1 day ago
Democratic state parties announced Monday that they are launching an operation for the midterm elections they're calling the "New Battlefield Project," intended to recruit 10,000 volunteers to guard polling places in case armed federal officers show up.
Activists are planning mass protests if the Trump administration tries to interfere with voting or ballot counting. And legal scholars are distributing white papers advising judges what they should do if the government tries to seize ballots.
The unprecedented efforts are in response to President Donald Trump's equally unprecedented moves to interfere in this year's midterm elections, which include attempts to impose proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote and directing the Postal Service to play a central role in deciding which voters should get a mail ballot.
The anxious contingency planning as voting gets underway has become a marker for how fraught democracy has become in the country that once stood as an example to the world.
"We have never prepared for an election sabotage event like we have now," said Ezra Levin of the left-leaning group Indivisible.
#interfere
Activists are planning mass protests if the Trump administration tries to interfere with voting or ballot counting. And legal scholars are distributing white papers advising judges what they should do if the government tries to seize ballots.
The unprecedented efforts are in response to President Donald Trump's equally unprecedented moves to interfere in this year's midterm elections, which include attempts to impose proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote and directing the Postal Service to play a central role in deciding which voters should get a mail ballot.
The anxious contingency planning as voting gets underway has become a marker for how fraught democracy has become in the country that once stood as an example to the world.
"We have never prepared for an election sabotage event like we have now," said Ezra Levin of the left-leaning group Indivisible.
#interfere
18 days ago
By Sudip Kar-Gupta
PARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Nathan Cofnas, the U.S. academic who accused late Cambridge University professor Jason Arday of plagiarism, has been allowed to resume some of his work at Ghent University while a disciplinary probe continues, the Belgian entity said on Friday.
Arday, once hailed as Cambridge's youngest Black professor, was found dead at the age of 41 in London this month, days after resigning from his post. Arday had denied the allegation of plagiarism but acknowledged making mistakes.
Ghent University subsequently suspended Cofnas "as a precautionary measure" as it opened an investigation. Cofnas said the probe was into possible discrimination.
In Friday's statement, Ghent said Cofnas could resume academic activities at the university while the investigation continued on the condition that he worked remotely and did not engage in any teaching.
#cofnas #plagiarism #probe
PARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Nathan Cofnas, the U.S. academic who accused late Cambridge University professor Jason Arday of plagiarism, has been allowed to resume some of his work at Ghent University while a disciplinary probe continues, the Belgian entity said on Friday.
Arday, once hailed as Cambridge's youngest Black professor, was found dead at the age of 41 in London this month, days after resigning from his post. Arday had denied the allegation of plagiarism but acknowledged making mistakes.
Ghent University subsequently suspended Cofnas "as a precautionary measure" as it opened an investigation. Cofnas said the probe was into possible discrimination.
In Friday's statement, Ghent said Cofnas could resume academic activities at the university while the investigation continued on the condition that he worked remotely and did not engage in any teaching.
#cofnas #plagiarism #probe
2 months ago
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia university missed opportunities to learn of a student's terrorism-related conviction before the man opened fire in an ROTC class in March, injuring two students and killing an Army veteran who fought back with "extraordinary heroism," an investigative report released Tuesday found.
The federal probation officer working with Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, did not share Jalloh's criminal background with Old Dominion University, despite the serious nature of the offense, according to the report, which was produced by the law firm Cooley on behalf of the university.
Jalloh, who also died in the March attack, had attended the public university in Norfolk beginning in 2007, was suspended in 2010 and reenrolled after his early release from prison in December 2024. He was readmitted to the school in May last year.
No federal or state law enforcement agency reported his prior conviction either, the report said.
State law prohibits the university from inquiring about student criminal history before admission or readmission, according to the report. The university could have asked readmitted students to voluntarily disclose their criminal history but did not at the time, the report said.
#conviction
The federal probation officer working with Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, who spent eight years in prison for attempting to aid the Islamic State, did not share Jalloh's criminal background with Old Dominion University, despite the serious nature of the offense, according to the report, which was produced by the law firm Cooley on behalf of the university.
Jalloh, who also died in the March attack, had attended the public university in Norfolk beginning in 2007, was suspended in 2010 and reenrolled after his early release from prison in December 2024. He was readmitted to the school in May last year.
No federal or state law enforcement agency reported his prior conviction either, the report said.
State law prohibits the university from inquiring about student criminal history before admission or readmission, according to the report. The university could have asked readmitted students to voluntarily disclose their criminal history but did not at the time, the report said.
#conviction
2 months ago
By Jonathan Saul and Renee Maltezou
LONDON/ATHENS, July 15 (Reuters) - Shipping companies are avoiding using a U.S. military-guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz after a wave of Iranian attacks on vessels sparked safety concerns, seven maritime security and shipping industry sources said.
For decades ships sailed into and out of the Gulf using a safe set of lanes down the middle of the strait established by the U.N.'s shipping agency in 1968 dubbed the Traffic Separation Scheme.
Since the Iran war began on February 28, Iranian forces have mined this area, forcing vessels to use one of two makeshift routes close to either the Iranian or Omani coast.
HELPING GULF ENERGY EXPORTS KEEP FLOWING
LONDON/ATHENS, July 15 (Reuters) - Shipping companies are avoiding using a U.S. military-guided transit scheme through the Strait of Hormuz after a wave of Iranian attacks on vessels sparked safety concerns, seven maritime security and shipping industry sources said.
For decades ships sailed into and out of the Gulf using a safe set of lanes down the middle of the strait established by the U.N.'s shipping agency in 1968 dubbed the Traffic Separation Scheme.
Since the Iran war began on February 28, Iranian forces have mined this area, forcing vessels to use one of two makeshift routes close to either the Iranian or Omani coast.
HELPING GULF ENERGY EXPORTS KEEP FLOWING
2 months ago
By Marek Strzelecki and Barbara Erling
WARSAW, July 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine is looking for ways to lower tension with Warsaw, Poland's prime minister said on Friday, adding that Poland's neighbour to the east should come to terms with its history to join the European Union.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries entered their worst crisis since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Poland's top honour.
Nawrocki said he took the step due to the naming of an army unit after insurgents who massacred Poles in World War Two.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political opponent of Nawrocki, has been trying to smooth tensions, and said he had received positive signals from Friday's meeting between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski in Warsaw.
WARSAW, July 3 (Reuters) - Ukraine is looking for ways to lower tension with Warsaw, Poland's prime minister said on Friday, adding that Poland's neighbour to the east should come to terms with its history to join the European Union.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries entered their worst crisis since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine after Polish President Karol Nawrocki stripped Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Poland's top honour.
Nawrocki said he took the step due to the naming of an army unit after insurgents who massacred Poles in World War Two.
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a political opponent of Nawrocki, has been trying to smooth tensions, and said he had received positive signals from Friday's meeting between Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski in Warsaw.
3 months ago
After just three months of working as a qualified massage therapist, Maria decided to be more selective about who she treats.
The 38-year-old refuses to take on any new male clients after inappropriate behaviour from some left her feeling scared and uncomfortable.
BBC Scotland News has spoken to a number of other female therapists who say they are faced with constant requests for 'extras', sleazy banter and pushback on boundaries they have set.
Industry leaders say ******* ualised behaviour is a common problem and more needs to be done to keep everyone safe.
Maria, who now owns Gentle Hands Massage Therapy in East Ayrshire, told the BBC she leaves the room while clients get prepared.
The 38-year-old refuses to take on any new male clients after inappropriate behaviour from some left her feeling scared and uncomfortable.
BBC Scotland News has spoken to a number of other female therapists who say they are faced with constant requests for 'extras', sleazy banter and pushback on boundaries they have set.
Industry leaders say ******* ualised behaviour is a common problem and more needs to be done to keep everyone safe.
Maria, who now owns Gentle Hands Massage Therapy in East Ayrshire, told the BBC she leaves the room while clients get prepared.
3 months ago
A federal immigration judge has granted asylum to a woman orphaned in Iran in the 1970s and adopted by an American war veteran, who immigration officials threatened earlier this year with deportation to the country with which the U.S. is now at war.
Judge Andrew Fishkin's ruling likely ends a monthslong ordeal for the California woman, one of thousands adopted from abroad who were never granted citizenship because of bureaucratic loopholes between adoption and immigration law.
The woman has lived in the United States since she was adopted by American parents as a toddler and has no criminal record. The ******* ociated Press is not naming her because she worries her legal situation remains tenuous as the administration has time to appeal. A federal judge has allowed her to use a pseudonym, "Ms. S," in her challenge to the government's determination of her immigration status.
The woman received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security in February that ordered her to appear for removal proceedings, saying she is eligible for deportation because she overstayed her visa in March 1974 at 4 years old.
The woman, 56, described what came next as a terrifying and humiliating few months.
Judge Andrew Fishkin's ruling likely ends a monthslong ordeal for the California woman, one of thousands adopted from abroad who were never granted citizenship because of bureaucratic loopholes between adoption and immigration law.
The woman has lived in the United States since she was adopted by American parents as a toddler and has no criminal record. The ******* ociated Press is not naming her because she worries her legal situation remains tenuous as the administration has time to appeal. A federal judge has allowed her to use a pseudonym, "Ms. S," in her challenge to the government's determination of her immigration status.
The woman received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security in February that ordered her to appear for removal proceedings, saying she is eligible for deportation because she overstayed her visa in March 1974 at 4 years old.
The woman, 56, described what came next as a terrifying and humiliating few months.
3 months ago
Fox Corp. (FOX, FOXA) stock fell on Monday after the media giant said it has agreed to buy streaming pioneer Roku in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $22 billion, including debt.
Roku will continue to be run as an open, partner-friendly platform, the companies said Monday, and there appears to be no immediate changes that customers will see. Fox and Roku said that the combined company will become the third-largest player in U.S. television by share of viewing.
Fox will pay $96 in cash and 0.9693 shares of its Class A common stock for each Roku Class A and Class B share outstanding. The transaction is valued at $160 per Roku share.
Existing Fox shareholders are expected to own approximately 73% of the combined company and Roku shareholders will own about 27%, once the deal closes.
Fox's stock tumbled over 17% after the market open, while shares of Roku slipped 2% on the heels of Friday's gain of over 20%.
Roku will continue to be run as an open, partner-friendly platform, the companies said Monday, and there appears to be no immediate changes that customers will see. Fox and Roku said that the combined company will become the third-largest player in U.S. television by share of viewing.
Fox will pay $96 in cash and 0.9693 shares of its Class A common stock for each Roku Class A and Class B share outstanding. The transaction is valued at $160 per Roku share.
Existing Fox shareholders are expected to own approximately 73% of the combined company and Roku shareholders will own about 27%, once the deal closes.
Fox's stock tumbled over 17% after the market open, while shares of Roku slipped 2% on the heels of Friday's gain of over 20%.
3 months ago
Nancy Lacore, a retired Navy vice admiral who was fired by Pete Hegseth, and Mac Deford, a local attorney, advanced to a runoff election on Tuesday evening amid a crowded Democratic primary to fill a congressional vacancy left behind by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
Because no candidate garnered more than 50% of the vote needed to win outright, the primary now heads to a runoff that's slated to take place on June 23.
Once having cleared the primary, the final candidate will look to become just the second Democrat to hold South Carolina's 1st Congressional District in over 40 years by highlighting her military record as well as how she was removed from her post by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Fox News Projects Democratic Rep. Don Davis Will Win North Carolina's 1St Congressional District
The vacancy first came about when Mace, a firebrand conservative, announced her decision to run for governor of the Palmetto State.
Because no candidate garnered more than 50% of the vote needed to win outright, the primary now heads to a runoff that's slated to take place on June 23.
Once having cleared the primary, the final candidate will look to become just the second Democrat to hold South Carolina's 1st Congressional District in over 40 years by highlighting her military record as well as how she was removed from her post by War Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Fox News Projects Democratic Rep. Don Davis Will Win North Carolina's 1St Congressional District
The vacancy first came about when Mace, a firebrand conservative, announced her decision to run for governor of the Palmetto State.
3 months ago
An American college student who went missing during a family vacation in ***** an has been found dead by search-and-rescue volunteers, marking a tragic end to a frantic dayslong search across forested mountains.
James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old junior at Auburn University and a passionate environmentalist, was traveling in the Kyoto area with his family when he vanished while exploring the city alone – shortly after having a disagreement with his mother over her use of AI to help with navigation, and the natural resources such a tool requires.
After authorities scaled back resources from the search, the family launched its own efforts to locate Weston with the help of local residents and a privately hired search-and-rescue group.
Here's a timeline of the events leading up to the discovery of Weston's body:
The family, hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, arrives in ***** an to celebrate the high school graduation of Weston's younger brother. They visit a number of cities, including Tokyo, Nikko and Takayama, before heading to Kyoto.
James "Weston" Higginbotham, a 20-year-old junior at Auburn University and a passionate environmentalist, was traveling in the Kyoto area with his family when he vanished while exploring the city alone – shortly after having a disagreement with his mother over her use of AI to help with navigation, and the natural resources such a tool requires.
After authorities scaled back resources from the search, the family launched its own efforts to locate Weston with the help of local residents and a privately hired search-and-rescue group.
Here's a timeline of the events leading up to the discovery of Weston's body:
The family, hailing from Birmingham, Alabama, arrives in ***** an to celebrate the high school graduation of Weston's younger brother. They visit a number of cities, including Tokyo, Nikko and Takayama, before heading to Kyoto.
