Latest news with #USDepartmentofJustice
The Sun
6 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Trans Athlete Sparks Debate Ahead of California Finals
A TRANSGENDER high school athlete was preparing to compete at California's state championships on Friday after drawing criticism from President Donald Trump and reigniting debate about trans athletes in sport. AB Hernandez, 16, is due to compete in the long jump, triple jump and high jump during preliminary rounds of the California State Track & Field Championships in Clovis, outside of Fresno. Hernandez's participation at the meeting has been the subject of intense controversy, with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) scrambling to adjust competition rules this week as anger grew on all sides. On Tuesday, CIF officials announced that entry rules had been modified so that biological females were not excluded from competition due to the participation of trans athletes. A day later, the CIF issued another rule change -- specifically targeting events in which Hernandez is competing -- which mandates that any athlete who misses out on a podium finish behind a trans athlete would still receive a medal. 'If necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event,' the federation announced in a statement. The last-minute rules changes came after days of controversy which have included Hernandez being targeted by Trump on social media. The US President, who did not mention Hernandez by name, threatened to withhold federal funding from California in future if she was allowed to compete in this week's championships, which got under way on Friday with finals due on Saturday. 'As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,' Trump wrote. 'Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' Trump's comment was followed by an announcement from the US Department of Justice that it had launched an investigation into whether California had violated Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. 'The investigation is to determine whether California, its senior legal, educational, and athletic organizations, and the school district are engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of sex,' the DOJ said in a statement. Local and state officials have also criticised Hernandez's participation, calling for the teenager to be prevented from competing. At a press conference on Thursday, Clovis mayor Diane Pearce called for CIF to block Hernandez's participation following their rule amendments earlier in the week. 'Today, I call on CIF to do the right thing. Updates one and two were not enough, but the third time can be the charm,' Pearce said. 'CIF still has a chance to make it right by removing biological males from girls' sports.'
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Transgender athlete due to compete in California athletics championships
A TRANSGENDER high school athlete was preparing to compete at California's state championships on Friday after drawing criticism from President Donald Trump and reigniting debate about trans athletes in sport. AB Hernandez, 16, is due to compete in the long jump, triple jump and high jump during preliminary rounds of the California State Track & Field Championships in Clovis, outside of Fresno. Hernandez's participation at the meeting has been the subject of intense controversy, with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) scrambling to adjust competition rules this week as anger grew on all sides. On Tuesday, CIF officials announced that entry rules had been modified so that biological females were not excluded from competition due to the participation of trans athletes. A day later, the CIF issued another rule change -- specifically targeting events in which Hernandez is competing -- which mandates that any athlete who misses out on a podium finish behind a trans athlete would still receive a medal. 'If necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event,' the federation announced in a statement. The last-minute rules changes came after days of controversy which have included Hernandez being targeted by Trump on social media. The US President, who did not mention Hernandez by name, threatened to withhold federal funding from California in future if she was allowed to compete in this week's championships, which got under way on Friday with finals due on Saturday. 'As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,' Trump wrote. 'Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' Trump's comment was followed by an announcement from the US Department of Justice that it had launched an investigation into whether California had violated Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. 'The investigation is to determine whether California, its senior legal, educational, and athletic organizations, and the school district are engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of sex,' the DOJ said in a statement. Local and state officials have also criticised Hernandez's participation, calling for the teenager to be prevented from competing. At a press conference on Thursday, Clovis mayor Diane Pearce called for CIF to block Hernandez's participation following their rule amendments earlier in the week. 'Today, I call on CIF to do the right thing. Updates one and two were not enough, but the third time can be the charm,' Pearce said. 'CIF still has a chance to make it right by removing biological males from girls' sports.'
Bloomberg
18 hours ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Could Google Lose Chrome in Antitrust Battle?
Google and the US Department of Justice offer closing arguments Friday in the remedy phase of a trial over the tech giant's search monopolization. It's just one in a string of cases that have loomed over large tech firms this year as antitrust pressure mounts. The DOJ has pushed for Google to spin off Chrome, but Google has fought back. Meanwhile, Apple, Meta and others are finding themselves targeted on both sides of the Atlantic. Bloomberg's Charlie Wells reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
Mint
19 hours ago
- Business
- Mint
US-Boeing deal over 737 Max crashes: What are its terms, and what are victims' families saying? Explained
Following the settlement of a deal, the US Department of Justice has asked a federal judge in Texas to junk its criminal case against aircraft maker Boeing over two fatal crashes more than six years ago. The deal was made despite objections of family members of some victims of the crashes. Here is everything you need to know about the deal and what's really happening. The Justice Department has reached a deal with Boeing that will allow the company to avoid criminal prosecution, reports said quoting court papers last Friday. Boeing was charged for allegedly misleading US regulators about the 737 Max jetliner before two of the planes crashed and killed 346 people. In the court filing on May 23, the Justice Department said it had reached an 'agreement in principle' with Boeing. Dismissing the fraud charge will allow the manufacturer to avoid a possible criminal conviction that could have jeopardised the company's status as a federal contractor, the Associated Press reported quoting experts. As per the terms of the deal, Boeing will be required to pay and invest more than $1.1 billion. In return, the Justice Department will dismiss the criminal case against the aircraft manufacturer. This includes an additional $445 million for the crash victims' families. However, the deal has not been finalised yet. 'The Agreement guarantees further accountability and substantial benefits from Boeing immediately, while avoiding the uncertainty and litigation risk presented by proceeding to trial,' Justice Department lawyers wrote in court papers. US District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, will decide whether to accept the motion to dismiss, accept the terms of the non-prosecution agreement and whether to cancel the trial. O'Connor on Thursday ordered all the lawyers to present him with a briefing schedule on the government's motion by June 4. Paul Cassell, an attorney for many of the families in the long-running case, had previously said said his clients strongly oppose dropping the criminal case. 'Dismissing the case would dishonour the memories of 346 victims who Boeing killed through its callous lies,' Cassell said in a recent statement. Many relatives of the passengers who died in the crashes, which took place off the coast of Indonesia and in Ethiopia less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019, have spent years pushing for a public trial, the prosecution of former company officials, and more severe financial punishment for Boeing.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Guj man gets 10-yr jail in US for Dingucha deaths
1 2 3 New York: Two men have been sentenced to jail in the US for their roles in a human trafficking racket that resulted in the death of a Dingucha couple and their two children in Jan 2022. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, and his co-conspirator Steve Anthony Shand, 50, were part of a large-scale human-smuggling operation that brought Indian nationals to Canada on fraudulent student visas and then smuggled them into the US across the northern border. Ramanlal Patel, an Indian national from Florida, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison for his role in the conspiracy. He will be deported from the US following his sentence. Shand was sentenced to six years and six months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, the US Department of Justice said in a statement on Wednesday. In Jan 2022, four family members -- Jagdish Patel, 39, Vaishaliben Patel, 37, Vihangi Patel, 11 and Dharmik Patel, 3, were found frozen to death near Emerson, Manitoba, approximately 12 metres from the Canada-US border, while attempting to enter America illegally. Ramanlal Patel was arrested by authorities from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in 2024 for his involvement in the human smuggling conspiracy. "Every time I think about this case, I think about this family — including two beautiful little children — who the defendants left to freeze to death in a blizzard," acting US attorney Lisa Kirkpatrick for the District of Minnesota said. "As we've seen time and time again, human traffickers care nothing for humanity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo I am proud of the work of our law enforcement partners in holding these defendants accountable for their unspeakable crimes," she said. The Justice Department statement said Ramanlal Patel organised the logistics of smuggling individuals from Manitoba, Canada, into the United States, with other co-conspirators, and Shand picked them up just south of the Canadian border in the US and drove them to Chicago. Both men were paid for their roles in the conspiracy and disregarded the risks posed to the persons by the cold weather at the northern border. According to evidence at trial, the going rate to be smuggled from India through Canada into the United States was $100,000. "Patel and Shand endangered thousands of lives for their personal enrichment and are responsible for the deaths of two small children who froze to death on their watch," said Matthew R Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "This case demonstrates the grave danger associated with human smuggling operations. I thank the prosecutors and our law enforcement partners in the US and in Canada who are working to secure the northern border and end the perilous smuggling of aliens into the United States," he said. On Jan 18 and 19, 2022, Ramanlal Patel and Shand, despite repeated warnings about the dangers, organised the smuggling of 11 people, including the Patel family of four, from Canada into the US on foot in severe winter weather conditions. On the evening of Jan 18, Shand sent Ramanlal Patel a screenshot with a blizzard alert warning of wind gusts as high as 50 mph (about 80 km per hour) and wind chill temperatures below -45 degrees. The recorded wind chill temperature on the morning of Jan 19 was -36 degrees. In the early morning hours of Jan 19, during blizzard conditions in Minnesota, a US Border Patrol agent found Shand's van stuck in the snow and arrested him along with two individuals. Contrary to Shand's statement to law enforcement that there were no other individuals out in the snow, five more persons emerged from the fields, including one suffering from hypothermia with an internal temperature below 90 degrees, who was airlifted to Regions Hospital in St Paul, Minnesota. Later that day, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) found the dead bodies of the Patel family frozen in an isolated area on the Canadian side of the international border. The three-year-old boy was wrapped in a blanket with his father's frozen glove covering his face. As proven at trial, Ramanlal Patel and Shand had been paid to smuggle the family into the US. In November 2024, a federal jury convicted Ramanlal Patel and Shand of conspiracy to bring individuals to the US, causing serious bodily injury and placing lives in jeopardy. They were also convicted of attempted transportation of individuals for commercial advantage or private financial gain, and aiding and abetting the attempted transportation of individuals. Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) St Paul said the sentencing marks a crucial moment of accountability in a case that revealed the harrowing realities of human smuggling. "The callous disregard for life that led to the tragic deaths of an entire family will not be forgotten. At HSI, we remain steadfast in our mission to work with our partners across borders to dismantle criminal smuggling networks, bring justice to those responsible, and safeguard human dignity," Holt said. PTI
