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Straits Times
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
AFP photographer shot in face with rubber bullets fired by authorities at LA protest
An AFP photographer who was covering the demonstrations on June 14 was struck twice by rubber bullets fired by authorities. PHOTO: MARK ABRAMSON./NEW YORK TIMES LOS ANGELES - An Agence France-Presse photographer was recovering on J une 16 after he was shot in the face with a rubber bullet by law enforcement during their stand-off with protesters in downtown Los Angeles. The photographer was covering demonstrations on J une 1 4 – part of the many rallies across the country against US President Donald Trump. He was struck twice by rubber bullets fired by authorities when they abruptly moved in to disperse protesters, and had to be treated in hospital for his injuries. 'I was covering the protest ... approximately 90 feet (27m) away from the police when I received the impact of a rubber bullet in my face and another one in my right arm,' he recalled. The photographer, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was clearly identified as a journalist. 'I was working with two cameras, a helmet with AFP stickers on it and also, I had a big patch on my chest that said 'Press,'' he added. Los Angeles Police Department did not acknowledge firing at the photographer but said it had sought to clear protesters after declaring an unlawful assembly. 'Following the dispersal order, less-lethal munitions were used to clear the area of those who refused to comply and leave the area,' it told AFP in a statement. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which also policed the protest, said it was reviewing footage of the incident but added it was 'not clear whether our personnel were involved'. 'The LASD does not condone any actions that intentionally target members of the press,' it said. The rally on June 14 was the largest of the protests that began in Los Angeles on June 6 and have continued daily ever since. They first erupted in anger at raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), which has been ordered by the Trump administration to target undocumented migrants across the sprawling, heavily Latino city. The demonstrations have been mostly peaceful and confined to a small section of downtown Los Angeles. But at times they have spiralled into violence that Mr Trump has pounced on to send 4,000 National Guard and 700 Marines into the city – a move loudly protested by local officials. Other journalists have also been injured during the protests. The Guardian newspaper reported that a British photographer had to undergo emergency surgery after he was shot in the leg by a non-lethal round on June 7. Meanwhile, an Australian reporter was hit in the leg by a rubber bullet while she was reporting on live television on June 8, an incident slammed by the country's prime minister as 'horrific'. And the New York Post said its photographer was shot in the head with a rubber bullet, also during the June 8 clashes. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Boston Globe
06-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Trump backs off big promises about tariffs
Advertisement Within days of the April 2 announcement of the widespread tariffs, White House officials said around 70 countries were already calling to strike deals. Trump's trade adviser predicted there would be 90 deals in 90 days. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up But more than a month later, no such deals have materialized. And the clock is ticking. Trump predicted the first deals could be signed this week. But administration officials also made that prediction the week before that, and the week before that. On Tuesday, the president told the members of the press gathered around him that he would have an important announcement soon, but cautioned that it might not be a trade deal. 'You keep writing about deals, deals, 'when are we going to sign?'' Trump said, sounding annoyed at reporters' questions. Advertisement At another point he vented, 'I wish they'd stop asking how many deals are you signing this week.' Then Trump seemed to change the very definition of a deal from a two-sided agreement into a one-sided demand. In the next two weeks, the president said, he would sit down with his top aides and make unilateral 'deals' that the administration would announce without the participation of other countries. NEW YORK TIMES FDA critic named to lead agency's vaccine program WASHINGTON — Dr. Vinay Prasad, a prominent critic of the pharmaceutical industry and the Food and Drug Administration, has been named to oversee the agency's program for vaccines and biotech drugs. FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced the appointment Tuesday in a message to agency staff, praising Prasad's 'long and distinguished history in medicine.' Prasad is the latest in a series of medical contrarians and critics of COVID-19 measures to join the federal government under President Trump. Unlike political roles such as FDA commissioner, the job Prasad is stepping into has traditionally been held by an FDA career scientist. His appointment raises new questions about whether vaccines and other new therapies will face unnecessary scrutiny from regulators. Prasad replaces Dr. Peter Marks, FDA's longtime vaccine chief who resigned in March after clashing with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over concerns about the safety of vaccinations. In a social media post, Prasad likened Marks to 'a bobblehead doll that just stamps approval.' Last year, he told former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that Americans would probably be better off without the FDA in its current form. 'If you're talking about FDA 2024, I think they'd probably be better off as a result of not having the FDA' Prasad said during an appearance on Ramaswamy's podcast. Advertisement A professor at the University of California San Francisco, Prasad's medical training is in cancer and blood disorders. He first came to prominence among academics more than a decade ago for a series of papers scrutinizing the evidence behind new cancer therapies. Research by Prasad and his colleagues showed that many cancer drugs fast-tracked by the FDA have never been shown to improve or extend patient lives. Instead, the drugs are often approved based on alternate measures, such as the ability to shrink tumors, which are thought to predict long-term survival in patients. The FDA has long defended this practice as a way of accelerating approval of medicines for gravely ill patients. ASSOCIATED PRESS US says it'll reverse stop-work order on air-quality program at national parks WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has temporarily suspended an air-quality monitoring program at national parks across the country, according to an internal email obtained by The Washington Post and two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the decision is not public. The Interior Department, which includes the National Park Service, issued stop-work orders last week to the two contractors running the program, the email shows. The move adds to the chaos and uncertainty at many national parks that are already reeling from widespread layoffs ahead of the busy summer season. The National Park Service and Interior did not initially respond to requests for comment. After this article was published, however, Park Service spokeswoman Rachel Pawlitz said in an email that the stop-work orders would be reversed and that 'contractors will be notified immediately.' The two contractors — Air Resource Specialists and Desert Research Institute — did not return requests for comment. Advertisement The program collects data on levels of harmful air pollutants, including ozone and particulate matter, at the 63 national parks in the United States. Federal officials consult this data when deciding whether to grant permits to nearby industrial facilities, such as power plants or oil refineries. Breathing in these pollutants is linked to a range of adverse health effects. For instance, long- and short-term exposure to particulate matter is associated with heart attacks, strokes, asthma attacks and premature death, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The program also aims to curb regional haze, which forms when sunlight encounters tiny pollution particles in the air. Over the last several decades, regional haze has reduced visibility at scenic viewpoints in parks nationwide. The State Department in March ended its own air-quality monitoring program, which relied on sensors at more than 80 U.S. embassies and consulates. That program largely operated in countries where such data was otherwise limited or unreliable. WASHINGTON POST N.C. elections officials told to certify Democrat's Supreme Court win A federal judge on Monday ordered North Carolina election officials to certify a November election and confirm the narrow victory of a Democratic justice on the state Supreme Court. The order was the latest development in a back-and-forth legal saga that has gone on for six months. The Republican who lost the case has seven days to appeal the decision, which could prolong the dispute. In the order, Richard E. Myers II, chief judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina, wrote that 'retroactive changes to election procedures raise serious due process concerns.' Justice Allison Riggs won the November election by 734 votes, confirmed by two recounts. Her opponent, Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin, sued in state court, arguing tens of thousands of votes should be thrown out. Advertisement Griffin challenged more than 60,000 votes that were cast by people who did not have the last four digits of their Social Security numbers or other identifiers on file with election officials when they voted in November. He also challenged the validity of thousands of ballots cast in a few counties by military and overseas voters without a copy of their photo ID. North Carolina requires photo ID for voting, but election officials did not tell military and overseas voters to provide it because of a federal law aimed at making it easier for them to cast a ballot. Griffin also challenged a smaller group of voters - overseas North Carolinians who checked a box indicating that they have never lived in the United States when they cast an absentee ballot in 2024. WASHINGTON POST
Boston Globe
25-03-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Elon Musk's ‘what did you do last week?' email clogs government inbox
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up SOCIAL MEDIA Advertisement With a US ban looming, TikTok portrays itself as a force for good An electronic billboard for TikTok in Times Square in New York on Jan. 24. JUAN ARREDONDO/NYT In an emotional advertisement running on Facebook and Instagram over the past month, a young woman, Katie, talks about being diagnosed with an illness that resulted in kidney failure at age 19. But she was able to find a transplant match 'because a stranger was scrolling on TikTok.' Thanks to that stranger's kidney, she continued, she was here today. 'For some people, having TikTok has literally been life saving,' the company wrote in a caption punctuated by a tearful smiling emoji. The messages are part of a new ad blitz from TikTok, the popular social media app owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance. The campaign frames TikTok as a savior of Americans and a champion of small businesses as the app hurtles toward an April 5 deadline to sell the company to a non-Chinese owner or face a ban in the United States. President Trump, who paused a federal law demanding TikTok's sale because of national security concerns related to its ties to China, has said he will give the app more time for a deal if needed. But TikTok does not appear to be taking any chances. In the past couple of months, the company has wallpapered Washington in marketing; bought wraparound ads in the print editions of the New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times; and poured money into national commercials. TikTok, which spent about $5 million on advertising time for commercials in February and March last year when Congress was first debating the ban, has already spent more than $7 million in the same months this year, according to estimates from AdImpact, a media tracking firm. — NEW YORK TIMES Advertisement CRYPTO Trump venture introduces new digital currency The World Liberty Financial logo arranged on a smartphone. Gabby Jones/Bloomberg World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency company started by President Trump and his sons, announced Tuesday that it was planning to sell a digital currency called a stablecoin, deepening the president's financial ties to crypto as his administration relaxes enforcement of the industry. The stablecoin would be known as USD1, the company wrote in a social media post, without revealing when it would go on sale. Stablecoins, a popular form of cryptocurrency, are designed to maintain a constant value of $1, making them useful for many types of crypto transactions. 'No games. No gimmicks. Just real stability,' World Liberty posted on its X social media account. The stablecoin is the fourth digital currency that Trump and his business partners have marketed to the public over the past year. — NEW YORK TIMES ACQUISITIONS Kroger blames Albertsons for merger's demise in new court filings A Kroger grocery store in Houston. Mark Felix/Bloomberg Kroger is denying Albertsons' claims that it didn't do enough to ensure regulatory approval of the companies' planned supermarket merger. In court papers filed Tuesday in the Delaware Court of Chancery, Kroger said Albertsons disregarded the companies' merger agreement and worked secretly with a partner, C&S Wholesalers, to try to force Kroger to divest more stores to C&S. Kroger also claimed that Albertsons was secretly planning to sue Kroger if the deal didn't go through long before the merger actually fell apart in December. Kroger said in Tuesday's court filing that it should not be forced to pay Albertsons a $600 million termination fee as well as billions of dollars in legal fees. In a statement Tuesday, Albertsons said it was Kroger that failed to honor the merger agreement. 'Kroger's self-interested conduct doomed the merger, and we are now focused on returning value to Albertsons' shareholders to compensate for those losses,' Albertsons said. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement CIVIL ENGINEERING US infrastructure improved with Biden-era spending but there's a long way to go Former president Joe Biden spoke about his infrastructure agenda under the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge on Jan. 4, 2023, in Covington, Ky. Patrick Semansky/Associated Press A once-every-four-years report card on the upkeep of America's infrastructure gave it a 'C' grade on Tuesday, up slightly from previous reports, largely due to investments made during former president Joe Biden's administration. The report from the American Society of Civil Engineers, which examined everything from roads and dams to drinking water and railroads, warns that federal funding must be sustained or increased to avoid further deterioration and escalating costs. 'We have seen the investments start to pay off, but we still have a lot of work to do out there,' said Darren Olson, chair of this year's report. He said decrepit infrastructure — from poor roads that damage cars to delayed flights to power outages that spoil groceries — hurts people and the economy. 'By investing in our infrastructure, we're making our economy more efficient, we're making it stronger (and) we're making ourselves globally more competitive,' he said. It's especially critical that infrastructure can handle more extreme weather due to climate change, said Olson, noting hurricanes that devastated the East Coast and parts of Appalachia last year. The United States saw 27 weather disasters last year that cost at least $1 billion, second-most since 1980. The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provided $550 billion in new infrastructure investments, but is set to expire in 2026. Another $30 billion came from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, including for projects focused on clean energy and climate change, the engineering group said. In 2021, the United States earned a C-minus overall. The investments made since then are just a fraction of the $9.1 trillion that the civil engineers group estimates is needed to bring all of the nation's current infrastructure into a state of good repair. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement TECH More states move to ban cellphones in school A student's cellphone at Bayside Academy in San Mateo, Calif. Lea Suzuki/Associated Press More states are moving to ban or restrict cellphones in school, a trend that continues to win bipartisan support in legislatures. Senators in Georgia voted 54-2 on Tuesday to give final approval to a bill that would bans students in grades K-8 from using phones or other personal electronic devices during the school day. The measure goes to Republican Governor Brian Kemp for his signature or veto. Currently, nine states ban phones in school, but that number will likely soon rise. Similar bills this year have passed by wide margins in New Mexico, Tennessee, and Utah and await action by those states' governors. Measures are also progressing rapidly in other states. The push for cellphone bans has been driven by concerns about the impact screen time has on children's mental health and complaints from teachers that cellphones have become a constant distraction in the classroom. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement LEGAL Judge sets June 23 criminal trial over Boeing 737 Max crashes The Boeing factory in Renton, Wash. Lindsey Wasson/Associated Press A federal judge in Texas ordered Boeing Co. to stand trial June 23 in a criminal case over two deadly crashes of its 737 Max aircraft, a stunning turnaround in the long-running legal saga over the planemaker's culpability. US District Judge Reed O'Connor announced the trial date in a Tuesday order and did not offer any explanation for his decision. Boeing and the US Justice Department have been negotiating a revised plea agreement in recent months, after O'Connor narrowly rejected their initial settlement proposal because it included a provision related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. A Boeing spokeswoman declined to comment. The US Justice Department didn't respond to a request for comment. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Green reiterates opposition to RFK Jr. as U.S. health chief
NEW YORK TIMES 'By all accounts, Republican and Democrat, except for people who are completely truly partisan, he did not do well at all. He didn't know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.' Gov. Josh Green On Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Green is pictured above in January at the U.S. Capitol. 1 /3 NEW YORK TIMES 'By all accounts, Republican and Democrat, except for people who are completely truly partisan, he did not do well at all. He didn't know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.' Gov. Josh Green On Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Green is pictured above in January at the U.S. Capitol. GOVERNOR'S OFFICE Gov. Josh Green meets with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in Washington, D.C. 2 /3 GOVERNOR'S OFFICE Gov. Josh Green meets with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in Washington, D.C. NEW YORK TIMES Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 3 /3 NEW YORK TIMES Robert F. Kennedy Jr. NEW YORK TIMES 'By all accounts, Republican and Democrat, except for people who are completely truly partisan, he did not do well at all. He didn't know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.' Gov. Josh Green On Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Green is pictured above in January at the U.S. Capitol. GOVERNOR'S OFFICE Gov. Josh Green meets with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in Washington, D.C. NEW YORK TIMES Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Gov. Josh Green reiterated his opposition to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. becoming the next secretary of health and human services as a Senate committee is scheduled to vote today on whether to advance the nomination to the full Senate. Since then-President-elect Donald Trump nominated anti-vaccine activist Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees a $1.7 trillion budget, Green has traveled twice to Washington, D.C., in the past month to oppose the appointment. Green was invited to travel to Washington from Jan. 27 to 29 by the Protect Our Health Coalition, U.S. Sens Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska—along with other senators who reportedly requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation—to meet with Senate members and provide input on Kennedy's nomination. Green also said he expects 'a lot more requests for me to go and provide some leadership on national health matters.' His second trip made him the only governor at the time to travel specifically to oppose Kennedy's nomination, following his first visit Jan. 5-9. The governor told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that he is prepared to make quick, two-day trips as needed to defend Hawaii's health priorities, particularly regarding Medicaid and Medicare, while offering his unique perspective as the nation's only physician governor. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. 'There are tenfold more asks, it seems, already, for me to help people on the Medicaid and Medicare question, to protect that from Democrats and Republicans, because plenty of red states are worried about this, too, ' Green said. If the Senate Finance Committee advances Trump's nomination of Kennedy to lead the DHHS, the full Senate will vote on confirmation. If confirmed, Kennedy would oversee Medicaid, Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. Green, who sat in the Senate chamber during last week's confirmation hearing before the Finance Committee, described Kennedy's performance as 'terrible.' 'By all accounts, Republican and Democrat, except for people who are completely truly partisan, he did not do well at all, ' Green said. 'He didn't know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. He refuses to dial back his anti-vaccine rhetoric. He says he's pro-vaccine, but then refuses to admit that studies have shown which vaccines are safe and which ones people should be warned about.'On the first day of his second administration, Trump issued several executive orders, including including Executive Order 14009, which aimed to protect and strengthen Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. In a previous interview with the Star-Advertiser, Green strongly criticized Kennedy's nomination, calling it 'gross malpractice ' and warning that his appointment would cause significant harm if his role is confirmed. The announcement of Kennedy's nomination prompted a sharp response from Green, who recalled receiving an urgent call in 2019 from Samoa's prime minister during a deadly measles outbreak that claimed the lives of over 80 people, mostly children. Before the outbreak, Kennedy had visited Samoa with his anti-vaccine group, Children's Health Defense, where he met with local anti-vaxxers and government officials. Amid rising vaccine misinformation, Samoa's vaccination rates plummeted from 60 %-70 % to just 31 %, setting the stage for the outbreak. 'I don't have a crystal ball on what will happen, but I can tell you that both parties were very upset with Trump and how he's behaving because we expect a little bit more sober governance now in a second term, and his political people appear to be running roughshod over priorities.' Green reiterated that his opposition to Kennedy is not personal, noting he 'would likely support him ' if he were nominated for secretary of agriculture due to his positions on pesticides and processed food. 'But he's up for health and human services secretary, where he will destroy our public health system, ' Green said. Green suggested former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who served under Trump from 2017 to 2021, or U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician, as better candidates to lead HHS. 'They're both Republican, conservative, but professional and experienced health care officials. Either one of those guys would be completely qualified, and I would support them personally, ' he said. On a broader scale relating to health care, Green called the first week of Trump's presidency 'scary, ' expressing concern that Trump's impoundment of federal funds—freezing or withholding money appropriated by Congress—could be detrimental, especially to programs that help cover medical costs. 'Love or hate the bureaucracy—and I know that some of our MAGA friends hate it—there are very necessary programs they're not acknowledging that have to continue, like our Medicaid program, ' Green said. In Hawaii, Medicaid, Medicare and the ACA are essential in providing health care coverage. Medicaid offers coverage to low-income residents, including children, pregnant women, seniors and the disabled, helping to serve Hawaii's most vulnerable populations. As of Jan. 4, a total of 406, 813 people in Hawaii are enrolled in Medicaid, with over half of the children in the islands enrolled in it, according to the state Department of Human Services. 'We understand the concerns about Medicaid funding. Please know that we, at the Department of Human Services, hear your concerns, and we will continue to provide you with as much clarity as possible, ' DHS Director Ryan Yamane wrote in an email to the Star-Advertiser. 'At this time, we want to assure you that if you are covered by QUEST (Medicaid ), your health coverage remains in place. Based on the information we have, we fully expect this to continue. If anything changes, we will communicate that information quickly to all impacted residents and their healthcare providers. In the meantime, please continue to access the healthcare serv ices you need.' Additionally, as of August, more than 300, 000 Hawaii residents were enrolled in Medicare, providing support for people 65 or older, younger people with disabilities and those with permanent kidney failure by helping cover medical costs. According to U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, the ACA—commonly known as Obamacare—has had a significant impact in Hawaii, reducing the number of uninsured people by nearly half. By 2022 over 45, 000 residents gained coverage through the ACA. The law expanded Medicaid eligibility in Hawaii and established health insurance marketplaces where residents can purchase subsidized plans. It also prohibits insurers from denying coverage due to preexisting conditions and mandates that insurance plans cover essential health benefits. Green acknowledged that to offset the costs of Trump's tax cuts for the rich, reductions in other areas of the budget, including health care, are likely. He reassured the state that if resources and important programs like Medicaid are cut, he will work to ensure Hawaii covers any resulting shortfalls. 'I can tell you that governors are going to fight for resources for their people, red-or blue-state governors, and so that may be, ultimately, where the policy divide lies, ' he said. While acknowledging that elections have consequences, Green emphasized his commitment to doing his best with the resources available to Hawaii and pushing for additional resources to bring into the state.———Star-Advertiser staff writer Dan Nakaso contributed to this report.
