All posts tagged: Collections: Top News

Trump Administration to Impose Tariffs on Drone Imports, White House Says

Trump Administration to Impose Tariffs on Drone Imports, White House Says

Published by Sam Flores

By Kanishka Singh and Ismail Shakil WASHINGTON, Aug ⁠13 (Reuters) – ⁠President Donald Trump said on ⁠Thursday he will impose tariffs on imports of drones and ​their components, including from some key U.S. allies, with the Trump administration saying the ‌country was “too reliant” on foreign ‌sources of drones. A proclamation signed by Trump imposes a 100% ad valorem ⁠tariff on ⁠drones of a certain size or with certain capabilities that are ​particularly sensitive for national security purposes, the White House said, adding that a tariff of 25% will be imposed on drones that are smaller in size. A 15% tariff will ​be imposed on drones and components from the European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, ⁠South Korea, ⁠Switzerland, and Taiwan, and ⁠a 10% ​ad valorem tariff will be imposed on drones from the UK, the White ​House added. Trump has made ⁠tariffs a central pillar of his foreign and trade policies despite legal setbacks and criticism from some analysts. Trump said in the proclamation text released by the White House that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had …

US Anti-Bias Agency Says Nike Complied With Subpoena, Drops Lawsuit

US Anti-Bias Agency Says Nike Complied With Subpoena, Drops Lawsuit

Published by Sam Flores

Aug 13 (Reuters) – The U.S. agency that enforces ⁠laws ⁠banning workplace discrimination has dropped ⁠a lawsuit seeking to enforce a subpoena in an investigation of ​Nike’s treatment of white employees, saying the company has handed over a trove of information. U.S. District Judge Cristian ‌Stevens in St. Louis, Missouri, ‌granted the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s motion on Thursday to dismiss the lawsuit it filed ⁠in February, ⁠after the agency in a filing late Wednesday said Nike had complied ​with its subpoena. The commission had claimed the footwear and apparel company refused to comply with demands for information such as data on the racial and ethnic makeup of the company’s workforce and a roster of ​employees chosen for mentoring and development programs. The EEOC said it was investigating whether Nike intentionally ⁠discriminated ⁠against white employees and job ⁠applicants, including ​by disproportionately targeting them for layoffs, and that it needed the information to determine whether Nike ​violated the law. Dropping the subpoena ⁠action does not mean the agency has concluded its investigation.  Nike and the …

California Prisons Fail to Stop Guards From Sexually Abusing Women, Justice Department Finds

California Prisons Fail to Stop Guards From Sexually Abusing Women, Justice Department Finds

Published by Sam Flores

Los Angeles (AP) — California ‘s prison system has systematically failed to protect incarcerated women from sexual abuse and harassment by guards, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday. The federal investigation also found that California’s corrections department failed to provide victims with a way to report sexual abuse and harassment without retaliation. On top of that, staff who were tasked with investigating the misconduct were often themselves accused of sexual abuse or harassment. The investigation, which began during the Biden administration, focused on two state prisons: the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla and the California Institution for Women in Chino. It uncovered numerous instances where guards regularly sexually abused incarcerated women. In at least one instance, a guard was convicted of rampant abuse over roughly a decade and sentenced to 224 years in prison. State says it’s making improvements. Advocates say it’s not enough. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement that it “enforces a zero-tolerance policy as mandated by the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act,” a federal law …

Flock Announces Changes Amid Backlash Over Its License Plate Reader Network

Flock Announces Changes Amid Backlash Over Its License Plate Reader Network

Published by Sam Flores

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Flock Safety, the surveillance technology company increasingly under scrutiny from lawmakers from both parties, civil liberties advocates and citizens across the U.S., announced Thursday that it is making changes to its platform intended to quell privacy concerns and address documented abuses of its system by some members of law enforcement. The company operates a vast nationwide network of automated cameras that record the license plate numbers and other characteristics of all passing vehicles every day. Thousands of law enforcement agencies in 49 states can search and share Flock’s data across jurisdictions to aid their investigations. Police have credited the technology as an important crime-fighting innovation that has helped locate missing people and track suspects in violent crimes. But some critics say its pervasiveness amounts to unconstitutional warrantless mass surveillance. Dozens of cities and agencies have nixed their relationships with Flock amid concerns that the data can be accessed for immigration enforcement or used in unauthorized tracking, after a flurry of examples surfaced of law enforcement officers misusing the technology for personal …

Explosion at Dutch Port of Rotterdam Leaves 1 Dead, Several Injured

Explosion at Dutch Port of Rotterdam Leaves 1 Dead, Several Injured

Published by Sam Flores

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — An explosion at the Dutch port of Rotterdam on Thursday killed at least one person and injured several others, city police said. Police said the blast at Europe’s biggest port happened late Thursday morning and that a crime scene has been set up to try to establish what caused it. In a post on social media, they said the explosion “appears to be a workplace accident for the time being,” without elaborating. At the scene, Rotterdam police spokesperson Daan Valkenburg told The Associated Press that no definitive conclusions had been drawn and that “we are keeping all possibilities open.” The explosion occurred at a refinery and fuel terminal operated by Gunvor Energy in an industrial section of the sprawling port. Dutch broadcaster NOS said that a maintenance team had been working on a section of pipes there. Rotterdam’s emergency services coordinator also reported a major power failure in another part of the port and said that a transformer had caught fire under unexplained circumstances. Several companies halted their operations and evacuated …

Democrats Are Gathering to Give Final Approval to Their 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar

Democrats Are Gathering to Give Final Approval to Their 2028 Presidential Primary Calendar

Published by Sam Flores

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Democrats are gathering to finalize their 2028 presidential primary calendar this week, setting the stage for a wide-open contest to succeed President Donald Trump and chart a path ahead as the party’s voters oscillate between progressive and more moderate candidates. The Democratic National Committee is expected to vote at its summer meeting in Austin, Texas, on the new order that frontloads states with more diverse populations. The meeting comes ahead of bitterly contested midterm elections that will decide control of Congress later this year. Democratic voters have delivered mixed messages on the direction they want to see the party go — backing candidates viewed as more left-wing as well as moderates in consequential primaries across several states. The group also is convening at a time of internal turmoil, with some members calling for DNC Chairman Ken Martin to be replaced. Critics have questioned Martin’s leadership decisions and the party’s fundraising, which lags well behind that of Republicans just months before the crucial midterms. Martin had his defenders, though, on Thursday. William …

Student Wounded and Young Suspect Is in Custody After Shooting at Georgia High School, Police Say

Student Wounded and Young Suspect Is in Custody After Shooting at Georgia High School, Police Say

Published by Sam Flores

WARNER ROBINS, Ga. (AP) — A shooting at a Georgia high school Wednesday left one student wounded, and a teenage suspect who fled was later taken into custody, police said. The shooting at Warner Robins High School involving two ninth-graders occurred just one week into the new school year and prompted a response from dozens of law enforcement officers. Warner Robins is about 102 miles (164 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta. “Today a call that we train for every year happened to come to Houston County,” Sheriff Matt Moulton said at an evening news conference. The injured student was taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries. Moulton did not specify the type of injuries the student had. It wasn’t immediately known whether the school has metal detectors in place. Moulton declined to take questions at the news conference, citing the active investigation. The sheriff said a group of students was inside a school bathroom when a verbal altercation between two students escalated into a physical fight. One student was shot at 2:15 p.m., and …

2 People Died in a Military Helicopter Crash Near Fort Hood, Officials Say

2 People Died in a Military Helicopter Crash Near Fort Hood, Officials Say

Published by Sam Flores

An Army Apache helicopter crashed in a central Texas field on Wednesday, killing both people on board and sparking a wildfire that forced several homes to be evacuated, a sheriff’s official said. Officials from nearby Fort Hood announced that the AH-64 Apache helicopter had crashed. Cliff Coleman, spokesman for the Bell County Sheriff’s office confirmed that both occupants died. A military official tells the Associated Press that the crashed Apache was out on a routine training flight when it went down. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a developing situation. No cause of the crash was immediately announced. Fort Hood’s criminal investigation division was leading the crash investigation, Coleman said. Fort Hood is a massive base with 214,968 acres (336 square miles) that is used to train and deploy heavy forces. The Army says the rolling, arid terrain around the base provides an ideal training ground. In November 2015, four soldiers were killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training exercise. And nine Fort Hood soldiers died in 2016 when …

Beyond Keeping Out Bugs, the Screen Door Safeguards Americans’ Trust in Others

Beyond Keeping Out Bugs, the Screen Door Safeguards Americans’ Trust in Others

Published by Sam Flores

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The metallic screech followed by a sad excuse for a bang. The tap-tap-tap of a cat eager to come in before dusk. The erratic thumping of moths doomed by the siren-pull of the kitchen light. Morning brings the soft knock of a neighbor, friend or relative who knows there is no need for the formality of ringing a doorbell. The screen door, despite — or thanks to — its modest making, is fundamental to the American home, to the suburban and rural soundscape and to what remains of our collective innocence. The door that is barely a door. Made of lightweight aluminum or wood, with a wire mesh and a latch lock that gives under a thumb nudge, it is about as shabby as a barrier gets. Its mission to let the breeze in and keep the mosquitos, pesky flies and assorted vermin out appears simple, but its impact goes beyond that. Semi-transparent, a screen door is an invitation, allowing a peek inside. It says someone is there. In architectural …

Appointment of Muslim Judge in Tiny Mississippi Town Brings Social Media Attacks

Appointment of Muslim Judge in Tiny Mississippi Town Brings Social Media Attacks

Published by Sam Flores

A municipal judge’s appointment in a small Mississippi Delta town has drawn social media backlash, from internet trolls and a few Mississippi politicians, because she is Muslim. But those who know Assma Ali, including a law professor, say the U.S. native is qualified and an upstanding member of Mississippi’s legal community. “We have people from out of state who just see a woman in a hijab and they say action must be taken. These attacks against Ms. Ali are about her religion,” said Frank Rosenblatt, an attorney and professor at Mississippi Christian University School of Law, who has known Ali for years and spoke highly of her willingness to mentor young lawyers. In recent days, people including some Mississippi politicians attacked Ali online for what they claimed are radical beliefs – without any substantiation. They accused her of fabricating the judicial appointment and speculated she would institute Islamic law. Social media posts falsely claimed she was appointed as a judge in Ridgeland or in Lumberton. “Mississippi appoints first Yemeni Sharia Hijabi judge,” Amy Mekelburg of …