Author: a1obm

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A police training expert testifying Saturday as a defense witness in the trial of three former Memphis officers charged in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols acknowledged that kicks and punches to Nichols’ head were unnecessary and excessive.Don Cameron took the stand in the trial of Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith, who have pleaded not guilty to state charges including second-degree murder. They already face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges last year. Cameron and a series of other witnesses testified before defense lawyers rested their case late…

The Justice Department unit that ensures compliance with voting rights laws will switch its focus to investigating voter fraud and ensuring elections are not marred by “suspicion,” according to an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press.The new mission statement for the voting section makes a passing reference to the historic Voting Rights Act, but no mention of typical enforcement of the provision through protecting people’s right to cast ballots or ensuring that lines for legislative maps do not divide voters by race. Instead, it redefines the unit’s mission around conspiracy theories pushed by Republican President Donald Trump to explain…

The three men who allegedly murdered an Israeli businessman late last month in his Los Angeles home are all illegal immigrants from Georgia — one of whom was released after an earlier crime by a sanctuary city, sources told The Post. The three attackers allegedly broke into Alexander Modebadze’s Los Angeles home, where they held the 47-year-old captive for hours before savagely beating him to death, police said in a statement. Cops later arrested Pata Kochiashvili, Zaza Otarashvili and Besiki Khutsishvili and charged them with murder — and all three now have federal immigration detainers lodged against them, according to sources.…

The Department of Justice (DOJ) will stop monitoring how Worcester Public Schools (WPS) provides English as a Second Language, the school district announced Monday.In a notification received on April 30 by WPS, the DOJ announced it would end the monitoring of the district, citing that WPS “substantially complied with its obligations” as outlined in a 2016 legal agreement, according to WPS.For the past nine years, WPS has been overseen by the DOJ over how the district offers English as a Second Language, according to the press release from Worcester Public Schools.In 2016, the district entered an agreement with the federal…

[Ray Bogan] Most members of Congress, including Republicans, are concerned about the Trump administration’s handling of sensitive materials. Here are the results of a new survey that gives an inside look at the Signalgate scandal through the eyes of Capitol Hill. A new survey of senior staff on Capitol Hill by Punchbowl News found 76% said their boss is worried. Breaking it down by party, 100% of Democrats said they’re concerned in addition to 52% of Republicans. The survey began April 7, two weeks after reporter Jeffrey Goldberg revealed former National Security Adviser Mike Waltz accidentally added him to a…

Superintendent Alex Marrero has asked Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education to censure director John Youngquist, alleging the former East High principal is gunning for his job and actively working against the district. Marrero made the request in a scathing email to school board President Carrie Olson on April 22 in which he laid out numerous grievances against Youngquist, including accusations that the director has created a toxic work environment, undermined DPS leaders and showed racial insensitivity to district staff. Youngquist’s behavior, the superintendent wrote, “constitutes a serious threat to the health, functionality and integrity of our school district.” “His…

[LAUREN KEENAN] YEMEN’S HOUTHI MILITANT GROUP LAUNCHED A MISSILE THAT LANDED NEAR AN AIRPORT IN ISRAEL OVER THE WEEKEND- PROMPTING GLOBAL CONCERN OVER AVIATION SAFETY IN THE REGION. THE MISSILE LANDED NEAR ISRAEL’S BEN GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON SUNDAY- DISRUPTING AIR TRAFFIC AS FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS HAVE CONTINUED INTO MONDAY. ACCORDING TO ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES, MILITARY PERSONNEL FAILED TO INTERCEPT THE PROJECTILE DUE TO A TECHNICAL MALFUNCTION IN ITS MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM. THE HOUTHIS CLAIMED RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE INCIDENT- AND CALLED ON INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES TO HALT ALL FLIGHTS TO ISRAELI AIRPORTS- WARNING THAT FAILURE TO DO SO COULD ENDANGER BOTH AIRCRAFT…

For decades, U.S. shrimpers struggled to compete against a flood of cheap, foreign imports. Despite hopes that recent tariffs under the Trump administration could help level the playing field by making imported shrimp more expensive, the damage to the domestic industry has been profound. In Alabama alone, the number of licensed shrimpers has declined by more than two-thirds since the 1990s, forcing many to shut down entirely. Now, one scientist is fighting back. Dave Williams, a commercial fisheries scientist and founder of SeaD Consulting, is leading a campaign to uncover where shrimp served in Gulf Coast restaurants and festivals really…

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s Education Department warned Harvard University Monday that the Ivy League school is no longer eligible for new federal grants — until they address rampant, flagrant antisemitism on campus and otherwise “demonstrates responsible management.” In a lengthy letter to university President Alan Garber, Education Secretary Linda McMahon charged that Harvard “has made a mockery of this country’s higher education system.” “It has invited foreign students, who engage in violent behavior and show contempt for the United States of America, to its campus,” she added. “In every way, Harvard has failed to abide by its legal obligations, its ethical and fiduciary duties,…

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she declined an offer from United States President Donald Trump to deploy American military personnel to Mexico. Speaking to supporters on Saturday, Sheinbaum shared details of an April 16 phone call with Trump in which he proposed U.S. troop involvement as part of efforts to combat drug trafficking. According to the Wall Street Journal published on Friday, May 2, tensions rose during the 45-minute call between the two leaders when Trump “pushed to have U.S. armed forces take a leading role in battling Mexican drug gangs.” Sheinbaum said she rejected the offer and reportedly told…