- WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the airplane giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to court papers filed Friday. Under the “agreement in principle” that still […]
- TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Trump administration sued four New Jersey cities over their so-called sanctuary city policies aimed at prohibiting police from cooperating with immigration officials, saying the local governments are standing in the way of federal enforcement. The Justice Department filed the suit Thursday against Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken in New […]
- WASHINGTON (AP) — A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to carjack a car occupied by two U.S. Marshals Service deputies who were members of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security detail. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, in handing down the sentence Thursday, also ordered Kentrell Flowers to have […]
- WASHINGTON (AP) — For students around the world, an acceptance letter to Harvard University has represented the pinnacle of achievement, offering a spot among the elite at a campus that produces Nobel Prize winners, captains of industry and global leaders. That allure is now in jeopardy. In its intensifying fight with the White House, Harvard […]
- (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday directed the country’s independent nuclear regulator to ease rules and accelerate approvals for new reactors and power plants, aiming to cut licensing timeline from several years to just 18 months. The move was part of a series of executive orders intended to boost domestic nuclear energy production amid […]
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- Justice Department reaches deal to allow Boeing to avoid prosecution over 737 Max crasheson May 23, 2025 at 7:18 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the airplane giant to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people, according to court papers filed Friday. Under the “agreement in principle” that still needs to be finalized, Boeing would pay and invest more than $1.1 billion, including an additional $445 million for the crash victims’ families, the Justice Department said. In return, the department would dismiss the fraud charge in the criminal case against the aircraft manufacturer. “Ultimately, in applying the facts, the law, and Department policy, we are confident that this resolution is the most just outcome with practical benefits,” a Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement. “Nothing will diminish the victims’ losses, but this resolution holds Boeing financially accountable, provides finality and compensation for the families and makes an impact for the safety of future air travelers.” Many relatives of the passengers who died in the crashes, which took place off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019, have spent years pushing for a public trial, the prosecution of former company officials, and more severe financial punishment for Boeing. “Although the DOJ proposed a fine and financial restitution to the victims’ families, the families that I represent contend that it is more important for Boeing to be held accountable to the flying public,” Paul Cassell, an attorney for many of the families in the long-running case, said in a statement earlier this week. Boeing was accused of misleading the Federal Aviation Administration about aspects of the Max before the agency certified the plane for flight. Boeing did not tell airlines and pilots about a new software system, called MCAS, that could turn the plane’s nose down without input from pilots if a sensor detected that the plane might go into an aerodynamic stall. The Max planes crashed after a faulty reading from the sensor pushed the nose down and pilots were unable to regain control. After the second crash, Max jets were grounded worldwide until the company redesigned MCAS to make it less powerful and to use signals from two sensors, not just one. Boeing avoided prosecution in 2021 by reaching a $2.5 billion settlement with the Justice Department that included a previous $243.6 million fine. A year ago, prosecutors said Boeing violated the terms of the 2021 agreement by failing to make promised changes to detect and prevent violations of federal anti-fraud laws. Boeing agreed last July to plead guilty to the felony fraud charge instead of enduring a potentially lengthy public trial. But in December, U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth rejected the plea deal. The judge said the diversity, inclusion and equity, or DEI, policies in the government and at Boeing could result in race being a factor in picking a monitor to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the agreement. ___ Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Trump administration sues 4 New Jersey cities over ‘sanctuary’ policieson May 23, 2025 at 7:18 pm
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — The Trump administration sued four New Jersey cities over their so-called sanctuary city policies aimed at prohibiting police from cooperating with immigration officials, saying the local governments are standing in the way of federal enforcement. The Justice Department filed the suit Thursday against Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and Hoboken in New Jersey federal court. The lawsuit seeks a judgment against the cities and an injunction to halt them from enacting the so-called sanctuary city policies. “While states and local governments are free to stand aside as the United States performs this important work, they cannot stand in the way,” the suit says. It’s the latest case from Republican President Donald Trump’s administration against sanctuary policies. The administration also sued Chicago, Denver, the state of Colorado, and Rochester, New York. There is no official definition for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities. The terms generally describe limited local cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE enforces U.S. immigration laws nationwide but sometimes seeks state and local help. Messages seeking comment were left Friday with the affected cities. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh said his city would fight the suit, calling it an “egregious attempt to score political points at Paterson’s expense.” “We will not be intimidated,” he said in a text message. Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement the city prides itself on its inclusivity. “The City of Hoboken will vigorously work to defend our rights, have our day in court, and defeat the Trump Administration’s lawlessness. To be clear: we will not back down,” he said. The mayors of all four cities are Democrats. New Jersey’s attorney general adopted a statewide Immigrant Trust Directive in 2018, which bars local police from cooperation with federal officials conducting immigration enforcement. The policies adopted by the four cities are similar. The 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court that New Jersey’s statewide policy could stand, but it’s unclear how that court’s order might affect the government’s case against the four cities. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Man gets 10 years for trying to carjack car with 2 members of Justice Sotomayor’s security detailon May 23, 2025 at 6:18 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for trying to carjack a car occupied by two U.S. Marshals Service deputies who were members of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security detail. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, in handing down the sentence Thursday, also ordered Kentrell Flowers to have five years of supervised release after his prison term. Flowers pleaded guilty in February to using a firearm during a crime of violence. Around 1 a.m. on July 5, 2024, two deputies dressed in Marshals Service shirts were on duty in an unmarked government car in Washington when Flowers exited a minivan, approached the vehicle and pointed a loaded gun at one of the deputies through a window. The deputy fired four shots at Flowers, hitting him in the mouth. The deputy administered first aid to Flowers while two other unknown suspects fled — one in the minivan and the other on foot. Flowers, then 18, was treated at a hospital for roughly a week after the shooting. Sotomayor was not named in court documents. The Marshals Service has said the deputies were part of the detail protecting Supreme Court justices. The deputies were stationed near Sotomayor’s home, but there was no indication she was targeted. Prosecutors had recommended a 10-year prison sentence for Flowers. “Simply put, the defendant’s actions were chilling and most disturbing and a total disregard for (the deputy) or this community,” they wrote. Defense attorney Maria Jacob asked for a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in prison for Flowers, who didn’t have a criminal record before the shooting. Jacob said Flowers “made the biggest mistake of his life” that night. “Given how many shots were fired in his direction, it is unbelievable that only one bullet struck him,” Jacob wrote. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Sanction on Harvard’s foreign students strikes at the heart of the university’s global allureon May 23, 2025 at 6:18 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — For students around the world, an acceptance letter to Harvard University has represented the pinnacle of achievement, offering a spot among the elite at a campus that produces Nobel Prize winners, captains of industry and global leaders. That allure is now in jeopardy. In its intensifying fight with the White House, Harvard was dealt its heaviest blow yet on Thursday, when the government blocked the Ivy League school from enrolling foreign students. The move threatens to undermine Harvard’s stature, its revenue and its appeal among top scholars around the world. Even more than the government’s $2.6 billion in research cuts, the administration’s action represents an existential threat for Harvard. The school summed it up in a lawsuit seeking to block the action: “Without its international students, Harvard is not Harvard.” Within hours of the decision, the consequences were becoming clear. Belgium’s Princess Elisabeth, who just finished her first year in a Harvard graduate program, is waiting to find out if she can return next year, the royal palace said. The Chinese government publicly questioned whether Harvard’s international standing will endure. “The relevant actions by the U.S. side will only damage its own image and international credibility,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing in Beijing. A federal judge on Friday blocked the administration’s decision for now by issuing a restraining order that stops the government from pulling Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. Belonging to the program allows Harvard to host international students with visas to study in the U.S. But the order is only temporary. With a $53 billion endowment, Harvard has the means to weather federal funding losses that would cripple other institutions. But this new sanction strikes at the heart of its campus. Already, the change is causing disarray, as thousands of students consider whether to transfer elsewhere or risk being in the country illegally. It could wipe out a quarter of the university’s total student body, while halving some of its graduate schools and threatening students who work as lab researchers and teaching assistants. Some sports teams would be left nearly empty. Yet the future consequences pose the greatest threat. If the government’s action stands, Harvard would be banned from admitting new international students for at least two school years. Even if it regains its place as a global magnet, top students may shy away for fear of future government reprisals, the school said in its lawsuit. In its court filing, Harvard listed some of its most notable alumni who enrolled as foreign students. The list includes Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the former president of Liberia; Empress Masako of Japan; and many leaders of major corporations. The university enrolls almost 6,800 foreign students at its campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Boston. Students in India and China — nations that send more students to the U.S. than any other — were awaiting what comes next. While foreigners set to graduate from Harvard next week can still do so, the remaining current students and those bound for the university in the fall were weighing other opportunities. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, for one, said Friday that it would welcome international students already at Harvard and those who have been admitted. The action has dominated news in countries around the world, said Mike Henniger, president and CEO of Illume Student Advisory Services, a company that works with colleges in the U.S., Canada and Europe to recruit international students. He is currently traveling in Japan and awoke to the news Friday with dozens of emails from colleagues. The reactions from the international community, he said, were incredulous: “’Unbelievable!’ ‘Oh My God!’ ‘Unreal!’” For incoming freshmen who just got accepted to Harvard — and already committed — the timing could not be worse, but they are such strong students that any top university in the world would want to offer them a spot, he said. “I think the bigger story is the students around the country that aren’t a Harvard student, the students that scraped by to get into a state university and are thinking: ‘Are we next?’” he said. “The Harvard kids are going to be OK. It’s more about the damage to the American education brand. The view of the U.S. being a less welcoming place for international students.” ___ Gecker reported from San Francisco. ___ The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
- Factbox-Inside U.S. nuclear energy landscape as Trump seeks to fast-track reactor approvalson May 23, 2025 at 5:52 pm
(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday directed the country’s independent nuclear regulator to ease rules and accelerate approvals for new reactors and power plants, aiming to cut licensing timeline from several years to just 18 months. The move was part of a series of executive orders intended to boost domestic nuclear energy production amid surging demand from data centers and artificial intelligence. The orders also seek to reinvigorate uranium production and enrichment in the U.S., the senior White House official said. Here is a snapshot of the U.S. nuclear energy landscape: DOMESTIC PRODUCTIONTotal uranium concentrate production touched 676,939 pounds of U3O8 in 2024, more than triple the output recorded in 2023. GENERATING CAPACITY U.S. monthly nuclear power generation remained steady, peaking in January 2025 at over 71 million megawatt-hours, nearly 4% higher than in January last year. TOTAL NUCLEAR FUEL IMPORTS Owners and operators of U.S. civilian nuclear reactors remain heavily reliant on uranium imports: foreign sources dominated deliveries in 2023, with Canada supplying 27%, followed by Australia and Kazakhstan at 22% each. PROJECT STATUS U.S. uranium in-situ recovery plants have a combined permitted capacity of 41 million pounds of U3O8 annually, with leading production sites in Wyoming and Texas. (Reporting by Arunima Kumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com
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