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☆ US returns looted antiquities worth $10 million to India
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Karina Tsui | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The United States has returned more than 1,400 looted artifacts worth $10 million to India as part of an ongoing initiative to repatriate stolen art from countries across South and Southeast Asia, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office announced Wednesday. The trafficked goods recovered include items that, until recently, were on view at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The DA’s office obtained an arrest warrant for him in 2012though he remains in custody in India, pending his extradition to the US. Since its creation over a decade ago, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Antiquities Trafficking Unit –– a task force of lawyers, investigators and art experts –– has recovered 5,800 antiquities valued at almost $460 million. In July, the US and India signed an agreement to protect cultural property by preventing illegal trades and streamlining the process of returning stolen antiquities back to India.

Persons: Nancy Wiener, Subhash Kapoor, Alamy Kapoor, ” William Walker, – – Organizations: CNN, Manhattan District, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, Attorney’s, Metropolitan Museum of Art, federal Homeland Security Locations: United States, India, South, Southeast Asia, New, London, American, New York, Rajasthan, Tamil, Germany, 2012though, York

The Oklahoma school district where a transgender student died this year after an altercation in a bathroom violated federal law by mishandling sexual harassment allegations, according to an investigation by the federal Education Department. The department’s Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation into Owasso Public Schools in March following a complaint from the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization. A photograph of Nex Benedict is projected at a candlelight service in Oklahoma City on Feb. 24. The department said the district failed to respond to sexual harassment allegations repeatedly over three years, in violation of Title IX regulations that were implemented in 2020. The new regulations require district staff members to explain the process to file Title IX complaints or promptly contact complainants to discuss supportive measures like counseling or schedule changes.

Persons: Nex Benedict, Nate Billings, Benedict, Sue, “, ”, Jordan Korphage, Margaret Coates, ” Coates, ” Kelley Robinson, ” Robinson Organizations: federal Education Department, Civil Rights, Owasso Public Schools, Human Rights, HRC, Owasso High, The Oklahoman, USA, U.K, Education Department, Owasso Public, District Locations: Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, America

☆ Georgia’s Fulton County Jail subjects inmates to ‘inhumane, violent’ conditions that threaten their safety, DOJ finds
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Ashley R. Williams | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —The Fulton County Jail in Atlanta unconstitutionally subjects inmates to “inhumane, violent and hazardous conditions” that threaten their safety, a US Justice Department official said Thursday, announcing the results of a 16-month investigation. “We cannot turn a blind eye to the inhumane, violent and hazardous conditions that people are subjected to inside the Fulton County Jail,” Clarke said. The deaths of Thompson and other inmates in the mental health unitThe 105-page report lays out examples of the problems it alleges, including the treatment of inmates with mental health challenges. Meanwhile, around 75% of the people who have died at the jail since 2021 had a mental health diagnosis or history of mental illness, Buchanan said. “The Fulton County Jail had as many stabbings in a single month as the Miami-Dade County Jail had all year, and that’s a facility with one-and-a-half times more people,” Clarke said.

Persons: ” Kristen Clarke, Lashawn Thompson, “, ” Clarke, Thompson, Kristen Clarke, WANF, ” Ryan Buchanan, ” Buchanan, Michael Harper, ” Harper, Thompson’s, –, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat, Buchanan, ”, CNN’s Ryan Young, Nick Valencia, Hannah Rabinowitz, Dakin Andone Organizations: CNN, Jail, US Justice Department, Justice, US, Justice Department, Sheriff’s, Northern, Northern District of, Thompson’s, Fulton County Sheriff, Miami, Department team’s Locations: Fulton, Atlanta, Northern District, Northern District of Georgia, Fulton County, Dade, Union City

☆ Hate crime, terrorism charges filed after Jewish man shot in ‘targeted’ attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-01 | by ( Nbc Chicago | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Hate crime and terrorism charges were announced Thursday after a Jewish man was shot while walking to synagogue in Chicago over the weekend in what police now say was a “targeted” attack. On Thursday, Abdallahi was charged with an additional felony count of terrorism and one felony count of a hate crime, Chicago’s top cop, Supt. “We want everybody to know that we will never tolerate violence that’s rooted in hate and bigotry,” Snelling said during a press conference announcing the charges. “We are all working together to put an end to the hatred of our Jewish siblings.”Foxx noted that terrorism charges in such cases are rare. “Members of the Jewish Orthodox community are the most vulnerable to violent attacks,” Rabbi Sholomo Soroka said.

Persons: Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, Abdallahi, Larry Snelling, “, ” Snelling, ., Debra Silverstein, Ward, Snelling, “ Allahu Akbar ”, ”, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Kim Foxx, Silverstein, ” Johnson, ” Foxx, ” Abdallahi, ” Silverstein, Sholomo Soroka, ” David Goldenberg Organizations: Police, West Rogers Park, Chicago Police, Fire, Jewish United Fund, Chicago Mayor, Civilian Office, Defamation League, Chicago Rabbinical Council, ADL, Federal Bureau, Investigation’s Chicago Division Locations: Chicago, . Farwell, West, Cook County, Agudath Israel, Illinois, “

☆ Brett Kavanaugh: Internal emails dispute Trump’s claims that FBI had ‘free rein’ to probe assault allegations, new report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-08 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The White House, however, instructed the FBI to only interview 10 witnesses, according to the report. The report sheds light on the tight limits the White House imposed on the FBI as it undertook a “supplemental” background investigation while Kavanaugh’s confirmation hung in the balance. According to the report, those Trump comments were then flagged by an FBI public affairs office in emails to others at the agency, including some top officials. The White House finally told the official that it would be in touch it if had additional guidance to offer on the supplemental investigation. With the report, Whitehouse is calling for the agency to put in place standard procedures for how such supplemental investigations should be handled.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Brett Kavanaugh, Kavanaugh, –, Christine Blasey Ford, Trump, ”, Rhode Island Sen, Sheldon Whitehouse, Joe Biden, Whitehouse, ” Whitehouse, CNN’s Hannah Rabinowitz, John Fritze Organizations: CNN, FBI, White, Trump White House, NBC, Rhode Island, House

After the positive flu result, health care workers started using more personal protective gear around the patient. Separately, as part of routine flu surveillance and not because doctors suspected anything unusual in the patient’s case, the hospital sent the patient’s flu sample to be tested for H5, which is the bird flu virus strain. Officials found that during the patient’s time at the hospital, 112 health care workers had interacted with them. After exposure to the bird flu virus, people typically develop symptoms within 3 to 5 days. All of that additional information on the health workers will be secondary to the blood tests results, Rivers said, and whether they show signs of a previous infection.

Persons: Demetre Daskalakis, Daskalaskis, wouldn’t, Michael Osterholm, Osterholm, ”, Daskalakis, Caitlin Rivers, ” Rivers, ” Daskalakis, Rivers Organizations: Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC’s National Center, Infectious Disease, University of Minnesota, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, CDC Locations: Missouri, Baltimore, United States, California

CNN —The surviving co-founder of the company that owned the doomed Titan submersible is scheduled to testify Monday as a US Coast Guard panel continues to investigate what led to the implosion that killed five people last year. The Marine Board of Investigation’s two-week hearing began September 16 and is expected to resume Monday with OceanGate co-founder Guillermo Sohnlein, who in January 2013 left the company, set to testify, the Coast Guard’s hearing schedule shows. In 2009, Sohnlein and CEO Stockton Rush launched the Washington state-based company that created the experimental 23,000-pound submersible. The submersible lost contact with its support vessel, the Polar Prince, an hour and 45 minutes into its dive on June 18, 2023. Former OceanGate director of marine operations David Lochridge, center, stands during his testimony on September 17, 2024.

Persons: OceanGate, Guillermo Sohnlein, Sohnlein, Shahzada Dawood, Suleman Dawood, Hamish Harding, Paul, Henri Nargeolet, Sohnlein’s, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Rush, ”, ” Sohnlein, David Lochridge, Andrew J, Whitaker, ” Lochridge, Steven Ross, Ross, Antonella Wilby, Wilby, ‘, ’, ” Roy Thomas, Phil Brooks Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Marine Board, Stockton Rush, Marine Board of Investigation, Coast Guard, American Bureau of Shipping Locations: Washington

☆ How the New Hampshire National Guard failed to protect women
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +19 min

His attorney told CNN Patterson is expected to retire as a major, one rank below lieutenant colonel, by November 1. His case is perhaps the most high-profile example of a problem women say has plagued the New Hampshire National Guard for years: A toxic, sexist work environment. The New Hampshire National Guard told CNN in a statement that 2023 was an anomalous year for sexual assault reports. “There’s way too much of ‘foxes guarding the henhouse’ in every angle of the [National Guard Bureau],” the IRC member said. “The National Guard belongs to the governors, and so they can do what they want.”The office of New Hampshire Gov.

Persons: Mark Patterson, Patterson, ”, he’d, CNN Patterson, “, Kennith Kruger, Patterson “, ’, Katrina Dupuis, Dupuis, weren’t, ’ ” Dupuis, ” Dupuis, she’d, “ aren’t, David Mikolaities, didn’t, Emily Paige Kamal, ” Kamal, Kate Kuzminski, ” Kuzminski, Maj, Charles Johnston, Chris Sununu, Sununu, Jaleesa Ackerman, Ackerman, ’ ”, Keri Wareing, Wareing, ” Wareing, Jeanne Shaheen, they’ve, Shaheen, OCI, Shaheen “, They’re Organizations: CNN, New Hampshire National Guard, Army, National Guard, Guard, New Hampshire National, New Hampshire National Guard’s Army, Department of, New, New Hampshire Department of Military Affairs, Veterans Services, The New Hampshire National Guard, ‘, Pentagon, Military, Veterans, Center, New American Security, Pembroke , New Hampshire . Tech, Defense, Independent Review Commission, National Guard Bureau, New Hampshire Gov, Services, Manchester Police Department, Mikolaities, Criminal, Organization, Independent, Capitol, Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate National Guard Caucus Locations: New Hampshire, Wyoming, NH, The, New American, Pembroke , New Hampshire, New

☆ U.N. Fires Nine Aid Workers Accused of Taking Part in Oct. 7 Attack, but Clears 10 Others
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Ben Hubbard | Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

U.N. investigators cleared 10 employees of a Palestinian refugee agency in Gaza accused of taking part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, but nine others were fired because of possible involvement, the United Nations said. The investigators found evidence that the employees “may have been involved” in the attack, which set off the war in the Gaza Strip, the U.N. said. The allegations led dozens of donor nations to suspend hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for the agency, threatening to hobble its aid operations in Gaza. With 13,000 staff members in the embattled territory, UNRWA has been key to efforts to provide shelter, food and other basic services to Gazans during nine months of war that has displaced most of the territory’s 2.2 million people. Tens of thousands have been killed, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

Organizations: United Nations, UNRWA Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, Israel

☆ US Army worker who stole nearly $109 million to buy mansions and luxury cars is sentenced
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Associated Press | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Mello was a financial manager who handled funding for a youth program at the military base and determined whether grant money was available. Prosecutors said Mello used the fake organization she created to apply for grants through the military program. Mello used the money to buy millions of dollars of real estate, clothing, high-end jewelry and 82 vehicles that included a Maserati, a Mercedes, a 1954 Corvette and a Ferrari Fratelli motorcycle. “Janet Mello is a good, kind, caring and loving person that would do no harm to anyone,” Faison wrote. Please allow her to repay her debt to society by returning what she has taken but not be behind prison bars.”

Persons: Janet Yamanaka Mello, Xavier Rodriguez, Mello, Fort Sam Houston, “ Janet Mello, ”, Jaime Esparza, “, selfishly, ” Esparza, Albert Flores, ” Flores, Flores, Prosecutors, Justin Simmons, Mercedes, Simmons, Lucy Tan, Mello’s, Denise Faison, ” Faison, “ Janet Organizations: US District, Prosecutors, Fort, Child Health, Lifelong Development, Western, Western District of, Defense Locations: Texas, Fort Sam, San Antonio, Western District, Western District of Texas, Houston

CNN —Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday will for the first time discuss the closure of the desert detention camp of Sde Teiman where Palestinian detainees from Gaza have allegedly been held under conditions of extreme abuse. The committee tasked with examining the conditions of Palestinian detainees from Gaza is set to submit its recommendations to Halevi this month. Three Israeli whistleblowers told CNN that Palestinian detainees at the facility were constantly blindfolded and held under extreme physical restraint. The account tallied with details of a letter authored by a doctor working at Sde Teiman published by Ha’aretz in April. Instead, the Israeli military said that the detainees are given back their clothing once the IDF has determined that they pose no security risk.

Persons: CNN —, ”, Alice Jill Edwards, Herzi Halevi, Sde, Ofer, Teiman, Ha’aretz, CNN’s Ami Kaufman Organizations: CNN, CNN — Israel’s, Association for Civil Rights, Germany’s, International Committee, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces, Military, IDF Locations: Teiman, Gaza, Israel

CNN spoke to three Israeli whistleblowers who worked at the Sde Teiman desert camp, which holds Palestinians detained during Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Reports of abuse at Sde Teiman have already surfaced in Israeli and Arab media after an outcry from Israeli and Palestinian rights groups over conditions there. CNN has requested permission from the Israeli military to access the Sde Teiman base. The account tallied with details of a letter authored by a doctor working at Sde Teiman published by Ha’aretz in April. The structure, which resembles an animal pen, is located in the central area of the Sde Teiman compound.

Persons: Sde Teiman, ”, “, –, Ofer, Patrick Gallagher, Adnan al, Bursh –, Mohammed al, Ran, ” Dr, Mohammed Al, Shawish, abasement, “ You’d, Teiman, Ha’aretz, Israel, Ray, Tal Steiner, ” Steiner, – Ofer, West Bank –, Ibrahim Yassine, Abu Salah, Al, Barbara Arvanitidis, Tamara Qiblawi, Matthew Chance OSINT, Allegra Goodwin, Alex Platt, Abeer Salman, Ami Kaufman, Kareem Khadder, Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Carlotta Dotto, Lou Robinson, Mark Oliver, Tom James, Sarah Tilotta, Mark Baron, Julie Zink, Augusta Anthony Motion, Yukari Schrickel, Laura Smith, Eliza Mackintosh, Dan Wright, Matt Wells Editor’s, Matthew Chance, Al Hilou Organizations: Israel CNN —, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, Military, IDF, West Bank, Bosnian, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Social Media, CNN Al, “, Ha’aretz, for Human Rights, Nasser Hospital, Planet Labs PBC Planet, Planet Labs, Palestinian Red Crescent Society Locations: Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Al, Ahli, Israel’s, “, London, Sde, Jerusalem

☆ Kabul airport attack exclusive: New evidence challenges the Pentagon’s official account of a horrific incident as the US withdrew from Afghanistan
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | Mick Krever | Mark Baron | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +22 min

One told CNN he heard the first large burst of shooting come from where US Marines were standing, near the blast site. This is significantly more than the three “near simultaneous” bursts of gunfire that the Pentagon investigations have claimed occurred. The Supplemental Review found no new evidence of a complex attack, and uncovered no new assertions of outgoing fire post-blast. “They were targeting people,” another, Nazir, 16, told CNN. CNN spoke with about ten Marines anonymously, many of whom described hearing gunfire and feeling under attack from it.

Persons: Hamid, Akhter Gulfam, –, Wakil Koshar, Robert Maher, Sarah Morris, Morris, Maher, Rob Lodewick, ”, “, ” Shogofa Hamidi, Morsal, Nazir, ” Noorullah Zakhel, Read, Sayeed Ahmadi, ” Ahmadi, Ahmadi, Lodewick, Marcus Yam, CNN's Nick Paton Walsh, “ You’ve, they’ve, It’s, Taylor Crul, Romel Finley, Finley, Barber, ‘, ” Finley, Christian Sanchez, Sanchez, Staff Mark Milley, Kenneth “ Frank ” McKenzie, Darrell Issa, Nick Paton Walsh, Sandi Sidhu, Julia Hollingsworth, Masoud Popalzai, Sitara Zamani, Abdul Basir Bina, Katie Polglase, Gianluca Mezzofiore Organizations: CNN, United, Pentagon, US, Airport, NATO, US Army Central Command, Getty, Montana State University, University of Southampton, Marines, British Ministry of Defense, U.S . Central Command, AP CNN, “, Los Angeles Times, Marine, ” Marines, Navy, US Air Force, . Air Force, Reuters, US Marines, YouTube, Investigators, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Central Command Locations: Kabul, Afghanistan, United States, airport’s, American, British, AFP, Bozeman, England, US, Kabul airport's, U.S, Finland, ”

☆ Israel is using artificial intelligence to help pick bombing targets in Gaza, report says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Israeli military has been using artificial intelligence to help identify bombing targets in Gaza, according to an investigation by +972 Magazine and Local Call, citing six Israeli intelligence officials involved in the alleged program – who also allege that human review of the suggested targets was cursory at best. When asked about +972 Magazine’s report, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) did not dispute the existence of the tool but denied AI was being used to identify suspected terrorists. Night attacksThe magazine also reported that the Israeli army “systematically attacked” targets in their homes, usually at night when entire families were present. The report, citing sources, said that when alleged junior militants were targeted, “the army preferred” to use so-called dumb bombs – unguided missiles which can cause large-scale damage. Palestinians inspect the damage to a residential building after an Israeli airstrike in the Maghazi refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Friday, March 29, 2024.

Persons: –, Israel, ”, Yuval Abraham, “, Ismael Abu Dayyah Organizations: CNN, Israel Defence Forces, Gaza Ministry of Health, United, AP CNN Locations: Gaza, United Nations, Israel

The ruling left Mr. Trump with the opportunity to raise different objections to Mr. Vance’s subpoena. AUTUMN 2020Prosecutors interviewed employees of the main bank and insurance company that serve Mr. Trump and issued several new subpoenas. The brief unsigned order was a decisive defeat for Mr. Trump and a turning point in Mr. Vance’s investigation. Just hours later, eight years of financial records were handed over to Mr. Vance’s office. After Mr. Bragg expressed reservations about the case, Mr. Pomerantz and Mr. Dunne suspended the presentation of evidence about Mr. Trump to a grand jury.

Persons: Donald J, Michael D, Cohen, Trump, “, Cyrus R, Vance Jr, Vance’s, Stefani Reynolds, Trump’s, Allen H, Weisselberg, Vance, Alvin L, Bragg, Mark F, Carey Dunne, Pomerantz, Dunne, Bragg’s, Allen Weisselberg, Stormy Daniels, Mr, Midwinter Organizations: Mr, New, Trump Organization, The New York Times, Trump Locations: Manhattan, New York State, U.S

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers called on Thursday for an independent investigation into allegations of vote-rigging in Serbia and demanded that EU funds be cut off if the authorities in Belgrade fail to cooperate with the inquiry or are found to be implicated in election irregularities. The governing Serbian Progressive party of populist Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić won the Dec. 17 parliamentary and municipal elections, securing 129 seats in the 250-seat assembly. The opposition Serbia Against Violence coalition finished a distant second with 65 seats. The resolution has angered Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. Vučić’s ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his failure to enforce EU sanctions on Moscow have dismayed many.

Persons: Aleksandar Vučić, watchdogs, “, ”, Ana Brnabić, ” Brnabić, Vladimir Putin, ___ Dusan Stojanovic Organizations: —, Union, Serbian Progressive, Serbian, Violence, Organization for Security, Cooperation, Parliamentary, of Europe, Serbia’s National Assembly Locations: BRUSSELS, Serbia, Belgrade, Europe, Strasbourg, France, Moscow

☆ Kenneth Eugene Smith execution: Alabama set to carry out first execution by nitrogen gas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Dakin Andone | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Alabama is poised to carry out the first known execution using nitrogen gas Thursday to put Kenneth Smith to death for his role in a 1988 murder for hire. The state, in court records, indicated the redactions were made to maintain security. Smith’s team again Thursday morning appealed to the US Supreme Court and requested a stay of execution. “But the way that they’re constructing this, the way that they’re doing it, the way that they’re being silent, the way that they’re holding back information, yes, it’s incredibly concerning. Smith was convicted and sentenced to die, but an appeals court overturned the initial outcome and ordered a new trial.

Persons: Kenneth Smith, Smith, Smith’s, Steve Marshall, ”, “, Smith –, Jeff Hood, ” Hood, ” Smith’s, Elizabeth Sennett, Charles, Charles Sennett, Sennett, CNN’s Isabel Rosales, Devan Cole, Chris Youd, Olivia LaBorde Organizations: CNN, US, Supreme, Wednesday, ” Locations: Alabama

☆ Violent Crime Is Down. Here’s Why More People Feel Victimized.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Josh Zumbrun | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s rate of violent crime combines the most serious offenses: homicide, rape, aggravated assault and robbery. Photo: Matt Rourke/Associated PressCrime has been generating what look like contradictory headlines. In October, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s annual report showed violent crime in 2022 fell to its relatively low, prepandemic level. Yet in November, Gallup reported that a record-high 63% of U.S. adults said the “crime situation in the U.S. is extremely or very serious.”

Persons: Matt Rourke, ” Organizations: Federal, Associated, Federal Bureau, Gallup Locations: U.S

☆ Watchdog to Probe FBI Headquarters Selection Process
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Sadie Gurman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FBI Director Christopher Wray has cited a potential conflict of interest in the site-selection process. Photo: elizabeth frantz/ReutersWASHINGTON—A government watchdog is launching an investigation into how the Biden administration chose a suburban Maryland site for the FBI’s new headquarters after Director Christopher Wray and Virginia lawmakers accused a political appointee of inappropriately interfering with the siting decision. Robert Erickson, acting inspector general for the General Services Administration, told lawmakers Thursday his office would immediately probe the decision to relocate the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s main campus to Greenbelt, Md., after a decadelong drama that engulfed the site-selection process.

Persons: Christopher Wray, elizabeth frantz, Biden, Robert Erickson Organizations: Reuters WASHINGTON, General Services Administration, Federal Bureau Locations: Maryland, Virginia, Investigation’s, Greenbelt, Md

☆ US lawmakers question tax prep companies on sharing of taxpayer data with Big Tech platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“Americans should be able to file their taxes without fear that their sensitive data will be shared with Big Tech companies,” said the letters, copies of which were obtained by CNN. The letters — led by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren — focus on the use of tracking technology developed by tech platforms and embedded within the tax prep companies’ websites that quietly transferred users’ personal information to Meta and Google, allegedly without their consent. Of the five tax prep companies, Intuit was not a major focus of the initial congressional probe because it did not use tracking pixels to the same extent as the others, the investigation found. They also asked the same question of each of the four other tax prep companies, as well as requesting a commitment to abide by the FTC’s warning not to use customer data in ways consumers did not expressly approve. The lawmakers requested that the tax prep firms respond by Nov. 8.

Persons: ”, Massachusetts Democratic Sen, Elizabeth Warren —, Warren, Meta, — Sens, Ron Wyden, Richard Blumenthal, Tammy Duckworth, Vermont Independent Bernie Sanders, Sheldon Whitehouse, Katie Porter Organizations: CNN, Federal Trade Commission, Big Tech, Massachusetts Democratic, Meta, Google, FTC, Intuit, Ramsey Solutions, Oregon Democrat, Connecticut Democrat, Vermont Independent, Rhode, Rhode Island Democrat, House Democratic Locations: Oregon, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, California

☆ Exclusive: Former Coast Guard head covered up secret investigation into sexual assaults at the Coast Guard Academy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Melanie Hicken Blake Ellis Curt Devine Pamela Brown Scott Bronstein | Melanie Hicken | Blake Ellis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Coast Guard Admiral Karl Schultz took over for Admiral Paul Zukunft as Coast Guard commandant at a Change of Command ceremony in June 2018. Jacquelyn Martin/APBy keeping the investigation secret, the Coast Guard avoided further scrutiny of how alleged rapists and other attackers were not held accountable at the academy. Linda Fagan became the first female commandant when she took charge of the Coast Guard in 2022. Fagan is not the only current Coast Guard official who was aware of the secret operation at some level. “There is always a new problem every day.”Do you have information to share about the Coast Guard Academy or Coast Guard?

Persons: Pamela Brown’s, Karl L, Schultz, —, Admiral Paul Zukunft, don’t, ” Zukunft, Admiral Charles W, Ray, Democratic Sens, Maria Cantwell, Tammy Baldwin of, Karl Schultz, Jacquelyn Martin, Sen, Richard Blumenthal, “, ”, Chad Wolf, Ken Cuccinelli, Linda Fagan, Evan Vucci, “ Fagan, Fagan, Paul Zukunft, Jessica Hill, Melissa Bert, ” Bert Organizations: CNN, US Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, Academy, DHS, Democratic, Senate, Committee, AP, United States, Loy Institute for Leadership, “, Coast Guard Academy Locations: Washington, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Connecticut

☆ The Wrong Way to Punish the FBI
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Review and Outlook: During Devon Archer's testimony to the House Oversight Committee, a picture emerged of how Hunter Biden's role on the board of Burisma got mixed up with Vice-President Joe Biden's Ukraine diplomacy. Images: EFE via ZUMA Press/Reuters Composite: Mark KellyRepublicans—and all Americans—have good reason to be angry about the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s many abuses of power. But as they look for how to sanction the bureau, one way not to do it is to kill a valuable intelligence authority for surveilling terrorists.

Persons: Devon Archer's, Hunter, Burisma, Joe Biden's, EFE, Mark Kelly, Mark Kelly Republicans —, — Organizations: Press, Reuters, Mark Kelly Republicans, Federal Bureau Locations: Joe Biden's Ukraine

A Georgia judge on Monday forcefully rejected an effort by former President Donald J. Trump to throw out evidence collected by a special grand jury and to remove the current prosecutor from the investigation into Mr. Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Judge Robert C. I. McBurney of the Fulton County Superior Court wrote in a nine-page order that Mr. Trump did not have the legal standing to make such challenges before indictments were handed up. The office of the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, a Democrat, is expected to present potential indictments in the matter to a regular grand jury by mid-August. A “special purpose” grand jury, which did not have indictment power, interviewed dozens of witnesses and subpoenaed documents over the course of roughly seven months. Then, the jury issued an advisory report that recommended the indictment of a number of people for violations of Georgia laws, according to the jury forewoman.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Robert C, Fani, Willis Organizations: Court, Democrat Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

☆ Opinion | The Story of the Student Journalist and the Stanford President
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Theo Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But a comment on an online science forum called PubPeer convinced me something might be at the bottom of this one. That anonymous 2015 observation helped spark a chain of events that led Stanford’s president, Marc Tessier-Lavigne, to announce his resignation this month. Stanford opened the investigation in response to reporting I published last autumn in The Stanford Daily, taking a closer look at scientific papers he published from 1999 to 2012. (My team of editors, advisers and lawyers at The Stanford Daily stand by our work.) In retrospect, much of the data manipulation is obvious.

Persons: Marc Tessier, Lavigne, . Tessier, Tessier Organizations: Stanford, Stanford Daily, The Stanford Daily

☆ AT&T, Verizon stocks pare back losses after hitting decades lows on toxic lead cable investigation
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

That prompted a flurry of downgrades from analysts that in turn helped spur a steep sell-off in telecom stocks. Since the investigation’s publication, AT&T shares have tumbled roughly 14%, Verizon fell 10% and Frontier Communications slid 33%. AT&T shares on Tuesday fell to $13.45, its lowest closing price since 1993. Verizon shares fell 7.5% to $31.46 on Monday to their lowest closing level since 2010 before paring back their losses slightly on Tuesday. Lawmakers have demanded action to further investigate the network of toxic lead cables in the wake of the release.

Persons: JPMorgan Chase, Edward Jones, David Heger, paring, Akin, ” Neil Mack, Democratic Sen, Edward Markey, Jonathan Spalter, ” Markey, USTelecom Organizations: CNN —, Verizon, AT, Bell, Frontier Communications, JPMorgan, CNN, Moody’s Investors Service, Lawmakers, Democratic Locations: United States, U.S

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