All posts tagged: U.S. News®

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 …

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 …

Head of US Travel Association Sounds Alarm on Potential Expansion of Visa Bond Program

Head of US Travel Association Sounds Alarm on Potential Expansion of Visa Bond Program

Published by Sam Flores

NEW YORK, Aug 12 (Reuters) – The U.S. Travel ⁠Association ⁠said it is concerned the Trump ⁠administration’s visa bond program could be broadened beyond the dozens of countries ​currently covered, a move it says would have a detrimental impact on the travel industry and economy.  The U.S. Department ‌of State this month made permanent ‌a visa bond program first launched as a pilot in August 2025, allowing consular officers to require ⁠certain tourist and ⁠business visa applicants from 50 countries to post refundable bonds of up ​to $20,000.  “There are already rumblings of expanding this program to additional countries where visas are required, perhaps all countries where visas are required,” U.S. Travel Association President Geoff Freeman told Reuters. “That would have an extraordinarily detrimental effect on the U.S. ​economy, on the travel industry.” The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.  The ⁠administration ⁠said visa issuances in the ⁠pilot countries fell ​83% during the program’s first 10 months, while overstays from those countries dropped from 45,488 in ​fiscal 2024 to fewer …

Toyota Recalls 655K Camrys Over Display Error That May Deactivate Turn Signals and Other Indicators

Toyota Recalls 655K Camrys Over Display Error That May Deactivate Turn Signals and Other Indicators

Published by Sam Flores

CHICAGO (AP) — Toyota is recalling about 655,000 of its Camry vehicles globally, the automaker confirmed Tuesday, due to a display error that may deactivate safety indicators like turn signals and hazard lights during startup. Most of the now-recalled cars were sold in the U.S. — where more than 508,000 model year 2025-2026 Camry Hybrids are affected. According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, these vehicles are equipped with a 7-inch (17.8 centimeters) display combination meter that can become blank at startup. And beyond turn signals and hazard lights, certain warnings like seat belt reminders and “key left in ignition” buzzers may also not function as a result. These display failures increase crash risks — both for drivers who may not be able to see telltale indicators and “the ability of other road users to recognize the driver’s intent to change direction or indicate a vehicle hazard,” the NHTSA warns. Texas-based Toyota Motor North America — a subsidiary of the larger Japanese automaker — says it will notify all known owners …

Democratic Socialist Tries to Beat the Governor’s Pick in a Chaotic Wisconsin Primary

Democratic Socialist Tries to Beat the Governor’s Pick in a Chaotic Wisconsin Primary

Published by Sam Flores

The winner will advance to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in November in an open race that could test the limits of progressives’ appeal in a critical battleground state. Democrats are hoping to capitalize on low approval ratings for President Donald Trump in a state he won in 2016 and 2024 to retain control of the governor’s office and flip both chambers of the Legislature to earn full control of Wisconsin state government for the first time since 2010. In other races, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s 26-year-old son-in-law Michael Alfonso is trying to win a five-way primary in Duffy’s old seat in the U.S. House. And Democrat Rebecca Cooke is looking to emerge from the primary to force a rematch with Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden in the state’s most hotly contested and narrowly divided congressional district. Democratic socialist shakes up Wisconsin race, fueled by national movement Single mother and former line cook Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist, has tapped into Democratic anger with the party’s mainstream and Trump’s “Make America …