
Trump pardons a labor union leader on the eve of sentencing for failing to report gifts
WASHINGTON — A labor union leader who pleaded guilty to failing to report gifts from an advertising firm was pardoned by President Donald Trump on the eve of his sentencing hearing Wednesday, court records show.
James Callahan, of Lindenhurst, New York, was general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers when he accepted — but failed to properly report — receiving at least $315,000 in tickets to sporting events and concerts and other amenities from a company that the union used to place ads.
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CNN
10 minutes ago
- CNN
UnitedHealthcare accused The Guardian of looking to ‘capitalize' on CEO's murder in lawsuit
UnitedHealthcare sued The Guardian and its parent on Wednesday for defamation, claiming the US version of the British daily newspaper ran information it knew to be incorrect in order to 'capitalize' on the assassination of the medical insurer's CEO. The article in question was produced and published by The Guardian's US investigations team as part of a series titled 'Too Big to Care' and was available worldwide at publication. In the article, George Joseph, an investigative reporter for The Guardian's US publication, wrote that UnitedHealth Group, UnitedHealthcare's parent, had engaged in cost-cutting tactics by paying off nurses to cut down on hospital transfers. Citing internal emails, documents and interviews with more than 20 current and former staffers, the report claimed that the payments were made 'as part of a UnitedHealth program.' Nursing home residents in need of 'immediate hospital care under the program failed to receive it' because of 'interventions from UnitedHealth staffers,' per the report. The lawsuit from UnitedHealth Group, United Healthcare Services and Optum, the group's health services segment, filed in Delaware's Superior Court, accused The Guardian of publishing 'knowingly false claims' in the story, alleging it used 'deceptively doctored documents' and 'patently untruthful anecdotes' to produce the article. 'The Guardian knew these accusations were false, but published them anyway, brazenly trying to capitalize on the tragic and shocking assassination of UnitedHealthcare's then-CEO, Brian Thompson,' the lawsuit alleged. The Guardian is strongly pushing back against UnitedHealthcare's lawsuit, emphasizing in a statement that it will defend Joseph's reporting. 'The Guardian stands by its deeply-sourced, independent reporting, which is based on thousands of corporate and patient records, publicly filed lawsuits, declarations submitted to federal and state agencies, and interviews with more than 20 current and former UnitedHealth employees — as well as statements and information provided by UnitedHealth itself over several weeks,' The Guardian said in a statement. 'It's outrageous that in response to factual reporting on the practice of secretly paying nursing homes to reduce hospitalizations for vulnerable patients, UnitedHealth is resorting to wildly misleading claims and intimidation tactics via the courts,' the publication said. The health care giant's accusations echo a statement published by UnitedHealth Group the same day The Guardian released its investigation. In the statement, the company accused the publication of building a 'narrative' using 'anecdotes rather than facts.' The company noted that the Justice Department had investigated the allegations, interviewed witnesses, and combed through thousands of documents, only to find 'the significant factual inaccuracies in the allegations.' A UnitedHealth Group spokesperson told CNN that The Guardian 'refused to engage with the truth and chose instead to print its predetermined narrative.' 'The Guardian knowingly published false and misleading claims about our Institutional Special Needs Program, forcing us to take action to protect the clinician-patient relationship that is crucial for delivering high-quality care,' the company said in a statement. However, despite the claim, a spokesperson for The Guardian told CNN that it has 'received no requests for correction or retraction on any aspect of the story.' UnitedHealthcare is being represented by Clare Locke, a law firm known for taking on defamation cases against media organizations. The firm has also represented Project Veritas; and one of its partners, Jered Ede, who is working on the UnitedHealthcare lawsuit, was also Project Veritas's chief legal officer.


News24
10 minutes ago
- News24
Ahee, Papa Penny, ahee! MKP MP lightens up Safa's appearance in Parliament
Screenshot The attempted grilling of Safa by Umkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP) MP and musician Gezani Kobane, popularly known as Papa Penny, during the association's appearance before the parliamentary portfolio committee for sport on Tuesday left many South Africans in stitches. The musician-turned-politician asked Safa chief financial officer (CFO) Gronie Hluyo why he was still in the employ of Safa when he was facing serious charges of fraud and corruption while other staff members had already faced discipline and suspension. Reading his prepared question, Papa Penny was the talking point after the meeting. Some people called for Parliament to have translators and allow members to speak in their own languages.


Fox News
10 minutes ago
- Fox News
Hooters abruptly closes restaurants in multiple states amid bankruptcy restructuring: 'Never easy'
Hooters has closed more than 30 of its restaurants in multiple states this week, according to reports. The Atlanta-based Hooters of America locations that closed were corporately owned. "Hooters will be well-positioned to continue our iconic legacy under a pure franchise business model," the company told USA Today in a statement. "We are committed to supporting our impacted team members throughout this process and are incredibly grateful to our valued customers for their loyalty and dedication to the Hooters brand." Hooters of America recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of an effort to enable a founder-led buyout and restructuring of the popular restaurant chain. Fox News Digital reached out to Hooters of America for a list of the locations that closed. USA Today reported that restaurants in at least 10 states have shut down, including in Florida and Texas. Neil Kiefer, CEO of Hooters Inc., the Clearwater, Florida-based company that founded the Hooters concept in 1983, told Fox News Digital in April that his group plans to "clean these stores up" and "change the culture." Closing certain underperforming locations was always part of the plan, according to a news release from Hooters Inc. Hooters Inc. owns and operates 22 Hooters restaurants in Florida and Illinois, with two more locations slated to open in Florida later this year. Along with another existing franchisee, the Hooters buyer group collectively controls over 30% of the domestic locations, including 14 of the 30 highest-volume restaurants, according to a March 31 news release announcing the restructuring plan. Once the restructuring has been approved by a bankruptcy court, the buyer group anticipates operating about 130 Hooters restaurants – roughly 65% of the domestic Hooters locations. "We are confident that the acquisition will be finalized later this summer and we are excited to move forward into the next chapter of the Hooters brand," Kiefer told Fox News Digital. "Decisions about store closures are never easy to make, but all parties are completely aligned in bringing the necessary resources required to make the remaining 200 domestic Hooters locations as successful as possible."