online games effects
House approves $895B defense bill with military pay raise, ban on transgender care for minors
NonePerson accused of accosting Rep. Nancy Mace at Capitol pleads not guilty to assault charge
FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — A jury convicted two men on Friday of charges related to human smuggling for their roles in an international operation that led to the deaths of a family of Indian migrants who froze while trying to cross the Canada-U.S. border during a 2022 blizzard. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who prosecutors say went by the alias “Dirty Harry,” and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that has brought increasing numbers of Indians into the U.S., prosecutors said. They were each convicted on four counts related to human smuggling, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. “This trial exposed the unthinkable cruelty of human smuggling and of those criminal organizations that value profit and greed over humanity,” Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger said. “To earn a few thousand dollars, these traffickers put men, women and children in extraordinary peril leading to the horrific and tragic deaths of an entire family. Because of this unimaginable greed, a father, a mother and two children froze to death in sub-zero temperatures on the Minnesota-Canadian border,” Luger added. The most serious counts carry maximum sentences of up to 20 years in prison, the U.S. Attorney’s Office told The Associated Press before the trial. But federal sentencing guidelines rely on complicated formulas. Luger said Friday that various factors will be considered in determining what sentences prosecutors will recommend. Federal prosecutors said 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik, froze to death Jan. 19, 2022, while trying to cross the border into Minnesota in a scheme Patel and Shand organized. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to Harshkumar Patel. The couple were schoolteachers, local news reports said. The family was fairly well off by local standards, living in a well-kept, two-story house with a front patio and a wide veranda. Experts say illegal immigration from India is driven by everything from political repression to a dysfunctional American immigration system that can take years, if not decades, to navigate legally. Much is rooted in economics and how even low-wage jobs in the West can ignite hopes for a better life. Before the jury’s conviction on Friday, the federal trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, saw testimony from an alleged participant in the smuggling ring, a survivor of the treacherous journey across the northern border, border patrol agents and forensic experts. Defense attorneys were pitted against each other, with Shand’s team arguing that he was unwittingly roped into the scheme by Patel. Patel’s lawyers, The Canadian Press reported , said their client had been misidentified. They said “Dirty Hary,” the alleged nickname for Patel found in Shand’s phone, is a different person. Bank records and witness testimony from those who encountered Shand near the border didn’t tie him to the crime, they added. Prosecutors said Patel coordinated the operation while Shand was a driver. Shand was to pick up 11 Indian migrants on the Minnesota side of the border, prosecutors said. Only seven survived the foot crossing. Canadian authorities found the Patel family later that morning, dead from the cold. The trial included an inside account of how the international smuggling ring allegedly works and who it targets. Rajinder Singh, 51, testified that he made over $400,000 smuggling over 500 people through the same network that included Patel and Shand. Singh said most of the people he smuggled came from Gujarat state. He said the migrants would often pay smugglers about $100,000 to get them from India to the U.S., where they would work to pay off their debts at low-wage jobs in cities around the country. Singh said the smugglers would run their finances through “hawala,” an informal money transfer system that relies on trust. The pipeline of illegal immigration from India has long existed but has increased sharply along the U.S.-Canada border. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested more than 14,000 Indians on the Canadian border in the year ending Sept. 30, which amounted to 60% of all arrests along that border and more than 10 times the number two years ago. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimates more than 725,000 Indians were living illegally in the U.S., behind only Mexicans and El Salvadorans. Jamie Holt, a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations, said the case is a stark reminder of the realities victims of human smuggling face. “Human smuggling is a vile crime that preys on the most vulnerable, exploiting their desperation and dreams for a better life,” Holt said. “The suffering endured by this family is unimaginable and it is our duty to ensure that such atrocities are met with the full force of the law.” One juror Kevin Paul, of Clearwater, Minnesota, told reporters afterward that it was hard for the jurors to see the pictures of the family’s bodies. He said he grew up in North Dakota and is familiar with the kind of conditions that led to their deaths. “It’s pretty brutal,” Paul said. “I couldn’t imagine having to do what they had to do out there in the middle of nowhere.”
SAN DIEGO — U.S. Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheeks, a former San Diego prosecutor and defense attorney, is tracking toward becoming one of the last two federal judges appointed by President Joe Biden, though it remains uncertain if he’ll make it across the finish line that is the Senate confirmation needed for the life-tenure position. Nominated by Biden in October for a U.S. district judge seat in the Southern District of California, Cheeks has become a political pawn in Washington, D.C., where Senate Democrats and Republicans are battling over more than a dozen federal judgeships in the waning days of the Biden administration. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump during his first term made judicial nominations a priority, as federal courts often have the final say on the legality of a president’s policies and the constitutionality of state and federal laws. During Trump’s first term, he appointed a total of 245 federal judges, including three Supreme Court justices, 54 appeals court judges and 174 district court judges, according to the U.S. Courts . Trump appointed just one judge to the federal bench in the Southern District of California. Biden will likely end his term having appointed about 230 federal judges, including at least six in the San Diego area. Cheeks would be his seventh appointee. Despite a Republican-led Senate confirming 19 of Trump’s nominees after he lost the 2020 election, Trump recently urged the Senate not to do the same for Biden by confirming his last slate of nominees, including Cheeks. “The Democrats are trying to stack the courts with radical left judges on their way out the door,” Trump claimed on social media. “Republican senators need to show up and hold the line — no more judges confirmed before inauguration day!” A few days later, after Senate Republicans promised to try to fulfill Trump’s wishes by stalling and preventing any more confirmations, Senate Democrats and Republicans reached a compromise . The terms of the deal allowed the Senate to confirm at least 12 more district judges without Republican roadblocks but will leave vacant four openings on appellate courts that Trump can fill. Cheeks was not among the 12 nominees included in the compromise, so Senate Republicans could still try to block his confirmation without reneging on the deal. But with a Democratic majority still in power, his confirmation rests more on whether the Senate has time to push his confirmation through, according to Carl Tobias, the Williams Chair in Law at the University of Richmond School of Law. “I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Tobias, who tracks federal judge and U.S. attorney appointments. “It’s certainly possible, but whether it’s probable, I can’t say.” Cheeks and Serena Murillo, a candidate for U.S. district judge in the Los Angeles area, got past a key hurdle just hours before the Senate compromise when they had a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The committee now must approve their nominations and send them to the full Senate for a vote. The Senate is on recess this week for Thanksgiving. But Tobias said that if the Judiciary Committee votes to approve the duo in the first or second week of December, it would give the full Senate enough time to confirm the two judges before going on a final recess. When the Senate returns from that recess, a new Republican majority will take power and would almost certainly vote against the Biden nominees. There are currently two federal judgeship vacancies in the Southern District of California, which covers San Diego and Imperial counties. The last-minute rush to confirm Cheeks stands in stark contrast to the nominee for the other vacant seat. San Diego Superior Court Judge Rebecca Kanter was nominated in January but never got a hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Her nomination will expire when the new Senate convenes next year. Neither Kanter nor Sen. Alex Padilla responded to recent questions about why her confirmation process stalled. “I’m bewildered by it,” Tobias said. “It’s so rare something like that happens ... It makes no sense.” Kanter was a federal prosecutor in San Diego for 16 years before winning a contested election to become a state court judge. Tobias said there was no indication of any red flags in her background. “The only people who may know what happened are the senators,” Tobias said, referring to Padilla and Laphonza Butler. Each state’s senators are typically responsible for vetting and recommending nominees to the president. Meanwhile, San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath, a Biden nominee confirmed by the Senate last year , appears unlikely to resign before Trump takes office. “The U.S. Attorney is proud to serve this district and will continue in the role as long as she is needed,” spokesperson Kelly Thornton said in a statement Monday. If history holds, the new Trump administration will request the resignations of McGrath and other Biden-appointed U.S. attorneys shortly after inauguration day. It’s a customary process that occurs for most of the 94 U.S. attorneys across the nation each time a presidential administration from a different party takes office. Trump’s U.S. attorney in San Diego, Robert Brewer, resigned on the last day of February 2021 , about a month after President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Weeks earlier, the Biden administration had requested the resignations of Brewer and all but two Trump-appointed U.S. attorneys. If McGrath is asked to resign, it will be up to the Trump administration to nominate her replacement and up to the Senate to confirm that nomination. That could take years, based on recent history. Former San Diego U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy, an appointee of President Barack Obama, was not sworn in as U.S. attorney until May 2010, about 16 months into his presidency. Brewer took office in January 2019, halfway through Trump’s first term. McGrath was sworn in just a year ago, nearly three full years into Biden’s presidency. Until Trump’s nominee is in place, the Department of Justice will appoint an acting U.S. attorney to lead the office. In the recent past, that interim position has gone to the first assistant U.S. attorney, the No. 2 person in the office. Andrew Haden, who had previously served as first assistant before McGrath’s arrival, was elevated back to the No. 2 position in the office earlier this month. His serving as acting U.S. attorney in the event of McGrath’s resignation would appear to make sense, given that he briefly filled the same role last year before McGrath took office. But that will ultimately be the decision of the DOJ and the attorney general, which at the moment is slated to be former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. ©2024 The San Diego Union-Tribune. Visit sandiegouniontribune.com . Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.NoneThe Boston Bruins will have four players taking part in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Jeremy Swayman will join defenseman Charlie McAvoy on Team USA in the round-robin tournament. McAvoy was previously named one of the first six players to the United States’ roster over the summer. Four Bruins in total will participate in the event: • Brad Marchand (Canada), • Elias Lindholm (Sweden) • McAvoy (USA) • Swayman (USA) Bruins general manager Don Sweeney is serving as the general manager for Team Canada. Two former Bruins players were also included on rosters as Linus Ullmark (Sweden) and Erik Haula (Finland) will participate. Hampus Lindholm was left off Sweden’s roster. The Bruins defenseman has been dealing with a lower-body injury since November. While the severity of the injury is unclear, , then-coach Jim Montgomery it would sideline Hampus Lindholm for weeks. Interim coach Joe Sacco didn’t have much of an update ahead of Boston’s Centennial game on Sunday, telling reporters he was still weeks away from a return. There was no media availability to ask questions of Swedish leadership to determine what they knew about Hampus Lindholm’s injury and whether they didn’t expect him to be back in time. Canada and Sweden open the tournament on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m., while the United States and Finland play on Feb. 13 at 8 p.m.
Words on ammo in CEO shooting echo common phrase on insurer tactics: Delay, deny, defend A message left at the scene of an insurance executive’s fatal shooting echoes a phrase commonly used to describe insurer tactics to avoid paying claims. The words “deny,” “defend” and “depose” were written on the ammunition used to kill UnitedHealthcare's CEO. That's according to two officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday. The words are similar to the phrase “delay, deny, defend.” That's how attorneys describe insurers denying services and payment, and the title of a 2010 book critical of the industry. Police haven’t officially commented on the words. But Thompson’s shooting and the messages on the ammunition have sparked outrage on social media and elsewhere, reflecting frustration Americans have over the cost and complexity of getting care. Bitcoin has surpassed the $100,000 mark as the post-election rally continues. What's next? NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin has topped the $100,000 mark, extending a rally in the world’s most popular cryptocurrency sparked by the election of Donald Trump. The milestone comes just hours after the president-elect signaled a lighter regulatory approach to the crypto industry with his choice of crypto advocate Paul Atkins to be the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission. Bitcoin has soared to unprecedented heights since Trump won the election Nov. 5. The cryptocurrency has climbed dramatically from $69,374 on Election Day and rose to more than $103,000 before falling back below $100,000 by Thursday afternoon. US judge rejects Boeing's plea deal in a conspiracy case stemming from fatal plane crashes DALLAS (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a deal that would have let Boeing to plead guilty to a felony conspiracy charge and pay a fine for misleading U.S. regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and 346 people died. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Texas said that diversity, inclusion and equity or DEI policies in the government and at Boeing could result in race being a factor in picking an official to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the agreement. His ruling on Thursday creates uncertainty around the criminal prosecution of the aerospace giant. The judge gave Boeing and the Justice Department 30 days to tell him how they plan to proceed. McKinsey subsidiary will pay $122M for scheme to bribe South African officials, US says WASHINGTON (AP) — An African subsidiary of the consulting firm McKinsey & Company Inc. will pay a criminal penalty of more than $122 million to resolve a U.S. Justice Department investigation into a yearslong scheme to bribe South African government officials. The Justice Department says the scheme involved bribes to officials with South Africa’s state-owned and state-controlled custodian of ports, rails, and pipelines, as well as its state-controlled energy company. It netted McKinsey Africa and its parent company $85 million in profits between 2012 and 2016, officials said. McKinsey said in a statement that it “welcomes the resolution of these matters and the closure of this regretful situation.” EPA hails 'revitalized' enforcement efforts as Biden administration heads to exit WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency says it concluded more than 1,850 civil cases this year, a 3.4% increase over 2023, and charged 121 criminal defendants, a 17.6% increase over the previous year. The agency also issued $1.7 billion in financial penalties, more than double last year's total. Thursday's report was the final one account of Biden-era enforcement actions before President-elect Donald Trump takes office in January. Enforcement efforts included first-ever criminal charges for a California man accused of smuggling climate-damaging air coolants into the United States. Engine maker Cummins Inc. paid more than $2 billion in fines and penalties after it was found to use illegal software to skirt diesel emissions tests. Work-life balance isn't working for women. Why? NEW YORK (AP) — About half of working women reported feeling stressed “a lot of the day,” compared to about 4 in 10 men, according to a Gallup report published Wednesday. The report suggests that competing demands of work and home comprise part of the problem: working women who are parents or guardians are more likely than men who are parents to say they have declined or delayed a promotion at work because of personal or family obligations, and mothers are more likely than fathers to “strongly agree” that they are the default responders for unexpected child care issues. But changing workplace culture and prioritizing well-being can improve the problem, according to Karen Guggenheim, creator of the World Happiness Summit. From outsider to the Oval Office, bitcoin surges as a new administration embraces crypto NEW YORK (AP) — Bitcoin burst on the scene after trust had withered in the financial system and Washington’s ability to protect people from it. Now, it’s Washington’s embrace of bitcoin that’s sending it to records. Bitcoin briefly surged above $103,000 after President-elect Donald Trump said he will nominate Paul Atkins, who's seen as friendly to crypto, to be the Securities and Exchange Commission's next chair. The crypto industry, meanwhile, did its part to bring politicians friendly to digital currencies into Washington. It's a twist from bitcoin's early days, when it was lauded as a kind of electronic cash that wouldn’t be beholden to any government or financial institution. Stock market today: Wall Street edges back from its records as bitcoin briefly pops above $100,000 NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks edged back from their records as Wall Street counted down to a big jobs report that’s coming on Friday. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.6%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.2% from its own all-time high. The crypto market had more action, and bitcoin briefly burst to a record above $103,000 before falling back toward $99,000. It's climbed dramatically since Election Day on hopes President-elect Donald Trump will be more friendly to crypto. Airline stocks were strong, while Treasury yields held relatively steady in the bond market. Key members of OPEC+ alliance are putting off production increases amid slack crude prices FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Eight members of the OPEC+ alliance of oil exporting countries have decided to put off increasing oil production as they face weaker than expected demand and competing production from non-allied countries — factors that could keep oil prices stagnant into next year. The OPEC+ members decided at an online meeting to postpone by three months production increases that had been scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. The plan had been to start gradually restoring 2.2 million barrels per day over the course of 2025. That process will now be pushed back to April 1, 2025 and production increases will gradually take place over 18 months until October 2026. Eli Lilly invests $3B to expand Wisconsin factory to help meet demand for Mounjaro, Zepbound Eli Lilly is spending another $3 billion to bulk up manufacturing as the drugmaker seeks to stoke production of some blockbuster drugs and future products. Lilly said Thursday it will expand a Kenosha County, Wisconsin, factory it bought early this year. The investment will help meet growing demand for injectable products like its diabetes and obesity drugs, Mounjaro and Zepbound. Those drugs brought in a combined $4.4 billion in sales for Lilly in this year’s third quarter. The drugmaker plans to start construction of the expansion next year.
NoneMerck Recommends Rejection of TRC Capital’s “Mini-Tender” Offer
Towie’s massive fall-out revealed as two stars ‘refuse to speak to’ former best friends after explosive row at filmingWhy Elon Musk can never balance the budget, in one chart
Recent storms underline coal tip vulnerabilitiesJim Thompson farm celebrates Isan culture
Defiant Adani says committed to compliance after US indictmentCHANGES NECESSARY?
None
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It took until the fourth quarter, when Kansas City was desperately trying to fend off the lowly Las Vegas Raiders, for Chiefs coach Andy Reid to finally make a drastic change to his offensive line. The Chiefs had tried Kingsley Suamataia at left tackle to start the season. When the rookie was getting beaten routinely for pressure and sacks, they switched to second-year pro Wanya Morris, who fared no better at protecting Patrick Mahomes . In the waning minutes of a 19-17 victory Friday — one that wasn't secure until Las Vegas fumbled away a chance at a winning field goal with 15 seconds left — the Chiefs slid All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney out to tackle. Mike Caliendo entered at guard. And while they didn't have much chance to work together, the move underscored what's been a season-long problem. “That was the right thing to do at the time,” Reid said afterward. “It just solidified things.” What is the solution moving forward? Well, the Chiefs signed former Pro Bowl left tackle D.J. Humphries last week, but he's been with the team for only a few days, and he's also coming off an ACL tear that sidelined him for the entire offseason. In a perfect world, Humphries would slide into the lineup in time for the Chiefs' game against the Chargers next Sunday. In a more realistic world, the Chiefs may need to make it through another week or two before he's ready to contribute, and that would mean putting Morris back into the lineup or keeping Thuney protecting Mahomes' blind side. “I would tell you it's disruptive to any offense when the quarterback is hit," Reid acknowledged, “and not able to get the ball off." Mahomes had gone 113 straight starts without being sacked five-plus times in a game; Carolina and Las Vegas have done it in consecutive weeks. And along with the sacks have been penalties on Morris and right tackle Jawaan Taylor, which have made it hard for a Kansas City offense that has had to adapt to injuries all season to consistently put together drives. “We have to make sure we clean those things up,” Reid said. “It's hard to go backwards in this league and win games.” Yet the Chiefs keep doing it. They have won an NFL-record 14 straight one-possession games, including five decided on the final play, this season. That has allowed them to piece together an 11-1 record and already clinch a postseason bye. “You're not satisfied with where we're at, even though we're winning football games,” Mahomes said. “Our goal over these last few games is to prove the team we really are going into the playoffs and play that way in the playoffs.” What’s working The passing game has started to produce — when Mahomes has time to throw — now that DeAndre Hopkins has become more ingrained in the offense. He had four catches for 90 yards against the Raiders, and his mere presence has opened things up for others, including Travis Kelce, who had seven catches for 68 yards. What needs help The Chiefs basically abandoned an unproductive running game against Las Vegas. Isiah Pacheco ran seven times for 44 yards in his return from an ankle injury, but 34 yards came on one carry. Kareem Hunt had 15 yards on his seven attempts. Stock up Two-time All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones had been held without a sack for seven consecutive games, but he managed to bring down Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell twice. That was important given how much trouble the Chiefs have had getting to the quarterback when they aren't blitzing this season. Stock down The entire Kansas City secondary has struggled for weeks, ever since cornerback Jaylen Watson was lost to a season-ending ankle injury. Nazeeh Johnson, Chamarri Conner and Bryan Cook in particular have been inconsistent in their coverage. Injuries The Chiefs made it through the Raiders game without any injuries. Key number 10 — The Chiefs have qualified for the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons. That is the second-longest streak in NFL history behind the Patriots, who made it 11 straight years from 2009-19. Next steps The game against the Raiders on Black Friday means the Chiefs have a couple of extra days to prepare for the Chargers. The Chiefs have beaten them six straight times, including a 17-10 win on Sept. 29 in Los Angeles. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
Why NuScale Power Stock Jumped 28% to an All-Time High This Week