeking unspecified punitive damages nearly a century later. As reported by NBC Philadelphia on Monday (May 20), the 16-year-old, who remains the youngest person to be put to death by the state, was posthumously pardoned in 2022 when his conviction was vacated and a new trial was ordered. However, rather than retrying his case, the charges against him were formally dismissed. His criminal record was also expunged in 2017. Trending Williams' family has consistently maintained his innocence during and after his execution. Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer acknowledged that Williams should never have been charged, highlighting the need to publicly recognize and correct past injustices. Sadly, we cannot undo the past. We cannot rewrite history to erase the egregious wrongs of our forebearers, he stated after dismissing the case in 2022. However, when, as here, justice can be served by publicly acknowledging such a wrong, we must seize that opportunity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWoTa3eYLT8 Williams was convicted of the murder of 34-year-old Vida Robare, a white house matron at the Glen Mills School for Boys, who was found stabbed 47 times in her cottage on Oct. 3, 1930. Despite the lack of witnesses and Williams' absence from the crime scene, a conviction was secured based on coerced confessions from the teen. The lawsuit argued that prosecutors ignored critical evidence, including Robare's pending divorce from her husband, who discovered her body and had an alleged history of extreme cruelty toward her. Williams' execution took place on June 8, 1931. Decades later, Sam Lemon, the great-grandson of Williams trial attorney, uncovered evidence indicating that the case against Williams was fabricated. This new evidence led the Court of Common Pleas for Delaware County to vacate the conviction and order a new trial in 2022. It was after the court's decision that Stollsteimer dismissed the case, further supporting the claim of Williams' wrongful execution. You Might Also Like MEMPHIS, Tenn. Two families have complained that workers at a South Memphis Cemetery moved the remains of their loved ones. The allegations were made against New Park Cemetery on Horn Lake Road, although the cemeterys owner denies this happened. Im devastated. I dont have words because we tried to put our loved ones to rest and we think weve done the right thing and now I feel bad that I brought her out here, said Donna Spurlock Payne, daughter of the deceased buried at New Park Cemetery. Graceland set for foreclosure auction; Elvis heir claims fraud, fights sale Payne claims that workers at the cemetery moved her mother, Canary Hardin who was buried on March 29, remains. My mothers not there, she should have been here. Not way up there, because I know the distance that we had to walk and we didnt have to walk way out here, Payne said. New Park owner and president, Jeff Roberts, tells WREG he met the family of Canary Hardin on what he described as a new and active part of the cemetery, assuring them their mother has not been moved and promised to put sod on the gravesite. Within a few feet of Canary Hardins grave marker is that of Kentavion Dancy, who was buried on June 11, 2023. Sign up for WREG newsletters and have the latest top stories sent right to your inbox. See more breaking news, local news and weather from WREG.com for Memphis and the Mid-South. Him and his girlfriend were heinously murdered in the streets of Memphis, ten months ago, said Alana Copeland, grandmother of the deceased buried at New Park Cemetery. Copeland also claims her grandsons remains had been moved because she found that his gravestone had been re-arraigned. Now, I paid all my money and our family did to put our child in a safe spot and hes not there and theyre telling us he is and were wrong, Copeland said. Roberts says the gravestone was accidentally moved 18 inches sideways by grounds crews but says Dancys remains have not been moved. The Copeland family has yet to even notify our office and has apparently only talked to News Channel 3. Although she failed to properly register the headstone in question, we have properly aligned it to ensure it is in the correct location, Roberts said. The President, Jeff Roberts, of New Park Cemetery also issued the following statement, New Park Cemetery is saddened that two families mistakenly believe that their loved ones have been moved. We keep meticulous records as do all cemeteries, and are confident in their accuracy. The overwhelming majority of our families are pleased with our service and we hope to find a way to please these two families. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. LAFAYETTE, Ind. Fionna McCoy threatened to sue Tippecanoe schools over allegations that Wea Ridge Elementary School failed to follow protocols after her child was injured at school. McCoy partnered with United as One, an advocacy group out of South Bend, Indiana, in hopes of having her concerns heard by the Tippecanoe School Corp. At a press event Monday morning outside of Wea Ridge Elementary, McCoy claimed her son was stabbed at school with a pencil in the arm by another student on May 15. Her son's teacher did not report the stabbing to school administrators and failed to contact McCoy about the incident after her child informed the teacher, McCoy said. Sue Scott, TSC director of communication, said Principal Tami Jacobs met with McCoy in person on Thursday the day after the stabbing, and Assistant Principal Joshua Frauhiger had a follow-up call with McCoy on Thursday. A photo of Wea Ridge Elementary School, on Monday, May 20, 2024, in Lafayette, Ind. McCoy learned her son had been stabbed when he returned home from school at 4 p.m., at which point she took him to urgent care to be checked. Jacobs sent a letter to Wea Ridge families on Monday afternoon. "I wanted to touch base with you after allegations were made regarding a student incident last week," Jacobs wrote. "A group called United as One has made a social media post and talked to local news media misrepresenting the facts. "The misinformation and allegations being made about what happened at our school are very disturbing and I wish I could share more information with you," Jacobs wrote. "As a school, we are restricted by federal privacy laws and cannot share details because she has threatened a lawsuit. "Please know that the TSC takes all matters of student safety and well-being seriously." McCoy, her family, and Vernado Malone, the activist from the United as One, believe school protocols were not followed because of her son's skin color. Scott said, The TSC takes all matters of student safety and well-being seriously. "Its unfortunate that this group is misrepresenting the facts about what occurred at Wea Ridge Elementary School. Because the group has threatened to file a lawsuit against the school, we are unable to provide additional information about this incident, Scott wrote. Correspondence shared with the Journal & Courier indicates McCoy emailed the teacher after the incident. The teacher replied to her email the following day, explaining that although they had been informed about the incident, they did not send the student to the nurses office because the child didnt seem bothered by the injury. The teacher then explained that they had informed the office about the incident and that the school administration would follow up with McCoy. McCoy claimed that she made several attempts to contact school administrators but was not able to get ahold of anyone until Monday morning after she and the United as One held an event on the sidewalk in front of the school. Before McCoy's news conference Monday morning, the Journal and Courier checked with the Tippecanoe County Sheriffs Office, asking if McCoy had filed a police report. As of 10:15 a.m. Monday, no report had been filed. When the Journal & Courier arrived at the school Monday morning, the Wea Ridge Elementary School resource office was taking a police report of the incident from McCoy. (This) would have been avoided," McCoy said. "I would not have went through none of this if they would have got in contact with me the first day, McCoy said. McCoy and United as One called upon the school district to put the teacher on administrative leave and investigate the pencil stabbing, including why it was not reported to the administrators or McCoy. This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Mother threatens to sue after her son is stabbed with pencil at school The engineering sign in front of the connector between the A and B buildings at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida A&M University is taking steps to add new graduate degrees in aerospace engineering, which are expected to be offered in fall 2025. FAMU trustees met during a virtual Academic and Student Affairs Committee meeting Monday and approved both a masters degree and a Ph.D. program in aerospace engineering through the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. The joint college between Florida State University and FAMU, located in Innovation Park, is the only shared school of engineering in the nation. Currently, the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering has an Aerodynamics Certificate offering for students through its online graduate certificate program that consists of four courses. But the future graduate degree programs are expected to leverage the joint engineering schools existing faculty and resources while also supporting the Florida Board of Governors' goal of increasing degree offerings in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), according to the university. With these particular masters and Ph.D. programs, students are able to get their degree while being more qualified to get jobs in the aerospace engineering sector versus having a degree in mechanical engineering and only having done some aerospace work, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Dean Suvranu De said during the meeting. That is the intent of this whole initiative to recognize students who are already working in aerospace engineering with our faculty and Innovation Park. Suvranu De Ph.D., Dean of the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering in Tallahassee, Florida. Plans to add the new degree programs through the FSU-FAMU College of Engineering come after the universities recently requested a $13 million operating budget increase during the 2024 legislative session for the goal of becoming one of the top 50 engineering colleges in the nation within the next five years an achievement that would also make it the first HBCU engineering college to achieve the distinction. Although the operating budget increase request was rejected, the 2024 legislative budget included $21.2 million for the engineering school. The curricula for the future aerospace engineering programs will include topics such as fluid dynamics, gas dynamics, fluid-structure interactions and flow control. While the master's program will focus on experiential learning and industry collaboration, the doctoral program will foster research excellence within the aerospace engineering discipline and industry, according to a FAMU report. In addition, the master's program will have a 30-credit requirement and the doctoral degree will require 48 credits for those with a master's degree but 60 credits for those entering with a bachelor's degree. The tuition rate will be about $405 per credit hour for Florida resident students and $1,022 per credit hour for nonresident students. Last year, a Ph.D. in material sciences and engineering started being offered through the joint school, preparing graduates for occupations such as materials engineers or scientists, architectural managers, engineering managers and postsecondary faculty. More: FSU, FAMU to add doctoral degrees in 'hot,' in-demand fields beginning fall 2023 With the aerospace engineering programs, students will be prepared for careers in areas such as aerospace and defense, space missions, manufacturing, spacecraft operations and architectural designers. The universitys projected enrollment goal is to have 25 students in both programs combined during its first year of being implemented before growing to an expected 75 students in the programs by year five. FAMU's Board of Trustees Chair Kristin Harper and trustee Nicole Washington who also serves as chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee both agreed that the aerospace engineering programs will help FAMU in its push for Carnegie R1 classification (Very High Research Activity) by 2030 as the university is currently ranked Carnegie R2 (High Research Activity). The new degree additions await approval from the full board, with a vote set to take place during a May 29 meeting that will be held via Zoom while the trustees attend a retreat in Tampa. Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on X: @tarahjean_. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FAMU to add graduate degrees in aerospace engineering in fall 2025 Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis went after House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on Monday, as the lawmaker continues to investigate her over misconduct allegations as she prosecutes former President Trumps election interference case in Georgia. Jim Jordan has, time after time after time, attacked my office with no legitimate purpose, Willis said in an interview with MSNBCs Rachel Maddow. Anyone who knows Jim Jordans history knows that he only has the purpose of trying to interfere in a criminal investigation. Earlier this year, Jordan threatened to hold Willis in contempt of Congress if she did not cooperate with an investigation into her use of federal funds. She ultimately cooperated in the probe, which she labeled Monday as illegitimate, calling the Ohio Republicans actions disgusting. He has now turned his tricks to, hes going to look at grant programs, which I invite him to do. And we have complied with his subpoenas, but yet he continues his attacks to try to interfere in a criminal investigation, she said. All while his jurisdiction has one of the worst crime rates, has poverty issues. Willis who stands for reelection Tuesday in the Georgia Democratic primary also denounced a similar state-level investigation against her. I bring that up at the federal level because now at the state level, theyve decided to follow this clowns lead, and they want to now try to interfere in an investigation, she said. And its not legitimate either. And so, it shall fail, and its not going to go anywhere. But they are trying to attack me at every level, she added. The Georgia criminal case against Trump has been derailed by hearings about Williss conduct, specifically a romantic relationship between her and a prosecutor she assigned to the case. Nathan Wade stepped down from the case in March, after Judge Scott McAfee ruled that one of them had to recuse themselves. A trial date is still unknown for the case, though Willis targeted an August 2024 start, which now seems unlikely. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Two key figures at the center of Donald Trumps Georgia election probe are vying for reelection on Tuesday. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) and Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee will face voters for the first time since Trumps election interference case thrust the two in the national spotlight. Any surprise upset in the race could throw another hurdle in the way of the election interference case, one of several that has drawn intense public interest. But even if Willis loses in an upset in the Tuesday primary, Republicans are unlikely to flip the office in the Democratic-leaning county. Fulton Countys a tough nut to crack, said Janelle King, a conservative media personality and former deputy state director for the Georgia GOP. Willis is running for reelection against Democrat Christian Wise Smith, a former prosecutor in the Fulton County District Attorneys office and the founder of the National Social Justice Alliance. Willis gained national notoriety in 2020 after ousting her former boss, former six-term Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard, in the 2020 Democratic primary runoff. Howard had been mired in multiple controversies at the time, including receiving tens of thousands of dollars originally from the city of Atlanta from a nonprofit he ran, allegations of sexual harassment and criticism over how he handled charges around the shooting of a Black man by Atlanta police. Wise Smith also made an unsuccessful bid for Fulton County district attorney that cycle. Willis became a household name nationally in 2021 when she launched a probe into Trump and other Republicans over efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. Just months before, The Washington Post had reported that Trump had called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger (R) to change the election results in the state to overturn President Bidens narrow win in the Peach State. A Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and allies of his on state racketeering charges, making false statements and solicitation of violation of oath, among other crimes. Yet revelations that Willis had a relationship with a fellow prosecutor, Nathan Wade prompted by one of the co-defendants in the Trump case roiled the case, prompting McAfee, whos overseeing the election probe case, to rule that Wade needed to remove himself from the case. Williss campaign declined to comment to The Hill for this story. Wise Smith is launching a longshot bid to oust Willis. He told The Hill in an interview that if he won, his priorities would include reallocating resources back toward violent crimes and other serious offenses, dismantling the school-to-prison pipelines and not going after marijuana convictions. Asked about her handling of the Georgia election interference case, Wise Smith argued that Willis should resign, saying he was concerned she could be removed from the probe and her role as Fulton County district attorney. That case continues to be in grave jeopardy with her as district attorney, he said. Shes also gained her fair share of Republican critics, most prominently Trump himself. Critics believe her case against Trump and his allies is too far-reaching and criticize her for not focusing on pertinent issues in the county like crime. Republican strategist Brian Robinson suggested Willis had multiple vulnerabilities that her Democratic challenger could have taken advantage of. When all this got started, we were still suffering from that post-COVID crime wave and Fulton had its hands full already without taking on what should be a federal case, he said. There are a lot of negatives that you could have gone after her on but that has not materialized. Despite the controversy, however, Democrats and Republicans alike expect Willis to sail through her primary. I personally admire her, said state Rep. Shea Roberts (D), whose seat includes portions of the DeKalb and Fulton counties. I appreciate her because I dont think there are a lot of folks who would withstand all of the distractions that Trump has tried to bring to this case, the death threats. She does it with grace and continues to do her job. Assuming Willis prevails in her Democratic primary, shes expected to take on Republican Courtney Kramer, a former legal intern during the Trump administration who also worked as a litigation consultant to the Trump campaign following the 2020 election. Kramer has accused Willis of politically persecuting Republicans in the state and criticized Williss job as the chief prosecutor for Fulton County. I feel like we dont have someone advocating for everybody collectively, Kramer told The Hill. Fani Willis is advocating for herself and fighting for herself and maybe her own political party, sure, but thats not what the job is, she added. The Republican attorney has said that given her past work with some of the defendants in the Georgia probe, shed recuse herself from the case if she won in November. Given Fulton Countys heavily Democratic leanings, which went for Biden by 46 points in 2020, itll be an uphill battle for Kramer. McAfee is also running against one challenger, Robert Patillo II, an attorney and executive director for of the Rainbow PUSH Coalitions Peachtree Street Project. Patillo considers himself a conservative Democrat who believes he has more experience than McAfee, whos in his mid-thirties, citing his time as a civil rights lawyer. Hes also suggested that the case has gone off the rails, which Patillo attributes in part to McAfees inexperience. McAfee campaign consultant Fredrick Hicks declined to comment to The Hill in an email, noting the ongoing nature of the cases before Judge McAfee and in the higher court, but noted that we are very optimistic about the outcome of [the] election and look forward to a full four year term. McAfee is also widely expected to win in his nonpartisan race on Tuesday and has earned support from both parties over his handling of the Trump case, particularly his decision to keep Willis on the case while ordering Wade to leave it. Some of those endorsements include Gov. Brian Kemp (R) and former Gov. Roy Barnes (D). I dont think his opponent has mounted a credible challenge, and I think that he threaded the needle in that ruling in a way that is not going to threaten him, Democratic strategist Amy Morton said regarding his Willis-Wade decision. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. MSNBC Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, in a rare television interview with MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow, expressed her determination not to let threats and pressure from Republicans at the local, state and federal level prevent her from doing her job, which at the moment includes leading a high-profile case against former President Donald Trump. With that Georgia criminal case having ground to a halt amid a Trump appeal, Willis explained the effect of having personal security measures in place for an extended period of time. Its been happening since about a month after I took officeI began to get threats, said Willis, whose term began in January 2021. Eventually, she said, the threats forced her to move out of her home. Willis explained that many of the threats are racial in nature due to some recent casesa likely allusion to last summers RICO indictment of Trump and 18 of his allies. Its a very interesting way to live, but its well worth it to have the honor of being the first female district attorney in Fulton County, Willis said. It pales in comparison to what my victims are going through. And the reality is, one of the reasons we are upsetting people is were so successful here in Fulton County. I have the third largest crime drop in America. We have it because were taking a balanced approach; both unapologetically going after gangs and violent criminals and anyone who should violate the law in my county, said Willis, who is campaigning for re-election and faces a Democratic primary on Tuesday. And were also doing programs. It has been a huge sacrifice, but its well worth it for my community, she added. Maddow spent part of her opening monologue not only on threats against Willis, but on how Georgia Republicans are suddenly passing legislation to make it easier to remove prosecutors like Willis from cases. Maddow was also skeptical of special prosecutor Nathan Wade stepping down from the case because he and Fallis had dated, citing how the Georgia Supreme Court has ruled that not even having married lawyers on opposing sides of litigation constituted a conflict of interest. Later in the interview, Willis seemed to allude to Republicans efforts to help out Trumps cause when she said they deserved pity. I cant explain to you how much I love the work that I do. I cant explain to you how loved I feel by my community. You really should feel sorry for those that are trying to deter me from my work. It doesnt do anything but motivate me to continue to work and to work hard, she said. And so Im not someone thats going to be broken. But certainly, it has caused me to get thicker skin or to be more resilient, to dig deeper, to work harder. But what it has not done is deter me from my work. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The father of 5-year-old Elijah Lewis, who was found dead in a state park in Abington, Massachusetts in 2021, has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against New Hampshires child protection agency over his death. Timothy Lewis claims in the lawsuit that New Hampshires Division for Children, Youth and Families was negligent and failed to keep his son safe while the boy lived with his mother, Danielle Dauphinais, who is charged with his murder. As a result of Defendants actions or Defendants inaction, Elijah suffered malnourishment, facial and scalp injuries, pressure ulcers, acute fentanyl intoxication, violence and neglect, that ultimately resulted in his death, according to the lawsuit filed May 15 in Merrimack Superior Court. Lewis, who is the administrator of his sons estate, seeks compensatory damages as allowed by New Hampshire law, in addition to enhanced compensatory damages, and demands a trial by jury in this matter, the lawsuit states. In a statement Tuesday, the New Hampshire Department of Justice said, We will review the complaint and respond as appropriate in due course. Abington holds vigil for 5-year-old Elijah Lewis Dauphinais was indicted by a grand jury on murder charges in connection with her sons death in April 2022. Dauphinais and her boyfriend, Joseph Stapf, were originally charged with witness tampering and child endangerment. Both remain in prison. Elijahs death was ruled a homicide after the boys body was found in a shallow grave in a state park in Abington on Oct. 23, 2021. An autopsy later determined he died of violence and neglect, including facial and scalp injuries, acute fentanyl intoxication, malnourishment and pressure ulcers. 2 people, including mother, arrested in connection to disappearance of NH 5-year-old boy His disappearance became known on Oct. 14, 2021 after a report to the Division for Children, Youth & Families in New Hampshire, which prompted an investigation by Merrimack and State Police. Elijah had not been reported missing prior to that date. Search for Elijah Lewis shifts to 3rd state as investigation now focused on Abington Crews searched for the boy for months before finding his body several miles away in Abington, Massachusetts. According to the lawsuit, Elijah was born in 2016 in Arizona. His parents, Dauphinais and Lewis, divorced a year later, in 2017. Dauphinais moved to New Hampshire, and initially, Elijah remained in Arizona with his father. In 2020, at his mothers request, the boy went to New Hampshire to stay with his mother. In September 2020, according to the lawsuit, Dauphinais asked Lewis to take the boy back to Arizona. The following month, Lewis called New Hampshires Division for Children, Youth and Families to get help for Elijah as he was concerned about Elijahs well-being in Danielles care. The lawsuit claims that the states child protection agency engaged in no additional investigation or intervention regarding the concerns raised about Elijahs safety, general care, living situation or his inadequate medical care no home visit, no investigation, no collateral interviews for the next two weeks, until the agency received another report of neglect about Elijah from a local hospital. The lawsuit claims that, for several months during 2021 and leading up to the boys death, Dauphinais, either by herself or along with her then-boyfriend Stapf, tortured Elijah several times. In graphic detail, the lawsuit claims that Dauphinais and Stapf, either independently or together, Pierced Elijahs face with a knitting needle, stabbed Elijahs face with a bent coat hanger, repeatedly hit Elijah with a shower rod, starved Elijah to the point that this 5 year-old boy weighed 19 pounds when he died - about the weight of a watermelon; left untreated rotting flesh on Elijahs back from a wound they caused; physically beat Elijah, forced Elijah to stand naked for hours in his room without blankets; cut Elijah; burned Elijah, allowed Elijah to be exposed to fentanyl; failed to provide medical care, caused Elijahs death. Missing NH boys uncles plead with their sister to come clean This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Father, son charged in connection to Kansas City deadly shooting over missing vehicle KANSAS CITY, Mo. A father and son are facing charges in connection to a shooting over the weekend in Kansas City, Missouri that left one person dead. The Jackson County Prosecutors Office on Monday charged Charles Harrison Sr. and Charles Harrison Jr. with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. 1 dead, 2 people treated following Kansas City house fire Monday afternoon According to court documents, Kansas City police officers responded to a shooting just before 2 p.m. Saturday, May 18, near 34th Street and Wyoming Street. When officers arrived on scene they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene and identified as 22-year-old Kyiel Collins-Phillips. Harrison Jr. stated he was tracking a vehicle that had been reported stolen in Raytown. He had tracked it to the area of 34th and Wyoming, he said. Download the FOX4 News app on iPhone and Android Surveillance video showed the father and son in a black Toyota Camry. Video showed that vehicle accelerating toward the victim and shots were fired. The incident remains under investigation. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. Diana E. Murphy federal courthouse is shown in Minneapolis Friday, May 17, 2024. Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer. An FBI accountant testified Tuesday that the seven defendants connected to a Shakopee halal restaurant only spent a few million dollars on food out of the $49 million they got from the federal government to serve children free meals during the pandemic. FBI forensic accountant Pauline Roases job was to follow the money, and she has examined about 3,000 bank accounts so far in the sprawling federal case. She testified that the fraud started out small, with a nonprofit claiming to give out food at the Samaha Islamic Center in Shakopee in April 2020. The number of sites grew, spiking in January 2021 until the group ultimately claimed to have given out 18.8 million meals from 50 sites across the state, claiming $49 million in federal reimbursement dollars. Roase is expected to be one of the last witnesses to testify for the prosecution in the trial that is now on its 16th day. After that, defense attorneys say they will call multiple witnesses. The seven defendants Abdiaziz Shafii Farah, Mohamed Jama Ismail, Abdimajid Mohamed Nur, Said Shafii Farah, Abdiwahab Maalim Aftin, Mukhtar Mohamed Shariff, and Hayat Mohmed Nur are the first to go on trial out of 70 people charged so far. Federal prosecutors have said it was the nations largest pandemic relief fraud, in which $250 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was misused. Defense attorneys say they actually did distribute meals, and were allowed to bundle and give out multiple meals at once, multiplying their numbers. Roase said she began her investigation by looking at the entities getting the most money. Safari Restaurant had already received $12 million in less than a year, claiming to feed thousands of meals per day from a busy, congested Lake Street location. It just didnt seem possible, Roase testified. The two nonprofits at the heart of the case Feeding Our Future and Partners in Nutrition were supposed to be monitoring over 700 distribution sites to make sure they were actually giving away food. But prosecutors allege they were middlemen and part of the fraud, taking cuts of 10 to 15% of the more than $100 million paid out in 2021. It was definitely very concerning, Roase said. It was alarming, actually. Roase said numerous LLCs were set up and money was funneled through them to hide the fact that they were not actually buying food. Instead, she said, defendants bought pricey cars, homes and property wiring money to build apartments in Kenya and hundreds of thousands of dollars to textile and tire companies in China. The state Department of Education also had an oversight role and officials there grew alarmed by the escalating number of sites and federal money flowing out. The agency stopped allowing restaurants to distribute meals directly in October 2020, so those restaurants pivoted to acting as vendors for nonprofits, and continued in the program. One of the biggest vendors was Empire Cuisine & Market, a small halal restaurant and market in a Shakopee strip mall. It had just been incorporated by defendants Abdiaziz Farah and Mohamed Ismail of Savage in April 2020, and soon was contracting with a couple dozen distribution sites to prepare meals. The restaurant received a total of nearly $30 million in federal funds, Roase said, and spent about $3 million of it on food. Some of that money appeared to be food for the Shakopee restaurant, because that type of food wasnt allowed in the USDA program such as goat meat, beef, lamb, camel and chicken but was on Empires menu. Before Empire started getting federal meal money, the restaurant averaged $1,500 in net sales per day; its most popular menu items were gyros, goat meat and beef steak, Roase said. One of the nonprofits it contracted with was ThinkTechAct, which opened a bank account in September 2018 that was largely dormant outside of $73,000 it received from the city of Minneapolis often holding less than $200 through September 2020. But in February 2021, money started pouring in. Not a dollar was spent on food from the account before the nonprofit began depositing thousands of dollars in checks, Roase said. ThinkTechAct would go on to get $18 million through Partners in Nutrition, and $3.8 million through Feeding Our Future. Most of the money $15.4 million went to Empire Cuisine & Market and an affiliated LLC. Just $66,500 was spent on food, Roase said. Prosecutors say they are nearly done presenting their case, before the defense gets its chance to counter with its own witnesses. The post FBI accountant says of Feeding Our Future defendants bank records: It was alarming appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected the latest attempt by Hunter Biden to pause his upcoming gun trial while the presidents son pursues some long-shot appeals. The trial is scheduled to begin June 3 in Delaware. The quick decision came from the same three-judge panel that previously rejected one of Hunter Bidens attempts to throw out the indictment. The panel includes one Republican-appointed judge and two Democratic appointees, including one put on the bench by Hunter Bidens father, President Joe Biden. This is one of several bids by Hunter Biden to slow down or postpone his gun trial. So far, his efforts have fallen flat, and the trial judge hasnt shown any openness to delaying the case. Special counsel David Weiss has charged Hunter Biden with illegally purchasing and possessing a gun, in violation of federal law because he was addicted to illicit drugs at the time. He has pleaded not guilty to the three-count indictment and claims hes being politically targeted. To prove his case, Weiss intends to present intensely personal testimony from witnesses who can describe Hunter Bidens longtime crack cocaine abuse, including from three former romantic partners. They include Hunter Bidens ex-wife and the widow of his late brother, Beau Biden. Prosecutors also said in recent court filings that they plan to present text messages showing Hunter Bidens attempts to buy crack cocaine from drug dealers, as well as messages in which he fights with his family members about his inability to get sober. Much of the case revolves around Hunter Bidens addiction, which he has described as a lifelong struggle. To win a conviction, prosecutors will need to convince a jury that Hunter Biden was abusing illegal drugs while he bought and briefly owned the gun in 2018. Hunter Biden testified at a court hearing last year that he has been sober since 2019. The spate of filings and delay-attempts in the gun case comes as Hunter Biden is preparing for a separate tax trial in California, which was also brought by Weiss team. That trial is scheduled for late June, a few weeks after the gun case is expected to wrap up. There is a hearing set for Wednesday in Los Angeles, where the judge overseeing the tax case will weigh whether to put the proceedings on hold. Separately on Tuesday, Weiss team asked a judge to force Hallie Biden to testify in the California-based tax case. This spat pits the Justice Department against the widow of President Bidens first-born son, Beau, and the mother of two of his grandchildren. Prosecutors said in a court filing that they need a judge to compel Hallie Bidens testimony because her lawyers have made it clear that she would refuse to answer questions by invoking her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. In the judgment of the Special Counsel, the testimony of Hallie Biden may be necessary to the public interest, Weiss team wrote to the judge in the tax case. In the filing, Weiss said a top official from the Justice Departments tax division, Stuart Goldberg, gave him authorization to try to force Hallie Bidens testimony. This story has been updated with additional reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Feds collected DNA from 1.5 million migrants in less than four years, report finds In nearly four years, a national DNA database which is shared with law enforcement agencies nationwide added more than 1.5 million noncitizen profiles. (Elana Marie / For De Los ) Routine collection of immigrants' DNA by federal authorities has ballooned since 2020, with a 50-fold spike in the number of samples held in a national database of the sensitive genetic information, according to a report released Tuesday. In nearly four years, the DNA database which is shared with law enforcement agencies nationwide added more than 1.5 million noncitizen profiles, according to the Georgetown Law Center on Privacy & Technology. That compares with about 30,000 total samples previously obtained since 2005, when Congress authorized DNA collection by federal immigration authorities, the study found. The center said the sharp rise raises questions about whether immigrants' privacy rights are being violated as well as the overall constitutionality of the program. DNA samples are routinely taken by immigration agents "without any of the procedural rules that police are supposed to follow before they can take a persons DNA," the center said in the report. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said caring for the privacy of vulnerable populations is of utmost importance. The agency's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties has completed an investigation into the collection of DNA, and results and recommendations are under review. The agency was mostly exempt from regulations issued in 2008 that required federal agencies to collect DNA of detained individuals. The increase is attributed to a 2020 Department of Justice rule change instituted by the Trump administration that requires the Department of Homeland Security to collect DNA from nearly all people detained by agents at the border and inside the country. Read more: Appeals court upholds DNA testing of felony suspects After agents collect DNA, the samples are sent to the FBI for testing and inclusion in a federal database called the Combined DNA Index System. Those profiles are labeled "offender," and become indefinitely searchable by law enforcement nationwide, according to the report. The database, which was introduced in 1998, has 22 million total DNA profiles. In collecting the DNA, immigration agents don't need probable cause or judicial warrants that apply in the criminal justice context, the report states, though police use the data for criminal investigations. Georgetown researchers analyzed the legality of the program and argue it is unconstitutional because it violates the 4th Amendment. If Homeland Security agents continue collecting DNA at the rate the agency projects, one-third of the profiles in the federal database used for criminal investigations will be from migrants and immigrants, researchers projected. That's based on the Department of Justice's prediction that immigration agents would submit 748,000 samples per year. "The federal government is amassing a huge trove of DNA, starting with a racialized, often traumatized, and politically powerless group: noncitizens," the report states. "And it is using the federal agency that operates with the fewest practical constraints and least oversight the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to do it." In its 2024 fiscal year budget request, the FBI sought to nearly double its budget of $57 million for processing DNA samples, citing the need to process samples collected by Homeland Security agents. As part of a House appropriations hearing in April 2023, FBI Director Christopher Wray submitted a statement acknowledging the agency faced a backlog of 650,000 samples and that the addition of noncitizens' DNA had "created massive budget and personnel shortfalls." Researchers interviewed several people who said they were unaware their DNA had been collected, though internal policies stipulate that agents must inform people beforehand. Others said they submitted to a cheek swab under threat of criminal prosecution if they didn't comply. In response to a June 2022 email from the Georgetown center researcher, Valentina Seeley, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement official, said those who dont comply with DNA sampling are warned of consequences and subsequently referred for criminal prosecution if noncompliance persists. Stevie Glaberson, one of the report authors, said that regardless of whether immigration agents adequately inform people in their custody, the process is coercive. "Even when people know what's happening, they're terrified to ask questions, they're terrified to object, they're terrified to refuse," she said. Get the L.A. Times Politics newsletter. Deeply reported insights into legislation, politics and policy from Sacramento, Washington and beyond, in your inbox three times per week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The U.S Justice Department followed through Tuesday on its threat to sue Oklahoma over its new immigration law, saying it was a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Oklahoma cannot disregard the U.S. Constitution and settled Supreme Court precedent, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Departments Civil Division said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. We have brought this action to ensure that Oklahoma adheres to the Constitution and the framework adopted by Congress for regulation of immigration." The Justice Department had signaled its intention to file the lawsuit in a letter to state officials. Oklahoma Latino legislators have also said they plan to sue to stop enforcement of the new law. "House Bill 4156 is preempted by federal law and violates the United States Constitution. Indeed, the Oklahoma law is similar to Texass Senate Bill 4, which has been preliminarily enjoined," Boyton wrote in a May 15 warning letter to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt. "The United States intends to file suit to enjoin the enforcement of HB 4156 unless Oklahoma agrees to refrain from enforcing the law. The United States is committed to the processing of noncitizens consistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act. HB 4156 is contrary to that goal." Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond before Gov. Kevin Stitt's State of the State speech during the first day of the Oklahoma Legislature Monday, Feb. 5, 2024. Under the Constitution, the federal government has the authority to regulate immigration and manage the country's international borders. Pursuant to this authority, Boyton said, Congress has established a comprehensive immigration framework governing noncitizens entry, reentry and presence. Because HB 4156 is preempted by federal law and violates the U.S. Constitution, Boyton said the Justice Department seeks a declaration that HB 4156 is invalid and an order preventing the state from enforcing the law. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond calls initial letter disingenuous The lawsuit drew a terse reaction by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond. "I'm writing in response to your disingenuous letter of May 15," Drummond wrote in a May 17 letter, "where you falsely assert that the Biden Administration is 'committed to the processing of noncitizens consistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act." Drummond said his office and "the millions of law-abiding Oklahomans will not accept lectures or threats about immigration from this failed Administration." Oklahoma, the attorney general wrote, grapples daily with startling and significant economic, health and public safety issues because of an unprecedented immigration influx. More: Oklahoma Capitol protest over anti-immigration bill draws large crowd: 'Now make them hear you' "In short, Oklahoma has moved to protect its sovereignty," Drummond wrote. "Not in contriduction of federal law but in complete compliance with it." Echoing Drummond, Stitt said, "the Biden Administration refuses to do its job to secure our borders." "Not only that, but they stand in the way of states trying to protect their citizens. Had the Biden administration set aside politics and done their job, HB4156 wouldnt have been necessary," the governor said in a statement to The Oklahoman. "As governor, I will continue to do what is necessary to protect all four million Oklahomans. House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said he found it laughable that in the Administration's letter to Gov. Stitt and Attorney General Drummond, the justice department claimed Oklahoma was interfering with the function of the federal government on immigration issues. "There has been nothing but disfunction at the federal level since President Biden took office," McCall said. "House Bill 4156 was a carefully crafted, well-thought-out piece of legislation designed to acknowledge the role of the federal government in immigration matters, while at the same time protect the sovereignty and security of our state's borders. I fully support the defense of this law by our state's attorney general, and look forward to seeing it upheld in court." Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat's office declined to comment. A person holds a sign during a demonstration in support of the immigrant community before Hispanic Cultural Day at the Capitol in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Oklahoma Latino community protests immigration law Latino community members have rallied at the state Capitol in protest of the new law. State Sen. Michael Brooks and Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, both Democrats with districts in Oklahoma City, said they expected another lawsuit to be filed against the new law before it takes effect on July 1. Alonso-Sandoval said he agreed that the Oklahoma law is unconstitutional because it supersedes the federal government. He also pointed to the laws vague language, questioning how it would be enforced. Some law enforcement officials in Oklahoma have also expressed concern about enforcing the law in a fair and reasonable way. Opinion: Oklahoma Republicans passed a law that police chiefs don't want to enforce Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said his department does not check immigration status and to do so for every person would be a huge burden. He said the department has spent years building relationships by attending community meetings, events, festivals and visiting schools, and the law could negatively impact those connections, setting them back at square one. A joint statement by the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police and Metro Law Enforcement Agency Leaders released last week said the law conflicts with many existing directives over law enforcement practices. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: US Department of Justice files suit over Oklahoma immigration law A man was sentenced to life in prison, while two other men were each sentenced to 35 years in prison, in the 2017 killing of a Afghanistan war veteran during a drug robbery. Brandon Olsen was sentenced May 17 to life in prison on one count of murder in connection with the killing of Tyler Kaden Croke, 23, on May 7, 2017, during a drug robbery at the Cantera Apartments at 1501 Lomaland Drive in East El Paso. Brandon Olsen Olsen is the third defendant to be sentenced to life in prison in connection with Croke's death. Zachary Johnston pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced to life in 2019, while Stephanie Fernandez was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison by a jury in 2018. Fernandez is the only defendant in the case to go to trial. The other defendants have all pleaded guilty as part of plea agreements. Tristan Hunter Chilton and Adam Acosta also were sentenced May 17. The men were each sentenced to 35 years in prison on one count of murder for their roles in the slaying. The sentencing was handed down by 168th District Court Judge Marcos Lizarraga at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso. Olsen, Chilton and Acosta were originally charged with capital murder, but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of murder. More: Final suspect in killing of El Paso Army combat vet during drug deal pleads guilty Croke was killed during a drug robbery at his apartment. The defendants beat and cut Croke's throat while stealing three baggies of what appeared to be either cocaine or ketamine from Croke's apartment, a complaint affidavit states. They fled the apartment in a gateway car driven by Fernandez. Croke was left to die in the apartment. Croke was in the Army and had served a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Acosta, Johnston, and Olsen, who were stationed at Fort Bliss at the time of the killing, are former Fort Bliss soldiers. Victim's family frustrated it took 7 years for case to conclude Crokes mother and sister spoke at a news conference Friday to express their frustration with how long it took to get justice and the 35 year prison sentences handed down to two of the defendants. "It has been a long road," Tyler Crokes mother Kjersten Croke said. "It's been seven long and arduous years that we have fought for justice for my son. Today doesn't feel like closure because it won't bring my son back. We were devastated on May 7th, 2017 when we learned of the brutal killing of my son. It was horrific and I don't wish it on my worst enemies. It's a club that no parent ever wants to join." Kjersten Croke with her daughter, Rory Croke, at her side speaks May 17, 2024, at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso about the sentencing of the five defendants who killed her son, Tyler Croke, during a 2017 drug robbery. Rory Croke, Tyler Crokes sister, said she hopes no family has to experience such a long wait for justice. "I don't think there's any good feelings coming out of today," she said. "I don't know if you get much closure from what has happened and how long we've had to wait considering it's been seven years, but I do hope that with what has happened, and just the case entirely, that other families won't have to wait this long. God forbid they ever have to go through something like this." The 35 year prison sentences for Chilton and Acosta are disappointing, the family said. "DA (Bill) Hicks does know that we are not pleased with the 35 year plea deal offered to them," said Kjersten Croke as she stood next to El Paso District Attorney Bill Hicks. "They've already served seven and in 10 and a half years from now we will have to fight when they go up for parole. So this doesn't end for us here today. This continues on for us." More: Former Fort Bliss veterans face prison sentences in drug robbery murder 'mission' Hicks said he understood Croke family's pain, but the facts of the case, including the "culpability of each of these individuals," led the district attorney's office to offer plea deals to Chilton and Acosta. "On behalf of the District Attorney's office, I have tremendous respect for the Croke family," Hicks said at the news conference. "Listen, if it had been my son, if it had been my brother, I absolutely would be in the same position that they were. I would not be satisfied with 35 years for anyone who had been involved in the death of a loved one. I absolutely understand where the family is coming from. Their son, their brother was murdered in a vicious and horrible way and most certainly did not deserve anything like what happened." Hicks added Fernandez was the "mastermind" of the drug-related killing, while Johnston and Olson were responsible for cutting Tyler Croke's throat. Chilton, who held Tyler Croke's legs down during the killing, provided key information on the slaying to police and was "really the only one who has shown any remorse," Hicks said. Acosta "did not participate in the actual killing. He did stand by with a gun (and) was the lookout person at the doorway," Hicks said. "We felt that that was justice and that would move those two cases out of the way in order to prepare us for trial on Brandon Olsen," Hicks said. "At the very last minute, he (Olsen) accepted a plea offer to life in prison with the possibility of parole. We feel that that was acceptable because if we had gone to trial, while we feel comfortable we would've gotten a guilty (verdict), a plea of guilty on a lesser charge of murder with possibility of parole does eliminate the ability of appeal. (They) waives their right to appeal on all of our pleas of guilty." More: Woman gets life in capital murder of Afghanistan war veteran during drug robbery Hicks said he will help the family fight the release of the defendants on parole. "While it most definitely is not going to bring their son, their brother back, it does add a sense of finality to the cases in that they're not coming back. There is parole and there are going to be parole issues. As long as I'm district attorney, I would be glad to stand with them to oppose their release on parole because this was a very brutal murder. I hope that they serve every day of their prison sentence and don't get parole, but that's ultimately up to the board of pardon and paroles." In the end, the family members said they will continue focusing on remembering Tyler Croke for the person he was. "We love Tyler," Kjersten Croke said. "He was a special person. He was loved. He was a loving father, a loving son, a loving grandson, and a loving brother. We want to remember and honor his memory, not the way that he was tortured and killed." Aaron Martinez may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on Twitter @AMartinezEPT. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Afghanistan war veteran killers sentenced to prison HELSINKI Top Finnish defense officials are moving closer to finalizing proposals aimed at filling the countrys NATO membership with life. One key consideration, which may require amendments to Finlands constitution, relates to the hosting of alliance forces on Finnish soil. The Ministry of Defense here is currently reviewing proposals and reports from the military, the Finnish Defense Forces, that outline the challenges and investments associated with NATO integration. The MoD is expected to deliver a final report with recommendations to Finlands conservative-right government by the end of 2024. There are no decisions on this as of yet, Gen. Janne Jaakkola, the newly appointed commander of the FDF, said. We are considering different options regarding whether new collaboration should cover extended exercises, a rotational model, or some other type of activity. Finland has a 830 mile (1,340km) border with Russia, the longest of any NATO member state. The government here is examining what amendments to the constitution might be needed to allow a permanent presence by NATO allies on its territory. Given the pro-alliance nature of Finnish politics, any constitutional change needed will likely receive support from lawmakers. In drafting its proposals, the MoD and the FDF are being mindful of plans being formalized by NATO to upgrade and reorganize its command structure. The changes will impact how allied forces may operate in Finland in the future. For now, Helsinki appears in no hurry to request NATO troops while the country works on boosting its national defense capabilities and industries. The current system is optimized for national defense, said Jaakola. We will now take measures to coordinate it for common defense with our allies. This will take time. What happens next in Iran? Yesterday, I reported on the death of Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and President Ebrahim Raisiseen as the likely successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is 85in a helicopter crash near the border with Azerbaijan. Some of Tehran's residents, who live in opposition to the regime, celebrated with fireworks in the streets. Raisi's rival for succession had, up until the president's death this past weekend, been Mojtaba Khamenei, the ayatollah's 55-year-old son. This presents a bit of a crisis domestically. "With previous supreme leaders arguing that hereditary rule under the shah was illegitimate, 'they would be hard-pressed to sell hereditary leadership to the Iranian people now,'" Shay Khatiri, senior fellow at the Yorktown Institute, told The New York Times. In other words, the fact that Mojtaba is Ayatollah Khamenei's son is going to look mighty bad if he is indeed picked to be Raisi's successor. But it's not like Raisi (nicknamed the "butcher of Tehran" for his role in ordering executions following the Iran-Iraq war) had been a shoo-in: a notoriously uncharismatic man, who was perceived as merely a foot soldier of the ayatollah, was not particularly effective except insofar as he allowed the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps lots of leeway to do whatever they wanted. New presidential elections will take place at the end of June. If past elections, in which the ayatollah has put his thumb on the scale to disqualify certain candidates (80 percent of candidates in a 2016 election and 50 percent in a 2020 election), are any indication, these one will be a sham, too. It's worth noting that the helicopter accident really does look like an accident. But also, Iran has quite a history of tech malfunctions that take powerful people out. "In previous years, at least two cabinet ministers and two leading military commanders have died in similar crashes," writes Arash Azizi at The Atlantic, adding that "suspicions will inevitably surround the crash" and for good reason: "Air incidents that killed high political officials in Northern Rhodesia (1961), China (1971), Pakistan (1988), and Poland (2010) are still often subject to speculation." Scenes from New York: The fascinating tale of why many of the Chasidic wives of New York City and Rockland County are on a sex strike right now. QUICK HITS "For more than two decades, through two wars and domestic upheaval, the idea that al-Qaeda acted alone on 9/11 has been the basis of U.S. policy," write Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon for The Atlantic. "A blue-ribbon commission concluded that Osama bin Laden had pioneered a new kind of terrorist groupcombining superior technological know-how, extensive resources, and a worldwide network so well coordinated that it could carry out operations of unprecedented magnitude. This vanguard of jihad, it seemed, was the first nonstate actor that rivaled nation-states in the damage it could wreak. That assessment now appears wrong." "Two years ago, Moscow was so confident of the world's hunger for its methane that it dumped its largest customer, the European Union, to pursue its invasion of Ukraine," reports Bloomberg. "Putin felt he could afford to be so reckless because a new buyer was waiting in the wings: China." "Actress Scarlett Johansson is threatening legal action against OpenAI for copying her voice for its latest AI model, accessible through ChatGPT," reports The Washington Post. Johansson "claimed that she received an offer from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman in September to be the voice of its AI system," most likely due to the fact that she played the titular character in the AI-oriented movie Her, but she said no to Altman. Johansson is alleging that Altman went ahead and did it anywaysa theory which may be bolstered by Altman's recent cryptic tweet. I am 28 years old, but apparently very ancient, because this trend of sharing your location-tracking with basically everyone you've ever met sounds very foreign and bad to me. lol: The post Fireworks in Tehran appeared first on Reason.com. First Black astronaut completes his mission 63 years later, becomes oldest man to go to space Ed Dwight always dreamed of being an astronaut. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy selected the Air Force captain as the first Black astronaut candidate to go into space. But when Kennedy was assassinated, Dwights dreams were put on hold. Until now. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Blue Origin launched its New Shepard vehicle this weekend. Dwight was one of the six passengers on board. I thought I really didnt need this in my life, but now I need it in my life. I am ecstatic, he said. The Air Force test pilot made history at 90 years old as the oldest man to travel into space. The experience made 63-year wait worth it for Dwight. I wish I had gotten that then, but its great, thats all I can say. Absolutely fabulous, he said. TRENDING STORIES: Throughout the years, Dwight shifted his talents to another passion: Art. You can find his bronze sculptures all over the world and right here in Georgia. On the Morehouse campus, Dwight created the bronze statue of Dr. Benjamin Mays and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1982, Dwight created the statue honoring home run king Hank Aaron, which still stands outside Georgia State stadium and the former Turner Field. He was also commissioned to design the eight-foot bronze statue of civil rights icon Xernona Clayton in downtown Atlanta. With his many accomplishments as an author, artist and Air Force test pilot, Dwight convinced himself he didnt need to go into space. But the experience made 63-year wait worth it for Dwight. It was a life-changing experience. Everybody needs to do this. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS Taylor Niemeier, a student in the Kansas State University physician assistant studies program, practices examination skills on fellow student Swathi Punreddy. Students learn about and practice hands-on examination skills during the first 12 months of the 27-month program. Taylor Niemeier, a student in the Kansas State University physician assistant studies program, practices examination skills on fellow student Swathi Punreddy. Students learn about and practice hands-on examination skills during the first 12 months of the 27-month program. (Kansas State University) MANHATTAN The first graduates from Kansas State Universitys physician assistant masters program hope to help close health care gaps in the state. The inaugural cohort of more than 30 students received training for 12 months in the classroom and 15 months in clinical rotations at regional hospitals and clinics. Taylor Niemeier, a physician assistant student from Gove who graduated this spring, plans to return to northwest Kansas for a job with a local health care provider. As a class, we were able to help change and mold the program to fit the needs of students, Niemeier said. We worked with faculty to make this program successful, and we were able to make an impact by bettering the profession and helping it grow. Program director Gwen Ferdinand-Jacob said the first class set the standard for the program. Ferdinand-Jacob was hired by K-State administrators in 2018 to build the program from scratch, out of an observed need by university officials for more medical representation and access across Kansas. She told the Manhattan Mercury in 2022 that 95 of the states 105 counties dont have adequate rural access to health care, specifically behavioral health and medicinal psychology services. A physician assistant studies program was created and implemented to educate and prepare medical professionals who may not have the advanced knowledge of physicians but would still receive intense training to complete most medical tasks while under the supervision of a physician. Amy Fitzgerald, academic director of the program, said in a statement that a physician assistant, or PA, can help relieve, but not replace, the main doctor, especially following medical worker burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic and general physician shortages. Fitzgerald said the goal of PA programs like the one at K-State is to train broadly and teach responses to the common injuries and illnesses health care workers encounter, such as broken bones and blood sugar checks for diabetics. Ferdinand-Jacob told the Mercury in 2022 that she, along with other university officials, visited health care facilities across Kansas to find clinical sites for students to complete their second-year rotations. Students were able to receive hands-on training with trauma patient simulators in mock exam rooms and virtual 3D anatomical dissection tables. K-State instructors also focused on teaching students in the program to approach their jobs with empathy for their patients. Its easy to teach the science, because that is often either right or wrong, Ferdinand-Jacob said. It can be difficult to teach the compassion and care needed to excel as a PA, but this cohort has really developed and grown in those skills these past 27 months. Before moving to northeast Kansas in 2018, Ferdinand-Jacob lived in Tennessee and worked in family medicine. She served 22 years in the Army and retired with the rank of captain. She was a medic in Korea before hurting her knee and taking a visit to the emergency room. She met a physician assistant, which inspired her to pursue a career as a PA specific to Army airborne personnel. Out-of-state students are part of the inaugural class. Many are still completing their national certifications. Tavi Garcia, a PA student from the farm community of Jalisco, Mexico, said he appreciated the one-on-one opportunities he had with professors. Garcia is preparing to work at a rural health center in Idaho after helping underserved populations in Kansas. Through the program, I learned how to really work well with patients and recognize what I could do to help them medically, Garcia said. The post First graduates of Kansas State University physician assistant program aim to fill health care gaps appeared first on Kansas Reflector. A retired British grandfather was killed and around 70 people were injured after a flight from Heathrow to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence. Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, 73, and his wife Linda, were among 47 British passengers aboard the Singapore Airlines flight when it plunged around 6,000ft within minutes amid extreme weather. Anna Proctor, Mr Kitchens daughter, paid tribute to her father describing him as an extremely kind, loving and gentle man. She told The Telegraph her father was a wonderful man and he had years ahead of him and obviously we are completely devastated, adding: He was a legend, he was. Passengers described awful screaming as the aircraft suffered a dramatic drop, with objects flying and people not wearing seat belts launched immediately into the ceiling, causing multiple head injuries. The Boeing 777 jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport, where Thai authorities described responding to a chaotic scene. Kittipong Kittikachorn, the general manager of the airport, said Mr Kitchen, who has two adult children and two grandchildren, suffered a suspected heart attack. Friends of Mr and Mrs Kitchen, who were married for more than 50 years, said the couple left their semi-detached home in the market town of Thornbury, Gloucestershire, on Monday for what was to be a six-week holiday of a lifetime. Severe turbulence that hit a London to Singapore flight left one man dead and many injured, with Bangkok emergency services tending to those affected - VIralPress Mr Kitchen was the trustee and the secretary of an award-winning musical theatre group near Bristol, and neighbours said both he and his wife were actively involved in the areas amateur dramatics. He had lived in the town for more than 30 years and stood last May in the Thornbury Town Council elections as an independent candidate for the North East Ward. During his campaign, he described the area as a good place to bring up a family and pledged to support the arts, the environment and young people. Mr Kitchen had suffered heart problems in recent years but kept active, neighbours said. They were very adventurous and had been planning the holiday for a long time. They spent last weekend with their grandchildren because they wouldnt be seeing them for a while, Steve Dimond, 73, a close friend and neighbour told the Daily Mail. Mr Dimond and his wife Jill expressed concern for Mrs Kitchen, who was transferred to a nearby Thai hospital for treatment, and appeared to be unreachable. Her condition is unclear. Bangkoks Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said a total of 71 people had been admitted for treatment, six of them severely injured. Along with the 47 Britons, there were 56 passengers from Australia, 41 from Singapore, 23 from New Zealand, 16 from Malaysia, five from the Philippines, four from Ireland, four from America, three from India, two from Canada, two from Indonesia, two from Spain, two from Burma, one from Iceland, one from Germany, one from Israel and one from South Korea. Singapore Airlines said it offered its deepest condolences to Mr Kitchens family. We deeply apologise for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight. We are providing all necessary assistance during this difficult time, the airline said. The airline added it was working with the relevant authorities on the investigation into the incident. Passengers were in shock after a flight from London to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence Airport staff brace for the flight's arrival - ViralPress/ViralPress Images posted on social media showed damage to the cabins ceiling, and food, cutlery and other debris strewn across the floor. Cabin crew were serving breakfast when the aircraft, which was cruising at an altitude of roughly 37,000ft over the Irrawaddy Basin and around 10 hours into its journey, encountered turbulence. Andrew Davies, from Lewisham, said fellow passengers received very little warning to put on their seat belts. He described seeing many injured, some with head lacerations and bleeding ears. A lady was screaming in pain with a bad back, he said. There were 211 passengers and 18 crew on board Flight SQ321, which took off from Londons Heathrow Airport at 10.17pm on Monday. The Boeing jet diverted to Bangkok around 90 minutes prior to its intended arrival in Singapore, making an emergency landing in the Thai capital at around 4pm local time. One passenger said the plane was travelling smoothly when it suddenly plunged downwards. It was a long way, and so sudden. There was no warning at all, Jerry, from the UK, told the BBC. Jerry said he hit his head on the ceiling while others who were walking around ended up doing somersaults. It was absolutely terrible. Jerry was injured when the plane hit turbulence Mr Kittikachorn said: We followed the protocol and went in and found lots of injuries and a fatality. Airport officials enacted an emergency action plan and evacuated the passengers right away, he said. The airports medical team rushed to the tarmac and tended to the injured, with waiting ambulances transferring them to a local hospital for further treatment. Emergency responders give aid to passengers - UNPIXS/UNPIXS Around 100 passengers were preparing to board a new flight out of Bangkok on Tuesday. Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board the flight, described how the plane suddenly began tilting up and shaking. I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seat belt was launched immediately into the ceiling, he said, Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it, he said. Mr Davies, a freelance project manager, described how passengers with medical training tried to help as much as they could, including administering CPR to Mr Kitchen. My heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life and his poor wife, he said. Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live later, he said: The thing I remember the most is seeing objects and things flying through the air. During the few seconds of the plane dropping there was an awful [lot of] screaming and what sounded like a thud. A pair of police officers were seen on Tuesday outside Mr Kitchens semi-detached home that he shared with his wife Linda. Neighbours described Mr Kitchen as a friendly bloke who regularly busied himself with gardening and handiwork. One couple, who lived on the same quiet cul-de-sac in Thornbury, south Gloucestershire, said: They were very good neighbours, both he and his wife, always had a word to say if you went out and saw them anywhere. 06:53 PM BST Blog now closed - thanks for following We are now closing the blog as it approaches 1am in Thailand. This is what we have learnt so far: One person died and dozens were injured after a flight from London to Singapore hit an area of severe turbulence over Myanmar The flight was forced to land in Bangkok where photos showed the scale of mess and upheavel inside the cabin A retired British grandfather has been named as the person who died when a Heathrow to Singapore flight was hit by severe turbulence. Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, 73, suffered a suspected heart attack as the plane embarked on a dramatic drop, with those not wearing seatbelts launched immediately into the ceiling. Experts say such violent turbulence is rare and that seatbelts would have likely reduced the scale of the injuries Singapores Transport Safety Investigation Bureau will be deploying investigators to Bangkok to look into the incident Singapore Airlines has offered its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased 47 passengers on board the flight were British 06:36 PM BST British passenger recalls people doing somersaults as plane plummeted One passenger on board the flight said the plane was travelling smoothly when it suddenly plunged downwards. It was a long way, and so sudden. There was no warning at all, Jerry, from the UK, told the BBC. Jerry said he hit his head on the ceiling while others who were walking around ended up doing somersaults. My daughter will be in [hospital] for a few days. My wife Im not so sure. But it could have been a lot worse, he said. 06:20 PM BST Watch: Passengers carried out by stretcher from diverted flight Footage shows emergency services carrying passengers from the Singapore Airlines flight out by stretcher after it was forced to make an emergency landing. Bangkoks Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said a total of 71 people had been sent for treatment, six of them severely injured. 06:15 PM BST Plane fell into air pocket before entering turbulence over Myanmar The plane travelling from London to Singapore fell into an air pocket as the cabin were serving breakfast before entering an area of severe turbulence, the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn told a press conference. The sudden turbulence occurred over the Irrawaddy Basin in Myanmar about 10 hours into the flight, the airline said. The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok, it said without giving further details. 06:03 PM BST Watch: Footage of the cabin after being hit by severe turbulence Footage of the cabin after the plane landed shows a mess of food, bottles, bags and masks dangling from the overhead compartment. One British man, Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen, died of a suspected heart attack during the chaos and dozens were injured. 05:46 PM BST Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, who died of a suspected heart attack on the flight Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, ran the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group in Bristol 05:38 PM BST British man who died on flight named The 73-year-old British man who died on board the London to Singapore flight has been named as Geoffrey Ralph Kitchen. Kitchen was travelling with his wife of more than 50 years, Linda, when he was suspected of having a heart attack amid severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight. 05:26 PM BST Foreign office says it is in contact with authorities in Thailand Following the news that a British man died on the flight from London to Singapore, a spokesperson for the foreign office has said: We are responding to the emergency landing in Bangkok of a Singapore Airlines flight and are in contact with the local authorities. 05:08 PM BST Bangkok hospital says 71 people sent for treatment Bangkoks Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital said a total of 71 people had been sent for treatment, six of them severely injured. We deeply apologise for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight. We are providing all necessary assistance during this difficult time, Singapore Airlines said. 05:06 PM BST Airline analyst says few defences against such turbulence other than a seatbelt Airline analyst John Strickand told the BBC that airlines have few measures to prevent such disasters except for ensuring passengers wear their seatbelts ahead of anticipated turbulence. There is no perfect way to respond. We just need to ensure - as the industry does - that it uses the maximum amount of information available at the time so that - first of all - turbulence can be avoided where possible and so that crews react quickly, he said. 04:39 PM BST Majority of passengers onboard from Australia, followed by Britain The majority of the 211 passengers onboard the flight from London to Singapore were from Australia followed by passengers from Britain, according to Singapore Airlines flight record. There were also 18 crew members. Here is a breakdown of the passenger list: 04:32 PM BST Boeing offers condolences after turbulence fatality on its aircraft Boeing expressed its condolences following a fatality on the Singapore Airlines flight. We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew, Boeing said after its 777 aircraft en route from London to Singapore made an emergency landing in Bangkok. 04:26 PM BST Boeing 777 fell into air pocket before encountering severe turbulence Just to recap following the press conference given by the general manger of Bangkoks main airport, the Boeing 777 had fallen into an air pocket in Thai air space before it encountered severe turbulence. One elderly British man has been killed, likely from a heart attack, though this has not been officially confirmed. Seven people are critically hurt with head injuries. 04:16 PM BST Singapore Airlines has released the nationalities of all 211 passengers on board They are as follows: 56 from Australia 2 from Canada 1 from Germany 3 from India 2 from Indonesia 1 from Iceland 4 from Ireland 1 from Israel 16 from Malaysia 2 from Myanmar 23 from New Zealand 5 from the Philippines 41 from Singapore 1 from South Korea 2 from Spain 47 from the United Kingdom 4 from the United States of America 03:59 PM BST Pictured: The aircrafts last hour Weve tracked the flights final hour as it plummeted 6,000ft in five seconds before making its way to land in Bangkok. One Singapore airlines crew told a passenger it was the worst turbulence she had experienced in her 3 years in the job. 03:53 PM BST Singapore to send investigators to Bangkok after flight incident, says transport ministry Singapore said it will send investigators to Bangkok after the Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 plane was forced to make an emergency landing in the Thai capital. The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) is in touch with its Thai counterparts and will be deploying investigators to Bangkok, the transport ministry said in a statement. 03:48 PM BST Thailand enters monsoon season after weeks of extreme heat Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia have entered the monsoon season, when daily storms rage and rain falls in buckets. It follows weeks of extreme heat that saw temperatures in Bangkok rise above 40c and 30 people die from heatstroke between January 1 and April 17. For the whole of 2023, 37 people died from heatstroke. In the Philippines, schools were forced to suspend classes while worshippers in Bangladesh prayed for rain. Speaking to the BBC, ex-pilot Terry Tozer said it is unusual for such turbulence to occur without any warning. Though in the Far East, sudden severe turbulence can occur at high altitude. Thats one of the reasons why we stress to wear your seatbelt even when the seatbelt sign is not illuminated. 03:40 PM BST Explained: The three main types of aviation turbulence 03:30 PM BST Watch: Carnage inside the plane after it landed 03:23 PM BST My heart goes out to man killed in accident, says fellow passenger Andrew Davies from Lewisham who was on the London to Singapore flight said his heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life. Mr Davies, who describes himself as a freelance project manager in events said passengers with medical training tried to help as much as they could, but that the poor gentleman died after receiving CPR. Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Davies said: Anyone who is injured, was not wearing a seatbelt. People who kept them on (including me) are not (as far as I could tell). He claimed the deceased was a man who was travelling with his wife. My heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life and his poor wife. Awful experience, he said. 03:17 PM BST Last time Singapore Airlines saw fatal accident The last Singapore Airlines fatalities were in October 2000 when a plane crashed on a closed runway during takeoff at Taiwan and 83 people died. Singapore Airlines has had seven accidents according to records by the Aviation Safety Network. 03:15 PM BST Pictured: The interior of the plane The interior of Singapore Airline flight SQ321 - REUTERS/Stringer 03:10 PM BST Here are more details released by Suvarnabhumi Airport: The airport says it has activated an emergency plan to provide medical services for passengers on board Flight SQ321. The flight, which was travelling from Londons Heathrow Airport to Singapore, was diverted to Bangkok due to bad weather and touched down at 15.51 p.m. local time on Tuesday at Suvarnabhumi Airport. The airport said its medical team rushed to the tarmac and tended to those injured before transporting them to hospitals for further treatment. For passengers with minor injuries or no injuries, the Suvarnabhumi Airport has set up a waiting area for passengers inside the concourse with personnel from the airport and SIA working together to take care of and facilitate passengers to help them reach Singapore. There were 211 passengers and 18 crew members on the flight. The airport confirmed that one person died and a number of those onboard were injured. 03:05 PM BST Turbulence severe across the region Singapore Airlines is yet to comment on what caused the turbulence, but the area around Thailand is currently suffering severe tropical storms. Current aviation weather reports indicate thunderstorms reaching up to 51,000ft are spread across western Thailand and well down into the Gulf of Thailand, a distance of around 475 miles. Last week, a British Airways flight was forced to return to Singapore after encountering heavy turbulence. One crew member reportedly needed surgery to her ankle after she was injured during the flight. The Singapore Airlines flight was cruising at 37,000ft before its diversion, according to Flight Radar 24 data. 02:58 PM BST The flight path Flight SQ321 took off from London Heathrow Airport on Monday evening at 22.17 local time, flight tracking data showed. The airliner diverted to Thailand around an hour and a halfs flying time from its intended destination of Singapore after reportedly encountering heavy turbulence. The pilots requested permission to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok and touched down shortly after 4pm local time. 02:52 PM BST Singapore Airlines offers deepest condolences A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines said: We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. 02:47 PM BST Plane took 90 minutes to evacuate, says passenger It took 90 minutes to evacuate the plane, said one passenger. Malaysian student Dzafran Azmir said he had fastened his seatbelt but many had not when the plane began to shake. The 28-year-old said ambulances later arrived and he saw at least 8 people on stretchers being pulled out of the emergency exits. It took 90 minutes to evacuate the plane, he said 02:44 PM BST Pictured: Scenes in Bangkok after the emergency landing Passengers receive treatment after the landing - PONGSAKORNR RODPHAI/BBC/UNPIXS 21/05/2024 The plane registered 9V-SWM was diverted to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport - The plane registered 9V-SWM was diverted to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport 02:41 PM BST Passengers were about to be served breakfast when turbulence hit The general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport said passengers were likely about to eat breakfast when they were buffeted by turbulence. [The crew] probably were serving breakfast because it would take another 2 - 3 hours to reach Changi airport [in Singapore], Kittipong Kittikachorn said. 02:35 PM BST British man killed and 30 injured, say Thai authorities A British man was killed and 30 injured when a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 plane hit severe turbulence on a flight from London and was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok, Thai authorities said in a press conference. 02:34 PM BST We received little warning, says passenger on flight Andrew Davies from Lewisham wrote on social media that he was on the flight and that passengers received very little warning to put on their seatbelts. Writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Davies said: Anyone who is injured, was not wearing a seatbelt. People who kept them on (including me) are not (as far as I could tell). He claimed the deceased was a man who was travelling with his wife. My heart goes out to the gentleman who lost his life and his poor wife. Awful experience, he said. Mr Davies, who describes himself as a freelance project manager in events and conferences said passengers with medical training tried to help as much as they could, adding that the poor gentlemen died after receiving CPR. He went on to say he saw another passenger laid flat in (the) aisle further behind me. Mr Davies described peoples belongings scattered, coffee and water splattered the ceiling. So many injured people. Head lacerations (sic), bleeding ears. A lady was screaming in pain with a bad back. I couldnt help her - just got her water. 02:31 PM BST If passengers were stapped in they should have been OK, says Tozer If youre not strapped in and youre standing then obviously if the aircraft drops suddenly you can hit the ceiling. 02:28 PM BST Tozer stresses importance of wearing seatbelt In the far east you get sudden severe turbulence at high altitude, the ex-pilot added Thats one of the reasons why we stress to wear your seatbelt even when the seatbelt sign is not illuminated. 02:26 PM BST Ex-airline pilot says such sudden turbulence is uncommon Terry Tozer, an ex-airline pilot, has told the BBC it is unusual for turbulence to occur without any warning. It is not that common for it to happen without any warning. Normally the crew would be passed information by aircraft ahead of them, he said. 02:19 PM BST An update on number injured from the GM of Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi Airport Kittipong Kittikachorn, General Manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport said: Seven people are crucially injured. Twenty-three people are moderately injured, including a crew member. Sixteen people are slightly injured and were sent to hospital. Fourteen people are also slightly injured and are in the holding area. 02:16 PM BST Singapore president says hope and pray injured flight passengers recover Singaporean President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said that we must hope and pray for the smooth recovery of 30 people injured in a turbulence-affected Singapore Airlines flight, which killed one person. The airlines Boeing 777 plane hit severe turbulence en-route to Singapore from London and was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. My deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased, Mr Shanmugaratnam said on Facebook. 02:11 PM BST Pictured: The chaos inside the plane after the emergency landing The interior of Singapore Airline flight SG321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer The interior of Singapore Airline flight SG321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, May 21, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer 02:09 PM BST Plane dropped 6,000ft in five minutes Flight tracking data suggested the plane dropped more than 6,000ft in just five minutes over the Andaman Sea. The incident came as parts of Thailand were buffeted by thunderstorms as the countrys annual rainy season gets under way. At 3:35 pm the airport received a distress call from the Singapore Airlines flight saying there were passengers on board injured by turbulence, and requesting an emergency landing, Suvarnabhumi Airport said in a statement. 02:05 PM BST 18 people hospitalised The carrier said 18 individuals have been hospitalised. Another 12 are being treated in hospitals, without giving details of the nature and severity of the injuries. We deeply apologise for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight. We are providing all necessary assistance during this difficult time, the airline said. 01:53 PM BST One person dies after Singapore Airlines flight encounters severe turbulence At least one person has died and dozens of others have been injured after a flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence. A Singapore Airlines flight was forced to divert to Bangkok after a passenger was killed and 30 people were hurt, local media reported. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, a spokesperson for the airline said. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Fish with white only? Its time to toss out myths on wines, Modesto columnist says Are you ready to face facts? Are you ready to toss wine myths into the dump bucket and move on with your life? Dont we just want to enjoy the right wine, right here, right now? Heres my list of wine myths. if you think of any more dumb myths that we should dump, clue me in. Myth No. 1: All rose is sweet The White Zinfandel craze in the 1980s that converted the wine cooler fans to wine fans also made many consumers believe that all pink wine was sweet. Wrong! Real rose is dry and delicious with food. It is the beverage of choice in the summer months in southern Europe. Myth No. 2: Screw caps are for cheap wines Were not talking about Night Train or Thunderbird here. Were talking about quality closures for quality wines. Screw caps are the best seal for wine. Easy to open, no broken corks or gadgets needed. You can reseal the wine to save any leftover wine, or so Im told. Myth No. 3: Red wine with meat, white wine with fish Sure, this is the fail-safe equation but would you match a full blown-oaky-rich-buttery Chardonnay with a delicate dover sole? Would you pair a big young tannic Cabernet Sauvignon with veal marsala? I dont think so. Light reds like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais can work with seafood (salmon) and Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurtztraminer and dry roses work well with light or cured meats. Myth No. 4: Pinot Noir good, merlot bad The movie Sideways is directly responsible for this myth. Miles love for Pinot Noir increased the demand, pushing up the price. Trying to cash in, many wineries flooded the market with weak, thin, schlocky and expensive Pinots. Merlot did take a dive but now theyre a great value, especially compared to $$$ Cabernets. Myth No. 5 The more expensive the wine, the better the wine I have to admit I spent $25(!!!) in a tasting of six 1974 Napa Cabernets in 1976 just after all the hype of the Paris tasting. I had to break into my piggy bank. It was great! My epiphany wine was a 1987 Caymus Special Selection Cabernet Sauvignon. But we had to share it with our wine club partners! So yes, theyre good but many are way overpriced and over rated. The issue is affordability. I would rather have five bottles of sparkling Mumms than one of Veuve Cliquot Champagne. Insert your dump bucket bound wine myths here..!! Lodi region No. 1 takes five Best of California awards The 2024 California Commercial Wine Competition results are in. I noticed Region No. 1 did very well. Best of California Awards went to Acquiesce Winery and Vineyards 2022 Double Gold, 99 points, Bourboulenc and the 2023 Double Gold, 99 points, Grenache Rose, both from the Mokelumne River appellation. The next three Best of California Awards were from the San Joaquin Appellation. They are Macchias 2022 Double Gold, 99 points, Outrageous Zinfandel, St. Amant Winerys 2022 Double Gold, 98 points, Petite Sirah and Oak Farm Vineyards 2021 Double Gold Sangiovese. Also, the Best Value Wine in the competition went to Lodis Collier Creeks 2021 Double Gold, 98 points, Merlot. Well done Lodi! Whats on our table Heres another outstanding rose from the Grocery Outlet. The 2022 Terra Nostra CORSE from Corsica is 100% Sciaccarellu. Yes, I need to do some research. I bought one and I am going back for more. Just $5.99 and a delicious steal! Cheers! Questions? Comments? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com. When Sarah Harrison addressed the Texas Medical Board at a virtual hearing Monday, she added her name to the growing list of Texas women who have shared stories of being denied medically necessary abortions. Her testimony provided a timely example of exactly how confusing the states abortion laws can be in action, even to those tasked with enforcing them. Harrison, an Austin attorney, learned late last year that one of her twins was not going to survive outside the womb. Her doctors advised her to travel out of state for a selective reduction to terminate the nonviable fetus. On Monday, Harrison asked the medical board to more explicitly inform doctors they can perform selective reductions if continuing the pregnancy threatens the other fetus life. She pointed to the part of the law that says it is not an abortion if it is intended to save the life or preserve the health of an unborn child. Stephen Brint Carlton, the boards executive director, corrected her, saying that line applies to things like fetal surgeries and other interventions aimed at saving single pregnancies, not selective reductions of multiples. But then board chair Dr. Sherif Zaafran chimed in, saying that, in general, if a doctor feels a selective reduction is the standard of care and other expert physicians agree, it could potentially be allowed. Harrison pushed back, saying her doctors did believe a selective reduction to be the standard of care. Under threat of criminal prosecution and losing their license, they were not going to provide a reduction because they couldn't prove that I was at serious risk of losing my life or serious bodily function, she said. Later in the hearing, a retired OB/GYN said he didnt believe Harrison would have qualified for an abortion in Texas. Then, a health lawyer weighed in to say she agreed with Harrisons interpretation of the law. I thought that exception applied until I heard you today, Louise Joy, an attorney who advises Texas hospitals, said to Carlton. But thats the very confusion we have. This is but one example of the ongoing confusion among doctors and lawyers about how to interpret the new abortion laws. The medical board has proposed guidance to clarify some of that uncertainty, but five hours of testimony and hundreds of written comments later, its clear no one is particularly pleased with their first attempt including, it seems, the medical board itself. Zaafran said repeatedly that they would consider revisiting aspects of the proposal where doctors interpretations of the guidance was at odds with the boards intent. If the board was perfect, which were certainly not, then that would be it, Zaafran said. But having 1,000 sets of eyes [helps with] highlighting things that we may have overlooked and blind spots that we may not have been able to highlight. Guidance pushback The Texas Medical Board initially resisted calls to issue guidance to doctors on how to interpret the states new abortion laws. Even after the Texas Supreme Court called on the licensing agency to assess various hypothetical circumstances, provide best practices, identify red lines, and the like, the board averred. But after Steve and Amy Bresnen, Austin attorneys and health lobbyists, filed an official petition, the board conceded, issuing this first proposal in March. At Mondays stakeholder hearing, doctors, lawyers and advocates across the political spectrum testified that the guidance did not clarify when doctors can act and, in fact, adds additional confusion. In addition to gathering all the definitions from different abortion statutes in one place, the guidance primarily lists out what doctors are expected to document when deciding whether to perform an abortion. Unfortunately, the increased requirements for documentation are truly unworkable, testified Dr. Richard Todd Ivey, a Houston OB/GYN. The need for literature searches, attempts to transfer patients by any means available, documentation of how we determined a woman's danger of death or serious risks, the need for consultations or opinions of medical ethics committees, attempts at alternative treatments and determination of a woman's risk to support a particular method of termination. These are all incredibly cumbersome and time consuming. Several people raised concerns that the documentation could delay care in an emergency situation. A cesarean hysterectomy can lead to five liters of blood loss in three minutes, said Dr. Joseph Valenti, an OB/GYN who serves on the Texas Medical Associations Board of Trustees. We don't want to be documenting while we're having blood loss or a baby is dropping heart tones. Zaafran said it wasn't the boards intent to require a doctor to document all of these things, or to document anything before acting in an emergency situation. He said the board would work to clarify that language. Several speakers criticized the aspect of the guidance that tells doctors to document whether there was time to transfer a patient to another facility to avoid terminating the pregnancy. This provision sparked alarm among doctors and lawyers who felt it was adding an additional requirement that wasnt in the law. The requirement to determine when there was an adequate time to transfer the patient by any means available is so vague as to be unworkable, testified Molly Duane, senior staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights. Physicians need guidance on when they can provide abortions, not more reasons why they shouldn't. Duane said the board had an important role to play, and while some aspects of the guidance were useful, others were very confusing and will inevitably chill physicians reliance on the medical exemption. Dr. Ingrid Skop, a leading anti-abortion OB/GYN based in San Antonio, testified that she has seen firsthand what happens when doctors hesitate to act. Last week, she said, she treated a woman in the emergency room who was hemorrhaging from a miscarriage that had been diagnosed two weeks earlier. Her doctor required her to have a follow-up ultrasound before he would surgically remove the fetal tissue, she said. He could have intervened and spared the woman the emotionally and physically traumatic experience that she had in my emergency room, Skop testified. Stories like this abound in Texas not because of the laws but because of the failure of hospitals and medical industry organizations to provide guidance to physicians. Skop said her fellow doctors fears were irrational, but called on the medical board to clearly reassure them that they can rely on their reasonable medical judgment to decide when to perform an abortion. But with a potential for up to life in prison, a $100,000 fine and the loss of medical license for performing a prohibited abortion, some doctors testified that their fears are anything but irrational. These decisions should be made by a patient in consultation with their physicians, because that is the practice of medicine, Ivey testified. We as physicians want to work within the confines of the law, but we cannot do so if our hands are tied. Weighing imminence In addition to Harrison, several women who say they were denied medically necessary abortions testified at the hearing. Kate Cox, a 31-year-old Dallas mom who sued to terminate her pregnancy after a lethal fetal anomaly diagnosis, testified that this guidance would not have helped her doctors, who agreed that she needed an abortion. We should not force pregnant Texans to get sicker or to wait for an inevitable miscarriage and go through childbirth to deliver a baby that has died or will certainly die, Cox testified. It is medically reasonable to give mothers and families the best chance at building their families which may include terminating a non-viable pregnancy so they can have a chance at a viable one. I needed that chance. The Texas Supreme Court ruled that Cox did not qualify for an abortion, even as it clarified in that ruling that a medical emergency need not be imminent to justify performing the procedure. Several groups, including the anti-abortion Texas Alliance for Life, called on the board to add this language to the guidance, which Zaafran said they would consider. Zaafran said while it was clear doctors could act if there was an emergency situation, when theres a little bit more time to make a methodical judgment as to what should be done, it might require a doctor to take the additional steps listed in the guidance. Let me clarify here that this is not just like any other typical medical procedure, he said. Were talking about termination of a life here, and whether it is okay to do that. The board is considering testimony and written comments ahead of its June meeting, and will either put forward the existing guidance for a vote, or start the public comment process over again with revised guidance. Disclosure: Texas Medical Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Weve got big things in store for you at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Join us for three days of big, bold conversations about politics, public policy and the days news. Correction, May 25, 2024 at 9:35 a.m. : A previous version of this story misspelled the name of Dr. Ingrid Skop. My five-year term is not over yet Zelenskyy on presidency Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has stated while assessing his five years in the presidential office that his term has been extended due to martial law. Source: Zelenskyys interview for Reuters Details: Asked to assess his own work done within the span of the five years of presidency, Zelenskyy replied: "My five years are not over yet, they continue because of martial law". Quote: "I cannot assess my work. This is not ethical. I think that a view from the side is always more fair and I am not going to argue with this view. The truth is always somewhere in the middle." Details: Zelenskyy added that he was glad to be the president of a nation that did not turn tail, and accepted the challenges it faced. "Im proud that Im the president of Ukraine, this is my attitude towards these five years," he said. Background: On 20 May 2024 the five-year presidential term of Volodymyr Zelenskyy ended. Peter Stano, the spokesperson of the European Commission for Foreign Affairs, stressed that Ukraine cannot hold free elections because it is under attack by Russian missiles, drones and bombs, and millions of people have become displaced persons inside the country and outside its borders. Ukraines Minister of Justice Denys Maliuska believes that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will not lose his legitimacy after his five-year term expires on 21 May 2024, and his powers will continue until the next head of state is elected. Support UP or become our patron! (WJW) A United Airlines flight to Chicago with 157 passengers on board was diverted to Ireland after a laptop became stuck in an inaccessible location. According to a statement to Fox 8 from United Airlines, United Flight 12 scheduled from Zurich landed safely in Shannon, Ireland, on Sunday. Local TGI Fridays permanently closed United went on to say: We provided hotel accommodations for customers and arranged for a new aircraft to take them to their destination on Monday. There were 10 crew members on board, according to United. According to FlightAware.com, the flight departed Zurich at 9:46 a.m. and was diverted to Shannon after about five hours. The flight to Chicago would have been just under 10 hours. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, lithium batteries are capable of overheating and, in some cases, fires. Spirit Airlines ends cancellation and change fees Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin. Passengers should notify flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning, according to the FAA website. Lithium-ion and metal batteries must also be carried with passengers in the plane cabins only and can not be checked in luggage, according to the FAA. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Fox 8 Cleveland WJW. FLORENCE, S.C. (WBTW) The League of Women Voters of the Florence Area will host a Democratic forum next month for three candidates vying to be the citys next mayor. Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin, Councilwoman Lethonia Barnes and William Williams will go head-to-head in the forum scheduled for 6:30 p.m. June 4 at the Francis Marion University Carter Center for Health Sciences Haigh Porter Auditorium. The event is open to the public and people can email questions to the candidates by May 31. South Carolina primary elections are scheduled for June 11. Early voting starts on May 28 and continues through June 7. Early voting centers are open from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. Download the News13 app to stay updated on the go Sign up for WBTW email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. Find todays top stories on WBTW.com for the Grand Strand and Pee Dee. In addition, the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. on May 31. Polling places are open on Election Day from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. * * * Taylor Ford is a digital journalist for News13. She joined the News13 team in January 2023. Taylor is a Florence native and covers the Pee Dee out of News13s Florence Bureau. Read more of Taylors work here. * * * Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) A Lauderdale County Grand Jury cleared a Florence police officer involved in a deadly shooting on April 1. According to a press release from Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly, the case was presented to a grand jury this week and it returned a no bill, meaning no charges will be filed against the officer involved in the shooting. The person killed by police in the shooting was identified as 42-year-old Bart James Barcelou. Florence Police Chief Ron Tyler said at the time that officers responded to the 200 block of North Walnut Street to attempt to serve warrants to Barcelou, who had active warrants from Kane County, Utah for 3 counts of first-degree felony rape and one count of third-degree felony dealing in harmful materials to a minor by an adult. Lauderdale County Sheriff Joe Hamilton said the person had two knives in his hands during the incident. He added that officers attempted to use a less lethal taser option during the incident. Ultimately and unfortunately, the encounter resulted in a very violent end that involved shots fired from one of our police officers, Tyler stated during the news conference that afternoon. Barcelou died as a result of the shooting. After the shooting, Tyler asked the Lauderdale County Sheriffs Office to investigate since one of the departments officers were involved, and they presented their findings before the grand jury. Connolly said he also met with the widow of Barcelou to explain the grand jury process and allow her to review body cam footage before the grand jury met. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. The attorney who successfully argued two landmark medical privacy cases said he got a shot across the bow from The Florida Bar after he wrote a letter to the Florida Bar News that criticized by name three Florida Supreme Court justices for their comments and written opinions in high profile abortion cases. So George J. Felos of Dunedin returned fire with a public information request for the Bar's list of emails for licensed attorneys. He then directly sent the 1,260-word letter to the editor that its official house organ declined to publish to 77,000 Florida attorneys. Felos is perhaps best known for representing Michael Schiavo, husband of Terri Schiavo, the Florida woman in a 'persistent vegetative state' who was the focus of the right-to-die debate before her passing in 2005. Felos' letter expressed concerns about the politicization of the judiciary that he said has contributed to an increasing loss of faith among the public that the court is an independent, impartial decider of law. The Florida Bar News does not publish commentaries or opinion pieces but does accept letters. But the Bar News declined to publish his opinion piece or accept it as a paid advertisement. The rejection letter copied the language in the Bar's Professional Rules of Conduct prohibition against impugning the motive of a sitting judge, which suggests a rule violation. In this file photo, George Felos, then the attorney for Michael Schiavo, Terri Schiavo's husband, talks to the media after hearing the results of her autopsy report June 15, 2005 in Dunedin, Florida. The exchange between Felos and The Bar unfolds in advance of a November election when voters will decide a ballot initiative on whether to enshrine a right to an abortion in the state constitution. If supporters pass it, a Legislature proven hostile to abortion rights will surely test the limits of the new constitutional protection, resulting in legal challenges that will ultimately be decided by the Court. Felos and others wonder if the expected legal challenge will get a fair hearing. He was the winning attorney in two cases In re Browning (1990) and Bush v. Schiavo (2004) that resulted in rulings that established the right to make medical decisions in private and prohibited the governor from using executive authority to abolish that right. Now Felos fears those and other privacy rights are in jeopardy. In this file photo, George Felos, then the attorney for Michael Schiavo, listens to a question from a reporter during a news conference about the Terri Schiavo case, March 26, 2005 in Dunedin, Florida. In the statements justices made and the line of questions they pursued during oral arguments to uphold a 15-week abortion ban and to clear an abortion initiative for the ballot, Felos and others heard the machinations of a multi-year campaign by extreme partisans to capture the judiciary. Critics would argue that the Florida Supreme Court has been stacked with not just Republican judges, but with a certain kind of Republican justice, who in most circumstances you know how they're going to vote on an issue. Not all, but most, said University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett in an interview about Gov. Ron DeSantis' and former President Donald Trump's judicial appointments. Felos wrote that as a lover of the rule of law it saddened him to watch our Supreme Court devolve into a third political branch of government, where decisions appear to be based upon the personal beliefs and political agendas of the justices and governor who appoints them. He quoted Chief Justice Carlos G. Muniz and Justices Jamie Grosshans and Meredith Sasso to support his conclusion that, by the justices expressing their beliefs about abortion, the public may reasonably perceive those beliefs are influencing their rulings. Aubrey Jewett, associate professor of political science at the University of Central Florida. "In his letter, Mr. Felos directly criticizes the justices by name, saying they have allowed personal beliefs to sway their decisions. We consider that a personal attack. According to our editorial policy, we do not publish letters or advertisements with personal attacks," Florida Bar spokesperson Jennifer Krell Davis said. The Supreme Court sets ethical standards for the legal profession, and The Florida Bar recommends discipline for violators. Felos took the rejection letter's use of language from the Bar's Rule of Conduct as an attempt to intimidate him. Some may conclude that (the Bar's bringing up the rule) was designed to create a chilling effect upon my constitutionally-protected, First Amendment right of freedom of expression, Felos told the USA TODAY Network-Florida. In a subtle jab at the Bar, Felos also said the rule in question encourages attorneys to speak out when they earnestly believe it is for the betterment of the judiciary. In this case, the need to protect the judiciary's independence. Im fulfilling my duty as an attorney to point out where the courts have gone astray, Felos said. "As the enforcer of these rules, I'm both sad and sorry to see that The Florida Bar is unable to facilitate the spirit of that rule." The Bar did not respond directly to a question about whether taking language from its Rule 4-8.2 to reject a letter to the editor was meant to intimidate Felos. Krell Davis said, however, The Florida Bar News' decision to reject Felos' piece adhered to an editorial policy to limit letters to 350 words and prohibit personal attacks. The dispute is a collision of competing values, according to Jewett, a co-author of Florida Politics, a several decade-long analysis of Florida's governors, legislature and judiciary. Jewett said judicial ethics requires Bar members not to do or say things that bring the judicial system into disrepute. Because the whole idea is that were supposed to encourage the average Floridian to respect the judiciary and have faith in the judiciary and believe that the judiciary is objective, and that it will seek justice for whoever comes before the bench, he added. But the crux of Felos argument, according to Jewett, is that the justices are saying and making rulings that lead people to lose faith that Florida has an objective, neutral judiciary. Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muniz listens to arguments on Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022 in a case concerning Marsy's Law. Felos outlined in the piece he submitted to the Bar News how both former Trump's and DeSantis' appointment of judges with known anti-abortion credentials has undermined the publics faith that court decisions are based upon underlying legal principles. That is not a subjective statement," Jewett said. Approval of the U.S. Supreme Court is at 41%, a historic low in Gallup polling. Jewett suspect numbers for the Florida Supreme Court would be in the same range. Critics can clearly point out how Republican President Trump and Republican Gov. DeSantis picked Federalist Society members who came with strong recommendations from conservative insiders that basically vouched that they would vote a certain way, Jewett said. The Federalist Society is a 42-year-old association of attorneys, professors and law students with a mission to challenge "a form of orthodox liberal ideology which advocates a centralized and uniform society." Florida Supreme Court Justice Meredith Sasso listens to arguments on the proposed abortion amendment on Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024. Muniz, Sasso, Grosshans and Justice Renatha Francis were all reported members of the Federalist Society when appointed by DeSantis and are named in Felos' opinion piece. Exhibit A in Felos argument that the Florida Supreme Court has gone astray are Muniz's and Grosshans' musings about a fetus and the section of the Florida Constitution that grants all "natural persons" an inalienable right "to enjoy life." In one opinion, Grosshans wrote that the court has yet to address whether the provision applies "to the unborn and, if so, what the scope of those rights could be. And during oral arguments in the challenge to the abortion rights initiative on Feb. 7, Muniz said, "I dont know that I could affirmatively say that the term natural person doesnt, as a matter of ordinary meaning, include the unborn. Such statements shocked Felos: Thats an expression of his personal beliefs. If you believe the unborn to be human beings, of course, youre going to extend legal rights to them. A court spokesman said members of the Supreme Court have the opportunity to speak in open court and through their opinions, but that judicial ethics limit their commentary beyond that. Florida Supreme Court Justice Jamie R. Grosshans listens to arguments in the 15-week abortion hearing on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. "Justices must remain neutral on issues that may come before the court in the future," Paul Flemming said. "For these reasons it would be inappropriate for justices to comment or to provide a statement." Felos said he launched no personal attacks against any of the sitting justices, as the rejection letter from the Bar says he did. He maintains he only cited their words and drew conclusions from what had been said. Jewett added: I think a critic would say, if anybodys impugning (the justices') integrity, its their own rulings. Felos said he would have dropped the matter after the commentary was rejected if the Bar News hadnt suggested he committed a rules violation. When it did, Felos got the Bar's membership roster and entered it into an mass email sending service, which sent his letter to 77,000 Bar members, so they could decide who impugned who, he explained. Its (The Bar's) newspaper. They can choose to print what they want. But when they (said) theyre not (running it) because it impugns the motives of the justices by name, it does not. Thats false. Thats why I sent it out. This embedded content is not available in your region. James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee. This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FL Supreme Court abortion remarks spark debate between attorney, bar ORLANDO, Fla. An 11-year-old boy is charged with homicide after fatally shooting his aunt in their Ocoee home last week, according to the Ocoee Police Department. The child was taken into custody by Ocoee police officers who responded to a house on Idaho Court on Friday morning where the boy was said to have shot the woman, an agency spokesperson said. The victim was taken to a hospital in Apopka where she died. Its not clear what led to the shooting or how the child, who lived with the victim, had access to a gun. The Sentinel submitted a request for the arrest affidavit and reports detailing the shooting, which the Police Department denied citing an active investigation. An agency spokesperson on Friday said there were no other suspects. The Orange-Osceola State Attorneys Office has not said if prosecutors intend to charge the boy as an adult. A spokesperson said they could not comment, as the case is currently in juvenile court. The child appeared in court Saturday, where a woman claiming to be the victims daughter asked a judge to allow family to visit the him, which the judge granted, WFTV reported. That cousin, the TV station added, said the child had been living with the victim since he was 6 weeks old. The Orlando Sentinel is not publishing the name of the victim to protect the identity of the child. ------- Video above: Biden and Trump hit the campaign trail TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A Florida man was indicted on several federal charges last week after he was accused of threatening to kill former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton. Eric Evan Brown, 57, posted a threatening message to his X account on April 7 that mentioned Clinton, according to a criminal complaint from the Department of Justice. Remember that Mr President Donald Trump I will kill this whole f****** country to get my f****** pedophiles that rape the children of God I will kill you Hillary and I will wipe this country Park to get it, Brown wrote, court documents stated. Browns IP address was traced to an RV park in White Springs, which is located north of Lake City. Park management confirmed that there was a man staying there with the name Eric Brown. He was accused of behaving aggressively toward Secret Service agents when they visited him at his home on May 9. According to the complaint, Brown, who had a knife clipped to his pants pocket, told agents, Get out of here. Ill f****** kill you! When agents told Brown they just wanted to talk about his concerning social media post, he said that his past actions were not illegal. The conversation deteriorated as Brown continued to become more enraged and yelled at agents to leave. Youre lucky I didnt shoot you, Brown said, according to the complaint. Agents reported Brown saying Hillary Clinton killed by family as they left the property. They later received a call from the RV park management accusing Brown of threatening to kill another resident who saw his interaction with federal agents. Brown was also accused of grabbing his dog by the collar and throwing it back into his RV while kicking it. He was indicted by a grand jury on May 15 on charges of transmission of a threat to kill or injure, threats against Secret Service protectees, two counts of forcibly assaulting a federal officer without the use of a deadly weapon, and two counts of threatening a federal official. Brown made his first appearance in federal court on Monday and was ordered to be detained until trial. If convicted, he faces 10 years in prison for each count of threatening a federal official, up to 8 years for each count of forcibly assaulting a federal officer, and up to 5 years for the transmission of a threat and threat against a U.S. Secret Service protectee. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Children in the womb exposed to higher levels of fluoride later were more likely to experience temper tantrums, headaches, stomachaches, anxiety, and symptoms linked to autism, a new study finds. A new study suggests a link between greater fluoride intake in pregnancy and toddlers with behavioral problems. Children in the womb exposed to higher levels of fluoride a mineral found naturally in water in varying amounts later were more likely to experience temper tantrums, headaches, stomachaches, anxiety and symptoms linked to autism, according to research published Monday in JAMA Network Open. Children whose mothers had higher levels of fluoride were 83% more likely to show internalizing behavioral problems, the study authors said. Getty Images Exposure to fluoride during pregnancy does not mean that a child will experience greater neurobehavioral problems, senior study author Tracy Bastain, an associate professor of clinical population and public health sciences at the University of Southern Californias Keck School of Medicine, told The Post. We found an association between higher prenatal exposure and more neurobehavioral problems at age 3 but more studies are needed to establish a causal link, she explained. Data for the study came from USCs MADRES Center for Environmental Health Disparities. MADRES follows predominantly Hispanic families in Los Angeles from pregnancy throughout childhood. Researchers calculated fluoride exposure from urine samples collected from 229 pregnant moms during their third trimester. Children whose mothers had higher levels of fluoride were 83% more likely to show internalizing behavioral problems, the study authors said. No tie was found to externalizing behaviors such as aggression and attention problems. There are no known benefits to the fetus from ingesting fluoride, one of the study authors said. Getty Images/iStockphoto This is the first US-based study to examine this association, lead study author Ashley Malin, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Floridas College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, said in a statement. Our findings are noteworthy, given that the women in this study were exposed to pretty low levels of fluoride levels that are typical of those living in fluoridated regions within North America, she added. Communities have been adding fluoride to their drinking water for decades to help prevent tooth decay. Fluoride has been shown to strengthen enamel, inhibit the growth of bacteria andreplenish lost minerals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2020, more than 209 million people, or 72.7% of the US population, receive fluoridated water through public water systems. The researchers suggest pregnant women drink filtered tap water even some tabletop pitcher filters do a pretty good job of filtering fluoride. Getty Images However, the anti-fluoridation movement is hoping to reduce that number. Anti-fluoridationists say fluoridation violates their health freedom, with some even successfully pushing for bans in their cities. Others point to a 2019 Canadian study in the journal JAMA Pediatrics that tied higher levels of fluoride exposure during pregnancy to lower IQ scores for 3- and 4-year-olds. The authors of that study stopped short of recommending fluoridation bans but did say these findings indicate the possible need to reduce fluoride intake during pregnancy. The authors of the new study are also not saying that water should not be fluoridated, instead suggesting the need to establish recommendations for limiting fluoride exposure during the prenatal period. There are no known benefits to the fetus from ingesting fluoride, Malin said. And yet now we have several studies conducted in North America suggesting that there may be a pretty significant risk to the developing brain during that time. Bastain told The Post that studies conducted in North America over the last seven years have associated exposure to fluoride during pregnancy with adverse outcomes such as reduction in IQ, greater ADHD symptoms and altered executive function and cognition. Bastain and her colleagues plan to explore how exposure to fluoride during pregnancy affects brain development among infants. In the meantime, the research team suggests pregnant women drink filtered tap water even some tabletop pitcher filters do a pretty good job of filtering fluoride, Bastain said. Former aide to New York City mayor cooperating with federal authorities in corruption probe A former aide to New York City mayor Eric Adams is co-operating with federal authorities in a investigation into allegations of corruption against him (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) A former aide to Eric Adams is assisting federal authorities in an investigation into corruption allegations against the New York City mayor, according to a report. Rana Abbasova served as Mr Adams long-time liaison with the Turkish community, as well as acting as the director of protocol for the Mayors Office for International Affairs. Scrutiny of the mayor began last November when the Brooklyn home of his top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, was raided by FBI agents. They were reportedly looking for evidence that his 2021 mayoral campaign had conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal donations. Ms Abbasovas cooperation was first reported on Monday by The New York Times, which cited three sources close to the matter, marking the latest development in the investigation. The outlet noted that it was not clear what information Ms Abbasova had provided to the federal authorities but that she has been involved in or has had knowledge of some of the mayors dealings with Turkish government officials and businessmen, per emails. Investigators are looking for evidence that Eric Adams 2021 mayoral campaign conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal donations (Getty Images for Haute Living) She also helped coordinate events and meetings with members of the Turkish community in New York and abroad and arranged some of his travel, accompanying him on two official trips to Turkey, records cited by The Times have shown. Ms Abbasova, who worked for Mr Adams for around four years before he became mayor, has not been accused of wrongdoing. A spokesperson for Ms Abbasova declined to comment on the matter when contacted by The Independent. The Independent has also attempted to contact the FBI and US District Attorneys office by telephone. Following the raid on Ms Suggs residence on November 2 2023, Mr Adams cancelled meetings in Washington DC and returned to New York to deal with a matter, according to a spokesperson. The mayor later confirmed that he had hired legal counsel, but has not admitted to any wrongdoing. The federal investigation has since broadened to look into whether the mayor crossed any lines during his time as Brooklyn borough president when he intervened to help the Turkish consulate secure approval to open a 35-story skyscraper near the United Nations. One of the lawyers representing Mr Adams, Brendan R McGuire, said in a statement shared with The Times that Ms Abbasovas cooperation was not a new or meaningful development. It is our understanding that Ms Abbasova has been talking to investigators since her improper conduct was reported by the administration in November, the statement said. In November, the FBI raided the Brooklyn residence of the mayors top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, as part of the investigation into corruption allegations against him (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) The warrant used to raid Ms Suggs residence was intended to find evidence that campaign staff allegedly conspired with a Brooklyn-based developer, KSK Construction, the Turkish government or Turkish nationals to violate campaign finance laws. Foreign nationals are prohibited from making campaign contributions, but investigators are trying to determine if foreign nationals used people in New Yorks Turkish-American communities to act as straw contributors. Straw contributors are those who use someone elses money to make a political contribution using their own name. Mr Adams has also been accused of working with FDNY officials to fast-track the building inspection process as favors to powerful real estate developers and political donors. In February, the FBI also raided two high-ranking New York fire chiefs homes as part of the corruption investigation, with questions raised as to whether Brian Cordasco and Anthony Saccavino had been paid $100,000 as part of a scheme to expedite building inspections. As with Mr Adams and Ms Abbasova, the two men have also not been charged with wrongdoing. A spokesperson for the Mayors Office previously told The Independent that the investigation into Mr Cordasco and Mr Saccavino was unrelated to Mr Adams. The mayor has longstanding ties with Turkish government officials and institutions as well as the Turkish-American community in New York. During a flag-raising ceremony just six days before the FBI raids, Mr Adams declared New York City is the Istanbul of America. Im probably the only mayor in the history of this city that has not only visited Turkey once, but I think Im on my sixth or seventh visit to Turkey, he boasted. Former gas station is an eyesore in Alliance. Will it ever come down? The property at 2021 W. State St. in Alliance, the site of an abandoned gas station, has been owned by Sunil Gulati and GGII Investments LLC since Sept. 6, 2011, according to Stark County Auditor's Office. ALLIANCE In the Kohl's parking lot, there's an abandoned gas station. It's an eyesore. You can't miss it. The station sticks out as you drive past along busy West State Street, the major thoroughfare in the city limits. We've heard plenty of questions will it ever come down; will the property ever be re-developed; why has it been left to sit unattended for so long? Here's what we've learned. The property at 2021 W. State St. has been owned since 2011 by Sunil "Sonny" Gulati of GGII Investments LLC, out of Tampa, Florida. Gulati also owns Florida Testing and Environmental Inc. in Lakeland, Fla. The station, built in 1979, has been condemned by the city of Alliance. It's unclear when the station permanently closed, but inspection labels on the pumps show the years 2010-2011. At that time, it was branded USA Gasoline. For awhile, this abandoned gas station at 2021 W. State St. in Alliance has been an eyesore in front of a retail plaza that includes Kohl's. Inspection labels on the pump stations were for years 2010-2011. The property is owned by a Florida investor. Multiple city officials, including Safety-Service Director Mike Dreger, and Rick Baxter, president of Alliance Area Chamber of Commerce, said they want the station cleaned up, removed and/or re-developed, but they can't get Gulati on-board. There have been some rumors that Gulati might be attempting to do something with the property, officials said. Multiple calls and emails to Gulati have not been returned. The last attempt by phone on Monday was met by a full voicemail. "While I and others from Alliance have talked to him in the past, he is very hard to reach and generally has been unresponsive," Dreger said. Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP This article originally appeared on The Repository: Florida man owns abandoned gas station in Alliance that is an eyesore Former Manhattan mayor pleads not guilty to DUI charge after crashing into liquor store MANHATTAN (KSNT) After crashing into a liquor store and being arrested for a DUI, the former Manhattan Mayor entered a non guilty plea at his first court appearance. Former Manhattan Mayor Winfried Butler appeared in court for the first time Tuesday, May 21 after being arrested for driving under the influence and crashing into a local liquor store two weeks ago. According to Manhattan Municipal Courts, Butler entered a not guilty plea. Butlers next court appearance will be 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 26. Around 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 8, Butler was arrested after crashing his car into Candlewood Liquor, according to the Riley County Police Department (RCPD). He was arrested for driving under the influence. According to the RCPD, there estimated total of loss to the liquor store is over $1,000. $500,000 to enhance tourism in Kansas have been awarded A spokesman with the City of Manhattan told 27 News Butler resigned effective Thursday morning, May 9. City Commissioner Susan Adamchak took on the role as mayor upon Butlers resignation. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Major General Ivan Popov, the former commander of Russia's 58th Army, was arrested on May 21 on suspicion of fraud, the state-run media outlet TASS reported. Several high-level Russian officials have been arrested in recent weeks on corruption-related charges. In what was likely the highest-profile corruption case in Russia since the beginning of the full-scale war in Ukraine, Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov was arrested in April on charges of bribery. Popov was arrested as part of a wider investigation involving large-scale fraud, TASS said. The military court and law enforcement agencies confirmed his arrest but did not provide any more details. Popov was dismissed from his position in July 2023 after he reportedly bypassed the command of Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov and attempted to directly appeal to the Kremlin over grievances about the lack of rotation of his troops and other poor conditions on the battlefield. Read also: Russian media: Russian official in Urals region arrested on suspicion of bribery Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Former Saline County librarian honored after months-long controversy regarding censorship SALINE COUNTY, Ark A former Saline County librarian is turning the page on a new story, hoping it will inspire others to stick up for what they believe in. Patty Hector was awarded the 2024 Lemony Snicket Prize from the American Library Association. The award is given out to noble librarians who are face with adversity. Former Saline County librarian to receive national award Hector first made headlines in 2023, when she became the center of a debate in Saline County. After a new county ordinance was passed, Hector was asked to relocate books from the childrens section that were deemed inappropriate by the Saline County Republican Party. At the time, Hector refused, claiming the removal was based on political beliefs and was targeting books based on LGBTQ and race. To me equal rights for people is the line that I will not cross, Hector said. Saline County library director fired Hector was ultimately fired from her position as Saline County Library Director. At the time, David Gibson with the Republican party told KARK 4, This move has everything to do with protecting children and has nothing to do with politics. Hector disagrees. Despite everything that happened, Hector said she doesnt regret sticking to her morals and beliefs. She said shes happy that someone is finally recognizing her efforts. People have the right to read whatever they want, Hector said. Saline County library director terminated after months of controversy The American Library Association said Hector was awarded the prize because of her unwavering commitment to intellectual freedom and her resilience in the face of adversity. Previous winners include librarians who endured natural disasters, fought through life altering illnesses, and against a community trying to censor books. Former Saline County Library Director runs for seat on County Quorum Court that allowed her to be fired after months of controversy After months of unfortunate events, Hector said she can finally rest easy, knowing her story has a happy ending. Her message to other librarians is to stand strong and stand up for what they believe. Stand strong. Follow your personal ethics and your professional ethics. You have to stand up to bullies, Hector stated. Hector will be honored at the American Library Association conference in June in San Diego, California. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. Former SLO Cal Fire employee cannot withdraw guilty plea, must register as sex offender The former Cal Fire captain who is accused of groping a coworker cannot withdraw his guilty plea to sexual battery, a judge ruled Wednesday. Former Cal Fire Capt. James Peter Thomas, 59, was accused of assaulting his 37-year-old coworker, Carrie Young, on Dec. 20, 2020. He was charged with misdemeanor sexual battery in January 2021 and pleaded no contest to the crime on May 1. In a September court hearing that was originally scheduled to be his sentencing, Thomas claimed he did not know that his no-contest plea, which functions the same as a guilty plea without admitting direct fault, would require him to register as a sex offender for 10 years. San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Michael Frye ruled in favor of Thomas at the time, and a trial date was set. But later, the San Luis Obispo District Attorneys Office submitted a motion to reconsider the decision, and that ruling was vacated. Thomas attorney, Kevin Gres, then had to file a written motion to withdraw his clients plea. According to a Dec. 1 motion, Gres claims that there was no mention of adding his name to the sex offender registry at the time Thomas entered his plea. He said the judge instructed both parties in the case to discuss in their sentencing briefs whether the registration would be mandatory or discretionary. The motion said Thomas was notified about the sex offender registry requirement about a month after his plea. The judge, realizing that Mr. Thomas was possibly just informed of that, allowed defense counsel time to inquire whether a plea withdrawal was warranted. The motion says the court backtracked its September ruling and required to have a hearing on withdrawing the plea based solely on procedural defects and not the merits. San Luis Obispo County Deputy District Attorney Bianca Aguayo told Frye during the September hearing that Thomas had been advised on multiple occasions about the sex offender registration requirement, both before and after he entered his plea. Aguayo also noted that the probation department goes over the parameters of pleas with defendants, adding that withdrawing the plea the day Thomas is supposed to be sentenced does raise suspicion. According to the District Attorneys written response, Thomas did not have good cause to withdraw his plea and reiterated that Thomas had been advised about the sex offender registration. Aguayo called multiple attorneys, including Thomas past and present lawyers, as witnesses to the motion. The defense called attorneys and Thomas as well. Frye ultimately agreed with Aguayo and denied Thomas motion to withdraw his plea after hearing arguments from both sides. Thomas is now scheduled to be sentenced on June 5 and will have his name included on Californias sex offender registry for 10 years. His sentencing has been delayed by a month five separate times prior to Wednesdays hearing. Victim settled $1.75 million case with Cal Fire Young told The Tribune she was working as a chiefs assistant at the time of the assault. The trauma she endured, she said, eventually led to suicidal ideation, coping with substances and eventually homelessness. The legal process continued to retraumatize Young for the past three years, she told The Tribune. She was looking forward to putting the case behind her so she could focus on her emotional healing. She settled a $1.75 million negligence claim against Cal Fire for an undisclosed amount on Aug. 31 and now has a roof over her head for the first time in a year. A Virginia woman who was at the forefront of school desegregation is sharing her experiences, and the hatred she endured, 65 years later. In February 1959, then-14-year-old Betty Kilby stepped into the history books as one of the 21 Black students who first attended her formerly segregated local high school, responding to the U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous Brown v. Board of Education decision fewer than five years earlier declaring "separate but equal" to be unconstitutional, paving the way for the racial integration of public schools in America. VIDEO: A look at the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education (ABCNews.com) On their radios and televisions at home, Kilby and her friends heard parents and governors say that what they were doing was wrong. James Lindsay Almond Jr., the governor of Virginia at the time, said that the integration and mixing of the races in Virginia would "absolutely destroy public education." Kilby, now a civil rights activist and author, remembers everything about that day in February nearly 70 years ago outside Warren County High School in northern Virginia. She recalls how tightly she held on to her clipboard, how cold it was, and how cold they were. "They told us not to look at the people, not to look at the crowd, to remain focused on going up the hill," Kilby recalled. "The memory of going up that hill will never cease from my brain. I could hear the racial slurs. We just thought that that would be the day that we died." During her senior year, Kilby said she was walking alone when a group of white students pulled her into a room. MORE: 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education, many schools remain segregated: Data analysis "And as I cross the auditorium one day, I was grabbed," Kilby said, becoming emotional at the memory. "And I was raped. And at that point I begged God to take me home." Yet Kilby told no one then about what had happened, saying that if she'd told her father, "he would have probably tried to kill somebody." Many people believe that the Supreme Court's May 17, 1954 decision to integrate American schools involved just one case from Topeka, Kansas. But it was actually a combination of fights from across the country including one from Virginia. Today, surviving students of what was then Moton High School, a segregated Black school in northern Virginia, celebrate their walkout that led to one of the lawsuits. "We had no library. We had no cafeteria, we had no science lab," said former student Joan Cobbs. "Also we had hand-me-down books from the white school. And they were tattered and torn. So, what happened is we went out on a strike for two weeks." Over 60 years later, their story caught the attention of a group of talented Virginia high school students, who produced an award-winning documentary about it. The students learned how the Black students stayed safe by organizing their schedules so they could walk together between classes. They also heard about the principals and teachers who refused to even say hello. "It's one thing to read about history in a textbook, but when that person who made that history is standing in front of you, that really just gives you a deeper passion to share that history," said student filmmaker Elizabeth Kidd. "We can't forget the lessons of the past if we want to make change for the future," added fellow student filmmaker Pria Dua. The former segregated Moton High School, where the students walked out in the 1950s, is now a museum. "Children paid the price. I paid the price," said Kilby, remembering that time, more than two generations ago. "I gave up my innocence to integrate these schools. Not because we wanted better. We wanted the same." Former student shares memories of school integration fight 70 years ago originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery Monday, May 13, 2024. (Gil Cohen-Magen/Pool Photo via AP) WASHINGTON (AP) Former national security adviser Robert OBrien on Tuesday said he and two U.S. ambassadors who served in the Trump administration met with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials from the country. John Rakolta, who served under Trump as ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, and Ed McMullen, who served as ambassador to Switzerland, participated in the meeting. Reuters reported first on the meeting. Former President Donald Trump is the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee challenging President Joe Bidens reelection. OBrien notified the Biden administration of the trip, as it is routine for former senior officials. The meeting happened as the United States-Israel relations hit a low point over Bidens decision to hold up the delivery of heavy bombs. He has warned other provisions may be suspended as well if Israel takes on a widescale operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. On Monday, however, both countries strongly condemned an effort by the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for Israeli officials in connection with the Gaza war. Biden said the U.S. would stand with Israel. The Gaza war has been a challenge for both leaders, whose political futures are at risk. Trump has criticized Biden, accusing him of abandoning a key ally. And Biden also faces pro-Palestinian protests in campuses. Netanyahu vowed to destroy Hamas after the Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and some 250 were taken hostage. His critics have blamed him for the failures of Oct. 7 and have accused him of prolonging the war for his political survival. The Trump administration advisers also met with Israel's opposition leader Yair Lapid and other officials. ______ Gomez Licon reported from Miami. FORT NOVOSEL, Ala. (WDHN)Amid online rumors that Fort Novosel could lose hundreds of millions of dollars, Alabama Congressman Barry Moore says the post will not have any funding pulled. Several general officers from the Army briefed Moore and his staff and assured Moores team that no funds would be diverted from Fort Novosel in the wake of the social media rumors. The Army also confirmed to Moore that no training programs have been disrupted or halted at Fort Novosel. I am pleased to hear that no funds have been diverted and no training programs will be disrupted at Fort Novosel, said Moore. Fort Novosel is vital to our national security and provides thousands of jobs to my constituents. I will continue to fight for accountability and transparency in how taxpayer dollars are used by the Army and other government agencies while also ensuring that our military is ready to meet the demands of an increasingly hostile world. RELATED: Moore questions Ft. Novosel cuts rumors, to meet with Army Those rumors began circulating after a post on X (formally known as Twitter) claimed that almost all of the funds for training at the Army Aviation Center at Fort Novosel were being taken away and allocated for Ukraine and other foreign aid. When the rumors first surfaced, Fort Novosel officials praised Moore and other congressional leaders for standing behind the post. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. The Fort Worth City Council voted Tuesday to approve the transition from MedStar ambulance service to fire department-based EMS. MedStar has been the sole ambulance provider for Fort Worth and the surrounding area since 1986. The new EMS model will bring MedStar employees on board to serve as paramedics and emergency medical technicians on ambulances run by the Fort Worth Fire Department. MedStar serves over 1 million residents in Fort Worth and 13 surrounding cities, including Haltom City, Lake Worth, Saginaw, Westworth Village and White Settlement. Council member Carlos Flores said the landscape of emergency medical services has gone through major changes, and the current model isnt sustainable. I want to commend MedStar and its leadership and its rank and file for doing a tremendous job to date, Flores said before the vote. They have been fighting an uphill battle. They ran out of financial runway, but they did not run out of dedication. Were here to change the system to a sustainable model. MedStar received subsidies from Fort Worth and the other member cities until 2010. Expenses were low at that time, according to MedStar officials, and the income generated from insurance payments and a community paramedicine program made the ambulance service provider self-sustaining for a time. Rising costs prompted MedStar to request funding from the City Council for the 2024 fiscal year. In early August, Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker formed an Ad Hoc Council Committee on Emergency Medical Response to assess MedStars services and review other EMS models. They city hired an independent consultant, Fitch and Associates, to do a deep dive into Fort Worths EMS system and give regular reports to the ad hoc committee. The committee considered four EMS models, including retaining MedStar in its current role but transferring governance to the Fort Worth City Council. In April, it recommended a fire department-based model incorporating current MedStar employees who would serve on ambulances but not work as firefighters. Michael Glynn, the president of the Fort Worth Professional Firefighters Association, told the City Council that the transition will be a big change for the fire department, but they are looking forward to it. I believe that the decision you are about to make is good for the citizens, is good for the employees of MedStar and is good for the Fort Worth Fire Department, Glynn said. Other North Texas cities, including Dallas, Irving, Lewisville, Flower Mound and Burleson use fire-based EMS. Burleson made the transition from MedStar to its own in-house fire-based ambulance service in October. Fort Worth officials have been working closely with the member cities during the assessment process, according to assistant city manager Valerie Washington. We want to make sure we understand their perspectives, she told the Star-Telegram during a March phone interview. The transition is expected to take anywhere from 12 to 18 months. Matt Zavadsky, MedStars former chief transformation officer, previously told the Star-Telegram that they would support whatever decision the council makes. Whatever its going to take to make a smooth transition and make sure that the new system is as operationally efficient, and clinically proficient as possible, we want to help facilitate that, Zavadsky said. More top stories from our newsroom: Palo Pinto state park opening delayed, but we got a sneak peek Tarrant inmate has mental capacity of a child. His mother is begging DA to get him care. Are those people selling puppies in parking lots breaking Texas law? [Get our breaking news alerts.] Pro-Palestinian protestors gathered outside 14-A District Court awaiting details on the four people arrested in Ann Arbor, May 24, 2024 | Jon King Four people were arrested after University of Michigan campus police began clearing out the encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters Tuesday morning from the Diag. Video posted to social media by the student-led TAHRIR Coalition show officers with shields and helmets using chemical spray to move the protestors of the Diag. Melissa Overton, a spokesperson for U of Ms Division of Public Safety and Security, said that the action occurred just before 6 a.m. Officers issued three verbal warnings over a 15-minute period, asking the approximately 50 people who were in the encampment to leave voluntarily before being subject to arrest, said Overton. A university spokesperson confirmed that four people were arrested, but had no other information as to what charges they face. However, Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit told the Michigan Advance that as of 11 a.m., his office had yet to receive any police reports or charge requests. In a statement issued Tuesday morning, University President Santa Ono said the decision to clear the encampment was made after a Friday inspection by the university fire marshal determined that were a fire to occur, a catastrophic loss of life was likely. [T]he fire marshal and Student Life leaders asked camp occupants to remove external camp barriers, refrain from overloading power sources, and stop using open flames, said Ono. The protesters refused to comply with these requests. That forced the university to take action and this morning, we removed the encampment. University of Michigan spokesperson Colleen Mastony said while the university recognizes the importance of free speech and expression, it also have a duty to protect students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. The disregard for safety directives was the latest in a series of troubling events centered on the encampment. Individuals will continue to be welcome to protest as they always have at the University of Michigan, so long as those protests do not infringe on the rights of others, endanger our community, violate the law or disrupt university operations, said Mastony. By mid-morning, crews were power-washing the Diag where the encampment had been, which remained cordoned off by campus police. The protesters, meanwhile, had regrouped and gathered outside the 14-A District Court building several miles away, where they led a picket outside. Leading the group was Salma Hamamy, with the Students For Justice and Palestine chapter at the University of Michigan. She told the Advance that the rationale offered by Ono didnt ring true. The structure of the encampment has remained the same for the last 30 days, she said. I dont see how anything new has caused a fire hazard. People are very easily able to walk in and out of the encampment and we have gatherings in there all the time. Its a very open space. So I just genuinely feel like thats an excuse for him to justify raiding the encampment. Hamamy, who was present when the police showed up, said the situation escalated very quickly, and despite being given a 10-minute warning to leave, that was cut short and officers moved in. They had their batons out. They came prepared in riot gear with tear gas and pepper spray, and every inch that they took and stepped forward, they used that to push students back, said Hamamy. The tents have very long metal poles. Those were essentially flying around, almost hitting students in the face, with very little regard to what the equipment might potentially do to harm people. Hamamy called it a very unfortunate and frightening and traumatic experience, but not one that would deter them. The movement lies within the people, not necessarily the tents that we put up within the encampment itself. And its still going to carry on, and its still going to persist, especially with these felony charges that we see coming out against more and more student protesters, she said. Tuesdays arrests are just the latest escalation in the standoff between the university and protesters demanding a complete divestment from companies and institutions connected to Israel in light of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. On Thursday, Savits office announced charges had been filed against four individuals for assaulting police officers during a sit-in at Onos office. That announcement came a day after demonstrators appeared outside the homes of U of Ms Board of Regents, including Chair Sarah Hubbard and Regent Jordan Acker. This is a breaking story that will be updated. The post Four arrested as U of M sends in police to remove pro-Palestinian encampment appeared first on Michigan Advance. Four officer-involved shootings in the span of 3 weeks, what are the potential impacts? Four officer-involved shootings in the span of 3 weeks, what are the potential impacts? CHARLOTTE, NC (QUEEN CITY NEWS) Over the weekend, police in Gastonia got a call about a violent domestic situation on Saturday afternoon shortly after 1 p.m. on South King Street. When officers got to the home, they say a woman with multiple guns started shooting. Officers returned fire, said Gastonia Police Chief Trent Conard. Both of our officers returned fire. One of our officers was shot multiple times. Queen City News has confirmed the officer is stable. The suspect, who has yet to be identified by police, was shot and killed. Almost a week ago, an off-duty police sergeant shot and killed a suspected shoplifter at a Food Lion in Pineville. Investigators say the suspect got in a fight with officers after a brief foot chase to nearby apartments, and reached for one of their guns after he was unaffected by a police Taser. The name of the officer who fired the deadly shot hasnt been released. Gastonia woman charged after firing rounds in Walmart parking lot with kids in car The man killed was Dennis Bodden, who, according to police, was a chronic shoplifting suspect at that particular Food Lion with violent tendencies toward police and the public. Former CMPD officer Walter Bowers weighs in on how shooting circumstances can impact recruitment numbers in various ways. When you see a situation where the community turns against law enforcement, I think that has a more negative impact, Bowers said, in comparison to when officers give it all in service of the community. Back in Gastonia, police just announced the arrest of Tanez Sanders, who now faces 5 felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and armed terror to the public. Shes accused of trying to shoot a good Samaritan on May 9th after she crashed her car into a tree in the Walmart parking lot on East Franklin Boulevard. The whole incident was perplexing to police. When officers got to the Walmart, they say Sanders just started shooting. Police shot back, hitting her resulting in minor injuries. She had three children in the car, ages 10, 7 and 1, all of them are okay. These three officer-involved shootings follow the tragic one that took the lives of four law enforcement officers on April 29th and left multiple other officers injured. Queen City News Shannon Park Shooting U.S. Marshals were serving a warrant in Shannon Park on Galway Drive in east Charlotte when they were met with gunfire. CMPD officer Joshua Eyer, Investigator Samuel Poloche, Investigator William Alden Elliott and U.S. Marshall Thomas Weeks Junior all lost their lives, and all left behind wives and children. The impact of their loss will likely be a heavyweight for law enforcement to carry. In my opinion, that can stick with an officer indefinitely, Bowers said. because, its like every day they show up to their assignment to go on patrol or whatever work day they do. They have to deal with that potential circumstance happening every every day. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. FILE PHOTO: An exterior view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. PARIS (Reuters) -France backs the International Criminal Court and the "fight against impunity", its foreign ministry said after the ICC prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes. On Monday, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said he had requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu, his defence chief Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders, including its chief, Yahya Sinwar. If such warrants are issued, members of the court, which includes nearly all countries of the European Union, could be put in a diplomatically difficult position. "France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence and the fight against impunity in all situations," the foreign ministry said in a statement late on Monday. While U.S. President Joe Biden called the legal step against Israeli officials "outrageous", the French foreign ministry took a different stance. It reiterated both its condemnation of Hamas's 'anti-Semitic massacres' on Oct. 7 as well as its warnings over possible violations of international humanitarian law by Israel's invasion of the Gaza strip. "As far as Israel is concerned, it will be up to the court's pre-trial chamber to decide whether to issue these warrants, after examining the evidence put forward by the prosecutor," the ministry said. Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne told the National Assembly on Tuesday that the "simultaneous" warrant requests must not establish an "equivalency" between Hamas and Israel. "On one side you have a terrorist group that congratulated itself on the Oct. 7 attacks...and on the other side you have a democracy, Israel, that must respect international law while conducting a war it did not start," Sejourne said. (Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; additional reporting by Dominique Vidalon, Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Christina Fincher) The ICC said it had evidence to charge Benjamin Netanyahu with crimes against humanity - ABIR SULTAN/AFP France has backed the International Criminal Courts application for arrest warrants against Israeli officials, in stark contrast to British and American disapproval. The ICC said it had evidence to charge Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, his defence minister, with crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza. It also applied for the arrest of Hamas leaders on charges including torture and taking hostages. France said it supported the ICCs independence and the fight against impunity in all situations. The foreign ministry condemned the anti-Semitic massacres perpetrated by Hamas during the attack on Israel on Oct 7, which was accompanied by acts of torture and sexual violence. It said it had warned Israel of the need for strict compliance with international humanitarian law, and in particular of the unacceptable level of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and inadequate humanitarian access. Belgium and Slovenia also backed the move. But Britain, America, Italy and the Czech Republic were among those who criticised the courts decision. Rishi Sunak described the application for arrest warrants as deeply unhelpful. Speaking in Vienna, the Prime Minister said that it would make no difference to getting aid into Gaza and reaching a sustainable ceasefire. Rishi Sunak said the ICC's arrest warrants would not help the aid effort or bring a ceasefire to fruition - ANADOLU This is a deeply unhelpful development, Mr Sunak said. Of course, it is still subject to a final decision, but it remains deeply unhelpful nonetheless. There is no moral equivalence between a democratic state exercising its lawful right to self-defence and the terrorist group Hamas. It is wrong to conflate and equivocate between those two different entities. The Prime Ministers remarks echoed those of Joe Biden, who condemned the ICCs effort to seek the arrest of Mr Netanyahu as outrageous. Unlike Israel and the United States, the UK Government is a signatory to the ICC and would be obliged to respect any warrant should its subject visit Britain. David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, said that the ICC drawing a parallel between Israel and Hamas was plain wrong. Frankly I think this was a mistake in terms of position, in terms of timing, in terms of effect, he said. Other dominoes will fall Michael Gove, the cabinet minister, also slammed the decision, accusing the ICCs chief prosecutor of seeking to hold Israel to standards that we dont hold other countries to. You cannot equate Israel with Hamas, he told Times Radio. Hamas is a terrorist organisation, bent on slaughter. Israel is a state like all states: an imperfect one, but one thats trying to defend its people, and trying to equate the two is just nonsensical. Speaking later at the JW3 Jewish Community Centre in north-west London he warned, there can be no equivalence between them. And that moral position, I think, has to guide our response to the legal operation of the ICC. Mr Gove added that Russia, Iran and China were seeking to spread anti-Semitic and anti-Israel narratives. They know that if they undermine Israel, other dominoes will fall, he said. Germany both praised the ICC as a fundamental achievement of the international community and hit out at the inaccurate impression of an equivalence between Israel and Hamas. An Israeli government spokesman on Tuesday urged the civilised world to unite against the ICC. Benjamin Netanyahu, left, and Youv Gallant, right, face allegations of 'wilful killing, starvation and murder' - POOL/REUTERS Karim Khan, the ICC prosecutor, said on Monday he had applied for arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant for crimes including wilful killing, extermination and/or murder, and starvation during the war in Gaza. He said Israel had committed crimes against humanity and accused it of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population. Mr Khan also said Hamas leaders, including Qatar-based Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, the Gazan chief, bear criminal responsibility for actions committed during the Oct 7 attack. These included taking hostages, rape and other acts of sexual violence and torture, he said. International law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all, Mr Khan said. No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader, no one, can act with impunity. On Tuesday night, the ICC announced that one of the judges who will consider the arrest warrant had recused herself over impartiality concerns. Judge Maria del Socorro Flores Liera, who was set to rule on the arrest warrant, is married to Miguel Ruiz Cabanas, the Mexican human rights minister. The court noted that in January, Mexico backed Palestines referral over the war in Gaza in a separate case. Mexico has recognised the state of Palestine since 2012. In a statement, the court said Ms Flores Lieras marriage could affect [her] appearance of impartiality. The ICC said: While expressly noting that no issues arose in respect of any actual lack of impartiality on the part of Judge Flores, the presidency considered that the existence of a spousal relationship with a high-level government official of the ministry of foreign affairs of a states party involved in the referral of a situation to the office of the prosecutor was sufficient to create the potential appearance of a lack of impartiality. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. In this photo provided by the Australian Department of Defence, Australian and other tourists board an Australian Airforce Hercules as they prepare to depart from Magenta Airport in Noumea, New Caledonia, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Australia and New Zealand have sent airplanes to New Caledonia to begin bringing home stranded citizens from the violence-wracked French South Pacific territory. (LAC Adam Abela/Royal Australian Airfare via AP) PARIS (AP) French President Emmanuel Macron is making a surprise trip to New Caledonia, the French Pacific territory that has been gripped by days of deadly unrest and where indigenous people have long sought independence. He will go there tonight, government spokesperson Prisca Thevenot said after a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday where the president said he'd decided to make the more than 33,000-kilometer (20,000-mile) round trip himself to the archipelago east of Australia. Six people have been killed, including two gendarmes, and hundreds of others injured in New Caledonia during armed clashes, looting and arson, raising new questions about Macron's handling of France's colonial legacy. There have been decades of tensions between indigenous Kanaks who seek independence for the archipelago of 270,000 people, and descendants of colonizers and others who have settled on the island and who want to remain part of France. The unrest erupted May 13 as the French legislature in Paris debated amending the French Constitution to make changes to New Caledonia voter lists. Opponents fear the measure will benefit pro-France politicians in New Caledonia and further marginalize Kanaks who once suffered from strict segregation policies and widespread discrimination. The violence is the most severe to shake New Caledonia since the 1980s, when France also imposed emergency measures on the island that became French in 1853 under Emperor Napoleon III. Paris last Wednesday declared a 12-day minimum state of emergency on the island and rushed in 1,000 reinforcements to bolster security forces that lost control of parts of the capital, Noumea. Faced with the outbreak of violence, the priority is the return of order to allow dialogue to resume in New Caledonia," Thevenot, the government spokeswoman, said. We are clear: Much remains to be done before the return to normal. The government is fully mobilized." Leaving Tuesday night will, because of the distance and time difference, see Macron arrive Thursday morning in New Caledonia, his office said. It said he is expected to stay for one day. Macron will meet with political, business, civic and youth leaders and aim to renew the thread of dialogue" in search of a comprehensive political agreement, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal told parliament, where lawmakers stood for a moment of silence for the six people killed in the violence. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he'll join Macron, along with the ministers for defense and for France's overseas territories. The visit will give Macron and his ministers a first-hand look at some of the destruction that turned parts of Noumea into no-go zones, with buildings torched, shops pillaged and barricades erected both by pro-independence supporters, some armed, and people banding together to protect livelihoods and homes. With police given emergency powers and a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew in effect, French authorities say security forces are starting to contain unrest. They announced another 22 arrests Tuesday for a total number near 300. The violence in New Caledonia has led to fresh discussion about Frances colonial past. Macrons efforts to address that have largely focused on Africa, where France had colonies and where local frustration in some countries has led to recent calls for French forces to get out. A priority for French authorities in New Caledonia since the weekend has been clearing the highway to Noumea's international airport of barricades and the burned hulks of vehicles, raising the prospect for stranded tourists of being able to leave. Australia and New Zealand sent planes to New Caledonia on Tuesday to begin bringing citizens home. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia received clearance from French authorities for two evacuation flights and would work on further ones. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs said 300 Australians were in New Caledonia. It did not immediately confirm whether the flights would evacuate other stranded foreign nationals, believed to number in the thousands. New Zealands government announced an evacuation effort for about 50 citizens. New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters said. In cooperation with France and Australia, we are working on subsequent flights in coming days. ___ Leicester reported from Le Pecq, France, and Smith from Newcastle, Australia. Emmanuel Macron, President of France, makes a press statement following a joint meeting at the Federal Chancellery. Macron is set to travel to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, which has been rocked by serious unrest. Christoph Soeder/dpa French President Emmanuel Macron is set to travel to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, which has been rocked by serious unrest. A French government spokeswoman said Macron will leave late on Tuesday for the Pacific archipelago, which lies 1,500 kilometres east of Australia. France has deployed 2,700 police officers and some military units to New Caledonia in the wake of riots which have killed six people and seen over 200 detained. A state of emergency is also in effect in the territory, although the situation has improved in recent days, the spokeswoman said. Earlier on Tuesday, Australia and New Zealand dispatched aeroplanes to bring stranded citizens home from the violence-stricken region. The protests emerged in response to proposed electoral reforms which would give French nationals the right to vote in provincial elections after ten years of residency in the territory. The indigenous Kanak population of New Caledonia, which has long campaigned for independence, accused Paris of pushing ahead with the controversial reform without considering strong opposition among the majority of the territory's residents. The archipelago gained extensive autonomy through the Noumea Agreement of 1998. Paris is currently trying to conclude a new agreement with political leaders in the territory, which is strategically located in the southern Pacific Ocean. A Frontier Airlines passenger refused to comply with exit row instructions from a cabin crew member forcing everyone on the flight to deboard. In a viral TikTok posted on 9 May, travel blogger Tia (@travelwithtia23) shared with viewers how an unidentified woman in glasses argued with airline employees. Meanwhile, her fellow passengers were pleading with her to deboard the plane for all of their sakes. This lady right here, when she first got on the plane and acknowledged the exit row, she said, Oh, Im not going to save anybody. If something happens, Im going to save myself, Tia explained. That was her attitude throughout the seating process. And I already knew something was about to pop off when she had that attitude. The video shows the woman arguing with a female flight attendant, gesturing to another flight attendant: Yeah, she talking to me - what is the problem? Cause she dont wanna tell us her name? she interrupted the airline worker as she set down her drink on the aircraft floor. The flight attendant attempted to finish her sentence, If its gonna be a problem- A problem? Whats the problem? the woman interrupted as the flight attendant continued to try to relay the exit row instructions mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). We aint got no problem with that. We understand we gotta help people get off the plane and help Betty White if something happens. Whats the problem? We agreed, she repeated as passengers began to laugh in the background and the flight attendant walked away. You wasting your breath. Is they gonna take this plane off the ground? The woman then set her phone on the ground female passenger and picked up a snack before turning to the other flight attendant, saying: Get out my damn face. Did you ask her to agree? You aint doing your job, she continued as the flight attendant employee put her hands in front of the passengers face. The passenger recoiled and opened up her snack. You better get out my face is what you need to do, Betty. After they exchanged a few more words, the flight attendant walked away, but as she began to eat her snack another employee came to her to deliver a piece of paper. Immediately, the passenger became upset, with the employee attempting to talk her down. The employee said, They said you were not listening- The woman tried to plead her case, saying that people witnessed her agreeing with the instructions, but the airline employee waved over another flight attendant. We all agreed. Everybody can witness that, the woman saying that she was flying to take care of her 4-year-old grandson while his mother was on vacation. And my grandson is getting off, out of school, and his mama took a flight to Mexico, and Im not getting off this plane. The captain then got involved, announcing to the passengers: Ladies and gentlemen, well be underway here shortly, we gotta take care of this issue. Law enforcement will be arriving. She was eventually escorted off the plane by police officers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina, but unfortunately, all passengers had to deboard with her. The unidentified woman defied the FAA requirement that says that passengers seated in an exit row must not only read instructions but also verbally confirm that they will carry out the physical duties of assisting others in case of an emergency. Funding for people with disabilities in doubt as House takes stand against Senate Del. Amy Summers, R-Taylor, asked lawmakers to consider mandating that the Department of Human Services restore funding for services for people with disabilities during the Legislative special session on Monday, May 20, 2024. (Perry Bennett | West Virginia Legislative Photography) The House of Delegates on Monday refused to accept a Senate bill regarding funding for people with disabilities, citing the legislations failure to mandate how the troubled Department of Human Services spend the money. Senate Bill 1001 would give the DoHS and the Department of Health $188 million in reserve funds to use as needed. The money is meant to make up for recent funding cuts to the states waiver program for people with disabilities. It was a leading reason Gov. Jim Justice called lawmakers into a May special session. While DoHS could spend the new money on services for people with disabilities, the Senates version of the bill doesnt require it. Del. Michael Hite, R-Berkeley, said that DoHS had proven over and over again that they dont do the right thing. DoHS leaders told lawmakers that they had money to fund a pay increase for direct care workers who help people with disabilities and others remain in their homes and out of institutions. The department spent the money elsewhere, including on items like in-home COVID-19 tests. Lawmakers, in response, criticized the departments murky spending. DoHS has faced additional recent scrutiny for its lack of information about a high-profile child death and troubled child welfare system. A DoHS spokesperson did not respond to an email inquiry for this story. Hite asked his colleagues to reject the Senates DoHS funding bill, saying, Were just supposed to roll over once again at the end of session Its time to say no. Del. Joey Garcia, D-Marion, said, This is a time we can stand up and fight for the things we say are important in this House. Earlier in the day, the House of Delegates amended the Senates bill to mandate that the department increase its Medicaid reimbursement rate that helps pay direct care workers. The Senate stripped that language out. The House rejected the Senates latest version of the bill. Senators, led by Senate Finance Chairman Eric Tarr, have maintained that their version will allow lawmakers to better track how the departments are spending money. The bill would require the department secretary to submit a monthly report to lawmakers starting on Aug. 1 about any transfers made from the reserves account. The special session will continue on Tuesday, where lawmakers will attempt to find a compromise. This is not a safe environment for someone with a disability West Virginia uses state and federal money from Medicaid to reimburse private companies that employ direct care workers. Money from that reimbursement rate can be used to fund their salaries. In West Virginia, care workers earn around $11 an hour. Through state waiver programs, the staff help people with disabilities, elderly residents and people with traumatic brain injuries live independently. Because of a lack of home-like settings, more people with intellectual disabilities have been confined at the states two psychiatric hospitals. The hospitals were never meant to house patients long term. That is not a safe environment for someone with a disability to be among sexual predators who cant be in jail because theyve been declared mentally ill, said Del. Amy Summers, R-Taylor. This isnt the right way the state should be heading. A 2023 survey paid for by state dollars said West Virginia needed to increase its rate of reimbursement and the worker salary range to $15.50-$18.60 per hour. Despite the results, DoHS earlier this year didnt ask Justice for money to fund the pay increase in its $279 million budget request. Department leaders said there were other funding priorities within the governors budget constraints. The inaction on a rate increase led one Cabell County-based company, which provides in-home senior caregiving, to lay off nurses and staff in in-state offices that rely on Medicaid dollars. Other staffing companies have warned lawmakers about more layoffs in a state that needs more direct care workers. Del. Evan Worrell, R-Cabell, owns a company that staffs in-home direct care workers. I know of agencies that are laying off people and have laid off people since session, which is what I warned about because the rate increases are not high enough, he said. Im hopeful. Worrell added, Im excited for a new administration next year. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Funding for people with disabilities in doubt as House takes stand against Senate appeared first on West Virginia Watch. People participate in a funeral procession of Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi and his seven aides who were killed in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in the northwest. Mehrvarz Ahmadi/dpa Funeral ceremonies have begun in Iran for president Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and other victims of Sundays helicopter crash. Thousands of government supporters flocked to the start of the ceremony in the north-western city of Tabriz on Tuesday to bid farewell, state media reported. Further mourning ceremonies are planned in the religious stronghold and pilgrimage city of Qom as well as in the capital Tehran, according to the Tasnim news agency. Raisi is to be buried on Thursday in the Shiite centre of his home town of Mashhad, at the shrine of Imam Reza, the eighth iman of Shia Islam. Raisi and Amirabdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash with seven other occupants. They went down in dense fog in the mountains while travelling back from a meeting with the Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan. People participate in a funeral procession of Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi and his seven aides who were killed in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in the northwest. Mehrvarz Ahmadi/dpa People participate in a funeral procession of Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi and his seven aides who were killed in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in the northwest. Mehrvarz Ahmadi/dpa BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The largest international airport in London, Heathrow, has shared a post on its Facebook page dedicated to Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL), Trend reports. "With its blend of Western and Eastern influences, Azerbaijan is a uniquely fascinating country with tons to explore, and AZAL - Azerbaijan Airlines is ready to be your guide," the post says. The post notes that, with 3 direct flights from Heathrow, Azerbaijan Airlines' business class in their 787-8 combines efficiency, convenience, and comfort for a more relaxed trip. The Iranian government began funeral proceedings Tuesday for its late president, foreign minister and other officials killed in a helicopter crash, as the country attempts to regain footing after the deaths left the Islamic Republic with an uncertain future. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was killed when his helicopter crashed under heavy fog and severe weather in the mountainous northwest of Iran Saturday evening. Authorities took nearly a day to locate the crash site due to the difficult weather and terrain. The circumstances of the crash, which also killed Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, are under investigation by the countrys military. Raisi, 63, was viewed as a top candidate to succeed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His death now throws that succession into question, with no clear replacement. There is also no immediate front-runner to take over the presidency, with national elections just a month away. Raisis death comes at a moment when the Islamist regime is consolidated, wrote Alex Vatanka, an Iran expert at the Middle East Institute, for The Associated Press. In short, there will be no power vacuum in Tehran; nonetheless, post-Khamenei Iran suddenly looks far less predictable than it did just a few days ago. Thousands of mourners dressed in black walked a procession in Tabriz, the nearest major city to the crash site, Tuesday morning alongside the caskets of those killed. The bodies were then transported to Tehran and later to the holy city of Qom. Raisi, nicknamed the Butcher of Tehran for his role organizing mass executions of political prisoners in 1988, ascended to the presidency in 2021. He implemented a crackdown on dissent, despite a rise in protest against the Iranian regime in recent years. The countrys prosecutor has already ordered criminal investigations against those who were publishing false content, lies and insults against Raisi and others killed in the crash, according to the semiofficial ISNA news agency an attempt to stifle criticism. Fireworks could be seen around Tehran in apparent celebration of Raisis death after it was announced Sunday, while dark jokes and jubilation also spread online, per the APs reporting. The death was mourned by world leaders, with autocrats closely aligned with Iran giving especially kind words. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping all described Raisi as a friend. The State Department expressed its official condolences on Monday but the Biden administration did not hold back on criticism for the leader. President Raisi was responsible for atrocious human rights in his own country, White House spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. The arrest and the physical violence against hundreds of protesters, for instance. And of course hes responsible for the support that Iran provided terrorist networks throughout the region. No question this was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands, Kirby added. That said, as we would in any other case, we certainly regret in general the loss of life and offered official condolences as appropriate. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Defence Minister of Israel Yoav Gallant speaks during a memorial ceremony for Israel's fallen and victims of terrorism. Shachar Yurman/Defense Ministry/dpa Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday that it was "despicable" that the International Criminal Court (ICC) had drawn a parallel between the Israeli leadership and Hamas in filing war crimes charges against both. "The parallel he [Khan] has drawn between the Hamas terrorist organization and the State of Israel is despicable," Gallant said in a statement released by his office. On Monday, ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan said he is seeking arrest warrants for Gallant, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and top leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, including Yehya al-Sinwar, the Hamas chief in Gaza. Khan is seeking the warrants over war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Israel and the Gaza Strip. Other Hamas leaders named by Khan include Mohammed Diab Ibrahim al-Masri, the head of the group's military wing, and Ismail Haniyeh, who sits atop Hamas' political wing and is seen as the group's overall leader. US President Joe Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized Khan's actions. Neither the US nor Israel are parties to the treaty that established the ICC. Netanyahu, in a video released in English on Monday evening, said Khan "takes his place among the great anti-Semites in modern times." He also accused Khan of "blood libel" - a term that refers to anti-Semitic false accusations against Jews since the Middle Ages. He said the ICC chief prosecutor "now stands alongside those infamous German judges who donned their robes and upheld laws that denied the Jewish people their most basic rights and enabled the Nazis to perpetrate the worst crime in history. " He said no amount of pressure and no decision would prevent Israel from defending itself against those that want to destroy it. "Eighty years ago, the Jewish people were totally defenceless against our enemies. Those days are over. Now the Jewish people have a state and we have an army to defend our state." The United States is questioning the "legitimacy and credibility" of the ICC's investigation, noting that the court cancelled a planned fact-finding visit to Israel. US Secretary of State Blinken, in a statement released on Monday, noted that Khan cancelled a planned visit to Israel shortly before seeking arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. Blinken noted that Khan was scheduled to visit Israel "as early as next week to discuss the investigation and hear from the Israeli government." Khan's staff were due in Israel on Monday, Blinken said. Israel was then told that the staff did not board the flight about the same time that Khan went on camera in The Hague on Monday to announce the charges, the statement said. "These and other circumstances call into question the legitimacy and credibility of this investigation," Blinken said. He called the process "deeply troubling." Gallant said the Israeli army's operations are in accordance with international law "while taking unprecedented measures to facilitate humanitarian aid." Around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in the Gaza Strip during the Hamas attacks in the Israeli border area on October 7. The terrorist attack was the trigger for Israel's military offensive in the Gaza, in which, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority, more than 35,500 people have been killed so far. Hamas does not distinguish between civilian and military casualties in its figures. Editors note: This story was updated May 21 8:26 p.m. E.T. to include further comment from Pentagon and U.N. officials. An effort involving the U.S. military to surge much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip is off to a chaotic start, with aid trucks being overrun and at least one person feared dead over the weekend, prompting a pause in aid distribution. U.S. soldiers and sailors built a floating pier off Gaza and stabbed it into a Gaza beach on Friday with the help of Israeli forces. Militarys novel floating pier arrives in Gaza amid security concerns The plan, announced by President Biden in his State of the Union address and using a capability known as Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore, or JLOTS, has been touted as another way to get food to Gazans caught between the Israeli military and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which attacked Israel on Oct. 7. It involves no U.S. troops on the ground in Gaza, as the U.S. militarys efforts have involved building the massive floating platform and pier that was installed last week. But aid trucks stopped trundling off the militarys floating pier on Saturday, and only resumed moving out into Gaza on Tuesday, according to Pentagon officials. The U.N. said it was not aware of any deliveries on Tuesday, however. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said Tuesday that the issues have arisen once the aid was loaded onto nongovernmental organization trucks, departed the marshaling area and headed toward distribution warehouses in Gaza. Over the weekend, some of those trucks were overtaken by Palestinians, according to U.N. officials. Only five of the 16 aid trucks that left the secured area on Saturday arrived at the intended warehouse with their cargo intact, U.N. World Food Program spokesperson Steve Taravella told The Associated Press. He said the other 11 trucks were waylaid by what became a crowd of people and arrived without their cargo. Authorities have offered few firm details of what transpired Saturday. Hamas has said the group will resist any foreign presence associated with the project, but it remains unclear whether the group was involved in the weekends aid disruption. However, Associated Press video shows Israeli armored vehicles on a beach road, then aid trucks moving down the road. Civilians watching from the roadside gradually start to clamber on top of the aid trucks, throwing aid down to people below. Numbers of people then appear to overrun the aid trucks and their goods. At one point, members of the crowd are shown carting a motionless man with a chest wound through the crowd. A local morgue later confirmed to the AP the man had been killed by a rifle shot. At another point, shots crackled, and some of the people in the crowd are shown apparently ducking behind aid boxes for cover. It was not clear who fired the shots. Asked about the shooting, the Israeli army told the AP, using the acronym for the Israel Defense Forces: The IDF is currently focused on eliminating the threat from the terrorist organization Hamas. Ryder said that as of Tuesday 569 metric tons of aid has been delivered to the secured area at the Gaza port. Some of it remains there, however, because distribution agencies are working to find alternative routes to warehouses in Gaza. Asked if any aid from the pier had yet reached Gaza residents in need, Ryder said, I do not believe so. He said aid had resumed moving Tuesday from the secured area into Gaza, after what had been a two-day halt following Saturdays disruption. He gave no immediate details. After the chaotic launch, WFP officials said Tuesday that the pier project may fail unless Israel starts providing the conditions that humanitarian groups need to operate safely. Ryder acknowledged the challenges involved in the effort and said that alternate routes were being examined. He also noted that Israeli forces ashore and at sea, as well as Navy destroyers, are patrolling to ensure the safety of the U.S. troops involved in the JLOTS effort. This is a combat zone, and this is a complex operation, he said Tuesday. And so weve been very clear from the beginning that were going to take a crawl-walk-run approach. The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed on May 21 that the Russian missile ship Tsiklon was struck in a Ukrainian attack in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, on May 19. The ship was reportedly hit during an attack that the Ukrainian Navy previously said resulted in the destruction of the Russian minesweeper Kovrovets. Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk previously told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on May 20 that there was a possibility the ship had been "lost," but could not confirm the news at the time. Pletenchuk added that if the Tsiklon was indeed sunk, it would mean the loss of Russia's last missile ship in the Black Sea. The General Staff did not specify the extent of the damage caused to the ship. The Tsiklon was launched into service in July 2023, the state-run media outlet TASS reported. It is a Karakurt-class missile ship armed with various weapons, including Kalibr missiles. The report comes amid Ukraine's ongoing campaign targeting the Russian Black Sea Fleet, inflicting damage on warships one after another. In April, Ukraines Navy said that it had struck the Kommuna, a salvage ship that was launched in 1915 and is the oldest ship still in service in the Russian Navy. Following Ukraine's successful attacks from afar, the Russian military has withdrawn nearly all its major ships from ports in occupied Crimea following successful Ukrainian strikes on the Black Sea Fleet, Pletenchuk said in March. Russia began redeploying the Black Sea Fleet to Novorossiysk last year after a series of devastating Ukrainian strikes, including a missile attack on its headquarters in Sevastopol on Sept. 22. Now, "the most valuable assets are all withdrawn," according to Pletenchuk. The Strategic Communications Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (StratCom) recently reported that as of early February 2024, 33% of the Black Sea Fleets warships had been disabled, including 24 ships and one submarine. Russia has taken a number of steps to address the continuing threat, including replacing the commander of the Russian Navy in March. Read also: Opinion: Whats left of Russias Black Sea Fleet? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. General Staff reports 37 combat clashes since start of day, most intense fighting on Pokrovsk front There have been 37 combat clashes with the Russians so far on 21 May. On the Kharkiv front, the Ukrainian Armed Forces repelled a Russian assault on Lyptsi. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Details: These figures were announced by the General Staff as of 10:30 on 21 May. Quote: "Today, there have already been 37 combat clashes. The invaders launched 514 attacks on our positions, including 21 using multiple launch rocket systems. The enemy carried out one airstrike using a guided bomb. Russian invaders also deployed 63 kamikaze drones." On the Kharkiv front, the Defence Forces are repelling a Russian attack towards the settlement of Lyptsi. The situation is under control, and no positions have been lost. Details: Meanwhile, the General Staff notes that the most intense situation is observed on the Pokrovsk front. There have been 11 Russian attacks there since the beginning of the day. Support UP or become our patron! For many Georgians, Tuesdays election will help determine who serves as their district attorney, county clerk, county commission and sheriff. Residents will also be able to vote on their state legislative races and elect a Georgia Supreme Court justice. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Georgians will have one last opportunity Tuesday to head to the polls to vote in state and congressional primaries and a host of nonpartisan races on ballots all across the state. During the three-week early voting period that concluded on Friday, more than 554,000 votes were cast, representing a statewide turnout of 8%. Thats a far cry from the nearly 800,000 votes cast during early voting in the 2022 primary. The 2022 primary featured high-profile Republican races including Herschel Walkers runaway win in the primary for U.S. Senate and ex-U.S. Sen. David Perdues failed effort to defeat Gov. Brian Kemp. While Tuesdays primary lacks such top-of-the-ballot headliners, Tuesdays election isnt lacking in important races, including a number of partisan contests where the winning candidates will be heavy favorites in the Nov. 5 general election. For many Georgians, Tuesdays election will help determine who serves as their district attorney, county clerk, county commission and sheriff. Residents will also be able to vote on their state legislative races and settle the one contested Georgia Supreme Court seat on the ballot. The League of Women Voters of Georgia sent an email urging the states 6.5 million registered voters to fill out the entire ballot Tuesday. A third of registered voters tend to skip down-ballot races, according to the U.S. Vote Foundation. Down ballot offices are the ones that keep communities on track and moving forward, the League of Women Voters of Georgias said to their followers. Most of governing happens far, far below president or governor or mayor. It happens at the school board, at the county commission, in the courts. If you think the office of coroner isnt important, think about what they had to do during the pandemic. When they say that all politics is local, this is who theyre talking about. Election day monitoring Several organizations will monitor hundreds of polling places throughout Georgia that will be open to voters from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Among those groups are Georgias Republican and Democratic parties, which will both have voter hotlines available for the public to report any election-related problems Tuesday. Lawyers will guide poll watchers through the appropriate election code and provide clarity on how various issue should be answered, resolved, or escalated, Georgia GOP Chairman Josh McKoon wrote in an email to supporters Monday. When escalation is necessary, HQ may contact the Secretary of State or the county election supervisors or take legal action. It was during the early voting period leading up to Tuesdays primary that the Democratic Partys trained volunteers gained first-hand experience with some of the issues that could become more prevalent in the November election. Nearly 80,000 calls were handled by the partys voter protection hotline in 2018, the year the hotline was established. The call centers volunteers are able to answer basic questions such as how to register to vote to responding to complaints about long voting lines and disputes with election staff over provisional ballots. The call center was open during a tumultuous 2020 presidential election and is still dealing with the fallout that continues to shape Georgia election law four years later. A host of election changes were signed into law by Kemp this month. The state Democratic Partys executive director, Tolulope Kevin Olasanoye, said the party is paying close attention to changes in rules that would make it easier for someone to challenge the eligibility of voters. Olasanoye said that under SB 189, thousands of voter challenges will likely be filed leading into the November election based on unreliable data provided by right-wing groups. We no longer have to have a basis in fact to be able to challenge a voters ability to vote and thats a real, real big problem, he said. As I often say to our team, you want to always be able to play offense on the things you can anticipate and only be reacting to the things that you never saw coming, Olasanoye said. This bill creates an environment where were all going to be reacting to stuff in real time because nobody has ever worked in this sort of environment and I think thats hugely problematic. Republican lawmakers contend that the new election law establishes clearer rules for contesting a voters status by defining the probable cause for filing a challenge, such as evidence of voting in two different states or having a nonresidential address listed as their primary residence. Whats on the ballot? Georgia is an open primary state that allows voters to choose either Republican, Democratic, or nonpartisan ballots when they arrive at the polls Tuesday. A crowded field of five Republicans are vying to replace outgoing Congressman Drew Ferguson in the conservative District 3 that extends from the southern suburbs of Atlanta to the northern suburbs of Columbus. Unless a candidate on Tuesday receives the 50% of votes needed to outright win the GOP primary, District 3 will be settled in a runoff on June 18. Another significant race Tuesday is for a seat on the Georgia Supreme Court in which the candidate with the most votes wins. Justice Andrew Pinson is being challenged by John Barrow, who has turned the race into a battle over abortion rights. Tuesdays ballot in Fulton County also features two of the central characters connected to the felony racketeering and conspiracy case as former President Donald Trump and 14 remaining co-defendants are accused of illegally conspiring to overturn the 2020 election. The embattled Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis faces Christian Wise Smith, who has served as Atlanta city solicitor and a Fulton County prosecutor, in the Democratic primary. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, the presiding judge in the Trump case, is being challenged by civil rights attorney Robert Patillo in the nonpartisan election. For more information: Georgia voters can call or text the Democratic Party of Georgias voter protection hotline anytime during voting hours Tuesday at 888-730-5816. The Georgia Republican Partys election integrity hotline can be reached Tuesday at 404-738-8393. Election related issues can also be reported at https://georgia.protectthevote.com/hc/en-us/requests/new. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Abortion is front and center in a high-stakes Georgia Supreme Court race pitting a Republican-appointed justice against a former Democratic lawmaker seeking to make a political comeback. Former Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) has made abortion a centerpiece of his campaign against Justice Andrew Pinson, an appointee of Gov. Brian Kemp (R) who once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Barrow has pointed to Pinsons record on abortion, including defending Georgias six-week abortion ban as solicitor general before Roe v. Wade was even overturned, drawing on an issue that has bolstered Democrats from coast to coast since Thomas and a conservative majority in 2022 overturned the historic decision. Im running for the Supreme Court of Georgia because I believe that women today have the same rights under the state constitution that they used to have under Roe vs. Wade, before it was overturned with the help of my opponent, and thats why Im running and thats why Im running against him, Barrow told The Hill in an interview. Pinson has alleged that Barrow is running a hyper-partisan campaign based on promising to defy the judicial oath, while some Republicans argue Barrows judicial campaign better resembles a congressional one. Members of the party say the Democratic candidate shouldnt be taking specific positions. I just dont think if youre running for the Supreme Court, you should be stating any particular positions because if you get elected, its going to make it difficult for you to be viewed objective, said Republican strategist Eric J. Tanenblatt. On his campaign website, Barrow says hes running because we need Justices on the Georgia Supreme Court who will protect the right of women and their families to make the most personal family and health care decisions theyll ever make. Hes also asserted that the Georgia state constitution protects abortion rights. In the interview with The Hill, Barrow, who served five terms in Congress before his defeat in 2014, noted Pinsons connection to Thomas and that he was once a member of the Federalist Society, the conservative group that has backed presidential candidates to nominate conservative jurists. Hes also hit Pinson over the issue, arguing the sitting justice cant be trusted to protect womens and families rights in making personal family and health care decisions. Hes the one who has the strongest record on the issue [of abortion], I think of greatest concern to the most number of people and that I think will have the greatest impact on the direction of Georgia law, Barrow said in explaining why he chose to challenge Pinson specifically. Four of the nine Georgia Supreme Court justices are on the ballot Tuesday, but only Pinson is facing a challenger in what are nonpartisan races. Pinson has bristled at the way Barrow has described his record. I can say at the outset, obviously, my opponent has misrepresented my record on a lot of things, Pinson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitutions Politically Georgia podcast earlier this month. Pinson pointed out on the podcast that his campaign steering committee is bipartisan and argued that Georgia judges are nonpartisan, and we take our oath very seriously to approach these issues and cases with an open mind in every case. Pinsons campaign has argued that Barrow is trying to politicize a nonpartisan race and is running afoul of Georgias judicial ethics code. That code bars candidates from saying how they would decide issues that the court could potentially take up. Unfortunately, John Barrow has decided to ignore Georgias judicial ethics code. His campaign makes it clear that his goal is to negatively politicize judicial races and destroy Georgians trust in fair and impartial courts, Heath Garrett, a strategist for Pinson, told The Hill in an email. A complaint initiated within the Georgia Judicial Qualifications Commission earlier this month has roiled the race. The complaint argued the Democrat had gone too far in his remarks on abortion as a candidate. The complaint alleged that Barrow was making commitments on issues that could come before the state Supreme Court and mischaracterized the role of a jurist as someone who should (or would, in your case) protect selected rights, which is misleading, among other concerns. Barrow filed a lawsuit in response arguing the complaint violated free speech rights. A federal judge rejected his lawsuit Thursday a move that will require him to file a new lawsuit or appeal his existing one, according to The Associated Press. Some Republicans are skeptical the issue of abortion will threaten Pinson. I dont think theyre so upset about this issue that they would oust an incumbent Supreme Court justice, conservative radio show host and former Kemp aide Martha Zoller said of Georgia voters. Barrow, for his part, has rebuffed the idea that hes politicizing a judicial race, asserting its a constitutional issue, that is not politicization. Others like LaTosha Brown, a co-founder of Black Voters Matter Fund based in Atlanta, see it differently, saying Barrow has the courage and the clarity to actually respond to what his voters are demanding that he responds to. Though Georgia Supreme Court elections are nonpartisan, the GOP has greatly shaped the courts makeup. GOP governors have tapped eight of the courts nine members. Once sleepy affairs, judicial elections have grown in prominence as state Supreme Courts have become the final say on key issues like redistricting and abortion access. An election for a vacancy on the Wisconsin Supreme Court last year saw $40 million in spending. A liberal candidate who backed abortion rights won. Republicans argued the candidate went too far by supporting abortion rights on the campaign trail and in calling the states legislative maps rigged. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission tossed out several complaints against liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz. Neither Protasiewicz nor her conservative challenger during that campaign said how theyd rule on issues before the state court. Barrow faces an uphill battle in ousting Pinson. The election is not expected to have a heavy turnout, and sitting judges also rarely lose reelection. Many Republicans expect Pinson to win reelection next Tuesday easily. But some Democrats believe Barrow has a chance. Democratic strategist Amy Morton said polling on the issue shows surveyed men and women both think Georgias gone too far on abortion, which could help Barrow get a win. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The next tasks were fulfilled during the EFES - 2024 multinational exercise, held in Turkiye with the involvement of servicemen from different countries, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense. According to the exercises plan, servicemen of the participating countries performed practical shooting with the use of various caliber small arms. Moreover, tasks on conducting battle in human settlements, neutralizing an imaginary enemy, providing first aid to wounded serviceman and evacuation were successfully accomplished. The Azerbaijan Armys servicemen, along with other participants, successfully fulfilled the assigned tasks. To note, the international exercise, aimed at exchanging experience, organizing joint activities of the servicemen of the participating countries, improving the skills of staff officers in making decisions on the map, as well as further increasing their professionalism and training, will last until May 30. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Georgia woman calls 911 to get raccoon tased, have deputies google restaurant hours for her A Columbia County woman was arrested on Sunday after sheriffs deputies said she was repeatedly calling 911 for non-emergency issues. The Columbia County Sheriffs office told The Augusta Chronicle that the 54-year-old woman had been calling 911 with more and more frequency over the last few months. According to an incident report, the woman called 911 on May 12 around 1:15 a.m. saying that she had a raccoon on her front porch, and she wanted a deputy to Tase it. She then called back about an hour later, asking to have a deputy come to her home to escort her to the dumpster. Around 5:30 p.m. that same day, she called 911 saying she needed a deputy to Google the hours of three businesses because she was hungry. On May 15, the woman called 911 and hung up. Operators tried calling her back, but the woman never picked up. 12 seconds later, she called 911 again but did not speak. A deputy eventually went to the womans house, and she told them she was fine. RELATED STORIES: On May 19, the woman called saying her head hurt and that she wanted a female deputy to come to her house but did not want the only female deputy available. They dispatched an ambulance to her home but when the medics went to the door, the woman refused to open the door. As one of the medics tried to talk to the woman, the woman continued to call 911 and then hung up the phone. After 25 minutes of trying to get the woman to answer the door, a deputy used a tool to open the door to make sure her medical issue hadnt gotten worse. Deputies said the woman was sitting on her couch, she then dropped her head and began shaking her legs and head as if she was having a seizure. Medics took her vitals and she was fine. She told them that she had pseudo seizures that turn into real seizures. She eventually refused to be taken to the hospital. Thats when deputies arrested her and took her to the Columbia County Detention Center. She was charged with unlawful conduct during a 911 call, the newspaper reported, which comes with a $500 fine and up to a year in jail. RELATED NEWS: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (R) speaks during a press conference at the Federal Chancellery. Scholz offered his condolences to the Iranian government and the families of the nine people who died in a helicopter crash, including president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. Fabian Sommer/dpa German Chancellor Olaf Scholz offered his condolences to the Iranian government and the families of the nine people who died in a helicopter crash, including president Ebrahim Raisi and foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian. "We have received the news of the helicopter crash and the death of president Raisi. Our condolences go out to the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the families of those killed in the crash," read very brief of message addressed to Mohammad Mokhber, who has taken over the duties of president on an interim basis. Many world leaders had sent similar messages on Monday. Raisi and Amirabdollahian were killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. There is as yet no reliable information on the cause of the crash, in which all seven other occupants of the helicopter also died. Boris Pistorius, Germany's Defence Minister, stands next to a hangar with an air force Eurofighter. Alexander Welscher/dpa German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited the Lielvarde airbase in Latvia on Tuesday. The minister and his delegation arrived early Tuesday at the airfield, which is being used by the German Air Force as a base for the NATO air policing mission in the Baltic states. Pistorius is expected to be updated on the deployment of German pilots to protect the airspace over the EU and NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which border Russia. He also plans meet his Latvian counterpart Andris Spruds for talks. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own fighter jets. Their NATO allies have been on rotating deployments to secure Baltic airspace since the three former Soviet republics joined the alliance in 2004. Germany's latest deployment began in March. According to the German Air Force, its Eurofighters have since carried out 13 alert take-offs and have identified Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The air force has stationed five Eurofighters and around 200 soldiers at the military airfield, which is located around 60 kilometres south-east of the Latvian capital Riga, for deployment on NATO's eastern flank. This year marks the first use of the Lielvarde base for the air policing mission. A Eurofighter, a German Air Force fighter plane, parks in a hangar. Alexander Welscher/dpa Boris Pistorius (L), Germany's Defence Minister, and Swen Jacob, lieutenant colonel and German contingent commander, look at a hangar with an air force Eurofighter. Alexander Welscher/dpa German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (L) and Latvian Minister of Defense Andris Spruds speak during a press conference at the Latvian Air Force Base Lielvarde in front of a German Air Force Eurofighter. Alexander Welscher/dpa German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has assured NATO partner Latvia during a visit to the Baltic state of Germany's military support. "The security of the Baltic States is our security," the minister said on Tuesday at the Latvian Air Force base in the town of Lielvarde. There he was informed about the deployment of German pilots to protect the airspace over the European Union and NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which border Russian territory. "Our cooperation is strong. Germany will continue to be committed to air surveillance in the Baltic States," Pistorius said after a meeting with his Latvian counterpart Andris Spruds, who in turn thanked Germany for leading the mission. Earlier in the day, Pistorius observed two Eurofighters scrambling in Lielvarde, then disappearing into the sky for a training flight with a deafening noise. The jets are designed to protect NATO airspace from intruding aircraft and can take off within 15 minutes. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania do not have their own fighter jets. Their NATO allies have been on rotating deployments to secure Baltic airspace since the three former Soviet republics joined the alliance in 2004. Germany's latest deployment began in March. According to the German Air Force, its Eurofighters have since scrambled 13 times and have identified Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea. The air force has stationed five Eurofighters and around 200 soldiers at the military airfield, which is located some 60 kilometres south-east of the Latvian capital Riga, for deployment on NATO's eastern flank. This year marks the first use of the Lielvarde base for the air policing mission. "Today I have the opportunity to see how professionally and enthusiastically our pilots work together with you here in Latvia," Pistorius said. Latvia was the first stop on a two-day trip to the Baltic States, which will also take Pistorius to Lithuania, where he plans to meet his counterpart Laurynas Kasciunas later on Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, the minister plans to meet German soldiers and visit a military exercise. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (L) and Latvian Minister of Defense Andris Spruds speak during a press conference at the Latvian Air Force Base Lielvarde in front of a German Air Force Eurofighter. Alexander Welscher/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kyiv on 21 May on her seventh visit since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Source: European Pravda with reference to various German media outlets, such as n-tv Details: Baerbock arrived on the morning of 21 May on a visit that, as is usual for these matters, was not announced for security reasons. A video of her arrival was posted on Twitter (X) by Spiegel journalist Christoph Schult. Ankunft Auenministerin Baerbock in Kiew. Begruung durch Botschafter @MJaegerT Mehr auf @derspiegel pic.twitter.com/hPslpoI342 Christoph Schult (@schultchristoph) May 21, 2024 Baerbock called for increased international support for Ukraine in the area of air defence. "To protect Ukraine from Russia's many missiles and drones, it urgently needs more air defence," she said at the start of her seventh solidarity visit to Ukraine since the start of full-scale Russian aggression in February 2022. "We must now join forces to ensure that Ukraine can survive [...] and that Putin's troops do not soon find themselves at our own borders," Baerbock appealed to international partners. She said the global air defence initiative, which Baerbock launched together with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, has raised almost 1 billion to provide additional support to Ukraine's air defence forces. "We are working intensively to increase this amount even further. We are turning over every stone several times and have moved forward with an additional Patriot system," she added. Several states expressed support for Germany's initiative to find air defence equipment for Kyiv at the 22nd meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (also known as the Ramstein format) on 20 May. Background: On 17 April, the German government launched an initiative to find additional air defence assets that could be sent to Ukraine. Berlin later reported that it was discussing financing the initiative with Denmark and the Netherlands. In April, Belgium also announced a 200 million contribution to the German initiative, and in May, Canada pledged more than US$55 million. Support UP or become our patron! Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Ukraine's capital on May 21 for a previously unannounced visit. Upon her arrival, Baerbock underscored Ukraine's need for air defenses to help repel Russian aerial attacks. "Russian missile terror, constant air alerts, permanent power outages, hardly any water: the situation in Ukraine has once again escalated dramatically with the massive Russian air strikes on the civilian infrastructure and the brutal Russian offensive in the Kharkiv area," the minister said. "That's why, together with Defense Minister (Boris) Pistorius, I launched a global initiative for more air defense. Almost a billion euros have now been raised to provide additional support for the Ukrainian air defense forces, and we are working intensively to ensure that there is even more." Berlin launched the initiative in April amid Kyiv's increasingly dire need for air defenses, facing heavy Russian aerial attacks against population centers and the energy grid. A number of countries have already backed the initiative since then, including Belgium, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and others. Germany has also pledged to deliver its third Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. The German newspaper General-Anzeiger wrote that Baerbock was planning to visit Kharkiv but canceled the trip due to security reasons. Russian forces launched a new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast on May 10, accompanied by intensified strikes against regional cities and villages. This marks Baerbock's fifth visit to Ukraine's capital since the outbreak of the full-scale war in February 2022. The minister previously visited Kyiv on Sept. 11, 2023. Read also: Several countries support Germanys initiative to find air defense equipment for Ukraine Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kiev on Tuesday morning in a show of support for Ukraine, in a visit which had not been previously announced for security reasons. The German minister called for more international support for Ukraine's air defence in view of the current Russian offensive. This is Baerbock's seventh trip to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano voiced their support for President Volodymyr Zelensky's legitimacy on May 21. Zelensky's five-year term expired on May 20, but elections have been suspended due to martial law, so he will stay on as president. Critics and Russian propagandists have questioned the legitimacy of his rule, but elections are unlikely in the near future. "It is impossible to organize elections in such a situation," Stano said at a press conference, cited by Ukrainska Pravda. Under Ukrainian law, elections during martial law are forbidden. "We (in the EU) also have no doubts that the president of Ukraine is Volodymyr Zelensky," Stano said. The sentiment was reiterated by Baerbock, who said at a press conference in Kyiv with her counterpart Dmytro Kuleba, "It is clear that Volodymyr Zelensky is the rightful and legitimate president of Ukraine." Baerbock also criticized Russian officials who have said that Zelensky is an illegitimate president. "The very people who started this war and made the elections impossible are now bringing the narrative to the world about the alleged illegitimacy of the president because he was not re-elected," she said. Constitutional lawyers have said that the extension of Zelensky's term, under martial law conditions, is legal. Baerbock added that the constitutions of many countries, including Germany, forbid holding elections during martial law. Read also: Zelenskys term would have expired this month, but hes staying. Russia wants to use it Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. German Foreign Minister says Berlin has no concerns over Zelenskyy's legitimacy as president Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, has stressed that her government has no concerns over the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy even though Ukraine cannot hold presidential elections under martial law. Source: Annalena Baerbock during a joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv on 21 May, as reported by European Pravda Details: Baerbock said that Ukraine does not want to have its territory occupied and wants to live freely, and the only person who opposes this is Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has invaded Ukraine and is therefore making it impossible to hold the elections. "Its clear that Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the legitimate president of Ukraine. We will solve the challenges were facing together," Baerbock said and promised to support the reforms Ukraine is currently implementing. Baerbock also said that not just the Ukrainian Constitution, but the constitutions of many other countries, including Germany, stipulate that elections cannot be held under martial law. "Its a lowly game: those who have started this war and made elections impossible are now spreading the narrative that the president is not legitimate, because he has not been reelected," Baerbock said. Background: The European Commission has responded to the claims of Russian propaganda that Volodymyr Zelenskyys presidency is illegitimate since his five-year presidential term ends on 21 May 2024, saying that Ukraine cannot hold free elections because it is under attack by Russian missiles, drones and bombs, and millions of people have been displaced inside the country and outside its borders. American special services have said that Russia has intensified its efforts of disinformation over the past few months in order to discredit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and call his legitimacy into question. Support UP or become our patron! BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev visited the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the country to offer his condolences over the tragic death of Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other accompanying individuals in a helicopter crash, Trend reports. Seyyed Jafar Aghaee, Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Azerbaijan, welcomed the head of state. The President of Azerbaijan signed a book of condolence. Then, speaking with the Charge d'Affaires of the embassy, President Ilham Aliyev said: - The tragic death of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, deeply shook us all. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amirabdollahian, and other individuals tragically died with him. May Allah rest their souls in peace. I express my condolences to the people of Iran. This is a huge loss. This is a loss not only for the people and state of Iran, but also for the entire Muslim world. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi was a prominent statesman, an outstanding politician, and a great personality who had won the trust of the Iranian people. Our numerous meetings always left a great impression on me. My last meeting with him was a historic one. Both he and I described it as a historic meeting. Our joint participation in the opening of a large infrastructure project at the state border indicated how strong Iran-Azerbaijan relations are. It was a very clear message to both our peoples and the whole world that we are friends and brothers, and that we will continue to be together. After the opening ceremony, both the late President Raisi's and my official statements had very serious political implications. Both Presidents openly stated that the countries located in the region should actively participate in the future development of this region. This tragedy, of course, is a huge pain, both for his relatives and those who knew him. But what is comforting is that he dedicated his life to the development of the Iranian people. He played a special role in defending the national interests of the Iranian state. Both during his term as President and in the previous periods, he sought to improve the well-being of the Iranian people and played a major role in protecting national interests. As you are aware, we were together for more than two hours just before this tragedy occurred. During the bilateral meeting, which lasted more than an hour, many important issues were discussed. The future directions of the development of Iran-Azerbaijan relations were reaffirmed and the strong political will of both sides was demonstrated again. At the same time, we had a broad exchange of views on specific infrastructure projects and made important decisions. I am confident that those who participated in that meeting will convey this to the new leadership of Iran. I am sure that all the agreements reached will be implemented because they are based on the interests of the people of Iran and Azerbaijan. We expressed our firm determination during the conversation with the late President Raisi that from now on there would be a significant number of large projects, both bilaterally and multilaterally. Unfortunately, he was not lucky enough to see the implementation of future projects. Everyone has to accept fate. However, let me say again, the comforting factor is that he sacrificed his life for the development of Iran, and in our memory, in the memory of the people of Iran and the people of Azerbaijan, he will remain as a bright personality, a great statesman, and a great friend of the state and people of Azerbaijan. Please accept my condolences again. May Allah rest his soul in peace. x x x Seyyed Jafar Aghaee expressed his gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan for visiting the embassy and offering his condolences. A German initiative to strengthen Ukraine's air defence has raised almost a billion euros for this goal. Source: European Pravda; German Foreign Ministry on the occasion of a visit by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock to Kyiv. The German Foreign Ministry noted that Baerbock has arrived in Ukraine at a crucial moment, as a few days ago, the Russian Federation launched a new offensive on Kharkiv. The Foreign Minister's trip aims to ensure that, despite the deterioration of the situation in the combat zone, Germany and Europe will continue to stand firmly on Ukraine's side and will not stop supporting it. "In this context, we should also consider the global initiative to strengthen air defence, which the Foreign Minister recently launched with Defence Minister Pistorius. Almost one billion euros have already been raised to provide additional support to Ukrainian air defence," the report says. The foreign ministry noted that work within the framework of the initiative continues and added that this initiative also protects the security of EU countries from Russian aggression. "Our support is rooted in the deep conviction that Ukraine will win this war. Putin is speculating that we will eventually run out of steam, but we have staying power. Germany, along with many other countries worldwide, is standing rock-solid by Ukraine's side. The people of Ukraine can count on this in the long term," Baerbock said. Several states supported the German initiative to search for air defence equipment for Kyiv at the 22nd meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein format) on 20 May. Background: On 17 April, the German government launched an initiative to find additional air defence equipment that could be sent to Ukraine. Berlin later reported discussing funding for the initiative with Denmark and the Netherlands . In April, Belgium also announced the allocation of 200 million to the German initiative, and in May, Canada promised to give more than US$55 million Support UP or become our patron! (Bloomberg) -- The number of politically motivated crimes in Germany rose to the highest level in almost a quarter of a century last year, driven by a surge in right-wing extremism and Antisemitism. Most Read from Bloomberg Authorities recorded 60,028 offenses in 2023, an increase of about 2%, according to figures published Tuesday by the interior ministry in Berlin. That was the most since the data set was created in 2001. Almost half the crimes were committed by people from the right of the political spectrum, with offenses surging by more than a fifth to nearly 29,000. Politically motivated crime has almost doubled in 10 years and continues to rise, Holger Muench, the president of the Federal Crime Office, told reporters. We must take this development very seriously, as it threatens our democracy and social peace, he added. The publication of the figures comes after a spate of recent attacks on politicians campaigning ahead of next months European Parliament elections. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and other senior politicians have repeatedly warned about the threat to German democracy from extremism, with the far-right Alternative for Germany leading in the polls in three eastern German regions before elections there in September. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, a member of Scholzs Social Democrats, said that Antisemitic offenses had reached a new high since the attack by Hamas on Israel in October. There were 5,164 such crimes last year, up from 2,641 the previous year. Read More: Germany Inc. Steps Up Call Against Populist Poison Before Vote Germany is also experiencing an increase in aggression and intimidation against citizens who are politically active, perform voluntary work or who are members of the police and other emergency services, Faeser said, speaking alongside Muench. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. An aristocrat suspected of planning to overthrow the German government appeared in court on Tuesday, as part of a mammoth trial exposing an alleged far-right plan to storm the countrys parliament. Heinrich XIII Prince Reuss, 72, is accused of leading the plot, which would have led to him becoming Germanys head of state. The prince appeared at a specially erected high-security courtroom in Frankfurt alongside eight other defendants, including former judge Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who was allegedly ready to become minister of justice. In total, nine ringleaders accused of treason are believed to have planned the resurrection of the German Reich, or empire, through violence, by storming the Bundestag, the national parliament, and kidnapping President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Tuesday marks the opening of the second of the three trials across Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Munich, forming one of the biggest anti-terror cases in modern German history. Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, a former judge, attends the Frankfurt trial on Tuesday. The former lawmaker allegedly led co-defendants around the Reichstag parliament to scout the site for a coup plot. - Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters With 27 defendants in total, the case was split into three trials for logistical reasons. In addition to the five judges, two others will be on standby for the Frankfurt trial in the event of a long-term absence. Around 260 witnesses will be summoned and up to 45 officers will ensure security on site. Malsack-Winkemann, an ex-lawmaker for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, allegedly led several co-defendants around the Reichstag building scouting the location. The defendants also include former army officers Maximilian Eder and Ruediger von Pescatore, who allegedly shared a deep aversion to German state institutions and to the democratic basic order, the Hesse higher regional court said in a statement. The plot by the terror organization to overthrow the German government and install martial law was uncovered in 2022. The group had planned to replace the government with a cabinet-like council and a military wing since August 2021, according to the charges. The plotters amassed almost $550,000 in funds and had access to a massive armory, according to the Public Prosecutor. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Germany's Foreign Minister receives award in Ukraine and reveals she wanted to visit Kharkiv photo Annalena Baerbock and Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Annalena Baerbock, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, has had to cancel her visit to the city of Kharkiv planned within her trip to Ukraine on 21 May due to the security situation. Source: Baerbock in a conversation with journalists in Kyiv, as reported by European Pravda with reference to Tagesspiegel Details: Due to Russian attacks and for security reasons, Baerbock had to cancel her visit to Kharkiv, planned for 21 May. She already visited the city in January 2023 and wanted to learn more about the situation of the civilian population. Nonetheless, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, decorated Baerbock with the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise For Merit during their meeting. The corresponding decree was signed at the beginning of the year. Baerbock and Zelenskyy Photo: Imago/Thomas Trutschel During Baerbocks visit to one of the largest power plants of Ukraine (it was not specified which) with Ukraines Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko, Baerbock accused Vladimir Putin of purposeful terror against Ukraines infrastructure and civilians. Baerbock repeated her call upon the international partners of Ukraine to supply Kyiv with more air defence systems to "not only protect big cities but also the infrastructure". Background: This is Annalena Baerbocks seventh visit to Ukraine since the Russian full-scale invasion. She had urged the international community to strengthen its support for Ukraine in the air defence sector ahead of the visit. At the 22nd meeting of the Contact Group for Ukraines Defence (Ramstein format), several states expressed their support for Germanys initiative of looking for air defence means for Kyiv. Support UP or become our patron! Photo illustration by Getty Images. About this profile The Daily Montanan sent candidates in this race a list of five questions prepared by staff members. Candidates who do not appear with the rest of the candidates in the race did not submit answers to the Daily Montanan. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@dailymontanan.com The primary for Montanas 1st Congressional District seat offers voters a couple of familiar names incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke and challenger Mary Todd, a small business owner and church leader. Democrat Monica Tranel, who faced off against Zinke in the 2022 general election, is running unopposed in the primary. In 2022, Zinke knocked out four primary challengers, but they collectively earned 58% of the GOP vote. Zinke, also former U.S. Secretary of the Interior and former Navy SEAL, won 35,601 votes, and the others together earned 49,768. Zinke was just two points ahead of Al Olszewski, who earned 33,927 votes. Libertarians Dennis Hayes and Ernie Noble filed for candidacy as well, but neither candidate reported any money raised in the most recent reporting period. The Cook Political Report rates the race as likely Republican but notes the absence of a primary challenger for Tranel this year compared to 2022 helps the lawyer and former Olympic rower gain traction, as does her fundraising ability. However, the most recent analysis also notes former President Donald Trump likely at the top of the ticket will help the GOP. Editors note: Republican candidate Ryan Zinke did not respond to the survey. Republican candidate Mary Todds campaign said it could not respond in the timeline allowed partly due to international travel. Libertarians Dennis Hayes and Ernie Noble also did not respond to questions. Democrat Monica Tranel What is the biggest issue facing Montanas western district? Housing. Students are worried about the high cost of rent, homeowners are worried about rising property taxes and seniors are unable to find space in nursing homes. We need to get a handle on the housing crisis and lower the cost of living for those of us who are fortunate enough to call this incredible place home. We have seen the climate and landscape of Montana affected due to climate change. What is the role of Montanas western Congressional representative in that discussion? To lead, and make sure that Montanas tremendous natural resources benefit Montanans. One example of the unique nature of western Montana is Triple Divide Peak a hydrological apex with waters that flow into three different oceans. We are facing decreased water, hotter summers, increased droughts, reduced snowpack, longer wildfire seasons and more wildfire smoke place our economy at risk. There are significant resources available to make the energy transition work for Montana we can invest in our economy, our future, and our communities by implementing more distributed generation, ensuring transmission gets electrons where the load is, and that we have a safe, stable, resilient and sustainable energy system. At the same time, we must protect our wild places. Western Montana has the resources and infrastructure to lead this economic growth. I have worked on water issues and with energy producers throughout my professional career. My experience advocating for farmers, ranchers, energy producers and everyday Montanans makes me a powerful voice for Montana in Congress, and a leader in water and energy policy. We can secure a livable future for all by investing in the energy transition and making sure Montanas resources benefit Montanans. As more people have moved to Montana, affordable housing and making a living have become harder for some people. How would you ease the financial burden on Montanans? Having held housing roundtables in all 16 counties in this district, I have heard numerous solutions from the people on the front line of the housing crisis. First and foremost, I will be an educated thought partner with state and local leaders who are working to ease this crisis in our communities. This issue is my issue I have children in school here, and my mom is in a nursing home when people say teachers are leaving and nursing homes are closing, that is personal for me. In terms of easing the financial burden of housing on Montanans, there are a number of different proposals to address this in the immediate, near and long term. Some of those solutions include adjusting the Area Media Income (AMI) requirements to qualify for housing built using tax credits; making sure that trailer parks are not sold out from under trailer home owners and stabilizing lot fees; investing in land trusts so that the land is not a part of the cost of a new home, making some more homes available; loosening the supply constraints by taxing second and third homes that are not lived in for a certain number of days per year; and reducing or eliminating tax deductions for second and third homes. Congress can help Montana families afford a place to live by providing more financing for housing construction, tax credits to help young families buy homes, and by changing the tax code to discourage housing speculation. Ill also work to bring down everyday costs for families by holding monopolies, giant corporate interests, and prescription drug manufacturers accountable for price gouging, stopping hedge funds from buying up houses here in Montana and driving up home costs, and holding utility companies accountable for raising rates to pay for their bad business decisions. What support are you lending, or would you lend, in Congress to priorities of Montanas tribal leaders? Tribal Nations have been leaders in protecting our environment, protecting instream water flow and fisheries. Here in Montana, we saw that leadership turn into action with the return of the Bison Range to the CSKT Nation a transfer that Ryan Zinke opposed and worked to defeat. Zinke also has voted to cut social security, defund law enforcement, force people to work longer before retiring, and to slash healthcare programs, disproportionately harming Native American communities. In contrast, I will work with our Tribal Nations to ensure that the programs needed to support our communities are put in place. I support legislation to codify the federal governments obligations to fulfill its treaty obligations with Tribal Nations. I support implementing laws to give Native Americans meaningful access to vote. I will work to implement programs to protect Indigenous women from violence. I will work to build out reliable internet access across Tribal Nations and rural areas in our state. Families with children are struggling in Montana. What should a child care tax credit look like? As the mother of three daughters, I live the challenge of working and raising kids. Families in Montana face the impossible dilemma of having to work but not being able to find affordable child care. Many Montanans live in childcare deserts. In rural areas, more than a quarter of the families who need child care cant find it. Congress must continue to support child care for working families, and particularly to extend the child tax credit, which lifted 3.4 million children out of poverty. The credit should be made fully refundable, so that low income families can benefit from it just like everyone else. The post Getting to know Montanas 1st Congressional District candidates appeared first on Daily Montanan. The Montana Office of the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance and State Auditor. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan) (Photo by Will Newton | Getty Images) About this profile The Daily Montanan sent candidates in this race a list of five questions prepared by staff members. We have limited each response to 200 words. All candidates have been given the same opportunity to respond and the same word limit. Candidates who do not appear with the rest of the candidates in the race did not submit answers to the Daily Montanan. Answers that were longer than 200 words were trimmed to the nearest sentence. If you have any questions, please reach out to info@dailymontanan.com The Montana State Auditor seat is open this year because incumbent Republican State Auditor Troy Downing is running in the Republican primary for the also-open 2nd Congressional District seat. The state auditor acts as the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance in Montana, which is charged with protecting consumers, investigating and prosecuting fraud, and regulating insurance and securities companies. Three candidates will be on voters primary ballots for the race in June two Republicans and one Democrat. James Brown, currently the chairperson of the Montana Public Service Commission and a private practice attorney from Beaverhead County, will face John Jay Willoughby in the Republican primary. Willoughby sells insurance at his company based in Helena, founded a bail bonds company, and previously worked in law enforcement. There is only one Democrat running in the race this year, John Repke, a Whitefish business executive who ran unsuccessfully for the Public Service Commission in 2022. With absentee ballots already in the hands of voters, the Daily Montanan is profiling the candidates in most of the statewide primaries for voters to decide to whom they want to lend their support. Republicans James Brown signs his candidate filing paperwork. (Photo: James Brown campaign) James Brown The role of the Auditor and the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance is far-reaching. What is your top priority for the office? The role of the State Auditor is far reaching and multi-faceted. Consequently, it is hard to name just one important issue to address. But I absolutely will focus on key issues such as making Montana a place where people seeking insurance coverage have numerous policy choices and can find insurance at affordable rates due to a healthy regulatory environment and robust competition. I will also focus on protecting all Montanans from insurance fraud and scams. The underhanded criminals who perpetrate crimes against our seniors and other white-collar criminals will know that there is no place for them to operate in the Treasure State. What changes would you like to see at the office? Having grown up in rural Montana, I know how difficult it can be for Montana citizens to access resources offered by state agencies located in Helena. Therefore, I will continue the education efforts undertaken by the agency to get out and into to Montanas local communities, visit with stakeholders directly, and to be accessible on a one-on-one basis to all Montanans regardless of where they reside from Alzada to Libby such that rural areas are well represented. I will also strive to provide resources to Montana businesses to find investors to grow their companies and to employ more Montanans. With more scams happening electronically and through banks, how would you propose keeping Montanans safe? Once elected, I will focus the agencys investigatory branch on the securities sector in order to protect against bad actors. More needs to be done to shield Montanas most vulnerable citizens from the pervasive and exploding use of artificial intelligence to commit fraud. Do you have any plans to work with insurers to make sure that more child care facilities can obtain and keep their insurance, the cost of which has increased in recent years, according to providers? The posed question does not call out the specific line(s) of insurance, however, I believe the best way to protect against insurance companies leaving the state is by creating a regulatory environment that makes Montana attractive to do business in. Insurance agents can also be a tremendous asset in this regard because they are on the most local level and will most accessible to the consumer. Do you agree with the recommendations made in the 2023 financial compliance audit of the office, as the current auditor did? The current Auditor agreed with the finding of the audit and, likewise, agreed to implement the recommendations. I would continue the implementation of those recommendations. Editors note: Republican candidate John Jay Willoughby did not respond to the survey. Democrats Montana State Auditor candidate John Repke. (Courtesy campaign) John Repke The role of the Auditor and the Commissioner of Securities and Insurance is far-reaching. What is your top priority for the office? Hard working Montanans and their families are struggling with how expensive living in Montana has become. Along with jumps in property taxes and utility rates, the increasing cost of insurance is a big part of the growing affordability challenge we are all having. My top priorities are to shore up the healthcare marketplace and address coverages for catastrophic property loss. Inadequate medical insurance coverage due to loss of a job, loss of Medicaid, or any other reason, puts folks in a precarious financial situation and that puts our network of health care providers in a difficult position as well. We need to find ways to keep folks insured. Our system cant work if theyre not. Other forms of insurance are also under stress. Rates are rising significantly, and more and more folks are unable to find or renew their policies. Much of this is tied to how insurers are assessing risk in light of the rise of catastrophic events, including wildfires. This is a complex area, but we must find solutions or Montana families will be one event away from losing all they have. What changes would you like to see at the office? I will work to put in place more proactive/forward looking approaches to the challenges in the insurance markets and to the prevention of financial scams as they become increasingly sophisticated. I also will support an increased effort to promote the work of the agency. The staff does excellent work, but it still flies under the radar and a lot of Montanans are not aware of the services the agency has to offer. With more scams happening electronically and through banks, how would you propose keeping Montanans safe? Education and awareness are the key. Regardless of the platform used by the scammers, an informed individual is less likely to become a victim. I will work to find more creative ways to make Montanans resistant to fraud and aware of the resources available to them. Do you have any plans to work with insurers to make sure that more child care facilities can obtain and keep their insurance, the cost of which has increased in recent years, according to providers? As with many challenges in the insurance markets these days, understanding the risks and assessing them correctly is the key to solving the problem. I certainly will work with insurers to understand the underlying issues and find solutions. The best solutions would be ones that come out of the market and I will work with the insurers to find those, but I am not opposed to evaluating other solutions as well. Do you agree with the recommendations made in the 2023 financial compliance audit of the office, as the current auditor did? Yes, I agree. I applaud the detailed work of the Legislative Audit team. They play an important role in making sure our state government works as it should. The findings at the State Auditors office were accounting and administrative procedure related. It is always important that the accounting be done correctly and that procedures are followed. I am pleased that the current Commissioner agreed. The post Getting to know Montanas State Auditor candidates appeared first on Daily Montanan. Photo illustration by Getty Images. In a recent letter, Gov. Greg Gianforte said he is amenable to providing temporary financial relief to Lake County for as long as three years in the transition period following the countys withdrawal from handling law enforcement on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The financial burden in fulfilling the agreement, an estimated $4 million, was the countys biggest reason for withdrawing from a decades-long agreement, which commissioners officially did Monday. Commissioners are hoping the state will give $2.5 million to the county that was in legislation the governor vetoed last year. Lake County Commissioners are scheduled to meet with Gianforte on Tuesday afternoon to discuss a transition strategy, according to Commissioner Gale Decker. Decker said the county will still operate like PL-280 is in place until there is a transition plan. The state assumed criminal jurisdiction over the Flathead Reservation in 1963 under an agreement passed by Congress called Public Law 280, or PL-280. The county has provided law enforcement through the terms of this agreement for years but moved to withdraw due to cost. However, on the ground, Decker said, nothing changed as of Monday. Where we are right now is were going to continue to exercise jurisdiction, Lake County, just because the state and the feds have said they cant do it and somebody has to do it, Decker told the Daily Montanan. We are going to continue doing it in the interest of public safety. The Governors office and commissioners disagree on the status of the official withdrawal, but in his letter to commissioners, Gianforte also explained the reason he opposed having the state pay the entire bill. If the state were to fully and indefinitely fund the costs Lake County willingly undertook when it consented to the implementation of PL 280, it would create an unsustainable burden on the states general fund, be inconsistent with how law enforcement is funded in every other Montana county, and lead to requests from other counties who would legitimately seek financial assistance for their local expenses once the precedent has been set, Gianforte said. Gianforte said he would support limited financial assistance for a period up to three years as the county transitions to a long term solution that is consistent with how similar expenses are funded in all other local jurisdictions in Montana. If the county stops providing law enforcement services under PL-280 altogether, and if no other action is taken, the federal government would assume felony jurisdiction on the reservation. The Governors office also said the commission didnt send the necessary document to exit the agreement, so the governor was not in a position to issue a proclamation saying as much. According to statute, a governors proclamation follows the withdrawal letter. Commissioners said they did send it, and their withdrawal is effective Monday with or without the governors proclamation. The two parties will meet Tuesday in Helena to discuss what transitioning away from the agreement would look like, Decker said. He said the meeting would not be open to the public as it would involve litigation strategy. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have handled misdemeanor offenses on the Flathead Indian Reservation since the 1990s. The federal government oversees felonies on other reservations in the state. In 2023, Gianforte vetoed a bill that would have funded the effort, saying there should have been more restrictions on what the money could be used for. Last fall commissioners passed a resolution to withdraw the county from the agreement which they said became effective Monday. Gianforte told commissioners in March the only tool left for him to address the question over who is responsible for law enforcement is to pull the state out from the agreement entirely. Last week, Gianfortes office claimed the withdrawal by commissioners isnt technically official, and therefore the proclamation isnt required just yet. Last week Gianfortes legal counsel sent a letter to the commission claiming the governors office hadnt received the resolution needed to relinquish the county from PL-280. In November, the commission passed a resolution changing the date of delivery to the governor for a previous resolution requesting withdrawal from the agreement. In the letter sent Thursday, Attorney Anita Milanovich said the commission sent its resolution changing the date, but not the originally passed resolution to withdraw. As such, I must conclude that a proclamation from the Governor is improper at this time, Milanovich said. In a press release Friday, Lake County Commissioners said they are confident the county followed the statutory process for the governor to issue his proclamation. But Decker said Monday the countys withdrawal is effective today, with or without the governors proclamation. In a separate letter sent Thursday, Gianforte said he would be unable to issue a proclamation, citing Milanovichs reasoning in her letter, but also said local law enforcement is a local responsibility and not a state responsibility. U.S. Attorney for Montana Jesse Laslovich told commissioners last month that the feds would likely only pursue big fish cases, meaning fewer cases get prosecuted and more menace within the community. The CSKT issued a statement last week saying the tribe continues to monitor the situation and remain committed to local, state and federal partners. A spokesperson for the tribe gave no comment if there would be tribal representation in Tuesdays meeting between the county and governors office. Last month Attorney General Austin Knudsen met with Lake County Commissioners and said he would help foster communication between the commission and the governors office. However, Decker said Monday the commission hadnt heard from Knudsen since, but Decker says that doesnt mean Knudsen didnt say anything to the governors office. A spokesperson for the Attorney Generals office did not immediately respond to questions confirming Knudsens involvement. Decker said hes hoping for continued conversations on what the transition plan is going to be as the county and likely state withdraw from the agreement entirely. But in the meantime, although the county has formally withdrawn, it will still execute the agreement. We are going to continue to exercise jurisdiction, Decker said. We are going to keep the people in Lake County safe. The post Gianforte supports limited financial assistance for Flathead Reservation law enforcement appeared first on Daily Montanan. (NewsNation) Police served a search warrant Monday at the home of Rex Heuermann, the suspect in the deaths of four women whose bodies were found along Gilgo Beach, NewsNation has confirmed. No family members were present and Heuermanns estranged wife, Asa Ellerup, confirmed that the home had been searched. It isnt clear what prompted police to search the home or what specific information they were seeking. The medical examiner arrived at the home later in the morning, and NewsNations Laura Ingle saw very large evidence bags being carried out of the home. Graceland facing foreclosure auction; Elvis heir fights to block sale Retired NYPD Sergeant Joseph Giacalone told NewsNation in an interview that the use of heavy equipment could suggest officials found evidence for cases beyond the Gilgo killings. Since they already did this 10 months ago, they had to be able to prove to a judge that they had probable cause to go in there. The ME (medical examiner) showing up is really interesting. If we see the forensic anthropologist show up, that would be even more interesting and a bit of an eye-opener because they are the doctors that go out and determine what is a human bone or what is an animal bone, Giacalone explained. Last month, authorities conducted a multiday search of the woods in Manorville, New York, though its not clear if this second search is connected. Heuermann is currently awaiting trial, facing murder charges in the deaths of four women known as the Gilgo Four, whose bodies were all found along Gilgo Beach in Long Island, New York. Investigators previously searched the Heuermann home after he was arrested and charged with the deaths of Amber Lynn Costello, Megan Waterman and Melissa Barthelemy. He was later charged with the death of Maureen Brainard-Barnes. Researchers studying doomsday glacier make worrying discovery All four women were sex workers and their bodies, along with several others, were found along Gilgo Beach in 2010 and 2011. At this time, Heuermann has not been linked to any other of the deaths. In the initial search of Heuermanns home in summer 2023, police found what they described as a huge list of items, including more than 200 weapons. They also searched the backyard of the home as well, and Heuermanns family claimed investigators left the home in chaos. Ellerup filed for divorce after Heuermanns arrest. Her DNA was among the evidence used to eventually arrest Heuermann, as police used familial DNA to help identify a suspect. Lawyers for Heuermann and his family didnt respond to calls and emails seeking comment Monday but told local news outlets that his wife and two adult children were not home at the time. Heuermann has been in custody since his arrest last July and has maintained his innocence. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Qualification diplomas of crew members of sea vessels will be mutually recognized between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, Trend reports. The Azerbaijani parliament's plenary meeting has discussed the Azerbaijani draft law on approval of the Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Diplomas of Specialization of Ship Crews between the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan and Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan. The discussion was followed by putting the document to a vote and its approval. To note, the above agreement was signed by the Minister of Digital Development and Transport of Azerbaijan Rashad Nabiyev and Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Marat Karabayev on March 11, 2024. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Rudy Giuliani has agreed to never again publicly accuse two Georgia election workers of tampering with votes in the 2020 election, a false accusation that he has repeated frequently and that led to his bankruptcy. With the agreement, Giuliani is forfeiting a yearslong verbal and legal battle hes waged with the election workers, Ruby Freeman and her daughter, Shaye Moss. It also gives the women significant power to hold him accountable if Giuliani again publicly suggests they stole votes to hurt former President Donald Trump, which is not true. A draft of the agreement filed in court Tuesday says Giuliani would be permanently enjoined from publishing, causing others to publish, and/or assisting in others publication of any statements that suggest that Plaintiffs, whether mentioned directly, indirectly, or by implication, engaged in wrongdoing in connection with the 2020 presidential election. Attorneys for Freeman and Moss say the agreement would allow them to take Giuliani to court immediately if he repeats potentially defamatory statements. Today ends his efforts to profit off of lies about these two heroes of American democracy, the workers attorney Michael Gottlieb said in a statement. CNN has reached out to Giulianis spokesperson for comment. The agreement was formalized in a Wednesday night court order, setting Giuliani up for potentially severe and swift consequences in court if he breaks it. False statements he previously made that he can no longer reiterate include his belief that Freeman and Moss tampered with ballots in 2020 and that video captured fake ballots for Joe Biden flooding the counting process in Fulton County. Freeman and Moss previously sued Giuliani for defamation and won a $148 million judgment against him, which the former mayor of New York has not begun to pay off. The trial provided a searing glimpse into the harassment election workers suffered while prominent Trump supporters spread lies about the 2020 election. Giuliani is separately facing criminal charges in Georgia and Arizona for his efforts for Trump four years ago, and he has been suspended from practicing law. Giuliani has pleaded not guilty in both cases, with his arraignment in Arizona taking place earlier Tuesday. Giuliani is also in Chapter 11 personal bankruptcy, with Freeman, Moss and others pursuing everything he has of value. The agreement includes Freeman and Moss dropping a second lawsuit they filed against Giuliani on the same day they won the $150 million judgment against him in December, because he continued to make false statements about them. This story has been updated with additional reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Giuliani, others plead not guilty to felony charges in Arizona election interference case Giuliani, others plead not guilty to felony charges in Arizona election interference case Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine charges he is facing in Arizona in relation to a case focused on efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state. Giuliani entered his not guilty plea remotely at an arraignment held in a courtroom in Phoenix. Numerous other individuals charged in the case, including former Arizona GOP Chair Kelli Ward, also entered not guilty pleas at their arraignments Tuesday. Giulianis trial is set to begin in October. Its the second criminal indictment he is facing after being charged in the fall in Georgia in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williss probe into efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in that state. He has pleaded not guilty to all those charges as well. In Arizona, Giuliani was charged along with other close Trump allies last month with nine felony charges, including counts of conspiracy, fraud and forgery. All 18 defendants in the case are accused of promoting false claims of voter fraud to try to convince state officials to reject President Bidens victory in Arizona. The other defendants in the case include the 11 individuals who signed documents asserting that they were the legitimate electors in the state and that Trump had won, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn and attorneys Jenna Ellis, John Eastman and Christina Bobb. Mike Roman, the director of Election Day operations for Trumps 2020 campaign, was also charged. Arizona officials had struggled to track down Giuliani for weeks after the charges were filed to serve him the summons to appear, but he was eventually served Friday following his 80th birthday celebration. The judge at the hearing Tuesday required Giuliani to post a bond of $10,000 and appear in Arizona for booking procedures within the next 30 days. Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman said in a statement that Giuliani looks forward to full vindication and baselessly accused Biden and his allies of weaponizing the justice system to prosecute Trump. These charges are essentially a cut and paste version of what theyre attempting to use to interfere with the 2024 Election and to take down President Trump and anyone willing to take on the permanent Washington political class, Goodman said. Prosecutors allege that Ward, who chaired the state party from 2019 to 2023, brought the fake electors together and pressured then-Vice President Pence to declare them the legitimate electors. Ward also pleaded not guilty Tuesday. Eastman was the first defendant to be arraigned in the case last week, also pleading not guilty. Most of the defendants were being arraigned on Tuesday, but Meadows, Epshteyn and two fake electors are scheduled to be arraigned in June. Arizona is the fourth state where charges have been brought in relation to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Trump has not been charged in Arizona but was referenced as an unindicted co-conspirator in the indictment. The Associated Press contributed to this reporting. Updated 3:33 p.m. ET. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. PHOENIX Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani pleaded not guilty Tuesday to nine felony charges stemming from his role in an effort to overturn Donald Trumps 2020 election loss in Arizona to Joe Biden. Ten others, including former Arizona Republican Party Chair Kelli Ward, also pleaded not guilty to conspiracy, forgery and fraud charges related to the case. Giuliani appeared remotely for the arraignment that was held in a Phoenix courtroom. His and Wards trials are scheduled for Oct. 17, about three weeks before the U.S. election. The indictment alleged Giuliani spread false claims of election fraud in Arizona after the 2020 election and presided over a downtown Phoenix gathering where he claimed officials made no effort to determine the accuracy of presidential election results. It also accused him of pressuring Maricopa County officials and state legislators to change the outcome of Arizonas results and encouraging Republican electors in the state to vote for Trump in mid-December 2020. During his remote appearance, Giuliani said he did not have an attorney, and that felt capable of handling the arraignment himself. Giuliani said he received a summons but did not have a copy of the indictment. He said he is familiar with the charges, though, by reading about them. Arizona authorities tried unsuccessfully over several weeks to serve Giuliani notice of the indictment against him. He was finally served Friday night as he was walking to a car after his 80th birthday celebration in Florida. On Tuesday, prosecutors requested a $10,000 cash bond after outlining efforts by Arizona authorities since April 23 and the difficulties they faced. The judge required Giuliani to post a secured appearance bond of $10,000 as well as appear in Arizona within the next 30 days for booking procedures. He has shown no intent to comply with the legal process in Arizona, prosecutor Nicholas Klingerman said in asking for the bond. Investigators werent allowed to go up to Giulianis residence, a doorman at the building refused to accept the documents and voicemails left for Giuliani werent returned, Klingerman said. The prosecutor said before the notice was delivered, Giuliani mentioned the Arizona case on a podcast, telling listeners he found it hilarious that Arizona investigators were having difficulty finding him. This is perfect evidence that if theyre so incompetent (that) they cant find me, they also cant count votes correctly, he said, according to Klingerman. Giuliani responded that he hadnt been hiding from Arizona authorities, saying he has strict rules about who can walk up to his residence given hes been the target of death threats and doesnt have security personnel. He also called the indictment political. I do consider the indictment to be a complete embarrassment to the American legal system, Giuliani said. Moments later Court Commissioner Shellie Smith, who was presiding over the hearing, tried to interrupt Giuliani but he kept talking. After Tuesdays arraignments, Giuliani spokesperson Ted Goodman said the former New York City mayor looks forward to being vindicated. These charges are essentially a cut and paste version of what theyre attempting to use to interfere with the 2024 Election and to take down President Trump and anyone willing to take on the permanent Washington political class, Goodman said. Arizona authorities unveiled the felony charges last month against Republicans who submitted a document to Congress falsely declaring Trump, a Republican, had won Arizona. The defendants include five lawyers connected to the former president and two former Trump aides. Biden, a Democrat, won Arizona by more than 10,000 votes. The indictment alleges Ward, a former state senator who led the GOP in Arizona from 2019 until early 2023, organized the fake electors and urged then-Vice President Mike Pence to declare them to be the states true electors. It says Ward failed to withdraw her vote as a fake elector even though no legal challenges changed the outcome of the presidential race in Arizona. Last week, attorney John Eastman, who devised a strategy to try to persuade Congress not to certify the election, was the first defendant in the case to be arraigned, pleading not guilty to the charges. Trump himself was not charged in the Arizona case but was referred to as an unindicted co-conspirator. Arizona is the fourth state where allies of the former president have been charged with using false or unproven claims about voter fraud related to the election. The 11 people who claimed to be Arizonas Republican electors met in Phoenix on Dec. 14, 2020, to sign a certificate saying they were duly elected and qualified electors and asserting that Trump carried the state. A one-minute video of the signing ceremony was posted on social media by the Arizona Republican Party at the time. The document was later sent to Congress and the National Archives, where it was ignored. The other people who pleaded not guilty Tuesday included Tyler Bowyer, an executive of the conservative youth organization Turning Point USA; state Sen. Anthony Kern; Greg Safsten, a former executive director of the Arizona Republican Party; Robert Montgomery, a former chairman of the Cochise County Republican Committee; Samuel Moorhead, a Republican precinct committee member in Gila County; Nancy Cottle, who in 2020 was the first vice president of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women; Loraine Pellegrino, past president of the Ahwatukee Republican Women; Michael Ward, an osteopathic physician who is married to Ward; and attorney Christina Bobb. Two other defendants attorney Jenna Ellis and and Michael Roman, who was Trumps 2020 director of Election Day operations were scheduled to be arraigned on Tuesday, but ultimately didnt appear at the hearing. Their lawyers had requested postponements. Its unclear from the court record whether the judge had ruled on that request. Arraignments are scheduled for June 6 for state Sen. Jake Hoffman; on June 7 for former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows; and on June 18 for Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn and for James Lamon, another Republican who claimed Trump carried the state. FILE PHOTO: Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani departs defamation lawsuit at the District Courthouse in Washington By Andrew Goudsward (Reuters) - Former Donald Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani was ordered to post a $10,000 bond in Arizona on Tuesday after allegedly eluding authorities' attempts to serve him court papers accusing the former New York mayor of trying to subvert the 2020 election. Appearing by phone at a court proceeding, Giuliani criticized what he called a "completely political case" as he pleaded not guilty to charges that he conspired to falsely claim Arizonas electoral votes for Trump following Trump's narrow loss to Democratic President Joe Biden. A Maricopa County judge, Shellie Smith, ordered Giuliani to travel to Arizona within 30 days to post the bond. Giuliani is one of 18 defendants in the case brought by Arizona's Democratic attorney general, Kris Mayes, and one of 11 who made their first court appearance on Tuesday. All pleaded not guilty. The other 10 defendants were released without bond, but prosecutors sought a different arrangement for Giuliani, saying they struggled to contact him after charges were filed. Prosecutors argued Giuliani was seeking to evade authorities, pointing to a since-deleted post on X in which Giuliani suggested prosecutors might have to drop the charges if they could not locate him. An agent from the Arizona attorneys general office finally served Giuliani on Friday as he was leaving his 80th birthday party in Florida. He has shown no intent to comply with legal process in Arizona in this case, prosecutor Nicholas Klingerman said. Giuliani, who does not yet have a lawyer in the case, disputed that he had been hiding from anyone. He said he limited access to his New York apartment over security concerns. "I do consider this indictment a complete embarrassment to the American legal system, but I've shown no tendency not to comply," Giuliani said, as the judge sought to cut him off. Giuliani and the other defendants are facing conspiracy, fraud and forgery charges over their efforts to assemble a slate of electors from Arizona pledged to support Trump, a bid to undermine certification of the 2020 election. Trump, a Republican, who will face off against Biden in the November presidential election, continues to falsely claim that his defeat was the result of fraud. Trump faces two upcoming criminal trials on election-subversion charges. Smith set an Oct. 17 trial date, just weeks before the Nov. 5 election. Trump is not charged in the Arizona case. Former Trump lawyer Christina Bobb and former Arizona Republican Chair Kelli Ward also appeared in court on Tuesday. John Eastman, who advised Trump on a plan to derail the Jan. 6, 2021 election certification, pleaded not guilty on Friday. (Reporting by Andrew Goudsward in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone and Leslie Adler) Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras testified on behalf of Senate Bill 140 that would eliminate the Judicial Nomination Commission and give the governor direct control over filling judicial vacancies on Feb. 9, 2021. (Photo courtesy of Montana Public Affairs Network). As part of a now ongoing lawsuit that has spanned both state and federal courts, a Glasgow couple has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Montana Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, demanding that the second-highest ranking executive in the state stop making false statements and issue an apology letter to them. Todd and Krista Kolstads attorney, Matthew Monforton of Bozeman, sent the letter on Monday, the same day the Kolstads filed a case in federal district court in Billings alleging that social workers with the State of Montanas Child Protective Services deceived a state court judge in order to seize the Kolstads 14-year-old child without a warrant, and, in the process, ignored their religious freedoms. Need to get in touch? Have a news tip? CONTACT US The cease-and-desist letter asks Juras to apologize for comments she made during the state court hearings earlier in the year about the Kolstads, as well as preserving records that may come into play in the federal case. The Daily Montanan reached out the Juras office on Tuesday morning, but had received no response as of the time of publication. The court case involves a 14-year-old child who was removed from the Kolstads home last summer after threatening suicide. The Kolstads and the child were at odds about whether the 14-year-old should be allowed to transition from female to male. The Kolstads have maintained that their deeply held religious beliefs prohibit transgenderism, and that state officials disregarded that freedom. Meanwhile, state officials claimed that they were trying to find a psychiatric placement for the suicidal teenager when they took custody of the child, identified in court documents as H.K. The state sent H.K., to a Wyoming facility and later a Billings group home. Since then, H.K.s mother in Canada has been the custodian of the youth. However, the Kolstads have filed the federal suit against the states two social workers involved in the case, as well as sending a demand to Juras, who became involved in the case when Gov. Greg Gianforte appointed her to look into the matter after some degree of public concern when the Kolstads took their case to the media and social media. The Gianforte administration during the previous two legislative sessions has supported proposals to limit youth access to medical care, and has been seen as largely hostile to advancing LGBTQ+ rights. However, Juras, a former law school professor and conservative who once ran for the state Supreme Court in part on a platform of religious freedoms, told media that she had personally reviewed the details of the case, and supported the states social workers. You have said that CPSs seizure of the Kolstads daughter was lawful and have repeatedly accused the Kolstads of lying about their daughters seizure, said the letter sent to Juras by Monforton. You have it exactly backwards it is your statements about the Kolstads that are unfounded, malicious and slanderous under Montana law. The letter makes three requests of Juras including to stop defaming the Kolstads, apologize for slandering them, and preserve all written communications between Juras and any other person relating to the Kolstads. The letter goes on to state that the CPS social workers told the court that they needed to seize H.K., who was in immediate harm. However, at the time they told state court Judge Yvonne Laird that H.K., was in immediate danger, the child was already at a hospital, with round-the-clock, one-to-one observation, according to court documents. CPS workers instead seized the Kolstads daughter and took her to Wyoming against her parents will. CPS did this because they believed the Kolstads objections to transgenderism made them unfit parents. They told the Kolstads that their daughter would not be returned to them until they accepted her transgenderism. When the Kolstads refused to compromise their faith, CPS workers took their daughter to her biological mother in Canada, the letter said. On Jan. 29, Gianforte confirmed on social media that he was appointing Juras to look into the matter, and that she had, confirming that DPHHS followed state policy. The case documents, however, demonstrate precisely the opposite, the Kolstads letter said. You and Governor Gianforte could have stopped this injustice, but instead you allowed CPS to trample on the Kolstads civil rightsRather than respond to the Kolstads plea for help (or refrain from saying anything at all about the case), you have chosen to slander them for the past several months by calling them liars and claiming that CPS was justified in seizing their daughter. The case also demonstrates the interconnectedness of politics in a smaller state like Montana. Monforton, a former Republican lawmaker who has claimed a series of victories in state court, finds himself sending a letter to a former colleague, Juras a Republican and conservative attorney. Monforton and Juras both originally were co-counsel in one of the largest class-action lawsuits in the state when the City of Billings illegally charged franchise fees to water and wastewater bills. Juras and Monforton worked the case for the first two years until Juras left as co-counsel to campaign as Gianfortes running mate. At the conclusion of the franchise fees case, Monforton was the sole successful attorney. Juras Cease and Desist Letter The post Glasgow couple sends cease and desist letter to Montanas lieutenant governor appeared first on Daily Montanan. (Photo illustration by Getty Images.) The family of the teenager who was taken by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services Child Protective Service has sued in federal court, alleging several civil rights violations when the social workers placed the teen in a psychiatric facility in Wyoming, barring the parents from communicating with the child. Todd and Krista Kolstad of Glasgow have filed suit in Billings against DPHHS social workers Cyndi Baillargeon and Crystal Whitmore for taking their child without due process and a warrant and interfering with their religious freedoms. The Montana DPHHS was not immediately available for comment when the suit was filed late Monday afternoon. Kolstads child, who is identified as H.K. throughout the court documents, said he identifies as transgender and wanted to transition to a male. However, because of the Kolstads strong religious beliefs, they objected and refused to let their child transition, believing it was a sin. When their 14-year-old became suicidal, H.K., was taken to a hospital for in-patient psychiatric care, waiting for a more permanent bed in a psychiatric hospital. However, because of the Kolstads understanding of Montana law, they did not want their child to be placed out of state for fear that medical professionals elsewhere would allow the transitioning process to begin. They believed that Montana law barred medical support to youth who want to transition, an issue that is still being litigated in courts. However, the federal lawsuit says that the DPHHS, through Baillargeon and Whitmore, denied the Kolstads due process rights, and that the workers lied to the court. They also claim that state workers abused the law by not having a judge sign off on a warrant removing the child from their custody. Meanwhile, the state contends that it had the right to remove the child because of imminent harm and immediate danger. H.K. had originally been admitted to the hospital after claiming to have consumed an overdose of ibuprofen and toilet bowl cleaner. H.K.s hospital tests results showed neither were ingested. The State of Montana said it was concerned with the risk of suicide. Court documents filed Monday also allege that the Kolstads had been supportive of finding a hospital bed for H.K., in Montana, and believed the teen would be taken to Billings Clinic. However, they said with little notice, the state switched plans, sending H.K., to a psychiatric treatment center in Casper and then forbade contact. The Kolstads also maintain that both the in-patient Wyoming hospital and the youth group home in Billings allowed their child to be addressed by a male name, allowed male clothing and toiletries as well as provided chest binders all things to which they objected. The teens birth mother now lives in Canada, where H.K. resides. Attorney Matthew Monforton, who represents the Kolstads, argues in court filings that the child was not in any danger of serious bodily harm when CPS seized her. Moreover, according to the doctors notes in the court documents, H.K. was not an active threat of suicide or harm when moved to Wyoming. However, the lawsuit argued that CPS workers falsely testified in an affidavit that the teenager faced an imminent risk of physical harm. Monforton said that Child Protective Services was also silent about the Kolstads deeply held religious beliefs. This omission was material because, under Montana law, a finding of child neglect cannot occur for the sole reason that a parent or legal guardian, because of religious beliefs, does not provide adequate health care for a child, the court documents said. The Kolstads also claimed in the court filing that they were told by Child Protective Services that they would not regain custody of their daughter unless they accepted her transgenderism. According to documents filed as part of the case, the state described its concerns for the physical health of H.K.: The cause, as far as is possible to ascertain, are allegations of physical neglect the youth was suicidal and needed acute psychiatric care and the birthfather and stepmother refused to sign paperwork for the youth to receive the care that was recommended by the medical professionals. At the conclusion of the court case, though, Valley County District Court Judge Yvonne Laird was sharply critical of the Kolstads handling of the case, and questioned whether they truly had the best intentions for H.K. Unfortunately, during the pendency of this matter, the youths father and stepmother chose to focus on the youths struggle with gender identification rather than addressing the issues in the family home and ensuring a safe and supportive environment for the youths suicidal ideation, the judge wrote. The documents filed by Monforton said that statement, which the court relied on to make a determination, didnt tell the full story: That the Kolstads were supportive of some psychiatric care, but objected to transitioning because of their religious beliefs. He argued that federal law demands parental consent for medical procedures that are essential. Furthermore, he said that federal law only provides a narrow exception for seizing children without a warrant, and the burden wasnt met in the Kolstads case. Seizing a child without a warrant is excusable only when officials have reasonable cause to believe that the child is likely to experience serious bodily harm in the time that would be required to obtain a warrant, the complaint said. According to the case filing, at the time, H.K., was being held on 24-hour, one-on-one observation, making it unlikely it was a warrantless situation. (CPS) knew that H.K. was no facing an imminent substantial risk of serious harm when they seized her on Aug. 22, the filing said. Defendants deceit of the state court made the courts proceedings against the Kolstads a sham from start to finish. The post Glasgow couple sue Child Protective Services, accusing them of deceiving court appeared first on Daily Montanan. Goldberg: Trump and Biden agreed to debates. That's a lot less important than it was made out to be The Biden and Trump campaigns agreed to two presidential debates last week. Who among us can contain our excitement? Well, it depends on what you mean by us. In my corner of the professional world pundits, commentators, political junkies there was much rejoicing. Watching the Sunday shows, you could be forgiven for thinking church bells must have rung out to celebrate the news across the nation, as if some medieval queen had given birth to a male heir. The debates are happening! The debates are happening! Huzzah! Meanwhile, among normal people, that sound you didnt hear was the great mass of humanity shrugging. A smaller segment of the population likely let out an involuntary groan of the sort you make when you find out you got a middle seat on an airplane. Read more: Goldberg: Biden still trails Trump in the polls. His problem goes beyond inflation, Gaza and age I dont have polling to back this up, but I suspect most Americans would regard the prospect of Donald Trump and Joe Biden yelling at each other like two old men squabbling over the check at a Dennys with resigned exhaustion. Ugh, really? Were doing this again? Now, I understand why journalists and junkies are excited. For starters, presidential debates inflate the egos of journalists, giving them ample opportunity to talk grandly about the fourth estates important role in democracy. Theyre also great for ratings: The first, thoroughly awful 2020 debate was watched by 73 million people. The drama of politicians offering unscripted though often rehearsed answers to complicated questions has a Super Bowl-like quality for political nerds. That listening to either of the current presumptive nominees talk is like watching a race car driver behind the wheel of a vehicle without brakes just adds to the excitement. The prospect of a spectacular crash always has a certain dark appeal, and in a Trump-Biden matchup, crashes are assured. Read more: Goldberg: What happened to the Republican war on 'woke' and what we should have learned from it Lost amid the hoopla over the latest debate agreement is the fact that pretty much all presidential debates are tiresome and counterproductive spectacles. The arguments for debates are often somewhat tautological. We supposedly need to have presidential debates because weve always had presidential debates. But this isnt true. The first presidential debates, between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, were in 1960 (when Biden and Trump were, respectively, 17 and 14 years old). All anyone remembers about the Kennedy-Nixon debates is the first one, which Nixon lost, according to lore , because he was without makeup, unshaven and sweaty. Again, according to lore, people who listened to the debate on radio thought Nixon won, while people who watched it on television were so impressed by Kennedys suave style and good looks that they thought he won. Nixon, who was underweight and exhausted during his first appearance, got some rest and good makeup and won the next two debates , which nobody remembers. In other words, the lesson from the beginning was that style was more important than substance. It has ever been thus. We think, partly because we are told as much over and over again, that televised debates convey important information to voters. But television makes certain information seem more important than it is, often subliminally. For instance, in most presidential elections, the taller candidate wins . Does height in some way correlate with superior policies? Theres a reason FDR hid his wheelchair from public view. But while I have no end of substantive criticisms of Franklin D. Roosevelt, his having had polio is not among them. Obviously, television presence is part of modern presidents job description. But televised presidential debates magnify that qualification beyond all reason. Yes, yes, presidents need to be good communicators. But at no point during their actual presidencies are they ever expected to bicker with a political foe for 90 minutes in front of millions of people. The political skills we are testing for are not the political skills the job requires. The candidate who forcefully, confidently or amusingly lies is often rewarded by debates, while the candidate who tells the truth awkwardly, hesitantly or with appropriate complexity is often penalized. The debate highlight reels the networks routinely run are full of one-liners, gaffes and falsehoods often treated as true by sympathetic journalists. But Ive never seen a really thoughtful explanation of the national debt or another serious problem celebrated as a great moment in debate history. The prospect of a Biden-Trump rematch is especially deserving of an Ugh, really? But the truth is that all presidential debates deserve the same. @JonahDispatch If its in the news right now, the L.A. Times Opinion section covers it. Sign up for our weekly opinion newsletter. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. The welcome ceremony for the Golden Boy statue in Bangkok on May 21, 2024. Credit - Manan VatsyayanamanAFP/Getty Images Thai and American officials celebrated the arrival of the so-called Golden Boya 4-ft. tall, about 900-year-old bronze statueto the National Museum in Bangkok on Tuesday, after years of negotiations to repatriate the sculpture along with other artifacts that had been misappropriated abroad. The return of the Golden Boy and the Kneeling Lady, another statue linked to the same alleged smuggler, was welcomed by Thai Minister of Culture Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol as well as U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Robert F. Godec, who described the pieces as symbols of Thailands rich heritage. They are evidence of the prosperity of the land of Thailand in the past and are extremely important national cultural heritage, Sudawan said on X. Amid a wave of scrutiny over the potentially illicit provenance of artifacts sitting in the worlds largest museums, Southeast Asian governments have been trying to retrieve as many as thousands of items that they believe were looted or trafficked from their lands, though the repatriation process is often stalled or blocked by legal and logistical hurdles. The return of the Golden Boy and the Kneeling Lady, which had spent the last three decades in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, has been hailed as a rare success story. Heres what to know. Why were the artifacts returned now? A woman in northeastern Buriram province claims to have discovered the Golden Boywhich is believed by some to represent Hindu god Shiva and others to be Khmer King Jayavarman VIabout 50 years ago while digging for sweet potatoes. She says that when she brought the statue to a local police station, officers took her to Bangkok, where they sold it to a foreigner for 1.2 million baht (about $33,000). When the Golden Boy was added to the Mets collection in 1988, it was described by the museum as certainly the most important gift of a Southeast Asian sculpture ever made to our collection. In December, the Met said that it would return the Golden Boy and the Kneeling Lady to Thailand, as well as 14 artifacts to Cambodia (including a metal sculpture of a sitting Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and a 7th-century stone Buddha head). The pieces were associated with late art dealer Douglas Latchford, who was indicted in 2019 for trafficking and selling looted Cambodian antiquities to auction houses and museums around the world since the 1970s. Until his death in 2020, Latchford had denied his involvement in smuggling, though his daughter agreed last year to forfeit $12 million from his estate to settle a civil lawsuit accusing him of profiting off stolen Cambodian artifacts. The Museum welcomes and takes very seriously any new information about objects in the collection and is dedicated to seeking resolutions as appropriate, says the Met, which previously returned artifacts to Nepal and India after acknowledging that they were taken from ancient sites. The Met agreeing to return the statue is not a common occurrence, Thai archaeologist Thanongsak Hanwong, a member of the government committee for the repatriation of stolen artifacts who says he spent more than three years working on the Golden Boys repatriation, told Benar News. The Thai government has formally requested the return of about 30 artifacts that are scattered around the world, and its embassies are negotiating the return of 10 more items, Thanongsak added, as some museums are reluctant to publicize these repatriations. What are other museums doing? In recent years, calls have grown for Western museumsfrom the U.S. to the U.K., Australia, and Europeto return artifacts that were allegedly looted from strife-torn regions across the world. According to prosecutors, Latchford started supplying major auction houses and museums with Cambodian antiquities during the countrys oppressive Khmer Rouge regimeand at times falsified the provenance of items to conceal the fact that they were illicitly obtained. A 1970 UNESCO Convention lays down the legal basis to repatriate illegally exported cultural objects. However, critics have noted that the convention, which does not apply retroactively to cases before 1970, fails to protect items looted at the height of colonialisma point that UNESCO has also acknowledged remains a source of tension between countries with rich museum collections and those that demand the return of objects that contribute to their identity. The British Museum, dubbed the worlds largest receivers of stolen property, has dealt with yearslong allegations of housing pilfered antiquities and questions over its apparent secretiveness over certain artifacts. In April, the museum returned dozens of artifacts looted 150 years ago from the region of modern-day Ghana. Museums across Europe, including the Netherlands, France, and Germany have also been repatriating stolen artifacts to their countries of origin in Southeast Asia. Observers say that the return of artifacts is a way for Europe to rehabilitate its controversial colonial legacy in the region. French President Emmanuel Macron, who has said that he would do everything possible to return the symbols of cultural heritage France has lootedfrom Asia to Africapledged in January to return more Khmer artifacts to Cambodia. But theres still a long way to go, as museums and officials chip away at verifying the sources of a vast body of artifacts. (Reports say that the Met contains more than 1,000 items that may have been looted or trafficked.) Its also not just museums that have come under scrutiny. When photos made the rounds on social media earlier this year of oriental furniture, which online sleuths suspected had been pillaged from China in the 19th century, in British aristocrat Rose Hanburys house, calls erupted demanding their return. We are continuing to investigate the wide-ranging trafficking networks that target Southeast Asian antiquities, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in April, while announcing that 30 pieces of looted artifacts that authorities seized from museums and private collectors, estimated to be worth $3 million, would be returned to Cambodia and Indonesia. There is clearly still much more work to do. Contact us at letters@time.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. I am sure that all the agreements reached will be implemented because they are based on the interests of the people of Iran and Azerbaijan, said President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, as he visited the Embassy of Iran today, Trend reports. "As you are aware, we were together for more than two hours just before this tragedy occurred. During the bilateral meeting, which lasted more than an hour, many important issues were discussed. The future directions of the development of Iran-Azerbaijan relations were reaffirmed and the strong political will of both sides was demonstrated again. At the same time, we had a broad exchange of views on specific infrastructure projects and made important decisions. I am confident that those who participated in that meeting will convey this to the new leadership of Iran. I am sure that all the agreements reached will be implemented because they are based on the interests of the people of Iran and Azerbaijan. We expressed our firm determination during the conversation with the late President Raisi that from now on there would be a significant number of large projects, both bilaterally and multilaterally," said President Ilham Aliyev. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey delivers the State of the State address on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 in Montgomery, Ala. (Stew Milne for Alabama Reflector) State employees will be given Juneteenth as a holiday, according to a memo that Gov. Kay Ivey sent to state department leaders on Monday The memo identifies the state holidays for the remaining part of the year, including Juneteenth on June 19, a holiday marking the end of American slavery. All state offices will be closed on the above dates, except those in areas where it is essential to maintain personnel. If it is necessary for any employee to work on any of these holidays, they should be allowed time off as soon thereafter as possible, Ivey stated in the memo that she wrote. Other holidays include not only Thanksgiving Day, but also the Friday after Thanksgiving, as well as Christmas and New Years Day. Gina Maiola, communications director for Ivey, said Monday the memo did not list all the state holidays but that the governor added a couple of days, Juneteenth and the day after Thanksgiving. President Joe Biden in 2021 signed a law making Juneteenth a federal holiday. But efforts to declare Juneteenth a state holiday in Alabama where 435,000 men, women and children were held in slavery prior to the Civil War has been difficult. The Alabama House of Representatives in April approved HB 4, sponsored by Rep. Juandalynn Givan, D-Birmingham, a measure that was amended to resemble HB 367, sponsored by Rep. Chris Sells, R-Greenville, The House-passed bill would have required state employees to take either Juneteenth off or Jefferson Davis Birthday on June 3, a state holiday honoring the former Confederate president and slaveholder. The choice was not in the original version of Givans bill. Sells said in an interview that employees already had 13 holidays and that he did not want to add another day, so his legislation would give state employees the option to choose which of those holidays they wanted off. The bill did not come to a vote in the Senate. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Gov. Kay Ivey makes Juneteenth Alabama state holiday for 2024 appeared first on Alabama Reflector. A legislative committee on state-tribal relations met for the first time of the year Monday to discuss tobacco tax compacts between the state and tribes. They also signed off on two car tag compacts between Oklahoma and the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. Gov. Kevin Stitt and some Oklahoma legislative leaders want more tribes to let the state issue their license plates to gain direct access to tribal citizens car tag and registration information. But a Seminole Nation tax official cautioned the Legislatures Joint State Tribal Relations Committee that such arrangements arent realistic for every tribe. Compacts arent a one-size-fits-all for all tribal nations, said Sharon Scott, who directs the tribes Business and Corporate Regulatory Commission. We all have different needs. We all have different jurisdictions. Mondays hearing was the first time the tribal relations committee had met since Stitt ramped up his criticism of tribal tags, which he has framed as public safety nightmares. The governor has repeatedly claimed, as recently as Friday, that officers only have access to information about vehicles with Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation plates, because the state issues those tags under the terms of current compacts. But Scott told lawmakers that Oklahoma police have access to most tribes plate information, even though the state does not print their plates or have active car tag compacts with them. Twenty-seven of the 33 tribes that issue plates share vehicle information every day with a statewide law enforcement database, said Scott, who also chairs a statewide intertribal tax group. At least two of the six tribes that arent part of the database make their vehicle information available to police in other ways, she said. Moving to a system where the state takes over issuing plates would not work for the Seminole Nation, Scott said. The rural tribe and many others rely on motor-vehicle revenues to provide programs and services for their citizens, including road improvements and school grants that help everyone in the community, she said. More: An Oklahoma trooper ticketed a driver over her tribal license plate. What happened next? Two tickets over Oklahoma tribal tags ignited controversy in November Stitt has mounted a public campaign for tribal officials to sign on to such arrangements since November, when he backed state troopers who had ticketed at least two drivers with tribal tags. Officers claimed the drivers lived outside of their tribes jurisdiction and should have had state plates. While those tickets were eventually dropped, they set off a whirlwind of controversy. Stitt has said compacts would be an easy way to clear up the confusion. He has also described tribal tags as revenue drains because the states toll pass readers can only read Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation plates. Under the states agreements with those tribes, Chickasaw and Choctaw citizens purchase their plates and renew their registration through state tag offices, and Oklahoma eventually remits a portion of the fees back to the tribes. The Turnpike Authority can use tribal citizens plate information to collect tolls. Stitt agreed to renew the Chickasaw and Choctaw compacts earlier this year. The state tribal relations committee voted to formally approve the agreements Monday. Trevor Pemberton, Stitts general counsel, said at the hearing that the governors office had offered similar terms to other tribes but did not go into specifics. More: Oklahoma tribes need more money for policing, Cherokee, Muscogee officials tell Congress We like the compacts so much with the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations that we believe that these would make good model compacts for others moving forward, Pemberton said. Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for Stitt, did not respond to questions about when the offers were made or how the offers had been received. Sen. Brent Howard, R-Altus, who chairs the joint committee, said he believed similar agreements would benefit both the state and other tribes. I do somewhat agree that they are compacts that we would like to see all other nations enter into with the state, or at least some form or fashion of these, he said. The only other car tag compact Oklahoma currently has on the books is an agreement with the Cherokee Nation. That deal is set to expire at the end of the year. Pemberton said Monday that negotiations are ongoing. The Cherokee Nation operates its own tag agencies, and Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. has described retaining the current structure as essential to any future compact. Drivers with Cherokee plates have millions in unpaid tolls, Gov. Stitt says Stitt said during a press conference Friday that he wanted to reach an agreement, in large part because he wants to ensure the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority can begin charging drivers with Cherokee plates. Those drivers have racked up more than $5 million in unpaid tolls in the last eight months, he said. Scott said state and tribal officials met last fall to begin working through the toll reader issue. She said many tribal leaders supported sharing plate information in exchange for some portion of toll revenues, similar to deals that already exist between Oklahoma and other states, she said. However, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority said Tuesday that no such revenue-share deals exist. "OTA has direct agreements with some states to provide their vehicle registration information to the agency for the governmental purpose of collecting a toll," Lisa Shearer-Salim said in an email. "OTA also uses third-party vendors to gather this information from states." Talks between tribal leaders and turnpike officials broke down after state police began issuing tickets tied to tribal tags and have not resumed, Scott said. House Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, said he was disheartened to hear that no progress had been made in recent months and warned that lawmakers may consider a legislative fix next year if necessary. Echols terms out of office at the end of this year. The legislative hearing was the second discussion about state-tribal relations in the Capitol on Monday. The governor's One Oklahoma Task Force formed to improve public safety on tribal reservations met briefly to approve its final report. Public Safety Secretary Tricia Everest, who chairs the task force, declined to release a draft copy of the report after the meeting and said the final version would be released before the June 1 deadline handed down by the governor. It's unclear how much traction the recommendations outlined in the report will gain. No representative of a tribal nation has been involved in the task force, which met several times this spring. Editor's note: This story has been updated to add comments from the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority. Molly Young covers Indigenous affairs. Reach her at mollyyoung@gannett.com or 405-347-3534. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Controversy over tribal tags flares at Oklahoma legislative hearing TOPEKA (KSNT) The State of Kansas is distributing millions in cash towards innovative technology projects to improve road and school safety. Governor Laura Kelly announced on Tuesday, May 21 that $3.5 million is being awarded to more than a dozen projects in Kansas through the Kansas Department of Transportations (KDOT) Innovative Technology Program. A significant amount of these funds will go to improving safety for drivers and school children in northeast Kansas. My administration is delivering technological advancements to increase transportation safety in every corner of the state, Kelly said. Through collaboration with local entities, this investment supports innovative transportation improvements in rural and urban communities. Five projects will receive funds from the $3.5 million pot announced Tuesday. These include the following locations and projects: Replacement of school crossing lights and signage City of Rossville, Shawnee County $21,000 Digital speed sign City of Olsburg, Pottawatomie County $7,500 Radar speed sign City of Valley Falls, Jefferson County $6,217 School zone sign enhancement Pottawatomie County $6,000 Noninvasive barrier repair lightweight system Kansas State University, Riley County $18,682 What is your opinion on EV charging in Kansas? KDOTs Innovative Technology Program invests money into projects that improve safety, access or mobility and implement new transportation technology. Projects that are usually accepted by the program include aviation and rail upgrades, traffic engineering and school zone enhancements and truck simulators for commercial drivers license program expansion. New and emerging technologies offer the potential for a safer, more efficient transportation system, said Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed. This latest round of Innovative Technology projects demonstrates how Kansas communities are proactively turning to technology to improve operations for now and the future. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Follow Matthew Self on X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/MatthewLeoSelf Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Gov. Scott signs bill into law to curb influence of insurance companies on VT health care Gov. Phil Scott has signed a bill into law that will streamline insurance requirements for health care in Vermont. The bill, H.766, reduces administrative delays and removes barriers to care for Vermont patients, according to legislators and health care providers who backed the legislation. "H.766 will stop insurance companies from coming between you and the care you need," Sen. Ginny Lyons, D-Chittenden Southeast, said in a statement. "Vermonters who have struggled to access timely medical care and their practitioners will no longer be frustrated by administrative barriers that put health care on hold." Rep. Alyssa Black, D-Essex, lead sponsor of the bill, took the opportunity to once again reject the argument made by insurance companies that H.766 will ultimately drive up health care costs, saying she trusts health care providers to keep costs in check. A respiratory therapist at the University of Vermont Medical Center Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (ICU) cares for a COVID-19 positive child receiving care on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. "Primary care spends less, orders fewer tests, fewer unnecessary labs, and provides the most economic, best bang for your buck," Black said in a statement. "I am thrilled that Gov. Scott understands that our overstretched primary care workforce can no longer bear the brunt of this administrative burden." Insurance companies were telling doctors what they could and couldn't do, says family physician Dr. Katie Martin, a family physician at Lamoille Health Partners in Morrisville, said earlier this month that the situation had reached a point where "insurance companies can tell us what we can and can't do, even in life-threatening emergencies, and the victims are always the patients." The University of Vermont Health Care Network, the state's largest health care provider, pushed for the bill's passage, together with the Vermont Medical Society, Vermont Academy of Family Physicians and American Academy of Pediatrics Vermont Chapter. "Vermont patients are the winners today," Marvin said. Contact Dan DAmbrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DanDambrosioVT. This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Gov. Phil Scott signed bill to streamline VT health insurance Governor: Around 100 civilians remain in Vovchansk, Russians have threatened to shoot them Around 100 Ukrainian civilians remain in the embattled town of Vovchansk, but Russian forces refuse to allow them to leave and have threatened to shoot them, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on state television on May 21. Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed on May 15 that Russian troops had entered the northern parts of Vovchansk. The Ukrainian military said at the time it had prevented Russia from establishing a foothold deeper in the town. Syniehubov said on May 20 that more than 10,500 civilians had been evacuated from Kharkiv Oblast amid the renewed Russian onslaught. The governor said on May 21 that those who remained in Vovchansk would be evacuated at the soonest possible opportunity but that 100 civilians had been effectively "taken hostage" by Russian troops and could not leave. Serhii Bolvinov, the head of the investigative department of the police of Kharkiv Oblast, said on May 17 that Russian forces had captured at least 40 civilians, most of whom were elderly, and were using them as human shields. Similar allegations have been made by other Ukrainian officials since Russia's new offensive in Kharkiv Oblast. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on May 16 that Russian forces were taking Ukrainian civilians captive and preventing their evacuation. "We know of the first cases of executions of civilians by the Russian military," Klymenko said on Telegram. Klymenko said that a Vovchansk resident was killed by Russian soldiers after he refused to obey their orders and attempted to escape on foot. Police investigators have opened a criminal case on the grounds of violations of rules of war. Read also: Russias new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. NEW MEXICO (KRQE) Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will travel to the East Coast this week. The governor will be in New York on Wednesday for the Start City Expo USA where she will join a panel discussion on sustainable investments. New Mexico governor facing lawsuit from NRA over new gun waiting period law On Thursday, she will attend a state dinner at the White House for the President of Kenya. She is scheduled to be back in New Mexico on Friday. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRQE NEWS 13 - Breaking News, Albuquerque News, New Mexico News, Weather, and Videos. Then state Rep. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, presents a bill on the Louisiana House floor on May 23, 2023. (Wes Muller/Louisiana Illuminator) A Louisiana House committee added controversial language back to a bill that would give the governor authority to directly select the presiding officer for hundreds of appointed boards. On a party-line 9-3 vote Tuesday, the House and Governmental Affairs Committee advanced the new version of Senate Bill 462 by Sen. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs. It includes provisions that had been stripped out by a series of Senate amendments. In its current state, the governor would have the power to select the chair for most state boards and commissions, including the five higher education oversight boards and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. The bill would not apply to any board or commission that a statewide elected official chairs, such as the State Bond Commission. Hodges argued her bill does not give the governor any additional power, but rather moves up the timeline for the governors control of a board. Presently, most boards have staggered terms for their members. This design means a governor has to wait sometimes years before he or she has appointed every member of a particular board, which acts as a check on their power. Democrats on the committee disagreed with Hodges assessment, arguing the bill would make boards especially the education oversight boards more political. Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, dubbed Hodges bill the King Landry bill, a reference to former Gov. Huey Long, nicknamed the Kingfish for the immense power he exercised over the state. After Longs tenure, the state eventually passed a series of reforms designed to temper the governors authority, though Louisianas chief executive still exerts more control over state government than governors in other states. The Legislature this year has advanced a series of bills that seek to give the governor more authority. In addition to Hodges bill, lawmakers are considering a proposal to give the governor more authority over the ethics board, which is currently seeking to discipline Landry. Another would allow the governor to assert more influence over the state Civil Service Commission, and legislation has been approved to take away outside oversight from the publicly-funded Governors Mansion. Because Hodges bill was amended by the House, it will need approval again from the Senate, which already stripped out the added language. It could mean an uphill battle for the revised measure when it returns. In an interview after the committee hearing, Hodges said she was not concerned about getting the needed votes in the Senate. Senate President Cameron Henry, R-Metairie, said he expected the Senate would reject the amendments and instead opt to send it to a conference committee, in which three legislators from each chamber meet behind closed doors to work out a compromise bill. The Senate passed a version of her bill that would change the terms of governor-appointed boards not in the Louisiana Constitution to run concurrently with their term, giving the governor immediate control over those positions. Language that aimed to limit the governors authority only to boards and commissions not in the constitution was designed to protect education-related boards, which is a primary point of contention with Hodges bill. The original version would have allowed the governor to directly hire university system presidents, which state law defines as officers. Hodges bill is supported by Gov. Jeff Landry, who has said higher education is the motivating factor behind the bill. This fight is all about universities, Landry said in an April interview with WAFB-TV. The people of this state are ready for these universities to start taking some responsibility for putting out students that are graduating with degrees that they cant even get a job for. Governors already appoint members of the four university and college system boards of supervisors. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the accrediting body for Louisiana universities, requires that governing boards for its accredited schools are free from undue external influence. Critics have raised concerns that giving the governor additional authority over higher education governing boards could put the accreditation of state colleges and universities in jeopardy. Hodges told committee members the new language had been okayed by SACSCOC but later said she had not been on the call that a Senate staff attorney made to the organization. Steven Procopio, president of the good government advocacy group Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, cast doubt on Hodges claims. That is not something you can just call up SACS and get an answer for, Procopio said. They can probably give you the best answer, but theres a SACS commission and their representatives that will come and periodically review that accreditation. Janae Johnson, a spokesperson for SACSCOC, said in a statement that the bills language would not be a violation of the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation. Regardless of the impact to accreditation, several Democrats on the committee raised concerns the bill would increase the politicization of education governing boards something Hodges did not deny. We need to align policy initiatives on the boards and commissions with the Republican governor that we elected to get the job done, Hodges said. Ryan Roberts, Landrys director of boards and commissions, pointed to states such as Texas and Florida, which give the governor more authority over higher education than Louisiana does. The comparison alarmed some on the committee, as higher education in those states has become increasingly politicized. If it becomes too political and we dont put the right person in leadership, were going to have a problem, Rep. Ed Larvadain, D-Alexandria, said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has vowed to transform New College, a public university in Sarasota, into a conservative institution. His pledge has led to a loss of faculty, a flurry of First Amendment lawsuits and a board of trustees stacked with DeSantis allies who have rejected tenure recommendations. Hodges bill will next be discussed by the House of Representatives. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Governors power over boards restored in legislative proposal appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) urged Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to move forward with bipartisan legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court (ICC) after its prosecutor announced Monday he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders. Graham praised Schumers condemnation of the ICCs move in a statement on the social platform X on Monday but called for further action to deter the courts threats in the future. I completely agree with Senator Schumers strong condemnation of the ICCs action against Israel today, he wrote. However, it is now time to follow strong words with strong deeds. It is imperative that the Senate, in a bipartisan way, comes up with crippling sanctions against the ICC, the senator continued. Not only to support Israel but to deter any future action against American personnel. The ICC threatened to come after Americans once. This farce at the ICC needs to end, Graham added, echoing his statement earlier Monday that recalled the international court once threatened to bring sanctions against U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The ICC prosecutor, Karim Khan, said Monday he is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas officials for what he said he concluded were war crimes and crimes against humanity amid the war in Gaza. The announcement met broad condemnation from leaders of both parties Monday. Schumer, in remarks on the Senate floor, said the decision to seek warrants for Israeli leaders alongside Hamas terrorists is reprehensible and profoundly unfair, and he accused the ICC of harboring biases against Israel for decades. This decision suggesting an equivalency between Israel and Hamas is another glaring example of that bias against Israel, the New York Democrat said. As I have said many times, there has never been and there never can be any equivalency between Israels right to defend itself against terror and Hamass barbarity, Schumer added. The ICCs decision seeking warrants against Israeli leaders is not only shameful, but also fails to follow protocol and process in a country where it has zero jurisdiction. The Senate leader pledged to work with President Biden who also denounced the decision as outrageous and members on all sides to keep support for Israel strong and unwavering. The Hill has reached out to Schumers office for comment. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) slammed Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for an American flag that flew upside down at his Virginia home in 2021, saying that despite tensions reportedly running high in the neighborhood at the time, it was not good judgment on Alitos part. Emotions are apparently high in that neighborhood, Graham told reporters Monday. But no, its not good judgment to do that. He said his wife was insulted and got mad. I assume that to be true, but hes still a Supreme Court justice, and people have to realize that [at] moments like that to think it through. The Senate Judiciary Committees ranking member delivered the criticism of the conservative justice following a report from The New York Times last week, featuring a photo of the flag flying upside down outside Alitos home. Flying the American flag upside down is associated with the Stop the Steal movement, based on false claims of election of fraud in the 2020 election. The photo was taken outside of Alitos Alexandria, Va., home nearly two weeks after Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol building, and a few days ahead of President Bidens inauguration. Alito, in response to the Times, said the flag was put up by his wife, Martha-Ann, and he had no part in it. A day later, he told Fox News anchor Shannon Bream that he and his wife had an exchange with a neighbor. Alito says the man engaged in vulgar language, including the c-word, Bream reported Friday. Democrats in both chambers have criticized the conservative judge, with Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) calling for him to recuse himself from upcoming cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. An appointee of former President George W. Bush who was confirmed to the nations highest court in 2006, Alito has faced scrutiny from Democrats previously over reports he has received vacations and gifts from wealthy Republican donors. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 20. Latvia can take part in the restoration of Azerbaijan's Shusha city, Latvian Parliament Speaker Daiga Mierina said during today's briefing in Baku, Trend reports. During the visit to Azerbaijan, it was discussed how Latvia can take part in the restoration of the city of Shusha or otherwise help the region. Cooperation in the field of agriculture, logistics, tourism, exchange in the field of education and culture was discussed, she explained. Mierina pointed out that this is her first visit to Azerbaijan. I am really pleased to visit your beautiful country, and very glad that yesterday we had the opportunity to visit Karabakh and witness aftermath of this very harsh period in your country's history, the official also said. She added that Azerbaijan is an important partner of Latvia. To note, a delegation led by Mierina, arrived in Azerbaijan on an official visit on May 18. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The Grapevile-Colleyville school board voted 6-0 Monday to go after former Colleyville Heritage High School principal James Whitfield for legal fees. Newly elected Place 2 trustee Dalia Begin abstained from the vote. It comes after Whitfield unsuccessfully sued the district and board member Tammy Nakamura for disparaging him during a June 2022 school board panel discussion sponsored by the Republican National Committee. He alleged her comments violated a November 2021 settlement agreement. Nakamura told the panel that Whitfields activism led to calls for his dismissal, citing accusations hed promoted so-called critical race theory. However, Nakamura, who was elected in May 2022, argued in court documents she wasnt bound by the settlement, because she wasnt a board member when it was signed. A Tarrant County court agreed, and dismissed the case against her in June 2023. The district then pushed to throw out the rest of the case, arguing Nakamuras comments didnt violate the agreement. The court dismissed that case on April 11. Now the district will try to get Whitfield to pay for its legal fees. Grapevine-Colleyville taxpayers should not have to pay for one mans political quest, Nakamura said after Mondays vote. She thanked her fellow board members for their vote, and said shes looking forward to moving past the lawsuit. Whitfield did not immediately respond to a text message requesting comment after the vote Monday night. Whitfield was the first Black principal at Colleyville Heritage High School when he was hired in 2020. In July 2021, a former school board candidate accused Whitfield of promotingcritical race theory, which led to calls for his firing. After a series of board meetings, the district and Whitfield reached a settlement where he would remain on administrative leave until August 2023 in exchange for not commenting on the dispute publicly. Whitfield took to social media Sunday to point out that Judge Megan Fahey, who presided over both cases, received a $5,000 political donation from lawyer and school board candidate Mike Alfred. The post noted Alfred had worked for board president Shannon Braun in 2021, and filed to run for school board roughly a month after making the donation. Alfred lost his race for Place 2 to Begin by 29 votes during the May 4 election. When asked if he believed Alfreds political donation influenced the outcome of his case, he said, Ill leave that for others to decide. I just want there to be a level of transparency surrounding these happenings, in an email to the Star-Telegram ahead of Mondays vote. Alfred vehemently denied the suggestion that his donation played any role in the case. He said hes been friends with Faheys husband for over 25 years, called her a very qualified judge, and said the county needs more like her. He also noted his donation was less than 10% of the total amount shes raised since 2020, and called the suggestion she would be swayed to by his donation stupid. Whitfield currently serves as the superintendent of Treetops School International in Euless. Greendale will host law enforcement's headquarters for the RNC. Here's what we know. Thousands of local, state and federal law enforcement officers who are coming to Milwaukee for the 2024 Republican National Convention will operate from a temporary headquarters in Greendale. The City of Milwaukee signed a contract in late February to pay $726,998 to occupy the building at 5400 S. 60th St. from March 4 to August 31, according to the contract between the city and owner. It was one of eight locations in the running to be the HQ. The convention itself is being held July 15-18 in Milwaukee. At the end of February, the City of Milwaukee signed a contract to occupy a building in Greendale at 5400 S. 60th St. between March 4 and August 31 to act as a headquarters for police during the 2024 Republican National Convention. The 164,800-square-foot building, which sits on 14.5 acres, is owned by Future1 LLC, a Pewaukee-based Reiman family investment group, which bought the property for $8.2 million in 2022. The facility was once headquarters to Greendale's Reiman Publications and most recently housed Milwaukee-area Goodwill operations until 2021. When Future1 bought the property in 2022, the facility fell again under the umbrella of Reiman ownership. Here's what we know about plans for the Greendale property during the RNC and beyond: Headquarters to serve as home base for thousands of state and federal law enforcement officers in town for RNC Why does the RNC need a headquarters or "emergency operation center," as it's been dubbed in other requests for proposals? Jeff Fleming, communication director for the Milwaukee mayor's office, said although he couldn't share specific details about the security arrangements, he put the number of incoming personnel in the thousands hence a separate request for proposals seeking 1,000 rooms for officers not from the immediate area. "Because of the security arrangements, existing Milwaukee Police facilities needed to be augmented to provide an additional resource," Fleming said. It's not just Milwaukee's police and fire departments or city and county offices of emergency management who will be prepared to respond during the convention. According to the city's FAQ on public safety for the RNC, local groups are working with state and federal law enforcement and emergency management entities, including the U.S. Secret Service. The convention is a designated National Special Security Event, or NSSE, meaning Secret Service members lead the security plan's design and implementation, according to the FAQ. Potential impacts to the public will be communicated once the security plan is fully established, according to the FAQ. RNC security costs, including the Greendale HQ, will be paid for with federal grant money, not local taxes The city expects all security operations to be paid for with Department of Justice grant money, through the event's status as an NSSE, according to the city's FAQ. Fleming said Milwaukee and Chicago (where the Democratic National Convention will be held in August) were the only ones applying for the grant, but they still had to receive approval from Congress. Why was the Greendale location selected for police headquarters during the RNC? When the Milwaukee Police Department first posted the request for proposal in April of 2023, Future1 wasn't the only interested contender. There were eight locations that submitted proposals according to a scoring summary that ranked them on a variety of factors, including one that would have placed the HQ in Glendale. But despite developer excitement and city involvement in the Glendale facility, it placed sixth in the scoring summary. Future1 scored the highest out of all applicants, receiving comparably higher marks on square footage and available space, as well as parking and loading dock access elements the Glendale facility, submitted through supplier Peak Development, didn't score well on. The facility, built in 1958 and remodeled in 2015, is at South 60th Street and West Loomis Road. It stands across from Greendale's police and fire departments as well as the entryway to the village's historic downtown area. That places it at a thoroughfare through the southwest suburbs of Milwaukee, according to promotional materials for the building, between 15 and 20 minutes from downtown Milwaukee depending on exact destination and traffic. Greendale Village Manager Mike Hawes said both 60th Street and Loomis Road provide easy access to Interstate 43 and the contiguous Interstates 41 and 94. Hawes said the location is "out of the way enough" to not pose too big of a nuisance for Greendale residents going about their lives during the convention. It is unclear whether or how the facility is currently being used, though a visit on May 14 showed landscaping taking place and the presence of one MPD vehicle. Greendale facility owner up to date on taxes Future1 LLC is up to date on its tax payments. Hawes said the company's tax payment had been delayed in the mail. Once the village received it, the postmark listed was prior to the due date, so the village updated public information to say the payment was timely. According to information gathered at the time this story was written, public records with the Milwaukee County Treasurer's Office showed that Future1 LLC had been delinquent on 2023 property taxes at that location by $80,719.78. At the time, Fleming had said, "Ordinarily, tax delinquency to another jurisdiction would not preclude the city of Milwaukee from entering into a contract with that entity," he said. What to know about the owner of the building: a Reiman family investment group Future1 is an affiliate of Hexagon Inc., a private investment firm with offices in Denver and Milwaukee founded by Scott Reiman, according to Wisconsin's Department of Financial Institutions. Scott Reiman is the son of Roy Reiman, who operated the largest subscription-supported publishing firm in the U.S. out of the building for around 30 years. He founded Reiman Publications in 1965 and moved it to the Greendale site in the 1970s, buying a former Allis-Chalmers Corp. nuclear power research facility. Reiman Publications produced magazines such as Taste of Home, Reminisce and Farm & Ranch Living. When Hexagon acquired the property in April of 2022, the firm's president Mike Hipp cited the Reiman family's previous ownership in the decision to buy it. Roy Reiman and his wife, Bobbi, still own a home near the former company headquarters, Hipp told the Journal Sentinel at the time. According the Federal Election Commission's political donations database, Roy Reiman has donated at least $327,550 to national and state Republican parties, candidates and SuperPACs between 2002 and 2022. That total includes at least $38,300 between 2016 and 2019 sent to fundraising entities for Donald Trump, particularly Trump Victory and Donald J. Trump For President, INC. Meanwhile, Scott Reiman, the current Hexagon CEO, has donated at least $550,000 to national and state parties, candidates and SuperPACs between 2002 and 2022, according to Open Secrets, a nonprofit organization that tracks campaign finance and lobbying data. Most of the donations, though not all, were to Republican entities, and he'd frequently donate to Democratic candidates prior to 2010. Hipp, Scott Reiman and Roy Reiman could not be reached by phone after calling each twice on Friday, May 17, and once on Monday, May 20. What are plans for the facility after the RNC? Since Future1 bought the property in 2022, the company has been in the process of searching for a long-term tenant, Hawes said. The website 5400headquarters.com provides photos of the facility, a virtual tour, floor plans and an offering summary. Though the contract for use of the space didn't require approval through village government channels, Hawes said the village has been kept in the loop during the process. Editor's note, 5/21/2024: This story has been updated to reflect that Future1 LLC is up to date on its property taxes. Contact Claudia Levens at clevens@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @levensc13. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Greendale location picked for RNC law enforcement headquarters A chimpanzee has been carrying around her dead baby for months, a heartbreaking sight for visitors at a zoo in Spain. The grieving chimp, named Natalia, gave birth to an infant ape about three months ago at Bioparc Valencia, but the baby died just days later, Miguel Casares, director general of the zoo, told Reuters. "She has been carrying her ever since," Casares said. "This behavior has been described in chimpanzees, not only in zoos, but also in the wild." Natalia, a chimpanzee that has carried her dead baby for months, looks on as she sits on a rock at Valencia's Bioparc in Spain. / Credit: Nacho Doce/REUTERS The ape has been seen hanging on to her child's body as she sits among the other chimpanzees. The sight of the dead animal can initially come as a shock to visitors, zoo officials said. "As soon as we explain to them why we have left it and why we are keeping it under observation, they understand it," Casares said. According to Reuters, Natalia also lost a baby in 2018. Zoo officials are closely monitoring her, saying that her grieving process must be respected. Natalia, a chimpanzee that has carried her dead baby for months, is comforted by Cala, the baby of Noelia (L), a chimpanzee at Valencia's Bioparc, Spain. / Credit: Nacho Doce/REUTERS Chimps grieve in similar ways to humans, who share about 98% of their genes with primates. Research published in 2010 found that the apes exhibit a "highly developed awareness of death." In one study, scientists observed chimpanzee mothers whose babies died continuing to carry and groom their children's lifeless bodies for nearly 70 days. Chimpanzees are considered to be an "endangered" species by the World Wildlife Foundation. Their population is estimated to be between 170,000 and 300,000, according to the wildlife organization. Poaching, loss of habitat and infants sold to wildlife traffickers are among the biggest threats to their existence. The Dish: Spaghetti stir fry is a family favorite Broadcast legend James Brown receives lifetime achievement award How the cicada phenomenon is capturing our collective attention Grieving Zoo Chimpanzee Continues to Cling to Her Late Child Three Months After Baby's Death Natalia the chimp has been carrying her dead baby since February when the newborn primate died a few days after their birth REUTERS/Nacho Doce Natalia the chimpanzee at BIOPARC Valencia A zoo chimpanzee's child died in February. Three months later, the grieving mother continues to carry the baby chimp's body. In February, a chimpanzee named Natalia gave birth at BIOPARC Valencia, a zoo park in Valencia, Spain. Several days later, the newborn primate died. Natalia has refused to part with the baby chimpanzee's body since, Reuters reported. According to the outlet, Natalia started holding her child's body to her chest shortly after the baby chimpanzee's death and has continued to cling to the body, walking around with it in the zoo's chimp enclosure since February. Recent photos of Natalia at the zoo show the ape interacting with other chimps while cradling the dead baby's body. Since Natalia has continued to carry her child's remains now in an advanced state of decomposition BIOPARC employees have had to explain her situation to zoo-goers who were initially unsettled by the sight, Miguel Casares, the head of the Spanish zoo, told Reuters. Related: Shock Twist at Columbus Zoo as 'Male' Gorilla Gives Birth to Surprise Baby Girl "Our visitors, who at first are quite shocked by the sight of a dead baby, understand as soon as we explain to them why we have left it and why we keep it under observation," he told Reuters. The zoo's reason? The chimpanzee is grieving the death of a loved one in her own way. And Natalia's choice to keep her child's body close is not unusual, according to Casares. "This is a conduct that has been previously observed in chimpanzees, not only in zoos but also in the wild," he told the outlet. Casares added that though Natalia's mourning process has lasted longer than expected, it should be respected, just as different grieving styles are among humans. The zoo has closely monitored Natalia, who lost a child in 2018 as well, since the death of her child in February, Reuters reported. BIOPARC did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. A grieving animal mother keeping her late child close after death is a behavior that has been observed in orcas as well. In August 2018, a mother orca whale exhibited what scientists dubbed an "unprecedented" period of mourning, carrying her dead calf off the coast of Seattle for over two weeks. At the time, scientists worried for the grieving whale's health, as she not only carried her late offspring but also lost the desire to forage and feed, which put her in danger of losing her foraging abilities. But after 17 days, the whale finally parted with the body, the Center for Whale Research announced at the time, writing that the mom "vigorously chased a school of salmon with her pod-mates in mid-Haro Strait in front of the Center for Whale Research for a half mile no longer carrying the deceased baby that she had carried for at least seventeen days and 1,000 miles." "Her tour of grief is now over and her behavior is remarkably frisky." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. The Fort Worth City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to contribute $37,500 to a Hispanic Chamber-led study of development on Panther Island. The money is part of a $230,000 study looking at ways to preserve neighborhoods while limiting displacement in neighborhoods surrounding the planned 338-acre man-made island north of downtown. Other funders include the Amon G. Carter Foundation, the North Texas Community Foundation and the urban planning nonprofit Urban Land Institutes national and Fort Worth district branches. In surveying residents about what kinds of business development they want to see, the conversations eventually work their way back to housing affordability, Hispanic Chamber President Annette Landeros told the City Council Tuesday. Its hard to ask what people want to see in 20 years when theyre not sure theyll be able to live there, she said. The study will look at development on the island along with the Historic Marine and north side neighborhoods directly to the north. Residents in those areas have expressed concern that rising property values will force out longtime residents and change the character of their neighborhoods. The chamber is also contracting with the community engagement firm DEI Consultants headed up by Lake Como resident and community leader Estrus Tucker. The team will hold a series of meetings between June and September to hear from residents about what theyd like to see from future development. Fort Worth cares about preserving the north side, said Mayor Mattie Parker. That is very important to me. The study is expected to wrap up by the end of the year and issue a report in December. Landeros acknowledged its a tight timeline, but argued time is of the essence as real estate speculation is already underway on the island. GROVETOWN, Ga. (WJBF) For months, Kelly Landrum has been increasingly calling the Columbia County Sheriff`s Office E-911 Communications Center for assistance. However, for the past two months Landrum has called 911 for issues that have not been emergency related. Although Landrum has been informed by several deputies to use the nonemergency number, she continued to call 911 for situations that did not require emergency assistance. On April 27th, she called requesting a welfare check on herself, but would only speak with one specific deputy. On May 12th, she called at 1:18 a.m. and indicated that a raccoon was on her front porch and she wanted a deputy to taze it. At 2:37 a.m., she called again requesting for a deputy to escort her to the dumpster. Later that same day at 5:21 p.m., the subject called 911 again stating that her cell phone was not working and she needed for a deputy to Google the hours of operation for three local businesses because she was hungry. Authorities explained to her that day that 911 is reserved for emergency calls. On May 14th, Ms. Landrum was upset that her estranged husband had her telephone number, though she could not prove to the responding deputy that he called her. On May 15th, she called 911 again and hung up. Columbia County Communications Operators attempted to call Landrum back, but did not get an answer; 12 seconds later she called 911 again, but did not speak. On May 19th at 2 a.m., Landrum called 911 again and requested for a female deputy and also told the dispatchers that her head was hurting so Gold Cross was notified to respond as well. A Sergeant with Grovetown P.D. arrived at 2:21 a.m. and attempted to speak with Landrum who refused to open the door for him. During the sergeants attempts to get her to open the door, she continued to call 911, however she would not respond to the dispatchers, nor would she hang up the telephone line. Dispatchers indicated that Ms. Landrum began yelling and asking for Gold Cross. After 25 minutes of trying to get the subject to the door, authorities used a tool to gain entry into the home to make sure she was in fact ok. As the door opened, Landrum dropped her head to her right shoulder and began shaking her legs and head as if she were having a seizure. She began fluttering her eyes and swallowing abruptly. Gold Cross responded to the scene, and immediately assessed her vital signs. When deputies and Gold Cross spoke about and questioned the validity of Ms. Landrum`s seizure, she opened her eyes disdainfully. Authorities say she told them about several of her previous police encounters very coherently and precisely. She tried tried to justify her behavior saying that she has pseudo seizures that turn into real seizures. After EMS determined that she was fine, they still offered her a ride to the hospital for treatment. Ms. Landrum only refused transportation when she believed that she was not going to be arrested. Reports say Ms. Landrum was confrontational, rude and belittling with all deputies, both EMS workers, all deputy jailers and the registered nurse who tried to complete the booking process. According to Columbia County Detention Center records, 54-year-old Landrum has been held at the detention center since Sunday on a secure bond of $1,100 Unlawful Conduct During a 911 Call is classified as a misdemeanor in Georgia. If convicted, Landrum could face a fine of $500 and 12 months in jail. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF. GULF BREEZE, Fla. (WKRG) Gulf Island National Seashore is hosting programs for Memorial Day weekend across its various parks. Two special programs are being held at Fort Pickens during Memorial Day Weekend as well as their regular programs. National Rescue Dog Day raises awareness for shelter canines (feat. photos of the News 5 teams pets) Civil War Encampment allows visitors to see what it was like to live in Fort Pickens during the Civil War Era. The program is available from 9 a.m. through 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The second special program is Cannon Demonstrations where park rangers show visitors how to use Civil War cannons and learn how these weapons influenced soldiers. The program is available Sunday and Monday at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Along with these special programs, regular programs are still being offered. In the Fort Pickens Park, Guardian on the Gulf is offered Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. where you can learn about the history of Fort Pickens. Secrets of the Seashore is offered Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 3 p.m. and discover the wonders of the Gulf of Mexico. In the Davis Bayou Park, Rangers Choice Hike is offered every day at 1 p.m. where you can hike the local area. Pensacola Civic Band to perform free concert for Memorial Day celebration In the Ship Island Park, Guardian of the Sound: The Story of Ship Island and Fort Massachusetts is offered Wednesday through Sunday at 10:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. where you can learn about the history of Ship Island. Twelve Miles to Freedom is offered on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. where you can hear the story of eight men who journeyed in search of the most valued civil rights. The Pensacola City Bay Ferry Service is open and taking guests on round trips to Fort Pickens on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The Ship Island Excursions ferry summer service to Ship Island is open, operating Wednesday through Sunday. All programs are available on the Gulf Island National Seashore website, on their Facebook page and on the mobile app. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers advocated Tuesday for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and health care professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage, said. The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot Lieberman said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a 1-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers advocated Tuesday for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and healthcare professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage, said. The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said that the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a one-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with newly appointed Ukrainian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Yuriy Husyev on May 21, 2024, Trend reports. The meeting discussed the current agenda of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Ukraine, as well as regional security issues. The minister congratulated the ambassador on his appointment and wished him success in his activities. Furthermore, the sides expressed satisfaction with the development of a strategic partnership between the two countries in the spheres of economy, trade, energy security, transportation and communications, humanitarian, and other spheres. Referring to the preparatory works for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), which will be held under the chairmanship of Azerbaijan, Minister Bayramov noted that COP29 may contribute to the development of relations between the countries with the inclusion of the issue of combating climate change in the agenda of cooperation. The Ambassador expressed gratitude for the warm reception and noted that he would spare no efforts to further develop relations between Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Additionally, gratitude was expressed during the meeting for the constant support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and the humanitarian aid provided. The sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Brandon Bell | Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers advocated Tuesday for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and health care professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage, said. The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said that the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a one-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers advocated Tuesday for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and healthcare professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage, said. The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. Dr. Sofia Chaudhary, pediatrician That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said that the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a one-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers advocated Tuesday for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and healthcare professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage, said. The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said that the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a one-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers advocated Tuesday for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and healthcare professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage, said. The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said that the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a one-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers are advocating for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and health care professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage, said. The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said that the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a one-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. Law enforcement officers speak together outside of Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers advocated Tuesday for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and healthcare professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage, said. The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said that the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a one-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Law enforcement officers speak together outside Robb Elementary School following the mass shooting there on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. As the two-year anniversary of the shooting approaches, gun control advocates are pushing for stricter laws. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images) WASHINGTON U.S. Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin and a coalition of medical officers advocated Tuesday for Congress to pass stronger gun safety laws. Congress should build on the 2022 gun control law following high-profile mass shootings, Durbin, Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy and about 80 members of OnCall4Kids, a group of doctors and health care professionals that advocates for stricter gun laws, said at a Tuesday press conference. There is a constant in America, and one that Im very embarrassed to say we have allowed to transpire and to exist for too long a period of time, and that is gun violence, Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, said. Speakers included Emily and Elliot Lieberman of Illinois and Ashlee Jaffe of Pennsylvania, who survived the July 4, 2022, mass shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, where seven people were killed. It is unlikely that Ill ever be able to do my job again as a result of my injuries, said Jaffe, a pediatric physiatrist, who was shot in the hand and sustained nerve damage. Divided Congress dims chances The speakers pushed for Congress to pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, legislation to regulate the storage of firearms and restrictions on the sale, transfer and receipt of gas-operated semi-automatic firearms and high capacity magazines. But in a divided Congress, with Democrats controlling the Senate and Republicans holding a majority in the House, any gun safety legislation is unlikely to pass. Durbin called for voters to elect candidates who would enact gun-safety legislation. What we need to do and say as American voters: Were going to the polls to elect women and men who have a sense of responsibility to change this once and for all, to take away these gun threats, Durbin said. The press conference came ahead of Fridays two-year anniversary of the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting where 19 children and two teachers were killed. We are losing a generation of children in this country to the trauma of gun violence, Murphy said. That mass shooting, coupled with another in Buffalo, New York, where a white supremacist targeted a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people, led to the passage of gun safety legislation in 2022. Murphy led the coalition of 20 bipartisan senators to pass the legislation. That law led to the creation of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, allocated $750 million for states to enact red flag laws, provided $11 billion in mental health services for schools and families and aimed to curb the illegal trafficking of guns known as straw purchases, in which a buyer can acquire a gun for someone else. Incremental progress While the legislation was historic it was the first time in 30 years Congress passed a comprehensive gun safety bill many Democrats noted that it did not ban assault weapons, a term that generally refers to semiautomatic rifles, or high-capacity magazines. Shooters used those weapons in seven of the most deadly mass shootings in the last decade, according to the Giffords Law Center, an organization that conducts research on gun violence and advocates to end it. Let us not judge the legislation for what it does not do, but for what it does, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, said at the time of the bills passage in the House. Several of the speakers from OnCall4Kids mentioned they were grateful for the gun safety legislation that Congress passed nearly two years ago, but that more needed to be done. Incremental progress is still progress, Emily Lieberman said. However, death rates from firearms continue to climb. Elliot Lieberman said that the leading cause of death for children is firearms. If your child dies in this country, the most likely reason will not be a drowning accident. It wont be a car crash and not even cancer, Elliot said. Its a bullet. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency physician in Atlanta, advocated for laws to require safe storage of firearms. She said those kinds of laws could have saved the lives of several of her patients including a one-month-old who were unintentionally shot by other children These patients haunt me, she said. Their needless, senseless loss haunts me. The piercing cries of their parents haunt me. The post Gun safety group, U.S. Senate architects of 2022 law call for stricter measures appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. As the Manhattan criminal trial of former President Donald Trump heads into the final stretch, a jury will soon deliver a verdict that could raise a series of unprecedented legal and political questions if Trump is convicted. The presumptive Republican nominee is currently facing trial on 34 felony counts over allegations that he falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election. Hes the first former President in the U.S. ever to be indicted, and while he faces three other criminal cases, the New York case will render the first verdict and may be the only case that gets to trial before the election. Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen testified during the trial that Trump personally approved the hush-money reimbursement plan central to the criminal allegations, but questions remain about Cohens credibility given his history of lying and committing crimes. Prosecutors will need to prove to jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Trump not only falsified or caused business records to be entered falsely, but that he did so with the intent to commit or conceal another crime related to violating federal and state election laws. Judge Juan Merchan said that he expects closing arguments on May 28. After the lawyers summarize their cases, the judge will read jury instructions and the jurors will deliberate. If the jurors cant reach an agreement, the judge would declare a mistrial. Whether declared guilty or not guilty, Trump has already laid the groundwork for his response and is poised to leverage either outcome to advance his narrative of victimhood and political persecution. But campaigning under the shadow of a criminal conviction is uncharted territory for presidential politics, and the legal issues only become more acute if he wins the presidency in November. Heres what would happen if Trump is convicted in the New York case. Can Trump still run for President? Yes. A felony conviction will not disqualify Trump from continuing his presidential campaign, even if he were jailed. Thats because under the Constitution, all natural born citizens who are at least 35 years old and have been a resident of the U.S. for 14 years can run for President. There is no constitutional bar on a felon running for office, Richard Hasen, an election law professor at UCLA Law School, told TIME after Trumps first indictment. And given that the U.S. Constitution sets presidential qualifications, it is not clear that states could add to them, such as by barring felons from running for office. At least two candidates with criminal convictions have run for President in the past, albeit unsuccessfully. About 100 years ago, Eugene Debs ran for President while in a federal prison in Atlanta as the nominee of the Socialist Party, and got close to a million votes without ever hitting the campaign trail. Another convicted presidential candidate, Lyndon LaRouche, ran for President in every election between 1976 and 2004including one campaign from prison in which he got over 26,000 votes. Will Trump go to jail? Trump could potentially face imprisonment if hes convicted, though most first-time offenders in non-violent cases are sentenced to probation and fines instead. The decision ultimately lies with Judge Merchan, who is not required to imprison Trump if hes convicted by a jury. The 34 charges Trump faces are all considered class E felonies in New York, the lowest tier of felony charges in the state, which carry a maximum sentence of four years each. Its expected that the judge would impose a concurrent sentence so that Trump would serve all prison time simultaneouslyfour years maximumif he goes that route. But given Trumps age, 77, lack of a prior conviction, the fact that hes the first former President to ever be criminally tried, and that he may become President again, legal experts say theres no guarantee that a conviction would result in jail time. Instead, its more likely that Trump is sentenced to pay a fine and serve a form of supervision time if hes found guilty, perhaps reporting regularly to a civil servant at the citys Probation Department. Under a probation sentence, he could be jailed immediately for committing any additional crimes. Convicted felons sentenced for less than a year are generally sent to New York Citys Rikers Island, where Trumps former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg is currently serving his sentence for crimes related to his work for Trump. Sentences beyond a year would generally be served in one of New Yorks 44 state prisons. Unlike his other criminal cases, if Trump is convicted in this trial and elected President again, he would not be able to try to pardon himself. Falsifying business records is a state crime and only the New York governor, a Democrat, could pardon him. (Even in the federal cases, its an untested legal question whether he could pardon himself.) Can Trump appeal? How long will an appeal take? If Trump is convicted, he will almost certainly appeal the verdicta process that could take months or longer to play out. He would likely first take the case to the Appellate Division in Manhattan, and ultimately seek review from the states highest court, the Court of Appeals in Albany, which has already ruled against Trumps multiple requests to delay the trial. The lengthy appeals process would be unlikely to wrap up before Election Day. Can Trump still vote? To be determined. For Trump to lose his voting rights, he would need to be incarcerated at the time of the November election, a scenario that is technically possible but unlikely given his anticipated appeal of any guilty verdict. While the Constitution does not explicitly address whether convicted felons have the right to vote, several states impose limitations on felons voting privileges. In Florida, where Trump lives and has voted since 2020, a felon's eligibility to vote depends on the laws of the state where the conviction occurredin this instance, New York, which only revokes a felon's voting rights while they are incarcerated. Therefore, if Trump receives a probationary sentence and resides in the community, he would maintain his eligibility to vote. Likewise, if his appeal of a jail sentence were to extend beyond the election, he would be able to vote. What does this mean for Trumps other cases? While a conviction in the hush-money trial would not directly impact Trumps other criminal cases, it could influence his strategy and alter the public perception of him and his legal troubles. For instance, a guilty verdict could bolster the prosecution's case in the eyes of the public and legal observers, potentially influencing jury perceptions and trial dynamics in the remaining cases. A conviction in the hush-money case also could impact Trump's willingness to negotiate plea deals or settlement agreements in his other criminal cases. Prosecutors may also try to use a conviction to undermine Trump's credibility in future trials, and the judges may take the conviction into consideration when determining sentencing. In addition to the hush-money case, Trump is facing 40 felony counts in Florida for allegedly hoarding classified documents and obstructing the governments efforts to retrieve them, four counts in Washington related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and 13 felony counts in Georgia in connection to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election result in that state. Write to Nik Popli at nik.popli@time.com. The Rhode Island State House. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) Big opposition to tiny houses last year took down a legislative attempt to make it easier to build in-law apartments, or accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Now in the home stretch of the 2024 legislative session, a compromise has emerged. Even municipal naysayers backed the amended legislation introduced by Sen. Victoria Gu, a Westerly Democrat, during a May 16 State House hearing. At first glance, Gus version of the ADU bill appears similar to one spearheaded by House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, which passed in the House earlier this year. But the tweaks to building and property size limits, alongside extra powers to cities and towns to set owner occupancy and minimum lease length requirements, have assuaged some of the harshest critics. Really, what we want to do is to keep as much local control as possible, giving municipalities the tools to expand ADUs based on their circumstances, Jane Weidman, Charlestown town planner and chair of the American Planning Association Rhode Island chapters legislative subcommittee testified before the Senate Committee on Housing and Municipal Government on May 16 in support of Gus legislation. Unlike the House version, which was put forth without input from town planners, Gus version sought their feedback well before a formal proposal was introduced, Weidman said. The effort began as soon as the 2023 legislative session ended, with monthly meetings among lawmakers, planners, housing advocates and other stakeholders. Its really a mindset that no one is your enemy, that we can work together to find compromise, Gu said in an interview on Wednesday. There has been broad support for an ADU bill generally so having that extra time to have many eyes on it and many opportunities to talk through things really helped us come together and put in a stronger bill. State law already allows ADUs, either within or detached from a single family home. But red tape in the form of vast and varied local zoning and building requirements have stifled their spread; in 2022 and 2023, 115 units were approved at the local permitting level, with 76 receiving a certificate of occupancy, according to written testimony from Housing Secretary Stefan Pryor. Prior is among a host of housing leaders and advocates who have championed these smaller, untraditional homes as a way to ease the states housing crisis, giving seniors and lower-income residents in particular an alternative and more affordable place to live. Yet cities and towns decried loss of municipal control, their concerns ultimately helping to block the bills passage in the Rhode Island Senate last year. The back-and-forth between housing advocates and local planners has played out again this year on Smith Hill. The legislation, part of a 15-bill housing package unveiled in March, sailed through the lower chamber in February, with a decisive 55-9 vote along party lines. In an interview on May 16, Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, said the legislation remains his top priority this year, despite continued pushback from municipal leaders. Its not surprising, he said. Change is never easy. He continued, I try to work from consensus, but some things people ask for, I refuse to compromise on. Read the bill Both Shekarchi and Rep. June Speakman, a Warren Democrat who sponsored the ADU legislation on Shekarchis behalf, said some of the criticism was uninformed. For example: questions on how ADUs would affect available water and sewer supply or compromise building safety codes. Shekarchis response to opponents: Read the bill. The legislation doesnt exempt property owners who want to build an ADU from any of those existing mandates, instead, it stops cities and towns from adding extra conditions around frontage and setbacks or infrastructure requirements beyond what is required by state law. This is, to me, one of the easier tools to use, Speakman said. Its gentle density. You dont even know they are there. They dont change the look and feel of the neighborhood. But they do create more work for town planners and zoning officers, Shekarchi acknowledged. The state has already relaxed building restrictions for ADUs twice in the last five years under laws passed in 2019 and 2022. The latest legislation aims to clarify some of the inconsistencies from prior policy changes, but it could also open the floodgates to new development that doesnt necessarily achieve its intended effects, Weidman warned lawmakers. Its deceptively complex legislation, she said of the House version. Sen. Victoria Gu, a Westerly Democrat, is shown during the Rhode Island Senate floor session on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) A plan to appease coastal towns Unlike the House bill, Gus version won Weidmans support, as well as the American Planning Associations Rhode Island chapter. The difference? Gus version takes municipal restrictions further, letting cities and towns impose provisions that properties with ADUs must be owner-occupied, and if the units are rented, the leases last up to one year. This is particularly important for coastal communities like South Kingstown, where seasonal student housing has taken over entire neighborhoods, Brian Wagner, the towns senior planner said. You need to be honest with yourself about why you are supporting this legislation, he told lawmakers on May 16. If you are in support of people maximizing their real estate return on investment, then be honest with yourself. But thats not supporting the real housing needs of the people of Rhode Island. Both House and Senate versions ban property owners from using ADUs as short-term rentals. Gus bill also differs from the House version in its property and unit size requirements. The House version allows ADUs by right on properties of at least 20,000 square feet, limiting the size of the accessory unit to either 900 square feet for a studio or one-bedroom or up to 1,200 square feet for a two-bedroom. (or 60% of the size of the main house, whichever is smaller.) Gus bill sets the by-right lot size to at least 6,000 square feet in certain zones, or 40,000 square feet in any zone, with a 900-square-foot unit cap, or 60% of the main building. Housing and senior care advocates lined up in general support for some kind of ADU legislation on May 16, though most did not specify which of the two versions they preferred. One exception: Melina Lodge, executive director for Housing Network of Rhode Island. Lodge opposed the owner-occupancy provision, warning that because banks are reluctant to approve home loans with those stipulations, the requirement inherently restricts lower income homeowners who cant self-finance from benefiting. We are more supportive of language that allows for the most flexible and expansive version, she said. Gu maintained that the Senate version was the stronger bill, both in technical clarifications and solutions to municipal concerns. Regarding restrictions on lending for owner-occupied properties, she said she spoke to two lenders who disagreed with Lodges claim, indicating the problem might only apply to certain financial institutions. Speakman said she was open to compromise between the two versions of the bill, but did not comment specifically on differences around owner occupancy and lot and unit size. Shekarchis take: The owner-occupancy requirement will not help to address the housing crisis, he said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, shown at a press conference in East Providence on May 20, 2024, says his top priority remains passing a bill to ease restrictions on building accessory dwelling units. (Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) However, Shekarchi stressed the value of compromise in legislative negotiations generally, including the other bills within his 15-bill package. Shekarchi: I am always open to collaboration and to comment Fourteen of the 15, including the ADU bill, have already passed the House this year and are starting to be vetted by Senate committees. The 15th bill, creating a statewide, online GIS system including land information from all cities and towns, was scheduled to be voted out of the House Municipal Government and Housing Committee Tuesday afternoon. A majority of the bills, 12 of the 15, were amended from their original form, either during the committee vetting or floor debate prior to passage. Some of the changes were minor tweaks, but others reflected more substantive changes aimed at assuaging concerns or correcting unintended consequences revealed in public comments. We really only started working on housing policy three years ago, so there are a lot of wrinkles to iron out and doors to open, said Speakman, who also heads a legislative panel studying housing affordability. For that reason, it didnt make sense to focus on a single housing bill, even if the many pieces of Shekarchis package compete for attention, she said. Others in the package have also run into obstacles. One example: legislation meant to expand where housing can be built to include commercial districts. The bill sponsored by Rep. Joshua Giraldo, a Central Falls Democrat, originally required cities and towns to allow duplexes on 30% of their land, but was pulled back for revisions by Shekarchis own staff, The Providence Journal reported. The amended version, approved by the House on May 14, replaces the duplex requirement with one calling for at least one mixed residential and commercial zone within each city or town while relaxing the conditions required to build duplexes. Its not uncommon to see bills change, Shekarchi said. Very few bills pass exactly as written. I am always open to collaboration and to comment. The Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, which expressed concern with several bills within Shekarchis housing package, was unpersuaded despite these changes. The Leagues members have significant concerns about mandating residential uses in commercial zones which could eliminate commercial-only districts, and undermines home rule and local management rights, Ernie Almonte, executive director, said in an emailed statement on Tuesday. Giraldos bill is also one of two pieces of Shekarchis housing package still lacking a Senate companion. A House resolution calling for an 11-member panel to study how to improve the pipeline of town planners, does not require a Senate bill or even Senate approval because the commission falls solely under the Houses purview. David Bodah, associate director for the league, backed the study commission in a March 28 letter to lawmakers, noting the shortage of planning professionals and absence of a local educational program to fill these jobs when aging planners retire. Bodah also suggested expanding the study to include building officials. As for the ADU bill, the league backed the owner-occupancy provision in Gus version, while recommending lawmakers re-evaluate lot size requirements to ensure there is an appropriate room for the ADU on the property, Almonte said in an email. He did not specify what the league considers an appropriate lot size. Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, a North Providence Democrat, remained noncommittal. We will let the committee conduct its due diligence on these bills before making any determinations, Greg Pare, a spokesperson for Ruggerio, said in an email. Status check: Where does the Speakers Housing package stand? Heres an update on the 15 individual bills in House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchis housing package as of Tuesday, May 21 Updated to include comments from Sen. Victoria Gu, and to correct the square footage limits on ADU units in different versions of the legislation. The post Harshest critics of ADU bill have softened their stance. What changed? appeared first on Rhode Island Current. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov received the newly appointed ambassador of the Italian Republic to the country Luca Di Gianfrancesco, Trend reports. The ambassador presented copies of his credentials to Minister Bayramov. The Minister congratulated Ambassador Luca Di Gianfrancesco on his appointment and wished him success in his activities. Furthermore, the meeting discussed issues arising from the multi-dimensional relations of strategic partnership between the two countries, as well as the current regional situation. The sides noted that intensive contacts between the heads of state, government representatives, and parliaments play an important role in the development of strategic relations. The meeting emphasized the importance of using the mechanisms of strategic dialogue as well as political consultations in terms of discussing the prospects of multilateral cooperation in various fields, including economy, trade, energy security, humanities, education, etc. In particular, the role of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and Italy was emphasized. It was emphasized that the Italy-Azerbaijan University will give additional impetus to the expanding cooperation in the field of education. The minister informed about the current situation and realities in the region in the post-conflict period, the large-scale reconstruction and construction works carried out in the territories liberated from occupation, as well as the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The contribution of Italian companies to the reconstruction efforts was noted with satisfaction. Moreover, the issue of mine threat in the liberated lands was brought to attention, and possibilities of cooperation in the field of demining were assessed. Referring to the preparations for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), as well as the negotiation process, Minister Bayramov noted that Azerbaijan will be glad to cooperate with Italy within the framework of its presidency in COP29. The ambassador expressed gratitude for the reception and noted that he was glad to be appointed ambassador to Azerbaijan, and in the course of his activity, he will work on the development of the existing multidimensional relations of strategic partnership. During the meeting, the sides also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel CDC photo Children entering seventh grade or 12th grade will require meningitis vaccines under newly updated school and child care center vaccine requirements from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). The agency has also reinstated a requirement that for a child to be exempt from the states chickenpox vaccine requirement in school, a previous chickenpox infection must be documented by a qualified medical professional. DHS announced the updated vaccine requirements Monday, saying that a block imposed in the state Legislature in 2023 has now ended because the Legislatures session has ended for the year. According to state health officials, the changes bring Wisconsin closer to following national guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and its vaccination health advisory committee, as well as what neighboring states require for school children. Along with existing vaccine requirements, the new rules specify a child must have the meningitis vaccine to enter seventh grade and a meningitis booster to enter 12th grade. The rules also require that if a parent claims a waiver from the required chickenpox vaccine for a child who has previously had chickenpox, the parent must present documentation from a qualified medical professional of the childs prior infection. For child care centers the new requirements take effect immediately. For schools, they take effect with the 2024-25 school year. Parents are required to produce proof that their children have received the required shots, or must submit a signed waiver if they are invoking medical, religious or philosophical objections permitted under Wisconsin law. DHS is advising parents to consult with their family doctors to ensure that shots are up to date. DHS originally updated the requirements effective Feb. 1, 2023, but the Legislatures Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) suspended the new rules five weeks later, on March 9. That suspension expired at the end of the legislative session on April 15, 2024, making these school and child care immunization requirements now fully in effect, the DHS announcement said. The chickenpox and meningitis vaccines have been in use for decades and found safe and effective, according to DHS. Updating the states requirements improves how we can protect children as well as their entire schools and communities from these vaccine-preventable illnesses, said DHS Secretary-designee Kirsten Johnson in a statement. According to the states most recent vaccination data, 89.2% of school-age students have met the minimum immunization requirements for the 2023-24 school year, a decrease of 0.7% from the year before. Increasing vaccination rates helps protect the broader community, said state Health Officer Paula Tran, and the more children who are vaccinated, the more protected an entire school and community is. The post Health department renews previously blocked vaccine requirements for school children appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. Health experts have issued a warning on the dangerous BORG - also known as blackout rage gallons - drinking trend popularised by Gen Z college students. According to the National Capital Poison Center, BORG drinking typically takes place at day parties, popularly known as darties, with participants carrying around a gallon-sized plastic jug that has a powerful alcoholic concoction inside. Consisting of vodka or some other distilled alcohol as well as water, a flavor enhancer, and an electrolyte powder or drink, theres usually far more alcohol in the jugs than the other ingredients, so much so that experts have dubbed it life-threatening. Drinking one can lead to potentially life-threatening consumption and alcohol poisoning, Stanford psychiatry and addiction medicine professor Dr Anna Lembke explained to CNN. Unlike its long-reigning jungle juice counterpart, usually a party-sized mix meant for all, BORGs are meant for personal use. However, the end goal is ultimately the same - to get you extremely drunk. A BORG often contains a fifth [25.6 fluid ounces or 3.2 cups] of vodka or other hard alcohol, which is about 17 standard drinks, which is a massive amount of alcohol. Dr Lembke credits BORG drinkings rise with social contagion, made all the worse by the omnipresence of social media like TikTok. Kids see other kids doing it and want to try it themselves, she said. Thats another real danger here to take a dangerous deviant behavior and normalize it by spreading it on social media. The 24-year-old creator and editor-in-chief of The Zillennial Zine, Sabrina Grimaldi, noted she first heard of the trend when one of her interns - Kelly Xiong, 21 - pitched a story about the binge-drinking phenomenons popularity. As someone who hadnt been in the college party scene in five years, it baffled her just how much had changed in such a short time. She said, Even though Kelly and I are so close in age, its crazy how these microtrends pop up. Xiong discovered the burgeoning popularity of BORG drinking when she went to a St Patricks block darty, noting that nearly everyone carried around gallons filled with their own concoctions. She told the outlet that BORGs were especially popular during special occasion darties, typically celebrating holidays or outdoor events. The popularity of BORGs has become widespread, frequently making headlines for being linked to the hospitalization of hard-partying students. In 2023, dozens of University of Massachusetts Amherst students - who reportedly carried BORGs - were hospitalized after an off-campus event. BORGs have not only become popular with the college party scene but also have trickled down to the high school set, with students reportedly drawn to the creative aspect of making your own BORG. All over TikTok, BORG videos abound with various jugs bearing pun-inspired monikers including Captain Borgan, Borgan Donor and Borgan Wallen. You have to name your BORG and get creative by writing the name on it with a Sharpie, a high school senior named Virginia said. However, she noted that she was aware how it was more difficult to regulate your alcohol intake, especially since many freehand the amount of alcohol they put in. Nobody is really rationing how much theyre going to drink. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the average drink in the US contains 1 to 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits, 5 ounces of wine or 12 ounces of beer. Men and women have different drinking standards, with experts saying its considered binge-drinking if a woman drinks more than four standard drinks and a man drinks more than five over a two-hour time frame. New Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax has already laid out his top priorities for the city's government. Just a few weeks into his new job, Austin City Manager T.C. Broadnax has outlined his top priorities and started the process of hiring a permanent police chief. Under the council-manager form of government Austin has, Broadnax serves as the city's chief executive overseeing the daily operations of dozens of city departments, implementing policy changes passed by the mayor and Austin City Council, and overseeing the drafting of Austin's annual budget. He will be at the forefront of the city's response to ongoing issues Austin is facing, including police contract negotiations and officer shortages, homelessness and housing affordability. The American-Statesman spoke with Broadnax on Tuesday about how he plans to address some of the key issues the city is facing and more. Here's what he had to say: Hiring a permanent Austin police chief The top-most priorities Broadnax laid out on his first day in a news release centered around policing: hiring a permanent police chief and finalizing contract negotiations with the Austin Police Association. Austin has been without a permanent police chief since Joe Chacon resigned in 2023. Chacon's chief of staff, Robin Henderson, has been serving as the interim police chief since September. Mayor Kirk Watson speaks last Thursday during T.C. Broadnax's, left, first Austin City Council meeting as the city manager. Broadnax has previously said that hiring a permanent police chief is one of his top priorities. He told the Statesman on Tuesday he hopes to have finalists selected or a candidate identified in late July with a start date sometime in September at the latest. The City Council then must approve the appointment of a police chief. The application for the top law enforcement position opened May 15 and will close June 10. "I'm hopeful that the process allows me to get an idea of who's probably (the) best fit for the job, whether that's an internal person or an external person," Broadnax told the Statesman in an interview. Police contract negotiations and enforcing Austin Police Oversight Act The city is currently in ongoing contract negotiations with the Austin Police Association after more than a year without having a long-term contract. Broadnax told the Statesman he thinks the city is making progress and hopes to have a contract finalized by July. A sticking point in negotiations has been the enforcement of the Austin Police Oversight Act, which voters approved last year and, among other things, calls for the Police Department to end its use of a confidential personnel file on each of its officers known as the "G-file." Broadnax said he is committed to implementing the act, also known as Prop A. T.C. Broadnax hopes to have Austin police chief finalists selected or a candidate identified in late July and to have a police union contract finalized by July. "I think we just need to make sure that the language particularly as it relates to state law and any conflicts with the agreement that we work through those things and ensure that we can implement accordingly across the board as it relates to Prop A," Broadnax said. He said it was his understanding that the city is already implementing parts of Prop A that aren't in conflict with the contract. "Ultimately, when the contract gets approved, then that will feather right into the things that we're already doing in adherence to Prop A," Broadnax said. Addressing homelessness The total number of people experiencing sheltered and unsheltered homelessness in Austin has doubled since January 2022, the Statesman has previously reported. Though progress has been made on the matter, the city is short on shelter beds and permanent supportive housing units. "I think there needs to be, as I think was previously proposed, an assessment and a cataloging of where and what we're spending resources on to support our homeless ecosystem," Broadnax said. Prior to Broadnax's arrival, there was an attempt to conduct a joint audit of the city's spending on homeless services. The $2 million audit the City Council approved with the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company was slated to be a joint review with the other area homeless service providers including Central Health, Travis County and Integral Care, each of which would help foot the bill. But, after Travis County opted not to participate in the review, saying it didn't want to work with McKinsey, the city pulled the plug on the operation. Read More: Austin kills million dollar McKinsey & Company audit of homelessness contracts, programs Both Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and interim City Manager Jesus Garza said at the time they still supported conducting such a review with the same agencies. Projected budget deficits As city manager, Broadnax will be in charge of overseeing the drafting of the city's annual budget, which last year was approved by the City Council at $5.5 billion. The City Council must approve the annual budget and can amend it. The city's financial staff has predicted that, over the next five years, Austin is looking at a growing structural imbalance for its general fund, meaning the city's anticipated revenue is lower than expenses. T.C. Broadnax observes his first Austin City Council meeting as the new city manager on May 16. "The implementation of the tax (cap) really is going to hit this year," Broadnax said, referring to a state-imposed property tax cap that bars the city from adopting an annual rate 3.5% greater than that of the previous year without voter approval. "You have to line up the things that you just have to do," Broadnax said. "Then we begin to work through, with the various departments, the opportunities for more efficiencies to be realized." One of the changes he hopes to make this year is a transition to a two-year budgeting framework. Broadnax said one of his top priorities is "ensuring that our budget and our path forward financially is clear." Broadnax's exit from Dallas Broadnax declined to comment Tuesday on Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's recent assertion that his leaving Dallas might not have been an involuntary separation that would trigger a clause in his employment contract for a lump sum payout equal to his annual base salary, which was around $423,000 at the time of his exit. Read More: Dallas mayor says Austin manager Broadnax's exit was 'questionable,' opposes severance pay Johnson made these assertions in a memo sent to Dallas City Attorney Tammy Palomino last week. He cited, in part, the timing of Broadnax's candidacy for the job in Austin and a report by Dallas news station WFAA-TV in which four unnamed Dallas City Council members said Broadnax had sought council members who would ask him to resign. "I'm focused on the city of Austin," Broadnax said. "Mayor Johnson can say what Mayor Johnson wants to say." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin's new city manager plans to tackle policing, homelessness The chairman of the Herkimer County Legislature is facing alleged drug charges following an incident over the weekend, according to police. According to a representative of the Ilion Police Department, on Sunday, May 19, at around 7:44 p.m., Robert Hollum, 49, was issued two appearance tickets one for seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and another for having an open container. Robert Hollum When asked if the chairman had been pulled over, the representative declined to comment, saying [The Ilion Police Department] was called to the area and that they couldnt comment on the circumstances at this time. They added that the department would soon release more details in a statement. Hollum is set to appear before the Village of Ilion Court on Friday, May 24, at 10 a.m. On Tuesday, May 20, the Herkimer County Legislature issued a statement stating that it was aware of the incident concerning personnel within the county over the weekend. The statement added that they would be declining to comment. This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Herkimer County chairman facing alleged drug charges Heroic faith. Why this Catholic hermit decided to come out as transgender | Opinion Pentecost is a momentous day in the Christian calendar, commemorating the moment when the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles of Jesus, leading them to speak in tongues and be bold in proclaiming the gospel. It is a fulfillment of a promise by the risen Jesus Christ that he would send his followers the Holy Spirit. This years Pentecost on May 19 was a momentous day for Brother Christian Matson, a Catholic hermit who lives a life of quiet devotion in Eastern Kentucky. Its when he fulfilled a promise to himself that he would celebrate his devotion to the Catholic Church by telling the world he was a transgender man, which he did with a long story in the Religion News Service. I picked Pentecost because of the connection to preaching the gospel, Matson told me in a phone interview. He spoke with permission from his diocesan leader, Lexington Bishop John Stowe, who accepted him as a hermit in the diocese three years ago. Matson had some other reasons, too. Hes about to turn 40. But most of all, he said, There are a number of laws getting passed around our country, including in Kentucky, as well as policies being published in the Church, that are making life more difficult for transgender people and are based on faulty assumptions about them. Catholic hermits are a centuries-old tradition, seen as living alone in the wilderness in a solitary life devoted to God. According to the Catholic Leader, they are known for a life devoted to the praise of God and salvation of the world through a stricter separation from the world, the silence of solitude, and assiduous prayer and penance. In an email to supporters last week, Matson said, I live in a hermitage at the top of a wooded hill, which I share with my German Shepherd rescue, Odie, and with the Blessed Sacrament, which was installed in my oratory shortly before Christmas. He did not disclose where he lives in Pikeville, but said he is well known in the community for his work with local theater groups. Most of his days are spent in quiet prayer, and afternoons and evenings are devoted to his theater work. Last year, he performed Every Brilliant Thing Duncan McMillan as part of the communitys suicide prevention work. Could not find religious home as trans man Matson grew up in Texas and Virginia as a Presbyterian. He attended college at New York University, where he transitioned. He went to graduate school at Loyola University Maryland. It was my first time in a Catholic environment I was very drawn to the beauty of the liturgy, but also to the Jesuit approach to education, which is care of the whole person, and the sense of Catholic education project in a rich intellectual history. Matson went to Oxford University in England to study theology, which is where he converted to Catholicism in 2010. But as an openly transgender man, he could not find a religious home. He was rejected by the Jesuits and other orders for being transgender. He became a Benedictine oblate, a lay person associated with a monastery. But he still wanted to work with other artists and LGBTQ people who wanted to practice their faith within the Church and could not find a path. Finally, a friend connected him to Bishop John Stowe, who was known for his outreach to the LGBTQ community. In a speech he gave in 2022, he said: I believe that my first words to you and to the LGBT community in the church must be the same: I love you. Stowe was unavailable to speak to the Herald-Leader. But he told Religion News Service: My willingness to be open to him is because its a sincere person seeking a way to serve the church. Hermits are a rarely used form of religious life but they can be either male or female. Because theres no pursuit of priesthood or engagement in sacramental ministry, and because the hermit is a relatively quiet and secluded type of vocation, I didnt see any harm in letting him live this vocation. Matson said that Stowe has been an inspiration to him as a religious leader. He wants to preach the Gospel regardless of consequences, Matson said. Hes trying to serve the church by saying things about care for creation, care for immigrants, care for the LGBTQ community. He preaches it whether or not its politically palatable. Im so inspired by his courage and his love for Christ and the church and the Gospel. Vatican allows baptism, becoming godparent Pope Francis has slowly created more tolerance for LGBTQ Catholics, although same-sex marriage is still forbidden. Last year, the Vatican said it was allowed under certain circumstances, for transgender people to be baptized as Catholics and serve as godparents. Matson believes he is the first openly transgender person in his position in the church. So, will there be consequences from the Vatican for Brother Christian and Bishop Stowe? I would hope not, said Stan JR Zerkowski, the director of the Lexington Dioceses LGBTQ ministry and the author of Coming Out and Coming Home: A Gay Catholic Mans Journey from Marginalization to Ministry, with a Few Miracles Along the Way. I think this is an incredibly positive step for dialogue in the church and for transgender people to witness to their faith in heroic ways, Zerkowski said. I think Brother Christian is heroic the church has neither spoken kindly nor been kind to transgender people, and he still views service to the Lord and to the church as something far greater than something that would cause most people to back down. Thats heroic faith. Zerkowski was thrilled Matson made his announcement on Pentecost. People said, The Apostles are drunk, theyre crazy, theyre speaking in languages people dont understand, he said. Its almost as if a new Pentecost is being called for in the Church. Brother Christian is asking them to speak a new language of love, and not just toward transgender people but a new language of love that transgender people have for the church. If thats not the Holy Spirit that has prompted this entire thing, then quite frankly, Im in the wrong business. Zerkowski believes Matsons story is a perfect example of how God works in incredibly powerful ways. One of the powerful ways is to see this humble servant of the Lord living in Eastern Kentucky, not looking for fanfare but wanting to say this is who I am, this is how the Lord inspired me, and this is my gift to the Church myself. And hes asking the church to do two things can you accept my gift, and can you accept the gift of people like me who want to gift themselves. Can the church understand this new language of love? Both trying to serve the Gospel Matson said he hopes that anyone who is concerned about him would come to him or Bishop Stowe and talk to them. Were both trying to serve the Gospel, he said. I hope they would say, lets see how we can incorporate your vocation and mission to the church in a way that helps witness all the children God has created in their complexity, he said. Most of all, he wants his story will resonate with others who have been rejected by the Church. My No. 1 hope is that other trans people in the church who want to have a relationship with it look at my story and say oh theres hope for someone in the church to understand me, he said. If Im correct that its OK to be trans and Catholic, then the church will come to that conclusion because it will be led by the Holy Spirit in all truth, he said. If Im wrong, then I pray God shows me Im wrong. I have confidence that God will continue to lead the church into the fullness of truth. If my theological position is true, then the church will eventually get there. HILLIARD, Ohio (WCMH) A female student at Hilliard Bradley High School was detained Tuesday after a potential safety threat locked down three schools in the area. In a note sent to families of Hilliard City Schools, the district said that at 10:30 a.m., administration at Bradley were notified of a potential safety threat in the school. Bradley, Hilliard Memorial Middle School, and Brown Elementary School were placed in lockdown as a result. Easton sues one of its restaurants, claiming unpaid rent Police determined that the threat was not credible with the district stating, It was a bad judgment call from a student thinking she was making a joke. Hilliard City Schools said those involved in the threat have been detained and that criminal charges are pending. When the threat was heard, a student promptly notified the appropriate adults, and the school was immediately placed on lockdown, the district wrote in a statement. Within a short time, dozens of first responders from the Hilliard Division of Police and Norwich Township Fire arrived on the scene. We are incredibly grateful to our first responders for their swift and thorough response. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A nearly 100-year-old landmark in a historically Black Charlotte neighborhood will remain in part thanks to a new development. City Council members unanimously approved Monday night rezoning plans to turn the historic Wilmore School into a mixed-use development with housing and retail. The school built in 1925 sits at the corner of West Boulevard and South Mint Street, just blocks from the ever-growing South End. Century-old school structure remains part of Charlottes Cherry neighborhood The 3.2-acre property is owned by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, but the rezoning petition was filed by Wilmore Preservation LLC. The approval also moves the property into the citys historic district overlay. Plans include creating up to 250 multi-family units, 3,500 square feet of retail and 4,300 square feet of office or community center-like uses. City leaders were pleased with the action taken to preserve the landmark. Im excited to see it finally come through, Councilwoman Victoria Watlington said. I know we were in conversations to create an intersection here thats cohesive and works with this rezoning and this development. I think itll be a great asset for the neighborhood. The housing will have 5 percent of units designated as affordable housing. Though the original structure will be preserved, there will be a building added to the property. Councilwoman LaWana Mayfield was relieved to see encroaching gentrification staved. Wilmore is one of the citys eight Local Historic Districts. The South Boulevard (transit-oriented development) is coming further and further into the community, she said. People who have been there for generations are being pushed further and further away. I appreciate the fact that they are preserving the school and the history of Wilmore. Wilmore is its own area. It is not LoSo or Hi-So or whatever new name. It is Wilmore. I appreciate that it is being maintained for future generations. The project also includes a 12-foot multi-use path along West Blvd., plus an 8-foot sidewalk along Mint Street and Kingston Avenue. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Bookshelves throughout Colorado will feature colorful artwork made by Centennial High School students thanks to the Bulldogs' big showing in the 2024 Colorado Kids Create art contest. Sixteen Centennial students had their artwork chosen for publication in the books "Bicycling in Colorado" and "Birds of Colorado" through the contest. Sponsored by the Colorado Education Association, all profits from the purchase of Colorado Kids Create books directly benefit Colorado art classrooms. Elorah Valdez, a sophomore at Centennial, won first place in this year's Colorado Kids Create high school contest. Bulldog junior Anna Garnett took third place in the contest and sophomore Viktorious Velasquez took fourth place. Student artists from Centennial High School were honored during a Pueblo School District 60 meeting on May 14, 2024 after having their work published in a pair of children's books. Other Centennial students to have artwork published through the contest include Emilyn Gallegos, Crystal Krall, Desiree Martinez, Leo Rejas Montes, Ivory Peralta, Ruby Rodrguez, Marcus Ruybal, Ciara Sanchez, Erin Toupal, Aubri Valdez, Valena Vargas, Avery Vigil and Kaydence Welsh. April Vickey is the art teacher for the Bulldogs. More information about Colorado Kids Create can be found at coloradokidscreate.org. Former Pueblo resident among 2024 U.S. Naval Academy graduates On May 24, a scholar with Pueblo ties will graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy with a bachelor of science in chemistry. Eva Torres is a Pueblo native who attended Corwin International Magnet School before graduating from Lewis Palmer High School in Monument. Her four years at the U.S. Naval Academy included "challenging academic, physical and professional military training," according to a news release from the U.S. Naval Academy. In addition to her bachelor's, Torres will graduate with a U.S. Marine Corps 2nd Lt. commission and accreditation from the American Chemical Society. While earning her degree, she was part of the Catholic Midshipmen Club, European Culture Club, German Club, Navy Medicine Club and Ultimate Frisbee Intramural Team. Colorado Teacher of the Year nominations due May 28 Know a teacher worthy of recognition? The Colorado Department of Education is accepting nominations for the 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year award until May 28, 2024. Students, community members and fellow staff members can nominate an exceptional K-12 teacher through the quick completion of a nomination form at www.bit.ly/CO_TOY. Teachers nominated through the form will be notified by CDE and be encouraged to complete the 2025 Colorado Teacher of the Year application. While the nomination deadline is on May 28, teachers will have until 11:59 p.m. on June 19 to complete an application for Teacher of the Year. Additional information about the application can be found at cde.state.co.us/cdeawards/teacheroftheyear_applicationprocess. Pueblo D60 recognizes Class of '24 scholarship recipients Pueblo School District 60 recognized recipients of the Kane Family Foundation, Hurliman Scholarship Foundation, and Boettcher Foundation scholarships among others during a board meeting on May 14. Recipients of the Kane Family Foundation scholarship recognized at the May 14 meeting included Lluvia Alvarado of Central High School, Josiah Barela of Central High School and Sara DeHeart of Centennial High School. Ellianna High of South High School, Gianna Mirshamsi of South High School, Sean Cummings of Centennial High School, Joshua Sanchez of Central High School and Jacob Welte of Centennial High School were recognized as Hurliman recipients. Welte also was recognized as a Boettcher recipient. Pueblo D60 students recognized as receiving at least $100,000 worth of other "University and College Scholarships" at the May 14 meeting included Eli Schwartz of Centennial High School and Emilee Espinoza of South High School. Student of the Week: Who will be the next Pueblo Chieftain Student of the Week? Vote by May 23 Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo can be reached at JBartolo@gannett.com. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com. This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Bulldog artists published in children's books and more education news GOP Maryland Senate candidate and former Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.) has launched a new advertisement in which he says he will codify Roe v. Wade, so every woman can make her own choice. As governor, I promised to uphold Maryland law on abortion, while providing over-the-counter birth control covered by insurance, Hogan says in the ad, first obtained by Politico. And I kept my word. Today, with Roe overturned, many have asked what Ill do in the United States Senate. Ill support legislation that makes Roe the law of the land, in every state, so every woman can make her own choice, Hogan continues. Im Larry Hogan, and I approve this message, because no one should come between a woman and her doctor. Hogan said he supports restoring Roe as the law of the land and called himself pro-choice in an interview published last Thursday in The New York Times. He argued a day later that his position on abortion really wasnt a major transformation, The Washington Post reported. The times have changed, Hogan said, according to the Post. Look, things have changed over the last couple of decades and over the last year or two. Back in March, Hogan didnt commit to being in favor of legislation codifying the right to abortion in federal law. At the time, Hogan said, Were going to have to take a look at that as we move forward. He continued, Whether its needed or not. The former Maryland governor said that his current position on abortion is clarifying and not new, according to WaPo. After the overturning of Roe, it really put us in a bad position, where we were having some crazy, unreasonable things taking place, Hogan said, also noting recent legal battles around reproductive health like those in Alabama and Arizona, according to WaPo. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. On May 21, the Azerbaijan Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov met with a delegation led by the Commander of the Turkish Land Forces, Army General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, who is on an official visit to Azerbaijan, Trend reports. Before the meeting, the Turkish delegation visited the graves of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev and prominent ophthalmologist, academician Zarifa Aliyeva in the Alley of Honor, as well as the Alley of Shehids (Martyrs) and Turkish Martyrs' Cemetery. The guests laid wreaths and flowers and honored their blessed memory. The Defense Minister welcomed the guests and expressed his satisfaction with seeing them in Azerbaijan. The Minister noted that relations between Azerbaijan and Turkiye are based on friendly and fraternal relations. He spoke about the positive results of the reforms held in the Azerbaijani Army under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev. Army General Bayraktaroglu expressed his gratitude for the hospitality shown. He emphasized that such meetings are important for the development of military cooperation between the two fraternal countries. The meeting also discussed the development prospects of cooperation in the military, the military-technical field, and regional security issues. Then the Turkish delegation met with the First Deputy Minister of Defense Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev, and Advisor to the Minister of Defense, Colonel General Bakhtiyar Ersay. The meetings at the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army expressed satisfaction with the current state of Azerbaijani-Turkish military cooperation based on mutual trust and support. During the official visit, the Turkish guests visited the headquarters of the Land Forces. The welcoming ceremony was held at the headquarters of the Land Forces. The visitors passed along the guard of honor. The national anthems of Azerbaijan and Turkiye were played, and the Book of Honor was signed following the protocol. The Deputy Minister of Defense Commander of the Land Forces, Lieutenant General Hikmat Mirzayev met with the Turkish delegation. At the meeting, the importance of conducting joint military exercises to increase the professionalism of the servicemen from both fraternal countries, as well as exchanging mutual experience, was emphasized, and detailed views were exchanged on a range of other issues. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Homeless funding could be cut in Gavin Newsoms proposal. How would it affect Sacramento? Reality Check is a Bee series holding officials and organizations accountable and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email realitycheck@sacbee.com. Gov. Gavin Newsoms proposed cuts to homeless funding could mean the Sacramento City Council could next year decide to close shelters. Amid a looming state deficit, Newsom earlier this month proposed phasing out a program that funnels big checks to cities across California to help them get the homeless off the streets. The Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention program, or HHAP, has given tens of millions to the city of Sacramento since 2019. At that time, the city had less than 100 shelter beds. Thanks largely to the HHAP money, it now has 1,350. Its opened large shelters on X Street, in Meadowview, on Auburn Boulevard and on Roseville Road. The program will give the city of Sacramento $27 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1 over half the roughly $43 million in total the city spends on homelessness each year. The city of Sacramento is already facing a $66 million budget, forcing the council to make tough decisions about raising parking fees and cutting free programs starting July 1. In future years, if HHAP is cut, the citys existing deficit will grow and the council will need to look at making deeper cuts to programs. This year the council is able to close the budget gap without closing shelters of laying off employees. The city expects without HHAP it will face a $77 million deficit for fiscal year that starts July 1, 2025, city spokesmanTim Swanson said. That could cause the council to close shelter beds, even though theres a waiting list of over 2,400 and they are getting people housed. The citys shelter at X Street and Alhambra, since opening in 2021, has sheltered 986 people, according to Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency data. Of those, 342 have found housing, including 186 in permanent housing. That shelter has been expensive for the city to run about $10 million a year for 100 beds. Unlike the county and state, the city is not a social service agency. So it contracts with organizations such as Volunteers of America to run the shelter, provide meals, provide mental health and medical care, and provide help finding permanent housing. The citys Meadowview shelter for women and children also costs the city about the same per year. The county also operates about 1,000 shelter beds, mostly tiny home villages in south Sacramento. But it receives less money in HHAP than the city $8.5 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1 and is not facing a deficit. If the state cuts HHAP the county shelter funding wont be in jeopardy until the fiscal year that starts July 1, 2027, said county spokeswoman Janna Haynes. A different recent decision by Newsom may help the city budget. He last month announced state workers must return to the office for at least two days a week, ending the possibility of full-time telework that began during COVID. City officials have said the city is in a deficit partly due to parking revenue declining after thousands of state workers stopped working in downtown office buildings. (KRON) A homeless man who police say sexually assaulted a girl on her way home from school last month has been arrested, the San Jose Police Department said. Julian Salvador Martinez, 50, grabbed the victim, a female minor, when she was walking in the area of South 11th Street on April 9 at around 5:26 p.m. The victim was underneath the I-280 overpass when Martinez allegedly grabbed her and sexually assaulted her, police said. The suspect was riding a bicycle when he approached the victim. After the victim fought him off, Martinez fled the scene on the bicycle, according to San Jose PD spokesperson Stacie Shih. Affluent Bay Area community launches bait house program to combat burglaries An investigation into the assault was launched by the SJPD Sexual Assault Investigations Unit, leading to Martinez being identified as the suspect. Julian Salvador Martinez (SJPD) Martinez, according to police, is known to hang out at The Jungle, a sprawling homeless encampment along a creek adjacent to Senter Road and Keyes Street. On Thursday, May 16, SJPD patrol officers located and arrested Martinez in the City of San Jose after a member of the community who submitted a tip. He was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail for multiple crimes, including sexual assault, police said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. FILE - Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee speaks at a reception following a flag raising ceremony for the celebration of 74th National Day of the People's Republic of China at the Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong on Oct. 1, 2023. Hong Kong's leader said Tuesday, May 21, 2024, his administration would keep monitoring for any non-compliance with a court order that bans a popular protest song, days after YouTube blocked access to dozens of videos of the tune in the city. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei, File) HONG KONG (AP) Hong Kong's leader said Tuesday his administration would keep monitoring for any non-compliance with a court order that bans a popular protest song, days after YouTube blocked access to dozens of videos of the tune in the city. The ban targets anyone who broadcasts or distributes Glory to Hong Kong popularly sung during huge anti-government protests in 2019 to advocate for the separation of the city from China. It also prohibits any actions that misrepresent the song as the national anthem with the intent to insult the anthem. In his weekly news briefing, Chief Executive John Lee said if the government found any instances of non-compliance, it would then notify the relevant internet platforms about the content of the injunction. I believe that operators in general operate within the law, so we will continue to monitor the situation, Lee said. The court ban sought by the government has raised concerns over a further decline in the city's freedom of expression and internet freedom. Critics have also warned it might disrupt the operation of tech giants and undermine the city's appeal as a global financial hub. Last week, YouTube blocked access to 32 videos of the song that were deemed to be prohibited publications under the injunction for viewers in the city. The tech company said it was disappointed by the court's decision and would continue to consider its options for an appeal. In the news briefing, Lee said there is no link relating to the song shown on any local platforms and Google's search doesn't show any link to the song in question. A government transcript of his comments later clarified Lee was referring to links specified in the injunction order. The Associated Press found videos of the song on YouTube on Tuesday morning. The song is also available on Spotify and Apple Music. It is unclear whether the tech giants will block access to more video or audio clips of the song for Hong Kong viewers. Google, Spotify and Apple did not immediately comment. Glory to Hong Kong is widely seen as the protest anthem of the 2019 movement, which was followed by a crackdown that has all but erased dissenting voices in the city. Instances where the song was mistakenly played as the citys anthem at international sporting events, instead of Chinas national anthem March of the Volunteers, also have angered city officials. The government went to the court last year after Google resisted pressure to display Chinas national anthem as the top result in searches for the citys anthem instead of the protest song. ___ Follow AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific Something is rotten in the state of Britain. We all sense it, I think, in interactions with the authorities where every little thing becomes an anger-management ordeal. We glimpse it when a neighbour, giddy with triumph, reports that they used a public service and it actually worked (shout out to His Majestys Passport Office now issuing passports promptly, or so Im told). The rottenness is blatantly evident in the two fingers stuck up to the general public by allowing net immigration to rocket over 700,000. It is written on the face of the new mother who comes out of hospital after a bloody ordeal in which her baby was lucky to have survived (the birth invariably ends in an emergency C-section which should have been carried out 10 hours before but the midwife had a thing for natural deliveries). We see it in the way patients are treated (and increasingly not treated) by the NHS. A friends mother received a serious cancer diagnosis last week. Clare and her sister asked the doctor to talk them through other treatment options from the one he had just outlined. Youre getting a free service, said the doctor, loftily rebuking the frightened daughters. As though simply wondering what else might be available for their mum was somehow heretical, an insult to the all-powerful, magnanimous NHS, before whom we must prostrate ourselves like humble worshippers. You get what youre given and you like it or lump it, is how Clare described the doctors condescending attitude. Thats our rotten, second-world country in a nutshell. The major scandals which seem to come along with numbing frequency Hillsborough, BSE, Mid Staffs (where hundreds of patients died from poor care), Grenfell, Shrewsbury and Telford (maternity scandal), Windrush, Morecambe Bay NHS Trust (11 dead babies), East Kent maternity scandal, the ongoing Post Office horror show and now, maybe the worst, the infected blood calamity all spring fundamentally from that one attitude: ordinary people dont count. If people cause a fuss when, say, a young woman says its not right that both her parents died of Aids and she was orphaned because the UK imported blood donated by druggies and prisoners which ministers said was the best treatment available when that was a lie, then those nuisances must be shut down. Fobbed off. Requests for a public inquiry denied for as long as possible. So the people who do count, who privately run the show, can get away with it. Again. In a thrillingly good (in both senses; excellently composed and virtue-rich) speech on Monday to victims and relatives of the deceased, Sir Brian Langstaff, the chairman of the Infected Blood Inquiry, came up with a perfect example of that self-serving elite. He quoted one civil servants memo complaining that a health minister had started to be too sympathetic to the victims. Cant have that, can we? I mean, why would 30,000 people poisoned by their own health service, 3,000 of whom have died with two more dying every week merit any sympathy from the government that gave them their death sentence in the first place? (Strong echoes here of Mr Bates vs The Post Office. Sub-postmasters took the rap for the faulty system those in authority had given them, without adequate testing, and then management pretended not to know about its faults to save their skins until the postmasters were dead, in jail or the poor things merely thought theyd lost their minds.) A slight, almost dainty figure with soft silver hair, Sir Brian looks how vicars used to look when they still believed in God. Turns out he possesses in abundance what the British state lacks: moral courage and a conscience. It will be astonishing to anyone who reads this report that these events could have happened in the UK, Sir Brian writes. It may also be surprising that the questions why so many deaths and infections occurred have not had answers before now. Those answers cannot be as complete as they might have been 30 years ago I have no doubt, however, that the conclusion that wrongs were done on individual, collective and systemic levels is fully justified by the pages that follow; that a level of suffering which it is difficult to comprehend, still less understand, has been caused to so many, and that this harm has, for those who survived long enough to face it and for those who, infected and affected, are now able to read this, been compounded by the reaction of the government, NHS bodies, other public bodies, the medical professions and others. Listen to the appalled tenderness in the inquiry chairmans voice when he describes a one-year-old baby who was given HIV in a blood transfusion (a devastating fact revealed to his parents by the ever-caring NHS in a hospital corridor). The little boy went on to develop full-blown Aids, his father lost his job because of the stigma, the family had to move house after their car was scratched (Aids Dead, the graffiti said) until, finally, this fragile boy, wasting away, died at the age of seven. If you find yourself wondering what is the point of trying to get some of the bastards who allowed contaminated blood to be injected into trusting patients arrested and brought to trial, I suggest you keep re-reading Sir Brians description of that baby boy. Hopefully, somewhere in Whitehall, a Sir Tufton Bufton is right this minute banging his puce bonce up against the oak panelling because the Establishment thought Brian Langstaff, a former High Court judge, was one of them. A decent fellow who could be relied upon to deliver a toothless mistakes having been made, lessons will be learnt report that would not lift up the carpet under which all the corruption, the collusion, the shredding of medical records, and the experiments on children had been swept. Instead, Sir Brian gave them both barrels for a chilling cover-up that hid the truth for more than 40 years, a tragedy which, in large part, could have been avoided. No wonder he got a rapturous standing ovation from family members at the event of remembrance. I have read his entire 2,527-page report and the most shocking section, amid a gallery replete with horrors, focuses on Treloar College, which specialised in treating children with haemophilia. The Hampshire state schools on-site NHS centre gave children injections of different types of Factor VIII (plasma blood products), with clinicians being well aware of the risk of infecting them with HIV and hepatitis. The children, Sir Brian reports, were often regarded as objects for research rather than, first and foremost, as children whose treatment should be firmly focused on their individual best interests alone. This was unethical and wrong. There were multiple research projects during the 1970s and early 1980s when informed consent for participation was neither sought nor given. Surely, any clinician involved in those unauthorised experiments was, at the very least, in breach of the Nuremberg Code? Get police to track them down. One Treloar pupil, now a grown man, recalled that doctors let his class know who had contracted HIV by pointing at individual boys and saying You, not you, yes you are HIV positive et cetera Hard to think of a more grotesquely insensitive way to tell a child they have a fatal illness. Only 30 of the 122 pupils with haemophilia at Treloar in the Seventies and Eighties are still alive. It was a state-sponsored massacre. Meanwhile, as all that was about to be revealed like a never-ending Greek tragedy, on the BBCs Politics Live, a Conservative MP called Tom Hunt piped up in defence of the NHS. The British people love the NHS, this fool explained, and most staff working in the NHS are wonderful people. Are they really, Tom? Presumably, not the ones who injected kids with blood products they knew had a fair chance of giving them HIV and a shortened lifespan? On the very day that the NHS was declared guilty of indefensible and unconscionable behaviour and, furthermore, of not informing patients of the grave risks of a medical treatment, a politician was still defending our monstrously useless health service. Only when politicians like Hunt stop this craven, kneejerk deference and are prepared to hold a socialist bureaucracy (which gobbles up more than 160 billion annually) to account, will the public have a chance of being protected against further cover-ups and tragedies. I would go further. It is all very well the media celebrating interim compensation payments of 210,000 (potentially 2.7 million per person infected with HIV). While that is undoubtedly belated good news for the grieving families although not for the poor taxpayer who must foot the vast bill for the criminal stupidity and corruption of an elite, untouchable class we should not be deflected from considering whether there is evidence here for charges of corporate manslaughter, or misconduct in public office, to be brought. (The awful complacency of the ruling class when it comes to the suffering of ordinary people was revealed when Sir John Major told the inquiry that the infected blood scandal was incredibly bad luck. Thats one way of describing the deaths of 3,000 innocent people, John. Tory grandee and former health secretary Ken Clarke was even worse, angering Sir Brian with his unfairly dismissive and disparaging attitude towards many who had suffered. Lord Clarke saw no reason why he should give evidence and appeared unrepentant about a misleading statement in which he had claimed there was no conclusive proof that Aids could be spread through blood in 1983.) Other countries dealt with their contaminated blood scandals more than 20 years ago. In France, in 1999, the former socialist prime minister Laurent Fabius, former social affairs minister Georgina Dufoix, and former health minister Edmond Herve were charged with manslaughter. Herve was found guilty (although not jailed) while Fabius and Dufoix were acquitted. Dr M Garretta, the director of the National Blood Centre (Centre National de transfusion sanguine), was sentenced to four years in prison. Rishi Sunak said that Monday was a day of shame for the British state. But those were just words, Prime Minister. France proved that shame actually meant something by bringing criminal charges against key figures. That is what we need here, right now, in the UK. To begin to rebuild shattered public trust as well as putting the fear of God into the high priests of our disgraced national religion, the NHS. You know, there is only one sentence of Sir Brians superb, scathing summary I disagreed with. It will be astonishing to anyone who reads this report that these events could have happened in the UK, he wrote. Are we really surprised that such evil was allowed to happen here? Not anymore. As long as the elite gets away with parroting their Never again (until the next time) and the ordinary person doesnt count, there will be something rotten in the state of Britain. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) The mother of an Horry County teenager, who authorities say was beaten to death earlier this month with a piece of wood and a handgun, was denied bond during a court hearing Tuesday afternoon. Samantha Gaymes is charged with inflicting or allowing infliction of great bodily injury upon a child in the death of Isaiah Gaymes, 13, according to the 15th Circuit Solicitors Office. He died at about 1:30 a.m. May 11 at the Medical University of South Carolina, days after a May 8 assault in Longs. Samantha Gaymes and Ivy Contrell Jenerette, 40, were arrested on May 10. Jenerette was initially charged with abuse inflicting great bodily injury upon a child but the charge was upgraded to murder after Isaiahs death. Samantha initially was charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk of harm. Isaiah suffered multiple blunt force injuries to the side and back of his head along with several other injuries including broken bones, burns and permanent disfigurement to the face and body, according to an arrest warrant. A piece of wood and a handgun were recovered and tested for blood, which was consistent with the injury patterns on Isaiah. Family, friends and loved ones filled the Popular AME Church in Longs on Monday to celebrate Isaiahs life and share stories about the impact he had on others. He was so smart, so brilliant, and Im so sorry that he is no longer here, Riverside Elementary School Counselor Felecia Bellamy said. Jennerette and Gaymes remain in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. * * * Dennis Bright is a Digital Producer at News13. He joined the team in May 2021. Dennis is a West Virginia native and a graduate of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Follow Dennis on, Facebook, X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) The Hospitals of Providence (HOP) is showing their thanks to all Emergency Medical Services (EMS) during National EMS Week. The hospital is celebrating EMS first responders with meal deliveries across El Paso and the county for the whole week, according to the news release by HOP. National EMS Week is celebrated from Sunday, May 19 through Saturday, May 25 to show thanks and appreciation to EMS first responders who are first on the scene, according to HOP. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. It's so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees A veterinarian feeds a young howler monkey rescued amid extremely high temperatures in Tecolutilla, Tabasco state, Mexico, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Dozens of howler monkeys were found dead in the Gulf coast state while others were rescued by residents who rushed them to a local veterinarian. (AP Photo/Luis Sanchez) MEXICO CITY (AP) Its so hot in Mexico that howler monkeys are falling dead from the trees. At least 138 of the midsize primates, who are known for their roaring vocal calls, were found dead in the Gulf Coast state of Tabasco since May 16, according to the Biodiversity Conservation of The Usumacinta group. Others were rescued by residents, including five that were rushed to a local veterinarian who battled to save them. They arrived in critical condition, with dehydration and fever, said Dr. Sergio Valenzuela. "They were as limp as rags. It was heatstroke. While Mexico's brutal heat wave has been linked to the deaths of at least 26 people since March, veterinarians and rescuers say it has killed dozens and perhaps hundreds of howler monkeys. Around a third of the country saw highs of 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. In the town of Tecolutilla, Tabasco, the dead monkeys started appearing Friday, when a local volunteer fire-and-rescue squad showed up with five of the creatures in the bed of a truck. Normally quite intimidating, howler monkeys are muscular and some can be as tall as 90 centimeters (3 feet), with tails just as long. Some males weigh more than 13.5 kilograms (30 pounds) and can live up to 20 years. They are equipped with big jaws and a fearsome set of teeth and fangs. But mostly they're know for their lion-like roars, which bely their size. They (the volunteers) asked for help, they asked if I could examine some of the animals they had in their truck, Valenzuela said Monday. They said they didn't have any money, and asked if I could do it for free. The veterinarian put ice on their limp little hands and feet, and hooked them up to IV drips with electrolytes. So far, the monkeys appear to be on the mend. Once listless and easily handled, they are now in cages at Valenzuela's office. They're recovering. They're aggressive they're biting again, he said, noting that's a healthy sign for the usually furtive creatures. Most aren't so lucky. Wildlife biologist Gilberto Pozo counted about 138 of the animals dead or dying on the ground under trees. The die-off started around May 5 and hit its peak over the weekend. They were falling out of the trees like apples, Pozo said. They were in a state of severe dehydration, and they died within a matter of minutes. Already weakened, Pozo says, the falls from dozens of yards (meters) up inflict additional damage that often finishes the monkeys off. Pozo attributes the deaths to a synergy of factors, including high heat, drought, forest fires and logging that deprives the monkeys of water, shade and the fruit they eat, while noting that a pathogen, disease or other factor can't yet be ruled out. For people in the steamy, swampy, jungle-covered state of Tabasco, the howler monkey is a cherished, emblematic species; local people say the monkeys tell them the time of day by howling at dawn and dusk. Pozo said the local people who he knows through his work with the Biodiversity Conservation of The Usumacinta group have tried to help the monkeys they see around their farms. But he notes that could be a double-edged sword. They were falling out of the trees, and the people were moved, and they went to help the animals, they set out water and fruit for them, Pozo said. They want to care for them, mainly the baby monkeys, adopt them. But no, the truth is that babies are very delicate, they can't be in a house where there are dogs or cats, because they have pathogens that can potentially be fatal for howler monkeys, he said, stressing they must be rehabilitated and released into the wild. Pozo's group has set up a special recovery stations for monkeys it currently holds five monkeys, but birds and reptiles have also been affected and is trying to organize a team of specialized veterinarians to give the primates the care they need. Belatedly, the federal government acknowledged the problem Monday, with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador saying he had heard about it on social media. He congratulated Valenzuela on his efforts and said the government would seek to support the work. Lopez Obrador acknowledged the heat problem I have never felt it as bad as this but he has a lot of human problems to deal with as well. By May 9, at least nine cities in Mexico had set temperature records, with Ciudad Victoria in the border state of Tamaulipas clocking a broiling 47 C (117 F). With below-average rainfall throughout almost all the country so far this year, lakes and dams are drying up, and water supplies are running out. Authorities have had to truck in water for everything from hospitals to fire-fighting teams. Low levels at hydroelectric dams have contributed to power blackouts in some parts of the country. Consumers are feeling the heat as well. On Monday, the nationwide chain of OXXO convenience stores the nation's largest said it was limiting purchases of ice to just two or three bags per customer in some places. In a period of high temperatures, OXXO is taking measures to ensure supplies of products for our customers, parent company FEMSA said in a statement. Limits on the sale of bagged ice seek to ensure that a larger number of customers can buy this product. But for the monkeys, it's not a question of comfort, but of life or death. This is a sentinel species, Pozo said, referring to the canary-in-a-coal-mine effect where one species can say a lot about an ecosystem. It is telling us something about what is happening with climate change. ___ Follow APs coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america Hotline logs one report of Election Day vote buying or selling. More Kentuckians voted early. The entrance of a voting location at First Baptist Church in Bowling Green, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony) Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said his offices Election Integrity Command Center received one possible report of vote buying or selling among calls it took Tuesday morning. Coleman reported that in the first few hours of voting in Tuesdays primary, the center received 11 complaints from Barren, Boone, Boyd and Fayette counties. The calls have ranged from questions that inquired (about) voting procedures, legal questions, as well as an allegation of vote buying or vote selling, Coleman told reporters. Because the allegation may lead to an investigation, more details could not be made public Tuesday. Across Kentucky, voters are casting their ballots in Republican and Democratic primaries to decide nominees for president, Congress, the Kentucky General Assembly and local offices. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. More Kentuckians took advantage of early voting last week than in last years primary. Secretary of State Michael Adams said in a Monday post on X, formerly Twitter, that more than 75,000 Kentuckians took part in no-excuse early voting in this primary election. That was about 2,500 more early voters than last years primary election. Like last year, most early voters were Republicans, but theres nothing political about choosing the voting method most convenient for you, said Adams, a Republican serving his second term as Secretary of State. Adams recently encouraged Kentuckians to use early voting in an interview with the Kentucky Lantern ahead of the primary. During the 2024 legislative session, a bill was introduced to end early voting, but it died in a Senate committee. The Office of the Attorney General maintains the Election Fraud Hotline each election. Kentuckians may report suspected election law violations by calling the hotline at (800) 328-VOTE or submitting a complaint online. Staff answer calls during early voting periods and on Election Days from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern. Tips are reviewed and allegations of election fraud are referred to the Department of Criminal Investigations in the Attorney Generals Office. Ahead of Tuesday morning, the hotline had received 35 pre-election day complaints. Coleman, a Republican elected last year, emphasized the work of the center, saying that a 2022 complaint submitted to the hotline about suspected election law violations in Monroe County resulted in the conviction of seven people. When the polls close and the winners are announced, I hope every Kentuckians can feel confident that our election is secure and our constitutional order has worked, Coleman said. The post Hotline logs one report of Election Day vote buying or selling. More Kentuckians voted early. appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Azerbaijan has banned the use and circulation of 238 highly toxic substances, aligning with the best international practices to protect public health and the environment, chairman of the Food Security Agency of Azerbaijan Goshgar Tahmazli said during the Towards a Green World Plant Health Forum, Trend reports. He noted that the "Coordination Commission on the Coordination of Activities of State Bodies in Ensuring the Safe Operation of Potentially Hazardous Facilities," established by Presidential Order No. 3488 on September 24, 2022, based on studies and proposals by the Agency, approved the "Action Plan for Eliminating Existing Problems in Areas of Azerbaijan Contaminated with Unusable and Prohibited Pesticides and Agrochemicals." To implement the measures outlined in the plan, working groups composed of representatives from relevant structures conducted preliminary assessments to determine the residual amounts of unusable and banned pesticides and agrochemicals at 14 sites across 11 districts. Monitoring revealed approximately 5,088 cubic meters of unusable substances and contaminated soil at 11 sites. The work in this direction continues, the official added. To note, in line with the President of Azerbaijan's decree declaring 2024 as the Green World Solidarity Year and marking the International Day of Plant Health, the Plant Health Forum titled Towards a Green World kicked off in Baku. The forum, scheduled to take place on May 2122, aims to create a platform for collaboration on protecting plants and plant products from pests, promoting plant health through pest control, and expanding production. It also seeks to ensure the safe trade of plants and plant products, enhance global food security, and conserve biodiversity. Participants include national plant health institutions, regional and international organizations, government agencies, and experts. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A fight between the progressive and moderate wings of the Democratic Party in a battleground House seat is the headliner for Tuesdays primaries. Voters in five states are heading to the polls, with some presidential primaries still on the ballot. But the real action is down-ballot. In Oregon, both parties will be choosing their nominees for battleground contests that will help determine control of the House this fall. In Georgia, the district attorney prosecuting former President Donald Trump and the judge presiding over that case face challengers as does a state Supreme Court judge in a race that has been shaped by abortion messaging. In Idaho, a longtime House Republican is fighting to survive a primary, and in California, a successor to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy will finally be chosen. And even though both presidential primaries have long been locked up, voters in Kentucky and Oregon will have an opportunity to weigh in as well and could provide more warning signs for both presumptive nominees. Uncommitted appears as an option on the Kentucky ballot, where both presidential and congressional primaries are being held. Oregonians will also vote for president, though their options are just Trump on the Republican side and President Joe Biden and Marianne Williamson on the Democratic side. Here are the races to watch: Oregon: Two hotly contested Democratic primaries are attracting heavy outside spending. Democrats are hoping to flip the 5th District a Biden-won seat from Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer. National Democrats are banking on state Rep. Janelle Bynum, whos up against Jamie McLeod-Skinner in the primary. McLeod-Skinner unseated then-Democratic Rep. Kurt Schrader in the 2022 primary by running to his left, and then ultimately lost the race in the general election. Big money has been pouring into the race in support of Bynum. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in coordination with Bynum, has dropped more than $1 million on ads in the primary, according to ad tracker AdImpact. Mainstream Democrats PAC, a super PAC that played in a handful of House races last cycle thanks to LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffmans backing, has spent around $800,000 in support of Bynum. McLeod-Skinners biggest backer has been a pop-up super PAC which doesnt have to disclose its donors until after the primary called Health Equity Now, which Bynums campaign has accused Republicans of running. And in the safely blue 3rd District, there are three main contenders to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Earl Blumenauer: state Rep. Maxine Dexter; former county commissioner Susheela Jayapal, the sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.); and Eddy Morales, a city councilor. Dexter, a physician, has benefited from more than $2 million in spending from 314 Action Fund, a super PAC that supports STEM candidates, and Jayapal has been the target of around $3 million in negative spending from a separate pop-up PAC, Voters for Responsive Government. The GOP primaries are a bit sleepier. Republicans are choosing between Monique DeSpain, a veteran, and former city council member Amy Ryan Courser to challenge Democratic Rep. Val Hoyle in the Democratic-leaning 4th District. DeSpain has a significant fundraising advantage over Ryan Courser. And in the 6th District, which would have voted for Biden by around 14 points in 2020, Republican Mike Erickson is looking for a rematch against Democratic Rep. Andrea Salinas. He lost to her by about three points in the midterms. Oregons primary is conducted primarily via mail-in ballots. Polls close at 11 p.m. EST. Georgia: Incumbents up and down the ballot are facing challenges today, though they are in strong positions to fend them off. Democratic Rep. Lucy McBath is running in an entirely new district the blue 6th District, which does not overlap with her current constituency after a court-ordered redistricting at the end of last year. Two local elected officials are also competing for the seat, though McBath has a strong financial advantage. In the 13th District, another deep-blue seat, a crowded field of Democrats are looking to unseat Rep. David Scott, the longtime Democratic member whose health had some concerned about his reelection bid. One of those contenders includes Marcus Flowers, who proved to be a strong fundraiser when he ran against Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in the midterms but lost by more than 30 points. Theres some overlap between Scotts old district and the new one, and his high name ID and hefty campaign coffers make him the favorite. Republicans are also jockeying for an open seat in the 3rd District, a safe GOP seat that Rep. Drew Ferguson is retiring from. Brian Jack, a former Trump staffer who has the backing of the former president, is the favorite here. Elsewhere on the ballot, former Democratic Rep. John Barrow is hoping that a campaign rooted in abortion-rights messaging can propel him to victory over incumbent state Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson, an appointee of Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, in the technically nonpartisan role. But Barrow has gotten into trouble for centering his campaign on promising to protect access to the procedure, with the states judicial watchdog urging him to change his message. Barrow filed a federal suit, claiming the organization is violating his right to free speech, which was denied last week meaning that he could face sanctions. Abortion rights was a winning message in the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court last year, when a liberal candidate flipped ideological control of the court, as well as in last falls race for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The Georgia race has not attracted as much national attention as these other two contests, and incumbent justices in the Peach State are rarely unseated. Pinson is getting a boost from Kemp, who has cut an ad supporting him. And in Fulton County, District Attorney Fani Willis the lead prosecutor in the criminal case accusing Trump and more than a dozen Republican allies of a conspiracy to subvert Bidens 2020 victory in the state is facing a primary challenge from attorney Christian Wise Smith. Willis has been in the national spotlight when proceedings were delayed following allegations that she had committed ethical lapses stemming from a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor she hired. (The Georgia case is currently delayed and might not take place this year.) The winner will face off against Republican Courtney Kramer, a former Trump campaign lawyer, in the heavily Democratic county. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, the Kemp-appointed judge presiding over that criminal case, also faces a challenge, with two opponents on the ballot for the nonpartisan position. Polls close at 7 p.m. EST. Idaho: Thirteen-term Republican Rep. Mike Simpson a member of the pragmatic Republican Main Street Caucus is no stranger to a primary challenge. In 2022, he bested his closest competitor, who ran to his right, by more than 20 points. This time around, hes facing Scott Cleveland, a vice chair of a county GOP organization, and first-time candidate Sean Higgins. Simpson has a strong fundraising advantage over his competitors, but isnt taking the challenge lightly: The incumbent has put in more than $300,000 on the airwaves boosting his conservative credentials. Neither Cleveland nor Higgins has made such investments. Polls close at 10 p.m. EST in most of the state, with some closing at 11 p.m. EST. California: The monthslong process to pick McCarthys successor in the deep red 20th District is coming to an end. Republican state Assemblymember Vince Fong, who has the backing of McCarthy and Trump, is facing off in a special runoff against county sheriff Mike Boudreaux, a fellow Republican. Fong earned close to 20 points more than Boudreaux in the March special election. The winner of the special election will complete the rest of the term. Both men are also facing off in the November general election for a full term. Polls close at 11 p.m. EST. Kentucky: A handful of members of the delegation are facing primary challenges Republican Reps. Thomas Massie and Hal Rogers, along with Democratic Rep. Morgan McGarvey although most expect the incumbents to skate through. Polls close at 6 p.m. EST in most of the state, and the rest close at 7 p.m. EST. CAIRO The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Tuesday that they shot down an American drone over the country on the Arabian Peninsula. The U.S. military acknowledged reports about the downing but didnt comment. If confirmed, it would be the second MQ-9 Reaper drone downed by the Houthis over the past week as they press their campaign over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Houthi rebels claim shooting down another US MQ-9 Reaper drone Last Friday, the Houthis claimed downing an American drone over the province of Marib, hours after footage circulated online of what appeared to be the wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper. In a statement, Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree said the latest drone was shot down with a locally made surface-to-air missile. He alleged the drone was carrying out hostile missions over Yemens southern province of Bayda. Footage released by the Houthis purportedly showing the attack indicated that the downing took place Sunday. Responding to an Associated Press inquiry, the U.S. militarys Central Command acknowledged reports about the downing but declined to comment. Since Yemens civil war started in 2014, when the Houthis seized most of the countrys north and its capital of Sanaa, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the rebels. Reapers cost around $30 million apiece. They can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel ends the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostage. The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat. The rebels claimed last week that they fired a missile towards a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Red Sea. However, the U.S. military said the warship intercepted the anti-ship ballistic missile. HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) Multiple tornadoes touched down across North Alabama on May 8th, 2024. One tornado, an EF-1, hit the Five Points neighborhood in Huntsville causing significant damage to Maple Hill Cemetery. The cemetery has since been reopened to the public, however, the public is still urged to be cautious because the damage is still evident. Multiple gravestones and monuments were broken or damaged, which came as a shock to the Huntsville Pilgrimage Association, the group that puts on the annual Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll. Our first thought was, you know, we were wondering how much damage there was, said Natasha Parker, the 2024 Cemetery Stroll Director. Parker told News 19 that while the Cemetery Stroll is still months away, the volunteer group is getting busy now on restoration efforts. We have board members that are coming out every day this week, she said. Theyre starting early in the morning before it gets too hot in the afternoon, and theyre just walking each of the sections here at the cemetery. The HPA focuses on the historical section of the cemetery. Parker said theyre still working to determine the extent of the tornado damage in that area. After that, they can begin restoration efforts. To help, the HPA has launched a donation portal on its website. No amount is too small, Parker said. All of those funds that we raise will go towards the restoration efforts here at Maple Hill. Olde Towne Coffee is also getting in on the effort with their Honey Bee Hill Latte. Its got Honey & Lavender in it, said Kaela Moran, with Olde Towne Coffee. Were doing that and then all of our proceeds go to the Maple Hill Cemetery she added. Olde Towne is open every day from 7 am to 6 pm and is located just a few blocks away from Maple Hill. Employees said they felt the need to help out after the tornado hit their neighborhood. The Huntsville Pilgrimage Association told News 19 that getting Maple Hill back to its pre-tornado state is important. Theres a lot of history here, and were hoping to continue to preserve that, Parker said. The cemetery itself is the final resting place of five Alabama governors, former U.S. Congressmen and U.S. Representatives as well as many other important historical figures. The cemetery in total has more than 80,000 burial sites. The City of Huntsville said it is still fully assessing the damage from the tornado and will be contacting affected families over the next few weeks. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHNT.com. President Joe Biden swiftly condemned the Monday decision by the International Criminal Courts top war crimes prosecutor to seek arrest warrants for Israeli leaders over the U.S.-backed military offensive in Gaza doubling down on his administrations support for Israels war effort, despite growing anger from the international community and his own Democratic voter base. In a highly-anticipated announcement, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over their siege on the Palestinian enclave that, almost eight months in, has killed more than 35,000 people and displaced 80% of the population. Khan is also seeking arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh over their role in the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage. Khan accused all five figures of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity both in Gaza and in Israel. Netanyahu has condemned the allegations as a disgrace and antisemitic. Hamas denounced the charges against its own leaders, saying the move equates the victim with the executioner and arguing the group has the right to resist Israels occupation. While Israel is not a member of the ICC, the ICC can still prosecute Israeli officials because the crimes were allegedly committed by Israeli forces on Palestinian territory, and the ICC recognizes Palestine as a member state. International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan speaks at the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais Royal in Paris on February 7, 2024. Khan announced on Monday, May 20, 2024, that he is seeking arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Gaza. Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images Without mentioning the arrest warrants for Hamas leaders, Biden called Khans efforts to seek warrants against Israeli leaders outrageous. Let me be clear: We reject the ICCs application for arrest warrants against Israeli leaders, the president said Monday at a Jewish American Heritage Month event at the White House. Whatever these warrants may imply, there is no equivalence between Israel and Hamas. And its clear Israel wants to do all it can to ensure civilian protection. Biden is not the only U.S. official who has aggressively condemned the ICCs decision. Speaking before the Senate on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Khans announcement an extremely wrongheaded decision that would complicate efforts to secure a cease-fire deal. During the hearing, a protestor shouted at Blinken, saying he will be remembered as the butcher of Gaza. On Monday, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller faced immediate pushback after suggesting that Israel and the U.S. have more jurisdiction in Gaza than the ICC to prosecute individuals for war crimes. We have jurisdiction with the use of our equipment, with the use of our military equipment that we have provided, Miller said, referring to the fact that Israel is using U.S. weapons in Gaza. Associated Press reporter Matt Lee corrected Miller, saying that supplying weapons to Israel does not give the U.S. jurisdiction over criminal law cases in the occupied Palestinian territories. Miller claimed he was referring to the Leahy law, which bars the U.S. from giving military aid to individuals and security forces that have committed gross human rights violations. A pro-Palestinian protester carrying a banner that says "War Criminal" is removed from the room as Secretary of State Antony Blinken testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2024. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images In January, current and former State Department officials told HuffPost that the U.S. has always given Israel special treatment with regard to potential violations of the Leahy law, and that Washington has declined to stop military assistance even to Israeli units with clear records of abuse. Since the Leahy law was passed, not a single Israeli security force unit has been deemed ineligible for U.S. aid, despite repeated, credible reports of gross violations of human rights and a pattern of failing to appropriately punish Israeli soldiers and police who violate the rights of Palestinians, former Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), for whom the 1997 law is named, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed published Tuesday. Applying the Leahy law to Israel would not suggest moral equivalence with Hamas. Nor will faithfully applying the Leahy law to Israel weaken its security, he continued. Our aid to Israel will continue to flow to Israeli units that respect human rights and international law. War crimes are war crimes, regardless of whether they are committed by so-called American allies.CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad The Biden administrations attacks against the ICC are particularly notable given the U.S. was supportive of the courts decision to put out an arrest warrant last year for Russian President Vladimir Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, as journalists and pro-Palestinian groups have pointed out. War crimes are war crimes, regardless of whether they are committed by so-called American allies, Nihad Awad, national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said in a statement on Monday. President Biden should not interfere with the clear and credible arrest warrant applications that the ICC prosecutor is seeking against Israeli leaders responsible for genocidal war crimes in Gaza, nor should our nation continue to fund those war crimes, he continued. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in West Jerusalem, Israel on May 19, 2024. Kobi Gideon/GPO/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images A panel of three ICC judges will decide whether to grant Khans request for the arrest warrants, a process that usually takes about two months. The prosecutors decision has so far been supported by at least three European countries including France, a major U.S. ally revealing a deeper divide in the West about how to approach Israels actions. This is not a witch hunt, this is not some kind of emotional reaction to noise, Khan told CNNs Christiane Amanpour on Monday. Weve been criticized for going too slowly, criticized for going too fast. Its a forensic process that is expected of us as international prosecutors, as an independent court, to build evidence that is solid, that will not dissolve in the courtroom. And thats what weve done. Israel is also facing accusations from South Africa that it is committing genocide against Palestinians before the International Court of Justice, a separate court from the ICC. The ICJ is a civil court that focuses on cases between countries, whereas the ICC is a criminal court that focuses on cases against individuals accused of war crimes. On Monday, Biden said that Israels military campaign in Gaza is not genocide, going against the claims being made at the ICJ as well as in the U.N. special rapporteurs report earlier this year, which also concluded that Israel is committing genocidal acts toward Palestinians. International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The ICC's request for arrest warrants also included Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity on Monday. Photo courtesy of International Criminal Court May 21 (UPI) -- The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court has requested that the court's judges issue arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, stemming from Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israeli civilians and Israel's subsequent siege of Gaza. Karim A.A. Khan, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, often known as the ICC, said in a statement that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant -- as well as Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Muhammad Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. Khan said that both the Israeli and Hamas leaders "bear criminal responsibility" for "war crimes and crimes against humanity," which he detailed in the statement. The ICC's allegations against Hamas include extermination, murder, taking hostages, and committing rape and other acts of sexual violence. And the ICC allegations against the two Israeli leaders include starving Palestinians in Gaza, "intentionally directing attacks against a civilian population," as well as persecution and "willful killing." The ICC, an independent tribunal based in The Hague, Netherlands, prosecutes genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes -- the latter being a legal term that includes attacking civilians and committing other wartime violations, such as blocking humanitarian aid. Khan had announced an investigation in November 2023 to scrutinize Hamas and Israeli suspects in the aftermath of Hamas' attack in Israel that killed 1,200 people and kidnapped hundreds more, and Israel's subsequent war in Gaza, which has so far killed more than 34,000 Palestinians. The ICC's criminal investigation comes on the heels of the high-profile genocide case that South Africa brought against Israel in December 2023 in another international tribunal called the International Court of Justice. But these investigations and courts are distinct. While the ICC can hold trials of individuals allegedly responsible for criminal violations of international humanitarian law, the International Court of Justice is a part of the United Nations that rules on civil litigation and cannot charge individuals with crimes. As a scholar of human rights and international courts, I think it is important to emphasize that the ICC and other contemporary international criminal tribunals lack any enforcement powers of their own. That means in the Israel-Hamas situation, the ICC may never be able to arrest suspects or bring them to trial. These international courts therefore have a mixed record of holding senior political and military leaders accountable for their crimes. It's only if and when political leaders fall from power that there is any chance that their governments will arrest and hand them over to international courts for prosecution. The challenge for international courts Take the example of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, since March 2023, has defied an ICC arrest warrant for allegedly committing war crimes during the Ukraine war. As long as Putin remains in power, there is practically no prospect of his arrest. International criminal tribunals such as the ICC have a twofold problem. First, these tribunals do not have an actual international police force to carry out arrests. Second, governments implicated in their leaders' alleged crimes often try to obstruct international tribunals by not turning over suspects and by seeking to attack the tribunals as biased. The enforcement problem, as my scholarship has shown, can allow the leaders of a powerful country such as Israel or an entity like Hamas to evade arrest warrants from international courts -- as long as the suspects remain within their country or territory. In this situation, Israel is not a party to the ICC, meaning it never agreed to abide by its rulings or arrest warrants and does not otherwise accept the court's jurisdiction. The U.S. and other countries, including Qatar, where at least one of the Hamas leaders named in Khan's arrest warrant request lives, are also not ICC members and do not face a legal obligation to make arrests. If the ICC pre-trial chamber approves Khan's request for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, they could travel to meet with U.S. leaders in Washington, D.C., without fear of arrest. But they will now likely avoid travel to European Union countries, all of which are part of the ICC and would be obliged to arrest Netanyahu. All of this may also contribute to Israel's further international isolation and pressure over its wartime conduct. Issuing arrest warrants for the Hamas leaders also threatens to stigmatize Hamas internationally. The U.S., which at times has strongly opposed the ICC but has also supported the court on an ad hoc basis, as has happened in the ICC's Ukraine war case, has warned that issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders could compromise a potential cease-fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Milosevic's fall from power Not all arrest warrants fail. The trial of Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic in the mid-2000s illustrates how international tribunals might be able to prosecute alleged war criminals once they fall from power. In 1993, as the war in Bosnia was still being fought, the United Nations Security Council set up a special court, called the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, to address crimes committed during the regional wars. This court indicted Serbian nationalist leader Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes and crimes against humanity in 1999 during the ongoing Kosovo war. Milosevic's alleged crimes in Kosovo included a massive ethnic-cleansing campaign waged against Kosovar Albanians, the largest ethnic group there. Milosevic later faced additional charges for alleged crimes in Bosnia and Croatia. But Milosevic was still in power when the indictment was issued, and his government shielded him from arrest. Milosevic lost a presidential election in late September 2000 and, after widespread protests, stepped down. The U.S. promised the new democratic government in place in Serbia substantial economic assistance to speed its postwar recovery. This helped prompt the Serbian government to arrest Milosevic and then transfer him to the the international tribunal in June 2001. A potential playbook for Israeli and Hamas leaders Milosevic's trial was launched in February 2002, but he died in prison in 2006, shortly before the end of his trial. His trial still shows that under specific circumstances, international courts can overcome their lack of enforcement powers and bring high-level suspects to trial. International political pressure and incentives often serve an essential role in this process. As long as any political and military leaders facing potential arrest remain in power, it is likely that no amount of political pressure or promises will persuade Israel, Qatar or other countries to cooperate with an international court and turn over any leaders, if they are indicted. And history also shows that even if Hamas leaders are overthrown or Israeli leaders lose elections, there's no guarantee that potential suspects will ever stand trial at the ICC. There is broad public opposition to the ICC in Israel, with politicians across the political spectrum condemning Khan's request for arrest warrants. Despite the fact that Khan is also seeking to prosecute Hamas leaders, Israeli politicians have reacted to the ICC's arrest requests with outrage. Moreover, at least in the short term, it is highly unlikely that the U.S. will apply the type of pressure against its close ally, Israel, that it successfully applied on Serbia for Milosevic's arrest after his fall from power. The Conversation This story was updated from an article originally published on June 22, 2022. Victor Peskin is an associate professor of politics and global studies at Arizona State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. Iconic Manchester Mall carousel has been unseen in Fresno for years. What happened? Reality Check is a Fresno Bee series holding those in power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a tip? Email tips@fresnobee.com. Fresnos Manchester Center has been a staple at Blackstone and Shields Avenues for nearly 70 years. It has a legacy and history that is front and center as the shopping mall navigates through its latest revitalization. A piece of that history that has been missing for the past seven years. But it hasnt been lost, says Roland Molimard, the director and general manager of the new One Fresno at Manchester Center. The carousel, Molimard says, its at the forefront of our mind. The carousel is an endeared and important artifact, not only to legacy of Manchester Center, but the generations of families that enjoyed and experienced it for decades, he says. We recognize that. And we aim to preserve those memories in some form form our community. Where is the Manchester Mall Carousel? The Manchester Carousel was purchased in 1998, and was one of several improvements made at the mall as part of a multi-year, multimillion-dollar expansion that linked the now-defunct Sears store to the rest of the center. The carousel became an attraction for parents and children, and the so-call carousel court was a centerpoint for the mall for years. During the early 2000s, it was the chosen spot for an annual black-tie fundraiser for the Fresno Philharmonic. According to an Ask Paula column in The Fresno Bee in 2010, the carousel was made by Chance Rides of Wichita, Kansas, as a a replica of an early-1900s carousel. The 36-foot-high carousel featured 30 horses carved in jumping poses plus two chariots on a revolving oak floor with beveled mirrors, spiral brass poles and a custom-made finial on the top. The history of the carousel was written out on a plaque near its entrance. This plaque was posted next to the carousel at Manchester Mall prior to it being disassembled in 2017. It remained open and operating in some form until June of 2017, when it was dismantled and put into storage, much to the shock of those who remembered the carousel fondly. Management said at the time it had plans to relocate the carousel someplace within the mall. They later said it would become part of an outdoor events plaza being built between the mall and the Regal Manchester Stadium 16 theater that was hoped to be finished in 2018. Neither of those occurred, though the carousel remains on site in storage, says Manchesters manager Molimard. It will eventually return to shopping center in some form, as part of revitalization, he says, though its too soon to say when or how. Until then, it is being staged neatly and protected. Idaho State Police investigating crash on U.S. 95 near Fruitland that left one dead A crash near Fruitland on Monday morning left one man dead and another injured, Idaho State Police said in a news release. Just after 10 a.m., a 55-year-old Caldwell man was northbound on U.S. 95 in Payette County in a 2006 Dodge Durango when the SUV veered left and collided with a 2022 Ford Maverick driven by a 53-year-old man, ISP said. Both men were transported to the hospital by ambulance, the driver of the Durango by air and the driver of the Maverick by vehicle, police said. The trucks driver died from his injuries. The highway was blocked off for roughly two hours as first responders assisted the drivers and cleared the scene, police said. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The Heydar Aliyev Center is gearing up to unveil magnificent sculptural pieces with the opening of Italian sculptor Gianfranco Meggiato's personal exhibition, "Dare forma allinvisibile" (Shaping the invisible), on May 23, featuring approximately 40 of his works, some of which were specially created for the Baku exhibition, will be showcased to the public for the first time and will run until October 26, Trend reports. The exposition will span across the park area of the center, its foyer, and the exhibition hall. A towering sculpture, standing at 6 meters high and named "Germination," will hold a prominent position in front of the center, carrying profound symbolism. It conveys the idea that "Unless humanity embraces the concepts of unity and brotherhood to dissolve dualism, recognizing ourselves as leaves on a single tree, cells of one organism, and parts of one whole, peace and respect for our environment will remain unattainable." Gianfranco Meggiato, born in 1963 in Venice, a city renowned for hosting the prestigious International Art Exhibition Biennale, regarded as the global stage for contemporary art, has deep roots in this artistic milieu. Meggiato honed his craft in sculpture at the State Institute of Art in Venice, and at the tender age of 16, he began showcasing his creations. His sculptures are imbued with a profound sense of structure, mirroring the labyrinthine journey of self-discovery and exploration of the human psyche. Moreover, Meggiato's sculptures have graced exhibitions not only in Italy but also in numerous countries, including the US, Germany, Australia, Austria, Belgium, UAE, UK, China, Denmark, France, India, Switzerland, Spain, Kuwait, Monaco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, Ukraine, and others, adorning iconic locations worldwide. His works have found their way into stage productions, notably in Bizet's "Carmen" opera, staged at Italy's archaeological park Scolacium, where his sculptures formed the backdrop. Recognized for his adept fusion of antiquity and modernity in sculptural installations, Meggiato was honored with the ICOMOS-UNESCO prize for his creations, celebrated for their impactful performance and aesthetic allure. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Heinrich XIII (C), who goes under the title Prince Reuss of Greiz, is led by police officers to a police vehicle after arresting him while searching a house as part of a raid aginst so-called "Reich citizens". Boris Roessler/dpa A group of alleged so-called Reichsburger centred around Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss goes on trial in the German city of Frankfurt on Tuesday. They are accused of plotting to overthrow the state. Germany's Reichsburger scene is considered violent and steeped in conspiracy theories and far-right ideology. Reichsburger, or "Citizens of the Reich," claim the historical German Reich, founded in 1871 with an emperor at the head, continues to exist and did not end with Germany's defeat in the Second World War in 1945. They do not recognize the Federal Republic of Germany, or its constitutional structures such as parliament. They also do not believe they should pay taxes, fines or social security contributions. Germany's domestic intelligence service estimates there are around 23,000 people in the scene. However, the Reichsburger movement is not a monolith. Some see themselves as heads of state of their own little empires with their own ID cards and licence plates. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution calls these people "self-administrators". Anti-Semitism plays an important role in their extreme right-wing ideology. This includes the denial of the Holocaust and the promotion of the "Deep State" myth, according to which secret powers control world events. The false belief that Germany is still occupied by the four victorious powers of the Second World War - the US, the former USSR, France and Britain - is also widely held within the movement. An alleged defendant is brought into the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court building by SEK officers ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Andreas Arnold/dpa Police officers walk in front of the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Helmut Fricke/dpa A bill, HB2900, making its way through the Illinois State Legislature would ban wildlife-killing contests in the state. The bill amends the Wildlife Code and prohibits contests or competitions with the objective of killing any fur-bearing mammal. At question are competitions over a specific period of time. People can win prizes for killing the most animals, like money or hunting equipment. The contests focus on animals like coyotes, foxes, raccoons and squirrels. For more information, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. (KRON) A suspected DUI driver was arrested in a nearby creek after he was involved in a gnarly crash early Sunday morning, the Petaluma Police Department said. The crash left two vehicles with severe damage. Image from the Petaluma Police Department. Image from the Petaluma Police Department. Image from the Petaluma Police Department. Petalumas police and fire departments were called to the scene of the crash on the 1500 block of East Washington Street at about 1:17 a.m. One driver was seen running away from the scene. The suspect, later identified as Frank Powers Monachello, jumped over a fence into the backyard of a resident in the area. He was eventually found in a creek in the area of East Washington Street and Maria Drive and arrested without incident. Shelter-in-place lifted for Marin County neighborhood Two women in their 50s from Petaluma were in the other involved vehicle. Both of their injuries were described as minor. Police believe Monachello was driving at an unsafe and excessive speed when he rear-ended the other car. Monachello displayed objective signs of alcohol intoxication, and a police investigation confirmed he was driving drunk, PPD said. He was arrested for DUI (felony), hit-and-run (felony), reckless driving (misdemeanor), and resisting/obstructing a police officer (misdemeanor). Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) The City of Wichita is getting $2.1 million from the federal government to begin looking at ways to improve the Kellogg interchange near Eisenhower National Airport. Senator Jerry Moran announced the grant on Monday. This is a grant that has been appropriated to support the City of Wichitas efforts for preliminary design and ultimate construction of a new interchange on Kellogg as it takes you to the airport, he said. Im here to announce that we were successful in the appropriations process for a $2.1 million grant to accomplish that goal. The Wichita City Council authorized the grant application early in 2023: $2.4 million comes from the federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program $600,000 is a required local match Kansas to lower flags Wednesday for two first responders The Wichita Department of Public Works and Utilities said the obsolete design of the interchange and increased traffic are leading to operational inefficiency and safety issues. The interchange is used by travelers, the Postal Service, FedEx, UPS, several aviation businesses and manufacturers, and hotel, restaurant, and store customers. Wichita Mayor Lily Wu thanked Moran for his efforts. She pointed out that Kellogg brings a lot of traffic into Wichita as travelers use U.S. Highway 400 and U.S. Highway 54. Plus, she said the airport is a catalyst for economic development for all of Wichita. Man dies after being pulled from water at O.J. Watson Park It is an appropriate time and opportunity to study how a variety of improvements to the interchange at Kellogg and the airport parkway can continue that momentum, she said. The grant will be used to study and redesign the interchange for better traffic flow and safety. According to a project scope map from the City, it will go beyond the interchange to include adjacent surface streets. Project Scope Map for the Kellogg and airport interchange (Courtesy City of Wichita) The study will also look at drainage area enhancements, transit facilities, electric vehicle charging stations, multimodal opportunities, and recommendations for more development in the area. Moran said the grant money will become available this fall. The mayor said it will go toward the first phase of the design process. She does not have a timeframe for when any road construction would start or finish. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV. A 23-year-old man from Taiwan has been arrested on charges of selling at least $100 million worth of illegal drugs online through a site on the dark web known as the "Incognito Market." Rui-Siang Lin, also known as "Pharoah," was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Saturday and was to appear in court on Monday, the Justice Department said, calling it "one of the largest illegal narcotics marketplaces on the internet." "As alleged, Rui-Siang Lin was the architect of Incognito, a $100 million dark web scheme to traffic deadly drugs to the United States and around the world," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Incognito Market, which was shut down in March, was an online dark web marketplace that allowed users to buy and sell illegal drugs anonymously, according to the Justice Department. Hundreds of pounds of cocaine, methamphetamines and other drugs were sold on Incognito Market since its launch in October 2020, it said. "Under the promise of anonymity, Lin's alleged operation offered the purchase of lethal drugs and fraudulent prescription medication on a global scale," said James Smith, an assistant director in the FBI's New York office. Users of Incognito Market were able to search thousands of listings for illegal narcotics, including heroin, cocaine, LSD, MDMA, oxycodone, methamphetamines, ketamine, and alprazolam. Incognito Market included "many features of legitimate e-commerce sites such as branding, advertising, and customer service," the Justice Department said. The indictment includes several images from the site, including its splash page. Vendors paid five percent of the purchase price of every sale to "Incognito Market," providing Lin with millions of dollars of profits, the Justice Department said. Lin faces up to life in prison if convicted of narcotics conspiracy. Taipei's foreign ministry spokesman Jeff Liu said during a regular briefing Tuesday that Lin had been working since November at Taiwan's embassy in St Lucia, an eastern Caribbean nation that is one of the Asian island's few allies. He had applied to work as part of the embassy's technical corps in lieu of military service -- mandatory for Taiwanese men -- and had "behaved normally." Expected to be discharged in July, Lin applied for leave and left St Lucia on May 18, Liu said. He "was scheduled to go to Singapore via New York when he was arrested by the police in New York," he said, adding that Taiwan was closely monitoring the case. "This arrest underscores the dedicated, ongoing efforts of law enforcement to identify and dismantle illicit drug networks operating from every shadowy recess of the marketplace," NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in a statement. Pope Francis: The 60 Minutes Interview Saying goodbye to season 56 and to a man who made 60 Minutes better for 35 years The Dish: Spaghetti stir fry is a family favorite A railway guard shows the signal for the train to start, on board the Thirukkural Express at Nizamuddin railway station in New Delhi, Saturday, April 20, 2024. The Thirukkural Express stretches from New Delhi, the heart of India, to Kanyakumari, India's southernmost tip. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup) ABOARD THE THIRUKKURAL EXPRESS, India (AP) The 1,800-mile (2,900-kilometer) journey south from New Delhi to Kanyakumari is one of the longest train rides in India, passing through cities, villages, scrub forests and deep ravines. The 22-car Thirukkural Express is a microcosm of India, carrying passengers from different castes and religions and with wide-ranging ambitions and grievances from migrants crammed into sweltering no-frills cars to well-heeled families luxuriating in air-conditioned sleeper cabins, and everyone in between. Passengers can also be divided by their politics, a topic that is top of mind with a consequential election underway. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is likely to win and reappoint Prime Minister Narendra Modi the leader for the past decade for another five years. Indias economy has grown rapidly under Modi, but the strong-arm tactics he has deployed to push his Hindu-nationalist agenda has sharpened religious divisions in the country of 1.4 billion people roughly 200 million of whom are Muslim and raised fears of a slide from secular democracy toward religious autocracy. The Associated Press recently made the 48-hour train journey to interview Indian voters about the election, whose results will be announced on June 4. Below are some highlights: THE GENERAL CLASS Many passengers who bought the cheapest tickets available are domestic migrants. Sitting on steel benches, standing in doorways, or lying on the floor, they traveled between the thriving capital and villages in the countryside, or to other cities, in search of work. Pardeep Kumar, a bespectacled man who runs a food stall in New Delhi, said the ruling Modi government isnt doing enough for the poor. Like millions of Indians scraping by in the informal economy, Kumar has felt the sting of rising food prices. He appreciates the 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of free grains he receives every month from the government, part of a program to alleviate poverty and help large numbers of unemployed. But he would prefer the government focus more on improving education, and providing better health care. We dont want free food, said Kumar, who traveled with his family to their village in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. With better education, he said, we can then earn on our own and feed our families. Kumar is rooting for the opposition party, the Indian National Congress, which he knows faces an uphill battle against the ruling BJP. For ten years all (the BJP) did was talk about Hindus and Muslims, temples and mosques, Kumar said. And if you raise your voice against this, youll be arrested. A few berths down, Rishipal Chaudhary, wiry and goateed, disagreed. Chaudhary, a locomotive driver traveling to the southern city of Madurai for work, believes Modi has improved the country. For example, he said, crime against women is down, and schools are being given better teachers and facilities, changes that have benefitted his daughter. I love him from the beginning, Chaudhary said, an opinion shared by many passengers crowded around him. THE SLEEPER CLASS As the train cruised through the heartland of India, passing through Agra, a city famous for the 17th century Taj Mahal mausoleum, a man moved through the aisles, shouting: Tea! Tea! Get your tea! A notch up from basic service, the more comfortable and only slightly less affordable sleeper cars were filled with passengers sitting in its lower berths. Some were perched on top of the foldable bunks. They discussed politics to pass the time. The times have changed. Ten, twenty years ago we were one, but now we have been divided, Haji Abdul Subhan said, his flowing beard buried in the newspaper he was reading. Subhan, a 74-year-old former railway employee who is Muslim, was traveling to the city of Bhopal. Many Muslims have experienced discomfort since Modi took office, and Subhan enumerated some of the indignities carried out by the government: razing the homes and shops of Muslim activists as a form of punishment; banning Islamic schools in some states; and restricting the volume of loudspeakers at mosques. There is an effort to create problems for us. We cant even speak freely, he said. His voice is cut short by Santosh Kumar Aggarwal, a man in a cotton vest who sat cross-legged on the upper berth and listened to Subhans concerns. He is talking the language of Pakistan, said Aggarwal, taking a swipe at Muslims, who make up 14% of the population. The stinging suggestion: If youre unhappy with the government, move to Muslim-majority Pakistan. A Hindu, Aggarwal has been voting for the BJP for decades. Under Modi, he said, India is reaching new heights. What about Subhans concerns? You see, (Muslims) might be facing problems, Aggarwal said. We dont have any problems at all. And the razing of Muslim properties? They (Muslims) grabbed public land under previous governments. Thats why they are crying now, he said. THE AIR-CONDITIONED CLASS As the train chugged south, the terrain was greener, the farms bigger. The homes of the affluent stood out as the landscape rushed by. On board for a few hours more, the highest-paying passengers pulled freshly starched white bedding from brown paper bags delivered to their berths. Nikunj Garg, a medical officer, is worried about rising unemployment and trouble in the education system. She believes the quality of life should be improved for all Indians. It is the small things that matter the most, she said. A berth ahead, Samodhra Meena questioned the governments supposedly female-friendly policies, such as access to clean drinking water and cooking gas, that are a hallmark of Modi administration, saying they didnt benefit her family. I want a change in the government, she said. In the same carriage was Mahadev Prasad. Along with his family, Prasad was going to Madurai, one of the most ancient cities in India known for its Hindu temples. He carried with him holy water from the Ganges River as an offering for one of the temples. Prasad is confident Modi is coming back to power for a rare third term. He hailed the governments decision to revoke the semi-autonomy of Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region. And he supports Modis increased spending on infrastructure and the decision to build a Hindu temple on top of a razed mosque. Has his life as a businessman improved? All the industries have slowed down. Some are even getting closed in my area, he said. Yet, for Prasad, Modi has achieved something important. He draws on a widely accepted theory among Modi supporters to make his pitch: In the past, Indians didnt get much respect while travelling abroad. But now we are being respected. Vinoth Kumar, who was seated next to Prasad, didnt seem quite impressed. Kumar, a 32-year-old telecom engineer from the southern Indian city of Tiruchirappalli, is scathing of the Modi government. He said divisions based on language, ethnicity and religion are rising because of Modis Hindu-first agenda. Kumar predicts that if Modi wins another term the country will not be secular. At the end of another day, the clamor in the train gave way to quiet whispers. More passengers disembarked before the train made its final stop at Kanyakumaris sprawling beaches that were getting crowded with hundreds of men and women stepping into the waters edge. They looked to the east, hands pressed together, as the sun rose from the horizon. ___ Find more of AP's Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific By Tom Hals (Reuters) - Passengers injured by severe turbulence on a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday are likely eligible for compensation, but the amount each receives could differ dramatically even for identical injuries due to an international treaty. One passenger died and the airline said 30 passengers were treated for injuries after a flight from London to Singapore made an emergency landing in Bangkok on Tuesday. Samitivej Hospital said it was treating 71 passengers. Under the Montreal Convention, Singapore Airlines is liable for accidents, which can include turbulence, on international flights regardless of whether the airline was negligent, according to U.S. aviation lawyers. If passengers file a lawsuit, the airline cannot contest damages up to around $175,000. If a passenger seeks larger damages, Singapore Airlines can try to limit liability by proving it took all necessary measures to avoid the turbulence, said Mike Danko, a California attorney who represents passengers. He said airlines rarely prevail on such arguments. Danko said the airline can also limit their liability by showing the passenger bore some of the fault for the injury, such as by ignoring warnings to wear a seat belt. The size of damages often comes down to the country where the case is filed and how the legal system assesses the amount of compensation. "First and foremost what is the jurisdiction where you can bring a claim and how do they value injury claims," said Daniel Rose, a New York attorney with Kreindler & Kreindler, which represents passengers. For example, U.S. juries have awarded passengers more than $1 million for the emotional trauma of severe turbulence, while many courts in other countries award far less if anything for similar emotional distress. The Montreal Convention sets out various rules for determining where a claim can be brought, which can depend on the destination, where the ticket was purchased and the residence of the passenger. Tuesday's flight departed from London bound for Singapore and carried passengers from around the world. Aviation attorneys said British passengers on a round-trip ticket originating in London could file a claim in UK courts. Others might have been planning to catch a connecting flight to return home to Indonesia, where they would have to bring their claim. As a result, claims might differ widely in value for the same injury. Curtis Miner, a Florida attorney who represents passengers, said the 2013 crash of an Asiana Airlines plane in San Francisco resulted in injured passengers with widely varying compensation because many were flying round-trip originating from various East Asian cities. "The passengers were from all over the place," said Miner. "So people who may have had similar injuries, some could bring their case in San Francisco but others who were not able to." (Reporting by Tom Hals in Wilmington, Delaware; Editing by Stephen Coates) "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." In February 2021, a lawyer named Dan Schultz showed up as a guest on The War Room With Steve Bannon to promote a political strategy hed first learned about in seventh-grade civics. Local party precincts, the bottom rung of the Republican party structure, he argued, was where all the action was. Sounding a little breathless, he explained that if War Room listeners wanted to take over the Republican party, the place to do it was at the precinct level, by nominating themselves to be precinct committee chair-people. It was a fundamentally democratic, workaday notion. Almost a little boring. But it hit a nerve with listeners who were already sold on the Big Lie that the 2020 election had been stolen. Not by Democratsthat they were crooked was a givenbut by Republicans too lily-livered to take a stand for Trumps rightful victory. The party needed a MAGA takeover and it needed one fast. In Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movements Ground War to End Democracy, Isaac Arnsdorf tells the unnerving story of how the Republican party transformed itself so effectively and so quickly. In a swift, convincing 204 pages that are much more entertaining than they ought to be, Arnsdorf positions the Schultzs strategy as a key way Republicans did it. Along the way, Arnsdorf, a reporter at The Washington Post, introduces readers to a handful of true believers in the MAGA project, andwith a fairness they in no way deserveplots the course of their psychologies from January 6, 2021 to present as they sign up in droves to volunteer their time at the lowest rung of the Republican party. (We also meet a few old school Republicans who are baffled by the GOPs evolution.) Shop Now Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movements Ground War to End Democracy amazon.com $26.49 When the book showed up, I admit that I groaned. What could be more depressing than The Ground War to End Democracy? But read it I did because I am a good little seventh-grade civics student. Since then, Ive forced it on everyone I know who's struggling to make sense of how MAGA spread so far so fast. Its a book that resolves the apparent contradictions at the heart of MAGA Republicanism, and it'sI cant believe Im writing this about a book about the end of democracyactually pretty funny. Arnsdorf and I talked by phone when the book came out. Our interview has been edited for length and clarity. Esquire: There's a central irony to your account here: that the effort to elect a guy who wants to end democracy itself looks quite little-D democratic. How does that work? Isaac Arnsdorf: That's the most challenging part about it conceptuallycounterintuitively. Historically, this has actually more often been the case: democracy commits suicide at the hands of its own elected leaders, rather than at the hands of some kind of military coup. The core question of the book is: why would people choose that? Why would people of their own free will choose, through a democratic process, an undemocratic outcome? This was specifically the solution that Steve Bannon offered up to the MAGA movement in the aftermath of January 6th: the idea beingand there's a lot of truth to thisthat the reason Trump failed on January 6th was because of a few uncooperative Republicans. So, the answer that he offered to Trump supporters who were struggling to process that defeat was that what they needed to do was take over the party and purify the party and get rid of everyone like that so that wouldn't happen in the future. They called it "the precinct strategy". It's an idea of taking over the party organization. People are familiar with the Republican National Committee, but that's the top of a pyramid that goes all the way down a ladder to the state and districts and counties, and the lowest level is the precincts. How do rank-and-file Republican party members who are signing up to be precinct committee chair-people square their professed love and protectiveness of democracy with such an authoritarian candidate in Trump? I think the most common way that I hear it is in terms of feeling like democracy was lost when the 2020 election was stolen. Obviously, that's based on a falsehood, but something that is genuinely believed for a lot of people. I often hear it articulated as, Well, America was never supposed to be a democracy, it's supposed to be a republic. Those terms are not especially useful. You have to push hard to find out what people mean by that. What I think they mean is a feeling of who has power and who is represented, and a sense that participants in the [MAGA] movement feel that they are supposed to have some kind of power regardless of the electoral outcome. That's really deeply rooted on the American right. Looking all the way back to the rise of the modern conservative movement with Barry Goldwater, it's just a starting premise that America is a conservative country and any election outcome that is inconsistent with that is therefore illegitimate. There's a continuity from that fundamental conception of America as a conservative country coming all the way up through the attempt to delegitimize Obama through birtherism and finally, ultimately, the attempt to delegitimize Biden through the stolen election myth. Shop Now Finish What We Started: The Maga Movement's Ground War to End Democracy bookshop.org $27.90 You set two people up in the book up in contrast with each other: Kathy Petsas, an old school Republican, and Salleigh Grubbs, a MAGA Republican. How did you choose them and what do they represent to you? You're right, they're foils. Salleigh represents this new wave of MAGA party activists inspired by the stolen election myth to become more active in party politics and make the party a MAGA institution. Kathy, on the other hand calls herself an "OG Republican." She literally grew up in the party, was raised licking envelopes and she was a page on the floor of the 1980 convention. She puts a John McCain sign out on her lawn every year on his birthday. She represents the old guard that's been chased out and is now stranded by the two-party system. The MAGA party doesn't want her and she's not a Democrat. In order to tell a story about something that was happening with a lot of regular people who were not headline names, it was a challenge of: who to focus on? The reality is that over the course of years of reporting, I talked to a lot of people in different places and Kathy and Salleigh both stood out in their own ways for how they epitomized these two blocs in the party, but also how they individually had a lot of personality and were open with me and willing to engage with me about what their experiences were. So many people in the book are small-time activists like them, inspired very recently to become involved in the Republican Party. Do you think that any of them will become household names? Will we soon all know who Salleigh Grubbs is? Speaker of the House Salleigh Grubbs... There are times that I worried about that. That Salleigh was going to get too famous before the book came out and her story wasn't going to feel new anymore. That happens in politics. People stick around a long time and turn up in funny places. But part of what's hard about a book about non-famous people is appreciating the individuality and specificity of the characters and not extrapolating too far. But also, they do have to stand for something bigger. That was part of what I'm trying to do hereboth being respectful of their own individual lives and stories but also what larger findings we can draw from them. Bannon was a helpful guide in that respect. He provides that conceptual framework based on how he thinks about motivating people and forming the movement. We talked a lot about the philosophers and the thinkers who shaped him. You can kind of see him applying that and then you can see that working on the people in his audience. Did you find his enthusiasm for the precinct strategy genuine, or did you see it as a sort of like, cynical, just the best way to achieve the ends he desires? Bannon talks about a lot of things at any given moment, most of which turn out to be completely futile. The challenge is knowing which is which at any given moment, and I'm not sure that he knows either. The precinct strategy ended up being one that caught on and you could see him seizing on that momentum. There were any number of other things that he would be very excited about at one point and then it would kind of fizzle out and you would never hear about it again. So you think there was a little luck to it? It doesn't mean that he didn't believe in it at the outset, it's just that he stuck with it because it started showing some return. Is there anything about that effort that, on some level, as an American, you admireregardless of your feelings on MAGA? I think you're right that it's distinctly American. There's a long history of American politics that is not super democratic with a small-D. Back to that original, core question: the only answer that was ever satisfying to me for how MAGA could spread so far, so fast, and how the Republican party could radicalize against democracy itself in broad daylight and in such a short periodis that it picks up on something very deeply rooted in American political culture. And that what we call MAGA today has basically always been around in some form and just lacked a champion with the resources and charisma and talent, honestly, of Trump. How do you think it would have gone for the Tea Party if Trump had latched onto that? That's a great counterfactual because, if you remember, Trump was the guy on birtherism. It's not like Trump wasn't involved in the Tea Party. So that supports the argument of the book about tactical operations really mattering. The Tea Party was all about setting up these outside groups, it was like the Whatever County Tea Party, not the Republican Party. And actually, the guy who came up with the precinct strategy, this guy in Arizona named Dan Schultz was always going around to those Tea Party meetings and saying, Guys, why are you reinventing the wheel with these outside groups? Knock it off. You should be going to Republican party meetings because that's where the power is. Youre saying that the party structure helped MAGA succeed in a way that the Tea Party couldnt make work? Even though it did have this charismatic rising star in Trump? Exactly. And obviously the Tea Party helped changed Republican politicians leading up to Trump, and it helped Trump get to where he got in the primary. You could still argue that there wouldn't be MAGA without the Tea Party coming first, but the point is that MAGA is proving more durable than the Tea Party, and a big part of that is not just Trump himself, but the way that MAGA has gotten organized through the institution of the party. Ballot chasingis that a term our readers should be prepared to hear a lot more? It's funny, it means completely different things to Democrats and to Republicans. It is going to be a really important story of this election: how Republicans are trying to take advantage of the same methods of voting that Trump continues to insist without evidence are fraudulent. And Republicans are going around telling their voters that they need to vote by mail even though voting by mail is how elections are stolen. They really talk about voting by mail the way that some on the left talk about dark money. Yeah. The RNC insists that they can believe both things at the same time, and you hear a lot of Republicans who say, "absolutely I'm not going to vote by mail." They recognize that that is a problem they created for themselves in 2020 and 2022, but they can't get out of it by admitting they were lying so, they have to get out of it in these other more complicated ways. That's a real challenge that they have. And so is all the focus and attention that they put into monitoring voting, into poll watching. Which is both a genuine search for catching things that they think are wrong as much as it is trying to convince Trump supporters to trust the systemthat if they get involved in the system and watch the system then they'll be more likely to turn out and vote and have confidence in the outcome. Thats a tough needle to thread, but they seem to be doing it successfully. Well, they're trying. It struck me how unconcerned so much of the action in the book is with the Democrats. There's a great quote towards the end, where Steve Bannon's talking about Democratic Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, and says, "Our audience does not hate these people, they don't think they're Americans. But they hate the RINOs [Republicans In Name Only]." They're so worried about RINOs, they're so worried about McCain Republicansless than Joe Biden. Can you talk about that? I think that comes from what we were talking about who's to blame for the defeat of January 6. If you situate that squarely on the uncooperative Republicans, then you understand why they're really the obstacle. It's almost like the Democrats trying to steal the election is a given. It's like not even worth mentioning. The real problem is the stab in the back from the Republicans who knew better and let them get away with it. That's why the focus is there. And ultimately the strategy for Bannon is: well, if you've got a two-party system and you can completely capture one of the parties, then that's more important that what the other party is up to because at that point you're going to get some kind of power eventually. How do you evaluate the risk of the Republican party splitting into two? Or do you think it's more likely that it will transform wholesale into the MAGA party? I think that transformation is what has happened. We've always had a two-party system, we're going to continue to have a two-party system. It's so legally and operationally entrenched that there really is no way around it. But the parties are always changing and the coalitions constituencies and candidates are always evolving. For the foreseeable future we have a MAGA party and a Democratic party, which is the outcome that Bannon wants. It's going to be a product of leadership by politicians and change through organized political actionthrough campaigns and events and persuasionthats going to lead to how those parties win or lose. Will MAGA outlive Trump? Yeah, I think that that was the purpose of putting the movement into the institution of the party. First of all, we're nowhere close to being post-Trump right now. [Both laugh nervously.] I think that the people who have, already, for eight years now, been hoping for the fever to break, are probably going to continue to be disappointed. I talked to Democrats and Republicans who get excited about this being a very decisive election one way or the other, and I'm pretty skeptical of that. I think that we continue to have close elections, and I think we're going to continue in that kind of disequilibrium-equilibrium rather than getting some kind of cathartic release. There's this received wisdom I hear all the time that this is the most important election of our lifetime. Do you agree with that? That's a different question. It can also be true that every election is the most important because it's cumulative. The book has to have a beginning, middle, and end, but history doesn't, and there will never be a final, decisive end of the story of American politics. Did reporting this book change your views on how democracy worksor fails toin America? I think I was struggling with January 6th as the beginning rather than culmination of something. So, as much as I said that it only made sense in continuity with a long history of this anti-democratic streak in American political culture, it also was a really hard break. Once unthinkable things happen, they are no longer unthinkable or impossible, so it really does mark a dangerous new phase that I don't think you can unwind quickly. History may not have an end, but Trump clearly does have an end point in mind. "Finish what we started" is a quote from him. What does "finish" look like from the MAGA perspective? It means vindicating the defeat of January 6th and redeeming what they view as the stolen election. That's the revenge that they're talking about, but Trump has also been very explicit about how he wants to exercise power in a second term. My reporting has been that he wants to exercise presidential authority in a much more centralized way and a much more muscular way. The people who were acting as internal restraints in the White House and executive branch are not going to be invited back. When he says things like he said the first time about wanting to investigate and prosecute his critics or wanting to deploy the military against public demonstrations, he means it. Isaac Arnsdorf's Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movements Ground War to End Democracy is out now from Little, Brown. You Might Also Like BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The Azerbaijani Parliament has approved the protocol for student exchange between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, Trend reports. This was reflected in the draft law "On Approval of "Protocol on Amendments to the Agreement between the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Cooperation in the Field of Education dated April 3, 2017", which was submitted for discussion at today's Parliament session. According to the project, an equal number of students will be exchanged annually between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan on bachelor's degree programs - 3 persons, master's degree programs - 5 persons, doctoral degree programs - 2 persons, basic (or higher) medical education programs, and residency programs - 2 persons. The Azerbaijani side will organize training of three persons on the group of technical and technological specialties (bachelor's degree - 1, master's degree - 1, doctoral studies - 1), 3 persons on the group of humanitarian and social specialties (bachelor's degree - 1, master's degree - 1, doctoral studies - 1), 3 persons on the group of economic and managerial specialties (bachelor's degree - 1, master's degree - 2), one person on the group of natural specialties (master's degree), two persons on the group of specialties of basic (basic higher) medical education, and on the specialties, on which the following specialties are provided. The Kazakh side will organize training of 5 people in the field of information and communication technologies, mechanical engineering, processing, and construction industry (bachelor's degree - 1, master's degree - 3, doctoral degree - 1), 5 - in the field of agriculture and bioresources, arts and humanities, social sciences, journalism and information, business, management, and law (bachelor's degree - 2, master's degree - 2, doctoral degree - 1), in the field of health care and social security (medicine) - two people (a program of continuous integrated training), and in the field of health care and social security (doctoral degree - 1). Following the discussion, the document was put to a vote and approved. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel The Daily Beast has discovered previously unreported details behind the clandestine network that prosecutors say funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX). The networks sprawling roots stretch from a consulate at the edge of Los Angeles to the glittering capital of a despotic ex-Soviet regime, and from the D.C. foreign aid complex near Foggy Bottom to a hydroponic farm in Maryland that supplied Georgetowns leading bipartisan hangouts. The bribery indictment of the Texas congressman describes, among other things, how the congressman allegedly struck a deal for his wife to receive $360,000 in sham contracts from the state-owned oil company of autocratic Azerbaijan. The feds say these arrangements ran through an Azerbaijani-born, U.S.-based intermediarycalled Individual-2 in the criminal complaintand at times through his import-export business, referred to as U.S. Company-1. Cuellar and his wife have denied any wrongdoing. Based on details in the indictmentincluding that Individual-2 served as Azerbaijani vice consul in L.A. between March 2006 and April 2010, resides in Potomac, Maryland, and formed a shell entity in Texas on August 22, 2017The Daily Beast can identify Individual-2 as Elshan Baloghlanov, which the The Texas Observer has also reported. Rep. Cuellar Staring Down Decades Behind Bars as DOJ Indictment Arrives And U.S. Company-1which supplied $30,000 of the alleged bribe moneyfits the description of Baloghlanovs firm, WCC International, as the nonprofit transparency group OpenSecrets has also concluded. Now, The Daily Beast can reveal that Baloghlanovs relationships reach deeper than previously reported into the establishments of both D.C. and Baku, where Azerbaijans repressive President Ilham Aliyev reigns over an economy enriched by the nations vast energy reserves. And those establishments include some favorite haunts of the political elite. According to the indictment, Baloghlanov began the cash transfers to Cuellars wife in 2018, and his involvement in the claimed conspiracy lasted into at least 2021. It was at that same time, according to his LinkedIn, that the operative largely exited the import/export sector for a new, trendier venture. In 2018 somehow I ventured into a CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) business, which I strongly believe is the future of sustainable agriculture, aquaculture and food production, Baloghlanovs LinkedIn profile reads. Now, most of my time is spent on growing food rather than moving a 40 containers [sic] across the ocean. And that CEA looks to be Greenway Farms, an organic aquaponic operation raising greens and fish in the same water, located some 30 miles north of Washington, D.C. According to Maryland business filings, WCC Internationals principal office is at Greenways address in Gaithersburg. In addition, domain records reveal Baloghlanov registered the farms website in his own name and from his personal residence in Potomac, and using a WCC International email account as its contact point. Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda Cuellar return to their headquarters after reminding people to vote for him in the primaries in Laredo, Texas on March 2, 2020. Veronica Cardenas/Reuters Multiple posts online from people who have worked with Greenway Farms identify Baloghlanov as its leader and founder, and his name and signature appear on paperwork submitted in Maryland to form a limited liability company in the farms name. Meanwhile, a Russian-language page on WCCs website promotes aquaponics and lists Greenways name, address, and contact information. (Baloghlanov, WCC, and Greenway Farms did not respond to repeated calls and emails for comment.) FEEDING GROUNDS Whatever the reason WCC and Baloghlanov crossed over into boutique agribusiness at the same time the two allegedly directed payments to the congressman and his wife, Greenway Farms has forged its own relationships with Washington notables. And one such mainstay is the glitzy Georgetown Italian restaurant, Cafe Milano. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in October 2020, Greenway posted a picture on Instagram showcasing bunches of fresh leafy greens with a caption directing onlookers to try them at Cafe Milano. It is unclear for how long Greenway supplied Cafe Milano with greens or how the establishment first connected with the farm. (Cafe Milano did not reply to multiple emails from The Daily Beast.) The restaurant is a staple of D.C. high society, proudlyand rightlypromoting itself as a gathering place for Washingtons glamorous set. President Joe Biden dined at the classy see-and-be-seen eatery last summer with his fashionable granddaughter, Naomi. As vice president in 2015, Biden took another jaunt to Cafe Milano with his son, Hunter, where he allegedly dined alongside Ukrainian executive Devon Archer and other associates. That fateful dinner has been at the center of the GOPs floundering inquiry into an alleged Biden influence-peddling scheme. Trumpworld officials also regularly convene at Cafe Milano, holding court and relishing the air of exclusivity that owner Franco Nuschese has spent decades fastidiously cultivating. The watering holes 30th anniversary party in 2022 featured appearances from the most powerful D.C. sophisticates, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), media titan Bob Woodward, Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway, and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA). But Cafe Milano isnt the only restaurant Greenway Farms boasted as a client. On Instagram, the farm also name-dropped fellow swanky Georgetown restaurants Martins Tavern and Il Canale. Both hot spots are also known for their star-studded list of patrons. According to D.C. lore, President John F. Kennedy proposed to Jackie O in a cozy back corner booth at Martins. Other chief executiveslike Harry Truman, George W. Bush, and Bill Clintonalso hit up the restaurant during their tenure in D.C. President Richard Nixon is said to have especially enjoyed the meatloaf. A Brief History of Political Podium Scandals Martins Tavern owner Billy Martin Jr. told The Daily Beast that to the best of his knowledge, the restaurant purchased Monte Carlo lettuce from Greenway Farms from October 2020 to June 2021, and received weekly deliveries. Greenway Farms is no longer a supplier to the restaurant. Martins Tavern has no knowledge of who Elshan Baloghlanov is, a spokesperson told The Daily Beast. Adding that, we were dealing with someone else who said they were the owner of Greenway Farms. Both Hillary Clinton and Ivanka Trump have stopped by Il Canale, another favorite Italian spot among Washingtons movers and shakers. The former selected white wine, pizza, and gnocchi. Il Canales spokesperson Amy Riolo told The Daily Beast in an email that Il Canale purchased basil (to make pesto sauce) from Greenway Farms from 2020-2021, after someone representing the farms stopped by the restaurant to promote the produce. She said the restaurant did not have any direct contact with the owner and always communicated via text with a lady. No other interactions occurred between the farm and restaurant, according to Riolo. The farm stopped delivering to Il Canale around March 2021, citing too much demand. THE ROAD TO AZERBAIJAN Baloghlanovs daughter comments frequently on Greenways Instagram posts, which also tout its products availability at a range of stores, including Whole Foods, and farmers markets in and around the District. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a conference on March 14, 2023, in Berlin, Germany. Omer Messinger/Getty Images The parcel of land in Gaithersburg belongs to two other Azerbaijan natives, one of whose property records and social media posts indicate is a Baloghlanov relative, who also serves as registered agent of the farms LLC. The signature of the other appears on paperwork WCC International has filed in Maryland. Corporate records reveal yet more about Baloghlanovs personal and business connectionsand his political links in the dictatorial government of Azerbaijan. For instance, documents filed in Maryland show that WCC International is simply a rechristened version of West Coast Connections, which Baloghlanov formed while still serving as Azerbaijani vice consul in Los Angeles. In 2014, ex-Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) reported to the Justice Department that he had lobbied the State Department and then-Ambassador Richard Morningstar for purpose of promoting positive bilateral relations between the U.S. and the Republic of Azerbaijan on behalf of representatives in Azerbaijan (through West Coast Connections Inc.). This demonstrates that Baloghlanovs company has functioned as a cut-out for Azerbaijani interests for at least a decade. Whats more, the firms business filings in Californiawhich Baloghlanov resubmitted in Marylandreveal that one of its directors is Gafar Gurbanov, a one-time Baku tax official known to manage the private assets of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyevs daughters. Gurbanov has in past transactions acted as a representative of the cash-flush Azerbaijani state oil company, which allegedly paid bribes to Cuellars wife. This means that the man alleged to have bribed a U.S. congressman, and the company that prosecutors say handled some of the funds, is just a few degrees removed from the head of an authoritarian foreign power. FOREIGN ASSISTANCE But thats not the only government Baloghlanov, or WCC Internationalor Greenway Farmshas ties to. The Daily Beast further learned that Baloghlanov and his company have drawn down just under $400,000 in funding from the United States Agency for International Development, via a nonprofit called Cultivating New Frontiers in Agriculture (CNFA). President Joe Biden leaves the Cafe Milano restaurant in Washington, D.C., on June 4, 2023. Joshua Roberts/Reuters CNFA, based on L Street a few blocks from the White House, told The Daily Beast it paid out these funds as part of two subcontracting arrangements with WCC that ran from March 2019two months after the company allegedly paid a $30,000 bribe to Cuellars wifeand September 2023. Its work involved helping CNFA in establishing agribusiness linkages and public-private partnerships and providing training, helping organize an agricultural forum, and facilitating participation in various exhibitions and events for key project stakeholders. The nonprofit told The Daily Beast it selected WCC as a partner through a competitive public tender, and had reimbursed its labor and travel costs, among other expenses. CNFA has no control over what any payee does with its proceeds once paid, spokeswoman Darshana Patel told The Daily Beast. Since at least 2021, and through today, Greenway Farms has touted a relationship with CNFA on its website. Founder of Trump Defense Firm Indicted in Somali Fraud Case We still teach farmers and food producers in the developing world about food safety and international trade in agriculture as part of our joint efforts with CNFA, a Washington D.C.-based international development organization promoting sustainable, climate-smart agricultural practices, the Our Story page on Greenways site reads. But Patel said CNFA has never had a direct relationship with the farm, and has strictly subcontracted with WCC International. This, combined with the domain and business records, indicates that Baloghlanov has for years run the farm and WCCthe alleged bribery vehicle and recipient of hundreds of thousands in foreign aid fundsas the same operation. WCC also boasts of its USAID connections on a website it operates promoting agricultural ties between the U.S. and the greater Caspian Region (of which Azerbaijan forms a part), and Baloghlanov and the company participated in a USAID-sponsored event in Baku. Baloghlanov has continued to engage with and promote USAID on his social media feedseven reposting a new initiative the agency launched in late 2022. The purpose of said initiative? Countering transnational corruption. Allison Quinn contributed reporting to this story. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. When they left Naval Station Mayport, Florida, on Sept. 27, Cmdr. Jeremy Robertson and the sailors he commanded aboard the destroyer Carney had no idea what was in store for them. But to hear Robertson tell it, they were ready to face the unknown, and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen would soon put them to the test. Carney and its crew would spend the coming months shooting down an at-times relentless salvo of Iran-backed Houthi missiles and drones from Yemen, fired at all types of vessels transiting the claustrophobic confines of the Red Sea. When the Houthis fired anti-ship ballistic missiles, Robertsons sailors had just a handful of breaths in which to decide if and how they would counter the attacks. From start to finish, its anywhere from nine to 20 seconds, Robertson told reporters on Monday, a day after the Carney returned home to Mayport. So very fast, very dynamic. And our systems are doing exactly what weve designed them to do. Countering these threats so swiftly required full confidence in the ships tactical action officers, the watch team, and all the systems aboard the vessel, Robertson added. We have learned some significant capabilities when it comes to speed, Robertson said. So an [anti-ship ballistic missile] is just way faster than anything else. And we have certain capabilities to be able to detect stuff like thatThese are certainly very dangerous areas. And every, every interaction is completely different from one another. The destroyer originally joined the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group this fall in the European theater for a scheduled deployment, but headed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in the Middle East on Oct. 18 amid concerns about a larger conflict emerging in the region at the onset of the Israel-Hamas war. The very next day, the vessel became the first confirmed U.S. warship to intercept a series of Houthi missiles and drones in the Red Sea on Oct. 19, an hours-long melee that would set Carneys course for months to come. None of us could have prepared for this, Robertson said. None of us could have known what was going to happenWe never had anyone that shied away from the moment. All the Houthi-US Navy incidents in the Middle East (that we know of) The Carney was joined by several other Navy destroyer that continue to strike down these Houthi threats on military and commercial vessels in the region since then. On top of intercepting Houthi missiles and drones, Carney also helped stop Irans missile and drone attack against Israel on April 14. The team was there, they were in the moment and it was amazing to see how quickly they transitioned into a battle mindset, Robertson said. Their responsibility and actions and follow up came very instinctual. We were doing all of our pre-planned responses, we were doing everything we could to make sure that we didnt make a mistake. No two days looked alike, Robertson said, adding that he wouldnt alter the ships training at all to prepare for operations in the Middle East except for possibly adding an additional exercise here or there for contingencies like the rescue and assistance missions that Carney took on to help commercial vessels stricken by Houthi attacks. It really validates the training and the preparedness that we have, Robertson said. Back on land Monday, Robertson expressed pride in his crews relentless pursuit of excellence, and said Carneys sailors will never forget their ships historic deployment. The crew was there for each other and they got through it together, built resiliency together, Robertson said. Their cohesion and connectedness is one of the major factors into why they made such an effective warfighting team. All told, the Carney conducted 51 engagements in the span of six months, according to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti. Franchetti, who greeted the ship during a quick stop in Norfolk, Va., this month, recognized 14 sailors for their accomplishments at sea. Additionally, the entire crew has also received recognition for its actions in the Red Sea in January when the Navy awarded the crew Combat Action Ribbons for an engagement in December where the Carney shot down 14 Houthi air drones. Upon arrival in Mayport on Sunday, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro presented the Navy Unit Commendation to the ship. The unit award, the second highest after the Presidential Unit Citation, is distributed to Navy and Marine Corps units that demonstrated outstanding heroism in action against enemy forces. Carney was deployed forward, deterring our adversaries, protecting our national interests, defending the rules-based international order, and promoting peace, Del Toro said, according to a Navy news release. I, and all Americans, am immensely proud of these Carney Sailors. They represent the best of the Department of the Navy and indeed our nation. The winner of the international Booker prize is 'Kairos' by Jenny Erpenbeck, translated from German by Michael Hofmann. Epenbeck is the first German writer to win the award. A tumultuous love story told to the backdrop of 1986 Berlin, it's about a young woman that meets an older, married man on a bus. They begin an intense and passionate affair - until she sleeps with someone else for a night, resulting in emotional fissures that echo the collapse of East Germany. Erpenbeck described it as: A private story of a big love and its decay, but its also a story of the dissolution of a whole political system. Simply put: How can something that seems right in the beginning, turn into something wrong? 'Kairos' - a tumultuous love story that mimics its political backdrop. - International Booker Prize It was chosen from a shortlist of six books representing six languages (Dutch, German, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Swedish) across six countries (Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Netherlands, South Korea and Sweden) and three continents (Asia, Europe and South America). "I come from a family of writers. So, my grandparents were writers, my father used to write fiction as well, and my mum was a translator, from Arabic to German. She translated a Nobel Prize Winner," Erpenbeck said in her speech. "There was much writing in my family on all sides, and now I'm standing here, and I'm very honoured," she continued. "It's funny being the back half of a pantomime horse, or the brakeman on a bobsleigh team, but there is something exhilarating about translating, doing something in a big zigzag as quickly and finely as you can," Michael Hofmann said when accepting his award, the first male translator to win it. The ceremony was hosted at London's Tate Modern, with Eleanor Wachtel, Chair of the 2024 judges, announcing the 50,000 prize, which is split equally between author and translator. "What makes Kairos so unusual is that it is both beautiful and uncomfortable, personal and political," Wachtel said in a press release. "Erpenbeck invites you to make the connection between these generation-defining political developments and a devastating, even brutal love affair, questioning the nature of destiny and agency. Like the GDR, it starts with optimism and trust, then unravels." The International Booker Prize is also one of the few awards to honour the vital work of translators in particular. "Michael Hofmanns translation captures the eloquence and eccentricities of Erpenbecks writing, the rhythm of its run-on sentences, the expanse of her emotional vocabulary," Wachtel said. The judges included award-winning poet Natalie Diaz; Booker Prize-shortlisted novelist Romesh Gunesekera; visual artist William Kentridge and writer, editor and translator Aaron Robertson. Georgi Gospodinov was last year's winner with his book Time Shelter, about a psychiatrist that recreates specific decades of time in clinical rooms to treat Alzheimers patience - although healthy people looking for an escape from everyday life also start to seek it out. MASSAPEQUA PARK, N.Y. (PIX11) Helicopters were in the air, state police vehicles were on the ground, and reporters were standing by Monday in front of the Massapequa Park home owned by alleged Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann. Its like living in Goodfellas. To live through this is insane. This is terrible, said neighbor Christine Brennan. The exact reason for the latest law enforcement search is unknown. Heuermann has so far been charged with murdering four of the Gilgo Beach victims; each of their bodies was found wrapped in burlap in 2010. Gilgo Beach murders: Inside the investigation that led to Rex Heuermanns arrest Seven other victims have yet to be linked to Heuermann, who remains in custody. The attorney of Heuermanns wife said she was out of state at the time of this latest search, but his daughter was home and left when officers showed up at the front door. They executed their warrant this morning. Whatever their warrant calls for, theyre going to go in and retrieve whatever is needed and then turn it back over to the court, said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. Its been almost a year since law enforcement descended on the quiet suburban community for the initial search of Heuermanns home. Mondays scene brought back painful memories of the case and what the victims families are going through. Massapequa Park resident Ricky Tavella said hes had enough. Its like reliving this whole tragedy all over again. I just wish they could put this to rest. Find something. Whatever they need to get, get it out of this house and put this to rest. Just get it out of our whole community. Its getting ridiculous now, searching back and forth, back and forth. Enough is enough already, said Tavella. The case is still in the discovery phase, and Mondays search is sure to add to what is already a lengthy evidence list. A trial date has not been set. Heuermann maintains his innocence. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) The Fresno Fire Department released new images on Tuesday of a vehicle they believe could be linked to a fire in central Fresno on Monday. Investigators say the grass fire started on Monday afternoon near Shields and Bryant Avenues around 2:30 p.m. The suspect vehicle is pictured below. Fresno Fire Department Fresno Fire Department If you have any information on the vehicle pictured above you are asked to call (559) 621-2776 (ARSN). There were a total of seven apparatus and a total of 15 personnel on the scene. According to firefighters, the fire was a vegetation fire. None of the fire reached surrounding structures and there were no injuries to firefighters or civilians. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. The body of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has arrived in Tehran as part of funeral ceremonies scheduled to run over several days, according to state-run news agency IRNA. A video broadcast by state media shows the presidential plane arriving at Tehrans Mehrabad airport, carrying Raisis coffin. Government and military officials lined a red carpet, and many could be seen publicly weeping as a military escort carried the coffin. According to images published by state media, a seat on the presidential plane was left empty, covered only in black cloth and a picture of Raisi laid on it. Raisi, a 63-year-old ultraconservative cleric who had once been seen as a potential successor to current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, died in a helicopter crash alongside other high-ranking officials, including the countrys foreign minister, on Sunday morning. His death leaves the Islamic Republics hardline establishment facing an uncertain future as it navigates rising regional tensions and domestic discontent. Mourners during the funeral ceremony in the city of Tabriz on Tuesday. - WANA/Reuters Tuesday began with funeral prayers and a procession in the northwestern city of Tabriz, the largest city in the mountainous northwestern region of Iran where the chopper crashed. Images released by state media showed large crowds dressed in black lining Martyrs Square and surrounding streets in the rain as a large truck, adorned with flowers and draped in the Iranian flag, drove through the crowds carrying the coffins of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and the others killed in Sundays helicopter crash. In a speech in Tabriz on Tuesday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian set a model for brave service and diplomacy, pointing to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Who can forget Raisis heartfelt speeches in defense of Gaza? Vahidi said, IRNA reported. The bodies of the victims will then be transferred to the holy Shiite city of Qom, where many of the clerics who make up Irans theocratic elite are trained, for prayers scheduled at the Fatima Masumeh shrine. On Wednesday, large ceremonies are planned in Tehrans Grand Mosallah Mosque. Mansouri announced a public holiday and the closure of offices all over the country that day so that processions can take place. Raisis body will then be moved to the historic Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad where Ayatollah Khamenei will conduct prayers, according to Mehr News. There is no indication what might have caused the crash and why so many senior Iranian government officials were traveling in a single, decades-old helicopter. In the first moments after Raisis helicopter lost contact on Sunday night, Turkey said it monitored whether or not the aircraft gave a signal, but was unable to detect anything. Mourners gathered in Valiasr Square in central Tehran on Monday. - Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images A billboard in Tehran displaying a picture of Raisi. - Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters We immediately contacted the Iranian side. They also contacted us, but unfortunately it was seen that the signal system was either turned off or the helicopter did not have the signal system, said Turkish Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, according to Turkish state broadcaster TRT. It was not clear whether he was referring to the helicopters transponder, which the vast majority of aircraft are usually equipped with. A helicopter carrying Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi takes off on May 19, 2024, before the crash took place. - Ali Hamed Haghdoust/Wana News Agency/Reuters When asked whether there was a possibility of sabotage, Uraloglu said that it was too early to comment on this issue, and said initial indications looked like an accident due to foggy weather. On Monday, Iranian media reported that the countrys military chief had appointed a commission to investigate the cause of the crash, which includes military and technical experts. A high-ranking delegation will go to the crash site in Eastern Azerbaijan, according to Irans Tasnim news agency. Autocratic partners hail a lost friend The loss of Raisi a conservative hardliner and protege Ayatollah Khamenei is expected to sow further uncertainty in a country already buckling under significant economic and political strain, with tensions with nearby Israel at a dangerous high. His death triggered both domestic and international reactions with several of Irans autocratic partners sending both condolences and effusive praise. Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Koreas Kim Jong Un all released statements praising Raisis legacy and hailing him as a friend. In his message Kim described Raisi as an outstanding statesman and a close friend of the (North Korean) people, adding that the leader had made a great contribution to the cause of the Iranian people for safeguarding the sovereignty, development and interests of their country, according to North Korean state media KCNA. A photo provided by Moj News Agency shows rescue team workers at the scene of the helicopter crash on May 20, 2024. - Azin Haghighi/Moj News Agency/AP Xi, whose government last year played a role in brokering a landmark rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, hailed Raisis important contributions to maintaining Irans security and stability and promoting national development and prosperity. Raisis tragic death is a great loss to the Iranian people, and the Chinese people also lost a good friend, Xi said in a statement released by Chinese state media, adding that the two countries would continue to consolidate and deepen their strategic partnership. Putin, who is believed by the US to be receiving support from Iran for his war in Ukraine, called the Iranian leader an outstanding politician and a true friend of Russia. Raisi made an invaluable personal contribution to the development of the countries relations, Putins statement released by the Kremlin said. The comments come as observers have pointed to a loose but growing coordination of interests between Iran, China, North Korea and Russia over their shared animosity toward a global system they see as dominated by the US and its values. Inside Iran, where many of the countrys restive youth population have grown tired of rule by conservative clerics, Raisi had a much more polarizing legacy. He was widely seen as a figure in which the Iranian hardline establishment had heavily invested in. But he also brutally quashed a youth-led uprising over repressive laws, such as the compulsory hijab, and continued to stamp out dissent in its aftermath. CNNs Nadeen Ebrahim, Negar Mahmoodi, and AnneClaire Stapleton contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Iranian President Ebrahim Raisis sudden death has thrown into question who will take the place as Tehrans next supreme leader. Raisi, 63, who was killed in a helicopter crash Sunday along with Irans foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, was widely considered a leading candidate to take the place of current Islamic Republic Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an ailing 85-year-old who has yet to endorse a successor. Raisis death now raises key questions as to who will step into the roles of not just president but the supreme leader as well, raising potential rivalries and injecting instability into a regime that has grown more unpopular in the past several years. The deaths create a void in the Islamic Republics leadership amid a deepening legitimacy crisis for the Islamic Republic, Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, said in a statement. Attempting to tamp down any speculation of political chaos, Khamenei on Sunday wrote on the social platform X that The nation doesnt need to be worried or anxious, as the administration of the country will not be disrupted at all. And Hadi Tahan Nazif, the spokesperson for Irans Guardian Council a 12-member group that oversees Irans elections and legislation told Iranian state television that the affairs of the country will not be disrupted. Known as the Butcher of Tehran, Raisi was well known internationally for leading the brutal 2022 crackdowns on Iranian protesters who were demonstrating against the countrys conservative Islamic theocracy. In the violent crackdowns that followed, authorities killed more than 500 people and detained more than 22,000 others, according to human rights groups. Raisi was also involved in the mass execution of more than 5,000 political prisoners in the 1980s. Handpicked to be president in 2021, Raisi was seen as being groomed to potentially step in as the countrys next supreme leader when Khamenei died or stepped aside. Following Raisis death, Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has been named as acting president, with a new national election to be held within 50 days to elect a permanent replacement. Under the Iranian Constitution, the vice president, speaker of the parliament, and head of the judiciary the countrys three branches of government must arrange for and hold an election. But the process is seen as controlled by Irans hard-line clerical leaders, with popular participation in elections largely on the decline in recent years, according to Abdi. Most recently, this spring, the vast majority of Iranian voters stayed home in parliamentary elections where most moderate and reformist candidates were barred from running, he said. The state will now weigh its interest in mobilizing public participation in an unprecedented election at a time of great regional turmoil against its fears of popular challenges to its rule amid domestic unease. Top contenders for the next president and eventually the next supreme leader include Khameneis son, Mojtaba Khamenei, as well as Alireza Arafi, a member of the group in charge of selecting a new supreme leader known as the Assembly of Experts. Raisis death raises the prospect of renewed jockeying for the position, Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, wrote of the situation. This does not guarantee the rise of the person seen as Raisis chief rival for the job, Khameneis son Mojtaba. There is deep resistance to the inheritance of power in Iran. The vote also comes at a turbulent time for Iran, with a regional conflict with Israel, rising economic struggles and public unrest among Iranian civilians who are unhappy with the regimes social and political restrictions. Alterman predicted that the most likely outcome in deciding on Raisis replacement is quiet competition within the states coercive apparatus, with elements of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and military and intelligence figures competing for advantage, and a possible marginalization of clerical leadership in the longer term. Such a trend has been underway in Iran for more than a decade, as hostility to the rule of clerics grows among Irans young and increasingly impoverished population, he said. The United States, meanwhile, offered official condolences for the deaths of Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian. As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the State Departments top spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. Biden administration officials defended the sentiment despite a decades-long adversarial relationship with Tehran, with a recent flare-up after Israel killed several high-ranking Iranian military commanders in Syria. Iran responded by launching more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, an attack that President Biden had the U.S. military help to thwart. Following Sundays helicopter crash, analysts speculated whether Iran might accuse Israel or the U.S. of politically motivated sabotage, even as initial reports indicated the aircraft crashed due to foggy conditions as it flew through the mountains of northwestern Iran. But Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday staunchly denied that the U.S. had anything to do with the accident. The United States had no part to play in that crash, thats a fact plain and simple, he told reporters at the Pentagon. Irans army chief has since ordered an investigation into the cause of the helicopter crash. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Update at 8:17 p.m. CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) The Dust Storm Warning issued by the National Weather Service in Lincoln has now expired for Central Illinois. Until rain and winds settle, Illinois State Police said I-55 near McLean and I-74 near LeRoy will both remain closed. Drivers are urged to either stay vigilant or avoid traveling entirely to stay as safe as possible. Dust storm closes part of Interstate 55 Update at 6:30 p.m. CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) The National Weather Service in Lincoln has issued a dust storm warning for several Central Illinois counties until 8:15 p.m. This includes: Logan County Piatt County De Witt County Vermilion County Champaign County Macon County Cities like Champaign, Urbana, Decatur, Danville, Lincoln, Rantoul, Clinton, Monticello, Hoopeston, Savoy, Mahomet, and Mount Zion are all at moderate risk. Officials noted that travelling through these dust storms is dangerous and life-threatening travel. The most impacted roadways are currently: Interstate 155 between mile markers 0 and 31. Interstate 39 between mile markers 0 and 28. Interstate 474 between mile markers 10 and 14. Interstate 55 between mile markers 111 and 186. Interstate 57 between mile markers 218 and 257. Interstate 72 between mile markers 126 and 182. Interstate 74 between mile markers 94 and 219. Several people hurt in Route 54 car pileup: ISP Though drivers are urged to avoid traveling at this time, Illinois State Police are still diverting I-74 West traffic by Farmer City north onto US Highway 136 at Exit 152. Drivers will continue until Route 51 towards LeRoy. Traffic is also closed on part of Interstate 55. For more weather updates, visit out Weather Alerts page. Photo by Jolynn Finefield. Photo by Deb Basham. Taken between LeRoy and Bellflower Photo by Rebecca Phillips. Taken near Melvin. Photo by Rebecca Phillips. Taken near Melvin. Update at 5:45 p.m. CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) Illinois State Police are adjusting an I-74 West traffic diversion to Exit 152. Traffic was previously rerouted to Exit 159 to Farmer City. On account of the ongoing heavy dust storms in the area, ISP is now directing drivers north onto US Highway 136 at Exit 152 until Route 51 towards LeRoy. They continue to urge caution as the storms create an extreme lack of visibility. FARMER CITY, Ill. (WCIA) Illinois State Police are urging caution as a dust storm covers Interstate 74 West of Farmer City. They say the storm is causing zero visibility in the area. Traffic is currently being diverted at Exit 159 to Farmer City. Drivers can proceed along Route 150. Officials with ISP added that there is a large backup on the interstate, and ask drivers to either avoid the area or use an alternate route. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Parliament in Azerbaijan has announced a minute of silence for the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdullahian, and other accompanying officials in a helicopter crash, Trend reports. The parliamentary speaker Sahiba Gafarova wished patience to the families and loved ones of the victims, as well as the friendly and brotherly Iranian people, in connection with their bereavement. She, on her own behalf and on behalf of the Azerbaijani MPs, expressed deep condolences to Iran. To note, on May 19, a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Tabriz Province Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim, and East Azerbaijan Province Governor-General Malek Rahmati crashed while flying from Khudafarin to Tabriz. Following the crash, communication with the helicopter crew was established twice, but it was subsequently lost. The Iranian President and the entire accompanying delegation were confirmed dead. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Israel intends to expand its military operation in the southern city of Rafah in the Gaza Strip to defeat Hamas and to free the hostages the militant organization is still holding, despite US concerns, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday. Gallant was speaking during a meeting with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli radio. Israeli Chief of the Defence Staff Herzi Halevi also attended the meeting. Gallant's office said he had briefed Sullivan "on developments in the war against the Hamas terrorist organization in Gaza, as well as the various efforts made to ensure the return of 128 hostages held by Hamas." Gallant also presented humanitarian aid plans for the population of the Gaza Strip. "This includes significant efforts to evacuate the civilian population in Rafah, facilitating the provision of humanitarian services, and operating in a precise manner to avoid harm to uninvolved civilians," the statement said. The tensions on Israel's border with Lebanon were also discussed. Gallant accused the Lebanese Hezbollah militia of refusing to reach a diplomatic agreement on the withdrawal of its fighters from the border area, risking "a significant escalation." Sullivan stressed the importance of Israel and Egypt concluding their talks on the reopening of the Rafah border crossing. Humanitarian workers must be able to safely deliver aid to those in need throughout the Gaza Strip, Sullivan said. In order for aid to reach the coastal territory, all available border crossings must be used, he added. Sullivan had earlier reiterated that the United States continued to reject a widescale offensive in the overcrowded city of Rafah in talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Sunday. According to the White House, Sullivan nevertheless showed understanding for Israeli efforts to locate Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip. The White House said that Sullivan had reaffirmed "the need for Israel to connect its military operations to a political strategy that can ensure the lasting defeat of Hamas, the release of all the hostages, and a better future for Gaza." According to estimates from the United Nations, around 800,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah since the start of the operation two weeks ago. Many of them are refugees from other parts of the Gaza Strip who had sought refuge in its southernmost point. The White House said that Sullivan had provided information on discussions with Egypt to secure its border with Rafah and to secure the continued flow of humanitarian assistance through the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into the southern Gaza Strip. Kerem Shalom has become key to supplying humanitarian aid following the closure of the Rafah crossing by Israeli forces at the start of the month. Hamas has recently attacked the crossing and Israeli settlements with rockets. According to media reports, Egypt has indicated it will not coordinate aid transports through Rafah until the Israeli forces withdraw. Talks on reopening the crossing are reported to be continuing. Following his talks with Sullivan in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said on social media platform X that the continuation of the war in Gaza, with an emphasis on Rafah, were discussed, along with "increasing the humanitarian effort in the Strip." Reflecting a rise in tensions within the Israeli government, Gallant has demanded the creation of a political alternative to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Benny Gantz, also a cabinet member, threatened over the weekend to resign if a plan was not in place by June 8 to set up a civilian administration to run the Gaza Strip. Israeli military operations continued in other parts of the Gaza Strip. The Hamas-controlled health authority reported the deaths on Sunday of at least 24 Palestinians in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the centre of the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army confirmed that a senior Hamas police officer had been killed in a targeted attack and that another Hamas commander and five activists had been killed in a separate attack in Nuseirat. Tunnels on the border to Egypt had also been discovered and destroyed. A plane drops humanitarian aid loaded with food supplies to displaced Palestinians over the skies of the southern Gaza Strip, during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa Smoke rises following Israeli air strikes on Al-Jeneina and Al-Salam neighbourhoods. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Saturday that it killed an Islamic jihad commander, who is said to have been the logistics head in Rafah for the pro-Iranian militia allied with the Palestinian Islamist Hamas group. Abed Rahim Khatib/dpa The deadly war between Israel and Hamas, the political party that controls the Gaza Strip and which the U.S. State Department has designated a terrorist organization since 1997, has stretched into its seventh month. Over 1,000 Israelis and 10,00035,000 Palestinians have lost their lives (though the death toll in Gaza has been a point of contention). Ever since Hamas' October 7 surprise attack on Israel, in which raiders killed over 1,000 people and took another 240 hostage, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's stated goal has been to "destroy Hamas." But Netanyahu's government has taken steps that contradict the principles of a free society and undercut its reputation as the Middle East's only true democracy. "Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel," the news organization reported on Tuesday, amid accusations of "violating a new media law by providing images to Al Jazeera." The A.P.'s live feed of Gaza went dead after the seizure. On April 1, Israeli lawmakers passed a law that would allow the government to shut down foreign news networks deemed a threat to national security. The Times of Israel reported that the law was specifically intended to target Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based news network that has often been accused of anti-Israel or pro-Hamas bias. "The terrorist channel Al Jazeera will no longer broadcast from Israel," Netanyahu pledged in an April 1 post on X (formerly Twitter). "I intend to act immediately in accordance with the new law to stop the channel's activity." Netanyahu charged that the network had "harmed Israel's security, actively participated in the October 7 massacre, and incited against [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers." The move was broadly denounced. "Such slanderous accusations will not deter us from continuing our bold and professional coverage," Al Jazeera said in a statement. "We think the work that the independent free press does is important everywhere in the world, and much of what we know about what has happened in Gaza is because of reporters who are there doing their jobs, including reporters from Al Jazeera," U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters after the law passed. "I think it's well known that we've not always agreed with all of Al Jazeera's coverage, but it's a media organization that we engage with." White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the move "concerning," adding that "the United States supports the critically important work journalists around the world do," including "those who are reporting [on] the conflict in Gaza." On May 5, Israel forcibly closed Al Jazeera's satellite office in Tel Aviv, seized its broadcast equipment, and blocked access to its websites and broadcasts from within the country, after the government unanimously approved a proposal to do so. Then on Tuesday, Israel did the same to the A.P. The country's communications ministry had ordered the A.P. to cease its live broadcast of footage from Gaza last week, which the outlet refused to do. As a result, officials seized broadcast equipment, saying in a statement that "the communications ministry will continue to take whatever enforcement action is required to limit broadcasts that harm the security of the state." "The AP complies with Israel's military censorship rules, which prohibit broadcasts of details like troops movements that could endanger soldiers," the outlet noted. "Al Jazeera is one of thousands of AP customers, and it receives live video from AP and other news organizations." "The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government to shut down our longstanding live feed showing a view into Gaza and seize AP equipment," said A.P. Vice President of Corporate Communications Lauren Easton in an earlier version of the article. "The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the country's new foreign broadcaster law." Hours after the seizure, the A.P.'s story was updated to say that "Israel's communications minister ordered the government to return a camera and broadcasting equipment it had seized from The Associated Press, reversing course hours after blocking the news organization's live video of Gaza." It noted that this came after "the Biden administration, journalism organizations and an Israeli opposition leader condemned the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and pressured it to reverse the decision." While Israel has no constitution, its laws do recognize a general freedom of speech, including freedom of the press. Even if you fully support Israel's actions since October 7and polls show fewer and fewer Americans do, even though they find its cause to be righteousit's hard to justify such an egregious crackdown on a free press. Unfortunately, there is a trend even among nominally free nations to crack down on dissent in wartime. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shown admirable force of will since Russian forces invaded his country in 2022. But he has also enacted repressive measures, using Russian aggression as justification: In 2021, Zelenskyy's government shuttered three pro-Russia news networks. Even though this act predated the invasion, Zelenskyy defended the move as "by no means an attack on freedom of speech" but rather "a well-founded decision to protect national security." The following year, after Russia's incursion into the country, Zelenskyy went even further: "With the declaration of martial law in February came a prohibition on male citizens aged 1860 leaving the country," Reason's Stephanie Slade wrote in July 2022. "Then in March, the government combined the country's national TV stations into a single state-approved broadcast and suspended 11 opposition political parties it described as 'pro-Russian.'" In fairness, during World War I, the U.S. prosecuted and convicted two socialists under the Espionage Act for handing out pamphlets that encouraged young men to oppose the draft. The Supreme Court later upheld the conviction in a unanimous decision that gave us the "fire in a crowded theater" canard. Again, it is difficult to look at the facts of Russia's invasion of Ukrainea large expansionist power undertaking a war of aggression against a nearby sovereign nation, with vague justifications like "de-Nazification"and see Russia as anything other than an authoritarian aggressor. But that doesn't excuse Ukraine's repressive actions, even if they were nominally taken with the intent to counter Russia. By the same token, even if you support Israel's conduct since October 7, there is no justification for cracking down on news organizations for doing nothing more than reporting the news. The post Israel Raids the Associated Press and Seizes Equipment Over War Coverage appeared first on Reason.com. UN halts all food distribution in Rafah after running out of supplies in the southern Gaza city FILE - Palestinians line up for free food during the ongoing Israeli air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip in Rafah, Jan. 9, 2024. The United Nations said Tuesday, May 21, 2024, it suspended food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah due to lack of supplies and insecurity. It also said no aid trucks entered in the past two days via a floating pier set up by the U.S. for sea deliveries. (AP Photo/Hatem Ali, File) CAIRO (AP) The United Nations suspended food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah on Tuesday due to a lack of supplies and an untenable security situation caused by Israels expanding military operation. The U.N. warned that humanitarian operations across the territory were nearing collapse. A senior United States official said Israel has addressed many of the Biden administration's concerns about a full-scale ground invasion of Rafah aimed at rooting out Hamas fighters there. U.S. President Joe Biden had previously opposed a total military assault on a city filled with displaced civilians if plans did not prioritize the safety of innocent Palestinians. The U.S. official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The official said the administration stopped short of greenlighting the Israeli invasion plan, but said Israeli officials changes to the planning suggested they were taking the American administrations concerns seriously. Over the past two weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have fled Rafah in a chaotic exodus, seeking shelter in new tent camps or crowding into areas already devastated by previous Israeli offensives. Some 400,000 people are believed to still be in Rafah after around 900,000 rushed to escape, according to COGAT, the Israeli military office in charge of Palestinian civilian affairs. Getting aid to displaced civilians has been hampered by closed and chaotic land crossings, as well as problems plaguing the U.S. militarys new floating pier meant to provide an alternative sea route for aid into Gaza. Over the weekend, hungry Palestinians took aid from a U.N. vehicle convoy coming from the pier, and the U.N. said since then it had been unable to receive trucks there. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters in Washington that for the past few days, forward movement of aid from the pier was paused but it resumed Tuesday. There was no confirmation from the U.N. The U.N.'s World Food Program said it was running out of food for central Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are now living. Humanitarian operations in Gaza are near collapse, said Abeer Etefa, a WFP spokesperson. If food and other supplies dont resume entering Gaza in massive quantities, famine-like conditions will spread, she said. The warning came as Israel seeks to contain the international fallout from a request at the worlds top war crimes court for arrest warrants targeting both Israeli and Hamas leaders. The move garnered support from three European countries, including Israel's key ally France. Use of starvation as a method of warfare was among the accusations against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by the chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court charges they and other Israeli officials angrily deny. The prosecutor accused three Hamas leaders of war crimes over killings of civilians in the group's Oct. 7 attack. The U.N says some 1.1 million people in Gaza nearly half the population face catastrophic levels of hunger and that the territory is on the brink of famine. Throughout the war, Rafah has been filled with scenes of hungry children holding out pots and plastic containers at makeshift soup kitchens, with many families reduced to eating only one meal a day. The humanitarian crisis deepened after Israeli forces pushed into Rafah on May 6. Tanks and troops seized the vital Rafah crossing into Egypt, and it's been closed ever since. After May 10, only about three dozen trucks made it into Gaza via the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel because fighting made it dangerous for aid workers to reach it, the U.N. says. Israel insists it puts no restriction on the number of trucks entering Gaza. COGAT said 450 trucks entered Tuesday from its side to Kerem Shalom and a small crossing in northern Gaza. It said more than 650 trucks are waiting on the Gaza side of Kerem Shalom to be retrieved, blaming lack of logistical capabilities and manpower gaps among aid groups. For months, the U.N. has warned that an Israeli assault on Rafah could wreck the effort to get food, medicine and other supplies to Palestinians across Gaza. Asked about the ramifications of suspending aid, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said simply: People dont eat. Etefa said the WFP was still passing out hot meals and limited distributions of reduced food packages in central Gaza, but food parcel stocks will run out within days, she said. The U.S. touted the $320 million pier project as a route for accelerated deliveries. The first 10 trucks rolled off a ship onto the pier on Friday and were taken to a WFP warehouse. However, a second convoy on Saturday was met by Palestinian crowds who removed all the food from 11 trucks, and only five truckloads made it to the warehouse, Etefa said. No further deliveries came from the pier Sunday or Monday, Etefa said. The responsibility of ensuring aid reaches those in need does not end at the crossings and other points of entry into Gaza it extends throughout Gaza itself, she said. At the same time, battles have escalated in northern Gaza as Israeli troops conduct operations against Hamas fighters, who the military says regrouped in areas already captured in offensives months ago. One of the main hospitals still operating in the north, Kamal Adwan, was forced to evacuate after it was targeted by Israeli troops, the Gaza Health Ministry said. Around 150 staff and dozens of patients fled the facility, including intensive care patients and infants in incubators under fire from shelling, it said. The Israeli military did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The nearby Awda hospital has been surrounded by troops the past three days, and an artillery shell hit its fifth floor, the hospital administration said Tuesday. A day earlier, the international medical aid group Doctors Without Borders said Awda had run out of drinking water. The war between began on Oct. 7, when Hamas-led militants crossed into Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 250 hostage. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan accused Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh of crimes against humanity, including extermination, murder and sexual violence. Israel responded to the Oct. 7 with an offensive that has laid waste to Gaza and killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gazas Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between noncombatants and fighters in its count. Monday's call by Khan for arrest warrants deepens Israels global isolation at a time when it is facing growing criticism from even its closest allies over the war. France, Belgium, and Slovenia each said they backed Khan's decision. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz headed to France on Tuesday in response, urging it to declare loud and clear that the request for warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant "is unacceptable to you and to the French government. His meetings there could set the tone for how countries navigate the warrants if they are eventually issued and whether they could pose a threat to Israeli leaders. A panel of three ICC judges will decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed. The judges typically take two months to make such decisions. Israel still has the support of its top ally, the United States, as well as other Western countries that spoke out against the decision. But if the warrants are issued, they could complicate international travel for Netanyahu and his defense minister, even if they do not face any immediate risk of prosecution because Israel itself is not a member of the court. ___ Goldenberg reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press journalists Majdi Mohammed in the Jenin refugee camp, West Bank, Jack Jeffery in Jerusalem, Aamer Madhani in Washington, John Leicester in Paris, and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report. Israeli government officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press on Tuesday, shuttering the outlets live stream from Gaza, citing the nations new media law. Passed in April, the law allows the shuttering of outlets which the government deems a threat to national security. Officials from the Communications Ministry arrived at the AP location in Sderot on Tuesday, seizing equipment and handing over a piece of paper signed by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, alleging that the outlet was violating the new foreign broadcaster law, according to the AP. After the seizure took place, the AP released a statement condemning the move, in the strongest terms. The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the countrys new foreign broadcaster law, AP spokesperson Lauren Easton wrote. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world, the statement concluded. The foreign broadcaster law was passed in Israel in April, with its first target being Al Jazeeras Israel operations. Israeli officials used the law to close down the offices of the Qatar-based broadcaster on May 5 and confiscated its equipment, banned the channels broadcasts, and blocked its websites. The post Israeli Government Shuts Down AP Live Feed From Gaza, Seizes Equipment as New Media Law Takes Effect appeared first on TheWrap. A screenshot taken from AP video showing a general view of northern Gaza as seen from Southern Israel, before it was seized by Israeli officials on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Israeli officials seized a camera and broadcasting equipment belonging to The Associated Press in southern Israel on Tuesday, accusing the news organization of violating the countrys new ban on Al Jazeera. Shortly before the equipment was seized, it was broadcasting a general view of northern Gaza. (AP Photo) NEW YORK (AP) Israel's shutdown and seizure of an Associated Press video camera that provided a live glimpse into Gaza alarmed many journalists, who worried Tuesday about wider implications for coverage of a war largely fought out of the world's sight to begin with. After widespread condemnation, including a call by the Biden administration for Israel to back off, authorities returned the AP's equipment late Tuesday. Israel had justified its move by saying the agency violated a new media law that bans Al Jazeera, since the Qatari satellite channel is one of thousands of customers that receive live AP video. By early Wednesday, the APs live video of Gaza was back up in Israel. The camera confiscated earlier, located in the southern Israeli town of Sderot, was not the only one the AP operated in Israel or Gaza the company would not say how many it uses regularly nor is the AP the only news organization to do so. Agence France-Presse confirmed it has frequently used such cameras in Israel and also sells its images to Al Jazeera. Israel's move to restrict AP's work today is extremely concerning and a clear attack on press freedom, said Phil Chetwynd, AFP's global news director. News organizations expressed worry about the potential ambiguity in how Israel's law could be enforced. What, they asked, prevents Israel from shutting down the news cooperative's operations in the country altogether? It also could allow Israel to block media coverage of virtually any news event on vague security grounds, Israel's Foreign Press Association said in a statement. OTHERS ARE LIKELY WATCHING ISRAEL'S ACTIONS Israel also denies foreign journalists entry into Gaza to cover a war that began following Hamas' Oct. 7 attacks inside the Jewish state, and has been criticized for not doing enough to protect Palestinian journalists and civilians. The country seems to be grasping at anything that hurts Al Jazeera, said Thomas Kent, former president and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and an international consultant on media ethics. Its latest step damages a reputable news organization at a time the country would seem to want independent news coverage, Kent said. A democracy acting in this way also sends a disturbing signal to authoritarian countries, he said. You have to look at the larger picture, said Kent, also a former standards editor and international correspondent at the AP. They're giving fuel to other countries that would love to seize equipment and shut down transmissions. The move against the AP set off a debate within Israel. Yair Lapid, opposition leader to the Netanyahu government, called it an act of madness. Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who accused the AP of violating the countrys law, said it clearly states that any device used to deliver content to Al Jazeera could be seized. We will continue to act decisively against anyone who tries to harm our soldiers and the security of the state, even if you dont like it, Karhi responded to Lapid on X. The AP's camera in Sderot was operated 24 hours a day and was also attended by staff members. A staffer can be used to move or focus the camera to cover news that may be happening, and also to avoid capturing military moves. The AP says it complies with military censorship rules that prohibit the broadcast of troop movements that could endanger soldiers. STATIONARY CAMERAS ARE COMMON News organizations frequently place cameras that can operate remotely at various places around the globe, either in an area where news is happening or simply to provide a view of a city skyline. These shots have many uses providing a backdrop for a television station reporting on developments, or as a livestream feature on a website. Earlier in the Gaza war, footage from such cameras helped news organizations conduct forensic investigations into who was responsible for a military strike on a Palestinian hospital. The AP is the biggest supplier of live video news coverage to newsrooms across the world, said AP Vice President Paul Haven, the agency's head of news gathering. Our live video provides a window of what's happening around the world on any given day, allowing audiences to see events for themselves as they unfold, Haven said. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was deeply disturbed by Israel's actions on Tuesday. Carlos Martinez de la Serna, CPJ program director, said the country should allow all international media outlets, including Al Jazeera, to operate freely in the country. While Israel's return of the equipment is a positive development, the underlying issue has not disappeared. We remain concerned about the Israeli government's use of the foreign broadcaster law and the ability of independent journalists to operate freely in Israel, said AP spokeswoman Lauren Easton. ___ David Bauder writes about media for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Gallant hold a joint press conference at Israel's Ministry of Defense, in Tel Aviv By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel on Tuesday urged "nations of the civilised world" to oppose the International Criminal Court prosecutor's request for arrest warrants against its leaders, and to declare they would ignore the warrants. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was named in Monday's announcement at The Hague, called it a "disgraceful" bid to interfere in Israel's more than seven-month-old Gaza war against Hamas. Israel's anger is echoed in Washington, which condemned the impression of equivalence given by the fact that the prosecutor, Karim Khan, simultaneously sought warrants against leaders of the Palestinian Islamist group. "We call on the nations of the civilised, free world - nations who despise terrorists and anyone who supports them - to stand by Israel. You should outright condemn this step," government spokesperson Tal Heinrich said. "Make sure the ICC understands where you stand. Oppose the prosecutor's decision and declare that, even if warrants are issued, you do not intend to enforce them. Because this is not about our leaders. It's about our survival." In a post on X, Gallant said: "The attempt by Prosecutor Karim Khan to deny the State of Israel the right to self-defence and to free its hostages must be rejected out of hand." Hamas holds around 125 hostages seized during its cross-border rampage on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and triggered the war. Gaza medical officials say more than 35,000 have been killed during the Israeli offensive. Khan said on Monday that Israel did have the right to defend its population but added: "That right, however, does not absolve Israel or any state of its obligation to comply with international humanitarian law." He said that, whatever Israel's military goals in Gaza, the prosecution believed its methods - "namely, intentionally causing death, starvation, great suffering, and serious injury to body or health of the civilian population" - were criminal. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, said there was no comparing "actions taken by a democratic government here with the behaviour of a terrorist organisation that is fighting in a way that has created these conditions". "I don't think that a day has gone by that I haven't worked with either the prime minister or the defence minister or somebody in their immediate circle on how you get humanitarian assistance to starving people," he added, speaking at a conference. Asked if Netanyahu or Gallant would avoid travelling to ICC-signatory countries if arrest warrants were issued, Heinrich said: "Let's wait and see." (Writing by Dan Williams, additional reporting by Stephanie van den Berg in The Hague; editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Kevin Liffey) WASATCH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) A semi-truck traveling southbound on U.S.-189 lost control and crashed into Deer Creek Reservoir on Monday night, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. Lieutenant Cameron Roden with UHP told ABC4.com that the semi-truck lost control before it jackknifed and hit the guard rail. After hitting the guard rail, the semi-truck went into the reservoir. READ NEXT: California car crash kills LDS senior missionary, hospitalizes companion The cab of the semi-truck was submerged and the trailer was protruding from the water. The Utah Department of Public Safety said the tank ruptured in the crash releasing propane gas into the air. Due to the hazmat situation, Utah Highway Patrol closed SR-189 in both directions. That closure lasted overnight while the trailer continued to vent off the gas. Hazmat crews eventually brought in equipment to remove the tanker from Deer Creek Reservoir once they deemed it was safe to do so. The Department of Public safety said the male driver of the semi-truck was found dead inside the cab of the truck as it was brought back up onto the roadway. The crash is currently under investigation to determine what may have caused the crash. There is no further information at this time. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. In line with the President of Azerbaijan's decree declaring 2024 as the Green World Solidarity Year and marking the International Day of Plant Health, the Plant Health Forum titled Towards a Green World has kicked off in Baku, Trend reports. The event, organized jointly by the Food Safety Agency of Azerbaijan (FSA) and the Ministry of Agriculture of Azerbaijan, is attended by representatives of a number of government agencies, foreign countries, international organizations, and experts. The forum, scheduled to take place on May 2122, aims to create a platform for collaboration on protecting plants and plant products from pests, promoting plant health through pest control, and expanding production. It also seeks to ensure the safe trade of plants and plant products, enhance global food security, and conserve biodiversity. Participants will include national plant health institutions, regional and international organizations, government agencies, and experts. Speaking at the event, Goshgar Tahmazli, chairman of the Food Security Agency of Azerbaijan, stated that the agency is implementing extensive measures to protect Azerbaijan from new dangerous plant diseases. "The Agency has expanded phytosanitary measures on the import of agricultural planting materials, such as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes, to shield the country from viral and bacterial plant diseases spreading in neighboring regions and to safeguard the production and export of crop products. In 2023, 829 notifications regarding quarantine pests found in imported plants and plant products were sent to exporting countries, with 49 pests detected in planting and sowing materials. As part of phytosanitary control measures, the agency imposed temporary bans on imports from several importers due to detected non-compliance. Additionally, the agency developed and implemented the National Monitoring Plan to systematize observations and monitoring on primary production farms of major export-potential crops, including tomatoes, potatoes, onions, pomegranates, strawberries, and grapes. Under this plan, 1,380 crop farms were monitored in 2023. Laboratory tests revealed 176 quarantine pests in 172 farms, and necessary measures were taken," he said. The chairman also highlighted the agency's significant efforts to improve the legal framework in the field of plant health. Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, the Milli Majlis Committee on Agrarian Policy, the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan, the Partnership and Coordination Office of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in Azerbaijan, and the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision of Russia (Rosselkhoznadzor) also addressed the forum. The speakers discussed the agrarian reforms in Azerbaijan, the progress in crop production, and the achievements in this field. They praised the efforts of the relevant agencies to enhance the plant health system in Azerbaijan, addressing modern challenges. They expressed confidence that this forum would further contribute to ensuring plant health and food security both in Azerbaijan and the broader region. The event continued with sessions on "The Role of Sustainable Agricultural Practices in Pest Management Under Climate Change: In the Context of COP29" and "Research and Human Resource Capacity in Plant Health." During these sessions, participants engaged in discussions and answered questions. Additionally, a Panel of Phytosanitary Experts was established. Tomorrow, the forum will host sessions on "Pest Management Practices in Fruit Production Plots," "Pest Management Practices in Greenhouses," "Pest Management Practices in Annual Crops Production Plots," and "Proper Use of Plant Protection Products and Application of Biological Control Methods." Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Jailed Guatemalan journalist to AP: 'I can defend myself, because I am innocent Police escort Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, founder of El Periodico newspaper, to court in handcuffs for a hearing in Guatemala City, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Zamora has served almost two years of his six-year sentence in a money laundering case that press freedom groups decry as political persecution aimed at silencing a critical voice. Zamora denies the charge and seeks his release. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo) GUATEMALA CITY (AP) Jose Ruben Zamora has spent nearly two years locked in a dark 16- by 13-foot cell in a Guatemalan prison, allowed only one hour a day in the sunlight. The journalists money laundering conviction was tossed out, and last week a judge finally ordered his conditional release to await a new trial. But the 67-year-old founder of the newspaper El Periodico never made it out. Two more cases against him include detention orders. In a jail house interview Tuesday, Zamora told The Associated Press that he had heard he would be arrested in July 2022 a week before agents came for him. But, he said, it never crossed my mind to flee. I have to face justice because I can defend myself, because I am innocent. International press freedom organizations have labeled Zamoras arrest and detention a political prosecution. Zamora concurs. He contends his legal problems were engineered by former President Alejandro Giammattei, who appeared many times in the pages of El Periodico accused of corruption. Zamora said his treatment has improved somewhat since President Bernardo Arevalo took office in January, but the bar was low. His first day in prison in July 2022, he had only a towel his wife had given him, which he used to cover the bare mattress where he sleeps. He went two weeks without talking to another prisoner. His only outside contact was with his lawyers, a changing cast of more than 10, two of whom were eventually also charged with obstructing justice. Things always got worse for him before a hearing. There was one day when the head of the prison came to take me out of the cell every time I bathed or went to the bathroom, he wanted to search me, Zamora said. One night before a hearing, workers began installing bars near his cell starting at 6 p.m. and going to 5 a.m., he said. The long hours without daylight, the isolation and being awakened several times a night by guards amount to psychological torture, Zamora said. Listen to how it sounds when it closes, Zamora said of his steel cell door. Imagine that six times a night. Zamora constantly brings up details of his cases. The only one to earn him a sentence later thrown out was for money laundering. Zamora explained that a well-known painter friend of his had donated a painting, which he then sold to pay the newspapers debts. He believes his newspapers critical reporting on Giammatteis administration led to the prosecutions by Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who Giammattei put up for a second term before leaving office. The other cases revolve around alleged obstruction of justice and falsifying documents. There are no trial dates for any of the cases. That case just like this one is staged, Zamora said. There's nothing supporting it. It will collapse for them the same way. A JEA leader is denying that the series of events that led to an interim CEO at the utility was a coup, amid a City of Jacksonville Office of Inspector General investigation first reported Monday by Action News Jaxs Ben Becker. The JEA board of directors approved a one-year, $560,000 contract for interim CEO Vickie Cavey on Tuesday to replace former CEO Jay Stowe. Its as questions remain about the hiring process, including possible Sunshine Law violations and Charter interpretations. There are also separate questions about Caveys resume and her involvement with the troubled Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant. Becker first reported Monday that multiple sources told him the Inspector General is examining the actions of the JEA board. Ive spoken to people who describe this a coup, what do you say? Becker asked JEA Board Chair Joe DiSalvo. No completely false, DiSalvo said. Stowe did nothing wrong. We had a difference of opinion on capital projects, simple as that. You can make a big deal out of it, but it was as simple as that. RELATED: Sources: OIG investigating hiring of JEA CEO for possible state and local violations How did she become a candidate if there were no discussions beforehand? Becker asked. DiSalvo said he had no knowledge of prior talks before Cavey was first offered the position on April 15, but later, Cavey did admit board member Bobby Stein came to her to gauge her interest in the job. The Inspector General will delve into who knew what and when. Cavey spent 32 years at the utility, including as Director of Strategy Development and Execution, and came out of retirement in March to serve as a liaison to the board. RELATED: JEA CEO Jay Stowe resigns, Vickie Cavey selected as interim CEO Her resume from 2001-2012 said she was responsible for negotiation and management of all purchased power agreements for JEA. It would appear to include the Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia. The contract did not have a cap and turned out to be seven years behind schedule and will cost JEA customers approximately $5 billion. Cavey: I did not negotiate Vogtle. Becker: According to your resume you did, is your resume not accurate? [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] Separately, the Inspector General will also examine her hiring as it relates to a city council ordinance that passed in 2020. It changed JEAs Charter requiring a Managing Director/CEO to have five years of executive experience with a utility. Caveys resume indicates she has never held an executive title at JEA like Vice President or Chief. A JEA organizational chart from 2016 shows she had no direct reports. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] She has the right experience to do this job, DiSalvo said. Becker pressed Cavey for answers as she was leaving the meeting. Vickie, I would like to know how you are eligible for this position if you have never had executive-level experience? Becker asked. Cavey never responded as she walked away into a restricted area. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. (FOX40.COM) JetBlue will not be offering direct flights from the Sacramento International Airport to two cities on the East Coast later this year. A spokesperson from the airline told FOX40.com it will suspend direct flights from SMF to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and Logan International Airport in Boston for the winter season starting Oct. 27. JetBlue said the suspended service is part of a larger effort to refocus our network. JetBlue is constantly evaluating our routes to best serve our customers, return our airline to profitability, and find ways to improve our reliability, the airline said in a statement. Southwest Airlines offering new nonstop flights between Sacramento and Kansas City SMF officials told FOX40.com they were informed by JetBlue that its JFK service was only seasonal and a return date to service is not known at this time. The direct flight to Boston was the only nonstop destination to Massachusetts from SMF, according to the airports website. The next closest direct flight from Sacramento to New York is Newark, New Jersey, which is offered through United. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX40. President Joe Bidens effort to improve voters view of his mental fitness took a hit when the White House corrected numerous errors from a recent speech. In his address to the NAACP on Sunday, the official transcript fixed several mistakes some of which conservative media jumped on, Mediaite reported. Polling has shown that voters are more concerned about Bidens acuity than Republican rival Donald Trump while both rack up blunders on the campaign trail. Theyll square off in a debate in June. In talking to the NAACP, Biden mistakenly implied he was vice president during the pandemic, which was crossed out while recession was added in brackets. He referred to insurrectionists as irrectionists, which was amended, and said his administration was cracking down on landlords who keep rents down. The who was crossed out and replaced by a to. Biden told the civil rights group he was humbled to receive this organization, when he meant award, the transcript showed. He also committed a double gaffe on the matter of insurance premiums. He said his administration saved families $800,000 a year, quickly changed it to $8,000 during the speech but the transcript altered it to $800. At one point he called the group the NAAC and collected other small errors on usage and spelling. Biden has talked about his battles with a stutter, which can cause missteps in speech, but its unclear whether the recent rash of blunders has anything to do with it. HuffPost has reached out to the White House for comment. Biden called out Trump to debate him last week after the former president repeatedly challenged him. The presidents former press secretary, Jen Psaki, applauded Biden for being proactive in aggressively initiating the two scheduled debates and the ground rules for them. Related... SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) The man who bludgeoned Nancy Pelosis husband with a hammer in 2022 will be given a chance to speak before he is resentenced by a federal judge next week. David DePape, 44, was given the maximum prison sentence on Friday: 20 years for attempting to kidnap Nancy Pelosi from her San Francisco home, and 30 years for beating Paul Pelosi with a hammer. The sentences will run concurrently. U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley made an error during Fridays hearing when she failed to ask DePape if he wanted to make a statement before she handed down his sentence. David DePape and Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley listen in court on May 17, 2024 at the federal courthouse in San Francisco. (Courtroom sketch by Vicki Behringer) The judge scheduled a new sentencing hearing for May 28 to correct her error in the high-profile case. God knows what hes going to say, with all of his mental issues, legal expert Michael Cardoza told KRON4. The judges blunder may or may not, shave time off DePapes 30-year sentence, Cardoza said. Judges make mistakes. You hate to see it happen on this large of a stage, he added. Cardoza said DePapes defense team could seize on the error to try to appeal his case. Under federal criminal procedure rules, the judge was required to address the defendant personally in order to permit the defendant to speak or present any information to mitigate the sentence. It was the Courts responsibility to personally ask Mr. DePape if he wanted to speak. As the Court did not do so, it committed clear error, Corley wrote in court documents filed Saturday. David DePape records a nude wedding outside San Francisco City Hall on Dec. 19, 2013. (AP Photo / Eric Risberg / File) For his federal trial, DePape testified in self-defense. He admitted that he broke into the Pelosis San Francisco home on Oct. 28, 2022, intending to hold the speaker hostage and video tape her admitting that the government was corrupt. Only four people were given a chance to speak in court at Fridays hearing: Angela Chuang, DePapes defense attorney; Laura Vartain, Assistant United States Attorney; Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy and Paul Pelosi; and Jacqueline Scott Corley, the judge who presided over the trial. Christine Pelosi read victim impact letters written by her parents to the courtroom. Christine Pelosi reads a letter written by her mother, Nancy Pelosi, in court on May 17, 2024 at the federal courthouse in San Francisco. (Courtroom sketch by Vicki Behringer) Vartain urged the judge to give DePape a stiff sentence. This is no patriot, this is a domestic terrorist. A lone wolf domestic terrorist, Vartain said. Chuang told the judge that in the months leading up to October of 2022, DePapes life had spiraled down to a very low point in his life. DePape was living alone in a garage in Richmond, spent his time watching YouTube videos filled with right-wing conspiracy theories, and he was estranged from his family, Chaung said. In rants posted online earlier in 2022, DePape echoed a baseless, right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory that claims devil-worshipping pedophiles run the U.S. government. David DePape testifies at his federal trial in San Francisco on Nov. 14, 2023 while a prosecutor holds the hammer. (Courtroom sketch courtesy Vicki Behringer) He was socially isolated. He spent every waking hour listening to conspiracy theories. These were conditions in which, all of that combined to create a perfect storm, Chaung told the judge. On Friday, Judge Corley had stern words for DePape for making an unprecedented decision to invade a politicians private home. The judge also admonished him for taunting America when he told a Bay Area TV station that he wished he had the chance to attack more political targets. Chuang told the judge to consider the prison terms being given to those who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. The five most serious sentences for people who were convicted of seditious conspiracy, of literally conspiring to overthrow the government, range from 15 to 22 years, the defense attorney said. Judge Corley said the Jan. 6 analogy didnt reflect the seriousness of breaking into an elected officials private home. DePape will appear in court for his new sentencing hearing at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 28. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. A federal judge will reopen the sentencing hearing for the man convicted of assaulting Paul Pelosi after the judge failed to let him speak during last weeks sentencing hearing. The decision comes just days after Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley sentenced David DePape to 30 years in prison for breaking into the California home of Pelosi. DePape was convicted in the attack on the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and was also sentenced to 20 years for trying to kidnap Pelosi. The two sentences are to run simultaneously, and DePape will receive credit for the 18 months he has already served. In a filing over the weekend, Corley said there was a clear error after she failed to allow DePape to speak during the Friday hearing. A new hearing was scheduled for May 28. While neither federal prosecutors nor DePapes defense team mentioned Corleys error in the hearing, prosecutors filed a motion hours later stating the court failed to give DePape the opportunity to speak or present any information to mitigate the sentencing, in violation of a federal rule. The prosecutors asked the court to reopen the sentencing hearing, noting the court has 14 days to correct the sentencing. The prosecutors noted, however, that DePapes defense team filed an appeal shortly after Fridays sentencing and opposed the motion to bring him back to court. The Hill has reached out to the prosecutors and DePapes attorney for comment. DePape, 44, was convicted last year for the 2022 assault, in which he attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer. In court last fall, he offered an apology for his actions. He told the court he went to the couples home to talk to the former Speaker about alleged Russian involvement in the 2016 election, and that he planned to wear a costume and post his interrogation of her online. DePape told police last year he believed there was evil in Washington and that he looked to harm Pelosi because she was second in line for the presidency, according to an Associated Press report, citing a San Francisco police investigator. He said he felt bad after hearing testimony from a neurosurgeon who operated on Pelosi after the attack and described Pelosis injuries on the stand. He was never my target, and Im sorry that he got hurt, DePape said at the time. The Department of Justice was seeking a 40-year sentence for DePape, demanding the maximum penalties for the counts. Before DePape was sentenced last week, Paul Pelosi detailed the challenges he faced following the incident in a filing to Corley. My head injuries continue to affect my life. My hair grew back but I have bumps on my head from the hammer blows and a metal plate from skull surgery. The dizziness has not gone away, Pelosi wrote to Corley. It has taken many months to reclaim my home and well-being. Even so, we do not answer our landline phone or our front door due to ongoing threats. I ask that you consider the premeditated kidnapping of my wife, the vicious assault on my life, and the ongoing physical and mental injuries caused by the defendant and sentence him to the fullest extent the law provides, he added in a victim impact statement filed last Friday. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A man has been convicted for a 2021 high-speed police pursuit in which he fired a gun at officers while driving recklessly through a Sacramento neighborhood, prosecutors said. On Thursday, a jury found 23-year-old Ismael Herrera-Mondello guilty of five counts of attempted murder on a police officer, seven counts of assault on a police officer with a semi-automatic firearm and felony evasion of police, the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office announced Monday in a news release. Herrera-Mondello also was convicted of vehicle theft, three counts of shooting at an inhabited home and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said Herrera-Mondello ran into a home and hid inside, firing gunshots at police throughout the standoff until officers used tear gas to force him out and take him into custody about 8:30 p.m. that night. The police chase began a few hours earlier on July 7, 2021. Officers spotted a stolen vehicle shortly before 5 p.m. near 65th Street and Fruitridge Road, the Sacramento Police Department has said. The officers tried to pull over the stolen vehicle, but the driver later identified as Herrera-Mondello refused to stop. Prosecutors said Herrera-Mondello sped away and drove recklessly through the residential neighborhood, repeatedly firing a semiautomatic gun at officers during the police pursuit. One of the bullets struck a nearby home. The chase lasted about 10 minutes, before the fleeing stolen vehicle reached a dead end near 38th and Wallace avenues. Police said Herrera-Mondello then got out of the vehicle and ran into Sacramentos Avondale neighborhood. Prosecutors said Herrera-Mondello ran to the back of a home and tried to get inside by kicking the garage door and breaking a window, before he jumped over a fence into another backyard and broke into the home by firing a gunshot into the back door. Police said he fired a gunshot into a glass door. A Sacramento police officer on Lemon Hill Avenue mans a roadblock at Belleview Avenue in south Sacramento on July 7, 2021, after multiple law enforcement agencies responded to reports of a man who shot at police officers. Ismael Herrera-Mondello was found guilty Thursday on numerous charges including five counts of attempted murder. A resident inside heard an intruder enter and ran out of the homes front door. Police surrounded the home. The Police Departments SWAT team, crisis negotiators and aerial drone teams were called to the home. A few hours had gone by with little to no movement inside the surrounded house when several officers positioned outside the home reported shots fired at them. Prosecutors said Herrera-Mondello, who had positioned himself in the attic and was shooting at officers from a vent not visible to officers, continued to fire at officers and SWAT team members. Officers used armored vehicles to get closer to the home while facing gunfire. Shortly after the gunshots were fired at the officers, the SWAT team launched teargas into the home, according to the District Attorneys Office. Herrera-Mondello came out of the home and was taken into custody. Prosecutors said police did not return fire at any point. Police said no residents or officers were injured during the incident; Herrera-Mondello suffered minor injuries. Prosecutors said officers searched the home and found two semi-automatic handguns and two 9 mm handguns without serial numbers. The officers also found two empty 9 mm ammunition magazines capable of holding 21 and 10 bullets. All 16 shell casings collected along the path of the police pursuit, the stolen vehicle and affected homes were fired from one of the handguns found inside the home where Herrera-Mondello hid for more than three hours, according to the District Attorneys Office. Herrera-Mondello remained in custody Monday afternoon at the Sacramento County Jail. He is scheduled to return June 28 for his sentencing in Sacramento Superior Court. Prosecutors said Herrera-Mondello faces a maximum sentence of 195 years and 8 months to life in prison. Watch a previous report on the shooting in the video player above. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A Columbus man was found not guilty of all charges stemming from a fatal June 2023 shooting on the northeast side of the city. On Monday, a jury found Thomas N. Hampton, 32, not guilty of the seven charges he was facing. Thomas Hampton (Courtesy Franklin County Sheriffs Office) Hampton was arrested on June 26 in connection with a shooting on the 1600 block of East 26th Avenue in Columbus Argyle Park neighborhood. FBI most wanted suspect from Columbus to remain in federal custody on swatting charges The jury found Hampton not guilty of two murder charges, two felonious assault charges, and one charge each of attempted murder, discharge of a firearm on or near a prohibited premise, and tampering with evidence. James Cunningham, 31, died in the shooting. A second victim, a 32-year-old man, was hospitalized in critical condition. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Just curious: This occasional feature in the Des Moines Register aims to answer your questions about Iowa. Is there some place, event, lore, history or cultural quirk you're just curious about? Email your question to the Des Moines Register's Bill Steiden at wsteiden@registermedia.com. It's been eight decades since America sent its troops across the oceans to fight in World War II, but many Iowa communities still remember their local service members from that war, and in particular, those who received the nation's highest military honor for going above and beyond the call of duty. Ten Iowa soldiers were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for their service in World War II, according to the Iowa Veterans Remembrance Project. They include a bomber pilot who went down with his plane so his crew could escape; a sergeant who fought off an attack despite an enemy tank blowing off his leg, and one of only seven Black soldiers from the war to receive the Medal of Honor. Here are their stories, based on historical records and their official medal citations. Vernon Baker, Clarinda Vernon Baker Vernon Baker was born in Wyoming but lived with family in Iowa as a child and graduated from Clarinda High School. In 1941, he enlisted in the Army and was commissioned as a lieutenant in 1943. In April 1945, Baker led his platoon in an assault on a medieval Italian castle fortified by Germany. Crawling through enemy fire, Baker destroyed several observation and machinegun posts and then, when his men were forced to retreat, he drew enemy fire onto himself to allow his surviving men to evacuate their wounded. In total 19 of the 25 men in the platoon were killed or wounded during the battle. More: This Black Iowan saved hundreds of soldiers in WWI. Should he have received a Medal of Honor? Baker, who was Black, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at the time. In the 1990s, a military commission reviewed World War II service records, leading to determinations that seven Black service members should have been awarded the Medal of Honor but had been rejected because of their race. Of those seven, only Baker, who retired from the army in 1968, was still alive to see his award upgraded in 1994. He died in 2010. Arthur Beyer, Rock Township In January 1945, Cpl. Arthur Beyer was serving as gunner on a tank destroyer in Belgium when his unit came under fire from German infantry armed with machine guns and antitank weapons. Leaving his vehicle, Beyer advanced on foot and single-handedly fought his way down a quarter-mile length of enemy emplacements and foxholes, killing eight, capturing 18 and silencing four heavy weapons. Beyer lived in North Dakota after the war and died in 1965. Herschel Briles, Colfax Staff Sgt. Hershel Briles received his Medal of Honor for several actions in November 1944 as Allied forces pushed into Germany. A column of tank destroyers Briles was leading came under German artillery fire, suffering a direct hit on one vehicle. Briles and another soldier left their own vehicle, under fire, to rescue two badly wounded men from the stricken tank destroyer and extinguish the blaze. More: Freedom Rock honors Indianola Medal of Honor recipient The next morning, Briles engaged a German infantry attack with his vehicle machine gun, forcing 55 of them to surrender and breaking a hole in the enemy lines. And later that day, after another of his tank destroyers was hit by enemy fire, he again left his vehicle to rescue two wounded crew members and extinguish the fire before the tank destroyer's ammunition could explode. Briles survived the war and returned to Iowa, where he died in 1994. Dale Christensen, Cameron Township Dale Christensen joined the Army in 1940, and by July 1944 was a lieutenant leading a platoon with the 112th Cavalry Regiment in action in New Guinea. Over the course of three days, Christensen single-handedly attacked and destroyed a Japanese machine gun position and personally scouted and led an assault that overran a Japanese defensive work, capturing numerous weapons. At one point during the combat, Christensen's rifle was shot out of his hands. He continued his advance, assaulting enemy positions with grenades. On the third day of action, Christensen was killed leading an assault on another Japanese defensive post. Darrell Lindsey, Jefferson Darrell Lindsey enlisted as an aviation cadet barely a month after the attack on Pearl Harbor and trained as a bomber pilot. Throughout 1944, he flew 45 missions over France in B-26 medium bombers, before, during and after the D-Day invasion. During Lindsey's 46th mission, in August 1944, he piloted the lead plane in a formation of 30 bombers to attack a key railroad bridge. Although the aircraft was struck by ground fire, Lindsey finished his bombing run, then held the wounded plane in a steady glide so other crew members could bail out, refusing his bombardier's offer to help him bail out as well. Shortly after the last of his crew left the plane, its fuel tank exploded, sending the bomber, with Lindsey still aboard, to the earth in flames. Ralph Neppel, Willey Ralph Neppel enlisted in the Army in March 1943, and fought in France as part of the 83rd Infantry Division. In December 1944 during the Battle of the Bulge, Neppel was a sergeant leading a machine gun squad defending the village of Birgel when they were attacked by a German tank supported by 20 infantry. Neppel opened fire on the foot soldiers, killing several, but was then struck by an explosive round from the tank that wounded his entire squad. The blast severed one of his legs, damaged the other badly enough that it was later amputated, and knocked him back 10 yards. Neppel crawled back to his gun and resumed fire, killing the remaining infantry and forcing the tank to withdraw. Despite losing his legs, Neppel returned to Iowa to marry his fiancee, manage the family farm, and work for decades as a contact representative for the Veterans Administration. He died of cancer in 1987, and the VA named a new wing of its Iowa City hospital for him in 1989. Arlo Olson, Greenville Born in Greenville, Iowa, Arlo Olson moved with his family to South Dakota at age 10, and was commissioned as an Army officer after graduating from the University of South Dakota in 1940. In October 1943, serving as a captain with the 3rd Infantry Division in Italy, Olson led his troops across the chest-deep Volturno River through heavy enemy fire and eliminated several German machine gun nests. After two weeks of further combat, Olson led his soldiers in attacks on several German strongholds in the area of Mont San Nicola, capturing them, before finally being mortally wounded while scouting for further enemy positions. He died while being carried down the mountain. Francis Pierce, Earlville Francis Pierce turned 17 on Dec. 7, 1941 the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enlisted in the Navy a week later, eventually being trained as a medical corpsman with the U.S. Marines. He served in a number of campaigns in the Pacific, including the Battle of Iwo Jima. More: Medal of Honor winner: 'I am as ordinary as they come' There, in March 1945, Pierce was part of a medical party that was pinned down by enemy fire while transporting two casualties to an aid station, wounding a corpsman and two stretcher bearers. Pierce took charge of getting the group to shelter and repeatedly ran back to rescue the remaining wounded, fighting off attackers and carrying injured Marines on his back through enemy fire. The following day, Pierce was seriously wounded while leading a patrol but refused treatment and provided covering fire until other wounded were cared for. After the war, Pierce moved to Michigan and began a career in law enforcement, culminating in a 10-year term as deputy chief of the Grand Rapids Police Department. He died of cancer in 1986. Paul Riordan, Charles City Second Lt. Paul Riordan joined the army in 1940 and fought with the 34th Infantry Division during the invasion of Italy. In February 1944, Riordan led an assault that successfully dislodged a German defensive position outside the city of Cassino, exposing himself to enemy fire to do so. Five days later, during the assault on Cassino itself, Riordan's platoon was assigned to capture a German strongpoint. Riordan took the lead and was able to get past the outer ring of defenses, but his troops were cut off by the intense enemy fire. Knowing he was separated, Riordan assaulted the building by himself and slew several defenders before being killed. John Thorson, Armstrong The son of Norwegian immigrants, John Thorson graduated from Armstrong High School in 1941 and joined the Army the following year. Thorson served throughout the Pacific until October 1944, when he was killed while attacking a Japanese defensive position on Dagami Leyte in the Philippines. Moving ahead of his platoon, Thorson singlehandedly attacked a trench manned by several enemy riflemen and was badly wounded. When the rest of the platoon approached, an enemy grenade landed among them, and Thorson moved to smother the blast with his body, dying instantly. William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com or 715-573-8166. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How many Medal of Honor recipients from World War II are from Iowa? Chairman of parliament Shalva Papuashvili announced that Parliament will override the President's veto on the "Foreign Agents" law.According to Papuashvili, the motivated remarks will be submitted to the Legal Committee for consideration during the Bureau's meeting and will be presented at the plenary session next week.The Parliament Chairman stated that President Salome Zourabichvili closed the possibility for a discussion on the law by using the veto."I don't know where, or from whom, she receives her directives, but just as the hope and potential for meaningful discussion emerged, Salome Zourabichvili promptly shut it down. Now, we can question whose instructions she is following," he said.Papuashvili accused the President's decision to set a one-day validity period for the law in her veto of being a mockery of society."Ms. Salome used all methods to show that she does not consider herself a citizen of this country, and this constitution is not her constitution. She does not consider these people her people. She mocks the Georgian people by suggesting that we should adopt a law that is effective for only one day. This is a general mockery of the Georgian people. After violating the constitution, she started mocking the Georgian people.[...] Of course, the parliament will override this veto because it demonstrates the Georgian essence of this law," Papuashvili said.At the Finance and Budget Committee meeting, the committee did not support the President's veto on the "Offshore Law". The final decision will be made in a plenary session vote.In her motivated remarks, the President of Georgia completely removed the clause from the law that exempted assets registered in countries with preferential taxation (so-called offshore) from profit/income and import tax when transferred to a company registered in Georgia.The draft law also addressed tax amnesty, which remains unchanged in the President's motivational remarks.According to the Georgian President, these legislative changes contain serious political and economic risks. Zourachvili stated that it is unacceptable and inadmissible to adopt the law in an accelerated manner.The President wrote that this law creates a discriminatory environment for investors and their investments. Zourabichvili emphasized that it is important not to create the risk of bypassing the law in the fight against money laundering.The President also pointed out that the law did not provide financial justification.At the committee meeting, the majority deputies announced that they will override the veto. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Azerbaijani Mine Action Agency Samir Poladov held a meeting with a delegation headed by the head of the Azerbaijan Society Tarlan Ahmadov operating in Maine (USA), Trend reports via ANAMA. According to the delegation, the mission was to discuss the post-war mine threat. The Maine delegation, which included officials and public representatives, was briefed on the agency's history, general directions, the mine problem in liberated territories, the effects of mines on human life and the environment, as well as humanitarian demining operations. In addition to answering questions from the delegation, the meeting covered topics such as the coordinated reconstruction activities in liberated from occupation territories, the possibility of cooperation in combating mine threats, the role of local and international organizations in demining. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel More than 3,000 convicts have applied for conditional release to join Ukraine's Armed Forces, Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska said on national television on May 21. President Volodymyr Zelensky last week signed into law a bill permitting citizens convicted under certain charges to serve in the military. The total number of recruited prisoners is affected by the law's restrictions on certain categories, their health, and the opinion of the commanders of the units where they can serve, Vysotska said. The list of convicted citizens who are allowed to join the military does not include those convicted of premeditated murder, sexual violence, drug trafficking or production, and crimes against national security. The measure will also exclude lawmakers and top officials imprisoned for corruption. "The desire of the convict, his motivation to sign a contract with the Armed Forces and then receive parole, is decisive in this law," Vysotska said. Currently, prisoners are undergoing examinations at military medical commissions and seek the approval of the commanders, after which the documents on a particular person are sent to the court, Vysotska said. "When we talk about 20,000 (recruited convicts), this is a very theoretical potential. In reality, it is 4,000-5,000. But we realized (that even this number) of motivated people... will help the Armed Forces. That is why we took this step," the deputy minister said, adding that all the figures are preliminary. The proposal was first submitted to the parliament in March as part of Ukraine's efforts to replenish the ranks of the Armed Forces amid the ongoing war with Russia. Ukraine recently updated the mobilization legal framework to ramp up draft efforts in 2024. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the new law on mobilization on April 16. Read also: Foreign Ministry to restore consular services for draft-aged men abroad on updated terms Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. MANHATTAN (KSNT) Kansas State University (K-State) announced it has received a gift that will expand the universitys music offerings. On Friday, May 17, K-State announced that Jerry A. Hall of Indianapolis, Indiana donated $375,000 to the QuVee Mock Master Class Series and $125,000 to support the Marilyn Sawin Arts Extension Across Kansas fund. The donation to the QuVee Mock Master Class Series will help K-State bring renowned artists to present at the University and provide exclusive classes. The Marilyn Sawin Arts Extension Across Kansas donation helps send K-State faculty to performing arts clinics in rural communities, according to K-State. What does it cost to be middle-class in Topeka? As a land-grant institution, K-State pledges to share knowledge and cultural enrichment with the people of Kansas, said Bryan Pinkall, director of the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. When we bring up the topic of extension, what usually comes to mind are horticulture or nutrition programs. But the arts are equally vital to those efforts, and were grateful to Jerry for helping us elevate and extend our programs. Hall is a 1986 K-State graduate who received his bachelors degree in music and another in biochemistry and biophysics. Hall was awarded a doctoral degree in medicine by the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine in 1990. According to K-State, Hall developed analgesics as a clinical research physician at Lilly USA LLC, as medical director at Abbot and as a medical director for pain care at AbbVie. Consultant recommends new homeless shelter, tiny homes in Topeka Were incredibly grateful to Jerry Hall for ensuring his love of music will continue to positively impact countless students and Kansas residents for years to come, said Greg Willems, KSU Foundation president and CEO. The arts are an essential part of the student experience at K-State, and were excited to be able to spread music education of this caliber far and wide. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Some Kansans will pay more for internet starting next month TOPEKA (KSNT) Thousands of families across Kansas will see higher internet bills next month as a federal relief program comes to a close. Next month, the Federal Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a program that gave nearly 23 million Americans a $30 monthly subsidy for internet services, is ending. The Federal Communications Commission says 132,015 households in Kansas could lose their internet access if Congress doesnt act to fund the program. Research shows a reliable broadband connection has significant positive impact on peoples lives, said Mark Greatrex, President of Cox Communications. Our work does not start or stop with the Affordable Connectivity Program, and we will continue providing access and affordable internet in the communities we serve. ACP will end on June 1, 2024, cutting subsidies to tens of thousands of Kansans. A resolution to provide $7 billion to extend ACP has been introduced to the House Committee on Appropriations. Engaged in business: ATF rule change takes effect To help customers adjust to higher internet bills this month, Cox is providing a partial ACP subsidy of $14 to regular households and $35 for households on tribal lands. If you are a Cox customer, you can learn more about Coxs affordable internet options which may provide internet relief by clicking here. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Kansas physicians are legally challenging a new state law that would require them to ask and publicly report patients' reasons for seeking abortion care as well as other personal information. A lawsuit claims the law "directly interferes with Kansans' bodily autonomy and their fundamental right to make their own decisions about health care," according the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is representing the physicians. The new law is lawmakers' latest attempt to regulate the procedure after Kansas voters, defying expectations, voted to protect abortion rights by upholding a state constitutional right to abortion -- with an overwhelming majority -- in a 2022 ballot initiative. MORE: Kansas voters preserve abortion access in high-turnout primary Abortion care is allowed in Kansas up to 22 weeks of pregnancy. The new legal challenge has been added to an ongoing lawsuit against the state attorney general and district attorneys over other abortion restrictions in the state, including state-mandated abortion counseling they claim is medically inaccurate; a law requiring physicians tell patients the "false and dangerous" claim that it is possible to reverse medication abortions; and a state-required 24-hour waiting period before patients can access care, according to the CRR. PHOTO: Abortion opponents Brittany Jones, left, and Lucrecia Nold, right, watch a state Senate session from the chamber's west gallery, April 30, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (John Hanna/AP) Anti-abortion lawmakers in the state House and Senate bypassed a veto from Gov. Laura Kelly, advancing House Bill 2749 into law without her signature. "There is no valid medical reason to force a woman to disclose to the legislature if they have been a victim of abuse, rape, or incest prior to obtaining an abortion. There is no valid medical reason to force a woman to disclose to the legislature why she is seeking an abortion," Kelly said in a letter to the legislature. "I refuse to sign legislation that goes against the will of the majority of Kansans who spoke loudly on Aug. 2, 2022: Kansans don't want politicians involved in their private medical decisions," Kelly wrote. PHOTO: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly participates in a ceremony honoring fallen law enforcement officers, May 3, 2024 outside the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. (John Hanna/AP) Kansas Right to Life, an anti-abortion group that requested the legislation be introduced, and the state attorney general did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment. What's in the new law? The law requires physicians to collect personal information about patients receiving abortion care and provide them to the state in a public report twice a year. While the report of abortions will not include the names of patients who sought or received the care, it requires other personal information including their age, marital status, state or country of residence, race and highest level of education. Under the new law, physicians are required to ask patients seeking abortion care what the most important factor was in determining why they sought care, except in cases of medical emergencies. PHOTO: Anti-abortion activists gather at the steps of the Kansas State Capitol, April 25, 2023, in Topeka, Kan. (Katie Bernard/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, FILE) A list of factors for physicians to read patients include: "Having a baby would interfere with the patient's education, employment or career; the patient cannot provide for the child; the patient already has enough, or too many, children; the patient's husband or partner is abusive to such patient or such patient's children," according to the law. Other reasons include rape, incest, risk to the health of the mother and that the child would have a disability. The law requires "the reporting of the reasons for each abortion performed at a medical care facility or by a healthcare provider in the state," according to the law. MORE: What Kansas' abortion vote could mean for other states Medical facilities will have to keep written records of all "lawfully terminated" pregnancies and submit a written report twice a year to the secretary of health and environment, the law said. The reports must also include sworn statements by physicians who perform abortions. The reports will have to include the medical diagnosis and condition that would result in a "substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function or the medical diagnosis and condition that necessitated performance of an abortion to preserve the life of the patient," according to the law. PHOTO: In this June 24, 2022 file phoyo, Zoe Schell, from Topeka, Kan., stands on the steps of the Kansas Statehouse during a rally to protest the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion, June 24, 2022, in Topeka. (Charlie Riedel/AP, FILE) Other information physicians will need to fill out in the report include method of abortion care, whether the patient has received financial assistance from a nonprofit that supports pregnant women in the last 30 days, whether the patient has experienced domestic violence in the last 12 months and if the patient is living in a safe, stable and affordable place, according to the law. The identities of physicians and medical facilities who fill out the report are to remain confidential unless the secretary of health and environment finds reasonable cause that the law was violated, is requesting disciplinary action and reveals the information to the state board of healing arts or a state attorney general. Kansas physicians challenge law requiring public release of patients' reasons for abortions originally appeared on abcnews.go.com TOPEKA (KSNT) Kansas abortion providers have filed a legal challenge to a new law that would require providers to ask patients why theyre getting the procedure. The law is set to take effect July 1. While anti-abortion advocates say it would provide better understanding of the reasons people seek abortions, abortion rights advocates argue that it violates patient privacy and jeopardizes provider-patient relationships. The decision to have an abortion is deeply personalno one should be forced to tell the government why they are making that decision, Alice Wang, staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a press release on Monday. Its frankly frightening that the state of Kansas is attempting to collect this type of private information, and unclear how it will be used. We are committed to protecting the privacy and constitutional rights of Kansans and people fleeing states where abortion is banned. Kansans overwhelmingly voted to uphold abortion rights in 2022. However, a host of abortion-related legislation was introduced this year. Republican lawmakers passed House Bill 2749, overriding a veto from Governor Laura Kelly. In addition to asking patients why theyre getting an abortion, doctors would also be required to report the information to the state on a biannual basis. The concept of gathering data to better understand abortion is a worthwhile endeavor, Senator Mark Steffen, a Republican from Hutchinson, said during floor debates in the Senate in March. What we do know about abortion is that its not the pathway to convenience or the pursuit of happiness, because the pursuit of happiness is not convenient, but rife with difficulties, like all great accomplishments, such as motherhood. Abortion is the pathway to a life of regret and emptiness that I promise you. Former KU basketball player enters political race for Kansas Congressional seat The Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood are asking the court to add this challenge to an ongoing case brought on behalf of Kansas abortion providers. This case was filed by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Arnold & Porter, Hunter Law Group, and Teresa Woody on behalf of plaintiffs Hodes & Nauser, M.D.s, P.A.; Traci Lynn Nauser, M.D.; Tristan Fowler, D.O.; and Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. For more Capitol Bureau news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Planned Parenthood Great Plains on Monday announced a lawsuit over an "abortion reasons" law, calling it medically unnecessary and stigmatizing. (Rachel Mipro/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA Kansas abortion providers have challenged an abortion survey law less than a month after lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kellys veto. Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said the law is meant to shame abortion seekers in a Monday announcement of the challenge. Kansans want their medical decisions to be their own, and we will not shame or stigmatize patients to satisfy the cruel whims of anti-abortion politicians, Wales said. This bill was never intended to improve the health of Kansans; it was meant to shame reproductive care and force patients to answer deeply personal questions that accomplish nothing beyond trauma and judgment. House Bill 2749 requires medical care facilities and providers to report womens reasons for their abortions. Kelly vetoed the bill, but the House overrode her 84-41 and the Senate completed the veto override with a 27-10 vote. Under HB 2749, abortion seekers will have to answer a series of questions before undergoing the procedure, including questions asking them if they have been raped, if they have an abusive partner, and if the pregnancy is the result of incest. The law also requires a report that includes the patients age, marital status, home state, race, education level, whether the patient received financial or social services from a nonprofit geared toward helping pregnant women, whether they experienced domestic violence the previous year, whether they live in a stable and affordable home, whether the patient was ever a reported victim of abuse and the abortion method. The Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood are asking the court to add this challenge to an ongoing case. The groups, along with other reproductive rights groups, first filed a lawsuit in June with the Center for Reproductive Rights to ask for an injunction on several abortion requirements set out in the Womens Right to Know Act, a patchwork of legislation enacted over the past two decades that uses medically inaccurate information to dictate abortion restrictions. Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Kansas has become one of the few states left in the region that protects reproductive rights. As more travelers have come into the state seeking abortions, Republican lawmakers have attempted to chip away at these protections or add red tape. Lawmakers supporting the abortion reasons bill said this information was necessary to gain a sense of the abortion landscape in the state, although the state already releases a comprehensive annual abortion report. The bill was first introduced by Rep. Ron Bryce, R-Coffeyville, on behalf of the anti-abortion group Kansans for Life. During Senate debate about the law, lawmakers shared their feelings on abortion. Sen. Mark Steffen, a Hutchinson Republican, said abortion would lead to a life of regret and emptiness Every abortion kills an innocent child, Steffen said. Thats a fact. Every abortion kills an innocent child. KFL celebrated the veto override of the law, along with several other pieces of abortion legislation, in an April 29 news release. Each of these proposals will help address a truth that the vast majority of Kansans believe: that too many women feel abortion is their only choice, said Jeanne Gawdun, KFL director of government relations. Following the abortion providers lawsuit filing in June, a Johnson County district judge in October blocked a law requiring abortion providers to tell patients it might be possible to reverse a medication abortion. This supposed abortion reversal is based on junk science and has been known to cause hemorrhaging. He also blocked a mandate that anti-abortion information be given to patients in printed form, in specific typeface, font size and color, at least 24 hours in advance of an abortion, along with a section that required providers post inaccurate information on their websites and in clinics that abortions could increase risk of breast cancer and premature birth in the future a claim not supported by scientific research. The state has appealed over the decision. The decision to have an abortion is deeply personalno one should be forced to tell the government why they are making that decision, said Alice Wang, staff attorney at the Center for Reproductive Rights. Its frankly frightening that the state of Kansas is attempting to collect this type of private information, and unclear how it will be used. The post Kansas providers challenge new abortion survey law in court appeared first on Kansas Reflector. LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KSNW) A man sought in connection to the death of two women in California was arrested by the Kansas Highway Patrol. The Alameda County Sheriffs Office says 31-year-old Howard Reed was wanted in connection to the shooting deaths of his roommates Jingwei Melanie Zhang, 32, and Dorothy Mak, 38. Their bodies were discovered at the home they shared in the Oakland suburb of San Lorenzo. May 4, after their families requested a welfare check. An alert was put out for Reed as his vehicle a short time later. Gilgo Beach serial killings: Police return to search home of murder suspect The sheriffs office says the Kansas Highway Patrol received a hit from a license plate reader indicating Reed was in Kansas. Troopers took Reed into custody and booked him into the Leavenworth County Detention Center. Reed waived his extradition hearing and has been returned to California. The Alameda County Sheriffs Office thanked the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Leavenworth County Sheriffs Office, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation for their assistance. Reed is charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances, which means he could face the death penalty or life without parole if he is found guilty. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV. Karen Reads defense lawyers went scorched earth on a key prosecution witness on Tuesday, grilling her for hours about the 2022 evening that ended in Boston cop John OKeefes deathand her questionable actions after she discovered him in the snow. Prosecutors allege that Read, 44, fatally hit her boyfriend with her SUV and left him for dead in a blizzard after dropping him off at an afterparty at another cops house in the early hours of Jan. 29, 2022. Jennifer McCabe testified in Reads trial last week that she was a part of the boozy group night outand was with Read when she found OKeefe unresponsive with signs of hypothermia and a severe head injury. McCabe told jurors she called 911 while Read hysterically threw herself on top of OKeefe and screamed that the situation was all her fault. Did I hit him? Could I have hit him? Read allegedly asked Read, according to her testimony last week. She was just kind of all over the place. Just screaming. But in a blistering cross-examination on Tuesday, McCabe was forced to answer questions about her own actions after officers descended on the snowy scene, including her Google search about hos (sic) long to die in cold and her deleted phone conversations with OKeefe the day after he died. This Accused Murderer Has Superfans Bankrolling Her Defense Every single one of those calls was deleted from your phone, defense attorney Alan Jackson forcefully asked McCabe after showing the jury her phone records that showed she called OKeefe repeatedly around his estimated time of death. McCabe, however, chalked up the calls to butt dials and said she assumed her phone was in her back pocket at the time. She denied deleting calls to OKeefeonly personal conversations with her daughters with police permission, she saidbut admitted she did not hand her phone over until days after OKeefes death. You dont remember those incessant butt dials and those incessant hang-ups at all, correct? Jackson asked after McCabe conceded that butt dials usually go to voicemail. I honestly dont, she said. In another contentious moment last week, Jackson questioned McCabe about her eerie Google searchone she claims was only conducted at Reads direction. At that point, she grabbed my hands and she said, Google hypothermia, Google how long it takes to die in the cold, McCabe testified. The next thing I knew we were kind of moving because she wanted to see if they were working on him. Reads murder trial in Boston entered its third week on Monday. While prosecutors argue that Read hit her boyfriend and left him for dead in the cold, her legal team insists their client is being framed in an elaborate police cover-up. Defense attorneys have argued that evidence suggests that OKeefe was fatally beaten after she dropped him off and was then attacked by a dog and left outside. Read has pleaded not guilty to several charges, including second-degree murder, and faces life in prison. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Scottsdale attorney Bryan Blehm skipped his disciplinary hearing on May 21, 2024, and instead posted a response to the State Bar of Arizona's request that his license be suspended by flipping the middle finger at the Bar. Screenshots via X.com One of the lawyers who represented Kari Lake in her 2022 election challenge case skipped out on a disciplinary hearing Tuesday for making false claims to the Arizona Supreme Court that could leave him unable to practice law, instead literally throwing up a middle finger at the Arizona State Bar. Bryan Blehm, a Scottsdale divorce attorney, along with Kurt Olsen, a Washington, D.C., employment attorney, were both ordered to pay $2,000 in sanctions last year for writing in an appeal that it was an undisputed fact that more than 35,000 falsified ballots were illegally inserted into batches of legal ballots in Maricopa County when the November 2022 ballots were being sorted shortly after Election Day. The Supreme Court found that Olsen and Blehm provided no evidence of the claim and sanctioned Lake and her team for making false factual statements to the Court. Lawyers for the State Bar of Arizona told Presiding Disciplinary Judge Margaret Downie during a May 21 hearing that Blehms license should be suspended for six months and one day for lying to the Supreme Court, as well as for his refusal to take responsibility for his actions and to even show up for the hearing. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Blehm and Olsen are both facing disciplinary action for making the false claim about illegal ballots in Lakes failed challenge to the results of the 2022 governors race that she lost to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs by more than 17,000 votes. Lake, a Republican who is now running for U.S. Senate, never conceded the race, despite losing two trials and multiple appeals in her effort to get the results of the election overturned. Even though Blehm refused to show up, Downie decided to continue with the hearing because he had not officially informed the court that he wouldnt attend and didnt provide any real explanation for why he wouldnt be there. Instead, on Sunday evening, Blehm sent an email to the State Bar of Arizona, informing them that he needed to depart for Colorado on Monday and wouldnt be able to attend in person. Blehm did not inform the court directly through the email address that he was told to use for correspondence regarding the case, but instead copied a court employee who is currently on leave. The court only found out about his email from the State Bar, the day prior to the hearing, Downie said. During the hearing on Tuesday Senior Counsel for the Bar Hunter Perlmeter pointed to Blehms actions over the previous 10 days as evidence that he did not take responsibility for his actions or admit that he lied. He filed a counterclaim against the State Bar in this disciplinary matter without any legal authority, Perlmeter told Downie, adding that Blehm went on a talk show and called the Arizona Supreme Court order that serves as the basis for the disciplinary hearing some sort of political compromise. Because Blehm lied to the court, failed to show up for the hearing and has not taken responsibility or show remorse for his action, the State Bar recommended that his law license be suspended for six months and one day. The State Bar of Arizona seeks to use my own words against me, Blehm posted on the social media site X on May 20, the day before the hearing. They found me guilty without a trial and expect me to sit down and shut the fk up. At one time, the bar associations supported free speechThey do not like that I refuse to bend and kiss the ring. If it is my dignity they are after, they have knocked on the wrong door. Downie asked the State Bar attorneys to justify such a lengthy proposed suspension, and she contrasted it with the punishment given earlier this year to election attorney and Republican State Rep. Alexander Kolodin, who was only put on probation for his role in lawsuits challenging the 2020 election. Among other things, Kolodin was an attorney on the infamous kraken lawsuit that made implausible and evidence-free claims of massive election fraud. Perlmeter answered that, unlike Blehm, Kolodin was never accused of lying to the courts and that he was credited for having a cooperative attitude throughout the disciplinary proceedings. Kolodin also voluntarily entered into an agreement with the Bar, under which he accepted being put on probation, paid a fine and agreed to participate in continuing legal education ethics courses. Downie also cautioned the counsel for the State Bar that she wanted to ensure that the court did not impose more drastic punishment than it would in other cases only because the case in question involves elections. This case has nothing to do with politics, Perlmeter said, adding that the Bar was asking for the same punishment it would recommend for an attorney who knowingly lied to a judge in a family law or personal injury case. Perlmeter accused Blehm of engaging in bad faith obstruction of the disciplinary proceedings and highlighted his refusal to acknowledge the wrongful nature of his actions. Less than three hours after the disciplinary hearing ended, Blehm posted a video to X, saying he couldnt make the hearing and was on his way to take care of some personal business. In the video, which was filmed in his car as he was stopped alongside a highway, Blehm accused the State Bar of asking for a six month and one day suspension in an effort to isolate the most active MAGA attorney in the State of Arizona during the entirety of the 2024 election. In social media posts earlier this week, Blehm claimed that the State Bar was attempting to disbar him. Perlmeter insisted in the hearing that the claim was a lie, and while it isnt technically true, the way the suspension is structured could allow it to be much longer than just six months and possibly permanent. Phoenix criminal and constitutional lawyer Robert McWhirter explained that a suspension of six months and one day carried with it much more severe consequences than a suspension of only six months. After a suspension of six months or less, an attorneys license is reinstated automatically. A suspension for six months and a day is far worse than just six months, he said. As a member of the State Bars Board of Governors, McWhirter said he couldnt comment on Blehms case specifically. Any lawyer suspended for more than six months has to apply for reinstatement with the Presiding Disciplinary Judge and participate in an evidentiary hearing before a panel comprised of the the judge, a lawyer and a member of the public, according to Alberto Rodriguez, communications director for Arizona courts. The only thing worse is disbarment, McWhirter said. In the video he posted shortly after the disciplinary hearing had concluded, Blehm shared his thoughts on the Bars recommendation for a lengthy suspension. I have to go back to the State Bar and I have to grovel, Blehm said. I have to bend a knee and kiss their golden ring and get their permission to start practicing law again. Downie, along with a panel made up of attorney George Riemer and Marsha Morgan Sitterley, a member of the public, listened to the Bars arguments on Tuesday, and will ultimately decide what punishment Blehm will face. The court is required to issue a ruling within 30 days, but Downie said she did not expect to issue a ruling immediately. As Blehm concluded the video he posted to X following the hearing, he gestured at the camera with his middle finger. If Bryan wants to practice law, Bryan has to sit down and shut the fk up. Well, peace, Blehm said. ***CORRECTION: This article has been updated to reflect that a panel including the Presiding Disciplinary Judge decides whether to reinstate a lawyer who is suspended for more than six months, not the Committee on Character and Fitness. It has also been corrected to show that Perlmeter accused Blehm of engaging in bad faith obstruction of the disciplinary proceedings. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST The post Kari Lake attorney skips disciplinary hearing as the AZ State Bar seeks to suspend his law license appeared first on Arizona Mirror. Back in March 2023, Kate Middleton established a Taskforce for businesses to inspire the corporate world to take action to improve early childhood. And today, the group has launched report which they say marks a milestone moment in their work and could provide a huge boost for the UK economy. Today, the Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for early childhood outlined an action plan and recommendations for businesses to play a bigger role in supporting family life. The Princess of Wales has been kept up to date with the announcement as she remains out of the public eye receiving treatment for a cancer. Kate is said to be excited by the developments; however, a Kensington Palace spokesperson was quick to point out to journalists that the milestone was not an indication that the Princess was returning to work. There was no update on her health. This should not be seen or reported on as Her Royal Highness returning to work, a Kensington Palace spokesperson told reporters early Monday. The work of The Prince and Princess projects is always on, and that has been no different for the Centre over the past five months with a great deal of progress being madeEarly childhood is a huge priority for the Princess and so she has been kept fully updated throughout the development of the Taskforces work and she has seen the report. Executive Director of the Royal Foundation for Early Childhood, Christian Guy, described the announcement as another crucial moment for HRHs early childhood work. Its impact, and the work of her Centre for Early Childhood, is rolling on as she recovers, he said. Shes excited by it. Shaping Us was about awareness, but also, for her, so important is action, so to have eight of the most significant businesses in Britain come forward and make the case to their fellow business leaders is vital, its exciting for her, Guy continued. When she launched it she really challenged businesses to go beyond the usual thinking. Thats why these five areas are set out including social and emotional skills, because we often hear businesses talk about why they are so important but we do wait a long time before we focus on them in our system. The science shows us they are crucial in those earliest years and so shes excited about that in particular. The Taskforce claimed today that investing in early childhood could generate 45.5 billion for the UK economy each year. The eight businesses that make up the Taskforce have committed to their own actions to improve outcomes for children and families as well as providing a blueprint for other businesses for how they can make improvements. I know, having briefed the Princess on this, that she is enormously grateful to the members of the Taskforce who have made such fantastic progress on this work over the past year, Guy said. She feels passionately about the transformational impact of getting this right together, both for the current generation and for many more to come. I know that she is keen to encourage all businesses, no matter what their size or purpose, to join us on this journey and is looking forward to seeing momentum grow in the coming months. The Centre for Early Childhood was founded in 2021 and is part of William and Kates Royal Foundation. Working to improve understanding of the importance of the early years has become a cornerstone of the public role that Kate, now 42, has carved out for herself since marrying Prince William in 2011. In a moving statement on March 22, the Princess of Wales told the world that cancer had been discovered following her major abdominal surgery in January. We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment, she said. "My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery. Prince William has continued to carry out public engagements. Earlier this month he told a member of the public in the Isles of Scilly that his wife was doing well. You Might Also Like BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The coordination and cooperation among all member states of the Middle Corridor are essential, Irakli Danelia, Central Asia and Caucasus Region Business Development Manager at Maerks, told Trend. "We welcome any initiative that promotes smooth coordination within the journey along the Middle Corridor. This will help streamline administrative and paper-based processes, reducing potential delays during cargo transit at border crossings and customs checkpoints in each country. As a multi-modal corridor, it is inherently complex. Therefore, any additional facilitation and simplification of processes will advance its development," he said. According to Danelia, simplifying these administrative procedures is crucial. "Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia are actively working on improving the Middle Corridor. However, none of these countries can address issues independently. The Middle Corridor involves multiple countries, making coordination vital for achieving tangible results for the economic benefit of all," he pointed out. Maersk representative noted that the Middle Corridor will establish a strong position in the West-East and vice versa logistical system, facilitating seamless trade between regions. "As a global logistics company, we are dedicated to supporting digitalization worldwide. Over the past two years, we have been actively integrating digital solutions into our platforms across different regions. Currently, we are focused on developing end-to-end solutions, meaning that we will handle cargo delivery from the origin of a product, e.g. a factory or farm, to its final destination, be it in Kazakhstan or any other Central Asian country. As Maersk, our focus is exclusively on delivering containerized cargoes. Therefore, we collaborate with cargo owners, transport, and logistical companies locally to handle already containerized cargo. Additionally, we are actively encouraging exporters in the region to containerize and convert their bulk commodities, highlighting the advantages of containerization," he concluded. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has been putting in a lot of hours into trying to convince Texas voters, specifically Hispanic Texas voters, that theres much more to him than the trolly, argumentative, hard-right hysterical persona hes carefully crafted throughout his career in the Senate. As he prepares to go up against Rep. Colin Allred (D-TX) in the fall, Cruz has been making the rounds, trying to message his way into appearing bipartisan. Allreds challenge appears to be one Cruz is taking seriously, despite Cruzs lead in the polls, as Allred has been out-raising him for weeks. During a recent Texas meeting of the U.S. Hispanic Business Council, Cruz announced a new Democrats for Cruz effort to try to reach more voters ahead of the 2024 election. He also has been recently touting his working relationships with Democrats like Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Cory Booker (NJ) and Amy Klobuchar (MN). Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) obviously stands to do some image rehab herself, after freaking everyone out with her delivery of the Republican response to President Bidens State of the Union address. So the two have teamed up to introduce legislation that they claim would, if it passed the Senate, ensure federal protections for in-vitro fertilization, the extremely popular and highly common procedure used to help people facing fertility issues conceive. Both also represent states where the courts have either weighed in on IVF protections in recent months or soon will. In Texas, a pending court case involving a divorced couples dispute over frozen embryos could soon have implications on the accessibility of IVF in the state. And as TPM has previously reported, Republicans have been struggling for months to properly message on the procedure, after Alabamas Supreme Court issued a ruling that declared embryos to be children earlier this year. The decision came down as part of a wrongful death suit, but the fetal personhood ideology underlying the decision quickly became a stumbling block for Republicans who were quick to also vocalize their support for the idea that embryos are babies. But when it became clear that the ruling would have a chilling effect on the availability of the procedure in the state an extremely unpopular outcome that would affect voters across the political spectrum Republicans backtracked, grasping for a way to still claim that embryos were children while also declaring their support for the common fertility treatment. That heartburn manifested in the introduction of empty resolutions that proclaimed support for the procedure but that did little to actually protect IVF. Even worse, Senate Republicans blocked the advancement of a Democratic bill that wouldve codified federal protections for IVF, the same bill they blocked when Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) tried to introduce it in 2022, after the Supreme Courts Dobbs ruling. So Cruz and Britt, in their hour of need, are returning to the IVF well to try to garner some likability, given how widely supported protections are among voters. Their proposed legislation, they said, would clear up confusion after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling, though it doesnt directly address the ruling. An excerpt of the pairs op-ed in the Wall Street Journal Monday, announcing their bill: To address these concerns, we will introduce a bill on Monday to ensure IVF access is legally protected nationwide. The legislation would require, as a condition of receiving federal Medicaid funding, that states dont prohibit IVF. While the Alabama Legislature after the courts decision promptly reiterated that IVF is protected, federal legislation would eliminate any ambiguity that might arise from future state-level judicial interpretations. Our goal is to make sure that any familys path to bringing a child into the world isnt compromised by preventable legal confusion. But as the Daily Kos writer Joan McCarter and others noted throughout the day Monday, it appears the bill does not actually establish IVF as a right or include any actual legal protections for the procedure. It just raises the specter of access to Medicaid funds being cut off in red states where potential bans on IVF may arise. Biden is already seizing on the bill to remind voters Senate Republicans had the opportunity to support the procedure twice in the last two years and did nothing. Donald Trump and Senate Republicans had the chance to protect IVF nationwide, and they chose not to, Biden-Harris campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt told HuffPost Monday. By overturning Roe, Trump created the crisis that threatens IVF and he supports states that ban abortion and rip away IVF access. The Best Of TPM Today Catch up on Josh Kovenskys live coverage of the ongoing Trump trial here: Donald Trumps Lawyers Begin Their Defense Yesterdays Most Read Story The Fifth Circuit Is In For A Beatdown TPM Staff What We Are Reading A Different Way of Seeing Justice Alitos Blame-the-Wife Defense Jennifer Weiner Some Conservative Christians Are Stepping Away From the Gender Wars NYT New 9/11 Evidence Points to Deep Saudi Complicity The Atlantic The City of Austin recently passed a resolution underscoring its support for transgender residents in their quest to seek healthcare. After a particularly brutal year where the state of Texas continued attacking access to evidence-based, life-saving healthcare with a barrage of legislation that dismisses science, discounts medical experts, and effectively erases the experiences of transgender people, this resolution was a welcome change of pace for LGBTQIA+ Texans. After the resolution passed, Attorney General Ken Paxton and a cadre of Republican legislators immediately entered chest-pounding modea performance typical of firebrand conservatives. Paxton has now threatened to sue the city of Austin. As part of his statement, he insists that, municipalities do not have the authority to pick and choose which state laws they will or will not abide by. Thats rich coming from Ken Paxton who, only a week earlier was issuing statements declaring that Texas should defy the updates to Title IX issued by the Federal Department of Education because it includes updated protections for LGBTQIA+ students and faculty. Enforcement for SB14, Texas now infamous ban on health care for transgender youth, relies on the Attorney General and the Texas Medical Board. Neither of those are under the purview of the Austin City Council. So, when the council says that it will not use city resources to target transgender young people, they are neither skirting an obligation nor breaking the law. Just as any employee with a long to-do list knows, the longer the list, the more important it is to hash out priorities. Cities across the state regularly establish priorities for economic or public policy reasons. In this case, the City of Austin made that decision based on values. Attendees of a vigil for Monica Loera, a transgender victim in Austin's first homicide of 2016, write community resolutions in response to her death, at Alamo Park on Feb. 12, 2016 in Austin. (Credit: Erika Rich for the American-Statesman) The City of Austins resolution does not defy state law at all, which anyone can see if they bother to read the text of the resolution. Except to the extent required by law is repeated so many times it is almost monotonous. Paxtons statement on Title IX and Governor Abbotts subsequent direction to Texas agencies to defy it, if enacted into policy, would be a direct violation of the Constitution. Federal laws trump state lawstheres never been a question about that. The current leadership of Texas seems to have adopted the motto, Do as I say, not as I do. Texas defies Federal law, while declaring municipalities cannot defy Texas law. Texas falsely argues that its law on banning healthcare for transgender youth protects children while it continues to ignore the crisis impacting children within the Texas CPS system. Texas says its outright abortion ban is about saving lives while simultaneously rejecting Medicaid expansion that would provide healthcare to those in need. Texas spends its time attacking drag performers under the guise that they pose a risk to children, while we mourn mass shooting after mass shooting in our public schools without any serious policy proposals to stop it. Texas will decry government overreach while simultaneously passing laws that insert the state government into your private medical decisions. Texas will pass laws that uplift free speech on college campuses for conservative messengers and then send state police to those same college campuses to attack peaceful protesters because state leadership disagrees with their political positions. Texans deserve better than an attorney general who has spent more time in a courtroom supporting Donald Trump than he did at his own impeachment trial. Texans deserve better than a governor who spends all his time trying to elevate his national profile rather than leading one of the most diverse states in the country. In Texas, hypocrisy is what passes for leadership. Luckily, the residents of Austin are getting something better. Pritchett is deputy director of Equality Texas and a longtime advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights in Texas. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Ken Paxton says cities can't pick laws they'll abide by. That's rich. It's primary election day in Kentucky. Do you know where to vote? Did you kind of procrastinate checking out the ballot? We've got you covered. Remember, this is a primary election, so you have to be a registered Democrat or Republican to vote and you'll be voting on which candidate in your party should advance to the general election in November. (Aside from the Covington city commissioners race. Anyone can vote for those nonpartisan candidates.) The 2024 Kentucky primary election is on May 21. But what keeps things interesting here in Northern Kentucky is that many of the races are in either primarily red or blue districts. That means, in some cases, whoever wins the primary is almost certain to win the general election. The polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. As long as you're in line at 6 p.m., you can still cast a ballot when it's your turn. I answered some of the most common questions you might have about voting today and included a list of articles I've written about the primary at the bottom of this article. Did you see anything off at the polls today? If it's before lunch, contact reporter Haadiza Ogwude at HOgwude@enquirer.com. After lunch and all night, you can contact Northern Kentucky reporter Jolene Almendarez at jolenea@gannett.com or politics reporter Scott Wartman at swartman@enquirer.com. Who's on the ballot and where can I vote? You can see who's on the ballot from the presidential candidates to your state House candidate before you head to the polls. It helps to know what state House and Senate district you live in, but you might have a good idea already based on the campaign signs you've been seeing in your neighborhood and the political mailers that have been flooding your mailbox. You can check your district and polling location by inserting your name and date of birth on the Kentucky Voter Information Center webpage. Click on the links below to see who's on the ballot in your area: Northern Kentucky state Senate districts Northern Kentucky state house districts What do I need to bring with me? You need a photo ID to vote in Kentucky. The most common kinds of IDs accepted include a drivers license, passport, military ID, and college ID. But you can find a complete list of acceptable IDs here. Lose your ID right before the election? Don't worry, it happens. You can likely still vote. You'll need to fill out a form and show a Social Security card, EBT card, or credit or debit card with your name on it. Here's a quick video that might answer a few more of your questions about IDs: What if I can't make it to my polling site in time to vote? If you live in Boone or Campbell counties, you're out of luck. You have to vote in your precinct on election day. But Kenton County voters have an extra option called the ExpressVote. It lets you vote at any polling site in the county on election day as long as you are willing to use the ExpressVote touchscreen. It does NOT create a digital ballot. It just clearly marks your paper ballot for you and you can review it afterward twice once on the summary screen and again on the actual paper ballot. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kentucky election: Where's my polling location? Who's on the ballot? Volkswagen automobile plant employee Kiara Hughes celebrates after employees voted to join the United Auto Workers union in April in Chattanooga, Tenn. Southern states, including Tennessee, are increasingly pushing back against the growing labor movement. George Walker IV/The Associated Press Just days before workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama began voting last week on whether to unionize, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a new law that would claw back state incentives from companies that voluntarily recognize labor unions. Alabamas move follows similar efforts in Georgia and Tennessee, where GOP leaders also have passed laws pushing against a reinvigorated labor movement. The laws require that unions be formed only by secret ballots rather than the so-called card check process, in which employers can voluntarily recognize a union without a protracted election process. And under the laws, companies that voluntarily recognize unions risk losing state incentives, which amount to billions of dollars invested by governments to bring automakers to the region. These new laws speak to the growing push of labor unions into Southern states and the fierce opposition of pro-business GOP leaders there. For decades, the region has attracted investments from foreign automakers with lucrative tax breaks, low-cost labor and a lack of labor unions. Labor leaders hope that is changing now that workers at Volkswagens plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, overwhelmingly endorsed a union in April, becoming the first foreign auto plant in the South ever organized by the United Auto Workers. Unions such as the UAW argue their involvement can help boost wages and improve the work environment at auto plants. But GOP forces in the South view unions as an existential threat to their manufacturing economies of even more importance now that states are increasingly competing for electric vehicle and battery plants. Mercedes-Benz workers outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Friday voted against joining a union at their plant, in a setback for the labor movement. But more organizing drives are underway in Alabama and South Carolina, as well as in California. Many Southern states where unions have begun to focus already are less friendly to organizing. They are so-called right-to-work states, where each employee in a workplace can decide whether to join and pay union dues, though all workers are represented by the union. Seeking to capitalize on major contract wins it secured for workers last year at the nations Big Three automakers (GM, Ford and Stellantis), the United Auto Workers union announced plans to spend $40 million through 2026 to help organize workers at auto and battery plants across the country, with a particular focus on the South. The union did not respond to multiple Stateline requests for comment. A week before Aprils monumental vote at the Tennessee Volkswagen plant, six Southern Republican governors warned that unionization would jeopardize the regions auto jobs. In addition to Ivey in Alabama, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, as well as the governors of Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas also signed on. And Ivey continued to rally against organized labor in auto plants last week, as she announced she had signed the states bill regarding secret ballots. Alabama is not Michigan, Ivey said at a chamber of commerce event last week. We want to ensure that Alabama values, not Detroit values, continue to define the future of this great state. Its unclear how much impact the new laws will have. The vote in Chattanooga was conducted by secret ballot with nearly three-quarters of all workers who voted in the election choosing to join the UAW. Tennessee awarded Volkswagen more than $500 million in incentives to build its plant there in 2008. They thought that scare tactics would be the winning thing for them and the union workers demonstrated that they have a backbone. Tennessee state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem Its typical, in my view, for Southern states to have that kind of a mindset: to have less of a voice for workers as opposed to having an exchange between workers and employer, said Hakeem, a Democrat. Hakeem said the UAWs landslide win in his hometown of Chattanooga exposed a political miscalculation on the part of Republicans who view economic development prospects and union organizing as mutually exclusive. I thought it was huge, he said. They thought that scare tactics would be the winning thing for them and the union workers demonstrated that they have a backbone. Right-to-work states The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group known as ALEC that works with lawmakers across the country, introduced model legislation similar to the laws already passed in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. ALEC did not respond to a request for comment, but the organizations involvement could further push the legislative concept across red states, particularly in the South. That expansion is likely to happen, said Vincent Vernuccio, a senior fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank that worked with Tennessee Republican lawmakers on their legislation. Were seeing a snowball effect, he said of the legislation. It is getting noticed and I fully expect it to spread. Vernuccio said most Southern employers had been protecting their employees by calling for secret ballot elections rather than the signing of union cards in the open. There could be peer pressure, there can be coercion and intimidation, he said, and probably even more common is the unions trying to make sure that employees are not receiving both sides of the story on what would happen if a union organized them. Billy Dycus, president of the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council, viewed fierce GOP opposition to Chattanoogas union effort as a boon to the cause. I think that helped more than it hurt, he said. People say, You know what, were kind of tired of the government telling us how we should run our lives. Dycus, whose organization represents more than 60,000 union workers in the state, including teachers, steelworkers and nurses, said labor leaders have little incentive to mislead or pressure employees to join unions, especially in right-to-work states. Dycus said that because workers can choose whether to join unions, organizers must continually prove their worth to maintain membership and dues. They think that card check means we go in and twist arms and force people to sign cards. That doesnt make any sense because youre in a right-to-work state, he said. Opponents of the new union voting laws argue that pushing for elections through secret ballot run by the National Labor Relations Board as opposed to card check can subject workers to anti-union messaging from management. Such elections also might delay the inevitable, they argue, in cases where the union has identified a clear majority of support. But pro-business Republicans portray the new laws as ways to protect the privacy of individual workers, who might feel peer pressure to sign union authorization cards in a card-check scenario. Theres absolutely nothing in this bill that would stop anybody from being able to unionize, Georgia state Sen. Mike Hodges, a Republican who carried his states bill on the floor for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, said in an interview. Hodges said the new law aims to ensure a level playing field in union decisions. He noted that his father, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Georgia, raised him and three siblings on union wages and benefits. We didnt say we dont want unions, Hodges said. Bless your heart, if you want to unionize, unionize. Alabama state Sen. Arthur Orr, a Republican who sponsored the legislation in his state, said the secret ballot process protects workers from both management and union leadership. Employees are caught in a tug of war, if you will, Orr said. Having the secret ballot provides the employees the ability to say what they want to, one side or the other. But when it comes to the ultimate voting, they can do it privately. Union expansion could hurt economic development prospects, Orr said, but workers always have the right to unionize. If companies are not taking care of their workers and you can define that as you will, whether its pay or whether its time, job flexibility, safety, whatever then that makes them vulnerable to an organization effort, he said. Legal challenges While some labor advocates have argued the state bills could be preempted by federal labor law, Orr said he consulted with several attorneys on Alabamas legislation. He noted that Tennessees law had not been challenged in court. Still, its a close question as to whether these laws would hold up to a legal challenge since federal laws govern most labor issues in the private sector, said Benjamin Sachs, a professor of labor and industry at Harvard Law School. Some labor advocates expect courts could strike down the state laws, finding them preempted by federal labor law. What I can say for sure is that if its not preempted, then we are really opening up the landscape to dramatically more state and city intervention into labor relations and the rules of union organizing, he said in an interview. In his blog, OnLabor, Sachs warned anti-union forces to be careful what they wished for: If the Southern GOP laws stand, he wrote, it could open the door to blue states passing a litany of bills with opposite aims. If red states are entitled to tie economic incentives to a ban on card check, then blue states presumably are entitled to tie economic incentives on a requirement for card check, he added in the interview. While the recent labor win in Tennessee shows unions in the South can still succeed with a secret ballot process, Sachs said the legislation could have a chilling effect on companies that would otherwise prefer to voluntarily recognize unions. If it werent a big deal, they wouldnt have enacted these laws, he said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter. The post As a key labor union pushes into the South, red states push back appeared first on SC Daily Gazette. Volkswagen automobile plant employee Kiara Hughes celebrates after employees voted to join the United Auto Workers union in April in Chattanooga, Tenn. Southern states, including Tennessee, are increasingly pushing back against the growing labor movement. (George Walker IV | The Associated Press) Just days before workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama began voting last week on whether to unionize, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a new law that would claw back state incentives from companies that voluntarily recognize labor unions. Alabamas move follows similar efforts in Georgia and Tennessee, where GOP leaders also have passed laws pushing against a reinvigorated labor movement. The laws require that unions be formed only by secret ballots rather than the so-called card check process, in which employers can voluntarily recognize a union without a protracted election process. And under the laws, companies that voluntarily recognize unions risk losing state incentives, which amount to billions of dollars invested by governments to bring automakers to the region. These new laws speak to the growing push of labor unions into Southern states and the fierce opposition of pro-business GOP leaders there. For decades, the region has attracted investments from foreign automakers with lucrative tax breaks, low-cost labor and a lack of labor unions. Labor leaders hope that is changing now that workers at Volkswagens plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, overwhelmingly endorsed a union in April, becoming the first foreign auto plant in the South ever organized by the United Auto Workers. Unions such as the UAW argue their involvement can help boost wages and improve the work environment at auto plants. But GOP forces in the South view unions as an existential threat to their manufacturing economies of even more importance now that states are increasingly competing for electric vehicle and battery plants. Mercedes-Benz workers outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Friday voted against joining a union at their plant, in a setback for the labor movement. But more organizing drives are underway in Alabama and South Carolina, as well as in California. Many Southern states where unions have begun to focus already are less friendly to organizing. They are so-called right-to-work states, where each employee in a workplace can decide whether to join and pay union dues, though all workers are represented by the union. Seeking to capitalize on major contract wins it secured for workers last year at the nations Big Three automakers (GM, Ford and Stellantis), the United Auto Workers union announced plans to spend $40 million through 2026 to help organize workers at auto and battery plants across the country, with a particular focus on the South. The union did not respond to multiple Stateline requests for comment. A week before Aprils monumental vote at the Tennessee Volkswagen plant, six Southern Republican governors warned that unionization would jeopardize the regions auto jobs. In addition to Ivey in Alabama, the governors of Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas also signed on. And Ivey continued to rally against organized labor in auto plants last week, as she announced she had signed the states bill regarding secret ballots. Alabama is not Michigan, Ivey said at a chamber of commerce event last week. We want to ensure that Alabama values, not Detroit values, continue to define the future of this great state. Its unclear how much impact the new laws will have. The vote in Chattanooga was conducted by secret ballot with nearly three-quarters of all workers who voted in the election choosing to join the UAW. Tennessee awarded Volkswagen more than $500 million in incentives to build its plant there in 2008. They thought that scare tactics would be the winning thing for them and the union workers demonstrated that they have a backbone. Tennessee state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, a Democrat, on the impact of workers unionizing at Volkswagens Chattanooga plant To Tennessee state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, the 2023 law regarding union elections passed in his state was yet another GOP effort to blockade union power in the South. Its typical, in my view, for Southern states to have that kind of a mindset: to have less of a voice for workers as opposed to having an exchange between workers and employer, said Hakeem, a Democrat. Hakeem said the UAWs landslide win in his hometown of Chattanooga exposed a political miscalculation on the part of Republicans who view economic development prospects and union organizing as mutually exclusive. I thought it was huge, he said. They thought that scare tactics would be the winning thing for them and the union workers demonstrated that they have a backbone. Right-to-work states The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group known as ALEC that works with lawmakers across the country, introduced model legislation similar to the laws already passed in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. ALEC did not respond to a request for comment, but the organizations involvement could further push the legislative concept across red states, particularly in the South. That expansion is likely to happen, said Vincent Vernuccio, a senior fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank that worked with Tennessee Republican lawmakers on their legislation. Were seeing a snowball effect, he said of the legislation. It is getting noticed and I fully expect it to spread. Vernuccio said most Southern employers had been protecting their employees by calling for secret ballot elections rather than the signing of union cards in the open. There could be peer pressure, there can be coercion and intimidation, he said, and probably even more common is the unions trying to make sure that employees are not receiving both sides of the story on what would happen if a union organized them. Billy Dycus, president of the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council, viewed fierce GOP opposition to Chattanoogas union effort as a boon to the cause. I think that helped more than it hurt, he said. People say, You know what, were kind of tired of the government telling us how we should run our lives. Dycus, whose organization represents more than 60,000 union workers in the state, including teachers, steelworkers and nurses, said labor leaders have little incentive to mislead or pressure employees to join unions, especially in right-to-work states. Dycus said that because workers can choose whether to join unions, organizers must continually prove their worth to maintain membership and dues. They think that card check means we go in and twist arms and force people to sign cards. That doesnt make any sense because youre in a right-to-work state, he said. Opponents of the new union voting laws argue that pushing for elections through secret ballot run by the National Labor Relations Board as opposed to card check can subject workers to anti-union messaging from management. Such elections also might delay the inevitable, they argue, in cases where the union has identified a clear majority of support. But pro-business Republicans portray the new laws as ways to protect the privacy of individual workers, who might feel peer pressure to sign union authorization cards in a card-check scenario. Theres absolutely nothing in this bill that would stop anybody from being able to unionize, Georgia state Sen. Mike Hodges, a Republican who carried his states bill on the floor for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, said in an interview. Hodges said the new law aims to ensure a level playing field in union decisions. He noted that his father, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Georgia, raised him and three siblings on union wages and benefits. We didnt say we dont want unions, Hodges said. Bless your heart, if you want to unionize, unionize. Alabama state Sen. Arthur Orr, a Republican who sponsored the legislation in his state, said the secret ballot process protects workers from both management and union leadership. Employees are caught in a tug of war, if you will, Orr said. Having the secret ballot provides the employees the ability to say what they want to, one side or the other. But when it comes to the ultimate voting, they can do it privately. Union expansion could hurt economic development prospects, Orr said, but workers always have the right to unionize. If companies are not taking care of their workers and you can define that as you will, whether its pay or whether its time, job flexibility, safety, whatever then that makes them vulnerable to an organization effort, he said. Legal challenges While some labor advocates have argued the state bills could be preempted by federal labor law, Orr said he consulted with several attorneys on Alabamas legislation. He noted that Tennessees law had not been challenged in court. Still, its a close question as to whether these laws would hold up to a legal challenge since federal laws govern most labor issues in the private sector, said Benjamin Sachs, a professor of labor and industry at Harvard Law School. Some labor advocates expect courts could strike down the state laws, finding them preempted by federal labor law. What I can say for sure is that if its not preempted, then we are really opening up the landscape to dramatically more state and city intervention into labor relations and the rules of union organizing, he said in an interview. In his blog, OnLabor, Sachs warned anti-union forces to be careful what they wished for: If the Southern GOP laws stand, he wrote, it could open the door to blue states passing a litany of bills with opposite aims. If red states are entitled to tie economic incentives to a ban on card check, then blue states presumably are entitled to tie economic incentives on a requirement for card check, he added in the interview. While the recent labor win in Tennessee shows unions in the South can still succeed with a secret ballot process, Sachs said the legislation could have a chilling effect on companies that would otherwise prefer to voluntarily recognize unions. If it werent a big deal, they wouldnt have enacted these laws, he said. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter. The post As a key labor union pushes into the South, red states push back appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Volkswagen automobile plant employee Kiara Hughes celebrates after employees voted to join the UAW union Friday, April 19, 2024, in Chattanooga, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV) Just days before workers at a Mercedes-Benz plant in Alabama began voting last week on whether to unionize, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey signed a new law that would claw back state incentives from companies that voluntarily recognize labor unions. Alabamas move follows similar efforts in Georgia and Tennessee, where GOP leaders also have passed laws pushing against a reinvigorated labor movement. The laws require that unions be formed only by secret ballots rather than the so-called card check process, in which employers can voluntarily recognize a union without a protracted election process. And under the laws, companies that voluntarily recognize unions risk losing state incentives, which amount to billions of dollars invested by governments to bring automakers to the region. These new laws speak to the growing push of labor unions into Southern states and the fierce opposition of pro-business GOP leaders there. For decades, the region has attracted investments from foreign automakers with lucrative tax breaks, low-cost labor and a lack of labor unions. Labor leaders hope that is changing now that workers at Volkswagens plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, overwhelmingly endorsed a union in April, becoming the first foreign auto plant in the South ever organized by the United Auto Workers. Unions such as the UAW argue their involvement can help boost wages and improve the work environment at auto plants. But GOP forces in the South view unions as an existential threat to their manufacturing economies of even more importance now that states are increasingly competing for electric vehicle and battery plants. Mercedes-Benz workers outside of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Friday voted against joining a union at their plant, in a setback for the labor movement. But more organizing drives are underway in Alabama and South Carolina, as well as in California. Many Southern states where unions have begun to focus already are less friendly to organizing. They are so-called right-to-work states, where each employee in a workplace can decide whether to join and pay union dues, though all workers are represented by the union. Seeking to capitalize on major contract wins it secured for workers last year at the nations Big Three automakers (GM, Ford and Stellantis), the United Auto Workers union announced plans to spend $40 million through 2026 to help organize workers at auto and battery plants across the country, with a particular focus on the South. The union did not respond to multiple Stateline requests for comment. A week before Aprils monumental vote at the Tennessee Volkswagen plant, six Southern Republican governors warned that unionization would jeopardize the regions auto jobs. In addition to Ivey in Alabama, the governors of Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas also signed on. And Ivey continued to rally against organized labor in auto plants last week, as she announced she had signed the states bill regarding secret ballots. Alabama is not Michigan, Ivey said at a chamber of commerce event last week. We want to ensure that Alabama values, not Detroit values, continue to define the future of this great state. Its unclear how much impact the new laws will have. The vote in Chattanooga was conducted by secret ballot with nearly three-quarters of all workers who voted in the election choosing to join the UAW. Tennessee awarded Volkswagen more than $500 million in incentives to build its plant there in 2008. They thought that scare tactics would be the winning thing for them and the union workers demonstrated that they have a backbone. Tennessee state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, a Democrat, on the impact of unionizing at Volkswagen's Chattanooga plant To Tennessee state Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, the 2023 law regarding union elections passed in his state was yet another GOP effort to blockade union power in the South. Its typical, in my view, for Southern states to have that kind of a mindset: to have less of a voice for workers as opposed to having an exchange between workers and employer, said Hakeem, a Democrat. Hakeem said the UAWs landslide win in his hometown of Chattanooga exposed a political miscalculation on the part of Republicans who view economic development prospects and union organizing as mutually exclusive. I thought it was huge, he said. They thought that scare tactics would be the winning thing for them and the union workers demonstrated that they have a backbone. Right-to-work states The American Legislative Exchange Council, a conservative group known as ALEC that works with lawmakers across the country, introduced model legislation similar to the laws already passed in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. ALEC did not respond to a request for comment, but the organizations involvement could further push the legislative concept across red states, particularly in the South. That expansion is likely to happen, said Vincent Vernuccio, a senior fellow at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank that worked with Tennessee Republican lawmakers on their legislation. Were seeing a snowball effect, he said of the legislation. It is getting noticed and I fully expect it to spread. Vernuccio said most Southern employers had been protecting their employees by calling for secret ballot elections rather than the signing of union cards in the open. There could be peer pressure, there can be coercion and intimidation, he said, and probably even more common is the unions trying to make sure that employees are not receiving both sides of the story on what would happen if a union organized them. Billy Dycus, president of the Tennessee AFL-CIO Labor Council, viewed fierce GOP opposition to Chattanoogas union effort as a boon to the cause. I think that helped more than it hurt, he said. People say, You know what, were kind of tired of the government telling us how we should run our lives. Dycus, whose organization represents more than 60,000 union workers in the state, including teachers, steelworkers and nurses, said labor leaders have little incentive to mislead or pressure employees to join unions, especially in right-to-work states. Dycus said that because workers can choose whether to join unions, organizers must continually prove their worth to maintain membership and dues. They think that card check means we go in and twist arms and force people to sign cards. That doesnt make any sense because youre in a right-to-work state, he said. Opponents of the new union voting laws argue that pushing for elections through secret ballot run by the National Labor Relations Board as opposed to card check can subject workers to anti-union messaging from management. Such elections also might delay the inevitable, they argue, in cases where the union has identified a clear majority of support. But pro-business Republicans portray the new laws as ways to protect the privacy of individual workers, who might feel peer pressure to sign union authorization cards in a card-check scenario. Theres absolutely nothing in this bill that would stop anybody from being able to unionize, Georgia state Sen. Mike Hodges, a Republican who carried his states bill on the floor for Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, said in an interview. Hodges said the new law aims to ensure a level playing field in union decisions. He noted that his father, a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers in Georgia, raised him and three siblings on union wages and benefits. We didnt say we dont want unions, Hodges said. Bless your heart, if you want to unionize, unionize. Alabama state Sen. Arthur Orr, a Republican who sponsored the legislation in his state, said the secret ballot process protects workers from both management and union leadership. Employees are caught in a tug of war, if you will, Orr said. Having the secret ballot provides the employees the ability to say what they want to, one side or the other. But when it comes to the ultimate voting, they can do it privately. Union expansion could hurt economic development prospects, Orr said, but workers always have the right to unionize. If companies are not taking care of their workers and you can define that as you will, whether its pay or whether its time, job flexibility, safety, whatever then that makes them vulnerable to an organization effort, he said. Legal challenges While some labor advocates have argued the state bills could be preempted by federal labor law, Orr said he consulted with several attorneys on Alabamas legislation. He noted that Tennessees law had not been challenged in court. Still, its a close question as to whether these laws would hold up to a legal challenge since federal laws govern most labor issues in the private sector, said Benjamin Sachs, a professor of labor and industry at Harvard Law School. Some labor advocates expect courts could strike down the state laws, finding them preempted by federal labor law. What I can say for sure is that if its not preempted, then we are really opening up the landscape to dramatically more state and city intervention into labor relations and the rules of union organizing, he said in an interview. In his blog, OnLabor, Sachs warned anti-union forces to be careful what they wished for: If the Southern GOP laws stand, he wrote, it could open the door to blue states passing a litany of bills with opposite aims. If red states are entitled to tie economic incentives to a ban on card check, then blue states presumably are entitled to tie economic incentives on a requirement for card check, he added in the interview. While the recent labor win in Tennessee shows unions in the South can still succeed with a secret ballot process, Sachs said the legislation could have a chilling effect on companies that would otherwise prefer to voluntarily recognize unions. If it werent a big deal, they wouldnt have enacted these laws, he said. Stateline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Stateline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Scott S. Greenberger for questions: info@stateline.org. Follow Stateline on Facebook and Twitter. The post As a key labor union pushes into the South, red states push back appeared first on Arkansas Advocate. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The trade turnover between Georgia and Russia from January through April 2024 amounted to over $836 million, which is 1.5 percent less year-on-year, Trend reports. According to the National Statistics Office of Georgia, Russia is Georgia's second-largest trading partner. In these four months, Russia's share of Georgia's external trade was 12.7 percent. Exports from Georgia to Russia during this period exceeded $230 million, marking a 1.9-percent year-on-year rise, while imports from Russia totaled more than $606 million - down 2.7 percent. Turkiye was Georgia's top trading partner in the reporting period of 2024, with a trade volume of nearly $965 million, which is 3.6 percent higher compared to the same period last year. China ranked third, with trade turnover exceeding $497 million, up 0.5 percent. The US followed with nearly $480 million, Azerbaijan with over $400 million, and Germany with more than $336 million. Georgia's total foreign trade turnover from January through April 2024 exceeded $6.5 billion, a 2.7-percent decrease. Exports were over $1.7 billion, down 10.1 percent, while imports surpassed $4.8 billion, up 0.3 percent. The negative trade balance for the first four months of 2024 exceeded $3 billion. The Senate made a number of significant changes to the Houses cannabis bill, House Bill 1633. (Getty Images) When the New Hampshire Senate began its lengthy deliberations over marijuana legalization Thursday, sunlight spilled through the chambers high windows. By the end, night had fallen. The result was a threshold moment: After hours of debates and amendments, the New Hampshire Senate voted for the first time to legalize the possession, sale, and taxation of cannabis. But to reach that vote, the Senate made a number of significant changes to the Houses bill, House Bill 1633. Now, House lawmakers in both parties are voicing anger over the changes and indicating the House may kill the final bill entirely. I already know of 50 Democrats who are going to nonconcur, and I think thats the tip of the iceberg, said Rep. Anita Burroughs, a Bartlett Democrat and key sponsor of the bill, in an interview Monday. The latest legalization effort is a year in the making, following Gov. Chris Sununus announcement last May that he was open to signing a cannabis bill that met certain criteria. And the bill still has a ways to go: It will be heard in the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday and will receive a second vote by the full Senate on Thursday. At that point, if it passes, it will head back to the House, which can vote on its approval. Yet for stakeholders, advocates, lawmakers, and the governor, the final weeks of debate are more uncertain than ever. Public health advocates and the governor have welcomed the Senates bill, praising the amount of oversight it gives to the state over the cannabis products that would be sold, and its dedication of revenues to substance misuse efforts. Cannabis industry advocates have railed against it, arguing it would stifle the potential for a healthy market. And House lawmakers have expressed frustration that senators moved ahead with a final version they knew many representatives would oppose. Like the Houses version, the Senates version of the bill would legalize the use of cannabis for people in New Hampshire 21 years and older, would allow a limited number of retail operations to exist in the state, and would let state officials tax and regulate the products sold at those retail operations. But the Senates version asserts much more state control over how the products could be marketed or sold within those retail operations. The Senate bill would direct the Liquor Commission to grant licenses for up to 15 franchises in the state, and would empower the commission to control the layout, signage, and advertising of those locations. Those franchises would need to give 15 percent of profits back to the state, which would dedicate 30 percent to substance use treatment programs and give 6.6 percent back to the city or town that is hosting the outlet. The Senate bill would require voters in a city town to opt in to approve a retail cannabis outlet being established. And it would allow one single company or individual to buy up to three of the 15 total retail licenses distributed by the commission. Some public health advocates, like New Futures Vice President of Advocacy Kate Frey, have been encouraged by the Senates approach. New Futures generally opposes cannabis legalization and will not endorse the bill, Frey said. But the latest version of the legislation meets a number of minimum requirements that New Futures has set out for any cannabis bill: that it protects children, promotes social justice, protects public health, and includes funding to reduce harm. If the bill meets those criteria, New Futures will stay neutral on the bill and will not oppose it. Overall, the bill that came out of the Senate is the closest that weve seen of any piece of legislation to meeting most of our principles, Frey said. Sununu, too, has praised the approach of the latest bill, though he has not said whether he would sign it. Its a model which ensures that the retail sales are ultimately controlled by the state, he said at a May 15 press conference. When he released a statement in May 2023 indicating his potential support for a cannabis legalization bill, the governor outlined a number of priorities, which included efforts to keep cannabis outlets away from schools; prohibit marijuana miles, or areas where cannabis stores are concentrated; and ensure state control. He reiterated this month that he would stick to those priorities. But Burroughs identified a number of Senate changes she says have soured House legalization supporters on the bill. To start, the Senate bill gives the Liquor Commission broad enforcement powers over the entire statute, which Burroughs said would be basically establishing another police force. The bills franchise approach could squelch innovation among retail operations and dampen consumer interest, Burroughs argued. The bill would create a cannabis control commission, which would help craft the regulations that would apply to growers and sellers of cannabis, but Burroughs noted the Senates version would include sparse representation from the industry. And the Senate bill would also allow the retail stores to sell therapeutic cannabis, which could undercut the states existing alternative treatment centers, Burroughs said. Together, the changes represent too much of a departure from the House version for many members to stomach, Burroughs says. Ive been fighting for this for a lot of years, and I never imagined a day where I would vote against a bill that Ive been sponsoring and working on, she said. But its like a bridge too far. The prime sponsor of the bill, Derry Republican Rep. Erica Layon, was not available to comment Monday. But another Republican sponsor of the bill, Rep. J.R. Hoell, says hell also be voting against it when it returns to the House. Hoell, of Dunbarnton, says he is not a fan of the state control approach, arguing that franchise model would create a near monopoly on cannabis sales. And Hoell has other qualms. He doesnt like that the bill prohibits the option for residents to grow their own cannabis at home. And he opposes the 15-license limit across the state, noting that because one business owner can have up to three licenses, the entire states cannabis market could be run by five different companies. I voted against casinos for that same reason years ago, Hoell said. I think a free market does a better job of managing sales and cost distribution, and it solves problems that government cant even anticipate. And this is definitely not a free-market model at this point. The Senate may still make changes to the bill until midnight on Thursday. If the Senate passes the bill a second time on that day, the House will meet a week later to vote on whether to accept the changes. At that point, the 400-member chamber could choose to accept the changes and send the bill to Sununu, request a committee of conference to negotiate further, or reject the changes, killing the bill entirely. The Houses version of the bill passed the chamber by 103 votes in April, 239-136. But Burroughs said that margin of support may be dissolving already. Speaking to reporters, the governor pushed back at any opposition to the increased state control. Thats not a concern, thats an opportunity, he said. He argued other states that have legalized retail cannabis without that kind of state oversight had ended with frustrated local communities. Just to be clear, if they said were just going to have the stores run by state employees like they are with the liquor store, that would be fine, too, Sununu said, speaking of lawmakers. So our franchise model is an alternative to that that is also acceptable, as long as all the other stipulations of control are put in. And some legalization advocates have urged the House to support the bill despite any perceived flaws. Signing marijuana legalization into law would ensure that our state stops arresting Granite Staters for marijuana possession around a thousand per year, and who are disproportionately Black, said Devon Chaffee, executive director of the ACLU of New Hampshire, in a statement. This is not a perfect bill, but it remains critical to ensure this bill becomes law and there are still many steps in the legislative process to come. Tim Egan, an advisory board member of the New Hampshire Cannabis Association, a pro-cannabis industry group which has heavily criticized the Senates bill, has a similar view. I want to see this bill get passed, Egan said in an interview before the Senates May 16 vote. Do I like most of the things in it? No. he said. He later added: Do I want this bill to fail? No. But if it does, Im not going to cry about it. The post Key members of House threaten to vote against cannabis bill after Senate changes appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. Here are the key races to watch tonight in Georgia, Oregon and beyond Here are the key races to watch tonight in Georgia, Oregon and beyond Primaries in Oregon, Georgia, Kentucky and Idaho on Tuesday will decide general election matchups in a small handful of key House races, while voters in California will also pick the candidate to finish the rest of former Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R) term in the lower chamber. At the top of the ticket in Kentucky and Oregon, President Biden and former President Trump are set to rake in more delegates in their respective primaries, less than six months out from their Election Day rematch. Also in Oregon, two high-profile Democratic House primaries are pitting establishment-backed candidates against progressives in a test of the lefts strength. Polls will close in the various states between 6 and 11 p.m. Eastern time. Here are six of the key races to watch: Oregon 5th District Democratic primary Oregons 5th Congressional District flipped into Republican hands in the midterms, and Democrats this year are seeking to oust incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R) and snag back the seat, which could be among the key races that decide control of the House this fall. The House Democrats national campaign arm has backed state Rep. Janelle Bynum (D) in a blow to Jamie McLeod-Skinner, who was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee in 2022 and is running again this year. McLeod-Skinner defeated then-Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.) who had President Bidens backing in the midterm primary, but lost to Chavez-DeRemer by two points in the general. This time around, the party is hoping that Bynum, who has beaten Chavez-DeRemer before in two state legislature races, will have better luck. Strategists expect a close primary, as Bynum and McLeod-Skinner battle to take on the Republican incumbent. Extensive primary polling hasnt been conducted, but an April survey paid for by Bynums campaign shows the state lawmaker with a slight lead in the district, which spans from Bend in central Oregon to Multnomah and Clackamas counties just outside of Portland. Oregon 3rd District Democratic Primary Oregons 3rd Congressional District seat is solidly blue, but the race has still drawn national attention as Democrats vie to succeed retiring Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), whose exit opens up the seat for the first time in nearly three decades. Among the top contenders for the seat is Multnomah County Commissioner Susheela Jayapal, the sister of U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wa.). If she succeeds, the pair would become the second set of sisters to serve together in the lower chamber, after Loretta and Linda Sanchez made history as sister lawmakers from California. But state Rep. Maxine Dexter has given Jayapal a run for her money literally, as she has raked in more than half a million dollars over the last quarter. Dexters primary rivals, including Jayapal, have said that some of that money is coming from a PAC tied to the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC). And Jayapals allies have also asserted that Republican meddling has boosted Dexter. Republican megadonors have spent millions to defeat my sister @SusheelaJayapal all because she is a proud, effective progressive, Pramila Jayapal said in an Instagram post. Regardless of who wins, Democrats are almost certain to keep the seat in their hands come November, making the contest primarily a test for the establishment and progressive wings of the party. Progressive DA race in Portland The progressive district attorney who took office in Oregons Multnomah County amid 2020 social justice protests in Portland faces a primary challenge from a competitor promising to be tougher on crime. District Attorney Mike Schmidt was elected in a landslide amid the COVID-19 pandemic and a push for criminal justice reforms. During demonstrations that roiled Portland in the wake of George Floyds death at the hands of police, he announced back in 2020 that his office wouldnt go after many protestors who were arrested. But the Beaver State has since seen growing frustration over public safety amid drug decriminalization efforts, increasing homelessness. Schmidt is now being challenged by one of his own deputies, Nathan Vasquez, whose platform stresses that [even] petty crimes, like theft, vandalism, and littering, public use of illicit drugs and public highs, all contribute to the overall feeling of safety and wellbeing of a community. Fani Willis primary challenge in Georgia Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) is leading the prosecution of former President Trump in a case centered on efforts to interfere with Georgias 2020 election results. Shes also up for reelection and faces a primary challenge from attorney Christian Wise Smith, who ran and lost against Willis four years ago. Its the first time Willis has gone before voters since launching her probe into Trumps actions in the state. Revelations of a romantic relationship between Willis and one of Trumps top prosecutors tripped up the proceedings for weeks, but Willis was allowed to remain in her role. Willis is generally expected to prevail on Tuesday. With that said, if Smith were to score an upset, it could have notable ramifications on the high-profile case. Asked earlier this year whether he would continue pursuing Williss case against Trump, Smith said that issue is important to us here in Fulton County and a lot of people across the country. The winner of the Democratic primary is set to go against Republican candidate Courtney Kramer, an attorney who worked in the Office of the White House Counsel under Trump, in the fall. Georgia state Superior Court, Supreme Court races Another key player in Trumps Georgia case is up for reelection this year: Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAffee. A former prosecutor who was appointed to the bench by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp back in 2022, McAffee faces challenger Robert Patillo in the contest. If McAffee loses, his caseload could go to his successor. Meanwhile, Democratic former Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.) is hoping to flip a state Supreme Court race in a contest that has played out against the backdrop of the Peach States six-week ban. Barrow is running against state Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson, a Kemp appointee who once clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. The Democrat believes the procedure is a right, while Pinson has argued the former lawmaker is running a hyper-partisan campaign. Special election to fill McCarthys seat in California Voters in California on Tuesday will weigh in on a special election to fill former Speaker Kevin McCarthys (R-Calif.) reliably red seat in the Golden States 20th District. McCarthy announced plans to leave the lower chamber after his historic removal ended a brief tenure in the top House role. He wrote in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that he was stepping out of the House to serve America in new ways. I know my work is only getting started. Now, County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux (R) will face off on Tuesday against Republican state legislator Vince Fong in a runoff to claim McCarthys seat for the remainder of his term and then the pair will battle again to win a full term in November. Trump and McCarthy both have put their weight behind Fong, positioning him the favorite to win the seat. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kiev on Tuesday morning and made a plea for more international support to protect the country's skies from Russian airstrikes. "To protect Ukraine from the hail of Russian missiles and drones, it urgently needs more air defence," she said at the start of her seventh visit to Ukraine since all-out war erupted in February 2022. Her trip had not been announced for security reasons. Baerbock said that Kiev's allies must "join forces" both for Ukraine's sake and to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from sending troops to "our own borders." She noted that a German-led initiative aimed at building up Ukraine's air defences has raised almost 1 billion ($1 billion). "And we are working hard to ensure that this will be even more," the minister said. "We are turning over every stone several times and have even gone ahead with an additional Patriot unit." Ukraine has been on the back foot for months due to shortages of equipment, ammunition and soldiers in the war's third year. The large city of Kharkiv in the north-east of the country, not far from the Russian border, is being bombarded daily. Russian ground forces have also been advancing into the broader Kharkiv region. Baerbock had to cancel a planned visit to Kharkiv on Tuesday due to the Russian attacks. She had visited the city, which was heavily attacked by Russian troops at the beginning of the war, in January 2023. Shortly before Baerbock's visit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky once again stressed the urgency of getting air defence systems and Western fighter jets to his country. "Unfortunately, the free world lacks speed on these two issues," he said on Monday evening. Zelensky has repeatedly requested the delivery of two more Patriot air defence systems to protect Kharkiv. Ukraine reportedly has three of the powerful US-made air defence systems. Germany has provided two of them, and the German government recently promised a third unit. The other Patriot unit currently active in Ukraine comes from the US. Washington is considering the delivery of a further system. German attempts to procure Patriots from partner countries in Europe or overseas have so far not been successful. Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is received by German Ambassador Martin Jaeger and a representative of the Ukrainian protocol on arrival at Kiev railroad station. Jorg Blank/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (L) and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba speaks during a press conference after their meeting. Jorg Blank/dpa German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Kiev on Tuesday morning and made a plea for more international support to protect the country's skies from Russian airstrikes. "To protect Ukraine from the hail of Russian missiles and drones, it urgently needs more air defence," she said at the start of her seventh visit to Ukraine since all-out war erupted in February 2022. Her trip had not been announced for security reasons. Baerbock: Putin 'destroys lives' During a visit to one of Ukraine's largest power stations which was destroyed by Russia last month, Baerbock accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of targeted terror against civilians. "The fact that this terror against the infrastructure is continuing after this winter shows that the Russian president wants to destroy the country, wants to destroy people's lives here," she said. Baerbock was briefed by Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko on the situation at the power plant in the Kiev region. Galushchenko said that Russia had fired a total of 11 missiles at the site. Of these, only six were shot down by the Ukrainian air defence system because there were no more anti-aircraft missiles available. In view of the air defence shortages in Ukraine, the German minister appealed "to international partners worldwide" for more air defence "to protect not only large cities, but also the infrastructure." Baerbock calls on Kiev's allies At the start of her visit, Baerbock said that Kiev's allies must "join forces" both for Ukraine's sake and to prevent Putin from sending troops to "our own borders." She noted that a German-led initiative aimed at building up Ukraine's air defences has raised almost 1 billion ($1.08 billion). "And we are working hard to ensure that this will be even more," the minister said. Ukraine has been on the back foot for months due to shortages of equipment, ammunition and soldiers in the war's third year. "Every hesitation and every delay in supporting Ukraine costs the lives of innocent people. And every hesitation in supporting Ukraine also jeopardizes our own security," Baerbock said at a joint appearance with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev. Kuleba warned: "If Russia is not stopped here and now, its missiles will continue to fly at some point." Echoing Baerbock, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said while on a visit to NATO member Latvia that it was "crucial" that all "partners who can provide patriot systems or similar systems should do that as soon as possible." He said it would not only protect infrastructure, but also boost morale. Zelensky honours Baerbock with Order of Merit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky honoured Baerbock with an Order of Merit for her support for his country. Zelensky presented the politician with the third level of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise in the presidential office in the capital Kiev on Tuesday. Zelensky had already awarded Baerbock the honour by decree at the turn of the year. Kharkiv attacks injure seven Russian attacks on the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, not far from the Russian border, injured at least seven people overnight, the region's governor said. "The enemy has been attacking Kharkiv all night," Oleh Synyehubov said on Tuesday morning on Telegram. Debris from combat drones shot down by Ukrainian air defences fell in several parts of the city and caused damage to buildings and vehicles. Synyehubov said the injured include a 61-year-old man and two women aged 69 and 72. Other Ukrainian regions were also hit by Russian drones overnight, including Odessa, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk. The Ukrainian Air Force said 28 of 29 drones were shot down across the country. Moscow intensified its air and ground campaign in the Kharkiv region almost two weeks ago. Russian forces have since captured several Ukrainian border villages. According to observers, the offensive has slowed in recent days, but has not come to a standstill. Baerbock had to cancel a planned visit to Kharkiv on Tuesday due to the Russian attacks. She had visited the city, which was heavily attacked by Russian troops at the beginning of the war, in January 2023. Zelensky: 'Free world lacks speed' Shortly before Baerbock's visit, Zelensky again stressed the urgency of getting air defence systems and Western fighter jets to his country. "Unfortunately, the free world lacks speed on these two issues," he said on Monday evening. Zelensky has repeatedly requested the delivery of two more Patriot air defence systems to protect Kharkiv. Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, sits on the floor of the Alabama House of Representatives on April 25, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) A bill to allow undocumented students to attend some of Alabamas public institutions of higher education died in the final days of the 2024 session amid attempts to limit the scope of the bill. HB 210, sponsored by Rep. Reed Ingram, R-Pike Road, would have allowed undocumented students to attend public colleges and universities as long as they met certain requirements, including making an application for legal status. If somebody comes over the border illegally, or are not wanting to contribute to society, then I dont have any use for them going to college, but as long as they really want to work and get a job and and give back to the community its those people that we were targeting, Ingram said on Monday. Alabamas HB 56, a 2011 law that attempted to criminalize the lives of undocumented immigrants in the state, barred immigrants without legal status from attending public colleges and universities. Federal courts gutted the law, but the higher education bar remained. Ingrams bill would have required a qualifying student to have attended high school in the state for three years and graduated from high school, earned a GED or completed another equivalent. Ingram said that an amendment from Sen. Donnie Chesteen, R-Geneva, the chair of the Senate Education Policy committee, slowed the bill down. Chesteen said Monday that it would have set a specific timeframe for a student to apply for status. A copy of the proposed amendment provided to the Reflector by the Higher Education Partnership Monday said that a qualifying student had to have applied for lawful presence in the United States before or during the ninth grade of high school or three years prior to enrolling in a public post-secondary education institution. We just thought that that pathway would show their intent to go ahead and try to obtain legal status earlier, rather than at the completion of school and right into college, Chesteen said Monday. The senator said post-secondary and higher ed wanted that amendment on the bill. Boone Kinard, executive director of external affairs with the Alabama Community College System, said that they supported the amendment only as a way to get the broader legislation passed. We were not pushing for the amendment, but certainly in working with the lieutenant governor (and) our stakeholders, we were amenable to adding that amendment to the bill, he said. Kinard said that the bill would have also allowed high school students to participate in dual enrollment. He said that, currently, some students are crossing state lines to do so. It is an issue that several of our community colleges that border other states have dealt with, he said. Gordon Stone, executive director of the Higher Education Partnership of Alabama, was also part of the discussions. He said that they also supported the amendment as a way to help the bill pass. This bill that Representative Ingram had initially sponsored was great for us, because it just created more access points, and thats what weve always been about, accessibility for Alabamians across the board, he said. Kinard and Stone said they were in conversations with Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth during the process; Kinard said that Ainsworth had issues with the bill. Stone said that Ainsworth represented a voice and that the amendment was a change that legislative leaders wanted. An email was sent to Jesse Skaggs, Ainsworths chief of staff, Monday afternoon. Both Ingram and co-sponsor Rep. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, said they expect to file the bill earlier. Chesteen said the bill could pass with the amendment. Were providing education for kindergarten through 12th grade, and to limit it after that, so that they cant move up into our workforce, which we have workforce needs, almost seems foolish, so I was hopeful that it was going to get through even the first year, but there are lots of things that dont get through the first year, Collins said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post What killed Alabamas bill to open public colleges to some undocumented residents? appeared first on Alabama Reflector. Kim Jong Un reportedly made it clear that Pyongyang did not intend to use nuclear weapons - KCNA/REUTERS Kim Jong Un was desperate to get rid of his nuclear weapons and said he would only ever use them defensively, a former South Korean president has claimed. In a new memoir, Moon Jae-in, who oversaw the unprecedented summits between Kim and former US President Donald Trump, wrote that the North Korean leader repeatedly and desperately made clear that Pyongyang did not intend to use such weapons and was frustrated by international mistrust. Mr Moon wrote: He also mentioned that he has a daughter and doesnt want her generation to live with the burden of nuclear weapons. He sincerely explained his commitment to denuclearisation. But the memoir, released last week, provoked strong criticism from Kim Yung-ho, the Souths unification minister and top official on North Korea, who compared the recollection to Neville Chamberlains appeasement policy in the lead up to World War II. If South Korea relies only on North Koreas good faith, its people and national security could be at risk, said Mr Kim. He told a press conference: While ignoring North Koreas [nuclear] capability, if we only focus on the Norths intentions, this could result in a miscalculation of the security situation. Collapse of diplomatic talks Diplomatic efforts by South Korea and the United States to persuade Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme ultimately collapsed in a disagreement at the Hanoi summit in 2019 over the lifting of sanctions. The North Korean regime has since significantly stepped up its ballistic missile and nuclear weapons development and Kim has since declared that his country will never give up its nuclear firepower. In a further sign of his shift in direction, he revealed his beloved daughter Ju-ae to the world for the first time in 2022 at the launch of the Hwasong-17, an intercontinental ballistic missile. South Korea, under Yoon Suk Yeol, the current president, has also taken a more hardline stance towards the North, warning that if it attempts to use nuclear weapons it will face an immediate, overwhelming and decisive response. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Know a 2024 Fayette County graduate with a compelling story? Tell us about them Just in time for commencement season: The Herald-Leader is looking for 2024 Fayette County Public School graduates to celebrate in our print edition and on Kentucky.com. If you are or know of a high-achieving graduate, a student who has overcome obstacles, or an outgoing senior with a compelling story, contact Valarie Honeycutt Spears at vhoneycutt@herald-leader.com. We will need some information about the graduate and their contact information so we can reach out to them. From our Herald-Leader family to yours, happy graduation season! GUBA, Azerbaijan, May 21. Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan plan to establish a joint online commercial platform, Uzbek Minister of Investment, Industry, and Trade Laziz Kudratov said during the II Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum in Guba today, Trend reports. This will be a commercial platform where businessmen can easily find each other, both in terms of making trade transactions and jointly initiating investment projects, he emphasized. According to him, by launching the online platform, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan will be able to create an additional tool allowing entrepreneurs from the two countries to find the right partners and generate new trade and economic cooperation projects. To note, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan from January through March 2024 totaled $142 million. The two countries' economies have enough potential for mutual trade indicators to reach $1 billion in the coming years. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel What to know before casting your ballot for Oregons primary election PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The primary election is upon us, which means registered Oregon voters have just a few hours remaining to cast their ballots. All mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Tuesday, May 21. For those who plan to use a drop box, ballots must be dropped off by 8 p.m. on election night. Find out which drop box is closest to you by typing in your address here. As of May 2, the Oregon Elections Division recorded 3,039,926 registered voters. Another PGE rate hike? Customers say its inhumane About 37.8% of voters statewide cast their ballots in the May 2022 primary election. Although Tuesdays election also serves as a presidential primary, Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott said he expects similar numbers this year. KOIN 6 News Political Director Ken Boddie has an update as of Tuesday afternoon on Oregons voter turnout for the May 2024 primary below. Learn more about the key state and local primary races by reading the stories below. KOIN 6 News is your local election headquarters. Tune in this evening as Political Director Ken Boddie covers live election results. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. What to know about Turks and Caicos' strict gun laws after US tourists charged with possessing ammunition The plight of multiple Americans charged with bringing ammunition to Turks and Caicos has drawn attention to the islands' strict gun laws. Those convicted under the firearms ordinance of possessing ammunition could face a minimum sentence of 12 years in prison -- unless a judge grants them leniency for "exceptional circumstances," Turks and Caicos officials said. Several American tourists who recently traveled to the popular tropical destination have been charged after inadvertently bringing ammunition, according to a coalition of U.S. Congress members advocating on their behalf. Here's what to know about the law and cases. PHOTO: Turks and Caicos officers stand outside a police station. (ABC News/Nightline) Turks and Caicos' strict gun laws Turks and Caicos prohibits anyone from keeping, carrying, discharging or using an unlicensed firearm or ammunition. There is no constitutional right to carry firearms. In the U.S., it is legal to fly with unloaded firearms and ammunition in checked baggage, according to the Transportation Security Administration. American tourists previously arrested in Turks and Caicos for possessing ammunition typically were briefly jailed and paid hefty fines before being able to return home. The British Overseas Territory -- which has its own legislature and government -- has strengthened its firearms ordinance over the years. Most recently in 2022, it passed an amendment that mandates a minimum 12-year prison sentence for those convicted of breaking the law. The harsher penalty followed an increase in gun-related violence and weapons trafficking. Turks and Caicos, where crime has been relatively low, saw a "marked increase" in homicides in 2020 and 2021 associated with "international crime, gangs, the availability of firearms, and drug dealing and trafficking," according to the U.K. Government. The amendment was one of 11 pieces of legislation the Turks and Caicos House of Assembly passed in November 2022 aimed at addressing rising crime and gang violence. For those convicted of possessing ammunition and firearms, exceptional circumstances may be considered during sentencing. The sentencing judge "has discretion to impose a custodial sentence (less than the twelve years) and a fine that are fair and just in the circumstances of each case," the Turks and Caicos attorney general said in a statement in April. To date, no U.S. national has received the mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years for the offense, the Governor's Office of Turks and Caicos said Wednesday. MORE: US delegation travels to Turks and Caicos after 5 tourists detained over ammunition The Americans charged In recent months, multiple Americans have been charged after ammunition was allegedly found in their luggage: Michael Grim The Indiana resident was arrested in August 2023 after one magazine containing 20 rounds of 9 mm ammunition was found in his luggage at Providenciales International Airport when it was screened during a security check, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight months in prison in September 2023 -- with the court finding there was no criminal intent though "the need to send a message to travelers to the Turks and Caicos Islands to exercise caution when packing suitcases and to ensure that items of this nature are brought to the attention of airport officials." He was released in February. Michael Lee Evans The Texas septuagenarian was arrested in December 2023 after seven rounds of 9 mm ammunition was found in his luggage, police said. He pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition and is out on bail. He was allowed to return to the U.S. due to medical reasons, police previously said. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 18. Bryan Hagerich PHOTO: Bryan Hagerich and his wife, Ashley, speak with ABC News. (ABC News) The Pennsylvania father of two was arrested in February while returning home from a family vacation after ammunition was found in his checked luggage. He pleaded guilty to possession of 20 rounds of ammunition. He told ABC News he forgot hunting ammunition was in his bag while he was traveling. His next hearing has been scheduled for Friday. "We're still steadfast in my goal to return home," he told ABC News earlier in May. He said he hopes the judge is lenient in the sentencing and that he doesn't want to be separated from his family for 12 years. "I'm a man of integrity, character," he said. "I did not have intent in this." Ryan Tyler Watson PHOTO: The booking photo for Ryan Watson. (Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force) The Oklahoma resident was returning with his wife from a trip to Turks and Caicos to celebrate several friends' 40th birthdays when he was arrested on April 12. Four rounds of ammunition were allegedly found in his carry-on bag at the Howard Hamilton International Airport, police said. Watson has since been released on $15,000 bond but remains on the islands as his court case continues, separated from his wife and two children. His next hearing has been scheduled for June 7. Watson, who is living with Hagerich amid the legal proceedings, told ABC News he didn't know the hunting ammunition was in the bag. "I stand behind Turks and Caicos and what they're trying to accomplish to get out in front of their gun violence that they are experiencing on the island," he said, though he added he doesn't feel that putting those like himself and Hagerich "makes this island any safer." "We both just made a mistake," he said. Tyler Scott Wenrich PHOTO: Tyler Scott Wenrich, 31, of Virginia, was charged with possession of ammunition in Turks and Caicos when trying to return to his cruise ship in April. (Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force) The Virginia resident traveled to Grand Turk on a cruise ship for a bachelor party in late April when ammunition was found in his possession while going through a security checkpoint, police said. The 911 operator and emergency medical technician, who has a young child, has remained on the island since being arrested and pleaded guilty on Tuesday to two counts of possession of ammunition, for two 9 mm rounds. The judge's sentence is expected within seven days. "I have a lot of fear and anxiety as to what's going to happen and I'm hoping that the judge finds some compassion and leniency in the situation that I'm in," Wenrich told ABC News. Wenrich had gone shooting at a gun range with friends and said he forgot he was carrying the ammunition. "I take a lot of responsibility for it because I have to," he said, though noted that the ammunition was overlooked by several entities before being found. "It could happen to anybody," he said. Defense attorney Sheena Mair said in court, in arguing for a more lenient sentence, "A mandatory minimum of 12 years in this case is not what Parliament intended with the firearm ordinance change in October 2022." "Tyler's sentencing will not fix the gun issue in this jurisdiction," she added. Mair detailed past cases of Americans in which lesser sentences were imposed, including Grim, as well as American Dave O'Connor. O'Connor was found to have 44 rounds of 9 mm ammunition, but received a $5,670 fine and no sentence. In both cases, the Court of Appeals defended the finding of exceptional circumstances. Sharitta Grier PHOTO: The booking photo for Sharitta Grier. (Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force) The Florida resident was visiting Turks and Caicos with her daughter for Mother's Day when, during a routine search at the Howard Hamilton International Airport on May 13, officials claim to have found two rounds of ammunition in her bag, police said. She told Orlando ABC affiliate WFTV she had no idea that two rounds were in the bottom of her duffel bag. Grier was charged with one count of possession of ammunition and released on $15,000 bail. She has been ordered to remain in the Caribbean territory until the completion of her case, police sources said. A hearing has been scheduled for July 5. She has been living with Hagerich and Watson while her case proceeds. "They are my forever family," she told ABC News. MORE: American woman charged after ammunition found in baggage in Turks and Caicos on Mother's Day trip: Police US response The American Embassy in the Bahamas, the nearest embassy to the islands, issued an alert in April urging all travelers to Turks and Caicos to "carefully check your luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing from the United States." Firearms, ammunition (including stray bullets) and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI)," the alert stated. " TCI authorities strictly enforce all firearms-and-ammunition-related laws. The penalty for traveling to TCI with a firearm, ammunition, or other weapon can result in a minimum custodial sentence of twelve (12) years." The alert said that TSA screening in the U.S. may not identify ammunition in your baggage and it is "your responsibility to ensure your baggage is free of ammunition and/or firearms." Turks and Caicos Islands: We urge all travelers to carefully check your luggage for stray ammunition or forgotten weapons before departing from the United States. Firearms, ammunition (including stray bullets), and other weapons are not permitted in the Turks and Caicos Islands pic.twitter.com/UtHZh6zRHW Travel - State Dept (@TravelGov) April 24, 2024 U.S. officials have been pressuring the Turks and Caicos government to release their constituents. In mid-May, the governors of Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Virginia sent a joint letter to Turks and Caicos Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam to release Watson, Hagerich and Wenrich. "This action will create the necessary recognition of your laws that will impact the future actions of travelers and continue our mutual interest in justice and goodwill between our jurisdictions," the letter read. PHOTO: A United States Congressional delegation meets with government officials in Turks and Caicos, May 20, 2024. (Turks and Caicos Islands, Governor's Office/Facebook) A bipartisan congressional delegation traveled to Turks and Caicos this week to address the fate of the five Americans charged. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, one of the members of the delegation, told "Good Morning America" that he left the meetings feeling like they "didn't find a real path forward" and are considering next steps if they can't reach a solution. "We thought we could find some type of common ground to separate the two -- ones with the intent and one with no criminal intent," Mullin said. "We weren't able to get to that conclusion. So their whole point was that, let the system work." Mullin said the next step might be warning American citizens about traveling and doing business in Turks and Caicos. "I don't think we're to that point. But if we can't come to a solution, that's the next option for us," he said. Turks and Caicos' response The Turks and Caicos attorney general has said the firearms ordinance applies to all those on the islands, "regardless of status or origin." Following the meeting with the congressional delegation, the Turks and Caicos governor's office said in a statement that the government has "clear laws prohibiting the possession of firearms and/or ammunition and strict penalties are in place to serve and protect all who reside and visit the Turks and Caicos Islands." The office said the government officials "appreciated that the circumstances for U.S. nationals who find themselves in this position can be difficult but were aware that U.S. officials are providing consular support to each of the individuals." "Where the court finds there are exceptional circumstances, the sentencing judge does have discretion, under the law, to impose a custodial sentence and a fine that are fair and just in the circumstances of each case," the governor's office added. ABC News' Stefan Joyce contributed to this report. What to know about Turks and Caicos' strict gun laws after US tourists charged with possessing ammunition originally appeared on abcnews.go.com (Bloomberg) -- Kosovo police shut down the offices of the last Serbian bank on its territory as part of a currency crackdown, drawing a furious response from Serbian government officials. Most Read from Bloomberg Police carrying rifles and wearing bullet-proof vests on Monday entered six branches of Banka Postanska Stedionica in northern Kosovo, home to the biggest Serb community in the country. Its members rely on pension and other welfare payments in dinars delivered from Serbia. Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic denounced the raids, calling them another savage act that directly jeopardizes the survival of Serbs in Kosovo. Kosovo split from Serbia in 2008 and has been using the euro as the only currency acceptable in cash payments since 2002, with the dinar used exclusively in Serb municipalities. Xhelal Svecla, Kosovos interior minister, confirmed the police action against Banka Postanska Stedionica, which he described as an illegal financial institution. Read More: Currency Crackdown in Kosovo Turns the Screws on Ethnic Serbs Representatives from Kosovo and Serbia met with European Union mediators in Brussels last week in the latest attempt to resolve the currency row, but the talks ended in mutual recrimination. If the international community doesnt come to its senses, all this will lead to new conflicts in the Balkans, with unforeseeable consequences, Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on Monday. The action comes a week after the central bank of Kosovo announced that the transitional period for its Feb. 1 regulation, which prohibits the use of the Serbian dinar for payments, had ended. It has licensed eight branches of financial institutions in municipalities with a Serb majority where people in Serbia can send money to citizens living in Kosovo. The authorities in Pristina intend to tax and register these transactions. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Political prisoner Rustem Seitmemetov has suffered a heart attack due to inadequate detention conditions in a Russian prison. Source: Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) Commissioner for Human Rights, on Telegram Details: He recalled that Seitmemetov was illegally detained by Russians in temporarily occupied Crimea and sentenced to 13 years in prison. Recently, it became known that he was moved for unknown reasons to a separate room that was not heated. Quote from Lubinets: "To keep warm, the prisoner was forced to constantly move and engage in physical activities. During the execution [of the physical activities], Rustem lost consciousness. After a medical examination, he was diagnosed with a myocardial infarction." Details: The ombudsman emphasised that the political prisoner is given medications he is not familiar with, and they do not provide information about his health condition or the results of medical tests. "The conditions of detention for any of the Ukrainian political prisoners do not comply with current norms of international law. This leads to a deterioration of the prisoner's health and can effectively be equated with torture. I urge the international community to pay attention to Russia's human rights violations!" Lubinets stressed. Background: In October 2021, a court in Russian Rostov-on-Don sentenced four Crimean Tatars to prison terms ranging from 12 to 17 years. Rustem Seitmemetov was given a 13-year prison sentence. Support UP or become our patron! The Kremlin propaganda machine has made Tucker Carlson its newest star television host, whether he likes it or not. The former Fox News host has gotten his own show on the state-run channel Rossiya 24except its not quite as new as the channel would have people believe. The program, called Tucker. Rossiya 24, treats viewers to days-old episodes of Carlsons own show posted on X and YouTube, but with a Russian voiceover. An episode was aired Monday night, for example, featuring Carlson discussing conspiracy theories about Lyme disease being used as a bioweapon under the title ticksnuclear weapons for the poor. The same episode, minus the Russian voiceover, was available to American social media users on May 10. The website of the All-Russia State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company features several other episodes of the supposedly new show, all of them featuring praise for Moscow, criticism of Ukraine, or grim predictions concerning the fate of the U.S. In a description of the program, the site notes that Carlson has actively criticized U.S. authorities for helping Ukraine since the start of the [war], and that he was added to a well-known database of enemies of Ukraine last summer. Carlson did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Beast but he told CNN that he knew nothing about the Russian programming move. Its all fake obviously, like most stories in American news media. Of course I have no partnership with Russia. The first I'd heard anything about this was (this) morning, he said. The CEO of Tucker Carlson Network, Neil Patel, said no deals had been done with Russia. The Tucker Carlson Network has not done any deals with state media in any country. Whoever is currently pretending to be the old Newsweek brand would know that if they had checked with us before printing like news companies are supposed to do, he said. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. KS abortion providers fighting law that requires asking women why theyre getting one Kansas abortion providers are challenging a new state law that requires them to ask patients their reasons for seeking an abortion. The law will take effect on July 1 unless blocked by a court. On Monday, attorneys for abortion providers filed court papers to add the survey requirements to an ongoing lawsuit in Johnson County District Court thats already led to the suspension of several Kansas abortion regulations. The legal fight has regional implications because of Kansas increasingly prominent role as an abortion access point in the Great Plains. Abortion is banned in several nearby states, including Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. The Republican-controlled Legislature passed the law, known as HB 2749, in April over the veto of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. The measure represents another attempt by anti-abortion lawmakers to test the outer bounds of a 2019 Kansas Supreme Court decision that interpreted the state constitution to protect access to abortion. Voters in August 2022 strongly rejected an amendment to the state constitution that would have overturned the high courts decision, paving the way for an abortion ban. While the Legislature hasnt advanced severe restrictions on abortion since the vote, lawmakers have made new efforts to regulate what women are told and asked before the procedure. Were challenging this latest invasion into the private decisions of Kansans for one simple reason: unlike the legislature, we actually listened when the people voted in August 2022, Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said in a statement. Kansans want their medical decisions to be their own, and we will not shame or stigmatize patients to satisfy the cruel whims of anti-abortion politicians. The new law mandates abortion providers to survey women, asking them to choose the most important reason for getting an abortion. Those reasons include financial stress, rape, fetal disabilities, or the health of the mother as options. The survey does not include an other option, a point of contention for opponents. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment will compile the data into a report publicly released twice a year. In a motion filed Monday to add the new law to the ongoing Johnson County lawsuit, attorneys for the abortion providers called the requirements another legislative attempt to co-opt abortion providers to serve as the States conduitthis time to pry into patients personal medical decisionmaking via intrusive, government-scripted inquiries. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobachs office, which is defending Kansas abortion law in court, didnt immediately respond to a request for comment. When Kelly vetoed the bill, she called it invasive and unnecessary. She also referred to the August 2022 vote, saying voters dont want politicians interfering in private medical decisions. Top Republicans have described the measure as a data collection effort. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, has emphasized that answering the survey questions is voluntary. He has also nodded to Kansas growing role as an abortion access point. By overriding the Governors veto of this bill, voluntary and anonymous abortion data will now be made available to KDHE so they can have up-to-date and relevant information. The Governors unreasonable fear of this data collection is nothing but a roadblock to helping serve these vulnerable women better, Hawkins said in an April statement. In 2022, the last year of data available, 12,318 abortions were performed in Kansas, according to an official state report, up from 7,849 in 2021 an increase of 57%. The growth occurred entirely in abortions among out-of-state residents, which grew by 4,563. At the same time, Kansas residents obtained fewer abortions in 2022 than the year before. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights, 46 states require some form of abortion reporting. Of those, 16 ask about a patients reason for obtaining an abortion with nine of them asking about reasons beyond rape, incest, fetal abnormalities and health of the mother. Johnson County District Court Judge Christopher Jayaram is overseeing the ongoing lawsuit against Kansas abortion restrictions. Its unclear how quickly he will act on the abortion providers challenge; Kobach will likely first argue against blocking the law. Jayaram has previously blocked existing abortion regulations, including some in place for decades. In October, the judge stopped officials from enforcing a 24-hour waiting period for abortions. He also halted enforcement of rules mandating abortion providers, without evidence, post information in clinics and online warning abortions can increase the risk of breast cancer and premature birth in future pregnancies. A bench trial in the lawsuit is currently scheduled for February 2025. Law enforcement has frequently been used by activists to support their causes. How often do we see vexatious complaints made to the police about this or that politicians behaviour, when its pretty clear that Plod has no role in whatever argument is being fought? As the worlds only Jewish state continues to frustrate its critics by refusing to be wiped off the map, anti-Israel activists have increasingly resorted to the same tactic. Until now, the attempted arrests of Israeli officials when they arrive in foreign countries has been little more than performative activism, aimed at generating publicity for the cause rather than serving the demands of international justice. But the International Criminal Courts decision to seek arrest warrants for both the Israeli prime minister and Hamas leaders has stepped up this tiresome little game to dangerous levels. As President Joe Biden has said, to draw any sort of moral equivalence between the Islamist terrorists, rapists and murderers of Hamas with the leader of a democratically-elected government in the midst of a war that was initiated by those self-same terrorists is outrageous. It is virtue-signalling on a global scale and it is utterly unjustified. So naturally, David Lammy has backed it. The shadow foreign secretary has not only supported the move by the ICC to seek arrest warrants, but he used his contribution in the House of Commons yesterday to score party political points over the government. This is itself a worrying departure; the international fight against terrorism has, until now, been a cross-party affair. Each side had its own priorities and emphasis, but there was a unified strategy, and the international community knew where Britain stood: against Islamist terrorists and in support of democracy. Lammy chose to make his points slowly perhaps to allow for applause? and with portentous solemnity, perhaps hoping that he was coming across as a serious-minded statesman. He hoped in vain. What came across instead was the culmination of the rather transparent political predicament into which the Labour Party appear to have fallen. Keir Starmer took the initial lead on behalf of his party when, in the wake of the October 7 massacre by Hamas terrorists, he struck an uncompromising stance in Israels favour. Naturally this infuriated much of his party, whose analysis of the Middle East has not moved on much since its senior common room days and its distillation of the historical and political complexities of the region into handy, bite-sized slogans to be repeated, loudly and with unwarranted confidence, at the weekly anti-Israel demonstrations we have been forced to witness since Israel dared to defend itself. The local elections earlier this month confirmed Labours fears that at least a section of the Muslim vote, on which the party could previously rely, had deserted it as a direct result of its support for Israel. Lammys absurd response to the ICCs actions must be interpreted in light of his partys response to this plight. It is, regrettably, a consequence of long-term opposition that political parties, on certain issues, forget that it is not necessary to pursue policies that are popular, only policies that are right. Indulging the anti-Israel sentiments of the kind of people who enjoy singing the genocidal ditty, From the river to the sea, may serve to blunt those peoples criticism of you for a time, but they will return they always return with more, and even less reasonable, demands which, if you reject them, will only intensify their hatred of you. It would have been possible for Lammy to concede the ICCs right to pursue its stated course of action while decrying its conclusions. He certainly should have taken issue with the courts implication that Hamas and the Israeli government are somehow equivalent in terms of moral culpability for the current conflict. For they are not. Criticise Israels military strategy by all means, but do not assume for even an instant that they are anything other than miles above the moral cesspit in which Hamas and its supporters dwell. Why didnt Lammy say any of this? We are left with the unappetising conclusion that he was playing to the gallery, appealing to his own party and to its supporters and, of course, its recently lost supporters. The man who aspires to be this countrys next foreign secretary was turning his back, not only on two of our closest international allies (for in failing to challenge the ICCs broken moral compass, he shunned President Biden too) but on a political consensus that has been integral to this nations fight against the evil of international Islamism. As prime minister, Keir Starmer will have to think seriously about who he puts in charge of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. There are many better and better qualified candidates than David Lammy. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Lake Effect: What changes scientists are seeing on Lake Michigan Editors Note: Lake Effect, a Storm Team 8 special, was disrupted by a tornado warning on Monday night. It will run its entirety on Saturday, May 25 at 7 p.m. on WOOD TV8 and Sunday, May 26 at 1 p.m. on WXSP. However, the first segment of it can be found above. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) Scientists have been discovering small changes on Lake Michigan that could lead to big impacts on fishing, tourism and those who make their livelihood on the water. A slightly warmer, windier and wetter climate has already begun to change the footprint of the lake and its impact on West Michigan. Heres how: Inside woodtv.com: Storm Team 8 forecast BIG WATER LEVEL CHANGES HARDER TO PREDICT Water level rises and falls are common in Lake Michigan. Accurate records beginning in 1918 reveal a fluctuating pattern of high water followed by spans of low water level years. The record highest water level occurred in October of 1986 on Lake Michigan, although the rise in 2020 caused many individual monthly records to be smashed. The rise in 2020 led to rapid erosion that damaged some properties and required costly repairs. The rise was followed by a sharp drop, leaving current levels near average. Inside woodtv.com: Rising waters in 2020 Lauren Fry, Ph.D., a physical scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said there havent been any clear trends indicating more frequent high water on Lakes Michigan and Huron, which function as a single lake. Over the long term (1918-2013), no discernible trend in lakewide averages has been observed, Fry said. Fry said that while Michigan has been trending wetter over the decades, water level rise has likely been countered by increased evaporation during winter months due to less lake ice coverage. Fry also noted the water level rises and falls have become harder to predict. SLOW WARMING TRENDING, FISHING AND ALGAL BLOOMS Research shows Lake Michigans deep water temperature has been warming at .11 degrees Farenheit per decade. The slow warming trend is expected to have an amplified reach on Lake Michigans ecosystems, especially the fishing industry. How is the warm weather affecting Michigans fish population? Surface water on Lake Michigan is also warming. According to Jay Wesley from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, fishermen will need to head farther from shore into the lake to catch valuable fish. Whitefish are also in decline due to a combination of invasive species effects and low lake ice in the winter. Inland lakes will continue to be the most susceptible to algae blooms compared to Lake Michigan. Mark Luttenton, Ph.D., the interim director at the Grand Valley State University Robert B. Annis Water Resources Institute, said thermoclines on inland lakes are noticeably deeper. A thermocline is the transition layer between the warmer mixed water at the surface and the cooler deep water below, NOAA explains. The depth of surface warm water is now extending at least 10 feet deeper than it used to in inland lakes. This has made algae blooms more common on inland lakes, especially those with a high phosphorus content due to excess fertilizer and road salt runoff. Just 15 years ago, we discovered a harmful cyanobacteria here that was never here before that normally occurs in Florida or in subtropical estuaries. Its the warmer waters and all the saltier conditions we are making from road salting and that gives it temporary refuge here, Bopaiah Biddanda, Ph.D., a professor of water resources at the Annis institute, said. Online: Michigan harmful algal bloom map Lake Michigan has a low nutrient content, making algae blooms more difficult to form. ICE COVERAGE ON SLOW DECLINE Lake ice records began in the 1970s. According to scientists at the NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, the Great Lakes are experiencing a downward trend in ice coverage each decade. Online: Track of ice coverage trends This past winter was the lowest Great Lakes ice coverage on record, likely at least in part due to a strong El Nino. Scientists who track lake ice say the Great Lakes ice season is 46 days shorter than it was 50 years ago. Early January and almost no ice on Lake Michigan STRONG SPRING STORMS REMAIN UNCHANGED During the spring, lower Michigan has historically seen some of its most powerful tornadoes and damaging wind events: In spring, storms are much less likely to interact with the surface waters of Lake Michigan. Instead of the cold water of the lake killing a storm, a system is more likely to become elevated. The strongest storms have so much upper-level support that they ride over the cold air dome produced by Lake Michigans waters and stay completely untouched. Sign up for the Storm Team 8 daily forecast newsletter A slightly warmer, wetter and windier trend will likely not change the climatology of West Michigan for spring storms. There is kind of a cold dome or a mini area of high pressure over the lake (that) forms and the storms dont feel it and ride right over the top, Bob Dukesherer, a meterologist with the National Weather Service, said of the spring storms. There could be changes in the summer, when storms riding over the lake may be slightly stronger and those forming in the lake shadow may be slightly weaker due to a lessened temperature difference between lake-to-land. In both seasons, the intensity and frequency of storms are not expected to change considerably with a warmer, wetter or windier trend. SWIM RISK MAY RISE Lake Michigan is the deadliest of all the Great Lakes. Data from the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project shows that over the last five years, between 40% and half of drownings across the Great Lakes have happened on Lake Michigan. The reason is Lake Michigans strong currents. It has the longest north-south shoreline of any of the Great Lakes. Storms in the Great Lakes usually come in from the west, which can quickly kick up currents along the shoreline and the east-west piers that jut out into the waters. Most water rescues happen when waves are around 3 feet. Dangerous Waters: Currents on Lake Michigan shores Bob Pratt, director of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, said a trend toward warmer and windier weather might set the stage for more hazardous days. When we have the Cs cool, calm, cloudy days we tend to see less people at the beach and fewer drownings. When we get the warm, windy weekend, we get more people at the beach and more drownings, Pratt said. Invasive species are also changing Lake Michigan. Storm Team 8 looked at how zebra and quagga mussels are making the water clearer and, in many cases, accelerating the decay of shipwrecks. See that report when Lake Effect airs on WOOD TV8. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. Los Angeles Police Department officers shot and killed a man in South L.A. on Sunday. The incident occurred around 6:40 p.m. near the 100 block of Colden Street. Officers were responding to a call about an assault with a deadly weapon in the area. When they arrived, they encountered a man armed with a knife. Officers instructed the male to drop the weapon, but he did not comply, police said. The man then advanced toward the officers, which resulted in them shooting the suspect, LAPD says. No information has been provided about the identity of the deceased man, and LAPD did not identify the officers involved in the shooting. The shooting will be investigated by detectives from the LAPD, as well as the District Attorneys Office. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. LAPD seeks help in finding driver in NoHo Arts District hit-and-run The Los Angeles Police Department is asking for the publics help in tracking down a driver who struck a pedestrian in the North Hollywood Arts District last month before fleeing the scene. The collision at about 11:30 p.m. on April 14 occurred on Magnolia Boulevard, just east of Lankershim Boulevard. According to police, a pedestrian was headed north across Magnolia outside of a marked crosswalk when they were hit by a blue SUV, which then fled from the scene without stopping, identifying [the driver] or attempting to render aid to the pedestrian who sustained severe injuries. A $25,000 reward is available for information that can help solve the case. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Martinez at 818-644-8033. During non-business hours or on weekends, call 1-877-LAPD-247. To report information anonymously, call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477). Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. The rules of operation of the road bridge over the Samur River in the area of Samur - Yarag-Gazmalar checkpoints across the Russian-Azerbaijani state border have been approved, Trend reports. At today's session of the Azerbaijani Parliament, a draft law on approval of the agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the order of operation and maintenance of the road bridge across the Samur River in the area of Yarag-Gazmalar" (Russian Federation) - "Samur" (Republic of Azerbaijan) checkpoints across the Russian-Azerbaijani state border and approaches to it was submitted for discussion. Additionally, it was noted that the agreement will make an important contribution to developing relations between the two countries. Following the discussions, the document was put to a vote and approved. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ST. LOUIS A large tree fell Tuesday afternoon on a busy street of the Central West End neighborhood, blocking traffic as crews work to remove it. Witnesses tell FOX 2 the tree fell just after the start of the noon hour Tuesday on Newstead Avenue, just south of Lindell Boulevard. REPORTS: Riverfront Times sold, staff members laid off No injuries have been reported from the fallen tree. It appears to be blocking traffic in both direction of Newstead Avenue. Its unclear what caused the tree to fall at this time. Crews are responding to the matter. This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. Sister Mary Hardin and her husband, Elder Paul Hardin were involved in a traffic accident on Saturday evening, May 18, 2024, in Fresno County, California. Sister Hardin died at the scene on Saturday. Elder Hardin died Monday. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Elder Paul Hardin died Monday of injuries sustained in the car crash that caused the death of his wife, Sister Mary Hardin, on Saturday in Fresno County, California. The Hardins had been serving as missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the California Fresno Mission since January 2024. It is with much sadness that we inform you of the passing of Elder Paul Hardin on Monday, May 20, 2024, in a Fresno, California, hospital, church spokesman Sam Penrod said in a statement released Tuesday morning. Elder Hardin had been hospitalized since Saturday evening after suffering critical injuries in an accident that claimed the life of his eternal companion, Sister Mary Hardin. Our deepest sympathies and condolences go to the Hardin family with the tragic loss of these faithful missionaries. We pray that all who are mourning will be blessed with strength and comforted in their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. The couple were stopped at a red light when a Ford F250 pickup traveling north on Highway 41 at a high rate of speed rear-ended the Hardins Nissan Sentra just south of Manning Avenue. The force of the collision caused the Hardins vehicle to lurch forward and collide with a Chevrolet Camaro in front of it, the California Highway Patrol told YourCentralValley.com. Sister Hardin, who was 65, was driving the Sentra. She died at the scene. Elder Hardin, who was 69, initially was hospitalized with critical injuries. The sole occupant of the Camaro suffered minor injuries. The CHP arrested David Alvarado, 54, of Madera, California, and booked him into jail on suspicion of driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, YourCentralValley.com reported. The CHP said Alvarado was driving the Ford F250. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Laura Kelly risks her legacy hoping the GOP will meet her in the middle on tax cuts | Opinion Its make-or-break time for Laura Kelly. The Kansas governor last week vetoed yet another tax cut plan from the GOP-controlled Legislature and announced that she will call a special session so that lawmakers can make one more smaller attempt at slashing taxes before the November election. If we all work together, Kelly said in a statement, an affordable, bipartisan tax plan can be passed in less than a day. Maybe. Its worth noting, though, that legislators just finished a 90-day session without producing a tax plan that meets the governors demands. Getting the final mile might take a bit longer yet if, indeed, a compromise can be found at all. So yeah, less than a day sounds wildly optimistic. Its not just tax cuts that are at stake in the coming special session, though. Its Kellys legacy as governor. Right now, that legacy is largely defined by two factors. First is her leadership in helping pull Kansas out of the budget disaster left behind by former Gov. Sam Brownbacks famously ill-advised tax experiment of a decade ago. The second is the meet me in the middle persona she used to win gubernatorial elections twice as a Democrat in a resoundingly Republican state. The special session pits those two elements against each other. Why? Because Kelly clearly sees the tax cut options offered so far this year a Republican-sponsored flat tax plan passed and vetoed during the early days of the session, then a pair of two-tier tax bills that passed on a bipartisan basis as threatening the fiscal responsibility part of her legacy. She wants to limit the tax cuts to $425 million a year. The most recent bill from the Legislature was projected to cost between $462 million and $472 million a year during the first five years. Too much, Kelly said in her veto statement. Cuts that size endanger all the progress weve made in restoring services for Kansans, funding our public schools, and investing in our infrastructure. No going back to the Brownbackian bad days, in other words. So shes putting her foot down. And maybe thats necessary. But its a hard thing to do while also meeting in the middle. Democrats worry about low-income Kansans Its also difficult for Kelly to continue claiming the middle ground when so many of her fellow Democrats in the Kansas House joined Republicans to pass the tax bill she just vetoed. Some of those Democrats are now openly fretting that shes passed on the best chance to deliver tax relief for the states lowest-income earners. Its to be expected that Kelly isnt on the same page as Republicans. But if shes also not on the same page as a critical mass of Democrats well, whats left? And where is the middle, exactly, in that scenario? Ive been through different governors and Ive been through different Houses and different speakers, Democratic state Rep. Barbara Ballard, a 30-year vet of the Legislature, told The Star last month. But Ive never seen the frustration as high. All this amounts to a high-stakes gamble for Kelly. Even with a special session in place, theres a risk that no deal at all gets done in a year where just about everybody was expecting tax cuts and extra money in their wallets come November. That would probably make voters cranky. Maybe thats a small risk, given the desire on all sides to finish the job. But its a risk nonetheless. More likely, though, is that Kelly gets the deal that shes aiming for Republicans arent going to give up on tax cuts just to make her look bad, are they? but does so at a steep cost to her image as a compromise-ready moderate. Kelly isnt up for election this fall, and she cant run for reelection two years from now. Maybe she doesnt need that middle-of-the-road reputation anymore. Or maybe maybe she figures its worth risking a key element of her political persona to keep her fiscal legacy intact. Joel Mathis is a regular Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle Opinion correspondent. He lives in Lawrence. Formerly a writer and editor at Kansas newspapers, he served nine years as a syndicated columnist. Editor's note: The story is being updated. Officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) are carrying out searches at the premises of the State Judicial Administration, the judicial body announced on May 21. The searches are connected to possible criminal conduct of the administration's Information Technologies Department employees during a tender process, according to the statement. "The State Judicial Administration has zero tolerance for corruption and will in every way support the work of law enforcement agencies to establish the truth and bring the guilty to justice," the news release said. NABU and the SBU made no public announcements at the time of the publication. No further details were provided at the moment. The State Judicial Administration mentioned in its press release that in February, the director of the administration's IT department was reprimanded over disciplinary offenses. The statement did not explicitly link the case to the May 21 searches. Read also: Top judicial official, previously accused of holding Russian citizenship, resigns Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. NEOSHO, Mo. The 2024 legislative session is over in Missouri and now, state lawmakers are talking to voters about what passed and what didnt. The Eggs and Issues legislative update series is wrapping up in Neosho. Five southwest Missouri lawmakers broke down bills they approved, including more than $700 million for I-44. Thats expansion of some on- and off-ramps at exit 18 and additional lanes of traffic. 49 thats all going to be improved. Its going to go up to six lane road both directions and theres also going to be some flyovers put in going north and south so be easier to get off on I-44 to access 49. And this is booming when it comes to trucking, said MO Rep. Bob Bromley, R. Lawmakers also approved a far-reaching education bill addressing everything from early childhood education to more money for scholarships. Whether its public education, or private school or homeschool, I think everybody wins in this. And by that I mean educating an excellent education for our kids. Teacher pay was another thing that we changed in that and raise teacher pay. So I think that was a huge win, said MO Rep. Ben Baker, R. Meanwhile, another measure would crack down on sludge from meatpacking plants with certain pollution requirements. 222 we have industrial wastewater. Thats been applied to our land without any testing and without any regulation. And so we want to just make sure that whatever is being applied to our farmland is safe not only for the farmer but also for the for the for our community, said Sen. Jill Carter, R. The Missouri legislature wrapped up its session on May 17. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. Lawmakers eye housing audit that says Utah needs 28K new homes a year to keep up with growth The Capitol in Salt Lake City is pictured on Monday, May 6, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) In November, a legislative audit warned time was running short for policymakers to tackle the states growing housing crisis, and auditors estimated Utah needs to see nearly 28,000 new housing units built a year to simply keep up with the states projected population growth. Using models based on Wasatch Front cities and counties existing general plans, auditors estimated those communities could begin to run out of space for housing in just 20 years. Auditors also reported if there continues to be a focus on single-family housing rather than higher-density housing, that could mean a recipe for trouble as Utah continues to grow. In their conclusion, legislative auditors called on Utah lawmakers to create a statewide strategic housing plan, noting there is currently no state-level forecast of housing needs, or efforts to set statewide housing strategy or measure progress toward a common goal. A panel of lawmakers reviewed that audit last week and took the first steps to follow legislative auditors recommendations. The Political Subdivisions Interim Committee on Wednesday unanimously voted to open a committee bill file to consider the audits recommendations. Meanwhile, Steve Waldrip, Gov. Spencer Coxs senior adviser for housing strategy and innovation, told lawmakers he and a team have begun working on drafting a proposed statewide plan a draft of which he hopes legislators can consider ahead of the 2025 legislative session. We are creating that statewide housing plan, which we should have to present to this committee hopefully before the next legislative session, Waldrip told the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee. Wed like to have something we can present, get feedback from the committee (and) make sure we come up with something that we can get behind as a state and have some concrete action items. The legislative audit will likely inform several bills expected for the 2025 general session what is sure to be another year of legislative action dealing with Utahs worsening housing crisis. The discussion comes after the Utah Legislature this year focused its energy on encouraging free market solutions by creating a new arsenal of tools cities and developers can use to pay for infrastructure or finance affordable housing developments, hoping to pave the way for more affordable, single-family starter homes across the state. It remains to be seen how much of an impact this new slate of tools will have, given it will take time for projects to take shape and require the cooperation of both cities and developers. Its still early, but Utah Gov. Spencer Cox who recently doubled down on his goal for Utah to build 35,000 new starter homes in five years told reporters on Thursday during his monthly PBS Utah press conference we do have several builders that have said, Were in, and he said some cities are already working to adopt some of the new project areas. Were getting some yeses, which is hopeful, Cox said. As for the next legislative session, a proposed statewide plan and the audits other recommendations? The question, of course, remains: what will Utah lawmakers do? The case for a statewide plan Jake Dinsdale, an audit supervisor within the Legislative Auditor Generals Office, briefed the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee on the audit last Wednesday, telling lawmakers, we see a need for some long-range strategic thinking when it comes to housing. Utah legislative auditors projections on how many homes need to be built in Utah to keep pace with growth. (Courtesy of Office of the Legislative Auditor General) We understand there is a difference between what (the) government can reasonably do and the economic forces at play, Dinsdale said. However, he added legislative auditors believe that accelerating housing production is a strategic imperative for the state. The primary problem facing our market, he said, is a shortage of housing units relative to population growth. We believe the Legislature is well-positioned to establish that state level housing strategy, and we believe without an overarching, unifying perspective and goal, there could be some opportunities lost to time as we continue to grow and as development proceeds without some orientating purpose, Dinsdale said. He cited research from the University of Utahs Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute that was included in the audit, which shows Utah is on track to see more than a million new households formed by the year 2060. Thats, for us, a staggering number, Dinsdale said. (Its) something definitely to consider. Auditors also compared residential units that have been permitted across the state per year since 1994 and estimated, based on those projections, Utah will need to build 27,900 housing units per year to keep up with forecasted population growth something Dinsdale also called a staggering number. Meanwhile, housing researchers at the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute recently issued a report warning Utahs housing shortage is projected to increase to over 37,000 units in 2024 sure to aggravate the states ongoing affordability crisis. Projections by the University of Utahs Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute estimating Utahs growing housing shortage. (Courtesy of the Utah Office of the Legislative Auditor General). While looking at zoning and what land is left for housing particularly if single-family homes continue to be as pervasive as they are today legislative auditors collaborated with the Wasatch Front Regional Council to run a hypothetical model on what would happen if cities and counties built out their current general plans When you run that model and build those houses according to our general plan maps, Salt Lake County, within that models assumptions, begins to approach its capacity for homes in 2042, and Davis County begins to approach its capacity in 2048, Dinsdale said. Again, (this is) not a crystal ball, but it does suggest theres some conversations to be had about what path we are on relative to the growth that is forecasted coming to this state. He said the main reason this happens is because theres a lack of land-efficient housing options, or missing middle housing things like townhomes, duplexes, triplexes (homes) that are built on less land. Dinsdale acknowledged that some cities and counties have begun to adopt station area plans, or higher-density housing developments near transit stops and main thoroughfares, and if enough communities adopt those types of plans, those counties no longer run out of space by 2050. So this can have an impact on our trajectory, he said, though he noted not all cities have adopted these transit-oriented developments in their general plans. But to the extent that we can, it seems like it would be sensible to approve more areas like this so that we have more slack, more places to grow as people need housing options. Keeping all this in mind, Dinsdale said legislative auditors believe Utah should adopt some state-level measures and targets for housing needs and construction. We point out in the report that housing is a collective problem, but the regulatory decisions are made at the city and county level, and there is nothing orienting those in any unified direction, he said. The question being, is there a conductor in front of the orchestra? Policy changes on the table: Upzoning, benchmarks based on population growth In addition to crafting a statewide plan, legislative auditors encouraged lawmakers to explore policy changes like tying land use requirements to projected population growth (as seen in states like California and Oregon) and to consider upzoning, or requiring cities to allow more homes to be built on less land (as seen in Minnesota, Pennsylvania or, more aggressively, New Zealand). As far as Utah goes, we have quite a light touch relative to some states that are legislating in this housing space, Dinsdale said. He pointed to California, which has done what he called some heavy programs that use population growth forecasts to create targets for housing that they push down to cities. Leah Blevins, an audit manager within the Legislative Auditor Generals Office, noted that they usually avoid comparing Utah to California because the two states are so different, but she said California has been dealing with acute housing issues for three decades now, so we really wanted to look at it and see we can learn things from California but still implement it in a Utah way that works for us and avoid some missteps that have not helped. Dinsdale also pointed to Montana, which enacted legislation to allow apartments, accessory dwelling units and duplex construction in more areas. However, the laws are currently tied up in court after homeowners sued, with a judge blocking the laws from taking effect until the trials final outcome or the Montana Supreme Court rules differently. So well see what happens there, he said. Its possible the Utah Legislature could do something similar to Montana and change land use regulations more broadly to increase zoning density on a wide scale throughout the state, Dinsdale said, but pointing to Montana he added, Theres pros and cons to that approach. The Legislature could also consider linking population growth benchmarks to existing programs, like the states requirements that cities create moderate income housing plans and report back to the state on their implementation. In recent years, Dinsdale said some great bills have gone forward to encourage development around transit areas, but efforts havent been coordinated under a larger statewide vision. Where are we? Are we happy with where we are, are we on the right trajectory, or are we playing a good game but were still going to fall a mile short of the goal? he said. Those are the types of conversations that we do not see currently reflected in some of the great areas that are underway. An apartment building is under construction at 1000 West North Temple, in Salt Lake Citys Fairpark neighborhood, on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Statewide planning Waldrip, while telling lawmakers he and a team are starting to work on drafting a plan for the Legislature to consider, said Utah has historically relied on the market to take care of market-rate housing plans. But now, given the states problems with housing, he said we have to be a little more thoughtful, more aggressive. One challenge, Waldrip said, is Utah has several different types of housing markets, from the rural to urban, to the luxury backcountry. The housing market on the Wasatch Front is not the same as Park City, as Washington County, as Moab, and as Santaquin, he said. We just have very different needs in different parts of our communities, so were going to address that as we go through that process. Waldrip said Utahs Commission on Housing Affordability is also studying the issue, including improving the states data collection so it has a more well-rounded understanding of the issue. We hope that by the end of this year we have a much better picture of what were facing in our state and how we can best attack it, Waldrip said. He added Utah isnt alone; states across the nation are grappling with housing. He said the National Governors Association has a task force where every three weeks we get on a call with executive housing departments from across the country and share ideas. Were all asking the same questions, he said. (It) doesnt matter what color the state is, everyones got the same problems. Sen. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, chairman of the Political Subdivisions Interim Committee, told Waldrip the committee would love to look at any type of interim bill that you bring before us. Waldrip said Sen. Lincoln Fillmore and Rep. Stephen Whyte sponsors of the 2023 set of housing bills are likely to again open a suit of four to six bills that will be needed to tackle all of these issues. Rep. Paul Cutler motioned to open a committee bill file to consider the recommendations for the legislative audit and to coordinate efforts with Whyte and Fillmore. The motion passed unanimously. The post Lawmakers eye housing audit that says Utah needs 28K new homes a year to keep up with growth appeared first on Utah News Dispatch. Rep. Brent Siegrist, R-Council Bluffs, back row center, spoke Feb. 22, 2024 on a bill that would increase penalties for people who violate Iowa's open meetings law as well as require trainings on open records and open meetings laws for elected and appointed officials. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) A bill meant to strengthen the states open meetings law that was vetoed by the governor last week will likely be reconsidered in the next legislative session without a last-minute amendment that undercut its purpose, said Rep. Brent Siegrist, R-Council Bluffs. Its something we need to do, he told the Iowa Capital Dispatch. I was disappointed it got messed up at the end. House File 2539 would have increased the penalties for violating transparency requirements for governmental bodies, with fines of up to $12,500 for the members of county and school boards and city councils, among others. But an amendment that was adopted in the Iowa Senate and approved by the House on the last day of this years legislative session had the potential to create an enormous loophole in the law, according to the Iowa Public Information Board. The amendment sought to clarify that a majority of a government body could attend a gathering hosted or organized by a political party, political candidate or civic organization without running afoul of the law, but the caveat was inserted into the bill in a manner that would allow official deliberations to be made in secret during those gatherings, Erika Eckley, IPIBs executive director, wrote in a letter to the governor before the veto. Those discussions are typically required to be public, with at least 24 hours of advance notice. Siegrist, who managed the bill in the House, said the late change created an unintended consequence that might have been corrected had the Senate acted more expeditiously. The House overwhelmingly approved it in late February nearly two months before the end of the session. Current law already allows the attendance of social events where official business isnt discussed. Sen. Scott Webster, R-Bettendorf, who managed the bill in the Senate and spoke in favor of the amendment, did not respond to requests to comment for this article. Although well-intentioned, the amendment to the definition is unnecessary and will cause confusion, Gov. Kim Reynolds wrote in her veto letter. She further lamented that the Senate removed a provision from the bill that would have required the members of governmental bodies to receive training about the states transparency requirements. That is something that will likely be included in future open-meetings legislation, Siegrist said. We preferred the House version, which calls for more training, he said. We absolutely need to go back to it next year. The post Lawmakers are likely to revisit open meetings bill next session appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Some researchers and lawmakers are calling to ban phones in schools and keep smartphones out of the hands of young people until high school. It comes amid concerning mental health trends and a look at how childhood has changed with technology. Eleventh-grader Ailen De Bonis told Channel 9s Elsa Gillis that in some ways, shes addicted to her phone. But she said she knows when its time to put it down. For example, I had my AP exams coming up, and I was like, Im deleting TikTok. Like, I need to focus on my AP exams, she said. ALSO READ: Cellphones banned from use in school in Rock Hill this year Meal times, studying, and nighttime are off limits. But she does enjoy it for entertainment. Would you mind telling us like what your average screen time is? Gillis asked. Yeah, mines five hours and three minutes, but I listen to a lot of music. So I think that accounts for a lot of it, De Bonis said. Teens average more than four hours a day on their smartphones, according to the nonprofit Common Sense Media, with some spending up to 16 hours a day. Its not just the older teens; Karter Mosely is an 11-year-old from Fort Mill who said all of his friends have phones. His mom, Latisha Jackson, said hes not allowed to have his phone in school, but most other places are fine. Karter and I have a really good relationship, Jackson said. He knows you have access to a phone, you dont have a phone. I can take that phone whenever I choose. Creating boundaries around phone use is critical, according to Zach Rausch, an associate research scientist at New York University and lead researcher for the new book The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. ALSO READ: Solicitor eyes jamming technology after inmate used illegal cellphone to hire hitman We see that there was a massive transformation of childhood between 2010 and 2015, Rausch said. Thats when smartphones overtook flip phones and social media really took off. Before 2010, rates of a lot of measures of mental health were relatively stable for teenagers, Rausch said. And then after 2010, things really start to change. Rates of depression, self-harm, and suicide changed. The book cites national studies that show since 2010, theres been a 145% increase in major depression among girls age 12 to 17 and 161% increase among boys. Suicide rates are similarly alarming. Rausch said its impossible to point to any one factor, but phones seem to play a role. We really do think that the mental health collapse is really driven and exacerbated by these two forces: The decline of the play-based childhood, the rise of the phone-based childhood, he said. ALSO READ: Students in Rock Hill, other SC districts return to school with new changes The Anxious Generation team recommends a new norm that includes phone-free schools, no smartphones before high school, and no social media before age 16. We need to take, I believe, a pause and a reset, rethink what we want these technologies to be in our lives, Rausch said. We agree that we need to adapt, but we have a lot of control, we have agency to decide how we want to adapt. And we can choose to create a norm together. I think just for teenagers, if you look at your phone and your screen time is like eight hours, just you know, taking a step back and thinking OK, no, is this eight hours productive time? De Bonis said. In South Carolina, lawmakers have added a provision to the 2025 state budget requiring school districts to restrict cellphone use in order to get certain funding from the state. The House and Senate committees still need to review the budget. Researchers recommend if you have a young child and have yet to introduce a phone, find a group of families to do this together. If you want to be able to be in touch with your child, use a flip phone or smart watch instead. If your child already has a phone, have lots of open conversations and create boundaries around when they can use it. (WATCH BELOW: CMS to ban student cellphone use during class this year) An Ann Arbor kindergarten teacher claims her school's principal stole her beloved dog Gracie after a series of missteps in trying to introduce a therapy dog program to the school and after the school PTO spent more than $12,000 for dog training, according to a lawsuit filed in Washtenaw County Circuit Court on May 14. Alexandria Fata said the school's Principal David DeYoung, aided by other district administrators, stole the Bernedoodle on April 29 after she informed DeYoung that she would be moving to New Jersey at the end of the school year, resigning her post as kindergarten teacher. Fata, on a GoFundMe page and in court, claims she was encouraged by DeYoung to adopt Gracie in December 2021 and introduce the animal as the school's therapy dog. Gracie became a part of Fata's family and a fixture in their lives: She lived with her and her partner, Fata walked Gracie daily and supplied her with prescription dog food. Alexandria "Lexi" Fata with Gracie, a Bernedoodle she says she adopted in order to become a therapy dog for Ann Arbor Public Schools. Fata is now suing after she claims Ann Arbor administrators stole Gracie from her in a battle over ownership. But suddenly, Gracie was gone one school day taken by the principal after they couldn't agree over how to handle Fata's move, she said and has yet to return to school. Her kindergartners miss Gracie. "It's heartbreaking," she said in an interview with the Detroit Free Press. "It's so hard to think about because she has lived with me for two years and I own her and she's my dog." The district claims in a letter addressed to Fata's attorney that Gracie is school district property and that Fata was just the doodle's primary handler. DeYoung did not respond to an email or voicemail from the Detroit Free Press seeking comment. Andrew Cluley, a spokesman for the district, declined to answer specific questions and instead wrote, "The Ann Arbor Public Schools does not comment on pending litigation." But Fata's suit claims DeYoung often reinforced the idea that the educator was Gracie's owner in text and email messages up until Fata indicated she might someday leave Wines Elementary. Fata in the suit is asking for Gracie to be returned to her and compensation for damages she has suffered. The district also implemented its therapy dog program haphazardly, Fata's suit claims. DeYoung used $12,500 from the school's parent-teacher organization for training only for Gracie to exhibit behavioral issues. Unlike other districts, the suit claims Ann Arbor's board never adopted a formal therapy dog policy, which might have helped clarify Gracie's ownership. A Free Press search could not find an official therapy dog policy. The calamity over therapy dog ownership comes in a tumultuous era for Ann Arbor Public Schools, facing a $25 million budget crisis and anticipated layoffs. Ann Arbor's school therapy dog program One fact in the case appears undisputed: Wines Elementary Principal David DeYoung likes dogs. It's noted on his online school district biography, which states he lives with his wife, two sons and two dogs, Wagner and Piper. "We clearly like dogs and spend lots of time outdoors as a family and with the dogs," he wrote. Fata's suit claims DeYoung asked Wines educators whether any would be open to volunteering to adopt a dog to become a part of the program in December 2021 after another district elementary, Abbot, added a therapy dog to its campus. DeYoung wrote to teachers that he was "very interested in bringing a dog to Wines," bolding the word "very" in a copy of the email included in Fata's complaint as an exhibit. According to the suit, Fata expressed interest and DeYoung was able to secure the donation of Gracie from a breeder and $12,500 in PTO funds to pay for Gracie's training with The Up'N'Up Pup, a training business based in Clinton Township run by Greg Lambart, another defendant listed on Fata's complaint. Fata's lawsuit claims DeYoung failed to use a competitive bid process and that Lambart used a shock collar to help train Gracie, which precluded her from being certified as a therapy dog by Therapy Dogs International, one of a handful of organizations that certifies therapy dogs. DeYoung wrote to members of the PTO in an email in February 2022 included in the complaint that Lambart's organization already had a relationship with the district. Lambart worked with three of the district's therapy dogs, according to a district news release. After six months with Lambart, Gracie came to live with Fata in November 2022. According to the lawsuit, Lambart signed a transfer of ownership to Fata. Alexandria "Lexi" Fata with Gracie, a Bernedoodle she says she adopted in order to become a therapy dog for Ann Arbor Public Schools. Fata is now suing after she claims Ann Arbor administrators stole Gracie from her in a battle over ownership. Gracie had behavioral issues, Fata quickly learned. She barked at strangers, was scared of noises, pulled on her leash and was reactive to other animals. When she told the principal she was struggling, according to screenshots of text messages included in the complaint, DeYoung wrote, "Gracie is YOUR dog and will be for many years," further affirming to Fata that she was Gracie's owner. Gracie was rambunctious and required a lot of work from Fata and her partner. They walked her three times a day sometimes to help drain her energy and they'd still sometimes see Gracie in the backyard excitedly playing fetch with herself. Both in and out of the classroom, Gracie was Fata's companion. When Fata was sad, Gracie came to cuddle her. She snuggled with Fata and her partner before bed. "It feels like a huge loss, our house has completely changed," Fata said. Who owns Gracie? Around August 2023, Fata wanted clarity and an official document around Gracie's ownership, according to the complaint. The contract Fata proposed made her the clear owner and made her rights to move away clear. When she brought up the idea of a contract, DeYoung wrote in an email that "Gracie is 'your' dog and not owned by the school or district." But added that the dog was a part of the school community and that Fata would need to transfer Gracie's ownership if she ever left Wines. This concerned Fata enough to call a meeting with DeYoung, who she claims in the suit backtracked and reassured her that if she were ever to leave, Gracie would stay with her. This March, however, when Fata informed DeYoung she would be moving and proposed a transition plan for Gracie, DeYoung became angry, according to the complaint. He implied that Fata would be on the hook to pay back Gracie's training costs as Fata became more and more emotional. And he told her that Gracie would have to stay at Wines, Fata could not keep her. Over the next month, Fata and DeYoung, with other district officials now involved, could not agree on Gracie's ownership. She offered to pay back some training costs and help find a new therapy dog, but DeYoung seemed adamant that Gracie needed to stay. As a part of her routine during the first few minutes of every school day, Fata crated Gracie in DeYoung's office because Gracie was apt to become anxious in the chaos. Then, Gracie would usually join Fata in her classroom for the day. On April 29, Gracie didn't come back to Fata's classroom and instead, the kindergarten teacher was pulled into a meeting in the middle of class time with DeYoung, Executive Director or Early Childhood and Elementary Education Melita Alston and Executive Director of Elementary Education Matthew Hilton. They told her, according to the lawsuit, that DeYoung had taken Gracie and would not give her back to Fata. "I was very, very, very sad, very emotional hysterical," she said. "I didn't understand." Fata had a substitute teacher cover her class for the rest of the day. Gracie wasn't in the office with her crate. Fata became more upset. No one asked about Gracie's food or medical condition, which requires her to have a certain type of food to minimize the risk of pancreatitis. According to the lawsuit, Fata was listed as Gracie's owner on veterinary and microchip documents. Therapy dogs are a booming program in Michigan schools, including in Walled Lake, Oxford and Brighton Area Schools. Ownership of therapy dogs appears to vary by district. In Brighton, a district policy states, "Therapy dogs are the personal property of the dog owner and are not owned by the District." In Walled Lake, however, the district writes that its program is unique because the animals are owned by individual schools rather than people. Fata and her attorneys believe Gracie is with Lambart, in Clinton Township, but have been unable to get her back. Lambart did not respond to a phone call and voicemail from the Detroit Free Press. In a letter from Ann Arbor Public Schools' attorney Anne-Marie Welch with the law firm Clark Hill to Fata's attorney, Welch wrote that the school's PTO "would have never provided $12,500 in training costs for a district staff member's dog" and listed multiple donors who have paid for Gracie's ongoing care, including grooming and vet care, as services for the district, not for Fata. Fata said she has wanted to figure this out in a fair way, instead of having to take drastic measures. "I just wish that we could have figured it out," she said. "Just by sitting down and having conversations and listening." Sam Estenson, with Doerr MacWilliams Howard, one of the law firms representing Fata, said the response from the district has been surprising given the current budget deficit and much larger issues facing Ann Arbor Public Schools. "Given everything that's going on, it's just shocking to me, it seems like a matter of priority and prioritization," he said. "I have two kids in the district, two young kids, and so they're gonna lose support staff and teachers at their school. And at some point, there's a room full of executives, who looked at the situation like, 'We have got to get Clark Hill, we've got to push back on this.' " Fata is worried about Gracie's well-being, unsure of how she is being treated or how she's faring without her favorite toys or familiar routines. "I'm worried for Gracie, because she hasn't seen me in three weeks," she said. "I know that, that has to be very stressful." Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify that two law firms are representing Fata in this case. Sam Estenson is an attorney with Doerr MacWilliams Howard. Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@freepress.com. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Kindergarten teacher claims Ann Arbor Schools' principal stole her dog GUBA, Azerbaijan, May 21. Uzbekistan plans to increase trade turnover with Azerbaijan, Uzbek Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov told reporters during the 2nd Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum in Guba, Trend reports. "Currently, a set of joint projects between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan is being actively developed, which is expected to boost trade turnover. These projects span various sectors, including textiles, silk, agriculture, household appliances, and construction materials," he said. Kudratov noted that Uzbekistan is also planning to increase its imports of polymer products from Azerbaijan. "Additionally, there is significant growth in cargo traffic through Azerbaijan, with Uzbekistan aiming to transport at least 1 million tons of cargo through the country," he added. To note, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan from January through March 2024 totaled $142 million. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Lawsuit says ex-Officer Chauvin kneeled on woman's neck, just as he did when he killed George Floyd FILE - In this image taken from video, former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court at the Hennepin County Courthouse, June 25, 2021, in Minneapolis. A former employee sued the city of Minneapolis on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, alleging Chauvin injured her when he hauled her from her minivan and pinned her to the ground with his knee for several minutes in January 2020, just as he would later do to snuff the life out of George Floyd. (Court TV via AP, Pool, File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) A former employee sued the city of Minneapolis on Tuesday, alleging ex-police Officer Derek Chauvin hauled her from her minivan and pinned her to the ground with his knee in January 2020, just as he did four months later when he killed George Floyd. Patty Day, then employed by the Public Works Department, wants over $9 million in damages for her injuries, which included a broken tooth, a deep cut that left a scar on her hand, persistent arm and shoulder pain, and psychological issues including anxiety, depression and flashbacks. Chauvin is the most infamous police officer in Minnesota (if not United States) history," according to the complaint filed in federal court. This exacerbates Pattys emotional suffering and increases the frequency of her flashbacks, as Chauvins name is repeatedly in the news. Day's attorneys acknowledge she was drunk on the evening of Jan. 17, 2020, and depressed over her impending divorce and other difficulties, according to the complaint. Her minivan had been stuck in the snow for several hours when Chauvin and Officer Ellen Jensen arrived on the scene. Chauvin and Jensen violently yanked Patty from her vehicle and, without justification, threw her to the ground in the middle of a street, fracturing her tooth, injuring her arm and shoulder, and causing other significant injuries before handcuffing her," the complaint says. "Chauvin then assumed his signature pose, pressing his knee into the subdued and handcuffed Pattys back just as he would later do to snuff the life out of George Floyd and remaining that way well after Patty was controlled. Saturday will mark the fourth anniversary of Floyd's murder. Chauvin, who is white, kneeled on Floyd's neck for 9 1/2 minutes outside a convenience store where the Black man had tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Bystander video captured Floyds fading cries of I cant breathe. Floyds death touched off protests worldwide, some violent, and forced a national reckoning with police brutality and racism. Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2021. City spokespeople and an attorney who has represented Chauvin in unsuccessful appeals did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. Day was charged with drunken driving. A judge ruled that the officers lacked probable cause to arrest her and granted her motion to suppress the evidence. The city attorney's office then dropped the changes, partly because of the way the officers treated her, the lawsuit says. According to the lawsuit, Assistant City Attorney Annalise Backstrom told the court then: I just want to make clear that my office and myself don't condone the way that the interaction went down in this particular case. Body camera video of the incident was admitted during Days evidentiary hearing, but her defense attorney at the time did not keep copies. Day's lawyers say they've been trying for over a year to get the city to release the videos, and accused the city of intentionally dragging its feet because it would prefer that video of the encounter remain out of public view. The lawsuit says Chauvin and his partner filed misleading reports that omitted the true extent of the force they used, did not note her injuries, and did not document Chauvin pinning Day to the ground with his knee. It accuses them of covering for each other, and says there's no evidence that either officer was disciplined. If Chauvin had been disciplined for that arrest or other excessive force cases, it says, history could have been stopped from repeating itself with George Floyd. The city has already paid out nearly $36 million to settle lawsuits involving civil rights violations by Chauvin, including $27 million to Floyds family. ___ This story has been updated to correct that former police Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder in 2021, not 2011. Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss (2nd R) stands in the courtroom for the second and most high-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany. The alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, is now facing the court. Boris Roessler/dpa-Pool/dpa The second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany began on Tuesday, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss going before a Frankfurt court. The prince is standing trial before the Higher Regional Court together with eight others. Federal prosecutors accuse them of having been members of or having supported a terrorist organization. They include former members of the German armed forces and a former member of parliament for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. A defence lawyer for Prince Reuss denied his client was the ringleader of the network. "He is not a leader, not a ringleader, and he is also not a member of a terrorist organization," said lawyer Roman von Alvensleben. The initial focus on the first day of the trial was clarifying procedural issues. The trial continued in the afternoon with the reading of the indictment. The trial got off to a rather bumpy start. The defence lawyers submitted numerous motions - which the court denied after breaks in deliberations. The reading of the indictment therefore only began after the lunch break. The defendants are accused of being members of the Reich Citzens, or Reichsburger, which prosecutors call a terrorist organization. So-called Reich Citizens believe that the modern German republic illegitimately replaced the German Reich that was founded in 1871 and continued under the Nazi regime until 1945. They reject the legitimacy of Germany's modern federal state and its laws. The plan, prosecutors allege, was for members of the group's paramilitary wing to raid parliament, arrest politicians and ultimately install Prince Reuss as Germany's new leader. The trial is the second of three mammoth trials surrounding the alleged coup attempt. A trial of alleged members of the group's military arm began in Stuttgart at the end of April. Other alleged members are due to stand trial in Munich from June 18. The plot was uncovered during a large-scale anti-terrorism raid in December 2022. According to the indictment, the group began planning and preparing for "Day X" - the date of the coup - starting in August 2021. Specifically, an armed group was supposed to infiltrate the parliament building in Berlin with the aim of arresting German politicians and then installing a new interim government with Reuss as head of state. They were said to have accepted they might have to sacrifice their lives to achieve their goals. According to the prosecutors, around 500,000 ($543,000) and a large arsenal of weapons had been made available to the conspirators. Concrete preparations such as the recruitment of military personnel had also taken place. The accused were united by a deep rejection of state institutions and the free democratic order, according to the federal prosecutor's office, which has described the group's ideology as "a conglomerate of conspiracy theories." The alleged leaders of the plot, Prince Reuss and Rudiger von Pescatore, a former solider who is said to have led the military arm of the group, are on trial in Frankfurt. Prince Reuss is a descendent of a noble family whose princely title carries no formal weight. Germany's monarchy was abolished more than a century ago. The outlines of structures for a separate state order are said to have been worked out, with Prince Reuss acting as head of state. The former Berlin judge and former AfD lawmaker Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who is also one of the Frankfurt defendants, was supposed to have been the equivalent of justice minister. Strict security precautions are in place for the trial. A lightweight metal hall with an area of around 1,300 square metres has been specially erected on the outskirts of Frankfurt. According to the court, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison if they are found guilty on one charge. In the event of several guilty verdicts and a total sentence, they would face a maximum of 15 years in prison. The accused are presumed innocent until a judgement is reached. In addition to the trial in Frankfurt, other members of the group in Stuttgart and Munich must also stand trial before the respective higher regional courts. The trial in Frankfurt alone is of unprecedented dimensions for the Higher Regional Court, court spokeswoman Gundula Fehns-Boer said. The indictment comprises 617 pages. Nine defendants, five judges, two supplementary judges and no fewer than 25 defence lawyers will be present at the trial. Ten people were originally scheduled to stand trial, but one of them died in a hospital in March, the court spokeswoman said. Around 260 witnesses will be summoned and 40 to 45 police officers will provide security on each day of the trial, she explained. The court has scheduled 48 trial days until January. Prince Heinrich XIII Reuss stands in the courtroom for the second and most high-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany. The alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, is now facing the court. Boris Roessler/dpa-Pool/dpa Four months after the FBI raided his Mar-a-Lago estate, Donald Trumps attorneys discovered four documents marked classified in his personal bedroom. That revelation was among several cited by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in a newly unsealed 2023 opinion that found prosecutors had presented compelling evidence that Trump knowingly stashed national security documents in his home and then tried to conceal them when the Justice Department tried to retrieve them. In her 87-page opinion, Howell said the likelihood that Trump committed crimes was a basis to permit special counsel Jack Smith to question the former presidents attorney Evan Corcoran on topics that would normally be shielded by attorney-client privilege. Prosecutors, Howell said, had demonstrated that Trump knew Corcoran had been tasked in June 2022 with informing the government that all classified materials had been returned, a representation that the former president knew to be wrong. The FBIs August 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago confirmed that dozens of other classified documents remained on the property but as Howell notes, there were at least two more rounds of classified materials found on Trumps property following additional searches. Throughout the opinion, Howell who was chief judge of the Washington, D.C. federal district court at the time described with varying degrees of incredulity how four documents with classification markings could have been discovered in Trumps private quarters months after prosecutors had subpoenaed them and the FBI conducted its own exhaustive search of the property. Notably, no excuse is provided as to how the former president could miss the classified-marked documents found in his own bedroom at Mar-a-Lago, Howell, an Obama appointee, wrote. In a footnote, Howell also noted that another Trump adviser connected to his Save America PAC had acknowledged scanning the contents of the box that contained the classified materials in 2021 and storing them on a personal laptop provided by the PAC. Trumps office provided the box that contained the four records to the FBI in January 2023, Howell noted. Howells opinion was unsealed along with a large batch of other previously secret grand jury-related documents stemming from the investigation into Trump for withholding reams of classified documents after leaving office in 2021, including some of the nations most sensitive military secrets. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee based in South Florida, released the batch of documents Tuesday after lengthy negotiations with Smiths team and Trumps lawyers over redactions. Notably, it was Trump who had used Howells opinion despite its strong rebuke of his conduct to argue in support of an effort to dismiss the case against him over prosecutorial misconduct. That filing, also newly unsealed Tuesday, notes that Howell, in a footnote, scolded prosecutor Julie Edelstein for pressing another Trump attorney, Tim Parlatore, to reveal attorney-client protected information and for questioning whether Trumps refusal to waive the privilege was a sign of his recalcitrance. The former president is correct that [i]f a witness exercises some right or privilege, it is generally agreed that it is improper to suggest that adverse inferences should be drawn, Howell wrote, citing texts on standard grand jury practices. But she also said the exchange had limited relevance to the matter related to Corcoran. Cannon has a hearing scheduled in the case on Wednesday, though she recently signaled that the trial on the charges Trump is facing is unlikely to begin before late summer and possibly well beyond. Howell, who as chief judge presided over the initial grand jury proceedings that led to Trumps criminal charges in the classified documents case, wrote in her opinion that one of Trumps close aides, Walt Nauta, was clearly dissembling when he interviewed with the FBI about his own role in moving boxes later found to contain classified materials. Nauta was ultimately charged alongside Trump with attempting to obstruct government officials from reclaiming the classified documents. Howell also recounted in painstaking detail the battles between Smiths team and Trump over searches of his other properties and whether his attorneys had been attempting to frustrate the prosecutors efforts to enforce their subpoena for the remaining classified records at Trumps home. In addition to allowing Smiths team to question Corcoran, she agreed that 88 documents Corcoran had been attempting to withhold via attorney-client privilege must also be disclosed because they were sufficiently in furtherance of the former president's criminal scheme. At least one dead after 'severe turbulence' hits flight from London to Singapore At least one dead after 'severe turbulence' hits flight from London to Singapore At least one person died and several more were injured when a plane was hit by severe turbulence, Singapore Airlines said in a statement Tuesday. The London to Singapore flight was diverted to Thailand's capital, Bangkok, landing there at 3:45 p.m. local time (4:45 a.m. ET), said the statement published on Facebook. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER, the statement added. The company said in a later statement that 30 people required hospital treatment. Other passengers with more minor injuries were treated at the airport, it said. Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, said Tuesday that the deceased was 73 years old. Without saying whether they were a man or a woman, he said the person had some medical problems that could have led to a fatal cardiac arrest. At least seven people were critically injured, he added at a news conference. Kittachorn said that an investigation would be carried out, but that the cause of the turbulence "was definitely air pockets." The interior of Singapore Airline flight SG321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport (Reuters) Singapore Airlines offered its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased and said that it was working with Thai authorities to provide the necessary medical assistance, while also sending the companys own team to Bangkok to assist. After setting off at 10:38 p.m. London time (5:38 p.m. ET) Monday, the plane's journey appeared to be uneventful, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. But about 10 hours in, the plane experienced a sharp drop from a cruising altitude of 37,000 feet to 31,000 feet in just five minutes, the FlightAware data said. In one sudden lurch, it dropped almost 700 feet. Less than 10 minutes later, the plane began its descent into Bangkok. This article was originally published on NBCNews.com Legal bill of 220,000 for sisters who challenged grandfathers will after he left them 50 each Frederick Ward Snr split almost all his estate between his children when he died in 2020 - Champion News Five sisters who challenged their grandfathers will, which handed them just 50 each, have been landed with 220,000 in legal bills. Frederick Ward Snr, a retired soldier, died in 2020, splitting almost all his estate between his children, Terry Ward and Susan Wiltshire. However, his late son Fred Jnrs five adult children received just 50 each as he claimed they didnt visit him often. The sisters, Carol Gowing, Angela St Marseille, Amanda Higginbotham, Christine Ward and Janet Pett, sued, claiming they should have got their late fathers one-third share of their grandfathers money. Their case was thrown out by the High Court in March. Angela St Marseille claimed along with her sisters that they should have got their late father's one-third share of the will - Champion News After a hearing, the five sisters have now been left facing a 220,000 bill to cover their aunt and uncles legal costs as well as their own lawyers bills. It means the sisters are set to pay more than what they would have received had they won the case. At the hearing last week, a judge decided that the cause of the legal battle had been the change in the relationship between the sisters and their grandfather and ordered them to pay the full amount. Ward, from South Ealing, west London, had been upset that his granddaughters had not visited when he was in hospital three times with a lung condition, a court heard during a trial last year. A shouting match broke out when his final will was read out after his death. From a fortune valued at around 500,000, his granddaughters were handed envelopes containing just 50 each in cash. The sisters sued, claiming that their grandfathers last will had been invalid, and that he had been coerced into making it by Terry Ward and Ms Wiltshire. Carol Gowing and her siblings claimed their grandfather's last will had been invalid - Champion News The case was dismissed in March by Master James Brightwell, a High Court judge, who ruled that it had been entirely rational for the disappointed grandfather to cut out his grandchildren because of their very limited contact with him in his latter years. The case returned to court last week for a decision on who would pay the lawyers bills for the case. Both sides blamed each other for starting the court fight. James McKean, a lawyer representing the sisters, said they had been compelled to issue proceedings after the reading of the will. Amanda Higginbotham and her sisters had been 'compelled to issue proceedings' - Champion News Maxwell Myers, for Terry Ward and Ms Wiltshire, said the pair had been forced to defend themselves given the allegations against them. The judge decided in favour of the pair and ordered the five sisters to pay 100,000 up front towards a total defence legal bill estimated at 136,470, with VAT to be added on. The sisters own legal costs were 85,688.50. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Interns Santino Bono (left) and Alanna Nguyen stand with legislative assistant Dustin Bax after receiving resolutions from the Missouri House of Resolutions to commemorate their service (courtesy of Santino Bono). In March, the phone in state Rep. Deb Lavenders office in Jefferson City started ringing constantly, but the calls werent for her. They were for her interns, Santino Bono and Alanna Nguyen. The interns, along with Dylan Powers Cody, who was interning for state Rep. Peter Merideth, had spent months cross-checking spreadsheets to pinpoint school districts who had not yet claimed pandemic-era federal funds for homeless students. Those federal dollars are part of the American Rescue Plan and must be budgeted by September. A large part of the interns project was calling districts to notify them that they had money that could expire if they didnt act quickly. The office got so many calls back from schools about the interns project that Lavenders legislative assistant needed to create a voicemail folder just for them. So far, they helped districts claim $1.15 million in funds in four months that can be used for a range of services for homeless students from buying washers and dryers to temporary hotel stays and transit cards. We had multiple school districts call back and say, We have twenty grand in the bank that we can use to help homeless students? No one really told us, Bono said in an interview with The Independent. Most of the districts the interns reached had no idea they had funding available, Nguyen said. Then, they wanted more information on it, she said. Once they got the information on it, they were able to kind of kickstart it up and get things moving along. Bono expected the internship might be more menial, including the intern trope of having to get coffee for people, he said. To know that I could have potentially a much bigger impact on actual students, as a student myself, Im really proud of that, Bono said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE Missouri received an infusion of $9.6 million in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for students experiencing homelessness, and schools were able to start using it in 2022. But many of those schools had never received federal dollars to support homeless students before. Tera Bock, director of homeless education for Missouris Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the agency alerted school districts to the funding but that several challenges emerged. It is not funding that most districts are used to having, so they usually are supporting their students experiencing homelessness without any funding specific to that, she said. The extra funding creates the need for a shift in mindset as far as what they provide for those students. School districts have until the end of September to budget the remaining $6.1 million or lose out on it. Most schools received a few thousands dollars in federal aid for homeless students. The largest allocation, based on its homeless student population, went to St. Louis City which received $850,000. The funding is best used for one-time costs, Bock said, like a vehicle to transport students with housing insecurity or to meet emergency needs. The district should really consider how they can use it in a way that is not going to create a financial burden in the future whenever they dont have the funds anymore, Bock said. She said rural districts with a smaller population of students experiencing homelessness are the most likely to struggle to spend the money. Bock has been in her role for a couple months, and the position was vacant briefly. Part of her job is to contact each districts homeless liaison, a position every district is federally required to have. But sometimes, the liaisons have multiple positions in schools, and Bock doesnt hear back from them. Especially in the districts where they dont typically see a large population of homeless students, they get multiple roles, and it just gets lost in the shuffle, she said. We dont have very many (districts) here in Missouri where that person is completely designated as their entire job for the most part, she said. They are wearing lots of different hats. Bock said she sends lots of communication, so they should be aware of the funds but wonders if liaisons are properly connected to district administration to get the money budgeted. With more communication and activities planned, Bock is not concerned about being able to get more money claimed by districts. This is definitely a big piece of what Im working on right now, she said. And our sights are set on Sept. 30. Bock said the interns were super helpful in the process. There has been good communication whenever they need some backup information to support questions that are coming up, she said. So theyve been great to work with. The interns are hopeful schools will continue allocating the funds. Theres still a lot to be done by September and sessions ending, Bono said. Im going off to law school. I cant keep calling school districts. So were just hoping that more awareness can be given to school districts to kind of get them to keep working towards this. Lavender said the funds might look modest in terms of the states overall budget but the impact on students is large. In Webster Groves, she said, the schools got another $8,000 that I dont think they knew was sitting there. Lavenders legislative assistant Dustin Bax chimed in: And $8,000 of backpacks, non-perishable foods, fuel cards that goes a long way. The post Legislative interns help Missouri school districts claim over $1 million in federal funds appeared first on Missouri Independent. Less than 10% of bills on the Legislatures 2024 appropriations table became law Entrance to the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee room in the Maine State House in Augusta. Sept. 5, 2023. Entrance to the Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee room in the Maine State House in Augusta. (Jim Neuger/Maine Morning Star) For the few ways a bill can become law, there are many more ways legislation can be killed. Sometimes the path to a bills demise is clear. Maybe it gets votes out of a legislative committee with members suggesting its passage, but it doesnt secure enough votes in either the Maine House of Representatives or Senate to advance, like a proposal for a data privacy law this session (though outcomes are also complicated by behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts). Other times a bill may pass both chambers but the governor vetoes it, and if the Legislature doesnt secure the support of two-thirds of those present in both chambers to override that opposition (which has yet to happen during Gov. Janet Mills tenure), the bill wont become law. Less publicized, however, is when a bill dies a quiet death after initially securing the approval of both chambers because it gets caught in the funding process. Less than 10% of bills that made it onto the appropriations table this year became law. Bills that land on the table have already passed the full Legislature, however if they arent explicitly funded in the state budget, they need to be paid for using remaining unappropriated money. At least 250 bills got put on the table this year with 140 of those carried over from last year, the first session of the two-year legislative cycle in Maine. The Appropriations and Financial Affairs Committee, which oversees the table, moved to fund only a handful of bills before the deadline for the Legislature to conclude its work. These proposals subsequently became law, securing the enactment votes needed in the Legislature and avoiding the governors veto pen. They include increases to the cap on bonds issued by the Maine State Housing Authority to reflect current housing production needs and allowing for the treatment of human remains by natural organic reduction as an alternative to burial, among other measures. The long and ultimately unsuccessful path of one education bill However, lawmakers did not as swiftly decide most of the fates of the bills on the table this year. Take for example, LD 2001, a proposed African American and Wabanaki studies advisory council. When House Speaker Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland) first presented the bill for consideration before the Legislatures Education Committee on Jan. 12, it was narrower in scope. The original bill proposed creating positions and training programs for educators to ensure African American studies is effectively and accurately added to school curricula, as it became a teaching requirement in 2021 through separate legislation also sponsored by Talbot Ross. Two days prior to hearing this bill, the Education Committee heard a separate proposal to establish a commission to ensure that the history of the Wabanaki Nations is included in Maines K-12 curricula. While required teaching since 2001, a 2022 report found that school districts have failed to consistently and appropriately include the course of study. Several people cautioned that African American studies could see the same fate without additional resources and accountability measures, and the bill sponsors agreed to combine the bills given the overlapping concerns. The Education Committee recommended in late January that the full Legislature pass the combined measure, and by the end of February, it did. However, lawmakers placed the bill on the appropriations table in early March, and it sat there past the legal deadline for the Legislature to conclude its work, April 17. Other bills on the table did see movement that day. The Appropriations Committee voted to fund 21 off the table, though fewer actually became law after several got left in limbo in the Senate. At that point however, the Legislature did not adjourn sine die, or finally. That would happen some weeks later on May 10 and, a few days prior, the Appropriations Committee took steps to fund the advisory council bill and 80 others off the table. Because the budget committee amended the bill to reduce its cost, LD 2001 still needed final approval from both chambers of the Legislature. While the Senate gave the go ahead, the House never took it up, sticking the plan back in a limbo status when the Legislature finally adjourned the night of May 10. Technically, the Legislature passed an order allowing for some unresolved bills, including LD 2001, to be carried over into a hypothetical special session though lawmakers say at this point that is highly unlikely. Tracking the table Essentially this means LD 2001 died, and the bill was not alone. In addition to LD 2001, the Appropriations Committee amended 49 of the other bills it took off the table the last week of session largely reducing or stripping their costs entirely. The Legislature also left these bills unresolved upon final adjournment, after the House did not take votes on the measures. However, 30 bills that the budget committee voted off the table without amendments did get approved by the Senate and were sent to the governor for final approval, as well as a few proposed studies. Still, they too did not become law, as Mills declined to sign any of the legislation sent to her desk on the final day of session, objecting to added spending and lawmakers taking action on measures aside from vetoes past the adjournment deadline. Throughout the session, the Legislature will produce point-in-time lists of bills on the table but does not publish a total list of all legislation that has landed on the table nor what the ultimate outcome of each of those pieces of legislation is upon adjournment. Maine Morning Star followed bills placed on the table throughout the 2024 session in an attempt to provide greater transparency into the appropriations process. Of note, there are a handful of bills left on the table that either in full or in part lawmakers incorporated into the state budget. For example, this includes proposals to raise the minimum wage of school support staff, add grandparents and great-grandparents with a serious health condition to the list of persons related to an employee for whom paid family medical leave may be taken, and expand crisis supports across the state. Youll see that these measures are still listed as on the table upon adjournment. Not counting measures incorporated into the budget, just 21 of the at least 250 bills that were placed on the table at some point this year ended up becoming law. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Less than 10% of bills on the Legislatures 2024 appropriations table became law appeared first on Maine Morning Star. Letters to the Editor: Does divestment work, or is it just protesters trying to 'do something'? Pro-Palestinians protesters camp in front of Sproul Hall at UC Berkeley on May 2. (Jeff Chiu / Associated Press) To the editor: Divestment is a delusion. It is a ritual cleansing with no financial consequences. Making investment decisions based on non-financial considerations just gives the self-satisfaction of believing that one has "done something." ("UC Berkeley to consider divesting from weapons makers as pro-Palestinian protesters break camp," May 14) Changing ownership of a share, a large quantity of stock or a mutual fund has no financial impact on the profitability of the underlying asset, the market price or the asset's ability to raise capital for expansion. Divestment from tobacco, arms manufacturing, oil extraction and other industries has shown no discernible impact on the consumption of these products. There's always a market for ownership of these industries. Investors are driven by the desire for a reasonable return at a reasonable risk. While the proceeds from selling undesirable shares can be used to buy more ethical assets, this shift has no financial impact whatsoever on these more ethical assets. Endowments exist primarily for the long-term financial support and stability of institutions. Narrowing the selection of assets for any political or ethical reason undercuts trustees' ability to make the best decisions in the interests of an endowment. Trustees should not indulge demands to make statements of disapproval on the subjects of current controversy, which are outside the scope of their responsibilities to the institution. Otherwise, demands for more purity and virtue signaling will continue. Stephen J. White, Culver City .. To the editor: The contention that the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement "impinges on ... academic freedom" and students' "rights" is an unquestioned aphorism of our university systems. What is ludicrously unquestioned by university leaders, the media and politicians, however, is the idea that higher education in this country can or must be funded in part by industries of death and disenfranchisement. Which students asked to have their college endowments "indirectly" tied up in weapons manufacturing and surveillance companies? And in such a way that its simply become the fact on the ground that this is how we as Americans fund our lives? Where is the freedom for anyone who believes in a world without constant war? That Israel has been a prime beneficiary of this militarist system is no reason to state that it's the right way to operate our schools. Matt Neel, Sherman Oaks .. To the editor: I've just returned from a weeklong trip to see and explore four Nazi concentration and death camps from the Holocaust in Poland. Prominent in my mind right now are the state of Israel and the hostages held by Hamas. As I look at my hometown newspaper's front page and see signs proclaiming "Long Live Intifada" and "Academic Boycott," both directed at a country whose citizens don't all agree with the government's policies, it reminds me of the 1930s and 40s, when Jews were shunned and ostracized. The slogan, "Never again is now," feels so real. That students are happy to shun Israel because of government policy is wrong. Jews will never again apologize for demanding a safe haven. Lise Spiegel, Encino This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Letters to the Editor: Gavin Newsom ignores voters on the death penalty. Isn't that a threat to democracy? Gov. Gavin Newsom is seen during a climate conference at the Vatican on Thursday. (Gregorio Borgia / Associated Press) To the editor: Gov. Gavin Newsom's suspension of the death penalty is not only an abuse of power and hurtful to the families of murder victims; it is also profoundly hypocritical. ("Newsom leaves the Vatican with pope's praise for refusing to impose the death penalty," May 19) Albeit cumbersome, the California proposition system is democracy in its purest form citizens voting directly on legislation. In 2016, Californians clearly expressed their views on capital punishment via Propositions 62 and 66, the former upholding the practice, and the latter speeding up the process for carrying out death sentences. Newsom, in halting executions, ignored and dismissed the will of the voters. This is a politician who routinely trumpets democracy and is quick to demonize conservatives for endangering it. And it's why I cringe when he positions himself as a proponent and protector of democracy. Can you imagine the outcry if California voters approved a proposition increasing gun control or protecting the rights of a marginalized group, and a Republican governor pulled a Newsom? Glenn Toth, Playa del Rey This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. GUBA, Azerbaijan, May 21. Azerbaijani-Uzbek Investment Company plans to realize more than 10 projects, Director General of Azerbaijan-Uzbek Investment Company Nazim Hajiyev told Trend on the sidelines of the II Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum in Guba, Trend reports. There are both projects of Azerbaijani companies in Uzbekistan and projects of Uzbek companies in Azerbaijan, and we will start implementing some of them this year, Hajiyev said. According to Hajiyev, these projects are vital for import substitution, strategic industries, and societal impact. We are engaged in food production, textiles, financial leasing initiatives, and a private school project, he added. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A Momentum Refresh mobile restroom was available to guests at this years LCBDD Summer Kickoff at the Canal Market District on May 4. Seven people were able to use the vehicle for personal care and more than 40 people took a tour to learn more. The Licking County Board of Developmental Disabilities is working to make restrooms more accessible to adults and children with disabilities by partnering with Momentum Refresh to create mobile restrooms. The vehicles, which are the size of a food truck, include a wheelchair lift, an adjustable changing table that can accommodate an adult, a ceiling hoist and an accessible toilet and sink. Trained staff members stay with the vehicle at all times to provide information and clean the space between uses, according to a news release from the board. "We know that this is a need in our community and offering this option has benefits that go far beyond the population that we support," Superintendent and CEO Jason Umstot said in the release. "We are thrilled that our partnership with Momentum Refresh will allow people who often face barriers to enjoy these fairs and festivals with family and friends." Each Momentum Refresh vehicle includes a wheelchair lift, a universal changing table that can accommodate adults, a build-in hoist and an accessible toilet and sink. For the first time, the Momentum Refresh vehicle will be available to the public at the following Licking County summer events during the following times: Utica Ice Cream Festival: Velvet Ice Creams Ye Olde Mill, 11324 Mount Vernon Road, Utica; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. May 25 and 26 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 27, directly behind the main stage. Newark Strawberry Festival: Downtown Newark, 100 E. Main St., Newark; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. May 31 and June 1 and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 2 in the Wendys parking lot. Granville Fourth of July fireworks: Wildwood Park, 785 W. Broadway, Granville; 7 to 11 p.m. July 5. Pataskala Street Fair: South Main Street, Pataskala; noon to 11 p.m. Aug. 14-17 near the main portable restroom area. The Licking County Board of DD is using $117,450 in American Rescue Plan Act funds from the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities to contract with Momentum Refresh. The board also plans to partner with community events by sponsoring the vehicles rental fee as future funding allows, the release states. The board received more than $458,000 in ARPA funds and will be announcing more projects in the coming months that will increase inclusion and accessibility in Licking County, according to the release. This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking County Board of DD brings accessible restroom to summer events After The New York Times reported that the American flag outside Justice Samuel Alitos home was flown upside down in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham criticized the conservative judge for failing to think it through. Emotions are apparently high in that neighborhood but no, its not good judgment to do that, Graham told HuffPost on Monday. I dont know what role he said his wife was insulted and got mad I assume that be true, but hes still a Supreme Court justice. And, you know, people have to realize that moments like that, to think it through. In a photo obtained by the Times, the upside down flag was seen at Alitos Virginia home less than two weeks after the rioters attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6 in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election as lawmakers prepared to certify President Joe Bidens electoral victory. Neighbors told the publication that the flag remained that way for several days before being taken down. According to the U.S. flag code, the star-spangled banner should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of dire distress in instances of extreme danger to life or property. When the Times reached out to Alito about the flag, he blamed his wife and said that he had no involvement whatsoever in the flying of the flag. In 2020, following the Supreme Courts rejection of a Texas lawsuit that sought to overturn the results of the presidential election in four states Biden won Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin Alito, along with Justice Clarence Thomas, dissented. (Thomas has faced his own controversy following bombshell reports last year that conservative megadonor Harlan Crow funded the justices lavish lifestyle for decades.) Following the Times report, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called on Alito to recuse himself from all cases concerning the 2020 election. Flying an upside-down American flag a symbol of the so-called Stop the Steal movement clearly creates the appearance of bias, Durbin said in a statement. Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Lithuanian FM: Ukraine 'must be allowed' to strike Russian territory with Western arms Ukraine must be allowed to use Western-supplied weapons to strike targets inside Russian territory, Lithuania's foreign minister said on May 20. In an interview with French TV station LCI, Gabrielius Landsbergis said restrictions such as those imposed by the U.S. on using long-range ATACMS missiles inside Russia were a "mistake." "From the beginning, we have made the mistake of limiting the Ukrainians because it could be seen as an escalation," Landsbergis said. U.S. officials have repeatedly said that they do not support or encourage Kyiv's strikes with American weapons deep inside Russia, while Ukrainian officials are reportedly trying to convince Washington to lift this ban. Landsbergis said such decisions were "dominated by fear of Russia" and worries about escalating the conflict beyond Ukraine's borders. "The Ukrainians must be allowed to use the equipment provided to them so that they can achieve strategic objectives," he said. "They must be able to strike Russian territory, supply lines, and military units preparing to attack Ukraine. "Only one side has rules imposed on it. We must abandon these rules that we created." Join our community Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight. Support us Ukraine recently said that the Washington ban meant Ukraine was unable to attack Russian forces as they were building up before crossing the border into Kharkiv Oblast. "The main problem right now is the White House policy to limit our capability" to strike military targets inside Russia, David Arakhamia, the parliamentary leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky's party, the Servant of the People, said last week. "We saw their military sitting one or two kilometers from the border inside Russia, and there was nothing we could do about that," Oleksandra Ustinova, the head of the Ukraine's parliamentary commission on arms and ammunition, told Politico. In an interview with Reuters on May 20, President Volodymyr Zelensky said there is "nothing positive" in talks with Western partners about the usage of their weapons to strike Russian military facilities at the border and further inside Russian territory. Washington has not changed its position on potential Ukrainian strikes with U.S.-supplied weapons on Russian territory, even after Russia had launched its offensive in Kharkiv Oblast, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said on May 16. Read also: Every Western decision is late by a year, says Zelensky Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Lithuanian Foreign Minister supports allowing Ukraine to hit targets in Russia with Western weapons Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis believes that Ukraine's Western allies should allow the Ukrainian military to strike targets in Russia. Source: Landsbergis in an interview with the French television channel LCI, writes LRT, as reported by European Pravda Details: According to Landsbergis, the Ukrainians should be able to use the equipment provided to them to achieve their strategic goals. Quote: "They should be able to strike Russian territory, supply lines and troops preparing to attack Ukraine," he said. "Only one side obeys the rules. We must abandon these rules that we ourselves have created," said the Lithuanian Foreign Minister. Landsbergis feels Ukraines allies made a mistake in restraining the Ukrainians from the start because they were worried an escalation would occur. He also stated that Western military instructors who were in Ukraine prior to Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 should return to hasten the training of young Ukrainian troops. "Lithuania is ready to join, for example, a coalition led by France and train Ukrainian troops in Ukraine," Landsbergis said. Background: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in an interview with Reuters that Ukraine is in talks with international partners about the possibility of using their weapons to strike targets in Russia. Ukraine is waging a defensive war and therefore should have the right to use partner-supplied weapons to strike places from which Russia launches its attacks, stated Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Oksana Markarova. Support UP or become our patron! Two complaints involving campaign violations in Fayette County were reported to the Election Fraud Hotline this morning, according to Attorney General Russell Colemans office. Another five involving legal questions were also reported from Fayette County. No further information was immediately available on the complaints. Sign up for our Bluegrass Politics Newsletter A must-read newsletter for political junkies across the Bluegrass State with reporting and analysis from the Lexington Herald-Leader. Never miss a story! Sign up for our Bluegrass Politics newsletter to connect with our reporting team and get behind-the-scenes insights, plus previews of the biggest stories. Coleman declined to provide more detail on individual calls in order to protect potential investigations. By noon, 20 calls were received on the hotline, which operates year-round. The fraud hotline numbers will be updated throughout the day. Besides the seven calls from Fayette County, there was a call involving an absentee ballot in Barren County, calls involving an election official and a voting machine in Boone County and a call involving a party registration switch in Boyd County. A call also was received from Clay County involving vote buying/selling, according to the Attorney Generals office. Coleman held a news conference to tout the work of the Election Integrity Command Center in his office. The center brings together investigators and prosecutors from the Attorney Generals Office with the FBI and Kentucky State Police to guard against election fraud. Voters can cast their ballots at Lexington Public Librarys Northside Branch in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The office keeps close contact with the Kentucky Secretary of State, the Board of Elections and county clerks, Coleman said. You have everyone in government rowing together to protect the integrity of the ballot, Coleman said during the news conference. Kentucky has had an unfortunate history of election fraud, including vote buying, Coleman said. He noted that a call to the election hotline about suspected vote fraud in Monroe County in the 2022 primary resulted in an investigation and ultimately seven convictions. Polls close in less than an hour 5:15 p.m. Polls across Kentucky are scheduled to close at 6 p.m. local time, meaning polls in the far western part of the state will close an hour later than those on Eastern Standard Time. All voters in line by 6 p.m. will be able to cast their ballot. In addition, secure county dropboxes for mail-in ballots will also close at 6 p.m. Fayette County voters are able to cast a ballot at 135 polling locations or at all six Lexington Public Library locations. You can also visit govote.ky.gov to research your voter registration and polling place. Kentuckys longest-serving member of Congress ever, Hal Rogers votes U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, 86, voted Tuesday morning at a fire training center named for him. Rogers, a Republican, who was first elected to office in 1980, is seeking a 23rd term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He is the longest-serving member of Congress ever from Kentucky and in 2022 became Dean of the House, meaning he has more tenure than any other member. U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, a Republican who represents the 5th District in Southern and Eastern Kentucky, voted on May 21, 2024 at a fire training center in Somerset named for him. Rogers is seeking a 23rd term. Rogers said he is seeking another term because there is more work to be done for his district and the country. Rogers said the district he represents in Southern and Eastern Kentucky continues to deal with substance abuse, health disparity and a need for more jobs. Weve got problems. The country needs some direction, Rogers said. Issues with campaign signs? The Herald-Leader received an allegation that poll workers had been asked to remove candidate signs that were too close to a polling place. Meredit Watson, spokeswoman for Fayette County Clerk Susan Lamb, said the clerks office had not received any reports related to signs. Voters can cast their ballots at Lexington Public Librarys Northside Branch in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. A poll worker at Central Baptist Church on Wilson Downing, which serves as the polling place for three Fayette County precincts, declined to comment on the report that signs for a District 4 city council candidate and House District 93 candidate were removed from public rights of way. There were no campaign signs near the polls by 9 a.m., according to a Herald-Leader reporter. Early turnout in Lexington Early voting in Lexington is running smoothly as voters trickle in. A spokeswoman for Lamb said that by 8 a.m. more than 3,000 people had already voted on Primary Day. According to the Kentucky Board of Elections, there are 243,196 voters registered in Fayette County. Voters complete their ballots at Lexington Public Librarys Northside Branch in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. The polls opened at 6 a.m. and there were minor hiccups at some locations but techs were dispatched across town and no problems were reported as of 8 a.m., according to Watson, spokeswoman for Lamb. Lamb said that early voting in-person voting on Thursday, Friday and Saturday was up significantly over last year. She did not give a specific number. Last year, primary turnout was 15%, Lamb said, and she hopes to exceed that this year. What Lexington poll workers were seeing Michael Krause, a volunteer at the Lexington Public Librarys Eastside Branch, said Tuesday mornings turnout had been slower than anticipated because voters arent used to having a centralized voting area compared to precincts. Most people can just go to their local precincts and vote, but all the libraries are open We can do all precincts, Krause said. John Lazzari, a first-year volunteer at Marksbury Family Public Library, said the people that have come have been very eager participants. Lazarri said he decided to be a volunteer because voting is so important to him. Hes not missed an election since he became an 18-year-old registered voter. I knew I was going to retire soon, and I wanted to do something where I could give back to the community, he said. Paul Louallen, a poll liaison at the Lexington Public Library Central Branch, said opening poll locations at public libraries this year has increased voters abilities to get to the polls on Primary Day. Everybody knows where the library is, he said. We have six libraries here that are accessible for voters. I think it was well worth the effort ... to open up the libraries for us. Louallen said the Central Branch location saw about 350 voters during early voting while about a dozen had been to the library early Tuesday morning. Voters were told to go to the second floor of Lexingtons Central Public Library in downtown Lexington, Ky. on May 21, 2024, Primary Day in Kentucky. Lazarri encouraged voters who have yet to cast ballots to find a polling spot before they close at 6 p.m. I think its important that everybody has a say in what goes on in their country or even locally, he said. So you really dont have a complaint if you dont vote or exercise that right that weve got. How to report a complaint about voting If you see issues related to voting, you can report them to the attorney generals election fraud hotline at 800-328-VOTE. Election integrity is foundational to our constitutional system, and we take our responsibility to protect the security of every Kentuckians vote seriously, Coleman said in a news release. Im proud of our dedicated team who is working around the clock so every voter can be confident in the result. 35 calls to fraud hotline before Primary Day Three days of early voting were held May 16 to 18 and the attorney generals hotline received 35 pre-election calls before Primary Day. Many calls were legal or procedural questions, but calls related to electioneering were reported in Fayette County and in Elliott County. Electioneering, which is prohibited, can include signs or campaigning too close to the poll. Six calls were received from Estill County, including three relating to campaign violations, one relating to vote buying/selling, one relating to voter assistance and one relating to campaign finance law. Estill County Clerk Kim Charles said on Monday she had not received any election-related complaints in her office and seemed surprised there had been a number of complaints to the Attorney Generals hotline. I dont know what that means, she said of the complaints. Estill County is part of House District 91, where there is a race in the Republican primacy between incumbent Rep. Bill Wesley of Ravenna and challenger Darrell Billings of Stanton. Charles, who has worked in the clerks office 21 years but was only appointed to the top job on April 2, said some of the complaints may have arisen from that race, though she said she didnt know for sure. Who can vote today, whats on the ballot Its Primary Day in Kentucky, which means Democrat and Republican voters have a chance to select candidates that will appear on the ballot for the General Election in November. Voters who are registered as Independents may not vote in party primaries under Kentucky law, only in nonpartisan races. With no statewide elections on the ballot, voters will be picking local government, judicial and legislative party candidates. Democrats and Republicans also can vote in the presidential primaries for the parties, although President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have already been named as nominees. What hours are Kentucky polls open and where? Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time; if you are in line at 6 p.m. you will be allowed to vote. To find your polling place, registered voters can go to govote.ky.gov. Voters can cast their ballots at Lexington Public Librarys Marksbury Family Branch in Lexington, Ky., on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. In addition to all regular Fayette County precinct voting locations, the six voting centers in the public libraries set up for early voting are remaining open on Primary Day. Any registered Lexington voter can use the voting centers. If you are voting by absentee ballot, you have until 6 p.m. local time to put it in drop boxes in your county. Prediction for voter turnout With no statewide races to draw out voters, turnout is expected to be low. We expect a light turnout .... I think the primaries are increasingly important, said Secretary of State Michael Adams last week when early voting started. As the state gets more polarized geographically, with Louisville and Lexington becoming more blue and rural areas become more red, increasingly the primary is the general election. If you have 10-15% turnout, those people are picking our leaders because you have a lot of uncontested elections in November. Adams said in 2022 the primary had 13% turnout with a Senate primary, last year the primary turnout was 14.5% with a gubernatorial race, this year were thinking its going to be in that range. ... Im frustrated that the turnouts not higher. Monday, Adams announced 75,204 Kentuckians had participated in the three days of no-excuse early voting, up from 72,754 in last year. 75,204 Kentuckians took advantage of no-excuse early voting in this primary election, up from 72,754 in May 2023. Like last year, most early voters were Republicans, but there's nothing political about choosing the voting method most convenient for you. Michael Adams, KY Secretary of State (@KYSecState) May 20, 2024 This story will be updated. Herald-Leader reporters Alexis Baker, Ali Costellow, Daniel Kehn and Maggie Phelps contributed to this report. Its Primary Election Day in Kentucky. Heres how voters can find their polling place How the GOP Liberty vs. mainstream GOP battle is playing out in 2024 KY primaries Who are the Liberty Republicans in Kentucky politics? What do they want? Need help picking primary candidates? Heres a roundup of Herald-Leader endorsements. Kentucky Voter Guide: Everything to know about the 2024 presidential primary, local races Donald Trump speaks to the media outside Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday. (Mark Peterson/Pool via Getty Images) The defense and prosecution have rested their cases, the jury has been dismissed for the week and closing arguments are set for next Tuesday. This is Yahoo News succinct update on the criminal and civil cases against Trump. Here are the latest developments. What happened today Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger resumed cross-examination of Robert Costello, a lawyer who had advised Michael Cohen (Trumps former lawyer and so-called fixer). Costello was reprimanded by Judge Juan Merchan on Monday for his disrespectful behavior on the witness stand. The prosecution on Tuesday sought to undercut Costellos previous testimony that he was only serving Cohens best interest not Trumps in 2018 after news of the Stormy Daniels hush money deal came out. Cohen previously testified he suspected Costello whom he said was close with Trumps then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani only contacted him in 2018 to make sure he wouldnt turn on Trump and cooperate with prosecutors at that time. Cohen testified he never had a retainer agreement with Costello, nor did he pay him for any legal services. On Tuesday the prosecution displayed a series of Costellos emails that aimed to show that he was manipulating Cohen at the direction of Trumps then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Trump. The defense rested its case after calling two witnesses. Trump did not testify, despite saying he would be willing to take the stand. The jury was then dismissed for the week. Merchan then met with attorneys from the defense and prosecution Tuesday afternoon to review what can be included in the jury instructions, which affects how the jury will reach its verdict. Prosecutors have charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records as felony charges because they claim those documents were used to conceal a second crime. That crime, the prosecution charges, is covering up the alleged reimbursement payments to Cohen as legal fees to suppress negative information to protect his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies having an affair with Daniels in 2006. Zoom in Costellos emails: An email that Costello wrote to Cohen was entered into evidence by the prosecution in an effort to show the pressure campaign that they say he, Giuliani and Trump were putting on Cohen to discourage him from working with federal investigators after the hush money story broke. You are making a very big mistake if you believe the stories these journalists are writing about you, Costello wrote in the email, according to NBC News. They want you to cave. They want you to fail. They do not want you to persevere and succeed. If you really believe you are not being supported properly by your former boss, then you should make your opinion known. The prosecution says another email between Costello and his law partner from May 2018 shows that Costello was not acting in Cohens best interest, but rather Trumps. Our issue is to get Cohen on the right page without giving him the appearance that we are following instruction from Giuliani or the president, the email read, according to CNN. In my opinion, this is the clear correct strategy. Jury instructions: Known as a charge conference, the judge met with lawyers for the defense and prosecution Tuesday afternoon without the jury present to parse through what jurors should be advised before they begin deliberations. Its often a complex, in the weeds process. The New York Times reported, for example, that it took about five minutes for all parties to decide whether to pluralize the word crime. The judge will deliver these instructions to the jury next week after closing arguments. Trumps courthouse posse: Throughout the hush money trial, Trumps allies have shown up at the Manhattan courthouse in a show of support for him. On Tuesday, Trumps son Don Jr. attended the trial for the first time. Eric Trump has been the only other family member who has made an appearance at the trial. Trumps entourage on Tuesday included former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker, Sen. Eric Schmitt, Reps. Daniel Webster, Dan Meuser, Ronny Jackson, Troy Nehls, Dale Strong and Maria Salazar. His former aide Sebastian Gorka, former leader of the Hells Angels motorcycle gang in New York Chuck Zito, actor Joe Piscopo, and businessman Bill White were also in attendance at the Manhattan courthouse. Whats next? Now that the defense and prosecution have rested their cases, Merchan said the best thing to do was let the jury adjourn and return next Tuesday, May 28, when closing arguments will begin, according to NBC News. Its possible the jury may reach a verdict by the end of next week. LIVE COVERAGE IS OVER 15 updates Merchan reserves judgment on several decisions about jury instruction language During the charge conference, Judge Juan Merchan reserved judgment on several requests by both sides regarding language lawyers want either included or removed from jury instructions. It's unclear when Merchan plans to rule on them. Former President Donald Trump sits at the defense table in Manhattan criminal court before the start of his hush money trial Tuesday. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool via Getty Images) "Well be resting pretty quickly, meaning resting the case. I wont be resting. I dont rest. Id like to rest sometimes, but I dont get to rest." Trump to reporters after arriving at the courthouse Tuesday, hours before his defense attorneys concluded presenting their case The 'charge conference' is underway Judge Juan Merchan convened with lawyers for both sides for a "charge conference" to go over the instructions Merchan will give the jury next week before deliberations can begin. The jury was sent home by Merchan after the defense rested its case earlier Tuesday and is not due back until next Tuesday, when closing arguments are scheduled to begin. Trump says he didn't want to testify because of the gag order After returning to the courthouse for a hearing on jury instructions, former President Donald Trump told reporters that he decided not to testify in his own defense because of the gag order preventing him from attacking witnesses and court staff. "I'm not allowed to say what I'd like to really say, you'd be very impressed, but I'm gagged," Trump explained. "So why would I take the chance?" He did not answer a shouted question about whether he was nervous about a conviction. What Donald Trump Jr. said outside the courthouse Donald Trump Jr. speaks to reporters outside the courthouse at his father's criminal hush money trial Tuesday. (Charly Triballeau/Pool via Getty Images) Speaking outside the courthouse at his father's criminal hush money trial Tuesday, Donald Trump Jr. railed against the case and criticized reporters for not standing up for the former president. "What's going on here is an absolute farce, and anyone in America should be embarrassed at the absolute miscarriage of justice," Trump Jr. told reporters. "If this was going on right now in a third world banana republic there would be people screaming about it. You people would be screaming about it. The media, instead, because I presume you're fine with whatever the results are as long as it's against Donald Trump your silence is deafening." Trump's hush money trial: By the numbers Former President Donald Trump sits inside the courtroom awaiting the start of his criminal hush money trial on Tuesday. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool via Getty Images) Total days of testimony: 20 Witnesses called by the prosecution: 20 Witnesses called by the defense: 2 Days Stormy Daniels spent on the witness stand: 2 Hours Stormy Daniels spent on the witness stand: 7.5 Days Michael Cohen spent on the witness stand: 4 Hours Michael Cohen spent on the witness stand: 17 Amount of money Cohen admitted stealing from the Trump Organization: $30,000 Number of times Trump was found in contempt for violating the gag order: 10 Amount of money Trump was fined for those violations: $10,000 What happens next Closing arguments are set for Tuesday, May 28. The jury was excused by Judge Juan Merchan until Tuesday. "Thank you, I'll see you in a week," Merchan told the panel. The judge will meet with lawyers from both sides this afternoon at 2:15 p.m. ET to discuss the charging instructions. Following closing arguments, Merchan said he expects jury deliberations to begin "hopefully at some point on Wednesday" of next week. Trump leaves courtroom without comment Trump departed the courtroom after his historic hush money trial adjourned, throwing up a fist pump without comment as he walked past cameras in the hallway. Defense rests its case without calling Trump to the witness stand Defense attorneys for Donald Trump finished questioning their last witness, attorney Robert Costello, and rested their case without calling the former president to testify. Costello calls suggestion that he was trying to intimidate Cohen 'ridiculous' Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger questioned Robert Costello, Cohen's former legal adviser, about testimony he provided to Congress last week, asking if it was an attempt to intimidate Cohen. "Thats ridiculous, no," Costello answered. Costello also told Hoffinger that he does not have animosity toward Cohen but doesn't think he's telling the truth. Don Jr. is in court to support Trump Donald Trump Jr. watches as his father speaks to reporters after arriving at Manhattan criminal court on Tuesday. (Curtis Means/Pool via Getty Images) Donald Trump Jr. was among those in his father's court entourage on Tuesday the first time the former president's eldest son has appeared at his criminal hush money trial. Eric Trump has appeared at the trial numerous times. Trump's other children have not. Also in court to support Trump today: Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, current Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sebastian Gorka, Trumps former White House adviser. Read more: Here are all of the people who have shown up in court to support Trump at his hush money trial Prosecutor shows evidence of Costello touting his Giuliani connection in emails to Cohen With lawyer Robert Costello back on the witness stand, the jury was shown a series of emails from April 19, 2018, in which Costello, who once advised Michael Cohen, repeatedly mentioned Rudy Giuliani, who would become Trump's personal lawyer while he served as president. In his earlier testimony, Cohen said that Costello had advised him against speaking to Trump directly, offering to provide a back channel to the then president through Giuliani. "I am sure you saw the news that Rudy is joining the Trump legal team. I told you my relationship with Rudy which could be very very useful for you," Costello wrote in an email to Cohen, according to CNN. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger also presented Costello with another email he sent to Jeff Citron, Costello's partner, on the same day saying, "All the more reason for Cohen to hire me because of my connection to Giuliani, which I mentioned to him in our meeting." "That was your email, correct?" Hoffinger asked. "Correct," Costello replied. What Trump said when he arrived at the courthouse Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool via Getty Images) Speaking to reporters after arriving at Manhattan criminal court for day 20 of his hush money trial, former President Donald Trump repeated his attacks against presiding Judge Juan Merchan and the three other criminal cases he is facing, in what he described as "kangaroo courts." He also complained, as he has throughout the trial, about the temperature inside the courtroom. "It's not that I like doing this sitting in an ice box all day for seven, eight, nine hours," Trump said. "It's a very cold room, I will tell you that. But I'm doing this because our country needs it." Court is in session Day 20 of Trump's hush money trial begins with Cohen's former legal adviser Robert Costello back on the witness stand. What to expect in court today Former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money trial is set to resume at 9:30 a.m. ET. The defense is expected to rest its case today, a day after the prosecution finished theirs. It's unclear whether Trump will testify in his own defense. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 28. SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) A local artist and sculptor whose unique architectural designs can be found in and around San Diego County has died. James Hubbell, who started the Ilan-Lael Foundation with his wife, Anne, died in Chula Vista last Friday at the age of 92, his family confirmed in an emailed statement. Explore San Diego: Magical mountain playhouse is historical landmark Ilan-Lael means a tree that unites the physical and the spiritual, or also a tree that belongs to God in Hebrew. It is a fitting name for the legacy that Hubbell and his wife wanted to build with the intent of incorporating natural beauty and the environment in their work. The foundations 40-acre plus property in Santa Ysabel near Julian was once the familys home until they turned it over to the nonprofit in 2003. It includes bedrooms, a workshop, meditation space and more, adorned with mosaic designs, seashells, gemstones and stained-glass. Hubbell sometimes welcomed the public for tours, offering it as a space for people to find artistic inspiration. Not having him with us on Earth anymore is a tremendous loss, but we feel his wonderful spirit still guiding us daily, Hubbells family said in a statement. Anne is doing as well as can be expected, but this is very difficult for her. Your thoughts and prayers on her behalf are especially appreciated. This artist is being featured as part of a San Diego Public Library Exhibit The statement continued, To our fathers many friends around the world, thank you again for making his life such a fulfilling adventure. He always said that everything meaningful he accomplished was made possible through collaboration and friendships. James Hubbell According to FOX 5/KUSIs reporting partners at The San Diego Union-Tribune, Hubbell was known for hundreds of art installations spread out across the local region, including the Pacific Portal gazebo and Pacific Rim Parks Pearl of the Pacific on Shelter Island, as well as a mosaic fountain at Coronado Ferry Landing. His work can also be found at libraries and churches throughout the county. The Ilan-Lael Foundation said Pacific Rim Park was his most ambitious project, which consists of eight parks near the Pacific Ocean in seven different cities, including San Diego. The other parks are in Russia, Taiwan, China, South Korea, the Philippines and Mexico. Memorial Day: Here are the best and worst times to travel, according to AAA The artists works are currently on display as part of an exhibit called James Hubbell: Architecture of Jubilation at the following San Diego Public Library locations until Aug. 4: Central Library Art Gallery : Exhibit featuring Hubbells 70-plus-year career as a contemporary master who expresses himself through nature-inspired art, architecture and functional objects and spaces. Scripps Miramar Ranch Library: A Mountain Home & Studios exhibit features Hubbells studio and some of his most famous art. Mission Valley Library : The Pacific Rim Project tells the story of Hubbells vision that nations located on the Pacific Rim can find common ground through art. Otay MesaNestor Library: Lado a Lado focuses on Hubbells work in northern Baja California and his first experiment in community-built art parks. Hubbell is survived by his wife, Anne, sons Torrey (Sally) Hubbell, Drew (Pam) Hubbell, Lauren Hubbell, and Brennan (Ana) Hubbell, six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His family said plans are being made for a public service to honor his life. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News. FILE - Britain's Prince Harry leaves after attending an Invictus Games Foundation 10th Anniversary Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. A London judge said Tuesday, May 21, 2024, Prince Harry can't expand his privacy lawsuit against The Sun tabloid's publisher to include allegations that Rupert Murdoch and some other executives were part of an effort to conceal and destroy evidence of unlawful information gathering. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File) LONDON (AP) Prince Harry can't expand his privacy lawsuit against The Sun tabloid's publisher to add allegations that Rupert Murdoch and some other executives were part of an effort to conceal and destroy evidence of unlawful information gathering, a London judge ruled Tuesday. The decision by Judge Timothy Fancourt in the High Court was a mixed ruling for the Duke of Sussex in one of his three invasion of privacy lawsuits he has brought in his ongoing battles against British tabloids. Fancourt allowed the prince to include allegations that his phone was tapped and add claims against other journalists and private investigators that he and other claimants say used unlawful means to snoop on them for scoops. But he rejected Harry's efforts to expand the case beyond the period from 1996 to 2015 to include claims of eavesdropping on his mother, the late Princess Diana, in 1994-95, and digging up private information on his now-wife, actor Meghan Markle, in 2016. Fancourt said allegations that Murdoch turned a blind eye to wrongdoing added nothing material to claims made against News Group Newspapers, or NGN. The judge said those claims already include trusted lieutenants, naming Murdoch's younger son, James Murdoch, and Rebekah Brooks, who was editor at the defunct News of the World and The Sun. The judge said some of Harry's efforts to blame additional executives were to further a political agenda. There is a desire on the part of those running the litigation on the claimants side to shoot at trophy' targets, whether those are political issues or high-profile individuals, Fancourt wrote. Tempting though it no doubt is for the claimants team to attempt to inculpate the man at the very top, doing so will add nothing to a finding that Ms. Brooks and Mr. James Murdoch or other senior executives knew and were involved, if that is proved to be the case." Brooks is chief executive officer of News UK, a division of News Corp. media holdings that controls The Sun and The Times among other publications. James Murdoch resigned from News Corp. in 2020. Rupert Murdoch, 93, was executive chairman of News Corp. and director of its subsidiary, News International, now News UK, which was NGNs parent when News of the World folded. Murdoch stepped down last fall as leader of both Fox News parent company and his News Corp. Both sides claimed victory in the ruling that precedes a trial scheduled early next year. Fancourt said that it was a split victory with the defense gaining an edge on the issues argued. He ordered Harry and other claimants to pay a third of NGN's costs spent litigating the proposed amendments. News Group said it welcomed the decision, saying it vindicated its position that new wide-ranging" and irrelevant allegations be excluded from the case. The claimants said in a statement that they were pleased the judge allowed many of the amendments that had been vigorously opposed by NGN. The company issued an unreserved apology in 2011 to victims of voicemail interception by the News of the World, which closed its doors after a phone hacking scandal. NGN said it has settled 1,300 claims for its newspapers, though The Sun has never accepted liability. The three-day hearing in March included claims against NGN by others, including actor Hugh Grant, who accused The Sun of tapping his phone, bugging his car and breaking into his home to snoop on him. Since then, Grant said he had reluctantly agreed to accept "an enormous sum of money to settle his lawsuit. Grant said he had to settle because of a court policy that could have stuck him with a huge legal bill even if he prevailed at trial. A civil court rule intended to avoid jamming up the courts would have required Grant to pay legal fees to both sides if he won at trial but was awarded anything lower than the settlement offer. Attorney David Sherborne has suggested that Harry may have to settle for the same reason. Harry has a similar case pending against the owner of the Daily Mail. Last year, he won his first case to go to trial when Fancourt found phone hacking was widespread and habitual at Mirror Group Newspapers. In addition to a court judgment, he settled remaining allegations that included his legal fees. Subscription to paid content Gain access to all that Trend has to offer, as well as to premium, licensed content via subscription or direct purchase through a credit card. Youve heard of Elf on the Shelf. But how about the sup on the roof? Liberty Christian School Superintendent Jim Cochran pledged to spend 38 hours this week on top of the schools roof after a successful fundraising campaign. He climbed a ladder Monday afternoon as students cheered him on. The avid outdoorsman will spend two nights atop the building with a tent, stove, food and supplies. I operate with an open door policy in the office, so I guess this will be an open roof for those that need to connect, Cochran said in a statement. The commitment to spend time on top of the school came during their annual Patriot Auction fundraiser. Money raised keeps tuition accessible for families and benefits the schools capital campaign to renovate its fine arts wing. Corchran volunteered to stay on the roof for one hour for every $200 raised. In the end, the campaign raised $7,600. Liberty Christian School is a Richland-based, Christian private school that offers families a biblically-based education based in prayer and faith. Lord Stunell, who has died aged 81, was one of the most influential and respected Liberal Democrats during the period of the partys greatest successes, and a junior communities minister in David Camerons Coalition, whose formation he had helped negotiate. An architect by profession, Andrew Stunell was MP for Hazel Grove for 18 years, Lib Dem chief whip for five, and since 2015 an active life peer; he spoke in the House of Lords as recently as March 27, on leasehold reform. Paying tribute, his party leader Sir Ed Davey said: Andrew was famous for his clear-sightedness and humility whatever the pressure a real people person even before the term was invented. A great friend, colleague, and mentor to many of us his contribution to the cause over so many years was immeasurable. An active Methodist and former Baptist lay preacher, Stunell was a skilful campaigner, with his particular passion the environment. His legislative legacy is the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act of 2004, a private members measure enabling homes to be built or renovated with security and energy saving features, to create greener and safer buildings. As Parliamentary Under Secretary for Communities and Local Government from 2010 to 2012 under the Conservative Eric Pickles, he had responsibility for community cohesion, racial equality, building regulations and the implementation of the Big Society with regard to housing and regeneration. The Lib Dem Coalition negotiators (L-R) David Laws, Andrew Stunell, Danny Alexander and Chris Huhne - AP Robert Andrew Stunell was born at Sutton, Surrey on November 24 1942, the son of Robert Stunell, a chartered mechanical engineer, and his wife Trixie, a teacher and musician. From Surbiton County Grammar School, he studied Architecture at Manchester University and Liverpool Polytechnic. Graduating in 1965, he joined the Co-Operative Wholesale Society in Manchester as an architectural assistant, then from 1967 worked for Runcorn New Town, being admitted to the RIBA in 1969. From 1981 until 1985 he had a freelance practice. Stunell was a Chester city councillor from 1979 to 1990, and from 1981 to 1991 led the Liberal/Lib Dem group on Cheshire county council. Moving to Stockport, he was a councillor there from 1994 to 2002. He fought Chester at the 1979 general election for the Liberals, and in 1983 and 1987 for the Liberal/SDP Alliance, finishing a strongish third each time. Up to 1997 he was political secretary of the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors. He first fought the Stockport commuter constituency of Hazel Grove in 1992, falling 929 votes short of ousting its Conservative MP Tom Arnold. As Tony Blair led New Labour to power in 1997, Stunell defeated a new Tory candidate by 11,814 votes to take the seat. He held Hazel Grove comfortably at the next three elections. Paddy Ashdown appointed Stunell an energy spokesman in a greatly expanded Lib Dem contingent. From 2001 he was chief whip; he was re-elected to the post in 2005 but stepped down the following year to be shadow secretary for communities and local government. He left the front bench in December 2007 when Nick Clegg asked him to chair the partys local election campaign team, also being vice-chair of the Lib Dems 2010 general election campaign. When that election resulted in deadlock, with Camerons Conservatives failing to secure an outright majority over Labour under Gordon Brown, Cleggs Lib Dems went into negotiations to form Britains first peacetime coalition government since the 1930s. Stunell, Danny Alexander, Chris Huhne and David Laws formed their negotiating team, with William Hague, Oliver Letwin, George Osborne and Edward Llewellyn acting for the Conservatives. A Coalition Agreement was reached, and Clegg became Deputy Prime Minister and Stunell a junior minister at the DCLG. He stayed there until Clegg shuffled his pack halfway through what had been agreed would be a fixed-term parliament. Having left the government, Stunell was appointed to the Privy Council in November 2012. The following year he was knighted for political and public services. He stood down from the Commons, aged 72, at the 2015 election. In it, the Lib Dems were routed, Hazel Grove falling to the Conservative William Wragg by 6,552 votes. Stunell received a life peerage in the dissolution honours, as Baron Stunell, of Hazel Grove in the County of Greater Manchester. He served for a time on the Committee on Standards in Public Life, and took an ongoing interest in housing standards, fittingly the subject of his final speech. In it, he regretted that with Michael Goves leasehold reform Bill, the promise is in the title but the delivery is not in the Bill, and the measure was suffering from a headlong rush by the Government to introduce new material into the Bill as it goes along. Stunell added: We have heard enough evidence today that the Government are spending an increasing amount of time chasing their tail, trying to make their legislation work. Nevertheless he welcomed the measure, despite some major flaws and missed opportunities for real reform, with the regulation of property agencies clearly right up there near the top, and the omission of flats from the creation of new leases just absurd. Overall, he said, the Bill was just a skirmish in a much bigger battle for fair property rights and access to decent housing for all, and he welcomed the Governments stated readiness to improve it. He was appointed OBE in 1995. Andrew Stunell married Gillian Chorley in 1967. She survives him, with their three sons and two daughters. Andrew Stunell, born November 24 1942, died April 29 2024 Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here. "Bonding year." It's been hard since Sunday night to even think of that label without a sardonic snort. "Bonding years" were what the Minnesota State Capitol crowd used to call the even-year legislative sessions that were instituted 50 years ago, in 1974. Job One in even-numbered years was supposed to be the authorization of public works financed by long-term bonds, which require the approval of a three-fifths supermajority in both the House and Senate. Job One was left undone this year when the deadline for passing bills arrived at midnight Sunday. And though I'm lamenting inaction on a number of other potential lawmaking prizes (the Equal Rights Amendment's collapse really stings), it's the no-bonding bummer that had me reaching out to Rep. Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City. For 20 of his 22 years in the state House, Urdahl has helped craft bonding bills. His assignment from his caucus was to put a Republican stamp on those bills. His personal goal was to get those bills passed on time and signed into law. He held that it's the duty of a state representative to maintain and improve the public property that meets public needs, throughout the entire state. More than once, Urdahl's caucus assignment and his personal goal were in conflict. More than once, bonding bills negotiated with DFLers died before reaching the governor's desk, stopped by his fellow Republicans. It happened in 2004, 2016, 2022 and again this year. (In 2007, the bonding bill died on the governor's desk, felled by Tim Pawlenty's veto.) Urdahl's disappointment about this year's outcome was evident as he bade farewell to his colleagues during Monday's customary round of retirement speeches. "It's just not that much fun anymore," Urdahl, 74, a Minnesota history author and educator, confessed. Leaving legislative service now feels like "an escape," he said. A few days earlier, amid packing boxes and memorabilia including photos of Abraham Lincoln (see: transcontinental railroad) and Dwight Eisenhower (see: interstate highway system), Urdahl told me how his bonding work changed through the years. After the Tea Party election of 2010, the typical billion-dollar "bonding year" bills became increasingly difficult to sell to the small-government crowd in his caucus, he said. His task was complicated further when Republicans slipped into the minority in 2019. Since then, GOP leaders have been keen to use their party's bonding votes as leverage to work their will on issues unrelated to building projects. That's what happened this year. Urdahl knew his hundreds of hours of work were likely to be for naught when GOP leaders announced on May 14 that they would insist on a steep price for bonding's requisite Republican votes. Their demands: No ERA. No safe storage requirement for guns. No eligibility expansion of MinnesotaCare. Plus a few other stray items none of which pertained to the wastewater treatment plants, roof replacements, bridge upgrades and similar projects traditionally included in an even-year bill. No deal, replied DFL Speaker Melissa Hortman. To cave to such far-reaching demands would be to "forgo our values and what we ran on," she said at a news conference in the wee hours Monday. Urdahl didn't fault Hortman for that decision. Rather, he told me, he objects to using a bill that's vitally important to Minnesota's well-being as a lever on unrelated matters. The health, safety, education and quality-of-life projects in the bonding bill deserve to rise or fall on their own merits, he argued. They should not be used as pawns in partisan chess games. Urdahl has paid a price within his caucus for that thinking. "I am a center-right conservative," Urdahl said in his retirement speech. "That hasn't always been good enough for my fellow Republicans." In eight of his 12 legislative elections, Urdahl faced an intraparty challenge, generally from the right. He would have had one this year, too, from Meeker County Commissioner Steve Schmitt. But that threat is not what pushed him into retirement, he insists. He's confident voters would have backed him, had he tried for one more term. Urdahl's chosen successor, Montevideo businessman Scott Van Binsbergen, won Republican endorsement on April 20. That result at the District 16A GOP convention makes me think Urdahl could be wrong when he describes himself "one of the last Eisenhower Republicans." To be sure, Eisenhower is out of vogue among Republicans now. In both character and policies, Ike was poles apart from the former president with whom today's Republicans are enthralled. But in the next decade, Minnesota is going to be grappling with the physical demands of a changing climate and aging post-World War II infrastructure. It's likely to face increasing pleas from local governments for state help with infrastructure costs as a decline in commercial real estate values pushes residential property taxes into politically uncomfortable territory. It's going to need the economic stimulus that adequate infrastructure provides. I think the highway-building president of the 1950s is due for fresh appreciation. And I know a retired history teacher and author who will be good at telling the Eisenhower story. Lori Sturdevant is a retired Star Tribune editorial writer. She is at lsturdevant@startribune.com. A federal appellate court this week refused to throw out a ban on housing incarcerated youth at Angola. (Photo credit: Jarvis DeBerry/Louisiana Illuminator) A legislative attempt to pull nitrogen hypoxia from Louisianas death penalty options failed Tuesday, despite pleas from the Jewish community that it would revisit the trauma their ancestors experienced during the Holocaust. Republicans on the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice rejected a proposal from Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews, D-Monroe, in a 3-8 vote. It would have eliminated a method of execution state lawmakers approved in January during a special session devoted to criminal justice. Death penalty advocates have pushed for the option to be added in Louisiana since January when Alabama became the first state to use it. Since Kenneth Eugene Smiths execution, a lawsuit has been filed against the state with claims that nitrogen hypoxia amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. Witnesses say Smith struggled and appeared to be in distress before dying at the Holman Correctional Center in Atmore, Alabama. The coalition Jews Against Gassing quickly assembled once nitrogen became an option in Louisiana. Mississippi and Oklahoma have also approved the method but have yet to execute anyone using it. Jackson-Andrews told the committee Tuesday the concerns of Jewish people over lethal gassing resonated with her. I agree with them, the senator said. My people were hung for a number of years throughout this state. And if the death penalty included the gallows of hanging, I would be here saying that invokes trauma because that was the method that was used to eradicate my ancestors. Rabbi David Cohen-Henriquez with the Shir Cadash Conservative Congregation in Metairie told lawmakers he was opposed to the use of poison for state-sanctioned murder. As a Jew, as a rabbi and as a human being, I cannot stand silent when such a depravity is proposed in our own backyard, Cohen-Henriquez said. I cannot remain silent against a method of execution that so deeply offends our people and displays such blatant disrespect for our collective trauma. John Sinquefield, senior counsel for Attorney General Liz Murrill, took issue with the characterization of nitrogen gas as poison. A former East Baton Rouge Parish prosecutor, he secured the conviction and death penalty for serial killer Derrick Todd Lee in 2004. Lee died in prison in 2016 of heart disease before he could be put to death. Sinquefueld maintained use of nitrogen gas in executions is humane and painted Jackson-Andrews proposal as a first step toward doing away with the death penalty entirely. This is anti-death penalty, Sinquefield said. Its a wolf in sheeps clothing meant to eat up the death penalty because they know we dont have the drugs for lethal injection, we dont have a workable electric chair, and its under litigation. Louisiana last put a condemned prisoner to death using lethal injection in 2010 when convicted murderer and child kidnapper Gerald James Bordelon. Prior to that, the same method was used to kill Leslie Dale Martin in 2002 for rape and murder. The electric chair hasnt been used in Louisiana since 1991. After Andrew Lee Jones was executed for murder, the device called Gruesome Gertie was retired when a lawsuit challenged whether its use constituted cruel and unusual punishment. Its now part of a museum display at the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola. State lawmakers also approved lethal injection in 1991, and it has been used eight times. In recent years, the prescription drugs needed to carry out such death sentences have been hard to obtain. Some of the pharmaceutical companies that make them have pulled their products over the resulting bad publicity. During the January special session, state lawmakers approved legislation to exclude records related to drugs used for lethal injections from public records law. It takes effect July 1. No executions have been scheduled in Louisiana as of yet. Five convicted killers have been executed in the United States so far this year. In addition to Alabama, convicted murderers have been put to death in Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas all through lethal injection. Ten other condemned men are under active death warrants with execution dates set for 2024 in Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. Fourteen others have inactive death warrants because their deaths have been rescheduled or they await a new execution date, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. In Idaho, the lethal injection of Thomas Creech was halted Feb. 28 because medical personnel failed 10 times to access veins in his arms and legs to administer lethal drugs. Creech, who has confessed to 42 murders, remains on death row without a new execution date. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Louisiana lawmakers snub Jewish communitys plea to block nitrogen gas executions appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. FILE - Death Row building at the Louisiana State Penitentiary Friday, Sept. 18, 2009, in Angola, La. An effort from Louisiana's Jewish community to remove the use of nitrogen gas from the list of possible methods to carry out the death penalty in the state was blocked by a conservative legislative committee on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Judi Bottoni, File) BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) An effort by Louisiana's Jewish community to bar nitrogen gas as an execution method was blocked by a conservative legislative committee on Tuesday. Alabama was the first state in the nation to use the gas earlier this year. Since then, several Republican-led states have added the method, prompting a backlash by opponents who say it is inhumane. Members of the Jewish community in Louisiana have another reason for rejecting it: They say it invokes trauma from the Holocaust, when the Nazis used lethal gas to kill millions of European Jews. I cannot remain silent against a method of execution that so deeply offends our people and displays blatant disrespect for our collective trauma, said Rabbi David Cohen-Henriquez of Shir Chadash Conservative Congregation in Metairie, Louisiana. While the bill to remove nitrogen hypoxia executions from state law advanced in the GOP-dominated Senate, it came to a screeching halt in a House legislative committee Tuesday. During the hearing, Republican committee members and others argued against the parallels presented by Jewish advocates, saying the execution of death row inmates is not comparable to the Holocaust. Were not talking about innocent children, men or women. ... Were talking about criminals who were convicted by a jury of 12, said Republican state Rep. Tony Bacala. The committee rejected the bill to eliminate the execution method by a vote of 8-3, along party lines. With less than two weeks left in legislative session, the measure is likely dead. It was no secret that the effort faced an uphill battle in Louisiana's reliably red legislature, which has overwhelmingly supported capital punishment. Under the direction of new, conservative Gov. Jeff Landry, lawmakers added both nitrogen gas and electrocution as allowable execution methods in February. The only previously allowed method was lethal injection, which had been paused in the state for 14 years because of a shortage of the necessary drugs. The shortage has forced Louisiana and other states to consider other methods, including firing squads. In January, Alabama performed the first execution using nitrogen gas, marking the first time a new execution method had been used in the United States since lethal injection, which was introduced in 1982. Kenneth Eugene Smith, convicted of murder, was outfitted with a face mask that forced him to breathe pure nitrogen and deprived him of oxygen. He shook and convulsed in seizure-like movements for several minutes on a gurney before his breathing stopped and he was declared dead. State officials maintain that it was a textbook execution. Alabama has scheduled a second execution using nitrogen gas, on Sept. 26, for Alan Eugene Miller, who was convicted of killing three men during a 1999 workplace shooting. Miller has an ongoing federal lawsuit challenging the execution method as a violation of the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, citing witness descriptions of Smiths death. About 60 people now sit on Louisiana's death row. There are currently no scheduled executions. A lab tech uses equipment employed for in vitro fertilization in this undated photo. (Getty Images) Louisiana lawmakers have added a restriction to receiving in vitro fertilization (IVF) services that doesnt exist in current law, but its not clear whether it can be enforced. Senators voted 28-10 Monday to block the transfer of embryos created through IVF to an out-of-state storage facility for the purpose of destruction. Afterwards, the chamber voted 36-1 for an overall bill to try and protect IVF providers from criminal charges and civil lawsuits under the states abortion ban. The future of the broader IVF legislation is up in the air with the Senates out-of-state storage amendment added onto it, according to Katie Bliss, an attorney that specializes in IVF contracts that has been working on the bill. We are meeting today and tomorrow to talk it all over and decide what we should do from here, she said in an interview Tuesday. Louisiana is the only state in the country that prevents IVF patients from disposing of embryos within its borders. As a result, three of the states four fertility clinics require their patients to store embryos outside the state, even though it drives up the cost of already expensive fertility treatments. Some anti-abortion advocates consider embryos the equivalent of human life, which is why the ban on embryo destruction has been baked into Louisiana law since IVF became legal in the 1980s, said Ellie Schilling, a reproductive rights lawyer in New Orleans, in The Washington Post earlier this year. Disposal of embryos is also a common part of IVF treatment in all other states. Patients produce embryos that arent viable, and some have many more embryos than they intend to use. Annual storage fees for keeping embryos frozen can reach several hundred dollars. Those who want to do away with their embryos or donate them to science have to place them outside of Louisiana first. Some people also feel more comfortable moving their embryos outside of the state to keep them out of the way of natural disasters that hit Louisiana, Bliss said. The Washington Post reported in March that three of Louisianas fertility clinics require out-of-state storage for embryos in response to the states restrictive laws. The fourth clinic gives people the option of keeping their embryos in Louisiana, but it also encourages patients to look for out-of-state storage after two years. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The new restriction from the Senate appears aimed at preventing clinics from transferring embryos to out-of-state facilities under certain circumstances, but it might not be legal. The legislations sponsor, Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, said last month that placing such restrictions into state law would be unconstitutional. You can currently store your embryos out of state. You dont put in a contract to destroy your embryos. You put in your contract to store your embryos out of state, Davis said. We cannot go to another state and tell them what they can and cannot do, she said. The Louisiana Family Forum, a conservative Christian advocacy organization, has pushed to block out-of-state embryo transfers for destruction since last month, in spite of opposing the broader legislation to protect IVF services. Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, offered the amendment banning out-of-state embryo destruction after voting against the IVF proposal, House Bill 833, in committee last week. Seabaugh appears to be preparing for a potential constitutional challenge. At the same time he added the ban on out-of-state embryo transfers for destruction, he also inserted a provision into the bill saying the rest of the IVF legislation should take effect, even if the courts throw out part of it. IVF advocates have other concerns about the bill. Legislators have been unwilling to remove portions of existing state law that refer to embryos as human beings. Attorneys said this could lead to criminal charges for medical providers if embryos are accidentally lost. Davis initially brought the bill with the purpose of shoring up protections for IVF services after an Alabama Supreme Court ruling temporarily shut down fertility clinics in that state. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, states have more leeway to classify embryos and fetuses as unborn children in state law. Davis bill must return to the Louisiana House for approval before it heads to Gov. Jeff Landrys desk for consideration. The post Louisiana Senate added a new restriction to IVF, but it might not be enforceable appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. AUSTIN (KXAN) The latest Texas Republican leader to visit New York for former President Donald Trumps hush money trial is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. Patrick appeared Tuesday behind Trump and his attorney Todd Blanche ahead of them walking into the courtroom where the former president is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records. Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday, and he opted not to testify. The charges stem from a payment that Trumps former attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep her quiet about her alleged affair with Trump all claims that he denies. KXAN reached out Tuesday morning to Patricks office for comment about why he wanted to travel to New York and go to the court proceedings. A spokesperson shared a tweet Patrick posted on X, where he claimed there is no crime. The Biden Administration is trying to shut down President Trump because they know Biden cant beat him in November. The entire country knows it, Patrick wrote on X. During a news conference outside of the courthouse Tuesday, Patrick called for the indictment of Cohen and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office brought the case against Trump. We are here because we are friends of Donald Trump, the president of the United States. When a friend is in trouble, friends have his back, Patrick said to reporters. The way he has been treated, you would see in Russia. You would see in China. You would see in North Korea. You would see in every little tin pot dictatorship across the world, and thats what we have here in New York in America. Patricks spokesperson told KXAN that the lieutenant governor did not use state funds for his travel or lodging in New York. The expenses instead were covered by Texans for Dan Patrick, according to his press secretary. Three weeks ago, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also went to Trumps trial, which he called a travesty of justice in an X post announcing his trip. Trump recently said he would consider Paxton to become the next U.S. attorney general if he wins a second term in the White House. The judge in the trial scheduled closing statements for next Tuesday, with jury deliberations set to begin afterward. Photos showed Patrick was not the only Texan who went to the courthouse Tuesday. He could be seen standing next to two Republican lawmakers U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Richmond and U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson of Amarillo. During the news conference Tuesday, Jackson accused prosecutors of only bringing the charges to help Trumps opponents defeat him in the upcoming presidential election. They fear Donald Trump, and they fear whats going to happen if he becomes president again, Jackson said. And Ill tell you they should fear because he started draining the swamp. Hes gonna keep draining again, and all of these people are representative of the swamp. According to recent social media posts, Patrick shared he is again serving as chair of the Trump campaign in Texas for the third time. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder. Reader discretion is advised. Mackenzie Shirilla is an Ohio teenager who intentionally crashed a car into a brick building. It resulted in the deaths of her 20-year-old boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and his 19-year-old friend, Davion Flanagan. Prior to the crash, Shirilla, who was 17 at the time, reportedly threatened her boyfriend that she would crash the car. However, the argument ended at that time, and Russo was picked up by one of his friends. The crash happened early in the morning on July 31, 2022, in the Cleveland suburbs of Strongsville, as per a report by the Independent. Driving at 100 mph, Shirilla sped along a dead-end street in Strongsville before she slammed the car into the brick wall. The police arrived at the crime scene nearly 45 minutes after the crash. They found the vehicle with severe damage and full airbag deployment. As per NBC News, Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan were pronounced dead at the scene, while Mackenzie Shirilla was found unconscious in the vehicle. She was rushed to a hospital. CBS News reported that Mackenzie Shirilla was found guilty of murder, drug possession, possession of criminal tools, felonious assault, and vehicular homicide. She was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison and was to serve the sentences for the deaths of Russo and Flanagan concurrently. The court held Shirilla solely responsible for the killing. Her action was also called a selfish, intentional and crule decision. Her drivers license was suspended for life. Why did Mackenzie Shirilla kill her boyfriend Dominic Russo? NBC News reported that Mackenzie Shirilla was in a toxic relationship with her boyfriend, Dominic Russo. Her threats to crash the car reportedly came two weeks before the actual killings. A friend of Russos reportedly overheard her over a call when she was telling him she would crash the car. Later, several videos found on Russos phone showed Shirilla verbally abusing him, making threats, and damaging his property. In one instance, when he refused to let her into his home, she allegedly threatened to key his car and break off its handle. Shirilla and Russo had reportedly been dating for 3 to 4 years by then. She stayed over at Russos house for the most part. As per another report by NBC News, a forensic mechanic testified in court that the cars accelerator peddle was being pushed consistently before the crash. This suggests that it was an intentional crash. It was being pushed to full capacity, and no brakes were being applied. According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutors Office, the vehicle had no defects that could have led to the crash. Additionally, traces of psilocybin mushrooms were found on Mackenzie Shirilla. The report also said that the murder was premeditated. This was because Shirilla took the ride at 5:30 a.m. in the morning when witnesses to the crime would be unlikely. The road was allegedly one that she did not take frequently but visited once before. The court also noted Mackenzie Shirillas lack of remorse following the crash. She had been admitted to the hospital after the crash. After that, she was reportedly attempting to get a job with a Los Angeles-based model company. According to Fox 8, she also posted pictures celebrating Halloween and attending a concert in Clevelands Flats District. The post Mackenzie Shirilla Car Crash: What Did the Strongsville Teen Do? appeared first on ComingSoon.net - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More. Macron flying to New Caledonia in bid to end violent insurrection Pro-independence Kanaks voting reform is a form of colonisation by stealth and have taken to the streets to make their point - AFP/Delphine Mayeur Emmanuel Macron will fly to New Caledonia in an attempt to end the violent insurrection that has left six people dead and thousands of tourists stranded. The French president will go there tonight, according to a spokesman, adding that a return to calm is starting to arrive in the Pacific territory. Mr Macrons visit comes as an Australian Air Force transport aircraft evacuated trapped tourists from a small domestic airport in New Caledonias capital Noumea, as separatist roadblocks continued to hinder access to the main international airport which is closed to commercial flights until at least Saturday. More than 3,000 people are estimated to have been stranded by a week of unrest that has shuttered the Pacific archipelagos main international airport. Australia has estimated at least 300 of its nationals have registered for rescue. Passengers are being prioritised based on need. We continue to work on further flights, Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said on social media, announcing two initial flights. The first transport with evacuees landed in Brisbane in eastern Australia around 7pm on Tuesday. A New Zealand Defence Force plane has also been dispatched to pick up about 50 passengers with the most pressing needs, according to foreign minister Winston Peters. In cooperation with France and Australia, we are working on subsequent flights in coming days, he said. Australian Air Force transport aircraft has evacuated trapped tourists from the capital Noumea with more needed to be moved out from the country - AFP France is considering extending a 12-day state of emergency, which has led to a night-time curfew, house arrests of suspected ringleaders, as well as a ban on TikTok, the sale of alcohol, carrying weapons and gatherings. The French government last week sent 1,000 reinforcements to bolster security forces that lost control of some parts of Noumea. Mr Macron will launch a special mission aimed at reducing boiling tensions over a voting reform rejected by indigenous Kanaks, who make up 41 per cent of the archipelagos 270,000-strong population. The new law would extend voting rights to tens of thousands of non-indigenous residents who have lived in the territory for at least 10 years. Pro-independence Kanaks say the change is a form of colonisation by stealth. Those who support it point out that New Caledonia has now rejected independence three times in successive referendums, the latest in 2021, and that 20 per cent of the population are unable to vote despite paying taxes and contributing to the local economy. Burnt vehicles litter the road as protesters make their point - AFP/Delphine Mayeur Mr Macron has pledged to validate the contested electoral reform before the end of June by senators and deputies during a special congress but the executive is continuing ... to build a political solution for the territory, said a spokesman. Prominent French figures including former prime minister Manuel Valls, who followed the New Caledonia dossier closely while in office, have called for delay to the constitutional change. You cant make progress on the Caledonia file by issuing ultimatums, Mr Valls said on Sunday. But anti-independence representatives want it pushed through. Withdrawing would prove the wreckers, the looters and the rioters right, said Nicolas Metzdorf, a New Caledonia MP for Macrons Renaissance party. Violence cannot replace the ballot box in a democracy, he added. New Caledonia has been a French territory since the mid-1800s. But almost two centuries on, opinion is split roughly along ethnic lines over whether the islands should be part of France, autonomous or independent. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. GUBA, Azerbaijan, May 21. Uzbekneftegaz, a state-owned holding company of Uzbekistan's oil and gas industry, may join the Shah Deniz gas condensate project on the Azerbaijani Caspian shelf, Uzbek Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade Laziz Kudratov told reporters on the sidelines of the 2nd Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum in Guba, Trend reports. "We are inviting Socar (the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic) to participate in oil and gas production projects in Uzbekistan and are in discussions regarding this collaboration. Similarly, the issue of Uzbekneftegaz's involvement in gas production projects in Azerbaijan, specifically the Shah Deniz project, is now in its final stages. Shared participation is the subject of ongoing negotiations," he explained. Kurbatov expressed hope that the documents formalizing Uzbekneftegaz's entry into Shah Deniz will be signed in the coming months. "Our involvement in this project necessitates substantial financial and legal expertise, with assistance from a foreign consultant. We are committed to these prospects," he emphasized. To note, the Shah Deniz project has been active since 1996, with the field development deal renewed in 2013 to continue until 2046. The current participants in the project are bp (production operator with a 29.99 percent stake), Lukoil (19.99 percent), TPAO (19 percent), NIKO (10 percent), and SGC Upstream (representing Azerbaijan's interests with 21.02 percent). The Shah Deniz gas reserves are estimated at 1.2 trillion cubic meters, with roughly 20 percent extracted. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) The mother of a young Cornelius girl missing since 2022 pled guilty Monday to a charge of failing to report the disappearance of a child. The missing persons case of Madalina Cojocari has had a great deal of attention, gaining national and international recognition. After the girl went missing in 2022, Cornelius Police said her mother, Diana Cojocari, and stepfather, Christopher Palmiter, failed to report her missing for weeks, and only after the girls school started questioning her whereabouts. Diana Cojocari has been jailed since December 2022. In a Mecklenburg County court hearing Monday, she was sentenced to time served for the over 500 days she was incarcerated. MORE FROM QUEEN CITY NEWS Continuing Coverage The judge said she had already served what would have been the maximum sentence for the failure to report charge. The plea comes as new details are coming out out of a filing from the lawyers for stepfather Christopher Palmiter. His trial, which was set to begin this week, has had a continuance motion filed by the defense, who noted recent filings on the case involving Madalinas disappearance in the form of conversations between Diana Cojocaris family members, and fears that Diana Cojocari had about a third party being involved in the Madalina Cojoari case. Newly released court documents detail a three hour long conversation on May 15 involving the FBI and Diana Cojocaris cousin Octavian Cebanu. During the interview, Octavian confirmed key details that Palmiter had told the police about Madalina. Cebanu says Diana contacted him, saying that she was in danger and needed help leaving Palmiter. He said Diana told him that Palmiter wasnt involved in her plans to leave and was worried about him listening to their phone conversation so she suggested using apps like Viber or Whats app. He apparently had contact with Dianas mother Rodica who was helping Diana to flee the country with Madalina. Last fall, Madalinas grandmother Rodica made some explosive comments outside a courtroom accusing Palmiter of trafficking her granddaughter. Diana confirms that she had made a plan with Palmiter to arrange a safe place for Diana and Madalina to stay with his family in Michigan but it never happened. Octavian urged Diana to call the police, which she refused. Diana told Octavian that she believes shes in danger from some 3rd party and had accumulated enough funds to live off of for two or three months. On May 14, the state provided the defenses with text messages from Dianas phone between her and Octavian and some of the call logs. Palmiters attorneys argue that this new information is relevant to this case and should not have been withheld. Madalina Cojocari remains missing to this day. She would now be 13 years old. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Plenty of Republicans have undergone unfortunate metamorphoses since Donald Trump took over the party Sen. Lindsey Graham, Im looking in your direction but few have changed more than House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. In the not-too-distant past, the New York Republican encouraged voters to see her as one of Congress most bipartisan members, and in 2017, when nearly all GOP lawmakers rallied behind Trumps proposed tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations, Stefanik voted against them. That didnt last. As regular readers know, Stefanik eventually concluded that to get ahead in Republican politics, she would need to put her principles aside and start embracing partisan nonsense. By 2020, the congresswoman had adopted an entirely new persona as a hard-liner and Trump loyalist, and after the 2020 race, Stefanik joined with radicals and urged the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn election results she didnt like. Weeks later, she also voted against certifying election results. The dramatic shift appears to have put her on the shortlist of Trumps potential running mates causing her to take a variety of unfortunate steps in the hopes of impressing Mar-a-Lago. The problem for Stefanik, however, is that the recent past still exists, whether she wants to acknowledge it or not. Politico reported on the GOP leaders appearance on Fox News over the weekend. The host referenced this New York Times article from 2022, which highlighted Stefaniks earlier Trump criticisms, before the congresswomans sharp turn to the right. The guest was not pleased. Its a disgrace you would quote the New York Times with nameless and faceless people, Stefanik said, adding that she dismisses false smears. Yikes! Elise Stefanik gets big mad at Fox News Sunday's Shannon Bream when Bream asks her about calling Trump a "whack job" and "insulting to women" during the 2016 cycle: "Well Shannon, it's a disgrace that you would quote the New York Times with nameless, faceless--" "They're pic.twitter.com/1tf3s6ebOy Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 19, 2024 The trouble is, the Times didnt rely on nameless and faceless people. On the contrary, the newspaper obtained a message in which Stefanik actually referred to the former president as a whack job. Its also true that in 2016, Stefanik publicly rejected Trumps election conspiracy theories. This came on the heels of Stefanik also saying publicly that she believed Trump has been insulting to women. These arent behind-the-scenes quotes from anonymous sources. Rather, this is just the GOP congresswomans record. We are, after all, talking about a New York Republican who was reluctant to even say Trumps name out loud in 2016 for fear that voters might see her as a Trump ally. If Stefanik wants to argue that she was wrong about the former president, shes free to explain why she changed her mind. But the idea that the House Republican Conference chairs record from eight years ago is somehow off-limits is ridiculous. This article was originally published on MSNBC.com An employee of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service holds an Atlantic salmon. (Greg Thompson/USFWS) More than 2,000 Mainers signed a petition asking federal officials to think about endangered Atlantic salmon and other sea-run fish in the Kennebec River as regulators evaluate the licenses for four dams. Local residents, fishing groups and the Wabanaki Tribes have long called for the removal of the four river dams between Waterville and Skowhegan because they block access to prime spawning habitats. The petition comes as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is accepting public input on a draft analysis that shows how the dams affect migratory fish passage as part of the relicensing process, which occurs roughly every 30 years. The groups who would like to see the dams removed are opposed to the draft analysis because it proposes engineered fish passages that the Natural Resources Council of Maine said has failed in other parts of the U.S. including the Androscoggin River. These four dams provide very little power and do a lot of damage to an ecosystem that could be vibrant, said Steve Brooke, a Farmingdale resident and retired senior planner from the State Planning Office. Weve already lost fisheries on all the big rivers south of us including the Connecticut and Merrimack because of failed fish passage proposals. Our Kennebec deserves better. Currently, sustaining Atlantic salmon in the Kennebec requires human intervention, as the Natural Resources Council of Maine explained. The Department of Marine Resources captures salmon at the Lockwood Dam in Waterville and transports them to the spawning habitat in the Sandy River. In 2023, more than 160 salmon were captured and moved. Additionally, the department plants millions of salmon eggs in the Sandy River watershed. The public has until June 4 to submit written comments. Additionally, FERC is holding public hearings to get direct input from people who wish to comment. The first one is at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Thomas College in Waterville and the following day another meeting will be held at 10 a.m. at the Augusta Civic Center. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Mainers ask federal officials to consider sea-run fish in relicensing of Kennebec River dams appeared first on Maine Morning Star. Majority of combat clashes take place on Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, Siversk and Kramatorsk fronts General Staff The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported 86 combat clashes over the last 24 hours. Most of them took place on the Pokrovsk, Kharkiv, Siversk and Kramatorsk fronts. Source: General Staff report as of 20:00 on 21 May Quote: "There have been 12 combat clashes on the Kharkiv front since the beginning of the day. Fighting continues in the areas of Vovchansk and Starytsia. Russian aviation dropped guided aerial bombs on Vovchansk, Lyptsi and three at once on Bilyi Kolodiaz. The total enemy losses in this area now amount to 71 personnel and 14 pieces of weapons and military equipment. Among other things, a Russian BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher was damaged. On the Kupiansk front, Russian occupiers attacked Ukrainian defensive lines nine times. Fighting continues in the vicinity of Synkivka and Ivanivka. On the Siversk front, fighting continues in the area of Bilohorivka. The number of combat clashes on the Kramatorsk front increased to ten over the last day. Ukrainian troops continue to repel an enemy attack near Klishchiivka. The Russians failed to achieve their goals. On the Pokrovsk front, fighting continues in the areas of Kalynove, Novooleksandrivka, Sokil, Umanske and Prohres. In total, the Russians tried to improve their tactical position 33 times. Ukrainian defenders are offering fierce resistance to the Russian occupiers. On 21 May, the invaders lost a total of 47 Russian personnel and 14 pieces of weapons and military equipment. In particular, a Kub surface-to-air missile system and an MT-LB multi-purpose armoured fighting vehicle were destroyed, and one tank and one Russian TOS-1 heavy flamethrower system were damaged." Details: Ukrainian troops also repelled the sixth attack of the day near the village of Staromayorske village on the Vremivka front. On the Prydniprovske front, Russian troops conducted airstrikes in the areas of Novoberyslav and Vesele, dropping three aerial bombs on each. Since the beginning of the day, the Air Force aviation, army aviation, rocket and artillery units of Ukraine's Defence Forces have hit a total of 16 clusters of Russian personnel, two radar stations and one artillery system. Support UP or become our patron! Man accused of selling drugs to students in what CCSDPD calls Stash and Dash LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Clark County School District police arrested a man accused of selling drugs to children using social media, with these sales allegedly happening in public at schools, playgrounds, and parks. Christian Sambrano was taken into custody in March, according to court records. Hes facing two charges, including contributing to delinquency/neglect of a minor. Christian Sambrano (CCSDPD/KLAS) His public Instagram page shows him with guns and cash, and it was his social media activity that helped lead to his arrest, police said. Outlined in court documents, officers with the Clark County School District Police Department described what Sambrano was doing as a Stash and Dash. According to police, Sambrano would create a scavenger hunt, hiding marijuana or other drugs at several places and then make kids find it, advertising it on social media. Police identified nine locations, all within the same vicinity, where the alleged sales happened including: Essex Circle Park Rotary Park Clark High School Western High School Ed Fountain Park Lorenzi Park Meadows Mall Cashman Middle School Griffith Elementary School CCSDPD seized three guns from Sambrano and more than 200 rounds of ammo. Investigators executed a search warrant on Sambranos Instagram page and discovered at least four current CCSD students engaged in buying drugs from him, according to court documents. It is so important that we work as a community to keep our children safe, North Las Vegas Chief of Police Jacqueline Gravatt said. Last week, several law enforcement agencies discussed safety as kids head into summer break. Your local law enforcement agencies work together collaboratively by sharing information and resources, and its for the better good of this community because our number one priority number one priority is public safety, Gravatt said. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department has a gang unit that has a CCSDPD officer on staff, as they are all trying to crack down on this type of activity. As a parent, I understand its important to know what your children are doing, what theyre looking at on social media, and who they are hanging out with, LVMPD Deputy Chief Brenden Clarkson said. The main message law enforcement wanted to get across is if you see something, say something. Sambrano is scheduled to appear in court on July 15. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Man arrested at Lancaster County McDonalds after trying to meet minor for sex; police LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) A man was arrested Sunday at a Lancaster County McDonalds after police say he agreed to meet up with a young girl to have sex with. Matthew Martinez, 30, of Lancaster, allegedly admitted that he was at the fast-food restaurant to have sex with the minor and he sent her sexual messages, according to the filed criminal complaint by Lancaster City Police. The charging documents say Martinez sent sexual messages to the girl on Facebook in April, even after she told him her age. Martinez also asked the girl to send multiple inappropriate photos of herself naked, police said. Thats fine with me I do want u to stay with me, Martinez messaged the girl after she told him she was 13, the complaint states. Police were called to the McDonalds on W King Street around 5 p.m. and saw Martinez standing outside waiting for the girl. He was then taken into custody. Carlisle woman arrested after man stabbed at local hotel When he was interviewed by police, Martinez admitted to sending sexual messages and police say they found the texts on his phone. Martinez faces multiple felony charges such as corruption of minors, unlawful contact with minor, photograph/film/depict on computer sex act, criminal use of a communication facility, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a person less than 16 years of age and criminal solicitation. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now abc27 Evening Newsletter Martinez is in Lancaster County Prison on bail that is set at $100,000 and has a preliminary hearing scheduled for May 30. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. Man arrested for murder after shooting at large house party in Utah COALVILLE, Utah (ABC4) A man is facing a murder charge after a shooting at a large house party in Coalville, the Summit County Sheriffs Office said. Manuel A Pimentel Gonzales, 23, was arrested on suspicion of murder (first-degree felony); purchase, transfer, possess, use of a firearm by a restricted person (third-degree felony); and felony discharge of a firearm shoot in direction of person (third-degree felony), his affidavit states. READ NEXT: Body found near Snowbird resort after search for overdue skier In the affidavit, Summit County deputies said they were dispatched on reports of shots fired at a large house party on Lower Bowl Road. There were more than 300 people on the propertys 7,000 square feet over 444 acres of land, although deputies said many were leaving as they arrived because of the shooting. Multiple people were located in the vicinity and were hiding in a vehicle as rounds were flying through the air, the affidavit states. During initial investigations, authorities reportedly found more than 29 40mm and 9mm casings. Video surveillance was also located, which revealed a man later identified as Pimentel-Gonzales retrieve a firearm out of a white BMW SUV. The firearm looked like an AK-47 style rifle but smaller in size, the affidavit states. Pimentel-Gonzales allegedly pointed the firearm toward the side of the building and deputies said shots could be heard over the surveillance. When you hear shots on the video you can see Manuel retrieve back to the white BMW vehicle and walk up to the front of it. He then hands the firearm to another male as he walks away around the vehicle, the affidavit states. Detectives said Pimentel-Gonzales was struck by one of the bullets and was transported to an area hospital. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Man arrested for throwing Molotov cocktail at neighbors home, barricading himself inside residence for hours MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) A man was arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail at a neighbors home before barricading himself inside a home for hours. The Murfreesboro Police Department said the incident started at around 4 p.m. Monday, May 20, at a home on Evanback Court. North Nashville neighbors concerned for safety after gun battle in street Domonique Merriweather, 38, allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at a neighbors home and then assaulted two other neighbors before barricading himself inside a home, according to investigators. Evanback Court incident (Source: Murfreesboro Police Department) Evanback Court incident (Source: Murfreesboro Police Department) Evanback Court incident (Source: Murfreesboro Police Department) Domonique Merriweather (Source: Murfreesboro Police Department) When officers arrived at the home, they found a package on the front porch wrapped in duct tape and backed away as a precaution. Authorities eventually deployed tear gas to get Merriweather to come out of the home. | READ MORE | Latest headlines from Murfreesboro and Rutherford County Police said Merriweather walked out of the home with his hands in the air shortly before 8 p.m. He was arrested and is currently being held in the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center on a $210,000 bond. Merriweather is facing multiple charges, including felony reckless endangerment, coercion of a witness, prohibited weapons (explosive device) and two counts of assault. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Man charged with murdering woman in Columbus might have been romantically linked to victim A man charged with murder in the death of a 30-year-old woman in Columbus in April pleaded not guilty Tuesday morning in Columbus Recorders Court. Tobias Gibson has been charged with murder, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in the death of Jakesa Josey who was killed in a shooting on April 15 in the 800 block of Morris Road, according to police. Columbus Police Detective Chris Snipes told the court that responding officers found Josey in a camper trailer in a lot in the area dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Snipes said witnesses stated that Josey and Gibson had been involved in an intimate relationship but had recently broken up. Video retrieved from the lot showed a suspect approach Joseys bedroom window and look inside, walk away only to return a few moments later. Video showed the suspect firing approximately 14 rounds from outside the trailer and into the window, killing Josey, according to Snipes. Snipes said he was later able to locate a witness who saw Gibson at 800 Morris Road approximately three minutes prior to the time stamp on the video from the security camera from the lot. The witness said they saw Gibson with a pistol and saw him walking toward the lot where Joseys trailer was located, according to Snipes. Snipes said the witness identified Gibson in a six-person photo line-up and recognized the clothing from the security video as the same clothing he saw Gibson wearing prior to the shooting. Judge David Ranieri found probable cause and bound the case over to Superior Court. MIDDLE VILLAGE, Queens (PIX11) A man who spent several years in prison for the death of a 14-year-old girl before being exonerated and set free has now been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old man in Queens, authorities said Tuesday. Dante Hunter, 25, and Shamel Capers, 26, have both been indicted in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Joshua Taylor in Middle Village in July 2023, according to the Queens District Attorneys Office. Hunter was charged with murder, and Capers was charged with attempted murder in Taylors death, authorities said. Taylor was shot and killed at 79-28 Metropolitan Ave. on July 23. Before the shooting occurred, a friend of Taylors threw a drink toward Capers and Capers friend after they exited a nearby convenience store, which led to an argument, according to the Queens District Attorneys Office. Ty did this: Woman IDs ex-boyfriend as her killer before dying Hunter joined Capers, and the argument escalated after several minutes, authorities said. Hunter allegedly pulled out a gun and a four-way shootout occurred. Taylor was caught in the crossfire and fatally shot by Hunter, according to the Queens District Attorneys Office. A 21-year-old man was also shot and wounded in the arm, police said. Hunter, whos from Queens, was already in custody on a parole warrant when he was indicted in Taylors death, according to authorities. Capers, who lives in Hackensack, was arrested last Thursday in New Jersey and extradited to New York, authorities said. Police identified Capers using surveillance video and by tracking his credit and debit card use right before the shooting, according to the Queens District Attorneys Office. Capers was allegedly seen on surveillance video firing a gun, which his attorney denied in court Tuesday. Damone Miller, a 21-year-old from Brooklyn, has also been charged with attempted murder in connection with the shooting, according to the NYPD. Hunter faces up to 25 years to life in prison and Capers faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted, authorities said. Capers previously spent eight years in prison in connection with the 2013 murder of 14-year-old Daja Robinson before being exonerated in the case in 2022. Robinson was riding a bus home from a Sweet 16 party when she was shot and killed. Capers was one of two men who were convicted in Robinsons death, but evidence later proved that the other man was the sole shooter, prosecutors said. Capers mother said his family continues to stand by her son, who has been unjustly railroaded by the legal system before. A rush to judgment led to his previous wrongful conviction for a crime he did not commit resulting in his unjust imprisonment for over eight years, beginning when he was just a teenager. History is tragically repeating itself, Capers mother said in a statement. Shamel intends to vigorously defend himself in court and I pray he is given a fair chance this time to clear his name. Finn Hoogensen is a digital journalist who has covered local news for more than five years. He has been with PIX11 News since 2022. See more of his work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. Man gets 15 years in prison after Zanesville teacher was fatally hit with stolen truck ZANESVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) A 45-year-old man will serve at least 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a Zanesville school teacher with a stolen truck. Colt Lightfoot pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, grand theft and grand theft of a motor vehicle, burglary, receiving stolen property, and breaking and entering, according to the Muskingum County Prosecutors Office. City Council enacts anti-violence ordinances after five killed over two days Lightfoot was sentenced to 15 years in prison and received a lifetime suspension of his drivers license in connection to the death of 71-year-old Gary Frey. The prosecutors office said that the incident occurred on May 13 when Lightfoot was driving a stolen truck on U.S. Route 40 and hit Frey as he was driving a motorcycle. Lightfoot is alleged to have not yielded to traffic while turning left and fleeing the scene. Medics arrived on the freeway and transported Frey who the prosecutors office said was a school teacher for more than 40 years to a local hospital. He was pronounced dead at the hospital. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Man injured in Russian May 17 attack on Kharkiv Oblast dies in hospital A 53-year-old man injured in a Russian strike on the village of Lyptsi in Kharkiv Oblast on May 17 died in the hospital, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said on May 21. Lyptsi, a village 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the Russian border and around 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the embattled town of Vovchansk, reportedly came under Russian attack amid Moscow's offensive in the region. The strike with a multiple rocket launcher damaged a house and injured the man, Syniehubov said. Russian forces launched new offensive operations in the north of Kharkiv Oblast on May 10, exposing Kharkiv and a number of border settlements in the region to heavy attacks. Seven people reportedly suffered from shock after Russia attacked Ukraine's second-largest city with drones and missiles on May 21. Russian troops also attacked a recreation center in a northern suburb of Kharkiv on May 19, killing seven civilians, including a pregnant woman, and wounding 28, the local authorities said. Read also: 48 hours in Kharkiv, Ukraines most-bombed major city Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. David Folker was convicted in 2013 for the second-degree murder of his former partner Ann Marie Shirran in 2010. (CBC - image credit) David Folker, a man who killed the mother of his child 14 years ago and hid her body in a wooded area in eastern Newfoundland, is allowed to leave prison temporarily on "extensive" escorted absences. The Parole Board of Canada said Folker has been granted three different types of escorted temporary absences when an inmate can leave a correctional institution accommodated by one or more escorts for family contact, personal development and community services. It is unclear how long the absences are, though the board says they are "of limited duration." In a decision dated May 14, the board said Folker can leave prison on 46 different occasions over the next year, but must report any intimate sexual and non-sexual relationships and friendships with females to his parole supervisor. Folker was convicted in 2013 for the second-degree murder of his common law partner, Ann Marie Shirran and sentenced to life in prison, without chance of parole for 15 years. Folker reported Shirran, 32, the mother of his young son, missing in July 2010, sparking a significant search and police investigation which would later focus on Folker himself. Shirran's remains were discovered two months later in an isolated area just outside of Cappahayden, on Newfoundland's Southern Shore. "She had expressed a desire to end the relationship, and you killed her following an argument," the parole board decision said. Folker admitted to killing Shirran on Day 1 of his highly-publicized trial three years later but argued for a conviction of manslaughter. He was sentenced to life in prison without chance of full parole for 15 years. Ann Marie Shirran is pictured in an undated photo. Ann Marie Shirran is pictured in an undated photo. (Facebook) Folker has undergone several assessments since his incarceration, including the most recent in November 2022 which found his risk for committing violent behaviours in his first year upon release is low, but risk of future spousal assault is elevated. A 2014 assessment indicated a "high imminent risk of violence toward a partner and a low imminent risk of violence toward others." The Correctional Service of Canada said Folker was "very resentful towards your spouse" and that "your offences were not impulsive, but were said to be planned and manipulative." The board wrote that Folker completed several programs while incarcerated and his "institutional behaviour is said to be impeccable." The board ultimately granted Folker, who was originally from Nova Scotia, four visits to his mother's home for up to 10 hours, including travel time, with a "non-security" escort. He was also granted 18 absences to attend a "positive lifestyle program in the community," and 12 personal development absences to attend Buddhist functions. He's also been granted six absences for "resocialization purposes through a variety of outings at shopping centres, charitable organizations, restaurants, and other locations," and two other community absences of 12 hours each. Speaking to high school students During these absences Folker will attend a positive lifestyles program offered by the Salvation Army and speak to high school students about his "experiences." "The board believes that all of these [escorted temporary absences] will further your ability to reintegrate the community via a gradual and structured release," the decision said. "They offer you the ability to make positive contacts in the community as you build towards an eventual day parole release." The board said Folker will be under close supervision and that they believe his risk is manageable under the proposed release plans. The board noted that Shirran's family members who presented victim impact statements are opposed to his conditional release. However, the board found he is a low risk for "violent recidivism." Folker also has convictions for causing death by criminal negligence when he drove drunk and caused the death of another person. He was later convicted of mischief. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page. At the invitation of Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council Ding Xuexiang, Malaysias Deputy Prime Minister I and Minister of Rural and Regional Development Dato Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi will pay an official visit to China from May 22 to June 1. At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Special Advisor to the President of Brazil Celso Amorim will visit China from May 22 to 29. At the invitation of Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea will visit China from May 23 to 25. Peoples Daily: Lately, leaders of many countries and international organizations reaffirmed their commitment to the one-China principle and support for Chinas reunification. Can you give us more details and whats your comment? Wang Wenbin: Over the past few weeks, leaders of many countries and international organizations have reaffirmed the commitment to the just cause of upholding the one-China principle, which shows that upholding the one-China principle is where global opinion trends. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that Kazakhstan is firmly committed to the one-China principle and this position will never change. President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that the elections in the Taiwan region are Chinas internal affair and other countries have no right to interfere or point fingers at it. He stressed once again that Uzbekistans commitment to firmly upholding the one-China principle will never waver. President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov expressed firm support for China on issues concerning Taiwan, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Xizang. Pakistans President Asif Ali Zardari said Pakistan firmly upholds the one-China principle and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory, which is beyond any doubt. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro noted there is but one China in the world and in the UN-centered international system. This is a fact that is beyond doubt. Any attempt to undermine the one-China principle is doomed to failure. Kiribati President and Foreign Minister Taneti Maamau stated support for the right position that China upholds on ensuring national reunification, sovereignty and territorial integrity and Kiribatis commitment to UNGA Resolution 2758. The 33rd Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit Level adopted a resolution reaffirming the commitment to the one-China principle. The Prime Minister of Guyana Mark Phillips noted he does not support Taiwan in joining any international organization that requires sovereign statehood or participating in international conferences. The Prime Minister of Tonga Huakavameiliku said Tonga is committed to the one-China principle and firmly supports UNGA Resolution 2758. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that on the Taiwan question, Russia supports China in realizing national reunification and this position is very clear. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Marko Djuric said Serbia has only one policy on the Taiwan question, that is the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the friendly and brotherly China is inviolable. Serbia firmly supports the one-China principle, recognizes China within its full borders and believes that how to resolve issues including the Taiwan question is Chinas own affair. Sri Lankas Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardana, Botswanas Speaker of the National Assembly Phandu Tombola Chaka Skelemani, Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith, Office of the Palestinian President, Irans Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization, Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Executive Director of the South Centre and Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization openly reaffirmed their commitment to upholding the one-China principle, following the UNGA Resolution 2758 and opposing all forms of Taiwan independence separatism. As Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi pointed out, the one-China principle cannot be violated, separatist attempts for Taiwan independence are doomed to fail and the general trend of Chinas reunification is irreversible. Each time Taiwan independence separatists make waves, it reinforces the global consensus that the one-China principle must be upheld and garners understanding and support for Chinas positiona good example of the old Chinese adage a just cause enjoys the support of many. The abiding commitment of the international community to the one-China principle is unshakable and the trend of the history of China realizing complete reunification is unstoppable. Anyone trying to challenge the one-China principle and hinder Chinas reunification is attempting the impossible and will only wreck their own reputation. AFP: A US congressional investigation released yesterday found that automakers including the BMW had purchased parts from a Chinese manufacturer that is accused of participating in forced labor in Xinjiang. Whats Chinas comment? Wang Wenbin: The so-called US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act does not prevent forced labor, but creates forced unemployment. The act does not protect human rights, but undermines the right to subsistence, employment and development of people in Xinjiang in the name of human rights. The act might as well be called the most notorious and egregious law against human rights in the 21st century. This act not only imposes illegal sanctions on Chinese companies, but also forces companies around the world to join in the US attempt to contain and suppress China in the name of compliance and tries to create a coalition for economic coercion. This is a deliberate US action to serve its selfish agenda at the expense of international economic and trade rules and industrial and supply chains. This is bullying and double standard at its worst. This is an attempt to reverse human development. China strongly condemns and opposes it, and will resolutely defend the lawful rights and interests of Chinese companies. Bloomberg: China and the US held the first meeting of government talks on AI in Geneva last week. How were the talks on AI going? What are the next steps? Did the talks produce any ground-breaking outcome? Wang Wenbin: Both sides have released readouts on the talks. Let me stress that China upholds the principles of a people-centered approach and the development of AI for the good of humanity. We put equal emphasis on development and security, and work to ensure that AI is a force for good and ensure safety and fairness. We stand ready to work with the US to step up exchanges and cooperation on AI, explore ways to harness its benefits for sustainable development and have communication on risk mitigation. Hubei Media Group: We noted lawmakers and former political figures from a handful of countries that have diplomatic relations with China attended the inauguration ceremony of Lai Ching-te or sent congratulations to Lai. Whats Chinas comment? Wang Wenbin: China strongly opposes official interaction of any form between Chinas Taiwan region and countries that have diplomatic relations with China. This position is consistent and clear. The wrongful words and actions of a handful of countries and political figures violate the one-China principle and basic norms governing international relations, constitute blatant interference in Chinas internal affairs, undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China, and damage the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. China strongly condemns those words and actions. The one-China principle is the political foundation and prerequisite for China to grow ties with other countries. The definition of the one-China principle is very clear, that is, there is but one China in the world, Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory, and the Government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. We ask relevant countries and politicians to stop their political manipulation on the Taiwan question, stop sending any wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatists, and stop those wrongdoings that breach its credibility among the international community and hollow out the one-China principle. As I have said, over the past few days, political leaders and people from various sectors in many countries have reaffirmed their commitment to the one-China principle and firm support for Chinas just cause of opposing Taiwan independence separatism and striving for national reunification. The world has spoken up for justice. This once again demonstrates that the international communitys abiding commitment to the one-China principle is unshakable, the one-China principle must not be violated and the historical trend of Chinas reunification cannot be reversed. To use Taiwan to contain China is to play with fire and will definitely backfire. China will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its interests. China News Service: China just announced the visit to China by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Chenda Sophea. Can you share with us more on this visit? Whats Chinas expectation for this visit? Wang Wenbin: China and Cambodia have traditionally been close neighbors and iron-clad friends, and have stayed at the forefront of building a community with a shared future. Since last year, President Xi Jinping has met with King Norodom Sihamoni and Prime Minister Hun Manet, and maintained strategic communication with Samdech Techo Hun Sen, ushering in a new era of building a high-quality, high-level and high-standard China-Cambodia community with a shared future. The two sides have signed the new action plan on building a community with a shared future, enriched the diamond hexagon bilateral cooperation framework, and made positive progress on the building of the industrial development corridor and the fish and rice corridor. Last month, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Cambodia and co-chaired the Seventh Meeting of the China-Cambodia Intergovernmental Coordination Committee. The two sides reached important consensus on deepening the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future. After becoming Cambodias Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sok Chenda Sophea has expressed his wish to choose China as the destination of his first outbound visit. China appreciates this. Chinese leader will meet with him. Foreign Minister Wang Yi will hold talks with him and the two of them will have exchange of views on implementing the consensus reached by leaders of the two countries, deepening China-Cambodia comprehensive strategic cooperation, and international and regional issues of mutual interest. China hopes that through this visit, the two sides will make more substantive and solid progress in the building of a China-Cambodia community with a shared future in the new era, bring more benefits to the two peoples, and contribute to the peace, stability and development of the region and the world. AFP: Yesterday, a prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) sought arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister and senior leaders of Hamas for alleged war crimes. Although China is not a member state of the ICC, whats Chinas comment on its decision? Wang Wenbin: We have noted relevant reports. We want to stress that the international community has overwhelming consensus on the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and ending the humanitarian crisis suffered by the Palestinians. The collective punishment of the Palestinian people should not continue any longer. On the question of Palestine, China always stands on the side of fairness and justice and on the side of international law. We support all efforts by the international community for a full, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine. We hope the ICC will maintain an objective and just position and lawfully perform its duties. CRI: Could you share more details on Foreign Minister Wang Yis visit to Kazakhstan? Wang Wenbin: On May 20, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi paid an official visit to Kazakhstan. Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Kazakhstans President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and held talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Murat Nurtleu. The two foreign ministers signed a protocol with revisions of and supplements to the agreement on establishing the China-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee and met the press together. Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that under the personal guidance and efforts of President Xi Jinping and President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, China and Kazakhstan forged a permanent comprehensive strategic partnership and, on that basis, decided to build a China-Kazakhstan community with a shared future, which have set the bar even higher, opened up new prospects and injected new impetus for bilateral relations. China stands ready to work with Kazakhstan to focus on implementing the common understandings reached by the two presidents, carry forward our traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation, and bring benefits to the two countries and peoples. Kazakhstan firmly upholds the one-China principle and supports Chinas opposition to Taiwan independence separatism and effort to achieve national reunification as early as possible. This is much appreciated by China. China will, as always, support Kazakhstan in safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and oppose any interference in Kazakhstans internal affairs. The Kazakhstan side noted that Kazakhstan is a good partner that China can always trust. Strengthening friendship with China is a priority in Kazakhstans foreign policy. The deep friendship between the two presidents is an engine for Kazakhstan-China friendship and cooperation, and has guided bilateral relations into another golden 30 years. Kazakhstan stands ready to work with China to strive for the sustained and fast growth of bilateral relations in the spirit of good-neighborliness, friendship and mutual respect. The Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by President Xi are conducive to global security and sustainable development. Kazakhstan commends and actively supports the three initiatives. Kazakhstan is firmly committed to the one-China principle and this position will never change. Both sides are of the view that the Kazakhstan-China relations have followed the prevailing trend of the times. Our ever-lasting friendship, high-level mutual trust, and commitment to sharing weal and woe together have come to define our bilateral relations. The two countries agreed to continue to draw on the complementarity of each others industrial and market advantages, conduct high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, and create more favorable conditions to step up cooperation in China-Europe freight trains. Both sides believe that China-Kazakhstan people-to-people and cultural cooperation enjoys bright prospects and will make full use of Luban Workshop, Confucius Institute and other platforms, speed up the establishment of cultural centers in each others countries and build closer bonds and amity between the two peoples. Both sides commended the success of the China-Central Asia Summit in Xian. With the Secretariat of the China-Central Asia mechanism launched in Xian, we look to work with other Central Asian countries to strengthen the mechanism, make it a success, and provide a strong boost to building a closer China-Central Asia community with a shared future. Both sides stressed the importance to uphold the international system with the UN at its core and the international order underpinned by international law, implement the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative, unequivocally oppose unilateralism, hegemonism and bullying, and make global governance more just and equitable. Reuters: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has congratulated Taiwans new leader. Does the Ministry have any comment on this? Wang Wenbin: What the US has done seriously violates the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and breaches its political commitment to maintaining only cultural, commercial, and other unofficial relations with the Taiwan region. This sends a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces. China deplores and opposes it, and has made serious protests to the US. There is but one China in the world. Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinas territory. The Taiwan question is at the very core of Chinas core interests and is the first red line that must not be crossed in China-US relations. China firmly opposes official interaction in any form between Taiwan and the US and opposes US interference in Taiwan affairs in any form or under any pretext. We urge the US to correct its wrongdoing at once, act on President Bidens commitment of not supporting Taiwan independence, two Chinas or one China, one Taiwan and not using Taiwan as a tool to contain China, stop fudging and hollowing out the one-China principle, stop emboldening and supporting Taiwan independence separatist forces in any form and stop disrupting peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan independence leads nowhere and anyone who connives at and supports Taiwan independence is doomed to failure. No external interference can hold back the trend toward Chinas reunification. Any attempt to challenge the one-China principle and endanger Chinas national sovereignty and territorial integrity will be met with Chinas resolute response. Beijing Youth Daily: Recently, Taiwans foreign affairs department issued a statement protesting the mainlands condemnation over the Taiwan authorities bribery of Guatemalan leaders and officials in exchange for political support. Whats your comment? Wang Wenbin: The facts and evidence on DPP authorities dollar diplomacy with Guatemala are clear and solid. Guatemalas former president openly admitted that when in office, he had received bribery from the Taiwan authorities in exchange for maintaining so-called diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Last year, Taiwans hospital project in Guatemala was involved in a corruption case. Relevant Guatemalan officials were put into jail. This is just one example of the Taiwan authorities dollar diplomacy. No matter how angrily they protest or try to deny it, the fact that they sought political support through dollar diplomacy will not change. Around the world, 183 countries have established diplomatic ties with China. That proves the DPP authorities reckless pursuit of Taiwan independence and secession to be futile and self-deceptive. Whatever the DPP authorities does, it will not shake the one-China principle, and will not hinder the unstoppable trend toward Chinas reunification. We hope that Guatemala and the very few other countries will come to recognize where the trend leads and make the right decision soon. Global Times: Last week, the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States at the Summit Level was held in Bahrain. The session adopted the Bahrain Declaration and relevant statement with a focus on the Palestinian question which emphasized Arab states unified position on the Palestinian question, and commended China for supporting Arab states position on the question of Palestine. Whats Chinas comment? Wang Wenbin: China noted that the 33rd Ordinary Session of the Council of the League of Arab States focused on the Palestinian-Israeli issue and adopted relevant declaration and statement. The session called for implementing the two-State solution and convening an international peace conference, supported reconciliation among different factions of Palestine, and called on the international community and influential international powers to transcend political calculations and double standards in dealing with international crises. China commends the session for that. China supports the Arab states in strengthening solidarity and playing a bigger role on the Palestinian question. We stand ready to work with the Arab states to step up coordination and cooperation, and contribute to cooling down Palestinian-Israeli tensions and bringing the Palestinian question back to the right track of the two-State solution. Dragon TV: Its reported that the current Dominican President and candidate of the Modern Revolutionary Party Luis Abinader won the presidential election and is headed to a second term. Whats Chinas comment and expectation of the future of Chinas relations with the Dominican Republic? Wang Wenbin: China expresses hearty congratulations to President Abinader on his reelection. We believe under his leadership, the Dominican Republic will achieve new progress in socioeconomic development. Over the past six years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and the Dominican Republic have maintained positive momentum in growing bilateral relations, deepened friendship between the two peoples, and had fruitful practical cooperation in various fields. China highly values its friendship with the Dominican Republic and stands ready to work with the new Dominican government led by President Abinader to enhance political mutual trust, expand practical cooperation and let the relations between our two countries bear more fruitful results. CCTV: Its reported that on May 20, the UKs High Court ruled that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange can continue appealing his extradition. Whats your comment? Wang Wenbin: People care about the fate of Julian Assange, because his case tells the world what US-style press freedom actually meansrewarding those who disclose what other countries have done and punishing those who expose the US wrongdoings. Frankly speaking, for the US, freedom of pressjust like democracy and human rightsis just another tool to go after dissidents and perpetuate US supremacy. This is what the Assange case has taught us. Julian Assange may have won this round of battle against US hegemony. But will he win in the end? The world will be watching. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Tax incentives will be applied in Azerbaijan in connection with the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), Trend reports via the proposed amendment to the Tax Code, discussed at a session of the Azerbaijani parliament. According to the amendment, based on a confirming document from the authority designated by the relevant executive authority, the income of non-resident individuals involved in the supply of goods, performance of work, and provision of services in connection with COP29 will be exempt from income tax for nine months starting on March 1, 2024. After the discussion, the amendment was put to a vote and passed in the third reading. To note, this November, Azerbaijan will host COP29. This decision was made at the COP28 plenary meeting held in Dubai on December 11 last year. Baku will become the center of the world and will receive about 7080,000 foreign guests. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is an agreement signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 to prevent dangerous human interference with the climate system. The COPthe Conference of the Partiesis the highest legislative body overseeing the implementation of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. There are 198 countries that are parties to the Convention. Unless the parties agree otherwise, the COP is held annually. The first COP event took place in March 1995 in Berlin, and its secretariat is located in Bonn. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A man seeking revenge for his stolen iPhone set fire to the wrong house. He pleaded guilty to killing an innocent family of 5. The house where five immigrants from Senegal were found dead after an August 2020 fire in Denver. Thomas Peipert/AP Photo A Colorado man pleaded guilty to killing a family by setting their home on fire in 2020. He wanted revenge after his iPhone was stolen but targeted the wrong house, investigators said. Five people, including two young children, were killed in the blaze. A Colorado man set a house in Denver on fire in 2020, thinking he was avenging the theft of his iPhone. But he targeted the wrong house. He pleaded guilty last week to killing an uninvolved family who lived there. Kevin Bui, 20, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts of second-degree murder, Denver's district attorney's office said in a post on X. Bui, who was 16 at the time of the fire on August 5, 2020, was prosecuted as an adult. An arrest affidavit said Bui's iPhone was stolen during a drug deal. Investigators said in the affidavit that Bui intended to set fire to the house of those who robbed him. According to testimony in the trial, NBC News reported, Bui had used an app to track his stolen iPhone. However, investigators said in the affidavit that Bui somehow identified the wrong property and instead set alight the home of a Senegalese immigrant family. The fire resulted in the deaths of five people, including a 21-month-old child and a 6-month-old baby. NBC News reported that as part of a plea deal, Bui had 60 other charges against him, including first-degree murder and arson, dropped. He faces 60 years in prison, Denver's district attorney's office said, with sentencing scheduled for July 2. Bui is the last of three people to enter a plea in connection to the fire. Dillon Siebert, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder under a plea deal, was sentenced last year to three years in juvenile detention and seven years in a state prison program for young inmates. Gavin Seymour was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty in March to a count of second-degree murder, The Denver Post reported. The Washington Post reported last year that while apps such as Find My can be incredibly accurate, they're not entirely reliable. In 2022, a SWAT team in Denver wrongly raided the home of a 77-year-old woman while searching for a truck with stolen guns and an iPhone. According to The Washington Post, a lawyer for the woman said that police relied on the Find My app, which ultimately led them to the wrong address. In March, the woman was awarded $3.76 million by a jury for the bungled raid. Read the original article on Business Insider GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A Grand Haven man is headed to federal prison after sexually abusing a 4-year-old and recording it, prosecutors say. Brian Stefono, 55, was sentenced to 27 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a Monday release. Federal investigators say Stefono assaulted the child at a home in Grand Haven and produced multiple videos that depicted the sexual assaults. A cloud storage provider found child pornography on Stefonos accounts and flagged authorities, they say. When federal agents searched Stefonos home, they say, they found child porn and the videos he made. Stefono was charged in June of last year and ultimately pleaded guilty in the case. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. An East Alton, Illinois, man appeared in Madison County Circuit Court on Tuesday and was sentenced for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot. In April, Lorenzo D. Miller, 42, was convicted of solicitation of murder and obstructing justice after a three-day trial. Prosecutors said Miller requested an acquaintance shoot his ex-girlfriend after she broke up with him. The shooting happened on March 26, 2023, on Brown Street in Alton. Several shots rang through the house. One bullet strafed a sweater worn by a friend of the victim, lightly grazing her torso. Days after the shooting, the ex-girlfriends van was torched outside her home. She feared someone was trying to lure her outside to kill her, prosecutors said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News Alton police used license plate readers to identify a vehicle with Missouri license plates in the vicinity at both the time of the shooting and the fire. That vehicle belonged to Millers acquaintance, later identified as Vernon McIntosh, 38. Police also acquired phone data showing both Miller and McIntosh were communicating in the minutes before and after the shooting. Miller was sentenced to 29 years for solicitation of murder and three years for obstructing justice. The sentences will run concurrently. McIntosh was charged with attempted first-degree murder, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and arson. He is still awaiting trial. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A man accused of leading deputies on a chase in a stolen Dodge Challenger was sentenced Tuesday to three years and eight months in prison, according to court records. Jelani Green, 19, pleaded no contest last month to carjacking and carrying a loaded gun without registration, records show. Five other felony counts were dismissed. Kern deputy pleads no contest to DUI, child endangerment In February, the Kern County Sheriffs Office was notified of a stolen vehicle spotted on Q and 34th streets. Deputies found the car a 2019 Dodge Challenger at the intersection of Union Avenue and Flower Street and tried to pull it over. The car fled and merged onto westbound Highway 178, according to sheriffs officials. A chase ensued. The Dodge hit another vehicle and a Kern County Public Works truck then struck a pole on 23rd and K streets, officials said. Two people Green and a juvenile bolted from the car but were arrested soon after. Officials said the two were suspected of crimes in the Los Angeles area. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17. Man shot and charged with assault after fight with neighbor in Atlanta A man was shot and charged after a fight involving a neighbor. Atlanta police said on Monday, officers were called out to Summit Creek Drive about a person shot. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] They arrived at the location and found a man in his 40s who had been shot. Police said he was taken to the hospital with a non-life-threatening injury. Police said he was involved in a confrontation with a neighbor before to the shooting. The shooter stayed at the scene and cooperated with investigators. TRENDING STORIES: Investigators determined the shooting was in self-defense. The shooter was released and the person who was shot has been charged with aggravated assault. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Man shot by officer formally charged after point air rifle at Huber Heights police The man shot by a Huber Heights officer after pointing an AR15-style rifle at police has been formally charged. >>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Charges approved for man shot by Huber Heights officer after pointing air rifle at police Kenneth Haught, 42, is facing one count each of felonious assault, failure to comply with the order or signal of a police officer, tampering with evidence, assault on a peace officer, and obstructing official business, according to the Montgomery County Prosecutors Office. He was indicted Monday by a Montgomery County Grand Jury. >>RELATED: Officer who shot man who pointed rifle at police was involved in shooting just over a year ago Haught was involved in a road rage incident and chased another vehicle, the prosecutors office said. He allegedly chased another vehicle to Huber Heights and shot out the window of that car. The vehicles ended up at a Shell Station where Haught is accused of ramming the other car, the prosecutors office stated. Huber Heights police responded, the defendant fled, and a pursuit began. >>RELATED: Police: Man points AR15-style rifle at officers before being shot in Huber Heights As News Center 7 previously reported, Haught was shot by Officer Shawn Waler on Sunday after being chased by police following a road rage incident. A victim accused Haught of firing shots at his car and ramming into his car. When stopped in a yard next to a home on Taylorsville Road, Haught was seen on police video getting out of his car and pointing an AR15-style rifle at officers. At that point, he was shot by Waler. >>ORIGINAL COVERAGE: Suspect hospitalized after being shot by officer in Huber Heights Police said that the weapon that he had was a DPMS Full Auto SBR Air Rifle. Waler, a 19-year veteran of the force, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the investigations by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Huber Heights Police. Haught is in Montgomery County Jail on a $10 million bond, the prosecutors office said. His next court appearance is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. In April 2024, during Passover, a group of American rabbis approached a border crossing in Israel. Affiliated with Rabbis for Ceasefire, the group joined Jewish Israeli activists attempting to deliver food to Gazans. It had been seven months since Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, attack and Israels subsequent assault on Gaza. One of the American rabbis told reporters at Democracy Now! that this was the only way she could imagine marking Passover, a holiday that celebrates the story of liberation from oppression and slavery. Marching to the gates of Gaza with food for starving Palestinians was consistent with Passovers imperative to invite the hungry to every table. As of April 2, 62% of American Jews believe Israel has responded to Hamas attack in an acceptable way. Yet that support drops to 52% among U.S. Jews ages 18-34, with 42% saying Israels response has been unacceptable, according to Pew Research Center polling. Many of those young people are involved in the variety of Jewish organizations that have mobilized for a cease-fire since October, such as IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace. Public attention has focused on campus protests, which included many Jewish students I am a member of Faculty for Justice in Palestine, which formed in response to concerns about freedom of speech for U.S. students mobilizing for Palestinian rights. But as a peace and religion scholar, I know that some U.S. Jews involvement in Palestinian solidarity movements began years before the current war. In my ethnographic research, which included in-depth interviews and participant observation work, activists emphasized that they were inspired to act because of their Jewish identity and values, not in spite of them. American and Israeli rabbis from Rabbis for Ceasefire march toward the Gaza Strip with food aid for civilians during Passover on April 26, 2024. AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo Journey toward activism Many interviewees came to activism for Palestinian rights after wrestling with how to square their beliefs and ideals with the reality of Israeli policies they do not support policies that they feel are often invoked in their name. My 2019 book, Days of Awe, examines American Jewish critics of Israeli policy and Zionism support for a Jewish state in the Middle East. Some activists focused on the Palestinian territories Israel has occupied since 1967, which they consider a departure from the countrys ideals as a Jewish democracy. Others found themselves in complete disagreement with the idea of Zionism, given how the creation of the new state necessitated Palestinian displacement. Their activism has taken different shapes: from protests in the West Bank against the occupation, to forming anti-Zionist synagogues in the U.S., to rewriting Jewish liturgy to reflect solidarity with Palestinians and other oppressed people. For example, one interviewee in his mid-20s shared an experience from a 2008 Birthright trip to Israel, a free tour designed to strengthen young Americans connection with the country. The trip coincided with Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, which lasted about three weeks and resulted in about a dozen Israeli deaths, approximately 1,400 Palestinian deaths and thousands of people displaced. A tour guide was reluctant to respond to the young mans questions about the conflict. This prompted the student, upon his return to campus in the U.S., to read about the Palestinian experiences of the Nakba meaning Catastrophe in Arabic of 1948, the year the state of Israel was established, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced off their lands or fled. This interviewee and others say their journeys toward activism began because their understanding of Jewish values was inconsistent with what Israel was doing in the name of Jews safety. It was also a journey of unlearning or critique challenging narratives that emphasize the concept of Jewish return to Israel or that downplay Palestinian displacement. They were tapping into Jewish tradition in new ways what I refer to as critical caretaking. IfNotNow protesting the American-Israel Political Action Committees 2017 conference in Washington, D.C. IfNotNow Movement/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA Take IfNotNow, an American Jewish group opposed to Israels occupation of the Palestinian territories. The movement was born during the 2014 Israel-Hamas War, when a group of young Jews organized a public recitation of the mourners kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead. By reciting both Jewish and Palestinian victims names, they hoped to use Jewish tradition to challenge the devaluation of Palestinian lives. When I asked Rebekah a pseudonym for a college student in the American South whom I interviewed for my book how she understood her Jewishness, she told me: I have always maintained that the basis for my activism was my Jewish ideals, the radical equality I had absorbed at home. Shadow of history For Rebekah and many other American Jews, the cultural memory of the Holocaust, and the common refrain Never Again, inspires their activism for Palestinian rights. Growing up in Hebrew schools, you grow up with the nightmarish Holocaust films, she stressed. The conclusion of this education should have been clear: You cant do it to another group of people! This lesson is reflected in the cry Never again to anyone, heard at demonstrations over the past few months. Another interviewee likewise asserted that her solidarity with Palestinians is grounded in the legacy of the Holocaust: For me, understanding the Holocaust was hard because of the enormity of it it happened because masses of people made a conscious decision to do nothing. I didnt want to do nothing. For these interviewees, discriminatory or violent policies contradict their understanding of Jewish values, which they assert by standing in solidarity with Palestinians. Protesters standing outside the Miami office of U.S. Sen. Rick Scott on Oct. 17, 2023, call for a cease-fire in Gaza. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell Another interviewee told me: I consider myself a spiritual Jew. I am able to separate Zionism from Judaism and I believe in equality. Because I am Jewish, I protest I am informed by values of humanism, which is the main framework for organizing. The experience of doing solidarity work actually strengthened my Jewish identity. My Judaism translates into my commitment to uphold universal humanist values. Here and now In 2017, several dozen Americans gathered with other activists in the southern hills of Hebron, in the West Bank. They established what they called a sumud camp a Palestinian concept denoting steadfastness to protest the Israeli militarys decision to declare the area a closed military zone, meaning Palestinians must leave. The activists wore shirts exclaiming Occupation is Not My Judaism. Occupation, they say, dehumanizes Palestinians and Jews alike so they are seeking their own liberation, too. Therefore, their critical caretaking is not just about underscoring what Judaism is not. It is also about rewriting what they believe Judaism is. For example, many of these organizations decenter Zionisms role in Jewish texts and liturgies. Rather than emphasizing the idea that the Jewish home is in the historical region of Palestine and Israel, some emphasize doykayt, Yiddish for hereness: the concept that Jews true home is wherever they are in the world. Doykayt is just one example of how these activists embrace often-overlooked aspects of Jewish history, including marginalized voices such as Arab Jews and Ethiopian Jews, as they discover new ways to live their Jewish values. Through their activism, they are trying to convey their understanding that Jews cannot be free until Palestinians are free. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Atalia Omer, University of Notre Dame Read more: Atalia Omer is affiliated with the Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine at the University of Notre Dame and Tzedek Chicago. Marital status of former Houston Co. prosecutor could be at forefront of upcoming trial HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala (WDHN) The personal life and marital status of a former Houston County prosecutor accused of soliciting sexual favors and having an online relationship with a past defendant may be brought up during his trial. During Tuesdays hearing, state prosecutors with the Alabama Attorney Generals Office said it is vital that the jury hear about Johnsons marital status to show why he allegedly committed the crimes. However, Johnsons attorneys are fighting against this, saying the jury does not need to hear about Johnsons personal life and the case should focus on his status as an Assistant District Attorney. Assistant Attorney General Kyle Beckman fought against this, saying it would grossly misinform the jury if they did not discuss his marital status. Johnson was married when the alleged crimes occurred. Johnsons legal troubles began after a woman he once prosecuted on drug charges, Jamie Connolly, wrote a letter while she was in jail to a Houston County Judge in 2022, claiming the two had an online relationship the year before. The letter sparked an investigation, which resulted in Johnson being charged with six counts of ethics violations and fired from the Houston County DAs Office Prosecutors claim Connolly was not the only woman he solicited, saying there are multiple female witnesses or defendants with whom he traded favors. Some of those women are set to testify during Johnsons trial, expected to begin on August 19. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. LEONARDTOWN, Md. (DC News Now) Maryland State Police (MSP) said it helped to rescue a hiker who was hurt Monday. Around 12 p.m., emergency workers in St. Marys County asked MSP to assist them in rescuing the person who was about three miles into St. Marys River State Park. Once the helicopter reached the hiker, a state trooper/flight paramedic assessed the hiker and prepared the hiker to be hoisted up. Men wanted for shooting at DC police officer charged with crimes in Prince Georges County The flight crew took the hiker to the University of Maryland Capital Regional Medical Center in Largo, Md. for treatment. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. GUBA, Azerbaijan, May 21. COP29, the next UN climate conference, will be held in Baku in November, and Azerbaijan is committed to protecting the environment Azerbaijan's choice to host COP29 demonstrates its active role in developing global discussions on climate change and sustainable development, Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said during the II Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum in Guba, Trend reports. "We consider important the participation of our Uzbek colleagues at this unique platform in terms of significance, scale, and connection with this event; we once again invite them to Baku," the minister emphasized. To note, the decision to hold COP29 in Azerbaijan was officially announced in Dubai on December 11, 2023. Azerbaijan will host the event in November this year. Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel A Massachusetts man known as Willy Wonka has been indicted on drug charges in New Hampshire, authorities announced Tuesday. William Willy Wonka Rodriguez, 53, of Lawrence, was indicted by a Hillsborough County grand jury on five counts of sale of a controlled drug, including three counts of selling suboxone to a confidential informant and two counts of selling fentanyl to a confidential informant, according to New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella. Formella said Rodriguez was nabbed after an investigation involving his office, the New Hampshire Department of Correction, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Rodriguez will be arraigned in Hillsborough County Superior Court at a later time. There were no additional details immediately available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW We may have just witnessed some of the strongest auroras in 500 years This month's ramped-up auroras may have been even more remarkable than we thought. The auroral displays that wowed observers around the world two weekends ago, including folks as far south as Florida in the U.S. and Ladakh in northern India, may have been among the strongest such light shows since record-keeping began. "With reports of auroras visible to as low as 26 degrees magnetic latitude, this recent storm may compete with some of the lowest-latitude aurora sightings on record over the past five centuries, though scientists are still assessing this ranking," NASA officials said in a statement . "It's a little hard to gauge storms over time because our technology is always changing," Delores Knipp, a research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who focuses on space weather, added in the same statement. "Aurora visibility is not the perfect measure, but it allows us to compare over centuries." Related: Solar storm frenzy of May 2024 was strong enough to affect the deep sea The northern and southern lights are usually a spectacle only in high-latitude areas such as the Arctic and northern Canada. But the vivid colors migrated toward the equator on May 10 because of a rare G5 geomagnetic storm unleashed by our hyperactive sun a few days prior, the strongest to hit our planet since Halloween of 2003 . Between May 3 and May 9, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory cataloged 82 "notable" solar flares spawning from two active regions on the sun (3663 and 3664). These clusters of sunspots grew so complex that they erupted repeatedly during the week. Starting on May 7, at least seven coronal mass ejections , or CMES, charged toward Earth and began storming our planet on May 10, which was when the strongest auroras were seen. "The CMEs all arrived largely at once, and the conditions were just right to create a really historic storm," Elizabeth MacDonald, a space physicist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, said in the statement. This storm was so intense that the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which forecasts solar storms and their impact on our planet, issued a storm warning for the first time in nearly two decades. The warning prompted NASA to preemptively put at least one of its satellites, ICESat-2, into safe mode. Certain instruments onboard other missions were also powered down, the space agency noted in the statement. To better understand the full extent of the event, scientists are also studying reports submitted by citizen scientists to the NASA-funded effort known as Aurorasaurus , which tracks auroras around the world. Aurora-related tweets and reports are aggregated into a map and verified with the help of citizen scientists, according to the website. Each verified report then becomes a data point for scientists to study and potentially incorporate into space weather models. "We'll be studying this event for years," said Teresa Nieves-Chinchilla, acting director of NASA's Moon to Mars Space Weather Analysis Office. "It will help us test the limits of our models and understanding of solar storms." the purple and green glow of the northern lights in a dark night sky RELATED STORIES: Sun explodes in a flurry of powerful solar flares from hyperactive sunspots (video) When and where to see the northern lights Where and when to see the northern lights in 2024 The cluster of sunspots that sparked the historic dazzling display of lights has rotated out of our view, thanks to the sun's spin. However, scientists say it is now coming into view of Mars, which has already begun witnessing the impacts of AR3664s strongest flare yet, which was fired off last Tuesday (May 14), scientists say. "We're already starting to capture some data at Mars, so this story only continues," said Jamie Favors, director for the NASA Space Weather Program in Washington. Editor's Update 5/21: The two active regions on the sun are sunspots 3663 and 3664. This article has been updated to reflect that. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) The future of Columbus was in the spotlight Tuesday evening when Mayor Andrew Ginther delivered the State of the City address, focusing on safety, housing and transit. We dont want to just get bigger; we want to get better and that means everybody out there needs to step up, Ginther said. The mayor said the city has had a successful year so far in slowing violence. Were leading the nation, along with Fort Worth, in reductions in homicides and violence, Ginther said. Easton sues one of its restaurants, claiming unpaid rent However, he said after last weeks violence where Columbus officers came under fire three times and five people were shot and killed over the past weekend, there is work to be done. Weve seen great progress and great momentum, but we cannot rest on what weve seen thus far and this weekend is the perfect example of that, Ginther said. We have to double down. We have to fight back. The future of this city is worth fighting for. He said another thing worth expanding is access to housing. Trapper Johns Canoe Livery closes after more than 50 years as owners look to sell This year the city has proposed changes to its 70-year-old zoning code. The plan would bring in not just more housing, but more affordable housing. The best way for us to deal with the supply crisis is zone in, you know, having a code that works, Ginther said. One that supports density and height, particularly in these key corridors. So, you think about it for a second. He said that in a little more than a month, hundreds of people have come by the citys Zone In Gallery to learn more about those plans. New central Ohio state-of-the-art sports park to open this fall The mayor said another thing that could be changing is transit. He said he plans to talk more about the Link-US program. The COTA board will be placing the issue on the ballot for this November for consideration for voters, Ginther said. This is going to be a transformational transit investment that we can make in ourselves as we grow. This bus rapid transit line will be 500 miles of, you know, everything from sidewalks to bikeways, connecting trails. The mayor said the top priority with all of these plans is to ensure it touches every part of the city. The decisions we make in the next ten years are going to impact this community for the next 50 to 100, so its critically important that everybody get engaged, involved and help us grow the right way, Ginther said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Marion councilman accused of raping girl under 15 gets $500,000 bond in first court hearing Marion City Council member Ayers Ratliff has been charged with raping a girl under 15 years old, Marion County Prosecutor Ray Grogan said. Grogan said in a video statement Tuesday that Ratliff had been charged with rape in the Marion Municipal Court. Grogan said he could not release details about the girl due to victim privacy laws but said the girl immediately reported the sexual abuse and the information was relayed to police. The Marion Police Department received the report at 12:42 p.m. Monday and arrested Ratliff at about 9 p.m., the report says. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted a search warrant at Ratliff's home and recovered both physical and electronic evidence, Grogan said. Ratliff made his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon where a judge set his bond at $500,000, according to court records. A spokesperson for the Marion County Prosecutor's Office said Ratliff was being held in the Multi-County Correctional Center, a jail in Marion serving Marion and Harding Counties. "Mr. Ratliff is a city councilman here in Marion, but like anyone else, he is not above the law," Grogan said. "His alleged crime has nothing to do with his elected position, and he will be treated the same as any other defendant." Marion City Councilman Ayers Ratliff, right, was arrested and booked in jail on a rape charge Monday, May 20, 2024, according to the city's mayor. Grogan said his office would seek a high bond for Ratliff, as the office would for any violent defendant. Mayor Bill Collins said the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation would handle the investigation into the allegations against Ratliff. He provided no additional comment on the arrest. A BCI spokesperson said Marion police requested the agency's assistance with a sexual assault investigation Monday, and the investigation is ongoing. Ratliff, a Democrat, has served on the Marion City Council since he was first elected in 2005. bagallion@dispatch.com This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Marion City Councilman Ayers Ratliff charged with raping girl under 15 Some McDonalds locations could begin charging for refills, reports say McDonalds customers may soon have to pay for drink refills as the company moves away from self-serve soda machines, according to multiple reports. Last September, the fast food giant announced that it would be transitioning away from self-serve beverage stations in dining rooms across the U.S. by 2032. Buffalo Wild Wings offering all-you-can-eat wings and fries deal for limited-time This change is intended to create a consistent experience for both customers and crew across all ordering points, whether thats McDelivery, the app, kiosk, drive-thru or in-restaurant, McDonalds said in a statement to KTLA. Now, customers may be charged for refills, depending on the location, reports say. Individual franchisees will decide whether their restaurant will charge for refills, McDonalds told USA Today in a statement. KTLA reached out to McDonalds but didnt receive a response in time for publication. McDonalds removes smile from Happy Meals at United Kingdom locations At some McDonalds locations nationwide, self-serve soda fountains have already been removed, while others plan to do the same. One McDonalds location has already removed its self-serve beverage station in Orange County. Customers that visit that store have to ask employees for refills at the counter, Insider reported. The news comes as the company considers adding a value meal to menus, as many think McDonalds is no longer affordable. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. The ceiling of the main Rotunda inside Pennsylvanias Capitol building. May 24, 2022. Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star). The ceiling of the main Rotunda inside Pennsylvanias Capitol building. (Photo by Amanda Berg for the Capital-Star). Financial institutions that suspect a customer is a victim of financial exploitation would have the ability to alert trusted family members and authorities while halting suspicious transactions under legislation that cleared a Pennsylvania House committee on Tuesday. Rep. Joe Hogan (R-Bucks) held a hearing on fraud targeting seniors in March where the representatives of a Bucks County-based bank testified that tens of thousands of dollars are transferred fraudulently each week. We can try to raise awareness about these scams and these frauds. But we also have an opportunity here as legislators to provide some sort of protection as well, Hogan said during the House Commerce Committee meeting on Tuesday. Hogan is the prime sponsor of legislation that explicitly authorizes banks and fiduciaries to report suspicious activity involving an older adult or care dependent adults accounts to the local area agency on aging and law enforcement. The bill also allows financial institutions to provide information regarding the report with a person associated with the victim to assist in preventing or remedying the suspected exploitation. Under the bill, banks would be able to halt transfers or transactions to allow a determination whether they are legitimate or fraudulent and to seek a court order to extend the freeze if necessary. An amendment passed unanimously in the committee on Tuesday reduced the period banks could halt a transaction from 15 to 7 days and reduced the length of an extension from 25 to 15 days. It also eliminated the requirement for the Department of Aging to develop a training program. House Bill 2064 passed with a 24-1 vote and now goes to the full House for consideration. Without legislation that gives banks a role in preventing financial exploitation, financial institutions and fiduciaries must defer to the wishes of their clients, Teresa Osborne, the Pennsylvania advocacy director for the AARP, said. Although Osborne said the AARP and other senior organizations support the passage of such a law in Pennsylvania, the AARP has objected to the language of H.B. 2064 citing amendments that weakened the protections and conflicts with the states Older Adult Protective Services Act. For example, H.B. 2064s requirement for financial institutions to notify a trusted family member about reports of suspected fraud clashes with a provision of the Older Adult Protective Services Act that prohibits protective services agencies from disclosing reports of suspected abuse, Osborne said. Financial exploitation of older adults and those who depend on others for care has been a focus of state government and law enforcement in recent years. The state attorney generals office created a Senior Protection Unit in 2006 that investigates and prosecutes those who cheat, deceive or abuse older Pennsylvanians. The unit also educates the public on how to recognize fraud and avoid becoming a victim. Gov. Tom Wolf signed Act 48 in 2021 that criminalized financial exploitation by a family member or another person in a position of trust and created enhanced penalties of up to five years in prison for fraud of less than $2,000 and up to 20 years for fraud exceeding $500,000. The law also gives the attorney general jurisdiction to prosecute financial exploitation of more than $20,000. In 2022, the Department of Aging created a four-person Financial Abuse Specialist Team to identify, prevent and mitigate fraud against older adults. The team grew out of a pilot program that began in 2020, when the department hired a retired state trooper with expertise in financial exploitation investigations, to serve as a shared resource for Pennsylvanias 52 area agencies on aging. Hogans bill is similar to legislation introduced by Rep. Brian Munroe (D-Bucks), who said he personally experienced the frustration of financial exploitation when thousands of dollars were drained from his mothers bank account over the course of two years. And one phone call could have put a stop to it, Munroe said. With one phone call to law enforcement, to the area agency on aging, hopefully to me, and we would have saved her tens of thousands of dollars. Munroe said he was pleased to see Hogans bill advance but noted that similar legislation has been proposed for more than a decade without passing. Similar legislation like this has died a slow death of perfection, meaning that just a continuous attempt to get the perfect language has caused inaction, Munroe said. And every day seniors are being defrauded. Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia), who cast the single vote in opposition to the bill, questioned Hogan about what organizations he had consulted, asking if local legal aid agencies had been involved. Hogan said he was aware of the AARPs concerns and he is working with the group to resolve them through amendments he expects to introduce on the House floor. Osborne said that in addition to concerns about the amendment eliminating the training requirement and shortening the time disbursements could be held, the AARP believes any Pennsylvania legislation should more closely track model legislation provided by the North American Securities Administrators Association. Laws based on the model bill have been enacted in 37 states, according to the association. Commerce Committee Chairperson Scott Conklin (D-Centre) said the bill has strong support from the banking community expressing their desire to have more influence over what they see as red flags and fraud taking place and their inability to actually take action on it fast enough. (This article was updated at 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, to include comments from AARP Pennsylvania advocacy director Teresa Osborne.) The post Measure to empower banks to fight financial exploitation of elders passes Pa. House panel appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. The two public universities that have held exclusive rights over medical marijuana farming in Louisiana could soon lose their duopoly after the Legislature approved a bill that will fully privatize cultivation in the state. (Canva image) The two public universities that have held exclusive rights over medical marijuana farming in Louisiana could soon lose their duopoly after the Legislature approved a bill that will fully privatize cultivation in the state. Senate Bill 228, sponsored by Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, sailed through the Legislature with little opposition and now awaits Gov. Jeff Landrys signature. Louisiana issues only two medical marijuana grower licenses each year. They are currently held by LSU and Southern University. Thats been required by law since the state enacted its medical marijuana program in 2015. They are the only two higher education systems in the country that are in the pot business right now, McMath said, and it is my belief that its time we get them out of that business and let them focus on higher education. To get their cannabis farms up and running, the colleges partnered with private contractors Good Day Farm and Ilera Holistic Healthcare. McMaths bill will transfer the cultivator licenses to those companies and allow them to keep them as long as they file for renewal each year. Good Day Farm, which has a much larger operation than Ilera, has close ties to the lawmakers who have given it a near-exclusive grip on a lucrative niche market. The companys primary shareholder is shipbuilding magnate Donald Boysie Bollinger, one of the wealthiest persons in Louisiana and a major Republican donor. The companys president is John Davis, husband of state Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge. Good Day Farm did not respond to a request for comment Monday. Former state Rep. Joe Marino, who played an instrumental role in helping shape much of Louisianas medical marijuana policy, criticized the legislation, saying lawmakers are helping a single company dominate the market. Its a monopoly, Marino said in a phone interview. No other companies will get a chance to apply for a growers license unless either Good Day Farm or Ilera relinquishes theirs. While in office, Marino tried unsuccessfully to pass legislation that would have expanded the number of cultivation licenses, arguing that allowing more growers into the industry would help meet the high demand for medical marijuana and make it more affordable for patients at the states 10 licensed dispensaries. Good Day Farm, which has produced far more product than Ilera, will be well-positioned to corner the market by the time the federal government reclassifies marijuana from a Schedule I to a Schedule III drug. Schedule I drugs are those with the highest potential to create dependency issues and are considered to have no currently accepted medical use. As it stands, marijuana is a Schedule I drug, along with heroin, LSD and ecstasy. The Biden administration has proposed moving it down to Schedule III, which includes drugs such as ketamine, testosterone and Tylenol with codeine. The U.S. Department of Justice has recently proposed the rescheduling plan, which is currently pending public review under a 60-day commenting period. During a March 20 committee hearing on his bill, McMath said the medical marijuana program was always supposed to be a private industry. The idea to involve the universities was attached to the 2015 legislation in a late-hour floor amendment, he said. It was never really their intention to be put into this bill, McMath said. A previous version of the bill would have allowed the universities to still receive a percentage of the companies gross sales from the medical marijuana program, but that provision was removed from the final version. While the bill awaits the governors signature, state lawmakers are also on track to dismantle a consumable hemp industry they created two years ago after unwittingly legalizing recreational THC products that can get people high. That legislation, Senate Bill 237, sponsored by Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, is pending final consideration on the House floor. Correction: The universities will no longer profit from the medical marijuana program. A previous version of this article reported on provisions that were removed from the final version of the legislation. The post Medical marijuana farming could move from Louisiana universities to private contractors appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. PwC Azerbaijan proudly contributed to the GSMA M360 Eurasia 2024 event by moderating the session on 'Securing the Interconnected World,' led by Farid Gattal, Head of Advisory Services. This session featured keynote speakers Dr. Emin Islam Tatli, CISO at Turkcell; Zhassulan Zhussupov, Malware Researcher & Threat Hunter at 7Generation; and Ksistof Ledichov, Sales Director at Mediafon Datapro. The session addressed the security challenges and opportunities presented by AI, quantum computing, and virtualized infrastructures. Discussions emphasized the need for unified cybersecurity strategies in our expanding digital ecosystem. The panel also included valuable insights from industry experts such as Vikas Dahiya, Head of Global Cybersecurity Sales at Nokia; Koji Kurushima, CEO of Mobicom Corporation; Murad Gurbanov, CISO at Unibank; and Babek Aghayev, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Prosol. These experts highlighted the importance of collaboration and innovation in building a secure and resilient digital future. By participating in these critical discussions, PwC Azerbaijan showcases its dedication to strengthening cybersecurity measures and encouraging synergy among industry stakeholders. Together, we are working towards a more secure and resilient digital future. The State opinion team interviewed more than 50 political candidates ahead of South Carolinas June 11, 2024, primary election, and we present Q&As with all five Richland County Council candidates below. Early voting begins May 28. This year there are two candidates on the ballot in each of Districts 3, 7 and 10 in the Democratic primary election, but Taneshia Horne has suspended her campaign in District 7. She said her name will still appear on the ballot but she stopped campaigning because she lives outside the district and could not serve if elected. The primary election winners will serve four-year terms starting in January because no Republican or other candidate filed to run for these seats. Every candidate was emailed five questions and given 250 words for each answer as part of our endorsement process. We are publishing these interviews first so readers can assess the candidates on their own. If you have questions about our interviews or eventual endorsements, email me. Find your polling place and council district here. View a map of all the districts here. If this public service helps, please consider supporting our journalism here. Richland County Council District 3: Little vs. Williams Tyra Little Tyra Little Q: What are your top three priorities and why? A: As a candidate for Richland County District 3, my top three priorities are: Community empowerment and engagement: I am committed to fostering transparency and community engagement in local governance. By increasing accessibility to government information, enhancing communication channels, and encouraging resident participation, we can ensure that the voices of all community members are heard and valued in decision-making processes. Economic opportunity and development: I will prioritize initiatives that promote economic growth and development in our district. This includes supporting small businesses, attracting new investment, and providing workforce development opportunities to equip residents with the skills needed for success in todays economy. Enhanced quality of life for seniors and youth: I recognize the importance of supporting our senior population and investing in the future of our youth. I will work to expand senior services, such as healthcare assistance and social programs, while also implementing comprehensive youth development programs that offer academic support, mentorship opportunities and recreational activities. Q: What would be your approach to growth and development? A: My approach to growth and development in Richland County District 3 is collaborative and sustainable. I will work closely with community stakeholders, including businesses, nonprofits and government agencies, to develop comprehensive growth strategies that prioritize economic progress while preserving our natural resources and enhancing the quality of life for residents. This includes investing in infrastructure projects that improve connectivity, efficiency and safety while promoting sustainable transportation options such as public transit and biking/walking pathways. Additionally, I will support initiatives that revitalize neighborhoods, attract new investment and create job opportunities for residents. Q: How would you improve transportation and infrastructure in the county? A: To improve transportation and infrastructure in the county, I will: Invest in infrastructure maintenance and repair to ensure safety and reliability. Expand public transit options to provide accessible, affordable and efficient transportation for residents. Implement sustainable transportation initiatives like bike lanes and pedestrian pathways to reduce congestion and promote environmental sustainability. Q: What specifically would you do to improve public safety? A: Implement community policing initiatives that foster trust and collaboration between law enforcement and residents. Support mental health services and initiatives that address underlying issues contributing to crime and social instability. Utilize data-driven approaches to identify trends, allocate resources effectively, and implement targeted interventions to address specific public safety challenges. Q: Why should voters choose you over your opponent in this election? A: Voters should choose me over my opponent in this election because of my proven community leadership and advocacy track record. I have a demonstrated commitment to serving the needs of our district, as evidenced by my work on initiatives such as South Carolina Bill H 3116, now Act No. 116, which provided property tax exemptions for disabled veterans and their spouses. With my background in criminal justice and legal studies and the ongoing pursuit of a masters degree in social work, I bring diverse skills and experiences to the table. I am dedicated to effecting positive change and improving the lives of all residents in Richland County District 3. Christa Williams Christa Williams Q: What are your top three priorities and why? A: My top three priorities are affordable housing opportunities, safety and improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Housing is a major concern around the country and in Richland County. Our senior citizens on fixed incomes make up a large portion of our voter base in the county. As a councilwoman, I want to ensure that we are working with developers, Realtors and property owners to ensure that we are maximizing the use of our housing inventory efficiently and affordably. The decisions around housing that are made today will affect our future generations. Richland County should be attractive to first-time home buyers and growing families. Safety in our communities is a major concern nationwide and in Richland County. We have an elected sheriff who is responsible for the boots on the ground in terms of safety within our county. As a councilwoman, I will support the sheriff through policies, procedures and ordinances to ensure that our communitie are safe, that our youth are productive, and that we are proactively working with lawmakers to ensure that Richland County is successful in terms of the laws of our state. As a councilwoman on Richland County Council, I will ensure that the county is promoting a good quality of life for our residents. I will ensure that our small business practices are fair and business friendly, our parks and after school programs are growing, our roads in our community are consistently maintained, and we are attracting job opportunities to Richland County. Q: What would be your approach to growth and development? A: As we grow as a county, I will ensure that the citizens who helped to build the county have an enriched quality of life through affordable living, have job and business opportunities, and have safe communities. I believe that growth in our county is important, and I will work hard to ensure the best outcomes for our citizens, I will also look at ways that we can utilize the talents within Richland County to produce revenue and promote tourism which can help to decrease the overall tax burden on our businesses and households. Q: How would you improve transportation and infrastructure in the county? A: As we know, the penny tax supports infrastructure projects, public transportation (i.e. the Comet), sidewalks, roads, etc. If the penny tax is on the ballot and the citizens of Richland County vote for this, I will ensure that the percentage that is allocated for District 3 and the referendums of how the money is being spent is available to taxpayers. I will ensure that these funds are used to make our communities cleaner and safer and that citizens have reliable public transportation to safely get back and forth to work, school, medical appointments and leisure travel. Q: What specifically would you do to improve public safety? A: Richland County is a government body that elects a sheriff to promote public safety. As a councilwoman on Richland County Council, I will support the sheriffs safety initiatives and ensure that his/her office has all of the tools and policy assistance that is needed to make our county safe and successful. I will also work with our state and city elected officials to ensure that we are promoting laws and ordinances that protect law enforcement, our business community and our neighborhoods. I believe it is important to support law enforcement initiatives that promote education for youth and rehabilitation of our ex-offenders. Q: Why should voters choose you over your opponent in this election? A: I, Christa Williams, will be the voice of the community on Richland County Council. I will not ignore you and will return your phone calls. I will work hard for you and the needs of your community. I would like you to know that I am a phone call away: 803-378-0182. As the owner of Uncle Willies Grocery Store, I am accessible and available, and everyday that I go to work, I am working to build relationships with the community. My experiences working in corrections and as a South Carolina National Guardsman have prepared me to fight for the everyday working person. As a small business owner, the business community in Richland County will have representation because our voices matter. Richland County Council District 7: Barron Gretchen Barron Incumbent Council member Gretchen Barron Q: What are your top three priorities and why? A: 1. Improve infrastructure Support and promote smart growth Repair roads and bridges 2. Economic and workforce development Attract and grow businesses that strengthen our local economy Create sustainable systems and partnerships Connect workforce development to economy development 3. Invest in and enhance public safety Support law enforcement Promote safer communities Work with law enforcement and community leaders to support programs that combat youth violence Q: What would be your approach to growth and development? A: From day one of my term, I have supported smart growth. I think it is critically important that residents know what is being proposed to be built in their communities and how it could possibly impact their day-to-day lives. I have done this by conducting town hall meetings for EVERY rezoning that has been proposed in District 7. These town hall meetings allow the applicant to share their intent with the neighbors and for the neighbors to ask questions. I take this information and use it for the basis of how I vote on the proposed project. This approach has been positively received both by the neighbors and applicants as I take into consideration the current comprehensive plan, future proposed plans for the district, and how the project may impact Richland County as whole. Q: How would you improve transportation and infrastructure in the county? A: Continuing to invest in our local transportation system is critical. Many depend on our transportation system on a daily basis and without it would not have the means to get to work, doctors appointments and even school in some cases. I also would like to continue to invest to improve our major roads, dirt roads and sidewalks, and bridges, many of which are in less than good condition and require significant repair. Keeping our infrastructure up-to-date is not only crucial, it is essential to our safety and security. We must continue our work to build the best transportation systems possible, and recommit to investing in infrastructure to improve safety and mobility. Because safer infrastructure systems foster economic growth and improve system efficiency. Q: What specifically would you do to improve public safety? A: While County Council does not govern the Sheriffs Department, I am a firm believer in ensuring that they have the resources needed to do their jobs effectively and efficiently. While I have been on County Council, we have increased the salaries of our law enforcement officers, funded the 911 Call Center and supported mental health programs, to name a few big items. However, as an individual member, I collaborate with and support organizations that are involved with the day-to-day operations of reducing gun violence. How have I done that over the past four years? By providing funding and partnering with organizations that are providing services and programs to address crime reduction, by providing youth activities that provide supplemental community activities, by creating a youth board to serve as an advisor to organizations that are addressing crime reduction, and by providing Safety Sundays that teach self-defense techniques and gun safety tips. Q: Why should voters choose you over your opponent in this election? A: It has been an honor to serve the residents of Richland County District 7 on County Council for the past four years. I would like to thank the residents for entrusting me with this responsibility. During my first term, we have: worked to regain the trust of the residents of Richland County and reshaped the narrative of our success while leading through transparency. Richland County Council experienced many successes. I encourage you to watch the 2023 Year In Review which highlights the accomplishments. continued to recover from COVID-19. Richland County Council invested $16 million back in our community by supporting local nonprofits and businesses. experienced economic development success. Our county brokered one of the largest economic development deals in our states history bringing over 4,000 jobs to our area. Richland County is changing the landscape of our community through our economic development projects. Theres more work to be done, but were positioned to continue to move Richland County forward. I would like to personally ask for your continued support. Richland County Council District 10: English vs. Reese Incumbent Council member Cheryl English Q: What are your top three priorities and why? A: Infrastructure: As we continue to work on paving roads, and the water and sewer systems, these structures are needed to expand and have any services in the area. Without clean running water and sewage, restaurants, hospitals and the like will not be able to operate. For continued growth to occur, there is a need to accommodate increasing traffic. Expansion of these systems and roads is essential to growth and development. Economic development: Economic development continues to remain at the forefront as sustainable employment is a great need for citizens to have improved quality of life. As growth occurs, economic development creates new job opportunities. I am extremely proud to be working with Cirba Solutions on the new battery plant. This plant will recycle batteries with no environmental harm to the surrounding area. In bringing this development in, we are also focusing on workforce development and ensuring sustainable employment. This company along with Scout Motors and others are working with colleges and high schools to train potential employees and provide opportunities. Workforce and affordable housing: We need to have affordable housing for individuals and provide options for those whose income would be entirely consumed by housing expenses. It is important for people to be able to work, have a positive quality of life and afford things they are working to attain. Being able to have a place to live, a sanctuary, gives people a feeling of accomplishment and provides a foundation to build their lives and grow their families. Q: What would be your approach to growth and development? A: My approach to growth is to create those needed services alongside residents, making sure families have access to transportation and services within reasonable distances. As a rural community, it is also important for agriculture to remain impactful as well as enhancement of wetlands. Smart growth takes into consideration the needs, citizen input and overall structure of the existing community. Q: How would you improve transportation and infrastructure in the county? A: Continue working with the Comet on its current plan to expand services to the rural communities. One major factor is the passing of the penny tax. This would ensure citizens have the ability to access needed services (hospitals, grocery stores, schools, doctors appointments, etc.) and are able to get to work. Q: What specifically would you do to improve public safety? A: Continue working with the Sheriffs Department on its plan to provide communities with improved services and visible access to its office. Currently working with neighborhood associations that have (and personally know) the officers who serve in their areas. The residents have their personal cellphone numbers, and officers have built positive relationships with them. At every monthly meeting, officers brief residents on trends, what to look out for, important things to do regarding safety, and overall vigilance required to remain safe. Also continue to include the Sheriffs office on growth, economic development and changes in the area. The Sheriffs office is in charge of protecting and serving, and making this relationship seamless is essential. Q: Why should voters choose you over your opponent in this election? A: Upon serving these past years, I have been able to turn negatives into positives and make important and needed changes to ensure the goals set for Richland County have been and are being attained. I have rebuilt relationships, improved services, been instrumental in securing economic development, listened to the voices of my many neighborhood communities, and worked tirelessly to ensure District 10 is moving forward. We have set council strategic goals and outlined specific plans. We are accomplishing our goals and the strategic plan can be tracked by residents. We have created a dashboard to follow those plans and for citizens to see what phase we are in. This council works well together, and we have the citizens as our first priority. Transparency is not just something we say, but what we do. I want to see District 10 continue to move forward and address the needs of the citizens. I have always worked in my community and now as a representative, I want to continue focusing on the needs of the residents I serve. I understand that we must continue working with existing services, such as the Sheriffs Department, the bus system, the city, the state, other legislators, school districts, agencies, organizations, etc. It is through these relationships that we not only achieve our goals, but build on and expand on needed services. DeAnta Reese DeAnta Reese Q: What are your top three priorities and why? A: Community engagement, economic/workforce development, and sustainable communities, including infrastructure needs, are vital areas of focus here in District 10, and reflect the core concerns and aspirations of its residents. Community engagement is crucial for fostering trust, collaboration and accountability in local governance. Actively involving residents in decision-making processes ensures that policies and initiatives reflect the diverse needs and perspectives of our community. This engagement leads to greater ownership of shared goals and fosters a sense of belonging and cohesion among residents here in District 10. Economic and workforce development are essential for driving prosperity and improving quality of life. Attracting and supporting businesses, promoting entrepreneurship and investing in workforce training and education will create opportunities for sustainable employment and economic growth. This will strengthen our local economy, enhancing individual livelihoods, while also generating revenue to support vital public services and infrastructure projects. Sustainable communities prioritize responsible stewardship of our natural resources and promote resilience in the face of environmental challenges, ensuring healthy and vibrant community for future generations. Infrastructure needs are fundamental to supporting the growth and development. It is essential for facilitating commerce, improving connectivity and safety and well-being of our residents. In sum, focusing on community engagement, economic/workforce development, sustainable communities, reflects our commitment to building a thriving, resilient and inclusive Richland County District 10. By addressing these key areas, together, we can create a stronger, more prosperous future for all residents here in Richland County. Q: What would be your approach to growth and development? A: The foundation of growth and development in District 10 should begin with a comprehensive strategic growth plan and also, updated evaluations of the neighborhood strategic growth plans in the Lower Richland, Olympia Mill and Woodfield communities. District 10 is a diverse district, and growth is necessary for sustainability. As a community, we understand that we can embrace growth, while not sacrificing the character of our communities. Growth and development should be rooted in balance, sustainability and preservation of the unique character of each neighborhood. In the rural communities of District 10, families are seeking strategic growth that respects their desire to maintain the charm and tranquility of rural living, while also providing essential infrastructure and economic development opportunities. I will continuously be an advocate for responsible development that prioritizes preserving green spaces as well as agricultural and natural habitats. This may involve incentivizing sustainable farming practices, including farm-to-table eateries. In areas of the district where growth may be more pronounced, an emphasis should be placed on smart growth principles that include walkable communities, mixed land use, and access to public transportation. Overall, I would take into account the diverse needs and aspirations of our residents. By fostering collaboration between stakeholders, implementing thoughtful planning policies and prioritizing infrastructure investments, we can achieve sustainable growth that enhances our quality of life while preserving the unique character of our community. Together we can build a better future today. Q: How would you improve transportation and infrastructure in the county? A: Improving transportation and infrastructure requires a strategic and comprehensive approach that addresses various needs across the county. If the penny tax is passed, funding allocations may need to be reevaluated. In the 21st century, and in a moment in which we tout the largest economic investment in Richland Countys history, we have families who on a good rainy day cant be accessed by emergency services, school buses or anyone else, due to road conditions. This is totally unacceptable. District 10 borders five other districts, with most, if not all, sharing resources with the city of Columbia. The residents of District 10 rely on 95% of their services coming from the county, resource distribution should reflect such. Eighty-seven-year-old constituents should not have their front yards flooding, due to the debris in the drainage. I am committed to prioritizing the paving of dirt roads while integrating smart surface practices, such as permeable pavements and cool pavements, to enhance energy efficiency, reduce heat island effects, and minimize stormwater runoff. This not only improves road quality but also contributes to environmental sustainability. In underserved communities, the lack of sidewalks presents safety and accessibility challenges. Therefore, I propose targeted initiatives to expand sidewalk networks, ensuring safe pathways for pedestrians, including children walking to school and residents accessing essential services. These efforts aim to promote enhanced community connectivity and improve public health and safety outcomes. I will advocate for strategic investments in public transit infrastructure, creating a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient Richland County. Q: What specifically would you do to improve public safety? A: When I envision public safety I envision a multifaceted and community-oriented approach. I think it is imperative that we are investing in holistic strategies that address root causes such as poverty, lack of access to financial resources and mental health care, along with other systemic inequalities. I pledge to be an advocate for increased and equitable funding for social services, affordable housing initiatives and community development programs. I will continue the work we are currently engaged in, building trust and being a part of facilitating purposeful engagement with public and private partners. We have to provide hope and purpose for our youth, as we see younger violent offenders here in Richland County. Its imperative that I recognize what each individual community aspires to be, through committed partnerships with grassroots organizations. Overall, my approach to improving public safety here in District 10 centers on proactive, community-driven, evidence-based solutions that address the underlying issues. I pledge to be a leader who is responsive and engaged, a model of success and growth. Together we can build a better future today. Q: Why should voters choose you over your opponent in this election? A: I certainly respect the work our council lady has done. It doesnt look like its been easy. As I speak to more of my community members, I am hearing a sentiment brewing thats thirsting for change they can believe in, hope, and a vision for OUR Future. With all due respect, there is a distinct difference in this race. If you are satisfied with the direction and growth in our community, I offer you a personal conversation. However, if you are like the many families I have spoken to recently, you, too, realize this is an absolutely important moment. Your childrens and your childrens childrens future is at stake. They are counting on you. I am equipped with innovative ideas, open ears, proven leadership and a deep commitment to serving the needs of this community. This is my community. I am indebted to you for what you have given to me. I know your frustrations. I live your daily struggles. Yet, I also understand your resilience and passion to see your community grow. I realize your desires to see your children have aspirations of building a family here because new opportunities exist for young professionals families. With a track record of grassroots advocacy and inclusive leadership, I pledge to prioritize innovative solutions to address the pressing issues facing our district. As a forward thinker, with a genuine passion for making a difference, I am ready to work tirelessly because I believe together we can build a better future today. COLUMBUS, OH MAY 08: Rep. Jodi Whitted, D-Madeira, speaks during the Ohio House session, May 8, 2024, at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original article.) Earlier this month, the Ohio House voted to appoint Democrat Jodi Whitted to a vacant Hamilton County seat. The Madeira social worker and professor will serve until the end of this year. But due to a coincidence of redistricting, shell be living in a different district, already represented by a Democrat, in the coming term next year. Whitteds appointment is the last step after a tragic shuffling of seats and positions. Former Democratic state Rep. Brigid Kelly ran for Hamilton County auditor and won in 2022, but about a year into her term, revealed a cancer diagnosis. In March, she resigned to go into hospice care and died a few days later. Kelly was just 40 years old. In a letter to the county commission, Kelly recommended Rep. Jessica Miranda, D-Forest Park, as her replacement, and in May the commission appointed her to the office. But that left Mirandas seat vacant, and left Democrats looking for another replacement. There was a tweet, Whitted recalled, saying that they were accepting applications for the position. From there it was kind of like any other job opening. She submitted a cover letter and resume, did some interviews and crossed her fingers. The difference, of course, is she was waiting to hear back from a panel of Democratic state lawmakers rather than a future boss. Despite her caucus stamp of approval, Whitted isnt exactly getting comfortable. Her gig, she explained, is eight months and eight months only. She currently lives in the 28th state House district, but this Novembers elections will use a new map. Come January, Whitteds home will be part of the district currently represented by Rep. Rachel Baker, D-Cincinnati. To that end, Whitteds tenth floor office is sparse. When we met earlier this month she was still unpacking a table runner, to add some color, she explained as she pulled off its packaging, and a drug store folder of new prints ready for frames. Ill probably put some pictures over there, she said pointing to the empty bookcase looking forlorn next to her desk. She explained her aide asked if she wanted any other furniture, but Whitted turned her down. Just since this is such a short amount of time, she explained, I dont want to make more work. Whitteds background Whitted holds a doctorate in social work and shes an assistant professor at The University of Cincinnati leading the schools Bachelor of Social Work program. So, as we can obviously see the intelligence level of this particular body is going to ride a lot higher in the water over the next eight months with the addition of Jodi here, Rep. Daniel Troy joked during her introduction on the House floor. Whitted and her husband Caleb have two young girls, Mary Claire and Lindy, and they live in Madeira, a suburb northeast of Cincinnati. Previously, Whitted ran unsuccessfully for city council, and shes taken a leave of absence to serve in the House. Whitted has worn a lot of hats in the social work field before landing in academia. She has worked with children and families in the court system, as a therapist, in schools, in hospitals and even with an insurance company. As she describes it, social work offers the lens for how she views politics. For me, I think the piece of social work that so often gets put to the wayside is the larger macro policy related piece, she explained. At its root social work is a career focused on advocacy for people that are under underserved and vulnerable. Whitted described working at a hospital in Tennessee around the time the Affordable Care Act passed. States were making decisions if they were going to expand Medicaid or not, and Tennessee was the state that decided not to expand, she explained. And there were plenty of times where somebody was you know, like, just right on that threshold of being able to receive services or not receive services, she said. And thats really hard. Thats really hard to see when its life and death. Legislative plans and political future? In her introductory remarks, Whitted emphasized the challenge of carrying her predecessors legacy forward and sounded almost apologetic for taking over without first going to the ballot. To my constituents, she said, while you did not elect me, I promise to represent you with honesty and integrity for this short time and thank you for your faith in me. In terms of former Rep. Mirandas legacy, Whitted explained shes looking forward to taking up some of the legislation Miranda sponsored. Something thats really important to me is the Marriage Equality Act, Whitted described. I think, thats just a huge first step in regards to equality for Ohioans, and something that Im personally interested in. In terms of her districts needs more generally she points to housing policy to ensure newcomers have more affordable options and older residents can age in place. Younger families are moving in for the amazing schools, she explained. But then what does that mean for our older residents who have also invested in this community, sometimes their whole life. You know, I want to create places where everybody can thrive and live, she said. As a freshman lawmaker jumping in late Whitted acknowledges theres a ceiling on how much she can accomplish. But emphasized the positives: without a reelection campaign to worry about, for instance, she can keep her attention on policy. And although she wont be representing her district come 2025, shes not entirely closing the door on future public office. I wouldnt say that I am uninterested in politics in the future, Whitted said, noting her academic work focuses on the intersection of social work and the political process. So I think, like, bottom line for me, she said this is a great opportunity to show future social workers that if you say yes, and if you engage, who knows where it may lead you, and that social workers belong in positions like this. But as far as a solid plan for me, she said, I am not sure exactly. Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Meet state Rep. Jodi Whitted, the newest member of the Ohio House appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) Memorial Day weekend brings a multitude of annual observances and ceremonies to honor the fallen. Heres a look at some of the events around the DMV to honor those who served the country along with other events. Observances: The Korean War Vetertans Memorial Foundation in Southwest D.C. will hold a ceremony and wreath-laying event. It will pay honor everyone who served the country along with those who sacrificed their lives during the Korean War. Guests are invited to attend in person or watch the ceremony live here. The ceremony will be held on Monday, May 27 from 4:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Everyone is invited to the Arlington National Cemetery and have the opportunity to walk across the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier plaza. Flowers will be provided to visitors who are welcome to place one at headstones or columbarium niches around the cemetery. The event will be held on Sunday, May 26, from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The City of Rockville will be hosting its annual Memorial Day Celebration and Parade. The parade will feature over 50 military units and community groups, marching units, dance troupes and more. The event will be held on Monday, May 27. A musical tribute will began at 9 a.m., followed by the ceremony at 9 a.m. and then the parade will start at 10:30 a.m. Annual Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade to shut down Rockville roads Events: The annual concert honors veterans, servicemen and women and military families. Concertgoers are invited to watch in person on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in D.C. The program will also be livestreamed on PBS Youtube channel or its app. The concert will start on Sunday, May 26 at 8 p.m. and will end at 9:30 p.m. DC Black Pride is back to celebrate the African American LGBTQ+ community all weekend long. Enjoy some live music, social events and celebrations, attend educational workshops and more. The event will start on May 24 and end on May 27. This annual event, held in the Town of Vienna, is back again, offering attendees a fun-filled weekend full of rides, games, food and more. ViVa! Vienna! will be open from Saturday, May 25 until Monday, May 27. All proceeds will towards local charities. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. CHARLOTTE N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) The upcoming summer travel season is predicted to be one of the busiest ever at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Starting Thursday, more than 1 million people are expected to travel through Charlotte Douglas. Thats a 21% increase from 2023. Passenger numbers are projected to be 14% higher than the summer of 2023. Thursday, Friday and Monday are expected to be the peak travel days. The airport says it will have additional staff wearing yellow vests to help guide travelers and direct traffic. Charlotte Douglas is also working with law enforcement and the North Carolina and Charlotte Departments of Transportation to manage traffic flow, adding additional staff at the terminal curb front to keep traffic moving and providing alternate routes for Airport shuttle buses during peak travel periods. Airport officials say they are ready for the rush, but are urging people to plan ahead. TSA here can assure that we are fully staffed, Andrew Small, TSA Supervisory Analyst said. We will be deploying overtime as needed to make sure we are opening time strategically when we need to have those lines open. And as lines come in, as rushes come in, TSA will react and adopt to that. Despite the increase in airplane travelers, Gas Buddy reports 76% of Americans plan to drive for Memorial Day, which is up 18% from last year. AAA says the worst times to travel are between noon and 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The best time is anytime before 11 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Memorial Day weekend in Southern California is looking gloomy. How long will this 'May gray' linger? "May gray" skies provide a gloomy background over the Los Angeles basin in a view from Echo Park toward downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times) Another cloudy, cool weekend is on tap for Southern California, with a strengthening marine layer expected to drop temperatures and possibly bring drizzles by the end of the week. Were definitely in that time of year, the 'May gray'/'June gloom' season," said Richard Thompson, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Anyone headed to the beach to celebrate the Memorial Day weekend should bring a sweatshirt, he said. A strong onshore flow is driving clouds inland in the evenings and mornings, keeping the marine layer very deep and broad pushing it even into Los Angeles County's inland valleys by Thursday and Friday. While Tuesday is shaping up to see a bit more sunshine than the past few days, Thompson said, the rays aren't expected to last long. "It looks like its going to get more gloomy tomorrow and continue through the weekend," Thompson said Tuesday morning. It's a "continuation of the pattern weve seen the last few days." Read more: Summer heat won't last: Another cold, wet storm set to hit SoCal this weekend On Thursday and into the weekend, the deep marine layer isn't expected to burn off each day until late in the afternoon if at all while stretching into the Santa Clarita Valley and L.A. County foothills, Thompson said. That pattern will bring slightly cooler, below-normal temperatures, with highs remaining in the mid to upper 60s for most of the region. There's even a potential for patchy or light drizzling beginning Thursday, with the chance of rain increasing into the weekend, Thompson said. But by Monday, weather officials said a slight shift should begin, with the low clouds and fog no longer lingering into the afternoon. It will be getting nicer for Memorial Day itself, but the first half of the weekend will be [on the] gloomier side, said Brian Adams, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Diego. Once we get through the cool weekend here, it does look like things will start to warm up early next week," Thompson said. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. MEMPHIS, Tenn. City Council on Tuesday approved an amnesty period from May 21 until June 30, allowing residents to pay off unpaid fines for half-price to help offset a proposed city property tax increase. The vote on the resolution sponsored by Jerri Green was 12-0. In return for the amnesty period, the city will waive half of the fees on unpaid parking tickets and traffic citations. What were asking is that during this amnesty period between now until the end of June, that you step up and do your part as Memphians, Green said before the vote. The city has more than $140 million in uncollected parking and traffic citations over the past 10 years, Green said, calling it an unmined revenue source. Mayor proposes city budget with 75-cent tax hike Collecting that money will help the city generate revenue, which council members hope can reduce or eliminate a 75-cent property tax increase proposed in the mayors budget. The increase, if its put in effect, could create a burden for property owners in the city. Lets be direct, a 75-cent tax increase is going to hurt us all, council chair JB Smiley said. For me, a 75-cent tax increase is me telling someones grandmother that they cant live here anymore. Mayor Paul Young proposed a 75-cent increase in city property taxes in his first budget presentation to the Memphis City Council last month. A 75-cent property tax increase would equate to an increase of about $188 in taxes on a $100,000 home, Young said. For more information about the fine amnesty period, contact the Memphis City Court Clerk at 901-636-3400. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. MEMPHIS, Tenn. The Memphis Zoo has announced plans to improve the habitats for its African elephants, rhinos and giraffes. On Monday, the Memphis Zoo announced its comprehensive campus plan priorities through a statement from its public relations team. Over the next 20 years, they seek to invest upwards of $250 million to reimagine this home for wildlife to unlock opportunities for animal care and conservation and strengthen their position as a community amenity through guest education and enhancement. Graceland set for foreclosure auction; Elvis heir claims fraud, fights sale Each phase will address specific areas, ensuring a comprehensive approach to revitalizing the Zoo experience. The Memphis Zoo is currently focused on Phase One: Africa. As the first phase of the comprehensive campus plan, the Memphis Zoo plans to transform its Africa exhibit by improving the habitat for species such as the African elephant, rhinos and giraffes. Throughout the creation of the comprehensive campus plan, the Memphis Zoo identified the exhibit as a top opportunity zone for improvement. They admitted that the existing facilities are dated and the habitat provides insufficient space for new and improved levels of care for their elephants, giraffes, hyenas and mixed hoof stock. Memphis in May Champions crowned at World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest In addition to this phase, the Memphis Zoo said there are a series of key site priorities that they will be focused on. That process will begin with the demolition of the round barn and surrounding habitats. Once those are removed, the Memphis Zoo will be creating a Great Lawn, Stingray touch experience and Soaring Eagle ride experience. These new developments will begin on June 3, the zoo says. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. (NewsNation) Two powerful Mexican drug cartels are not only operating fentanyl and other illicit drug markets in all 50 U.S. states, but have also successfully eliminated their drug-dealing competition using violence and other means, according to a report issued by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels are at the heart of the deadliest drug threat that the U.S. has ever faced, the federal report said. Federal officials have reported that 200 U.S. deaths are linked to fentanyl each day and that 38,000 deaths tied to the drug were reported in the first six months of 2023 alone. But the two transnational criminal organizations have not only infiltrated states along the U.S. southern border with drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine. They have also taken the major distribution of the dangerous substances from local drug dealers and gangs in states like Florida, Illinois and New York by manufacturing their product by the ton. More concerning, perhaps, is that the powerful cartels have taken a foothold in unexpected places like Mississippi, Montana and Wyoming, expanding the footprint of the two criminal organizations while taking charge of how fentanyl and other drugs are distributed. More women, children joining drug cartels: Reports Both organizations rely on major drug wholesalers and established trafficking routes to get into major U.S. cities. They also use smaller branches of the cartels to work with local drug trafficking groups and gangs along with social media channels like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to get drugs into the hands of users on the streets and into schools, the DEA report says. The cartels are here in the United States, and not only are they here, but theyre comfortable, Robert Almonte, a former U.S. Marshal and former El Paso Police Department narcotics detective, told NewsNation, adding he believes dealing with the cartels will only get worse for U.S. officials. He added, Theyre feeding Americas appetite for these drugs. The Sinaloa cartels US operation The Sinaloa cartel is credited with pioneering the deadliest drug threat in U.S. history, reaping billions in profits from the fentanyl trade alone, the DEA report says. It dominates the fentanyl market by its manipulation of the global supply chain. The organization, one of the oldest of its kind, has been producing fentanyl in bulk since 2012 and capitalizes on the cheap production and maintenance costs linked to synthetic drug operations as compared to more expensive plant-based drugs like heroin and cocaine. Cartels infiltrating native reservations with fentanyl: Tribal leader The DEA report says the cartel has a long history of skirting, defying and bribing its way around regulations on importing precursor chemicals needed to produce synthetic drugs. The cartel uses border tunnels in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas to cross drugs into the U.S. undetected by taking advantage of pre-existing sewer and water systems built by the municipalities where the drugs are being sold. Making matters worse, Almonte said, is the open U.S. border that allows dangerous criminal drug traffickers and gang members to cross into the country and further enable cartel operations. How the Jalisco cartel operates The Jalisco cartel relies on vast financial resources along with violence, the bribery of corrupt public and port officials, and a franchise-based command structure to operate, the DEA said. The organization delivers fentanyl in pill and powder form, and although it cannot keep pace with the Sinaloa production rate, it has flooded the U.S. market by mixing its product with heroin, cocaine and xylazine, also known as tranq. The cartel is the main supplier of cocaine to the U.S., primarily on the East Coast, the DEA report indicates. But the organization also deals heavily in marijuana and heroin and uses some of its billions of dollars in profits to expand its global footprint. It operates distribution hubs in Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina. It typically relies on illegal ports of entry along the U.S. southwestern border and transports its products mainly by tractor-trailers and private vehicles. The criminal organization controls very little territory along the border, DEA officials said, but instead pays for the use of points of entry, tunnels and other smuggling channels to gain access to the U.S. market. How the DEA is cracking down DEA enforcement initiatives track drug distribution networks across the U.S. that are linked to the two cartels. The agency also operates three counterthreat teams to combat the drug crisis along with enforcement programs like Operation Overdrive and Operation OD Justice, which work to investigate fatal drug overdoses. Philadelphia cracks down on Kensingtons open-air drug market The report says that the DEAs Operation Last Mile partnered with federal, state and local law enforcement to make 3,337 arrests and seize almost 44 million fentanyl pills and more than 6,500 pounds of fentanyl powder between May 2022 and May 2023. In addition, more than 91,000 pounds of methamphetamine was seized, along with nearly 8,500 guns and more than $100 million, the report said. The DEA also works at a more local level to help provide more treatment and public awareness initiatives that warn about the dangers of synthetic drugs. Almonte said officials at all levels are overwhelmed with the fentanyl crisis and that more federal funding is paramount in combating the problem. Other agencies like the National Guard, which has programs to deal with the nations fight against illicit drugs, could also use support. But, Almonte said, Mexican cartels are here to stay. (Officials) need to keep the pressure on these Mexican cartels, stay on their heels and not let them catch their breath, he told NewsNation. Youre not going to eliminate the Mexican cartel activity, but the whole idea is to make them less comfortable. You want to send a message that (law enforcement) is going to make it as difficult as possible to operate in their communities. And I think thats going to make all the difference in the world. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Often called the Magic City, Miami is known for lots of things: its beautiful beaches, breathtaking skyline, vibrant nightlife and eclectic food scene, to name a few. It is not, however, known for being a particularly cheap place to visit. Factoring in flight prices, hotels, restaurants and activities, its easy to find yourself shelling out thousands of dollars on a single trip. But that doesnt mean you cant experience the magic of Miami without spending a fortune. As long as youve got an open mind, a bathing suit and some sunscreen, there are plenty of affordable activities to enjoy in the city. Here, we cover the basics of visiting Miami on a budget, from flights to bites to sights. Getting There First, youll want to pick the right time to visit Miami for the lowest rates on flights. According to Cheapflights.com, some of the least expensive months to book a Miami vacation are September and January, while some of the most expensive are April and May (due in part to the flocks of spring break visitors during those months). In many cases, you can save some cash by taking a train to Miami but keep in mind that this will lengthen your travel time exponentially. Whichever mode of travel you choose, the earlier you book, the cheaper your ticket will likely be. Where to Stay The Vagabond Hotel While hotel pricing can vary depending on the time of year that you decide to visit, there are quite a few accommodations you can find in Miami for budget-friendly rates. You can snag a room at upscale hotels like CitizenM Miami Worldcenter and Berkeley Park MGallery for around $200 per night, and you can find rooms at hotel chains such as Holiday Inn, Days Inn and Best Western for even less than that. We also recommend checking out the Hampton Inn & Suites, Aloft Miami, the Vagabond Hotel Miami or the Element for more great prices and deals. As with flights, the earlier you book your hotel, the better your chances are of getting an affordable rate. Where to Eat Miami is rife with tasty yet budget-friendly food across a range of cuisines. For a quintessential Miami food experience, head to Calle Ocho in Little Havana, where youll find everything from $4 al pastor tacos at The Taco Stand to $5 burgers at El Rey De Las Fritas. In the mood for pizza? You can get an enormous pepperoni slice for under $8 at Casolas Pizzeria. Swing by La Sandwicherie for a made-to-order, French-style sandwich on the crispiest baguette. And you can grab a few drinks on the low by taking advantage of happy hour specials at bars like Sweet Liberty, Baia Beach Club and Salty Flame. What to Do Theres nothing like spending a day relaxing on one of the many beaches Miami has to offer and it just so happens to be a low-cost activity, to boot. Grab your swimsuit, sunglasses, sunscreen and a towel and kick back on the sands of the South Beach shoreline. Art aficionados can take advantage of the free admission at the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Lowe Art Museum, as well as free entry at events like the South Miami Art Festival. You can catch views of the sunset and Miamis expansive skyline at green spaces such as South Pointe Park and Bayfront Park. And be sure to take a walk down Ocean Drive to take in the stunning architecture of the Art Deco Historic District. BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. Students from the Heydar Aliyev Modern Educational Complex (MTK) participated in an engaging panel discussion with Bakcell, the biggest private telecommunication company in the country. The roundtable discussion on "The Role of Innovation and Artificial Intelligence in Education" was attended by Bakcell CEO Klaus Mueller, MTK CEO Aygun Mikayilova, and school students. An interesting discussion on the role of innovation and cutting-edge technologies in modern education was held. "I was delighted to meet here today with Azerbaijan's educated youth. As an organization that represents innovation, we are pleased to see students passionate about technology and innovation. We have many things in common with the younger generation, the most important of which is our commitment to innovation," said Klaus Mueller. "In addition to developing the academic potential of our students, we work to discover their talents in other areas. Receiving the latest technological innovations from a company like Bakcell is a great success for our investment-oriented students. On behalf of our school, I would like to thank the management of Bakcell for todays interesting panel discussion," said Aygun Mikayilova. Ardi, an AI-powered humanoid robot by Bakcell, also attended the meeting with the students. Following the panel discussion, students asked questions to Bakcell management and Ardi and discussed advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, and its application in the field of education. In the end, the management team of the company visited the school's STEAM laboratory. The projects prepared by the students using advanced technologies, along with the laboratory's state-of-the-art provisions, attracted the attention of Bakcell management. Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that a bid by the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes is deeply unhelpful to advancing peace in Gaza. There is no moral equivalence between a democratic state exercising its lawful right to self-defence and the terrorist group Hamas, the Prime Minister told reporters on a visit to Vienna. This is a deeply unhelpful development. Of course it is still subject to a final decision, but it remains deeply unhelpful nonetheless. Mr Sunak added: What I am very clear is that this will make absolutely no difference in getting a pause in the fighting, getting aid into the region, or indeed the hostages out. But Amnesty International accused the PM of undermining the court in The Hague, which was created to replace a series of ad hoc UN tribunals set up to investigate war crimes including the 1995 Srebrenica massacre during the Bosnian War. What is actually deeply unhelpful is to have the Prime Minister undermining the International Criminal Court and effectively opposing the search for justice by Israeli and Palestinian victims of war crimes and other grave human rights violations, Amnesty UKs crisis response manager Kristyan Benedict said. Raising questions of supposed moral equivalence is disingenuous and deliberately misleading - this is a fundamental matter of the rule of law, justice and accountability, and the UK is placing itself on the wrong side of history in opposing the ICC on this. Unlike Israel and the United States, the UK is a signatory to the ICC and would be obliged to execute any arrest warrant should the targeted person visit Britain. But the Government is casting doubt on the ICCs jurisdiction over the case. Deputy Foreign Secretary Andrew Mitchell told MPs that the UK has not recognised Palestine as a state, while Israel is not a state party to the Rome Statute which founded the ICC in 2002. The UK did, however, support an ICC arrest warrant issued last year against President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine, despite Russia also refusing to sign the Rome Statute. The Prime Ministers official spokesman said it was absurd to question the difference in approach, stressing that Israel was legitimately acting in self-defence against Hamas while Russia had illegally invaded a sovereign nation. The ICCs British chief prosecutor Karim Khan said he had "reasonable grounds to believe" that Mr Netanyahu and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar bore responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He also targeted Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant along with Hamas leaders Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh. A panel of three ICC judges will decide whether to issue the arrest warrants and allow a case to proceed. The judges typically take two months to make such decisions.But Michael Gove, the communities and levelling up secretary, insisted on Times Radio that there was a drive to hold Israel to standards that we don't hold other countries to. You cannot equate Israel with Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organisation, bent on slaughter. Israel is a state - like all states, an imperfect one, but one thats trying to defend its people, and trying to equate the two is just nonsensical, he said. Echoing strong criticism from the White House, Mr Gove accused the ICC of failing to act over alleged war crimes in Syria, Myanmar, Sudan, Mali and Ethiopia. He said: The person currently alive whos killed more Muslims than anyone else is [Syrian president] Bashar al-Assad. So when the ICC go after him with the same energy they're going after Israel, then I'll feel reassured. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron told peers that the ICC prosecutors step was a mistake and queried its timing. He said: On timing I would make the point that the ICC was about to embark on a visit to Israel, which some of us had helped to arrange, and at the last minute decided to cancel that visit and simply go ahead with its announcement. Its clearly thought about the timing, maybe it should also think about the effect, the former PM said. Its not going to help get the hostages out and it will probably make a change in Israel less likely. Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist introduces former Vice President Joe Biden in Detroit, March 9, 2020 | Ken Coleman photo President Joe Bidens reelection campaign will launch a series of Michigan events in Detroit on Wednesday. The first BBQ for Biden-Harris event will take place in Detroit and is set to be headlined by Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes. Other events will follow. Biden, a Democrat, is expected to face GOP former President Donald Trump who last visited Michigan on May 1. Biden was the keynote speaker at the Detroit Branch NAACP event in Detroit on Sunday where he spoke before thousands. The Michigan Republican Party did not return a request for comment. The Biden-Harris team in Michigan is committed to meeting with voters in every corner of the state, from our largest metropolitan areas to our smallest rural counties. BBQs for Biden-Harris is a chance to engage communities across Michigan on the stakes of this 2024 election, because our health care, economy, and democracy are all on the ballot, said Biden-Harris 2024 Michigan Press Secretary Tom Grandon. We know voters want to hear directly from us, and unlike Donald Trumps virtually nonexistent campaign, we arent taking a single Michigan voter for granted. The Biden-Harris campaign did not give any details about the time or event site. The campaign has opened 32 coordinated offices across the state including in Lansing, Flint, Saginaw, Grand Rapids, and three in Detroit to mobilize and train volunteers. The post Michigan Biden campaign to launch set of barbecue events on Wednesday appeared first on Michigan Advance. A Michigan economic development board Tuesday approved hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding to prepare a massive site for advanced manufacturing near Flint. It marks the biggest state grant to prepare a large industrial site approved by the board since the launch of Michigan site readiness program a few years ago. The Michigan Strategic Fund Board unanimously approved a $250 million strategic site readiness grant for the Flint and Genesee Group Foundation, a local economic development corporation that sought the money to acquire land and develop infrastructure at the "Advanced Manufacturing District of Genesee County" in Mundy Township. An aerial view of the propose site for the Advanced Manufacturing District of Genesee County in Mundy Township It's the state's last large available site of more than 1,000 acres, according to a memo from the state's economic development agency Tuesday. There exist few of these so-called megasites in the country, the agency wrote. "As Michigan continues to compete for transformational projects in critical industries supported by federal industrial policy ... strengthening our inventory of available greenfield sites, of all sizes, remains paramount," the memo states. The economic development agency didn't identify a specific industry or company considering the site, but indicated some "prospects" have their eyes on it. Possible projects could include sites for electric vehicle, battery, semiconductor, clean energy or defense production. Following the Michigan Strategic Fund's approval of public funds to subsidize development of the site, lawmakers serving on legislative appropriations committees will consider the funding request. The board previously approved a $9.25 million site readiness grant in April for the Mundy Township site. The $250 million grant would come on top of those previously approved funds and marks the largest site readiness grant approved by the Michigan Strategic Fund Board since the launch of the state's Strategic Site Readiness Program, according to projects listed by the Michigan Economic Development Corp. Michigan 2024 Election: 3 takeaways from Biden's first campaign visit to Detroit After Ford passed over Michigan for electric vehicle-related facilities in 2021, a bipartisan group of lawmakers came together to create the site readiness program championed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to use corporate subsidies to lure business and jobs to Michigan. But GOP lawmakers' support for the site readiness program along with another fund that provides direct cash grants to company has largely eroded. Meanwhile some Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns with the spending. Michigan senators recently passed legislation to overhaul both corporate subsidy programs. The legislation would divert hundreds of millions of funds from the programs to another development fund for public transportation, child care and other community investments. Whitmer opposes the Senate legislation, which would still need to pass the state House before landing on the governor's desk. Staff writer JC Reindl contributed to this report. Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on X, previously called Twitter, @clarajanehen. Looking for more on Michigans elections this year? Check out our voter guide, subscribe to our elections newsletter and always feel free to share your thoughts in a letter to the editor. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Genesee County megasite slated to receive $250M grant Microplastics were just found in testicles. That's alarming because testes, like brains, have a special blood barrier. Experts say to reduce your exposure to microplastics, avoid microwaving plastic, or plastic-coated containers. In 2024, microplastics are starting to look a lot like cigarettes did in the early 1960s: A poorly-understood health hazard in dire need of better study and regulation. The latest bad news on microplastics and human health emerged last week, when a study from researchers at the University of New Mexico examined 47 canine and 23 human testes, taken from neutering operations and cadavers, respectively. All of those testicles had microplastics inside there were 12 different kinds of microplastic inside the organs studied, including the common plastic making material that plastic silverware and plastic bottles are made from. "It does strike me as kind of 'eww,'" Tracey Woodruff, who directs the program on reproductive health and the environment at the University of California San Francisco, and who was not involved in the study, told Business Insider. Woodruff isn't exactly surprised that microplastics are showing up in testicles. They've already been found in our bloodstream, and in other human organs such as the liver, the heart, and the lungs. In March, a New England Journal of Medicine study even suggested microplastics lodged into blood vessels in our necks might be playing a role in heart attack and stroke risk. And microplastics had already been found in testes in one 2023 Chinese study. In fact, in a rapid, systematic review of 2,000 microplastic research papers that Woodruff did for California legislators last year, she and her team found that microplastics can harm the reproductive health of both men and women, while also upping cancer risk, and hurting lungs. But Dr. Ranjith Ramasamy, an expert in reproductive urology, says if it's true that microplastics are invading testicles, that's of extra concern. "The only two organs in the human body that are protected spaces are the testes and the brain," he told BI. "I think we need to first study the question of how microplastics even got there in the first place." The testicles, like the brain, have a special blood barrier that stuff isn't supposed to get through Jonathan Kitchen/Getty Images It makes sense that microplastics might flow into organs like the heart or the kidneys. Microplastics come from all kinds of things we consume and breathe in, including dust, food containers, makeup, and water bottles. Small particles consumed through your mouth flow to your gut, then enter your bloodstream, and invade all corners of the body, from the lungs to the liver. But getting into a woman's ovaries, which are "soaked in blood" and located inside the body should be easier than invading a man's testicle, Ramasamy said. "I am shocked," he said. To get into the brain or the testicles requires surmounting an extra tough hurdle, that special blood barrier. Early studies are starting to suggest that microplastics do have the capacity to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, though. And if the results of this new testicle study hold true in other labs, it would be a damning sign that the same is true for mens' testes. Still, Ramasamy cautions that we need to understand much more about what's really going on with all the microplastics in our bodies, and precisely how they are impacting our health, before we start pointing to plastic ingestion as the most important reason for fertility issues in modern-day society. "Before we start alarming everybody saying, 'you're drinking too much from plastics and that's why your fertility is going down.' I think we just need to be a little bit cautious," he said. "Do microplastics play a role as an environmental toxin? I 100% agree. But does it play a role by entering inside the testes and blocking sperm production? That I don't know." Scientists don't understand why microplastics are bad but they are urging regulators to step in BPA-free doesn't mean safe. Getty Images Scientists know that certain chemicals inside plastic disrupt our hormones. Chemicals like BPA are colloquially known as "hormone-disrupting" chemicals, and plastic makers are developing new ones all the time. In addition to the specific chemicals that are used to make a plastic, there may also be physical issues to worry about with plastic ingestion. In this study, men had three times the amount of microplastic in their testicles as dogs. Does that matter? We don't really know. "I don't think the amount is as important as the types that are found and the potential damage that it can cause," Ramasamy said. Is having plastic floating around in your bloodstream problematic because of the chemicals we're being exposed to within it, which can include known toxins like PFAS, or does it cause issues because it's getting stuck in places it shouldn't be? The answer to these scientific questions is probably pretty complicated, experts say. "What we're seeing now is that these microplastics are a vehicle for these chemicals, which we know are toxic, and they also themselves could be toxic," Woodruff said. This is why she is in favor of regulating plastics much like we do air pollutants. "We have a real opportunity here to address microplastics and plastics right now," she said. "Plastic production is projected to triple by 2060, but we don't have to do that we don't have to have more plastic." One thing experts agree on: you should stop microwaving your plastic It's not just TV dinners, most takeout boxes, even the paper ones, are coated in plastic. Tetra Images/Getty Images Experts BI spoke with all agreed that microwaving less plastic is a good idea. "Drinking from it is one thing, but heating them and eating from it or drinking from it, I think it's definitely wrong," Ramasamy said. The reason scientists get so bent out of shape about microwaving plastic is because when plastic gets heated up, it becomes much easier for the chemicals in the plastic to leech out and get absorbed by the body. Certainly, Ramasamy said, environmental pollutants including microplastics are one reason for declining fertility. "I always ask the question, did our parents use the amount of plastics that we do today?" he said. "The answer is absolutely not." Interestingly, men over the age of 55 in the new study didn't have as much microplastic in their system as younger men did. Even "greener" looking takeout containers these days, like cardboard boxes, are often built with a special plastic coating inside so liquid doesn't seep out. So, try to put your food on a ceramic or glass plate or in a real bowl when you can. Woodruff says trying to drink from fewer plastic bottles, washing your hands before you eat, and leaving your shoes at the door are all good practices for minimizing exposure too. Read the original article on Business Insider How MidAmerican Energy is gearing up for severe weather How MidAmerican Energy is gearing up for severe weather The very real possibility of severe weather brings a threat of widespread power outages to the QCA, and managers with MidAmerican Energy are monitoring the conditions to be ready to respond. Geoff Greenwood with MidAmerican Energy spoke with Our Quad Cities News about the companys approach. For more information, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WHBF - OurQuadCities.com. Middle East expert breaks down the tensions in Rafah and what could happen next (KXAN) As the conflict in Rafah continues, senior Middle East analyst Ryan Bohl with RANE, explains when it may end and what happens next. The Rafah combat operations that are going on right now, and theyre relatively minor compared to what we saw in the earlier phase of the war, those seem like they could go on for a few more weeks, possibly a few more months, said Bohl. That doesnt necessarily mean the fighting will stop, he said. Actors like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran still have an incentive to carry out attacks on Israel out of solidarity with this insurgency in Gaza. So we dont go back to the status quo of before October 7. But we do shift over for the Israelis, the tension towards the north, towards Lebanon. Bohl said there is increasing pressure from high-ranking Israeli officials on Benjamin Netanyahu to come up with public strategy for managing Gaza, once the operations in Rafah wind down, while others demand a strategy for Lebanon. And that is the place we have to watch next as to whether or not there can be a diplomatic breakthrough, said Bohl. That allows for there to be de-escalation in the north or If Israel builds up the forces freed up from fighting in Gaza, on the northern frontier to prepare for a full scale invasion of Lebanon. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Argentina Has Really Fallen Out With Its No. 2 Foreign Investor (Bloomberg) -- What began with a Spanish suggestion that Javier Milei took drugs has rapidly descended into an all-out diplomatic brawl thats among the worst since the UK ambassador flew out of Buenos Aires over the Falkland Islands more than four decades ago. Most Read from Bloomberg From now on there wont be an ambassador in Buenos Aires, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares announced on Tuesday at a press conference. Spats come and go. France and Italy have traded barbs over the Mona Lisa and made up. Argentina has had its fair share of fights with arch-rival Brazil but also Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. This particular brawl, though, could be more serious and more consequential, partly because of domestic politics at play between two nations that share historic yet prickly ties. The fact is that within a space of mere weeks, Argentina has managed to have an epic fallout with its second-biggest foreign investor, and neither side seems to be seeking an off-ramp. Spain has a huge corporate footprint in a country known for its debt defaults, where the presence of Banco Santander SA and Telefonica SA are a key part of the social infrastructure. Spain also happens to be home to the largest Argentine community abroad. They share a common language and cultural references and tend to love each others football. What Sanchez has done is really inexplicable, Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo wrote on X. The only thing he has done by taking something personal to a state level is showing his political immaturity, because there must be few countries that love each other as much as Spain and Argentina. The tit-for-tat dates to the start of May, when Spains transport minister said Milei had ingested substances. The minister was referring to a TV interview Milei gave during last years presidential campaign, when he asked people to stop talking in his ear, apparently because his ear piece was malfunctioning. The reason why the two sides havent buried the hatchet probably comes down to two leaders who stand at opposite sides of the political spectrum and are happy and sufficiently media-savvy to know how to use this drama as a distraction from their problems back home. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez published a video during Argentinas campaign last year, endorsing Mileis rival, Sergio Massa so that didnt exactly endear him to the new power structure in Argentina. Milei then decided to make a point by attending a rally hosted by a far-right opposition party in the past weekend and saying Tuesday that Sanchez should get counseling for his inferiority complex and get a lawyer for his wife, who is under investigation for alleged influence peddling. Back in Madrid, the Socialist leader had been contemplating leaving office over the public scrutiny of his wifes affairs. In Buenos Aires, Milei himself is under scrutiny for being eccentric, with his countrys economy still a mess and his reforms a work in progress. This is exclusively for show, said Diego Guelar, a former Argentine ambassador to China and the US. Milei lent himself to this and this is Sanchezs chance to polarize and improve his electoral prospects for June 9 this circus ends in June. So who will blink first? Milei, speaking by phone to local television station LN+ after Spains announcement, signaled his government wouldnt retaliate. Pedro Sanchez is making a huge mistake. Im not going to be so stupid as to repeat the same mistake. --With assistance from Manuela Tobias. (Recasts story with historical context and possible political implications.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Service members who outrank their physicians are more likely to receive better quality care at military hospitals than lower-ranking troops, a new study found. The researchers, who published the findings in the journal Science on May 16, studied power dynamics in the physician-patient relationship. Specifically, those researchers from the University of Texas at Austin and Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania used data from military hospital emergency departments where some patients outrank their physicians and vice versa and how that impacts the quality of patient care. We provide careful, rigorous evidence of the long shadow of power: the idea that power in one domain of life can spill over to unrelated domains (here, from the military to the clinical), causing distortions in behavior and resource allocation in both, researchers noted. We show that the powerful may unwittingly steal resources from less-powerful individuals, in line with other research showing negative spillovers from dominant to marginalized groups in shared spaces. Researchers used active-duty service members from the ages of 18 to 64, and they monitored physician effort and resource use. The study considered physician effort as a measure of total resources or effort expended by a physician when treating a patient. Resource use pertained to seven tangible measures used on patients during appointments with their physician: any opioid prescription, intensity of evaluation/management code used, number of diagnosis codes, number of treatment codes, any test ordered, any imaging order and any procedure performed. The study, using data from 1.5 million emergency department assignments, compared service member patients of the same rank with physicians whose rank was either higher or lower than them, otherwise considered higher-power or lower-power patients. Patients who outrank their physicians received 3.6% more effort by their physician and more resources expended, researchers found. Its good that its not huge, Stephen Schwab, a University of Texas at Austin Professor and retired Army veteran, told Military Times. Most physicians are trying to do everything they can for their patients within the bounds of the resources they have, the time they have those patients. We think that this was really an implicit bias rather than an explicit, although theres no way of testing that. Schwab said a chief of an emergency department told him it was a matter of human nature kicking into drive, where youre just a little bit more careful when the stakes are higher. How does that 3.6% difference materialize? In a little bit more time and effort, Schwab said. Physicians could spend more time talking about the problem that brought a service member into the emergency department in the first place, take more time to write up a more thorough family history or order one additional test. Those same patients who outranked their physicians also had better medical outcomes than their lower-ranked peers. Those patients were 15% less likely to be readmitted to the emergency department 30 days after their initial treatment. Findings when those high-power and low-power patients were simultaneously treated by a physician also showed negative correlations for patients whose physicians outrank them. Physicians exerted 1.9% less effort on patients they outranked than on patients who outranked them, and outranked patients had a 3.4% greater likelihood of visiting the emergency department within 30 days or being admitted to the hospital, researchers found. Researchers also looked into how race and gender determine physician effort among different ranks. Physician effort was greater for all higher-ranked service members than their outranked peers, regardless of race, according to the study. The study found Black physicians provide off the charts effort to Black service members that outrank them, and white physicians exerted less effort on Black patients. Schwab did note that the study wasnt indicative of whether civilian or military hospitals are necessarily better, rather it looked at the power that can be at play regardless. Were not comparing the military to civilian health care, because all of our, sort of, anecdotal evidence is that the military is probably more fair than the civilian sector, he said. What were showing is that even in this situation, theres still an issue and we can learn something about human behavior from this study. Schwab added that these sort of power differences play out in many ways throughout society, and sometimes people dont even realize the power that theyre wielding. Defense Health Agency spokesperson Peter Graves said the agency is reviewing the content of the study. The Defense Health Agency remains committed to delivering the highest quality of care to all of our patients, regardless of rank, race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, age or any other demographic, Grave told Military Times in an email. We always expect the same high standards to be applied to every patient in an exceptional way, anytime, anywhere, always. Researchers suggested a number of ways physicians could close disparities in treatment between high and low-power patients. Solutions include task shifting, algorithmic support, increasing diversity in the provider workforce, bias training and patient advocacy, in minimizing these disparities and ensuring a health system that provides equitable care to all, researchers wrote. Ukrainian troops have stabilized the military situation in Kharkiv Oblast, including the town of Vovchansk, but it remains "complex," Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Khortytsia group of forces, said on television on May 21. Ukraine's Defense Ministry confirmed on May 15 that Russian units had entered the northern parts of Vovchansk. The Ukrainian military said at the time it had prevented Russia from establishing a foothold deeper in the town. Ukrainian forces had controlled about 60% of Vovchansk amid continuous Russian assaults as of May 20, according to local authorities. "Currently, the operational environment remains complex in Kharkiv Oblast; it is changing dynamically," Voloshyn said on national television. "But our Armed Forces and other involved units have managed to stabilize the situation, particularly in the town of Vovchansk," the spokesperson added. The Russian military continues its attempts to break through near Vovchansk, the villages of Lyptsi and Staritsia, according to Voloshyn. Read also: Russias new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation "Invaders combine ground assaults with air strikes, of course," he said, adding that Russian troops use air force as well for carrying out bomb and missile attacks against Kharkiv Oblast, including its regional center. Russian forces conducted 83 assaults in Kharkiv Oblast over the past week, while five armed clashes were recorded since the beginning on May 21, Voloshyn said. The number of clashes has decreased nearly twice compared to the prior day, the spokesperson added. "The enemy continues to focus its efforts on the direction of Strilecha-Lyptsi and on capturing the town of Vovchansk, moving further to Bilyi Kolodiaz and deploying an assault in the rear of our troops." Russia launched a new offensive with a reported 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated near the two countries' shared border in northeastern Ukraine. Moscow's forces had advanced as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the region but had been halted by the first line of defense. Russia's offensive in Kharkiv Oblast in mid-May could be the first of several waves, and Russian forces may target the regional capital, Kharkiv, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with AFP on May 17. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Minneapolis leaders on Monday announced they had selected a company to build a database designed to flag problems with police officers before they become problematic. The idea is a technological approach an "early intervention system" to both support officers in need of say, mental health services, while also preventing cops with patterns of potential misconduct from ascending the ranks unchecked. The latter was arguably the case for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who had pressed his knee against the necks of at least two men before he did the same maneuver to George Floyd in 2020. Floyd's murder by Chauvin was the impetus for state and federal legal interventions that will lead to years of court-approved police oversight. City officials see an early intervention system as satisfying one of a litany of changes mandated by those legal cases. "People say all the time, 'How could they not know that this officer would do that?'" Police Chief Brian O'Hara said at a news conference Monday. "This is the answer to that." On Monday, Mayor Jacob Frey, O'Hara and other officials announced that after a national bidding process, they had selected Benchmark Analytics, a Chicago-based firm that includes researchers at the University of Chicago and has implemented similar systems in several other major cities, to build the Minneapolis system. "It is not going to solve all our problems," O'Hara said. He emphasized that the system "is not discipline" but rather an "early-warning system" that can identify potential concerns for officers that go beyond traditional complaints around misconduct. O'Hara said the database will analyze information such as overtime, patterns of calling in sick, arrest records and off-duty work in search of outliers. The program can assist supervisors, who can intervene in an attempt to "correct officers' behavior" before actual problems arise, he said. Nick Barkley, a civilian member of a team implementing the program, said officer wellness was an essential part of it. "Happy, healthy humans produce the best work," he said. The five-year contract for $2.375 million needs approval from the City Council, which could take up the measure as soon as Thursday. The money would be paid in part by a $500,000 grant from the Pohlad Foundation. The rest of the funding would come from general fund spending from the city's police and information technology budgets. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 21. The Afghan situation requires close attention, the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a meeting with foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states, Trend reports via Akorda. The situation in Afghanistan requires close attention. It is crucial to continue efforts to avert a humanitarian crisis and create conditions for long-term stabilization. Supporting Kazakhstan's initiative to establish a UN Regional Center for Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty is particularly relevant, he said. Tokayev emphasized the need for countries to pay special attention to the issue of climate change. Without urgent proactive measures, this problem could lead our planet into a dramatic period of global natural cataclysms. Extreme weather conditions are emerging as one of the world's major challenges. Therefore, it is essential to refine the SCO's approaches to combating natural disasters. This spring, Kazakhstan experienced the severe negative impacts of climate change firsthand. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to your countries for their solidarity and assistance during the unprecedented large-scale floods in Kazakhstan. We deeply appreciate this support, he added. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel Dozens of Minnesotans have objected to Xcel Energy's plans to shift away from flat pricing, including a single parent working two jobs who realized she would have just one hour on weekdays to run her dishwasher or washing machine without incurring the spiked rate. "I will ... be penalized by paying higher prices," Marie Weekly wrote to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), "just because I have to work, and I am lower middle class," Weekly said. Weekly isn't alone in her criticism. State and nonprofit consumer advocates said Xcel's plan for higher Minnesota electric rates during evening hours and lower overnight costs is too aggressive, and several groups told the PUC last week Xcel's justification for the plan was flawed, based on a pilot project for "time of use" rates that arguably did not achieve the goal of reducing electricity use when demand is highest. Attorney General Keith Ellison's office said in a Friday letter the two-year pilot program of 10,000 customers in Minneapolis and Eden Prairie produced "meager" results that do not "instill confidence that moving [Xcel's] entire customer base to [time of use] will succeed at this time." Xcel spokesman Kevin Coss said Xcel is reviewing the feedback and could adopt some, but the criticism could influence the PUC's final word on approving, modifying or rejecting Xcel's rate design. Dynamic pricing for electric rates like a surcharge during busy hours for a rideshare service like Uber is becoming more common in the U.S., and many in Minnesota's energy sector support the concept. In theory, the rates incentivize people to shift when they use electricity, easing pressure on the grid when people are home from work in the evening and using the most power. Evening out that electric use can help Xcel tap into cheap wind power at night or even avoid building new power plants, which is important as electric need grows with the rise of heat pumps, electric vehicles, electric stoves and data centers. Coss said time of use rates aim "to give customers more control over their electric bill without reducing their energy usage." Some also argue higher prices during peak demand is more fair because it's more expensive to deliver that power, and thus people who impose fewer system costs could end up with cheaper bills. The company predicted the average residential customer would see a 17.8% jump in electric bills during its four summer months and a 10.6% decrease for the rest of the year, resulting in an extra $11.57 cost per year. Still, state officials are wary of shocking people, and say public buy-in is crucial because backlash in other places has stalled these types of rates. That's why they're urging caution about Xcel's plan, which Ahmad Faruqui, a California-based energy and rate design economist, said would be a national outlier for the wide price gap between the most expensive peak rates and cheaper off hours. The AG's office said Xcel should allow people to voluntarily subscribe to dynamic rates if the PUC approves them rather than automatically enrolling 1.2 million residential customers. Xcel's plan does allow customers to opt out, though. The Minnesota Department of Commerce, recommended Xcel have fewer hours at peak prices and a significantly smaller gap between rates. The Citizens Utility Board of Minnesota (CUB), a nonprofit ratepayer advocate organization, had similar suggestions. CUB and Commerce also asked for a more incremental roll out to better educate the public, as Xcel's plan would switch all Minnesota residential customers in 2025 after a phased transition in Colorado, another Xcel region, caused some headaches. The biggest spike in electric use comes during summer afternoons and evenings, when Minnesotans are running air conditioners. In general, Xcel's highest cost for energy use would be from 3-8 p.m. on weekdays, and it would charge its cheapest rates from midnight to 6 a.m. every day. There would be a middle "base" rate for all other hours, which would be more expensive than Xcel's current flat rate from June to September, but cheaper than the rest of the year. During those summer months, peak rates during weekday evenings would be seven times more expensive than overnight lows and nearly twice as expensive as all other hours. The Xcel pilot showed a slight bill decrease on average for low-income customers, and the AG's office said these households tend to use less electricity. However, that's not universal, and low-income people might have less flexibility in shifting their power use like Weekly, the single parent which is why the AG asked for bill protections. Duluth-based Minnesota Power started phasing in default time-of-use rates for residential customers in 2022. But the utility's plan applies to few customers now and ramps up through the course of several years. The gap between peak prices and base rates is also significantly smaller. Investigators allegedly again found minors working on the kill floor of a poultry plant owned by the company that was found responsible for the death of a teenager last year, according to court filings. Department of Labor investigators said they discovered on May 1 "oppressive child labor" at the poultry plant in Alabama, "namely children working on the kill floor deboning poultry and cutting carcasses," after obtaining a civil search warrant. "The children had been working at the facility for months," the filing said. According to court documents, the company, Mar-Jac Poultry, denied knowing it had any employees who were under 18 years. In a statement to ABC News, Mar-Jac said the minors were hired with documents "that showed they were over 18 years of age." "Mar-Jac will continue to vigorously defend itself and expects to prevail in this matter," the company said. "Mar-Jac is committed to complying with all relevant law." The Department of Labor is seeking a court order to stop the company from selling and shipping "poultry tainted by oppressive child labor" from the company's plant in Alabama, according to court filings. Federal regulators had earlier this year called the July 2023 death of Duvan Perez, a 16-year-old who died while cleaning a poultry processing machine at a Mar-Jac facility, "a preventable, dangerous situation" that no worker should have been in, "let alone a child." MORE: Despite hazardous working conditions, many states are rolling back child labor laws The Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited Mar-Jac Poultry with 14 serious and three "other than serious" violations and proposed $212,646 in penalties for Perez's death. The agency previously cited the company for an incident in 2021 in which an employee who was not a minor suffered fatal injuries while working. Perez's mother filed in January a wrongful death lawsuit against Mar-Jac and two of its employees, along with the agency that hired Perez. The lawsuit alleges that Perez was killed due to Mar-Jac ignoring safety regulations. The suit claims the defendants "acted intentionally, willfully, wantonly, knowingly, with malice and/or were grossly negligent and in reckless disregard to the rights and the safety of the decedent and others similarly situated." Court records reviewed by ABC News said the company's Hattiesburg plant was also sued twice in recent years by people who alleged they had sustained injuries at the plant. One of the lawsuits, filed in December 2022, is scheduled for a jury trial in August. In the other lawsuit, which was filed by a veterinarian for the Department of Agriculture who allegedly fell during an inspection, a jury found in favor of the defendant, Mar-Jac. The Alabama plant was cited in December by OSHA for a serious violation after an employee was injured. According to the Department of Labor, last year 5,800 children were employed in violation of child labor laws, representing an 88% increase since 2019. And of the 955 child labor cases that were investigated and closed by federal regulators in 2023, more than half involved minors employed in violation of hazardous occupation laws. Poultry company responsible for teen's 2023 death found to have 'oppressive child labor' at separate plant: DOL originally appeared on abcnews.go.com New Hampshire resident Kexin Cai was last seen in the area of Drake Lane on Wednesday, May 15, according to local police Lebanon Police Department/Facebook Kexin Cai A missing Dartmouth College student was found dead in the Connecticut River after a days-long search. Kexin Cai, 26, of West Lebanon, New Hampshire, was last seen in the area of Drake Lane on Wednesday, May 15, according to the Lebanon Police Department. Cai was officially reported missing on Friday, May 17, according to Boston.com. A fisherman told police he found a body along the Connecticut River in Windsor, Vermont, at about 4 p.m. on Monday, May 20, according to FOX affiliate WFXT and CBS affiliate WCAX. Related: Missing 3-Year-Old Boy Found Dead in Colorado Canal That Runs Behind His Home The body was brought to shore shortly after 5:30 p.m., and eventually identified as Cai, WFXT and ABC affiliate WMUR-TV reported. Police do not suspect foul play in connection with Cais death. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Cai was a graduate student in the Mutual Understanding Lab at Dartmouth College, according to the schools website. She was a second-year doctoral student in the psychological and brain sciences department, where she researched communications challenges for individuals with autism, Dean of the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies Jon Kull said in a campus-wide email on Sunday, May 19, according to The Dartmouth. Kull went on to remember her as "an exceptionally gifted and humble researcher" who "loved cats so much that she would sneak images of them into every poster or presentation." Related: Hat Leads Officials to Find Body of Missing 76-Year-Old Man, Who Died After Fall from California Cliff Kristian Droste, Cais partner, toldThe Dartmouth that his partner had admitted herself to Dicks House on Monday, May 13 for a mental health crisis." She was later transferred to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, which released her on May 15, the day she was last seen. Droste previously told WMUR-TV in a statement that Cai had an uninhibited laugh and would often sing in another language. He also praised Cai for her loyalty to her family and the ones she loves. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. A Dartmouth College student reported missing last week has been found dead in the Connecticut River in Vermont, police said. Kexin Cai, 26, had been missing since Wednesday, and was last seen in the area of Drake Lane in West Lebanon. Surveillance video from local businesses captured her traveling on her E-bike. An extensive ground and air search for her began over the weekend after police were notified on Friday that she had been missing. At around 4 p.m. Monday, a fisherman alerted police that he saw a body along the Connecticut River in Windsor, Vermont. Emergency crews responded to the area and retrieved the body, later identified as Cai, by bringing her to shore at 5:36 p.m. A preliminary investigation suggests no foul play in her death. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW UNION COUNTY, NC (QUEEN CITY NEWS) The 82-year-old man from Union County who was reported missing was found safe Tuesday, according to the sheriffs office Officials say William Sossamon was last seen at Faith Baptist Church, located at 4220 Faith Church Road, Indian Trail. This is on the outskirts of Hemby Bridge and Indian Trail, close to the US-74 bypass. William Sossamon (NCDPS) Sossamon is described as a white man standing 6 feet tall and weighing 160 pounds. He has short gray hear and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans. Mr. Sossamon may be driving a silver or gray Chevrolet Silverado truck with an NC license plate number EHC6255. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. MIT accused of discrimination for women of color scholars program in civil rights complaint MIT is first elite school to release admissions numbers since Supreme Court ruling (Getty Images) A federal civil rights complaint accuses the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of discrimination over a program that offers resources and mentorships to students who are women of color. The complaint, filed with the US Department of Educations Office for Civil Rights (OCR), alleges that MITs Creative Regal Women of Knowledge program (CRWN) discriminates on the basis of both sex and race by offering its resources to women of color. The mission of the CRWN program, according to its website, is to inspire undergraduate women of color to move confidently as visionaries, grounded in excellence, empathy, and support for one another. CRWN offers students networking, mentoring, social outings and financial assistance. The undergraduate program, the site notes, defines women of color as Black, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latinx, Asian, Pacific Islanders, and other minoritized ethnicities, and includes transgender women, cisgender women, and non-binary women. The complaint, from the Rhode Island-based conservative Legal Insurrection Foundation, alleges that the program violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars race and sex discrimination in federally-funded enterprises like education, as well as OCR guidance. Discrimination against white applicants is just as unlawful as discrimination against black or other non-white applicants, the complaint argues. The Independent has contacted the MIT Office of Minority Education, which runs the CRWN, for comment. Earlier this year, the US House of Representatives Education and the Workforce Committee launched an investigation into allegations of antisemitism at MIT, and students have also sued the school over allegations it allowed antisemitism on campus. The group bringing the complaint has challenged academic programs across the country offering specialized resources on the basis of a students identity. Such programs have frequently been the target of conservative groups. Last year, the US Supreme Court struck down the use of race as a factor in university admisssions, the building block of decades worth of affirmative action programs. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell apparently has no issue with Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alitos decision to fly a symbol of the insurrection shortly after the January 6 attack on the Capitol. Images published on Friday revealed that the conservative justice had flown the upside-down flaga symbol of Donald Trumps Stop the Steal effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election resultsat his home in Alexandria, Virginia, in the immediate aftermath of the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The photographic evidence has since sparked questions about Alitos impartiality on the nations highest courtbut none of that seemed to bother McConnell, who appeared to suggest Tuesday that examining the courts ethics was an unnecessary attack on the judiciary. It seems to me there are nonstop attacks on the Supreme Court, week after week after week, so Im not going to dignify that with a response, McConnell said, responding to a direct question on the issue from CNNs Manu Raju. We need to leave the Supreme Court alone, protect them from people who went into their neighborhoods and tried to do them harm, look out for the Supreme Courtthats part of the job of the administration, McConnell added. But thats not the position McConnell took in the months following January 6. McConnell has privately and publicly criticized Trump for his role in the riots, including denying that the 2020 presidential election was stolen and saying that the mob was provoked by the president and other powerful people. Meanwhile, other conservative leaders in the upper chamber have had no problem shutting down Alitos symbolic declaration, including Senator Lindsey Graham, who described the flag choice as not good judgment. He said his wife was insulted and got madassume that to be truebut hes still a supreme court justice, Graham told HuffPosts Igor Bobic on Monday. And, you know, people have to realize that moments like that, to think it through. McConnell on Alito: We need to leave the Supreme Court alone. pic.twitter.com/OjSzROyhbj Acyn (@Acyn) May 21, 2024 For years, Missouri lawmakers have redirected millions from a federal grant program intended to help low-income families to a state program aimed at steering women away from receiving abortions despite the states strict ban on the procedure. Each year, the state receives millions in federal dollars through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or TANF. In recent years, roughly $6.3 million of that grant has been funneled to pregnancy centers that counsel women to consider alternatives to receiving an abortion. However, the continued practice of using federal funds for pregnancy centers in Missouri could run afoul of new federal guidelines. Some Democrats and abortion rights advocates said spending money intended to help low-income families through programs such as Alternatives to Abortion has largely fallen on deaf ears. Rep. Deb Lavender, a Manchester Democrat, said millions of state dollars are funding Alternatives to Abortion clinics that appear to be deceptive and truly lie to women. We have great concerns that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is going to organizations that routinely lie to women, Lavender said. The expenditures were included in the budget before the state enacted one of the strictest abortion bans in the country and have been included since then. But supporters of the effort said pregnancy centers provide critical services to women in crisis. The Haven of Grace maternity shelter in St. Louis is among the agencies that receive state funding through the Alternatives to Abortion program. Patricia Bosman, the organizations executive director, said state funding enables the center to provide critical services to some pregnant mothers who may be at risk of becoming homeless. Other services include housing assistance, mental health counseling, and helping clients find jobs. By the time our moms get to us, theyve already made a decision, Bosman said. Theyve already made a decision and they are seeking support to make it through the pregnancy. Lawmakers passed a budget recently that includes money for the Alternatives to Abortion effort. That means that the money for the program is unlikely to be affected by the new rule this year. But lawmakers may be forced to remove the allocation from future state budgets as a result of a proposed federal rule that would effectively block states from sending federal money to pregnancy centers. Under the new rule, states would be required to explain how the grant expenditure supports efforts to help low-income families become less reliant on government assistance, prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and encourage two-parent families to remain intact. The proposal specifically discourages federal grant money going to pregnancy centers because, according to the federal government, they do not support the federal programs intent to help needy families. Battling misinformation Whether pregnancy centers supported by Alternatives to Abortion fit within the TANF program largely depends on whether the services they offer do anything to accomplish the programs goals. Other nonprofits like food banks, fatherhood development programs, and domestic violence shelters could still receive grant money under the new federal guidelines, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services. Bosman said that a number of the services provided by the Haven of Grace maternity center meet TANFs goals in the same way that other nonprofits do, by providing stable housing, individual and group counseling, and sexual education. I think that there is a misnomer or misunderstanding of what those funds are for and whos getting them and whos using them and the benefit of them, she said. Somebody who is not in the trenches every day with unhoused women and children dont understand that it is just not for housing, but it is for all the other things that that individuals need to survive, to thrive to get back on their feet. Rep. Dirk Deaton, a Noel Republican and vice chair of the Houses budget-writing committee, said he was critical of the rule because the pregnancy centers provide important services to many low-income women. If that was not available if this program was not available, I mean, how is that going to ultimately affect the health and well-being of the mother and the family, but you know, the soon-to-be-born child as well, Deaton said. So that seems to me that that would have a very negative effect on families and women and babies across the state of Missouri, he said. However, abortion advocates painted a different picture of what the pregnancy centers are doing with the federal dollars. Maggie Olivia, a senior policy manager with Abortion Action Missouri, a reproductive rights advocacy group, said that Alternatives to Abortion providers often use the money to mislead women rather than serve them. I think weve seen that a lot of this money that is allocated to and even donated to these centers ends up being used on marketing, Olivia said. Confusion and fear in and of itself serve as a barrier to abortion care. So even if an anti-abortion fake clinic cant convince someone not to seek an abortion, they can confuse them and bombard them with misinformation, she said. The lack of transparency around how pregnancy centers spend federal funds was a part of the problem, said Katie Baylie, the director of legislative affairs and associate general counsel for Planned Parenthood Great Plains. Were not able to really see if the goals of the program, which are explicitly anti-abortion are even being met, Baylie said. Obviously abortion is not happening in Missouri, its been illegal. So its just not really clear, if the goal is stopping abortions in a state where abortion is illegal, what the funds are really being used for, she said. Bosman said her agency, the Haven of Grace does not spread misinformation about abortion care. Instead, they provide resources beyond what cash assistance could offer, which would be unfairly restricted if the new rule were enforced, she said. I think that many of the people that we serve need help, they need guidance, they need to be educated around how to use resources, Bosman said. If youve not had any type of exposure, which many dont, to money management, it will not be helpful. MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) A local man was arrested after he was accused of assaulting his mother during an argument, according to the Mobile Police Department. An MPD news release said officers were called to the 3000 block of Lacoste Road around 3 p.m. Saturday for a report of a domestic incident. Mobile woman accused of pulling knife on gas station clerk, stealing items: MPD When they arrived, officers heard that a womans son had assaulted her during an argument, according to the release. A mugshot of Christian Braun (Mobile County Sheriffs Office). Mobile Police arrested 31-year-old Christian Martin Braun. He is charged with domestic violence strangulation, domestic violence assault and unlawful imprisonment, according to the release. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 21. The Omani airline Salam Air plans to launch flights to Kazakhstan on the Muscat-Almaty route, Trend reports, citing the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan. Slated to operate twice a week (Tuesdays and Fridays), the first flight will be performed on June 18 on an Airbus A320/A321 aircraft with a capacity of 180230 seats. According to the Ministry, the resumption of air traffic will contribute to the further development of trade, economic, business, and tourism cooperation between the two countries. Notably, the total number of international flights from Kazakhstan reached 567 per week on 121 air routes. Direct flights are available to 28 countries. Furthermore, the number of passengers transported by air in Kazakhstan amounted to 13.3 million from January through December 2023. This is 20.7 percent more than in the same period in 2022. At the same time, passenger turnover amounted to 25.9 billion p-km (increased by 28.8 percent compared to JanuaryDecember 2022). He moderated r/Ukraine, shaping how the world sees the war. Now he has to fight in it. Mykola Sokalskii, a Ukrainian film producer, is being enlisted to fight against Russia. He is also one of the powerful moderators of r/Ukraine a huge clearinghouse for news of the war. The subreddit grew more than tenfold during the war and gave Sokalskii a vivid insight into the fight he's joining. A man who spent two years moderating one of the internet's most influential sources of information on Ukraine is being called up to fight against Russia. Mykola Sokalskii, a 39-year-old film producer from Kyiv, started live-streaming on Reddit in 2020 after the pandemic began. Then, a few months before Russia invaded in February 2022, he joined r/Ukraine as a moderator, one of the users empowered to help shape the subreddit's conversation. Speaking to Business Insider, Sokalskii said the subreddit "skyrocketed" in popularity on Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, swelling from 80,000 members to 906,000. It became a key source of information on the war, often breaking news of major events and featuring gritty combat videos that mainstream journalists scrambled to confirm. It was also a community a strongly partisan one coordinating fundraising efforts to get equipment and aid to soldiers on the front line. Sokalskii who uses the username "JesterBoyd" said he uses Reddit to convey what he sees as "objective truth" about the war to its members, predominantly in the US, UK, and Germany. A shift in perspective His days as a moderator are filled with reviewing heartbreaking posts detailing the tragedies in his country. He monitors the responses giving him a unique perspective on how the West is viewing the invasion. He is often struck by how fickle the support can be, but also the huge power he has to show the reality of war to so many people. "We can see how the public opinion shifts and transforms based on the information they consume, and the responsibility we have is to give information that is objective," he told BI. "When you travel through a war-torn landscape, you will see one house that will be completely obliterated, and then the neighbor's house will be pretty much fine and it's kind of unfair in a way," he said. "But that's just the way things are, and that's also the way you can portray war. You can focus on one house, or you can focus on another, or you can try to give a wider, more general picture and try to convey some kind of objective truth." Ukraine's weakness One issue often discussed on the subreddit is Ukraine's need for more troops. Ukraine has recently stepped up its efforts to replenish soldiers. It lowered the conscription age from 27 to 25, eliminated some draft exemptions, and created an online registry for recruits. Ukraine's parliament also passed a bill earlier this month that would allow the country's military to recruit prisoners to fight . That effort now includes drafting Sokalskii. The need is clear US estimates have suggested Ukraine has already lost some 70,000 Ukrainian soldiers, The New York Times reported . Sokalskii knows it better than most. He said he had long been thinking about what would happen if he went to the frontline. Writing in a thread in April, Sokalskii said he'd been served a drafting notice, and was going through the process of getting ready to serve. One person asked: Wouldn't he be more valuable to Ukraine helping run the subreddit? "In a perfect world, I could do both more effectively by being in the army," he said. But the world isn't perfect. A memorial for fallen defenders of Ukraine at the Maidan Nezalezhnosti on May 14, 2024 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Global Images Ukraine/Getty Images "In reality, an army is an army and I expect it to be exceedingly difficult to post content regularly without endangering anyone and still being informative and engaging enough to make a difference," he said. Flaws in Ukraine's conscription process Sokalskii spent a long time thinking about the country's conscription process, which has been plagued by corruption. He said he believes it would work better as a lottery where "everybody has to suffer equally" with the option to trade with a family member or friend willing to take your place. In August, Zelenskyy fired all of Ukraine's military recruitment chiefs after an investigation revealed they were accepting up to $10,000 in bribes to help people avoid being drafted. "I think everyone should be equal I don't really care whether you are a CEO or a plumber," Sokalskii said. Sokalskii declined to share specifics on enlistment, citing that he was still going through the process. But he said working as a moderator helped to set basic expectations for war. Two Ukrainian soldiers of the 42th Brigade in training at an undisclosed location in Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast on February 27, 2024. Narciso Contreras/Anadolu via Getty Images "My mom is very worried and wouldn't want me to go. What can you do?" he said. Some Reddit users offered well-wishes, while others, who appeared to have military experience, offered advice on survival. "Keep a safe distance from your buddies when out in the open. And stay dry this is a survival thing: being miserable grinds people down mentally so they make stupid decisions," one person wrote in the thread he started. Another wrote: "If I might offer one piece of advice as a combat vet myself, make sure you have plenty of dry socks." "I know this may sound stupid to a lot of people, but it is arguably the most important piece of kit you'll have," they said. "It's hard to fight when the skin on your feet is rotten and falling off in chunks." Sokalskii said the support he has received from the subreddit community has made him "proud to be a part of it." Read the original article on Business Insider Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean and the European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, signed a Security and Defense Partnership on May 21, Borrell said on X. Moldova became the first country to sign such a document with the EU, which is designed to "enhance the country's resilience." Chisinau has moved closer to Europe amid worries that the Kremlin is attempting to carry out a destabilization campaign in the country. Russo-Moldovan relations have soured since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with fears that Russia's aggression may spill over via Transnistria, a Moldovan territory where Russian troops have been stationed since the early 1990s. "It (partnership) will allow to jointly address common security challenges, make our engagement more effective, and explore new areas of cooperation," Borrell said. The partnership will function as an umbrella mechanism for all interactions between Moldova and the EU, including the spheres of cybersecurity, countering disinformation, and defense, the Moldovan Foreign Ministry said. The document does not have the status of an international treaty and is based on political commitments. Moldova and France signed a bilateral defense deal in March, days after Moldova's intelligence agency warned that Russia would seek to destabilize the country as it prepares for a presidential election and a referendum on EU membership. President Maia Sandu will run for re-election in October. Sandu has put the country on a decisively pro-EU course, helping to secure Chisinau's membership candidacy and accession talks. Read also: US official: US deepening cooperation with Moldova amid potential threats from Russia Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Moldova has signed a security and defence partnership with the European Union, the first country to agree such a deal with the bloc, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Tuesday. Led by pro-European President Maia Sandu, Moldova, which lies between Ukraine and NATO and EU member Romania, hopes to join the European Union by 2030. It has strongly condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine. "This partnership will enhance the country's resilience. It will allow (us) to jointly address common security challenges, make our engagement more effective and explore new areas of cooperation," Borrell wrote on X. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on the X social media platform that EU accession would be the best "mechanism to ensure peace & stability for Moldova's citizens". "Until then, the signing of the EU-Moldova Security and Defence Partnership is a step forward, enhancing our peace, security, and prosperity," he wrote. In March, Sandu signed a defence cooperation accord with France, warning that Russia was renewing efforts to destabilise Moldova and that if President Vladimir Putin was not stopped in Ukraine he would keep going. Moldova gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and its relations with Moscow have deteriorated during Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The 28-point partnership plan takes account of "an increasingly challenging security environment" following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calls for consultations in a wide range of sectors. These include cyber threats, disinformation, counter-terrorism and "enhancing Moldovas national security, stability and resilience in the defence sector". Cooperation is also to include border management, human trafficking and organised crime and cooperation in international forums. (Reporting by Alexander Tanas and Andrew Gray; writing by Tom BalmforthEditing by Ed Osmond, Gareth Jones, Ron Popeski) Mom noticed birthmark above her daughter's eye. It was sign of seizure-causing condition When Danielle Gourdeau first gazed at newborn Jasmine on October 1, 2021, she noticed a spot on her daughters eye. At first, she didnt worry about it. When Jasmine was first born, mom Danielle Gourdeau thought the mark above her eye was from a traumatic birth. (Courtesy Danielle Gourdeau) They thought that maybe the mark about her eye could have been a bruise due to the traumatic birth, Gourdeau, 36, of Massachusetts, tells TODAY.com. My first child, my son, was also a traumatic birth and he had some markings on his face. But the spot didnt go away and Gourdeau realized it was a birthmark. When she mentioned it to Jasmines pediatrician at her first visit, the doctor suggested something unexpected that Jasmine might have something called Sturge-Weber syndrome, a condition that can lead to seizures, migraines and other neurological troubles. I had never heard of it, Gourdeau says. I was undoubtedly terrified. I wanted to know if this was something that was genetically connected to me, like I gave it to her and then get her treated as soon as possible. When a birthmark is a sign of something else Before that visit to the doctor, Gourdeau thought little of the raised blush colored mark above Jasmines left eye. A home-visiting nurse said that it was likely a birthmark, which encouraged Gourdeau to mention it to Jasmines doctor. She was surprised when the doctor recommended she take Jasmine to the Surge-Weber Syndrome Clinic at Boston Childrens Hospital. "I just wanted to know if there was something wrong and if she needed to be treated, Gourdeau says. When Jasmine went to the clinic she met director, Dr. Anna Pinto, who recommended than Jasmine undergo an MRI. The results confirmed what the doctors suspected Jasmine had Sturge-Weber syndrome, a rare neurological condition accompanied by a port wine birthmark and seizures. Everything I (read about the syndrome) absolutely terrified me, Gourdeau says. The clinic offers treatments to address the aesthetic appearance of the birthmark, but Gourdeau was more concerned about the impact the condition would have on her daughters brain. (Dr. Pinto said) usually within the first year of life, we see seizures, Gourdeau recalls. I faded out. I didnt really absorb what she was saying. I must have asked her to repeat herself two or three times. After Gourdeau's shock wore off, Pinto explained that doctors can treat Sturge Weber syndrome with an anti-seizure medication and aspirin. Pinto who participated in a retrospective study of this protocol saw that this medication regimen could lessen or even stop babies with Sturge Weber from having seizures. The seizures themselves could possibly lead to irreparable damage to her brain, Gourdeau says. So why not avoid them? When her daughter was diagnosed with Sturge Weber syndrome, Danielle Gourdeau had no idea that a port wine birthmark could be associated with neurological symptoms. (Courtesy Danielle Gourdeau) After much thought, Gourdeau agreed to the treatment. It was scary being in the position that I was in, (wondering) am I making the right choice? she says. Sturge Weber syndrome Having a birthmark doesnt necessarily indicate a health problem. But when babies have port wine birthmarks located on the upper eyelid, in the forehead, it could be a sign of Sturge Weber syndrome, Pinto says. Those who have the condition develop too many capillaries in the skin and also have abnormal blood vessels on the brains surface, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says. A port wine birthmark on the brow and forehead increases the chances of having the same vascular malformation inside the brain, in the area surrounding the brain tissue and this can lead to neurological symptoms (with) seizures being the most common, Pinto, an attending physician in the department of neurology, division of epilepsy at Boston Childrens Hospital, tells TODAY.com. Children with these birthmarks should be seen by a neurologist. Children with Sturge Weber syndrome often develop seizures and migraines, she notes. But symptoms can appear later. Some cases can be asymptomatic (for) a period of time, she says. We have very mild cases, or they have late onset neurological symptoms. Theres a large variation. For some children, early onset seizures can be devastating for their development, she says. To address that, children who have EEG or MRI results that indicate vascular abnormalities in the brain are treated with an anti-seizure medication and aspirin. What we have found is that by giving a seizure medication associated with aspirin before the seizures (begin) can decrease the amount of seizures, Pinto explains. It can delay the onset as well as decrease the magnitude of the epilepsy. Right now, it seems as if that they might not have to continue the medication throughout their lives, she says. But there are some variables. If the patient does not develop any symptoms when we repeat the MRI, if there is no progression of the disease (and) the brain is safe, we can offer to stop the treatment, she says. However, (with) some of the patients what happened is that we delayed the onset of the neurological symptoms, and they still can develop seizures. Pinto says there is a multi-center study examining the natural history of Sturge Weber syndrome so experts gain a better understanding of how the disease manifests across the population. Experts know that it can range from mild to severe and that it doesnt seem to contribute to increase mortality, she notes. But some people with it experienced a diminished quality of life, many with severe or frequent seizures being unable to drive, for example. Many who have epilepsy as a result of Sturge Weber take medication that impacts their memories and many also have ADHD, Pinto says. This condition is highly associated with depression (and) anxiety," she adds. Raising awareness Jasmine, now almost 3, is still taking the medications and Gourdeau believes the intervention had a tremendous impact on her daughter. They have saved my daughter, I truly believe, from having to suffer from any seizures, she says. The odds were stacked against her, and she has surpassed them. Every year, Jasmine undergoes an MRI and when shes 4 the doctors might re-evaluate her medications, either reducing or eliminating what she takes. Hopefully at her 4th birthday her MRI will show no signs of any damage, any seizure activity, Gourdeau says. Jasmine has a 'spicy' personality and her port wine birthmark turns redder when she angers. Still, mom Danielle Gourdeau feels grateful that Jasmine received a quick diagnosis and treatment for Sturge Weber syndrome. (Courtesy Danielle Gourdeau) Jasmine experienced some developmental delays where she was slow to hold up her head, sit and crawl. But she participated in early interventions, such as physical, speech and occupational therapy, and is doing well now. Every transition has been a little bit different and a little more difficult or a little bit (scary), Gourdeau says. In hindsight of it all, I would not have changed what I had done. (Boston Children's Hospital) absolutely made sure that she was going to be OK. Today, Jasmine is hitting milestones, and enjoying life. She loves music, dancing and running around the park. Shes very rambunctious, Gourdeau says. Nothing stops her. Shes spicy. When Jasmine angers, her birthmark becomes a darker red, a telltale sign for Gourdeau to be cautious. But her fury is fleeting. Shes very, very happy, she says. Gourdeau hopes that others learn from Jasmines story. If a child has a port wine birthmark above the eye or in the forehead, they should visit a doctor. Stick to your motherly instincts, stick to your fatherly instincts, she says. If you think there may be something wrong, dont overthink it (take) action. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Montanas chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers today announced that it raised a record $56,620 for mule deer conservation by raffling a single statewide deer tag. The winner is a Washington State hunter who bought five chances at $20 apiece. The total raised in the two-month campaign, which was heavily promoted on BHAs content channels, is 38 percent higher than the previous record of $41,000 raised at auction for Montanas statewide mule deer tag. The fundraising mechanism is an important point of divergence here. Montana is one of many Western states whose wildlife commissions donate highly coveted statewide big-game hunting tags to conservation groups to sell. Money from the transaction is plowed back into habitat and management efforts to benefit the respective species. Traditionally, these tags have been auctioned to the highest bidders, but the idea that opportunities to pursue public wildlife are being sold to wealthy hunters and highest bidders conflicts with an expectation that wildlife is available to all. Thats one of the seven pillars of whats come to be called the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. It means that every citizen has the freedom to view, hunt and fish, regardless of social or economic status, according to the Boone and Crockett Clubs explanation. Reconsidering Tag Auctions The auction-tag model is under consideration in a number of states. In March, shortly after the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo, where most Western big-game tags are auctioned, Arizonas Game and Fish Commission voted to abolish the states practice of auctioning big-game tags by 2026 as it considers more equable systems for raising funds important to trophy-species management. But some who testified in favor of keeping auction tags, and the eye-popping revenue they raise for the most desirable hunts, noted the trickle-down effect of allowing a single wealthy hunter to fund species-specific management. The Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society stressed that of the $9.6 million raised for wild sheep conservation in Arizona over the past 20 years, $6.8 million was generated through auctions, compared to $2.8 million raised through raffles. Funds from both sources are used to fund wildlife management and habitat projects that often create additional hunting opportunities that are democratically distributed in the states big-game draw. The fact that a handful of individuals stepped up to put and keep more wild sheep on the mountain for everyone, and one day put more sheep permits into the public draws, is the definition of paying it forward, says Gray Thornton, president and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation, which set an auction-tag record for conservation permits at its convention in January. Thats the backbone of conservation. Montanas statewide bighorn sheep license, it should be noted, sold at auction to the highest bidder at the Wild Sheep Foundations January Sheep Show for $380,000. That tag has raised $8.7 million for bighorn sheep management in Montana since 1986. A Gamble in Montana As it requested permission to raffle the Montana statewide mule deer tag, which allows the recipient to hunt in any unit in the state in archery, rifle, and muzzleloader seasons, BHAs regional policy manager Kevin Farron told Montanas Fish and Wildlife Commission that the opportunity to hunt shouldnt just be for the wealthy. The commission awarded BHA rights to broker the tag through a raffle. Its the first time that a Montana conservation group has hosted an open raffle for a trophy tag, which are also offered for bighorn sheep, mountain goat, moose, and elk. The tag was drawn last week (full disclosure: BHA asked me to assist in the drawing) and the ticket number corresponding to a hunter known only as Matt E. from Washington State was drawn. In all, 1,317 individuals bought $20 raffle tickets, according to BHAs Farron. A total of 2,831 tickets were sold, and the average buyer bought two tickets. Nearly 12 percent of ticket buyers were Montana residents. Over 60 percent of participants bought just one ticket; 76 percent bought two or fewer. Read Next: Auction vs. Raffle Tags: Should States Stop Selling Big-Game Tags to the Highest Bidder? We think that distribution is important, said Farron. There was a risk that a single buyer could come in and buy a huge number of tickets to swamp the pool, but that didnt happen, which I think helps make the case that chances were equitably distributed. In fact, many participants told us that they had no illusions of drawing the tag but simply wanted to support this more equitable model for special tags. The raffle, unlike an auction, wasnt driven by high rollers, continued Farron. Average, blue-collar hunters had a realistic shot. The statewide hunting tag wasnt the only prize on offer in the raffle. Matt E. will also receive $3,600 worth of gear donated by Mystery Ranch, Weatherby, and First Lite BHA corporate partners who support this equitable approach, says Farron. View comments After more than a year of heated community debate, its official the Delta Program is becoming a separate school. Fourteen months, one steering committee and several board discussions later, the State College Area school board unanimously approved a motion during its Monday meeting to make the program into a middle and high school. Started in 1974, Delta Program is a democratically run alternative schooling program students can opt into starting in sixth grade. In March 2023, the SCASD administration proposed making Delta into its own middle and high schools but faced heavy opposition from parents and students in the Delta community who feared that Delta becoming a school would radically change its culture. The motion also included the creation of a transition committee that would help create names for the middle and high school, create a branding plan, evaluate graduation requirements and decide if a separate ceremony would be wanted for future graduates. One of the major reasons for the administrations push to make Delta into separate schools is the need for more accurate state testing data. As a program, Delta students standardized test scores, demographics and climate studies are essentially a black hole to the district, being stored with the students home schools. As two schools, the future Delta middle and high schools PSSA, Keystone and state climate studies will be separate, allowing the district to better track scores and growth. Board member Jackie Huff said the transition to a school wouldnt change the way Delta operates, just help track the data the students already produce. I dont see this as something thats meant to change the direction of Delta, Huff said. This just kinda puts an AirTag on it. The focus on data has long been a sticking point between the Delta community and the administration. In previous community discussions, parents and students said they felt becoming a school could lead to an increased pressure on standardized testing. Others felt that becoming a school would be the first step to losing Deltas character. In April, the board approved a resolution recognizing the core tenets of Delta, a step to reassure the community that Delta would not fundamentally change if it became a school. Still, some members of the Delta community were unconvinced. Student representative to the board and senior at the Delta Program, Zofia Sullivan, shared the concerns many of her peers voiced during the months of discussion around Deltas transition to a school. I agree that data is important for a variety of reasons; my fear is that reducing Deltas essence to test scores oversimplifies its impact, Sullivan said. And a lot of students fear that the school board and the school district essentially do not understand what Delta is. Despite lingering concerns, board members, some whom are Delta parents and alumni, expressed their continued commitment to the community moving forward. I really hope that we can let go of fear board president Amy Bader said. As an anxious person, I understand that uncertainty is really difficult. But as Ive grown up, the biggest thing Ive tried to learn is how to be comfortable with being uncomfortable and thats not always easy. More protests at Harvard University worry some Jewish students that graduation will be interrupted Harvard Divinity School Graduate student Shabbos Kestenbaum worries that protests will mar Harvards graduation ceremony this week. Im concerned theyll disrupt commencement this week and also because they have admitted publicly plan on disrupting commencement this week, said Shabbos Kestenbaum, the President of the Divinity School Jewish Student Association who is graduating this week. On Sunday anti-Israel protesters marched from Harvard to the home of interim president Alan Garber for the second time. They are upset that students who participated in the three-week-long encampment are being disciplined. Harvards Administrative Board: Suspended 5 students Placed 20 on probation And prevented 14 seniors from receiving degrees In a Saturday Instagram post Harvard out of Palestine or HOOP, wrote that the rally on Sunday will: send Harvard a message: commencement will not proceed as normal while Harvard penalizes the students that speak against genocide. Jewish students like Shabbos are worried Harvard has no plan in place if protesters do follow through with that threat. We are all very concerned and apprehensive about inviting friend and family to participate in the ceremony, said Kestenbaum. Harvard sent Boston 25 a statement that says Harvard did not guarantee student protesters would be let off scot-free. It does not speak to the outcome of disciplinary processes, rather it indicates he would encourage disciplinary bodies to move their processes forward expeditiously, in line with their existing precedents and practices, says Jason Newton a university spokesperson Harvards graduation is on Thursday. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW More scholarship money offered to SC education majors in attempt to stem teacher shortage (File/Getty Images) COLUMBIA Education majors at South Carolina colleges can get additional scholarship aid starting this fall under a bill Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law Monday. The new law, which passed both the House and Senate unanimously, is meant to encourage more students to become teachers amid an ever-worsening teacher shortage, supporters said. It extends to education majors the same boost in lottery-backed scholarships that state law has offered students majoring in math and science since 2007. Students receiving the money must agree to teach at a public school in the state for as many years as they received the scholarship, which can be a maximum of four years. Im thrilled to death, said Senate Education Chairman Greg Hembree, the bills main sponsor. It was one of those no-brainer pieces of legislation to assist with trying to retain teachers. As of February, public K-12 schools in the state had 1,315 open positions for teachers, librarians, counselors, psychologists and speech therapists, according to the mid-year update from the Center for Educator Recruitment, Retention & Advancement. The scholarships will be available this coming school year to college sophomores, juniors and seniors who went to high school in South Carolina and are already receiving LIFE or Palmetto Fellows scholarships, which are awarded to students who meet academic criteria. The money is meant to cover students remaining tuition after other scholarships are applied. LIFE Scholarship recipients can get up to $2,500 more on top of the $5,000 they already receive, and Palmetto Fellows Scholarship recipients can get up to $3,300 added to their $7,500. The money will come from lottery profits. If the number of students studying education in the state remains consistent this coming year, students will receive an additional $8 million in scholarships, the state Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office estimated. That number should increase if the program accomplishes its goal in enticing more students toward the teaching profession, Hembree said. Although offering scholarships wont solve the teacher shortage, it might draw in a few more students on the fence about pursuing education by offering more money for doing so, said the Little River Republican. What Im thinking about is the one (student) whos on the border, thinking, Maybe this, maybe that, Hembree said. Along with encouraging high school students to pursue teaching, the program will likely keep teachers in the profession by reducing how much student loan debt they have to pay, said Patrick Kelly, a lobbyist for the Palmetto State Teachers Association. We think this is one of the best actions taken by the General Assembly this session to help with teacher recruitment, said Kelly, who also teaches advanced government courses at Blythewood High School. Lawmakers also plan to increase the minimum teacher salary in the state from $42,500 to $47,000 in the coming year in part of the effort to reduce the teacher shortage. The budget process is not yet finished, but the House and Senate have agreed to the teacher salary numbers. Other efforts Several other bills meant to address a shortage of teachers did not make it to the finish line this year. One would have allowed teachers more time to back out of contracts. Another would have accounted for experience outside of the classroom in determining a teachers pay. Those wouldve really moved the needle, Kelly said. Advocates have been pushing for more flexibility in teacher contracts for years. Teachers must sign their contracts by mid-May, usually weeks before their local school board sets their pay. If a teacher breaks their contract after signing, they lose their certification for a year, beginning whenever the State Board of Education hears their case. The bill proposed this year would have allowed teachers to bow out of their contracts within 10 days of seeing their salaries. Anyone who withdrew from their contract between then and six months would also face reduced penalties. That could help teachers get back in the classroom more quickly if they need to leave the district for another reason, such as dealing with a family emergency or moving alongside a spouse, advocates have said. The House passed the bill, but the Senate did not take it up. Because teacher pay is decided based on how many years someone has been teaching, accounting for real-world experience in a field could draw in more teachers by making it more appealing for people to consider teaching when switching fields, Kelly said. Both the House and Senate passed their own versions of that proposal but failed to create a committee to work out the differences before the end of session. Im really disappointed to see that not make it to the finish line, Kelly said. Another of Hembrees bills that would have allowed people with at least five years of experience in their field to teach without getting certified did not become law this year. That bill faced significantly more opposition than other proposals, with Kelly and some lawmakers raising questions over whether people would have adequate training to handle classrooms full of students. The proposal is not likely to bring in many people, but it could help fill some of the classrooms with all-virtual teachers or long-term substitutes, Hembree said. He plans to reintroduce it next year. Its a game of inches, Hembree said. You just keep coming back and try again. Gov. Henry McMaster signed more than 50 bills into law this week. Others he signed: The post More scholarship money offered to SC education majors in attempt to stem teacher shortage appeared first on SC Daily Gazette. Mother clings to life at HCMC after driving her son, 2, to hospital when both wounded by gunfire A woman continues to fight for her life in a Minneapolis hospital after she drove herself and her toddler son to the hospital when both were severely wounded by gunfire. A spokeswoman for HCMC said late Tuesday afternoon that Lilian M. Polacin Perez, 35, of Minneapolis remains in critical condition after she and her 2-year-old were shot Sunday night while in a vehicle in an alley in the 2900 block of 18th Avenue S. Polacin Perez drove herself and her son about 1 miles to Children's Minnesota-Minneapolis while both were suffering from "potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds," a police statement read. Polacin Perez was later transferred to HCMC. In a statement, Police Chief Brian O'Hara called the shooting of a child "absolutely horrific. It is outrageous. I am most thankful that it appears this child will survive." Polacin Perez's brother-in-law, Jamie Chachipanta, told the Star Tribune that the boy is named Suriel, and "I think he is going to be OK. That is what the doctors said." Police said a male dressed in dark clothing shot the woman and her toddler. The gunfire hit the child in the face, police said. "MPD is investigating the sequence of events that led up to the shooting and is working to determine if this was a targeted shooting," the police statement read. There have been no arrests as of late Tuesday morning, police said. Police also said they have not yet made an arrest in a shooting about 20 minutes later and a few blocks away at a house in the 2800 block of 16th Avenue S. A 32-year-old man had been shot and was taken to HCMC. Preliminary information indicated the victim and the shooter knew each other, police said. The victim's identity has yet to be released. A search warrant affidavit filed Monday in Hennepin County District Court disclosed that the man was in critical condition after a being shot in the throat while he was in a first-floor bedroom. Witnesses told police that the man arrived at the home with a woman and two men, according to the filing. After the gunfire, the woman and the two men fled the home. After a judge read the affidavit and allowed police to search the home, investigators recovered two live rounds of ammunition, a $1 bill rolled up and containing "unknown contents," five cellphones, drug paraphernalia and one discharged cartridge casing. Sheena Scarbrough, left, mother of Sade Robinson; Carlos Robinson, center, father of Sade Robinson and Adrianna Reams, right, sister of Sade Robinson, hold doves to release in memory Sade Robinson at her public memorial service on May 10 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee. Sheena Scarbrough, the mother of slain Milwaukee teen Sade Robinson, is "pleading" with the parents of accused murderer Maxwell Anderson to convince him to confess to the killing and dismemberment of Robinson so that the rest of her body can be recovered. Scarbrough released the statement Monday night to media outlets, announcing she has hired an attorney, Verona Swanigan, to investigate the "heinous crime that was perpetuated on her daughter." After another body part possibly linked to Robinson was discovered along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Waukegan, Illinois last week, Scarbrough said she filed several Freedom of Information Act requests with the City of Waukegan and the Waukegan Police Department. Officials have said they are awaiting DNA results for the arm discovery. Robinson, 19, was reported missing April 2 following a first date with Anderson, 33. Prosecutors say after a short night out, the local bartender and Robinson went back to his house, where he killed her, dismembered her body and disposed of the body parts across Milwaukee County. Scarbrough has had to cope with various parts of her daughter being discovered, with the latest happening about 60 miles away. The family has not been able to have a proper funeral. Swanigan said in a statement on behalf of Scarbrough Monday night, "Sheena Scarbrough is pleading with the parents of Maxwell Anderson to convince him to be honest and do one thing right in his life by confessing where Sade Robinsons remains are located so Sade can be put to rest and this constant daily torture of new discoveries of her body can end." Anderson pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody on $5 million bail. The Journal Sentinel reached out to the attorney for Anderson's father, Steven Anderson, and did not hear back Monday night. Swanigan also further addressed the posting of the arm discovery to social media by Waukegan Alderman Keith Turner. The action was criticized by Scarbrough and Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor. My daughter was tortured, and I am being tortured, but to have the first time that I get the chance to see a glimpse of my child again since Easter Sunday to be on Facebook because a Mayoral Candidate, an Alderman did not have the decency and professionalism to show a victims family compassion and tact is heart wrenching and agonizing," Scarbrough said in a statement. I have been longing for my child and that moment when I saw her body again should have been private, and only for my eyes and my family. This is not a movie, a television show, or a topic for public commentary. This is our lives and the life of my beautiful 19-year-old daughter. I speak for all victims because no matter who something like this happens to that shocking pain should never be put on display by a government official." Drake Bentley and David Clarey can be reached at dbentley1@gannett.com and dclarey@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mother of Sade Robinson pleads for a confession from Maxwell Anderson BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) Mountain Heart Community Services is celebrating 60 years of the Community Action Network. Beckleys Mountain Heart location welcomed the community for a potluck as they read proclamations from the governor and Beckleys mayor. Two of Oak Hills city council members were also in attendance to express their gratitude. Biden touts milestone in veteran health care under PACT Act Oak Hill Councilman Terry Van Buskirk commented, Ive actually seen a lot of what Mountain Heart does for the community, as far as some of the elderly with the weatherization. I also have grandkids that are in the childcare part of it. So, to me, everything that they are doing for this state is a plus. The Community Action Network has been responsible for helping people in need with childcare, home weatherization, disaster relief, after school programs, and resources for new parents, among other services. Mountain Heart Supervisor Donna England told 59News, Childcare is very essential. Since Covid, its made it really hard to keep enough childcare providers to cover the people that needs services. We have waitlists at some of the childcare centers and family home providers. Our services, what we do is we help low-income families pay for the childcare services, so that they can work and go to school. New Yorks high court upholds requiring insurance to cover medically necessary abortions Another Oak Hill councilman Roger Evans also commented, I think that a lot of Oak Hill would struggle to have stuff that they need [without them]. Whatever we could do for a kid or a family is tremendous. The Community Action Network began in 1964 as part of Lyndon B. Johnsons War on Poverty. The celebration will continue, as Mountain Heart celebrates its 60th anniversary next year. Mountain Heart Community Services covers around half of the counties in West Virginia. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. WASHINGTON (DC News Now) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said two men were arrested after shooting at an off-duty police officer in Northwest D.C. on Monday afternoon. MPD said that on Monday at about 12:10 p.m., police received a call for a shooting in the 5800 block of 7th Street. Police said an off-duty MPD officer was driving in his personal car to work when he saw another car driving erratically in front of him. The car stopped, a suspect then got out, and shot at the officers car. MPD said the officer, who was injured, then drove his car to the Fourth District Station for help. He was transported to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The officer was able to remember part of the suspects car license plate number, and soon after police were able to find the car using a license plate reader technology near Bladensburg Road and New York Avenue in Northeast. MPD then pursued the suspected car to Landover where it was involved in a single-vehicle crash. The two suspects were taken into custody by the Prince Georges County Police Department. This is a reminder of the daily dangers we face and why I have immense appreciation for what our members do to protect others, said Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith. We are grateful that our officer has not sustained life-threatening injuries. I want to thank all the federal and local partners who have reached out today to provide support. Additionally, the community was very helpful in providing us with video and information to ensure we apprehended the suspect very quickly. 21-year-old Rasheed Thorne, of Northwest, D.C., and 21-year-old William Walker, of Upper Marlboro, Md. are currently wanted for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun). The suspects will go through the extradition process and will be returned to D.C. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) A new 5-year, $40 million contract was just signed with Inter-Con, a California company to provide security at Multnomah County buildings, parking area, health facilities and homeless shelters even guards stationed at ballot drop-box drive-up locations. There is also a video monitoring center of county facilities staffed around-the-clock under this deal. The past few years Multnomah County officials have boosted the number of security officers but at this point they are not armed guards. Though theyre not police officers, the county said the security staff is now required to have a higher level of training that in the past. The security staff must now complete State of Oregon Department of Public Standards and Training, take de-escalation training and trauma-informed training so they are better able to engage with people in a mental health crisis. Multnomah County COO Serena Cruz told KOIN 6 News the security staff has grown from 52 to 109 under the agreement with Inter-Con. Dozens more security personnel can be added if needed. Multnomah County Chief Operating Officer Serena Cruz, May 20, 2024 (KOIN) This contract lets us expand up to 170 should we need that, Cruz told KOIN 6 News. That would be if we needed to for particular security needs if we need to on a short-term basis for security for elections. The contract does include an option to add armed security guards but that is not happening right now. KOIN 6 News will continue to follow this story. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) One of the few primary races left undecided Tuesday night tightened a little bit Wednesday morning but challenger Nathan Vasquez still leads in the Multnomah County District Attorney race. As of 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, Vasquez is leading incumbent Mike Schmidt by 13,978 votes, 65,349 to 51,371, with 63% of precincts reporting. The last count Tuesday night at 10 p.m. showed Vasquez with a 14,121 vote lead. Vasquezs spoke to supporters and the media after those late Tuesday night results were released. Schmidt had issued a statement early Tuesday evening, shortly after the first vote totals were released, showing Vasquez with a large lead. COMPLETE 2024 PRIMARY COVERAGE This has been a hard-fought campaign, and while it is still too early to definitively call this race, right now we are down, Schmidt said. I look forward to seeing more results come in. Regardless of the outcome, I want to thank this community for the incredible support they have shown this campaign. Left: Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt; Right: Multnomah County Senior Deputy District Attorney Nathan Vasquez (Credit: KOIN/Eye on Northwest Politics) A winner will be announced following the May election if a candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. If neither candidate reaches the 50% threshold, a runoff election will be held in November. However, that result now seems unlikely. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) The Multnomah County Sheriffs Offices new comfort dog, Burton, was officially sworn in on Monday. Along with his handler, Kerri Oman, Burton, the three-year-old, long-haired German Shepherd, will respond to calls for service to relieve stress and anxiety for families, community members and first responders, attend community events, and be an overall support to our agency, MCSO said. Hillsboro woman falls to death hiking in Columbia River Gorge According to the sheriffs office, comfort dogs can lower blood pressure, have a calming effect and improve cardiovascular health. Burton is the Multnomah County Sheriffs Offices new comfort dog. (MCSO) Burton will be a valuable resource for alleviating stress and anxiety for our members and providing support during times of crisis, Sheriff Nicole Morrisey ODonnell said. I am also hopeful that Burton will help facilitate community trust and confidence by breaking down barriers and encouraging positive interactions between MCSO and our community. Burton was donated to the sheriffs office by the organization Working Dogs Oregon. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Students visiting the Clarksville campus of Nashville State Community College should plan to add a few extra minutes to their commute times to accommodate construction. College administrators were joined by city, county and state officials on May 15 as they broke ground on a new expansion and renovation project on campus. The expansion and renovation project for the Nashville State Community College Clarksville campus includes a new building, total renovations on the existing. and expanding parking. The $34 million project will see the college's existing building completely renovated and add a second building and expanded parking to campus. Nashville State Community College President Shanna L. Jackson speaking at the groundbreaking of the renovation and expansion project at Nashville State's Clarksville campus. From design to the programs and supports offered, we are confident that the community will be very pleased with the expansion and renovation, said Clarksville campus Director Kathleen Akers. Between Tennessee Promise, Tennessee Reconnect, the numerous scholarships offered, and supports provided such as laptop, tutoring, and food and transportation assistance, Nashville State is here to support students from admissions to graduation and beyond. According to its website, the Clarksville campus has 422 students enrolled. About 35% of those students are nontraditional and 18% use VA benefits. Along with more student resources, the Clarksville campus is preparing for new academic programs in healthcare, information technology, secondary education and industrial process control. Additional resources for students, as outlined in the college's plans, include: Lounge dedicated to military veterans Student lounge Welcome Center A new bookstore Campus Cupboard food pantry Testing space for industry certifications ADA testing center Library and study area Tutoring support room Nashville State Foundation Executive Director Cecily Freeman, Nashville State Foundation Member Paula Harris, Nashville State Clarksville Campus Director Kathleen Akers, Montgomery County Chief of Staff Lee Harrell, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts, Tennessee Board of Regents Vice President Jothany Reed, State Sen. Bill Powers, Nashville State President Shanna Jackson, TCAT Dickson & Clarksville Campus Vice President Levi Mayer, State Rep. Ronnie Glynn, members of the architecture and construction teams. "This magnificent new building will be a great addition to the campus of Nashville State Community College, which is already a prominent fixture along Wilma Rudolph Boulevard," Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts said at the groundbreaking. "Thank you to the Montgomery County delegation in the Tennessee General Assembly for securing funding from the state, and great thanks to the people of this community who have embraced the need to continue their education at a wonderful higher education institution like Nashville State." The project is expected to be complete by early 2027. Phase one, which includes construction of the new building, is expected to be complete by the end of 2025. Phase 2, which includes the total renovation of the existing building, is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. The project also includes new landscaping, grading and parking. Kenya Anderson is a reporter for The Leaf-Chronicle. She can be contacted at kanderson@gannett.com or on X at kenyaanderson32. Sign up for the Leaf-Chronicle to support local journalism at www.theleafchronicle.com. This article originally appeared on Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle: Nashville State begins work on Clarksville expansion, renovation William Marshall, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, addresses lawmakers during a legislative interim meeting Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Charleston, W.Va. (Will Price | West Virginia Legislative Photography) Nearly two years after a state of emergency was issued over staffing levels in West Virginias correctional facilities, the West Virginia National Guard is no longer staffing the states jails and prisons, lawmakers were told Tuesday. The National Guard was out of the jail facilities as of May 10, said William Marshall, commissioner of the state Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Marshall gave an update Tuesday to members of the Legislative Oversight Committee on Regional Jail and Correctional Facilities. West Virginias jails have long faced problems with understaffing and overcrowding and have some of the highest mortality rates in the country. In August 2022, Gov. Jim Justice issued a state of emergency to address critical staffing shortages in the states correctional facilities. The emergency declaration allowed the National Guard to support the jails by filling positions at the facilities. At the height of the state of emergency, about 350 guard members staffed the prisons and jails, Marshall said. In August, lawmakers approved legislation meant to address long-standing issues with the states jails and correctional facilities, including raising the pay scale for uniformed correctional officers and offering two bonuses for non-uniformed staff members. A bill that would have increased pay for non-uniformed jail staffers was introduced during the regular legislative session but died in committee. Marshall said the division now has a 20% staff vacancy rate for non-uniformed workers and 12% for uniformed positions. The divisions retention rate for employees has also improved with the help of the pay increase and the opportunity for on-the-job training, he said. I think it has a lot to do with obviously the pay to retain, but also with the ability to have the difference in training, where they dont have the obligation to be at the academy like they once were, Marshall said. He added that the change in training requirements is not eroding any training that they received. The training is good. Marshall said one jail is still overcapacity by about 200 but the division is working through all those issues. With the National Guard out of the facilities, Williams said he expects the state of emergency to be lifted anytime. Were working with the governors office and making sure that were able to continue to stand on our own and with the numbers that weve hired, the employees weve hired, it looks really good, Marshall said. This story has been updated to clarify Marshalls comments about on-the-job training contributing to increased retention rates. The post National Guard no longer staffing states jails and prisons, official says appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Don't miss out as Levi Rickert, Founder and Publisher of Native News Online, interviews former federal judge Kevin Sharp about Leonard Peltier's upcoming parole hearing on Monday, June 10. Sharp, an advocate for Peltier's release, will discuss Peltier's poor health at the age of 79 after decades of incarceration. He believes that Peltier will be at risk of death if kept in a maximum security prison. We will also learn about the historical context of the 1975 Pine Ridge murders and the turbulent period when Peltier was involved with the American Indian Movement. Sharp believes that Peltier's constitutional rights were violated in his trial and investigation. The parole hearing will consider testimony from Peltier's supporters and the government. Advocates hope that Peltier's release will help remedy past wrongs and allow for healing. Sharp is Co-Vice Chairman of Sanford Heisler Sharp and Co-Chair of the Public Interest Litigation Group. He served as a U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Tennessee from 2011 to 2017, including as Chief Judge from 2014 to 2017, handling over 4,000 cases and several high-profile ones like Young v. Giles County Board of Education and Rodriguez v. Providence Community Corrections, Inc. With nearly 30 years of experience, Sharp has litigated complex civil cases, including opioid litigation and significant employment and fiduciary breach settlements. He has received numerous accolades, including The American Lawyers South Trailblazers and Lawdragon 500. Since 2019, he has led a nationwide push to secure presidential clemency for Leonard Peltier, a 77-year-old Native American civil rights activist wrongly convicted in federal court and sentenced to two consecutive life terms for killing FBI agents at Pine Ridge Reservation in 1975. The U.S. Attorneys office has since admitted it doesnt know who killed the agents. Tune in to Native Bidaske LIVE this Friday, May 24th at 12 Noon ET on Native News Online's Facebook, X (Twitter), or YouTube channel. About the Author: "Native News Online is one of the most-read publications covering Indian Country and the news that matters to American Indians, Alaska Natives and other Indigenous people. Reach out to us at editor@nativenewsonline.net. " Contact: news@nativenewsonline.net This article was originally published in Source New Mexico. Graduation season is typically a time for celebrating the success of students making it through their education programs. For some Indigenous students, part of that celebration includes having tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance as part of their cap and gown during the graduation ceremony. In Arizona, Indigenous students are protected under state law. In 2021, then-Gov. Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2705 into law, barring public schools from preventing Indigenous students from wearing traditional tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance at graduation ceremonies. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Not all states have similar laws to protect Indigenous students. New Mexicos lawmakers say they passed legislation to prevent incidents like this from occurring, but its now unclear if that applies to a case garnering attention in Farmington, New Mexico. On May 13, Genesis White Bull, a Hunkpapa Lakota of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, was standing for the national anthem alongside her graduating class at the Farmington High School graduation ceremony when two unidentified school faculty members approached her to confiscate her graduation cap. In video footage shared across social media, White Bull is seen being instructed to remove her graduation cap, which was embellished with an eagle plume and beaded around the rim. Brenda White Bull, Genesis mother, shared the experience with the Navajo Nation Council and reported that school officials later cut the plume from her daughters cap using scissors. The Navajo Nation Council stated in a press release that Brenda emphasized the sacred significance of the plume, which symbolizes achievement and cultural identity, marking Genesis transition into new phases of her life. The Arizona Mirror contacted the family for an interview, but the family did not respond before publication. Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley called Farmington High Schools actions belittling, humiliating, and demeaning to the student and her family. There is no place for this type of behavior in our educational systems, Curley said in a press release. The school officials owe an apology to the student and her family. Farmington Municipal Schools, which oversees Farmington High School, released a statement on May 15 in response to the incident. During the event, a students beaded cap was exchanged for a plain one. The feather was returned intact to the family during the ceremony, Farmington Municipal Schools wrote in the statement. The beaded cap was returned after graduation concluded. Farmington Municipal Schools referred to the districts protocols, which state that graduation caps and gowns can not be altered, per the 2023-2024 Student and Parent Handbook. The handbook does not contain policy language stating any exceptions to these rules. However, the schools statement noted that students could choose their clothing attire, which included traditional attire to be worn under the graduation cap and gown, regalia, stoles, and feathers in their tassels. Students were informed throughout the school year and immediately before graduation of the protocol, including that beaded caps were not allowed, the statement read. This standard process helps us set student attire during graduations. While the staff involved were following district guidelines, we acknowledge this could have been handled differently and better, the statement read. Moving forward, we will work to refine our processes at the school level. Farmington Municipal Schools stated that the district is also committed to exploring policies that allow for additional appropriate cultural elements in student attire. Indigenous students comprise nearly 34% of the school districts population. School officials across the country need to be reminded who the first Americans are and whose land they inhabit, Curley said in a press release. No student in any school should be prohibited from wearing regalia that signifies their cultural and spiritual beliefs. New Mexico passed an anti-discrimination law in 2021 that might protect students against the Farmington schools district policy. However, the legal pathway is unclear according to responses from spokespeople in the governors offices, state education department, and even lawmakers who wrote the recent law. Each acknowledged that they were reviewing the law and could only give an official opinion once that was completed. Requests for comment were made to the New Mexico Department of Justice but were not returned in time for publication. Sen. Harold Pope (D-Albuquerque), who co-sponsored the law, said the legislation stemmed from the national Crown Act push that targeted to stop policies that discriminate against hair style and texture, with a significant tilt against African Americans. New Mexicos version was written from the views of the Native American cultures present throughout the state, Pope said, and the bill included co-sponsors who are Dine and Jemez Pueblo. We wanted to make sure that we included cultural and religious headdresses to be even more inclusive than your hair alone, he said. And what I think is important in that language, when we look at Indigenous cultures, feathers are so cherished and protected and it is part of who they are. Its unclear now if the law will provide White Bull support for any legal action she could take against Farmington Municipal Schools District. It broke my heart After footage of White Bulls graduation experience spread on social media, it sparked an outpouring of support from Indigenous people and communities across the country. Navajo Nation leaders have voiced their support for White Bull and called for schools to support an Indigenous students right to wear regalia during their graduation ceremonies, saying denying it is a violation of their rights. It broke my heart, Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty told the Arizona Mirror when she learned what happened to the student. Crotty said graduations are meant to be one of the happiest moments of a students life, and White Bulls experience was tarnished by having something so important taken away from her. Thats so traumatic and not the best way to approach these situations when it comes to our Native students, Crotty said. In a day of celebration, just for her to be attacked like that. Crotty said the incident has been reported to the Nation Human Rights Commission, which investigates discrimination within border towns. Farmington borders the Navajo Nation, and there is a documented history of racism against Indigenous people living or visiting the city. In April 1974, three white Farmington High School students brutally murdered four Navajo men as part of a practice locals called Indian rolling. In response to the murders, Navajo and other Indigenous people held protests in the city of Farmington denouncing the pervasive racism and bigotry of the community. Due to escalating tensions in Farmington, the New Mexico Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights launched a study of the relationships between the city, San Juan County and the Navajos living in the community and on the Navajo Nation. The committee concluded that Indigenous people in almost every area suffer from injustice and maltreatment, according to their report. They recommended that city officials and San Juan County officials, in conjunction with Navajo leaders, work together to develop a plan of action to improve the treatment of Navajos living in the border areas of northwestern New Mexico. The advisory committee conducted another report 30 years later and found that, while race relations may have somewhat improved in the area, racism is still an issue within the city of Farmington. There is a lack of understanding of how Native students identify themselves and celebrate themselves, Crotty said. She said that it is time to move beyond having conversations about cultural sensitivity for Native students, mainly because incidents like this keep occurring. Thats why we want to support mom and the family, Crotty said. She does want the school to be accountable, and she does want some sort of apology. Crotty said the staffs actions at Farmington High School were inappropriate, and immediate action is needed rather than the school trying to justify what happened. The cultural identity of all Native American students attending Farmington High School are protected under the New Mexico Indian Education Act, she said, adding that what happened was a clear violation of the students rights. As we move forward in addressing this issue, we will be meeting with the school board and administration, Crotty added. In New Mexico, the law passed in 2021 is directed specifically to local school districts, but it does not allow the New Mexico Public Education Department to issue any statewide order on local issues, such as what students can wear at graduation ceremonies. New Mexicos 89 school districts decide on those policies, which is why other Indigenous students across the state have different experiences with graduation attire. New Mexicos Public Education Secretary, Dr. Aresenio Romero, offered support for White Bull but noted that the issue is the responsibility of the local district. I expect the Farmington Superintendent and school district to reevaluate their graduation policies, Romero said. I remain committed to promulgating tribal sovereignty and to respecting tribal cultural customs and practices. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued a statement Friday saying that it was unacceptable that a student was reprimanded for representing their culture during a time of celebration. I appreciate that the Farmington schools acknowledge that they could have handled this situation better and that their policy may be too restrictive, she added. However, it shouldnt have required the student raising this issue for a school to recognize its lack of inclusivity. Navajo Nation First Lady Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren released a statement supporting Indigenous graduating students who wear their cultural and traditional regalia during graduation. We stand with our Native graduates this graduation season and their decision to wear their traditional tribal regalia or objects of cultural significance, including eagle feathers, eagle plumes, and beaded graduation caps, Blackwater-Nygren said in a statement she posted on her Facebook. Our graduates and families take immense pride in what they choose to wear on graduation day. Blackwater Nygren was a guest speaker at the Farmington High School graduation, but she said she was unaware of what occurred until after the graduation. I am deeply disappointed that this happened at a school where we have many Navajo and Native graduates, she said. I hope the school learns from this experience and can take corrective measures. Blackwater-Nygren said that, for many Indigenous students, deciding what to wear goes far beyond simply deciding what color dress or shoes to wear. For some Indigenous students, it is a day for them to wear their traditional regalia proudly. Our regalia reminds us of how far weve come as a people; it shows our pride in our culture and how we chose to identify ourselves as Native people, she said. Some graduates are the first in their families to graduate or are only one of a few high school graduates in the family. A beaded cap further signifies this symbol of achievement, accomplishment and Native resilience. Blackwater-Nygren is familiar with this issue because, as an Arizona State Representative, she helped pass House Bill 2705 through the legislature. As graduation season continues, I hope all schools will respect the decision of our Native students to wear their traditional regalia and objects of cultural significance, Blackwater-Nygren said. Source New Mexico is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Source New Mexico maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Shaun Griswold for questions: info@sourcenm.com. Follow Source New Mexico on Facebook and Twitter. A new proposal would reduce public access to autopsy reports in North Carolina. On Tuesday, state lawmakers tacked a slew of new provisions onto House Bill 250, which previously focused on reworking the offenses for distributing drugs. Changes include no longer allowing the public access to photographs, video or audio recordings in autopsy reports. Current law generally allows people to inspect and examine these under supervision. Only certain public officials are allowed to obtain copies. Written reports could be limited as well, by another section dealing with criminal investigation records. The change would expand the definition of those records, which are not typically public, to include autopsy records. A spokesperson for the state agency charged with investigating suspicious deaths said the proposal compromises the ability to conduct thousands of investigations and limits the ability to share information with families. The bill would also change the makeup of the states office tasked with providing help to indigent defendants. What is public now? Currently, North Carolina death certificates, autopsy, investigation and toxicology reports are public records and once finalized may be obtained from the states Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME), part of the Department of Health and Human Services. This bill would designate records compiled by OCME as records of criminal investigation, which are not public under state law. Currently, records of criminal investigations conducted by public law enforcement agencies and by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission are not public. These include records compiled by the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory. The bill would add to this definition records compiled by OCME. If the bill is passed, this would become effective July 1. Sen. Danny Britt, a Robeson County Republican, presented the bill on Tuesday. He said the bill clarifies that all photos and videos of autopsy shall not be released to the public while a crime is being investigated or prosecuted. There may be some concern for availability of these autopsy reports and photos being made available for press and things like that, Britt acknowledged. What this does is it ensures that these items are not released outside of the chain that may improperly influence the jury and, again, potentially lead to a case being overturned on appeal where a death is involved. He also said that the medical examiners records that the bill would treat as criminal investigation records would be accessible to the public at the conclusion of a criminal investigation and prosecution. The bill would apply just to those particular cases that are being prosecuted criminally, not to other cases, Britt said in response to a question from Democratic Sen. Sydney Batch. He also said these restrictions would apply to family members, though district attorneys could sit down with the family and show the records. Who performs autopsies? When someone dies in a violent, suspicious or unexpected way in North Carolina, part-time medical examiners inspect the bodies. If the cause of death is not clear, they request autopsies. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer found that it often takes many months and sometimes more than a year for autopsies to be completed. That can cause financial crises for families who need autopsies and death certificates to access life insurance and other assets theyre entitled to inherit. The system is backlogged chiefly because there are too many bodies and too few pathologists and toxicologists to perform autopsies, the newspapers investigation found. The medical examiner system faces challenges, and this bill as currently written, would make those challenges much, much more difficult, Mark Benton, chief deputy secretary for health with DHHS, told lawmakers Tuesday. Asked for further details on concerns with the bill, DHHS spokesperson Kelly Haight Connor wrote that the proposed language weakens the independent nature of North Carolinas medical examiner system, compromises the ability to conduct thousands of investigations and limits the ability to share information with families. In addition to the changes on public access, the bill adds continuing education training requirements for county medical examiners. It also details how examiners can request and obtain a deceased persons personal belongings. Haight Connor said DHHS had ongoing concerns with staff vacancies and high turnover at the OCME and any changes in process or caseloads needs to be thoughtfully considered given these staffing concerns. Autopsy reports from shootings and other violent incidents are often requested by the news media to glean details that otherwise may have not been released on what occurred in the incidents. South Carolina does not allow access to autopsy reports; its state Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that these reports are not public records and fall under privacy provisions of the states open records law. In 2020, a bill shielding some death investigation records from the public was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The General Assembly currently is controlled by Republicans and has a veto-proof supermajority. Britt said the new bill was being worked on and should be ready by next Tuesday for votes. District attorneys want to narrow this down to a workable piece that involves just the pending criminal cases, said Chuck Spahos, a lobbyist for the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys. Indigent Defense Services rework The bill also cuts the membership of North Carolinas Commission on Indigent Defense Services from 13 members to nine. It also grants two new appointments to the commission to the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and four to House and Senate leaders. All of those offices are currently held by Republicans. It cuts the governors one appointment and that of various state associations. Gov. Roy Cooper is a Democrat. This embedded content is not available in your region. Ames Alexander of The Charlotte Observer contributed to this report. Weve got to do better: Lawmakers plan more funding to tackle NC autopsy crisis Whats needed to fix autopsy crisis? Money and a strategic plan, NC budget writers say A new proposal would reduce public access to autopsy reports in North Carolina. On Tuesday, state lawmakers tacked a slew of new provisions onto House Bill 250, which previously focused on reworking the offenses for distributing drugs. Changes include no longer allowing public access to photographs, video or audio recordings in autopsy reports. And written reports could be limited as well, by another section dealing with criminal investigation records. The change would expand the definition of those records, which are not typically public. The bill would also change the makeup of the states office tasked with providing help to indigent defendants. What is public now? Currently, North Carolina death certificates, autopsy, investigation and toxicology reports are public records and once finalized may be obtained from the states Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME). This bill would designate records compiled by OCME as records of criminal investigation, which are not public under state law. Currently, records of criminal investigations conducted by public law enforcement agencies and by the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission are not public. These include records compiled by the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory. The bill would add to this definition records compiled by OCME. If the bill is passed, this would become effective July 1. Sen. Danny Britt, a Robeson County Republican, presented the bill on Tuesday. He said the bill clarifies that all photos and videos of autopsy shall not be released to the public while a crime is being investigated or prosecuted. There may be some concern for availability of these autopsy reports and photos being made available for press and things like that, Britt acknowledged. What this does is it ensures that these items are not released outside of the chain that may improperly influence the jury and, again, potentially lead to a case being overturned on appeal where a death is involved. He also said that the medical examiners records that the bill would treat as criminal investigation records would be accessible to the public at the conclusion of a criminal investigation and prosecution. The bill would apply just to those particular cases that are being prosecuted criminally, not to other cases, Britt said in response to a question from Democratic Sen. Sydney Batch. He also said these restrictions would apply to family members, though district attorneys could sit down with the family and show the records. State performs autopsies When someone dies in a violent, suspicious or unexpected way in North Carolina, part-time medical examiners inspect the bodies. If the cause of death is not clear, they request autopsies. An investigation by The Charlotte Observer and News & Observer found that it often takes many months and sometimes more than a year for autopsies to be completed. That can cause financial crises for families who need autopsies and death certificates to access life insurance and other assets theyre entitled to inherit. The system is backlogged chiefly because there are too many bodies and too few pathologists and toxicologists to perform autopsies, the newspapers investigation found. The medical examiner system faces challenges, and this bill as currently written, would make those challenges much, much more difficult, Mark Benton, chief deputy secretary for health with the state Department of Health and Human Services, told lawmakers Tuesday. Autopsy reports from shootings and other violent incidents are often requested by the news media to glean details that otherwise may have not been released on what occurred in the incidents. South Carolina does not allow access to autopsy reports; its state Supreme Court ruled in 2014 that these reports are not public records and fall under privacy provisions of the states open records law. In 2020, a bill shielding some death investigation records from the public was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The General Assembly currently is controlled by Republicans and has a veto-proof supermajority. Britt said the new bill was being worked on and should be ready by next Tuesday for votes. District attorneys want to narrow this down to a workable piece that involves just the pending criminal cases, said Chuck Spahos, a lobbyist for the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys. Indigent Defense Services rework The bill also cuts the membership of North Carolinas Commission on Indigent Defense Services from 13 members to nine. It also grants two new appointments to the commission to the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and four to House and Senate leaders. All of those offices are currently held by Republicans. It cuts the governors one appointment and that of various state associations. Gov. Roy Cooper is a Democrat. Weve got to do better: Lawmakers plan more funding to tackle NC autopsy crisis Whats needed to fix autopsy crisis? Money and a strategic plan, NC budget writers say RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) Many recent protesters on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill partially covered their faces with masks. Some of those were detained or arrested. The days-long events prompted the North Carolina State House to vote in favor of a new law to address the mask issue. The intent of the original bill was to ensure that people, criminals, who their intent is to go out and and commit a crime should not be concealing their identity with some sort of mask or hood. And I think thats the right thing to do, said State Representative Erin Pare. But Republicans in the Senate went even further by removing a provision that allowed public mask-wearing for medical purposes. Pare, a Republican who represents part of Wake County, said that goes too far. She believes people with health issues should be able to protect themselves and others. By removing those provisions, it is creating confusion and worry among good people that they will get in trouble with the law if they go out wearing a mask and we cant have that, especially in a post COVID world. I think that they have the absolute right and freedom to do that, and we should not be judging that or passing judgment on that. They should have every right to do that if they feel thats necessary to maintain their personal health and safety, Pare said. Duke Health infectious disease specialist Dr. Cameron Wolfe said the science backs up the effectiveness of masks and the pandemic proved it. He worries about legislation that would hinder the health of patients. My role normally would is to look after a lot of patients whove had transplants, chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants and those patients continue to be at risk of a lot of infections. Even today, even though the pandemic feels like its sort of long behind us. And we have data for the first time sort of built up over those four years that really sort of I think purely, show that. From a medical point of view I want things to continue to be as easy for patients of mine who are at risk to do things that help them and at the end of the day, this seems to provide a lot of barriers. What I dont want this to do is for this to sort of add fuel to the fire of folk in the general community who believe that masks were unhelpful, that this whole issue was politicized from the get go, and that it makes it harder for patients of mine who need to wear masks to feel comfortable, said Dr. Wolfe. A State Senator explained his position on the matter. Returning to this era of where we were pre-COVID is not jeopardizing anyones prosecution, said State Senator Buck Ward. Ward explained his rational behind the removal of the provision if someone goes into a store or whatever and theyre willing to show what their identity is and put the mask back on, those are things I trust people to be able to work out. But Representative Pare disagrees and will vote no on the Senates version, and she believes she will not be the only Republican to do so. I can tell you that there are several legislators that are part of my own caucus that have presented me with their concerns about this, and so I do think that we will probably not concur with the Senate changes and go back to the drawing board, so to speak, she said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Police in Ohio are looking for women accused of stealing over $1,000 in Stanley cups. The Bulter County Sheriffs Office, which is located north of Cincinnati, said on May 9 three women walked into a Dicks Sporting Goods at a mall and stole 28 Stanley cups and 10 Bogg beach bags before running out of the store and leaving in a silver car. The moment the women left the store was caught on surveillance video and shared by police on social media. Police say the theft is valued at more than $2,000. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Vehicle crashes into UPMC Presbyterian Hospital 1 dead in crash involving motorcycle, garbage truck in Washington County Pickup truck crashes through roof of Butler County jewelry store, driver flown to hospital VIDEO: Spork Pit BBQ closing down, owner & developer looking to take their business out of Pittsburgh DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts A woman salvages items from a waste dump along a tent displacement camp west of Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip on May 21, 2024. The Biden administration is willing to work with Congress to respond to the International Criminal Court prosecutor's "profoundly wrong-headed" decision seeking to issue arrest warrants on Israeli leaders over the Gaza war, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan is also seeking warrants charging crimes against humanity and other war crimes against three Hamas leaders. Israel on Tuesday urged "nations of the civilized world" to reject the warrants sought against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Blinken, speaking at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, said Khan's decision to seek the warrants could complicate talks aimed at a cease-fire and hostage release. Some Republican members of Congress have threatened legislation to impose sanctions on the ICC. A bipartisan group of senators led by Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina issued a statement Tuesday accusing the ICC of jeopardizing efforts toward bringing home hostages, increasing humanitarian aid and creating sustainable peace in the Middle East. The application for arrest warrants also draws a false equivalence between Israel with its longstanding commitment to the rule of law, and Hamas theocratic, autocratic and unaccountable rule over Gaza," the statement said. "To state the obvious: Israel is a functioning democracy, while Hamas is a terrorist organization." Arrest warrants: Warrants sought for Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu, Hamas leader Sinwar on war crimes charges Developments: Blinken's Senate testimony was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters calling him a "butcher'' and a "war criminal.'' Palestinian health authorities said seven Palestinians were killed Tuesday during an Israeli raid in the West Bank city of Jenin, a hotspot of militant activity. The Israel Defense Forces said it was targeting armed militants. The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Tuesday that food distribution in Gaza's besieged southern city of Rafah was suspended because of a lack of supplies and security. Also Tuesday, the Pentagon said it has found new routes to transport aid after trucks carrying supplies from a U.S.-built pier on northern Gaza were intercepted and looted, prompting deliveries to be halted for the last three days. A women's Euro 2025 qualifying soccer match between Scotland and Israel in Glasgow on May 31 will be played without fans because of the potential for disruptive protests, the Scottish Football Association said Tuesday. Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari said Tuesday that the Gaza cease-fire and hostage release talks between Israel and Hamas remain close to a stalemate." A woman salvages items from a waste dump along a tent displacement camp west of Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip on May 21, 2024. The ICC is seeking arrest warrants: What does that mean and what is next? The charges will go before a panel of 18 ICC judges to review the evidence. If the judges agree with the prosecutor's findings, warrants will be issued. The Biden administration claims the warrants could be a hurdle in ongoing U.S. efforts to secure a cease-fire, although talks have taken place for months with little progress. If the warrants are issued, the court has no arrest powers and must rely on member states to apprehend suspects. The ICC does not conduct trials without the accused being present. Neither Israel nor the U.S. nor Qatar home to some top Hamas leaders are members of the ICC, so practically speaking none of the accused face imminent arrest. However, the 124 member nations would be obligated to take those charged into custody. That could limit travel for Netanyahu and the other accused. Should the defendants ever be taken into custody, a trial could take place. A guilty verdict would allow judges to order restitution, compensation and rehabilitation to victims. The judges may also impose a prison sentence and fines. The maximum sentence is 30 years, but the court may impose a life sentence in extreme cases. Multiple allies back ICC on warrants Netanyahu dispatched an envoy to France on Tuesday in an attempt to shore up backing. France was among multiple European allies standing behind the ICC. "France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence and the fight against impunity in all situations," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Belgium Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib called the warrants an important step in the investigation, saying "crimes committed in Gaza must be prosecuted at the highest level, regardless of the perpetrators." Slovenia's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs issued a statement saying war crimes in Israel and in Gaza must be prosecuted "independently and impartially regardless of the perpetrators." Biden, however, railed against the Israeli warrants as outrageous and reiterated firm U.S. support for Israel in the war. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, former president of the European Council, on Tuesday agreed with Biden that "an attempt to show that the prime minister of Israel and the leaders of a terrorist organizations are the same ... is unacceptable." Netanyahu rips prosecutor's 'chutzpah' Khan said he has "reason to believe" Netanyahu and Gallant bear criminal responsibility for the starvation of Palestinians as a weapon of war, intentionally directing attacks on civilians and murder. Netanyahu accused Khan of a "new antisemitism" that the prime minister said has rolled across college campuses to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. With what chutzpah do you dare compare the monsters of Hamas to the soldiers of the IDF, the most moral army in the world? Netanyahu said in an address to the nation translated by the Times of Israel. With what audacity do you compare between the Hamas that murdered, burned, butchered, raped and kidnapped our brothers and sisters, and the IDF soldiers who are fighting a just war that is unparalleled, with a morality that is unmatched? Patients rushed out of Gaza hospital after missile strikes Patients in a northern Gaza hospital were rushed out onto the street on beds and stretchers Tuesday after Israeli missiles hit the facility's emergency department, Reuters reported. The news agency said video it obtained showed medical personnel taking the patients out of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Jabalia refugee neighborhood, where clashes with Israeli forces have restarted after months of relative calm as Hamas has tried to reestablish itself in the area. Hussam Abu Safia, who runs the hospital, said the first missile hit the emergency department entrance, followed by another strike that kept patients and medics from going back in, and then a third projectile smashed against a nearby building. "We really never imagined that one day the emergency department will be hit,'' he said. "The emergency department provides a service for children, the elderly and people inside the departments of the hospital. The Health Ministry said patients were being moved to other medical facilities in northern Gaza. The IDF told Reuters it was reviewing reports of the attack and "the possibility that it was IDFs stray fire that was not directed at the hospital. Israel reverses course after seizing Associated Press equipment Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said Tuesday he has rescinded the decision to seize camera equipment from The Associated Press and ordered that it be returned, pending a decision by the Ministry of Defense, which he said wished to examine the matter. The confiscation drew an outcry from media groups and a concerned reaction from the U.S. Israeli officials seized broadcasting equipment from AP earlier in the day and accused the news organization of violating a new media law by providing images to Qatar-based Al Jazeera, which was shut down in Israel this month. The new law grants the government power to temporarily ban broadcasts by international news outlets in Israel if they are deemed a threat to national security.Israeli officials warned AP last week to stop the live transmission, but the media outlet refused. The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but rather an abusive use by the Israeli government of the countrys new foreign broadcaster law," AP spokesperson Lauren Easton said. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, asked about Israel's action, called it "concerning" and said the White House was looking into the matter. "We stand firm in our belief ... in making sure that journalists have ability and the right to do the job that's incredibly important for them to do," she said. Hamas says more Israelis should face criminal charges Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh are accused of extermination, murder and the taking of hostages as crimes against humanity or war crimes. They could also be held responsible for rape, sexual violence, torture and other cruel treatment against Israeli hostages. Hamas denounced in a statement the warrants against its leaders as an attempt to "equate the victim with the executioner." The statement claimed international conventions and resolutions provide the Palestinian people the "right to resist the occupation in all forms, including armed resistance." The statement supported the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant but said other Israeli leaders and soldiers should be similarly charged. All were proved to be involved in committing the "crimes of genocide, aggression and crimes against humanity," the statement said. It added that the warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant "came seven months late, during which the Israeli occupation committed thousands of crimes against Palestinian civilians, including children, women, doctors and journalists, and destroyed private and public property, mosques, churches and hospitals." US envoy: Israel may need to consider 'Palestinian governance' Forging formal Israeli-Saudi relations would require a calming of the Gaza war and a discussion of prospects for "Palestinian governance," the U.S. envoy to Jerusalem said Tuesday. Ambassador Jack Lew, speaking at a conference hosted by the Israel Democracy Institute, said he believes the strategic benefit for Israel is worth the risk, "but that's a decision that the government of Israel will have to make and the people of Israel will have to make." A deal to normalize Saudi-Israeli relations appeared near in October before Hamas-led attackers stormed into Israel, killing almost 1,200 people and taking more than 240 hostages. Israel's ensuing military campaign in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and has refueled global demands for a free Palestinian state the so-called "two state solution." The Saudis issued a statement in February saying "there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized." Netanyahu has said Israel must retain security control of Gaza after the war. Contributing: Reuters This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Israel war updates: Netanyahu says criminal charges 'new antisemitism' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor rogue in response to his Monday requests for arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas officials. In an interview Tuesday with MSNBCs Stephanie Ruhle, Netanyahu invoked President Bidens response when asked about the warrants. Well, I think my response is no different from what President Biden said: This is outrageous, and many people across the political spectrum in the United States and leaders of the democratic countries around the world have called it exactly that, Netanyahu said in the interview, which will air in full Tuesday night. Its a rogue prosecutor whos out to demonize the one and only Jewish state, he added. Netanyahu said the prosecutor, Karim Khan, is applying a false symmetry, echoing criticism levied by democratic leaders including Biden. Hes equating Israels democratically elected leaders with the terrorist tyrants of Hamas, Netanyahu continued. Thats like saying, Well, Im going to issue arrest warrants for after 9/11 Im issuing arrest warrants for George Bush, but also for Osama bin Laden. And in World War II, Im issuing arrest warrants for FDR but also for Hitler, thanks a lot, he added. Thats a false symmetry and its totally absurd. Its a travesty of justice. Netanyahu also refuted some of Khans false accusations, including that Israel is drying out Gaza and has a deliberate policy of starvation. Drying out Gaza? Were supplying before the war, 7 percent of Gazas water. Now, 45 percent of the water nearly half, to make sure they have water, he said. On the allegations of starvation as a deliberate policy, Netanyahu said, We supplied half a million tons of food and drug, 20,000 trucks so those trucks can go in. Biden has tried to walk a careful line with his approach to Israel, defending Israels right to respond to Hamas and repeatedly condemning antisemitism in the wake of the attack. At the same time, he has called for Israel to allow more aid into Gaza and has urged the country to do more to protect civilians even as his administration acknowledges the challenge of fighting an enemy that notoriously uses its own civilians as human shields. On Monday, Biden harshly criticized the ICCs request for arrest warrants as outrageous. Let me be clear: Whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence none between Israel and Hamas, Biden said in his statement. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A Netherlands man was arrested Monday after a woman told police he twice flew to State College with the intention of meeting her, despite her telling him she was not interested in a relationship with him. Tarik Hasan, 23, and the woman connected on the social network Reddit in the fall, Penn State police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause. By mid-December, she told Hasan she no longer wanted to speak with him. Hasan first flew to State College in January, which the woman said made her very uncomfortable, police wrote. She even purchased a ticket for Hasans return flight and again told him she did not want to have a relationship, police wrote. Hasan, police wrote, arrived back in State College on Friday. He went Monday to where the woman works, asked to meet with her and tried to push her door open as she locked it, police wrote. The woman told an officer she was extremely frightened and scared. He remained in the building for about 5 1/2 hours and sent her more than 50 messages on the instant messaging service WhatsApp, police wrote. Hasan told an officer he purchased a second cellphone so he could continue to message her because she blocked his primary number, police wrote. Hasan has no ties to the university, Penn State police spokeswoman Jackie Sheader wrote Tuesday in an email to the Centre Daily Times. The charging document said Hasan is not a U.S. citizen. No defense lawyer was listed. Hasan was charged with one felony count of criminal trespassing, three misdemeanor counts of harassment and one misdemeanor count of stalking. District Judge Allen Sinclair set bail Tuesday at $100,000, which Hasan did not post. He is incarcerated at the Centre County Correctional Facility. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 5. Nevada Group Says It Has Enough Signatures To Put Abortion Amendment On Ballot Reproductive rights activists in Nevada said Monday that theyve collected enough signatures to put an amendment on the November ballot to enshrine abortion rights in the states constitution. Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, the group behind the effort, said it submitted more than 200,000 signatures, from all 17 of the states counties, in support of the potential ballot measure to the Nevada secretary of states office, which will now work on validating them. If approved, voters will have the chance to say the states constitution explicitly protects abortion, largely safeguarding reproductive care from legislative attacks. The submitted signatures amount to nearly double the 102,362 required to proceed with the ballot qualification process. The submission comes more than a month before the June 26 collection deadline. The number of signatures gathered in just over three months shows how deeply Nevadans believe in abortion rights and its importance to this moment in our nations history, Lindsey Harmon, president of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, said at a news conference announcing the achievement. Supporters of the amendment hold up signs at a Las Vegas news conference Monday. via Associated Press Under a law voters passed in 1990, the swing state currently allows abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, which is around the point of fetal viability outside the womb. But ensuring abortion access in Nevada is more vital than ever, Harmon said, given how lawmakers in neighboring states have put stricter limits on the procedure. Nevada is now surrounded by states with abortion bans, she said of the situation since the fall of Roe v. Wade. We know these attacks will continue. Constitutional amendments are the best bet to protect abortion rights from future attacks, a doctor who spoke at Mondays news conference said. We know that 30-year protections arent enough in a post-Roe world, which is why were ensuring that our freedoms are constitutionally protected, said Dr. Harpreet Tsui, an internal medicine physician. We cant leave our reproductive freedom up to any political whims, she added. Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom has been working to put the amendment on the ballot since last summer, following the leads of California, Michigan, Ohio and Vermont all states where voters have elected to enshrine abortion access in their constitutions following the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. In Kansas and Kentucky, two deep-red states, voters have rejected recent efforts to say their constitutions dont protect the right to an abortion. if approved, the ballot initiative stands a good chance of passing in Nevada, where nearly 7 in 10 voters described themselves as pro-choice in a 2021 poll. Nationally, support for abortion access remains high despite GOP efforts to villainize it. Polling released last week from Pew Research found that 63% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, increasing by 4 percentage points since 2021. That view is even shared by two-thirds of moderate and liberal Republicans, the survey found. Related... ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 21. Turkmenistan plans to put into operation new residential buildings as well as a water treatment facility in Ashgabat city, Trend reports. According to the official source, this was announced by Deputy Chairman of the Government of Turkmenistan Baymyrat Annamamedov at a meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers. "On the occasion of Ashgabat City Day, new buildings and facilities are planned to be inaugurated, including a water treatment plant with a capacity of 150,000 cubic meters of drinking water per day in Bagtyyarlyk district and 136 two-story residential buildings in the Choganli residential complex in the same area," he said. Meanwhile, as part of the strategy for developing building construction and infrastructure improvement in Turkmenistan, the focus is on comprehensive support for residential and commercial construction, as well as renovation of existing facilities. In this context, the emphasis is on the introduction of innovative technologies, the development of specialist skills in architecture, engineering, and construction, as well as attracting investments and establishing partnerships with international construction companies in order to ensure sustainable economic growth and increase the level of comfort for the population. Tensions are high between North Korea and South Korea, and it could soon erupt into a crisis. North Korea is expected to provoke conflict before the US election in November. An expert says that could drag the US into a clash on the peninsula. Tensions are flaring between North Korea and South Korea, and it could lead to conflict sooner rather than later. While there's no indication full-scale war is coming, a provocation from North Korea heightened in an election year for South Korea and the US could prompt retaliation from South Korea's hawkish president, an expert says. "The real nature of any forthcoming North Korean crisis is difficult to predict," Sue Mi Terry, a senior fellow for Korea studies with the Council on Foreign Relations, wrote in an article for Foreign Affairs last week, adding that "nonlethal provocations," like cyberattacks against government and defense institutions, should be expected at a minimum. On the other end of the spectrum, North Korea could conduct more testing for its Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile or test a tactical nuclear weapon, or even go beyond "saber-rattling," as Terry described, launching "an actual, if limited, military attack against South Korea," not unlike incidents in 2010 when North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong and sank a South Korean naval vessel, killing 46 crew members. North Korea has many reasons to provoke. They could be to seize international attention and fear for negotiating leverage or to drive a wedge in the US-South Korea alliance; some provocations seem to be in defiance of US-South Korean military exercises, for example. Such a clash between North Korea and South Korea could quickly spiral into wider conflict. South Korea's president, Yoon Suk Yeol, has taken a tougher stance on North Korea since his election two years ago, strengthening ties with the US and Japan much to Pyongyang's disapproval. Yoon, as Terry wrote, "is an avowed hawk and has promised to respond forcefully to any North Korean attack." What that looks like remains unclear, but it sets the stage for growing pressure. A TV showing North Korea's firing of a Hwasong-18 solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile on December 19. SOPA Images via Getty Images A notable shift came this year when North Korea declared South Korea "our principal enemy" and threatened to "thoroughly annihilate" it along with the US if provoked. While these may just seem like fighting words, North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, conducted a major shift in the background, removing any goal of unification between the two Koreas from the government's policies. This included the public demolition of the Monument to the Three Charters for National Reunification, built by Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, as a symbol of peaceful Korean reunification. Government offices, documents, websites, and plans for reunification also went dark. The move was alarming and likely partially influenced by the Yoon administration's taking a harder stance against North Korea than Yoon's immediate predecessor, Moon Jae-in, took. Those larger issues are at play during an especially fraught time: a major election year for the US. South Korea also in April held legislative elections, in which Yoon's party lost seats; his domestic policies have often faced strong opposition. Military members saluting during a demonstration involving tank units in North Korea. KCNA via Reuters On a recent episode of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' show "The Capital Cable" focusing on the future of North Korean policy, Terry talked about the potential of a provocation coming before the US election, referring to CSIS research from this year that found that North Korea staged more than four times as many weapons tests in US election years as it did in other years. Commentary on the analysis by Victor Cha, the senior vice president for Asia and the Korea chair at CSIS, and Andy Lim, an associate fellow with the CSIS Korea chair, said: "North Korea exhibits a tendency to ramp up provocations during U.S. election years. While diplomacy could stave off some of the violence, Kim Jong-un has rejected all calls from the Biden administration to meet. Instead, the regime has more than doubled the number of tests since 2021, compared to under the previous U.S. administration." The election, shaping up to be a rematch between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, could be notable for North Korea, but that doesn't mean it's the only thing Kim is thinking about. Kim Jong Un at a launch ceremony for a new "tactical nuclear attack submarine" in early September. KCNA via REUTERS Things are quite different now than they were four years ago. Since talks in Hanoi with Trump failed in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic further isolated the so-called Hermit Kingdom, Kim has taken a large step back from engagement with the US, instead turning toward the country's more traditional allies, Russia and China. Allison Hooker, a former deputy assistant to the president and senior director for Asia on the National Security Council, said on "The Capital Cable" that a lot was happening on the global stage for North Korea to exploit for its own gain, including the war in Ukraine, for which North Korea has contributed weapons to Russia, and tensions between China and Taiwan. There's a lot going on at home, too, including in missile and weapons testing and in North Korea's nuclear program. Hooker said Kim was hard at work in those areas and could be looking to reengage in foreign policy with the US and South Korea down the road. "The point is to reengage from a position of great strength," she said. Read the original article on Business Insider NHS hospital bosses are complicit in a culture of complacency, avoidance, denial and cover-up, a patient safety expert has told MPs. A government committee heard how inquiries into NHS failures were routinely hampered by foot-dragging tactics from NHS and hospital leaders just a day after the Infected Blood Inquiry report was published. Miles Sibley, the co-founder of the Patient Experience Library, which collates various surveys, reports and hospital data into one place, told the health select committee about the tactics leaders within the NHS employ to delay inquiries. When asked why he thought it took so long for patients and loved ones to get answers, he said: I cant talk for inquiry processes but in terms of the time it takes for these things to come to inquiries, I think partly its because of these cultures of complacency and avoidance and denial and cover-up. Copies of Sir Brian's report - Tracey Croggon/Infected Blood Inquiry/PA Foot-dragging is a tactic, and when you read inquiry reports, you see examples of this all the way through, he said. Things like case notes being mysteriously lost. Its a tactic. It goes back right to the start where people start to raise concerns and find theyre hitting a brick wall almost straight away. Such themes were central to the report into the infected blood scandal, which claimed the lives of 3,000 people who had received contaminated blood while under NHS care. Sir Brian Langstaffs report found there had been a chilling cover-up by officials. The NHS and successive governments compounded the agony by refusing to accept that wrong had been done, he said of the multitude of failings highlighted in his report. Theresa May, the former prime minister who established the inquiry, told the House of Commons, the report had highlighted what is a devastating and abject failure of the British state. Medical professionals, civil servants, politicians all of whom felt their job was to protect their own reputation rather than to serve and look after the public who they were there to serve, she said. Theresa May reacting to the statement by Rishi Sunak on the blood scandal - JESSICA TAYLOR/UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Mr Sibley told the health select committee how delay tactics, cover-ups and the dismissal of patient voices had been hallmarks of multiple inquiries into NHS scandals. In the last two decades, there have been several inquiries, including into maternity failings at Shrewsbury and Telford, and East Kent, the Francis Inquiry into the failings at Mid Staffordshire, where hundreds of patients died because of negligence, and there are ongoing inquiries into serial baby killer Lucy Letby and more maternity failings in Nottingham. Mr Sibley said patients were often the last to be listened to and their experiences dismissed as anecdotal evidence. When people talk about patient stories being anecdotal evidence thats a kind of shorthand for saying their subjective, emotional, irrational, unreliable and basically shouldnt be given too much credence. The term anecdotal evidence is not just dismissive, it is contemptuous of peoples experience. And I personally would like to see it never mentioned again in healthcare, he said. He said there had been multiple studies, including from Healthwatch England, into the muddled roots for finding a way through complaint systems with patients unsure who or where to turn to. And that after surmounting the dismissive attitudes, when things start to get really serious, [they] encounter denial and obstruction. This happens to regulators as well. When the CQC [Care Quality Commission] went into East Kent they were met with an aggressively hostile response, he said. CQC investigators were forced to sit in a corridor and wait for 45 minutes after the supposed start time of their meeting as a tactic. What we do see time and again, is patients and harmed families having to speak up sometimes for years before finally being heard, he added. Quoting from Baroness Cumberlege of Newicks 2020 review into medicines and medical devices safety, which looked at harms caused by pregnancy test drug Primodos, epilepsy drug sodium valproate and vaginal mesh, he said: The patient experience must no longer be considered anecdotal and weighted least in a hierarchy of evidence based medicine. Thats something that the whole of the NHS needs to hear and act on. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Nickelodeon star Danny Tamberelli on how his growing up both on set and off has shaped his parenting Danny Tamberelli starred in "The Adventures of Pete & Pete" and "All That," among others. More recently, he co-authored two romance novels with his wife, Kate. He says his parents were always there, and set a great example of how he wants to raise his kids. Recently Danny Tamberelli was dropping his 4-year-old son Alfie off at preschool when one of the teachers pulled him aside. She'd heard he was the voice of Arnold on "The Magic School Bus" series, which Alfie's preschool class would soon be watching. "We'll see what happens with that," Tamberelli told Business Insider, noting that so far Alfie has had little interest in watching shows that feature his dad, although he'll occasionally watch "The Mighty Ducks," the 1992 film that Tamberelli starred in. Although Alfie would rather watch PBS Kids or YouTube, his life has already been impacted by his dad's career in small ways. Tamberelli, 42, says he's occasionally stopped for photos while out with Alfie or his 1-year-old daughter, Penelope. Last year, Alfie came to 90s Con and was thoroughly confused about why people stood in line to take a picture with his dad. "He was like, 'I don't even like taking pictures with you,'" said Tamberelli. Yet Tamberelli's mom had taught him to always engage with fans, asking them about themselves and forming a genuine connection. Courtesy of Danny Tamberelli "I want to teach my children about fame through communication," Tamberelli said. "I care when someone cares. There's a level of empathy that goes along with it." He wants his kids to know "how to take something you're doing and bring people in." Tamberelli's mom was always on set with him Most recently, Tamberelli has done that by indulging in the nostalgia that his fellow 90s kids love so much. "The Road Trip Rewind," available May 21, is a romance Tamberelli cowrote with his wife, Kate. The duo dedicated every naptime for years to writing the book and its predecessor, "The First Date Prophecy," which draws on their love story. Courtesy of Peter Detweiler On the tough days, they wondered, "Are we wasting a year of nap times, which any parent knows is precious?" Kate said. The books are set in the late 90s, the same time as "Quiet on Set," a documentary series that details abuses tied to children's television shows in the 1990s and 2000s. Tamberelli declined to comment on the film but said his mother was always a protective force on set. When he was filming "The Mighty Ducks," one of the producers even commented on how fierce she was. "She was there to make sure everything was running smoothly," Tamberelli said. "I would voice any issues to her; she would voice them to production." His mom was the "kind of parent that could be there all the time but also gave me a lot of space to find myself and be creative," he said. "I'll hope I can be like that," he added. "Just being present and aware of your child's life is really important, coming from an industry where sometimes that doesn't always happen." Tamberelli worked at a bagel shop when he wasn't on TV Despite working on "All That" through his teens, Tamberelli's dad made him get a more normal job working at a bagel shop, where he stayed throughout high school and college. Sometimes, "All That" would be on the TV while he was working. "At the time, I was feeling a little weird about doing that, but in hindsight, it did ground me," he said. His dad wanted him to understand the value of a dollar, and also have job skills that he might need if his Hollywood career didn't pan out. As an actor who has auditioned for "tens of thousands" of roles and only secured a fraction of them, Tamberelli understood the value of that. "I didn't have to worry about other things child actors do when they put all their eggs in one basket," he said. "That can be traumatic and problematic" if it doesn't work out. "I'm very fortunate and lucky, that's not the case." Growing up, acting shaped Tamberelli's personality. The snarky character of Little Pete from "got into my brain," he said, while the show molded his tastes in music and cinematography. Transitioning from that character to the sketch comedy on "All That" was a bit jarring. "Being a teenager, I was confused," Tamberelli said. "That would have happened to anyone, but mine was a little more public." The pandemic project The books that the Tamberellis have co-authored draw on Danny's experience as a child star. Working through all those nap times brought the couple even closer, said Kate, a literary agent who has previously written young adult fiction on her own. Courtesy of Danny Tamberelli "It's a bizarre experience to share your headspace and meld your brains together," she said. I couldn't have done it with anyone but Danny." Oftentimes, Kate would help Danny rewrite the romance scenes. "It was funny to see the way Danny describes kissing," she said. "It's like getting a window into his head." While Kate was dedicated, making sure that Danny even wrote on holidays, the resulting books have been well worth it, he said. "I couldn't imagine a more fun creative project to have done together," he said. "It's a pandemic project that made good two times over." Read the original article on Business Insider Nine in Germany, accused of 'Reichsbuerger' coup plot, go on trial By Tom Sims and Thomas Escritt FRANKFURT/BERLIN (Reuters) -A would-be prince, a former judge and parliamentarian, and retired military officers were among nine alleged conspirators who went on trial on Tuesday for a suspected "Reichsbuerger" plot to overthrow Germany's democracy. Prosecutors say they were ringleaders in a terrorist conspiracy to topple the government and install property investor Heinrich XIII Prinz Reuss, scion of a now-throneless dynasty, as caretaker head of state. The plot, exposed in 2022, has both captivated and stunned Germany, which prides itself on its economic might, stable institutions and consensus-driven politics, despite recent inroads by the far right. The high-profile case, in a maximum-security courtroom on the outskirts of Frankfurt erected for the trial, is the second to open against members of a conspiracy suspected of involving at least 27 people. The defendants who took their seats on Tuesday constitute what prosecutors say would have been political and military leaders of a plot to storm parliament and detain legislators to initiate their seizure of power. "They knew their seizure of power would involve killing people," prosecutors wrote ahead of the trial. The defendants have denied charges of terrorism and high treason. Reuss, the central figure of the movement who prosecutors say hosted planning meetings at his hunting lodge in eastern Germany, entered court in a blue sweater and blue jacket over a white shirt and appeared to have lost weight since his arrest. MONARCHISTS Prosecutors say the defendants are adherents of the "Reichsbuerger" (Citizens of the Reich) belief system. It holds that today's German state is an illegitimate facade and that they are citizens of a monarchy which, they maintain, endured after Germany's defeat in World War One despite its formal abolition. Security services say the conspiracy theory, which has parallels to the QAnon movement that fuelled the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol, has some 21,000 adherents nationwide. "It is not about harmless nut cases, but about dangerous terror suspects," said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser. Nine accomplices who prosecutors say would have imposed martial law after a putsch went on trial in Stuttgart last month. Tuesday's defendants included former army officers Maximilian Eder and Ruediger von Pescatore, and former judge and far-right ex-parliamentarian Birgit Malsack-Winkemann. Prosecutors say Malsack-Winkemann used parliamentary privileges to escort several co-conspirators around the Reichstag building in Berlin in a scoping exercise. Eder told Stern magazine in an interview from prison that the parliamentary tour had been intended to find suitable locations to accost lawmakers over what he believed was their involvement in a child molestation ring. The leading suspects are accused of seeking the backing of Russian officials, including during meetings at Russian consulates in Germany and in the Slovak capital Bratislava. This reflected their belief that an "Alliance" of victor countries, including Russia and the United States, stood ready to support the resurrection of the real, submerged Germany that would replace today's post-World War Two republic. The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Prosecutors say the conspiracy had 500,000 euros in funds and had gathered over 100,000 rounds of ammunition. The trial's opening attracted dozens of spectators and journalists who lined up hours before the start. (Reporting by Thomas Escritt and Tom Sims; editing by Mark Heinrich and Bernadette Baum) The Polish government arrested nine people from a Russian spy ring in connection to alleged sabotage plots, Prime Minister Donald Tusk told Polish media outlet TVN24. "We currently have nine suspects detained and indicted, who have been directly implicated in the name of Russian (intelligence) services in acts of sabotage in Poland," Tusk said. The individuals were Polish, Ukrainian, and Belarusian citizens. Tusk also suggested they may have been recruited from criminal circles. Acts of alleged sabotage include "beatings, arson, and attempted arson," not just in Poland but also in Latvia, Lithuania, and possibly even Sweden. Tusk explained that the group planned, for example, to set fire to a paint factory in Wroclaw, western Poland, and an Ikea center in Lithuania. Earlier this year, a joint operation by Ukrainian and Polish law enforcement agencies led to the detention of a Polish citizen who allegedly offered to Russia to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky. On his own initiative, the suspect meant to spy on the security of the Rzeszow airport in Poland, with the intention of helping Russian intelligence services plan a potential assassination of Zelensky during the latter's visit to Poland. The Polish authorities detained the suspect and charged him with working for foreign intelligence services. The investigation is ongoing. Several other suspects have been arrested in recent months in Germany, Austria, and Estonia for allegedly spying for Russia or other forms of collaboration with Russian intelligence. Read also: Polish, Ukrainian authorities expose Pole who allegedly offered to assassinate Zelensky for Russia Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. 'Nip this in the bud.' North Canton looks to ban marijuana dispensaries in city NORTH CANTON Council is moving toward banning the sale of marijuana and cannabis in the city. Council members by voice vote approved placing legislation on its June 3 agenda that would prohibit the commercial "cultivation, processing and sale" of marijuana and cannabis whether for medical or recreational purposes within the city limits. A memo from the city administration to council said city officials intend to prohibit the establishment of adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the city. The memo notes that state law prohibits such dispensaries from being located within 500 feet of schools, parks or churches. And such dispensaries can't be less than a mile from another cannabis dispensary. The vote took place more than six months after the majority of Ohio and North Canton voters approved Issue 2, which legalized the recreational possession and use of marijuana but with limitations. The proposed legislation would not prohibit North Canton residents from growing marijuana plants in their homes to provide marijuana for their own use. The city's public policy analyst Benjamin Young said Issue 2 prohibits cities from restricting such activity. Mayor Stephan Wilder said North Canton has two CBD businesses that sell cannabidiol oil, an extract from cannabis, to help treat people's medical conditions. But he opposes allowing dispensaries into the city to sell cannabis or marijuana because the city is compact. "I just feel that if there's (going to be) a dispensary, it can be outside our city limits," Wilder, the city's former police chief, said at a council meeting Monday. "If you look at the map, there's not too many places I think that would be acceptable for a dispensary. But just flat out, just from my experience and where I come from, from my law enforcement background, from the opportunity I had to be our area's first DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) instructor. To try to educate our public, our young people about the pros and cons of drug use whether it's legal or illegal. I'm just not in favor of moving forward with this type of business in the city. ... I'd like to just try to nip this in the bud." Wilder said no marijuana pun was intended. Ward 1 council member Jamie McCleaster, at-large council member Christine Weyrick and council President Matthew Stroia indicated they agreed with the mayor. "Is our community a place that wants to have marijuana dispensaries?" asked Stroia. "Does that fit into the (fabric) of our society? I don't believe it does." $5-a-month sewage fee increase coming Separately, council approved a $5-a-month fee increase on residential water and storm sewer customers that takes effect Jan. 1, 2026, to fund drainage and storm sewer improvements. The city allowed a 1-mill storm sewer levy to expire, with the last collection of the levy being this summer. Young said if voters had approved a replacement levy, it would have raised more than $388,000 a year and cost the owner of a $177,000 home about $5.16 a month. The monthly fees, which do not require voter approval, are expected to raise $386,220 a year. Council continues debate on dispatch center Council also agreed to postpone until June 3 discussion on whether to end its own dispatch center and join a regional dispatch center. The administration is estimating joining a regional dispatch center would save about $350,000 a year if the city retains a couple of employees who would carry out responding to public record requests and handling non-emergency calls not done by the regional dispatch center. The city's current dispatch staff since May 12 and until June 1 will be logging all of their duties and how long the duties take. That's expected to help the administration estimate how many full-time employees it would have to retain to perform non-emergency dispatch tasks. The administration has presented a proposal that says if the city unwinds its dispatch center, the Regional Emergency Dispatch Center or RED Center would be the city's best option to join. The RED Center has the capacity to handle the city's emergency calls, and it's run by a board represented by all the communities the RED Center serves. The Stark County sheriff's dispatch center does not have a governing board. The sheriff and his staff run it while the Stark County commissioners oversee it through authorizing funding. City looks to rezone property in and adjoining the Hoover District Council also agreed to advance to the June 3 agenda a proposal by the city administration to rezone 15 parcels in and adjoining the Hoover District on the southwest corner of Hower Street NE and Taft Avenue NE. Some of the parcels are now zoned industrial and others are residential. They would be rezoned to Main Street Center. Young said the city wants to establish a transitional buffer zone between residential and industrial zones. It was once an entirely residential area, but the Hoover Co. and Hoover District over the decades acquired properties for industrial use. The Main Street Center zoning allows multi-family duplexes and some commercial businesses. But it does not permit single-family homes or certain industrial uses, Young said. Brian Foltz, who owns a duplex on Hower Street NE that he rents to tenants, appeared at the council meeting to express opposition to his parcel being rezoned. He did not give a reason. Council member McCleaster said he was inclined to grant Foltz's request. But Young said keeping the property residential west of Taft Avenue while rezoning the other parcels could create a spot zoning situation that the city is trying to avoid where certain uses are within more easily defined boundaries. Stroia argued that the rezoning proposal shouldn't be changed at this stage without first understanding the implications of excluding Foltz's property from the rezoning. Reach Robert at robert.wang@cantonrep.com. X formerly Twitter: @rwangREP. This article originally appeared on The Repository: North Canton council moving to ban marijuana dispensaries New Jersey joins at least 29 other states that allow pharmacists to dispense certain contraceptives without a prescription, according to the Guttmacher Institute. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) The state announced that a long-awaited law allowing people to obtain birth control without a prescription went into effect Monday. As for where women will need to go to take advantage of the law, thats unknown. Gov. Phil Murphys administration said it does not have a list of participating pharmacies, and only five pharmacists have certified that they have taken the necessary training. In a statement, Murphy called the move an important step forward in our efforts to expand access to reproductive health care. Since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 struck down the federal right to abortion, Democrats like Murphy have taken steps to codify abortion rights at the state level and enact other protections for womens reproductive rights. As we witness an attack on reproductive freedom across the country, New Jersey will continue to be a safe haven for women to access the care they need, Murphy said. Murphy signed the law allowing qualified pharmacists to dispense self-administered contraceptives like birth control pills, rings, or patches without a prescription in January 2023. It was set to take effect in May, but the state Board of Medical Examiners and the state Board of Pharmacy had to finalize rules before over-the-counter sales could start, leading to the slow implementation of the law. Now that those rules and protocols are adopted, authorized pharmacists can dole out those products without a prescription. Pharmacists had to complete the state-approved training program, and participation was optional. New Jersey joins at least 29 other states that allow pharmacists to dispense certain contraceptives without a prescription, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Pharmacy giant CVS applauded the states move in a statement and said it looks forward to bringing this service to the state. CVS says it already provides Opill, an FDA-approved contraceptive that consumers can purchase without a prescription. Opill contains only one hormone, progestin, compared to more common types of contraceptives that include estrogen and progestin. A Walgreens spokeswoman said the company is still determining its next steps. The state Division of Consumer Affairs said it would share a list of participating pharmacy locations once available. Since the Supreme Courts 2022 decision overturning Roe, New Jersey officials have taken numerous steps to protect reproductive rights: requiring health insurers to cover contraceptives for 12 months instead of six, mandating insurance coverage for abortion services, increasing funding for family planning services and abortion clinic security, allowing midwives to perform abortions, and launching a strike force to ensure compliance with patient confidentiality restrictions. The post No-prescription birth control comes to N.J., but where remains a question appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. Recon Marine Eddie Wright was on his second deployment to Iraq in April 2004 when he was caught in the kill zone of an insurgent ambush in Fallujah, Iraq. Later estimates put the attacker numbers at between 40 and 60. Enemy fire engulfed Wright and his fellow Marines. A rocket-propelled grenade struck him, taking both his hands and fracturing his femur. Soon after he spent three weeks in the intensive care unit in Maryland at Bethesda Naval Medical Center before being transferred to Walter Reed Army Medical Center for long-term recovery. His mother flew to the United States from Ireland where she lived to help him. One day as he walked with her back from a physical therapy appointment, a worker with the nonprofit Semper Fi & Americas Fund came to find them because they were giving grants to families supporting their wounded loved ones. Because a lot of families had to stop working and were paying out of pocket for food and other things as they tried to stay around their wounded veteran, Wright said. Semper Fi Fund director made honorary Marine He said the military medical system simply wasnt prepared for the large influx of wounded in the early years of the post-9/11 wars. The nonprofit provides direct assistance to injured, wounded and ill service members, veterans and their families. Initially founded to assist Marines and sailors, the organization expanded from its original name of the Semper Fi Fund to become the Semper Fi & Americas Fund in 2012 to meet the needs of troops from all military branches. Wright, 48, was one of its early beneficiaries. As the organization hits its 20th year in operation in May, it boasts of having distributed $330 million in assistance to more than 32,000 service members and their families. Wright was able to return to service and finish his enlistment, working as a martial arts instructor at The Basic School, which trains newly commissioned Marine officers. It was a great way to spend my last year in the Marine Corps, and kind of a way to go out on retirement on my own terms, go out with my boots on, Wright said. Marine Eddie Wright during his 2004 deployment to Fallujah with 1st Reconnaissance Battalion. (Eddie Wright) Christy Stover, who now oversees all the funds case managers on the West Coast, joined the fund in 2007 and became Wrights case manager. We were so busy, but in the best way possible, Stover told Marine Corps Times. In the early days, there were so many people who were in the hospital and there were catastrophically wounded service members like Eddie. From the outset, Stover said, the organization sought to fill gaps that others didnt. She remembers providing funding for a special water filtration system at the home of a veteran whod been severely burned. The fund also began a bed grant program to provide specialized beds for veterans with injuries to the spine, neck, lower body or even migraines. Over time as various health and other problems among veterans became more prevalent, the fund adapted. The fund paid his airfare a few years ago when he had to travel on short notice to Ireland when his mother had her own health problems, he said. It continues to offer a service member and family support program and has added a transition program for veterans leaving the service and an integrative wellness program to provide long-term health tools and therapies for veterans. In fiscal year 2023 the fund provided $29.5 million in assistance, adding 2,100 first-time recipients, according to fund data. The family service and support fund issued $21 million to 10,900 recipients during that period. Another $3.2 million was used for transition support to 1,800 individuals. Support extends beyond the initial contact, Stover said. Case managers check in with veterans for years beyond their first assistance. Some people here a long time have got several hundred cases theyre working on, Stover said. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, mix concrete mixture and water, during a volunteer project supported by the Semper Fi Fund to help a Marine veteran at his home, Oct. 25, 2012. (Lance Cpl. Austin Long/Marine Corps) Wright has used a neurological fitness program through the fund that helps participants mitigate and ameliorate stress through breathing and other techniques. It helps you to heal the brain, rewire and produce new mechanisms of coping, Wright said. The fund operates through donations, it does not receive government financing, Stover said. Donations range from one-time or recurring monthly donations to more than $100 million in support throughout 12 years from the Bob and Renee Parsons Foundation, whose namesake Bob Parsons is a Marine veteran. Though the number of wounded returning home has decreased as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have ended, many of those who served still need help. Wright often recommends the fund to friends and veterans he meets. Theyve got 20 years experience of caring about us, relationships that are long lasting, Wright said. Theyve had the experience, theyve seen it all, whatever youre going through. Stover said that referrals such as Wrights help the fund continue to assist those in need. I think people forget with some of the individual invisible wounds that our service members endured, that it doesnt stop just because the war is over, Stover said. The need is still there. That commitment gives veterans such as Wright a measure of reassurance. Its relief, Wright said. If something happens, no matter what youre going to receive the care you need. Youre not going to be left behind. RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) Access by the public and the media to North Carolina autopsy reports related to criminal investigations would be significantly restricted under a bill considered Tuesday by a legislative committee. The proposal was debated by senators but not voted upon. It would explicitly add written autopsy reports from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to the list of documents exempt from public records when they are part of an investigative file held by prosecutors trying to solve a crime. The written reports could be accessed after a probe or prosecution is complete, one of the bills proponents said. Those reports often provide the public with information about the details of a crime while a case is pending. The bill also would repeal a state law that had allowed people to inspect and review but not copy autopsy photos, videos and recordings under supervision. Those records also would be considered within a prosecutors private case file if part of a crime investigation. Robeson County Republican Sen. Danny Britt, a defense attorney and former prosecutor shepherding the bill, said the details were still being worked out between state health officials, a group representing district attorneys and others. An updated version was likely to emerge next week. But Britt said it was important that autopsy records of all kinds including written reports be kept out of the public sphere while a potential homicide crime was investigated or prosecuted in the interests of justice. Releasing autopsy details or obtaining any access to photos or videos from the death review could unfairly taint a case, he said. I think that due process in the courts is more important than the public knowing about what happened related to someones death, Britt told reporters after the committee meeting. I also think its more important for that person whos being prosecuted to have due process, and that due process not being potentially denied so that case gets overturned and then that victim doesnt receive the justice they deserve, or that victims family. When asked by Mecklenburg County Democrat Sen. Mujtaba Mohammed if the bill would also restrict a victims family access to the reports, Britt said they generally wouldnt have access as a way to prevent images and videos from being shared to social media. They could, however, sit down with a prosecutor to view the photos, he said. The North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys supports the autopsy record access changes, said Chuck Spahos, the conferences general counsel. Content in the prosecutors investigative file is already exempt from public records law but can be released later. We dont give the investigative file up during a prosecution, and we shouldnt be giving up the record of the autopsy during a prosecution, Spahos said. If all that stuff gets released in the public, a case gets tried in the public, and thats not fair to the criminal defendant. In addition to autopsy report provisions, the bill also would add training requirements for county medical examiners and further outline how examiners can request and obtain a deceased persons personal belongings as evidence. If changes arent made to the bill, it would make current challenges faced by medical examiners much, much more difficult, Mark Benton, chief deputy health secretary at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, said during public comments on the bill. The measure would have to pass the Senate and House to reach Gov. Roy Coopers desk. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS17.com. A North Carolina Republican running to be the states attorney general dismissed a significant election fraud incident in 2018 that resulted in a new election as some fairly minor illegal ballot harvesting. Dan Bishop, a congressman whose district is based outside of Charlotte, made the comments in an 1 April episode of the Reclaiming America podcast. In 2018, Mark Harris, a Republican, won the race to represent North Carolinas ninth congressional district. But shortly after the election, the North Carolina state board of elections voted to overturn a congressional election and call a new one after an investigation revealed that a Harris operative was illegally collecting absentee ballots from voters. Harris decided not to run again and Bishop ultimately won the seat. The operative, Leslie McCrae Dowless, allegedly instructed those working for him to falsely sign as witnesses for voters though they had not witnessed the voter filling out the ballot and making it seem like the voter mailed back the ballot themselves when they had not. People working for Dowless said they collected hundreds of mail-in ballots and in some cases were directed to fill in votes for local candidates. In North Carolina, a voter must get two witnesses or a notary to sign an absentee ballot envelope and it is illegal for anyone other than the voter, a close relative, or a legal guardian to return the ballot. Dowless was charged with several felonies for the conduct in the 2016 and 2018 elections. He died in 2022, before the case went to trial. Several others involved in the scheme pleaded guilty to misdemeanors. Bishop said in the interview that the board of elections under Democrat control decided to overturn the election. While Democrats did have a 3-2 majority on the board at the time, the vote for a new election was unanimous. Mark Harris, the Republican candidate who won, also called for a new election, and the state Republican party supported Harriss decision not to run again. Harris, who won a Republican primary for Congress earlier this year, has since walked back his position, falsely accusing Democrats of stealing the election from him. A Bishop spokesperson did not return a request for comment. The type of fraud that took place in North Carolina which is extremely rare is exactly the type of activity that Republicans across the country have tried to crack down on, passing laws that make it harder for third parties and non-family members to return absentee ballots on a voters behalf. Bishop voted against certifying the 2020 election. During the same 1 April interview, he acknowledged the immense power he would have over election issues were he elected attorney general this fall. I will say that I believe the number one impact that an attorney general can have is in the area of election integrity, by seeing to it that the kind of mischief that has gone on in litigation concerning elections is being responded to appropriately, he said. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A judge sentenced a North Las Vegas pastor to one year of probation on Monday, the result of a plea deal for a sex crimes case. Bobby Cornealius Smith will have to register as a sex offender and cannot be alone with children other than his biological children while he is on probation. Smith will continue his work as a pastor, according to defense attorney Robert Draskovich. Smith is the pastor of New Beginnings Ministries, according to the churchs website. Clark County District Court Judge Joe Hardy, Jr. referred to the plea deal reached between Smith and the Clark County District Attorneys office as he sentenced Smith. A grand jury previously indicted Smith for 11 felony charges, including nine counts of sexual assault, one count of attempted sexual assault, and one count of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment. Three women, one family member, and two women whom he referred to as God daughters, reported that he sexually assaulted them. A family member testified in front of the grand jury that Smith forced her to use sex toys multiple times starting when she was 17 years old and a senior in high school, according to transcripts obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators. She said that Smith told her, God is telling me that it is important for you to do this, and insisted that the sex toys would prevent her from ruining her life and giving into urges. Smith later showed her how to use the toy and would tell her to meet him at hotels, she said. North Las Vegas pastor accused of sexual assault, child abuse wanted to help teenage urges, police say The woman testified that she had reported what had happened to Smiths wife, Lashawn Nicole Smith, who failed to contact police. Another woman testified that her family became involved with New Beginnings Ministries when she was 16 years old. At 17, she said, Smith texted her a photo of a sex toy. She told him that she did not want to use it. Smith later brought up the sex toy again, telling her that sex toys are not a sin and that he wanted to show her how to use one, she said. Las Vegas pastor told victims God wanted them to use sex toys, women testified Bretaishe Stewart said that she was a member of the church when Smith begged her to perform oral sex on him. He blocked a stairway and dropped his pants, she said. She testified that she panicked and eventually pushed him off. Stewart showed up to the Regional Justice Center in downtown Las Vegas to give a victim impact statement at Smiths sentencing. After a communication issue involving a victim advocate, Stewart did not have the chance and said she wanted to share her story with 8 News Now. Stewart told the 8 News Now Investigators that she looked at Smith as a father figure. It was a traumatic experience from basically you finally get the family you always desired, you know not having a father or mother and even siblings, and then it being stripped away, Stewart said. Smith pleaded guilty through Alford, when a defendant does not admit guilt but believes there could be a harsher punishment without a plea deal, to open or gross lewdness and conspiracy to commit a crime. Both charges are gross misdemeanors. If Smith complies with probation and stays out of trouble, the gross lewdness charge will be dropped, according to Draskovich. Las Vegas pastor reaches plea deal, documents show He felt it was better to suffer a lesser of two evils by entering into the negotiations, Draskovich told the 8 News Now Investigators. North Las Vegas Police started investigating the allegations against the pastor after the first alleged victim made a report, according to Detective Ashley Bertschy. She had learned that the third alleged victim had reported what had happened in 2014 and that she had been examined by a nurse at University Medical Center who also collected a rape kit. Bertschy testified that Las Vegas Metro Police had closed the case and she reopened it. Police executed a search warrant at the Smiths home in North Las Vegas and found over 20 sex toys, according to Bertschy. Lashawn Nicole Smith was also arrested. The charges were dropped as a result of the negotiations. North Las Vegas pastor, wife indicted on charges of sexual assault, child abuse Smith served a total of 27 days in jail after his arrest while his wife served a total of 11 days in jail after her arrest, according to court records. At the end of the day, the truth will come out, Stewart said. The truth has come out. To reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline, call 1-800-656-4673. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. NORTH OGDEN, Utah (ABC4) Elementary school students in North Ogden reportedly felt ill after eating edible THC gummies a student allegedly brought from home earlier this year, according to the North Ogden Police Department. Det. Dezmond Perkins said an 11-year-old student at Green Acres Elementary School brought a bag of THC-infused gummy worms from home in March, believing they were candy. The student shared the gummy worms with four other children during recess. Perkins said each student ate between one to three gummy worms. One student reportedly told their parents what had happened, and the parent in turn alerted school staff. A Weber School District spokesperson told ABC4.com that once the issue was brought to their attention, the school immediately got the nurse involved and coordinated treatment with poison control. One parent told ABC4.com the students began wobbling, having slurred speech, and throwing up. However, both the North Ogden Police Department and the Weber School District could not confirm those symptoms. The North Ogden Police Department said the students felt ill while the school district said the students suffered only light-headed-like symptoms. Crews uncover history with construction in downtown Salt Lake City Due to student privacy laws, [we] cant provide specific details about each student, but we are not aware of any students being taken to the hospital and having their stomach pumped, said the Weber School District in a statement, With that being said, parents may have sought private medical care after checking their child from school, but we were not made aware of any serious concerns. Perkins said one child was checked out by a doctor and was told to sleep off the effects. Cannabis products are legal in Utah for medicinal purposes only and users are required to have a prescribed medical card. Under Utah state law, marijuana products are required to be clearly and unambiguously labeled as a cannabis product. The packaging can not appeal to children or mimic a candy container and must be in a tamper-resistant package. The labels must also include warnings clearing stating to keep out of reach children and that the product could have intoxicating or addictive effects. UDOT eyes ambitious projects including new freeway in Utah County According to the Poison Control Center, there are no federal regulations relating to packaging since cannabis is still illegal on the federal level. This could lead to product labels being inaccurate or confusing. In most cases, children who eat a cannabis-infused edible could experience dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, breathing difficulties, a rapid heart rate, and/or vomiting. In more severe cases, they could have hallucinations, an abnormally slow heart rate, and low blood pressure. These symptoms could last for hours and with more severe symptoms could require hospitalization. Since the incident, the Weber School District said it sent out a message to parents with a reminder to secure all medications in their homes to help prevent anything like this from happening again. Detective Perkins told ABC4.com the Department of Child and Family Services was contacted and a case was opened against the parent of the child who brought the edibles. The North Ogden Police Department also has a case open and charges against the parent are being screened by the prosecuting attorney. One parent issued the following statement to ABC4.com: My frustration with the situation was that the 5th graders at recess tried to let the principal know there was a problem and it wasnt addressed until one of the 5th graders contacted a parent. Once the administration noticed how serious the situation was they sprung into action. The principal at green acres needs to look into all claims even if they come from a 10 year old. From my perspective it wasnt handled seriously and they kept saying the students are fine. Its not about them being fine, its about drugs being at school and since no one was seriously ill it was ignored. Concerned parent of Green Acres Elementary School student Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington began in 1933 and was completed in 1942. It is the largest hydropower producer in the U.S. and also part of the Columbia Basin Project, irrigating more than 600,000 acres. (Bureau of Reclamation photo) Construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington began in 1933 and was completed in 1942. It is the largest hydropower producer in the U.S. and also part of the Columbia Basin Project, irrigating more than 600,000 acres. (Bureau of Reclamation photo) Three Northwest tribes and federal agencies are getting closer to understanding how to revive Chinook and sockeye salmon runs on the upper Columbia River that were once among the most abundant in the world but were decimated by dams over the last century. Leaders from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the Coeur dAlene Tribe and the Spokane Tribe of Indians met with leaders from three federal agencies and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council in Portland on Wednesday to discuss progress on their historic agreement from last September. The 20-year plan, separate from a related deal signed in December, marked the culmination of decades of work by the tribes, who were deprived of salmon following the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam near Spokane in 1938 and Chief Joseph Dam in Bridgeport, Washington in 1955. The fish have historically been central to their way of life. Map of areas in the Columbia River Basin affected by dams. (Northwest Power and Conservation Council map) Both the tribal and federal agency leaders discussed a range of subjects, from acquiring the needed fish from hatcheries and moving them via truck to areas blocked by the dams. The Biden administration said it would allocate $200 million to the effort, but the parties agreed even more money would be needed. Officials and tribes face challenges working with Canadian dams and hatcheries as well as competing interests for the Columbias water from hydroelectric and agriculture. Caj Matheson, natural resources director for the Coeur dAlene Tribe, said getting the reintroduction work underway was exciting and long overdue. Members of the tribe have for decades been cut off from salmon that used to migrate to them on the Spokane River, a tributary of the Columbia. Salmon are gone from the river today due to Grand Coulee Dam. There were once at least 10 million salmon moving through the 13,000 miles of Columbia River Basin waters each year before the dams were built, according to the Columbia River Inter-tribal Fish Commission. Today, many of these salmon species are among the most endangered in the West. Over the years, weve sat in rooms with so many federal agencies, so many people, so many leaders across this region, he said, and so often weve seen people nodding their heads in agreement and even people saying: Yeah, its an injustice. Whats happening to you guys, whats happening with the Coeur dAlene Tribe, its an injustice. And yet the wherewithal to be able to make that change just wasnt followed through. Greg Abrahamson, chairman of the Spokane Tribe of Indians (left); Caj Matheson, natural resources director for the Coeur dAlene Tribe (center); and Jarred-Michael Erickson, chairman of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation (right) at a meeting to discuss salmon reintroduction in the upper Columbia River on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. (Photo by Alex Baumhardt/Oregon Capital Chronicle) Historic agreement The agreement was a long time coming. About 24 years ago, the tribes urged the federal government and the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, which works on power plans and fish conservation, to discuss reintroduction. In 2014, they undertook a feasibility study to explore that possibility, and in the fall of 2023, President Joe Biden acknowledged the years of injustice the tribes had experienced and committed a federal investment of at least $200 million to rectify it. The Bureau of Reclamation, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Bonneville Power Administration are involved along with the council, which is made up of two governor-appointed representatives from Oregon, Washington, Montana and Idaho and is tasked with managing energy production in the Northwest along with the health of fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Progress and challenges So far, several hatcheries have provided researchers with tens of thousands of Chinook eggs to study as the fish grow into smolts and then adults and then study them over several generations. Researchers have begun tagging the fish to observe their migration patterns. Getting sockeye has been more difficult because one of the only hatcheries in the area that has them is in Canada. Scientists said procuring and tracking these fish across borders has been challenging because of bureaucratic procedures. To get the fish back into needed areas, scientists are evaluating the effects of moving them on trucks. The method called trap and haul requires capturing the salmon, putting them in a truck and then driving and releasing them back into water in the desired location. The idea would be to haul the fish directly to traditional tributaries where they would have spawned before the dams were built, such as the San Poil River on the Colville Reservation. This and other ideas to move fish via ladders are in their infancy, scientists said. Officials also need to study juvenile fish migration patterns, fish behavior, genetic resiliency and hydraulic modeling over the next two decades. Scientists are trying to understand how to move water through the Columbia both for the fish and to meet increased demand for water storage from agriculture and hydroelectric dams. Furthermore, a treaty between the U.S. and Canada that governs hydropower and flood control on the Columbia River is up for negotiation and renewal this summer. The treaty, originally implemented in 1964, did not take into account fish and river ecosystem health or tribal fishing rights and resources that are now protected. There are 15 Columbia Basin tribes working with the two federal governments to negotiate protections and benefits for tribal resources in future iterations of the treaty. A release of juvenile Chinook salmon near Keller Ferry, WA May 2, 2024. Staff from the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and the U.S. Geological Survey released juvenile Chinook in Lake Roosevelt to study. (Photos courtesy of James Reeves, Bureau of Reclamation) The lower Columbia River On the lower Columbia River, below Bonneville Dam in Cascade Locks, a decades-long battle over dams and fish restoration reached a turning point this year following a deal between the Biden administration and four tribes to restore 13 threatened and endangered fish runs and potentially breach four dams along the Snake River, the biggest tributary of the Columbia River. Such a move, however, would need to be approved by Congress. The agreement calls for a 10-year pause in legal fighting that dates back to the 1990s. It also includes a promise but not a guarantee of hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds and other money for wild fish restoration in the Columbia River Basin over the next decade along with support for clean energy production by the tribes, according to a White House statement. Oregon Capital Chronicle originally published this article. Like the Alaska Beacon, Oregon Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. The post Northwest tribes, feds dive into work on salmon revival in upper Columbia River appeared first on Alaska Beacon. Theres nothing we can do: Convicted child predator to be released in Madera County Theres nothing we can do: Convicted child predator to be released in Madera County FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) Theres nothing we can do. We dont have a right to appeal. We dont have a right to change anything, Madera County District Attorney Sally Moreno said. She said Ciro Camacho, a convicted child sexual predator, is about to get released into Madera County. She says Judge Stephanie Jamieson, a Merced County Superior Court Judge, approved of the release, despite the Merced County DA and three doctors at the California state hospital voicing their opposition. This judge has decided unilaterally in the face that a ton of evidence that says this guy is still a danger to children, both of his priors are for child molest offenses, and shes decided to release him. You know interestingly shes not releasing him to her county- Merced- shes releasing him with a clear understanding that hes coming to our county, Morena said. Camacho was convicted of lewd acts with a child under the age of 14 back in 1993. Moreno said hes being released to Madera County because its where his family lives, and while he has to wear an ankle monitor and check in with a parole officer, other than that hes free. If they saw him at a park, at a library, at a school, talking to children, having a conversation with children, you know, make the call and get the sheriff out there, she said. They cant monitor him 24 seven. But if they get calls that hes at a local park, theyll be there in a heartbeat. Despite the backlash about this release in Madera County just months ago this year, it was residents and law enforcement officials in Merced County protesting the same thing. In February, the DA and sheriff in Merced County learned that Kevin Gray, a convicted child sex offender from Stanislaus County, was going to be released to Merced County. However, after objections from the community it was called off. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) Norfolk police are asking for the publics assistance with identifying the man who broke into a Ghent business. On Thursday, May 16 around 4:15 a.m. police responded to Video Game Heaven at 1911 Colonial Ave. for an alarm call. When officers arrived on the scene, they discovered that someone had broke a window entered the business. Surveillance video shows the man walking through the store stuffing items into a bag. In August of last year, two men walked into the same store and demanded money and merchandise. One of the men had a gun. Armed robbery at Video Game Heaven store in Norfolk; suspects sought Detectives are asking anyone who may recognize the man, or who has information about this incident to call the Norfolk Crime Line at 1-888-LOCK-U-UP or submit a tip using the P3Tips mobile app. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Children watch as rescue personnel carry a manatee to the water during a mass release of rehabilitated manatees at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Fla., in February 2023. The fast-growing state of Florida saw a relatively small birth rate decline of 1% from 2022 to 2023, according to a Stateline analysis. Phelan M. Ebenhack/The Associated Press Quality Journalism for Critical Times Births continued a historic slide in all but two states last year, making it clear that a brief post-pandemic uptick in the nations birth numbers was all about planned pregnancies that had been delayed temporarily by COVID-19. Only Tennessee and North Dakota had small increases in births from 2022 to 2023, according to a Stateline analysis of provisional federal data on births. In California, births dropped by 5%, or nearly 20,000, for the year. And as is the case in most other states, there will be repercussions now and later for schools and the workforce, said Hans Johnson, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California who follows birth trends. These effects are already being felt in a lot of school districts in California. Which schools are going to close? Thats a contentious issue, Johnson said. In the short term, having fewer births means lower state costs for services such as subsidized day care and public schools at a time when aging baby boomers are straining resources. But eventually, the lack of people could affect workforces needed both to pay taxes and to fuel economic growth. Nationally, births fell by 2% for the year, similar to drops before the pandemic, after rising slightly the previous two years and plummeting 4% in 2020. Mostly what these numbers show is [that] the long-term decline in births, aside from the COVID-19 downward spike and rebound, is continuing, said Phillip Levine, a Wellesley College economics professor. To keep population the same over the long term, the average woman needs to have 2.1 children over her lifetime a metric that is considered the replacement rate for a population. Even in 2022 every state fell below that rate, according to final data for 2022 released in April. The rate ranged from a high of 2.0 in South Dakota to less than 1.4 in Oregon and Vermont. Trends for Latina women The declines in births werent as steep in some heavily Hispanic states where abortion was restricted in 2022, including Texas and the election battleground state of Arizona. Births were down only 1% in Arizona and Texas. When health clinics closed, many women might have been unable to get reliable birth control or, if they became pregnant, to get an abortion. Hispanic births rose in states where abortion is most restricted, even as non-Hispanic births fell in the same states, according to the Stateline analysis. Its hard, however, to tell how much of a role abortion access played compared with immigration and people moving to growing states such as Texas and Florida. In states where abortion access is most protected, births fell for both Hispanic and non-Hispanic women. The big takeaway to me is the likely increase in poverty for all family members, including children, in families affected by lack of access [to abortion and birth control], said Elizabeth Gregory, director of the Institute for Research on Women, Gender & Sexuality at the University of Houston. Many of the nations most Hispanic states where abortion and birth control are more freely available saw the biggest decreases in births: about 5% in California, Maryland, Nevada and New Mexico. Hispanic women as a group are facing more challenges in accessing reproductive care, including both contraception and abortion, Gregory said in a university report earlier this year. Unplanned births often directly impact womens workforce participation and negatively affect the income levels of their families. Hispanic women on average have more children than Black or white women. Their fertility rates rose throughout much of the 1980s and 1990s, then fell in the late 2000s to near the same level as other groups. Thats because both abortion and more reliable birth control became more widely available, Gregory said. The fact that some of the steepest drops were in heavily Hispanic states outside of Arizona and Texas suggests that Latina women are continuing a path toward smaller and delayed families typical of other groups. Most of the decline in California has been associated with fewer babies born to Hispanic women, especially immigrants, said Johnson, of the Public Policy Institute of California. California has a high share of Latinos compared to other states, and so fertility declines in that group have a huge effect on the overall decline in California, he said. California was above replacement fertility as recently as 2008, he added, and would still be there if Hispanic fertility had not dropped. California is about 40% Hispanic, about the same as Texas and second only to New Mexico at 50%. Birth rates also declined steeply in heavily Hispanic Nevada and New Mexico, with each dropping about 4% from 2022 to 2023. But Arizona, Florida and Texas, also in the top 10 states for Hispanic population share but faster-growing, saw relatively small drops of about 1%. Texas banned almost all abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The state also requires parental consent for birth control, a rule thats included federally funded family planning centers since a lower court ruling that same year. Arizona also saw the number of abortions drop in 2022. After the high courts Dobbs v. Jackson decision, an Arizona judge revived enforcement of a near-total ban on the procedure that was enacted in the Civil War era. Many clinics closed and never reopened. Abortions in the state plummeted from more than 1,000 a month early in 2022 to 220 in July 2022, and never fully recovered, according to state records. The rate of abortions dropped 19% for the year. Births that year increased slightly, by 500, over 2021. In Texas, Gregorys research at the University of Houston research saw an effect on Hispanic births when an abortion ban took effect in 2021. Fertility rates rose 8% that year for Hispanic women 25 and older, according to the report. Both Texas and Arizona also are growing quickly, making the smaller decreases in births harder to interpret, Arizona State Demographer Jim Chang noted. Chang declined comment on the effect of abortion accessibility on state birth rates. Budget effects Overall, the continuing fall in birth numbers could have significant effects on state budgets in the future. The slide augurs more enrollment declines for state-funded public schools already facing more dropouts since the pandemic. The decline we see in enrollment since COVID-19 is a bigger problem than just the decline in birth rates, said Sofoklis Goulas, an economic studies fellow at the Brookings Institution. Rural schools and urban high schools have been particularly hard hit, according to a Brookings report Goulas authored this year. We dont have a clear answer. We suspect a lot of people are doing home education or going to charter schools and private schools but were not sure, Goulas told Stateline. Still, states need to recognize declining births as an emerging factor in state budgets to avoid future budget shortfalls, said Jeff Chapman, a research director who monitors the trend at The Pew Charitable Trusts. Nationally, births did increase slightly for women older than 40, indicating a continuing trend toward delayed parenthood, said William Frey, a demographer at Brookings. The last two post-pandemic years do not necessarily indicate longer-term trends, Frey said. Young adults are still getting used to a recovering economy, including childbearing. The post The number of births continues to fall, despite abortion bans appeared first on Florida Phoenix. NYC Museum of Natural History under fire for shuttering Native American exhibit then abandoning it to gather dust The American Museum of Natural Historys shuttered Native American exhibits are simply gathering dust four months after being shut and tribal groups say it is stonewalling over repatriating precious objects. In January, the Manhattan museums new director, Sean Decatur, shuttered the Eastern Woodlands and Great Plains exhibit halls that displayed artifacts from its Native American collections. At the time, the museum said it acted to comply with new federal regulations giving museums five years to comply with a 1990 law that ordered institutions to return human remains, sacred objects and cultural items to native groups. The American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan shut down its Native American displays in January, saying it was to comply with new Department of the Interior rules designed to speed the repatriation of tribal objects. J. Messerschmidt for NY Post The American Museum of Natural History closed these exhibits about Native Americans in January. But four months later, tribal groups say they have heard nothing from museum bosses about repatriating the objects. J. Messerschmidt for NY Post The displays, which stretched over 10,000 square feet and included spears, tools and mannequins sporting headdresses and traditional garments, had been a fixture for 57 years. Decatur said they did not respect the values, perspectives and indeed shared humanity of Indigenous peoples. The new rules from the US Department of the Interior tell museum directors to provide inventories of their artifacts and consult with native groups to either return the objects or seek permission to display them. That includes any human remains, which the museum acknowledges it has in storage and which may have been acquired through the looting of sacred burial sites. Other items had been acquired from private collectors. This is part of the now-shuttered Hall of the Great Plains, which the museums new boss closed in January. J. Messerschmidt for NY Post This is one of the exhibits from the Hall of Eastern Woodlands at the Manhattan Museum of Natural History which is now gathering dust. J. Messerschmidt for NY Post But Native American groups told The Post they have heard nothing from the museum about returning items not even a list of what the institution holds despite its Cultural Resources Office saying it has begun consulting the 574 federally recognized tribes, as well as Native Hawaiian groups, state-recognized tribes and bands and other Native American groups. The museum told The Post the objects that had been on display remain where they were, but with the doors on the galleries locked. According to the head of the Association of American Indian Affairs, a Maryland-based nonprofit that represents native groups across the country, the museum has 2,039 Native American human remains and 3,884 funerary objects that are considered sacred. They have been among the biggest, most horrible holdouts of all of the institutions, and they are still woefully out of compliance, said the associations chief executive and attorney Shannon OLoughlin. This diorama using original Native American costumes and objects was part of the Hall of the Great Plains exhibit. It is now shuttered, but tribes say they have not been told anything about a consultation on repatriation. J. Messerschmidt for NY Post The now-shuttered Hall of Eastern Woodlands focused on tribal groups from what is now the eastern US and Canada. J. Messerschmidt for NY Post Harvard University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Chicagos Field Museum have also been slow to act, she said. I have yet to hear from them, said Crystal CBearing, deputy director of the Northern Arapaho Tribal Historic Preservation Office in Wyoming. We would like an updated inventory about what they have in their collection. We deal with a lot of museums, and they have been among the worst and really slow to respond. Were waiting. Max Bear, the tribal historic preservation officer of the Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes in Oklahoma, told The Post that he has been trying to get information from the American Museum of Natural History for at least a decade. The displays also included dioramas portraying Native American life, and items such as dolls. J. Messerschmidt for NY Post Under the new rules, we need to start a consultation process, said Bear. They have a lot of human remains in their collection, and they might not know where they came from. They might not know where most of their collection came from. I reached out regularly to the museum, asking for an inventory, said a member of the Kiowa Tribe in Oklahoma, who did not want to be identified. My feeling is that the museum just doesnt know where to start in compiling their inventory. The collection was in bad condition, undervalued and under-maintained. I refused to take my children to see it when I was in New York. One of the problems is that their egos are so large that they just wont admit that they have no idea about the artifacts in their collection, said the Kiowa Tribe member. Shannon OLaughlin, the head of the Association of American Indian Affairs, slammed the American Museum of Natural History for its noncompliance on repatriation issues in the past. LinkedIn OLoughlin, of the Association of American Indian Affairs, said they were starting to see a change with Decatur, a former president of Ohios Kenyon College and a chemistry professor, who took over from longtime museum president Ellen Futter, who had ruled over the institution since 1993. She took home nearly $12 million in her last year at the helm of the museum, which included deferred compensation, according to federal tax filings. The repatriation process began in 1990 with the passage of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, which established rules for museums across the country to return sacred objects and human remains to tribal nations. But the process has dragged on for decades, and in December, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland the first Native American to hold the role published the new rules to speed the process up. Sean Decatur, the new president of the American Museum of Natural History, has promised to consult with native groups about repatriation. He took over as the museums president in April 2023. Getty Images for the American Museum of Natural History Ellen Futter ruled the American Museum of Natural History for decades. She took home nearly $12 million in compensation in 2022, the last year she served as the museums president. Patrick McMullan via Getty Images Interior Department documents said museums and other institutions had fallen short in repatriating Native American items. A spokeswoman for the American Museum of Natural History told The Post, There are no updates at this point. The objects remain in the closed halls as next steps are decided on a case-by-case basis. In 2021, the museum said it gave back more than 120 items, including ceremonial objects, to the Tohono Oodham Nation in southwestern Arizona. UPDATE: Two days after publication the AMNH reached out to highlight that the last recorded repatriation had not been in 2021 and that there were 12 repatriations, including of human remains, between 2022 and 2024. Ulviyya Shahin On May 20, a train of 20 containers was sent to Georgia. Azernews reports that his was stated by Emil Ahmadov, head of the cargo transportation department of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC (ADY) Emil Ahmadov (ADY). He noted that the 184-kilometer section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, which is considered an important segment of the Middle Corridor, has already been completed. From today (May 20), cargo transportation on the BTQ railway line will be started. "According to the relevant document signed between the governments of Azerbaijan and Georgia, a joint venture is about to be established for the purpose of managing the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. Currently, work is being done in the direction of preparing the business model of the joint enterprise with an international consulting company. The goal is to increase the cargo volume and develop the BTQ line," said E. Ahmadov. According to him, the main work of the joint venture is the implementation of all works related to the project, determination of tariffs for cargo transportation, transportation of cargo and solving of operational issues as a whole. The head of the department added that ADY regularly organizes on-site meetings with entrepreneurs for carrying out cargo transportation between Central Asian and European countries through the Middle Corridor, and establishes close cooperation with railway administrations and transport companies of the mentioned countries. At the same time, a close relationship is established with cargo operators in Europe for the transportation of cargo from European countries to Central Asia through the Middle Corridor. "In recent years, there has been a significant increase in transit cargo transportation by rail. For example, in 2019, 3.8 million tons of transit cargo was transported, and in 2023, this figure reached 6.8 million tons. Compared to the first four months of last year, the volume of transit cargo transported in January-April this year increased by 14 percent. In the first quarter of this year, we carried 10 percent more transit cargo on the East-West corridor, of which BTQ is a part," he stressed. ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, May 21. Turkmenistan and Russia discussed the deepening of inter-parliamentary ties and the intensification of joint work within the framework of various formats of cooperation, Trend reports. According to official information, these issues were discussed during a meeting between Turkmenistan's Ambassador to Russia Esen Aydogdyev and Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia Konstantin Kosachev. During the meeting, Konstantin Kosachev stressed Russia's interest in expanding contacts with Muslim states, including through participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). He expressed his intention to give additional momentum to regular meetings of the heads of parliaments of the two countries, as well as to intensify work within the framework of the 'Ashgabat format' - the interparliamentary platform of the countries of Central Asia and Russia. For his part, Ambassador Esen Aydogdyev noted that, on behalf of Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, the Turkmen side will actively contribute to the further development of interparliamentary relations with Russia. Meanwhile, interparliamentary cooperation between Turkmenistan and Russia is actively developing, which contributes to strengthening political, economic, and cultural ties between the two countries. Parliamentarians can effectively interact on various issues and harmonize legislative bases through regular delegation visits, joint meetings, and experience exchange, which improves conditions for mutually beneficial cooperation and strengthens friendly relations between Turkmenistan and Russia. NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) The MTA announced on Monday that all New York City school students will receive OMNY cards instead of Metrocards in the coming school year in September. The city agency is hoping to expand the contactless fare payment systems customer base including riders who use Reduced-Fare, Fair Fares, Access-a-Ride and pre-tax commuter benefits. Billions of taps prove that OMNY is the most cost-effective and easy way to pay your fare, said MTA Chief Customer Officer Shanifah Rieara. We have created a clear path towards a major expansion of OMNY this year to millions more customers including all New York City school students by the start of this upcoming 2024-2025 school year and more. More Local News The MTA successfully launched two pilot programs to extend OMNY cards to more New Yorkers. On May 1, the MTA unveiled the launch of the Fair Fares pilot on OMNY to collect feedback from participants before expanding it to the citys 330,00 Fair Fares members. The agency completed its OMNY Card Vending Machine program in late April, with 70 machines at 37 stations. OMNY vending machines are expected to be in every subway station by mid-2025, the agency shared. By treating OMNY as the megaproject that it is, we have turned a corner on delivering its benefits to all categories of customers, said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. The new approach is going to give users the sense of interoperability they expect, while limiting MTAs contractor risk and saving millions of dollars. Charline Charles is a digital journalist from Brooklyn who has covered local news along with culture and arts in the New York City area since 2019. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. NEW YORK (PIX11) A trio of NYPD officers worked together to pull off a one-of-a-kind rescue, helping reunite a group of ducklings with their mother. The officers found the flock of ducklings trapped in the sewer after receiving a call for help on Staten Island. They were able to remove the ducklings from the sewer. A video of the family reunion was shared by the NYPD 123rd Precinct on X. The NYPD News account joked that they investigated the incident and determined there was no fowl play. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. The Orange County Sheriffs Office released body-worn camera video Tuesday of deputies shooting a man who they say was pointing a gun at residents of a Winter Park apartment complex last month. WATCH CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS Deputies said they responded to a 911 call around 10:30 p.m. on April 19 from the Indigo Winter Park Apartments on U.K. Circle, reporting a man armed with a gun. Deputies say the man, later identified as 47-year-old Jesse Santino Lewelling, was reported to be pointing the gun at several of the residents. READ: Shes running him over: Orlando woman accused of intentionally hitting man with car full of kids This dude has a flashlight attached to his gun, a resident can be heard saying in a 911 call released by the sheriffs office. Hes just pointing it at my facehes walking around. Theres a little girl that just ran screamingIm a little nervous. According to the sheriffs office, responding deputies heard a gunshot shortly after arriving at the complex but still didnt know exactly where Lewelling was at the time. Additional video from the sheriffs office helicopter shows Lewelling sitting under a gazebo near the complexs pool, still armed with the gun. According to the sheriffs office, as Lewelling sits under the gazebo, onlookers can be seen standing just feet away from him, posing a public safety issue. The video shows Lewelling eventually walking away from the gazebo as multiple deputies converged on him from different directions. At one point, deputies say Lewelling walked to a dumpster in the complex parking lot, temporarily out of view of the sheriffs office helicopter. READ: 1 killed, 1 injured in Daytona Beach shooting When he returns to view, Lewelling can be seen running through the complex with the gun in his hand as deputies close in on his position. Seconds later, the OCSO helicopter video shows Lewelling run around a corner, directly towards a deputy, with the gun still in his hand. In body-worn camera video released by the sheriffs office, the deputy can be heard ordering Lewelling to drop the gun before shooting him. Deputies say Lewelling dropped his gun after he was shot, but it remained within his reach. According to the sheriffs office, deputies eventually recovered the loaded gun and rendered medical aid to Lewelling until paramedics arrived. He was then taken to the hospital in critical condition. Lewelling has been charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, resisting an officer with violence, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. READ: Osceola deputies arrest man accused of taking inappropriate photo of young girl at Kissimmee Target Deputies say Lewelling also had an active warrant out of the state of California for larceny and weapons charges. The deputy who fired their service weapon has been placed on paid administrative leave pending a review of the shooting by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The sheriffs office will conduct its own internal investigation once FDLEs investigation is complete and reviewed by the State Attorneys Office. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. PORT CLINTON More than 50 people celebrated the dedication of the $11 million Gateway to the Islands project on Ohio 53 Monday. The Ohio Department of Transportation project that began after Labor Day 2023 includes two roundabouts adjacent to the Shores and Islands Welcome Center. The Gateway to the Islands project was dedicated Monday. Former Senate Majority Leader Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, is third from left, and to his right is Ohio Department of Transportation District 2 deputy director Pat McColley. State and local officials led the ceremony and ribbon cutting. Workers on the intersection safety improvement project constructed a roundabout at the westbound leg of Ohio 2/Ohio 53; built a second roundabout at the Ohio 53 and State Road intersection; widened Ohio 53 (S.E. Catawba Road) from the interchange to Ohio 163; added a two-way center turn lane throughout the corridor; added sidewalk, and upgraded curb ramps. The project was built by Miller Brothers Construction, Inc., Archbold. More Port Clinton: A daughter's promise is at the heart of Hopfinger Zimmerman Memorial Park Larry Fletcher, President of Shores and Islands Ohio, summed up the reason for the roundabouts. Larry Fletcher, president of Shores and Islands Ohio, speaks Monday in front of a display showing the double roundabout Gateway to the Islands construction project. "This has been a long time coming. I started my position here about 19 years ago and before I started there were people talking about the need for a safer and more efficient route heading north," Fletcher said. "What it will mean is that it will be much easier for people to make their way north. Those two roundabouts will make it easier to get off (Ohio 2) and safer." ODOT statistics show that on many summer weekends there will be five times as many vehicles using that intersection as in the tourist off-season. While Fridays and Sundays in Ohio typically have the least traffic, it's the opposite for Ottawa County. Former state Rep. Steve Arndt, R-Port Clinton, and former Ohio Senate Majority Leader Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, were on hand to explain the history of the project, which was 30 years in the making. Former Senate Majority Leader Randy Gardner, R-Bowling Green, left, and former state Rep. Steve Arndt, R-Port Clinton, were on hand for Monday's dedication of the Gateway to the Islands. In the 1990s, the intersection was found to be the second most dangerous in the state. A variety of solutions were proposed, but a lack of funding resulted in each previous proposal falling through. One of the keys to this project was actually designating tourism as an industry in the state. Urban areas had that advantage for many years, but tourism has such a profound impact on Ohios economy that we thought it was right. It was Rep. Arndt that was the sponsor of the amendment to change Ohio law and free up additional funds to make this project happen, Gardner said. The remainder of the project is on schedule to complete this summer. The roundabout at Ohio 53 and State Road opened this past November. The roundabout at Ohio 2 unofficially opened last weekend. Pat McColley, ODOT District 2 deputy director, talked about the timing and design for these roundabouts. Pat McColley, ODOT District 2 deputy director, talked Monday about the timing and design for the Gateway to the Islands roundabouts. "Anytime we do work close to (Lake Erie) we try to space closures between Labor Day and Memorial Day, usually it's harder to coordinate, because you can only lay asphalt at a certain temperature. In the summer is when you usually see construction. This is unique in that we are trying to do it off-season," McColley said. He also pointed out ways in which these will be different because of the type of use they will get. "With these roundabouts, our team worked very closely with the marinas and other businesses, but mostly the marinas, to make sure we had the right curb height and turning radius to accommodate the large trucks, specifically those hauling the large yachts and boats. These have only a one-inch curb, where most roundabouts around the state have between a 2-inch and 4-inch curb. So, it's a little bit lower, to make sure those larger vehicles can get through," McColley said. Ohio Department of Transportation construction in front of the Shores & Islands Visitor Center is nearing an end. McColley said that everything is already open, but there's some finishing on striping and manhole covers,to complete. There shouldn't be any more road closures in the project area after this past weekend, which was the goal. rlapointe@gannett.com 419-332-2674 This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Port Clinton's $11 million Gateway to the Islands project dedicated President Joe Biden. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images.) Ohio lawmakers are confident President Joe Biden will be on the November ballot, but how exactly that will happen remains the question. The fix wont happen through the legislature, said Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, and Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, during separate gaggles Tuesday morning. Theres just not the will to do that from the legislature, Stephens said. Russo said she was skeptical the fix was ever going to happen in the legislature. Weve seen the dysfunction here in this place, she said. And I think weve seen that folks have not been able to put aside partisanship and hyper-partisanship and infighting. I think at this point, youre probably going to see either, you know, some sort of inner party effects or perhaps court action. However, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said the legislature needs to make the fix. I have every confidence that its going to get done, he said Tuesday. No one should worry, theyre going to be able to vote for the president or the former president, whoever they want to vote for. You know, this is not going to be a situation where the presidents name is not on the ballot. So its either going to be done by the court, or its going to be done by the legislature. Ohio law requires political parties certify their candidates with the Secretary of State on or before 90 days prior to an election. The issue is the Democratic National Convention where Biden will be officially nominated wont take place until Aug. 22 75 days before the election. Republican politicians at the statehouse made clear that they want to take away Ohioans ability to choose who they want to be President, Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters said in a statement. Throughout this process, corrupt politicians in Columbus have politicized the process and used it to play political games with Ohioans ability to hold their government accountable. Bidens campaign is confident he will be on Ohios ballot. Joe Biden will be on the ballot in all 50 states, Charles Lutvak, spokesperson for the Biden campaign, said in an email. Election after election, states across the country have acted in line with the bipartisan consensus and taken the necessary steps to ensure the presidential nominees from both parties will be on the ballot. House and Senate bills Two weeks ago, the House and the Senate came up with different ways of going about making the fix that would push the deadline to 74 days before the election instead. The Senate bill put the ballot fix and amendments that would ban foreign nationals from contributing to political campaigns to House Bill 114, a campaign child care bill. The Senate passed their bill during the May 8 session. The House took Senate Bill 92 and stripped the bill of its previous language about last years special election and put it in the presidential nomination language making it a clean bill. But the House adjourned before voting to approve their bill. Alabama fix Alabama was facing a similar situation but lawmakers passed legislation and their Republican governor signed a bill into law to make sure Biden would be on the states November ballot earlier this month. The bill bumps back Alabamas certification deadline from 82 days before the election to 74 days. Even Alabama, their legislature was able to get this right, Russo said. Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on Twitter. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Ohio legislative leaders say Biden ballot fix wont happen through lawmakers appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. An electricity meter. Getty Images. Ohio utilities havent asked to increase electricity rates in more than a decade but that doesnt mean customers arent paying more. Instead, utilities have sidestepped the comprehensive and relatively transparent regulatory process for setting rates ever since a 2008 state law made it easier for companies to collect more money from customers by tacking on extra bill charges, known as riders. In one extreme example the Energy News Network reported on in 2019, the bill for a single lamppost maintained by a Cleveland neighborhood group had jumped from around $8 a month in 2008 to nearly $70 a month, primarily due to the new charges. Theres now widespread and bipartisan agreement from consumer advocates to conservative state lawmakers that the system needs to be fixed, but the debate around a recent legislative proposal shows theres still little consensus around what those reforms should include. The Republican-sponsored House Bill 260 would require utilities to file ratemaking cases with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio at least every five years. State Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, one of the bills co-sponsors, told the House Public Utilities Committee earlier this year that the bill is really all aboutreturning to the days when there were more complete and full rate cases. Consumer, business, and some environmental advocates have long wanted to see that kind of change, but they oppose other provisions in the bill that could make it harder for some groups to participate as parties and dig into the facts. The legislation also wouldnt stop the practice of adding charges to customers bills. Its another step in the wrong direction in the same vein as House Bill 6, said state Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, ranking minority member on the House Public Utilities Committee. HB 6 is the nuclear and coal bailout law at the heart of Ohios ongoing corruption scandal. Basically, full rate cases require electric utilities to document how much revenue they need to provide reliable service, maintain and repair equipment, and provide a reasonable rate of return on capital investments. The cases also consider how much electricity different classes of customers are expected to use, along with any differential costs in delivering that energy, the need to accommodate low-income programs and so forth. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio then determines what the price per kilowatt/hour should be. Charges set in rate cases reflect a moment in time, said Rob Kelter, a lawyer with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. Utilities have an incentive to maximize profits through technology, improved management and other mechanisms. So often, the reason a utility doesnt come in for a rate case is because theyre overearning. At the same time, Ohio utilities have added charges for costs not covered by their earlier rate cases. A 2008 law allowed utilities to file electric security plans instead, which let them add piecemeal charges. Unlike a full rate case, the plans focus on specific program costs. The PUCO considers if theyre warranted, but what it doesnt do is look at any of the utilitys other revenues and expenses, like you do in a rate case, Kelter said. For example, FirstEnergys last rate case was in 2007. Since then, the company has charged for dozens of riders, including some whose spending is at issue in regulatory cases linked to HB 6. The company plans to apply for new rates at the end of this month due to revision of a 2019 order in the aftermath of the HB 6 scandal. But various riders under the companys latest plan, approved with changes on May 15, would continue. Less transparency and participation Seitz said the proposed legislation would improve the process to make it less expensive and simpler for everybody. Among other things, HB 260 would limit prehearing fact-finding and change the rules for how stakeholders can participate. Local hearings would require only one notice and wouldnt need to say how much more revenue utilities want. Companies would be able to make their case completely based on projected costs rather than including some historical cost data. And companies would still be able to impose additional charges on customers in between full ratemaking cases. Comments by attorney Kim Bojko for the Ohio Manufacturers Association noted the bill eliminates due process rights for parties, including limits on the number of intervenors. Those are groups or individuals who can take part in a case as full parties, with the right to conduct fact-finding and present evidence in the case. Currently, intervenors in any PUCO case must show they could be adversely affected by the outcome of a case. HB 260 would require they be adversely and directly affected. Additional language calls for the PUCO to consider whether an intervenors interest is as a consumer, customer, or competitor, notably omitting environmental groups. Utilities have an outsized advantage in PUCO proceedings, often to the detriment of customers in terms of cost, air quality, control over our bills and more, said Tom Bullock, executive director for the Citizens Utility Board of Ohio. Closing the courtroom door to consumers and other stakeholders while limiting discovery for those in the room, perpetuates the problem. Those limits would allow no more than three rounds of written questions before and after filing of the staff report. And the PUCO staff would not be subject to any discovery. Seitz noted that various courts limit parties written discovery. That comparison misses the mark, said Ashley Brown, a former PUCO commissioner who has advised governments on energy markets and regulation. Anything involving rates is legislative, not judicial. So the standard should be very broad, he said. Ohio Consumers Counsel Maureen Willis told lawmakers the limits also are unfair because the utilities have most of the information that needs to be discovered. Instead, there ought to be a focus on protecting non-utility parties from utility delaying tactics and nonresponsive answers. HB 260 also would shift to fully forecasted rates, without even a few months of actual cost data. That will tilt the scales very heavily in favor of the utilities, David Proano, a lawyer for the Ohio Energy Leadership Council told lawmakers. Its much more difficult to seek discovery and challenge a forecast. Utilities could just say the forecasts are based on their business judgment, without providing details about their models, reasons for different judgment calls and so on. Riders by another name Under HB 260, lawmakers now propose to stack the deck in the utilities favor even more by limiting customers rights and further increasing customers costs, said Bojko. HB 260 proposes to add more above-market charges to customers bills through new distribution riders while thwarting challenges to rate increases. HB 260 calls the four new charges trackers instead of riders, although Ohio House Budget Analyst Michael Kerr found each term generally holds the same meaning. The bills current terms dont get rid of other existing charges on top of regular rates, although Seitz claimed previously approved riders would continue only if their need is demonstrated in the five-year rate case. Willis said the Office of the Ohio Consumers Counsel awaits an amendment clarifying that. Letting utilities seek new charges in between cases shifts risks and costs to consumers as utilities get to reap more benefits, Brown said. Other bill language states if the Ohio Supreme Court finds that any rider or other rate mechanism beyond base rates is unlawful, refunds will be made only for the period from the Ohio Supreme Courts order until the PUCOs order rescinding the charge. The refund provision wouldnt apply to funds already collected while an appeal was pending. That provision would still let utilities keep funds collected while an appeal was pending. FirstEnergy kept roughly $450 million collected for a distribution modernization rider, which was later ruled unlawful and now is at the heart of one of four PUCO cases linked to HB 6. Other provisions in the bill could let utilities earn interest on some operational expenses as if they were capital improvements. Still other terms might relax the reliability requirements for utilities. The House Public Utilities Committee likely will hold more hearings before the bill is reported out. Inasmuch as the bill is in its early stages, there will no doubt be additional issues that arise and will be dealt with in the normal process, Seitz said. Senate Bill 102, introduced last year, also would require regular rate cases, but still with extra charges and also with less fact-finding. For now, Weinstein said the provisions about hearings and other changes mean some stakeholders will no longer have a seat at the table if HB 260 passes. Its just another example of the legislature doing the bidding of their Big Energy overlords, he said. This article first appeared on Energy News Network and is republished here under a Creative Commons license. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Ohio ratemaking reform bill would give more favors to utilities, critics say appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. Oklahoma included in Pedigree dog food recall. See if your pet's food is affected Pedigree's parent company, Mars Petcare US, has voluntarily recalled over 300 bags of 44-pound "Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor" dry dog food over concerns of loose metal pieces mixed into the food. Oklahoma is one of four states where certain bags of Pedigree dog food are being recalled from store shelves. Many Oklahomans consider their furry canine friends to be part of the family, so it's important to pay attention when there has been a recall that could affect your dog. Here's what we know. What kind of Pedigree dog food is being recalled? Pedigree's parent company, Mars Petcare, is recalling 315 bags of PEDIGREE Adult Complete Nutrition Grilled Steak & Vegetable Flavor Dry Dog Food, in the 44 lb. bag size only, according to a recall notice published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To see if your food is included in the recall, check the back of the bag for the best by date and lot code. The affected products have a best by date of March 4, 2025, and Lot Code 410B2TXT02. Why is Pedigree recalling dog food? The recall is "due to the potential presence of loose metal pieces in the bag," according to the company. Where are Pedigree dog food bags being recalled? The recall is limited to only 315 bags that were sold by Walmart stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The company is working with Walmart to ensure the affected products are removed from shelves. If you purchased one of the affected bags and your pet has already consumed the product, the company says you should monitor them for any unusual behavior. If you have any concerns, contact a veterinarian. So far, the company said there have been no reports of pet injury or illness regarding the recalled product. You can contact Mars Petcare to initiate a return or with any questions at 800-525-5273. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Recall on Pedigree dog food impacts Oklahoma: What foods are included? In a war of words and threats of litigation, Oklahoma's new anti-immigration law faces two potential lawsuits. The U.S. Department of Justice addressed a May 15 letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt and Attorney General Gentner Drummond saying the federal government intends to file a lawsuit to stop the enforcement unless Oklahoma agrees in advance not to take such action. The departments letter says Oklahoma's state law is preempted by federal law and violates the U.S. Constitution. It also points out Oklahomas new law is like Senate Bill 4 in Texas. That state has been unable to enforce its law because of a federal appeals court. Since Oklahoma's law creates a new crime of impermissible occupation, which includes criminal penalties by the state, the law violates the federal prohibitions on unlawful entry and reentry, the Justice Department letter said. The state had five days to confirm it will not enforce the law. State leaders responded with sharp rebuttals. Drummond wrote that the Biden administration has only committed to subverting the immigration laws of this country. Your misguided demands ignore that Oklahoma has not only the sovereign right, but also the solemn legal obligation, to protect its own borders and its own citizens, he wrote. Martin Ramirez, right, and Michelle Solis hold signs during a demonstration in support of the immigrant community before the recent Hispanic Cultural Day at the state Capitol. He was adamant the laws purpose was a powerful tool to combat those foreign nationals who become involved in serious criminal activity such as illegal marijuana-grow operations, fentanyl distribution, sex trafficking, and labor trafficking. The law is not meant to racially profile, Drummond said in the response, noting that the practice is illegal in Oklahoma, To detain someone who looks, sounds or acts foreign is itself un-American and will never be tolerated by this office. Drummond requested the legislation to address illegal marijuana-grow operations. More: Oklahoma Capitol protest over anti-immigration bill draws large crowd: 'Now make them hear you' House Speaker Charles McCall said he found the letters claims laughable and pointed out, The Biden Administrations continued failures to address the illegal immigration crisis in our country are what necessitated the passage of House Bill 4156 in the first place. The Speaker added the bill was a carefully crafted, well-thought-out piece of legislation designed to acknowledge the role of the federal government in immigration matters, while at the same time protect the sovereignty and security of our states troopers. Latino Caucus also plans to file lawsuit over Oklahoma immigration law The state is facing another potential lawsuit initiated locally. Members of the Latino Caucus told The Oklahoman they also plan to work with national experts on filing a lawsuit against the law, citing similar points made in the Justice Department letter. Around 1,000 people rallied at the state Capitol in protest of the bill on May 15. Sen. Michael Brooks and Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval, both Democrats with districts in Oklahoma City, said a lawsuit should be filed before the law takes effect on July 1. Alonso-Sandoval argued the Oklahoma law is unconstitutional because it supersedes the federal government. He also pointed to the laws vague language, questioning how it would be enforced. Opinion: Oklahoma Republicans passed a law that police chiefs don't want to enforce I dont walk my dog around my neighborhood with my passport, birth certificate and drivers license, he said. Theyre wanting to use immigration as something that can pretty much move them forward within their political aspirations but theyre directly impacting a community thats contributing in so many different ways to the state of Oklahoma, he added. Brooks said the law affects more people than just the Latino community. Its part of the pride of the United States that were a diverse country with people from all over the world and that fabric of the United States is made up of immigrants, he told The Oklahoman. Law enforcement response Despite Drummonds reassurances the law wont result in racial profiling, some law enforcement officials have said they aren't sure how enforcement could be managed in a reasonable way. Oklahoma City Police Chief Wade Gourley said his department does not check immigration status and to do so for every person would be a huge burden. He said the department has spent years building relationships by attending community meetings, events, festivals and visiting schools, and the law could negatively impact those connections, setting them back at square one. A joint statement by the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police and Metro Law Enforcement Agency Leaders released on Tuesday via Facebook said the law conflicts with many existing directives over law enforcement practices. The release noted law enforcement leaders from state organizations and municipalities were not substantively involved during the process of drafting and signing the law. It said the law places crime victims at risk by increasing their fear of reporting to law enforcement and brings legal challenges in fair and impartial policing and anti-racial profiling. The new Oklahoma law makes "impermissible occupation" as a first offense a misdemeanor punishable by a year in county jail and/or a maximum $500 fine. Subsequent arrests would be felonies punishable by up to two years in prison and/or a maximum $1,000 fine. In both cases, offenders would be required to leave the state within 72 hours of their conviction or release from custody, whichever comes later. Stitt signed the bill on April 30 after it was passed by the House and Senate by wide margins with little discussion. Upon signing, he also created the Oklahoma State Work Permits and Visas Task Force to figure out how to match up the state's workforce with employers who need more workers. The task force hasnt met yet and its unclear if the meetings will be open to the public, a spokesperson from the governors office said. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma immigration law faces lawsuit from US DOJ, Latino Caucus CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) A high school teacher in Charlotte has been arrested for allegedly having sex with a student, according to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police. Olivia Dennis, 28, who is a teacher employed by Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and worked at Olympic High School, was taken into custody on Monday, May 20. A School Resource Officer at the school was notified of the potentially inappropriate relationship on Monday between an 18-year-old student and a teacher at the school. Detectives with CMPDs Sexual Assault Unit were called to the high school and interviewed Dennis while at the property. Following the initial interview, she was placed under arrest and taken to CMPDs headquarters for further questioning. MORE FROM Crime & Public Safety Dennis has been charged with three counts of sexual activity with a student by a teacher. Shes being held at the Mecklenburg County Jail under a $75,000 bond. CMPD said none of the alleged acts are believed to have happened on school property. Dennis taught CTE HS Culinary Arts at Olympic High School and was hired by CMS in Nov. 2022. As of Monday, Dennis has been suspended with pay. Message CMS sent to families this week: Good afternoon Olympic High School families, this is Principal Jones reaching out with an important message. You may have heard about an alleged inappropriate relationship involving a staff member and a student. The school administration is aware, and we are fully cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation. Due to privacy laws, we are unable to share any details or information regarding this incident. Please know that the safety and well-being of our students is our top priority and we take this incident very seriously. Thank you for your continued support of Olympic High School. Message CMS sent to staff this week: Good Afternoon Olympic High School Staff, this is Principal Jones with an important message. We are aware of an alleged inappropriate relationship between a staff member and a student at Olympic. I am not able to disclose any specific details, but know that I am working with district leadership and law enforcement to ensure a resolution. Our students are the most important part of our school community, and any actions by staff that disrupts their learning or jeopardizes their well-being will not be tolerated. You will likely see reports on the news and hear rumors regarding this incident. Out of respect for the student and staff member involved, please refrain from repeating these rumors. Thank you for your understanding, support, and cooperation. The investigation into this case remains active and ongoing. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Title icon The News One person has been killed and dozens injured after a Singapore Airlines flight hit severe turbulence on its journey from London to Singapore on Tuesday. Authorities in Thailand said that a 73-year-old British man who was traveling with his wife died in the incident, likely of a heart attack. Seven people are in critical condition and 14 others have been taken to the hospital. In total, 23 passengers and nine crew members were injured, the authorities said. The Boeing 777-300ER, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was diverted to Bangkok after it hit the stormy conditions while flying close to Myanmar. Flight tracking data suggests the airliner plunged 6,000 feet in a matter of minutes after it crossed the Bay of Bengal, the BBC reported. Title icon Know More One passenger on board the flight described what happened to Reuters: Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling, Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student, told the agency. Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it, he said. Fatalities and injuries from air turbulence are relatively rare, while experts say episodes of severe turbulence are likely to increase as a result of climate change. Singapore Airlines offered its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance, and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed, it said in a statement. Semafor Logo Photo: The official information portal of the 1st Vice President of Iran BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 21. A presidential election in Iran will be held on June 28, Trend reports. In this regard, a meeting was held the day before with Iran's First Vice President, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, and Parliament Chairman Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The meeting discussed holding the presidential election following Article 131 of Iran's Constitution, which requires elections within 50 days. It was decided that candidate registration would occur from May 30 to June 3, with campaigning scheduled from June 12 to June 27. Additionally, Article 131 stipulates that if the president dies, is removed from office, resigns, or is incapacitated for more than two months, the first vice president temporarily assumes presidential duties with the Supreme Leader's approval, and a new president must be elected within 50 days. To note, on May 19, a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Tabriz Province Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim, and East Azerbaijan Province Governor-General Malek Rahmati crashed while flying from Khudafarin to Tabriz. The Iranian President and the entire accompanying delegation were confirmed dead. Stay up-to-date with more news at Trend News Agency's WhatsApp channel ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) Police confirm one man is dead after a shooting in Elmira late Monday night that left a large police presence around one of the citys business districts. According to the Elmira Police Department, one man died at the hospital after being shot outside of a bar at 351 E Washington Ave, around 10:52 p.m. on Monday, May 21. Large police presence in Elmira Monday night Police said that the victim wasnt found at the scene, but learned that they were taken to a local hospital by a personal vehicle before police arrived. Police said that the victim died at the hospital no other information is being released about the victim at this time, and no suspect has been named. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and anyone with information is requested to contact the Elmira Police Department at 607-737-5626 or the anonymous tip line at 607-271-4258. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com. One dead and at least 71 injured after severe turbulence hits Singapore Airlines flight One passenger died and 71 people were injured when their Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence Tuesday, throwing passengers and crew around the cabin and forcing the plane to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. The Boeing 777-300ER was about 10 hours into its flight and midway through meal service when it hit turbulence while flying over Myanmars Irrawaddy Basin, according to the airline. Andrew Davies, a passenger onboard flight SQ321 who was traveling to New Zealand for business, told CNNs Erin Burnett that it had been a perfectly normal flight when the seatbelt sign came on and seconds later all hell broke loose. The plane just felt like it dropped. It probably only lasted a few seconds but I remember vividly seeing shoes and iPads and iPhones and cushions and blankets and cutlery and plates and cups flying through the air and crashing to the ceiling. The gentleman next to me had a cup of coffee, which went straight all over me and up to the ceiling, Davies said. Davies said he realized the gravity of the turbulence when he turned around, describing several passengers with gashes on their heads, including one with blood pouring down her face and an elderly passenger in severe shock. There was so much screaming, he said. Video and images from inside the aircraft showed the extent of the damage, with overhead compartments smashed open and emergency oxygen air masks hanging down from the ceiling. A photo of one galley showed a section of the ceiling open with parts of the planes interior hanging down. Trays, containers, plastic bottles and hot beverage pots can be seen strewn across the floor. A 73-year-old British man died in the incident from a suspected heart condition, the General Manager of Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi International Airport Kittipong Kittikachorn said Tuesday, adding that the autopsy process was still ongoing. The man was later identified as Geoff Kitchen, who was described as always a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity by the Thornbury Musical Theatre Group (TMTG), an establishment where he worked for over 35 years. The British Foreign Office told CNN it was supporting the family of a British passenger who died on a Singapore Airlines flight. Davies, who was seated toward the front of the plane, said he helped tend to Kitchen, who was seated behind him. Lots of people needed some help but we tended to this gentleman and I helped carry him, get him out of the seat, and we lay him on the floor so that some medical profession(als) could administer CPR, Davies said, adding the passenger was administered CPR for about 20 minutes. The Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital in Bangkok, which received the injured passengers, said at least 71 people were injured, with six severely. Those injured include citizens of Malaysia, the UK, New Zealand, Spain, the US and Ireland. Kittikachorn, who inspected the aircraft, said some injured passengers sustained broken arms. The flight, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew, had left Londons Heathrow Airport around 10:30 p.m. local time, according to online flight trackers. It was bound for Singapores Changi Airport, however the aircraft was diverted to Bangkok where it landed at 3:45 p.m. local time, according to the airline. Video filmed after Singapore Airlines SQ321 was diverted to Bangkok shows a passenger being carried from the aircraft on a stretcher by emergency responders. Kittikachorn said that following the landing in Bangkok almost 200 travelers were waiting to take onward flights to their destinations. A Singapore Airlines plane carrying 131 of the 211 passengers later departed Bangkok for Singapore, he said. Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong said in a statement that the airline is providing all possible assistance and support to the passengers and their families. On behalf of Singapore Airlines, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the deceased passenger. We also deeply apologize for the trauma experienced by all passengers and crew members on this flight, he said. Singapores Ministry of Transport said in a statement that it was investigating the situation involving flight SQ321 and the US National Transportation Safety Board is sending personnel to Singapore to help support the investigation. The interior of Singapore Airline flight SQ321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, on May 21. - Reuters Flight likely encountered rapidly developing thunderstorms Turbulence occurs when a plane flies through clashing bodies of air moving at widely different speeds. With light and moderate turbulence passengers might feel a strain against their seatbelt, and unsecured items could move around the cabin. But in severe cases turbulence can throw passengers around the cabin, causing severe injuries and occasionally death. A statement from the airline said the plane, encountered sudden extreme turbulence over the Irrawaddy Basin [a river in Myanmar] at 37,000 feet, about 10 hours after departure. Data from aviation tracking site FlightRadar24 shows the flight suddenly dipping then rapidly climbing a few hundred feet before dipping and climbing again and then finally settling back at its cruising altitude. The entire disruption took about 90 seconds, according to the data. The flight changes course about 14 minutes later. The airline said, The pilot declared a medical emergency and diverted the aircraft to Bangkok. The flight likely encountered rapidly developing thunderstorms over southern Myanmar on Tuesday during the time that extreme turbulence was reported, according to CNN Weather analysis. Tropical thunderstorms like these are typical for this time of year with moisture increasing in the region as the southwest monsoon season is beginning in South Asia. They can form quickly in the early afternoon as the land heats up, especially near the coastline. Budding thunderstorms like Tuesdays may not appear on radar in their earliest stages, even though the quick rising motion within them can still produce turbulence. The storm cells likely grew from 20,000-30,000 feet to well over 50,000 feet in less than an hour. Turbulence could become more frequent The interior of Singapore Airline flight SQ321 is pictured after an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, on May 21. - Reuters About 65,000 aircraft suffer moderate turbulence every year in the US, and about 5,500 run into severe turbulence. These numbers, however, might be destined to grow as the climate crisis is modifying some types of turbulence, according to a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Reading in the UK. A September 2022 study predicts that clear-air turbulence will increase significantly around the globe by 2050-2080, in particular along the busiest flight routes, and the strongest type of turbulence will increase the most. In March 2023, violent movements on a private jet resulted in the death of a former White House official, though an investigation later found that weather was not involved in that incident. That incident came just days after seven people were transported to hospitals after a separate commercial flight hit significant turbulence. In July 2023, seven people were injured on a Hawaiian Airlines flight to Sydney, Australia, when the plane was buffeted by severe turbulence, and 36 people were injured on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Arizona to Honolulu in December 2022, with 20 people taken to emergency rooms. Singapore Airlines is often considered one of the worlds safest carriers. Its only previous fatal accident was in October 2000 when flight SQ006 crashed when the Boeing 747-400 took off from a closed runway in Taiwan amid heavy rain, killing 83 on board. Singapore Airlines said later Tuesday that a dedicated team had arrived in Bangkok to support our colleagues and the local authorities on the ground in an update on its Facebook page. The flight operator expressed its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. We deeply apologize for the traumatic experience that our passengers and crew members suffered on this flight. Boeing has said it is in touch with the Singaporean carrier and is ready to support them. The manufacturer is deferring further questions to the airline and local authorities. This story and headline have been updated with additional developments. CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly described a March 2023 incident involving a private jet. The National Transportation Safety Board later ruled weather had not been involved in the violent movements of that plane. CNNs Jack Guy, Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Steven Jiang, Catherine Nicholls, Ross Levitt, Hamdi Alkhshali, Brandon Miller and Sharon Braithwaite contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A months-long search ended across county lines earlier in May after one of Nashvilles Most Wanted fugitives was taken into custody. Officers with the Metro Nashville Police Department had been searching for 30-year-old Marques Diamond since Feb. 14, when he was added to the departments Top 10 Most Wanted list. Nashvilles Top 10 Most Wanted fugitives: Teen sought for rappers murder According to officials, the list is reserved for some of the citys most violent offenders. Diamond had outstanding warrants for five counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Court records show he also has previously been convicted of a misdemeanor theft charge. (Courtesy: MNPD) Around three months after police began searching for Diamond in connection with the assault charges, officials said he was finally located nearly 30 miles away in Murfreesboro. According to police, Diamond was caught driving a stolen car on Sunday, May 5, and taken into custody. He will soon be transported back to Nashville to face his charges. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee Diamond is among at least 110 Most Wanted fugitives who have been taken into custody since the program was launched in October 2022. Investigators have largely attributed the programs success to tips from the public. To see the most recent list of Most Wanted fugitives out of Nashville, click here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Passenger killed and dozens injured by turbulence on London to Singapore flight A person is stretchered after severe turbulence against the Singapore Airlines flight left one passenger dead and more injured - ViralPress/ViralPress At least one person has died and dozens of others have been injured after a flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence. A Singapore Airlines flight was forced to divert to Bangkok after a passenger was killed and 30 people were hurt, local media reported. We can confirm that there are injuries and one fatality on board the Boeing 777-300ER. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew on board, a spokesperson for the airline said. Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. A passenger has died and dozens of others are injured after a flight from London to Singapore was hit by severe turbulence Flight SQ321 took off from London Heathrow Airport on Monday evening at 22.17 local time, flight tracking data showed. The airliner diverted to Thailand around an hour and a halfs flying time from its intended destination of Singapore after reportedly encountering heavy turbulence. The pilots requested permission to make an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok and touched down shortly after 4pm local time. Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling, Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board the flight told Reuters. Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it, he said. It was not immediately clear at what point of the flight the fatal injury occurred. Several ambulances were seen on the tarmac preparing to treat passengers as they disembarked. Airport staff brace for the flight's arrival - ViralPress/ViralPress Pictures from local news agencies showed what appeared to be food trays from the in-flight meal service scattered across the airliners floor. We are working with the local authorities in Thailand to provide the necessary medical assistance, and sending a team to Bangkok to provide any additional assistance needed, the airline said. Singapore Airlines is yet to comment on what caused the turbulence, but the area around Thailand is currently suffering severe tropical storms. Current aviation weather reports indicate thunderstorms reaching up to 51,000ft are spread across western Thailand and well down into the Gulf of Thailand, a distance of around 475 miles. The flight had to divert to Thailand for an emergency landing - ViralPress/ViralPress Last week, a British Airways flight was forced to return to Singapore after encountering heavy turbulence. One crew member reportedly needed surgery to her ankle after she was injured during the flight. The Singapore Airlines flight was cruising at 37,000ft before its diversion, according to Flight Radar 24 data. Other high altitude weather phenomena such as clear air turbulence have been known to cause unexpected problems for airliner flights in the past. The last Singapore Airlines fatalities were in October 2000 when a plane crashed on a closed runway during takeoff at Taiwan and 83 people died. Singapore Airlines has had seven accidents according to records by the Aviation Safety Network. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Joe Kirby, head of South Dakota Open Primaries, signs a petition on April 19, 2023, in Sioux Falls that aims to allow all voters to cast a vote in the state's primary elections. Kirby is seated next to De Knudson of Sioux Falls, with Tom Dempster of Sioux Falls standing to her left. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) Joe Kirby, head of South Dakota Open Primaries, signs a petition on April 19, 2023, in Sioux Falls that aims to allow all voters to cast a vote in the state's primary elections. Kirby is seated next to De Knudson of Sioux Falls, with Tom Dempster of Sioux Falls standing to her left. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) A petition that would establish open primary elections in South Dakota has enough signatures from registered voters to be placed on the Nov. 5 ballot, according to the South Dakota Secretary of States Office. The office made the announcement Tuesday, triggering a 30-day window for challenges to the petitions validity. Its the third citizen-initiated measure to be validated for the Nov. 5 election, pending potential challenges. Additionally, the Legislature has exercised its authority to place two measures on the ballot, and at least two more measures from citizen groups are either pending validation or still circulating. More election coverage Visit the Election 2024 page. The open primaries measure would alter future elections in South Dakota. Currently, the state has traditional primary elections, in which Democrats and Republicans choose their nominees for the general election. In an open primary, all candidates for an elected office would run in one primary race, regardless of their party affiliation, and the top two winners would advance. The candidates advancing to the general election could be from different parties or the same party. The open primaries measure applies to races for governor, the Legislature, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and elected county offices. Supporters of the measure say the current system disenfranchises some voters, because Republicans only allow members of their own party to vote in Republican primary races. When theres no Democratic or independent candidate for an office, the winner is determined in a Republican primary that excludes Democratic and independent voters. Opponents of the measure say political parties should be allowed to choose their own nominees. Ballot question status update Measures placed on the Nov. 5 ballot by the Legislature: An amendment to the state constitution updating references to certain officeholders and people (replacing male-specific pronouns with neutral language). An amendment to the state constitution authorizing the state to impose work requirements on certain people who are eligible for expanded Medicaid. Citizen-proposed measures validated for the ballot, pending potential challenges: An initiated measure prohibiting state sales taxes on items sold for human consumption, specifically targeting state sales taxes on groceries. An initiated amendment to the state constitution re-establishing abortion rights. An initiated amendment to the state constitution establishing open primary elections. Citizen-proposed measure pending validation of the required number of petition signatures: An initiated measure legalizing adult recreational use, possession and distribution of marijuana. Petition still in circulation: A proposed referendum of a new law regulating carbon dioxide pipelines (the deadline to submit referendum petitions is June 25). SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Open primaries measure approved for the ballot appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. OpenAI in the crosshairs: Scarlett Johansson's scathing statement, mass exodus of executives are among the companys latest woes OpenAI, the company known for developing artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology, was the subject of a scathing statement by actress Scarlett Johansson this week, in which she expressed anger and disbelief to hear a voice eerily similar to her own used without her approval in a demo of the companys new speaking feature on its popular AI-powered chatbot, ChatGPT. The Johansson controversy follows a string of high-profile resignations by OpenAI executives. The company previously has seen multiple employees quitting within weeks of each other. The most recent departure, Jan Leike, said in a May 17 post on X that he disagreed with OpenAIs leadership and core priorities, especially regarding safety. OpenAIs CEO, Sam Altman, was ousted from the company in November 2023 but rejoined the board of directors in March, following a legal review. Lets rewind. What exactly is OpenAI? OpenAI launched in 2015 with a promise to build safe and beneficial AI technology and policies. From 2020 to 2022, it launched a series of AI-powered models that could be used by the public, including DALL-E which could turn any text into digital images, inspiring many online memes and ChatGPT, its free AI chatbot that became one of the fastest-growing apps in history. ChatGPT is commonly credited with introducing AI to the general public and helping make OpenAI a household name. What to know about CEO Sam Altman Altman, 39, was one of the founders of OpenAI and has been the CEO since 2019. He has been called the Oppenheimer of AI by several publications, a reference to J. Robert Oppenheimer, who created the atomic bomb. Altman's ouster last was a surprise to many people in the AI industry. In a press release, OpenAI said, Mr. Altmans departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI. Following backlash from other OpenAI employees, which included an open letter to the board in which nearly half the companys staff threatened to quit, Altman was reinstated days after being fired. Read more about the chaos surrounding Altmans firing and rehiring from AP. Why are OpenAI executives quitting? In February, one of the founders of OpenAI, Andrej Karpathy, announced his departure. In early May, vice president of people Diane Yoon and head of nonprofit and strategic initiatives Chris Clark also announced that they were leaving the company. Weeks later, chief scientist Ilya Sutskever wrote in an X post that he would be leaving OpenAI for another project, which he didnt name. Sutskever had voted to remove Altman from the CEO position in 2023, citing concerns that Altman was advancing the companys AI technology too quickly. Hours after Sutskever resigned, Jan Leike, an executive who worked with Sutskever on projects regarding the safeguarding of AI, announced his resignation. In a series of posts on X, Leike described building smarter-than-human machines was an inherently dangerous endeavor that wasnt getting the crucial research and safety culture that it deserved at the company. Sutskevers and Leikes resignations came on the heels of the release of OpenAIs newest AI model, GPT-4o an AI-powered chatbot that now includes speaking capabilities, known as Sky. How is Scarlett Johansson involved? On May 20, actress Johansson published a statement saying she was shocked and angered to hear GPT-4os voice, referred to as Sky, after several close friends and family members pointed out that it sounded like her voice. Statement from Scarlett Johansson on the OpenAI situation. Wow: pic.twitter.com/8ibMeLfqP8 Bobby Allyn (@BobbyAllyn) May 20, 2024 In the post, Johansson revealed that she had met with Altman in September to discuss hiring her to voice Sky, not unlike her role in the 2013 Spike Jonze film, Her, one of Altmans favorite movies. Johansson says she ultimately declined the offer. In her statement, she called Skys voice eerily similar to her own and noted she had hired legal counsel to demand an explanation from OpenAI. In a time when we are all grappling with deepfakes and the protection of our own likeness, our own work, our own identities, I believe these are questions that deserve absolute clarity, Johansson wrote. The voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johanssons, and it was never intended to resemble hers. We cast the voice actor behind Skys voice before any outreach to Ms. Johansson, Altman said in an email to the Washington Post. We are sorry to Ms. Johansson that we didnt communicate better. OpenAI said that it has since paused Sky and published a blog post saying it had used five voice actors to create the voices for its AI products. Other OpenAI lawsuits The latest backlash against Sky comes amid several other lawsuits and investigations involving OpenAI. They include: The U.S. has long had too many barriers that keep talented prospective teachers out of the classroom, including the cost of a degree, low pay and limited growth opportunities. But perhaps one of the biggest yet solvable impediments is the reliance on exams to determine candidates readiness for teacher licensure. Thousands of promising educators, who are otherwise qualified to teach, are kept out of classrooms solely because of test results and the lack of alternative ways for them to demonstrate their readiness for the profession. As the nation faces a teacher shortage that has reached an all-time high with at least 36,000 vacant teaching positions why not tap into a talented pool of educators who could help close that gap? The Mississippi Department of Education created a Performance-Based Licensure pilot to do just that, and the results are encouraging. Students assigned to teaching candidates participating in the pilot performed just as well on average as peers taught by traditionally certified teachers on state standardized tests, and even outperformed them in math. A few years ago, the department asked district leaders and principals how it could help them address teacher vacancies. School leaders lamented that they had outstanding paraprofessionals and other staffers who wanted to be teachers, wanted to continue to live and work in their communities and had fulfilled every prerequisite to becoming a teacher except the licensure test. If only there were a way for these educator candidates to demonstrate their subject matter knowledge and pedagogy in a performance-based manner. If only there were an alternative pathway to get them into teaching positions. Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Related Breaking Down the Walls to Teaching: Alternative Pipelines Boom The department responded by launching the three-year pilot in fall 2019. It was designed for school employees who had a bachelors degree and classroom experience as a long-term substitute, paraprofessional or emergency-licensed teacher. Nominated by their principals, 126 staff members from eight school districts participated, serving as teachers on a special, non-renewable license established specifically for the pilot. The program utilized performance-based measures to determine candidates readiness for licensure, including their students achievement and growth on standardized tests such as the Mississippi Academic Assessment Program. The department partnered with Mary Laski, a researcher at Harvard University, to conduct an external evaluation of the pilot. Laski examined how the candidates students performed on state standardized tests compared with students of traditionally certified teachers selected at the outset of the pilot; students of teachers in other classrooms in the same school, grade and subject; and students of teachers holding emergency licenses. The study was designed so observed differences in test scores between pilot candidates and teachers in the first and second groups could be attributed to the pilot candidates themselves, not simply to differences in student assignment. The third group was included because, if not for the pilot program, most of these vacancies would be filled with emergency-certified teachers. When looking at average scores across all standardized test subjects, students assigned to pilot group candidates performed just as well on state standardized tests as those taught by educators in each comparison group. And, in both the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years, students assigned to pilot candidates scored roughly 0.2 standard deviations higher on the states standardized math tests than peers in the same grade and subject in their school. This translates to roughly six months of learning a significant and impressive increase. Additionally, and importantly, the research found that the pilot candidates were more likely to continue teaching in their district in subsequent years than teachers in comparison groups. Related Emergency-Hired Teachers Do Just as Well as Those Who Go Through Normal Training In November 2023, buoyed by these results and positive stakeholder feedback, the Mississippi State Board of Education approved the departments recommendation to officially create a Performance-Based Teacher License. This new pathway will initially be available to candidates teaching a state-tested subject in grades 5 through 8 so the department can continue to examine student academic growth data. As policymakers and state, district and school leaders explore ways to address teacher shortages, they should take note of Mississippis willingness to try something new and its methodical, phased approach. After all, the current reliance on licensure testing alone isnt cutting it. Students and schools would be better served by licensure pathways based on an individuals demonstrated ability to help students learn. The country has an enormous opportunity to tap a talented pipeline of educators who are being kept out of the classroom. What are we waiting for? Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a clear signal to the West last week: China stands firmly behind Russia. Putin made his first foreign trip since his inauguration to Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping on May 16. The visit came after a cabinet reshuffle in Russia the week prior, the most significant move of which saw Russian economist Andrei Belousov replace Sergei Shoigu as Russian defense minister. Belousov's appointment signals that Putin now views the outcome of the war against Ukraine as being determined by which side can mobilize the most resources in a longer run battle of economic endurance. Putin's trip to Beijing signals that Putin is lining up the external component, with economic backing from China. Putin has a point in thinking that Russia's war against Ukraine will be determined by which side can outspend the other. At face value, one might think that Russia has little chance given its $1.8 trillion GDP is set against the West's $40 trillion plus. Add in China's $17 trillion powerhouse economy and the balance of economies begins to look a little different. Unfortunately, the West appears not to have realized that the war is now all about economy and resources. The data shows that Ukraine is being under-financed and under-resourced. Annual Western support to Ukraine is running at around $100 billion per year enough for Kyiv to hold the line, but not to push Russia back (as evidenced by recent weeks in Ukraine's Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts). Read also: The Counteroffensive: Cutting-edge Ukrainian fashion goes beyond vyshyvankas And with U.S. support delayed by Congress, Western support for Ukraine has ebbed and flowed. It peaked at around $8.5 billion in the first half of 2023 to coincide with the much-touted Ukrainian counteroffensive, but then dropped back to just $3.7 billion per month between October 2023 to February 2024. This decline in Western funding came in parallel to Ukraine being pushed onto the back foot in its defense against Russia. No surprises there. Western funding to Ukraine is insufficient, poorly coordinated, and lacks long-term plan or strategy. It's ad hoc, drip fed. There is no comprehensive long-run funding strategy for Ukraine, and particularly not for a scenario where Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election. Putin has, by contrast, tried to deliver that long-term war resourcing vision for Russia. It's sad that the West does not really comprehend what's at stake here. Fortunately, China's support for Russia is hardly wholehearted. China is not providing direct military support and only giving limited equipment and munitions hence Russia's reliance on Iran and North Korea. Why isn't China going all in? Essentially, China isn't eager to damage its pre-eminent global relationship with the U.S. It isn't eager to intensify the trade war, and it's mindful of avoiding heavy Western sanctions. So while Moscow might view China as its main international counterparty, the feeling is not really reciprocated by Beijing. While Russia is useful to China for sure, it's something of a bit player for now. Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend an official welcoming ceremony in front of the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on May 16, 2024, on the first day of Putin's state visit to China. (Sergei Bobylyov/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) China is instead trying to toe a line between Russia and the U.S. Where it can, Beijing is taking advantage of Moscow's weakness and increased dependency to buy cut-price Russian commodities, diverted from traditional markets for Russia in Europe, and increasingly selling non-military exports to Russia at top dollar or Yuan. As a result, bilateral trade between China and Russia increased by around a quarter in 2023 to a record $240 billion the balance being to China's advantage. The West has been nervous about the growth of this trade, and particularly by the increase in Chinese exports of dual-use technology to Russia. But China is mindful of not further damaging relations with key Western trade partners, and threats of secondary sanctions on Chinese entities are now showing signs of moderating this trade with Chinese exports to Russia falling year on year in March and April 2024. Xi's visit to Europe last week affirmed for Europe that Russia's war against Ukraine is a direct threat to European security. It also affirmed that, if China wants European allies on its side in the China-U.S. trade war, it will have to carefully manage its relations with Russia not to push Europe toward Washington. It's also important to recognize that China-Russia relations have their stress points. First, tensions and border disputes in eastern Russia remain. While the Xi-Putin meeting this week appeared to recognize the situation with a new agreement, the tensions run deep. Many Russians see China as the biggest long-term security threat to Russia. Second, while China's decision not to arm Russia has forced Moscow to look to North Korea, Beijing is increasingly nervous and irritated about this deepening bond in its backyard. China worries that the price of North Korea supplying munitions to Russia will be deeper cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang to further enhance the latter's nuclear and ballistic weapons programs. A more militarily potent North Korea that is less dependent on China is not in Beijing's interest. Read also: Opinion: Ukraines naval drones are taking over the Black Sea Third, Russia has signaled through its invasion of Ukraine that it's a global disrupter a literal loose canon that wants to change the global status quo and is willing to act in a rash manner that risks disrupting global markets. By contrast, China has long appreciated the rules-based international order that delivered globalization, free markets and trade, and what it saw as the inevitable accent to the global economic hegemony over the U.S. Notable also is that China appears to have set some guardrails for Russian actions in Ukraine, clearly signaling that it would not support the use of nuclear weapons, for example. See therein China's 12-point peace plan on Russia's war against Ukraine. But China, which was likely initially surprised by the onset of the full-scale war, now appears more comfortable with a longer war as long as the guardrails are kept in place by Russia. A long war ultimately weakens Russia, making it more dependent on China and allowing China to buy cheap commodities and charge top dollar for key exports to Russia. Russia's struggles in Ukraine underline where it might not have been clear in 2022 (for Putin, at least) that Moscow is the junior partner in the China-Russia relationship. China favors Russian weakness, but not defeat. So Xi gave Putin the visit he so desired and both signaled different points to the elephant in the room: Washington. Putin signaled that Russia is preparing for a long economic struggle for Ukraine; Xi signaled that, if the U.S. wants to avoid a bad outcome in Ukraine, it needs China to play ball and limit its support to Russia the price for which are concessions on issues such as trade. Editors Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors and do not purport to reflect the views of the Kyiv Independent. Submit an Opinion Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Editors Note: Norman Eisen is a CNN legal analyst and editor of Trying Trump: A Guide to His First Election Interference Criminal Trial. He served as counsel to the House Judiciary Committee for the first impeachment and trial of then-President Donald Trump. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. Read more opinion at CNN. The biggest drama in the trial of former President Donald Trump on Monday came not, as expected, in the cross-examination of former Trump attorney Michael Cohen. His testimony wrapped without any moments approaching the significance of last weeks defense hits on the star witness. Instead, the most dramatic moments of the day in Trumps Manhattan criminal trial came in a showdown with an ancillary witness Robert Costello, a lawyer who once advised Cohen who visibly and audibly confronted Judge Juan Merchan, leading to a dressing down in open court and then to the clearing of the courtroom for an even sterner reprimand. The drama began when Costello replied sarcastically to one of the judges rulings, Jeez. Merchan released the jury, then warned the witness to maintain decorum, cautioning him, You dont say jeez and then you dont say strike it and then if you dont like my ruling, you dont give me side eye and you dont roll your eyes. Do you understand that? Costello responded by staring the judge down. The judge called him out, angrily asking, Are you staring me down right now? He then cleared the courtroom of even those of us in the media. A transcript released Monday night shows Merchan told Costello in the emptied courtroom that your conduct is contemptuous right now. He warned Costello, If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand. Norm Eisen - Courtesy Norm Eisen But the Costello testimony and his back-and-forth with the judge was a sideshow. Cohen had already admitted that he lied to Costello, and indeed lied more broadly to protect Trump before cooperating with the government. And the judge chastising Costello was a sideshow within a sideshow because Costellos rudeness to the judge had nothing to do with the substance of his testimony or this case; it was simply ill manners of a kind that we have not seen from any witness yet across the 19 days of trial, even on the most contentious cross-examinations. The afternoon was punctuated by this moment of drama, but it had little to do with the central issues in the case. The defense had put Costello on the stand in the first place because he had multiple conversations with Cohen, and Trumps lawyers wanted to show that Cohen had told Costello that Trump didnt know about the $130,000 hush money payment crucial to the case. The payment was made to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who alleges that she had a sexual encounter with Trump (which Trump denies). This payment is at the center of the 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents faced by Trump, and key to proving Trumps guilt is evidence that he knew what the payment was for. But Cohen has already testified that he lied about Trumps knowledge of the payment to Daniels before cooperating with prosecutors. Most of the rest of the day was filled with Cohens cross-examination and redirect testimony. Those who were hoping for another major confrontation on cross of the kind that triggered so much debate Thursday were disappointed. Defense counsel Todd Blanche started off in his usual meandering way, asking about Cohens calls with reporters regarding his testimony here (a fishing expedition that caught no fish, since there were no calls of substance), meetings with prosecutors (resulting in inconsequential sparring about which questions from prosecutors on direct examination were also asked during Cohens preparation to testify) and Cohens taxi medallion business (causing several jurors to look at Blanche in obvious puzzlement). Blanche eventually worked his way around to a potentially consequential line of attack but it fell far short of the moment he achieved Thursday, when he confronted Cohen with evidence that the witness had not included in his testimony a key aspect of a phone call with Trump bodyguard Keith Schiller on October 24, 2016. Blanche was attempting to cast doubt on the veracity of Cohens statement that Schiller ultimately handed the phone to Trump so Cohen could talk to him about Stormy Daniels, establishing that Trump knew about the payment. On Monday, the defense counsel attempted to challenge Cohens recollections of two additional calls, which were direct calls Cohen says he made to Trump on October 26, 2016, to agree again on the $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels. These calls are actually more important than the challenged October 24 call because they were made directly to Trump, at least one of them was longer, and they both occurred at the most critical moment in the alleged scheme before Cohen paid Daniels on October 27, 2016. Blanche led with a line of questions about other things that had been going on at the time: Cohen helping Trumps youngest daughter respond to an extortion threat, Trumps real estate matters and a big Trump family press interview that day. He tried to get Cohen to say that those topics were discussed on those two October 26 calls, asking, With all that going on, why focus on Stormy Daniels? But Cohen refused to budge on the content of those calls, answering, I spoke to Trump about Stormy Daniels because that was what he tasked me to take care of, and thats what I had been working on. There were other glancing blows from Blanche: getting Cohen to acknowledge again that he stole from the Trump Organization; that he did some work for Trump in 2017, and therefore the payments to him, which the prosecution alleges were covered up in the falsified business documents at the heart of the charges, were not just for repaying the hush money; and that he initially lied to everyone about Trump not being involved in the hush money payment. But the sting had been drawn on all three, with Cohen admitting during his previous direct testimony that he stole, that the legal work had been minimal and that he had initially lied about Trumps involvement (including to Costello, who testified later in the day about this very point and got into the fiery clash with the judge). Assistant District Attorney Susan Hoffinger made those admissions and more clear on redirect, which was crisp. It culminated before the lunch break with a bit of razzle- dazzle to bolster Cohens testimony about what happened on that phone call with Schiller and Trump. The prosecution presented an image taken from C-SPAN video that showed Trump and Schiller had been together at 7:57 p.m. at the end of a rally in Tampa, Florida, just before that call. Merchan sent the jury to an early lunch break while he heard arguments on both sides about whether that latest evidence showing Trump was indeed with Schiller right before the contested phone call should be admitted. When we returned from the lunch break, the C-SPAN evidence was ultimately admitted, and Cohen was corroborated yet again, as he so often has been throughout this trial. It did not completely erase the points that were scored by the defense at this critical moment of the cross on Thursday, but it did take a few of them off the board. Yes, the defense had scored points, making this a closer case. But the prosecution was still leading even without the mini-Perry Mason moment with the C-SPAN video evidence. This case is theirs to lose though its possible (if unlikely) that the defense has sold themselves to one or two of the jurors sufficiently to get a hung jury. We will find out soon just not as soon as we hoped, with closing arguments set for Tuesday, May 28, with a pre-scheduled day off on Friday (due to a juror conflict) and Memorial Day an off day as well. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Three crosses, representing the cross that Christ was crucified on as well as the crosses thieves hung from on both sides of him, stand outside of the new Nephi Baptist Church in Nephi on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News The role of faith in public life is often hotly contested, especially considering the discouraging number of people who view religion as having a negative, rather than positive, impact on society. But new research from Sutherland Institute provides overwhelming evidence for this key point: Religion fills essential roles that do tremendous good for individuals, families and communities and it is worthy of support from voters and policymakers. A recent survey conducted by the University of Birmingham (U.K.) asked people from seven countries about their perspectives on the impacts of religion on society. In five countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, U.K.), the majority reported they think that religion often has more negative consequences for society than positive consequences. The lowest percentage holding this position was in Argentina (37%). The U.S. was a little more positive about the impacts of religion, with 40% reporting that they thought religions influence was more negative than positive. Is that fair? A new publication that I have written for Sutherland Institute, What Good Does Religion Do? shows the overwhelming evidence that religion is in fact a net positive for society. The first in a series of publications on the social benefits of religion, this paper describes how churches, other religious organizations and individual people of faith provide for the tangible needs of their neighbors. With Utah ranking first in the nation for the proportion of its population that consists of religious adherents, according to a recent Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute publication (76.1%), the broad set of social services that religion provides bodes well for the future of our state. For many people, terms like religion or faith conjure up images of ceremonial worship, but for believers, religious faith is likely to be understood not only as a vital aspect of personal identity but also of social responsibility. In fact, those who are not affiliated with a church are more likely to interact with religious organizations and people of faith through social services rather than worship services. Sutherlands new publication catalogs some important examples of how religious groups and those who belong to them provide important services not only to their own adherents but to their neighbors. Religious groups and people of faith actively provide emergency relief (including the recent pandemic response and assistance to homeless people and refugees), charitable giving, social services (particularly for the elderly, prisoners, vulnerable children, families in need, and the un- and underemployed), and medical care. Some of these contributions, such as those that people of faith and religious organizations provide to foster care, are possibly the most important private contributions to that particular service. People of faith tend to be more generous in charitable giving, and they have made foundational contributions to health care in the United States (contributions that continue today). This is not to mention disaster response, aid to refugees, prisoner assistance and many other contributions. While organized religion gets a bad rap in some circles, it provides distinct advantages for facilitating service and care for those in need. People of faith, motivated by the altruism they learn in their congregations and the encouragement they receive from the teachings of their faith, can easily join to magnify their efforts in caring for others. An individual who could do little alone to respond to the plight of prisoners or refugees, when combining their efforts with many others, can make an enormous difference. Those who do not share a particular faith often find it difficult to understand why the religious believe as they do. People of faith believe they are accountable to God and to one another for what they do. That motivation may seem strange and incomprehensible to those who do not share the faith; they may even dislike what believers are motivated to do or to teach. The examples shared in the report, however, help us understand one of the reasons why the framers of the U.S. Constitution might have singled out religious practice for protection. The deep motivations of religious faith are different from motivations of self-interest. When we protect religious liberty, we are protecting unique motivations and encouraging the religiously motivated sacrifices that many people in society especially vulnerable populations depend upon when times are difficult. Whether we agree with the underlying beliefs or not, it is good for all of us that many of our fellow citizens are motivated by a higher cause. Clearly, many people, based on their personal experiences or the way they see religion portrayed, have doubts about the value of religion for society. People of faith and religious organizations will continue to invite people to hear the music of faith. The portrayal of religion, too, needs attention. This report seeks to balance the portrayal of religious groups and people of faith by providing an introduction to the important benefits they contribute to the well-being of the people around them, particularly the most vulnerable. William C. Duncan, J.D., is the constitutional law and religious freedom fellow for Sutherland Institute Orange Countys Charter Review Commission is set to decide whether an effort to protect rural parts of Orange County will be on the November ballot. The Charter Review Commission will soon vote on a Rural Boundary Amendment. If the board advances the amendment, voters would ultimately decide whether or not to establish a rural boundary. The boundary covers large areas of unincorporated East and West Orange County. If approved, the countys governing charter amendment would make it more difficult to build on rural land. It would require county commissioners to support any future changes to density within the rural boundary with a super majority, as opposed to the simple majority currently in place. Read: East Orange County residents celebrate after commissioners preserve rural land Theyre beating us by one vote. Were losing by one vote. And that super majority tilts the tides in favor of the people as opposed to developers, said Kelly Semrad, Vice Chair of Save Orange County. Save Orange County has fought large developments in East Orange County for the last decade. Semrad says the rural boundary is needed to stop urban sprawl and honor the wishes of a community that wants to avoid mass development. Once you build luxury homes out in the rural service area, we lose this land for forever. So essentially, we grow bigger and bigger, but we cant support it. And we cant financially afford it, said Semrad. Read: 4,400 acres of Seminole, Osceola land now off-limits for development Over 100 residents are expected to address the Charter Review Commission Monday Night. Ahead of Mondays Charter Review Commission vote, lobbyist and attorneys for developers also weighed in and circulated various memos against the change. Attorney and lobbyist Jared Willis wrote a memo arguing that the rural boundary amendment violates current and future state law. Read: Universal buys land near convention center, proposed SunRail station The legislature realized that a citizen led charter review committee doesnt have all of the pieces in place that they need to adequately make this decision, said Willis, Its a group of well-meaning citizens, but at the end of the day, they dont have the expertise to kind of look at these large-scale changes. Willis believes the amendment would violate a comprehensive planning process outlined in Floridas Community Planning Act, which requires due process for landowners. The Charter Review Commission meeting is scheduled for 6:00 pm Monday night. Channel 9 will have updates on that vote. Meanwhile, commissioner Emily Bonilla has requested to discuss the amendment during Tuesdays regular Board of County Commissioners meeting. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Ahead of Oregons May 21 primary, elections in Lincoln and Douglas counties are back on track after some ballot returns were delayed, according to the Oregon Secretary of States office. The week of May 13, county clerks alerted the Oregon Secretary of States office of the delays, as reported by Oregon Public Broadcasting. According to the secretary of states office, the delay appeared to be caused by a misunderstanding within USPS on how to process the ballots because the state picks up the tab for paid postage for mail-in ballots, a spokesperson for the secretary of states office told KOIN 6 News. Rare fish found near Cannon Beach, 1st time in Oregon We are in constant communication with USPS and county clerks to monitor for situations like these. USPS assured us during the Thursday meeting that the issue would be resolved by Friday; since then, everything appears to be back on track. After the election, well debrief with our partners to fully understand the scope of the issue and identify ways we can prevent this from happening in the future, the secretary of states office told KOIN 6 News on Monday. The office said this was a minor issue, noting the delay was hours-long, has since been resolved, and will not impact the timeliness of the primary election results. USPS explained that in Douglas County, a limited number of ballots were not immediately available to election officials but were made available later in the day. We are reviewing procedures with our employees and remain committed to the secure, timely delivery of the nations Election Mail, USPS said. Man arrested, accused of carrying shotgun in a guitar case in Portland park The Oregon Secretary of States office held a call on May 16 with USPS and the Oregon Association of County Clerks regarding the delay. The call came after Oregon House Republican Leader Jeff Helfrich (R-Hood River) sent a letter to Democratic House Speaker Julie Fahey and House Majority Leader Rep. Ben Bowman requesting a Rules Committee hearing with Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade on May 31 to answer questions about the chain of custody issues surrounding the return of completed ballots. In a May 17 statement, Rep. Helfrich said Oregonians deserve to have full faith and trust in our elections system, and it is the Secretary of States job to establish and maintain that faith and trust. He continued, However, as of this writing, the Secretary of States office has yet to share precise details of both the problems that occurred and the planned remedy. The people of Oregon deserve answers in full view of the public to these fundamental questions. KOIN 6 News reached out to Speaker Fahey and Leader Bowman for a response to the letter. KOIN 6 News will update this story if they respond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Every two years, every member of the US House of Representatives has to seek re-election. Oregon has six congressional districts, the second election since the census results provided Oregon with an extra congressional seat. Three of Oregons six congressional districts did not attract as much attention as the others because the primary races were largely viewed as not as competitive. Oregons 1st District In Oregons 1st District, Suzanne Bonamici is seeking re-election but had two Democratic challengers, Jamil Ahmad and Courtney Casgraux. It was no contest. Bonamici grabbed nearly 92% of the 8 p.m. votes counted and released. The Associated Press called the Democratic race for her. Bob Todd ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Todd has 97% of the 17,032 votes counted in the GOP primary. It will be Bonamici vs Todd in the November general election. Oregons 2nd District Oregons 2nd District the largest in terms of land size features Republican Cliff Bentz running for re-election. He faced Jason Beebe in the GOP primary. There are two Democrats facing off in the primary, Steve William Laible and Dan Ruby. Both Bentz and Ruby took very commanding leads as the 8 p.m. vote count was released. Within minutes, the Associated Press called the races for each man. The November match is set in Oregons 2nd District: GOP incumbent Cliff Bentz vs Democrat Dan Ruby. Oregons 4th District Incumbent Rep. Val Hoyle ran unopposed in the Democratic primary in the 4th Congressional District. She gathered 98.5% of the votes counted on Tuesday night. Republican Monique DeSpain, an Air Force veteran with endorsements from the GOP establishment, pushed through a strong challenge from former Keizer City Council member Amy Ryan Courser. The Associated Press called the race for DeSpain around 10:30 p.m. At that time she had a 58-41 lead. In November, Hoyle will face DeSpain in her battle for re-election. More Primary Info PRIMARY DAY Oregons all-mail primary was held on Tuesday. With the exception of Malheur County, all polls closed at 8 p.m. PT, which is 11 p.m. ET. Some of Malheur Countys polls fall in the Mountain time zone, meaning they closed an hour earlier, but the county doesnt release results until 11 p.m. ET. WHO GETS TO VOTE In Oregon, political parties can choose who can participate in their primaries, though the two major parties traditionally opt for closed primaries. That means that only voters registered with a political party may participate in that partys primary. Democrats may not vote in the Republican primary or vice versa. Independent or unaffiliated voters may not participate in either primary. DELEGATE ALLOCATION RULES Oregons 66 pledged Democratic delegates are allocated according to the national partys standard rules. Fifteen at-large delegates are allocated in proportion to the statewide vote, as are seven PLEO delegates, or party leaders and elected officials. The states six congressional districts have a combined 44 delegates at stake, which are allocated in proportion to the vote results in each district. Candidates must receive at least 15% of the statewide vote to qualify for any statewide delegates, and 15% of the vote in a congressional district to qualify for delegates in that district. There are 31 delegates at stake in the Republican presidential primary, all of which go to the winner of the primary. Because Trump is the only Republican on the ballot, he will receive all of the states GOP delegates. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Nurtured by passion and imagination, the Aeterna collection, which includes an exceptional selection of high-jewelry watches, celebrates Bvlgaris unique cultural heritage. By drawing inspiration from the Eternal City of Rome, the collection sublimates the magnificence of gems. Bulgari 2024 Fuochi d'Artificio High-Jewelry Manchette Bulgari With a constant eye towards the future, Bvlgari demonstrates its pioneering spirit by constantly exploring new materials, crafts, and techniques. Showing its ability to interpret the spirit of each era, Bvlgari seamlessly connects past, present and future, delivering the most outstanding creations, encompassing time, while exuding a profound sense of eternity and timeless beauty. Bvlgaris unparalleled creativity and craftsmanship, showcased in the Aeterna High-Jewelry collection, meets Swiss watchmaking expertise in a new line of High-Jewelry watches designed to amaze. Fabrizio Buonamassa Bulgari Bulgari 2024 Fuochi d'Artificio High-Jewelry Petite Watch Bulgari Bulgari 2024 Fenice High-Jewelry Watch Bulgari As a result of being immersed in frontline politics for 60 years, Winston Churchill appeared in more political cartoons than any other politician in history, British or otherwise. From early on, his continued efforts to make himself noticed, as well as the prominent and decisive role he played during the Second World War, attracted the attention of political cartoonists around the world. The young Churchill may have seemed initially uninspiring, but he encouraged them to draw him by at first wearing a multiplicity of different hats. Encouraged by the response to this, he continued to promote himself, most notably by regularly being seen chomping on a cigar. Despite his many political missteps, which cartoonists mercilessly satirised, Churchills prophetic warnings about the Nazis brought many of them back on side, after they had ignored him for much of the 1930s. In 1940, his speeches both inspired the nation and supplied cartoonists with endless material. Initially, after coming to office, he preferred the thumbs-up gesture, but in July 1941 he started using the iconic two-fingered V-sign. Churchill not only loved appearing in cartoons; he enjoyed collecting and learning from them. One might even say that never in the field of political caricature have so many cartoonists owed so much to so true a cartoon icon. Young Churchill, Westminster Gazette, 27 Oct 1904 Young Churchill Francis Carruthers Gould, Westminster Gazette, October 27 1904 The young Churchill suffered from a lack of distinctive features and a rather bland appearance. Cartoonist Francis Carruthers Gould said that Churchill did not have the features which lent themselves to easily recognisable conventional treatment as readily as his fathers. Gould bemoaned that his subject was a disappointment: Winston Churchills face is, from the caricaturists point of view, what I call an elusive one, by which I mean that the more you try to get it the more you lose it, and the likeness which appears with only a few strokes of the pen disappears with elaboration. However, he did think that Churchill was still worth watching with interest for the reason that he may one day have to be prominent on the pictorial stage. 'There be land-rats and water-rats.' Shakespeare There be land-rats and water-rats. Shakespeare / A sermon to the German from a firm un Matthew Sandford (Matt), Daily Dispatch, September 1 1914 Churchill had been appointed to the post of First Lord of the Admiralty in 1911, and played a pivotal role in readying the Royal Navy for conflict. When the First World War broke out in August 1914, the Navy utilised its overwhelming sea power to transport more than 120,000 troops to France and blockade Germanys North Sea ports. Addressing the crowd at a recruiting meeting at Liverpool, Churchill said: We hope a decision at sea will be a feature of this war. Our men, who are spending a tireless vigil, hope that they will have a chance to settle the question with the German fleet; and if they do not come out and fight they will be dug out like rats in a hole. 'Promising' (Mr. Churchill's Art is promising, but lacks something in execution. Vide Daily Press) Promising / Mr. Churchills Art is promising, but lacks something in execution. Vide Daily Press Charles Crombie, Passing Show, October 30 1915 Churchills reputation had sunk so low that even the British press mocked him for his optimistic, yet unsuccessful, ideas. The Hornet Swarm alludes to an early notion of Churchills that Zeppelins could be attacked by a swarm of hornets (aeroplanes armed with bombs and guns), although, at the time, aeroplanes could not reach the necessary altitude for this to work. The Ace refers to the fort at Kilid Bahr on the Dardanelles, which was known as Ace of Spades and is symbolic of the Gallipoli campaign. Study of Rats refers to Churchills earlier promise to dig out the German High Seas Fleet like rats in a hole, only to have U-boats destroy three Royal Navy ships a few weeks later. 'Superseded' Superseded Cecil Orr, Daily Record, November 8 1938 In his Reichstag speech on November 6 1938, Hitler said that Churchill has stated that the present regime in Germany ought to be destroyed with the aid of forces within Germany who would gladly co-operate. If Mr Churchill had less to do with wretched traitors who are paid by foreign agencies, and had more to do with Germans, he would see how mad his talk is As long as others only speak of disarmament whilst continuing to incite war, we do not believe them and think their only desire is to repeat 1918. In that case, my answer to Mr Churchill must be: that happens once only and it will not be repeated! 'Bring him back it's your last chance.' Bring him back its your last chance. Thomas Arthur Challen (Tac), Sunday Pictorial, April 23 1939 According to the Sunday Pictorial: Each time the nation hoped Mr Churchill would be called in to help, the nation was disappointed Churchill, more than any other politician, foretold the crises that Germanys re-armament would inflame While there gathers sullenly the hurricane that threatens to wreck our generation, this one man who could stem the dark forces, this one man whom Hitler fears, is thrust into the background and forced to endure a political impotence which is as shameful as it is premature. The shockers shocked! The shockers shocked! Harold Hodges, Western Mail, January 29 1940 On January 27 1940, Churchill gave a stirring speech at the Free Trade Hall in Manchester in which he urged: This is no time for ease and comfort, it is the time to dare and endure. Come then: let us to the task, to the battle and the toil; each to our part, each to our station. Fill the armies, rule the air, pour out the munitions, strangle the U-boats, sweep the mines, plough the land, build the ships, guard the streets, succour the wounded, uplift the downcast, and honour the brave There is not a week, nor a day, nor an hour to lose. That thrust is having its effect! That thrust is having its effect! Cecil Orr, Daily Record, December 27 1940 On the evening of December 23, Churchill broadcast directly to the Italian people. One man and one man alone has ranged the Italian people in deadly struggle against the British Empire, Churchill stated. After 18 years of unbridled power he has led your country to the horrid verge of ruin The people of Italy were never consulted Surely the time has come when the Italian monarchy and people should have a word to say upon these awe-inspiring issues. According to the Liverpool Echo: The sound of the Winston wedge being driven in between Mussolini and the Italian nation was welcomed by millions. Between two fires Between two fires Alexander Saroukhan, Akher Saa (Cairo, Egypt), November 22 1942 On November 8 1942, the Allies launched Operation Torch. Troops landed at three key ports in French North Africa Casablanca, Algiers and Oran with the aim of cutting off Rommels retreat and securing North Africa. After fierce fighting, all ports were taken. On November 10, the representative of the Vichy government, Admiral Darlan, concluded an armistice that confirmed the victory. There was also a successful Russian counter-offensive at Stalingrad on November 19. Soviet forces launched a two-pronged attack that overran the Axis flanks and cut off occupied Stalingrad. As Churchill had promised, the North African campaign had helped by diverting aircraft from the east. Churchill was convinced that this period marked the turning point in the war. As he wrote later: Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat. WIN WIN Gordon Minhinnick, New Zealand Herald (Auckland), May 11 1945 The surrender of the German armies was ratified on May 8 1945. At 3pm on May 8, almost five years to the day since he became Prime Minister, Churchill broadcast to the nation that the war with Germany was over. The day was to be known as Victory in Europe day. Churchill appeared on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with the Royal family before driving to Whitehall to address the crowd from the Ministry of Health balcony. To ecstatic crowds, he said: God bless you all. This is your victory. To which the crowds shouted back: No its yours. Dropping the pilot Dropping the pilot Cy Hungerford, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 27 1945 To Churchills astonishment, Labour won a landslide victory in the 1945 general election, earning 393 parliamentary seats in one of the biggest electoral swings of the 20th century. Clement Attlee was able to form the Labour Partys first ever majority government. Labours manifesto had emphasised social reform, including commitments to affordable housing, full employment and healthcare for all. The Conservative focus on lower taxation, defence spending and Churchills leadership was not enough to persuade an electorate eager for change and renewal in a post-war world. The title of this cartoon, Dropping the pilot, refers to Sir John Tenniels famous cartoon of the same name. That cartoon, published in Punch in March 1890 following the resignation of Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, depicted the great statesman as a ships captain forced to disembark his vessel by Kaiser Wilhelm II. Two Churchills Two Churchills David Low, Evening Standard, July 31 1945 The British people rejected Churchill as a peacetime prime minister, yet lauded him as the man who had won the war. This cartoon fuses a popular view of Churchill, while at the same time making an acute historical judgement. It would be difficult to better this cartoon as a way of remembering the British electorates gratitude to Churchill in the war years, and its distrust of the Conservative Party and its policies. A 'savage attack' A savage attack Leslie Illingworth, Punch, February 3 1954 Churchill became prime minister once again in 1951, at the age of 76. In February 1954, Leslie Illingworth drew a cartoon of the PM, listless at his desk, the face registering the unmistakable effects of a partial paralysis he had suffered as the result of a stroke the preceding summer. Churchill was bitterly hurt. Yes, theres malice in it. Look at my hands I have beautiful hands Punch goes everywhere. I shall have to retire if this sort of thing goes on. Churchills doctor, Lord Moran, was also shocked. There was something un-English in this savage attack on his failing powers, he commented. The eyes were dull and lifeless. There was no tone in the flaccid muscles; the jowl sagged. It was the expressionless mask of extreme old age. Churchill would retire the following year. He died, aged 90, in 1965. Churchill: A Life in Cartoons, edited by Tim Benson, is published by Hutchinson Heinemann on Thursday (RRP 16.99). Text Tim Benson, 2024; Low image Herblock Foundation; Illingworth image Solo Syndication Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Over 3,000 Ukrainian convicts have applied for conditional early release to participate in the defence of Ukraine. Source: Ukrinform citing Olena Vysotska, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine, on air during the national 24/7 news broadcast Quote: "It's more than 3,000 people. We predicted this before the adoption of the law. We cannot claim that all 20,000 people mentioned as potential candidates will join. Because during previous surveys, about 4,500 were willing to do this. Now, this number will vary..." Details: Vysotska said the Ministry of Justice understood "that there would be willing participants, but the law will restrict certain categories, so we cannot say all those who want it will get a conditional early release and sign a contract". She noted that military medical commissions will check convicts for socially dangerous diseases such as HIV infection, tuberculosis or hepatitis. These diseases are grounds for exclusion from the mobilisation project. Vysotska emphasised that the decisive factors in the law are the convicts desire and motivation to sign contracts with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and thus receive conditional early release. Meanwhile, she pointed out that the law includes precautions in case someone considers signing a contract with the Armed Forces an opportunity to gain freedom without intending to fight. Quote: "Therefore, when we talk about figures, about the number of those who would like to join, these are only preliminary. We'll see everything in practice We have started working on having those who expressed a desire to submit the relevant applications. Military medical commissions are now ongoing and they are meeting with commanders. After that, the military units commanders consent to a specific person, and we pass the materials to the court... Understanding that the law has certain precautions for such cases is vital. Evading a contract carries a penalty of 5 to 10 years of imprisonment. So, all those who want to speculate on this topic may face additional responsibility and may have up to 10 years of imprisonment added to their previous sentences. Background: On 13 March, the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) registered a legislative initiative to amend the legislation governing parole to undergo military service under a contract during a specific period. On 8 May, the Verkhovna Rada backed a bill in the second reading that would allow the voluntary mobilisation of certain categories of prisoners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the above-mentioned law on 17 May. Support UP or become our patron! Over 4 years of Wisconsin polling, Trump's popularity has declined with parts of his base Former president Donald Trump has seen his popularity decline among most segments of the Wisconsin electorate since he was defeated for re-election nearly four years ago. That includes big parts of his own political base, such as Republicans and rural men. It also includes Democratic-leaning groups that view him even more negatively in 2024 than they did in 2020, such as suburban women, college grads, young voters and non-religious voters, a polling analysis shows. Marquette University Law School, Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education logo But Trumps popularity ratings in this state have also improved among a handful of groups, such as voters of color and rural women. And overall, he has closed the popularity gap with President Joe Biden that existed in 2020. In their first contest, Trumps negatives were significantly higher than Bidens. That is no longer true. Both men have lost popularity since the last election, but Biden has lost more, leaving them with almost identical and poor polling numbers in Wisconsin. In a separate column, I looked at how Bidens popularity in Wisconsin this year compares to the fall of 2020, when he narrowly defeated Trump here. This column focuses on Trumps popularity in the state, and how it has changed among different kinds of voters. To get a sense of where the greatest shifts in Trumps standing have occurred in Wisconsin, Marquette Law School pollster Charles Franklin and I looked at polling trends since 2020 across many political, demographic and geographic segments of the electorate. We measured the popularity of both men based on net favorability: the percentage of registered voters who view them favorably minus the share who view them unfavorably. (If 45% are favorable and 50% are unfavorable, thats a rating of minus 5). To get meaningful samples of smaller groups of voters, we pooled multiple surveys. Trumps popularity in the fall of 2020 is based on three Marquette polls from September and October of that year. His current popularity is based on Marquettes three most recent surveys taken over the past six months. Overall, Trumps net favorability among registered voters in Wisconsin has dropped from minus 11 to minus 18 between these two time periods. Bidens decline has been larger (from plus 1 to minus 17), erasing the Democrats 2020 advantage in popularity. Marquettes polling shows that some of Trumps biggest declines have come from parts of his political and demographic base. For example, his rating among white men has gone from plus 8 to minus 14, a drop of 22 points. His rating among self-identified Republicans has gone from plus 71 to plus 51, a drop of 20 points. His biggest decline among any group we measured is with a segment of the electorate that has been very favorable to Trump: rural men, who make up about 19% of the states registered voters. His rating with this group has dropped from plus 29 in 2020 to plus 2 in the more recent polling, a drop of 27 points. There are some parallels in the Trump and Biden polling trends. Both have suffered some big declines in popularity among groups that supported them at the time of the 2020 election, especially among voters of their own party. Bidens declines have been sharpest among some fairly competitive segments of the electorate such a working-class women and suburbanites. Trumps declines have been a little more concentrated in his demographic and political base. That includes self-identified Republicans, rural men, and white non-college men, groups that overlap with each other a good deal. Trumps slippage with Republican-leaning groups is consistent with a pattern weve seen in the GOP primaries, where even after Trump wrapped up the nomination, a persistent minority of 10% to 20% of Republican primary voters has continued to cast ballots for his defeated rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. GOP voters are no longer as uniformly favorable to Trump as they were during his presidency. A big question for the fall is whether the softness in Trumps Republican base translates into depressed GOP turnout for Trump or into some 2020 Trump voters switching to Biden or a third-party choice. By the same token, will Trumps improved ratings among voters of color especially Hispanic voters translate into small but vital inroads with voters who backed Biden in 2020? These popularity ratings could change, of course. The campaign has more than five months to go. And measuring the candidates popularity is not the same as measuring vote choice. Trump has improved his ratings with some groups that are generally pro-Biden, and his ratings have declined among segments of the electorate that are generally pro-Trump. On top of all that, the two men have negative or declining ratings with some of the same groups. ANALYSIS: For Joe Biden, a steep dip in popularity has erased an advantage over Donald Trump Gauging Donald Trump's popularity across key voter groups Here is a look at changes in Trumps popularity in Wisconsin since the fall of 2020 across several broad categories that pollsters routinely track: Gender. Trump is much more popular with men than women, but his erosion in popularity has come almost entirely from male voters, not female voters. His overall favorability rating among men in Wisconsin has slipped from plus 4 to minus 12 since the 2020 election. Some of his biggest declines among male voters are among demographic groups we think of as being pretty Trumpy: rural men (from plus 29 to plus 2) and white men without college degrees (from plus 15 to minus 5). But Trumps ratings have also sagged among white college grads of both sexes less favorable groups for him. His favorability rating with white college men has gone from minus 5 to minus 28. Ideology. Trumps image has grown worse among liberals since 2020. But among conservatives, he remains almost as popular as he was. And his image among moderates is slightly less negative (minus 39) than it was four years ago (minus 43). Community type. The former presidents standing has declined the most among suburban voters (from minus 5 to minus 18) but changed very little among rural voters and urban voters. Region. Trumps biggest declines have occurred in the outer Milwaukee media market (the southeastern Wisconsin counties outside metro Milwaukee), followed by the Green Bay media market and the WOW counties of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington. In these three suburban counties that border Milwaukee, the GOP has been consistently losing ground in the Trump Era. Trumps rating in the Republican-leaning WOW counties has dropped from plus 7 in 2020 to neutral in the recent polling (48% favorable, 48% unfavorable). Meanwhile, his rating in the very blue city of Milwaukee is not quite as bad now (minus 42) as it was in 2020 (minus 52). Age. Trump has lost the most ground among voters under 30, where his popularity rating has gone from minus 28 to minus 43. Religion. Trumps standing has improved slightly since 2020 among mainline Protestants as well as born-again Protestants. This last group of voters is one of the most pro-Trump in the state, giving him a plus 22 rating. By contrast, non-religious voters have grown even more negative toward Trump (from minus 43 to minus 62). Race and ethnicity. Trump has lost ground since the last election among whites, who make up more than 84 percent of registered voters in Wisconsin. But his ratings have improved among nonwhite voters, where his image is now a lot less negative (minus 18) than it was at the time of the last election (minus 43). Because voters of color make up a small share of the vote in Wisconsin, it is hard to get reliably large samples of black and Hispanic voters. Even combining three Marquette surveys in 2020 and three in 2023-24, those samples are still quite small (from 88 to 133 voters). But with that qualifier in mind, Blacks and Hispanics are the two demographic groups we measured where Trumps image has improved the most in the past four years. This is consistent with national polls showing smaller Biden margins against Trump with these voters. Partisanship. Trumps popularity ratings are virtually unchanged among Democrats and independents, but theyve declined significantly among Republican voters, from plus 71 to plus 51. He is still quite popular in his own party, but not as popular as he was during his presidency. When you step back from all these numbers, you can glean some patterns. As you might expect, Trumps image has grown more negative with some groups that have long disliked him, such as young voters and non-religious voters and suburban women. But many of his biggest declines have come from groups that viewed him favorably in 2020, such as rural men and non-college white men. In gender terms, Trumps decrease in popularity in Wisconsin has come entirely from men. In partisan terms, it has come entirely from Republicans. In education terms, it has come mostly from college grads. And in racial terms, it has come entirely from white voters. In effect, the gender and racial gaps over Trump have gotten a little smaller, and the education gap over Trump has gotten larger. What does all this mean for the battle for Wisconsin this fall? Because this is a rematch of the same candidates who ran in 2020, were unlikely to see huge changes in demographic or regional voting patterns in the state. While there have been big shifts in popularity for both men among different groups of voters, the shifts in how these groups vote will probably be a lot smaller. But this is a state so closely contested that even small changes in voting patterns can make a crucial difference. And one place to look for those changes is among segments of the electorate where Biden and Trump have either gained or lost popularity since the last election. Craig Gilbert provides Wisconsin political analysis as a fellow with Marquette University Law School's Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education. Prior to the fellowship, Gilbert reported on politics for 35 years at the Journal Sentinel, the last 25 in its Washington Bureau. His column continues that independent reporting tradition and goes through the established Journal Sentinel editing process. Follow him on Twitter: @Wisvoter. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Donald Trump sees polling declines with parts of his Wisconsin base There were once at least 180 York Steak House restaurants across the country. The last one left is on the West Side of Columbus, the city where it all began in 1966. The nation's last York Steak House, still serving up T-bones, burgers and baked fish almondine on the West Side of Columbus as restaurants around it have come and gone, is up for sale. After 44 years working for York and 35 years as its owner, Jay Bettin said he's ready to retire and wants to sell the business at 4220 W. Broad St. The restaurant "continues to have great success," he said, and he promised it will continue to operate as normal until a new owner is on board. Columbus Monthly feature: The Last Stand of York Steak House Bettin posted those comments on Facebook, which was founded 38 years after the first York Steak House opened in 1966 on Morse Road. The restaurant boomed as it began opening new locations inside shopping malls, and founders Berndt Gros and Eddie Grayson sold to General Mills in 1976. According to Bettin, there were 180 York Steak House restaurants at the chain's peak. Others say there were nearly 200 in 27 states from Maine to Texas. In 1984, the restaurant had locations in Eastland Mall, Northland Mall, on South Hamilton Road near I-70 and the still-standing West Broad Street outpost across from Westland Mall. "York Steak House is an institution on the West Side," said Jennie Keplar, a member of the city's Greater Hilltop Area Commission. "Most longtime Hilltoppers have at least one story they tell about it. It's where my mom and dad had their first date in 1973. I remember being eager to go to York when I was a kid because they gave away Strawberry-Shortcake figurines with kids' meals." The malls have all since shut down, and Northland and Westland have been torn down. Gone, too, are General Motors and Westinghouse factories whose workers used to frequent the West-Side restaurant. Keplar said York Steak House still has a "deeply personal, emotional place" in the lives of many, though. On his website, Bettin says, the last York Steak House "strives to maintain the same quality and atmosphere, where loyal guests continue to have that past nostalgic experience with a fresh, present-day appeal." Greg Hrabcak, who is handling the listing with Hanna Commercial Real Estate, said "When you're walking into it, you're walking into the past." Hrabcak said the restaurant business is for sale, not the leased land on which it sits. rvitale@dispatch.com Instagram: @dispatchdining This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The last York Steak House in the country is for sale in Columbus a roll of dollar biills is seen on a bed of fanned out dollar bills (Getty Images) The House Housing and Community Development committee passed a bill that would allow Pennsylvanians to create tax deductible savings accounts meant for the purchase of their first home. Home ownership strengthens communities and provides stability for families, wrote Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D-Erie) in a memo detailing why hes sponsoring the bill. A first-time homebuyers saving account can be a tool in helping people overcome financial obstacles to home ownership. The bill would allow individuals to deduct up to $5,000 a year from their state income tax and put that money in a savings account with the sole purpose of purchasing a first home. Joint filers would be able to claim up to $10,000 a year. Money in those accounts could only be used to pay for a down payment on a first home and any other costs associated with closing that deal. Similar programs have been introduced in a handful of other states, including Virginia, Colorado and Minnesota. The bill received bipartisan support. I think its a great proposal, said Rep. Thomas Kutz (R-Cumberland). I look forward to offering our support from our [Republican] caucus. The bill passed the House Housing and Community Development committee with a unanimous vote and must still pass both chambers of the statehouse and be signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro. The post Pa. House committee moves to create savings accounts for first-time homeowners appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Neo-Nazis and other purveyors of hate speech may find it more difficult to spew their hate at future county commission meetings. The county's lawyer, Denise Coffman, was called on to determine what, if anything, could be done to prevent a reoccurrence of the racist and anti-Semitic remarks uttered by three speakers at an April 2 commission meeting. Two of the speakers ended their comments with Hitler Salutes. In response, the County Commission, at Coffmans request, amended its rules of procedure earlier this month to make it clear that the county mayor may cut off anyone who speaks about something over which the commission has no control. In addition, a speaker, who fills out a comment card, will now have to indicate what topic they will be speaking about. More: Antisemitic, extremist-group activity rose across Florida during 2021, ADL report finds Coffman explained that, for example, a speaker would be off-base if he or she began speaking about "Trump's cabinet," noting that the subject is something out of the jurisdiction of county government. The rules, though, she noted, must be consistently applied, and everyone must be treated the same way. The April 2 comments appeared to take the commissioners who were present off-guard. They came at the very end of a lengthy commission meeting. Jonathon Baldwin, the first of the three speakers, warned Commissioner Gregg Weiss that he might be offended over what he was going to say. Weiss is the only Jewish commissioner; Mack Bernard and Michael Barnett are both Black. Men wrapped their arm in Tefillin, a leather wrap, during a pro-Israel rally at The Great Lawn of West Palm Beach on October 15. Commissioner Marci Woodward noted that she was present "for that awful meeting" on April 2. "I'm all for hearing opinions about what we do no matter how painful it is," she said. "If people want to come and yell at us about decisions we make, by all means, but we need to try to prevent what happened last month from occurring again." The effort to address the issue comes at a time when the number of harassing and threatening acts against Jewish communities in Florida rose sharply in 2023, with Palm Beach County recording the highest number of incidents in the state, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The ADL said Florida had 463 documented acts of antisemitism in 2023, up from 269 reported in 2022. Three South Florida counties Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade accounted for just more than 200 of them. Palm Beach County reported 84 documented cases of antisemitism, up from 20 in 2022. 'We're not going to tolerate hate': West Palm reacts to swastika projected onto building One of the speakers on April 2 was Jon Minadeo II, 40, who was convicted of a misdemeanor for attempting to dump nearly 50 pounds of litter from the back of a U-Haul in March, 2023 onto lawns in West Palm Beach. The weighted plastic bags contained antisemitic literature. Minadeo was prosecuted under an anti-littering ordinance but since then, the state has passed a new law making acts carried out against either religious or ethnic groups for the purpose of threats or intimidation a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines. How will the Palm Beach County commission prevent future discussion of so-called 'off-topic' issues? Palm Beach County's seven county commissioners, clockwise from top left: Michael Barnett, Marci Woodward, Sara Baxter, Mack Bernard, Gregg Weiss, Maria Sachs, Maria Marino. County Mayor Maria Sachs said she intends to use her ability to stop speech that does not comply with the new rules. Fellow commissioners would have the right to overrule her. Last month, the city of Delray Beach, aware of what occurred at the county commission meeting, also amended its rules to allow Mayor Tom Carney to shut down hate speech. Delray Beach Commissioner Rob Long proposed the city adopt rules similar to those adopted by the county. Freedom of speech is not an unfettered right, particularly if its threatening or inciting, Long said. Delray Beach City Attorney Lynn Gelin pledged to do further research to determine if more restrictions could be implemented without infringing on speakers' First Amendment rights. Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County moves to rein in hate speech following Neo-Nazi rant Indiana University President Pamela Whitten told faculty she would not resign during two listening sessions with faculty leaders from the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) last week. Whitten also defended IU and Indiana State Polices response to the Dunn Meadow encampments while stating there was no actual threat of violence. The listening sessions come after months of mounting opposition to Whitten's administration, manifesting most recently in a vote of no confidence by more than 800 faculty members in April and a growing number of faculty letters and votes calling for Whitten's termination following IU's response to protests in Dunn Meadow. An Indiana State Police officer stands in front of demonstrators at Dunn Meadow on Thursday, April 25, 2024. During a college-wide vote on May 1, 86% of COAS faculty voted to call on the IU board of trustees to terminate Whitten's and IU Provost Rahul Shrivastav's employment. The two listening sessions on May 14 and May 15 were closed to the public and consisted mostly of department chairs and notable faculty from the COAS, as well as COAS Dean Rick Van Kooten and IU trustees Donna Spears and Vivian Winston. The sessions were held in the Federal Room of the Indiana Memorial Union. Trustees agree to independent review after disagreements about events in Dunn Meadow A written summary of the two sessions compiled by Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Chair P. David Polly and incoming English Chair Purnima Bose, who both attended, says approximately 45 minutes of the May 14 session were devoted to discussing the protests in Dunn Meadow. Whitten was asked if she would lift the trespass bans for those who were arrested in Dunn Meadow and if she would repeal the change to IUs outdoor policy that was made the day before the encampment. The summary says Whitten ducked these and other questions about Dunn Meadow. A hand made sign sits in front of demonstrators as they gather and talk in Dunn Meadow on May 10, 2024. Elizabeth Housworth, the chair of the statistics department who attended the May 14 meeting, said Whitten declined to answer the questions because the faculty member who asked the questions admitted they were somewhat rhetorical. And she picked up on that and said, Well, those are rhetorical, so Im not going to respond, Housworth said. And he asked her to respond, and then she said, Some of those questions were based on fallacies. When asked about the violence and degree of police response to protesters at Dunn Meadow, Whitten said intelligence reports, including audiotape and pictures of pepper spray and creek rocks suggested to her that the campus community was at a risk of violence. Whitten said later in the session that there was "no actual threat of violence". Whitten said she also understood that police had attempted to de-escalate but were rebuffed by protestors. It was clear that President Whitten's understanding of the demonstrations at Dunn Meadow differs dramatically from the experiences of faculty and students who were present on the scene, the summary reads. At the end of the May 14 session, a faculty member asked the trustees in attendance to conduct an independent investigation of the events at Dunn Meadow, given the wildly divergent stories the President presented in contrast to the experiences of people on the ground, including several in the meeting, according to the report. On May 15, the Board of Trustees released a statement announcing an independent review into the campus climate, citing the issues and challenges on campus, though no specifics were mentioned. IU spokesperson Mark Bode said in a statement that, President Whitten and her team will work with members of the Board of Trustees to collaboratively select an independent entity to review campus climate. Faculty bring up laundry list of concerns, question Whittens leadership Following May 14s lengthy discussion about Dunn Meadow, COAS faculty agreed before the May 15 listening session to only discuss other issues at the second session. Indiana University President Pamela Whitten addresses the students during Indiana University's 195th undergraduate commencement proceedings at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Topics from the May 15 session included the administrations handling of the Kinsey Institute, the cancellation of Samia Halabys exhibition, the lack of due process in the suspension of professor Abdulkader Sinno and feelings that Whitten had failed to defend faculty or IU with the passing of Senate Bill 202 in the state Legislature and Jim Banks recent letter in the Indy Star characterizing protesting faculty as pro-Hamas and loitering in the illegal encampment. Theres just a lot that people are upset about, Housworth said. Theres just so much going wrong, and theres enough people who are upset, that theyre all pulling in the same direction, which is absolutely opposite President Whitten. Cynthia Graham, a professor of gender studies and a senior scientist at the Kinsey Institute who attended the May 15 session, said Whitten frequently described the topics brought up as eye-opening, and asked faculty to be patient as she listened to their concerns. As someone who sat through that for almost two hours, I was just absolutely shocked at how little she answered, Graham said. I think the best thing that we felt was that the board of trustees members were there, and they were taking notes. Attendees at both the May 14 and 15 sessions asked Whitten to clarify questions about her vision for IU. Housworth and Graham both said Whitten repeatedly said she had big ideas, but didnt provide specifics. Whitten was asked for her vision three times during the meeting in three different ways her philosophy for decision making, her vision for what IU looks like in two to three years, what goals she wants to accomplish and each time she said she needed more time to develop major points, to come up with big ideas, and that she needs our patience, the summary reads. According to Graham and the written summary, Whitten encouraged faculty to contribute ideas to her and said, Lets pitch spaghetti at the wall together. Housworth said she and several faculty members at the meeting were confused by this comment. Its two years into your term; we shouldnt be throwing spaghetti at the wall, Housworth said. Prior to the COAS listening sessions, Whitten met with faculty from the ONeill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Whitten had planned meetings with faculty from the Kelley School of Business and School of Education on May 16, but these were postponed after she had to move up the date for an eye surgery procedure. The Kelley School listening session will be rescheduled to late summer or early fall. Graham said while shes optimistic about the independent review that was announced, she and faculty shes spoken to who attended the meeting were largely disappointed in Whittens responses throughout the two listening sessions. Nothing she said was at all reassuring, Graham said. Weve gotten to the point where listening sessions arent going to do anything, and we need some answers. Reach Brian Rosenzweig at brian@heraldt.com. Follow him on Twitter/X at @brianwritesnews. This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Pamela Whitten tells Indiana University faculty she won't resign (Reuters) -Israeli missiles struck the emergency department of a northern Gaza hospital on Tuesday, medics said, prompting panicked medical staff to rush patients on hospital beds and stretchers to the rubble-strewn street outside. Video obtained by Reuters showed medics in blue scrubs wheeling patients out of the hospital compound in Jabalia, shouting in fear and looking back as if expecting further strikes. "The first missile when it hit, it hit the entrance of the emergency department. We tried to enter, and then a second missile hit, and the third hit the building nearby," said Hussam Abu Safia, the head of Kamal Adwan Hospital. "We cannot go back inside to them. We really never imagined that one day the emergency department will be hit. The emergency department provides a service for children, the elderly and people inside the departments of the hospital." The Israeli military (IDF) said it had seen reports of the incident, which it said was under review. "The IDF is looking into the source of the hit and is reviewing the possibility that it was IDF's stray fire that was not directed at the hospital," it said in a written reply to a question on the incident. One man was filmed cradling what looked to be a newborn baby wrapped in blue cloth. An elderly man was bumped on a wheeled stretcher along shattered streets towards an ambulance. Others from the hospital, most of them women and some in scrubs or white coats, ran away in fear. "As you can see, (this is) the evacuation of the wounded and the team from inside the medical complex. The medical team has left under bombardment, fire and tanks from the Kamal Adwan medical complex," said Palestinian emergency worker Fares Afana. Reuters could not independently verify the accounts of the events. Israel said it has returned to Jabalia, where it had claimed to have dismantled Hamas military units months ago, to prevent the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza from regrouping. A Gaza health ministry spokesperson told Reuters patients were being evacuated to the Baptist Hospital in Gaza City and to other medical points set up in the northern part of the enclave. Gaza's healthcare system has essentially collapsed since Israel began its military offensive there after the Oct. 7 cross-border attacks by Palestinian Hamas militants on Israelis. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday that Al-Awda Hospital, also in northern Gaza, had been under siege since Sunday, with 148 hospital staff and 22 patients and the people accompanying them trapped inside. Fighting near Kamal Adwan Hospital had jeopardised its ability to care for patients, he told reporters in Geneva. "These are the only two functional hospitals remaining in northern Gaza," Tedros said. "Ensuring their ability to deliver health services is imperative." The Israeli military said it acted in accordance with international law and the special protections conferred on hospitals and made every effort to prevent harm to civilians. (Reporting by Osama Abu Rabee in Gaza; Additional reporting by Saleh Salem, Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber and Emma Farge; Writing by Ros Russell; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler) Parole delayed for former LA police detective convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend's wife in 1986 FILE - In this July 6, 2009 file photo, former Los Angeles detective Stephanie Lazarus appears in court in Los Angeles. A chance for parole has been delayed for Lazarus a former Los Angeles police detective serving a sentence of 27 years to life in the cold case slaying of her ex-boyfriend's new wife in 1986. Lazarus was convicted in 2012 of killing Sherri Rasmussen, a nurse who was bludgeoned and shot to death in the condo she shared with her husband of three months, John Ruetten. (AP Photo/Al Seib, Pool, File) LOS ANGELES (AP) A chance for parole was delayed this week for a former Los Angeles police detective serving a sentence of 27 years to life in the cold-case slaying of her ex-boyfriend's wife in 1986. Stephanie Lazarus was convicted in 2012 of killing Sherri Rasmussen, a 29-year-old nurse who was bludgeoned and shot to death in the condo she shared with her husband of three months, John Ruetten. A select committee of the state Board of Parole Hearings determined in November that Lazarus was eligible for parole. The full board took up her case on Monday and later voted to order a rescission hearing, referring the case to a lower panel to consider whether to rescind the earlier recommendation. Rasmussens sisters and widower gave emotional testimony during Monday's hearing about their pain and described Lazarus as a conniving criminal who used her police training to cover up the killing. Ruetten told the board he doesn't believe that Lazarus whom he referred to only as the inmate feels remorse. He said she engaged in skillful deception and only confessed to the crime during a hearing last year in order to gain parole. I dont think she comprehends the breadth and depth of the suffering she has caused, a tearful Ruetten said. Among those speaking on behalf of Lazarus was Erin Runions, a college professor who co-facilitates a writing workshop for incarcerated people inside the California Institution for Women. She spoke to Lazarus' spiritual growth and commitment to earning advanced degrees while behind bars so that she'll be ready to find a job and contribute to the community if she's released. Ive seen a person who is remorseful, who is caring, and who is very ready to reenter society," Runions said during the hearing. The governors office had asked the board in April to review the plan to parole Lazarus. John Taylor, an attorney for Rasmussen's family, said he was relieved by Monday's decision. We look forward to participating in the rescission hearing and hope that the parole grant is rescinded, Taylor said Tuesday. He said he expected the hearing to be scheduled within about four months. Lazarus did not appear before the board Monday. At her trial 12 years ago, prosecutors focused on the romantic relationship between Lazarus and Ruetten after they graduated from college. They claimed Lazarus was consumed with jealousy when Ruetten decided to marry Rasmussen. The case hinged on DNA from a bite mark prosecutors say Lazarus left on Rasmussens arm. Lazarus was not a suspect in 1986 because detectives then believed two robbers who had attacked another woman in the area were to blame for Rasmussens death. The case file, however, did mention Lazarus because of her relationship with Ruetten. No suspects were found and the case went cold until May 2009, when undercover officers followed Lazarus and obtained a sample of her saliva to compare with DNA left at the original crime scene, police said. Prosecutors suggested Lazarus knew to avoid leaving other evidence, such as fingerprints. The idea that saliva from a bite mark could be her undoing was inconceivable in 1986 when DNA wasnt used as a forensic tool. Lazarus rose in the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department, becoming a detective in charge of art forgeries and thefts. Misha Collins, star of the popular TV series Supernatural and ambassador of the UNITED24 presidential initiative, has arrived in Ukraine. He marked his arrival with a photo taken against the backdrop of broken military equipment. ADVERTISIMENT The reason for the trip was the desire to "explore the region" and discuss the topic of demining. In particular, in a video posted on UNITED24's Instagram, he confessed his love for Ukraine. "Good morning, Ukraine. The sun has just risen and I have arrived here in Kyiv. And I will be here to explore the region and talk about demining. Also, I want to say that I love you, Ukraine, and thank you so much for having me back. It's such an honor to be back here," said the actor of the TV series "All Women Are Witches". ADVERTISIMENT In particular, Collins posted on Instagram a photo taken against the backdrop of broken Russian equipment, which was exhibited in May 2022 in Kyiv's Mykhailivska Square. "I'm back in Kyiv, Ukraine," the actor wrote. In the comments, Ukrainians supported him and thanked him for his confident stance: "Thank you, Misha, for supporting Ukraine." "The only one who has not changed his convictions and supports Ukraine from the beginning to the present day." "Our Cossack!" "Thank you for doing what you do for Ukraine, take care of yourself, Misha." "Give a big hug to all Ukrainians, and please take care of yourself, Misha." ADVERTISIMENT Later, several more photos from Ukraine appeared on his page. In them, the actor poses near the central Kyiv railway station. "Arrived this morning at the Kyiv train station with my assistant," he captioned one of the photos. Misha Collins has been supporting Ukraine since the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion and has already visited the homeland of his ancestors who lived in the Kyiv region several times. He himself even studied Ukrainian politics and history in college, and by February 24, 2024, he had visited his "native" regions several times. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! ADVERTISIMENT Missouri taxpayers will not cover the costs of damages that may result from defamation lawsuits filed against three state senators who incorrectly identified a Kansas man as the shooter at the Chiefs Super Bowl parade, Gov. Mike Parson said Monday. In a letter to the commissioner of the Office of Administration, the state agency that certifies payments from Missouris legal expense fund, Parson wrote that no payments related to the lawsuits should be certified without my approval or a court order. I cannot justify money spent in this way, Parson wrote. Missouri Governor Mike Parson speaks at a press conference establishing a Counter Human Trafficking Taskforce on Thursday, April 25, 2024. A spokesman for the Office of Administration said the agency will comply with the governors directive and Missouri law. Last month, Denton Loudermill filed a federal lawsuit against GOP state Sens. Rick Brattin, Denny Hoskins and Nick Schroer over posts they made on social media accusing him of being an undocumented immigrant and the shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade. Loudermill was born in Kansas and was not involved in the shooting. The three senators are being represented by Attorney General Andrew Bailey, whose office argues they were acting in their official capacity when they made their posts on social media. Parson, who appointed Bailey attorney general in 2022, decried Baileys decision to use taxpayer resources to defend the senators, telling reporters last week that you dont get a free pass just because youre a politician. In his Monday letter, Parson hammered that point home, writing that the senators falsely accused an American citizen of a heinous act and related it to his immigration status. More: Politician or the people's lawyer? How the role of Missouri Attorney General has evolved Missourians, Parson wrote, should not be held liable for legal expenses on judgments due to state senators falsely attacking a private citizen on social media. Madeline Sieren, Baileys spokesperson, said in an email to The Independent: Attorney General Bailey is following the law as written. Ultimately, the court will decide this issue. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey speaks at a press conference establishing a Counter Human Trafficking Taskforce on Thursday, April 25, 2024. Parsons refusal to pay any potential damages awarded to Loudermill would not be the first time the Office of Administration has blocked payment of a controversial legal expense. In 2018, shortly after then-Gov. Eric Greitens resigned from office, the agency refused to pay the $180,000 in fees to private attorneys who represented him during impeachment proceedings. The state argued the primary beneficiary of the lawyers work was Greitens individually and that the attorneys werent needed for the governors office itself. The latest legal saga began when an anonymous account on Twitter accused Loudermill of being the shooter at the Chiefs parade and in the country illegally. That post, with a seated photo of Loudermill in handcuffs, incorrectly identified him with a name associated with misinformation posted after other shootings, including an October mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, that left 18 dead. In reality, Loudermill was only detained briefly by police when violence broke out during the parade because he was too slow to leave the area. Soon after that initial post, the Missouri Freedom Caucus, Hoskins, Brattin and Schroer posted their own versions on Twitter. These are 3 people arrested at the paradeat least one of those arrested is an illegal immigrant. CLOSE OUR BORDERS! the Missouri Freedom Caucus posted. The post has since been deleted. The Missouri Freedom Caucus also sought to retract its mistake, linking to a KMBC post about Loudermills effort to clear his name. Denton is an Olathe native, a father of three & a proud @Chiefs fan, the post states. Hes not a mass shooter. Images of him being detained for being intoxicated & not moving away from the crime scene at the Chiefs rally have spread online. He just wants to clear his name. More: Republicans in Missouri Senate spend next-to-last day of session taking jabs at each other Hoskins version shared a screenshot of the initial anonymous post and blamed President Joe Biden and political leaders of Kansas City for making the shooting possible. Fact President Bidens open border policies & cities who promote themselves as Sanctuary Cities like #Kansas City invite illegal violent immigrants into the U.S., Hoskins posted. That post has been deleted, but in a Feb. 14 post without a photo, Hoskins wrote that information Ive seen states at least one of the alleged shooters is an illegal immigrant and all 3 arrested are repeat violent offenders. Hoskins hedged it with IF THIS IS ACCURATE and repetition of conservative rhetoric to stop immigration and restrain cities that help immigrants, blaming crime on catch and release policies of liberal cities. Brattins first post linking Loudermill to the shooting, since deleted, demanded #POTUS CLOSE THE BORDER and incorporated the deleted anonymous post that kicked everything off. Schroer was the least certain post about the immigration and arrest status of Loudermill among the three now being sued. Schroers post included a link to one from Burchett stating, over Loudermills photo, that One of the Kansas City Chiefs victory parade shooters has been identified as an illegal Alien. Can we get any confirmation or denial of this from local officials or law enforcement? Schroer wrote. Ive been sent videos or stills showing at least 6 different people arrested from yesterday but officially told only 3 still in custody. The people deserve answers. This story was first published at www.missouriindependent.com. This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Parson doesn't want to fund legal bills for lawmakers' defamation suit Pasadena man set off more than 150 explosions, police say A Pasadena man has been arrested in connection with over 150 unidentified explosions in the city over the past two years, police said. Art Leon Berian, 62, is accused of setting off the explosions, including 14 in the past two weeks alone near Allen Avenue and Washington Boulevard, the Pasadena Police Department said in a news release. Berian was identified as the suspect after investigators working on this case on May 16 stumbled upon another explosion. While obtaining video of a previous incident, detectives heard a loud explosion and observed a white cloud in front of them, the release said. While searching the area, detectives spotted Berians 2013 BMW, one of two vehicles registered to the same owner that had been spotted at previous incidents, police said. Berian was detained, and evidence was collected from his car related to that explosion, police said. He has been charged with three felony counts of explosions with intent to injure or intimidate, though as police noted, miraculously, there have been no reported injuries associated with these explosions. He was arrested and booked into Pasadena City Jail, where he was held on $1.5 million bail, police said. Jail records, however, say Berian is being held at Mens Central Jail in lieu of $2.02 million bail. Officials with the Pasadena Police Department later confirmed to KTLA that the 62-year-old is being held without bail and his arraignment was rescheduled for May 30. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. A passenger died, several were left in critical condition, and dozens were hurt after severe turbulence on a flight from London to Singapore A 73-year-old flying from London to Singapore has died after severe turbulence on board. The incident took place on Singapore Airlines flight SQ321, which left the UK Monday night. As many as 71 people were sent to hospital in Bangkok, where the flight was diverted. A Singapore Airlines passenger has died after a flight encountered severe turbulence, the carrier announced Tuesday. Flight SQ321 from London Heathrow to Singapore took off on Monday night local time, but the Boeing 777 diverted to Bangkok 11 hours into the journey, per Flightradar24. The deceased passenger was a 73-year-old British man with a heart condition, the general manager of Airports of Thailand, Kittipong Kittikachorn, said in a press conference. The man was later named as Geoff Kitchen, a theatre director from Gloucestershire in the southwest of England. The theatre group he worked with shared a tribute on its website, calling him "a gentleman with the utmost honesty and integrity." It is with a heavy heart that we learn of the devastating news of the passing of our esteemed colleague and friend Geoff Kitchen in the recent Singapore Air Incident. Rest In Peace Geoff. pic.twitter.com/HoCQUM53Kt Thornbury Musical Theatre Group (@ThornburyMTG) May 21, 2024 At the press conference, Kittikachorn, the airport manager, said that seven people were in a critical condition at the hospital. Sky News reported that 71 people were sent to Bangkok's Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital. 26 of them had minor injuries, while six were in a critical incident, it added. Two Americans are among the injured, per Sky News. The airline said 211 passengers and 18 crew were on board. It's the second fatal incident in the airline's 77-year history, after a plane attempted to take off on the wrong runway in 2000. Singapore Airlines is often regarded as one of the world's best carriers one of just 10 to be ranked five stars by Skytrax. "Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking, so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling," Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student on board the flight told Reuters. "Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it," he added. Photos from the aftermath of the incident show damaged parts of the plane hanging from the ceiling, food strewn about the galley, and a bloodied passenger. The cabin of Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 was in chaos after the severe turbulence on the flight, which killed one person and injured dozens. Reuters/Stringer "Singapore Airlines offers its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased," the airline said in the statement. "Our priority is to provide all possible assistance to all passengers and crew on board the aircraft." Boeing said it is in contact with Singapore Airlines and "stand ready to support them." "We extend our deepest condolences to the family who lost a loved one, and our thoughts are with the passengers and crew," the planemaker added. Severe turbulence can often result in injuries but deaths are extremely rare. Last month, an Air New Zealand passenger said he broke his leg due to turbulence and had to endure the rest of the six-and-a-half hour flight in pain. And in December, 14 people received medical attention after severe turbulence on an Emirates Airbus A380. Were you on board Flight SQ321? Reach out to this reporter at psyme@businessinsider.com. Read the original article on Business Insider Passenger in vehicle that struck and killed ISP trooper pleads to resisting charge A 19-year-old man accused of riding in a stolen, fleeing vehicle that struck and killed an Indiana State Police trooper last summer pleaded guilty to resisting law enforcement on Monday. An auto theft charge filed against Demareon Curry will be dismissed as part of an agreement with Hendricks County prosecutors. The collision that killed Trooper Aaron N. Smith occurred in June 2023 on Ronald Reagan Parkway just outside of Indianapolis. Currys sentence will be decided by a Hendricks County judge at a hearing on June 17, according to the plea agreement. Indiana State Trooper Aaron N. Smith was killed June 28, 2023 while trying to stop a fleeing vehicle. Eddie Pernell Jones, 19, is the accused driver of the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse that struck the trooper. He is charged with murder, resisting law enforcement and auto theft in connection with Smiths death. A jury trial for Jones is set to begin in October, court records show. Previous coverage: Car that fatally struck Indiana trooper stolen days earlier, driver held without bond Six days before the deadly collision, Jones, Curry and a 15-year-old girl were at Jones mothers home in Sikeston, Mo., about 144 miles south of St. Louis. Jones mother fell asleep and the trio stole her Traverse, according to a probable cause affidavit for Jones arrest. Its unclear why they traveled to Indianapolis, but Jones told police they arrived on June 26 and slept in the car in a hotel parking lot. More: Trooper slain trying to stop fleeing car saved 2 lives in 2022, served in National Guard On June 28, 2023, the three were parked in the Traverse at a gas station/McDonalds on Kentucky Avenue near South High School Road on the southwest side of Indianapolis. Curry alerted the group to the police being behind them. Dash camera footage showed an Indiana State Police trooper pulling behind the Chevy Traverse. The trooper had received a notification from a nearby license-plate-reading camera that the car was stolen, according to the affidavit. The trooper activated his emergency lights and began giving verbal commands for the occupants of the car to stick their hands out the windows. As the trooper waited for backup, Jones, Curry and the girl initially complied, the dash camera footage showed. Investigators work the scene Thursday, June 29, 2023, where Indiana State Trooper Aaron N. Smith was struck by a fleeing vehicle and killed on Wednesday night in Hendricks County. Video showed the Traverse backing into one of the squad cars and then hitting another vehicle in the McDonalds parking lot before fleeing. Thats when two ISP troopers began pursuing in their squad cars. Jones later told police he was trying to get to the interstate because Curry believed troopers would stop the pursuit at that point, according to the affidavit. Jones told police his glasses slipped off so he couldnt see well while trying to escape police. He also said he saw Smith from about 100 yards away and he applied the brakes and lost control of the car before the collision, according to the affidavit. Video from a traffic camera reviewed by IndyStar showed the Chevrolet turning toward Smith as he was throwing stop sticks onto the road in front of the Traverse. More: Two Indiana troopers were killed by fleeing vehicles. Could their deaths prompt change? The probable cause affidavits in the case note Jones was driving almost two full travel lanes away from Smith shortly before the crash. Smith and the stolen vehicle landed in an embankment off the side of the road. Troopers drew their weapons and ordered the occupants of the Traverse to exit the car. Curry and the girl exited, while Jones was entrapped in the car. All three were taken to a hospital for evaluation. Smith was rushed to Eskenazi Hospital, where he died, according to state police. Investigators later found out the 15-year-old girl is a ward of the state of Missouri who had been reported missing. Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jake_Allen19. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Passenger in crash that killed Trooper Aaron Smith agrees to plea Passengers on Singapore Airlines Flight Describe Being 'Launched' into Ceiling When Turbulence Hit: 'Very Scary' Singapore Airlines Flight SQ321 was about 10 hours into its journey from London to Singapore when the incident occurred, resulting in the death of one passenger REUTERS/Stringer Interior of Singapore Airline flight SQ321 Passengers on the Singapore Airlines flight that encountered sudden extreme turbulence are recounting the terrifying moment the plane fell about 6,000 feet, sending those without seatbelts into the air, and resulting in the death of one person. It was a very scary experience, Andrew Davies, a passenger on board Flight SQ321, tells PEOPLE. I fly a lot and never had an experience even close to that. Im glad to be on the ground. Davies and 210 other passengers, plus 18 crew members, were onboard the Boeing 777-300ER plane when it unexpectedly hit rough air at an altitude of 37,000 feet over Myanmar Tuesday morning, the BBC reported. The plane made an emergency landing in Bangkok at 9:45 a.m. local time, Singapore Airlines said in a statement. Related: 36 People Injured After 'Severe Turbulence' on Hawaiian Airlines Flight: 'There Was No Warning' As of 1950hrs Singapore time on 21 May 2024, 18 individuals had been hospitalized, the airlines said. Another 12 were being treated in hospitals. The remaining passengers and crew were being examined and given treatment, where necessary, at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. Davies tells PEOPLE that crew members were among the injured. The Singapore Airlines staff were great, he says, but were badly injured too. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. REUTERS/Stringer Interior of Singapore Airline flight SQ321 Other passengers on the plane described a dramatic drop that had passengers screaming. "I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop, so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling," Dzafran Azmir, a 28-year-old student, told Reuters. Azmir added, "Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it, they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it. Pictures of the cabin show dented overhead bins, scattered personal items, and food and beverages on the floor. Related: Over 35 People Injured After Air Canada Flight Hits Severe Turbulence on Its Way to Australia Davies said in a post on X that the incident occurred during breakfast service. Peoples belongings scattered, coffee and water splattered the ceiling. Surreal, he wrote. So many injured people. head lacerations, bleeding ears. A lady was screaming in pain with a bad back. I couldnt help her - just got her water. Passengers also said they tried desperately to help a 73-year-old British man, who died from what authorities believe to be a heart attack, according to the BBC. Shouted for a defibrillator, Davies wrote. Passengers with medical training helping as much as they could. CPR on the poor gentleman that passed. Another passenger laid flat in aisle further behind me. Not sure what happened with them. Wish I could have helped more. Related: Woman, 41, Who Died on Plane from Dominican Republic Seemed Healthy Before Flight, Says Friend Allison Barker told the BBC that she received a message from her son that he was on a "crazy flight" and that the plane was making an emergency landing. Later, after speaking with her son, she heard his firsthand account of the flight. "One minute he was just sitting down wearing a seatbelt, the next minute, he must have blacked out because he found himself on the floor with other people, she told the BBC. There was water everywhere, blood everywhere, people's belongings just strewn all over the plane." "He's in a lot of pain, I think he's got some broken teeth, injuries to his mouth," she added. "But I don't think there's anything more serious than that." Related: 14-Year-Old Boy Died After Mid-Flight Medical Emergency. Mom Alleges Airline Destroyed or 'Lost' Evidence At a press conference on Tuesday evening, Kittipong Kittikachorn, general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, said medical authorities would confirm the mans cause of death. Kittikachorn added that seven passengers were severely injured, and 23 passengers and nine crew members had moderate injuries. Another 16 people were transported to the hospital with less serious injuries, and 14 others were treated at the airport, he said. A representative with Suvarnabhumi Airport did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for additional comment. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Patronis says his office has opened more than 900 investigations into ACA fraud Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. March 22, 2023. Credit: Department of Financial Services Quality Journalism for Critical Times Responding to complaints from Floridians who have either had their health care coverage added to the Affordable Care Act or switched without their consent, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has called upon Congress to crack down on allegedly fraudulent health insurance agents and brokers. The lack of security measures for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace is impacting Floridians, Patronis said in a statement on Tuesday, a day after he sent a letter to Vermont independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Kentucky GOP Congressman Brett Guthrie, committee chairs overseeing the U.S. Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS). Policyholders are getting plans they didnt want, or ask for, Patronis added. Thanks to the weak security measures of the Marketplace, Floridians are being signed up for health policies in different states, then getting penalized by the IRS because they made too much to qualify for plans. This fraud can only occur through a Marketplace thats got more holes in it than a cheap slice of Swiss cheese. Unauthorized enrollment or plan-switching by rogue insurance agents is emerging as a serious problem for individuals signed up with the ACA, KFF Health News reported last month. Licensed agents can access a policyholders coverage through the federal exchange simply by entering a persons name, date of birth, and state. CMS received approximately 40,000 complaints of unauthorized plan switches during the first three months of 2024, the agency said in a news release earlier this month, with more than 97% of those complaints being resolved. And the agency received approximately 50,000 complaints of unauthorized enrollments in the first three months of 2024. Approximately 44,000 of these cases, or 88%, have been resolved, officials say. My agency is receiving an increase in consumer complaints related to Affordable Care Act (ACA) fraud, Patronis wrote to Sanders and Guthrie. My office has opened over 900 investigations into unauthorized registration of consumers into ACA plans and instances where Florida consumers are switched from one ACA plan to another without their authorization, all so a bad actor can collect a commission. Consumers should never be surprised by their health coverage. While most businesses that offer online registration require two-factor authentication (2FA) to ensure consumers know what they are being signed up for, Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) does not. How is signing up for the Uber app a more secure process than obtaining health care through the federal government? Patronis wants CMS to immediately begin requiring two-factor authentications for all changes to ACA accounts. A simple text or email message could save thousands of consumers from the IRS coverage denials, he writes. This is to say nothing of the millions of dollars in tax credits the federal government is currently spending on phony ACA enrollments. Florida leads the entire nation in signups to the Affordable Care Act marketplace, with more than 4.2 million residents signed up for the program as of this January, according to CMS. The post Patronis says his office has opened more than 900 investigations into ACA fraud appeared first on Florida Phoenix. Paused for 2 years, will wiping clean some criminal records resume in North Carolina? In 2021 North Carolina legislators implemented a law intended to automatically erase arrest records in criminal cases where people were found not guilty or the charges were dismissed. But after discovering unintended consequences in its rollout, lawmakers twice hit pause on the promised slate cleaning. Now conservative groups and others want it up and running again, arguing it will help people tarred by arrest records to better find work and places to live. In March 2023, the state Senate unanimously passed fixes in a new bill based on recommendations by a group of 16 criminal justice leaders, including representatives from the state Conference of District Attorneys, the Second Chance Alliance and the State Bureau of Investigation. But the bill stalled. Recently it was added to a state House committee calendar and is expected to be heard there on Wednesday. Why were expunctions put on hold? Cases disappeared overnight When the law went into effect, court records started disappearing so fast it caused layers of problems, according to interviews with criminal justice officials. Numerous issues immediately surfaced that did not promote community safety or assist the individual who should have benefited from the expungement, wrote Kimberly Spahos, executive director for the NC Conference of District Attorneys. People lingered in jail after the system destroyed paperwork that sheriffs needed to release people after their charges were dismissed, according to North Carolina Sheriffs Association leader Eddie Caldwell. There were people who were still in jail whose cases had been disposed of, but nobody had told the jail, Caldwell said. Public defenders couldnt calculate their hours for payment, said District Attorney Lorrin Freeman. And acquitted defendants couldnt prove dismissed charges to immigration officials, potential employers or housing managers, Spahos wrote. Legislators paused the process twice, with current legislation that is set to expire on July 1. Proposed new law If the new legislation moves forward the automatic expunctions will resume on Dec. 1 but with recommended changes. The legislation shifts the process from destroying records to sealing them, granting access to a select few. If this or other legislation doesnt move forward by July 1, the old system will resume destroying the records. The North Carolina Administrative Office of Courts is opposed to another pause and requires operational certainly on the processing of automatic expunctions, spokesperson Graham Wilson wrote in an email. As it stands, there is already a backlog of about one million cases, he wrote. The Office of the Courts recommends action as soon as possible because high-volume court processes benefit from advanced preparations for technology and administrative requirements, Wilson wrote. History of NC Second Chance Act In 2020, a law known as Second Chance Act passed amid a bipartisan effort in North Carolina responding to a call for criminal justice reform across the United States after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police officers. The change included broadening and expediting chances to erase charges and convictions from peoples records. It called for officials to immediately expunge records related to criminal cases that were dismissed or a person was found not guilty. Prosecutors had expressed concern about the records being destroyed amid discussion about sealing versus destroying the records, Freeman said, but the law didnt address their concerns. People were excited about the prospect of enacting this as a forward thinking policy for the state, Freeman said. Unfortunately, [they] were not really thinking through or were not aware of all the collateral issues that might arrive. When the change went into effect, North Carolina went from processing merely 16,390 expunctions in the 2020-21 to 421,925, the next year according to the Office of the Courts. When the expunctions were first introduced, charges were dismissed during the day, through a judges ruling or a form signed by a prosecutor, and records got destroyed at night, Freeman said. But people still needed access to those records for a variety of reasons, Freeman said. eCourts may help At this point, the state court system has more capacity to deal with the records needs, officials say. Previous problems arose from the court systems longtime records system, which depended on physical files and paper documents for storage, according to an administrative office of courts May 3 memorandum by Deputy Director Joseph Kryzer. The new eCourts system, a fully digital court records platform being rolled out across the state, has drawn high-profile critics including the states district attorneys. But eCourts will allow help solve the previous problem with expunctions by allowing court officials to seal records, making them visible to approved officials such as prosecutors, state courts officials say. Freeman supports legislation that would seal records and not destroy them, she said. People need charges to be expunged so they move on with their lives, Freeman said, but criminal justice officials need access to the records as they investigate, prosecute and resolve cases. House Rep. Mujtaba Mohammed, a Charlotte Democrat and attorney, said he hopes the bill to restart expunctions moves forward because unless additional legislation is passed, the original law that caused all the problems would go back into effect on July 1. The proposed legislation would increase individuals chances of getting housing, employment and higher pay, Mohammed and others said. I mean, a job is the most effective form of crime prevention, he said. Conservatives for Criminal Justice Reform, a North Carolina-based effort that started in 2016 by Tarrah Callahan and others interested in establishing a conservative-led criminal justice reform group, is advocating that the legislation to resume expunctions move forward. The economy and public safety are top of mind for voters, said Callahan, the groups executive director. When people have access to good paying jobs and the ability to support themselves, theyre a heck of a lot less likely to get trapped back into the system, Callahan said. Virginia Bridges covers criminal justice in the Triangle and across North Carolina for The News & Observer. Her work is produced with financial support from the nonprofit The Just Trust. The N&O maintains full editorial control of its journalism. Lancaster officials passed an ordinance in February barring the city from coordinating with federal immigration authorities, a measure meant to make the city more welcoming to its large immigrant population. Rachel Wisniewski For HuffPost LANCASTER, Pa. Jaime Arroyo was surprised. The 35-year-old councilman from this small city less than two hours outside Philly hadnt expected this kind of response to a municipal ordinance, of all things. But the backlash to the Lancaster City Councils Trust Act, or welcoming city ordinance, came on quickly and intensely. The statute, passed in late February, codified Lancasters previously informal policy for cooperating with federal immigration authorities: essentially that it wont, unless compelled to under state or federal law, which generally happens in cases of active warrants or prosecution. Practically, it means that city officials, including cops, cant ask about a persons immigration status or hand over information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement that might lead to a deportation. Arroyo, a Democrat, viewed the Trust Act as just another functional measure, like any other thing the city council might work on. At the end of the day, when youre working in the city, youre making sure the water turns on. Human services, things like that. So I got caught off guard by some of the responses, Arroyo told me over Zoom last month, from a sunny office above the downtowns multicultural farmers market, the kind of place where for lunch you can enjoy both an empanada and an open-face Scandinavian sandwich. The market itself underscores the diversity of Lancaster, which proudly touts itself as the nations refugee capital. Besides being a councilman, Arroyo is the CEO of a local nonprofit that helps entrepreneurs who are women and people of color. His family, like lots of others, emigrated from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvanias Dutch Country in the 1960s to work in farming, so he understands what its like to end up here in search of work and a better life. And now, given his work spearheading the Trust Act, he gets how political that can be, too. Youre seeing this trend across the nation where local officials start to posture themselves with this national rhetoric, he said. Theres just been a lot of misinformation on that side that they were using intentionally, I think, because its an election year. Lancasters on-the-books policy for refusing cooperation with ICE and the blowback from GOP officials, including the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania Senate, reveals, on a local scale, just how central immigration has become to the nations politics even in a landlocked mid-Atlantic state thats about as far as you can get in the country from the Mexico border. Voters here in Pennsylvania, the largest of the 2024 presidential swing states, care more than you might expect about immigration and border security a recent poll of voters over 50, the nations most reliable voting bloc, had it second only to personal economic issues like jobs and social security and this years election may very well hinge on whether President Joe Biden, who won Pennsylvania four years ago, can assuage voters who seem to prefer former President Donald Trumps hardline approach to immigration. Trump has vowed a likely unenforceable mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants using, he hopes, local law enforcement forces like the Lancaster Police Department. Biden, meanwhile, has proposed asylum changes that would speed up the process by more quickly identifying and deporting applicants who do not qualify. Earlier this year, the White House also backed a bipartisan border security deal that would have sharply cut down on border crossings but Trump, eager to deny Biden a victory, urged GOP lawmakers to oppose it. Welcoming City Versus Sanctuary City The proponents of Lancasters Trust Act, who happen to mostly be Democrats, say its designed to make undocumented residents and foreign-born residents in general feel more comfortable reporting crimes or accessing city services. The laws loudest detractors, who happen to mostly be Republicans, say it will turn Lancaster into a sanctuary city where illegal immigration goes unchecked, creating lawlessness and straining city services in a challenging economy. But interviews this month with nearly two dozen voters in Lancaster, both in the blue dot of a city and the red surrounding county, revealed more nuanced views, with many worried about mass immigration while acknowledging how it has benefited the area economically. In Lititz, a small town out in the country, Alicia Miller, an 85-year-old swing voter who leans right and hasnt decided yet whether shes picking Trump or Biden this year, says immigrants are vital to the area she would know, since her family runs a seven-acre poultry farm she says relies on migrant workers. Im for controlled immigration, Miller said. Im not for immigration to the point its uncontrolled. Friends Linda Dapcic (left), 71, and Alicia Miller, 85, sit together in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Miller said her family runs a poultry farm that employs migrants, but even so she doesn't want to see immigration get out of control. Rachel Wisniewski For HuffPost Millers more liberal friend even agreed. Thats a tough thing to do, because we do need workers, said Linda Dapcic, an elected official from Berks, the next county over. The women were sitting on a bench together in Lititzs charming downtown, where tourists flock for expensive chocolate and Amish-crafted wood furniture. (Former Vice President Mike Pence even campaigned here back in 2020 at a dairy farm.) The reality is 20, 30 years from now, America is no longer going to be white Americans, said Dapcic, describing a reality she seemed happy to embrace. But the response to the ordinance from beyond the city has been almost universally negative. A month after the Lancaster City Council passed the Trust Act, the Lancaster County Commission passed a resolution along party lines declaring Lancaster a non-sanctuary county and urging the city to repeal its ordinance, which the city has made clear it has no intention of doing. Joshua Parsons, one of the GOP commissioners who backed the resolution, acknowledged the county had long disapproved of the citys policy toward ICE. But the new ordinance is viewed as a step too far. There is a difference between having an informal policy, which we may not like, and taking a formal vote to authorize your police department to ignore the law, Parsons said following the March 20 vote. Lancaster Mayor Danene Sorace called this characterization of the Trust Act misguided and inaccurate. The county commissioners did not respond to multiple individual requests for interviews about the resolution and the immigration climate across the county. Everything Has Grown, Everything Is Going Up By April, the Trust Act had garnered the attention of GOP lawmakers in the Capitol. Pennsylvania Senate Republicans passed party-line legislation that would require local prosecutors to notify ICE if theyve arrested and charged someone with a crime who is undocumented, a messaging bill aimed at Lancaster. The bill died, as expected, in the House, which Pennsylvania Democrats managed to flip in 2022. State Rep. David Zimmerman, a Republican who represents parts of Lancaster County and has been outspoken against the city, said he found its actions on the Trust Act very troubling and timed politically to this years election. Im all about legal immigration. But what were doing here is creating a sanctuary city, or as theyre calling it, a welcoming city which is the same idea, really, to protect and kind of have it be almost a hideout for illegals, Zimmerman told me over the phone. The rest of us are asked to follow the law, and for a city to adopt something like that to encourage illegals to have a hideout is just unbelievable to me, really. Zimmerman cited the countys growth as a likely reason for the widening divide between the city and county on all sorts of political issues. Lancaster County added more than 35,000 people in the last census, although its impossible to know how many are undocumented. Most of the countys diversity is concentrated in the city: Roughly 40% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, and nearly 13% of residents are foreign born. Mostly beyond the city limits, the county is home to an estimated 90,000 Pennsylvania Dutch who flocked here in the 18th century to escape persecution, and established a religiously-rooted legacy of resettling refugees and asylum seekers. Lou Ziegler, 70, said immigrants are vital to the local economy. "Everyone knows without immigrants you won't have jobs," he said. Rachel Wisniewski For HuffPost The religious influence in the county is very strong and the secular influence in the city is very strong, said Lou Ziegler, a 70-year-old personal-care assistant who was watching MSNBCs coverage of Trumps hush money trial on a tablet outside a downtown Lancaster coffee shop last week. Ziegler said even with eager foreign-born workers coming here in droves, its hard to find people to work certain jobs. Everyone knows without immigrants you wont have jobs, he said. Restaurants cant get a full staff. My job cant get a full staff. Theres also tension over what locals see as a tug-of-war between the desire for the city to be more accommodating to immigrants and a new wave of development and pricey housing designed to attract higher earners, like the young workers who walk around downtown with office badges clipped to their clothes. Jhoan Reynoso, 35, said people are generally more concerned about rising housing costs than ICE. Rachel Wisniewski For HuffPost Its a trend that makes the city less welcoming than even the threat of immigration enforcement, said Jhoan Reynoso, a 35-year-old barber whose family emigrated here from the Dominican Republic. Everything has grown, everything is going up, Reynoso said from the back of a quiet barbershop. I feel like Lancaster city is trying to push minorities out. Thats why the rent is going up. Thats why theyre making so many investments. A Tough Climate Arroyo, who has lived in Lancaster most of his life returning after college to start a family has experienced subtle moments that underscore the political changes taking root in his longtime home, like the startling moment last year when he passed a woman in a Confederate flag T-shirt on a running trail not far outside the city, something he never expected to encounter here. Its kind of wild that [it was] 20 minutes outside my home, where I have no fear at all, he said. Arroyo was initially hopeful that at least a few townships in the county would consider adopting their own versions of the Trust Act. Instead, theyve followed the county commissions lead. Earlier this month, officials in East Cocalico Township unanimously adopted a resolution declaring immigration a serious issue that strains resources, and directed local law enforcement to comply with any directives from ICE. A welcoming message is posted in the window of a business in Lancaster. Rachel Wisniewski For HuffPost It seems like it swung the other way, Arroyo said, laughing. But Im talking to more elected officials maybe if its not a welcoming ordinance, its more education and awareness around what these policies mean. Arroyo does not seem to relish all the attention on the city. And neither do some of the advocacy groups that serve the population here. CASA in Action, the group that pitched the Trust Act to Lancaster officials last year, did not respond to numerous requests for interviews. The Lancaster mayors office, over the course of the past month, twice cited a tight schedule that prevented her from speaking with me. Arroyo acknowledges that maybe he should have expected a tough reception, given the political climate. I think people come into 2024 with an opinion on immigration, he said, and I dont know if anything going on here is going to sway that one way or another. Arroyo sees only one real way to quell the tension, and its well beyond the purview of anyone in Lancaster: We need comprehensive reform around immigration, period, in order to move the needle in a way that everyone can feel good about, he said, with a hint of frustration but, he added, thats above my paygrade. Pennsylvanias elections office urged a judge Monday to dismiss a Republican challenge to the Centre County board of elections decision to count some mail-in ballots that were not dated properly. The Pennsylvania Department of State joined the countys elections board in asking Centre County Judge Julia Rater to dismiss the appeal as untimely. In a footnote, the agency wrote its brief was not authored or paid for by anyone outside of the office. This Court must swiftly dismiss the Petition filed in this case because the Election Code unquestionably requires dismissal and so Centre County and the Commonwealth can conclude the 2024 primary, an attorney for the agency wrote. Centre County is the only one in the state that has not yet certified any of its results from the primary election, a process that was supposed to be completed by May 13. It has also held up the certification of statewide primary elections. Centre County Republican Committee Chair Michelle Schellbergs appeal alleged 95 mail-in ballots were counted improperly by the countys elections board because they were not dated correctly. It did not claim fraud or that the votes would alter the outcome. Instead, attorney Louis Glantz has argued the boards decision could set a precedent that would make a big difference in what is expected to be a tightly contested presidential race in November. The elections board made up of the countys three commissioners, two Democrats and one Republican voted unanimously on April 25 to accept each of the ballots. The GOP appeal wasnt filed until May 7, which solicitor Betsy Dupuis argued was wholly deficient and filed at least 10 days late. In a brief filed Monday, Dupuis asked Rater to order Schellberg and voters who signed onto the appeal to pay for the cost of defending against it. Glantz, in response, argued the elections board was using procedural technicalities that would enable it to continue to violate Pennsylvania law. Rater said at a hearing last week that she hopes to issue her decision by Friday, though she did not guarantee it. A federal appeals court panel found in March that a requirement for Pennsylvania voters to put accurate handwritten dates on the outside envelopes of their mail-in ballots does not run afoul of a civil rights law. A divided 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled to uphold enforcement of the required date on return envelopes, a technical mandate that caused thousands of votes to be declared invalid in the 2022 election. The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which helped represent groups and voters who challenged the date mandate, told the Associated Press the ruling could mean thousands of votes wont be counted over what it believes is a meaningless error. In Pennsylvania, Democrats have been far more likely to vote by mail than Republicans under an expansion of mail-in ballots enacted in 2019. A Pennsylvania woman pleaded guilty Monday to shooting a county prosecutor after a confrontation about a property transfer and was sentenced to several years in prison. Porice Diamond Mincy pleaded guilty to aggravated assault for shooting Cameron County District Attorney Paul J. Malizia in the leg at Malizias law office last June. The 32-year-old Brookville woman was sentenced to four to eight years in prison. Malizia was released from a hospital the day he was shot. Attorney General Michelle Henry, whose office prosecuted Mincy, called it a brazen act of violence, and noted Malizia has remained in office since the attack. Henrys office said in a statement that Mincy showed up without an appointment at Malizias office in rural Emporium, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) east of Erie, and made some sort of demands concerning a property transfer, a matter he handled as a private practice lawyer, not as district attorney. Mincy became belligerent, Henrys office said, and shot him in the leg before leaving in a vehicle. She was arrested shortly afterward. Her lawyer, Lonny Fish, said Monday that the other charges against her were dismissed. She showed up in the office, she wasnt happy with the answers that the secretary gave, Fish said. So she went and trashed one of the other offices, and then he approached her in the waiting room. And he hit her. To be honest, I think he was probably within his rights to do that she was a trespasser. Fish said Mincy did not have a license to carry a concealed weapon so she was going to, most likely, be convicted of that, regardless. He described Mincy as a mother of small children who had not been in trouble before. She had moved to the area from New York and was home schooling her kids. Malizia said in a phone interview Monday that after Mincy confronted his office worker and threw office material on the ground, she sucker punched him, breaking his nose. He said he took a swing at her but missed. Fish produced a cellphone video Mincy that recorded that he argued shows Malizia did actually punch Mincy. Malizia, currently 70 years old and in his fourth term in office, said he grabbed Mincy around the waist and tried to get her down some stairs and out of the office. She stopped for a second and she turned her head and bit me on the thigh, on my left thigh, he said. The bite did not tear through his jeans but was strong enough that it caused a wound. After that, she pulled a .25 caliber automatic handgun out of, he thinks, a fanny pack, and shot him in the other leg, Malizia said. The barrel was against his leg and the bullet passed through the outside of his leg, ricocheted off a wall and landed about 35 feet (11 meters) down a hallway. Malizia was treated at a hospital and released that night and did not miss any work as a result. Mincy was upset about which names had been put on a deed when ownership was transferred, Malizia said. I wish her the best of luck, Malizia said. I mean that very sincerely. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27. The German government has decided to support the US plan to use the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine, in particular, to provide a $50 billion loan. This could be a crucial step that will bring Washington and its allies closer to providing a new substantial aid package to the country that is under full-scale attack. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by Bloomberg. It is noted that the G7 (Group of Seven) is expected to discuss the issue this week. However, the decision will not be made until mid-June. "German officials are ready to support the U.S. plan to use future proceeds from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. ... What is at stake is whether the Ukrainian government will be able to remain financially viable until 2025," the statement said. It is emphasized that in this way, Ukraine's partners seek to ensure its medium-term financing. And also "to send a signal to Moscow that support for Kyiv among the G7 allies is not weakening." What preceded it For several months, the United States has been trying to use frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. The proposals varied: from complete confiscation and transfer of the money to Ukraine to storing it for bonds or using it to secure some form of loan ADVERTISIMENT However, they were met with skepticism in a number of countries. In particular, Germany and France, which expressed concerns about: their legality the impact of such steps on the financial stability and attractiveness of the euro As reported earlier, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker explained that the process of confiscating Russian assets would require a collective decision by all countries that have frozen Russian funds in their financial institutions. It will take time, so we should not expect it to happen quickly. At the same time, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has set the government the task of ensuring that Russian assets frozen in the West are transferred to Ukraine. That is why a separate subgroup is being set up to work on the issue. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information is available on OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! The Defense Department is proposing legislation that would allow it to establish an Indo-Pacific Security Assistance Initiative to deliver weapons to Taiwan and other friendly militaries in the region, modeled after a similar program used to arm Ukraine. The proposal, submitted to Congress in April, asks for authorization to establish the initiative and requests $500 million in fiscal 2025 to arm Indo-Pacific partners either through the program or through Taiwan Presidential Drawdown Authority replenishment. This proposal would prioritize allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region that are at risk of invasion by revanchist powers, the Defense Department wrote in its proposal. This proposed authority is similar to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) but focused on strengthening deterrence and bolstering partners self-defense capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region. The Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative has allowed the Pentagon to place weapons contracts for longer-term support to Kyiv. Its a key pillar of U.S. support for the war-torn country alongside Presidential Drawdown Authority, used to transfer weapons to Ukraine from U.S. stockpiles. The Defense Departments $500 million funding request in the proposal for fiscal year 2025 would provide money to arm Indo-Pacific partners, such as Taiwan and the Philippines, under both authorities. The current environment in the Indo-Pacific region requires new approaches beyond the authorities developed for countering violent extremist organizations, the Pentagon proposal states. USAI has proven an effective tool in bolstering partner capabilities by expanding or creating opportunities for additional procurement. But the Houses draft text of the FY25 defense policy bill does not include the requested authorization for an Indo-Pacific Security Assistance Initiative or the $500 million in funding to arm security partners in the region. The House Armed Services Committee is scheduled to mark up the legislation on Wednesday, when lawmakers will have the opportunity to add amendments to the legislation. The $95 foreign aid bill Congress passed in April included nearly $4 billion in military aid for Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific allies. That includes $1.9 billion in replenishment funds to send Taiwan weapons from U.S. stockpiles and another $2 billion in Foreign Military Financing for Taipei and other Indo-Pacific partners. The FY24 government funding bill, which Congress passed in March, included another $300 million in Foreign Military Financing for Taiwan. Defense officials this year are opening the Pentagons paid fellowship program to more spouses as the initiative expands its offerings to include entry-level jobs. The Military Spouse Career Accelerator Pilot will for the first time provide early-career opportunities for those younger spouses who might need to put their foot in the door and start the process of having employment and a career, Patricia Barron, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, told reporters Monday. Thats in addition to the programs current career-ready fellowships for spouses with more education and experience to prepare them for the positions. In an earlier announcement, defense officials said the newly added entry-level fellowships could target specific career fields such as taxes or insurance. The fellowship program, now in its second year of a three-year test period, has been a rousing success, Barron said. Spouses of U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force troops across the active duty, reserve and National Guard can apply for a 12-week position at 250 public- and private-sector employers. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundations Hiring Our Heroes program pairs applicants with fellowships as they become available, at employers like Equinix, a company that operates data centers, and Frog Street, an early childhood education curriculum company. The number of fellowships available depends on what employers decide to offer; the Defense Department pays fellows salaries through the Chamber. Applications are accepted throughout the year. The programs goal is to land fellows in permanent positions with their employers at the end of the 12-week run. More than 400 spouses were placed in fellowships in 2023, the programs first year. About 83% of the career-ready fellows have received offers for permanent jobs, Barron said, which is unheard of. Salaries for those jobs averaged about $60,000, defense officials said. Lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committees military quality-of-life panel have recommended that the program be made permanent. Its been a great program. To be able to sustain it throughout the years would be phenomenal, Barron said. Were getting an awful lot of really good feedback from the military spouses that are involved. The unemployment rate for military spouses has stubbornly hovered around 21% for the past decade, according to various surveys. The problem is exacerbated by the frequent moves military service requires, as well as state licensing rules for many professions and other bureaucratic hurdles. A number of advocates have asked for the Labor Department to officially track their unemployment rate, as it does for veterans. We do have a great relationship with the Department of Labor and have connected with them on various things. The tracking of unemployment for military spouses is something that weve both talked about, Barron said. I think its a little bit harder to track military spouse unemployment, because its not a protected group, so sometimes its hard to find the information you need. However, weve got new tools available to us now, through AI, through some of the analytics that a company like Google might provide, she said. Im not saying thats what were doing, but what Im saying is that we have new tools we can look at to help us get after that number. Online resources in May For years, military officials have worked to tackle the policy issues that keep the spouse unemployment rate from budging. Theyve also tried to open new opportunities to help military husbands and wives navigate the modern job market. This month, job seekers can learn from a lineup of speakers and breakout sessions on a range of spouse employment topics as part of a free, virtual career symposium and hiring fairs May 14-30. Participants can register to view the recorded events like Finding and Mastering Remote Employment and Know Your Worth: How to Negotiate Your Perfect Fit, and to participate in upcoming sessions, at Military OneSource. A series of webinars, one-on-one resume reviews and mock interviews from Tuesday to Thursday will prepare spouses for next weeks hiring fair. That fair, scheduled for May 29-30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern time, will connect spouses to hiring managers and representatives from more than 700 employers who have committed to recruiting, hiring, retaining and promoting military spouses through DODs Military Spouse Employment Partnership. People Who've Worked In Politics Are Spilling Secrets From Their Jobs That More People Should Know, And Some Of These Are Unsettling People Who've Worked In Politics Are Spilling Secrets From Their Jobs That More People Should Know, And Some Of These Are Unsettling We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community who've worked in politics to share behind-the-scenes secrets they think more people should know They did NOT hold back. Comedy Central / Via giphy.com Here are their most fascinating responses: 1."I've worked on Capitol Hill for almost a decade, and it's remarkable how many people don't realize that our government is largely staffed by underpaid, overworked 25-year-olds." "So when you meet with them or call into an office, be ready with a specific ask, whether to sponsor a bill or oppose one. Make it as easy as possible for those young people to communicate your message to their boss. And always, always be nice on the phone. Those interns and staff assistants aren't making policy decisions!"Anonymous Stefan Zaklin / Getty Images 2."In my state, the State General Assembly does much of its voting on motions and whatnot using a simple push-button system at its desks in the chamber. One button is for Yeay, and another for Nay, and you push nothing for Abstain. It's an open secret inside the room that state members will reach over and push another person's buttons, especially if they are not present at the vote." "If you get up to go to the bathroom, someone will reach over to your desk and vote for you, no matter how you were going to vote. Since there is so much legislation to get through, they don't go back if someone illegally pushes someone else's voting buttons because they don't have time to restart the vote." Anonymous 3."I worked at the United Nations for a little bit, and the whole organization is crumbling over the weight of its own bureaucracy. In most agencies and the Secretariat, senior staff tends to have amazing contracts with huge salaries and loads of benefits, and they tend to be much less academically and technically qualified than younger employees. Definitely not everyone, but a lot of people at the top are paid mostly to go to conferences or wine and dine diplomats but don't know how to use Excel or PowerPoint." "Meanwhile, the organizations no longer have enough money to offer good contracts to junior employees, so they are stuck in unpaid internships and short-term contracts with no healthcare. The process of actually approving new hires can take half a year or longer. The result is that a lot of people with new perspectives and up-to-date degrees are getting burnt out and demoralized. At the same time, senior employees are more interested in protecting their own cushy careers than they are in upholding their mandates or serving the international community."Anonymous 4."I interned on Capitol Hill in 2013. There's a rule for government workers and congressional members not to accept gifts over a certain amount because that could be considered a bribe. There are a few exceptions, and one of them is that members of Congress are allowed to accept massive amounts of free snacks/drinks from companies based in their home state." "So representatives from Georgia get free Coca-Cola products, NJ reps get Nabisco products, etc. But since some states got WAY better snacks than others, the staff assistants would organize trades between offices, and interns would be sent out with crates of random products to trade on slow days. It was honestly a lot of fun and one of the main things I remember from my time on the Hill."Alice Lahoda 5."Campaigns (even progressive ones) can be the most absolute blatant display of employee abuse. I've worked on campaigns where the higher-ups pushed their organizers to the point of hospitalization because they didn't have time/energy to eat, rest, and take care of themselves." "Most of these organizers tend to be college kids or recent grads so theyre sometimes more hesitant to say 'no' out of fear of losing their job (a real possibility given how petty some folks are). The burnout rate on campaigns/the burnout rate of political staffers in general is insanely high." Anonymous 6."I was a political advisor to gubernatorial and legislative campaigns in Florida. Two things made me leave the industry. First, money DOES change hands, especially for church endorsements. Paper money in paper lunch bags." "Second, everyone counts favors and calls them in. Friends, rivals, whatever, they never let go of who owes what to whom, and they will collect." Anonymous NanoStockk / Getty Images 7."I worked in politics for a member of Congress on Capitol Hill. Your calls and complaints go into an online pile of similar calls and complaints, and a form letter gets sent back to you. They rarely reach an actual member of Congress." "This made me pretty cynical about the prospect that people have a voice when they call in; it seems like theyre really not listened to. Also, a lot of the legislative assistants in the congressional offices (in my experience) were assholes and hated their jobs. My experience definitely confirmed that a career in politics was not for me, but the secret underground tunnel from the House to the Senate offices with a train car and its own operator was hella cool!"Anonymous 8."I worked as a legislative fellow on Capitol Hill in 2020 & 2021. These are actually things I try to tell people all the time, but they don't believe me." "If you aren't a constituent of the Congressperson/Senator you're calling, they are allowed to hang up on you or block you without listening to you. You'd be surprised how many Dems who have a public reputation of inclusivity and progressive values are some of the worst bosses. What you think of as 'going on vacation' when Congress is in recess is actually a time when the member is working directly with constituents in their district/state. If you call and threaten the member or their staff, you will receive a visit from your local police force, whom the Capitol police have called to investigate the threat."The Bnzr 9."I'm a Senate employee in a state office. Most people, when they think of Congress, think of DC. I don't think enough people realize that Senators and Representatives have field offices in their home states and districts. We provide key services for people who are having trouble getting through to federal agencies (VA, Social Security, IRS, Passports, etc.). We've been involved in a variety of issues, including helping repatriate Americans who were stuck in foreign countries." "The 'secret' that I would like people to know is that if you call the office to leave a message for the Senator and are horribly mean/rude and cursing at us, we most likely will not share your message or record it. It's a thankless job, and people whom I've never met have said the most disgusting and filthy things to me because they are angry with the Senator about certain topics."Anonymous 10."I'm a finance director for a congressional race, and let me tell you. Look closer at the finance reports that come out with each politician. See who's paying for the campaign and most directly influencing the candidate. Make the FEC your new bestie." Anonymous 11."People who you work with will take credit for your ideas. Not just other people at your level in a campaign but high-up people who aren't competing for low-level jobs. Also, people who are related to people with influence will get promotions over you all the time." Anonymous 12."Political reporter here! Most politicians absolutely hate the politicians that they back. I've seen so many representatives and senators sing Trump's praises on TV but trash him as soon as cameras aren't rolling." "It also always surprises me which politicians I actually like. People whose policies I support can be complete jerks when you meet them; people who pass horrible laws can be sweethearts."Anonymous Paul Bradbury / Getty Images 13."Campaign manager here. I dont know why they ask elected officials how they won because a good candidate leaves all those decisions to their campaign manager and focuses all their attention on talking to voters. Also, VEEP is absolutely the closest TV depiction of politics." Anonymous 14."Leadership PACs are vanity projects for the next campaign of whoever is running them. Donate to candidates directly, and dont fall for their scams." Anonymous 15."Too much of governmental services are being privatized. This means the loss of cheaper governmental workers (who don't get bonuses for cutting corners) and the eventual much more expensive work by private contractors, who are often awarded the contracts because of political donations. Our state awarded a $66 million contract to a private contractor and laid off 1200 state workers." Demon Copperhead 16."As a former federal employee, I was political-adjacent. Most people don't know that there are over 2000 non-Senate-approved presidential appointees, most of whom get their jobs as a favor for helping with the presidential election, with no qualifications required." "We had one guy whose father was a big wig state party official, in a state the president lost, get an appointment. He had no college education, and his only direct connection to the presidential campaign was as a security guard at two local events."Alchemist1342 17."The most vocal right-wing politicians don't believe an iota of what they're shilling to their constituents. They see their jobs as winning elections, and the easiest way to do that is to appeal to them about social justice issues and use small words and simple language that is easily memorable." sportycoyote73 And finally... 18."Most legislators are not particularly informed on the issues they advocate for. The policy staff in their office does the real heavy lifting." "So, if you have a technical issue you need fixed, just email the policy staff; if it fits, they will work it out. Lots of legislating is just tinkering with existing laws and trying to make them more functional."Anonymous People who've worked in politics What else should the general public know? Tell us in the comments below or in this anonymous Google form. Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity. The lead scientist for NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is excited about material that has been stored in the rover's sample tubes, both dropped on the surface of Mars and contained within the rover itself while wheeling about within Jezero Crater. Given the samples of Mars that Perseverance has collected so far, could one of those specimens be what the rover was sent to look for in the first place: evidence of past microbial life on the Red Planet? The preliminary finding heightens the need for returning these Mars samples to Earth, so that these prized collectibles from the Red Planet can be sent to laboratories for more rigorous analysis. Related: If life exists on Mars, don't count on sample-return missions to find it, scientists say Lively question Caltech's Kenneth Farley, project scientist for NASA's Perseverance Mars rover program, briefed the Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG) during a meeting held May 1315 in Houston, Texas. Tagged "Lefroy Bay," Farley called attention to this sample collected by the Perseverance rover, found to have hydrated silica. Here on Earth, that mineral has the highest potential to preserve signs of ancient life. So a lively question wanting of an answer arises: Perhaps Lefroy Bay carries preserved signs of ancient life on Mars? a close-up of a rock sample, showing flecks of minerals in different colors Paleoenvieonmental conditions "The Lefroy Bay sample and two other samples from the same unit the 'Margin Unit' are onboard Perseverance," Farley told Space.com. "The Margin Unit samples have abundant carbonate and silica, clearly indicating a dominant role for liquid water in their formation," he said. But whether that water was surface water in a lake or river, or groundwater, remains uncertain, Farley added. Either could constitute an ancient (greater than 3.4 billion years old), habitable Martian environment, he said. These samples host phases that on Earth are very useful for establishing "paleoenvieonmental" conditions, Farley noted, and they can also preserve biosignatures. "As such these samples are uniquely important for return to Earth for further study," said Farley. a satellite view of a reddish-brown landscape Objective: set in stone Perseverance is "just about to make a really fundamental transition in the exploration of the environment that we have been working in," Farley explained in his briefing to the ExMAG. "One of the challenges we face," he said, "this is not a great terrain for driving a rover across." So far, the Mars machinery has traversed some 17 miles (27 kilometers) after it was lowered to the area by skycrane on Feb. 18, 2021. The robot's objective is set in stone: "Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith for possible Earth return," explains NASA. But why was the 28 mile-wide (45-kilometer) Jezero Crater picked as the reconnoitering spot for the rover? a reddish-brown landscape of sand and rocks Scientists believe the area was once flooded with water and was home to an ancient river delta. The anticipation is that Jezero Crater is quite literally, "spilling" the beans about its on-again, off-again nature of the wet past of Mars. More than 3.5 billion years ago, river channels spilled over the crater wall and created a lake. What's possible is that microbial life could have lived in Jezero during one or more of those wet periods. If true, evidence of leftovers from those little critters might be discovered in lakebed or shoreline sediments. Rover challenges As for the overall health of the Perseverance rover, Farley noted a couple of issues: For one, loss of wind sensors that are part of the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA), built by an international team led by Spain's Centro de Astrobiologia. "We have largely lost the wind sensors. They are essentially not functioning anymore," he reported. Also, the spectroscopy parts of the robotic arm-mounted Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals, SHERLOC for short, are challenged. That's due to a lens cover no longer working properly. However, there's some preliminary work done suggesting scientists may be able to recover SHERLOC's spectroscopy abilities. "We'll know more about that in the coming months," Farley said. Three Forks depot The rover was dispatched to Mars with 38 tubes that could be used for rock, regolith, and even atmospheric sampling. "We're about two-thirds of the way through the sample collection," explained Farley. The on-duty robot has sampled igneous rocks, mudstone, sandstone/pebble conglomerate, carbonate-silica-olivine, as well as top side Mars sand and snagged a whiff of Martian atmosphere. Earlier in its trekking of Mars, Perseverance dropped 10 sealed sample tubes at a depot location dubbed "Three Forks" in Jezero Crater. The intent is that a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission in the future would pick up sample tubes for rocketing those bits and pieces of Mars to Earth. However, that joint NASA and European Space Agency undertaking is now going through a detailed re-look due to a projected $11 billion price tag and an anticipated, but not satisfactory, time period to pull off such a complicated endeavor. silver metal tubes lying on reddish-orange dust and rocks Stay the course Farley told the ExMAG group that rover operators are working to qualify Perseverance to 55 miles (90 kilometers) of traverse, allowing it to make its way to enlivening landscape. RELATED STORIES: Handle Mars with care: Guidelines needed for responsible Red Planet exploration, experts say How NASA's Ingenuity helicopter opened the Mars skies to exploration NASA, ESA join forces on life-hunting ExoMars rover "There is obviously an enormous amount of uncertainty with what the MSR is going to be. We are waiting to hear how we are going to play a role in that on the Perseverance mission," Farley said. "But for now, we're going to stay the course. We are going to continue to behave essentially as we have so far, with a strong focus on sample collection." Now in the rover's travel itinerary is completing tasks at an area called Bright Angel, then move up onto the crater rim, where the rover can survey fundamentally different geology, added Farley. In ascending the rim, "we will expeditiously complete the sampling. The sooner we get the sampling done the sooner we can all rest easy that we have done our job," said Farley. What happens next for Perseverance is in TBD status. "Maybe we will return to the crater floor to rendezvous with MSR, maybe we won't. It will depend on what actually happens with MSR," Farley concluded. Editor's note: The original version of this story contained this sentence: "In reviewing the samples of Mars that Perseverance has collected, scientists say one tube appears to be packed with what the rover was looking for: evidence of past microbial life on the Red Planet." That is too strong a statement, however; the story was edited at 7:15 p.m. ET on May 20 to replace the above with the following: "Given the samples of Mars that Perseverance has collected so far, could one of those specimens be what the rover was sent to look for in the first place: evidence of past microbial life on the Red Planet?" (KLAS) The person who damaged a 113-year-old historic tower in Californias Death Valley contacted the National Park Service to accept responsibility for their actions. Last week, the National Park Service (NPS) had announced that a salt tram tower in Saline Valley had been damaged on April 19, 2024, after having been used by someone as an anchoring point for a winch, to pull their vehicle out of the mud. In the process, the tower was knocked down. Those with information into the incident were urged to contact NPS officials. The Saline Valley salt tram tower in Death Valley was damaged after someone used it as an anchor to pull out a vehicle stuck in the mud. (Credit: NPS) Several days later, the NPS announced that the person responsible for the incident had come forward via its tip line. We are grateful to the dozens of people who reached out to the park with information and for all the statements of support that we received from people who care about this place and its cultural resources, said acting Superintendent Elizabeth Ibanez in a press release. Although we would certainly prefer that this damage hadnt happened, we are glad that the person who did this ultimately took responsibility for their actions and came forward. Which was the most-visited national park in 2023? The NPS did not identify the person responsible. The agency did, however, explain the alleged circumstances surrounding the incident, saying the driver was stuck deeply in mud, and chose to hook a winch to the tower out of desperation. A photograph shows the Saline Valley salt tram tower in Death Valley before being damaged. (Credit: NPS) The park service is still assessing the damage and determining what restoration will be needed, and said no visitors should attempt to repair it. The latest NPS press release did not detail any penalties the driver might face, though a Death Valley official had previously made mention of possible restitution. Some students will have to pay up after senior prank goes too far, Tennessee school says The Saline Valley Salt Company built the 13-mile aerial tram to transport salt from Saline Valley to Owens Valley in 1911. The tramway, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, climbed more than 7,000 feet at steep vertical grades. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. Peter Doocy Reacts On Fox News After Jen Psaki Says She Never 'Hated' Him There appears to be little bad blood between Jen Psaki and Peter Doocy despite their history of tense sparring in the White House briefing room. Psaki, President Joe Bidens former White House press secretary, discussed her relationship with the Fox News reporter in her new book, Say More. In a recent interview published by The Ankler, she was asked about how she had described him as a constant thorn in her side in the press room. People often ask me, How much did you hate that guy? And Im always like, No, I didnt hate him at all, Psaki replied. I feel like it would be a real mind-bend to work for Fox. It feels like a traumatizing experience he has to live through every day. On Fox & Friends Tuesday morning, Doocy was asked for his reaction to the statement from Psaki, who is now an MSNBC host. He told his colleagues he actually got along with her. When I think back to Jens time here, there were some moments of real tension in the briefing room because the issues of the day were really, really heavy, he said. He added that he was happy to hear her say that. I was raised to be a nice guy. I like to think Im pretty affable, but it goes to show she really liked to fight in the briefing room. She was there to fight for and go on offense for President Biden, he continued. She did her job very well, and it was great doing some briefing room combat with her from time to time. Though the two routinely engaged in headline-makingclashes while Psaki was press secretary, she spoke kindly of him ahead of her departure from the White House in May 2022. While she didnt agree with his line of questioning on most days, she said at the time, I think we have a very good professional relationship. Doocy, for his part, said she had been a good sport and he was sorry to see her go. Related... An imprisoned former senior Trump White House aide is already envisioning Donald Trumps second presidential termand it includes mass deportations. Peter Navarro is serving a four-month sentence in federal prison for refusing to respond to a congressional subpoena during the House Select Committees January 6 investigation. But time in the clink has helped Trumps self-described alter ego iron out the finer details of Trumps presidential politicsfrom international trade and alliances to border security, according to Semafor. The New MAGA Deal documents 100 actions in 100 days, Navarro said, referring to a new book hes working on behind bars. At the top of the agenda of unfinished business is a plan to bring private-sector supply chains and manufacturing back to U.S. soil. American multinational corporations naturally want to offshore American jobs in their search for cheap, sweatshop labor and pollution havens, Navarro said. Thats why God created tariffs. But tariffs and economic restrictions are only the beginning. Within those first 100 days, Navarro predicted that Trump will promise to close the border and force immigrant populations out of the country. Trump will also quickly seal the border and begin mass deportations, Navarro told Semafor, blaming President Joe Biden for importing a wave of crime and terrorism and an uneducated mass to the nation. And any former staff who even remotely opposed Trumps plans during his first term can forget about being invited back to serve the GOP presidential nominee again, according to Navarro. That includes Trumps former chief economic adviser Gary Cohn and former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who Navarro said did everything he could to soften Trumps economic agenda. Instead, only those completely loyal to Trumps vision will have a spot in the forthcoming term. PFAS bill was born in the hope of compromise. Then both sides dug in and it died. A PFAS advisory sign along Starkweather Creek. (Henry Redman | Wisconsin Examiner) A bill to create a number of programs aimed at spending $125 million set aside for PFAS cleanup across Wisconsin has died after a Republican effort to override Gov. Tony Evers veto failed to receive a vote in the Assembly last week. The legislation, authored by Green Bay-area Republican Sens. Robert Cowles and Eric Wimberger, was introduced with optimism from both environmental and business groups that a compromise could be reached and the money, included in the state budget passed last year, could get out the door to assist with cleaning up the harmful chemicals and improving the states research and testing capabilities. At the time of its introduction, environmental groups worried that the bill included language that would weaken the states spills law the mechanism that gives the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) the authority to hold polluters accountable while business groups worried that it might be too punitive to industry. But in the first hearings on the bill, both sides stated they believed a middle ground could be found. After a year of debate, the bill has failed as Evers calls for the Legislatures Joint Finance Committee to release the $125 million without the attached bill. Republicans call this a slush fund and object to giving the DNR so much power. Figures on both sides remain frustrated that the process ended in the current stalemate. For years, lawmakers have been working to address PFAS contamination, which has affected large communities including Madison and Wausau as well as thousands of individual homeowners who get their water from private wells such as in the town of Stella outside of Rhinelander, where the groundwater is contaminated by the forever chemicals. During that time, a number of legislative efforts have failed. PFAS are a family of man-made chemical compounds that do not break down in the environment. Theyve been used in household goods such as nonstick pans as well as certain kinds of firefighting foam and fast food wrappers. PFAS have been found to cause long term health defects including cancer. Loophole? Since the final version of the bill was passed last fall, Democrats and environmental groups have vehemently opposed the legislation, claiming its structure creates a loophole for polluting industries to avoid being held responsible while making taxpayers foot the bill for cleaning up that pollution. The section of the bill that opponents object to is its innocent landowner program, which Republicans say is designed to cover the costs for people who have PFAS contamination on their property through no fault of their own. But the way the bill is written, according to Midwest Environmental Advocates Executive Director Tony Wilkin Gibart, allows for polluters to be defined as innocent landowners. The bill includes a provision that states the DNR may not commence any enforcement action against any person that meets the eligibility criteria for an innocent landowner grant. The bill then makes any person that spread biosolids or wastewater residuals contaminated by PFAS in compliance with any applicable license or permit eligible for the grant. Corporations such as paper companies often have DNR permits allowing them to spread the waste they produce, also known as biosolids, on farm fields. A person also includes a corporate person, it doesnt just mean an individual, and we know that paper mills and other industrial facilities spread PFAS containing biosolids on farm fields, and that is most likely the source of contamination in the town of Stella, Wilkin Gibart tells the Examiner. This would mean that those entities are innocent landowners under the terms of the exemption, that theyre eligible for this grant program, and the DNR could not enforce the spills law against the entities that profited from PFAS that had the ability to know that it was harmful and spread it on farm fields regardless. Republicans disagree with this reading of the bill. Zachary Stollfus, Wimbergers chief of staff, says Democrats are intentionally trying to confuse people with their claims of what the bill would do. Stollfus says it generally isnt the corporate entity itself doing the spreading, but a third-party contractor who would be held responsible. Paper mills are not actually spreading this, biosolids are permitted by the state, then spread by certified spreaders, who haul human waste and paper waste and spread it on farm fields, he says. Its not a corporation or paper mill being let off the hook. Stollfus adds that numerous amendments were made to the bill after hours of discussions with the DNR and conservation groups such as MEA. During the legislative debate, Wimberger pointed to memos from the state Legislative Council that indicate the bill would not be applied in the way Wilkin Gibart alleges. You asked whether a company or other entity that manufactures PFAS would be likely to fall within any of the enumerated categories above, one memo states. The short answer is no. In general, the entities most likely to fall within the eligibility categories listed above include agricultural landowners, wastewater treatment facilities, solid waste facilities, municipal governments, and owners of property near to property on which a discharge occurred. Manufacturers of PFAS are unlikely to fall within any of those categories. But Wilkin Gibart disagrees with the memos on a number of points, First, Wilkin Gibart sees the possibility that a corporate polluter could argue that it owns or leases one piece of property that qualifies under the innocent landowner program and therefore is exempt from all DNR enforcement actions under the spills law. One of the memos states the bill should be interpreted as the exemption applying to only one property, but Wilkin Gibart says even though a judge is unlikely to grant a broader exemption, simply giving the opening for the argument could delay enforcement and cleanup for a long time. Just the ability to make the argument can allow a PFAS polluter to delay responsibility by years, he says. The bill also includes a provision that states for people not eligible for the innocent landowner grants, the department may not commence any enforcement action based on the results of PFAS testing unless the testing shows the PFAS levels exceed a state or federal standard. Wilkin Gibart also says he doesnt believe the memos deal with this broader part of the bill that restricts DNR authority even outside of the innocent landowner program. The questions were asked to perhaps refute specific objections, but not all of them, he said, contending that the memos fall short of addressing the issue. I think there would be no way to say that the provision doesnt restrict the departments enforcement authority against persons who are not innocent landowners. Marines fighting fires with foam But Stollfus questions the political logic of the allegation. Wimbergers district includes Peshtigo and Marinette parts of the state that have been heavily affected by PFAS pollution from giant corporations. Why, Stollfus asks, would a state lawmaker write a bill that would directly prevent his own constituents from accessing relief? Sen. Wimberger represents an area where giant multinational corporations have ruined the groundwater and ruined peoples lives, Stollfus says. The allegation is that somehow politicians, it would be a recipe for success, to let these corporations off the hook. Conservation groups, however, point to the close ties between Republican lawmakers and Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), the states largest business lobby. WMC is currently fighting a lawsuit to prevent the DNR from using the spills law against PFAS polluters. Additionally, Senate Republicans acted to keep an appointee of former Republican Gov. Scott Walker on the states Natural Resources Board, which sets policy for the DNR. That appointee, while holding onto his seat for more than a year after his term expired, helped prevent the creation of a standard that would limit the amount of PFAS that is allowed in groundwater. The carve out for polluters would theoretically not apply if the pollution exceeds a promulgated standard under state or federal law, Wilkin Gibart says. However, we dont have those standards under state or federal law currently, and we dont know when we will have those standards. Groundwater contamination is the top concern of Wisconsin environmental advocates when it comes to PFAS, he adds. The federal government does not set standards for groundwater. The state does, Wilkin Gibart says. The reason that we dont have a promulgated standard under state law is because Senate Republicans stood in the way of that standard. PFAS-contaminated sites During the floor debate last week when Senate Republicans voted to override Evers veto, Wimberger referred to several cases in which he argued the innocent landowner program was needed to prevent the DNR from forcing people to pay for contamination they didnt cause or contamination that happened because the DNR approved the permit. At apartments in Ashwaubenon, the DNR discovered PFAS in the ground first put there in 1952, Wimberger said in a statement. Apartment owners who never even thought of checking for PFAS prior to purchasing the land now find themselves on notice from the DNR they are on the hook. A homeowner in Dodgeville was given notice in 2021 that her property emitted PFAS, likely due to foam extinguishing a fire. A man in Chilton was noticed in 2022 that his property emitted PFAS from an unknown source, yet hes on the hook for cleanup. There are many more, and the notices will likely be in the hundreds of thousands in the coming years. At the Ashwaubenon apartments, DNR records show, a paper mill now owned by Georgia Pacific had used the property to dump industrial waste as early as 1952. Since 2015, the DNR has been working on cleaning up the property for the contamination of PCBs, a different harmful chemical. During that cleanup effort, for which Georgia Pacific is being held responsible, PFAS were found. Wimbergers complaint is that if Georgia Pacific stopped complying or ran into financial problems and couldnt pay for the cleanup, the apartment owners would be on the hook. Similarly, in the Chilton case, Newell Brands is being held responsible for contamination that took place when cookware was made on the property. Right now, Newell is the responsible party, yet the current owner could be held responsible if Newell wasnt, Wimberger argues. Wilkin Gibart says he doesnt see how these examples show the DNR will enforce the spills law against small property owners. That situation doesnt support the idea that DNR is, you know, going out and enforcing the spills law against farmers, he says. Wilkin Gibart points to a report by MEA that found out of more than 100 PFAS cases, the agency rarely took enforcement actions against individual property owners and never against farmers who spread biosolids on their fields. The data suggest that DNR is appropriately exercising its enforcement discretion under the Spills Law, the report states. For example, DNR is not enforcing the Spills Law against farmers or farming operations that accepted biosolids contaminated with PFAS for landspreading on their fields, which has been pointed to as a potentially inappropriate application of the law. These findings undercut calls by legislators and other industry groups to limit DNRs authority to address PFAS under the Spills Law, particularly when such calls to limit DNRs authority have been overbroad and the Spills Law already contains multiple relevant exemptions. Wimbergers third example, the fire in Dodgeville, involves a case in which the attorney for the property owner says nobody will agree to do anything because theyre all afraid theyll get bit in the tuchus. The attorney, John Kassner, is representing the homeowner after a brush fire on her property was put out with PFAS-containing firefighting foam even though the foam is supposed to be used for chemical fires. The Dodgeville Fire Department reported its use of the foam to the DNR and the property owner was named the responsible party because it occurred on her land. The owners homeowners insurance wont pay for the cleanup, but the fire department is also refusing to clean it up. Meanwhile the DNR isnt forcing the owner into any action while a court case on the issue is pending. Kassner tells the Examiner that if the owner collects the foam and puts it in barrels, her property will become an unlicensed toxic waste facility, but theyre having trouble finding a site that will take it. We cant get rid of the stuff, cant collect the stuff and put it on site because were not licensed to have hazardous material on this old farm, and we cant afford the cost to clean up in any event, Kassner says. Were in court, everybody keeps waiting for the Legislature and Governor to agree on something, because it may or may not solve the problem. The problem, Wilkin Gibart says, is even though the fire is unfortunate, the owner doesnt fit any of the bills definitions of an innocent landowner anyway. Legal arguments and legislative strategy Wimberger has regularly argued that the law should not be set up to retroactively punish people for something the state said was allowed at the time. Evers and activists refuse to do what is right unless it holds polluters accountable, Wimberger said in his statement after the bill passed last November. But a law passed today to make something that happened yesterday illegal, is Ex Post Facto. To declare someone guilty through legislation is called a Bill of Attainder. Both are unconstitutional. Evers seemingly demands the unconstitutional in order to act on PFAS. Yet for Wilkin Gibart, this focus on legal theory and issues such as who technically qualifies as an emitter of pollution under state law shows Wimberger is less focused on finding solutions. SB 312 has resulted in a dead end because Sen. Wimberger has appeared to be more concerned with theoretical legal issues and with hypothetical landowners than he is in helping Wisconsinites who have PFAS their water, Wilkin Gibart says. The MEA lawyer also complains about the legislative structure the debate has taken place in. The money was passed in the budget, while the actual programs were introduced separately which he said was only done to avoid Evers line-item veto pen. But Stollfus says thats a complaint that could apply to most legislation especially in a state with divided government and the ability of the governor to line-item veto budget appropriations. Its common practice in states where the governor has a line-item veto pen, money is unattached from bills, he says. If thats their complaint, theres a problem with every bill. Theyre grabbing at straws to find flaws. The post PFAS bill was born in the hope of compromise. Then both sides dug in and it died. appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. (Bloomberg) -- The Philippines is setting its sights on becoming the next manufacturing and logistics hub in Asia, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said, as Manila capitalizes on its growing ties with Washington. Most Read from Bloomberg Under Marcoss administration, the Southeast Asian nation has increased defense and economic engagements with Washington. The U.S. last month pledged to help accelerate investments in transport infrastructure, clean energy and semiconductor supply chains in the Philippines through the Luzon Economic Corridor. These initiatives will enhance freight transport services, mobility and access to key economic zones, ensuring business continuity and positioning the Philippines as a regional hub for agribusiness and logistics in the Asia Pacific, Marcos said at the 6th Indo-Pacific Business Forum in Manila on Tuesday. Marcos said the countrys infrastructure program that includes 185 priority projects worth 9.5 trillion pesos ($163 billion) would help the nation become the next logistics center in Asia. This aspiration puts the Philippines in competition with neighbors that have deepened their push in these areas like Vietnam and Indonesia. Southeast Asian countries, with its pool of skilled and affordable talent, are racing to get a slice of the billions of dollars of investment that may spread out in the region as part of de-risking efforts by the US and its allies away from China. While the Philippines, one of the fastest-growing economies in the region, has opened up more sectors to foreign investors, including renewable energy, it has lagged neighbors in attracting overseas funds to build more factories. Net inflows of foreign direct investments to the country dropped 7% to $8.9 billion last year from 2022. The business forum is part of Washingtons efforts to tighten economic relations with the Philippines, as the allies bolster defense ties amid growing tensions with Beijing over the disputed South China Sea. It comes after last months first-ever trilateral summit between the US, Philippines and Japan at the White House where the long-time allies pledged to grow investment partnerships after rekindling security ties. We believe fundamentally that the prosperity of everyday Americans is inextricably linked to the Indo-Pacific, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink said in the same forum. Marcos said the Philippines is seeking greater participation in global value chains and increased foreign direct investments to sustain economic growth. An economically strong Philippines will be a valuable ally in the region, he added. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. KANSAS CITY, Mo. Dallas police told FOX4 on Tuesday that the photographer who filed a police report against Rashee Rice has signed an affidavit of non-prosecution. The photographer previously alleged Rice punched him in the face in the early morning hours of Monday, May 6 at a Dallas club, but the affidavit signals he wishes to have the case dismissed. Kansas City residents share warning about car warranty company Dallas police said in the same statement that this is still an active investigation. Rice has not been arrested or charged. When the story initially broke, multiple media outlets in Dallas reported that he was being investigated for an incident that happened at Lit Kitchen. The Dallas Morning News said officers went to the nightclub at about 2:30 a.m. on May 6, where a man was sent to a hospital with a facial injury. FOX4 obtained the police report where the photographer told officers he received an Instagram message from Rice to return to the club shortly after leaving an after hours party. He said he was under the impression Rice wanted to hire him to take pictures, but alleged Rice punched him after asking him to look at Instagram messages on Rices phone. As this investigation continues, Rice is reportedly participating in organized team activities. Kansas City Chiefs: Read more stories from FOX4 This is all happening amid Rices ongoing legal trouble related to a six-vehicle crash where an arrest document said Rice was driving a Lamborghini at 119 mph seconds before the crash where hes facing aggravated assault, one count of a collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision causing injury. Beyond the criminal counts, Rice and another crash suspect, Theodore Knox, are also facing multiple lawsuits totaling millions of dollars from victims involved in the other vehicles. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. During the unification fight between Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KOs) and Tyson Fury (34-1-1, 24 KOs), the former Ukrainian WBC welterweight champion Viktor Postol (31-5, 12 KOs) began to worry about the Crimean not because of the cut, but after a powerful uppercut by the Gypsy King. In addition, Postol compared the massive Englishman to King Kong. ADVERTISIMENT According to the former WBC belt holder, he was confident in Usyk's victory on points, but there was a moment during the fight when Viktor began to worry about Oleksandr. "I got excited when Sasha missed one of Tyson's powerful low blows. But the tension subsided a bit after Fury was counted out in the ninth round. Then Oleksandr had the advantage," said Postol. ADVERTISIMENT Not that the critical, but rather dangerous period for Usyk was in rounds five through seven. "Yes, yes. And it was obvious that it was difficult for Sasha to approach him, to get closer because of Fury's size. He's like King Kong, and Sasha looks small against him. It was obvious that he had a very hard time. But Oleksandr coped with everything," the famous boxer added. Earlier, in a conversation with OBOZ.UA, the former Ukrainian champion explained how the referee helped Tyson and why it will be easier for him in the second fight. ADVERTISIMENT It is known that Usyk was hospitalized after the fight with Tyson Fury. Promoter Oleksandr Krasiuk provided details of the boxer's jaw injury. Usyk defeated Fury by split decision 115:112, 113:114, 114:113. After the fight, the British fighter called the war in Ukraine one of the reasons for his defeat. Tyson also expressed his desire to visit Ukraine. It has become known that Usyk will lose the title of absolute world champion by the beginning of summer. This decision angered the British Tony Bellew. ADVERTISIMENT And in England, they started talking about the Gypsy King ending his career after the defeat. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! The shop front sustained huge damage following the burglary A post office in east London has been partially destroyed after burglars reportedly drove a truck into the shop front and stole a cash machine. Petersfield Avenue Post Office in Romford, east London, was targeted by burglars in the early hours of Tuesday morning, police said. A video shows several masked men using a pick-up truck to pull an ATM machine out of the damaged shop. The Metropolitan Police said no arrests had been made. The shop front sustained huge damage following the burglary and goods were left scattered across the road. The road was partially blocked for much of the day and buses were rerouted while police investigated the scene. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Following the release of an investigation last week into her conduct at the state Legislature, Pierce County Rep. Melanie Morgan responded to the allegations in a news release sent out Friday afternoon. The investigation into Morgan, D-Parkland, was launched after her former legislative assistant expressed concerns about the work environment earlier this year, claiming that they were yelled at, mistreated and made to feel isolated after Morgan told them to trust no one at the Legislature. House of Representatives Chief Clerk Bernard Dean, who released the report to news outlets, told McClatchy in an email that pending the outcome of the investigation, he has removed Morgans legislative assistant, suspended administrative support from the House Democratic Caucus, and restricted access to communications staff. I will be working with the Executive Rules Committee over the next several days to determine the appropriate response to the findings outlined in the investigative report, Dean said. According to the news release from Morgan, the report primarily addresses communication challenges and gives context to conversations with the staffer as well as other legislative staff members during the short session earlier this year. Morgan said in the release that serving people in Washington is her highest honor and that she is committed to fostering a positive and respectful work environment for staff and colleagues. The recent report highlights the high-stress nature of our legislative environment and underscores the importance of continuous improvement and mutual understanding, Morgan said. The release also acknowledged Morgans direct communication style, but added that the straightforward approach ensures clarity and efficiency in a fast-paced legislative environment. Morgan also said in the release that she has consistently sought to provide guidance and support to her staff. The investigation into Morgans conduct also noted that the former assistant, who is a person of mixed race, found Morgans focus on their race unwelcome. Morgan allegedly called the assistant Starboy and said the only reason their colleagues accepted them was because of their proximity to whiteness. Morgans news release notes that she is a staunch advocate for dismantling racism and that her conversations about race and equity are part of her broader mission to promote social justice. Her efforts to empower staff members to embrace their identities align with her legislative priorities, the release said. This is the second time Morgans conduct has come into question at the Legislature. An investigation in 2022 found her to have engaged in abusive and bullying conduct. Two years ago, Billy Chemirmir was convicted of murdering two elderly women in Texas and accused of killing nearly two dozen others. The chilling story lies at the center of Paramount+s new true crime docuseries The Pillowcase Murders, which premiered May 14. According to the Associated Press, Chemirmir was accused of preying on older women so he could steal their jewelry and other valuables. A 91-year-old womans survival of an attack in 2018 had led to Chemirmirs arrest when she told police a man had forced his way into her apartment, tried to smother her, and taken her jewelry. Her report also led police to reexamine the deaths of older people across the Dallas area that had happened around that time. What happened to Billy Chemirmir? Chemirmir first faced a capital murder trial for the slaying of 81-year-old Lu Thi Harris, who was found dead in her bedroom with lipstick smeared on her pillow, but it ended in mistrial in 2021, NBC5 reported. He was later found guilty in 2022 of her murder in a retrial. That same year, he was convicted of a second killing in the death of Mary Brooks, 87, according to NBC5. After he was convicted in those two cases, prosecutors chose not to seek the death penalty, according NBC5. Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot spoke to The Dallas Morning News about the decision not to seek the death penalty, saying he considers how long it takes to execute a person and costs of appeals. He added that Chemirmir was going to die in the penitentiary. According to the Associated Press, Chemirmir was found dead in September 2023 in his prison cell in East Texas, where he was serving a life sentence. Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson Hannah Haney said that he was killed by his cellmate, who was also serving a life sentence for murder. According to the Associated Press, Chemirmirs lawyer, Phillip Hayes, said his death was a horrible tragedy. Nobody deserves to be killed at any point, especially when you are in a place youre being held against your will, Hayes said. In October of that year, the Associated Press reported that the Office of the Inspector General had publicly identified Chemirmirs alleged killer as Wyatt Busby and that he had been killed with a knife/edged instrument. Its unclear if officials are seeking charges. Billy Chemirmir (Tom Fox / The Dallas Morning News via AP Pool) What did the alleged victims families say about Chemirmirs death? Chemirmir was convicted in the respective murders of Harris and Brooks, though he was charged with killing 22 women over a two-year span, NBC5 reported. In October 2022, prosecutors dismissed the remaining 20 cases, according to NBC5. Some family members and relatives of Chemirmirs alleged victims expressed both shock and relief at the news of his death. My first response was shock, chills running all over my body, Loren Smith, the daughter of Phyllis Payne, told NBC5 of the moment she found out about Chemirmirs death. Chemirmir was indicted on Paynes 2016 death three years later, according to Dallas Morning News. Grieving families of the alleged victims formed a nonprofit, Secure Our Seniors, to call for reform and new policies in independent living centers to better protect seniors. This was jailhouse justice, Dan Probst, nephew of Catherine Sinclair, said about Chemirmirs death, also according to NBC5. Chemirmir was accused of killing Sinclair, who lived in the same complex as Payne, CBS reported. I dont know if Im happy or sad because there is still so much that our families have been through. My mother died in fear, Shannon Dion, whose mother was another of Chemirmirs alleged victims, said at a news conference, according to the Associated Press. This man did not have a peaceful passing. Theres some relief in feeling that he didnt get off easily. This article was originally published on TODAY.com Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk takes part in a press statement after a joint meeting in the Federal Chancellery. Christoph Soeder/dpa Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Tuesday said he has set up a commission to investigate Russian and Belarusian secret service activities in Poland over the past 20 years. General Jarosaw Strozyk, head of military counter-intelligence, is set to chair the commission. Poland, a strong supporter of Ukraine and a logistical hub for Western military aid for Kiev, has been a regular target of Russian secret services. Tusk on Monday announced that nine suspects had been detained on charges of attempted sabotage. On Tuesday, he said three more arrests have been made, and added that a recent fire at a Warsaw shopping centre which destroyed more than 1,400 shops may have been caused by Russian secret services. Poland's previous government under the nationalist Law and Justice party (PiS) had also sought to investigate the extent of Russian intelligence activities in the country with a commission of inquiry. The controversial commission was tasked with investigating whether officials had made decisions between 2007 and 2022 threatening Poland's security under Russian influence. Critics accused the PiS of using the commission to target opposition politicians for allegedly being Russia-friendly just months before parliamentary elections in autumn 2023. Polish media spoke of a "Lex Tusk" (Tusk law) aimed directly at Tusk, against which hundreds of thousands of Poles protested. Tusk eventually beat the PiS in the last elections. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) Two men are dead following a shooting in the central Las Vegas area, according to police. It happened on Sunday at 12:03 a.m. in the 700 block of West Owens Avenue near H Street. When officers arrived they found a man suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. A medical team arrived later and pronounced the man dead at the scene. Shortly after, Las Vegas Metro police dispatch received a report from an area hospital of an individual arriving there who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. When officers arrived they determined that the man was related to the shooting in the 700 block of West Owens Avenue. The man was later pronounced deceased, police said. According to police, the investigation indicated that before the shooting several individuals were gathered in the parking lot of a business. A verbal altercation between the individuals occurred that quickly escalated into a shooting. Anyone with any information about this incident is urged to contact the LVMPD Homicide Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. Huber Heights city manager Richard Dzik was arrested on OVI charges while driving a city vehicle in central Ohio on Sunday, according to a Mount Vernon police report. Around 12:10 p.m., Mount Vernon police pulled Dzik over on Shalimar Drive due to a left-of-center violation, weaving within his lane, and no county sticker on the license plate. Ahead of the stop, a reckless operation BOLO (be on the lookout call) was placed for the City of Huber Heights Jeep driven by Dzik. >>PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Huber Heights city manager charged with OVI; Emergency council meeting called Monday While talking to an officer, Dzik said he had a couple of beers before leaving the Dayton area, according to the report. The officer noted that Dziks eyes were glassy and his speech was slow. Another Mount Vernon police officer arrived on scene and Dzik agreed to do field sobriety tests. One officer noted that they could smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Dzik, according to the report. Newly obtained body camera footage shows Dzik struggling to follow test directions and maintain balance during the one-leg stand test. Shortly after, Dzik was arrested and transported to Knox County Jail on OVI and traffic violation charges. Officers found a can of twisted tea, a loaded magazine with 18 9mm bullets, and a 9mm unloaded handgun in the Jeep, according to the report. According to a previous News Center 7 report, Huber Heights mayor Jeff Gore called an emergency city council meeting in connection to Dziks arrest on Monday. News Center 7 went to the meeting and learned city council did not decide on any disciplinary action for Dzik. Court documents show that Dzik appeared in Mount Vernon Municipal Court on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for June 5 at 9:00 a.m. and the trial is scheduled for June 26 at 9 a.m. We will continue to follow this story. University of Michigan campus police block an area Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich., where a pro-Palestinian encampment had been set up since late April. Police removed the encampment earlier Tuesday. (AP Photo/Mike Householder) ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) Police broke up a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Michigan before dawn Tuesday, citing a threat to public safety and coming less than a week after demonstrators stepped up pressure by placing fake body bags on the lawn of a school official. Officers wearing helmets with face shields cleared approximately 50 people from the Diag, known for decades as a site for campus protests. Video posted online showed police using what appeared to be an irritant to spray people, who were forced to retreat. UM is not a campground, Sarah Hubbard, chair of the university's governing board, said on the social platform X. At least four people were arrested, which caused protesters to shift to the Washtenaw County jail where they marched outside in support of their allies. We will not stop, we will not rest, a coalition of pro-Palestinian student groups said on social media. The campus encampment was set up on April 22, near the end of the school year and just before families began arriving for spring commencement. Posters taunting President Santa Ono and other officials were also displayed. After the camp was cleared, nearby buildings including the undergraduate and graduate libraries were closed and police turned away students who showed up to study. Ono said in a statement that the encampment had become a threat to safety, with overloaded power sources and open flames. Organizers, he added, had refused to comply with requests to make changes following an inspection by a fire marshal. The disregard for safety directives was only the latest in a series of troubling events centered on an encampment that has always violated the rules that govern the Diag especially the rules that ensure the space is available to everyone, Ono said. Protesters have demanded that the schools endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. But the university insists it has no direct investments and less than $15 million placed with funds that might include companies in Israel. Thats less than 0.1% of the total endowment. Theres nothing to talk about. That issue is settled, Hubbard said last week. A group of 30 protesters showed up at her house on May 15 and placed stuffed, red-stained sheets on her lawn to resemble body bags. They banged a drum and chanted slogans over a bullhorn. People wearing face coverings also posted demands at the doors of other board members. This conduct is where our failure to address antisemitism leads literally literally to the front door of my home, board member Mark Bernstein, a Detroit-area lawyer, said at a Regents meeting last Thursday. Whos next? When and where will this end? As a Jew, I know the answer to these questions because our experience is full of tragedies that we are at grave risk of repeating. Enough is enough. Students and others have set up tent encampments on campuses around the country to press colleges to cut financial ties with Israel. Tensions over the war have been high on campuses since the fall, but demonstrations spread quickly following an April 18 police crackdown on an encampment at Columbia University. Arrests at campuses have surpassed the 3,000 mark nationwide. An encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at Philadelphias Drexel University persisted Tuesday despite an earlier threat by the schools president to have it cleared. University administrators tried to open a line of communication to the protesters but were rebuffed, Drexel President John Fry said in a statement Tuesday. He said city and campus police planned to monitor a rally at the encampment scheduled for Tuesday night. Lecture classes will remain virtual for a third day Wednesday because of the encampment, and some events will have to be rescheduled, Fry said. Many of you have expressed your frustration over our decision to scale back in-person classes and activities. I understand and share your frustration. But please rest assured that we are doing everything we can to return our campus safely to normal operations, he said. ___ White reported from Detroit. Associated Press reporter Michael Rubinkam in northeastern Pennsylvania contributed to this report. A pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Michigan was broken up by police early Tuesday morning, weeks after it was first set up. The school determined the encampment was becoming a safety threat, and students refused to comply and fix the problems, Michigan spokesperson Colleen Mastony said. Following a May 17 inspection by the university fire marshal, who determined that if a fire were to occur, a catastrophic loss of life was likely, and subsequent refusal by camp occupants to remove fire hazards, the university this morning removed the encampment on the Diag, an area that serves as our main quad, Mastony said. But the fire hazards were not the only instances the encampment presented a disruption to the campus, she added. The disregard for safety directives was the latest in a series of troubling events centered on the encampment. Individuals will continue to be welcome to protest as they always have at the University of Michigan, so long as those protests do not infringe on the rights of others, endanger our community, violate the law or disrupt university operations, Mastony said. Removing the encampment occurred a week after some protesters went to the home of a university official and placed fake body bags in their yard, The Associated Press reported. TAHRIR Coalition, a group of student organizations that organized the encampment, denounced the use of police force and said the university put its students safety in jeopardy. This morning @SantaJOno @JordanAckerMI @RegentHubbard used student safety as their reasoning to clear our encampment built in the name of 35,000+ Palestinian martyrs. Students have been hospitalized and arrested, a true sign of how much @UMich cares about student safety, the coalition posted on the social platform X. The coalition also posted videos from the scene of police using pepper spray on students to force them out of the area. The protesters have been demanding the school divest from Israel, but the school argues its endowment has no direct ties to the country. In recent days, encampment participants have also received numerous outreach attempts from U-M administrators and DPSS leadership, asking them to leave. The encampment posed safety risks, both to participants and the community at large, and its presence was in violation of policies and regulations. Its removal was important to help maintain the safety and security of the U-M campus community, said Melissa Overton, public information officer for the Division of Public Safety and Security at the school. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A few years ago, astronomers announced the discovery of an unusual system called KIC 8145411. In it, a white dwarf orbits a Sun-like star every 450 days. ADVERTISIMENT This dwarf is nothing more than the dim, compact remnants of stars that have exhausted their nuclear fuel. The system is a rare example of a self-lensing binary, where the gravitational weight of a compact white dwarf increases the light of its companion star to a very small extent, allowing astronomers to measure the dwarf's mass, writes New Scientist. Scientists have found that it makes up only a fifth of the mass of our Sun. This is extremely small for such a star. This has previously been observed only in systems where a dwarf orbits closely around another star that sucks mass out of it. In KIC 8145411, the white dwarf orbits at a distance slightly greater than the distance between the Earth and our Sun (1 AU), which is too far for a larger star to chip away at the dwarf. Astronomers came to only one conclusion: this star must not exist. ADVERTISIMENT Now, Natsuko Yamaguchi of the California Institute of Technology and her colleagues have taken another look at the system using the Palomar Observatory in California and found a solution. The researchers found that the system contains another Sun-like star that orbits the other two at a distance of about 700 AU. By factoring this new star into the calculations, the team determined a more reasonable mass for the white dwarf - about half that of our Sun. Any planet in a system with three stars would potentially have wild and unusual seasons as it moves through its orbit. However, unfortunately, such worlds are unlikely to be found in KIC 8145411 because they would have been burned up during the formation of the white dwarf. ADVERTISIMENT "If the planet existed, it would probably have been destroyed," Yamaguchi said. Earlier, OBOZ.UA wrote that a team of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered the three oldest stars in the Universe. Scientists say they could have been born simultaneously with the first galaxies. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Police checked on party near Withrow hours before shooting, but didn't break it up About four hours before 18-year-old Lamon Wiggins was shot and killed at a gathering near Withrow High School early Saturday, police responded to the party but did not break up the crowd, Chief Teresa Theetge said Tuesday. The Cincinnati police chief spoke at a press conference Tuesday announcing summer initiatives to curb violence. She reported a 50% reduction in the number of juveniles shot compared to last year, a 5% reduction in overall shootings and a 30% reduction in the number of guns being reported stolen. Theetge also spoke about the party in Hyde Park. Wiggins was a senior at Withrow and had graduated earlier that day. Investigators said a crowd of about 50 people had gathered near the high school when gunfire exploded leaving Wiggins dead. No other injuries were reported and no arrests have been announced. Cincinnati Police Chief Teresa Theetge spoke Tuesday about the department's efforts to curb violence and crime this summer. The shooting occurred around 3:30 a.m. Theetge said police responded to the gathering around 11:30 p.m. after a 911 call. "At that moment, it was a party, a youth party. There was no need to break it up at that time," Theetge said. She said officers handle these situations on a case-by-case basis and when they had checked on the gathering earlier in the evening there was no indication of violence. The Enquirer has requested reports and recordings of the 911 calls related to the incident, but those have not yet been released. Summer safety Last year holds the record for the most teens between 13 and 17 shot in a single year. The city and police outlined their continuing efforts to curb this violence over the summer. Mayor Aftab Pureval said the city wants to ensure "every family has access to a peaceful and thriving community." All 24 city pools will be open this summer, and the Saturday hours will be extended to 11 p.m. at two recreation centers: the Hirsch Recreation Center in Avondale and the Lincoln Recreation Center in West End. The new schedule starts June 8. City Manager Sheryl Long also announced she was forming a youth manager's advisory group to give young Cincinnatians a direct line of communication with city government. The Cincinnati Police Department is holding its Citicamp, for children who have experienced trauma, and its cadet program for youth interested in law enforcement. This summer, the department is also holding a Safe Gun Storage Week in partnership with Whitney Austin who was wounded in the Fifth Third Center shooting in 2018. The city has set up a one-stop place to find resources and activities for kids called Summer in Cincy at www.cincinnati-oh.gov/summerincincy. "We have to keep our foot on the gas pedal," Theetge said. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Chief talks summer safety in wake of killing near Withrow High School Authorities are investigating the cause of a single-vehicle crash that left one man dead Monday night in Hartford. Jacob S. Werner, 24, of Bethalto was a front seat passenger in the vehicle and was pronounced deceased at the scene by a Madison County Coroners Office investigator, according to a news release from Hartford Police Chief Matt Asbury. The vehicle was driven by a 24-year-old Bethalto man, Asbury said in the news release. The crash occurred in the area of Illinois 3 and Rand Avenue in Hartford at about 7 p.m. Monday, Asbury said. Other details about the crash have not been released, and the crash remains under investigation by the Hartford Police Department, the Illinois State Police crash reconstruction unit and the Madison County Coroners Office. UPDATE 7:10 p.m.: A missing woman who was reported missing from the Springfield area has been found safe, JSO said. The Jacksonville Sheriffs Office is looking for 72-year-old Willie Pearl Austin. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Austin has been described as a missing endangered adult from the Springfield area. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] She was reported missing on Mon., May 20, at around 3 p.m. She left the area of 600 W. 8th St. at around 9:30 a.m. and was last seen walking at the 3100 block of North Main St. at about 11:15 a.m. Austin was reported to be showing signs of memory loss and confusion. Austin is 5-foot-1 in height and weighs around 130 pounds. She has brown eyes and grey hair styled in a bun. She was wearing a grey sweatshirt, grey sweatpants, and grey and purple Nike sneakers. If you have information that could lead to the whereabouts of Willie Pearl Austin, you are asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriffs Office at 904-630-0500 or 911. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Police lower the boom on Pasadena man accused of setting off over 150 explosions in two years A Pasadena man has been arrested and accused of setting off at least two explosions last week, and police say he may have been involved in more than 150 total explosions in a small area over the last two years. Art Leon Berian, 63, was charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney with three counts of using an explosive device to destroy property. He was arraigned Monday, and his bail was set at $1.5 million. On Thursday, police were investigating one of the explosions and looking for video of the incident when they heard another detonation and saw a white cloud, authorities said. Police saw Berian's 2013 BMW pulling up to where the explosion occurred. He was taken into custody, and police said they took evidence from his car that was related to the explosion. While most of the explosions over the last two years were not reported to police, the incidents were identified through ShotSpotter technology or by neighbors, police said. There were 14 explosions in a small area near Allen Avenue and Washington Boulevard over the last two weeks. Read more: Police say driver fatally shot after fleeing, then crashing into Tesla: 'Mother of all booms' The manager of Universal Stop smoke shop on Washington Boulevard said the explosions seemed like firecrackers to him. He said he'd heard a few of them over a couple months, and they shocked the clientele of the shop. He thought the explosions were set of by teens driving by. "I hadn't seen the guy. I just heard them," said the manager, who identified himself as Sam B. "Everyone thought it was a gunshot, but I saw it and it looked like a firework." Authorities identified two cars involved in the explosions. Both were registered to Berian, police said. "Miraculously. there have been no reported injuries associated with these explosions," the Pasadena Police Department said in a news release. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Police to get powers to ban disruptive protests under new plans Protest groups that regularly break the law, such as Palestine Action, could face restrictions on their ability to raise funds - MARTIN POPE/SOPA IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK Police are to get new powers to ban protests that are likely to intimidate and disrupt communities under plans being considered by ministers. Chief constables would be able to block marches due to the cumulative disruption and persistent threats to public order caused by protests under changes to laws proposed in a report on political violence. Police forces would be allowed to impose conditions on protests and limit their frequency under changes to public order legislation if they judged that it was diverting too many officers away from fighting crime in local communities. Protest groups that regularly broke the law such as Palestine Action and Just Stop Oil could also face restrictions on their ability to raise funds and their right to assembly under a new system modelled on the Governments list of proscribed terrorist organisations. The proposals are among 41 recommendations drawn up by Lord Walney, the Governments independent adviser on political violence and disruption, in a 291-page report presented to Parliament on Tuesday. It follows complaints that the frequent pro-Palestinian marches through central London have turned it into a no-go zone for Jewish people and fuelled anti-Semitism in the wake of the Hamas terror attack on Israel on Oct 7. James Cleverly, the Home Secretary, welcomed the report, which he said ministers would now consider implementing. It is vital that we take action to manage and limit the impact of protests that descend into violence and disruption, he said. Vile anti-Semitism In recent months, we have seen too often vile displays of anti-Semitism on our streets and aggressive, disruptive tactics deployed by some protesters. Thats why, over the coming weeks, the Government will look at Lord Walneys recommendations on public order and changing the thresholds for imposing conditions on protests and the way in which they are applied. In his report, Lord Walney said the Government should amend the Public Order Act 1986 to expand the grounds on which a police force could recommend a march be banned beyond the current narrow grounds that it risked public disorder. Forces would be able to block a protest where police reasonably believe the procession will likely result in intimidation from threatening or abusive conduct, or where there is a demonstrable cumulative impact on serious disruption. Police would have to take account of the persistence of arrests at protests for stirring up hatred, causing harassment, alarm or distress or support for terrorism. Assessing the cumulative impact would focus on the frequency of repeated demonstrations and failure of organisers to limit disruption to acceptable levels. Changes to the act would also allow police to balance the cost of policing protests with the right to protest and place limits on their frequency if they were judged to disproportionately impact other policing priorities. The report was published as the Governments previous legislation lowering the threshold for police intervention in protest was ruled unlawful in the High Court after a legal challenge by the civil liberties group Liberty. Lowered threshold The Home Office regulations lowered the threshold for what is considered serious disruption to community life, from significant and prolonged to more than minor. The Government is appealing and could rewrite the legislation if it loses alongside any new Bill that it presents as a result of Lord Walneys review. His report also recommended that the Government introduce a mechanism to restrict the activities of protest groups which had a policy to break the law through the destruction of property or deliberately caused serious disruption or injury to the public. Lord Walney said the system would be distinct from the list of proscribed terrorist groups but would sanction organisations which persistently interfered with the rights of others or impeded the proper functioning of democratic institutions or businesses. Sanctions attached to this restriction would include restricting the groups right to assembly and its ability to fundraise, said the report. Central and local government should also commit not to fund, work with or consult groups that advocated illegal action or facilitated intimidation or harassment, it added. It confirmed the Government should develop a mechanism to allow individuals and businesses who could evidence significant personal harm or economic damage from illegal disruptive protest to claim damages from protest organisers. Ministers should also consider the viability of requiring protest organisers to contribute to the policing costs when they held a significant number of large demonstrations which caused serious disruption or law-breaking. Police could get wider powers to use covert surveillance on extreme protest groups that broke the law. Lord Walney also suggested there should be buffer zones around MPs constituency offices, council chambers and defence company sites to protect them from intimidation and threats by protesters, similar to those applied to abortion clinics. We must place liberal principles at the heart of how we protect democracy from coercion Lord Walney Britain's public framework is being severely tested by the weekly drumbeat of marches demanding a ceasefire in Gaza - MARTIN POPE When ambulances and thousands of people are stopped from going about their work by illegal roadblocks, we expect the perpetrators to be met with the full force of the law, writes Lord Walney. When businesses are attacked and employees terrorised in their offices by activists, our social contract dictates that they are treated as criminals. And when protest movements spill out on to our streets in orgies of hatred or intimidation of our elected representatives, we know they must be deterred. It is our failure to, so far, meet those challenges posed by criminal activism which provides the alarming context for the publication of my review into political violence and disruption yesterday. I began my work in the autumn of 2020, after being commissioned by then-prime minister Boris Johnson, and was asked to pay particular attention to the status of far-Right groups, but also the extreme Left, through the prism of the effectiveness of governments understanding and responses to political violence. Over three years I engaged widely with government and law enforcement authorities, including our security agencies, with international partners, academia, civil society, and those impacted by extreme protest movements, lawbreaking, and disruption. I also commissioned polling and focus groups, carried out a formal call for evidence, extensively analysed primary open-source material from extreme organisations and commissioned a new piece of analysis on the ecosystem of the far-Left. There are more than 100,000 words and 41 recommendations, but it is worth me reiterating that the right to peaceful protest is one of the bedrocks of our nation state. Whether its the civil rights movement here in the UK during the 1950s and 1960s, or the 2003 march against the Iraq War, those demonstrations brought dignity, power, and sometimes success, to their causes. We must hold true to those values. Which means we cannot allow chaos to be condoned, intimidation to be tolerated and brute force to win the argument. Noble causes Noble causes such as the battle against climate change have been hijacked by extremist groups determined to bypass democratic norms and cause maximum disruption to society. At the same time hostile states have been emboldened, seeking to sow division in our communities by stoking hatred on our streets. The lack of a sufficient deterrent effect to extreme protest through the courts has been exposed by the actions of militant groups such as Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action, who have seized on criminal sabotage and illegal disruption as their method of forcing their way into the conversation on their chosen causes. During my review I found the influence of far-Right organisations at a relative low ebb, thanks in part to the Governments policy of actively proscribing those who meet the terrorist threshold. Still, while relatively limited in comparison to Islamist terrorism, the violent threat from the far-Right is significantly greater than that from the far-Left - with a Left-wing, anarchist and single-issue terror attack in the UK judged highly unlikely. Nevertheless, I found a serious blind spot in the states understanding of, and focus on, the wider ways in which extreme Left-wing ideology can undermine our democracy. Britains strengthened public framework is also being severely tested by the weekly drumbeat of marches demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. Even more seriously, there has been a level of disorder, anti-Semitic hate crime and support for proscribed terrorist groups at the marches which the police have, at times, appeared unable fully to control. This trajectory should alarm us all and act as a wake-up call to the political establishment particularly those of us on the centre and Left of politics, who tend to have been brought up in and around an environment of lively protest ourselves. The current legal balance is leaving many deeply dissatisfied. Public opinion Polling carried out for this review shows that the Government is out of step with public opinion when it comes to the type of powers needed to maintain order versus the widespread disapproval of protesters using guerilla tactics. By margins of two to one, those polled thought it was unacceptable for protestors to occupy public spaces such as buildings and public transport. By a margin of three to one, they believed it was unacceptable to disrupt peoples journeys by blocking roads and public transport. And defacing public buildings and property was opposed by 93 per cent of those surveyed. It is time for the political world to catch up with the real world and see extreme protest movements as an unacceptable threat to our democracy, not an extension to it. So, what to do. Among my recommendations, one of the key proposals is to give police greater powers to refuse protests where they are causing high levels of cumulative negative impact in a particular area, not simply if they cause substantial risk of a riot on the day the current bar for a ban. I also recommend that government creates a mechanism to restrict the activities of organisations which have a policy of breaking the law to influence government and coerce the public. It would be for a future home secretary to determine which organisations fit those criteria, but I note in my report the extensive ways in which Just Stop Oil and Palestine Action, and other splinter groups, deploy criminal disruption or sabotage in this regard. The Prime Minister should call on the speaker of the House of Commons to convene a process to examine what it will take to enable MPs to go about their work without threat of violence or intimidation. And we should consider strengthening the ability of law enforcement agencies to deploy covert surveillance to detect and stop serious illegal disruption. A sensitive but important area. But changes in the balance of protections must form part of a bigger change of attitude. Those who are lucky enough to play a role in our parliamentary democracy need to be stronger champions of it. That means government and mainstream political parties placing liberal first principles at the heart of how they seek to protect our democracy from coercion. These principles must include upholding parliamentary democracy and the rule of law, defending free expression and the free press, and not supporting or advocating for hostile states and non-state actors. Its now time for action. The integrity of our democracy depends on it. Lord Walney is the governments independent adviser on political violence and disruption Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Do police receive more calls during Spring Bike Rally or Black Bike Week? What we learned Reality Check is a new Sun News series holding those in power accountable, shining a light on local issues, and answering readers essential questions. Have a question or concern we can answer? Email online@thesunnews.com. When Black bikers roll into the Myrtle Beach area over Memorial Day weekend, it has been suggested that an increase in crime comes in with them. Atlantic Beach Bike Fest, also known as Black Bike Week, is one of two motorcycle rallies in May. Spring Bike Rally, which just wrapped up on May 19, 2024, happens for 10 days, while Black Bike Week happens Memorial Day weekend. But with the two rallies, do police respond to more calls at one than the other? The Sun News requested the number of police calls made during the two motorcycle rallies during 2022 and 2023 by Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Horry County police departments using a Freedom of Information Act request. The Sun News was unable to get the number of calls during that time from Horry County. It would have cost $200 to receive that information, according to Horry County FOIA manager Aaron Spelbring. There were more police calls made per day during the Atlantic Beach Bike Fest than during the Spring Bike Rally in both 2022 and 2023, according to the numbers from Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach. But there are a few explanations as to why. While one motorcycle rally did receive more police calls than the other, that does not automatically mean there is more crime. In addition, calls for police service does not mean that a crime was committed. Police could have been called for something as serious as a shooting or as minor as someone was being too loud. Many of the Spring Bike Rally motorcyclists congregate in unincorporated Horry County near Murrells Inlet, while Black Bike Week attendees spend time in North Myrtle Beach. Black Bike Week is during Memorial Day weekend, May 24 through May 27, which is the start of the summer season along the Grand Strand and there are many more people than just bikers coming into the area. The Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally is held over the course of 10 days in 2024, it ran from May 10 through May 19 so attendees may be more spread out and not congregated the same way. Some people on social media have suggested that theres more crime or police calls made during Black Bike Week. There have also been problems with Myrtle Beachs police strategies during the Memorial Day weekend motorcycle rally. Myrtle Beach NAACP president Tiffany Andrews said peoples unconscious biases, or implicit biases or stereotypes can lead them to call police. There is an unconscious bias and that is not just in Myrtle Beach, not just in South Carolina, but in America, Andrews said. There is an unconscious bias when it comes to calls that come into any police station. While it is unclear how many motorcyclists and attendees are at each rally, it is know that the rallies draw thousands to the Myrtle Beach area. Police presence is high at both, but in past years, more police tend to be at Black Bike Week than other rallies. Horry County Public Safety decides how many police officers to send out based on several factors, including anticipated attendance, expected hotel occupancy rate, the number of calls for service made the previous year and the amount of traffic based on numbers from South Carolina Department of Transportation, South Carolina Department of Public Safety, and license plate readers, said Horry County Police spokesperson Mikayla Moskov. How many calls were made in previous years? Myrtle Beach: 2022 Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally, May 13 through May 22: 3,761 calls, average is 376 a day (over 10 days) 2022 Atlantic Beach Bike Fest, May 27 through May 30: 2,241 calls, average is 560 a day (over four days) 2023 Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally, May 12 through May 21: 3,491 calls, average is 349 a day (over 10 days) 2023 Atlantic Beach Bike Fest, May 26 through May 29: 2,109 calls, average is 527 a day (over four days). North Myrtle Beach: 2022 Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally, May 13 through May 22: 1,157 calls, average is 116 a day (over 10 days) 2022 Atlantic Beach Bike Fest, May 27 through May 30: 1,152 calls, average is 288 a day (over four days) 2023 Myrtle Beach Spring Bike Rally, May 12 through 22: 1,379 calls, average is 125 a day (over 11 days) 2023 Atlantic Beach Spring Bike Rally, May 26 through May 29: 1,020 calls, average is 255 a day (over four days). Myrtle Beachs lawsuit for over-policing The city of Myrtle Beach has faced off with the NAACP in court over the number of officers Myrtle Beach has during Black Bike Week. The civil rights group filed a lawsuit against the city alleging racial discrimination in 2018, The Sun News reported. The NAACP said Myrtle Beach used additional police and a traffic detour during Memorial Day weekend, which is when Black Bike Week is held, to deter Black riders from coming to Myrtle Beach. In 2020, a split federal jury ruled that Myrtle Beach was guilty of racial discrimination, but the city also would have eventually started using these tactics even if race wasnt a factor. Myrtle Beach paid a $50,000 settlement to the NAACP. Police release photos of man wanted in home invasion that led to school lockdowns The Milton Police Department has released surveillance photos of the man wanted in a home invasion that led to two schools being put on lockdown miles away in Alpharetta. Police said the home invasion happened around 11:40 a.m. Monday when a man, armed with a gun, broke into a house on Highgrove Club Drive and stole the homeowners Escalade. Two people were home, police said, and one of them suffered minor injuries. Alpharetta police picked up the SUV near Haynes Bridge Middle School and started a chase that ended at the school parking lot. It triggered a lockdown at Haynes Bridge Middle and later at nearby New Prospect Elementary. Police say the suspect never ran toward the school and instead ran toward Big Creek Greenway. The home invasion happened three weeks after a burglary on the same street in Milton. Police are now working to determine if the same suspect was involved in both incidents. TRENDING STORIES: Neighbor Will Virgo grew up in the neighborhood and always considered it a super-safe and close-knit neighborhood. Its unnerving. Its always been a safe neighborhood. Its unsettling, he said. Mike Makuch has lived in the neighborhood for eight years. He says until the recent incidents, he had never seen crime in the area. The first thing I think of is that its not as safe as I thought it once was, because I havent heard of any incidents like that since Ive been here, he said. He now plans to lock his doors and keep watch. Im going to be a lot more careful from now on, Makuch said. Milton police released photos of that man wanted in the home invasion. Anyone who recognizes the man or knows of his whereabouts is asked to call Milton police at 678-242-2614 or call Crime Stoppers at 404-577-8477. RELATED NEWS: Police removed on Tuesday a tent encampment protesting Israel on campus at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, ending one of the longest-running university encampments in the country this year. In a statement, university president Santa Ono said that officials were forced to take action after the protesters refused to remove fire hazards discovered during an inspection last week by a fire marshal. In the early morning hours on Tuesday, May 21, police cleared a tent encampment set up by University of Michigan students who were demanding the university divest from Israel. "The protesters refused to comply with these requests," Ono said. "That forced the university to take action and this morning, we removed the encampment." Just before 6 a.m., university police and security began clearing the encampment, Melissa Overton, a spokeswoman for University of Michigan police, told the Free Press. Overton said that before the action was taken, "officers provided a handout and issued three warnings over a 15-minute period, asking participants to leave voluntarily before being subject to arrest." She did not specify whether there were any arrests or detainments. The Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office said there were some arrests and removals of people, which they did not take part in. While other protest sites across the U.S. were shut down by police or ended voluntarily in recent weeks, the encampment on the Diag kept on going, attracting protesters, some counterprotesters, guests and curious onlookers. That ended this morning. Posts on X, formerly Twitter, by the TAHRIR Coalition, a group of student organizations who helped set up the encampment, show police on-site at the Diag in the center of campus, claiming that pepper spray had been used at one point. The coalition said there were three arrests. An email sent to the coalition was not immediately returned. Overton said university police had repeatedly asked the protesters to leave. "In recent days, encampment participants have also received numerous outreach attempts from U-M administrators and DPSS (Division of Public Safety and Security) leadership, asking them to leave," she said. "The encampment posed safety risks, both to participants and the community at large, and its presence was in violation of multiple policies and regulations. Its removal was important to help maintain the safety and security of the U-M campus community." The tent encampment was set up four weeks ago on April 22 calling upon the university to divest from Israel. It echoed a tent encampment at Columbia University in New York City. While police soon shut down the Columbia encampment and similar protest sites at other universities, police in Michigan initially took a hands-off approach to the encampment in Ann Arbor. But tensions started to escalate after some protesters recently demonstrated outside the homes of some regents, including their chair. Ono said they had no choice but to shut down the encampment. "Ensuring that the campus is safe for students, faculty, employees, university visitors, and protesters is a paramount concern, which is why the university has provided 24-hour security for the encampment over the past four weeks," he said. "Following a May 17 inspection by the university fire marshal, who determined that were a fire to occur, a catastrophic loss of life was likely, the fire marshal and Student Life leaders asked camp occupants to remove external camp barriers, refrain from overloading power sources, and stop using open flames." U-M students chant Occupation No More and Israel Is a Terrorist State as they rally during the encampment for Gaza at the Diag in Ann Arbor on Monday, April 22, 2024. Construction equipment could be seen after 8 a.m. removing parts of the encampment. There was a U-Haul truck at the Diag, with at least one officer with a helmet, face shield and baton standing near a police vehicle parked nearby. More: University of Michigan students set up tent encampment, demand divestment from Israel You can see construction equipment tearing up and removing some of the encampment pieces pic.twitter.com/QI7USAwlaN Dave Boucher (@Dave_Boucher1) May 21, 2024 In his statement, Ono listed other disruptions to campus life caused by the protesters in recent weeks, such as at a ceremony for honors students. "The disregard for safety directives was only the latest in a series of troubling events centered on an encampment that has always violated the rules that govern the Diag especially the rules that ensure the space is available to everyone," Ono said. U-M students set up encampment for Gaza at the Diag in Ann Arbor on Monday, April 22, 2024. Protesters compared their struggle for divestment to the struggles for divestment from South Africa in the 1980s, when demonstrators set up a shanty on campus in Ann Arbor to symbolize the sufferings of Black people under apartheid rule. The state of Michigan passed a law in 1983 calling upon all public universities and colleges in Michigan to divest from South Africa, but the university initially fought the law in court. Divesting from Israel would be challenging since Michigan has a law prohibiting state contracts with anyone who supports divesting from or boycotting Israel. Supporters of Israel have criticized the tent encampment as being unfairly hostile to Israel and at times antisemitic. The regents have said they have no plans to divest from Israel. Some banners at the site read: "Encampment For Gaza! Divest Now!" and "Long Live The Intifada." One banner strung up between branches on a tree read: "Liberated Zone." More: Campus protests against Gaza attacks continue in Michigan amid national crackdown Muslims and Jews conducted prayers at the site and guest lecturers, such as Israeli historian Ilan Pappe, visited the site to speak to protesters. By 8 a.m., police blocked off an area hundreds of yards away from the Diag. At least three large garbage trucks were visible at the Diag, presumably moving away detritus of the encampment. Police and security vigilantly monitored the edges of the area, marked by yellow caution tape. Michigan State Police Lt. Rene Gonzalez referred inquires to university police. State troopers have been seen on campus around the encampment in recent weeks. Today's police action is the latest crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters in southeastern Michigan. Last month, Detroit police ticketed 38 people who took part in a pro-Palestinian caravan, impounded five cars, and arrested four people. On Sunday, police said they detained 10 people protesting against President Joe Biden. U-M students set up encampment for Gaza at the Diag in Ann Arbor on Monday, April 22, 2024. Ono said the university respects free speech, but added: "The university can and must regulate the time, place, and manner of expression to ensure one groups right to protest does not infringe on the rights of others, endanger our community or disrupt the operations of the university." Ono said the protests at the regents' homes on May 15 "went well beyond the lawful exercise of free speech." But some criticized the police raid. It was "absolutely shameful and unnecessary violence," said Sean Johnson, an assistant professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan in a post on X. In the early morning hours on Tuesday, May 21, police cleared a tent encampment set up by University of Michigan students who were demanding the university divest from Israel. Ono called for productive dialogue that doesn't violate the rights of others. "Moving forward, individuals will be welcome to protest as they always have at the University of Michigan, so long as those protests dont violate the rights of others and are consistent with university policies meant to ensure the safety of our community," Ono said. "To be clear, there is no place for violence or intimidation at the University of Michigan. Such behavior will not be tolerated, and individuals will be held accountable." Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: University of Michigan encampment protest removed by police (NewsNation) Police are investigating how actor Matthew Perry obtained the ketamine that ultimately killed the Friends star last year, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to NewsNation. A bystander found Perry, 54, dead in a hot tub Oct. 28 at his Pacific Palisades residence. Perry died before first responders arrived. Toxicology and autopsy results showed the actor died from acute effects of ketamine. Courteney Cox reveals belief about Friends co-star Matthew Perry Drowning, coronary artery disease and buprenorphine effects were contributing factors, according to the report. Buprenorphine is used to treat opioid use disorder. Perry was reported to be receiving ketamine infusion therapy for depression and anxiety. According to the medical examiners report released in December, high levels of ketamine were found in Perrys blood specimens. However, the report noted his last known treatment as almost two weeks prior to his death, meaning the ketamine could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamines half-life is three to four hours, or less. What to know about ketamine Officials, however, are attempting to trace the origin of the ketamine that medical examiners found in Perrys system from the night he died. The police department did not provide further details about the investigation. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. The EU Council has approved the confiscation of profits from Russia's assets in favor of Ukraine. It is expected that this will allow the country to receive 2.5-3 billion euros in 2024 alone, 90% of which will go to the needs of the army. ADVERTISIMENT This was reported by the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the EU. They noted that the remaining 10% will be used to rebuild Ukraine. "The EU Council has approved an agreement on the use of profits from the frozen assets of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in favor of Ukraine. The annual income is expected to be between 2.5 and 3 billion euros," the statement said. For its part, Bloomberg reminded that after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the G7 countries froze about $280 billion worth of Russian assets. Moreover, more than two-thirds of the assets are in the EU, in particular in the Belgian depository Euroclear, "where they have brought about 3.9 billion euros in net profit since last year." ADVERTISIMENT Germany agrees to use Russia's frozen assets in favor of Ukraine At the same time, the German authorities have decided to support the US plan to use the profits from frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine, in particular, to provide a $50 billion loan. This could be a decisive step that will bring Washington and its allies closer to providing a new substantial aid package to the country that is under full-scale attack. According to Bloomberg, the G7 is expected to discuss the issue this week. However, the decision will not be made until mid-June. "German officials are ready to support the U.S. plan to use future proceeds from frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. ... What is at stake is whether the Ukrainian government will be able to remain financially viable until 2025," the statement said. ADVERTISIMENT It is emphasized that in this way, supporters of Ukraine seek to ensure its medium-term financing and "to send a signal to Moscow that support for Kyiv among the G7 allies is not weakening." As reported, US Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery Penny Pritzker explained that the process of confiscating Russian assets will require a collective decision of all countries that have frozen Russian funds in their financial institutions. It will take time, so we should not expect it to happen quickly. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Police seek help in search for missing woman last seen months ago at Boston hospital Police are turning to the public for help tracking down a missing woman last seen nearly five months ago at a hospital in Boston. Jillian Ann Woods, of Boston, was last seen on Saturday, Jan. 22, at Tufts Medical Center, the Boston Police Department announced Tuesday. Woods is described as about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, about 117 pounds, with brown hair shoulder-length hair. Police noted that Woods could be in Concord or Leominster and that she suffers from mental health and substance abuse issues. Anyone with information on Woods whereabouts is urged to contact 911 or detectives at 617-343-4328. Anonymous tips can also be shared by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494 or by texting the word TIP to CRIME (27463). Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has conceded that Russian special forces could be responsible for the burning of a retail mall in Warsaw earlier this month, but urged people not to speculate until the investigation was completed. Source: Tusk at a press conference on 21 May, writes TVN24, as reported by European Pravda Details: Commenting on the status of the investigation into the fire in the Warsaw shopping centre, the president of the Polish government encouraged people not to speculate "about which of the incidents in Poland are possibly the result of the activities of foreign services, in particular Russian and Belarusian." However, he notes, "the activity of Russian services, especially those that collaborate with Belarusians, is high, and one should not delude oneself." "Today, we have the right to assume this may be the wrong word, but we are following the strings that the Russian services are tied to the higlh-profile fire on Marywilska Street, and the investigation is ongoing," Tusk emphasised. The Prime Minister of Poland committed to keep the public updated on the investigation's progress, and he also announced state support for entrepreneurs affected by the fire. On 12 May, a massive fire broke out at Warsaw's shopping centre. Tusk previously stressed that no evidence suggested a foreign involvement in this occurrence. It should be noted that this is not the only case of arson in European countries, and some states, particularly Lithuania and Estonia, have publicly presumed that Russia is responsible in similar cases. Support UP or become our patron! Political notes: New adventure for DeMarco, new chief at energy agency and a message in the mud Jamie DeMarco, right, pictured earlier this year with sponsors and advocates of a bill that would have forced polluters to pay for climate damage. DeMarco is about to take a new direction in his advocacy career. Photo by Josh Kurtz. Jamie DeMarco, the Maryland director of the regional Chesapeake Climate Action Network and a second-generation Annapolis lobbyist, is about to embark on a new, adjacent professional journey. Beginning Aug. 1, DeMarco will move over to the environmental groups advocacy organization, the CCAN Action Fund, to simultaneously work on two independent expenditure campaigns this election season: one to defeat former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and elect Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks (D) in Marylands U.S. Senate race, the other to bolster President Joe Bidens reelection in Pennsylvania. Ill be spending the entire fall working to get them elected, DeMarco said. Im really looking forward to it. Organizing is at my core. Then, shortly after Election Day, DeMarco will step away from CCAN to launch his own State House-focused lobbying shop, DeMarco Advocacy. He has already lined up his current employer, CCAN, as a lobbying client, and hopes to land a few others before the 2025 General Assembly session. Three or four clients from nonprofits is really what Im looking for, especially in year one, DeMarco said. Im really excited to live and breathe Annapolis. Ill be working on the same issues, representing some of the same people, but in a new role. DeMarco has been with CCAN since 2020 and has also done climate advocacy with a national group, the Citizens Climate Lobby. He has also worked for the Maryland Clean Energy Jobs Initiative and with the Friends Committee on National Legislation. DeMarcos dad is the legendary Vincent DeMarco, the longtime health care and gun safety advocate in Maryland. CCAN is sifting through applications to replace DeMarco as its Maryland director. More energy personnel news The Maryland Energy Administration has a new chief of staff. The state agency that promotes clean energy development has hired a veteran government administrator and environmental advocate Jennifer Aiosa to replace Christopher Rice in the top staff job. Jenn Aiosa will bring to the Maryland Energy Administration a rare blend of experience and understanding on issues relevant to the mission of this agency, said Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul G. Pinsky. Her deep knowledge as an administrator and a scientist position her remarkably well to help keep us on path as we charge toward our mission. Aiosa most recently served as director of government affairs for Baltimore County, where she previously was the chief sustainability officer. She also was the executive director of the nonprofit organization Bluewater Baltimore; director of conservation programs for the Chesapeake Conservancy; and senior scientist with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. Aiosa has served at the Maryland Department of Planning as director of policy and planning research and worked for the Department of Natural Resources. The Maryland Energy Administration provides exceptional policy expertise and critical financial tools necessary for meaningful statewide impact in the fight against climate pollution. I am truly excited to be joining this dynamic and growing team working toward such important goals, Aiosa said. Rice, who has been with MEA in various capacities for 19 years, including the past five as chief of staff, is moving to Sustainable Energy Advantage, a renewable-energy market, policy, strategic and financial analysis consulting firm. A message only a mudder could love For the second year in a row, a group of Maryland state legislators and friends competed in the annual Tough Mudder competition last weekend in Philadelphia, which may best be described as a series of difficult athletic challenges and obstacle courses, including a 5K race, through mud. A message T-shirt worn by members of the Maryland General Assemblys team that competed this past weekend at the Tough Mudder competition outside Philadelphia before the shirts encountered any mud. Photo courtesy of Del. Lorig Charkoudian. This years team was led by Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Montgomery) and included Dels. Elizabeth Embry (D-Baltimore City) and Caylin Young (D-Baltimore City), in addition to an assortment of other state officials and advocates. This year, the Maryland team wore message T-shirts, in case any Pennsylvania legislators or other Keystone State policymakers were on hand. The shirt described the combatants as Relentless, Gritty, Graceful, Intense. Underneath that, the message read, Join us in RGGI! That was, it turned out, a subtle policy plea. RGGI, for the uninitiated, stands for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program that enables participating mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states to auction off carbon credits every three months to power plants powered by fossil fuels, to compensate for the plants pollution. Maryland uses the auction proceeds to fund clean energy initiatives, which are funneled through the Maryland Energy Administration. But Pennsylvania officials have wavered about whether to join the regional alliance, and a court there threw out an RGGI rule late last year which is why Maryland officials decided to use the Tough Mudder to apply a little pressure. We cheered about RGGI as often as we could, Charkoudian reported in a text Monday. She said it was tongue-in-cheek but leaving all the good RGGI energy in PA, if you will. Asked how people responded to the T-shirts, Charkoudian conceded that shes not sure anyone other than the Maryland mudders understood it. The post Political notes: New adventure for DeMarco, new chief at energy agency and a message in the mud appeared first on Maryland Matters. Officials from the EU and Ukraine are pushing to begin formal accession negotiations as early as June 25, Politico reported on May 21, citing its undisclosed sources. According to the news outlet, intense diplomacy is being undertaken aimed at convincing the Hungarian government to drop their objections to Kyiv's membership in the bloc. Hungary is the only EU country to have maintained close ties with the Kremlin since the launch of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Budapest has repeatedly opposed sanctions against Moscow and obstructed EU support for Kyiv. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claimed last November that Ukraine was "light years" away from joining the EU, despite the fact that the European Commission published its official recommendation on Nov. 8, 2023, that Ukraine was ready for talks to begin. An unnamed EU diplomat told Politico that Hungary may be keen to get the issue resolved before it takes over the six-month rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in July. Earlier this month, President Volodymyr Zelensky said he expects to begin accession negotiations to start in June. "We are actively preparing the next stage of rapprochement with the European Union for June - we anticipate the adoption of the negotiating framework and the actual start of the negotiations on Ukraine's accession," Zelensky said in his evening address on May 9. "Our country, our people deserve this," Zelensky added. "It is the lifeblood of the European Union to be a European project that leaves no one outside the EU, no one who truly professes European values." Also on May 9, Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, said 2030 is a very real date for Ukraine to join the European Union. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola also announced during a visit to Kyiv on May 9 that official negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU should begin before the end of the first half of 2024. "Introductory negotiations must begin as quickly as possible and I am optimistic that EU member states can approve the negotiating framework in June," Metsola said. "As you know, the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the EU begins on July 1, so it is important to make the necessary decisions before that, during the Belgian presidency." Read also: Hungary vetoes Council of Europe resolution supporting Ukraines peace formula Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Politico: US may announce new military aid package for Ukraine this week The U.S. may announce a new military aid package for Ukraine later this week, Politico reported on May 20, citing two unnamed American officials. Neither the value of the aid package nor the weapons it could include were disclosed. After six months of delays, the U.S. Congress approved a $61 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine in April. The Pentagon announced on April 26 that it was ready to move forward with sending $1 billion worth of weapons to Kyiv from U.S. stockpiles. Another defense aid package for Kyiv worth $400 million was authorized on May 10. The Pentagon said that it will likely take some time before new aid effects are felt on the battlefield. In the meantime, Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine. Moscow's forces had managed to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the region but had been halted by the first line of defense, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Over the winter months, Ukraine suffered a critical shortage of artillery shells, in large part due to delays in U.S. military aid. Russia has taken advantage of this, taking the city of Avdiivka in February. "Every decision to which we, then later everyone together, comes to is late by around one year," Zelensky told Reuters on May 20, adding that Western partners have been deliberating key decisions on military aid for Ukraine for "too long." Read also: Austin at Ramstein: US has already delivered many of Ukraines top priority requirements Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. James Elliot Davis II, of Ponte Vedra Beach, is being indicted for a fraud scheme involving COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment, the United States Attorneys Office announced in a news release Monday. Davis faces bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and mail theft charges. From March 2018 through 2022, Davis ran an alleged medical supply company called Medisale, Inc., according to court documents. The United States Attorneys Office said Davis managed to get more than $7 million invested into the company by falsely representing significant profits from the sale of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment. He also falsely claimed to have contracts with hospital CEOs and hospitals to sell large amounts of N95 masks and other Personal Protective Equipment, according to the news release. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] There were no such contracts, and the company made no true revenue from the sale of Personal Protective Equipment. Davis used the money to pay off debts and for personal expenses, like a membership at a Ponte Vedra Beach luxury club and $27,000 in custom clothing. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] The 35-year-old faces years in federal prison, including up to 30 years for each count of bank fraud. Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. Pope Francis remarked that climate change is a road to death and has gotten to a point of no return during an interview aired Monday evening. Unfortunately, we have gotten to a point of no return. Its sad, but thats what it is. Global warming is a serious problem, Francis said in a CBS Evening News interview with Norah ODonnell. Climate change at this moment is a road to death. Francis said countries with the highest fossil fuel emissions are the greatest contributors to the worlds climate problems, urging action and brushing off the promised progress from international climate treaties. They are the countries that can make the most difference, given their industry and all, arent they? But it is very difficult to create an awareness of this, he said. They hold a conference, everybody is in agreement, they all sign, and then bye-bye. But we have to be very clear, global warming is alarming. The pope has repeatedly warned world leaders over the threat of climate change. Last year, he said the U.S. is irresponsible due to its excess carbon emissions. We can state that a broad change in the irresponsible lifestyle connected with the Western model would have a significant long-term impact, he said in October. He also planned to address the COP28 climate conference in Dubai last year, but he had to cancel due to health concerns. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Pope Francis says the climate crisis has "gotten to the point of no return" as the planet continues to see the effects of global warming and world leaders have an even greater responsibility to take action. "How worried are you about climate change?" CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell asked Francis during a historic interview in Vatican City. "Unfortunately, we have gotten to a point of no return. It's sad, but that's what it is. Global warming is a serious problem," Francis replied. "Climate change at this moment is a road to death." Francis said wealthy countries reliant on fossil fuels are contributing to the problem. "They are the countries that can make the most difference, given their industry and all, aren't they? But it is very difficult to create an awareness of this. They hold a conference, everybody is in agreement, they all sign, and then bye-bye. But we have to be very clear, global warming is alarming," Francis said. Climate change is a topic Francis has been vocal about, from denouncing climate change skeptics to urging politicians to make "radical decisions" to protect the planet for future generations. In 2015, Francis became the first pontiff to address a joint meeting of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he called on U.S. lawmakers to take "an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature." Francis was scheduled to speak at the COP28 climate summit in November but had to cancel due to illness. He became the first pope to issue official Vatican documents on climate change, warning in 2023 that the world in which we live "is collapsing and may be nearing the breaking point." On Earth Day this year, Francis wrote a message on social media saying, "Our generation has bequeathed many riches, but we have failed to protect the planet and we are not safeguarding peace. We are called to become artisans and caretakers of our common home, the Earth which is 'falling into ruin.'" Watch more of the pope's in-depth discussion on climate change and other topics in the CBS prime-time special "Pope Francis: The First," in the video above and streaming on Paramount+. Pope Francis: The 60 Minutes Interview Saying goodbye to season 56 and to a man who made 60 Minutes better for 35 years Martha Stewart on how to throw a garden tea party Pope Francis on his health and whether he'd ever retire Pope Francis' predecessor was the first pontiff in about 600 years to retire, but Francis says he has no plans to resign, and is even considering a possible trip to the U.S. In a historic Vatican City interview with CBS Evening News anchor and managing editor Norah O'Donnell, the 87-year-old leader of the world's nearly 1.4 billion Catholics said the idea of stepping down has never occurred to him. "Maybe if the day comes when my health can go no further," Francis said. "Perhaps because the only infirmity I have is in my knee, and that is getting much better. But it never occurred to me." Francis, who took on the papacy in 2013 at the age of 76, now uses a wheelchair, but he described his health as "fine." Past health problems for Pope Francis As one of the oldest popes in the Church's history, Francis has dealt with several health issues, including the flu and two rounds of intestinal surgery. The pope also only has one full lung. Francis, who is from Argentina, had "a good part" of an infected lung removed when he was younger, according to his authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin. In "Life: My Story Through History," a memoir released earlier this year, Francis wrote about hospital stays and medical treatments, saying he knows that people speculate about the next conclave and a new pope. "Relax. It's human. There's nothing shocking about it," he writes. Last year, the pope was hospitalized for three days for what the Vatican called bronchitis, but the pope later described it as a case of pneumonia. Pope Francis also had abdominal surgery last June to repair a hernia and remove painful scarring. Benedict XVI, the pope who retired in 2013, cited his declining health before stepping down. He died in 2022 at age 95. No plans to slow down, with a possible U.S. trip in the future Pope Francis has kept a busy schedule over the past decade, traveling to more than 60 countries. He has trips scheduled to the Far East and Belgium. In September, Francis is scheduled to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. The Belgium trip is also scheduled for September. Francis said he may also visit the United States, "depending on whether I have to go and speak at the United Nations." He added, "It's a possibility. I'm not certain." O'Donnell asked what he would want to talk about there, and Francis replied, "If I go, it is to talk about peace." The possible trip is one of the many topics the pontiff addressed in the CBS prime-time special "Pope Francis: The First," in the video above and streaming on Paramount+. Pope Francis: The 60 Minutes Interview Saying goodbye to season 56 and to a man who made 60 Minutes better for 35 years Martha Stewart on how to throw a garden tea party Three restaurants in South Mississippi scored a failing C on their health inspections since May 11 for having no certified manager to oversee kitchen safety or for other violations. Restaurant owners in Mississippi must provide a copy of the food safety managers certificate, showing they received the necessary training. The restaurants cited are: Churchs Chicken at 2321 Pass Road, Gulfport, had a corrective follow-up inspection May 16. It was cited for: No certified manager Food not separated and protected Plumbing not installed with proper backflow devices This is the sixth C at the restaurant since 2020. 5 Stars Fast Mart, 11617 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport was inspected May 14 for a permit renewal. It was cited for: No certified manager No person present who demonstrates knowledge and performs duty Corrected during the inspection were: Adequate hand washing facilities supplied and accessible Food contact surface cleaned and sanitized This was the first C dating back to 2022. Big Daddys Soul Food to Go at 2605 25th Ave., Gulfport, had a scheduled inspection May 17. It was cited for: Improper cold holding temperatures A corrective follow-up inspection held May 18 showed the violation corrected and the restaurant received a B. This is the second C since 2021. Restaurants and other food service establishments in Mississippi are rated A if they pass the health department inspection, B if all violations are corrected during the inspection and C if the violations are critical. Most restaurants, kitchens and food trucks inspected since May 1 in South Mississippi had no violations, with 169 scoring an A, 38 a B and 8 a C. Belgian officials insist that official talks on Ukraine's accession to the European Union begin in June. Behind the scenes, EU and Kyiv diplomats are working intensively to persuade the Hungarian government to agree to start negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the bloc. ADVERTISIMENT The diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the goal is to start official talks as early as June 25. This was reported by Politico. Belgium is confident that the start of negotiations will strengthen the morale of Ukraine, which has been fighting a full-scale Russian invasion for more than two years and has long sought to join the European bloc. To date, both Brussels and Kyiv have continued intensive bilateral diplomacy with Budapest to resolve the issue of Hungarian minorities in Ukraine. After the April talks between the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andrii Yermak, and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, the parties noted the positive dynamics of the dialogue. In particular, Kyiv responded to the 11-point list presented by Budapest and is awaiting Hungary's reaction. ADVERTISIMENT The European Union fears that Hungary will interfere with the negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the EU before it assumes the six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council in July. Therefore, Belgian diplomats are eager to start negotiations on Ukraine's EU membership before Hungary takes over. For this to happen, EU countries must agree on a so-called negotiation framework. The two diplomats said that so far, talks on the technical level are going well, and they expect a new draft to be sent to EU ambassadors in the coming weeks so they can address the most pressing issues. Belgian officials have already scheduled an intergovernmental conference for June 25, just days before Budapest takes over the six-month EU Council presidency. However, one diplomat warned that it is not yet possible to predict whether the talks will take place in June. ADVERTISIMENT As a reminder, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that our country has now done everything possible to ensure Ukraine's accession to the European Union and NATO. He predicts that the talks in June should be productive. As previously reported, the agreement on Ukraine's membership in the European Union should not have any territorial restrictions, just as the Association Agreement with the EU did not. The European Commission has a special procedure that provides for a recommendation regarding countries where part of the territory is not under state control. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Portland Public Schools has narrowed down its search for a new superintendent. On Tuesday, the school district announced that its Board of Education had cut the number of candidates from five to just three. What to know before casting your ballot for Oregons primary election District officials named Vancouver resident Kimberlee Armstrong as one semifinalist. She has more than 25 years of experience in public education, as the current deputy superintendent for Evergreen Public Schools and former chief academic officer for PPS. Additionally, Armstrong previously held associate superintendent and assistant superintendent positions with school districts in Santa Rosa and Marin County, Calif. PPS reported she has a doctorate of education from the University of Washington and two masters degrees in business administration and teaching from the City University of Seattle. (L-R) PPS Superintendent finalists Paul Cruz, Kimberlee Armstrong, Iton Udosenata, May 21, 2024 (PPS) Salem-Keizer Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Iton Udosenata is another candidate who is still in the running. Before becoming the Salem districts deputy superintendent, he worked as its assistant superintendent of secondary education from 2020 to 2023. MultCo commissioners views diverge over scathing EMS audit Udosenata was also a principal for North Eugene High School and Cottage Grove High School. The University of Oregon graduate has a doctorate in educational leadership and a masters in education. According to PPS, he has worked in public education for 20 years. The only non-local candidate remaining, Paul Cruz, is based in Texas. He formerly served as Austin Independent School Districts chief of schools, and later became its superintendent. His resume also includes a superintendent position with Laredo Independent School District. Cruz now holds two positions at the University of Texas at Austin, as a professor of practice and co-director of the cooperative superintendency program. He has a doctorate of philosophy in educational administration from the university, as well as a masters in science educational administration from Corpus Christi State University. PPS said Cruz has worked in public education for over three decades. Man dies after early morning Southeast Portland shooting The district is hosting an event at Grant High School on Tuesday, May 28, in which the semifinalists will present opening remarks and respond to questions from the community. Interested attendees can RSVP or submit questions online. The chosen candidate will replace Sandy Husk, who was appointed as interim superintendent in early January after former Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero announced his departure in December 2023. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. DENVER (KDVR) Poudre School Districts board voted unanimously Monday to drop a plan that would have led to the closure or consolidation of several campuses. Cheers erupted from the audience after the 7-0 vote, which ends any planned school closures or consolidations for the 2025-26 school year. The Board of Education called an emergency meeting to address the issue. Colfax Marathon runners almost hit by high-speed driver fleeing police Ive heard the community say, and Im trusting the wisdom of this community, that we will work together to find solutions to keep all of our schools open, Board of Education President Kristen Draper said before the vote. So, I am very hopeful that this community will stand by that promise and if the district were to ask for a mill levy override, that our community will deliver for all of our students. There are all different types of tools in the toolbox that we can use so that we dont have to lay off teachers and custodial staff and paraprofessionals. None of them. Weve got many different alternatives to doing that, Director Conor Duffy said. Blevins Middle School students, whose campus was among three slated for certain closure under the plan, led a walkout on Monday afternoon in protest. Middle school student protesters with signs Poudre School District leaders and the Board of Education have said the closures and consolidations were necessary because of declining enrollment and budget reductions in per-pupil funding from the state. The proposal sparked pushback from parents across the school community of 30,000 students. Beattie Elementary, Johnson Elementary and Blevins Middle were set to close under the proposal, with several other schools under consideration for the same, but all proposals are off the table after Mondays vote. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. NAPERVILLE, Ill. A West Chicago man accused of selling cocaine to an undercover police officer in Naperville has been denied pre-trial release. 29-year-old Jeremy Soto, who has been charged with three counts of manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance, made his first court appearance on Tuesday morning, according to DuPage County States Attorney Robert Berlin. Cicero man accused of opening fire on car with 5 people inside During his court appearance, Judge Joshua Dieden granted the States motion to detain Soto pre-trial. Pre-trial release has been denied for 29-year-old Jeremy Soto who allegedly sold cocaine to an undercover police officer in Naperville on two separate occasions. According to prosecutors, Soto allegedly sold cocaine to undercover officers on two separate occasions in downtown Naperville. Prosecutors say the first sale allegedly occurred on May 6, when Soto sold 2.5 grams of cocaine to an undercover officer. Two weeks later, on May 20, Soto allegedly sold 27.9 grams of cocaine to another undercover officer. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Soto was taken into custody following the second sale and during his arrest, prosecutors say he was allegedly found to be in possession of 21 individually wrapped baggies, which contained about 20 grams of cocaine. Any day we are able to get a suspected drug dealer off the streets is a good day for DuPage County, Berlin said in a press release. Durg dealers care nothing for their victims, society or the rule of law. They care only about lining their pockets at the expense of others. Soro is set to appear before Judge Daniel Guerin for arraignment on June 10. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. President Joe Biden will be stopping in New England on Tuesday, with a pair of visits scheduled in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. White House officials said in a statement that Bident will travel first to Nashua, New Hampshire where he will deliver remarks on the PACT Act at the Westwood Park YMCA. The president will then travel to Boston and participate in two campaign receptions. The two events in Boston are scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The president is scheduled to fly out of Boston just after 8:00 p.m. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Roughly 20 per cent of people in the Solomon Islands are infected with scabies - SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images In Britains primary schools, nits are the infestation everyone worries about. But in the Solomon Islands they are fighting a very different microscopic mite. The Pacific nation has one of the worlds highest rates of scabies, a parasitic infestation caused when tiny mites burrow into the skin and lay their eggs. At best, the neglected disease triggers itching and a distinct, bumpy rash. At worst, it can lead to secondary bacterial infections, septicemia, heart disease and kidney problems. Across the lush archipelago, roughly 20 per cent of people are infected. But it is children that are the worst hit. Weve been to schools and found that 50 per cent of kids have scabies, in some places, said Dr Susanna Lake, a manager at the World Scabies Program, adding that it stops children sleeping at night or concentrating in the classroom. Its just incredibly itchy it has a significant impact on quality of life. But there is mounting optimism that the Solomons may soon knock out the disease. Children are the worst-hit by scabies across the archipelago - SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images In June 2022 the government, in partnership with the World Scabies Program, launched an ambitious initiative to roll out the antiparasitic drug ivermectin to the entire country just over 700,00 people across hundreds of islands and atolls. Now, the Solomons is in the throes of the second round of mass-treatment. These programs, known as mass drug administration (MDA) in global health parlance, are not uncommon; the approach has been used to tackle conditions from elephantiasis to trachoma, dubbed the disease of thorns. But the Solomon Islands was the first to embark on a nationwide scabies MDA, building on the success of smaller trials across the Pacific, where the disease is extremely common. We conducted a survey in 2021, and found scabies is so prevalent its endemic, Oliver Sokana, a member of the tropical diseases unit at the Solomon Islands Ministry of Health and Medical Services, told the Telegraph. MDA is the first stage to controlling the spread of the infection. He added that the disease is linked to poverty and overcrowded living conditions, plus poor hygiene and sanitation issues that have persisted for generations. I can recall when I was a boy, I had many times scabies, Mr Sokana said. Now, it is a priority for the government to tackle this. An infamous pandemic drug In the first round, it took six months and hundreds of healthcare workers to deliver two tablets, one week apart, to people across all 10 provinces. In some places, health workers brought together close-knit communities in a single space to hand out the drugs, in others they went door to door. In March, a second round of MDA was launched to ensure coverage is as high as possible; the target is to squash scabies prevalence to less than five per cent. The aim is to get to a manageable level, so that if someone does get scabies they can go and get treated and stay treated, said Dr Lake. She added that the mite which spreads through prolonged skin contact thrives in packed classrooms and playgrounds. At the moment, if youre a child in a remote village and your parents make the effort to take you to the nearest clinic you can get treatment, come home, go back to school. Then the next day they could easily get scabies again from their classmates. Thats why we want to treat everyone at the same time, to knock it out completely, Dr Lake said. The program uses ivermectin a drug that became infamous after it was proposed as an alternative coronavirus treatment during the pandemic. But while it is not at all effective for Covid-19, it is extremely good at killing parasites; after two tablets, it wipes out the mites and their eggs. The tiny creatures cannot survive without a human host, which means the program is effectively wiping out the reservoir of disease. The initial dose kills the mites, said Dr Lake. But it doesnt penetrate the eggs and so seven days later, once those eggs hatch, we give a second treatment to make sure none are leftover. The disease is linked to poverty and overcrowded living conditions, plus poor hygiene and sanitation - SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images Previous clinical trials have shown the potential of this approach. In one study published in Lancet Infectious Diseases in 2019, which distributed ivermectin to 26,000 people in Choiseul province on the Solomons, rabies cases fell from 19 per cent to just two per cent a year after MDA. But the region achieved extremely high coverage, which is much harder to do when rolling out a drug to nationwide, 700,000 people on well over 100 islands. We have already noted benefits [of the nationwide rollout], there has been a slight drop in the prevalence of scabies, said Mr Sokana. There are all sorts of local challenges, we need a lot of planning and to mobilise resources. But the government has made this a priority. Were doing the second round [of MDA] now, and we hope that decline will become very significant, he said, adding that they will pause to assess the outlook and determine whether more rounds are required. But Mr Sakana is optimistic that the childhood scrooge, thought of as a Victorian disease in Britain, will soon be history in the Solomons too. Scabies affects the younger population it affects their education, it affects their health, it affects their social mobility. Once we complete the scabies MDA, the benefits are going to be huge for people, he said. We anticipate that this will be quite transformative for our country, for our health system, and for individual futures. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) A Prichard man pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of second-degree rape, according to court documents. Aniahs Law hearing for Tyquan French reveals new info in Stockton shooting Mobile County Circuit Court documents show Dammon Raphael Jones, 35, pleaded guilty to the raping of a child less than 16 years of age and more than 12 years of age. Dammon Raphael Jones (Photo courtesy of the Mobile County Sheriffs Office). Defendant waived trial by jury, withdrew plea of not guilty and entered a plea of guilty to the charge of Count 2 Rape 2nd Degree Child less than sixteen years of age and more than twelve years of age, the court document said. Jones was also facing a charge of first-degree rape, which will no longer be prosecuted following the guilty plea, documents said. Jones will serve five years in a jail-like facility, followed by five years of formal probation, News 5 has learned. Theodore meth dealer receives prison sentence: USDOJ Pending good behavior, his sentence will expire at the end of his probation, or he will have to serve another 15 years in prison to meet the 20 years recommended by the state. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRG News 5. Amid the flurry of Joe Biden versus Donald Trump headlines, one could be forgiven for forgetting Kentucky has its own consequential primary election with candidates for state, federal and local offices on the ballot. The period for early in-person, no excuse absentee voting began Thursday and wrapped up Saturday, and the state portal to request an absentee ballot by mail is closed. If you havent taken advantage of either of those options, and still want to vote in the primary, you have until polls close at 6 p.m. local time Tuesday, May 21. To get caught up on the candidates, look back on the Herald-Leaders coverage of the primary, including candidates profiles and a guide to finding your sample ballot. One additional thing of note, Kentucky is a closed primary state, which means you must be registered with a particular political party to vote in that partys respective primary election. If you are not, you can still vote in nonpartisan races if you are eligible. If you need help finding your polling place, weve got you covered with a step-by-step guide below. Sign up for our Bluegrass Politics Newsletter A must-read newsletter for political junkies across the Bluegrass State with reporting and analysis from the Lexington Herald-Leader. Never miss a story! Sign up for our Bluegrass Politics newsletter to connect with our reporting team and get behind-the-scenes insights, plus previews of the biggest stories. How do I find my polling place in Kentucky on Primary Election Day? The easiest and quickest way to figure out where you vote is to visit the states Voter Information Center at vrsws.sos.ky.gov/VIC/. At that state website, and youll be asked to submit some personal information, including your first and last legal name and your date of birth. The address you have on your voter registration determines your polling location. If your address is out of date maybe youve moved to Fayette County from somewhere else in the state or you just havent updated your registration you should speak with an election official. In addition to precinct locations, Fayette County voters can cast their ballot at any of the Lexington Public Library branches, which are serving as voting centers Tuesday. Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. local time. If you are in line by the time polls close, you will be allowed to cast your vote. Remember to bring your photo identification. Do you have a question about the 2024 election in Kentucky for our service journalism team? Send us an email or submit your question with the Know Your Kentucky form below. The prince and the coup plot: How German 'Reichsburger' came to trial Heinrich XIII, who goes under the title Prince Reuss of Greiz, is led by police officers to a police vehicle after arresting him while searching a house as part of a raid aginst so-called "Reich citizens". Boris Roessler/dpa A high-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany is set to begin on Tuesday, with nine people, including alleged ringleader Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, standing trial in Frankfurt. They are accused of having been members of or having supported a terrorist organization that had been preparing to topple Germany's democratically elected government. Here's a chronology of events and the prosecutors' case against them, from the organization's beginnings to the alleged plans to storm the parliament building in Berlin and the current major terrorist trials. July 2021 A terrorist organization is founded by suspected members of the "Reichsburger" network. So-called "Reich Citizens" believe that the modern German republic illegitimately replaced the German Reich that was founded in 1871 and continued under the Nazi regime until 1945. They reject the legitimacy of Germany's modern federal state and its laws. The new group's aim is to violently replace the current state order with its own form of government. The alleged ringleader is 72-year-old Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss. August 2021 The organization starts planning the coup, including storming the parliament building in Berlin with an armed group to arrest German lawmakers. The group also begins recruiting military personnel, procuring equipment and organizing weapons training. From mid-April 2022, a smaller circle of the group continues with the coup preparations. September 2022 The terrorist group's plan is to storm the parliament building with up to 16 people. The former Berlin judge and former lawmaker from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, shows some of her fellow coup plotters around the government district, according to documents from the Federal Court of Justice (BGH). One of the participants takes photos and videos of the Paul Lobe building - which houses the offices and meeting rooms of lawmakers - as well as underground tunnels leading to other buildings, including the parliament, and the interior of the plenary chamber of the Bundestag. December 2022 In one of the largest police operations against extremists in Germany, a total of 25 suspected Reichsburger are arrested on December 7. The federal prosecutor's office accuses them of having formed a terrorist organization. In addition to ringleader Prince Reuss, the detainees include Malsack-Winkemann and a soldier from the Special Forces Command (KSK) of the German Armed Forces. May 2023 The number of suspects rises to 63. Twenty-six men and women suspected of having been part of the group around Reuss are held in custody. August 2023 Security authorities seize weapons and ammunition amid the investigations into the group, including 362 firearms, 347 cutting and stabbing weapons and tens of thousands of pieces of ammunition. December 2023 On December 11, 2023, the federal prosecutor's office brings charges against 18 people before the Higher Regional Courts of Frankfurt and Munich. The accusations include membership of or support for a terrorist organization and preparation of a highly treasonous enterprise. In addition, charges of attempted murder are brought against nine other people before the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court. March 2024 One defendant from the group, only named as Norbert G. under Germany's strict privacy laws, dies in hospital ahead of the start of the trial. He was arrested on December 7, 2022, but had been spared detention since the beginning of January 2024, reportedly due to illness. April 2024 The first trial against alleged conspirators surrounding Reuss begins in Stuttgart. It is the first of three mammoth trials involving members of the group and one of the largest terror trials in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. The trial starting on Tuesday and involving Reuss himself is the second, and another is due to begin in Munich. An alleged defendant is brought into the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court building by SEK officers ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Andreas Arnold/dpa A London judge has denied Prince Harry's request to expand his phone hacking lawsuit against The Sun's publisher. The recent ruling prevented Harry from including allegations against Rupert Murdoch and Piers Morgan, as well as claims involving Meghan Markle and Princess Diana. However, Harry was allowed to add other allegations. The expanded case will proceed to trial in January 2025. Other claimants' requests were largely denied. UK Judge Denies Prince Harry's Bid To Expand His Lawsuit MEGA A UK Judge has denied Harry's request to expand his lawsuit against The Sun's publisher, barring him from including allegations against media mogul Murdoch and presenter Morgan. Before the ruling, Harry's legal team sought to sue over claims that Murdoch and other top executives were involved in concealing and destroying evidence of illegal information gathered by journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers (NGN). According to The Hollywood Reporter, the proposed amendments aimed to include allegations that The Sun ordered private investigators to target Markle in 2016. Additionally, the Duke of Sussex's bid to extend the case's timeline to 1994 and 1995 to encompass allegations involving his late mother, Princess Diana, was also rejected by Judge Timothy Fancourt of the High Court, who deemed it "too late." The Judge Gave Prince Harry Permission To Include Other Allegations MEGA Although Judge Fancourt's decision denied Harry several of his requested amendments in his continued legal battles against British tabloids, he permitted the royal to add allegations against others allegedly involved in using unlawful methods to obtain royal information. However, Fancourt dismissed claims that Murdoch "turned a blind eye" to misconduct, stating they didn't significantly contribute to the existing claims against NGN. He noted that the claims already encompassed individuals like James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks, former editors at News of the World and The Sun, respectively. UK Tabloid Says Its Position Has Been 'Thoroughly Vindicated' By Court Ruling MEGA The now-defunct NGN has refuted any claims of illegal activities occurring at The Sun, and following Judge Fancourt's decision, an NGN representative stated that the court's ruling "thoroughly vindicated" their stance. "At a hearing in March 2024, the Claimants sought to introduce wide-ranging allegations into their pleadings. NGN argued that a number of these were irrelevant to the fair and just determination of claims and had nothing to do with seeking compensation for victims of phone hacking or unlawful information gathering," the statement read, per THR. It continued, "The Court in its Judgment today has thoroughly vindicated NGN's position and did not give permission to introduce large and significant portions of the amendments." UK Tabloid Suggests Claimants Make Allegations To Grab Headlines MEGA NGN attorneys have previously accused certain claimants of using the case to launch attacks on the press, suggesting that some of the proposed changes were intended "to grab headlines and not to progress the individual claims." In a statement, NGN commented: "Lawyers for the claimants work with convicted phone hackers and employ anti-press campaigners and activists who seek to use the claims to make allegations within the protection of open justice principles." Since The Guardian revealed the phone-hacking scandal that resulted in the 2011 shutdown of the News of the World, NGN has settled more than 1,300 claims but has continually denied any unlawful information gathering at The Sun. Prince Harry's Court Battle With UK Tabloid To Go To Trial In January 2025 MEGA According to The Guardian, After the ruling, claimants expressed satisfaction that the court had "granted them permission to amend their case in relation to a number of significant issues vigorously opposed by NGN." These included the "lies told by its senior executives to the Leveson inquiry [and] NGN's deliberation concealment and destruction of evidence with the knowledge of its most senior executives, including Rupert Murdoch's own 'trusted lieutenants.'" The expanded case is scheduled to go to trial in January 2025. The recent court development involving Harry comes after the duke and his wife, Meghan Markle, returned to the US following a three-day tour of Nigeria. The West African country's Chief of Defense Staff, Christopher Gwabin Musa, invited them to the country, and they were treated to a somewhat royal reception, including a military parade and exquisite dinner reception attended by the who's who in Nigerian society. Nazrin Abdul Azerbaijan's Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov extended an invitation to his Uzbek colleagues to attend the COP29 event in Baku, Azernews reports. Minister Jabbarov emphasised the importance of Uzbekistan's participation in this significant event, extending a cordial invitation to join the discussions in Baku. "We consider important the participation of our Uzbek colleagues at this unique platform in terms of significance, scale, and connection with this event; we once again invite them to Baku," the minister noted. "In November, the COP29 event - the next UN climate conference, will be held in Baku. Our country is committed to protecting the environment. Azerbaijan's selection as the host of COP29 demonstrates our active role in the development of global discussions on climate change and sustainable development." The minister also emphasised this commitment at the forum. Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov highlighted Azerbaijan's active engagement in global dialogues concerning climate change and sustainable development during the II Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum. The possibility of Russia launching an offensive on Sumy region after Kharkiv is not completely ruled out. First of all, the occupiers may take this step to distract Ukrainian forces from other areas. ADVERTISIMENT The defense forces in the Sumy region are ready for such a development, and the defense in the area is being further strengthened. This was stated by the spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Andrii Demchenko, on Radio Liberty. He is convinced that, as in the north of Kharkiv region, the invaders may become more active and launch an offensive on Sumy region. "We can never rule out the possibility, and I emphasized that this includes the Sumy direction. The enemy can attackat any time even though it does not have sufficient forces, to try to do something similar to what is happening now in the Kharkiv direction. It is done in order to stretch the front line, the line of active hostilities, and to distract the defense forces of our country," Demchenko emphasized. ADVERTISIMENT According to the SBGSU spokesperson, each component of the defense forces has its own area of responsibility in the Sumy sector, they all act in a coordinated manner, and defense in this area should be further strengthened. "As long as we have such a neighbor, of course, we need to be prepared for any situation. And we must continue to build up our defense capabilities... We must also understand that the length of the border with our enemy is quite large. It is more than 560 kilometers in the Sumy region alone. And, in fact, even involving the forces we have, which we can involve there, we must keep our defense strong because the enemy is superior in terms of equipment, munitions, and personnel, unfortunately," Demchenko emphasized. Earlier, ISW assessed what is behind Russia's massing of forces on the border with Sumy region: in the Kursk region, understaffed and scattered units totaling about 10,000 occupants have been assembled. The analysts believe that even such a grouping will probably achieve the desired effect of attracting and entrenching the Ukrainian Defense Forces in another area of the international border. ADVERTISIMENT Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! Prince Harrys bid to include claims against media mogul Rupert Murdoch and broadcaster Piers Morgan has been rejected by Londons High Court. Harry along with more than 40 other plaintiffs is suing Murdochs U.K. newspaper business News Group Newspapers over claims of phone hacking and unlawful news gathering. More from Variety The plaintiffs had applied to amend their lawsuit to include new claims against Murdoch and Morgan, who worked for the now-defunct NGN newspaper News of the World in the mid-1990s, claiming Murdoch new about unlawful activity at his newspapers as far back as 2004. NGN has vociferously disputed this. Now a judge has said claims against Murdoch would effectively amount to a new lawsuit and cannot be folded into the current litigation. Prince Harry was also denied permission to include allegations dating back before 1996 and after 2011 (the period for which many of the phone hacking claims have already been dealt with in either criminal or civil courts). According to Reuters, Harry wanted to widen the timespan of his suit to include articles about his mother, Princess Diana, published in the mid-1990s as well as those from 2016 when he began dating his now-wife Meghan Markle. Harry has claimed NGN newspaper The Sun hired private investigators to target Meghan. Judge Fancourt, who is presiding over the case, did allow Harry to make some amendments to his claims, however, including adding allegations about bugging and accusations against more individuals. At a hearing in March 2024, the Claimants sought to introduce wide ranging allegations into their pleadings, a rep for NGN said following the judgment. NGN argued that a number of these were irrelevant to the fair and just determination of claims and had nothing to do with seeking compensation for victims of phone hacking or unlawful information gathering. The Court in its judgment today has thoroughly vindicated NGNs position and did not give permission to introduce large and significant portions of the amendments. Reps for Prince Harry didnt respond by press time. The case is scheduled to go to trial in Jan. 2025. Best of Variety Sign up for Varietys Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Title icon The Scene Federal prison consultant Sam Mangel regularly fields requests from Peter Navarro, his client and former economic adviser to ex-President Donald Trump, to help other inmates navigate the legalities of their incarceration. Its part of Mangels job advising mainly white-collar criminals on how to deal with life behind bars. He spent 20 months in prison after being charged in 2016 in an insurance fraud scheme, and now uses his knowledge of the prison bureaucracy to help inmates get into certain facilities, obtain coveted jobs while they are there, and nab spots in programs that can shave time off their sentence. Navarro was sentenced to four months in prison for defying subpoenas in the congressional probe of the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol, and is serving time at a minimum-security facility in Miami. Given Navarro is 74, Mangel found him work at the air-conditioned law library there. Peter is constantly sending me questions to answer for other inmates, said Mangel, whose clients include politicians, high-profile crypto executives whom he declined to name, and doctors. He is also teaching them about economics and politics. Mangel, who is based in Florida, talked about his unusual job and how he helps the well-heeled try to make the best of their time in prison in the edited conversation below. Title icon The View From Sam Mangel Gina Chon: How would you explain what you do? Sam Mangel: People have called me a prison concierge. I bifurcate what I do into two parts. The first part is pre-sentencing, and thats trying to help my clients understand what theyre going to be facing. Clients who are very, very high profile, theyre the most challenging. When theyre first charged, they feel they didnt do anything wrong, or that the big bad government doesnt have a case against them. And a lot of egos tend to get in the way. Denial is the biggest problem to overcome. I explain that 98% of all government charges in federal matters lead to a conviction, including through a plea. Would you walk into a casino where you know those are the odds against you? They need to understand what is going to happen to their life. Youre going to get fired from your banks, youre going to get fired from the credit card companies, from your private banking relationships. If you are a father and a husband, you have responsibilities to your family. And you need to start preparing now. The second part is after they have pled or been found guilty, explaining certain programs to them that can take time off their sentence, what kind of facility would be best for them. And then Im with them until they get out, whether thats in a few months or 10 years. Q: You are seeing high flying CEOs and politicians at one of the lowest points of their life. How do you help them deal with that aspect of it? A: Its about removing the fear. I always tell a defendant, its a lot easier on you going into prison. Youre going to get three meals a day, a place to sleep. Youre going to have a lot of time to work out and take care of yourself. Its much more difficult on the family, the loved ones you leave behind. They have the financial responsibility. They have the social responsibility, and the stigma. Q: How are business or political celebrities treated in prison and what do they do with their time? A: Theyre looked up to. A lot of the younger inmates put them up on a pedestal. They want to hear their stories. If you were in crypto, inmates want to learn as much bitcoin and finance. With Peter Navarro, a lot of people want to know about Trump and politics. White-collar individuals tend to write a lot of business plans when theyre in prison. People dream. Semafor Logo Private equity ownership of behavioral health providers is growing nationwide, though Oregon is below the average, an Oregon Health & Science University study found. (Getty Images) Private equity firms now own up to a quarter of behavioral health practices in some states, according to a new national study by researchers from Oregon Health & Science University, the University of Pennsylvania and Yale University. But private equity ownership of outpatient and residential behavioral health facilities in Oregon is lower than the national average, the study found. In the big picture, private equity investors are showing an increased interest in behavioral health, even though this health care sector is notorious for low profit margins. Private equity firms invest other peoples money, usually with an incentive to make large profits on a short term basis akin to flipping a house. In the health care industry, the growth of private equity has raised eyebrows, as policymakers worry that physicians and their patients will lose the ability to make the best choices possible in a push for short-term gains. The study makes no determination about whether private equity ownership affects a patients access to care or its quality. It all comes down to what kind of care theyre providing, said Dr. Jane Zhu, the studys lead author and associate professor of medicine in the OHSU School of Medicine. If these firms are expanding to increase access for people who otherwise wouldnt be able to receive behavioral health treatment, that could be positive. Some studies have shown that when corporations or private equity investors buy out a health care company that patient care suffers. As an example in Oregon, officials at Oregon Medical Group in Lane County, told patients this spring they had to go elsewhere because their doctors had left the practice. As The Oregonian/OregonLive reported, that followed the purchase of the practice by Optum, Inc. in 2020. For the university study, researchers combed financial databases to identify behavioral health practices acquired by private equity investors between Jan. 1, 2012 and July 31, 2023. They found 6.2% of mental health facilities were acquired by private equity investors and 7.1% of addiction treatment facilities were nationwide. That translates to 642 mental health clinics and 1,152 addiction treatment clinics nationwide with private equity ownership. The states with the highest private equity ownership rates were Colorado, Texas and North Carolina, where private equity investors owned about a quarter of all mental health treatment practices. Oregon is on the low end: Just 2.3% of the states mental health outpatient and residential facilities were private equity-acquired as of July 2023, the study said. And 4.6% of the states addiction treatment facilities were private equity-owned, the study said. Thats three mental health facilities and 11 addiction treatment facilities statewide. The differences in states is partly because of factors like the regulatory systems and demand for services, Zhu said. The findings point to a trend happening in health care overall, she said. Its sort of a microcosm of whats happening more broadly in the health care system, Zhu said. Theres an increase in investors that are sort of managing health care services and that has a lot of unknown impacts, not only on the care delivery and the prices that patients bear but also on the providers themselves. Policymakers continue to keep an eye on the issue and monitor the role that private equity plays in health care, Zhu said. That all sort of comes to a head in behavioral health because were currently in a behavioral health crisis, particularly in Oregon, Zhu said. We have such an access gap in Oregon, and so its going to be very, very important for us to understand how these pressures investor pressures are affecting long-term outcomes in this state and elsewhere. Private equity bill in Legislature Private equity in health care has attracted attention in the Legislature. In the last session, House lawmakers passed House Bill 4130, which would have prevented private equity firms from controlling medical practices and dictating patient treatment or hiring decisions. That bill, which stalled and died when it failed to advance in the Senate, would have excluded behavioral health providers, telemedicine providers, hospitals and long-term care facilities. The bills chief sponsor, Rep. Ben Bowman, D-Tigard, said he plans to bring the bill back in the 2025 session. In an interview, Bowman said legislators would likely need a separate bill if they wanted to pass a proposal that would apply to behavioral health providers. Not all private equity is bad, but it poses problems if physicians and patients are hampered in their care and decision-making, he said. It is part of a larger national private equity pouring into the health care space, he said. To me, the important question is: What is being bought in exchange for that investment of capital? And if that investment leads to boardrooms controlling physicians and controlling patient care, that is incredibly alarming. The post Private equity investment in Oregon behavioral health lags national average, study finds appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. UC Santa Cruz workers and pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate in front of campus Monday. Academic workers walked off the job in protest of the UC's handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) As hundreds of striking academic workers walked a picket line at UC Santa Cruz on Monday, alleging the University of California's response to pro-Palestinian demonstrators has been hostile, a group of protesters moved their encampment across campus. Protesters relocated their days-old encampment including tents and sleeping bags to the entrance of the university along High Street to be closer to the striking academic workers, who allege their free speech rights were violated when peaceful demonstrations at other campuses were met with violence. "Long live the people's university," read some of the signs erected near more than two dozen tents erected near the campus entrance. Another read, "No one is free until we are all free." The strike, which was announced Friday, is the first in a potential series of labor actions at colleges across the UC system. Union leaders claim the response to campus protests amounted to unfair labor practices and are demanding that UC officials negotiate with pro-Palestinian demonstrators. The strike was voted on by members of United Auto Workers Local 4811, which represents about 48,000 graduate student teacher assistants, tutors, researchers and other academic workers. Read more: UC academic workers' strike begins as pro-Palestinian activism enters new phase On Monday, students and other pro-Palestinian supporters moved their encampment across campus, joining striking workers along the main road to UC Santa Cruz where they would be more visible. A large pile of pillows and sleeping bags, moved from the old encampment, sat atop a tarp that had been placed on the ground Monday afternoon at the new location. "We want to put more pressure on the UC," said a media liaison for protesters known as Shiv, a first-year politics major at the university. "Now we're ready to move and to force them to pay attention to us." Striking academic workers picket at UC Santa Cruz on Monday. (Jessica Garrison / Los Angeles Times) UC officials have called the job action illegal, arguing that academic workers have a valid contract with a no-strike clause. They have filed an unfair practice charge against the union. The strike comes amid an onslaught of campus encampments set up by students and other demonstrators, who have, at times, occupied college buildings while calling for an end to Israel's military attacks in Gaza. In California, some of those encampments have been cleared with a significant police presence. At UCLA, more than 200 people were arrested in a smoke-filled clash with police that spanned two days. At UC Irvine, law enforcement agencies from across Orange County wearing riot gear dismantled a camp and arrested 47 protesters. Police also were called to take down encampments at UC San Diego, Cal Poly Humboldt and USC. By contrast, demonstrators at UC Riverside and UC Berkeley reached agreements with university officials to take down the camps without any police interaction. Read more: Photos: Tensions grow as pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses continue Students at UC Davis have managed to keep their encampment up for nearly two weeks without any clashes with the university. Protesters at UC Santa Cruz have remained on campus for about three weeks. "I am appalled by what Israel is doing to Palestine," Shiv said Monday. Some student groups that have taken part in the encampment applauded the strike and noted on social media they would join workers on the picket line. One of them, Justice in Palestine, called on the union to authorize more strikes. "The path forward is clear: UAW 4811 must immediately call a strike at all University of California campuses," the student group posted Monday on Instagram. Group members called for a divestment from Israel and amnesty for those involved in negotiations. "This must be a strike for Palestine," they wrote. Striking workers are demanding that UC officials negotiate with pro-Palestinian demonstrators and grant amnesty to those who might face disciplinary action. As part of their reason for the strike, the union cited an attack on demonstrators at the UCLA encampment and the arrest of union members there. Union officials called the incident "an assault on our fundamental right to free expression." Posts on social media suggest that the strike might spread to other UC campuses, including UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Davis and UC San Diego. Read more: UC officials charge that academic workers' strike over pro-Palestinian protests is illegal On campus, some students said the climate has been "a bit tense." "It can be a little frustrating or stressful not having the [teaching assistants] there and the uncertainty of not knowing what our grades are going to be," said Lux Morgan, 18, an art and design games and playable media major. "I am in full support of what they are striking for. The use of police violence is really not OK." Jesse Johnson, 19, a marine biology major, said he also supports the protests even with the uncertainty about his grades. "I think it will work out in the end," he said. "I can't imagine they would necessarily punish students." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Your procrastinators guide to voting in the 2024 primary election in Kentucky Forgot there was a primary election in Kentucky today? You might not be alone. Though this years no-excuse early voting period drew more voters than 2023, Secretary of State Michael Adams said recently he doesnt expect a strong turnout for the May 21 primary. Early voting concluded across Kentucky Saturday, May 18, and election officials processed more voters during the three-day period than last year, according to Adams. In a tweet, he reported 75,204 Kentuckians voted during the in-person, no-excuse period, a total that doesnt account for excused early voting and mail-in balloting. 75,204 Kentuckians took advantage of no-excuse early voting in this primary election, up from 72,754 in May 2023. Like last year, most early voters were Republicans, but there's nothing political about choosing the voting method most convenient for you. Michael Adams, KY Secretary of State (@KYSecState) May 20, 2024 Adams has encouraged widespread use of the early voting period as it faced potential legislative repeal this year, though the bill attempting to do so was defeated. The light turnout expected Tuesday will likely mirror equally low participation in past primaries, but should lend itself to short wait times at the polls, Adams said. In Fayette County, fewer voters requested mail-in ballots for this primary than last year, County Clerk Susan Lamb told the Herald-Leader last week. Around 1,800 county residents made plans to vote that way this year, down from more than 1,900 in May 2023. If you still need to cast your ballot, or you simply prefer to do so on Election Day, heres what you need to know to make sure your vote is counted. When are polls open on Primary Election Day in Kentucky? Polls in Kentucky are open statewide from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time, meaning polls in the far western part of the state will close an hour later than those on Eastern Standard Time. All voters in line by 6 p.m. will be able to cast their ballot. In addition, secure county dropboxes for mail-in ballots will also close at 6 p.m. How do I find my polling place in Kentucky? On Election Day, voters must generally visit their assigned precinct to cast a ballot. Counties that offer vote centers offer an exception, however. If your county offers a vote center or centers, any registered voter in that county can also cast a ballot at one of those locations. You can use the states online polling place locator tool to see voting locations by county. In addition to 135 polling places, Fayette County is offering vote centers this year at all six Lexington Public Library locations. The vote centers will be open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., just like regular precinct locations. You can also visit govote.ky.gov to research your voter registration and polling place. Do I need to be registered to vote in Kentucky to cast a ballot? Yes, to vote in the primary, you must have been registered in the state no later than April 22. Additionally, the state conducts closed primaries, so you can only vote in the primary of the party you are registered with. You cannot change your party affiliation on Election Day and must have been registered with the party as of Dec. 31, 2023. Can I still vote early? Can I still return my mail-in ballot? Early voting has ended in Kentucky and you cannot get an absentee-by-mail ballot at this point. However, if you already requested a mail-in ballot, you still have time to return it. It must be postmarked or delivered to your countys dropbox by 6 p.m. Tuesday. You can also return it in person at your clerks office or a polling place if necessary. Do I need a photo ID to vote in Kentucky? Yes, you need photo identification to vote in Kentucky. The states voter ID law has been in place for several election cycles, and there are a variety of IDs that qualify. If you do not have a valid photo ID, visit your polling place and speak with an election official about your options. Does Kentucky have accommodations for voters at polling places? Yes. Under Kentucky law, voters with a disability, those who are blind or visually impaired and those who cannot read or write English have the right to assistance when casting a ballot. If you require assistance to fill out your ballot or another accommodation to fulfill your right to vote, you or your representative should speak with an election official or contact your county clerks office. Those in need of assistance at the ballot box are entitled under the law to assistance from an individual of their choice or two election judges working the polling place. What is on the ballot May 21? Where can I research the candidates? A slew of primary races are on Tuesdays ballot, including congressional, state house and senate, judicial and other local primaries. If you need to get caught up, be sure to check out the Herald-Leaders comprehensive Voter Guide, our candidate endorsements or this how-to on finding candidate information and sample ballots. Whats the weather going to be like for Primary Election Day in Central Kentucky? Tuesday is expected to be warm and sunny in Lexington, according to the latest seven-day forecast from the National Weather Service. The high is expected to be near 88 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds around 7 to 9 mph. A chance of rain doesnt return to the forecast until Wednesday. Dry and sunny weather is expected today and Tuesday. Daytime highs in the upper 80s with overnight lows in the 60s. #kywx #inwx pic.twitter.com/K4TMs2UvTq NWS Louisville (@NWSLouisville) May 20, 2024 Where can I find race results Tuesday night? The Herald-Leader will be following Primary Election Day across the state all day online at kentucky.com and its various social channels. Starting at 6 p.m. EST, we will offer live election results from the first returns. Do you have a question about the 2024 election in Kentucky for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com. A dog smells a voting dropbox after its owner dropped off a mail-in-voting ballot during primary voting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) A centrist candidate who has vowed to be tough on crime was leading in the race for top prosecutor in Oregons Multnomah County, home to Portland, in a contest that was seen as a referendum on voter concerns over homelessness, public drug use and disorder. Nathan Vasquez led incumbent District Attorney Mike Schmidt in early returns Tuesday night. The progressive Schmidt took office during the social justice movement of 2020. Schmidts term began as the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota sparked nightly protests in Portland and a larger national conversation about criminal justice reform. But in the past four years, progressive DAs and candidates in liberal bastions ranging from the San Francisco Bay Area to Seattle have faced setbacks as frustrations over public safety and homelessness have risen. Now, political experts are looking to Portland to see whether such issues could spur a similar shift in the electorate. Schmidt is being challenged by Vasquez, one of his own deputies who has been a prosecutor in that office for over 20 years. Beginning in about 2020, you see this rise of the progressive prosecutor, said Todd Lochner, associate professor in Lewis & Clark College's department of political science. But some of those candidates were essentially replaced or recalled, and I think whats going on now in the DAs race has something to do with this backlash to what is perceived, correctly or incorrectly, as prosecutors who are not as zealous in convicting people as some might prefer. Generally, progressive district attorneys such as Schmidt support finding alternatives to imprisonment and refraining from prosecuting low-level crimes to reduce incarceration rates and address social inequities in the criminal justice system. Shortly after taking office in summer 2020, as racial justice demonstrations gripped Portland, Schmidt announced that his office wouldnt prosecute protesters unless they were arrested for deliberate property damage, theft, or the use or threat of force against another person. Interfering with a police officer, disorderly conduct and criminal trespass were cited as examples of cases his office would decline. Schmidt also decided that any charge of resisting arrest or assaulting a public safety officer would be subjected to the highest level of scrutiny. During his term, he also created a unit in his office tasked with reviewing prison sentences and wrongful convictions. Vasquez, endorsed by several police groups, denounced the protester policy, as well as Schmidts past support of Measure 110, a ballot measure approved by voters in 2020 that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of drugs. Amid one of the nation's largest spikes in overdose fatalities, state lawmakers this year ended up rolling back the first-in-the-nation law and restoring criminal penalties for so-called personal use possession. Schmidt supported reinstating the penalties. This race is a test of the voters tolerance coming out of the challenges of Measure 110 and the protests, said Paul Manson, a research assistant professor at Portland State University's Center for Public Service. Is there an appetite thats gone after years of some of these challenges? Voter support for progressive prosecutors has been tested elsewhere in the U.S. Pamela Price, the district attorney in Californias Alameda County, which includes Oakland and Berkeley, is facing a recall in November two years after San Francisco voters ousted progressive prosecutor Chesa Boudin. Seattle voters in 2021 elected Republican Ann Davison as city attorney over Nicole Thomas-Kennedy, who called for abolishing jails and police. But in other major cities, efforts to recall progressive prosecutors have faltered. Two attempts to recall Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon, who was elected in 2020, failed to make it to the ballot. The state House in Pennsylvania voted to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in 2022. However, a state court ruled that the impeachment articles didnt meet the constitutionally required standard, a decision that's currently on appeal to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and the state Senate voted to indefinitely postpone the trial. Krasner and Gascon are still in their roles. In an April poll, substantial shares of Portland voters said that homelessness or issues related to drug use and addiction were among the most important problems facing the city. Encampments and public drug use have become increasingly visible, particularly in the downtown. Safety, crime, or lack of police presence was also among the most frequently cited problems, despite provisional FBI statistics showing that U.S. violent crime decreased last year, continuing a downward trend after a pandemic-era spike. Homicides in Portland hit a record 96 in 2022, but decreased to 74 in 2023, and shootings fell by nearly 22% over the same period, a Portland police spokesperson said in an email. Generally speaking, tough on crime sells well, said Lochner. Most voters routinely say that crime is important to them. We know that homelessness is a very important issue. And I would expect that if people perceive those problems are not materially getting better, then they would vote for the challenger under the premise that, well, lets just let someone else give it a try. Schmidt and Vasquez are the only two candidates in Tuesdays nonpartisan primary. The winner will be elected if they get more than 50% of the vote, which is likely because the only other option is to write in a candidate. ___ This story has been corrected to show that a Pennsylvania state court, not the state Supreme Court, ruled on the constitutionality of the impeachment articles against Philadelphias district attorney. It has also corrected the homicide totals in Portland in 2022 and 2023 and the spelling of Todd Lochner's last name. Photo: Getty Images Autopsy results would be kept secret from the public in cases under criminal investigation, under a proposed change to North Carolina law discussed Tuesday. Autopsy results in cases that could be homicides would not be released until criminal charges are filed, said Sen. Danny Britt, a Robeson County Republican. Family members would not have access to autopsy reports, but district attorneys would be able to describe their contents to family members of the deceased. Under current law, the text of official autopsy reports are public records. Preventing the public from seeing autopsy reports is important to due process and to defendants and victims rights, Britt said. Publicly released autopsy results have tainted jury pools, said Britt, though he could not recall specific instances. Cases in which law enforcement officers are involved in the death of members of the public would be included in the prohibition on making autopsy reports public, he said. As far as the autopsy reports and any information the medical examiners office has, it would delay information they get from the medical examiners office, yes, Britt said. I think its in the public interest for cases to be prosecuted adequately. I think its in the public interest for defendants to receive their due process more so than the public to know what happened. Kerwin Pittman of Emancipate NC said Britt and other gatekeepers of the criminal justice system are preventing the public from obtaining information it has the right to know. To shield those things from individuals shows a lack of compassion for the citizens hes supposed to serve, Pittman said. The proposal would also restrict access to autopsy photographs, video, and audio recordings while criminal investigations are ongoing. Current law allows members of the public to inspect photos and recordings, though members of the public cannot obtain copies. Over the years, the legislature has been drawing a tighter curtain over what had been public records, reducing government transparency. Last year, the legislature exempted itself from public records law. In 2020, the legislature passed a bill that would have kept death investigation records in the medical examiners possession secret. After widespread criticism, Gov. Roy Cooper successfully vetoed the bill. The Senate Judiciary Committee discussed but did not vote on the expanded limits to public records that were added to House Bill 250, which originally modified the death by distribution law. Death by distribution allows charges against those who supply drugs to people who use them and die. Autopsies are required in those cases. A change to the House bill would give district attorneys 72 hours to tell a medical examiner that an autopsy is needed. The state Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys have been working to refine the bills language. The medical examiner system is facing challenges, said Mark Benton, DHHS chief deputy secretary. This bill as currently written would make those challenges much more difficult, he said. The post A proposed NC law would limit family and public access to death records appeared first on NC Newsline. The Economist published the "attack plan" of the Russian army in the Kharkiv region. The Russian army was testing whether it could partially encircle Kharkiv and put pressure on the Ukrainian Armed Forces east of the Pechenihy Reservoir. ADVERTISIMENT The article was published on the publication's website. Ten days after the start of the Russian offensive in the Kharkiv region, its pace has slowed. Ukraine is now holding the occupiers about halfway through Vovchansk, a city just 5 km from the border that is now turning to ash, and in positions about 9 km inside Ukraine further west, near Lyptsi. With about 48,000 troops on standby, Russia does not have the forces to perform a major attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city. But the military insists that the situation remains volatile and could change quickly. The Russian convoys were stopped only after several experienced brigades were redeployed and came to the rescue. According to the defenders, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin will "certainly" try his luck by launching a new attack in other parts of the region. ADVERTISIMENT A Russian convoy is already forming on the other side of the border from Sumy. The Ukrainian army is also preparing for a new attack east of Vovchansk. Fighting has also resumed near Kupiansk, a railroad junction, and on May 17, Ukraine lost control of the village of Berestove. It is too early to say for sure what the ultimate goals of the Russian operation are. Also on May 17, Putin said that his "only intention was to create a buffer zone between Ukraine and the border city of Belgorod," insisting that "there is no plan to capture Kharkiv itself." But this may reflect the evolving realities of the battlefield rather than intentions. The revealed military plans, details of which were shared by The Economist, suggest that the Russians were trying to see if they could partially encircle Kharkiv and put pressure on Ukrainian forces east of the Pechenihy Reservoir. The operation was probably scheduled for May 15-16, but for unknown reasons was postponed for almost a week. ADVERTISIMENT According to this plan, Russia identified two attack directions: on both sides of the reservoir. On the western side, it was planned to reach the borders of Kharkiv's artillery range near the village of Borshchova within 72 hours, but they were stopped by the 92nd Brigade. Meanwhile, on the eastern side, the plan was to break through Vovchansk as far as the village of Pechenihy. It is worth reminding that there is intense fighting in Vovchansk, Kharkiv region, and the battle is going on for almost every street. At the same time, the front line in the north of the region has been stabilized. The Ukrainian Defense Forces prevented the enemy from advancing towards the village of Lyptsi and in the Slobozhans direction. ADVERTISIMENT ISW reported that street fighting continued in Vovchansk on May 19 and the enemy was able to advance in the northeastern part of the city. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Petition circulators are working in Nebraska to crowd the November ballot. (Montinique Monroe/Getty Images) LINCOLN Signature gatherers for and against Nebraskas abortion restrictions soon will have company from circulators of a third ballot initiative on the issue. With six weeks until signatures are due, a group of anti-abortion activists is circulating petitions for a state constitutional amendment outlawing elective abortions. The Now Choose Life petition would grant separate personhood under the law to embryos and fetuses in a mothers womb. The law would treat them like a child that has been born. Organizers, including Rose Kohl of Omaha, said many abortion opponents were upset with voters likely options on the November ballot. They want neither a full nor partial embrace of abortion rights. Protect Our Rights, Protect Women and Children Kohl describes the first effort, the Protect Our Rights push to enshrine abortion rights in the Nebraska Constitution, as radical because it prohibits even existing restrictions. The group supporting that proposal advocates for reproductive rights and has said it wants to leave medical decisions between women and their doctors. Kohl describes the petition by Protect Women and Children, which has been funded largely by U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., as an effort aimed at protecting abortion in the first trimester. The group proposing that amendment opposes abortion. It has said its amendment would ensure that abortions could not take place later in a pregnancy than current law allows. It has acknowledged that its language leaves room for the Legislature to restrict abortion further. I think the middle one is terrible, Kohl said. Instead, her group proposed language that mirrors personhood laws adopted in Alabama, Georgia and Missouri, including some that have put in vitro fertilization at risk. Kohl said more than 93% of abortions take place in the first trimester. Life starts at conception Ours says life starts at conception, she said. It would make elective abortions 100 percent banned by recognizing what was already true, that a preborn person is a person. The petition language includes no exceptions for rape, incest or medical emergencies to protect the life of a mother. She said such language isnt needed because a mother is a person. The Secretary of States Office approved the petition language late last week. The group has six weeks to gather the 123,000 signatures, or 10 percent, of registered voters required to place the measure on the November ballot. The Secretary of State said it has never been done in six weeks, Kohl said. If we do it, its an act of God. Allie Berry of Protect Our Rights said the latest petition effort is the end goal for anti-abortion groups and politicians: totally banning abortion care. Nothing about this new effort changes our plans and our goal, she said. We are staying focused on getting our initiative in front of voters so that Nebraskans can make their own decisions about pregnancy and abortion with compassion and privacy, without political interference. The post Proposed personhood amendment would outlaw almost all abortions in Nebraska appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) (This image cannot be republished unless you have a Getty subscription.) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images). NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Missouri Independent. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Steven Hirsch-Pool | Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not [guilty] for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Pool photo by Steven Hirsch/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Kansas Reflector. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. Tennessee Congressional District 5 U.S. Rep. Andy Ogles. (Photo: John Partipilo) North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Tennessee Lookout. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images. NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross-examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled ormer President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool / Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Source New Mexico. No legal, security, or moral arguments will and cannot prevent Western partners from shooting down Russian missiles over Ukraine from their territory. Anyone who claims otherwise and talks about the threat of escalation is engaged in manipulation. ADVERTISIMENT That is why Kyiv is asking its allies to either consider this possibility or help Ukraine with the necessary air defense systems and combat aircraft that could shoot down air targets. This was stated by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on May 21 during a joint briefing with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Kyiv, Ukrinform reports. "There is not a single legal, security, or moral argument that stands in the way of our partners shooting down Russian missiles over the territory of Ukraine from their territory. Those who say that such actions would be an escalation are manipulating," Kuleba emphasized. He added that the claims about the need to avoid escalation against the backdrop of more than two years of Russia's full-scale unprovoked and aggressive war against Ukraine look strange, to say the least. ADVERTISIMENT There is no legal, security, or moral argument against our partners shooting down Russian missiles over Ukraine from their territory. And by working together, we can put an end to this. "So the first thing is that we do ask our partners to consider the possibility of intercepting Russian missiles not Russian planes with Russian pilots on board, but pieces of iron that carry death from Russia to Ukraine from the territory of our partner countries. There is an alternative solution: if you do not want to do this, then simply provide us with all the means necessary for this, and we will deploy them on the territory of Ukraine and intercept these missiles ourselves. These are air defense systems and combat aircraft with the appropriate technical capabilities. And to take a position where we will not transfer air defense systems and will not support the shooting down of Russian missiles from our territory over the territory of Ukraine is a position of appeasement of the aggressor," the head of Ukrainian diplomacy emphasized. ADVERTISIMENT As a reminder, on May 21, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived on an official visit to Kyiv. She visited one of the Ukrainian thermal power plants destroyed by the occupiers and called on the world to help Ukraine with air defense. It was also reported that on the same day, Zelenskyy discussed the situation on the battlefield and the need for air defense with the Romanian president. Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Maine Morning Star. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024 in New York City. Former U.S. President Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. | Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Michigan Advance. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) Policy, politics and progressive commentary NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Nevada Current. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Steven Hirsch | Pool-Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross-examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer, and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast. Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Steven Hirsch/Getty Images-Pool) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended in the week. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. The United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Ukraine's partners will continue to ensure that the country has control in its skies. This is necessary to protect the Ukrainian people from Russian missile and drone attacks. ADVERTISIMENT He said this at a press conference following the 22nd meeting in the Ramstein format. The Pentagon chief emphasized the unity of all members of the Contact Group on Ukraine's defense and stressed their determination to counter threats from Russia. According to him, the meeting focused on helping Ukraine with additional air defense systems. "We will continue to ensure that Ukraine has control over its skies and can protect its citizens and civilian infrastructure far from the front lines," Austin emphasized. The U.S. Secretary of Defense added that Washington is aware of a new offensive by Russian occupiers in the north of the Kharkiv region. He called today's moment "difficult" for Ukraine and added that although the Ukrainian Armed Forces are fighting hard, Russian troops are "paying a high price for Putin's aggression." ADVERTISIMENT "Ukraine is fighting for its life, which gives it a huge strategic advantage in a just cause. Meanwhile, Putin is trying to wage a nineteenth-century imperial war of aggression in the world of 2024. This is a terrible idea and a terrible strategy," he said. As reported earlier, Austin said that the United States steadfastly stands with Ukraine and will continue to support it with military assistance so that the Armed Forces receive everything they need in the war against the aggressor Russia. The top priorities for arms supplies from the United States are now air defense systems and ammunition. Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes! Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case Monday against Donald Trump after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast. Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself has been indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled Former President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024, in New York City. Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on Utah News Dispatch. Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 20: Former U.S. President Donald Trump appears in court during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 20, 2024 in New York City. Former U.S. President Donald Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images) NEW YORK New York state prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump Monday after four days of testimony from their key witness, Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen, who says the former president was well aware of a hush money cover-up. The defense paints Cohen as a liar. The Manhattan criminal trial, the first ever for a former president, now in its sixth week, was poised to reach closing arguments as early as Tuesday. But New York Justice Juan Merchan indicated Monday that proceedings would stretch beyond Memorial Day. Trump attorney Todd Blanche, in a lengthy, and at times slow and disjointed cross- examination Monday, continued wringing Cohen for proof that would convince jurors the former fixer cannot be trusted. Cohens earlier testimony that Trump reimbursed him for paying a porn star to stay quiet before the 2016 presidential election is at the crux of the prosecutions case. Trump is charged with falsifying 11 invoices, 11 checks, and 12 ledger entries as routine legal expenses rather than reimbursement of the hush money, amounting to 34 felony counts. Trump denies any wrongdoing and maintains he never had a sexual relationship with adult film actress and director Stormy Daniels. She testified otherwise in excruciating and awkward detail in early May. Mondays proceedings were beset with objections and technology issues, and wrapped with tense testimony from the defenses second witness, Robert Costello, Cohens legal counsel, who promised backdoor communication to Trump after Cohen was under the FBIs thumb in 2018. The day ended with a long shot, but expected, request from the defense to throw the case out. Merchan dismissed the court, saying hed issue his ruling Tuesday. The defense is likely to rest its case then as well. Closing arguments are expected after the holiday. On a journey Blanche began the day grilling Cohen on his previous business dealings, income and the money hes made since breaking ties with the former president. Cohen testified that hes made millions of dollars on his books Disloyal and Revenge, and his podcast Mea Culpa, all of which sharply criticize the man from whom he used to seek praise, as he testified days earlier. Prompted by Blanche, Cohen confirmed hes mulling over a third book, has a television show in the works titled The Fixer and is considering a run for Congress because he has the best name recognition out there. When Blanche suggested Cohens name recognition hinges on Trump, Cohen disagreed. I wouldnt characterize it that way. My name recognition is because of the journey Ive been on, Cohen said. Well the journey youve been on has included daily attacks on Trump, Blanche responded. Through the course of Blanches questioning, Cohen again acknowledged his previous crimes and also fessed up to stealing $30,000 from the Trump Organization when Trump lagged on paying a tech company to rig a CNBC poll of famous businessmen. Minutes later, Blanche asked, Do you have a financial interest in this case? Yes, sir, Cohen responded. When Blanche pressed about whether a guilty verdict is Cohens preferred outcome, Cohen responded, The answer is no. Its better if hes not (guilty) for me because it gives me more to talk about in the future. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger conducted her redirect at a tidy and speedy clip, leading Cohen through each of Blanches doubting lines of questioning to reaffirm for the jury Cohens testimony that Trumps hand was behind the hush money reimbursements. Theyve asked you a lot of questions about how youve made money and (your) podcast Putting aside financial matters, how has telling the truth affected your life? Hoffinger asked. My entire life has been turned upside down as a direct result, Cohen responded. Before the prosecution rested its case, the defense lobbed a lengthy objection to a still frame of a C-SPAN video depicting Trump with his bodyguard Keith Schiller just before 8 p.m. on Oct. 24, 2016. The parties eventually agreed to admit it. Evidence that Trump and Schiller were together that night looms large for Cohens claim that he spoke to both of them on the phone about paying off Daniels. Trumps support inside the courtroom A steady flow of high-profile Republican supporters has shown up for the GOPs presumed 2024 presidential nominee. Mondays supporters included Trump ally and attorney Alan Dershowitz; legal adviser Boris Epshteyn, who himself is indicted in Arizona for trying to subvert the 2020 presidential election results; and Chuck Zito, an actor and one of the founders of New York Citys Hells Angels chapter in the 1980s. Several Republican lawmakers, including vice presidential hopefuls, have flocked to Manhattan for the trial. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio and former GOP primary hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy attended May 13. Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama also made appearances last week, alongside Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks outside the courthouse May 14, slamming the sham trial and accusing New York prosecutors of only wanting to keep the former president off the campaign trail. The Louisiana Republican cast Trump as a victim of a travesty of justice. Nearly a dozen far-right Republican House members showed up Thursday, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida. Accompanying Gaetz were other right-wing House Freedom Caucus members: fellow Floridian Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Mike Waltz; Eli Crane and Andy Biggs of Arizona; Lauren Boebert of Colorado; Ralph Norman of South Carolina; Diana Harshbarger and Andy Ogles of Tennessee; Mike Cloud of Texas; and caucus Chair Bob Good of Virginia. Speaking on the sidewalk outside the courthouse, Gaetz described the charges as the Mr. Potatohead doll of crimes, accusing the prosecution of combining things that did not belong together. Reps. Byron Donalds and Cory Mills of Florida attended earlier in the week. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Prosecution rests in Trump hush money trial, after former fixer Cohen is grilled appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. Two men who were convicted in the 1978 killing of a Cincinnati police officer will go before the state's parole board at the end of the month, seeking to be released. Wayne Reed, 72, and Russell Bell, 71, have each sought parole multiple times over the last two decades. Their last parole hearings were in 2019. The board has repeatedly denied their requests. Enquirer story from July 16, 1978 about arrest in the fatal shooting of Cincinnati police Officer Charles Burdsall. Hamilton County Prosecutor Melissa Powers said in an interview that justice demands Reed and Bell spend the rest of their lives behind bars. "These two are cold-blooded killers," Powers said. "But for a glitch in the law, they would be on death row." Months before the men were convicted of aggravated murder in 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Ohio's death penalty law. Despite that, a Hamilton County judge sentenced both to death. But in 1979, a state appeals court overturned their death sentences, citing the Supreme Court's ruling. At the time, a sentence of life without the possibility of parole was not an option. Reed, who fired the gun that killed Officer Charles Burdsall, was sentenced to 22 years to life. Bell was sentenced to 20 years to life. Powers said keeping the men in prison will serve as a deterrent to others. She said anyone convicted of killing a police officer needs to "face the full weight of justice." What happened The shooting happened the night of July 14, 1978. Reed and Bell planned to rob a convenience store in Camp Washington, but an off-duty Cincinnati police officer, who went to the store that night, prevented it from happening. Reed and Bell fled in a car. According to news reports at the time, Burdsall spotted Reed and Bell's car soon after and pulled them over on West McMicken Avenue. A 19-year-old citizen, David Mellon, was doing a ride-along with Burdsall that night. As Burdsall walked toward the car, he ordered Reed and Bell out of the car. After both men got out, Reed shot Burdsall in the face, and he fell to the pavement. Reed fired more shots, striking the officer in the back. Mellon told The Enquirer in 1978 that he also had gotten out of the police car and that several shots were fired at him as he tried to take cover. A bullet grazed his back. Mellon, whose father was a police officer, picked up Burdsall's gun and fired six times at the car as Reed and Bell drove away. He then picked up Burdsall's police radio and called for help. Burdsall, who was 29, left behind a wife and three children. Powers is asking the public to go to her office's website and submit letters electronically to the parole board, opposing the release of Reed and Bell. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Prosecutor opposes parole in 1978 killing of Cincinnati officer Wael "Will" Hana, right, and his attorney Ricardo Solano walk into the Daniel Patrick Moynihan federal courthouse in Manhattan on Monday, May 20, 2024. Hana is charged alongside New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez in a wide-ranging corruption scheme dating back to 2018. (Dana DiFilippo | New Jersey Monitor) A few months after prosecutors allege Sen. Bob Menendez helped his friend Wael Will Hana snag a lucrative monopoly on U.S. halal beef exports to Egypt, the businessmans attorney paid more than $20,000 to help the senators wife avoid foreclosure on her Englewood Cliffs home, the attorney testified Monday. John Moldovan, who briefly worked as in-house counsel for IS EG Halal after Hana launched the company in 2019, also told jurors that the company became profitable quickly, raking in $311,400 in its first month alone. Business was so good that Hana quickly expanded to several other countries, securing monopolies there, too, by telling officials in at least one country, Uruguay, that IS EG was a government agency and Egypt had exclusively authorized it to certify halal beef for export there, Moldovan said. As the second week of Menendezs bribery trial started Monday in Manhattan, prosecutors continued to focus on Hanas role in the wide-ranging scheme that landed New Jerseys senior senator at the defense table on corruption charges for the second time in the past decade. His first trial in 2017 ended in a hung jury. Prosecutors who indicted Menendez last fall say the Democrat, who helmed the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee until shortly after his indictment, put U.S. security at risk and acted as a foreign agent for Egypt. They say he and his wife, Nadine, accepted bribes of cash and gold bars to help Hana secure the monopoly, release military aid and arms to Egypt, and do other favors for both Hana and various Egyptian officials. Under questioning by prosecutor Eli Mark, Moldovan told jurors he first met Hana in the spring of 2019 through his best friend, Rony Daibes, an information technology professional who also worked for Hana and is a cousin of real estate developer Fred Daibes, one of Menendezs co-defendants. Moldovan told jurors they lived in the same Edgewater apartment building and became friends who partied, exercised, and worked together in a new office Fred Daibes built on River Road, which stretches along an upscale stretch of the Hudson River thats known as the Gold Coast. Though he had just three or four employees at the time, Hana seemed worldly, telling Moldovan he had met Egypts president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and had daily calls with an Egyptian general about the exports, Moldovan said. Moldovan said he accompanied Hana to Uruguay in 2019 to set up halal certification operations there and rebuffed a Uruguayan official who asked if a local company could do the job, telling her IS EG Halal was a government agency the Egyptian government exclusively authorized to certify halal products for export to Egypt and the Middle East. IS EG Halal has since expanded to Brazil, New Zealand, Dubai, and India, according to James Bret Tate, a U.S. Department of Agriculture official who testified Friday and Monday. Moldovan met Nadine Menendez around that time, and while she was Hanas longtime friend, he introduced her to Moldovan as a new client who needed help in a foreclosure issue, the lawyer testified. She said that the bank was essentially going to foreclose on her house and essentially that Will was going to pay her outstanding debt, he said. Hana wired Moldovan money from a business account, and the attorney paid $23,000 to $24,000 from his personal account to stop foreclosure proceedings, he testified. By the end of the summer, Hana fired Moldovan. He didnt explain why, but Mark is expected to continue questioning him Tuesday. Defense attorneys said during their opening statements last week that the money and gold Hana gave the Menendezes were gifts and accused prosecutors of criminalizing gift-giving. Alicia Menendez, the senators daughter who works as an MSNBC anchor, sat in the first row of spectator seats behind the defendants all day Monday and listened to testimony but declined to talk to the press. The love email U.S. District Judge Sidney H. Stein bookended the days proceedings Monday with two rulings that dont bode well for Menendez. He denied defense attorneys motion to bar what he called the love email, a text full of heart emojis Menendez sent his wife that reads: Tell Will I am going to sign off this sale to Egypt today. Defense attorney Adam Fee had argued the communication was protected under the constitutions speech and debate clause, which is essentially an immunity that protects lawmakers from being prosecuted for official legislative acts. Stein rejected that. Tell Will I am going to sign off this sale to Egypt today is a promise, Stein said. Promises to perform acts are not legislative acts. Stein also denied the defenses request to call psychiatrist Karen Rosenbaum, who they aimed to ask about the senators mental health. The defense team has said that Menendez has untreated post-traumatic stress disorder from his fathers suicide and his experience as the son of refugees who fled Cuba with nothing. Rosenbaum would have testified that his mental disorder created a fear of scarcity that led Menendez to cope by hoarding cash at home. But Stein said he saw nothing in Rosenbaums resume showing she is an expert in PTSD or coping mechanisms, nor any evaluations or justifications she made for her conclusions. Her proffered testimony bears a startlingly strong resemblance to comments Menendez made in September about stockpiling cash at home, he said. Dr. Rosenbaum, were she permitted to testify, would essentially be reciting to the jury the same background, details, and conclusions that Menendez will be able to tell the jury himself if he so chooses to testify in his defense, the judge said. To be sure, Mr. Menendez is under absolutely no obligation whatsoever to testify, but the proposed expert testimony is an effort to transmit the defendants story to the jury without his deciding to take the stand and be subject to cross-examination, while at the same time adding a patina of expert opinion to his lay testimony. Earlier Monday, Stein scolded attorneys for filing a frenzied flurry of documents over the weekend and told them such midnight-express submissions must end. I simply cannot do my job if I get motions that need immediate attention at 1 a.m. in the morning, he said. I dont know if the parties are engaging in games here. If so, they should stop. The post Menendez co-defendant ordered lawyer to pay mortgage for senators wife, witness testifies appeared first on New Jersey Monitor. NEW YORK Manhattan prosecutors rested their case against Donald Trump on Monday more than five years after they began investigating him and a month after the hush money trial began during a dramatic day that saw both jurors and journalists booted from the courtroom amid a tense exchange between the judge and a witness for the ex-president. That witness, Robert Costello, elicited a highly unusual rebuke from Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan when Costello mouthed off about the judges rulings in real time. After asking jurors to step out, Merchan gave Costello a tensely worded warning about muttering geez and ridiculous under his breath. When the judge was met with more sass, he ordered his court officers to eject everyone else from the room. Are you staring me down right now? Merchan at one point asked Costello. Clear the courtroom! he then ordered. Costello, a New York City attorney who advised Michael Cohen after the feds began investigating him in 2018 for issuing a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels, was called as the second and potentially last witness to testify in Trumps defense in a bid to discredit Trumps former fixer. Reporters, members of the public and a slew of Republicans and Trump associates who accompanied the defendant to court in his largest entourage yet including disgraced former NYPD Commissioner Bernie Kerik and convicted former leader of the Hells Angels Chuck Zito were out of the courtroom for about five minutes. If you try to stare me down one more time, Im removing you from the stand, Merchan warned Costello once everyone was out of the room, according to a transcript. Before Costello took the stand, the defense wound down its cross-examination of Cohen, Trumps former fixer. Trump lawyer Todd Blanche peppered him with questions about his communications with Trump regarding the $130,000 payoff to Daniels and the profits hes made during his bitter feud with the former president eliciting an admission he stole from Trumps company. Cohen acknowledged that he effectively stole from the Trump Organization by requesting reimbursement for a $50,000 expense he paid out of pocket to rig an opinion poll in Trumps favor when he had spent only $20,000. That reimbursement came up during the same January 2017 conversation he had with Trumps convicted former finance chief Allen Weisselberg regarding his expenses for paying Daniels, Cohen said. So you stole from the Trump Organization, right? Blanche asked. Yes, sir, Cohen replied. Later, on redirect with prosecutor Susan Hoffinger, Cohen said he padded up the expense as he was upset at his diminished Christmas bonus cut down to $50,000 from the usual $150,000 and that fact he still hadnt been paid back for dealing with Daniels. I was angered because of the reduction in the bonus, and so I just felt it was almost like self-help, Cohen testified. Cohen, 57, defied expectations hed lose his cool with Trumps lawyers. Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass announced prosecutors had finished presenting their case after calling 20 witnesses and presenting a mountain of documents when Cohen stepped down from the stand about 3:15 p.m. In addition to Costello, Trumps defense team called a paralegal from Blanches firm to verify phone records between Cohen and Costello. Toward the end of the day, Merchan asked Blanche if the defense was planning to call more witnesses and he shook his head no after shooting a glance at Trump, all but confirming the former president wont take the stand after previously asserting otherwise. The judge will confirm with Trump before his lawyers rest their case. Under questioning by Trumps lawyer Emil Bove, Costello described meeting with a suicidal Cohen after the FBI swept through his office and hotel room in April 2018. Cohen previously told jurors that the attorney, a longtime associate of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, dangled a back channel to the White House in trying to pin him down as a client and that he didnt trust him. Michael Cohen said numerous times that President Trump knew nothing about those payments, that he did this on his own and he repeated this numerous times, Costello testified, saying he considered Cohen his client. Under a grilling from Hoffinger on redirect, the prosecutor asked Costello about his many media appearances and what might have motivated him to retain Cohen. If you could land him as a client, that would be a big case for your firm, right? Hoffinger asked. I suppose so, Costello said. And would get you public exposure? I guess it would. Trump, 77, has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsification of business records, each tied to his alleged reimbursement to Cohen for hush money that prosecutors say he masked as compensation for legal services to disguise an underlying scheme to defraud the 2016 electorate. During the mornings testimony, he was spotted conked out at the defense table, his face pointed toward the ceiling. In lengthy comments to reporters outside the courtroom, Trump decried Merchans admonishment of his witness and again called the case as a sham. We paid a legal expense. You know what its marked down as? A legal expense, Trump fumed. During four days on the stand, Cohen, Trumps former executive vice president at the Trump Organization and right-hand man for around 11 years, said he paid off Daniels less than two weeks out from the 2016 election as part of a conspiracy to win Trump the White House and was paid back the following year in monthly installments, fraudulently billing Trump for a retainer, as dictated by Weisselberg. Later, Blanche who sought to portray Cohen as a liar driven by money, fame and hatred of Trump focused on how much money Cohen made between pleading guilty to breaking federal campaign finance laws in 2018 and publishing his first book, Disloyal. Cohen said that came to around $4 million. Still, Cohen told Blanche he wasnt financially motivated by a potential Trump conviction. Its better if hes not because it gives me more to talk about in the future, he wryly said. After a jam-packed five weeks, jurors are expected to get a weeklong break from the historic trial, partly due to the upcoming holiday weekend. The judge said he wanted to avoid a large gap between the panelists hearing closing arguments and starting to deliberate, estimating earlier Monday that summations would occur after Memorial Day. Before adjourning for the day, Trumps attorneys asked the judge to find him not guilty and Cohen not credible as a matter of law. There is no way that the court should let this case go to the jury relying on Cohens testimony, Blanche said as Trump looked on intently. You said his lies are irrefutable, Merchan said, reserving his decision. But you think hes going to fool 12 New Yorkers into believing this lie? _____ A person protesting against the Biden administrations response to the Israel-Hamas war was lifted out of a Senate Foreign Relations hearing on Tuesday after interrupting Secretary of State Antony Blinkens testimony. The protester, a young woman wearing a T-shirt that read invest in life, held two signs reading war criminal, referring to Blinken. She was quickly subdued by Capitol Police as she approached Blinken and was lifted off her feet and taken out of the hearing room. Protesters have increasingly become a common sight at hearings featuring Blinken because the secretary has become the face of the Biden administrations response to the Israel-Hamas war. A rising number of Democrats, mostly progressives, have hammered Biden over his ardent support for Israel in the conflict despite mass civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Blinken and Biden have consistently warned Israel to limit civilian casualties and increase humanitarian aid to Gaza, though the words have been criticized as not enough. Biden said earlier this month that he would pause military aid shipments to Israel if its military invaded Rafah, the strongest yet rebuke of the countrys leadership. That move came under fire from a bipartisan group of Israels closest allies in Congress, who said even the threat was going too far against Israel. Protesters have repeatedly interrupted Blinken and other Biden administration officials during similar Senate hearings. Last month, activists painted their hands red to signify blood in protest while Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin gave testimony. In October, a string of protesters interrupted Blinken one at a time, taking minutes out of a hearing. The protests add to concerns for the Biden campaign, amid fears that younger, more progressive voters unhappy with the presidents policy on the Israel-Hamas war could sit out of the November election. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Pro-Palestinian protestors gathered outside 14-A District Court awaiting details on the four people arrested in Ann Arbor, May 24, 2024 | Jon King Four people who were arrested by University of Michigan campus police early Tuesday have been released, although they may still be charged. The four were taken into custody after officers began clearing out the encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters from the Diag just before 6 a.m. Melissa Overton, a spokesperson for U of Ms Division of Public Safety and Security, confirmed for the Michigan Advance that all four were released, but indicated charges are still pending. Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit told the Advance that his office had not received any police reports or charge requests. Overton said officers issued three verbal warnings over a 15-minute period, asking the approximately 50 people who were in the encampment to leave voluntarily before being subject to arrest. Protestors now in front of Washtenaw County District Court https://t.co/3gBZ4TaNpZ pic.twitter.com/RSA71cW5mQ Jon King (@JonKingNews) May 21, 2024 In a statement issued Tuesday morning, University President Santa Ono said the decision to clear the encampment was made after a Friday inspection by the university fire marshal determined that were a fire to occur, a catastrophic loss of life was likely. [T]he fire marshal and Student Life leaders asked camp occupants to remove external camp barriers, refrain from overloading power sources, and stop using open flames, said Ono. The protesters refused to comply with these requests. That forced the university to take action and this morning, we removed the encampment. University of Michigan spokesperson Colleen Mastony said while the university recognizes the importance of free speech and expression, it also have a duty to protect students, faculty, staff and visitors to campus. The disregard for safety directives was the latest in a series of troubling events centered on the encampment. Individuals will continue to be welcome to protest as they always have at the University of Michigan, so long as those protests do not infringe on the rights of others, endanger our community, violate the law or disrupt university operations, said Mastony. By mid-morning, crews were power-washing the Diag where the encampment had been, which remained cordoned off by campus police. The protesters, meanwhile, had regrouped and gathered outside the 14-A District Court building several miles away, where they led a picket outside. Leading the group was Salma Hamamy, with the Students For Justice and Palestine chapter at the University of Michigan. She told the Advance that the rationale offered by Ono didnt ring true. The structure of the encampment has remained the same for the last 30 days, she said. I dont see how anything new has caused a fire hazard. People are very easily able to walk in and out of the encampment and we have gatherings in there all the time. Its a very open space. So I just genuinely feel like thats an excuse for him to justify raiding the encampment. Cleaning crews power washing the Diag after the pro-Palestinian encampment was cleared out at the University of Michigan, May 21, 2024 | Jon King Pro-Palestinian protestors gathered outside 14-A District Court awaiting details on the four people arrested in Ann Arbor, May 24, 2024 | Jon King Pro-Palestinian protestors gathered outside 14-A District Court awaiting details on the four people arrested in Ann Arbor, May 24, 2024 | Jon King Spots where some of the tents used to be located after the pro-Palestinian encampment was cleared out at the University of Michigan, May 21, 2024 | Jon King Pro-Palestinian protestors gathered outside 14-A District Court awaiting details on the four people arrested in Ann Arbor, May 24, 2024 | Jon King Hamamy, who was present when the police showed up, said the situation escalated very quickly, and despite being given a 10-minute warning to leave, that was cut short and officers moved in. They had their batons out. They came prepared in riot gear with tear gas and pepper spray, and every inch that they took and stepped forward, they used that to push students back, said Hamamy. The tents have very long metal poles. Those were essentially flying around, almost hitting students in the face, with very little regard to what the equipment might potentially do to harm people. Hamamy called it a very unfortunate and frightening and traumatic experience, but not one that would deter them. The movement lies within the people, not necessarily the tents that we put up within the encampment itself. And its still going to carry on, and its still going to persist, especially with these felony charges that we see coming out against more and more student protesters, she said. Tuesdays arrests are just the latest escalation in the standoff between the university and protesters demanding a complete divestment from companies and institutions connected to Israel in light of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. On Thursday, Savits office announced charges had been filed against four individuals for assaulting police officers during a sit-in at Onos office. That announcement came a day after demonstrators appeared outside the homes of U of Ms Board of Regents, including Chair Sarah Hubbard and Regent Jordan Acker. Hubbard, meanwhile, took to social media to say that the decision to remove the encampment came after protesters fortified their position on campus with chicken wire and brought in piles of plywood. They called upon others to join them to resist removal. The Fire Marshall indicated this created significant fire risk, said Hubbard. We have supported their rights to free speech and diversity of thought even though they were violating numerous university policies. We provided electricity, security and access to the protesters. We look forward to ongoing dialogue with all parties regarding this topic, she said. The post Protesters released, pending charges, after U of M police remove pro-Palestinian encampment appeared first on Michigan Advance. Since sounding the alarm in March on the Biden Administrations efforts (Executive Order 14019) to turn federal agencies into get-out-the-vote arms to bolster voter registration and participation via unlawful means, many other conservative leaders around the country have joined our fight to push back against federal overreach in elections. Just this week, citing my letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability penned their own letter to the Office of Management and Budget expressing concerns about EO 14019. The Committees letter notes the lack of constitutional and statutory authority for federal agencies to engage in any activity outside the agencys authorized mission and the lack of transparency from federal agencies and the White House regarding the implementation of this executive order. Further, the Committee has requested documentation and communications regarding the creation and implementation of the order. Michael Watson As we see the increased call for transparency and accountability from the Biden Administrations attempts to infiltrate state-run elections, I think it is important to provide Mississippians with the same clarity about what we are doing in Mississippi to preserve the integrity of our elections. While the Biden Administration is working to overstep and inflate voter rolls, our office has taken numerous steps to push our election commissioners to clean and better maintain Mississippis voter rolls. Though many counties do a great job, we wanted to empower Mississippians to hold their local election officials accountable in counties where improvements are needed. Since January 2021, we have published active voter counts on our website for all 82 counties. This information allows Mississippi voters to track the progress of the voter roll maintenance conducted by those who run our elections-- circuit clerks and election commissioners. While these officials are required to meet a minimum of four times per year to conduct voter roll maintenance, we have trained and encouraged them to meet more frequently. Through their work, we have seen a solid decrease in bloated voter rolls. At the state level, we have increased the number of tools election commissioners and circuit clerks have to better maintain voter rolls. Through Memorandums of Understanding with neighboring states and collaboration with the Department of Public Safety, we are working to address those moving across state lines by comparing voter rolls with other states and receiving information anytime a voter surrenders his/her drivers license to another state. In partnership with the state legislature, we have codified voter roll maintenance practices to ensure inactive voters not voting in two consecutive federal general elections are purged from the voter roll, and any persons who do not cast a ballot from 2024 to 2028 will be moved to inactive status. We are continuously thinking through and working on ways to help encourage, support, and hold accountable our local election officials. Cleaning Mississippis voter rolls is just one of the active measures we have taken to ensure honest and fair elections. It does not convey the steps taken to ensure only U.S. citizens are voting in our elections, preventing private money from funding election administration, increasing the Election Support Fund disbursement to counties from 50% to 100%, requiring every county to use machines with voter-verifiable paper ballots and no wireless communication, codifying penalties for fraudulently requesting absentee ballots and ballot harvesting, and implementing post-election audits. As you can see, at the Secretary of States Office, we dont just talk about restoring confidence to Mississippi voters, we are actively doing it. Should you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to my office. Additionally, I encourage you to contact your federal delegation and encourage them to join us in pushing back against the Biden Administrations efforts to undermine Mississippis elections. Michael Watson is secretary of state for Mississippi. This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Preserving the integrity of Mississippi elections The wiry-looking economist with no military experience who Vladimir Putin has chosen to serve as his new defense minister is apparently a lot closer to the murky underworld of Russian security services than was originally thought. Andrei Belousov was close to the late Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhinso close, according to a new report by opposition investigative reporting group Dossier Center, that the two were sometimes spotted sitting with their arms around each other. A source told the outlet Belousov, who served as first deputy prime minister prior to his rise to defense minister, oversaw Prigozhins activities. The two are said to have spoken to each other like friends and their work meetings were reminiscent of family get-togethers with tea; they informally discussed all the issues, then nodded to the junior employees, who then compiled everything into a real report. Meetings between Belousov and the mercenary boss were also noted in Prigozhins calendar, according to Dossier Center. The newly appointed defense minister is said to have taken an interest in the use of private military companies, having reviewed a report on the development prospects of PMCs in 2018, when he was serving as a special assistant to Putin in economic affairs. The report touted private military companies like Wagner as a crucial new way to take on America and the U.K. as more and more of the world is marked by gray zones, areas where the report notes international law doesnt fully work anymore. Putins Private Army Accused of Massacring Dozens to Seize Gold Mine It was not immediately clear who had written the report, or what Belousovs ultimate role in reviewing it was. But the Kremlins growing empire of private military companies has been well-documented in recent years, with an explosion of little-known outfits secretly doing Moscows bidding while at the same time denying any government links. The war against Ukraine has only spawned more such units, with state corporations and regional leaders setting up their own private armies that ultimately answer to the Kremlin. Belousovs apparent interest in the topic perhaps comes as no surprise, as his grandfather, Pavel Travnikov, served in in the Soviet secret police under Josef Stalin, and hes spoken openly about his grandfather at one point being a member of Stalins security detail. In the wake of his appointment as defense minister, a former correspondent for the state-run TV channel Rossiya 24 recalled a sit-down with Belousov years ago in which a joke about Stalin taking revenge on a sound engineer whod messed up his speech got a sour reaction from Belousov, who shot back that Stalin had better things to do than punish a sound engineer. Belousov is also described as deeply religious, with one source quoted saying he begins every meeting with a prayer. That may help him spread Vladimir Putins message that Russia is a bastion of traditional values and religious faith that is engaged in a civilizational clash with the supposedly deviant West. Documents cited by Dossier Center, however, suggest the new defense boss had real estate interests in Italy as recently as 2018, when he enlisted help to sell a villa in the town of Forte dei Marmi on the Mediterranean coast. In a strange twist, one of the interested buyers was a British citizen who shared a passport number with a bogus passport used by Mossad agents to carry out the assassination of a Hamas leader in Dubai in 2013. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the country's security services had detained nine people who had committed sabotage. The head of government emphasized that the attackers acted on the orders of the special services of the aggressor country Russia. ADVERTISIMENT In addition, he said that the investigation concerns, in particular, former Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, who held the post in 2015-2018. Tusk said this on TVN24. According to him, the authorities are now seeking to fully regain control over what is happening on the territory of the Polish state. He noted that suspects who acted in favor of the Russian Federation have already been detained. "We have nine suspects arrested and accused of direct participation in sabotage in Poland on behalf of Russian services. The loop of information we are collecting is tightening around Antoni Macierewicz," Tusk said. He also emphasized that an investigation is underway into the influence of Russian agents or the Kremlin in general on what is happening in Poland, including at various levels of government and administration. According to his estimates, this will require a commission, the creation of which he has already announced. ADVERTISIMENT As a reminder, Poland's Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk said that his country would carry out a significant modernization of fortifications. The defense ministry representative emphasized that Poland is ready to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on these measures. Earlier it was reported that Poland had begun construction of fortifications on the border with Belarus. According to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, this decision was made due to pressure from the regime of dictator Alexander Lukashenko. As reported by OBOZ.UA, earlier Polish President Andrzej Duda said that Russia intends to attack NATO in 2026-2027. According to him, there is evidence that this is why Russian dictator Putin is doubling the pace of Russia's transition to a military economy. Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber . Do not fall for fakes! ADVERTISIMENT Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, has stated that dialogue with Vladimir Putin is impossible at the moment since Putin is not an independent figure, and he lives in a vacuum of hate towards Ukraine supported by his inner circle. Source: Zelenskyy in an interview for Reuters Details: The journalists recalled that at the beginning of the full-scale war Zelenskyy sought dialogue with Putin, and asked him whether Ukraines president would like to have such a dialogue now. Zelenskyy explained that at the moment it doesn't make sense because Putin is not an independent figure. "This is the problem, hes brainwashed people, and he has been brainwashed himself. He is in an information bubble, and he wants to destroy us. You cannot sit down at the negotiation table with a person whose only goal is to destroy you. And you cannot establish a just dialogue in such conditions," Zelenskyy stated. Zelenskyy believes that the Global Peace Summit in Switzerland is one of the formats where the basis with "a powerful agreement and more pressure on Russia" should be prepared. Quote: "He [Putin ed.] will not always be strong, he is getting old and will die in any case. Its not that we should specifically wait for this moment. It will come sooner or laterWe just mustnt give away our state now. It will be hard to have it back later. Like it was with Crimea and Donbas after 2014. It was extremely hard, and we did not manage to defend themDonbas, Crimeaand people began to forget. The world will not think about Ukraine for so long, everyone has their own internal struggles. We managed to raise this information wave and to not be alonebut not everyone in the West is as strong now as they were at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. But we still have strength, and we mustnt give up. He [Putin ed.] is not an independent figure as of today, he has this wave of narratives that Ukraine is led by the US, while his main tool is big money He will only leave the Kremlin over his dead body. His circle keeps him in this system. We need to find a weak spot in this system. If you look for it daily and keep fighting, you will surely win." Support UP or become our patron! Questions and scrutiny continue at community meeting over proposed Chick-fil-A in Oceanway Dozens of people joined Jacksonville city leaders in a community meeting to learn more about a proposed Chick-fil-A in the Oceanway neighborhood. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Many neighbors came with questions and scrutiny over the citys traffic study. They voiced their concerns about the potential traffic problems the proposed restaurant might bring. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] This was after the city published a 658-page traffic study on the proposed site set to be at the intersection of Bradley Cove Road and Lady Lake Road. Validated my opinion -- way too much traffic that will be coming through, its going to make it even worse for the community and worse for the high schoolers, Erin Grier, an Oceanway resident said. There was a lot of tension in the meeting. The community is frustrated, Council Member Reggie Gaffney said. They have every right to be upset. The popular restaurant would be across from First Coast High School and at an entrance to a residential neighborhood, which many said will be a problem. Its just going to be a nightmare, Szilvia Smith, an Oceanway resident said. Lady Lake Road and Bradley Cove Road is not a commercial road; its a residential road and our zoning is [for] low-intensity traffic. RELATED: Residents simulate traffic jam to protest proposed Chick-fil-A in Oceanway City leaders, the developers attorney, the citys traffic engineer and Chick-Fil-A representatives all sat down to listen and share their updates. We try to make sure upfront that these studies are accurate, but at the same time we want to allow people to develop their properties, just like youre allowed to develop your properties, Jacksonvilles Chief Traffic Engineer Chris LeDew said during the meeting. After reviewing the traffic study, LeDew said he found a traffic signal is warranted and a right turn deceleration lane is necessary at each driveway of the site. If they want to put in a light, all theyre going to do is drive more traffic down on Lady Lake Road in front of the houses to exit out on Summer Beach Drive, Smith said. People asked about everything from property values to the safety of the high schoolers. Some also questioned the accuracy of the study. RELATED: Oceanway community voices concerns against proposed location of new Chick-fil-A Chick-Fil-A representative listened and responded to many people asking why here? This after all things considered, this is the ideal spot for us to be, a Chick-Fil-A representative said at the meeting. One rep also explained how during peak hours across their entire chain, they see about 25 cars. But she said in this proposed site, the drive-thru will fit 39 cars. So, she added saying, the likelihood of it affecting traffic is minimal. Chick-Fil-A sent Action News Jax an emailed statement saying, We recognize the challenges encountered in this project, including issues with the initial traffic study. When discussion begins around building a Chick-fil-A restaurant, one of our main goals is to positively impact the communities we serve. We remain committed to ongoing dialogue and value the feedback received. The next Land Use and Zoning meeting is scheduled for June 4th. There will be a public hearing to discuss the traffic study and there will also a vote. Then, city council is set to vote on the proposal on June 11. This embedded content is not available in your region. [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live. icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from Bloomberg, Iran International, and the Financial Times Arrow Down Title icon The News The cause of a helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has not been determined but Irans former foreign minister blamed US sanctions on aviation parts for the incident, allegations the US rejected as utterly baseless. One of the culprits behind yesterdays tragedy is the United States, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts, Mohammad Javad Zarif told Iranian state media. [This] will be recorded in the list of US crimes against the Iranian people. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Irans aging fleet difficult to maintain under sanctions Source icon Source: Bloomberg Iran has been effectively barred from purchasing new aircraft or aviation equipment from Western suppliers because of sanctions, some of which date back to its 1979 revolution. Its planes and helicopters have an average age of about 25 years, while repairs often rely on old parts from previous models, Bloomberg reported. As a result, Iran flies some of the oldest and most basic helicopters still in use and relies on the skills of its engineers to find ways to keep them in operation with limited access to new materials, the outlet noted. While it is possible for Tehran to buy equipment from Russia and China, it is typically blocked from accessing more up-to-date technology. Questions over why helicopter was cleared for takeoff Source icon Source: The Financial Times The helicopter that carried Raisi and other top officials took off in thick fog in an area with difficult terrain and it remains unclear why the flight was given the all-clear. The old age of the fleet and Irans inability to secure new parts means that the helicopter likely encountered technical malfunctions, the Financial Times noted. Irans air fleet is a metaphor for the regime as a whole, Ali Ansari, an Iran expert from the University of St Andrews, told the paper. Its old, should not be able to keep flying, and yet does until it doesnt. Iranians poised to believe conspiracy theories Source icon Source: Iran International Analysts have said it is unsurprising that Iranian regime loyalists have placed blame on the US for the crash. It certainly fits with Iranian style, Patrick Clawson, a research counselor at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the UK-based outlet Iran International. Iranians are prone to believe in conspiracy theories [in] personal life, business life, and political life, he said. Iran has suffered several deadly air disasters in recent decades, but not all of the aircraft involved were US-made, he noted: Several crashes occurred in Russian- and European-designed aircraft that would not be subject to the same sanctions. Semafor Logo The Stars recent coverage about Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas reckless welcome mat for migrants illegally entering the country has barely touched on the Biden administrations elastic contortions of immigration law. The actual law bears closer consideration, since the mayors entire idea rests on Bidens interpretation and that interpretation, via administrative discretion, disrespects the years of hard work put in by naturalized citizens to earn the honor of United States citizenship. I am one of those proud citizens. I was born in India, but my dream was to earn a masters degree in business administration in America. I entered the U.S. legally on a student visa in August 2001 to attend Southeast Missouri State University. One month after moving to Cape Girardeau, I watched in horror on TV as terrorists crashed jets into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field on the way to the White House. Amid the horror of 9/11, I was comforted by the powerful experience of Americans coming together in common cause against terror. This immersion in patriotic unity inspired me to earn my way to U.S. citizenship. The process took me 16 years. I did it the right way the legal way. I followed the law in transitioning to a work visa, then to a legal permanent resident status, and only then to proudly taking an oath of allegiance as a naturalized citizen. So this subject is deeply personal to me. But my story is not unusual among immigrants who have earned citizenship, nor is the disdain expressed by those who worked so hard for actual legal status when it comes to the Lucas-Biden notion of effectively open-ended sanctuary. The mayor has bought into President Joe Bidens definition of lawfully present, which does not convey a legal status when you read the actual law. It is Biden waiving the law to grant people here illegally an unearned, undeserved privilege with an indefinite sunset. The key question is: Did these migrants enter the United States legally or illegally, irrespective of their contrived status endowed by Bidens order? The answer is that too many entered illegally, and that fact should frame this discussion, not Lucas and Biden pretending the actual law doesnt matter. The Kansas City Star Editorial Board recently referenced this fact with a passing, dismissive acknowledgment: The permitting system itself is admittedly controversial. Migrants who have applied for asylum can apply for authorization to work after 180 days in the country. If you think the asylum system is too permissive (as many anti-immigrant Republicans do) then the permitting system is also problematic. I take issue with The Star editorial characterizing those who feel the Lucas-Biden system is too permissive as anti-immigrant. There are many who are pro-legal immigration, but correctly call out cynical shortcuts. The mayor and I each earned law degrees, so we both know that words in law have particular meaning. The meaning that he and Biden want to wring from the law simply doesnt make sense. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said in 2016: How can it be lawful to work here but not lawful to be here? The Lucas-Biden spin doesnt change the fact that some these individuals entered the United States illegally and remain illegally under terms of the actual law until their case is individually decided, which can take years. I know this because I put my law degree to work over two decades helping immigrants dedicating themselves to hard work in completing the long legal path to U.S. citizenship. A Star reporter recently asked me if I believe the mayor is pushing to accept undocumented immigrants. I replied that people who are entering the United States illegally are by definition undocumented. The document is given to them under Lucas-Bidens expansive and questionable amnesty shortcut. The Star reporter also asked whether I a naturalized citizen and Missouris first non-white statewide officeholder believe that some politicians are twisting Lucas comments? I replied (though you never saw it in the newspaper), that I believe quite the opposite. It is Lucas and Biden who are twisting words with their outrageous expansion of the term legal presence to suggest it means legal status. That is flat wrong if you start with the basic question, did the migrant enter the United States legally? Welcoming those who entered the country illegally sends a message around the world that not only is the U.S. southern border open, but so is Kansas City no need to apply for a visa the right way. Just walk across the border and you can stay. And Missouri taxpayers will foot the bill for law enforcement, health care, education and other public services facing vast new costs. It is the wrong message for those who actually respect the law. Vivek Malek is Missouri State Treasurer. Race to win 2024 Battle of the Badges in Topeka ends with narrow victory Race to win 2024 Battle of the Badges in Topeka ends with narrow victory TOPEKA (KSNT) Local first responders rolled up their sleeves Monday for a good cause and a little friendly competition! The 7th annual blood drive competition, Battle of the Badges, had the Topeka Police Department (TPD) and the Topeka Fire Department (TFD) racing to see which agency could get the most donations. Each blood donor got to vote on who they thought should win the competition. The winner by just one vote- was the TFD. While the competition is all fun and games, the annual event carries one important message. Its absolutely critical that people donate blood, said Alan Stahl, fire marshal for the City of Topeka. So that we can keep those blood supply levels up in our hospitals and right now we are in a shortage situation. Kansas awards $80,000 to missile silo tourist attraction All of the blood donated Monday will go to patients in the Topeka area thanks to the American Red Cross. For more local news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. The Texas-based radio host detailed his wife's harrowing experience on X, formerly known as Twitter Ryan Hamilton/X Ryan Hamilton and wife Ryan Hamilton is speaking out after he and his wife experienced a distressing situation at a Texas hospital. The Texas-based radio DJ shared his story on X, formally known as Twitter, recounting his pregnant wife's harrowing experience after they went to the emergency room to discover why she had "severe pains & bleeding." "There, it was discovered that our baby no longer had a heartbeat. Devastated doesn't come close to what that feels like," Hamilton wrote. "Unfortunately for people like us, because of the current laws in the state of Texas, that was only the beginning of this nightmare." "Jess (my wife) had an 'incomplete miscarriage', and what needed to happen, what was best for HER, and her health, was to terminate the pregnancy, and get the baby out," he continued. "The doctor gave her a medication that would move this process along, and sent her home. Where, apparently we would be handling it ourselves. We were told it might take a couple of attempts before it worked." Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. My heart is broken: As friends & family know, my wife was pregnant with our 2nd child, & about to begin her 2nd trimester. A few days ago she had severe pains, & bleeding, and had to go to the emergency room. There, it was discovered that our baby no longer had a heartbeat. pic.twitter.com/k1INqq94c0 Ryan Hamilton (@TheRyanHamilton) May 20, 2024 Related: Intended Parents Demand Surrogate Terminate Healthy Pregnancy But She Decided to Have the Baby Anyway Hamilton shared that after a long, painful night that he equated to "early labor," the baby was still with her. The couple decided to return to the emergency room for a second dose, where a new doctor an older man was on call. "You could hear him in the hallway as he said, 'I'm not giving her a pill so she can go home and have an ab*rtion!' Being well aware that our baby no longer had a heartbeat," Hamilton continued. "Then, he came into the room to say, and I quote: 'Considering the current stance. I'm not going to prescribe you this pill.' Then, just sent us on our way." "No one should ever have to hear their wife say: 'Get this dead baby out of me!' " the radio personality wrote. "Can you even imagine how that must feel?" Jess' pain and bleeding continued, so the couple decided to go to another hospital, which Hamilton notes was about an hour away. The doctor on call was a woman, which the two hoped would give them better luck. "So we get to the next hospital. They take Jess in, ask her a bunch of questions, do a new scan... confirm that the baby is still there, with no heartbeat, and then disappear... for hours," Hamilton shared. Getty Stock image of woman in hospital. "Only to come back in and keep asking the same questions over and over. It's becoming clear that they're [sic] primary concern is NOT my wife's health. Instead, they seem to be worried about the legalities involved." "So, they decide it is not 'enough of an emergency' to perform the D & C," he said, referring to a procedure called dilatation and curettage. "They do, however, prescribe another, stronger, final dose of the medication for us to try again... at home." "So, we go home to try again. Another long day/night of early labor pains. Only to discover my wife UNCONSCIOUS in the bathroom," Hamilton recalled. "Having to pick my wife's cold, limp body off of that bathroom floor, not sure if I was about to lose her, is something I will NEVER forget." Jess had to be rushed to the hospital. Because she had lost so much blood and bodily fluid, her body gave out. Luckily, the doctors were able to stabilize her, and give her the fluids she needed, and the two were allowed to return home. The doctors also confirmed that the baby was no longer with her. Getty Stock image of woman in hospital. "Now, not only do we have to live with the loss of our baby... we have to live with the nightmare of what we just experienced because of political and religious beliefs," Hamilton wrote. "MY WIFE'S HEALTH SHOULD HAVE COME FIRST. PERIOD!" In the thread on X, several people voiced their concern and outrage at the situation, including actor Mark Hamill, who wrote, "Tragic news. I know your pain from personal experience, so hang in there, Ryan, it will get better." Mia Farrow also commented, writing, "Im so very sorry for the loss of your baby and for the nightmare you and your wife were put through at an already terrible time ." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. NEW YORK An aide to Mayor Adams whose home was raided amid an FBI probe into his 2021 campaign is cooperating with federal authorities, a source with knowledge of the matter said Monday. The aide, Rana Abbasova, is one of several people whose residence was raided as the feds probe allegations that the Turkish government funneled illegal cash into Adams campaign through straw donors. The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing and strongly denies any suggestion of impropriety in connection with the investigation. Its unclear what Abbasova may have discussed with the feds, though her cooperation pertains to the general allegation of illegal Turkish government-financed contributions to the mayors campaign, according to The New York Times, which first reported her cooperation. Her lawyer Rachel Maimin declined to comment. Brendan McGuire, the mayors former chief counsel at City Hall who now represents him and his 2021 campaign in the FBI investigation, confirmed Abbasovas cooperation, but said its not a new or meaningful development. Abbasova, the director of protocol in Adams International Affairs Office and the mayors unofficial liaison to the local Turkish community, was put on unpaid leave days after her home was raided in November, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. She remains on unpaid leave, and her position at City Hall has not been filled, they added. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the Adams campaign probe, which burst into the headlines when the home of the mayors chief campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, was raided in November. Days later, Adams had his own electronic devices seized by the feds. Abbasova received three tickets in New Jersey in January for offenses linked to driving a for-hire vehicle, the New York Daily News previously reported. While shes been on unpaid leave, another Adams aide targeted by the feds in a separate matter went on paid sick leave after her Bronx homes were raided in February. That aide, Winnie Greco, has since returned to work at City Hall, receiving a raise earlier this month. McGuire noted the mayors administration reported to investigators late last year that Abbasova had engaged in improper conduct. Sources confirmed at the time that the conduct in question was Abbasova instructing other Adams staffers to delete text messages theyd exchanged with her. It is our understanding that Ms. Abbasova has been talking to investigators since her improper conduct was reported by the administration in November, McGuire said in a Monday night statement. _____ Among the 150,000 soldiers who landed on and fought across the hostile beaches of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944, were 1,000 members of a new, specially trained unit the U.S. Army Rangers. Most of them fought across the German beachfront defenses, supported by nearly 7,000 naval vessels and 11,000 Allied aircraft. More than 200 Rangers fought vertically up the sheer cliff face of Pointe du Hoc, a craggy outcropping overlooking the two American landing beaches in an effort to capture what was thought to be a key location of German artillery. As a military historian of what I call the American Ranger tradition, Ive traced this martial phenomenon from the colonial period to the 21st century. Their pathway to Normandy and their exploits that fateful morning represent a core component of the modern U.S. Armys culture and evolution in the decades since. Ranger rebirth The idea for the U.S. Army Rangers was inspired by British Prime Minister Winston Churchills idea for what he called a butcher and bolt force small teams that would conduct surprise attacks, kill or destroy key enemy targets, and escape undetected. The Commandos, as these British units were called, conducted high-profile and daring raids into occupied Europe from 1940 to the end of the war. Their sudden and shocking assaults along the French and Norwegian coastlines provided a boost in British morale during the dark early days of the war. In spring 1942, Gen. George C. Marshall, the U.S. Armys chief of staff, agreed to send a small detachment of Americans to train with the British commandos to gain combat experience. These American troops were then supposed to be sent to units across the United States rapidly growing army to share their expertise as new recruits prepared to go to war. Gen. Lucian Truscott Jr., who had made the initial pitch to Marshall, believed the term commando was too British and instead argued that these men should be called Rangers. Truscott recalled the tenacity, flexibility and aggressive nature of colonial forces like Rogers Rangers, famous for daring raids during the French and Indian War in the 1750s and 1760s. Truscott believed that few words have a more glamorous connotation in American military history than the word ranger. The 1st Ranger Battalion was trained by the British Commandos. A select few of them joined the British and Canadians in an August 1942 raid across the English Channel into Dieppe, France, which resulted in catastrophic losses and hard-learned lessons for the eventual landings at Normandy. Those Rangers were the first U.S. troops to fight in Europe during World War II. The U.S. Army Rangers fought in several locations in North Africa during World War II. U.S. Army Special Operations in World War II, Center for Military History In November 1942, the 1st Ranger Battalion took part in Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of northern Africa. They captured the port town of Arzew, Algeria, without firing a shot during the invasions opening hours. They conducted daring nighttime raids, like the one on the Italian military outpost at the Sened Station in Tunisia, and were essential to Gen. George Pattons breakout at Tunisias Djebel el Ank in 1943. The unit was so successful that the Army created additional Ranger battalions for the invasions of Italy and France, which were still being planned and would be undertaken in 1943 and 1944, respectively. As these new battalions were forming and training, two in Africa and two in Tennessee, there was some confusion among Army commanders about how they would be used in combat. Were they specialized raiding forces like the commandos, or elite infantry meant to spearhead beach landings and other large-scale offensives? The 1st Rangers had done both in Africa, and these new Rangers would be asked to do so as well. U.S. Army Rangers train with British Commandos. United States Office of War Information via Library of Congress These new Ranger battalions were less heavily armed than their conventional counterparts. While they fit under the same organizational framework, they lacked the heavier weapons and internal artillery capabilities of a standard American infantry battalion. As the Allied campaign pushed across northern Africa and into Italy, the Rangers found themselves consistently on the front lines of the Allied advance, where they suffered disastrous casualties fighting in prolonged conventional battles they were neither designed nor equipped for. The cliffs at Pointe du Hoc, seen here in 2019, are a steep climb from the waters edge. AP Photo/Virginia Mayo Rangers for D-Day Like the rest of the D-Day force, the Rangers prepared for the operation without knowing when or where it would take place. The newly organized 2nd and 5th Ranger battalions arrived in England in January 1944 and, alongside the more than 2 million other Allied soldiers on the British Isles, started preparing for the Normandy landings. The Rangers completed the murderous Commando training course in Scotland, famous for its grueling hill runs and use of live ammunition, spent weeks practicing amphibious landings along the English coastline, and scaled the towering seaside cliffs near Swanage more times than they could count. A map shows the Army Rangers assignments during the D-Day invasion. U.S. Army On the fateful morning of the Normandy landings, the Ranger battalions were split into three groups with two distinct assignments. Task Force A, three companies led by Lt. Col. James Rudder, was assigned the most difficult mission: Pointe du Hoc. Using rocket-propelled grappling guns, rope and specialty fire ladders, the Rangers needed to climb 90 feet of sheer rock face under German fire, take the cliff top and destroy a group of 155 mm German guns overlooking the landing beaches. Task Forces B and C, the remaining Rangers, were insurance. Depending on what happened at the cliffs, these Rangers had to land and fight across Omaha Beach and either rescue a faltering cliff assault or support the 29th Infantry Division in clearing the beach and taking the critical town of Vierville. Just days after D-Day, U.S. Army Rangers show the ladders they used to storm the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc. U.S. Navy via National Archives The fight at Pointe du Hoc Rudders Task Force A had a rough start: A wrong turn in their landing craft put them 30 minutes behind schedule. The 225 Rangers finally started their climb well after sunrise and were met with intense German fire from above. Many of the first men to reach the top only did so with their hands and knives their ropes had been cut. But 30 minutes after they started climbing, the Rangers had reached the craggy and blasted top of Pointe du Hoc. Numbering barely 70, they found no functional German guns, which had either been destroyed in pre-invasion bombardments or moved by the Germans just days before. Landing on Omaha Beach By the time the 800-plus Rangers of Task Forces B and C landed on Omaha Beach, they had not yet heard from the delayed cliff assault team amid the chaos of the mornings fight. Within minutes, concentrated German machine gun fire devastated the men struggling up the beach. Nearly half of Lt. Col. Max Schneiders force were killed or wounded as they made their way onto the beach. The rest hid behind a low seawall. Brig. Gen. Norman Cota approached the gathered troops. After a short and heated discussion with Schneider, the Rangers heard Cota yell something about needing to get troops off the exposed beach. His order became the current 75th Ranger Regiments motto: Rangers, Lead the Way! Using explosives specially designed for clearing obstacles, the Rangers cleared a pathway through the German barbed wire, and the assault up the beach began anew. Famously reenacted by Tom Hanks and his fellow on-screen Rangers in 1998s World War II epic Saving Private Ryan, the Ranger attack kick-started one of the first major breakthroughs of the morning. Before long, American soldiers were face to face with German defenders and opening large gaps in the defenses on their way to taking the beach and pushing inland. A few among many Like most of the troops on D-Day, the men of the 2nd and 5th Rangers experienced combat for the first time on those beaches and cliffsides. They paid a heavy price for the Allied victory: Nearly 400 of the original 1,000 Rangers who set out for Normandy were killed, wounded or missing. Overall, 4,000-plus Allied soldiers were killed on the day of the invasion, with 5,000 more wounded. The Rangers were a small part of the overall operation, but they epitomize the strength, adaptability and determination of every service member who stepped foot on those beaches, piloted those landing craft, flew air support or toiled on an off-shore warship. U.S. President Ronald Reagan addresses the surviving Ranger veterans and the media in 1984 on the 40th anniversary of the Normandy landings. AP Photo Four decades after D-Day, U.S. President Ronald Reagan visited Pointe du Hoc and paid his respects to the 62 surviving members of the 2nd Rangers who had climbed the cliffs. He honored them and every other young man who stormed the beaches of Normandy: These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc. These are the men who took the cliffs. These are the champions who helped free a continent. These are the heroes who helped end a war. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: James Sandy, University of Texas at Arlington Read more: James Sandy receives funding from the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks, PA. Even before he landed in Spain, before he opened his mouth and triggered a spat with the Spanish government, Javier Mileis trip was already involved in controversy back home in Argentina. Since taking office over five months ago, the president has made six trips abroad, but in most of them he did not develop a state agenda or hold meetings with national authorities; instead, he participated in activities with more ties to his own personal interests than to national ones. Opposition leaders are questioning the fact that, while the president proclaims that there is no money and implements severe cuts to public spending with the chainsaw as an emblem Milei and his entourage are using the presidential plane and spending public funds to go on what they say amounts to publicity tours around the world. Mileis visit to Madrid last weekend had been confirmed by the Argentine president on March 29, when he announced on his social media accounts that he would participate in a far-right political summit in Madrid hosted by Spains ultranationalist party Vox, whose leader Santiago Abascal was described by Milei as his dear friend. After the first questions began to emerge regarding the private nature of the trip, the government responded that Milei would have an official agenda and that he would be meeting with business leaders in Spain. It was a full 45 days after the trip was announced that the meeting and its participants were confirmed. In the presidents first three trips abroad, the government reported having spent a total of 168 million pesos (about $168,000 at the current exchange rate). There is still no official data on the last three trips. The opposition group Hacemos Coalion Federal has requested information from the government regarding Mileis trips to the United States, Switzerland, Israel, Italy and Spain. This group has asked for an account of itineraries, activities, costs and the origin of the funds that were used to cover these expenses. We want to know if these were [official] state visits or trips with a private agenda. From whats been posted on social media and the spokespersons statements, it would seem that in general these were trips of a private nature, said the lawmaker Oscar Agost Carreno, one of the signatories of the request for information. Meanwhile the Left Front lawmaker Gabriel Solano has filed a complaint in court against Milei for using public funds and property, including the presidential plane, to travel to Spain in order to participate in Voxs party activities. The cost to the State will exceed $500,000. In his five months and 10 days as president, Milei has made five visits to different parts of Argentina, in addition to those made abroad. In January he went to Switzerland to participate in the Davos Forum. In February he traveled to Israel, Italy and the Vatican, where he did maintain state activities. At the end of the same month, Milei made his first visit to the United States: he met with another icon of the global right, former president Donald Trump, and later spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). He traveled to the United States again in April, to be distinguished as an international ambassador of light by the Jewish organization Chabad Lubavitch and to meet with Elon Musk. He would meet the millionaire of South African origin again at the beginning of May, on his third visit to the United States. On that occasion, he also spoke to business leaders, bankers and representatives of investment funds at the Global Conference of the Milken Institute. Criticism of the waste of public funds has hit a sensitive spot for the government. Milei built a large part of his victory on the basis of attacking the privileges of the political caste and he is now being accused of engaging in the same behavior that he previously reviled. They are not private trips, defended the presidential spokesperson, Manuel Adorni. We do not make any self-criticism in terms of expenses because I can assure you that, if there is an austere government that spends the bare minimum, it is this one, he insisted last week. Former House Speaker Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, was leading in early returns Tuesday night in the Democratic primary for Oregon attorney general against nonprofit executive director Shaina Pomerantz. Former Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield was leading in the race for the Democratic nomination for Oregon's attorney general, according to initial primary election results Tuesday. Rayfield sent a celebratory statement based on the initial results thanking his opponent, Shaina Maxey Pomerantz for a "respectful campaign" and the "opportunity to debate important issues." He said he would continue to discuss his "proven track record" and vision. "This election has been a great opportunity to talk with people in communities across the state about our shared values and the most important priorities for the next Attorney General," Rayfield said. "As we move to the general election, I will continue to offer a clear vision of keeping Oregonians safe, strengthening our justice system to make it more accountable and fair, standing up for consumers, seniors and children, and protecting our rights from national threats, including on reproductive health and abortion rights." The winner of the primary election will face the winner of the Republican primary either Michael Cross or Will Lathrop in the November general election to replace Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. She announced in September that she would not see a fourth term. Rayfield announced he was running for attorney general in October Pomerantz filed on the last day allowed. Rayfield, a Willamette University College of Law graduate, was elected to the Oregon House in 2014. Before being elected to the Oregon Legislature, he worked for 18 years as a private attorney. If elected as attorney general, he said he would prioritize supporting working families, protecting Oregonians values and policies from national threats, and keeping communities safe. Pomerantz graduated from Southern University Law Center and was a former civil rights investigator for the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries. She received a $425,000 settlement from BOLI in December from a racial discrimination lawsuit. She now works as executive director of RACE TALKS, a Portland-based nonprofit. In her voter's pamphlet, she described herself as the peoples champion who believes every Oregonian deserves equal opportunity and representation that is community-based and consumer friendly. She did not respond to questions from the Statesman Journal. Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Rayfield leading in Oregon attorney general Democratic race Donald Trump solidified his hold over the Republican Party for a third presidential election cycle on March 5. But the refusal of many GOP voters that night, and in primary elections since, to back the quasi-incumbent sparked the creation of a group that intends to try to pull the party from his grasp. Less than a week after Super Tuesday results rolled in, a new independent political action committee, the Reagan Caucus, filed a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission, followed nine days later by the formation of a separate state PAC, the Utah Reagan Caucus, which is actively seeking donations and issuing endorsements in the states highest profile races. The two groups, joined by at least 11 other legally separate but closely affiliated state chapters, have the goal of influencing down-ballot Republican primaries away from Trump and toward the GOP policies and optimistic politics of Ronald Reagan. Over the past decade, they argue, the party of social conservatism, fiscal restraint and national defense has strayed from its roots and from its most popular president in 50 years. Some party activists say the opposite is true; under Trump the party has returned to the bold, conservative message of Reagan after years of losing to Democrats in culture war showdowns. The Reagan Caucus has co-opted the 40th presidents name to push for a watered-down conservatism, critics say. But Utah Reagan Caucus director Justin Stapley believes that many Republican voters in Utah, where Trump experienced his worst results of any red state this primary season, have a pent up desire for the big tent appeal of Reaganism now that Trumps Grand Old Party has, itself, gotten old. What is the Utah Reagan Caucus? There is a sizable part of the Republican Party ... that wants something different from the direction the party has been going in for the last decade, Stapley told the Deseret News. In 1980 and 1984, Reagan was able to capitalize on national discontent to win in huge landslide elections, Stapley said, because of his happy warrior attitude, promises of trustworthy spending and a projection of American confidence on the world stage. And I think on each of those aspects you see the Republican Party experiencing a serious departure from those things, Stapley said. Former President Gerald R. Ford, left, lends his support to fellow Republican and then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan and running mate George Bush, seen here on the final day of campaigning in Peoria, Ill., in this Nov. 3, 1980, file photo. | Associated Press Stapley, who served in the National Guard and Salt Lake County Sheriffs Office before entering a masters program with Utah Valley Universitys Center for Constitutional Studies, said his party now appears to expend more energy tearing itself apart than advancing the conservative cause. It almost seems like this growing faction that was kind of built over the last 10 years in the Republican Party, they are more motivated to go after fellow Republicans than they are to go after Democrats at times, he said. And this has completely disrupted the traditional big tent Republicanism that Reagan championed so well. The Utah Reagan Caucus aims to influence Beehive State politics in the same way the national Reagan Caucus aims to do so in the 2026 midterms and 2028 presidential primaries by endorsing principled non-MAGA Republicans and mobilizing voters who have signed their pledge to vote in GOP primaries. Part of what I feel the Reagan caucus is trying to do is to make a more visible, Reaganite faction within the Republican Party, because thats part of the problem that we observed through the primaries is that there wasnt really an organizing principle even though there was this desire, Stapley said. In the 2024 GOP primary, the Utah Reagan Caucus has endorsed Gov. Spencer Cox against his challenger, state Rep. Phil Lyman, R-Blanding; Rep. Blake Moore against Paul Miller in the 1st Congressional District; Rep. Celeste Maloy against her 2nd District opponent, Colby Jenkins; Rep. John Curtis in the race to fill Sen. Mitt Romneys open seat; State Auditor John Dougall in the race to replace Curtis in the 3rd District; and a number of state and municipal candidates. Moving forward, the national Reagan Caucus, working in concert with state branches like Utahs, will be sparse with its endorsements, according to Reagan Caucus founder Thomas Howes, the editor-in-chief of The Vital Center journal and a politics lecturer at Princeton University. The main focus will be to commit Republican voters across the country to participate in primary elections, which are usually low-turnout affairs that can be decided by the most activist portion of the base, Howes said. The caucus plans to advertise their pledge with the donations they started receiving last week. The primary electorate itself is only a small portion of the total population, Howes said. It takes a few million people getting informed and committed to voting in primaries and you could substantially change the primary electorate. Is there a place for the Reagan Caucus in the Utah GOP? Fewer than 10% of registered Utah Republicans participated in the caucus night presidential preference poll on Super Tuesday. Trump beat his lone remaining challenger, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, 56% to 43% among the narrow slice of GOP primary voters who participated in Utah. But Haley defeated Trump in two of the states most populous counties in Salt Lake County, 52%-47%, and in Davis County, 51%-48%. She narrowly lost to Trump in the highest turn-out region, Utah County, 47%-52%. While it is hard to pin down through public opinion polling, Utah Republicans seem roughly split into three camps, said Quin Monson, a political science professor at Brigham Young University and the co-author of Seeking the Promised Land: Mormons and American Politics. There is a group of ardent Trump supporters who have supported the 45th president from the beginning, another group of voters who have opposed Trump from the beginning and a group that may have liked Trumps policies but have grown tired of his antics, Monson said. I think that group is pretty substantial, that maybe will even vote for him again in 2024, and maybe would even express support for him in a poll, but is just kind of fatigued and wishes that there was another option, Monson said. I think thats probably the largest group. A SNF Agora Institute poll conducted by Gallup in March asked self-identified Utah Republicans to select any label they would use to describe themselves ideologically. The poll found that 31% of Utah Republicans feel comfortable with the label moderate Republicans, 28% describe themselves as Trump Republicans, 25% identify as Reagan Republicans, 16% as America First Republicans, 15% as Romney Republicans, 12% as MAGA Republicans and 9% as Never Trump Republicans. Monson said one of the central divides within the Utah GOP is loyalty to Donald Trump. His own data suggests that there are somewhere between 40%-50% of Utah Republicans who are fairly sympathetic to Donald Trump. But a substantial group of those remaining likely wishes that there was a different nominee (and) is tired of things the way they are. For this reason, Monson sees an unmet demand for what the Reagan Caucus has to offer, but not if it becomes synonymous with Never-Trumpers. I think theres hunger for it, Monson said. I think its a difficult needle to thread, though, because if they get identified purely in terms of Donald Trump then I think thats difficult because now theyre basically fighting against the Republican nominee for president. And thats a tough position to be in. Where do Utah Republican leaders stand? Salt Lake County Republican Party Chairman Chris Null thinks the Utah Reagan Caucus is something of a Trojan horse, using pleasant-sounding Reagan-isms to dilute the conservative vote in Utah. When they say big tent, they mean well take anyone and everyone despite their values and their principles; and thats not what Reagan was, Null said. When theyre co-opting a name like Reagan, it really waters down who the Republican Party are, and its going to be very bad for Utah if we continue down this path. The Republican Party hasnt strayed from Reagan-style conservatism under Trump, that is the exact opposite to the truth, Null said. Trump channeled Reagan by promoting a strong defense, strong economy and a strong stance on social issues during his presidency, Null said. Washington County GOP chair Lesa Sandberg also denies that the party has forgotten Reagans political philosophy. The state party platform has remained constant since 2009 and even the more MAGA conservatives are likely to list Reagan as one of their favorite presidents after Trump, she said. With party processes, like caucus night, largely dominated by Trump supporters, Sandberg said, she understands why some Republicans feel like they dont have any power and why they would be interested in something like the Utah Reagan Caucus to recruit a different style of GOP candidate. So if thats their intent, yes, they have an audience to address for sure, Sandberg said. But, Sandberg said weve forgotten what Reagans big tent is supposed to mean. Shes seen very conservative Republicans and right-leaning moderate Republicans both express the opinion that the party would be better without the other side of the spectrum. Even though its a big ol circus underneath this tent, and we have a wide variety of characters in it, we all need to get together and support our Republican candidates when they come out of the primaries, Sandberg said. Was there really a nuclear explosion in Rhode Island? Here's the story of Wood River Junction Wood River Junction, a village in Richmond, is the sort of place where you might want live if you were looking for a quiet life. Its home to a sizeable turf farm if you want to watch grass grow. It has several hiking trails to explore. But mostly its known for something that happened 60 years ago. A What and Why RI reader wrote in, asking, Was there really a nuclear explosion in Rhode Island years and years ago? There was, and Wood River Junction is where it happened. The United Nuclear Corporation in Wood River Junction This United Nuclear Corp. uranium-recycling plant was the site of a small-scale nuclear blast in 1964 that killed an employee, Robert D. Peabody. In 1961, ads started to appear in The Providence Journal for an unusual opportunity the chance to work just over the border in Connecticut with United Nuclear Corporation. The company was one of the nations major providers of nuclear fuels. Two years later, it announced it was opening a multimillion-dollar facility in Rhode Island, which was heralded by politcos as a tremendously exciting thing for the state, bringing good-paying jobs and launching Rhode Island into the future. The company finalized an agreement with the state within two months of the announcement, broke ground just a couple of months after that, and in just over a year opened its facility in March 1964, the states first entry in the atomic industry. The 1964 nuclear accident Robert Peabody, 37, must have been one of the first people to get a job at the facility. A father of nine children, from 16 years old to five months old, Peabody was a graduate of Stonington High School and had worked as an auto mechanic up until he took the job at United Nuclear. With nine kids, he needed the money, so when he heard about the job, he decided to take an evening shift as a technician, according to the New England Historical Society. By day, he worked as a mechanic. The job of United Nuclear was to take uranium scraps and process them to recover any enriched uranium they contained. The substance was dangerous, but the work was technically simple, so it didnt matter when hiring Peabody that he wasnt a chemist. But its the kind of work that goes smoothly only if all the bottles are correctly labeled. And on July 24, 1964, they werent. See, there had been a problem at the facility: a strange black goo was appearing around some of the equipment, according to reporting by Yankee Magazine. It necessitated a complicated cleanup that threw the whole facility into chaos, with any bottle that could be grabbed being used to contain liquids, labels falling off and long to-do lists of unfamiliar tasks for workers. Even so, when Peabody started his shift that Friday and grabbed an all safe bottle of solution to bring upstairs to clean, it didnt ring any alarm bells. Until he poured the solution into an 18-inch by 25-inch tank, according to United Nuclears report, and actual alarm bells started to screech through the building. The bottle contained a highly radioactive solution, and when it hit the tank, a nuclear chain reaction started. The Providence Journal headline described what happened as a blast and nuclear explosion the next day. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission called it a criticality accident in a report several months later. But the bottom line is that when that solution hit the tank, Peabody was splashed with radioactive liquid, a dose that doctors later said was 10 times what it would take to kill a man. What and Why RI: Are any of the rides from Rocky Point still in use at other amusement parks? We found out. When the alarms started going off, he ran stripping his clothes off as he went. He made it out of the building before he collapsed, showing the brutal signs of radiation poisoning. He was brought to Rhode Island Hospital, and put in the old x-ray room, where doctors and nurses tended to him with lead-lined gloves. His condition was initially described as fair but he died about 48 hours after the blast. Given the state of his body, the Providence Roman Catholic Diocese issued special dispensation so he could be cremated, but his wife believed she never got her husband's true ashes back, as they werent radioactive, according to the New England Historical Society. What happened to United Nuclear Corporation? In the wake of the accident, the facility at Wood River Junction was closed for weeks as a cleanup happened. While it was closed, the governor offered his support that United Nuclear was doing everything they could to make sure the area was safe. In December, they were given the green light from the Atomic Energy Commission to reopen as the plant had rectified the 14 items in noncompliance the NRC had found. At the end of the month, the $1-million plant resumed operations. What and Why RI: About 100 buildings in RI are built from bricks made in Barrington. What's the history? No fines were ever levied. Following a lawsuit, Peabody's wife was paid a settlement of $22,000 to raise her nine children with. Once reopened, the plant continued to operate until it was closed in 1981 because it was no longer profitable. Today, the area is part of the popular Francis C. Carter Nature Preserve. What and Why RI is a weekly feature by The Providence Journal to explore our readers' curiosity. If you have a question about Rhode Island, big or small, email it to klandeck@gannett.com. She loves a good question. This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Was there really a nuclear explosion in RI? Here's the history Recently rebuilt segment of South Robert Street could receive additional safety improvements; residents invited to weigh in West St. Paul residents are invited to a public meeting next month to discuss safety and connectivity improvements for South Robert Street. The retail-heavy stretch between Mendota Road and Annapolis Street has been under the microscope for close to a decade and received a $42.5 million reconstruction that wrapped up in 2017 with the goal of improving mobility and safety. Despite those improvements, the section of roadway has seen continued safety concerns for users, according to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Where South Robert Street intersects with east Wentworth Avenue and east Butler Avenue has drawn attention for its transit and walking issues, according to an online comment map that is open to the public. Other concerns from West St. Paul residents date to the 2017 reconstruction, which added medians and reduced left-turn options to increase safety. With fewer left turn opportunities, motorists are making more U-turns at traffic lights. More U-turns are an expected result of more medians, Derek Leuer, a traffic safety engineer for MnDOT, told the Pioneer Press after the 2017 reconstruction. For a road like South Robert, which has lots of access points to businesses, medians reduce conflict points by restricting left-hand turns, which are generally considered unsafe, Leuer said. Before the reconstruction, MnDOT had deemed it a high-crash corridor due to the number of crashes and their severity. Between 2005 and 2014, the corridors 23 intersections were the site of 1,025 crashes. Between 2018 and 2022, there were 462 crashes at intersections located along the corridor, according to MnDOT, and an additional 146 crashes at other locations along South Robert Street. Additional improvements sought The latest study of the corridor, conducted by MnDOT, runs from February 2024 to February 2025 to identify possible improvements to safety and connectivity for people who walk, bike, use transit and drive, per the release. The study, which costs $175,000, will coordinate with Metro Transit to prepare the corridor for the upcoming G Line arterial Bus Rapid Transit service as it will include new on-street transit stations. The G Line is planned to run from Little Canada through downtown St. Paul and to the Dakota County Northern Service Center in West St. Paul, primarily along Rice and Robert Streets. Construction of the G Line project is planned for 2026-28, with a goal of completing all work on Robert Street within the G Line corridor by the end of 2028, according to the G Line project page. South Robert Street information meeting The public is invited to share their feedback at 6 p.m. June 4 at the Wentworth Library, located at 199 E. Wentworth Ave. For those unable to attend the meeting, the online comment map will be open until June 9 at mndothwy3srobertststudy.com. Related Articles WYOMING, Mich. (WOOD) The death certificate for 17-year-old Riley Doggett, who was struck by a sheriffs patrol car while running from police, lists the manner of death as accident. Doggett died on May 9 at Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital, more than a month after he was struck by a vehicle driven by a Kent County sheriffs deputy. He suffered craniocerbral trauma, or traumatic brain injury, according to the death certificate. Kent County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cohle, who performed the autopsy, said its common to list the manner of death involving cars as accidents, though he said a police investigation could lead him to change that. He said its a matter of intent, and there was no evidence that he saw that showed the deputy intended to hit Doggett. If he had intended to hit him, Cohle said he would have listed the manner of death as homicide. He likened it to a hunter firing a shot at movement in the woods and accidentally hitting another hunter. That would also be listed as an accident because there was no intent. Reports: Police watched group before teen hit by cruiser during chase He said Doggett suffered a fractured skull and a fractured hip. The Doggett family attorney, Ven Johnson, questioned how the medical examiner reached that conclusion. Cohle said he based his finding on reports from his medical examiner investigator, who spoke to police. He said he did not see any videos. What do you expect the cops to say, attorney Johnson said. Their determination has nothing to do with anything in court. None of it is binding on any jury. The state police investigated the death and have turned the case over to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker, who will determine whether the deputy will face criminal charges. Becker on Tuesday said he was working on it, but he wouldnt say when he expects to issue a ruling. Police: Chase was second of night for suspected car thieves Doggett was in a stolen Range Rover fled from police on April 8. His attorney said he was a passenger. The Kent County deputy who struck Doggett with his patrol car had first spotted the Range Rover minutes earlier at US-131 and 44th Street in Wyoming, according to reports. That was less than an hour after the same vehicle and a stolen Nissan were chased by Holland police a pursuit that reached 120 mph and was terminated on I-196 near the Kent-Ottawa line. The chase in Kent County, which reached speeds of 80 mph, ended when Doggett and his alleged accomplice jumped from the Range Rover, which crashed into parked cars at 32nd Street and South Division Avenue. Dogget was running away when the deputy struck him with his cruiser. There was no indication Doggett was armed. The Kent County sheriffs office has said Doggett was unintentionally struck and that it was a direct result of the inherent risk accompanying the serious criminal activity that Riley was engaged in during the weeks and months leading up to this incident. Police arrested the 17-year-old driver. He is charged as a juvenile with fleeing a police officer, receiving and concealing the stolen Range Rover and resisting police. Ven Johnson, the attorney for Doggetts family, has argued the death was the result of improper use of deadly force. He has criticized the Kent County Sheriffs Department for refusing to release dashboard cam video. Family of teen hit by deputy: No reason video isnt out A memorial service for Doggett will be held at 5 p.m. Friday at Stroo Funeral Home on 68th Street SE in Gaines Township. Visitation will precede the service, starting at 3 p.m. The death of 25-year-old Samuel Sterling, who was struck by a state police sergeants car while running from police on April 17, also was listed as an accident on his death certificate. Sterling, who was wanted on warrants for violating probation, died hours after the crash. State police released dash and body camera videos that show the chase and their response after Sterling was struck. The sergeant, through his attorney Marc Curtis, has said he had no intention of purposely harming Mr. Sterling, and that he was heartbroken by the death. The investigation into that death is pending. The state police sergeant was placed on unpaid leave and the governor has called for his firing if hes criminally charged. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com. For an 18-year-old, one mistake can have drastic consequences. Our criminal justice system functions so that impulsive or poor decision making can follow you for the rest of your life impacting your ability to get a job and ultimately your future. However, a recent push has swept certain parts of the country, arguing that those aged 17-25 should not be tried as adults but as a separate demographic entirely. Taking off around 2015 in San Francisco, there has been a slow spread of youth adult court programs looking to reduce recidivism and enable young adults to succeed in adulthood despite mistakes of their past. After researching the success of these programs and the reason they are so needed, I believe that this specific type of program is the type of criminal justice reform our system needs. Madeline Myers For those struggling to get a job or get into school/stay in school, a young adult program could benefit them to ensure they stay on the right track instead of recommitting offenses. In fact, certain programs already enacted around the country, like Orange Countys, work to assist those who have completed the program in finding stable employment or getting into college. They also help with parenting classes for those who might be young and/or single parents. This type of court is necessary in modern day. There is far too much incarceration and lasting effect for young adults who commit impulsive, non-violent crimes. From the neuropsychological perspective, Harvard Medical Department adds that the prefrontal cortex the part of the brain that dictates decision-making and impulse control isnt fully developed until the mid-20s. It doesnt seem rational to expect those whose brains are not yet of an adults, particularly the regions of the brain that assist in decision-making, to still be tried as adults. Interestingly enough, the most common crimes committed of those aged 17-25 are related to impulse control issues, demonstrating that these sorts of crimes might do better and be fairer if they were tried in a young adult court. A young adult court could also benefit those incarcerated but struggling with mental health issues that could increase the likelihood of recommitting an offense. Many of the young adult courts have instituted programs involving required treatment and therapy sessions to assist in helping those who struggle with these issues in learning how to manage and make better decisions. A court specialized to 1725-year-olds would take a unique perspective that allows people whove made mistakes the opportunity to overcome, learn from their ways, and still succeed in the future. There are so many young adults who have found their futures in education or employment ruined as a result of drug charges, open container laws, underage drinking charges, and even DUIs where no one was harmed. Those charged with these crimes and other nonviolent felonies would, however, benefit from courts with specially trained prosecutors, knowledgeable judges, and less of a mandate to incarcerate. Since 2015, other areas in the country have recognize this problem within our criminal justice system and worked to implement these courts as a solution. One of the first of its kind was located in San Francisco. Started in August 2015, this court system and program has seen general success with 150 of 371 participants completing the program. Out of those who have graduated in 2021, 73% have avoided re-arrest. In Pennington County in South Dakota, their young adult court has over 1,000 individuals involved in diversion programs where over half have made it 18 months without breaking a law, meaning theyre eligible for their charges to be cleared. The Brown County Young Adult Court Program in California just had its first graduate as well, with news sources covering the story of twenty-year-old Kassandra Nooyen who underwent meetings, drug tests, and 21 hours of addiction treatment to graduate sober and without jail time. If counties like York were to institute this court, I would recommend a specialized court focused on limitation where the court has the discretion to choose which cases are heard based on whether it aligns with the principles of it or not. This would put greater emphasis on rehabilitation. Certain strategies that assist young adults in overcoming their felony charges include dropping the felony status to a misdemeanor or dismissing it based on completion of the young adult court program. There are also instances where completing the program can be supplemented in the process of jail time, allowing these young adults to still pay the price without having to undergo the often mentally strenuous and sometimes traumatizing experience of prison that can affect their emotional state for far longer than the time served. Our criminal justice system is flawed. The consequences of a fateful mistake can follow this young adult on to grad school applications and into job interviews. It perpetuates the ongoing problem of crowded prisons and fails to meet the goals of our system to rehabilitate. There are more benefits than drawbacks in instituting a flexible version of a young adult case focused only on non-violent crimes and rehabilitation of young adults. With the right resources, planning, and execution, this could actually broaden the criminal justice systems abilities to rehabilitate and reduce recidivism for this age demographic that seems neither juvenile nor adult. Madeline Myers is a resident of York and a student at McDaniel College. This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Why we need a young adults court Peter Bystron, member of the AfD parliamentary group in the 19th legislative period of the German Bundestag. picture alliance / Michael Kappeler/dpa Police have found the serial numbers of several gold bars in a Berlin home of a far-right politician suspected of having ties to pro-Russian platforms, newspaper Die Welt reported on Tuesday. Peter Bystron, a member of parliament for the Alternative for Germany (AfD), is currently being investigated on suspicion of money laundering and bribing. Police also found cash in envelopes and bank statements from the Czech Republic and Liechtenstein, the newspaper reported. Bystron is said to have confirmed the finds to the newspaper, however, Die Welt reported most valuables belong to his mother. Dpa asked Bystron for a statement in writing on Monday evening. However, this enquiry remained unanswered until Tuesday morning. Bystron is the second candidate on the party's ticket for the European elections on June 9. Bystron and another leading AfD politician, Maximilian Krah, have come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks for alleged links to pro-Russian networks. A Czech newspaper had reported that Bystron may have received money from the pro-Russian internet platform "Voices of Europe" (VoE). Bystron denies this. During a search of Bystron's home, documents containing the serial numbers of gold bars - one weighing 500 grams and another weighing 1 kilo were discovered - according to Die Welt. "I keep the documents relating to the physical gold and my mother's accounts because I have been appointed her guardian by the court," Bystron told the paper. "My mother was the owner of a dental clinic in Switzerland for many years, acquired everything legally, and I keep the evidence. This also includes the old statements from the Liechtenstein account, even though it has been closed for some time." Only the account in the Czech Republic, for which statements were also found, is attributed to Bystron himself: "The account movements on my Czech account are also all completely transparent, as they relate to rental income and expenses from properties in the Czech Republic that have belonged to me and my wife for over 20 years," he told Die Welt. A protestor holds a sign at an April 14, 2024, protest in favor of reproductive rights and abortion access in Scottsdale. Photo by Gloria Rebecca Gomez | Arizona Mirror When all but five Republican legislators fought tooth and nail to protect a near-total abortion ban written while Abraham Lincoln was still president, it was patently obvious that they werent doing the bidding of Arizonans, who broadly are supportive of abortion rights and access to other reproductive health care. Fighting to keep that law on the books also puts them at loggerheads with most Arizona Republican voters, according to new polling. In fact, 60% of Arizona Republican voters in a new poll from CBS News and YouGov say that 1864 law should have been repealed. And in a slightly larger pool of voters who identify as conservative, 56% said the law needed to be scrapped. Just 28% of the 1,200 or so voters surveyed think that law, which was written at a time when doctors didnt even understand how pregnancies happened, should have been left in place. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX While opposing abortion has become orthodoxy over the past 50 years for Republican candidates and activists, it absolutely isnt for rank-and-file GOP voters something the CBS/YouGov polling lays bare. For instance, more than 1 in 3 Republican voters think the U.S. Supreme Court got it wrong when it overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, as do more than 1 in 4 conservative voters. Ultimately, it might be that GOP support for reproductive rights that enshrines abortion access in the Arizona Constitution: A plurality of Republicans, 43%, said they would vote in favor of the Arizona Abortion Access Act if the election were today. Fewer than 40% of Republicans said they opposed giving Arizonans a constitutional right to abortion. Overall, two-thirds of Arizona voters 65% of those polled say theyre ready to vote for the ballot initiative, which appears poised to easily qualify for the November election. As one Republican gentleman told us, he doesnt want the government telling him what to do with his guns, what vaccines to get or what women should do with their bodies. Dawn Penich, spokeswoman for Arizona for Abortion Access None of that surprises Dawn Penich, the spokeswoman for the Arizona for Abortion Access campaign hoping to put the constitutional amendment before voters. Polling has long shown that Arizonans support abortion access, but she said that the ballot measure campaign has driven home just how the issue crosses partisan lines. We run into those Republicans all the time, she said, explaining that, for many, the issue is driven by a commitment to small government and getting the government out of our personal spaces. As one Republican gentleman told us, he doesnt want the government telling him what to do with his guns, what vaccines to get or what women should do with their bodies, Penich said. Women and younger voters (those of us born between 1980 and 2006) see the constitutional amendment is critical for ensuring reproductive rights dont get stripped away. More than two-thirds of those younger voters and 64% of women say that womens access to reproductive health care will get harder if the constitution isnt amended. If Democrats hope to hold Arizona for Joe Biden polling so far generally shows him trailing by about four or five points here, but with the gap narrowing and win down-ballot races, including control of the state legislature, they need to turn that drive to protect abortion into votes for Democratic candidates. The CBS/YouGov poll sheds some light on just how that could happen. For starters, women and younger voters are furious at the Supreme Courts decision to strip away the constitutional right to abortion that Americans had for nearly 50 years: 44% of Arizona women and 40% of voters under the age of 45 say they are angry about that ruling. Who do they hold responsible? Donald Trump, who appointed the conservative supermajority to the court. More than 2 in 5 women 42% of them and 45% of under-45 voters say Trump should be blamed for Roe being overturned, demonstrably more than men (just 36%) or older voters (37% in Gen X and 34% among Boomers and older). And that anger about abortion is pushing women and younger voters to the polls this year: 48% percent of women and 54% of Millenial and Gen Z voters say abortion is making them more motivated to vote in November. Likewise, 54% of Latino voters say theyre more eager to cast a ballot this year because of whats happened on abortion since 2022. The biggest reason for that is these are the same demographic groups who believe correctly, as Trumps allies have made frighteningly clear that a second Trump administration will lead to a national ban on abortion. A plurality of young voters (42%) think Trump will pursue some kind of nationwide effort to end abortion, compared to just 29% of Gen X and 26% of older voters. Likewise, 40% of Latino voters say the same thing, a stark difference to white voters, among whom just 30% think Trump will work on a nationwide ban. Recent history shows just how powerful abortion rights can be for Democratic candidates. We saw it in the 2022 midterms, when a predicted red wave was little more than a puddle and Democrats across the board including in Arizona, where Democrats won all the top statewide offices won races that many thought were out of reach. That has continued into 2023 and 2024, where Democrats have won elections, even in red districts in red states, on the strength of abortion rights. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST The post Republican lawmakers fought to keep the 1864 abortion ban. Even GOP voters thought it was awful. appeared first on Arizona Mirror. Republicans in Congress are full of BS if they reject a border security bill again Every Republican and Democrat in Congress must have the guts to vote on border security legislation or drop their pretense that they care once and for all. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York on Thursday will take up the border legislation that Donald Trump helped kill in his bid for the White House. The bipartisan proposal is a sharp turn to the right for President Biden, who instead of legalizing millions of undocumented immigrants already here is willing to shut down the border when certain triggers are met. The bill makes it harder to qualify for asylum, adds nearly 5,000 asylum officers, triggers expedited deportation, and targets money laundering and fentanyl traffickers. This bill does everything the GOP wants In other words, it does everything immigrant advocates fear and what anti-immigration hardliners keep clamoring for during their constant parade to the U.S.-Mexico border. Yet, the same Republicans pointing to the border chaos and who blame Biden for it killed the legislation a few months ago and are vowing to do it again this week. Why? Because their concern about border security and drug trafficking, which is killing too many Americans, is insincere and dishonest. Its time to put every Republican and Democrat on record about border security and not let them hide behind their BS aimed at fooling voters. Arizona Sens. Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema are on board. The now-independent Sinema helped negotiate the legislation. Where do Republican members stand? What about the rest of the Arizona Congressional delegation? We already know the House Freedom Caucus, including Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar and Debbie Lesko, doesnt move a finger without Trumps blessing. Democratic Reps. Greg Stanton and Ruben Gallego, whos seeking Sinemas seat, have previously indicated their support for it. What about Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, the Mexican-born proud immigrant who has turned out to be nothing but empty talk when it comes to border security? While insisting that the border is in complete chaos, Ciscomani told the Tucson Sentinel in February that he couldnt support the bipartisan bill. We need a much tougher approach to stop this crisis, he said, referring to the massive number of asylum seekers. Tougher? Like what? That's no excuse to let Ciscomani, others slide U.S. Rep. Juan Ciscomani (at left) and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (right) answer questions from reporters during a news conference in front of the U.S.-Mexico border south of Sierra Vista on Feb. 16, 2023, in Hereford. Ciscomani did push for H.R. 3602, a rehash of previous failed attempts to reinstate Trumps immigration policies, such as constructing the border wall and requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico. It was the kind of a bill that even hardliners like Biggs called a show vote. Weve yet to hear from Ciscomani on this weeks Senate vote, and if he is serious about fixing the border, he should support the bipartisan legislation. Even if the bill is likely to fail and not even get to the House, thats no excuse to let Ciscomani and House members hide, especially since theyre ramping up their border security rhetoric. 1 lawmaker can stop: AZ GOP from deporting 'Dreamers' Ciscomani, whos seeking reelection from his southern Arizona district, hasnt exactly been the tough-on-immigration crusader he wants to portray himself among Republican voters. Not with real and substantive legislation such as this, anyway. Last month, Ciscomani and Stanton partnered to push the Data for a Secured Border Act to improve communication within the Department of Homeland Security and provide Congress with data to better inform decision-making. Of course, it is good to have reliable data, but this will do nothing to fix border chaos now. Either pass this bill or shut up about the border Talk is cheap. If Ciscomani and fellow Republicans truly believe the border is a real threat to America, then this is their chance to set politics aside and join Democrats to finally do something. I dont particularly like this legislation because it effectively guts the asylum system and gives the president any president the power to shut down the border, practically on a whim. Thats why Id think Republicans like Ciscomani and others would be tripping over each other to pass it. But no. Instead, theyve declared this substantive bipartisan legislation dead on arrival. Like it or not, this is a real and tangible bill that will add much needed resources to the border. It would put the brakes on border crossers substantially. Ive lost patience with lawmakers, even with those I personally respected, including Ciscomani. Either pass this legislation or stop pretending once and for all that you care about securing the border. Elvia Diaz is editorial page editor for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Reach her at 602-444-8606 or elvia.diaz@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter, @elviadiaz1. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Republicans' border security talk is BS if they reject this bill again The dogs fleeing from Vovchansk are nervous and trembling. Watching them is a way to understand that in this town in the north of the Ukrainian province of Kharkiv, on the border with Russia, the gates of hell have opened. The pets are evacuated with their owners to a shelter a few miles outside of town. They are humble people from an area that is facing the second major Russian offensive in more than two years of war. A resident gets out of a van with blood in his ears and nose, which is broken. An explosion a few meters away has left him scarred, perhaps for life. Vovchansk is the main target of a new Russian lightning military campaign launched on May 10. It is of particular strategic interest to the Kremlin because its urban center would be ideal for concentrating troops for a future advance towards Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city. Last Thursday there were only around 300 inhabitants remaining in Vovchansk, from a pre-war population of some 17,000. There is now only room for death in the town, and in the neighboring villages. The esplanade where rescued civilians were arriving was attacked on the evening of May 16 with Russian cluster munitions: five people were wounded, including the mayor, Tamaz Gambarashvili. The Ukrainian town of Vovchansk under Russian shelling, May 16. Cristian Segura It was not the first multiple explosion heard bearing the characteristic sound of cluster bombs, a weapon banned in over 100 countries because of its lethality in urban areas with civilian populations. The EL PAIS team and other journalists had had to leave the same place on Wednesday because the Ukrainian army intercepted a radio communication from Russian forces transmitting the coordinates of the location to be bombed. The attack took place the following day. Columns of smoke rise on the horizon from multiple villages, but it is in Vovchansk where the clatter of rifles, the roar of artillery, fire and ash forebode the complete destruction of the municipality, as was the case previously in Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, and in so many other Ukrainian towns and villages. The families evacuating cry, their fate uncertain, while the police identify them and provide them with food from the NGO World Central Kitchen. Desperation is also evident in a man arrested while being evacuated carrying four large bags in which he was hiding dozens of products stolen from abandoned stores. The police inform him that he will be transferred to the military recruiting office to be enlisted into the army. Oleksi Kharkivskii, head of a Ukrainian police special operations unit, prepares the next civilian extraction mission. With the help of local residents he locates two houses on a map, where an elderly man and a married couple and their child live. Together with Kharkivskii and his men, the Kharkiv Media Hub and the special envoy of EL PAIS enter Vovchansk. Before the convoy departs, an SUV carrying four members of the Ukrainian military assault forces bursts onto the scene. On the access road to Vovchansk, the same one that Kharkivskiis team will take moments later, the soldiers were targeted by a Russian drone bomb, which exploded in front of the vehicle, damaging the radiator. The four soldiers get out of the vehicle, adrenaline pumping, check each other for wounds two of them have superficial grazes and then hug each other: they have escaped death by a whisker. The two evacuation vehicles speed their way along a country road toward Vovchansk at 100 miles per hour. The main access road to the village is blocked by a burnt-out Ukrainian tank. Next to it lies a destroyed U.S.-produced infantry vehicle. The houses and flowerbeds along the street are smoking from recent shelling. Rounding a bend where the Russian army knows that vehicles must slow down a howitzer round hits within 50 meters of the two cars. A Ukrainian policeman helps to evacuate an elderly man in Vovchansk, May 16. Cristian Segura Discussion under the bombs The Nikolin family refuses to leave Vovchansk. Their house is modest and the interior is a mess. On the kitchen table are the remains of a frugal breakfast, the last meal they will have at home. The mother confronts Kharkivskii because they dont want to be evacuated. She says her 14-year-old son doesnt want to leave. At the same time, a few hundred meters away in an adjacent field, several Russian grad rockets explode. Fresh plumes of smoke rise above the row of trees in the street outside and after 15 minutes of discussion, the Nikolins agree to leave. A member of the rescue party would later explain to this newspaper that the family is pro-Russian, like many others who decide to remain in the region: The police have been told that if they leave, the city will be occupied by the banderistas, he says, using a common expression in Russia to refer to followers of the 1930s Ukrainian ultranationalist leader Stepan Bandera. A woman refuses to be evacuated from Vovchansk, May 16. Cristian Segura Loading up the familys belongings, including caged barnyard animals, does not take more than 15 minutes. The main problem is trying to control two of the Nikolins dogs who have been driven mad by the explosions and the presence of armed strangers to get them into the vehicles. One of them repeatedly bit this newspapers correspondent, who was later treated by the medical services. One of Kharkivskiis men watches from the street for the possible appearance of Russian drones. Hearing one of these devices approaching, the police issue the order to evacuate immediately. The escape from Vovchansk was the same as the arrival: a race at breakneck speed, accompanied by more explosions, the panting of dogs, the mothers screams and the teenagers sobs. Once out of their village, the Nikolins unloaded their possessions and their animals at the evacuee reception point. Disoriented by the experience, they said they did not know where they would live from now on. A van was waiting to take them 15 miles away to the city of Kharkiv. (NEXSTAR) Antarcticas doomsday glacier, referred to as such for its potential to dramatically raise global sea levels, is melting faster than we thought thanks to warmer sea water passing below it, according to a new study. The researchers, led by glaciologists with the University of California, Irvine (UCI), said in a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that the Thwaites Glacier may be breaking apart much faster than previously believed. The Florida-sized glacier, which faces the Amundsen Sea, has gotten the nickname the doomsday glacier because of how much ice it has and how much seas could rise if it all melts more than two feet (65 centimeters) over hundreds of years. Thwaites is on Antarcticas western half, east of the jutting Antarctic Peninsula, which used to be the area scientists worried most about. Do you live in one of Americas 15 fastest-growing cities? For years, experts have worried about the possible demise of the Thwaites Glacier, whether by ocean water melting it from below, the glacier unmooring from its attachment to the seabed or the ice mass cracking and breaking apart. Using satellites and a technique called radar interferometry to track changes in surface elevation, the team found that the glacier appeared to be lifting several centimeters as pressurized tide water moved below the glacier across many miles, further inland than previously thought. There are places where the water is almost at the pressure of the overlying ice, so just a little more pressure is needed to push up the ice, lead author and UCI Professor Eric Rignot said. The water is then squeezed enough to jack up a column of more than half a mile of ice. Warmer seawater working its way under the glacier may help explain the rapid, past, and present changes in ice sheet mass and the slower changes replicated by ice sheet models, the study noted, adding that the pressurized seawater will create a vigorous melt that will further imperil the glacier. Abnormally hot summer even more likely in latest NOAA forecast: Heres where Thwaites is the most unstable place in the Antarctic and contains the equivalent of 60 centimeters of sea level rise, co-author Christine Dow, professor in the Faculty of Environment at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, told UCI News. The worry is that we are underestimating the speed that the glacier is changing, which would be devastating for coastal communities around the world. Dow said its still not clear how much time is left before the ocean waters damage to the glacier is irreversible, but she is hopeful the discovery will lead to more accurate models. It will take many decades, not centuries for the Thwaites Glacier to fully melt, Rignot told USA Today. Part of the answer also depends on whether our climate keeps getting warmer or not, which depends completely on us and how we manage the planet. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News. An 80-unit cabin village in San Luis Obispo that would help homeless residents transition into permanent housing has drawn backlash from neighbors, who fear a range of damaging impacts to their neighborhood. But how founded are their claims? San Luis Obispo Countys Welcome Home Village project is slated to appear before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, where residents of the nearby neighborhoods intend to voice their opposition to the project planned at Johnson Avenue and Bishop Street. Its hardly the first time that a transitional homeless project intended for a residential neighborhood has faced objections from neighbors. Just last year, the city of San Luis Obispos plans for a rotating overnight safe parking program ground to a halt after residents voiced concerns about the projects impact on the health and safety of the surrounding neighborhood. The project has already been delayed and relocated once from its original proposed location at the county Department of Social Services lot at the corner of South Higuera Street and Prado Road after a combination of zoning issues and nearby business and resident backlash delayed the project for several months. Now, the relocated project faces similar opposition, with a group of residents claiming in a May 15 statement to media that the county is fast-tracking the project and ignoring questions about drug use, curfew regulations, parking, flood risk, fire risk, water use, sanitation, density, the safety of this often-used corridor, fiscal sustainability, environmental issues, zoning, and efficacy, neighbors said in an email statement. The issue has proven contentious within the neighborhood, with neighbors in opposition planning and subsequently canceling a rally about the project for March 18 after a counter-protest was announced using flyers in the neighborhood. But what does the data and track record of existing projects similar in size and goals to the Welcome Home Village have to say about neighbors concerns? The Tribune took a look at the dispute as part of its Reality Check series. The Welcome Home Village project which could break ground as soon as this fall and open in 2025 calls for 80 cabins of homeless transitional shelter space to be built on the San Luis Obispo County Health Agency Campus at the intersection of Bishop Street and Johnson Avenue. Why are residents concerned about the project? Since the Board of Supervisors accepted a $13.4 million state Encampment Resolution Fund grant in July 2023, the Welcome Home Village has undergone several changes, with the biggest being its move across town. At public comment and in their statement, neighbors have repeatedly asked the county why a residential neighborhood was the right fit for a project of this kind. Originally, the site was considered for the county Department of Social Services lot on the end of Higuera Street and Prado Road, but switched to its current location because that site conflicted with both the citys 1997 Specific Plan for the Higuera Commerce Park and the countys Airport Land Use Plan, according to county homeless services division communications manager Suzie Freeman. In the statement, neighbors claimed the move was made because of legal action from a group of residents and business owners, but Freeman said the county has not seen any legal action around the previous location. Cabin village to provide shelter for 80 homeless residents in SLO. Heres the plan Freeman said the county considered four eligible project sites in San Luis Obispo that met the criteria of being near an encampment and settled on the Bishop Street location due to its access to multiple county and private medical practices, including Medi-Cal services at the San Luis Obispo County Health Agency and several providers within the Bishop Medical Center. In the statement, residents also took issue with the relatively short month-long lead-up between the initial announcement of the site on April 16 and the community meeting in early May, but Freeman said the county could have elected to move forward without noticing neighbors at all. For this project at this location, there was no notification requirement, Freeman said in an email. All community outreach done by either the county or the project partners has been elective. Why pick a residential neighborhood? In its current location, the site would be developed by DignityMoves and managed by Santa Marias Good Samaritan Shelter, which currently maintains 500 supportive housing units in Santa Barbara County. By comparison, the Welcome Home Village dwarfs the pair of 20- and 30-unit cabin programs built by DignityMoves in collaboration with the 5Cities Homeless Coalition in Grover Beach, which some residents objected to at the community meeting. The developer currently operates in seven California communities, including three villages opened in Santa Barbara County in recent years, Freeman said A larger, 94-unit DignityMoves project opened in March, and another 80-unit project debuted in April, according to the organizations website. DignityMoves said its methods have proved effective enough to warrant an agreement with the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to add 300 more rooms of interim housing to fill the countys gap. By comparison, at the community meeting in San Luis Obispo, Freeman said the countys 2021 assessment of homeless needs indicate a shortage of around 300 more interim shelter beds to reach a capacity of 525, and said there are only 245 such beds in the county when accounting for all Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo, El Camino Homeless Organization and 5CHC beds. Neighbors have criticized the projects proximity to residential homes, parks and commonly used paths between nearby schools such as Sinsheimer Elementary. Some residents also said the project doesnt fall within its intended use of being placed near an encampment in this case the Bob Jones Trail which is around two miles from the village on the other side of town. In fast-tracking Welcome Home Village project, SLO County doesnt play fair | Opinion In public agenda correspondence to the Board of Supervisors, residents Christa and Kevin King said the project is being pushed through the approval process by meeting the specific criteria of the Encampment Resolution Fund grant attached to the project. The lack of time for input feels (to the community) like an attempt to thwart public participation, the Kinds said in a letter to the board. Due process and public comment are being short-circuited. The rushed process means that no meaningful discussion has occurred about other locations that may be better for the unhoused population. Resident Kelda Wilson said in agenda correspondence the project does not scale well with existing transitional housing projects such as Cabins for Change, and said she was worried it would make the neighborhood more dangerous. My kids play in the Sinsheimer neighborhood regularly, and I have concerns about what changes this project could have that would impact their ability to use the area the way they do, she said. There are much better locations within SLO for the Welcome Home Village, and it is prudent that those be figured out and the project scaled proportionately to that location. Freeman said despite the distance from the encampments, the project still conforms with the grant requirements. The integration of the Welcome Home Village into the county Health Campus was an opportunity to add supportive housing services to the community resources already offered at this location, Freeman said in an email. The projects proximity to outpatient behavioral health services, the sobering center, and other county services also promotes timely and convenient access for those living at the Welcome Home Village who may need those services as part of their case plan. Should residents have concerns about who will live at the project? In emails shared with The Tribune, multiple neighbors said they believed drug use and crime would rise in their neighborhood if the village was allowed to open. Neighbors said theyre also concerned about fire risk and whether the project and its residents will impact the value of property in the area. Freeman said the county will work with the San Luis Obispo Fire Department and Cal Fire to ensure that the project fully meets fire code. She also said the village will operate under a zero-tolerance drug and alcohol policy, meaning clients found using banned substances will immediately be referred to an off-site substance abuse disorder treatment facility. At a site of comparable size in downtown Santa Barbara, 25% of clients have used services related to substance abuse disorder treatment, Freeman said. Cabin village proposed on Johnson Avenue gets mixed reaction from SLO neighbors When the county originally applied its Encampment Resolution Fund grant in early 2023, two similar interim supportive projects the 20-unit Cabins for Change project in Grover Beach and a 34-unit project in downtown Santa Barbara were used as benchmarks for setting program expectations. Those two programs have graduated around 70% of their clients into stable housing, Freeman said. Since then, more village-style tiny homes at a similar size to the Welcome Home Village have opened on the Central Coast, Freeman said. She also cited a 2020 study from the Health Services Research journal that analyzed the outcomes of Santa Clara Countys 130 units of permanent supportive housing as a potential goal for the Welcome Home Village. By providing people considered to be high-users of publicly funded services with access to subsidized housing with integrated case management, 86.4% of program enrollees became housed and 169 of the 172 program enrollees were able to maintain housing for the 28 month follow-up period, the study read. In comparison, only 36.2% of those in the study who received usual care entered housing. Residents of San Luis Obispo neighborhoods near the planned Welcome Home Village fill Renovate Church for a community meeting Wednesday, May 2, 2024. Many residents asked questions related to project site security, parking and the projects location in a residential neighborhood. Can organized backlash kill projects? The Welcome Home Village is far from the only project in recent years to face community backlash that has threatened to derail or doom it entirely. Last year, the city of San Luis Obispos two proposed locations for a rotating overnight safe parking program drew sharp criticism from neighbors of the programs planned sites at Palm Street and SLO Naz Church. Since the most recent community meeting on that project attended by around 200 people who largely opposed the project in their neighborhood no further updates have been given by the city on the rotating program. With one delay already behind it, the Welcome Home Villages clock is ticking. The project must spend 50% of its grant funds by June 30, Freeman said. Krista Jeffries, lead organizer of SLO County YIMBY, said its not uncommon for developments of every type from transitional homelessness projects like the Welcome Home Village to traditional housing projects to fail because of vocal arguments that arent always founded in fact. Just asking questions is something that always sounds innocuous, reasonable, and expected from intelligent people, she said. In their desire to curry as much public support as possible for controversial projects like this one, staff and elected officials will often provide as many public meetings as possible, both official and unofficial, in the hopes that everyone will have their questions answered, with the hope that they will move from opponent to supporter. She said in this process, its not uncommon for people who oppose a project to argue in bad faith in an attempt to wear the project down by attrition, by continuing to raise concerns and claim they are just asking questions about the data on which the project is based, even when evidence-based answers have already been provided. When it comes time for the rubber to meet the road on a project, opponents still claim that their questions have not been answered, when they have, Jeffries said. They just havent been given answers that they like. Resident Patricia Frey expressed a similar opinion in public agenda correspondence. Too often, we are so certain that as laypersons we know the right way to address homelessness, that we refuse to listen to the experts who spend their professional lives doing just that, Frey said. They are the ones who have spent years studying the dynamics leading to homelessness, and they are the ones who have the expertise that create successful solutions. Jeffries said the moment is not coming in which community members will feel their questions or concerns have been satisfied to the point where the project can go forward with their support. Ultimately, I dont believe it is a good exercise of democracy to give current residents veto power over who moves in after them, Jeffries said in an email. None of my neighbors demanded my psychological or criminal history when we bought our house. We just handed the bank a check and moved in. But somehow, once somebody has been described as categorically poor, they have to be scrutinized within an inch of their life before they can find safe shelter in one of the wealthiest states in the wealthiest country in the world. Whats next? There are still outstanding questions about how the project will be maintained long-term, with operational costs expected to cost $1.84 million per year. The county has yet to allocate funds for this continued cost, which could continue for a minimum of 20 years if the 80 climate-controlled cabin units last as long as advertised, Freeman said. The projects design is also not finalized, with several specific details of the project site yet to be completed. The Welcome Home Village has completed the preliminary site design and test fit to confirm the projects feasibility at the location, Freeman said. Assuming the project location and funding to the developer are approved by the Board of Supervisors, then the more detailed site planning work can begin. The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors will hold a final approval hearing for the project Tuesday. The German government plans to up its military aid to Ukraine by another 3.8 billion euros ($4.13 billion) in 2024, Reuters reported on May 21, citing its undisclosed source. The news agency confirmed an earlier article by the tabloid Bild, which also said that the sum of over 7 billion euros, previously approved by Germany's parliament for this year, has been almost entirely allocated to various projects. As only around 300 million euros (roughly $325 million) are left for additional weapons or ammunition purchases, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had requested the additional funds with the backing of Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Bild reported. Final approval will be required by the parliament in June. Initially criticized for its sluggish delivery of military aid to Ukraine following the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Germany has become the second-largest provider of military equipment after the U.S. Also on May 21, Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Ukraine's capital for a previously unannounced visit. Upon her arrival, Baerbock underscored Ukraine's need for air defenses to help repel Russian aerial attacks. "Russian missile terror, constant air alerts, permanent power outages, hardly any water: the situation in Ukraine has once again escalated dramatically with the massive Russian air strikes on the civilian infrastructure and the brutal Russian offensive in the Kharkiv area," the minister said. "That's why, together with Defense Minister (Boris) Pistorius, I launched a global initiative for more air defense. Almost a billion euros have now been raised to provide additional support for the Ukrainian air defense forces, and we are working intensively to ensure that there is even more." Berlin launched the initiative in April amid Kyiv's increasingly dire need for air defenses, facing heavy Russian aerial attacks against population centers and the energy grid. A number of countries have already backed the initiative since then, including Belgium, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and others. Germany has also pledged to deliver its third Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. Read also: German FM in Kyiv: Germanys air defense initiative collects close to 1 billion euros Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Reward offered for information leading to arrest of suspect in New Castle credit union robbery A credit union in New Castle was robbed at gunpoint last week. Family 1st Federal Credit Union was robbed at 4:38 p.m. on Friday, May 17, New Castle police said. Surveillance photos of the suspect were shared on social media on Monday. The credit union is offering a $500 reward for information. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: Jackpot-winning lottery ticket worth over $469K sold at Beaver County convenience store Crews called to chemical fire at Consol Energy plant in Washington County Woman was drunk, speeding in fatal Churchill crash, police say VIDEO: Same-sex marriage legalization marks 10 years in PA, local lawmaker works to remove threats DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- Tuesday, May 21 is Georgias Primary Election Day and in Richmond County voters have several major decisions to make. One of those decisions is whether or not to vote the Democratic or Republican ticket. There are two major races on the Democratic ballot that many Republicans want a say in. The races for Richmond County Sheriff and District Attorney are only on the Democratic ballot. Thats because only Democrats are running for the office. In Georgia you do not have to register with a political party when you vote. This means you can vote for whichever party you want to. But you will only be voting for candidates who are running under the party you choose. Aiken County parents upset at rumored school closings This does not mean you have to vote for that party in Novembers General Election. But, if Tuesdays election results in a runoff, people who voted Democrat WILL have to vote Democrat again in that special election. This has caused some upset and confusion among Richmond County Republican voters who want to vote in the races for Sheriff and D.A. Because it is a primary, the people who are running are being nominated. Theyre not being elected. Theyre being nominated by that party to then go on to the November ballot, the general election ballot. And thats when they will be elected. What people are unhappy about, is because theres not candidates on both sides, explained Travis Doss, Richmond County Board of Elections Director. Voters also have referendums and questions to answer. The big one is Should Augustas mayor get a vote at commission meetings? Hometown History: Burke Countys two battles of the American Revolution As of right now, the mayor only gets a vote on issues as a tie breaker. Mayor Garnett Johnson recently asked state law makers to add a referendum to the ballot giving him a vote. Many commissioners are not happy about it, but now its in the hands of the voters. Mayor Johnson wants people to give him that vote and believes having one will allow him to get more done for Augusta. This is not an added power grab by the mayor. This is not an added expansion of power or duties of the mayor. This is simply an equal vote that was granted to the mayor under the original intent of our charter, said Mayor Johnson. Mayor Johnsons request is supported by several former Augusta mayors including Bob Young, Hardie Davis and Deke Copenhaver. Polls are open today from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Photojournalist: Dania Alawir. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF. An early morning road rage escalated into a cross-town police pursuit Tuesday and Jacksonville police shooting the suspect who survived, according to the Sheriff's Office. It started with a motorist calling 911 shortly before 1 a.m. reporting that another driver pointed a gun at him in the area of the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Interstate 95. The man had gotten in front of him in a pickup truck and was putting on his brakes, then pointed a gun and threatened to kill him as he pulled alongside the truck, Chief Alan Parker said. After calling 911 and providing the trucks tag information, he saw some officers on the side of the road and reported it to them. The officers attempted to pull the truck over, but the driver kept going and a chase ensued, Parker said. It lasted for about 25 to 30 miles across the city from the Eastside to the Westside exceeding 100 mph. The Florida Highway Patrol also joined the pursuit and attempted to jam the suspect, but his vehicle was too large. Parker said sheriffs officers set up stop sticks around Interstate 295 and Commonwealth Avenue that flattened the trucks tires. A pickup truck is towed away after its driver was involved in a road rage and ensuing police chase across Jacksonville early Tuesday that ended with an officer wounding him with gunfire. He was able to continue on with the tires deflating, Parker said. He continued over here to West Beaver Street. He got to about the 11000 block of Beaver, and one of our officers was able to successfully pit the vehicle at that point. At the termination point of the pursuit, the suspect jumped out of the vehicle to flee. One of the officers engaged him and fired multiple rounds. The man, identified as 45-year-old Charles Curtis Guernsey of Glen St. Mary, was wounded but not life-threatening, the chief said. A weapon hadnt been recovered at the time of the briefing, but Parker said investigators were waiting to obtain a warrant to search the vehicle. Guernsey has no Jacksonville criminal history but extensive troubles with the law in Alachua and Baker counties. The officer was Stephen Hicks, and it was his second shooting in three years. This was Jacksonvilles second police shooting this year. This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville police shoot road rage suspect after lengthy pursuit Who is Robert Costello, the Trump witness accused of staring down judge? Who is Robert Costello, the Trump witness accused of staring down judge? All eyes turned to Robert Costello on Monday after he was called to the witness stand in former President Trumps hush money trial and was quickly admonished by the judge for his courtroom behavior. Minutes after Costello, a former legal adviser to ex-Trump fixer Michael Cohen, took the witness stand Monday, Judge Juan Merchan asked the jurors to leave the courtroom so he could admonish Costello over his behavior on the stand. Costello and Merchan shared a tense exchange, and reporters were abruptly asked to leave the courtroom. At one point, Merchan demanded to know if he was being stared down by Costello. The jury and reporters were permitted back inside minutes later without explanation, and Trumps legal team began questioning Costello. Costello is a former federal prosecutor turned defense lawyer who spent decades in New Yorks legal sphere. In 2018, Costello briefly served as an adviser to Cohen as federal prosecutors criminally investigated him and his work on Trumps behalf. Costello allegedly offered to set up a back channel between Trump and Cohen via former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who had just joined Trumps legal team. Taking the stand last week, Cohen told a New York jury that Costello continued to pressure Cohen with constant calls and lengthy emails. Costello was apparently angry when Cohen told him he was speaking to a boutique law firm instead, Cohen testified. Cohen referred to this as a pressure campaign from Costello and other Trump allies to remain loyal to the former president amid the FBI investigation. This was part of the pressure campaign, Cohen said, that anyone is lying to you, that you are still regarded, the president still supports you, do not speak, do not listen to what any of the journalists are saying. Dont flip. Dont speak. Dont cooperate, Cohen added. Following the back-and-forth between Costello and Cohen, the two had a falling out, partly due to alleged outstanding legal bills. Costello and the law firm Davidoff Hutcher & Citron also sued Giuliani last year for an outstanding legal bill balance of more than $1.3 million. Costello and the firm served as Giulianis representation on numerous occasions, including during the investigations by both Congress and special counsel Jack Smith into the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, as well as by Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis into an alleged scheme to overturn Georgias election results. Smith and Willis have since brought two separate election interference cases against Trump and some of his allies. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Rochester Field Of Honor returns Rochester Field Of Honor will have 550 full size American Flags on display at the Rochester common May 25-28, 2024. ROCHESTER Vouchers for Veterans and the city announce that they will once again be putting heroism on display this Memorial Day weekend. This event will be held at the Rochester common with 550 full-size American flags on display around and within the 1/3-mile oval park. The Field of Honor is free to the public and will open in the morning on Saturday, May 25, remaining in place until early Tuesday morning, May 28. Each night at 7 p.m. a bugler will play taps and John Greenleaf will walk among the flags playing the bagpipes to commemorate the memory of members of all branches of the armed forces. The multi-day event expects to draw thousands of visitors who will come and pay their respects to the men and women who have served our country, with many making the ultimate sacrifice. On Memorial Day May 27, the Rochester Memorial Day Parade will begin at 10:30 a.m. and march from Holy Rosary Church to the bridge on North Main Street where there will be a short ceremony on the bridge. The parade will then continue and culminate at the Rochester common at approximately 11 a.m. The Rochester Veterans Council and American Legion Post 7 will perform the reading of President Joe Biden's proclamation and the laying of the wreath ceremony followed by the playing of taps and a gun salute. Mayor Paul Callaghan and keynote speaker ret. Brig. Gen. Donald Bolduc will address the attendees. New Hampshire SPCA calls on community to support fundraising event On Sunday, June 2, 2024, the New Hampshire SPCA will host their annual Paws Walk at Stratham Hill Park. STRATHAM On Sunday, June 2, the New Hampshire SPCA will host their annual Paws Walk at Stratham Hill Park. This dog-friendly event, presented by Top Dog Sponsor Walmart Region 16, and Cool Cat Sponsors ICL Autos and Murphy, Powers & Wilson CPAs, directly benefits homeless animals, providing lifesaving care, medical treatment, and other support services. With just a few weeks until event day, the NHSPCA is urgently calling on the community to help them reach their $130,000 goal by fundraising or donating. Paws Walk is the NHSPCAs most important community fundraiser, responsible for giving a second chance to thousands of unwanted, neglected, and abused pets each year. The success of this event comes directly from generous, local animal-lovers, who register to walk and raise critical funds through their own network. To help with fundraising and to generate even more support, a generous donor, Dr. Peter Gray in memory of Ellen Gray, has pledged to match donations dollar-for-dollar, which can double every gift made to Paws Walk from Thursday, May 16 through National Rescue Dog Day on Monday, May 20. Participants can shop for local goods and enjoy food truck treats in the vendor village, watch talented dogs in action from the New England Agility Team, Working Dog Foundation and Heart Stone Farm, and experience the best of the NHSPCA - therell be farm animals, kids activities, and adoptable dogs. To registe: nhspca.org/paws-walk. Rochester, NH Elks Lodge holds annual Kids Fishing Derby ROCHESTER At 7:30 a.m., on Saturday, May 11, at the Farmington Fish and Game Club in New Durham, N.H., young fishing enthusiasts descended upon this beautiful site for the Rochester Elks Kids Fishing Derby. The derby is an annual event for the children and grand-children of Rochester Elks No. 1393 members. Chairperson for the event this year was Jeff Rasmussen. Children pose for group pictures at the conclusion of the Elks Fishing Derby. There were 30 children registered. In addition 15 Elks volunteered to run the derby. A light lunch was also served by the Elks to all in attendance. Door prizes (various fishing gear items) were also awarded to contestants. Volunteers pose for group pictures at the conclusion of the Elks Fishing Derby. The Elks are dedicated to various programs and endeavors, including youth activities. The Rochester Elks Fishing Derby has been conducted for decades by Lodge volunteers. To learn more about the Elks, please visit www.elks.org This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Rochester Field of Honor returns, NHSPCA Paws Walk: Community news It took hours for the United States to issue an official reaction to the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his entourage. When it did so, it was to offer official condolences in the coldest possible terms, and to categorically reject accusations from Tehran that the U.S. might have had any responsibility for the helicopter crash. With the Middle East in the midst of serious tensions due to the war in Gaza, and as it finalizes a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia that would protect Riyadh from its great regional adversary, Washington does not expect major changes in the transition process in Tehran, but remains very attentive to any factor that could trigger an escalation in tensions. The United States expresses its official condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other members of their delegation in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran. As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms, said the State Department in a statement. The succinct document was signed not by the head of U.S. diplomacy, but by his spokesman, Matthew Miller. The U.S. government does not consider that the disappearance of Raisi and Absollahian will have major effects on Iranian foreign policy. The ultra-conservative president, who was responsible for the deaths of thousands of political opponents in the 1980s, was considered a likely candidate to succeed the spiritual leader of the regime, Ali Khamenei in power since 1989 but he did not play a great role in internal politics or the external affairs of government. His authority was constrained by the Iranian supreme leader, who has the highest command in the Islamic Republic, recalls Jonathan Panikoff, of the Atlantic Council think tank. The United States insists that, for now, everything remains as it was. Were going to continue to hold Iran accountable for all their destabilizing behavior in the region, which continues to this day, the White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby promised this Monday. The two countries are irreconcilable adversariesover Irans nuclear program, Tehrans support for radical Islamic militias, human rights violations in Iran, and the regimes growing closeness to Russia and China, among other thingsbut they share an interest in ensuring that the volatile situation in the Middle East does not get even more complicated. Both already experienced a moment on the brink of the abyss in April, when Iran tried to hit Israel with hundreds of drones and missiles in retaliation for that countrys attack on its consulate in Damascus, and American planes came out in Israels support to shoot down most of those projectiles. Washington and Tehran have maintained informal contacts since then to try to avoid new escalations that could spark a regional conflict with unpredictable consequences. Last week both governments held indirect talks in Oman, the first since January. At these talks, the United States was represented by its envoy for the Middle East, Brett McGurk, and its representative for Iran, Adam Palley. Under Omans intermediation, Washington tried to convince its antagonist of the need to control the militias that Iran helps in the region with weapons, financing and training, and which since the beginning of the war in Gaza have increased their hostile actions against U.S. troops in the Red Sea, Iraq and Syria. In a conciliatory gesture, and after voices in Iran accused the United States of responsibility in the helicopter crash due to its harsh sanctions that prevent the supply of adequate spare aviation parts, Iran pointed to a technical failure as the cause of the accident. The American-made aircraft had been in circulation for more than half a century. Washington, for its part, has stated time and time again that it had nothing to do with the accident. We continue to monitor the situation, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters after a virtual meeting of Ukraines allies. But we dont have any insights into the cause of the accident at this point. The incident does serve as a warning to the government in Washington, said Brian Katsulis, from the Middle East Institute think tank, in a video conference on Monday. It is another wake-up call for American foreign policy about the challenges that Iran presents today and the challenges that it will pose in the near-term future, not only to the security interests of the United States, but also to the broader regional security. Raisis death comes at a key moment for the United States in the region. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, touring the area, had just completed a visit to Riyadh to try to close negotiations for a defense pact with its Arab ally. Riyadh aspires to an agreement to collaborate on a civil nuclear energy program and a mutual defense agreement. This pact would be part of a broader agreement, by which the United States hopes that Israel and Saudi Arabia will approve the normalization of their diplomatic relations. Such a step would consolidate a protection network against Iran, and Washington hopes it would also pave the way for the future implementation of a Palestinian State. The frontal opposition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus government to any type of Palestinian sovereignty is blocking, at least for the moment, a more ambitious trilateral project, which is why Washington has chosen to focus on the bilateral agreement with Riyadh. Jake was able to make significant progress on the bilateral elements of what we believe would be a truly historic deal that would lead to a more integrated region, Kirby noted on Monday. The agreement is already near-final, according to the spokesperson, who, however, declined to give a date for when the finalized deal might be announced. CLOVIS, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) Two people from Romania found with counterfeit goods were arrested on Friday, leading to an international operation involving fake Apple products, according to the Clovis Police Department. Officers say a Clovis Police taskforce was working undercover at two shopping centers in Clovis: one team at Willow Avenue and Herndon Avenue and the other at Clovis Avenue and Shaw Avenue. Employees at the Target store at Willow Avenue and Herndon Avenue reported a shoplifting in progress and officers responded and arrested a female juvenile and an 18-year-old man. Arrest made after woman found dead in Hanford closet, police say The officers making that arrest then discovered counterfeit Apple products with the two suspects leading to a hotel room in Fresno where over $12,000 worth of counterfeit Apple products were found. Officers described fake Air Pods and i-Watches among the products seized. The products were made in China and shipped to the United States through Europe. Counterfeit items confiscated by Clovis Police Department. Counterfeit items confiscated by Clovis Police Department. Officers say the two suspects were both from Romania and knew each other. One suspect has been named as 18-year-old Vasile Stoian and the other, a female juvenile, has not been identified. Both suspects have been cited and released for misdemeanor theft and conspiracy. 18-year-old Vasile Stoian (image courtesy of the Clovis Police Department) As well as the two suspects arrested, detectives continue to search for others involved. Officers say the arrest is a reminder to check products are genuine before purchasing them. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to YourCentralValley.com | KSEE24 and CBS47. AUSTIN (KXAN) The medical license of a Round Rock doctor was temporarily suspended after a Texas Medical Board panel found evidence that his continuation in the practice of medicine poses a continuing threat to public welfare, the board said Monday. The board suspended the medical license for Dr. Willard James Davis, II following a Thursday disciplinary panel. The temporary suspension was effective immediately, the board said. KXAN Investigates: Preventing Disaster The board said a panel found evidence that Davis was impaired while working at the St. Davids Georgetown Hospital. St. Davids HealthCare provided a statement to KXAN, writing that Davis is no longer working at their facilities. The last time Dr. Will Davis worked at any St. Davids HealthCare facility was on January 24, 2024 at St. Davids Georgetown Hospital. He is no longer providing medical services at any of our facilities. St. Davids HealthCare statement KXAN contacted an attorney representing Davis in an unrelated Williamson County case for comment. This article will be updated if a statement is received. The panel also found Davis engaged in inappropriate behavior with a patient when he worked in the emergency department at the Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Texas. The board said Davis also left the emergency department unattended for long periods of time. A temporary suspension hearing will be held within 10 business days notice to Davis, the board said. According to his medical license information, Davis has 22 years of active practice including 18 years of practice in Texas. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Keeping up with Donald Trumps court schedule is a dizzying task, since he faces two federal trials, a criminal trial in Georgia, and two separate civil and criminal trials in New York. (Oh, and hes running for president.) To make it easier to follow along, each Monday well be looking back at all the Trump trialrelated developments you might have missed the previous week. Programming note: In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, Keeping Up With the Trump Trials will return Tuesday next week. Rudy Giuliani had quite the birthday weekendArizona Attorney General Kris Mayes surprised him with another criminal indictment as he was leaving his 80th birthday party. Meanwhile, down in Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis campaigned for reelection while her criminal indictment of Donald Trump remains in limbo. And former Trump attorney Michael Cohen retook the witness stand to finish out his testimony in the ongoing hush money trial. The former New York mayor was down in Florida to ring in his 80th birthday, but he received an unexpected gift as he was leaving: a notice of his indictment by the office of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes for illegally trying to overturn the states 2020 election results. Giuliani was served around 11 p.m. as he was leaving his party. His spokesman told the New York Times it happened after guests had left and he was walking to the car and that Giuliani was unfazed and enjoyed an incredible evening with hundreds of people, from all walks of his life. A spokesman for the AGs office said they had been trying to serve Giuliani for weeks now, but he had managed to evade their attempts. However, agents for the AGs office were tipped off about Giulianis Florida party because of livestreams from his home there, according to the Times. A few hours before his party in Florida, Giuliani taunted prosecutors on X, posting a now-deleted photo of himself with partygoers: If Arizona authorities cant find me by tomorrow morning: 1. They must dismiss the indictment; 2. They must concede they cant count votes. In the end, Arizona authorities did find Giuliani, and he was the last of 18 defendants to be served in Mayes indictment after she announced it a month ago. Now Giuliani will have to appear in court; a tentative trial has been set for mid-October. Meanwhile, on Friday, former Trump attorney John Eastman pleaded not guilty to his charges in the Arizona indictment. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been busy campaigning to keep her job, while the defining case of her legal careerthe election interference indictment that charges Trump and 18 others with feloniesremains uncertain. Im just getting started, Willis said in a campaign ad, which makes no mention of her Trump case. Georgias party primary is on Tuesday, and Willis is facing Democrat Christian Wise Smith, a former Fulton County prosecutor who ran against Willis in 2020; whoever wins will face Republican Courtney Kramer in November. Willis is considered a favorite to win the DA race, as Fulton County leans heavily Democratic, but a shadow is looming over her campaign. A few weeks ago, a Georgia appeals court agreed to hear an appeal filed by Trumps attorney that seeks to disqualify Willis from prosecuting the former president in her 35-count indictment. The decision came after Judge Scott McAfee ruled that Willis could stay on her criminal election interference case, the conclusion of a lengthy hearing that laid out how Willis had hired special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she began to date while the two worked together. (Wade resigned so Willis could remain on the case; McAfee is, incidentally, also running for reelection). Willis is also under investigation by the House Judiciary Committee. Other threats to Willis could also be waiting in the wingsthe Georgia Legislature passed a law last year that allows a state commission to investigate and remove elected prosecutors. Trumps former attorney and infamous personal fixer took the witness stand in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs ongoing criminal trial over alleged hush money payments made ahead of the 2016 election. Cohen testified for more than 10 hours, with far less bravado than he has shown in the past. This is the second time Cohen has testified against Trump in the past yearhe was also summoned to the witness stand in New York Attorney General Letitia James civil fraud trial. But this time, Cohens demeanor reflected the manner of an accountant more than a Roy Cohn, Slates Jeremy Stahl wrote in his courtroom dispatch. Cohen addressed how he lied in previous congressional testimony about the 2016 hush money payment to porn actor Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2020 election, apologizing for violating his moral compass out of loyalty to Trump. Stahl observed that Trumps defense seemed more focused on impressing Trump than on convincing the jury. For instance, Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked Cohen if he previously described the former president as generous, passionate, principled, empathetic, kind, honest, humble and genuine. Cohen responded yes and confirmed that he was in fact speaking the truth at the time he said those words in September 2016. This distinction between how Cohen felt about Donald Trump at various times in his life and the truth about Trump the human seemed ludicrous, but the purpose also seemed clear: Lavish Trump with praise in a way that would him happy, wrote Stahl, in another dispatch from last weeks testimony. This week, Trumps attorneys will present their defense. According to New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, closing arguments will happen next week. Was Rudy Giuliani Peeing During His Arraignment? You Be the Judge! The steady drip, drip, drip of the justice system comes for us all. Especially in the case of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Joined by ten co-defendants, the former Trump attorney entered a plea of not guilty on Tuesday at his arraignment. Giuliani faces nine felony charges for his alleged involvement in the attempt to overturn Donald Trumps 2020 electoral defeat in Arizona. During his remote appearance in the Phoenix courtroom via Zoom, Giuliani revealed that he did not currently have a lawyer representing him but that he should at a later date. Asked by the judge whether hed need a court-appointed attorney, Giuliani responded: No, I think I am capable of handling it myself. Giuliani seemed to leave his Zoom mic on while on hold for his AZ arraignment... and his mic appeared to pick up some... water sounds? Sounds like something you'd hear in a bathroom. Is that me, Rudy Giuliani? Giuliani said as judge called his case. Audio in question: pic.twitter.com/bPH2y2DNwW Will Steakin (@wsteaks) May 21, 2024 At one point in the proceedings, the sound of water slowly streaming and splashing could be heard directly from Giulianis microphone. While Giuliani appeared to be preoccupied, the judge interrupted by calling the ex-mayors case number. Is that me, Rudy Giuliani? Giuliani asked as the dripping stopped. It didnt take long for the clip of Giulianis arraignment to go viral on social media on Tuesday, with many making the obvious comparison to a gag featured in an iconic 1980s comedy flick. Great reminder that I haven't watched Naked Gun in a long time, and should probably rectify that ASAP, Discourse co-owner Rafi Schwartz tweeted. For those inside the courtroom, the question of whether Giuliani was pulling a Frank Drebin left many of them holding back the urge to laugh. We were all trying to hold our composure in the courtroom while trying to figure out what it was, reporter Cameron Arcand noted. Whether the man who at one point earned the nickname Americas Mayor decided to engage in a literal pissing match with the court or not, hes not the first MAGA figure to find himself embarrassed by a hot mic in the bathroom. During a Twitter Space livestream with a host of far-right internet personalities last year, former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy decided to do some personal streaming of his own while forgetting to mute his microphone. It was also Giulianis love of live streams (no pun intended) that led to him finally being served by Arizona authorities in the fake electors case after he had avoided process servers for weeks. According to the Arizona attorney general, Giuliani was finally handed his notice to appear shortly after his Florida birthday party last week. Just hours earlier, he boasted to his audience via an online stream where hed be that evening, inadvertently tipping off authorities to his whereabouts. A spokesman for Giuliani did not immediately respond to a request for comment on The Daily Beasts leak investigation. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty to Arizona fake electors plot after being served at 80th birthday party Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to election interference charges in Arizona after being served at his 80th birthday party. Mr Giuliani, former lawyer to Donald Trump, faces nine felony charges for his alleged role in a 2020 presidential election interference plot. The former mayor has been charged alongside 17 others in the scheme. He appeared virtually at his arraignment on Tuesday in Phoenix, Arizona, according to the Associated Press, where he was required to post a $10,000 bond. His trial will begin in October. The Arizona indictment accuses the defendants of interfering with the lawful transfer of the presidency of the United States, keeping President Donald J Trump in office against the will of Arizona voters, and depriving Arizona voters of their right to vote and have their votes counted. Prosecutors say that one month after the 2020 election, 11 Republicans supporting Mr Trump convened at the states GOP headquarters to sign certificates claiming the states electoral college votes. Rudy Giuliani, pictured speaking to reporters in January, pleaded not guilty after prosecutors say he participated in the 2020 Arizona fake electors scheme (Getty Images) The additional seven people charged, including Mr Giuliani, were included for their alleged roles in the scheme. Arizona officials served the indictment to Mr Giuliani after his 80th birthday bash in Palm Beach, Florida on Friday. At the party, the former New York mayor served cake and belted out a rendition of Frank Sinatras New York, New York. He was unfazed and enjoyed an incredible evening with hundreds of people, from all walks of life, who love and respect him for his contributions to society, Ted Goodman, a spokesperson for Mr Giuliani, said in a statement to The Independent. We look forward to full vindication soon. Rudy Giuliani sings 'New York, New York' at his birthday party in Palm Beach this past weekend. He was later served an indictment (Rudy W. Giuliani/America's Mayor Live (E410)) Others charged in the case include Mr Trumps former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows; the main election security lawyer for the Republican National Committee (RNC) Christina Bobb; and former Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward. Ms Ward pleaded not guilty on Tuesday. Mr Giuliani was the last defendant to be served after officials said it was difficult to locate him. A spokesperson for Mr Giuliani previously told The Independent: We are LIVE every night, where we regularly announce our specific location, in reference to the ex-mayors live broadcasts on YouTube. His legal woes in Arizona comes as he struggles with bankruptcy and $148m in debt. The former New York mayor declared bankruptcy in December after being ordered to pay two election workers after he pushed a baseless conspiracy over their part in the 2020 election. He has subsequently missed deadlines to file financial disclosures. The judge in charge of his bankruptcy case said that he was disturbed that so little progress had been achieved in sorting out his finances earlier this month. Last week, the judge also blocked Mr Giuliani from appealing a $148m defamation judgment against him. The Independent has contacted Mr Giulianis spokesperson for comment. Rudy Giuliani has pleaded not guilty to nine felony charges related to his efforts to undermine the results of the 2020 presidential election. Giuliani made his plea Tuesday, just days after he was served with an indictment while celebrating his upcoming 80th birthday. In April, the former New York City mayor and longtime ally of ex-President Donald Trump was indicted by a grand jury, along with more than a dozen others, over an alleged scheme to have fake electors claim that Trump won Arizona in the 2020 election. The indictment names several Republican officials alleged to have sent a document to Congress that falsely declared Trump had won Arizona. (Joe Biden won the state by more than 10,000 votes.) Giuliani, who was the last to be served the indictment, taunted officials just hours before the law caught up to him. If Arizona authorities cant find me by tomorrow morning: 1. They must dismiss the indictment; 2. They must concede they cant count votes, Giuliani wrote in a now-deleted post on X, formerly called Twitter. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) told CNNs Kaitlan Collins on Monday that Giulianis livestreams helped lead authorities to him. We found out essentially through his livestreams, Mayes said. Hes not that hard to find. And so we did that and our agents professionally served him after his birthday party, as the party was winding down and as he himself was leaving the house that he was in, we gave him a copy of the papers, and he went along his way. During his remote arraignment on Tuesday, Giuliani said he did not yet have an attorney to represent him but plans to hire one. Related... Rudy Giuliani denied charges of illegally trying to keep Donald Trump in power after his 2020 election defeat as he was arraigned to appear before a court in Arizona along with 10 other defendants on Tuesday. Giulianis not guilty plea to nine felony charges came days after he was served an indictment as he left a party to celebrate his 80th birthday last Friday. Giuliani was the last of the 12 defendants to receive a summons to Tuesdays hearing after the Arizona attorney generals office said he had evaded efforts to serve him with a notice for several days. Related: Rudy Giuliani complains Arizona indictment not served stylishly Reflecting the difficulties in tracking him down, the attorney generals office requested a $10,000 cash bond for Giuliani, citing the problems it had serving him with an indictment and a general lack of cooperation, according to reports. No such request was made of other defendants. The AGs Office is asking for a $10k cash bond for Giuliani due to the difficulties they had in serving him with notice of his indictment and his lack of cooperation. They didnt seek bond for any of the other defendants. Jeremy Duda (@jeremyduda) May 21, 2024 Others charged over their roles as false electors include two sitting lawmakers, state senators Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern. The former Arizona Republican party chair Kelli Ward and her husband, Michael Ward, have been charged, as has Tyler Bowyer, a Republican national committeeman, and Turning Point USA executive, and Jim Lamon, who ran for US Senate in 2022. The others charged in the fake electors scheme are Nancy Cottle, Robert Montgomery, Samuel Moorhead, Lorraine Pellegrino and Gregory Safsten. Further defendants are expected to be arraigned next month, including Boris Epshteyn, a lawyer for Trump, and Mark Meadows, a former White House chief of staff. Trump himself is listed as un-indicted co-conspirator 1 in the case but has not been charged. Before receiving the indictment, Giuliani, the former New York mayor and the legal spearhead of Trumps lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, had taunted the Arizona officials by posting a picture of himself on X challenging them to drop the case. If Arizona authorities cant find me by tomorrow morning: 1. They must dismiss the indictment; 2. They must concede they cant count votes, he captioned the post, which has since been deleted. After being served his indictment, Giuliani posted on Facebook that he did not know that Arizona officials were looking for him until somebody told me there was a news article saying they were having a hard time finding me. The indictment alleged that Giuliani pressured Arizona legislators and the Maricopa county board of supervisors to change the election result in the state, which Joe Biden won by more than 10,000 votes. He is also accused of urging Republican electors in Arizona to vote for Trump, in the face of the popular vote counts showing a victory for Biden. According to the testimony of Rusty Bowers, a former speaker of the Arizona house of representatives, Giuliani, in his efforts to persuade the state legislature to overturn the 2020 vote, told him and legislators that we dont have the evidence but we have lots of theories. The case is the latest in a spate of legal woes to beset Giuliani a former federal prosecutor once renowned for fighting mafia organised crime bosses over his attempts to help Trump overturn the 2020 poll. He has filed for bankruptcy after being ordered to pay $148m in damages to two election workers in Georgia after they successfully sued for defamation. RAINELLE, WV (WVNS) In honor of veterans and to remember those that have lost their lives in war, veterans, along with others, are riding motorcycles across the country this Memorial Day. Mountain Music Festival returns in 2024 The event, Run for the Wall, will have participants riding motorcycles on three different routes and will be passing through Rainelle, WV. Todd Taylor, the West Virginia State Coordinator for Run for the Wall, explained the tradition and why it is so important to the area. The kids are absolutely just, if you ever walk into Rainelle [Elementary], their hallways are lined with Run for the Wall stuff. Year-round they teach patriotism. They teach what it is to be a veteran and how to honor everybody. When we get there, all these kids are out there just screaming and hollering at us, said Taylor. The mission is to reach the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Memorial Day so riders can reflect and heal after their journey. The hope is to return home to a new beginning. Cathedral Cafe showcases a new look Taylor also mentioned that this event shows how much veterans are valued by the community. He also said that this ride will soon include a fourth route for riders. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WVNS. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Its been a year since the last elected Oregon Secretary of State resigned from office, giving Democrat Tobias Read and Republican Dennis Linthicum a chance to go head to head for the role in November. As of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, current Oregon Treasurer Tobias Read won the Democratic primary with 205,315 votes (70.89%) while Senator Dennis Linthicum (District 28) took the top Republican spot with 139,142 votes (65.2%). Click here to view up-to-date Oregon 2024 Primary Election results Two years into her term, former secretary Shemia Fagan stepped down from the office amid scandal in May 2023 as her recusal from a state audit on the cannabis industry earlier in the year spurred an investigation. The investigation followed ethics concerns for her paid consulting work with Veride Holding LLC, an affiliate of cannabis company La Mota. Her contract was active as her office audited the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission and concluded that Oregon laws were hindering cannabis businesses. Deputy Secretary Cheryl Myers oversaw the agency until Gov. Tina Kotek appointed LaVonne Griffin-Valade to the position in June 2023. Since then, eight candidates five Democrats and three Republicans have stepped forward. The primary election on Tuesday, May 21 will determine the candidate that will represent their party in the upcoming November election. Tobias Read headshot, courtesy Tobias Read campaign Senator Dennis Linthicum Oregon 04092019 Candidate Profiles Democrat Tobias Read Leaving behind his role as Oregon Treasurer (which he has served since 2017), Read claims to be the only candidate for Secretary of State who checks the boxes for strong leadership with successful experience in running a statewide agency with varied responsibilities. Read addressed the changes he would make to the office in his questionnaire with KOIN 6 News, stating he plans to build on Oregons legacy as a national leader in elections policy by pushing for programs like satellite voting centers and services that alert voters that their ballots have been received and counted can help boost turnout and improve public trust in state government. Republican Dennis Linthicum A current Oregon Senator for District 28 covering parts of Northeastern Jackson County, Southern Deschutes, and all of Klamath County, Linthicum claims his background as a government official and trained economist uniquely positions [him] to unlock the full potential of the Secretary of States office. Linthicum, in his response to a KOIN 6 News questionnaire, said his focus would be on election integrity as well as departments and agencies that have a statewide impact. He said he will perform regular audits to identify areas for improvement, ensure compliance with regulations, and optimize resource allocation. KOIN 6 News is Your Local Election Headquarters. Stay with us as we bring you up-to-date campaign coverage through Novembers General Election. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. The Russian Ministry of Justice has added the Come Back Alive foundation, which helps the Ukrainian military, and Stop the Occupation of Karelia, a movement advocating for Karelias independence, to the list of foreign and international non-governmental organisations whose activities are deemed "undesirable" in Russia. Source: Meduza, a Latvian-based Russian news outlet, citing OVD-Info, an independent Russian media and human rights defence group Details: Meduza reported that both organisations were entered into the Ministry of Justice register of undesirable organisations. The Prosecutor Generals Office handed down the decision at the end of April, but did not inform the public about it. The human rights organisation Freedom House was also added to the register, having been declared "undesirable" on 7 May. Previously: On 11 April, Taras Chmut, the head of the Come Back Alive foundation, in an extensive interview told Ukrainska Pravda about the situation on the front, assessed the Russian forces preparations for a new offensive, and criticised the mobilisation campaign in Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! On Monday, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague announced that it will seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant. In addition, the court has also called for the arrest of three key Hamas leaders. The ICC accuses them all of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The order comes from the chief prosecutor, 53-year-old British lawyer Karim Khan, but he has not made the decision alone. He has had a series of high-level criminal lawyers who have advised him with extensive reports prepared over the course of several months. And one of those key lawyers has been Amal Clooney. The 46-year-old Briton was known in her work circle for years for her high-level lawsuits, although at that time she was known by her maiden name, Alamuddin. She stepped into the international limelight when she began a relationship with the well-known actor George Clooney in 2013, and her own celebrity status increased after their wedding, held in Venice with great fanfare in September 2014. The couple have twins, Ella and Alexander, who are almost seven years old. Both Amal and George Clooney have always been positioned on the side of the Democrats with frequent and harsh criticism against former President Donald Trump and have been involved in different political and humanitarian causes. But not many people knew that the lawyer reached such levels of influence. For months now there are those who had been wondering where the couple was, and why it had not spoken out about the war between Israel and Hamas that started on October 6 especially Amal, because of her profession and the fact that she is Lebanese by birth, although she was raised in the United Kingdom (she studied law at Oxford). The couple has a foundation, the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ), and has shown commitment to the victims of the war in Ukraine, but has remained silent regarding the Middle East conflict. It is only now that it has emerged that during all these months the jurist was focusing on an expert report for the ICC. In the statement that accompanies the report, released by her foundation, the lawyer explains that more than four months ago, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court asked me to assist him with evaluating evidence of suspected war crimes and crimes against humanity in Israel and Gaza. I agreed and joined a panel of international legal experts to undertake this task. Together we have engaged in an extensive process of evidence review and legal analysis including at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. George and Amal Clooney, at a premiere in December 2023 in London. Alberto Pezzali (Alberto Pezzali/Invision/AP) Despite our diverse personal backgrounds, our legal findings are unanimous. We have unanimously determined that the Court has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Palestine and by Palestinian nationals. We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif and Ismail Haniyeh have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity, including hostage-taking, murder and crimes of sexual violence. We unanimously conclude that there are reasonable grounds to believe that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity including starvation as a method of warfare, murder, persecution and extermination, reads the statement. The lawyer explains that she made the decision to serve on this panel because she firmly believes in the law and in the need to protect civilian lives. She notes that the law that protects civilians in war was developed more than 100 years ago and it applies in every country in the world regardless of the reasons for a conflict. As a human rights lawyer, I will never accept that one childs life has less value than anothers. I do not accept that any conflict should be beyond the reach of the law, nor that any perpetrator should be above the law. So I support the historic step that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has taken to bring justice to victims of atrocities in Israel and Palestine. She also says that my approach is not to provide a running commentary of my work but to let the work speak for itself. I hope that witnesses will cooperate with the ongoing investigation. And I hope that justice will prevail in a region that has already suffered too much. For more than 20 years, Clooney has been involved in a number of diverse causes. She works at a prestigious London law firm specializing in human rights called Doughty Street Chambers and is also an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School in New York. She has been collaborating with Prosecutor Khan for three years, when he asked her to act as special advisor to observe the humanitarian crisis in the Darfur region. In addition to creating the foundation that bears their names in 2016, the couple have made numerous donations through it, such as the $1 million they gave in 2017 to fight against racism and hate crimes in the United States, the aid project to provide schooling to 3,000 Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, arms control or hosting an Iraqi refugee fleeing the Islamic State in their own home. The lawyer has also worked on international cases, such as the long border dispute between Vietnam and Cambodia, on the return of Greek sculptures from the British Museum to Greece; and on the recognition of the Armenian genocide. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition Russia says after Raisi crash that U.S. undermined aviation safety with sanctions MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, commenting on the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, said on Tuesday that U.S. sanctions had worsened aviation safety. Iranian media reported that images from the site showed the U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter on which Raisi was travelling slammed into a mountain peak, although there was no official word on the cause of the crash. Iran was a major buyer of Bell helicopters under the Shah before the 1979 Islamic revolution, though the exact origin of the aircraft that crashed was not clear. Decades of sanctions have made it hard for Iran to obtain parts or upgrade its aircraft. "The Americans disown this, but the truth is that other countries against which the United States announced sanctions do not receive spare parts for American equipment, including aviation," Lavrov said about the crash. "We are talking about deliberately causing damage to ordinary citizens who use these vehicles, and when spare parts are not supplied, this is directly related to a decrease in the level of safety." (Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mark Trevelyan) Today, we discuss the latest reports from the battlefront as Russia seemingly focuses its attention on the Ukrainian city of Sumy. Then, we consider the complex threads of geopolitics after a spate of shock deaths and assassination attempts. And we hear about the military and humanitarian situation in Kharkiv. Listen to Ukraine: the Latest, The Telegraphs daily podcast, using the audio player at the top of this article or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favourite podcast app. War in Ukraine is reshaping our world. Every weekday The Telegraphs top journalists analyse the invasion from all angles - military, humanitarian, political, economic, historical - and tell you what you need to know to stay updated. With over 70 million listens, our Ukraine: The Latest podcast is your go-to source for all the latest analysis, live reaction and correspondents reporting on the ground. We have been broadcasting ever since the full-scale invasion began. Ukraine: The Latests regular contributors are: David Knowles David is Head of Audio Development at The Telegraph, where he has worked for over three years. He has reported from across Ukraine during the full-scale invasion. Dominic Nicholls Dom is Associate Editor (Defence) at The Telegraph, having joined in 2018. He previously served for 23 years in the British Army, in tank and helicopter units. He had operational deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland. Francis Dearnley Francis is Assistant Comment Editor at The Telegraph. Prior to working as a journalist, he was chief of staff to the Chair of the Prime Ministers Policy Board at the Houses of Parliament in London. He studied History at Cambridge University and on the podcast explores how the past shines a light on the latest diplomatic, political, and strategic developments. They are also regularly joined by Telegraph reporters and correspondents around the world, including Joe Barnes (Brussels Correspondent), James Kilner, (Foreign Correspondent and Editor of the Central Asia & the South Caucasus Bulletin), Sophia Yan (Senior Foreign Correspondent), Nataliya Vasilyeva (Middle East Correspondent), Roland Oliphant (Senior Foreign Correspondent), Colin Freeman (Foreign Correspondent), Danielle Sheridan (Defence Editor), and Tony Diver (US Editor). Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Russian forces carried out an air strike on May 21 on the city of Kherson, injuring three people, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported. Russian troops launched the attack around 4 p.m. local time, targeting the Shumenskyi district and damaging a high-rise building. Three people were confirmed injured as of 5 p.m. local time, according to Prokudin. The youngest victim is a 15-year-old boy who was hospitalized. A 50-year-old woman was hospitalized in serious condition. A 71-year-old woman was another victim of the attack. She sustained a leg injury and received medical help at the scene. Ukraine's Armed Forces liberated Kherson and other settlements on the west bank of the Dnipro River during a counteroffensive in in the fall of 2022. Russian troops were pushed to the river's east bank, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths, as well as large-scale destruction of homes and infrastructure. Earlier in the day, a Russian drone dropped explosives on the village of Antonivka, injuring three elderly women. Read also: Glide bombs help Russia gain land in Ukraine. What makes them so effective? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A Russian court on May 21 convicted a 77-year-old physicist of treason and sentenced him to 14 years in a penal colony. Anatoly Maslov was accused of sharing top secret information on Russia's hypersonic missile program with Germany. He had maintained he was innocent. The case is the latest in a string of investigations against scientists involved in Russia's hypersonic missile program, responsible for developing such weapons as the Kinzhal and Zircon. Despite being touted by the Kremlin as "super weapons," they have had limited success against Western-supplied air defense systems in Ukraine, particularly Patriot systems. Maslov and two of his colleagues at the same institute Alexander Shiplyuk and Valery Zvegintsev were arrested in 2022. Shiplyuk and Zvegintsev are awaiting trial. The institute previously said the scientific papers the men had presented at international conferences had been vetted to ensure they gave away no secret information but the Kremlin at the time said it was a matter for the security services. Last year, the Moscow City Court sentenced Anatoly Gubanov, a 66-year-old physicist who worked on hypersonic development, to 12 years imprisonment on treason charges. Gubanov is the former head of the aircraft and rockets department at the Central Aerodynamics and Hydrodynamics Institute (TsAGI) in Zhukovsky, Moscow Oblast. He was arrested in 2020 on suspicions that he was providing secret hypersonic development documents to his Dutch colleagues, with whom he collaborated in a civil hypersonic airliner project, HEXAFLY-INT. Gubanov pleaded guilty, asking judges to take into account all mitigating circumstances and issue a sentence below the minimum threshold of 12 years, which the court rejected. The physicist's Russian colleague in the project, 70-year-old Valery Golubkin, was detained in 2021 and also sentenced to 12 years imprisonment this year in June. Golubkin rejected the charges raised against him. Human rights organization Perviy Otdel said that the materials passed by Gubanov and Golubkin to their Dutch colleagues had been examined by three specialized commissions prior to the submission. The reviews discovered no classified content in the documents, the group said. Read also: What we know about hypersonic Zircon missiles Russias latest threat Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. LONDON (Reuters) - A Moscow court ruled on Tuesday that Russia's Investigative Committee is not obliged to investigate two attempts on the life of jailed dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza, independent news outlet Mediazona reported. Moscow-born Kara-Murza, who has both Russian and British passports, was jailed last April for 25 years on treason charges after he repeatedly condemned Russia's war in Ukraine and lobbied for Western sanctions against Moscow. His appeal against the sentence was rejected this month. The 42-year-old politician and former journalist has survived two poisoning attempts. He became ill and was hospitalised in Moscow in 2015, a few months after his colleague, opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, was gunned down while walking across a bridge near the Kremlin walls. In 2017, Kara-Murza was placed in a medically induced coma and put on life support after the onset of similar symptoms. A joint investigation led by the Bellingcat outlet subsequently found that Kara-Murza was trailed by the same unit of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) that allegedly poisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2020. Navalny died in an Arctic prison in February. Kara-Murza's wife Evgenia says the poison attempts have left him with a nerve disorder and she fears for his life in prison. His lawyer sent requests to the Investigative Committee to investigate the poisonings, which were denied. The Moscow City Court on Tuesday rejected Kara-Murza's appeal against those decisions, said Mediazona, which reports on human rights and court cases in Russia. Kara-Murza called investigators' claims that they had looked into the murders and interviewed witnesses "a direct, documented lie" in court, speaking via video link from the Siberian prison where he is incarcerated, Mediazona reported. He also spoke out in support of Zhenya Berkovich and Svetlana Petriychuk, a Russian theatre director and playwright whose trial began on Monday in Moscow, according to the report. (Reporting and writing by Lucy Papachristou; Editing by Christina Fincher) A Russian delegation arrived in Pyongyang on May 20, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing North Korean state media. The delegation is headed by Grigoriy Rapota, a member of the International Affairs Committee of Russia's Federation Council and chairman of the Russia-North Korea friendship parliamentary group, the Korean Central News Agency said in a one-line dispatch. With Russia's military stocks running low and domestic production capacity simultaneously hampered by Western sanctions, North Korea has been shaping up as Russia's leading weapons supplier, reportedly providing Moscow with extensive military packages, including ballistic missiles and over 3 million artillery shells. According to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, these military ties are increasingly a "two-way street," in which North Korea provides Russia with military equipment to use in Ukraine. According to the Russian Embassy in North Korea, the delegation will stay until May 24 and discuss "issues of parliamentary interaction and outline plans for future contacts." They did not announce a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un but will meet the chairperson of the Supreme National Assembly, North Korea's legislature. South Korea's intelligence service is conducting a review into suspicions that North Korea has provided Russia with artillery shells and other weaponry manufactured in the 1970s, the country's National Intelligence Service (NIS) said on May 12. The NIS' remarks come in response to recent South Korean media reports that allege 122 mm artillery shells manufactured in North Korea in the 1970s were used on Ukraine's eastern front. Both Ukrainian and U.S. officials have previously confirmed that Russia has been using North Korean-produced weaponry to attack Ukraine. "The NIS is analyzing the relevant circumstance in detail and also continues to track overall military cooperation between North Korea and Russia," the intelligence agency said, amid concern that North Korea is procuring older weapons to develop new ones. Read also: Reuters: Half of North Korean missiles fired by Russia blow up in mid-air, Ukraines top prosecutor says Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. A Russian drone dropped explosives on the village of Antonivka in Kherson Oblast on May 21, injuring three people, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Women aged 69, 75, and 76 were reportedly hospitalized with mine-blast and shrapnel injuries. No further details were provided at the moment. Ukraine's Armed Forces liberated Antonivka and other Kharkiv Oblast's settlements on the west bank of the Dnipro River in the fall 2022 counteroffensive. Russian troops were pushed to the river's east bank, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths as well as large-scale destruction of homes and infrastructure. Russian attacks killed one person and three others in the region over the past day, according to Prokudin. Read also: Man injured in Russian May 17 attack on Kharkiv Oblast dies in hospital Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Russian drone attacks police officer's car as he evacuates people from Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast photos Russian drones hit a police officer's car as he was evacuating people from Vovchansk hromada on 21 May. The officer suffered a contusion. (A hromada is an administrative unit designating a town, village or several villages and their adjacent territories ed.) Source: Prosecutor Generals Office of Ukraine; Volodymyr Tymoshko, the Chief of Kharkiv Oblast branch of the National Police, on Facebook Quote: "The investigation found that a hostile FPV drone hit a police officer's car in the border hromada of Vovchansk, when he was on his way to evacuate people on 21 May (a hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ed.). The policeman suffered a contusion." Photo: Volodymyr Tymoshko, Kharkiv National Police Chief Details: Tymoshko noted that they managed to evacuate people anyway. Law enforcement officers also documented the aftermath of Russian airstrikes on civilian infrastructure in the city of Zolochiv. Prosecutor Generals Office of Ukraine reported that the Russian invaders damaged three high-rise apartment buildings, a kindergarten, a school, administrative buildings, and a cafe. Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office At least 22 shops were completely destroyed. Previously, the Russian Armed Forces attacked the town using four aerial munitions. Photo: Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office In addition, the Russians damaged households in the village of Myrne, Kupiansk district, and civilian infrastructure in the central part of the village of Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi. Support UP or become our patron! Before generative artificial intelligence turned his world on its head, Guillermo Prado did a PhD in molecular biology in the oncology department of La Paz, a public hospital in Madrid. He then started working in a company related to the healthcare sector, but he didnt enjoy it. It was late 2022, and the first versions of ChatGPT and Midjourney, an application capable of creating images from text, were released at the same time. I started going crazy with it, Prado says. Now he is an expert in the new skill known as prompts engineering. Salaries in the field can reach six figures in the United States. I thought that was the future, so every day when I came home from work, I started researching it, Prado says, embarking on a path of no return that has led him, two years later, to create Externia, his own events company driven by generative artificial intelligence technology capable of creating text, images, music, or videos from written instructions. In the face of the caution and general lack of knowledge that still dominates public conversation, Prado believes that the revolution led by this technology will be transversal, affecting all jobs and opening the door of innovation to professions that have historically been left out of technological progress. Why would a humanities profile work as a prompts engineer? asks Prado. Prompts are the instructions or requests received by the machine. The prompts engineer is the expert professional, for example in ChatGPT, who knows how to get the most out of the tool by making use of language. The profiles that are coming in now are usually computer scientists, and thats fine and it works, theyre going to be needed. But the most important part of a prompts engineer is to be creative, and there I think humanities profiles [such as philosophy, marketing, or linguistics] can have a lot of potential. When it comes down to it, you are communicating with a natural language, and a profile that has studied that will have a huge advantage, Prado tells EL PAIS in a telephone conversation. The connection between the humanities and generative AI seems minimal, but more and more voices are pointing in that direction. Marco Argenti, the CIO of Goldman Sachs, wrote about the subject in the Harvard Business Review: The quality of the output of a Large Language Model [like ChatGPT] is very sensitive to the quality of the prompt [] Because of that, one would have to first and foremost master reasoning, logic, and first-principles thinking to get the most out of AI. Artificial intelligence could alter almost 40% of global employment, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In advanced economies, that figure rises to 60%, because the number of jobs performing replaceable tasks is higher than in other economies. However, a recent article in The Economist asserts that those with humanities degrees are well positioned to take advantage of the new opportunities. Promotion agencies and online courses purporting to teach this skill are flourishing. Graduates with a background in languages or the humanities are popular candidates, the text states. Momentum in marketing Ruth Falquina, CEO of the marketing agency Estado Latente, studied marketing at the Complutense University of Madrid before entering the world of artificial intelligence. She now uses that technology throughout the productive and creative process of her company. Humanities profiles bring critical thinking and creativity based on a deep knowledge of culture. This background serves to generate better prompts, better instructions, she explains. Falquina, like many other experts, says that prompts engineer is not going to become a job per se, but a skill that many people will have to develop for their jobs. At her marketing company, employees use tools like ChatGPT on a daily basis. Its part of the production process they go through when they have a new assignment. Falquina notes co-creation between human and machine is essential. We integrate AI as part of our team, she says. They have used it for smaller things, from producing the first AI-based cover in Spain (it was for the first issue of Yorokobu magazine), to creating a drink wrapper thanks to machine design. For the Jaume I scientific awards, for example, they have created an AI that helps the user to lose fear of the AI itself. They have also generated a ChatGPT model to help strategists around the world develop their own brand. It improves work processes and inspires us to be better creatives, says Falquina. Another project was the main stage designer for the Mobile World Congress. They had two and a half weeks to complete the final product. In that case, the AI allowed us the speed we needed to deliver everything we were asked for. Hermagoras Abecia, a digital marketing specialist at Actahotels, has also been tinkering with ChatGPT for some time, so much so that he has already given himself the prompts engineer skill on his LinkedIn profile. He says he has been developing his own tools since October last year, and that his AI has become a sort of companion with whom he converses most of the day. You have to know how to give instruction It helps you from doing a context analysis for a marketing campaign to a Google positioning strategy. I do it with ChatGPT and we pull it off, he says. Another fan, Cristina Aranda Gutierrez, earned a PhD in Hispanic philology before entering the world of AI, and launches a staunch defense of the humanities in this sector. Anyone can choose to work in this, because it is something as non-technical as giving an instruction to the machine. But linguists and philosophers are going to know how to do that better than others. In addition, you have to know how to give the instruction, because the context and the precision of the command are important, she says. Nico Bour, co-founder of Joppy, a Spanish startup that connects companies with tech workers, says they have not yet seen a huge demand for instructional engineers. Were not seeing massive offers for that position. There are some, but no one can tell you yet that they are senior specialists in the field. In many cases whats happening is that a lot of developers are practicing in their spare time. Bour believes that the ideal profile for this type of work are data analyst engineers, because they understand better how an AI works from the inside. As for the rest of the engineers, if they dont learn how to incorporate AI into their work, they are going to be very inefficient a few years from now. At Christmas 2022, with the intention of announcing to his family that he was leaving healthcare work to devote himself fully to generative AI, Prado arranged a surprise. I gave my family an AI-generated painting. It had a QR that took you to a website with a video narrating an AI-generated story read by an artificial voice. They were quite impressed. Then came the discussion. Prado wanted to return to the family event company to implement everything he had learned, but they didnt want him to leave the job he had worked so hard to get. In the end he managed to convince them, stayed with the family business for another year, and then set up his own. The small project is focused on offering customers different experiences based on AI. The end product is better, and he is able to get it done faster and for a lower price than his familys company. Thats whats going to make the difference. Major General Ivan Popov, a former commander of the 58th Army of the Russian Armed Forces, has been detained and arrested in Russia. Source: TASS, citing Russian law enforcement; RBC, a Russian news outlet Details: Popov was detained in relation to a case of "fraud on a particularly large scale". On 17 May 2024, Popov was sentenced to two months in custody as a preventive measure, the press service of the 235th Garrison Military Court confirmed to RBC. In July 2023, Popov, in an audio address to his subordinates and the military, said that he had a "difficult situation with his senior officers". He said he "laid out all the issues" that existed in the Russian army, including the lack of counter-battery weapons and artillery reconnaissance bases, as well as "mass deaths and casualties" among Russian soldiers. Popov said he was dismissed a day after delivering his report. Andrei Gurulyov, a State Duma deputy and former 58th Army commander, shared Popovs address online. The Russian Defence Ministry has not officially commented on this information. During the war in Ukraine, Popov had been the commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army, which fought on the Zaporizhzhia front. Support UP or become our patron! Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov says the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi should really be viewed as a potential political murderbecause have you seen the reports that the pilot was a Mossad agent named Eli Copter? In an episode of his show on Rossiya 1 late Monday, Solovyov raged against those who celebrated the death of Ebrahim Raisi and took on a stern tone as he fell for a viral internet meme that exploded in the wake of the Iranian leaders death. Citing a French channel, Solovyov aired a clip from a French-language segment of an Israeli TV network in which the anchor told viewers that Hamas claims the helicopter pilot was a Mossad agent named Eli Copter. The anchor, Daniel Haik, has already been widely mocked for taking the internet joke at face value and reciting it on-air. AF - The IDF Mourns The Loss Of Their Undercover Agent, Eli Copter pic.twitter.com/G0tok0TFyV Associated Fress (@AssociatedFress) May 19, 2024 Solovyov has apparently become the second TV host to fall for it, and he was not immediately corrected by any of his studio guests after repeating the absurd claim. Instead, he used it to sow doubt about an Israeli officials statement that the country was not involved in the chopper crash. When Israel says, No, no, it was not us. If it was you, would you confess? Solovyov said. They want us to believe them? In #Russia, state TV host Vladimir Solovyov is blaming for Iran's President Raisi's helicopter crash on Israel and the agent Eli Copter. pic.twitter.com/rTVZpEJetC Hanna Liubakova (@HannaLiubakova) May 21, 2024 Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Russian troops are concentrating limited, understaffed and disjointed forces on the Sumy front, but even this Russian grouping of forces will be able to achieve the likely desired effect of drawing back and fixing Ukrainian forces near the border. Source: Institute for the Study of War (ISW) Details: The deputy commander of a Ukrainian brigade operating in northern Kharkiv Oblast reported on 20 May that Russian troops, including Chechens, are amassing on the Sumy front, but the limited number of Russian personnel suggests that Russia's goal is to draw back and entrench Ukrainian forces near the border. Ukrainian military observer Kostiantyn Mashovets said that the Russian group in Kursk Oblast numbers 9,000-10,000 people. Mashovets believes that this grouping consists of three undermanned motorised rifle regiments (each lacking one or two battalions); eight motorised rifle, tank and infantry battalions; one airborne battalion, transferred from various units, formations and military districts; and at least two assault units at the level of a reinforced company or undermanned battalion. ISW continues to assess that even limited Russian activity in other parts of the border below the threshold for Russian offensive operations could stretch Ukrainian forces along a wide front. Russian forces will be able to stretch and anchor Ukrainian forces to the border as long as Russia threatens to penetrate other border areas beyond northern Kharkiv Oblast. To quote ISW's Key Takeaways on 20 May: Ukrainian sources indicated that Russian forces are concentrating limited, understaffed, and incohesive forces on the Sumy front, but even such a Russian grouping of forces will be able to achieve the likely desired effect of drawing and fixing Ukrainian forces in the international border area. Kremlin officials expressed their condolences to senior Iranian officials following the announcement of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's and Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian's deaths on 20 May. Russian leader Vladimir Putin fired Russian Deputy Defence Minister Colonel General Yury Sadovenko on 20 May, replacing him with former Deputy Economic Minister and current Federation Council Accounts Chamber Auditor Oleg Savelyev. Putin also dismissed Presidential Advisor Alexandra Levitskaya on 20 May, but the reason for Levitskayas dismissal is unclear. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated the White House's unwillingness to approve Ukraine's use of US-provided weapons in strikes against military targets in Russia following a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (also known as the Ramstein format) on 20 May. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas stated that some unspecified countries, presumably NATO member states, have already sent personnel to train Ukrainian soldiers "on the ground." Russian Security Council Deputy Chairperson Dmitry Medvedev amplified a known Russian information operation aimed at directly undermining Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's legitimacy as president. Russian forces recently made confirmed advances near Vovchansk, Chasiv Yar, Avdiivka, and Donetsk City and in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast and the Dnipro River Delta. Russian opposition outlet Vazhnye Istorii (iStories) reported that Russian military authorities and Kazakh law enforcement acting on Russian orders detained at least two more servicemen in Kazakhstan who had deserted from the Russian military. Support UP or become our patron! Several explosions have rung out in Kharkiv overnight on 20-21 May. The Russians have hit one of the favourite recreational areas of the city. Four people have been injured. Source: Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov on Telegram; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration; Suspilne Quote from Terekhov: "An explosion has rung out in Kharkiv. Shaheds over the city, be careful". Details: Syniehubov also warned of a drone attack. Eyewitnesses said that a fire had broken out in Kharkiv due to an attack by Russian drones. Updated: Terekhov said that private houses had been damaged as a result of the Shahed attack on Kharkiv. Fires broke out. Information on those killed and injured is being confirmed. Terekhov said that there are currently three injured, all of whom have already received medical assistance. All relevant services and volunteers are working at the scene of the fires. He said that there is preliminary information about a Shahed strike on one of the citizens favourite recreational areas. Syniehubov wrote that the number of injured had increased to four. All of them have an acute stress reaction. There are fires in houses and garages. Support UP or become our patron! According to the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces, the Russians are still conducting offensive operations throughout the majority of the combat zone. The highest number of clashes has occurred in Donetsk Oblast. In particular, on the Pokrovsk front, the Russians attempted to break through the Ukrainian defence lines 23 times. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 14:00 on 21 May Quote: "The majority of combat clashes are taking place on the Pokrovsk front. Since the start of the day, the enemy has attempted to breach our lines of defence 23 times. Ukrainian troops repelled attacks near the settlements of Yevhenivka, Novoselivka Persha, Sievierne, Netailove, Yasnobrodivka, and Nevelske, while fighting continues in Kalynove, Novooleksandrivka, Sokol, and Umanske. The situation is difficult yet manageable." Details: The General Staff also stated that since the start of the day, the number of clashes on the entire front has increased to 55. On the Kharkiv front, the Russians attacked twice near the settlement of Liptsy. The situation here is under control. Six clashes occurred on the Kupiansk front during the day. Ukrainian forces repulsed Russian attacks in the vicinity of Ivanivka and Berestove. The battle in Synkivka continues. On the Lyman front, one Russian assault was repelled near Terny. On the Siversk front, Russian troops made four attempts to attack in and around Bilohorivka, Klishchiivka, Vyimka and Rozdolivka On the Kramatorsk front, Russian soldiers have carried out nine attacks so far. Their assaults are directed at Chasiv Yar, Ivanove, Klishchiivka, and Andriivka. Three combat clashes are still ongoing in the last two settlements. On the Kurakhiv front, the Russians attempted to suppress Ukrainian forces twice, particularly in the vicinity of Heorhiivka and Krasnohorivka, where fighting continues. On the Vremivka front, the Ukrainian military repulsed five failed Russian attempts to advance towards Staromaiorske. The Russian forces withdrew after receiving a worthy rebuff. On the Orikhiv front, Russian aircraft struck in the vicinity of Novoandriivka. On the Prydniprovske front, Russian forces attempted two unsuccessful attacks on Ukrainian positions near Krynky, where the Ukrainians had established a bridgehead on the left bank of the Dnipro River. In other sectors of the front, the situation remains stable. Support UP or become our patron! Russia's fearsome S-400 air-defense system isn't quite living up to the hype in Ukraine Russia's S-400 air-defense system is feared. But Ukraine has been able to destroy some, including, it seems, with older weapons. Experts say it's still a formidable system, but the West could learn from Ukraine's wins. The performance of the Russian military's top air-defense system in Ukraine has shown it's vulnerable to even some older Western missiles, and wins against it could give the West new ideas on how to defeat it, experts say. The Russian S-400 is considered one of the world's most advanced air-defense systems, but in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, multiple units have been destroyed, including by older Western weapons the system should be able to handle. Russian S-400 surface-to-missile systems in the Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square on i in May 2023. Contributor/Getty Images Experts told Business Insider the system is clearly very capable, but it does have some weak points that Ukraine has been able to exploit. Fredrik Mertens, an analyst at the Hague Center for Strategic Studies, said "we clearly know that Ukrainian missiles are getting through and at rates that they really pose a problem for the Russians." A flagship system Russia's S-400 Triumf, known to NATO as the SA-21 Growler, is a long-range, road-mobile surface-to-air missile system and the successor to the older S-300 system. It was designed to target missiles and aircraft, but it can also be used for surface-to-surface strikes. Russia has used it to hit Ukrainian cities. Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the International Institute for Strategic Studies called this weapon "one of the world's more sophisticated" air-defense systems. It first became operational in 2007 and is considered Russia's equivalent of the US Patriot system. The head of Rosoboronexport, the Russian state-owned military company that oversees most of Russia's military exports, in February called it the "best long-range air defense system in the world." Russian S-400 Triumph/SA-21 Growler medium-range and long-range surface-to-air missile systems drive during the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, in 2015. Reuters While losses have been relatively rare, especially compared to other systems like Russian tanks and armored vehicles, the system has not always lived up to the hype. John Hoehn, a researcher at the RAND Corporation with a specialism in air warfare, told BI its international popularity shows that it's seen as "one of the best air defenses that was available." "Overall," he said, "I think the Ukrainian Air Force has viewed it as a substantial threat." But, Hoehn added, Ukraine has also found ways to counter S-400s and even destroy some of them. Ukraine is hitting S-400s Ukraine has destroyed multiple S-400 systems in its fight. Ukraine in September said it destroyed two Russian S-400 batteries in Crimea, a region annexed by Russia in 2014. There were only five S-400s there before Russia invaded, Forbes reported. Ukraine shared a video of one of the hits. A video captures the moment an S-400 explodes in Crimea. Screengrab/Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine It said that one of these attacks used a modified Neptune anti-ship missile, a Ukrainian-made missile derived from an older, Soviet missile. The Institute for the Study of War, a US-based think tank, said the attack may signal Russia's air defenses in Crimea may suffer from "systemic tactical failures." Ukrainian intelligence also said that an S-400 system was damaged within Russia's borders in a September drone attack, and in April this year, Ukraine said that it destroyed or at least critically damaged four S-400 launchers in Crimea. Some of Ukraine's hits have been by weapons older than the S-400s that should be in its threat envelope. Foiled by older weapons The British defense ministry said in a November intelligence update that Ukraine likely destroyed at least four of the systems in a week, with Russian media saying three of them were in Ukraine's Luhansk region. Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, which claims sources in Russia's police and military agencies, said that ATACMS were used in the attack. ATACMS, tactical ballistic missiles developed by the US, have been in service since 1986. An ATACMS missile is fired during a joint military drill between the US and South Korea in October 2022. South Korea Defense Ministry via AP Mertens said the S-400s appear to have "troubles in intercepting ballistic missile targets," something that the US-made Patriots have proved they can do, even against advanced missiles like Russia's overhyped Kinzhals. A video in February also shows what Ukraine said was a Storm Shadow missile, also known as a SCALP missile, flying unimpeded over an S-400 in Crimea. Mertens described it as "incredible footage" that likely serves as a "terrible indictment" of the system. He said that Russia may have been unlucky with the system being passive at that moment, saying if so, "it can be forgiven, but still it's painful for Russia." He said Ukrainians "have been hitting targets in the Crimea with depressing regularity for the Russians." Hoehn said it was possible the system hadn't been set up, so its radar was not properly functioning yet, or that Ukraine used electronic warfare against it. Ian Williams, formerly the deputy director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said last year the S-400s "seem to have struggled against Storm Shadows, but without better insight into intercepts, it's hard to assess with certainty." Ukraine's wins come, as with most of this war's developments, with the caveat that there is no objective proof of how many systems Ukraine has hit compared to how many it has targeted or how many times the S-400 has been successful. Mattias Eken, a missile defense expert at the RAND Corporation, noted Russia has kept much about the system a secret, and neither country has been fully open about their loss rates. Rajan Menon, the director of the Grand Strategy program at the US think tank Defense Priorities, described the S-400 as Russia's "top-of-the-line air defense system." Russian troops S-400 systems at a military base in Kaliningrad in March 2019. REUTERS/Vitaly Nevar But, he said, "the performance of the S-400 has been mixed in the sense that although it's talked up as this super air defense system, the Ukrainians have been able to take out not a few of them." Ukraine has figured out how to hit some Mick Ryan, a retired major general in the Australian Army and a military strategist, described the S-400 as a "very capable system," but one that Ukraine has figured out how to sometimes foil. "The way you take down these highly capable systems is you take a systems approach. It's not 'just fire a weapon against it,' you've got to unpick all the things that defend it, whether it's sensors or other weapons systems, other air and missile and drone defense systems." Doing that "is very hard. It's expensive, and it's a big targeting challenge." A rocket launches from a S-400 missile system at the Ashuluk military base in Southern Russia in September 2020. DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images But Ukraine has repeatedly been able to do it, something Ryan described as "a very impressive feat." He said Ukrainians, aided by help from NATO nations and the alliance's joint targeting doctrine, have "become far more systematic and sophisticated in how they undertake the very complex and systemic taking down of highly capable Russian systems." And he said Ukraine has been better at protecting its own missile systems than Russia has. "They use deception, they move them frequently, they use dummies," he said. "There's a whole range of operating modalities around having their sensors on and off. And the Russians haven't been as good at this." Air-defense systems typically work as part of a layered network rather than in isolation, with different systems working to detect an incoming attack and neutralize it, as well as protect the most valuable systems in the network, like the S-400. Hoehn said Ukraine may be able to hit some S-400s because of flaws in Russia's network, with it perhaps not being set up adequately, creating gaps because other systems like the Pantsir missile system, which hasn't really lived up to expectations either, are not playing enough of a role to protect and support the S-400s. Russian S-400 missile air defence systems parade through Red Square during the general rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow in May 2022. KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images Hoehn said that Ukraine has been able to "come up with some very creative tactics to be able to engage and destroy some of these sophisticated Russian systems." "I don't know if this is higher or lower than what expectations might've been, but certainly they've changed how they have gone and tried to attack these systems before the war versus what we're seeing now." Eken described the S-400 as "highly capable but not impervious to attack." He said "the Ukrainian air force is still cautious and keeps a safe distance from the front lines due to the threat of the S-400 and other Russian SAM systems." But, he said, it "is not invulnerable, particularly if it is not adequately protected. Ukraine has demonstrated its ability to destroy S-400 systems farther away from the front lines, such as in Crimea." Older Western weapons seem to be performing better Some of the experts said the S-400's performance, its troubles in particular, stands out compared to the Patriot, the system it was built to rival. Patriots are older and had a somewhat chequered record before being used in Ukraine. But they have been hailed as a huge success in this war, and none of these have been confirmed lost, though there have been claims and rumors. A Patriot air defense system test-fired during a training in Chania, Greece, on November 8, 2017. Anthony Sweeney/US Army Menon said of the S-400 systems defending Crimea, "if you compare it to the Patriot, for example, it doesn't seem to have worked as quite as well." But Ukraine has been running low on Patriot and other air defense missiles, as well as the long-range missiles it uses to target Russian equipment like the S-400, after support from the US stopped for six months. And the S-400s remain a threat. Hoehn said any F-16s Ukraine is due to get from allies this summer that get into the range of S-400s will be targets. He said trying to destroy Russia's air defense systems could be a priority for Ukraine's F-16 pilots, but doing so against S-400s will be a big challenge as those are the jets' "most capable" threat. Mertens said that while the S-400s should not be underestimated, it seems they "have a few potentially glaring deficiencies that could make them vulnerable against a capable and advanced opponent like the United States or NATO, which will be a very serious cause for concern for the Russians." Ryan said that Ukraine's success against some S-400s helps its allies in the West and NATO learn how to defeat the system in the future, explaining that "the reality is this is a significant opportunity for Western military and intelligence organizations to collect on the capability of the Russian military across the board." Read the original article on Business Insider By Ulviyya Shahin During the January-April months of 2024, the total number of Azerbaijani citizens travelling to foreign countries increased by 29.4% compared to the same period last year, reaching 638.2 thousand people, Azernews reports, citing the State Statistics Committee. According to the data, the number of citizens travelling to Iran increased by 43.8%, to Turkey by 27.0%, to Georgia by 25.2%, and to Russia by 16.7%. Azerbaijani citizens travelled to Turkey 38.2% of the time, to Russia 21.7%, to Georgia 9.1%, to Iran 8.7%, and to other countries 22.3%. Of those travelling, 67.5% were male and 32.5% were female. During the 4-month period, 67.6% of Azerbaijani citizens travelling to foreign countries used air transportation, 30.0% used railways and automobiles, and 2.4% used sea transportation. It's noteworthy that in January-March 2024, the number of Azerbaijani citizens travelling abroad increased by 31.7% compared to the first quarter of 2023, reaching 472,300 people. The number of people travelling to Iran rose by 40.6%, to Georgia by 29%, to Turkey by 28.1%, and to Russia by 20.1%. Consequently, 38.3% of Azerbaijani citizens travelled to Turkey, 20.8% to Russia, 9.4% to Georgia, 8.6% to Iran, and 22.9% to other countries. Of these travellers, 67.2% were men, and 32.8% were women. Over the course of three months, 67.4% of Azerbaijani citizens travelled by air, 30.3% by rail and road, and 2.3% by sea. Railroads rely on trackside detectors like this one along a Union Pacific line in western Iowa, seen Dec. 15, 2023, to help spot mechanical problems on trains before they can cause derailments. The Federal Railroad Administration finalized new rules Monday, May 20, 2024, that will establish training and certification standards for the workers who install and maintain these detectors and other signals along the railroads. (AP Photo/Josh Funk) OMAHA, Neb. (AP) New federal certification rules finalized Monday for train dispatchers and signal repairmen will set minimum standards to counteract the investor pressure on railroads to continually cut costs while making sure those employees have the skills they need to operate all the high-tech systems on todays trains. The new Federal Railroad Administration rules are the latest steps in the agencys broad efforts to improve rail safety since the disastrous East Palestine derailment in Ohio last year although these rules were in the works years before that train crash. FRA Administrator Amit Bose said in an interview with The Associated Press that both these crafts of workers are responsible for some of the advanced technology railroads rely on like the assortment of trackside detectors that help spot mechanical problems before they can cause derailments, so it made sense to set certification standards for them. Heres the bottom line for me, we want to make sure that qualified workers are doing the jobs that they are specialists in to do, Bose said. And even though technology can help railroads improve safety, he said the FRA wants to make sure that it supplements but doesn't replace existing efforts like visual inspections. Bose said dispatchers play a key role in operating the automatic braking system known as Positive Train Control that Congress required the railroads to install. Plus, modern dispatching centers are filled with banks of massive monitors at each desk that dispatchers use to keep track of the trains moving across their territories. Bose said the railroads are concerned about safety, but too often they only do the minimum required as they try to control costs to boost profits. The industry has, learned a lot, since East Palestine and has implemented and redoubled, its efforts on safety, Bose said. We have to remain vigilant on safety 24 hours, seven days a week. Im encouraged by some of the efforts, from the railroad companies, but again, theres always more, to do. But the changes railroads announced after that Ohio derailment focused attention nationwide on railroad safety haven't made a major difference in safety statistics. And larger reforms have stalled in Congress because Republicans want to wait until after the National Transportation Safety Board issues its final report on the derailment next month before considering changes. The Association of American Railroads trade group said in a statement that the new dispatcher and signalmen rules aren't likely to make a significant improvement in safety because the railroads already train their employees. Ensuring all employees are well-trained and qualified to safely execute their duties is essential," AAR spokeswoman Jessica Kahanek said. "This is why railroads invest heavily to ensure our people have the necessary skills and knowledge to maintain safe operations and successfully perform their work." But the American Train Dispatchers Association union praised the new rule because it should prevent the common practices of forcing dispatchers to work assignments they aren't adequately trained for and keep managers from working in a dispatcher role if they're not properly certified. And both the union and federal regulators will get a chance to review railroads' certification plans before they take effect. JESSUP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) The annual race of the Saints is this Saturday in Lackawanna County. Its a unique celebration that only takes place in Jessup and Gubbio, Italy to honor Saint Ubaldo Baldassini but, why? Saint Ubaldo is the Patron Saint of the City of Gubbio because of his heroism. During the race of the saints, wearing the color yellow represents Saint Ubaldo Baldassini. The Festa Dei Ceri is in honor of the Patron Saint of Gubbio Saint Ubaldo, said Tom Fiorelli Saint Ubaldo participant from Jessup. According to tradition Saint Ubaldo was the Bishop of Gubbio during a time when a barbarian named Fredrick the first Barbarossa attacked Italian cities. He set up an encampment outside the city of Gubbio, the townspeople of course were very concerned about this, and Ubaldo, the bishop, went to meet with Barbarossa, says Fiorelli. New outdoor classroom opens in Luzerne County Ubaldo had one request, he wanted Barbarossa to spare Gubbio. The townspeople fearing something very bad happened to Ubaldo, were very concerned, and when he came back it was widely accepted that he saved the city of Gubbio and thats considered one of his miracles, explained Fiorelli. A miracle that has been celebrated ever since in both Gubbio Italy and here in Jessup. Its a very rich cultural celebration, its a regionalized cultural celebration. Its really a great honor to participate along with the other members of the other families to carry on the tradition the best we can, stated Fiorelli. The race not only honors Saint Ubaldo Baldassinis heroic actions but also represents the spirit of the community Right there shows you the community that the man brought to his town and thats what were trying to recreate here in Jessup, get everybody back, build the community, get it stronger, and just make sure those traditions stay where it is and keep growing and flourishing, added Ronald Augelli Saint Ubaldo participant from Jessup. Viva San Ubaldo!, says Fiorelli. While it is technically a race between three teams. Team Saint Ubaldo will always win because is a day in his honor. That race will take place this Saturday in Jessup Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PAhomepage.com. (BCN) Beginning in late 2025, San Jose will place 33 cameras in high-collision areas throughout the city and mail tickets to speeding drivers. Officials anticipate spending about a third of the $10.6 million budget for the project on data collection to show whether the cameras help reduce speeding collisions and to ensure that the project is equitable to communities of color and low-income neighborhoods. Prior to the passage of Assembly Bill 645 in 2023, advocacy organizations like Human Rights Watch expressed concerns that surveillance infrastructure would generate fines on a massive scale and disproportionately impact communities of color without any commitments to decreasing traditional policing. AB 645 authorizes only six cities San Jose, Oakland and San Francisco, along with the Southern California cities of Los Angeles, Glendale and Long Beach to establish such speed safety pilots until 2032. With annual traffic deaths in San Jose having more than doubled from 29 in 2012 to a peak of 65 in 2022, providing safe and secure transportation systems is one of our top service priorities, said City Manager Jennifer Maguire. Most of the funding came from an $8.5 million grant from the Safe Streets and Roads for All program for a five-year pilot that will entail the acquisition, testing and evaluation of technology that detects speed and issues citations, as allowed under Assembly Bill 645. To cover the entire $10.625 million budget, Colin Heyne, San Jose Department of Transportation public information manager, said the city is allocating its own matching funds to the tune of $2.125 million. He explained that the city is still determining what fund will provide the local match. The issue is being pushed through the ongoing budget process and will be voted on by the city council in June. The estimated cost of camera and backend equipment is $7 million, he said, with the remaining $3.625 million to cover costs associated with data collection, public engagement and a racial equity analysis. Heyne said the racial equity analysis will ensure that the cameras are established in high-injury areas in an equitable way. We cant cluster all our cameras in any neighborhood, and thats to avoid putting them all in low-income neighborhoods, Heyne said. This is going to let us work with a consultant or perhaps a university to study the impacts of these automatic citations. The citys transportation team has already begun outreach to racial, social and environmental justice groups to discuss how to implement the project equitably, Heyne explained. We will learn if the program is disproportionately affecting communities of color or low-income households, and if so, how can we adjust the program so its not doing that anymore, he continued. After analyzing speed and safety data and consulting with community groups, city staff will finalize a list of possible locations. That data will be presented to the San Jose City Council in fall before it issues requests for proposals to acquire the equipment and services for the project. Were expecting to turn the program on, flip the switch and get those cameras working by the end of 2025, Heyne said. Tickets wont start rolling in right away, though. For the first 60 days of the program, drivers flagged as speeding over the posted speed limit will receive a warning. And low-income drivers who have received a fine will have the option to provide community service hours instead of payment, Heyne said. State law requires any dollars generated from citations to be used for traffic calming measures, or methods designed to slow speeding traffic. Overall data will be critical to seeing the program continue beyond the five-year pilot phase. The city is technically leasing the camera systems and must prove to the federal government through its final report that it achieved a 50% reduction in speeding during the pilot. At that point, its going to be back in the hands of the California Legislature to decide if theyre going to open up the use of speed cameras to more cities, make it statewide, allow us to enter a second pilot period whatever they do but we will no longer be able to under the current law to operate our speed cameras system after 2032, Heyne said. Thats why theres so much importance in collecting data and making sure we agree with community members and advocates on what were measuring and where were measuring it to show clearly the impact of these cameras, Heyne continued. Heyne confirmed that local law enforcement will not have access to the camera footage to support criminal investigations, noting that AB 645 set regulations that strictly prohibits the use of the cameras for anything but enforcing speed limits. Theres a very, very tight definition of how these cameras can be used who has access to the data. That will be outlined in the reports that we circulate to the public long before any of these cameras get installed, he said, noting that opponents such as the ACLU were concerned about public privacy. We hear those concerns, and we intend to fully comply with these data privacy provisions in the law. Copyright 2024 Bay City News, Inc Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Sarah Jane Weaver, who has been named Editor of the Deseret News, is pictured. Weaver joins Executive Editor Doug Wilks and Publisher Burke Olsen in top leadership positions of the nearly 174-year-old publication. Longtime journalist and editor Sarah Jane Weaver has been named Editor of the Deseret News, joining Executive Editor Doug Wilks and Publisher Burke Olsen in top leadership positions of the nearly 174-year-old publication. The announcement was made Tuesday in a meeting with staff members by Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corp., the parent company of the Deseret News. Jeff Simpson, DMCs chief executive officer, said about the new appointment: Sarah has a keen journalistic instinct and a tireless work ethic. She has the leadership ability to mobilize a team to do great work. She is always on the hunt for the best ideas at the right time, and that quality is vital in todays media environment. Weaver, who will transition from her current position as Executive Editor of Church News, replaces Hal Boyd, who earlier this month accepted a position as chief of staff at Brigham Young University. Boyd will maintain his position as Executive Editor of Deseret Magazine. Weaver becomes the first female editor of the Deseret News since its founding in June 1850. She was appointed the top editor of Church News in 2017, expanding its reach and influence to Latter-day Saints more than tenfold. She also began translation of its content into Spanish and Portuguese, established a video team, and led podcasting efforts. Sarah has been part of our executive leadership teams for years and has a seasoned understanding of what it takes to be a strong journalist in todays fractured media landscape, Dew said. She has also shown a great ability to create successful media products. Were excited to have her expertise focused on the Deseret News. Sarah Jane Weaver speaks to the staff after being announced as the new editor of the Deseret News during a staff meeting, Tuesday, May 21, 2024 in Salt Lake City. Weaver is the first female editor of the News. Doug Wilks, remains as executive editor. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News Weaver was honored by Editor and Publisher magazine last year in its 20 over 50 issue, recognizing journalists nominated for their strong work ethic, transformational mindsets, commitment to journalistic and publishing excellence and ability to lead during challenging times, E&P said. I am honored to continue building on the strong foundation laid by many previous Deseret News editors and look forward to working with talented Deseret News writers, editors, photographers and designers to take the trusted voice of the Deseret News to a growing audience in Utah, the West and across the nation, Weaver said. Weaver graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in journalism and history, serving as editor-in-chief of the BYU Daily Universe. She later completed graduate studies in executive leadership at Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Her journalism career extended to Arizona, where she was a Pulliam Fellow at the Arizona Republic, before returning to Utah as a reporter with the Standard-Examiner in Ogden, Utah. Since 1995, she has traveled the world covering news pertinent to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in various capacities with Church News. Ryan Jensen, Editor of Church News, will assume leadership of the print and website publication with Weavers appointment to Deseret News. Deseret News is Utahs oldest continuously operating business, founded in 1850 by Latter-day Saint pioneers. Deseret News is one of several media properties operated by the Deseret Management Corp., which is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lois M. Collins, facing, hugs Sarah Jane Weaver after Weavers naming as Editor of the Deseret News at the Deseret News office in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News From left, Publisher Burke Olsen, Sarah Jane Weaver, the new Editor of the Deseret News, Executive Editor Doug Wilks, and Sheri Dew, executive vice president and chief content officer of Deseret Management Corporation, smile for a photo after the announcement of Weaver as the new Editor at the Deseret News office in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News Executive Editor Doug Wilks speaks at the announcement of Sarah Jane Weaver as the new Editor of the Deseret News at the Deseret News office in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News From left, Publisher Burke Olsen and Executive Editor Doug Wilks applaud after the naming of Sarah Jane Weaver as the new Editor of the Deseret News at the Deseret News office in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News Members of the Deseret News applaud after the announcement of Sarah Jane Weaver as the new Editor of the Deseret News at the Deseret News office in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News Sarah Jane Weaver speaks after being named Editor of the Deseret News at the Deseret News office in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. | Megan Nielsen, Deseret News Saudi Arabia snubbed Boeing with a huge Airbus order, the biggest aircraft deal in the country's history Saudi Arabia snubbed Boeing with a huge Airbus order, the biggest aircraft deal in the country's history The Saudia Group announced an order for 105 Airbus jets on Monday. It comes as a reported Boeing order from Riyadh Air, also government-owned, has yet to materialize. Its CEO blamed negative media coverage as to why he hasn't yet announced the deal. The Saudia Group announced Monday a huge Airbus order in a blow to Boeing. 105 narrowbody jets a mix of A320neo and A321neo models will be distributed between the flag carrier Saudia and its subsidiary low-cost-carrier flyadeal. In a press release, the Saudia Group called it "the largest aircraft deal in Saudi aviation history." Saudia is owned by the country's government, and the airline's chairman is also the transport minister. The deal suggests Boeing's reputation is worsening around the world because the planemaker has formerly won big orders from the kingdom. Last March, Saudi Arabia founded a second national airline, Riyadh Air, which placed an order for up to 72 Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Boeing also looked set to win the deal for Riyadh Air's narrowbody jets. Shortly before last November's Dubai Air Show, Bloomberg reported that Riyadh Air was eyeing up an order for as many as 100 Boeing 737 Max jets. However, that order has yet to materialize. Tony Douglas, the Riyadh Air CEO, blamed negative media coverage during an interview with Reuters on Monday. "What happened was the media three weeks later spent every hour of every day writing negative stories about commercial aviation," he said. Douglas told Reuters he wasn't referring to January's blowout, in which an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max lost a door plug in midair. "The last thing I want to do is present my good news and have it in a context of things that are going on elsewhere, which are not quite as positive," he added. "Be it Airbus can't deliver on time [or] Boeing is having some technical problem." Read the original article on Business Insider Thousands of truck-sized 30-ton shipping containers are stacked aboard the Hanjin Oslo freighter in the Port of Los Angeles March 29, 2002 in Los Angeles, California. (File/David McNew/Getty Images) CHARLESTON An unspecified software malfunction disrupted traffic for a second day at South Carolinas port, a major economic driver for the state, before reopening Tuesday afternoon. The economic impact of the temporary closure is unknown. The port discovered the software problem Saturday night. The port typically closes its gate to trucks on Sundays. It notified customers Sunday evening that it would delay the opening of its terminals the next morning, according to posts on the state Ports Authoritys website. The gate normally opens at 5 a.m. weekdays. But the issue dragged on throughout Monday, as posted re-opening times were repeatedly moved until the port ultimately took the rare step of closing for the day. Typically, any closures are weather-related. We understand the impact that this issue is having on our partners in the industry, the Ports Authority wrote, adding that it was working diligently to fix the lingering issue. The port did not suspect any cybersecurity problems. Meanwhile, trucks lined stretches of highway near the port Monday and electronic signs along interstates alerted drivers to the delay. It would take crews util 2:30 p.m. Tuesday to solve the malfunction that impacted a port server and left truckers who depend on the port for their livelihood in the lurch. Port employees resumed loading and unloading ships several hours earlier, around 11 a.m. The Ports Authority did not respond to messages left by the SC Daily Gazette. This is just another day in the supply chain jungle, said Rick Todd, president of the state Trucking Association. Thats particularly the case when it comes to trucking companies that transport maritime freight, he said. The workload for hauling shipping containers fluctuates, creating some days where half a trucking fleet is left without work and others where companies struggle to keep up. And once a truck is loaded down with a container, the driver does not have many options for picking up another job. You may have a yard where you can drop it and pick up another load, but more than likely youre just stuck, Todd said. Plus, there are only so many containers in need of hauling and most freight is already booked with another driver. Sometimes this is just the cost of doing business, Todd added. I dont mean to dismiss it and say its ok. It just is what it is. The port typically sees upwards of 6,000 truckloads coming in or out of its terminals each day. The fourth-busiest port for container imports on the East Coast, Charleston handled 2.48 million 20-foot containers in 2023, including 204,481 vehicles assembled by the states major automotive manufacturers. Manufacturers in the state did not report any supply disruptions, according to the South Carolina Manufacturers Association. Port operations have a direct annual economic impact of $1.8 billion, according to a study by the University of South Carolina. South Carolina, and exports $19.3 billion worth of goods made by South Carolina companies. Those companies that use the port for shipping and receiving goods directly contribute an additional $57.5 billion to the economy. Todd estimates about a quarter of the state trucking associations 600 member companies are connected in some form or fashion to the port. And the port supports the careers of an estimated 3,525 drivers, according to the USC study. Todd said its hard to pin down a dollar amount on how much the delay cost drivers and trucking outfits due to the varying size of companies. And companies pay drivers in a variety of ways by the load is more common with self-employed contract drivers; by the mile is more common for long haul drivers; or by the hour. Smaller operations, which make up the vast majority of the trucking industry, tend to be most heavily impacted by delays. To help drivers catch up, the port extended hours until 7 p.m. Tuesday, two hours past normal closing. The post SC commerce disrupted by multi-day Port of Charleston shutdown, financial impact unknown appeared first on SC Daily Gazette. Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse. South Carolina officials responsible for the welfare of vulnerable children misled a family when they placed a teenage girl in the home of a Midlands photographer who later plied her with drugs, recorded her on hidden cameras and encouraged her to perform sex acts, according to two lawsuits and statements made in court. During the five weeks in February and March 2022 that the girl was in photographer Greg Martins home, Department of Social Services caseworkers failed to check on the 16-year-old victim and disregarded her parents fears that something was wrong. This comes according to a pair lawsuits filed in state and federal court in March against DSS and four caseworkers by attorneys Robert and Deborah Butcher on behalf of the victim and her parents. South Carolina DSS removed the child from her home and then turned their back on her, leaving her in the hands of a monster. The child was told not to trust her parents by DSS and then she was abandoned and left to fend for herself, attorney Deborah Butcher wrote in a statement to The State Media Co. Martin, 56, of Blythewood, faces multiple charges of sex crimes involving the girl and four other victims in South Carolina and Georgia. The charges include neglect of a child by a custodian, engaging a child for sexual performance, criminal sexual conduct, exploitation of minors, kidnapping and promoting prostitution. In April, his bond on the South Carolina charges was revoked after Georgia authorities accused him of sending obscene images to a 13-year-old girl and attempting to solicit her. For the family named in the lawsuit, the nightmare began on Feb. 7, 2022, when DSS was alerted that the girl accused her father of abuse, according to court documents. That same day, the teen was removed from the home and sent to live with the Martins. But this move was not initiated by law enforcement taking the child into emergency custody or by court order after a judge reviewed the facts of the case. Instead, the teens family alleges DSS caseworkers strong-armed them into signing a little-known instrument called a safety plan, which placed their daughter with the Martins. The name of the teen and her family are not being published by The State Media Co. because she is an alleged victim of sexual assault. While safety plans are meant to be voluntary agreements between DSS and parents, the family named in the lawsuit said that caseworkers told them their daughter could end up in foster care if they did not agree. The family did not believe they had a choice or the ability to say no, according to court documents. The standard form the parents signed, available on DSSs website, warns that if parents do not agree to the safety plan their child could be placed in foster care for the childs protection. When contacted by The State Media Co. with a detailed list of questions, DSS said it does not comment on pending litigation. Experts told The State that safety plans can be an important tool to protect children during an investigation into allegations of abuse or neglect. Unlike when a child is removed from a home by law enforcement or a judges order, safety plans offer flexibility, keeping children out of foster care and families out of court. But lawyers and advocates also cautioned that it was all too common for parents to sign safety plans after feeling pressured by the threat of their childs removal. And once a plan is in place, their cases do not necessarily receive the same oversight as children in the foster care system or those removed by court order, as they are not assigned court guardians, parents do not receive lawyers, and the case is never reviewed by a judge. When you dont give parents lawyers and you dont give parents due process protections, you should expect parents to get railroaded by DSS, said Josh Gupta-Kagan, a professor at New Yorks Columbia Law School, formerly a professor at the University of South Carolina and author of Americas Hidden Foster Care System, a Stanford Law Review article. You shouldnt expect DSS to get it right every time. Cameras, pills and pornography When this all started, I was 16 years old, the teen placed in Martins home by DSS told a Richland County court in April. He (Martin) was the father of my very best friend in the whole wide world. And when things got hard, I decided to stay with him and his family. The teen came to know Martin through his daughter, whom she befriended when schools shifted to online education during the COVID pandemic. Over two years, the teen grew closer to the Martins as she spent time with their family. In February, a fight between the teen and her father over cleaning the house escalated into a struggle and led to him restraining her, holding her down and leaving marks on her arms and legs. At school, the teen then made a complaint to DSS about her father and told caseworkers that she wanted to stay with the Martins. Her mother testified in court that she believed this decision was the product of a campaign of grooming by Martin a common tactic in sex abuse cases where abusers establish a pattern of trust as they slowly desensitize the victim to sexual contact. Once the teen was inside the Martins home, the grooming escalated and the abuse began, according to court records and statements from prosecutors. Inside the handsome, two-story brick house at the end of a leafy cul-de-sac in Blythewood, Martin had sexually explicit conversations with the teen and plied her with gummies and pills containing THC, the main psychoactive component of marijuana. He also encouraged her to watch porn, gave her lingerie and sex toys and encouraged her to perform sex acts, according to the lawsuit. All the while, Martin spied on the teen through cameras he placed in her bedroom and the bathroom, as well as through an iPad that he gave her, the lawsuit alleges. In the past decade Gregg Martin has shot photos and been photographed with Nikki Haley, Gov. Henry McMaster, George Rogers and other ex-Gamecock athletes. He faces numerous charges related to sexually abusing minors. Martin drove the victim to her boyfriends house and encouraged her to have sex with him while Martin waited outside in his car, according to Assistant S.C. Attorney General Bethany Miles. When she returned, Martin asked about specific details, Miles said. As the abuse continued, the victim started skipping school and her grades plummeted, alarming her parents, who alerted caseworkers, according to the lawsuit. But the parents fears were never investigated. In fact, the lawsuit alleges that no caseworkers ever visited the Martin home or interviewed the teen while she stayed there. This is despite DSSs commitment, stated on kinship caregiver forms, to make monthly visits to the homes of caregivers. Over the next five weeks, the child suffered abuse at the hands of Mr. Martin as SCDSS failed to conduct mandatory visits with the child in the Martin home. All the while, the mother was continuously asking for the child to be placed with family or otherwise moved from the Martin home, attorney Deborah Butcher wrote in her email to The State. Meanwhile, caseworkers moved forward with the investigation against the teens father. Around March 3, 2022, before a forensic interview was conducted, caseworkers indicated a case against him, meaning there was a finding of abuse by DSS, according to the lawsuit. A later forensic interview with the teen would find no evidence of abuse by her father, according to the lawsuit. At the time of publishing, DSS has not dismissed its case against the teens father. But as a result of the March 3 finding, the familys case was moved to a DSS unit known as Family Preservation, and a new caseworker was assigned. When the teens mother brought up her concerns to the new caseworker, they agreed to move their daughter out of Martins home. On March 18, after her mother picked up her daughter from the Martins home, the teen broke down and told her mother what she had suffered. The next day her mother called sheriffs department investigators, and an investigation was opened by the Richland County Sheriffs Department. I have lost every single one of my friends who was in my life at the time. I have changed immensely because of what has happened to me, the victim, now 18, said in court. He is honestly the worst. A shadow system When DSS became involved on Feb. 7, 2022, the teens parents told caseworkers that they did not want their daughter to stay with the Martins. While their daughters were friends, they didnt personally know the parents, according to the familys lawyers. But DSS granted the Martins the status of kin, a classification DSS uses for a childs extended family or close community, according to the familys attorneys. The family offered alternatives that would have been possible under a safety plan, according to the lawsuit. They proposed placing their daughter with relatives and family friends, having her stay with her mother somewhere else or even having her father move out of the house while DSS conducted its investigation. These options were rejected by caseworkers in this case, according to the lawsuit. Knowing that the parents did not approve, South Carolina DSS placed the child in the Martin home against the mothers wishes, who still had full legal rights to her child, Deborah Butcher told The State Media Co. What the teens parents didnt understand at the time was that they still had legal rights to their child. In South Carolina, parents only lose their legal rights when law enforcement puts a child in emergency protective custody or DSS obtains a court order from a judge. Foster care should be a last resort, said Michelle Dhunjishah, director of the Childrens Law Center at the University of South Carolina School of Law. But when that happens, the process is highly structured and subject to checks and balances. If a child is removed by law enforcement or a court order, a hearing must be held in front of a family court judge within 72 hours to show there was probable cause to remove the child. DSS is then given 45 days to investigate the case. A hearing on the merits of the case is required within 35 days. Children are assigned a court-appointed guardian ad litem, parents can qualify for a court-appointed lawyer, and judges can order regular reviews of the case. Theres a lot of oversight, whether its by the judicial branch, by the Department of Social Services or by lawyers. It involves a lot of people, and theres a lot of eyes on the case when it goes through the court process, said Dhunjishah. But none of that occurs when a child is removed from a home through a safety plan. The goal of safety plans, said Dhunjishah, is to lessen the trauma to the child and help the family as a whole without having to get the court system involved. But right now the downside is there arent the same due process protections for parents. On its website, DSS describes South Carolina as a Kin First State where the priority is placing children with kin. This means family, extended family and even so-called fictive kin, who can include family friends, teachers or members of the familys church. Since 2019, the percentage of children in the child welfare system placed with kinship caregivers has risen from the single digits to 27.2%, a department spokesperson told TV station WLTX in January. But as placements with kin through safety plans have grown, some have raised concerns about the lack of oversight in the system. We recognize safety plans and kinship care can be misused. When theyre used simply to relieve workloads or keep children out of the visible foster care system, thats a terrible thing, said Jed Dews, the executive director of HALOS, a Charleston nonprofit that supports guardians in kinship care. While DSS tracks and publishes data on the number of children in foster care and the number of investigations, similar data is not published about safety plans or the number of children placed with kinship caregivers. SCDSS hides under a statutory veil of confidentiality. There is no way to obtain an agency-wide look at how often children and families are harmed through SCDSSs abuse of safety plans, said Deborah Butcher. I hear his voice and feel his hands On April 14, 2022, almost a month after the teens mom rescued her from the Martins home, the sheriffs department charged Martin with neglect of a child by a custodian and engaging a child for a sexual performance. After the first set of public charges were brought against Martin, the floodgates opened. By May, the sheriffs department had filed 12 more charges against Martin that accused him of abusing three other victims. The State Media Co. is not publishing their names because they are alleged victims of sexual abuse and were minors when the abuse happened. Figuring out that Im not the only one has been one of the hardest realizations of my life, the teen said in court. During a bond revocation hearing in April, prosecutors described how Martin lured two of the other victims, one who was under the age of 18, to his house under the pretext of performing a neon paint photo shoot. After the shoot was done, Martin encouraged them to get cleaned up using a bathroom where he had hidden a camera that recorded the victims, prosecutors said. A fourth victim, the daughter of a family friend who had attended cookouts with Martin as a child, was underage when he allegedly sexually assaulted her inside a hotel room, according to prosecutors. After meeting her at the hotel for a photo shoot, Martin allegedly brought out sex toys and began asking questions about her sex life. Martin said, you know I cant let you leave here, until they engaged in sex acts, according to prosecutors. Martin then allegedly assaulted her. I hear his voice and feel his hands, that victim said in court during Martins recent bond hearing. I have been stopping since I was 17. I stopped feeling, I stopped wanting things for myself. I stopped thinking people were who they said they were. But I started doing other things. I started hiding when cameras came out. I started lying to my mom and just started pretending. Following his arrests in 2022, Martin was released on a $250,000 bond. He was arrested again on March 3, 2024, and charged by the Richland County Sheriffs Department with unlawful carrying of a pistol before being extradited to Gwinnett County, Georgia, where he faces three charges relating to attempting to solicit sex from a 13-year-old girl. We still plan on defending his case and preserving his dignity as a human being in the face of these matters, his attorney, Alex Postic, told The State Media Co. Since his arrests in 2022, Martin had been unemployed and working for delivery apps, Postic said. Martins wife had kicked him out of the house, and he had largely been sleeping in his car, with his wife only allowing him inside the house during the day. His wife, I guess understandably, broke apart that connection with him, Postic said. I dont know if he was really enjoying freedom out on bond, but he was out. Martin pretty much lost everything when he got arrested for this, Postic said during his bond revocation hearing. But he said his client was seeking treatment for his sex addiction through Sex Addicts Anonymous. How the victims described Martin in court is what he is, and theres just really no other way to put it, Postic said. Its a sickness like any other addiction. Martin remains in Gwinnett County jail. Records do not indicate whether a bond amount has been set. Were he to be released on bond in Georgia, he would be taken into custody in Richland County. (Martin) was given the privilege of enjoying two years of undeserved freedom while his victims battle with the aftermath of trauma and face a very uncertain future of recovery, said the mother of the teen in court. He has abused the system with the same disregard he has abused his child victims. SC man killed when pinned between school bus and van, Lexington police say A Lexington man was killed Monday when the motorcycle he was riding was hit from behind by a van and he was pinned against a school bus, South Carolina officials said. Jon Douglas Ratcliffe, 45, died in what Lexington County Coroner Margaret Fisher called an accident. At about 7:15 a.m. Monday, officers responded to the three-vehicle collision in the 100 block of Industrial Drive, according to the Lexington Police Department. Thats near Exit 55 on Interstate 20. Officers learned a van crashed into a motorcycle and a Lexington 1 school district school bus that had stopped to pick up bus-riding students, police said. An investigation showed that the school bus slowed to a stop and the motorcycle stopped behind it, according to police. The van driver did not see the stopped vehicles and collided first with the motorcycle, sending Ratcliffe into the back of the bus and pushing the motorcycle a distance away from the scene, police said. The van then collided with the back of the bus, pinning Ratcliffe between the van and the bus, according to police. A school bus and work van were involved in a fatal crash with a motorcycle, police said. Ratcliffe, who was wearing a helmet, died at the scene, Fisher said. There were seven students and a driver on the bus, and one student suffered a cut on his arm, according to police. EMS took the injured student to an area hospital, police said. All of the other students were reunified with their parents and guardians away from the collision scene, according to police. The van driver, later identified as 20-year-old West Columbia resident Giovani Mendoza-Jimenez, also was injured and taken to the hospital with what police called minor injuries. Police said Mendoza-Jimenez was at fault for the collision and he has been charged with driving without a drivers license. He was taken to the Lexington County Detention Center, where he was also charged with driving vehicle at greater speed than is reasonable as well as failure to stop when meeting or passing stopped school bus, jail records show. Additional charges could be pending, police said. No bond has been set for Mendoza-Jimenez, who remains behind bars, according to jail records. In addition to police and the coroners office, other agencies that responded to the scene and assisted in the investigation included the South Carolina Highway Patrol, Lexington County Sheriffs Department, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, and the Town of Lexington Transportation Department. Police said that Industrial Drive, from S.C. 6/South Lake Drive to Zenker Road, was closed for several hours because of the investigation. Through Sunday, 346 people had died on South Carolina roads in 2024, according to the state Department of Public Safety. Last year, 1,030 people died in crashes in South Carolina, DPS reported. At least 21 people have died in Lexington County crashes in 2024, according to DPS data. There were 45 deaths reported in the county in 2023, DPS said. After several tumultuous months due to a labor dispute with nonacademic workers and on-campus pro-Palestinian protests, The New School has tapped a new president Joel Towers, who has a 20-year tie to the university. As the university professor of architecture and sustainable design and the former executive dean of Parsons School of Design at The New School, Towers knows The New School well. He will become the 10th president of the university on Aug. 1, succeeding Donna Shalala, who has served as interim president since August 2023. More from WWD In June of 2023, Dwight McBride said that his decision to wrap up being the schools ninth president was prompted by having been invited to become the Gerald Early distinguished professor and senior adviser to the chancellor at Washington University in St. Louis. Towers will soon head up an institution with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and 126 degree programs. The New Schools colleges and graduate schools include Parsons School of Design, Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, the College of Performing Arts, The New School for Social Research, the Schools of Public Engagement, and Parsons Paris. Towers is also the codirector of The Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School, where his work focuses on sustainability, resilience and the development of policy and design-based solutions to climate change and the construction of healthy environments. While heading up Parsons School of Design for a decade, Parsons debuted new graduate and undergraduate programs, and built an integrated 26,000-square-foot cross-disciplinary Making Center facility. Announcing Towers appointment, Linda Rappaport, chair of the board of trustees and co-chair of the presidential search committee, cited his track record of success in sound financial stewardship and consensus-building, as well as a clear understanding of both the complexities and possibilities for our storied and unique academic institution. In this pivotal moment for The New School and for higher education more broadly, he inspires enthusiasm and critical thinking for what our university can do as we build on our mission and many achievements, said Rappaport. Earlier this month, one day after The New Schools Students for Justice in Palestine called for an emergency vote by the schools board of trustees to divest from companies with ties to Israel, 43 protesters were taken into police custody at its downtown campus. The New Schools Students for Justice in Palestine led the protests. After the police action was taken, the NYPD and Shalala said that the student protesters had been given the option to leave before the arrests were made. The majority who had been taken into police custody were later released without any charges. The New York Police Department had been called in by The New School to clear an encampment. In a statement released after the student protesters arrests, Shalala said that some of the student protesters had blocked the entrance to Kerrey Hall, which houses 600 residents. By her account, after hours of negotiations with representatives of the student protesters, they would not budge. She also claimed that three offers for a meeting between some of the student protesters and representatives from the schools investment committee were declined. She also claimed that student protesters had escalated the situation and set up a second encampment. A week later a faculty-led encampment was set up on campus. Like TNS SJP, the faculty protesters are calling on The New School to divest from companies that had ties to Israel. Organizers spread the word about the new encampment, which they said is composed of autonomous faculty. In March, academic student workers at The New School reached an agreement with the university for a successor contract following months of negotiations and a three-day strike. The news of Towers leadership was released in advance of Tuesday nights annual Parsons benefit. Designer Thom Browne, advocate and luxury brand consultant Bethann Hardison and the J.Crew Groups chief executive officer Libby Wadle are the guests of honor at this years event at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. Just as Parsons specializes in interdisciplinary design and collaboration, this years honorees excel across different platforms. Each one is also being recognized for contributing to design, retail, fashion, philanthropy and social justice. As has been the case with other recent celebrations like the Met Gala and FITs annual awards gala, security was ramped up ahead of the benefit. In advance of Tuesday nights event, an email from nearly 60 TNS SJP supporters said the board of trustees has agreed to a vote by mid-June to consider divesting from funds with ties to Israel. Asked for comment, a New School spokesperson referenced an online statement that had been shared with its community Monday. The statement said the call was based on resolutions by the Gaza Solidarity Encampments; the University Faculty Senate; University Student Senate; University Staff Senate; as well as the faculty councils of Eugene Lang College, The New School for Social Research, Schools of Public Engagement, Parsons School of Design, and the AAUP chapter. They call for complete divestment from industries implicated in military and police violence in Gaza and the West Bank, and all global militarized conflict such as companies or subsidiaries involved in weapons manufacturing, military supplies and equipment, military communication, and public surveillance technology. the statement read. The supporters also said a picket was planned outside of the Parsons benefit as a reminder that clearing the student protesters encampment does not mean an end to TNS activism. Editors note: This article was updated at 7:35 p.m. EST. Best of WWD Incident at Nashville school prompts lockdown as authorities search for suspect NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A South Nashville school was placed on lockdown early Tuesday morning as authorities searched for a suspect, officials said. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD), a man ran through the gates of STEM Preparatory Academy on Tuesday, May 21. Have breaking come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts Officials said the man who is not affiliated with the school ran across the property and hopped a fence on the other side. (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) The incident led to the school issuing a lockdown as the Metro Nashville Police Department and Tennessee Highway Patrol searched for him in the immediate area. Although the school is not part of the Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) system, a spokesperson confirmed that the school was on lockdown due to the incident. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Official told News 2 that the man is no longer believed to be in the area and they are working with his family to locate him. The lockdown has since been lifted. News 2 has reached out to school officials and law enforcement to learn more about the incident. Download the News 2 app to stay updated on the go. Sign up for WKRN email alerts to have breaking news sent to your inbox. Find todays top stories on WKRN.com for Nashville, TN and all of Middle Tennessee. This is a developing story. WKRN News 2 will continue to update this article as new information becomes available. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Subterranean Stash The pyramids at Giza continue to yield ancient secrets. But this time, they come not from those towering wonders up above, but what's being described as an "anomaly" interred in the desert sands below. Using ground penetrating radar in combination with a technique known as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), a team of researchers from Egypt and Japan has discovered two underground structures located below a cemetery on the west side of the Great Pyramid. Something and it's not quite clear what is buried even below those those forbidding pyramidal tombs. As detailed in a new study published in the journal Archaeological Prospection, the structures appear to be stacked atop one another. The shallowest is L-shaped and only around six feet underground, and measures 33 feet by 49 feet. The lower structure is a tad smaller with an area of 33 feet by 33 feet, but is considerably deeper, reaching up to and there's that number again 33 feet below the surface. Dig-Free The site of the discovery, the Western Cemetery, has long fascinated archaeologists. It's tightly dotted with rectangular mud brick and limestone tombs called mastabas. One area of the cemetery, however, is conspicuously flat and empty, which has led experts to wonder if that patch's barren surface belies underground secrets. This is where ground penetrating radar and ERT came to fruition. The techniques, both staples of modern archaeology, allow scientists to see beneath the surface without disturbing the archaeological site. The former technique sends pulses of radio waves into the ground, measuring how they return to reveal the densities and compositions of materials they encountered. A similar principle is applied with ERT, using the resistance of electrical currents to determine those same properties. Pyramid Scheme Those ground surveys veritably exhumed our curious structures, which appeared as an "anomaly" due to their sharply different densities compared to the surrounding earth. Their distinct shapes mean they're almost certainly human-made, the researchers said. Moreover, the shallow structure appears to be packed with homogenous sand, suggesting it was deliberately backfilled after construction, perhaps serving as an entrance to the deeper structure. That deeper structure shows up as a "highly resistive anomaly," meaning it could be sand, or even more tantalizingly, a void indicative of an empty, man-made chamber. "We believe that the continuity of the shallow structure and the deep large structure is important," they wrote in the study. For now, they can't precisely determine the materials causing the anomaly, but future ground surveys could change that. More on: Archeologists Say They've Found Ancient Underground "Pathways for the Dead" An Asian hornet photographed in Loue, northwestern France: efforts are being made to prevent them from settling in Britain - Jean-Francois Monier A stones throw from the White Cliffs of Dover, a specialist team of operatives struck out in search of invaders. The only way to follow their trail on this overgrown site on the Kentish coast last year was to chop a path across the terrain with hedge trimmers. Watching ones footing was crucial: at any point, vegetation could conceal a deep drop beneath. The teams mission was important and potentially dangerous. It wasnt about stopping the boats. It was about stopping a group of stowaways that sometimes arrives by ferry, sometimes hides in lorries or cars and sometimes simply flies across the English Channel on a strong southerly wind. The Asian hornet is a non-native species; an adaptable apex predator capable of killing humans if they attack in great enough numbers (which usually they dont). Theyre a threat to native species, as well as to rural economies. The insects can damage the crops of fruit farmers and vineyard owners. This week, the Government urged the public to keep watch for the distinctive hornets (Vespa velutina) after last summer marked a record year for sightings of the invasive species. A total of 72 Asian hornet nests were found and destroyed in the UK in 2023, with the majority located in Kent. Before this, only one or two nests a year had been discovered here. At more than three centimetres long, they dwarf our wasps and honey bees, though theyre smaller than our native hornet and pose no greater risk to human health than either these or native wasps. But experts fear they could become established in Britain if temperatures are warm enough for them to survive in the country during winter. By ensuring we are alerted to possible sightings as early as possible, the public can help us take swift and effective action to stamp out the threat posed by Asian hornets, said Nicola Spence, Defras chief plant and bee health officer. Dr Peter Kennedy, a behavioural ecologist at the University of Exeter, accompanied one such effort to stamp out the threat when he joined the National Bee Units (NBU) hunt for a nest on the Kent coast last year. It took half a day to cut a path through to go in the [right] direction, he says. And the hornet isnt waiting [when you do get through]. The nest was eventually located that day, after repeated observations and much hacking away. The search near the White Cliffs was aided by a new method of Asian hornet tracking using electronic radio tags, which Kennedy and his team are pioneering. The hornet is lured by bait and then captured when it comes to feed. It is put in a tube and buried in ice for eight to 10 minutes, to chill it without killing it. Using radio tags and an antenna to follow Asian hornet is relatively expensive - Karla Salp In essence you put her to sleep so you can tie the radio tag around her waist in such a manner that she cant reach the thread to chew through it, says Kennedy. When the hornet is then released, directional information on where it has flown is transmitted to a radio receiver, and eventually the unwitting insect leads the search team to the area where the nest is. The final bit is still down to a person spotting the nest, says Kennedy. If its high in a tree, then [theyll look] through binoculars, in the canopy. It can take 15 to 30 minutes just searching in the leaf canopy trying to spot it. At that point you can call in whoever is responsible for destroying it. This is typically done by delivering insecticide into the nest via an extendable pipe. The radio tagging system is relatively expensive and still in its infancy. More often, members of the 60-strong NBU (part of the Governments Animal and Plant Health Agency) will use a more old-fashioned track and trace approach to locate the nests. After a sighting is correctly reported, a team is dispatched to the site and the hornets are lured to a bait, caught and marked with colours. The NBU has been involved in the management and control of bee pests and diseases, along with training and dissemination of information to beekeepers, for over 60 years - Crown We time them and get a compass bearing on which way theyre heading and how long they take, says Peter Davies, the NBU field delivery manager with responsibility for managing the Asian hornet incursion. From that we can work out how far away the nest is and in what direction, then do triangulation to pinpoint the nest. Does he anticipate finding even more nests this year than last? How long is a piece of string? Jersey had a record year last year, with 450 nests. This year theyre about half what they were in previous years. But that doesnt necessarily translate to the mainland. Well see. The weather will play a part in determining how big a problem Asian hornets pose in Britain this year. A lot of it is, has it been a nice dry warm spring, or has it been raining and cold through March and April? says Davies. The story of how Asian hornets arrived in Europe starts in France in 2004. The insect was first confirmed in Lot-et-Garonne in the South West of the country. Its believed to have arrived in an imported consignment of pottery from China. Before long it became established, spreading to many other regions of France and altering the biodiversity in some. France sadly didnt recognise the scale of the issue for a couple of years so was a bit slow off the mark, says Ian Campbell, a spokesman for the British Beekeepers Association. They estimate there are about 500,000 nests in France. In some areas theyre talking about a density of 10 to 15 nests per square kilometre. Thats what were slightly concerned about. Spence seems to share this concern. It would be nice if France was doing a bit more, she says. But France isnt the only country with a problem. The Asian hornet is now established in Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. It wasnt sighted in Britain until 2016, when a nest was found and destroyed near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, following 10 days of intensive searching. The authorities had been waiting for this moment. As a result, their response was little short of emergency-grade. A three-mile surveillance zone around Tetbury was set up and a local control centre opened. Eight years on, there is still no firm evidence the Asian hornet has become established in Britain. But it may be a matter of time. Theres a concern the number could grow, and if we look at evidence from other countries, we can see this can happen rapidly, warns Campbell. In northern Spain, it went from a handful to more than 10,000 nests in about four years. Once a non-native species is established, it is very hard to get rid of, he says. Theres a real question as to whether they can take hold, says Charles Tyler, a professor of environmental biology at the University of Exeter. They might do in the future, because of the warming climate. The queens cant currently survive in winter because its too cold. So were talking about a potential future issue or problem for the UK. Even if you've used a radio tracker to find a nest, it can still take 30 minutes of looking in the tree to actually find it - Peter Kennedy Defra has a highly detailed 36-page contingency plan to tackle any outbreaks. Were currently in the eradication phase, says Campbell. Traps have been set at locations across Kent, East Sussex, Devon and North Yorkshire. If it all sounds rather extreme, the consequences of failing to eradicate the insect would be severe. They pose a risk to honeybees and insect pollinators, and more than 11kg of insects a year can be taken down by each nest, according to Campbell. It does have an impact on biodiversity. Prof Tyler, who has been studying what they feed off, says they eat up to 1,300 species. The focus on honeybees has been a bit myopic, he suggests. As for the danger to humans, the public is cautioned to avoid approaching or disturbing a nest. Any suspected sighting should be reported via the Asian Hornet Watch app, says Defra. An individual hornet isnt that aggressive or dangerous, but I wouldnt advise anyone to go and cuddle it, says Campbell. They defend their nest. And thats when people get hurt. Additional reporting by Emma Gatten Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Search for kayaker Bren Orton ongoing after he went missing on a river in Switzerland British kayaker Bren Orton is missing after an accident on the Melezza River in Switzerland last week. The 29-year-old was kayaking with a group close to the Swiss-Italian border when he became trapped in a recirculating feature and did not resurface, Pyranha, the manufacturer of Ortons kayaks, said in a statement. Authorities and friends are tirelessly continuing their search efforts, and at this time, Bren is considered missing, the statement added. We kindly ask that everyone respects the privacy of Brens family and friends during this difficult time by refraining from speculation or posting about the incident. In a statement, Ticino Police said that a man was reported missing while kayaking in the Melezza River shortly before 2:45 p.m. local time on Thursday. The search currently unsuccessful but still ongoing began immediately and involves agents from the Cantonal Police supported by the Ascona Police, as well as rescuers from the Locarnese and Valli Ambulance Service (Salva) and REGA [Swiss search and rescue]. When contacted by CNN, a spokesperson for Ticino Police said that the search continues at the mouth of the Maggia River, to which the Melezza is a tributary, and Lake Maggiore. Orton has kayaked in some of the most remote and extreme locations in the world and set the British record for the longest drop in a kayak (128 feet) at Mexicos Big Banana Falls. In an interview with Paddling Life last year, he said that his biggest goal is to be the smoothest, sickest kayaker that I can be, adding that hes not preoccupied with competing or winning medals. Former competitive kayaker James Reeves paid tribute to Ortons life and career, writing on Facebook: Every few years we seem to lose a friend to our sport. Each loss is tough, and this one cuts deep. Bren Orton was an incredible human. From his teenage years, his warm smile and friendly nature shone as brightly as his kayaking skills I was privileged to briefly mentor Bren in his early years, and then watched in awe as he rose to became one of the greatest whitewater kayakers ever. CNNs Barbie Nadeau contributed to reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Authorities conducted court-authorized search warrants in a New Hampshire town on Tuesday in connection to a cold case. The New Hampshire Attorney Generals Office says there will be search activity for physical evidence in Newport throughout the day, and that there is no threat to the public. The AGs Office did not provide any details as to the case itself, but said members of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit, in conjunction with New Hampshire Department of Justice investigators, the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit, the Claremont Police Department, and the Newport Police Department, will all be assisting with Tuesdays investigation. To preserve the integrity of these investigations, no additional information will be released at this time, Attorney General John M. Formella said in a statement. Officials ask that the public respect the privacy of residents in the area and stay off private properties in and around the search activity as the investigation continues. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Searcy police looking for black bear seen in town SEARCY, Ark. Theres a bear on the loose and Searcy police are searching everywhere for it. According to a Facebook post by the Searcy Police Department, a black bear has been spotted near the bike trails off of North Main Street. WATCH: Bear visits Virginia home, caught on doorbell camera Police say that the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has been made aware of the bear. Officers are asking people in the community that if they see the bear do not approach and call 501-268-3531 to alert them of the bears location. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK. BALTIMORE The family of Henrietta Lacks can proceed with a lawsuit against a pharmaceutical company that uses the Baltimore County womans immortal cell line to develop medical treatments, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Deborah L. Boardman rejected a motion to dismiss the complaint against Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, the second company to face a lawsuit for its use of the HeLa cell line named for Lacks. Her cells can reproduce endlessly in a lab, making them important tools for researchers. But the tissue samples that produced the cell line were taken without Lacks knowledge or consent when she sought treatment for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital over 70 years ago. Lacks died in 1951, but her cells lived on, contributing to extraordinary medical breakthroughs and profits for the companies that used them for research purposes, according to the lawsuits brought by her family. The unjust enrichment suits seek compensation for her surviving family members, led by grandson Ron Lacks, and to halt the use of Henrietta Lacks cells without her estates permission. Mondays ruling in the case against Ultragenyx is notable because it is the first Lacks family lawsuit to survive a motion to dismiss. The familys previous suit against a company called Thermo Fisher Scientific settled for an undisclosed amount in August. That case, which Boardman also adjudicated, ended before the judge ruled on a motion to dismiss. Boardman emphasized that her decision Monday is just a first step in a case that is still in the early stages of litigation: Today, the court reaches one modest conclusion about this dispute: If what (Ron) Lacks alleges is true, it is plausible that Ultragenyx is liable to Lacks for unjust enrichment, she wrote. The judge did not decide whether the Lacks family waited too long to file their lawsuit, which was a key point of disagreement in the Thermo Fisher lawsuit. Under Maryland law, a person has to sue for unjust enrichment within three years of first learning of something that might be grounds for a lawsuit. Boardman determined that it is too early for Ultragenyx to use the statute of limitations as a defense against the Lacks familys claims, but the issue likely will come up again later. In a statement Monday, attorneys for the family applauded Boardmans ruling. For too long, pharmaceutical companies like Ultragenyx have profited from Henrietta Lacks cells taken without her knowledge or consent, reaping enormous profits while her family received nothing, said Christoper Seeger and Christopher Ayers, partners at Seeger Weiss, in a joint statement. This case is about more than financial restitution; it is about restoring dignity to Henrietta Lacks, delivering long overdue justice, and preventing such exploitation from happening again. A lawyer for Ultragenyx could not be reached immediately for comment Monday afternoon. _____ SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) The husband of a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sister missionary who died in a car crash over the weekend has also passed away due to his injuries, church officials confirmed on Tuesday, May 21. Elder Paul Hardin was with his wife, Sister Mary Hardin, when the two were involved in a car crash near Fresno, Calif. on May 18. Mary was killed in the crash while Paul was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. A church spokesperson confirmed Paul Hardin died on Monday, May 20. PREVIOUS: California car crash kills LDS senior missionary, hospitalizes companion Our deepest sympathies and condolences go to the Hardin family with the tragic loss of these faithful missionaries, the Church said in a statement. We pray that all who are mourning will be blessed with strength and comforted in their faith in the Savior Jesus Christ. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, the Hardins began their service mission as a couple in the California Fresno Mission in January 2024. The two were serving as senior missionaries. Senior missionary companionships are often married couples but any member with a current temple recommend can serve a senior mission even if they are not married, according to the church. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. KYODO NEWS - Apr 25, 2024 - 18:40 | Sports, All, Japan Japan's Ryoyu Kobayashi flew 291 meters in Iceland on Wednesday for an unofficial world record touted by organizer Red Bull as "the longest ski jump in history." The 2022 Beijing Olympics individual normal hill gold medalist took off on a special hill set up on a slope in Akureyri and landed successfully. "I've always wanted to fly further than anyone ever has. I've been hoping to keep pushing the boundary of ski jumping," said Kobayashi, who had set out with a goal of 300 meters. "It's a dream come true." The International Ski and Snowboard Federation acknowledged the jump on its website while stressing it was not performed under official conditions necessary to be recognized as a world record. Stefan Kraft of Austria holds the official ski jumping distance world record of 253.5 meters marked at Vikersund, Norway, in 2017. Related coverage: Ski jumping: Ryoyu Kobayashi flies to 2nd World Cup win of season in Norway Ski jumping: 51-yr-old Kasai savors 1st World Cup abroad in 4 seasons Ski jumping: Kobayashi finishes 2nd, Kasai 30th at World Cup meet Second teen charged with homicide for North Nashville apartment shooting NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) A second teenager has been arrested on a homicide charge for a March shooting at a North Nashville apartment complex. According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, Dazmane Moore, 17, is charged as a co-defendant in the March 8 murder of Gregory Manning II, 20, inside an apartment at Villas of Metro Center on Ponder Place. Dazmane Moore (Courtesy: Metro Nashville Police Department) Homicide investigation after man shot in North Nashville apartment Moore and Marickus Ladd, 18, are alleged to have pulled guns during an argument with Manning, shooting and killing him. Police said the investigation shows Manning went to the apartment at Ladds request. Ladd was arrested March 19 on a criminal homicide charge. Moore was booked at the juvenile detention center. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. "Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Fresh research on an ancientand now lostbranch of the Nile River shows how Egyptians could have constructed pyramids. The largest pyramid field is now clustered along a narrow desert strip, but an extinct Nile branch likely once fed the area. The Ahramat Branch allowed for easier construction of Old and Middle Kingdom pyramids. Just how did a stand of 31 pyramids with such robust construction materials get built on a strip of desert in Egypt? It turns out that desert strip once had a powerful, 39-mile branch of the Nile River flowing right by itperfect for ancient people to ferry materials down. In a new study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment, researchers used radar satellite imagery and geophysical data with deep soil coring to investigate the subsurface and sedimentology in the Nile Valley near the pyramids. The team found a major extinct Nile branch, which they named the Ahramat Branch (meaning pyramids in Arabic) once ran right along where the pyramids now sit. The Ahramat Branch played a role in the monuments construction and that it was simultaneously active and used as a transportation waterway for workmen and building materials to the pyramids sites, the authors wrote. The size and longitudinal continuity of the Ahramat Branch and its proximity to all the pyramids in the study area implies a functional waterway of great significance. The long-lost branchwhich varied in width between 656 and 2,296 feetwas large enough to carry a significant volume of Nile discharge over 4,000 years ago during the periods of the Old and Middle Kingdoms. That means the river was functioning during the time of pyramid construction. The pyramids in question include the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Khafre, Cheops, and Mykerinos pyramids, along with a mix of other prominent constructions. The study notes that the pyramids from the Middle Kingdom were built farther east than that from the Old Kingdom, and on lower altitudes compared to the floodplain. This paradox might be explained by the fact that the Ahramat Branch migrated eastward sightly away from the Western Desert escarpment, prior to the construction of the Middle Kingdom pyramids, they wrote, resulting in the pyramids being built eastward so that they could be near the waterway. By using radar, the team was able to look deep below the sand surface and search for features in the land that gave clues to buried rivers. Once in the field, the team drilled sediment cores to confirm the rivers former location. The scientists believe that shortly after the construction of the pyramids, a major draught led to the branch getting inundated with sand. According to the new data, the Giza pyramids were built on a plateau maybe just half a mile from the bank of the river. Eman Ghoneim, lead author from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, told AFP, that a ceremonial raised walkway likely ran alongside the river at the Valley Temps, serving as a river harbor. Not only would the river have allowed the movement of heavy stones and construction materials, but also the workers needed to build the site. Suzanne Onstine of the University of Memphis told the AFP the river harbors could also have served as a key location for funeral entourages of pharaohs to gather before moving the bodies within the temples. Our finding has filled a much-needed knowledge gap related to the dominant waterscape in ancient Egypt, the authors wrote, which could help inform and educate a wide array of global audiences about how earlier inhabitants were living and in what ways shift in their landscape drove human activity in such an iconic region. You Might Also Like Watching the wildlife is a highlight of any visit to a US National Park, but sometimes you spot something you weren't expecting. On a recent visit to Yellowstone, one hiker filming a herd of moose in Round Prairie was surprised to spot two of the huge animals chasing after a park visitor who had chosen to get a little too close, and was sprinting to escape. Moose attacks are rare, but the animals can charge if they or their young are threatened, and are particularly likely to lash out if dogs are nearby since they cannot differentiate between a domestic dog and a wolf. This particular incident was captured by Leah Hilton and shared this week via Instagram account TouronsOfYellowstone, which calls out careless behavior at US National Parks, often involving wildlife. Other close calls have included people taunting elk, harassing bison, and even chasing bears, all of which are federal crimes punishable by a hefty fine or even jail time. A post shared by TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) A photo posted by on The National Park Service (NPS) warns visitors that animals at Yellowstone are wild and can be unpredictable, no matter how calm they may seem in the moment. The best and safest place to view them is from within a car, and you should always stay at least 25 yards (23 meters) away from bison, moose and elk. Stay safe around moose Moose are naturally more inclined to be inquisitive rather than aggressive, but they can attack people if they feel threatened, with serious consequences. They tend to react particularly strongly around dogs, which they see as wolves. Last year, a woman was charged and knocked down by a cow moose while walking her dog in the Rocky Mountains. As Associated Press reported, the animal headbutted and trampled her as she walked her pet on a wooded trail. She was taken to hospital for treatment, having been stomped on "several times". "If a moose thinks a dog is a threat its going to react to it, and thats normal for a moose," said Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The best binoculars: enjoy wildlife from a safe distance Andrew Burton/Getty Images Stringent anti-crime laws the Louisiana Legislature approved in a February special session will put more people in prison and keep them there longer. But thats apparently not tough enough on crime for Sen. Blake Miguez, who is intent on placing not just his thumb but an entire fist on the scales of justice. The Republican from New Iberia, best known for his sharpshooting prowess, is taking the fish-in-a-barrel approach with his amendment to a GOP-backed bill that otherwise would be progressive. Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge, wrote House Bill 748 to expand the number of people who could benefit from the M.J. Foster Promise Program, which covers tuition for qualifying students at the states two-year community colleges and technical schools. Her proposal lowers the age to take part in the program from 21 to 17, and she also intended to end a prohibition against convicted violent offenders who have paid their debt to society. Trey Godfrey, policy director for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), helped Davis craft the proposal with the intent of addressing workforce shortages. The legislation also has the support of the powerful Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI). What this bill does is it builds pathways toward opportunity towards high-wage, high-demand employment for out-of-school youth and (the) formerly incarcerated, Godfrey told the House Committee on Education in March. (With) this bill, we expect to have a really good or significant impact on recidivism. Republicans and Democrats in the House overwhelmingly approved Davis bill with a 96-4 House vote, but major changes were in store once it landed in the Senate Committee on Education. It was there that Miguez offered an amendment to keep violent ex-offenders out of the program. At the mid-April hearing, Miguez mentioned a ban on rapists, murderers, child molestors and terrorists specifically, but he failed to note other crimes of violence that would cause someone to be excluded from the program. Such offenses include purse snatching, simple robbery and simple burglary of an inhabited dwelling. Remember, all these offenders still have to serve time and pay any fines and restitution that are part of their sentences, regardless of whether they have any post-prison career aspirations. Miguezs amendment crushes any such opportunity for these ex-offenders before they can even take their first steps back into society. It continues to punish them even after they meet their obligations to the criminal justice system. The added punitive measure also confirms the dwindling rehabilitative capacity of Louisianas correctional system. Miguezs move sends the message to violent offenders that not only does the state believe they are beyond help, but that the Legislature will take the extra step to ensure they will never be productive citizens. In doing so, lawmakers also increase the likelihood ex-offenders must rely on the government for some form of sustenance or, worse yet, become repeat offenders. Unfortunately, Godfrey and LABI remained silent when Miguezs amendment was added to the Davis bill last month, and the bill was quickly advanced without discussion among members of the Senate education committee. Could this have been an indication that a deal had been struck behind the scenes to make the change? Another vetting of the proposal will take place when the Senate Committee on Finance considers its financial impact. Its members are expected to meet at least once more before the legislative session ends. The legislative fiscal staff calculates the cost will land somewhere between $7.1 million and $13.3 million based on averages for the current number of scholarship recipients and two-year college enrollment. Whatever additional expense the formerly incarcerated would add to the program is negligible, especially considering that lawmakers have approved a measure to lift the spending cap on the Foster Promise Program from $10 million to $40 million annually. The proposal awaits the governors signature. The finance committee hearing provides perhaps the last best chance for lawmakers to rectify the short-sightedness of Miguezs Draconian stance. If they are worried about appearing soft on violent criminals, they can easily justify the return on a minimal investment in workforce training against the much higher price of repeat incarceration and lifelong government dependence. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Sen. Blake Miguez wants permanent punishment for ex-offenders by denying them workforce training appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. NEW YORK The price of halal meat in Egypt took center stage at the trial of Sen. Bob Menendez Monday, as defense lawyers tried to chip away at prosecutors allegations that the veteran lawmaker helped broker a sweetheart monopoly for a U.S. businessman in exchange for bribes. The 70-year-old Democrats trial entered its second week in Manhattan Federal Court Monday, after jurors last week saw multiple photographs of the cash and gold bars the FBI found in Menendezs New Jersey home. Menendezs defense team is laying the blame for the suspicious gifts on his wife, Nadine, who they say was acting without the senators knowledge when she got gold and other goodies from N.J. businessmen she counted as longtime friends. Two of those businessmen, Wael Will Hana and Fred Daibes, are also on trial. On Monday, jurors again heard from James Bret Tate, a U.S. diplomat based in Cairo for several years. Tate testified that he became concerned in 2019 when Hanas company, IS EG Hala, was picked as the only company Egypt would allow to certify meat exported from the U.S. Previously, the process was handled by four other U.S. companies. We knew that the price had increased because the companies had to pay more money, but we didnt know by how much, he said. He became concerned enough to write a report and to request a financial audit, but got word from Washington to not make any more noise about this issue, to let the dust settle. Hanas lawyer, Lawrence Lustberg, pointed out that the decision to choose only Hanas company came from Egypt alone. My concern was that IS EG had in some way influenced Egyptian officials to give them the contract, Tate said. Lustberg also pushed back on Tates contention that the exports were disrupted by the change-over, saying, As it turned out, you are aware, IS EG worked with the slaughterhouses in the U.S. and got pretty quickly up to speed. Prosecutors contend that Hana, who has connections to the Egyptian government, got the business after bribing Menendez to leak nonpublic information about the U.S. embassy, to secretly ghostwrite a letter addressing concerns about human rights abuses and to help approve the sale of almost $100 million of tank ammunition to Egypt. The trial continues on Tuesday. _____ Jason Flechsing, a senior at Boise State University, does class work in Boise on Sept. 22, 2022. Sen. Mitt Romney is urging President Joe Biden to halt the latest plan for student debt relief. | Ben B. Braun, Deseret News Utah Sen. Mitt Romney is urging President Joe Biden to halt the latest plan for student debt relief. He and other lawmakers say its the latest in a string of reckless attempts to transfer as much as $1 trillion of student loan debt from those who willingly borrowed to those who did not or have already repaid their loans. Alongside fellow Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, Katie Britt, R-Ala., and others, Romney opposed the plan in a bicameral letter addressed to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, saying it would punt the burden onto taxpayers who didnt take out loans. Ninety lawmakers from the U.S. House of Representatives also signed the letter. This is even broader than the Departments first attempt: at an estimated price tag of $147 billion, taxpayers are being forced to take on the debt of nearly 28 million borrowers, wrote the lawmakers. The Biden administration formally published its latest draft rules for student loan forgiveness on April 17. The plan includes forgiving student debt for borrowers who started paying back their loans 20 years ago (25 years for graduate school) and also providing relief for interest under certain conditions. Republican lawmakers criticized the draft rules, saying it was outside the purview of the Department of Education. The lawmakers also pointed toward outside assessments showing how a significant group of borrowers with incomes over $300,000 will benefit from the proposal. In addition to the fiscally irresponsible nature of this backdoor attempt to enact free college, the administration continues to use borrowers as political pawns knowing full well these proposed actions are illegal, wrote the lawmakers. The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that there is zero authority to write-off federal student loans en masse last June when the Departments Plan A was ruled unconstitutional. The letter also criticized the Department of Education for rolling out this proposal while it simultaneously failed to competently implement the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA. Lawmakers said without FAFSA available to students on time, many of them will have to grapple with consequences. The Biden administrations plan has also faced opposition from attorneys general. Attorneys General Andrew Bailey of Missouri and Kris Kobach of Kansas wrote a letter to Cardona on Thursday criticizing the department for attempting to shift the expense of student loans from those who willingly took them out to the American taxpayers. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes signed onto the effort. Everyone from the Supreme Court to former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has told you that you do not have the authority to forgive debt except in the limited ways Congress clearly outlined, said the attorneys general. You must adhere to these warnings and follow the law. The attorneys general argued that the policy goes beyond the authority the Department of Education secretary has and called it bad public policy. Further, across-the-board student loan forgiveness results in a transfer of wealth from those who have the least to those have the most, wrote the attorneys general. About 750,000 households making an average household income of $312,000 would be eligible for debt cancellation under this Proposed Rule. Democratic lawmakers have led an effort to support the Biden administration policy. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., James P. Clyburn, D-S.C., and Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., wrote a letter with 55 lawmakers signatures urging the Department of Education to cancel as much debt of borrowers possible. While millions of student loan borrowers and their families have been able to benefit from the Administrations debt relief efforts thus far, the unjust decision by the conservative majority on the Supreme Court to strike down President Bidens original debt relief plan has forced millions of Americans to wait for much-needed relief, wrote the lawmakers. The proposed NPRM marks a long-awaited opportunity to alleviate the burden of student debt for millions of borrowers and provide much-needed economic breathing room for working families. Romney has previously spoken out against student loan forgiveness. In April 2022, the Utah senator posted on social media criticizing the policy. Desperate polls call for desperate measures: Dems consider forgiving trillions in student loans, said Romney. Other bribe suggestions: Forgive auto loans? Forgive credit card debt? Forgive mortgages? And put a wealth tax on the super-rich to pay for it all. What could possibly go wrong? U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is on a mission to strengthen cybersecurity job training opportunities for metro Atlanta students. On Monday, Sen. Ossoff announced that he is delivering Federal resources to strengthen the Cybersecurity Leadership Center at Clark Atlanta University. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] This is hopes of increasing the number of career opportunities in the cybersecurity field and boosting opportunities for HBCU students. Ive appropriated funds to strengthen the Cybersecurity Leadership Center at Clark Atlanta University, helping Clark Atlanta students prepare for rewarding and good-paying cybersecurity careers, Sen. Ossoff said. I thank Clark Atlanta President Dr. George T. French, Jr., Ph.D. for bringing this proposal to my office and for his leadership in the community. With the Federal funding, Ossoffs office said CAU plans to enhance its current cybersecurity curriculum and offer students and faculty greater access to cybersecurity software and training programs. Republicans and Democrats came together to deliver $500,000 for the project through this years bipartisan government funding package, working alongside Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock. We thank Senator Ossoff for the continued support of his office, said President French. Through collaboration with IBM, Clark Atlanta University pioneers the establishment of the Cybersecurity Leadership Center, fortifying students for burgeoning career paths in cybersecurity across Georgia. Our joint endeavor not only amplifies diversity in the cyber workforce but also enhances curriculum and equips individuals with cutting-edge tools to combat cyber threats. Together, we extend our reach beyond academia to empower communities far and wide. TRENDING STORIES: CAUs Cybersecurity Leader Center partnered with IBM to prepare students for the increasing number of career opportunities in the cybersecurity field in Georgia and to meet IBMs goal of increasing a more diverse cyber workforce within the United States. According to labor market information from the State of Georgia, the demand for cybersecurity employees will increase over the years with a projection of 11.8 percent, it is imperative that we prepare our students majoring in Cybersecurity to enter the cyber workforce within the United States and to excel in this field. said Dr. Olugbemiga Olatidoye, Professor/Coordinator, Dual Degree Engineering Program (DDEP). [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Tim Sheehy, the Navy SEAL running to unseat Democratic Montana Sen. Jon Tester, has repeatedly told voters he was discharged from the military for medical reasons, owing to wounds sustained in service. But the Republicans own autobiography, published just last year, says otherwise; he wrote that he became disillusioned with military personnel policies and left of his own accord after being injured in a training accident. This line of inquiry is disgusting, Sheehys campaign said in a statement, claiming there was no inconsistency. But the discrepancy is the latest to dog Sheehy, 38, who has described himself as a war hero on the campaign trail. Audio obtained by The Daily Beast reveals that in February, at a Bozeman Public Library event to promote his autobiography, Sheehy said: After I got wounded the final time, I got discharged. In March, he told a podcast host he proudly served multiple tours overseas, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, and got wounded and injured a handful of times, so eventually was medically discharged from the military. And in a November episode of the First Class Fatherhood podcast, Sheehy said: So finally, they said, Hey, youre at the end of the road, you know, youve got shrapnel in you, youve got a bullet in you, youve had a head injury, you know, youre out of here. GOP Star Tim Sheehy Forgot to Mention the Family Money in His Self-Made Success Story But in the pages of Mudslingers: A True Story of Aerial Firefighting, his memoir, theres a different narrative. Published as An American Origins Story by Permuted Press, Mudslingers focuses mainly on how Sheehy started and ran Bridger Aerospace, his company based in Montana. But it also recounts his military career, from the U.S. Naval Academy to his years as a SEAL. I had been shot and wounded by shrapnel and IEDs, Sheehy wrote, also describing a firefight in Afghanistan in which he was shot in the arm and other violent incidents including a mistaken U.S. Hellfire missile strike on his SEALs team. But Sheehy also described an accident while training on submarines off Hawaii in late 2013 in which, he says, he suffered a case of decompression sickness, commonly known as the bends. As it turned out, Sheehy wrote, the decompression sickness had left me with a tiny hole in my heart. It could have been much worse. I felt fine. I was alive, healthy, and seemingly unencumbered by any long-term injury. But I was, in the eyes of the Navy, damaged goods. Tim Sheehy published his memoir last year. jbsmitty/Wikimedia Commons According to Sheehy, he was told he would need a period of recovery and evaluation before I could return to active duty, a period that could last a year, two years or more, after which it was possible he might not return to active duty. Given the option of a staff tourmeaning desk jobs, possibly at the Pentagon, White House or U.S. Naval War CollegeSheehy decided he was no longer interested in following that path if I could not know I could return to operational status. If I couldnt be out in the field, leading from the front, then it was time to consider doing something else. I had put in my time: I was free to go if I wanted. Sheehy added that he and his wife, Carmen, a U.S. Marine, were disillusioned with the American campaign in Afghanistan and had kind of grown frustrated with the military. What we hated was the militarys constriction of your life and your path, Sheehy wrote. The fact that the trajectory of your career was not determined by your merit, but rather by a giant 1950s-era corporate promotion system by all sorts of other extraneous shitall the garrison crap and ass kissing. GOP Star Recruit Brags About Rural Upbringing. He Grew Up 15 Minutes From the City. Sheehy also cited frustration with social initiatives under the Obama administration and a dislike of corporate analysis of the military. And so, after sustaining combat injuries and a heart problem sustained in training, but having by his own description been told a return to combat was possible, Sheehy quit the SEALs. If its possible for a life-threatening injury to be considered a blessing, he wroteclearly referring to his submarine accident and heart problem and not combat woundsthen maybe thats what this was: a forcing of our hand, an opportunity to reexamine our lives. And so he left to set up Bridger Aerospace, the company that fueled his entry to Republican politics. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., whom Tim Sheehy is trying to unseat. Tom Williams/Getty In April, as Sheehys campaign to unseat Tester warmed up, The Washington Post reported that the version of Sheehys departure from the Navy in his autobiography differed from a resume he submitted to the Montana legislature in 2021 that said he was medically separated from active duty due to wounds received in Afghanistan. A spokesperson for Sheehy told the paper: Sheehy was honorably discharged from the Navy after being declared medically unfit to continue to serve as a Navy SEAL. But that statement is also contradicted by Sheehys own written account: He says he chose to leave the Navy rather than complete a spell of desk jobs before a possible return to active duty. Sheehy has mentioned his submarine accident while campaigning but the account does not quite square with what he writes in his book. Last November, Sheehy told the Pursuit, a Montana podcast, Id been wounded a couple times overseas and then on one of our dive missions there we had a malfunction with our mini-submarine and I got the bends pretty seriously and it popped a hole in my heart and I had to go in the chamber for about 10 days and get recompressed. And that that was kind of the final injury after getting shot, getting shrapnel and IEDs and everything. Youve got one too many holes in your body now, youre done. Time to move on. In its statement to The Daily Beast, Sheehys campaign did not explain the discrepancies between what he has said on the trail and what he wrote in the book, but insisted there is no discrepancy in how Tim describes his military career finally coming to an end after almost a decade serving in some of the most dangerous places in the world like Afghanistan and Iraq. Tim Sheehy served our country as a Navy SEALearning the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart in the process. Tim was honorably discharged from the Navy after being declared medically unfit to continue to serve as a Navy SEAL, the statement continues. While we understand liberal reporters at The Daily Beast may not understand what its like to put a uniform on and risk their lives to take out the bad guys who wish to harm America, Tim Sheehy knows what it means to put service and sacrifice first. The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sheehys discharge. The truth of why Sheehy left the military is not the only mystery his move into politics has raised. As The Daily Beast reported in April, Sheehys claims to have grown up in rural Minnesota do not square with his actual childhood in a multi-million-dollar lake house in Shoreview, Minnesota, a quiet Twin Cities suburb just north of St. Paul with a population of roughly 27,000. The Daily Beast has also called into question Sheehys claims to have bootstrapped his company from meager beginnings by noting that in Mudslingers, he disclosed a $100,000 loan from his parents. GOP Campaign Aides X Account Shared and Liked Racist Posts In campaign appearances, and in his autobiography, Sheehy has discussed the wound to his right arm which he says he suffered in a firefight in 2012. At one December event, in footage posted to social media and first reported by the Post, he said: I got thick skinthough its not thick enough. I have a bullet stuck in this arm still from Afghanistan. He retired in October 2014. The following year, he was awarded a Bronze Star for valor and a Purple Heart for sustaining a combat wound. But in April the Post published a baffling story of how in 2015, Sheehy told a ranger in Glacier National Park that he accidentally shot himselfand was fined $525 for illegally discharging a weapon. Sheehy told the Post he fell while hiking then made up the story about accidentally firing his gun because he wanted to protect old service mates from possible investigation over the wound suffered three years earlier, possibly from friendly fire, but not reported to superiors then. I guess the only thing Im guilty of is admitting to doing something I never did, Sheehy told the Post. He also said the fine he paid was a small price to pay to make sure that a whole team of really great Americans didnt get dragged through the mud over this. The Post subsequently obtained a statement in which Sheehy asked the National Parks Service for leniency with any charges related to this unfortunate accident, because of his ongoing security clearance and involvement with national defense related contracts. As the November elections approach, Republicans hoping to retake the Senate have put considerable faith in Sheehys challenge to Tester, 67, a farmer-politician in office since 2007 but a rare Democratic senator from a western state. Polling shows a tight race between Tester, a political moderate, and Sheehy, who describes himself as a strong conservative who believes Americas best days are ahead. Sheehys differing versions of why he left the military stand to add to issues on which he will face tough questions. In its own recent report, The New York Times chose a headline that pointed to Sheehys biggest challenge: Montanas Senate Race Could Come Down to One Question: Do I Trust You? With reporting by Riley Rogerson Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. Senate Republicans are nervously anticipating the verdict in former President Trumps Manhattan hush money trial and warn it could have a significant impact on the election. GOP lawmakers say a failure to secure a conviction would be a major embarrassment for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg that would strengthen Trump. But they admit they dont know how a conviction would play out, given that between 20 percent and 30 percent of GOP primary voters said they would not see Trump as fit for office if convicted of a felony. GOP senators say Trumps campaign faces a high degree of uncertainty about any fallout resulting from the embarrassing trial. A conviction or acquittal may have more impact on the campaign than either of the two debates Trump and President Biden have agreed to for late June and early September. Some Republican senators fear a guilty verdict will further hurt Trumps limited appeal with swing voters, particularly college-educated and suburban women, who shifted away from Trump in 2020. I think for his strong supporters, I think theyre just simply going to look at that and say, See? Its not fair. On the other side, theres people in the middle, there are independents, that are probably looking at this saying, I wasnt sure whether I could support him again or not. I dont like what President Biden is doing. They may have second thoughts about voting for Trump, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said ordinarily she would think that any candidate convicted of a felony would be essentially knocked out of a race but acknowledged that Trump has defied past predictions of his political demise. I would have thought that we didnt even need to go into the trial, we wouldnt even need to get to a guilty verdict the fact that the Republican nominee would be subject of a trial such as this would have had an impact, she said. Exit polls of Republican voters in multiple state primaries show that a significant portion of the electorate, including Republican voters, would not view Trump as fit for office if convicted of a felony crime. Well see. I dont know what to believe anymore, Murkowski said. Im still trying to wrap my head around the fact that so many Republicans still feel that Biden was not properly elected. Well see if those numbers hold true or whether people feel that its just not important. I think it would be unfortunate if that were the case, she said of polls showing many voters would consider a criminal conviction a serious factor in weighing the candidates. A nationwide survey by the University of North Floridas Public Opinion Research Lab last month found that Trump could lose 10 percent of his supporters if he is convicted. The poll of likely voters conducted from April 8-20 found that 9 percent of Trump voters would be less likely to vote for him if convicted. It reflects several exit polls from earlier this year showing that many voters including Republicans would view a criminal conviction as disqualifying Trump from returning to the Oval Office. In March, more than 3 in 10 North Carolina Republican primary voters and 37 percent of GOP primary voters in Virginia said they would view Trump as unfit to serve as president if convicted of a crime. Those responses were in line with 31 percent of Republican Iowa caucusgoers, 42 percent of New Hampshire GOP primary voters and 36 percent of South Carolina Republican primary voters who said Trump would not be fit for office if convicted. Those numbers are giving Democrats hope at a time when theyre running into the political headwinds of Bidens low poll numbers and voters concerns about the current presidents age and ability to handle the economy. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) said voters certainly do care if Trump is a potential felon. Two out of 3 [voters] say that if he is convicted of a felony that would affect the way theyre going to vote, he said of the broad electorate. I can understand that. Of course it would be shameful situation, the first time in the history of the United States a president [is] convicted of a felony, he said. The judge in the trial, Juan Merchan, announced Monday that the trial will take a few days longer than expected to wrap up and that prosecutors and defense lawyers will likely present their closing arguments next week. While Trumps legal team was able to punch holes in the credibility of former Trump fixer Michael Cohen, one of the prosecutions star witnesses, legal experts still think prosecutors have a good chance of winning. The evidence against Trump includes a voice recording of him directing Cohen to pay in cash, as well as 18 witnesses and records of text messages and emails. Some Republicans argue Trump will get a big political boost if Bragg fails to convict the nations highest-profile defendant. Their big attempt to knock Trump out of the presidential campaign is going to be a big belly-flop. They basically staked their whole case on a couple of confirmed liars, said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, referring to the testimony of Cohen and adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Cornyn said if Bragg fails to get a conviction, it absolutely will help Trumps presidential campaign. What the Department of Justice and the Biden administration dont understand is every time you keep coming after President Trump in what looks like [a] two-tiered system of justice youre helping him make his case, which is he is a victim, Cornyn added. So I think its a high-risk proposition. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) predicted Trump could win the election in a landslide if convicted because the public backlash would be so strong. It looks so awful, and no fair-minded person believes that Trump deserves to be convicted of a felony over charges combining the offenses of falsifying business records with campaign finance violations, he said. This truly is lawfare, and I think its really bad. I think actually if Trump is convicted it might actually help him, he added. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) declared, I would be willing to state with metaphysical certainty that Donald J. Trump is not going to get convicted in that trial. And some Republicans think voters views of Trump are already so fixed that either a guilty verdict or acquittal may be forgotten by Election Day in November. I think that case most people view as a trumped-up case, which the Justice Department and the U.S. attorneys office passed on prosecuting a long time ago, and I just think thats the way people view it. However it comes out, I just dont think its going to move the needle much, Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) said. But other Republicans acknowledge it could be a wild card in the presidential race. How people are going to vote in November? Ask me sometime then, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said. Al Weaver contributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) The U.S. Senate plans to vote again this week on a bipartisan border security bill. Republicans blocked the measure earlier this year when it was part of a larger package that also included funding for Israel and Ukraine. Now, Democrats want to force votes to challenge the GOP rhetoric about the southern border. All those who say we need to act on the border will get a chance this week to show theyre serious about fixing the problem, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, (D-N.Y.). Schumer took action Tuesday to tee up a floor vote Thursday. The bill would make it more difficult to gain asylum in the U.S. and increase detentions and deportations of illegal migrants. It is strong and realistic and most importantly, a bipartisan proposal, Schumer said. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy, (D-Conn.) was one of the negotiators and said the measure would also allow the president to shut down the border if migrant encounters get too high. Our bill doesnt stop the ability of people to come to the United States, Murphy said. It just puts in place a more orderly system. Senate Republicans blocked the legislation in February at the urging of former president Donald Trump. I think its safe to say going to a border bill right now is just a gimmick, said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, (R-Ky.). McConnell said President Biden should instead revert to Trump-era policies, like Remain in Mexico and the construction of the border wall. Do everything he can do on his own because legislation obviously is not going to clear this year, McConnell said. House Speaker Mike Johnson, (R-La.), all but guaranteed that when he called the bill dead on arrival in the House. President Biden called Johnson and McConnell Monday night to urge them to support the bill. McConnell summed up the conversation with one comment he made: Mr. President, you caused this problem. White House officials prefer legislation to executive action because they argue it can better withstand different administrations and court challenges. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to DC News Now | Washington, DC. KYODO NEWS - May 21, 2024 - 09:35 | Arts, All, Japan, World Japanese animation giant Studio Ghibli on Monday received an honorary Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes film festival for contributing to the genre's creativity through global hits such as "Spirited Away," marking the first time an institution was awarded rather than an individual. "Alongside the Hollywood greats, the Japanese studio embodied by two superb storytellers, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and a host of cult characters, has unleashed a fresh wind on animated film over the past four decades," the organizer said in a statement. The studio was launched by the pair in 1985, following the success the previous year of "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind," directed by Miyazaki -- who would go on to win two Oscars, including for "Spirited Away" -- and produced by Takahata, his confidant and rival. "We've received this award thanks to fans all over the world who love our works," Goro Miyazaki, Hayao's oldest son, said on stage in Cannes, accepting the festival award along with a standing ovation from the crowd. "We've taken this award as a message to us, 'Do a good job in the coming 40 years, too,'" said the younger Miyazaki, himself a film director. Hayao appeared in a video message that was played during the ceremony, saying, "Thank you very much." The festival screened four short animation pieces written and directed by the elder Miyazaki that are shown at the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka in western Tokyo, including "Mei and the Baby Cat Bus" and "Boro the Caterpillar." Goro Miyazaki told reporters after the ceremony, "I presume that the studio has been recognized as a group of craftspersons rather than a business." He said he has been surprised to see Ghibli films gain such a remarkable following outside Japan since streaming services like Netflix began distributing them in 2020. "We didn't expect our films to be that popular," he said. Ghibli's latest anime, "The Boy and the Heron," received a U.S. Academy award this year, the elder Miyazaki's second. Although the studio co-founder had announced his retirement in 2013, he began his latest work in 2017. "We have no idea" what will happen to Ghibli in the future, Goro said. As Hayao, 83, and the studio's 75-year-old producer Toshio Suzuki still have the final say on important decisions, Goro said jokingly, "We can think about the matter (of Ghibli's fate) from scratch after they are gone." Related coverage: Play based on Japan anime "Spirited Away" bursts onto London stage Studio Ghibli to receive honorary Palme d'Or at Cannes Oscar-winning Miyazaki film leads China box office days after debut CEDAR CREEK, Texas (KXAN) A planned prank at Cedar Creek High School turned into damages and vandalism far beyond a senior prank, the Bastrop Independent School District said in a statement. A district spokesperson said campus administration worked with the senior students for a fun senior prank that would be monitored by school staff. The district said a group of students took it beyond a senior prank. The actions of this small group of students do not represent the Cedar Creek High School Class of 2024, and we do not want this incident to overshadow the excitement and celebration of their achievements as they graduate later this week, a district statement said. The district did not share an estimated damage cost or what the damages included. Photos and videos shared with KXAN showed classroom furniture damaged, students on the roof of the school and spray paint on the band truck. Viewers also said there was damage to teachers personal items, soap and baby powder spread on the floors, fire extinguishers sprayed and copies of finals destroyed. The district said the senior class shared a statement with faculty apologizing for the prank. They said the prank was blown out of proportion and was never expected to get to that level. We as a whole would like to apologize for all the inappropriate behavior fellow classmates have shown. This behavior does not represent the rest of the class of 2024 that did not participate in these actions, the seniors statement read in part. The Bastrop ISD Police Department and high school administration are investigating the incident. The district said students involved in damages will be held accountable. This story came from a ReportIt story tip. Send your own story ideas to Reportit@kxan.com or through KXANs contact page. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala, speaks during a December 2023 press conference at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. This common-sense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty -- family and freedom, Britt said in a joint news release with Cruz. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI May 20 (UPI) -- Two conservative Republican senators on Monday introduced a bill that seeks to protect access to in vitro fertilization, known as IVF, after a past effort by Senate Democrats failed in February. The three-page bill introduced Monday, styled as the "IVF Protection Act," was sponsored by Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. "This common-sense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty -- family and freedom," Britt said in a joint news release with Cruz, who commented he was "proud" to partner with Britt while saying IVF "has given miraculous hope to millions of Americans, and it has given families across the country the gift of children." With the bill's language, states would be ineligible to receive Medicaid funding if an outright IVF ban has been enacted and as written says states "shall not prohibit in vitro fertilization (as defined in section 4(b) of the IVF Protection Act) services," and ''shall ensure that no unit of local government in the State prohibits such services." This bill comes as Republicans have been scrambling to coalesce around a consistent message regarding abortion, and after a February ruling by Alabama's Supreme Court that said frozen fertilized embryos are children under state law. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks to the press after weekly Senate caucus luncheons at the U.S. Capitol on May 8. On social media Monday afternoon, Cruz claimed how after the Alabama IVF ruling, Democrats and the media callously manipulated the ruling to attack Republicans over IVF. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI The Alabama IVF ruling attracted deep nationwide criticism and worry over the potential consequences from civil rights and medical organizations. It prompted the Republican-controlled legislature to quickly act on an IVF protection bill which was swiftly signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey, a pro-life Republican. The Britt-Cruz legislation builds upon efforts taken in February by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., who first introduced a bill to protect IVF treatments nationwide after the Alabama ruling, which quickly got blocked by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (R), D-Ill., speaks during a press conference to highlight Reproductive rights issues ahead President Joe Biden's 2024 State Of The Union Address in March. The Britt-Cruz legislation builds upon Duckworth's effort in February to protect IVF treatments nationwide after the Alabama ruling, which quickly got blocked by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss. Photo by Jemal Countess/UPI But on a Monday television appearance, Cruz said Duckworth's bill did not pass muster because, he claimed, "it really seeks to backdoor in broader abortion legislation," adding how his and Britt's bill is simply "designed to protect IVF" as he pointed out how in the bill it says that 2% of live births in the United States are via IVF. Duckworth's IVF bill, Cruz said, was "very broad. There's a reason that no Republican supported it," as he claimed it was written to give the federal government authority over abortion. As for the Alabama ruling, Cruz said there was "a lot of confusion, there was a lot of fear, there was a lot of misunderstanding" surrounding the February decision and the eventual political fallout. Cruz went on to state how the variety of opinions of abortion in general is proof that it should be a state issue, which is consistent with what former President Donald Trump has been saying about abortion being a state issue in one of his multiple takes on the issue over the years. "[The IVF bill] should be overwhelmingly bipartisan," the Texas Republican said about the possibility his senate colleagues on both sides will voting in favor of his bill with Britt. On social media Monday afternoon, Cruz claimed that after the Alabama IVF ruling, "Democrats and the media callously manipulated the ruling to attack Republicans over IVF." "There are 100 senators," Cruz said on NewsMax, "to the best of my knowledge all 100 senators support IVF. So this should be a bipartisan bill." Sawyer Hackett, a Democratic strategist, said the bill as proposed by Cruz and Britt has two catches: "It does *nothing* to protect IVF from courts enforcing 'personhood' laws (see Alabama ruling)," he posted on X, and "it explicitly allows states to push 'health and safety standards' for IVF." "Let's be clear," Cruz's 2024 Democratic senate opponent, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, said Monday on X. "Ted Cruz's long-standing support for an extreme ban on abortion is what is putting IVF at risk for Texas families." Separate investigations underway after 2 fatally shot in homes on Southwest, Far South sides Separate investigations underway after 2 fatally shot in homes on Southwest, Far South sides CHICAGO Two separate investigations are underway after Chicago police say two people were fatally shot while inside homes on Monday afternoon. Officers say the deadly shootings unfolded just over an hour apart on the citys Southwest and Far South sides. Police are conducting a homicide investigation after a person was found shot to death inside a home in the 7700 block of South Throop Street, in Auburn Gresham, just before 2 p.m. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Officers have not provided details on the age of the victim but said they were a male who was found with at least one gunshot wound to his head. A little over a mile away, in West Englewood, a separate death investigation is underway after a 17-year-old boy was fatally shot while inside a home in the 7100 block of South Winchester Avenue. Officers say the deadly shooting unfolded just before 3 p.m. and the victim, who had been shot in the head, was pronounced dead on the scene. Police say a handgun was later recovered on the scene. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland Officers were not able to confirm whether the deadly shootings are connected and separate investigations into the incidents are ongoing. Anyone with information on the Auburn Gresham shooting is asked to contact CPD Area Two Detectives at 312-747-8273 and those with information on the West Englewood shooting are asked to contact CPD Area One detectives at 312-747-8380. Those with information that could help authorities in their investigations can also dial 911 or leave a tip at CPDtip.com. Tips can be filed anonymously. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. A Canadian serial killer who brought victims to his pig farm is hospitalized after a prison assault This artist's sketch shows accused serial killer Robert Pickton taking notes during the second day of his trial in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster, British Columbia, Jan. 31, 2006. Convicted Canadian serial killer Pickton has been hospitalized and is in a life-threatening condition after an assault at a Quebec prison, authorities said Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (Jane Wolsack/The Canadian Press via AP) MONTREAL (AP) Convicted Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, who brought female victims to his pig farm during a crime spree near Vancouver in the 1990s and early 2000s, was assaulted in prison and has been hospitalized in life-threatening condition, authorities said Tuesday. A 51-year-old inmate was in custody for the assault Sunday at a prison in Quebec, police spokesman Hugues Beaulieu said. The 74-year-old Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2007, with the maximum parole ineligibility period of 25 years, after being charged with the murders of 26 women. Police began searching the Pickton farm in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam more than 22 years ago in what would be a years-long investigation into the disappearances of dozens of women. The remains or DNA of 33 women, many picked up from Vancouvers Downtown Eastside, were found on Picktons pig farm in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. He once bragged to an undercover police officer that he killed a total of 49 women. Cynthia Cardinal, whose sister Georgina Papin was murdered by Pickton, said she was overwhelmed with happiness when she received a text message Monday with the news that he had been attacked. She called it karma. The text came from a cousin of Tanya Holyk, another missing woman whose DNA was found at Picktons pig farm. I dont think anybody that evil should be walking on Earth, as far as Im concerned, Cardinal said Tuesday. I have happy tears. Very happy tears. Federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said he was informed of the attack late Sunday and his thoughts immediately turned to the families of Picktons victims in British Columbia. LeBlanc called Pickton one of the most dangerous criminals in the country but said he could provide no further details about the incident or Picktons condition due to privacy laws. Vancouver police were criticized for not taking the cases seriously because many of the missing were sex workers or drug users. The Correctional Service Canada first announced Monday that an inmate had been sent to a hospital after a serious assault at the maximum security Port-Cartier Institution, about 480 kilometers (about 300 miles) northeast of Quebec City. On Tuesday, the correctional service confirmed that Pickton was the inmate injured in Sunday's assault. It said none of its staff were involved in the attack. Quebec provincial police said the sentenced killer's injuries were considered life-threatening. Picktons confirmed victims were six: Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Andrea Joesbury, Brenda Ann Wolfe, Papin and Marnie Frey. At the time of Picktons sentencing, British Columbia Supreme Court Justice James Williams said it was a rare case that properly warrants the maximum period of parole ineligibility available to the court. Convicted Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton is in life-threatening condition after being attacked in a Quebec prison. He is reportedly undergoing surgery after being airlifted to a hospital. No other details about his injuries were released, but the Vancouver Sun reported Tuesday he was speared in the head with a broken broom-like handle. Pickton, 74, was convicted in 2007 of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no eligibility for parole for at least 25 years. He had been charged in the murders of 26 women. Remains and DNA from at least 33 women were discovered at Picktons pig farm in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, before his conviction. He once claimed to have killed 49 women, many of whom were sex workers, drug addicts or otherwise from vulnerable communities. It took police more than 20 years to zero in on Pickton while investigating the disappearances of dozens of women, leading to criticism of the long investigation. The assault occurred sometime Sunday afternoon at the maximum security Port-Cartier Institution, about 300 miles northeast of Quebec City, Correctional Service Canada confirmed on Tuesday. The Surete du Quebec, the provincial police, said a suspect, a 51-year-old fellow inmate, was in custody for the assault and had been moved to solitary confinement. The attackers identity was not released. The alleged assailant has a history of attacking other inmates, according to the Vancouver Sun. A source told the newspaper Pickton was taken to Hospital of the Child Jesus in Quebec City. We are not able to disclose any additional details, including medical information, the correctional service said in a statement. The safety and security of institutions is paramount and an investigation into what occurred is currently underway. _____ A number of countries backed Germany's initiative to find air defense equipment for Kyiv at the 22nd Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on May 20. The initiative to find air defense systems for Ukraine will be funded by Belgium, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, and Norway, Germany's Defense Ministry said in its post on X (formerly Twitter). Other countries, including, Belgium, France, the U.K., Lithuania, Romania, Spain, the United States have promised to help with "equipment and missiles"while and Latvia has expressed a desire to join the initiative. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin delivered the opening remarks at the summit, emphasizing that the new Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast has added to the urgency of the West's support for Ukraine. The summit includes defense ministers and officials from nearly 50 countries to continue coordinating military support for Ukraine. Austin described the ongoing defense against the Russian offensive in Kharkiv Oblast as a "hard and dangerous fight." He added that it "just underscores the importance" of the summit. The secretary concluded that "the weeks and months again are crucial" and urged Ukraine's Western allies to increase their support. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces control 60% of Vovchansk; heavy battles continue in Kharkiv Oblast Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Several states expressed support for Germany's initiative to find air defence systems for Kyiv at the 22nd meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (Ramstein format) on 20 May. Source: German Ministry of Defence on Twitter (X), European Pravda Details: The tweet indicates that the initiative to search for air defence systems for Ukraine will be funded by Belgium, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Additionally, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Spain, Lithuania, Romania, the United States and France have promised to help with "equipment and missiles" (probably not necessarily within the framework of the German initiative), and Latvia has expressed a desire to join the initiative. Background: Earlier it became known that Germany's Finance Ministry has unofficially approved a request from Germany's Defence Ministry to allocate an additional 3.8 billion to help Ukraine in addition to the already announced 7.1 billion. The German government launched an initiative on 17 April to find additional air defence equipment that could be sent to Ukraine. Berlin later reported that it was discussing funding for the initiative with Denmark and the Netherlands. In April, Belgium also announced a 200 million contribution to the German initiative, and in May, Canada pledged more than US$55 million. Support UP or become our patron! Research shows that the phenomenon of turbulence is becoming more and more common, especially in its most extreme forms. What causes it - and could it ever damage the plane? Arne Dedert/dpa A Singapore Airlines flight from London Heathrow to Singapore has become the latest to make headlines from severe turbulence, after the carrier said on Tuesday that one passenger was killed and others injured by severe in-flight turbulence. Unexpected heavy turbulence is not only a threat to passengers and crew, but also to the long-term safety of planes carrying them, according to researchers who say this phenomenon is on the rise. Although you may have never encountered a case of severe turbulence during a flight, one study projects that air travellers are likely to face more hazardous turbulence in the coming years due to climate change. What is severe turbulence? Most cases of turbulence are experienced only as a mild shaking in the aircraft and a slight loss of elevation. In rarer, more severe cases, passengers and crew members can be injured, however. Especially dangerous is what's known as "clear air turbulence" since this often occurs without any advanced warning - in other words without any chance to fasten your seat belt. This form of turbulence "is hazardous to aircraft and is projected to intensify in response to future climate change," say the authors of a 2023 study from Reading University in the UK. In 1979 clear air turbulence totalled 467 hours over the North Atlantic, while in 2020 the figure was 547 hours, the researchers say. Turbulence not only poses a risk of injury to passengers, but also to the plane itself. "Every additional minute spent traversing turbulence causes fatigue and increases wear-and-tear on the airframe," the study authors write. According to figures from the US Federal Aviation Administration, 163 people suffered "serious turbulence injuries" on flights to or from US airports between 2009 and 2022. What creates air turbulence? There can be different causes, and one major one is the jet stream, says Jens Heider, an aeronautical engineer and pilot with the German aviation and space centre (DLR). "These are strong fields of wind in the upper troposphere, 8-12 kilometres high and which, depending on the region and season, can vary greatly in strength." Jet streams emerge from horizontal temperature differences in the atmosphere. Turbulence can be created in and around thunderstorm areas with their rising warm air and sinking cold air. When possible, pilots try to fly around them. Topography can also play a role. "Mountain chains can raise the entire air package," Heider explains. Research shows that the most turbulent air routes are located above mountains. "Regions over western ocean basins are hot spots for diagnosed clear air turbulence," the Reading University study authors write. "This is partly because jet streams tend to be fastest over the ocean, due to the low surface roughness compared to the land." The researchers also said it also partly came down to there being a "large zonal temperature contrast" between the ocean and continent. And what is clear air turbulence? And air pockets? This is turbulence that can't be seen with the naked eye, since it is located in cloud-free air. It is caused by the collision of significantly different air masses travelling at very different speeds. Heider says that in technical jargon, these are actually associated with jet streams. "But it's a question of definition." An air pocket is a rather scary moment when the airplane suddenly drops, Heider explains. "The plane is flying in an area where all around it, the air is sinking - and so the plane also sinks." Can an airplane withstand such stresses? The wings bend and the fuselage is shaken up. You might think that an airplane could break apart in strong turbulence. But Heider is reassuring on this, saying that in view of the strict and extremely security-driven construction regulations for modern planes, it is extremely unlikely. "According to everything we know so far about the forces that occur during turbulence, this can even be ruled out," the aeronautical engineer says. Can turbulence be avoided? The weather forecasts that pilots receive while preparing a flight, mean they know where possible turbulence can be expected. But, while thunderstorms and cloud formations with their expected strong winds can often be seen with control systems, this is not always the case with clear-air turbulence. New apps might help in this area. If the sheer thought of turbulence is triggering panic and nausea in you, then you can look up your flight's turbulence forecast on Turbli.com. You enter your departure and destination airports and see how rough the flight is likely to be. The website, which is completely free, gives you a graph of the flight's predicted turbulence from take-off to landing, while also giving a forecast of any delays that headwinds might cause. The site has a map of turbulence around the world and where they occur depending on altitude. According to the website's operator, fluid mechanics engineer Ignacio Gallego-Marcos, the forecasts are based on weather models from the US weather agency NOAA and the UK's Met Office weather service. How do pilots respond to turbulence? Pilots are trained in handling turbulence, and they can at any time - even if the plane is on autopilot - intervene manually. Other cockpit crews flying the same air space can then react, and as far as possible and coordinating with air traffic control, try to fly around critical areas. This can mean flying higher or lower, or even choosing a different route, according to the Federal Association of the German Air Transport Industry. And what if the plane still flies into turbulence? If pilots are expecting turbulence, they will turn on the fasten seatbelt signs. They might also ask the cabin crew to interrupt their service. "If you have flown into turbulence and people are still standing in the aisle, it is too late," Heider says. That means that prevention is the best measure for pilots and crew to take - but also passengers. Because turbulence sometimes is heavy and comes without any warning, the general rule is, except when getting up to stretch one's legs or go to the toilet, always to remain seated with the seatbelt fastened - even when the seatbelt sign is off. Bumpy terrain means a bumpy flight: Research shows that the most turbulent air routes are located above mountains. Jan Woitas/dpa Should I bring sick bags? Turbli.com gives a turbulence forecast for your flight. Turbli.com/dpa NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) While the heat is the dominating weather headline right now, storm chances return to our region starting Wednesday and lasting well into the holiday weekend. At times, some severe thunderstorms will be possible. Wednesday, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a Marginal Risk (level 1/5) for Murfreesboro and areas north and west, and a Slight Risk (level 2/5) for portions of Tennessees Benton, Carroll, Henry, & Stewart counties, along with Kentuckys Christian, Logan, Muhlenberg, Simpson, Todd, Trigg, & Warren counties. The biggest threats with these storms are heavy rain and wind. There is a low end hail threat, and the tornado threat, although very low, is not zero. Abnormally hot summer even more likely in latest NOAA forecast: Does that include Tennessee? Several waves of showers and storms look to develop. The first wave is overnight into Wednesday morning. At this time, we expect this round of rain & storms to weaken. If rain holds, it would be possible west of I-65. Then, in the afternoon, storms start to fire up again and a few of these could be on the stronger side and impact the ride home from work. By early evening, the storms will weaken. Want the forecast delivered directly to your inbox? Sign up for the News 2 Forecast Newsletter Rainfall amounts from the storms on Wednesday and early Thursday morning will be highest further west. Amounts will range from 0.5 near the Plateau to up to 2 for our far western counties. Dont forget to take the power and reliability of the WKRN Weather Authority with you at all times by downloading the News 2 Storm Tracker app. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. KYODO NEWS - May 21, 2024 - 22:39 | All, Japan, World At least four Japanese nationals in New Caledonia have evacuated with support from Australia, a Japanese government source said Tuesday, as deadly violence has continued in the French Pacific territory for more than a week. Earlier in the day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference that the government will respond "appropriately" to the New Caledonia crisis while considering the wishes of Japanese nationals who intend to stay there. Around 300 Japanese citizens, including about 50 temporary visitors, are in New Caledonia, according to a Foreign Ministry official. A government source said it is likely that all those who departed aboard an Australian airplane were tourists. Earlier Tuesday, Australia and New Zealand pledged to evacuate their nationals in New Caledonia after France declared an emergency in the territory last week. The riots broke out in the capital Noumea on May 13 as lawmakers in Paris debated constitutional changes that would expand the electorate in New Caledonia's provincial elections to French residents who have lived in the archipelago for 10 years. Opponents fear the move would strengthen the position of pro-France politicians by diluting the vote of the indigenous Kanak Melanesian population. The unrest has resulted in numerous fires and widespread looting of businesses and public property. (KRON) An alleged thief is facing theft and drug charges, according to the Colma Police Department. At 9:19 p.m. on Saturday, while Colma police were conducting a foot patrol in a business on Colma Boulevard, the officers noticed a man leaving without paying for the merchandise he was carrying. Photo: Colma Police Department Pixar layoffs to impact 175 employees, reports say According to police, the loss prevention officers attempted to stop the suspect. The suspect continued to flee on foot. Officers subsequently left the store to detain the suspect. Despite the suspect trying to escape, officers soon detained him. Suspected methamphetamine was located, police said. The suspect was identified as 28-year-old San Francisco resident Enrique Miranda. He reportedly stole approximately $57.94 worth of merchandise, according to police. Miranda was arrested and booked into the San Mateo County Jail for resisting arrest, being in possession of a controlled substance and petty theft. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Shelter pup hours away from being euthanized gets a new life with the bomb squad One lucky pup is getting a second chance to live a bountiful life helping others after being rescued from a Maryland shelter mere hours before he was supposed to be euthanized. His name is Boomer, and thanks to the Anne Arundel County Police, he is now a good boy who is training to detect explosives in suspicious packages. From the shelter to servicemeet Boomer, Prince Georges County Fire/EMS Departments newest member of our Office of the Fire Marshal! Boomer, a two-year old German Shepherd, was rescued from an Anne Arundel County Animal Shelter and adopted into our Explosive Detection K9 Unit, the Official Prince Georges County Fire/EMS Department Facebook page captioned in a video May 19 featuring the dog. According to WRAL News, while the Anne Arundel County Police Department is responsible for rescuing Boomer, they didnt have room for him so Prince George County stepped in and secured a spot for him with its bomb squad. The police saw something special in Boomer, NBC reported, and thought he would make a good addition to their K-9 unit after first meeting him. The pup has been training with the department the past three months. Anne Arundel County is about a 30-mile drive south of Baltimore. Loving dog destroys own tail while stressed at shelter. Sandor needs a new home fast Man given six months to live has dying wish: To find a loving home for his dog Senior dog was confused after longtime owners surrendered her. Then came good news Sheriff transfer of immigrants to ICE doubled, Fresno report says. Heres what we know The number of people transferred by the Fresno County Sheriffs Office to immigration officers more than doubled in 2023 over the previous year, according to numbers presented on Tuesday. Sheriff John Zanoni said deputies transferred 39 people during 2023, when his office received a total of 204 holds requested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, commonly called ICE. There were 25,810 bookings in all of last year. There were 18 transfers to ICE in 2022, according to last years report to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. Zanoni said no interviews by ICE were conducted within any sheriffs office facilities in 2023, but the Sheriffs Office has drawn scrutiny in recent years by critics who say law enforcement officials have reported misleading numbers. Zanoni stressed 13 of the 39 people transferred were accused of felonies, including sex crimes and drug offenses. Thirty of the alleged crimes were against people, his report said. That totals the 39 that were turned over to make our community safer, Zanoni said Tuesday as he spoke to the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. County law enforcement agencies across the state have been required since 2018 to annually report how they interact with ICE under the TRUTH Act. Critics of the sheriffs department argued the Fresno County law enforcement agency has not been forthcoming with all of its dealings with ICE. Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni, center, answers question during a press conference along the Kings River as the Fresno County Sheriffs Office reinforces the closure of recreation along local rivers due to flood water Thurday afternoon, May 25, 2023 near Centerville. The Sheriffs Office has failed to respond to requests in a timely manner from the ACLU of Northern California, according to Maria Romani, director of that branch of the ACLUs Immigrants Rights Program. The ACLU has waited for three years for records it requested from the Sheriffs Office in March 2021, Romani said. This lack of complete transparency is unacceptable, she said. The community deserves to know the full scope of the Fresno County Sheriffs Offices interactions with ICE to ensure that it is complying with the state sanctuary law. The sheriffs office should be responding promptly to records request, according to Romani, as well as reporting how many emails it exchanged with ICE, any changes the office has made to its policies around the sanctuary law and the amount of money allocated to immigration enforcement. Other San Joaquin Valley counties last reported fewer transfers to ICE than Fresno County. Kern reported one transfer to ICE in 2022, while Tulare and Kings each reported six. Madera, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties all reported zero transfers in 2022. It has been common for San Joaquin Valley sheriffs offices to under-report the number of transfers to ICE, according to a report by the ACLU of Northern California in 2022. More than 1,000 immigrants in the San Joaquin Valley have been transferred to ICE since state law has prohibited local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration agents. Controversy on past reported ICE transfers Former Sheriff Margaret Mims said her office transferred 44 people to ICE in 2021 and 47 in 2020, which was a significant increase in the numbers previously reported to the public and to the California Attorney Generals Office. The higher numbers followed accusations that law enforcement around the Valley had been under-reporting their interactions with ICE. Officials with the Fresno County Sheriffs Office said they transferred four people to federal immigration officials in 2018. A Fresno Bee story later revealed figures from ICE showed agents arrested more than 100 at Fresno County Jail. Another Fresno Bee story found the Sheriffs Office allowed federal immigration agents to enter a secure room at the county jail to make arrests, which were not reported as transfers. The Fresno County Sheriffs Department at 2200 Fresno St. is shown in a photo dated March 2, 2021. Sheriff Waybourn says Tarrant doesnt need jailers in SWAT-like gear to keep inmates safe Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, right, and Public Safety Regional Director Jeremy Sherrod stand by while the media is shown the video of events leading up to Anthony Johnson Jr.s death while in custody. Two employees were fired earlier in the day for a technique used thats not allowed and violates training protocols. Read the latest in our coverage of the death of Anthony Johnson Jr. and other issues in Tarrant County jail. Sheriff Bill Waybourn responded to questions Tuesday from Tarrant County commissioners about why the jail does not have a special response team of officers with tactical gear who could respond to emergency situations. The topic was raised by Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons, who has been a critic of Waybourn and conditions at the jail. The April 21 death of inmate Anthony Johnson Jr. has brought further scrutiny to jail operations and policies. Waybourn told the commissioners that his department focuses on deescalating emergency situations in the jail rather than using heavily armored officers like those who respond to riots. The sheriff gave a presentation that showed an example of a jailer in Bexar County who is part of a special response team with tactical uniforms. Waybourn said that if officers dressed this way, it would intimidate inmates. Waybourn said he used Bexar as an example because it is similar size to Tarrant. There have been over 80 deaths at the Bexar jail since 2017, and 64 in Tarrant over the same period. More top stories from our newsroom: Palo Pinto state park opening delayed, but we got a sneak peek Tarrant inmate has mental capacity of a child. His mother is begging DA to get him care. Are those people selling puppies in parking lots breaking Texas law? [Get our breaking news alerts.] Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, could not be immediately reached for comment. Waybourn then showed photos of two officers from his department who do not wear tactical gear. He called the pictured jailers superheros and said that they were the inmates advocate. Waybourn said the jail is ahead of best practices by focusing on deescalation tactics. He showed footage of a skirmish at the jail where he said inmates rushed to defend the jailer. Democratic Commissioner Roy Brooks agreed with Waybourn that he did not want officers dressed like stormtroopers in the jail. But, he said, Tarrants model of deescalation requires training on techniques. Brooks also called on the Sheriffs Office to stop using pepper spray. One death related to pepper spray is one too many. Weve had more than one, Brooks said. Waybourn said nobody has died from pepper spray. In 2022, a Star-Telegram investigation found that inmate Robert Miller was pepper-sprayed at least three times by jailers at close range before he died. His cause of death was listed as natural due to a sickle cell crisis, which his family and several experts told the Star-Telegram was impossible. Johnsons death in April remains under investigation, including the autopsy, but the Sheriffs Office has released video showing what happened in the jail. The 31-year-old former Marine fought jailers during a routine inspection and was pepper sprayed. Two jailers were fired last week for violating policies in restraining a handcuffed Johnson on the ground with a knee on his back. Simmons, the commissioner who questioned Waybourn about the lack of a special response team, said Tarrant should establish one like in Dallas Countys jail. She said a commissioner in Dallas County told her their team has reduced jail deaths. Simmons also asked if a crisis intervention unit responded to the altercation with Johnson. Waybourn responded that every one of those jailers was trained in crisis intervention. Republican Commissioner Manny Ramirez thanked Waybourn for the presentation and said he was implementing a 21st century model of policing. County Judge Tim OHare said he has never known an elected official with as much integrity as Waybourn. Waybourn added during the presentation that the jail passed a Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspection with flying colors. An eastbound lane of the Sherman Minton Bridge is open as of Tuesday morning after delays in an ongoing renovation project, local officials say. The Sherman Minton Bridge undergoes repairs. Tuesday, March 12, 2024 Sherman Minton Bridge: Louisville Sherman Minton Bridge reopening delayed until Friday, officials say The bridge was originally set to reopen on Monday after all eastbound lanes were closed for repairs to the lower bridge approaches on May 6. The Indiana Department of Transportation posted an update on Sunday night saying that a portion of eastbound Interstate 64 would remain closed until 5 a.m. Friday. The Sherman Minton Renewal Project announced Monday afternoon that delays were due to "required maintenance of traffic adjustments" and one lane would reopen overnight. Danny Corbin, INDOT Project Manager, said, "We regret any inconvenience to drivers caused by the delay of the reopening. Crews are working to open the single lane as soon as possible. The remaining two lanes will be opened Friday morning providing three open lanes for eastbound traffic through Memorial Day weekend. Traffic backs on up the ramp from I-264 to the I-64 west bound near the Sherman Minton Bridge early Monday afternoon. The bridge had been shut down for nearly a week before reopening early Aug. 7, 2023 The bridge was the first interstate bridge in Louisville when it opened in 1962 and carries about 70,000 vehicles each day. The five-phase renovation process which began in 2021 is intended to create "long-term repairs needed to extend the life of the bridge" up to 30 years, according to the project website. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Sherman Minton Bridge reopens one eastbound lane I will shoot this school up: Tyrone Middle School student sends mass shooting threats to teachers, deputies say TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A 13-year-old boy was arrested Monday after he send multiple mass shooting threats to teachers in Pinellas County, according to deputies. The Pinellas County Sheriffs Office said the boy was a student at Tyrone Middle School who used another students FOCUS account to send threats to several teachers. Ex-UFC fighter Geane Herrera killed in Gandy motorcycle crash: reports Deputies said these threats were laced with profanities while saying, I will shoot this school up I got 5 glocks and ak-47. When detectives found the student, he admitted to sending the messages but said he was just joking. WFLA The detectives, who didnt share the teenagers sense of humor, took him into custody on one count of written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting and one count of aggravated stalking of a minor child. The sheriffs office said if you know of any threats to school safety, you can call 727-582-6200 or use the FortifyFL app to send information. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. The desperate supporters of the embattled ShotSpotter gunshot detection system have clung to one last argument in the hopes of keeping the expensive technology online in Chicago. As they push back against Mayor Brandon Johnsons plan to rid the city of the around $9-million-a-year policing tool and aldermen prepare Wednesday to vote on whether to take some control of the program they repeatedly argue ShotSpotter helps keep gunshot victims alive by getting them critical aid more quickly, even when no one calls 911. The real measure of ShotSpotters value is in the stories of lives saved, wrote Ralph Clark, CEO of ShotSpotters parent company, SoundThinking, in a Chicago Defender op-ed. This focus on how many people ShotSpotter has helped is a recent emphasis for backers of the technology, who long concentrated mainly on it helping police lock up offenders and reduce crime. Both arguments have relied largely on anecdotal evidence, and high-profile studies have called into question the crimefighting aspect. But as the City Council decides if it will take the power to cancel ShotSpotter out of Johnsons hands, new Chicago Police Department data paints a clearer picture of how often the sensors get gunshot victims potentially life-saving help. Since January 2021, police have rendered aid to 103 gunshot victims after receiving a ShotSpotter alert and no related 911 calls, according to data compiled by the Police Department and shared with aldermen. Rendered aid refers to a wide range of first-aid from wound dressing to tourniquets and chest seals but does not mean the victim ultimately survived their wounds. Still, for ShotSpotters City Council champion, Ald. David Moore, 17th, the people who got help from police after a ShotSpotter alert justify the technologys steep cost. What price is somebodys life worth? Moore said when asked about the data Monday. The Auburn Gresham alderman flagged other data not being captured to explain his support for ShotSpotter, such as the number of retaliatory crimes he said are headed off by police responding to shooting scenes. In addition to giving council members a vote over whether or not ShotSpotter should be canceled, Moores order would compel police to collect more data on the technologys utility. The order is set to finally face a vote Wednesday after being delayed by parliamentary maneuvers. CPDs analysis also determined police arrive at the scene quicker to ShotSpotter calls. Since 2018, officers responded on average in about eight minutes when alerted by ShotSpotter and 10 minutes when alerted by both ShotSpotter and a 911 call. When no ShotSpotter alert was made, police responded in 10 1/2 minutes, according to CPD. The measures rely on on-scene timestamps made by police, a metric that could be affected by officers marking their arrivals to scenes too early or too late. The numbers are not surprising to Ald. William Hall, 6th, a vocal backer of Johnsons plan to cancel ShotSpotter. More lives would be saved if the city instead invested the ShotSpotter money on addressing the root causes of violence and used technology that leads to more convictions of criminal shooters, he said. We need justice technology. We dont just need something-has-gone-wrong technology, Hall said, adding that he fears ShotSpotter leads people to communicate less with police. Do we want to be alerted when something goes wrong? Or do we want to invest in preventing things to get it right? According to CPDs recent analysis, during police responses prompted only by ShotSpotter alerts since 2018, officers have recovered 1,688 guns, made 1,645 arrests and collected 62,824 shell casings. Officers were far more likely to render aid, find shell casings, recover guns and make arrests when making responses that were prompted by both ShotSpotter alerts and 911 calls, the data showed. Hall, whose South Side ward had the most shooting victimizations of any through mid-April, is an outlier among the council leaders of high-shooting areas. Aldermen representing 14 of the 17 wards where people are most likely to be shot have said they want ShotSpotter to stay. ShotSpotters council supporters said they felt blindsided by Johnsons February announcement that the technology will cease operating in late September, despite ShotSpotter cancellation being a key campaign promise of his. The technology had long been in the crosshairs of activists in Chicago and other cities who linked it to over-policing and community profiling. But even amid the staunch pushback from allies and foes alike in an increasingly independent City Council, Johnson has stood firm behind his decision. Most aldermen supporting ShotSpotter say the mayor has not reached out to discuss why they want to keep the technology or work toward a compromise. I have been very clear, Johnson said at a mid-April news conference with CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling, who has previously voiced his support of ShotSpotter. What I have said repeatedly is it is going to take more than just technology. Investing in community is what my vision is for the people of Chicago. When technology works, we give strong consideration to it. When it misses the mark, then we have to reassess it, Johnson said. I did that. We made that decision. Johnson has gestured to a series of noteworthy studies questioning ShotSpotters effectiveness. A blistering and oft-cited 2021 report issued by the citys Office of Inspector General found ShotSpotter rarely leads to evidence of crimes, investigatory steps and gun recoveries. It also found the software tainted officers interactions with residents of neighborhoods most affected by gun violence and called for better data on the technology. The MacArthur Justice Center, currently suing the city to stop its use of ShotSpotter, called the tool inaccurate, expensive and dangerous in another 2021 study that showed many alerts turn up no evidence, but fruitlessly send police into Black and Latino communities while taking them away from other crimes. In February, a report by Cook County States Attorney Kim Foxxs office found ShotSpotter provides a minimal return on investment to the prosecution of gun violence. Of the over 160,000 ShotSpotter alerts sent over five years, just 1% resulted in an arrest, the report determined. If the order does pass Wednesday, it could face a legal challenge pitting Johnson against a council majority. Johnson said in April the order does not have legal standing, apparently because it violates his power over city contracts by requiring any decision to remove ShotSpotter face a full City Council vote. Theres no process by which you govern through a la carte. It just does not exist, he said. The Johnson administration did not immediately respond when asked to explain the legal reasoning Tuesday. jsheridan@chicagotribune.com AUSTIN (KXAN) Several weeks after starting as Austins next city manager, T.C. Broadnax sat down with KXAN to talk about his time in the role so far and what to expect from him in his first 100 days. Overall priorities Broadnax put out a memo with some of his priorities earlier this month, which included hiring a new police chief, getting a contract signed with the Austin Police Association and addressing Austins homelessness issues. Austin city manager prioritizes police chief hiring, new police contract I think that a city manager gleans from the council. And so understanding those priorities, whether its hiring a police chief, whether its really trying to figure out how we get better at our homelessness response systems, or get many of our capital projects moving, and understanding the gaps in other service delivery issues and challenges that the city has had thats how I came about that list, Broadnax said. Working with APD To address one of those priorities, the city recently launched its search for a new Chief of Police for the Austin Police Department. Applications will be accepted until June 10, unless the hiring agency sees a need to extend that deadline. We asked Broadnax what he wants from a permanent police chief and what the public engagement process will look like: Were going to be having a community survey that will ask the public, Hey, what do you want to see in your new police chief? What should their priorities be? Whats important to you? I think, going even further and to drill down, were actually doing a similar survey internally to the police department, Broadnax said. As for what Broadnax himself hopes to see: transparency, an understanding of the department and working to get the best out of the men and women in the police force. That includes improving morale which will go hand-in-hand with incentivizing recruitment and retention, Broadnax said. We also asked the city manager what his conversations with union leaders, including the Austin Police Association, have been like so far: Well, they want whats best for the people that they represent. And oddly, those things marry up with what I expect and what I would want from the people that work for me in the city. And so I have a vested interest in every employee, whether sworn or civilian. And so I think we want the same things, Broadnax said. Staff changes The city manager announced Monday, he is bringing two executives from Dallas to Austin to fill available positions. We asked about those appointments and if there would be any further staff changes: Im excited about both of those appointments, Broadnax said. Were going through a few more processes. Obviously, there are some vacant positions at many levels in the organization, so I dont have any specific individuals that I am looking to or for as it relates to any new positions that are coming about. But I am still learning and understanding the team that Ive got and finding a way to assess that talent as well as assess what were doing, and Ill make those decisions as I see fit in the future. First Austin City Council meeting Hundreds of speakers showed up to Thursdays Austin City Council meeting as the body looked to make major Land Development Code changes. Council listened to the public from 10 a.m. Thursday until early the following morning. After 14 hours of public comment, Austin City Council passes HOME part 2 We asked Broadnax about his first meeting on the dais with the Austin City Council: It was interesting. I will tell you, I think not having been here as it relates to all of the breadcrumbs that led to that meeting, for me it was telling just one how engaged the residents are and two how important the issues particularly around land use and zoning are, he said. Overall, what have you heard from the public so far? Broadnax says hes met with city council members, unions and city staff and heard from the public both in his hiring process and in some of his early days as city manager. All the conversations have been forward-looking, not looking in the rearview mirror about what hasnt happened, what didnt happen the correct way. Its really about how do we find ways to get where we all want to go and bring people along? Broadnax said. Im just looking forward to continually working in that type of environment and working with the community and then working with my team to figure out how we execute many of the things weve heard outside of City Hall, he said. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. The International Criminal Court was founded on the notions of impartiality and independence. Karim Khan, its chief prosecutor, might therefore have been expected to move particularly cautiously in appointing a panel of experts as he weighed what action to take against Hamas and Israel over the October 7 attacks and Israels retaliatory bombing of Gaza. His subsequent decision to pursue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and defence minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas leaders, has proved explosive. The move has attracted a barrage of disapproval led by Joe Biden and pressing questions about the courts processes and future, triggered in part by concerns over whether the experts Khan called on were truly impartial. Those concerns may be given succour by the revelation that several members of the panel, which is populated by a gaggle of British human rights lawyers including Amal Clooney, have publicly spoken out against Israel in the past. This, claim the courts critics, indicates a verdict first way of working, in which at least some of those involved in the process were already convinced that Israel has been guilty of war crimes. Among those whose remarks have raised eyebrows is Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, a founding member of Doughty Street Chambers renowned for her expertise in criminal law. Karim Khan is the chief prosecutor of the ICC - Reuters Within weeks of Hamas murderous onslaught last October, Kennedy warned Israel was overstepping in its response, accusing it of breaching international law by cutting off critical water supplies to Gaza as part of its complete siege of the coastal enclave.Water is a basic human right and its denial violates international law. It is a war crime, she told Prospect Magazine on October 24. Israel has a right to self-defence. But it has to be proportionate and in accordance with international law, Kennedy added, defending her stance as neither pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian, but instead pro-human rights. Shortly afterwards, another member of Khans advisory panel spoke out against Israels offensive and called for an immediate ceasefire. In an open letter published on November 18, Danny Friedman KC accused the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) of having run roughshod over the laws of war. Israels response to the attack on its territory has involved catastrophic mass fatality and untold human suffering of Palestinians not only as a result of aerial and ground bombardment, but through, among other features, cessation of basic sustenance and amenities, destruction of medical facilities, and forced movement of populations within the blockaded geography of the Gaza strip, he said. These are also grave war crimes. They must be characterised as such notwithstanding any continuing other crimes upon Israelis, foremost of which is the continuing and agonising incommunicado detention of Israeli hostages. Friedman, of Matrix Chambers, added: I make the case for a ceasefire not because I am against Israel. I am pro-Israel, but I am also pro-Palestine. The pairs remarks came months before the International Court Of Justice ruled in January that there was not enough evidence to substantiate such weighty charges, stopping short of ordering Israel to halt its offensive but demanding its leaders act to prevent genocide unfolding in Gaza. While other members of Khans panel such as American-Israeli Judge Theodor Meron CMG and Clooney have not been similarly outspoken on the war, the ICCs critics have highlighted their past positions on issues concerning Israel as problematic when considered against the courts clearly stated aim of impartiality. Meron, 94, has for years disputed the legality of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. A Holocaust survivor, he was born in Poland before moving to what was then known as British Mandate Palestine aged 15 in 1945. Some 20 years later, while serving as a legal adviser to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1967, Meron counselled against allowing the construction of settlements in territories taken by Israel during the Six-Day War. He has remained publicly opposed to settlement building since. Clooney, meanwhile, is known to have in 2014 turned down a UN offer to investigate possible war crimes by Israel in Gaza, saying she was too busy to take on the work. She did, however, issue a statement which appeared to prejudge the investigation by calling for accountability for crimes that have been committed. Amal Clooney turned down an offer in 2014 from the UN to investigate potential war crimes committed by Israel - AFP The incidents have led observers to question Khans decision-making in calling on the experts he did. One senior international lawyer said: Khan said this was an impartial, independent and objective panel set up to review the evidence. So why did he include in the panel at least two people who had already expressed a very clear view on the issues to which the evidence relates? Since when do independent and impartial experts assisting a judicial authority do their own comms with op-eds and press releases? Kennedy was giving interviews about Gaza while sitting on this panel. The problem is that campaigners are not the right people to do impartial, independent and objective reviews of potentially criminal evidence. Some of these people should have never been asked and, if asked, they should have declined. The whole thing is doing huge damage to the ICC. The Telegraph contacted the panel, which was supported by two academic advisers, but it refused to comment. However, in an op-ed published in the Financial Times on Monday, the panels members, which also include Sir Adrian Fulford PC, a former ICC judge, and Elizabeth Wilmshurst CMG KC, who resigned from the Foreign Office on the eve of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, defended their credentials and findings. As lawyers specialised in international law hailing from diverse personal backgrounds, we felt we had a duty to accept the invitation to provide an impartial and independent legal opinion based on evidence, they said. We were selected because of our expertise in public international law, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law, and, in the case of two of us, experience as former judges of international criminal tribunals, they added. Our common goal is advancing accountability and we have reached our conclusions based on an assessment of the warrant applications against an objective legal standard. We have reached these conclusions unanimously. And we believe it is important to publish them given the extent to which discourse has been politicised, disinformation has been rife and international media has been denied access to the front lines. Khan himself said on Monday that he had applied for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant for crimes including wilful killing, extermination and/or murder, and starvation during the war in Gaza. He accused Israel of having committed crimes against humanity, and said it had carried out a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population. Benjamin Netanyahu Khan also said the leaders of Hamas, including Qatar-based Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, its Gaza chief, bear criminal responsibility for atrocities committed by the terror group during its deadly October 7 rampage, including the taking of hostages, rape and torture.International law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all, he said, adding no one can act with impunity. A panel of judges at the ICC now will consider whether to issue the arrest warrants he has requested. While the US and Israel are not signatories to the courts Rome Statute, many Western nations are, meaning the outcome could yet have profound implications for Netanyahu and Gallant by effectively rendering them unable to visit allies without risking arrest. The backlash from several such countries has been fierce, with Biden condemning Khans move as outrageous, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak branding it deeply unhelpful and Germanys foreign ministry warning of a false impression of equivalence created by the simultaneous application for arrest warrants for Hamas leaders and Israeli officials.Let me be clear: whatever this prosecutor might imply, there is no equivalence none between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security, Biden said. Brett D. Schaefer, a senior research fellow in international regulatory affairs at the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at The Heritage Foundation, said the furore was a sign of a failing court. The ICC seems to be better at making a splash than actually making demonstrable achievements, he told The Telegraph. For instance, it made a splash about announcing a warrant against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. But Putin does not seem to be deterred. The court does not seem to be all that instrumental or influential in dissuading countries like China from committing crimes against humanity, genocide, or war crimes. And I think that there is now ample reason to question whether the court is actually fit for purpose. It hasnt proven to be very effective, but it has been very expensive Its [now] trying to justify its mandate and justify its existence. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. KANSAS CITY, Mo. In honor of National Barbecue Month and Small Business Month, Slaps BBQ in Kansas City, Kansas will be hosting a free barbecue giveaway this week. Heres everything you need to know: KCK Taco Trail unveiled its new mascot, and they want your name ideas: Slaps BBQ is partnering with Verizon on Wednesday to offer the first 100 customers a free barbecue plate from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., and no purchases are necessary. The Kansas City-based restaurant was founded in 2013 by brothers Mike and Joe Pearce who found their success on the reality TV cooking show BBQ Pitmasters. This exposure paved the way for the two brothers who officially opened in June 2014, and ever since, they have quickly gained popularity, often selling out each day due to their commitment to serving fresh barbecue. Thirty Seconds to Mars announced July tour stop at Azura Amphitheater Slaps BBQ is located at 553 Central Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. For more information about business hours or menu options, go to the website at slapsbbqkc.com. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. KYODO NEWS - May 21, 2024 - 19:42 | World, All, Japan China expressed Tuesday its "firm opposition" to Japan and the United States congratulating Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on his inauguration, with Beijing's envoy to Tokyo earlier warning that Japanese supporters of the island's independence would be "led into a pit of fire." In response, Japan has protested to China through diplomatic channels over the comments made by Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao following Lai's swearing-in ceremony on Monday, calling them "extremely inappropriate," according to a government source. China, which regards the self-ruled island as its own, also lodged complaints with Britain and South Korea for congratulating Lai. Lawmakers and others from Japan, the United States, Britain and South Korea were among over 500 foreign guests who attended the inauguration ceremony. China strongly opposes countries with which it has diplomatic relations conducting official exchanges with Taiwan. It has particularly condemned Lai, who heads the island's ruling, independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, as a "die-hard secessionist" and "troublemaker." A total of 31 Japanese lawmakers took part in the ceremony, one of the largest delegations from Tokyo to have attended such an event, with Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi expressing hope to further deepen Japan-Taiwan friendship at a press conference. Wu claimed in a meeting Monday at the Chinese Embassy in Tokyo that Japan "openly supported" Taiwan separatist forces with the dispatch of the lawmakers, which sent "an extremely wrong political signal," according to the embassy. "If Japan ties itself onto the chariot of splitting China, the Japanese people will be led into a pit of fire," he said. In April last year, Wu similarly told a press conference that if Japan linked Taiwan to its own security, the Japanese people "would be dragged into the fire." His remarks at that time also triggered Tokyo's protest. On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing has made "a serious protest" to the United States over Secretary of State Antony Blinken's congratulatory message sent to Lai as it was a "severe violation" of the one-China principle. Any attempt to endanger Beijing's sovereignty and territorial integrity "will be met with China's resolute response," Wang warned. In the message, Blinken said Washington looks forward to working with Lai to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Communist-led China and Taiwan have been governed separately since they split as the result of a civil war in 1949. Beijing aims to bring the island into its fold, by force if necessary. Related coverage: China says Taiwan leader's inaugural speech sent "dangerous signal" (Bloomberg) -- Lawmakers in Slovakia unanimously backed a parliamentary resolution condemning the shooting of Prime Minister Robert Fico, an effort to dial back political recriminations in the country after the May 15 assassination attempt. Most Read from Bloomberg The united vote on Tuesday offered a signal of reconciliation after leaders of Ficos coalition lashed out at the opposition and media, while the nations incoming and outgoing presidents failed to a convene a roundtable that would include all political parties. The resolution calls on political players and media not to spread hatred toward the government as well as toward other legitimately elected constitutional officials and public figures, as the outcome can be such hateful criminal acts. Fico is conscious and communicative as he recovers from several gunshot wounds in an intensive-care unit in the central Slovak city of Banska Bystrica, his office said Tuesday. The premier, 59, underwent a CT scan and further action is being taken to improve his health condition, the statement said. The first such attempt on a European leaders life in more than two decades, the attack at close range by a 71-year-old assailant left Fico with life-threatening injuries. The Slovak leader was shot as he approached a crowd of people in the town of Handlova northeast of the capital Bratislava after a government meeting. Read More: Slovaks Probe Possible Broader Plot Behind Premiers Shooting Beyond the resolution, ruling party lawmakers and ministers have continued to point the blame at critical coverage by media, whom they blame for the suspects political radicalization. Defense Minister Robert Kalinak, a close ally whom Fico entrusted with leading the government temporarily, repeatedly accused the media of vilifying the premier. A day after the shooting, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj-Estok said the suspect was responding to critical coverage of Ficos decision to halt military aid to Ukraine, overhaul public media and abolish a special prosecutors office. The shooter was interested in politics he followed news you wrote, the minister told reporters in Bratislava. Since taking office in October, Fico has drawn protests nationwide from thousands who accuse him of steering the country away from the European mainstream. For his part, the premier has made a habit of attacking the media proposing legislation to wrest control over public broadcasting and radio and criticizing migration and LGBTQ rights. Opposition leaders have warned the government not to exploit the attack to target criticism and cement control over Slovakias institutions. But Tuesdays resolution was at least a first step toward de-escalation, as President-elect Peter Pellegrini and the outgoing head of state, Zuzana Caputova, work to bring politicians together. This sets the stage for the outgoing and newly-elected presidents to once again reach out to the leaders of parliamentary parties to meet at the Presidential Palace, Branislav Grohling, chairman of opposition party Freedom and Solidarity, told journalists in parliament. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. People arrive with flowers outside the F. D. Roosevelt University Hospital, where Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot and injured, is being treated, in Banska Bystrica, central Slovakia, Saturday, May 18, 2024. The man accused of attempting to assassinate Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico made his first court appearance Saturday as the nation's leader remained in serious condition recovering from surgery after surviving multiple gunshots, Slovak state media said. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis) BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) Slovakias Parliament voted unanimously on Tuesday to condemn politically motivated violence following an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is recovering from multiple wounds from last weeks shooting, hospital officials said. Fico remains conscious and communicative" and "further actions are being taken to improve his health condition," said the hospital treating him in the central city of Banska Bystrica. The hospital says that Fico, 59, is no longer in life-threating condition after being shot in the abdomen as he greeted supporters last Wednesday in the town of Handlova, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) northeast of the capital, Bratislava. Fico underwent five-hour surgery immediately after the shooting, followed by another two-hour operation last Friday. Ficos populist government has pursued policies that prompted thousands of people to take to the streets to protest, including efforts to overhaul public broadcasting, a move critics said would give the government full control of public television and radio. That, and plans to amend the penal code to eliminate a special anti-graft prosecutor, have led opponents to worry that Fico would lead Slovakia down a more autocratic path. All 130 lawmakers present in Parliament on Tuesday voted to approve a resolution that calls on political parties, civic organizations and media to respect the results of parliamentary elections and refrain from spreading hatred against the democratically elected government. A court in the town of Pezinok on Saturday ordered the suspect in the attack, who is charged with attempted murder, to remain behind bars. Government officials originally said they believed it was a politically motivated attack committed by a lone wolf, but announced on Sunday that a third party might have been involved in acting for the benefit of the perpetrator. Suspect accused mua J.C. is of attempting to assasinate Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico is getting transported to the specialised criminal court (TS) in Pezinok. The prosecutor is proposing detention for the suspect. The TS will decide on the motion to take the accused into custody. Martin Baumann/TASR/dpa Slovakian lawmakers on Tuesday voted unanimously to support a declaration condemning political violence, six days after an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico. All 130 members of the National Council of Slovakia present in the chamber approved the statement, which said the attack was "obviously committed for political motives and deserves the strongest condemnation." Fico was severely wounded in the shooting on Wednesday, which was carried out by a 71-year-old identified as Juraj C. On Monday, the hospital in the city of Banska Bystrica where Fico was recovering said his life was no longer in danger but that he could not yet be moved back to Bratislava. While government figures praised the unanimous vote on Tuesday, signs of political tensions also started to re-emerge. A round table planned for Tuesday featuring all parliamentary parties planned by outgoing President Zuzana Caputova and her successor Peter Pellegrini was cancelled. Caputova and Pellegrini, who is due to take office in mid-June after winning the presidential run-off election on April 6, had sought to use the meeting to reduce political tensions between the governing and opposition parties. Pellegrini said in a video message that "the time is apparently not yet ripe for this," and added that some politicians had "shown that they are not capable of self-reflection even after such a tragedy." Defence Minister Robert Kalinak, who is currently standing in for Fico as first deputy prime minister, also made a gesture of reconciliation to his political rivals, apologizing for using inappropriate language. Video above: Massive alligator blocks MacDill Air Force plane, fights with FWC officers TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A small airplane was forced to make an emergency landing on a Florida beach Monday evening. According to the Walton County Sheriffs Office, the Cessna aircraft landed near Beach Drive East on Miramar Beach after reporting engine failure. This St. Pete Beach bar is one of the best in Florida, according to Southern Living No injuries were reported on the beach or in the aircraft. It is unknown how many passengers were aboard the plane when it landed. A photo posted to the sheriffs offices Facebook shows beachgoers crowding the plane as it sits on the sandy white beach. Credit: Walton County Sheriffs Office This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Well give it to Bridget Ziegler: It takes a lot of guts yet little intellectual candor to continue to push anti-LGBTQ stances while recently released police records describe her sending her husband to bars to secretly take photos of women the couple might be interested in. Ziegler is a member of the Sarasota County School Board and co-founder of Moms for Liberty the parental rights organization that egged on lawmakers to pass laws like the one critics call Dont say gay banning classroom instructions on sexual orientation and gender identity. Her husband, a former Florida GOP chair, was accused last year of raping a woman with whom the Zieglers previously had consensual sex with, according to police records. The Sarasota Police Department opted against filing charges against Christian Ziegler, but more notes from their investigation were released last week. The Zieglers are suing to block the release of additional records. Those notes arent just salacious details about a couples private sex life. They describe behavior that, if true, appears to be downright creepy, especially coming from people who purport to uphold high moral standards by pushing policies that target people who dont fall in line with their world view. A memo written by a police investigator states numerous text messages exchanged between Bridget and Christian Ziegler show they were on prowl for a female. Bridget Ziegler directed her husband to go to different bars to find a woman they would both like. During these conversations Christian is secretly taking photographs of women in the bars and sending them to Bridget asking her if she wants this one or that one, the memo states. Bridget is telling him to pretend to take pictures of his beer, so they dont see him taking pictures of them. She tells him Dont come home until your dk is wet. There is nothing wrong with Bridget Ziegler having sex with women or engaging in sexual threesomes, as long as they are consensual. The Ziegler debacle should serve as a lesson to the self-appointed guardians of traditional values in Florida that peoples sexuality often falls outside the norm, no matter how much they try to push that simple fact of life out of public education. Despite all this, Bridget Ziegler has continued to soldier on the faithful cultural warrior that she is. Just earlier this month, she sponsored, and the Sarasota School Board adopted, a resolution to reject new federal protections against gender identity discrimination, putting the district at risk of losing about $50 million in federal funding, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported. Her profile on X, formerly known as Twitter, is also filled with anti-transgender rhetoric from her rants about a gender ideology cult to a photo of her posing in a T-shirt that reads, Real women arent men. Could Bridget Ziegler engage in sex with other women while also being opposed to giving transgender people visibility and rights? Sure. But its how she has used her very public platform to demonize a group of people that puts into question how much she and other politicians who jumped on the parental rights wagon truly believe their own cause. How much of their zealotry is genuine and how much of it is borne in this instance out of political expediency, a calculated move to stay relevant and pander to Gov. Ron DeSantis? DeSantis too was quick to latch onto the parental rights movement when it began gaining steam during the pandemic. Bridget Ziegler has faced calls to resign from her position on the Sarasota School Board. The Herald Editorial Board in December disagreed with the pressure campaign to make her leave her post given that she never faced criminal charges and that being a hypocrite doesnt necessarily disqualify one from holding elected office. If she chose to leave on her own volition, that would give DeSantis the opportunity to appoint her replacement. In a democracy, voters, not the governor, should decide the fate of her election office. Voters also should signal to the states Republican leaders that the vitriol and bigotry disguised as parental rights has run its course in Florida. Click here to send the letter. FILE - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster answers questions about the 2024 General Assembly's session at a news conference on Monday, May 13, 2024, in Columbia, S.C. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law Tuesday the bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins, file) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Tuesday signed into law a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender minors. When the ink dried, South Carolina became the 25th state to restrict or ban such care for minors. The governor announced the signing on social media and said he would hold a ceremonial bill signing next week. The law bars health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty blockers and overseeing hormone treatments for patients under 18. School principals or vice principals would have to notify parents or guardians if a child wanted to use a name other than their legal one, or a nickname or pronouns that did not match their sex assigned at birth. Groups that support LGBTQ+ rights said Tuesday that they are considering a lawsuit against the state. The bill was changed in the Senate to allow mental health counselors to talk about banned treatments and even suggest a place where they are legal. Doctors can also prescribe puberty blockers for some conditions for which they are prescribed such as when a child begins what is called precocious puberty as young as age 4. Groups including the Campaign for Southern Equality noted that the law takes effect immediately. The group is gathering resources to help families find any help they might need outside of South Carolina and most of the Southeast, which have similar bans. Healthcare is a human right and it breaks my heart to see lawmakers rip away life-affirming and often life-saving medical care from transgender youth in South Carolina. No one should be forced to leave their home state to access the care that they need and deserve," Uplift Outreach Center Executive Director Raymond Velazquez said in a statement after lawmakers passed the ban. Earlier this year, McMaster said he supported the proposal to keep our young people safe and healthy. If they want to make those decisions later when theyre adults, then thats a different story, but we must protect our young people from irreversible decisions," the governor said. As the bill advanced in the General Assembly, doctors and parents testified before House and Senate committees that people younger than 18 do not receive gender-transition surgeries in South Carolina and that hormone treatments begin only after extensive consultation with health professionals. They said the treatments can be lifesaving, allowing young transgender people to live more fulfilling lives. Research has shown that transgender youth and adults are prone to stress, depression and suicidal behavior when forced to live as the sex they were assigned at birth. Supporters of the bill have cited their own unpublished evidence that puberty blockers increase self-harm and can be irreversible. Groups that help transgender people promised to keep working even with the new law. To all of the young people in South Carolina and their parents who are reading this news and feeling fear for the future, please know: No law can change the fact that you are worthy of dignity, equality, joy, and respect," said Cristina Picozzi, executive director of the Harriet Hancock Center, an LGBTQ+ advocacy nonprofit. The Soviet Union's leading newspaper only mentioned D-Day in small print at the very top of its front page on June 7, 1944. Pravda When Russian President Vladimir Putin was not invited to participate in the 75th anniversary commemorations of D-Day held in France in 2019, he claimed it was not a problem because the Allied invasion of France on June 6, 1944, was not a game changer. As the United States, Britain, Canada, France and other nations commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day this year, Putin again will not attend, this time because of the aggressive war he has waged in Ukraine. But its worth recalling the actual history of how Soviet media reported on the Normandy invasion, in which masses of Allied troops stormed the beaches and began the process of retaking Europe from the Nazis. I study media and propaganda in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union in the 19th and 20th centuries. What Soviet citizens learned about D-Day was part of a carefully controlled media system. Soviet newspaper articles, political caricatures and radio reports recognized the significance of the opening of a second front in Europe, but downplayed its importance in the broader context of the war. They also reminded Soviet citizens that the invasion was long overdue. Not front-page news On the morning of June 7, 1944, the front page of the official Soviet Communist Party newspaper, called Pravda, meaning truth in Russian, only mentioned the D-Day invasion news in a small text box on the front page. Its main front-page articles were about improvements made to Soviet cities in the wake of Red Army victories and the ongoing military campaigns near Kishinev and Jassy now known as Chisinau, Moldova, and Iasi, Romania. Page two contained telegrams thanking Soviet dictator Josef Stalin for his support of children of front-line soldiers. That page also included the fifth installment of an ongoing series entitled The Road of Victory, about Red Army victories. Pravdas map of northern France, published on June 7, 1944. Pravda On page three came D-Day, in an article with the headline The Invasion of Europe Has Begun. The correspondent, Maj. Gen. Mikhail Galaktionov, reported that the Allies had undertaken a massive operation designed to liberate Western Europe from the Nazis, and concluded that the invasion of Europe is now taking place under unprecedented conditions in the history of warfare. The article was accompanied by a map of northern France complete with names that American readers would also soon learn: Cherbourg, Carentan, Arromanches and others. Pravdas report accurately linked the Normandy landings to the ongoing liberation of Italy and stated that the main concentration of Germanys army now found itself trying to defend Western Europe. Of course, as the newspaper report also correctly noted, the German army had been vastly depleted after three years of war on the Soviet-German front. A photo of Supreme Allied Commander Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was on page four, alongside other coverage of the second front in Europe. For Pravda, Allied forces attacking the defenses of Hitlers Atlantic Wall on the French coast was just one among many moments in a war Soviet readers knew all too well, from years of fighting on their own soil. The June 7, 1944, front page of the English-language Moscow News included a headline and a large article announcing the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Moscow News For the English-reading audience In the Moscow News, the Soviet governments English-language paper, D-Day figured much more prominently, though it had to share the limelight. A front-page article included a photo of Eisenhower. Allied Troops Land in Northern France, Take Invasion Beachheads was the boldest headline in the June 7, 1944. But it was printed alongside an article on the major Red Army victory at Jassy, Romania. Other front-page articles covered the successes of Soviet industry in winning the war, and how the capture of Rome by Allied forces represented a major military and political victory. A page-three article in the English-language paper stated that June 6, 1944, will go down in the history of World War II as a memorable date. K. Hofman, the reporter, cited Winston Churchills announcement of the operation, described how news of the assault flashed around the globe with the speed of lightning, and particularly praised Eisenhowers leadership. D-Day as reported in the Moscow News meant that German armies now faced a mortal threat of combined crushing blows by the Red Army from the East and the Allied armies from the West. A Meeting of War Experts, by Boris Efimov, published in Pravda, Oct. 6, 1942. Ne boltai! Collection, Prague A shift in tone The Soviet medias praise for both Churchill and Eisenhower might have taken some readers by surprise. The USSRs leaders, journalists and propagandists had been lambasting the Allies for their failure to open a second front against the Nazis in Europe ever since the Allies promised to do so in 1942. In an October 1942 issue of Pravda, the Soviet political caricaturist Boris Efimov published his cartoon A Meeting of War Experts about the Discussion on the Second Front in Europe. In it, General Brave and General Determined are trying to convince a group of older generals seated at a table: They are labeled as General What-If-We-Lose, General Is-It-Worth-Risking, General Let-Us-Not-Rush-This, General Let-Us-Wait and General What-If-Something-Goes-Wrong. In other cartoons published in 1942 and 1943, Efimov specifically identified Churchill and Eisenhower as the architects of the delay. The caricaturists Preparations to Open the Second Front, for example, sees the British prime minister and American general sitting on a floor sewing buttons on uniforms while they listen to a radio broadcast about the fierce battles on the Soviet-German front. The implied message is that the British and Americans were deliberately stalling in order to allow the USSR to bear the brunt of Hitlers violence. Rather than relieve the pressure, as Efimov and other press reports charged, Churchill and Eisenhower sat, smiled and listened to the radio. Preparations to Open the Second Front, by Boris Efimov, 1943. Ne boltai! Collection, Prague After June 6, and in keeping with other Soviet press reports, Efimov published two cartoons highlighting D-Day. On the Beaches of Normandy is dominated by a tank bearing the British and American flags. As it crushes the German fortifications beneath its wheels, the tank also sends a beastlike Joseph Goebbels scrambling away, his speech on the unbreakable Atlantic Wall torn apart while Hitler crouches glumly in a corner. On the Beaches of Normandy, by Boris Efimov, 1944. Ne boltai! Collection, Prague In another cartoon, On Walls and Falls, published on June 12, 1944, Efimov reminded Soviet readers of their nations contributions to the war effort. Goebbels, Gen. Erwin Rommel, Hitler and Hermann Goering stand atop a wall still emblazoned with a sign warning of the Impregnable Atlantic Wall. Behind his back, however, Hitler clutches a list of other impregnable fortresses, which had all been captured by the Red Army in 1943. D-Day was an important event, Efimovs cartoon illustrates, but it suggests the most important destruction of the Nazi war machine had been accomplished by the Soviets. On Walls and Falls by Boris Efimov, published in Ogonek June 12, 1944. Ne boltai! Collection, Prague Prelude to the Cold War Memories of the delay in opening a second front would linger for a long time in the USSR, growing into Cold War grievances. After Churchill delivered the famous March 1946 speech in which he labeled Soviet influence an iron curtain across Europe, Efimov would mock him relentlessly as the same nefarious type who had sewn buttons while Soviet soldiers and citizens suffered. Soviet propaganda transformed Eisenhower, who was the U.S. president from 1953 to 1961, into a stereotypical warmonger. As the decades passed, Soviet media outlets downplayed or ignored D-Day. Instead, they highlighted the sacrifices Soviet citizens made fighting the Germans, the anti-Soviet feelings that delayed the opening of the Second Front, the victories won at Stalingrad and other Soviet-centric perspectives. D-Day remained page three news at best, not a game changer then or, for Putin now. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Stephen Norris, Miami University. Read more: Stephen Norris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares leaves after a meeting with the Argentinian Ambassador to Spain at the headquarters of the Spain's Foreign Ministry. Albares has summoned the Argentinian ambassador in Madrid after Argentinian President Javier Milei verbally attacked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his wife, Albares said on Monday. Diego Radames/EUROPA PRESS/dpa The Spanish government withdrew its ambassador in Buenos Aires amid a deepening diplomatic scandal unleashed during Argentinian President Javier Milei's visit to Madrid at the weekend. "The situation has not changed and I am therefore announcing that we are withdrawing our ambassador in Buenos Aires. The ambassador will definitely remain in Madrid," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told journalists on Tuesday. The step came after Argentina's ultra-liberal leader Milei attended an election rally organized by the Spanish right-wing populist party Vox for the European elections in Madrid on Sunday, where he sharply criticized Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's left-wing government and described the premier's wife, Begona Gomez, as "corrupt." In response, Sanchez recalled the ambassador to Madrid for consultations and demanded a "public apology" from the Argentinian president. Milei not only refused to apologize but made further dismissive statements. "The Socialists are capable of anything. This is diplomatic nonsense," he told La Nacion newspaper on Tuesday. But Argentina is not going to recall its ambassador, he said. "If Pedro Sanchez makes a huge mistake, I won't be stupid enough to make the same mistake. You have to explain to Mr Sanchez that he is not the state, that he is not Spain and that his wife is even less so." Spain accuses Milei of interfering in Madrid's internal affairs and a "frontal attack" on its democracy, institutions and on Spain. Sanchez also warned of the danger that the global far-right gathering poses "to societies like [Spain's], in which democracy is based on the pillars of economic progress, social justice and coexistence," and said that "respect is indispensable." Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares leaves after a meeting with the Argentinian Ambassador to Spain at the headquarters of the Spain's Foreign Ministry. Albares has summoned the Argentinian ambassador in Madrid after Argentinian President Javier Milei verbally attacked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his wife, Albares said on Monday. Diego Radames/EUROPA PRESS/dpa KYODO NEWS - May 21, 2024 - 13:28 | All, Japan, Travel/Tourism A Japanese town on Tuesday set up a large black screen to block a scenic view of Mt. Fuji in response to what it calls unruly behavior from tourists after the photo spot went viral online. The 2.5-meter high, 20-meter wide screen now blocks the sight of Japan's highest mountain towering over a Lawson convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, which could previously be photographed from across a road, making the area a popular destination for foreign tourists. The surge in visitors drew complaints from local residents due to an uptick in people jaywalking and illegally parking vehicles in the area. The town began stationing security guards and posting warnings in English to manage the crowds, but the measures did little to improve the situation. Judy Lee, a 60-year-old tourist from Taiwan, lamented the installation, saying that other ways of preventing people from crossing the road should have been considered. "It's unavoidable," said a 74-year-old resident. "It was frightening because many tourists would jump out onto the road," she said. Related coverage: Online reservations begin for Mt. Fuji climbers to ease congestion Another Japanese prefecture to restrict night climbing on Mt. Fuji Mt. Fuji climbers to face 2,000 yen fees amid overtourism concerns Spain's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares leaves after a meeting with the Argentinian Ambassador to Spain at the headquarters of the Spain's Foreign Ministry. Albares has summoned the Argentinian ambassador in Madrid after Argentinian President Javier Milei verbally attacked Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his wife, Albares said on Monday. Diego Radames/EUROPA PRESS/dpa The Spanish government withdrew its ambassador in Buenos Aires amid a deepening diplomatic scandal unleashed during Argentinian President Javier Milei's visit to Madrid at the weekend. "The situation has not changed and I am therefore announcing that we are withdrawing our ambassador in Buenos Aires. The ambassador will definitely remain in Madrid," Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told journalists on Tuesday. The step came after Argentina's ultra-liberal leader Milei attended an election rally organized by the Spanish right-wing populist party Vox for the European elections in Madrid on Sunday, where he sharply criticized Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's left-wing government and described the premier's wife, Begona Gomez, as "corrupt." In response, Sanchez recalled the ambassador to Madrid for consultations and demanded a "public apology" from the Argentinian president. Milei not only refused to apologize but made further dismissive statements. "The Socialists are capable of anything. This is diplomatic nonsense," he told La Nacion newspaper on Tuesday. But Argentina is not going to recall its ambassador, he said. "If Pedro Sanchez makes a huge mistake, I won't be stupid enough to make the same mistake. You have to explain to Mr Sanchez that he is not the state, that he is not Spain and that his wife is even less so." Spain accuses Milei of interfering in Madrid's internal affairs and a "frontal attack" on its democracy, institutions and on Spain. Sanchez also warned of the danger that the global far-right gathering poses "to societies like [Spain's], in which democracy is based on the pillars of economic progress, social justice and coexistence," and said that "respect is indispensable." At the rally in Madrid, attended by around 11,000 participants from Europe, the United States and Latin America, Milei was celebrated like a "rock star," according to El Mundo newspaper and other media. During his speech, the Argentinian president, who describes himself as an "anarcho-capitalist," said that the world must say "no more to damned and cancerous socialism." He also claimed that socialism leads "to slavery or death," and that social justice is "always unjust." The meeting was also attended by leading far-right, right-wing populist and nationalist conservative politicians from abroad, including Marine Le Pen from the French party National Rally, Portugal's Andre Ventura from the right-wing populist Enough (Chega) party and the Israeli minister for social equality, Amichai Chikli. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni joined by video link and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban sent a message in which he described the European Parliament elections from June 6 to 9 as "a great common fight" against a Europe that promotes "mass illegal migration." FILE - Argentina's president Javier Milei gestures as he delivers a speech on stage during the Spanish far-right wing party Vox's rally "Europa Viva 24" in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, May 19, 2024. A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday, May 21, 2024, as Spain pulled its ambassador from Buenos Aires and Argentine President Javier Milei lambasted the move as nonsense typical of an arrogant socialist. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File) BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) A diplomatic crisis between historic allies Spain and Argentina expanded Tuesday as Spain announced the official withdrawal of its ambassador from Buenos Aires and Argentine President Javier Milei lambasted the move as nonsense typical of an arrogant socialist. Spain said its ambassador to Argentina would remain indefinitely in Madrid, where she had been recalled for consultations Sunday in response to comments made by President Milei during a contentious weekend visit he made to the Spanish capital. In a fiery speech defending free market capitalism at a far-right rally in Madrid, Milei accused the Spanish prime ministers wife of corruption and described socialism as cursed and carcinogenic." Following Milei's refusal to apologize, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares told reporters Tuesday that Argentina will continue without an ambassador," speaking with a measure of incredulity that Milei would treat Spain this way. We are facing a unique case, not only unique for this government, but unique in the history of international relations, Albares said. There is no precedent for a head of state going to the capital of another country to insult its institutions. Milei who has found himself embroiled in diplomatic quarrels across the region and has referred to his opponents as human excrement has never been seen as the most tactful occupant of Argentina's highest office. He continued lashing out at Spain on Tuesday, telling the local La Nacion news channel that the Spanish decision was nonsense typical of an arrogant socialist." Socialists are capable of doing anything, he added. But he did not immediately retaliate. When asked whether Argentina would do the same, Milei said: I am not going to be such an idiot. The surprise move escalates a long-running diplomatic spat between the socialist government of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Milei's libertarian administration. Sanchez first incurred Milei's wrath when he backed his left-wing opponent in last year's presidential election and declined to congratulate Milei on his victory. Tensions mounted amid a barrage of insults in recent weeks as Sanchez's Cabinet ministers alleged Milei had taken narcotics during a TV appearance and Milei accused Sanchez of pursuing policies that only bring poverty and death. Defying the norms of presidential behavior, Milei snubbed all Spanish government officials on his first visit to Spain as head of state last week and instead met only Sanchez's fiercest critics, members of the hard-right, anti-immigrant Vox party that hopes to make gains in Junes European parliamentary elections. Analysts said that Milei's diplomatic saber-rattling serves a bigger political agenda. Milei might be sensing that the socialist party has short legs, and so he's trying to prepare Argentina to get a really close ally when Spain gets a right-wing government, in the same way he's betting on Trump, said Sebastian Mazzuca, an Argentine political scientist at Johns Hopkins University. Milei is taking gambles, taking risks. The foreign minister, Albares, complained Milei had used his visit to poke Spain in the eye, breaking diplomatic protocol that Latin American countries and their former colonizer have long observed. At the Vox party rally Sunday, Milei delivered his typical anti-socialism talking points and mocked Sanchez for taking a break from public view last month over corruption allegations brought by an activist group against his wife, Begona Gomez. The private group, which files lawsuits to promote far-right causes, accused Gomez of using her position to influence business deals. Gomez has not been indicted or called in for questioning. Spanish prosecutors have recommended the case be thrown out. The fallout with Spain, a significant investment partner for Argentina, could have lasting political and economic consequences for President Milei, who has promised to rescue the country's long-troubled economy through austerity. Spain is Argentinas second-biggest foreign investor after the United States, with Spanish companies investing 140 million euros ($152 million) in the country in 2022. Some 495,000 Spaniards live in Argentina, according to Spanish government statistics, while 97,000 Argentines reside in Spain. Over the weekend, Milei also met with Spanish business executives. One of them, Antonio Garamendi, president of the main Spanish business council, said he profoundly rejected Milei's off-key remarks about the Spanish government in an interview with major local radio station Ser. Milei is trying to prove that commercial relations are a market issue that goes on one track and political issues are on another track, said Mazzuca, the political scientist. I don't know if that's going to work. ___ Associated Press writer Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report. Speaker Johnson moving ahead on Netanyahu invite to address Congress in wake of possible ICC warrant House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Tuesday that he's moving ahead with an invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress despite an International Criminal Court prosecutor saying he would apply for a warrant to arrest Netanyahu for war crimes. Johnson said that an invitation hasn't been sent out yet because he was awaiting word from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to join the invitation. PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks in Jerusalem, Feb. 18, 2024. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson at the Capitol, Feb. 29, 2024 in Washington. (Reuters/AP, FILE) Schumer told reporters Tuesday he is open to the idea. "I'm discussing that now with the speaker of the House, and as I've always said, our relationship with Israel is ironclad and transcends any one prime minister or president," Schumer said. MORE: 'Hit Job': ICC prosecutor seeking arrest warrants for Israeli leaders is 'absurd,' Netanyahu says Johnson said that if Schumer did not agree to sign the letter, "We were going to proceed and invite Netanyahu just to the House." The speaker, who has been a staunch supporter of Netanyahu, first floated the idea of inviting the prime minister to Congress in March. It was around this time that Schumer called for new elections in Israel calling Netanyahu an "obstacle to peace." "I will always respect his extraordinary bravery for Israel on the battlefield as a younger man. I believe in his heart his highest priority is the security of Israel," Schumer said on the Senate floor on March 14. "However, I also believe Prime Minister Netanyahu has lost his way by allowing his political survival to take precedence over the best interests of Israel." Netanyahu last addressed Congress in March 2015. Johnson's plan comes on the heels of the ICC prosecutor's announcement Monday that he planned to seek warrants against the prime minister, other Israeli leaders and Hamas leaders. ICC prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan alleged the Israeli leaders bear "criminal responsibility" for "war crimes and crimes against humanity" in Gaza through the starvation of civilians, willfully causing great suffering and other "inhumane acts." Netanyahu told ABC's "Good Morning America" Tuesday that the ICC's plan was "absurd" and a "hit job." President Joe Biden called the prosecutor's decision to seek arrest warrants for the Israeli leaders "outrageous." MORE: Israel-Gaza live updates While many members of Congress also echoed this statement, some Democrats were wary of inviting Netanyahu to Washington. PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) poses for photographs with senators at the U.S. Capitol Nov. 10, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images, FILE) Democratic Rep. Mark Pocan of Wisconsin warned that if Netanyahu addresses a joint session of Congress, he'd help the ICC serve the warrant to Netanyahu in the House chamber. "If Netanyahu comes to address Congress, I would be more than glad to show the ICC the way to the House floor to issue that warrant," Pocan posted on X Monday. "Ditto for Hamas leader. Ceasefire. No offensive weapons. Food, water, & medicine must get through." The U.S. and Israel are not signatories to the Rome Statute, which institutionalized the international court and empowers it to prosecute individuals for war crimes. Unlike other countries that are signatories, the U.S. would not be obligated to arrest Netanyahu should he travel to Washington. Johnson flatly dismissed Pocan's warning shot as "patently absurd." In the meantime, the speaker is considering legislation to respond to the ICC's plan with possible sanctions. Speaker Johnson moving ahead on Netanyahu invite to address Congress in wake of possible ICC warrant originally appeared on abcnews.go.com Special counsel in Hunter Biden case plans to call his ex-wife, brother's widow as witnesses in upcoming trial Special counsel in Hunter Biden case plans to call his ex-wife, brother's widow as witnesses in upcoming trial In court papers filed ahead of a June 3 trial, special counsel David Weiss office suggested they would call multiple women who had relationships with Hunter Biden to testify in his felony gun case, including his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle, and the widow of his late brother Beau Biden, Hallie Biden. The revelations emerged late Monday in a trial brief filed by the government. The 97-page document includes the law and evidence prosecutors plan to use to prove that Hunter Biden committed three felonies when he procured a firearm in 2018 while under the influence of drugs. Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty. The filing does not name Buhle or Hallie Biden. But the descriptions make their identities clear. Witness 1 was previously married to the defendant, prosecutors wrote in the filing. They divorced in April 2017, but through 2018 she would check his vehicle from time to time because she did not want their children in a vehicle with drugs. PHOTO: Hunter Biden attends the House Oversight and Accountability Committee markup titled 'Resolution Recommending That The House Of Representatives Find Robert Hunter Biden In Contempt Of Congress,' Jan. 10, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images, FILE) MORE: 'Are you staring me down?': Fiery moment between judge, defense witness in Trump hush money trial Prosecutors described Witness 3 as a woman who "was in a romantic relationship with the defendant in October 2018, and before and after." "Witness 3 will also establish that the defendant possessed the gun and she discarded it in an outdoor trash receptacle at the Janssens Market in Wilmington, Delaware after removing it from his vehicle," prosecutors wrote. ABC News has previously reported that Hallie Biden found the Cobra 38SPL revolver and discarded it in a garbage bin. A third unidentified woman prosecutors plan to call "was previously in a romantic relationship" with Biden and "observed the defendant using crack cocaine frequentlyevery 20 minutes except when he slept." Prosecutors in Weiss office also indicated that they intend to draw heavily from passages in Hunter Bidens 2021 memoir, "Beautiful Things," in which Biden addressed his addiction. They also plan to enter into evidence several messages that demonstrate his addiction at the time of his gun purchase, on Oct. 12, 2018. MORE: Tennessee professor swept away by wave during Brazil study-abroad trip has died The trial is scheduled to begin on June 3 in Wilmington, Delaware, before Judge Maryellen Noreika. Earlier on Monday, Hunter Biden appealed Noreikas denial of his motion to dismiss the charges. A panel of federal appellate judges has already turned down a similar effort. Noreika has repeatedly blocked Bidens efforts to delay the trial. Prosecutors say Biden lied on a federal form about his drug use when he obtained a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver in 2018, after he later acknowledged in his memoir, "Beautiful Things," that he was addicted to drugs around that time. He owned the firearm for 11 days and never fired it, his attorneys have said. Biden was indicted by special counsel Weiss last September. Special counsel in Hunter Biden case plans to call his ex-wife, brother's widow as witnesses in upcoming trial originally appeared on abcnews.go.com The Lake County Board of Elections and Registration reviewed two election complaints regarding St. John Precinct 14 Committeeman candidate Rudy Bambic who is accused of giving away free ice cream for votes during the primary election. The board voted 3-1, with board chairman Kevin Smith recusing himself, to send the complaint against Bambic to the prosecutor and to review a possible fine the board could issue him. Both of the complaints cite the Indiana Code addressing inducing votes by gift or offer to compensate. The code states that anyone who during an election gives, offers or promises any person any money or other property commits a Level 6 felony. Charles Kallas filed a complaint against Bambic who ran as a Republican candidate for St. John 14 precinct committeeman in the primary election and lost for inducing voters to vote for him by the promise of free ice cream which can also be classified as a gift or offer, according to the complaint. Bambic said he wasnt giving away ice cream for votes, but he said he put the political signs on the truck. Was I in an ice cream truck? Yes. I mean we were giving ice cream away to kids. Its not like I was intentionally or doing anything where I was trying to buy votes for a position that Im not even getting paid for, Bambic said. Gerald Bromely filed a complaint against Michael Bouvat, current St. John Council president, with a picture showing Bouvat inside the ice cream truck. Bouvat was supporting the effort to secure vote for Mr. Bambic, according to the complaint. I did ride with Rudy. I was there to support him. Didnt hand out any ice cream, but I was there with him, Bouvat said. The board voted 5-0 to dismiss the complaint against Bouvat. Smith said the case against Bouvat isnt strong after Bouvat testified that he did not hand out any ice cream. Kallas filed a complaint May 3 against Bambic with photos Bambic posted on Facebook of himself standing outside an ice cream truck with a sign that said Free!! Free!!! Ice cream Vote Rudy Bambic St #14 Kallas requested in his complaint that the board issue a cease and desist to Bambic to ensure he didnt use the truck on election day. Kallas gave the board a photograph posted on Facebook that the ice cream truck was outside Clark Middle School in St. John, a polling location, on Election Day. Republican board member Michael Mellon said board attorney Carly Brandenburg called Bambic on May 4 to tell him to cease and desist using an ice cream truck. Bouvat said he was not aware of the cease and desist order given May 4. You were giving out ice cream in hopes of getting votes, Mellon said. You branded this ice cream truck, this activity with yourself. Then on Election Day, when that ice cream truck pulled up again, in essence, you were flaunting the instructions of Ms. Brandenburg. Lake County Clerk Michael Brown said the photo Kallas gave the board showed the ice cream truck didnt have election signs after the cease and desist was issued. Mellon said a violation doesnt have to be repeated to be a violation, and the violation had already occurred when the ice cream truck was out in the community with political signs. In the campaigning process, they were branding this ice cream to this candidate. This candidate correlated with free ice cream, Mellon said. On election day, you can take that sign off, but hes still branded with the free ice cream. Republican board member John Reed said the case rises to an election law violation given that, among other facts, the board issued a cease and desist and then the ice cream truck was used on Election Day. There seems to be something going on where the giving of gifts while supporting a candidate is becoming more and more active, and I think it really needs to be nipped in the bud, Mellon said. akukulka@chicagotribune.com ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. A St. Louis County man is accused of attacking his roommate with a sword over the weekend. According to the St. Louis County Police Departments probable cause statement, the attack happened on May 19 at a home in the 2000 block of Penncross Court. Police claim Angelus Scott (age not provided) made statements about slicing his roommates head before grabbing a sword and swinging it at him. The roommate was able to defend himself and avoid being cut or stabbed. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News Police arrived a short time later, took Scott into custody, and confiscated the sword. A motive for the attack was not mentioned. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorneys Office charged Scott with first-degree assault and armed criminal action. At present, Scott is being hospitalized for a mental health evaluation. Upon his release, hell be jailed on a $200,000 cash-only bond. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 2. TAMPA, Fla. (WLFA) A missing, endangered St. Pete man was found safe on Tuesday. Livio Antonio Mota walked away from his home in the 3400 block of 37th Street South in St. Pete at 11:40 a.m. He was found safe on Tuesday afternoon. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. 'Are you staring me down?': Fiery moment between judge, defense witness in Trump hush money trial In a fiery moment in court on Monday, Judge Juan Merchan reprimanded a key defense witness testifying in former President Donald Trump's hush money trial. Robert Costello -- an attorney and longtime Trump ally -- took the stand Monday afternoon to testify about a meeting he had with Michael Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI raided Cohen's home and office. As Merchan sustained a string of objections by the prosecution on procedural matters, Costello could be heard sighing loudly and uttering the words "ridiculous" or "jeez" from the witness stand. Less than 15 minutes into Costello's testimony, the typically even-tempered judge appeared fed up with Costellos behavior and sent the jury out of the courtroom. PHOTO: Justice Juan Merchan scolds witness Robert Costello as he momentarily clears the courtroom during former U.S. President Donald Trump's criminal trial in Manhattan state court in New York City, May 20, 2024, in this courtroom sketch. (Jane Rosenberg/Reuters) "I'd like to discuss proper decorum in my courtroom," he said. "If you don't like my ruling, you don't say 'Jeez,' you don't say 'Strike it,' because I'm the only one who can strike testimony in the court. If you don't like my ruling, you don't give me side-eye, and you don't roll your eyes." Costello replied, saying he understood. But then, in an abrupt comment, Merchan addressed Costello again. "Are you staring me down?" he asked, visibly angry. MORE: 5 big takeaways from Day 19 of Trump's hush money trial A furious Merchan then ordered all 60 reporters to clear out of the courtroom, sending the confused crowd into the hallway. A few minutes later, both jurors and reporters were allowed back inside, and Merchan continued proceedings without addressing things with Costello any further. PHOTO: Reporters return to the courtroom after being made to briefly leave during the ongoing trial of former President Donald Trump at Manhattan Criminal Court, in New York City, May 20, 2024. (Dave Sanders/Pool via Reuters) According to a court transcript obtained by ABC News obtained after Mondays proceedings, Merchan accused Costello of exhibiting "contemptuous" conduct on the stand. "Your conduct is contemptuous right now. I'm putting you on notice that your conduct is contemptuous. If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand. I will strike his entire testimony; do you understand me?" Merchan asked Costello. Defense attorney Emil Bove said he understood. Costello asked if he could "say something," to which the judge refused, saying, "This is not a conversation," to which Costello replied OK. Costello's time on the witness stand continued without incident as he testified about his April 2018 meeting with Cohen. Costello said Cohen was acting "manic" at the meeting after the FBI raid and kept "pacing back and forth." Costello testified that Cohen told him he didn't "have anything on Donald Trump," and he said he asked what his "escape route" would be. "[Cohen said], 'My life is shattered, my family's life is shattered,'" Costello testified. According to Costello, Cohen was "suicidal" that day. He was putting on quite a show, and he explained to us that two nights before, he was on the roof of the Regency Hotel, and he was going to jump off and kill himself because he couldnt handle the pressure" of the situation, Costello testified. Last week, Cohen testified that he "didn't trust" Costello, who he said was "incredibly close to Rudy Giuliani," adding that he feared anything he told him would get back to Trump. On the stand, Cohen said their relationship took a turn in June 2018, when he said he began considering other attorneys to represent him. MORE: Trump trial: Drama sweeps courtroom as defense tries to get case tossed In March 2023, Costello testified before the grand jury as an exculpatory witness at the request of Trump's attorneys. He also told reporters last year that Cohen is on the revenge tour and cannot provide reliable testimony. Cohen, in his testimony, accused Costello of spearheading a "pressure campaign" to keep him from flipping on Trump. (Trump has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges in the case.) 'Are you staring me down?': Fiery moment between judge, defense witness in Trump hush money trial originally appeared on abcnews.go.com "Are you staring me down right now?": Trump witness' fight with judge won't "play well" with jury One reason Donald Trumps lawyers probably are telling him not to testify in his own defense is because they and everyone else in a certain Manhattan courtroom on Monday have now seen what happens when a defiant witness takes the stand and has a tantrum in front of the jury. Robert Costello, an attorney who briefly advised Michael Cohen after the FBI raided his home in 2018, is the first person the defense team has called to provide substantive testimony. Firmly on Team MAGA, Costello was asked to counter the former presidents ex-fixer, who had told the court that Trump called him after the raid and told him to stay tough. According to Costello, Cohen was distraught after the raid but adamant, at the time, that he had no dirt on his boss that he could share with law enforcement in hopes of softer treatment. He said, I swear to God, Bob, I dont have anything on Donald Trump, Costello said, purportedly quoting his former client. But that was far from the highlight. What drew the most attention from Costellos brief time on the stand was the way he acted toward Judge Juan Merchan, who had sustained multiple prosecutions objections to the apparent annoyance of the defense witness. Jeez, Costello muttered in response to one such ruling, whose sarcasm extended to his body language and prompted the judge to clear out the jury to remind the witness how to behave in a courtroom. I want to discuss proper decorum in my courtroom, Merchan said. You dont give me a side eye and you dont roll your eyes, he continued. If you dont like my ruling, you dont say, jeez. Costello responded with what CNN described as a long glare, further setting off the judge. Are you staring me down? a visibly upset Merchan asked Costello. The scene ended with the judge threatening to strike Costellos testimony altogether if he didnt learn how to control himself. Your conduct is contemptuous right now, he said. If you stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand. CNN legal analyst Paula Reid said she was shocked by the performance, which she believes was intended to please one man the defendant but could jeopardize the entire Trump defense. This is unbelievable, Reid said Monday night. I know Bob Costello quite well. I talked to him for about a decade. The fact that he would allow this to happen on the stand, it suggests in many ways that he is probably posturing for the defendant. Remember, its the defendant that overrode his own defense attorneys they said this is not a good idea, do not put Costello on the stand. He overrode them. As attorney and Brookings Institution senior fellow Norm Eisen commented, Costellos performance was what might call an own goal: he added nothing that jurors would not have already gathered from Cohen himself the former presidents ex-fixer told jurors he repeatedly lied to protect his boss while needlessly antagonizing the judge. Even if the jury had left the room for the talking down, jurors could likely figure out the reason they had to get up and go: ill manners of a kind we have not seen from any witness yet across the 19 days of trial, even on the most contentious cross-examinations. Whether the former presidents desire to testify is real or just public relations, defense lawyers Todd Blanche, Emil Bove and Susan Necheles are unlikely to be urging their client to do so after watching Costellos best Trump impression. The question, according to Rebecca Roiphe, a law professor at New York University, is whether Costellos in-court petulance will be remembered when jurors begin to deliberate as soon as next week. I wonder how the jury is going to react to the part it saw, Roiphe told The New Republic. I cant imagine that helps the defense to have somebody treat the authority figure, whos been pretty evenhanded, that way. I dont think thatll play well. In this photo illustration, packages of Mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic in Rockville, Maryland. (Photo illustration by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Photo illustration by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin sent cease and desist letters Tuesday to two companies, one in New York and one in the Netherlands, that have advertised their ability to provide abortion medication to Arkansans. Abortion is illegal in Arkansas with a narrow exception to save a pregnant persons life. The 2019 trigger law went into effect in June 2022 upon the U.S. Supreme Courts decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Griffin said in a Tuesday news release that this law makes it illegal for companies outside Arkansas to sell and ship abortion medication to residents. 2024-05-21-Aid-Access-Cease-and-Desist-Letter These companies must cease and desist advertising relating to the performance of abortion services in Arkansas immediately or face the possibility of lawsuits from my office, Griffin said. New York City-based Choices Womens Medical Center has a page on its website stating that it serves clients from Little Rock. New York state allows abortions up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. Aid Access, started in 2018 by Dutch physician Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, is an online-only medication abortion provider that aims to serve people in countries such as the U.S. where abortion access is limited or banned. The general counsel of the anti-abortion National Right to Life Committee told NBC News in 2022 that federal action would be necessary to stop Aid Access and other groups from selling abortion pills in states with abortion restrictions because state laws have limited extraterritorial effects. However, Griffins letters to each entity state that his office would sue them under the Arkansas Deceptive Trade Practices Act if they continue to advertise and sell their products in the state. Those found liable for violating the ADTPA can be fined up to $10,000 per violation. The cease and desist letters clearly state the statutory basis for our warning to these companies, said Jeff LeMaster, a spokesman for Griffins office. Both companies have 14 days to contact Griffins office in writing with the steps [they] have taken to remedy this situation, according to the letters. Medication abortion involves taking mifepristone first followed by misoprostol. The two-drug regimen accounted for about 63% of abortions within the United States in 2023 a 10% increase since 2020 according to a report from the Guttmacher Institute. In April 2023, a federal judge in Texas issued a ruling ordering mifepristone to be pulled from the market and its federal Food and Drug Administration approval reversed. A federal appeals court ruled in August that the drug could remain available for the foreseeable future. The Supreme Court heard arguments in the case in March, with justices indicating skepticism toward the arguments of the anti-abortion organizations who are plaintiffs in the case. Here in Arkansas, Rep. Wayne Long, R-Bradford, introduced two bills meant to restrict medication-induced abortion during the 2023 legislative session. One would have banned chemical abortions and the other would have increased the criminal penalties for violating state law regarding abortion-inducing drugs. Neither bill was heard in committee, but Act 702 of 2023 allows revocation of physicians medical licenses if they are found to have violated Arkansas abortion-inducing drugs law. Supporters of abortion access have until July 5 to collect signatures for a proposed ballot measure, with language approved by Griffin, that would create a constitutional right to abortion within 18 weeks of fertilization and include exceptions for rape, incest, a fatal fetal anomaly or to protect the pregnant females life or physical health. Griffins move to end the marketing and sale of abortion pills in Arkansas makes it even more critical that the Arkansas Abortion Amendment is on the ballot in November, Arkansans for Limited Government, a ballot question committee advocating for the passage of the amendment, said in a statement Tuesday. The state government is working every angle at its disposal to ensure that Arkansas women in need of abortion care have no options for accessing it, which, as research shows, puts their lives at risk, the committee wrote. Arkansans who believe that the government should not have the power to interfere in their healthcare decision-making need to work the angles at our disposal to fight back. That means leveraging the most effective tool we have: direct democracy. The post Out-of-state abortion pill providers must stop advertising and sales in Arkansas, AG orders appeared first on Arkansas Advocate. KYODO NEWS - May 21, 2024 - 08:05 | All, Japan A research team at Kyoto University in western Japan has succeeded in mass-generating cells capable of turning into sperm or eggs by using human induced pluripotent cells, with the achievement expected to boost studies in reproductive medicine. The research, published in the online edition of the British science journal Nature on Monday, amplified the number of male and female primitive germ cells over 10 billion times from their initial culture stage. Obtaining human cells at the earliest developmental stage had been technologically challenging. "(The findings) will expedite the pace of research," said Michinori Saito, a professor at Kyoto University and one of the research team members, noting at the same time that they still need to clear hurdles in several areas to achieve such a goal. The scientists hope their findings will eventually lead to the production of eggs and sperm that are generated from "primordial germ cells" through "pro-spermatogonia" and "oogonia." The team had already developed a scheme to generate reproductive cells by using somatic cells of mice and culturing oogonia, but it was deemed inefficient. This time, the team succeeded in developing oogonia and pro-spermatogonia in two months by using primordial germ cell-like cells and adding bone morphogenetic protein signaling. During a cultural period of about four months, the number of cells rose 10 billion times, and the generation process was relatively simple, the researchers said. When germ cells divide, they undergo a process called epigenetic reprogramming, which resets parental epigenetic memories and leads to the formation of multiplying pro-spermatogonia or oogonia. While recreating epigenetic reprogramming in humans in a laboratory setting remains a fundamental challenge, the research provided insights into this process by generating abundant pro-spermatogonia and oogonia cells, elucidating the framework of epigenetic reprogramming in humans, the research team said. Related coverage: Scientists breed 1st pigs for human organ transplants in Japan Smart glasses-using university entrance exam cheat referred to prosecutors Criteria shift raises U.S. subcritical nuclear test count: peace NPO State board targets six prescription drugs to review for affordability for Marylanders A Maryland board tasked with constraining prescription drug costs officially named six medications Monday for cost review, to determine if the drugs pose affordability challenges for Marylanders on the states health care plan. Drugs treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and HIV/AIDS did not make the list for now. The Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) finalized the selected drugs for review at an in-person meeting that followed years of virtual meetings, a holdover from COVID-era social distancing precautions. Its nice to see our board members and our new employees, said board Chair Van T. Mitchell from the William Amoss meeting room in the Miller Senate Office Building. We finally, I think, are moving in the right direction with a lot of momentum. Virtual meetings are just one hurdle the board has faced. Created by the General Assembly in 2019, the board was slow to begin operating, due in part to a veto from former Gov. Larry Hogan (R) amid pandemic-induced economic uncertainty in 2020. Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed legislation in 2023 reaffirming the boards authority to issue upper payment limits as a potential cost-reduction tool and extended deadlines from the earlier law. Its been taking us a while to get to where we need to, board member Stephen Rockower, a retired orthopedic surgeon, said after Mondays meeting. Some of it was us getting ourselves organized and getting the funding from the state to be able to do what we needed to do. But now that weve done that were making progress, he added. After the slow start, Mondays meeting marks the first time a handful of drugs will officially undergo cost review, in which board staff will seek public comments, additional information and data over the next 60 days to determine if Marylanders struggle to afford treatments for diabetes, moderate-to-severe eczema and other diseases treated by the targeted medications. The board is still months away from potential cost-reduction efforts. Prescription Drug Affordability Board Executive Director Andrew York on May 20, 2024. Photo by Danielle J. Brown Andrew York, the boards executive director, reminded members that selection is not a declaration that a particular medication is unaffordable. It merely gives the board the opportunity to gather more information on out-of-pocket costs for patients, as well as other financial considerations to determine the affordability of a drug. Four drugs treating Type 2 diabetes were prioritized by the board for cost-review analysis: Ozempic, Trulicity, Farxiga and Jardiance. The latter two are also used to treat heart and kidney disease. Ozempic is also being used as a weight-loss treatment for certain patients. Skyrizi, used to treat plaque psoriasis and Crohns disease, was also selected for the first round of review. Dupixent, used to treat moderate-to-severe eczema, was selected for cost review as a lower priority, meaning the board will conduct its analysis of Dupixent after the other five drugs. Initially, there were eight prescription drugs being eyed for review, but two were removed from consideration for now: Biktarvy and Vyvanse. Biktarvy is a single-pill treatment that manages the symptoms of HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus. PDAB member Gerard Anderson argued that federal assistance programs to help low-income patients afford Biktarvy could complicate the boards ability to collect data on whether the drug is affordable. We would essentially have to figure out how to deal with the many different components of the federal and state government and local governments, Anderson advised. That, to me, is the real challenge here, dealing with Biktarvy. The ADHD treatment Vyvanse did not make the cost-review cut for similar reasons. Board member Joseph Levy said that moving away from more complicated drugs would be OK, since its the first round of cost review, but those drugs can be considered by the board in the future. Vincent DeMarco, a health care advocate who has been a long time supporter of the board, called Mondays meeting historic. In that they actually identified some drugs, he said after the meeting. Theyre making some substantial progress. We understand that this is not an easy thing. York said the board has a team of five staffers to gather any additional information now that the cost review process is underway. We very much have to prioritize resources, but I think what the board sent to us, I think is completely reasonable, York said. The next PDAB meeting is scheduled for July 22 and should be in-person again, according to Mitchell. The board hopes to discuss the findings of the cost review study at that meeting. The post State board targets six prescription drugs to review for affordability for Marylanders appeared first on Maryland Matters. State and county law enforcement shut down Afton marijuana grow AFTON, Okla. Oklahoma narcotic investigators seized more than 8.5 million dollars in illegal marijuana at a rural Afton growing operation on Monday. Brothers fined more than $30K in mega Ottawa County marijuana bust Multiple law enforcement agencies descended upon Lucky Group, LLC at 450271 S. Highway 85 in Delaware County. Wenzuo Mei is the registered agent. Man under the influence of marijuana charged with manslaughter for a 2021 triple fatality crash A man who said he didnt know English answered telephone calls to the registered agents telephone number. The telephone number is a Chicago area code. According to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, the businesss grow license expired Sept. 30. Delaware County Sheriff James Beck said no one was taken into custody today but arrests are pending. Photographs provided by the Delaware County Sheriffs Office Also seized was an undisclosed amount of cash. Mark Woodward, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics spokesman said the raid is part is part of an ongoing investigation. Beck said Delaware County Commissioners David Poindexter and David Beck provided dump trucks and heavy equipment to remove the marijuana offsite to a disposal location where it was destroyed. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNF/KODE | FourStatesHomepage.com. A new Florida law is putting outdoor workers' lives in danger by prohibiting cities and towns from passing heat protections. What happened? In April 2024, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law that will bar municipalities from enacting heat protections for workers. The move was an apparent response to efforts from farmworkers in Miami-Dade County that sought to pass heat protections like required rest breaks and access to water and shade, the Guardian reported. "It's incomprehensible that people who live in Florida, and are supposed to represent the people of Florida, can vote against the health and safety of the workers that make this economy run, who were considered essential workers just a couple years ago and given PPE, are now treated like this, and not giving protection from extreme heat," Jeannie Economos, an organizer with the Farmworker Association of Florida, told the publication. "That makes no sense, and it's unconscionable." Why is this law concerning? Up to 2,000 U.S. workers die each year because of heat stress, according to the Guardian, which cited a 2023 Public Citizen report. Heat stress can also cause an additional 170,000 injuries and cost the U.S. economy almost $100 billion annually because of lost productivity, according to the group. Plus, hot days are expected to become more common as the climate crisis worsens this will no doubt make heat waves more dangerous in the coming years. For instance, El Nino, coupled with rising global temperatures led to a number of deadly heat waves across the globe in 2023 and 2024. This included an abnormally high combination of temperatures and humidity in Texas in June 2023 that led to the death of a postal worker. What's being done about the law? So far, there are no nationwide laws protecting workers from heat, but states like California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Minnesota have individually passed heat protections for workers. Plus, Phoenix, which suffered more than 600 heat-related deaths during 2023's summer heatwave, has passed an ordinance that requires employers to provide cool drinking water, regular and necessary breaks, access to shaded areas and/or air conditioning, and training for all city contractors and employees. Meanwhile, a number of business groups are lobbying against heat protections for workers at the federal level and lobbied aggressively for the Florida heat exemption bill, per the Guardian. Economos told the news site that worker advocacy groups in Florida are regrouping and hope to find a way to override the new law. They also continue to advocate for federal heat protections for workers and conduct heat stress training for outdoor workers. If you're caught in a heat wave, it's important to take precautions to protect yourself. These include staying indoors if possible, drinking water even if you're not feeling thirsty, avoiding strenuous exercise, finding a local cooling center if you lose power or don't have air conditioning, avoiding alcohol and drinks with caffeine, and avoiding the use of your oven/stove as much as possible. Join our free newsletter for cool news and actionable info that makes it easy to help yourself while helping the planet. State panel recommends St. Johns County over Eatonville for site of Floridas Black History Museum A state panel on Tuesday afternoon recommended St. Johns County as the site of Floridas Black History Museum. The task force met for several hours before announcing the recommendation shortly after 4 p.m. The town of Eatonville had also been vying for the $100 million project. The projects architect revealed Tuesday that the St. Johns County delegation seeks to build the museum on undeveloped land far from a highway or St. Augustine -- Floridas historic capital and the county seat. The task forces recommendation will be sent to the Florida Legislature, which can either abide by it or ignore it. Read: Black history museum task force member accused of tanking score against Orange County Orange County wanted to build a facility that included a performing arts center and a hotel off Interstate 4 and argued the former Hungerford School site was best positioned for success. St. Johns County leaned heavily on its history and the heavily weighted scoring to rise above concerns that its rural location was far from anything else and wouldnt be able to sustain a major museum. Watch Channel 9 Eyewitness News for the latest on this story. See our other coverage below: Eatonville makes pitch to host Floridas black history museum New bill could derail plans for African American history museum in Eatonville Eatonville makes pitch to host Floridas black history museum Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live. FILE - Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson poses, April 17, 2024, in Atlanta. Voters are deciding the race between Pinson and Democratic former congressman John Barrow in a nonpartisan general election on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File) ATLANTA (AP) A Georgia state Supreme Court incumbent has won an election that was unusually heated by the standards of the state's nonpartisan judicial elections, while voters in the state also advanced a former Donald Trump aide and a former state Senate majority leader to a GOP runoff for an open seat in the strongly Republican 3rd Congressional District. Two Democratic congressional incumbents U.S. Reps. David Scott and Lucy McBath defeated primary challengers in metro Atlanta districts that were redrawn by Republicans after redistricting lawsuits. Parties were also choosing their nominees for other congressional and state legislative seats and local offices including sheriffs, district attorneys and county commissioners. Runoffs will be held June 18 in races where candidates didn't win a majority. Here's a look at key races: STATE SUPREME COURT Georgia state Supreme Court Justice Andrew Pinson defeated a challenge from former U.S. Rep. John Barrow in the general election for judicial candidates, who run without party labels. The 37-year-old Pinson won a six-year term after Gov. Brian Kemp appointed him to the nine-member court in 2022. The 69-year-old Barrow made support for abortion rights central to his campaign. Pinson said discussing issues would weaken confidence that he could judge fairly, and he warned of making judicial campaigns too political. Tonight the voters of Georgia voiced their desire for a fair and impartial judiciary, Pinson said in a statement. Kemp and other conservatives intervened to aid Pinson in a race that grew heated by the usually sleepy standards of Georgias judicial elections. Barrow unsuccessfully sued in federal court, saying a state judicial agency was violating his free-speech rights. The agency warned Barrow his claim that Georgians have a right to abortion under the state constitution might be violating judicial ethics. Barrow, in a statement after his loss, said he remains committed to his view that the Georgia Constitution protects abortion rights. The people who have spoken up on the issue of abortion rights agree with me, and so the issue remains to be decided, first by the Supreme Court and ultimately by the people, Barrow said in a statement. Justices Michael Boggs, John Ellington and Nels Peterson were unopposed. Six judges on the Georgia Court of Appeals are also unopposed, while Jeff Davis beat Tabitha Ponder for an open seat on the court. 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Former Donald Trump aide Brian Jack and Mike Dugan, the former Georgia state Senate majority leader, advanced to a runoff for the GOP nomination in Georgias 3rd Congressional District south and west of Atlanta. Jack also worked for former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. He parlayed Trumps endorsement and his Washington contacts into a fundraising lead in his first run for office. On the stump, Jack emphasized his close ties to Trump at every opportunity. We're excited to share our message and grow our campaign even more over the next few weeks, Jack said in a statement. Dugan emphasized Republican legislative achievements when he was in the post, including cutting taxes, imposing sharp restrictions on abortion, shortening the period to request an absentee ballot and limiting ballot drop boxes. Mike is all in, said spokesperson Jen Talaber Ryan. His proven track record and deep roots in the community make him the best voice and strongest choice for west Georgians. The seat is open because Republican U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson is stepping down after four terms. The Republican nominee will be the favorite in a strongly GOP district south and west of Atlanta in November, facing the winner of the Democratic primary, Maura Keller. 13TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Scott beat six Democratic primary opponents to advance to the general election as he seeks a 12th congressional term in Georgias 13th Congressional District that was significantly reconfigured in a new map. Challengers attacked the 78-year-old Scott as too old and out of touch, but those claims never gained traction with voters. Scott said in March that hes seeking another term to enhance funding for historically Black colleges such as Fort Valley State University, and to provide more assistance to struggling homeowners. Among Scotts primary opponents were Marcus Flowers, who raised $17 million to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in another district in 2022, and former East Point City Councilmember Karen Rene. Scott will face the winner of the Republican primary, Jonathan Chavez, in November. 6TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT McBath beat two Democratic primary opponents to clinch the nomination in her second new district in two years. She overcame Cobb County Commissioner Jerica Richardson and state Rep. Mandisha Thomas, who both claimed they could better represent the new 6th District. Republican lawmakers drew the district, which wraps around the west side of metro Atlanta, after a court ordered new maps to remedy discrimination against Black voters. Republican Jeff Criswell will oppose her in November. McBath was first elected in 2018 in a district that covered Atlantas inner northern suburbs. After a new map in 2022 added more Republicans to that district, McBath jumped to a district that included parts of Gwinnett and Fulton counties. There, she defeated fellow Democratic incumbent Carolyn Bourdeaux in a primary. McBath, whose son was shot to death, has made gun control and reducing gun violence her primary focus. She also says she wants to work on reducing health care disparities in another term. Twice, extremist Georgia Republicans tried to bend the rules and draw me out of Congress, McBath said in a statement. Twice, Georgians have stood with me and resoundingly voted to send me back to Congress. 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Two years ago, Republicans had hoped they had a chance to defeat 16-term Democratic incumbent Sanford Bishop Jr. in southwest Georgia's 2nd District. But Bishop won that election easily. Now two more Republicans will go to a runoff hoping to take a shot a Bishop, who was unopposed on the Democratic ballot. Advancing to the runoff are Wayne Johnson, of Macon, and Chuck Hand, of Butler. Johnson was an official in the U.S. Education Department under Trump and finished third in the Republican primary two years ago, Hand is a Taylor County Republican Party official and construction superintendent who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for illegally demonstrating in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. He was sentenced to 20 days in federal prison and six months of probation. Johnson and Hand beat Michael Nixon, of Thomasville, a hospital purchasing director and Air Force veteran, and Regina Reggie Liparoto, of Columbus, a longtime conservative activist. 14TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT Two Democrats in northwest Georgia's 14th District will compete in a runoff for the right to challenge Republican incumbent Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has no GOP opposition. Advancing to the runoff are consultant Clarence Blalock, of Hiram, and retired Army general Shawn Harris, of Cedartown. They beat sales manager Deric Houston, of Dallas, and business manager Joseph Leigh, of Rossville. Harris has by far raised the most money of the four. For most candidates, their top issue is their distaste for Greene, a top ally of Trump who recently failed in an effort to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson. The winner will have an uphill fight in a heavily Republican district. Two years ago, Democrat Marcus Flowers raised more than $16 million in his challenge to Greene but still lost badly. OTHER RACES Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, the only other incumbent facing a primary challenge, beat retired banker and longtime Republican activist Lori Marie Pesta and retired airline pilot Mike Pons in the 11th Congressional District northwest of Atlanta. Kate Stamper won the Democratic nomination against Antonio Daza. Democrats chose Darrius Butler to challenge Republican incumbent Austin Scott in south and middle Georgia's 8th District. In northeast Georgia's 10th District, they chose Lexy Doherty to challenge incumbent Mike Collins. And Democrat Elizabeth Johnson will face incumbent Republican Rick Allen for a third time in the 12th District around Augusta. Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024? Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024? Election officials in Nevada are reviewing signatures to see if there are enough to put an abortion rights constitutional amendment before voters in November, part of a national push to pose abortion rights questions to voters since the U.S. Supreme Court removed the nationwide right to abortion. Since the courts 2022 ruling, most Republican-controlled states have new abortion restrictions in effect, including 14 that ban it at every stage of pregnancy. Most Democratic-led states have laws or executive orders to protect access. Floridas 6-week abortion ban takes effect as doctors worry women will lose access to health care Additionally, voters in seven states California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont have sided with abortion rights supporters on ballot measures. Its not clear yet how many states will vote on measures to enshrine abortion access in November. In some, the question is whether amendment supporters can get enough valid signatures. In others, its up to the legislature. And theres legal wrangling in some states. Some efforts that sought to restrict or ban abortion have also failed to reach ballots. In Wisconsin, the House approved a measure asking voters to ban abortion after 14 weeks, but the legislative session ended without a vote from the state Senate. Likewise, Iowa lawmakers ended their session without approving a measure asking voters to find that theres no constitutional right to abortion. Pennsylvania lawmakers previously pursued a similar amendment, but its not expected to be added to the ballot this year. A Louisiana measure to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution died in committee, one in Maine effectively died when it fell short of receiving the approval of two-thirds of the House and a Minnesota measure was not passed by lawmakers, either. WHATS NOW ON 2024 BALLOTS? COLORADO Colorados top election official confirmed Friday that a measure to enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution, including requirements that Medicaid and private health insurers cover it, made the ballot for the fall election. Supporters said they gathered over 225,000 signatures, nearly double the requirement of over 124,000 signatures. Amending the state constitution requires the support of 55% of voters. Those backing a dueling measure a law to ban abortion did not turn in signatures, and the measure will not go before voters. Abortion is legal at all stages of pregnancy in Colorado. FLORIDA The state Supreme Court ruled in April that a ballot measure to legalize abortion until viability could go on the ballot despite a legal challenge from state Attorney General Ashley Moody, who argued that there are differing views on the meaning of viability and that some key terms in the proposed measure are not properly defined. Advocates collected nearly a million signatures to put a state constitutional amendment to legalize abortion until viability on the ballot, surpassing the nearly 892,000 required. Sixty percent of voters would have to agree for it to take effect. Abortion is currently illegal in Florida after the first six weeks of pregnancy under a law that took effect May 1. MARYLAND Maryland voters also will be asked this year to enshrine the right to abortion in the states constitution. The state already protects the right to abortion under state law and Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. Abortion is allowed in Maryland until viability. SOUTH DAKOTA South Dakota voters will decide this fall on a measure that would ban any restrictions on abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy. It would allow the state in the second trimester to regulate the pregnant womans abortion decision and its effectuation only in ways that are reasonably related to the physical health of the pregnant woman. An abortion ban would be allowed in the third trimester, as long as it included exceptions for the life and health of the woman. The states top election official announced May 16 that about 85% of the more than 55,000 signatures submitted in support of the ballot initiative are valid, exceeding the required 35,017 signatures. Opponents still have until June 17 to file a challenge with the secretary of states office.WHERE ELSE COULD ABORTION BE ON THE BALLOT IN 2024? ARIZONA A signature drive is underway to add a constitutional right to abortion in Arizona. Under the measure, the state would not be able to ban abortion until the fetus is viable, with later abortions allowed to protect a womans physical or mental health. Supporters must gather nearly 384,000 valid signatures by July 4. Florida meteorologist goes after DeSantis over climate change rollback Abortion is currently legal for the first 15 weeks of pregnancy in Arizona. An Arizona Supreme Court ruling in April said enforcement could begin soon for a near-total ban that was already on the books. The governor has since signed a bill repealing that law. It is still expected to be in effect for a time, however. ARKANSAS Proponents of an amendment to allow abortion in many cases must gather nearly 91,000 signatures by July 5 for it to get it on the Nov. 5 ballot. The measure would bar laws banning abortion in the first 20 weeks of gestation and allow abortion later in pregnancy in cases of rape, incest, threats to the womans health or life, or if the fetus would be unlikely to survive birth. Because it allows abortion to be banned 20 weeks into pregnancy, the proposal does not have the support of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which includes Arkansas. The state currently bans abortion at all stages of pregnancy, with narrow exceptions. MISSOURI Missouri abortion rights advocates turned in more than 380,000 signatures more than twice the required 171,000 for a measure asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment to guarantee abortion until viability. Local election officials have until July 30 to verify the signatures, then its up to the secretary of state to declare whether there were enough. A group of moderate Republicans have for this year abandoned efforts for an alternate amendment that would have allowed abortion up to 12 weeks, with limited exceptions after that. Abortion is currently banned in Missouri at all stages of pregnancy, with limited exceptions. MONTANA Abortion rights proponents in Montana have proposed a constitutional amendment that would bar the government from denying the right to abortion before viability or when its necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant person. After a legal battle over the ballot language, the Montana Supreme Court in April wrote its version of the language that would appear on the ballot if supporters gather more than 60,000 signatures by June 21. Abortion is legal until viability in Montana, under a 1999 Montana Supreme Court opinion. NEBRASKA Advocates are trying to collect about 125,000 signatures needed by July 5 to put a constitutional amendment before voters to protect abortion rights until fetal viability. A competing petition effort would add a constitutional amendment mirroring a law adopted last year that bans abortion after 12 weeks, with some exceptions. NEVADA Organizers on Monday said they turned in almost twice as many signatures as needed to put an abortion rights measure on Nevadas ballot in November. Under the amendment, abortion access for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy or later to protect the health of the pregnant person would be enshrined in the state constitution. Such access is already ensured under a 1990 law. More than 102,000 valid signatures are required to place the measure on the ballot, and organizers said they submitted more than 200,000. Now, county election officials must verify signatures by early June. To change the constitution, voters would need to approve it in both 2024 and 2026. NEW YORK Earlier this month, a judge removed an equal protection amendment involving reproductive health care from the November ballot, finding lawmakers missed a procedural step when they put it there. Attorney General Letitia James said she would appeal the ruling. The measure would bar discrimination based on pregnancy outcomes and reproductive healthcare, along with sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin and disability. The language does not explicitly preserve a right to abortion in New York, where its currently allowed until viability. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. States need to keep PFAS forever chemicals out of the water. It wont be cheap. Jackson Quinn brings PFAS water samples into a temperature-controlled room at a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency lab in Cincinnati in April. In the coming years, states will need to enforce new federal rules that require drinking water systems to test for PFAS and clean up their water if contamination is found. Joshua A. Bickel/The Associated Press In recent years, Michigan has spent tens of millions of dollars to limit residents exposure to the harmful forever chemicals called PFAS. And some cities there have spent millions of their own to filter contaminated drinking water or connect to new, less-polluted sources. Weve made significant investments to get up to speed, said Abigail Hendershott, executive director of the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team, which serves as a coordinating group for the states testing, cleanup and public education efforts. Theres still a good chunk of the country that hasnt taken on anything. Thats about to change. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new standards last month for PFAS levels in drinking water, giving water systems three years to conduct testing, and another two years to install treatment systems if contaminants are detected. State officials and utilities say its going to be difficult and costly to meet the requirements. This is going to take a lot more investment at the state level, said Alan Roberson, executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators, a group that convenes leaders in state health and environmental agencies. It creates a big workload for everybody. PFAS chemicals are widespread, found in a host of everyday products and industrial uses, and they dont break down naturally, meaning they stay in human bodies and the environment indefinitely. Exposure has been shown to increase the risk of cancer, decrease fertility, cause metabolic disorders and damage the immune system. To date, 11 states have set limits for PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in drinking water. Several others have pending rules or levels that require public notice. While the federal rule builds on those efforts, it also sets limits that are stricter than the state-issued rules. We really have looked to the states as leaders in setting standards and doing some of the foundational science, said Zach Schafer, director of policy and special projects for the EPAs Office of Water. The state agencies are the ones who will be playing the point role [in implementing the national rule]. Schafer said the agency estimates that 6% to 10% of water systems nationwide will need to take steps to reduce PFAS contamination, at a cost averaging $1.5 billion per year over an 80-year span. Public health advocates say the EPAs rule is an important step to ensure all Americans have access to safe water. They say state actions show that such efforts can work. But some state regulators and water suppliers even in states that already have their own rules say the strict thresholds and timelines imposed by the feds will be difficult for many utilities to achieve. While the Biden administration has dedicated billions in funding to help clean up water supplies, experts say the costs will far exceed the available money. It's going to have a significant impact nationally on water rates and affordability of water, said Chris Moody, regulatory technical manager with the American Water Works Association, a group that includes more than 4,000 utilities. An estimate, conducted on behalf of the association, pegs the national cost of cleaning up contaminated water at nearly $4 billion each year. The report found that some households could face thousands of dollars in increased rates to cover the costs of treatment. Theres a lot of concern New Jersey in 2018 became the first state to issue standards for PFAS in drinking water. While the states regulations given New Jersey a head start, officials say they still have a difficult task ahead to meet the stricter thresholds. When we bring in the EPA number, the number of noncompliant systems goes up dramatically, said Shawn LaTourette, the states commissioner of environmental protection. Theres a lot of concern about cost and implementation. LaTourette said state leaders are working to analyze which water systems may fall out of compliance when the federal thresholds take effect. And hes calling on lawmakers to provide more money to communities that cant afford the upgrades. In Washington state, utilities have begun testing for PFAS under state standards passed by regulators in 2021. Officials say that roughly 2% of the water systems tested so far arent in compliance, but that number would jump to 10% when factoring in the stricter federal limits. State leaders say theyll be able to grandfather in the data theyve been collecting to meet EPAs testing requirements. The agency may ask state lawmakers for a substantial increase in staffing to implement the new rules, said Mike Means, capacity development and policy manager with the Washington State Department of Health. Michigan has had its drinking water standards for PFAS since 2020. Hendershott said state officials are well prepared to incorporate the EPAs thresholds. But the strict new limits could quadruple the number of water systems that fall out of compliance. Sarah Doll, national director of Safer States, an alliance of environmental health groups focused on toxic chemicals, said state efforts were key to bringing about the federal rule. They created the urgency for the feds to bring these standards, she said. States that already have regulatory standards absolutely are in a better position. Its very expensive While many states have not enacted their own standards, some have conducted testing or taken other steps to address residents exposure. This is going to take a lot more investment at the state level. Alan Roberson, executive director of the Association of State Drinking Water Administrators Missouri has been testing water systems for PFAS for more than a decade and created maps to notify residents of potential exposure. Of the 400 systems its sampled, 11 may have trouble complying with the EPA rule, said Eric Medlock, an environmental specialist with the state Department of Natural Resources. The agency aims to bring on a chemist and laboratory equipment to conduct more testing in-house. Medlock expressed concern that the federal limits are so strict that theyre near the threshold of what can be detected. When you get down to these really low detection levels that are right at the regulatory limit, that poses a problem, he said. We're going to have to enforce and regulate what EPA proposed. It is going to be an issue. Medlock and others noted that states will face longer-term issues with the storage of the waste products filtered from the water, which carry their own PFAS contamination risk. The infrastructure bill passed by Congress in 2021 includes $5 billion over five years to help communities treat PFAS and other emerging contaminants. More funding for cleanup may come from state lawsuits filed against chemical manufacturers. Thirty attorneys general have filed litigation against polluters, and Minnesota settled its case against 3M Company for $850 million. But leaders say such settlements arent a predictable funding source. In addition to the upfront cost of installing treatment systems, utilities face ongoing expenses, such as replacing filters and disposing of waste, that are less likely to benefit from federal grants and loans. Meanwhile, some water system leaders say the federal compliance timelines may not be long enough. It takes time to design and build a major capital project, said Erica Brown, chief policy and strategy officer for the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, a policy group that advocates for public water utilities. Its not one of those things that you say, You have to do this, and next year, and you can just turn it on. And some officials fear the drinking water limits could lead to more state regulations on wastewater plants and other entities whose discharges may affect drinking water sources. It seems like it's going to be problematic, because [treatment] is very expensive, said Sharon Green, manager of legislative and regulatory programs with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, an agency whose members operate 11 wastewater treatment plants. Both state regulators and regulated utilities say state leaders need a broader approach to the PFAS problem than just treating the water that comes out of the tap. Officials need to stop pollution at the source, regulate industrial operations and limit products that contain the chemicals. If we keep it out of the river in the first place, [the utility] doesnt have to spend millions of dollars for treatment, said Jean Zhuang, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, an advocacy group focused on the South. While Southern states have not adopted drinking water standards for PFAS, Zhuang said South Carolinas requirement that polluters disclose their discharges of PFAS is a good model to begin cutting off contamination sources. As states face down the expenses of fixing the PFAS problem, some advocates also want them to remember the public health costs of inaction. People will ultimately be consuming less of these chemicals and getting sick less often, said Melanie Benesh, vice president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group, a public health advocacy nonprofit. Editors note: This story has been updated to correct Erica Browns title. DONATE: SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic and with growing skepticism around vaccinations and government requirements, some state lawmakers want to end state vaccine mandates for children.(Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston believes no one ought to be required to vaccinate their children. So, she wants schools to proactively tell parents that its their right under Louisiana law to seek an exemption. Its not the vaccine itself, it is the mandate, Edmonston told Stateline. The law is the law. And it already says you can opt out if you dont want it. If you do want it, you can go anywhere and get it. Although Louisiana scores among the bottom states in most health indicators, nearly 90% of kindergarten children statewide have complete vaccination records, according to data from the Louisiana Department of Health from last school year. Thats even as Louisiana maintains some of the broadest exemptions for personal, religious and moral reasons. The state only requires a written notice from parents to schools. Edmonston has sponsored legislation that would require schools to provide parents with information about the exemptions. The bill is intended to ensure parents arent denied medically necessary information, she said. Vaccines protect not only the patient, but also those around them. Science has shown that a population can reach community immunity, also known as herd immunity, once a certain percentage of the group is vaccinated. That herd immunity can protect people who cant get vaccinated, such as those with weakened immune systems or serious allergies, by reducing their chances of infection. In the past few years, however, COVID-19 vaccines have terrified some people who oppose requirements to get the shot, even though research shows the vaccines are far safer than getting the disease. Some lawmakers across the country are working to sidestep vaccine mandates, not just for COVID-19, but also for measles, polio and meningitis. Public health experts worry the renewed opposition to childhood immunizations will reverse state gains in vaccination rates. Meanwhile, cases of some diseases, including measles, have increased across the country. Were against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies. Louisiana Republican state Rep. Kathy Edmonston Edmonstons bill is one of dozens this session that aim to relax vaccine requirements, according to a database maintained by the National Conference of State Legislatures, a nonpartisan research organization that serves lawmakers and their staffs. Most of the bills have either died in committee or failed to advance, but a few have become law. Idaho enacted a law, effective in July, that allows students of majority age 18 in Idaho to submit their own immunization waivers to schools and universities, both public and private. And Tennessee passed a law, which took effect in April, that prohibits the state from requiring immunizations as a condition of either adoption or foster care if the family taking in a child has a religious or moral objection to vaccines. Conservatives have really moved towards that medical freedom position of where people need to be really educated about whatever vaccine that they are taking, said Tennessee state Sen. Bo Watson, who sponsored his states legislation. I think the public health community has really lost credibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, said Watson, a Republican. And theyre going to have to work really hard to restore some of that credibility. Other bills that would have allowed some exemptions passed legislatures but were stopped short by governors. In West Virginia, Republican Gov. Jim Justice vetoed legislation that would have allowed full-time virtual public school students, along with private and parochial schools, to avoid mandatory vaccine requirements. Justice said in his veto message that he heard constant, strong opposition to this legislation from our States medical community. Similarly, Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed legislation that would have required public colleges and universities to allow immunization waivers for health, religious or personal reasons. Edmonston said shes tried before with her legislation in Louisiana; it either died or got vetoed by former Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. But now, with Republican Gov. Jeff Landry in charge, Edmonston is confident the bill will get signed into law. Its already passed the House and is being debated in the Senate. Both she and Watson said the push to relax requirements or create broader exemptions for immunizations is not tied to vaccines themselves. The debate tends to be centered around what many conservatives call an overreach of government. Were against the government telling us what to do with our own bodies, Edmonston said. Greater momentum after COVID-19 The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends numerous vaccinations for infants as a standard regimen. And shots protecting against measles, mumps and rubella, chickenpox and hepatitis B, among others, are typically required to attend K-12 schools. States set their own requirements and exemptions, however, and there are variations. Pushback against vaccine mandates goes back more than a century to the early 1900s, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court in 1905 ruled that states could require parents to vaccinate their children, according to Simon Haeder, an associate professor of public health at Texas A&M University, who has been tracking vaccine hesitancy for several years. Although the opposition tends to exist mostly along partisan lines, with Republicans more likely to support vaccine exemptions, Haeder noted that far-left groups which may tend to be skeptical of medicines in general also support the loosening of vaccination requirements. The scientific skepticism and opposition to state interference and the partisan nature of this issue has really escalated, starting during the COVID years, Haeder told Stateline. Its very hard for states right now wanting to increase vaccination requirements, he said. Among kindergartners, national coverage dropped from about 95% for all vaccines in the 2019-2020 school year to about 93% for all vaccines in both the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years, according to the CDC. Nonmedical exemptions account for more than 90% of all approved vaccination exemptions and are allowed in all but five states. Exemptions increased from 2.2% among kindergartners in the 2019-2020 school year to 3% in 2022-2023, and 10 states reported that more than 5% of kindergartners had an exemption from at least one vaccine. Jennifer Herricks, a microbiologist and founder of Louisiana Families for Vaccines, an advocacy organization in support of vaccines, has been tracking efforts to relax vaccine mandates since 2015. I became a mom. And then it became even more personal for me, especially having those little infants who are too young to get a lot of the vaccines, Herricks said. And then you realize that they are vulnerable to these diseases and that they are depending on the people around them to be vaccinated so that they dont get sick. But Jill Hines, co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana, a group that opposes vaccine mandates, said some parents just want the chance to opt out. Believe it or not, my children are fully vaccinated. We were never informed of the states exemption law, Hines told Stateline. She added that some in her group feel that vaccine reporting requirements are an invasion of privacy. We should not be denied access to society, access to a job, access to an education, simply because weve refused medical intervention, she said. Growing concern among health professionals Mississippi, which sits near the bottom of state rankings on most health indicators such as obesity and heart disease, hasnt had a measles case since 1992. We have pushed back all the potentially fatal childhood infections from being commonplace in Mississippi to being extremely rare, Dr. Daniel Edney, the state health officer, said in an interview. Immunizations against childhood diseases have been required by state law since 1979 for entry into K-12 schools and day care centers. The mandate has helped Mississippi lead the nation with some of the highest rates of childhood vaccinations, including a vaccination rate of nearly 99% among kindergarteners. But last year, a federal judge ordered Mississippi to begin accepting religious exemptions after an interest group, Texas-based Informed Consent Action Network, sued the state in federal court. Since then, thousands of exemption requests have poured in. Mississippi is approaching the approval of more than 2,800 religious exemptions, Edney said. He expects other states also will see more exemptions as lawmakers elsewhere find success with legislation to relax vaccine mandates or increase requirements on opt-out information. If youre going to be against good, sound childhood vaccine policy the vaccinations that have been proven safe and effective for decades you need to be against clean water and against proper sewage and food protection, Edney said. Dr. John Gaudet, a Mississippi pediatrician for about three decades, said he worried the COVID-19 vaccine controversy would spill into the nations ongoing childhood vaccine debate. I think there was a point where you would go to the doctor, and you would just kind of take it almost as, Well, this is what the doctor recommended, he said. And so theres now more of a consumer mentality: Well, the doctor may say this, but maybe that doctor is not trustworthy. Across the country, meanwhile, measles has surged, with at least 132 measles cases reported so far this year, according to the CDC. Two-thirds of those cases are among people under the age of 19, and over half of them have resulted in hospitalizations. The cases have spread to 20 states. But not, so far, to Mississippi. This report was first published by Stateline, which like NC Newsline, is part of the States Newsroom network. The post As states loosen childhood vaccine requirements, health experts worries grow appeared first on NC Newsline. Democrats Elizabeth Steiner and Jeff Gudman are running for their party's nomination to run for state treasurer in the November general election. State Sen. Elizabeth Steiner had a significant lead against former Lake Oswego City Councilor Jeff Gudman in the initial primary election results for the Democrat nomination for Oregon treasurer. The winner will advance to the November general election against Republican Brian Boquist, a state senator from Dallas who is barred from running for reelection in the Legislature because he had 10 or more unexcused floor absences during 10 senators' walkouts during the 2023 session. Tobias Read, who has been treasurer since 2017, is barred from running again due to term limits. He is running for secretary of state and was in the lead for that nomination on Tuesday evening. Steiner said she was "immensely grateful for the outpouring of support" her campaign received around the state and thanked her friends, family, staff, and volunteers. She said she was "honored" to be the nominee in the general election. "Tonight's result is a statement on the strength of the movement we have built together over the past nine months," she said. "I launched this campaign because I know there's more we can do to help Oregonians save for their financial goals, boost the financial health of our state, and invest in our shared priorities: healthcare, education, housing, jobs, and a secure retirement." Gudman previously ran against Read in the 2020 and 2016 elections as a Republican. He was a city councilor in Lake Oswego from 2011 to 2018 and chaired the city's budget committee. He said he was committed to diversifying voices and experiences at the treasurer's office by formalizing a transparent advisor process. Gudman also said his platform included defending pension commitments, taking meaningful steps on climate change through corporate governance, and establishing a bipartisan plan around the redirection of kicker revenues. "Senator Steiner will do a good job as our next state Treasurer," Gudman wrote in an email Tuesday evening. "I am pleased to support her in November." Steiner has been a lawmaker since 2011 and co-chair of the legislature's Ways and Means committee since 2018. She said she would continue Read's net zero plan, follow through on the COAL Act introduced during the 2024 legislative session, and expand and grow existing programs including the implementation of a baby bond program. Steiner also said she would bring together savings programs offered by the State Treasurers Office into one platform such as a website or app to increase their use and accessibility. Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Steiner leading Gudman for Democrat nomination for Oregon treasurer KYODO NEWS - May 21, 2024 - 23:00 | All, World, Japan The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan lower house OKs bill to secure foreign trainees as society ages TOKYO - Japan's House of Representatives on Tuesday cleared a bill to reform the controversial foreign trainee program to encourage workers from abroad to stay longer through a new system amid a serious labor shortage in the aging country. As the new system would help increase the number of permanent residence permits, the bill includes provisions to revoke such status if the residents deliberately avoid paying taxes or social insurance premiums, drawing opposition from some supporters of foreign workers. ---------- Japan ranks 3rd among top world travel destinations: report BRUSSELS - Japan ranked third in a list of destinations in a travel and tourism development report by the World Economic Forum released Tuesday, scoring highly for its natural and cultural resources and transport infrastructure. The United States topped the list, with Spain coming second. Japan was the highest-ranking country in the Asia-Pacific region. ---------- China rebukes Japan, U.S. for congratulating new Taiwan leader BEIJING - China expressed Tuesday its "firm opposition" to Japan and the United States congratulating Taiwan President Lai Ching-te on his inauguration, with Beijing's envoy to Tokyo earlier warning that Japanese supporters of the island's independence would be "led into a pit of fire." In response, Japan has protested to China through diplomatic channels over the comments made by Chinese Ambassador to Japan Wu Jianghao following Lai's swearing-in ceremony on Monday, calling them "extremely inappropriate," according to a government source. ---------- 4 Japanese in New Caledonia evacuate with support from Australia TOKYO - At least four Japanese nationals in New Caledonia have evacuated with support from Australia, a Japanese government source said Tuesday, as deadly violence has continued in the French Pacific territory for more than a week. Earlier in the day, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference that the government will respond "appropriately" to the New Caledonia crisis while considering the wishes of Japanese nationals who intend to stay there. . ---------- Japanese town installs barrier to block viral Mt. Fuji photo spot KOFU, Japan - A Japanese town on Tuesday set up a large black screen to block a scenic view of Mt. Fuji that saw a surge in tourists coming to photograph it after going viral online. The 2.5-meter high, 20-meter wide screen now blocks the sight of Japan's highest mountain towering over a Lawson convenience store in Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, which could previously be photographed from across a road, making the area a popular destination for foreign tourists. ---------- Japanese doll artisan, national treasure Hayashi dies at 87 OSAKA - Komao Hayashi, a celebrated doll artisan recognized during his lifetime as a living national treasure and known for his elegant expressions of Japanese culture featuring Noh performances and court costumes, has died, an industry body said Tuesday. He was 87. Hayashi, a Kyoto native, died last Wednesday, the Japan Kogei Association said. He was named a living national treasure in 2002 for his "Toso" dolls, crafted by adding glue to paulownia powder, kneading it, and coloring it after drying. ---------- Japan, S. Korea police to boost cooperation over cross-border crime TOKYO - The police chiefs of Japan and South Korea agreed on Tuesday to enhance their joint efforts in combating cross-border crime, including organized fraud. The meeting in Tokyo between Japan's National Police Agency Commissioner General Yasuhiro Tsuyuki and his South Korean counterpart Yoon Hee Keun was the first by the two countries' police chiefs in 14 years. ---------- Bear attack suspected after 4 calves found dead at Hokkaido ranch KUSHIRO, Japan - Four calves were found dead Tuesday morning at a ranch in Hokkaido, northern Japan, with local authorities suspecting a brown bear attack due to the discovery of what appears to be bear paw prints in the vicinity. An additional four calves were found injured at the ranch in the Nakashumbetsu district of Betsukai town, with police urging caution in the area. Concern that the bear may return to the site has prompted local officials to set up traps. Video: Tulips bloom at Kamiyubetsu Tulip Park in Hokkaido Storms rolling into the Carolinas from the Mississippi River Valley threaten Sunday nights Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR race and outdoor plans in the Charlotte area on Memorial Day, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Tuesday. Its still early in the week, and the forecast could always change, but Sunday and Mondays Charlotte-area weather is not looking too good, NWS forecaster Doug Outlaw said. If the race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord were postponed to Monday, chances of showers and thunderstorms that day are even higher , at 60%, Outlaw said. The latest weather models showed a 50% chance of showers and thunderstorms at 6 p.m. Sunday, the scheduled start of the race, Outlaw said. That same chance continues into the evening, he said. But the buildup of showers and thunderstorms should be at their peak at 5 p.m. and decrease to a 40% chance by 8 p.m., Outlaw said. Dreary Memorial Day forecast Charlotte faces a 35% chance of showers and thunderstorms at noon Monday, and a 60% chance in the afternoon, Outlaw said. So it doesnt really diminish a whole lot from Sunday into Monday, he said about the prospects for rain. And some of the rain could be heavy at times, especially with approaching thunderstorms, Outlaw said. The low-pressure weather system from the Mississippi River Valley could merge with a high-pressure system from the coast, increasing the chances of showers and thunderstorms this weekend, Outlaw said. Showers and thunderstorms are likely on Monday, according to the NWS Charlotte forecast at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Charlotte forecast Charlotte should be sunny to mostly sunny through Thursday, with predicted highs of 85 on Tuesday, 88 on Wednesday and 89 on Thursday, the NWS forecast at noon Tuesday showed. Friday could turn mostly cloudy, with a high near 88 degrees, while storm chances are expected to increase to 40% on Saturday and Sunday, according to the forecast. Showers and thunderstorms are likely on Monday, with a high of 86, the forecast showed. Monday, nearly 50 mayors, village presidents and other municipal leaders representing nearly 4.5 million suburban Chicago residents, gathered outside the quad of Elmhurst University to call on the Illinois General Assembly to raise the Local Government Distributive Fund and roll back on a myriad of unfunded mandates passed in the last decade. The Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF), is a partnership between Illinois and its local governments created to distribute a portion of the state income tax, established in 1969; between 1993-2011, 10% of the total income tax collected was dedicated to the LGDF, by 2017 the rate had been reduced to 6.06%. For decades local government leaders knew they could rely on LGDF as a predictable and sustainable source of funding, even as other revenue fluctuated from month to month, Palos Hills Mayor Jerry Bennett said. Due to instability caused by the 2008 financial crisis, the state reduced LGDF income promising the reduction would be temporary, Bennett said. Income tax represents nearly 30% of the state budgets expected total revenue in 2024, roughly $33 billion; last year the state increased the LGDF income tax rate to 6.47%, meaning local governments could expect to split about $2.13 billion in individual and corporate income tax. In 2025, the state of Illinois expects to bring in $109.7 billion in appropriated funds, with income tax once again representing nearly 30% of total revenue; if increased to 10% the LGDF would receive $3.29 billion, $1 billion more than the current rate. My community of Hazel Crest has lost over $10M in LGDF since 2011, while at the same time, weve faced over 1,600 unfunded mandates since I was elected in 2013, Hazel Crest Mayor Vernard Alsberry said Monday. As of March, 155 bills were introduced by the 103rd Illinois General Assembly that would create new unfunded mandates, according to a March 19 report by the Illinois Municipal League (IML), a government sector lobbying group representing municipal leaders. Unfunded mandates enacted into law cumulatively increase municipal operating costs, Illinois Municipal League CEO Brad Cole said in the report. As members of all political parties continue to campaign on reducing property tax costs statewide, the costs of unfunded mandates must be recognized as a direct and significant contributor to the growing property tax burden in Illinois To supplement the reduced income from the LGDF and increased burden of unfunded mandates, municipalities fill the gap by increasing property tax rates, Alsberry said. In 2023 the median residential tax bill in Cook County increased by 15.7%, the largest percentage increase in the last 30 years, according to the county treasurers office. Each one of us here, and every other citizen in the State of Illinois, relies on the critical services provided by local governments, Wheaton Mayor Phil Suess said Monday. We are here this morning to reach out to our partners in the General Assembly and urge them to work with us to prioritize continued investment in our communities. ____ Columbia University students participate in a pro-Palestinian encampment on their campus last month. (Stephanie Keith | Getty Images) It is warm, and college students are off from classes. Restlessness from the winter lends itself to gathering outside at an annual high. Summer presents the perfect protest conditions for individuals who feel disaffected or passionate about a political cause. This trend is true historically and has played out over the past few summers in America. Summer 2024 is poised for protests given recent riots on college campuses, and a contentious presidential election around the corner. There is a chance that these protests will devolve into violent riots and potential insurrection. Most Americans do not want a summer of roiling protests that quickly turn into riots chock-full of damage to homes, businesses, public parks, and government buildings. These Americans support peaceful protests that adhere to time, place, and manner restrictions. Additionally, these Americans grow increasingly concerned with the vitriolic nature of our political rhetoric. To act as a bulwark against the potential prevalence of these riots, it would behoove these Americans to brush up on the fundamental rights and responsibilities they have under the Constitution. Therefore, they can effectively access the constitutional means to end the riotous behavior that comes at the expense of meaningful political progress. The same type of progress that was once the result of nonviolent protests like the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Below are a couple pertinent civic concepts to brush up on as spring gives way to summer. Democracy is a work in progress Until 1776, the standard practice for political rule was monarchy. The reason is simple. Monarchies are easy to facilitate for those in power. Listen to what this person says or it is off to the dungeon or worse. Yes, this is a strawman summation of monarchical rule, and there are several historical examples of benevolent monarchs. However, compared to the intricate moving parts of democracy, monarchies pale in comparison to the level of precision needed to make governance work. Democracies are complex. It is a modern attempt to solve the oldest political problem how do governments balance the public good with the good of the individual? The framers of the Constitution were astutely aware of this problem. When drafting the Constitution in the Philadelphia summer heat of 1787, they debated several plans of government that reflected a capacious knowledge of 2000 years of political history. Democracy is not completely modern. It had been tried several times in the ancient world, each time resulting in failure. These failures occurred because it was applied too excessively or too deficiently. In its excesses, democracy devolved into mob rule where the majority tyrannically abused the minority. In its deficiencies, democracy morphed into tyrannical rule by demagogues. To illustrate the potential faults of democracy, the Federalist Papers enumerated several examples of individuals and the public good being subsumed by tyranny in the ancient world. Noting these historical outcomes, George Mason of Virginia proposed the Bill of Rights to guarantee the foundations of democratic rule in the modern world individual liberty to stifle the excesses and deficiencies of government. These rights are the foundation upon which America has been held accountable throughout its history. Every time a generation has violated the rights of a specific group, the next generation has been willing to declare these violations as wrong and demand that we strive toward a more perfect union. President Barack Obama underlined this asymptotic approach to American justice during his farewell address when he stated, thats what we mean when we say America is exceptional not that our nation has been flawless from the start, but that we have shown the capacity to change and make life better for [all]. What is a right? The Bill of Rights outlines the basic package of protections each American has from a tyrannical government. These rights set limits as to what the government can and cannot do to its citizens. While this might seem like the establishment of immutable no trespass zones, the practical implementation of these rights is far more complex and limited than one might think. An individuals rights do not exist within a vacuum. As George Costanza would say, Were living in a society! Consequently, democracies are constantly trying to balance where the rights of one individual end and the safety of another individual or the public begins. There are a near infinite number of scenarios that help illustrate this delicate balance. What is most helpful when trying to understand this balancing is to examine the language of the Bill of Rights. This language acknowledges the balancing act existing within stark limits. Consider the The First Amendment. It reads: Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Prima facie, it would appear that the First Amendment guarantees unlimited speech. After all, it literally states that the government cannot abridge freedom of speech. However, if this is the case, why did James Madison not write the First Amendment as abridging speech? Why did he condition speech with the adjective of freedom? This was done by Madison to indicate that only certain types of speech qualify as free speech. Chief among these free types are political speech and the ability to criticize the government. Two hundred and thirty years of laws and constitutional interpretation bear out Madisons conditionalizing of speech. This is why you are not legally allowed to use free speech to threaten government employees, or harass someone based on his or her race or religion under Title Six of the Civil Rights Act. Will a civics refresher help? Acutely, a civics refresher will have little to no impact on the individuals who are locked in the recalcitrant tribalism of contemporary American politics. This brand of politics dismisses and even cheers illegal behavior as long as said behavior advances a particular tribes viewpoint. This allows those who demand law and order to fail at calling out their own supporters when they act violently or illegally. Both sides of the American political spectrum are rife with examples of this selective cognitive dissonance. In the long run, cooler heads on both sides of the political spectrum must engage in a recommitment to the study of civics for the sake of future generations. A study of civics that not only incorporates institutional knowledge about the structures of American government, but the examination of constitution language. Language that reflects the virtues and vices of human nature, and the safeguards needed to balance the oldest political problem. Generations Z and Alpha are watching how we speak and act towards each other. These observations will become their behaviors and form their character. If all they witness is a society that engages in virulent language, castigating individuals with different political opinions as evil, what will their character be? What will democracy become? After all, the character of a democratic nation is the character of its citizens. The post This summer promises protests so spring is a good time to brush up on civics appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, said Israel was 'exercising its lawful right to self-defence' - Simon Dawson/No 10 Downing Street Rishi Sunak has described the application for arrest warrants at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Israeli officials as deeply unhelpful. Speaking in Vienna, the Prime Minister said that the application for arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, and Yoav Gallant, his defence minister, would make no difference to getting aid into Gaza and reaching a ceasefire. The ICC said it had evidence to charge the Israeli leaders with crimes against humanity, including using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza. It also applied for the arrest of Hamas leaders on charges including torture and taking hostages. This is a deeply unhelpful development, Mr Sunak said. Of course, it is still subject to a final decision, but it remains deeply unhelpful nonetheless. There is no moral equivalence between a democratic state exercising its lawful right to self-defence and the terrorist group Hamas. It is wrong to conflate and equivocate between those two different entities. Mr Sunaks remarks followed Joe Biden condemning the ICCs effort to seek the arrest of Mr Netanyahu as outrageous. On Tuesday, an Israeli government spokesman urged the civilised world to unite against the ICC. Unlike Israel and the United States, the UK Government is a signatory to the ICC and would be obliged to respect any warrant should its subject visit Britain. On Monday, France said it supported the ICCs independence and the fight against impunity in all situations. The foreign ministry condemned the anti-Semitic massacres perpetrated by Hamas during the groups attack on Israel on Oct 7, which was accompanied by acts of torture and sexual violence. But it said it had warned Israel of the need for strict compliance with international humanitarian law, and in particular of the unacceptable level of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and inadequate humanitarian access. Italy, on the other hand, backed the UK position, saying that it was unacceptable and absurd to compare Israel and Hamas. Hamas bent on slaughter Michael Gove, the Cabinet minister, also criticised the decision, accusing the ICCs chief prosecutor of seeking to hold Israel to standards that we dont hold other countries to. You cannot equate Israel with Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist organisation, bent on slaughter. Israel is a state like all states, an imperfect one, but one thats trying to defend its people, and trying to equate the two is just nonsensical, he told Times Radio. Speaking at the JW3 Jewish Community Centre in north-west London on Tuesday morning, Mr Gove added: Of course, it is the case that Israel and the Israeli government have and will make mistakes and they need to be held accountable for those errors. But there is a difference between a state attempting to defend its own citizens against a terrorist attack and a terrorist organisation that has made it clear that it will act with the utmost ruthlessness and absolutely no discrimination in its effort to eliminate the Jewish people in Israel. So there can be no equivalence between them. And that moral position, I think, has to guide our response to the legal operation of the ICC. Mr Gove added that Russia, Iran and China were seeking to spread anti-Semitic and anti-Israel narratives. They know that if they undermine Israel, other dominoes will fall, he said. Wilful killing On Monday, Karim Khan, ICC prosecutor, said he had applied for arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gallant for crimes including wilful killing, extermination and/or murder, and starvation during the war in Gaza. He said Israel had committed crimes against humanity, and accused it of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population. Mr Khan also said the leaders of Hamas, including Qatar-based Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, its Gaza chief, bear criminal responsibility for actions committed during Oct 7. These included taking hostages, rape and other acts of sexual violence, and torture. International law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all, Mr Khan said. No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader no one can act with impunity. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Most of the Held v. Montana plaintiffs and their attorneys pose outside the courtroom for photos halfway through the trial. Most of the Held v. Montana plaintiffs and their attorneys pose outside the courtroom for photos halfway through the trial. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan) The Montana Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on July 10 in the states appeal of the Held v. Montana case, after which the court will decide whether the State of Montana is indeed violating its citizens rights to a clean and healthful environment through its greenhouse gas emissions policies. Oral arguments will start at 9:30 a.m. on that Wednesday in the Old Supreme Court Chambers, Room 303, inside the Montana State Capitol. The attorneys for the 16 youth plaintiffs will get 30 minutes to argue in front of the court, while the state, governor, and multiple state agencies will get 40 minutes total to do so. The highly anticipated arguments will come nearly 11 months after Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Kathy Seeley sided with the plaintiffs in what they and other environmental groups called a landmark decision in their effort to fight against climate change in Montana. Last August, Seeley permanently enjoined the 2023 version of what the court called the limitation to the Montana Environmental Policy Act, which prohibited the state from considering greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts when considering permits for energy and mining projects, saying it violated Montanans rights to a clean and healthful environment for current and future generations. She also enjoined as unconstitutional a portion of another bill passed by the 2023 Legislature, Senate Bill 557, which said that permits approved by state agencies that did not include a greenhouse gas emissions evaluation could not be vacated, voided or delayed unless Congress starts to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant under the federal Clean Air Act. Both pieces of legislation were written directly in response to a Yellowstone County District Court judges ruling that temporarily paused ongoing construction on a NorthWestern Energy power plant in Laurel because the Department of Environmental Quality failed to consider the impact of emissions from the plant in approving permits. That judge later vacated the order after the Legislature passed the two laws, and the Montana Supreme Court heard oral arguments last week on the appeals in that case, noting that part of the high courts decision in that case regarding the plants emissions hinged on the outcome of the Held appeal. The courts concurrent consideration of these two cases allows for a fulsome consideration of the very broad impacts and harm, constitutional infringement, from the climate limitation, and the very specific practical application of that climate limitation to a single large fossil fuel project, Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine, representing the plaintiffs in that case, told the court last Wednesday. The appeal in the Held case has been fully briefed for three weeks after the state, Gov. Greg Gianforte, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, and Department of Transportation filed their reply briefs in late April. The state has argued in its briefs before the Supreme Court that invalidating the MEPA limitation would not fix the injuries the youth plaintiffs claim because climate change is a global problem and Montanas greenhouse gas emissions are a tiny fraction of the global contribution. The state also wants the court to clarify that Seeleys district court ruling does not require the state to perform climate analyses, only allows it to do so. The youth plaintiffs want the court to uphold Seeleys order, saying the 1972 state constitutional framers put the sections about the environment in specifically to keep the state from degrading the environment through mining and pollution. They say the state has been purposefully avoiding analyzing emissions and climate impacts to further its financial relationship with energy and mining companies. The Supreme Court previously declined to pause Seeleys August order pending the appeal by the state, governor and agencies. Several dozen environmental groups, lawyers groups, states, chambers of commerce, energy groups, and others have filed amicus curiae friend of the court briefs on behalf of both sides, showing the broad stakes of the case, which is unique because of the environmental protection provisions contained within Montanas constitution. We are grateful to have the opportunity for the 16 Held plaintiffs to present their case to the Montana Supreme Court and remain confident in our legal arguments and in the compelling evidentiary record the Court will review, said Our Childrens Trust attorney Nate Bellinger, one of the attorneys representing the youth plaintiffs. We are optimistic that together, we can secure the just outcome that these incredible young leaders, and generations to come, deserve. The post Supreme Court oral arguments set for July 10 in Held v. Montana case appeared first on Daily Montanan. Public outrage continues this week in response to the disturbing New York Times report that, in the days after the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021, a symbol of support for the insurrection was displayed at the home of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito. The justice has half-heartedly tried to deflect blame onto his wife with some convoluted tale involving her bickering with the neighbors, but in the end, there's no real evading the conclusion: The Alitos publicly hat-tipped the fascist effort to overthrow democracy because they backed Donald Trump's attempted coup. Now there's a growing chorus of people, including Senate Democrats, calling on Alito to recuse himself from all coup-related cases, including one involving Trump's claims to be "immune" from prosecution for his attempts to steal the 2020 election. Like Justice Clarence Thomas, whose own wife was intimately involved in the attempted coup plot, Alito is almost certainly going to blow off all the criticism. Chief Justice John Roberts, for his part, will likely allow it. This is for one simple reason: The entire GOP majority on the court is complicit with Trump's designs to end democracy. The other Republican-appointed justices on the Supreme Court may not all be as loud and proud about it as Alito and Thomas, but that's more of an aesthetic difference than a material one. When it gets down to brass tacks, the Republican majority is cooperating fully these days with Trump's seditious plans. We know this for two reasons: First, the supposedly "originalist" conservative justices ignored the plain text of the Constitution which explicitly forbids politicians who have "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" from holding future office to rule that Trump can still run for president. Second, they are currently blocking Trump from being tried for his efforts to steal the 2020 election, using transparently disingenuous methods. Want more Amanda Marcotte on politics? Subscribe to her newsletter Standing Room Only. The timing is especially telling here. The justices were practically tripping over their robes in their haste to issue their illegitimate decision in the ballot case. They heard oral arguments on February 8 and issued their unconstitutional, pro-Trump ruling less than a month later. But on the immunity claims, they are taking a luxurious amount of time. They pushed oral arguments nearly two months after Trump's trial in his Jan. 6 case was supposed to start. It's been nearly a month since then, and still no sign of a ruling. And that's despite every good faith legal scholar pointing out that this case should have never even made it to the Supreme Court. The D.C. circuit already issued a rock solid, common sense ruling that presidents don't get to just attempt coups without consequences. Even if some conservative justices, as they seemed to indicate during arguments, aren't keen on ruling that a president is forever above the law, it may not matter. By taking up the case in the first place and taking their sweet time ruling on it, they likely doomed any chance that special prosecutor Jack Smith could actually bring Trump to court to answer to a jury before the election. And that's assuming the court issues a straightforward affirmation of the D.C. decision. Odds are they create a bunch of new, nonsense legal tests, forcing the lower courts to tinker with this case for months, if not years and if Trump wins the election, he will kill the case anyway. If the Supreme Court continues to delay Trump's Jan. 6 trial, Jennifer Rubin of the Washington Post writes, it's proof that the fascist sympathies of Alito and Thomas "have thoroughly corrupted the court." Sure, it's possible Roberts hears her and, within a week, we have a Supreme Court ruling that allows the federal trial to start this summer. It's also possible, theoretically, that a massive asteroid decimates planet Earth and ends our collective misery in one glorious swoop. But neither will realistically happen. The latter we know because NASA would have detected such an anomaly. The former we know because the Roberts court is run by a bunch of partisan hacks. If it weren't, they would have already kicked Trump off the ballot, as the Constitution requires, while also inviting the Justice Department to try him with the swiftness the public deserves. Because Alito and Thomas are especially bad at hiding the petty spite that fuels their authoritarian ideology, they get most of the public's negative attention. But if it were just two of them, it wouldn't really matter so much on a nine-person court. The reason they are so powerful is that they have the quiet support of the other four Republicans on the bench, who have demonstrated in the past few months that they are fine with what happened on January 6, so much so that they are happy to torch the reputation of the Supreme Court to shield Trump from consequences. This is all happening while elected Republican officials are lining up to exalt Trump's criminality. Last week, Republican politicians by the bucketful made the pilgrimage to New York City to speak out for Trump in a campaign fraud case where the overwhelming documentary evidence points to his guilt. This is after he's been found liable in two other cases for committing decades of business fraud and for sexually assaulting journalist E. Jean Carroll so brutally that the judge repeatedly said it was basically rape. To stand by him now is not really about believing he is innocent of these various crimes so much as it's championing an explicitly fascist principle: Dear Leader should not have to obey the law. Not only are Republicans venerating Trump's past crimes, but they are actively encouraging him to commit more in the future, especially concerning election fraud. When reporters ask Republican politicians if they will accept the results of the 2024 election, almost to a person they find their way to say "only if Trump wins." This isn't just political tapdancing around the easily miffed feelings of Trump and MAGA voters who want to believe elections are "rigged" if they lose. Every politician who backs the Big Lie is, whether they admit it to themselves or not, justifying political violence and future criminal conspiracies to steal the next election. When he was actually in the process of attempting to steal the 2020 election, the court was less accommodating of Trump's fascist impulses than they are now. They rejected his lawsuits attempting to throw out the electoral college votes of states that backed President Joe Biden. So it's understandable that the punditry is surprised to see the justices grow more protective of Trump's aspirations to be a dictator. But the justices are part of this larger Republican drift away from being opposed or even just ambivalent to January 6. Nowadays, most Republicans openly embrace Trump's Big Lie and any crimes committed to seize control of government illegally. Alito has revealed he was one of the hardcore fascists who was with the insurrectionists from day one. But, like many Republicans, the rest of the conservative justices on the court look to have moved in his direction. LAS VEGAS (KLAS) A suspect who was arrested in Utah for the ambush robbery and killing of a Las Vegas 16-year-old is now at the Clark County Detention Center facing murder and robbery charges. DeAjai DeVon Guaydacan, 18, of Las Vegas was arrested in Utah on charges of murder and robbery in the death of a Las Vegas teen. (Credit: LVMPD) DeAjai DeVon Guaydacan, 18, was booked into the detention center on Saturday, May 18 after being arrested in Utah on April 23. Lennix Dockery, 18, was arrested in Idaho on April 27 and another suspect, Jordan DaSharp Brown, 17, was arrested in Las Vegas following the deadly shooting of AhShioni Henderson on April 9 at an apartment complex located off Buffalo Drive near Lake Mead Boulevard. Lennix M. Dockery, 18, of Las Vegas was arrested in Idaho on charges related to a deadly Las Vegas shooting that left a 16-year-old dead. (Courtesy of the Kootenai County Sheriffs Office) According to the arrest report, Brown, who was friends with the victim, conspired with Dockery and Guaydacan to steal a gun from Henderson. Brown posted a photo on his Instagram account of Henderson with a Glock-style handgun for sale. The report said, that on the evening of the shooting, a witness told police they were at a gathering in an apartment in the complex where the shooting occurred and witnessed Brown put a gun he was carrying into Hendersons pants pocket. As Brown and Henderson left the apartment, Guaydacan and Dockery, hid outside of the apartment under some stairs and ambushed Henderson as he left the apartment. Guaydacan shot Henderson two times from behind and all three suspects fled the shooting scene in the same vehicle, police documents stated. The report said apartment surveillance video and video found on Browns cellphone revealed the pre-planning of the robbery and shooting that left Henderson dead. Guaydacan is scheduled to be in court Wednesday morning. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS. DENVER (KDVR) A man who allegedly stole a car owned by Arapahoe County and was wanted in other jurisdictions, including Denver and Broomfield, was arrested on Tuesday. Paris Shannon, 35, was wanted on counts of burglary, motor vehicle theft, stalking, domestic violence and harassment, according to the Broomfield Police Department. He was arrested on Tuesday afternoon in Broomfield, a day after authorities had been trying to take him into custody. The Arapahoe County Sheriffs Office said deputies established a perimeter Tuesday in the 8900 block of East Florida Avenue, where they were looking for a man who allegedly stole a parks and recreation car and crashed it into other vehicles. FOX31s Alliyah Sims spoke to the department and was told the alleged theft happened at the Cheyenne-Arapaho Park, near the initial perimeter. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox A neighbor who lived feet away from the park where the vehicle was allegedly stolen told Sims that the incident was very scary. I have seen those white pickup trucks, the neighbor, who did not want to provide her name, told Sims. I see about three of them, but I didnt happen to see anything yesterday. It is kind of unnerving. This is not the first time deputies tried to locate the suspect. Arapahoe County said deputies tracked the man to the same area on Monday but were unsuccessful in detaining him. The sheriffs office said they were unsuccessful a second time and could not initially locate the man on Tuesday, but there was no threat to the 8900 block of East Florida Avenue. The neighbor said the park is always full with little kids, and said shes keeping a lookout for the suspect, now in custody. It scared me, because I have never gotten anything like that here. I thought who is this, what is he up to, what is he going to do? I mean you dont know. Suspect allegedly involved in Denver crash According to deputies, the man was wanted for other crimes in Denver and Broomfield on a crash and violation of a protection order. The department said the Denver crash happened at around 12:30 p.m. on Monday in the area of 22nd and Blake streets. Officers were called to a hit-and-run crash that involved two cars. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. SWANSEA Installation of business district sewers got a thumbs up from voters while the Preserved Gardner House was likely issued a death sentence during a town meeting doubleheader on Monday night at the Joseph Case High School auditorium. The four-plus-hour gathering consisted of the annual town meeting preceded, in part, by special town meeting that addressed transfers and appropriations to be performed before the end of Fiscal Year 2024 on June 30. There were actually three articles, involving both meetings, pertaining to the sewers. The article for a proposed renovation and restoration of the nearby Preserved Gardner House at Swansea Memorial Park was part of the annual town meeting. It was rejected 227-111 on a ballot after a voice vote was deemed inconclusive. Citizens immediately thereafter approved 204-92 by stand-up vote an article to spend $85,000 for demolition of the boarded-up 213-year-old house in need of costly renovations. Swansea residents Roger and Maureen Bombardaer look at the proposed sewer map before the Swansea special and annual town meeting Monday, May 20 at Joseph Case High School. Special town meeting extends into town meeting Special town meeting started at 7 p.m. and the first four of its six articles were approved before moderator Paul Burke, noting that town meeting was supposed to start at 7:30 p.m., called for a special town meeting recess, at 7:36 p.m., with a sewer article not yet addressed. In the next-to-last article at town meeting, voters approved by a 241-26 ballot vote to appropriate $21,600,000 for the purpose of financing the construction of Phase 1A of the Route 6 Corridor and Route 118 wastewater collection system throughout the town. Before that vote, Sewer Commission Chairman Jim Pelletier said that Swansea's business district very much needs a wastewater collection system and that now is the time to act because the Massachusetts DOT will be soon be performing reconstruction of that Route 6 corridor, roughly from the Venus de Milo to Swansea Mall Drive. That construction will facilitate the installation of sewer infrastructure. He said passing on this opportunity would close the sewer installation window for five years. Swansea and Somerset have agreed to have Swansea tie into Somerset's wastewater treatment system. How Swansea plans to fund sewers Pelletier said the vast majority of citizens, fearing increased taxes, need not be concerned by the $21.6 million price tag. He said loan payments will be covered by the betterment fees, paid only by those (mostly businesses) who tie into the sewers. He said failed septic systems regularly plague Swansea businesses, noting that Target, along the corridor, is on at least its third system. The installation of sewers, he said, will not only be a plus for existing businesses but will also attract new businesses. That would translate into increased tax revenue to a town which boasts, he said, the lowest business tax rate in the area yet struggles to attract businesses. Pelletier said there is extensive room for new businesses in the corridor. The area, he said, has 54 undeveloped acres and more than a half million square feet of unrented storefront. Votes are collected at Swansea's special and annual town meeting Monday, May 20. This is going to help bring restaurants. It's going to help bring economic development to Swansea, he said. Swansea Town Administrator Mallory Aronstein said the town will borrow the money from the Massachusetts Cleanwater Trust, which provides low-interest and no-interest loans. This is a critical, critical, critical project, she said, and I'm really happy to see that we a focus on economic development, the next chapter for us. This also allows us to ease up the burden on the residential side of things. It allows us to kind of share those costs a little bit more how the split tax rate is designed to go. This is a great day for Swansea. They did a good job for their community. The following and final town meeting article, approved by voice vote, was for establishing Sewer Services as an enterprise fund effective Fiscal Year 2025. Special Town Meeting reconvened at 11:04 p.m. The last article of the night, approved by voice vote, green lighted the transfer of $1,678,384 to fund the sewer infrastructure installation in conjunction with the DOT's work. The Preserved Gardner House in Swansea. Debate on the Preserved Gardner House The Preserved Gardner House article prompted extensive citizen input, from both sides of the debate. Cheryl Bogle, chairman of the Swansea Historical Commission, said that while the addition portion of the Gardner House is in poor shape, the original house is structurally sound, its walls and roof straight. She said the plan would be to secure $1.5 million in grant money . We're not asking for $2 million, she said. This is what we had to do to get here. Opponents of the article questioned whether the repair/restoration price tag would ultimately be greater, possibly far greater, than the $2 million. What was rejected at Swansea town meeting Town Meeting consisted of 39 articles. Among those that were rejected were: $110,000 mechanical barriers to address flooding hazards along Old Providence Road. $130,000 for a skid steer for the Highway Department. $372,000 for the Highway Department to purchase a Western Star truck, chassis, swap loader system and related equipment. $250,000 for field study, permitting and design of intersection improvements for Gardners Neck Road and New Gardners Neck Road at Route 103. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Swansea sewers in business district get ok at town meeting KYODO NEWS - May 21, 2024 - 23:46 | All, World One person died and dozens were injured, some seriously, after a Singapore Airlines flight from London hit severe turbulence, forcing it to make an emergency landing at an airport in Bangkok on Tuesday, the airline said. The Boeing 777-300ER, carrying 211 passengers and 18 crew members, was en route to Singapore when the incident occurred, according to a statement from the airline. The aircraft was diverted to Bangkok and landed at 3:45 p.m. at Suvarnabhumi Airport. Kittipong Kittikachorn, director of the airport, identified the fatality as a 73-year-old British man who suffered a heart attack. Seven other people sustained severe injuries, he told reporters. According to the airline, around 30 passengers and crew were either hospitalized or treated in hospitals. The airline posted on Facebook that it is cooperating with local authorities in Thailand to provide necessary medical assistance and has dispatched a team to Bangkok to offer additional support. A woman holds a sign reading "Withdraw the bill - stop the vote" as thousands of people gather outside the main building of Taiwan's parliament to voice their worries about what they see as a dysfunctional legislature and the erosion of democracy by China-friendly parties. Taiwan's parliament is currently debating several controversial bills proposed by the opposition. Opponents of the initiatives fear a dismantling of democracy in Taiwan. Johannes Neudecker/dpa Thousands of people on Tuesday gathered outside the main building of Taiwan's parliament to voice their worries about what they see as a dysfunctional legislature and the erosion of democracy by China-friendly parties. Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost its majority in parliament in January elections and has faced major challenges in the current session, which started in February. On Friday, ruling and opposition lawmakers engaged in brawls over several controversial bills, including the expansion of the legislature's investigative powers. Several injured lawmakers required hospital treatment. The fear is that the power of the legislature is being expanded without the appropriate dialogue and procedures. The main reason behind the chaos is that the opposition parties - including the Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) - voted last month in committee, where bills are usually reviewed and discussed, to take their versions of the bills directly to a floor vote without clause-by-clause deliberation, and left out bills proposed by the independence-leaning DPP. On Tuesday, when lawmakers continued their meeting to vote on the contentious legislation, huge banners reading "Democracy is dead" and "Hong Kong-ization in Taiwan" were hung at the podiums in the conference hall. Ordinary people and activists from NGOs gathered outside the legislature to express their dissatisfaction, displaying banners reading "No discussion, No democracy," "I defy the parliament," and "Democracy overturns." "Are such bills (proposed by the opposition lawmakers) designed to expand their power or to let our sovereignty be asserted?" Citizen Congress Watch chairman Tseng Chien-yuan said at a news conference at the protest scene. "Taiwan is not a normal country. So I'm afraid that Taiwan's democracy could be easily taken away, just like that in Hong Kong," Amy Yang, a 45-year-old obstetrician, told dpa on the sideline of the protest. Yang, also a mother of an 11-year-old son, said she is worried about the erosion of democracy, which would leave a dim future for next generations. The protest came one day after the inauguration of Taiwan's new president Lai Ching-te. A man holds a sign reading "There is no democracy without Discussion" as thousands of people gather outside the main building of Taiwan's parliament to voice their worries about what they see as a dysfunctional legislature and the erosion of democracy by China-friendly parties. Taiwan's parliament is currently debating several controversial bills proposed by the opposition. Opponents of the initiatives fear a dismantling of democracy in Taiwan. Johannes Neudecker/dpa [Source] New Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has urged China to cease military and political threats, advocating for peace and stability through dialogue rather than confrontation. Key points: Aside from strengthening Taiwans defenses, Lai pledged to address economic challenges, enhance the social safety net and help advance key fields, including artificial intelligence . China criticized Lais speech as promoting separatism, insisting that Taiwan belongs to it and that Taiwan independence is a dead end. Lai, who was sworn into office on Monday, emphasized Taiwan s sovereignty in his inauguration speech and reiterated the islands commitment to defend its democracy and freedom. The details: Lai, 64, who previously served as vice president, succeeded former President Tsai Ing-wen after winning a three-way race in January. He and new Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim took their oath of office on Monday, becoming Taiwans fifth pair of elected leaders. In his inauguration speech, Lai called on China to cease their political and military intimidation against Taiwan and expressed hope that Beijing will face the reality of the Republic of China's [Taiwans] existence. Still, he maintained that his government will uphold the Four Commitments, neither yield nor provoke and maintain the status quo. China, which sees Taiwan as a renegade province, has long expressed its intent to reunite with the island, using force if necessary. On the eve of Lai's inauguration, seven Chinese aircraft and seven naval vessels were reportedly detected around Taiwan. While he called for dialogue over confrontation, Lai reiterated Taiwans resolve to defend itself in the face of the many threats and attempts of infiltration from China. In response, China slammed Lais speech as promoting the fallacy of separatism. Chen Binhua, a spokesperson from the Taiwan Affairs Office of Chinas State Council, said Beijing will never tolerate or condone any form of Taiwan independence separatist activities and that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China regardless of who governs Taiwan. The defense rested its case in Donald Trumps criminal hush money trial on Tuesday after roughly 90 minutes of testimony and without the former president taking the stand. Trumps attorneys called two witnesses: a paralegal who entered phone records into evidence and Robert Costello, an attorney who was in talks with Michael Cohen to represent him after the FBI raided his home and office in 2018. Publicly, Trump left open the prospect that he could testify in his own defense, but his attorneys had always seemed to discount the possibility. Ultimately, the most important witness for the defense was Cohen, who testified in the prosecutions case but was subject to cross-examination that stretched across three days for more than eight hours in all. Now the jury will get a week off thanks to the Memorial Day holiday, with closing arguments set for next Tuesday. A verdict is possible by the end of next week. Here are takeaways from the final day of testimony in the Trump hush money trial: Trump doesnt take the stand Over the last several months, Trump repeatedly teased that he would take the stand in his own defense. Well, I would if its necessary, Trump said in an April 25 interview on Newsmax. Probably so, I would like to, I mean I think so, Trump told a Wisconsin television station on May 7. But on Tuesday, the opportunity for Trump to testify came and went quickly, with attorney Todd Blanche telling the judge once Costello was off the stand, The defense rests. Ultimately, there was little suspense in the decision: the lawyers and the judge have been gaming out the trials end-game schedule for the past week as though Trump would not testify. Part of the reason Trump was never expected to take the stand was the scope of the cross-examination. Prosecutors asked the judge to allow them to question the former president about a litany of his misdeeds related to other cases in order to impeach Trumps credibility as a witness. Following a routine hearing on what would be allowed known as a Sandoval hearing the judge ruled that prosecutors would have been allowed to question Trump about the $464 civil fraud verdict from last falls case brought by the New York attorney general, Trumps two violations of the judges gag order in that case, the verdicts against Trump in the two E. Jean Carroll defamation cases and the settlement Trump reached with the New York attorney general that led to the dissolution of the Donald J. Trump foundation. In addition, Trump would have been subjected to questions related to the case, of course, including his alleged affairs with Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. It all added up to the calculation from Trump and his attorneys that he was better staying off the witness stand. The most important defense was the Cohen cross-examination The cross-examination of Cohen, the prosecutions final witness, lasted eight hours roughly four times as long as the entire defense presentation. The difference underscored the importance of Cohen both for the prosecutions case against Trump as well as how the defenses efforts to discredit Trumps former fixer as a witness could be key to an acquittal or hung jury. Blanche tried to undercut Cohens credibility, accusing him of making up his conversations with Trump, stealing from his former boss and continuing to lie even after pleading guilty to perjury in 2018. The most dramatic moment in the cross-examination came when Blanche confronted Cohen about an October 24, 2016, call he had with Trumps bodyguard, Keith Schiller, at 8:02 p.m., in which Cohen testified that Schiller put Trump on the phone and Cohen told him he was going ahead with the payment to Daniels. But Blanche showed Cohen text messages he exchanged with Schiller before and after that call, showing he was dealing with a teenager prank calling him and asking Schiller for help. That was a lie, Blanche alleged of Cohens testimony he spoke to Trump about moving forward with the hush money deal. You were actually talking to Mr. Schiller about the fact that you were getting harassing phone calls from a 14-year-old; correct? Part of it was the 14-year-old, but I know that Keith was with Mr. Trump at the time and there was more than potentially just this. Thats what I recall based upon the documents that I reviewed, Cohen responded. Prosecutors tried to rehabilitate Cohens testimony, introducing a screengrab from C-SPAN showing Trump leaving a Florida rally stage with Schiller five minutes before the call. Prosecutor Susan Hoffinger also tried to remind jurors that it was Trump not Cohen who was on trial in this case. Now, I know it may feel like you are on trial here after cross-examination. Are you actually on trial here? Hoffinger asked Cohen. No maam, Cohen said. After prosecutors rested, Blanche made a motion for Judge Juan Merchan to dismiss the case a typical motion filed by defendants that rarely succeeds. Blanche argued that Cohen had lied in his testimony in this case and it should be tossed out. So, you want me to take it out of the jurys hands and decide before it even gets to the jury that, as a matter of law, this person is so not worthy of belief that it shouldnt be considered by the jury? Thats what youre asking? Merchan asked. That his entire testimony should not be considered by the jury. Absolutely. Thats exactly what were asking the court to do, Blanche responded. Merchan was skeptical, later asking Blanche: You said his lies are irrefutable, but you think hes going to fool 12 New Yorkers into believing this lie? Costello had a bumpy ride Arguing against prosecutors efforts to block Costello from testifying, Trumps attorneys said that Costello would rebut prosecutors suggestion that Trump put on a pressure campaign to intimidate Cohen to keep quiet in 2018. Merchan ruled Costello could testify but said he wouldnt allow the testimony to become a mini-trial about whether there was in fact a pressure campaign on Cohen and how it affected Trumps former fixer at the time. Trump attorney Emil Bove sought to show Cohen used Costellos legal services and as a backchannel to Trump though he never signed a retainer agreement and ultimately went with another lawyer to handle his federal case. In their first meeting, Costello said Cohen was absolutely manic and suicidal after the FBI raid on his properties. According to Costello, Cohen said 10-12 times during the meeting, I swear to God, Bob, I dont have anything on Donald Trump. Costellos testimony in front of the jury Monday quickly devolved into tension between Costello and the judge. Merchan cleared the courtroom to scold Costello for eye rolls and mutterings about the judges rulings that limited what he could say on the stand. On cross-examination, Hoffinger sought to discredit Costello, suggesting he was more aligned with Trumps interests than Cohen when he was advising him in the spring of 2018. Hoffinger suggested Costello, who was in frequent contact with his close friend Rudy Giuliani, was a part of the pressure campaign to keep Cohen in line. Costello acknowledged he offered Cohen a backchannel to Trump through Giuliani but said that was for Cohens benefit. Closing arguments set for Tuesday Both sides are back in court Tuesday afternoon without jurors present in order to discuss the instructions that the judge will give to the jury before deliberations next week. Then the court will be dark for a week, a scheduling decision Merchan chose so the final stages of the trial werent broken up by a four-day Memorial Day weekend. Merchan told jurors they will return next Tuesday for closing arguments, which are expected to take the whole day. Once the jury gets its instructions, Trumps fate will be in its hands. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Tampa, FL (BLOOM) John Couris, President and CEO of Tampa General Hospital, has been appointed to Floridas Health Care Innovation Council. This appointment by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo is part of the Senates Live Healthy initiative, aiming to bring innovative solutions to Floridas health care challenges. Couris expressed his enthusiasm for the role, stating, Florida can serve as a national model in delivering high-quality health care to all Floridians. With support from Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and other leaders on the state level, we can make strategic investments in innovation that have the potential to revolutionize the way we deliver care in the Sunshine State. Im honored to be a part of the new Health Care Innovation Council, where we will focus on dynamic and strategic solutions that can increase access, cut costs, and improve patient outcomes. The Live Healthy Innovation Council was established through Senate Bill 7018, sponsored by the Senate Health Policy Committee and co-sponsored by Senator Gayle Harrell. Representative Karen Gonzalez Pittman sponsored the bills House companion. The legislation, signed into law by the Governor on March 21, aims to collaborate with entrepreneurs and businesses to transform health care delivery and improve the quality of care in Florida. Senate President Passidomo praised Couris for his visionary contributions to the initiative, saying, John Couris was instrumental in the development of the Live Healthy initiative. His transformational vision for our health care system is increasing access, improving care, and reducing costs for patients. I am pleased to appoint him to the Live Healthy Innovation Council. The Health Care Innovation Council consists of 15 members who will engage with innovators and stakeholders to create best practice recommendations. Their focus areas include increasing efficiency, reducing workforce strain, improving patient access and outcomes, and cutting costs without compromising care quality. The Council will also oversee a revolving loan program to support the implementation of innovative health care solutions. Under Couriss leadership, Tampa General has become a leading academic health system. Notably, the hospital established the Tampa Medical and Research District in partnership with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. Couris also led the creation of the CareComm command center at Tampa General, which uses data and analytics to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs. Additionally, he spearheaded the TGH at Home program, providing top-tier hospital care to patients in their homes. As a member of the Health Care Innovation Council, Couris will continue to advocate for science-driven solutions to meet Floridas growing health care needs. About Tampa General Hospital: Tampa General Hospital, a 981-bed, not-for-profit academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America. It is the regions only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care and is highly ranked in several specialties by U.S. News & World Report. Tampa General is also a leading institution in organ transplants and a primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With a network of medical facilities and services across the region, Tampa General is dedicated to providing world-class care and advancing health care innovation. For more information, visit www.tgh.org. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) The groundbreaking ceremony for phase one of an affordable housing and workforce community in Tampa is at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Weve seen the redevelopment underway at North Rome Avenue in the West River community, and now its time to start redeveloping further down the road in Old West Tampa. This new affordable housing community will be called The Gallery at Rome Yards. Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars will be poured into the community transformation in the area just south of Columbus Drive between Rome Avenue and the Hillsborough River. This is a City of Tampa utility laydown yard and its just been very underutilized for many years, said Project Developer Peter Van Warner. He said their master plan includes transforming 18 acres into a community to house over 1,000 people and families within the next six to seven years. Especially given the affordable housing crisis, theres such a great demand right now, Van Warner said. This is the perfect piece of property to address that issue and were happy to be a part of the solution. Project developers, the Tampa Housing Authority, and Mayor Jane Castor are all expected to join in on the groundbreaking for phase one of the project, which will bring 234 apartment units. Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances when you walk into these units, people really are astonished, said the developer. Eighty percent of the units will be reserved for people at or below 80% of the area median income, and the rest will be workforce housing. Similar to the Canopy at West River, there will be several perks to living at Rome Yards. Were also going to provide a workforce training center, a small business success center, a wide variety of amenities, and really an area where people can work live and play. Phase one is expected to be complete by the end of 2026. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WFLA. Before Frederick Bergmann joined a South Florida plot to overthrow Haitis president, he was a prosperous business owner and family man by all accounts. Bergmann, who graduated from the University of Florida with honors and became a CPA, founded a diagnostic imaging business and a laboratory testing company. With his success, he started donating money to charitable causes in Haiti and came to know Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian physician who asked Bergmann to ship some bullet-proof vests to a security team that was protecting Sanon in his quest to become Haitis next president. By doing the favor for his friend, Bergmann was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison for breaking federal laws meant to keep the U.S. out of overseas conflict. A Miami federal judge overseeing the assassination case of Haitis president, Jovenel Moise, sentenced Bergmann to a year less than the maximum sentence. Moise was killed on July 7, 2021, at his hillside home outside Port-au-Prince by Colombian commandos wearing the ballistic vests that Bergmann had shipped to Haiti one month before the deadly assault. Bergmann, 65, had no idea the vests were going to be used in the conspiracy to kill Haitis president, according to federal prosecutors and his defense attorney. Thats why he wasnt charged with the murder conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison like five other defendants who have pleaded guilty to that higher offense in Miami federal court. Five other defendants, including Sanon, now face trial on the charge of conspiring to kill Haitis president and related counts next January. Instead, Bergmann pleaded guilty to two lower conspiracy charges: backing a military expedition against a friendly nation and violating export laws by smuggling 20 ballistic vests in a shipment to the Colombian security team in Haiti. Bergmann falsified the shipping labels by saying the contents were medical x-ray vests and school supplies. Just before his sentencing, Bergman apologized to the judge, the people of Haiti and his family, lamenting the stupid sequence of events and his poor judgment. I wish I could roll the clock back, said Bergmann, who faced up to 10 years for the two conspiracy offenses under federal sentencing guidelines. MADE IN MIAMI: Read the Miami Herald investigation into the assassination of Jovenel Moise U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez gave him a small break after Bergmanns attorney, Henry Bell, argued that his client was a minor player who had devoted his life to caring for his wife and family in the Tampa area while doing charitable acts for his employees and the poor in Haiti. Bell also pointed out that Bergmann and other family members have a history of mental health illnesses. He spent a lot of time and money doing good things in Haiti in the areas of healthcare and education, Bell said, citing several letters of support for Bergmann. I think theres a record for leniency in this case. Bell argued for a sentence in the range of six to eight years. Martinez said he believed that Bergmann had already received a substantial benefit when he was only charged with the Neutrality Act and export violations, suggesting he deserved the maximum 10 years for both offenses. But then, without explanation, Martinez decided to give Bergmann the nine-year sentence and allowed him to surrender to prison authorities in August. He remains free on bond. Martinez, known as a tough sentencing judge, had already given out five life terms to five prior defendants in the Haiti assassination case, which is now at a crossroads. The remaining five defendants are charged with conspiring in South Florida to kill Haitis leader and related charges, including a local security firm accused of recruiting the Colombian commandos to carry out the deadly attack. The conspiracy charge carries up to life in prison. The defendants facing trial are: Antonio Intriago, the head of a Miami-area security firm, CTU; Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, a former FBI informant who joined Intriago at CTU; Walter Veintemilla, a Broward County financier; James Solages, a Haitian American; and Sanon, the Haitian physician who was initially seen by the group as a successor to Moise as Haitis president. In February, Sanon was charged with the others for the first time with conspiring to kill Haitis leader, after first being accused of trying to carry out a military expedition against a foreign country. It was the fifth superseding indictment filed by prosecutors Andrea Goldbarg, Monica Castro and Frank Russo. Before Frederick Bergmann joined a South Florida plot to overthrow Haitis president, he was a prosperous business owner and family man by all accounts. Bergmann, who graduated from the University of Florida with honors and became a CPA, founded a diagnostic imaging business and a laboratory testing company. With his success, he started donating money to charitable causes in Haiti and came to know Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian physician who asked Bergmann to ship some bullet-proof vests to a security team that was protecting Sanon in his quest to become Haitis next president. By doing the favor for his friend, Bergmann was sentenced Tuesday to nine years in prison for breaking federal laws meant to keep the U.S. out of overseas conflict. A Miami federal judge overseeing the assassination case of Haitis president, Jovenel Moise, sentenced Bergmann to a year less than the maximum sentence. Moise was killed on July 7, 2021, at his hillside home outside Port-au-Prince by Colombian commandos wearing the ballistic vests that Bergmann had shipped to Haiti one month before the deadly assault. Bergmann, 65, had no idea the vests were going to be used in the conspiracy to kill Haitis president, according to federal prosecutors and his defense attorney. Thats why he wasnt charged with the murder conspiracy and sentenced to life in prison like five other defendants who have pleaded guilty to that higher offense in Miami federal court. Five other defendants, including Sanon, now face trial on the charge of conspiring to kill Haitis president and related counts next January. Instead, Bergmann pleaded guilty to two lower conspiracy charges: backing a military expedition against a friendly nation and violating export laws by smuggling 20 ballistic vests in a shipment to the Colombian security team in Haiti. Bergmann falsified the shipping labels by saying the contents were medical x-ray vests and school supplies. Just before his sentencing, Bergman apologized to the judge, the people of Haiti and his family, lamenting the stupid sequence of events and his poor judgment. I wish I could roll the clock back, said Bergmann, who faced up to 10 years for the two conspiracy offenses under federal sentencing guidelines. MADE IN MIAMI: Read the Miami Herald investigation into the assassination of Jovenel Moise U.S. District Judge Jose Martinez gave him a small break after Bergmanns attorney, Henry Bell, argued that his client was a minor player who had devoted his life to caring for his wife and family in the Tampa area while doing charitable acts for his employees and the poor in Haiti. Bell also pointed out that Bergmann and other family members have a history of mental health illnesses. He spent a lot of time and money doing good things in Haiti in the areas of healthcare and education, Bell said, citing several letters of support for Bergmann. I think theres a record for leniency in this case. Bell argued for a sentence in the range of six to eight years. Martinez said he believed that Bergmann had already received a substantial benefit when he was only charged with the Neutrality Act and export violations, suggesting he deserved the maximum 10 years for both offenses. Federal prosecutors recommended that he receive the maximum. But then, without explanation, Martinez decided to give Bergmann the nine-year sentence and allowed him to surrender to prison authorities in August. He remains free on bond. Martinez, known as a tough sentencing judge, had already given out five life terms to five prior defendants in the Haiti assassination case, which is now at a crossroads. The remaining five defendants are charged with conspiring in South Florida to kill Haitis leader and related charges, including a local security firm accused of recruiting the Colombian commandos to carry out the deadly attack. The conspiracy charge carries up to life in prison. The defendants facing trial are: Antonio Intriago, the head of a Miami-area security firm, CTU; Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, a former FBI informant who joined Intriago at CTU; Walter Veintemilla, a Broward County financier; James Solages, a Haitian American; and Sanon, the Haitian physician who was initially seen by the group as a successor to Moise as Haitis president. In February, Sanon was charged with the others for the first time with conspiring to kill Haitis leader, after first being accused of trying to carry out a military expedition against a foreign country. It was the fifth superseding indictment filed by prosecutors Andrea Goldbarg, Monica Castro and Frank Russo. Tarrant County commissioners discussed a media policy for the sheriffs office on Tuesday, following calls for transparency after the death of an inmate. But only Sheriff Bill Waybourn can establish such a policy as he is the elected official in charge of his department. The proposed policy was put forth by Republican Commissioner Manny Ramirez, a former Fort Worth police officer, in response to the sheriffs office handling of information related to the April 21 death Anthony Johnson Jr. Ramirez said the most recent critical incidents at the jail made it clear the sheriffs office needed a policy on when and how information is released. We dont need to reinvent the wheel here we just need to implement something that provides a bridge of trust, Ramirez said. We need to have clear, consistent policies so that the public can hold us accountable to those policies. Jennifer Gabbert, chief of staff for the Tarrant County sheriffs office, acknowledged that the sheriffs office has been slow to catch up but said that the department policy is dictated by Texas Government Code on how information is released during investigations. Gabbert also said the sheriffs office just recently added a communications team and that was part of the reason there isnt a clear policy in place. Democratic Commissioner Alisa Simmons spoke in support of the policy. It is a common sense practice, Simmons said. Im not sure it requires a tragedy the magnitude of Anthony Johnson Jr.s death in our jail, eight years into Sheriff Waybourns term, to be considered, but were here now. Simmons cited her 20 plus years of experience as a the spokesperson for the Tarrant County 911 District. She said a communications team is not necessary to start and follow a policy. Simmons used the discussion to ask the office to release the full video of Johnsons death. She also repeated a request from the last commissioners meeting to see the video in closed session. Last week the sheriffs office, in a joint press conference with the Texas Rangers, showed partial footage of the moments leading up to Johnsons death. The video cut off when Johnson appeared to be unresponsive. Since then multiple calls have come asking for the full release of the video, including from an attorney representing the jail supervisor who recorded Johnsons death with his phone. Tarrant County settles lawsuit with woman whose child died after she gave birth in jail Tarrant County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a $1.2 million settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of a woman whose 10-day-old baby died after she gave birth in the jail. The woman, Chasity Congious, was nonverbal at the time of the birth in May of 2020, according to the lawsuit. She had been arrested on a probation violation in January 2020 after her family called Fort Worth police because she was mentally distressed. They wanted to have her involuntarily committed at John Peter Smith Hospital, according Jarrett Adams, a New York-based civil rights attorney who filed the lawsuit. The woman was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and had developmental disabilities that sometimes affected her ability to communicate, according to the lawsuit. Prosecutors filed a motion to drop the charges against the woman a month after she gave birth, and she was taken to JPS for inpatient care. Following the babys death, the sheriffs office said Congious was seen several times by mental health professionals and that state-required checks had been conducted every 30 minutes. Before the vote to approve the settlement, Commissioner Alisa Simmons said given the circumstances of this case, $1.2 million was too low because it can never address the trauma Congious will have to live with the rest of her life. She also said it is sickening to her to have her name on the check. She said she anticipated more lawsuits related to jail deaths, referring to the case of Anthony Johnson Jr., who died in custody April 21 after he was arrested during schizophrenic episode. The lawsuit was filed in February 2022 in U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth. Adams said the family is thankful the settlement was approved. Lawsuits remain against the city of Fort Worth, the officer who arrested Congious and Sheriff Bill Waybourn, Adams said. Adams said he and the family pray that this resolution institutes change at the Tarrant County jail and other entities responsible for the mentally ill so this never happens again. Josh Lucas of the Justice Network of Tarrant County, a group of church-goers who speak at nearly every Commissioners Court meeting in support of jail reform, said the county needs to make changes at the jail to avoid these issues. History is watching you all, God is watching you all, Lucas said. By Nazrin Abdul Uzbekistan is working to improve the status of bilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan, Minister of Investment, Industry and Trade of Uzbekistan Laziz Kudratov said at the opening of the Second Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan Interregional Forum in Guba, Azernews reports. Kudratov mentioned, "Preparations are underway for a state visit to Uzbekistan by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in August. This visit is expected to yield significant outcomes, elevating our relations to a higher level." He further assured that Uzbekistan's government will maintain favorable conditions for Azerbaijani companies operating in the country. Kudratov highlighted the significance of establishing a joint Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan investment company in 2023, describing it as "a crucial mechanism to support various initiatives." Regarding transportation cooperation, he noted, "Collaboration in the transport sector is another key aspect of Azerbaijan-Uzbekistan relations. We've initiated direct air routes and are substantially increasing transportation via Azerbaijan's infrastructure. This year, we anticipate transporting over 1 million tons of Uzbek cargo through this route, compared to 300,000 tons in the first quarter. We appreciate the benefits and preferences extended by Azerbaijan to Uzbek companies, facilitating our increased utilization of this route. Further the speeches at the forum, Zafarkhodja Tursunov, the Deputy Head of Tashkent (Republic of Uzbekistan), said that the number of enterprises with Azerbaijani capital in Tashkent has reached 180. He noted that Azerbaijani entrepreneurs are particularly interested in projects within the construction, service, and industrial sectors. "Tashkent's mutual trade turnover with Azerbaijan exceeded $80 million last year and surpassed $25 million in the first quarter of this year. In 2023, over 8,000 tourists from Azerbaijan visited Tashkent. However, we acknowledge that these results align with our potential. Therefore, we should seize the opportunities available to expand our trade and economic cooperation," stated Z. Tursunov. According to the State Customs Committee, trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan amounted to $178.8 million last year and reached $35.8 million in January-March 2024. KYODO NEWS - May 21, 2024 - 14:07 | All, World The U.N. Security Council on Monday rejected a resolution proposed by Russia on banning all weapons in space, with the United States saying Moscow is trying to mislead the world from its true intention. Seven members of the 15-seat council including China backed the resolution, short of the nine required for adoption. The United States, Japan and five other countries opposed it while Switzerland abstained. The United States said Russia launched a satellite on May 16 that could be a weapon capable of attacking other satellites, and that Russia launched similar satellites in 2019 and 2022. "We are here today because Russia seeks to distract global attention from its development of a new satellite carrying a nuclear device," U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood said ahead of the vote. Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's U.N. ambassador, responded by saying, "I didn't even fully understand what he was talking about. But that's not what is important." In April, the United States and Japan submitted a resolution to the council to reaffirm a ban on nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction in space. Russia vetoed the resolution and then said it would propose its own resolution. Related coverage: U.S. sanctions Russian firms over North Korea-linked arms transfers North Korea tested rocket engine in late April, U.S. think tank says FOCUS: U.N. watchdog panel's fate uncertain as Russia favors North Korea When she was diagnosed, she told me it was like the part of her brain that she enjoyed the most wasnt her own anymore, the actor tells PEOPLE Michael Simon Taye Diggs and his sister Christian Taye Diggs reveals his younger sister Christian was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her late 20s The actor says he initially had a lot of misconceptions about schizophrenia, only knowing about the mental illness through stereotypes portrayed on TV The siblings are now launching the Live Your PosSCZible campaign to raise awareness about schizophrenia and create possibilities for those living with the condition Taye Diggs revealed that his younger sister Christian Diggs, 48, was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE about launching the Live Your PosSCZible campaign, the 53-year-old actor opened up for the first time about his sister learning she had the mental illness in her late 20s and how that diagnosis impacted both of their lives. Schizophrenia, which impacts 2.4 million adults in the United States, is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is associated with hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior that impairs daily functioning, and can be disabling. As you can imagine, we were all very surprised and scared and curious, Diggs tells PEOPLE of Chirstians diagnosis. I didn't know anything about it. Like most people, the only reference I had was what was portrayed on television and a whole bunch of stereotypes. My sister's very, very smart, and she loves to use her brain. And when she was diagnosed, she told me it was like the part of her brain that she enjoyed the most wasnt her own anymore, he explains. And that's what was very frustrating for her. Related: Schizophrenia Caused Eric Smith to Threaten His Mother's Life, but He Refused to Get Help Here's Why Michael Simon Taye Diggs Related: Kyleigh Leddy Paints Vivid Portrait of Sister's Schizophrenia: 'She Became Another Person' As her big brother, Diggs was eager to step in as a caretaker and help Christian in any way he could. But the star quickly realized that the most help he and his family could give was to stay on the sidelines of her mental health journey and simply support her as she found treatments that she says helped piece my life back together. Diggs explains, I was frustrated because it felt like I couldn't help her out in any way because I'm not a doctor. But once I put my ego aside and just kind of listened to the therapist, that was the role that meant the most to her. The most I could do, and the best I could do was be as supportive and patient as possible. He continues, Now, when I speak to my sister, she lets me know how important that was, even though it seemed like I wasn't doing much. She let me know that it meant a lot and that put me at ease. Never miss a story sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Although there is no cure for schizophrenia, lifelong treatment with medicines and psychosocial therapy can help manage symptoms. And once Christian was able to commit to therapy and receive proper medications, Diggs says she hasnt been held back by her schizophrenia in the slightest. Once she started getting on the right medication and had a certain amount of therapy, then it started to click for her. It was night and day, the All American star says. We were just there to say, Keep going. Don't lose hope. Everything's going to be fine. And then she came out of the clouds and we were all very thankful and grateful. And we felt lucky. Christian helped me uncover the fact that there's hope. It's not like it's the end of the world, he explains. I could see her being able to make decisions and live out her ambitions and do all this stuff that I thought was not going to be within her grasp. Diggs admits that looking back, his previous stereotypical perspective about schizophrenia seems foolish now after seeing his sisters experience firsthand. It's really easy to just make a judgment. It's so easy to just kind of put people in a certain box, he says of the mental illness. I feel silly because I thought it was so black and white. But now I know better. I'm almost embarrassed to admit what I thought of her when we first heard this news, but she's such an inspiration, the actor adds. People just need support. They need a team around them that knows what they're doing, and they can literally achieve whatever they want. And I didn't realize this at the time. Michael Simon Taye Diggs and his sister Christian Related: Author Grace Cho Shares Her Mother's Story of Developing Schizophrenia at 45: 'I Was Terrified' Now, the siblings are teaming up with Bristol Myers Squibb to launch the Live Your PosSCZible (LYP) campaign, telling their story and raising awareness about schizophrenia and the reality of whats possible for those living it with the disorder. Although they were nervous to go public with Christians diagnosis, Diggs admits that it was a no- brainer," hoping it will help people change their mindset about the mental disorder just like he did. When you're faced with a situation like this, it's important to realize it's not the end of the world, that you can do whatever you want to do. You just have to make certain adjustments. And so many people don't realize that, the Rent star says. I encourage people to not make judgements. To not fall into the trap of, Oh, what's going to happen? She'll never be able to do this again. Try to avoid that and know that it's the exact opposite. Nowadays Christian is thriving, her brother says. Living independently, working as a carpenter in construction and being a part of this initiative as an advocate, shes making me proud, Diggs adds. She's doing really great, he says. And she's so happy that she did this. It wasn't about her being embarrassed or not wanting people to know what she is challenged with. It was more about letting people know that you can do so much more than what people assume. Shes really proud. And as a brother, that makes me feel good first, Diggs tells PEOPLE. But then it's also nice to know that we're hopefully changing people's opinions and perspectives, because that's what's important. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Taylor ISD investigates after students give each other tattoos at school TAYLOR, Texas (KXAN) The Taylor Independent School District is investigating after some students gave each other tattoos at Taylor High School without school staff knowing, the district said. A district spokesperson said Taylor ISD is aware of a May 13 incident where students gave each other tattoos. The statement said school staff didnt give consent or have knowledge of the tattoos. The district said school officials are investigating the incident. District tattoo policies Taylor ISDs handbook and student code of conduct do not have specific tattoo policies. However, the THS parent and student handbook says tattoos with pictures, emblems or writing with lewd, vulgar, obscene or offensive words must be covered. Self-tattooing risks Tattoo infections are possible anytime someone receives a tattoo, including when someone goes to an experienced tattoo artist whose shop looks clean and sterile, according to the Cleveland Clinic. But it also said there is a risk of infection with at-home tattoo kits. Self-tattooing and unsafe practices have risks of infections, rashes, allergic reactions, hepatitis, MRSA, HIV and nontuberculous mycobacterial skin infections, according to the Cleveland Clinic. To prevent tattoo infections, the clinic encourages finding services from a licensed tattoo shop and checking with the state health department for complaints against the shop. People can also ask their artist about their sterilization practices and what kind of ink they use. This story came from a ReportIt story tip. Send your own story ideas to Reportit@kxan.com or through KXANs contact page. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. SACRAMENTO, California One of the nations largest teachers unions is escalating its pressure campaign against Gov. Gavin Newsom, unveiling TV ads that swipe at a loyal ally over education spending cuts amid a massive budget shortfall. The California Teachers Association on Tuesday released a spot that features Newsom himself, in 2021, promising not to let the education system backslide. The ad is set to begin running on TV in Sacramento later this week. Tell lawmakers and Governor Newsom to pass a state budget that protects public schools for our students and communities, the unions ad urges, after ticking through a bleak picture of crowded classrooms, teacher layoffs and cutbacks on nurses and counselors. While the ads challenge Newsom in far less personal terms than the union has unleashed on past adversaries like former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the very fact that it green-lighted the incursion represents a surprising and sudden rebuke of the Democratic governor from within his own party. The 310,000-member union is a dominant force in Democratic politics and a key Newsom ally that endorsed his last two campaigns for governor, helped him fend off a recall effort and donated to a mental health ballot initiative he championed. Its incoming advertising bombardment places Newsom, who is widely expected to run for president in 2028, in unfamiliar territory. The governor has defended his leaner budget proposal as the most prudent way to dig the state out of two consecutive $28 billion shortfalls, while acknowledging that the proposed cuts are difficult. To avoid clawing back more than $8 billion in school spending, he has outlined a complicated accounting maneuver that would largely spare education funding now but reduce the amount of money guaranteed to schools by nearly $12 billion in the future. We have a math problem, he conceded earlier this month when presenting his updated budget proposal to reporters in Sacramento. Is this what I want to do? No. But the alternative [is] we can eliminate our expansion of health care. We can eliminate wages, we can do furloughs, we can do layoffs, we can do a lot of things. I dont want to do those things. Newsoms office was notified ahead of the teachers unions ad campaign launch. A spokesperson for the governor declined to specifically comment on the blitz. An official from Newsoms Department of Finance, H.D. Palmer, told POLITICO the plan is actually meant to shield the education system from cuts. "This budget proposal is not only legal and constitutional in our view, but is designed to provide predictable and stable support for K-12 schools and community colleges in the wake of last years unprecedented disruption in revenue projections," Palmer said in a statement. The total size of the buy remains unknown, with the ad-tracking service AdImpact showing an initial investment in the Sacramento media market. The public backlash against Newsoms efforts to address what is by one measure the largest budget shortfall in state history has extended to other longtime boosters, including Planned Parenthood and the heavyweight Service Employees International Union California which has planned a rally at the Capitol Wednesday to blast cuts. The teachers union frames the governors plans as an immediate issue. But the CTAs posture is as much about fighting what the school lobby deems a dangerous precedent in a state that has experienced turbulent swings from deficit to surplus, and back again. The union has even threatened to sue the state, a tactic it has employed against other governors in education funding fights. Litigation would not be resolved before the state budget is due in June, but blocking future governors from using the same accounting gimmick as Newsom during revenue declines may be worth it for the labor group. This is a clear violation of the Constitution, CTA President David Goldberg said at a Friday news conference. When you have clear violations of the Constitution, often you go to legal remedies, so that is definitely one of the tools in our toolbox. The nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office also warned the proposal would set a problematic precedent, calling it bad fiscal policy. Asked earlier this month about that assessment, Newsom defended his plan as an effort to leave core education programs intact. We respectfully disagree with that position, Newsom said, I want to maintain the commitments in terms of the investments we've made, which I think are incredibly important. I don't want to see thousands and thousands of pink slips go out. I don't want to see the disruption in the system. The teachers union rarely criticizes Newsom so publicly. It spent handily to help him defeat charter school proponent and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2018 and the recall election three years later. The union also donated $250,000 to a signature Newsom mental health initiative campaign that squeaked out a victory this spring. In 2021, it launched ads warning that schools should not reopen without a focus on safety protocols as Newsom pushed for a return to in-person instruction. But most ads from that time did not mention the governor or Legislature, except for one warning of education spending cuts from a pandemic-era recession that never materialized. For the moment, the union needs Newsom more than he needs them. Hell oversee two more budgets before he terms out in 2026, and the union wants him to sign legislation its sponsoring including a bill that would grant paid parental leave to teachers who become pregnant. But Newsom could certainly benefit from a repaired alliance with the largest state-level teachers union in the country should he run for president. The union downplayed the rift in a statement Tuesday about the ads, calling Newsom a steadfast ally and noting previous ad campaigns that called attention to the Capitol. We have a fundamental disagreement with his approach to the education budget this year and the long term impact on Proposition 98, Goldberg said in the statement. We have disagreed on things in the past and worked through them. The states next-largest education union, the CFT, also opposes Newsoms education budget proposal, along with proposed cuts to social services but its president, Jeff Freitas, suggested the dispute hasnt irreparably harmed the governors relationship with education labor groups more broadly. I wouldn't say the honeymoon is over, said Freitas. He's worked with partners very closely, but also has to make tough decisions at the same time. The California Teachers Association has battled dwindling numbers in recent years and its influence in Sacramento is now rivaled, if not surpassed, by SEIU. Yet it remains formidable on the election trail, in the halls of the Capitol in Sacramento and, once again, on the airwaves. The ad is reminiscent of a tactic teachers have long used to carpet-bomb partisan rivals, including former Republican governors Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson. Despite donating hundreds of millions to Democrats and their initiatives, the teachers union also has been willing to split with Californias ruling party during periodic revenue downturns that have not only slashed school funding but made bargaining more difficult for local affiliates. If you look back to the Great Recession, CTA took ads out against Senate Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg in Sacramento, a Democrat, said Freitas. When there is a limited amount of financing, and things are looking to be cut, we fight to protect the systems that we work in. The school lobbying drive has divided state legislators, who are faced with accepting Newsoms proposal or forwarding deeper immediate spending cuts to other programs. Democratic Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, a Democrat who is exploring a run for state schools superintendent in 2026, has publicly sided with the union on the issue. The union has frequently played kingmaker in that race, most recently helping Superintendent Tony Thurmond defeat charter school backer Marshall Tuck in 2018 and then coast to reelection four years later. The governor has clearly stated his desire to protect classroom funding, Muratsuchi said in an interview. But the bottom line is: We have to be concerned not just about classroom funding for this budget year, but for future budget years. And that's why it's so important to defend Proposition 98. Legislators have debated alternatives to Newsoms budget proposal, but some are undecided on how to proceed. Newsoms plan would reduce per-pupil spending by around $160 this year after California provided years of large funding increases to schools. There's points to be noted on both sides, said state Sen. John Laird, chair of his chambers education budget panel. He pointed out that if the Legislature rejects Newsoms proposal which would have the state effectively take out a zero-interest loan from itself and pay back the money later it would need to find nearly $9 billion somewhere else in the budget to insulate schools from massive spending reductions. It's the governor's call on how to handle this with the education interests, Laird added. Rachel Bluth and Christopher Cadelago contributed to this report. Ted Cruz's 'Come Together' Message After Storm Prompts Scathing Reminder From Critics Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) tried to earn political capital from the cleanup operation for the deadly storm that struck Houston last week. But the Donald Trump-boosting senator simply received a stark reminder of that time in February 2021 when he ditched his state in the middle of a historic winter storm for the sunnier climes of Cancun. In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Cruz detailed his visit to the emergency operation center, sit-downs with officials, and conversations with people helping to repair the damage in Houston. High winds and a tornado killed at least seven people, reported CNN. On Thursday, Houston was hit by a terrible storm. I've been working with community leaders, firefighters, and police officers to help the city rebuild. Whenever we have a natural disaster, Texans come together.#HoustonStrongpic.twitter.com/FEJOnpaL3o Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 20, 2024 Whenever we have a natural disaster, Texans come together, Cruz captioned the clip. But the overwhelming majority of commenters just recalled his infamous trip to Mexico as the record cold hit: Couldn't catch a flight to Cancun? Donatra (@groeblbubble) May 21, 2024 Whenever we have a natural disaster, Texans come together. pic.twitter.com/2tFwjHOW1N Artie Vandelay (@ArtieVandelay1) May 20, 2024 Why did the flights to Cancun get cancelled? John Temporal Investigations (@johnnyjets1) May 20, 2024 That last line is classic... I don't think many Texans have forgotten the 2021 Winter storm disaster, and how you "came together" with them -- from the beaches of Cancun. Nice try. UnderDog (@NoFear_DogHere) May 20, 2024 How was Cancun? pic.twitter.com/Wfss2mRQjC Just a dad doing and saying dad things (@CgrBkr) May 20, 2024 Cancun Cruz is trying to clean up his image. CB (@ConservBlue2020) May 20, 2024 Texans come together. You head to Cancun Clare Morgan (@Clarling) May 20, 2024 All the way from Cancun?!?!? Your work ethic is admirable. The Giant Ginger (@GGGiantGinger) May 20, 2024 Aka I was in Cancun. Master_Strix (@MasterStrix) May 20, 2024 Greetings from Cancun. Robert A. Koch (@RobertAKoch001) May 20, 2024 Cruz might have been in Cancun when this happened! anguillaman2 (@anguillaman2) May 20, 2024 Surprised you did not run to Cancun. Terry (@MICHTERRY2) May 20, 2024 Thanks for recording this message from Cancun. Rene Herrera (@thebigren1) May 20, 2024 Related... Teen, 13, with 'Beautiful Soul' Protected His Sister. But Police Say Mom Looked On as Man Killed Him Isaiah Gaymes died after suffering blunt force trauma Ocean View Funeral Home Isaiah Gaymes A 13-year-old boy died after suffering severe beatings, authorities say. Two adults, including his mother, have been charged in connection with his death. Isaiah Gaymes was taken to the hospital in South Carolina after suffering blunt force trauma, according to reports from WPDE, WMBF and WBTW, citing authorities. Isaiah died early on the morning of Saturday, May 11. Ivy Jenerette, was charged with murder and abuse inflicting great bodily injury upon a child, Horry County jail records indicate. Samantha Gaymes was charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk, according to court records. Court records indicate that both have filed applications for a public defender, though there is no record of either having entered a plea yet. Citing police reports and arrest warrants, the outlets all reported that Jenerette is accused of beating Isaiah, who suffered multiple broken bones, burns and body disfigurement. The outlets reported that police alleged in a warrant that a piece of wood and a handgun were found at the scene, both of which were tested for blood and found to be consistent with Isaiahs injury patterns. Horry County Sheriff's Office (2) Ivy Jenerette, left, and Samantha Gaymes WMBF reported that Samantha is accused by authorities of allowing the abuse to continue. Felecia Bellamy, a counselor at Isaiahs school, told WMBF that Isaiah would look out for his little sister. Although he didnt get protected, he spent a lot of his time making sure his sister was protected, she told the station. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Isaiah was called a beautiful soul in his obituary. Isaiah had an incredible gift for drawing, using colors and lines to create masterpieces that captivated his imagination, the obituary reads. He possessed an innate ability to bring images to life on paper, expressing his thoughts, emotions, and dreams through his artistic creations. Isaiah's artistic talent was matched only by his kind and compassionate nature, the obituary continues. He used his art as a means of connecting with others, often creating thoughtful and personalized pieces for friends and loved ones. His creations served as a reflection of his generous spirit and the love he carried within his heart. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. MEMPHIS, Tenn. Tennessee will be the first state to help families cover the cost of diapers. According to the National Diaper Bank Network, 92% of families receiving diapers in Tennessee are working and still are unable to afford diapers. TennCare said effective in August, it will become the first Medicaid agency in the nation to cover the cost of up to 100 diapers per month for TennCare and CoverKids members under two. Now, tons of fifty-count newborn diapers are sitting in a box at the Bare Needs Bank ready to be given to families in need. Memphis Zoo announces $250M plan to improve exhibits Nicole Willis, the marketing and communication manager for Mid-South Food Bank says as prices spike for almost everything for families, so too has demand at the bank. So, of course, as we see an increase in food, people needing food, we are going to see an increase in people needing diapers, said Willis. Willis says this will help families in need, the Bare Needs Bank, and most importantly babies. This allows us to ease the load so we can help hand and hand to make sure those families and babies are provided for to keep the diaper rash away, Willis said. Parents and legal guardians will soon be able to collect diapers directly through the point of sale at pharmacies in the pharmacy benefit manager network. TennCare will provide further information on how to sign up for the program once the initiative is ready to launch. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WREG.com. Tennessee Professor Dead After Being Swept Away by Wave in Brazil: 'Tragic Accident' Tennessee's Columbia State Community College said they received confirmation on May 20 that Clifford Gordon's body had been located Columbia State Community College Clifford Gordon. The body of a Tennessee community college professor has been found after he was swept away by an wave in Brazil, his university said. Clifford Gordon, an associate professor of art who was part of a study abroad program in Brazil, was "walking along an oceanside road and stopped to take their photographs along either boulders or a wall when a wave hit" him and three students, Columbia State Community College said in a news release on Monday, May 20. "The three students are safe and were not seriously injured when the wave struck," the university added. After being swept away, "rescue operations were launched immediately by Brazilian authorities," the school shared. The university said they received confirmation on Monday that his body was located and was "positively identified." Related: 3-Year-Old Boy Dies After Getting Swept Away While Trying to Cross the Rio Grande with Family The university said the three victims were among a group of 12 Tennessee community college students all taking part in the program. "Two of the three students are from Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville and the third is from Walters State Community College in Morristown, TN," according to CSCC. Currently, the school said the students "are being provided counseling, and early transportation home has been arranged." They are scheduled to be back in Tennessee on Tuesday, The Tennessean reported. Related: Search Ends for 9-Month-Old Boy Swept Away by Pennsylvania Flood that Killed His Sister and Mom We were heartbroken to hear of this tragic accident, said Dr. Janet F. Smith, Columbia State Community College president. We are thankful that no students were seriously injured. Our college family mourns the loss of Clifford, who was a talented artist and greatly loved by his students. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and students. Clifford began working for Columbia State in 2008 as an adjunct professor and then started working full-time in 2013, according to the college. Related: 4-Year-Old Boy Found Dead After Being Swept Away by Floodwaters in Texas: He Just Went Under' Along with an Associate's Degree in art from Chattanooga State Community College, Clifford had a Bachelor of Science Degree in art from Tennessee State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in studio art from the Memphis College of Art. "He was also a talented artist and had numerous exhibitions throughout the state," read a statement from the college. "Clifford was known for producing amazing works of collage and painting to draw the viewer into a world informed by various ideas, traditions and modern discourses. In addition, Clifford traveled to Brazil many summers and taught himself how to speak Portuguese." For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Rodney and RowVaughn Wells, parents of Tyre Nichols, talk to reporters in the Tennessee Capitol on March 14, 2024. (Photo: John Partipilo) Rodney and RowVaughn Wells, parents of Tyre Nichols, talk to reporters in the Tennessee Capitol on March 14, 2024. (Photo: John Partipilo) A Memphis state representative is calling a preemption bill signed into law by the governor more than a case of overreach as it turns back efforts to stop pretextual traffic stops such as those that led to the 2023 death of motorist Tyre Nichols. The majority once again is more concerned with being patriarchal and telling us poor folks in Memphis and Shelby County how to live and taking the authority thats been vested by the voters and really making it moot, Democratic state Rep. G.A. Hardaway said Monday. The Republican-controlled General Assembly passed legislation this year prohibiting a Memphis City Council ban on pretextual stops, including those for a bad tail light. Only stops for primary offenses were to be allowed. The Legislatures move came after Nichols parents, RowVaughn and Rodney Wells, worked with Memphis officials to end stereotyping that can turn into violent incidents. Nichols died in January 2023 after being pulled over for reckless driving, then was beaten by police officers. The death led to local requests for a federal investigation of Memphis police policies. The majority once again is more concerned with being patriarchal and telling us poor folks in Memphis and Shelby County how to live and taking the authority thats been vested by the voters and really making it moot. Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis Gov. Bill Lee said last week he spoke with Mrs. Wells during this years session as she lobbied against the bill. He noted he appreciated her ability to express her views passionately without being disrespectful and even found her approach inspirational. Yet he signed the bill she opposed anyway, pointing out he disagreed with her views on the legislation. Five police officers were charged in connection with Nichols death, and one pleaded guilty in November 2023 to federal and state charges. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Memphis Police practices continues, according to Hardaway, who sought the federal probe of police policy after helping lead a local group that put together police statistics. The Wells family could not be reached for comment on the governors decision to sign the bill into law. But during the 2023 session, Mrs. Wells said she felt police were harassing the Black citizens of Memphis. Her husband contended police are discriminating against people of color, and, as a result, too many parents are going through what were going through senselessly. The legislation reversing Memphis traffic stop ordinance was sponsored by Republican Sen. Brent Taylor of Memphis and Republican Rep. John Gillespie of Memphis. Rep. John Gillespie called for a vote on a measure limiting local officials' ability to monitor police traffic stops. (Photo: John Partipilo) Gillespie also spoke with the Wells family during this years session but moved ahead with his bill when they werent present and said those who oppose state traffic laws should change them instead of enacting local ordinances that are in conflict with state law. Gillespie came under criticism for bringing the bill up for a House vote several days after the Wells family visited the State Capitol to lobby against the measure. Taylor also was adamantly opposed to the Memphis ordinance and backed several law-and-order measures in hopes of curbing crime in urban Shelby County. Hardaway argues that most Shelby County residents supported the local ordinance and added he is suspicious that the bills passage had more to do with political contributions than good law enforcement policy. He was unaware the governor had spoken with the Wells family but said, Theyre very gracious in the way they accommodate individuals who think like they think and those who dont. They know that theres a certain level of sensitivity that some people are gonna express but it wont be followed up by any real serious work to prevent the circumstances that caused Tyre Nichols death. Local research presented to the U.S. Department of Justice verified there was enough evidence to show patterns of discriminatory police work, Hardaway said. He was uncertain when the federal report would be finished. The post Tennessee rep calls Memphis preemption bill worse than overreach appeared first on Tennessee Lookout. PHNOM PENH, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) expert team has discovered another war-left U.S.-made MK-82 aerial bomb in southeast Svay Rieng province, a mine clearance chief said on Tuesday. CMAC director-general Heng Ratana said the MK-82 aerial bomb, weighing around 230 kg, had been spotted while workers were digging a pond in Romeas Hek district. "Today, the CMAC's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team cleared aerial bomb type MK-82, which were buried around 5 meters deep," he wrote on social media. According to the official, since the start of the year, the EOD team had unearthed and safely removed nine MK-82 aerial bombs and one 350-kg M117 aerial bomb in different provinces including Kampong Cham, Kampong Speu, Kandal, Preah Sihanouk and Svay Rieng. Ratana wrote on social media in February that an estimated more than 4 million tonnes of aerial bombs and 27 million cluster bombs had been dropped on some 115,273 locations throughout Cambodia by more than 500,000 U.S. bombing missions between mid-1965 and 1973. Cambodia is one of the world's worst countries suffering from mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) as a result of three decades of war and internal conflict from the mid-1960s until 1998. An estimated 4 to 6 million land mines and other munitions were left over from the conflicts. From 1979 to February 2024, landmine and UXO explosions claimed 19,822 human lives and either injured or amputated 45,221 others in the Southeast Asian country, according to an official report. Tennessee 'tough on crime' bill will not make us safer and take away from rehabilitation When our state lawmakers propose laws that aim to be tough on crime, everyone deserves to know the facts about those laws and what is and isnt actually tough on crime. While it may seem that longer sentences behind Senate Bill 2044 contribute to public safety, the facts show a different story: This bill disincentivizes rehabilitation, making Tennessee prisons and our communities less safe. The unfortunate truth about SB 2044 is that it will spur the consequences that excessive sentencing laws are known to create: bloated public spending, wasted law enforcement resources, and higher recidivism rates. Legislation like SB 2044 do not make Tennessee safer. Rather than addressing the causes of crime or improving the ability to close cases, this bill simply disincentivizes rehabilitation in Tennessee prisons. Tennessees earned time credits and their opportunity to shorten a sentence for eligible people serve as a vital incentive for incarcerated people to improve their behavior and learn from educational, vocational, and rehabilitative programs, which help the Department of Corrections and improve public safety by encouraging incarcerated people to change their lives. Public safety is at risk when incentives are weakened Earned time credits are redirected away from the expiration of a persons sentence, and instead apply to the persons parole eligibility date. This amounts to an empty incentive as Tennessees parole board denies nearly three-fourths of all applicants, and SB 2044 has given no guarantee for parole grants and no mechanisms for early termination of parole supervision. Caps and Gowns are placed near the phones following a graduation ceremony of an addiction program at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center in Trousdale County, Tenn., Friday, May 10, 2024. Simply put, weakening incentives is bad for public safety. When Arizona eliminated parole and earned time credits in 1993, prison rule violations increased by 50%, enrollment in educational programs dropped by 20%, and the reoffending rate jumped 4.8 percentage points. Tennessees prisons are currently severely understaffed. The last thing we should do make Tennessee prisons less safe and make life harder for those who live and work in them. For the roughly 25% of people who do get an earlier parole, they will still need to spend the remainder of their sentence under parole supervision. That means expending additional resources from Tennessees parole officers and numerous pitfalls for returning citizens to manage as they try to successfully reintegrate to their communities and the workforce. Research shows that most reoffending occurs within the first two years of parole supervision -- leaving periods of supervision beyond that more an hindrance than a meaningful public safety policy. Requiring someone who has shown a commitment to reentry and successful adherence to the rules should be able to earn their way off of supervision. SB 2044 prevents that. More: Incarcerated men find 'new beginning' at Tennessee prison's first addiction program Tennessee lawmakers knew this bill would cost a lot in the future SB 2044 is especially tough on taxpayers. Outside of Medicaid, incarceration costs have been the second-fastest growing budget item for most states in recent years, and this bill adds to those costs. The fiscal note for this bill indicates significant increases in state expenditures to accommodate longer incarceration times and parolees being supervised for longer periods of time. The Fiscal Review Committee reiterated the substantial cost at the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee Hearing last month. While the exact future cost from this bill is unknown, it amounts to a signed invoice to taxpayers to fund something that will have enormous cost and will negatively impact Tennessee prisons with no proven benefit to public safety. Public safety should be a top priority for Tennessee, along with proper treatment of law enforcement and of taxpayers. We must incentivize rehabilitation. While SB 2044 aims to provide public benefit, it fails to meet the mark. Matthew Charles Matthew Charles, of Nashville, is a criminal justice expert and Senior Policy Advisor of FAMM. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee will not be any safer with 'tough on crime' bill Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, left, and Majority Floor Leader Greg McCortney talk with Sen. Julie Daniels, assistant majority whip of the Senate, in 2023 before the session at the start of the 59th Oklahoma Legislature at the state Capitol. The head of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety said Monday he was concerned the final version of the state's FY 25 budget would not include funding to finish a tactical law enforcement training facility. Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton said Monday that last week's budget summit left him concerned that the state would reduce or eliminate the funding needed to complete the facility. Last year, state lawmakers earmarked $59 million for the first phase of a tactical training facility that would be used to train Oklahoma Highway Patrol officers, officers from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and those from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. Total cost for the project would be more than $133 million. On Monday, Tipton told The Oklahoman he was concerned by statements made by Senate Majority Leader Greg McCortney. During a budget hearing last week, McCortney said he believed lawmakers "need to put a pause on the entire thing (the Department of Public Safety training center)." "It's not too late to adjust from a bad decision," said McCortney, a Republican from Ada. "I believe it was presented in two phases because no one would have approved the amount of spending that was actually going to be proposed." The more eyes that review the project, McCortney said, "the more questions there are about this being a wise use of state funding." "We're doubling a workload, we're doubling FTEs that could be combined together," he said. "We have assets in the state that can do many of these things." Oklahoma Public Safety Secretary Tim Tipton, left, speaks during a meeting of the One Oklahoma Task Force in March as Jack Thorp, District 27 district attorney, and Justin Wolf, a deputy attorney general, listen. The task force was launched by Gov. Kevin Stitt to discuss law enforcement issues and solutions on tribal reservations. Tipton said on Monday he was surprised McCortney wanted to pause the entire project. "I've never seen political posturing in my time that has to do with posturing on the side of defunding law enforcement on a project that's already been funded," he said. Tipton said the department currently trains new troopers at various spots across the state including on a runway in Burns Flat. "It's really not set up to be a driving course," he said. "It's a runway." Tipton said work has already begun on the first phase of the project. He said the land purchase was completed in May and an architectural and engineering firm had been hired to begin the preliminary drawings which should be completed by late July. "The project is ahead of schedule," he said. "It's staged to be completed in 24 to 36 months. Things are on track." Tense budget negotiations have meant uncertainty for funding for projects Tipton's concern appears to be well founded. For several weeks, budget negotiations between the House, Senate and the governor's office have been terse and, at times, difficult. Often projects are placed on hold, later removed and even later restored to the budget during the process. "The budget process is always fluid, always changing," state Rep. Mark McBride, a Moore Republican, said earlier this year. Still, even with the ongoing process, Tipton said he was astonished by the idea of clawing back a project that had already cleared both Houses of the Legislature and was signed by governor. More: Oklahoma's budget-making process now open to public view has proven contentious, with some progress "It is astonishing to me that the soon-to-be pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate would take a position to not only stop this critical training need, but to go back and defund what has already been done," he said. For his part, McCortney said he was "not anywhere close to believing there is not a need for some facilities to be built." "But I think there can be a significantly better plan," he said. "The more this plan comes out from the darkness, I believe we can do better than this." This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma budget summit leaves leaders concerned projects may be left out Teriyaki restaurant chain known for big flavors is expanding in Sacramento area. See where A fast-casual restaurant chain known for its teriyaki dishes is expanding in the Sacramento area. Teriyaki Madness plans to open a new location at 5975 Birdcage Centre Lane in Citrus Heights, according to its website. Another restaurant is planned in El Dorado Hills at 4060 Town Center Blvd. Teriyaki Madness already has one restaurant in the Sacramento region, at 289 Third St. in West Sacramento. In an email to The Sacramento Bee, Teriyaki Madness spokeswoman Cassidy Small said the franchise is bringing its big bowls and big flavors to California, with a special eye on the northern and central portions of the state. What is Teriyaki Madness? Founded in Las Vegas in 2003, Teriyaki Madness offers made-to-order dishes packed with fresh flavors. The chain specializes in Seattle-style teriyaki, which is slightly different from the traditional Japanese dish. Seattle-style teriyaki is sweeter, thicker, and more heavily spiced than what youd find in Japan, Eater Seattle writers Leonardo David Raymundo and Harry Cheadle explained in a 2023 story, 10 Spots to Eat Teriyaki, Seattles Comfort Classic. Marketed as a health-conscious chain, Teriyaki Madness said its meals are made with high-quality ingredients that wont leave you with a gut bomb. We believe you should have a home-cooked meal, even if its not cooked in your home, the chain said. But our home is your home, so well keep the wok fired up. Some people call us crazy. We say anything less would be madness. As of Monday morning, Teriyaki Madness representatives werent available to confirm opening dates for its new Citrus Heights and El Dorado Hills locations. Whats on the menu? Teriyaki Madnesss menu features teriyaki made with a variety of proteins, such as chicken, tofu, steak and salmon. Also available are large bowls of orange chicken, chicken katsu, deep-fried chicken cutlets and stir-fried noodles. Smaller portions can be found on the appetizer list, which is limited to chicken eggrolls, edamame, crab rangoon and chicken potstickers. Where are restaurant locations? Small said Teriyaki Madness has at least 150 locations across the United States. The chain currently has 17 restaurants in California, including locations in San Jose, San Diego, Los Angeles and Bakersfield. What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com. When Gov. Greg Abbott pardoned Daniel Perry last Thursday, the decision was predictable. It was no surprise that Abbott wished to pardon Perry, convicted for murdering a Black Lives Matter protester during a 2020 rally in downtown Austin. Abbott had announced his intent on social media less than 24 hours after Perry was convicted in 2023. But for a governor who uses his bully pulpit to target woke politics and rogue district attorneys for cherry-picking laws to prosecute, Abbotts interventions in this case have been chilling. In pardoning Perry, Abbott further shifted the rule of law in Texas to a frightening point where the test of whether one goes to prison is not whether a jury rules you did the crime, but whether the governor agrees with your politics. Its fair to note that this case was complex. Two men, both legally carrying firearms, confronted each other with fatal results in a state with a strong Stand Your Ground law. What is clear is that an elected DA, Jose Garza, prosecuted the case after a grand jury heard arguments and found enough evidence to bring Perry to trial. Next, a trial jury heard the evidence and delivered a verdict jurors sentenced Perry to 25 years in prison. Whatever your opinions of the case and there are many in Texas who support Abbott's decision we should all respect the painstaking work that the trial jury did in sitting through eight days of testimony, hearing from nearly 40 witnesses, reviewing the full picture of the evidence and reaching a verdict and applying the law. And if the defense had a problem with the jury's verdict our legal system provides for an appeals process. Abbott didn't even allow for this possibility, announcing his wish for a pardon less than 24 hours after Perry was convicted. Letters to the Editor: Add Abbott's pardon of Perry to his long and indefensible list The jury took far longer to weigh the facts. On July 25, 2020, Perry, a former Army sergeant, killed Garrett Foster, a 28-year-old Air Force veteran marching in an Austin protest against police violence. Foster was legally carrying an AK-47-style rifle. His goal, he had said, was to protect marchers. Perry, driving an Uber, ran a red light and drove into the crowd. He, too, was legally carrying a firearm. When Foster approached, Perry shot and killed him. Daniel Perry, center, walks to the courtroom last March in Austin where he was convicted for fatally shooting Garrett Foster during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. (Credit: Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman/File) Perry later claimed self-defense. But no witness ever stated that Foster aimed his weapon. Records later released by the courts showed that Perry had texted numerous racist fantasies about killing minorities and Black Lives Matter protesters. I might go to Dallas to shoot looters, Perry wrote in one text. After the conviction, conservative commentators, including former Fox host Tucker Carlson, mocked Abbott as being soft on crime. The next day, Abbott pledged to pardon Perry if advised to do so by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. He directed members to expedite a study of the case. Typically, legal experts say, cases are reviewed for pardon only after the appeals process ends. This was an unusual situation from the start, said David Kwok, director of the University of Houstons Criminal Justice Institute. Even before this defendant was sentenced, the governor made public his interest in pardoning him the case was tried, but it technically was not completed at the point when he first spoke about it. The pardons and paroles board, whose members are all appointed by Abbott, stated that their unanimous recommendation came after a thorough examination of the amassed information. This too, is highly unorthodox, attorney Gary Cohen told the Washington Post. The parole board in Texas is not supposed to be a judicial body. They dont engage in relitigating the facts of the case. Thats not the boards job and never has been. It is also normally the offender not the governor who initiates a pardon request. Typically, Cohen said, offenders try to show some level of personal remorse and change. But in this case, Perry's attorney and Abbott made little mention of the loss of Garrett Foster's life. Instead, they complained about the toll taken on Perry, his career, and Stand Your Ground laws. Daniel Perry was imprisoned for 372 days and lost the military career that he loved, his lawyer stated. We intend to fight to get Daniel's military service characterization upgraded to an Honorable Discharge. More: Mixed reactions on X to Gov. Abbott's pardon of Daniel Perry: 'Excellent,' 'all-time low' Abbott directed blame at Garza and the jury and invoked politics. In his pardon, issued immediately after the board's recommendation, Abbott said, Texas has one of the strongest Stand Your Ground laws of self-defense that cannot be nullified by a jury or a progressive District Attorney. It was one of the most peculiar features of a pardon riddled with unorthodoxies. Jose Garza, whom Abbott has targeted for removal from office, of course neither served on the jury or delivered the verdict or sentence. His office presented its case. The jurors performed their duty. Their only transgression seems to have been exercising their conscience after hearing the totality of evidence in the case. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Gov. Abbott pardoned Daniel Perry and shifted the rule of law in Texas Dr. Sherif Zaafran, president of the Texas Medical Board, said he intends for the rules to address confusion and fear among Texas doctors. Texas women, OB-GYNs and representatives of some of the state's largest medical associations slammed the Texas Medical Board on Monday over proposed abortion ban rules they say create additional burdens on doctors and could endanger pregnant women. The Texas Medical Board on March 22 announced its new proposed rules, which would require physicians to document whether they tried to transfer a patient to another doctor or facility to avoid performing an abortion, a rule that several speakers at a stakeholders meeting Monday said goes beyond the requirements set out in the state statute and could delay life-saving care. The guidelines would also mandate that physicians list alternative treatment options that they tried before an abortion was considered. "As a lawyer who has represented Texas physicians for years, I wouldnt even know how to advise a physician client on how to comply with some of these requirements," said Molly Duane, an attorney for the Center for Reproductive Rights, an abortion rights group. "The requirement to determine whether there was adequate time to transfer the patient by any means available is so vague as to be unworkable." Duane added that the proposed rules "exceed the board's statutory rulemaking authority" and add to confusion about the laws, rather than clarifying them. Texas' abortion ban allows physicians to terminate a pregnancy only to save the life of a pregnant patient or if the patient is at risk of substantial impairment of major bodily function. The ban makes no exception for rape, incest or fatal fetal diagnoses. Over nearly five hours of public commentary and discussion Monday, several dozen speakers shared their thoughts on the board's proposed rules, with the vast majority saying they oppose them as currently written. Only two of 16 board members Dr. Sherif Zaafran, the chair, and Dr. Jason Tibbels attended the stakeholder meeting, board spokesperson Taurie Sloan confirmed to the American-Statesman, adding that the meeting will be posted on YouTube for board members to access "if that is their desire." The board consists of 11 doctors and five others appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott; three-fourths of its members are men. More: Abortion foes, supporters say Texas maternal death task force should review abortion cases Amy Bresnen discusses the abortion ban at a Texas Medical Board meeting in March. Kate Cox, a Dallas mother of two who became known across the nation after the Texas Supreme Court ruled against her request to legally terminate a nonviable pregnancy, which threatened her ability to have a healthy child, made a rare public appearance to tell the board that "the new rules will create additional hurdles for patients like me." Many of the speakers, including a representative for anti-abortion group Texas Right to Life, emphasized that the rules should incorporate a statement from the Texas Supreme Court that a woman need not face imminent death to qualify for an abortion. One of the most striking sets of comments came from the Texas Medical Association, which represents more than 57,000 doctors and medical students across the state and has historically been reluctant to make strong statements on topics related to abortion. Speaking on behalf of the group, OB-GYN Dr. Joseph Valenti said the draft guidelines made the situation more confusing and dangerous rather than clearer for physicians. "We're very concerned with the documentation and administrative requirements and the proposed rule potentially hindering our Hippocratic oath, limiting the use of our reasonable medical judgment and delaying much-needed lifesaving and fertility-saving measures," he said. He closed his comments by saying, "Remember: Dead mothers do not lead to live babies." More: What is the Texas Medical Board and how will it consider abortion ban guidelines? Dr. Ingrid Skop speaks at a Texas Medical Board meeting about the abortion ban in March. Speakers for groups that oppose abortion were generally less critical of the board's proposed rules. Texas Right to Life was "overall pleased" with the guidelines, paralegal Miranda Willborg said on the group's behalf. A spokesperson for Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Katie Daniel, suggested the medical board create an online landing page with resources such as information on Columbia University's Neonatal Comfort Care program, a facility that provides palliative care for newborns that have fatal diagnoses and bereavement support and counseling for families. Daniel said she believes that "abortion has become the default option for a variety of diagnoses, both lethal and nonlethal." It is illegal in Texas, however, to terminate pregnancies in either case. A main theme of the meeting seemed to be whether the medical board truly has the power to address what speakers largely agreed is a crisis of confusion and fear among Texas doctors trying to navigate the state's near-total abortion ban. Anyone convicted of violating the law could face up to 99 years in prison and fines of no less than $100,000. Doctors can be prosecuted criminally or sued by private citizens if they are suspected of violating the abortion bans. "I don't think most people understand just how severe the abortion laws are in Texas," Cox said. "By denying me the abortion care I needed, the state, my state, was cruel to my family and I." Scott Simpson, who identified himself as a retired OB-GYN, urged the board to use its position to advocate for legislative change, a role the board said it cannot take as a government body. "The problem is the law," he said. "Rule modifications may ease the problem, but I doubt they can completely resolve it." Zaafran repeatedly said he intends for the rules to address confusion and fear among Texas doctors and, in doing so, prevent women from having medically necessary abortions delayed or denied. But at many points, he and board director Stephen Brint Carlton felt it necessary to tell attendees that they did not have the power to change the legislation their rules are intended to clarify. "We as a medical board are trying as best we can to stay within the constraints of the law, while hoping to give clarity to the physicians as to how they can navigate these issues," Zaafran said in closing remarks. Zaafran and Carlton suggested at the end of the meeting that they see their work as far from done. The board might discuss or propose new guidelines at its June 20-21 meeting in Austin and, "if changes are substantive," it will start the process over at step one, Carlton said. He said the board is likely to hold another stakeholder meeting after substantive changes and before a final vote, which could take place anytime from late June to early next year or beyond. More: 'Confused and frightened': Texas Medical Board guidance on abortion ban exceptions unveiled Texas Medical Board members, from left, Sharon Barnes, Dr. Manuel Quinones, Executive Director Brint Carlton and Dr. Sherif Zaafran listen to public comments about guidance on exceptions to the states abortion ban in March. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas medical, hospital associations slam proposed abortion guidelines Dade Phelan addresses the floor after being elected for his second term as House speaker on on Jan 10, 2023. Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune In mid-April, some of Texas most prolific Republican donors convened at the palatial and secluded mansion of Dallas pipeline mogul Kelcy Warren. The RSVP list counted the likes of legendary GOP strategist Karl Rove, real estate billionaire Harlan Crow and Texans for Lawsuit Reform co-founder Dick Weekley. It also included several erstwhile Republican leaders, including Texas longest serving governor, Rick Perry; former U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison; and two former Texas House speakers, Dennis Bonnen and Joe Straus. Their mission: Save Dade Phelan. It was a dramatic show of force from the states most influential GOP power brokers or at least, it would have been a decade ago. Today, the once-gilded group of Republican kingmakers, who shaped Texas and national conservative politics across the Bush era, are locked in a power struggle with the partys far-right, socially conservative wing the very forces that pushed Phelan, the Republican Texas House speaker, into a career-threatening runoff five weeks earlier. These conservative establishment players, whose own reputations have been under attack in recent months as theyve been recast as RINOs, are going to bat for Phelan in a May 28 runoff that, by one account, is the most expensive state House race in history. They hope to prevent Texas lower chamber from falling under the control of hardline conservatives like their longtime rival, Tim Dunn, a Midland oilman and billionaire megadonor. Dunn and his sprawling political network have funded an aggressive campaign to oust Phelan, attack his allies and scrub so-called moderates from the party. If you have 100 issues, and you agree with them 99 times, youre their enemy, said Alan Hassenflu, a Houston real estate magnate who was on the host committee for Phelans April fundraiser. Hassenflu, a board member of the powerful tort reform group Texans for Lawsuit Reform, added that the interests of the Dunn cohort frequently diverge from fiscal conservative orthodoxy. Often that purity isnt conservative, he said. Theyd be just fine having the government tell businesses they cant have unisex bathrooms or mandate vaccines Thats not limited governance. Phelans primary against GOP activist David Covey has emerged as a last stand for the Republican Partys business-minded old guard against an insurgency, primarily motivated by social and cultural issues, that aims to reshape the House in the mold of the more conservative Senate and its leader, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. That movement landed a major victory in the March primaries, when nine House GOP incumbents were unseated by far-right challengers and eight others, including Phelan, were pushed into runoffs. David Covey talks on the phone in Beaumont on Jan. 26, 2024. Covey is running against House Speaker Dade Phelan in the Republican primary. Credit: Mark Felix for The Texas Tribune The ouster of Phelan, R-Beaumont, would give Dunns cohort its best chance yet to elect a speaker who is aligned with Patrick and the Senate, likely clearing the way for unfinished priorities like private school vouchers, expanded state control of elections in Democrat-run counties and various measures aimed at infusing more Christianity into public life. This is not the party of George Herbert Walker Bush or [former Sen.] John Tower or Kay Bailey Hutchison or George W. Bush, said Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. It is a party that is decidedly more conservative, much less interested in the kind of approach that Texas Republicans took for decades, which was working strongly and closely with the business community but not pushing very hard on social stuff. Some hardline conservatives reject the notion that they have abandoned their pro-business principles, arguing its possible to focus on things like loosening the regulatory environment while also restricting abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. I don't think anybody has a better voting record than I do when it comes to alleviating and fighting against problematic regulations that we're putting on small businesses, said state Rep. Steve Toth, a Republican from The Woodlands who owns a pool service business. Toth, one of Phelans most outspoken critics in the House, has endorsed Covey and joined with a group of lawmakers and candidates who want to upend the Houses rules to further diminish the influence of Democrats and weaken the speakers power. The fourth-term Republican blamed the intra-party tension on an element of our party working against social conservatives, singling out one of the most prolific pro-Phelan groups this cycle, the Associated Republicans of Texas. The group, known as ART, spent around $3 million defending House incumbents in the first round and likely millions more in the runoffs. State Rep. Steve Toth, R-The Woodlands, right, speaks with state Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, on the House floor at the state Capitol on April 6, 2023. Credit: Evan L'Roy/The Texas Tribune If we try and take out someone that is moderate, we're seen as extreme, and we're the problem with the Republican Party, said Toth, who was opposed in his own primary by ART, making him the groups only GOP incumbent target this year. Added Toth, who was backed by Dunns PAC and easily fended off a moderate challenger in March: They dont want you to be socially conservative, they only want you to be moderate on those issues, and to get along and go along with the Democrats. And we're just not willing to do it. The old guard Phelans high-profile backers include some of the states wealthiest business executives who have benefited from the states boom years and industry-friendly approach to governing. One member of the Dallas fundraisers host committee was Jeanne Tower Cox, daughter of former U.S. Sen. John Tower. Tower, the first Republican Texan elected to the Senate since Reconstruction, helped launch Associated Republicans of Texas in 1974 when the party held fewer than two dozen seats in the Legislature. Phelans backers also include Robert Rowling, the billionaire owner of Omni hotels; energy titan Ray Hunt; and beverage distribution magnate John Nau, who serves as co-chair of ARTs board. Each is also among Gov. Greg Abbotts top donors, contributing at least a million dollars to the governors campaigns. Abbott, for his part, has remained neutral in Phelan's race. The wave of anti-establishment energy this cycle has not only threatened Phelans career, but also raised the prospect that his supporters in the Republican old guard already considered pariahs among a large segment of the GOP could become full-on outcasts in the party they helped create decades ago. Among them is Rove, who masterminded the Texas GOPs rise in the 1980s and 1990s, engineering some of the partys earliest statewide wins, including the 1990 campaigns of Perry for agriculture commissioner and Hutchison for state treasurer, followed by George W. Bushs election as governor in 1994. Rove, who declined comment for this story, has been in the crosshairs of the GOP grassroots since he penned an essay last year suggesting Attorney General Ken Paxton was likely to be convicted at his impeachment trial. Rove continued to blast Paxton after he was acquitted by the state Senate, arguing the attorney general bore full responsibility for the impeachment because of his arrogance. Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff under President George W. Bush and Republican political consultant Karl Rove speaks on a panel at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune Perry, once praised for deftly changing his political stripes to become a tea party darling, has also fallen out of favor with much of the GOP grassroots after penning his own opinion piece calling for Paxtons impeachment trial to go forward, and more recently emerging as Phelans most high-profile defender on the campaign trail. Perry, a former Trump cabinet member, has leaned into the criticism, joking at a Phelan rally that the derisive term RINO is kind of sexy, frankly. He has also defended Phelans willingness to work with Democrats, noting that he often did so himself on the vast range of issues that transcend partisan politics. The speakers role is not to be a dictator, Perry said at a Phelan rally in February. He later added that he was worried about the magnitude of intra-party fighting among Republicans, telling the Tribune, if we continue down this path, pointing our guns inside the tent, that is the definition of suicide. Former Gov. Rick Perry attends a get out the vote rally in support of Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan on Feb. 29, 2024, in Vidor. Credit: Callaghan O'Hare for The Texas Tribune Former state Sen. Don Huffines, a wealthy businessman who has also championed social conservative causes, argued that much of Phelans support is coming from groups like Texans for Lawsuit Reform that are interested in preserving their access to House leadership. You've got these people that are used to that environment in Austin, and they want to keep the levers of power, said Huffines, who challenged Abbott in the 2022 primary with the financial backing of Dunn and fellow West Texas oil billionaire Farris Wilks. Texans for Lawsuit Reform, known as TLR, is a major force in state politics, with a war chest of more than $29 million at last count and a reputation as the business communitys leading bellwether. Once heralded on the right for helping Republicans flip Texas, TLR has been recently vilified by Paxton and his hardline allies, who believe the group worked behind the scenes to orchestrate his impeachment. TLR, which spent more than $3 million trying to oust Paxton in the 2022 primary, has insisted it had nothing to do with the effort. Lucy Nashed, a spokesperson for Texans for Lawsuit Reform, said the group backs incumbents who support TLRs legislative agenda though she suggested other factors also play a role in endorsement decisions. TLRPACs primary consideration is whether a candidate is philosophically aligned on civil justice issues, but we also seek to support men and women of integrity who we expect will be constructive members of the Legislature, Nashed said in an email. Fire-breathing conservatives Since winning control of the speakers gavel in 2021, Phelan has shepherded the passage of numerous conservative priorities once seen as a bridge too far for some Republicans, including laws banning abortion, allowing the permitless carry of handguns, restricting transgender rights and vastly expanding Texas role in immigration law enforcement. At the same time, Phelan, a real estate developer, has overseen a number of key wins for the Texas business community, including the revival of a corporate tax break program, a new law aimed at speeding up permitting for developers and a sweeping limit on city and county ordinances a priority of business groups that complained of a growing patchwork of local regulations. The Legislature also created a new court, filled with governor-appointed judges, to hear business cases involving large transactions. Hassenflu, who founded the Houston firm Fidelis Realty Partners and has long been involved in local Republican politics, said he appreciates that Phelan has supported business-friendly policies that promote growth and limit government. He described Phelan as more conservative than his two predecessors as speaker, fellow Republicans Bonnen and Straus, and said Dunn and his allies used outright lies to distort the records of Phelan and other incumbents in this years ugly Republican primary campaign, which is nearing its conclusion with early voting underway this week. Theres no integrity in that, Hassenflu said of the anti-Phelan tactics. Dunn and Phelan did not respond to requests for comment. The far-right faction of Texas Republicans have cast Phelan as a feckless capitulator to Democrats who has slow-walked conservative priorities approved by the Senate. A 2023 documentary by Texas Scorecard a conservative media organization funded by Dunn made the bold and specious claim that the House is actually controlled by Democrats. That wing of the GOP has increasingly pushed Phelan to stop appointing Democratic committee chairs, a longstanding practice in the House that has sought to foster bipartisanship by rewarding the minority party with minor positions in leadership. What got Phelan in trouble with the far right last year were two issues: the Houses rejection of Abbotts school voucher bill after it sailed through the Senate and Phelans full-throated support for impeaching Paxton one of Dunns key political allies on corruption and bribery charges. Phelan did not take a public stance on the voucher measure at the time, but he later told the Tribune he would have preferred a modest version of it to pass; his critics say he didnt do enough to whip his caucus in line. The speakers political foes have pointed to a handful of other conservative priorities that did not make it through the House, including a proposal to bar the sale of Texas farmland to citizens and entities associated with China and several other countries. Covey has also blamed Phelan for allowing Democrats to sink a bill that would have created a Border Protection Unit, staffed by deputized everyday residents and licensed peace officers, with authority to deter and repel migrants between ports of entry. Phelan and his allies point to his record overseeing an eightfold spike in border security spending and passage of landmark immigration laws. The opposing factions in Phelans primary have been on divergent paths since Straus, a San Antonio Republican, first became speaker a decade and a half ago. Straus rose to power in 2009, assembling a coalition of around a dozen Republicans and most Democrats in the House. Straus reliance on the minority party made him a frequent punching bag in GOP primaries the following year, when the tea party wave swept out part of his moderate coalition, making his position seem tenuous. But the threat never materialized. Straus easily held onto the speakers gavel, with only 15 members voting to oppose him in 2011. Straus said this years crop of fire-breathing, I'm-gonna-change-everything conservatives reminds him of the freshman class he faced in 2011. Many of them changed their tune, Straus said, once they actually met him and learned about the give-and-take needed to pass legislation. It was always gratifying to see how many of those who came in with that disposition learned about the institution of the House, and learned that if they were just respectful of others, and respectful of the rules and of the institution, they could be leaders too, Straus said. Former House Speaker Joe Straus at The Texas Tribune Festival in Austin on Sept. 24, 2022. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune Still, there are important differences this year that could point to more enduring changes in the House next session. For one, Phelan is in jeopardy of becoming the first speaker in 52 years to lose reelection, while Straus was never truly threatened in his district. The in-House challenges to Straus speakership were even less serious; in contrast, the first challenger out of the gate against Phelan is one of his own committee chairmen. These people have a taste for blood in the water, and they're going after him, said Taylor, the political scientist, noting that the anti-Phelan insurgents are not only pushing a really strong conservative agenda like in 2011, but also outlining a specific list of demands aimed at kneecapping Phelan. The resurgence of the partys rightmost faction comes after Dunn and his cohort spent the last several years struggling to make a dent in the primaries including in 2022, when candidates supported by Dunns network lost every head-to-head matchup against Phelan-backed incumbents. The group seemed to reach its nadir in late 2023, when its leader was caught hosting Nick Fuentes, a prominent antisemite and white supremacist, at his consulting firms office. But Dunn went on to notch a number of key wins in the March 5 primaries. Tim Dunn, CEO of CrownQuest Operating and chairman of Empower Texans, speaks during The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 24, 2016. Credit: Brett Buchanan for The Texas Tribune Nick Fuentes (middle) is seen exiting the offices of Pale Horse strategies with Chris Russo, founder and president of Texans for Strong Borders (right) in Fort Worth on Oct. 6, 2023. Credit: Azul Sordo for the Texas Tribune Unlike in previous years, hardline candidates are getting a major boost from Abbott and deep-pocketed groups looking to oust GOP lawmakers who oppose private school vouchers. While the governor has stayed out of Phelans primary, he is going after four of the speakers anti-voucher allies in the May runoffs and one of the pro-voucher groups, Club For Growth, has targeted the speaker directly with a TV ad that calls him unwaveringly liberal and a Democrat in disguise. A fundamental shift Democrats, meanwhile, are determined to fight to preserve the limited power they have in the lower chamber. Their caucus leader, Trey Martinez Fischer of San Antonio, said Republicans should not discount the fact that Democrats currently control 64 of 150 seats in the House and could pick up more in November. And Republicans, no matter what they may say in campaign speeches about stamping out the last vestiges of Democratic influence in the chamber, need the minority party for certain votes. Passing the budget, establishing a daily quorum and approving constitutional amendments each require 100 ayes a threshold Republicans, currently with 86 members, lack on their own. Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, speaks at a press conference prior to the start of the 3rd-called special session of the 88th Legislature on Oct. 9, 2023. Credit: Bob Daemmrich for the Texas Tribune Martinez Fischer said with Republicans fighting among themselves, the possibility exists for a more moderate conservative to successfully attain the gavel through a bipartisan coalition, much as Straus did to begin his five-term reign that ended in 2019. But if House Republicans attempt to further cut the minority party out of the legislative process, the Democratic leader said they will fight back. House Democrats will show up and work hard every day, Martinez Fischer said. You show us what the rules are and well find a way to elevate the discussion thats just who we are. Beyond ending the tradition of bipartisan committee chairs, Phelans critics have also called for the next speaker to only solicit support from Republican members, a demand aimed at forestalling another Straus-type coalition. The hardline faction also wants the next speaker to ensure all GOP legislative priorities receive a floor vote before any Democrat bills. Sylvester Turner, a Democrat who spent 27 years in the Texas House before his recent stint as Houston mayor, said the proposed changes would produce a fundamental shift, and in the end, quite frankly, I think everybody loses. Turner, a key ally of Straus predecessor, GOP speaker Tom Craddick, served as speaker pro tempore for all three of Craddicks terms leading the chamber. Phelans critics are also calling for an end to that tradition, which has often been used as an olive branch by Republicans to fill a largely ceremonial role. The Houses bipartisan culture, Turner said, has long prevented the chamber from devolving into outright gridlock, while allowing members of both parties to prevent a lot of bad shit from reaching the House floor. If one side is going to play this partisan hardball sort of system, it forces the other side to do the same, Turner said. So, you gotta be careful what you ask for. Disclosure: Texans for Lawsuit Reform and University of Texas at San Antonio have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. House Speaker Dade Phelan presides over the House during Sine Die, the last day of the 88th Texas Legislative Session, at the Capitol in Austin on May 29, 2023. Credit: Eddie Gaspar/The Texas Tribune Weve got big things in store for you at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 57 in downtown Austin. Join us for three days of big, bold conversations about politics, public policy and the days news. EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) Texas Tech Health El Paso cloaked students entering the nursing program on Tuesday, May 21. The White Coat Ceremony for the Hunt School of Nursing Summer Cohort was on Tuesday at the Medical Sciences Building II auditorium. According to the news release from Texas Tech, the summer cohort is made up of 12 students and they are a part of the accelerated B.S.N program, one of its kind in the region. The ceremony marks the students entry into the profession and the 12 students will also be given the Hunt School of Nursing seal, according to Texas Tech. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTSM 9 News. Whats in it for them? This outside lobbying group is top spender in Idaho GOP primary Ahead of the Tuesday GOP primary, Nampa voters received a provocative mailer about a legislative candidate. The mailer featured a photo of a young girl standing behind rusted bars, frowning, wearing a yellow backpack and holding a notebook. Kenny Wroten voted to leave students trapped in the wrong schools! the attack ad read. The mailer slammed Wroten, an Idaho House member running for reelection, as a liberal legislator who rejected tax credits for families to send their children to private schools. Paid for by the Idaho Federation for Children political action committee, it was one of many mailers and ads the American Federation for Children has run and distributed in Idaho over the past few weeks. The federation, a Dallas, Texas-based lobbying group focused on school choice, has spent $400,000 this election cycle, primarily to target three Republican candidates over school choice around double the amount the group spent during the 2022 election, according to previous campaign reports first reported by the Idaho Capital Sun. It is also listed as the second-highest spender on lobbying in Idaho this year, according to the secretary of states office second only to Young Americans for Liberty, a libertarian group that lobbied for a bill to subsidize private education last year. The debate over school choice, often centered around providing funding for families who dont send their kids to public school, has become a touch point this election cycle as groups have thrown hundreds of thousands of dollars into the races in hopes of getting their preferred candidates elected. The federations other targets, in addition to Wroten, are Rep. Melissa Durrant, R-Kuna, and Rep. Richard Cheatum, R-Pocatello, all of whom opposed a bill that would have provided $50 million in tax rebates and grants for families whose children attend private schools or are home-schooled. The bill ultimately failed to make it through the Legislature. Ads that have run over the past few weeks accused the candidates of raising fees on Idaho families, siding with radical liberal unions and killing school choice. The federation has also launched ads in support of Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, one of the sponsors of the tax credit bill this session, Rep. Julie VanOrden, R-Pingree, and Senate President Pro Tem Chuck Winder, R-Boise. Nathan Cunneen, a communications strategist for the group, told the Idaho Statesman that the Idaho Federation for Children PAC supports candidates fighting to create school choice opportunities in Idaho. Its obvious that we need a broader coalition to pass school choice in Idaho, he said in an email. Regardless of ideology or position on other issues, we focus on legislators who do the hard work to advance and pass school choice for Idaho families. Wroten said he believes he has been heavily targeted because he was vocal this past legislative session against the parental tax credit bill. Parents are welcome to make choices that work best for their families, but the Idaho Constitution requires the Legislature to guarantee a general, uniform and thorough system of public, free common schools. Wrotens opponents are Amy Henry, a former educator and homeschool parent, and Steve Tanner, who has spoken out against allegations of critical race theory in schools and has advocated against school bonds, according to his election website. If you ... feel like your child needs something different, that is fine. But I dont think that taxpayers should have to subsidize that, Wroten told the Statesman. He said lawmakers have rejected many proposals that would subsidize private education, and yet the lobbying groups seem to think that this issue hasnt been hasnt been addressed. It has. They just keep pushing. Idaho has long history of school choice legislation Spending from the American Federation for Children doesnt cover all of the money involved to push for funding private education this primary election. Though the federation focuses specifically on school choice, other top spenders this election cycle included Citizens Alliance of Idaho, which has also made expanding education freedom a top priority. Idaho legislators over the past several years have introduced bills that would offer tax credits or provide educational savings accounts for families who choose private school or homeschooling for their kids, but they havent yet been successful. During the 2023 session, legislators introduced a bill that would have created education savings accounts to let families who send their kids to private schools or those who home school their kids get state funding for tuition and other expenses. It failed in the Senate. The year before, lawmakers introduced a bill that would have created a similar program. That was narrowly rejected in a House committee. Each year, sponsors vow to bring back bills using taxpayer money to help families fund private education, arguing that education isnt one size fits all and the state should fund students, not systems. But the bills are always met with considerable opposition, including from education stakeholder groups, such as the teachers union and school boards association, over fears it would take money away from public schools. Sponsors often deny that characterization. The influx of money around school choice has the potential to have a significant influence, experts said. In Idaho and other states, critics have often referred to the proposals as vouchers, though proponents have pushed back against that characterization. Supporters of school choice distinguish vouchers as state money that goes directly to private school tuition, while education savings accounts or tax credits are given to a family to provide additional resources, which can include private school tuition. The Idaho Federation for Children PAC, a state project of the American Federation for Children has spent nearly all of the $400,000 donation it received from American Federation for Childrens victory fund this election cycle, according to the most recent reports filed with the secretary of states office. The vast majority of that spending was on independent expenditures, such as ads, mailers and brochures, and not given directly to candidates. A website called the Education Voter Guide that says its paid for by the Idaho Federation for Children PAC also compares candidates opinions on school choice measures, and supports those that have voted to fund private education. The group was also among the top-four spenders on Facebook ads in Idaho over the past 90 days leading up to the election, according to Metas spending tracker. It has spent over $13,000 of its funding over the past 90 days on Meta, as of May 17. The American Federation for Children has had significant successes in its previous campaigns in other states, Cunneen said, and the movement for school choice legislation is growing across the country and, he believes, in Idaho. Cunneen said the group is hopeful its work this election cycle will help move the needle in Idaho even more. We fell short in Idaho this year, but the work were doing right now is helping to push us towards another shift in the status-quo to benefit students, he said. Wroten said he believes the negative campaign ads against him and other candidates provide little context and could sway newer voters. He said the ads dont explain the reasons he opposed the tax credit bill. The ads say Wroten is a candidate who doesnt care about Idaho students or families. He said he fully supports parents who send their kids to private school or home-school their children, but that these bills are not the avenue to fund that. Idaho group combats out-of-state money An Idaho-based group has jumped into the race to fight against the rise in outside money focused on pushing private or home-school funding. Right 2 Learn, a political action committee created in part by a former Idaho school superintendent and Idaho Association of Counties employee, has raised about $150,000 this election cycle. It has run a series of ads targeting Horman and supporting her opponent, Ammon Mayor Sean Coletti. It has also advocated for other Republican candidates who opposed the parental tax credit legislation, including Rep. Julie Yamamoto, R-Caldwell, who chaired the House Education Committee. Horman said shes long championed school choice efforts and finding the best educational opportunities for children and will continue to do so. She said she is focused on her campaign, not on what third parties are doing. Her legislative district knows what her priorities are, she told the Statesman. I have a history of serving children in this county for over 31 years, she said. Right 2 Learns organizers said the PAC began because they saw out-of-state special interests targeting Idaho with taxpayer-subsidized private school voucher schemes. Those programs, they said, are a drain on local school funding and provide funds to wealthy families. As Republicans and parents who have had family members in both public and private schools, we believe Idaho can and should provide excellent educational opportunities for Idahos students while being fiscally responsible, Chair Kerry Ellen Elliott and Treasurer Teresa Fabricius said in an email to the Statesman. But private school vouchers fail the sniff test on achieving these goals. Weve made the choice to support candidates who stand with us in these values. The group is largely supported by the Idaho Education Association, the teachers union, as first reported by IdahoEdNews. IEA spokesperson Mike Journee said Idaho families want local money to stay in their public schools and went after out-of-state groups for trying to influence Idaho elections. These shadowy, out-of-state interest groups with deep pockets come here to divide our communities, kill our public schools and line their own pockets at the expense of Idaho students and taxpayers, he said in an email to the Statesman. IEA members and their communities are fighting back, and as long as real Idahoans stand up for Idaho values, we will win. Whats in it for them? Similar groups have invested heavily in Idaho politics these past several years. Last year, the states top-spending lobbyists included the American Federation for Children and Young Americans for Liberty, according to previous Statesman reporting. Ideological groups in particular are pouring in out-of-state money in elections across the country to advance their agendas, and often opting to spend the money on campaign ads instead of donating to the candidates directly, said Jaclyn Kettler, a political science associate professor at Boise State University. Campaign advertising can have an influence on voters, assessments of candidates and their decision making, she said. Not necessarily a huge effect, but if you move enough people, that could be pretty impactful. Across the country, many other states have passed laws that create voucher programs or education savings accounts for families who dont attend public school. Nearly 30 states have at least some kind of private school choice option, which can include tax credits, ESAs and vouchers, according to an analysis from Education Week. Some of the programs are targeted toward students with disabilities or low-income students, but other states, such as Utah and Arizona, have recently expanded or created options available to all students, regardless of income. In some cases, those programs have quickly ballooned. Idaho is one where, again, there hasnt been success yet in actually passing through the Legislature, but theyre getting close in some ways, Kettler said. So I think theres a perceived opportunity that probably is attracting more focus and attention at this point, perhaps compared to some other states. Wroten said voters who see negative ads from out-of-state groups should be skeptical of their material. Dont believe those negative ads, Wroten said. You really should be asking yourself as a voter here in District 13: Why would groups from Dallas, Texas, be interested in Idaho and in my school? Whats in it for them? BERLIN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Up to 50 percent of the world's rangelands are degraded, endangering food security and the wellbeing of billions, warned the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in a report on Tuesday. Rangelands constitute 54 percent of Earth's land cover, account for one sixth of global food production and represent nearly one third of the planet's carbon reservoir, according to the Global Land Outlook Thematic Report on Rangelands and Pastoralists. The report highlighted issues such as soil erosion, salinization, and biodiversity loss due to overuse, misuse, and climate change, while pointing out that converting rangelands to cropland and urban areas exacerbates these problems. "When we cut down a forest, when we see a 100-year-old tree fall, it rightly evokes an emotional response in many of us. The conversion of ancient rangelands, on the other hand, happens in 'silence' and generates little public reaction," said UNCCD Executive Secretary Ibrahim Thiaw. "Despite numbering an estimated half a billion individuals worldwide, pastoralist communities are frequently overlooked, lack a voice in policy-making that directly affects their livelihoods, are marginalised, and are even often seen as outsiders in their own lands," Thiaw added. "Imbalance between the supply of and demand for animal forage lands leads to overgrazing, invasive species, and the increased risk of drought and wildfires -- all of which accelerate desertification and land degradation trends around the world," said Maryam Niamir-Fuller, co-chair of the International Support Group for the UN's International Year for Rangelands and Pastoralists 2026. "For the sake of future generations and economic stability, we need to improve awareness of and safeguard the immense value of rangelands," said Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, CEO and chairperson of the Global Environment Facility. "Managers require authoritative insights into the response of rangelands to different disturbances and management approaches, including policy tools that better capture the broad social importance of rangelands," he added. The report recommends integrating climate strategies, reducing land conversion, and supporting pastoralism to restore rangeland health. "The meaningful participation of all stakeholders is key to responsible rangeland governance, which fosters collective action, improves access to land and integrates traditional knowledge and practical skills," said Pedro Maria Herrera Calvo, the report's lead author. SMYRNA, Tenn. (WKRN) Smyrna police are looking for thieves who drove a car through a gun shop and made off with weapons and ammo. The security video of the burglary is from The Southern Bunker, where the crime happened Saturday morning. Christopher and Kelsey Alford run the gun shop. Man arrested for throwing Molotov cocktail at neighbors home, barricading himself inside residence for hours In the security footage, we could tell they had handfuls of items. So we knew if they got away, the cases would be demolished and we would be missing quite a few items, Kelsey said. Shattered glass everywhere in the first 15 feet of our shop, Christopher added. Displays knocked over, too. It was a sight they didnt expect to see. There was a car parked right in front with the engine running, trunk popped, and a crushed front end, Christopher said. They just left the vehicle. The car was apparently a Hyundai sedan. North Nashville neighbors concerned for safety after gun battle in street Christopher said the men stole several guns and ammo from the shop, leaving his new business with a big challenge to overcome. They didnt get everything and it could have been worse, Christopher said. But as a new business, its a big hurdle to jump through. The couple said theyve put their heart and soul into opening this business 13 months ago. The damage is expected to be about $50,000. (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) Seeing someone in the community wanting to do harm to the business is an impact emotionally, physically and monetarily, Kelsey said. The couple said they dont recognize the suspects in the video. The Southern Bunker plans to reopen for business soon. If you want to help with reopening expenses, click here. The Southern Bunker is also hosting a 3P Bunker Bash at Sam Davis home at 1399 Sam Davis Road in Smyrna on Aug. 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee Organizers said the event is to help people gain knowledge about personal safety. Anyone with information on the crime at The Southern Bunker is asked to call Smyrna police at 615-459-6644. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Iranians are taking to the streets of Tabriz to observe the funeral rites of President Ebrahim Raisi, who died along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others in a helicopter crash on Sunday, as others celebrated the hardline leaders death. Funeral rites will take place until Thursday across Tabrizthe largest city close to the crash site near the Iranian-Azerbaijani borderand Qom, Tehran, and Birjand, before Raisi is buried at the Imam Reza Shrine in his birthplace of Mashhad. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei announced Monday that five days of mourning would be observed across Iran. Video footage shows Iranians lining the streets, some holding photographs of Raisi, and awaiting the procession of eight coffins containing the deceased. Among the crowds was Mohammad Mokhber, Irans Acting President, according to Tasnim, a local news agency. Read More: Why Some Iranians Refuse to Mourn President Ebrahim Raisi Mokhber was swiftly named alongside interim foreign minister Ali Bagheri Kani and presidential elections were set for June 28. Most shops remain open in what was a relatively muted atmosphere following the death of a senior Iranian leader. Opponents of Raisi also shared videos on social media of people celebrating his death. One student in Tehran told Reuters that she was not saddened by Raisis death, because he ordered the crackdown on women for hijab. Raisi was nicknamed the Butcher of Tehran for his role in the mass executions of thousands of political prisoners in the 1980s, and was considered a protege of Khamanei. Ahead of the funeral rites, Iranian Prosecutor General Mohammad Kazem Movahhedi Azad ordered an online crackdown for social media posts criticizing the late President. Read More: World Leaders React to Death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi An investigation to determine the cause of Sundays helicopter crash is underway. Raisi was returning from a visit to Irans border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with President Ilham Aliyev. The crash took place in the Dizmar forest in Irans East Azerbaijan province, where weather conditions made search efforts difficult. Following the release of drone footage by the Islamic Republic News Agency, all eight passengers aboard the helicopter were declared dead. The circumstances surrounding the crash have given rise to suspicion amid longrunning jockeying over who could eventually replace Khamanei, who is 85 and in poor health, and as Iran remains on tense footing with Israel and the U.S. Write to Armani Syed at armani.syed@time.com. A picture of the late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is seen on a street in Tehran in Iran on Tuesday evening. Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA/UPI KUWAIT CITY, Kuwait, May 21 (UPI) -- Funeral events for Iran's president and foreign minister got underway Tuesday with a procession on the streets of the northwestern city of Tabriz as investigators launched a probe into the helicopter crash that killed them. President Ebrahim Raisi was killed Sunday in the crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border along with eight other people, including Iran's foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian. Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Tabriz, the closest large city to the site of the crash, to kick off a three-day funeral for the 63-year-old hardline cleric who had been seen as a potential successor to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. Khamenei announced five days of mourning for the fallen president. Iran's official IRNA news agency showed footage of black-clad mourners surrounding a truck carrying the flag-draped coffins of Raisi and the other victims. Iranian mourners pay their respects to late President Ebrahim Raisi during a funeral procession in Tabriz, northwestern Iran, on Tuesday. Photo by Stringer/EPA-EFE Interior Minister Ahmad Vahdidi spoke at a ceremony before the procession, state-owned Mers news agency reported, saying the country mourned the death of a "beloved, popular and humble president." "We had a bad landing in this matter, but we will have a brilliant rise," Vahidi said. Iranian officials and security officers mourn as an honor guard carries the coffin of late President Ebrahim Raisi during a funeral procession at Mehrabbad Airport in Tehran on Tuesday. Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA/UPI On Tuesday afternoon, the bodies of the victims will be moved to Qom, a pilgrimage site and holy city for Shiite Muslims, and then on to Tehran in the evening. Public prayers and a procession will be held in Tehran on Wednesday, which has been declared a public holiday. Foreign dignitaries will be on hand for a ceremony honoring the victims in the afternoon, according to IRNA, although a list of attendees has not yet been released. Mourners gather around the coffins during a funeral procession for President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others in Tabriz, the capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, on Tuesday. Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA/UPI Raisi's funeral and burial will take place on Thursday in his home city of Mashhad. State media has said the crash of the decades-old Bell 212 helicopter was due to "technical failure," while the Iranian military announced that it had launched an investigation and sent a team to the site. Mourners gather around the coffins of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others in Tabriz, the capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, on Tuesday after search and rescue teams found their crashed helicopter in a fog-shrouded mountain region in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA/UPI Most of the Iranian military's helicopters date to before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and international sanctions make it difficult for the government to acquire parts for them. Raisi was known by his critics as the Butcher of Tehran for his involvement in Iran's mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. The conservative cleric led Iran since winning office in a 2021 election marked by a record-low voter turnout. Honor guards carry the coffin of late-President Ebrahim Raisi during a funeral procession at Mehrabbad Airport in Tehran on Tuesday after search and rescue teams found a crashed helicopter carrying Raisi and others in a fog-shrouded mountain region in Iran's East Azerbaijan province. Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA/UPI During his tenure, Raisi oversaw a brutal crackdown on dissent that included the September 2022 police killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being beaten by authorities over violating the country's draconian hijab laws. His death comes during a fraught period of domestic discontent and regional tensions. Vice President Mohammad Mokhber will serve as Iran's interim leader until an election, set for June 28, is held. An honor guard carries the coffin of late-President Ebrahim Raisi during a funeral procession at Mehrabbad Airport in Tehran on Tuesday after Raisi was confirmed dead along with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others on Monday. Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA/UPI Several world leaders sent condolences to Iran, including authoritarian partners such as Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. Putin called Raisi a "true friend of Russia," while Kim praised him as "an outstanding statesman and a close friend" in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency. Honor guards carry the coffin of late president Ebrahim Raisi during a funeral procession at Mehrabbad Airport in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday. Photo by Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA/UPI The United States, meanwhile, offered terse "official condolences" while expressing "support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms." Three Quincy teens charged in brutal attack of Duxbury teens at MBTA station, DA says Three teens from a high school in Quincy were arraigned last week, accused of an unprovoked attack on several victims inside an MBTA station earlier this month. 18-year-old Aidan McGuinness was charged with unarmed robbery and assault and battery causing serious bodily injury at his arraignment in Roxbury Boston Municipal Court on Friday. Two 17-year-old juveniles were arraigned in Suffolk Juvenile Court on Thursday. One of them was charged with two counts of assault by means of a dangerous weapon (knife), one count of assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, one count of unarmed robbery, and one count of assault and battery. The other teen was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (cement floor), assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, and unarmed robbery. According to Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, on May 10, four teenage victims from Duxbury were found at Kenmore Station around 10:15 p.m., claiming they had been attacked and robbed by a group of people they didnt know. Three of the victims were reportedly bleeding from their mouths while the fourth victim had blood on his clothes and knuckles. The victims allegedly told Transit Police one of the three assailants flashed a knife with a black handle in his waistband before attacking them. The suspects punched the victims and threw them to the cement floor before stealing a jacket and a pair of sneakers, according to authorities. Police say they found the victims jacket destroyed near the scene. The reason for the attack remains unclear. After reviewing surveillance and Snapchat video of the assault, the DAs office says McGuinness and the other suspects were positively identified as high school students from Quincy. School officials also helped confirm the identity of the assailants, according to investigators. All three were apprehended shortly thereafter. These individuals may have thought they could launch a brutal and unprovoked attack on a group of young people and get away clean, but the tenacity of transit police combined with help from the victims, the public, and video and social media evidence proved them wrong, Hayden said. Judge Maureen Flaherty imposed a $1,500 bail and ordered McGuinness to stay away from the victims. He will return to court on June 24 for a probable cause hearing. The other two juveniles were held on $200 bail and also ordered to stay away from the victims and Kenmore Station by Judge Peter Coyne. They will both be back in court on June 24 for a probable cause hearing. These victims endured a terrifying experience and suffered serious injuries while doing nothing more than enjoying an evening in Boston, Hayden said. Their attackers will answer for their actions. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Three West Allis Catholic churches will merge into one parish, the latest instance of Milwaukee-area churches reorganizing because of declining membership and tight budgets. Holy Assumption Parish, 7109 W. Orchard St.; St. Augustine, 6768 W. Rogers St.; and St. Rita, 2318 S. 61st St., will merge into one parish with a new name, which is yet to be announced. The parishes already share a priest as well as some operations. Since 2021, the parishes have established a joint pastoral council, merged some committees, rebranded their website and bulletin as "West Allis Catholic," and held joint events. Holy Assumption Parish, 7109 W. Orchard St., is one of three West Allis Catholic churches that will merge in July. Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki recently approved the merger, setting into motion a larger process of combining operations. The merger is effective July 1. "Across all three parishes, our efforts are too focused on buildings, roofs and boilers," trustees of the parishes wrote in a March letter to Listecki. "Our financial resources are being funneled to repair and maintain older buildings that are underutilized." As one parish, leaders hope to direct more attention to reaching young adults, single-parent families, older people and the city's Latino population, the trustees said in the letter. A group of parishioners are undertaking a review of all the buildings "to determine how to best use our facilities," according to a document on the parishes' website. No decisions have been made yet about what to do with the buildings, said Dave Grunwaldt, director of administrative services for the three parishes. Holy Assumption was established in 1901 to serve workers of Allis Chalmers, according to a news release. St. Augustine was established in 1928 to serve the Croatian community. St. Rita was established in 1924 for the residents of what was then the growing community of southeast West Allis. Less than a year ago, St. Florian, 1233 S. 45th St., West Milwaukee, closed and merged with Holy Assumption. The St. Florian building is now used by Notre Dame School of Milwaukee as its boys' middle school. Notre Dame is part of the Milwaukee Parental Choice program, which provides tax-funded vouchers for lower-income families to attend private schools. Three other West Allis Catholic churches merged into one parish in 2018. They were Mary Queen of Heaven, 2322 S. 106th St.; Immaculate Heart of Mary, 1121 S. 116th St.; and St. Aloysius, 1435 S. 92nd St. They now operate under the name Mother of Perpetual Help Congregation. St. Aloysius closed its doors in 2021, and the Mary Queen of Heaven building is now the main worship site, with the Immaculate Heart of Mary building as a secondary location. More: Wisconsin's oldest Methodist congregation closes due to high bills, low turnout. It's a familiar story nationwide. The mergers reflect what is happening to scores of houses of worship nationwide facing existential threats such as declining membership, aging congregations and an unwinnable financial situation. The trend is decades-long: Catholic institutions were at their peak in the 1950s and 60s, and a downturn began in the 1970s. Nearby, Wauwatosa Catholic parishioners are experiencing the same belt-tightening. In March, St. Bernard Parish announced it would close and merge with its sister parish, Christ King. It followed the shuttering at the end of the last school year of the adjoining Wauwatosa Catholic School because of a financial deficit and low student enrollment. More: Aging orders of Catholic sisters face tough decisions on what to do with property holdings. Now, they're getting help. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: West Allis Catholic churches to merge in latest sign of trend DOTHAN, Ala (WDHN) The Wiregrass is keeping the title of Alabamas peanut capital with a new statewide report. On May 15, the United States Department of Agriculture released a report detailing estimates of the number of crops produced in each Alabama county in 2023. This report included the production of corn, cotton, soybeans, peanuts, and cattle. According to the USDA report, Houston County was the number one producer of peanuts in the state in 2023, yielding 89,640,000 pounds. Geneva County came in second, with 65,750,000 pounds produced, and Henry County was ranked fourth, producing 49,750,000 pounds. These three counties produced a combined 205,140,000 pounds of peanuts in one year. Baldwin County produced 55,960,000 pounds, and Mobile County had an impressive yield of 35,860,000 pounds, netting those counties the number 3 and 5 spots, respectively. It is no surprise that Houston County was the top producer in the state. It is often called the peanut capital of the world. It is home to the famous National Peanut Festival, which draws a massive crowd every November. While Houston Countys yield in 2023 may seem large, it was significantly less than its production of 105,770,000 pounds in 2022. Houston County was also named one of the top cotton producers in the state, shipping out 47,300 bales last year. Geneva County and Henry County were also in the top seven cotton-producing counties, yielding over 30,000 bales. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WDHN - wdhn.com. Tiffany partially correct on the claim that gray wolves have recovered Gray wolves bring mixed feelings in Wisconsin and other places where the animals have repopulated over the last several decades. While advocates support strong protections for the animals, many farmers see them as a nuisance. And for hunters, a wolf can be the ultimate prize. No matter where the debate falls, in Wisconsin gray wolves are under the federal protections of the endangered species list, meaning they cant be hunted or killed for any reason. The animals were relisted in February 2022, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report from Feb. 10, 2022. U.S Representative Tom Tiffany for the Seventh Congressional District speaks on a Federal Legislator panel during the 2024 Republican Party Of Wisconsin State Convention on Saturday May 18, 2024 at the Fox Cities Exhibition Center in Appleton, Wis. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, a Republican from Minocqua, and others strongly disagree with the recent relisting of the wolves. In an April 30, 2024 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the representative pushed for delisting. The science is clear the gray wolf has met and exceeded recovery goals, he said. Whats up with gray wolves? In Wisconsin, wolves have become a bitter topic, resulting in hours of testimony over the Department of Natural Resources proposal to maintain a flexible number of animals in the state. Most recently, the Republican-controlled Legislature tried to overrule the agency, but failed, according to a Sept. 22, 2023 report from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. As of late 2022, Wisconsin had 972 wolves in 288 packs. Elsewhere, there has also been a struggle over what to do with wolves, and how large of a population needs to be maintained. In 2020, the federal government under former President Donald Trump removed wolves from the endangered species list, allowing for the animals to be hunted for the first time in decades, according to a Feb. 12, 2022 report from CNN. As a result, states like Wisconsin opened hunting for the first time in years. For the Badger state, the uncoordinated season resulted in hunters killing more than 215 gray wolves, nearly double the states quota for the hunt. But in 2022, under President Joe Biden, gray wolves were once again listed as endangered, meaning they could no longer be hunted. While the number of wolves in Wisconsin and Michigan have rebounded in recent years under protections, other states are still working to reestablish a population. According to CNN, without the protections, wolf populations on the West Coast and in the Southern Rocky Mountains would be particularly vulnerable, and there would be a risk of losing wolves forever in those areas. So have populations rebounded enough to delist gray wolves? When we asked Tiffanys office about the claim, Communications Director Caroline Briscoe responded with several documents based on information from the U.S. Department of the Interior. They all included a variation of the same message, that wolves had recovered in the two main regions of the country where repopulation efforts were focused, the Great Lakes and the Rocky Mountains. One of the documents shared, a 2022 op-ed in USA TODAY by Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland even uses similar language to Tiffanys post: gray wolves recovered from near extinction. And information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service upheld that conclusion too. In total, the gray wolf population in the lower 48 states is more than 6,000 wolves, greatly exceeding the combined recovery goals for the Northern Rocky Mountains and Western Great Lakes populations, said an Oct. 29, 2020 release from the agency. The release notes that the wolf population in the Western Great Lakes is the largest outside of Alaska, a testament to the species recovery, and says it was up to individual states to now craft their own strong protections. But not all researchers and experts agree that the population has recovered. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an activist organization that aims to protect endangered species, wolves have made a recovery, but not enough to no longer need some kind of protection and management. Despite these substantial gains amid extreme challenges, the job of wolf recovery is far from over, the Center website said. Wolves need connected populations for genetic sustainability, and natural ecosystems need wolves to maintain a healthy balance of species. Yet today wolves occupy less than 10% of their historic range and continue to face persecution. Other researchers have also pointed out that there are not wolves in many of the states they once roamed outside of the federally designated zones, meaning the population is not yet fully recovered. Half true Our ruling Tiffany claimed science has shown that the gray wolf has met and exceeded recovery goals. Gray wolves have seen significant population growth in two areas: the Great Lakes region and the Northern Rockies region, the two designated recovery regions for the animals. But while wolves are thriving in those areas, environmental organizations argue that wolves are not seen across all of the lower 48 states they once roamed meaning the population is not fully recovered. And removing protections from the animals could lead to overhunting, which could prevent populations from spreading, or limit the gene pool for the animals. We rate this claim Half True. Sources Tom Tiffany, Post on X, April 30, 2024 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Judge orders federal protection for gray wolves be restored, Feb. 10, 2022 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wolf fight continues in Legislature with hearing for population quota for gray wolves, Sept. 22, 2023 CNN, Federal judge reverses Trump era wildlife decision, restoring protections for the gray wolf, Feb. 12, 2022 Department of the Interior, Management of Wolves, Sept. 21, 2016 Department of the Interior, Secretary Haaland: Wolves have walked with us for centuries. States are weakening their protections, Feb. 2, 2022 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Trump administration returns management and protection of gray wolves to states and tribes following successful recovery efforts, Oct. 29, 2020 Committee on Natural Resources, Legislative oversight field hearing on wolf management, April 20, 2024 The Center for Biological Diversity, Americas Gray Wolves, May 10, 2024 The Natural Resources Defense Council, Americas gray wolves get another real chance at recovery, April 21, 2022 Email conversation with Timothy Van Deelen, a professor in the Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison and chair of the Environmental Conservation profession Masters Degree, May 10, 2024 This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wolf populations have recovered in some parts of the country, but not all As a combat veteran with 14 years of military service, I have experienced conflict up close. I know it intimately -- determined adversaries using a multitude of tactics, techniques, and procedures on unpredictable terrain, accomplishing tactical and strategic objectives by leveraging years of training. While Ive closed that chapter of my life and begun a new one serving my country in the House of Representatives, I remain committed to defending our nation. I want to ensure that our military can meet any adversary in any space. However, since coming to Congress, Ive grown concerned that we are not postured to overwhelm and out maneuver our enemies in arguably the most dynamic domain: cyberspace. All the elements of conflict that I prepared for and operated within not only exist in cyberspace, but its also where our nation is engaged with multiple adversaries every single day. Its a warfighting domain more complex and far more active than I could ever have appreciated before. Despite the volume of adversarial activity, the military seems to consistently underappreciate the cyber domain. President Bidens defense budget request for 2025 reduced funding for cyber operations by $1 billion, or almost 15 percent, compared to last year. In total, there are fewer than 6,500 positions on the nations operational teams for cyberspace, a diminutive size when considering the breadth and scope of the responsibilities they are assigned. More concerning, is how many of these positions are unfilled. From ransomware to protecting critical defense infrastructure to supporting the cybersecurity of our partners and allies, demand is only growing for the service members and civilian cyber experts operating in this space. Frustratingly, the size of the collective force has grown by less than 6.5% since they were conceived almost fifteen years ago. In the military, special warfare operators are the ones on the ground performing direct action missions, special reconnaissance, and other specialized operations. For operators to accomplish their objectives, they are supported by an innumerable collection of analysts, targeters, armorers, intelligence collectors, communications professionals, maintainers, and logisticians, among many others. Our teams of cyber operators are essentially asked to perform the equivalent work that I did in the Navy, along with all the support and enabling functions performed by countless others. Theres nowhere else in the military where this occurs. In an aviation context, this would be equivalent to having the pilots forecast the weather, repair their own aircraft, pick their own targets, load their munitions, fuel up their jets, conduct their mission, fly back, and debrief themselves. For the last ten years, weve relied on U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), a Combatant Command pulling personnel from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. In that time, CYBERCOM has performed extremely well, however the organization remains limited by what the military services provide. Much in the same way that the Armys failures around aviation in the 1920s and 1930s necessitated the establishment of the Air Force, and the shortcomings of the Air Force in prioritizing space necessitated the creation of the Space Force, we see the same scenario playing out today with cyberspace. The only difference is the problems we face in cyberspace are found across four military services instead of one. In the early 2010s, both the Defense Department and Congress were thinking through how to leverage cyberspace militarily. At the outset, there were seemingly two paths, either leverage existing capability that had been developed within the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps in support of a joint command, or build a entire new service. Given how new the concept of military operations in cyberspace was, the choice between the two options was obvious. Once the initial question was settled, Congress provided the Department of Defense with ample time and resources required to develop the joint, multi-service approach. Beyond legislative patience, Congress supported the Pentagons multi-service approach with every authority, legislative tool, and legal mechanism available, spanning control of budgets, personnel, and training. Despite the best efforts of the Department and Congress, the issues around building capability, capacity, and talent for cyber operations remain the most intractable facing the Department. After so much time, effort, and attention, we must reconsider whether it makes sense to allow four independent military services to perform the functions of one service. This is not an indictment of the immense effort expended by CYBERCOM leadership over the years. In fact, quite the opposite. CYBERCOM has been an incredibly well-led organization that has made the best of the hand its dealt. But the limitations of the current structure with cyber officers and enlisted personnel spread across the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps are more apparent and the implications are more dangerous than ever before. Cyber warfare requires a unique approach to recruiting, retaining, and compensating service members. It requires a robust research and development apparatus and an exemplary ability to train personnel. These tasks are difficult, and theyre only made harder when fragmented across multiple services, which are already challenged with wider recruitment and modernization objectives. When the Chief of Naval Operations is struggling to recruit the numbers required to fill crews for the surface fleet, its understandable that Navy isnt prioritizing its requirements for cyber operations. To succeed, there must be a single entity that can be held accountable and responsible for the Organize, Train, and Equip functions that are performed by the uniformed services today. No different from the Army for ground combat or the Navy for global maritime operations. It would be a mistake to believe that a Combatant Command can perform the functions of both a Combatant Command and a Service. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Department of Defenses recognition of cyberspace as a warfighting domain, on par with air, sea, land, and space. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I am working with colleagues to ensure that the National Defense Authorization Act we are debating this week puts the nation on the right path when it comes to defending the nation in cyberspace. We simply cant afford to wait any longer. Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is a military veteran and has represented Texas 8th congressional district since 2023. Ryan Watson, pictured with his wife Valerie, was arrested by airport security who found four rounds of ammunition in his duffel bag when the couple were departing the islands - CBS News A tiny British island territory is embroiled in a diplomatic row with the United States after refusing to release five Americans arrested for carrying ammunition in their holiday luggage. The Turks and Caicos Islands have refused a request to release several tourists who are accused of bringing bullets into the country illegally over the last five months. The island chain is home to less than 50,000 people and known primarily as a holiday destination and tax haven. Under its strict anti-firearms laws, passed in 2022 to deter gang crime, all five American tourists face 12 years in prison if they are convicted. The holidaymakers all live in states where guns can be used legally and claim the rounds were inadvertently left in their bags. An American delegation met with Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, the territorys governor and a former Whitehall civil servant, and an official from the Foreign Office on Monday to demand the Americans be released, arguing that their imprisonment is an unintended consequence of the gun law. But the islands, which are not part of the UK but are classed as British sovereign territory, have refused to comply with the request because of the constitutional separation of the executive and legal branches. The detained Americans include Ryan Watson, who travelled to the islands with his wife and other couples for a joint 40th birthday celebration. As he was leaving the territory, airport security found four rounds of ammunition in a duffel bag he had previously used for a hunting trip. Bryan Hagerich (left) and Ryan Watson are among the detained tourists - NewsNationNow A second tourist, Sharitta Shanise Grier, was visiting the islands for a Mothers Day trip with her daughter when she was arrested on Thursday. The others have been identified as Michael Evans, of Texas, Bryan Hagerich, of Pennsylvania, and Tyler Wenrich, of Virginia. Mr Wenrich appeared in court on Tuesday and pleaded guilty to the offence. He will be sentenced on May 28. Michael Evans of Texas - SIGforum Sharitta Shinese Grier of Florida Markwayne Mullin, the Republican senator from Oklahoma who led the delegation, said he hoped to find common ground with Ms Daniel-Selvaratnam but was not able to find a path forward. At this point, well-intentioned American citizens are facing a dozen years in prison all for unknowingly having one or two bullets in their luggage, he said. The unintended consequences of [Turks and Caicoss] law have been at the expense of well-intentioned American tourists, including a grandmother, who had no intention of breaking the law. Should they receive a prison sentence, we will need to consider additional actions to safeguard American citizens. The delegation included one other senator, John Fetterman, three members of the US House of Representatives and an official from the US State Department. Interference of US politicians condemned The UK Foreign Office, which is responsible for the islands foreign policy, declined to comment, citing ongoing legal action. But Alicia Kearns, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, defended the prosecutions and condemned the interference of American politicians in the islands legal affairs. I think its pretty outrageous that US congressmen think its acceptable to fly to a British territory and essentially suggest that they disregard their own laws, she told The Telegraph. I dont think it is unrealistic to expect that when people fly, they should make sure theyre not carrying live ammunition. Quite frankly, this isnt some small territory that congressmen can think they can intimidate and threaten. This is part of the British family. Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson, a former elected premier of Turks and Caicos and president of the Friends of the British Overseas Territory charity, said the islands judiciary should not be weakened by interference or intimidation. Turks and Caicos Islands should be admired for its strong system of governance and separation of powers which protects the legitimacy of the Institutions, she said. It is a sad situation that seems to be continuing when an easy fix would simply be for travellers to thoroughly check their bags. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Title icon The Scene BEAUMONT, Texas In three years as speaker of the Texas House, Dade Phelan passed laws that banned abortion, prevented public universities from teaching critical race theory, let local police arrest illegal migrants, and allowed any Texan to carry a firearm without a permit. Now hes battling for his job, after angering Donald Trump with a failed impeachment against MAGA-aligned Attorney General Ken Paxton on corruption charges. Next week, Republican voters here will decide whether to stand with President Trump by ousting Phelan and electing a real Republican, as one campaign ad puts it. The May 28 runoff in southeast Texas, where Phelan had won easily for a decade, is at the center of a broader campaign to remake the state Republican Party a mass replacement of business-friendly conservatives by MAGA-branded conservatives. One week out, its already the most expensive state legislative race in Texas history, with $6.9 million spent on behalf of Phelan or challenger David Covey. Millions more was spent to oust six House Republicans who opposed Gov. Greg Abbotts school choice reforms, force four more Republicans into runoffs, and replace judges whod crossed Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton, denying him the ability to unilaterally pursue voter fraud cases. Trump personally endorsed Covey in January; Paxton is the challengers next best-known advocate. A 34-year-old energy consultant and former congressional aide, whod donated to Republicans but never sought office before, Covey and his wife prayed about their decision, then jumped in. The establishment leaders told me I didnt have a chance, he said, but the voters kept saying, No, we actually want a conservative. The money came immediately nearly half a million from a new PAC supported by oil billionaire Tim Dunn, nearly a million from the political arm of the Club for Growth. Covey and his allies blamed Phelan for every stalled conservative goal; Phelan said wealthy interlopers were lying about him, for mysterious reasons. You wanna talk about the Second Amendment? You wanna talk about pro-life issues? You wanna talk about border security? You wanna talk about election integrity? Phelan asked the crowd at a Monday night rally here, wearing a camo version of his campaign T-shirt. No ones done more than Dade Phelan has. No one! Zero! Title icon Know More David Weigel/Semafor In an interview, Covey identified a few areas where Phelan wasnt giving conservatives everything they might expect in a red state legislature. He let Democrats hold some committee chairmanships, a tradition in Austin; he kept a new Border Protection Unit out of border control legislation; he didnt stop Republicans from nixing Abbotts school voucher plan. Sometimes he does the right thing on local issues, Covey said. Well, thats the bare minimum, but the huge failure to represent the conservative voice on the state level is just tremendous, and really, really does damage to our district. Those werent the reasons why Trump intervened a huge moment in the race, commemorated in Coveys ads, mail, and campaign signs. Trump was moved after Phelan presided over the impeachment of Paxton, which ended with his acquittal by the Texas Senate. The Republican Party of Texas voted to censure Phelan for his role in that, and with early voting underway, Phelans expected to skip the state convention this week. According to Covey, the president cited border security and election integrity when he phoned to endorse him; Trump emphasized the latter issue in Dallas last week, when he called out Covey from the stage of the NRAs annual convention. David is leading, very substantially, an absolutely terrible speaker of the House who didnt want to go into voter fraud, Trump said. We have to get your speaker out of there so we can go into voter fraud. Covey didnt go into detail about what election changes were needed. I do think that we have voter fraud in Texas, he told Semafor, before addressing supporters at a meet-and-greet held in a supporters Beaumont firearms store and shooting range. I think that were doing some things to close that gap. Phelans been dismissive about the demands from Trump and his allies. They got Hunter Biden doing these terrible things, well, why cant our guy do terrible things, he told Politico in March, explaining why Paxtons supporters shrugged off his bribery and corruption charges. But the rebellion is about more than Paxton and Trump. Last week, Covey campaigned with a team of conservatives who were crisscrossing Texas, in a bus sponsored by Gun Owners of America, to help other insurgents win their primaries. Theyd endorsed a Contract With Texas, a 12-point plan to increase conservative power in Austin replacing the current liberal Parliamentarians, taking the remaining chairmanships away from Democrats, ensuring that no Democrat bills got floor votes before Republican priorities did. Hes the reason we havent banned COVID vaccine mandates, said state Rep. Brian Harrison, referring to Phelan, after jumping off the GOA bus. Its why we dont have stronger border security; why we havent banned taxpayer-funded lobbying; why we havent passed school choice; why seven of eight [Republican Party of Texas] priorities couldnt even get a vote or, quote, debate, unquote. Phelan has defended his record, stood by the Paxton impeachment, and asked southeast Texas Republicans to think about it: How much clout would they lose if he did? On Monday, he stood by as former Gov. Rick Perry asked why local Republicans would ever want to eject the only speaker youve ever had, counting off the projects hed brought to the district, speculating that the billionaires funding negative ads against him wanted the regions water rights. If this was the most conservative session in Texas history, why are we going through this process to get rid of one of the three legs of that most conservative session? Perry asked. Something else is going on here. Title icon Davids view A victory for Covey next week not assured, though his supporters talk like it is would be a triumph for a GOP faction thats moved from the fringe to real power in a couple of years. The Paxton impeachment will have sped that up, with no consequences for the attorney generals allies. Tim Dunns millions had gone to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick while he presided over the impeachment trial; the same millions were going to elect Dunn-aligned Republicans this year, as Patrick talked about the expiration date on Dade Phelans speakership. Voters Id talked to were not motivated by a particular bill, or particular Phelan decision in Austin. The Paxton impeachment came up occasionally; the Trump endorsement came up far more often. While not everyone was aware of the disputes over what could and could make it into the GOPs border bill, they were open to the idea that Republicans, perhaps to make nice with Democrats, had weakened it and put them at risk. How many of you know what happened on Oct. 7 in Israel? state Rep. Steve Toth asked Coveys supporters in Beaumont. Are we so foolish as to believe that theyre not planning the same thing for us? In March, with Super Tuesday turnout helping bring out more voters, Phelan won just 43% of the vote here, to 46% for Covey; the rest went to another conservative activist, who immediately got behind the challenger. Phelan could turn this around. If he does, hell enter the 2025 session with fewer allies, in a party whose state and local leadership vocally want him gone, with conservative media outlets and wealthy donors whove learned how to win. On Tuesday, ahead of the state convention, the RPTs rules committee voted to keep candidates off the ballot if the party had censured them within two years of the election they sought to run in. Had that rule been in place this year, Phelan couldnt have run at all. Title icon The View From Democrats Deep in the minority in Austin, Democrats are watching the GOP primaries unfold uneasily. Some of the Republicans whod already lost to conservative challengers represented seats that Democrats might win. But most of the victors would slide into safe red districts. Its not right versus left, said state Rep. James Talarico, who represents a Democratic-trending seat in Austins exurbs. Its about these West Texas billionaires trying to take over, and their takeover will be complete if theyre able to oust this very conservative speaker. Theyve bought our LG, theyve bought our governor, and they want to buy the House. Title icon Notable In the Texas Tribune, Jasper Scherer and Zach Despart profiled the longtime GOP mega-donors working to rescue Phelan, making his race a last stand for the Republican Partys business-minded old guard against an insurgency, primarily motivated by social and cultural issues, that aims to reshape the House. In the Dallas Morning News, Philip Jankowski looks at how Patrick is seizing an opportunity against a speaker weakened by an unsuccessful attempt to remove Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton from office. Semafor Logo TOKYO, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Local authorities suspected a brown bear attack after four calves were found dead Tuesday morning at a ranch in Hokkaido, northern Japan, local media reported. The bodies of three calves were found outside their cages after being dragged out, while one was found inside its cage at the ranch in Nakashumbetsu district of Betsukai town, Kyodo News reported. The discovery of what appears to be bear paw prints in the vicinity has prompted police to urge caution in the area. Local officials have set up traps on concern that the bear may return to the site, the report said. An additional four calves, still in their cages, were found injured, it added. According to the police, a total of 12 calves were being kept in individual cages at the specialized ranch, which raises calves entrusted from nearby farms. Last July, authorities put down a brown bear codenamed OSO18, which had attacked 66 cows in the eastern Hokkaido area since 2019. Unlike the recent incident, OSO18 had been eating the cows it preyed upon. TOPEKA (KSNT) Between NOTO, the riverfront, Downtown Topeka and the development of the Polk-Quincy viaduct, community stakeholders got together Monday, May 20, for a bus tour to better understand projects, developments and visions for the Capital City. These include the Story of Noto in Art, discussing efforts on the east side of downtown, vacancies and more. This really takes four different projects, put them all as one and frames them as something much more palatable and achievable when we look at it as a whole, President of Downtown Topeka Ashley Gilfillan said. TPAC honors high school students at the 2024 Young Artists Awards As for continuing to develop NOTO and other parts of the citys core area, NOTO Executive Director Thomas Underwood said one vision he has is more places to live. Where should that housing be, Underwood said. What kind of housing? What are the possibilities? When Im looking wearing my NOTO hat, I look at this area like gosh theres a half block of empty space here. What could that be, how would that complement about the things we want to do in NOTO? Topeka Councilman Marcus Miller told 27 News that being able to set his eyes on areas that need to be developed helped him better understand why it needs to be developed. Ive been in North Topeka, Ive been in Topeka my whole life, but being in North Topeka and looking at it from the standpoint of here is the development, here is the things were trying to do, but being able to actually take the time to just stand there and actually look at that space is extremely important for peoples education to be able to truly get a grasp of whats going on, Miller said. Officials discuss wind and solar energy farms in Shawnee County But it was the riverfront that stood out most to Miller. Being in that space of where things would go, that allowed me to really be able to wrap my head around the opportunity that lays right there right in the middle of our town to be able to truly develop and bring a lot of money and jobs into this economy, Miller said. You can go to the Great Overland Station Tuesday, May 21, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for a public engagement event with Topekas riverfront advisory council. For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. TOPEKA (KSNT) Police arrested a woman following a stabbing in the Oakland neighborhood over the weekend. Right before 5 p.m. on May 19, the Topeka Police Department (TPD) responded to a call in the 700 block of NE Poplar Street on reports of a stabbing. Kerry Connell with the TPD said one man was escorted to a local hospital via AMR with a non-life threatening injury. Following an investigation into the incident, a 50-year-old woman from Topeka was arrested and taken to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections. Both the suspect and the victim are known to each other. The woman was arrested on the following charges: Aggravated battery; Knowingly use of a weapon to cause great body harm/discharge/death Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant search or execution. NWS confirms 2 tornadoes hit northeast Kansas For more crime news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSNT 27 News. Rishi Sunak and Tata Steel have been accused of abandoning Welsh steelworkers after the Government failed to deploy a single penny of a 100m rescue fund that was set aside to help those made redundant find new jobs. Labour and union bosses have launched a withering attack on the record of the transition board, an advisory council that was set up in the wake of Tata Steels controversial plans to close two blast furnaces in Port Talbot, south Wales. The board, chaired by David Davies, the Welsh Secretary, was tasked with ensuring that the money set aside would be invested in skills and regeneration programmes in the area. The funding includes 80m from the Government and 20m from Tata Steel. However, the Opposition has dismissed the board as nothing more than a talking shop. Tatas restructuring part of a sweeping cost-cutting exercise that the Indian industrial giant insists is necessary to meet its environmental goals will lead to 2,800 job losses among the workforce. Many thousands more are expected to disappear within the surrounding supply chain, according to a report commissioned by the transition board itself. Yet nearly seven months after the board was set up, none of the money provided has been spent. Tata Steel's plans to close two blast furnaces in Port Talbot, south Wales have attracted controversy - Ben Birchall/PA Wire Thousands of jobs are at risk in Port Talbot and steel communities across south Wales because Conservative ministers have failed to act. The Welsh Secretarys transition board looks more like a talking shop, Jo Stevens, Labours shadow Welsh secretary, said. Labour said the transition board had met five times and formed two sub-committees since it was formed but achieved little else. The Community trade union has backed Labours calls to speed up the process. It wants to see an employment guarantee that provides wage support until those made redundant re-enter employment. Labour has also committed to an additional 2.5bn of investment if it wins the general election and party figures have repeatedly urged Tata not to make any irreversible decisions about the future of Port Talbot prior to a general election. A UK government spokesman said: This government is supporting the steel industry more than any before it ... with a 500m grant as part of the 1.25bn commitment by Tata Steel to secure 5,000 jobs across the UK. This includes the 100m awarded to the Port Talbot transition board, which is investing directly in skills, training and job creation for the workers affected. A Tory source also pointed out that there were Labour officials on the board, including Aberavon MP Stephen Kinnock. The shadow secretary of state is criticising a board that is packed with senior Labour figures, the source said. Her statement shows a lack of understanding about what the transition board is there to do, what it has been doing and who is on it. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. It's so tough to pay cash in China that the government had to fine a KFC for not accepting banknotes It's so tough to pay cash in China that the government had to fine a KFC for not accepting banknotes China recently fined several businesses, including a KFC, for refusing to accept cash. These are some of the most established companies in China, showing just how quickly cash has fallen from favor there. It's a problem for a China hoping to attract foreign tourists who aren't part of the cashless system. China's central bank fined seven businesses last week including a KFC and branches of state-owned corporations for rejecting cash payments, all as Beijing pushes to make spending more accessible for foreign tourists. The People's Bank of China has meted out such punishments for years. But the employees caught this time worked for some of the country's largest and most established businesses, showing how cashless payments have grown so ubiquitous there. The bank said it fined a KFC in Wuxi, Jiangsu, about $4,140 for refusing to take cash from a customer who ordered breakfast. The employee responsible was fined about $410. According to the latest government data, the average wage in Wuxi is about $18,000 annually. Other fined businesses include branches for state-run conglomerates such as an Inner Mongolia branch of China Post, an office in Gansu for New China Life Insurance, and a Jiangsu office for insurance firm PICC Property and Casualty. China has mandated that local businesses leave the door open for cash payments as it tries to attract foreign investment and tourism after the pandemic. People in the country already relied heavily on cashless and QR code payments before the pandemic, and the practice accelerated in popularity during the country's lockdown years. By the end of 2023, 86% of all payments in China were made through mobile phones, per state media. That's become an issue for outsiders arriving in a newly reopened China, where they struggled to find vendors who would accept cash or even credit cards. Hungry for foreign business, China has rushed to bridge the gap. Major payment platforms Alipay and WePay started allowing visitors to link their international bank cards to their Chinese accounts. Single-transaction limits for foreigners were also raised from $1,000 to $5,000. This year, Beijing has been telling businesses such as three-star hotels and cab companies to start accepting international credit cards. The wider transition has so far been slow a taxi company in Shanghai, for example, announced in April that it would arrange for 50 taxis to accept foreign credit cards. Travel companies say there are over 50,000 licensed taxis in the city. Tourism is a major source of revenue for China, with state-affiliated researchers predicting the sector will bring in about $800 billion in 2024. But international arrivals have been lagging. Only about 35 million foreign visitors traveled to China in 2023, or around 30% of pre-pandemic levels. China's cashless wave has also prompted concerns for the elderly, with a central bank survey finding that 75% of the country's seniors still use banknotes. It's illegal in China to reject cash for purchases, and the central government's crackdown has intensified in the last several years. Regulators have been fining companies such as car dealerships that refuse cash, while state media promotes the paper bill as the "most basic instrument of payment." A spokesperson for Yum China, which operates KFC in China, declined to comment when reached by Business Insider. Read the original article on Business Insider TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) Design work will soon be underway to help repair some of the worst roads in Travis County. Travis County Commissioners Court approved Tuesday a substandard roads improvement package thatll address 44 road sections and 17.1 miles of substandard roads across the county. It marks the first county investment in upgrading dilapidated roadways since 2017. Task members said $6.3 million previously allocated in the countys fiscal year 2023-24 budget will go toward the improvements, as well as $15 million approved by county voters in the November 2023 bond election. It is going to be a very challenging process, said Cynthia McDonald, Travis Countys county executive of transportation and natural resources. Nonetheless, I think this is very doable. This embedded content is not available in your region. The list of roadways to be treated is broken down as follows: Deer Creek package: 1.1 miles Park Drive Lake Park Drive Creekwood Drive Lake Ridgeview Circle Glenview Circle Westlake Drive Parkwood Drive Deer Creek II package: 1 mile Deer Creek Skyview + Deer Creek Skyview (connector to adjacent) Village Drive Cardinal Hills area package: 1 mile Scott Drive Richerson Drive Kinsey Court Julie Lane San Antonio (partial) La Paloma area package: 2.94 miles Dos Amigos Drive Pecos Drive Blanco Drive Blanco Circle Agua Frio Drive Sierra Vista Drive Individual road segments: Lawrence Drive Kellywood/Stormy Ridge Road Hillmoore Drive Summit Drive Thomas Sinclair Boulevard Gilbert Road Grant Street Century Street Storm Drive (including Dexler and Scott) Underhill Road Readily acceptable roads: These roads havent yet been accepted by Travis County but due to their existing conditions, the county will justify accepting them into the county road system, per county documents. Auger Lane Skillet Cove Noon Day Cove Commissioners are also looking to update Chapter 384 of county code to remove cost-sharing requirements currently in place, which some task force members said could disproportionately impact which roads are serviced. Thatll kickstart a later code change process down the road. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin. Police officers walk in front of the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Helmut Fricke/dpa The second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany begins on Tuesday, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss going before a Frankfurt court. The prince will stand trial before the Higher Regional Court together with eight others. Federal prosecutors accuse them of having been members of or having supported a terrorist organization. They include former members of the German armed forces and a former member of parliament for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. They are accused belonging to the "Reichsburger" network. So-called "Citizens of the Reich" believe that the modern German republic illegitimately replaced the German Reich that was founded in 1871 and continued under the Nazi regime until 1945. They reject the legitimacy of Germany's modern federal state and its laws. The trial is the second of three mammoth trials surrounding the alleged coup attempt. A trial against alleged members of the group's military arm began in Stuttgart at the end of April. Other alleged members will stand trial in Munich from June 18. The plot was uncovered during a large-scale anti-terror raid in December 2022. According to the indictment, the group began planning and preparing for "Day X" - the date of the coup - starting in August 2021. Specifically, an armed group was supposed to infiltrate the parliament building in Berlin with the aim of arresting German politicians and then installing a new interim government with Reuss as head of state. They were said to have accepted they might have to sacrifice their lives to achieve their goals. According to the prosecutors, around 500,000 ($543,000) and a large arsenal of weapons had been made available to the conspirators. Concrete preparations such as the recruitment of military personnel had also taken place. The accused were united by a deep rejection of state institutions and the free democratic order, according to the federal prosecutor's office, which has described the group's ideology as "a conglomerate of conspiracy theories." Heinrich XIII (C), who goes under the title Prince Reuss of Greiz, is led by police officers to a police vehicle after arresting him while searching a house as part of a raid aginst so-called "Reich citizens". Boris Roessler/dpa An alleged defendant is brought into the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court building by SEK officers ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Andreas Arnold/dpa An alleged defendant is brought into the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court building by SEK officers ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Andreas Arnold/dpa The second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany begins on Tuesday, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss going before a Frankfurt court. The prince will stand trial before the Higher Regional Court together with eight others. Federal prosecutors accuse them of having been members of or having supported a terrorist organization. They include former members of the German armed forces and a former member of parliament for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. They are accused belonging to the "Reichsburger" network. So-called "Citizens of the Reich" believe that the modern German republic illegitimately replaced the German Reich that was founded in 1871 and continued under the Nazi regime until 1945. They reject the legitimacy of Germany's modern federal state and its laws. The trial is the second of three mammoth trials surrounding the alleged coup attempt. A trial against alleged members of the group's military arm began in Stuttgart at the end of April. Other alleged members will stand trial in Munich from June 18. The plot was uncovered during a large-scale anti-terror raid in December 2022. According to the indictment, the group began planning and preparing for "Day X" - the date of the coup - starting in August 2021. Specifically, an armed group was supposed to infiltrate the parliament building in Berlin with the aim of arresting German politicians and then installing a new interim government with Reuss as head of state. They were said to have accepted they might have to sacrifice their lives to achieve their goals. According to the prosecutors, around 500,000 ($543,000) and a large arsenal of weapons had been made available to the conspirators. Concrete preparations such as the recruitment of military personnel had also taken place. The accused were united by a deep rejection of state institutions and the free democratic order, according to the federal prosecutor's office, which has described the group's ideology as "a conglomerate of conspiracy theories." The alleged leaders of the plot, Prince Reuss and Rudiger von Pescatore, a former solider who is said to have led the military arm of the group, are on trial in Frankfurt. Reuss is a descendent of a noble family whose princely title carries no formal weight. Germany's monarchy was abolished more than a century ago. The outlines of structures for a separate state order are said to have been worked out, with Prince Reuss acting as head of state. The former Berlin judge and former AfD lawmaker Birgit Malsack-Winkemann, who is also one of the Frankfurt defendants, was supposed to have been the equivalent of justice minister. Strict security precautions are in place for the trial. A lightweight metal hall with an area of around 1,300 square metres has been specially erected on the outskirts of Frankfurt. According to the court, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison if they are found guilty on one charge. In the event of several guilty verdicts and a total sentence, they would face a maximum of 15 years in prison. The accused are presumed innocent until a judgment is reached. In addition to the trial in Frankfurt, other members of the group in Stuttgart and Munich must also stand trial before the respective higher regional courts. The trial in Frankfurt alone is of unprecedented dimensions for the Higher Regional Court, court spokeswoman Gundula Fehns-Boer said. The indictment comprises 617 pages. Nine defendants, five judges, two supplementary judges and no fewer than 25 defence lawyers will be present at the trial. Ten people were originally scheduled to stand trial, but one of them died in a hospital in March, the court spokeswoman said. Around 260 witnesses will be summoned and 40 to 45 police officers will provide security on each day of the trial. The court has scheduled 48 trial days through January. Heinrich XIII (C), who goes under the title Prince Reuss of Greiz, is led by police officers to a police vehicle after arresting him while searching a house as part of a raid aginst so-called "Reich citizens". Boris Roessler/dpa Police officers walk in front of the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Helmut Fricke/dpa An alleged defendant is brought into the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court building by SEK officers ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Helmut Fricke/dpa The second and highest-profile trial of nine people linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, including alleged ringleader Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, began on Tuesday after a delay. Originally scheduled to start at 9:30 am, the trial only started about 45 minutes later. A spokeswoman for the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court said the lawyers needed to speak to their clients. The alleged ringleaders of the "Reichsburger" (Reich Citizens) group, Prince Reuss and Rudiger von Pescatore, who is said to have led the military arm of the group, are on trial along with seven others. Federal prosecutors accuse them of having been members of or having supported a terrorist organization. They include former members of the German armed forces and a former member of parliament for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The trial is the second of three mammoth trials surrounding the alleged coup attempt. An alleged defendant is brought into the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court building by SEK officers ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Andreas Arnold/dpa Police officers walk in front of the Frankfurt Higher Regional Court ahead of the second and highest-profile trial linked to a far-right coup plot in Germany, with the alleged 72-year-old ringleader, Prince Heinrich XIII of Reuss, going before the court. Andreas Arnold/dpa Heinrich XIII, who goes under the title Prince Reuss of Greiz, is led by police officers to a police vehicle after arresting him while searching a house as part of a raid aginst so-called "Reich citizens". Boris Roessler/dpa Sharon Scott, president of the Oklahoma Intertribal Tax Association, testifies at a joint tribal relations committee hearing on Monday at the Oklahoma Capitol. (Photo by Janelle Stecklein/Oklahoma Voice) OKLAHOMA CITY A handful of Oklahoma-based tribes are refusing to share their tag information with law enforcement amid ongoing anger and frustration over an abrupt change in how state law enforcement is enforcing license plate policies for Indigenous residents. The Department of Public Safetys sudden decision to ticket Oklahoma drivers with tribal vehicle tags but reside outside their tribes official boundaries also helped derail negotiations with the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, said Sharon Scott, president of the Oklahoma Intertribal Tax Association. Some tribal leaders are frustrated over a combative relationship with the Turnpike Authority, Scott said. The agency has struggled to bill some Indigenous motorists that have tribal tags because it cannot access vehicle registration information. Some smaller tribes, meanwhile, dont view the one-size-fits-all model vehicle compacts being pushed by the governor as a solution to solve the information-sharing problem. The loss of tax commission revenue would be harmful to smaller tribes as it is one of the largest revenue streams. Compacts arent a one-size fits all for all tribal nations, said Scott, who also serves as executive director of the Seminole Nation Business and Corporate Regulatory Commission, which is essentially the tax commission for the tribe. Scott made the remarks at the Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations meeting Monday where lawmakers approved new motor vehicle registration and license tag compacts with the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations. Trevor Pemberton, an attorney for Gov. Kevin Stitt, said the three tribes are the only ones to have motor vehicle compacts, though Stitts office has offered to enter into model compacts with a number of others. The Cherokee Nations existing compact is set to expire at the end of the year and is currently being renegotiated. Scott said 27 of the 33 tribes that issue their own tags currently share their information with the Oklahoma Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, also known as OLETS. She did not name the six tribes that are not participating in the statewide system that facilitates a formal exchange of information between law enforcement agencies. It contains information like driving records and criminal histories. She said when news broke in November that DPS had started enforcing the plate violations, the six tribes no longer wanted to discuss participating in the statewide database. Scott said two tribes fundamentally do not want to share their information with law enforcement, but do have a mechanism in place to allow their information to be accessed. The tribes utilize the Bureau of Indian Affairs. There are some tribes that have pulled back and said, You know, were going to think about the combative nature of the Turnpike Authority. Were going to pull back. Were not going to share information with OLETS anymore. And, Ive cautioned against that because then youre creating a public safety issue that wasnt there prior to November of last year, Scott said Scotts remarks come as Stitt continues to ramp up pressure on tribal nations to enter into compacts and ensure Indigenous citizens are paying their fair share to use the states cashless turnpike network. Five Indigenous residents have been ticketed in recent months for possessing tribal vehicle tags while residing outside their tribes official boundaries, Scott said. Its an extremely small percentage of those who have tribal plates, but it was enough to significantly ramp up tensions between state and tribal leaders. House Majority Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, said refusal to participate in OLETS is dangerous, scary and disrespectful to tribal and nontribal law enforcement alike. He warned that lawmakers may have to intervene with legislation next year if tribal leaders arent willing to come to the table and have conversations to resolve the situation. He said he respects that compacting is a sovereign decision, but refusing to share registration information is a real public safety issue for all Oklahomans. It seems to me that the majority of our sovereign nations agree with my concern that not letting law enforcement know who theyre pulling over is disrespectful to our men and women in law enforcement and very, very dangerous, Echols said. OTA dispute Scott said when she first heard that OTA was struggling to access plate information, she set up a meeting with the agency and 19 tribes to discuss the issue. She said the participating tribes told OTA that they freely give their information to law enforcement as part of a public safety measure to ensure that their members and law enforcement are safe. But Scott said OTA is a separate entity which generates revenue. She said when OTA shares data with other states, they get a portion of the proceeds. Tribes do not. If were going to share our information then we need to talk about sharing revenue, a portion, Scott said. Were not saying 100% of the income of the proceeds you get from our tribal tags should come back to us, were just saying a revenue share because they do that with other governments, other state governments. She said many tribal citizens have Pikepasses that allow them to use Oklahoma turnpikes. She said OTA officials realized last year that they couldnt read tribal tags, and that there was no mechanism to match the Pikepass with their plates until September of last year. The feedback that Ive gotten is that because of OTAs poor planning, theyve lost out on revenue, Scott said. She said of OTAs uncollectible revenue, only 35% is from tribal tags. Lisa Shearer-Salim, a spokesperson for OTA, said the agency put an emphasis on converting to cashless tolling in a much shorter timespan due to motorist and worker safety concerns. Weve known that we would need to work through billing those who previously paid in cash and that would include conversations with tribal nations, she said. When the agency met with tribal leaders last year, OTA was encouraged by those leaders to seek a legislative solution to gain access to the information that the tribes were already providing to the Department of Public Safety through the OLETS system. OTA cannot statutorily access tribal tag information provided to OLETS because that information is limited to law enforcement use only. She said they worked to pass Senate Bill 1907, which didnt advance. OTA remains open to ongoing dialogue with tribes. Any customers with a PikePass receive monthly statements for tolls owed, and no revenue has been lost in that way. Nearly 90% of all turnpike users pay tolls online. Of the remaining 10% the largest loss of revenue is due to obscured license plates, temporary tags or not having registered vehicle owner information, mainly because of tribal tags. OTA cannot access the registered vehicle information for any tribes except the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes, she said. OTA has agreements with 48 states to access vehicle registration information, but does not share toll revenue with any other states, Shearer-Salim said. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Some tribes arent sharing information with Oklahoma law enforcement amid license plate dust up appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. * In an interview with state TV IRIB on Sunday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's crash to bad weather conditions, which he said also hindered search and rescue efforts. * After Raisi's death, many world leaders and foreign governments expressed sorrow. * Even though the death of high-ranking officials is a blow to Iran's political governance, analysts said the "shock" can be absorbed. TEHRAN, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after his helicopter crashed in the country's mountainous northwestern region on Sunday. Iran's official news agency IRNA confirmed the deaths of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azarbaijan Province Malek Rahmati, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Representative to East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem and Raisi's bodyguard, all of whom were onboard the same helicopter. Khamenei announced on Monday five days of public mourning. This photo taken on May 19, 2024 shows a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the footage of Iran's state-run IRIB TV. (Xinhua/Shadati) CRASH Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency early Monday that the crash site was located after hours of extensive search in the mountainous region of East Azerbaijan. An image released by the IRNA showed the wreckage of the helicopter scattered across a mountain peak. Rescuers faced harsh weather conditions and low temperatures during their search, which began immediately after the crash was reported on Sunday. The crash occurred as Raisi traveled from the Azerbaijani border following his attendance at a ceremony to inaugurate a storage dam with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. In an interview with state TV IRIB on Sunday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's crash to bad weather conditions, which he said also hindered search and rescue efforts. Raisi, 63, was born in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Before being elected Iranian president in 2021, he held prominent positions, including judiciary chief and Tehran prosecutor. In a statement quoted by the IRNA on Monday, the Iranian cabinet said Raisi was an "indefatigable and hard-working president" who "made the ultimate sacrifice on the path of serving his nation." To mourn Raisi's death, the Iranian government has draped his seat with a black robe. Across various provinces, preparations are underway for mourning ceremonies, while events scheduled for National Cultural Heritage Week have been canceled, as reported by the IRNA. Raisi's death comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, marked by an exchange of attacks in April fueled by the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year, while efforts to revive negotiations and salvage the Iran nuclear deal have hit a deadlock. Armed groups in the region like the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen have launched attacks on Israeli targets in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. This photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows rescue workers arriving at a helicopter accident site in East Azarbaijan province of Iran on the footage of Iran's state-run IRIB TV. (Xinhua/Shadati) CONDOLENCES After Raisi's death, many world leaders and foreign governments expressed sorrow. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, in which the Chinese leader expressed deep condolences and extended sincere sympathies to Mokhber, the family of President Raisi, and the Iranian government and people. Leaders from Russia, Turkiye, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Pakistan, Venezuela and India, along with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and European Council President Charles Michel, have all sent messages of condolence after Raisi's death. "We extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, and to the Iranian government and people," Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said in a statement. Hamas, which has been in an escalating conflict with Israel since last October, expressed sympathy to the Iranian people for "this immense loss," lauding Raisi's support for the Palestinian cause and resistance against Israel. This photo taken on May 19, 2024 shows a poster of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the footage of national Iranian television. (Xinhua/Shadati) IMPACT The Iranian Constitution stipulates that in case of the president's death or incapacity, the first vice president will assume the role until an election is conducted within a maximum of 50 days. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday appointed the country's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, as interim president. Iran's Constitutional Council Spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif said that with Khamenei's approval, a council consisting of the Iranian judiciary chief, parliament speaker and first vice president will take measures to organize elections within 50 days. Even though the death of high-ranking officials is a blow to Iran's political governance, analysts said the "shock" can be absorbed. Khamenei has told Iranian people not to worry, promising "no disruption" to the country's affairs. "Iran, since its Islamic revolution in 1979 ... has proved to be more than capable of taking all sorts of shots (against it), especially when it comes to political leaders," opined Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst from Al Jazeera. On the diplomatic front, while the passing of the foreign minister is a significant loss for Iran, analysts said the country's foreign policy will not undergo substantial changes. Amir-Abdollahian "has been an extremely effective foreign minister, overseeing a successful reconciliation with Saudi Arabia and navigating a series of difficult crises," according to an analysis by the Times of Israel. But "Iran's broad foreign policy won't change," it noted. However, some analysts believe the incident will prompt Iran to shift its political focus toward domestic matters. The country can now be "a little more self-engaged, wrapped up in internal politics, as it sorts out the election for the next president," said Michael Makovsky, president and chief executive of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. (Video reporters: Sha Dati, Shi Xiaomeng, Dong Yue; video editors: Li Ziwei, Li Qin, Yin Le) TROUP COUNTY, Ga. (WRBL) The Troup County Sheriffs Office (TCSO) shared through a press release on Monday detailing the success of a special investigation into areas of recent gun violence resulting in 11 arrests. TCSO says from May 6 through May 18, the sheriffs office narcotics/K9 division, LaGrange Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, GBI West Metro Regional Drug Enforcement Office along with the Georgia Department of Community Supervision conducted the investigations and arrested the following people: Markevis Daeshawn Brown, 21, LaGrange, Georgia Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute Possession of a firearm during certain felonies Jalen Deshaun Parham, 20, LaGrange, Georgia Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute Possession of a firearm during certain felonies Jaquadrian Hardy, 26, LaGrange, Georgia Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute Possession of schedule II narcotic with intent to distribute Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Possession of a firearm during certain felonies Theft by receiving stolen property Adarius Dijuan Reese, 26, LaGrange, Georgia Trafficking in fentanyl Henry Bradford, 33, LaGrange, Georgia Probation violation Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Corithian Newton, 27, LaGrange, Georgia Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute Santerio Bailey, 34, LaGrange, Georgia Probation Violation Possession of a schedule I narcotic Possession of a schedule II narcotic Tudorus Henderson, 45, LaGrange, Georgia Probation violation Sale of cocaine Keymarious Davidson, 25, West Point, Georgia Probation violations (superior and state) Possession of firearm by a convicted felon Possession of marijuana Jamichael Williams, 18, LaGrange, Georgia Felony possession of marijuana Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime Ankevious Moore, 18, LaGrange, Georgia Possession of machine gun Possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime Felony possession of marijuana Obstruction of an officer Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRBL. One of the five Troup County High School students involved in a car crash last week has died. The Troup County Coroners Office confirmed that Mary Joy Moosman, 17, died just before noon on Monday. Her family posted about the teens death on social media. Im bringing my baby home. Thank you Lord for the greatest blessing this momma couldve ever been given the privilege to have on this side of Heaven. HE gave us an angel. She was living and walking amongst us the whole time, Amber Robinson-Moosman posted. I'm bringing my baby home. Thank you Lord for the greatest blessing this momma could've ever been given the privilege to... Posted by Amber Robinson-Moosman on Monday, May 20, 2024 [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] The crash happened Thursday around 12:39 p.m. off Whitfield Road and Hogansville Road. Georgia State Patrol says the students were turning but didnt yield to a school district maintenance truck. The impact sent the car crashing into the grass and ejected Moosman and another student, who had to be airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital. The other students have not been identified. TRENDING STORIES: [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter] IN OTHER NEWS: Donald Trumps defense rested on Tuesday, which means the former president will not be testifying in his criminal hush-money trial. Few would have begrudged Trump for declining to testify, but he promised he would take the stand while suggesting the only thing that prevented him from doing so was his gag order which is false. Regardless of Trumps bloviating about testifying and proving everyone wrong, his allies thought it would have been a horrendous idea. Four people close to the former president recently told Rolling Stone that there would have been essentially no upside in taking the stand. The jury would hate him, if they dont all already, and would kill whatever chances he has left of a not-guilty verdict, a GOP lawmaker said. The sources also stressed that Trump testifying at this trial would have been a humongous gift to prosecutors, who likely could have, among other things, easily baited Trump into lying under oath. Some of these sources said that Trump has repeatedly asked confidants in recent months if they thought him taking the stand in this case would be a good idea; those sources each said they unequivocally advised the former president that he should not testify. Hell, no, said one lawyer close to Trump whos known him for years, responding to a question about whether Trump should demand to testify in the Manhattan criminal trial. Why? Did someone say thatd be a good idea? Well, in a way, yes. Donald Trump did. Yeah, I would testify, absolutely, Trump told reporters in April ahead of the trial. Im testifying. I tell the truth, I mean, all I can do is tell the truth and the truth is that there is no case. Trump later tempered expectations that he will take the stand claiming its not his fault, though. Im under a gag order, he told reporters gathered outside of the courtroom earlier this month. Im not allowed to testify because this judge is totally conflicted has me under an institutional gag order. Nobodys ever had that before, and we dont like it, its not fair. Judge Juan Merchan clarified in court that the gag order in no way prevented Trump from testifying, and a day later Trump seemed to forget he suggested it did. No, it wont stop me from testifying, he told reporters. The gag order is not for testifying. Trumps wishy-washy approach to testifying is at least partially due to his ego. One person close to Trump says that even if he didnt actually want to testify, he wants everyone to know he isnt scared of doing so. Recently, this source adds, Trump has privately complained about idiots who claim hes fearful of testifying at his Manhattan trial, and has insisted he isnt afraid to take the stand in this case or others. The prosecution rested its case on Monday, and Trump indicated Tuesday morning that his team was about to wrap it up, as well. Well be resting pretty quickly, meaning resting the case, he told reporters. I wont be resting. I dont rest. Id like to rest sometimes, but I dont get to rest. Trumps defense minutes later. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone The top U.S. general in Afghanistan during Americas 2021 withdrawal said he repeatedly warned the Trump and Biden administrations that pulling out all troops would make the security situation in the country very bad, very fast, but officials failed to grasp the danger. Retired Army Gen. Austin Scott Miller, the former U.S. Forces Afghanistan commander, said he advised both administrations that cutting troop presence to zero would have left the U.S.-backed Afghan Security Forces vulnerable to being overrun by the Taliban, according to his April 15 interview with the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released Monday. My view was that going to zero things would go very bad, very fast, Miller said in the closed-door testimony. And of course, [I] define that [as] not prepared for a political or a security collapse while were still present, just wouldnt be prepared. Instead, Miller recommended that the U.S. keep at least 2,500 forces on the ground in bases in Kabul and at Bagram Airfield once the largest U.S. military base in the country that was abandoned by the U.S. military in July 2021, a month before the fall of Kabul and the full U.S. evacuation. My recommendation was that we retain a footprint, Miller said. You leave something here that keeps the Afghan Security Forces in the fight, keeps the Afghan Air Force in the fight, and you move forward. So that was my recommendation and it stayed consistent. Still, both President Trump and President Biden took steps to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan, with Trump initiating the withdrawal through a February 2020 deal with the Taliban known as the Doha Agreement, and Biden ultimately completing the effort in August 2021, to disastrous results. In the chaos of the exit, during which tens of thousands of Afghan civilians desperately tried to leave the country via the Hamid Karzai International Airport, an ISIS-K suicide bomber blew himself up outside airports Abbey Gate, killing 13 U.S. service members and nearly 200 Afghans. Miller said that after the Doha Agreement, the Taliban launched a handful of indirect fire attacks, which he saw as a warning of what was to come. But in April 2021, after Biden announced his decision to fully withdraw U.S. troops and diplomats from Afghanistan, Miller said he predicted a full Taliban takeover of the country. Though he later attempted to advocate for the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, State Department officials seemed to have a lack of understanding of the risk. Millersaid that he became so worried by the administrations failure to grasp how dangerous the withdrawal would be, he warned the Marine Corps commander in charge of planning for a possible evacuation to prepare for some really adverse conditions. After Kabul swiftly fell to the Taliban in August 2021, the State Department finally requested a non-combatant evacuation operation for their employees but it was too late, a situation that put U.S. troops in a strained position, Miller said. If the buildings already on fire before you start evacuating it, its a much more challenging evacuation, he told lawmakers. At that point, my focus was, how do I get these guys out of here without hurting somebody? he continued. I dont usually get scared. I dont. I was scared. And you know what I was afraid of? I was afraid I was going to lose somebody. Miller also lamented that he did not foresee a good future for Afghanistan as I was departing, and that he tried to make sure officials had a good understanding of what was happening in Afghanistan. The interview is likely to recharge critics of Bidens foreign policy decisions ahead of the November presidential election, with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) leading the charge on an investigation into the Afghanistan withdrawal. The administration and its supporters, meanwhile, have criticized McCauls investigation as ignoring key decisions made by Trump while he was in the White House including the Doha Agreement, a deal that imposed a May 2021 deadline for a full U.S. military pullout that left Biden with little control and no plan for how to achieve it. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Donald Trumps campaign deleted a video shared on his Truth Social account that included the phrase unified reich amid blowback from the Biden administration and a handful of Republicans. On Monday afternoon, Trumps Truth Social account posted a 30-second video that described a vision of America if he wins in 2024, and included fake newspaper headlines that said Trump Wins! and Whats next for America? At first glance, the video seemed like typical campaign media except that the background included text about the creation of a unified reich, and German industrial strength. The phrase the creation of a unified reich, which appeared multiple times in the background, drew heavy criticism. The German term reich means empire but is often associated with Nazi Germany. The Trump campaign said that the video was reposted by an unwitting staffer on Monday afternoon, although the video remained on the former presidents social media account overnight. This was not a campaign video, it was created by a random account online and reposted by a staffer who clearly did not see the word, while the President was in court, Karoline Leavitt, a campaign spokesperson, said in a statement. The real extremist is Joe Biden. The video was met with immediate condemnation by both the Biden campaign and Republicans on Capitol Hill, including some of Trumps staunchest allies like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). I dont know why you would say such a thing, said Graham, who told POLITICO that the staffer who posted the video "should be dealt with. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) also called out the video, saying, "to use that term in this day and age is simply inappropriate, and it's got to be corrected." President Joe Biden on Tuesday night condemned the former presidents comments at a 300-person fundraiser in Boston's Seaport district. "A unified Reich? Thats not the language of an American president, thats not the language of any American. It's the language of Hitlers Germany, he said. And Biden called the Trump campaign's explanation that an unwitting staffer reposted the video a "lame excuse" since "we already know Trump personally controls his social media account because hes bragged so much about his control. Bidens campaign on Tuesday also moved to raise money off the video, sending an email with the subject line Unified Reich and a statement that this is serious stuff. And it's not like Trump's echoes of Nazi Germany are a one-time thing. Trumps Truth Social account has circulated and then deleted controversial posts before. In 2022, for example, his account shared and then removed conspiratorial messages from a Q-Anon message board. That same year, Trump was widely condemned after he had dinner at his Florida Mar-a-Lago resort with white nationalist and antisemite Nick Fuentes, who frequently posts racist comments and is a Holocaust revisionist. Also at the dinner was Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, who has also made antisemitic comments. The Republican National Committee passed a resolution condemning antisemitism following Trumps dinner. Jim Demers, a longtime New Hampshire Democratic strategist who is backing Biden and was at his event in New Hampshire on Tuesday, said its important for the president to draw contrast with Trumps scary rhetoric on democracy. Donald Trump has talked about Hitler all too often and Donald Trump has talked about being a dictator, and so that is an important contrast to what Joe Biden believes as a protector of our democracy, Demers said. Donald Trump is giving us plenty of warning about how he would govern as president, and it is frightening. Lisa Kashinsky contributed to this report. Donald Trump speaks to reporters Thursday at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York. Court documents unsealed Tuesday in Trump's classified documents case reveal his lawyers found four documents in the former president's Mar-a-Lago bedroom four months after the FBI's search in August 2022. Pool Photo by Steven Hirsch/UPI May 21 (UPI) -- Donald Trump's lawyers found four classified documents in the former president's bedroom months after the FBI searched his Mar-a-Lago estate, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell's 2023 opinion revealed an empty folder and "another mostly empty folder marked 'Classified Evening Summary'" were discovered by Trump's lawyers four months after prosecutors had subpoenaed them, and four months after the FBI had conducted a thorough search of the property in August 2022, according to the 87-page document. "Notably, no excuse is provided as to how the former president could miss the classified-marked documents found in his bedroom at Mar-a-Lago," Howell, an Obama appointee, wrote. Trump's office turned over the box of documents to the FBI in January 2023, Howell said. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, released the documents Tuesday following redaction negotiations with special counsel Jack Smith and Trump's lawyers. The opinion was released, in addition to other filings, as Trump's lawyers work to have the case dismissed. Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 criminal counts last June related to his handling of classified documents after he left the White House. Two hearings are scheduled for Wednesday as Trump aide Walt Nauta tries to dismiss obstruction and false statement charges against him. Earlier this month, Cannon indefinitely postponed Trump's trial -- which had been scheduled to start this week -- due to the large number of outstanding pre-trial motions. Cannon said she had "eight substantive pretrial motions" to rule on, including litigation on CIPA, which will determine how classified information should be presented at the trial. The delay could push the trial until after the 2024 election. Prosecutors have pursued a previously undisclosed theory of steps they allege Trump and his associates took to obstruct the documents investigation. Last year, prosecutors compelled testimony from one of Trump's attorneys, Evan Corcoran, alleging that aides moved boxes without being caught on camera after Trump was informed of a government subpoena for video footage. "The government urged that this scramble to Mar-a-Lago in the wake of the June 24, 2022, phone call reflects the former president's realization that the removal of the boxes from the storage room before the search was captured on camera -- and his attempts to ensure that any subsequent movement of the boxes back to the storage room could occur off camera," Howell wrote. The government has alleged in the indictment that Nauta and Mar-a-Lago maintenance worker Carlos De Oliveira allegedly conspired to try to delete surveillance footage. "This theory draws support from the curious absence of any video footage showing the return of the remaining boxes to the storage room, which necessarily occurred at some point between June 3, 2022 -- when the room had approximately [redacted] boxes, according to FBI agents -- and the execution of the search warrant on Aug. 8, 2022 -- when agents counted 73 boxes," the judge wrote. Senators J.D. Vance (R-OH) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) listen as former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media at his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 13, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images) While writing on Sunday night about the truly remarkable week surrounding a criminal trial in New York, I was captivated by the final story on 60 Minutes. It was titled, The Album, with Anderson Cooper reporting. The subject was an album of 116 photos discovered in 2007 that were collected by a Nazi leader at Auschwitz. Here There Are Blueberries, is the new Broadway play that attempts to make sense of the pictures by those connected to the victims there. Importantly though, it also provides context of the horrific events as seen through the eyes of those committing the crimes. The pictures make the killers appear happy to be there. One particular photo showed a large group of young German girls happily eating blueberries at an apparent party, while outside the frame, death surrounded them. Its the source of the title of the play. How did these once normal, average people become the monsters we now know them to be? Last week in New York, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared outside the courthouse where the criminal trial of Donald Trump is nearing its end. He was there to hold a press conference to support his leader and to label the trial election interference and declare the justice system corrupt. The appearances at the trial of the most sycophantic members of the GOP, as Dylan Stableford writes for Yahoo! News, began with a trickle, then became a steady stream. Members of the U.S. Senate, former presidential candidates, and of course, a litany of House members have appeared there the past two weeks of the six-week trial. Their uniform reason to appear is to suck up to the boss, and to fan the irrational flames of the bosss support network. The theatrics accomplish other things though, whether intentional or not. Most importantly is that it communicates that loyalty to this criminal is more important, more valuable, than the American judicial system itself. A large swath of the nations citizenry has arrived at a place where justice only exists in their eyes when it aligns with their loyalties, regardless of reality. It is that singleness of vision and commitment that allows the madness to grow. To answer the question above, this is exactly how average people become monsters. Say the truth The word verdict comes from the Latin word, veredictum, which literally means to say the truth. That is the goal of judicial processes in the American system: to reach a verdict, or to say the truth. For those with an interest in the outcome, sometimes the truth is uncomfortable or inconvenient, but that doesnt make it less truthful. Sadly, gestures like the ones being made by this cadre of hangers on outside the Trump trial, is a monstrous way to solidify the post-truth reality of the era in which we now live. Much like 1930s and 1940s Germany, nothing is to be trusted by the cult unless the cult leader says it should be. In 2020s America, it started with a now embedded alternative truth to a presidential election. That makes purposely diminishing truths like the ones being established in the New York criminal court seem small. Objecting before the inevitable and inarguable truth before it is reached is now a repetitive strategy. To listen to a podcast version of this column, go here. Donald Trump is headed for a conviction on 34 counts of false business reporting for the purposes of withholding information from voters in 2016. Yes, the illicit affair with Stormy Daniels occurred. Yes, he paid her through his lawyer and fixer to keep her quiet. Yes, he illegally reported the payment. Yes, he reported it illegally to conceal its purpose: to get him elected. In all of history, there has never been a politician or government representative who I would have chosen over the ongoing legitimacy of our judicial processes. Zero. Not George Washington nor Abraham Lincoln. Not John Kennedy nor Barack Obama. The courts, in their entirety, are far more important than any one person. When they no longer are, they cease to credibly exist. Amanda Gronich, one of the cowriters of Blueberries, told 60 Minutes, the Nazis at Auschwitz didnt wake up each morning thinking Im an evil monster, Im going to do evil, monstrous things. They woke up each day and lived their lives, filled with justifications and beliefs in what they were doing. Speaker Johnson and his caucus members displayed the same mindset when showing up to support their criminal, political leader over the court. Worse yet, it is definitely the mindset of millions of MAGA devotees. Supporting their leader trumps the third branch of government. Its unlikely they will believe the conviction as the truth. And history will see our own season of blueberries as evil and monstrous too. The post The Trump cult is choosing blueberries over the judicial branch appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. Joseph W. Polisi, president emeritus and chief China officer of the Juilliard School in the United States, gestures at a donation ceremony in north China's Tianjin, May 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo) TIANJIN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Joseph W. Polisi, president emeritus and chief China officer of the Juilliard School in the United States, donated his entire 300,000 yuan (about 42,212 U.S. dollars) Orchid Awards prize money to the Tianjin Juilliard School Education Development Foundation on Monday. This donation aims to support the arts and teaching programs of the Tianjin Juilliard School. "We try to use the funds in support of student and faculty activities, special programs, perhaps a tour or certain activities, that ordinarily would not be able to take place because of a lack of financial support," said Polisi, also chairman of the board of directors of the Tianjin Juilliard School. In September 2023, Polisi was awarded the Lifetime Honorary Prize at China's inaugural Orchid Awards in recognition of his contributions and achievements in Sino-U.S. music exchange and education over the years. The Orchid Awards, initiated by the China International Communications Group, aims to honor non-Chinese nationals and organizations around the world that have made significant contributions to cultural exchanges between China and the rest of the world, and to promote mutual learning between Chinese and other civilizations. Founded in October 2021, the Tianjin Juilliard School, located in north China's Tianjin Municipality, is the first and so far the only branch campus of the Juilliard School in the world, with music students enrolled from all over the world. Joseph W. Polisi (C), president emeritus and chief China officer of the Juilliard School in the United States, gestures at a donation ceremony in north China's Tianjin, May 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Zhao Zishuo) Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom for his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024, in New York City. (Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) Former President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom for his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024, in New York City. (Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on South Dakota Searchlight. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments (Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images). WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Missouri Independent. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) Policy, politics and progressive commentary WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Nevada Current. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Justin Lane | Pool-Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon, and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on New Hampshire Bulletin. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Justin Lane-Pool | Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom for his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024 in New York City. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records last year, which prosecutors say was an effort to hide a potential sex scandal, both before and after the 2016 presidential election. Trump is the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges. | Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold: The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Michigan Advance. BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China's service outsourcing industry saw robust expansion in the first four months of this year, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chinese firms inked services outsourcing contracts worth a total of nearly 781.43 billion yuan (about 110 billion U.S. dollars) in the four-month period, up 14.4 percent year on year, according to the ministry. The executed contract value stood at 520.51 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.9 percent. Of the total, the value of offshore service outsourcing contracts rose 8.6 percent year on year to 419.04 billion yuan. In the January-April period, the industry welcomed about 301,000 new hires, with 84.7 percent of these individuals holding a university degree or above. Outsourcing refers to hiring an outside party to carry out services or produce goods typically undertaken by in-house employees. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial on May 21, 2024. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. Former U.S. President Donald Trump sits in the courtroom for his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024 in New York City. Trump was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records last year, which prosecutors say was an effort to hide a potential sex scandal, both before and after the 2016 presidential election. Trump is the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool | Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Daily Montanan. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Photo by Justin Lane-Pool/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. Former President Donald Trump sits in court during the final day of testimony in his New York trial. Trump, the first former U.S. president to face trial on criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments. (Pool photo by Justin Lane/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The end of the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president is in sight as Donald Trumps defense team rested its case Tuesday in Manhattan, where jurors have heard weeks of testimony from nearly two dozen witnesses about Trumps alleged reimbursement of hush money meant to silence a porn star before the 2016 presidential election. Trump did not take the stand after his team called just two witnesses. The former president is accused of 34 felonies for falsifying business records. New York prosecutors allege that Trump covered up reimbursing his former personal lawyer Michael Cohen for paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels just before Election Day in 2016 to silence her about a tryst with Trump. Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate for president, denies the affair and maintains that he was paying Cohen for routine legal work. The case will not resume until after the Memorial Day holiday, when closing arguments are expected. A back channel to Trump Trumps defense teams second and final witness, former federal prosecutor and longtime New York-based attorney Robert Costello, stepped down from the witness stand Tuesday morning. His brief but tense appearance began Monday afternoon and included an admonishment from Justice Juan Merchan for contemptuous conduct. Costello testified to meeting a panicked and suicidal Cohen in April 2018 after the FBI had raided Cohens New York City hotel room as part of an investigation of his $130,000 payment to Daniels just before the 2016 presidential election. After Merchan sustained a series of objections from the prosecution Monday, Costello exclaimed, jeez and ridiculous on the mic and at one point rolled his eyes at Merchan. Merchan cleared the courtroom, including the press, to address Costello and Trumps defense team. Costellos testimony confirmed that he offered a back channel for Cohen to communicate with then-President Trump through Costellos close contact and Trumps former legal counsel Rudy Giuliani as Cohen was under investigation, according to reporters at the courthouse. New York does not allow recording in the courtroom but provides public transcripts of the proceedings. During cross examination, prosecutor Susan Hoffinger showed a series of Costellos emails in an attempt to convince jurors that Costello was actively working to assure Trump that Cohen would not turn against him during the federal investigation. In one email between Costello and his law partner, he asks, What should I say to this (expletive)? He is playing with the most powerful man on the planet, according to reporters at the courthouse. Hoffinger also established from Costello during her final series of questions that Cohen never officially retained him for legal help reinforcing that Costello showed up in Cohens life only after the FBI raid. Trumps multiple indictments Costello has been publicly critical of the hush money trial against Trump, and of Cohen, as recently as May 15, when he testified before the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on the Judiciarys Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. There, Costello told lawmakers that the cases brought against Trump during this election year are politically motivated. Trump, who faces dozens of criminal charges in four separate cases, was indicted in New York in April 2023. Three other criminal cases were also brought against Trump in 2023. They all remain on hold. The former president was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florida in June 2023 on charges related to the mishandling of classified information. Federal District Judge Aileen Cannon indefinitely postponed proceedings, making a trial before the November election unlikely. Trump was indicted by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C., in August 2023. A four-count indictment accused him of knowingly spreading falsehoods about the 2020 presidential election results and scheming to overturn them. Trump claimed presidential immunity from the criminal charges in October 2023, which both the federal trial and appeals courts denied. Trump is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Supreme Court. Weeks after the federal election interference indictment, Trump was indicted on state charges in Fulton County, Georgia, for allegedly interfering in the states 2020 presidential election results. The Georgia case has been mired in pretrial disputes over alleged misconduct by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Courtroom conditions In the dim, tightly secured hallway just feet from the courtroom at the New York County Supreme Court, Trump again criticized the trial Monday and accused prosecutors of wanting to keep him off the campaign trail. Were here an hour early today. I was supposed to be making a speech for political purposes. Im not allowed to have anything to do with politics because Im sitting in a very freezing cold courtroom for the last four weeks. Its very unfair. They have no case, they have no crime, he said before the news cameras that hes stopped to speak in front of every day during the trial. Trump told the cameras that outside the courtroom was like Fort Knox. He complained that there are more police than Ive ever seen anywhere, and said theres not a civilian within three blocks of the courthouse. That statement is false. States Newsroom attended the trial Monday and witnessed the scene outside the courthouse during the morning, mid-afternoon and late afternoon. Just as dawn broke, people standing in the general-public line vying for the few public seats in the courtroom squabbled over who was in front of whom. About an hour later, a woman with a bullhorn showed up in the adjacent Collect Pond Park to read the Bible and amplify contemporary Christian music played from her phone. A man paced the park holding a sign that read, Trump 2 Terrified 2 Testify. Several people sat outside eating and talking at tables in Collect Pond Park during the 1 p.m. hour, as witnessed by reporters who left the courtroom after Merchan dismissed the jury for lunch. By late afternoon, a small handful of protesters holding Trump flags and signs shouted that he was innocent. The post Trump declines witness stand as testimony in his first trial concludes appeared first on Kansas Reflector. Former President Donald Trump sits in a courtroom next to his lawyer Todd Blanche before the start of the day's proceedings in the Manhattan Criminal court, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in New York. | Dave Sanders The defense team in former President Donald Trumps criminal trial rested its case Tuesday after hearing from its last witness, attorney Robert Costello. Costellos questioning began Monday afternoon following testimony from Trumps former attorney, Michael Cohen, and continued into Tuesday morning. In his testimony, Costello, a former legal adviser to Cohen, told the court that in a phone call in 2018, Cohen admitted to him that Trump knew nothing about payments made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, per The New York Times. The hush money payments are central to the 34-count criminal case against Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the case, is accusing Trump of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to Daniels to keep her quiet over an alleged affair they had in 2006. Cohen apparently made the payment leading up to the 2016 presidential election. The case against Trump is the first time a former president has been criminally charged in American history. In a video posted on his Truth Social account, Trump addressed the crowd outside the courtroom Tuesday, echoing that this case is unlike anything this country has witnessed. Its a kangaroo court. Theres never been anything like this that Ive ever seen, Trump said. New York is really on trial itself. The whole world is watching to see whats happening. Trump did not testify Although Trump had previously hinted that he would represent himself in the case by taking the stand, he ultimately decided against it. It is not common for defendants to take the stand in their own cases, but he might have sought to personally convince a panel of 12 jurors and six alternates that his aim was to protect his family from embarrassment, not bury a story about an alleged sexual encounter damaging to his political prospects, according to Reuters. However, Trumps eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., was present in court supporting his dad on Tuesday, and as he was exiting the courtroom, reporters flooded him with questions about why Trump had decided against testifying before the court. How do you justify this insanity? Look at the clowns that they put on there, Trump Jr. said in a video posted on X. You dont subject yourself to that nonsense. .@DonaldJTrumpJr outside the courthouse in Manhattan on why his dad didnt testify: How do you justify this insanity? Look at the clowns that they put on there. You don't subject yourself to that nonsense. pic.twitter.com/Ch0exT51Rt jake rosen (@JakeMRosen) May 21, 2024 Trump and his supporters have repeatedly accused the New York court system of being biased, the judge of being conflicted and all of the indictments surrounding the presumptive presidential nominee to be politically motivated. Closing arguments to begin next week With both parties having rested their case, Judge Juan Merchan released the jury from the courtroom with news that they did not need to return until next Tuesday. Rather than begin closing arguments on Wednesday, Merchan recommended starting after the three-day weekend to avoid breaks in the summation. After a brief recess, the defense and prosecution returned to court to discuss the instructions Merchan should give the jury. Both parties debated what language should be granted or omitted in the judges jury instructions. The instructions ultimately explain to the 12 jurors on what they must do to reach a verdict. The prosecutors proposed instructions, among other things, ask the judge to give the jury what legal experts said was unusual flexibility in determining whether Mr. Trump had a role in the creation of the false records at the center of the charges, per The New York Times. On the other hand, Trumps lawyers asked the judge to remind jurors that Mr. Cohen had served as a lawyer for Mr. Trump while he worked at the Trump Organization. That could suggest to jurors that the former fixers role as Mr. Trumps lawyer should affect the way they view the case as a whole. The prosecution also wants members of the jury to be aware that they can convict Trump of three possible crimes: manipulating business records, a tax crime or a federal election law violation. Trump has to disavow his COVID vaccine to keep voters from RFK Jr. and his anti-vax clout Picture yourself as a politician, holding the nation's highest office during a generational emergency. You're the president. You take action. You issue executive orders and put $18 billion into play. And it works! The crisis is met. The goal is accomplished. Lives are saved, and Americans start hoping the country is about to bounce back. Sounds like a great victory to trumpet when you seek another term in office, right? Not if you're Donald Trump, the former president who oversaw the Operation Warp Speed development of COVID-19 vaccines. Trump's base despises the vaccines, one of the most significant accomplishments of his one term as president. And now Trump sees Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a Democrat-turned-independent candidate for president with a long history of spreading vaccine misinformation, chipping away at that base. Picture yourself as Trump. What do you do now? Trump has to target vaccine remarks from RJK Jr. Former President Donald Trump speaks during the NRA ILA Leadership Forum at the National Rifle Association Annual Meeting & Exhibits at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on May 18, 2024 in Dallas. Trump, of course, goes on the attack. And, being Trump, he tries to flip the script. The former president, who once hailed the COVID-19 vaccines he ordered into existence as the height of American achievement, now attacks the country's best-known vaccine critic as not hating vaccines enough. Speaking Saturday at a National Rifle Association convention in Dallas, Trump warned the crowd against backing Kennedy, calling him a member of the "radical left" while noting that the independent candidate has at times walked back his criticism of vaccines. The audacity of RFK Jr.: Calling for Biden to drop out of the race shows his enormous sense of entitlement "Don't think about it. Don't waste your vote," Trump told the NRA. "Somebody said, well, they like his policy on vaccines. The other day he said, 'No, no, he'll go for the vaccine.' He's got no policy on anything." Trump, in a May 9 video posted to his social media site Truth Social, also went after Kennedy for maybe not being so anti-vaccine after all. "He said it on a television show that vaccines are fine, and he's all for them," Trump said in his video. "And for those of you that want to vote (for Kennedy) because you think he's anti-vaccine, he's not really an anti-vaxxer." Trump appeared to be describing an April interview Kennedy did on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," where Kennedy was pushed on his vaccine misinformation and said, "I believe if people want the vaccine that they should be able to get it. I'm not anti-vaccine." Trump has to betray one of his presidency's biggest accomplishments It's no shock that Kennedy is slippery when questioned about the thing he's best known for pushing vaccine misinformation. But there was a time when Trump was happy to have the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy in the race, which was expected to draw votes from President Joe Biden in November. Trump's tactics shift with the polling. New numbers from Siena College, The New York Times and The Philadelphia Inquirer last week showed Kennedy drawing a similar number of votes from Biden and Trump. A pharmacist gives a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot in Chicago. Trump on Saturday claimed in his NRA speech that Kennedy draws more Biden supporters than Trump fans. If that were true, why go after Kennedy? Trump made clear he sees the independent as a threat. "We can't waste any votes," Trump said. "We have to win." His problem here is that his "Make America Great Again" base has embraced anti-science nonsense about the very vaccines he pushed the government to create. Will Trump testify? History shows us he is his own worst enemy under oath. KFF, a nonpartisan health policy nonprofit formerly known as the Kaiser Family Foundation, released a poll in September showing that 84% of Democrats and 54% of independents were very or somewhat confident the COVID-19 vaccines were safe while just 36% of Republicans felt that way. In March, the Pew Research Center reported that, as fears of the pandemic subsided, 42% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents said they've received updated COVID-19 boosters while just 15% of Republicans and GOP leaners had. Trump used to be proud of what he achieved with the vaccine That's why we rarely hear Trump brag about his administration's achievement with the vaccines anymore. He doesn't mention them during speeches and rallies, as he often did as president and while seeking a second term in 2020. President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order during the Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, 2020. Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trump's campaign, responded to my questions about that in an email calling the vaccine program "a once-in-a-lifetime initiative that gave people the option of utilizing therapeutics if they wished to do so." Cheung also noted that more people have died from COVID-19 during Biden's first term than during Trump's one term. While Trump doesn't talk about all that, the one-termer left us a long paper trail of archived accolades he awarded to himself and his administration before and after he lost the 2020 election, thanks to the National Archives. The day before he left the White House in January 2021, he claimed in a farewell address that another president might have taken as long as a decade to get vaccines developed. "They said it couldnt be done but we did it," Trump said then. "They call it a medical miracle, and thats what theyre calling it right now: a medical miracle." On Dec. 27, 2020, he called the vaccine program "a tremendous success." Earlier that month, he called it "a monumental national achievement." Trump, speaking 10 days after the 2020 election, touted "the single greatest mobilization in U.S. history." And he said this 17 days after the election: "You wouldn't have a vaccine if it weren't for me." Now, Trump is campaigning on promises to limit vaccine access Trump now campaigns for another term as president by vowing to deny federal funding for any school with a vaccine mandate, as he did Saturday in his NRA speech. This "I will not give one penny" pledge is a standard part of his campaign rally speech. That line usually draws cheers. And it puts Trump's ignorance on full display for crowds that really seem to dig it. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. States have long required some vaccinations for students who attend public schools, with some offering medical or religious exemptions. If you went to a public school and cheered Trump's not-one-penny line, there's a solid chance your parents had you vaccinated for polio, measles, chicken pox and other maladies before you ever walked into a classroom. But, hey, who cares about all that when Trump is feeding his fans the toxic stew of culture war conflict they crave? Trump clearly doesn't care. He only stops bragging about accomplishments, like the COVID-19 vaccines, when they no longer prompt applause. Follow USA TODAY elections columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump targets RFK Jr. in an attempt to keep anti-vax MAGA voters After Tuesday nights runoff, politicians, candidates and campaign advisers across the state agree on one thing: former President Donald Trumps endorsement is the gold standard to get elected as a Republican in North Carolina. So is his influence, coupled with state lawmakers ability to hand-draw congressional districts, leaving voters with less of a true say on who is representing them? On the surface, it seems that way. Ten of North Carolinas 14 congressional districts are drawn to favor Republicans, with five of those 10 having incumbents. Only two of the remaining districts drew in large crowds of candidates this year. And once voters chose their top two candidates, Trump got involved. In the 13th Congressional District, Trumps endorsement of one candidate led the other to drop out as voters were casting ballots in the runoff. In the 6th district, Trump had endorsed the top vote-getter in the primary, and once the second-place candidate was able to ask for a runoff, Trump instead hired him, allowing his candidate to win. But GOP leaders tend to agree that even though it seems like Trumps influence has stripped voters of some of their role in choosing their representatives, Trumps views align with what a Republican voter wants. Jonathan Felts, a campaign adviser for both of those Trump-endorsed primary winners, said he does not believe Trumps influence is diluting voters choice at the polls. The Trump endorsement is without question the best asset any Republican primary candidate can have, but its misleading to suggest voters are not the ones determining winners and losers in primaries, Felts told McClatchy in a written statement. Voters support Trump-endorsed candidates because those candidates most closely align with primary voters and President Trump on policy. To be clear, the Trump endorsement is the bonafide voters care most about, but thats because President Trumps MAGA agenda most closely aligns with where GOP primary voters are on policy. Both candidates won Trump endorsements on their own merits, Felts said, although he acknowledged another factor played a role: the intervention of Sen. Ted Budd, who vouched for McDowell to Trump and helped broker a meeting between Trump and Knott. Trumps endorsement On March 5, 13th district Republican voters selected Johnston County attorney Kelly Daughtry as their nominee, ahead of 13 other candidates. But with so many people in the race, she wasnt able to secure the more than 30% needed to stop the second-place candidate from asking for a runoff election. Enter Brad Knott. Knott, a former federal prosecutor, finished more than 7,000 votes and 9 points behind Daughtry, but was allowed to request a runoff. And he did. He then hired Felts and Michael Luethy as campaign advisers. Felts and Luethy have become campaign mainstays in North Carolina with connections to both traditional national Republican figures and the Trump world that have helped their candidates succeed. It happened in 2022, when then-Rep. Ted Budd chose to take on former Gov. Pat McCrory and former Rep. Mark Walker to run for Senate. McCrory had statewide name recognition that many thought would make him a shoo-in for the job. But when Budd was able to pull off a surprise Trump endorsement, followed by funding from Republican super-PAC Club for Growth Action, everything changed. Former President Trumps endorsement has now become the most important factor for House and Senate candidates in primaries throughout the nation, McCrory told McClatchy Wednesday. Ted Budd and (Sen.) J.D. Vance were the initial major national beneficiaries of this post-January 6 endorsement trend which clearly has had a continued impact on future elections over old-school factors including candidate experience, conservative track record, qualifications, name ID, debates, consultants and fundraising. Nothing else but the Trump endorsement really matters in Republican primaries. He added that it has become apparent that the majority of the Republican primary voters base their vote on Trumps endorsement. The endorsement is skipping the formality of actual voting, similar to wasting time voting in general elections in already predetermined gerrymandered districts, McCrory said. I wish I would have foreseen this new political norm in my 2022 primary Senate race. Its disconcerting but political reality. Daughtrys campaign The Trump factor and its effect was obvious to the Daughtry campaign. On April 5, exactly one month after the primary and 39 days before her runoff, Trump posted on his own social media site his endorsement of Knott, with an attack against Daughtry to boot. Brad Knott is a strong patriot who is running for Congress in North Carolinas 13th Congressional District against a RINO, Kelly Daughtry, who has given money to Far Left Democrats, pledged to vote for Obama, and is no friend to MAGA, Trump posted on Truth Social, with his complete and total endorsement. Susan Roberts, a political science professor at Davidson College, said it is unusual for Trump to attack a candidate in his endorsements, though he has been known to call a candidate weak. She added that calling someone a RINO, which means Republican in name only, seemingly has an impact on voters. Luke Stancil, Daughtrys senior advisor, told McClatchy that that impact was immediately clear. Daughtrys internal polling went from 20 points ahead to 30 points behind. And, he said, Trumps words made it increasingly difficult for Daughtry on the grassroots level. Any campaign event she attended, she would have to answer for whether she was a real Republican. It was kind of her word, against the presidents, Stancil said. Stancil, who was an administration official for McCrory, said he saw this play out when McCrory ran for Senate. Its disheartening that a good conservative governor like Pat McCrory can have his image nearly tarnished with Republicans because of the Trump endorsement, Stancil said. We should be about ideas, we should be about results, but were a party of what one man says now. With just a week left in the race, Daughtry walked away from her campaign. But since there wasnt an official way to end a runoff after ballots had already been cast, she had to witness the actual damage Trump did to her campaign. Knott finished 17,590 votes ahead of Daughtry, who only took in 1,991. Knott secured more than 90% of the vote. However, its not clear what Daughtrys total would have been had she not announced she was withdrawing. This race was a high-profile juggernaut race and if the president stayed out, Kelly Daughtry wins, Stancil said. That does not diminish the value and the type of campaign that Brad Knott ran. They ran the long game. They knew what they needed to do to secure the victory and they followed their game plan and they won. Redistricting State Republican lawmakers redrew North Carolinas 13th district to favor a Republican to win, so while Knott still has to face off against his Democratic opponent, Frank Pierce, Knott is likely the next member of Congress to represent the district. Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary who currently represents the Triangle district, chose not to run for reelection, knowing his chances of winning, based on the new district, were slim to none. And watching Trump change the outcome of an election frustrated him even more. Voters in the 13th District had absolutely no say in this election, Nickel said. The winning Republican candidate is someone whos totally loyal to Donald Trump and is going to Washington to work for Donald Trump, not for the majority of the constituents in this new 13th District. The districts, which are currently split evenly between seven Democrats and seven Republicans, are likely to be represented next year by at least 10 Republicans and at least three Democrats, with one spot up for grabs. The 1st Congressional District in the states far northeast is the only true swing district. Besides Nickel, both Reps. Jeff Jackson and Kathy Manning, Democrats from Charlotte and Greensboro, respectively, announced their retirements, knowing it was impossible to win reelection. House Speaker Tim Moore, a Republican from Cleveland County, is likely to replace Jackson. Addison McDowell, a Republican and former lobbyist living in Davidson County, will replace Manning. Both have been endorsed by Trump. Hes also endorsed Reps. Virginia Foxx and Richard Hudson, as well as Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson for governor and Rep. Dan Bishop for attorney general. Roberts said voters often look to the party for a cue on who to vote for, but it used to be that parties would infrequently endorse candidates in primaries. She said in researching primaries, she has found that has happened more frequently, especially under Trump. She added that its typically based not on ideology, but on what Trump does. Roberts said primaries have become more expensive, more competitive and more contentious in recent years, and when you add Trump in as a factor, thats a challenge for party leadership. 6th District North Carolina was set to have another runoff, before Trump got involved. In the 6th district, based in the Triad, McDowell finished first with 26% of the vote. Walker finished behind him with 24%. Trump has a history of snubbing Walker, most recently endorsing McDowell over Walker and their four other opponents ahead of the March 5 primary. And Walker has been known to publicly attack the former president, despite regularly seeking his endorsement during campaigns. But within days of Walker asking for a runoff against McDowell, Trump hired Walker to serve on his campaign as director of faith groups and minority communities. Walker accepted the position and Trump prevented a runoff. President Trumps endorsements still matter and help turn out the electorate, said Jonathan Bridges, Walkers campaign spokesman. Primary Republican voters want members of Congress who will work with Trump to secure the border and fix the economy. The Ted Budd effect But Bridges honed in on something else he believes helped both Knott and McDowell, other than Trump. Another driving force behind McDowells and Knotts victories was the support from Senator Budd, Bridges said. McDowell worked as a district director for Budd when Budd was a House member. His brother, a lobbyist, is friends with Donald Trump Jr. Knotts brother, Tucker, is chief of staff for Budd. Bridges pointed to the political influence they share and the connections they have to Budd. Stancil agreed, characterizing it more succinctly. Ted Budd is Donald Trumps man in North Carolina, Stancil said. And his chief of staff is Brad Knotts brother, and thats totally fine, thats politics. Im not vindictive towards Ted Budd, or you know, saying anything bad against him. Im just saying he has the presidents ear. Knott and McDowells political connections opened up their abilities to get meetings with Trump. Budd is playing kingmaker right now with a Trump endorsement because he has the presidents ear, Stancil said. Felts did not deny Budds involvement in the races, but said it was his candidates who got the endorsements over the finish line. Ted Budd was helpful but the candidates have to do the heavy-lifting to win a Trump endorsement and win the election, said Felts, who also advised Budds Senate campaign. Ted vouched for Addison McDowell to Trump but it was Addison who had to meet with the President and make his case. Ted helped secure a meeting for Brad, but it was Brad and Brads record that secured the Trump endorsement. Felts said candidates need to be viewed as authentic, both to Trump and the voter. President Trumps authenticity is a big part of his appeal, Felts said. Voters believe what he says in public is what he says in private. If voters think a candidate is not authentic, their support is going to be soft at best. He said both Walker and Daughtry came off as inauthentic. Felts said Walker spent the past two years dismissing the Trump endorsement and criticizing the former president but his campaign was all Trump all the time. And Daughtrys campaign was dinged for a Facebook comment she made about her support of former President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and for giving donations to Democratic candidates in the past. Her campaign theme was, Im one of you, Felts said. I grew up here! You know me! MAGA! MAGA! MAGA! And voters thought, We do know you. And this is not who you are. Stancil said such attacks didnt take into account the tens of thousands she gave to Republicans across the nation, or the hundreds of thousands her family has given to Republicans. Felts said Trump endorsed McDowell because he had an authentic motivation for running voters could relate to, and he endorsed Knott because he spent most of his career prosecuting illegal aliens, drug dealers, and other hardened criminals. When Brad Knott discusses law and order, a key pillar of the Trump agenda, he sounds authentic. Roberts said that though Knotts immigration stances work in a primary election, they might not work in the general election, where he has to win over both parties. She said another factor that voters pay attention to in primaries is electability going into the general election. People may say its ideology or policy positions, but I think its also who can best beat the Democrat because if you dont win, you cant play, Roberts said. Asking for an endorsement Stancil told McClatchy that Daughtrys campaign did not reach out to Trump for an endorsement. They were under the false belief he was staying out of the race due to his pending litigation, Stancil said. Stancil also said he heard from opponents campaigns that they had unsuccessfully sought meetings with the former president for that same purpose and that Trump would not be getting involved. In hindsight, that our opponent did (ask for an endorsement), there should have been a stronger push, but we were trying to make it about the issues of our district, Stancil said. NC Reality Check is an N&O series holding those in power accountable and shining a light on public issues that affect the Triangle or North Carolina. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email realitycheck@newsobserver.com Members of the UN Security Council on Monday observed a minute of silence to mourn the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other passengers in Sunday's helicopter crash. #XinhuaNews Former President Trump suggested Tuesday that he was open to letting states restrict access to birth control and that his campaign would be releasing a very comprehensive policy shortly. When asked during an interview with Pittsburghs KDKA whether he supported restricting a persons right to birth control, Trump did not rule it out. Were looking at that, and Im going to have a policy on that very shortly, and I think its something that youll find interesting, he said. When pressed about whether that meant he was open to states banning specific types of birth control such as Plan B, the morning-after pill, Trump indicated he supported leaving the decision to the states. Things really do have a lot to do with the states, and some states are going to have different policies than others, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said, adding that more details would be coming within a week or so. Trump has a history of punting uncomfortable questions by saying a plan will be coming in two weeks. In an interview with Time magazine last month, Trump said a big statement on mailing abortion pills and enforcement of the Comstock Act was coming over the next 14 days. When the reporter followed up with a phone call two weeks later, Trump again said a statement would be coming over the next week or two. Trump has long avoided directly commenting on hot-button policy topics such as abortion and contraception that have been tripping up Republicans ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Still, Trump regularly takes credit for the decision, and he did so again Tuesday. We did something that everybody wanted: We got rid of Roe v. Wade, Trump said. But the former president has avoided saying just how much hell limit abortion rights if he returns to the White House next year. He dodged a question Tuesday about whether he would veto a national abortion ban, saying, I dont think thered be any reason for it. In a Tuesday post on his Truth Social platform, Trump emphasized he WILL NEVER ADVOCATE IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS ON BIRTH CONTROL. Trump has taken the position that abortion policy should be left up to the states. But that, too, has prompted attacks, including from some on the right who expressed disappointment the former president was not embracing a federal minimum standard for abortion. President Biden and his campaign team have been sounding the alarm on what a second Trump term will mean for women and reproductive rights, and a Biden-Harris campaign spokesperson said Trumps comments show Republicans are clearly targeting birth control. Women across the country are already suffering from Donald Trumps post-Roe nightmare, and if he wins a second term, its clear he wants to go even further by restricting access to birth control and emergency contraceptives, Sarafina Chitika said in a statement. Its not enough for Trump that womens lives are being put at risk, doctors are being threatened with jail time, and extreme bans are being enacted with no exceptions for rape or incest. He wants to rip away our freedom to access birth control too, Chitika said. Updated at 2:16 p.m. ET Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. Trump lashes out after DOJ reveals classified documents were found in ex-presidents bedroom at Mar-a-Lago Former President Donald Trump has furiously reacted after an unsealed opinion revealed that classified documents were found in his bedroom during a raid of his Mar-a-Lago property (AP) Donald Trump has lashed out once again at Joe Biden and the US Department of Justice after classified documents were found in his bedroom at Mar-a-Lago. The former president, in a typically loud post on his social media platform Truth Social, claimed that FBI agents had been authorized to use deadly force during the unconstitutional raid of his Florida property. Four documents marked classified were found in Mr Trumps personal bedroom, according to a newly unsealed opinion by by U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell. The 87-page document found prosecutors had presented compelling evidence that the former president had knowingly stashed national security documents in his home and then tried to conceal them when the DOJ tried to retrieve them. In his online post, Mr Trump wrote: WOW! I just came out of the Biden Witch Hunt Trial in Manhattan, the Icebox, and was shown Reports that Crooked Joe Bidens DOJ, in their Illegal and UnConstitutional Raid of Mar-a-Lago, AUTHORIZED THE FBI TO USE DEADLY (LETHAL) FORCE. NOW WE KNOW, FOR SURE, THAT JOE BIDEN IS A SERIOUS THREAT TO DEMOCRACY. HE IS MENTALLY UNFIT TO HOLD OFFICE 25TH AMENDMENT. The FBIs August 2022 search of Mar-a-Lago confirmed that dozens of other classified documents remained on the property. In her opinion Judge Howell noted there were at least two more rounds of classified materials found at Mar-a-Lago following additional searches. Two months after the former president yielded 38 unique classified documents to the government on June 3, 2022, the government discovered over 100 additional classified documents stored in Mar-a-Lago during execution of the August 8, 2022 search warrant that the former president had failed to deliver, the opinion stated. The documents were classified to levels as high as TOP SECRET, with some documents bearing additional sensitive compartment indications; undoubtedly, these documents contained national defense information. It went on: More classified-marked documents still were uncovered in November 2022 in a leased storage unit, in December 2022 in the Office at Mar-a-Lago, and apparently sometime thereafter in the former presidents own bedroom at Mar-a-Lago. Judge Howells opinion was unsealed along with a large batch of other previously secret grand jury-related documents stemming from the investigation into Mr Trump for withholding reams of classified documents after leaving office in 2021, including some of the nations most sensitive military secrets. US District Judge Aileen Cannon released the batch of documents on Tuesday after lengthy negotiations with special counsel Jack Smiths team and the former presidents lawyers. In her opinion Judge Howell later wrote that: Notably, no excuse is provided as to how the former president could miss the classified-marked documents found in his own bedroom at Mar-a-Lago. (Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump raised more money last month than Joe Biden for the first time in this election cycle, but the presidents campaign still holds a wide financial edge over his Republican rival. Most Read from Bloomberg Biden and the Democratic Party raised $51 million in April, compared to the $76 million Trump and the Republican National Committee amassed, according to federal filings. The president entered May with $192 million cash on hand, more than double what his opponent reported having in the bank. Trumps fundraising boost comes on the heels of attending several high-dollar fundraisers, including a Palm Beach event hosted by billionaire John Paulson, and garnering support from major donors in the oil and gas sector. The campaigns, political parties and key super political action committees supporting them filed their monthly reports to the Federal Election Commission. Heres how they stack up: Joe Biden Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised $51 million in April and ended the month with $192 million cash on hand Future Forward PAC, Bidens designated super PAC, raised $16 million and had $57 million cash on hand Bidens reelection effort has amassed a record amount for a Democratic nominee at this point in the election season. While his April fundraising haul was eclipsed by Trumps, he still has a sizable advantage in cash on hand. Unlike Trump, who faced an expensive primary campaign, Biden faced only token opposition and has been able to stockpile cash for November. His major fundraisers in April included an event hosted by Michael Douglas, the actor and film producer who played Gordon Gekko in the 1987 film Wall Street, but the campaigns small-dollar donors accounted for the majority of the haul. Bigger contributors include Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz, Bain Capitals Josh Bekenstein and hedge fund manager Tom Steyer. Biden also got donations from Chuck Lorre, co-creator of The Big Bang Theory, producer Lee Daniels and actress Dana Delany. The campaign added one million supporters to its email list in the month. Recurring donors accounted for $5.5 million of the total, and there are 225,000 donors who have committed to contributing every month. Biden and the DNC are tapping into the record war chest that his campaign and the Democratic Party have built. Theyve opened 150 field offices in battleground states to get out the vote. The Biden campaign has bought $34 million worth of media since Trump clinched the GOP nomination in March, while the former president has spent less than $70,000 on advertising, according to AdImpact. Outside groups supporting Biden, led by his main super political action committee, the Future Forward PAC, have pledged more than $1 billion to back him. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman gave Future Forward PAC $7 million, while GitHub co-founder Chris Wanstrath gave $500,000. Pro-Biden super PAC American Bridge 21st Century raised $7.1 million and ended April with $12 million cash on hand. The group, which has pledged to spend $140 million focusing on women and working class voters using research conducted in swing states, received donations of $4.8 million from venture capitalist Michael Moritz of Sequoia Capital and $2.6 million from hedge fund manager George Soros Democracy PAC. Donald Trump Trump raised $76 million in April for his campaign and the GOP. His campaign and the Republican National Committee ended the month with $89 million cash on hand His designated super PAC Make America Great Again Inc. raised $12.8 million and started May with $34.5 million Trumps first full month of raising money as his partys presumptive nominee resulted in large donations from prominent donors. Among those writing big checks were Continental Resourcess Harold Hamm, Syed Anwar of Midland Energy and Cantor Fitzgeralds Howard Lutnick. Other big donors include investment banker Warren Stephens, real estate and aerospace entrepreneur Robert Bigelow and TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts. Hes increasingly relying on wealthy donors to narrow the gap with Biden, though his campaign said half of his haul in April came from small-dollar contributors. Make America Great Again Inc., Trumps allied super PAC, got a $10 million contribution from investor Timothy Mellon and $1 million from Hamms Continental Resources. The Republican Jewish Coalition raised another $1 million for the super PAC. Hamm is co-hosting a fundraiser Wednesday for the super PAC in Texas. Save America, the leadership PAC that pays most of Trumps legal bills, took in $9 million, $6 million of which was transferred from an entity that raises money from small-dollar donors. It spent $4.3 million, including $3.3 million for legal fees. It ended April with $8.8 million in the bank. Trump has been sidelined from the campaign trail in a criminal trial in Manhattan that entered its sixth week on Monday. Prosecutors accuse him of falsifying business records related to hush money payments made in the 2016 election, allegations that he denies. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy raised $10.7 million in April and started May with $10.1 million cash on hand. His allied super political action committee raised $6.2 million and had $20.9 million in the bank. Picking Nicole Shanahan, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, as his running mate has paid big dividends for Kennedys longshot independent effort. She donated $8 million to his campaign in April, funding his effort to secure ballot access as he mounts an independent challenge to Biden and Trump. American Values 2024, Kennedys allied super PAC, received a $5 million contribution from Mellon, who has also donated to Trumps super PAC, and $1 million from Mark Gorton, founder of high-frequency trading giant Tower Research Capital. (Updates with more Biden donors in the seventh paragraph) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. As Donald Trumps New York City criminal trial comes to a close, the former president has been increasingly surrounded by loyalists and defenders who decry what they see as a grave miscarriage of justice: a witch hunt aimed at undercutting a wildly popular leader; a show trial out of Stalinist Russia. On Tuesday, as his defense rested without Trump taking the stand, his political posse once more gathered outside the Manhattan courthouse. This time, however, their argument was slightly different: Trump isnt just a victimhes a regular guy being beaten down and persecuted by a vast cabal of venomous elites. What happens to any of you if the courts in New York come after any of you because of something you said? Because you said something that the ruling class didnt like? Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said Tuesday. Thats what these other countries are all about. They shut down the ruling class. They want to be sure that anyone that speaks up against the ruling class disappears. They want Donald Trump to disappear, they want to send him to jail, they want to take him off the main stage, because they know hes their biggest danger to taking the ruling class, Patrick continued before being cut off by a reporter, who asked if he didnt consider Trump to be a member of that ruling class. No! the Texas politician squeaked, turning toward the reporter. Donald Trump is not a member of the ruling class. As Patrick folded back into the sycophantic crowd, former deputy assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka attempted to further shut down the idea that Trumpwho served as president from 2016 to 2020, claims a net worth in the billions, and is currently running to reclaim the highest position in the American governmentis a member of the ruling class. Would a member of the ruling class be facing 730 years in prison? What a pathetic question, Gorka mocked while clad in Trumps signature courtroom combo of blue suit, white shirt, and extra-long red tie. And hes a member of the elite? Thats pathetic. Youre not a journalist. Last year, Trump and his namesake company were found guilty of vastly inflating the worth of their assets by at least $812 million. Trumps actual net worth is unclearand it has recently taken a sizable hit as a result of numerous multimillion-dollar damagesbut he is undoubtedly a millionaire several times over and owns a number of lavish properties. He has recently seen a windfall thanks to his ownership of Truth Social, a media and technology company that lost more than $300 million in the first quarter of 2024 but is nevertheless worth billions thanks to an overinflated stock market valuation. Trump is accused of using his former fixer Michael Cohen to sweep an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels under the rug ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He faces 34 felony charges in this case for allegedly falsifying business records with the intent to further an underlying crime. Trump has pleaded not guilty on all counts. Patrick: What happens when the courts come after you because you said something that the ruling class didnt like? Thats what these other countries are all about. They shut down the ruling class. They want to be sure that anyone who speaks up against ruling class disappears pic.twitter.com/YGYXUlr6Q5 Acyn (@Acyn) May 21, 2024 icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from Politico, CNN, and The Atlantic Arrow Down Title icon The News Donald Trump declined to testify Tuesday as his hush-money trial in New York entered its final phase. Closing arguments are expected to begin next week in the first ever criminal trial of a former US president and the only one of Trumps four criminal cases to be prosecuted before Novembers presidential election. The prosecutions star witness and Trumps former fixer Michael Cohen testified that Trump was directly involved in falsifying business records to reimburse him for a $130,000 payment made to keep adult film star Stormy Daniels quiet about her alleged 2006 sexual encounter with Trump and protect him ahead of the 2016 election. Trump faces 34 felony charges in the case. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Trump could be angling for a mistrial Source icon Sources: Politico, Semafor, The Atlantic For Trump, a mistrial might be nearly as good as an acquittal, Politico wrote. The judge would be forced to declare a mistrial if the jury cant reach a unanimous decision, and the prosecution could opt to try Trump again. But that would introduce significant delays that benefit Trumps team, which has sought to stall his legal troubles until after the November presidential election, when Trump if reelected would be in an unprecedented position to terminate the federal cases against him. Trumps conviction hinges on Cohens credibility Source icon Source: CNN Trumps defense did score some points while cross-examining Michael Cohen, the prosecutions primary witness whose testimony is key to the case. Cohen was always deemed a problematic witness, given that he is a disbarred attorney and a convicted perjurer, and Trumps lawyers need to create reasonable doubt in the minds of just one juror to open the possibility of a hung jury or an acquittal, CNNs political reporter Stephen Collinson wrote. However, that seems unlikely, CNNs legal analyst Norman Eisen argued, and the case is still the prosecutions to lose. Trump trial is a mini Republican National Convention Source icon Sources: MSNBC, CNN, Semafor This criminal trial has become a miniature version of the Republican National Convention, MSNBC columnist Hayes Brown wrote, providing a venue for GOP elites and wannabes alike to share Trumps spotlight in hope of currying his favor. As of Monday, more than 30 Republicans, including vice presidential hopefuls like North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson had made the trek to Manhattan to stand by Trump. Their attendance doesnt just prove loyalty to a potential president; theyre also there to criticize the people Trumps gag order bars him from talking about and to undermine the integrity of the case. Semafor Logo Trump raises more money than Biden for first time this year Donald Trump's hush money trial in New York proved little hindrance to fundraising in April - Michael M. Santiago/Pool via REUTERS Donald Trumps campaign last month raised more cash than Joe Bidens for the first time in 2024, after the former president wooed big money donors and capitalised on his criminal trial. The presumptive Republican nominee pulled in $76 million (60 million) in donations in April, trouncing the $51 million the Biden campaign claimed it had raised. The former presidents April total was bolstered by a record-setting $50.5 million fundraiser at the Florida home of billionaire investor John Paulson. His campaign has also been firing off daily, dramatically-worded fundraising appeals to small donors who rallied to support him when he was first charged in his New York hush money case last year. Joe Biden still has a much bigger war chest despite raising less in April - AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokesman, said the fundraising haul over Biden is especially remarkable when you consider he [Mr Trump] has been confined to a courtroom for nearly nine hours a day over the past four weeks. Mr Trumps donations are also being used to pay his ballooning legal fees. His Save America group submitted a filing to the Federal Election Commission on Monday showing more than $3.3 million in legal expenditures during the month. Mr Bidens monthly sum was down notably from a $90 million March total which was boosted by a string of post-State of the Union events, including a fundraiser with former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at New Yorks Radio City Music Hall, which raised $26 million. But the Democrat leader still boasts a larger war chest than his opponent. Bidens campaign reported to the Federal Election Commission that it had around $84 million in the bank at the end of April. The Trump campaign reported having $49 million. Aprils haul reflects strong, consistent grassroots enthusiasm, Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. Trumps operation continues to burn through cash and lag behind our growing and aggressive campaign, with no ground game and no demonstrable interest in talking to the voters they need to win. In June, the Biden campaign is planning another major fundraiser featuring Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts in Los Angeles. Mr Trumps campaign said in March that it would be unable to match Mr Bidens fundraising totals this year. Mr Trump won the 2016 presidential election despite being outraised by Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Mr Biden and Mr Trump are tied in national polls with just over five months to go before the Nov 5 election. Recent polls show Mr Trump has the edge in the battleground states that will decide the election. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Donald Trump signaled in an interview with a local Pittsburgh TV station that he is open to restricting access to birth control. KDKA aired an interview with the former president shortly after his defense team rested its case in his criminal hush-money trial in New York. Do you support any restrictions on a persons right to contraception? host Jon Delano asked. Were looking at that, and Im going to have a policy on that very shortly and I think its something that youll find interesting, Trump replied. You will find it very smart. I think its a smart decision. Q: Do you support any restrictions on a persons right to contraception? Trump: Were looking at that pic.twitter.com/ycrP7rCQL4 Biden-Harris HQ (@BidenHQ) May 21, 2024 Well be releasing it very soon, he added. Trump has often promised to release policy proposals soon and then never delivering perhaps most notably as he was working to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Democrats 2010 health care law, during his first term in office. Its unlikely a proposal to limit contraception will be released considering Trump later on Truth Social denied he was ever considering it. I HAVE NEVER, AND WILL NEVER ADVOCATE IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS ON BIRTH CONTROL, or other contraceptives, he wrote. This is a Democrat fabricated lie, MISINFORMATION/DISINFORMATION, because they have nothing else to run on except FAILURE, POVERTY, AND DEATH. I DO NOT SUPPORT A BAN ON BIRTH CONTROL, AND NEITHER WILL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY! But Trumps comments are still alarming, given the nationwide assault on womens health care in the wake of the Supreme Court killing Roe v. Wade in 2022. The former president has long taken credit for the decision, as he appointed three justices to the court, giving conservatives a 6-3 supermajority. The conservative movement has long teased the idea of restricting access to birth control, but theyve moved beyond wishcasting with a potential second Trump term on the horizon. Rolling Stone reported last year on how Republicans Project 2025 plan a wide-ranging suite of right-wing policy for Trump to enact if he retakes the White House would wreak havoc on womens health care. It includes a proposal to end the Affordable Care Acts contraception mandate, and could even result in the arrest and prosecution of anyone who sends abortion medication or emergency contraception in the mail. Trump has tried and largely failed to paint himself as a moderate on abortion, claiming publicly that he wants the issue to be left to the states while also entertaining the idea of a national ban. Regardless, theres little doubt that womens health care will be in the crosshairs should he win in November. President Bidens team was quick to respond to Trumps comments. Women across the country are already suffering from Donald Trumps post-Roe nightmare, and if he wins a second term, its clear he wants to go even further by restricting access to birth control and emergency contraceptives, spokesperson Sarafina Chitika said in a statement provided to Rolling Stone. Its not enough for Trump that womens lives are being put at risk, doctors are being threatened with jail time, and extreme bans are being enacted with no exceptions for rape or incest. He wants to rip away our freedom to access birth control too. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday was asked if he supports any restrictions on a persons right to contraception. (Photo of a package of birth control pills by Getty Images) WASHINGTON Donald Trump, the Republican Partys presumptive nominee for president, suggested during a taped interview with a Pittsburgh TV news station Tuesday that he might be open to states restricting access to contraceptives, though he later appeared to backtrack. Were looking at that and Im going to have a policy on that very shortly and I think its something that youll find interesting, Trump said on KDKA. Its another issue thats very interesting. But you will find it very smart. I think its a smart decision, but well be releasing it very soon. Trump had been asked if he supports any restrictions on a persons right to contraception. Trump later added that things really do have a lot to do with the states. And some states are going to have different policies than others. That comment came just after being asked if he may want to support some restrictions, like the morning-after pill or something? The former president, who is currently on trial for allegedly facilitating hush money payments to an adult film actress during his 2016 campaign to cover up a prior affair, later posted on his social media platform that he wasnt advocating for birth control restrictions. I HAVE NEVER, AND WILL NEVER ADVOCATE IMPOSING RESTRICTIONS ON BIRTH CONTROL, or other contraceptives, Trump wrote. This is a Democrat fabricated lie MISINFORMATION/DISINFORMATION, because they have nothing else to run on except FAILURE, POVERTY, AND DEATH. I DO NOT SUPPORT A BAN ON BIRTH CONTROL, AND NEITHER WILL THE REPUBLICAN PARTY! Supreme Court rulings The U.S. Supreme Court has twice ruled in favor of privacy rights for decisions about contraceptives, meaning that any state looking to restrict or ban access to birth control would quickly see that law challenged in federal court. In the1965 Griswold v. Connecticut case, the justices struck down a Connecticut law that prevented married couples from using birth control, writing that the right to privacy can be inferred from several amendments in the Bill of Rights, and this right prevents states from making the use of contraception by married couples illegal. The Supreme Court later ruled in the 1972 Eisenstadt v. Baird case that the same privacy rights that protected married couples decision-making about contraceptives also protected unmarried people. In that case, the justices held that unmarried couples have the right to use contraception, based on the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and the more nebulous constitutional right to privacy. Biden-Harris spokesperson Sarafina Chitika released a written statement Tuesday that Trumps comments show he wants to rip away our freedom to access birth control. Women across the country are already suffering from Donald Trumps post-Roe nightmare, and if he wins a second term, its clear he wants to go even further by restricting access to birth control and emergency contraceptives, Chitika wrote. Its not enough for Trump that womens lives are being put at risk, doctors are being threatened with jail time, and extreme bans are being enacted with no exceptions for rape or incest. KDKA-TV Money & Politics Editor Jon Delano posted on social media that viewers interested in the Trump interview could tune in at 4, 5, and 6 to hear comments on the trial, abortion, contraceptives, the economy, energy, trade, and the fairness of PAs election. The Biden campaign posted clips of the interview on their social media account, but it didnt appear available anywhere else prior to KDKAs airing. Other policy hints from Trump Trump has teased out providing clear policy plans before, telling Time magazine in an April interview that his campaign would put out details in the weeks ahead about his strong views on access to mifepristone. The campaign had not done so as of Tuesday afternoon. The pharmaceutical is one of two drugs used in medication abortions and is currently in front of the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March and are expected to decide this summer whether to leave the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations prescribing guidelines in place or revert to what was used before changes began taking effect in 2016. Trump said during the Time magazine interview that he wasnt going to explain his beliefs about access to mifepristone just then. Well, I have an opinion on that, but Im not going to explain, Trump said, according to the transcript of the interview. Im not gonna say it yet. But I have pretty strong views on that. And Ill be releasing it probably over the next week. The post Trump signals hes open to state limits on contraceptive access, then insists hes not appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. By Miranda Murray CANNES, France (Reuters) - Donald Trump would likely be surprised by "The Apprentice," director Ali Abbasi said on Tuesday of his biopic about Trump's early years as a real estate mogul, adding he was open to meeting with the former U.S. president to discuss the film. "The Apprentice," which shares the name of a reality TV series hosted and produced by Trump that made him a household name, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, receiving an eight-minute ovation and mixed reviews from critics. Abbasi said he hoped the film would hit theatres in mid-September, ahead of a November U.S. election that Trump, 77, is contesting as Republican presidential candidate. "I don't necessarily think that this is a movie that (Trump) would dislike, I don't necessarily think he would like it, I think that he would be surprised," Abbasi, who was born in Iran, said at a news briefing. Following the premiere, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign said it would be filing a lawsuit against the film over "blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers." "Everybody talks about him suing a lot of people, they don't talk about his success rate though," said Abbasi when asked about the threat of a lawsuit. Trump's team should watch the movie "before they start suing us, because I think once you're inside that character, it feels different, and we're inside that character," he said. The story focuses on Trump's time under the tutelage of lawyer and prosecutor Roy Cohn, a political fixer who is portrayed in the TV drama "Succession" by Jeremy Strong. Sebastian Stan, who made his name in the Captain America trilogy, plays Trump as he evolves from his early career years as an upstart working for his father's business to a brazen, self-centred tycoon. Stan described his preparation for the role as a 24/7 immersion process to understand Trump beyond his media personality. "He is a human being like everybody else so I guess we all have certain codes and certain principles, it just depends on what they are. I guess it's relative to everybody," Stan said at the briefing. (This story has been refiled to say that Trump is running as the Republican candidate in the U.S. election, and to removes reference to polling, in paragraph 3) (Reporting by Miranda Murray; Editing by Bernadette Baum) Signs showing support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are seen in a protest outside the High Court in London, Britain, on March 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Ying) Permission to appeal was to be granted only if the U.S. government was unable to provide the court with suitable assurances that Assange can rely on the First Amendment (free speech) for protection. LONDON, May 20 (Xinhua) -- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday won a victory in his ongoing battle against extradition from the United Kingdom (UK) to the United States, after the High Court in London granted him permission to appeal. Permission to appeal was to be granted only if the U.S. government was unable to provide the court with suitable assurances that Assange can rely on the First Amendment (free speech) for protection. The U.S. government had to prove that Assange, who is Australian, will not be prejudiced at trial due to his nationality, and will be afforded the same protections as a U.S. citizen. The U.S. side also had to provide assurance that Assange would not be sentenced to death if convicted. Assange's legal team criticized the assurances provided by the U.S. government at the hearing, arguing that "based on the principle of the separation of powers, the U.S. court can and will apply U.S. law, whatever the executive may say or do." Most of the assurances were "blatantly inadequate," said Edward Fitzgerald KC, representing Assange. However, the U.S.' assurance on the death penalty was accepted by Assange's legal team. A sign showing support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a protest outside the United Kingdom (UK) High Court in London, Britain, on Feb. 21, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Ying) The lawyer said in written submissions that while the assurance on the death penalty was "an unambiguous executive promise," the other assurances do not give "any reliable promise as to future action." Assange supporters cheered at the news of the court's ruling. He was not in court on Monday for health reasons, but those present included his wife Stella. "The judges reached the right decision... As a family we are relieved, but how long can this go on? The United States should read the situation and drop this case now. Now is the moment to do it. Just abandon the shameful attack on journalists, on the press and on the public," Stella told supporters outside the High Court. According to Assange's legal team, it could be months before the new appeal is heard. The latest move came after the High Court deferred a decision in March on whether Assange could take his case to another appeal hearing. A sign showing support for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a protest outside the United Kingdom (UK) High Court in London, Britain, on Feb. 21, 2024. (Xinhua/Li Ying) Assange, 52, is wanted by the U.S. for allegedly disclosing national defense information following WikiLeaks's publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked military documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars a decade ago. These included Apache helicopter video footage of the U.S. military gunning down journalists and children in the streets of Baghdad in 2007. Assange has been held at southeast London's high-security Belmarsh Prison since 2019. The UK approved his extradition to the U.S. in 2022, after a judge had initially blocked it due to concerns over his mental health. Assange and his lawyers have subsequently appealed. U.S. Sens. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., listen as former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media outside Manhattan Criminal Court on May 13, 2024, during his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) They came to stand by their man. Outside a Manhattan courthouse. A rotating regiment of Republican politicians dressed in matching uniforms. Navy blue suits. White shirts. Red ties. The ensemble would have been complete with a black armband, insignia and a reflective salute. This wasnt comical. It was shades of 1930s Germany in 2024 America. Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance was there in the requisite attire. So was Ohio billionaire and erstwhile presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Outsized egos who live for the glorification of power. But the New York spectacle they joined was something new. A disturbing phenomenon. It was lockstep conformity by uniformed U.S. Senators, members of Congress and remarkably, the speaker of the U.S. House, against the rule of law. The entourage in identical outfits came in absolute obedience to one man and absolutely debased the nations legal and judicial systems. It was a jarring performance from national politicians. Unthinkable in GOP circles just ten years ago. A cavalcade of high profile Republicans trashing the criminal justice system for holding their presumed presidential nominee accountable. Their allegiance was to a criminal defendant, not due process. Vance, Vivek, Speaker Johnson and a cast of Trump toadies deliberately undermined the criminal justice system on Donald Trumps behalf. Like him, they, too, hold the law in contempt. They parrot his propaganda that no judge, prosecuting attorney, jury of ones peers, verdict, (unless favorable) is legit. Not with the former president. Hes special. Above the law. Any evidenced-based case that argues otherwise is a sham, partisan witch-hunt, political persecution, etc. Every single person involved in this prosecution (hush money trial) is practically a Democratic political operative, declared Vance with his arms folded over his red tie. Whats going on in that courtroom is a threat to American democracy, he said with a straight face before attacking a trial witness. Straight out of a Kafka novel, intoned the pompadoured Ramaswamy. The Trump surrogates pointedly mocked the judges gag order on the defendant barring his broadsides against witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff or the judges family with their verbal bombs tossed at the judge, his daughter, the court, the law. These are incremental steps by MAGA Republicans to denigrate the integrity of the criminal court system. To diminish the rule of law as an essential character of our constitutional democracy. All in the service of Trump, of unconstrained power. The historic parallels with the German experience are terrifying. The fall of law under the Nazi regime didnt arrive full-blown. The descent into fascism was gradual. It was facilitated by zealots who swore an oath to a fuhrer not the principle of due process or any semblance of individual rights. The loyalty of Republicans who traveled to a New York courtroom last week likewise lay with an aspiring authoritarian. They even wore what he wears. It felt like a sickening throwback to the uniformed Brownshirts of yesteryear. Alarmed much? You should be. The stunning transformation of one of our two major political parties into a sycophantic support structure for a criminally indicted demagogue (and adjudicated rapist) is complete. The party of Lincoln is wholly owned by Herr Trump a disgraced ex-president who once called for suspending parts of the U.S. Constitution to discredit a legitimate election. Trump is charged with 88 felony counts for plotting a coup against his own government, conspiring to overturn the will of the American people in 2020, hoarding classified documents and obstructing their return, and fraud related to hush money paid to a porn star before the 2016 election. Hes running for re-election to stay out of jail. Thats who morally bankrupt bootlickers lined up to champion during breaks in Trumps trial for allegedly falsifying business records to conceal damaging information (about the tawdry porn star affair) from voters before the 2016 election. Capitol Hill Republicans and obsequious Veep contenders stood by their man in cringy costumes that mirrored his signature look. The mini-Trumps, dressed to impress an audience of one, affirmed their total allegiance to him over a nation first and foremost of laws. The disquieting optics recalled the specter of slavish supporters from another era who pledged their total fidelity to another leader over democracy in the early half of the 20th century. They also dressed alike. Brown shirts. Brown ties. Utter subservience to their man. He, too, was a coup plotter before his rise to dictatorship as the self-declared Fuhrer on Day 1 (Jan. 30, 1933). He, too, rallied followers with rhetoric about making Germany great again. By eradicating Jewish vermin. By ditching German democratic freedoms, including the right to assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and, most definitely, due process. Now, Republican lawmakers in America flock to a dank courtroom in New York to flatter their Dear Leader, parade as his red-tie, post-truth brigade and delegitimize the due process that lies at the heart of the American legal system. Ohios Republican senator was there to be seen and heard. Vance desperately wants to be Trumps running mate. So he will shamelessly stand by his man and against a crucial democratic institution. The judicial system is a foundational ideal where the rule of law is respected, legal proceedings are resolved fairly and justice is applied equally. Vances opportunistic rot is relentless. And alarming. It threatens far more than his tattered reputation. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Trump sycophants dress like their master, show up at courthouse to debase America and rule of law appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. NEW YORK Shortly after the prosecution rested its case Monday in the Manhattan hush money trial, the defense called to the stand a belligerent witness who sparred with prosecutors, muttered under his breath and drew the ire of the judge. That witness was not Donald Trump. Instead, it was an old-school New York lawyer named Robert Costello, whose demeanor on the stand seemed to embody defendant Trumps surly attitude throughout the trial, which is in its sixth week and now appears to be heading for closing arguments next week. During a critical period in 2018, Costello consulted with Michael Cohen, Trumps former fixer. Now, as a witness for the defense, Costello had one primary purpose: undermine Cohens credibility. Costello did appear to score some points on that front, though his churlishness in court while clearly pleasing Trump may have diminished the effectiveness of his testimony. Cohen, the prosecutions star witness, ended his three-and-a-half days of testimony earlier on Monday, just before prosecutors rested. He reiterated the account that he told several times last week: Trump, he said, instructed him to pay $130,000 to silence porn star Stormy Daniels and then approved a scheme to falsify records related to the payment. But Costello testified that Cohen told him the opposite in 2018, shortly after the Daniels hush money came to public light and the FBI raided Cohens home and office. According to Costello, Cohen repeatedly and unequivocally declared in a private meeting and phone calls that Trump knew nothing about the payment to prevent Daniels from going public in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign with her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Michael Cohen said numerous times that President Trump knew nothing about those payments. That [Cohen] did this on his own. And he repeated that numerous times, said Costello, who in 2018 was working for Rudy Giuliani and tried to convince Cohen not to flip on Trump. Costello is well accustomed to portraying Cohen as a serial liar: Just last week, he appeared before a panel of the House Judiciary Committee to take public whacks at Cohens credibility. But perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of Costellos testimony was his pugnacious and sarcastic delivery and the reactions it garnered. As jurors looked on, he was combative toward the prosecutors and irreverent to the judge. At one point, seemingly fed up with prosecutors objections, Costello muttered jeez and apparently rolled his eyes when Justice Juan Merchan sustained the objections. Merchan sent the jury out of the courtroom so he could give Costello, who is a former federal prosecutor, a stern rebuke. If you dont like my ruling, you dont say 'jeez.' And then you dont say 'strike it.' You dont give me side eye, and you dont roll your eyes, the judge told Costello. As Merchan was about to call the jury back into the room, he snapped at the defense witness and veteran attorney: Are you staring me down right now? Then, in one of the most dramatic moments of the trial, Merchan briefly ordered journalists and other onlookers to clear the courtroom so the judge could continue to admonish the witness outside the publics view. After reporters were ordered out by court by security officers despite numerous verbal protests, Merchan dressed down Costello and Trumps defense. I'm putting you on notice that your conduct is contemptuous, the judge said to Costello, according to a transcript released Monday evening. If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand. I will strike his entire testimony; do you understand me? the judge said to Trump lawyer Emil Bove. Can I say something, please? Costello pleaded. No. No. This is not a conversation, Merchan replied. After court adjourned for the day, Trump seized on the back-and-forth in his daily remarks to reporters in the courthouse hallway. A tyrant, Trump called the judge. You saw what happened to a highly respected lawyer today, Trump said. Wow. Costello who at 76 is just a year younger than Trump seemed eager to joust with the prosecution as a stand-in for Trump. Although the former president has said at several points he would like to testify in his own defense, most legal experts say thered be little upside in doing so, and on Monday, his lawyers indicated he is not likely to take the stand. That means Costello, who is expected to return to the stand for further testimony on Tuesday, may be the last witness jurors hear from. With scheduled days off on Wednesday, Friday and Memorial Day next Monday, Merchan said he expects to hold closing arguments on Tuesday, May 28. After that, the jury will begin deliberating. Donald Trumps aversion to answering tough questions about abortion may now be impacting his search for a running mate. Puck News reported on Tuesday that the former president and his team are actively considering the effect a Republican hailing from a state with restrictive abortion laws could have for his electoral chances and theyre assuming the worst. The former presidents team is apparently worried that choosing a running mate from such a state would open the candidate up to uncomfortable questions about the issue, even as he has sought to dodge the political blowback from moderates by refusing to endorse a national ban. According to Puck, Trump is currently listening to a number of advisers including former campaign manager Kellyanne Conway who have urged him to chart a less conservative path on reproductive rights as he heads into the general election. If true, the reporting is as clear a sign as any that the former president recognises the clear political danger the issue of abortion and broader reproductive rights poses for Republicans among moderates and liberal voters. Having latched on to the March for Life crowd largely for political expediency, a coalition of evangelical voters that helped him wrap up the 2016 and 2024 Republican primaries, the ex-president has sought to stop his party from charging further to the right in pursuit of a national abortion ban. But he has simultaneously boasted of his role in remaking the Supreme Court and causing Roe vs Wade to be overturned. Polling has shown that reproductive rights may be the one top issue where incumbent President Joe Biden retains a clear edge over his general election opponent. The Biden campaign has latched onto that finding and held events in a number of key battleground states including Arizona, Minnesota and Florida centered around support for abortion rights. The Democratic presidents message on the issue is clear: vote for me, and a Democratic Senate, and well codify the protections of Roe vs Wade into federal law. A billboard displaying Donald Trumps boastful remarks about his responsibility for overturning Roe vs Wade is displayed in Times Square (Getty Images for DNC) The GOPs message is less clear. The party remains split on the issue of a national abortion ban, with some conservative senators including Lindsey Graham in favor of setting a national standard and others (including, apparently, Trump) preferring to leave it to the states. Given Trumps own reluctance to support a national ban, its likely that his eventual running mate will have to at least be able to accept that strategy, if not support it personally. Yet, its becoming increasingly clear that a full-throated and vocal opposition to abortion rights across the board is necessary to win a Republican primary in many deeper-red districts and states. A sizable number of Republicans are thought to be on Trumps list of potential running mates, including nearly all of his former 2024 rivals. The ex-president is also thought to be looking at several of his loyalists in the House and Senate, such as Elise Stefanik and Marco Rubio. The Trump campaign has until mid-July to make the decision. Republican delegates will gather in Milwaukee to officially nominate Trump as the partys 2024 nominee, as well as his running mate. Trump tops Biden in monthly fundraising for first time of 2024 campaign WASHINGTON Donald Trump's campaign and his Republican allies raised more money than President Joe Biden in April, marking the first time the former president topped the Democratic incumbent in monthly fundraising during the 2024 campaign. The Trump campaign, combined with the Republican National Committee, hauled in $76 million in April, considerably more than the $51 million raised by the Biden campaign, Democratic National Committee and other joint fundraising arms, according to the campaigns and filings submitted Monday with the Federal Election Commission. Trump outraised Biden despite spending much of the April reporting period on trial in a New York courtroom. The campaign as had been widely anticipated benefitted from Trump becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, allowing it to combine fundraising efforts with the RNC. More: Biden's campaign raised $90 million in March. Trump's war chest isn't even close ST PAUL, MINNESOTA - MAY 17: Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump attends the annual Lincoln Reagan Dinner hosted by the Minnesota Republican party on May 17, 2024 in St. Paul, Minnesota. A recent poll has President Joe Biden leading Trump in the state by two percentage points. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 776147657 ORIG FILE ID: 2153468135 Biden's fundraising in April was well below the $90 million his campaign raised in March, which included a lucrative fundraiser hosted by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, and slightly less than the $53 million Biden and his joint campaign committees raised in February. More: A positive story to tell: Obama and Clinton rip Trump, boost Biden at $26M NYC campaign fundraiser Trump's April fundraising was boosted significantly by a Palm Beach, Florida, fundraiser at the home of billionaire investor John Paulson, which Reuters reported brought in a record-setting $50.5 million. Still, Biden enjoys a sizable cash-on-hand advantage. The Biden campaign ended April with $84.5 million on hand to spend and a combined war chest of $192 million when including other fundraising committees. The Trump campaign reported having $49 million cash on hand. For months, the Biden campaign has boasted about its fundraising lead over Trump, who has been saddled by legal fees in multiple criminal and civil court cases. Fundraising and campaign organization are areas the Biden team claims to have the upper hand while most polls show Biden trailing Trump in the election. President Joe Biden announces increased tariffs on Chinese products to promote American investments and jobs in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 14, 2024 in Washington, DC. But in a reversal, the April figures gave the Trump campaign ammunition to hit Biden. "The only people left in America who support Crooked Joe Biden are out-of-touch billionaires in Hollywood, and it turns out even they are done giving to a failing campaign," Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said, calling Trump's fundraising haul "especially remarkable" given his daily court appearances. Biden's campaign ended April with slightly less in the bank than the $85 million it had at the beginning of the month, reflecting spending that significantly ramped up the past two months to pay for television ads and expanded staff. The Biden campaign reported spending $25.2 million in April after spending $29.2 million in March. The Biden campaign spent $6 million in February. Biden campaign spokesman Ammar Moussa, in a statement, stressed Biden's continued cash-on-hand edge and accused Trump of "selling out Americans to big corporations and billionaires" to raise campaign funds. In June, Biden will get an assist from Hollywood allies when actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts, along with Obama, are set to host a host a high-dollar fundraiser in Los Angeles, NBC News reported. Reach Joey Garrison on X, formerly Twitter, @joeygarrison. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump tops Biden in monthly fundraising for first time of 2024 race Even in the closing stages of Donald Trumps hush money trial, theres seemingly no end to the drama. Defense witness Robert Costelloa former federal prosecutor called by Trumps attorneys as they seek to undermine the credibility of the prosecutions star witness, Michael Cohenwill be back on the stand Tuesday. His return comes the day after extraordinary scenes in the Manhattan courtroom that prompted Judge Juan Merchan to repeatedly rebuke Costello for his contemptuous behavior, even threatening to strike all of his testimony. Hecklers Drown Out Trumps Bootlicking Brigade Outside Courthouse After Cohen finished his fourth day of testimony, jurors heard from Costelloa lawyer who once advised Cohen and acted as a backchannel between Cohen and Trumps White House in 2018. Cohen is crucial to the proceedings because he made the $130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Prosecutors say the payment was intended to stop Daniels from speaking about a one-night stand she claims to have had with Trump, and that the scheme to buy her silence was supposed to protect his 2016 presidential campaign. They allege that Trump then tried to hide reimbursements to Cohen by listing the payments as legal fees. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records and denies having sex with Daniels. During his testimony, Cohen implicated Trump in the scheme by alleging that Trump instructed him to kill Daniels story, telling him: Just take care of it. He also claimed that Trump was kept informed about the payment and authorized the allegedly unlawful reimbursement plan. Trumps defense lawyers have attacked Cohens credibility in the proceedings by portraying him as an admitted liar and convicted felon who is now hellbent on seeking revenge against his old boss. Part of their effort to sow doubt in jurors minds about Cohens reliability came with Costellos time on the stand Mondaythough it didnt exactly go smoothly. Costello used his testimony to claim that Cohen had previously told him he wasnt aware that Trump had broken the law. Following the FBI raid on Cohens apartment in 2018 after he acknowledged paying Daniels, Costello said Cohen was suicidal and very manic. I explained to Michael Cohen that this entire legal problem he was facing would be resolved by the end of the week if he had truthful information on Donald Trump and cooperated with the Southern District of New York, Costello said. He added that Cohen told him in response: I swear to God, Bob, I dont have anything on Donald Trump. But Costellos testimony, which contradicted Cohens implications of Trump, was overshadowed by the angry dressing down he received from Judge Juan Merchan. Costello became frustrated with the judge sustaining prosecutors objections, saying jeez out loud at one point and calling the entire exercise ridiculous. Merchan then ordered jurors out of the courtroom to give Costello a lesson in proper decorum. Im the only one who can strike testimony in the courtroom, Merchan said. If you dont like my ruling, you dont give me side-eye and you dont roll your eyes. Do you understand that? Costello said he understood, but then proceeded to further anger the judge by staring at him. Are you staring me down right now? Merchan asked before promptly instructing journalists to leave the court. Court transcripts later revealed that Merchan informed Costello his conduct is contemptuous during the telling-off. If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand, Merchan said. Merchan also informed Trump lawyer Emil Bove that he would be prepared to strike Costellos entire testimony if the misbehavior continued. Bove told the judge that the defense is not expecting to call any more witnesses following Costello, though a campaign finance expert, Bradley Smith, may be called to give testimony within strict limitations. The defense also has not yet definitively ruled out putting Trump on the stand, though it seems increasingly unlikely. Closing arguments have been scheduled for May 28. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. The defense rested in Donald Trumps criminal trial on Tuesday, without the former president himself testifying. Trump had previously railed about being silenced and falsely claimed he was not allowed to testify, but ultimately elected of his own volition not to take the stand in his own defense. Trumps decision came without fanfare. The move was not surprising defendants in criminal cases rarely testify, because they would be subject to cross-examination, during which they could easily say something that harms their defense but followed several instances of Trump claiming he was not allowed to do so. The judge, Juan Merchan, had gone so far as to address Trumps claims, saying: I want to stress, Mr Trump, that you have an absolute right to testify at trial, and adding that the gag order preventing Trump from verbally attacking witnesses did not affect his right to take the stand. After the defense rested Merchan, told jurors to return on Tuesday 28 May for closing arguments. Merchan said he would also announce his instructions to jurors the next day and expected that they would then start deliberating. The trial had resumed earlier Monday with continued cross-examination of Robert Costello, whom the defense has used to try to discredit the former presidents one-time fixer, Michael Cohen. Trump entered the courtroom just before 9.30am. The former president, who is all but guaranteed to be the Republican presidential nominee, is charged with falsifying business records related to paying the adult film star Stormy Daniels $130,000 for her silence about an alleged sexual liaison. Manhattan prosecutors allege that Trump plotted in summer 2015 with Cohen, then Trumps consigliere, and the former tabloid head David Pecker to keep any damaging information under wraps in an effort to protect his candidacy in the 2016 election. Related: Dont roll your eyes and entourage: Trump trial key takeaways, day 19 Cohen told jurors he coordinated the payment to Daniels weeks before election day, and footed the bill himself. The campaign was gravely concerned that Danielss account could deal a deadly blow to Trumps presidential run, he said, as an embarrassing hot mic recording in which he bragged about grabbing women by the pussy without their consent had emerged weeks prior. Cohen, who testified for four days, claimed at one point that an angry Trump instructed him to bury Danielss account, telling him to just take care of it. This was a disaster, a fucking disaster, Cohen said he remembered Trump saying. Women will hate me. Cohen told the jury he had kept Danielss account off the radar in 2011, coordinating with her then lawyer to remove a story about their alleged encounter from a gossip website. He was really angry with me, Cohen said of Trumps reaction after he informed him about Danielss potentially coming forward before election day. Trump allegedly said: I thought you had this under control? I thought you took care of this. The prosecution maintains Trumps repayment of Cohen in 2017 constituted illegal behavior because he described disbursements as legal expenses in financial documents. Cohens testimony is integral to prosecutors argument that Trump was well aware that these repayments would be described in an illicit way. On cross-examination, Trumps legal team failed to land hard blows. The closest Blanche got was getting Cohen to in effect admit over-billing the Trump Organization for reimbursement for a payment to a tech company called Red Finch to help make a poll about famous business figures more favorable to Donald Trump. Cohen said he had paid the tech company $50,000, but in reality he had paid $20,000. Blanche asked Cohen whether he pocketed the $30,000. So you stole from the Trump Organization? Blanche said. Yes, sir, Cohen replied. On Monday, the prosecution rested its case and Trumps defense started theirs, with the day ending on Costello, a lawyer Cohen had discussed during his four days on the stand. Cohen said he met with Costello after officers raided his hotel room and home in April 2018, but was wary of having him as legal representation, given his relationship with Rudy Giuliani. Cohen said he worried that Costello would tell Giuliani about their conversations, and that the former New York City mayor would then disclose this information to Trump. Costello claimed that during their first meeting, Cohen said he did not know about Trump doing anything illegal; the raid came in the wake of Cohen admitting that he had paid Daniels. I explained to Michael Cohen that this entire legal problem he was facing would be resolved by the end of the week if he had truthful information about Donald Trump and cooperated with the southern district of New York, Costello testified. Costello claimed that Cohen allegedly said: I swear to God, Bob, I dont have anything on Donald Trump. Costellos behavior on the stand, including commentary, almost spun the courtroom into chaos, and prompted a rebuke from the judge. Costello blurted out jeez at one point during his testimony, and instructed someone to strike a question, which is something only judges not witnesses have the power to do. Following this episode, Merchan told the jurors that there would be a brief break and after they were gone, warned Costello against acting in such a way. Merchan then asked: Are you staring me down right now? and ordered court officers to clear the courtroom. Members of the press were asked to leave for several minutes. Under the US constitution, New York state, and common law, there is a presumption of access, meaning court proceedings are supposed to be open to the press and public except in extremely rare circumstances. Merchan did not permit a media attorney to address the court about the access issue. (Bloomberg) -- The Donald Trump hush-money trial briefly devolved into chaos after the judge cleared the courtroom and warned a defense witness not to give him side eye. Most Read from Bloomberg Trump had called his second defense witness, attorney Robert Costello, to testify Monday about his interactions in 2018 with the prosecutions star witness, Michael Cohen, when the conflict erupted in the New York courtroom. Costello repeatedly gave answers that went beyond the questions, prompting Judge Juan Merchan to sustain objections from prosecutors and strike the testimony. After one such ruling, Costello said, Jeez. The judge looked at him and said, Im sorry? And then Costello said, stricken, referring to his own remark. After more questions, Merchan finally stopped the proceedings and asked the jury to leave. Mr. Costello, I want to discuss proper decorum in my courtroom, a visibly angry Merchan said. If you dont like my ruling, you dont say jeez and then you dont say Strike it because Im the only one who can strike testimony in my courtroom. Staring Me Down After that admonition, Merchan appeared ready to proceed. But then he said: You dont give me side eye and you dont roll your eyes. The judge asked: Are you staring me down right now? With that, the judge said: Clear the courtroom. Dozens of people in the gallery, most of whom were media members, were ordered by guards to leave. Most people didnt understand why they were being escorted out. The former president and his lawyers had remained in the courtroom, along with prosecutors. After several minutes, the judge allowed the public and the press to return. The judge recalled the jury, and Costello resumed his testimony, appearing chastened. Costello had earlier testified that Cohen, Trumps former lawyer and fixer, insisted to him in an April 2018 meeting that Trump knew nothing about a $130,000 hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. Cohen testified that he didnt tell Costello about the Daniels payment because he didnt trust him. Earlier Monday, prosecutors rested their case after Cohen finished his fourth day on the witness stand. The government alleges Trump falsified business records to cover up the payment, which Cohen testified was meant to bury the Daniels story of having a sexual encounter with Trump a decade earlier. Costello said he first met Cohen days after the FBI raided his home, office and hotel suite. Cohen had testified that Costello wanted to set up a back channel to Trump and make sure he didnt cooperate with prosecutors. But Costello disputed that, saying he only wanted to protect Cohens interests. He was absolutely manic at the beginning and throughout the two hours of that meeting, Costello said. He said My life is shattered, my familys life is shattered. Whats my escape route? Admitted Theft During earlier testimony Monday, Cohen admitted he stole $30,000 from Trump by adding phony expenses to his hush-money reimbursement. During his fourth day on the witness stand, Cohen was grilled on cross examination about a key element of a larger repayment he received for the $130,000 he paid to Daniels. That repayment included another $50,000 that Cohen said he paid to Red Finch, a technology company that did work to help Trump boost his standing in a pre-election CNBC poll. Trump had refused to pay the firm, so Cohen said he stepped in with his own money. But he testified hed only paid Red Finch $20,000, passing the cash to the companys chief executive officer in a paper bag. You stole from the Trump Organization? Trump attorney Todd Blanche asked. Yes, sir, Cohen said. Cohen said he felt entitled to take the money. He said hed sought to protect Trump the best that I could and assisted his campaign, but was very upset when the billionaire cut his annual bonus in December 2016 by two-thirds even after Cohen had used his own funds on Trumps behalf for the payments to Daniels and Red Finch. I was angered because of the reduction of funds, Cohen said. I felt it was almost like self-help. I wasnt going to let him benefit in this way. While Cohen initially testified to the Red Finch payment last week, he was asked about details of the theft Monday. He said he felt pressured to pay Red Finch for its work, so he got cash from his own account to give $20,000 to the company CEO. It was in a small brown paper bag, Cohen said. He came to the office and I gave him the cash. Blanche continued attempts to depict him as a liar and thief whos made millions of dollars rooting for Trumps demise through his books, podcasts and interviews. He pleaded guilty twice in 2018 to various crimes, but was never charged for the Red Finch theft, he said. The defense lawyers are trying to undermine Cohens credibility to suggest he was lying in testifying that Trump authorized the payments to influence the election. It Upset Him Cohen said Red Finch was hired by the Trump Organization to improve Trumps standing in a CNBC poll. Trump ranked near the bottom, and it upset him, because he is one of the most famous business executives of the past century, Cohen said. A Red Finch executive told Cohen that he could acquire IP addresses to create an algorithm to ensure that Mr. Trump would rise and rise significantly in this poll. The firm managed to boost his standing to ninth, fearing that going to the top spot would raise red flags. Trump didnt want to pay though, because CNBC ended up not continuing and moving forward with this poll, and so he didnt feel that he had gotten the benefit of what the services were supposed to ultimately provide, Cohen said. Cohen then decided to pay Red Finch on his own, he testified. After the government rested its case, Merchan said that he now expects closing arguments in the trial to take place on May 28. (Updates to include chaotic interaction of Trump witness with judge.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. The big news from Donald Trumps Manhattan criminal hush money trial Monday was Judge Juan Merchan clearing the courtroom so he could reprimand the Trump legal teams combative witness, Robert Costello who had spent the last several days publicly attacking the judge and the proceedings. Costello, a lawyer, previously advised Michael Cohen, the longtime Trump fixer who is now prosecutors key witness in their case against the former president. During his testimony, Merchan admonished Costello for audibly and visibly reacting including apparently rolling his eyes in response to his rulings on objections raised by prosecutors. Im putting you on notice that your conduct is contemptuous right now. If you try to stare me down one more time, I will remove you from the stand, Merchan said after clearing the room of journalists and observers. I will strike his entire testimony, the judge warned Trumps legal team. Trumps lawyers called Costello as their second witness in an attempt to cast doubt on Cohens claims including his assertion that Trump personally approved a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels to stay quiet about their alleged sexual encounter. Costellos appearance instead primarily drew attention for his failure to adhere to proper decorum in the courtroom, as Merchan put it. Costello had spent the past few days publicly assailing the judge. During a congressional hearing last week led by House Republicans, Costello suggested that Merchans role presiding over the Trump trial is politically motivated. I mean, theres no coincidences here, Costello said at the hearing. The fact that Judge Merchan has had all of these cases and by the way, when he finishes with the Donald Trump case, Steve Bannon is next. Out of all the judges in New York County, somehow they keep on coming up with the same judge. Coincidence? I dont believe in them. In the congressional hearing, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) brought up Merchans gag order in the case blocking Trump from attacking witnesses and court staff which the judge expanded to cover his own relatives after Trump repeatedly attacked his daughter for her work as a Democratic consultant. Stefanik asked whether Merchans gag order is unprecedented lawfare. Costello responded, As far as I know, absolutely. He did not take Stefaniks bait when she asked whether its true that Merchans daughter is raising millions of dollars off of this sham case? I have to say Ive read that in the media, Costello said. I dont know it of my own knowledge. On Sunday, Costello appeared on Judge Jeanine Pirros radio show and offered Merchan some unsolicited advice. I think that the judge should refuse to give this case to the jury, he said. But I also think that he is not going to take that step, that he will allow the case to go to the jury, even though he shouldnt. Theres just no proof here. Theres all sorts of problems with this case. After the proceedings, former Trump lawyer Alan Dershowitz who attended the trial Monday along with several other Trump allies defended Costellos performance on Pirros show. I didnt see him roll his eyes, Dershowitz said, adding that Judge Merchan was obviously intimidated by this witness. More from Rolling Stone Best of Rolling Stone When Trump's trial started, I called him a chicken. He refused to testify. I was right. Just before Donald Trumps New York criminal trial started in April, I labeled the former president and current criminal defendant a frightened, clucking chicken. I was correct. Despite defiantly saying he would take the stand and testify in his own defense, Trump predictably took the panicked-poultry route. The defense rested Tuesday without calling the man accused of paying off an adult film star to keep quiet about their alleged affair in advance of the 2016 presidential election. On April 12, the Friday before the trial began, Trump was at Mar-a-Lago and said: Im testifying. I tell the truth. I mean, all I can do is tell the truth. He didnt testify. So, in the same sentence in which he said, I tell the truth, he was lying. Perfect. Trump said he would testify. Of course he didn't. Former President Donald Trump at his trial on May 21, 2024, in New York City, seen here not testifying. Despite ranting ad nauseam about how a legitimate gag order was keeping him from defending himself, Trump ran from his No. 1 opportunity to put forth that defense in the courtroom, leaving behind a cloud of dust, feathers and hypocrisy. If the GOPs presumptive presidential nominee had any guts, hed admit that I and the multitude of others who knew he was too much of a poltroon to ever testify were right. But he wont. Hes too busy clucking about all the ways hes being persecuted. Trump's fans believed their man would take the stand Surely, Trump's supporters will be let down by this show of non-strength. On April 20, a confident Trump fan said on a pro-Trump online outlet: The man wants to get up there, look those jurors in the eyes, and fight. Thats what he does. ... Hes gonna get up there, say what he has to say, fight to his very last breath. Or, going back in time and playing the devils advocate, he wont. He will quite literally do none of those things. MAGA pays respect to their king: All Republicans MUST attend Trump's criminal trial and yell at media. These are the rules. On Monday, Trump attorney Alina Habba, who isnt representing him in the Manhattan trial, said on Fox News: We know he wants to testify. He's willing, he's able, he (has) nothing to hide it all. He's absolutely ready to tell the truth. Of course he was ready to tell the truth! Trump just decided not to because when the Lord was handing out courage, he was getting extra helpings of BUK-BUK-BUK-BAGOCK!! A false vow to testify, then complaint after complaint Look, there were no sensible legal minds suggesting it would be a good idea for Trump to take the stand in this, or any, trial. Hes a rambling loudmouth who lies reflexively, and the prosecution would feast on him. Is Trump sleepy? Trump isn't sleeping during his trial he's just STRONGLY complying with the gag order But aside from saying he'd testify, Trump went to great lengths to gripe incessantly outside the courtroom about the entirely sensible limited gag order he was under the one that (sort of) got him to stop intimidating witnesses, jury members and the judges family. Trump clearly never understood what a gag order is On April 19, outside the courtroom, Trump whined: Everyone else can say whatever they want about me. They can say anything they want. They can continue to make up lies. ... They lie. They're real scum. Im unconstitutionally gagged, he crowed at a rally in early May. He gagged me, so Im not even supposed to be talking to you because he gagged me! On May 14, outside the courtroom, Trump brayed: The gag order has to come off. So when you ask me a question about the people that were talking about, Im not allowed to answer. Theres never been anything like this in the history of our country. The big, bold, brave GOP savior sure does gripe a lot. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Trump could have testified it was his big chance to speak his 'truth' It all led up to the moment when Trump could have testified in court, when he could have answered questions under oath and sans gag order, when he could have put his money where his prodigious mouth is. And what did he do? He clammed up and said nothing. All the blabber and bluster was a sham. It was the realization of Shakespeares words, It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Trump tried relentlessly to delay this trial rather than get in the ring and fight. He complained like an overtired toddler throughout. He brashly said hed testify, then he didnt. To quote myself from more than a month ago, Trump is, indeed, a frightened, clucking chicken. Tough talk, loud cluck, soft feathers. Prove me wrong. Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on X, formerly Twitter, @RexHuppke and Facebook facebook.com/RexIsAJerk You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump defense rests without him testifying in Manhattan trial. Weak. Joyce Msuya, UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, speaks at a Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 21, 2024. The UN official on Tuesday called for a more holistic approach to complement existing measures for the protection of civilians in armed conflict. (Eskinder Debebe/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A UN official on Tuesday called for a more holistic approach to complement existing measures for the protection of civilians in armed conflict. Joyce Msuya, UN assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, stressed the importance of complying with international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law in the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and the need to go beyond compliance. The harm and suffering caused to civilians in 2023 signals an alarming lack of compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law. It also indicates that the Security Council's protection of civilians resolutions of the last 25 years remain largely unheeded, she said. "We must redouble efforts to strengthen compliance by parties to conflict with these obligations. This includes third states taking responsibility for ensuring respect for the rules of war. This entails political dialogue, training and dissemination of policies, and withholding arms transfers where there is a clear risk that arms will be used to commit serious violations of IHL," she told an annual open debate of the Security Council on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. But she stressed the need for a more holistic approach. The reality is that much of the civilian harm in today's conflicts is occurring even when parties claim to be acting in compliance with international humanitarian law and international human rights law, said Msuya. "It is time to complement existing measures by adopting a more holistic approach, one that considers the perspective of civilians and takes into account the complex, cumulative and long-term nature of the full range of civilian harm in conflict," she said. The Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas and the 2015 Safe Schools Declaration are both good examples of ways that states can commit to the greater protection of civilians in armed conflict, complementing their compliance with international humanitarian law, she said. "We urge all states to endorse these instruments and implement them in full." She also urged states to follow the steps taken by some national and regional authorities in developing and adopting proactive protection of civilians' policies, processes and tools aimed at better understanding and mitigating a broader range of civilian harm. States, parties to conflict, UN actors, international and civil society organizations need to reflect on how to further develop and implement the full protection of civilians approach, she added. "The Security Council and (UN) member states must demand and ensure compliance with international humanitarian law, international human rights law and the council's resolutions," she said. "If it is to have any real meaning for the millions of civilians affected by conflict, it is time to go above and beyond compliance: to strive for the full protection of civilians against the full range of harms they are suffering on our watch." Tucker Carlsons show on YouTube and X is now regularly airing on Russias state-run channel Rossiya 24, though the shows producer says theyre not involved. Any use of our content on that channel is without legal permission, said Dean Thompson, the head of programming and production at the Tucker Carlson Network. Carlsons many conspiracy theoriesfrom Lyme disease being a bioweapon against the poor to the rise of wokeness in the United Stateshave already aired in the country. And its not really a surprise why. Carlson has long espoused pro-Russian views, downplaying the countrys conflict with Ukraine and minimizing Russias invasion as a mere border dispute. He even touted a conspiracy theory of a U.S.-led effort to supply Ukraine with chemical weapons. Carlson has also made no secret of his love for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, traveling all the way to Moscow earlier this year for a widely panned softball interview. Despite Putins mockery of Carlson during and after the interview, Carlson still defended Putins killing of dissidents, words that eventually came back to hurt the conservative pundit when Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in Russian custody days later. Putin and the Russian government evidently see value in Carlson to keep him on a national TV channel in a country where independent media outlets are highly restricted and subject to bans and being declared foreign agents or undesirable organizations. Meanwhile, here in the U.S., even top Republicans like Senator Mitch McConnell have blasted Carlson, pointing to him as the reason why many Republicans were against aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Can Carlson make up for his diminished U.S. audience with a Russian one? Even if he does, itll be difficult to profit from it, considering the massive Western sanctions against Russia. This story has been updated. Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the reaction from Tucker Carlson's team. The Russian state television network Rossiya 24 posted episodes of a purported new show with U.S. far-right political commentator and conspiracy theorist Tucker Carlson on May 21, but Carlson's team said he had nothing to do with it. Members of Carlson's team later characterized the reporting as "pure nonsense" in comments to Forbes. Neil Patel, the CEO of the Tucker Carlson Network, wrote on X that the company "has not done any deals with state media in any country." Carlson, a former host on Fox News, has been criticized for making controversial comments on air and social media, characterized by some as being nativist, racist, and pushing talking points that echo Russian propaganda. Rossiya 24's website features one of Carlson's previously aired episodes about the dangers of ticks and Lyme disease. It also has other previous episodes from Carlson's online media platform, such as interviews with far-right Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, accessible with Russian dubbing. Carlson traveled to Moscow in February to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin, becoming the first Western media figure to do so since the beginning of the full-scale war. The interview was widely panned in the West, as Carlson declined to ask Putin tough questions or follow up on Putin's repeated false claims or justifications for Russia's full-scale war. Read also: Opinion: Tucker Carlson visiting Moscow is like touring Berlin in 1940 Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ramona McCune, 4 1/2 years-old, puts vote-by-mail ballots into a dropbox during primary voting on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Portland, Ore. Ramona was helping their mom drop off ballots for friends. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, piled up more delegates Tuesday as both presumptive nominees won primaries in Kentucky and Oregon. The symbolic decisions provide a few more delegates to the national conventions and a gut check on where the Democratic and Republican bases stand toward their standard-bearers as the presidential nominating season nears its end. Even after they secured the nominations and their rivals dropped out, Biden and Trump have continued facing dissent from within their own parties. Biden has faced protest votes over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war while Trump is still seeing thousands of people voting for long-vanquished rival Nikki Haley. That trend continued Tuesday in Kentucky with about 18% of the Democratic vote going to uncommitted with roughly 80% of the vote counted. In the GOP race, Haley was winning about 6%. After Tuesday, eight presidential nominating contests will remain: Democrats in Idaho, the District of Columbia, Guam and the Virgin Islands, and both parties in Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota. Voters in Kentucky, Oregon, Georgia and Idaho also held state primaries Tuesday to choose nominees for the U.S. House and other contests. In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is leading the prosecution of Trump in a 2020 election interference case, defeated challenger Christian Wise Smith in the Democratic primary. The judge in the case, Scott McAfee, also won his election. In Oregons Multnomah County, home to Portland, the progressive district attorney who took office during the social justice movement of 2020 is being challenged by a candidate vowing to be tough on crime. ___ Cooper reported from Phoenix. Shaky Landing During a flight from London to Singapore, a Boeing jet experienced such major turbulence that one passenger died and dozens more were injured. As Reuters reports, food, luggage, and passengers were flung around the 777-300ER jet's cabin as it hit an air pocket and began to shake violently. Singapore Airlines has confirmed that a 73-year-old British man died, and it seems that the cause was cardiac arrest. At least 30 other people were injured, with 18 being sent to the hospital and seven of those in critical condition, per the airline. As footage posted to social media and a passenger interview Reuters conducted indicate, the scene onboard the flight was terrifying "Suddenly the aircraft starts tilting up and there was shaking so I started bracing for what was happening, and very suddenly there was a very dramatic drop so everyone seated and not wearing a seatbelt was launched immediately into the ceiling," 28-year-old student and passenger Dzafran Azmir told the news wire. "Some people hit their heads on the baggage cabins overhead and dented it," he continued, "they hit the places where lights and masks are and broke straight through it." Seriously, air turbulence atau gelora udara makin sering terjadi. Banyak Flights aku naik memang terkena, tapi tak seteruk yang ini, sampai seorang maut (warga British lekaki berusia 70 tahun). Flight SQ321 dari London ke Singapore terpaksa mendarat di Bangkok. Pesawat Boeing pic.twitter.com/pchtFuCfel Hezeri Samsuri (@HezeriSamsuri) May 21, 2024 Emergency The jet made an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport, where the scene that unfolded sounds dire. "I saw things lying everywhere and many air crew injured," airport general manager Kittipong Kittikachorn said during a press conference. Photos and videos from the incident show just how scary the situation on board was, too. This incident couldn't come at a worse time for Boeing, which this year has faced incident after incident as pieces keep falling off of its planes and its whistleblowers keep turning up dead. In March, another Boeing jet this one operated by United Airlines was involved in turbulence-related injuries. In that instance, seven passengers on the last leg of a flight from Tel Aviv to Newark had to be hospitalized due to injuries incurred during the shakiness experienced on the 787 jet as it passed through high winds, though all appeared to be alright after getting checked out. While it's hard to tell how much of this year's bad press is confirmation bias, it nevertheless is making people afraid to fly and especially afraid to fly Boeing. More on Boeing: Leak Discovered in Problem-Plagued Boeing Spacecraft Before Astronaut Launch What is turbulence? How it works and when it can become deadly Research from Reading University suggests that unexpected turbulence is becoming more frequent with climate change Its the moment that even seasoned air travellers dread. One moment youre cruising along calmly at 37,000ft. In the next, without warning, all hell breaks loose. Severe turbulence can hurl passengers and belongings around an aircraft cabin, and prove a terrifying ride. In the case of a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 on a flight from London on May 21, the violence of the experience left a British man dead and more than 30 injured, with the aircraft forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok. Fatalities are unusual. But while turbulence does not normally cause deaths, airlines have long been aware of its potential to harm passengers, pilots and cabin crew alike. A British man has died due to severe turbulence on a recent Singapore Airlines Boeing 777 flight Most concerning is sudden, severe turbulence in the absence of clouds or storms, known as clear-air turbulence (CAT), and about which pilots can offer little warning to passengers. According to Captain Mike Jenvey, a retired Netjets pilot,clear air turbulence is not visible and is often not possible to see using aircraft weather radars. This is why, as aviation consultant John Strickland notes: It can never be taken lightly when airlines recommend you keep the seatbelt loosely fastened throughout the flight. Reading University research suggests that incidents of CAT could significantly increase between 2050 and 2080 thanks to stronger winds and increasing pockets of rough air caused by climate change. What exactly is turbulence? Turbulence comes in several types. The most common at airliner cruising height is caused by thunderstorms. Consisting of vast expanses of rain clouds often towering more than 53,000ft 10 miles above the Earths surface, thunderstorms are a major generator of en-route air turbulence. Supercooled air within the storms draws winds in from many miles around. A 2009 Met Office briefing document for commercial aviators advises pilots to stay at least 25 nautical miles away from a visible thunderstorm. The other main type of turbulence that airline passengers experience is wind shear, a phenomenon which occurs when two air masses travelling in different directions intersect, often leading to sudden changes in altitude or direction. Captain Jenvey explains that vertical wind shear and CAT cause an aircraft to drop very suddenly, and then stop dropping very quickly, as stable air is re-entered perhaps 100ft-300ft later. How bad can it get? For the most part turbulence is a minor annoyance. Airline pilots from all over the world are trained to avoid it to reduce the risk of passengers being flung around. But in some cases it can cause fatalities. A former White House official died as a result of severe turbulence on a private business jet last year while flying between New Hampshire and Virginia. Three passengers on a Hawaiian Airlines service to Sydney were hospitalised in July 2023 after the flight experienced severe turbulence. Photos taken by those on board showed broken ceiling panels and dangling oxygen masks. A Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix to Honolulu experienced extreme turbulence in December 2022 - Jazmin Bitanga Strickland, the aviation consultant, noted that airlines use a variety of methods to minimise the chances of a flight being affected by turbulence, such as weather forecasts, radar and reports from aircraft ahead. But sometimes it is just not possible to avoid it entirely. According to Marco Chan, a senior lecturer at Buckinghamshire New University and a former Hong Kong Airlines pilot: It may not be possible to completely circumvent the thunderstorms cluster as they can stretch well over 50 nautical miles plus. Can it cause the plane to crash? Turbulence has caused aeroplanes to crash, although most of those accidents happened many decades ago before modern safety analysis techniques came to light. In November 2001, American Airlines flight 587 from New York encountered wake turbulence caused by a large aircraft taking off in front of it shortly after departure. Pilot error in handling the sudden bumpy ride led to the Airbus A300 crashing and killing all 260 people aboard, along with five others on the ground. Firefighters look for victims at the smouldering remains of the American Airlines flight 587 in Queens, New York City - New York Daily News Another example is that of British Overseas Airways Corporation Flight 911, a scheduled flight between Tokyo and Hong Kong in March 1966. It broke up mid-air shortly after take-off, killing all 124 people aboard. Accident investigators found that the Boeing 707 had suddenly encountered abnormally severe turbulence over Gotemba City which imposed a gust load considerably in excess of the design limit. These days, Captain Jenvey notes that aircraft are designed for temporary over-loads on the airframe, though he suggested that a strong vertical wind shear or CAT encounter could over-stress the airframe to a degree that would require an engineering inspection after landing. Are there areas or specific routes when turbulence gets worse? According to John Strickland, exposure is greater in different parts of the world. The South Atlantic, Africa and the Bay of Bengal are all places that spring to mind where theres a greater incidence. He added: There are discussions about whether climate change is influencing an increase in occurrences. Chan, as a former long-haul pilot, says that there is a specific region near the Equator known for particularly troublesome weather and turbulence conditions. The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) is a significant meteorological feature in the tropics. It encircles the Earth near the equator and influences weather patterns. Captain Jenvey adds that, at lower levels although sometimes higher if associated with a mountain range, such as the Andes in South America types of mechanical turbulence known as rotor or mountain wave are generated as air flow is pushed against the side of a mountain or hill and pushed upwards. Do you get any warning or can the pilot see it coming? Turbulence is normally associated with thunderstorms and cloud formations, meaning in daylight, pilots can see it coming. In this case passengers are warned by the seat belt sign being switched on, warning them to buckle up for a rough ride. Modern airliners are fitted with weather radars in the nose that can detect thunderstorms ahead, helping pilots change course to avoid them. But as its name suggests, clear air turbulence remains invisible to those radars. Chan adds that thunderstorms, bringing possible severe ice and turbulence, are prominently displayed on the pilots navigation display. Pilots are expected to navigate around the thunderstorms while having the seat belt sign on as a precaution. Whats the best form of preventing turbulence problems? For an airline passenger, its as simple as keeping your seatbelt fastened. Injuries caused by turbulence are typically from people being thrown about by sudden bumps caused by the airliner hitting an air pocket, or entering a fast-moving mass of air. Stowing your personal belongings safely in the seat pocket, under the seat in front of you or in the overhead locker will also help. Captain Jenvey says that he advises air travellers to keep their belts fastened at all times unless its necessary to be out of your seat. Hitting turbulence, he explained, can cause passengers who do not have their seat belts fastened to rise up very quickly out of their seats and be pushed back in very hard. If walking in the aisle of the aircraft, the sudden rise might cause passengers to hit their heads hard on the cabin ceiling and then fall down. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Tuscarora Nation renews push for state recognition in NC after decades of exclusion The Tuscarora Nation of North Carolina, a Native American tribe centered in Robeson County, is once again seeking official recognition from the state. Speaking at the legislature on Tuesday, Chief Cecil Hunt said the Tuscarora have been maligned and outright bullied by intertribal prejudice from the Commission of Indian Affairs, which has repeatedly denied efforts to recognize the tribe. Tuscarora representatives gathered with Rep. Ed Goodwin, a Chowan County Republican who filed a bill earlier this month to recognize the tribe. Without state recognition, members of the Tuscarora Nation are excluded from several benefits typically afforded to Native American tribes. We are no longer able to compete in powwows, enter our art into exhibits, be eligible for scholarships or enjoy adorning our high school seniors with feathers to wear at graduations, Eudora Locklear, a Tuscarora member, said. In addition to recognizing the tribe, Goodwins bill would give the Tuscarora representation on the Commission of Indian Affairs and update state websites to include the tribe. Repeated efforts to recognize Tuscarora The tribe has between 500 and 900 members, a representative of the tribe estimated in 2019. Goodwin, who said he grew up around members of the Tuscarora, said he has filed a bill to recognize the tribe every session since he was elected in 2018, but it has never made it to a vote. I cant believe at this time in our history, were taking a people who were Native Americans, who were here before all the rest of us were here, and were treating them this way, Goodwin said. Goodwin said nobody in legislative leadership had given him a sufficient explanation for why they had not acted on his efforts to recognize the Tuscarora. Representatives for House Speaker Tim Moore did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether he would move the bill forward this year. Recognition for NC tribes North Carolina currently recognizes eight Native American tribes, though only one of them, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has full federal recognition. The Lumbee Tribe is recognized by the state, but has fought unsuccessfully for full federal recognition for over a century. In 1956, Congress passed a bill recognizing the Lumbee as an American Indian tribe, but did not grant the tribe the typical benefits associated with federal recognition. North Carolinas U.S. senators, Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, introduced a bill in Congress last year to grant recognition to the Lumbee Tribe, but it never got a vote. While achieving state recognition would not make the Tuscarora eligible for many grants and benefits afforded to federally recognized tribes, members of the tribe said it was an important first step. The Tuscarora Nation has unsuccessfully sought state recognition for decades. Most recently, in 2019, the Commission of Indian Affairs denied the tribes petition for recognition, calling it a splinter group of the Lumbee Tribe. At a hearing of the commission in 2019, a spokesperson for the Tuscarora accused the Lumbee Tribe of trying to block their recognition, noting that Lumbee leaders were part of the commission deciding on the petition. The News & Observer wasnt immediately able to reach a representative of the Commission of Indian Affairs for comment on Tuesday. On Tuesday, representatives of the Tuscarora Nation again rejected the idea that they were a subset of the Lumbee, saying they have their own distinct cultural identities, ceremonial practices and languages. As a young boy, my grandfather always told me son, your people are Tuscarora, Hunt said. So how can I be anything other than that? Uniquely NC is a News & Observer subscriber collection of moments, landmarks and personalities that define the uniqueness (and pride) of why we live in the Triangle and North Carolina. Two companies selected by Ohio commission to lease parts of Noble and Monroe counties for fracking Anti-fracking advocates hung up signs before the May 20, 2024 Oil and Gas Land Management Commission meeting. (Photo by Megan Henry, Ohio Capital Journal.) The highest and best bidders were selected to lease parts of Noble and Monroe counties for fracking during Mondays Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission meeting. Colorado-based company Antero Resources Corporation was the sole bidder to lease eight parcels for drilling in Noble County for $4,713.60, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Antero has previously leased land in Noble County and other Eastern Ohio counties including Harrison, Guernsey, Belmont, Monroe and Washington. Texas-based company Southwestern Energy was the only bidder for eight parcels of land in Monroe County for $3,378, according to ODNR. Each lease agreement includes a 12.5% royalty paid to the state for production. The commission posted the nominated leasing parcels to bid on March 4 and May 4 was the deadline to submit bids. Fracking is the process of injecting liquid into the ground at a high pressure to extract oil or gas and it has been documented in over 30 states, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Anti-fracking advocates Anti-fracking advocates tried to raise their concerns to the commissioners throughout the meeting. Id like to say that we have people who are very concerned about the water in that area. The water is not tested. We dont know what its going to be like, one advocate said. She tried bringing up a basket of water samples during the meeting, but a Ohio State Highway patrol officer stopped her from approaching the commissioners and intercepted the basket. Another advocate held up a sign during the meeting that said commissioners or gas and oil puppets? There were more than 1,400 fracking incidents associated with oil and gas wells in Ohio between 2018 and September 2023, according to FracTracker Alliance a nonprofit that collects data on fracking pipelines. About 10% of those incidents were reported as fires or explosions. Of those, there were 71 total incidents in Noble County and 59 total incidents in Monroe County during that time period, according to FracTracker. Failed nominations Nominations for land in Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont County, Guernsey and Noble counties were not approved during Mondays meeting and wont move forward to the bidding process at this time. The Guernsey and Noble county nominations were denied because ODOT indicated it lacks the ability to enter into a lease at this time, according to ODNR. The Egypt Valley Wildlife Area nomination was denied due to a condition in the nomination that could render the economic benefits too low to warrant approval pursuant to Ohio Revised Code, according to ODNR. ODOT submitted a comment indicating that due to their stewardship and oversight agreement with the Federal Highway Administration, they are not legally authorized to enter into mineral basis for these parcels without express pre-approval from the FHWA, Richardson said about the nomination for land in Wills Township in Guernsey County. Lorraine McCosker, steering committee member of Save Ohio Parks, said this shows the importance of federal laws with the FHWA. ODNR needs to address certain things that they rejected, she said. They disapproved Egypt Valley so I think that thats really important. OGLMC resignation Matthew Warnock resigned as an OGLMC committee, Richardson said. Warnock was not present at Mondays meeting and the Governors office will be working to fill the vacancy on OGLMC. Warnock was the single no vote on the bid to lease land for fracking at Salt Fork State Park during Februarys meeting. We want to thank him for his service on the commission, and we certainly will miss him, Richardson said. Warnock sent his resignation to the Governors office on May 6. Thank you for appointing me to serve the State of Ohio as a member of the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission. It has been a great group to work with and learn from.With that being said, it is a good time professionally for me to step down and allow someone else to step into this role and serve on the Commission, he said in an email obtained by a public records request. Follow OCJ Reporter Megan Henry on X. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post Two companies selected by Ohio commission to lease parts of Noble and Monroe counties for fracking appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. Two people stabbed, another assaulted in unprovoked attack in Santa Monica Pedestrians walk along the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. A man was arrested Sunday after three people were assaulted near the shopping area. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) Police are investigating why three people were assaulted, two of them stabbed, a few feet from Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade. Santa Monica police responded Sunday to a report of a stabbing in the 1500 block of 4th Street, near parking structure No. 7. When the officers arrived they found two people with stab wounds and a third assault victim with no major injuries. According to a police report, officers immediately began performing CPR on one person. The police department did not disclose the condition of the victims when the officers found them. Police said the attacks were unprovoked. The two people who were stabbed have been identified as German tourists who are not related to each other, according to authorities. Read more: LAPD arrest man suspected of assaulting two children in Santa Monica and Venice Officers arrested Larry Ameyal Cedeno, 29; the details of his arrest were not disclosed. . At the time of his arrest, Cedeno was experiencing homelessness and on probation following charges of attempted grand theft of a car on May 9, according to court documents. The Santa Monica Police Department declined to provide any further information about the case because it remains under investigation. Cedeno is in the Santa Monica jail pending arraignment. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Det. George Burciaga at George.Burciaga@santamonica.gov or the watch commander, reachable 24 hours a day at (310) 458-8427. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Ty did this: Woman IDs ex-boyfriend as her killer before dying Ty did this: Woman IDs ex-boyfriend as her killer before dying WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, Manhattan (PIX11) A woman who was allegedly stabbed to death by an ex-boyfriend told her dad he attacked her in her final moments, police said. Ty did this, Shirley Rodriguez, 29, muttered to her father after she was assaulted early Monday outside the Washington Heights apartment building where she lived with her dad, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny. Tyquane Jemmott, 33, a Bronx resident, was arrested in connection to the fatal stabbing, Kenny said Tuesday at a press briefing. He was charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon. Jemmott allegedly hid between two cars outside of Rogriguezs building on Haven Avenue near West 172nd Street and waited for her to leave for work at around 5:40 a.m. Monday, police said. The ex-lover then allegedly stabbed her several times in the front and back of the body, neck, arm, and face, Kenny said. Rodriguez was also slashed, punched, and dragged during the 1-minute attack, which was caught on video. She was fighting back the whole time, Kenny said. More Crime News Bystanders chased Jemmott from the scene, and the cab driver waiting for Rodriguez called 911 before she got up and pressed the intercom of her building to ask her dad for help, according to authorities. As shes dying, she tells him (the dad), Ty did this,' Kenny said. Rodriguez was rushed to the hospital but could not be saved. Police said the victim and the ex-boyfriend were together for two years before breaking up last week. The former couple had two prior domestic disputes on record. Jemmott was apprehended at his uncles house in the Bronx, police said. He has one prior arrest for criminal mischief. Domestic and family health violence are common problems estimated to affect 10 million people in the United States every year. Anyone looking for help can find resources here. Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. The United States on Monday sanctioned retired Bangladeshi Gen. Aziz Ahmed. Photo courtesy of Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of Bangladesh to the United Nations/Release May 21 (UPI) -- The Biden administration has sanctioned a retired Bangladeshi general on accusations of "significant corruption." The State Department on Monday leveled the sanctions at retired Gen. Aziz Ahmed, making him and his immediate family ineligible for entry to the United States. In a statement, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Ahmed's actions "have contributed to the undermining of Bangladesh's democratic institutions and the public's faith in public institutions and processes." Ahmed served as chief of army staff in the Bangladeshi military from 2018 until he retired in 2021. In February that same year, Al Jazeera produced an hour-long documentary titled All the Prime Minister's Men accusing Ahmed of being part of a "crime family at the center of power." The Bangladeshi foreign ministry rejected the documentary at the time in a statement as a politically motivated "smear campaign." Ahmed has several brothers, three of whom were convicted in the 1996 murder of a political rival in 1996, though two fled justice. The Al Jazeera documentary accused Ahmed of protecting his brothers. Of the three brothers convicted, one was imprisoned and sentenced to death but received a political pardon in 2018, before Ahmed was named chief of army staff. The other two brothers fled abroad, one to Hungary and the other to Malaysia, the documentary alleges, accusing Ahmed of aiding one of them by falsifying documents in order to establish a business in the European country under a false identity. The documentary further accuses the Ahmeds of selling positions in the nation's police forces, a scheme that allegedly involved senior officers and government officials receiving kickbacks. Miller in his statement Monday stated Ahmed engaged in "significant corruption" by interfering in public processes to help a unnamed brother evade criminal activity. He also said Ahmed and at least one of his brothers worked to "ensure the improper awarding of military contracts and accepted bribes in exchange for government appointments for his personal benefit." "This designation reaffirms the U.S. commitment to strengthening democratic institutions and rule of law in Bangladesh," Miller said. "The United States supports anticorruption efforts in Bangladesh through assistance to make government services more transparent and affordable, improve the business and regulatory environment, and build capacity in investigating and prosecuting money laundering and other financial crimes." By Azernews Laman Ismayilova Azerbaijan and Tajikistan share a strong bond of friendship that has spanned centuries. The two countries established diplomatic relations on May 29, 1992. The cooperation between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan reached a new level in 2008, when an intergovernmental commission on trade and economic cooperation was launched. Today, cultural exchanges between the national masters of classical music and the symphonic orchestras of the two countries have become traditional. Numerous events, including cinema weeks and an international conference dedicated to the 600th anniversary of the great Tajik Persian poet, scholar, and thinker Mavlono Abdurakhman Jami, were held within the framework of the fruitful cooperation. Days of Tajik Culture is another significant event that further strengthens the Azerbaijani-Tajik cooperation. In 2007, the Days of Culture of Tajikistan were successfully held in the cities of Baku and Ganja, while the Days of Azerbaijani Culture were held in Dushanbe in 2008. This annual event showcases the vibrant cultural heritage of Tajikistan through exhibitions, performances, and other projects. Days of Culture of Tajikistan 2024 have been declared open in Heydar Aliyev Centre in Baku. The guests of the ceremony viewed an exhibition of paintings by Tajik artists, samples of folk crafts, and got acquainted with the traditional costumes and cuisine of Tajikistan. Speaking at the ceremony, Azerbaijan Culture Minister Adil Karimli noted that he is sincerely glad to welcome all participants of this evening with the grand opening of the Days of Tajik Culture in Azerbaijan. "We are confident that holding the Days of Tajik Culture in Azerbaijan is a significant event for all art connoisseurs. For centuries, strong ties have existed between Azerbaijan and Tajikistan, based on historical, cultural, and spiritual ties. These ties continue to create unique prospects for cultural exchange and joint initiatives. A special role in the development of bilateral cooperation is played by friendly relations between the heads of our states - the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the President of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon," the minister said. Noting the active cooperation of the two countries in both bilateral and multilateral formats, the Culture Minister emphasised that events dedicated to outstanding representatives of culture are organised at the bilateral level, as well as the exchange of experience and translation of literary works from Azerbaijani into Tajik and from Tajik into Azerbaijani. In Tajikistan, the work of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi, whose works are included in the school curriculum, is highly respected. "I am very glad to see in the exhibition the outstanding creation of the wonderful Azerbaijani sculptor Fuad Abdurakhmanov, created in 1964. I would also like to note the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries within the framework of international organizations," he added. Adil Karimli said that Tajikistan Culture Days are organized in Baku and Ganja, which makes it possible for the general public to become familiar with the ancient history, rich culture, traditions, and spiritual values of the fraternal Tajik people. He stressed that multiple events will be organized within the Days of Tajik Days, including the closing gala concert at Ganja State Philharmonic Hall. Tajikistan Culture Minister Matluba Sattoriyon welcomed the participants of the opening ceremony on behalf of cultural figures of Tajikistan. "Taking advantage of this pleasant opportunity, first of all I want to say that thanks to the support of the governments and leaders of our two states, the President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, our bilateral relations are developing year after year, especially cooperation in the field of culture," the minister said. "Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Tajik-Azerbaijani cooperation has traditionally been built in line with a mutually beneficial and equal partnership and, in general, has successfully developed in political, trade, economic, humanitarian and other fields. It is noteworthy that it is in the sphere of culture that the ties between Tajikistan and Azerbaijan are becoming more noticeable, broader and closer. Tajikistan and Azerbaijan have carried out quite intensive cultural exchanges in recent years," she added. In her speech, Matlubakhon Sattoriyon touched upon the legacy of the Azerbaijani philosopher and poet Nizami Ganjavi: "A striking example of strong cultural ties between our peoples is Nizami Ganjavi, the great Azerbaijani sage, poet and outstanding philosopher of the 12th-13th centuries, whose name both Tajiks and Azerbaijanis are proud of. Nizami's Khamsa, that is, his five dastans, is an excellent example of literature. In Tajikistan, the original national culture of the Azerbaijani people, famous for its ethnic uniqueness, is well known, loved and appreciated." "Over many centuries, the Azerbaijani people have created a rich, diverse traditional culture and achieved enormous creative success. It is worth noting that holding Days of Culture is a great holiday that decorates the cultural heritage of our peoples. Of course, Culture Days promote friendship between our countries. Let me once again express our gratitude for the opportunity to introduce the noble Azerbaijani people to the culture and art of Tajikistan." Tajikistan Culture Minister said that Days of Tajik Culture features vibrant concerts, an exhibition of artists and craftsmen, film screenings and display of national costumes, which provide insight into the history, culture and customs of the Tajik people. In conclusion, Matlubakhon Sattoriyon expressed her gratitude to the Azerbaijani government and Azerbaijan Culture Ministry on behalf of the Tajikistan Culture Ministry for their support, showing sincere respect for the people of Tajikistan. The event was followed by a colorful show with the participation of masters of art from Tajikistan. The musical and dance numbers presented by Tajik performers were met with a storm of applause. The Days of Tajik Culture in Azerbaijan will end on May 23. Emergency responders wait for passengers outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2024. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) BANGKOK, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. The Boeing 777-300ER jet experienced severe turbulence en route and was forced to divert to Bangkok, where it landed at 3:45 p.m. local time, Singapore Airlines said in a statement. There were a total of 211 passengers and 18 crew members on board the flight, according to the airline. The injured passengers, including seven in critical condition, were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, said Kittipong Kittikachorn, Suvarnabhumi airport general manager. Airport officials are providing assistance to the remaining passengers while the replacement aircraft is scheduled to land at the airport on Tuesday night, Kittipong told a news conference. Rescuers wait for passengers outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2024. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) Ambulances are seen outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2024. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) Ambulances wait to carry passengers outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2024. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) Emergency responders wait for passengers outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2024. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) Emergency responders wait for passengers outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2024. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) Emergency responders are seen outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2024. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) Ambulances are seen outside the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, May 21, 2024. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) This photo taken on May 21, 2024 shows a view of Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. Severe turbulence on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 from London to Singapore has left one passenger dead and 30 others injured, forcing an emergency landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand's capital Bangkok on Tuesday, Thai authorities said. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak) U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports Soybeans being loaded from a grain bin onto a truck on June 13, 2018 in Dwight, Illinois. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding $300 million in grants to expand overseas U.S. agriculture (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday $300 million in funding for more than 60 groups seeking to diversify American agricultural exports. USDA is pleased to be able to provide the startup capital to tap into these opportunities, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a call with reporters Monday night previewing the announcement. In total, 66 organizations will be funded under the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, or RAPP. The USDA launched the $1.4 billion program in October in order to develop new export markets for U.S. food and agricultural products beyond the traditional partnerships with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China. What this program really provides is an opportunity for us not only to expand geographically the opportunities for trade, but also the products that can be made available, Vilsack said. Its a tremendous opportunity for us to diversify in a variety of different ways to grow market opportunity. The program focuses on tapping U.S. exports into new markets in regions such as South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. When you have the major markets, as weve had, where 60 to 65% of what we export goes into four or five markets, that can create a sense of complacency, Vilsack said. The riskiest business in the world Vilsack said the funding would be an important step in building wealth in rural areas of the United States. We want to make sure our foreign-market development programs and agricultural trade in general work for the full spectrum of American agricultural producers, regardless of their size, their location, their product or target market, he said. By investing in exports, were investing in the future of American agriculture and rural communities. Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who leads the Senate Committee on Agriculture, joined the call with reporters. She said that USDA investing in exports is crucial to growing American agriculture. The bottom line is (to) create new revenue for the folks that have the riskiest business in the world, Stabenow said. This is a really important way to support them. According to a list provided by the USDA, some of the grant recipients include: The Hazelnut Marketing Board in Oregon and Washington state will receive $455,000 to conduct market research and trade missions in several countries in Africa. The U.S. Dairy Export Council, based in Virginia, will receive $10 million to expand its presence in Africa by using the funds to study and develop dairy import regulations and regulatory frameworks in those markets. The U.S. Meat Export Federation based in Colorado will be awarded $21 million to expand its export efforts to new markets throughout Africa. It will also expand its investment in the convenience-store industry in South Korea, Central America and Colombia. The Brewers Association in Colorado will be awarded $2 million to partake in the craft beer scene in Southeast Asia, by participating in the regions premier brewing trade show and festival and bring buyers from that region to top trade shows in the US. The Cranberry Institute in Massachusetts will receive $1 million to conduct trade education seminars and other events to identify opportunities in India, Brazil, Colombia and Southeast Asia. The post U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports Soybeans being loaded from a grain bin onto a truck on June 13, 2018, in Dwight, Illinois. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding $300 million in grants to expand overseas U.S. agriculture (Scott Olson/Getty Images) WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday announced $300 million in funding for more than 60 groups seeking to diversify American agricultural exports. USDA is pleased to be able to provide the startup capital to tap into these opportunities, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a call with reporters Monday night previewing the announcement. In total, 66 organizations will be funded under the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, or RAPP. The USDA launched the $1.4 billion program in October in order to develop new export markets for U.S. food and agricultural products beyond the traditional partnerships with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China. What this program really provides is an opportunity for us not only to expand geographically the opportunities for trade, but also the products that can be made available, Vilsack said. Its a tremendous opportunity for us to diversify in a variety of different ways to grow market opportunity. The program focuses on tapping U.S. exports into new markets in regions such as South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. When you have the major markets, as weve had, where 60 to 65% of what we export goes into four or five markets, that can create a sense of complacency, Vilsack said. The riskiest business in the world Vilsack said the funding would be an important step in building wealth in rural areas of the United States. We want to make sure our foreign-market development programs and agricultural trade in general work for the full spectrum of American agricultural producers, regardless of their size, their location, their product or target market, he said. By investing in exports, were investing in the future of American agriculture and rural communities. Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who leads the Senate Committee on Agriculture, joined the call with reporters. She said that USDA investing in exports is crucial to growing American agriculture. The bottom line is (to) create new revenue for the folks that have the riskiest business in the world, Stabenow said. This is a really important way to support them. Hazelnuts, dairy. meat, craft beer exports According to a list provided by the USDA, some of the grant recipients include: The Hazelnut Marketing Board in Oregon and Washington state will receive $455,000 to conduct market research and trade missions in several countries in Africa. The U.S. Dairy Export Council, based in Virginia, will receive $10 million to expand its presence in Africa by using the funds to study and develop dairy import regulations and regulatory frameworks in those markets. The U.S. Meat Export Federation based in Colorado will be awarded $21 million to expand its export efforts to new markets throughout Africa. It will also expand its investment in the convenience-store industry in South Korea, Central America and Colombia. The Brewers Association in Colorado will be awarded $2 million to partake in the craft beer scene in Southeast Asia, by participating in the regions premier brewing trade show and festival and bring buyers from that region to top trade shows in the US. The Cranberry Institute in Massachusetts will receive $1 million to conduct trade education seminars and other events to identify opportunities in India, Brazil, Colombia and Southeast Asia. The post U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports Soybeans being loaded from a grain bin onto a truck. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding $300 million in grants to expand overseas U.S. agriculture Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images. WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday $300 million in funding for more than 60 groups seeking to diversify American agricultural exports. USDA is pleased to be able to provide the startup capital to tap into these opportunities, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a call with reporters Monday night previewing the announcement. In total, 66 organizations will be funded under the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, or RAPP. The USDA launched the $1.4 billion program in October in order to develop new export markets for U.S. food and agricultural products beyond the traditional partnerships with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China. What this program really provides is an opportunity for us not only to expand geographically the opportunities for trade, but also the products that can be made available, Vilsack said. Its a tremendous opportunity for us to diversify in a variety of different ways to grow market opportunity. The program focuses on tapping U.S. exports into new markets in regions such as South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. When you have the major markets, as weve had, where 60 to 65% of what we export goes into four or five markets, that can create a sense of complacency, Vilsack said. The riskiest business in the world Vilsack said the funding would be an important step in building wealth in rural areas of the United States. We want to make sure our foreign-market development programs and agricultural trade in general work for the full spectrum of American agricultural producers, regardless of their size, their location, their product or target market, he said. By investing in exports, were investing in the future of American agriculture and rural communities. Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who leads the Senate Committee on Agriculture, joined the call with reporters. She said that USDA investing in exports is crucial to growing American agriculture. The bottom line is (to) create new revenue for the folks that have the riskiest business in the world, Stabenow said. This is a really important way to support them. According to a list provided by the USDA, some of the grant recipients include: The Hazelnut Marketing Board in Oregon and Washington state will receive $455,000 to conduct market research and trade missions in several countries in Africa. The U.S. Dairy Export Council, based in Virginia, will receive $10 million to expand its presence in Africa by using the funds to study and develop dairy import regulations and regulatory frameworks in those markets. The U.S. Meat Export Federation based in Colorado will be awarded $21 million to expand its export efforts to new markets throughout Africa. It will also expand its investment in the convenience-store industry in South Korea, Central America and Colombia. The Brewers Association in Colorado will be awarded $2 million to partake in the craft beer scene in Southeast Asia, by participating in the regions premier brewing trade show and festival and bring buyers from that region to top trade shows in the US. The Cranberry Institute in Massachusetts will receive $1 million to conduct trade education seminars and other events to identify opportunities in India, Brazil, Colombia and Southeast Asia. The post U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports appeared first on Minnesota Reformer. U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports A tractor works in a farm field near Medina, North Dakota, on May 16, 2024. (Jeff Beach/North Dakota Monitor) WASHINGTON The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday $300 million in funding for more than 60 groups seeking to diversify American agricultural exports. USDA is pleased to be able to provide the startup capital to tap into these opportunities, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on a call with reporters Monday night previewing the announcement. In total, 66 organizations will be funded under the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, or RAPP. The USDA launched the $1.4 billion program in October in order to develop new export markets for U.S. food and agricultural products beyond the traditional partnerships with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and China. What this program really provides is an opportunity for us not only to expand geographically the opportunities for trade, but also the products that can be made available, Vilsack said. Its a tremendous opportunity for us to diversify in a variety of different ways to grow market opportunity. The program focuses on tapping U.S. exports into new markets in regions such as South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. When you have the major markets, as weve had, where 60 to 65% of what we export goes into four or five markets, that can create a sense of complacency, Vilsack said. The riskiest business in the world Vilsack said the funding would be an important step in building wealth in rural areas of the United States. We want to make sure our foreign-market development programs and agricultural trade in general work for the full spectrum of American agricultural producers, regardless of their size, their location, their product or target market, he said. By investing in exports, were investing in the future of American agriculture and rural communities. Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, who leads the Senate Committee on Agriculture, joined the call with reporters. She said that USDA investing in exports is crucial to growing American agriculture. The bottom line is (to) create new revenue for the folks that have the riskiest business in the world, Stabenow said. This is a really important way to support them. According to a list provided by the USDA, some of the grant recipients include: The Hazelnut Marketing Board in Oregon and Washington state will receive $455,000 to conduct market research and trade missions in several countries in Africa. The U.S. Dairy Export Council, based in Virginia, will receive $10 million to expand its presence in Africa by using the funds to study and develop dairy import regulations and regulatory frameworks in those markets. The U.S. Meat Export Federation based in Colorado will be awarded $21 million to expand its export efforts to new markets throughout Africa. It will also expand its investment in the convenience-store industry in South Korea, Central America and Colombia. The Brewers Association in Colorado will be awarded $2 million to partake in the craft beer scene in Southeast Asia, by participating in the regions premier brewing trade show and festival and bring buyers from that region to top trade shows in the US. The Cranberry Institute in Massachusetts will receive $1 million to conduct trade education seminars and other events to identify opportunities in India, Brazil, Colombia and Southeast Asia. The post U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund $300 million in grants to boost exports appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Forging formal Israeli-Saudi relations as part of an emerging trilateral deal involving Washington would require a calming of the Gaza war and a discussion of prospects for Palestinian governance, the U.S. envoy to Jerusalem said on Tuesday. "There's going to have to be some period of quiet, I think, in Gaza, and there's going to have to be a conversation about how do you deal with the question of the future of Palestinian governance," ambassador Jack Lew said. "My view is, that strategic benefit is worth taking the risk of getting into that conversation about. But that's a decision that the government of Israel will have to make and the people of Israel will have to make," he told a conference hosted by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) think-tank. The United States on Monday described as "near final" a bilateral defence pact with Saudi Arabia. Once completed, it would be part of a broad deal presented to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to decide whether to make concessions to secure a normalisation of ties with Riyadh. Netanyahu has long promoted such a diplomatic prize. But, seven months into a war with Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip whom Israel has sworn to eradicate, a ceasefire is elusive and he says it is premature to discuss day-after Palestinian rule. "Of course we want to expand the circle of peace. We haven't been shy about this," Israeli government spokesperson Tal Heinrich said. "(But) any peace initiative that jeopardises Israel's security is not something that we see as real peace." Addressing the IDI event separately, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, argued that bilateral ties with Saudi Arabia would be a setback to Iranian-backed Hamas, which sparked the war with an Oct. 7 cross-border rampage. "I very much hope that this possibility is being seriously considered, as the empire of evil sought on October 7 to destroy the chance for normalisation," Herzog said. "Our struggle, in the end, is not only a fight against Hamas. It is a wider, strategic, global and historic battle, and we must do everything to integrate into the grand vision of normalisation." The Netanyahu government, however, has said a failure to defeat Hamas could harm Israeli credibility in the eyes of U.S.-aligned Arab Sunni powers, which worry about Islamist militancy. (Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Sharon Singleton) Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd and several members of Congress wrapped up a visit to the Turks and Caicos on Monday where five U.S. citizens, including an Orlando resident, are facing mandatory minimum 12-year prison sentences after ammunition was allegedly found in their luggage. Delegation members were hoping to bring the Ameriocans home, but after discussions concluded U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma said that despite our willingness to work with Turks and Caicos officials to get our constituents home, we were not able to find a path forward today. We went in respectful of their sovereignty, and with an open mind looking to find common ground, he added. At this point, well-intentioned American citizens are facing a dozen years in prison all for unknowingly having one or two bullets in their luggage. The unintended consequences of TCIs law have been at the expense of well-intentioned American tourists, including a grandmother, who had no intention of breaking the law. Mullin was one of two U.S. senators in the delegation, which also included three members of the House. Byrd was also accompanied by a representative of the State Department, Angela Kerwin, and the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, charge daffaires Jason Crosby. The lawmakers represented the five states where the individuals lived. Should the U.S. citizens receive prison sentences, Mullin said, we will need to consider additional actions to safeguard American citizens. The five Americans were charged with possession of firearms after police said they came across the ammunition during security screenings. Though ammunition is among the items prohibited by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration when traveling, the bullets apparently werent detected when the travelers departed from the United States. In one case, four rounds of ammunition from a deer-hunting trip was found in a carry-on bag, left there accidentally, according to the sister-in-law of one of the men detained. Ryan Watson and his wife, Valerie, were both arrested after the ammunition was found in the bag Valerie was carrying. The Watsons were celebrating Ryans 40th birthday, along with other couples. Valerie was eventually released. A GoFundMe page seeking to raise $250,000 to bring her husband home has already garnered $229,726 with more than 3,000 donations. The high-profile charges have plunged the British-dependent territory and its tough new firearms law into the global spotlight, with some critics calling for visitors to boycott the popular tourist destination located 600 miles southeast of Florida. Last week, U.S. governors Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia sent a joint letter to the British-appointed governor of Turks & Caicos, Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam, seeking mercy for those arrested. In the letter, the governors pleaded for the release of Watson of Oklahoma, Bryan Hagerich of Pennsylvania and Tyler Scott Wenrich of Virginia, and asked for the expedited return to their families in the United States. Also charged with possession of ammunition in the territory are Texas resident Michael Lee Evans and Floridian Sharitta Shinse Grier. Grier, 45, of Orlando, was arrested last week after police discovered ammunition in her luggage during a routine search at the Howard Hamilton International Airport in Providenciales. The Amercans are free on bail awaiting court appearances, but cannot leave the territory. In a statement, the islands press office emphasized the governments stance, which was also reiterated ahead of the U.S. delegations visit. A representative from the United Kingdom, which has responsibility for the territory, was also present during the discussions. The governor and the premier confirmed they cannot intervene nor comment on ongoing legal cases before the courts, the statement said. They explained that the Turks and Caicos Islands have clear laws prohibiting the possession of firearms and ammunition and strict penalties arein place to serve and protect all who reside and visit the Turks and Caicos Islands. When the court finds there are exceptional circumstances, the sentencing judge does have discretion, under the law, to impose a custodial sentence and a fine that are fair and just in the circumstances of each case rather than impose the mandatory minimum, the statement went on to say. Critics of the law say it is making criminals out of individuals who did not intentionally take ammunition with them on vacation. Mullin said despite their lack of progress on Monday, he and others have no intentions on giving up. We will stay at the table through this process until this issue is resolved. U.N. says no to Russian-backed resolution to keep space weapons race at bay Russia's United Nations Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya waits to speak at the UN Security Council meeting during the 78th session of the General Debate at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, Sept. 2023. Todays vote is a unique moment of truth for our Western colleagues, he emphasized Monday as he called the Russian-backed resolutions draft comprehensive in nature and that it reflects the interests and aspirations of an overwhelming majority of UN members. File photo by Jason Szenes/UPI May 21 (UPI) -- The United Nations on Monday for the second time in nearly a month failed to adopt a first-of-its-kind resolution, this time Russian-backed, which aims to prevent a weapons race in outer space. Voting in favor of Monday's resolution: Algeria, Ecuador, China, Guyana, Mozambique, Russian and Sierra Leone. Voting against: France, Japan, Malta, Korea, Slovenia, Britain and the United States. Nine votes were needed for it to pass. Switzerland was the one abstention. Last month in April during a vote among the United Nations' 15-member security council, Russia first vetoed a similar U.S.- and Japan-sponsored U.N. resolution which opposed the deployment of nuclear weapons in space that used similar language to the one shut down Tuesday. While China abstained at the last vote, 13 member nations voted yes in favor of April's similar resolution. Russia's Permanent Representative to the U.N., Vasily Nebenzya, votes on an amendment in the Security Council Chamber at United Nations Headquarters in Nov. 2023. The White House in February confirmed Russia was developing "anti-satellite capability" but that it did not currently present an immediate threat. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI While introducing Monday's resolution, the Russian representative invoked the April 24 vote by saying the west and other countries were attempting "to portray the Russian Federation in an unfavorable light" and "assign to us a certain plan of action which we do not have." Russia says it wants to provide other U.N. countries the opportunity "not in word, but in deed," Russia's United Nations representative Vasily Nebenzya said, to "demonstrate the peaceful nature of their intentions" unlike the "blatantly politicized" previous resolution by Japan and the United States. "Today's vote is a unique moment of truth for our Western colleagues," he emphasized as he called the resolution's draft "comprehensive" in nature and that it reflects the "interests and aspirations of an overwhelming majority" of UN members. It comes as President Joe Biden days ago signed bipartisan legislation that bans the importation of Russian uranium amid the country's war with Ukraine in a move which severs the United States from its dependency on the Kremlin-controlled resource, while cutting off the Putin regime from another key revenue source for its military conflicts. U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood, the U.N.'s alternate representative for special political affairs, said Russia "seeks to distract global attention from its development of a new satellite carrying a nuclear device" in his remarks Monday, which he says they launched on May 16 into the same low Earth orbit as a U.S. government satellite. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty seeks to prevent member countries, such as the United States and Russia, from putting any objects carrying nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction into Earth's orbit. But Russia argues that their draft did cover those bases, which the U.S took issue with. The White House in February confirmed Russia was developing "anti-satellite capability" but that it did not currently present an immediate threat. The Russian Federation launched a Soyuz-2.1b rocket on May 16 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, but the Russian government did not immediately disclose any details about the satellite or its mission. "First, rather than enhance arms control, the Russian text put forward today would narrow the scope of efforts in other United Nations bodies in a way that would be detrimental to preventing an arms race in outer space," Wood said. HONG KONG, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Tuesday said that Hong Kong will host over 210 mega events in 2024, up from the 150 initially planned early this year, hoping to attract an estimated 1.7 million tourists. HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee said that these tourists are expected to spend around 7.2 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 923 million U.S. dollars). Hosting mega events have paid off economically, he said, noting that tourist visits to Hong Kong in the first four months doubled the figure a year ago to 14.62 million. The mega events slated for the second half of 2024 include conferences and exhibitions, cultural and art events, sport games, as well as activities related to sci-tech innovation, Michael Wong, deputy financial secretary of the HKSAR government, said at a press conference. Wong said the HKSAR government will continue working to set the stage for business opportunities for various industries in Hong Kong to seize and monetize. U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy Friday outlined a series to steps the postal service is taking to improve service at a regional mail processing center in Palmetto. In a letter to U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., DeJoy announced that more than 100 personnel from across the postal service have been sent to the Atlanta Regional Processing and Distribution Center (RPDC) to work onsite to identify and rectify bottlenecks, conduct quality assurance, ensure Atlanta personnel are adhering to the new procedures, and ensure the timely processing and dispatch of mail and packages. The federal agency also will revise transportation schedules between the regional center and other local processing centers to increase local trips, add processing capacity at the local centers, and shift cross-country volume away from the Atlanta facility until service stabilizes, DeJoy wrote. A postal service restructuring plan launched at Atlanta and Richmond, Va., earlier this year aimed at stopping the agency from bleeding red ink resulted in massive delays in mail processing. At a Senate committee hearing last month, Ossoff revealed that only 36% of inbound mail handled by the Palmetto center was being delivered on time as of the end of February. The postal service is in the middle of a major new investment in our Georgia operations, DeJoy wrote Friday. Unfortunately, the initiation of the Atlanta RPDC led to a significant drop in performance, which was unanticipated. To address this challenge in a purposeful and deliberative manner, we will continue to devote substantial time, resources, and attention until the facility and network improvements are performing to the intended specifications. DeJoy had announced earlier this week that the postal service would call a pause in implementing the restructuring plan at least until next year to allow time to get a handle on the problems. However, that raised questions as to whether that pause would affect the processing delays already being experienced in Georgia. Ossoff released a statement earlier Friday criticizing DeJoy for failing to provide updates the senator had requested regarding on-time mail delivery for Georgia families and businesses. I will continue fighting for the Georgians suffering from the postmaster generals failure, Ossoff vowed in a statement he released after receiving the letter. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama addresses a crowd at a breakfast hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in Montgomery on Nov. 3, 2023. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) WASHINGTON Two Republican U.S. senators have teamed up to try to prevent states from banning in vitro fertilization, months after the Alabama state Supreme Court upended access to the procedure by ruling fertilized embryos were children under state law. Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas introduced a three-page bill on Monday that would cut off a states Medicaid funding if that state were to bar in vitro fertilization. As a mom, I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing than our children, and IVF helps families across our nation experience the joyous miracle of life, grow, and thrive, Britt wrote in a statement. This commonsense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty family and freedom, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact it into law. Cruz wrote that IVF has given miraculous hope to millions of Americans, and it has given families across the country the gift of children. The bill comes months after the Alabama state Supreme Court ruled that fertilized embryos that were frozen or hadnt been implanted constituted children under an 1872 law. State lawmakers approved and Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation afterward to provide civil and criminal protections to the states IVF clinics so that they might resume their work. Questions, however, remain and at least one of the states IVF clinics has closed. Democrats in Congress have introduced their own bills to provide nationwide protections for IVF, though two of those bills have been blocked from quickly passing the Senate by GOP lawmakers. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi in late February prevented Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth from receiving unanimous consent to pass a bill that would have protected IVF nationwide. That bill would have blocked limitations on assisted reproductive technology services that are more burdensome than limitations or requirements imposed on medically comparable procedures, do not significantly advance reproductive health or the safety of such services and unduly restrict access to such services. Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford in March blocked Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray from quickly passing a bill that would have expanded access to in vitro fertilization for military service members and veterans. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. Sen. Katie Britt introduces bill to end a states Medicaid funding if it blocks IVF appeared first on Ohio Capital Journal. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama addresses a crowd at a breakfast hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in Montgomery on Nov. 3, 2023. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) WASHINGTON Two Republican U.S. senators have teamed up to try to prevent states from banning in vitro fertilization (IVF), months after the Alabama state Supreme Court upended access to the procedure by ruling fertilized embryos were children under state law. Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas introduced a three-page bill on Monday that would cut off a states Medicaid funding if that state were to bar in vitro fertilization. As a mom, I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing than our children, and IVF helps families across our nation experience the joyous miracle of life, grow, and thrive, Britt wrote in a statement. This commonsense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty family and freedom, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact it into law. Cruz wrote that IVF has given miraculous hope to millions of Americans, and it has given families across the country the gift of children. The bill comes months after the Alabama state Supreme Court ruled that fertilized embryos that were frozen or hadnt been implanted constituted children under an 1872 law. State lawmakers approved and Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation afterward to provide civil and criminal protections to the states IVF clinics so that they might resume their work. Questions, however, remain and at least one of the states IVF clinics has closed. Democrats in Congress have introduced their own bills to provide nationwide protections for IVF, though two of those bills have been blocked from quickly passing the Senate by GOP lawmakers. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi in late February prevented Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth from receiving unanimous consent to pass a bill that would have protected IVF nationwide. That bill would have blocked limitations on assisted reproductive technology services that are more burdensome than limitations or requirements imposed on medically comparable procedures, do not significantly advance reproductive health or the safety of such services and unduly restrict access to such services. Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford in March blocked Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray from quickly passing a bill that would have expanded access to in vitro fertilization for military service members and veterans. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. Sen. Katie Britt introduces bill to end a states Medicaid funding if it blocks IVF appeared first on Indiana Capital Chronicle. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama addresses a crowd at a breakfast hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in Montgomery on Nov. 3, 2023. (Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) WASHINGTON Two Republican U.S. senators have teamed up to try to prevent states from banning in vitro fertilization, months after the Alabama state Supreme Court upended access to the procedure by ruling fertilized embryos were children under state law. Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas introduced a three-page bill on Monday that would cut off a states Medicaid funding if that state were to bar in vitro fertilization. As a mom, I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing than our children, and IVF helps families across our nation experience the joyous miracle of life, grow, and thrive, Britt wrote in a statement. This commonsense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty family and freedom, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact it into law. Cruz wrote that IVF has given miraculous hope to millions of Americans, and it has given families across the country the gift of children. The bill comes months after the Alabama state Supreme Court ruled that fertilized embryos that were frozen or hadnt been implanted constituted children under an 1872 law. State lawmakers approved and Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation afterward to provide civil and criminal protections to the states IVF clinics so that they might resume their work. Questions, however, remain and at least one of the states IVF clinics has closed. Democrats in Congress have introduced their own bills to provide nationwide protections for IVF, though two of those bills have been blocked from quickly passing the Senate by GOP lawmakers. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi in late February prevented Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth from receiving unanimous consent to pass a bill that would have protected IVF nationwide. That bill would have blocked limitations on assisted reproductive technology services that are more burdensome than limitations or requirements imposed on medically comparable procedures, do not significantly advance reproductive health or the safety of such services and unduly restrict access to such services. Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford in March blocked Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray from quickly passing a bill that would have expanded access to in vitro fertilization for military service members and veterans. The post U.S. Sen. Katie Britt introduces bill to end a states Medicaid funding if it blocks IVF appeared first on Michigan Advance. U.S. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama addresses a crowd at a breakfast hosted by the Chamber of Commerce in Montgomery in November. (Photo by Alander Rocha/Alabama Reflector) WASHINGTON Two Republican U.S. senators have teamed up to try to prevent states from banning in vitro fertilization, months after the Alabama state Supreme Court upended access to the procedure by ruling fertilized embryos were children under state law. Sens. Katie Britt of Alabama and Ted Cruz of Texas introduced a three-page bill on Monday that would cut off a states Medicaid funding if that state were to bar in vitro fertilization. As a mom, I know firsthand that there is no greater blessing than our children, and IVF helps families across our nation experience the joyous miracle of life, grow, and thrive, Britt wrote in a statement. This commonsense piece of legislation affirms both life and liberty family and freedom, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact it into law. Cruz wrote that IVF has given miraculous hope to millions of Americans, and it has given families across the country the gift of children. The bill comes months after the Alabama state Supreme Court ruled that fertilized embryos that were frozen or hadnt been implanted constituted children under an 1872 law. State lawmakers approved and Gov. Kay Ivey signed legislation afterward to provide civil and criminal protections to the states IVF clinics so that they might resume their work. Questions, however, remain and at least one of the states IVF clinics has closed. Democrats in Congress have introduced their own bills to provide nationwide protections for IVF, though two of those bills have been blocked from quickly passing the Senate by GOP lawmakers. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi in late February prevented Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth from receiving unanimous consent to pass a bill that would have protected IVF nationwide. That bill would have blocked limitations on assisted reproductive technology services that are more burdensome than limitations or requirements imposed on medically comparable procedures, do not significantly advance reproductive health or the safety of such services and unduly restrict access to such services. Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford in March blocked Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray from quickly passing a bill that would have expanded access to in vitro fertilization for military service members and veterans. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. Sen. Katie Britt introduces bill to end a states Medicaid funding if it blocks IVF appeared first on Oklahoma Voice. Washington state Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. Washington state Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate medical school and can last between three and seven years depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine productive reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on NC Newsline. Washington state Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate medical school and can last between three and seven years depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine productive reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on Kentucky Lantern. Washington state Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate medical school and can last between three and seven years depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine productive reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on Rhode Island Current. Washington state Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate medical school and can last between three and seven years depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine productive reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on West Virginia Watch. Wisconsin Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Also pictured seated from left are, Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly, Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate medical school and can last between three and seven years depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine productive reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on Wisconsin Examiner. BRUSSELS, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The European Council announced on Tuesday that ministers from the European Union (EU) member states have given their final approval to the bloc's artificial intelligence (AI) act. The AI Act has adopted a risk-based approach, subjecting higher-risk AI applications to stricter regulation. The Act bans AI systems involved in cognitive behavioral manipulation and social scoring within the EU. It also prohibits the use of AI for predictive policing based on profiling and systems that use biometric data to categorize people according to specific categories such as race, religion, or sexual orientation. For general-purpose AI systems, the Act requires compliance with transparency requirements if they do not pose systemic risks. However, those with systemic risks must comply with stricter rules. Notably, the EU's AI Act exempts systems used exclusively for military, defense, and research purposes from these regulations. To ensure proper enforcement, the Act establishes several governing bodies, including an AI office, a scientific panel of experts, an AI board with representatives from member states, and an advisory forum for stakeholders. Once signed by the presidents of the European Parliament and the Council, the legislative act will be published in the EU's Official Journal and will enter into force 20 days after publication. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, outside the U.S. Capitol. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate medical school and can last between three and seven years depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine productive reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on Louisiana Illuminator. Washington state Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt | States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate medical school and can last between three and seven years depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine productive reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on Daily Montanan. Washington state Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate medical school and can last between three and seven years depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine productive reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on Iowa Capital Dispatch. Washington state Democratic U.S. Sen. Patty Murray speaks during a press conference on reproductive rights on Tuesday, May 21, 2024. Also pictured from the left are Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide, and Karen Stone, vice president of Public Policy & Government Relations at Planned Parenthood. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON Bans or severe restrictions on abortion access enacted by Republican state lawmakers have led to a downturn in medical students seeking to practice in those states, and a handful of Democratic U.S. senators said Tuesday those laws must be reversed. During a press conference just steps from the U.S. Capitol, the lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates cited a study released in early May by the Association of American Medical Colleges Research and Action Institute. The study found that fewer new graduates of U.S. medical schools applied to residency programs in states that banned or restricted access to abortion than to residency programs in states where abortion remained legal. In Alabama, for example, the study found that applicants for OB-GYN residency programs in the state dropped 21.2% in 2023-24, the Alabama Reflector reported. Medical residency programs begin after students graduate from medical school and can last between three and seven years, depending on what specialty the doctor is training in, according to AAMC. The AAMC Institutes website says it takes a novel and nonpartisan approach to policy challenges, redefines complex problems, and offers feasible solutions to improve U.S. health care among policymakers and the public. Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray said the downward trend could exacerbate physician shortages in those states, given that OB-GYNs are leaving them as well. It should not be surprising to anyone because after all, why go somewhere politicians and judges can overrule your medical degree and force you to put your patients in harms way? Murray said. Why practice in a state that threatens you with the loss of your license, heavy fines and even prison time if you dare to help the patient get the abortion care that they need? Congress, she said, must work to restore nationwide abortion protections that were in place for nearly 50 years until the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case less than two years ago. Wisconsin could lose critical care, Baldwin warns Wisconsin Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin said during the press conference that fewer doctors are choosing her home state to start their careers. Universities in states with abortion bans have been forced to send students out of state to receive reproductive care training, Baldwin said. Ive heard from doctors who are commuting across state lines, because they can no longer provide comprehensive care in their own communities. The decision by some medical students to seek out residency programs in states with protections for abortion access, could lead to states like Wisconsin losing critical care for half our population, Baldwin said. Fewer OB-GYNs means fewer doctors to deliver babies and perform prenatal and postnatal check-ups to ensure moms and babies get the healthy start that they deserve, Baldwin said. It means fewer doctors performing routine reproductive care, like administering mammograms and connecting women with safe and reliable birth control, Baldwin said. It means more women in reproductive care deserts unable to find treatment in case of emergencies. Baldwin said it makes sense that medical residents were seeking to learn and practice in states with protections for abortion access. If you were a medical student or doctor, would you rather work in a state that limits the science-backed care that you can provide, or one that has taken politicians out of the doctors office? Baldwin said. Arizona whiplashes between two abortion bans Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said that doctors and patients in his state are living with uncertainty and chaos as our state whiplashes between two abortion bans. Ive spoken to several doctors who are thinking of leaving the state and many who have already left, Kelly said. Ive been on Zoom calls and seen the cardboard boxes piled up in the back. And its because they cant practice under these current circumstances. Doctors applying to residency programs in Arizona decreased by nearly 20% from 2023 to 2024. And for OB-GYNs, applications dropped by more than 25%, Kelly said. The only way to reverse the situation, Kelly said, is by codifying abortion rights into law, once and for all. Dr. Raegan McDonald Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a practicing physician in Maryland, said during the last two years shes treated patients whove traveled hundreds and even thousands of miles to get care with me. The restrictions or bans on abortion access, she said, have led to longer wait times in states that have protected access, leading to complicated situations for doctors and patients. The AAMC Institutes study shows that students graduating from U.S. medical schools are less likely to apply for residency positions in states with abortion bans and restrictions, Mosley said. These consequences will only exacerbate health inequities across the country, Mosley said. As health care providers, we trust our patients to know what they need. We also know that abortion is health care. And yet too many of us are being prevented from providing that care and too many people are suffering as a result. Abortion pills sent to patients in states with bans Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he just heard last week about a young doctor, who left his home state of Oklahoma to come to New York to begin his OB-GYN residency at our state university system. New York, he said, has passed so-called shield laws that protect doctors within the state borders to prescribe and send abortion pills to patients in states that have outlawed abortion. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to decide in the coming weeks whether access to medication abortion, a two-drug regimen approved for up to 10 weeks gestation, will remain as it is now or revert to the prescribing guidelines that were in place before changes began in 2016. The case could significantly change when and how doctors can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol for abortions as well as miscarriage care. The justices heard oral arguments in the case in March. A majority of the nine justices deciding to roll back the prescribing guidelines to what was in place eight years ago would mean that doctors can no longer prescribe the two pharmaceuticals via telehealth and patients would no longer be able to receive them in the mail. Schumer said during Tuesdays press conference that restricting abortion access is cruel and has led to chaos for patients and doctors. The post U.S. Senate Dems tie state abortion bans to fewer beginning physicians appeared first on Nebraska Examiner. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a lawsuit that sought to end mail voting in Oregon. Here, election workers in Marion County prepared to process returned ballots from the 2022 primary. (Ron Cooper/Oregon Capital Chronicle) On the eve of Oregons primary election, a group of Republican candidates and election deniers learned they wont get to make their case to the U.S. Supreme Court to end Oregons mail voting system. The high court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from plaintiffs, including state Sen. Dennis Linthicum, the leading Republican candidate for secretary of state, in a case that sought to overturn the method Oregon voters have used to vote in every election for decades. The Supreme Court didnt give a reason for declining to hear the case, Thielman v. Fagan. Marc Thielman, a former school superintendent who captured 8% of the vote in his sixth-place finish in the 2022 Republican gubernatorial primary, led several other Republicans in suing then-Secretary of State Shemia Fagan in October 2022. Current Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, appointed after Fagans 2023 resignation, welcomed the Supreme Courts decision in a statement to the Capital Chronicle. Both the rulings from the District Court and the Ninth Circuit got it right: Oregons vote by mail system is the gold standard with no widespread voter fraud to speak of, she said. Im very pleased to see the Supreme Court leave the lower courts ruling in place. The lawsuit claimed without providing any evidence that Oregon voters have been disenfranchised by voting anomalies. The bulk of the suit rested on 2,000 Mules, a 2022 film from far-right commentator Dinesh DSouza that purported to show that people in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin delivered multiple ballots to drop boxes. The film doesnt include Oregon, and election experts have debunked its claims. They sought injunctions blocking Oregon from using mail voting and preventing ballots from being counted by tabulation machines, which are faster and more reliable than hand counting. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie Beckerman dismissed the suit last summer, writing that generalized grievances about the states election system didnt give Thielman, Linthicum and others standing to sue. Ninth Circuit decision A three-judge panel on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Beckermans ruling in December. Judges Marsha Berzon, Jacqueline Nguyen and Eric D. Miller wrote that the case resembled a recent Ninth Circuit ruling rejecting arguments from 2022 Arizona Republican candidate for governor Kari Lake speculating that the states election system was vulnerable. Plaintiffs do not allege that their votes were not counted, nor do they identify with sufficient particularity how any given election in Oregon was fraudulently manipulated through the vote-by-mail or computerized tabulation systems, the panel wrote. Indeed, plaintiffs concede that they do not know whether Oregon elections are fraudulently manipulated at all. Plaintiffs allege only that they suffer a crisis of confidence in Oregons voting systems, which is the same speculative grievance that we found insufficient to confer standing in Lake. Like Lake in Arizona, several of the Oregon plaintiffs were unsuccessful candidates. Thielman lost his gubernatorial bid, Ben Edtl and Sandra Nelson lost legislative races and Diane Rich and Pam Lewis lost local elections in Coos County. Linthicum, Edtl and Nelson will appear on Republican ballots again this year, with Edtl and Nelson running for the state House and Linthicum running for secretary of state, the office in charge of running elections. Stephen Joncus, an attorney for the plaintiffs, called the Supreme Courts decision very disappointing, and said hell continue fighting against Oregons electoral system. Vote by mail is an abomination, and we will fight it every possible way we can, he said. A survey conducted shortly before the 2022 election found that a majority of Oregonians consider their state the best or one of the best in the country at running elections, while 69% of all Oregon voters and 49% of Republican voters said they were confident in the safety, integrity and accuracy of voting by mail. Updated at 9 p.m. May 20 with a quote from Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade. The post U.S. Supreme Court wont hear Oregon lawsuit that sought to end mail voting appeared first on Oregon Capital Chronicle. (Bloomberg) -- Britons see just about the same risk of a Labour government raising their taxes as a Conservative one, according to a new poll, casting doubt on an oft-used Tory attack line ahead the UK election. Most Read from Bloomberg Some 43% of respondents expected their tax bill would rise under Labour, the survey of 2,308 adults conducted by polling firm More in Common found. Thats compared with 40% who said they anticipated more tax hikes if Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks Tories remain in power. While few Britons believed that either party would actually lower their taxes, answers to that question slightly favored Labour. Some 12% said they expected Keir Starmers opposition to decrease the tax burden, while 10% thought the Conservatives would, according to the poll, which was conducted from Friday to Sunday and shared exclusively with Bloomberg. The poll raises questions about how effective a favorite Tory argument against the left-leaning opposition may be in the general election, which Sunak has said he will call in the second half of the year. On Friday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Chancellor Jeremy Hunt warned of Labour tax rises in a speech, signaling plans to cut payroll levies further if the Conservatives overcome a 20-point gap in the polls and return to power. The strategy appeared to be an attempt to repeat former Conservative Prime Minister John Majors upset victory in 1992, when he campaigned against what he called Labours tax bombshell. Problem is, government efforts to soften the twin blows of Covid-19 and the energy price shock by offering huge subsidies to individuals have led it to push the tax burden to a post-war high. Moreover, some recent surveys have shown that voters favor investment in Britains strained public services over tax cuts. Starmer notably didnt include cutting taxes on the six first steps pledge card he released last week. Neither party has an advantage on the no-tax-rises test, said Luke Tryl, executive director for More in Common UK. People think both parties are equally likely to put up taxes this is likely to be most dangerous for the Conservatives. While the More in Common poll showed that 53% believed Starmer was unlikely to achieve all of the steps in his first term, it found more than six-in-10 respondents agreed each of them was a good idea. The survey also showed that 40% dont believe that Labours plans to expand workers rights would harm British businesses, compared with 29% who say they would. Still, both Sunak and Starmer are facing a skeptical electorate. The top three terms people used to describe Sunak were out-of touch, incompetent and weak. For Starmer, it was intelligent, professional and, like Sunak, weak. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. Stock photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Representatives of Ukraine and Sweden, which became NATO's 32nd full member in April this year, began negotiations on a bilateral security agreement on 21 May. Source: Office of the President of Ukraine website, as reported by European Pravda On the Ukrainian side, the round of talks was chaired by Ihor Zhovkva, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. The parties discussed the terms of the draft agreement and agreed on further steps to finalise and sign the document as soon as possible. Kyiv and Stockholm announced their intention to start negotiations on a security agreement last year, and in March they expressed their readiness to start them "as soon as possible". Previously: To date, Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements with nine countries, the latest being Latvia. An agreement with Norway is also expected to be signed. In early May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that security agreements with seven countries, including the United States, were in preparation. Support UP or become our patron! BOGOTA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Two police officers were killed and several others injured in two terrorist attacks on Monday in the municipalities of Morales and Jamundi in southwest Colombia, local authorities said. The first attack occurred in Morales, where purported members of a dissident faction of the disbanded Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrilla group targeted a police station with explosives and gunfire, killing two police officers. The attackers also looted the Agrarian Bank and destroyed several businesses. In Jamundi early Monday, a motorcycle loaded with explosives detonated in the vicinity of a hotel, where police assigned to reinforce security in the region were staying, injuring four people, including three children. Key developments on May 21: General Staff confirms Russian missile ship Tsiklon struck in occupied Crimea EU Council approves using Russian assets revenue to fund Ukraine Politico: US may announce new military aid package for Ukraine this week Reuters: Germany plans to up Ukraine military aid by 3.8 billion euros Justice Ministry: Over 3,000 Ukrainian convicts have applied to join military Border Guard: Russian offensive in Sumy Oblast can't be ruled out The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces confirmed on May 21 that the Russian missile ship Tsiklon was struck in a Ukrainian attack in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, on May 19. The ship was reportedly hit during an attack that the Ukrainian Navy previously said resulted in the destruction of the Russian minesweeper Kovrovets. Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk previously told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on May 20 that there was a possibility the ship had been "lost," but could not confirm the news at the time. Pletenchuk added that if the Tsiklon was indeed sunk, it would mean the loss of Russia's last missile ship in the Black Sea. The General Staff did not specify the extent of the damage caused to the ship. The Tsiklon was launched into service in July 2023, the state-run media outlet TASS reported. It is a Karakurt-class missile ship armed with various weapons, including Kalibr missiles. The report comes amid Ukraine's ongoing campaign targeting the Russian Black Sea Fleet, inflicting damage on warships one after another. In April, Ukraines Navy said that it had struck the Kommuna, a salvage ship that was launched in 1915 and is the oldest ship still in service in the Russian Navy. Following Ukraine's successful attacks from afar, the Russian military has withdrawn nearly all its major ships from ports in occupied Crimea following successful Ukrainian strikes on the Black Sea Fleet, Pletenchuk said in March. The Strategic Communications Center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (StratCom) recently reported that as of early February 2024, 33% of the Black Sea Fleets warships had been disabled, including 24 ships and one submarine. EU Council approves using Russian assets revenue to fund Ukraine The EU Council agreed to use profits from the frozen Russian sovereign assets to aid Ukraine, the Czech representation in the EU announced on May 21. According to the statement, the proceedings could amount to between 2.5 billion and 3 billion euros ($2.7-3.26 billion) annually, with most of it allocated to Kyiv's military needs. "Up to 3 billion euros ($3.26 billion) (could be raised) only this year, 90% goes for Ukraine's military. Russia must pay for its war damages," Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said. Ukraine's Western partners and other allies froze around $300 billion in Russian assets at the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Roughly two-thirds are held in the Belgium-based financial services company Euroclear. While the U.S. proposed seizing Russian assets outright, the EU has been more hesitant, fearing legal and fiscal pitfalls of confiscation. Instead, Brussels proposed to use windfall profits generated by the frozen assets and funnel them to Kyiv. In March, the European Commission submitted a proposal on using 90% of the generated funds to purchase weapons for Ukraine and allocate the remaining 10% to the EU budget to support the country's defense industry. After many weeks of debates, EU ambassadors reached a political agreement on the proposal on May 8. Ukraine's needs for foreign aid only grow as Russia ramps up pressure along the front and continues in aerial attacks against population centers and critical infrastructure. Ukrainian officials have repeatedly called for the confiscation of Russian assets as a path toward sustainable external financing that would not put pressure on partners' budgets. Read also: Russias new Kharkiv offensive pushes Vovchansk to the brink of annihilation Politico: US may announce new military aid package for Ukraine this week The U.S. may announce a new military aid package for Ukraine later this week, Politico reported on May 20, citing two unnamed American officials. Neither the value of the aid package nor the weapons it could include were disclosed. After six months of delays, the U.S. Congress approved a $61 billion foreign aid package for Ukraine in April. The Pentagon announced on April 26 that it was ready to move forward with sending $1 billion worth of weapons to Kyiv from U.S. stockpiles. Another defense aid package for Kyiv worth $400 million was authorized on May 10. The Pentagon said that it will likely take some time before new aid effects are felt on the battlefield. In the meantime, Russia launched a new offensive with 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated at the border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine. Moscow's forces had managed to advance as far as 10 kilometers (6 miles) in the region but had been halted by the first line of defense, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Over the winter months, Ukraine suffered a critical shortage of artillery shells, in large part due to delays in U.S. military aid. Russia has taken advantage of this, taking the city of Avdiivka in February. "Every decision to which we, then later everyone together, comes to is late by around one year," Zelensky told Reuters on May 20, adding that Western partners have been deliberating key decisions on military aid for Ukraine for "too long." Read also: Opinion: Will the renewed US support for Ukraine be enough? Reuters: Germany plans to up Ukraine military aid by 3.8 billion euros The German government plans to up its military aid to Ukraine by another 3.8 billion euros ($4.13 billion) in 2024, Reuters reported on May 21, citing its undisclosed source. The news agency confirmed an earlier article by the tabloid Bild, which also said that the sum of over 7 billion euros, previously approved by Germany's parliament for this year, has been almost entirely allocated to various projects. As only around 300 million euros (roughly $325 million) are left for additional weapons or ammunition purchases, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had requested the additional funds with the backing of Finance Minister Christian Lindner, Bild reported. Final approval will be required by the parliament in June. Initially criticized for its sluggish delivery of military aid to Ukraine following the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Germany has become the second-largest provider of military equipment after the U.S. Also on May 21, Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Ukraine's capital for a previously unannounced visit. Read also: Skynex: The German drone destroyer reinforcing Ukraines air defense Upon her arrival, Baerbock underscored Ukraine's need for air defenses to help repel Russian aerial attacks. "Russian missile terror, constant air alerts, permanent power outages, hardly any water: the situation in Ukraine has once again escalated dramatically with the massive Russian air strikes on the civilian infrastructure and the brutal Russian offensive in the Kharkiv area," the minister said. "That's why, together with Defense Minister (Boris) Pistorius, I launched a global initiative for more air defense. Almost a billion euros have now been raised to provide additional support for the Ukrainian air defense forces, and we are working intensively to ensure that there is even more." Berlin launched the initiative in April amid Kyiv's increasingly dire need for air defenses, facing heavy Russian aerial attacks against population centers and the energy grid. A number of countries have already backed the initiative since then, including Belgium, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, and others. Germany has also pledged to deliver its third Patriot air defense system to Ukraine. Read also: 48 hours in Kharkiv, Ukraines most-bombed major city Justice Ministry: Over 3,000 Ukrainian convicts have applied to join military More than 3,000 convicts have applied for conditional release to join Ukraine's Armed Forces, Deputy Justice Minister Olena Vysotska said on national television on May 21. President Volodymyr Zelensky last week signed into law a bill permitting citizens convicted under certain charges to serve in the military. The total number of recruited prisoners is affected by the law's restrictions on certain categories, their health, and the opinion of the commanders of the units where they can serve, Vysotska said. The list of convicted citizens who are allowed to join the military does not include those convicted of premeditated murder, sexual violence, drug trafficking or production, and crimes against national security. The measure will also exclude lawmakers and top officials imprisoned for corruption. "The desire of the convict, his motivation to sign a contract with the Armed Forces and then receive parole, is decisive in this law," Vysotska said. Currently, prisoners are undergoing examinations at military medical commissions and seek the approval of the commanders, after which the documents on a particular person are sent to the court, Vysotska said. "When we talk about 20,000 (recruited convicts), this is a very theoretical potential. In reality, it is 4,000-5,000. But we realized (that even this number) of motivated people... will help the Armed Forces. That is why we took this step," the deputy minister said, adding that all the figures are preliminary. The proposal was first submitted to the parliament in March as part of Ukraine's efforts to replenish the ranks of the Armed Forces amid the ongoing war with Russia. Ukraine recently updated the mobilization legal framework to ramp up draft efforts in 2024. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the new law on mobilization on April 16. Border Guard: Russian offensive in Sumy Oblast can't be ruled out Russia has "certain units" on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, and an attack in this sector "can never be ruled out," State Border Guard Service spokesperson Andrii Demchenko told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) on May 21. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's military intelligence chief, suggested in mid-May that Russian forces may launch an offensive in Sumy Oblast similar to the ongoing one in Kharkiv Oblast when the conditions are more favorable. Russia may try to attack the region even if it lacks substantial forces, Demchenko said. "It is in order to stretch the front line, the line of active combat operations, and actually stretch (Ukraine's) defense forces," he added. "We also need to understand that the length of the border with our enemy is quite large. It is more than 560 kilometers (around 350 miles) in Sumy Oblast alone." Ukraine should be prepared for "any situations" and continue to build up its defense capabilities, Demchenko said. Since the Russian-occupied parts of Sumy Oblast were liberated in early April 2022, the region has been experiencing daily shelling and attacks from across the border, as it is located on Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia. Ukrainian authorities ordered further evacuations from the region amid intensified attacks. Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has discussed Kyiv's call to partners to shoot down Russian missiles from their land, noting that if they do not want to do so, there is another option. Source: Kuleba said this at a briefing with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock in Kyiv, as reported by European Pravda Details: Kuleba said Ukraine is asking partners to intercept Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory. Quote: "There is no legal, security, or moral reason why our partners cannot shoot down Russian missiles over Ukrainian territory from their own country. Those who argue that such actions would constitute an escalation act in a manipulative style," Kuleba said. "We've heard numerous arguments about the importance of avoiding escalation, yet the Russian Federation has been the sole side causing escalation for the past two years. Therefore, firstly, we actually encourage partners to examine the chances of Russian missiles... being intercepted from the territory of our partner countries," Kuleba added. As he noted, if the partners refuse to shoot down Russian missiles, then there is another option. "If you don't want to do anything, simply provide all of the required resources. We will place them on Ukrainian territory and intercept the missiles ourselves. These are air defence systems, which include combat aircraft with the appropriate technical capabilities. And taking a stance in which we (European partners ed.) will not transfer air defence and will not support the shooting down of Russian missiles from our soil over the territory of Ukraine, is to appease the aggressor," the minister concluded. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that assistance from the North Atlantic Alliance in shooting down Russian missiles over the territory of Ukraine would help compensate for Kyiv's deficit in air defence systems and would not drag NATO in the war. Earlier, Zelenskyy said he did not understand why Western NATO allies downed Iranian missiles and drones flying towards Israel, but were afraid to do the same in Ukraine, fearing involving the Alliance in a war with Russia. Support UP or become our patron! The Russians bombarded Ukraine with 29 Shahed-131/136 attack UAVs on the night of 20-21 May, and 28 of them were shot down. Source: Ukraines Air Force on Telegram Quote from the Air Force: "As a result of combat efforts, 28 Shahed drones were shot down in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Kherson and Kirovohrad oblasts." Details: It is reported that the Russians launched the drones from three areas: the Russian cities of Primorsko-Akhtarsk and Kursk, and Cape Chauda in temporarily occupied Crimea. The air attack was repelled by mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defence Forces. Anti-aircraft missile units of the Air Force and the Ground Forces, fighter aircraft and electronic warfare units were also involved. Support UP or become our patron! Ukraines General Staff has confirmed that Tsiklon, a Russian missile boat, was struck in the Russian-occupied city of Sevastopol, Crimea, on the night of 18-19 May. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, information as of 16:47 on 21 May Quote: "New information we obtained indicates that Ukraines Defence Forces struck the Russian Project 22800 corvette Tsiklon on the night of 18-19 May." Previously: Information about the Russian Tsiklon ship, the carrier of Kalibr cruise missiles, having been struck started circulating online this week. Captain 3rd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk, the head of the Centre for Strategic Communications of the Defence Forces of the South of Ukraine, said that if the information that the Russian Tskilon missile carrier has been struck in Crimea is correct, Russian forces will no longer be able to launch Kalibr missiles from a short range. For reference: Russian open sources indicate that Tsiklon (Cyclone) is a Project 22800 corvette (code name Karakurt). The ship was handed over to the Russian Navy in July 2023. The ships technical specifications are as follows: displacement of 800 tonnes, length of 65 metres, width of 10 metres, draft of 4 metres. The ships maximum speed is 30 knots. Its range is 2,500 miles (at a speed of 12 knots). It can function autonomously for up to 15 days. Tsiklon was armed with the Oniks and Kalibr-NK vertical missile launchers, an upgraded 76.2 mm AK-176MA gun, and the Palash anti-aircraft gun. Support UP or become our patron! The United Nations (UN) on Tuesday said it had ran out of food supplies in Rafah, the city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip at the center of a possible new Israeli military push. The UN said food distribution was halted due to insecurity and the lack of supplies, according to The Associated Press (AP). The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the main agency providing aid to Palestinians in Gaza, said the distribution in the area is suspended. Food distributions in Rafah, southern Gaza, are currently suspended due to lack of supplies and insecurity, UNRWA said in Tuesdays social media post on X. UNRWA also shared that due to the ongoing Israeli military operation in eastern Rafah, both the agencys distribution center and the World Food Programmes (WFP) are inaccessible. The UN added that no aid trucks have entered the area using the newly-built pier that was spearheaded by the U.S., according to AP. At least 800,000 people have been displaced from Rafah in the past two weeks, according to a UN official. The crisis has worsened since Israel launched its military operation into Rafah on May 6. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) captured the Rafah crossing on the border with Egypt which has been shut down ever since. The UN said that around 1.1 million people in Gaza are on the brink of starvation. The U.S. has warned Israel not to invade Rafah with a developed plan that would ensure the safety of civilians in the area. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill. A 2024 China-California Business Forum signing ceremony is held in Los Angeles, California, the United States, May 20, 2024. The China-California Business Forum was held in Los Angeles on Monday, bringing together officials, business organizations and companies of the two countries with the goal of expanding business ties and subnational cooperation. (Xinhua) by Xinhua writers Tan Jingjing, Gao Shan LOS ANGELES, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The China-California Business Forum was held in Los Angeles on Monday, bringing together officials, business organizations and companies of the two countries with the goal of expanding business ties and subnational cooperation. Addressing the event, Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles Guo Shaochun said China is California's largest trading partner and California has the largest presence of Chinese-invested companies among all states in the United States. The bilateral economic and trade cooperation has facilitated growth in employment and economy, benefiting the peoples of both China and the United States. In 2023, China was California's top trading partner with two-way trade amounting to over 137 billion U.S. dollars. More than half of the containers entering and leaving the Port of Los Angeles are for trade with China, and 70 percent of the cargo volume at the Port of Long Beach is China-related, according to Guo. Calling the China-California Business Forum an important platform for deeper communication and broader business opportunities, Guo said the forum will vitalize subnational cooperation and promote the sound, stable and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations. Lieutenant Governor of the state of California Eleni Kounalakis said the relationship between California and China is special, citing California's location on the Pacific Rim, large Chinese American community, significant trading activities and student exchanges. "All of those have led to the creation of longstanding and respectful friendship," she said. This year's forum is joined by a Chinese delegation consisting of over 150 top business leaders and trade officials from dozens of provinces. Shanghai is the Guest City of Honor this year. Mayor of Shanghai Gong Zheng said that in recent years, the exchanges and cooperation between Shanghai and Californian cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have been further expanded. Shanghai expects to further enhance substantial cooperation with California in such areas as science and technological innovation, trade and investment, tourism, cultural exchanges and green development, in a bid to achieve high-level win-win cooperation, Gong said. Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, stressed the close bonds between China and Los Angeles. China is the sixth largest source of foreign-owned businesses in Los Angeles, and the third largest export market for L.A. dairy companies. Nearly 250 businesses from China have expanded to Los Angeles creating jobs and economic opportunity. Over the last ten years, L.A. companies have exported more than 60 billion dollars in goods to China. China's ports are the most significant trading partners on the port of Los Angeles, according to Bass. Amy Tong, secretary of California Government Operation, said California has long been a hub for cultural exchanges between China and the United States, helping Chinese visitors to feel welcomed at home and fostering rich artistic dialogues. Numerous museums, galleries and cultural institutions of California have events showcasing Chinese arts, calligraphy, music and dance. Events like the Chinese New Year celebrations further strengthen ties and promote mutual understanding, Tong said. California is also home to some of the world top universities and research institutions, attracting a significant number of Chinese students and scholars, she added. "Ultimately, as two of the biggest economies in the world, we hope our relationship can serve as a positive force for good, and remind the world what we have to gain by working together and towards peace and share prosperity," Tong noted. The forum focused on a number of important sectors, including clean technologies, e-commerce, agriculture, infrastructure and innovation. A series of memorandum of understanding (MoU) were signed during the event to boost trade cooperation between China and California, including one between World Trade Center Los Angeles and Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board, and another between San Francisco International Airport and Shanghai Airport Authority. The China-California Business Forum is an annual economic and trade event under the China Provinces and U.S. California Joint Working Framework for Trade and Investment cooperation. The event was founded to boost the pragmatic cooperation in trade and investment between California and related provinces and cities in China. Starting from 2016, the previous five forums have drawn in over 2,100 attendees, addressing an array of topics including clean technology, e-commerce, agriculture, infrastructure, innovation cooperation and more. Mayor of Shanghai Gong Zheng delivers a speech at the 2024 China-California Business Forum held in Los Angeles, California, the United States, May 20, 2024. Shanghai is the Guest City of Honor this year. The China-California Business Forum was held in Los Angeles on Monday, bringing together officials, business organizations and companies of the two countries with the goal of expanding business ties and subnational cooperation. (Xinhua) UN: Humanitarian aid for Ukraine falling but needed now more than ever Humanitarian aid for Ukraine is falling as its need only increases, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR warned on May 20. In an interview with AFP, Karolina Lindholm Billing, the UNHCR's representative in Ukraine, said there are 4 million displaced people in the country, including "some very, very vulnerable people." Billing said the situation was only worsening as Russia's full-scale invasion drags into its third year, but funding for international humanitarian aid was slowing down. The U.N. has a humanitarian plan for Ukraine that requires $3.1 billion this year, including $599 million for the UNHCR. So far in 2024, both have received only 15% of the required funding. Similar plans for 2023 were 30% at the same time last year, she said. "It is the most vulnerable (that) will bear the brunt of that reduced funding and support," Billing said. Countries have continued to pledge humanitarian aid packages to Ukraine, most recently Denmark. The Danish Foreign Ministry announced on May 7 a new 250 million kroner ($33.2 million) package and said about 40% of Ukraine's population is in need of humanitarian aid, citing U.N. data. "The humanitarian situation in Ukraine is extremely serious," said Dan Jorgensen, the Danish development cooperation minister. "Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced, thousands of homes have been destroyed, hospitals have been bombed, and basic necessities such as water, heating, and electricity are scarce resources for many Ukrainians." Read also: Kharkiv Oblast official: Ukraine controls around 60% of Vovchansk Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Palestinians gather in the hope of obtaining aid delivered into Gaza through a U.S.-built pier, as seen from central Gaza Strip (This May 21 story has been refiled to clarify hostage numbers in paragraphs 16 and 17) By Michelle Nichols and Idrees Ali UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United Nations has planned new routes within the Gaza Strip to transport aid from a U.S.-built floating pier after crowds of desperate Palstinians intercepted 11 trucks, causing a halt to deliveries that continued for a third day on Tuesday. The temporary pier was anchored to a Gaza beach last Thursday as Israel comes under growing global pressure to allow more supplies into the besieged coastal enclave, where it is at war with Palestinian militants Hamas and a famine looms. Operations began on Friday and 10 aid trucks were driven by U.N. contractors to a World Food Programme warehouse in Deir El Balah in Gaza. But on Saturday, only five trucks made it to the warehouse after 11 others were intercepted. "Crowds had stopped the trucks at various points along the way. There was ... what I think I would refer to as self-distribution," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Tuesday. "These trucks were traveling through areas where there'd been no aid. I think people feared that they would never see aid. They grabbed what they could," he said. Distribution was paused as the U.N. planned new routes and coordination of deliveries in a bid to prevent more aid being intercepted, said Abeer Etefa, a WFP spokesperson in Cairo. "The missions were planned for today using the new routes to avoid the crowds," she said. Dujarric later said there had been no transportation of aid from the pier since Saturday. 'WAITING FOR AMERICAN AID' The pier has been met with hope and scepticism by residents in Gaza. The pier operation - announced by U.S. President Joe Biden in March - is estimated to cost $320 million and involve 1,000 U.S. service members. "The pier should be there when the (Israeli) occupation completely ends. Then, it will be good for us. It will be good to travel, to get things," said Abu Nadi al-Haddad, questioning why it was needed now, given there were several land crossings. Another resident, Abu Nasser Abu Khousa, came to the coastal road close to where the pier is located with his four-year-old son and a donkey-drawn cart in the hope of receiving aid. "We are waiting for the American aid, but we did not get anything," he said, adding that he had lost his home in the war and had been displaced multiple times. "We will come back tomorrow, God willing, in the hope that we will get some aid, that will help us survive." U.S. officials have said that once up and running the pier would initially handle 90 trucks a day, but that number could go to 150 trucks. The U.N. has said at least 500 trucks a day are needed to enter Gaza. Aid offloaded at the pier comes via a maritime corridor from Cyprus, where it is first inspected by Israel. Two ships carrying aid left Cyprus earlier this month and the Pentagon said more than 569 metric tons of aid had been delivered to Gaza. "More is on the way, so you're going to see those numbers increase," Pentagon spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder told reporters on Tuesday. It was not immediately clear how much of the 569 metric tonnes of aid - which the Pentagon said had been donated by the U.S., Britain, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union - was still waiting to be transported by U.N.-contracted trucks. Israel is retaliating against Hamas in Gaza - an enclave of 2.3 million people - over the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian militants where more than 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies. Nearly 130 hostages are believed to remain captive in Gaza. Israel launched an air, ground and sea assault on the blockaded Palestinian territory, killing more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Aid access into southern Gaza has been disrupted since Israel stepped up military operations in Rafah, a move that the U.N. says has forced 900,000 people to flee. (Reporting by Aidan Lewis, Michelle Nichols, Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart; Editing by Gareth Jones and Deepa Babington) United States ambassador Robert Wood votes against draft resolution during the Security Council meeting on non-proliferation of weapons in space at UN Headquarters. Lev Radin/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa A UN resolution tabled by Russia against an arms race in space failed in the UN Security Council on Monday. The draft resolution received seven votes in favour while seven countries, including the US, voted against it. Switzerland abstained. The measure failed as it did not obtain the nine votes necessary to pass it in the powerful 15-nation council. In view of a US resolution against nuclear weapons in space that failed last month due to Russia's veto, US representative Robert Wood accused Moscow of manipulative tactics. The debate at the United Nations follows US reports in February about Russia's nuclear ambitions in space. Several major US media outlets reported findings about Russia attempting to develop an anti-satellite nuclear weapon based in space which could pose a threat to national and international security. In response, the US government stated that Russia was developing military capabilities for use against satellites - no details were given on the specific nature of this threat. Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the accusations, saying that Russia was against the deployment of nuclear weapons in space. Moscow labelled the US draft resolution in the UN Security Council as propaganda. Algeria, China, Russia, Ecuador, Guyana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone vote to adopt draft resolution during the Security Council meeting on non-proliferation of weapons in space at UN Headquarters. Lev Radin/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa Russia's ambassador Vassily Nebenzia attends the Security Council meeting on non-proliferation of weapons in space at UN Headquarters. Lev Radin/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa FILE - Russian Permanent Representative to the U.N. Vassily Nebenzia addresses members of the U.N. Security Council during a meeting on Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, April 24, 2024, at the United Nations headquarters. The United States says that Russia last week launched a satellite that could be part of weaponizing space. That's a possible future global trend that members of the United Nations Security Council condemn, even as they failed on May 20, to pass a measure against it. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez, File) UNITED NATIONS (AP) The United States said Monday that Russia last week launched a satellite that could be part of weaponizing space, a possible future global trend that members of the United Nations Security Council condemned even as they failed to pass a measure against it. The Security Council resolution drafted by Russia rivaled one backed by the U.S. and Japan that failed last month. The rival drafts focused on different types of weapons, with the U.S. and Japan specifying weapons of mass destruction. The Russian draft discussed all types of weapons. The U.S. and its allies said the language that the 15-member council debated on Monday was simply meant to distract the world from Russia's true intention: weaponizing space. The culmination of Russias campaign of diplomatic gaslighting and dissembling is the text before us today," U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the council. Russias U.N. ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, denied that his nation was trying to mislead the world. Backed by China and others, he called the vote a unique moment of truth for our Western colleagues. If they fail to support this, then they will clearly show that their main priority remains keeping freedom of the way for themselves to expedite the militarization of outer space," Nebenzia said. Every nation says it wants weapons barred from space, and council members repeated that Monday. But when it came time to vote, the council evenly split 7-7 between backers of the U.S. and of Russia, with Switzerland abstaining. The measure failed under U.N. rules because it didn't receive nine votes. We have this negative, squabbling attitude among leading space powers that seem more interested in scoring points off their adversaries rather than engaging in constructive dialogue, said Paul Meyer, Canadas former ambassador for disarmament and a fellow at the Vancouver-based Outer Space Institute. Since before humans left the Earth, the worlds most powerful nations have worried about their enemies using outer space to attack them . The Soviet Union and the United States sent men into space in 1961. Six years later, the Soviets, the U.S. and the United Kingdom signed a treaty declaring outer space a global commons that could be used for only peaceful purposes. Even though nations could not wage war without the space-based communications, reconnaissance and weather tools that satellites and spacecraft provide, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty requires them to keep their weapons on Earth. You realize what an important conflict-prevention measure that was, Meyer said. Its become even more important, he said, as a growing number of nations have moved into space. About a dozen have the capacity to launch spacecraft, and about 80 have their own satellites, not to mention the private companies with assets in orbit. All of that could be at risk if a conflict in space causes an explosion and shrapnel, which could disable the vital systems that millions of people around the world depend on. A lot of people have a stake in being able to operate in space safely and securely, Meyer said. The U.S. has gathered highly sensitive intelligence about Russian anti-satellite weapons that has been shared with the upper echelons of government, four people who had been briefed on the intelligence said in February. The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly, said the capability was not yet operational. Unclaimed property event to be held May 22-23 VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) The Virginia Beach City Treasurers Office and the Virginia Treasury want you to stake your claim. There will be an unclaimed property event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 23. Virginians can call 1-833-302-0704 to speak with treasury staff about unclaimed property and file a claim. Typically, unclaimed assets are turned over to the state when companies lose contact with the rightful owners. The state will keep the unclaimed property forever unless the rightful owner or their heirs claim it. Unclaimed property includes, but is not limited to: Lost or misplaced bank accounts Uncashed checks Wages Stocks Dividends Utility deposits Insurance policy proceeds Safe deposit box contents The commonwealth has returned more than $1.1 billion in unclaimed property. To check to see if you have unclaimed property visit VaMoneySearch.gov. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Matthew Mosteller from Grant High School attended a graduate recognition ceremony at BMO Stadium, south of downtown, to celebrate students like him who had experienced homelessness but persevered to earn a diploma. (Al Seib / For The Times) One student lived variously in a car, a homeless shelter, motels and with relatives. Another was kicked out of the house in high school. And yet another shared one room with his entire family and worked washing dishes. These Los Angeles Unified high school students represent a complex mosaic of hardship, but also have overcome tremendous adversity and were among 130 who were honored Monday by the district at BMO Stadium south of downtown, where many received college scholarships. "You're here because you accomplished something, because you made sure your life has meaning," author Luis Rodriguez said in remarks to the graduates. Rodriguez, who also overcame hardship in his youth, told the graduates to learn to love themselves in a positive way and "the angels will come out of the woodwork the teachers and the mentors and the people will come out to help you. That's been my experience." About 15,000 students experience homelessness in the L.A. Unified School District, an increase of about 3,000 students or about 25% from the previous year. These numbers are "likely an undercount as students self-identify as experiencing homelessness," said district spokesman Britt A. Vaughan. Across L.A. County, about 47,700 students faced housing instability during the 2022-23 school year out of nearly 1.4 million students. In a given year, about 11% of California students experiencing homelessness will spend time either living in a temporary shelter or under no roof at all. An additional 6% will be living in a hotel. School is her stability Janai Johnson from James Monroe High School was a featured speaker at a recognition ceremony honoring graduating students who, like her, had overcome homelessness. (Al Seib / For The Times) Janai Johnson said she was determined to achieve stability once she walked through the schoolhouse door at Monroe High in the San Fernando Valley. She was going to stay in school and stay in that particular school. Her mother shared that determination, although the breakup with her husband a necessity, says Janai made things harder financially. "I've been in and out of homeless shelters, motels, and we've bounced around with different family members across California," Janai said. "So that definitely does take a toll." Janai's mom found shelter and work at the downtown Union Rescue Mission, but it was more than 23 miles away from Monroe High more than an hour's drive during peak traffic. Still, that was a breeze compared with more than a year they spent in a small apartment in Moreno Valley, when her mother drove her 85 miles and two hours each way. "Me and my mom are extremely close," Janai said. "She's been my No. 1 supporter forever. She constantly tells me how proud she is and that, if I get a higher education, things will be easier for me. And I think that's why I've always been so interested in college." Janai remembers having to get to school early being the first to arrive and shivering in the morning chill. She fought to be active in school activities. These included a program called AVID, which helps prepare students for college and careers. Her mom never got to finish college. Sometimes the schedule was too much and Janai would fall asleep in class but her teachers were understanding. And she's managed to maintain a 3.0 GPA. Janai plans to study early childhood development at Cal State Channel Islands. On his own Matthew Mosteller from Grant High looks at his scholarship certificate after the end of the ceremony. About 130 seniors participated. (Al Seib / For The Times) The state defines homeless youths as those who "lack a fixed, regular and adequate nighttime residence." Matthew Mosteller's mother died in childbirth. His grieving father wasn't prepared to raise a child, so Matthew's grandparents stepped in, he said. When his father returned to the picture, Matthew lived with him. But Matthew said he was rebellious and his father entered a new relationship followed by a baby. Matthew got kicked out at 17 and had to make it on his own, working at a pizza restaurant, he said. That's not enough to pay for his own place, so he has moved around. But he didn't give up on having a life at school. He won election as a student body officer and became a peer counselor while maintaining a 3.97 GPA. Matthew plans to be a firefighter, most likely going to a local community college to earn the necessary credentials. "I was stressed because of how difficult it would be," Matthew said. "But at the end of the day, I knew I would still be able to succeed and rise above everything." College-bound According to census data, approximately 15,307 California students experiencing homelessness were enrolled in the 12th grade during the 2022-23 academic year. Only about half enroll in college, even though data indicate that an overwhelming majority wish to pursue careers that require post-high school education. A bill by state Sen. Dave Cortese (D-San Jose) could help by providing several months of modest guaranteed income that would bridge the time between high school graduation and the start of college. Housing instability takes many forms, including living in overcrowded, substandard situations. Juan Mesa has been living with his parents and younger brother in a single room in an apartment without air conditioning they share with another family. About 8 in 10 students experiencing unstable housing share small spaces with more than one family, according to state data. Juan Mesa from Edward R. Roybal Learning Center excelled in school despite having to work as a dishwasher and living in a one-room space with his parents and brother in an apartment shared with another family. (Al Seib / For The Times) When Juan was 15, his family emigrated from Bogota, Colombia where his father was a teacher and his mother took on odd jobs. His father dreamed of a better opportunity for his children in the U.S. and spent several years saving up. But poverty awaited them in Los Angeles, especially because it took a while before his parents were allowed to work. Juan helped out by working as a dishwasher 20 to 30 hours a week. "We always had this belief of helping family that's something really important. So in tough moments, I step in and I had to get a job," he said. He excelled at Roybal Learning Center on the edge of downtown, speaking strong English within a year. He quickly moved into Advanced Placement English classes. He plans to major in the public health field when he begins at UC Davis in the fall. Thriving in L.A. Like many other unhoused students, Xavier Moreland moved from relative to relative at various times and had to do so by himself, without a permanent attachment to a supportive family member. "I was never, ever celebrated in my life for anything," he said. "And it just sort of made me struggle in school. It was very hard for me socially, to get along with anyone else because that's all I knew. And I was often bullied." Xavier grew up in Ohio, but was finally able to connect with a supportive older brother in L.A. His brother, other adults and friends helped him thrive and reach this graduation day, he said. Xavier plans to attend community college in Napa Valley, where he hopes to learn about the hospitality industry. Xavier Moreland from Grant High School said his life recently turned around after years of family instability. (Al Seib / For The Times) Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. MILLCREEK, Utah (ABC4) Officers with the Unified Police Department were involved in a Millcreek shooting, according to authorities. In a press release, the Unified Police Department said officers responded to a call of a reported kidnapping and hostage situation involving a 15-year-old victim in the area of 3500 South and 2300 East on Monday, May 20. UDOT eyes ambitious projects including new freeway in Utah County Upon arrival, officers entered the home where they encountered a suspect with a firearm. UPD said during the incident, a shot was fired by police killing the suspect. The Unified Police Department did not provide details on what led to officers opening fire. A firearm was reportedly recovered from the scene. Details on the suspect, including age and gender, have not been publicly released. Unified Police Department said the West Valley Police Department is leading an investigation into the incident. No further information was made available as of Tuesday morning, but UPD said it will release additional details as they become available. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. A majority of the workers at two Mercedes plants near Tuscaloosa, Alabama, rejected an opportunity to join the United Auto Workers union in an election that concluded on May 17, 2024. UAW supporters lost 2,642 to 2,045, just one month after the workers at a Volkswagen plant in the neighboring state of Tennessee chose by a 3-to-1 margin to join the union. Based on my research about organized labor in the United States and other countries and what I learned when I went to Alabama to observe the election and talk to Mercedes workers, I believe what happened in Alabama illustrates how hard labor organizing is in the South, but its too soon to write off the UAWs chances in the region. Public and private efforts to block unions The UAW made eight failed attempts to unionize foreign-owned auto plants in the South over the past 35 years. That losing streak ended when it won 73% of all ballots cast in its historic Tennessee win. My most recent book, The UAWs Southern Gamble: Organizing Workers at Foreign-owned Vehicle Plants, highlights the big challenges the UAW has long faced in the South. For 40 years, Southern political and business leaders have sought to attract investment to their states especially from foreign-owned manufacturers by offering massive subsidies, low taxes, lower labor costs and a largely compliant workforce. This model has worked. Today, roughly 30% of U.S. autoworkers are in the South, up from about 15% in 1990. Whenever the UAW has tried to unionize the industry in the region, the Southern political establishment, which the Republican Party dominates, has pushed back. Most recently, six Southern GOP governors encapsulated that tradition in a joint letter shortly before the Volkswagen vote. In it, they denounced the UAWs organizing drive as special interests looking to come into our state and threaten our jobs and the values we live by. Union avoidance playbook Automotive executives across the American South have developed what I call a union avoidance playbook. This strategy includes locating plants in rural areas with little union membership, screening out hires who might be sympathetic to unions, and dividing the workforce by using temp agencies to fill a significant share of positions. Messaging is equally important. The plants have television monitors in break rooms and cafeterias that run pro-company and anti-union messaging. To undercut support for unions, companies donate lavishly to local churches, charities and politicians. If, despite these efforts, a labor campaign gains momentum, plant managers typically launch a communication blitz that includes mandatory meetings for whole shifts and smaller meetings with undecided employees to make the case against unionization. Union supporters dont get an opportunity to respond. In recent years, the communication strategy has included a torrent of anti-union emails and text messages to persuade employees to oppose unionization. Most foreign-owned Southern automakers will hire anti-union consultants with years of experience fighting unions to guide their efforts. If the election still looks close, the companies may replace the plants local CEO. That new hire then tells employees that the company now understands their grievances and asks for a second chance. Why UAW won over Volkswagen workers The UAWs Tennessee win suggests that the Southern public-private, anti-union partnership is not invincible. Three factors explain the unions success. First, the election of Shawn Fain as UAW president in March 2023 marked a turning point. The charismatic electrician from Kokomo, Indiana, wasted no time shifting the UAW away from its prior accommodation with automakers. Fain used forceful rhetoric and innovative tactics to score wins at the bargaining table throughout the UAWs concurrent strikes at Ford, General Motors and Stellantis in the fall of 2023. The new contracts that followed gave workers substantial pay and benefits increases and restored cost-of-living adjustments. Those deals also eliminated a two-tier wage structure that paid workers hired since 2007 significantly less for doing the same job than colleagues with more seniority. By late 2023, the UAW had shown Southern autoworkers that it could deliver gains that their employers were unlikely to grant on their own. This made more Southern autoworkers want to join the union. Second, the UAW revamped its labor organizing system. Out went its top-down approach. Under Fains leadership, the UAW hired Brian Shepherd a proven organizer from the Service Employees International Union to take charge. Shepherd has empowered automotive employees who were supportive of unionization to tailor the organizing campaigns to what they thought would work best. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain speaks to reporters in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on May 17, 2024, after workers at two Alabama Mercedes-Benz factories voted against joining the UAW. AP Photo/Kim Chandler German solidarity Third, the UAWs relationship with Volkswagens German works council leadership, which represents employees in the workplace, has dramatically improved. A works council is an elected body of employees that represents employee interests at the workplace and company levels. It is distinct from the German metalworkers union, IG Metall, which has always been supportive of unions representing U.S. autoworkers. Ties between the UAW and the works council were strained during the 2014 and 2019 organizing campaigns. But the works council leadership changed in 2021. During the Volkswagen campaign, the German works council intervened in several instances to soften managements resistance to unionization and to urge Chattanooga employees to vote for the union. The UAWs Mercedes defeat In previous votes at foreign-owned auto plants in the South, the UAW typically garnered just one-third of the vote. In Alabama, it received 44%. So, its reasonable to see that loss as a sign of progress and strength, even if it fell short of a majority. As I explain in my book, to win an election, a union must prevail in the political arena and within the company as a whole, as well as the workplace. Mercedes had the overwhelming support of Alabamas political establishment, including Rev. Matthew Wilson, a Tuscaloosa City Council member and Baptist church pastor. There was a big difference between what happened with the labor campaigns at Mercedes and Volkswagen, however. The UAW gained timely support of the VW works council, which persuaded the companys management not to hire anti-union consultants, use anti-union language or hold mandatory meetings. In contrast, the Mercedes works council protested only belatedly, failing to change Mercedes approach. In addition, Mercedes replaced the local CEO, Michael Gobel, with Federico Kochlowski, who promised that the company would do a better job addressing the employees long-standing concerns. This closing barrage revealed a weakness in the UAWs employee-led organizing model. It proved difficult for the small number of organizers to respond quickly and effectively using a network of employees who had little experience with these tactics. Despite the victory in Alabama, Mercedes management may be in trouble in Germany for reportedly resorting to unfair tactics. The German government is investigating whether the companys anti-union campaign violated the countrys supply chain law, which requires companies to respect economic, governance and social standards, including labor rights, at their foreign facilities. Violators can be subject to a fine of up to 2% of total sales. Separately, the UAW has filed a complaint against Mercedes with the National Labor Relations Board, alleging anti-union tactics. The complaint is pending with that federal agency, which is responsible for enforcing the right of U.S. workers to organize. Moving foward Fain vowed to continue the organizing drive when he announced the results at Mercedes. These workers will win their fair share, he said. And we will be there every step of the way to support them. I would not be surprised to see a majority of workers ultimately decide to support joining the UAW at the two Mercedes plants in Alabama. The vote was relatively close. Unionization drives often fall short in the first attempt but succeed subsequently when it becomes apparent that management is not going to fulfill promises to do better. If the UAW leadership can persuade the Mercedes works council to pressure management to curtail use of the union avoidance playbook, prospects for organizing the Alabama plant with a new campaign look especially promising. In my view, the UAW also has a reasonable shot at organizing BMW workers in South Carolina. On the other hand, unionizing Southern workers employed by Korean and Japanese-owned automakers is likely to prove more challenging partly because neither country has an institution similar to Germanys works councils. For the UAW to succeed throughout the South, I believe that it will have to develop strategies that can overcome the entire repertoire of the regions union-avoidance playbook. Portions of this article appeared in another article published May 7, 2024. Stephen J. Silvia received funding for this research from the American Political Science Association to conduct research at the UAW archives, which are housed at Wayne State University's Walter Reuther Library, and from the Hans Boeckler Foundation to conduct research at southern automobile plants. icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from Council on Foreign Relations, Voice of America, The Guardian Arrow Down Title icon The News Carbon emissions are a form of maritime pollution, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, a United Nations maritime court in Germany, ruled on Tuesday. In turn, countries are legally required to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. The court also recommended revising emissions targets down further, based upon the best available science. Its a win for a coalition of nine small island states across the Caribbean and Pacific, which had sought increased protection from rising sea levels. Island nations particularly in the tropics are among the most vulnerable to climate disasters. The judgment is not legally binding, but it could set a precedent for decisions for future climate litigation. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Island nations disproportionately feel climate changes impact Source icon Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, The Guardian, United Nations Despite contributing less than 0.02% of global greenhouse gas emissions, Pacific island nations are on the frontline of the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, according to the UN. Pacific and Caribbean island economies depend on ecotourism and overseas trade unique circumstances that increase their vulnerability to climate change, the Council on Foreign Relations wrote. Their geography also means natural disasters can hurt domestic food production, increasing the risk of malnutrition as the climate warms. The Caribbean islands are essentially a microcosm of the challenges were all facing, said the director of Northeastern Universitys Global Resilience Institute. The decision makes polluters accountable, but action isnt guaranteed Source icon Sources: Associated Press, Reuters, Voice of America Island advocates said the decision could put an end to the inaction that has brought us to the brink of an irreversible disaster, but getting the worlds biggest polluters to do more will be difficult. China, the worlds largest carbon emitter, argued the Tribunal doesnt have the authority to issue advisory opinions and argued the decision could even hurt climate law going forward. Meanwhile, the second largest emitter, the United States, refused to sign on to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea; treaty skeptics said part of the reason is a fear of meritless environmental lawsuits, Voice of America reported. Decision solidifies ties between human rights and climate change Source icon Sources: Greenpeace, Semafor, Reuters The tribunals decision marks a significant step forward in international environmental law and the protection of our oceans and sets a clear legal precedent for addressing climate change through existing international frameworks, said Greenpeaces legal advisor Louise Fournier. The small islands win follows another landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights in March that found that Europes member states have a legal obligation to protect citizens from climate change. The cases could influence two pending advisory opinions on states climate obligations in the Inter-American Court on Human Rights and the International Court of Justice, Reuters reported. Semafor Logo The United States has sent 59 transformers and other equipment to Ukraine for Kharkiv, which is being subjected to regular air attacks from the Russian Federation. Source: European Pravda; Bridget A. Brink, US ambassador to Ukraine on X (formerly Twitter) Brink said that last week, the United States, through the Agency for International Development (USAID), sent 50 voltage transformers, nine current transformers and 80 isolators to the Kharkiv power distribution systems operator. Last week we provided through @USAID 50 voltage transformers, 9 current transformers, & 80 isolators to Kharkivs energy distribution system operator to help energy workers undertake urgent repairs to Kharkivs electrical grid damaged by Russias missile and drone attacks. pic.twitter.com/C8VmGLuliD Ambassador Bridget A. Brink (@USAmbKyiv) May 21, 2024 "To help energy workers undertake urgent repairs to Kharkivs electrical grid damaged by Russias missile and drone attacks," she explained. Background: Brink announced that the United States had donated 107 generators to Ukraine for Kharkiv Oblast, which is being subjected to regular air attacks from Russia. Earlier, it was reported that the Austrian government would allocate 5 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Prior to that, it became known that Germany would provide a 45 million grant to help Ukraine's energy sector recover quickly after the Russian attacks. It was also reported that the UK will donate 23 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. Support UP or become our patron! LIMA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed after a passenger van collided head-on with a tractor-trailer in central Peru's Pasco region, local media reported Monday. The crash occurred around 8:00 a.m. local time (1300 GMT) at kilometer 157 of the central highway when the vehicle involved was heading from Pasco to Huariaca. "So far we have eight deaths, including three minors, students at the Antioquia Educational Institution," said Martin Berrospi, mayor of the Huariaca district, adding that authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact causes of the accident. Berrospi said the highway was in dire need of repairs and called on the national government to better maintain the roadway to avoid further accidents. May 21 (UPI) -- Campus authorities on Tuesday cleared about 50 protesters from a pro-Palestinian tent encampment at the University of Michigan early Tuesday morning. The University of Michigan confirmed that just before 6 a.m. EDT, the school's law enforcement began clearing the encampment on the university's Central Campus Diag. "The university can and must regulate the time, place, and manner of expression to ensure one group's right to protest does not infringe on the rights of others, endanger our community or disrupt the operations of the university," University of Michigan President Santa Ono said a statement Tuesday morning outlining the school's decision to clear and remove the encampment after nearly a month. In addition to at least three known arrests, two students were confirmed to be hospitalized, according to the student-lead Tahrir Coalition, who said pepper spray was also involved. Protestors were then seen on social media rallying at the Washtenaw County government building in Ann Arbor. Up to 200 protesters reportedly inhabited the encampment in the days and hours before. It was first setup weeks ago on April 22 to demand that the university divest itself from Israeli-backed institutions amid the ongoing war in Gaza. "Following a May 17 inspection by the university fire marshal, who determined that were a fire to occur, a catastrophic loss of life was likely, the fire marshal and Student Life leaders asked camp occupants to remove external camp barriers, refrain from overloading power sources, and stop using open flames," Ono wrote, saying protestors refused to comply, forcing the university to act. Michigan state police were reportedly seen on campus around the encampment in recent weeks. But local police in Ann Arbor said they were "not involved with the clearing of protesters on the University of Michigan campus and made no arrests connected to the protest." The university's public safety officials said their officers issued three verbal warnings over a 15-minute period, "asking the approximately 50 people who were in the encampment to leave voluntarily before being subject to arrest," the department said in a statement. "In recent days, encampment participants have also received numerous outreach attempts from U-M administrators and DPSS leadership, asking them to leave," they said in a news release before 10 a.m. "The encampment posed safety risks, both to participants and the community at large, and its presence was in violation of policies and regulations," they said, adding that its removal was important "to help maintain the safety and security of the U-M campus community." In his letter, Ono noted "the disregard for safety directives was only the latest in a series of troubling events centered on an encampment that has always violated the rules that govern the Diag -- especially the rules that ensure the space is available to everyone." This fresh encampment removal echoes a series of similar events recently at other American universities or college campuses, like New York's Columbia University, that have been calling for Israeli financial divestments in a pattern that extends back to South Africa's apartheid. But divesting from Israel poses challenges in Michigan since the state has a law prohibiting state contracts with anyone who supports divesting from or boycotting Israel. In Michigan, a 1983 law did call for the state's higher learning institutions to divest from South African-based investments which got initial pushback from the University of Michigan "Moving forward, individuals will be welcome to protest as they always have at the University of Michigan, so long as those protests don't violate the rights of others and are consistent with university policies meant to ensure the safety of our community," Ono's letter says. "To be clear, there is no place for violence or intimidation at the University of Michigan. Such behavior will not be tolerated, and individuals will be held accountable." CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) The University YMCA at the University of Illinois is creating a time capsule to be opened during its 200th anniversary in 50 years time and they are looking for suggestions. The project comes on the heels of the University YMCAs 150th anniversary, which was celebrated last year. A time capsule from 1907 was discovered in February 2023 during the demolition of Illini Hall, which was originally built by the YMCA and housed the program for 10 years. The capsule was finally opened that September in honor of the YMCAs sesquicentennial. Groundbreaking on Arcola Broom Palace set for May 31 Now, University YMCA officials want to continue the preservation of its history with another time capsule. This time, it will be opened in 2073 for its two-century celebration. Currently, officials are brainstorming what materials to place inside the capsule. They want the community to share their ideas of items and sentiments to include in the capsule that will impact the people who will open the capsule up 50 years from now. To submit input, you can fill out this form. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com. Military leaders and outside analysts have warned for years that China is making rapid progress in space. Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, recently cautioned that China is growing its military space and counterspace capabilities at breathtaking pace. He cited Chinas rapid increase in space-based surveillance capabilities in particular, saying it had tripled in number since 2018 to 359 surveillance satellites. Maj. Gen. Greg Gagnon, deputy chief of space operations for intelligence, said that since 2015, China has increased its number of satellites by 550%. These numbers are understandably alarming, but they dont tell the whole story. The figures military leaders cite include more than Chinas military and intelligence satellites. As shown in the AEI Space Data Navigator, China has 848 operational satellites as of May 2024, compared to just 129 in 2015 (an increase of just over 550%) but the vast majority of these are not military satellites. Of the 848 Chinese satellites operating today, 179 are military and intelligence satellites, 271 are civil (including the Beidou constellation for navigation and timing), 362 are commercial and 36 are academic. To put this in perspective, the United States has a total of 6,975 operational satellites today eight times as many as China and since 2015, the total number of U.S. satellites has increased by over 2,100%. Why are military leaders so concerned? Its because the lines between Chinese military, civil and commercial satellites are blurred, and in a conflict the United States expects that all Chinese space assets can and will be used by the military. The same is not true for the United States, and the vast majority (94%) of U.S. satellites are commercial. When the total number of Chinese satellites is compared to only U.S. military and intelligence satellites, the picture is different. The United States has just 300 military and intelligence satellites in operation roughly a third of Chinas total space assets. While Chinas rapid advances in space and counterspace technology is concerning, the United States failure to fully leverage the innovation of its own commercial space sector is even more concerning. The creation of the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) is a step in the right direction, but it is only a small step because it merely creates the option to use commercial satellites in a crisis. To put this in perspective, the Civil Reserve Air Fleet that served as an inspiration for CASR has only been used three times in the 73 years since it was created. As I detailed in a recent report, the vibrance and innovation of the U.S. commercial space sector is the envy of the world, and it is rooted in our free market economic system, open society and access to capital an enduring advantage we have over China. In 2023, the U.S. commercial space sector alone (not including government missions) launched three times as many satellites as the rest of the world combined, and U.S. effective launch capacity in 2023 was four times the rest of the world combined. China is not ahead of the United States in space by any stretch of the imagination. Its the U.S. military and intelligence community that are falling behind the commercial space sector and losing ground to China. But it doesnt have to be this way. Congress and the Biden administration need to unleash the full potential of the Space Force to compete with China, and the best way to do that is to build on what is already working. The Space Development Agency (SDA) has found the right approach to leverage commercial innovation in its proliferated warfighter space architecture. It is using a spiral development approach, with each tranche of satellites having progressively better capabilities, and it is leveraging commercial technology and components wherever possible. Right now, it is working on two layers of the architecture: the data transport layer and the missile tracking layer. But the SDA could do more if given the resources. In particular, it should immediately begin work on a tactical intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) layer what it has previously referred to as the custody layer. The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the Space Force are debating a constellation of satellites for ground moving target indication (GMTI) a mission that was traditionally the responsibility of the Air Force. Gen. Jay Raymond, the former chief of space operations, announced that the GMTI mission would be moving to the Space Force three years ago, and yet the program has still not reached milestone B the formal start of an acquisition program. China is not waiting for the NRO and Space Force to settle their bureaucratic disputes over how the satellites will be controlled. The Biden administration should stop the internal bickering and give the tactical ISR mission (including GMTI and other types of space surveillance) to the Space Development Agency. And if the administration doesnt settle the issue soon, the Armed Services committees should settle it for them in the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Building a new tactical ISR layer as part of the Space Development Agencys overall proliferated architecture is the fastest and most assured way to make meaningful progress. But even this will take several years to begin delivering capabilities to the warfighter. In the interim, the Space Force should begin integrating existing commercial space ISR capabilities to fill the capability gap. Contracting for commercial space ISR has traditionally been the job of the NRO, and the agency already has large contracts for commercial electro-optical imagery. But the NRO has not moved ahead expeditiously in expanding its use of commercial synthetic aperture radar and radio frequency-sensing satellites, and the NROs business model for tasking and processing commercial space ISR data is far too slow to support tactical users (taking days rather than minutes). Congress should create a commercial space ISR fund in the fiscal 2025 budget and require the Space Force to begin contracting for commercial space ISR capabilities. This would jumpstart the process of integrating commercial capabilities into DOD battle networks and kill chains and give the Space Force an opportunity to refine the requirements for its own tactical ISR satellites. A limiting factor in all of this is (unsurprisingly) funding, and the budget caps imposed by the Fiscal Responsibility Act are one reason the Space Force was not more forward-leaning in its budget request. While in an ideal world Congress would add new funding for these priorities, if that is not possible, it could instead take money from lower priorities within the Space Forces budget. An example of a potential bill payer is the funding line for narrowband satellite communications, intended to extend the life of the current Mobile User Object System (MUOS) constellation of satellites the Space Force inherited from the Navy. A previous estimate showed that it will cost $4.8 billion to buy two more of these satellites the very definition of big, juicy targets. Narrowband satellite communications is a mission area that can transition to commercial, where private-sector capacity and performance (e.g., latency, data rates, etc.) are far better than MUOS. Canceling the MUOS life extension would save $280 million in fiscal 2025 alone, and Congress could rescind any unobligated money it appropriated in fiscal 2024 to free up even more funding within the Space Forces budget. This would be more than enough for SDA to start work on a tactical ISR layer and to create a commercial space ISR fund. Congress and the executive branch should heed the warnings about Chinas space capabilities. The United States enjoys a substantial lead in space technology, but China is moving quickly to copy our technology and counter the advantage it provides. It is time to get serious and to make the hard choices. It is time to unleash the Space Force. Todd Harrison is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, focused on defense strategy and budgeting, the defense industrial base, and space policy and security. The US has assessed that Russia likely launched a counter space weapon last week that is close to, and capable of attacking, a US government satellite orbiting nearby, US Ambassador Robert Wood said at the UN on Monday. It is not the first time Russia has launched a counter space weapon, which is designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites. But the last time it did so was in 2022, said Wood, who serves as the US alternative representative for Special Political Affairs at the UN. The launch comes at a time the US and its allies are increasingly concerned about Russias efforts to develop a nuclear space weapon capable of destroying commercial and government satellites. On May 16, Russia launched a satellite into low Earth orbit that the United States assesses is likely a counterspace weapon presumably capable of attacking other satellites in low Earth orbit, Wood said in remarks before a vote on a UN Security Council resolution drafted by Russia on outer space security. Russia deployed this new counterspace weapon into the same orbit as a US government satellite. Wood added that the May 16 launch follows prior Russian satellite launches likely of counterspace systems to low Earth orbit in 2019 and 2022. Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Tuesday that US assessments of the Russian satellite further indicate characteristics resembling previously deployed counterspace payloads, from 2019 and 2022. The ambassador called the launch troubling, and said it undermines Russias claims that it is seeking outer space security. A US official separately told CNN that the US had been expecting the launch for at least several weeks, and North American Aerospace Defense Command and US Northern Command tracked it as it happened, according to a defense official. Russia issued at least 2 NOTAMs Notices to Airmen that became active on May 16 indicating a possible space launch. One was for the launch itself and the other was for the re-entry of a Russian space launch booster off the coast of Baja California, Mexico. The good news is that the NOTAM is the responsible, normal way for nations to support safe air and maritime activities, the defense official said. The US and its allies have been working to deter Russia from developing a nuclear space weapon, CNN previously reported. If deployed, such a weapon could destroy satellites by creating a massive energy wave when detonated, potentially crippling a vast swath of the commercial and government satellites that the world below depends on to talk on cell phones, pay bills, and surf the internet. In April, the US and Japan jointly introduced a UN Security Council resolution that called for UN member states not to develop space-based nuclear weapons, but Russia vetoed against it something the US saw as a sign that it is indeed pursuing a nuclear space-based weapon. As we have noted previously, the United States assesses that Russia is developing a new satellite carrying a nuclear device, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement on April 24. We have heard President Putin say publicly that Russia has no intention of deploying nuclear weapons in space. If that were the case, Russia would not have vetoed this resolution. The Russian weapon is still under development and is not yet in orbit, Biden administration officials have emphasized publicly. But if used, officials say, it would cross a dangerous Rubicon in the history of nuclear weapons. Russia introduced its own rival resolution earlier this month, calling for the prohibition for all time on the placement of weapons in our space. But the US vetoed it on Monday because it does not achieve the simple task that we set out to achieve several months ago: reaffirm the basic obligations of the Outer Space Treaty and avoid a nuclear arms race in space, Wood said. The US ambassador took particular issue with the resolutions call for a binding mechanism to ban any space-based weapons, saying such a ban cannot be verified and that the resolution was an attempt by Russia to distract global attention from its development of a new satellite carrying a nuclear device. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com US Census: More people moving to Greeley than any other large Colorado city DENVER (KDVR) Based on a new report, more people are choosing to live in one Colorado city than any other large spot in the state and its not Denver. The United States Census released a new report of population shifts from around the country between 2022 to 2023. The study took the population from 15 of the largest incorporated areas in each state to determine who was moving where. Study: Where Coloradans moved to in 2023 Within Colorado, the report shows that many people are choosing to move to other places across the Front Range rather than well-known cities like Denver and Boulder. More people moving to these Colorado cities Based on the report, more people are choosing to live in Greeley over the Mile High City. Here are the population numbers: City July 1, 2022 July 1, 2023 Percent difference Arvada 121,430 121,414 Zero Aurora 393,794 395,052 0.3 Boulder 105,620 105,898 0.3 Castle Rock 80,149 81,415 1.6 Centennial 105,944 106,883 0.9 Colorado Springs 486,304 488,664 0.5 Denver 713,453 716,577 0.4 Fort Collins 170,114 170,376 0.2 Greeley 109,245 112,609 3.1 Lakewood 156,001 155,961 Zero Longmont 98,809 98,630 -0.2 Loveland 77,858 79,352 1.9 Pueblo 111,418 111,077 -0.3 Thornton 143,247 144,922 1.2 Westminster 114,771 114,875 0.1 While the Census doesnt determine if the population is coming from outside the state or from Coloradans moving to a different area, a few areas are more popular than others. People are leaving areas like Longmont and Pueblo and more people are heading to Greeley, Loveland and Castle Rock. In the last year, over 3,000 people moved to Greeley, while other areas like Arvada and Lakewood stayed the same in terms of population. In total, the population for large cities in Colorado went up by 0.6%, which is on the low end compared to most states. Places like Texas and Florida increased its population by 1.6%. However, people are still choosing to live in Colorado rather than other states like Hawaii and California, which more people moved out of last year. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver. US cow-derived H5N1 virus flown to Porton Down under strict security for UK testing Virus extracted from sick cattle in the US has been shipped to three secure UK laboratories - Charlie Litchfield/AP A new unit set up to tackle H5N1 is testing imported samples of the virus at the high-security laboratories at Porton Down, in a race to understand if it poses a substantial risk to British livestock. Virus extracted from sick cattle in the US has been shipped to three secure UK laboratories in Porton Down, London and Weybridge, Prof Ashley Banyard of the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) told The Telegraph. The task force is trying to determine whether the outbreak of H5N1 in America, which has so far been linked to outbreaks in 49 dairy herds across nine states, is a one-off spillover event, or if the virus has adapted to replicate in cattle which means it could impact UK livestock. An outbreak in the UK could have a significant impact on the dairy industry as it already has in the US. It would also increase the risk of the virus jumping to humans, either through contact with agricultural workers or via food products like meat and dairy. In the US at least one farm worker has been infected and several species of mammals including farm cats, wild possums and foxes. The occurrence of events in America has led to us taking preparatory measures and a more watchful eye, said Prof Banyard. Samples have been shared with our very high containment secure labs, and were having a look to understand if there is genuinely something different about this clade of virus. America's H5N1 outbreak has so far been linked to 49 dairy herds across nine states - ADAM DAVIS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock APHA is also working to develop new diagnostic tests that can detect H5N1 in milk, which is where the highest viral load has been found in sick US cows. Existing tests in the UK are designed to identify the virus in respiratory samples like nasal and throat swabs. Were doing this so that if something did happen and I dont think it will then we could diagnose [H5N1] quickly, said Prof Banyard. Despite these measures, the government is still not testing British cattle for the highly pathogenic avian flu, which has killed millions of birds and animals since it started circulating in 2020, a decision which has been criticised by scientists as short-sighted. The Department for Food, Environment, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has insisted that there is no reason to suspect the virus is circulating in British cattle, yet scientists say that they are unlikely to find something they are not testing for. Prof Banyard admitted much of the work undertaken by the government unit is reactive. This reminds me a lot of how we handled Covid-19 from the beginning, said Dr Krutika Kuppalli, a spokesperson for the Infectious Disease Society of America and former WHO medical officer. When Covid was in China, it was hard for other governments to fathom it could reach their countries but it did. If you wait until reports of sick cows you are going to be behind the ball, stressed Dr Kuppalli. DEFRAs involvement in particular has raised concerns among some experts because its principal role is to promote British farm produce. The agency lobbied to stop the press calling the 2008 H1N1 pandemic Swine Flu because pigs are not to blame and it presided over the salmonella and BSE scandals of the 1990s, the latter of which killed 176 people. The financial implications for the agriculture industry are important and should be taken into account, but surveillance and early detection not only help to contain an outbreak but prevent less economic peril in the long-term, said Dr Kuppalli. Prof Banyard said part of the reason the UK isnt yet testing for H5N1 in cows is that there have been no clinical signs of illness in the animals reported to authorities. Cows who have become sick with H5N1 in the US have been found to produce around 10-20 per cent less milk than normal, which would be an indication that they have the virus. Since there has been no mysterious milk loss reported to DEFRA or APHA, the agencies dont deem it necessary to start testing, and as such they are pretty confident we dont have the virus in [UK] cattle, said Prof Banyard. Scientists have pointed out that this argument is not foolproof, however. This virus has continued to surprise us we are still learning and dont know if its spreading in asymptomatic cows, thus the prudent approach would be to be proactive and test to confirm there are no cases, said Dr Kuppalli. We know the virus can spread from infected birds to cattle its a question of when not if and they should be testing cattle, added Prof Devi Sridhar, a global public health expert at the University of Edinburgh and former scientific adviser to the Scottish government on Covid-19. Although it is still unclear how the virus first jumped to cattle, US health authorities think the most likely route of infection is via H5N1-positive wild birds thousands of which have been detected in the UK over the last three years. Prof Banyard conceded that it was possible that infected birds could act as a route of transmission to cows in Britain. If you had a dead duck in a water trough that then leached virus, and cows drank it directly, then yes its possible but weve got no evidence of any cattle showing clinical signs of disease, he said. How can they be sure? The UK government cant say for certain that the cows dont have H5N1, because they could be asymptomatic, stressed Dr Kuppalli. So far this year, there have been two confirmed cases of H5N1 in humans. In Vietnam, a man died in March after direct contact with an infected bird, whilst in Texas a farm worker caught the virus from sick cattle although his symptoms were mild. The US Centre for Disease Control is monitoring a further 300 people who have been exposed to the virus via cattle for signs of infection. The WHO considers the risk to humans low but urged countries to rapidly share information to enable real-time monitoring of the situation to ensure preparedness as the virus continues to spread. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. US Department of State says it fundamentally wants Ukraine to win war against Russia The US "fundamentally" wants Ukraine to win the war against Russia, said Matthew Miller, the spokesperson for the US Department of State, during a briefing. Source: European Pravda with reference to Matthew Miller Quote: "We fundamentally want to see Ukraine win this war and have made that clear, including, I think, by providing them with billions of dollars in security assistance." Details: Miller also reiterated the statement of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken where he spoke about the strategic defeat that Russia "has brought on self" by launching the war. "I think our position on who we want to see win this war and who we want to see lose it has been pretty clear for more than two years now," Miller concluded. Background: The US expressed its expectation that Kyiv will use the weapons it was given to hit targets inside of Ukraine. Earlier, Victoria Nuland, former US Deputy Secretary of State, whose career was connected with Ukraine and Russia, expressed her belief that Kyiv has the right to strike military targets on Russian territory and that Washington and its allies should help it do so. The Wall Street Journal reported that Ukraine had asked the Biden administration to help identify targets in Russia that Kyiv could strike with its own weapons, and separately asked to lift restrictions on the use of US-provided weapons against military targets in Russia. Support UP or become our patron! President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua meets with British Ambassador to China Caroline Wilson in Beijing, capital of China, May 21, 2024. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen) BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- President of Xinhua News Agency Fu Hua met with British Ambassador to China Caroline Wilson in Beijing on Tuesday. Fu said Xinhua attaches great importance to its coverage of the United Kingdom and maintains effective cooperation with multiple British media outlets. He said Xinhua hopes to enhance friendly exchanges with the British media, expand communication on such issues as artificial intelligence, empower high-quality development with science and technology, and contribute to the development of China-UK relations. Wilson said it is necessary for news media to strengthen the discussion on the topic of artificial intelligence. She expressed the hope for more comprehensive and in-depth reports on China by the British media to help British audiences better understand China. During her time at the Xinhua News Agency headquarters, Wilson also spoke with editors and reporters. Transport for London (TfL) has published a list of outstanding congestion charge debt from the worlds embassies - with the US topping the ranks. US diplomated have racked up more than 14 million worth of debt since 2003 in a dramatic comparison to Togo, who owe just 40. TfL published the list on Monday and said some stubborn embassies are refusing to pay the charges. They added that thety are pushing for the matter to be taken up at the International Court of Justice and said: We and the UK Government are clear that the Congestion Charge is a charge for a service and not a tax. This means that diplomats are not exempt from paying it. The US Embassy in Nine Elms (Google Maps) The majority of embassies in London do pay the charge, but there remains a stubborn minority who refuse to do so, despite our representations through diplomatic channels. We will continue to pursue all unpaid Congestion Charge fees and related penalty charge notices The Japanese embassy has the second highest debt at 10.1 million, followed by the high commission of India at 8.6 million. Among all embassies, the total is 143.5 million with India (8.6m) Nigeria (8.4m) and China (7.9m) coming in next on the list. Meanwhile, Togo diplomats owe the least to TfL with just 40 outstanding on their record. People took to social media users to express their surprise at the list. One wrote: By my count, there are only 40 countries out of all the 193 countries in the world which *dont* owe TfL money in unpaid congestion charges. Some even took it upon themseleves to pay off some of the debt. One Costa Rican residing in London said he would personally like to pay for the 160 worth of congestion charges racked up in the last two decades by his fellow Costa Ricans working in the embassy. The figures relate to unpaid fees and fines accrued by diplomats between the launch of the congestion charge in 2003 and the end of last year. Diplomats argue the congestion charge is a tax, meaning they are exempt from paying it under the Vienna Convention. In February 2020, then-foreign secretary Dominic Raab issued a written ministerial statement revealing that his officials have written to a number of diplomatic missions and international organisations to press for payment of money owed relating to the congestion charge, parking fines and business rates. The scheme involves a 15 daily fee for driving within an area of central London between 7am and 6pm on weekdays, and between noon and 6pm on weekends and bank holidays. There are discounts and exemptions for various groups of people and vehicles, such as residents, taxis and fully electric cars. The Independent has approached the US and Japanese embassy for a comment. Title icon The News The US and European Union offered condolences to the Iranian government following the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi and his foreign minister in a helicopter crash in a mountainous region of northwest Iran on Sunday, sparking criticism from human rights activists. This outreach from Washington and Brussels on Monday offered a clear sign of the Wests desire to maintain a diplomatic line to Tehran at a time of enormous instability in the Middle East. US and European officials have been holding discussions with Iranian counterparts in recent weeks to try and prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from spreading further across the region. Iran and its proxies have backed Hamas in its battle both through direct attacks on Israel and strikes on US military interests in Syria, Iraq, Jordan and the Persian Gulf. US and European officials told Semafor that theyre also eager to keep a line open to Iran at a time of enormous political change in the oil-rich country. Raisi had been a leading candidate to replace Irans paramount ruler, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whos 85 and suffering from cancer. Raisis death is expected to unleash enormous political infighting in Tehran, both over who will replace him as president and also who will be positioned to become the next supreme leader. The United States expresses its official condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, and other members of their delegation in a helicopter crash in northwest Iran, the State Department said in a statement released Monday. As Iran selects a new president, we reaffirm our support for the Iranian people and their struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms. White House national security spokesman, John Kirby, added on Monday, in reference to Raisi: No question, this was a man who had a lot of blood on his hands. That said, as we would in any other case, we certainly regret, in general, the loss of life and offered official condolences as appropriate. The EU said in its statement that it expresses its sympathies to the families of all the victims and to the Iranian citizens affected. A number of prominent Iranian human rights activists criticized the Biden administration and EU for offering condolences for a man widely accused of exacting massive human rights abuses over the past four decades, in which the 63-year-old held a number of senior posts. The late president was known by his critics as the Butcher of Tehran for his role in helping the Islamic Republic execute thousands of its political opponents in a bloody purge in the late 1980s. Raisi also oversaw a harsh crackdown on protests sparked by the 2022 killing in custody of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, who was accused of violating the countrys stringent law that requires all women to wear Islamic headscarves. Ebrahim Raisis legacy is 4 decades of death and atrocities, at home and abroad, the actress and human rights activist, Nazanin Boniadi, tweeted on Monday in response to the EUs statement of condolence. You are on the wrong side of history. A second US-based activist, Masih Alinejad, wrote: Your sympathy and condolences are a slap in the face to us, the Iranian women who faced the brutality of Raisi and his regime. Title icon The View From Iran Supreme Leader Khamenei announced on Monday that Raisis deputy, First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, would serve as caretaker until new presidential elections can be held in late June. Tehrans chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, will serve as acting foreign minister. Khamenei also announced a five-day mourning period. But the Iranian government didnt specify what caused Raisis helicopter to go down. State officials had said on Sunday that the mountainous region near the Azerbaijan border where the president and his entourage disappeared was enveloped in fog from a storm front. And the presidents Bell helicopter was from an aging American-made fleet that dates back to the 1970s when Irans last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, served as the USs closest military ally in the Middle East. Iranian officials didnt suggest foul play or an attempt by a foreign actor, such as Israel, to assassinate Irans leadership. But there were still signals from Tehran that it was going to cast blame on the US for Raisis death. Irans former foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said on Iranian state television Monday that American sanctions prevented his country from getting the right parts for the Bell helicopters. One of the culprits behind yesterdays tragedy is the United States, because of its sanctions that bar Iran from procuring essential aviation parts, Zarif said. Title icon Jays view The deaths of Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian are unlikely to cause any major shifts in Irans regional or nuclear policies or orientation to the West in the near term. But Raisis exit from the race for Supreme Leader could prove destabilizing for Iran as the time to announce Khameneis successor draws closer. And this could place Irans elite military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in an even larger political role going forward. Iran-watchers had pegged Raisi and Khameneis 55-year-old son, Mojtaba, as the front-runners to become Irans next paramount ruler. Both are Shiite-Muslim clerics that were groomed by Khamenei to play prominent roles inside Tehrans revolutionary and theocratic system. Both men are also seen as close to the IRGC, which reports directly to Khamenei and is independent from Irans traditional armed forces. But many Iran experts have voiced skepticism that Irans clerical and military class would accept Mojtaba Khameneis selection, as it would amount to essentially a dynastic succession. The country was established through the toppling of the Shah and in opposition to monarchical rule. Raisi, while despised by many in Irans civilian population, still would have marked a clean break from Khamenei. The Islamic Republic traditionally historically does not have dynastic successions, said Ray Takeyh of the Council of Foreign Relations. Any upheaval in the succession process, though, could allow the IRGC to step into a power vacuum. Some Iran watchers believe Khamenei could be the countrys last, long-serving supreme leader. And the country could become more of a military dictatorship than a theocracy in the coming decades. Title icon Notable The Trump administration in 2019 sanctioned both Ebrahim Raisi and Mojtaba Khamenei for allegedly supporting Irans domestic and international terrorism. Semafor Logo US lawmakers urge Pentagon to permit Ukraine's use of US-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia A bipartisan group of U.S. members of Congress wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on May 20, urging the Pentagon to permit Ukraine to strike Russian territory with U.S.-supplied weapons. U.S. officials have repeatedly said that they do not support or encourage Kyiv's strikes with American weapons deep inside Russia, while Ukrainian officials are reportedly trying to convince Washington to lift this ban. Ukraine recently said that Washington's ban meant Ukraine was unable to attack Russian forces as they were building up before crossing the border into Kharkiv Oblast in the renewed Russian offensive that began earlier in May. The letter, which was signed by Congressman Mike Turner, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, and 12 other representatives from both parties, asked the Pentagon to allow Ukraine to "use certain weapons provided by the U.S. to conduct operations on strategic targets inside Russian and Russian-controlled territory." "Ukrainians have been unable to defend themselves due to the (Biden) Administration's current policy. It is essential the Biden Administration allows Ukraine's military leaders an ability to conduct a full spectrum of operations necessary to respond to Russias unprovoked attack on their sovereign land," the letter continued. The sentiment was recently echoed by Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, who said that the U.S. restriction on using long-range ATACMS missiles inside Russia was a "mistake." The representatives also requested that the U.S. help train more Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets and provide more air defense, namely "upwards of seven additional Patriot batteries." President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier in May that Ukraine could prevent the occupation of Kharkiv with just two more Patriot batteries. Read also: Every Western decision is late by a year, says Zelensky Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. (Bloomberg) -- The Biden administration is putting its cache of 1 million barrels of gasoline on the market, after being ordered to liquidate the reserve by Congress. Most Read from Bloomberg The sale of the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve, equal to 42 million gallons, was announced Tuesday by the Energy Department, which said it was timed to help lower gasoline prices during the summer driving season. Gasoline futures hit a fresh session low of $2.4895 a gallon after the news. The reserve was authorized in 2014, two years after Hurricane Sandy damaged refineries and left terminals underwater leading some gas stations in New York to go without fuel for as long as 30 days. But the cache, kept in commercial storage terminals in Maine and New Jersey, has never been used, according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office report. Retail gasoline prices are up about 15% this year, and experts have warned that costs could keep climbing during the busy summer travel season. Read More: Biden Gas-Price Calculus Gets Trickier on Iran Sanction Pressure By strategically releasing this reserve in between Memorial Day and July 4th, we are ensuring sufficient supply flows to the tri-state and northeast at a time hardworking Americans need it the most, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. The product reserves cost about $13 per barrel on an annual basis for operations and maintenance, compared with roughly 30 cents a barrel for crude oil stored in the Energy Departments Strategic Petroleum Reserve, according to the 2022 report. Read More: Congress Set to Sell East Coasts 1 Million Barrel Gas Cache Congress ordered the sale of the reserve in a government funding bill that became law in March. Bids for the solicitation are due by 11:00 a.m. Central Time on May 28. The fuel will be transferred or delivered no later than June 30, the Energy Department said. While the Biden administration said the move would lower prices at the pump, analysts have said 1 million barrels is unlikely to make a significant difference in the East Coast region which burned through more than 3 million barrels a day of gasoline last June. (Adds market reaction in second paragraph, comment from energy secretary in fifth.) Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. The University of Texas Faculty Council has formally condemned President Jay Hartzell's terminations and demotions last month of more than 60 former diversity, equity and inclusion employees as well as the closing of the Division of Campus and Community Engagement, and it called on the school's chief to reverse those decisions. "The faculty offer our strongest support to those individuals whose jobs and lives were disrupted by these events and urge the University to provide them with all possible support," the Faculty Council said in a resolution it approved Monday. On April 2, UT laid off dozens of employees who had served in DEI-related positions before Jan. 1, when Senate Bill 17, which bans DEI offices and initiatives at all Texas public universities and colleges, went into effect. Hartzell announced April 2 a reorganization to streamline services after SB 17 that would result in the closure of the Division of Campus and Community Engagement formerly the Division of Diversity and Campus Engagement and the elimination of a "small number" of staff positions. Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP, speaks at a pro-diversity, equity and inclusion rally April 29 at the University of Texas. The UT Faculty Council has formally condemned President Jay Hartzell's terminations and demotions last month of more than 60 former DEI employees. The Faculty Council's resolution states that the staff positions and campus division had been adapted to fully comply with the state's anti-DEI law, and that Hartzell's decisions were done "without consultation of Faculty Council Leadership or other faculty leaders, in violation of shared governance practices, and without due process." Hartzell, who did not speak publicly about the terminations until a Faculty Council meeting April 15, said at that meeting that he laid off 49 people and demoted eight associate deans two weeks earlier after restructuring student services. He also cited political pressure from state lawmakers to further comply with the law. Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, who wrote the anti-DEI law, warned university system chancellors and regents in a March 26 letter that lawmakers can take legal action and even freeze state funding if the schools do not comply with the law. Hartzell said at the April 15 meeting that he believed UT was compliant with SB 17 by Jan. 1, and that all staff members who were terminated were welcome to apply to open positions at UT and that they'd receive hiring preference. More: Texas Senate panel holds hearing on DEI, antisemitism. What UT chancellor said of protests UT spokesperson Mike Rosen told the American-Statesman in an email Tuesday that the faculty's recommendation was not required for the president's decisions, and that the university has been clear about the reason for its actions. Stacey Sowards, a Department of Communication Studies professor who is the Faculty Council representative for the Moody College of Communication and co-author of the resolution, said SB 17 is also affecting job and student recruitment. "We really hope that it will bring to the attention of the UT-Austin president that we are concerned about these issues and that there are these negative repercussions and that things that he's taking action on are not going unnoticed," Sowards said. "A lot of faculty and students oppose some of those responses that the university have been taking." Aside from reinstating the laid off workers, the council's resolution calls for reopening the Division of Campus and Community Engagement "so that it can continue to provide vital and lawful services to all of the students," or create a task force with faculty members and students to decide how to restore student services and resources. Previous response to protests At a special meeting May 8, the Faculty Council passed a resolution asking the university for more transparency about the strong police response to pro-Palestinian protests on campus. It also called on UT to provide public criteria for when state troopers would be called for on-campus protests, and to provide amnesty to UT community members involved in protesting. It said the university "appears to have erred" in striking a balance between committing to free speech and the safety of the community, and UT must prevent errors in the future. The council did not pass a separate resolution, which was presented May 7, that condemned the police response to the April 24 protest, in which 57 people were arrested, and called it "an unwarranted assault on this right to peaceful protest." All the April 24 protesters had their criminal trespass charges dismissed. More: UT graduates describe 'hectic' end to year after pro-Palestinian protests, DEI ban What do the resolutions aim to do? After the April 24 pro-Palestinian protest, more than 500 faculty members signed a letter of no confidence in Hartzell, condemning the police response at the demonstration and the April 2 terminations. Niveen Abi Ghannam, a lecturer in technical communications in the Cockrell School of Engineering who is on the Faculty Council and authored the resolutions, said they were crafted after the letter of no confidence to address faculty members' concerns. She said both the protests and SB 17 effects have contributed to insecurity on campus. "We also see this overwhelming worry about all the changes," Abi Ghannam said. "Like is this the beginning of UT changing its heart?" After the April 24 protest, members of the Faculty Council's Executive Committee met with Hartzell and UT's provost about concerns regarding the police response to the demonstration. This meeting happened before the council considered a protest-related resolution. At the council's Monday meeting, Hartzell addressed the communication concerns about the protest in opening remarks to the Faculty Council on Zoom. "I want you to know that I hear you," Hartzell said, adding that his goal is to always act in the "best interests" of students and the university, but that he will learn from the experience. He added that the university fully supports free speech. The council passed the resolution condemning the terminations after Hartzell's remarks Monday, and Rosen said Hartzell would not be made available for an interview with the Statesman afterward. Abi Ghannam said people "lost a safe space" when the Division of Campus and Community Engagement closed, and she hopes the council's resolution is taken seriously by UT leadership to protect against future actions and repair the damage that has been done. "I do believe that there is a sense that they want to listen," she said. "And hopefully the resolutions that we pass through the Faculty Council impact the extent to which they are making decisions in ways that may not be serving the faculty and students." This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: UT Faculty Council pass resolution condemning former DEI terminations HAMPTON, Va. (WAVY) A new partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) will increase primary health care access for Virginia Veterans. Through this agreement, veterans will be able to receive care at the Langley VA Clinic on Joint Base Langley-Eustis. According to the Department of Veteran Affairs, this is part of VAs comprehensive effort to expand access and bring new Veterans to the VA. Virginia is one of the fastest growing Veteran populations in the United States, said VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. At a time when Veterans are signing up for VA care and using VA care at record rates, collaborations like this are critical. By partnering with DOD, we can ensure that health care is accessible and convenient for the Veterans we serve. The clinic has the capacity to serve up to 10,000 veteran patients. It will provide outpatient primary care services, including annual check-ups and screenings, chronic and acute illness management, mental health assistance, nutrition counseling, womens health care, and lab tests. Our DOD-VA partnership underscores our joint dedication to seamless care for service members and families, said Assistant Secretary, Defense for Health Affairs Lester Martinez-Lopez, M.D. We aim for enhanced collaboration and innovation to elevate patient care standards and readiness, leveraging resources for a consistent system throughout their service and beyond. The partnership is the first of its kind in Virginia and one of the 177 VA-DOD partnerships across the country. For more information on VA health care for Veterans in Virginia, visit Hampton VA Health Care System. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com. Cardinal Gerald Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, takes part in a meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - An investigation ordered by Pope Francis has cleared Canadian Cardinal Gerald Lacroix of wrongdoing after he was named in a class-action lawsuit that alleged sexual assault, the Vatican said on Tuesday. The pope had asked retired Canadian judge Andre Denis to look into the allegations which were included in the lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Quebec. The vatican said in a statement that the judge did not "identify any actions that amount to misconduct or abuse" on the part of the cardinal. "Consequently, no further canonical procedure is foreseen." Lacroix, who is a member of the Pope's advisory council of cardinals, stepped down temporarily in January after it emerged that his name had been added to a list of alleged perpetrators filed in a Quebec court. He has also denied any wrongdoing. The lawsuit represents almost 150 people who said they had been sexually assaulted by 88 priests and staff working at the Quebec diocese starting in 1940. The suit includes the names of priests who served in the diocese and at educational institutions, including the Quebec seminary. Most of those named are dead. (Reporting by Crispian Balmer; Editing by Peter Graff) Shangai Bishop Joseph Shen Bin, left, talks with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin during an international conference to celebrate "100 years since the Concilium Sinense: between history and the present" celebrating the First Council of the Catholic Church in China, organized by the Pontifical Urbaniana University, in Rome, Italy, Tuesday, May 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini) ROME (AP) The Vatican made another big overture to China on Tuesday, reaffirming the Catholic Church poses no threat to Beijing's sovereignty and admitting that Western missionaries had made errors in past centuries in their zeal to convert the Chinese faithful. The Vatican hosted the head of China's bishops conference for an unprecedented, high-level commemoration of a landmark 1924 meeting in Shanghai that affirmed the need for foreign missionaries in China to give way to local church leaders. The presence of Shanghai Bishop Joseph Shen Bin alongside the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, at the Pontifical Urbaniana University was in itself noteworthy. It marked the first time in memory that a mainland bishop has been allowed by Beijing to participate in a public Vatican event as the keynote speaker. It was also significant given the controversy over Shens 2023 appointment. Pope Francis in July was forced to recognize Chinas unilateral appointment of Shen as bishop of Shanghai. The appointment seemingly violated the Holy Sees 2018 accord with Beijing over bishop appointments. Francis opened the conference with a video message in which he made no mention of recent troubles but instead pointed to the 1924 meeting in Shanghai as a turning point for Vatican-China relations. The first and only Chinese church council, he said, recognized that the church in China must increasingly have a Chinese face. But the Council of Shanghai did not only serve to forget the erroneous approaches that had prevailed in previous times, Francis said. The participants of the first Chinese Council looked to the future. And their future is our present. It was a reference to the French, Italian and other Western missionary religious orders that evangelized China over the centuries but refused to cede leadership authority to local Chinese clergy. Their attitudes helped fuel the anti-Western and anti-Christian sentiment behind the Boxer Rebellion, which aimed to rid China of foreign influences. Shen in his remarks referred to the superior" attitude of those Western missionaries and their work to protect foreign powers through unequal treaties that China signed with various European nations over the centuries. Speaking through an interpreter, Shen said the Catholic Church today must have a Chinese point of view, respect Chinese culture and develop alongside Chinese society. He also noted that the pope has underlined that being a good Christian is an integral part of being a good citizen. The Vatican has been working for years to try to improve relations with China that were officially severed over seven decades ago when the Communists came to power. The aim is to unite the countrys estimated 12 million Catholics, who were divided into an official, state-recognized church and an underground church that stayed loyal to Rome. Relations had long been stymied over Chinas insistence on its exclusive right to name bishops as a matter of national sovereignty, while the Vatican insisted on the popes exclusive right to name the successors of the original Apostles. The 2018 deal sought to find a middle ground, though the Vatican has flagged repeated violations and Rome has acknowledged it was a bad deal but the only one it could get. It was signed at a time when China was tightening controls on all religions, especially Christianity and Islam, which are viewed as foreign imports and potential challengers to Communist authority. Tuesdays conference provided a venue for the Holy See to publicly admit to certain errors of the past, reaffirm its respect for a fully Chinese Catholic Church and insist that the Vatican poses no threat to it. The Vatican secretary of state, Parolin, who played a big role in the 2018 deal, recalled in his remarks that it is the universal role of the papacy that guarantees that the Catholic faith is not piloted by one particular nation or another. The communion between the papacy and local churches, he said, is the best guarantee of a faith that is subtracted from foreign political interests and is rooted firmly in the local culture and society. Obedience to the pope not only doesnt harm the love that one owes ones country, but purifies it and renews it, he added. The Pentagon in March put a price tag on Russias invasion of Ukraine. Speaking in the officers club at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin read a list of costs the Kremlin had tallied over two years: More than 315,000 troops killed or wounded. Over $211 billion spent. Some 20 medium or large ships damaged or sunk in the Black Sea. Russia has paid a staggering cost for [Russian President Vladimir] Putins imperial dreams, Austin said, speaking before a meeting of countries that gather each month in support of Ukraine. By April, though, Austins tone had changed. At a news conference, Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, Americas top military officer, again detailed Russias losses. But they added another trend: Russias recovery. Russia has ramped up its production, Austin said. All of their defense industry really answers directly to the state, so its easier for them to do that a bit quicker. Brown put it more simply: Russia has aggressively reconstituted its military force. Coming a month apart, the two sets of comments show a distinct change in how the U.S. views Russias military. While American officials have long detailed the costs of Moscows invasion for its armed forces and its economy, in the last two months theyve started to acknowledge Russia is recovering faster than the U.S. expected. The pace matters for Ukraine and those supporting it in particular the U.S. government, which approved $48 billion more in Ukraine-related security aid this April. American officials say they expect that bill to sustain Kyiv for another year. But if Moscows recovery is a moving target, that could change. Indeed, if the Kremlin keeps rebuilding its forces faster than expected, it could present a longer-term and perhaps costlier problem for the NATO alliance. The U.S. governments National Defense Strategy calls Russia an acute threat, second to the pacing challenge of China. But Moscows own capacity may change that. They are doing better than we would have thought, a senior U.S. defense official told Defense News on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive intelligence. Three ways to rebuild When Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, things quickly fell apart. Enduring images of the first two months illustrated Russian frailty by showing rotting tires on armored vehicles and a convoy just outside of Kyiv that became a traffic jam. A satellite image shows the northern end of a convoy containing resupply vehicles southeast of Ivankiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Maxar Technologies) This prompted self-reflection in the West: If Russias military wasnt as powerful as defense planners had thought before the war, how quickly could it recover? Even scientific methods to measure an opposing military are inexact, partly because those easiest to measure, such as personnel and equipment, might not be the most important given factors like corruption and morale. But estimates for how long Russia would take to reconstitute mostly fell into the five- to 10-year range, depending on how Western sanctions worked and the Kremlins own goals. Theres no question and I think [theres] unanimity in the intelligence community it will take years for the Russians to build back up their ground forces, Avril Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said in March 2023. Her comments came amid the annual churn of officials visiting Capitol Hill from winter to early spring. Around the same time this year, Gen. Christopher Cavoli, Americas top military officer in Europe, had a second opinion. The overall message I would give you is theyve grown back to what they were before, Cavoli said. Theyve got some gaps that have been produced by this war, but their overall capacity is very significant still. And they intend to make it go higher. To some extent, the officials were discussing different elements of Russias force. When Haines testified last year, she was joined by the chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency at the time, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, who said Russia was five to 10 years away from reconstituting. By that, Berrier meant it would take Russia up to a decade to rebuild the high-end equipment lost earlier in the war. Cavoli, on the other hand, was discussing the overall size of Russias military. Still, European and American defense officials, along with experts on the Russian military, told Defense News the Kremlins force is reconstituting faster than expected. They gave three main reasons why. The first is the resilience of Moscows defense industry. During the war, Russia has almost tripled its defense budget, according to Richard Connolly, an expert on the countrys economy at the London-based Royal United Services Institute think tank. Russia is set to spend somewhere between $130 billion and $140 billion on defense in 2024, which is about 6% of gross domestic product and a third of the governments overall budget, Connolly approximated. But because costs and wages are lower in Russia than in high-income countries, like many in NATO, the Kremlins defense fund buys much more than it would in the United States. When that conversion is taken into account, Russias 2024 defense budget falls between $360 billion to $390 billion, Connolly estimated. The spending trend itself has raised salaries. Working in the defense industry was once a middling career in Russia; its now lucrative and attracting more workers. Based on official Russian figures, which Connolly noted may be inflated, the number of people working in the defense industry rose 20% during the war, from 2.5 million to about 3 million now. The funds have also gone toward procuring military hardware. Connolly estimates this share of the defense budget probably doubled during the war, helping Russia replace lost equipment. Connolly said he doubts the state of Russias economy will factor into how the war ends. Moscow has a cadre of policy wonks guiding its country through sanctions, he noted, and they have lots of practice doing so. In fact, Putin recently replaced a general at the helm of the Defence Ministry with an economist. Employees of a military vehicles repair factory renovate and repair T-34 tanks handed over by Laos to Russia in the latter's village of Strelna on Feb. 25, 2020. (Olga Maltseva/AFP via Getty Images) The second reason is Russias ability to dodge financial penalties. In 2022, the Biden administration and European partners passed a raft of sanctions meant to sink the Russian economy. These ranged from banning the sale of high-tech materials, such as microchips, to a price cap on Russian oil sales. These havent worked, multiple analysts told Defense News. Thats in large part because Moscow has been able to reroute its supply lines through friendly countries. Chief among those partners is China. From 2022 to 2023, trade between Russia and China grew more than 26%, hitting an all-time high of $240 billion, according to a report by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. Beijing largely avoided sending weapons directly. Instead, Chinese companies became a vital supplier of the items Russia needed to build weapons itself such as microchips and small electronics. This leads to the third point: Russias reconstitution has relied on surprising levels of support from other U.S. adversaries, who, unlike China, have directly provided military aid to Russia. Since October, North Korea has sent Russia about 10,000 shipping containers, which could include up to 3 million artillery rounds, according to U.S. government figures. Russia has fired dozens of North Korean ballistic missiles since last fall, an American diplomat told the U.N. in March. Iran has also provided materiel. Specifically, its sent a somewhat plodding attack drone known in Tehran as the Shahed-136 and in Moscow as the Geran-2. Russia has deployed swarms of these to overwhelm Ukraines air defenses, firing more than 3,700 Shahed drones, of which there are several variants, during the war as of December, according to the Ukrainian government. Photos of the remains of an Iranian Shahed-136 loitering munition in Kupyansk. It appears Russia has named them the Geran-2.https://t.co/HbuyXInJlT pic.twitter.com/6zXPI3tSDI Rob Lee (@RALee85) September 13, 2022 When Cavoli visited Capitol Hill in April, he came with his own list of numbers: Russias GDP grew 3% in 2023, despite predictions it would shrink. It can add 1,200 tanks and build at least 3 million artillery rounds or rockets each year. And through a deal with Iran, Russia plans to locally build 6,000 drones by next summer. A February report by the RUSI think tank, cited by the unnamed senior U.S. defense official, who declined to offer a full set of American figures, said Russia can produce 3,000 armored vehicles per year and had surged its inventory of precision missiles. Its force inside Ukraine has also grown. Last year, Russia increased the age limit for the draft from 27 to 30, which the U.S. estimates will add a pool of 2 million eligible conscripts. And the Kremlin set a goal to recruit more than 400,000 troops part of a larger target to grow the military to 1.5 million service members by 2026. To do so, Russia offered lavish signing bonuses and salaries, which in some areas are more than five times the average paycheck, according to an Estonian intelligence report. Its unclear whether Moscow already met this goal. But Cavoli said in April that Russia was recruiting about 30,000 new soldiers per month and had surged its front-line end strength to 470,000, larger than the Russian army before the war. Is the military growth sustainable? In early May, Adm. Tony Radakin, the professional head of the U.K. armed forces, sat down with reporters in the British Embassy in Washington. Speaking over cookies and tea, he discussed Russias recent advances. The Russian military was making marginal progress, but still relying on Soviet-era inventories to restock and struggling to train its newest recruits, Radakin said. The force was on pace to suffer 500,000 casualties by the end of June, he estimated. That is an astonishing loss of life and Russian nationhood that has been wasted for such modest gains, he said. But a day after he spoke, Russia began a new offensive near Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city. Ukrainian servicemen fire a BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher toward Russian positions in the Kharkiv region on May 15, 2024. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images) Such attacks raise another question: How long can Russia sustain its operations? Aside from drones, much of its wartime output has relied on vast warehouses of Soviet-era weapons. To reconstitute materiel lost in battle, Russia is emptying these, repairing the equipment and then sending it all to the front lines one reason the estimates of Russias industrial capacity vary so widely. A lot of people are reading some headline figures and then assuming that its all new production, Connolly said. As an example, he pointed to main battle tanks. Before the war, he said, Russia was delivering about 150 to 250 a year. But of those, he assessed, about 20 to 30 would have been new, while the rest were heavily refurbished. So while Cavolis written testimony in April said Russia could make up to 1,200 tanks per year, Connolly estimated that, at a maximum, 400 of those are new or heavily refurbished. Everything else, he said, is pulled from storage, lightly repaired and then deployed. The RUSI report from February estimated about 80% of Russias wartime production was actually refurbished, aging materiel. Of course inventory becomes very important: What was that number to begin with, and what was the state of it? Connolly said. Truth is, nobody knows. European and American defense officials made the same point. Russia has vast stocks, but theyre not unlimited, which could be why it relies on partners like Iran, Belarus and North Korea. Russian President Vladimir Putin, center left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center right, visit the Vostochny Cosmodrome spaceport in Russia's region of Amur on Sept. 13, 2023. (Mikhail Metzel/AFP via Getty Images) When you are doing the reform and you are trying to enlarge your military, you are probably losing the quality, a defense official from a NATO member state told Defense News, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive topic. That said, the war in Ukraine has been more about attrition than precision, the official said. In other words, it may not matter much whether Russian soldiers are using a 50-year-old T-72 tank or a new one. The same questions of sustainability also apply to Ukraine, which has a smaller defense industry, an unreliable source of support in America, and less eligible soldiers. Earlier this year, Kyiv lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 to regenerate its armed forces. Sitting in the British Embassy, Radakin said it would probably take about a decade for Russia to seriously threaten NATO again. Despite Russias refreshed troop levels, its invasion of Ukraine will eventually collapse, though he would not guess at that timeline. I dont think it is sustainable, he said. But I dont know at which point it becomes unsustainable. A member of the Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery fires one of 21 salutes during the Victoria Day Anvil Battery Salute at Queen's Park Stadium in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, on May 20, 2024. Anvil salute is an annual tradition in the city of New Westminster dating back to the 1860s on Victoria Day. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua) A member of the Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery fires one of 21 salutes during the Victoria Day Anvil Battery Salute at Queen's Park Stadium in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, on May 20, 2024. Anvil salute is an annual tradition in the city of New Westminster dating back to the 1860s on Victoria Day. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua) Members of the Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery put an anvil in place during the Victoria Day Anvil Battery Salute at Queen's Park Stadium in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, on May 20, 2024. Anvil salute is an annual tradition in the city of New Westminster dating back to the 1860s on Victoria Day. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua) Members of the Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery burn coal for anvil firing during the Victoria Day Anvil Battery Salute at Queen's Park Stadium in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, on May 20, 2024. Anvil salute is an annual tradition in the city of New Westminster dating back to the 1860s on Victoria Day. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua) A member of the Ancient and Honourable Hyack Anvil Battery fires one of 21 salutes during the Victoria Day Anvil Battery Salute at Queen's Park Stadium in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, on May 20, 2024. Anvil salute is an annual tradition in the city of New Westminster dating back to the 1860s on Victoria Day. (Photo by Liang Sen/Xinhua) A vehicle crashed into a UPMC hospital structure on Tuesday morning. It happened around 7:35 a.m. along Lothrop Street. An SUV crashed into the support pillar for the walking bridge between UPMC Presbyterian and Montefiore hospitals. Video captured by a Channel 11 photographer shows the SUV went over a sidewalk and through a fence before hitting the pillar. The driver, an elderly man who was on his way to an appointment at the hospital, had minor injuries. No structural damage was found to the pillar. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW TRENDING NOW: 39 PPS schools to learn remotely Tuesday, Wednesday due to high temperatures Graceland headed for foreclosure sale, but Elvis granddaughter sues, claiming fraud Red Lobster bankruptcy could impact gift cards, rewards points, Pennsylvania AG says VIDEO: Pittsburgh-area teen went into cardiac arrest after drinking Panera's charged lemonade: lawsuit DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts A Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension unit is pairing up agents with local law enforcement to focus on high-level violent crime, the agency announced Monday. The goals are to assist local agencies in finding and arresting people who are repeat offenders and have felony warrants, along with targeting guns that are flowing into our communities and then the related narcotics trafficking that is very much interrelated to the violent crime that we see, said BCA Superintendent Drew Evans. The Violent Crime Reduction Unit started in January and grew from an earlier effort called the Violence Crime Reduction Support Initiative. The BCA launched that initiative in April 2022 with a goal to assist some of our local partners that were coping with a spike in violent crime and staffing shortages, in particular the city of Minneapolis, Evans said. Between April 2022 and December 2023, while working with Minneapolis and St. Paul police, Hennepin County sheriffs office, the U.S. Attorneys Office and other law enforcement, the initiative made 1,384 arrests and confiscated 653 firearms, 145,070 fentanyl pills and 220 pounds of methamphetamine, according to the BCA. The BCA provided agents, analysts, crime scene personnel and scientists to assist with pursuing cases against repeat violent offenders who were engaged in shootings, violent crime, gun trafficking and related crimes, Evans said. New funding, new unit In last years legislative session, lawmakers provided one-time funding of $15 million for four years to reimburse local law enforcement agencies taking part in the new Violent Crime Reduction Unit, so they can backfill at their departments and arent short staffed. Ongoing costs will be about $12 million per year. When the BCA started the earlier initiative, they pulled agents and scientists from other really important work that were doing, including our homicide unit, some of our large-scale narcotics work that were doing, Evans said. This allows us now to fund the agents full time and then we can go back to that other work that we had to pause. The funding allows for a centralized location in Maplewood where the unit will work. About 30 people, including both officers and civilians, will work in the unit. The staff will include 14 BCA agents, two criminal intelligence analysts, two crime victim/witness coordinators and 11 taskforce officers from a dozen local law enforcement agencies, said Jake May, the BCA special agent in charge of the new unit who also led the previous initiative. The agencies that will have officers and deputies assigned include the Ramsey and Anoka County sheriffs offices and the Maplewood, Roseville, North St. Paul, Bloomington, Fridley, St. Louis Park, Columbia Heights, Crystal, Brooklyn Park and Robbinsdale police departments. Related Articles While St. Paul police are not part of the new unit, they work on the Ramsey County Violent Crime Enforcement Team and have their own investigators focusing on narcotics, gun crimes and shootings, according to a police spokesman. They also work together with other agencies. The Violent Crime Reduction Unit has a K-9, the BCAs first firearms-detection police dog thats trained to sniff out gunshot residue and often helps the team find crucial evidence, May said. We want the people out there the repeat offenders, the people who dont care who they hurt, who gets caught in the crossfire, or where their drugs end up to know that they are the ones we are targeting, that were going to come after them, May said. Intelligence-led approach The funding allowed the BCA laboratory to add two forensic scientists. Analysis of firearms and ballistics evidence, along with DNA testing to determine who handled guns, will provide answers more quickly to the people working in the VCRU, Evans said. The aim is an intelligence-led approach to identifying those individuals that are causing the most harm in our communities, in particular, those that are committing shootings and trafficking firearms, Evans said. The new unit, while working with local law enforcement, has made 112 arrests, confiscated 66 firearms and seized 2,700 fentanyl pills and more than nine pounds of methamphetamine and other drugs like cocaine and heroin since January. The numbers arent apples-to-apples comparisons of the work of the previous unit, and the new unit expects the tempo of its work will increase as they get established, train in local partner members and set up their new work space, according to the BCA. The goal is to get back to pre-2019 levels for crime, Evans said. Crime in Minnesota still remains elevated, even though were going in the right direction. Its still important that we now double down on those efforts to make sure that we really continue to concentrate on those relatively few number of people that are committing a lot of harm in our communities. The new unit may respond to an incident if its connected to a case they are working, but they dont respond to typical daily police calls, according to the BCA. The VCRU is primarily focused on the metro area because about 4 million of the states 5.7 million residents live in the Twin Cities area, but it is a statewide team. As they experience surges in Greater Minnesota this team will be available to assist them, Evans said. Related Articles (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) When the Virginia Clean Economy Act became law in 2020, solar advocates celebrated. In addition to creating a framework for a transition to a zero carbon electricity sector by 2050, the VCEA and sister legislation known as Solar Freedom swept away multiple barriers to installing solar in Virginia. Among the new provisions were some that strengthened net metering, the program that allows residents, businesses and local governments who install solar onsite to be credited for excess electricity they feed back to the grid. Currently, the law requires that customers of Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power be credited for the electricity they supply to the grid at the full retail rate for electricity. The credit is applied against the cost of the electricity they draw from the grid at night. The policy makes solar affordable and supports small businesses across Virginia. However, the VCEA came with a ticking time bomb. It provided that in 2024 for Appalachian Power, and 2025 for Dominion, the State Corporation Commission would hold proceedings to determine the fate of net metering, and in particular the terms for compensating new net metering customers. Well, its 2024, and the bomb just went off. On May 6, the SCC issued an order directing the two utilities to file their suggested changes. Appalachians proposal is due by September 2; Dominions is due by May 1, 2025. The SCC will establish a schedule for each case that will include provisions for the public and interested parties to participate. There are two important protections to note. First, low-income customers will have their choice of installing solar under either the existing rules or the new ones. Second, customers who install solar panels and interconnect to the grid before the SCC issues its final order will continue to be covered by the existing provisions for retail net metering. For anyone whos been on the fence about installing solar, I cant overstate the urgency of acting now. Nonprofits Solar United Neighbors and Solarize Virginia can help you get the best deal. Also check out the excellent advice and sample quotes from HR Climate Hub. Make no mistake, utilities hate net metering and will destroy it if they can. The more customers who install solar, the less control the utility can exercise over them and, even more critically, the less money the company makes for its shareholders from building new generation and transmission. Thats not what our utilities tell legislators and the SCC, though. Instead, they promote a narrative that net metering customers impose extra costs on other ratepayers, creating a cost shift. The idea is that residents who go solar are making everyone else pay more of the costs of the grid while they themselves rake in money with their free electricity from the sun. This argument has raged across the country for years. Utilities often argue that solar customers should be paid for their surplus electricity only the amount of money the utility would otherwise have had to spend to generate or buy that same amount of electricity from somewhere else. This avoided cost can be less than one-third of the retail rate for residential electricity. With a payback period of nine to 15 years in Virginia, residential solar is a reasonable investment with retail rate net metering, but its hardly a get-rich-quick scheme. Brandon Praileau, the Virginia program director for Solar United Neighbors, said in an email that lowering the net metering rate would eliminate the energy savings that homeowners see from solar today. It is the full retail 1:1 value of solar that allows solar to not be a boutique purchase that only fits a certain demographic but something that every homeowner can benefit from, he noted. Praileau added that the loss of net metering would also hit Virginias solar installers hard and lead to job losses, something I confirmed with industry members. Russ Edwards, president of Charlottesville-based Tiger Solar, says any devaluation of solar would have a significantly adverse impact on local companies like his that serve the residential market. But the cost shift argument doesnt actually depend on whether rooftop solar is affordable for customers or profitable for installers. The way utilities think about net metering, a homeowner could even lose money on solar and still be guilty of shifting the costs of maintaining the grid onto other customers. Net metering supporters counter that rooftop solar provides valuable benefits to the grid and to other customers that the utilities overlook, like relieving grid congestion and lessening the need for utility investments in new generation and transmission. Solar also has larger societal benefits like increased energy security, local resilience, clean air and carbon reduction. Over the years this dispute has spawned literally dozens of studies estimating the value of solar. A Michigan study found that rather than being subsidized by other ratepayers, residents who install solar actually subsidize their non-solar-owning neighbors. Closer to home, a Maryland study also concluded that distributed solar provided a value greater than the retail cost of energy. But every state is different. Californias public utility commission recently slashed the net metering rate all the way down to a so-called avoided cost, in part because the huge growth of solar in the state has led to a power glut in the middle of the day. The residential solar market cratered as a result of the PUCs action, with an estimated 17,000 jobs lost in the solar industry. Virginia does not have Californias problem. With only about 6.5% of our electricity generated by solar and the worlds largest energy storage facility in the form of Bath Countys pumped hydro plant, rooftop solar still helps Virginia utilities meet peak demand. We also face a skyrocketing demand for electricity from data centers, which militates in favor of all the clean energy we can generate. Ten years ago, Virginia set out to do a study on the value of solar, led by the Department of Environmental Quality. Unfortunately, our utilities pulled out when they didnt like what they were seeing, so the study never progressed beyond a framing of the issues. Since then, Dominion and APCo have often repeated the cost shift narrative but have never backed it up with evidence. Their efforts have had some effect with legislators, most recently with passage of a bill instructing the SCC to make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the net energy metering program does not result in unreasonable cost-shifting to nonparticipating electric utility customers. But of course, that simply begs the question of whether a cost shift is actually occurring. Under the VCEA, the SCC will now have to evaluate and establish the amount a net metering customer should pay for the cost of using the utilitys infrastructure, and the amount the utility should compensate the customer for the total benefits the customers solar panels provide. The SCC is also instructed to evaluate and establish the direct and indirect economic impact of net metering and consider any other information the Commission deems relevant. Presumably, this other information should include the states energy policy. The policy specifically supports distributed solar, including enhancing the ability of private property owners to generate their own renewable energy for their own personal use from renewable energy sources on their property. The SCC will now have to navigate these opposing positions in what are certain to be contentious proceedings. Meanwhile, residents and businesses would be well advised to get their solar panels up this year. The post Will Virginias residential solar market survive the coming year? appeared first on Virginia Mercury. Coming out like a Phoenix: Fani Willis wins Democratic primary for Fulton County DA Fani Willis has won the Democratic primary for Fulton County District Attorney against Christian Wise Smith. The AP projected Willis would win just after polls closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday night. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens spoke at Willis victory party Tuesday night around 8:30 p.m. We came out on the right side of history, Dickens said. The people said yes to Fani Wills everybody. Dickens praised the DA for putting her life and career on the line in prosecuting Former President Donald Trump. Shes been going through fire and coming out like a Phoenix, Dickens said. Willis delivered remarks shortly after Dickens, saying that the people of Fulton County delivered a strong and powerful message. There is no one above the law in this country, nor is there anyone beneath it, Willis said. Willis told her supporters that this victory is not the end of the road but the beginning. Were in this fight for the long haul, Willis said. RELATED NEWS: Earlier Tuesday, Channel 2s Richard Elliot asked Kennesaw State University political science professor Kerwin Swints take on this race. I think it cant help but be somewhat of a referendum, Swint said. He thinks Willis remains popular among the Democratic majority in Fulton County and that the controversies swirling around her office and her election interference case actually help her among the Democratic base. Its kind of strange. The way its working for Donald Trump on the Republican side, it may work for Fani Willis on the Democratic side in that Democratic voters of Fulton County may actually rally around her because shes under this kind of attack, Swint said. The Republican candidate in the race, Courtney Kramer, is running unopposed. Kramer will now go head-to-head with Willis in November. RELATED NEWS: Vice President Kamala Harris addresses the SEIU convention in Philadelphia May 21, 2024 (screen capture from White House video) PHILADELPHIA Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Pennsylvania on Tuesday, continuing the Biden-Harris campaigns focus on earning the support of labor unions. Harris delivered the keynote address to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) gathering at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. Since your founding SEIU, you have been on the front lines of every major expansion of rights for the American people, Harris said. She spoke to the SEIU a day after the organization elected April Verrett its first Black woman president. Talk about a phenomenal woman and a powerful fighter for justice and fairness, Harris said of Verrett. I know firsthand that April is a leader who is always guided by an uncompromising focus on worker empowerment and their rights. Harris reiterated the Biden administrations defense of Affordable Care Act, which she said they want to strengthen. She blasted former President Donald Trumps unsuccessful efforts to repeal and replace the healthcare law while he was in office. And she touched on other familiar campaign talking points: noting the Biden administrations efforts to reduce prescription drug costs and to reduce student debt. We have already canceled nearly $160 billion in student loan debt for more than four and a half million Americans, she said. And, she vowed support for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. Harris also called out the use of the phrase unified reich in a video Trump posted to social media and later deleted. This kind of rhetoric is unsurprising coming from the former president and it is appalling, Harris said. And weve got to tell him who we are. And once again it shows that our freedom and our very democracy are at stake. Steve Catanese, president of SEIU Local 668, told the Capital-Star that during the convention, attendees heard stories from members about ongoing efforts to form and join unions. He noted that the Biden administration had taken steps to reform the National Labor Relations Board. Harris reiterated the administrations support for the Protecting the Right to Organize, (PRO) Act on Tuesday which would amend the National Labor Relations Act to make it easier for workers to organize, and stiffen penalties against employers who violate it. At least hearing it from the audience, I think the biggest cheer really came up when she talked about making it easier to form and join a union, Catanese said after the vice presidents remarks. Competing chants from the audience of free Palestine and four more years broke out numerous times during Harriss 20-minute speech. There were a lot of workers up there that were clearly excited for the Biden-Harris campaign and chanting favorably about Kamala Harris, Catanese told the Capital-Star. There were workers that walked in and had protests in the back and I think their protests came from a place of moral stance of what they think is right. The SEIU passed a resolution on Monday during the convention calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, Catanese added. Many of the workers felt very strongly about that and wanted to express that, Catanese said. They have the right to express those opinions and our goal is to make sure that they had the freedom to express that and that the other workers who wanted to express their appreciation for the administration could do that as well. He added that workers within the SEIU respect each other. We live in a robust democracy and their voice should be respected. After departing the convention center, Harris made an unannounced stop at Jims West for a cheesesteak. She tried to order two cheesesteaks with provolone, according to pool reports, but was persuaded to try one with Whiz. She was joined at Jims by state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) and U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-2nd District). As she waited for her order, Harris was asked if enough aid was getting into Gaza. The President and I have been very clear that more aid needs to get into Gaza and that we have concerns, she replied. We have been obviously doing work to make sure that we can increase the opportunity and possibility of aid getting in, such as the construction of that dock. Harris was asked about the protests during her speech; she said that protesting was part of the tradition of this country. Trudeau: Canada number one export partner for Pennsylvania Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed the convention a few hours after Harris, promoting his administrations record on working families and emphasizing the importance of the United States-Canada connection. SEIU members in Canada and the U.S. work together to make our communities stronger on both sides of the border, Trudeau said to applause. The relationship we share in this room is just like the relationship we share between our two countries. Unlike Harriss speech, there were no protests during Trudeaus address. Trudeau spoke with reporters following his 20-plus minute remarks, addressing the importance of trade between the two countries, specifically citing Pennsylvania, and how Canada could be affected by a second Trump term. Here in Pennsylvania, Canada is the number one export partner for the state, greater than the next four foreign destinations combined, Trudeau said. The links between the Canadian and American economy are so deep and indeed getting deeper over the past year. Our trade numbers reached higher levels than any time before. It is to the benefit of Americans and Canadians to continue to work well together regardless of whos in the White House, he said. Harris met with Trudeau to discuss U.S.-Canada cooperation on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues, according to the vice presidents office. Trudeau was scheduled to meet with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday evening in Philadelphia. Union workers key to Biden campaign Courting union voters has been a constant for President Joe Biden during his career in elected office. Biden has made an annual Labor Day visit to Pennsylvania in recent years, speaking in the City of Brotherly Love last year on the holiday, touting his administrations commitment to union jobs. During his first 2024 stop in Pittsburgh last month, Biden thanked US Steelworkers for their support, calling himself a union guy from belt buckle to shoe sole. Tuesday was Harriss second visit to Pennsylvania this month, following an appearance in Montgomery County where she joined actress Sheryl Lee Ralph for a discussion on reproductive rights. Three of Harris four visits to Pennsylvania this year have been in the southeast, a densely populated region where Democrats rely on racking up big numbers to carry the states 19 electoral votes. Biden has made seven appearances in Pennsylvania so far this year, including a weeklong visit to three cities the week before the states primary election. Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, has visited Pennsylvania three times in 2024, speaking to gun rights supporters in Harrisburg and at a rally in the Lehigh Valley. His only visit to Philadelphia was in February, where he unveiled a new line of Trump-branded shoes at Sneaker Con. Trump also held a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey earlier this month, an event with plenty of Pennsyvlanians in attendance. Polling from AARP Pennsylvania and Muhlenberg College released earlier this month showed Trump with a narrow lead over Biden, although U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) has a slight advantage over Republican challenger David McCormick. The Cook Political Report, a national ratings outlet, rates the presidential race as a toss-up in Pennsylvania, the state with the most electoral votes on the line with that distinction. Update: This story was updated at 3:20 p.m. May 21, 2024 with details and reaction from Harriss speech, and again at 6 p.m. with additional details. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post VP Harris continues Biden campaign focus on courting union voters in Philadelphia visit appeared first on Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Chilling Truth Things are heating up at the Thwaites glacier in Antarctica popularly known as the "Doomsday Glacier" which, not to put too fine a point on it, is a very worrying thing. Should it completely melt, scientists have long warned that it contains enough water to raise sea levels by more than two feet worldwide hence its ominous nickname. Now, new research indicates that warm ocean water is being forced miles underneath Thwaites, meaning it's even more vulnerable to melting than once believed. The work, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that this intrusion of saltwater is causing "vigorous melting," calling into question the assumption that the boundary where the glacier meets the seafloor was fixed. "The water is able to penetrate beneath the ice over much longer distances than we thought," study co-author Eric Rignot, a scientist with the University of California at Irvine and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told The Washington Post. "It's kind of sending a shock wave down our spine to see that water moving kilometers." Point of Contact At over 74,000 square miles in area, or about the size of Florida, Thwaites is the largest glacier in the world. But all that size doesn't mean it's impervious to a warming climate. To study an object of such immensity, researchers turned to space-based imaging: satellites called ICEYE that are locked in orbit above the Earth's polar caps. The extensive data the satellites gathered allowed the researchers to create a 3D view of all the tidal forces at play around and beneath the ice sheet. A key area that this data illuminated is the glacier's so-called grounding line, a region where the glacier's ice is no longer in contact with the seafloor and is exposed to the ocean water and above which is the ice shelf we see. Shelf Life Normally, the ice beneath the grounding line should be protected from ocean water. But the researchers found that as the high tides come in and lift Thwaites by a few centimeters, an influx of warm ocean water is forcing its way beneath the glacier, exposing vast amounts of ice that was once thought untouchable to warming. Exacerbating all this is the sheer speed of the intruding seawater, according to Rignot, traveling almost four miles in a 12-hour cycle. In effect, it's flushing out any freshwater that's melted from the glacier with seawater, which with its high concentration of salt has a lower freezing point. "This process of widespread, enormous seawater intrusion will increase the projections of sea level rise from Antarctica," Rignot told CNN. These findings have distressing implications for other glaciers in Antarctica, too. And so those desperate-sounding plans to insulate Thwaites glacier sound more appealing by the minute. More on the climate: A Single Herd of Bison Can Help Capture CO2 From Over 40,000 Cars, Scientists Find Washington County, Tennessee to offer second 101 program for residents WASHINGTON COUNTY, Tenn. (WJHL) Washington County, Tennessee residents can participate in an upcoming adult educational program to enhance citizen awareness and understanding of the governments role in the community. Washington County Commissioners passed a resolution to create the second 101 program during the monthly meeting on Monday. The four-week interactive program will offer an overview of the county government, justice center, election office, health department and sheriffs office. Participants will take part in hands-on activities, tours, presentations and question-and-answer sessions. Stone Castle renovation project on track for completion before football season Ideally, we would like to see a participant from each of the 15 districts in order to get representation from the entire county, Commission Chair Greg Matherly said. This will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of the many services our county provides. Classes will meet at various locations throughout the county from 5:30 8 p.m. on Tuesdays starting July 9 through July 30. Participants will graduate at the Aug. 26 County Commission meeting. Participants should attend all four classes, be over 18, and be Washington County residents. Applicants will undergo a background check from the sheriffs office. Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis and the class size is limited to 20 people. Applications will close June 7 and can be downloaded here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. On May 15, Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that the state has received the first shipment of naloxone kits that will be free to Washingtonians. The shipment is part of a $90.7 million resolution the Attorney General made with drug companies in December 2022 for their role in fueling the opioid crisis. For the next two years Teva, an Israeli multinational pharmaceutical company, will be sending the free kits to Washington. This shipment amounts to 6,765 kits that arrived on Monday, May 13. The distribution of the kits will be handled by the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) through a state-wide mail-order program. The kits will be shipped at no cost to individuals across the state. These kits will save lives, Ferguson said. Our lawsuits against opioids manufacturers are providing resources to combat the fentanyl and opioid crisis to every part of the state. These kits will make immediate impacts in that fight. DOH reminds Washingtonians that no formal training is required and has provided materials and videos to help administer naloxone. Anyone interested in ordering their free kit can visit The Peoples Harm Reduction Alliance website, which administers the program. CANBERRA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Australian government has been granted permission to evacuate citizens from New Caledonia by plane. Penny Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, on Tuesday said the government has received clearance to send two evacuation flights to the French Pacific territory after the international airport was shut down amid civil unrest. More than 300 Australian citizens, residents and their families who are stranded in New Caledonia have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Wong said in a statement on social media that DFAT was contacting those who have registered to coordinate the evacuation. In a separate statement, Australia's Consul-General in New Caledonia, Annelise Young, said she and her team have been working with Australian and French officials to ensure safe passage for Australian tourists wishing to leave the territory. Six people have been killed and hundreds more injured in riots that began earlier in May after the French parliament passed laws that granted French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years or more the right to vote in local elections, local media reported. PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) Voters across Oregon narrowed down the candidates in some highly-watched statewide and local races in Tuesdays primary election. KOIN 6 News Political Ken Boddie, political analyst Rick Metsger, a former state lawmaker himself, and KOIN 6 News anchors Jeff Gianola, Elizabeth Dinh and Todd Unger provide early results and insights on primary election night. Stay with KOIN 6 News as primary election night results unfold. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KOIN.com. Ministers refuse to use tribute to Iranian president drawn up by Foreign Office staff Civil servants in the The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office drew up a statement expressing condolences over the tragedy of the death of the hard-line Iranian president but ministers refused to use it. The officials sent the statement to at least one minister in the department after it was confirmed that Ebrahim Raisi had been killed in a helicopter crash. This is despite the fact that Raisi is blamed for thousands of killings which had earned him the nickname the Butcher of Tehran. No minister used the form of words suggested by Foreign Office civil servants that included the word tragedy. A government source said: The Butcher of Tehran was responsible for the murder of thousands of prisoners of conscience and the brutal repression of his own people. Thats the real tragedy. Tom Tugendhat, the security minister, later wrote on Twitter that he would not mourn the death of Raisi. He was responding to a tweet from Charles Michel, president of the European Council, who had written: The EU expresses its sincere condolences for the death of president Raisi and foreign minister Amirabdollahian, as well as other members of their delegation and crew in a helicopter accident. Our thoughts go to the families. Mr Tugendhat wrote: President Raisis regime has murdered thousands at home, and targeted people here in Britain and across Europe. I will not mourn him. A Foreign Office source said such statements were drawn up by officials in the event of the sudden death of senior political figures. Ministers were under no obligation to follow officials advice and the policy of the Foreign Office was set by ministers and not officials. On Tuesday, Britains representative on the UN Security Council was criticised after standing in silence to mark the presidents death. Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash alongside Hossein Amirabdollahian, his foreign minister, earlier this week. Under his leadership, Iran brutally suppressed protests against mandatory hijab laws, jailing around 20,000 demonstrators and putting more than 500 to death. The protests erupted after Mahsa Amini, 22, died in the custody of the morality police after she was detained for allegedly breaching the strict Islamic dress code for women. In the late 1980s, Raisi was part of a death commission in Tehran that ordered the execution of thousands of political dissidents. Geoffrey Robertson, the human rights lawyer, said that this reign of terror bears some comparison to the death marches of allied prisoners at the end of the Second World War. After he was elected president in 2021, Raisi supported Irans enrichment of uranium and hampered international access to the countrys nuclear reactors. The body of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi is brought to the revered Fatima Masumeh Shrine in Qom - Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images On Tuesday, James Kuriuki, the UKs deputy ambassador to the United Nations, joined his colleagues to observe a moment of silence for the late president. The British diplomat stood alongside his American counterpart at the beginning of the 9,629th meeting of the Security Council, for the silence requested by Russia, China and Algeria. Gilad Erdan, Israels ambassador to the UN, branded the period of silence a disgrace. He wrote on social media: The UN Security Council observed a moment of silence today in memory of the mass murdering Iranian president Raisi, who is responsible for the murder of thousands! What is next for the Security Council? A moment of silence on the anniversary of Hitlers death?! The Security Council has simply become a danger to world peace. Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former Cabinet minister, said: Diplomacy is a matter of judgment. We have to talk to regimes we dont like but that doesnt mean we ought to honour them in death. A Foreign Office source said the moment of silence happened so quickly that Mr Kuriuki did not have time to consult London. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Weird blue blobs washing up on California beaches can pose threat to dogs, experts say Velella velella, or by-the-wind sailors, still cover California beaches. Over the last few months, these blue blobs have been washing up on shores in droves. And while they pose no threat to people, they can be harmful to dogs that want to put these little creatures in their mouths, or even eat them. But velellas have small stingers that can irritate a dogs mouth and stomach. According to Canidae Pro, this can look like gastrointestinal distress that may cause vomiting or diarrhea in a dog. If you notice that they are pawing at their face or hyper-salivating, theres a good chance that they might have licked one or eaten it, Dr. Brieana Sarvis told ABC 10. Sarvis is the hospital director of San Diego Humane Societys Escondido Campus. If you believe your dog has bitten or ingested a velella, you need to act quickly, giving your dog ice-cold water for a stinging mouth and bland foods for an upset stomach, Sarvis says. If your dog is vomiting continuously, take him or her to the vet as soon as possible. The good news is, while velellas are poisonous to dogs when ingested, they wont permanently harm them, experts say. Regardless, dog owners need to be extra cautious right now. When they wash ashore, these jellies quickly dry to the consistency of potato chips, Julia Parrish, a professor in the UW School of Aquatic and Fishery Science, told University of Washington News. Additionally, this drying process causes them to lose their bright blue color, making them less visible, but they are still there. Sun-gobbling blue blobs are taking over Southern California shorelines. What to know Mobs of tuna crabs descend on Southern California waters. Whats going on? Blue tide of sea creatures blankets Oregon beach but look with your eyes Two Boise police officers knew the man they fatally shot last August was likely going through a mental health crisis, according to newly released reports, and recently updated Boise Police Department policy could have led to alternate tactics being employed that day. The Office of Police Accountability found that officers were justified in their use of force but could have responded differently in light of the mans mental state. Blaine County Prosecuting Attorney Matthew Fredback reviewed the Ada County Critical Incident Task Forces report and said that the shooting was justifiable under Idaho law, and that given the circumstances, the officers had a legal duty to intervene. On Tuesday, the Boise Police Department released those reports, in addition to a letter from the prosecutor and police body camera footage. Boise Office of Police Accountability Director Nicole McKay published her offices use of force findings separately. Christian Johnson, 54, of Boise, died Aug. 3 on the 110 block of South Dale Street after police shot him at the Morrison Park Apartments where he lived, the Idaho Statesman previously reported. Johnson was armed with a knife and other weapons, and ran at the officers while threatening violence. Christian was armed and belligerent, in the middle of the parking lot of a large apartment complex ... with members of the public going about their daily activities. Christian posed a threat to himself and/or the public and refused to obey the officers lawful commands, Fredback wrote in his report. Reports outline events leading up to shooting Johnson made multiple 911 calls the day of the shooting, mentioning fears of stalking, someone trying to kill him with a social media event and men outside his home, according to the OPA report and audio released by police. A dispatcher also thought Johnson said something about a gun, according to the report and police. Police said Cpl. Andrew Johnson and Officer Garrett Miller went to conduct a welfare check on Johnson at 10:59 a.m. Miller had conducted a welfare check on Johnson earlier that week, at which time Johnson told Miller that he had smoked a bunch of meth and not slept in days, according to police. In an unrecorded call while en route, Cpl. Johnson called Johnson and asked whether he needed help, but he was unresponsive on the call, police said. New policies put in place since the incident would have required law enforcement to record that call. Shortly after the officers arrival, Johnson came out of his second-floor apartment and walked down the stairs armed with a 12-inch knife in his right hand, and a metal pry bar and hammer in his left, according to reports. Police body camera video showed this as well. Cpl. Johnson got out of his car and approached the man. As he did, the officer heard Christian Johnson say something about a gun, police said. He also heard Johnson say, Sir, you want to just take me out and Ill rush you. At one point, Johnson pointed the knife at his own stomach, according to the accountability report. Police said officers repeatedly commanded Johnson to drop the weapons, but he refused. He ran at the officers with his weapons raised and yelled that he would kill them, and both Cpl. Johnson and Miller fired their weapons. The officers ordered Christian to drop the weapons 12 separate times to avoid any violence. Christian refused to comply, the prosecutors report noted. The task force report showed that Johnson was on parole for felony DUI at the time of the incident, had a history of alcohol and other substance abuse, and a criminal history that included convictions for aggravated assault, resisting and obstructing officers, and attempted robbery. He also had an ongoing dispute with a neighbor whose window he was charged with breaking. The police departments internal review came to the same conclusions as the reports. Cpl. Johnson and Ofc. Miller were each faced with an immediate threat to their lives and their use of lethal force in response to that immediate threat was reasonable and did not violate applicable law, the Boise Police Department concluded. New policies to change how police respond The Office of Police Accountability agreed that officers were justified and broke no laws, but said they could have done more to de-escalate the situation. The office noted in its report that police understood Johnson was in crisis based on phone calls and recent interactions with him. Cpl. Johnson recognized that Mr. Johnson was likely having an emotional, mental health, or other type of crisis, could be under the influence of illegal substances, and offered to help him obtain counseling, medical treatment, or other community resources, the report stated. People who knew Johnson later told task force investigators that they thought he was struggling with recent mental health issues. As this was a welfare check, officers did not need to go to Johnsons home and engage with him immediately, according to the OPA report. It suggested the situation could have played out differently had police created a plan beforehand and utilized resources such as Johnsons parole officer, BPDs Behavioral Health Response Team and less-lethal force options to address the call. Because the officers recognized the elevated risk factors, OPA concludes that they could have slowed down, made plans, prepared for predictable contingencies and possibly influenced the sequence of events or the necessity for use of force, the OPA report stated. Officers had the time and space to attempt verbal de-escalation techniques, such as engaging in conversation with gathered intelligence, without increasing officer safety risks, but they continued only to give commands to drop the weapons, according to the OPA report. The Boise Police Department added a new subsection last month to its use of force policy that mandates officers must respect the sanctity of all human life. OPA said that section could have changed how police responded. An analysis of this critical incident under these updated policies would have required a demonstration of tactics to prepare offsite, gather intelligence, call for appropriate resources, preplan, and designate roles to allow time, distance, and flexibility for the situation to resolve, and if unfeasible, documentation of the justification, the OPA report stated. The accountability report ended by acknowledging how many changes the police department has made since last August. Under new policies, the department is training all of its officers on how to plan, gather appropriate resources, control the pace, communicate, de-escalate and document. OPA said it would not make additional recommendations until it has seen how the new training affects the use of force going forward. The loss of Mr. Johnsons life is extremely unfortunate, and we hope others in crisis can get the help and resources they need to stabilize their lives and behaviors prior to getting to the point where a deadly threat is made to others, including police officers, Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said in a news release. The West always gives Ukraine weapons one year after it actually needs them, Zelenskyy says The West always gives Ukraine weapons one year after it actually needs them, Zelenskyy says Ukraine's president told Reuters that the West always gives it weapons a year after it needs them. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the West needs to be more involved in the war and shoot down Russian missiles. Delays in US weapons deliveries have left Ukraine struggling to fight back, one expert said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the country's Western allies always give it weapons one year after it actually needs them. "Every decision to which we, then later everyone together, comes to is late by around one year," Zelenskyy told Reuters on Monday. "But it is what it is: one big step forward, but before that, two steps back," he added. Zelenskyy made the comments after he and others spent months begging for more weapons as Russia ramped up its attacks. Republicans in Congress finally approved a $61 billion package last month, which the Pentagon said could reach Ukraine within days. However, delayed weapons deliveries mean Ukraine is now struggling to push back Russian advances, retired US Air Force colonel Cedric Leighton told CNN last week. In recent weeks, Russia has launched a renewed assault on the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv. Last week, The Institute for the Study of War reported that Russian forces appear to be creating a "buffer zone" instead of pursuing deeper offensives there. Zelenskyy told Reuters that the situation north of Kharkiv is "under control" but that a "very powerful wave" of fighting is taking place in Donbas. "No one even notices that there are actually more battles in the east of the country, specifically in the Donbas direction: Kurakhove, Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar," he said. Zelenskyy also said that the delays in weapon deliveries, and in countries' decision-making, called for a change in "paradigm," per Reuters. As part of that shift, Zelenskyy is now asking the US and its allies to allow Ukrainian forces to use weapons supplied by them inside Russian territory, per Reuters a suggestion the Pentagon has rejected. Over the weekend, Russia accused Ukraine of firing Western-supplied missiles into its border region of Belgorod. Zelenskyy also said that its NATO allies could shoot down Russian airstrikes targeting Ukraine using air defenses based on NATO territory, per the news agency. NATO's former secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, made a similar suggestion earlier this month. Some NATO countries, including Estonia and France, want to go further and are considering sending their troops to Ukraine, albeit in limited ways. "It's a question of will," Zelenskyy told Reuters. Read the original article on Business Insider Weber County residents and environmental advocates protest against the West Weber Inland Port at the Utah State Capitol on May 20, 2024. (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch) Hours after dozens of residents protested against a nearly 9,000-acre inland port project in west Weber County, the Utah Inland Port Authority unanimously gave a nod to the plan to create a new hub in the area. The board agreed the project is in the public interest and is economically sound and feasible, according to the resolution to adopt the project area plan, which includes the logistical, economic and environmental considerations for the port. However, locals worry about the effects the inland port would have on the environment and their health. Holding signs in the state Capitol that read protect our wetlands, not developers pockets, and dont make Weber a wasteland, they asked the Utah Inland Port Authority to slow down the process and conduct an environmental impact assessment. The port will endanger the (Great Salt) Lake, the protected wetlands around it, cultural Shoshone sites, and in the name of jobs, endanger the health of all of us, Patty Becnel, a retired teacher living in Pleasant View, said in a news conference on Monday ahead of the vote. Becnel has lived in Weber County for more than 40 years and witnessed how the fields around her house have turned into homes, which she believes are necessary for a growing state. However, she worries an inland port wont be a development as positive as the housing occupied by her neighbors. It would increase pollution in the area, she said, and strip her local government of control over the area. Patty Becnel, a retired teacher living in Pleasant View, speaks against the West Weber Inland Port in a news conference on May 20, 2024 (Alixel Cabrera/Utah News Dispatch). We ask the port authority to complete the studies they promised Salt Lake City years ago, slow down and do due diligence on the entire port plans, she said, Explain to us honestly how Utah will be able to support eight to nine ports within a 150-mile area. Do not move forward until you can explain with facts and figures that these projects will not damage biological wetlands, not draw more water from the Great Salt Lake, not make our air quality even worse. The Utah Inland Port Authority Board, however, said development is imminent and the plan has big concessions. If landowners wanted to, they could go out and start developing. Its zoned commercial, said Joel Ferry, a board member and executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is also an industrial site, not a pristine, untouched wetland area, Ferry said, so the plans may strengthen the protections. Ultimately this ends up in a much better place than if we were just to walk away and let it happen organically, he said. In the projects presentation to the authority board, Mona Smith, a Utah Inland Port Authority manager, said wetlands, such as swamps, marshes, bogs and playas would need a minimum 600-foot buffer zone from the industrial properties. There must also be a 600-foot setback from waterfowl management areas. The board also approved 3% of the tax differential for the project area to fund wetland mitigation projects. Let us know what you think... Ben Hart, executive director of the authority, added nothing in the development plan would trigger the National Environmental Policy Act, but some other assessments may come at a later time. As other things do get closer to development, there are some studies that are still required to be completed, Hart said. At the appropriate times all federal state and local regulations will be called. Weber County has been working on its Western Weber Corridor, preparing it for these kinds of developments, said Stephanie Russell, the countys economic development director. The county envisions the area will become an industrial, advanced manufacturing and renewable energy hub. The county supports this fully and for the reasons that you brought out, she said in response to Ferrys comments. The development is happening, its going to happen. We can get in and help steer the development, which is what were doing with our development partners, or we can just let it come out carte blanche. Still, the community believes public approval and funding is whats keeping the industrial project alive, some advocates said. Environmental activists also warned about the health repercussions the plan may carry. Courtney Henley, a doctor and board member with Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, said during the Monday conference that this kind of heavy manufacturing activity leads to ultrafine particulate matter, silver oxide, nitrogen oxides, toxic heavy metals and organic compounds. Once that starts, Henley said, there may not be other opportunities for prevention. Strokes, heart attacks, asthma, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), cancers, miscarriages, premature births, depression, suicide, delayed learning, Henley said, all of these problems are caused and definitely exacerbated by air pollution. SUPPORT NEWS YOU TRUST. DONATE The post West Weber Inland Port approved amid community outcry appeared first on Utah News Dispatch. Where is population booming in Centre County? See the latest Census estimates for 2023 Can you guess which of Centre Countys 35 municipalities saw the largest population increase over the last year? If youve been paying attention to the news, it might not come as too much of a surprise. Newly released population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show significant growth in some areas across the country, including gains in some Northeast and Midwest cities and population booms in Texas and Florida, among other states. Centre Countys population grew by roughly 0.17% from 2022 to 2023 thanks to an influx of an estimated 62 residents, bringing the county total to 157,795 people as of July 1, 2023. Although the county grew as a whole, not every area saw population gains between 2022 and 2023. Heres what you need to know about the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Which Centre County municipality is growing the most? The latest batch of census data makes that answer pretty clear. No municipality in Centre County grew between 2022 and 2023 quite like Benner Township, which observed a 4.42% increase over that span. Census data estimates roughly 8,978 people now live in the township, up nearly 400 people from 2022, but down just 25 from a recent high set in 2020. Benner Townships population boom comes as the thriving corridor welcomes several new developments, including a Giant supermarket that opened in 2022 and in-progress plans for new hotels, a new McDonalds restaurant and what could become central Pennsylvanias first Wawa. Long-developing plans for a controversial fulfillment center warehouse remain in Benner Township in flux, but a new set of preliminary plans was submitted to local officials back in March. Did any other municipalities see population gains? Seven other Centre County municipalities saw their populations grow between 2022 and 2023, including Halfmoon Township (0.9%), the State College Borough (0.77%) and Spring Township (0.66%). Walker, College, Potter and Union townships all saw more modest population increases ranging between 0.17% and 0.22% between 2022 and 2023, according to census data. The State College Borough observed the highest per-person gain of any municipality, but that is not much of a shock coming from the countys largest municipality. State College added roughly 309 residents between 2022 and 2023, census records indicate. Howard Township is the only county municipality whose population did not change in that span, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. An estimated 868 people live in the township as of July 1, 2023 the same as in 2021 and 2022, but up just one person from 2020s estimate. Which Centre County areas are losing residents? The rest of Centre Countys municipalities observed population decreases between 2022 and 2023. No area was proportionally hit harder than the Howard Borough, which lost nine residents, but saw its population drop 1.35%. Boroughs in Unionville (down 1.15%), Centre Hall (down 1.12%) and Philipsburg (down 1.02%) followed with Centre Countys biggest losses. Ferguson Township, the countys second-most populous municipality, lost an estimated 166 residents between 2022 and 2023, marking the largest per-person loss in Centre County over that span. As of July 1, 2023, roughly 18,939 people still live in the township following its 0.87% drop, according to census data. Most municipalities that lost residents between 2022 and 2023 saw only minor drops. Twenty-two of the 26 municipalities that observed population decreases saw drops of below 1%, and seven of them observed drops under 0.5%. What about the rest of the country? Roughly 334.9 million people live in the U.S. as of July 1, 2023, according to census estimates. As a whole, Pennsylvania is home to about 12.96 million, down just about 0.08% from 12.97 million in 2022. A report from the U.S. Census Bureau says cities in the South with populations of at least 50,000 people grew exceptionally fast between 2022 and 2023 (increases of 1% on average). Northeast and Midwest cities in that category reported gains after observing declines between 2021 and 2022. The population growth across the South in 2023 was driven by significant numeric and percentage gains among its cities, Crystal Delbe, a statistician in the Census Bureaus Population Division, wrote in a statement. Thirteen of the 15 fastest-growing cities were in the South, with eight in Texas alone. San Antonio, Texas, added more people to its population than any other city in 2023, the bureau reports. New York City remains the nations most populous city (8.3 million people), while Philadelphia sits in fourth place with roughly 1.6 million residents. Where to go vote for 2024 Georgia Primary (WJBF) Want to know where to go to vote? Locate your Georgia precinct by viewing the links below. Polling locations will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. for Georgia voters. Georgia Voters Georgia Precinct Information here Georgia Polling Locations here More Georgia Voting Information here MORE FROM WJBF: 2024 Georgia Primary ballot explained In South Carolina, voters will head to the polls on June 11. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF. The view from the Israel AP live feed, which was taken down by Israeli officials (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved) Israels government has reversed its decision to shut down and seize broadcast equipment belonging to the Associated Press under the same media law it used to shut down Al Jazeeras operations in the country earlier this month. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement that both White House and US State Department had immediately engaged with the Government of Israel at high levels to express our serious concern and ask them to reverse this action after reports emerged that officials with Israels Communications Ministry had travelled to an AP facility in Sderot and took possession of gear that was then being used to broadcast a live feed of the Gaza skyline. She also said that Israeli officials had publicly committed to allow the AP broadcast to recommence and return their equipment. The free press is an essential pillar of democracy and members of the media, including AP, do vital work that must be respected, she said. Israeli officials had claimed that the AP, which provides video footage to thousands of news organizations, violated the countrys new media law by allowing Al Jazeera to use its broadcast feed after Al Jazeera was banned from operating in the country on May 5th. The ministry said it had acted in accordance with the government decision and the instruction of the communications minister and would continue to take whatever enforcement action is required to limit broadcasts that harm the security of the state. Shortly after the shutdown became public, a White House official told The Independent: Weve been engaging directly with the Government of Israel to express our concerns over this action and to ask them to reverse it. Asked about the Israeli move while traveling aboard Air Force One en route to New Hampshire, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called the censorship of the US-based news organization concerning. Were gonna be looking into it. And obviously this is concerning, and so we want to look into it, she said. Jean-Pierre added that both she and President Joe Biden have repeatedly expressed the importance of a free press, which she called a pillar of our democracy. You guys are the fourth estate. You guys hold us hold us accountable and make sure that the facts are out there and that is essential to the American people to the world globally. And so were going to always continue to be steadfast on that. And certainly were going to look into this, she said, adding that the reports from Israel were concerning to hear. Israels new foreign broadcaster law was enacted by the right-wing government led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It was written to target Al Jazeera, which is funded by Qatars government, at the same time that Qatari officials have been hosting Hamas representatives for negotiations. The Associated Press had been reporting nonstop since the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas militants, often from within Gaza and by presenting firsthand accounts of the damage from Israeli airstrikes. Critics of Israels media law have accused the Netanyahu government of using it to suppress unflattering reporting on the seven-month-old war in Gaza. Caitlin Vogus, the deputy advocacy director for the Freedom of the Press Foundation, said in a statement that Israel must immediately reverse the decision and return the APs equipment and called for the Biden administration to strongly condemn Israels escalation of its attacks on the free press. If Israel wants to claim the mantle of the only democracy in the Middle East, it needs to act like it. Banning broadcasters because Israel disagrees with their coverage is the hallmark of an authoritarian state, not a democracy. Seizing equipment from the AP just for supplying a news outlet with video footage is disgraceful, she said. A customer takes a photo in the outdoor area of a village cafe in Doumu Township of the city of Anqing, east China's Anhui Province, May 7, 2024.(Xinhua/Zhao Jinzheng) HEFEI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Wang Aiju, a 57-year-old villager from east China's Anhui Province, has adopted a new hobby of frequenting a village cafe where she enjoys a cup of coffee and takes photos for her granddaughter. Nestled beside a golden rape flower field, the cafe in Doumu Township in the city of Anqing is adorned with dolls on its chairs and twinkling LED lights, providing a picturesque spot for visitors to relax and snap photos. It caters not only to city dwellers seeking leisure but also to local villagers. This flourishing spot emerged from the spontaneous idea of Hu Rui, a post-95s returnee. "I returned to my hometown and opened this cafe because I realized that people need a tranquil escape from their daily lives. The combination of coffee and natural beauty brings more choices to rural life," said Hu, adding that since the cafe opened in March, the highest daily sales exceeded 10,000 yuan (about 1,408 U.S. dollars). In Anhui, an increasing number of young people like Hu are returning to rural areas for employment opportunities, encouraged by the implementation of diverse initiatives by local authorities to attract talent, sparking transformative changes and injecting fresh vitality into these areas. According to the provincial department of human resources and social security, Anhui has been leveraging its ecological benefits and improving the employment environment, among other factors, to make the province a magnetic hub for young talent. In Panpu Village of Qianshan City, Zhu Siyi, a post-90s native, serves as a resort manager. She is currently brainstorming with her colleagues about organizing a campfire party on the lawn. To enrich the travel experience for tourists, Zhu and her team have developed a scenic spot integrating agricultural, cultural and tourism elements, including an indoor amusement park and a camping site. "During the five-day May Day holiday this year, over 10,000 tourists came here every day," said Zhu, noting that the extended consumption chain has helped boost the income of over 40 rural households, attracting two young baristas to start their own business here. Apart from applying novel ideas while utilizing natural beauty, many young returnees have embraced short videos and live-streaming as tools to support rural residents. Capturing everything from conversations with elderly villagers to the rhythmic hum of machines processing dried sweet potatoes, Wu Pinjiao and her post-95s colleagues have documented rural life and local specialties through videos and live-streaming. "We are not just selling goods, but popularizing the lifestyle of our hometown," she said, adding that the sales of over 20 kinds of local products from three mountainous villages have set new records this year. "I initially thought I was coming back to guard a mountain. But when I returned, I realized that there is a new world of unexplored possibilities here," Wu said. Why Did an Iowa Woman Suffocate Her Stepmom with a Pillow, Then Admit to the Crime on Snapchat? Samantha Bevans, 35, was convicted of first-degree murder in the July 14, 2022 death of 58-year-old Jodie Bevans. Brosh Chapel; Benton County Sheriffas Office Jodie Bevans; Samantha Bevans An Iowa woman who suffocated her stepmother with a pillow and bragged about it on Snapchat was found guilty on Monday, May 20. Samantha Bevans, 35, was convicted of first-degree murder in the 2022 death of 58-year-old Jodie Bevans, per The Gazette, KWWL, and KCRG. Her boyfriend, Tacoa Talley, was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison last year in the killing, KWWL reported. Prosecutors said Bevans killed her stepmother out of revenge for kicking her out of the house, per The Gazette. Jodie, who died by asphyxiation, was asleep when she was suffocated with a pillow. The rest of the family was away on a camping trip when the attack occurred. A slow way up close, personal way to kill someone, Assistant Iowa Attorney General Monty Platz told the jury, according to the Gazette. He said Jodie, because she was asleep, was unable to "put up a fight," per the Gazette. During the trial, prosecutors showed the jury a Snapchat video of Bevans seemingly confessing to the slaying. I killed her, Bevans allegedly said, per the Gazette. I killed her myself. And I knew this would happen, so good job, Talley said on the video. We killed her, Bevans said, per the Gazette. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Bevans told the jury that she made the video because she was mad at Talley and wanted to get a reaction from him, according to the Gazette. She also testified that Talley was the one who killed Jodie, per KCRG. Prosecutors also asked Bevans about a to-do list she wrote that contained the words, Kill Jodie, per KCRG. She claimed she was on meth when she penned the list, according to KCRG. Sentencing is scheduled for mid-June, per KWWL. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. Former Prosecutor Avoids Prison, But How Did She Get Here? A federal court judge spared Marilyn Mosby from spending a minute behind bars for mortgage fraud and perjury. Throughout the nearly six-hour hearing inside a Greenbelt, Maryland, courthouse were three rooms reserved for the former Baltimore City states attorneys supporters who traveled from across the country. Statements were read by nearly a dozen people, including Mosbys siblings, civil rights attorney Ben Crump, and former St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, as well as formerly incarcerated and wrongfully convicted men Mosbys office gave second chances to. Prosecutors stood firm in their stance to send Mosby to prison because she was an elected official, despite there not being any traditional victims in her case. The judge asked more than once: Who are the victims? The prosecutors argued the entire community was victimized when someone they voted into office commits perjury, even in their private life. The judge didnt agree. U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby took into significant account that this was Mosbys first arrest and that shes a mother of two daughters, who were present in court. It has weighed heavy on this court that youre a mother, Griggsby said. Mosby received time served for each of the three convictions, plus 100 hours of community service and a year of home confinement with a location monitoring device. Tears and applause flooded the courtroom before Mosby brought a white cloth napkin to her face to catch her tears at the defense table. Her youngest daughter read a statement outside the court thanking her moms supporters. Mosby also thanked everyone for their support. Next month will mark 10 years since Mosby became the youngest person in the U.S. elected to lead a prosecutors office. She was convicted last year for making an early withdrawal from her own retirement account by using a temporary COVID financial hardship provision under false pretenses to purchase a condo in Florida. She was also convicted of making false statements on a mortgage application about the source of some funds to lock in a lower interest rate. Throughout the legal proceedings, the facts of her case have either been misrepresented or confusing in some news reports. Read on as Capital B breaks it all down. Were COVID-relief funds stolen? No. Mosby was not among the over 2,200 businesses, agencies, celebrities, and others who collectively stole billions of federal COVID-19 relief funds. She was originally charged in January 2022 on a four-count indictment, but tried separately and in a different part of Maryland as per her request to get a fair trial. The indictment is more telling for what is not in the indictment, rather than what is in there, A. Scott Bolden, Mosbys defense attorney, said at the time. The charges are a far cry from criminal tax evasion and tax-related charges that were at the heart of this federal investigation. Her ex-husband, Nick Mosby, blames himself for her financial and legal troubles, but he hasnt been charged with any wrongdoing. No tax-related charges were included in the indictment, despite several references about Mosbys and her ex-husbands taxes in the court documents. As the months drew closer to Mosbys first trial, her financial situation shifted drastically, especially after losing her third term. She couldnt afford a private defense team and expert witnesses to assist in her case. The judge assigned a public defender after she proved her indigent status. Mosby was convicted by two separate federal jury panels. First, for two-counts of perjury. Mosby was convicted for lying about why she needed to make two hardship withdrawals from her own retirement account the city of Baltimores Deferred Compensation Plan that totaled $90,000. She said the COVID-19 pandemic put her travel company, Mahogany Elite Consulting LLC., that she launched in 2019, into the red before it could get started. Prosecutors countered Mosbys financial woes to her gross salary in 2020 as Baltimore City states attorney that was over $247,000 and never was reduced, according to the indictment. Prosecutors at trial said Mosbys travel business didnt have any clients. Mosby provided business log expenses at trial. On the second indictment, Mosby was convicted of making false statements on one mortgage application about where she received a $5,000 gift to lock in a lower interest rate for a condo in Longboat Key, Florida, near Sarasota. As part of the application, Mosby responded that she received the monetary gift from her now ex-husband and former president of the Baltimore City Council. According to the evidence presented at trial, Mosby did not receive a $5,000 gift from anyone, but rather she transferred $5,000 to her ex, and he then transferred the funds back to her. The jury acquitted Mosby of making false statements on another application for an eight-bedroom home in Kissimmee near Disney World that she sold in Nov. 2021. Then-Baltimore City States Attorney Marilyn Mosby (center) leaves a January 2022 press conference in Baltimore where she delivered a statement about her indictment by a federal grand jury on perjury charges. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Have others been prosecuted for similar actions? Fidelity Investments is one of the nations largest mutual fund companies, with 25.8 million participants. In 2020, 22% of their members took money out of their retirement accounts and 1,419,000 used the CARES Act hardship provision as a reason for withdrawing funds, according to a July 2021 Congressional Research Services report. Vanguard, the fourth-largest retirement fund company in the country with 5.5 million participants, had 5.7% receive a COVID-related distribution. That provision allowed participants to make an early withdrawal of up to $100,000 without paying the usual 10% tax penalty on the condition that COVID-19 caused an adverse financial consequence. Those reasons include: being laid off, reduced work hours, unable to work due to lack of child care; you or a loved one was diagnosed with COVID; or the closing or reduction of hours of a business they owned or operated. The federal government argues that Mosby did not have any of those side effects of the pandemic because she maintained her position and salary as the chief prosecutor of Baltimore. Mosby has an ailing grandmother who raised her and is in hospice at home in their hometown of Boston. Regardless, Mosby met an objective standard to qualify for the withdrawal, according to a letter addressed to President Joe Biden that was co-signed by 15 national civil rights, justice, and advocacy organizations on May 7. In contrast, the letter noted and trial testimony revealed, in Maryland, 739 individuals withdrew funds from their retirement accounts without being charged for improper withdrawals, including three within her agency. The letter asks Biden to pardon Mosby. Its rare, but not unheard of, for a president to disregard the five-year-waiting period before entertaining a presidential pardon application. Was she really facing up to 40 years? Mosby had long maintained that she did nothing wrong. She faced up to five years in federal prison for each perjury conviction and up to 30 years or $1 million in fines for one count of making a false mortgage application. It was at Griggsbys discretion whether Mosby would receive the maximum or minimum sentence, and if each convicted charge will run concurrently or consecutively. There isnt a standalone federal criminal statute for mortgage fraud. Thus, almost every legal actor relies on the FBIs definition of mortgage fraud. Surprisingly, however, the influential FBI definition is plainly inconsistent in key respects with elements of the federal criminal statutes most often used to punish mortgage fraud, according to Georgetown Universitys American Criminal Law Review. To create a mortgage fraud indictment against Mosby, prosecutors applied different federal criminal penal laws, including perjury and one statute that defines what a financial institution does, to create a case of mortgage fraud. We should be concerned that the FBI, which investigates mortgage fraud, cannot get the basic definition of the crime of mortgage fraud right and that scholars and commentators uncritically accept and use that problematic definition, the law review article stated. And since the COVID provision connected to Mosbys mortgage fraud conviction was temporary, there isnt a precedent to predict how Mosbys case will conclude. In the prosecutors sentencing recommendation, it cited the prosecution of another former Baltimore city official, who pleaded guilty in 2018 for failing to file individual tax returns, and still received 10 months in prison. This story has been updated. The post Former Prosecutor Avoids Prison, But How Did She Get Here? appeared first on Capital B News. France is trying Syrian ex-officials for the torture and killing of a father and son. Here's why FILE - In this photo released on Nov. 9, 2019 by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad speaks in Damascus, Syria. In a landmark trial, a Paris court will this week seek Tuesday May 21, 2024 to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials were responsible for Patrick and Mazzen Dabbagh's disappearance and deaths. The hearings are expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad's regime has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to keep power in Syria's civil war. (SANA via AP, File) PARIS (AP) The Syrian soldiers came first, at night, for the son, Patrick, a 20-year-old psychology student at Damascus University, and said they were taking him away for questioning. They came back the next night for his father, Mazen. Five years later, in 2018, death certificates from Syrian authorities confirmed to the Dabbagh family that the French-Syrian father and son would never come home again. In a landmark trial, a Paris court is seeking this week to determine whether Syrian intelligence officials the most senior to go on trial in a European court over crimes allegedly committed during the country's civil war were responsible for their disappearance and deaths. The four-day hearings started Tuesday and are expected to air chilling allegations that President Bashar Assad's government has widely used torture and arbitrary detentions to hold on to power during the conflict, now in its 14th year. The French trial comes as Assad has been regaining an aura of international respectability, starting to shed his longtime status as a pariah that stemmed from the violence unleashed on his opponents. Human rights groups that are parties to the French case hope it will refocus attention on alleged atrocities. Here's a look at those involved: THE ACCUSED Ali Mamlouk, former head of the National Security Bureau overseeing Syrian security and intelligence services. Allegedly worked directly with Assad. Now in his late 70s. Jamil Hassan, former Air Force intelligence director. Survivors testifying in the case allege having seen him at a detention center in the capital, Damascus, where the Dabbaghs are thought to have been held. In his early 70s. Salam Mahmoud, in his mid-60s, a former investigations official at a Damascus military airport believed to house the detention center. Mahmoud is alleged to have expropriated the Dabbaghs' house after they were taken away. The three men are accused of provoking crimes against humanity, giving instructions to commit them and allowing subordinates to commit them through the alleged arrest, torture and killing of the father and son. They also are accused of confiscating their house and of putting Air Force intelligence services at the disposal of people who allegedly killed them. The accused are being tried in absentia. French magistrates issued arrest warrants for them in October 2018, despite acknowledging that there was little likelihood of their extradition to France. There were no defense lawyers to represent them as the hearings got underway Tuesday morning. French magistrates determined they don't have diplomatic immunity. The three people accused are very senior officials of the Syrian system of repression and torture. This gives a particular tone to this trial. They are not small fish, said Patrick Baudouin, a lawyer for rights groups involved in the case. The legal file is very detailed, full of evidence of systematic, very diverse and absolutely monstrous torture practices," Baudouin said. WHY IS THE TRIAL IN FRANCE? Patrick and Mazen Dabbagh had dual French-Syrian nationality, which enabled French magistrates to pursue the case. The probe of their disappearance started in 2015 when Obeida Dabbagh, Mazen's brother, testified to investigators already examining war crimes in Syria. Obeida Dabbagh lives in France with his wife, Hanane, and is also a party in the case. According to the trial indictment, seen by The Associated Press, he told French investigators that three or four soldiers came for Patrick around 11 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2013, during the height of Arab Spring-inspired anti-government protests that were met by a brutal crackdown. The soldiers identified themselves as members of a Syrian Air Force intelligence branch. Obeida also testified they searched the house, taking cellphones, computers and money. They came back the next night for Mazen Dabbagh, who was 54 and worked as a counselor at a French high school in Damascus, and also took his new car, the brother said. Their death certificates said Patrick died Jan. 21, 2014, and Mazen on Nov. 25, 2017, but didn't say how or where. THE TRIAL EXPECTED TO EXPOSE TORTURE French investigating magistrates collected evidence from those who deserted the Syrian government and military, and prison survivors as they built the case. Testifying anonymously, survivors' accounts speak in the indictment of rape and of being denied food and water; of beatings on the feet, knees and elsewhere with whips, cables and truncheons; of electric shocks and burnings with acid or boiling water; of being suspended from the ceiling for hours or days. Investigators also studied images provided by a Syrian policeman, who anonymously turned over photographs of thousands of torture victims. Cameras are generally banned from French criminal trials, but this one will be filmed for historical record. ANOTHER FRENCH PROBE TARGETS PRESIDENT ASSAD In a separate investigation, French magistrates have also targeted President Assad himself but face questions about whether he benefits from presidential immunity. Magistrates are investigating chemical weapons' attacks that killed more than 1,000 people and injured thousands of others in the suburbs of Damascus in 2013. They issued international arrest warrants for Assad, his brother Maher Assad, commander of the 4th Armored Division, and two Syrian army generals Ghassan Abbas and Bassam al-Hassan for alleged complicity in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The French probe was opened in 2021 in response to a criminal complaint by attack survivors. The investigation is being conducted under the principle of universal jurisdiction, which argues that in some cases, crimes can be pursued outside the countries where they take place. The Syrian government and its allies have denied responsibility for the attacks. The French warrants, very rare for a serving world leader, were seen as a strong signal against Assads leadership at a time when some countries have welcomed him back into the diplomatic fold. Victims' lawyers hailed the warrants as a crucial milestone in the battle against impunity. The Paris appeals court is weighing whether Assad has absolute immunity as head of state. French prosecutors asked it to rule on that question at a closed hearing May 15. That procedure does not impact the warrants for Assads brother and the generals. OTHER COUNTRIES ALSO TAKING ACTION In March, Swiss prosecutors indicted Rifat Assad, the presidents uncle and a former Syrian vice president, for allegedly ordering murder and torture more than four decades ago to crush an uprising by the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement, in the city of Hama, where thousands were killed. A court in Stockholm put a former Syrian army general who lives in Sweden on trial in April for his alleged role in war crimes in 2012. Courts in Germany found two former Syrian soldiers guilty in 2021 and 2022 of crimes against humanity. One was sentenced to life imprisonment, the other to 4 1/2 years for complicity. They had claimed refugee status in Germany before former detainees recognized them there. They were tried under the principle of universal jurisdiction. ___ Surk reported from Nice, France. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report. Why a helicopter will be flying low in northwest Kansas WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) Over the next several weeks, residents of northwest Kansas may see a helicopter flying low and dangling a large hexagonal frame even lower. The flights are part of a project to electromagnetically map groundwater conditions in the Ogallala aquifer. Starting in late May and continuing for much of June, the helicopter will fly over Northwest Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 4, the area in blue on the map. (Courtesy Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources) Airborne electromagnetic surveying. (Photo credit: Aqua Geo Frameworks, LLC) The hexagonal frame hanging about 100 feet below the helicopter includes scientific equipment for an electromagnetic survey. The frame will be about 100 to 200 feet above the ground. The equipment in the frame maps geologic structures and groundwater resources hidden as far as 1,000 feet below the lands surface. Court documents say bodies of murdered Kansas women found in freezer Airborne geophysics doesnt make water, Jared Abraham, Aqua Geo Frameworks LLC. What were trying to do is map where it is and where it is not. The pilots are specially trained for low-level flying. Theyll be going about 50 mph. They will not go over residential areas, other buildings, livestock feeding operations or wind turbines. Kansas Groundwater Management District No. 4 and the Kansas Geological Survey, working with Aqua Geo Frameworks, have planned the flights to develop a better understanding of the Ogallala aquifer. The funding comes from the Governors Office and the Kansas Water Office. Aqua Geo Frameworks has done similar electromagnetic surveys in Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming. This will be the first time its done in Kansas. Click here to see a video about the process. Kansas families can get into 220 attractions for free this summer The Ogallala aquifer is the primary water resource in northwest Kansas. Over the last 60 years, intensive pumping from the aquifer has resulted in large groundwater level declines in Sherman, Thomas, Sheridan and Cheyenne counties. The information from the electromagnetic survey could help the Kansas Geological Survey and Groundwater Management District No. 4 better assess the nature and continuity of water-yielding materials in the aquifer and ultimately develop strategies to help sustain it. The Groundwater Management District 4 website includes a copy of a letter sent to landowners that could be in the flight path. The website will post a flight path map closer to the project. Stay tuned to our website, Facebook, and X for information on date, time, and location to bring the family and check out the helicopter, equipment, talk with scientists, and learn more about this exciting process, the letter says. The Kansas Geological Survey is a nonregulatory research and service division of the University of Kansas. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KSN-TV. The Israeli war Cabinet is in raucous disarray. One of its three members, who is also the minister of defense, has openly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for lacking a clear strategy to defeat Hamas and restore order in Gaza. (In doing so, he has repeated a similar public broadside leveled by the army chief of staff.) The other member of the war Cabinet is threatening to resign if Netanyahu doesnt change course in his war aims by June 8. Some speculate that these divisions could bring down the government, triggering new elections. Though a majority of Israelis (as well as many pro-Israel U.S. officials) would welcome the ouster, it isnt likely to happen. Still, the three-man war Cabinet was assembled after Hamas Oct. 7 attack, precisely in order to instill trust among the public. That trust is now crumbling, even as its edificealong with the larger government-wide Cabinet that Netanyahu headsstays standing. This Cabinets likely political survival is a shame, as the main dispute between Netanyahu and his critics indicates that he misunderstands not only the scope of the current war in Gaza but the nature of war in general. Netanyahu is facing much criticism, from all over the world, for his plan to mount a major offensive in Rafah, the southern city in Gaza. The town is where the remaining Hamas leaders are thought to be hiding in tunnels, but it is also where more than 1 million Palestinian civiliansmany of them refugees from earlier offensives in the northare crammed with inadequate food, shelter, or sanitation. Yet even the critics in Netanyahus Cabinet support his plan to attack Rafah. Benny Gantz, the war Cabinet member who is threatening to quit, told U.S. officials not long ago, Ending the war without clearing out Rafah is like sending a firefighter to extinguish 80 percent of the fire. The issue of contention concerns what happens after the warwho occupies, governs, and rebuilds Gaza? The other critical war Cabinet member, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, publicly opposes the idea of Israeli troops reoccupying Gaza, as they did from the 1967 war until their withdrawal in 2005. Gallant has even spoken with senior U.S. officials about a multinational occupation force, with Sunni Arabs, especially Saudi Arabia, building up a new Palestinian Authority governing a demilitarized Gaza with no involvement from Hamas. Netanyahu has lambasted this notion and has said the Israeli army will need to control Gaza even after the war. Gallant and others fear this would fuel an insurgency, divide and weaken Israel, further alienate global opinion of the Jewish state, and ruin the chance of normalized relations with Saudi Arabia. Gantz says hell quit unless Netanyahu spells out a clear postwar strategy that doesnt depend on occupying Gaza. The dynamics here are complicated by the fact that both Gallant and Gantz are political opponents of Netanyahu. Gantz, a retired general and former defense minister, was the alternate prime minister in 202021, as part of a brief power-sharing arrangement while Netanyahu was under criminal investigation. Gallant, also a retired general, is a member of Netanyahus Likud party. One or both of them would likely run for prime minister in the event of new elections. Netanyahu won Israels last election in November 2022, returning to power after being briefly dethroned, by assembling a coalition consisting entirely of right-wing parties. (He had won previous elections by recruiting parties to Likuds left.) The coalitions margin is thin, holding just 64 of the 120 seats in Parliament. In other words, if just five of its members resigned, Netanyahus majority would vanish, new elections would have to take place, and he would almost certainly lose. The far-right members have threatened to resign if Netanyahu budges the slightest bit toward peace in Gaza or advocacy of a Palestinian statewhich is one reason why he hasnt done so. (This is also why Chuck Schumer, one of the most pro-Israel U.S. senators, urged Israel to hold new elections: He thought Netanyahu was too beholden to his right-wing partners.) The far-right members could be bluffing; they must know that if the coalition collapsed and new elections were held, they would never be invited to join a government ever again. But Netanyahu doesnt seem inclined to call their bluff; on the main issues, he seems to agree with them. At the same time, neither Gallant nor Gantz has the influence to sway enough relatively moderate members of Likud to resign. Israels next elections are not scheduled until 2026. It is hard to see the mechanism for new elections to be held before then. Despite pressure from Gallant, Gantz, and President Joe Biden, Netanyahu has publicly derided the idea of even talking about the day after the war ends, saying Israel needs to focus on winning the war before thinking about the peace. But this attitude reveals a profound misunderstanding of war. As the Prussian military strategist Carl von Clausewitz famously put it, war is merely a political act a continuation of political intercourse carried out by other means. In other words, a country doesnt first fight a war, then decide on its political aims; war is fought for political aims, and ideallyif there is ever an ideal in warin a way that advances those political aims. By this measure, Israeli leaders need to think about how their people will be able to live and thrive next to Gazaand next to Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as Arabs in states all around the regionafter the war. And they need to think about this while the war is being fought. This is a difficult task, especially since Hamas started the war with its attack across Israels southern border, killing 1,200 people, most of them civilians, the largest number of Jews killed in a single day since the Holocaust. Still, war, even this war, remains a political act. And leaders of other countries, including those forced into war by an aggressors invasion, have not lost sight of this fact. In his 1977 book Preparing for the Next War: American Plans for Postwar Defense, 194145, historian Michael Sherry uncovered documents showing that U.S. officialsmilitary commanders and civilian leaders at all levelsdiscussed, debated, and put in motion ideas for preserving U.S. interests after the end of World War II, even while their war against Nazi Germany, Fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan was still raging. It was in the context of these discussions that Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau put forth a plan in 1944 to destroy Germanys industries so the country could never remilitarize. The plan was knocked down by other officials, who argued that a new democratic Germany needed to be strengthened as a bulwark against what they saw as postwar Soviet expansion. I do not mean to draw comparisons between Nazis and Hamas, or a new Palestinian Authority and the Federal Republic of Germany, or World War II and the war in Gaza. I cite Sherrys book only to emphasize that, even amid a total global war with existential consequences for the fate of freedom, American leaders spent a lot of time planning not only how to win the war but how to shape the world afterward. Both are political acts. Uttering slogans like total victory, as Netanyahu has done, means nothing in the absence of a political context. To fight a war without devising a desirable (or at least plausible) peace is to inflict violence and mayhem for their own sake. Theres a story about one Ivy League universitys response to tensions on campus that hasnt graced the headlines as much as the protests. John Tomasi, president of the Heterodox Academy and a Brown University professor, thinks the response could be a key model for universities. After the Oct. 7 attack, Dartmouth College held a series of public events. One of the workshops was co-led by a pro-Israeli Jewish professor and a pro-Palestinian Muslim professor, said Tomasi in a recent video call with the Deseret News. What they did was they took that moment of incredible anguish and horror the attacks and then the counterattacks and they tried to do this distinctively university thing, said Tomasi. They tried to help us learn. Tomasi said universities have a special role in society that they could lean into right now fostering disagreement and civil dialogue. He draws inspiration from the University of Chicagos Kalven Report. A faculty committee created the report in 1967 to tease out the role of a university in responding to political and social action. It espouses the principle of institutional neutrality something Tomasi says is critical for universities to flourish. Quoting from the report, he said, The university is the home and sponsor of critics; it is not itself the critic. If university presidents issue statements on issues, then Tomasi said they chill the voices and the thinking of dissenting students who might not have their minds quite made up yet. The question of institutional neutrality is one that some schools are considering as they face a divided reaction over how they handled student protests. But not everyone agrees with universities adopting the position of institutional neutrality. Brian Rosenberg, former president of Macalester College, wrote in The Chronicle, Racism and xenophobia, climate change and voting rights, the future of democracy and the response to a pandemic: No day goes by without demands on some campus that the institution take a position and competing demands that taking a position is inconsistent with the role of the university. Universities not speaking out on all or most of these matters strikes me as unacceptable: as something perilously close to the lack of courage, indifference, and insensitivity that are dismissed in the Kalven Report as possible reasons for the universitys neutrality, wrote Rosenberg. In the current climate, universities have become used to issuing statements about current events, but they might want to consider pulling back from that practice, said Tomasi. When a public event happens, or theres a breaking political issue or a big political debate going on, the president has to ask herself or himself the question, does this incident directly affect the mission of this university? said Tomasi. In those incidents, it may make sense for a university to issue a statement. Tomasi gave two examples. If Congress were to raise taxes on universities, it would make it harder for universities to carry out their missions and the presidents could speak out then, he offered. Another example, lets say a (nations) president announces a ban on immigration from a larger number of countries, especially where your school has a lot of researchers, faculty and student from those countries, said Tomasi. The (school) president probably has an obligation to speak out to say, Listen, you may have your reasons for putting this ban on immigration from these countries, but as a university president, I have to defend the interest of my school. Tomasi also noted that he believes universities shouldnt pick controversial commencement speakers. But this neutrality doesnt mean universities cannot have specific missions, said Tomasi. Giving religious schools as an example, he said there are plenty of times where university speakers there will give speeches about ideas unique to the distinctive mission and wont be neutral. Instead, universities should foster viewpoint diversity on campus, said Tomasi. Tomasi believes the speech rights of protesters should be protected and that universities have a strong obligation to encourage them. But these protests should follow the rules, he said. The other side of it is that it can cross into civil disobedience, said Tomasi as he explained that when protests cross into obstruction and intimidation, it edges on other peoples rights. Still, Tomasi sees tense times on campuses as a teaching moment for universities where they could embrace their role of neutrality and facilitators of civil discourse. University officials could say to students, This is what neutrality means. It doesnt mean we dont care. We care deeply. We care so much were not going to let anyone speak for us and neither are we going to speak for the whole university ourselves, said Tomasi. Washington State University student Kestra Engstrom argued in an op-ed for the campus newspaper that universities should be upfront about political stances to be accountable to students. University administrators should make their political beliefs public knowledge for the sake of their young adult students, who are part of a generation that is more politically motivated and principle than any before them, said Engstrom. Education is a highly politicized system, and it is time for colleges to stop trying to remain apolitical and be open about what they support and how they will allow students to be taught within their walls. On the flip side, proponents of institutional neutrality argue that when universities are neutral, they can cultivate viewpoint diversity and create a better learning environment for students. When universities are at their best, theyre going to house all kinds of interesting idiosyncratic characters, hopefully, who are going to say strange, interesting things, said Tomasi. Everyone can be improved by hearing opinions different than their own, especially opinions they may not have encountered otherwise. We may keep our same views after hearing the wacky professors speak out, said Tomasi. But at least hopefully if they speak out thoughtfully, well think more clearly about our own views. Tomasi said he was on campus the morning Brown University made the decision to vote on divestment from Israel next fall in response to protesters. Some people think that was a real mistake, that it was a caving into threats to disrupt the graduation, said Tomasi. But that president said to me that she really was trying to have a conversation and dialogue and to demonstrate that they value dialogue. I think thats an edge case, you can probably see that either way, said Tomasi. Tomasi wants to see more university administrators lean into opportunities to create dialogue. He pointed toward an experience he had speaking on a panel with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox in Boulder, Colorado, in conjunction with the Disagree Better initiative. He said that more than any other institution, universities should be actively seeking for ways to disagree better. Now after this year where many campuses have dealt with encampments and protests and counterprotests, Tomasi said universities can take stock of what theyre doing and what they need to still do to foster dialogue. He said hes optimistic for the future, but university presidents need to be proactive as they lay the groundwork for conversation. At Heterodox Academy, a nonprofit committed to promoting civil discourse in higher education, Tomasi said there are three values they try to remind university presidents and leaders of: open inquiry, viewpoint diversity and constructive dialogue. Having lively, fearless conversations and discussions even angry ones should take place on universities, said Tomasi. And yet, universities arent there for any kind of expression. Were not simply free speech zones. We want these conversations for a certain purpose. The purpose is try to understand the world better. Leaders and community members in Wichita convened this month to address mental health and homelessness. (Getty Images) On May 9, something remarkable happened in Wichita, similar to other remarkable things that have happened in Lawrence, Topeka and elsewhere across Kansas in recent years. At the Century II building in downtown Wichita, elected and agency leaders Wichita Mayor Lily Wu, Sedgwick County Commission Chairman Ryan Baty, the managers of both Wichita and Sedgwick County, along with leading representatives from COMCARE and the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services stood in front of more than 1,300 people and committed to take specific local policy actions to address homelessness and mental health crises. At least one of the commitments they made, supporting the creation of a municipal Air Capital ID card, will be controversial. It may already be in the process of being walked back slightly by Wu. Still, you dont often see such public support for social justice actions from city and county leaders in Kansas. Applause and encouragement for those who brought them to the stage is much deserved. The group that brought them together and laid out the commitments is called Justice Together, a group Im proud to have been a participant in from the beginning, though I play no organizational role. In early 2023, Rabbi Andrew Pepperstone, a friend and occasional interlocutor from the Ahavath Achim Congregation here in Wichita, told me about an interfaith group coming together to move social justice issues forward. At the first meeting, I was gratified to find Louis Goseland, a Wichita-born community organizer I remembered from Sunflower Community Action and other justice-related groups from more than a decade before. He was back in Wichita as a regional coordinator from the Direct Action and Research Training Center (DART), an umbrella organization that has been working with church congregations and other community associations to apply the best lessons of religious activism to motivate members towards social justice goals. DART began in Florida in 1982, working primarily with church ministries that served the interests of senior citizens. Since that time, it been able to help build over 30 additional interfaith movements across the country, including several here in Kansas. DART was instrumental in the formation of Justice Matters in Lawrence, which has raised millions of dollars for a locally managed Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and JUMP (Justice, Unity, and Ministry Project) in Topeka, which is working to bring a mental health crisis intervention program to Shawnee County. Similar interfaith organizations, representing dozens of churches and faith-related groups, have been formed with the assistance of DART in Wyandotte and Johnson counties. In Wichita, Justice Together includes nearly 40 denominations mostly mainline Protestant, but with Catholic, Mennonite, Unitarian, Bahai and Jewish synagogues included as well. Over the past 14 months, they have worked through their church groups to develop specific plans to assist those struggling with mental health (funding to provide free bus passes for those in crisis and to pay for 24/7 on-call psychiatric help) and homelessness (sustainable funding plans for an integrated agency center and the aforementioned municipal IDs). It is those plans they asked local leaders to support, and which all committed to do so. This is DARTs method, one that theyve adapted from the history of activism in so many churches, as well as directly from the history of civil protest. Months of research, parishioner outreach, and consensus-building culminates in what they call a Nehemiah assembly, an idea taken directly from chapter five of the Bibles book of Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 5:12, the prophet Nehemiah, having heard the cries of the people for justice, presented their pleas to the nobles, rulers and priests, and took an oath of them to do as they had promised. Justice Togethers strategy, following that of similar church-based DART organizations across the country, isnt directly confrontational. Its goal is explicitly not to generate walks-outs or protests. But it does aim to generate tension. Make a well-researched and achievable case, and then publicly, in front of hundreds of newly activated religious citizens (the great majority of whom are registered and informed voters) demand action. This is the tension central to the Rev. Martin Luther Kings position, which Justice Together explicitly cites: Raise just enough heat that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. Its true that most of the plans Justice Together developed dont involve structural change. Their call for more free bus passes for those with mental health needs, more staffing for on-call psychiatric assistance and a sustainable budget plan for a Multi-Agency Center to gather resources for homeless individuals are all needed and important, but theyre not radical. In fact, nearly all of these involve projects that the city of Wichita, or the county or COMCARE already have in front of them. But the fact that Justice Together managed to elicit public support for a free municipal ID program? That is a genuinely transformative step. Having a reliable form of ID is desperately needed by many in recovery or on the streets when it comes to accessing welfare, getting housing, applying for jobs, and so much more. And it is also something that Republican leaders in Topeka have repeatedly attacked as a backdoor to legalization for undocumented immigrants, leaving aside the complication that access to state services often depends on a simple form of reliable identification. Wyandotte County introduced municipal IDs in 2022, and former Wichita mayor Brandon Whipple had pushed for his city to do the same. Both such efforts, as well as those being contemplated by other cities seeking to address this genuine need on behalf of their poorer and unhoused residents, were knee-capped by the Republican majority in the Legislature, leaving this small but crucial reform very much in limbo. Wus comments after the commitment-making assembly, in which she said her affirmation was really a commitment that we will sit together between (the) city and county to talk about this, reflects the political disagreements which lay ahead. Thus, a real test confronts Justice Together: Will the movement find a way to publicly hold city and county leaders accountable? Will they be able to push the negotiations that will have to take place so the municipal ID goal doesnt get killed by leaders fearful of blowback from ideologues? Time, as always, will tell. The groups mere existence reminds us of the long history in America of people of faith organizing on behalf of specific social justice actions. To me, its presence here in Wichita is a blessing in itself. Russell Arben Fox teaches politics at Friends University in Wichita. Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here. The post In Wichita, a remarkable community gathering showed a path forward on challenging issues appeared first on Kansas Reflector. Widow of man shot dead in unprovoked attack on L.A. Metro bus speaks out Widow of man shot dead in unprovoked attack on L.A. Metro bus speaks out The wife of a man tragically gunned down on a Metro bus in Commerce last week is speaking out and sharing her pain over what investigators are calling a random and unprovoked murder. The fatal May 16 shooting happened just before 5 p.m. aboard a Metro bus at Slauson and Boxford avenues. Authorities say the suspect, 30-year-old Winston Apolinario Rivera, got on the bus in the 6200 block of Slauson and sat behind his victim, 32-year-old Juan Luis Gomez-Ramirez. As the bus came to a stop, the defendant allegedly walked to the rear exit, stopped behind Gomez-Ramirez, pointed a gun at his head and shot, instantly killing him, prosecutors with the L.A. County District Attorneys Office said in a news release. Sarahi Lopez, the victims widow, told KTLAs Chris Wolfe that she still feels compelled to visit the crime scene, parts of which are still stained with blood from the senseless shooting. With every day that passes, I feel more and more confused, like I dont have any answers, Lopez said in Spanish, as her attorney, Mario Acosta Jr., translated. Lopez said shes been agonizing over how the deadly incident happened, say her husband and father to their 1-year-old boy, was not the type to cause any conflict with anyone. The couple worked as special education teachers in Mexico and had arrived in Los Angeles in February for a vacation. Wanting to stay longer, but needing cash, her husband landed a job packing clothes at a Commerce warehouse not far from where the shooting occurred. Rivera was captured in the 6100 block of Peachtree Street, where he was hiding under a train, officials said. The 30-year-old has since been charged by the DAs office with murder and a special allegation that he used a firearm while committing a crime. Juan Luis Gomez-Ramirez, 32, seen here with this his 1-year-old son Elliot. (Sarahi Lopez) Juan Luis Gomez-Ramirez seen with his wife and son in this undated family photo. (Sarahi Lopez) Sarahi Lopez and her 1-year-old son, Elliot. (KTLA) Juan Luis Gomez-Ramirez and his wife, Sarahi Lopez, seen in this undated family photo. (Sarahi Lopez) I need the killer to tell me why he did what he did, Lopez said through her attorney. I want him to be punished because he ended our family. Gomez-Ramirezs killing came just hours after board members of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority held a press conference to talk about their response to a spree of high-profile violent incidents on and near buses and trains. On May 13 alone, there were two separate stabbings aboard the Metro system. In the weeks leading up to those incidents, there was a stabbing on a train that left a grandmother dead in Studio City and another that left a bus driver and passenger in South Los Angeles injured. On May 5, a driver on a Dash bus, which is operated by the city of L.A., was brutally assaulted by a homeless woman in an attack that was captured on video. In March, a transient armed with an airsoft gun hijacked a Metro bus and crashed into the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles. Armed, dangerous attempted murder suspect wanted in Southern California The familys attorney is now working to help Lopez with immigration issues, so she can stay in the United States and participate in the trial of her husbands accused killer. The widow is considering a lawsuit against Metro and potentially other entities. In the meantime, a GoFundMe has been organized to help her and her young son get by during this terrible ordeal. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA. The post Wildlife Rangers Blast Black Sabbaths Iron Man in Attempt to Coax Bear from Tree appeared first on Consequence. When a stubborn black bear made its way up a tree in a neighborhood in Golden, Colorado, wildlife rangers went to great lengths to get the animal from the tree safely. That included blasting Black Sabbaths Iron Man in an attempt to coax it down. As it turns out, this particular black bear, if not a fan, certainly wasnt bothered by the iconic song. According to Fox Weather, rangers with Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast Region were called to the neighborhood in Golden after the bear got into some trash that was left out overnight. It then climbed up a nearby tree and had no intention on leaving anytime soon. When youre out on a bear stakeout, you think its going to be all action, wildlife officials wrote via X/Twitter. You never think youre going to spend at least six hours in a car waiting on a bear to stop sleeping and climb down from a tree. And yet The bear eventually climbed down, but as the rangers attempted to steer it to safety and away from the residential area, it climbed up another tree. It was at this point that the wildlife team got a drone from the local police department to try to spook the bear from above. When this didnt work, they attempted to blare music Iron Man at the bear. Now, if he starts banging his head, weve got a problem, someone quipped in a video posted to social media. Black Sabbath were no match for the reluctant bear, who remained in the tree and convinced officials that it likely wouldnt leave until dark: We wait until nighttime and the bear finally comes down when almost all humans are gone. Wildlife officials added that residents should not leave trash overnight and that bears are cute but still very much wild animals. As for the music? Black bears dont mind Black Sabbath, they concluded. Below you can watch the news report and social media posts by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Northeast Region. When youre out on a bear stakeout, you think its going to be all action. You never think youre going to spend at least 6 hours in a car waiting on a bear to stop sleeping and climb down from a tree. And yet pic.twitter.com/ssjlPOQiMy CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) May 15, 2024 Time to break out the tech. @GoldenCOPS help us with a drone to see if an unfamiliar noise from above would make the bear descend. pic.twitter.com/q4G4vlh4eD CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) May 15, 2024 Wildlife Rangers Blast Black Sabbaths Iron Man in Attempt to Coax Bear from Tree Jon Hadusek Popular Posts Subscribe to Consequences email digest and get the latest breaking news in music, film, and television, tour updates, access to exclusive giveaways, and more straight to your inbox. Fatime Letifova The next plenary session of the spring session of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) has started, Azernews reports. The agenda of the meeting chaired by Sahiba Gafarova included the discussion of 11 issues. Those issues are as follows: 1. Information of the National Coordinator for the fight against human trafficking on the fight against human trafficking in Azerbaijan in 2023 2. Draft law on approval of the "Protocol on amendments to the Agreement dated April 3, 2017 on cooperation in the field of education between the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan" 3. Draft law on approving the "Agreement between the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan on mutual recognition of qualification diplomas of crew members of sea vessels" 4. "Rules for the operation and maintenance of the road bridge and access roads over the Samur River between the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Government of the Russian Federation from the Azerbaijan-Russia state border in the territory of the Samur (Republic of Azerbaijan) - "Yarag-Gazmalar" (Russian Federation) launch points on the Agreement" bill on approval 5. The draft law on amending the "Regulation on service in customs authorities" approved by Law No. 768-IQ dated December 7, 1999 of the Republic of Azerbaijan (third reading) 6. Draft law on amending the Civil Procedure Code, the Family Code and the Law "On State Duty" (third reading) 7. Draft law on amending the law "On State Registration and State Register of Legal Entities" (third reading) 8. Draft law on amending the Labour Code and the Civil Code (third reading) 9. Draft law on amending the Tax Code (third reading) 10. Draft law on amending some laws in connection with the implementation of Law No. 1035-VIQD of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated December 5, 2023 on amending the law "On cashless settlements" 11. Draft law on amending the Code of Administrative Offences (second reading) BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The political lies and inflammatory rhetoric of the "inaugural speech" given by Taiwan's new leader, Lai Ching-te, effectively made the address a de facto "manifesto" for "Taiwan independence." Lai's words reveal his true intention of sacrificing peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait for his own desire for power. However, as the proverb goes, he who plays with fire will eventually get burned. Not only did Lai advocate the "two states" theory, asserting that the two sides of the Strait do not belong to each other, he even went as far to label the Chinese mainland "a foreign country." Observers in Taiwan are aghast that Lai has already surpassed his predecessors including Lee Teng-hui, Chen Shui-bian, and Tsai Ing-wen on the path of "Taiwan independence." Lai maliciously stoked fears of a "military threat" from the mainland. He accused the mainland of being "the greatest strategic challenge to global peace and stability" in an attempt to bind the 23 million people in Taiwan to the bandwagon of "Taiwan independence." Lai pandered to anti-China forces in the West, willingly acting as their pawn. His pursuit of foreign favor essentially involves selling out, harming, and even destroying Taiwan to gain recognition. The past eight years of sharply deteriorating cross-strait relations fully demonstrate that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s "Taiwan independence" position is the root cause. It appears clear that Lai intends to continue along this erroneous path, leading Taiwan further away from peace and prosperity. Obviously, he is extremely dangerous, which sparks concern on the island that he will create even greater trouble. "Taiwan independence" is the most dangerous alteration to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and the greatest disruption to regional peace. The people of Taiwan should join hands with their compatriots on the mainland, resolutely safeguard the common homeland of the Chinese nation and steer cross-strait relations back onto the correct path. China must and will be reunified. "Taiwan independence" is a countercurrent of history and its pursuit will only lead to a dead end. The realization of complete national reunification is unstoppable by any force. The mainland will never tolerate any form of "Taiwan independence" separatist act. Lai and the DPP, if they continue going on the wrong path of "Taiwan independence," will inevitably face destruction. Faculty, administrators and featured speakers sit on stage during the Bismarck State College commencement ceremony at the Bismarck Event Center on May 10, 2024. The State Board of Higher Education is discussing the future of tenure for two-year college faculty. (Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor) The president of Williston State College on Tuesday defended tenure at North Dakotas two-year colleges, saying it would be impossible to recruit without tenure track positions. Bernell Hirning, president of Williston State, said that in the three years he has been at the college, when interviewing faculty candidates, those candidates all have asked about tenure track positions. If that goes away at Williston, were going to struggle to get even one applicant for a position, and its already difficult, Hirning said. With Williston being in a remote area and the oil industry driving up the cost of living there, northwest North Dakota is a difficult place to recruit faculty, he said. Hirning made his comments to the State Board of Higher Education Academic and Student Affairs Committee. That committee and the board have been debating tenure in recent weeks, especially at two-year colleges. Board member Kevin Black has noted that North Dakota University System policy states that the intention of tenure is to protect academic freedom for faculty. He questioned whether faculty at two-year colleges dealing with technical courses really warrant having the protection that tenure provides. Black said Tuesday that he has gotten numerous emails about his tenure questions. He said only one email really addressed his academic freedom concerns. As we move forward through this discussion, as we move through the fall into the legislative session, I would just encourage everybody to think through that argument, Black said. If, at the end of the day, its purely or majority of it is the employment benefit, then I think, lets just be honest and have that conversation. Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Lisa Johnson pointed to written responses from the North Dakota University Systems two-year schools. She noted that those schools do offer liberal arts classes that deal with controversial topics. Technical subject areas, such as agriculture, deal with touchy subjects such as climate change. There were numerous examples that were coming out of the community colleges that had some disciplines that probably needed to be protected, Johnson said. So maybe its up to the board to decide which ones need that protection. Is it some fields and not all? There was discussion of compromise on tenure. In North Dakota, college faculty are typically eligible to apply for tenure after six years as a full-time instructor. Chancellor Mark Hagerott suggested offering three-year contracts to faculty as a way of providing some job security, instead of annual contracts. He has made the same suggestion for university presidents. There could be a compromise between lifetime employment and multi-year contracts, Hagerott said. A letter signed by academic vice presidents of four of North Dakotas five two-year schools said tenure is not a lifetime appointment without expectations or obligations. There is nothing in policy or procedure that allows tenured faculty to coast, retire in place or otherwise not fulfill the responsibilities of their position, the vice presidents wrote. Hagerott said in a May 1 presentation to a legislative committee that the University System should look at having fewer tenured faculty at the community colleges, so that the presidents have more transformability in their faculty. The committee took no action Tuesday. The committee referred to a draft report coming from an ad hoc tenure committee that will be presented to the full board as another opportunity to continue the discussion. Hirning said Williston State was proud that it has a high percentage of tenured faculty. He said that doesnt mean its easy to obtain. Of three faculty that applied for tenure this year, only one was approved by the campus administration. Well continue to be very rigorous, very strict and very careful as to how we grant tenure moving forward, he said. The post Williston State defends tenure for 2-year faculty, compromise options suggested appeared first on North Dakota Monitor. Wish the FrontRunner went further south than Provo? UTA to offer more info at public meetings SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) Utah Transit Authority has scheduled public information meetings about an upcoming project extending service of the FrontRunner further south, from Provo to Payson. At the meetings, members of the public will be given updates on the project and will be able to offer public comments before the preliminary design of the project begins. READ NEXT: Your kids can ride unlimited public transportation all summer for $50 heres how Members of the project team will be at the meetings to answer questions regarding the projects schedule, proposed locations for the new stations and what to expect during environmental review. What to know about the project As of May 2024, the FrontRunner has stations from Ogden to Provo. The extension of the FrontRunner past Provo would bring three new stations and offer service to Springville, Spanish Fork and Payson, according to UTA. The proposed extension would be primarily along UTA-owned property, according to UTA. UTA also said it is preparing for environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act as well as the preliminary design stages. The environmental study will be prepared to evaluate both the benefits and impacts of the proposed project to identify a transit solution, UTA said. According to the latest project timeline, the environmental review is expected to take place between the spring of 2024 and the summer of 2025, with the preliminary design slated for 2025. However, UTA said that there is no funding or timeline for final design and construction. Information about upcoming public meetings The public meetings where Utahns can learn more about the project and offer comments will be held in Provo, Springville, Spanish Fork and Payson. The meetings will all take place on different days, from May 22 to June 12. Payson meeting DATE: Wednesday, May 22, 2024 TIME: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. LOCATION: Payson City Center, 439 W. Utah Ave., Payson, UT Provo meeting DATE: Tuesday, June 4, 2024 TIME: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. LOCATION: Provo Library Young Special Events Room, 550 N. University Ave., Provo, UT Spanish Fork meeting DATE: Thursday, June 6, 2024 TIME: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. LOCATION: Heritage Room at Library Hall, 80 S. Main St., Spanish Fork, UT Springville meeting DATE: Wednesday, June 12, 2024 TIME: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. LOCATION: Civic Center Multipurpose Room, 110 S. Main St., Springville, UT How to contact UTA about the project If you have comments and questions about the project, you can use the following methods to contact UTA: Email: frontrunnersouthextension@rideuta.com Phone: 385-355-3133 Mail: Utah Transit Authority, C/O Megan Waters, 669 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Online: FrontRunnerSouthExtension.com Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah. Sen. Bob Menendezs alleged co-conspirator in a yearslong extortion and bribery scheme ordered his legal counsel to set up a mortgage loan for the New Jersey Democrats then-girlfriend and to draft a job contract for her despite her lack of experience, a witness in the federal corruption trial testified this week. Federal prosecutors have begun to lay the foundation for their case against Menendez and his two co-defendants in a New York courtroom. Through Tuesday, they had called six witnesses an FBI special agent; a US diplomat; a former State Department employee; the lead counsel for the halal certification company owned by Wael Hana, one of Menendezs co-defendants; and the executive assistants to Hana and Fred Daibes, Menendezs other co-defendant. Both executive assistants said they were subpoenaed. Some of the witnesses have testified about a halal industry scheme in which Menendez and Hana, an Egyptian American businessman, allegedly acted as foreign agents for the Egyptian government. Its one of several accusations in the sprawling case that also involves the government of Qatar, gold bars and cash seized from the senators home, and allegations that he and his girlfriend-turned-wife took bribes in exchange for the senators influence. Menendez and Hana as well as the other co-defendant, New Jersey real estate developer Fred Daibes have pleaded not guilty. Menendezs wife, Nadine, has also pleaded not guilty and is set to go on trial in July. John Moldovan, the lead counsel for Hanas certification business IS EG Halal, testified that Hana ordered him to wire Nadine Menendez a loan to pay the outstanding debt on her home, which was at risk of foreclosure. In July 2019, Hana wired Moldovan money from IS EGs account to Moldovans personal account and ordered him to issue checks to Nadine Menendez, the lead counsel testified. Hana also asked him to write a promissory note so that Nadine Menendez would receive about $22,000 to $23,000, with a five-year term to pay back the amount in full, Moldovan testified. Moldovan said Nadine Menendez was upset and offended that Hana had a lawyer formalize the loan with a promissory note. She never signed the agreement, he testified, but she did receive the checks. Shortly after that, Moldovan testified, Hana told him he planned to give Nadine Menendez a consulting job at IS EG Halal and ordered Moldovan to prepare the job contract, which included payroll of $10,000 a month. Moldovan testified that he rarely did anything without Hanas approval. Moldovan said he drafted a contract between IS EG Halal and Strategic International Business Consultants LLC of which Nadine Menendez was president despite not having heard of the company. Moldovan said he never observed Nadine Menendez work or prepare any documents, nor did he hear of anyone speaking about her job performance for the company or other companies. Nadine Menendez never signed the IS EG job agreement, according to Moldovan. While he also said he didnt know if she got paid, prosecutors have pointed to three $10,000 checks. On cross-examination, the senators attorney, Avi Weitzman, asked Moldovan if Nadine Menendez ever mentioned she was dating the senator, to which he testified she did not. The pair later married. Trial proceedings are on pause until after Memorial Day, when Daibes executive assistant is expected to return to the witness stand. This story has been updated with additional information. CNNs Gregory Krieg contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Woman hospitalized after she was hit by a train in Miami A woman was hit by a train near a railroad crossing in Flagami on Tuesday morning. The train was heading southbound on tracks near Robert King High Park in Miamis Flagami neighborhood when the woman crossed the tracks to avoid the train, said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll. The train was passing by an area where several people experiencing homelessness have an encampment. Carroll said the woman was still close to the tracks when the train operator spotted her, slowed down and blared the horn. The front side of the train clipped her, Carroll said. Carroll said the woman was conscious when first responders found her with a serious leg injury. She was taken to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where she is in stable condition. A woman who won a free Virgin Voyages cruise said she would have to spend $8,000 on flights to claim the prize An Australian woman who won a cruise said she would have to pay thousands of dollars to redeem it. Her Virgin Voyages cruise was canceled due to Red Sea tensions, forcing her to rebook. The cruise line offered Europe or Caribbean trips, but she said flights were too expensive. An Australian woman who won a Virgin Voyages cruise said she and her partner would have to pay a combined $8,000 for flights due to a change in the ship's itinerary. The woman, who spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) under the pseudonym Morgan, said the flights to the cruise ports are more expensive than the value of the adults-only cruise. Morgan said she was traveling on a Virgin Airlines flight from Melbourne to her home in Tasmania in November when the passengers on board were told they had won a cruise. In a video shared to Virgin Voyages' Instagram account in November, a flight attendant FaceTimed with Virgin founder Richard Branson to announce the prize. "I am pleased to gift each adult on board a free Virgin Voyages cruise," Branson said. The video showed passengers excitedly cheering as flight attendants handed out cruise vouchers. It is not known if this video is from the same flight that Morgan was on. Morgan's voucher was for a twin-share cruise out of Australia or New Zealand on the cruise line's newest ship, Resilient Lady, which debuted in May 2023, as shown in a photo of the voucher published by ABC. Morgan said she was initially "thrilled" as she and her partner used the twin-share voucher to book a cruise out of Brisbane. However, in February, the cruise line announced its upcoming Australia voyages were canceled due to tensions in the Red Sea, according to ABC and The Independent. Virgin Voyages' Resilient Lady at the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Circular Quay, Sydney. Chris Putnam/Getty Images As a result, Morgan was told her only option was to redeem her voucher for a Europe or Caribbean voyage which could cost thousands in flights. Virgin Voyages has various Caribbean itineraries sailing out of San Juan and Miami, with ports in Tortola, Basseterre, St. John's, Fort-de-France, Castries, Kingstown, and Philipsburg. Morgan said two return flights from her home to the Caribbean would cost $8,000, which is more than the $7,000 value on the cruise voucher. "When I clarified this with Virgin's PR team they stopped responding," she said. ABC did not provide the dates and details of the flights Morgan referred to. According to return flights on Skyscanner viewed by Business Insider, travel from Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, to San Juan can take up to 46 hours across multiple flights. Prices for return flights varied throughout 2024 and 2025, with the most expensive being just over $2,500. Virgin Voyages' Europe cruises have itineraries in Ireland, Scotland, and the Mediterranean. Similarly, travel from Hobart to Portsmouth, a cruise port in England, can take up to 44 hours across multiple flights. BI viewed return flights from Hobart to Portsmouth as costing more than $1,200 on multiple dates throughout 2024. "We were genuinely shocked, we thought Virgin would provide us with an alternative prize like a flight credit or they would allow us to rebook on a later season," Morgan said. "They sort of gave up on us like 'you're a bit of a problem now,'" she said. The cruise line's brand could be at risk, says marketing expert "We apologise to our winners who can no longer redeem their prize due to the cancellation of Virgin Voyages' Australian and New Zealand cruises amid the conflict in the Red Sea," a spokesperson for Virgin Australia Group said in a statement obtained by BI. They added that "safety is always our number-one priority" and that Virgin Voyages had offered all impacted guests complimentary cruises on its other international sailings. Balkrushna Potdar, a marketing lecturer at the University of Tasmania, told ABC that Morgan's story could potentially damage Virgin Voyages' brand. The company could gain a reputation for using untrustworthy marketing tactics, Potdar said. Potdar said the company could make things right by "covering the cost of flights to Europe or the Caribbean." Virgin Voyages has been widely celebrated for its child-free cruises, which cater to millennial travelers. The company's first ship, Scarlet Lady, set sail in 2021 after being delayed due to the pandemic. In September 2023, Virgin Voyages announced it had secured $550 million in funding managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management. The funding will be used to enable the cruise line to support the brand's "rapid expansion into international markets, with a relentless focus on creating an outstanding and innovative customer experience," according to a press release. Read the original article on Business Insider RIDGEWOOD, Queens (PIX11) A worker was arrested after a robber was shot inside a Queens liquor store on Monday, authorities said. Two 20-year-old men assaulted the employee, Francisco Valerio, 53, while allegedly trying to rob the Franja Wine & Liquors store on Wyckoff Avenue in Ridgewood at around 7:45 p.m., police said. One of the suspects was shot in the abdomen during the fight, according to the NYPD. The man was taken to the hospital in critical condition and his accomplice was later apprehended, police said. Valerio was charged with reckless endangerment in connection to the incident, authorities said. His arraignment was pending Tuesday. The suspects have not yet been identified and charges were pending. Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. A Wrongfully Convicted Black Teen was the Youngest Person Ever Executed in Pa. Now His Family Is Suing Alexander McClay Williams was wrongfully executed on June 8, 1931, for the murder of 34-year-old Vida Robare AP Photo/Matt Slocum Lawyer Joseph Marrone speaking at a news conference on May 20, 2024. The family of a teen who was wrongfully executed in 1931 filed a civil lawsuit against Delaware County on Monday, May 20 Alexander McClay Williams was a Black 16-year-old who was executed on June 8, 1931 for the murder of 34-year-old Vida Robare Williams was coerced into confessing despite never being seen near the crime scene. He has since been exonerated The family of a teen who was executed in Pennsylvania in 1931 has filed a lawsuit seeking damages. According to NBC 10, Alexander McClay Williams who was Black and 16 years old at the time of his execution is the youngest person to be put to death in the state. The outlet reports that the lawyers of Williams family announced on Monday, May 20, that they would be filing a civil rights lawsuit against Delaware County. This was the county that prosecuted him in 1931, according to WHYY-PBS. "They murdered him, Williams' only surviving sibling Susie Williams Carter, 94, of Chester, said at a press conference on May 20, per WHYY-PBS. They need to pay for killing my brother. According to the outlet, Philadelphia lawyer Joseph Marrone filed the federal lawsuit against Delaware County on Friday, May 17. The lawsuit was also filed against the estates of a prosecutor and two detectives who were on the case. This tragedy haunted the family, haunted the parents, haunted Susie, haunted [trial lawyer] William Ridley and his family, Marrone said, per the outlet. There was nothing to connect him to the murder. He was a convenient Black boy at the hands of these detectives and this prosecutor." This news comes after Williams conviction was overturned in 2022 with an order for a retrial, per The New York Times. PEOPLE has contacted Delaware County for comment. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. AP Photo/Matt Slocum Lawyer Joseph Marrone speaking at a news conference on May 20, 2024. Williams was convicted of murdering a White 34-year-old woman named Vida Robare. Vida worked at the Glen Mills School for Boys, where the teen attended. NBC 10 reports that Vida's ex-husband Fred Robare who also worked at the school found her dead in her cottage on the school premises on October 3, 1930. She had been stabbed 47 times. According to NBC 10 and The New York Times, there were no witnesses to Vida's murder and Williams was coerced into confessing despite never being seen at the crime scene. However, the evidence reportedly pointed to a different culprit: Vida's ex-husband. Court records stated Vida filed for divorce from Fred, citing "extreme cruelty," per NBC 10. Despite there being no evidence that connected Williams to the crime, the teen was tried in front of an all-White jury and sentenced to death by the electric chair after being convicted of first-degree murder. He was executed on June 8, 1931, four months after the murder of Vida. Dr. Sam Lemon the great-grandson of Williams defense lawyer William Ridley spent decades alongside Williams sister Carter, fighting for the teen's innocence. According to The Washington Post, Lemon visited the crime scene, examined court and genealogical records and examined Williams psyche by commissioning a psychological autopsy. Meanwhile, Lemon went on to discover that Vida's death certificate had been forged and Williams was listed as an adult on his certificate instead of a minor, per NBC 10. Williams was posthumously exonerated in 2022 by Gov. Tom Wolf, WHYY-PBS reports. For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on People. AURORA, Ill. A 97-year-old World War II veteran will be the Grand Marshal of Auroras Memorial Day Parade. Richard Dick Miller will be presented Tuesday with a mayoral proclamation and his Grand Marshals sash. He graduated in 1944 from East Aurora High School and enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Miller was on the U.S.S. Drexler the day it was destroyed by Japanese kamikaze planes. He was rescued by a pilot after spending a couple of hours in the water with black oil sputtering all around him. Miller discharged in 1946 and served in the Navy Reserve for the next five years. He ended up working for the U.S. Post Office and raised two children with his late wife Dorothy. It wasnt in vain: 98-year-old local World War II vet receives Frances Legion of Honor His biography is below, per the City of Aurora. Born in Aurora on June 26, 1926, Dick Miller attended St. Paul School and East Aurora High School. Upon graduation, he enlisted in the United States Navy in 1944. He was stationed in Pearl Harbor before being deployed on the destroyer ship U.S.S. Drexler, which headed for the staging area for the Battle of Okinawa, the bloodiest battle of the war in the Pacific. The invasion began on April 1, 1945, and on May 28, 1945, the U.S.S. Drexler was destroyed after kamikaze planes crashed into it. I was a spotter for Japanese kamikaze planes, Miller said. We were hit twice, and the second one blew our ship to pieces and propelled us into the ocean. Nearly 160 people on board were killed, and another 52 were wounded, including Miller. Keeping himself afloat by holding onto an empty canister, he spent a couple of hours in the water with black oil splashing into his eyes, nose, and mouth. Swallowing it could have been fatal. A pilot searching for survivors eventually rescued him, and he was transported to a hospital in Pearl Harbor. The war in the Pacific ended while he was recovering in the hospital. Miller was discharged in April 1946 and returned home to Illinois, and joined the Navy Reserve for an additional five years. Like so many heroes of our Greatest Generation, he settled into quiet civilian life after the war. He married his high school sweetheart and began a three-decades-long career at the US Post Office. He and his late wife, Dorothy, raised two children and have two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. At nearly 98, Miller is still active in veterans causes in the community and frequently speaks in local schools and civic groups about his experiences. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. Western Washington University police are investigating a hate crime possibly linked to an ongoing campus protest against the war in Gaza. A Jewish student who was wearing a Star of David necklace told WWU police and The Bellingham Herald that they were spat upon and followed to their dorm on Friday. The victim, who is not being named, said the attack happened as they were walking past the protesters. (Protesters) were chanting in Arabic that the entire land is exclusively Arab land. They were chanting to kick out Zionists from (WWU) and specifically the Ethnic Student Center, the victim told The Herald in a text message. Zionism is the belief in Jewish self-determination in their ancestral homeland of Israel, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The student said they had simply been walking past the protest, where about 500 to 600 people rallied in favor of a student employees union and for a series of demands that Gaza protesters gave to WWU President Sabah Randhawa last week. I was also yelled at by multiple individuals who repeatedly screamed shame. Keep in mind I didnt speak a word to them the whole time. I didnt realize the antisemitism was so prevalent until yesterday, the victim said. At their website, WWU police said the incident is under investigation as a fourth-degree assault and malicious harassment, which is a hate crime and a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison. University spokesman Jonathan Higgins said a thorough university investigation is under way, receiving our full care and attention. It was reported to police and to WWUs Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance and student support professionals were reaching out to the victim, Higgins said. While we do not have confirmation that this antisemitic act was committed by any of our encampment protesters, our student services team, which includes staff focused on de-escalation, addressed expectations with demonstrators on Friday immediately after the incident. The team continues to clearly communicate that this behavior was and is unacceptable, and we will continue engaging with the encampment to reinforce expectations, Higgins told The Herald in an email. Hateful speech, including antisemitism and Islamophobia, is inimical to WWUs values. Any violence or harassing behavior will be directly dealt with by the University Police Department and the Office of Civil Rights and Title IX Compliance, he said. Are you listening? and Free Palestine are written in chalk on the bricks at Red Square in a screenshot from a live video stream on May 9 at the campus of Western Washington University. In addition, several incidents of vandalism have been reported to WWU police since the Gaza protest camp, a tent camp on the lawn between Old Main and Viking Union, started May 14. Free Palestine was painted outside Viking Union and the Performing Arts Center; Free Palestine and All eyes on Rafah were painted in Fairhaven Tunnel; and Popular University for Gaza was written on the brickwork outside Wilson Library. At their website, WWU police reported graffiti in Red Square and damage to Fisher Fountain. Free Palestine was written in chalk on the brick walkway, according to a screenshot last week from a camera overlooking Red Square. WWU officials werent immediately able to provide information about the cost and nature of damage to the fountain, but a Herald readers email said the fountain had been filled with red dye. The incident was listed on the police log as second-degree malicious mischief, which under state law involves damage over $750 and is a class C felony. The fountain will be closed until commencement week, Higgins said. Several college and university campuses across the U.S. have seen similar protest camps in recent weeks as the war in Gaza continues, sparked by the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed 1,200 civilians in Israel, including 45 Americans. An estimated 35,000 Gazans, including many women and children, have been killed in the fighting. Hamas which the U.S. and other nations classify as a terrorist organization still holds more than 100 hostages. LONDON, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The United Kingdom's (UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologized for the infected blood scandal on behalf of successive governments on Monday and declared it was a "day of national shame." Addressing the House of Commons following the publication of the inquiry, Sunak said: "I want to make a whole-hearted and unequivocal apology for this terrible injustice." He also promised to pay "comprehensive compensation" to those infected and those affected by the scandal. "Whatever it costs to deliver this scheme, we will pay it," he said, adding that details will be set out on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, a damning 2,527-page inquiry concluded that the contaminated blood scandal in the UK which has caused more than 3,000 deaths, "could largely, though not entirely, have been avoided." The report said that "a catalogue of failures" by successive governments and doctors caused the "calamity," in which tens of thousands of patients with haemophilia and other bleeding disorders were infected with HIV and hepatitis viruses after receiving infected blood and blood products between the 1970s and early 1990s. "It may also be surprising that the questions why so many deaths and infections occurred have not had answers before now," the report said. The scandal has been called "the worst treatment disaster" in the history of Britain's National Health Service (NHS). The report also revealed that there has been "a hiding of much of the truth" by the government and the NHS "to save face and to save expense." Such a cover-up was "not in the sense of a handful of people plotting in an orchestrated conspiracy to mislead, but in a way that was more subtle, more pervasive and more chilling in its implications," it said. The scandal was linked to supplies of a clotting factor imported from the United States, which used blood from high-risk paid donors. The government announced the establishment of a UK-wide public inquiry in 2017 to examine the circumstances that led to individuals being given contaminated blood and blood products. In 2022, the government made interim compensation payments of 100,000 British pounds (about 127,000 U.S. dollars) to about 4,000 infected individuals and bereaved partners who were registered with the country's infected blood support schemes. Wyoming man allegedly passed out in vehicle with gun, arrested by Tehachapi police BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) A vehicle with its hazard lights flashing got the attention of Tehachapi police, leading to the arrest of a Wyoming man suspected of illegally possessing a loaded firearm, officials said. The Tehachapi Police Department said officers were called to the 1100 West Tehachapi Boulevard on May 17 for a report of suspicious vehicle. According to the department, officers found a the vehicle with its hazard lights on and a man passed out in the drivers seat. Officers spoke with the man and said they noticed a gun wedged in between the drivers seat and center console. Tehachapi police identified the man as Christopher Whisenant, 42. He was taken into custody after a search of the vehicle. Officials said Whisenant was allegedly in possession of additional ammunition and high-capacity magazines. Whisenant is a previously convicted felon and barred from owning or possessing a firearm or ammunition, police said. Whisenant was booked into the Kern County Jail on suspicion of driving under the influence or narcotics and other weapons charges, police said. Whisenant was not listed as in custody Monday evening, and no charges were filed against him according to court records. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Tehachapi Police Department at 661-822-2222. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17. Faculty and administrators protest the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, during the commencement at Yale University Faculty and administrators protest the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, during the commencement at Yale University (This May 20 story has been corrected to read 'communities in Israel' instead of 'Jewish settlements' in paragraph 7) By Michelle McLoughlin and Steve Gorman NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (Reuters) - Scores of graduating students staged a walkout from Yale University's commencement exercises on Monday, protesting the Israeli war in Gaza, Yale's financial ties to weapons makers and its response to pro-Palestinian demonstrations on the Ivy League campus. The walkout began as Yale President Peter Salovey started to announce the traditional college-by-college presentation of candidates for degrees on the grounds of Yale's Old Campus, filled with thousands of graduates in their caps and gowns. At least 150 students seated near the front of the audience stood up together, turned their backs to the stage and paraded out of the ceremony through Phelps Gate, retracing their steps during the processional into the yard. Many of the protesters carried small banners with such slogans as "Books not bombs" and "Divest from war." Some wore red-colored latex gloves symbolizing bloodied hands. Other signs read: "Drop the charges" and "Protect free speech" in reference to 45 people arrested in a police crackdown last month on demonstrations in and around the New Haven, Connecticut, campus. The walkout drew a chorus of cheers from fellow students in the crowd, but the protest was otherwise peaceful, without disruption. No mention of it was made from the stage. Yale is one of dozens of U.S. campuses roiled by protests over the mounting Palestinian humanitarian crisis stemming from Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip following the bloody Oct. 7 cross-border attack on communities in Israel by Hamas militants. The University of Southern California canceled its main graduation ceremony altogether, and dozens of students walked out of Duke University's commencement last week to protest its guest speaker, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, who has supported Israel throughout the war in Gaza. ACADEMIC WORKERS STRIKE UC SANTA CRUZ Fallout from a violent attack weeks ago on pro-Palestinian activists encamped at the University of California, Los Angeles, reverberated on the UC Santa Cruz campus on Monday as academic workers there staged a protest strike organized by their union. Also on Monday, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Dartmouth College, an Ivy League university in New Hampshire, narrowly voted to censure president Sian Beilock, according to a college spokesperson, for her decision to call in police to dismantle a pro-Palestinian encampment on May 1. The censure vote does not directly endanger Beilock's job. The police action resulted in the arrest of 89 people and some injuries. Much of the student activism has been aimed at academic institutions' financial ties with Israel and U.S. military programs benefiting the Jewish state. Protests in sympathy with Palestinians have in turn been branded by pro-Israel supporters as antisemitic, testing the boundaries between freedom of expression and hate speech. Many schools have called in police to quell the demonstrations. At UC Santa Cruz on Monday, hundreds of unionized academic researchers, graduate teaching assistants and post-doctoral scholars went on strike to protest what they said were the university's unfair labor practices in its handling of pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The strikers are members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 4811, which represents some 2,000 grad students and other academic workers at UC Santa Cruz, and about 48,000 total across all 10 University of California campuses and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Last week, the UAW 4811 rank-and-file voted to authorize union leaders to organize a series of "standup" strikes through the end of June on individual or groups of UC campuses rather than across the entire university. The Santa Cruz strike marked the first union-backed protest in solidarity with the recent wave of pro-Palestinian student activists, whose numbers, according to the UAW, include graduate students arrested at several University of California campuses. Union leaders said a major impetus for the strike was the arrest of 210 people at the scene of a pro-Palestinian protest camp torn down by police at UCLA on May 2. The night before, a group of pro-Israel supporters physically attacked the encampment and its occupiers in a melee that went on for at least three hours before police moved in to quell the disturbance. The university has since opened an investigation of the incident. The strikers also are demanding amnesty for grad students who were arrested or face discipline for their involvement in the protests. UC Santa Cruz issued a statement saying campus entrances were briefly blocked in the morning by demonstrators, prompting the school to switch to remote instruction for the day. The University of California has filed its own unfair labor practice complaint with the state Public Employee Relations Board asking the state to order a halt to the strike. (Reporting by Michelle McLoughlin in New Haven, Connecticut and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Richard Chang) Abigail Biebers parents still sometimes break down sobbing at the hardware store or while grocery shopping. They feel her loss at family dinners and when they pass a photo of her in her deputys uniform. Biebers older brothers say they think of her as they put on their own police uniforms before going out on duty. Its been more than two years since Bieber was killed in a murder-suicide by her boyfriend, a fellow Hillsborough sheriffs deputy named Daniel Leyden. Biebers death so sudden, so violent has challenged her familys trust of the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office. Family members now say they are at odds with Sheriff Chad Chronister over how his agency responded after Biebers death and how the organization handled an incident involving Leydens previous girlfriend years earlier. A spokesperson from the department told the Tampa Bay Times that the office sympathizes with the Bieber family and that the organization, too, feels her absence every day. The Biebers say that isnt enough. Abigails father, Bruce, says the family knows how common officer-involved domestic violence is nationally. They worry the agency isnt looking into how to better watch for problems with their deputies. Its like they just want it to go away, Bruce said. The search for answers Abigail Bieber had been dating Leyden for eight months when the couple and four other off-duty deputies headed to St. Augustine on vacation in January 2022. Abigails mother, Sarah, said her daughter told her that she was considering breaking up with Leyden because he was trying to move too fast in the relationship. Other deputies who went on the trip later told her family that, rather than share a bedroom with Leyden, she spent nights sleeping on a couch at the Airbnb. It was a Saturday night on Jan. 29, 2022, when the other deputies in the house said they heard Leyden and Bieber yelling in a closed room, according to a St. Johns County Sheriffs Office report. The report said the deputies, who hid in a bedroom closet while calling 911, heard Bieber say, put the gun down, and the sound of gunshots. An autopsy report found that Bieber was shot three times in the head before Leyden shot himself. Parts of her fingers were blown off, indicating that she tried to protect herself. Abigails brothers joined other law enforcement in a cross-state procession organized by the Hillsborough sheriffs office. Sarah Bieber wept as she, Bruce and Abigails German shepherd, Louie, met the hearse. It was then that Bruce said a deputy revealed a 2016 incident between Leyden and a former girlfriend, Chynna Ratner. Bruce said the deputy told him that he and others felt uneasy about Leyden after that incident, and that the deputy told Bruce he thought Leyden should have lost his job. According to a July 3, 2016, incident report, four sheriffs deputies, including a supervisor, arrived at an apartment after Leyden called to report concerns that Ratner ran over his foot when he tried to stop her from driving drunk. The two had recently broken up but were still speaking. Ratner had gone to a party at her friends house and was out later than Leyden wanted her to be, she said in the report. Leyden called Ratners cellphone 17 times, the report said, then showed up at her house. When Ratner got home around 1:30 a.m. and realized Leyden was there, she tried to drive away, the report said. Leyden wouldnt let her, putting his foot behind her back tire. She cried as she told deputies she felt Leyden was being controlling and had punched her car window and hood hard enough that she worried the window would break. The report said a DUI deputy detected alcohol on Ratners breath but determined that she was not drunk, and noted that Leyden had glassy eyes and smelled of alcohol. The deputy did not put either through sobriety tests. Deputies noted that Leyden didnt seem injured. They gave Ratner a victims rights pamphlet. Leyden took an Uber home. A Hillsborough sheriffs detective reviewed the case and spoke with an assistant state attorney, and decided against charging Leyden or Ratner. Yet, while the agencys policies state that allegations of deputies involved in criminal misconduct require administrative investigation, no records showing further internal investigation were provided to the Times nor included in Leydens personnel file. His file does include two letters of reprimand for crashing agency vehicles. Asked why there was no internal affairs investigation, the sheriffs office told the Times in an email this month that because it determined that no crime occurred, there was no catalyst for an administrative investigation. What Ratner did shortly after Abigail Biebers death suggests that there may have been more that leadership could have looked into. She posted a video to social media, saying that Leyden had physically and mentally abused her while they were together. She said he followed her home after they separated, put a gun to her head, beat her and sexually assaulted her. Bruce Bieber saw the video first. Then he talked to the rest of the family about it. They were stunned. The family set up meetings with Hillsborough sheriff leadership. Bruce Bieber said Chronister told him he would look into it and see if more should have been done. Deputies reinterviewed Ratner in February 2022 but noted in an internal affairs document that she didnt make any allegations beyond what she said in the video. Deputies said she couldnt be reached a second time. Internal affairs deputies decided that because Leyden was dead, an administrative investigation could not be opened. In an interview with the Times, Ratner said she doesnt trust the Hillsborough sheriffs office for letting Leyden keep his job after the 2016 incident and said she felt like deputies didnt believe her when she was approached again in 2022. She said deputies didnt try to contact her again after that. She said she thinks Chronister and top officials didnt pursue an investigation into how the administration handled Leyden because it would have shown negligence. They could have stopped this back then and they didnt, Ratner said. Abigails brothers, Ben and Daniel Bieber, who both have handled domestic violence cases as local police officers, said an internal affairs investigation into Leyden should have been launched in 2016. A law enforcement consultant who specializes in domestic violence cases, Mark Wynn, said Hillsborough deputies should have done more before and after Biebers death. Deputies should have conducted a more thorough interview with Leyden at the scene, said Wynn, a former officer with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. They then should have followed up with an internal investigation, he said, adding that Leyden should have had his gun taken from him and undergone a psychological evaluation to determine his fitness for the job. Its absolutely disgraceful, Wynn said. As an agency, what can you even say to the family of Abigail when you didnt take the proper steps to address this problem? Wynn said that when Ratner came forward after Abigail Biebers death, the agency should have launched an internal review of its policies. Picking up the pieces The last text exchange between Bruce Bieber and Chronister was on the first anniversary of his daughters death. Bieber asked Chronister why he didnt reach out that day and why the agency didnt say anything publicly. He asked Chronister if he thought the family was now a shameful embarrassment. The only shameful thing here is that you rushed to judgment and made such a crazy and misguided assumption, Chronister wrote. The loss of Abigail isnt one that only you and your family have shouldered and endured. Youve made it abundantly clear over the past several months that youre looking to pacify your anger by blaming someone besides the person who did this but please, dont place it here. Chronister, who was not sheriff in 2016 but was appointed in 2017, declined an interview with the Times. Hes seeking reelection this year. Bruce Bieber said hes focused now on getting more training about officer-involved domestic violence to law enforcement agencies. He said he is reaching out to reporters and documentarians and networking with experts, victims families and advocates. Research over the past few decades shows that reported domestic violence incidents involving law enforcement officers occur at a much higher rate than the general public. Sarah Bieber said the family wants to keep her daughters memory alive. She was best friends with her daughter. They saw each other regularly and texted all the time. She cries when she talks about her vibrant personality and about how she befriended outcasts at school and made a big deal out of birthdays and anniversaries. Without her daughter, Sarah Bieber said shes living a different life. She said the family wants Abigails name to be remembered and for change to come out of what happened to her in the way law enforcement responds to domestic violence. We have to be her voice, she said. Year's hottest Saturday brought grand opening of new indoor playground in Boynton Beach BOYNTON BEACH Luz Kayani likes to bounce. I love the trampoline and the bounce house. Theyre my favorites, said the 11-year-old, one of dozens of giggling, running and laughing children at Saturday mornings grand opening of Sky Zone. About 170 people were waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m. at Catalina Shoppes on North Congress Avenue in Boynton Beach. The first 100 entered free, said General Manager Sway Ford. After doffing their shoes for orange grip socks etched with Have Fun, Fly Safe children took to the indoor playground to enjoy dodgeball, zip lines, king-of-the-hill, blanket slides and other rides supervised by the 71 Sky Zone employees. If kids can walk, they can jump, said Ford. Tanner Rinaman, 10, of Lantana, goes airborne during a dodge ball clash at Sky Zone Trampoline Park grand opening Saturday May 18, 2024 in Boynton Beach. Grand Tasting comes to Boynton Beach: City is hosting its first food and wine festival Center is indoor play company's fourth site in southern Florida The outdoor playground is the 18th for Sky Zone. Started in 2004, the Utah-based company operates about 270 parks in the United States. Palm Springs, Fort Lauderdale and Port St. Lucie are nearby locations. We offer unique attractions at our parks that not only promote fun for visitors of all ages, but also inspire our guests to move their bodies, connect with friends and family and make unforgettable memories, said Rachel Layton Smith, Sky Zone' vice president of marketing. Eight-year-old Ryan Shapiro agreed. I like falling off the swing and landing on the soft ground. Then I went on all the other rides, said the Boynton Beach resident. Party room at Sky Zone Trampoline Park during grand opening Saturday May 18, 2024 in Boynton Beach. The colorful, high-ceilinged building has rooms that can be reserved for birthday parties and other events on the second floor. The Fuel Zone sells pizza, ice cream and soft drinks. High-top tables with charging stations allow parents to get work done while their children play. Several parents said Sky Zone is a welcome refuge for their children, especially on hot summer days like Saturday. I like that you can sit at a table and see all the activity all around you, said Lisa Shapiro, Ryans mother. HOA news: Age-old fencing for residents' dogs runs afoul of new homeowners association president Studies see health benefits of vigorous activity for children Such activities are important for children to encourage more physical activity, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The department recommends children and adolescents ages 6 through 17 do one hour or more of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily. Physical activity also has brain health benefits for school-aged children, including improved cognition and reduced symptoms of depression. Regular physical activity in childhood can prevent heart disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes, according to the department. IF YOU GO What: Sky Zone indoor playground Where: Catalina Shoppes, 1729 N. Congress Ave., Boynton Beach. Cost: $25.99 for 90 minutes, $29.00 for all day. Monthly memberships are available for families and individuals. Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Details: Customers can rent a portion of the park or the entire facility. Requirements: All guests must sign a waiver online or upon entry. A parent or guardian must sign a waiver on behalf of jumpers under the age of 18. Contact: skyzone.com, Ph. 561-295-4646 This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Indoor playground in Boynton opens on year's hottest Saturday morning FILE PHOTO: U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said there was a possibility Group of Seven nations would support Ukraine by as much as $50 billion using loans linked to seized Russian assets, Sky News reported on Tuesday. "I believe it's important for the G7 to work together to show a united front and to show that we can generate meaningful resources to support Ukraine over the next several years," she told Sky News. "While America stands behind Ukraine and I expect Congress, if necessary, will pass future packages, Ukraine has substantial needs and being able to marshal significant resources to help Ukraine is important." Asked if it might be possible to provide a loan of around $40 billion to $50 billion, she said: "Yes, I think that's a possibility." (Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by William James; Editing by Kate Holton and David Milliken) NEW YORK (PIX11) The presidents of New York Citys three public library systems passionately pleaded with the City Council on Tuesday to reverse the proposed $58.3 million in budget cuts. Linda Johnson of Brooklyn Public Library, Tony Marx of New York Public Library, and Dennis Walcott of Queens Public Library warn that this would have a devastating impact on vital services. New York Citys libraries are facing the most significant cuts we have seen in years, stated Johnson, underscoring the severe consequences the Brooklyn system alone would face from a proposed $16.2 million reduction, equivalent to 13% of its operating budget. More Local News Johnson outlined how these cuts would force drastic measures like: Cutting hours to five days a week at over half of Brooklyns locations Diminishing collections and programming by a third or more Slashing hiring and eliminating 146 public-facing positions Canceling 25% of database subscriptions Increasing wait times for books by 30% The proposed budget threats come as libraries report soaring demand as they rebound from the pandemic. According to Johnson, visits, programs, and new card applications are all up over 40%. Instead of rising to meet this increased demand, we are forced to reduce programming, Johnson lamented, listing reductions like 50% fewer citizenship classes and creative aging classes for seniors. Due to mid-year budget cuts imposed by the City in November, the New York Public Library system was already forced to eliminate Sunday service at all locations. At Tuesdays City Council Finance Committee hearing, all three library presidents were questioned about the proposed cuts impact on services. Have you had to close any branches because of the cuts? asked Councilmember Carlina Rivera. Is there a number thats not an aspiration, a number that would make you feel whole in terms of what youve lost? Councilmember Justin Brannan inquired. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now PIX11 News Headlines This comes after all three systems rallied supporters on the City Hall steps last week and called for the full $58.3 million restoration. Were here saying, enough is enough and restore our budget to its full level and beyond, declared Walcott. Lets change the conversation. No more talk about cuts. Lets talk about investing in libraries, urged Marx. As the City Council continues to deliberate on the final budget, the three presidents warned that the future of accessible library services for all New Yorkers hangs in the balance. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. If you're not making progress in therapy, you might be intellectualizing your emotions. Here are 3 signs, according to a therapist. If you're not making progress in therapy, you might be intellectualizing your emotions. Here are 3 signs, according to a therapist. The label 'intellectualizer' describes people who analyze emotions, rather than feeling them. It's a coping strategy from childhood environments where expressing feelings felt unsafe. Intellectualizers often feel disconnected, appear calm but struggle internally, experts say. The label 'intellectualizer' has taken off on TherapyTok to describe a person who understands their unhelpful patterns, but can't change them. You could be one if you have trouble accessing your emotions. According to Trisha Wolfe, a Michigan-based therapist who specializes in developmental trauma, it's a coping strategy that people can develop during childhood in response to an environment where expressing feelings doesn't feel safe. It's known in therapy circles and online as intellectualizing and can lead to problems like feeling disconnected from others, feeling empty, and difficulty feeling present in the moment, she told Business Insider. Although he never used the term himself, the idea comes from Freud's theory that some people separate their thinking mind from their emotional experience as a defense mechanism, she said. A child may start intellectualizing their feelings rather than allowing themself to feel them if, for example, they had very emotionally reactive parents whom they felt they had to walk on eggshells around. It could also be a strategy to avoid being bullied or reprimanded by authority figures or peers by only showing emotions that they deem acceptable. In essence, it means rather than feeling your emotions in your body, you retreat into your mind to think or reason your way out of them, Wolfe said. You might fixate on understanding why you're feeling this way, why the upsetting situation has occurred, and what you can rationally do to resolve it. She shared three signs that you might be intellectualizing your feelings and how you can start to feel safe enough to feel them. You're pragmatic and want to understand the why behind everything Intellectualizers approach things through a logical, rational lens, Wolfe said. They tend to deal with challenging situations by analyzing, making lists, and creating a plan of action. If, for example, an intellectualizer's loved one dies, they might throw themselves into planning the funeral and sorting out their estate rather than crying and grieving. Sometime later, they may experience a flood of emotion, Wolfe said, but it will likely feel so overwhelming that it's shortlived and triggers them back into intellectualizing. Resorting to books and spreadsheets to resolve their emotional problems is also common for intellectualizers, she said. In one viral TikTok that has 260,000 likes at the time of writing, a therapist impersonates an intellectualizer who says she understands "the why behind everything she feels and does," but can't move past it. Her way of coping is through extensive research. She even jokes that she considered going to school to study therapy not because she wanted to work in mental health, but because she could learn as much as possible about the different types of therapy and how the brain works. You appear calm and put together but don't feel that way on the inside People who are intellectualizers typically appear put together and calm, Wolfe said. "They look so well and so smart and so intelligent, they never show that anything is wrong," she said. This is similar to people with high-functioning depression or anxiety, whose lives often seem perfect on the outside. That might be why Wolfe said it's common for an intellectualizer client to come to her after they've "graduated" from another type of therapy, but say they still feel stuck in their old patterns. "These therapists are saying, ' You're good, and you're done, ' but they still don't feel right. They still can't connect, or feel their emotions, or be present," she said. People with these tendencies may have trouble with therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy because they involve analyzing thoughts and behaviorssomething they've already spent much of their lives doing. "They'll come in, the therapist will say, here's this CBT worksheet, now go look at how your thoughts impact your behaviors. And they're thinking, I already know how my thoughts impact my behaviors. I already understand that, but what am I supposed to do about it?" she said. Wolfe recommends therapies that focus on feeling bodily sensations and integrating different parts of yourself, such as Internal Family Systems or the Neuro Affective Relational Model. "The goal of therapy shouldn't be to force you to feel your feelings. The goal of therapy should be to support when you're feeling safe enough that you want to feel your feelings." You feel emotionally disconnected from people and things in your life Feeling a sense of emptiness or disconnection could be a sign you're intellectualizing your feelings. "You can think about your life and you can think, this is my five-year plan and I'm going to be getting married, I'm going to be getting this job, I'm buying a house, I'm putting money in my 401k, but you never actually feel this sense of happiness, joy, connection to what you're doing in your life," she said. You may also feel disconnected from the people around you and as if you're putting on a role or wearing a mask in conversations. You're responding normally but you don't feel fully authentic or present because you're thinking too much and you're "stuck in your head." "You have what you want in your life. You have friends, you understand things, but you feel a little bit empty," she said. Intellectualizing is a protective strategy, not a fault It's important to remember that intellectualization is an adaptive protective strategy, and separate from who you are as a person, Wolfe said. "It is a way that you protected yourself and kept yourself safe for whatever reason in your life. There isn't anything wrong with you if you are an intellectualizer." Although it's a challenging place to be and it can feel hopeless, Wolfe said she has seen many people learn to feel their feelings safely. It just takes time and practice, she said. Read the original article on Business Insider Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again emphasized his country's urgent need for air defence weapons. Ukraine most urgently needs more air defence systems and Western fighter jets, Zelensky said in his daily video address on Monday evening. "Unfortunately, the free world lacks speed on these two issues," he said, adding that, due to its air superiority, Russia is able to destroy Ukrainian cities and defence positions with glide bombs. According to Zelensky, the Russians actively used destructive tactics on the front lines near Kharkiv and in Ukraine's eastern region of Donetsk in the direction of Chasiv Yar and Pokrovsk. Zelensky had already requested the delivery of two additional Patriot air defence systems several times in recent days. He said that this would provide better protection for Kharkiv, which has been repeatedly attacked from the air. The city in north-east Ukraine is one of the hardest hit by the war. The fighter jets also mentioned by Zelensky were promised to Ukraine a year ago. However, according to official information, the F-16s have still not arrived. According to experts, the generally long delivery times of weapons from the West are allowing Russia to prepare for the new weapons. Zelensky on legitimacy dispute: My term is not over yet President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a May 20 interview with Reuters he had to continue serving as president due to martial law. "My five-year term is not over yet," Zelensky told Reuters. "It is continuing due to martial law." If martial law had not been imposed, the next presidential election would have been held on March 31, 2024, and Zelenskys term would have ended on May 20. But Ukraine introduced martial law after Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. The Martial Law Act explicitly bans presidential, parliamentary, and local elections. Some of Zelensky's critics claim that the Constitution does not authorize extending his presidential term under martial law. They argue that he ceased to be a legitimate president on May 20. However, leading constitutional lawyers dispute this claim, saying that the Constitution allows such an extension. Read also: Zelenskys term would have expired this month, but hes staying. Russia wants to use it Zelensky also said that "it is difficult to assess my activities during these five years" and that "it would not be that ethical now." Zelensky said he is happy to be the president of a nation that has not shunned hazards and risks. Sign up for our newsletter Ukraine Weekly By Olga Rudenko Sign up "They (Ukrainians) were fighting for what was close to their hearts. But it is not over, and this is not the end of the story. I believe we need to be moving forward together till the end, the victorious end," he said. In March, Zelensky said in an interview with Italian media outlet Rai 1 that the presidential elections had to be postponed, as holding elections under martial law requires changes in Ukraine's legislation. The president also said the Ukrainian government had to ensure the conditions for 7 million Ukrainians to vote abroad, as well as for the soldiers who are serving on the front line. In May, Zelensky signed into law the extension of martial law and general mobilization from May 14 to August 11. Read also: Every Western decision is late by a year, says Zelensky Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. Zelensky: Situation in Donetsk Oblast difficult but there is military success in Kharkiv Oblast The situation on the front line in the direction of Pokrovsk, Kramatorsk, and Kurakhove in Donetsk Oblast remains extremely difficult, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his May 21 evening address. He added, however, that Ukrainian forces are successfully destroying Russian troops in Kharkiv Oblast. Russia launched a new offensive with a reported 30,000 troops on May 10, targeting Kharkiv Oblast, which is situated near the two countries' shared border in northeastern Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to push further in Donetsk Oblast, apart from the Kharkiv offensive. The situation is reportedly tense in the area, as Russian troops constantly try to break through. In mid-May, the Russian military carried out from 10 to 20 assaults per day in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, according to Nazar Voloshyn, the spokesperson of the Khortytsia group of forces. Zelensky received military reports from Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and General Staff Chief Anatolii Barhylevych on May 21. "The Pokrovsk direction and other Donetsk directions Kramatorsk and Kurakhove remain extremely difficult," the president said. Read also: Every Western decision is late by a year, says Zelensky Zelensky also recalled the 22nd Ramstein-format summit of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), which occurred the day prior. Zelensky said all partners were informed about Ukraine's urgent needs, including air defense systems, armored infantry vehicles, and shells. After six months of political infighting and delays, the U.S. passed a long-awaited $61 billion aid package in April, with much of it covering military aid. During the six-month break in aid, Ukraine lost the key front-line city of Avdiivka in February amid a severe ammunition shortage. Ukraine's shortage of air defense has also been felt as Russia intensified its strikes all over the country, mainly targeting energy infrastructure. Russian strikes against Ukraine's energy infrastructure have cost the state over $1 billion in damages, according to the Energy Ministry. Read also: Opinion: Will the renewed US support for Ukraine be enough? Weve been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent. People take part in a demonstration in demand for an immediate hostage release deal and a general election outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, on May 20, 2024. Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua) People take part in a demonstration in demand for an immediate hostage release deal and a general election outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, on May 20, 2024. Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua) A demonstrator is detained during a demonstration in demand for an immediate hostage release deal and a general election outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, on May 20, 2024. Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua) People take part in a demonstration in demand for an immediate hostage release deal and a general election outside the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in Jerusalem, on May 20, 2024. Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage. (Photo by Jamal Awad/Xinhua) Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: the Office of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, discussed security and cooperation issues with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on 21 May. Source: European Pravda with reference to Zelenskyy on X (Twitter) Details: "Ukraine and Azerbaijan have promising projects in energy, trade, and other areas. We directed our teams to step up their implementation efforts and coordinated future joint events," Zelenskyy posted, without going into detail. The Azerbaijani side has not reported about the phone call between the two presidents yet. Background: In February, presidents of Ukraine and Azerbaijan held a meeting on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference where they spoke English instead of Russian. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Baku has provided humanitarian aid for Kyiv but refused to supply it with weapons. Azerbaijani officials support the territorial integrity of Ukraine but still contact Russian vis-a-vis. Back in April 2022, Zelenskyy stated that he understood Azerbaijans stance concerning the war in Ukraine. Support UP or become our patron! Zelenskyy and German Foreign Minister discuss situation on the front and Ukraine's air defence capabilities video Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany. Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, have discussed the situation on the front in Ukraine and the needs of the Ukrainian military, including additional air defence capabilities. Source: President Zelenskyy on X, following a meeting with Baerbock on 21 May, as reported by European Pravda Details: Zelenskyy thanked Germany for the aid it continues to send to Ukraine in its fight for its independence. I welcomed German Foreign Minister @ABaerbock on her seventh visit to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began. I spoke about the frontline situation and Ukraines key defense needs. We discussed the joint initiative of German foreign and defense ministers to find pic.twitter.com/BtuMLtHFqW Volodymyr Zelenskyy / (@ZelenskyyUa) May 21, 2024 "I spoke about the frontline situation and Ukraines key defense needs. We discussed the joint initiative of German foreign and defense ministers to find additional Patriot and other air defense systems for Ukraine," Zelenskyy wrote on X. Background: Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs of Germany, has stressed that Germany has no concerns over the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy even though Ukraine cannot hold presidential elections under martial law. A German initiative to strengthen Ukraine's air defence has raised almost a billion euros. Baerbock said she has had to cancel her visit to the city of Kharkiv planned within her trip to Ukraine on 21 May due to the current security situation. Support UP or become our patron! Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine does not want to invite Russia to the Peace Summit that will be held in Switzerland in June so as to avoid it undermining the peace process. However, intermediaries will facilitate opening talks with Russia following the summit. Source: President Zelenskyys interview with Reuters, shared by the Office of the President of Ukraine Details: Zelenskyy explained that Ukraine did not want to invite Russia to the first international Peace Summit in Switzerland because "they [the Russian side ed.] are always blocking everything, they will undermine the process, and they wont rest until they present us with their own plan for ending the war, which will inevitably be an ultimatum, as we have seen on many previous occasions". "We cant hand the initiative over to them [...] Our agenda cant be dictated by Russia. This is a war against us, so there is justice in this," Zelenskyy also said. He added that the fact that so many countries have agreed to take part in the summit indicates that they recognise the foundations of peace Ukraine has outlined, even if they want to make suggestions or clarifications. Zelenskyy said that the goal of the summit is to come up, between Ukraine and its allies, with a joint stance on three key questions and then to inform Russia of their position. "If all countries support these three points, as I said, then a detailed step-by-step plan will be developed and presented to Russian representatives across different platforms that different countries have [...] Then Russia will have to contend with most of the world," Zelenskyy explained the idea behind coming up with a joint position. In an interview with Reuters, he also confirmed that Ukraine is in talks with its partners regarding using their weapons to strike targets on Russian territory. Support UP or become our patron! Guess what? Generative AI is all about you now. Microsoft just unveiled Copilot+, a generative AI model that lives inside laptops rather than in the cloud. That will give you a slew of new ways to help get more out of your meeting notes, calendar, photos, recordings, downloads all your digital stuff. It could, for example: Suggest scheduling your follow-up meeting with the boss at 11 a.m. Tuesday, because your notes suggest that meetings around that time are more productive. Seek a photo of you and your grandmother on the beach when you were 7. Find a clue for what to get for a friends birthday based on your recent conversations with them. Its what we always thought Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri might become. And maybe still will. Next generation laptops offer ramped up use of AI Copilot+ was unveiled ahead of Microsofts Build recent developer conference in Seattle. At the same time, a stable of PC makers including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft and Samsung unveiled a new class of laptops called AIPCs, which are powerful and efficient enough to run on-device AI applications like Copilot+. The first AIPCs are all built around Qualcomms new Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus, which Microsoft says are currently the only Windows processors with enough horsepower to run Copilot+ effectively. So many people are so busy these days, Alex Katouzian, Qualcomms Group General Manager of Mobile, Compute and XR, told me. If we can ask our laptops to pull something together instead of searching everywhere for what we might need, we can save ourselves hours. Im really looking forward to that. Generative AI spring In what may become known as the generative AI spring, the status quo is changing dizzyingly fast even for a technology that first floored us with its abilities just 18 months ago, when OpenAI first introduced ChatGPT, the Kleenex of generative AI models. Generative AI is so transformative because just about anyone who can speak or type can prompt it to write essays, create artwork and even program computers. OpenAIs ChatGPT and Gemini from Google grew even easier and more engaging to use. If demos at recent events are to be believed, the new models have impressively lifelike conversational abilities to help you write or even just brainstorm. At this pace, it may soon be difficult to distinguish tackling tasks with AI models from collaborating with other humans. And there is still a month left before summer, with more blockbuster events on the docket, including a big PC industry show in Taiwan called Computex and WWDC, Apples developer conference. Laptop or cloud? The cloud-based mega models can do everything that Copilot+ can do on a capable laptop and more. Which raises the obvious question: Why bother building AIPC laptops at all? To be sure, there are benefits to using generative AI on each. The largest generative AI models and the unfathomably massive libraries of information they were trained on are without a doubt more powerful, skilled and now, conversational. But the biggest models and data stores are too big to fit in many data centers, let alone laptops. Google search enhanced: Google all in on AI and Gemini: How it will affect your Google searches Plus, do you really need a generative AI model capable of creating a Rembrandt-styled painting to find a cousin in your photo collection? Its overkill like taking a piece of wood to Home Depot to have it sliced on their massive table saw when you could have just done it on the spot with your own tools. Squeezing generative AI models into your laptop is not only more efficient. Its also more private. Microsoft says that anything Copilot+ does stays on your laptop. So your personal information wont find its way into the cloud, where it could be accessed by others to train new models. Or worse. Do you need an AIPC? In a word, no. Many recent laptops are powerful enough to tackle Copilot+. But they will drain your battery. So dont unplug them. The new AIPC laptops are built around processors with highly focused, efficient engines that can handle anything Copilot+ and other AI applications give them. And they wont drain your battery. Today, Microsoft says that Qualcomm is the only PC processor supplier with an AI engine NPU in industry parlance powerful and efficient enough to make the AIPC cut. But things are changing fast. Watch for AMD and Intel to have their own AIPC coming-out parties next month at Computex. And what Apple ends up unveiling at WWDC is anyones guess. And of course, you havent heard the last from Qualcomm. This is just the beginning, Katouzian agreed. USA TODAY columnist Mike Feibus is president and principal analyst of FeibusTech, a Scottsdale, Arizona, market research and consulting firm. Reach him at mikef@feibustech.com. Follow him on Twitter @MikeFeibus. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Microsoft's AI model lives inside laptops instead of the cloud Blue Yonder is taking another big swing in the artificial intelligence realm. The company, which offers end-to-end supply chain technology solutions, announced at its annual conference, Blue Yonder Icon, that it will take its AI capabilities one step further this year. More from Sourcing Journal According to Duncan Angove, the companys CEO, it will soon be offering generative AI-powered agents to its customers, which can enhance work needed for a variety of roles throughout the supply chainfrom planners to warehouse managers and more. The difference [here] is, its not the [technology] being updatedits the human, its the user, and its like a cognitive upgrade for humanity, he said. We will profoundly change the way work is done. I think hidden in [companies] data, theres a new warehouse operator, a new planner, a new logistics coordinator. Angove and Wade Gerten, Blue Yonders senior vice president of generative AI, said that though the process of training agents could take years, the company plans to start small and address the first few major use cases so that it has the ability to roll out the capabilities within the year. For instance, an agent built to aid a planner may notify that planner of shipping disruptions caused by an incoming storm or weather event. It will, simultaneously, recommend a course of action for the planner to carry out. In that scenario, if the planner had scheduled domestic shipments to be fully sent by air cargo, but the storm rendered planes unable to fly to certain areas, the system might recommend a combination of air shipment and on-land shipment. The human planner can choose to accept the recommendation, or to override it in favor of another option. Andrea Morgan-Vandome, chief innovation officer of Blue Yonder, said the agents ability to show operators the difference between options could help them understand more about the tool and its decisioning. This really gets around some of the concerns in terms of black boxthat AI just gives you an answerbecause it really will help the players or managers learn as to why [a specific] decision was made, she said. Angove said the company believes the new capabilities have the potential to alter supply chain positions in a major way, digitally promoting individual contributors to be managers of fleets of robots, fleets of digital agents. Gerten said that while AI-based agents may in time make some roles obsolete, he does not expect AI will eliminate roles left and right. Some jobs, like call center workers, could be affected by the technology as it continues to grow, but he said employees in other positions will benefit, with AI automating manual tasks and freeing employees up to think more strategically and creatively. The company plans to gather its customers thoughts, concerns and preferences around use cases for the agents over the course of the next few months. Once it has adjusted the systems accordingly, customers will be able to leverage the technology later this year. While that development is ongoing, though, many customers continue to use Blue Yonders other AI-enabled tools, which help companies with a variety of tasks, from warehouse management and transportation management, to forecasting and other logistical considerations. REI, a client of Blue Yonders, uses the supply chain companys systems to help it optimize customer experiences around fulfillment, pickup and delivery. But because of the success REI has seen so far with its Blue Yonder implementations, it can consider where customer demand may ultimately head next: sustainable shipping. Data from e-commerce firm ESW showed earlier this year that three in 10 consumers consider sustainable shipping when they shop online, and logistics intelligence company Sifted found that 82 percent of consumers would accept an extra day of waiting for a package if it meant the shipping methods were more eco-friendly. The way Amit Kulkarni, divisional vice president of supply chain, merchandising and co-op brands technology at REI sees it, Blue Yonder could soon help enable more sustainable shipping options for the retailer. Sustainable shipping is definitely a consideration, so thats [an] area we are looking at, he said during a session at the conference. That kind of optimization can often be done by using data to place inventory closer to consumers who are more likely to order it, as well as by using transportation management to figure out the most sustainableyet cost-effectiveway to ship an order to the end consumer. REI may also be looking to increase the sustainability of shipments to its warehouses, before consumers come into the equation. Tractor Supply Company, another customer of the supply chain software company, has been lauded in recent years for its willingness to test and leverage AI in its business practices. It uses a variety of third-party providers, Blue Yonder included, to enable its digital prowess. Vijay Alagarasan, TSCs vice president of engineering, said one of the companys next technical priorities will be using technology to amp up the consumer experience in new stores, where the company may begin attracting new customers. According to Alagarasan, 77 percent of TSCs current shoppers are loyal, repeat customers. The company has plans to open 80 new stores in 2024 and 90 new stores in 2025, which presents it with an opportunity to garner even more loyal customers. Already, TSC uses computer vision technology in some of its stores to help alert employees when consumer dwell times are high, or when checkout lines become longer than usual. It also leverages generative AI with its Hey, Gura chatbot, which helps employees answer consumer questions in stores. Alagarasan said the company will continue testing and learning from small-scale technology implementations, then determine whether to scale them up. Its all going back to the outcomewhat is the KPI and what is the outcome that we are driving towards? Its not just the top lineeven if its a customer experience, or improving the productivity of store associates, or reducing the operational cost, or improving the experience of a DC person, all those aspects, we leverage [new] technology [for], Alagarasan told Sourcing Journal. Blue Yonder has helped with many of the implementations TSC has been interested in, but Alagarasan said he would advise any company getting a start with emerging technologiesparticularly microservices or verticalized AI solutiosnto start small and grow larger. They have to start with the foundational capabilities to build [technology like this] and not really worry about too many features in it, rather focus on getting one feature in a composable fashion, he said. It all goes back to how [quickly] you can iterate on that and add more and more features, he said. I think that is where [technology] actually drives more value. Thats where the speed comes in. And then the quality comes in. The city of Charlotte is showing off some of the states electric fleet. City leaders held an EV Ride and Drive event to highlight public and private partnerships aimed at eliminating carbon emissions. The event featured electric vehicles from cities and car companies across North Carolina. ALSO READ: Electric vehicle sales decrease in 2024 One of the vehicles featured was an electric school bus. Just imagine a whole fleet of electric school buses taking their kids to school in a way that contributes to a healthier environment, said Sarah Hazel, Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer. The city said its goal is to switch its fleet to zero-carbon sources by 2030. VIDEO: Electric vehicle sales decrease in 2024 Driverless Waymo car thwarts robbers during police chase SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) A driverless Waymo car stopped a couple of robbers from getting away during a police chase in San Francisco on Monday. Just before 2 a.m., a victim was assaulted and robbed on 8th Street near United Nations Plaza, police said. The victim told officers that a man and woman stole cash and car keys before speeding off in the victims car. Officers located the stolen vehicle in the area of Harrison and 2nd Streets. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle failed to yield, and a vehicle pursuit ensued, a San Francisco Police Department spokesperson told KRON4. A Waymo autonomous vehicle turns onto Mission Street in San Francisco, on November 17, 2023. (Photo by JASON HENRY/AFP via Getty Images) After officers lost sight of the fleeing robbers, the stolen car crashed into an autonomous vehicle on Folsom Street near 14th Street, police said. Will judges blunder shorten David DePapes prison time? The stolen car v. Waymo driverless car crash happened next to one of the AV companys parking lots, a witness wrote on Reddit. Officers apprehended the robbers. Police said the 41-year-old man was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, and the 26-year-old woman was arrested for receiving a stolen vehicle, conspiracy, and resisting arrest. SFPD is asking anyone with information on this incident to call 415-575-4444. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KRON4. Shine Bright In Portugal, a comet shot through the sky and illuminated the whole sky turquoise and one lucky girl captured the entire extravaganza on camera. Posted on X-formerly-Twitter and Instagram, the stunning fireball footage from Portuguese content creator Milena Refacho has gone incredibly viral, with her original post garnering more than six million views as netizens marveled with her at the spectacle. O meteorito na tuga pic.twitter.com/4ZxJ50ZFIo (@milarefacho) May 19, 2024 In the video, the 19-year-old Refacho's friends can be heard exclaiming to the heavens and, in one hilarious instance, to hell in Portuguese at the surprise light show. Later, the European Space Agency confirmed that a comet fragment had indeed paraded through the skies of Portugal and Spain, and that it appeared to have burnt up in the atmosphere, resulting in the fantastical blue-green explosion that lit up the sky at nearly midnight local time. It's unlikely that any of the fragments survived the fiery crash, the ESA added. Comet Conundrum While it's certainly not uncommon for such space projectiles to leave brilliant tails behind them as they burn up in our planet's atmosphere, this comet fragment's descent was extra-bright, the New York Times explains, because it was careening at around 100,000 miles per hour. That's twice the average speed of a rocky asteroid, which seems to have made it twice as bright, too. As the NYT adds in its write-up, the ice-rock composure of most comets suggests they were born at the dawn of our Solar System, which makes this one's incredible final display all the more special. In an interview with the newspaper, planetary astronomer Meg Schwamb of Queen's University in Belfast said that although there are "notable meteor showers throughout the year, which are the result of the Earth crossing debris clouds of specific comets," the brilliance of this comet may tell scientists something about its size. This chunk, Schwamb said, "is likely a bit bigger than a good fraction of the meteors we see during meteor showers, so this just made a bigger light show." "Its an unexpected interplanetary fireworks show," the astronomer added. More on hunks of space: Giant Piece of Space Junk Crashes Down on Farm of Canadian, Who Intends to Sell It and Spend Money on Hockey Rink MOGADISHU, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS) on Tuesday vowed to galvanize efforts to develop the country's aviation sector. Head of UNSOS and UN Assistant Secretary-General Aisa Kacyira Kirabo, who reviewed progress of the ongoing aviation services capacity-building for Somali security forces and Somalia's aviation workforce, praised the government for its partnership with UNSOS and its commitment to improving the welfare of the Somali people. "We are here to serve with the purpose of empowering Somalia to move on with dignity, and we will go all the way to support you on that," Kacyira said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia. The aviation capacity-building program was developed and led by Ernest Manzano, chief of aviation services at UNSOS. "The capacity-building we are doing goes beyond training," she said. "It is a total change of mindset. We want to capacitate Somali forces and civilians to take over all aviation responsibilities." The program focuses on aviation security, airport firefighting, tactical operations for the military, air traffic control, medical evacuation, meteorology, and drone operations. "This training aims to prepare for the transfer of security responsibilities from African Union Transition Mission in Somalia to the Somali Security Forces and the Somali Civil Aviation Authorities," UNSOS said. It said the goal is ultimately to empower the Somali forces, with a focus on women in aviation and the country's future. Somalia National Security Advisor Hussein Sheikh Ali expressed the government's commitment to increasing women's participation in both the aviation sector and national security forces. "My office is currently drafting a women, peace and security strategy. We are still in consultations for the strategy, and this is the ideal moment to recognize the vital contribution women can make towards national development," Ali said. Maynard Alvin Thomas, a capacity-building specialist at the UNSOS Integrated Mission Training Center, said they have conducted a series of training courses to support Somalia's transition process. "These courses cover signals, interoperability, transportation, medical and engineering, combat leadership, and radio communication," he said. "We continue to deliver on a lot of courses based on the preliminary needs assessment. This year we have a minimum target of training 600 personnel," Thomas said. Honda Civic hybrid returns this summer with a 200-hp model, promise of near 50 mpg Honda will add hybrid models to one of Americas favorite vehicles when the 2025 Civic compact goes on sale shortly. Honda says prices for the 2025 Honda Civic hybrid will start below $30,000. Civic hybrid prices will start under $30,000. The hybrid will be available on both sedan and hatchback body styles. Honda expects hybrids to account for about 40% of U.S. Civic sales, which totaled 200,381 in 2023. The automaker promises a combined city/highway EPA fuel economy rating nearing 50 mpg. That would constitute an improvement of about 40% versus a 2024 Civic sedan with the 2.0L gasoline engine. New features on the 2025 Honda Civic hybrid include Google built-in for for navigation, phone, music and more. Most powerful Civic ever built With 200 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque, the 2025 Civic hybrid is the most powerful Civic ever built, save the radical Type R, which sells for around $45,000 and has a turbocharged 315-hp engine. It uses the same combination of a 2.0L engine and continuously variable transmission as the Accord and CR-V hybrids. The hybrids and the rest of the 2025 Civic lineup also get new features and minor styling tweaks to remain competitive with compacts like the Toyota Corolla, Hyundai Elantra, Kia , Mazda 3 and Nissan Sentra.Hybrid versions of the 2024 Elantra and Corolla scored city/highway ratings of 54 and 47 mpg in EPA tests. The Civic uses Hondas established two-motor electric system. The automaker isnt saying what gasoline engine it will use, but expect a continuously variable automatic transmission. The 2025 Honda Civic's nose was restyled to look more like a Honda Accord. The hybrid system will offer four levels of regenerative braking, which recaptures energy for the battery when the vehicle slows down. Paddles on the steering wheel control the level of regeneration. Honda says specially tuned springs and shock absorbers and a tire developed for the hybrid will contribute to responsive handling and low levels of noise and vibration Honda says prices for the 2025 Honda Civic hybrid will start below $30,000. 2025 Honda Civic trim levels LX Sport Sport Hybrid Sport Touring Hybrid Source: Honda Honda says prices for the 2025 Honda Civic hybrid will start below $30,000. The return of a popular hybrid The new hybrid fills an important spot in Hondas lineup, boosting the efficiency of a popular model as the automaker begins to roll out its electric vehicles. Honda stopped selling the previous Civic hybrid after the 2015 model year. Honda sold another compact hybrid in the 2019-21 model years, the Insight hybrid. Thats the second time Honda has mothballed the Insight name, which revolutionized the auto industry when it introduced the first hybrid gasoline-electric powertrain as a 2000 model. The new Civic hybrid is a perfectly-timed addition to the Honda lineup as hybrid-electric sales continue to grow, providing Honda with an important building block toward 100% zero-emissions vehicle sales by 2040, Honda vice president Lance Woelfer said. Honda hybrid-electric models represented over one-quarter of our overall brand sales in 2023. Hondas 2.0L four-cylinder gasoline engine will power EX and Sport models of the 2025 Civic. Honda says prices for the 2025 Honda Civic hybrid will start below $30,000. 2025 Honda Civic Safety and driver assist features Adaptive cruise control Collision alert Automatic front braking with pedestrian detection Lane keeping alert and assist Blind spot alert Rear cross traffic alert Honda says prices for the 2025 Honda Civic hybrid will start below $30,000. Design tweaks to resemble Accord, CR-V The sedan and hatchbacks exteriors are little changed, with new lenses for the head and tail lights, and grilles and front fascia updated to look more like the larger Honda Accord sedan and CR-V SUV. Google built-in for navigation, music and more is available in the top Sport Touring model, which also comes with leather seats, a 9.0-inch touch screen and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Top available features Google built-in infotainment Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Up to 9-inch touch screen 12-speaker Bose audio Wireless charging The 2025 Civic gets four new exterior colors: Solar Silver Metallic, Urban Gray Pearl, Blue Lagoon Pearl and Sand Dune Pearl. Honda says prices for the 2025 Honda Civic hybrid will start below $30,000. The interior will be available in gray or black. More details on prices, fuel economy and specifications should be available shortly. Honda will build Civic hybrids in Greensburg, Indiana, and Alliston, Ontario. Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2025 Honda hybrid raises bar for power, efficiency, connectivity (Reuters) - Meta Platforms' Facebook removed the account of the suspected shooter of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico after the attack, the company and a state agency said on Tuesday, as the government continues to probe whether the attacker had help. Fico is recovering in hospital and no longer in immediate danger after being hit by four bullets last Wednesday, in the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years. Slovak government officials said on Sunday, four days after the shooting, that the attacker may have not been a "lone wolf" as first believed, with one factor being that the suspect's Facebook and communication history was deleted after the attack. Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok had said an investigation team had been set up, which would also look into whether the suspect acted as part of a group of people who had been encouraging each other to carry out an assassination. On Tuesday, Meta said it had removed the attacker's account on the night of the incident and had informed Slovak authorities about the removal. It remained in touch with authorities and law enforcement, it said. News websites Dennik N and Aktuality were the first to report Meta had removed the attacker's Facebook profile. The state Council for Media Services, which had been in contact with Facebook and other social media platforms immediately after the attack, also said in a statement that Meta had informed it on Tuesday of the account removal. Sutaj Estok told broadcaster TA3 on Tuesday evening the most likely version was still the attacker had accomplices but investigators were working on both possibilities, including him acting alone. "I guarantee we will investigate everything," he said. Sutaj Estok had said on Sunday when discussing the possible involvement of more people that "I think that two hours after... committing this act, the perpetrator had all Facebook and communication history erased, and it was not erased by him or apparently by his wife." Officials have said the attack on Fico was politically motivated. Local news media say the suspect - identified by prosecutors as Juraj C. - is a 71-year-old former security guard at a shopping mall and the author of three collections of poetry. There has been no official statement made public from the suspect, or any lawyer representing him. (Reporting by Jason Hovet; Editing by Mark Potter) Scientists use rare metal to set new record in effort to produce limitless energy: 'It was a pretty remarkable result' Nuclear fusion just got a huge boost from an innovative source tungsten. In a landmark achievement, scientists in France sustained a fusion reaction for a record-breaking six minutes while injecting over a billion joules of energy. This brings us one major step closer to clean, abundant energy that can transform our world, according to Interesting Engineering. The breakthrough happened at a donut-shaped reactor called a tokamak. By heating hydrogen to a scorching 50 million degrees Celsius (about 90 million degrees Fahrenheit), researchers created a super-hot plasma under conditions similar to what powers the sun. The goal is to get way more energy out than what's put in the key to making fusion a viable power source. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab researcher Tullio Barbui said, per Interesting Engineering: "During the six-minute shot, we were able to measure quite nicely the central electron temperature. It was in a very steady state of around 4 kilovolts. It was a pretty remarkable result." What's the secret ingredient in this record-setting reaction? The rare metal tungsten. Most tokamaks use graphite inner walls, but tungsten could be the magic bullet for larger, more efficient reactors. It doesn't retain any fuel, allowing the plasma to stay hotter and denser perfect conditions for cranking out massive amounts of energy. For everyday folks, this could eventually mean a future with cheaper, cleaner, virtually limitless electricity. Fusion power plants could one day provide always-on, carbon-free energy with no planet-heating pollution. That's a huge win for both our wallets and our environment. "This is, simply, the difference between trying to grab your kitten at home versus trying to pet the wildest lion," said Luis Delgado-Aparicio, a lead scientist at Princeton Plasma Physics Lab, on the challenge of working with tungsten versus graphite. But those crazy kittens er, particles are starting to fall in line, according to Xavier Litaudon, a researcher at the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. "Thanks to these new measurements, we will have the ability to measure the tungsten inside the plasma and to understand the transport of tungsten from the wall to the core of the plasma," he said. In other words, we're getting a handle on this white-hot fusion cookie, one crunchy tungsten bite at a time. And that's something we can all get fired up about. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the coolest innovations improving our lives and saving our planet. Jacob Soter, founder and CEO of SwimSmart, explains how the electronic light displays work on one of the newly installed orange towers at Grand Haven State Park. GRAND HAVEN An innovative new warning system will help keep beachgoers safe while enjoying Lake Michigan this summer. Representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, SwimSmart and the city of Grand Haven unveiled a series of new SwimSmart towers Monday, May 20, at Grand Haven State Park. The system includes 12 electronic and web-enabled towers that can provide audio warnings, with lights aligned to the state flag warning system. The towers can contact emergency personnel. "SwimSmart towers will help provide real-time warnings to beachgoers," said DNR Parks and Recreation Chief Ron Olson. "This innovative, technology-based system features two types of towers visible along the Grand Haven swim beach, marking the first state park location for this initiative." There are eight orange towers on the beach itself, and four blue light towers along the sidewalk. Orange towers have an electronic light display mimicking the green (safe), yellow (use caution), red (do not swim) and more recently added double red (swimming prohibited) warning flags to notify visitors of swimming conditions. Flagpoles will remain in place, but flags will now only be flown if the system goes down, the DNR said. Towers will be equipped to play pre-recorded messages alerting beachgoers to changing conditions, emergencies and other important information. Each orange tower is equipped with a life ring. If a ring is accessed to help someone in the water, park rangers and 911 will be simultaneously contacted. The four blue towers have an emergency phone that park staff and visitors can press to trigger an emergency response. Theyre also equipped with a loudspeaker, video monitoring system and direct line to Ottawa County 911 Central Dispatch. Michigan-based SwimSmart invented, developed and installed the towers. This partnership with the Michigan DNR brings us one step closer to realizing our mission of preventing the next water emergency from happening, said Jacob Soter, founder and CEO of SwimSmart. We share the DNRs commitment to public safety, and are excited to provide this resource to the countless families who will be visiting Grand Haven State Park this summer and for years to come. Organizations and communities are making concerted efforts to improve water safety along West Michigan's coastline. The $570,000 project was funded by a $200,000 grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and capital outlay funds through the DNR. Subscribe: Receive unlimited digital access to your local news coverage SwimSmart towers are the latest effort to increase beach safety in West Michigan. Efforts have been ongoing in Holland for several years. In April, the Holland State Park Water Safety Consortium and West Michigan Water Safety Alliance announced a plan to implement the Beachside Education Patrol in Holland. The project will see trained volunteers at the park, educating visitors and beachgoers on the dangers of water currents, the flag warning system and best practices. A speaker system was put in place at Holland State Park in 2021 to announce to swimmers when conditions deteriorate. In 2022, Gentex donated digital displays to more prominently identify water and swimming conditions at Holland State Park, with messaging that corresponds with the flag system. Last year, the West Ottawa High School Interact Club established an effort called the Holland Safe Water Initiative. The club stated a goal of raising funds for drones that could be deployed at area beaches to help prevent drownings. According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, which tracks drownings in all five Great Lakes, there has been one drowning in Lake Michigan so far in 2024. Nearly half 41 of 85 of Great Lakes drownings in 2023 were in Lake Michigan. Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Smart towers latest in effort to make Lake Michigan a safer place to swim Wisconsin man charged with using AI to create and send explicit images of minors Wisconsin man charged with using AI to create and send explicit images of minors A man was arrested on charges of creating and distributing explicit AI-generated images of minors. The 42-year-old man used Stability AI's text-to-image model, Stable Diffusion, to make the images. He faces up to 70 years in prison, the Department of Justice said. A 42-year-old man was arrested on charges of creating sexually explicit images of minors and sending similar obscene material to a 15-year-old. According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Steven Anderegg was arrested last week after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with producing, distributing, and possessing explicit AI-generated images of minors in one of the first cases of its kind. The Wisconsin resident was accused of using Stability AI's text-to-image model, Stable Diffusion, to create thousands of hyper-realistic images of nude or partially clothed minors, many of which showed them engaging in sexual acts with men or touching their genitals. He was also accused of sending the 15-year-old boy AI-generated images of minors showing their genitals in an Instagram message and describing how he used Stable Diffusion to generate the explicit images of minors, according to the court documents. The DoJ said he stored the images on his computer and that evidence was recovered from his electronic devices. It also claims he created the images using sexually explicit text prompts related to minors. Anderegg is in federal custody, awaiting a detention hearing set for Wednesday. He faces up to 70 years in prison for the four counts alleged in the indictment, per the DoJ. If convicted, it wouldn't be the first time a person has been imprisoned for using AI to generate sexually explicit images of minors. In November, a child psychologist was sentenced to 40 years in prison, followed by 30 years of supervised release. The North Carolina man used an AI tool to create pornographic images of minors and sexually exploited a minor. An investigation by the Stanford University Cyber Policy Center in December found that pubic dataset LAION-5B, which was used to train AI image generators, including Stability AI's earlier model Stable Diffusion 1.5, contained over 1,000 images of confirmed child sexual abuse material. A Stability AI spokesperson previously told Business Insider it had introduced filters to prevent users from creating illegal content with Stable Diffusion and that its models were only trained on a filtered subset of LAION-5B. UK-based Stability AI states in its terms of use, which was last updated in March, that users will not use or allow others to use its models to commit "exploitation or harm to children, including the solicitation, creation, acquisition, or dissemination of child exploitative content." The company said in a statement to BI that the model used in this case was Stable Diffusion 1.5, which was released by RunwayML, not Stability AI. "Stability AI is committed to preventing the misuse of AI and prohibit the use of our image models and services for unlawful activity, including attempts to edit or create child sexual abuse material." Do you work at Stability AI? Got a tip? Contact the reporter via email at jmann@businessinsider.com or reach out on the encrypted messaging app Signal at jyotimann.11 Read the original article on Business Insider The company that wanted to build a commercial solar farm in Marion County has paused its eight-year-long campaign. They may try again in the future, according to a notice filed with the Ohio Power Siting Board last week by Devan Flahive, attorney for Clean Shift Energy, the parent company of the proposed project. "Chestnut Solar, LLC, hereby gives the board notice that it is withdrawing its application subject to the right to refile a future application for the same or a similar project," Flahive's notice of application withdrawal, dated May 15, reads. An adjudicatory hearing on the matter that had been scheduled for Monday night was canceled last week by an Ohio Power Siting Board judge. Adjudicatory hearing would have decided Chestnut Solar's fate The second of two formal proceedings to decide the project's fate had been slated for Monday evening. Monday's event had been planned as an adjudicatory hearing, and would have proceeded in a legal manner similar to a courthouse trial. That hearing would have decided whether or not the Chestnut Solar project would have been allowed to be built. Residents voiced their opposition to the proposed Chestnut Solar project during a public hearing in Marion County on April 29, 2024. The Ohio Power Siting Board had arranged for two administrative law judges, Jay Agranoff and Isabel Marcelletti, to preside over the adjudicatory hearing. After Flahive filed to withdraw Chestnut's application, Marcelletti entered an order on May 16 that "cancels the adjudicatory hearing scheduled for May 20, 2024, pending the board's consideration of applicant's notice of withdrawal." Marion residents opposed solar farm during April public hearing National Renewable Energy Corp., based in North Carolina, began concept work for the solar farm in 2016. The solar facility would have taken up 404 acres in eastern Pleasant Township and would have had the capacity to produce up to 68 megawatts of electricity for as many as 45 years. According to a map of the proposed site, the facility's borders would have been Somerlot Hoffman Road to the north, Newmans Cardington Road to the south, Maple Grove Road to the west and U.S. Route 23 to the east. In early March 2023, Chestnut Solar field an application with the power siting board for a certificate of environmental compatibility and public need to construct and operate a solar-powered electric generation facility in Pleasant Township, which is on the south side of the city of Marion. The project had progressed for more than a year until April 29 when nearly 150 Marion residents spoke out against the proposal during a public hearing facilitated by the power siting board. Resident comments then were focused on health, financial and environmental concerns with the construction, installation and maintenance of the solar arrays. ztuggle@gannett.com 419-564-3508 This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Solar farm in Marion County on pause as company withdraws application The worlds first winged commercial space plane is one step closer to launch. Sierra Spaces Dream Chaser DC-100 arrived at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, May 18 for final testing before its upcoming mission to the International Space Station (ISS). More from Robb Report The Dream Chaser will be used to ferry cargo to and from Earth and the ISS. Measuring 30 feet long by 15 feet wide, the plane features a lifting body and innovative wings that enable it to land on a runway in the style of NASAs now defunct space shuttle. It is also adjoined to a 15-foot Shooting Star module that can carry up to 7,000 pounds of cargo internally and more gear externally. The Dream Chaser is reusable and will perform at least seven missions to the ISS, according to NASA. Conversely, the Shooting Star module is designed to burn up during reentry, creating the opportunity to dispose of up to 8,500 pounds of trash with each mission. Dream Chaser Tenacity at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Christened Tenacity, the inaugural Dream Chaser is set to deliver 7,800 pounds of food, water, and science experiments to the orbiting laboratory, NASA says. The space plane, which recently underwent vibration, temperature, and pressure testing at NASAs Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, will now be assessed further by the team in Florida. The pre-launch preparation includes acoustic and electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing, completion of work on the planes thermal protection system, and final payload integration. Tenacity will be launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station later this year, though the exact date remains unknown. After remaining at the ISS for about 45 days, Tenacity will return to Florida. The Sierra Space team will then offload the remaining NASA cargo and begin preparing the plane for its next mission. Tenacity is the first in a fleet of Dream Chasers that will carry out low-orbit delivery runs to the ISS. NASA says future missions may last as long as 75 days and drop off as much as 11,500 pounds of cargo. Interestingly, Sierra Space originally envisioned the plane carrying passengers, too, but companies like Space X and Blue Origin were quicker to develop crafts for shuttling astronauts and civilians. The space race is nothing if not cutthroat. Best of Robb Report Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Click here to read the full article. ASTANA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday expressed deep condolences over the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian during a joint press briefing with Kazakhstan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the Chinese side was deeply saddened upon learning of the official Iranian confirmation that Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian lost their lives in a recent helicopter accident, and offered deep condolences. Wang also extended sincere sympathies to the bereaved families, the Iranian government, and the people of Iran, noting that Raisi and Amir-Abdollahian have made significant contributions to the development of China-Iran relations and the advancement of regional friendly cooperation. Following the accident, China actively assisted in the rescue efforts and is ready to continue providing all necessary support to Iran, Wang said, expressing his belief that the Iranian government and people would be able to overcome this difficult moment. UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Xinhua) -- UN peacekeepers in Abyei reported an accord between two clashing communities to improve relations and foster peaceful farming and grazing, a UN spokesman said on Monday. Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) reported back to UN headquarters that representatives of the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities signed the agreement in central Abyei at a post-migration meeting over the weekend. "The gathering was a follow-on to the successful pre-migration conference held in Noong, which is located to the west of Abyei, in December of last year, and follows a welcome decline in clashes between the Ngok Dinka and Misseriya communities during the migration season," Dujarric said. The spokesman said more than 140 community leaders and members from both communities, including 41 women, attended the four-day conference facilitated by UNISFA with other UN and non-UN partners. Ngok Dinka farmers primarily inhabit the southern region of Abyei. The nomadic Misseriya pastoralists from Sudan migrate annually into and generally through the northern region of Abyei to access South Sudan's Greater Bahr el Ghazal and Unity states. Frequent clashes have occurred between the two groups over the years. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. A former Ministry of Economic Development employee (now the Economy Ministry), who was fired for sharing a meme of Minister Marton Nagy on Facebook, has won a wrongful dismissal ruling in a first instance court, with help from the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ). Despite receiving positive performance reviews, the employee was sacked after 20 years of service, allegedly due to the meme he shared weeks prior. The meme depicts Nagy with a cap on his head, a reference to his policy of imposing price caps on motor fuel and certain food products. The plaintiff said that he had shared the meme because he found it amusing, and emphasised that the post was visible only to certain of his friends. The Civil Service Arbitration Commission initially dismissed the case, claiming that the meme was ascapable of seriously damaging the reputation of the government administration and the trust in good administration. However, the TASZ appealed the decision, leading the Metropolitan Court of Justice to rule in favour of the employee. The court found his dismissal unlawful and awarded him Ft 5 million in damages. ********************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories, via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? Then just contact us here! DES MOINES, United States, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. state of Iowa and north China's Hebei Province held a roundtable discussion on strengthening cooperation in sustainable agriculture Monday in Des Moines, the state's capital. Zhao Jian, consul general of China's Consulate General in Chicago, said holding such an event in Iowa, "the granary and breadbasket of America," is significant for promoting pragmatic agricultural cooperation between China and the United States. Noting that China is the largest export destination of U.S. agricultural products, Zhao expressed optimism about deepening cooperation between Hebei and Iowa, which signed their sister-state relationship in 1983, in areas like agriculture, trade and cultural exchange. "I hope that cooperation between Hebei and Iowa in various fields will bear more fruitful results, and the friendly exchanges between the people of China and the U.S. will gain more hope," he said. Terry Branstad, Iowa's former governor and the former U.S. ambassador to China, reflected on the longstanding relationship between Iowa and Hebei. "We look forward to continuing to do whatever we can to make it a success," Branstad said. Rick Kimberley, president of Kimberley Farms Inc., said cooperation in the field of agriculture can bring the two countries together. "It's a good bonding source, something that we're both interested in both our countries," Kimberley said. The body of the last victim missing after a boat accident that took place on the River Danube at Veroce last weekend has been recovered, police said on Facebook on Monday evening. The 18-year-old womans body was found in the area of Veroce, the police said. In the accident late on May 18, the victims motor boat collided with a cruise ship. One of the boats eight passengers managed to swim ashore whereas seven died. The cruise ships captain, a Czech national, was detained on suspicion of failing to provide help after the collision. An investigation has found that the helmsman of the boat was drunk and steering the boat in zig-zags across the river. Before the collision, the motor boat took a sharp turn but the ship ended up crushing the much smaller vessel nonetheless, the police said. Earlier: Body of Sixth Victim in Veroce Boat Accident Recovered The body of the sixth victim in a boat accident that happened on the River Danube at Veroce last weekend has been recovered, police said on Facebook. The mans body was discovered near Szigetujfalu (on Csepel Island), the Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) said. In the accident the victims boat collided with a cruise ship. One of the boats eight passengers managed to swim ashore, six died and one is still missing. The cruise ships captain, a Czech national, was detained on suspicion of failing to provide help to the boat after the collision. An investigation has found that the helmsman of the boat was drunk, steering the boat zig-zagging across the river, and straight in the direction of the ship. Before hitting the ship the boat took a sharp turn but a collision could not be avoided, the ship crushing the much smaller vessel, the police said. Body of Fourth Victim in Veroce Boat Accident Recovered The body of the fourth victim in boat accident that happened on the River Danube at Veroce on Saturday, has been recovered, the police reported on Facebook. The 28 year old womans body was discovered near Szodliget, the police said. In the accident the victims boat collided with a cruise ship. One of the boats eight passengers managed to swim ashore, four died and three others are still missing. The cruise ships captain, a Czech national, was detained on suspicion of failing to provide help to the boat after the collision. An investigation has found that the helmsman of the boat was drunk, steering the boat zig-zagging across the river, and straight in the direction of the ship. Before hitting the ship the boat took a sharp turn but a collision could not be avoided, the ship crushing the much smaller vessel, the police said. New Danube River Boat Disaster: Search on for 5 After Accident Claims 2 Lives Two people have died and a search is under way for three men and two women after a boat accident on Saturday evening which took place on the River Danube near Veroce, north of Budapest, the Budapest Police Headquarters (BRFK) said on its website on Sunday, adding that police were working under the assumption that a small motor boat and a cruise ship had collided. Police were called to the scene when a disorientated man was discovered with a bleeding head near the main road in Veroce. After questioning, they concluded the man was the victim of a boat accident. Police and search and rescue staff immediately began searching the area using drones and river craft. Soon after a mans body was found on the river bank south of Veroce, while hours later a womans body was at Megyeri Bridge on the Danube alongside a damaged motor boat. Meanwhile, a damaged cruise ship was stopped upriver at Komarom and police have mounted an inspection of the cruise ship and the boat. MTI Photo: Csaba Krizsan Criminal proceedings are under way in connection with an unidentified perpetrator on suspicion of endangering river safety and causing the death of several people. Altogether, eight adults were on the motor boat, with three men and two women currently missing. Police said on its website on Sunday afternoon that the search was still ongoing for the missing people with the help of 95 search and rescuers and 25 boats. A police helicopter, staff of the Pest County Research and Rescue Service, and volunteers of rescue organisations are also involved. The operation is being coordinated from the Danube river police headquarters in Kopaszi peninsula in southern Budapest. On Monday, the police arrested the captain of the cruise ship on suspicion of failing to provide help to passengers in the boat after the collision. Czech Captain of Cruise Ship in Fatal Veroce Collision Under Police Surveillance The captain of a cruise ship, a Czech national, has been ordered to stay at his place of residence in Hungary until September 22 over charges of alleged negligence in a fatal accident on the Danube river that claimed two lives over the weekend, a Budapest regional court said. The captain was taken into custody on Monday after his ship had collided with a small motor boat near Veroce, north of Budapest, in the night of May 18. A man and a woman out of the eight passengers on board the boat died while another male passenger who swam ashore survived the accident. A search is still under way for the remaining five passengers, three men and two women. Police have launched proceedings against the cruise ships captain over negligence leading to several deaths and other crimes. The Czech national has a residence registered in Hungary. Meanwhile, Budapest police BRFK said that body of a young man, who was on board the small boat has been recovered. The body was discovered between Vac and Szodliget. The 19-year-old man is the third victim of the collision that has already claimed the lives of a man and a woman. A search is still under way for another two men and two women. Out of the altogether eight adults who were on board the motor boat one male passenger sustained head and shoulder injuries but survived and swam ashore. He was later found disoriented on the river bank at Veroce. The man received urgent medical care and was taken to hospital. ********************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories, via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? Then just contact us here! Of all European prime ministers, Viktor Orban earns the most compared to the average salary of the country he leads, according to Peter Bucsky, a journalist at the business news website G7, speaking on RTLs morning news programme Reggeli. Bucsky noted that, as average salaries rise, so do politicians incomes, which in Hungary are linked to the previous years average salary. Hungarys MPs are paid a gross monthly salary of Ft 1.7 million, three times the previous years average salary, while Orbans total salary, including his prime ministerial pay, amounts to Ft 6.3 million, relatively high on an international scale. While there are countries where the head of government receives more than Orban for example, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is paid twice as much the average Hungarian salary is only a third of the German average, said Bucsky. However, despite these high salaries, Orban and most Hungarian politicians do not accumulate significant wealth. Bucsky observed that there are poor countries with wealthy politicians, but it is preferable for politicians to have a decent income, as a guard against unfair enrichment. MTI Photo: Szilard Koszticsak ********************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories, via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? Then just contact us here! As the sunny, warm weather arrives, ice cream parlors are opening across the country, and beaches come to life, welcoming visitors one after the other during May and June. A recent analysis by Oeconomus shows that like last year, prices for ice cream and other buffet food are expected to rise in the high season, mainly due to labor shortages and higher prices for some ingredients. While most parlors are trying to ensure that their prices do not cross the threshold, finding this level is not easy, given its subjective level, which varies from customer to customer. Although the price of ice cream in Hungary is forecast to rise by 10-15 percent this year, internationally, when looking at popular European beaches, ice cream in Hungary cannot be considered that expensive, with prices last year reaching the level of the cheapest places in Europe. While the typical price in 2023 was HUF 440-520 per scoop (1 EUR = 386 HUF), this summer it will rise to HUF 500-600 per scoop. This 10-15 percent increase is the same amount as last year. However, in more popular places, the price of a scoop of ice cream is expected to be around HUF 600-650. The sharp rise in ice cream prices is largely explained by the fact that average gross earnings in February this year were 14 percent higher than a year earlier. Furthermore, while food prices were expected to fall on average globally from the second half of 2022, sugar is still likely to see a significant increase in price in the Hungarian market. In addition, there has been a dramatic increase in cocoa prices globally, which is also creating a difficult situation for ice cream sellers. What is good news is that there is no shrinkage in the weight of a scoop (shrinkflation). In addition, ice cream lovers visiting Hungary can also be pleased that domestic ice cream prices are among the cheapest compared to prices on 75 European beaches. The Turkish beach Amasra Plaj had the lowest price for ice cream in 2023, with a scoop of ice cream costing just GBP 0.1 (HUF 44). By contrast, French beaches were among the most expensive, with a scoop of ice cream costing up to HUF 1,800. One of the unmissable dishes at Balaton beach buffets is langos (Hungarian deep fried flatbread). A year ago, the price of a plain langos was over HUF 900, but in 2024, it will certainly be over HUF 1,000. That is roughly an increase of 8-10 percent. The price increase may also be surprising, because the average consumer price of the ingredients used to make scones has fallen dramatically in April this year compared to a year ago. Flour has fallen by almost 20 percent, sour cream by the same amount, cheese by almost 10 percent, milk by 9 percent, and cooking oil by 2 percent. The analysis also compares the prices of other classic buffet meals in a graph showing the changes over the last four years: The price of sausages has risen from HUF 1,930 to HUF 3,070 (per kilogram). A kilogram of carp steak has risen from HUF 2,220 to HUF 4,310. A hamburger went from HUF 674 to HUF 1,640. French fries were HUF 533, now HUF 1,050 (per kilogram). Photo: courtesy of Artigiana Gelati in Budapest ********************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories, via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? Then just contact us here! Hungary considers its alliance with Serbia an invaluable asset, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto told a joint press conference with his Serbian counterpart in Budapest. Szijjarto said friendship and mutual respect were invaluable in light of the heightened tensions in the region, noting the war in Ukraine and the assassination attempt against Slovakias prime minister. He welcomed that Serbian counterpart Marko uric had made Budapest his first destination for an official visit following his appointment. Szijjarto praised the great developments seen between Hungary and Serbia in recent years, highlighting that of all of Hungarys neighbours, Serbia guaranteed the most rights to its ethnic Hungarian minority, even including Vojvodina Hungarians in the countrys governance. The security of Hungarys energy supply is in Serbias hands, he said, noting that Hungarys gas supply went through Serbia, and we can always sleep easy regarding the transit. He noted that Hungary, Serbia and Slovenia have started operating a joint regional electricity exchange, which gave a further boost to energy security and was an excellent measure against rising prices. Hungary and Serbia, he said, would build an oil pipeline linking their countries, as well as Europes most modern border crossing point at Roszke. He said they were aiming to complete the construction of the railway line linking Budapest and Belgrade by the end of next year, and that Hungary would continue to store gas on Serbias behalf. Meanwhile, Szijjarto said that during its presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of the year, Hungary would bring Serbia closer to EU membership and had a clear goal of opening the third EU accession chapter with the country. He said Hungary considered it unacceptable, unfair and humiliating that the EU had been making Serbia wait for 15 years now when in its declining shape the bloc needs the momentum Serbia would guarantee more than Serbians need EU membership. He called on EU member states to end their hypocrisy and come clean on why theyve put obstacles in the way of the progress of Serbias accession. Szijjarto also referred to next Thursdays scheduled UN General Assembly vote on a resolution seeking to demonise the entire Serb nation in connection with the Srebrenica massacre. Hungary will vote against the resolution, he said, adding that it would also vote against Kosovo joining the Council of Europe. Szijjarto said it was necessary to wait until the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina proves successful, and only then will it be worthwhile for Kosovo to apply to join international organisations. uric called it an honour that he had been able to start seeing to his official duties with a visit to Hungary, reaffirming the excellent relationship Serbia and Hungary have built in recent years, which is a great joy for both nations. He said Hungarys accomplishments in protecting its national interests and economic growth were inspiring to Serbia. He welcomed that Hungary was next in line to take over the EUs rotating presidency, saying it would give Serbia and the entire region a reliable partner and that he expected Hungary to be a leader that would assume responsibility for European interests. uric thanked Hungary for its support in connection with the UN resolution, pointing out that the opening up of old wounds by certain political circles had created tensions in the region among Serbs, Croats and Bosnians. Hungary, he said, supported stability on this issue as well, adding that this was a responsible approach. ********************************* You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories, via our Facebook page: Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoops groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters Do you want your business to reach tens of thousands of potential high-value expat customers? Then just contact us here! Organisers are happy to announce that Lindsey Stirling will also perform in Budapest at the MVM Dome. Today, 21st May 2024, multi-award winning violinist and dancer Lindsey Stirling announces dates for her upcoming EU and UK tour beginning this October. Stirling, who has amassed a total following of 27 million people online, will tour her highly anticipated album 'Duality' coming June 14th, headlining 23 dates across Europe, the UK and Ireland, including an exclusive night at Royal Albert Hall. Special guest Nya joins Lindsey on all dates, Walk Off The Earth joins the Amsterdam show in addition as direct support. "Duality", a visionary meditation on inner wisdom, personal strength, and the ever-shifting nature of identity, encompasses a dozen songs showcasing Stirlings refined musicality and gift for sculpting deeply expressive melodies. But while the albums first half centers on a grandiose and elaborate composed sound informed by Celtic music and other global influences, its latter half leans toward a boldly original form of left-of-center pop. A profoundly imaginative songwriter, Stirling makes brilliant use of each sonic setting by exploring intricate questions of intuition and truth. Three singles: Eye of the Untold Her, Inner Gold and "Evil Twin" have been released so far this year. Speaking about the forthcoming album, Lindsey writes: "My album Duality is about the conflicting parts of our lives. Sometimes we feel at war with ourselves as we see the divide between who we are and who we wish we were. These conflicts feel like they could tear you apart, but by facing the darker parts within us, we can truly gain an understanding about ourselves and others. Lindseys shows are eye-catching and inspiring. She seamlessly integrates intricate choreography, breathtaking aerial lyra acts, and stunning costumes, all of which she designs herself and seamlessly blends music, dance, and visual artistry into a singular, unforgettable experience, leaving audiences spellbound and inspired. Tickets: Eventim.hu In a recent scam in Delhi, a 29-year-old man has been arrested for impersonating a traffic police officer and towing away expensive vehicles to sell to a scrap dealer. Police have also arrested one of his associates and the buyer of the stolen vehicles. According to the reports, the scam began 15 days ago and involved the theft of at least six cars. The auto theft ring came to light after a resident of Vasant Kunj B-block reported that his Toyota Camry sedan was towed away from his residence early on March 15 by a man dressed as a traffic policeman. The alleged mastermind, identified as Vikas Singh from Kusumpur Pahari in south Delhi, was aided by 55-year-old Mahender Singh from Pitampura, who operated a scrapyard in Kanjhawala, and 24-year-old Roshan Ahirwal from Mayapuri. Vikas resorted to the crime to settle his debts quickly, according to police officers involved in the investigation. Operation Details The police received a complaint from the Vasant Kunj resident and scanned CCTV footage, which showed the car being towed away by a crane operated by a man in a traffic police uniform. The crane operator, tracked down by the registration number, revealed that he was hired by a "police officer" to confiscate and tow the vehicle to the Kanjhawala scrapyard. At the scrapyard, police found Mahender, who had dismantled the Camry. He was arrested on May 17. Upon questioning, it was revealed that Vikas had posed as the traffic policeman to get the car towed on March 15. The two had rented a scrapyard to dismantle the vehicles. Vikas was arrested the same day following raids in Kusumpur Pahari. Police recovered the engine and body of a Camry, the body of a BMW car, a traffic police uniform, and a bike. The involvement of two crane operators is also being investigated. In a tragic incident in Mumbai, at least 40 flamingos were found dead in the Ghatkopar area after being struck by an incoming Emirates aircraft. The incident occurred on Monday night when flight EK-508, arriving from Dubai, collided with a flock of flamingos above the Pant Nagar area near Laxmi Nagar. Despite the collision, the flight, carrying around 310 passengers, landed safely at Mumbai airport at approximately 9:15 p.m. No bird carcasses were found on the airport runway. The return flight, EK-509, bound for Dubai, was cancelled later that night as the aircraft was grounded for a thorough inspection. This disruption left several passengers stranded at Mumbai airport, with Emirates providing accommodation as per procedure. The return flight is now scheduled to depart on Tuesday at 9 p.m. The Maharashtra Forest Department has launched an investigation into the incident. Officials have collected samples from the site where the flamingo carcasses were discovered. Additionally, a team from the forest department will record the statement of the pilot who reported the bird hit. According to the reports, SV Ramarao, the Additional Chief Conservator of Forest, stated, "Our team is on the ground and a full-scale investigation has been launched to find out the cause of death of the flamingos. We will also record the statement of the pilot who informed about the bird hit." The dead flamingos have been sent for post-mortem examination. This incident highlights the growing concerns regarding bird strikes in aviation and their impact on wildlife. A Singapore Airlines flight from London to Singapore encountered severe turbulence leading to the death of one passenger and injuries to several others. Reportedly, the deceased person was 73 years old British man. The incident occurred on flight SQ321, a Boeing 777-300ER, while en route from Heathrow Airport to Singapore. The turbulence forced the plane to make an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at 3:45 pm local time. Upon landing, medical personnel boarded the aircraft to assess and assist the injured passengers. Although Thai media reported 30 injuries, Singapore Airlines did not confirm the exact number of injured individuals. The airline stated that 211 passengers and 18 crew members were on board during the incident. In a statement posted on Facebook, Singapore Airlines confirmed the fatality and injuries but did not disclose the identity of the deceased passenger. The airline emphasized its commitment to providing assistance to all passengers and crew, working closely with local authorities in Thailand to offer necessary medical aid. Additionally, Singapore Airlines dispatched a team to Bangkok to provide further support. Emergency crews from Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital were on-site to assist and transport injured passengers for medical treatment. Videos posted on the LINE messaging platform by Suvarnabhumi Airport showed a line of ambulances arriving at the scene to provide immediate aid, as reported by the Associated Press. Washington: A group of Tesla shareholders are asking investors to vote against a compensation package worth more than $40 billion for CEO Elon Musk, saying that it's not in the electric vehicle maker's best interest. Tesla is struggling with falling global sales, slowing electric vehicle demand, an aging model lineup and a stock price that has tumbled 30% this year. The shareholder group, which includes New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, SOC Investment Group and Amalgamated Bank, said in a letter to shareholders that ratification of Musk's pay package would do nothing to promote Tesla's long-term growth and stability. There's also concern that approval of the pay package will potentially lead to lawsuits arguing that it is corporate waste. And Musk is viewed as a part-time CEO at Tesla, with his time increasingly being spent on other business commitments, the letter said. Shareholders should not pretend that this award has any kind of incentivizing effectit does not. What it does have is an excessiveness problem, which has been glaringly apparent from the start, the group said. They noted that if shareholders ratify the compensation package, it's possible that another plan will be put forth next year. Given Tesla's history of exponentially larger awards, Musk may well ask for another award, the group said. The group is also asking investors to vote against the reelection of board members Kimbal Musk, Elon's brother, and James Murdoch, a former executive at media company Twenty-First Century Fox. Last month Tesla asked shareholders to restore Musk's pay package, which was valued at $56 billion at the time, that was rejected by a Delaware judge this year. At the time, it also asked to shift the company's corporate home to Texas. The changes will be voted on by stockholders at a June 13 annual meeting. Tesla posted record deliveries of more than 1.8 million electric vehicles worldwide in 2023, but the value of its shares has eroded quickly this year as EV sales soften. The company said it delivered 386,810 vehicles from January through March, nearly 9% fewer than it sold in the same period last year. Future growth is in doubt and it may be a challenge to get shareholders to back a fat pay package in an environment where competition has increased worldwide. Starting last year, Tesla has cut prices as much as $20,000 on some models. The price cuts caused used electric vehicle values to drop and clipped Tesla's profit margins. In April, Tesla said that it was letting about 10% of its workers go, about 14,000 people. TAIPEI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Commentators from various walks of life in Taiwan have voiced disappointment and anxiety following Lai Ching-te's speech upon assuming the role of the region's new leader on Monday. The Cross-Strait Peace and Development Forum said in a statement that Lai's speech was full of wrong understanding of history and the legal status of Taiwan, revealing his stance as a "pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence." Describing the speech as one "filled with lies from the very beginning," Hung Hsiu-chu, former chairperson of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, said that Lai and his team are not trustworthy and can't be trusted. Eric Chu, chairman of the KMT, said at a press conference that he was surprised to see that Lai mentioned the "two states" theory when talking about cross-Strait relations. Chu expressed his concern about the future of cross-Strait relations. A spokesperson of the New Party told reporters that Lai had resorted to the pursuit of political confrontation in his speech, contrary to what the majority in Taiwan had wanted him to do. The Observer magazine in Taipei said Lai had openly thanked the United States for its "military aid," fully revealing the intention of the new Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities to continue seeking U.S. support for their independence agenda. According to a recent poll conducted by TVBS, a Taiwan-based news channel, 53 percent of people lack confidence in the ability of the new DPP authorities to properly handle cross-Strait relations. The China Times, a Taiwan-based Chinese-language daily, pointed out in an editorial piece that Lai's speech was less about cross-Strait connection, but more about highlighting confrontation between the two sides. The newspaper added that this attitude had disappointed the Taiwan society. Noting that cross-Strait relations have been at a low point for the past eight years, an editorial by the Taipei-based United Daily News forecast that in the coming four years, it is feared that the people of Taiwan would have to "fasten their seat belts" as another bumpy ride appeared to lie ahead. Ma Ying-jeou, former leader of Taiwan and former chairman of the KMT, speaking during a seminar on Tuesday, called on Lai to return to the vision of a shared history, culture, and identity of the Chinese nation. "Engaging in dialogue with the mainland is the only way to create a genuine opportunity for peace in the Taiwan Strait," Ma added. Narsingh Jayanti is a Hindu festival celebrated every year on the Chaturdashi date or on the 14th day of Shukla Paksha of Vaishakh month, which falls between April and May in the Gregorian calendar. On this day, by worshiping Lord Vishnu and Lord Narasimha as per the rituals, all troubles go away. Narasimha Jayanti will be celebrated on May 21, 2024. In the Narasimha avatar, Lord Vishnu incarnated as half lion and half human. According to Hindu religious scriptures, Lord Narasimha is believed to be the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu who came to earth to kill Hiranyakashipu. By worshiping Lord Narasimha on this day, it is believed all your obstacles in life go away. Narasimha Jayanti 2024: Date Narasimha Jayanti is celebrated on the 14th day of Vaisakha, between April and May. Narasimha Jayanti falls on May 21 in 2024. Narasimha Jayanti 2024: Puja Timings As per Drik Panchang, the shubh muhurat to worship Lord Narasimha is: Evening puja timings: 4:24 pm to 7:09 pm Chaturdashi Tithi: 5:39 pm on May 21 to 6:47 pm on May 22 Narasimha Jayanti: Puja Vidhi - Devotees should wake up early, bathe, and commence the puja rituals, starting with placing the idol of Lord Narasimha on a wooden plank and bathing it with Panchamrit. - Adorn the idol with jewelry, light a ghee diya, and recite Lord Narasimha mantras. Offer flowers, five fruits, dry fruits, and homemade kheer or halwa. - Devotees take Sankalp during Madhyahna and perform Lord Narasimha Puja before nightfall, as it is believed Lord Narasimha emerged at dusk during Chaturdashi. - It is recommended to keep a night vigil and perform Visarjan Puja the next morning, ensuring the fast is broken after the Puja and presenting Dana to Brahmin. - Visiting temples and seeking the blessings of Lord Vishnu is an important aspect of Narasimha Jayanti celebrations. Narasimha Jayanti 2024: Significance According to mythological beliefs, Lord Vishnu incarnated on earth in the form of Narasimha to kill the demon king Hiranyakashyap. It is believed that Prahlad attained Vaikuntha Dham through his utmost devotion to Lord Vishnu. Whoever worships the Narasimha incarnation of Lord Vishnu receives mental and physical strength. By worshiping this form of Lord Vishnu on this day, all the problems in life go away and enemies are also destroyed. Narasimha Jayanti 2024: Wishes, Mantra to Share - This Narasimha Jayanti, keep faith in Lord Vishnu and let him guide us to a life of prosperity and success. - Lord Narasimha inspires us to always do the right thing. Happy Narasimha Jayanti. - No matter how dark it may seem, the light of goodness is constant at the end of the tunnel. Happy Narasimha Jayanti. , Happy Narasimha Jayanti 2024 (This article is intended for your general information only. Zee News does not vouch for its accuracy or reliability.) After witnessing remarkable voter turnout in Lok Sabha elections in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar has hinted at the probability of Assembly elections in the erstwhile state as soon as possible. The development comes at a time when Srinagar and Baramulla seats in J&K has witnessed the highest voting percentage with 38% and 59% record polling, respectively. The highly successful conduct of polls with impressive turnout in Srinagar and Baramulla gives the Election Commission the confidence to hold Assembly polls in J&K at the earliest," CEC Rajiv Kumar told the Indian Express on Monday. Jammu and Kashmir is currently governed by a Lieutenant Governor (L-G), who is appointed by the Central Government. This arrangement has been running since 2018. In December 2023, the Apex Court ordered the Election Commission of India to conduct the assembly polls in the Union Territory by September this year. Voter Turnout In Lok Sabha Polls 2024 Srinagar went to poll in the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections on May 13. This marked the first major election in Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370. A total of 41% of voters exercised their right to vote, raising the voting percentage to its highest since the 1996 general elections. Similarily, in the fifth phase on May 20, Baramulla recorded a remarkable 59% turnout, the highest in many decades. Key leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have praised the noteworthy voter turnout in Kashmir constituencies, crediting it to the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019. Amit Shah dubbed the achievement "a momentous occasion for Kashmir! However, the National Conference (NC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP) have contended that the substantial voter participation contradicts the decision made on August 5, 2019. 2014 Assembly Elections Back in the November-December 2014 Assembly elections, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) won 28 seats, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) won 25, and the National Conference (NC) bagged 15 seats. The PDP and BJP joined hands to form the government, with Mufti Mohammad Sayeed becoming the chief minister. When Sayeed passed away in January 2016, his daughter, Mehbooba Mufti, took over as the next chief minister. However, in June 2018, the BJP withdrew its support for the government led by the PDP, leading to the imposition of governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir. In post-poll violence, one person was killed while three others got injured in Bihars Saran district after violence erupted between two groups. The incident reported from Bada Telma area near Bhikhari Thakur Chowk. An altercation erupted between two groups, reportedly supporters of the BJP and RJD, over alleged polling irregularities on Monday in the area, during which gunshots were fired. The Saran Lok Sabha seat went for polling in the fifth phase of polling. As per the initial report, one person identified as 25-year-old Chandan Yadav died on spot while three others sustained injuries. "The injured persons were admitted to the nearest hospital. Later, two of them were sent to Patna for better treatment," reported PTI quoting Superintendent of Police Gaurav Mangla. "A case has been registered and an investigation is underway. Three persons have been arrested in connection with today's incident," he added. To prevent further flare up, the internet was also suspended in the district. Rohini Acharya, daughter of RJD Supremo Lalu Prasad contested the election from Saran Lok Sabha seat on the RJD party's ticket. On the other hand, Bhartiya Janta Party had fielded Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who is the also the sitting MP from the Saran Lok Sabha constituency. New Delhi: The Rouse Avenue Court formally framed charges against BJP leader and ex-Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh on Tuesday in connection with the women wrestlers' sexual harassment case. Singh appeared before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Priyanka Rajpoot and denied the allegations against himself. "Why will I plead guilty when I am not guilty?" Singh said. Meanwhile, Singh interacted with the media and claimed that all the cases were false. He said the police have proof of their evidence against me in court. "As of now, charges have been framed against me. They now have to prove it in court and tell about the evidence they have. I have all the evidence of my innocence...All these are false cases, Delhi Police have to prove what evidence they have against me," he said. Reportedly, Singh's legal representative stated that his contention was based on the fact that he did not stay in the same hotel with players in foreign countries. The court has asked for a response from the Delhi police. The case is scheduled for June 1st at 2 PM. Brij Bhushan Singh, the sitting BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh, was denied a ticket to contest in the ongoing Lok Sabha poll in the aftermath of the sexual harassment allegations against him. The BJP has fielded his son Karan Bhushan Singh for the seat. New Delhi: The coronavirus is spreading rapidly in Singapore again, causing hospital beds to fill up quickly. Authorities have reintroduced mask mandates, reminiscent of the panic seen during the initial outbreaks in 2020 and subsequent waves in 2021-22. In Today's DNA, Zee News anchor Sourabh Raaj Jain analysed the alarming situation of coronavirus infection in Singapore and its significance globally. The resurgence of COVID-19 in Singapore is alarming, with health officials predicting a peak in the next two to four weeks. Two strains of the FLiRT variant, KP.1 and KP.2, have spread rapidly. The Ministry of Health reported 25,900 new cases between May 5 and May 11, a significant increase from the 13,700 cases reported the previous week. Hospital admissions have risen from 181 to 250 daily, and ICU admissions have increased from two to three patients per day. In response, Singapore's Health Ministry is ramping up preparations for the new wave. Hospitals have been instructed to increase the number of available beds and reduce elective surgeries. People are being advised to stay home and seek treatment there when possible. Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has urged individuals, especially those with serious illnesses or those aged 60 and above, to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The rise in cases of the KP.1 and KP.2 variants is not limited to Singapore; the United States has also seen increases, with the KP.2 variant accounting for 28 percent and the KP.1 variant for 7.1 percent of cases. Approximately 200 cases of these variants have been reported in India. While no new restrictions have been imposed in Singapore, the rapid resurgence of the virus is a cause for concern globally. The Election Commission of India (ECI) barred former Calcutta High Court judge and BJP Lok Sabha candidate Abhijit Gangopadhyay from campaigning for 24 hours on Tuesday, following his derogatory remarks about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier this month. According to the ECI's order, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who is running for the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal's East Midnapore District, has been barred from campaigning beginning at 5 p.m. on Tuesday until 5 p.m. On Wednesday. While addressing a oublic meeting in Haldia on May 15, Abhijit Gangopadhyay said in Bengali, "Mamata Banerjee, how much are you being sold for? Why is your rate Rs 10 lakh? Beacuse Keya Seth is doing your makeup for you? Is Mamata Banerjee even a woman? Sometimes I can't stop wondering." In response to a complaint from the Trinamool Congress, which accused the former Calcutta HC Judge of making disparaging remarks about Mamata Banerjee, the ECI issued a show-cause notice to him on May 17. Gangopadhyay responded to the show-case notice on May 20 within the allotted time frame. According to insiders from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, the commission decided to suspend him from campaigning for 24 hours after reviewing his response. Abhijit Gangopadhyay's demeaning remarks went viral after a video surfaced online the next day in which he could be heard wondering how much CM Banerjee was selling for. Tamluk, along with seven other Lok Sabha constituencies, will vote in the sixth phase on May 25. Kulgam: A techie from the Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir has entered NASA's 'Hall of Fame' after identifying vulnerabilities leading to data breaches in its system. Twenty-two-year-old cybersecurity researcher Munib Amin Bhatt achieved this feat after making it to Apple's 'Hall of Fame' in 2023 by reporting vulnerabilities in Apple systems. Munib was also honored with an award by Apple for his contributions. Muneeb, a resident of Zungalpora village in Kulgam, South Kashmir, reported his findings under NASA's Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP). This program facilitates the awareness of otherwise unknown vulnerabilities to the US agency. Due to VDP guidelines, Munib cannot disclose the specifics of the external vulnerabilities in the NASA system. However, he mentioned that it involved sensitive data exposure. Muneeb Amin Bhatt said, I was inducted into the Hall of Fame by Apple in 2023. They allowed me to ethically hack their systems to investigate vulnerabilities and report them. They later validated and accepted my findings, adding my name to their Hall of Fame. Recently, I did the same for NASA, found some vulnerabilities, and reported them. NASA accepted my findings and inducted me into their Hall of Fame. I am extremely happy and proud to help security organizations secure their data. Over the past few years, Muneeb has been working tirelessly, identifying vulnerabilities in many organizations. For his efforts, he has received millions of dollars in awards and recognition in various Halls of Fame. He has ethically hacked and secured many international organizations, including Oracle, McDonalds, Intel, USAA, Indeed, and many others. Many organizations around the world improve their security by calling on ethical hackers to help them keep their data safe. They have their own cybersecurity teams, but to ensure complete safety, they invite hackers to investigate their systems. That is why we are invited, and we investigate and report on vulnerabilities. I am extremely happy that my name has been listed in the Hall of Fame, said Muneeb Ahmad Bhat. Muneeb is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) degree from IGNOU, having started this after dropping out of a B.Tech program at a private engineering college in Kashmir. Lok Sabha Elections 2024 Live Updates: Just a day after the fifth phase of Lok Sabha polling concluded for 8 States/UTs, the contesting parties have ramped up their campaign efforts to tackle the remaining two phases, namely the sixth and seventh phases of the elections. Phase 5 of the Lok Sabha elections saw an approximate voter turnout of 58.96%, according to the Election Commissions Voter Turnout App. West Bengal recorded the highest polling percentage at 73.14%, while Maharashtra had the lowest at 53.34%. Notably, Jammu and Kashmir witnessed its first major poll battle, with the Baramulla constituency recording a turnout of 54.67%, the highest since 1984. The Bhartiya Janta Party-led NDA has sent its star campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to woo the voters in the Champaran and Maharajganj regions in Bihar and Prayagraj district in Uttar Pradesh. While Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge addressed a public meeting in Yamunanagar of the Ambala Lok Sabha seat. On Monday, polling concluded for 49 Lok Sabha seats across six states and two Union Territories. The Prime Minister will be engaging in conversation with over 25,000 women in his constituency, Varanasi, from where he is eyeing his third consecutive Lok Sabha poll victory against Ajay Rai, fielded by the Congress party. Among the distinguished speakers at the conclave were Mr. Regie Gardoce (MD of Gardoce Consulting), Mr. Dheeraj Khatore (CEO and Vice President of AACI and CEO of Emerge Smart Health), Mr. Manasvi Thapar (Founder of Candour Legal and TEDx speaker), and Dr. Nilay Mistry (Associate Professor, School of Cyber Security and Digital Forensics, NFSU, Gandhinagar). Participants from 10 multi-speciality hospitals also attended to learn about pertinent topics such as data privacy, DPDP Act 2023, and real-life case studies that showcased cybersecurity vulnerabilities of healthcare organizations. Mr. Kartik Donga, Founder, PeoplActive shared, CyberActive Conclave is just the stepping stone towards safeguarding healthcare from evolving cyber threats and provide continuity of care. We plan to host similar events in future to strengthen cybersecurity for hospitals" The event concluded with the launch of cybersecurity programme for healthcare by PeoplActive. A first of a kind course that aims to empower healthcare professionals on cybersecurity by making them aware about various aspects involved and to further the cause of cybersecurity in healthcare. PeoplActives comprehensive cybersecurity consulting services helps you convert the risks associated with healthcare cyber-attacks into cyber resilience. Our end-to-end consulting falls under 3 major areas advisory, implementation and managed services for cybersecurity. To secure your healthcare, business can explore more about our cybersecurity consulting services for healthcare. As for Emerge Smart Health, the digital health solutions provider offers healthcare solutions that assist businesses to achieve operational efficiency. Their solutions include electronic medical record (ABDM compliant), telemedicine, interoperability, revenue cycle robotics automation, clinical decision support system. These solutions act as a bridge for healthcare businesses to go digital as well as increasing operational efficiency. PeoplActive 705, Times Square Grand, Sindhu Bhavan Road, Thaltej, Ahmedabad 380059 (This article is part of IndiaDotCom Pvt Ltds Consumer Connect Initiative, a paid publication programme. IDPL claims no editorial involvement and assumes no responsibility, liability or claims for any errors or omissions in the content of the article. The IDPL Editorial team is not responsible for this content.) The police on Tuesday detained the father of the 17-year-old boy, whose speeding Porche killed two IT professionals in Kalyani Nagar area in Pune. As per the local police the teenagers father was held in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and he is being brought to Pune. As per reports the boy was drunk at the time when the Porche fatally hit two motorbike riders in the early hours of Sunday. Now, the investigation of these cases has been handed over to the crime branch. Police said, "We have detained the teenager's father from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and he is being brought to Pune and will be arrested in the case registered against him," reported PTI quoting Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar. The police had registered a case against the teenage boy's dad, who works in real estate, for breaking laws under the Juvenile Justice Act (sections 75 and 77). They also charged the bar's owners and employees for serving alcohol to someone under 18. Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act relates to "willful neglect of a child, or exposing a child to mental or physical illnesses," while section 77 is about providing alcohol or drugs to a minor. The man gave his child the car despite knowing that he did not have a valid driving license, thus putting his sons life at risk. He also allowed his son to attend parties, even though he was fully aware that his son drinks alcohol, reported PTI citing the FIR. Following the accident, the minor was apprehended but was granted bail within 15 hours by the Juvenile Justice Board. As a condition of the bail, the board instructed him to compose a "300-word essay" on the topic of road accidents. The board mandated that he undergo counselling at an alcohol de-addiction center, collaborate with the Yerawada traffic police for 15 days, receive treatment for alcohol cessation, and participate in psychiatric counselling, as outlined by defense lawyer Prashant Patil. #WATCH | Maharashtra: Visuals of the Porsche car and bike currently at Yerwada Police Station in Pune. Two people were killed when a speeding Porsche car hit them from behind on 19th May. The accused has been granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board and his father was https://t.co/HKj8uK4d9q pic.twitter.com/91SeqwfTeN ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2024 Around 3:15 on Sunday morning the group of friends were riding motorcycles after attending a party. At the Kalyani Nagar junction, a speeding Porsche collided with the motorcycles, tragically killing the two riders, identified as Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Costa, both 24-year-old IT professionals from Madhya Pradesh. HELSINKI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Finland is considering adopting the European standard railroad gauge, Finnish Transport and Communications Minister Lulu Ranne said on Tuesday at a logistics meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). "We will make an investigation on what schedule and technology and with what money it would be possible to move to this European track width one step at a time," Ranne said. She said that the European width would help improve Finnish supply safety, as reported by national broadcaster Yle. In 2022, Finland declined an initiative from the European Commission aimed at introducing the European gauge, maintaining its current rail gauge, which is nine centimeters wider and was established during the inception of railroad construction in Finland in the 1850s. The European standard gauge measures 1435 millimeters. Presently, the "railroad border" lies between Finland and Sweden, with the sole railroad connection from Finland to the west passing through the city of Tornio, situated at the northern tip of the Gulf of Bothnia. In the southeast, Finnish rail links with Russia via Vainikkala. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Congress and the Samajwadi Party and alleged that both the parties only care about their vote bank and are "anti-development". Referring to the Kumbh Mela, the largest pilgrimage gathering of the Hindu community, PM Modi said that during the times when SP and Congress led the government, stampedes were a common occurrence at the event. Addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj Modi said, "Everywhere you go in India, you hear that the INDI alliance won't bring development. Take the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj as an example. During the time of the SP-Congress, it was chaotic. Stampedes were common, and lives were lost. The event was poorly managed, with chaos everywhere. Their focus was more on their vote bank than on the Kumbh. They feared that doing too much for Kumbh might alienate their supporters. There was a constant competition between SP and Congress for appeasement." #WATCH | Addressing a huge public gathering in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, "Every corner of India says that the INDI alliance will not bring development. Look at the example of Kumbh Mela held in Prayagraj... What used to happen during the time of pic.twitter.com/s6n7mogi91 ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2024 "This election of 2024 will decide the direction in which the Triveni of India's future will flow," Modi said. The prime minister said the members of the INDIA block cannot digest praise of India abroad. He added that India is now known for its expressway and infrastructure. Modi was addressing the rally in Prayagraj to seek votes for BJP candidate Neeraj Tripathi. The main contest in Allahabad is between Neeraj Tripathi, the son of former West Bengal governor and speaker of Uttar Pradesh Assembly Keshari Nath Tripathi, and Ujjwal Ram Singh, the son of former Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Reoti Raman Singh. Polling in the Allahabad Lok Sabha constituency will take place in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha election on May 25. New Delhi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar will travel to Tehran to attend the funeral of late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, his foreign minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian and other officials who were killed in a helicopter crash, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday. Thousands of people took to the streets in Iran as the funeral ceremony of Raisi began today in the city of Tabriz in the north-western region where the chopper in which he was travelling in crashed on Sunday. "Vice-President of India Jagdeep Dhankar will pay a visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran on 22 May 2024 to attend official ceremony to pay condolences on the tragic demise of H.E. President Dr. Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, H.E. Foreign Minister Dr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and other Iranian officials in an unfortunate helicopter crash on 19 May 2024," the MEA said in an official press release. President of India, Droupadi Murmu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have conveyed their condolences to the government and people of Iran. "External Affairs Minister visited the Embassy of Iran in New Delhi on May 21 to convey India's condolences on the tragic loss," the release stated. The Iranian government has declared Wednesday as a public holiday when a funeral is expected to be held in Tehran with the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah leading prayers. Raisi's body will be buried in his birthplace, Mashhad, on Thursday, Vice-President of the Republic, Mohsen Mansouri, announced. On Monday Prime Minister Narendra Modi had condoled the demise of the Iranian President. In a post on social media platform X, PM Modi acknowledges Raisi's contribution to strengthening the India-Iran bilateral relationship. "Deeply saddened and shocked by the tragic demise of Dr. Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. His contribution to strengthening the India-Iran bilateral relationship will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to his family and the people of Iran. India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow," PM Modi tweeted. On Monday, Khamenei announced five days of mourning and a public holiday has been declared with offices closed all over the country. Meanwhile, in New Delhi, a condolence book has been opened at Iran's Embassy to enable people to pay tributes to the late President, the late foreign as well as other fellow officials. India is observing a day of national mourning as well on May 21. Dowry as a practice was abolished from India on May 1, 1961, and applied to all religions in India. However, here we are 63 years modern but struggling to get this age-old malpractice out of our society. As per the data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 6,450 dowry deaths were reported in India in the year 2022. And in a country where dowry deaths and cases of dowry harassment are reported every other day, naturally a "dowry calculator" sparked a fiery online debate. But there's more to it than meets the eye. Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal's Shaadi.com is gaining a lot of attention on social media for this shocking feature asking users, "How much Dowry are you worth?" Shaadi.com's decade-old feature is resurfacing today only for the right reasons. This option shows a graphic of a suited man surrounded by illustrations of a study lamp, books, money bags, a globe, a house, and a car. Below this image is a form which requests users to fill in their age, profession, monthly salary, education, if they own a house and where they live. What Happens Once You Fill This Form? Upon filling out the form and clicking on the 'Calculate Dowry Amount' button, the page leads to a video montage of a calculator working number and displays the figure 91,202, mentioning it is the number of dowry deaths reported in India between 2001-2012. The page further asks the question, "Do you still want to know???" and "Is her life worth the price?". Then it shows an image of a physically abused married woman, with the caption: "Let's make India a Dowry-Free Society" and concludes with "Be the change. Make a difference!" Taking to social media platform X, one such user @DoctorHussain96 posts, "Initially was shocked to see Dowry calculator in Shaadi.com. A segment of the site shows users how much they are worth in the 'dowry' stakes. When you enter your details like educational qualification and income, you are in for a surprise." The user further appreciated the Shaadi.com founder for this initiative adding, "Respect and wonderful idea @AnupamMittal". Initially was shocked to see Dowry calculator in https://t.co/EQr0sQBWQD A segment of the site show users how much they are worth in the 'dowry' stakes. When you enter your details like educational qualification and income, you are in for a surprise. Instead of showing their pic.twitter.com/a9jw1P3oBf The Cancer Doctor (@DoctorHussain96) May 19, 2024 This post quickly caught the attention of the masses and went viral on social media summoning a flood of comments by netizens. One X user wrote, "Shameful to see that people are still taking dowry in some form or other!..", another user commented, "Fantastic! No one should ideally click on the 'Dowry calculator' in the portal. They should also show how many people have used the tool." All About the Dowry Calculator The popular matrimonial website Shaadi.com brought out a seemingly shocking feature in 2011, which was actually a meaningful campaign to stop the practice of dowry taking in India. The site created a page which was a clickbait claiming to calculate your dowry and how much a to-be wife is worth. But once you clicked on the 'Dowry Calculator', it showed how the practice is a social evil and the implications it has on the lives of thousands of women. An official of Shaadi.com then told the media that the campaign introduced a new way of an age-old problem (dowry) which demanded attention. The initiative was reportedly partnered with NGO Stree Mukti Sanghatana. It aimed at destroying the social evil such as dowry from the institution of marriage. The dowry calculator on Shaadi.com was blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for being misleading and "unacceptable" in 2018. Years later, in 2023, the Delhi High Court termed the website "quite creative" in response to a plea. As per media reports, this initiative was created by Shaadi.com in collaboration with NGO Stree Mukti Sanghatana. According to a report on Campaign India, the founder and CEO of Shaadi.com, Anupam Mittal was quoted as saying, "It is saddening to witness such a strong prevalence of marital social issues in India and across the world today. As a result, the original intent of marriage is getting lost. The fundamental purpose of marriage, across religions and cultures, is to find lifelong equal companionship and support through the journey of life. Social evils such as dowry and domestic violence destroy the essence and institution of marriage. He further added that, as a leader in the online matchmaking industry, Shaadi.com strives to ensure a positive role is played in directly helping victims of marital abuse. Through Shaadi Cares, our platform is also leveraged to raise awareness among our 30 million members about how marriage can and should be about 'together for good'. New Delhi: Cannes is not just a celebration of cinema, but the Croisette is the perfect place to put your best couture foot forward. It is also that time of the year when a bevy of Bollywood beauties step down at the French Rivera. However this time their numbers are few and far between, as the number of influencers have bypassed the film folk. So bringing our focus back to fashion, the desi entourage did give us several why o why moments. Fashion pundits and fans stand united that Shane and Falgunis gold-inspired ensemble or the confetti gown did no justice to the most beautiful woman in the world Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. A Cannes regular, though Aishwarya Rai Bachchan defended her designers, all we can say is pretty, please change your stylists. However, two ladies stood out in their Cannes Debut, actor Kiara Advani and influencer Nancy Tyagi. Kiara represented India at the Red Seas Foundation Women in Cinema Gala Dinner, hosted by Vanity Fair. On day one the actor stepped out in a white ivory satin ensemble designed by Prabal Gurung. Accessorising the thigh-high slit gown with pearl earrings the actor looked cool and vibed well in the Cannes ambiance, which screams Glamour and Sophistication. It was vintage Hollywood for the Gala night. Kiara opted for a black and pink mermaid-fit corseted gown with a bow at the back, Black lace gloves came paired with a gorgeous yellow gold Rs. 30-crore BVLGARI Serpenti necklace and a pink gold BVLGARI ring. Simple, classy does it. Kiaras stylist got it right. The clothes complemented her figure, the make-up was subtle, and it seemed easy without trying too hard, says a designer on Kiaras look. Further what Bollywood sometimes without the exception of Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone gets wrong, is that more is less. It is usually the other way around. We have better handlooms, and craftsmanship, and can do so much better, than what we do. The other one turning heads was fashion influencer Nancy Tyagi, who walked as part of the Brut India squad. In a self-stitched pink voluminous gown with several layers and a long train, Nancy looked elegant and stylish. The influencer won applause from actors Sonam Kapoor, and Bhumi Pednekar for her self-styled creation. Nancy stood out, and imagine no one knew who she was and now she will best remember. That's what fashion is it needs to stand out, says a designer. In the words of Coco Chanel, fashion changes but style endures. Hopefully, some designers and stylists would take note of the same. Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who was last seen in 'Tiger 3', cast his vote on Monday at the Mount Mary school. The actor arrived at the polling booth in a rugged look to do his bit for the electoral process. The actor sported a light stubble and chose a grey coloured t-shirt and black cargo pants. He also interacted briefly with a wheelchair-bound woman before he posed for the paparazzi stationed at the venue. Earlier in the day, Salman's father Salim Khan cast his vote along with his first wife Salma Khan in the Bandra area of Mumbai. New Delhi: The homegrown brand Boult has expanded its true wireless stereo (TWS) collection by launching two new gaming earbudsBoult Z40 Gaming and Y1 Gaming in the Indian market. The Z40 Gaming TWS earbuds are available in Black Moss and Electric White colour options along with RGB lights. Meanwhile, the Boult Y1 Gaming earbuds come with Black Metal, Electric Red, and Glacier Blue colour options. Boult Z40 Gaming and Boult Y1 Gaming TWS Earbuds Price And Availability: The Boult Z40 Gaming and Y1 Gaming TWS earbuds will be available at a special launch price of Rs 1,299 and 1,199, respectively. Consumers can buy the Boult Z40 Gaming earbuds via Amazon, Flipkart, and the brand's website. Meanwhile, the Boult Y1 Gaming TWS earbuds will be available for purchase only on Flipkart and the brand website. (Also Read: Infinix GT 20 Pro Smartphone Launched In India With Free Gaming Kit; Check Price, Specs And Discount Offer) Boult Z40 Gaming, Y1 Gaming Specifications: The latest earbuds offer 60 hours of battery life and support AAC SBC codec for enhanced bass and audio quality. Meanwhile, the Y1 Gaming TWS earbuds offer 50 hours of playtime. Both the earbuds come with Combat Gaming mode with ultra-low latency of 40ms. The TWS earbuds with dual device connectivity, Bluetooth v5.4. The TWS earbuds are equipped with inbuilt quad microphones for environmental noise cancellation (ENC). They can be connected and operated via the BOULT AMP App, which is available on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. (Also Read: Amazfit BIP 5 Unity Smartwatch Launched In India At Rs 6,999 With 100 Stylish Watch Faces; Check Specs And Other Features) The Boult Z40 Gaming and Boult Y1 Gaming TWS Earbuds are IPX5-rated for water resistance and powered by BoomX technology and 10mm drivers. New Delhi: The buzz around Bigg Boss OTT Season 3 is already doing the rounds these days. After the successful two seasons, all eyes are set on the fresh third instalment of the reality show meant for the digital platform. Last season was hosted by the OG Salman Khan and social media star Elvish Yadav lifted the trophy beating Abhishek Malhan. Ahead of the actual show, many tentative names of contestants have surfaced online. As per many media reports, here's a rumoured list of Bigg Boss OTT 3 contestants list: Adnaan Shaikh He is a famous social media star who shot to fame with TikTok videos and has a massive fan following. Delbar Arya According to Siasat.com, this famous Punjabi actress will be seen on the OTT version of Bigg Boss this season. Riyaz Aly A famous TikToker and social medis star has also featured in several music videos. Shivangi Joshi Popular TV actress is reportedly going to be the highest paid contestant on the show, if she decides to be aboard. Shafaq Naaz Another name which is making the rounds is that of Shafaq Naaz, sister of Bigg Boss OTT 2 fame Falaq Naaz. Pankit Thakker TV actor Pankit Thakker has featured in hit daily soaps including Dill Mill Gayye and Bahu Hamari Rajni Kant. People mourn victims of the helicopter crash near Varzaqan County, in Tehran, Iran, on May 20, 2024. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and some members of his accompanying team, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were confirmed dead Monday morning as the wreckage of the helicopter carrying them was found following its crash in bad weather on Sunday near Varzaqan County. (Xinhua/Shadati) TEHRAN, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Iran's government decided on Monday that the country's 14th presidential election would be held on June 28, the official news agency IRNA reported. The election date was determined in a meeting attended by Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, currently assuming the presidency, Judiciary Chief Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, as well as Vice President for Legal Affairs Mohammad Dehqan and representatives of the Iranian Constitutional Council and Interior Ministry, the report said. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and some members of his accompanying team, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were confirmed dead Monday morning as the wreckage of the helicopter carrying them was found following its crash in bad weather on Sunday near Varzaqan County, some 670 km away from Tehran. The screenshot captured from footage broadcast by Iran's state-run IRIB TV on May 20, 2024 shows the wreckage of the crashed helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi near Varzaqan County, Iran. (Xinhua/Shadati) According to Article 131 of Iran's Constitution, the first vice president will take the helm of the executive branch if the president is unable to perform duties. Also, the interim president is duty-bound to make arrangements for the election of a new president within a maximum of 50 days. During the meeting, the participants also set the schedule for the election processes, including the formation of executive delegations, the registration of candidates, and the launch of electoral campaigns, according to IRNA. Based on the schedule, the registration would be conducted from May 30 to June 3, following which candidates would have to conduct electoral campaigns from June 12 to 27, the report said. According to IRNA, the Constitutional Council has initially consented to the schedule. Another round of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Georgia was held in Baku, Azernews reports. The Azerbaijani delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Samir Sharifov, and the delegation of Georgia by the First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lasha Darsalia. As the consultations unfolded, the parties conversed on the current situation and development prospects of bilateral cooperation in political, economic and trade, energy, transportation, cultural and humanitarian fields. The sides hailed the current level of relations between the two countries. They underlined the importance of high-level reciprocal visits and the activity of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on economic issues. The sides also highlighted the significance of continuing coordination and mutual support on issues of importance to both countries within international and regional organizations, as well as Azerbaijan-Turkiye-Georgia trilateral and other multilateral cooperation platforms. The Georgian delegation was informed about the organization of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which will be hosted by Azerbaijan this November. CANBERRA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The operator of Australia's electricity grid has warned of a heightened risk of blackouts due to delays to key projects. The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) on Tuesday released an update to its 10-year outlook for the National Electricity Market (NEM), renewing calls for urgent investment to guarantee electricity reliability as coal-fired power plants are retired. Compared to the 2023 Electricity Statement of Opportunities (ESOO) report, the updated document warns blackout risks have increased in New South Wales (NSW) and Victoria - Australia's two largest states - from 2024-25 through to 2027-28 and in South Australia (SA) in 2026-27. It attributed the heightened risk to delays to battery, hydro-storage, wind, solar and transmission projects, including for the EnergyConnect power cable that is now expected to connect the NSW and SA power grids from 2027 instead of 2026. "The urgency for the timely delivery of transmission, generation and storage, and use of consumer electricity resources to support the grid, remains to meet consumers' energy needs," Daniel Westerman, chief executive of AEMO, said in a media release. "While new generation and storage capacity continues to increase, project development and commissioning delays are impacting reliability throughout the horizon." To address the reliability gaps AEMO said it would procure interim reserves to shore up the market over the high-demand summer periods. It called for timely investment in projects to generate, store and share electricity to manage reliability risks. RAMALLAH, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian presidency on Tuesday slammed the U.S. administration for its support of Israel amid the latter's ongoing attacks on Palestinians in both the Gaza Strip and West Bank. In a statement published by Palestine's official news agency WAFA, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, spokesperson for the presidency, said the Israeli government and its army continued their "crimes" in Palestinian territories as a result of the "continued and unjustified support" provided by the U.S.. He said that the American support for Israel, including financial aid, weapons, and the shielding from accountability for its "crimes," "pushed Israeli leaders to commit more crimes in northern Gaza and Rafah." He also warned of the danger of ongoing Israeli attacks on the Palestinians from the southernmost city of Rafah to the city of Jenin in the northern West Bank. Earlier in the day, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported that seven Palestinians were killed and 12 others were injured during an Israeli operation in Jenin. Among the injured, three were in critical condition and have been hospitalized. Palestinian security sources said that Israeli soldiers conducted a raid on Jenin and its refugee camp on Tuesday, resulting in an exchange of gunfire between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces in the refugee camp and several neighborhoods of the city. Avichai Adraee, a spokesperson of the Israeli military, said in a post on the social media platform X that security forces carried out an operation to "thwart terrorism" in Jenin, where several gunmen were reportedly injured. Eyewitnesses told Xinhua that Israeli bulldozers continued to demolish infrastructure near Jenin Governmental Hospital and in the city's neighborhoods. Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israelis have killed 513 Palestinians in the West Bank, including 127 from Jenin, according to official Palestinian statistics. Jasmine tea is tea scented with the aroma of jasmine blossoms and typically has green tea as its base. When the fresh jasmine flowers are harvested, they are blended with layers of tea leaves. Workers stir the tea leaves and flowers overnight, allowing the leaves to absorb the aromatic scent of the jasmine blossoms. The hot and humid climate and the sandy soil in Hengzhou City of south China's Guangxi provide favorable conditions for jasmine and tea plants to thrive, becoming the high-quality ingredients that are needed for jasmine tea. Hengzhou's jasmine planting area reached 131,000 mu, about 8,733 hectares, with a fresh flower yield of 103,000 tons in 2023. The average price of fresh flowers reached 34 yuan per kilogram, benefiting 340,000 jasmine farmers. The city has over 130 jasmine tea enterprises, with a total output value of jasmine tea of 16.29 billion yuan, about 2.25 billion U.S. dollars. PHNOM PENH, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia urged businessmen, entrepreneurs, investors and producers to participate in the seventh China International Import Expo (CIIE), to be held from Nov. 5-10 in east China's Shanghai, according to a Ministry of Commerce's statement on Tuesday. The statement said the Ministry of Commerce will lead a business delegation to attend this mega-expo, saying that it will be a great opportunity for exhibitors to showcase their products and to explore new trading partners in China and across the globe. The Ministry of Commerce is going to set up a Cambodian pavilion with commercial booths and prepare some sideline activities at the expo, it said. Cambodian Ministry of Commerce's Secretary of State and Spokesperson Penn Sovicheat said the annual event has provided a unique opportunity for foreign companies to exhibit their products and services to potential Chinese consumers and investors. Experts from Bangladesh and China attend a discussion meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh, May 20, 2024. (Xinhua) DHAKA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cooperation embraces the historical trend of economic globalization, responds to the call for improving the global governance system, and meets people's longing for a better life which is the fundamental reason why it always has been strong, said Bangladeshi experts. Tens of speakers from diverse sectors in Bangladesh and China, including academia, business and media, shared their perspectives at a discussion meeting here on Monday, opining that Bangladesh is a proud member of the BRI which plays a significant role in the country's economic developments. The Center for East Asia Foundation (CEAF), a non-profit and non-political independent study circle, has organized the roundtable discussion titled "China-Bangladesh Relations and The Belt and Road Initiative" at the University of Dhaka. Nasim Mahmmud, executive director of the CEAF, in his welcome remarks said China has always extended its firm support to Bangladesh in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, and opposing external interference. He said Bangladesh-China relations are based on mutual respect and win-win outcome. Dean of Faculty of Business Studies at the University of Dhaka Muhammad Abdul Moyeen said that Bangladesh has already started benefiting from the BRI, including China's financial investment. He also said that the investment made by the BRI will continue to contribute to the development of Bangladesh's competitiveness in the future and the realization of Vision 2041. Wang Jian, director of the Institute of International Relations from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, said that the BRI has given a strong boost to Bangladesh's development, with significant improvement in its infrastructure such as roads, bridges and power generation, as well as the growth of China-Bangladesh trade. Next, the BRI cooperation between China and Bangladesh will adhere to the principles of benefiting people's lives and sustainability. In addition to promoting hard connectivity and investment, China and Bangladesh should also align with the people-centered core of the Global Development Initiative to promote soft connectivity and investment, such as personnel training, development experience sharing, education and people-to-people cooperation, and work together to carry out small and beautiful projects, Wang added. In his concluding remarks, former Bangladeshi Ambassador to China and Chairman of the CEAF Mahbub Uz Zaman said, "I am convinced that under the framework of the BRI, more and more Chinese enterprises and people will devote themselves to the goal of Smart Bangladesh, proposing Chinese solutions and making even more contributions to the realization of (Bangladesh's) Vision 2041." Talking to Xinhua on the sidelines of the event, he said both Bangladesh and China are cooperating on the BRI which Bangladesh joined in 2016. "It is expected that this cooperation, especially under the Belt and Road Initiative, will grow further and expand in the future." BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday that China urges the United States to earnestly abide by its commitments of not using Taiwan as a tool to contain China, and stop hollowing out the one-China principle. Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a query about U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's "congratulations" to the new leader of the Taiwan region. BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Celebrated American lyric-coloratura mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato will perform at the concert hall of China's National Centre for the Performing Arts on June 13. The Kansas-born multi-Grammy Award winner will be joined by famed Italian ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro in what will be part of her "EDEN" tour, which kicked off in March 2022. Released in February 2022, the album "EDEN" centers on mankind's relationship with the natural world and "our unique place within it, and invites the listener to explore and search for answers about belonging, purpose, and healing," according to DiDonato's website page. The concert will feature tracks from the album including its anthem "The First Morning of the World" by Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman, and others from works of various eras such as Aaron Copland's "8 Poems of Emily Dickinson," Gustav Mahler's "Ruckert-Lieder" and Francesco Cavalli's "La Calisto." The album is "a powerful example of how music can relate so well to our wider world," wrote leading classical music magazine Gramophone. by Burak Akinci IZNIK, Turkiye, May 21 (Xinhua) -- China's Jingdezhen and Turkiye's Iznik cities stand as a testament to shared cultural values between two ancient cities and their passion for fine porcelain making, Turkish ceramic experts said. "There are many similarities between Chinese porcelain and Iznik ceramics," Adil Can Guven, a famous Turkish ceramic artist told Xinhua in a recent interview. He was referring to the northwestern Turkish city of Iznik which was the main center of ceramic production under the Ottomans. Iznik, a district in the Bursa province of modern Turkiye, boasts a rich history spanning 2,000 years, dating back to its time as the Byzantine city of Nicaea. During the Ottoman era, influenced by Chinese craftsmanship, Iznik's ceramics and porcelain industry experienced rapid growth from the 15th to the 17th centuries, reaching its zenith in the 16th century. Guven, a 70-year-old ceramist who recently visited Jingdezhen, the world-famous "porcelain capital" in east China's Jiangxi Province, said he was "very impressed" by the city and its history of porcelain-making dating back over 2,000 years. Jingdezhen's past role as an official and imperial kiln has elevated the art of porcelain making to unprecedented heights. "We were very impressed by the porcelain produced in Jingdezhen," he pointed out, stressing that the design of some pieces showcased in the local museum is still in use in Iznik ceramics, such as grapes and waves. "The Ottomans were significantly inspired" in their ceramic art by the renowned Chinese blue-and-white porcelain, this artist stressed. The porcelain produced in Jingdezhen and then exported to the Islamic world through the ancient Silk Road bears now testimony to the city's shared values with modern-day Turkiye and its love for ceramics, according to Guven. In the 15th century, Chinese porcelain gifted to the Ottoman Empire had a very significant importance on Anatolia and the Ottoman Palace, this artist said. Jingdezhen porcelains inspired Turkish tile masters since the Ottoman era and paved the way for the start of porcelain production in Turkiye, Mehmet Aras, a scholar and expert on ceramics, said to Xinhua in Iznik. "The Chinese were the first to produce porcelain in the world. It was first made by Chinese craftsman until the 17th century when many other communities tried to emulate their technique," he said. Technically, porcelain is a type of ceramic, but porcelain is made with superior-grade clay and needs to be fired at more extreme temperatures than ceramics. Porcelain is therefore harder, he noted. The word "cini" synonymous with ceramics and pottery in Turkish can be translated roughly as something related to China, Aras explained, highlighting that Turkish ceramics are a reflection of Chinese porcelain. Porcelain, as a symbol of traditional Chinese culture, has built a bridge of cultural exchange between ancient China and foreign countries. In the present day, Turkiye's "capital of ceramics" Iznik and China's "capital of porcelain" Jingdezhen are sister cities and mutual exchanges of artists and local officials are very important, Iznik's deputy mayor Ahmet Kaya, told Xinhua. "Jingdezhen and Iznik are two ancient cities that share many commonalities, including culture and civilization. "We have succeeded in building a bridge of friendship and brotherhood," he stated. Aras and Kaya participated in the 2023 China Jingdezhen International Ceramic Expo in October. "I was very impressed with what I saw in Jingdezhen, and how the local history has been kept alive," this official stressed. "Iznik ceramics have been inspired by Chinese porcelain, and the origin of this inspiration is Jingdezhen," the deputy mayor added. Meanwhile, Topkapi Palace Museum in Turkiye's Istanbul, once the residence of the Ottoman sultans, has been displaying since early May additional pieces from its extensive collection of Chinese porcelain following a major makeover. After a three-year restoration, visitors can admire thousands of Chinese porcelain pieces, including those exclusively crafted for the sultans, drawing significant attention from Turks and foreign tourists alike. WELLINGTON, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A New Zealand government plane headed to the French overseas territory of New Caledonia on Tuesday as the first in a series of proposed flights to begin bringing New Zealanders home. "New Zealanders in New Caledonia have faced a challenging few days, and bringing them home has been an urgent priority for the government," said New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. The situation in New Caledonia remains dynamic, and New Zealand officials are continuing to work with French counterparts and other partners especially Australia to understand what is needed to ensure the safety of Kiwis there, said Peters, also the deputy prime minister. "In cooperation with France and Australia, we are working on subsequent flights in coming days," Peters said. Tuesday's flight carried around 50 passengers with the most pressing needs from the capital Noumea to New Zealand's Auckland, he said, adding passengers for subsequent flights will be prioritized by consular staff. The escalating situation and violent protests in Noumea are of serious concern across the Pacific Islands region, Peters said last week. Six people have been killed and hundreds more injured in riots that began earlier in May after the French parliament passed laws that granted French residents who have lived in New Caledonia for 10 years or more the right to vote in local elections, local media reported. French President Emmanuel Macron on May 15 declared a state of emergency in New Caledonia, a French territory comprising dozens of islands in the South Pacific. "It would be an opportunity for substantive cultural exchange between the peoples of China and of the United States," said Juilliard's president emeritus Joseph W. Polisi, who has donated his award money to promote Sino-U.S. music exchange and education. In response, Zakharova asked a counter, logical question, "Who left first?" (the Armenians - ed.) and stressed that the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent (RPC) kept its word. "This is the best example of Russia giving its word and keeping it. And all this against the background of the SVO in Ukraine, where there was a need for these soldiers and military personnel on some flanks. They were desperately needed there. And they didn't leave. And the people left. What should I tell you? So answer me - where at home, there should be a person. Ask if we've talked about this? Of course they did. Because these questions are asked to me both officially and informally at briefings. You need to hear what they say in Baku. They said that no one in any case raises the question that people cannot return. We must use this," Zakharova said, putting the pro-Armenian cleric in his place. VIENTIANE, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The handover ceremony of a China-aided information and communication technology (ICT) institute has been held in Lao capital Vientiane. The institute is equipped with modern classrooms, laboratories, offices, libraries, and conference rooms, Lao News Agency reported on Tuesday. It is also equipped with teleconference equipment for online training purposes. Local teachers and staff have also been trained in Laos and China in preparation for the management of the training facility. Speaking at the event, Lao Minister of Technology and Communications Boviengkham Vongdara said the establishment of the institute is very important to the development of human resources in Laos. He added that this institute marks the cooperative relations between Laos and China. An archaeologist observes a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An aerial drone photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows the excavation site of the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An archaeologist shows a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Archaeologists inventory the relics unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An archaeologist shows a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Archaeologists preserve the relics unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An archaeologist preserves a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) Archaeologists inventory the relics unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An archaeologist measures a relic unearthed from the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province, May 20, 2024. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An aerial drone photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows the excavation site of the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) An aerial drone photo taken on May 20, 2024 shows the excavation site of the Wuwangdun tomb discovered in Huainan, east China's Anhui Province. The archaeological excavation at the Wuwangdun tomb in east China's Anhui Province has yielded major findings, unearthing over 3,000 cultural relics, according to China's cultural heritage administration. Earlier this year, the National Cultural Heritage Administration (NCHA) confirmed the Wuwangdun tomb as the largest and highest-level tomb of the ancient Chu state, which existed more than 2,200 years ago during the Warring States Period (475 BC-221 BC). (Xinhua/Zhang Duan) LIMA, May 20 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and seven others injured after a passenger vehicle ran off the road and rushed into a ravine in northwest Peru, local media reported on Monday. The accident occurred Sunday night when the vehicle involved left the road near the Chucchus Bridge at the junction of the Marca district in the province of Recuay, Ancash region, and then plunged into a ravine about 400 meters deep until it reached a river, state-run news agency Andina reported. The driver was reported dead at the scene, and the injured were taken to nearby health centers. The vehicle was a minivan of the Purito Chavin company, which was heading to the city of Huacho, the report said. Police and firefighters have arrived at the scene to assist in the rescue work, while authorities have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the accident. BEIJING, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message to Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, congratulating him on his election as president of the Republic of Chad. Xi pointed out that in recent years, China-Chad relations have maintained a good momentum of development, with their political mutual trust continuously deepened, cooperation steadily advanced in various fields, and international collaboration becoming closer. Xi said he attaches great importance to the development of China-Chad relations and is willing to work with the president-elect to strengthen mutual support and promote friendly cooperation, so as to better benefit the two peoples. GAZA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian death toll from ongoing Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has risen to 35,647, health authorities in the Palestinian enclave said in a press statement on Tuesday. During the past 24 hours, the Israeli army killed 85 Palestinians and wounded 200 others, bringing the total death toll to 35,647 and injuries to 79,852 since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out in October 2023. The Israeli army said in a statement that drones and fighter aircraft bombed nearly 70 "terrorist targets" in the Gaza Strip during the past 24 hours, including military buildings, weapons depots, warehouses, rocket launchers, surveillance units, and other military infrastructure. Israeli forces killed a number of militants in the Jabalia area of northern Gaza Strip, including a "terrorist group" that was shooting at soldiers, read the statement. It added that the Israeli forces were continuing their operations in the southernmost Gazan city of Rafah, where a drone killed a "terrorist" who was firing mortar shells at Israeli soldiers. Israel launched a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage. Passengers get off a Turkish Airlines plane from Turkiye's Istanbul at the Kabul International Airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, May 21, 2024. A Turkish Airlines plane arrived at the Kabul International Airport on Tuesday morning, as the national flag carrier of Turkiye resumed its flights to Afghanistan following almost three years of suspension. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) KABUL, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish Airlines plane arrived at the Kabul International Airport on Tuesday morning, as the national flag carrier of Turkiye resumed its flights to Afghanistan following almost three years of suspension. Welcoming the step as a sign of friendly development in bilateral relations, Ghulam Jilani Wafa, a senior advisor for the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation, said he hopes more airliners could resume flights to Kabul as the airport has met international standards. "The aerial bridge between the Republic of Turkiye and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan once again assures us that the Republic of Turkiye and the Turkish people stand alongside us in any circumstances," Wafa said. "Air travel and the flights flying to Kabul and vice versa would have a positive impact on cultural and economic relations between the two countries," Wafa said. The Turkish Airlines is scheduled to conduct four round-trip flights between Istanbul and Kabul per week. Passengers get off a Turkish Airlines plane from Turkiye's Istanbul at the Kabul International Airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, May 21, 2024. A Turkish Airlines plane arrived at the Kabul International Airport on Tuesday morning, as the national flag carrier of Turkiye resumed its flights to Afghanistan following almost three years of suspension. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) A Turkish Airlines plane from Turkiye's Istanbul arrives at the Kabul International Airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, May 21, 2024. A Turkish Airlines plane arrived at the Kabul International Airport on Tuesday morning, as the national flag carrier of Turkiye resumed its flights to Afghanistan following almost three years of suspension. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) A Turkish Airlines plane from Turkiye's Istanbul arrives at the Kabul International Airport in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, May 21, 2024. A Turkish Airlines plane arrived at the Kabul International Airport on Tuesday morning, as the national flag carrier of Turkiye resumed its flights to Afghanistan following almost three years of suspension. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua) Participants of a UN Security Council meeting observe a minute of silence to mourn the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other passengers in Sunday's helicopter crash, at the UN headquarters in New York, on May 20, 2024. (Manuel Elias/UN Photo/Handout via Xinhua) UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Members of the UN Security Council on Monday observed a minute of silence to mourn the deaths of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and other passengers in Sunday's helicopter crash. At the beginning of a Security Council meeting on Monday morning, Mozambique's UN ambassador Pedro Comissario Afonso, who chaired the meeting, asked all those present in the Security Council chamber to stand and observe a minute of silence for the tragic loss of life and to present condolences and sympathy to their families and to the people of Iran. He said the minute of silence was requested by Russia, China, and Algeria. People attend a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tehran, May 21, 2024. People in Tehran on Tuesday attended, in large numbers, a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others after their bodies were transferred from the northwestern city of Tabriz to the capital city. (Xinhua/Shadati) TEHRAN, May 21 (Xinhua) -- People in Tehran on Tuesday attended, in large numbers, a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others after their bodies were transferred from the northwestern city of Tabriz to the capital city. The ceremony took place at Imam Khomeini's Mosalla. Earlier in the day, similar ceremonies were held in the northwestern city of Tabriz and the central province of Qom, where people bid their farewells. The funeral and commemoration ceremonies for Raisi and his entourage will be held on Wednesday in Tehran. The late president's body will be laid to rest in the holy shrine of Imam Reza. Iran's official news agency IRNA confirmed on Monday the deaths of Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, East Azarbaijan's Governor Malek Rahmati, senior Shia cleric Mohammad-Ali Ale-Hasehem, and others after their helicopter crashed in Varzaqan County in East Azarbaijan Province on Sunday. A farewell ceremony is held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tehran, May 21, 2024. People in Tehran on Tuesday attended, in large numbers, a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others after their bodies were transferred from the northwestern city of Tabriz to the capital city. (Xinhua/Shadati) People attend a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tehran, May 21, 2024. People in Tehran on Tuesday attended, in large numbers, a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others after their bodies were transferred from the northwestern city of Tabriz to the capital city. (Xinhua/Shadati) People attend a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tabriz, Iran, May 21, 2024. (Xinhua) A woman cries during a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tabriz, Iran, May 21, 2024. (Xinhua) People attend a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tabriz, Iran, May 21, 2024. (Xinhua) People attend a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tabriz, Iran, May 21, 2024. (Xinhua) People attend a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tabriz, Iran, May 21, 2024. (Xinhua) A farewell ceremony is held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tehran, May 21, 2024. People in Tehran on Tuesday attended, in large numbers, a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others after their bodies were transferred from the northwestern city of Tabriz to the capital city. (Xinhua/Shadati) People attend a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tehran, May 21, 2024. People in Tehran on Tuesday attended, in large numbers, a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others after their bodies were transferred from the northwestern city of Tabriz to the capital city. (Xinhua/Shadati) A man attends a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tehran, May 21, 2024. People in Tehran on Tuesday attended, in large numbers, a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others after their bodies were transferred from the northwestern city of Tabriz to the capital city. (Xinhua/Shadati) A mourner holding a flower attends a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others in Tehran, May 21, 2024. People in Tehran on Tuesday attended, in large numbers, a farewell ceremony held for Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi, late Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and others after their bodies were transferred from the northwestern city of Tabriz to the capital city. (Xinhua/Shadati) JERUSALEM, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi to return the equipment the ministry had previously confiscated from the Associated Press (AP) following American pressure, according to the Israeli state-owned Kan TV news. "Since the Defense Ministry wants to examine the issue of transmissions from these locations in Sderot regarding the risk to our forces, I have now ordered the cancellation of the operation and the return of the equipment to the AP," Karhi was quoted by the Kan as saying. Inspectors of the Israeli Communications Ministry on Tuesday confiscated photographic equipment and halted a live broadcast of the U.S.-based AP, Israeli state-owned Kan TV news reported. The Israeli action was carried out in the southern city of Sderot, near the Gaza Strip, when the AP team was documenting the situation in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict. According to the ministry, a new Israeli law enacted in early April grants the government the authority to bar the broadcasting of the Qatari news channel Al Jazeera in Israel. The ministry said that AP violated the law by transferring the materials it filmed to Al Jazeera. In response to the shutdown, AP said, "We strongly disavow the action of the Israeli government. The shutdown was not based on the content of the feed but on the government's misuse of the new foreign broadcasting law." It also urged the Israeli authorities "to return our equipment and allow us to resume our live feed immediately so that we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world." The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said that Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi did not inform the prime minister about the confiscation of the broadcast equipment from AP. The White House expressed concern over Israel's action against AP, adding that it believes journalists have the ability and right to do their jobs. The Foreign Press Association in Israel said it is alarmed by Israel's "outrageous move," adding that "this is the latest in a series of chilling steps by the Israeli government to stifle the media. Israel's move is a slippery slope." BEIRUT, May 21 (Xinhua) -- A Hezbollah member was killed and three civilians injured on Tuesday in an Israeli airstrike on the village of Aita al-Shaab in southern Lebanon, Lebanese military sources told Xinhua. Israeli drones conducted four airstrikes on villages and towns in southwest Lebanon, while its military airplanes carried out six raids in the eastern and central areas of the border region. Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its fighters attacked several Israeli sites. Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. The confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel have killed 479 people on the Lebanese side, including 303 Hezbollah members and 89 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of the Republic of Turkiye, made a phone call to Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on May 20. Azernews reports that, during the phone conversation, the heads of state discussed Turkiye-Azerbaijan relations, as well as regional and global developments. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed the positive advancement of the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, noting that Turkiye is closely following the process. The President of Turkiye emphasized that the fair and sustainable peace that will be ensured in the region will create a new environment for both Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as for the countries of the region. During the conversation, the presidents also exchanged views on future cooperation. ABUJA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- More than 40 people were killed by a group of gunmen who attacked a village in central Nigeria's Plateau State late Monday, local officials and media said on Tuesday. Dozens of gunmen riding on motorbikes stormed the Zurak village in the Wase Local Government Area on Monday night to wreak havoc, killing "as many as 40 people," Musa Ibrahim Ashoms, commissioner of information for Plateau State, told reporters in the state capital of Jos. Many others were injured in the attack, as the gunmen fired indiscriminately at residents, The Nation Newspaper reported, citing local sources. The gunmen also set fire to houses during their rampage, according to local media reports. Armed attacks have been a major security threat in Nigeria's northern and central regions, resulting in deaths and kidnappings. NAIROBI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The ninth annual global conference on energy efficiency started in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, on Tuesday with a call for sustainable energy resource consumption to curb the emission of planet-warming gases, including carbon and methane. Convened by the International Energy Agency (IEA), Kenya's Ministry of Energy and Petroleum, the event will be attended by ministers, industry executives, heads of regional blocs and multilateral agencies, researchers and green campaigners, according to organizers. It was the first time that the global energy efficiency conference was held in Africa. Davis Chirchir, Kenya's cabinet secretary for energy and petroleum, said the two-day conference will raise the bar in efforts to promote energy efficiency and revitalize action on the climate crisis. "Our commitment to energy efficiency and conservation is central to realizing a sustainable future," he said. "We must, therefore, enact enabling policies and regulations to promote sustainable energy use in the industries and households." The meeting is expected to chart a new beginning in the global quest to achieve energy efficiency in line with the outcome adopted at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, last December, Chirchir said. The participation of delegates from more than 20 African countries reaffirms the continent's attempts to embed energy efficiency in climate action, poverty eradication and livelihood transformation, he said. Amani Abou-Zeid, the African Union commissioner for infrastructure and energy, said energy efficiency is a vital tool for addressing climate change, air pollution and respiratory diseases. She stressed that energy efficiency should be at the heart of achieving shared aspirations of peace, sustainable development, climate resilience and prosperity in Africa. Abou-Zeid also called for the harmonization of policies and legislation to promote energy efficiency across critical sectors like manufacturing, agriculture, transport, buildings and home appliances. Kadri Simson, the European Union commissioner for energy, said the conference should explore high-impact interventions, including fiscal incentives, to boost energy efficiency and global access. She underscored the critical role of private sector investments, enactment of laws and public education in promoting energy efficiency to avert the worst impacts of global warming. TRIPOLI, May 20 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that 409 migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya in the past week. "From May 12 to 18, 409 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya," IOM said in a statement. The rescued migrants include 47 women and 31 children, IOM said, adding that the bodies of six migrants were recovered and 20 others went missing. So far this year, a total of 5,831 migrants have been rescued, while 163 died and 360 others went missing off the Libyan coast, IOM noted. Many undocumented migrants, mostly from Africa, choose to cross the Mediterranean to European shores from Libya, which has been suffering chaos since 2011 when the late former leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown. YAOUNDE, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Gunmen suspected to be separatists on Monday shot dead three officials, including a mayor, in Cameroon's war-torn English-speaking region of Northwest, according to the army and officials. Innocent Ngong -- mayor of Belo council, one of his deputies, as well as Aaron Aghi Ngong -- chief of basic education in Belo subdivision were ambushed and killed on their way to attend Cameroon's National Day celebration in the subdivision, the region's governor Adolphe Lele L'Afrique said. "Measures have been taken to trace the authors of that killing and we will be informed on all the development concerning that situation," L'Afrique told reporters in Bamenda, chief town of the region. Cameroon celebrated the 52nd National Day on Monday but separatist fighters in the country's Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest imposed lockdown to disrupt celebrations. The regions have been ravaged by a prolonged armed separatist conflict after separatists declared the "independence" of the regions in 2017. TUNIS, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian authorities detained three people in a joint counter-terrorism operation in the Tunisian capital Tunis, the Tunisian National Guard said on Tuesday in a statement. The statement, posted on the National Guard's Facebook page, said the three people were wanted by various security and judicial agencies for being involved in a terrorist organization. The three individuals have been taken into custody, added the statement without giving further details. Tunisia has witnessed increased terrorist activities since 2011, in which dozens of security and military personnel, as well as civilians and foreign tourists, were killed. TRIPOLI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday said that 80,000 illegal migrants have been voluntarily deported from Libya to their countries of origin since 2015 under IOM's Voluntary Humanitarian Return (VHR) program. The deported migrants included 2,733 victims of human trafficking, 843 unaccompanied or separated children, and 5,144 migrants with medical needs, the statement said. Returning migrants receive post-arrival reception assistance in the countries of return and comprehensive reintegration support through individual reintegration assistance packages, including economic, social, and psychosocial support, the statement added. "IOM Libya's staff work around the clock to assist vulnerable migrants in Libya who are in need of urgent protection assistance. Enabling migrants to make informed choices and ensuring their right to return home is advocated for, the VHR program offers a glimmer of hope in the face of extreme adversity," said Tauhid Pasha, IOM Libya's acting chief of mission. Ever since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in 2011, Libya has become a preferred point of departure for thousands of illegal immigrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to reach European shores. HANOI, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The State Bank of Vietnam has announced it has successfully organized five gold auctions since April 19 with a total of 35,100 taels of gold bullions sold. In the latest auction on Tuesday, nine winning bidders of Saigon Jewelry Company (SJC)-branded gold bar secured 79 lots, equivalent to 7,900 taels, Vietnam News Agency reported. The central bank said that the highest and lowest winning bid price in this gold auction was the same, 89.42 million Vietnamese dong per tael (3,511 U.S. dollars). On the domestic market, the SJC gold prices on Tuesday afternoon was quoted at 88.5 million dong (3,475 dollars) per tael for sellers, and 90.5 million dong (3,554 dollars) per tael for buyers. According to the bank, the purpose of the gold bullion auction is to intervene in a timely manner to reduce the gap between domestic and global gold prices. This is aimed at ensuring the gold market operates in a stable, healthy, transparent and efficient manner. ISLAMABAD, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national volleyball team will visit Pakistan for the first time to play a three-match series later this month, an official said on Tuesday. Chaudhry Muhammad Yaqoob, chairman of the Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF), told Xinhua that the Australian Volleyball Federation (AVF) had confirmed the team's arrival in Islamabad on May 26. "All arrangements have been finalized for the three-match series to be played at the Liaquat Gymnasium, an indoor sporting arena located in Islamabad," said Yaqoob, adding that the matches will commence on May 28. "Pakistan's national team has been in top form after winning the title and remaining unbeaten in the Central Asian Volleyball League earlier this month," Yaqoob noted. The PVF chairman expressed optimism that Pakistan would perform well against Australia and continue their winning streak. Yaqoob added that the series would be a historic milestone for volleyball in Pakistan, with fans eagerly looking forward to witnessing top-class competition between the two nations. MADRID, May 21 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has announced the definitive withdrawal of the country's ambassador to Argentina, local media reported on Tuesday. The move comes in the wake of provocative comments made by Argentinian President Javier Milei about the Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez, and his wife. The comments were made during a rally by the far-right Vox party in the Spanish capital Madrid on Sunday, and no apology has been made since. In a press conference on Tuesday, Albares said that "the Government remains vigilant, the situation has not changed and therefore I announce that we are withdrawing our ambassador (Maria Jesus Alonso) in Buenos Aires." Alonso, who had been called for consultations on Sunday, "will definitely stay in Madrid and Argentina will continue without an ambassador," the minister said. On Monday, Albares summoned the Argentine ambassador to Spain, Roberto Sebastian Bosch, to the Ministry headquarters, to demand a public apology from Milei. "I personally conveyed to the Argentine ambassador in Madrid that we demanded a public apology for what was an assault on the good faith and hospitality of the Spanish institutions," Albares said. Security protection at an air base in Madrid was offered, he added. "The response to that good faith and hospitality was a frontal attack with insults to our institutions, therefore Argentina will have to continue without a Spanish ambassador," he said. By Fatime Letifova The ex-candidate for U.S. president, Vivek Ramaswamy, is distinctive for his pro-Armenian position. In his speeches on every talk show and TV program, he defends Armenians to gain the favour of the Armenian lobby in the West. He zealously tries to make his speech more effective, but he fails to prove his biased condemnations against Azerbaijan, the country in the South Caucasus that he still thinks is situated on the African continent. This love of Vivek Ramaswamy for Armenians has made him quite popular, along with his anti-Azerbaijan rhetoric as well. At the Hudson Institute, Vivek Ramaswamy raised awareness about the so-called ethnic cleansing issue in Armenia. He claimed that in 2023, Azerbaijan ethnically cleansed over 120,000 Christians from their homeland of so-called artsakh. After the ethnic cleansing, Azerbaijan began supposedly converting and destroying churches that 'date back to the 4th century'. But in reality, it was the Armenian government that committed the genocide against the Azerbaijani people, not over the last 3 decades but over the last two centuries. Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani lands was followed by crimes that resulted in the ethnic cleansing of the local civilian population. This was done in such a consistent and systematic way that it was plainly planned, directed, and carried out by the Armenian government. Armenia's armed forces used the same military tactics to occupy Azerbaijan's cities, towns, settlements, and villages: militarily encircling residential areas where possible; indiscriminately firing on civilians to kill as many as possible; and taking hostages and subjecting them to mass rapes, tortures, and other degrading treatment. Armenian militants, during the occupation of Azerbaijan's lands in the early 1990s, murdered 20,000 people, injured or handicapped 50,000 others, and left around 4,000 Azerbaijani civilians missing. All captured areas were ethnically cleansed of more than 700,000 Azerbaijanis. Likewise, about 250,000 Azerbaijanis were expelled from Armenia at the end of the 1980s. Thus, the Azerbaijani population, once the majority in the territory of present-day Armenia, was completely removed from their ancestral lands. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe confirmed in its resolution 1416 (2015) that "Armenias military operations led to large-scale ethnic expulsion and the creation of mono-ethnic areas, which resemble the terrible concept of ethnic cleansing." Former President of Armenia Serj Sargsyan who used to be in charge of the military operations during the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan, 'boldly' confessed in one of the interviews he gave to a foreign journalist that our war somehow differed from others. We had it so that ethnic cleansing took place. Otherwise, it was not possible. In the same interview, Serj Sargsyan stated in the context of the massacre in the town of Khojaly that if civilian population stays there then it means that it also participates in the military actions. This is a clear statement that Armenias armed forces regarded the civilian population of the occupied territories as military targets. By doing so, Armenia grossly violated International Humanitarian Law and disregarded its most important principles, namely the principle of distinction between civilians and combatants and the principle of military necessity. This state bears responsibility for war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide committed in the course of war it unleashed against Azerbaijan. Atrocities against the civilian population and ensuing ethnic cleansing committed in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are not separate cases. Apart from the Garabagh region, historically, atrocities and ethnic cleansing by Armenian forces have been committed in several Azerbaijani-populated areas, including in Zangazur. In 1918-1920, Armenian armed gangs committed atrocities and ethnically cleansed more than 200 villages in the Zangazur region. Even the Armenian historian Razmik Panossian refers to the Zangazur events as ethnic cleansing that enhanced the demographic balance in the region in favour of the Armenians. Today, even after the glorious Victory of Azerbaijani Army over the Armenian forces, Vivek Ramaswamy still trying to accuse Azerbaijan for being aggressor country. Having no proper knowledge of the history of the Caucasus, he has the audacity to raise voice against Azerbaijan of supporting the separatist views of Armenian lobby in U.S. For some reason, whenever Ramaswamy, of Indian origin, talks about Armenia, he either loses himself or contradicts historical and geographical facts. It is clear that Ramaswamy does not give any thought to what was dictated to him when receiving assignments from the Armenian lobby, and that is why Vivek, who is claiming to be the president of the United States, has mistaken the South Caucasus for the African continent. This is still the beginning. In one of his speeches, he did not go unnoticed when he presented the missile strikes by Armenians on Ganja as a crime against Armenians by Azerbaijan. This gaff of his has torn the mask of him and other corrupt politicians in his face. Ramaswamy realised that he would not be a successful candidate in the presidential elections and later withdrew his candidacy. However, his appetite for a high chair is still insatiable, so he cannot stay away from the Armenian lobby. BELGRADE, May 21 (Xinhua) -- The 66th International Fair of Technology and Technical Achievements, which opened here Tuesday, attracted over 600 exhibitors from domestic and international markets, according to Jelena Begovic, minister of science, innovation and technical development. Inaugurating the fair together with Ana Brnabic, speaker of Serbia's National Assembly and Chen Jiachang, vice minister of science and technology of China, Begovic highlighted this year's slogan "Play for Humanity, Science for All" and the theme "Step into a Sustainable Future." The four-day fair, which drew 250 exhibitors from 32 countries, including 30 companies from China, features innovative products, ideas and solutions for future development developed by scientific and research organizations and individuals from Serbia and partner countries like China, Begovic added. Highlighting that Serbia is a leader in innovation, digitization, IT and artificial intelligence (AI), Brnabic noted the Serbian government will continue to support the development of scientific infrastructure. She also underscored the importance of the country's expanding network of science and technology parks, many of which were constructed by Chinese companies, as valuable investments for the future. "These investments will not only recover the funds we have allocated but are already proving highly beneficial. Investing in science and people truly means investing in the future," said Brnabic. Noting that Chinese participants representing such key industries as IT, space technology, AI, biomedicine and autonomous vehicles, Chen said that only fair and non-discriminatory cooperation can overcome global challenges like climate change and COVID-19. China has embraced the initiative of international cooperation, and that scientific collaboration knows no boundaries and should benefit all humanity, Chen noted. Chinese pianist Ju Xiaofu performs at Carnegie Hall in New York, the United States, on May 19, 2024. (Photo by Pan Liang/Xinhua) NEW YORK, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese pianist Ju Xiaofu made his debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City, the United States, on Sunday evening with the audience amazed by his performance. Ju showcased his talent with a program featuring works by 19th and 20th-century composers including Janacek, R. Schumann, Debussy, and Liszt. Titled "Waldeinsamkeit," which translates to "forest solitude" in English, the program and performance itself transported the Zankel Hall of Carnegie Hall to the wintry landscapes of Czechia, Germany, France, and Austria. "Xiaofu's expressive piano playing achieved new levels of depth, particularly in the Liszt Sonata. The moving sections were both technically remarkable and emotionally resonant, a testament to his consummate artistry," said David Witten, piano professor at the Montclair State University. Ju not only showcased his virtuosity as a pianist but also his depth as a poet and an artist, said Liu Qianci, producer of the concert and founder of Paulus Hook Music Foundation. "Every note resonated with the profound emotions of a world-class young musician, weaving together music and literature," added Liu, who is also a well-known cellist. The audience included professors, scholars and international students from local conservatories, senior pianists from the New York Piano Association and the New York Piano Teachers' Association, as well as seasoned classical music enthusiasts from New York, the United Nations, and Asian cultural organizations. Liu stressed the foundation's dedication to fostering cultural exchange between China and the United States. "We eagerly anticipate introducing more exceptional Chinese musicians to Carnegie Hall, a true global stage," said Liu. Born in southeast China's Nanjing, Ju began his musical journey at the young age of four and has since emerged as a leading pianist of his generation. As an avid poet, Ju has published two collections of poems titled On the Path Seeking for the Ruins of Spring in 2019, and The Late Sound in 2024. Ju, an alumnus of The Juilliard School, has been a visiting artist at Singapore Capital College since 2022. Chinese pianist Ju Xiaofu performs at Carnegie Hall in New York, the United States, on May 19, 2024. (Photo by Pan Liang/Xinhua) Chinese pianist Ju Xiaofu greets the audience at Carnegie Hall in New York, the United States, on May 19, 2024. (Photo by Pan Liang/Xinhua) Last week, pro-cannabis protesters gathered to oppose Thailand's move to relist cannabis as a narcotic. Dozens of advocates rallied at the health ministry against the governments plan, just two years after the plant was decriminalized. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin recently announced his intention to reverse cannabis legalization by the end of the year. Thailand, the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis in 2022 for medical use, now faces public backlash due to what many see as an unregulated market. Neon weed signs and cannabis-infused menus have become common in Bangkok's tourist areas, raising concerns over misuse and crime. Why Are Thailands Cannabis Laws Changing? Following the May 2023 general election, a new conservative coalition government led by the Pheu Thai Party is pushing for stricter cannabis regulations. Pheu Thai campaigned on banning recreational use, citing health risks and potential substance abuse among young people. Prime Minister Thavisin reinforced this stance, stating that drugs "destroy the future of the nation." Anutin Charnvirakul, former Health Minister and now Deputy Prime Minister, played a key role in the 2022 legalization under the previous government. On legalization day, over 3,000 inmates were released, and the industry quickly grew, valued at 28 billion Thai baht (728 million) in its first year, with projections of reaching 336 billion baht (8.7 billion) by 2030. Despite regulations requiring licenses for cultivation and sales, cannabis is easily accessible, with over 1.1 million Thais registering to grow it and over 6,000 dispensaries operating, often without proper oversight. Reports of drug-related violence and increased cannabis use among youth have raised concerns. Potential Economic Impact Cannabis legalization also spurred a booming weed tourism industry. Protesters on May 16 argued that while regulation is necessary, relisting cannabis as a narcotic would harm those who invested in the industry. Penalties for Cannabis Use in Thailand Before the 2022 legalization, Thailand had some of the harshest drug laws, with cannabis possession punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Health Minister Chonlanan Srikaew proposed a draft bill in March 2023 to ban recreational use and reclassify cannabis as a controlled substance. The bill, expected to pass soon, proposes fines of up to 60,000 baht (1,560) and prison sentences of up to a year for recreational use, with stricter penalties for advertising and unlicensed farming. Current Status for Tourists While changes are pending, cannabis shops remain open. However, public smoking or vaping is prohibited, and causing a 'public nuisance' through the smell of weed can result in a 25,000 baht (650) fine. These regulations can be inconsistently enforced, sometimes leading to police exploitation. Tourists should note that cannabis remains illegal in neighboring countries, and transporting it across borders can lead to severe penalties, especially in places like Singapore, which enforces strict drug laws even for overseas use. Island Nations Welcome Indian Tourists with Visa-Free Entry this Summer! Everything You Need to Know About Legal Options for H-1B Visa Holders After Job Termination How UK Visa Review Expected to Affect Indian Students Heading to the UK The Nasdaq-100 technology index plunged 33% in 2022, only to soar by nearly 54% in 2023. This year, it has already delivered a gain of more than 10%. Those gyrations prove that it's nearly impossible to predict the direction of the market in the short term. However, if we zoom out to observe the past 10 years, the Nasdaq-100 delivered a gain of 421%, which averages out to 18% compounded annually. In fact, history shows the longer investors remain in the market, the higher the odds they will earn a positive return. It's easy to track the performance of major indexes like the Nasdaq-100 by using exchange-traded funds (ETFs). But investors with a higher appetite for risk can outperform the broader market if they pick the right individual stocks. Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) could be a worthy candidate due to its strong growth and its extraordinary future potential thanks to autonomous vehicles. Uber stock might even be capable of turning an investment of $200,000 into $1 million over the next decade. But don't be deterred by those large numbers; investors of all means can seize the opportunity to potentially earn a fivefold return. Image source: Getty Images. Uber's largest cost: Drivers Uber operates the world's largest ride-hailing platform, in addition to a dominant food delivery service called Uber Eats and a growing commercial freight network. During the first quarter of 2024 (ended March 31), more than 7 million drivers completed nearly 2.6 billion trips at the request of Uber's 149 million monthly users. Uber collected $37.7 billion in bookings for those trips during the quarter, of which $16.6 billion was paid to its drivers -- the company's single largest expense. After stripping out other direct costs, including the money paid through to restaurants for their Uber Eats orders, Uber was left with $10.1 billion. When we move further down the income statement and account for operating costs like research and development and marketing, Uber actually lost $654 million on the bottom line. To the company's credit, it was profitable in 2023, and that trend would have continued if not for a $721 million decline in the value of its investments. Nevertheless, if Uber could eliminate the $16.6 billion cost of its drivers, it stands to reason both its revenue and its profitability would soar (assuming the price per ride remained the same). Autonomous vehicles could be a multitrillion-dollar industry According to Cathie Wood's Ark Investment Management, the proliferation of self-driving vehicles will create an autonomous ride-hailing industry capable of generating $4 trillion in revenue by 2028. That timeline might be ambitious considering only a handful of U.S. states approved self-driving cars in a very limited capacity with strict rules. Story continues Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says it's very difficult to predict when penetration of autonomous vehicles will begin to increase, but he certainly isn't waiting around. For starters, Uber owns a 21% equity stake in Aurora, which acquired Uber's self-driving development division in 2020 and continues to build upon the technology. Uber also has a multiyear partnership with Motional, which is a joint venture between driverless mobility company Aptiv and Hyundai. Motional has developed a fully autonomous car using Hyundai's Ioniq 5 electric vehicle as a base, which users will eventually be able to hail through Uber's platform. Uber has a similar partnership with Waymo, which is the self-driving division of Google parent Alphabet. Users can already hail an autonomous Waymo in Phoenix, Arizona, and the partnership recently expanded to food delivery. Internationally, Uber Eats and Mitsubishi Electric have partnered to create an autonomous food delivery service in Japan. Uber's actions send a clear message to investors: Autonomous vehicles are very likely to become the future of its business. Uber stock could soar fivefold within a decade Khosrowshahi says Uber aims to be a partner to the autonomous vehicle industry, which means it will provide its platform and its enormous network of users, and companies like Motional and Waymo will supply the cars. Tesla is also emerging as one of the leaders in self-driving, and it plans to unveil a fully autonomous robotaxi called the Cybercab in August. Tesla CEO Elon Musk wants to build a ride-hailing network within Tesla, but he will likely find it more economical if he and his customers lend vehicles to an established platform like Uber instead. Alternatively, assuming a change in strategy, Uber could also buy a fleet of Cybercabs and keep 100% of the revenue earned through its ride-sharing and delivery operations. That's a potential win-win for both companies. It's too early to know exactly how this will shake out, and we don't know how much it will cost Uber to offer self-driving cars compared to human drivers. However, even if Ark Invest's forecast of $4 trillion in autonomous ride-hailing revenue is generated over the next decade rather than by 2028, Uber could still theoretically capture $1 trillion of that because it has a 25% market share in the existing ride-sharing industry. That would translate to $100 billion in revenue per year (on average). Assuming Uber's price-to-sales (P/S) ratio remains constant, it will have to grow its revenue by 17.5% every year for the next decade to warrant a fivefold increase in its stock. Wall Street's forecast suggests Uber will generate $43.1 billion in revenue this year, which would represent a 23.9% boost from 2023. It also means the company will have grown its revenue at a compound annual rate of 24.9% over the last five years. In both cases, Uber is expanding comfortably above the threshold without any noteworthy contribution from self-driving vehicles yet. Simply put, a fivefold return over the next 10 years is well within the realm of possibility for Uber stock, and there could even be further upside to that outcome thanks to autonomous technologies. Should you invest $1,000 in Uber Technologies right now? Before you buy stock in Uber Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Uber Technologies wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $566,624!* Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of May 13, 2024 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Anthony Di Pizio has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Aptiv, Tesla, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 1 Extraordinary Stock That Could Turn $200,000 Into $1 Million by 2034 was originally published by The Motley Fool There are many positive things about Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) and its stock. It has a decently high dividend yield, it's one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, and it makes dozens and dozens of life-saving medications, with even more to come from its pipeline. It won't be going out of business anytime in the foreseeable future. But I wouldn't touch the stock with a 10-foot pole right now, even though I've recommended it for some investors in the past, and even though it could well be a decent pick in the future. Here's why. These will be some deep cuts The first reason why Bristol Myers Squibb stock is a no-go right now is that in its first-quarter earnings update, it had a nasty surprise for investors. Whereas in February it reported that its non-GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) for 2024 would be as high as $7.40, it revised that estimate dramatically downward to a ceiling of just $0.70. Furthermore, in the past, it claimed that it was anticipating its other income or expenses category to register a gain of $250 million. It now says it'll be losing $250 million instead -- a swing of $500 million. As if that weren't enough, its effective tax rate, penciled in at 17.5% for 2024, is now expected to be a whopping 69%. The culprit for all of these unfavorable changes is its recent acquisitions of Karuna Therapeutics and iRayzeBio, a pair of biotechs, which won't cause any similar problems in the future. It's unclear whether investors were warned forcefully enough about the possibility of these effects. But their attention is probably elsewhere, as Bristol Myers also announced a new strategic productivity initiative that management claims will save it $1.5 billion annually by the close of next year. The catch is that some of its pipeline programs will probably be getting the axe, along with many employees. The cost savings are set to be invested in new growth initiatives. It isn't too strange for a company to make major acquisitions and then shortly thereafter announce cost cuts. The idea will be to reduce redundancies relative to using the new assets. The trouble is, there isn't exactly too much for shareholders to look forward to these days. There's no compelling reason to buy it at the moment Looking at Bristol Myers' pipeline and its upcoming catalysts, its growth is probably not going to pick up speed very much. Management expects only a "low single-digit [percentage point] increase" in the top line this year. It's also planning to pay down around $10 billion of its debt over the next two years. Story continues Given that it currently holds more than $51 billion in long-term debt, paying back that sum will make a solid dent. But it won't be able to stop there, and with its earnings growth anemic, there won't be much in the way of excess capital to redirect to investors in the form of share buybacks and dividends. Expect more money funneled into deleveraging than growth, even with the cost cuts, and expect the deleveraging process to take as long as beyond the rest of the decade. With a setup like that, there simply isn't much reason to buy shares of this company today. With a payout ratio near 60%, it probably won't need to stop paying its shareholders, but as mentioned previously, there isn't going to be much room for them to get a raise. So unless you're deeply needing a stock that's heavily indebted and slow-growing, look elsewhere. Should you invest $1,000 in Bristol Myers Squibb right now? Before you buy stock in Bristol Myers Squibb, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Bristol Myers Squibb wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $566,624!* Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of May 13, 2024 Alex Carchidi has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bristol Myers Squibb. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 1 Stock I Wouldn't Touch With a 10-Foot Pole was originally published by The Motley Fool Image source: The Motley Fool/Unsplash Costco offers plenty of great deals, but you can still rack up a big credit card bill when you're shopping there. That's because there are so many great things to buy that it's easy to go overboard and fill your cart to the brim. Thankfully, you can take advantage of all that Costco has to offer while keeping more money in your bank account. Just follow these three super simple ways to spend less at the warehouse club. 1. Buy Kirkland brand products The simplest and best way to save money at Costco is to buy Kirkland brand products. The store's former CFO Richard Galanti said in a recent earnings call that the company's view is that Kirkland products have "to be at least as good, if not better, quality than the leading national brand and at least a 20% savings as compared to what we sell the national brand for. " Saving 20% is an unbeatable deal. And there are around 350 individual Kirkland brand products for sale on Costco store shelves. Many of them, ranging from olive oil to kitchen trash bags to maple syrup, have tons of devoted followers. If there's a Kirkland version of anything you are buying, you should absolutely try it instead of buying the brand name. Since Costco has a 100% satisfaction guarantee on most products, you really have nothing to lose -- and a lot of money to save -- by taking this shopping approach. 2. Take advantage of cash back Getting money back on your purchases is another great way to save at Costco. And there are a few ways you can do this. One option is to upgrade to Costco's Executive membership. This will cost you $120 instead of the $60 basic membership. But you get 2% back on all purchases in the form of an annual reward. You can earn a maximum of $1,000 cash back over the course of the year. If you spend at least $3,000 a year at Costco, you'll make your added membership fees back. And once you spend more, you'll make all your purchases 2% cheaper. Let's say you do most of your grocery shopping at Costco and you spend $500 a month there. With $6,000 in purchases, you'd be in line to get $120 cash back. That's an extra $60 in your pocket even after the extra membership fees are paid. You can also opt to sign up for a credit card that offers you cash back at Costco. Your card's cash back can stack with your Executive membership cash back so you'll end up getting a lot of extra money back if you use that card every time you shop. 3. Flip through the Costco coupon book Costco doesn't accept manufacturer coupons, but it does have its own coupon book. You should check it before you visit to find special discounts on website and warehouse buys. Story continues Often, you'll find great bargains on seasonal items. For example, from May 15, 2024 to June 9, 2024, you'll see bargains like an extra $100 off of SunVilla commercial sling wave chaise lounge chairs. But you can also find deals on everyday buys as well, like scoring $4 off a 38.5 ounce container of Pantene Shampoo or Conditioner. Checking for these bargains can help you reduce what you spend if you can stock up on items -- like shampoo -- while they're on sale. Each of these steps takes just a few seconds, but the payoff can be pretty big. Give these techniques a try at your next Costco visit to see just how much you can save. Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!) If youre shopping with a debit card, you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year. These versatile credit cards offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco, and are rated the best cards of 2024 by our experts because they offer hefty sign-up bonuses and outstanding cash rewards. Plus, youll save on credit card interest because all of these recommendations include a competitive 0% interest period. Click here to read our expert recommendations for free! We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Christy Bieber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale and Gala. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 Super Simple Ways to Spend Less Money at Costco was originally published by The Motley Fool Image source: Getty Images Unlike a regular supermarket or big-box store, there's a cost to walking into a Costco warehouse and doing your shopping there. The current cost is $60 a year for a basic (Gold Star) membership, or $120 a year for an Executive membership that rewards you with 2% cash back on your purchases. Now for many people, those fees are more than worth paying. But still, if you're going to pay for a Costco membership, it's important to make the most of it. And if these situations apply to you, it may be that you're letting your membership go to waste to some degree. 1. You're assuming it never pays to buy fresh food in bulk Buying fresh food in bulk can be risky. If you don't consume your haul before it goes bad, you're essentially throwing away money. But if you've never even considered buying perishable food at Costco in bulk, you may want to rethink that. There are certain so-called bulk items you'll find at Costco whose sizes aren't all that enormous. Milk, for example, is sold by the gallon, which is a common size. But you may find a gallon of milk is cheaper at Costco than at your local supermarket. And certain fruits and vegetables may come in quantities that your family can easily go through before risking spoilage. So don't write off the idea of buying fresh food in bulk entirely. 2. You're not gassing up your car when you do your shopping In many areas, the price you'll pay for Costco gas is considerably less than what you'll pay at other stations. So if you're not in the habit of filling up your car in conjunction with your Costco trips, you're missing out. In fact, one thing you may want to do is specifically time your Costco outings to when your tank is low. It may not make sense to drive all the way to Costco to fill up your tank only. But if you're already there, you might as well benefit. 3. You're not giving Costco Travel a chance If you're someone who's used to researching travel deals online and booking your own vacations, then you may not be so inclined to give Costco Travel a look. But that could be a huge mistake. Costco offers dozens of travel packages that could save you a lot of money. Plus, when you book through Costco, you get the support of a team of dedicated customer service representatives to help you navigate any snags you might hit. It's also worth noting that booking a cruise or resort stay through Costco could give you perks you won't otherwise be privy to, like credits for things like spa services. 4. You're not scooping up gift cards on the cheap Costco's selection of gift cards may be somewhat limited. But it pays to browse that section of the store or look online for the potential savings involved. Story continues When you buy gift cards through Costco, you're paying less than the face value of those cards. So right now, for example, Costco is offering $100 worth of IHOP gift cards for $79.99. If your family's tradition is to eat breakfast at IHOP every Saturday, picking up these gift cards is an easy call. The benefits you reap from a Costco membership may be more than worth the fee you're paying. But if any of these signs apply to you, it means you're potentially giving up a membership perk you should be taking advantage of. And in that case, you may want to change your approach to Costco shopping so you're able to enjoy your membership to the fullest and save as much money as possible in the process. Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!) If youre shopping with a debit card, you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year. These versatile credit cards offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco, and are rated the best cards of 2024 by our experts because they offer hefty sign-up bonuses and outstanding cash rewards. Plus, youll save on credit card interest because all of these recommendations include a competitive 0% interest period. Click here to read our expert recommendations for free! We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 4 Signs You're Letting Your Costco Membership Go to Waste was originally published by The Motley Fool The 13Fs are out: Institutional investment managers have filed their quarterly reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission that disclose first-quarter equity holdings. For the 10 spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds that began trading in January, its the first official look at who's added significant exposure to the original cryptocurrency. Some 944 firms at least $100 million in size reported buying into the ETFs, analysis of the filings by Bitwise shows. By comparison, thats 10 times the number investing in gold ETFs. The issuer attracting the most interest was BlackRocks IBIT, which added 414 institutional investors. Collectively, professional investors hold exposure to more than $10.7 billion. In total, the 10 funds had around $54 billion of assets under management as of May 20, according to CoinGlass data. There were more people than I expected, Eric Balchunas, a senior ETF analyst for Bloomberg, told Fortune. "It's absurd. It's crazy. A good first 13F season would maybe be 10. That's how hard it is. And so, to have 414 is just bonkers." Whos Buying Bitcoin ETFs (According to 13F Filings) Three takeaways from Bitwise CIO @Matt_Hougan's weekly memo to investors. Takeaway 1: Lots of Professional Firms Own Bitcoin ETFs 563 professional investment firms reported owning $3.5 billion worth of bitcoin ETFs as of pic.twitter.com/YCOKPpQqgE Bitwise (@BitwiseInvest) May 15, 2024 Hedge funds dominated the list. Of those, the largest to acquire equity was Millennium Management, a New-York based fund that's invested $2 billion in several of the ETFs, as of March 31. Boston-based hedge fund Bracebridge Capital is also among the funds, which owns $262 million of shares in the ARK 21Shares ETF, and $81 million in IBIT. Bracebridges clients include institutional investors such as the endowments of Yale University and Princeton University. I've been saying for a while that of the top 100 hedge funds in the world, we've seen about a third of them are active in the [Bitcoin ETF] space, but seeing is believing," Brett Tejpaul, head of institutional trading at Coinbase, said last week at Fortune's Future of Finance conference. "Being able to see those filings, and see super-recognizable names owning very material amounts of ETFs is an awesome moment. Its been quite a journey." Story continues According to 13F reporting, 937 professional firms were invested in U.S. spot ETFs as of March 31. In comparison, gold ETFs had 95 professional firms invested in their first quarter (Bitwise). Retail owns a majority of the float. Professional investors held exposure of $11.06bn pic.twitter.com/jYEQZkpDiT Vetle Lunde (@VetleLunde) May 16, 2024 The number of hedge funds with holdings also exceeded Balchunas expectations. He estimates some of the interest may reflect trading intentions that include arbitrage: "There's a lot of 'arb-ing' you can dobut thats a good thing, it helps everybody get a better deal." 'Surprised to see a pension already' A filing from the state of Wisconsin's investment board, which manages $156 billion in state pensions, disclosed purchases of IBIT worth more than $99 million and a further $63 million in Grayscale's Bitcoin Trust (GBTC). I was surprised to see a pension already," Balchunas said. "I didnt think we'd see pensions or endowments at least until the second quarter, or even for a year. They are the slowest-moving of all the institutions." Major banks also tipped their toes in the water. Several so called "Global Systemically Important Banks," or G-SIBs, disclosed investments in the products, including the Royal Bank of Canada, Wells Fargo, BNP Paribas, and UBS. This list also includes Morgan Stanley, which revealed a $269.9 million investment in GBTC, making it one of the largest holders in the fund, following a $1 billion investment from Susquehanna International Group, a quantitative trading firm, according to Fintel data. The overall group of investorspensions, hedge funds, and registered investment advisorswading into the space, said Nathan Geraci, president of The ETF Store, is highly notable given that these investors tend to move much more methodically when it comes to new products, due to highly rigorous due diligence processes." This story was originally featured on Fortune.com Alchemist Accelerator has a new pile of AI-forward companies demoing their wares today, if you care to watch, and the program itself is making some international moves into Tokyo and Doha. Read on for our picks of the batch. Chatting with Alchemist CEO and founder Ravi Belani ahead of demo day (today at 10:30 a.m. Pacific) about this cohort, it was clear that ambitions for AI startups have contracted, and that's not a bad thing. No early-stage startup today is at all likely to become the next OpenAI or Anthropic their lead is too huge right now in the domain of foundational large language models. "The cost of building a basic LLM is prohibitively high; you get into the hundreds of millions of dollars just to get it out. The question is, as a startup, how do you compete?" Belani said. "VCs don't want wrappers around LLMs. We're looking for companies where there's a vertical play, where they own the end user and there's a network effect and lock-in over time." That was also my read, as the companies selected for this group are all highly specific in their applications, using AI but solving for a specific problem in a specific domain. An example of this is healthcare, where AI models for assisting diagnosis, planning care and so on are increasingly but still cautiously being tested out. The specter of liability and bias hang heavy over this heavily regulated industry, but there are also lots of legacy processes that could be replaced with real, tangible benefit. Equality AI isn't trying to revolutionize cancer care or anything the goal is to ensure that the models being put to work don't fall afoul of important non-discrimination protections in AI regulation. This is a serious risk, because if your care or diagnosis model were found to exhibit bias against a protected class (for instance assigning a higher risk to a Muslim or a queer person), that could sink the product and open you up to lawsuits. Do you want to trust the model maker or vendor? Or do you want a disinterested (in its original sense, of having no conflicting interest) specialist who knows the ins and outs of the policies, and also how to evaluate a model properly? "We all deserve the right to trust that the AI behind the medical curtain is safe and effective," CEO and founder Maia Hightower told TechCrunch. "Healthcare leaders are struggling to keep up with the complex regulatory environment and rapidly changing AI technology. In the next couple of years, AI compliance and litigation risk will continue to grow, driving the widespread adoption of responsible AI practices in healthcare. The risk of non-compliance and penalties as stiff as loss of certification makes our solution very timely." Story continues It's a similar story for Cerevox, which is working on eliminating hallucinations and other errors from today's LLMs. But not just in a general sense: They work with companies to structure their data pipelines and structures so that these bad habits of AI models can be minimized and observed. It's not about keeping ChatGPT from making up a physicist when you ask it about a non-existent discovery in the 1800s, it's about preventing a risk evaluation engine from extrapolating from data in a column that should exist but doesn't. They're working with fintech and insuretech companies first, which Belani acknowledged is "an unsexy use case, but it's a path to build out a product." A path with paying customers, which is, you know, how you start a business. Quickr Bio is building on top of the new world of biotech being built on the back of Crispr-Cas9 gene editing, which brings with it new risks as well as new opportunities. How do you verify that the edits you're making are the right ones? Being 99% sure isn't enough (again, regulations and liability), but testing to raise your confidence can be time-consuming and expensive. Quickr claims its method of quantifying and understanding the actual modifications made (as opposed to theoretical ideally these are identical) is up to 100 times faster than existing methods. In other words, they're not creating a new paradigm, just aiming to be the best solution for empowering the existing one. If they can show even a significant percentage of their claimed efficacy they could be a must-have in many labs. You can check out the rest of the cohort here you'll see the above-mentioned are representative of the vibe. Demos commence at 10:30 a.m. Pacific. As for the program itself, it's getting some serious buy-in for programs in Tokyo and Doha. "We think it's an inflection point in Japan, it's going to be an exciting place to source stories from and for companies to come to," Belani said. A recent change to tax policy should free up early-stage capital at startups, and investment slipping out of China is landing in Japan, particularly Tokyo, where he expects a new (or rather refurbished) tech center to emerge. The fact that OpenAI is building out a satellite there is actually, he suggested, all you need to know. Mitsubishi is investing through some arm or another, and the Japan External Trade Organization is involved as well. I'll certainly be interested to see what the awakened Japanese startup economy produces. Alchemist Doha is getting a $13 million commitment from the government, with an interesting twist. "The mandate there is focusing on emerging market founders, the 90% of the world orphaned by where a lot of tech innovation is occurring," Belani said. "We have found that some of the best companies in the U.S. are not from the U.S. There's something about having an outside perspective that creates amazing companies. There's also a lot of instability out there and this talent needs a home." He noted that they'll be making bigger investments, from $200,000 to $1 million, out of this program, which may change the type of companies that take part. CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) After nearly three years, a new Amazon facility is set to begin operations in Montgomery County on Wednesday. The new 1.1-million-square-foot building is home to what Amazon calls an Inbound Cross Dock (IXD). There, employees will take in products from vendors, consolidate and organize them to send off to another Amazon site for the next steps. When its fully operational, over 2 million items will go through the warehouse each day. Initially, the plan was to hire 500 people to work there, but it turns out, that was just the minimum. Amazon officials confirmed theyre now aiming to employ over a thousand. Have breaking come to you: Subscribe to News 2 email alerts Their goal is to hire about half of the workforce over the next couple of months, and they want to be fully ramped up by the end of the year, said Josh Ward, Vice President of Industrial Development for the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council. These jobs are at or above the county average. Ward told News 2 that Amazon is set to become the citys third largest employer in the Industrial Park behind Hankook Tire at 2,200 hires once built out and Trane Technologies which has a team of around 2,000. We look forward to a long-term relationship with the company and to all the growth thats ahead, Ward said. With Clarksville being near Fort Campbell, Amazon leadership said theyre ready to welcome service members with open arms. Just a few weeks ago, the company announced it exceeded its goal of hiring 100,000 veterans and military spouses worldwide. Susan Jennings, a site leader and operations manager for the new facility, shared that currently, 50% of the Clarksville Amazon leadership team and support staff are veterans. We want to make sure that our veterans know that we support them and that were going to help them in every area, Jennings said. Whether its fresh off of retiring, or a deployment coming in to us, we have such great resources for them. Were really excited to be able to offer everything that weve got from benefits to transitioning from the military into the regular civilian world and what that will look like, and well be able to do that here at the site as well. | READ MORE | Latest headlines from Clarksville and Montgomery County Sam Stephenson is a former Marine who now works with Amazon as a public relations manager in Clarksville. He described the collaboration between Amazon and active duty transitioning service members as a win-win situation. I really want the local community to understand that Amazon really approaches our commitment to veterans holistically, Stephenson said. We care about the active duty transitioning service members and the incredible skills they bring to the table but we recognize also what the military spouses bring. There are a lot of sacrifices to being a military family, especially serving right now in the United States. We recognize the skills that those families bring, and we want those individuals on our team here at Amazon. Story continues According to Amazon, jobs for front-line employees in customer fulfillment and transportation come with an average hourly pay of more than $20.50, with employees earning between $17 and $28 per hour depending on the position and location. All regular full-time employees enjoy healthcare from their first day on the job, a 401(k) plan with company match, up to 20 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents, access to free upskilling opportunities and more. There are currently over 24,000 full and part-time employees in Tennessee who work for the 12 fulfillment and sortation centers and eight delivery station operations across the state. The company said more than 6,000 Tennessee-based small and medium-sized businesses sell on Amazon. Read todays top stories on wkrn.com Amazon said it hires on a rolling basis. The company explained that it posts 150 200 jobs each week, and continues that process until the facility is fully staffed. Candidates can text JOBEVENT to 31432 to receive job alerts. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2. Turkiye will observe a day of national mourning over the death of Iran's Ebrahim Raisi, the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after his late counterpart lost his life in a helicopter crash, Anadolu Agency reports. "We have decided to declare one day of national mourning over President Raisi's passing," Erdogan said after a Cabinet meeting at the presidential complex in the capital Ankara. Noting Turkiye's role in search and rescue efforts for Raisi after news emerged that a helicopter he was on crashed in northwestern Iran, Erdogan said: "A Bayraktar Akinci UAV conducted 7.5 hours of search and scanning activities in the region despite the difficult weather conditions and flew a total of 2,100 kilometers (1,305 miles)," he added, referring to Turkiye's domestically manufactured unmanned aerial vehicle. After Raisi's helicopter crashed, Turkiye's National Defense Ministry assigned the Akinci UAV and a Cougar-type helicopter with night vision capabilities to help in search activities. Raisi was returning from the inauguration ceremony of a dam on the Iran-Azerbaijan border on Sunday when the crash took place, according to Iranian state broadcasters. The crash also resulted in the deaths of Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, as well as that of Malik Rahmeti, the governor of East Azerbaijan province, and Imam Ayatollah Ali Hashim of Tabriz province. Red Cross volunteers and staff make a difference in the lives of military members and their families during Military Appreciation Month and beyond WASHINGTON, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross provides comfort and care to members of the U.S. military community through every phase of duty, from when they first enlist to life after service. Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces teams are there, 24 hours a day, for those who serve and their loved ones. American Red Cross. (PRNewsfoto/American Red Cross) Guided by a Congressional Charter, the Red Cross provides communication between service members and their families during times of emergency. For nearly 140 years, Red Crossers have supported every major forward deployment and mobilization of the U.S. military by relaying urgent messages relating to the health and wellness of family members and extended families, and through morale and welfare activities. This support is provided by a global network of Red Cross staff and volunteers, ranging from deployment zones to military hospitals. This Military Appreciation Month, the Red Cross is inviting people to turn 'Thank you for your service' into action. For those with a military background or just a heart for military and veteran communities, Service to the Armed Forces employment and volunteer opportunities are available. "Serving those who serve our country is an incredibly rewarding experience," said Anthony Trimarco, Senior Director for Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Deployment Readiness. "Red Crossers have the opportunity to help service members communicate with their loved ones in times of crisis and implement programing that boosts morale and helps service members, veterans and their families cope with the unique challenges of military life." A GLOBAL PRESENCE. Trained volunteers and staff facilitate communication in times of emergency and provide free, confidential assistance to service members and their families when and where they need it. The Red Cross has a presence on all military installations in the U.S. and at more than 35 overseas offices, including England, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan, South Korea, Djibouti, Iraq, Kuwait, Poland and Romania. The Red Cross also operates at 140 military medical facilities and 170 veterans care facilities worldwide. Requests for emergency assistance can be initiated and tracked from anywhere in the world, online, by phone and through our Hero Care mobile app and in-person. Visit redcross.org/saf to learn more about volunteer and employment opportunities, or click here to hear from SAF Mobile Staff Members located around the globe. Story continues NATIONAL DONORS JOIN LONG LEGACY OF RED CROSS MILITARY SUPPORT Generous donations from Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Giving Program members enable the Red Cross to maintain a global network of thousands of volunteers and employees to support the military 365 days a year through emergency communications, training, community resources and support to ill and injured service members and veterans. Contributions from partners like Bank of America, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Reliance, Inc., USAA and Wilf Family Foundations ensure the Red Cross is there 24/7 to provide comfort and care to members of the military, veterans and their families as they prepare for, cope with and respond to the challenges of military service. About the American Red Cross: The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media. Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/american-red-cross-supports-military-community-around-the-world-302149273.html SOURCE American Red Cross Apple has formally challenged a 1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) antitrust fine issued by the European Union, according to a report. The bloc handed down the penalty in March after determining that Apple had constrained competing music streaming services on the App Store following a 2019 complaint from Spotify . At the time, Apple pledged to appeal the decision, arguing that the EU failed to "uncover any credible evidence of consumer harm." Bloomberg reports that Apple has now filed a suit in an attempt to overturn the ruling. Along with the fine, the EU instructed Apple to stop blocking rival music-streaming platforms from telling users that they could sign up for their services at a lower cost away from the App Store. Spotify claimed it had to increase subscription prices to cover costs related to how Apple runs the App Store. That's despite Spotify not making it possible to upgrade to Premium directly through its iOS app doing so would mean having to fork over a commission to Apple. For its part, Apple maintains that Spotify doesn't pay it anything, even though the latter taps into its APIs, beta testing tools and more. Spotify's complaint predated the Digital Markets Act coming into force. That law stops defined gatekeepers including Apple and Play Store operator Google banning developers from telling users about cheaper ways to pay for their products outside of their app marketplaces. The EU is currently investigating both companies over their compliance with that aspect of the law. This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. plans to ask a court to throw out the Justice Departments antitrust case against the iPhone maker, making a long-shot bid to ward off what promises to be a lengthly legal battle. Most Read from Bloomberg Lawyers representing the company sent a letter to the judge overseeing the case in New Jersey outlining the arguments it will include when it files a formal motion to dismiss the lawsuit next month. The company said in the letter that the governments complaint doesnt allege anticompetitive conduct, substantial anticompetitive effects or monopoly power in a relevant market. This court should reject the invitation to forge a new theory of antitrust liability that no court has recognized, that would harm innovation, and that would only deprive consumers of the key competitive features that make iPhone distinctive, Apple wrote in its filing. The US government is due to respond to Apples letter by May 30, while the courts ruling on the formal motion to dismiss is due either later in 2024 or early next year. If the case ultimately goes to trial, proceedings likely wouldnt occur for at least a few years. Read More: Justice Department Risks Picking the Wrong Fight With Apple Motions to dismiss are commonly filed in antitrust cases, though rarely granted in government lawsuits. Alphabet Inc.s Google filed one in the Justice Department case concerning its advertising technology business, but failed to get the case tossed out. By contrast, Meta Platforms Inc. successfully persuaded a federal judge to dismiss a Federal Trade Commission complaint by arguing that the agency didnt provide enough evidence that the company had a monopoly in social networking. The FTC subsequently filed an amended complaint that the judge allowed to move forward. The Justice Department sued Apple in March, accusing the company of violating antitrust laws by blocking rivals and app developers from accessing key hardware and software features. The complaint marked the conclusion of a half-decade probe into Apple and followed moves by other regions, including the European Union, to rein in Apples power. The lawsuit alleges that Apple has used its control over app distribution to thwart innovation and make it harder for consumers to switch phones. The company has refused to support cross-platform messaging apps, limited third-party digital wallets and non-Apple smartwatches, and blocked mobile cloud streaming services. Story continues This case is about freeing smartphone markets from Apples anticompetitive and exclusionary conduct and restoring competition to lower smartphone prices for consumers, reducing fees for developers, and preserving innovation for the future, according to the suit, which seeks changes to Apples practices. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) ASML Holding NV and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. have ways to disable the worlds most sophisticated chipmaking machines in the event that China invades Taiwan, according to people familiar with the matter. Most Read from Bloomberg Officials from the US government have privately expressed concerns to both their Dutch and Taiwanese counterparts about what happens if Chinese aggression escalates into an attack on the island responsible for producing the vast majority of the worlds advanced semiconductors, two of the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ASML reassured officials about its ability to remotely disable the machines when the Dutch government met with the company on the threat, two others said. The Netherlands has run simulations on a possible invasion in order to better assess the risks, they added. Spokespeople for ASML, TSMC and the Dutch trade ministry declined to comment. Spokespeople for the White House National Security Council, US Department of Defense and US Department of Commerce didnt respond to emailed requests for comment. The remote shut-off applies to Netherlands-based ASMLs line of extreme ultraviolet machines, known within the industry as EUVs, for which TSMC is its single biggest client. EUVs harness high-frequency light waves to print the smallest microchip transistors in existence creating chips that have artificial-intelligence uses as well as more sensitive military applications. An ASML "High NA EUV" lithography system at an Intel facility in Hillsboro, Oregon on April 19, 2024. (Intel Corporation/Handout via REUTERS) (via REUTERS / Reuters) About the size of a city bus, an EUV requires regular servicing and updates. As part of that, the company can remotely force a shut-off which would act as a kill switch, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Veldhoven-based company is the worlds only manufacturer of these machines, which sell for more than 200 million ($217 million) apiece. ASMLs technology has long been subject to government interventions aimed at preventing it from falling into the wrong hands. The Netherlands prohibits the company from selling EUV machines to China, for instance, because of US fears they could lend its rival an edge in the global chip war. It was at the behest of the US that the Dutch began this year to halt exports of ASMLs next-most sophisticated chipmaking machines. Even before that ban took effect, US officials had asked ASML to cancel some previously scheduled shipments to Chinese customers, Bloomberg News reported. Story continues The company expects as much as 15% of this years sales to China will be affected by the latest export-control measures. Evidence suggests the restrictions may have come too late to stem Chinese advances. Huawei Technologies Co. last year produced a smartphone to rival Apple Inc.s iPhone using chips made with older ASML printers in combination with tools from two US suppliers, Bloomberg News reported in October after conducting a break-down of the phone. Beijing has made technological self-sufficiency a national priority and Huaweis efforts to advance domestic chip design and manufacture have received government backing. China has long claimed that the island of Taiwan is its territory, with President Xi Jinping both advocating for unification and refusing to rule out a military intervention. The superpower has been building its military and nuclear arsenal on a scale not seen since World War II and a top US admiral testified in March that its readying to be able to invade Taiwan by 2027. The US Congress last month approved $8 billion in aid to enhance the islands defenses. The Biden administration is also looking to boost semiconductor production on American soil, promising $39 billion in grants to chipmakers to hedge against any future supply-chain disruption. The stakes are high, with around 90% of the worlds most advanced chips made in Taiwan. On May 20, Taiwan inaugurated Lai Ching-te as president in the global chip hub, putting in power a man Beijing has branded an instigator of war. The EUV machine has helped turn ASML into Europes most valuable tech stock with a market capitalization topping $370 billion more than double that of its client Intel Corp. ASML has shipped more than 200 of these machines to clients outside China since they were first developed in 2016, with TSMC snatching up more of them than any other chipmaker. EUVs require such frequent upkeep that without ASMLs spare parts they quickly stop working, the people said. On-site maintenance of the EUVs poses a challenge because theyre housed in clean rooms that require engineers to wear special suits to avoid contamination. ASML offers certain customers joint service contracts where they do some of the routine maintenance themselves, allowing clients like TSMC to access their own machines system. ASML says it cant access its customers proprietary data. TSMC Chairman Mark Liu hinted in a September interview with CNN that any invader of Taiwan would find his companys chipmaking machines out of order. Nobody can control TSMC by force, Liu said. If there is a military invasion you will render TSMC factory non-operable. With assistance from Justin Sink, Mackenzie Hawkins, Nick Wadhams and Debby Wu. Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek 2024 Bloomberg L.P. By Himanshi Akhand and Adwitiya Srivastava (Reuters) -Telstra will be slashing over a tenth of its workforce by 2024 end and stopping its traditional annual inflation-linked price adjustments for mobile plans, the Australian telecom firm said on Tuesday as it grapples with stiff competition. The country's largest telecommunications firm will be slashing up to 2,800 jobs from its enterprise workforce, as it moves to streamline operations and cut costs as part of a review of its network applications and services business. Telstra had more than 31,000 employees as of August 2023 according to its annual report. The company said it expected to record one-off restructuring costs of A$200 million ($133.36 million) to A$250 million in fiscal 2024 and 2025. The firm is also updating customer terms for its postpaid mobile plans to get rid of the inflation-linked annual price review. "We will not be making a CPI-linked annual price change to postpaid mobile prices in July 2024," CEO Vicki Brady said. "This is occurring within a dynamic environment, with an evolving competitive landscape, rapid advances in technology, changing customer needs, and the ongoing inflationary pressures facing all businesses." "The removal of CPI-linked price increases in mobile is a surprise to us," Jarden analysts said, adding that the move might be incrementally negative for mobile industry returns in the short term. A starting point to remove 2,800 roles as part of an ongoing review is "clearly significant", they noted. Telstra also stated that by taking these steps, it hopes to reduce its costs for T25 - an operating strategy that the company adopted in 2021 - by A$350 million by the end of fiscal 2025. The firm reiterated its earnings forecast for 2024 and said it expected underlying earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization for 2025 between A$8.4 billion and $8.7 billion. ($1 = 1.4997 Australian dollars) (Reporting by Himanshi Akhand in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber, Sherry Jacob-Phillips and Rashmi Aich) Exploring the Sustainability and Growth of Autoliv Inc's Dividends Autoliv Inc (NYSE:ALV) has recently announced a dividend of $0.68 per share, scheduled for payment on June 12, 2024, with the ex-dividend date set for May 22, 2024. As investors eagerly anticipate this upcoming payment, it's essential to delve into the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. This analysis, using data from GuruFocus, will provide insights into Autoliv Inc's dividend performance and evaluate its sustainability. What Does Autoliv Inc Do? Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Signs with ALV. High Yield Dividend Stocks in Gurus' Portfolio This Powerful Chart Made Peter Lynch 29% A Year For 13 Years How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock? Autoliv Inc is a leading global provider of passive safety components and systems for the automotive industry. Their product range includes seat belts, frontal airbags, side-impact airbags, airbag inflators, and steering wheels. Among its largest customers in 2023 were the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, Stellantis, and Volkswagen, contributing 10%, 10%, and 9% to its revenue, respectively. Geographically, the Americas represented the largest market, accounting for 34% of 2023 revenue, followed by Europe at 27%, China at 20%, and the rest of the world at 19%. Autoliv Inc's Dividend Analysis A Glimpse at Autoliv Inc's Dividend History Since 1997, Autoliv Inc has consistently paid dividends, with distributions occurring on a quarterly basis. Tracking the historical trends in dividends per share provides a clear view of the company's commitment to returning value to its shareholders. Autoliv Inc's Dividend Analysis Breaking Down Autoliv Inc's Dividend Yield and Growth Currently, Autoliv Inc boasts a trailing dividend yield of 2.14% and a forward dividend yield of 2.17%, indicating an expected increase in dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, the annual dividend growth rate was an impressive 62.50%. However, this growth rate moderated to 4.70% annually over the past five years and showed a slight decline of 0.80% per year over the past decade. The 5-year yield on cost for Autoliv Inc stock is approximately 2.69% as of today. Autoliv Inc's Dividend Analysis The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability The dividend payout ratio, which currently stands at 0.30, is crucial for assessing dividend sustainability. This ratio indicates that Autoliv Inc retains a substantial portion of its earnings, which supports future growth and financial flexibility. The company's profitability rank is 7 out of 10, reflecting robust earnings potential relative to its peers. Consistent positive net income over the past decade further underscores its strong profitability profile. Story continues Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook Autoliv Inc's growth rank of 7 suggests a promising growth trajectory compared to its competitors. The company's revenue per share and 3-year revenue growth rate of approximately 13.00% annually outperform about 58.72% of global competitors. Additionally, its 3-year EPS growth rate of approximately 37.50% annually outperforms about 71.46% of global competitors. Moreover, the 5-year EBITDA growth rate of 1.70% also indicates competitive performance. Conclusion: Assessing Dividend Stability and Growth Prospects Autoliv Inc's consistent dividend payments, backed by a solid payout ratio and robust profitability, suggest a reliable income stream for investors. The company's ability to grow revenue and earnings at competitive rates further supports the sustainability of its dividends. Investors seeking to identify high-dividend yielding stocks may find Autoliv Inc an attractive option, especially considering its performance and growth metrics. For more detailed analysis and stock screening, GuruFocus Premium users can utilize the High Dividend Yield Screener. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. PaulMichaelHughes / Getty Images/iStockphoto With summer around the corner, travelers are preparing trips both domestic and abroad. As you get ready to launch into vacations, scammers prepare to find ever more creative ways to bilk you out of your hard-earned money. Be Aware: Dave Ramsey: 7 Vacation Splurges That are a Waste of Money For You: How To Get $340 Per Year in Cash Back on Gas and Other Things You Already Buy To help you hold onto your vacation cash, and have the best time when traveling, experts explain scams to look out for when purchasing airline tickets, booking lodging or any other expenditure related to travel. Be Wary of Whats Too Good To Be True Scams most often present themselves through an email or a phone call, social media posts or messages, according to Darius Kingsley, managing director and head of consumer banking practices at Chase Bank. Fraudsters will often try to capture unwitting consumers information via too-good-to-be-true travel offers and deals, he said. Thus, if something looks or sounds suspicious, or too good to be true, take a moment to reflect and consider its legitimacy. Trust your instincts. Rather than engaging with an unexpected and seemingly shy email, call or social media message, cut o possible scammers right away by hitting delete, not opening links, hanging up or simply ignoring them, he said. If youre still curious about the validity of an offer, look up the sources website or phone number and review the information directly. Remain vigilant of unsolicited offers or opportunities, he urged. Read Next: 9 American Travel Brands To Stay Away From Book Through Trusted Sites For an extra layer of protection, consumers should consider booking their travel through trusted sites, like airlines, hotels and even their bank, Kingsley said. For example, Chase customers can book travel and take advantage of rewards online and within the mobile app, he said. Double Check Lodging One of the more upsetting travel scams is travelers getting scammed out of their vacation rentals, Kingsley said. Theres nothing like an exhausting day of travel only to find you have nowhere to stay and are out a bunch of cash. In some cases, fraudsters are posing as rental hosts and taking a booking for a property that doesnt exist. In other cases, scammers have tried to force consumers to cancel bookings and lose their money, Kingsley explained. He added that its important to take extra caution when booking rental homes for your trip, and know how to identify a scam. Scammers try to mimic or impersonate popular travel websites by recreating familiar branding, logos or company verbiage. When booking a rental home for a vacation, always pay through the services official website. Keep all your communication with the host contained within the booking site or app, so you have a full record, and the booking company can help if needed. Always book with a credit card in case a dispute arises. Story continues Do Scam Checks Kingsley urged that travelers do scam checks by looking up unfamiliar retail, travel and services sites online by searching for their names along with terms like scam, complaints or reviews. Other people whove been taken by them will often post complaints and bad reviews. Dont Use Public Wi-Fi Another way to keep your vacation money safe is to avoid making transactions over public Wi-Fi to keep your personal information secure, said Jeremy Albelda, a travel writer with TheWorldorBust.com. Public Wi-Fi is often unsecured, meaning its easier for hackers to steal your personal info, including passwords, and spy on you through it. If youre ever in doubt, consult official tourism websites or use a trusted travel agent to make your arrangements, Albelda said. Check Credentials To protect your vacation budget, you should always book through reputable agencies with verified credentials, according to Ricky Gomulka, founder and managing partner at JetLevel. Check for Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation and memberships in professional organizations like the NBAA or IS-BAO. Be wary of deals that seem too good to be true, and never wire money or use unsecured payment methods. Research reviews and confirm reservations directly with service providers. Lastly, use credit cards for added fraud protection. Purchase Whole Trip Insurance Travelers looking to protect their trip investments should purchase whole-trip travel insurance rather than medical only or luggage only to make sure their trip protection can cover their flights, hotels, prepaid activities, health emergencies and more, according to Lauren Gumport, vice president of communications and brand at Faye Travel Insurance. Also, more modern travel insurance providers that launched following the COVID-19 [pandemic] provide 24/7 assistance, not just for emergencies. They provide concierge services, as well, including where to dine, what the best tours are to take and even where the nearest pharmacies are, she explained. Insurance May Not Cover Scams Even with trip insurance, however, Gumport warned that most travel insurance policies typically dont cover scams, such as fake rental properties, meaning your travel insurance policy can cover you when it comes to trip cancellations, trip delays, missed flight connections and medical emergencies, but if you get scammed, sadly, you may end up eating that cost. Keep that in mind when booking accommodation, and make sure the place you want to book has dozens of reviews before paying. That said, it also depends on the platform you used to reserve your stay, she explained. I once arrived to the Airbnb I booked, and the host never showed. Airbnb asked me to wait an hour to see if he responded, and once he didnt, they reimbursed my booking and covered 150% of two nights in a hotel nearby on the remote Greek island I was staying on. Avoid Overcharges Getting overcharged for a taxi is one of the most popular travel scams out there and can lead to travelers paying twice as much as usual, or even more, for the same ride, according to Mercedes Zach, travel expert at ASAPTickets, part of Trevolution Group. That is especially common around airports and hotels with large tourist crowds. To avoid that, make sure that you confirm the price for your distance with the taxi driver beforehand and ask them to put the meter on. If the driver refuses to do that, just leave and look for another car, Zach urged. When in doubt, ask your hotel staff to call a cab for you, or better yet, use a trusted taxi app such as Uber, Lyft or Bolt that will tell you the exact price and take the money off your credit card without having to deal with the driver directly, she said. Also, always make sure to only ride in authorized cabs. Dont Accept Free Gifts Another popular travel scam, which is especially common in Europe, is giving away free bracelets, Zach shared. A friendly vendor approaches travelers for a chat and then places a bracelet around their wrist just to ask for money or a donation right after that. If you refuse to pay, they will start making a scene so that you get embarrassed and give them the money after all. Her main piece of advice is to avoid accepting anything for free at all. If anyone puts something on you, simply take it off, give it back to them and just quickly walk away. The same goes for an injured person or a child asking for money. In most cases, they do it for the local gangs, who collect the funds right after you leave. If you want to help a local, offer to buy them food instead, or donate money to a charity instead of giving it to fake beggars. Dont Get Wrong Change Giving you the wrong change is another travel scam to be wary of, Zach said. That can happen in many countries where the local bills look similar. Sellers will try to give you less money, hoping that you wont notice. To avoid that, always pay attention to the color and amount of each bill that you are given, count the total of your change or use your credit card instead whenever possible. Dont Accept Local Exchange Also, in busy cities where there are a lot of currency exchange points near popular tourist attractions, locals might come up to you and offer to change some money for a great rate and no commission, Zach said. Dont fall for this scam, as usually some of the notes in the stack end up being fake. Therefore, its always best to only go to reputable currency exchange shops instead. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Avoiding Travel Scams: How To Protect Your Vacation Budget Santander UK boss Mike Regnier only spends two days a week working in the bank's main offices in Milton Keynes and London - House of Commons/UK Parliament A bank boss who earns 3.3m a year has admitted he only took the job on condition that he was allowed to work from home. Mike Regnier, the chief executive of Britains fifth-largest lender Santander UK, said he was convinced to accept the role after the bank allowed him to work out of the office most of the time. The 52-year-old spends up to two days a week working in the banks main offices in Milton Keynes and London, and the rest of the week from his home in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, or travelling the country. Mr Regnier was lured into joining Santander in April 2022 from his position as chief executive of the Yorkshire Building Society, which is headquartered in the region. Prior to joining the bank, he had lived for the past two decades in Yorkshire, where his family is based. I dont think its absolutely vital that people spend all five days a week in the office as they did pre-Covid, he told The Guardian. And, actually, had it not been for Covid, I wouldnt have accepted this job, because I wouldnt have wanted to be away from home five days a week in London. That wouldnt have been good for the family or for me. Like many bank bosses, Mr Regnier also spends a large proportion of time travelling to branches and other satellite offices around the country. Santander UK, owned by Spanish parent Banco Santander, has 19,000 staff, most of whom are only expected to be in the office two days per week. The comments put Mr Regnier at odds with many other business leaders who have criticised working from home. Disneys Bob Iger demanded staff return to the office four days a week earlier this year, saying nothing can replace staff being physically together. David Solomon, the Goldman Sachs chief executive, said working from home was an aberration that was bad for collaboration and innovation. Spain has a more flexible approach to working from home, with many large banks still maintaining teleworking even after the end of the pandemic. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. By Huw Jones LONDON (Reuters) -There is little evidence that big fee hikes imposed by U.S. duo Visa and Mastercard on retailers have led to a major improvement in service, Britain's Payment Systems Regulator said on Tuesday, flagging concerns competition was not working. Visa and Mastercard have long dominated the market for payment cards, spurring UK lawmakers to call for closer scrutiny from the PSR, given that consumers end up paying the fees through higher prices for products and services bought. Attempts in Europe to create home-grown rivals have floundered as banks balk at the investment cost. A report commissioned by Britain's government last year said the UK needs a "digital alternative" to the two U.S. payment processing networks. "The PSR found that over the past five years, and after taking account of volume changes, Mastercard and Visa have increased their scheme and processing fees by more than 30% in real terms. There is little evidence that the quality of service has improved at the same rate," the PSR said in a statement detailing its provisional findings. Cards are the most popular form of payment in Britain, with 27.1 billion transactions in 2022 worth 954 billion pounds. The PSR's 158-page interim report estimates that the fee increases have added more than 250 million pounds ($317.78 million) annually to costs for UK businesses. UK businesses have little choice but to pay these increased costs as Mastercard and Visa cards account for 95% of transactions using UK-issued cards, the PSR said. "There is currently no effective competition preventing the two biggest schemes raising prices," the PSR said. 'HIGH LEVELS OF SECURITY' Visa said its fees reflect the "immense value that we provide to financial institutions, merchants and consumers including extremely high levels of security, near-perfect operational resilience". Mastercard said in a statement it disagreed with the PSR's findings. "The payments industry has never been more competitive, which is reflected in the wide choice of payment options available to British consumers and businesses," it said. The PSR said it has proposed "remedies" for public consultation that include improved transparency for users, and obligations on Mastercard and Visa to explain, consult on or document the reasons for price changes. It also proposed greater reporting of financial information to the PSR on an ongoing basis to improve scrutiny of Mastercard and Visa's UK operations. The public consultation is open until July 30, and a final report on card schemes and processing fees is due in the final quarter of the year. Story continues "If the final report upholds the provisional finding that the market is not working well, the PSR will consult on the implementation of any remedies," the watchdog said. ($1 = 0.7867 pounds) (Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Sinead Cruise and Bernadette Baum) By Alimat Aliyeva The situation in the Taiwan Strait is complicated and serious because of the local administration of the island in the person of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which promotes the ideas of Taiwan independence. This was stated by Chen Binhua, the official representative of the Office of Taiwan Affairs at the State Council of the People's Republic of China, commenting on the inauguration of the head of the administration of Lai Qingde Island, Azernews reports. "The current situation in the Taiwan Strait is complex and serious," he said. "The main reason for this is that the DPP stubbornly adheres to a divisive position [focused] on Taiwan's independence and refuses to recognize the 1992 consensus embodying the principle of one China," Chen Binhua said. The will of the Chinese authorities to resolve the Taiwan issue and complete national reunification is as firm as a rock, the official representative of the office said. "Our will to resolve the Taiwan issue and complete national reunification is rock solid, our ability to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity is unshakeable, and our actions against Taiwan independence and foreign interference are resolute," Chen Binhua said. Cathie Wood is famous for her singular investing style. Favoring high growth and disruptors, she often appears to be throwing caution to the wind and willing to tread where other Wall Street titans may fear to go. However outre Woods strategy might seem to some, theres one risk shes not willing to take. Addressing the recent comeback of meme stocks, the Ark Invest CEO recently issued a warning to investors keen to get in on the action, sensibly warning that it will end badly for many piling into speculative names such as GameStop and AMC. Buyer beware, there were a lot of people in the first meme stock craze who got hurt badly, Wood commented. That said, its not as if Wood has suddenly turned to value investing for inspiration. Still following her playbook of exposure to innovators, weve decided to get the lowdown on two of the less lauded names that make up part of her Ark Invest portfolio. Here it appears that the Street is in sync with the Wood view; according to the TipRanks database, both these stocks are rated as Strong Buys by the analyst consensus. Lets see why. Prime Medicine (PRME) The first Wood-backed stock well look at fits Woods innovation-focused investing style perfectly. Prime Medicine is a biotech company operating at the forefront of gene editing. Founded in 2019, the companys innovative approach centers on its Prime Editing platform, a breakthrough technology that allows for precise and flexible editing of the human genome. Unlike traditional CRISPR methods, which typically create double-strand breaks in DNA, Prime Editing uses a more refined method involving a search-and-replace technique to make specific alterations. This method significantly reduces the risk of unintended mutations, enhancing the safety and effectiveness of genetic therapies. Prime Medicines tech holds promise for treating a wide array of genetic disorders, potentially providing cures for conditions that currently have limited or no treatment options. The companys development efforts span key strategic areas, including hematology, liver, eye, neuromuscular, and lung, although most of the pipeline is still in the pre-clinical stage. One drug, however, is now advancing to the clinic. In April, the FDA gave the go-ahead for the companys IND (investigational new drug) application for PM359, its Prime Editor indicated to treat chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). This is the first-ever Prime Editor product candidate to get this far and Prime plans on initiating a Phase 1/2 trial of the drug with an initial data readout from the study slated for 2025. Story continues Meanwhile, Wood significantly bolstered Ark Invests stake in PRME during Q1, acquiring 2.85 million shares. The firms total holdings now stand at nearly 5.99 million shares, currently worth $45.13 million. That will probably be considered a good move by Chardan analyst Geulah Livshits, who also likes the look of whats on offer here. The platform nature of its tech means the company should be able to move more quickly for subsequent programs using the same manufacturing and delivery tech, explained the 5-star analyst. Additionally, the current regulatory environment is highly supportive of transformative therapies for rare diseases, with FDA officials repeatedly indicating a desire to accelerate the development of such therapies including via greater engagement, use of surrogate endpoints and flexible trial designs. We believe this these factors can enable Prime to achieve sustained growth by advancing programs across and beyond its current pipeline. With Prime on track to initiate IND-enabling activities for 1+ programs in its in vivo liver franchise and to nominate a DC in for RHO adRP in 2024, we believe the company is positioned for value inflection as it transitions from developing a collection of (interesting) science projects to advancing a product pipeline, Livshits went on to say. Bottom-line, Livshits rates PRME shares a Buy, while her $17 price target suggests the stock has room for outsized growth of 140% over the coming year. (To watch Livshits track record, click here) Livshits bullish take on PRME is no anomaly. All the 9 other recent analyst reviews are positive, naturally making the consensus view here a Strong Buy. With an average target of $15.33, investors could potentially see returns of ~104% within the next year. (See PRME stock forecast) AbSci (ABSI) Well stay in the biotech space for Woods next pick. AbSci is a company that makes use of the current markets hottest trend it utilizes generative AI for drug development. Describing itself as an AI drug creation company, AbScis platform can produce high-affinity antibodies targeting specific epitopes entirely through computer simulations. Reflecting their motto, the data to train, the AI to create, and the wet lab to validate, AbSci can generate antibody drug candidates much faster than traditional lab techniques. By streamlining what are traditionally laborious steps, AbSci aims to lower costs and reduce the time-to-market for new biologic drugs, thereby addressing critical needs in healthcare. This said, the pipeline is still in its early stages. Amongst drugs being developed, the company is working on ABS-101, potentially a best-in-class anti-TL1A antibody for which it initiated IND-enabling studies in February. The company anticipates Phase 1 clinical studies for ABS-101 will kick off early next year with an interim data readout slated for the second half of 2025. Additionally, proof-of-concept results for novel immune-oncology drug candidate ABS-301 are anticipated around mid-2024. As for Woods involvement, her firm, Ark Invest, initiated a new position in ABSI stock during Q1, acquiring nearly 3.28 million shares valued at $14.87 million. The company also has a fan in Scotiabanks George Farmer, who thinks investors should clock an opportunity while still in its infancy. We recommend buying ABSI shares to capture the value potential of the companys novel AI based drug development strategy and the early-stage biologics pipeline on which it is based, Farmer noted. Why? Preclinical results to date support the competitive advantage that lead asset ABS-101, an AI-optimized anti-TL1A therapeutic, may have over existing agents in clinical development for addressing the massive inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treatment market. To this end, Farmer rates ABSI as an Outperform (i.e., Buy), alongside a $13 price target. The implication for investors? Upside of a handsome 182% from current levels. (To watch Farmers track record, click here) Most of Farmers colleagues agree with his assessment. Based on a mix of 4 Buys against 1 Hold, the stock claims a Strong Buy consensus rating. The forecast calls for one-year returns of ~90%, considering the average price target stands at $8.75. (See ABSI stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has ordered Western Benefits to permanently cease operations. In addition, it must pay a $400,000 penalty to be deposited in the CFPBs victims relief fund. The CFPB order also rescinds all existing agreements with consumers. The CFPB action against Western Benefits Group relates to the charging of illegal advance fees for student loan debt relief services. In addition, the debt relief provider misrepresented to consumers that advance fees would go toward paying down their loans. The CFPB found Western Benefits also misrepresented that it was affiliated with and endorsed by the Department of Education, and that the company would help consumers consolidate student loans, lower consumers monthly student loan payments, or obtain loan cancellation. The burden of student debt has spawned scores of scams, said CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. Student loan borrowers should steer clear of outfits claiming to be affiliated with the Department of Education. Western Benefits Group is a non-bank telemarketer headquartered in Pleasanton, California. It has offered debt relief services since at least 2016. In January 2016, Western Benefits began to market, sell, and administer student loan debt relief services to consumers. Western Benefits used lead generators to increase its inbound telemarketing calls. The lead generators marketed debt relief services to consumers through email marketing campaigns and web campaigns. CFPB enforcement action Under the Consumer Financial Protection Act, the CFPB has the authority to take action against institutions violating consumer financial laws. This includes engaging in unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices. The CFPB found that Western Benefits violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule by requesting or receiving unlawful advance fees. It violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule and Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 by misrepresenting material aspects of their debt relief service. The order also rescinds all existing agreements with consumers. It means that all agreements related to the student loan debt relief services are void effective immediately. "CFPB closes down and fines Western Benefits $400,000 for swindling student borrowers" was originally created and published by Retail Banker International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. The Charlotte City Council on Monday directed staff to explore shrinking the size of the citys first proposed property tax increase in six years. City Manager Marcus Jones $4.2 billion proposal for fiscal year 2025, which starts July 1, calls for a 1.5-cent property tax increase to fund public safety needs, the arts, housing and transportation. That would cost the typical homeowner about $1 more a week, Jones said. Mecklenburg Countys proposed budget also includes a 1.5-cent property tax increase. Jones warned last year a tax hike was likely in the citys future. When he presented his budget earlier this month, he said the time had come in order to keep up with the citys needs and growth. But eight of 11 council members voted at their budget adjustment meeting Monday to direct city staff to try and find ways to shrink the size of the tax increase. Council member Tariq Bokhari, who made the recommendation, said a smaller property tax increase could create momentum in the state legislature for the citys stalled sales tax increase. Charlotte has long hoped to get a sales tax increase referendum on the ballot to pay for transportation needs, but that requires legislative approval, and the city has so far failed to gain traction in Raleigh. Were going to significantly hurt ourselves in our ability to make the case that Charlotte is all in on the sales tax, Bokhari said of the newly proposed property tax hike. The District 6 Republican said hes got a list of cuts he plans to bring to city staff and hopes the rest of the council will also work closely with staff in the coming days. Theres multiple ways to skin the cat, he said. ... Everyone needs to work with staff. The council will hold straw votes on the budget May 30 and is scheduled to give final approval to the budget June 10. Police equipment purchases suggested after Galway Drive shooting Bokhari also recommended the council fund the purchase of new equipment for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police in the wake of the shooting that killed four law enforcement officers and wounded multiple others April 29. He said the proposals are based on conversations with CMPD officers wounded in the Galway Drive shooting, including $150,000 to put active shooter kits in all CMPD vehicles and $597,500 for new bulletproof vests and ballistic shields. Council member Dimple Ajmera also proposed the city continue to pay its part of the health insurance premiums for spouses and dependents of city employees killed in the line of duty, an estimated cost of $30,000. Council members voted in favor of sending all of those recommendations to city staff for further evaluation. Story continues Other proposed changes to city budget Council members also directed city staff to review other additions or changes to the proposed budget, including: Increasing funding for bicycle infrastructure from $8 million to $10 million over the next two-year bond cycle. Contributing $1 million to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Mecklenburg County project to build housing for teachers. Giving $100,000 to the Charlotte Museum of History. Council members voted down a pitch to consider adding the museum to the list of cultural organizations that get annual funding from the city. Doubling funding for litter clean-up from $250,000 to $500,000. Funding for multiple nonprofit organizations, including the Home Again Foundation, Save our Childrens Movement, Carolina Youth Coalition, Block Love Charlotte and Hearts for the Invisible. Council members didnt back continuing a discussion of raising the minimum wage for all city employees to $25 an hour. The world's top-selling pizza chain is betting big on the generosity of its customers. And it is not alone. Domino's recently pledged $174 million over the next ten years to benefit St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, expecting the funds to come from its longstanding roundup campaign that invites customers to donate the difference between their purchase total and the next-highest dollar amount. The pizza chain has already raised more than $126 million this way across the past two decades for ALSAC, the fundraising organization for the Tennessee-based hospital. Domino's is the latest and largest example of checkout charity success. The fundraising tool raked in 24% more money in 2022 than 2020 among the highest making programs, for a total of $749 million, according to the professional association Engage for Good. That staying power has franchises hopeful that consumers will continue giving their spare change despite shifts toward online shopping, negative economic headwinds and fears that more frequent solicitations will cause fatigue. Meanwhile, some retailers are fleshing out partnerships first formed after the 2020 racial reckoning pushed corporate citizenship toward the forefront of business practices. Why it works Studies suggest that asking customers to round up is generally more effective than requesting a fixed amount even when the totals are the same. That's because the framing lessens the sting of parting with one's money, according to a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology. It feels less painful," said Katie Kelting, a Saint Louis University marketing professor who led the research team. The timing of the appeal introduces several other psychologically potent factors, according to Ike Silver, a marketing professor at Northwestern University. Buyers tend to imagine their purchases in whole numbers anyway; a $24.75 bill codes as $25, for example. Plus, Silver said, it makes the act of giving a bit more mindless. Shoppers rushing to get through the checkout line don't have much time to consider reasons against the donation. They capitalize on a purchase inertia where you're just spending your money and you're not really thinking too much about it, Silver said. Helping PetSmart help animals Champions of the strategy credit the asks for engaging everyday, would-be donors in an approachable form of giving with low barriers to entry. The practice is so commonplace that shoppers' cumulative gifts have even become a key funding stream for some issue areas. Story continues PetSmart Charities, which reports that over 80% of its cash donations come through the PIN pad at checkout, is considered the largest grantmaker for animal welfare causes. The pet superstore, which has been running its continual PIN pad donation program for 20 years, asks customers to give a fixed dollar amount starting at $2. The money supports causes directly related to pets, such as increased access to veterinary care and animal evacuation services during natural disasters. That authentic connection is one reason that PetSmart Charities President Aimee Gilbreath believes their average donation is just under $3 which is projected to add up to $40 million by the end of this year. Without the closely aligned missions, Gilbreath expects they'd have a slightly harder time getting customers to donate. Its just much easier for people to say yes when they get, Im here shopping at PetSmart. I love pets. If I donate to PetSmart Charities, Im going to support pets who need a family, Im going to support pets in other ways," she said. Indeed, Kelting said the fit between the charity and the seller is huge. Customers can perceive point-of-sale solicitations as a violation of their social contract with a company, according to researchers, but partnerships among likeminded organizations are viewed in a more positive light. Donations follow connection at REI REI Co-op, a specialty outdoor clothing and equipment seller, launched its member-supported public charity in 2021 to help make outdoor spaces more inclusive. The goal was to put more resources into the surrounding communities coming out of COVID-19 shutdowns. At its 185 U.S. locations, sales associates often strike up personal conversations about buyers' upcoming excursions. Those unique connections with its clientele of nature enthusiasts open the door for donation requests at checkout, according to Squire Simpson, a board member at the REI Cooperative Action Fund. REI cashiers are supposed to leave the conversation with an open-ended ask that lets customers decide whether to round up or donate an amount of their choosing. About $2.2 million from 1.3 million individual donations were raised in stores last year, according to Simpson, a 2.5% increase over 2022. Grantees include a Pennsylvania group that promotes biking among Black women and an Alaska nonprofit that provides therapeutic recreation for people with disabilities. Its not some broad, corporate recipient, Simpson said. Checkout charity fa tigue? Still, some observers are worried that even the best of intentions won't keep the spigot from stopping as likeminded programs pop up in checkout lines around the country. Silver, the Northwestern University professor, questions whether the effectiveness of checkout charity will wane with its popularity. If its really something thats coming up every time you swipe your card, one risk is people start to notice that and feel a bit more manipulated," he said. Misinformation does not help either. Contrary to popular internet memes, tax policy experts say that stores cant write off customers' point-of-sale donations because they dont count as company income. Domino's leaders remain confident in their fine-tuned strategy. With the iconic St. Jude child printed on Dominos pizza boxes, the established partners are already among the most recognizable when it comes to point-of-sale donations. Above the checkout widget is a roundup request with that image of the child. During its 11-week, end-of-the-year campaign, customers are greeted by a click and go pop-up soliciting $2, $5, $10 or $20. The request details St. Jude's work and features an overall donation tracker. Domino's raised $8.9 million last year through roundup. Its leadership believes that number will increase under a new five-year strategy to grow its customer base. Described by CEO Russell Weiner as an audacious goal that isnt necessarily a slam dunk, the high-dollar charitable commitment adds another motivator to meet its latest nonprofit benchmarks. ALSAC CEO Rick Shadyac said the extra Dominos funding will help St. Jude's efforts in 80 countries to help triple the survival rate for children with the six most common forms of childhood cancer. That includes this summer's rollout of a program that will eventually provide free cancer medications to 30% of the 400,000 children around the world with the disease. If we drive more sales and more stores, what does that mean? That means we have more customers, Weiner told The Associated Press. The better we do there, the more people weve got that we can raise money for St. Jude. ___ Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the APs collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of APs philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy. Exxon Mobil Chairman & CEO Darren Woods, under fire for pursuing a lawsuit against shareholders even though they've withdrawn the proxy proposal the company opposed. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) Exxon Mobil can't say it wasn't warned. Having opted to continue its lawsuit against two activist investor groups even after they withdrew a shareholder proposal the company management opposed, the giant oil company had gotten flayed by shareholder advocates for its bullying. Now the big shoe has dropped: CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the nation, announced Monday that it will vote against all 12 Exxon Mobil board members, including CEO Darren Woods, at the May 29 annual meeting. 'If ExxonMobil succeeds in silencing voices and upending the rules of shareholder democracy, what other subjects will the leaders of any company make off limits? Worker safety? Excessive executive compensation?' CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost CalPERS says it's acting because it judges the company's campaign against the two investor groups to be "designed to punish" investors who "dared to speak truth to power." The pension fund says, "the repercussions of the lawsuit could be devastating....If ExxonMobil succeeds in silencing voices and upending the rules of shareholder democracy, what other subjects will the leaders of any company make off limits? Worker safety? Excessive executive compensation?" The announcement is a major step up from the pension fund's earlier comments about its intentions. Michael Cohen, the CalPERS chief operating investment officer, had earlier said only that the fund was considering voting against Woods. Voting against the entire board and publicly urging other investors "to do the same," appreciably raises the stakes for Exxon, at least theoretically. CalPERS the California Public Employees' Retirement System is an institutional investor to be reckoned with. The $496-billion fund owns about $1 billion in Exxon Mobil shares. Exxon Mobil's lawsuit "is a real problem for us as share owners," CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost said during a press conference Monday. "We believe that our voice matters, that we should be able to provide proxy solicitations asking the company to be more transparent in certain areas." Exxon called CalPERS' action "a poor fiduciary decision." The company said through a spokesperson, "Its unclear why CalPERS is spending their time and energy defending the abuse of a shareholder process...Far from having a chilling effect on shareholder proposals, our efforts are intended to get clarity on the rules to foster an environment for open and meaningful shareholder dialogue. If anything, CalPERS vote against our entire board appears to be an attempt to 'chill' shareholder voices." Story continues As I reported last week, in February Exxon Mobil sued the U.S. investment firm Arjuna Capital and Netherlands-based green shareholder firm Follow This to keep a shareholder resolution they sponsored from appearing on the agenda of its annual meeting. The resolution was a plain-vanilla environmental proposal urging the company to work harder to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of its products and to be more transparent about the impact of its business on the climate. Days after the company sued, the shareholders, calculating their relative strength against the oil behemoth, withdrew the proposal and pledged not to refile it in the future. That rendered the lawsuit moot but the company has refused to drop it. What makes the lawsuit seem especially cynical is that the investors' proposal, like all such proposals, are not binding on management they're advisory only. Moreover, as Frost pointed out, similar proposals in 2022 and 2023 failed to garner majority support from shareholders, winning only 10.5% of votes in 2022 and 27% last year. Read more: Column: Exxon Mobil is suing its shareholders to silence them about global warming "Exxon won," Frost said. It's unlikely that CalPERS' action will result in the board's ouster. As CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost noted during a press conference Monday, no alternative slate of directors has been named for the upcoming annual meeting, so it would be "very difficult to say we're turning over this board." But she said the fund's vote is "more than symbolic" it's more about "sending the appropriate messages to this about their responsibilities in governance; if they don't want to deal with governance they should step aside." Although CalPERS supported a slate of activist board members nominated in 2021 three of the four nominees won board seats the fund said it is voting against the entire board because it is "allowing Chief Executive Officer Darren Woods to pursue a reckless and destructive effort." Frost said CalPERS isn't contemplating taking a more aggressive action against Exxon Mobil, such as divesting its shares. "The problem with divestment when you're CalPERS is that you completely lose your voice. The moment you don't own shares, you can't sign on to other owners' proposals, you can't take action to say we don't believe that executive compensation is commensurate with the performance of the company." Exxon Mobil asserts in its lawsuit that the investment funds proposed resolution breached standards set forth by the Securities and Exchange Commission governing the propriety of such resolutions it was related to the companys ordinary business operations and closely resembled resolutions on similar topics that had failed to exceed threshold votes at the 2022 and 2023 annual meetings. Both standards allow a company to block a resolution from the meeting agenda, or proxy. That may be so, but the conventional practice is for managements to seek approval from the SEC to exclude such resolutions by requesting whats known as an agency no action letter. CalPERS says that would have been "the better option" than a lawsuit. It's not as though the SEC had set a high bar to issuing "no action" letters the pension fund observes that the agency has approved two-thirds of those requests so far this year. Frost conjectured that, given the poor showing of similar proposals in the recent past, the SEC probably would have allowed the company to exclude the latest proposal from the annual meeting proxy. Exxon Mobil's rationale for continuing the lawsuit is that the proposal rules "must be enforced or the abuse by activists masquerading as shareholders will continue threatening the system. Frost questioned the company's position. She described Exxon Mobil's goal in the lawsuit as obtaining "clarity around the ordinary business" standard. But "to me it doesn't feel like 'clarity'; it feels like diminishment" of shareholder voices. As for the company's insinuation that the system is broken, she said, "the system is working, if you use the system." Get the latest from Michael Hiltzik Commentary on economics and more from a Pulitzer Prize winner. Sign me up. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Image source: Getty Images Costco is a popular warehouse club with over 850 locations worldwide. In the United States and Puerto Rico, the retailer operates over 600 clubs. Costco continues to build new locations, making its affordable deals available to more shoppers with every additional store it opens. Costco continues to expand You've likely heard friends and family rave about Costco, even if you're not a member or have never stepped foot in a club. That's because shoppers appreciate the retailer's affordable prices. Many everyday essentials are sold in bulk at Costco, so consumers can stock up on everyday goods while getting a good deal. Although membership costs money, many members keep more cash in their checking accounts thanks to Costco's deals. If you don't yet have a club near your home, one may open nearby in the future. The warehouse brand continues to expand, with new club locations being added regularly. Six more clubs will open in the U.S. this June and July. The following locations will be opening this June: North Port, Florida Mt. Juliet, Tennessee Riverbank, California Richmond, Texas The following locations will be opening this July: NW Omaha, Nebraska Chaska, Minnesota No exact opening dates have been announced at this time. If you have questions about the opening details for any clubs listed above, contact Costco for more information. You can also review Costco's website for more specifics, like club addresses and hours of operation. Should you join Costco? Before investing in a Costco membership, consider your budget, spending habits, and goals. If the annual membership cost of $60 or $120 is out of budget, you should wait to join. Spending beyond your means could cause financial stress and potentially result in credit card debt. It's also wise to review the products that Costco sells before joining to ensure a membership aligns with your spending habits and shopping preferences. Before you join, you can browse available products on the Costco website or mobile app. The retailer also outlines current sales online, so you can use this information to plan your shopping list and avoid overspending beyond your means. Costco regularly runs promotions, so you'll want to review current sales prices often to avoid missing out. How to get the most out of a Costco membership Want to get more from your Costco membership? Here are some tips for success: Don't shop without a plan: Costco has many new products and limited-time deals that can be tempting. If you go to your local club without a plan, you could spend more than necessary. For best success, it's a good idea to create a shopping list before you stop at Costco. Story continues Get a deal on big-ticket items: In addition to saving money on household goods and groceries, you can save money on bigger purchases like appliances and electronics. Remember to use your membership perks when it's time to make a major purchase. Buy discounted gift cards: Costco sells discounted gift cards for popular retailers. You can get a deal on purchases at other businesses using the discounted gift cards you buy. Pay attention to holiday gift card sales because the savings can be even more significant. Go shopping when you need to refill your tank. The warehouse club has affordable gas prices. Planning your shopping trips so you visit when your gas tank is low could allow you to maximize the savings you get at the gas pump. Getting a good deal on groceries, household essentials, clothes, electronics, appliances, and more could be a major win for your personal finances. Check out our ultimate Costco guide for additional tips for getting the most from your membership. Top credit card to use at Costco (and everywhere else!) If youre shopping with a debit card, you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year. These versatile credit cards offer huge rewards everywhere, including Costco, and are rated the best cards of 2024 by our experts because they offer hefty sign-up bonuses and outstanding cash rewards. Plus, youll save on credit card interest because all of these recommendations include a competitive 0% interest period. Click here to read our expert recommendations for free! We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.Natasha Gabrielle has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Costco Wholesale. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Costco Will Open Brand-New Clubs in These 6 U.S. Cities This Summer was originally published by The Motley Fool The number of women in executive roles in Australia's wine sector is increasing, data from trade body Wine Australia shows. According to the latest findings, between 2021-2023 the percentage of women in a CEO role in wine sat at 33.7%, a 21 percentage-point hike on statistics from 2007-2013. This number is 11.7 percentage points higher than the national average of women in CEO positions, which sits at 22%. In the 2007-2013 period, by comparison, the wine industry was on par with the country's average of 10-12%. Speaking on the results, Dr Jeremy Galbreath, author of both studies on women in the Australian wine sector said: While these results are encouraging, in critical roles such as winemaking and viticulture there is room for improvement." Australian Grape & Wines diversity and equality in wine committee chair, Ali Laslett, also agreed that changes still need to be made "on many fronts, including the gender pay gap". Women working in winemaking has also gone up 7.9 percentage points on the prior period to 16.7%, Wine Australia said. The number of women working in viticulture was up 11.5 percentage points to 21.5%, while women in wine marketing saw a 4.9 percentage-point boost to 58.4%. Broken down by state, Western Australia had the largest percentage of female CEOs in wine in the 2021-2023 period, at 36%. This was followed by New South Wales and Tasmania, both at 34%, Victoria and Queensland at 33% and South Australia with 31%. "In data: women CEOs in wine outpace other industries in Australia" was originally created and published by Just Drinks, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. City leaders are considering raising property taxes this summer to increase employee wages. It was just the right thing to do, City Manager Wanda Page said Monday night when she presented her draft budget to the City Council. Sometimes doing the right thing isnt easy, but it is always right. The spending she proposed totals $667.8 million, up 9.5% over last year. Page is proposing raising the city tax rate 3.85 cents , to 59.62 cents per $100 of assessed property value. The county manager, meanwhile, has proposed a 3.25 cent- tax-rate increase, though the school board is pushing for more. On a $254,000 house, the median in the city limits: The proposed city increase adds $98 and the proposed county increase adds $83 a year to the annual tax bill, which would total $3,507. Check the impact on your property online. Page said the economy was performing well, but next fiscal years wants and needs are very significant. The pay increases are projected to cost $28.5 million and would range from about 7% to 20%, depending on the job. Police: New officers would see introductory pay of $54,817, up 14%. Fire: New firefighters would see introductory pay of $51,559, up 18%. Raising the minimum wage: The minimum livable wage would increase to $19.58 per hour. Bond referendum advanced The City Council voted unanimously Monday to advance a $200 million bond referendum that will be put to voters in November. $115 million for streets and sidewalks $85 million for parks The parks money would be split almost evenly between two projects: An aquatic wonderland with pools, a lazy river and water slides at Wheels Fun Park , a former skating rink set to reopen this fall. A pool, new play areas and other improvements at Long Meadow and East End parks on Alston Avenue. The rest of the money would help produce 12.4 miles of new sidewalks, pave 13.3 miles of unpaved roads, and speed up repairs and maintenance for both. The bond which has some additional hurdles to clear before its officially on the ballot would raise taxes 3.45 cents per $100 of assessed value starting in 2026 and slowly dropping off over 20 years. Whats next? Residents began weighing in on the budget Monday night, with the progressive advocacy nonprofit Durham for All asking to expand guaranteed income, and Legal Aid attorneys advocating more money be put into eviction diversion. The city and county will both listen to feedback from residents before passing their budgets next month. Heres the schedule: Tuesday, May 28: Public hearing on the county budget at 7 p.m. Monday, June 3: Public hearing on the city budget at 7 p.m. Monday, June 10: County commissioners vote. Monday, June 17: City Council votes. COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) A restaurant at Easton Town Center is being sued by the company that owns the retail district after being accused of not paying rent. A lawsuit was filed Thursday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court 16 by Easton Gateway property company against Melt Bar and Grilled, a restaurant located in a section northeast of the main mall. The complaint states Easton sent a notice on Nov. 9 to the restaurant about failing to pay rent on time and gave a five-day grace period. AEP Ohio flags cryptocurrency miners as it proposes tariffs, discounts for data centers After several months, a second notice about unpaid rent was sent to Melt on April 10, this time with a 12-day grace period. The complaint claims the rent was not paid within the grace period for either notice. The lawsuit alleges that Melt has not paid rent despite facing demands to pay it and other fees agreed to in the lease. Easton claims the unpaid fees resulted in more than $200,000 in damages and is demanding that money be paid back in full plus interest, attorneys fees and more. Melt opened its Easton location in 2014. A Short North location closed in 2022 after the companys owner said a rising number of issues no longer made it sustainable. The company operates five other locations in Columbus. Requests for comment from Melt was not immediately returned. A spokesperson for Easton said they will not comment on the matter. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to NBC4 WCMH-TV. Acquisitions are supplying Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) with lots of fuel this year. The master limited partnership (MLP) closed two sizable deals last year, while its affiliate, Sunoco (NYSE: SUN), recently made a needle-moving acquisition. This trio of deals has the company on track to grow its earnings by around 10% this year. The MLP made it clear on its first-quarter conference call that consolidation in the midstream space continues to make sense. Here's a look at what the company is seeking in future deals. Adding value to the value chain Energy Transfer's co-CEO and CFO, Tom Long, discussed the company's acquisition strategy on the call. He stated that the MLP is always looking for an opportunity that would "feed all the way downstream." He said, "We always like to talk about how we go from wellhead to the water, and we do it across all the commodities." Long noted that the company's strategy is to look for opportunities to buy assets that feed into its value chain of driving commodities from upstream wells to downstream markets, like refineries, petrochemical plants, and export facilities. That provides it with great opportunities to capture commercial synergies and cost savings. For example, the company is currently working on a debottlenecking project on the Gateway pipeline that will allow it to fully utilize its interest on the EPIC pipeline. The project will allow the MLP to optimize deliveries from the Delaware Basin to its Mont Belvieu complex. It's one of several synergy projects it's working on related to the Crestwood acquisition. They help drive the company's view that it will capture about $80 million of cost synergies, double its initial estimate, and significant commercial synergies to move more commodities through its network. These additional synergies make already accretive deals even more value-enhancing for the MLP. The Sunoco fit The company usually makes these deals at the Energy Transfer level. However, Sunoco's acquisition of NuStar showcased how its controlled MLP can also make highly accretive deals that flow down to Energy Transfer. The company will get a $500 million earnings boost from Sunoco's deal this year. Long noted on the call that Sunoco would probably continue to make highly accretive acquisitions that allow it to capture commercial synergies that benefit its wholesale fuel distribution and terminal businesses. While that entity typically makes asset acquisitions, the NuStar deal shows that it can make very accretive acquisitions of public companies. In addition to using Sunoco as an acquisition vehicle, Energy Transfer sees potential partnership opportunities with the MLP. Co-CEO and Chief Commercial Officer Mackie McCrea noted that there's some overlap between Sunoco's assets, including those acquired in the NuStar deal, and Energy Transfer's operations. As a result, "there's a real benefit in potentially partnering up with them." He noted that the two companies were already discussing potential partnerships and joint ventures that could be accretive to both entities. Poised to pounce Despite making two big acquisitions last year, the company's financial position "continues to be stronger than any time in Energy Transfer's history," Long said on the call. That gives the company ample flexibility to pursue new growth opportunities, including acquisitions and partnerships, while also returning more cash to investors through a rising distribution and equity repurchases. Sunoco has also proved that it can make highly accretive deals, and both companies are likely to continue making acquisitions. Energy Transfer just needs to find the right opportunity that's accretive and enhances the value of its value chain. Future accretive acquisitions would enable the MLP to continue growing its cash flow so that it can return even more money to investors. Should you invest $1,000 in Energy Transfer right now? Before you buy stock in Energy Transfer, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now and Energy Transfer wasnt one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, youd have $566,624!* Stock Advisor provides investors with an easy-to-follow blueprint for success, including guidance on building a portfolio, regular updates from analysts, and two new stock picks each month. The Stock Advisor service has more than quadrupled the return of S&P 500 since 2002*. See the 10 stocks *Stock Advisor returns as of May 13, 2024 Matt DiLallo has positions in Energy Transfer. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Energy Transfer Isn't Done Making Deals was originally published by The Motley Fool Key Insights Rand Mining's estimated fair value is AU$1.51 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity Rand Mining's AU$1.56 share price indicates it is trading at similar levels as its fair value estimate When compared to theindustry average discount of -25%, Rand Mining's competitors seem to be trading at a greater premium to fair value Does the May share price for Rand Mining Limited (ASX:RND) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will estimate the stock's intrinsic value by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model. Check out our latest analysis for Rand Mining Is Rand Mining Fairly Valued? We're using the 2-stage growth model, which simply means we take in account two stages of company's growth. In the initial period the company may have a higher growth rate and the second stage is usually assumed to have a stable growth rate. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (A$, Millions) AU$6.30m AU$5.66m AU$5.30m AU$5.10m AU$5.00m AU$4.96m AU$4.97m AU$5.01m AU$5.07m AU$5.15m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ -15.43% Est @ -10.12% Est @ -6.41% Est @ -3.81% Est @ -1.99% Est @ -0.71% Est @ 0.18% Est @ 0.80% Est @ 1.24% Est @ 1.55% Present Value (A$, Millions) Discounted @ 7.5% AU$5.9 AU$4.9 AU$4.3 AU$3.8 AU$3.5 AU$3.2 AU$3.0 AU$2.8 AU$2.7 AU$2.5 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = AU$37m Story continues We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.3%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.5%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = AU$5.2m (1 + 2.3%) (7.5% 2.3%) = AU$101m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= AU$101m ( 1 + 7.5%)10= AU$49m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is AU$86m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of AU$1.6, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out. dcf Important Assumptions The calculation above is very dependent on two assumptions. The first is the discount rate and the other is the cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Rand Mining as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.5%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.133. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. SWOT Analysis for Rand Mining Strength Currently debt free. Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market. Weakness Earnings declined over the past year. Current share price is above our estimate of fair value. Opportunity RND's financial characteristics indicate limited near-term opportunities for shareholders. Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine RND's earnings prospects. Threat Dividends are not covered by cash flow. Next Steps: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Rand Mining, there are three additional aspects you should further examine: Risks: For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Rand Mining (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! Other Top Analyst Picks: Interested to see what the analysts are thinking? Take a look at our interactive list of analysts' top stock picks to find out what they feel might have an attractive future outlook! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Australian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. By Francesco Guarascio and Ben Blanchard HANOI/TAIPEI (Reuters) - Vietnamese officials have called on Apple supplier Foxconn to voluntarily reduce power use by 30% at its assembly plants in the north of the country where there were electricity outages last year, two people familiar with the matter said. The request for energy-saving measures, which two other industry sources said was sent to multiple manufacturers, is precautionary and aimed at averting a repeat of last summer when power shortage led to over a billion dollars in lost output. The request to Foxconn was "an encouragement", not a requirement and has not had any impact on production, one of the people said. Vietnam is increasingly welcoming multinational companies, some spreading their risk from traditional manufacturing base China amid rising trade tension with the U.S. Last month, Apple promised further spending in the country where over the past year it has raised its number of suppliers to 35 from 25. The southeast Asian nation relies on foreign investment for economic growth and has been trying to attract energy-intensive industries, such as semiconductor manufacturing. However, a heat wave last May and June triggered a power shortage that interrupted business in the north, causing $1.4 billion worth of loss, or 0.3% of gross domestic product, World Bank preliminary estimates showed. In March, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pledged to foreign investors that power shortages would not happen again. The government has asked coal-fired power plants to delay maintenance to meet higher electricity demand in the hottest months, one of the people said. The people did not specify who sent the requests, when the request to Foxconn was sent or for how long the voluntary cut in electricity use would be needed. One person said the request was open-ended. All sources asked to remain anonymous because the matter was not public. Apple did not respond to a request for comment. COORDINATION Foxconn, formally Hon Hai Precision Industry, is the world's largest contract electronics manufacturer. It has half a dozen plants in northern Vietnam including in Bac Giang province where local authorities said it assembles Apple MacBooks and iPads. State-owned provincial power distributor Bac Giang Power Company (BG PC) said in March it had asked industrial parks and authorities "to coordinate in implementing electricity savings," showed a statement on the website of power regulator ERAV. BG PC Deputy Director Do Binh Duong, in a separate statement, said "adjustment of power loads, adjustment of production plans and electricity saving implementation of enterprises will have a great impact on the power system". Story continues The Ministry of Industry and Trade and state-owned power provider Vietnam Electricity (EVN), of which BG PC is a unit, did not respond to requests for comment. Energy-saving measures appear to differ nationwide. An official at an industrial park in another northern province said manufacturers have been asked to reduce power consumption on some days this month. Weather conditions are less challenging than in 2023 but authorities have boosted imports of coal and encouraged energy-saving to avoid shortages. In March, foreign chambers of commerce urged the government to guarantee power supply, with South Korean's KoCham saying semiconductor companies had delayed investment decisions because of power supply risk. (Reporting by Francesco Guarascio in Hanoi and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Additional reporting by Khanh Vu and Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Christopher Cushing) By Ross Kerber (Reuters) -A conservative shareholder withdrew a resolution filed for a vote at Tuesday's annual meeting of JPMorgan, according to the investor's representative, who said the move reflects changes the Wall Street bank has made to take more account of diverse viewpoints. JPMorgan's meeting was to include Proposal 11, a call for the bank to report on how the bank's policies impact employees "based on their religion (including religious views) or political views." Jerry Bowyer, a fund consultant who represents David Bahnsen, the head of the family trust that filed the resolution, said it was withdrawn in light of several steps the bank has taken that show it pulling back from political tests for customers. One factor, Bowyer said, was the bank's decision to drop a requirement that merchants using its WePay service not accept payments tied to risks like allegations of racism or sexual harassment. He also cited a note that JPMorgan included in a recent climate report stating it serves customers "regardless of political, social or religious viewpoints." And, Bowyer said the family trust appreciated recent comments by JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon including critical remarks about proxy advisers in Dimon's annual letter to investors. "These were all positive signs of them recognizing politicized finance as a problem," Bowyer said. JPMorgan and other global banks have been under fire from conservative activists who charge they have cut off clients over right-leaning political views, sometimes referred to as "debanking." At the same time other investors have pressed banks to take more account of social and environmental issues. An archived webpage shows that as recently as August, merchants using JPMorgan's WePay service had to agree to not accept payments or use the service in connection with "social risk issues." The bank defined those as "subject to allegation and impacts related to hate groups, systemic racism, sexual harassment and corporate culture." That language no longer appears on the WePay terms of service. The Alliance Defending Freedom, which calls itself a Christian law firm, said it first discovered the new language in November. JPMorgan did not immediately say when the language was changed, but said the old language dated to its purchase of WePay, which closed in December 2017. Asked about the new language promising to serve customers regardless of their viewpoints and other communications that Bowyer said led to the withdrawal of the resolution, a bank representative said the material only reflected longstanding policies. Story continues While the language may look new, the policies and practices are not. We support clients around the globe and in every state in the U.S., across industries, religions and political affiliation," the representative said via e-mail. "We do not and would not close an account due to a client's political or religious affiliation, and were making sure to articulate that long-held policy wherever and whenever possible," the representative added. Speaking at the bank's annual meeting on Tuesday, CEO Jamie Dimon struck a similar note while answering a question from an investor. ""We do not discriminate against any body or any individual based on their political beliefs," Dimon said. At the meeting, held virtually, investors approved JPMorgan's compensation plans and director nominees, and did not approve other shareholder proposals. JPMorgan defended its political neutrality after WePay suspended services in 2021 to Defense of Liberty, a Missouri political action committee that planned to host an event for Donald Trump Jr, eldest son of the former U.S. president. JPMorgan said at the time the suspension was a mistake and moved to reinstate service. Jeremy Tedesco, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, said the WePay shift was significant. "These policies give people a foothold to demand banks cancel services. So eliminating that is not a small thing," he said. Tedesco's group plans to issue on Tuesday a new edition of its Viewpoint Diversity index on major U.S. companies, criticizing many for having vague or subjective terms of service. (Reporting by Ross Kerber in Boston; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Chizu Nomiyama) Nike first announced plans to restructure its business after reporting flat second quarter sales in December 2023. At the time Nike explained its ambition to realise cumulative cost savings over the next three years would be based on simplifying its product assortment, increasing automation and use of technology, streamlining the organisation, and leveraging its scale to drive greater efficiency. It also shared that its ultimate aim was to use the cost savings to invest in future growth, accelerate innovation at speed and scale, and drive greater long-term profitability. Fast forward to February 2024 and Nike confirmed to Just Style following media speculation that it was restructuring its workforce which would impact approximately 2% of its global team as it looked to "right-size" the business. Meanwhile, CNBC alleged Nike CEO John Donahoe admitted in a memo that the company was not performing at [its] best and he held himself and the leadership team accountable. Media reports are currently circling that suggest Nike's footwear brand Converse will be cutting jobs as part of these wider plans, however Converse declined to comment and Nike had not responded to Just Style's request for confirmation prior to publication. GlobalData apparel analyst Louise Deglise-Favre describes the alleged cost-cutting at Converse as a "sound strategy," noting the brand has been "underperforming" for a relatively long time and acting more as a "financial burden" for Nike than a revenue-generating division. She says: "Cost-cutting measures will allow Nike to refocus some of its resources towards profit-generating segments of its business and potentially support its plans to start investing in innovation to regain some of its competitive edge. Like often in cost-cutting plans, the aim is to streamline the organisation, which often results in casualties within managerial roles." GlobalData retail analyst Neil Saunders points out that it is likely many of the cuts will be in Converse's headquarters in Boston, as it runs as a fairly standalone business. He suggests the cuts will probably be across a variety of functions including marketing, supply chain and product development. Can cost-cutting support Nike's ambitions? Saunders argues Converse has been losing ground to products like Adidas' Samba and other sneaker brands due to a lack of innovation and insufficient efforts to stimulate consumer demand. Because of this, he can understand why Nike would be cutting jobs at Converse as part of a wider cost savings package. Story continues He adds that Converse is not the only part of the business impacted, but Nike clearly expects it to play a role in its streamlining process. He views the main benefit of reducing costs as protecting the profit line at a time when sales are soft: "Arguably, the cuts may make Nike and Converse nimbler and more reactive, but thats really a secondary benefit rather than the primary reason for layoffs." However, he adds, cutting is usually a reaction to a problem, and most retailers and brands cannot cut their way to success. Saunders shares that other US retailers such as Walmart and Target have also been trimming jobs to stay competitive but the difference is, unlike Converse, they are doing this from a position of relative strength. Ultimately, he underscores the main issue at Converse is on the sales line and adds: "Cuts do not fix that." Optimising operations, investing in Nike's brand Since the cost-savings initiative was first announced in December, Nike has seen a slight increase in its revenue with the company reporting in March that China remains a key focus for share growth. Its third quarter (Q3) results beat Nike's expectations and rose by 3% to $5.07bn from $4.91bn in the same period last year. Nikes chief financial officer Matt Friend attributed its Q3 growth to the "streamlining" efforts in both its support and operating functions, reducing management layers and shifting more of its resources towards consumer-facing activities. "Overall, our focus is on allocating our resources to drive more return while building an operating model with greater speed and better cost productivity as we grow, Friend said at the time. Nike explained that its biggest focus for Q3 was to drive more product innovation with the intent of "delighting consumers and disrupting the industry" as well as leveraging new technologies to improve efficiency and drive more collaboration. "Explainer: Why Nike is targeting Converse for cost-cutting" was originally created and published by Just Style, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Amid a backdrop of economic contraction and modest gains in the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices, Japan's market landscape presents unique opportunities for investors. High insider ownership in growth companies like Plus Alpha Consulting Ltd suggests a strong alignment between managements interests and shareholder values, potentially offering stability and confidence in these investments during uncertain times. Top 10 Growth Companies With High Insider Ownership In Japan Name Insider Ownership Earnings Growth SHIFT (TSE:3697) 35.4% 27.2% Hottolink (TSE:3680) 27% 57.3% Micronics Japan (TSE:6871) 15.3% 39.7% Kasumigaseki CapitalLtd (TSE:3498) 35.4% 44.6% ExaWizards (TSE:4259) 24.8% 80.2% Money Forward (TSE:3994) 21.4% 63.5% Medley (TSE:4480) 34% 24.4% Soiken Holdings (TSE:2385) 19.8% 118.4% Soracom (TSE:147A) 17.2% 59.1% freee K.K (TSE:4478) 24% 82.7% Click here to see the full list of 108 stocks from our Fast Growing Japanese Companies With High Insider Ownership screener. Let's take a closer look at a couple of our picks from the screened companies. Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: Plus Alpha Consulting Co., Ltd. specializes in providing marketing solutions and has a market capitalization of approximately 86.36 billion. Operations: The firm focuses on delivering marketing solutions, reflected in its market capitalization of about 86.36 billion. Insider Ownership: 39.6% Earnings Growth Forecast: 20.9% p.a. Plus Alpha Consulting Co., Ltd., a growth-oriented firm in Japan, showcases strong insider ownership with promising financial indicators. The company's earnings have increased by 31.4% over the past year and are projected to grow at an annual rate of 20.91%, outpacing the Japanese market average. Despite trading at 31.6% below its estimated fair value, Plus Alpha's return on equity is anticipated to be robust at 28.1%. Revenue growth forecasts also exceed market expectations, although they do not reach the high-growth threshold of 20% per year. TSE:4071 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: en-japan inc. operates in the human resources sector, offering services both in Japan and internationally, with a market capitalization of approximately 111.64 billion. Operations: The firm operates primarily in the human resources sector, providing services globally. Insider Ownership: 14.7% Earnings Growth Forecast: 15.5% p.a. Story continues en-japan inc., a Japanese growth company with significant insider ownership, is trading at 69.3% below its estimated fair value, highlighting potential undervaluation. The firm's earnings have surged by 55.7% over the past year and are expected to grow by 15.5% annually, outperforming the broader market's growth rate of 8.6%. Revenue forecasts also exceed market expectations at a rate of 7.9% per year. However, its dividend coverage is weak, with earnings and cash flows not adequately supporting the current dividend yield of 2.56%. TSE:4849 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024 Simply Wall St Growth Rating: Overview: CURVES HOLDINGS Co., Ltd. operates and manages fitness clubs for women under the Curves brand in Japan, with a market capitalization of 70.43 billion. Operations: The company generates its revenue primarily through the operation and management of women's fitness clubs under the Curves brand in Japan. Insider Ownership: 22.1% Earnings Growth Forecast: 10.7% p.a. CURVES HOLDINGS, a Japanese growth company with high insider ownership, is trading 24% below its fair value, suggesting potential undervaluation. Over the past five years, earnings have grown by 23.6% annually. Looking ahead, earnings are expected to increase by 10.7% per year, outpacing the Japanese market's forecast of 8.6%. Recent corporate guidance indicates robust financial performance with raised forecasts for net sales and operating profit for FY2024, reflecting strong operational momentum and strategic execution. TSE:7085 Earnings and Revenue Growth as at May 2024 Summing It All Up Dive into all 108 of the Fast Growing Japanese Companies With High Insider Ownership we have identified here. Are these companies part of your investment strategy? Use Simply Wall St to consolidate your holdings into a portfolio and gain insights with our comprehensive analysis tools. Invest smarter with the free Simply Wall St app providing detailed insights into every stock market around the globe. Want To Explore Some Alternatives? This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.The analysis only considers stock directly held by insiders. It does not include indirectly owned stock through other vehicles such as corporate and/or trust entities. All forecast revenue and earnings growth rates quoted are in terms of annualised (per annum) growth rates over 1-3 years. Companies discussed in this article include TSE:4071 TSE:4849 and TSE:7085. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com Usually, when one insider buys stock, it might not be a monumental event. But when multiple insiders are buying like they did in the case of Australian Rare Earths Limited (ASX:AR3), that sends out a positive message to the company's shareholders. Although we don't think shareholders should simply follow insider transactions, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. View our latest analysis for Australian Rare Earths The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Australian Rare Earths In the last twelve months, the biggest single purchase by an insider was when Independent Chairman Angus Barker bought AU$225k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.45 per share. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of AU$0.11. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. Australian Rare Earths insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. They paid about AU$0.39 on average. These transactions suggest that insiders have considered the current price attractive. You can see the insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year depicted in the chart below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! There are always plenty of stocks that insiders are buying. If investing in lesser known companies is your style, you could take a look at this free list of companies. (Hint: insiders have been buying them). Insiders At Australian Rare Earths Have Bought Stock Recently Over the last three months, we've seen a bit of insider buying at Australian Rare Earths. Insiders bought AU$22k worth of shares in that time. It's great to see that insiders are only buying, not selling. But in this case the amount purchased means the recent transaction may not be very meaningful on its own. Insider Ownership Of Australian Rare Earths Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. A high insider ownership often makes company leadership more mindful of shareholder interests. Insiders own 27% of Australian Rare Earths shares, worth about AU$4.6m. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. Story continues So What Do The Australian Rare Earths Insider Transactions Indicate? Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. That said, the purchases were not large. But insiders have shown more of an appetite for the stock, over the last year. Insiders do have a stake in Australian Rare Earths and their transactions don't cause us concern. While we like knowing what's going on with the insider's ownership and transactions, we make sure to also consider what risks are facing a stock before making any investment decision. For instance, we've identified 4 warning signs for Australian Rare Earths (2 are a bit unpleasant) you should be aware of. If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Martin Gruenberg, the chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, testifying before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill on Thursday. Kevin Dietsch via Getty Images The FDIC chairman, Martin Gruenberg, has said he'll resign following a report on poor workplace culture. An investigation found that the FDIC's culture was misogynistic and that wrongdoers weren't punished. President Joe Biden is set to nominate a new FDIC chair, whom the Senate would then vote on. The chairman of a key US bank regulator has said he'll resign after an independent investigation found widespread sexual harassment and other issues at the agency, and politicians from both major parties criticized his leadership. The independent report from earlier this month found the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation had a "patriarchal," "misogynistic," and "insular" work culture. The report also probed the strong temper of the FDIC chairman, Martin Gruenberg. The 71-year-old Democratic chairman has spent nearly a decade in the role under multiple presidential administrations. In an email to staff on Monday cited by The Wall Street Journal, Gruenberg said he'd resign once a successor had been found. Staying in office would prevent the FDIC vice chairman, Travis Hill, a Republican, from becoming the agency's acting chairman. "In light of recent events, I am prepared to step down from my responsibilities once a successor is confirmed," Gruenberg said in the email, according to the Journal. He added that he'd continue to fulfill his responsibilities in the meantime, "including the transformation of the FDIC's workplace culture." The White House said that President Joe Biden would soon nominate a new FDIC chairman and that it expected the Senate to move quickly to confirm the nominee. At a hearing earlier this month, House of Representative members questioned the FDIC's ability to do its job as a bank regulator and stop bank failures if Gruenberg was yelling at employees who brought him bad news. "I accept the findings of the reports, and as chairman, I take full responsibility to anyone who has experienced sexual harassment, discrimination, or other misconduct at the FDIC," Gruenberg said at the hearing. Lawmakers from both major parties asked for him to step down during the hearing. The 234-page summary of the monthslong investigation, led by the external law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, highlighted long-standing and recent issues at the agency. The report said that the FDIC had dismissed myriad harassment complaints and that wrongdoers had been moved around internally or promoted. Investigators said they set up a hotline in mid-January and received more than 500 complaints largely from current employees about sexual harassment, discrimination, and other issues. The FDIC has about 6,000 employees. Story continues The report characterized the FDIC's culture as "a 'good ol' boys' club where favoritism is common, wagons are circled around managers, and senior executives with well-known reputations for pursuing romantic relations with subordinates enjoy long careers without any apparent consequence." Read the original article on Business Insider The downtown Des Moines Hy-Vee after a thunderstorm Across the country, in neighborhoods wealthy and poor, cities have tried to cultivate downtown development with grocery stores with mixed success. Some have thrived, but others have struggled, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with reduced numbers of employees spending their working hours in central business district offices. Downtown Des Moines' Court Avenue Hy-Vee may be a case in point. It drastically cut its hours in February, then partially restored them this month under pressure from the city, which had mandated longer hours in a development agreement that provided millions in incentives to get the store built. "I think its a sign of the times," said Phil Lempert, a grocery industry analyst who visited the Des Moines store shortly after it opened in 2017. "As we go across the entire country ... were seeing stores that were built pre-pandemic that have really suffered as people have changed the way they work." Is the downtown Des Moines Hy-Vee making money? Hy-Vee spokesperson Tina Potthoff has declined to discuss the downtown store's financial performance, saying the cut in hours was prompted by a decline in customer traffic and a rise in crime and disruptions at the store the latter claim disputed by Des Moines officials and police. New hours at the 420 Court Ave. Hy-Vee store in downtown Des Moines on May 13, 2024. It's not the first turmoil over the store. In 2021, Hy-Vee announced it would rebrand it as a stand-alone HealthMarket, a name it would share with sections in larger Hy-Vee stores that focus on healthy foods and supplements. It later put that idea, greeted with trepidation by downtown residents, on hold. Its only stand-alone HealthMarket, in West Des Moines, has been replaced with Wall to Wall Wine and Spirits. And right before the cut in hours earlier this year, the company said it was planning to partition parts of the store, with separations between the liquor section, coffee and dining areas and the rest of the store. Des Moines residents and analysts have speculated that the moves indicate the store may not be profitable, or as profitable as Hy-Vee would like. It serves a fast-growing downtown population estimated at 11,000 or more people. But the loss of downtown workers in the wake of the COVID-19 work-from-home movement is a countercurrent to that trend. Nationwide Mutual Insurance, among other employers, has reduced its downtown footprint. And Wells Fargo, once the Des Moines metro's largest employer, has moved many of its employees from three downtown Des Moines buildings to its West Des Moines campus as it faces headwinds in its locally based home mortgage business. Story continues Lacking sufficient office tenants, the owners of two major downtown office buildings, Two Ruan Center and the Financial Center, in recent months have announced their intention to convert some or all of their floors to residential use. And the effect of reduced daytime retail customer traffic is apparent in the closures this year of Kum & Go's downtown walk-up store and the Walgreens on Walnut Street, a departure that marked the end of that chain's nearly centurylong presence downtown. Cedar Rapids councilman says Hy-Vee's planned closure 'feels like abandonment' While Hy-Vee sought to cut operating hours at its downtown Hy-Vee store, it's going even further with three other in-town Iowa stores, announcing plans to close locations in Cedar Rapids, Davenport and Waterloo. As with the downtown Des Moines store, Hy-Vee in 2002 got a city incentive package to build a new store in a Cedar Rapids neighborhood on the edge of downtown. The city kicked in $975,000, or 27% of the total cost, for the chain to replace an older store there and preserve residents' access to fresh food. The store, which will cease operating June 23, serves two neighborhoods that the U.S. Department of Agriculture designates as low-income, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette. "Unfortunately, these locations have not met our financial expectations over the past several years," Potthoff said in a statement about the planned closures. Cedar Rapids City Councilman Dale Todd, left, with his son, center, and former Cedar Rapids Mayor Lee Clancy at the grand opening of a Hy-Vee store at 1556 First Ave. N.E. in 2002. The store is now closing. Cedar Rapids City Council member Dale Todd, who helped negotiate the incentive package for the Cedar Rapids store, told the Corridor Business Journal that Hy-Vee's decision blindsided city officials and would hurt some of the city's most vulnerable residents. We understand the challenges and complexities of running a business in an inner-city neighborhood and we are sensitive to their need to make money, but instead of working with us to address the inherent challenges, this feels like abandonment and a run for the suburbs, Todd told the publication. He provided a 2001 development agreement to the Register that said "a full-service grocery store is considered an essential element required to sustain a viable residential neighborhood." Cedar Rapids City Councilman Dale Todd, fourth from right, at the grand opening of a Hy-Vee store at 1556 First Ave. N.E. in 2002. Full-size grocery stores catalysts for downtown growth, proponents say The demographics of downtown Des Moines, with its pricey condos and apartments, are different from those in the Cedar Rapids neighborhoods. But the desire for a grocery store there had a similar motivation: to make the neighborhood more sustainable. Securing the downtown Hy-Vee, which opened in 2017, was seen as a major coup for Des Moines, which spent decades and hundreds of millions turning the area once jokingly called "Dead Moines" into a vibrant city center with a round-the-clock population. "Downtown is not just a business district. It's not just a cultural center. It's also a neighborhood. That means you need the full range of amenities that people expect in a neighborhood," council member Josh Mandelbaum, whose Ward 3 includes downtown, said of the store's importance after the unannounced hours cut in February. In the years before Hy-Vee's opening, other downtown grocers came and went. Riverbend Trading Co., a 3,000-square-foot store at 208 Court Ave., operated only about six months, from July 2007 to January 2008. A pair of predecessors also failed to thrive. Fourth Street Grocery opened in 1996. The 1,600-square-foot store at 210 Fourth St., which had a meat department and a deli and sold fresh fruits and vegetables, closed in the early 2000s. Village Market at 325 E. Fifth St. tried its hand in May 2007 but, like Riverbend, closed just six months later. Des Moines sought to solve the problem with public investment: a $3.3 million rebate on the city-owned land for the supermarket chain and building owner Knapp Properties and a share of the taxes the Hy-Vee store and its upstairs apartments generate. Des Moines isn't alone in using public dollars to try to obtain a downtown market. Similar to Hy-Vee, the Meijer grocery chain, known for its Walmart-sized superstores, opened the smaller-scale Bridge Street Market in 2018 in downtown Grand Rapids, its headquarters city. According to mlive.com, it received a large municipal financial commitment of $13.2 million in tax increment financing and a $6.3 million low-interest loan to build the 37,000-square-foot store, almost the same size as Hy-Vees 36,000-square-foot downtown location. Bridge Street Market in Grand Rapids, Michigan. A memo from the Michigan Strategic Fund Board said Bridge Street Market was critical to attracting more residents to downtown Grand Rapids. "It is expected that a full-service grocery store in the downtown will be a significant catalyst," the memo said. "Access to fresh food and staple grocery items is a key criteria to a large segment of the population when making choices about residential options." Bridge Street Market in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kroger likewise got a large pot of financial incentives when it opened a 45,000-square-foot downtown store in its hometown of Cincinnati in 2019. Kevin Ketels, a Wayne State University of logistics professor, told the Cincinnati Enquirer a supermarket was critical for continued urban growth. There are certain assets every community needs to keep attracting new families and residents: a supermarket is one of them, Ketels said. Its one of those fundamental elements to keep growing and existing. Some downtown grocery stores thrive, but many others struggle Some downtown stores have thrived, including independent grocers like Cosentino's Market in the Power & Light District in Kansas City, Missouri. It opened its 33,000-square-foot location in 2009. At the time, Michael Hurd, then a spokesperson for the Kansas City Downtown Council, told the Kansas City Star that the store marked an important milestone for Kansas City. "The No. 1 amenity downtown residents and downtown employees ask for is a grocery," Hurd told the Star in 2009. "It's been a missing piece for a long time and a big step for the ongoing revitalization of downtown." Likewise, Wohlner's Neighborhood Grocery & Deli opened in 2010 in Midtown Crossing, a 16-acre mixed-use development in Omaha, Nebraska. It's in a booming part of central Omaha about a mile from the growing University of Nebraska Medical Center campus. "From the beginning we felt that having a grocery store ... was critical to the success of the development," Jim Nolan, a spokesperson for Mutual of Omaha, which bankrolled the project, told the Omaha World-Herald in 2009. But other projects have run into trouble. In April 2023 Whole Foods closed a 65,000-square-foot store in downtown San Francisco after just a year in business because of safety concerns, according to the San Francisco Chronicle and ABC News. In September 2022 Rorys Market + Kitchen, a small Northeastern chain, opened in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. About a year later the store closed for personal reasons, according to The Providence Journal. And in Buffalo, New York, the citys Common Council gave downtown independent grocer Braymiller Market a $563,000 forgivable loan last July because the store needed operating capital to stay in business. Nonprofit news outlet the Investigative Post reported that the Braymiller Market cost $6.9 million to build but got $8.3 million in tax breaks before it opened in 2021. It said that together, the store and a neighboring apartment project got $58.9 million in subsidies and tax credits. Yet residents at the neighboring complex have complained that they cannot shop at the store because of its high prices, according to The Buffalo News. Rory's Market in Providence, Rhode Island. Full Court Press co-owner Andy Massoth ran the restaurant company's River Bend Trading Co. venture in Des Moines in the building that now houses the group's Royal Mile Pub. He said it went under after shoppers balked at its high prices. Residents told him that if they had a car they drove to bigger nearby stores where groceries cost less. "We thought that downtown residents would be so grateful that we did this that they would go out of their way to support us," Massoth said. "They want the store downtown if they live downtown, but theyre not going to do a lot of their shopping there," he said. How are urban stores different from suburban stores? The problem, Lempert said, is that urban and suburban stores operate on different models. At urban stores people shop more often, but purchase fewer things, Lempert said. At suburban stores the reverse is true: Customers buy more, but shop less often. "In an urban store people are looking for convenience," Lempert said. "Theyre looking to get in and out." Downtown Neighborhood Association President Brandon Brown shops weekly at the Court Avenue Hy-Vee, but hears from residents who, as Massoth complained, say they shop there only for the items they need the most because they believe prices at the store are higher than in other supermarkets. "The downtown Hy-Vee is often seen as a location to go pick up essentials that are not necessarily in your house at that time," Brown said. Massoth, downtown residents and others said they believe Hy-Vee charges 10% to 20% more for items downtown than at other stores. Potthoff, the Hy-Vee spokesperson, denied that, though exact figures were not available because store managers have wide latitude to set prices. An informal Des Moines Register analysis of 27 randomly selected items at the Court Avenue store and seven other metro stores showed that prices for some items were higher downtown, but lower for others. Downtown resident David Jennings does most of his grocery shopping during monthly trips to Costco, but said he stops by the Court Avenue Hy-Vee two to three times a week, usually to pick up dinner. It is "kind of expensive," Jennings said. Another difference is that urban stores, whether in business districts like Des Moines' or neighborhoods like in Cedar Rapids, pull in more walk-in traffic than suburban stores. But even for many downtown residents, life in Des Moines still revolves around cars, which hurts downtown retailers, said Downtown Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jimmy Olsen. "Were becoming in some ways like bigger cities, but yet were still trying to hold on to the small town stuff," Olsen said. And there are differences in the customer base. Downtown is slowly attracting more families with children, the customer base for suburban stores. But most of the downtown population remains single, childless couples and empty nesters, who don't consume as much and are less likely to cook for themselves. "Depending on the population, if its a single, Gen-Z, millennial population, theyre looking for more exciting things, more exciting foods, more exotic foods," Lempert said. "Things like that attract that generation because its a little different. Its exciting. Its something that they cant get elsewhere. So youve got to keep on doing those kinds of things to get people excited." Des Moines resident is thankful downtown store will, for now, stay intact At a May 6 Des Moines City Council meeting the city allowed Hy-Vee to reduce the hours at the store below what is required by the development agreement for the next two years. It also amended the development agreement to limit the degree to which Hy-Vee could partition sections of the store. Hy-Vee hasn't publicly addressed what will happen after the two years is up. Downtown resident Carol Maher, who attended the meeting when the council signed off on the changes, said she was just pleased that Hy-Vee is keeping the downtown store open. "Thank you to the city for making this a priority and working hard to keep them downtown for myself and my neighbors," Maher said. "And I hope that the relationship can continue and that we continue to have a good partner for the city." Staff writer Addison Lathers contributed to this article. Philip Joens covers retail and real estate for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184, pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines wanted a downtown grocery store. Why is Hy-Vee struggling? Insiders who bought AU$252.1k worth of Balkan Mining and Minerals Limited's (ASX:BMM) stock at an average buy price of AU$0.16 over the last year may be disappointed by the recent 20% decrease in the stock. This is not good as insiders invest based on expectations that their money will appreciate over time. However, as a result of recent losses, their original investment is now worth only AU$87.8k. While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. See our latest analysis for Balkan Mining and Minerals The Last 12 Months Of Insider Transactions At Balkan Mining and Minerals The Non-Executive Chairman Karl Simich made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$170k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.17 each. So it's clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price than the current share price (being AU$0.057). While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. To us, it's very important to consider the price insiders pay for shares. It is generally more encouraging if they paid above the current price, as it suggests they saw value, even at higher levels. Balkan Mining and Minerals insiders may have bought shares in the last year, but they didn't sell any. You can see a visual depiction of insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last 12 months, below. If you click on the chart, you can see all the individual transactions, including the share price, individual, and the date! There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying. Balkan Mining and Minerals Insiders Bought Stock Recently We saw some Balkan Mining and Minerals insider buying shares in the last three months. MD & Director Ross Cotton bought AU$22k worth of shares in that time. It's great to see that insiders are only buying, not selling. But in this case the amount purchased means the recent transaction may not be very meaningful on its own. Insider Ownership For a common shareholder, it is worth checking how many shares are held by company insiders. I reckon it's a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. Balkan Mining and Minerals insiders own about AU$1.1m worth of shares. That equates to 26% of the company. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. Story continues So What Does This Data Suggest About Balkan Mining and Minerals Insiders? Insider purchases may have been minimal, in the last three months, but there was no selling at all. The net investment is not enough to encourage us much. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Insiders own shares in Balkan Mining and Minerals and we see no evidence to suggest they are worried about the future. So these insider transactions can help us build a thesis about the stock, but it's also worthwhile knowing the risks facing this company. Be aware that Balkan Mining and Minerals is showing 5 warning signs in our investment analysis, and 4 of those are significant... But note: Balkan Mining and Minerals may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with high ROE and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. On May 16, 2024, Todd Nightingale, the Chief Executive Officer of Fastly Inc (NYSE:FSLY), executed a significant transaction by selling 65,447 shares of the company. The sale was documented in an SEC Filing. This transaction is part of a broader pattern where the insider has sold a total of 472,618 shares over the past year, without any recorded purchases. Fastly Inc (NYSE:FSLY) is a technology company that specializes in edge cloud platform services. These services include content delivery, internet security, and distributed computing solutions. The company aims to enhance digital experiences and support real-time data processing across various industries. On the date of the transaction, shares of Fastly Inc were priced at $8.84, resulting in a market cap of approximately $1.20 billion. This valuation reflects the broader market's assessment of the company's worth. The sale by the insider occurs in a context where Fastly Inc has experienced a total of 83 insider sells over the past year, with no insider buys recorded during the same period. This trend might be significant for investors tracking insider behaviors as an indicator of company performance and outlook. Regarding valuation, Fastly Inc's current stock price compared to the GF Value suggests a price-to-GF-Value ratio of 0.48, indicating that the stock might be undervalued. The GF Value, set at $18.24, is derived from historical trading multiples, an adjustment factor based on past performance, and future business performance estimates. The following images provide additional insights into the insider transaction trends and the GF Value assessment: Insider Sale: CEO Todd Nightingale Sells 65,447 Shares of Fastly Inc (FSLY) Insider Sale: CEO Todd Nightingale Sells 65,447 Shares of Fastly Inc (FSLY) Investors and analysts often monitor insider transactions as they can provide valuable insights into the insider's view of the company's future prospects. The recent sale by Todd Nightingale might prompt stakeholders to further analyze the reasons behind this move and its implications for the company's future. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Matt Zmigrosky, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer of Diamondback Energy Inc (NASDAQ:FANG), sold 6,000 shares of the company on May 17, 2024. The transaction was filed on the same day through an SEC Filing. Over the past year, the insider has sold a total of 19,518 shares and has not purchased any shares. Diamondback Energy Inc is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Midland, Texas. The company focuses on the acquisition, development, exploration, and exploitation of unconventional, onshore oil and natural gas reserves in the Permian Basin in West Texas. On the day of the sale, shares of Diamondback Energy Inc were priced at $198.15, valuing the company with a market cap of approximately $35.28 billion. This pricing places the company's price-earnings ratio at 11.15, which is below both the industry median of 11.645 and the companys historical median. According to the GF Value, the intrinsic value of Diamondback Energy Inc's stock is estimated at $162.67. With the current price of $198.15, the stock is considered Modestly Overvalued with a price-to-GF-Value ratio of 1.22. The GF Value is calculated based on historical trading multiples such as price-earnings ratio, price-sales ratio, price-book ratio, and price-to-free cash flow, adjusted for the companys past performance and estimated future business outcomes. Insider Sale: EVP Matt Zmigrosky Sells 6,000 Shares of Diamondback Energy Inc (FANG) Insider Sale: EVP Matt Zmigrosky Sells 6,000 Shares of Diamondback Energy Inc (FANG) Over the past year, there have been no insider buys and 22 insider sells at Diamondback Energy Inc, indicating a trend where insiders are choosing to sell shares rather than purchase new ones. This recent transaction by the insider further aligns with the observed trend of insider selling within the company, suggesting a consistent pattern in insider trading activities. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Key Insights Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Mynews Holdings Berhad fair value estimate is RM0.74 Mynews Holdings Berhad is estimated to be 24% undervalued based on current share price of RM0.56 Our fair value estimate is 17% higher than Mynews Holdings Berhad's analyst price target of RM0.63 How far off is Mynews Holdings Berhad (KLSE:MYNEWS) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. One way to achieve this is by employing the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow. Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model. See our latest analysis for Mynews Holdings Berhad Is Mynews Holdings Berhad Fairly Valued? We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM44.6m RM64.4m RM75.9m RM49.0m RM59.0m RM56.8m RM55.9m RM55.8m RM56.4m RM57.4m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x4 Analyst x4 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -3.78% Est @ -1.58% Est @ -0.04% Est @ 1.03% Est @ 1.79% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 12% RM39.9 RM51.3 RM54.1 RM31.2 RM33.5 RM28.8 RM25.3 RM22.6 RM20.4 RM18.5 ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM326m The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. For a number of reasons a very conservative growth rate is used that cannot exceed that of a country's GDP growth. In this case we have used the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield (3.6%) to estimate future growth. In the same way as with the 10-year 'growth' period, we discount future cash flows to today's value, using a cost of equity of 12%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2033 (1 + g) (r g) = RM57m (1 + 3.6%) (12% 3.6%) = RM706m Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM706m ( 1 + 12%)10= RM228m The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is RM553m. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of RM0.6, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 24% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind. dcf Important Assumptions We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Mynews Holdings Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 12%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.327. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. SWOT Analysis for Mynews Holdings Berhad Strength Debt is well covered by cash flow. Weakness Interest payments on debt are not well covered. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Specialty Retail market. Shareholders have been diluted in the past year. Opportunity Expected to breakeven next year. Has sufficient cash runway for more than 3 years based on current free cash flows. Good value based on P/S ratio and estimated fair value. Threat No apparent threats visible for MYNEWS. Looking Ahead: Although the valuation of a company is important, it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Mynews Holdings Berhad, we've put together three important aspects you should consider: Risks: As an example, we've found 2 warning signs for Mynews Holdings Berhad that you need to consider before investing here. Future Earnings: How does MYNEWS's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you buy good businesses at attractive prices, your portfolio returns could exceed the average market return. Just take a look at Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad (KLSE:AMWAY), which is up 41%, over three years, soundly beating the market return of 8.4% (not including dividends). So let's investigate and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress. See our latest analysis for Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS). During three years of share price growth, Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad achieved compound earnings per share growth of 35% per year. This EPS growth is higher than the 12% average annual increase in the share price. So it seems investors have become more cautious about the company, over time. We'd venture the lowish P/E ratio of 10.41 also reflects the negative sentiment around the stock. The image below shows how EPS has tracked over time (if you click on the image you can see greater detail). It is of course excellent to see how Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad has grown profits over the years, but the future is more important for shareholders. It might be well worthwhile taking a look at our free report on how its financial position has changed over time. What About Dividends? When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad the TSR over the last 3 years was 73%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return. A Different Perspective It's nice to see that Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 48% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 11% over half a decade, implying that the company is doing better recently. In the best case scenario, this may hint at some real business momentum, implying that now could be a great time to delve deeper. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad (at least 1 which doesn't sit too well with us) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process. Story continues But note: Amway (Malaysia) Holdings Berhad may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Malaysian exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Key Insights The projected fair value for Canadian Utilities is CA$42.15 based on Dividend Discount Model Current share price of CA$31.84 suggests Canadian Utilities is potentially 24% undervalued Our fair value estimate is 22% higher than Canadian Utilities' analyst price target of CA$34.58 How far off is Canadian Utilities Limited (TSE:CU) from its intrinsic value? Using the most recent financial data, we'll take a look at whether the stock is fairly priced by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will use the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model on this occasion. It may sound complicated, but actually it is quite simple! We generally believe that a company's value is the present value of all of the cash it will generate in the future. However, a DCF is just one valuation metric among many, and it is not without flaws. If you still have some burning questions about this type of valuation, take a look at the Simply Wall St analysis model. See our latest analysis for Canadian Utilities What's The Estimated Valuation? As Canadian Utilities operates in the integrated utilities sector, we need to calculate the intrinsic value slightly differently. In this approach dividends per share (DPS) are used, as free cash flow is difficult to estimate and often not reported by analysts. Unless a company pays out the majority of its FCF as a dividend, this method will typically underestimate the value of the stock. The 'Gordon Growth Model' is used, which simply assumes that dividend payments will continue to increase at a sustainable growth rate forever. The dividend is expected to grow at an annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.1%. We then discount this figure to today's value at a cost of equity of 5.8%. Relative to the current share price of CA$31.8, the company appears a touch undervalued at a 24% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent. Value Per Share = Expected Dividend Per Share / (Discount Rate - Perpetual Growth Rate) = CA$1.8 / (5.8% 2.1%) = CA$42.2 dcf The Assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Canadian Utilities as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 5.8%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. Story continues SWOT Analysis for Canadian Utilities Strength No major strengths identified for CU. Weakness Earnings declined over the past year. Interest payments on debt are not well covered. Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Integrated Utilities market. Opportunity Annual earnings are forecast to grow for the next 2 years. Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value. Threat Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow. Dividends are not covered by cash flow. Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the Canadian market. Next Steps: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. Why is the intrinsic value higher than the current share price? For Canadian Utilities, we've put together three fundamental factors you should further examine: Risks: Case in point, we've spotted 2 warning signs for Canadian Utilities you should be aware of, and 1 of them makes us a bit uncomfortable. Future Earnings: How does CU's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Canadian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. From what we can see, insiders were net buyers in Iondrive Limited's (ASX:ION ) during the past 12 months. That is, insiders acquired the stock in greater numbers than they sold it. While insider transactions are not the most important thing when it comes to long-term investing, we do think it is perfectly logical to keep tabs on what insiders are doing. View our latest analysis for Iondrive Iondrive Insider Transactions Over The Last Year The insider Chunyan Niu made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for AU$466k worth of shares at a price of AU$0.02 each. That means that an insider was happy to buy shares at above the current price of AU$0.011. While their view may have changed since the purchase was made, this does at least suggest they have had confidence in the company's future. We always take careful note of the price insiders pay when purchasing shares. As a general rule, we feel more positive about a stock when an insider has bought shares at above current prices, because that suggests they viewed the stock as good value, even at a higher price. The only individual insider to buy over the last year was Chunyan Niu. The chart below shows insider transactions (by companies and individuals) over the last year. If you want to know exactly who sold, for how much, and when, simply click on the graph below! There are plenty of other companies that have insiders buying up shares. You probably do not want to miss this free list of undervalued small cap companies that insiders are buying. Insider Ownership Many investors like to check how much of a company is owned by insiders. Usually, the higher the insider ownership, the more likely it is that insiders will be incentivised to build the company for the long term. Insiders own 17% of Iondrive shares, worth about AU$921k. While this is a strong but not outstanding level of insider ownership, it's enough to indicate some alignment between management and smaller shareholders. So What Does This Data Suggest About Iondrive Insiders? It doesn't really mean much that no insider has traded Iondrive shares in the last quarter. However, our analysis of transactions over the last year is heartening. Overall we don't see anything to make us think Iondrive insiders are doubting the company, and they do own shares. So while it's helpful to know what insiders are doing in terms of buying or selling, it's also helpful to know the risks that a particular company is facing. For example - Iondrive has 6 warning signs we think you should be aware of. Story continues If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt. For the purposes of this article, insiders are those individuals who report their transactions to the relevant regulatory body. We currently account for open market transactions and private dispositions of direct interests only, but not derivative transactions or indirect interests. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. In a sharp reversal, Israel said Tuesday it would return camera and broadcast equipment it had seized from the Associated Press in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on Tuesday after the action prompted swift backlash from US officials and press groups. In a statement late Tuesday, Israels Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi said that he has ordered that the equipment be returned to the AP news agency, because the Israeli Ministry of Defense requested to re-examine the matter of broadcasts from sensitive locations and their effect on the risk of our forces. Earlier in the day, the Associated Press said Israeli authorities had shut down its live camera feed showing Gaza and seized its equipment in what it decried as an abusive use by the Israeli government of the countrys new foreign broadcasters law. The Associated Press decries in the strongest terms the actions of the Israeli government, the non-profit news collective said in a statement. We urge the Israeli authorities to return our equipment and enable us to reinstate our live feed immediately so we can continue to provide this important visual journalism to thousands of media outlets around the world. Karhi said that the AP feed was cut and equipment seized because the AP was providing Al Jazeera with content after the Qatari-based network was banned in the country. The Israeli military regularly classifies areas around Gaza as closed military zones, restricting movement there. The APs live feed provided a view of actions in Gaza, where no independent journalists are able to operate because of Israeli and Egyptian restrictions on entry to the strip. The Israeli governments decision to return broadcasting equipment to the AP came after the White House expressed concerns to the Netanyahu-led government, a White House official told CNN. As soon as we learned about the reports, the White House and the State Department immediately engaged with the Government of Israel at high levels to express our serious concern and ask them to reverse this action, which they have publicly committed to do, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson told CNN. The free press is an essential pillar of democracy and members of the media, including AP, do vital work that must be respected. The Associated Press applauded the Israeli Ministry of Communications decision to return its equipment but said it remained concerned about the law at the center of the action. While we are pleased with this development, we remain concerned about the Israeli governments use of the foreign broadcaster law and the ability of independent journalists to operate freely in Israel. Story continues Earlier, the Foreign Press Association voiced its alarm about the shutdown and confiscation. Israels move today is a slippery slope. Israel could block other international news agencies from providing live footage of Gaza. It also could allow Israel to block media coverage of virtually any news event on vague security grounds, the FPA said in a statement. The move comes weeks after Israel shut down Al Jazeeras operations in the country, raiding the news outlets offices and seizing its communication equipment, prompting swift condemnation from the United Nations and rights groups over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus moves to restrict press freedoms. The law approved by Israels parliament last month gives the prime minister and the communications minister the authority to temporarily order the closure of foreign networks operating in Israel that are deemed a threat to national security. News organizations could be banned for a 45-day period, although the government can renew the ban for additional 45-day periods. The law itself is also technically temporary and will expire on July 31 or earlier if an emergency declaration due to the war is canceled. Several legal challenges to the law are pending in Israeli courts. The Israeli Supreme Court recently declined to issue an emergency injunction against the law filed by The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, although a hearing is expected to be held on the challenge by June 6. The group said in its petition filed in early April that the law violates freedom of expression, the right to information and freedom of the press, and tramples on the principles of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary, since it includes an override clause that prevents the court from overturning an illegal decision. Another legal challenge has been filed in the Tel Aviv District Court. In an earlier statement, Karhi had accused the AP of violating its new law by providing a feed to its thousands of news clients, including Al Jazeera. The confiscated equipment included a camera, tripod, two microphones and transmission equipment, the statement said. The press freedom group Reporters Without Borders condemned Israels decision to seize the equipment. After having banned Al Jazeera, Israel is lashing out at the AP, it said in a statement. RSF denounces the seizure of the news outlets camera and the interruption of the continuous feed that films Gaza under the pretext that these images are supplying, among others, Al Jazeera. The Union of Israeli Journalists also condemned the act, calling it a serious threat to press freedom and democracy. Israel opposition leader Yair Lapid also denounced the seizure as an act of madness. This is not Al Jazeera, this is an American media outlet that has won 53 Pulitzer Prizes, he said in a statement. This government behaves as if it has decided to make sure at any cost that Israel will be outcast all over the world. They went mad. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com Ms Yellen said a failure to respond in 'a united way' would threaten factories around the world - AP/Jose Luis Magana The EU must join the US in cracking down on Chinese green exports or risk factory closures, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned. Ms Yellen told an audience in Frankfurt that Brussels needed to follow the US and restrict a flood of cheap Chinese green tech. A failure to respond to the surge of low-cost electric vehicles and solar panels in a united way would threaten factories around the world, the Treasury secretary said. Chinas overproduction outpacing demand would also harm the industrial development of emerging market countries, she warned. Addressing an audience that included Germanys finance minister, Ms Yellen said: Chinas industrial policy may seem remote as we sit here in this room, but if we do not respond strategically, and in the united way, the viability of businesses in both our countries and around the world could be at risk. She added: Support to low and middle-income countries and to workers around the world is essential for the strength of the global economy. The message from Washington comes after the US last week ramped up tariffs on Chinese clean energy exports in a bid to shield industry in crucial blue-collar states ahead of the election. President Biden has accused Beijing of unfairly subsidising Chinese electric car makers - Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg President Biden has accused Beijing of unfairly subsidising Chinese electric vehicle makers and other green industries, undercutting American competitors on price. Chinese electric vehicles will face tariffs as high as 100pc as a result of the recent tightening in policy. Solar products, semiconductors, battery parts and steel are also among the goods facing steep new import taxes. It comes after Ms Yellen during a trip to China in April warned Beijing that the US would not stand by idly while it flooded the global market with cheap exports. European leaders have signalled they prefer a less aggressive approach that would avoid restricting global trade. Instead of tariffs, Brussels has opted for several probes into the role of Chinese state subsidies in green industries. The investigations have sparked anger in Beijing but the bloc has insisted they are aligned with World Trade Organisation rules. Ms Yellen rejected accusations that the US was seeking to sever ties with China and suggested it was moving towards friend-shoring by shifting supply chains into countries it is allied with. She said: We do not seek to decouple. We seek to diversify. The Treasury Secretary also warned that China dominates the supply of critical mineral supply chains for materials like copper, cobalt and nickel. Ms Yellen was speaking ahead of the G7 meetings taking place in Italy at the end of this week. Story continues She said she would be pushing G7 finance leaders to agree to plan for using the income derived from frozen Russian sovereign assets to provide a larger loan to Ukraine. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 3 months with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Kenya is currently in negotiations with Saudi Aramco to secure a floating LPG facility, reported Bloomberg. This move by President William Ruto's administration aims to increase the supply and lower fuel costs in Kenya. According to state-owned Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) CEO Joe Sang, the floating LPG ship, due to be situated off Mombasa's port, is expected to process 30,000 tonnes of fuel and will temporarily serve as a storage and bottling plant. The interim LPG facility is set to strengthen the gas supply chain as Kenya commences the construction of a permanent LPG plant, which is anticipated to take three years to complete. Within the next two months, Kenya will issue tenders for the construction of this permanent facility, Sang revealed during an interview in Kigali, Rwanda. This initiative is part of President Ruto's commitment to reduce the cost of cooking gas, which includes a 2023 pledge to cut the price of a 6kg cylinder by approximately 90%. As part of the agreement with Aramco, Kenya will construct a 4km pipeline connecting the LPG facility to a terminal for docking ships. Additionally, KPC has entered into a transport and storage agreement with Uganda National Oil Company. Starting from June, KPC will handle the transportation of Uganda's oil, procured directly through Vitol Group, as stated by Sang. The two nations are also considering the possibility of extending a fuel pipeline from Eldoret in Kenya to Kampala in Uganda. In a separate development, Aramco has signed a contract with Pasqal, a neutral atom quantum computing company, to set up the first quantum computer in Saudi Arabia. This agreement involves the installation, maintenance and operation of a 200-qubit quantum computer, set to be deployed in the second half of 2025. Additionally, in 2023, Aramco's Wa'ed Ventures participated in Pasqal's Series B funding round. "Kenya negotiating with Saudi Aramco for floating LPG facility " was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. icon Semafor Signals Supported by Microsoft logo Insights from The Wilson Centers Brazil Institute, El Tiempo, and Nikkei Asia Arrow Down Title icon The News Mexico, Chile, and Brazil have raised tariffs even doubling in some cases on Chinese steel to protect domestic firms. The new duties come after domestic firms announced massive layoffs due to lack of demand. Chinas government and private companies have poured cash into latin America, with projects growing by 33% between 2018 and 2023 and the flow is unlikely to stop despite the protectionist measures. China sends billions of dollars worth of steel to the region, but for China, its so small a market that the new tariffs minimize the risk of irking Beijing. icon SIGNALS Semafor Signals: Global insights on today's biggest stories. Colombia mulls environmental impact of steel tariffs Source icon Source: El Tiempo Colombia is debating whether to tax Chinese steel, too. Acerias Pazdelrio, one of the countrys largest steel producers, told El Tiempo that imports of steel to Colombia have increased by 45%. The company estimated it would have to lay off about 20,000 employees if Chinese steel stays cheap. Domestically produced steel could also be better for the environment because Colombia has worked hard to make steel mills more efficient: Colombian mills, on average, produce 0.66 tons of greenhouse gas per ton of steel, compared to 2.1 tons by Chinese firms, according to the Colombian Committee of Steel Producers. Brazil needs bottom-up intervention to stay competitive Source icon Source: The Wilson Center Despite having some of the best deposits of iron ore and advancing its manufacturing capabilities, Brazilian steel has little chance of competing with Chinese competitors without tariffs, Bruna Santos, director of the Wilson Centers Brazil Institute, told Semafor. Protectionist economic policy is rising across the globe, not just wealth countries, she said. But tariffs are just one measure: Brazilian steel firms need to boost investment in innovation and technology that could help reduce costs. Companies should also work on product diversification to create market niches that are less vulnerable to the current price competition, Santos said. Chinese EV exports to Latin America surge Source icon Sources: Nikkei Asia, Investor Place As both the US and Latin America expand tariffs on Chinese steel and other goods, Chinese EV makers like BYD are rushing exports into the region before the duties take effect, Nikkei Asia reported. BYD exports increased 150% in the first quarter, with 16% of shipments bound for Brazil, according to company data. They will arrive before Brazils new 18% tariffs on Chinese EVs goes into effect, analysts said. Meanwhile, Chinese EV makers are rushing parts to Mexico: BYDs proposed factory there could help the company enter the US market without duties. But future steel tariffs could also raise costs for BYD in Mexico, and the Biden administration is mulling additional tariffs for Chinese EVS made there. Semafor Logo JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) After failing in several U.S. states this year, global chemical manufacturer Bayer said Tuesday that it plans to amplify efforts to create a legal shield against a proliferation of lawsuits alleging it failed to warn that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer. Bayer, which disputes the cancer claims, has been hit with about 170,000 lawsuits involving its Roundup weedkiller and has set aside $16 billion to settle cases. But the company contends the legal fight is not sustainable and is looking to state lawmakers for relief. Bayer lobbied for legislation that could have blocked a central legal argument this year in Missouri, Iowa and Idaho home, respectively, to its North America crop science division, a Roundup manufacturing facility and the mines from which its key ingredient is derived. Though bills passed at least one chamber in Iowa and Missouri, they ultimately failed in all three states. But Bayer plans a renewed push during next year's legislative sessions and may expand efforts elsewhere. This is bigger than just those states, and its bigger than just Bayer," said Jess Christiansen, head of Bayer's crop science and sustainability communications. This is really about the crop protection tools that farmers need to secure production. Many U.S. farmers rely on Roundup, which was introduced 50 years ago as a more efficient way to control weeds and reduce tilling and soil erosion. For crops including corn, soybeans and cotton, its designed to work with genetically modified seeds that resist Roundups deadly effect. The lawsuits allege Roundup's key ingredient, glyphosate, causes a cancer called non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Though some studies associate glyphosate with cancer, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said it is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used as directed. The legislation backed by Bayer would protect pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn their products could cause cancer if their labels otherwise comply with EPA regulations. Some lawmakers have raised concerns that if the lawsuits persist, Bayer could pull Roundup from the U.S. market, forcing famers to turn to alternatives from China. Christiansen said Bayer has made no decisions about Roundup's future but "will eventually have to do something different if we cant get some consistency and some path forward around the litigation industry. Bayer's most recent quarterly report shows that it shed more than 1,500 employees, reducing its worldwide employment to about 98,000. Bayer submitted a notice to Iowa that 28 people would be laid off starting Wednesday at its facility in Muscatine. Story continues The Iowa layoffs are not a direct result of the failure of the protective legislation, Christiansen said, but are part of a global restructuring amid multiple headwinds, which include litigation. Bayer has bankrolled a new coalition of agriculture groups that has run TV, radio, newspaper and billboard ads backing protective legislation for pesticide producers. The campaign has especially targeted Missouri, where most of the roughly 57,000 still active legal claims are pending. Missouri was the headquarters of Roundup's original manufacturer, Monsanto, which Bayer acquired in 2018. Legal experts say protective legislation is unlikely to affect existing lawsuits. But it could limit future claims. The annual deadline to pass legislation in Missouri expired last Friday. Though a Bayer-backed bill cleared the Republican-led House and a Senate committee, it never got debated by the full GOP-led Senate, which was mired in unrelated tensions. If the legislation is revived next year, it could face resistance from senators concerned about limiting peoples constitutional right to a jury trial to resolve disputes. I support farmers, but I also think they need due process, said Republican state Sen. Jill Carter, who voted against the legislation this year in the Senate agriculture committee. Martinns / iStock/Getty Images In some cases, knowing the states law and understanding your partners financial habits can be equally important for your financial health. Depending on where you live, married couples are liable for their spouses debt. Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin are community property states, meaning youre on the hook for their financial woes if acquired during the marriage. Check Out: Im a Bank Teller: 9 Reasons You Should Never Ask for $2 Bills From the Bank Read Next: 4 Genius Things All Wealthy People Do With Their Money Community Property States If you reside in one of the nine community property states, its important and empowering to understand the basics of separate and community property. This knowledge can help you navigate potential financial challenges and protect your assets. Community property is defined as essentially everything that spouses own together, per Trust & Will. In essence, its anything thats acquired during a marriage. A community property state determines all property, earnings (and debts!) that accumulated during a marriage are equal amongst two people. That includes student loans, medical bills, and gambling debt that was acquired during the marriage, according to the legal website Nolo.com. It Matters When the Debt Incurred In community property states, the couple is responsible for the debt, even if only one spouse signed the paperwork. Because the key is during the marriage, it matters when the debt was incurred, per Nolo.com. For instance, if your spouse incurred a credit card debt while single, it wont automatically become a joint debt if you get married. Why? Because a spouse is responsible for credit card debt incurred during the marriage, but not before. Inheritances and Property If you owned property before marriage or received an inheritance, keep it separate if youre concerned about the money becoming community property. Gifts and inheritances received by one spouseand separate property owned before the marriageremain separate and are the respective property of one spouse alone, according to Nolo.com. However, a court could consider a gift or inheritance community property if added to a joint bank account. Creditors Can Come After Both Spouses Creditors will pursue both spouses for unpaid debt. Suppose a business owners name isnt on the spouses boat title, Nolo.com explained on their site. In most community property states, that wont stop a business creditor from suing in court to take the boat to pay off the business owners debts if the boat was purchased with community and not separate funds. Story continues How To Keep Assets Separate Learn More: 8 Rare Coins Worth Millions That Are Highly Coveted by Coin Collectors In order to treat debts and income separately, married couples in community property states can sign pre- or postnuptial agreements. That said, A contract between you and your spouse only wont affect whether a creditor can pursue you for debt (they still can), per Nolo.com. It really only impacts property and debt division upon divorce. More From GOBankingRates This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How You May Be on the Hook for Your Spouses Debt Payment solutions provider, Mint, has teamed up with S2M as part of its expansion plans. Specifically, Mint has embarked on a long-term partnership with S2M to introduce a modular core banking platform that prioritises API-first architecture, cloud-agnostic capabilities, and high configurability. Abdulrazzaq Al Abdullah, Chairman & CEO of Mint Group said: The companys focus under this partnership is on moving towards advancing financial inclusion and digital transformation. This enhances the lives of underserved individuals and Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the region. In collaboration with S2M, the company has taken a significant stride to a mission to establish innovative digital banking services. It aims to deliver cutting-edge solutions that reduce the cost of living for individuals and drive economic growth for businesses. Shared values of customer-centricity and flexibility Mint picked S2M as partner on the basis of shared values of customer-centricity, flexibility, and their result-oriented track record. Under this collaboration, existing financial solution systems will be revamped with the latest cloud-native electronic payment technologies of S2M. Mohamed Amarti, Executive Vice President at S2M added: This collaboration aims to provide flexible solutions that instil confidence, trust, and comfort ensuring seamless integration and empowering users with innovative banking experiences. 1 million SMEs in the UAE by 2030 According to EY, there were 557,000 SMEs in 2022, with approximately 366,000 SMEs in the mainland. This is expected to grow to one million SMEs in the UAE by 2030. SMEs contribute 63.5% to the non-oil GDP and represent 94.4% of companies operating in the UAE. 85% of the underserved SMEs (mainland) represent the potential addressable market for Mint. EY's study reveals that 62% of SMEs express a need for faster credit. 72% are interested in trusted advisory services, 75% desire swift digital onboarding, and 75% want their providers to excel in the basics. Similarly, from the retail perspective, the UAE boasts a vibrant population. Yet a significant portion struggles to access financial services across a fragmented ecosystem of FIs. With a population of 10 million in 2022, approximately 65% are part of the workforce, of which 5.8 million represent Mint's target market for advancing financial inclusion through hyper-personalised offerings. Of the seven million bank customers, a mere two million have access to credit facilities, with a stark absence of innovative credit models. Mint's research has identified key challenges facing the industry, include fragmented products and services, inconsistent processes, high costs to banks, insufficient advisory services, and limited access to credit facilities. Mint says it is poised to address these challenges and reimagine the way it provides services, offering add-on services that meet evolving needs. Story continues "Mint partners with S2M to transform UAE financial services landscape" was originally created and published by Electronic Payments International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran says a potential Boeing buyback of Spirit AeroSystems makes sense as long as it doesnt jeopardize the burgeoning defense work being done in Wichita. No deal has been reached between the two companies yet, but on Capitol Hill last week, Moran expressed concern that Spirits defense programs and the employees who work on them could get lost in the shuffle of a Boeing acquisition. My assumption is that Boeing is almost exclusively interested in this for commercial manufacturing, and yet, in the absence of Spirit AeroSystems, we lose a lot of defense capabilities, Moran said during a Senate Appropriation subcommittee hearing. On Monday, after touring Spirits south Wichita plant, Moran sought to clarify his position. Most of the conversations taking place about this merger or acquisition has been about Boeing and the needs of the commercial side and the amount of work that Spirit does on fuselages for Boeing. All that makes sense actually to me that it would be combined into one entity, Moran told reporters. But what I want to make sure doesnt happen is, in that process, it cannot be forgotten that Spirit also has about 2,000 employees who do defense work for companies other than Boeing. Boeing does contract with Spirit on two defense programs the KC-46A refueling tanker aircraft and P-8A Poseidon, a military-specific derivative of the 737. Other high-profile defense programs at Spirit include the Bell Helicopter V-280 and the Lockheed Martin-Sikorsky CH-53K helicopter. In its first quarter financial report, Spirit reported a 33% year-over-year rise in its defense and space revenue. As this conversation takes place and negotiations occur, we need to make certain other companies who do business with Spirit still have the opportunity to continue to have those services provided and manufacturing occurring in Wichita, Moran said. Oversight The senators visit to Spirit came days after the company announced it plans to lay off between 400 and 450 production employees working on commercial programs. 737 MAX fuselages have piled up in Wichita in recent months as Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing inspectors check Spirit employees work. The extra layer of oversight is a response to the Jan. 5 in-flight emergency when a door plug initially installed by Spirit blew out of an Alaska Airlines plane. Ive had conversations with the FAA administrator indicating that there is no future for aviation in Wichita or in this country if its not safe. Safety has got to be the priority, Moran said. Americans have to feel safe flying, have to know when they get on a plane that theyre going to be safe and secure. But lets make sure theres no sort of unnecessary hindrance towards getting this workforce back to work and planes coming off the line. Story continues Moran said he anticipates FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker will make a decision in early June about whether or not to lift the cap on 737 MAX production. The cap is currently set at 38 planes per month, but Spirit has said it expects to maintain its current delivery rate of 31 fuselages per month through the end of the year. Moran said while he was at the facility, he asked employees what they thought of Boeing and Spirit potentially being reintegrated after almost 20 years as separate companies. Boeing sold its Wichita commercial plant, which became Spirit, in 2005. My take on my conversations with employees at Spirit, almost none of whom have ever worked for Boeing before its a younger generation than the ones who were here in 2005 and 2006, Moran said. But I think they see this as a way of stabilizing Spirit, of providing additional financial resources for Spirit to be successful. And just kind of a common sense thing where were doing the work for Boeing. Why wouldnt it make sense for us to be one company? CHICAGO Its been four years since the COVID-19 outbreak led to a rise in remote work. Now, even though the public health crisis has diminished, the work from home trend shows no signs of slowing, pushing downtown office vacancies higher. We just dont have the same number of people working in the Loop as before, said Dan McMillen, a real estate professor at University of Illinois Chicago. Experts say there was hope that by now more workers would have returned to the office full-time. But a growing glut of empty space remains a fact of life in the Loop. So, you have in this market now a really big mismatch between the supply for office space and the demand for office space, said Farzin Parang, executive director of Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago. Until that meets somewhere in the middle its going to cause a lot of pain for people all over the city. At the end of March, the total downtown office vacancy rate jumped to 25.1 percent, a new record high, according to data from real estate firm CBRE. More from Investigates: Seller beware! Merchant left with $40K bill after credit card fraud The rate has climbed steadily since the end of 2018, when it stood at 13.4 percent. Parang is among those who believe it could continue to increase. The sector goes through cycles, but this is not like other cycles, he said. I really think its that tale of two cities, said Kelsey Scheive, senior vice president in the Chicago office of CBRE. Everyone says flight for quality. For me, its that flight to experience. Scheive notes companies are still leasing space at so-called trophy towers, or newer buildings filled with amenities such as restaurants and fitness centers. But some older properties, which have workspaces but no play spaces, struggle to retain and attract tenants. Recently, Mayor Brandon Johnson backed a plan to repurpose four vacant office buildings in the citys financial district to include 1,000 units of housing 300 of which would be affordable. The plan for one of the vacant buildings, at 111 W. Monroe, consists of 345 housing units and a 200-room hotel. Veteran developers Quintin Primo III and Michael Reschke are behind the $202 million project, which also includes 105 affordable housing units. We will activate this [space] with people, with activity, which will generate revenue and taxes and vibrancy, said Primo. WGN Investigates: Investigating public corruption, crime & fraud On a normal day, before [the COVID-19 pandemic], we had 700-to-800-thousand people come and work and thrive downtown in the Loop, said Reschke. Now, its probably half that level on Tuesday through Thursday. On Monday and Friday, maybe a quarter of that level. That vibrancy is missing. Story continues Theres hope the LaSalle Street projects will help restore some of that vibrancy, in part by increasing the number of people living in the Loop. But not everyone views the plan as a long-term solution, believing City Halls focus should be on growing the business base versus replacing empty offices with housing. I dont see it as a magic bullet, said McMillen. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGN-TV. China scales up support for clinical trials, accelerating drug development Xinhua) 08:30, May 21, 2024 BEIJING, May 20 (Xinhua) -- China is scaling up support for clinical trials of drugs, contributing to the acceleration of its new drug development, according to an official at a related event on Monday, which was the 20th Clinical Trials Day. In recent years, the National Health Commission (NHC) has been supporting demonstration clinical trial research platforms for various diseases nationwide, and has worked with other government departments to continuously improve the regulatory system for clinical research, according to NHC official Gu Jinhui. A total of 3,358 clinical trials of drugs were registered in China in 2021, 3,410 in 2022, and 4,300 in 2023, indicating continuous growth, according to an industry report. The Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has conducted over 4,700 clinical studies since it initiated the country's first clinical study of a new cancer drug in 1960. According to statistics, 184 cancer drugs have been successful in reaching the market through the hospital's clinical research, accounting for more than 70 percent of all domestically produced cancer drugs. The hospital was the first in the country to establish an outpatient clinic specifically for clinical trials of new drugs, said Zhang Yong, an official of the National Cancer Center. He noted that over 500 clinical trials are currently open to patients, covering various cancer types, including lung cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer and liver cancer. Clinical trials are systematic experiments conducted on human subjects to determine the safety and efficacy of drugs and therapies, and they are crucial to the advancement of health care services. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) SOPA Images/Getty Images AI investment is about more than just GPUs. Power companies have also dominated, Bank of America says. The firm notes that Vertiv, which makes power and cooling equipment for data centers, has beaten Nvidia by 315% over the past year. The performance represents a broadening-out of the AI trade to include utility, industrial, and commodity companies. Nvidia remains a kingpin trade amid the artificial intelligence frenzy, but investors too narrowly focused on GPU chips have missed out on an even more lucrative opportunity. In a new note, Bank of America notes that stock gains for Vertiv which makes power and cooling equipment for data center have outpaced Nvidia returns by a whopping 315 percentage points over the past year. They're starting the comparison on May 24, 2023, right after Nvidia's first blowout quarter, which set off the entire AI boom in stocks. To be exact, Vertiv has climbed 516% since the date, handily outpacing Nvidia's 211% gain. The benchmark S&P 500 has risen a comparatively paltry 29% over the same period. "Vertiv is the real AI darling," BofA wrote in a client note. Bank of America BofA says Vertiv's stellar performance is representative of the AI rally broadening out to include an increasing range of sectors. Much of that stems from the advanced chips that power AI on such as the ones Nvidia produces requiring significantly more electricity to operate. That offers upside to industrials, utilities, and commodities, according to the firm. "GPUs need 2-2.5x more power than CPUs, and expected power usage for US data centers under construction is equivalent to more than 50% of the power currently used by US data centers," Bank of America wrote on Monday. "Power used by AI applications is expected to grow at a 25-33% CAGR over the next few years." Bank of America Others, such as "Big Short" investor Steve Eisman, have pointed out that the boost to power usage also makes these GPUs considerably hotter, putting pressure on firms such as Vertiv to improve cooling systems in data centers. Eisman has long been a bull on US infrastructure. Aside from AI, he's betting that green policy will boost these sectors as well. As Nvidia gears up for its earnings season on Wednesday, expectations remain strong, Bank of America said. The company has also set its own bar high, judging from its last twelve months: it's added $1.5 trillion in market cap and trailing earnings per share have rocketed 617%. "But it's not just about NVDA anymore," the note said, adding: "Fundamentals are broadening out and so should the market: NVDA drove 37% of S&P earnings growth over the LTM (and 11% of return), but is expected to drive just 9% over the next 12 months." Story continues Previously, Goldman Sachs had similarly outlined broadening AI investment, characterizing Nvidia as the first of four phases. Eventually, utility investments will take over, at which point firms that can best integrate AI software start winning out. Read the original article on Business Insider Two days after it declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Orlando-based Red Lobster sent a letter Tuesday to customers assuring them that most of its restaurants would stay open despite the companys financial troubles. Bankruptcy is a word that is often misunderstood, states the letter, which does not list an author. Filing for bankruptcy does not mean we are going out of business, it continues. In fact, it means just the opposite. It is a legal process that allows us to make changes to our business and our cost structure so that Red Lobster can continue as a stronger company going forward. Orlando-based Red Lobster files for bankruptcy but will stay open Red Lobster is looking to restructure amid nearly $300 million in outstanding debt. The company shuttered as many as 80 of its 650 locations last week, including at least six in Central Florida in Orlando, Altamonte Springs, Sanford and Kissimmee. San Diego-based restaurant analyst John Gordon said the sale of its real estate by its private equity owners, which required the restaurants to pay rent, and other added debt and poor management decisions over the past decade were key contributors to the companys financial woes. Gordon said Monday the company had to get the word out that most of its restaurants would remain in business. A lot of people are going to see this and say, Oh my God, Red Lobster is closed everywhere, he said. And thats not the case. The letter sought to address those concerns. For more than five decades Red Lobster has been a part of your familys life, it states. Weve been there for your celebrations, big and small. And Red Lobster is determined to be there for these moments for generations to come. It also cited other companies such as Delta Airlines and Hertz rental cars, which used this same process to protect their futures and their customers stood with them and rooted them on. And because of that, they emerged stronger. Together, we have a lot worth rooting for, the note concludes. We are here and ready to continue making memories with you. Join us. Dine with us. Root for us. Together, we can write a new chapter. Saipem Bags Subsea Contract for Ndungu Field in Angola This article was first published on Rigzone here Azule Energy Angola SPA has awarded Saipem SPA engineering works for the Ndungu field offshore Angola, in a contract worth $850 million. Saipems scope of work entails the engineering, fabrication, transportation and installation of approximately 60 km [37.3 miles] of rigid pipelines and of the subsea facilities at a depth of around 1,100 meters [3,608.9 feet], and the transportation and installation of flexible flowlines, jumpers and 17 km [10.6 miles] of umbilicals, Saipem said in a press release. Fabrication will be executed in Saipems yard in Ambriz, Angola, while it expects to deploy its own vessel for the installation part of the work. The award of this important project further consolidates Saipems positioning in Angola, both in deep waters and in shallow waters, through the provision of innovative and efficient solutions to reduce installation times, Saipem said in the announcement on its website. The already producing Ndungu, located about 130 kilometers (80.8 miles) from the coast and part of Block 15/06, is estimated to hold 8001,000 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMboe) resources according to Eni SPA, a co-venturer in the company that owns Ndungu developer Azule Energy. Azule Energys parent company is Azule Energy Holdings Ltd., a 50-50 co-venture between Eni and BP PLC. Ndungu started production two years ago through the Ndungu Early Production (EP) Project. Connected to the Ngoma floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) ship, Ndungu EP had a rate of about 20,000 barrels of oil per day according to Enis announcement of startup February 25, 2022. Ndungu is part of the East Hub and West Hub projects in Block 15/06. Besides Ndungu, also part of the projects are the Agogo field, which uses FPSO Ngoma, as well as the Cuica and Cabaca North fields, which use FPSO Armada Olombendo. Take control of your future. Search THOUSANDS of Oil & Gas jobs on Rigzone.com Search Now >> The operator, Azule Energy, was formed 2022 when Italian government-controlled Eni and British rival BP agreed to combine their Angolan assets. Azule Energy is now Angolas largest independent equity producer of oil and gas, holding 2 billion barrels equivalent of net resources and growing to about 250,000 barrels equivalent a day of equity oil and gas production over the next 5 years, BP said in a statement August 2, 2022. It holds stakes in 16 licenses (of which 6 are exploration blocks) and a participation in Angola LNG JV. Azule Energy will also take over Enis share in Solenova, a solar company jointly held with Sonangol, and the collaboration in the Luanda Refinery. Story continues Earlier than the Ndungu engineering contract, Italian oil and gas service provider Saipem had also been tapped for the Agogo field in the same block. The contract for the Agogo Full Field Development Project, which sits around 180 km (111.8 miles) off the coast in deep waters, encompassed engineering, procurement, construction and installation of rigid pipe-in-pipe flowlines with associated subsea structures, Saipem said April 3, 2023. Saipem had also won a completion and testing job for development and exploration wells in Block 15/06, as announced by the company November 15, 2022. This contract was to start 2023 and last 26 months. In other Azule Energy assets, Saipem was also in 2022 the choice for the New Gas Consortium. With an overall value of around 900 million USD, Saipem is taking care of the engineering, procurement and construction, including hook-up and commissioning assistance, of the Quiluma platform and of the relevant onshore natural gas processing plant, Saipem said August 11, 2022. To contact the author, email jov.onsat@rigzone.com More From Rigzone.com, The Leading Energy Platform: >> Find the latest oil and gas jobs on Rigzone.com << Exploring the Dividend Sustainability and Growth Prospects of SGGKF Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (SGGKF) recently announced a dividend of $0.04 per share, payable on 2024-06-05, with the ex-dividend date set for 2024-05-21. As investors look forward to this upcoming payment, the spotlight also shines on the company's dividend history, yield, and growth rates. Using the data from GuruFocus, let's look into Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's dividend performance and assess its sustainability. What Does Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd Do? Warning! GuruFocus has detected 11 Warning Signs with SGGKF. High Yield Dividend Stocks in Gurus' Portfolio This Powerful Chart Made Peter Lynch 29% A Year For 13 Years How to calculate the intrinsic value of a stock? Singapore Technologies Engineering is a Singaporean government-linked commercial and defense engineering group. Its key businesses include aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul services, in which it is the world's largest independent third-party provider. The company's fastest-growing activities involve applications to smart city solutions where it provides tolling solutions, traffic control systems, command and control dashboards, cybersecurity tools, and other related components. Around two thirds of the company's revenue comes from commercial clients while the remainder is defense. Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's Dividend Analysis A Glimpse at Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's Dividend History Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd has maintained a consistent dividend payment record since 2018. Dividends are currently distributed on a quarterly basis. Below is a chart showing annual Dividends Per Share for tracking historical trends. Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's Dividend Analysis Breaking Down Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's Dividend Yield and Growth As of today, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd currently has a 12-month trailing dividend yield of 4.20% and a 12-month forward dividend yield of 4.17%. This suggests an expectation of stable dividend payments over the next 12 months. Over the past three years, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's annual dividend growth rate was 2.20%. Extended to a five-year horizon, this rate increased to 4.30% per year. And over the past decade, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's annual dividends per share growth rate stands at 10.00%. Based on Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's dividend yield and five-year growth rate, the 5-year yield on cost of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd stock as of today is approximately 5.18%. Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's Dividend Analysis The Sustainability Question: Payout Ratio and Profitability To assess the sustainability of the dividend, one needs to evaluate the company's payout ratio. The dividend payout ratio provides insights into the portion of earnings the company distributes as dividends. A lower ratio suggests that the company retains a significant part of its earnings, thereby ensuring the availability of funds for future growth and unexpected downturns. As of 2023-12-31, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's dividend payout ratio is 0.89, which may suggest that the company's dividend is sustainable given its profitability. Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's profitability rank, offers an understanding of the company's earnings prowess relative to its peers. GuruFocus ranks Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's profitability 7 out of 10 as of 2023-12-31, suggesting good profitability prospects. The company has reported positive net income for each year over the past decade, further solidifying its high profitability. Story continues Growth Metrics: The Future Outlook To ensure the sustainability of dividends, a company must have robust growth metrics. Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's growth rank of 7 out of 10 suggests that the company's growth trajectory is good relative to its competitors. Revenue is the lifeblood of any company, and Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's revenue per share, combined with the 3-year revenue growth rate, indicates a strong revenue model. Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's revenue has increased by approximately 12.10% per year on average, outperforming approximately 68.33% of global competitors. The company's 3-year EPS growth rate showcases its capability to grow its earnings, a critical component for sustaining dividends in the long run. During the past three years, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's earnings increased by approximately 1.40% per year on average, outperforming approximately 41.7% of global competitors. Lastly, the company's 5-year EBITDA growth rate of 0.10%, which outperforms approximately 37.12% of global competitors. Next Steps Considering Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd's consistent dividend payments, robust dividend growth rate, sustainable payout ratio, and strong profitability and growth metrics, the company presents a compelling case for dividend investors. As the company continues to navigate its strategic growth in both commercial and defense sectors, its ability to sustain and potentially increase dividends seems promising. For those interested in exploring further, GuruFocus Premium users can screen for high-dividend yield stocks using the High Dividend Yield Screener. This article, generated by GuruFocus, is designed to provide general insights and is not tailored financial advice. Our commentary is rooted in historical data and analyst projections, utilizing an impartial methodology, and is not intended to serve as specific investment guidance. It does not formulate a recommendation to purchase or divest any stock and does not consider individual investment objectives or financial circumstances. Our objective is to deliver long-term, fundamental data-driven analysis. Be aware that our analysis might not incorporate the most recent, price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative information. GuruFocus holds no position in the stocks mentioned herein. This article first appeared on GuruFocus. ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center hosted a small business symposium on Tuesday. Several training topics will be covered at the free event. Attendees will get the chance to meet experts in marketing, government contracting and finance. Virginia Department of Small Business and Supplier Diversity Business Services Manager Ramain Gohar said the goal behind the event is to understand the needs of small business owners. Greeneville 7 Brew opens for business The main goal behind [the event] is to understand what their needs are and to bring the resources also, such as from [the] Virginia Small Business Financing Authority and our local and state partners so they can all come under one roof, Gohar said. Small businesses can get all of those resources. What they need. Gohar said small businesses are at various levels and their needs differ. Small businesses are at various different levels, Gohar said. From startup, your needs are different. If you are in business for a few years, your needs are different. So when they attend this kind of symposium, they get to know different resources that can help you at different level[s]. The event will run until 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJHL | Tri-Cities News & Weather. Key Insights Significantly high institutional ownership implies Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile's stock price is sensitive to their trading actions A total of 3 investors have a majority stake in the company with 51% ownership Using data from analyst forecasts alongside ownership research, one can better assess the future performance of a company If you want to know who really controls Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (NYSE:SQM), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 36% to be precise, is institutions. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company. Given the vast amount of money and research capacities at their disposal, institutional ownership tends to carry a lot of weight, especially with individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile, beginning with the chart below. See our latest analysis for Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile? Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile is not owned by hedge funds. Inversiones SQYA S.A is currently the largest shareholder, with 25% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 22% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 4.0% by the third-largest shareholder. After doing some more digging, we found that the top 3 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions. Story continues While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily. Insider Ownership Of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO. Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group. Our data cannot confirm that board members are holding shares personally. Not all jurisdictions have the same rules around disclosing insider ownership, and it is possible we have missed something, here. So you can click here learn more about the CEO. General Public Ownership The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 15% stake in Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies. Private Company Ownership Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 26%, of the company's shares. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company. Public Company Ownership It appears to us that public companies own 22% of Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile. It's hard to say for sure but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it's worth watching this space for changes in ownership. Next Steps: I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 2 warning signs for Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile (of which 1 is potentially serious!) you should know about. If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Tesla investors are urging shareholders to vote against Elon Musks $56bn payday and have slammed the board for failing to curtail him. The group of shareholders calling for investors to push back includes New York City comptroller Brad Lander. He wrote to fellow Tesla investors on Monday asking them to refuse Mr Musks pay package as well as the re-appointment of two board members, according to The Wall Street Journal. Even as Teslas performance is floundering, the board has yet to ensure that Tesla has a full-time CEO who is adequately focused on the long-term sustainable success of our company, the group wrote on Monday. Tesla is suffering from a material governance failure which requires our urgent attention and action, they added. In the letter, the investors argue against the re-appointment of Kimball Musk, Mr Musks brother, and James Murdoch, a personal friend, because of their close connection to Mr Musk. Kimball Musk has been on the board for two decades. Mr Lander argued that the board has been too close to Mr Musk and that they hadnt done their due diligence when assessing the pay package. Elon Musk arrives for the 10th World Water Forum in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia on Monday (AP) Also part of the shareholder group critical of Mr Musks compensation package are Amalgamated Bank, SOC Investment Group, Nordea Asset Management, United Church Funds, and Danish pension fund AkademikerPension. Mr Lander, a Democrat, is in charge of New York Citys public pension funds. Shareholders are set to vote on Mr Musks compensation and other issues, such as moving the firms incorporation to Texas, at Teslas annual meeting on 13 June. The compensation package received the green light from shareholders in 2018 but it was struck down in January by a court in Delaware, pointing to issues with the approval process. The judge was also concerned that it wasnt in the shareholders best interest, Bloomberg noted. Tesla then proposed the compensation package yet again and has worked to convince shareholders to back it. The company has argued that Mr Musk earned the money by reaching targets set in 2018 when it comes to Teslas share price and other matters. But a number of investors feel that the compensation package has raised questions regarding the independence of the board as well as Mr Musks role atop Tesla amid rising competition and decreasing demand in the electric vehicle market. The group of shareholders critical of the pay package argues that the board of Tesla is filled with allies of Mr Musk and that it hasnt seriously held him accountable. Mr Musk is at the head of several companies that he splits his time between. The group also said Mr Musks use of Tesla stock to fund other projects puts investors at risk. Mr Musks buying of Twitter played a material role in Teslas underperformance, the group argued. Predicting market trends often feels more like art than science. Yet, despite its complexity, the data available can help decipher the nuances of stock movements. The TipRanks Smart Score is a perfect example. Scanning through the whole of the database and assembling the information for every stock according to 8 categories known to predict future share performance, the Smart Score combines those categories into a single score that allows investors to see at a glance how the stock is likely to move in the coming year. That score is given on a scale from 1 to 10, with low scores indicating likely underperformance of the broader market, and higher scores indicating overperformance. A perfect score, a 10, is a rare gift for a stock. It doesnt necessarily mean that every factor aligns perfectly but it does indicate a potentially bright future for the stock in question. Today, weve pulled up two Perfect 10 stocks, which are also fine defensive plays, with dividends yielding 7% or higher. At a time when volatility is returning to the markets, the combination of likely overperformance and a strong dividend return makes these stocks ones investors should take notice of. MPLX LP (MPLX) First up on our Perfect 10 list is a midstream company from the oil and gas industry, MPLX. Originally a division of Marathon Petroleum, the company spun off from its parent company in 2012 to operate as an independent partnership firm controlling the parents midstream transport assets. Thats a bit of a mouthful, but it boils down to MPLX operating a wide-ranging network of pipelines, terminal points, river tugs and barges, and other transport and storage assets that link hydrocarbon production regions across North America with the storage facilities, tank farms, refineries, and export terminals that bring crude oil, natural gas, and their refined products to the market. MPLX today boasts a market cap of $41.5 billion, and brought in $11.34 billion in revenue last year. Prominent among MPLXs assets are its rail and truck racks, maritime business, and export terminals. These facilities allow for the mass movement of hydrocarbon products, both refined and unrefined, independently of pipelines, and can put the products into the global distribution networks. The company also has facilities for processing natural gas and making use of natural gas liquids. MPLX is known for selling basic natural gas liquid products such as ethane, propane, butane, isobutane, and natural gasoline. In the last reported quarter, for 1Q24, MPLX reported total revenues of $2.85 billion. While this was up 5.2% year-over-year, it just slipped under the forecast, missing by $50 million. At the bottom line, the company reported an EPS of 98 cents; this was up 7 cents per share year-over-year and came in 2 cents per share better than had been anticipated. Story continues The solid earnings fully covered MPLXs common share dividend payment, which was declared in April for 85 cents per share and was paid out on May 13. The annualized rate, of $3.40 per common share, gives a forward yield of 8.32%. MPLX has been paying out its regular stock dividend every quarter since 2013, and has a history of regularly increasing the payment. This companys solid business and high-yield dividend form the core of an upbeat outlook from Truist Securities. Analyst Neal Dingmann, who ranks amongst the top 1% of Street stock pros, writes of the stock, MPLX has not only been active organically increasing its gathering & processing along with logistics & transportation segments, but the company recently completed an accretive acquisition and continues paying out notable shareholder returns. MPLX somewhat surprisingly to us bought back a number of units last quarter on top of its material dividend that is currently over an 8% yield. We forecast moderate growth ahead driven by liquids-rich Appalachian areas with the potential for material upside if/when natural gas prices return to more normal levels. The 5-star analyst follows these comments by reiterating his Buy rating on the stock, and he sets a price target of $48 to imply a one-year upside potential of nearly 17.5%. With the dividend yield added to this, the total one-year return could reach nearly 26%. (To watch Dingmanns track record, click here) The bullish Truist outlook on this stock is in line with the Streets consensus. MPLX shares have a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 9 recent reviews that break down to a lopsided split of 8 Buys to 1 Hold. The shares are priced at $40.86 and the $46.13 average target price represents a 13% potential gain for the coming year. (See MPLX stock forecast) Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) The second stock well look at here, Enterprise Products Partners, is another of the North American energy midstream companies. Enterprise is one of the sectors largest companies, with a market cap exceeding $62 billion and nearly $50 billion in annual revenue. Like MPLX above, Enterprise operates as a partnership firm, and its activities involve the transport and distribution of hydrocarbon energy sources. Specifically, Enterprise has a network of transport, distribution, and storage assets, including fractionation facilities, deepwater docks, and storage tanks with over 300 million barrels of liquid storage capacity and 14 billion cubic feet of natural gas capacity. The companys pipeline assets total more than 50,000 miles. In addition to its transport services, the company can provide natural gas gathering and processing. Enterprises asset network is centered on the Gulf Coast, mainly in Texas and Louisiana, with a secondary center on the Texas-New Mexico state line. The assets branch out to the Southeast, the Appalachians, the Great Lakes, the Mississippi Valley, and into the Rocky Mountains. Enterprise is expanding its business network, especially in the rich Permian Basin of Texas. The company is currently engaged in developing 3 new natural gas processing facilities in the Delaware Basin region of the larger Permian formation. The plants under development will significantly increase Enterprises ability to process natural gas and natural gas liquids in this important production region, and are expected to start coming online during 2Q26. In its 1Q24 report, Enterprise showed a top line of $14.76 billion, beating the forecast by $940 million and growing by more than 18% year-over-year. The companys earnings figure, reported as a GAAP EPS of 66 cents, was up 3 cents from the prior year period but missed the forecast by a penny per share. Despite the small earnings miss, the EPS still more than covered the companys dividend, which was declared on April 5 for a rate of 51.5 cents per common share. This payment, which was sent out on May 14, annualizes to $2.06 per share and provides investors with a forward yield of almost 7.2%.. This is another stock that has picked up attention from Truist, and when we check in again with analyst Dingmann, we find that he is bullish on the companys expansion plans and potential for returns, writing, Enterprise continues to benefit from solid incremental Permian and other key regional demand for its processing, gathering, marine and other segments. We believe the company is responding quite strategically by building out facilities where needed including the soon to be completed three Permian processing plants that will then total 19 for the region producing a total of 675,000 Bpd of NGLS. We forecast the notable buildout relatively soon leading to incremental shareholder return beyond the current solid level. Dingmann rates EPD as a Buy, while setting a price target of $35 to suggest a 22% one-year upside potential. With the dividend, the return here may hit as high as 30%. Overall, this stocks Strong Buy consensus rating has solid backing the 12 recent analyst reviews include 11 Buys and just 1 Hold. The shares are trading for $28.65 and have an average target price of $33.18, together implying a 16% upside on the one-year horizon. (See EPD stock forecast) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment. STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images Trump Media & Technology Group, the company that owns Truth Social, on Monday posted an alarming loss and less than $1 million in revenue in its first quarter since going public. Trump Media, which began trading in March under the ticker symbol DJT, reported $770,500 in revenuecrediting its nascent advertising initiativedown from $1.1 million last year. However, it also reported a net loss of $327.6 million during the first three months of the year, compared with a loss of $210,300 a year ago. In a press release, CEO Devin Nunes pointed $311 million in non-cash expenses to merger-related expenses linked to a company called Digital World Acquisition Corp. earlier this year. Promising that it had sufficient working capital to fund operations for the foreseeable future, Trump Media reported cash and cash equivalents of $273.7 million at the end of the quarter. Trump Set to Score $1 Billion in Truth Social Stock Despite Volatility It said it was still in an early stage of its development, and that it remained focused on long-term product development, including a live streaming platform to be launched through Truth Social, rather than quarterly revenue. Dunes said the company was well-capitalized and supported by a legion of retail shareholders who believe in our mission to provide a free-speech beachhead against Big Tech censorship. The quarterly filing comes after the Securities and Exchange Commission charged Trump Medias former auditor, BF Borgers, with massive fraud earlier this month. Trump Media dismissed the accounting firm on May 3, and notified federal regulators last week that the shakeup would delay the filing of its quarterly earnings report. At the closing bell on Monday, DJT had a price of $48.38 a share. In after-hours trading, it climbed 36 cents to $48.74, still significantly down from its peak of close to $80 upon its debut. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now. Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now. By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden's administration will sell nearly 1 million barrels of gasoline in the U.S.-managed stockpile in northeastern states as required by law, the Department of Energy said on Tuesday, effectively closing the near decade-old reserve. The department created the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve in 2014 after Superstorm Sandy left motorists scrambling for fuel. But storing refined fuel is costlier than storing crude oil, so closing the reserve was included in U.S funding legislation signed in March by Biden, a Democrat. Bids are due on May 28 and the Treasury Department's general funds gets proceeds from the sale, the department said. The volumes will be allocated in quantities of 100,000 barrels with each barrel containing 42 gallons, the department said. The gasoline should flow into local retailers ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, it said. While the sale was mandated by bipartisan legislation, both the Biden administration and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump tried to score points from it. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Department of Energy had timed the sale to coincide with the runup to peak summer driving demand. By strategically releasing this reserve in between Memorial Day and July 4th, we are ensuring sufficient supply flows to the ... northeast at a time hardworking Americans need it the most, Granholm said in a release. U.S. gasoline prices have fallen for four weeks in a row to $3.58 a gallon amid plentiful supplies but remain about a nickel above year-ago levels, according to the Energy Information Administration. Trump said Biden was using the reserve to push down retail gasoline prices for political reasons. "And so he's trying to stop that because high gasoline prices are not good for elections," Trump said outside the New York courtroom where his hush-money trial is taking place. U.S. gasoline prices are about 30% cheaper now than in June 2022 when they hit a record above $5.00 a gallon. Prices have fallen as U.S. crude oil output has hit a record under Biden. Trump said Biden was selling the gasoline, "because he's unable to drill properly." The energy department will be selling into a well-supplied market, where pump prices fell for the fourth straight week on Monday despite the run up to the Memorial Day weekend that kicks off the summer driving season. Higher refinery output and weak fuel demand this year have helped ease some of the supply constraints that U.S. consumers have faced since the pandemic. Story continues Gasoline inventories along the U.S. East Coast stood at 55.5 million barrels, 6% higher year-on-year, but around 8% below the historical average for this time of the year. The companies buying the gasoline, likely retailers and fuel terminals, will have the fuel transferred or delivered no later than June 30, it said. Some 900,000 barrels will be sold from the reserve's Port Reading, New Jersey, site, and nearly 99,000 barrels from the South Portland, Maine, site. Once the reserve is closed, the energy secretary cannot establish any new regional petroleum product reserve unless funding is requested in advance of an annual budget submitted by the president and approved by Congress. Bob McNally, president of consultancy Rapidan Energy, said unlike the Strategic Petroleum Reserve that holds hundreds of millions of barrels of crude oil, the gasoline reserve was "too tiny to provide much energy security and won't be missed." (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; additional reporting by Doina Chiacu and Shariq Khan, Editing by Lisa Shumaker, Marguerita Choy and David Gregorio) By Nate Raymond (Reuters) - A group founded by a prominent anti-affirmative action activist on Monday sued Southwest Airlines, alleging that a two-decade-old program that awards free round-trip flights to Hispanic undergraduate and graduate students is racially discriminatory. Edward Blum's American Alliance for Equal Rights in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Dallas alleged that the airline's program violated federal civil rights laws by excluding non-Hispanic students from eligibility for free tickets. His group alleged that as a result, two Asian and white students who were members of his nonprofit were barred from applying to the program. The lawsuit seeks an injunction blocking Southwest from using its eligibility criteria. "Southwest Airlines should immediately open this program to all students, regardless of their skin color or ethnic heritage," Blum said in a statement. Dallas-based Southwest did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The lawsuit marked the latest in a series of cases Blum has filed in recent months challenging corporate diversity programs after another group he founded last year convinced the conservative-majority U.S. Supreme Court to bar the consideration of race as a factor in college admissions. Monday's lawsuit centers on Southwest's Lanzate! Travel Award Program, which launched in 2004 and is operated in partnership with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. To be eligible for four round-trip tickets, an undergraduate or graduate student must live at least 200 miles (322 km) from their home and be Hispanic. Southwest says the program has helped more than 1,500 students. The lawsuit alleged that the program violated Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, a Civil War-era law that bars racial bias in contracting. It also claimed the program violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination in federally funded programs or activities. Federal funding Southwest received during the COVID-19 pandemic means the airline can be sued under that statute, according to the complaint. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Matthew Lewis) By David Shepardson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. auto safety investigators said on Monday they have launched an investigation into the April crash of a VinFast VF 8 electric vehicle in Pleasanton, California, in which a family of four died. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the investigation will probe the April 24 crash circumstances and the ensuing fire. A complaint filed with the agency on April 29 said steering may have been an issue in the crash that killed a couple along with their children aged 13 and 9. Pleasanton Police said the driver in the single-vehicle accident appeared to have lost control and collided with a large oak tree and that speed may have been a factor. Vietnamese automaker VinFast, which started selling vehicles in the United States in 2023, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Pleasanton Weekly earlier this month quoted a VinFast spokesperson as saying the automaker was aware of the accident, adding: "The authorities are currently investigating the cause of the accident and will share their findings when their work is completed." The agency typically opens more than 100 special crash investigations annually into emerging technologies and other potential auto safety issues. The complaint filed with NHTSA on April 29 by a coworker of the driver in the fatal crash said that in a separate incident the steering wheel automatically maneuvered to the right but the coworker was able to regain control of the steering wheel and was concerned the steering issue had reoccurred in the fatal crash. Police told media that the family did not own the car. TechCrunch reported the investigation earlier on Monday. (Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington; Editing by Michael PerryEditing by Leslie Adler, Matthew Lewis and Michael Perry) Single-family homes in Saratoga Springs area are pictured on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Members of the Utah Transportation Commission approved earmarks that will direct nearly $1.4 billion in new funds toward four major road projects in northwest Utah County. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News A large amount of Utahs growth is now centralized in northwest Utah County, and that trend isnt expected to slow down anytime soon. As the cities that compose the area Lehi, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain continue to build, Utah transportation officials are moving forward with plans to enhance the travel infrastructure to meet all the growing needs. "(Northwest Utah County) is just exploding with new residents and businesses, and it creates a strain on the transportation system," said Rob Clayton, director of the Utah Department of Transportation's Region 3. That's why members of the Utah Transportation Commission approved earmarks that will direct nearly $1.4 billion in new funds toward four major road projects in the region. Converting 2100 North to a new Lehi freeway that will run between I-15 and the Mountain View Corridor. About $279 million was already directed to the project, but the commission directed another $275 million. Adding new "flex lanes" to Pioneer Crossing a highway that connects I-15 and Saratoga Springs to add two additional lanes during peak travel times. Crews would also re-stripe Pioneer Crossing from Redwood Road to Mountain View Corridor to add one additional travel lane in each direction at all times. It received $77 million. Extending Mountain View Corridor to state Route 73 (Cory Wride Highway) in Saratoga Springs. The project, which received $553 million, would also include new trails and trail connections for active transportation in the area. Converting state Route 73 into a freeway from Mountain View Corridor to Ranches Parkway by using the frontage roads within the section. Transit, a bike lane and trail improvements would also be included in the project that received $459 million. All four projects are in different stages of the planning process. Some projects, like the 2100 North freeway conversion, have gone through environmental impact reviews. A map of the four Utah County projects that received funding from the Utah Transportation Commission. | Utah Department of Transportation Of the four, Clayton told KSL.com that the S.R. 73 freeway project could have the most impact on residents and businesses. The project would also require some right-of-way transactions that need to be sorted out in the coming years. Still, all of the projects could start by 2027, depending on the available money for statewide transportation projects in a given year. The Pioneer Crossing flex lanes project could begin as early as next year. They will tack onto the work already happening in the area. Crews began work last month on a $466 million project to connect Porter Rockwell Boulevard in southern Salt Lake County to 2100 North in northern Utah County in the fast-growing Point of the Mountain region. Story continues The new transportation projects come as Utah's growth appears to be centered within Lehi, Saratoga Springs and Eagle Mountain more than anywhere else in the state. The three cities aren't just Utah's three fastest-growing communities from 2022 to 2023, they all have a commanding lead over any town or city since the 2020 census, according to new Census Bureau data released last week. It's believed that the three cities gained nearly 40,000 residents between April 1, 2020, and July 1, 2023 about the same as Cedar City's latest population total. Yet there's still room to grow even as the three cities have reached almost 200,000 people combined. The University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Institute projects that Utah County could outpace Davis, Salt Lake and Weber counties by 2050. That's about the same time it anticipates Utah's population could reach 5 million people. "I think (the transportation) projects represent the years of planning," Clayton said. "It's a significant investment; it's a recognition of all the growth that's happened, and it's possible because of all the planning that's taken place." UDOT is also moving forward with projects that go beyond roadways. The Utah Transportation Commission last week distributed $95 million toward the states goal of a statewide trail network. A 2.1-mile trail from I-15 to the Utah Lakeshore Trail in Vineyard about 10 miles southeast of Lehi is one of the construction-ready plans that received funding. The Department of Veterans Affairs paid $43.5 million in bonuses to more than 6,500 human resources specialists last year under allowances stipulated in the PACT Act, an amount the department's chief human capital officer described as "significant." Documents obtained by Military.com through a Freedom of Information Act request show the department paid an average of $6,598.13 in critical skills incentives, or CSIs, to 6,517 human resources specialists in the Veterans Health and Veterans Benefits Administrations through June 2023 in addition to salary increases under PACT Act provisions. The bonuses were authorized under the legislation, which expanded health care and benefits to thousands of veterans sickened by environmental toxins. But the large amount concerned some employees at VA headquarters in Washington, D.C., after VA officials awarded large bonuses to hundreds of VA executives last year. Read Next: Homeless Vets Find Housing on Old Walter Reed Grounds, Regardless of Discharge Status In an email sent July 5 to an unnamed VA senior official, Steve Miska, the department's PACT Act transitional director, said the recipient, whom Miska addressed as "sir," had mentioned that since "the price tag of the critical skills incentive for VBA and VHA leaders might cause some concern," the person should know that a large amount was spent on the HR specialists' bonuses, also known as CSIs. "I wanted to pass on from [VA Chief Human Capital Officer] Tracey Therit: 'CSIs were processed for HR specialists and we spent a significant amount,'" Miska wrote. But Miska added, there was "no blowback to my knowledge," quoting Therit. "All admins had money to fund. ... The information is in the [Compliance, Reporting and Auditing] report that went to [the Office of Management and Budget]. Congress will see the data if they read the report. Nothing was sent to them in advance of processing the CSIs." Within six months of VHA HR specialists receiving the bonuses, many received a 15% pay increase, known as a special salary rate. The raises, which went into effect in January, were given to nearly 8,000 HR specialists, as well as HR assistants. As of April 30, the VHA employed 8,333 HR specialists and 1,427 HR assistants. According to data provided by the VA, the VHA currently has 598 vacant HR specialist and 121 vacant HR assistant positions. VBA has 544 HR specialists and 123 assistants, with 81 specialist vacancies and 18 assistant positions, according to the VA. Story continues The PACT Act allowed the VA to provide critical skills incentives for a six-month period to VHA employees through October. The increase in salary under the special rate was awarded after the allowances for the CSIs expired. While special salary rates are normally set by the Office of Management and Budget, the PACT Act also gave the VA the authority to set them for non-medical positions in the VHA. At the VBA, the VA requested that OMB provide special salary rates for HR specialists and assistants, and they were "the only VBA employees to receive salary increases," VA officials said in a statement to Military.com. The VA has paid out 40,887 critical skills incentives to employees since starting to award them last year, the majority of which went to employees in short-staffed occupations. The VA inspector general reported this month that the department paid $10.8 million in improper incentive bonuses to 182 senior executives at its headquarters last year ranging in size from $39,000 to more than $100,000 for each of seven executives in the VHA. Dr. Shereef Elnahal, VA under secretary for health, approved 148 bonuses, while Joshua Jacobs, VA under secretary for benefits, approved 34 to senior government employees. The inspector general found that Elnahal repeatedly failed to tell VA Secretary Denis McDonough about those bonuses while informing him of bonuses to field employees. Jacobs, on the other hand, provided McDonough memos describing plans to pay the critical skills incentives to senior executives at the headquarters and field offices. Under the PACT Act, the bonuses were not allowed to go to political appointees or any senior executive service members who were non-career appointees or were serving in a position that is "political in character." The PACT Act was signed in August 2022 to expand health care and benefits for millions of veterans sickened by exposure to burn pits and other environmental pollutants while serving overseas in support of U.S. operations. The legislation authorized the VA to hire or provide incentives for employees in hard-to-fill posts, including HR, information technology, law enforcement and housekeeping, to ensure the department had sufficient staff to support the influx of newly eligible veterans. In fiscal 2023, the VHA staff grew by 7.4% with the hiring of roughly 61,000 people, for a net increase of 28,000. The same year, more than 6,000 employees were hired by the VBA. McDonough has described the critical skills incentives as key to attracting HR specialists needed to hire the additional personnel required to support the PACT Act beneficiaries. The VA has made an effort not only to attract qualified new hires but also to shorten the period of time it takes between hiring them and processing them to their new positions. "I think we are, importantly, seeing our ability to hire and attract HR professionals, which I've said in here, in this room, many times, is really the key to this expansion of our personnel," McDonough said during a press conference in March. "We are becoming much more competitive in attracting those personnel because of these authorities." This year, the VHA has hired 444 HR specialists, 280 of whom are participating in a 13-month HR Specialist Training and Accelerated Readiness training program. But overall hiring has slowed significantly since the beginning of the year, according to VA spokesman Gary Kunich, with 175 specialist hires in October, decreasing to eight each in March and April. About 70% have been internal selections, he added. The VBA continues to actively recruit HR specialists, having hired 133 this year, roughly 18% of whom have been internal selections, according to Kunich. VA data shows the department has slashed the number of job openings by 22% compared with last year at the same time, and it has seen a 13% drop in applications. Job offers are up by 16%, but the number of people actually filling positions has declined by 9%. Members of Congress have expressed concern about the proposed reduction of roughly 10,000 employees this year from the VA workforce. Sens. Angus King, I-Maine, and Michael Bennet, D-Colo., led a group of 15 other senators in a letter May 8 asking Senate appropriators to require the VA to provide a detailed report on any reductions that would affect VA medical care and services in their budget legislation. "Inconsistent staffing patterns put veterans' health care quality and accessibility at risk and redirect employees' attention from their defined job responsibilities to compensate for employment shortages," the senators wrote. During a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies on May 2, McDonough had assured senators the cuts would largely come from attrition, which was on par with previous years. "We envisioned at the end of ... September 2025 to be at about 10,000 fewer [full-time employees]. When all is said and done, frankly, that's if you measure traditional attrition at VA. That's not much different than traditional attrition. However, because retention is so high because you've been so generous to us for various pay enhancements, we have historically high retention, historically low quit rates," McDonough said. Related: VA's PACT Act Management Could Use Lessons from 9/11 First Responders Legislation, Rand Says Are you looking to start your own business but you dont know where to start? From state requirements, licensing, taxes and payrolls, thinking of creating your own business can be daunting. The Bellingham Herald reached out to some local experts to help provide a guide for you to start your own business right here in Whatcom County. Here are the five things to do first when thinking of starting a business, according to Eric Grimstead, a senior certified business advisor at Western Washington Universitys Small Business Development Center: 1. Answer These Questions: Why You? Why this business? Why now? Personal goals should drive your business decisions, Grimstead said. Before staring a new business you should be ready, willing and able to execute your plan. Some simply are not prepared for self-employment through small business ownership. If you feel less than prepared there are plenty of training opportunities to learn business fundamentals before launching your business, such as online events and seminars Grimstead recommends through the Washington State Small Business Development Center. 2. Develop your business plan and do some market research This does not have to be an exhaustive 30-40 page business school-type plan but you should be able to summarize in 5-10 pages your vision for success, how you plan to market to attract customers, how you will run business operations etc., Grimstead said. Market research includes understanding your ideal customer, identifying the size of your potential market, the demand for your product or service and the competitive landscape, according to Grimstead. 3. Choose a business structure or entity types There are many kinds of businesses, such as sole proprietorships, limited liability companies, corporations, partnerships and others. Choosing which type of business entity can be confusing. Grimstead recommends doing your research on the various business structures and seeking advice from your tax advisor or legal counsel to make the decision. Washington states website also offers detailed guidance and explanations of each business structure. 4. Handle funding and financial planning You need to develop a financial plan that includes your base budget of costs that will be incurred prior to opening your business. Think of these as your sunk start-up costs, Grimstead said. After this, Grimstead advises to developed financial projections based on your known or estimated operating expenses. After assessing your expenses, Grimstead says to assess whether you can self-fund your business endeavor or if you will need to find other financing from investors or banks. Story continues 5. Get your business license The type of business license you need depends on the business structure you chose in step 3, according to Grimstead. If you decide to form a limited liability company or corporation, Grimstead provided two steps to follow: Step 1: Go to the Secretary of States office website to create your business entity and get a certificate with your own Unified Business Identifier number. Once your new business entity is formed and you receive the certificate from the State with your UBI number, proceed to step 2 to apply for the State and City Business Licenses. Step 2: Get your entity licensed to do business by filing a Master Business License application through Washington States Department of Revenue website. The Department of Revenues website will allow you to file both the State and most citys licensing at the same time, according to Grimstead. If you decide to form a sole proprietor or partnership, you can simply start with the Master Business License application through the Department of Revenue website in step 2, according to Grimstead. Have more questions on how to start your own business? Here are a few more resources: Doing Business Guide from Whatcom County. Going Into Business Checklist from the Washington States Small Business Development Center. The Small Business Guide from business.wa.gov. National Resource Guide for Small Business from the U.S. Small Business Administration. The U.S. Energy Department's weekly inventory release showed that natural gas supplies increased less than expected. The positive inventory numbers, together with signs of production pullback and upcoming summer demand, buoyed natural gas futures, which settled with a healthy gain week over week. Despite this spike, which saw natural gas hit its highest since January, the space remains highly susceptible to unpredictable weather patterns, impacting prices and market stability. At this time, we advise investors to focus on stocks like Coterra Energy CTRA and Cheniere Energy LNG. EIA Reports a Build Smaller Than Market Expectations Stockpiles held in underground storage in the lower 48 states rose 70 billion cubic feet (Bcf) for the week ended May 10, below the guidance of a 76 Bcf addition, per a survey conducted by S&P Global Commodity Insights. The increase compared with the five-year (2019-2023) average net injection of 90 Bcf and last years growth of 93 Bcf for the reported week. The latest increase puts total natural gas stocks at 2,633 Bcf, which is 421 Bcf (19%) above the 2023 level and 620 Bcf (30.8%) higher than the five-year average. The total supply of natural gas averaged 104.5 Bcf per day, up 0.2 Bcf per day on a weekly basis due to higher dry production, partly offset by lower shipments from Canada. Meanwhile, daily consumption fell to 94.5 Bcf from 95.5 Bcf in the previous week, mainly reflecting a drop in natural gas consumed for power generation. Natural Gas Prices Finish Sharply Higher Natural gas prices trended northward last week following the lower-than-expected inventory build. Futures for June delivery ended Friday at $2.49 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up some 16.6% from the previous weeks closing. As a matter of fact, the commoditys resurgence over the past few weeks wiped out all of its losses since the start of this year. Investors should know that natural gas realization has been under pressure from strong production, elevated stockpiles and tepid weather-related demand. It's worth mentioning that the current inventory levels are well above the year-ago figure and the five-year average. The bearish sentiment surrounding the commodity even prompted shale producers Chesapeake Energy CHK and EQT Corporation EQT to hit the brakes on new drilling. Chesapeake announced a reduction in its drilling rigs so as to lower volume, with the Appalachian Basin-focused EQT following on. CHK has decided to curb the second quarters gas production expectations by 400 million cubic feet per day (MMcf/d), doubling the previous curtailment announced in March. Separately, EQT the largest domestic producer of natural gas said that it will lower its daily output by 1 Bcf through May to combat the supply glut in the U.S. market. According to EQT, the revised plan will likely reduce full-year sales volume to 2,100-2,200 billion cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe) from 2,200-2,300 Bcfe earlier. It appears that these production cut announcements have been partly responsible in driving natural gas prices higher and galvanizing the market. Story continues As is the norm with natural gas, changes in temperature and weather can lead to price swings. With low heating demand this winter, usage of the commodity to generate electricity took a hit. However, predictions of warmer-than-normal weather over most of the United States should boost demand. Moreover, there are signs of curtailment in U.S. production. According to energy services provider Baker Hughes, the U.S. natural gas rig count a pointer to where production is headed is down around 27% from last year. Industry observers believe this could set the stage for a pullback in near-term drilling and supplies. Meanwhile, a stable demand catalyst in the form of continued strong LNG feedgas deliveries, is supporting natural gas. As a matter of fact, LNG shipments for export from the United States have been elevated of late, due to environmental reasons and Europes endeavor to move away from its dependence on Russian natural gas supplies due to the war in Ukraine. At the same time, the increase in gas flows due to the full restart of the Freeport LNG export plant in Texas has translated into more of the commodity being loaded onto ships. A heatwave blanketing Southeast Asia has also led to a jump in power demand for air conditioning, increasing exports of the super-chilled fuel. Final Thoughts The upshot of all these factors the natural gas market despite improving, remains an oversupplied one. As mentioned above, it endured a torrid year in 2023, briefly breaking below the $2 threshold for the first time since 2020. The situation was not much different in the early parts of 2024, with the fuel reaching a multi-year low near $1.48 in late March and struggling to sustain a rally over the psychological mark of $2. However, natural gas has staged quite the turnaround in a matter of weeks, and looks to improve even further given the favorable temperature outlook. Nevertheless, based on several factors, the space is currently quite unpredictable and spooked by sudden changes in weather and production patterns. As such, investors are advised to still exercise caution and preferably hold on to fundamentally strong stocks like Coterra Energy and Cheniere Energy. Coterra Energy: It is an independent upstream operator primarily engaged in the exploration, development and production of natural gas. Headquartered in Houston, TX, the firm owns some 183,000 net acres in the gas-producing Marcellus Shale of the Appalachian Basin. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company churned out an average of 2,262.7 million cubic feet on a daily basis from these assets in 2023. You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Coterra beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the trailing four quarters and missed in the other, the average being 9.8%. Valued at around $21 billion, CTRA has risen 8.9% in a year. Cheniere Energy: Being the first company to receive regulatory approval to export LNG from its 2.6 billion cubic feet per day Sabine Pass terminal, Cheniere Energy enjoys a distinct competitive advantage. Cheniere Energy beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in two of the last four quarters and missed in the other two. This #3 Ranked natural gas exporter has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 58.9%, on average. LNG shares have moved up 11.3% in a year. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Chesapeake Energy Corporation (CHK) : Free Stock Analysis Report EQT Corporation (EQT) : Free Stock Analysis Report Cheniere Energy, Inc. (LNG) : Free Stock Analysis Report Coterra Energy Inc. (CTRA) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. does not support a proposal for a global tax on billionaires. The idea has been floated by Brazil, which is leading the G20 group of major economies this year, and supported by ministers from other member nations, including France. The proposed tax would require billionaires to pay a 2% levy on their overall wealth each year, with the goal of ending international tax avoidance and reducing economic inequality. The proposed levy would be similar to the global corporate income tax backed by roughly 140 nations. This is exactly what we did with minimum taxation on corporate tax, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said last month, per The Wall Street Journal. It would be the same on the international taxation for the wealthiest individuals. Yellen has supported global corporate income tax, but opposition from Republicans in Congress means it is unlikely to become law in the U.S. At the same time, Yellen has now made it clear that a global wealth tax for individuals is a step too far as far as the U.S. in concerned. We believe in progressive taxation, Yellen said. But the notion of some common global arrangement for taxing billionaires with proceeds redistributed in some waywere not supportive of a process to try to achieve that. Thats something we cant sign on to. Like what you're reading? Sign up for our free newsletter. The word adventure evokes a sense of fun and a break from the everyday. It can be something adrenaline-pumping (or panic-inducing) such as cordless bungee jumping, or mildly stimulating, such as checking a new national park off your must-see list. Since were talking about reading, a relatively low-risk activity, Ive decided to take the Adventure Begins with Your Library summer reading theme to more of an extreme. How about finding yourself in the Alaskan wilds or lost in a remote island jungle while trying to survive and/or solve a murder? Its a lot, I know. But I have every confidence you can rise to the challenge, and you dont even have to leave your couch. Enjoy these wilderness survival/thriller mashups: Murder at Havens Rock by Kelley Armstrong. Welcome to Havens Rock, population 0. In the remote Yukon wilderness, Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton, are building a new town for people seeking refuge and a fresh start. The only rule: stay out of the forest. When two of the towns construction crew break the rule and go missing, Casey and Eric must track them down. Stumbling on a womans body, evidently a victim of foul play, the couple must race to uncover the truth and find the missing crew members. Deep Water by Emma Banford. A distress call from a yacht sets a Royal Malaysian Navy captain on the hunt for a couple missing in the vast Indian Ocean. The survivors, newlyweds Jake Selkirk and Virginie Durand, hold a dark secret about their idyllic honeymoon gone wrong. Having invested their life savings on a sailboat to travel the world, the couple first visits Amorante, a remote island paradise with only a few visitors. But the isolation soon brings out the worst in everyone. As more secrets surface, the lines between trust and betrayal blur in this fast-paced high-seas adventure. One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole. Years after her diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder sidelined her historic preservation career, Kenetria Nash and her alters land their dream job: resident caretaker of a mansion on a remote Hudson River island. A sudden visit from the homes conservation trust and an unexpected storm trap Ken with a group of strangers, including the man who holds the key to her shattered past. When hes found murdered, Ken becomes the prime suspect. Racing against the clock, Ken and her alters must uncover the truth of Kavanaugh Island, or face a future as bleak as the surrounding storm. The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes. Maya was a high school senior when her best friend dropped dead in front of Frank, the mysterious man theyd been hanging around all summer. Seven years later, Maya is finally moving on when she stumbles on a video in which a young woman keels over in front of none other than Frank. Determined to find out the truth, Maya heads back to her small Berkshires hometown, reliving the summer Frank came between Aubrey and Maya. Soon, her research leads her back to Franks cabin deep in the woods. Getaway by Zoje Stage. Reeling from a traumatic shock, reclusive novelist Imogen is convinced to join her adventurous sister, Beck, and their childhood friend Tilda on a weeklong backpacking trip through the Grand Canyon. Imogen and Tilda, who parted ways after college, feel old wounds reopen as they bicker while navigating dangerous trails. But once they learn the trio is being stalked, they quickly put the past aside in order to work together just to survive. The Beautiful and the Wild by Peggy Townsend. Liv, a survivor of a harsh childhood, falls in love with charismatic filmmaker Mark. After Marks career tanks, the two travel and work odd jobs, settling down once their son Xander is born with a rare genetic condition. Then Mark dies by suicide, and Liv uncovers clues that he faked his death. These clues lead Liv to rural Alaska, where she finds Mark alive and following a hedonistic cult. When Liv refuses to join, Mark holds her captive. Liv must plot her escape, rescuing her son and herself while surviving the brutal weather and terrain of the Alaskan wilderness. Why should kids have all the fun? Join Adult Summer Reading at Central Rappahannock Regional Library to earn a functional yet attractive mini notebook and pen set. Sign up at librarypoint.org/summer. The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday it will decide whether a person's belief that racial bias exists in policing is an acceptable reason to remove them from a jury, or whether doing so violates the longstanding prohibition against race discrimination in jury selection. The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday decided an Oklahoma man and his daughter could pursue a negligence claim against Vail Resorts for a debilitating ski lift injury, notwithstanding the waiver they signed assuming "all risks." The ruling implicated competing policy concerns for the multibillion-dollar ski industry and the millions of chair lift riders annually. Specifically, do the rights of customers to sue for injuries attributable to resort operators' negligence take a backseat to ski resorts' ability to protect themselves through broad liability waivers? Annalea "Annie" Miller was 16 years old when she fell 30 feet from a chair lift at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Her father, Michael D. Miller, filed suit alleging Annie's injuries which resulted in her paralysis were the product of the operator, Vail Resorts, failing to exercise the appropriate level of care in running the lift. The Millers brought three claims based on varying legal theories. A trial judge permitted the claim for gross negligence to proceed and no one challenged that decision. However, the remaining claims raised the question of whether ski lift users, in waiving their right to sue when they purchase tickets, can override that waiver and hold ski operators liable. By 5-2, the Supreme Court issued a qualified "yes." All members of the court agreed the waiver Michael Miller signed on behalf of his daughter was valid and addressed the risks of "using the lifts" and "falls." Therefore, the Millers could not sue Vail Resorts and Crested Butte for failing to use the "highest duty of care" in letting Annie fall. However, the majority determined Colorado law and regulations require ski lift operators to take certain steps to ensure skier safety, and customers cannot waive away their right to sue a resort for allegedly violating those rules through their negligence. "Because we have concluded," wrote Justice Richard L. Gabriel, "that Crested Butte, in fact, owed statutory and regulatory duties to Miller and to Annie, we further conclude that Crested Butte could not avoid those duties by way of private release agreement." Justice Monica M. Marquez, writing for herself and Justice Melissa Hart, believed neither of the Millers' claims on appeal was viable. She argued the Millers were fundamentally attempting to sue for negligence through different avenues, but the liability waiver applied across the board. Lawyers for Vail Resorts did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "This decision is a big victory for ski safety in Colorado. It won't give Annie Miller back the use of her legs, but it will give her and others a better shot at justice when they are injured as passengers on chairlifts," said Bruce Braley, an attorney for the Millers. Featured Local Savings The case attracted the attention of multiple outside organizations. The National Ski Areas Association, representing the vast majority of ski operations, wrote that chair lift accidents are rare and are typically the fault of customers, rather than operational failures. A legal brief from Colorado's ski areas, outfitters and other providers in the $14 billion outdoor recreation industry warned that making it easier to override liability waivers and sue over accidents will cause programs to shut down. "Without the benefit of enforceable releases, many if not most entities in Colorado that provide youth recreational opportunities will have to charge significantly more for those opportunities," the groups wrote. "Significantly rising costs for youth activities creates a pernicious effect, where only the children of privileged parents will be able to have their children engage in such recreational activities." After Annie Miller's March 2022 fall from the chair lift, her father sued Vail Resorts, alleging he screamed for an operator to stop the lift as his daughter struggled to hold onto the vehicle. Broomfield District Court Judge Sean Finn refused to throw out Michael Miller's claim of gross negligence, but he agreed to dismiss the other negligence claims, reasoning the waiver signed on Annie's behalf immunized Vail Resorts from liability. On appeal, two areas of the law appeared at odds with each other. On the one hand, ski lift operators owe the "highest degree of care" to customers. On the other hand, parents may waive any potential claim of negligence on behalf of their children. Some justices signaled their discomfort during oral arguments with the idea that companies could avoid the duties imposed by state law by getting customers to sign away their right to sue. "If you want to ride the lift, you have to sign a waiver. And yet, we have a situation where the legislature is saying, 'Hey, ski industry, these are the standards that we expect,'" observed Justice Carlos A. Samour Jr. "And the ski industry turns around and says, 'Well, thats nice of you. Thank you. But well just make people waive and be done with it.' Something about that is wrong." Although the Supreme Court's majority did not categorically invalidate the Millers' waiver, the May 20 opinion did find the signing of a waiver did not absolve Vail Resorts of its obligation to operate the ski lift according to state law and regulations. Marquez, in her dissent, believed there was "nothing otherwise magical" about a negligence claim based on a violation of state law. She reiterated her observation from oral arguments that the Millers already had a way to hold Vail Resorts liable gross negligence. "It seems to me that the allegations of the complaint actually set out a pretty solid claim for gross negligence," she said previously. "If no one was there, if no one was paying attention and the lift kept operating, that seems like gross negligence to me." The case is Miller v. Crested Butte, LLC. Aubyn Royall is a 13-year Colorado resident, and the Colorado state director for the Humane Society of the United States. Jimmy Sengenberger is an investigative journalist, public speaker, and longtime local talk-radio host. Reach Jimmy online at Jimmysengenberger.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @SengCenter. The meows of a cat led Hickory firefighters and downtown workers to rescue a kitten from a pipe under a downtown sidewalk along Second Street NW in Hickory. Saturday morning, the Hickory Fire Department and public works crews were able to cut a hole in the sidewalk near Wee Mount-N-Frame. Cans of cat food were left sitting outside of the hole to try and coax the cat out. Hickory Fire Battalion Chief Wendell Owens said the cat briefly emerged from the pipe. Firefighters and bystanders were unable to catch the cat before it disappeared back into the pipe. Renee Garabics, owner of The Coffee Nook in downtown Hickory, said someone came to the coffee shop Saturday afternoon and asked for a box. The person caught the cat and gave it to Coffee Nook employee Melanie Cano-Lara, who originally called the city about the cat. Cano-Lara took the cat to a veterinarian Monday morning to have it examined. She said the vet said the cat was a male, 7-8 weeks old and in good health. Cano-Lara said she was going to try and find a new home for the cat. Cano-Lara said she was naming the cat Marshal in honor of the work of the fire department. City of Hickory Communications Specialist Sarah Killian said the citys street division will repair the sidewalk this week. Ukraine and Gaza are much different. But they share some common challenges. Both are being attacked by well-armed, powerful enemies who are determined to defeat them. Their attackers have ruthlessly engaged them, killing or wounding people and destroying houses, buildings, roads, bridges and other improved property, leaving much of their infrastructure as rubble. Their people, including children have been attacked, wounded, and killed. Both of the subjects of these attacks will harbor a hatred for the attackers, regardless of whether and when the conflicts end. And that hatred will last for generations or longer. In Ukraine the situation is especially bleak with Russian troops pouring across the Russian-Ukraine border, while Ukraine is prohibited by the U.S. from engaging them until they cross into Ukraine. Even without the arms expected from the U.S. and European allies, even when they lack weapons to confront the Russian invaders and air attacks, the Ukrainians fight bravely on reminding some Americans of their study of Shakespeares play, King Henry V, when the king rallied his troops with a look into the future when the day of the coming battle, Crispins Day, would be remembered. This story shall the good man teach his son; And Crispin Crispian shall neer go by, From this day to the ending of the world, But we in it shall be rememberd; We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he neer so vile, This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispins day. Nations are ultimately built on stories, says Noah Harari, author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Each passing day adds more stories that Ukrainians will not only tell in the dark days ahead, but in the decades and generations to come This is the stuff nations are built from. In the long run, these stories count for more than tanks. Today may be the darkest day so far in Russias war on Ukraine. And there may be even darker days to come. But Ukraine and its people will be very hard for the Russians to conquer quickly or completely. And Ukraines bands of brothers and sisters can outlast the invaders, creating lasting bonds built on stories of the Russian horror show. Whatever victories the Russians achieve in the coming months and years will be at risk of being overturned by Ukrainians who will remember for the longest time what Russia is doing now to Ukraine and its people. Meanwhile, the armed forces of Israel in Gaza have followed the example of the Russians in Ukraine in their response to Hamass brutal attack and hostage taking on Oct. 7 of last year. An appropriate and speedy response by Israel was necessary. But the ongoing attacks on Gaza and the resulting loss of life, starvation, and overwhelming destruction of homes and infrastructure has resulted will be remembered for years by the people of Gaza and the Arab world. A generation of American college students will remember their protests against Israel for its destruction of Gaza and its people, The memories of the people of Ukraine and Gaza and the damage and loss of life that they are enduring will be like those of the English soldier of Henry V who remembers From this day to the ending of the world. Four months after it noticed an intrusion into its network, the Western Sydney University says it has notified about 7500 individuals who have been affected. In a statement on Tuesday, the university said the intrusion was identified in January this year and quickly shut down. The intervening four months between discovery and informing those affected was because of "due diligence to understand the nature, scope and scale of the incident, the number of individuals impacted, and to protect against further harm. This was also done in accordance with the Universitys legal obligations". The statement said the earliest access to its Microsoft Office 365 environment was on 17 May 2023 when email accounts and SharePoint files were accessed. "Investigations also indicate that the Universitys Solar Car Laboratory infrastructure may have been used as part of the incident," the university said. "Monitoring and scanning indicates the preventive measures taken as a part of the incident response have successfully prevented any further unauthorised access. "The University is working with a range of authorities, including NSW Police whose investigation is ongoing. The University has also been in ongoing contact with the NSW Information and Privacy Commission. "Overall, approximately 7500 individuals have received notifications either by telephone call, email, or both. "The University is continuing to investigate the incident and if further persons are affected by the unauthorised access to the University IT network, they will be notified. "Importantly, there have been no threats received by the University to disclose any of the private information which was accessed, and the University has not received any demands in exchange for maintaining privacy. "In order to protect University staff, students and stakeholders, the University has sought and been granted an injunction from the NSW Supreme Court to prevent access, use, transmission and publication of any data that was the subject of the incident. "The University unreservedly apologises for this incident and its impact on our community. It is deeply regrettable and we are committed to transparently rectifying the matter." GUEST RESEARCH: SAP reveals increasing Australian investment in sustainability solutions driven by competitiveness and profitability benefits; 68% of Australian businesses see the relationship between sustainability competitiveness and profitability, leading to an 11-point increase in businesses increasing their investments. Australian organisations say their overall business performance is intrinsically linked to treating sustainability as a strategic priority and are boosting their investments as a result. A recent SAP study found that 68% of Australian businesses see a moderate to strong relationship between sustainability and their organisations competitiveness and profitability, slightly below global results (72% competitiveness, 68% profitability). That impact on business outcomes is driving investment. In Australia, almost half of businesses (49%) intend to increase their investments in sustainability over the next three years, up 11% points since last year (38%)[1]. Sustainable Australian businesses drive growth in the top line, bottom line, and green line The study, which surveyed 250 business leaders in Australia[2], found more than two-thirds (67%) of Australian businesses saw sustainability strategies contributing to outcomes like revenue or profit growth to a moderate or strong degree. Similarly, 69% of Australian respondents saw a moderate or strong increase in the efficiency of business processes from sustainability activities. Six in ten (60%) of Australian businesses expect to demonstrate a positive financial return on their sustainability investments within the next five years, compared to 61% of global respondents. "Sustainability can no longer be considered separately to the wider financial performance of the business because it is increasingly clear that more sustainable organisations are more successful organisations, said Gina McNamara, Regional Chief Financial Officer, SAP Asia Pacific & Japan. Already, more than one in ten (11%) Australian businesses say sustainability is material to their business results, and another 36% say it will be within five years. Now is the time to combine financial and environmental decision-making in every business process, so we treat carbon data the same way we treat financial data. Yet, challenges remain. Proving return on investment is the top barrier to taking environmental action, with 40% of Australian businesses finding it a challenge, above the global average of 33%. Other notable issues include lack of funding (33%), lack of an environmental impact strategy (32%), and lack of expertise (32%). Australian businesses looking to unlock the value of sustainability data Extracting value from sustainability data will be key to enabling Australian businesses to prove return on investment. Just 15% of Australian businesses are completely satisfied with the quality of the sustainability data they gather, down from 17% last year and below the global mark of 23%. This may be because there remains work to do to measure sustainability data directly, rather than rely on assumptions and estimates. Australian businesses trail the rest of the world when it comes to directly measuring energy consumption and emissions (72% in Australia vs. 83% globally), resource availability (73% vs. 79%), and materials use (70% vs. 76%). If our sustainability data is not complete then the decisions we make to improve the health of our planet and our businesses are cast into doubt, continued McNamara. The key is to record and report accurate, granular, and auditable sustainability data and integrate it with financial data to make the right business decisions. Australian businesses are utilising sustainability data across their ecosystem That becomes particularly important, considering Australian businesses are using sustainability data to make decisions today. Three quarters (75%) of Australian businesses use sustainability data to inform strategic and operational decision-making to a moderate or strong degree. Just 4% do not use sustainability data in decision-making at all. Yet, there are encouraging signs of progress. Over seven in ten (73%) of Australian businesses report moderate or strong tracking of Scope 1 emissions, while that number is 64% for Scope 2 emissions, and 52% for Scope 3 emissions. Similarly, Australian businesses are making sustainability demands across their ecosystem. Almost two-thirds (64%) of respondents said they require sustainability data from their suppliers to a moderate or strong degree, and 63% demand environmental impact data from partners like logistics and fulfilment. "The benefits of integrating sustainability data and outcomes into the core business are clear, concluded McNamara. But theres still so much more to do. Working with a technology partner like SAP will help more businesses measure actual sustainability data, act on it strategically, and drive competitiveness, profit, and revenue themselves. About this research SAP Insights collected data from 4750 respondents across 21 nations and 29 industries. Respondents had the highest knowledge of their organisations sustainability objectives and processes. The study was conducted in February-March 2023 via an online survey. About SAP SAPs strategy is to help every business run as an intelligent, sustainable enterprise. As a market leader in enterprise application software, we help companies of all sizes and in all industries run at their best: SAP customers generate 87% of total global commerce. Our machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics technologies help turn customers businesses into intelligent enterprises. SAP helps give people and organizations deep business insight and fosters collaboration that helps them stay ahead of their competition. We simplify technology for companies so they can consume our software the way they want without disruption. Our end-to-end suite of applications and services enables business and public customers across 25 industries globally to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and make a difference. With a global network of customers, partners, employees, and thought leaders, SAP helps the world run better and improve peoples lives. For more information, visit www.sap.com. [1] https://news.sap.com/australia/2022/11/29/sustainability-is-driving-profitability-and-competitiveness-in-australia-though-access-to-data-is-stifling-progress/ [2] Business leaders refers those with the following job titles: Vice President, Director, Unit Manager, Operations Manager, Facilities Manager, all C-Suite titles (CSO, COO, CFO, CPO, CEO, CRO) Environment or Sustainability Manager, Procurement Manager, Environmental Health & Safety Manager, Risk Manager, Public Affairs Manager. [Provisional translation] On May 20th, Mr. KISHIDA Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan sent the below message of condolence to the H.E. Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran and H.E. Mr. Mohammad Mokhber, First Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on the passing of H.E. Ayatollah Seyyed Ebrahim RAISI, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and H.E. Dr. Amir Abdollahian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran. "I am deeply saddened by the sudden passing of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian, and others. Based on the long standing friendly relationship between Japan and Iran, I have had a series of candid discussions with President Raisi, through Summit Meetings and telephone talks, on the bilateral relationship between Japan and Iran and regional situation. On behalf of the Government of Japan, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Government of Iran, the people of Iran, and the bereaved families, and to offer my sincere prayers for the repose of the souls of President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian and others who passed away." Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Located off the coast of Iwakuni, Suo-Oshima is known as Hawaii of Setouchi thanks to its beautiful landscape, sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters, along with Hawaiian-style attire, customs, and look of its residents. On the island, there are many attractions including shops and restaurants keeping the Hawaiian-style vibe. From late June through the end of August, the island carries out a unique Aloha Biz campaign that allows staffers of town hall, banks, post offices and hotels to wear Hawaiian shirts as official attire. On Saturdays, you can catch hula dancing performances at various spots around the island as part of their Saturday Hula promotion. But, why does the island of a short 60-minute drive from MCAS Iwakuni have an Aloha State vibe? Visit the Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii for some insight into this interesting history. Housed in a native wooden building, the museum was founded in 1999 to tell the story of Suo Oshima locals who migrated to Hawaii around 130 years ago. The exhibits in the museum explore the migrants stories and documents the evolution of Suo-Oshima after their children and grandchildren returned. With a lot of children, the islanders life in the 19th century was very harsh. So, they applied for the Japanese governments recruitment for emigration to overseas countries (1885 1894) and emigrated to Hawaii looking for a better life, said museum curator Eiko Kawano. Eiko Kawano, Curator of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Japanese immigrants to Hawaii in the 1800s (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Japanese immigrants to Hawaii in the 1800s (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) According to Kawano, most of the Japanese immigrants worked in sugar cane and pineapple plantations. They kept sending money to their families back home, which then contributed to the building of schools and shrines throughout the years. Descendants of these original Japanese residents have since returned and with them brought Hawaiian culture and customs. Suo-Oshima even signed a sister contract with Kauai Island in 1963 marking the strong connection and friendship they keep to this day. In recent years, a lot of Japanese Hawaiians have visited the museum in quest of their origin, according to Kawano. With a database and the documents furnished in the museum, you can look into records of 130,000 Japanese who emigrated to Hawaii from 1885 to 1908. Data of Japanese Imigrants to Hawaii in 1885-1894 (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) Name List of Japanese Imigrants to Hawaii in 1885-1894 (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi) The unique museum is a short 60-minute drive from MCAS Iwakuni via 3,346-foot-long Oshima Ohashi Bridge. The island and its history make for a great day trip to get a taste of Hawaiian culture without leaving Japan. Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii Open: Tues. Mon., 9:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Location: 2144 Nishiyashiro, Suo-Oshima Town, Oshima-gun, Yamaguchi Pref. URL Admission: 400 yen; elementary/middle schoolers 200 yen Tel: 0820-74-4082 A Randolph County man was convicted Friday of stealing more than $43,000 from customers at Bob King Automotive in Winston-Salem. David Ho, 35, of Asheboro pleaded guilty to 31 counts of misdemeanor larceny in Forsyth Superior Court. Ho was initially charged with 31 counts of obtaining property by false pretense, court records show. Under a plea agreement, Judge Jason Ramey gave Ho a 45-day suspended jail sentence, put him on probation for two years and ordered Ho to pay $43,344 in restitution to Bob King Automotive. Ramey also ordered Ho to perform 60 hours of community service and fined him $1,000. Ho paid the restitution Friday at the Forsyth County Clerk of Court Office. Jane Garrity, an assistant district attorney for Forsyth County, told Ramey the fraud scheme occurred while Ho worked as a finance manager at Bob King Hyundai. Ho sold auto warranties to customers and took payments for them but never put those payments into the car dealers system, Garrity said. Bob King Automotive reimbursed each customer who lost money in the scheme, Garrity said. Ho stole money between November 2020 to May 2021, Garrity said. Jones Byrd of Winston-Salem, Hos attorney, told Ramey that Ho has accepted responsibility for his actions. Ho, a 2011 graduate of UNC Charlotte, no longer works in the auto-dealership industry, Byrd said. Ho now works at KR Solar LLC, which is based in Portland, Ore., and sells solar panels in North Carolina. He regrets the choices that brought him today, Byrd said about his client. Hes here to make things right. A company official at Bob King Automotive Group declined to comment Friday about the case. Cheryl Zeng arrived at school Monday morning thinking she'd have a fairly typical day. But instead of taking her computer science final that afternoon, the junior at Lincoln East ended up at the Steve Joel District Leadership Center, where she was told her art would soon be on display at the U.S. Capitol for the nation's leaders to admire. "I'm really lightheaded and kind of on cloud nine right now," she said following the surprise. "But it's just all crazy. And it happened so fast." Zeng was awarded first prize in Nebraska's 1st Congressional District for the annual Congressional Art Competition with her painting of the bronze, 19-foot tall Sower statue at the top of the Nebraska Capitol. One student from each district across the country is chosen to display their art in Washington, D.C. Her painting will hang beside the chosen artwork from Nebraska's 2nd and 3rd Congressional districts in a "very special walkway" in the Capitol. She also won two free plane tickets from Southwest Airlines to D.C. to view her artwork on display and attend a reception with fellow artists from across the nation. When deciding what to create for the competition, Zeng knew she wanted to create something that represented Nebraska. The iconic Sower statue was the first thing that came to mind. Then, she added aspects of the prestigious Nebraska Golden Sower Award logo a black triangle and golden circle behind the statue to further demonstrate the many things happening in the state. "It just kind of overall represents the prestige of Nebraska and how the golden Sower sees both night and day and the great things that happen here," Zeng said. Zeng's painting, along with the other submissions, were first judged by a panel of professional art teachers in the state, and then the top three were sent to Rep. Mike Flood to choose first, second and third prizes. Flood said there were over a dozen entries to choose from in the district, but when he saw Zeng's portrayal of the Sower, he knew he wanted to have it hanging in D.C. where he can explain to his fellow congressmen what the Sower is and what it represents. "It just really embodies what Nebraska is about. We grow things here. We grow corn, we grow livestock. It speaks to the agricultural nature of our state, but also to how progressive we are, that we're constantly learning," he said. "(Zeng) hit it out of the park with her summary." Top Journal Star photos for May 2024 The city and a Lincoln company finishing a $20 million addition to its companys longtime home in the Haymarket have agreed on a new plan for the parking lot the company will share with the planned South Haymarket Park. J.A. Woollam Co., which makes light-measuring instruments called spectroscopic ellipsometers, is doubling the size of its existing headquarters at Seventh and M streets in whats known as the Cotswold Building, built in 1894. When the City Council approved a redevelopment agreement with the company, city officials touted how the companys plan to build 35 parking stalls on the north and west side of the building would help integrate the area with the future park at Seventh and N streets There were to be shared parking stalls, with employees using them during working hours and park patrons on nights and weekends. But plans change. When the city and the East Downtown Development Corp. abandoned plans to build a $47.5 million mixed-use building at Seventh and N streets, the city instead decided to expand the proposed park to include that 1.5 acres, which the West Haymarket Joint Public Agency will convey to the city for $1. The new park plans include a larger skate park, a hearth feature, a community building and expanded playground. As part of those plans, the city also bought two properties owned by Bison Inc. at 540 L St. and 600 L St. The 540 L Street property will now become part of the park. And officials at Woollam, whose foundation donated $1 million to the park project in 2019, sat down with city officials at the negotiating table again. The result: a proposed land-exchange agreement between the city and the company and a new location for the parking lot. The company will give a swath of less than an acre of land north of its building (along the block where the mixed-use building was going to be near Seventh and N streets) to the city, according to the agreement and city officials. The city will give an even smaller piece of land west of the Woollam building to the company. And instead of the shared parking lot being along the north and west side of the building, it will run along the west side only, with 32 shared parking stalls on the north end and 26 public stalls farther south. As part of the agreement, the city will create a $100,000 endowment to care for the green space on the land north of the Woollam building the company gave to the city and will not add any of the park activities to that swath of land. It will also build the North Park Drive and South Park Drive, with access to parking and the park off of Sixth and L streets. The city also will create a turnaround area for Woollams commercial vehicles between the north and south parking areas. There will be sidewalks on the east and west edges of the parking area, landscaping, signs and lighting. The company has already built a wall around the north and west sides of its property and will add a pedestrian gate leading to the park. City Councilman Tom Beckius thanked the Woollam team for being a great partner on the park and their renovation. Thanks for always being willing to go back and forth as new iterations as the park come forward, he said. We really, really appreciate that ... its what makes projects like this succeed. Woollams renovations include adding 57,000 square feet of space and adding other enhancements such as facade improvements and a new dock area. The company has been in the Cotswold building since 1997, 10 years after it was founded by John Woollam as a spinoff of research he was doing at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The council will vote on the agreement at its June 3 meeting, as well as the agreement with the West Haymarket JPA to convey the 1.5 acres of land at 215 S. 15th St. to the city for $1. Top Journal Star photos for May 2024 1. Yes. They look better and require less maintenance. Most high-end housing areas have them. 2. Yes. Wood fences can weather and look unsightly, plus masonry walls help to block sound. 3. No. Residents should have a choice of what kind of barriers are put up near their homes. 4. No. Allowing a variety of materials will be better for aesthetics, and costs may be lower. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say. Masonry walls may be sturdier, but mandating them is problematic. Vote View Results Mideast countries offer condolences over deaths of Iranian president, FM Xinhua) 08:44, May 21, 2024 People mourn victims of the helicopter crash near Varzaqan County, in Tehran, Iran, on May 20, 2024. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and some members of his accompanying team, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were confirmed dead Monday morning as the wreckage of the helicopter carrying them was found following its crash in bad weather on Sunday near Varzaqan County. (Xinhua/Shadati) CAIRO, May 20 (Xinhua) -- Leaders across Middle Eastern countries on Monday offered their condolences to Iran over the deaths of President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and members of the accompanying team in a helicopter crash a day earlier. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit said on his X account that "I offer my condolences to the Iranian people on the death of Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and other officials following the tragic plane accident." Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi expressed condolences, emphasizing the council's solidarity with the Iranian government and people in the hard times, reported the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud sent condolences to Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber on the deaths of Raisi and some members of his accompanying delegation, said a statement carried by SPA. A woman mourns victims of the helicopter crash near Varzaqan County, in Tehran, Iran, on May 20, 2024. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and some members of his accompanying team, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were confirmed dead Monday morning as the wreckage of the helicopter carrying them was found following its crash in bad weather on Sunday near Varzaqan County. (Xinhua/Shadati) Turkiye "stands by Iran in these painful days" and "shares grief of Iranian people," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Mokhber in a phone call on Monday, Erdogan's office said in a statement. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi extended his sincere condolences to the people of Iran, expressing the solidarity of Egypt with the leadership and people of Iran during this tragic time, the Egyptian Presidency said in a statement. President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan expressed in a message "sincere condolences and deep sympathy to Iran, its leadership and people over the painful accident," saying his country "stands in solidarity with Iran at this difficult time." Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in a message, highlighted Syria's solidarity with Iran and the families of the deceased, expressing his commitment to continuing the work initiated by Raisi to benefit both nations. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune expressed his "deep sorrow and solidarity" with the Iranian people during "this difficult time," lamenting "the loss of my brother and partner Ebrahim Raisi, with whom I was united in serving the bonds of brotherhood, cooperation, and solidarity between our two countries and peoples, and in supporting just causes." The screenshot captured from footage broadcast by Iran's state-run IRIB TV on May 19, 2024 shows a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. Raisi and some members of his accompanying team were confirmed dead Monday morning after the helicopter crashed in the country's mountainous northwestern region on Sunday. (Xinhua/Shadati) Chairman of Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Monday eulogized Raisi, Amir-Abdollahian, and those who died in a helicopter crash, the sovereign council said in a statement. In addition, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Tunisia's Presidency, the Libyan Foreign Ministry as well as Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants also extended condolences to the Iranian government and people. The crash occurred on Sunday in Iran's Varzaqan County as Raisi, along with his accompanying team on board three helicopters, was on his way from Khoda Afarin County, where he attended the inauguration ceremony of a storage dam with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev earlier in the day, to the provincial capital Tabriz for the inauguration of a petrochemical complex. The other members onboard Raisi's helicopter, including East Azerbaijan's Governor Malek Rahmati, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Representative to East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, Raisi's bodyguard, as well as the flight crew, also lost their lives. (Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun) Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman will deliver the 2024 State of the County address this evening. Her address will be presented to the full Kenosha County Board at its meeting that starts at 7:30 p.m. on the third floor of the county Administration Building, 1010 56th St. The meeting will also include the installation of the new class of Youth In Governance members and recognition of the outgoing class. he Youth In Governance recognition and installation will immediately follow Kerkmans speech. Youth In Governance is a leadership development program in which high school students who live in Kenosha County participate as active members of the County Boards standing committees. More information about it is available at https://kenosha.extension.wisc.edu/youth/yig/Board. Newly elected members of the Kenosha County Board underwent a morning-long orientation session Monday, covering the wide range of responsibilities of county government and their own duties as supervisors. Last months election brought the arrival of nine new supervisors to the 23-member County Board. They include: Stephanie Knezz, Andres Gama, Sarah Kirby, John Morrissey, Felix Garcia, Guida Brown, Frederick Brookhouse, Eric Meadows and Keith Gray. All were elected to two-year terms. Facilitated by Extension Kenosha County, Mondays orientation session included remarks by countywide elected officials about their offices roles and responsibilities and brief presentations by various county department and division heads. Daniel Foth, local government specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension, led a discussion on operational roles, Roberts Rules of Order, board procedures, open meetings law, and more. Seth William Fagan is a blackmailer, according to Onalaska police. But instead of money, he extorted nude photos from underage girls. Fagan was recently sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography, and his crime has a relatively new name: sextortion. Both law enforcement and community leaders say its a danger to anyone who exchanges online messages and photos with people they dont know. When we talk to youth about this, they say its worse than you think, said Dave Konkol, justice and outreach pastor at First Free Church in Onalaska. According to prosecutors, Fagan used his Snapchat persona to solicit and receive hundreds of compromising images from underage girls and then threatened to post the images online if his victims didnt send him additional photos. Fagan, who was in his early 30s when he was contacting teen girls, reportedly gained the trust of his victims by pretending to be a teenager himself. Investigators discovered he sent messages to minors across the country, some as young as 12 years old, which triggered federal involvement. The dark side is that adults pretend to be kids, Konkol said. The case caught the attention of the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which cited Fagan in a recent press release. The department says it received 45 cybertips related to sextortion in 2023. In addition, the department reports a dramatic increase in financial sextortion, in which the offender demands money from a child. Teenage boys have been the most common targets in recent cases, the department says. Winona County has prosecuted a sextortion offense. In July 2023, police arrested 30-year-old Valentin Silva Quintana of Lewiston, Minnesota. According to court documents, Quintana used social media to threaten and exploit more than 60 girls ages 9-12 in three states and New Zealand. Quintana allegedly posed as a minor girl. Once he obtained sexually explicit photos, he threatened to disseminate them to friends and family unless his victims provided more. Outreach Winona County Sheriffs Office investigator Mark Dungy has been a member of the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children task force since 2017. He said informing the community about the dangers is critical. The Winona County Sheriffs Office has done community outreach and education as well to help parents and children better understand the dangerous of sextortion and other online solicitation of minors, Dungy said. Konkol also stresses education. The Onalaska church has launched a human trafficking ministry to raise awareness about sexual predators and how they use the internet to lure victims. The actual use of social media to blackmail girls and its mainly girls has been going on for quite a while, Konkol said. So many young people want to be popular. They want to have likes and shares. He blamed much of the problem on internet pornography. When I was a teenager, if I wanted to look at Playboy or Hustler, I would have had to drive to find it somewhere, Konkol said. Today, if youre an 8-year-old and you have a phone, youre one click away from pornography. While Fagan and Quintana were local and subject to arrest and prosecution, many predators operate from abroad and are beyond the reach of law enforcement. Dungy said law enforcement has limited options for stopping predators who operate overseas. Predators from other countries can create some difficulties in pursuing cases and getting cooperation, Dungy said. All ages at risk Chippewa Falls Police Chief Ryan Douglas said more than just young people are at risk. He said adults can find themselves in compromising situations through online dating services. A lot of people meet up online these days, Douglas said. He urged people to use common sense when dealing with someone online they dont know. We strongly advise people not to send pictures, Douglas said. Konkol believes the efforts of his church, which includes speakers, events and documentaries, are having a positive impact. As a church, we want to make sure children and parents know whats going on, he said. Weve had teenagers who have seen the presentations, and they tell us theyre thankful they saw it. Despite thunderstorms and a downpour, UW-La Crosse officials and donors christened a new research vessel Tuesday morning. With a crash of glass, the Research Vessel Prairie Springs was blessed with good luck and safe travels for its expeditions in freshwater science. The new ship is 32 feet of aluminum fitted with twin 225-horsepower engines for traversing the Mississippi and other rivers at over 40 mph. With the catamaran hull only reaching 20 inches deep, the ship is designed with shallow backwaters in mind. UW-L acquired the vessel through a $500,000 gift from Prairie Springs: The Paul Fleckenstein Trust. Fleckenstein died in May 2011, but donations continue through the trust organized by his sister, Carolyn Scott, and her husband, Jay Scott. The Paul Fleckenstein Trust previously funded $2 million of the $82 million Prairie Springs Science Center project at UW-L which was named after the trust fund. Another science center at Carroll University in Waukesha is also named after the trust whose donors gave $1 million to the universitys project. Carolyn Scott was given the christening honors. The ceremonial bottle was wrapped in a net to prevent broken glass from entering the riverbed. After receiving the blessing, the boat shot north upriver for a test cruise, returning back for one final look from the crowd. The vessel will help the River Studies Center with freshwater research in the rich Mississippi River. Research Vessel Prairie Springs is equipped with water sampling tools, sediment sampling, sonar equipment and river mapping features all fitted for educational projects. Eric Strauss, director of the River Studies Center, called it the new flagship of the centers fleet. It is head and shoulders above our other vessels as far as size, technology, functionality and the overall ability to support impactful research and learning by our students and faculty, Strauss said. We spent considerable time researching and thinking about how we wanted to design and equip the vessel to meet our needs and have the biggest impact. Were thrilled with how it came together, and to finally see it out on the water. Strauss added there are already a handful of classes working to implement the boat into their course work, including some high school classes. Marine construction group JF Brennan will be in charge of maintaining the vehicle. For its contributions maintaining the research fleet, JF Brennan was awarded the Universities of Wisconsins 2024 Regents Business Partnership Award. The China-California Business Forum was held in Los Angeles on Monday, bringing together officials, business organizations and companies of the two countries with the goal of expanding business ties and subnational cooperation. Addressing the event, Chinese Consul General in Los Angeles Guo Shaochun said China is California's largest trading partner and California has the largest presence of Chinese-invested companies among all states in the United States. The bilateral economic and trade cooperation has facilitated growth in employment and economy, benefiting the peoples of both China and the United States. In 2023, China was California's top trading partner with two-way trade amounting to over 137 billion U.S. dollars. More than half of the containers entering and leaving the Port of Los Angeles are for trade with China, and 70 percent of the cargo volume at the Port of Long Beach is China-related, according to Guo. Calling the China-California Business Forum an important platform for deeper communication and broader business opportunities, Guo said the forum will vitalize subnational cooperation and promote the sound, stable and sustainable development of China-U.S. relations. Lieutenant Governor of the state of California Eleni Kounalakis said the relationship between California and China is special, citing California's location on the Pacific Rim, large Chinese American community, significant trading activities and student exchanges. "All of those have led to the creation of longstanding and respectful friendship," she said. This year's forum is joined by a Chinese delegation consisting of over 150 top business leaders and trade officials from dozens of provinces. Shanghai is the Guest City of Honor this year. Mayor of Shanghai Gong Zheng said that in recent years, the exchanges and cooperation between Shanghai and Californian cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco have been further expanded. Shanghai expects to further enhance substantial cooperation with California in such areas as science and technological innovation, trade and investment, tourism, cultural exchanges and green development, in a bid to achieve high-level win-win cooperation, Gong said. Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles, stressed the close bonds between China and Los Angeles. China is the sixth largest source of foreign-owned businesses in Los Angeles, and the third largest export market for L.A. dairy companies. Nearly 250 businesses from China have expanded to Los Angeles creating jobs and economic opportunity. Over the last ten years, L.A. companies have exported more than 60 billion dollars in goods to China. China's ports are the most significant trading partners on the port of Los Angeles, according to Bass. Amy Tong, secretary of California Government Operation, said California has long been a hub for cultural exchanges between China and the United States, helping Chinese visitors to feel welcomed at home and fostering rich artistic dialogues. Numerous museums, galleries and cultural institutions of California have events showcasing Chinese arts, calligraphy, music and dance. Events like the Chinese New Year celebrations further strengthen ties and promote mutual understanding, Tong said. California is also home to some of the world top universities and research institutions, attracting a significant number of Chinese students and scholars, she added. "Ultimately, as two of the biggest economies in the world, we hope our relationship can serve as a positive force for good, and remind the world what we have to gain by working together and towards peace and share prosperity," Tong noted. The forum focused on a number of important sectors, including clean technologies, e-commerce, agriculture, infrastructure and innovation. A series of memorandum of understanding (MoU) were signed during the event to boost trade cooperation between China and California, including one between World Trade Center Los Angeles and Shanghai Foreign Investment Development Board, and another between San Francisco International Airport and Shanghai Airport Authority. The China-California Business Forum is an annual economic and trade event under the China Provinces and U.S. California Joint Working Framework for Trade and Investment cooperation. The event was founded to boost the pragmatic cooperation in trade and investment between California and related provinces and cities in China. Starting from 2016, the previous five forums have drawn in over 2,100 attendees, addressing an array of topics including clean technology, e-commerce, agriculture, infrastructure, innovation cooperation and more. A surge in foreign investment recorded in the coastal city of Tianjin reflects the confidence of multinational corporations in the Chinese market, officials and experts said. On Wednesday, US-based pet food company Mars and Sino-German joint venture FAW-Volkswagen announced new investments of up to 3.3 billion yuan ($414.9 million) in the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), a pivotal zone within the Binhai New Area. FAW-Volkswagen signed an agreement with the administrative committee of TEDA to invest over 2.3 billion yuan in the FAW-Volkswagen Tianjin Plant. It plans to roll out three SUV models under the Audi and Volkswagen brands at the factory by 2026. Mars also inaugurated operations on Wednesday of its new Tianjin pet food factory, which was built with an investment of $137 million. Ikdeep Singh, president of Mars Pet Nutrition Global, said, "The new factory is a crucial addition to our global supply chain, enabling us to respond promptly to the diverse needs of Chinese pet owners with flexibility and efficiency." Singh said the company will further solidify its relationships with Chinese suppliers, customers, and pet owners, expanding Mars' business in Tianjin. He said he believes "the new factory signifies a commitment to positively contribute to the global evolution of pet care". Gao Jiefang, general manager of FAW-Volkswagen Tianjin branch, said that the new lineup will enhance the company's market presence in the new energy segment in North China. "This new lineup is aimed at the increasingly high-end segment of the Chinese market," he added. In agreement with Gao, Hong Shicong, head of the administrative committee of TEDA, said, "The area is prepared to promptly meet demand from foreign and joint venture companies, tailoring its services for their quality growth." According to the Ministry of Commerce, in the first quarter, some 12,000 foreign companies established a foothold in China, marking a 20.7 percent increase year-on-year. These figures contradict arguments suggesting some foreign investment outflow from China. Wang Yujing, a professor at the School of Economics, Tianjin University of Commerce, said: "The data from the first quarter and the recent influx of new investments on May 15 indicate a strong confidence among foreign investors in the Chinese market. "This trend demonstrates that multinational corporations are solidifying their industrial chains and market presence, entering a virtuous cycle in China. "It also means China's investment climate is ever improvingrestricting investments in certain countries is not a widespread and wise practice among multinational corporations." The American space travel company Blue Origin announced that it sent 90-year-old Ed Dwight into space, making him the oldest space traveler. The company said Dwight was the first Black astronaut candidate and was picked personally by President John F. Kennedy in 1961. But it said Dwight was not chosen to be among the next group of astronauts. Dwight spent a few minutes of weightlessness with five other passengers on the Blue Origin spacecraft. It reached the edge of space for about 10 minutes. Dwight called the flight a life changing experience. With the flight, Dwight passed Star Trek actor William Shatner as the oldest person to reach space. Shatners flight took place in 2021. Dwight joined four businessmen from the U.S. and France. The cost of the trip for each was not released. Blue Origin said Dwights flight was paid for by Space for Humanity, a nonprofit group based in Denver, Colorado. The group aims to send people of many different backgrounds into space as citizen astronauts. Dwight was in a test pilot program at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The program called The Right Stuff was the training ground for early astronauts. After being passed over, he retired from the military in 1966. He later became a sculptor who made statues of Civil Rights leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman and others. The U.S. space agency NASA announced Guion Bluford as the first Black astronaut in 1978, Bluford first reached space in 1983. The former Soviet Union placed the first person with African and Cuban ancestry, Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez, into orbit in 1980. The stories of Dwight and Bluford are among those told in the documentary movie from National Geographic called The Space Race. It is about Black astronauts. Dwights flight on May 19 was the first launch with a crew for Blue Origin in nearly two years. All flights were grounded after an accident in 2022. Flights without a crew restarted last December. Sundays flight was the seventh to carry space tourists. Businessman and founder of Amazon Jeff Bezos also started started Blue Origin, a company that seeks to make space tourism popular. After completing his flight on Blue Origins spacecraft, Dwight said, I thought I really didnt need this in my life, but added, But now, I need it in my lifeI am ecstatic. Im Mario Ritter, Jr. The Associated Press reported this story. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional sources of information. _________________________________________________ Words in This Story grounded adj. not permitted to fly tourist n. a person who travels for enjoyment and not for business reasons ecstatic adj. extremely happy and excited We want to hear from you. Our comment policy is here. A Danish businessmans large coin collection is set to go on sale one hundred years after his death. The collection could be worth up to $72 million. Lars Emil Bruun directed lawyers what to do with the coin collection after his death in a legal document called a will. In it, Bruun required that his collection of about 20,000 coins be kept safe for 100 years before being sold. Deeply moved by the destruction of World War I and fearing another war, Bruun wanted the collection to be a reserve for Denmark. Now, over a hundred years since Bruuns death at the age of 71 in 1923, the collection will begin to be sold. New York-based Stacks Bowers, a rare coin auction house, will begin selling the collection this fall. Several sales are planned. On its website, the auction house calls it the most valuable collection of world coins to ever come to market. The collections existence has not been widely known, and the public has never seen it before. When I first heard about the collection, I was in disbelief, said Vicken Yegparian of Stacks Bowers Galleries. Weve had collections that have been off the market for 100 years plus, he said. But theyre extremely well known internationally. This one has been the best open secret ever. Born in 1852, Bruun began to collect coins as a boy in the 1850s and 1860s. Years later, he grew very rich selling the milk product, butter. His wealth permitted him to continue his hobby. Bruun went to auctions, and he built a large collection that came to include 20,000 coins, medals, tokens and banknotes from Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Following World War I, Bruun left exact instructions in his will for the collection. For a period of 100 years after my death, the collection shall serve as a reserve for the Royal Coin and Medal Collection, the will said. It added, Should the next century pass with the national collection intact, it shall be sold at public auction and the proceeds shall accrue to the persons who are my direct descendants. Some descendants tried to break the will and get money early. But they were not successful. I think the will and testament were pretty ironclad. There was no loophole, Yegparian said. Yegparian estimated some pieces may sell for just $50, but others could be sold for over $1 million. He said possible buyers were requesting a list of the objects before the auction was announced. The collection first remained at the former Danish royal residence of Frederiksborg Castle. Later, it was stored at Denmarks National Bank. Denmarks National Museum had the right to purchase some of the coins before the public. The National Museum purchased seven rare coins from Bruuns collection. Six of the coins were gold and one was silver. They all were made between the 15th and 17th centuries by Danish or Norwegian rulers. A supporting group paid the cost of over $1.1 million. Helle Horsnaes, a coin expert at the national museum, used the term unique meaning one of a kind to talk about those coins. She said, We chose coins that were unique. They are describedas the only existing specimen of this kind. Horsnaes expressed wonder about the collection: The pure fact that this collection has been closed for a hundred years makes it a legend. Im John Russell. James Brooks reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________ Words in This Story coin n. metal money that is round in shape reserve n. something set aside for a particular purpose, use, or reason auction n. a sale of something to the highest bidder hobby n. an activity done for fun or relaxation intact adj. untouched or unharmed accrue v. to come into existence as a legally enforceable claim; to come as a direct result of something testament n. an act by which a person outlines the uses of his or her property after death ironclad adj. very firm or secure loophole n. an unclear or doubtful item in a text through which the intent of a contract or obligation may be evaded specimen n. an individual or item considered typical of a group Iranian state media reported Monday that Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other top officials died in a helicopter crash in the countrys northwest. The helicopter crashed on Sunday in bad weather in Irans East Azerbaijan province. Search crews found the wreckage Monday. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was also among those killed. The Iranian officials were returning to Iran after attending the opening of a joint dam project at the Iran-Azerbaijan border. Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced five days of mourning. He appointed Vice President Mohammad Mokhber as acting president. Mokhber then named Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani as foreign minister caretaker, a Cabinet official said. An election for a new president is set to take place in the next 50 days. Raisi was 63 years old. He was elected president in 2021. Most of his main opponents were barred from running in the election, which had record low turnout among voters. Raisi, an ultraconservative, had strong support from Khamenei. On Sunday, Iranian state television showed video of government supporters gathering in different parts of the country to pray for Raisis safe return. Images published on social media Sunday showed opponents of Irans Islamist rulers setting off fireworks in several places to celebrate the possibility of Raisis death. VOAs Persian Service examined the images and said they are credible, or real. But it could not independently confirm the reason for the fireworks. VOA is barred from reporting inside Iran. In one video, a woman identifies the location of fireworks as southern Tehran. In another video, a man reacts to what he says are fireworks in the city of Saqqez in northwestern Irans Kurdistan province. Reactions from world leaders Governments around the world reacted to the news of Raisis death. Pakistan, Lebanon, Iraq and other nations announced a period of mourning. Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev said Monday that he was deeply shocked by the heavy loss. Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Raisi as an outstanding politician. He called him a true friend of Russia. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi expressed Egypts solidarity with the leadership and people of Iran in this great loss. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was shocked by the development. He added that India stands with Iran in this time of sorrow. European Council President Charles Michel said the European Union expresses its sincere condolences. Our thoughts go to the families, Michel said. I'm Ashley Thompson. VOA News reported this story. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English, with additional materials from The Associated Press. ________________________________________________ Words in This Story province - n. any one of the large parts that some countries are divided into opponent - n. a person, group, etc., that is against something (such as an action, law, or system) solidarity - n. a feeling of unity between people who have the same interests, goals, etc. condolences - n. a feeling or expression of sympathy and sadness especially when someone is suffering because of the death of a family member, a friend, etc. sorrow - n. a feeling of sadness or grief caused especially by the loss of someone or something For the first time, researchers have identified a genetic form of late-in-life Alzheimers disease. Alzheimers is a disease of the brain that causes people to lose their memory and mental abilities as they grow old. Scientists have long known a gene called APOE4 is one of the many things that can increase a persons risk for Alzheimers. One risk includes simply getting old; most Alzheimers cases appear after age 65. But new research suggests that a cause of the disease is carrying two copies of the APOE4 gene. People with two copies of APOE4 inherited the gene from both parents. Those patients may experience signs of Alzheimers seven to 10 years sooner than other adults who develop Alzheimers, the research found. Dr. Juan Fortea led the study. He is with the Sant Pau Reasearch Institute in Barcelona, Spain. He said the findings mark a difference with profound implications. An estimated 15 percent of Alzheimers patients carry two copies of APOE4. Those cases can be tracked back to a cause and the cause is in the genes, Fortea said. Until now, genetic forms of Alzheimers were thought to be only kinds that appear at much younger ages. They were also thought to make up less than one percent of all cases. Scientists say the new research shows the importance of developing treatments that target the APOE4 genes. Dr. Reisa Sperling is with Harvards Brigham and Womens Hospital in Boston. She helped write the study, which appeared recently in the publication Nature Medicine. She said some doctors will not offer the only drug that has been shown to slow the disease, Leqembi, to people with the gene pair. She said that they are not offered the drug because those patients are at an especially high risk of developing a dangerous side effect. Sperling studies ways to prevent or at least delay Alzheimers. She said, This data for me says wow, what an important group to be able to go after before they become symptomatic. But the news does not mean people should race for a gene test. She told The Associated Press, Its important not to scare everyone who has a family history of Alzheimers. She said the gene pair is not the cause of most cases of the disease. How do genetics affect Alzheimers? More than 6 million Americans, and millions more worldwide, have Alzheimers. Some genes are known to cause rare early-onset forms. This is where changes in the genes are passed through families that can cause symptoms to appear by age 50. But Alzheimers most commonly appears after 65. Most cases begin after the age of 70. The APOE gene was known to play some part. Most people carry the APOE3 gene that appears to neither increase nor decrease Alzheimers risk. Some carry APOE2, which provides some protection against Alzheimers. APOE4 has long been called the biggest genetic risk factor for late-in-life Alzheimers, with two copies riskier than one. About two percent of the worlds population is estimated to have a copy of the gene from both parents. Research points to a cause for a kind of Alzheimers Forteas team used data from over 3,000 brains donated for research and from more than 10,000 people in U.S. and European Alzheimers studies. The teams aim was to better understand genes role in Alzheimers. They examined symptoms and early signs of Alzheimers such as sticky amyloid in the brain. Amyloid is a protein that can exist in different body parts, including the brain, with certain diseases. The researchers found that people with two APOE4 copies were gaining more amyloid at age 55 than those with just one copy of APOE4. They were also gaining more amyloid than people who had the neutral APOE3 gene. By age 65, brain imaging showed large amounts of harmful amyloid buildup in nearly 75 percent of individuals with two copies of APOE4. Those individuals were also more likely to have beginning Alzheimers symptoms by that age rather than later in life. Sperling noted that not everyone with two APOE4 genes develops Alzheimers symptoms. Researchers hope to learn why. How the new findings may affect Alzheimers research and treatment The drug Leqembi works by clearing away some amyloid in patients brains. But Sperling said it is not clear if carriers of two APOE4 genes gain from taking the drug. That is because they have such a high risk of brain swelling and bleeding. One research question is whether patients with two APOE4 genes should start such drugs sooner than other people. Dr. Eliezer Masliah of the National Institute on Aging said other research aims to develop gene therapy or drugs that target APOE4. He said it is important to understand APOE4s effects in different populations. So far, studies related to APOE4 have mostly involved white people of European ancestry. Im Anna Matteo. And Im Gregory Stachel. Lauran Neergaard reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. Quiz - Study: Gene May Cause Alzheimers in Some Cases Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz ______________________________________________ Words in This Story profound adj. very great implications n. a possible future effect or result symptoms n. a change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is present track v. to follow and find (someone or something) especially by looking at evidence factor n. something that helps produce or influence a result swelling adj. something that helps produce or influence a result therapy n. the treatment of physical or mental illnesses Taten Tart is a traditional French apple pie inside out. It not only looks unusual and beautiful but is also extremely flavorful and easy to prepare. ADVERTISIMENT Food blogger Olga Ryabenko told us how to fill your kitchen with the incredible flavor of France and make a pie that everyone will love. She shared a detailed recipe for this dish on Instagram. Ingredients for the dough: Egg 1 pc Water 50 ml Flour 250 gr Butter 125 gr Salt 5 g Can be replaced with purchased puff pastry. Ingredients for the filling: Hard apples 5 pcs Sugar 60 g Cognac (optional) 30 ml Honey 50 grams Sour cream 30% for serving Method of preparation: 1. Peel the apples, and core and cut them in half. ADVERTISIMENT 2. Put butter and sugar in a frying pan. Add the apples and cook until caramelized. 3. Pour in the cognac and cook for another 5 minutes. 4. Cover the mold with parchment. Drizzle with honey and put the apples. 5. Roll out the dough, 0.5 cm thick. Cut out a circle to shape. 6. Cover the apples and fold the edges inward. Make punctures with a fork. 7. Bake at 180 for 40 minutes. 8. Cover the mold with a plate and turn the cake over. Serve with honey and sour cream. ADVERTISIMENT Rajiv Gandhi, the 46-year-old former Indian prime minister, has been assassinated. He was campaigning for the Congress Party on the second day of voting in the worlds largest democratic election when a powerful bomb, hidden in a basket of flowers, exploded killing him instantly. At least 14 other people were also killed in the attack in the town of Sriperumbudur, about 30 miles from Madras, the capital of the southern state of Tamil Nadu. No-one has admitted carrying out the murder but it is being blamed on Mr Gandhis arch enemies, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a violent guerrilla group fighting for a separate homeland for Tamils on the island of Sri Lanka. Rajiv Gandhis death has shocked the world and marks the end of the Nehru dynasty that had led India for all but five years since independence from Britain. After his brother Sanjay was killed in an air crash in 1980, he gave up his job as an airline pilot and was elected to Sanjays parliamentary seat. He became prime minister after his mother, Indira Gandhi, was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards in 1984. Often seen as a reluctant leader, he and his Congress Party won a record majority later that year. He encouraged foreign investment, a freer economy and rejuvenated his own party, ridding it of his mothers unelected cronies. After he lost the election in 1989, Rajiv Gandhi resigned. This time, the Congress Party was expected to win the largest number of parliamentary seats but not overall control against the Hindu BJP Party and the Janata Dal, now split into two parties. The campaign has been marred by sectarian violence between Hindus and Muslims in what has proved to be the most violent election in Indian history. Two hundred people have already been killed. Courtesy BBC News In context It later emerged that a female Tamil Tiger (LTTE) suicide bomber had assassinated Rajiv Gandhi. In 1987 Mr Gandhi, then prime minister, had sent Indian peacekeeping forces to Sri Lanka in a disastrous attempt to impose peace in the country. The move proved unpopular both at home and abroad and his troops pulled out in 1990. A year after Mr Gandhis death, the Tamil Tigers were outlawed in India. PV Narasimha Rao, succeeded Gandhi as Congress leader and became Indias prime minister later that year. After a number of bribery scandals, the party was heavily defeated in the 1996 elections. But its popularity was revived in 1998 by Mr Gandhis Italian-born widow Sonia who took over as leader and returned the party to power in the 2004 elections. She refused to become prime minister herself, however, and the job went to former finance minister Manmohan Singh. Eventually, the BJP returned to power and is currently run by the Hindu fundamentalists. You are here: Business China's service outsourcing industry saw robust expansion in the first four months of this year, the Ministry of Commerce said on Tuesday. Chinese firms inked services outsourcing contracts worth a total of nearly 781.43 billion yuan (about 110 billion U.S. dollars) in the four-month period, up 14.4 percent year on year, according to the ministry. The executed contract value stood at 520.51 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.9 percent. Of the total, the value of offshore service outsourcing contracts rose 8.6 percent year on year to 419.04 billion yuan. In the January-April period, the industry welcomed about 301,000 new hires, with 84.7 percent of these individuals holding a university degree or above. Outsourcing refers to hiring an outside party to carry out services or produce goods typically undertaken by in-house employees. No matter how the political situation on the Taiwan island changes, it will not change the historical and legal facts that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China, and the historical trend that China will eventually be reunified and will inevitably be reunified, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said yesterday. Spokesperson Wang Wenbin made the remarks at a daily press briefing in response to a related query. He said that the vast majority of countries and international and regional organizations in the world stand firmly with the Chinese government and people, and support Chinas just cause of opposing Taiwan independence and promoting reunification. Certain politicians from a few countries engage in political manipulation and personal shows on Taiwan-related issues, which has seriously interfered in Chinas internal affairs and violated the one-China principle, said Wang. China strongly condemns such moves and will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Wang said the general trend of history in unstoppable, and Taiwan independence is doomed to run into a dead end. There is no way out for external forces to interfere in Chinas internal affairs and condone and support Taiwan independence, and using Taiwan to contain China is bound to fail. The day will come when China is completely reunified, said the spokesperson. MAINLAND SAYS LAI SENDS DANGEROUS SIGNAL A spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council said Lai Ching-te has sent a dangerous signal of seeking Taiwan independence and making provocations to undermine cross-Strait peace and stability in his speech upon assuming the role of Taiwan regions new leader. Chen Binhua described Lais speech as one that stubbornly followed the Taiwan independence stance, wantonly advocated separatism, incited cross-Strait confrontation and sought independence by relying on foreign support and by force. Chen said the mainstream public aspiration on the island is for peace and development, instead of war and recession, while Lai has ignored the public opinion, exposing his nature of being a worker for Taiwan independence. PLA TO COUNTER ALL INDEPENDENCE ACTIVITIES Last week, the Ministry of National Defense said China will resolutely and decisively counter all activities and external support of Taiwan independence. Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang made the remarks on Friday in response to a media query about recent military interactions between the United States and Chinas Taiwan region. Zhang urged the United States to be fully aware of the sensitivity of the Taiwan question, cease any form of official exchanges and military contacts with the Taiwan region, and refrain from sending wrong signals to the separatists advocating Taiwan independence. He also warned that the attempts made by Taiwans Democratic Progressive Party authorities to seek independence with the support of the United States and resist reunification with force are doomed to fail. Xinhua Reporters, Xinhua Macau students can now apply to 18 mainland Chinese universities using their results from the Four-University Joint Entrance Examination, according to the Education and Youth Development Bureau. South China Agricultural University will join the program this year, allowing Macau students direct entry. Students who hold a Macau ID card and return permit for the joint exam between May and June can submit their scores and documents to the universities of their choice. Professional programs may require subject exams or interviews. Admission decisions are expected in mid-to-late July. The program gives Macau students expanded access to a mainland Chinese higher education based on a common entrance assessment. Related With an assist from Paul McCartney the Paralympic Games starts its 100-day race yesterday to the opening ceremony in Paris in August. The former Beatle has let We All Stand Together the signature tune from an award-winning animated film he wrote and produced 40 years ago be used in a promotional film for the International Paralympic Committee. Sir Paul really understands what we stand for as a movement and he was so generous to us, IPC president Andrew Parsons told The Associated Press. He was not difficult to convince, it was something that came very naturally. In 100 days from yesterday, the Summer Paralympics opening ceremony on Aug. 28 will play out along a section of the Champs-Elysees and Place de la Concorde. We have probably the most famous avenue in the world, Parsons said in a recent interview. That is really exciting. The city is really embracing Paralympic athletes, athletes with disabilities. MDT/AP The Philippines blamed Chinese fishermen yesterday for a massive loss of giant clams in a disputed shoal controlled by Chinas coast guard in the South China Sea and urged an international inquiry into the amount of environmental damage in the area. The Philippine coast guard presented surveillance photographs of Chinese fishermen harvesting large numbers of giant clams for a number of years in a lagoon at Scarborough Shoal, but said signs of such activities stopped in March 2019. Parts of the surrounding coral appeared to be badly scarred, in what the coast guard said was apparently a futile search by the Chinese for more clams. The lagoon is a prominent fishing area which Filipinos call Bajo de Masinloc and the Chinese calll Huangyan Dao off the northwestern Philippines. Those were the last remaining giant clams that we saw in Bajo de Masinloc, Philippine coast guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela said at a news conference. We are alarmed and worried about the situation thats happening there, National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said. He said China should allow an independent inquiry by experts from the United Nations and environmental groups. The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Beijing has repeatedly asserted its sovereignty over much of the busy South China Sea. The territorial disputes involve China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. The Indonesian navy has also been involved in skirmishes with the Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels in the Natuna waters in the margins of the South China Sea. The Philippines has adopted a policy of publicizing Chinas increasingly assertive actions in the contested waters to gain international support, and the news conference was its latest effort to condemn Chinas stewardship of Scarborough Shoal. MDT/AP Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the countrys foreign minister and several other officials were found dead yesterday, hours after their helicopter crashed in a foggy, mountainous region of the countrys northwest, state media reported. The crash comes as the Middle East remains unsettled by the Israel-Hamas war, during which Raisi, who was 63, under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched an unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel just last month. Khamenei announced that Irans first vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, would serve as the countrys acting president until elections are held. During Raisis term in office, Iran enriched uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels, further escalating tensions with the West as Tehran also supplied bomb-carrying drones to Russia for its war in Ukraine and armed militia groups across the region. Meanwhile, Iran has faced years of mass protests against its Shiite theocracy over the ailing economy and womens rights making the moment that much more sensitive for Tehran and the future of the country. Among the dead was Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, 60. The helicopter also carried the governor of Irans East Azerbaijan province, a senior cleric from Tabriz, three crew members and a Revolutionary Guard official, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. IRNA said the crash killed eight people in all, including three crew members, aboard the Bell helicopter, which Iran purchased in the early 2000s. Aircraft in Iran face a shortage of parts, often flying without safety checks against the backdrop of Western sanctions. Because of that, former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif sought to blame the United States for the crash in an interview yesterday. One of the main culprits of yesterdays tragedy is the United States, which embargoed the sale of aircraft and aviation parts to Iran and does not allow the people of Iran to enjoy good aviation facilities, Zarif said. These will be recorded in the list of US crimes against the Iranian people. State TV gave no immediate cause for the crash that occurred in Irans East Azerbaijan province. The U.S. has yet to comment publicly on Raisis death. Ali Bagheri Kani, a nuclear negotiator for Iran, will serve as the countrys acting foreign minister, state TV said. Early yesterday, Turkish authorities released what they described as drone footage showing what appeared to be a fire in the wilderness that they suspected to be wreckage of helicopter. The coordinates listed in the footage put the fire some 20 kilometers, south of the Azerbaijan-Iranian border on the side of a steep mountain. Footage released by IRNA showed what the agency described as the crash site, across a steep valley in a green mountain range. Soldiers speaking in the local Azeri language said: There it is, we found it. Condolences started pouring in from neighbors and allies after Iran confirmed there were no survivors from the crash. Pakistan announced a day of mourning and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X that his country stands with Iran in this time of sorrow. Leaders of Egypt and Jordan also offered condolences, as did Syrian President Bashar Assad. Lebanon and Syria both declared three days of mourning. Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev said he and his government were deeply shocked Raisi was returning on Sunday after traveling to Irans border with Azerbaijan to inaugurate a dam with Aliyev when the crash happened. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chinas Xi Jinping conveyed their condolences. Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a statement released by the Kremlin, described Raisi as a true friend of Russia. Khamenei, who had himself urged the public to pray Sunday night, stressed the business of Irans government would continue no matter what. Under the Iranian constitution, Irans vice first president takes over if the president dies, with Khameneis assent, and a new presidential election would be called within 50 days. Khameneis condolence message yesterday over Raisis death, declared five days of public mourning and acknowledged Mokhber had taken the role of acting president. Mokhber had already begun receiving calls from officials and foreign governments in Raisis absence, state media reported. An emergency meeting of Irans Cabinet was held as state media made the announcement yesterday morning. The Cabinet issued a statement afterward pledging it would follow Raisis path and that with the help of God and the people, there will be no problem with management of the country. A hard-liner who formerly led the countrys judiciary, Raisi was viewed as a protege of Khamenei and some analysts had suggested he could replace the 85-year-old leader after Khameneis death or resignation. With Raisis death, the only other person so far suggested has been Mojtaba Khameini, the 55-year-old son to the supreme leader. However, some have raised concerns over the position being taken only for the third time since 1979 to a family member, particularly after the Islamic Revolution overthrew the hereditary Pahlavi monarchy of the shah. Raisi won Irans 2021 presidential election, a vote that saw the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republics history. Raisi is sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 at the end of the bloody Iran-Iraq war. Under Raisi, Iran launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel amid its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It also has continued arming proxy groups in the Mideast, like Yemens Houthi rebels and Lebanons Hezbollah. Raisi is the second Iranian president to die in office. In 1981, a bomb blast killed President Mohammad Ali Rajai in the chaotic days after the countrys Islamic Revolution. JON GAMBRELL, Dubai, MDT/AP South Korea is set to host a mini-summit this week on risks and regulation of artificial intelligence, following up on an inaugural AI safety meeting in Britain last year that drew a diverse crowd of tech luminaries, researchers and officials. The gathering in Seoul aims to build on work started at the U.K. meeting on reining in threats posed by cutting edge artificial intelligence systems. Here is what you need to know about the AI Seoul Summit and AI safety issues. INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS MADE The Seoul summit is one of many global efforts to create guardrails for the rapidly advancing technology that promises to transform many aspects of society, but has also raised concerns about new risks for both everyday life such as algorithmic bias that skews search results and potential existential threats to humanity. At Novembers U.K. summit, held at a former secret wartime codebreaking base in Bletchley north of London, researchers, government leaders, tech executives and members of civil society groups, many with opposing views on AI, huddled in closed-door talks. Tesla CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman mingled with politicians like British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Delegates from more than two dozen countries including the U.S. and China signed the Bletchley Declaration, agreeing to work together to contain the potentially catastrophic risks posed by galloping advances in artificial intelligence. In March, the U.N. General Assembly approved its first resolution on artificial intelligence, lending support to an international effort to ensure the powerful new technology benefits all nations, respects human rights and is safe, secure and trustworthy. Earlier this month, the U.S. and China held their first high-level talks on artificial intelligence in Geneva to discuss how to address the risks of the fast-evolving technology and set shared standards to manage it. There, U.S. officials raised concerns about Chinas misuse of AI while Chinese representatives rebuked the U.S. over restrictions and pressure on artificial intelligence, according to their governments. TOPICS OF DISCUSSION AT THE SEOUL SUMMIT The May 21-22 meeting is co-hosted by the South Korean and U.K. governments. On day one, today, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and Sunak will meet leaders virtually. A few global industry leaders have been invited to provide updates on how theyve been fulfilling the commitments made at the Bletchley summit to ensure the safety of their AI models. On day two, digital ministers will gather for an in-person meeting hosted by South Korean Science Minister Lee Jong-ho and Britains Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan. Participants will share best practices and concrete action plans. They also will share ideas on how to protect society from potentially negative impacts of AI on areas such as energy use, workers and the proliferation of mis- and disinformation, according to the organizers. The meeting has been dubbed a mini virtual summit, serving as an interim meeting until a full-fledged in-person edition that France has pledged to hold. The digital ministers meeting is to include representatives from countries like the United States, China, Germany, France and Spain and companies including ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, Google, Microsoft and Anthropic. PROGRESS OF AI SAFETY EFFORTS MADE The accord reached at the U.K. meeting was light on details and didnt propose a way to regulate the development of AI. The United States and China came to the last summit. But when we look at some principles announced after the meeting, they were similar to what had already been announced after some U.N. and OECD meetings, said Lee Seong-yeob, a professor at the Graduate School of Management of Technology at Seouls Korea University. There was nothing new. Its important to hold a global summit on AI safety issues, he said, but it will be considerably difficult for all participants to reach agreements since each country has different interests and different levels of domestic AI technologies and industries. The gathering is being held as Meta, OpenAI and Google roll out the latest versions of their AI models. The original AI Safety Summit was conceived as a venue for hashing out solutions for so-called existential risks posed by the most powerful foundation models that underpin general purpose AI systems like ChatGPT. Pioneering computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, dubbed one of the godfathers of AI, was tapped at the U.K. meeting to lead an expert panel tasked with drafting a report on the state of AI safety. An interim version of the report released on Friday to inform discussions in Seoul identified a range of risks posed by general purpose AI, including its malicious use to increase the scale and sophistication of frauds and scams, supercharge the spread of disinformation, or create new bioweapons. Malfunctioning AI systems could spread bias in areas like healthcare, job recruitment and financial lending, while the technologys potential to automate a big range of tasks also poses systemic risks to the labor market, the report said. South Korea hopes to use the Seoul summit to take the initiative in formulating global governance and norms for AI. But some critics say the country lacks AI infrastructure advanced enough to play a leadership role in such governance issues. HYUNG-JIN KIM & KELVIN CHAN, SEOUL, MDT/AP A task force for the simplification of procedures and road safety from the Traffic Advisory Committee (CCT) has proposed to move the charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) from roadside parking to under the overpasses, the Transport Bureau (DSAT) reported. The proposal came during a recent meeting from the group and aims to keep the charging equipment safer and more durable as well as create less visual impact and provide more charging spaces. According to DSAT, the matter has already been addressed with the Macau Electricity Company (CEM), and with the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA) which is studying the matter. Preliminary findings point to several pros and cons of this idea. While the move has the advantages of reducing equipment wear, maintenance, and visual obstruction for pedestrians and vehicles and the street landscape, these locations are in the central area of roads where there are generally no electrical cable boxes, necessary for the installation of the charging equipment. If the decision is reached to proceed with this plan, there will be unavoidable road excavation works to connect electrical cables, which will affect traffic. Furthermore, considering that CEM is still studying the implementation of a charging system for electric motorcycles suitable for outdoor use, it was decided to prioritize the issue with the possible change of location of charging equipment for light vehicles. At the meeting, some of the members expressed their satisfaction with the governments bid to increase electrical charging facilities, considering that charging equipment must be located close to community neighborhoods, otherwise, they will not be able to meet the urgent need for charging. Some members also said that different types of charging stations and locations should also be considered to respond to the needs of different people. The development of the EVs as well as the tariffs for charging, among other related aspects were also on the agenda. Call for more buses to public hospital Another topic on the agenda was a proposal to amend some bus routes so that more buses pass through and serve the Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Center (CHCSJ). The group members considered that there is a considerable number of users of the current routes, namely those that want to reach the public hospital as well as the many schools in that area. They agreed that it is necessary to consider increasing the transport capacity of the respective bus routes based on the assumption that the current one is inadequate. Some members expressed particular concerns about the needs and travel habits of the elderly, people with disabilities, and students, and consider that DSAT should launch more flexible optimization measures to meet the real needs of passengers. DSAT will summarize the opinions of the members and proposals for further follow-up and study. You are here: China China's meteorological and water resources authorities on Monday evening issued alerts for rainstorms and mountain torrents in some parts of the country. From 8 p.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday, heavy downpours or rainstorms are expected to hit parts of Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, Guizhou, Chongqing, Yunnan and Xinjiang, according to a blue alert issued by the National Meteorological Center. Parts of these regions may experience rainfall with maximum hourly precipitation surpassing 60 millimeters, accompanied by thunderstorms or gales, the center said. The Ministry of Water Resources and the China Meteorological Administration also issued a blue alert for mountain torrents in some areas of the southeastern part of Fujian, the central part of Hainan and the northwestern part of Xinjiang from 8 p.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday. Local governments have been urged to implement precautionary measures and ensure the safety of people. Authorities have also asked schools and kindergartens to adopt appropriate safety measures for students, while drivers have been cautioned about potential road waterlogging and traffic jams. China has a four-tier, color-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe warning, followed by orange, yellow and blue. DMCI Holdings Inc. of the Consunji Group is looking to expand its mining portfolio by acquiring copper and gold mines. DMCI president and chief executive Isidro Consunji said during the companys annual shareholders meeting the group was looking at large mining assets. - Advertisement - We are currently looking at large mining assets, probably copper and gold and maybe an additional coal mine in Mindanao, Consunji said, The conglomerates mining assets include nickel mines in Zambales and Palawan. Consunji also said the company was looking to obtain regulatory approval and permits to operate two new mining areas in Zambales and Palawan. Right now, we have various assets that are not being operational waiting for perfection of the required operational licenses and permits, Consunji said. A lot of these projects are expected to be completed before the end of his year. Hopefully two areas in particular, one in Zambales and one in Longpoint, Palawan should be operational before the end of this year, he said. Consunji said the expansion plans of core businesses would sustain its growth momentum in 2024 despite the decline in coal prices. He said Calaca unit 2 with 300-megawatt capacity under Semirara Mining and Power Corp. would resume operations on or before the end of May after repair, while DMCI Power would add 40 MW of capacity. The groups real estate business under DMCI Homes is also expected to return to pre-pandemic levels next year. Jenniffer B. Austria He said DMCI Homes is now focused on selling its unsold inventory. The groups recent acquisition of Cemex Holdings Philippines (CHP) will also help rebalance its portfolio, he said. Consunji also reported that the company would keep CHP listed in the stock exchange even after conducting a mandatory tender offer to acquire shares owned by minority shareholders. We believe that maintaining its public status offers greater financial flexibility and enhances our credibility in the market, Consunji said. He expects to complete the acquisition, subject to regulatory approvals, to be completed before the end of 2024. Turning CHP around will take some time and a lot of hard work, but the potential returns are well worth the investment. By manufacturing our own cement, we can strengthen our internal ecosystem, boost our competitive advantage and strategically position the DMCI group for the nationwide infrastructure boom, Consunji said. DMCI said in April it would acquire all of Cemex Asia B.V.s shares in Cemex Asian South East Corp., which owned 89.86 percent of CHP, for $305.6 million. Philcement Corp. (Philcement), a subsidiary of conglomerate PHINMA Corp., is boosting its production capacity with the planned acquisition of Petra Cement Inc. in Mindanao. PHINMA said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday Philcement signed a share purchase agreement to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding shares of Petra for P500 million. - Advertisement - Petra, an affiliate of Big Boss Cement, has a manufacturing facility in Zamboanga del Norte including a cement grinding facility with a capacity of 500,000 metric tons per annum. The plant is primarily serving the fast-growing Northern Mindanao market. This is aligned with Philcements growth strategy and its promise to assure Filipino consumers with reliable, high-quality supply of cement products under its legacy brand, Union Cement, PHINMA said. The deal is expected to be finalized by end-December 2024. Philcement signed a manufacturing and sale agreement with Petra in January. The agreement enabled Philcement to operate the Petra plant and manufacture and produce, distribute and sell cement products. Philcement, a 60-percent owned subsidiary of PHINMA, is primarily engaged in the manufacture, importation, processing, distribution and sale of cement products. It operates a cement processing facility in the Freeport Area of Bataan in Mariveles with an initial annual capacity of 2 million tons. PHINMA earlier said it was planning to build a P2-billion cement plant in Mindanao through a joint venture partnership with Davao-based partners. PHINMA also has investments in education, steel products, real setae and hospitality businesses. The Philippines has a unique opportunity to become a leader in the critical minerals or green metals market, Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum (IPBF) Tuesday. Rodolfo said green metals such as copper, nickel and cobalt are crucial for developing renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles (EVs), noting that extraction and processing should be sustainable to contribute to true decarbonization efforts. - Advertisement - The Philippines is rich in nickel, particularly the type needed for batteries. Since Indonesias ban on nickel ore exports, the Philippines has become the worlds biggest exporter, Rodolfo said. Around 20 percent of the Philippines mined nickel is processed by a Japanese company into an intermediate product for battery production. However, 70 percent to 80 percent of the nickel ore remains unprocessed and exported to dominant battery-producing countries. The Indo-Pacific Economic Forum is discussing ways to increase the value of Philippine nickel by further processing it in an environmentally friendly way, said Rodolfo, adding that the Philippines has the chance to be green from the very beginning, as decarbonizing existing processes is more challenging. The Philippine government is actively supporting the green metals industry. Over 90 percent of recent investments under the current administration are focused on renewable energy (RE). The Philippines is ready to catch and play ball in the green metals industry. We have the resources, the government support, and the commitment to sustainable development, Rodolfo said. Incentives are available to help the private sector transition to cleaner energy sources. The DTI, along with the Department of Finance (DOF), is offering attractive investment packages, including eligibility for 40 years of tax breaks for capital-intensive processing facilities. The incentives aim to address energy costs and promote the adoption of appropriate technologies. Rodolfo emphasized the importance of collaboration between government agencies, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and local government units (LGUs), to streamline the permitting process. The DTI is actively seeking partnerships to go beyond high-pressure acid leaching (HPAL) technology for cleaner processing methods. The Philippines is collecting evidence for the possible filing of a new case against China, this time for environmental damage in the West Philippine Sea, the National Security Council said on Monday. NSC assistant director general Jonathan Malaya said the evidence, which includes images of how Chinese activities destroyed the already fragile marine environment in Scarborough Shoal, also known as Panatag Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc. - Advertisement - He said these will be submitted to the Department of Justice and Office of the Solicitor General for the countrys next case against China. Were currently collecting all the necessary evidence and information because the filing of another case, in particular an environmental case, of course, will require evidence and necessary data and information, Malaya said. It (timeline) will depend on the gravity of the evidence because we will not go to court if we will not win, he added. Malaya disclosed that between 2017 and 2019, the Philippine Coast Guard already compiled images of the destruction in Scarborough Shoal. The photos were submitted to the office of then President Rodrigo Duterte, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, and the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS). Asked what happened after the photos were transmitted, PCG spokesman for the WPS Commodore Jay Tarriela said: I dont know. Some of the photos showed alleged Chinese fishermen illegally harvesting giant clams, sting rays, and sea turtles. On top of Chinas consistent harvesting activities, underwater footages as early as 2017 confirm that their presence and ecological footprint has led to the degradation of the marine environment in Bajo de Masinloc, Tarriela said. Malaya said since the pieces of evidence were gathered after the 2016 arbitral ruling in favor of the Philippines claims in areas of the South China Sea that are part of its Exclusive Economic Zone, perhaps it is now time to file a new case. In order for the world to find out if China indeed has fulfilled its obligations under international law, let us open Bajo de Masinloc to international scrutiny, Malaya said. We can ask third party environmental groups or even the United Nations to do a fact-finding mission to determine the environmental situation in Bajo de Masinloc, he added. Earlier, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio prodded the Philippine government to sue China anew, but this time for damages, due to the destruction of Escoda Shoal and Rozul Reef. The next arbitration case that we are recommending is for the following purposes: one, to sue China for damages because they destroyed Escoda Shoal and Rozul Reef, Carpio said. Carpio pointed out that the two features are within the Philippines EEZ. The retired SC magistrate made the call after the PCG accused China of building an artificial island in Escoda Shoal. It said the dumping of crushed corals near the shoal may be in preparation for Chinas reclamation activities. Escoda Shoal is much closer to Palawan than the contested Ayungin Shoal. Last year, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla also said the Department of Justice (DOJ) is recommending the filing of cases against China following reports of missing corals in Rozul Reef. The Department of Health (DOH) said on Tuesday that all the countrys regions still remain at low risk for COVID-19. While there is an observed uptick in cases recently, the DOH noted that it is small and lower than previously observed increases. - Advertisement - Out of the new cases reported, seven (7) had severe or critical disease. Five (5) deaths were recorded, which occurred in the recent two weeks (April 30 to May 13). Although theres a reported rise in coronavirus cases in other countries, the DOH said there is no scientific basis for the Philippines to impose travel restrictions. The DOH remains in close coordination with international health authorities. It added that its Bureau of Quarantine is keeping watch over points of entry nationwide. The voluntary use of face masks should be done properly, along with standard precautions like hand washing, avoiding crowds, and choosing good airflow. As of May 12, 2024, the DOH reported that only 11 percent (119 out of 1,117) of dedicated COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) beds were occupied. Only 13 percent (1,238 out of 9,571) of dedicated COVID-19 non-ICU beds, meanwhile, were occupied. Severe and critical COVID-19 cases admitted in various hospitals total to only 116, based on hospital reports in the DOH Data Collect application. From May 7 to 13, 2024, 877 new COVID-19 cases were reported, with an average of 125 cases reported per day. It is important to note that by law, doctors, their clinics, hospitals and other facilities are required to accurately and immediately report cases of COVID-19, whether tested by PCR or rapid antigen test, the DOH said. This will help guide public health decision-making, it added. According to a May 17, 2024 World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Epidemiological Update, there are three new variants under monitoring (VUM): JN.1.18, KP.2 and KP.3. All of these are descendants of JN.1. Variants KP.2 and KP.3 are the proper names of what is informally known as FLiRT variants. FLiRT is a nickname coined by some researchers to describe amino acid changes in the COVID-19 virus spike protein, specifically from phenylalanine (F) to leucine (L) at position 456, and from arginine (R) to threonine (T) at position 346. The WHO observed that there are currently no reported laboratory or epidemiological reports indicating any association between VOIs (variants of interest) / VUMs and increased disease severity. The above means that there is no evidence now that the KP.2 and KP.3 variants are causing severe to critical COVID-19, both locally and internationally. Further assessment is needed to determine transmissibility and capacity to evade immune response. It is also best for those who feel ill to stay at home for the meantime, or to properly wear a mask should there be a need to go out, the DOH advised. Editors Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline DOH acknowledges uptick in COVID-19 cases, but says PH remains at low risk ROMEItalys foreign minister said Tuesday it was unacceptable and absurd to compare Israel and Hamas after the International Criminal Courts prosecutor applied for arrest warrants for leaders on both sides. It is completely unacceptable that Hamas and Israel are put on the same levelthe leaders of the terrorist group that started the war in Gaza by massacring innocent citizens and the leaders of the government elected by the people of Israel, Antonio Tajani said in an interview with the Corriere della Sera newspaper. - Advertisement - The minister, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the G7 this year, described the parallel as absurd, adding: In no way can one even imagine such an equivalence. Be careful not to legitimize anti-Israeli positions that can fuel anti-Semitic phenomena. But France said late Monday it supported the independence of the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor has requested arrest warrants for leaders from Israel, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the Islamist movement Hamas. France supports the International Criminal Court, its independence, and the fight against impunity in all situations, its foreign ministry said in a statement. The ministry condemned the anti-Semitic massacres perpetrated by Hamas during the groups attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which was accompanied by acts of torture and sexual violence. It also said it had warned Israel of the need for strict compliance with international humanitarian law, and in particular of the unacceptable level of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip and inadequate humanitarian access. The International Criminal Courts prosecutor Karim Khan said on Monday he had applied for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes including wilful killing, extermination and/or murder, and starvation during the war in Gaza. He said Israel had committed crimes against humanity, and accused it of a widespread and systematic attack against the Palestinian civilian population. Khan also said the leaders of Palestinian militant group Hamas, including Qatar-based Ismail Haniyeh and Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, bear criminal responsibility for actions committed during the Oct. 7 attack. These included taking hostages, rape and other acts of sexual violence, and torture, he said. International law and the laws of armed conflict apply to all, Khan said. No foot soldier, no commander, no civilian leader - no one - can act with impunity. Israel rejected the accusations as a historical disgrace, while Iran-backed Hamas said it strongly condemns the move. The United States, Israels top ally, also rejected the ICCs bid, with President Joe Biden denouncing it as outrageous and saying there is no equivalence none between Israel and Hamas. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the ICC move could jeopardize efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza. Senator Ronald Bato dela Rosa shed copious tears after his boss then Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri was ousted Monday, but it turned out he was one of the 15 senators who signed a resolution supporting a change in leadership at the Upper House. I want to tell Migz, sorry boss, I failed to win the war for you. I am one of his trusted lieutenants, Dela Rosa said on Tuesday. - Advertisement - Zubiri said he was dumbfounded by Dela Rosas action, which he said was the strangest thing (to happen) in my political career. If yesterday, I was heartbroken, now Im dumbfounded, Zubiri said. I just dont get it. I could not understand and grasp what transpired It was surreal, like being in a twilight zone. During Zubiris resignation speech Monday, when he was still unaware of how the vote went, he even gave a shoutout to Dela Rosa for remaining loyal, prompting the latter to shed tears. At least he knows I defended him as a chairman of the committee on public order and because of that, sacrifices were made. I was the sacrifice. I lost my position, Zubiri said. The Senate committee on public order, which Dela Rosa heads, is investigating the so-called PDEA leaks that allegedly linked President Marcos and actress Maricel Soriano to illegal drug use. Zubiri said it was a bit painful, considering that he even campaigned for Dela Rosa in his home province in Bukidnon. Dela Rosa, however, said his vote was immaterial since the resolution was already signed by 14 senators, including his PDP-Laban colleagues Senator Francis Tolentino and Senator Christopher Go. My signature was already insignificant. They came to me after the battle had been won. They already had 14 signatures, Dela Rosa said. He added that he was bound by an agreement with his PDP-Laban colleagues to vote as one. We forged a covenant that the majority wins in every voting situation. In this case, the two of them decided to support Senator Francis Escudero. I want to stay (with Zubiri). I did not want to (vote for Escudero), but we have that covenant, he said. If he is heartbroken, I am also heartbroken, my heart is really broken. Senator Zubiri is a very good leader. I love him very much. I respect him very much, Dela Rosa added. A worker operates at the workshop of a pharmaceutical company in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 14, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua] China is scaling up support for clinical trials of drugs, contributing to the acceleration of its new drug development, according to an official at a related event on Monday, which was the 20th Clinical Trials Day. In recent years, the National Health Commission (NHC) has been supporting demonstration clinical trial research platforms for various diseases nationwide, and has worked with other government departments to continuously improve the regulatory system for clinical research, according to NHC official Gu Jinhui. A total of 3,358 clinical trials of drugs were registered in China in 2021, 3,410 in 2022, and 4,300 in 2023, indicating continuous growth, according to an industry report. The Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences has conducted over 4,700 clinical studies since it initiated the country's first clinical study of a new cancer drug in 1960. According to statistics, 184 cancer drugs have been successful in reaching the market through the hospital's clinical research, accounting for more than 70 percent of all domestically produced cancer drugs. The hospital was the first in the country to establish an outpatient clinic specifically for clinical trials of new drugs, said Zhang Yong, an official of the National Cancer Center. He noted that over 500 clinical trials are currently open to patients, covering various cancer types, including lung cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer and liver cancer. Clinical trials are systematic experiments conducted on human subjects to determine the safety and efficacy of drugs and therapies, and they are crucial to the advancement of health care services. President Marcos sent his well wishes to newly elected Senate President Francis Chiz Escudero. The Chief Executive has taken this news positively based on his post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning. - Advertisement - I extend my support to the new Senate President, Chiz Escudero. His legislative record and commitment to public service have distinguished him as a dedicated leader, Mr. Marcos said. Escudero was named 25th Senate President of the Philippines after Senator Juan Miguel Migz Zubiri resigned following months of brewing talks of major leadership change in the Upper Chamber. Senator Chiz steps into this role following the commendable tenure of Senator Migz Zubiri, and I am confident that under his leadership, the Senate will continue to prioritize transformative laws to achieve our shared vision for a Bagong Pilipinas, the President added in his post. Escudero has been a stalwart of the Nationalist Peoples Coalition (NPC), which recently also formed an alliance with the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) of President Marcos. The proposed ending of statewide public health masking exemptions has some Triad residents questioning the sanity and humanity of state Senate Republicans. In their pursuit of expanding criminal penalties for wearing a mask in public while committing a crime, or for blocking traffic to emergency vehicles, all 30 GOP senators voted Wednesday for reinstating a pre-pandemic ban on mask wearing for public health and safety reasons affecting North Carolinians ages 16 and over. If House Bill 327 now titled Unmasking Mobs and Criminals becomes law, the exemptions would end immediately. At that time, the public wearing of masks to protect ones health and those of others could again become criminally prosecutable, as it was between 1953 in an anti-Ku Klux Klan-inspired bill and July 2020. Violators could face punishment in a range of 1 to 120 days of active or intermediate jail time, or community punishment, along with fine amount at a judges discretion. Triad residents response to HB237 since Wednesday have come in the form of interviews, letters to the editor and constituents emails and appeals to Triad and other legislators. Among their concerns: having their actions while wearing a mask in public being scrutinized by law enforcement officers, store managers or venue operators; being pointed out for arrest or facing public ridicule, if not harassment, from anti-mask individuals; and individuals with immunocompromised conditions risking exposure to communicable diseases by being in public without a mask on. The reality of public mask wearing being prosecutable again in a society still coming to grips with being in a post-pandemic environment has Greensboro resident Pat Levitin preparing to exercise her own version of civil disobedience. Levitin and her husband, Peter, shared their concerns in an interview. When I saw that this bill might pass, our attitude became Fine, go arrest us for protecting our health, Pat Levitin said. The severity and too-often fatal nature of the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a life change for the Levitins. They wear masks in public at all times, primarily to reduce Peters risk of exposure to communicable diseases with his heart issues, as well as grandchildren dealing with asthma. Pat Levitin said she had a mild case of COVID-19 in January, while Peter Levitin has not had a case. They are both COVID-19 vaccine-boosted to the full limit. People think COVID is over, and its not, Pat Levitin said. Theres a new strain out there and people are still dying of COVID. It is with great shock that I have heard that House Bill 237 is trying to make mask wearing in public illegal, and we could be fined, jailed and/or do community service for wearing one. When I think representatives cannot get any crazier, then this bill comes along. This is horrible. This is a kneejerk reaction, a throwing the baby out with the bathwater situation. Subject to punishment Many North Carolinians currently wearing a mask in public are doing so not only to limit their risk to communicable diseases, but to also enjoy a new-found freedom of movement since the exemption went into effect in July 2020. Tara Muller, policy attorney for Disability Rights N.C., cited as examples of people subject to punishment under the revamped HB237: older adults with illness or disease; chemotherapy patients or others with weakened immune systems; children and adults taking immuno-suppressants or with auto-immune disorders; and people with contagious diseases while wearing a mask in a public health department. They rely on masks to safely access and participate in their communities, Muller wrote. We believe this policy change would compromise the safety of people with disabilities and would unreasonably restrict their ability to attend school and get an education, work in public sector jobs, or simply walk from their home to the bus stop, among many other examples. It would once again confine disabled people to their homes unnecessarily. Muller said people with disabilities face enough challenges in life without fearing having to identify themselves to law enforcement officers, business owners and operators of public venues just because of how they move or appear. Ill-thought out travesty Heidi Grable wrote in an open letter to legislators about her worries of being an immunocompromised person in an unmasked public if HB237 becomes law. She described herself as having several autoimmune conditions and Long COVID. Grable called the planned legislation an ill-thought out travesty that would affect not only her personal health, but also her livelihood as a chicken farmer. I already get snide comments and rolling eyes when I wear my mask in public, Grable wrote. This bill is just the push that the anti-masking people need to publicly and loudly call me out for my mask, and they will. If a man walked down the road with a rifle, and another man walked down the road with a mask to protect himself, the Republicans in North Carolina now label only one as a criminal. Grable said Senate Republican sponsors of HB237 either dont want to accept or recognize that were in a very different atmosphere from the world before 2020. This bill would result in the further isolation of the vulnerable, not to mention that it would threaten our lives and livelihoods. Passing this bill goes against not only the laws of humanity, but also the commands of God. It could affect my ability to attend church if I cannot legally wear a mask when I am out and about. Joanna Hart wrote in a constituent email to Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Guilford, that she is severely immunocompromised and may not be able to leave her home if public masking is prohibited. She is concerned that passage of HB237 would seemingly make it illegal for disabled/immunocompromised Americans to participate in public life, such as the American civil right of protest. It would equate the use of protective medical grade face masks to that of masks worn by the KKK. Do you feel representatives should have the power to decide who deserves health and safety? Bill sponsors stance The N.C. Sheriffs Association has not adopted a position on HB237, according to its general counsel Eddie Caldwell. The N.C. Conference of District Attorneys and N.C. Association of Chiefs of Police could not be reached for comment on their position. HB237 would not eliminate public masking exemptions for the following reasons: Traditional holiday costumes in season; ensuring the physical safety of workers in public settings. Theatrical productions including Mardi Gras celebrations and masquerade balls. Wearing gas masks during civil defense drills and exercises. Activities involving membership in a society, order or organization involving a parade, ritual, initiation, ceremony, celebration or other activity if first approved by a local municipality or county commissioners. HB237 was placed Thursday temporarily in the House Rules and Operations committee as House Republicans determined their response to changes by the Senate that are likely to lead to a concurrence committee. Sen. Danny Britt Jr., R-Scotland, told the Senate Rules and Operations committee Wednesday that were still in discussions with the House on how to tailor the medical exception to this mask policy for folks who may suffer from communicable diseases. We want to ensure that this doesnt violate the Americans with Disabilities Act, so there will be some tweaking along the way. Sen. Julie Mayfield, D-Buncombe, said precise language is necessary because laws are meant to be enforced as written. Sen. Buck Newton, R-Wilson, a primary bill sponsor of the revamped HB327, said the decision to arrest and prosecute would be up to the discretion of local law enforcement and district attorneys, respectively. I trust peoples good common sense, law enforcements good common sense, businesses good common sense, district attorneys good common sense, Newton said. Senate Republican bill sponsors are attempting to stress that arrests and prosecution will be rare, if ever, as long as the mask-wearing public cooperates when asked to identify themselves to law enforcement, businesses and at public venues. People who wear a mask for a good reason shouldnt be worried about getting into trouble. I just dont see it, Newton said. If someone (wearing a mask) goes into a store, work, whatever, and they are willing to show their identity and put the mask back on, those are the kinds of things I trust people to be able to work out. However, those same Senate Republicans rejected Wednesday two Democratic amendments to HB237 that would place that exemption scenario into the law. Newton said bill opponents are trying to scare people to death by putting the focus on the potential for mask-wearing individuals being considered as breaking the law. Public speakers, as well as several Democratic senators, said the latest version of HB237 leaves too much discretion to law enforcement officials in how to enforce, rather than having clear and concise guidelines. They asked whether visitors to North Carolina would have to remove masks once they cross state lines, whether at a rest stop, attending a public event or getting a fill-up. Freedom to wear masks Triad residents response to HB237 show they arent confident in taking Senate Republicans word in the bills current form. Health care providers say masks have been a critical component for lowering the spread of COVID-19 during the pandemic, as well as protecting those with immunocompromised conditions or enduring chemotherapy and radiation treatments for cancer. Michael McCrory, an intensive care physician at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, wrote in a letter to the editor that the freedom to wear masks should not be criminalized, but rather explicitly preserved if we are to learn from this experience and prepare for the next pandemic. Victoria Coble, who lives in Greensboro, has gained more than 4,300 signatures on a Change.org petition opposing HB237. Coble told the Journal that the public masking helps keep her from being at high-risk from severe acute illness from a COVID-19 infection, as well as limiting her potential exposure to her mother-in-law who lives with her, her husband and their two children. Since the pandemic began, we have had to move to homeschooling them to protect our family, Coble said. We have been largely ostracized by our community, and now we will be criminalized for wearing masks in public, and hope that local law enforcement refrains from engaging with us over masking. Barbara Halbert said in a constituent letter to Harrison that with the potential exemption being removed, I am fearful that people who dislike mask wearing will use it as an excuse to involve law enforcement to harass people. Being concerned about keeping yourself protected from serious illness shouldnt be penalized. 700,000 North Carolinians According to Sen. Sydney Batch, D-Wake, at least 700,000 North Carolinians experience immunocompromised health issues, including herself following her fight with non-invasive breast cancer. Bill sponsors are willing to compromise over 700,000 North Carolinians health to try to catch a few dozen or hundred criminals wearing a mask in public while committing a crime, Pat Levitin said. This bill will not solve the problem of criminals wearing masks, but it will upset the lives of millions of North Carolinians. The Levitins question why Senate Republicans are so quick to do away with recommendations from state and federal health officials who say consistently that public masking is a best practice for limiting exposure to communicable diseases. I dont believe that people who are sick wear a mask to protect me, and I am in the category where there have been the most deaths from COVID, Peter Levitin said. Sometimes I feel foolish by wearing a mask in public all the time because everyone eventually is going to get COVID, but I dont want to be an example of someone who didnt take all prudent precautions and died. I should have the right to do the best that I can to protect myself in public, whether politicians agree or disagree with me. Mehreen Arshad wrote in an email to Harrison that bill sponsors are downplaying the significance of long COVID exposure in North Carolina given there is no FDA-approved cure or treatment. As someone with loved ones who are disabled and no longer able to work because of long COVID, we know research shows that long COVID can be triggered by mild or even asymptomatic infection, and fully vaccinated individuals can also develop long COVID. Masks are required to prevent long COVID from disabling us and making us too sick to work, play with our kids and participate in our communities. NAACP stance The NAACP North Carolina State Conference said in a Thursday statement addressing HB237 that it vigorously opposes HB 237 as a direct assault on the fundamental right to protest, a cornerstone of our democracy. The statement did list the ending of public health masking exemptions as a concern. Deborah Maxwell, the conferences president, said that under the guise of increasing public safety, HB237 seeks to intimidate and silence marginalized communities, particularly Black, Indigenous and people of color, who rely on protest to make their voices heard and hold those in power accountable. Al Jabbar, president of the NAACPs Winston-Salem chapter, said the chapter stands in solidarity with the state presidents statement. Senate Republican bill sponsors want to expand the criminal punishment if a person wears a mask during the commission of a crime, and impose criminal and civil liability on individuals who obstruct emergency vehicles during demonstrations. HB237 would elevate by one class higher the misdemeanor or felony charges an individual would face if they wore a mask in public during the commission of a crime. HB237 also includes that a person who organizes a demonstration that impedes traffic would be civilly liable to any injury or death that results from obstructing an emergency vehicles use of the road. The organizer would be liable regardless of any related criminal proceeding. One likely impetus for revamping HB237 is civil disobedience protests occurring in North Carolina, particularly on college campuses such as Wake Forest University and UNC Chapel Hill, related to the civil strife and military activities in Israel. Newton said HB237 is simply to unmask people who are hiding their identity to engage in a crime. Meanwhile, Maxwell said HB237 is a thinly veiled attempt to suppress dissent in response to recent protests advocating for Palestinian human rights and against police brutality. This bill aims to stifle legitimate expressions of public outrage and calls for justice. This bill will disproportionately impact Black communities, potentially criminalizing everyday actions, such as wearing scarves, hoodies, or religious coverings. We urge lawmakers to reject HB237 and instead focus on addressing the root causes of the protests: systemic racism, police violence and social inequities, she said. Legal perspective Jill Moore, an associate professor of Public Law and Government with UNC School of Government, said in a blog posted Thursday that some North Carolinians have always worn medical masks in public places either upon medical advice or simply by personal preference even though it was against the law from 1953 to July 2020. While some of the prohibitions are limited to people over the age of 16, the prohibition on wearing masks on public property does not have an age restriction and therefore appears to apply to children as well, Moore said. As amended, the law would not clearly provide an exception for individuals with medical conditions that make them particularly vulnerable to infectious diseases, or for those with infectious conditions that pose a danger to others. Moore said it is likely that the revamped HB237 would violate the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires many public and private entities to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities, including some conditions that make an individual more susceptible to infection. Allowing such an individual to wear a mask in a place where it would otherwise be prohibited would likely be a reasonable accommodation, Moore said. Similarly, laws that protect students with disabilities may require schools to allow some students with disabilities to wear masks, though the protections of these laws may not extend to caregivers or parents. Moore said it would behoove bill sponsors to make explicit about whether, how and by whom determinations would be made about who would still be able to wear a mask in public for health reasons without potential legal repercussions. Guidance needed The pandemic changed everything when it comes to public mask wearing, said Daniel Maxwell, a distinguished lecturer in the Criminal Justice Department at the University of New Haven, and a former law enforcement officer. The paradigm (on public mask wearing) has shifted since COVID-19, with law enforcement becoming used to people wearing a mask for everyday needs. This has settled in for them. Maxwell said that as people were masking up with the pandemic, people were still committing crimes with masks on and off, and law enforcement marched on with investigations. They tend to know who is wearing a mask for the right reasons and those for something nefarious. We need to give them more credit than we often do. Maxwell predicted that most law-enforcement agencies would be looking for guidance from their local district attorneys office on whether, or how much, to pursue arrests for public mask wearing. With this potential law, they are going to be asked to make a decision about whether to arrest someone whos wearing a mask, he said. Police dont want to go around arresting people for wearing a mask, Maxwell said, citing potential escalations involving a nervous public citizen wearing a mask being approached or stopped by a law-enforcement officer on heightened alert to potential danger. He said the N.C. legislative debate on whether public mask wearing returns to being a crime is taking place in a sterile environment. The only way to see if a criminal law actually works as intended is for people to get arrested and see what happens when it works its way through the legal and courts systems. The legislators need to be in contact with the district attorneys as to what the parameters should be for reinforcing the public masking laws. The state Attorney Generals Office should provide clarity of what it would consider as a prosecutable case. There could be some law-enforcement groups who really get into the mask thing (in terms of arrests), and towns get a reputation that you may not want to go there because you could be pinched, while some may not care about it at all. Maxwell said that if there are arrests for wearing a mask in public for health and safety reasons, how is this going to affect the rest of the public once they find out will they accept it, yes or no? A heavy-handed approach is not going to sit well with anybody. Counties with the lowest cost of living in North Carolina Counties with the lowest cost of living in North Carolina #30. Randolph County, North Carolina #29. Columbus County, North Carolina #28. Person County, North Carolina #27. Edgecombe County, North Carolina #26. Lenoir County, North Carolina #25. Stokes County, North Carolina #24. Richmond County, North Carolina #23. Rockingham County, North Carolina #22. Bertie County, North Carolina #21. Burke County, North Carolina #20. Scotland County, North Carolina #19. Martin County, North Carolina #18. Mitchell County, North Carolina #17. Rutherford County, North Carolina #16. Caldwell County, North Carolina #15. Northampton County, North Carolina #14. Surry County, North Carolina #13. Swain County, North Carolina #12. Wilkes County, North Carolina #11. Greene County, North Carolina #10. Robeson County, North Carolina #9. Yadkin County, North Carolina #8. Sampson County, North Carolina #7. McDowell County, North Carolina #6. Duplin County, North Carolina #5. Alexander County, North Carolina #4. Montgomery County, North Carolina #3. Caswell County, North Carolina #2. Jones County, North Carolina #1. Graham County, North Carolina Domingo Nvita Manuel Judite previously operated a guesthouse and car rental business in Soyo, Angolas Zaire Province, catering to offshore oil workers. Since the regions economy heavily relies on the petroleum industry, its understandable for entrepreneurs to seek opportunities within that sector. However, the constantly fluctuating global oil prices have sometimes negatively impacted local businesses, prompting Domingo and fellow Zaire Province entrepreneurs to consider diversifying their ventures. Fortunately, in July 2022, Domingo and 25 others participated in an Empretec training program conducted by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The program equipped them with knowledge to explore new sustainable business opportunities, take calculated risks, and monitor set goals. Empretec aims to promote the creation of sustainable, innovative, and internationally competitive small- and medium-sized enterprises. With UNCTADs technical support, the National Empretec Host Institution in Angola now directly implements the Empretec entrepreneurship training initiated under the EU-UNCTAD Joint Programme for Angola: Train for Trade II. The initiative brought together various partners, including the Association of Entrepreneurs of the Province of Zaire (ASEEZ), of which Domingo is the current president. Domingo and his colleagues are now diversifying into sustainable agriculturegrowing, processing, and distributing organic vegetables and fruits for local consumption and export. They aim to transition away from the cyclical nature of the oil market by promoting sustainable business activities and transforming Zaire Province into a key commercial hub in Angola, independent of oil money. South Africas Constitutional Court has barred former President Jacob Zuma from running for a parliamentary seat in the upcoming national election scheduled for next week. This decision by the countrys highest court is likely to heighten political tensions ahead of a crucial vote in Africas most developed economy. Zuma, who leads a new political party, is challenging his former allies. The court ruled that a constitutional provision disqualifying individuals from standing for Parliament if they have been sentenced to more than 12 months in prison without the option of a fine applies to the 82-year-old former leader. In 2021, Zuma was sentenced to 15 months in prison by the same court for contempt after refusing to testify at a judicial inquiry into government corruption. According to the ruling, Zuma cannot serve as a lawmaker until five years after completing that sentence, which comes just nine days before the May 29 election. Zuma, once the leader of South Africas ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, was forced out as its leader in 2017 and resigned as president in 2018 amid allegations of corruption. He returned to politics late last year with a new party and has renewed his fierce criticism of the ANC and current President Cyril Ramaphosa, who replaced him as both party leader and president. While Zumas new party expressed disappointment with the courts decision, it stated that the ruling has not discouraged them. However, the party criticized the court and the panel of judges that issued the ruling. Next weeks election could be South Africas most significant in 30 years, with the struggling ANC facing the biggest challenge to its long rule since the end of apartheid in 1994. Kenyas economic growth accelerated to 5.6% in 2023, a marked increase from the revised 4.9% expansion recorded in the previous year. This robust performance was primarily driven by a resurgence in the countrys vital agriculture sector, according to the head of the national statistics office. As an East African nation heavily reliant on farming activities, which contribute over a fifth of annual economic output, Kenyas economy benefited greatly from abundant rainfall after years of drought. This much-needed precipitation helped the agriculture sector recover from contractions experienced in the two preceding years, with the sector achieving an impressive 7% growth rate in 2023. Macdonald Obudho, the director general of the statistics office, announced these figures while launching the economic growth report for the period. During the event, he highlighted that Last year, agriculture shot to 7% growth, underscoring the sectors pivotal role in propelling the overall economic expansion. In addition to agricultures strong showing, Kenyas tourism industry, another critical economic pillar, also demonstrated robust growth in 2023. Obudho revealed that visitor arrivals surpassed the annual pre-pandemic level of 2.035 million, reaching 2.087 million tourists last year, contributing to the countrys positive economic performance. With agriculture and tourism leading the charge, Kenyas economy exhibited resilience and dynamism in 2023, boding well for the nations continued development and prosperity. However, sustaining this momentum will require addressing potential challenges, such as climate variability and economic diversification, to ensure long-term, inclusive growth. Despite the discovery of oil in the 1990s, Chad failed to curb poverty and to diversify its economy, ditching its growth rate in recent years. The country had grown by an average 9% between 2001 and 2014. But since 2015, growth contracted and so did Chads GDP per capita, sapping oil resource gains. The resource curse is at the heart of Chads problems, wherein heavy reliance on raw resource extraction and exports led to more corruption and less diversification of the economy. Chad has a production capacity of some 100,000 barrels per a day with reserves estimated at 1 billion barrels. It exports oil through a pipeline to a Cameroonian port. Oil has earned Chad some $10 billion over the last decade, as the countrys economy shifts from reliance on farming to hydrocarbons. In 2011 alone, the Government of Chad received $2.1 billion from oil revenues, constituting about 80 percent of government revenue that year. A World Bank study found that oil wealth failed to curb poverty in the country, due to corruption and civil conflict. The environmental damage to lake Chad from increased exploitation is stark, due to chemicals leashed in waterways. Economic experts recommend that oil wealth be used as leverage to diversify the economy and wean it from the volatility of the international market. This requires a crackdown on corruption and better governance which most conflict-stricken African countries need to work on. The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs said that there is no official representation of the polisario front either at the United Nations Office in Geneva or to the Federal Council (Swiss Government), inflicting yet another slap in the face for the Algeria-backed separatists. In a clarification note addressed to the Embassy of Morocco in Bern, the Swiss Federal Department said that the polisario front office in Geneva enjoys no privileges or immunity in Switzerland. This is yet another defeat for the polisario in its quest to promote its fallacious theses. In this respect, the Swiss Federal Department points out that the so-called polisario representative in Switzerland has once again been told to avoid using names and titles that would suggest that it is an official polisario representation. This is a scathing slap in the face inflicted on the polisario by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, following the disoriented maneuvers led by the so-called polisario representative in Switzerland, who claims to be an ambassador representing the separatist front in this country and at the United Nations Office and international organizations in Geneva. After the numerous setbacks suffered by the polisario, and as its multiple maneuvers were doomed to failure, the international community is well aware and refuses to let itself be taken hostage by an intellectual and historical swindle maintained by the polisario and its Algerian mentor for decades. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: CC0 Public Domain Homelessness doesn't only happen to young people but also affects older adults in growing numbers, write authors in an analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) that describes this emerging crisis. People experiencing homelessness are considered older adults at age 50, as visible aging is often evident at younger ages in individuals experiencing homelessness compared with individuals who have secure housing. Individuals experiencing homelessness often develop chronic medical conditions earlier, as well as age-related conditions like cognitive impairment. In addition, the risk of premature death for older people experiencing homelessness is 3.5 times higher than for those who are housed, and the risk is especially high for people experiencing homelessness for the first time late in life. In 2021, 32% of people in Canadian shelters were aged 50 and older. There are also many older people living outdoors or living temporarily with friends or family. "Older adults experiencing homelessness deserve shelter policies and government strategies that consider their care needs, and age-friendly shelters that have adequate physical environments, appropriate staffing, and access to required medical services," writes Dr. Jillian Alston, a geriatrician at St. Michael's Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, with co-authors. "Older adults experiencing homelessness may have faced substantial marginalization, dehumanization, and structural violence, and care models should prioritize trust, rapport building, and ensuring personal safety. To support older adults at risk of and experiencing homelessness, adequate housing that supports individual needs is essential. Conditions that become more common with aging, like cognitive impairment and mobility concerns, can make maintaining housing more difficult for some older adults. Some solutions to prevent homelessness include tenancy monitoring programs, individualized in-home supports, and community programs that address isolation. In-shelter health care programs, such as primary care and geriatric outreach programs, can help support older adults living in shelters. Innovative permanent supportive housing such as The Oaks in Ottawa, and other housing models that support aging in the right place, can help provide appropriate homes for older people experiencing homelessness to relocate to. For some, the most appropriate environment to support their needs will be long-term care homes. Addressing this growing problem requires collaboration between health, long-term care, public health, and housing and other community supports. Moreover, trauma-informed approaches are important for those who have experienced adversity and trauma earlier in their lives. "Without urgent action, older adults experiencing homelessness will remain marginalized, undergo early aging, and continue to be at risk for deterioration and death in shelters and other temporary accommodations that are neither equipped nor designed to meet their needs," conclude the authors. "The human toll of homelessness is immense," writes Dr. Andrew Boozary, a primary care physician and executive director of the UHN Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine, Toronto, with co-authors Dr. Catherine Varner, CMAJ deputy editor and emergency medicine physician, and CMAJ editor Dr. Andreas Laupacis in a related editorial. "People who are chronically unhoused live half as long as those who are housed, experience accelerated aging, have many more comorbidities, and develop health conditions at a much younger age than those who are housed. Homelessness disproportionately affects Indigenous, Black, refugee and newcomer, and 2SLGBTQ+ people." To help address this chronic problem, some health networks are building affordable housing for unhoused peoplea novel approach that the authors say speaks to the magnitude of the homelessness crisis. "The fact that hospitals are dedicating scarce resources to provide housing is a testament to how undeniable the homelessness crisis has become and how ineffective and costly conventional approaches, such as lengthy hospital admissions, have been," they write. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: In a systematically screened population, there is no association between autoimmune disease and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), according to a study published online May 21 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Ingigerdur Sverrisdottir, M.D., from the University of Iceland in Reykjavik, and colleagues conducted a cross-sectional study within a prospective, population-based screening study of MGUS to examine whether MGUS is associated with autoimmune diseases. Data were obtained from an Icelandic population of adults aged 40 years or older, with 75,422 persons screened for MGUS. The researchers found that 10,818 participants had an autoimmune disorder, of whom 599 had MGUS (61 with prior diagnosis; 538 diagnosed at study screening). There was no association for diagnosis of an autoimmune disease with MGUS (prevalence ratio, 1.05; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.97 to 1.15). However, an association was seen for autoimmune disease diagnoses with a prior clinical diagnosis of MGUS (prevalence ratio, 2.11; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.64 to 2.70). "Our findings have direct clinical relevance because they suggest that recommendations to routinely screen patients with autoimmune disease for MGUS may not be warranted," the authors write. More information: Ingigerdur Sverrisdottir et al, Association Between Autoimmune Diseases and Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance, Annals of Internal Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.7326/M23-2867 Journal information: Annals of Internal Medicine Copyright 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Study Period and the COVID-19 Context in Tokyo, Japan. Credit: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.08.016 A study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that girls and boys were affected differently by the pandemic. The study focused on depressive symptoms among 16-year-olds surveyed during the pandemic compared to those surveyed pre-pandemic. There was an increase in depressive symptoms in boys beyond the expected age-related trajectory, which emerged later in the first year of the pandemic and then early into the second year. In contrast, the overall increase in depressive symptoms for girls was within the expected natural age-related increase. Studies report a decline in adolescent mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, many of these studies lacked pre-pandemic comparison data or did not consider the natural age-related changes in mental health problems experienced during adolescence, making it challenging to accurately evaluate the impact of the pandemic on adolescent mental health. Moreover, many studies focused on the initial months of the pandemic; therefore, little is known about the impact of the pandemic into the second year. This longitudinal study utilized data from 2,034 adolescents in the Tokyo Teen Cohort, a population-based cohort in Tokyo, which continuously collected data throughout the pandemic. The study compared self-reported depressive symptoms of 16-year-olds surveyed before (February 2019February 2020) or during the pandemic (March 2020September 2021). Importantly, the study is innovative by comparing symptoms of 16-year-olds before or during the pandemic while controlling for within-person symptom changes, which allowed the researchers to determine whether changes in depressive symptoms were within the expected sex- and age-related trajectories. Depressive symptoms showed a small but significant increase during the pandemic; however, this increase varied by sex and pandemic phase. While girls showed greater average depressive symptoms than boys at age 16, a significant increase during the pandemic was observed only in boys. For boys, the increase emerged in the late first year of the pandemic and enlarged into the second year. In contrast, girls' depressive symptoms decreased in the school-closure phase (MarchMay, 2020) during the early pandemic period, and returned to the pre-pandemic level after the reopening of schools, with no additional increases during the pandemic. No differences by household income were observed. Mariko Hosozawa, MD, Ph.D., lead author from the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, said "The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of adolescents in Tokyo was more pronounced among boys. This may partly be due to extended restrictions on school activity for infection control, which may have affected boys more, and to gendered social norms that discourage boys from seeking help." She adds, "The findings highlight the need for continuous monitoring and approaches to support adolescent mental health at the population level. Changing social norms around help-seeking and encouraging help-seeking for mental health issues, particularly among boys, is an important approach. Implementing these approaches and accumulating scientific evidence on the pandemic's effects on adolescent mental health, will help enhance pandemic preparedness and build a more resilient society." More information: Mariko Hosozawa et al, Sex Differences in Adolescent Depression Trajectory Before and Into the Second Year of COVID-19 Pandemic, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.08.016 Journal information: Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry China should consider raising the temporary tariff rate on imported cars with large-displacement engines, in order to reduce imports as part of the country's broader efforts to cut emissions and promote the green development of the auto industry, a Chinese auto industry insider told the Global Times, while slamming protectionist moves taken by certain countries and regions against Chinese electric vehicles (EVs). The suggestion for increased temporary tariff rate on imports of vehicles with engines larger than 2.5 liters was made by Liu Bin, chief expert of China Automotive Technology & Research Center and deputy director of China Automotive Strategy and Policy Research Center, who has participated in drafting policies for China's auto industry and has been conducting research on the green and low-carbon development of the car industry for the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. It also comes as the EU has launched anti-subsidy investigation on Chinese EVs and the US has raised tariffs on a variety of imports from China, including EVs, in addition to existing tariffs under Section 301. While noting protectionist actions taken by certain countries and regions against Chinese EVs, Liu said that the suggested plan for China to raise the temporary tariff rate on imported cars with large-displacement engines is fundamentally different and is in line with WTO rules, market economy principles and green development goals. "We suggest that based on the actual situation of China's auto consumption and WTO rules, China should promote green and low-carbon car consumption through short-term and long-term measures," the expert said. "In the short term, we suggest raising the temporary tariff rate on imported sedans and sport utility vehicles that have engines larger than 2.5 liters, so as to reduce imports and guide consumption expectations." Liu said that according to WTO rules, China's temporary tariff rate on imported vehicles could be raised to a maximum of 25 percent, and that such an adjustment is not only in line with WTO rules, but also in line with China's broader efforts to promote the green transition in the auto industry and pursue the goal of reducing carbon emissions. "We also noticed that certain countries and regions have taken some restrictive measures in the EV sector, which run counter to the green development concept and violate market economy principles and WTO rules," the expert said. "Such measures will only hurt the interests of their own consumers and undermine global efforts to promote the green transition and tackle climate change." Liu stressed that the suggested temporary tariff rate hike on imported cars with large engines is a reflection of China's pursuit of the "dual carbon" goals and its determination to accelerate green development. "It is fundamentally different from protectionist measures taken by certain countries and regions," the expert said. The suggested plan to raise the temporary tariff rate on large-engine vehicles could affect a major car import segment. According to official data, China imported 250,000 cars with engines larger than 2.5 liters in 2023, accounting for 32 percent of total imported cars. Imported vehicles with large engines also account for 80 percent of China's consumption of vehicles with large-displacement engines. If the temporary tariff rate is increased, it will have a major impact on auto imports from the EU, while also affect those from the US. The expert also highlighted the green and low-carbon development of China's auto industry, including rapidly increasing ownership of EVs. As of the end of 2023, China's EV ownership reached 20.41 million, which will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 million tons each year, according to the estimate of China Automotive Technology & Research Center. As energy-saving technologies continue to be upgraded, the structure of China's auto industry continues to be optimized with a focus on energy conservation, electrification and decarbonization, Liu noted. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A cyberattack against Michigan Ascension hospitals continues to cause issues, forcing it to divert some ambulances to other hospitals for certain medical issues, delay diagnostic imaging and affecting its ability to fill prescriptions. A spokesperson for Ascension didn't respond to a request for comment about how the attack continues to impact its operations. But the system said in a statement May 15 that it had even switched to manual paperwork in the attack's aftermath. Michigan Ascension hospitals, physician offices, and care sites remain open. Ascension first detected unusual activity on select technology network systems on May 8. Access to systems and patient care across 15 states has been disrupted since then as the company investigates the ransomware attack. While working to restore systems and determine what information, if any, has been affected, hospitals have transitioned to manual systems for patient documentation. Ascension said that may cause delays and longer-than-usual wait times at previously scheduled appointments and elective surgeries. "To help with delays, patients should bring notes on symptoms and a list of current medications, including prescription numbers or bottles," an Ascension spokesperson said in the May 15 statement. All Ascension emergency rooms in Michigan are still open and accepting walk-ins, and ambulatory diversion is a "normal course of operation, a fluid practice, and is dependent on a number of factors, including case severity, service lines, and availability," according to the statement. Ascension's emergency rooms are in constant communication with emergency medical service providers to ensure cases are triaged more effectively, a spokesperson said last week. If any rescheduling is needed for surgical, diagnostic, or other doctor's appointments patients will be contacted directly, Ascension said Wednesday. Ascension did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday on which Michigan facilities are diverting ambulatory cases and or temporarily delaying diagnostic imaging and testing. The health care system has notified law enforcement and government agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Health and Human Services, and American Hospital Association about the ransomware attack. "Despite the challenges posed by the recent ransomware incident, patient safety continues to be our utmost priority," an Ascension spokesperson said last week. "Our dedicated doctors, nurses, and care teams are demonstrating incredible thoughtfulness and resilience as we utilize manual and paper based systems during the ongoing disruption to normal systems." Ascension is also working with forensic experts from three cybersecurity firms, Mandiant, CYPFER, and Palo Alto Networks Unit 42, to investigate the attack and restore systems, they said in a system-wide update. 2024 The Detroit News. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: miR-377 transfection in prostate cancer cell lines can target MYC 3UTR, degrade its mRNA, and affect apoptosis, cell cycle, migration, and cell proliferation. Credit: Genes & Cancer (2024). DOI: 10.18632/genesandcancer.236 A new research paper titled "Inhibitory effect of miR-377 on the proliferative and invasive behaviors of prostate cancer cells through the modulation of MYC mRNA via its interaction with BCL-2/Bax, PTEN, and CDK4" has been published in Genes & Cancer. The MYC gene is a regulatory and proto-oncogenic gene that is overexpressed in the majority of prostate cancers (PCa). Numerous studies have indicated that aberrant expression of microRNAs is involved in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer. In this new study, researchers Yasamin Azimi, Sara Hajibabaei, Ghazal Azimi, Fatemeh Rahimi-Jamnani, and Masoumeh Azizi from the Pasteur Institute of Iran and Islamic Azad University assessed the impact of miR-377 on MYC through luciferase assay. The researchers write that "[...] it is of utmost importance to conduct research on the molecular pathways underlying the progression of PCa, as this may potentially lead to the development of a novel approach for targeted treatment of the disease." Real-time PCR was employed to determine whether miR-377 could reduce the levels of MYC mRNA in transfected PCa cell lines (PC-3 and DU145) and change in the mRNA levels of BCL-2/Bax, PTEN, and CDK4 as a consequence of MYC downregulation. Moreover, the researchers analyzed the effects of miR-377 on apoptosis, proliferation, cell cycle, and wound healing. Their findings demonstrate that miR-377 effectively targets MYC mRNA, as confirmed by luciferase assay and Real-time PCR. They observed a significant reduction in BCL-2 and CDK4 expression, along with an increase in Bax and PTEN, in prostate cancer cell lines upon MYC suppression. Additionally, elevated levels of miR-377 in PCa cell lines induced apoptosis, inhibited proliferation and migration, and arrested the cell cycle. The team concludes, "Taken together, these results unveil the inhibitory role of miR-377 in MYC function within PCa, thereby suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target for the treatment of this malignancy." More information: Yasamin Azimi et al, Inhibitory effect of miR-377 on the proliferative and invasive behaviors of prostate cancer cells through the modulation of MYC mRNA via its interaction with BCL-2/Bax, PTEN, and CDK4, Genes & Cancer (2024). DOI: 10.18632/genesandcancer.236 Provided by Impact Journals LLC This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: A spectrogram of brain rhythm frequencies over time predicted by the team's model. After a first, moderate dose of ketamine gamma brain rhythm power (warmer colors) emerges. Then as the dose increases, the gamma rhythms become periodically interrupted, leaving only very low freqeuncy waves, and then resume. Credit: Elie Adam, Michelle McCarthy, Nancy Kopell et. al. New research addresses a gap in understanding how ketamine's impact on individual neurons leads to pervasive and profound changes in brain network function. A World Health Organization Essential Medicine, ketamine is widely used at varying doses for sedation, pain control, general anesthesia and as a therapy for treatment-resistant depression. While scientists know its target in brain cells and have observed how it affects brain-wide activity, they haven't known entirely how the two are connected. A new study by a research team spanning four Boston-area institutions uses computational modeling of previously unappreciated physiological details to fill that gap and offer new insights into how ketamine works. "This modeling work has helped decipher likely mechanisms through which ketamine produces altered arousal states as well as its therapeutic benefits for treating depression," co-senior author Emery N. Brown, Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Computational Neuroscience and Medical Engineering at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, as well as an anesthesiologist at MGH and a Professor at Harvard Medical School. The researchers from MIT, Boston University, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University said the predictions of their model, published May 20 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help physicians make better use of the drug. "When physicians understand what's mechanistically happening when they administer a drug, they can possibly leverage that mechanism and manipulate it," said study lead author Elie Adam, a Research Scientist at MIT who will soon join the Harvard Medical School faculty and launch a lab at MGH. "They gain a sense of how to enhance the good effects of the drug and how to mitigate the bad ones." Blocking the door The core advance of the study involved biophysically modeling what happens when ketamine blocks the "NMDA" receptors in the brain's cortexthe outer layer where key functions such as sensory processing and cognition take place. Blocking the NMDA receptors modulates the release of excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. When the neuronal channels (or doorways) regulated by the NMDA receptors open, they typically close slowly (like a doorway with a hydraulic closer that keeps it from slamming), allowing ions to go in and out of neurons, thereby regulating their electrical properties, Adam said. But, the channels of the receptor can be blocked by a molecule. Blocking by magnesium helps to naturally regulate ion flow. Ketamine, however, is an especially effective blocker. Blocking slows the voltage build-up across the neuron's membrane that eventually leads a neuron to "spike," or send an electrochemical message to other neurons. The NMDA doorway becomes unblocked when the voltage gets high. This interdependence between voltage, spiking and blocking can equip NMDA receptors with faster activity than its slow closing speed might suggest. The team's model goes further than ones before by representing how ketamine's blocking and unblocking affect neural activity. "Physiological details that are usually ignored can sometimes be central to understanding cognitive phenomena," said co-corresponding author Nancy Kopell, a professor of math at BU. "The dynamics of NMDA receptors have more impact on network dynamics than has previously been appreciated." With their model, the scientists simulated how different doses of ketamine affecting NMDA receptors would alter the activity of a model brain network. The simulated network included key neuron types found in the cortex: one excitatory type and two inhibitory types. It distinguishes between "tonic" interneurons that tamp down network activity and "phasic" interneurons that react more to excitatory neurons. The team's simulations successfully recapitulated the real brain waves that have been measured via EEG electrodes on the scalp of a human volunteer who received various ketamine doses and the neural spiking that has been measured in similarly treated animals that had implanted electrode arrays. At low doses, ketamine increased brain wave power in the fast gamma frequency range (3040 Hz). At the higher doses that cause unconsciousness, those gamma waves became periodically interrupted by "down" states where only very slow frequency delta waves occur. This repeated disruption of the higher frequency waves is what can disrupt communication across the cortex enough to disrupt consciousness. A schematic of the brain network model. Tonic Inhibitory neurons (blue) use GABA to inhibit the other neuron types. Pyramidal excitatory neurons stimulate each other and the phasic inhibitory neurons (red), which, in turn, inhibit the excitatory neurons. Credit: Massachusetts Institute of Technology But how? Key findings Importantly, through simulations, they explained several key mechanisms in the network that would produce exactly these dynamics. The first prediction is that ketamine can disinhibit network activity by shutting down certain inhibitory interneurons. The modeling shows that natural blocking and unblocking kinetics of NMDA-receptors can let in a small current when neurons are not spiking. Many neurons in the network that are at the right level of excitation would rely on this current to spontaneously spike. But when ketamine impairs the kinetics of the NMDA receptors, it quenches that current, leaving these neurons suppressed. In the model, while ketamine equally impairs all neurons, it is the tonic inhibitory neurons that get shut down because they happen to be at that level of excitation. This releases other neurons, excitatory or inhibitory from their inhibition allowing them to spike vigorously and leading to ketamine's excited brain state. The network's increased excitation can then enable quick unblocking (and reblocking) of the neurons' NMDA receptors, causing bursts of spiking. Another prediction is that these bursts become synchronized into the gamma frequency waves seen with ketamine. How? The team found that the phasic inhibitory interneurons become stimulated by lots of input of the neurotransmitter glutamate from the excitatory neurons and vigorously spike, or fire. When they do, they send an inhibitory signal of the neurotransmitter GABA to the excitatory neurons that squelches the excitatory firing, almost like a kindergarten teacher calming down a whole classroom of excited children. That stop signal, which reaches all the excitatory neurons simultaneously, only lasts so long, ends up synchronizing their activity, producing a coordinated gamma brain wave. "The finding that an individual synaptic receptor (NMDA) can produce gamma oscillations and that these gamma oscillations can influence network-level gamma was unexpected," said co-corresponding author Michelle McCarthy, a research assistant professor of math at BU. "This was found only by using a detailed physiological model of the NMDA receptor. This level of physiological detail revealed a gamma time scale not usually associated with an NMDA receptor." So what about the periodic down states that emerge at higher, unconsciousness-inducing ketamine doses? In the simulation, the gamma-frequency activity of the excitatory neurons can't be sustained for too long by the impaired NMDA-receptor kinetics. The excitatory neurons essentially become exhausted under GABA inhibition from the phasic interneurons. That produces the down state. But then, after they have stopped sending glutamate to the phasic interneurons, those cells stop producing their inhibitory GABA signals. That enables the excitatory neurons to recover, starting a cycle anew. Antidepressant connection? The model makes another prediction that might help explain how ketamine exerts its antidepressant effects. It suggests that the increased gamma activity of ketamine could entrain gamma activity among neurons expressing a peptide called VIP. This peptide has been found to have health promoting effects, such as reducing inflammation, that last much longer than ketamine's effects on NMDA receptors. The research team proposes that the entrainment of these neurons under ketamine could increase the release of the beneficial peptide, as observed when these cells are stimulated in experiments. This also hints at therapeutic features of ketamine that may go beyond anti-depressant effects. The research team acknowledges, however, that this connection is speculative and awaits specific experimental validation. "The understanding that the sub cellular details of the NMDA receptor can lead to increased gamma oscillations was the basis for a new theory about how ketamine may work for treating depression," Kopell said. Additional co-authors of the study are Marek Kowalski, Oluwaseun Akeju, and Earl K. Miller. More information: Elie Adam et al, Ketamine can produce oscillatory dynamics by engaging mechanisms dependent on the kinetics of NMDA receptors, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2402732121 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Comparative CRISPR screens identify the cofactors needed by nine different ADs. Credit: Nature Genetics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01749-z Peter Mac researchers have found the answer to a decades-long question on cell functioning that could lead to improved cancer treatments in the future. Every cell in the human body has the same DNA, but different cells do different jobs. This research, published in Nature Genetics, is helping to explain how this is possible and the implications could be vast. Professor Mark Dawson, a physician-scientist and Associate Director of Research at Peter Mac, said he is excited that we now have new insights that better explain how a cell's fate is determined. "The way a cell functions is the result of 'transcription factors' that scan our DNA and determine which genes should be turned on and by how much," he said. "We looked at how these transcription factors recruit and deliver the machinery required for genes to be turned on. Until now, we did not know how the 'transcription factors' choose the right machinery for a gene to be read and expressed. "This has been a decades-long question, and we are excited to have helped solve part of the problem as this knowledge on exactly how transcription factors make decisions around which machinery is required to activate a gene provides us with fundamental knowledge on life." The study uncovered that transcription factors choose a unique compendium of components to drive gene expression to create the desired action whether it be controlling a cell's energy consumption, launching an immune response or some other function our body requires. Professor Dawson said that we can liken this to how cars are built and explained how this important discovery is key to finding better treatments for a range of diseases. "A F1 racing car is very different to the family people mover or even a tractor, some cars are designed to move very fast, others to transport precious cargo and some are the work horse," he said. "We uncovered that the same is true for gene expression and this is determined by the components recruited by transcription factors. They can determine which genes can rapidly change, for example, when we need to fight infection and we need a quick response or which genes need to be slow and steady pumping out messages required for cellular housekeeping function. "This insight into how transcription factors can nuance gene expression is incredibly important, and we hope to harness this to help us treat a range of diseases in the future. "If we think about cancer, the mutations in a cancer can stop the transcription factor from choosing the right components for the gene to be expressed correctly, it is like jumbling up parts of the car so it no longer drives reliably." Dr. Charles Bell, post-doctoral researcher at Peter Mac, said they developed a platform to screen the function of thousands of components used by transcription factors to determine how a gene is expressed. "We will now use this platform to understand other processes linked to the gene expression," he said. "The answers to these questions will help us find new ways to treat not just cancer but many other diseases in the future." More information: Charles C. Bell et al, Comparative cofactor screens show the influence of transactivation domains and core promoters on the mechanisms of transcription, Nature Genetics (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01749-z Journal information: Nature Genetics This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: (A and B) Viral infection, fiber insertion (A), and viral expression (B) in the PiC. Scale bars, 200 mm. (C) Scheme of optogenetic inhibition of PiC neurons. Yellow light was on during the last 5 min of the test stage. Credit: Neuron (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.02.001 Social interactions are multi-faceted experiences that entail understanding the emotional states of others and responding appropriately. Neuroscientists and psychologists have been studying social interactions for decades, in the hope of understanding their neural and behavioral underpinnings. A team of researchers at Sun Yat-Sen University and University of Science and Technology of China recently carried out a study exploring how male and female mice respond to the pain of other mice. Their findings, published in Neuron, suggest that there are both neurobiological and behavioral differences between the two sexes, specifically in relation to their empathic responses. "Recognizing the affective states of social counterparts and responding appropriately fosters successful social interactions," Sunchang Fang, Zhengyi Luo and their colleagues wrote in their paper. "However, little is known about how the affective states are expressed and perceived and how they influence social decisions." The primary objective of the recent study by Fang, Luo and their collaborators was to delve deeper into how male and female mammals respond to another animal in pain, both in terms of their behavior and brain activity. To do this, they carried out a series of experiments on mice, where two mice were placed in lateral chambers, while an observing mouse was placed in the central section of a common cage. One of the mice in the lateral chamber was given an injection that caused abdominal pain, while the other two were not administered anything. The researchers monitored the behavior of the mouse in the central part of the cage, who could explore the environment freely and thus whether to interact with the other mice and in what ways. Initially, both male and female mice moved in their surroundings, displaying similar exploratory behaviors. Yet after a while, particularly towards the end of each experimental trial, the team found that male mice exhibited more grooming behaviors, while female mice demonstrated a social preference for the mouse that was in pain, as they spent more time in its proximity and sniffing it. "We show that male and female mice emit distinct olfactory cues after experiencing distress," the researchers wrote. "These cues activate distinct neural circuits in the piriform cortex (PiC) and evoke sexually dimorphic empathic behaviors in observers. "Specifically, the PiC PrL pathway is activated in female observers, inducing a social preference for the distressed counterpart. Conversely, the PiC MeA pathway is activated in male observers, evoking excessive self-grooming behaviors." This distinct neural pathway that the researchers found to be activated in male observers originated from non-overlapping PiC neuron populations with different gene expression signatures. Notably, these gene expression signatures are regulated by transcription factors and sex hormones. Overall, their observations suggest that male and female mice are biologically inclined to respond differently to other mice in pain. While females are more likely to get closer to a peer who is in pain, males tend to respond to another's pain with excessive self-grooming. The results of this study could soon be explored further and validated in additional experiments. In the future, they could pave the way for the discovery of new neural processes underpinning sex-specific social behaviors. "Our study unveils how internal states of social counterparts are processed through sexually dimorphic mechanisms at the molecular, cellular, and circuit levels and offers insights into the neural mechanisms underpinning sex differences in higher brain functions," the researchers wrote. More information: Shunchang Fang et al, Sexually dimorphic control of affective state processing and empathic behaviors, Neuron (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2024.02.001 Journal information: Neuron 2024 Science X Network This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain A global agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, which is still in negotiation, would not encroach on state sovereignty, the World Health Organization insisted Tuesday. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO member countries have spent more than two years thrashing out an accord to ensure a repeat worldwide health disaster could never happen again. However, the negotiation process has been continually extended as countries are struggling to find common ground in key areas, particularly on sharing data on problematic pathogens, and then sharing the benefits derived from them, such as vaccines and medicines. Claims have circulated in several countries in recent weeksnotably Britain, the United States and Switzerlandthat the text could undermine state sovereignty in health matters. "For those out there who speak about this being in some way a breach of national sovereignty, in fact, this kind of work that we do together is... an absolute expression and definition of your sovereignty," WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told a press conference from the UN health agency's headquarters in Geneva. "To be truly sovereign means to engage with others confidently, confident in your own independence. "That is when you reach out and work with others on issues of common concern, and that's exactly what's happening downstairs." The bureau steering the negotiations must report on progress to the World Health Assembly, the annual gathering of WHO member states, which runs from May 27 to June 1. The assembly is the WHO's decision-making body. The pandemic agreement negotiations are set to go on until Friday and the assembly will decide what to do next, depending on whether the negotiators agree a finalized text or not. "The pandemic agreement remains our best shot and, indeed, our generational opportunity at making sure next time a virus hits, we have a plan to get critical health tools to people quickly, effectively, and fairly," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the press conference. "It will save lives, and I'm asking country leaders to give it one last big push to get it over the line." Ryan said the talks were making progress and "the determination of all of the participants is very high". "There are clearly some key areas in which the member states still have some distance between them," he added, saying they included pathogen access and benefit-sharing, financing, prevention, and vaccines. 2024 AFP This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Single-cell RNA-Seq reveals that LinCD34+CD117+ contain both myeloid and lymphoid progenitors with a higher proportion of myeloid progenitors in CSU patients that subsequently responded to omalizumab. Credit: Allergy (2024). DOI: 10.1111/all.16127 A study which examines the common skin condition, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), characterized by recurrent hives, has been recently published by Trinity College Dublin researchers in the journal Allergy. This study is the first of its kind to show a link between rare cell types and treatment response. Professor Niall Conlon, Clinical Professor, School of Medicine and Consultant Immunologist, St James's Hospital and Clinical Lead at Ireland's only UCARE center for urticaria management led the research team. Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a common but underreported disease, where individuals develop recurrent, unpredictable and intensely itchy hives and skin swellings with no obvious trigger. The UCARE center at St. James's Hospital sees 10-20 new patients with CSU per week. Although CSU shares some symptoms with food allergy, it is not caused by an allergy to food or medicines. Diagnosis of CSU can be late and difficult, due to a lack of awareness about the condition. Furthermore, individuals with this disease can become distressed and experience many frustrations ranging from difficulties at work and interpersonal relationships, to problems with sleep disturbance, low mood, and anxiety. The study explored a rare form of mast cells called myeloid progenitors in blood, in patients with the condition. The team compared these cells in people with CSU and healthy controls. Treatment response to the anti-IgE therapy omalizumab, was also assessed. Individuals who had a fast response to omalizumab were found to have higher numbers of myeloid progenitors in their blood when compared to people who had a slow (or no) response, to omalizumab. The study therefore points to the intriguing possibility of using these cell types to predict who might respond to treatment with anti-IgE therapies. Dr. Barry Moran, a scientist at Trinity Biomedical Science Institute (TBSI), Trinity College who contributed to the study said, "We developed a flow assay to identify this rare cell type. We were excited to find that our findings and clinical correlates were complemented by transcriptomic data." David McMahon from the Irish Skin Foundation said, "CSU refers to hives that come and go, without any particular or obvious trigger, and last for longer than 6 weeks. For some people affected by CSU, the quality of life impacts can be profound and far reaching." CSU is frequently mistaken for an allergic reaction. Specific triggers such as allergic reactions to foods are often sought. Unfortunately, attempts to avoid suspected allergic triggers do not help. This can be frustrating for people who suffer with this condition. Symptoms for many people with CSU can be completely controlled by regular treatment with antihistamines. Often, these medications need to be used at high doses. Some individuals will not respond to this simple intervention and will need referral to a specialist center such as the UCARE center in St. James's Hospital. Individuals who do not respond to high dose antihistamines are considered for the anti-IgE biologic treatment, omalizumab. This treatment is only available in a specialist setting. Dr. Conor Finlay, a scientist from the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute (TTMI) and one of the senior authors of the study, said, "Mast cells pack a punch, when activated by IgE antibodies they can be said to explode and release inflammatory factors into the skinthis is what causes itching and hives." Dr. Niall Conlon, a senior author on the study and consultant immunologist, said, "For some people, treatment with omalizumab, an injectable drug that steadies mast cells, really works. However, for others this drug is less effective or takes much longer to work. It would really help us to understand better why certain people don't respond as well to omalizumab. Information on how this happens might help us direct our treatments more effectively and make patients better, quicker" Dr. Katie Ridge, the lead author on the study, said, "Mast cells are tricky cells to study. Mature mast cells are not found in the blood. That is why we used a method to study an extremely rare immature form of mast cells in the blood, called mast cell progenitors. Our findings point to potential inflammatory signals in this disease and highlight how chronic urticaria is more than skin deep. "Our findings have significant implications not only in relation the individuals with urticaria but potentially other allergic diseases whereby we may be able to predict treatment response using exploration of this cell type." More information: Katie Ridge et al, LinCD117+CD34+FcRI+ progenitor cells are increased in chronic spontaneous urticaria and predict clinical responsiveness to antiIgE therapy, Allergy (2024). DOI: 10.1111/all.16127 Journal information: Allergy This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Technology use is at an all-time high and understanding how this impacts daily life is crucial. When it comes to parent-child interactions, scientists have coined the term "technoference," meaning technology interference. It occurs when parent-child interaction and communication are disrupted by the use of digital devices. But is distraction caused by digital devices more detrimental to parent-child interaction than when parental distraction comes from different sources? Researchers in Switzerland have investigated. "In this study, we show that when parents are distracted, the quality and quantity of parent-child interaction is impaired compared to when parents are not being distracted," said Prof Nevena Dimitrova, a researcher at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland and principal investigator of the study published in Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. "This was regardless of if that distraction came from a digital or a non-digital activity." Screening distraction Although the negative impact of parents being distracted by their phones while around their children has been established, less is known about whether these negative effects come from the fact that the parent uses a screen or from the fact that the parent is distracted in general. To fill this gap, the team around Dimitrova tasked 50 parent-child pairs, in which children were 22 months old on average, to play together for 10 minutes. Participant pairs were divided into three groups. In the first group, there was no disruption. In the second group, after five minutes of play, the parent was given a questionnaire to fill out on paper, whereas in the third group, also after five minutes, the parent was instructed to fill out the same questionnaire using a tablet. Parents that filled out the questionnaire were instructed to continue interacting with their children. The researchers found that parents who filled out the questionnaire were less sensitive to children's communication signals, and that children showed lower levels of social involvement towards their parents. Technoference, however, did not affect parent-child interactions more negatively than non-digital distractions. Instead, all distraction, regardless of whether it was caused by screens or pen and paper, had negative effects on parents, children, and pairs. "We interpret this findingthat was equally surprising for usas the possibility that screens are so ubiquitous nowadays that young children might be becoming used to the reality of seeing their parents use screens," said Dimitrova. Regardless of their findings, the researchers stressed that parent-child interaction is at its best when parents are not distracted at all. This might be especially important for parents who find it difficult to bond with their children. Curbing a 'moral panic' In the media, mostly alarmistic messages about the risks of screen use are discussed, said the researchers. However, research does not support the thesis that screen use by or in the presence of children is exclusively bad. For example, positive effects of screens on child psychological development have been shown in previous research. "This study shows how important it is to rely on scientific evidence rather than public opinion about screen use. We see that it's not screens per se that are detrimental to the quality of parent-child interaction," concluded Dimitrova. "Instead, it seems to be the fact that the parent is not fully engaged in the interaction that negatively impacts parent-child communication." The researchers, however, also pointed out that it is difficult to make definitive statements about parental screen use based on one study alone. This is partly because everyday parent-child interaction differs from the experimental setup. For example, the ways in which parents use screens while around their children cannot always be replicated fully. Studies in naturalistic context are needed and might lead to different results, the scientists noted. More information: Effects of Digital and Non-digital Parental Distraction on Parent-Child Interaction and Communication, Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2024). DOI: 10.3389/frcha.2024.1330331 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Participant's views on how it feels to seek asylum in the UK. Illustrator credit: Chris Spalton. Credit: Perspectives in Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1177/17579139231203146 The U.K.'s asylum process is damaging to the health and well-being of people seeking sanctuaryaccording to a new study from the University of East Anglia. The number of people seeking asylum and refugees in the U.K. continues to risewith 74,751 asylum applications made last year. Researchers worked with more than 70 people seeking asylum and with refugee status from 14 different countries to better understand the mental health needs of displaced people. They found that the distress felt within the asylum system is often an entirely natural response to the situation. And that the mental health of displaced people could be better improved through community activities and employment than by prescribing antidepressants. The article, "'This is silent murder'Are we medicalizing human distress caused by the reality of life as an asylum seeker in the UK?" is published in the journal Perspectives in Public Health. Lead researcher Dr. Emily Clark, an academic GP from Norwich Medical School, said, "We know that displaced people face significant trauma and adversity in their country of origin, or during their journey such as war, persecution, or imprisonment. "Displaced people are less likely to access health and social care and have poorer health than the general population. They are also more likely to be diagnosed with mental health conditions including stress, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. "We wanted to better understand the health needs of this group." The research team ran two community engagement events in conjunction with an organization supporting people seeking asylum and refugees in the East of England. The events aimed to introduce the concept of health research, increase inclusion, and remove barriers between academic research and this under-researched community. Dr. Sarah Hanson, from UEA's School of Health Sciences said, "With the help of interpreters, we heard from people at different stages of the asylum processfrom newly arrived people seeking asylum in initial hotel accommodation through to refugees who have established their lives in the U.K. "Asylum seekers are often labeled as 'hard to reach' but these events clearly showed a willingness for under-researched groups to engage with us. "Post-migration stressors included uncertainty, frustration and hopelessness about the lengthy immigration processes. "The lack of meaningful activities due to a ban on working and limited volunteering opportunities created abundant time for rumination about the past, worry about family back home and a feeling of being in limbo. "They also spoke about environmental factors such as living conditions and povertywith an asylum seeker in initial accommodation receiving just 8 per week towards clothes, non-prescription medicines, sanitary products and travel. "We also heard that they feel isolated due to language barriers and lack of community cohesion and connection. "There was a lack of control over their fundamental daily needs such as choice of food, where they live, where they can go and a feeling of monotony. "And there was deep-seated grief and feelings of loss over relationships, homes, identity and belonging, causing significant sadness and suffering." One of the refugees the project spoke to was Rasha Ibrahim, who is originally from Sudan and arrived in the U.K. in January 2013. She spent two and a half years seeking asylum before being granted refugee status and now lives in Norwich, where she co-founded the Zainab Project to help asylum seekers and refugees gain work experience, while offering them support and help to integrate. Rasha said, "Many of them are educated back home, but because of lots of barriers, when they moved to the U.K., they cannot work. "The Zainab project helps them through voluntary roles in our catering service to achieve that and build up their CV here, as well as confidence. Also, we help them to integrate and learn to speak English through interacting with customers and communities." The project fosters a spirit of cultural exchange, so that participants can learn about English customs, while customers can also learn about different cultures from the volunteers. Rasha said, "This is all done through food, a warm welcome, understanding of what they have been through and a safe space in our cafe which is open for everyone despite who you are and what your background is. "We hope by the opportunities that we are offering through the Zainab Project we can make changes in people's lives and help them to settle and become independent. This will, in turn will help the community, society, and the economy of the country." Commenting on the research, Dr. Hanson said, "What all of this tells us is that the asylum process in the UK is damaging to the health and well-being of people seeking sanctuary. "But their distress was universally felt to be an entirely natural response to their situation. "Many spoke of visiting health professionals with symptoms such as poor sleep, pain, headaches and feeling worriedand being given anti-depressants or strong pain medication, which were neither beneficial nor wanted. "Instead, the people we spoke to wanted to contribute to society, feel secure and safe, and to have some hope of a future to enable them to recover from their past trauma. "Interventions should therefore be taken out of the health care sphere and placed within communities. For example, instead of prescribing anti-depressants, social prescribing could help displaced people become busy with meaningful activities such as employment or volunteering." More information: EG Clark et al, 'This is silent murder'are we medicalising human distress caused by the reality of life as an asylum seeker in the UK?, Perspectives in Public Health (2024). DOI: 10.1177/17579139231203146 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113879 A discovery by Simona Stager's team could help come up with a treatment for the most serious form of leishmaniasis. Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease affecting a growing number of people worldwide. Each year, between 700,000 and 1 million new cases are reported. Caused by a protozoan parasite of the genus Leishmania, which is transmitted to humans by the simple bite of a sand fly, leishmaniasis comprises three clinical forms, of which the visceral form is the most serious. If left untreated, visceral leishmaniasis, also known as black fever, is almost always fatal. Most cases occur in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Nepal, and Sudan. Professor Stager of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) and her team, in collaboration with other researchers from INRS and McGill University, have observed a surprising immune mechanism linked to chronic visceral leishmaniasis. This discovery could be an important step towards a new therapeutic approach to this disease. The results of their research have been published in the journal Cell Reports. In many infections, CD4 T cells play a key role in defending the affected organism. Unfortunately, in the case of chronic infections such as leishmaniasis, maintaining the number of functional CD4 cells becomes an important issue, as the immune system is constantly activated to react against the pathogen affecting the infected person. New immunity soldiers to the rescue However, the study carried out by Professor Stager in her laboratory at INRS's Armand-Frappier Sante Biotechnologie Research Centre suggests that these cells may have more than one trick up their sleeve to maintain their vitality. "We have discovered a new CD4 cell population in mice infected with the parasite responsible for visceral leishmaniasis. These T cells have interesting properties," said Professor Stager. By observing these novel cells, the scientists noticed that they increase in number during the chronic phase of the disease and also that, like progenitor cells, they are capable of self-renewal or differentiation into other effector cells responsible for eliminating the parasite, or regulatory cells that inhibit the host's response. Professor Stager points out that CD4 T cells normally differentiate into effector cells from "naive" CD4 T cells. But during chronic infections, because of the constant need to generate effector cells, naive CD4 T cells are highly solicited and may become exhausted. "We believe that in the chronic phase of visceral leishmaniasis, the new population we have identified is responsible for generating effector and regulatory cells. This would allow the host to prevent exhaustion of its existing pool of naive CD4 Tcells for a certain antigen," explains Ph.D. student and first author of the study, Sharada Swaminathan. The new lymphocyte population discovered by the INRS team could be a decisive immune booster, taking over from over-solicited naive CD4 T cells. "If we can figure out how to direct this new lymphocyte population to differentiate into a protective effector cell, it could help the host get rid of the Leishmania parasite," said Professor Stager. A cure for other infections? The study also mentions that cells similar to this new CD4 T lymphocyte population have been observed in mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and in mice carrying the H. polygyrus intestinal worm. So it is quite possible that this population is present in other chronic infections or in other chronic inflammatory environments. This overlap sets the stage for an even wider scope for the discovery made by Professor Stager's team. "If our hypothesis is correct, these cells could be exploited therapeutically not only for visceral leishmaniasis, but also for other chronic infections," concludes the researcher. This article was co-authored by Sharada Swaminathan, Linh Thuy Mai, Alexandre P. Meli, Liseth Carmona-Perez, Tania Charpentier, Alain Lamarre, Irah L. King, and Stager. More information: Sharada Swaminathan et al, LAG-3- and CXCR5-expressing CD4 T cells display progenitor-like properties during chronic visceral leishmaniasis, Cell Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.113879 Journal information: Cell Reports This new smartwatch from TechLife is the device of choice for any hobby and lifestyle EVERYONE HAS different hobbies and lifestyles. Whether... There will be a recount of votes cast for and against the proposed property tax increase for Butte High School that tied on Election Day and was nudged to passage when provisional votes were counted. The measure ultimately passed by three votes 3,794 to 3,791 but a petition was filed with the Butte School District seeking a recount, Kevin Patrick, the districts business manager, said Tuesday. He said the petition listed Butte resident Frank Boroni as the signature gatherer and 20 others signed it 10 more than is needed to initiate a recount. Although Butte-Silver Bow election officials mailed out ballots and counted them on the night of the May 7 election and later when provisional ballots were added, they conducted the election on the school districts behalf, Patrick said. So under state law, he said, a petition seeking a recount was filed with the district. Three district trustees were appointed as a recount board and they will conduct the recount starting at 9 a.m. Friday in the library at East Middle School. The district sought the $850,000 levy increase in the first place but Patrick said the ballots will be recounted by hand, the recount is open to the public and anyone is welcome to witness the process on Friday. It could take several hours but results should be known later in the day, he said. The initial unofficial count was 3,782 in favor of the 8.46 mill levy and 3,782 opposed. The measure would have failed if the tie vote held up and could still fail depending on recount results. School officials and trustees said the levy is needed for safety initiatives at the high school. The money would pay for school counselors, school resource officers, deans, mental health workers and IT staff who provide safety support. The Butte School District also asked voters to approve a 2.46 mill levy that will raise an additional $203,801 annually to support operational costs at elementary schools. According to unofficial results, that passed with 3,907 votes in favor to 3,310 against. The extra elementary levy will increase the property tax bill on a home valued at $100,000 by $3.32. It will be double that on a $200,000 home and triple that, or $9.96, on a $300,000 home. The high school levy would hike the property tax bill on a $100,000 home by $11.43. It will be twice that amount on a $200,000 home and be triple that, or $34.28, on a home valued at $300,000. Flathead Lake will meet Memorial Day 2 feet higher than usual this year, after managers of the Selis Ksanka Qlispe Dam got clearance to hold more spring water. The lake is typically held at 2,883 feet elevation in mid-April 10 feet below its full pool of 2,893 feet. That gives it room to absorb floodwaters if spring runoff overloads upstream of Hungry Horse Dam and other tributaries. But unusually low winter snowpack and light spring rains have led to concerns about a dry summer. Similar conditions last year resulted in Flathead Lake missing its full pool mark by 2 feet, causing frustration for recreational boaters whose docks couldnt reach the water. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a request by Energy Keepers Inc. (the dam managers) to hold in an extra 2 feet of surface water above its usual Memorial Day limit of 2,890 feet. Thats the second approved deviation, after the Corps OKd an Energy Keepers request to exceed the usual spring minimum by 2 feet as of April 15. Were responding to the conditions as provided by current weather trends, Energy Keepers CEO Brian Lipscomb said in a press release. Managing circumstances with a more robust snowpack would be preferred, but our team is responsible for managing whatever situation is generated by mother nature. The Corps will evaluate runoff conditions again later in May to see if further allowances are needed. While spring runoff typically releases meltwater from mid-May through mid-June, forecasts this year hint that most of the snowpack will be melted off by the start of June. The Flathead basin only got 80% of its normal precipitation last winter. The National Resources Conservation Services May water supply report stated that 2024 collected one of the lowest statewide snow seasons on record, warning that Montana could see drought conditions similar to the dry years of 2001, 2005 and 2015. Editor's note: This story has been updated after the jury delivered its verdict Tuesday night. A Missoula jury has ruled Cody Marble did not prove his innocence against 22-year-old rape allegations for which he was once convicted. The jury's verdict came Tuesday evening after a seven-day trial. Marble had sought compensation for his time in prison from Missoula County and the state of Montana after his conviction was overturned in 2016. "We were here to vindicate a 2002 unanimous jury verdict," said Steve Carey, whose firm represented Missoula County against Marble's claims. "We took that very seriously and we're glad that this jury did it." Marble sat quiet and still as the court clerk read the verdict. His legal team declined to comment following the decision. The outcome does not reinstate Marble's earlier conviction but rather bars him from seeking compensation from the county that secured that conviction. A day earlier, the Missoula County courtroom was especially quiet as an attorney read Robert Thomas exchange with prosecutors 22 years ago. Prosecutors then had asked Thomas about his place on the social ladder in the juvenile detention center. He was several years younger than most, and generally took some bullying to get along. "I didnt do anything," he told prosecutors about the harassment. "I just hoped Id get out soon." A group of other juvenile inmates in 2002 accused fellow inmate Cody Marble of raping Thomas. Marble was convicted at that trial, but eight years ago a judge overturned that conviction upon new evidence; namely, Thomas' recantation of the allegations. Since last week, jurors have heard Marble's case as he seeks compensation for the years spent in prison on that conviction. Missoula County and the state of Montana's defense included Thomas' testimony from the original trial. Those words, read by attorney David Lighthall, carried a lot of weight in the courtroom on Monday, as Thomas has since died. Thomas told the jury in 2002 that he was made the subject of sexual jokes by many other juvenile inmates, and described the rape allegations for which Marble was convicted that year. Thomas recanted the allegations to the Montana Innocence Project in 2010. Later Thomas would reverse that recantation under the threat from Missoula County prosecutor-at-the-time Fred Van Valkenburg that he would charge Thomas with perjury for back-tracking from his trial at testimony. Van Valkenburg was listed as a potential witness for Missoula Countys defense of Marbles claims for compensation for his imprisonment before the conviction was overturned, although the defense decided to rest their case Monday without calling him to testify. Because prosecutors declined to pursue another trial against Marble, Thomas final statement for the court record stated the rape did happen. Thomas died by suicide in 2014 after a lengthy standoff with police in eastern Montana. Great Falls Police Lt. Aaron Frick testified on Monday about his involvement in that standoff. The police departments High Risk Unit, their local SWAT team, routinely travels to rural parts of the state to assist local law enforcement agencies in such events. In 2014, Frick was the secondary negotiator acting as a liaison between the negotiator and the High Risk Unit standing by outside a bank in Havre. Previous news reports said Thomas fled after law enforcement pulled him over for a traffic violation, and pulled out a pistol after police cornered him at a bank. Fricks negotiator team began a dialogue with Thomas at noon that day, which ended at 8 p.m. More specifically, it ended at sundown, Frick said. "Mr. Thomas said he was going to take his own life at sunset," Frick testified Monday. "He said he had been raped by another male in jail and that he would not go back." Thomas would not elaborate on the rape, Frick said. And when the sun went down, police heard a gunshot. "The way the situation ended that day left an indelible imprint on my memory," he said. On cross examination from Marbles attorney, Frick conceded Thomas never raised Marbles name during the standoff. In fact, he mentioned another man who had sexually assaulted him at a young age, before his incarceration. Thomas also repeatedly stated he was raped in prison, not a county jail, where he accused Marble of raping him. Closing arguments On Tuesday morning Marbles attorneys led their closing arguments with the biggest-picture context of the case at hand. Wrongful convictions are an epidemic in this country, Mark Kovacich said, telling the jury they were "the conscience of your community." "Your verdict will be heard in this community," he said. "Given the nature of the issues in this case, your verdict will be heard elsewhere, as well. Your verdict in this case will say a great deal about human liberty, and human freedom, in your community." The predominant exhibit raised by Marbles attorneys is the 2016 motion from the Missoula County Attorneys Office to dismiss the charges against him after a judge overturned his conviction. The document goes to great lengths in discussing its review of the evidence for prosecutors to reach their decision. The county attorney at the time, Kirsten Pabst, testified last week that she would not have reached that decision if she knew about a memo in which Thomas had indicated at one point to the Montana Innocence Project that the rape did happen. Andrew Huppert, who has done most of the cross examinations in defense of Missoula County, took aim at the Montana Innocence Project, calling the organization "corrupt" for failing to turn over the memo that gave Pabst pause about dismissing the charges against Marble. He hedged the statement by saying the Innocence Project was a "wonderful" organization with a noble cause, but contended it was a new outfit "desperate to get a win on the board." Before the jury went into deliberations Tuesday, Kovacich reminded them that it was well known Thomas had waffled on his recantation at the time of the dismissal. He urged jurors to consider the way other juvenile inmates who accused Marble of the rape changed their stories. Indeed, only Marble has been consistent in maintaining his innocence. The jury ultimately did not have to decide whether law enforcement and prosecutors bungled their investigation of Marble. The law requires jurors to decide if Marbles case proved he never committed the rape, a higher bar to clear. Moderation marks attitude toward anti-segregation ruling in school circles (May 20, 1954) City, county and Glen Alpine schools spokesmen voiced similar comments this week after the United States Supreme Court ruled that states do not have the right to send white and Negro children to different schools. The court ruling does not end segregation at once since further hearings are set this fall to decide how and when to end the practice of segregation. With this in view, local reaction has been wait and see regarding hearings and their outcome next fall. M.S. Parham, city schools superintendent, said, I dont see where anybody can make a statement on the thing. The only thing the Supreme Court has done is rule that segregation is unconstitutional. I think the only thing you can do is wait until the Supreme Court hands down a decree. Parham asked, What do you have to go on? No one knows what the decree will be, he pointed out, and therefore, no action can be taken until such additional information and decrees have been issued by the court. R.L. Patton, county schools superintendent, said his school board was living in the hopes that nothing will be done when the courts decision was announced by Chief Justice Earl Warren. Patton said, White folks and colored neither one want it, but it looks like we have to have it, and well work it out the best way we can. The county board of education has already provided good schools for colored people, and we had hoped that the situation would remain as it is. W.A. Young, Glen Alpine superintendent, added, Id rather withhold comment on it at this particular time because anything I say would be purely guesswork. Crowd enjoys Greenway, river at Riverfest (May 19, 1996) Ever had a secret you were just dying to tell someone? The city of Morganton does, and it used the opportunity of Riverfest 96 to tell it. An estimated 500 to 600 people showed up at the Catawba River Greenway on Saturday to take part in the sixth annual Riverfest, a celebration of the Catawba River and its resources. This gives us a chance to bring people down to the river and greenway and show them what we are doing, said Lee Anderson, director of community development for Morganton. Folks from all over the southeast United States are looking at us as an example of protecting the natural resources of our river system. Riverfest began as a cooperative effort between Morganton, the Western Piedmont Council of Governments and Burke County. The city took over main sponsorship of the event last year. Anderson said with the 1996 celebration, the city aimed at bringing more families and children out to the river by bringing in the recreation department to host running events, mountain bike races and roller blading exhibitions. It apparently worked, as parents with children in tow swarmed over the Greenway through early Saturday afternoon. State Hospital opens bids for $90,000 annex (May 24, 1954) W.E. Dale Construction Company of Morganton was low bidder at $71,228 for the general contract for an addition to the male employees building at the State Hospital. Bids totaling almost $90,000 were opened by the institution Thursday afternoon, and contracts are expected to be approved soon by the N.C. Hospitals Board of Control and the State Budget Bureau. The project, coming within the tentative allotment of $100,000, will be carried on with proceeds from the statewide bond issue approved for mental hospitals by North Carolina voters last fall. Ten bids were submitted for the general contract, with Dales bid of $71,228 being followed by: T.A. Loving Company, Goldsboro, $71,317; and Elmore Construction Company, Catawba, $74,748. Other estimates ranged up to $87,000. Time ticks slowly for Valdese clock tower (May 26, 2000) Despite a few setbacks, community leaders in Valdese are forging ahead with plans to build a large block tower on Main Street. To date, about $83,000 has been raised through a fund drive initiated late last year by the Historic Valdese Foundation, said project chairman Dr. Ben Garrou. The Heritage Millennium Clock Tower, to be located on the campus of the Old Rock School, is expected to cost $150,000. Leaders of the effort are attempting to raise most of the money through private donations. According to Garrou, the 40-foot tower will celebrate a new millennium while commemorating the towns achievements of the past. Our community is very rich in cultural heritage, thanks largely to the Waldensian settlement over 100 years ago, he said. The clock tower will pay tribute to the historical value of education, industry, business, civic organizations, local government and cultural institutions in shaping our high quality of life today. Project leaders had hoped to secure a state grant to help pay for the tower, but that doesnt look likely now, Garrou said. Two hurt when trucks collide at Hildebran (May 20, 1954) Two trucks colliding in the heart of Hildebran yesterday morning demolished both vehicles and sent two to a Hickory hospital, one in serious condition. State Patrolman R.G. Thompson said Ralph Fortener, 17, of Route 2, Burnsville, was in serious condition at a Hickory hospital with a concussion and a neck injury received in a two-vehicle accident yesterday. James C. Fortener, 23, of Route 2, Burnsville, was treated for cuts and bruises about the face and neck. The Forteners were riding in a 1951 Chevrolet pickup truck traveling on Highway 70 in Hildebran when a 1948 GMC 2 -ton truck came out into the highway without brakes. The impact sent both vehicles to the right of the road, causing them to overturn with the rear end of the heavier truck pinned against the smaller vehicle. Charles R. Phillips, 29, of 107 Circle Court of Morganton, was identified by Thompson as the driver of the truck. Thompson quoted Phillips, an employee of Economy Wholesale Company here, owner of the truck, as saying he found he did not have any brakes when he applied them as he came down the Henry River Road hill onto Highway 70 in Hildebran. His truck rolled onto the highway, colliding with the pickup truck driven by the older Fortener. Phillips was not treated at the hospital, Thompson said, but came to Morganton and saw a doctor. John Richard Fortener, also of Route 2, Burnsville, was treated and released from the Hickory hospital. Thompson estimated damages to both vehicles at $2,500. Charges were pending in the case, he said. Budget includes funds for project (May 24, 2015) The N.C. House of Representatives has included money in its proposed budget for a school of science and math in Burke County. The 2015-16 House budget includes $1.6 million for advance planning for a western school of science and math. A budget usually goes through several versions before its finally approved by both chambers of the General Assembly. The $1.6 million in state funds would need to be matched with $800,000 raised locally, according to the proposed budget. Money would be used to develop a more precise cost, determine where it would be located and whether buildings on campuses could be repurposed, said Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Burke). Morganton Mayor Mel Cohen said he hopes the UNC Board of Governors realizes the money for the project would not come from the UNC system budget. Thats why he thinks the Board of Governors didnt want funding for the western school in the budget last year, because it thought it would take money from the universities, Cohen said. The Good Samaritan Clinic of Morganton announced Tuesday it has received a grant for $8,672 from the Community Foundation of Burke County (CFBC) that will allow it to expand access to affordable vision care for the uninsured and underinsured residents it serves. The grant will allow the clinic to purchase the equipment it needs to offer on-site vision care services for its patients, and local optometrist Dr. Alan Winesett will volunteer his time and expertise to perform exams and help save the clinic the $115 per exam it is currently paying to outsource exams. Clinics like ours rely on community support and volunteers to make high-quality health care available to our most vulnerable neighbors, said Amy Eades Fisher, executive director of Good Samaritan Clinic. We are indebted to the Community Foundation of Burke County and Dr. Winesett for making this program a reality. Good Samaritan Clinic partners with Morganton Eye Physicians to provide low-cost or no-cost preventative eye exams for its diabetic patients but similar resources are less available to its general patient population, who have been required to travel farther and/or pay more out of pocket. Free and charitable clinics improve the overall health of our community by providing access to high-quality health care regardless of ability to pay, said JJ Musgrove, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Burke County. We are proud to support Good Samaritan Clinic in providing vision care to our communitys uninsured. Fisher thanked the Morganton Lions Club for providing eyeglasses and securing the assistance of Winesett and other volunteer physicians. However, the clinic still needs more volunteer eye doctors to assist the program in their continued success. Access to ongoing vision care is critical to patients overall health, not only for correcting vision deficiencies with prescription lenses but for detecting more serious medical issues, including chronic illnesses such as diabetes that can lead to vision loss. With these cost-effective exams, we will be able to offer better options for patients who need medical eye exams or for those who require glasses, Fisher said. Good Samaritan Clinic is one of 69 community-based, volunteer-driven free and charitable clinics that belong to a statewide health-care network operating independently under the umbrella of the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. Together, the clinics provide low-cost or no-cost health care to residents in 87 of the states 100 counties. About Good Samaritan ClinicGood Samaritan Clinic of Morganton is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing high-quality health-care services to underserved residents of Burke County. Our clinic operates on a volunteer basis and relies on the dedication of health-care professionals to fulfill our mission of ensuring access to health care for all. Last year, Good Samaritan Clinic and its collaborative partners provided primary care, specialty care, behavioral health care and prescription medications to more than 1,500 patients with household incomes of at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Good Samaritan Clinic also operates a farmworker health program for agricultural workers in Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, McDowell Rutherford, Lincoln, Alexander, Gaston, Yancey and Mitchell counties. For more information and to learn how to support Good Samaritan Clinic, please visit www.gscburke.org. About the North Carolina Association of Free & Charitable ClinicsThe North Carolina Association of Free & Charitable Clinics supports 69 member clinics in expanding access to health care, reducing health disparities and improving the health of uninsured and underinsured individuals. Member clinics are a vital part of North Carolinas safety net, providing care for 82,500 patients in 87 counties, including primary and specialty medical care; dental care; pharmacy services; optometry; behavioral health care; lab tests and hospital referrals. The association supports member clinics with education, advocacy, research, funding and collaboration, and promotes quality health care for all North Carolinians. Learn more at www.ncafcc.org. Robots weld bodyshells of cars at a workshop of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto Inc. in Changzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 10, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua] The narrative of "overcapacity" in China's new energy industry is a pseudo-proposition, whether viewed from the principles of market economy and the law of value, or analyzed under the context of global division of labor and international market. It is contrary to economic logic and reality to claim that China is exporting its excess capacity. Under economic globalization, production capacity is determined by supply-demand relations. According to the law of the market, the equilibrium between supply and demand is in constant flux, with imbalance being the norm in any market economy. Addressing the imbalances primarily relies on market regulation in accordance with the law of value. China is an open market that embraces globalization. This requires Chinese new energy enterprises to adopt both domestic and international strategies in their development visions and resource allocation. Cross-border trade would not have existed if each country only focused on meeting their domestic demand. The rise in Chinese exports of electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and photovoltaic products in recent years is a result of global division of labor and market demand. It's absurd to relate capacity issues to global trade and attribute China's expanding exports to overcapacity. As a matter of fact, it's simply not the case that green products are in excess supply globally. On the contrary, the global demand for such products far outruns the supply. According to the International Energy Agency, the global demand for new energy vehicles (NEVs) is expected to reach 45 million units by 2030, 4.5 times that of 2022, and the global demand for newly installed capacity for photovoltaic products will reach 820 gigawatts by 2030, about four times that of 2022. The current production capacity for green energy in the world falls significantly short of the global demand, especially when more than 130 countries and regions have raised their carbon neutrality targets. Given the huge potential of global demand, China's green production capacity is far from enough. It's a complete fallacy that China's "overcapacity" in new energy sectors harms the global market. In an article, Bloomberg said to the extent that there's grounds for hope around the energy transition right now, it's largely thanks to the availability of cheap, clean Chinese products. In today's world, both supply and demand should be considered in a global context. It is an economic principle beyond human control that the production capacity of a country is decided by its own comparative advantages. China's new energy products are competitive because China, as an early player in the industry, has fostered technological advantages through long-term research and development, and developed comprehensive strengths by leveraging its robust domestic industrial capabilities, enormous market, and rich human resources. Despite being priced higher than in the domestic market, Chinese NEVs and other related products are still highly sought after in many countries overseas. This demonstrates that China's competitive advantages in production capacity are determined by both global demand and the efficiency of Chinese enterprises, in accordance with the law of the market. It is driven by the entrenched protectionist beliefs that some countries labeled the Chinese new energy industry with "overcapacity." Such a false narrative is just an excuse to justify the imposition of trade barriers on China's exports. What is truly excessive is not China's new energy capacity, but rather the abuse of protectionism by these countries to suppress the legitimate development of other countries. They keep saying all the time that they oppose unfair trade and non-market practices, but in fact they are politicizing economic and trade issues, disturbing free trade with non-market approaches. By spreading the false narrative of "overcapacity" in China's new energy industry, they aim to stifle China's industrial development and seek more favorable competitive positions and market advantages for themselves. Those who spread such a narrative to justify protectionism have nothing to gain from it and will only destabilize and disrupt global industrial and supply chains, hinder the world's green transition, and curb the growth of emerging sectors. Neue Zurcher Zeitung, a Swiss newspaper, said on its website that the West's complaints about China's "overcapacity" are hypocritical and short-sighted and the Western industrialized countries would do better to face up to the competition and push for equal market access in exchange for good and cheap Chinese green energy products. Any remark or practice that politicizes or overstretches the concept of national security regarding economic and trade issues is against the law of economy, which neither helps with a country's industrial growth nor the recovery of the global economy. Attempting to sabotage others and gain a competitive edge through the "overcapacity" hype is both immoral and impractical. China stands ready to work with all relevant parties to uphold the basic principles of the market economy, including fair competition and open cooperation, so as to make its due contributions to global green and low-carbon transition. Kate Actress (born Catherine Kamau) and Eddie Butita are thrilled after receiving an invitation to a State dinner at the White House in the United States (U.S). The Award-winning actress and the comedian are part of a Kenyan delegation accompanying President William on his State visit to the U.S. Kate Actress shared the exciting news in a social media post, expressing gratitude to U.S Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman, who extended the invite to her. Good morning. This village girl will be attending the STATE DINNER at the White House & a Luncheon at the Tyler Perry studios in Atlanta by invitation from Her Excellency Meg Whitman, the actress wrote. Kate Actress affirmed that her inclusion was a positive gain for Kenyas creative industry. She added, If you see us artistes especially actors get emotional under this post, please understand that we were ignored and disrespected for so long by previous administrations we have fought for these spaces. We contribute 5% of the Kenyas GDP! We matter! Dear young ;&ambitious Actor,we have done the crawling, Now, walk with your heads high, its about time your craft takes care of you. The time is Now. keep reinventing yourself through your craft Eddie Butita on his part echoed Kate Actress sentiments, acknowledging that the invite was a significant step for Kenyan creatives to be recognized on the global platform. I am leaving for the USA todayThank you, His Excellency President William Samoei Ruto, for choosing me to accompany you to the United States Of America State Visit hosted by the USA President His Excellency President Joe Biden. The fact that Im part of the head of states delegation is a clear sign, and we are happy that the creative industry is part of the conversations we are going to have during this trip, he wrote on Sunday. Besides an opportunity to meet U.S. President Joe Biden at the State dinner, Kate Actress and Butita are expected to play a pivotal role in Rutos visit to the Tyler Perry Studios to explore opportunities within the creative economy. Kenyas real gross domestic product grew by 5.6% last year, up from 4.9% in 2022, according to the latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS). The 2024 Economic Survey Report by KNBS highlights that the agriculture, fisheries, and forestry sectors drove this growth with a 19.8% increase, followed by the financial and insurance sector at 16.6%, real estate at 13.3%, and transportation and storage at 10.6%. Good rains and subsidized fertilizer helped the agriculture sector rebound with a 7% growth in 2023, after contracting by 0.3% in 2021 and 2.3% in 2022. Tea production saw an increase, with earnings rising from Kes.156.7 billion in 2022 to Kes. 176.3 billion in 2023. Maize production increased to Kes.11.3 billion from Kes.7.9 billion, while sugarcane and milk production rose to Kes.34.1 billion and Kes.41 billion, respectively. However, coffee earnings declined by Kes.7.4 billion to Kes.19.9 billion. Kenyas trade balance reportedly narrowed to Kes. 1.6 trillion as exports surged by 15.4% to a record Kes.1 trillion, up from Kes. 873.1 billion in 2022, while imports rose by 4.9% to Kes.2.6 trillion from Kes.2.5 trillion. Tea exports were the highest earners at Kes.188.7 billion, followed by horticulture at Kes. 187.4 billion. Other top exports included apparel and clothing (Kes.45.5 billion), coffee (Kes.34.6 billion), and iron and steel (Kes.32.3 billion). Kenyas top imports were petroleum products (Kes606 billion), industrial machinery (Kes.289.8 billion), animal and vegetable oils/fats (Kes.139.1 billion), iron and steel (Kes.120.8 billion), and unmilled wheat (Kes. 93.8 billion). Uganda was Kenyas top export destination, purchasing goods worth Kes.126.3 billion, followed by Pakistan at Kes.78.9 billion. Kenya also exported goods worth Kes.76.3 billion to the Netherlands, Kes.69.3 billion to Tanzania, and Kes. 64.3 billion to the United States. In 2023, China was the leading source of imports with goods valued at Kes.459 billion, followed by the UAE with Kes.411 billion, India with Kes.269.2 billion, Saudi Arabia with Kes.145.2 billion, and Malaysia with Kes.120.5 billion. Deputy Minority Leader Robert Mbui has suggested that Deputy President Rigathi Gachaguas recent silence is due to a potential sidelining by President William Ruto. The Kathiani Member of Parliament hinted that Gachaguas absence from the political frontlines results from ongoing events that are diminishing his political influence. Mbui opined that President William Rutos comment about considering a female running mate in the next election cycle might have upset DP Gachagua, leading to doubts about his future as the second-in-command. After he issued those statements and the women cheered him wildly he remembered his deputy is male so Ruto quickly added, Now, after we discuss this with the DP, but but he had already let the cat out of the bag that he might be considering an alternative running mate, Mbui said on Citizen TV on Monday. That is one of the things that the DP has noticed that he may not be the running mate in the future. The lawmaker also noted that Gachagua has been losing popularity in the Mt. Kenya region, pointing out that younger and seemingly more popular leaders are gaining traction. There are several very young members of parliament that are walking around and they seem to be making inroads all over and they seem to be even more popular than the DP in parts of central Kenya, Mbui said. Related Hussein Denies Reports of Rift Between Ruto and Gachagua President Ruto proposed a woman running mate during the launch of the G7 Council Women Governors Caucus Strategy event at Safari Park in March. However, the president did not indicate that this would apply in the next general election in 2027. Ruto said the move would ensure his Kenya Kwanza party leads from the front in supporting women and consequently help in attaining the two-thirds gender rule. We must, as a party, lead from the front and we must make rules that when Riggy G and myself will have decided in the future we must also agree that if a man is a candidate for president in our party, the woman must be the deputy and if a woman is the candidate, the running mate must be a man, Ruto announced. And we must also cascade it down to the governors. We must be intentional and deliberate about it otherwise it will not happen, Ruto said. He added, We will do this not because we want to do anything against men but because we want to balance so that we all move together. Comedian Njugush(born Timothy Kimani) has reported positive progress on his investment in the matatu sector. The content creator joined the cutthroat industry a little over a month ago, registering his brand new 36-seater matatu with the Super Metro Sacco. The public service vehicle, named after his firstborn son, Tugi, services the Rongai route. The greatest inspiration came from a training I attended a few months ago. They discussed converting liabilities into business assets, and since I was considering selling my car, it was the right move, Njugush shared. After high school, we saw people starting as makangas and gradually becoming drivers. That made me believe you can succeed from any hustle. Njugush also highlighted the management convenience provided by Saccos I needed someone to manage it for me. Its easier to have your car in a Sacco than to manage it yourself. The Sacco handles everything, including finding a driver and maintaining discipline. The actor funded his matatu purchase by selling his Toyota Prado TX, with his total investment amounting to over Kes.8 million. A plain matatu costs around Sh6.4 million, without the arts, screens, and other interior features. I sold my Prado and added more money to cover the total expenses. A month into the operation, Njugush reported; Its doing well, and Im happy I took that step. It has been well received and is performing admirably in terms of customer satisfaction. The best feedback will come after a year. Although Njugush did not disclose the daily earnings of the matatu, he noted that it is meeting all its expenses and generating profit. Additionally, he mentioned the matatu is being hired for events outside Nairobi on weekends, further boosting its earnings. My wish is to add more in the near future, Njugush said. On Monday, the US Department of State issued an emergency alert to its citizens residing in foreign countries following a surge in attacks against the LGBTQ community. The US Embassy in Nairobi shared the alert, urging citizens abroad, particularly those participating in LGBTQ events, to exercise extra caution to avoid becoming targets of the assaults. The Department of State advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution due to the potential for terrorist attacks, demonstrations, or violent actions against U.S. citizens and interests. Part of the alert stated, The Department of State is aware of the increased potential for foreign terrorist organization-inspired violence against LGBTQI+ persons and events and advises U.S. citizens overseas to exercise increased caution. Individuals facing these attacks in Kenya were urged to seek assistance from the Embassy located along United Nations Avenue in Gigiri. Also Read Moses Kuria Cautions Ruto to Avoid LGBTQ Debate During US State Visit Moreover, foreigners were provided emergency contacts in case they were unable to reach the Embassy. Those in other countries were cautioned to remain vigilant in areas frequently visited by tourists, including pride celebrations and LGBTQ community venues. Additionally, American tourists were encouraged to enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive timely information and alerts facilitating access to assistance. American citizens were further instructed to stay updated by following the Department of State on all social media platforms. The Embassy also furnished contact details for consular services, with separate phone numbers provided for those in Kenya and elsewhere. Reality TV star Vera Sidika recently spilled some juicy details about her relationship status, indicating that she is seeing someone although it is not serious. The Real Housewives of Nairobi (RHON) actor disclosed that her casual beau is Nigerian. She noted that they are just having fun at the moment as she does not want to commit at the moment. About my partner, I dont want any commitment at the moment. I just want to have fun, so the person I am with is not there for a serious relationship, she candidly revealed. Vera Sidika emphasized her single status, mentioning that she is still on the fence about committing. She also does not want the man to commit himself to her. Im single because I dont want it to be seriousniko 50/50 one leg in, one leg out. I also dont want him to be committed to me. Veras carefree attitude and reluctance to settle down is expected to bring an exciting dynamic to the new season of The Real Housewives of Nairobi. She tantalized fans with what to expect from Season Two; It is spicy, exciting, and amazing, she teased. I feel like I got a bit wild this season since I am single, and there is also a bit of drama. At some point, it will get emotional. Vera said her fans will see a new side of her as a mother of two, with her son Ice Brown making an appearance. Embracing her single status, Vera admitted, Being single is very good for me. Marriage was boring, and there were things I could not do in Season One because my ex-husband, Brown Mauzo, was around. She added, I am also not pregnant like I was in Season One and that means I was able to do all the activities. Flash Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was confirmed dead on Monday after his helicopter crashed in the country's mountainous northwestern region on Sunday. Iran's official news agency IRNA confirmed the deaths of Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Governor of East Azarbaijan Province Malek Rahmati, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's Representative to East Azerbaijan Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem and Raisi's bodyguard, all of whom were onboard the same helicopter. Khamenei announced on Monday five days of public mourning. This photo taken on May 19, 2024 shows a helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the footage of Iran's state-run IRIB TV. [Xinhua/Shadati] Crash Pir-Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society, told the semi-official Tasnim news agency early Monday that the crash site was located after hours of extensive search in the mountainous region of East Azerbaijan. An image released by the IRNA showed the wreckage of the helicopter scattered across a mountain peak. Rescuers faced harsh weather conditions and low temperatures during their search, which began immediately after the crash was reported on Sunday. The crash occurred as Raisi traveled from the Azerbaijani border following his attendance at a ceremony to inaugurate a storage dam with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. In an interview with state TV IRIB on Sunday, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's crash to bad weather conditions, which he said also hindered search and rescue efforts. Raisi, 63, was born in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran. Before being elected Iranian president in 2021, he held prominent positions, including judiciary chief and Tehran prosecutor. In a statement quoted by the IRNA on Monday, the Iranian cabinet said Raisi was an "indefatigable and hard-working president" who "made the ultimate sacrifice on the path of serving his nation." To mourn Raisi's death, the Iranian government has draped his seat with a black robe. Across various provinces, preparations are underway for mourning ceremonies, while events scheduled for National Cultural Heritage Week have been canceled, as reported by the IRNA. Raisi's death comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and Israel, marked by an exchange of attacks in April fueled by the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year, while efforts to revive negotiations and salvage the Iran nuclear deal have hit a deadlock. Armed groups in the region like the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen have launched attacks on Israeli targets in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians. Condolences After Raisi's death, many world leaders and foreign governments expressed sorrow. Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of condolence to Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, in which the Chinese leader expressed deep condolences and extended sincere sympathies to Mokhber, the family of President Raisi, and the Iranian government and people. Leaders from Russia, Turkiye, Egypt, the UAE, Jordan, Syria, Qatar, Pakistan, Venezuela and India, along with Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit and European Council President Charles Michel, have all sent messages of condolence after Raisi's death. "We extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, and to the Iranian government and people," Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said in a statement. Hamas, which has been in an escalating conflict with Israel since last October, expressed sympathy to the Iranian people for "this immense loss," lauding Raisi's support for the Palestinian cause and resistance against Israel. People mourn victims of the helicopter crash near Varzaqan County, in Tehran, Iran, on May 20, 2024. [Xinhua/Shadati] Impact The Iranian Constitution stipulates that in case of the president's death or incapacity, the first vice president will assume the role until an election is conducted within a maximum of 50 days. Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Monday appointed the country's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber, 68, as interim president. Iran's Constitutional Council Spokesman Hadi Tahan Nazif said that with Khamenei's approval, a council consisting of the Iranian judiciary chief, parliament speaker and first vice president will take measures to organize elections within 50 days. Even though the death of high-ranking officials is a blow to Iran's political governance, analysts said the "shock" can be absorbed. Khamenei has told Iranian people not to worry, promising "no disruption" to the country's affairs. "Iran, since its Islamic revolution in 1979 ... has proved to be more than capable of taking all sorts of shots (against it), especially when it comes to political leaders," opined Marwan Bishara, a senior political analyst from Al Jazeera. On the diplomatic front, while the passing of the foreign minister is a significant loss for Iran, analysts said the country's foreign policy will not undergo substantial changes. Amir-Abdollahian "has been an extremely effective foreign minister, overseeing a successful reconciliation with Saudi Arabia and navigating a series of difficult crises," according to an analysis by the Times of Israel. But "Iran's broad foreign policy won't change," it noted. However, some analysts believe the incident will prompt Iran to shift its political focus toward domestic matters. The country can now be "a little more self-engaged, wrapped up in internal politics, as it sorts out the election for the next president," said Michael Makovsky, president and chief executive of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America. With commencement season starting to ramp up, teenagers graduating from major high schools in Napa are invited to celebrate their accomplishment at Napa Grad Nite on June 12. From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., graduates from American Canyon, Calistoga, Justin-Siena, Napa, New Technology, St. Helena, Valley Oak and Vintage high schools will have a chance to party responsibly at Napa Valley College's main campus, at 2277 Napa-Vallejo Highway (Highway 221) in south Napa. Students can participate in various activities from card games like Texas hold 'em to laser tag, mechanical bull riding, dancing, rock climbing and jousting. Students will be served all night, and there will be music and prizes to go along with the festivities. Tickets for graduates, which are all-inclusive, are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. Graduates are also allowed to bring one paid guest who can be a junior, senior or a fellow 2024 graduate from any school in Napa County. Guests of graduates must purchase their tickets online and are not allowed to buy one at the door. The nonprofit Project Graduation Inc. created the event in 1987 to prevent teen car crashes, allowing them to party in a sober environment. The group's goal each year is to raise enough in donations to keep costs low for students and donate tickets to those who might not attend otherwise. In years past, Project Graduation's website has said it usually sees between 650 and 850 attendees at Napa Grad Nite. Organizers are still looking for volunteers for the event. To learn how to help, those interested can email gradnitevolunteer@gmail.com. Students can buy their tickets online until June 11 at napagradnite.com/tickets. Photos: Napa teen makes custom leis, with cash, for graduation, celebrations. Moises Tapia Padilla 4 Moises Tapia Padilla 5 Moises Tapia Padilla 3 Moises Tapia Padilla 1 Moises Tapia Padilla 2 After more than half a century in Napa, the family-run Monticello Vineyards faces an uncertain future as siblings argue over its potential sale. Since its founder Jay Corley died in 2016, management of Monticello has been passed to his children; four of his sons are currently on the board of directors. In the years since his death, siblings have begun to splinter and disagree over whether or not the business should be sold. The strongest voice against selling the winery belongs to Carolyn Corley, who is the youngest Corley sibling and only sister. She said that she believes talks about selling the business first began in 2021, when one of her brothers, Kevin Corley, then the company's president and an opponent of a sale, was forced to step down. Carolyn Corley said while she, Kevin and Chris, wish to keep the vineyard in the family, the other four brothers, Mark, Kent, Stephen and Michael, wish to sell. The conflict came to a head May 14 when Monticello shareholders which include both members of the Corley family and others met for the first time in 20 months to discuss the future of the company. According to Carolyn, who is a shareholder and attended last week's gathering, the meeting was animated, tense and confusing. She said some felt as though they were not given enough information on the winery's finances, and were even confused about what exactly they were voting on. A bunch of shareholders said, Well, wait a minute, were not even sure what we just voted for," she said of the meeting. "And then someone said, I thought I voted for this, and someone else said, I thought a yes vote meant this. Carolyn Corley said shareholders agreed to reconvene in about two months after they are given more information about the finances of the company. In addition, they also agreed to make Chris Corley a board member. Amid the confusion of the meeting was a moment, according to Carolyn, when her brother Mark Corley was confronted by a shareholder on the legality of waiting 20 months to hold a shareholders' meeting. At one point Mark was questioned by a shareholder, whos also an attorney and a CPA, about the legalities of not having a shareholder meeting, Carolyn said. He point-blank asked him, Do you know youre breaking the law by not having a shareholder meeting? And Mark said, Yes. He said, So youre admitting that you knew you were breaking the law? And he said, Yes. Mark Corley did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Monticello Vineyards was founded by Jay Corley in 1970. To the former prune orchard property he purchased on Big Ranch Road in north Napa he gave the name Monticello, and the winery's estate house was built in the likeness of President Thomas Jeffersons famous home in Virginia. Corley admired Jeffersons passion for wine in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, during a time in a newly independent United States when ale and cider were the most popular alcoholic beverages. In the 54 years since opening, Monticello Vineyards has expanded to have its own Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot plantings. Monticello is one of Napa Valley's shrinking ranks of family-owned wineries, as many wine operations have been sold to conglomerates in recent years. Dan Berger, who writes a regular column on wine for the Register, said he believes that as the value of Cabernet grapes in Napa significantly increased, corporations saw an opportunity. The end result was that these properties suddenly became worth huge amounts of money, he said. "And the only people who could afford something like that are corporations. Berger also noted it is much easier for large companies to purchase an existing vineyard rather than creating their own and seeking a county permit. While discussions over the future of Monticello are set to continue into the summer, Carolyn Corley highlighted the disappointment she said she and many shareholders feel about how the situation has progressed since her father's death.JUST IN: Three Americans are accused of being involved in a failed coup attempt in Congo that left multiple people dead.
Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 19, 2024
According to the Democratic Republic of Congo military, they stopped an attempted coup near the presidential palace.
Among the 50 people who were involved pic.twitter.com/MllFIQ0sRH