All posts tagged: Probes

House Dem Sam Liccardo probes suspicious oil trades during Iran war

House Dem Sam Liccardo probes suspicious oil trades during Iran war

Published by Sam Flores

Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., attends a news conference with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus during the House Democrats’ 2025 Issues Conference at the Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg, Virginia, March 13, 2025. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., is probing whether the nation’s top financial regulators are examining a number of trades placed moments before President Donald Trump provided a major update on the Iran war. In a letter to Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins and Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Michael Selig being sent Friday and shared exclusively with CNBC, Liccardo said he wrote to “express alarm over recent reporting that indicates large trades were made on crude oil prices and S&P 500 E-mini Futures right before the President announced action, or lack thereof, in Iran.” “The timing indicates bets were placed by those with advance knowledge of the President’s action, strongly suggesting illicit trading on insider information, in violation of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the Commodity Exchange Act of 1936, and …

US probes suspicious oil trades made before Trump Iran pivots, source says

US probes suspicious oil trades made before Trump Iran pivots, source says

Published by Sam Flores

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is examining a series of trades in oil futures placed shortly before major shifts in President Donald Trump’s Iran war policy, a person familiar with the matter said on Wednesday (Apr 15). CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said in remarks prepared for delivery to Congress on Thursday that the agency will go after wrongdoers, but nothing in the testimony addressed any specific investigation and an agency spokesperson declined to comment. “I want to be crystal clear: to anyone who engages in fraud, manipulation, or insider trading in any of our markets: we will find you, and you will face the full force of the law,” Selig said in the remarks seen by Reuters. The CFTC probe is focused on trading of oil futures contracts on platforms belonging to CME Group and Intercontinental Exchange, with investigators examining at least two instances of oil trades made on Mar 23 and Apr 7, the source said. Well-timed trades may have generated millions of dollars in profits, drawing concern from lawmakers and legal …

Nike probes kit design issue ahead of World Cup

Nike probes kit design issue ahead of World Cup

Published by Sam Flores

April 10 : Nike is investigating a design issue affecting several national team kits ahead of this year’s soccer World Cup, British media reported on Friday, after problems with the shirts became visible during last month’s international break. Bulging around the shoulder seams was visible on shirts worn by teams including England, France and Uruguay during the international window. A Nike spokesperson told The Guardian newspaper that the company had identified a “minor issue” with the kits, adding that performance was unaffected but the “overall aesthetic is not where it needs to be.” The issue is present on both match shirts worn by players and replica versions sold to supporters, according to the BBC, with some fans raising concerns. The American sportswear giant produces kits for a number of World Cup teams, including co-hosts the United States and Canada, as well as Brazil, the Netherlands and Croatia. The kits have been designed with cooling technology to help players cope with high temperatures expected at the tournament, which kicks off on June 11 and is also …

An investigative reporter probes the ‘killers’ of Roe v. Wade in new book

An investigative reporter probes the ‘killers’ of Roe v. Wade in new book

Published by Sam Flores

(RNS) — Investigative reporter Amy Littlefield loved Agatha Christie murder mysteries and especially the character Miss Marple, the older lady detective. So, in 2022 when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the 50-year-old right to abortion, Littlefield put on her inner Miss Marple to investigate who was responsible for killing the law. In her book, “Killers of Roe: My Investigation Into the Mysterious Death of Abortion Rights,” Littlefield interviewed some of the leading figures in the anti-abortion movement. She made no bones about her own views. She is a feminist, a fierce believer of the right to an abortion and an atheist. She is also the mother of two children. She nonetheless scored interviews with people such as Paul Haring, who first approached Catholic bishops with the idea that would become the Hyde Amendment, the 1976 provision that prohibits Medicaid from paying for abortions for poor women. She interviewed Richard Viguerie, the pioneer of political direct mail and the “funding father” of conservative strategy; Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, which in …

Prosecutors ‘providing investigative advice’ to police in Andrew and Mandelson probes | UK News

Prosecutors ‘providing investigative advice’ to police in Andrew and Mandelson probes | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Prosecutors are “providing early investigative advice” to the police as they carry out inquiries into Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Both Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the US, and Andrew, the former Duke of York, were arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office over their connections to Epstein. Both Mandelson and Andrew were released under investigation. You need javascript enabled to view this content Enable javascript to share Share Andrew seen leaving police station after arrest “We can confirm that we are now providing early investigative advice to the Metropolitan Police Service regarding the force’s investigation into a 72-year-old man and will continue to liaise as requested,” a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) spokesperson said on Wednesday. “We can now also confirm that we are providing early investigative advice to Thames Valley Police in relation to a 66-year-old man. “We remain ready to support any investigation if needed.” Andrew was arrested at Sandringham on 19 February on suspicion he shared sensitive information with Epstein when he …

EU probes State aid for 6 new French nuclear reactors

EU probes State aid for 6 new French nuclear reactors

Published by skeptic

The European Commission has launched a detailed investigation into France’s proposed financial backing for a new generation of French nuclear reactors. The inquiry will examine whether the planned support package, intended to fund six new nuclear reactors, complies with EU State aid rules, particularly in relation to competition and proportionality. Officials stress that opening a formal investigation is procedural in complex cases and does not indicate a predetermined outcome. Scale and timeline of the French nuclear reactors project France formally notified Brussels in late 2025 of its intention to underwrite six reactors with a combined capacity of nearly 10 gigawatts. The units are slated for construction at existing nuclear sites in Penly, Gravelines, and Bugey, with commissioning expected between 2038 and 2044. The total projected cost stands at €72.8bn, placing the initiative among the most significant nuclear infrastructure programmes currently planned in Europe. Each reactor is designed for a 60-year operational lifespan. The project will be delivered by Électricité de France (EDF), which operates France’s nuclear fleet. A dedicated project entity, fully owned by EDF, …

Trump Administration Launches More Probes Into Harvard

Trump Administration Launches More Probes Into Harvard

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON, March 23 (Reuters) – The Trump administration said on Monday ⁠it ⁠launched two more probes against Harvard University ⁠in its latest escalation against the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Ivy League school and other top U.S. ​universities. The U.S. Education Department said its civil rights office “opened two new investigations into Harvard University amid allegations that it continues to discriminate against ‌students on the basis of race, color, ‌and national origin” in violation of federal law. The latest probes will look into whether Harvard uses race-based preferences in admissions after ⁠the U.S. Supreme ⁠Court’s 2023 ruling that ended affirmative action in higher education, and into allegations of ​antisemitism on Harvard’s campus, the Education Department said in a statement. Harvard task forces released reports last year saying Jewish and Muslim students at the university had faced bigotry and abuse. A Harvard spokesperson said on Monday that the school is “firmly committed to confronting antisemitism” and has taken steps ​aimed at “preventing harassment and discrimination.” Harvard does not discriminate on grounds of race, the spokesperson said, and complies with …

China urges US to correct ‘erroneous ways’ over trade probes ahead of Paris talks

China urges US to correct ‘erroneous ways’ over trade probes ahead of Paris talks

Published by Sam Flores

Beijing said on Monday it has “lodged representations” and urged Washington to “correct its erroneous ways” after the US launched new trade probes last week, with negotiators from both countries meeting in Paris. Washington’s trade investigations target 60 economies including China and will look into “failures to take action on forced labor” and whether these burden or restrict US commerce. Those investigations came a day after a separate set of US probes centred on excess industrial capacity that target 16 trading partners including China, which Beijing’s foreign ministry criticised as “political manipulation”. “We urge the US side to immediately correct its erroneous ways, meet China halfway… and resolve issues through dialogue and negotiations,” Beijing’s commerce ministry said in a statement. Read moreChina calls on US to cancel Trump-era tariffs following Supreme Court ruling The latest round of investigations “is extremely unilateral, arbitrary and discriminatory”, it said, accusing Washington of “attempting to construct trade barriers”. Trade officials from both countries met in Paris on Sunday for talks that Washington has said would last for two days. …

Trump Section 301 trade probes to replace IEEPA tariffs

Trump Section 301 trade probes to replace IEEPA tariffs

Published by Sam Flores

US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2026. Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images The Trump administration on Wednesday announced new trade investigations of China, Mexico, the European Union and more than a dozen other economies, with the goal of replacing President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, which were recently ruled illegal by the Supreme Court. The probes, which will likely expand to more nations, will be conducted under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters during a call. That law permits the U.S. to impose tariffs on imported goods from other nations found to have engaged in unfair trade practices. Section 301 tariffs could replace at least some of the reciprocal tariffs on most of the world’s nations that Trump imposed on them last year without congressional authorization.  “The president’s trade policy remains the same,” Greer said. “Protect American jobs and to make sure we …

South Florida University Probes Racist Group Chat Tied to a Local GOP Official

South Florida University Probes Racist Group Chat Tied to a Local GOP Official

Published by Sam Flores

MIAMI (AP) — A South Florida university has launched an investigation into a group chat started by an official with the Miami-Dade chapter of the Republican Party that included violently racist slurs, antisemitic comments and misogynistic language. The university said in a statement on Thursday that the conduct of the students was being investigated by the campus police in coordination with local, state and federal law enforcement. “FIU does not and will not tolerate violence, hate, discrimination, harassment, racism or antisemitism,” said FIU President Jeanette Nunez, a former Florida lieutenant governor and GOP state lawmaker. “This is not who we are. This is not what FIU stands for.” The Republican Party of Florida said in a statement that it was undertaking “an internal review of this situation” and condemned “the repugnant comments,” saying that they were “completely contrary” to what the organization represents. Last fall, New York’s Republican State Committee suspended a Young Republican organization following the release of a group chat that included jokes about rape and flippant commentary on gas chambers. An official …