Latest news with #UniversityofMassachusetts-Amherst
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Congressional intern killed in DC shooting
A 21-year-old intern working in Rep. Ron Estes's office was shot and killed in Northwest Washington, D.C. on Monday night, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the Kansas Republican confirmed. University of Massachusetts-Amherst student Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, who started his Capitol Hill internship last month, is thought to have been an innocent bystander walking down the street when he was fatally shot by unidentified assailants near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. According to law enforcement officials, multiple suspects got out of a vehicle near the intersection of 7th and M streets and opened fire on a group of people at around 10:28 p.m., striking Tarpinian-Jachym, an adult female and a 16-year-old male. The other two victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries. 'I will remember his kind heart and how he always greeted anyone who entered our office with a cheerful smile,' Estes said in a statement requesting privacy for Tarpinian-Jachym's family. 'We are grateful to Eric for his service to Kansas' 4th District and the country.' Authorities have recovered the vehicle involved in the shooting, and detectives do not believe Tarpinian-Jachym was the intended target of the ambush, MPD said. The police department said in a news release that it is seeking information from the public but provided no additional information about potential suspects. MPD didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for an update on the investigation on Thursday. Tarpinian-Jachym's death was the 85th homicide in D.C. this year, according to MPD's crime reporting system — down slightly from the same point a year ago. Overall, violent crime has been down about 25 percent this year compared to 2024.
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Term-limited Trump dines with donors at $1M-per-plate fundraiser
Term-limited Trump dines with donors at $1M-per-plate fundraiser Trump can't run for a third term without changing the Constitution, but he's still raising big campaign bucks Show Caption Hide Caption Third term comments no longer a joke, says President Trump President Donald Trump says he's "not joking" about possibly running for a third term. This would require a constitutional amendment. WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump just hosted a $1 million-per-plate campaign dinner – a fundraiser despite a constitutional prohibition against him running for a third term. The event on April 24 at the Trump National Golf Club in suburban Washington, D.C., raised money for the MAGA Inc. super political action committee, which can raise unlimited amounts but can't coordinate with Trump's own campaign committee. Details on what was said at the dinner remain under wraps. TV cameras and reporters were kept out of the event, which the president traveled to via helicopter and a motorcade from the White House. Since his January inauguration, Trump has hosted at least three such big-dollars dinners at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida to raise funds for the super PAC. More: Trump's online store begins selling 'Trump 2028' hats as he keeps floating a third term 'Presidents are the fundraisers in chief,' said Ray LaRaja, a political science professor at University of Massachusetts-Amherst. 'It's only the first year of his term. He's not quite the lame duck with donors.' Trump raises campaign funds despite term limit The event came the same day the Trump Organization began selling 'Trump 2028' caps and when the Republican president signed a memo calling for a criminal investigation of a Democratic fundraising group, ActBlue. Trump has continued prolific fundraising during his second term, including $239 million for his inaugural committee through April 20, according to a Federal Election Commission filing April 20. His fundraising comes despite the Constitution's 22nd Amendment barring him from running again in 2028, when he'd be 82 years old on Election Day. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice," the amendment states. The amendment was ratified in 1951, in the wake of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's four terms in office. Since then, second-term presidents traditionally raised money for congressional or state-level candidates but not their own campaigns because of the term limit. Despite the apparent restriction, Trump has talked about running for a third term repeatedly − and insists he's not joking. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a House Joint Resolution three days after Trump was sworn in to amend the Constitution and allow a president to serve for up to three terms, but no action has been taken on it yet. Trump can influence other candidates with campaign cash: expert Even if Trump doesn't campaign himself, the war chest gives him outsized influence over congressional and gubernatorial campaigns beyond his heavily sought endorsements. 'He doesn't want to give the money away. He doesn't care about these traditional institutions,' LaRaja said. 'He cares about control. He wants to control exactly how it's spent.' More: Barred from running for a third term, Trump keeps talking about it Jon Golinger, democracy advocate for Public Citizen, which pushes for greater transparency in campaign funding, said the contributors should be named to track whether they are seeking government contracts, tax breaks or other benefits. 'This exorbitant level of payment for presidential access raises serious concerns about the possibility of corruption by candlelight,' Golinger said. Trump sells 2028 caps, targets Democratic fundraising group with investigation Earlier in the day, the Trump Organization began selling red ballcaps with "Trump 2028" embroidered on the front for $50. The online store is operated by the family rather than the president's campaign committee. At his signing ceremony, Trump's memo directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate ActBlue and other and online fundraising platforms for possible "'foreign contributions to U.S. political candidates and committees, all of which break the law," according to a White House statement. Leaders of Democratic campaign committees issued a joint statement arguing Trump was trying to undermine participation in elections. The statement was from Ken Martin, head of the Democratic National Committee; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, head of the party's Senate fundraising committee; Suzan DelBene, head of the party's House fundraising group and Laura Kelly, head of the party's gubernatorial group. More: Trump declines to endorse JD Vance for 2028 but says his VP is 'very capable' 'He knows Americans are already fed up with his chaotic agenda that is driving the economy off a cliff, so he's trying to block lawful grassroots donations from supporters giving just $5 or $10 to candidates who oppose him while further empowering the corrupt billionaires who already control his administration,' the statement said. In another campaign development, a federal judge blocked parts of an executive order Trump signed in March aiming to require voters to prove they are U.S. citizens. The order also sought to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots after Eection Day.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Term-limited Trump dines with donors at $1M-per-plate fundraiser
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump just hosted a $1 million-per-plate campaign dinner – a fundraiser despite a constitutional prohibition against him running for a third term. The event on April 24 at the Trump National Golf Club in suburban Washington, D.C., raised money for the MAGA Inc. super political action committee, which can raise unlimited amounts but can't coordinate with Trump's own campaign committee. Details on what was said at the dinner remain under wraps. TV cameras and reporters were kept out of the event, which the president traveled to via helicopter and a motorcade from the White House. Since his January inauguration, Trump has hosted at least three such big-dollars dinners at his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida to raise funds for the super PAC. More: Trump's online store begins selling 'Trump 2028' hats as he keeps floating a third term 'Presidents are the fundraisers in chief,' said Ray LaRaja, a political science professor at University of Massachusetts-Amherst. 'It's only the first year of his term. He's not quite the lame duck with donors.' The event came the same day the Trump Organization began selling 'Trump 2028' caps and when the Republican president signed a memo calling for a criminal investigation of a Democratic fundraising group, ActBlue. Trump has continued prolific fundraising during his second term, including $239 million for his inaugural committee through April 20, according to a Federal Election Commission filing April 20. His fundraising comes despite the Constitution's 22nd Amendment barring him from running again in 2028, when he'd be 82 years old on Election Day. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice," the amendment states. The amendment was ratified in 1951, in the wake of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's four terms in office. Since then, second-term presidents traditionally raised money for congressional or state-level candidates but not their own campaigns because of the term limit. Despite the apparent restriction, Trump has talked about running for a third term repeatedly − and insists he's not joking. Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., introduced a House Joint Resolution three days after Trump was sworn in to amend the Constitution and allow a president to serve for up to three terms, but no action has been taken on it yet. Even if Trump doesn't campaign himself, the war chest gives him outsized influence over congressional and gubernatorial campaigns beyond his heavily sought endorsements. 'He doesn't want to give the money away. He doesn't care about these traditional institutions,' LaRaja said. 'He cares about control. He wants to control exactly how it's spent.' More: Barred from running for a third term, Trump keeps talking about it Jon Golinger, democracy advocate for Public Citizen, which pushes for greater transparency in campaign funding, said the contributors should be named to track whether they are seeking government contracts, tax breaks or other benefits. 'This exorbitant level of payment for presidential access raises serious concerns about the possibility of corruption by candlelight,' Golinger said. Earlier in the day, the Trump Organization began selling red ballcaps with "Trump 2028" embroidered on the front for $50. The online store is operated by the family rather than the president's campaign committee. At his signing ceremony, Trump's memo directs Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate ActBlue and other and online fundraising platforms for possible "'foreign contributions to U.S. political candidates and committees, all of which break the law," according to a White House statement. Leaders of Democratic campaign committees issued a joint statement arguing Trump was trying to undermine participation in elections. The statement was from Ken Martin, head of the Democratic National Committee; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, head of the party's Senate fundraising committee; Suzan DelBene, head of the party's House fundraising group and Laura Kelly, head of the party's gubernatorial group. More: Trump declines to endorse JD Vance for 2028 but says his VP is 'very capable' 'He knows Americans are already fed up with his chaotic agenda that is driving the economy off a cliff, so he's trying to block lawful grassroots donations from supporters giving just $5 or $10 to candidates who oppose him while further empowering the corrupt billionaires who already control his administration,' the statement said. In another campaign development, a federal judge blocked parts of an executive order Trump signed in March aiming to require voters to prove they are U.S. citizens. The order also sought to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots after Eection Day. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Term-limited Trump hosts $1M-per-plate campaign fundraiser
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Water shortage threatens the world's most abundant lithium reserves
Freshwater essential to lithium mining is running low in the world's 'Lithium Triangle,' a mineral-rich region in the Andean Plateau that stretches across parts of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile and contains more than half of all global lithium reserves. In a study published last week in the journal Communications Earth and Environment, researchers found that the amount of freshwater locally available for lithium extraction is about 10 times lower than previous estimates. Global lithium demand, which is expected to grow by 40 times by 2040, could outpace the limited annual rain that supplies freshwater to the arid Lithium Triangle. The paper's authors urged the lithium industry to reduce their freshwater usage and avoid disrupting mining operations, which rely heavily on freshwater availability, consuming up to 500,000 gallons of water to extract one ton of lithium. In the Lithium Triangle, freshwater also supports agriculture for small, Indigenous communities and sustains wetlands that are home to short-tailed chinchillas, wild camelids and pink flamingo species found nowhere else in the world. 'Water is the most important resource in these systems, and it's the part of the system that is most sensitive to change,' David Boutt, an author of the paper and a professor of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, said. 'I'm optimistic that, through research and development, companies can be more water efficient, especially when driven by the market.' While water drives life and industry in the Triangle, lithium is critical to the global regulatory push for electrification and the growth of clean technology industries. The mineral is an essential component for batteries that power electric vehicles and store energy generated by renewable sources like solar panels and windmills. The need for lithium batteries is projected to quadruple by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency. Some industry experts are concerned that companies will not be able to meet growing demand, as lithium mines face permitting delays and long procedures to bring mines into operation on top of issues with resource availability. 'We need more lithium sources to come online to meet the demand we'll see by 2030,' said Michael McKibben, a professor of geology at the University of California, Riverside. 'Mineral extraction is a slow, tedious process. That's why prices are so volatile — demand goes up, but the supply can't respond instantaneously.' In the Lithium Triangle, freshwater plays a crucial role in determining the supply of lithium available for mining. Rain washes lithium and other minerals down from rock formations into deep basins carved into the flat Andean Plateau. The process, which takes place over millions of years, creates brackish lagoons filled with lithium-rich waters. Mining companies extract lithium fluid from the lagoons and concentrate the mineral with evaporation methods — which use copious freshwater drawn from nearby aquifers. Water levels in these aquifers depend on the annual rains, which can bring as little as 20 millimeters of precipitation (0.8 inches) in some parts of the Lithium Triangle. Boutt says that limited meteorological data from a lack of weather stations in the remote Andean Plateau has made it difficult to capture how much freshwater actually flows to these lithium-rich lagoons and the surrounding areas. He added that widely used global hydrologic models that rely on this sparse data have vastly overestimated the freshwater supply in the region. The model developed by Boutt and his team looked at freshwater in 28 different watersheds across the Lithium Triangle, drawing from field observations as well as national meteorological data and mining industry reports. Boutt says that it provides a more complete picture of freshwater flow into the lithium-rich area. Research on water and resource availability for lithium mining operations has a long way to go. In the U.S., mining operations at the nation's only operating lithium mine in Silver Peak, Nevada, have been the subject of criticism for significant and prolonged freshwater pumping in the often drought-stricken region. Vanessa Schenker, a researcher with the Institute of Environmental Engineering at ETH Zurich, a Swiss university, says that there needs to be more research on the hydrology of lithium-rich regions around the world. 'On top of how much water lithium mines are using, we also need to examine the entire supply chain for lithium and think of components such as chemical processing and transport,' she said. 'Understanding the Lithium Triangle will help us understand other systems globally.' This article was originally published on
