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  • Alex Murdaugh gets 40 years in federal prison

    Alex Murdaugh gets 40 years in federal prison

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    For maybe the last time, Alex Murdaugh, in a prison jumpsuit instead of the suit he used to wear, shuffled into a courtroom Monday in South Carolina and was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison.

    What You Need To Know

    • Alex Murdaugh was sentenced Monday to 40 years in federal prison for stealing from clients and his law firm

    • He is already serving a life sentence without parole in a state prison for killing his wife and son

    • Murdaugh also pleaded guilty to similar financial crime charges in state court

    • The 22 counts are the final charges outstanding for the disgraced attorney


    Murdaugh was punished — this time in federal court — for stealing from clients and his law firm. The 55-year-old disbarred attorney is already serving a life sentence without parole in a state prison for killing his wife and son.

    A report by federal agents recommended a prison sentence between 17 1/2 and just under 22 years.

    The 40-year sentence will be insurance on top of insurance. Along with the life sentence, Murdaugh pleaded guilty and was ordered to spend 27 years in prison in state court on financial crime charges. The federal sentence will run at the same time as his state prison term and he likely will have to serve all 40 years if his murder convictions are overturned on appeal.

    U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel said he sentenced Murdaugh to a harsher punishment than suggested because Murdaugh stole from “the most needy, vulnerable people” like a client who became a quadriplegic after a crash, a state trooper who was injured on the job, and a trust fund meant for children whose parents were killed in a wreck.

    “They placed all their problems and all their hopes on Mr. Murdaugh and it is from those people he abused and stole. It is a difficult set of actions to understand,” Gergel said.

    The 22 federal counts are the final charges outstanding for Murdaugh, who three years ago was an established lawyer negotiating multimillion-dollar settlements in tiny Hampton County, where members of his family served as elected prosecutors and ran the area’s premier law firm for nearly a century.

    Murdaugh will also have to pay nearly $9 million in restitution.

    Prosecutors are asking to give Murdaugh a harsher sentence because FBI agents think he is not telling the whole truth about what happened to $6 million he stole and whether a so-far unnamed attorney helped his criminal schemes.

    Murdaugh’s largest scheme involved the sons of his longtime housekeeper Gloria Satterfield. She died in a fall at the family home. Murdaugh promised to take care of Satterfield’s family, then worked with a lawyer friend who pleaded guilty on a scheme to steal $4 million in a wrongful death settlement with the family’s insurer.

    In all, Murdaugh took settlement money from or inflated fees or expenses for more than two dozen clients. Prosecutors said the FBI found 11 more victims than the state investigation found and that Murdaugh stole nearly $1.3 million from them.

    Murdaugh again apologized to his victims at his sentencing Monday, saying he felt “guilt, sorrow, shame, embarrassment, humiliation.”

    Just like at his state sentencing, Murdaugh offered to meet with his victims so they can say what they want to say and “more closely inspect my sincerity.”

    “There’s not enough time and I don’t possess a sufficient vocabulary to adequately portray to you in words the magnitude of how I feel about the things I did,” Murdaugh said.

    Murdaugh blamed nearly two decades of addiction to opioids for his crimes and said he was proud is has been clean for 937 days.

    Gergel scoffed at him blaming drugs.

    “No truly impaired person could pull off these complex transactions,” the judge said of the maze of fake accounts, juggled checks and money passed from one place to another to hide the thefts for nearly 20 years.

    Murdaugh was convicted a year ago of killing his younger son Paul with a shotgun and his wife, Maggie, with a rifle. While he has pleaded guilty to dozens of financial crimes, he adamantly denies he killed them and testified in his own defense. There will be years of appeals in the murder cases.

    The case has captivated true crime fans, spawning dozens of podcast episodes and thousands of social media posts. It continued its odd twists in the days before Monday’s sentencing hearing.

    Lawyers for Murdaugh said an FBI agent who conducted a polygraph test asked Murdaugh if he could keep a secret, then confided he had just examined notorious Dutch killer Joran van der Sloot.

    Murdaugh flunked that polygraph test, according to prosecutors who want a harsher sentence. Each of the 22 counts Murdaugh pleaded guilty to in federal court carried a minimum of 20 years in prison. Some carry a 30-year maximum.

    The defense said the alleged odd behavior and unusual questions from a FBI agent caused Murdaugh to fail the test.

    Prosecutors want to keep many of the FBI statements secret, saying they are still investigating the missing money and who might have helped Murdaugh to steal it. They say making the information public would jeopardize an ongoing grand jury investigation.

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    Associated Press

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  • Crews start removing twisted steel from collapsed Baltimore bridge

    Crews start removing twisted steel from collapsed Baltimore bridge

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    Teams of engineers worked Saturday on the intricate process of cutting and lifting the first section of twisted steel from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crumpled into the Patapsco River this week after a massive cargo ship crashed into one of its supports.

    What You Need To Know

    • Engineers in Maryland are working on the daunting task of removing the remains of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the Patapsco River
    • Crews on Saturday started to cut the first section of twisted steel so it can be loaded onto a barge. Seven floating cranes, 10 tugboats and nine barges have been tapped to help
    • Clearing the river will allow officials to reopen the economically vital Port of Baltimore
    • A massive cargo ship felled the span Tuesday after smashing into a pillar. The bodies of two of six workers missing after the collapse were recovered earlier this week. But four more have yet to be located and are presumed dead

    Sparks could be seen flying from a section of bent and crumpled steel in the afternoon, and video released by officials in the evening showed demolition crews using a cutting torch to slice through the thick beams. The joint incident command said in a statement that the work was being done on the top of the north side of the collapsed structure.

    Crews were carefully measuring and cutting the steel from the broken bridge before attaching straps so it can be lifted onto a barge and floated away, Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said.

    Seven floating cranes — including a massive one capable of lifting 1,000 tons — 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats were on site in the water southeast of Baltimore.

    Each movement affects what happens next and ultimately how long it will take to remove all the debris and reopen the ship channel and the blocked Port of Baltimore, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.

    “I cannot stress enough how important today and the first movement of this bridge and of the wreckage is. This is going to be a remarkably complicated process,” Moore said.

    Undeterred by the chilly morning weather, longtime Baltimore resident Randy Lichtenberg and others took cellphone photos or just quietly looked at the broken pieces of the bridge, which including its steel trusses weigh as much as 4,000 tons.

    “I wouldn’t want to be in that water. It’s got to be cold. It’s a tough job,” Lichtenberg said from a spot on the river called Sparrows Point.

    The shock of waking up Tuesday morning to video of what he called an iconic part of the Baltimore skyline falling into the water has given way to sadness.

    “It never hits you that quickly. It’s just unbelievable,” Lichtenberg said.

    WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

    One of the first goals for crews on the water is to get a smaller auxiliary ship channel open so tugboats and other small barges can move freely. Crews also want to stabilize the site so divers can resume searching for four missing workers who are presumed dead.

    Two other workers were rescued from the water in the hours following the bridge collapse, and the bodies of two more were recovered from a pickup truck that fell and was submerged in the river. They had been filling potholes on the bridge and while police were able to stop vehicle traffic after the ship called in a mayday, they could not get to the construction workers, who were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

    The crew of the cargo ship Dali, which is managed by Synergy Marine Group, remained on board with the debris from the bridge around it, and were safe and were being interviewed. They are keeping the ship running as they will be needed to get it out of the channel once more debris has been removed.

    The vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and was chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk.

    The collision and collapse appeared to be an accident that came after the ship lost power. Federal and state investigators are still trying to determine why.

    Assuaging concern about possible pollution from the crash, Adam Ortiz, the Environmental Protection Agency’s mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator, said there was no indication in the water of active releases from the ship or materials hazardous to human health.

    REBUILDING

    Officials are also trying to figure out how to handle the economic impact of a closed port and the severing of a major highway link. The bridge was completed in 1977 and carried Interstate 695 around southeast Baltimore.

    Maryland transportation officials are planning to rebuild the bridge, promising to consider innovative designs or building materials to hopefully shorten a project that could take years.

    President Joe Biden’s administration has approved $60 million in immediate aid and promised the federal government will pay the full cost to rebuild.

    Ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore remains suspended, but the Maryland Port Administration said trucks were still being processed at marine terminals.

    The loss of a road that carried 30,000 vehicles a day and the port disruption will affect not only thousands of dockworkers and commuters, but also U.S. consumers, who are likely to feel the impact of shipping delays. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other U.S. facility.

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    Associated Press

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  • The Baltimore collapse focuses attention on vital bridges

    The Baltimore collapse focuses attention on vital bridges

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    After a yearlong closure, a bridge over the Puyallup River reopened in 2019 with a sturdy new span and a brand new name. It even won a national award.

    What You Need To Know

    • Thousands of old bridges across the U.S. are awaiting replacement or repairs after inspectors found them in poor condition

    • About 167 million vehicles travel daily over about 42,000 bridges that are categorized as poor

    • An Associated Press analysis determined that four-fifths of those have problems with the substructures that hold them up or the superstructures that support their load

    • And more than 15,800 of those bridges also were in poor shape a decade ago

    But today, the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge is closed again after federal officials raised concerns about a vintage section of the nearly century-old bridge that carried about 15,000 vehicles a day. It has no timetable to reopen because the city of Tacoma, Washington, first must raise millions of dollars to clean and inspect it.

    “It’s frustrating — and hard to comprehend how we got here,” said Ed Wallace, whose Harley-Davidson motorcycle store has lost customers since the nearby bridge was shuttered.

    Bridges fulfill a vital function that often goes overlooked until lives are lost or disrupted by a closure or collapse, like that of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday. That bridge crumpled when struck by a cargo ship, not because of poor maintenance. But thousands of others stand in worse shape.

    About 42,400 U.S. bridges are in poor condition, yet they carry about 167 million vehicles each day, according to the federal government. Four-fifths of them have problems with the legs holding them up or the arms supporting their load. And more than 15,800 of those bridges also were in poor shape a decade ago, according to an Associated Press analysis.

    One of those persistently poor bridges — carrying about 96,000 westbound vehicles daily on Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River in Rhode Island — was suddenly shut to traffic late last year, resulting in long delays as drivers diverted to new routes. In March, the governor announced that the bridge must be demolished and replaced. That could cost up to $300 million and take at least two years to complete.

    These closures illustrate a nationwide issue.

    “We have not maintained our infrastructure at the rate that we should for many, many years, and now we’re trying to play catch-up,” said Marsia Geldert-Murphey, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

    When an old bridge gets closed because of safety concerns, it disrupts daily commutes, business supply chains and emergency response times by police, firefighters and medical personnel. Yet many bridges still await replacement or repairs because the costs can reach millions or even billions of dollars.

    A Funding Infusion

    A massive infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 directed $40 billion to bridges over five years — the largest dedicated bridge investment since construction of the interstate highway system, which began nearly 70 years ago.

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that law already is funding more than 7,800 bridge projects. One of the most notable is a $3.6 billion project in Cincinnati to build a long-awaited new bridge carrying traffic on Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River at the Kentucky border.

    But funding from the infrastructure law will make only a dent in an estimated $319 billion of needed bridge repairs nationwide, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

    “The bottom line is that America’s bridges need a lot of work,” Buttigieg told the AP after visiting the closed Rhode Island bridge. He added: “The sooner we can address those significant bridges, the less likely they will be abruptly taken out of service, or worse, experience the risk of a collapse.”

    Inspectors rate bridges using a 0-9 scale, with 7 or above considered “good.” A “poor” rating reflects a 4 or below. A mid-range rating is considered “fair.” The nation’s poor bridges are on average 70 years old.

    Even before the federal funding infusion, the number of bridges in poor condition declined 22% over the past decade as structures were repaired, replaced or permanently closed, according to the AP’s analysis. But in recent years, more bridges also slipped from good to fair condition.

    Collapsing Bridges

    Though potholes on bridges can jar cars, many of the most concerning problems are below the surface. Chipping concrete and rusting steel can weaken the piers and beams that keep a bridge upright. When the condition of substructures or superstructures deteriorates too much, a bridge typically is closed out of public safety concerns.

    Though rare, bad bridges can eventually collapse.

    Design flaws contributed to the evening rush hour collapse of an Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in 2007. The collapse killed 13 people and injured 145 others. It also was costly financially. A state analysis estimated Minnesota’s economy lost $60 million in 2007-2008 due to increased travel time and operating costs for commuters and businesses.

    In January 2022, a bridge carrying a bus and several cars collapsed over Fern Hollow Creek in Pittsburgh, causing injuries but no deaths. Federal investigators determined the steel legs had corroded to the point of having visible holes, yet inspectors failed to calculate the severity of the problem and the city failed to follow repeated recommendations.

    “This bridge didn’t collapse just by an act of God. It collapsed because of a lack of maintenance and repair,” National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham said.

    Financial Challenges

    Iowa has the most poor bridges, followed by Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri. The twin Burlington Street bridges in Iowa City, Iowa, exemplify the financial challenges facing old bridges. The state owns the southbound span carrying vehicles over the Iowa River while the city owns the northbound span of what’s also known as state Highway 1.

    The city’s part, constructed in 1915, was rated in poor condition in the 2023 and 2013 National Bridge Inventory. Inspection reports show numerous cracks and structural deficiencies in the concrete bridge. The state’s side, built in 1968, is in much better condition.

    Although the federal infrastructure law provided a grant to analyze the bridges, the split ownership has made it difficult to fund the more than $30 million estimated cost of a replacement.

    “It’s not something we can just fund in a year and say: ‘Here we go, let’s do it quick,’” said city engineer Jason Havel. “It takes years of planning, years of working through dedicated funding.”

    Economic Effects

    In Rhode Island, problems had been mounting for the I-195 Washington Bridge connecting Providence to East Providence. It closed after an engineer in December noticed the failure of multiple steel tie rods in concrete beams at two piers. A subsequent examination found widespread structural problems.

    Joseph McHugh, an engineer with 40 years of experience in bridge and road construction, reviewed a draft engineering report compiled after the bridge’s closure along with inspection reports from July 2022 and July 2023.

    “This failure didn’t occur overnight,” McHugh told the AP. “To me, it should have been caught by an inspection, not by a contractor or whomever was looking at what was going on.”

    The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations that false payment claims for the bridge’s construction, inspection or repair were submitted to the federal government.

    Marco Pacheco, who owns a liquor store in East Providence, said he believes “mismanagement,” “negligence” and “incompetence” caused the closure. His business revenue is down 20% since the bridge closed. But he’s even more concerned about the long-term consequences.

    “That traffic doesn’t instantly come back. Folks have reshaped their patterns, their thought processes and so on,” Pacheco said.

    Business owners in Washington share similar concerns about the indefinite closure of the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge, in an industrial area near the Port of Tacoma. Several years ago, the city spent $42 million to replace a span leading up to the river. But the bridge was abruptly closed again last October after the Federal Highway Administration raised concerns that debris had prevented the inspection of potentially corroded steel connection points.

    To clean and inspect the bridge, the city first must encapsulate it to protect debris from falling into the river. But the city lacks the more than $6 million needed for the project. It also has no means of paying for a potential $280 million replacement.

    A nearby Interstate 5 bridge provides a good alternative but that means many motorists zoom right past an exit ramp without thinking about the Harley-Davidson store or other nearby businesses. At least one shop already has closed.

    Wallace, the Harley-Davidson store owner, wishes the city could reopen the bridge, at least temporarily.

    “Is there a peril that exists?” Wallace asks rhetorically. “Yeah, absolutely, a very serious one for me as a business owner.”

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    Associated Press

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  • The Baltimore collapse focuses attention on vital bridges

    The Baltimore collapse focuses attention on vital bridges

    [ad_1]

    After a yearlong closure, a bridge over the Puyallup River reopened in 2019 with a sturdy new span and a brand new name. It even won a national award.

    What You Need To Know

    • Thousands of old bridges across the U.S. are awaiting replacement or repairs after inspectors found them in poor condition

    • About 167 million vehicles travel daily over about 42,000 bridges that are categorized as poor

    • An Associated Press analysis determined that four-fifths of those have problems with the substructures that hold them up or the superstructures that support their load

    • And more than 15,800 of those bridges also were in poor shape a decade ago

    But today, the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge is closed again after federal officials raised concerns about a vintage section of the nearly century-old bridge that carried about 15,000 vehicles a day. It has no timetable to reopen because the city of Tacoma, Washington, first must raise millions of dollars to clean and inspect it.

    “It’s frustrating — and hard to comprehend how we got here,” said Ed Wallace, whose Harley-Davidson motorcycle store has lost customers since the nearby bridge was shuttered.

    Bridges fulfill a vital function that often goes overlooked until lives are lost or disrupted by a closure or collapse, like that of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday. That bridge crumpled when struck by a cargo ship, not because of poor maintenance. But thousands of others stand in worse shape.

    About 42,400 U.S. bridges are in poor condition, yet they carry about 167 million vehicles each day, according to the federal government. Four-fifths of them have problems with the legs holding them up or the arms supporting their load. And more than 15,800 of those bridges also were in poor shape a decade ago, according to an Associated Press analysis.

    One of those persistently poor bridges — carrying about 96,000 westbound vehicles daily on Interstate 195 over the Seekonk River in Rhode Island — was suddenly shut to traffic late last year, resulting in long delays as drivers diverted to new routes. In March, the governor announced that the bridge must be demolished and replaced. That could cost up to $300 million and take at least two years to complete.

    These closures illustrate a nationwide issue.

    “We have not maintained our infrastructure at the rate that we should for many, many years, and now we’re trying to play catch-up,” said Marsia Geldert-Murphey, president of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

    When an old bridge gets closed because of safety concerns, it disrupts daily commutes, business supply chains and emergency response times by police, firefighters and medical personnel. Yet many bridges still await replacement or repairs because the costs can reach millions or even billions of dollars.

    A Funding Infusion

    A massive infrastructure law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021 directed $40 billion to bridges over five years — the largest dedicated bridge investment since construction of the interstate highway system, which began nearly 70 years ago.

    Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said that law already is funding more than 7,800 bridge projects. One of the most notable is a $3.6 billion project in Cincinnati to build a long-awaited new bridge carrying traffic on Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River at the Kentucky border.

    But funding from the infrastructure law will make only a dent in an estimated $319 billion of needed bridge repairs nationwide, according to the American Road & Transportation Builders Association.

    “The bottom line is that America’s bridges need a lot of work,” Buttigieg told the AP after visiting the closed Rhode Island bridge. He added: “The sooner we can address those significant bridges, the less likely they will be abruptly taken out of service, or worse, experience the risk of a collapse.”

    Inspectors rate bridges using a 0-9 scale, with 7 or above considered “good.” A “poor” rating reflects a 4 or below. A mid-range rating is considered “fair.” The nation’s poor bridges are on average 70 years old.

    Even before the federal funding infusion, the number of bridges in poor condition declined 22% over the past decade as structures were repaired, replaced or permanently closed, according to the AP’s analysis. But in recent years, more bridges also slipped from good to fair condition.

    Collapsing Bridges

    Though potholes on bridges can jar cars, many of the most concerning problems are below the surface. Chipping concrete and rusting steel can weaken the piers and beams that keep a bridge upright. When the condition of substructures or superstructures deteriorates too much, a bridge typically is closed out of public safety concerns.

    Though rare, bad bridges can eventually collapse.

    Design flaws contributed to the evening rush hour collapse of an Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in 2007. The collapse killed 13 people and injured 145 others. It also was costly financially. A state analysis estimated Minnesota’s economy lost $60 million in 2007-2008 due to increased travel time and operating costs for commuters and businesses.

    In January 2022, a bridge carrying a bus and several cars collapsed over Fern Hollow Creek in Pittsburgh, causing injuries but no deaths. Federal investigators determined the steel legs had corroded to the point of having visible holes, yet inspectors failed to calculate the severity of the problem and the city failed to follow repeated recommendations.

    “This bridge didn’t collapse just by an act of God. It collapsed because of a lack of maintenance and repair,” National Transportation Safety Board member Michael Graham said.

    Financial Challenges

    Iowa has the most poor bridges, followed by Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri. The twin Burlington Street bridges in Iowa City, Iowa, exemplify the financial challenges facing old bridges. The state owns the southbound span carrying vehicles over the Iowa River while the city owns the northbound span of what’s also known as state Highway 1.

    The city’s part, constructed in 1915, was rated in poor condition in the 2023 and 2013 National Bridge Inventory. Inspection reports show numerous cracks and structural deficiencies in the concrete bridge. The state’s side, built in 1968, is in much better condition.

    Although the federal infrastructure law provided a grant to analyze the bridges, the split ownership has made it difficult to fund the more than $30 million estimated cost of a replacement.

    “It’s not something we can just fund in a year and say: ‘Here we go, let’s do it quick,’” said city engineer Jason Havel. “It takes years of planning, years of working through dedicated funding.”

    Economic Effects

    In Rhode Island, problems had been mounting for the I-195 Washington Bridge connecting Providence to East Providence. It closed after an engineer in December noticed the failure of multiple steel tie rods in concrete beams at two piers. A subsequent examination found widespread structural problems.

    Joseph McHugh, an engineer with 40 years of experience in bridge and road construction, reviewed a draft engineering report compiled after the bridge’s closure along with inspection reports from July 2022 and July 2023.

    “This failure didn’t occur overnight,” McHugh told the AP. “To me, it should have been caught by an inspection, not by a contractor or whomever was looking at what was going on.”

    The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations that false payment claims for the bridge’s construction, inspection or repair were submitted to the federal government.

    Marco Pacheco, who owns a liquor store in East Providence, said he believes “mismanagement,” “negligence” and “incompetence” caused the closure. His business revenue is down 20% since the bridge closed. But he’s even more concerned about the long-term consequences.

    “That traffic doesn’t instantly come back. Folks have reshaped their patterns, their thought processes and so on,” Pacheco said.

    Business owners in Washington share similar concerns about the indefinite closure of the Fishing Wars Memorial Bridge, in an industrial area near the Port of Tacoma. Several years ago, the city spent $42 million to replace a span leading up to the river. But the bridge was abruptly closed again last October after the Federal Highway Administration raised concerns that debris had prevented the inspection of potentially corroded steel connection points.

    To clean and inspect the bridge, the city first must encapsulate it to protect debris from falling into the river. But the city lacks the more than $6 million needed for the project. It also has no means of paying for a potential $280 million replacement.

    A nearby Interstate 5 bridge provides a good alternative but that means many motorists zoom right past an exit ramp without thinking about the Harley-Davidson store or other nearby businesses. At least one shop already has closed.

    Wallace, the Harley-Davidson store owner, wishes the city could reopen the bridge, at least temporarily.

    “Is there a peril that exists?” Wallace asks rhetorically. “Yeah, absolutely, a very serious one for me as a business owner.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Federal Railroad Administration announces $2.4 billion in grants

    Federal Railroad Administration announces $2.4 billion in grants

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    The Federal Railroad Administration announced Friday that it will make more than $2.4 billion available for projects that help modernize the country’s freight and intercity passenger rail systems.

    The money is available through the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which authorized up to $108 billion for public transportation projects.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Federal Railroad Administration opened its largest funding round in the agency’s history on Friday

    • $2.4 billion in grants will be available for projects that help modernize the country’s freight and intercity passenger rail systems

    • The money is provided through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

    • Railroads, states and local communities have 60 days to apply

    “This funding will make it safer, more affordable, more sustainable and more efficient for people and goods to move by rail across the country,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement, adding that it is the biggest funding round in the FRA’s history.

    The new funding adds to more than $1.4 billion in grants the agency announced last year to help with 70 projects in 35 states and Washington, D.C. Granted through the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program, last year’s projects ranged from grade crossing improvements to expanding intercity passenger rail, such as an upcoming high-speed rail system between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

    They also helped fund zero- and low-emissions locomotives, trespass prevention and workforce training and development.

    FRA Administrator Amit Bose said the CRISI grants see “extraordinarily high demand” to help railroads, states and local communities improve their systems. Interested entities have 60 days to apply for the funds.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • EPA rule dramatically limits emissions from trucks

    EPA rule dramatically limits emissions from trucks

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    Dozens of types of trucks will need to be zero emissions in less than a decade under sweeping new rules the Environmental Protection Agency finalized on Friday.

    Applicable to big rigs, buses, cement mixers, trash trucks and other heavy- and medium-duty vehicles, the standards are designed to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas pollution and will take effect for the 2027 model year.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule Friday to dramatically reduce emissions from heavy- and medium-duty trucks

    • The new rules are effective for 2027-2032 model year vehicles

    • More than 100 types of vehicle need to conform to the rule, including big rigs, buses, cement mixers and trash trrucka

    • Trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles make up 10% of on-road vehicles but contribute 25% of emissions from the transportation sector

    “In finalizing these emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses, EPA is significantly cutting pollution from the hardest-working vehicles on the road,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement. “EPA’s strong and durable vehicle standards respond to the urgency of the climate crisis by making deep cuts in emissions from the transportation sector.”

    Transportation is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions nationally. Trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles make up 10% of on-road vehicles but contribute 25% of emissions from the transportation sector, according to the EPA. By 2032, 25% of new big rigs and 40% of medium-duty vehicles such as box trucks could be zero emisions under the new rule.

    Each year, the new Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles-Phase 3 are expected to avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in public health, climate and cost savings, the EPA said.

    Electrifying the entire commercial truck fleet in the U.S. will require almost $1 trillion in infrastructure investment alone, according to the Clean Freight Coalition. That does not include the cost of zero-emission trucks, which can be as much as three times more expensive than their diesel-powered equivalents.

    “Electrification means focusing on the vehicle segments that are easier first,” the CFC said in a statement on its website. “It means that we have to look at how fleets operate and potentially adjust. It means that we need better cooperation and planning across industries and governments. And it requires an openness to alternative technology paths to decarbonizing the heavy-duty segment.”

    The association noted that the industry has a profit margin of roughly 5% and will not be able to support the transition “without financial support or a significant increase in freight rates.”

    Several states, including California, offer incentives for truck operators to transition to heavy-duty zero emissions vehicles. As part of the federal Inflation Reduction Act, the EPA will distribute $1 billion to fund clean heavy-duty vehicles through 2031.

    The EPA said the new rules are “technology neutral” and do not dictate what types of technology need to be adopted. Manufacturers are able “to choose what set of emissions control technologies is best suited for them and the needs of their customers.”

    Currently available technologies include advanced internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, electrics, battery electrics and hydrogen fuel cells.

    The new standards apply to heavy-duty work vehicles, including delivery trucks, trash haulers, public utility trucks and buses used for transit, shuttles and school, as well as tractor-trailers, or big rigs. Just 2% of such vehicles are currently zero-emissions.

    The American Bus Association reacted to Friday’s rule by saying it is committed to a cleaner environment and supports approprpiate climate initiatives that gradually move the United States in that direction.

    “However, the ABA expresses grave concerns regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s recent rule mandating a rapid shift to electric vehicles,” ABA President Peter J. Pantuso said in a statement. “This forced march towards electric vehicles will result in a sgnificant increase in equipment costs, potentially doubling them. Moreover, the current lack of infrastructure and limited electric capacity make this transition impractical and financially burdensome for the industry and consumers.”

    Other groups hailed the new rule.

    “By outlining a reduction in tailpipe emissions through 2032, today’s ruling is an important step towards ending our nation’s dependence on oil for transportation,” Electrification Coalition Executive Director Ben Prochazka said in a statement Friday, responding to the new rule. The group led a campaign encouraging the White House to adopt strict new emissions standards for heavy trucks that was supported by more than 80 businesses and 75 U.S. mayors.

    “Despite strong light-duty EV sales growth in recent years, progress in the heavy-duty space has been slow, so this announcement is much-needed certainty for the heavy-duty market and supports the charging infrastructure necessary to power the electric trucks of tomorrow.”

    The Electrification Coalition said the transition to zero-emissions trucks will bolster national security by reducing the country’s dependence on global oil markets and protect public health.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • U.S. economic growth for last quarter is revised up slightly to a healthy 3.4%

    U.S. economic growth for last quarter is revised up slightly to a healthy 3.4%

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    The U.S. economy grew at a solid 3.4% annual pace from October through December, the government said Thursday in an upgrade from its previous estimate. The government had previously estimated that the economy expanded at a 3.2% rate last quarter.

    What You Need To Know

    • The U.S. economy grew at a solid 3.4% annual pace from October through December, the government said in an upgrade from its previous estimate

    • The government had previously estimated that the economy expanded at a 3.2% rate last quarter

    • Last quarter’s growth was a solid performance, coming in the face of higher interest rates and powered by growing consumer spending, exports and business investment in buildings and software


    The Commerce Department’s revised measure of the nation’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — confirmed that the economy decelerated from its sizzling 4.9% rate of expansion in the July-September quarter.

    But last quarter’s growth was still a solid performance, coming in the face of higher interest rates and powered by growing consumer spending, exports and business investment in buildings and software. It marked the sixth straight quarter in which the economy has grown at an annual rate above 2%.

    For all of 2023, the U.S. economy — the world’s biggest — grew 2.5%, up from 1.9% in 2022. In the current January-March quarter, the economy is believed to be growing at a slower but still decent 2.1% annual rate, according to a forecasting model issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

    Thursday’s GDP report also suggested that inflation pressures were continuing to ease. The Federal Reserve’s favored measure of prices — called the personal consumption expenditures price index — rose at a 1.8% annual rate in the fourth quarter. That was down from 2.6% in the third quarter, and it was the smallest rise since 2020, when COVID-19 triggered a recession and sent prices falling.

    Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation amounted to 2% from October through December, unchanged from the third quarter.

    The economy’s resilience over the past two years has repeatedly defied predictions that the ever-higher borrowing rates the Fed engineered to fight inflation would lead to waves of layoffs and probably a recession. Beginning in March 2022, the Fed jacked up its benchmark rate 11 times, to a 23-year high, making borrowing much more expensive for businesses and households.

    Yet the economy has kept growing, and employers have kept hiring — at a robust average of 251,000 added jobs a month last year and 265,000 a month from December through February.

    At the same time, inflation has steadily cooled: After peaking at 9.1% in June 2022, it has dropped to 3.2%, though it remains above the Fed’s 2% target. The combination of sturdy growth and easing inflation has raised hopes that the Fed can manage to achieve a “soft landing” by fully conquering inflation without triggering a recession.

    Thursday’s report was the Commerce Department’s third and final estimate of fourth-quarter GDP growth. It will release its first estimate of January-March growth on April 25.

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    Associated Press

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  • Harvard removes human skin binding from book library has had for 90 years

    Harvard removes human skin binding from book library has had for 90 years

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    Harvard University has removed human skin binding from a book that has been in its library collection for 90 years and apologized for its “past failures” in managing the volume.

    The book’s first owner, Ludovic Bouland, a French doctor, bound the book with skin he took without consent from a deceased female patient in a hospital where he worked, according to Harvard Library. 

    What You Need To Know

    • Harvard University has removed human skin binding from a book that has been in its library collection for 90 years and apologized for its “past failures” in managing the volume

    • The book’s first owner, Ludovic Bouland, a French doctor, bound the book with skin he took without consent from a deceased female patient in a hospital where he worked, according to Harvard Library

    • The skin of the unknown woman is currently in secure storage and Harvard Library said it’s consulting with authorities at the university and in France to determine a respectful way to lay the remains to rest

    • In 2022, a Harvard committee examining human remains in university museum collections recommended the removal of the human skin from the book

    The work, “Des destinées de l’âme,” written by by Arsène Houssaye in the 1880s, is described as a meditation on the soul and life after death. A handwritten note by Bouland inserted into the book reads “a book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering,” Harvard said.

    Bouland died in 1933. A year later, the volume landed at Harvard, donated by American diplomat and hat maker John B. Stetson, an alumnus of the university.

    “After careful study, stakeholder engagement, and consideration, Harvard Library and the Harvard Museum Collections Returns Committee concluded that the human remains used in the book’s binding no longer belong in the Harvard Library collections, due to the ethically fraught nature of the book’s origins and subsequent history,” Harvard Library said in a statement Wednesday.

    The skin of the unknown woman is currently in secure storage and Harvard Library said it’s consulting with authorities at the university and in France to determine a respectful way to lay the remains to rest. 

    Harvard’s Houghton Library long made the book available to anyone who requested it. Harvard Library said that, according to “library lore,” students who worked at Houghton were hazed decades ago by being asked to retrieve the volume without being told it included human remains.

    After Harvard scientists confirmed in 2014 the book was bound with human skin, Houghton Library published two blog posts, now deleted, that struck a “sensationalistic, morbid, and humorous tone,” Harvard Library said.

    “Harvard Library acknowledges past failures in its stewardship of the book that further objectified and compromised the dignity of the human being whose remains were used for its binding,” the library system said. “We apologize to those adversely affected by these actions.”

    In 2022, a Harvard committee examining human remains in university museum collections recommended the removal of the human skin from the book.

    The review was largely driven by a reckoning with the role of slavery and colonialism in establishing U.S. universities and museum. But some discoveries, such as the “Des destinées de l’âme” volume, fell outside that area of focus.

    In all, Harvard identified more than 22,000 human remains in its museum collections, including full skeletons, bone fragments, teeth and locks of hair.

    The library began restricting access to Houssaye’s book in 2015 and placed a full moratorium on new research access to it last year. 

    Harvard Library said digital scans of the book, without the human skin, are publicly available. 

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    Ryan Chatelain

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  • Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison

    Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison

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    Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unraveled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world’s most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.

    What You Need To Know

    • FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for a cryptocurrency fraud that a prosecutor has described as one of the biggest financial frauds in U.S. history
    • The company was once one of the world’s most popular platforms for trading digital currency

    • Bankman-Fried was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy charges brought after his once-soaring cryptocurrency trading platform and related companies collapsed into bankruptcy
    • Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried had cost customers, investors and lenders over $10 billion by misappropriating billions of dollars to fuel his quest for influence and dominance in the new industry, and had illegally used money from FTX depositors to cover his expenses, which included purchasing luxury properties in the Caribbean, alleged bribes to Chinese officials and private planes

    Bankman-Fried, 32, was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy — a dramatic fall from a crest of success that included a Super Bowl advertisement and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady, basketball star Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.

    U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan imposed the sentence in the same Manhattan courtroom where, four months ago, Bankman-Fried testified that his intention had been to revolutionize the emerging cryptocurrency market with his innovative and altruistic ideas, not to steal.

    Kaplan said the sentence reflected “that there is a risk that this man will be in position to do something very bad in the future. And it’s not a trivial risk at all.” He added that it was “for the purpose of disabling him to the extent that can appropriately be done for a significant period of time.”

    Kaplan further ordered Bankman-Fried to forfeit over $11 billion. He also he would advise the Federal Bureau of Prisons to send him to a medium-security prison or less near the San Francisco area because he’s unlikely to be a physical threat to other inmates or prison staff, and his autism and social awkwardness would make him vulnerable to other inmates in a high-security location.

    Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 40 to 50 years.

    “The defendant victimized tens of thousands of people and companies, across several continents, over a period of multiple years. He stole money from customers who entrusted it to him; he lied to investors; he sent fabricated documents to lenders; he pumped millions of dollars in illegal donations into our political system; and he bribed foreign officials. Each of these crimes is worthy of a lengthy sentence,” prosecutors said in a court filing.

    Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried had cost customers, investors and lenders over $10 billion by misappropriating billions of dollars to fuel his quest for influence and dominance in the new industry, and had illegally used money from FTX depositors to cover his expenses, which included purchasing luxury properties in the Caribbean, alleged bribes to Chinese officials and private planes.

    Kaplan agreed with prosecutors Thursday that Bankman-Fried should not get leniency just because some investors and customers might get some of their lost money back. He called the argument “logically flawed” and “speculative.” He said customers lost about $8 billion, investors lost $1.7 billion and lenders were shorted by $1.3 billion.

    Kaplan also cited three instances where he concluded that Bankman-Fried committed perjury during his trial testimony, including when Bankman-Fried testified that he didn’t know until just weeks before FTX collapsed into bankruptcy that customer funds were being diverted to a hedge fund offshoot of FTX.

    Given a chance to speak, Bankman-Fried stood and apologized in a rambling statement, saying: “A lot of people feel really let down. And they were very let down. And I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry about what happened at every stage.”

    He added, “My useful life is probably over. It’s been over for a while now, from before my arrest.”

    Defense lawyer Marc Mukasey said his client was misunderstood.

    “Sam was not a ruthless financial serial killer who set out every morning to hurt people,” Mukasey said. “Sam Bankman-Fried doesn’t make decisions with malice in his heart. He makes decisions with math in his head.”

    Bankman-Fried’s attorneys, friends and family had urged leniency, saying he was unlikely to re-offend again. They also said FTX’s investors have largely recovered their funds — a claim disputed by bankruptcy lawyers, FTX and its creditors.

    “Mr. Bankman-Fried continues to live a life of delusion,” wrote John Ray, the CEO of FTX who has been cleaning up the bankrupt company. “The ‘business’ he left on November 11, 2022 was neither solvent nor safe.”

    Two weeks ago, Mukasey attacked a probation office recommendation of 100 years in prison, saying a sentence of that length would be “grotesque” and “barbaric.”

    He urged the judge to sentence Bankman-Fried to a term of five to 6 1/2 years in prison, which Mukasey said was a fair reading of federal sentencing guidelines.

    Bankman-Fried was worth billions of dollars on paper as the co-founder and CEO of FTX, which was the second-largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world at one time.

    FTX allowed investors to buy dozens of virtual currencies, from Bitcoin to more obscure ones like Shiba Inu Coin. Flush with billions of dollars of investors’ cash, Bankman-Fried took out a Super Bowl advertisement to promote his business and bought the naming rights to an arena in Miami.

    But the collapse of cryptocurrency prices in 2022 took its toll on FTX, and ultimately led to its downfall. FTX’s hedge fund affiliate, known as Alameda Research, had bought billions of dollars of various crypto investments that lost considerable amounts of value in 2022. Bankman-Fried tried to plug the holes in Alameda’s balance sheet with FTX customer funds.

    Three other people from Bankman-Fried’s inner circle pleaded guilty to related crimes and testified at his trial.

    The biggest name among the three was Caroline Ellison, once the girlfriend of Bankman-Fried. Ellison described Bankman-Fried as a calculating individual who knew that he was likely committing crimes when he directed the use of customer funds. Two other onetime friends of Bankman-Fried, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh, also testified they felt they were directed by Bankman-Fried to commit fraud.

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    Associated Press

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  • White House proposes new rules for short-term health insurance

    White House proposes new rules for short-term health insurance

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    Short-term health insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage for preexisting conditions and take advantage of other loopholes in the Affordable Care Act under new rules the Biden administration proposed Thursday.  

    What You Need To Know

    • Short-term health insurance would be limited to four months under a new rule the White House proposed Thursday

    • Temporary heath insurance coverage providers will also need to explain what is and what is not included

    • As many as 1.9 million Americans have short-term health insurance that provides temporary coverage as they transition from one source of health insurance to another

    • People who currently have short-term health insurance can renew their policies according to the terms of their current plans; the new rules will take effecct in 60 days

    “Some types of insurance plans, like short-term limited-duration insurance, don’t provide comprehensive coverage,” White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden, said Wednesday during a briefing about the new rules. “Importantly, they don’t have to comply with critical ACA protections” such as covering preexisting conditions.

    Short-term insurance plans are intended to provide temporary coverage to people as they transition from one source of health insurance to another, Tanden said. As many as 1.9 million people are enrolled in short-term health insurance, according to the White House.

    Calling short-term plans “junk insurance,” Tanden said they mislead consumers into thinking they are buying full-coverage health insurance when in reality their coverage is capped or health conditions are not included at all.

    The new rule would limit short-term care to no more than four months. Insurance companies will also have to provide clear disclaimers that explain to customers what is and is not covered and provide information on how to buy additional coverage.

    People who are currently enrolled in short-term plans will be able to keep that coverage and renew it according to the terms of their current plan. The new rules will take effect in 60 days.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Ariana DeBose to host Tony Awards for the 3rd straight time

    Ariana DeBose to host Tony Awards for the 3rd straight time

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    It’s a new location but the same host for the Tony Awards:Ariana DeBose will make it three in a row as MC of theater’s most watched event, which this year moves uptown to Lincoln Center.

    The Academy Award winner and Tony Award nominee, who hosted both the 2023 and 2022 ceremonies, will be back this year for the show on June 16, and will produce and choreograph the opening number.

    “I couldn’t pass up the chance to host the Tonys one more time, at Lincoln Center. I’m excited to collaborate with the team to create an incredible celebration of this season’s achievements on Broadway for our community and for everyone at home,” said DeBose in a statement.

    DeBose was widely cheered for the way she hosted last year amid the Hollywood writers’ strike, leading a show that had no script and opening the telecast by dancing and leaping her way through the lobby of the United Palace Theatre. She earned an Emmy nomination for her work.

    DeBose is a theater veteran, with roles in “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical,” “Hamilton,” “A Bronx Tale,” “Pippin,” “Motown the Musical,” “Bring It On: The Musical” and “Company.” She won an Oscar for her role in Steven Spielberg’s remake of “West Side Story” and was in “Schmigadoon!” on Apple TV+.

    This year’s location — the David H. Koch Theater — is the home of New York City Ballet and in the same sprawling building complex as Lincoln Square Theater, which houses the Broadway venue Beaumont Theater.

    Like last year, the three-hour main telecast will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+ from 8 p.m.-11 p.m. EDT/5 p.m.-8 p.m. PDT with a pre-show on Pluto TV, with some Tony Awards handed out there.

    The Tony eligibility cut-off date for the 2023-2024 season is April 25, and nominations for the 2024 Tony Awards will be announced April 30. The awards are presented by The Broadway League and the American Theatre Wing.

    Last year, the intimate, funny-sad musical “Kimberly Akimbo” took the best new musical crown, and Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt,” which explores Jewish identity with an intergenerational story, won best play. Sean Hayes won lead actor in a play for “Good Night, Oscar,” and Victoria Clark won for “Kimberly Akimbo.”

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    Associated Press

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  • Solar companies join forces to make panels in the U.S.

    Solar companies join forces to make panels in the U.S.

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    A pair of North American solar companies are joining forces to take advantage of a new federal clean energy subsidy.

    On Wednesday, the Georgia-based silicon solar cell maker Suniva announced it is partnering with Canada-based photovoltaic solar module provider Heliene to sell American-made solar panels starting later this year. The panels will be made at Heliene’s factory in Mountain Iron, Minn.

    What You Need To Know

    • A pair of North American solar companies are joining forces to take advantage of an Inflation Reduction Act subsidy

    • Suniva, based in Georgia, and Heliene, based in Canada, will make solar panels in the United States

    • China currently makes about 80% of the solar panels made globally

    • The U.S. makes about 2% of solar panels

    The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act qualifies the companies for a10% domestic content bonus investment tax credit as part of its goal to bring green technology manufacturing back to the United States. China currently makes about 80% of the solar panels used globally, while the U.S. makes about 2%.

    Suniva is the country’s largest and oldest U.S. maker of monocrystalline silicon solar cells, which are smaller, more energy efficient and longer lasting than other types of cells but also more expensive to manufacture.

    “This contract is a testament to the effectiveness of the Inflation Reduction Act,” Suniva CEO Cristiano Amoruso said in a statement. “We are proud to fulfill our longstanding promise to bring back cell manufacturing to the United States.”

    The partnership announcement comes as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is scheduled to visit Suniva’s facility in Norcross, Ga., on Wednesday. The U.S. lost about 20% of its solar manufacturing jobs from 2016-2020, according to the Treasury Department.

    Despite the loss in U.S. solar manufacturing, the country added more solar energy to the grid than ever before in 2023, according to a report from the Solar Energy Industries Assn. released earlier this month. The amount of new electricity-generating capacity from solar increased 51% compared with 2022 and marked the first time that a renewable electricity source made up more than 50% of capacity additions in a single year.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • Winning ticket for $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot sold in New Jersey

    Winning ticket for $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot sold in New Jersey

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    Someone in New Jersey overcame the odds Tuesday night and won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot, breaking a winless streak that dated to last December.

    What You Need To Know

    • Someone in New Jersey overcame the odds and won the $1.13 billion Mega Millions jackpot, breaking a winless streak that dated to last December

    • The numbers drawn Tuesday night were: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and the gold Mega Ball 4

    • Until the latest drawing, no one had matched all six numbers and won the Mega Millions jackpot since Dec. 8

    • It’s tough to win the Mega Millions jackpot because the odds are so long, at 1 in 302.6 million

    The numbers drawn were: 7, 11, 22, 29, 38 and the gold Mega Ball 4. The winning ticket was sold in New Jersey, according the the Mega Millions website.

    Until the latest drawing, no one had matched all six numbers and won the Mega Millions jackpot since Dec. 8. That amounted to 30 straight drawings without a big winner.

    It’s tough to win the Mega Millions jackpot because the odds are so long, at 1 in 302.6 million.

    The prize is the 8th largest in U.S. lottery history.

    The $1.13 billion jackpot is for a winner who is paid through an annuity, with an initial payment and then 29 annual payments. Most winners choose a cash payout, which would be $537.5 million.

    The next big U.S. lottery drawing will be Wednesday night for an estimated $865 million Powerball jackpot. No one has won that prize since New Year’s Day, making for 36 drawings without a winner.

    Mega Millions is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Powerball also is played in those states as well as Washington, D.C., the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

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    Associated Press

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  • 20 people charged since 2021 for threats to election workers

    20 people charged since 2021 for threats to election workers

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    A task force within the Department of Justice dedicated to addressing threats against election workers has led to charges against roughly 20 people and has opened dozens of investigations into additional instances since its launch in 2021, officials announced on Monday. 

    What You Need To Know

    • A task force within the Department of Justice dedicated to addressing threats against election workers has led to charges against roughly 20 people and has opened dozens of investigations into additional instances since its launch in 2021, officials announced on Monday
    • DOJ official John Keller told reporters 13 of the 20 people charged have been convicted and seven individuals have received sentences between one and a half to three and a half years in prison
    • Officials on Monday also sentenced an Ohio man to two and a half years in prison for leaving a series of voicemails around the 2022 midterm elections threatening the life of then Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who was elected governor of the state that year
    • Election workers have spoken about increased threats and instances of intimidation since the 2020 election 

    Speaking at a press conference in Arizona to lay out the sentence for an Ohio man for making death threats to an official in the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, DOJ official John Keller told reporters 13 of the 20 people charged have been convicted. Seven individuals have received sentences between one and a half to three and a half years in prison, which, he added, signals “how seriously the federal courts are taking this conduct.” 

    “Our work is not done, our efforts will not wane, the department will continue to vigorously pursue anyone who criminally threatens or targets the election community,” Keller said. “This behavior is insidious with potentially grave consequences for individual victims and for the institution of election administration as a whole.” 

    “The public must know, any criminal threats to the election community will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he added. 

    The Justice Department’s Elections Threats Task Force was formed in June 2021 in response to escalating reports of intimidation and threats to election workers following the 2020 election. Former President Donald Trump and his allies claimed, without evidence, there was widespread fraud in the 2020 election. (There is no evidence of widespread election fraud in the 2020 presidential election, a statement verified by officials on both sides of the aisle. Claims of fraud brought by Trump and his allies were rejected in courts nationwide, including the U.S. Supreme Court.) 

    A survey by Brennan Center for Justice in March 2022 found three in four election officials said threats have increased in recent years and one in six said they have experienced such threats. 

    “Death threats are not debate,” Keller said on Monday. “Death threats do not contribute to the marketplace of ideas. Death threats are not first amendment-protected speech.” 

    In the case of the Ohio man, officials on Monday laid out a sentence of two and a half years in prison for Joshua Russell for leaving a series of voicemails around the 2022 midterm elections threatening the life of then Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, who was elected governor of the state that year. 

    “Mr. Russell made three phone calls to the office of then Secretary of State Katie Hobbs threatening to put her in the ground or in a grave,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Gary Restaino said during Monday’s press conference. 

    “You’re the enemy of the United States, you’re a traitor to this country, and you better put your sh[inaudible], your [expletive] affairs in order, ’cause your days [inaudible] are extremely numbered,” Russell said in his first voicemail to Hobbs, according to the DOJ. “America’s coming for you, and you will pay with your life, you communist [expletive] traitor [expletive].”

    Hobbs, Arizona’s former top elections official, spoke about threats she received in the immediate aftermath of overseeing the state’s 2020 election. President Joe Biden defeated Trump in the major battleground state. 

    In 2022, Kari Lake, Hobbs’ Republican challenger for the governor’s seat, claimed there was fraud after she lost and unsuccessfully went to court to try to overturn the results. 

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    Maddie Gannon

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  • Vice President Harris calls on more states to enact red flag gun laws

    Vice President Harris calls on more states to enact red flag gun laws

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    More than six years removed from the deadliest mass shooting at a high school in U.S. history, Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new resource center to help states implement red flag laws — laws that allow the temporary removal of firearms from people who may present a danger to themselves or others.

    The announcement came Saturday during a visit to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., where she will meet with the families of 17 people who were killed in a 2018 mass shooting.

    What You Need To Know

    • Vice President Kamala Harris announced a new resource center to help states implement red flag laws

    • Red flag laws allow family members or law enforcement to request a court order that temporarily takes away guns from owners who they feel may harm themselves or other people

    • 21 states currently have red flag laws, though only six have taken advantage of federal funding for implementation, Harris said

    • The vice president issued a call to action for additional states to enact red flag laws

    “Part of why I’m here today is to challenge every state: Pass a red flag law,” Harris said in the Stoneman Douglas gym, before indicating to the families standing behind her. “See how these leaders and these parents, through their advocacy born of tragedy, have changed some of the laws in this state — including on that issue — to the betterment of everyone.”

    Harris reportedly walked the halls of the old high school building with local officials and the families of the victims. The building, which was permanently closed and preserved as evidence until the trial of the shooter was concluded will be demolished this summer, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

    The National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center will provide training and technical support to the 21 states that have red flag laws. The Center is funded through a Department of Justice grant enabled by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act the Biden-Harris administration enacted in 2022 to prevent and respond to acts of violence. It will be run by the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

    During her visit, Harris is expected to issue an official call to action for additional states to enact red flag laws. The Biden-Harris Administration has offered $750 million to states’ crisis intervention programs, according to the White House.

    “If anyone says, ‘well, this is a matter of resources,’ I’d invite you to really consider the resources in our children and school officials we have lost because of what has been happening in our country,” Harris said, before adding that the White House under President Joe Biden has made about $1 billion available for public school safety, violence prevention, intervention and mental health resources through the Stronger Connections Grant. An additional $2 billion of funds from the American Rescue Plan’s school relief funds was directed to hire student mental health experts in K-12 schools.

    Red flag laws allow family members or law enforcement to request a court order that temporarily takes away guns from owners who they feel may harm themselves or other people. In addition to states, the new Resource Center will be available to local governments, law enforcement, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service providers and behavioral health providers.

    But of the 21 states that have red flag laws, only six have taken advantage of federal funding to implement those laws.

    “Of the 21 that have passed red flag laws, I challenge the others: come on over, we got some resources for you, to help you implement the work that you have done that has been the work of a leader on this tragic issue,” Harris said. 

    For fiscal year 2024, the Department of Justice is expected to make $141 million available to states, territories and the District of Columbia to implement crisis intervention programs, including red flag programs. That funding can be used to train court staff on red flag proceedings, family members about how to react when they see warning signs and first responders to recognize signs of crisis. The funding can also be used to increase public awareness about red flag laws.

    Citing research from the Washington Post, the White House said there have been 394 school shootings since the Columbine High School mass shooting in Colorado in 1999. School violence incidents are often preceded by warning signs, such as an individual revealing plans ahead of time, according to the Department of Homeland Security’s National Threat Assessment Center.

    Harris acknowledged that there won’t be “complete agreement” on what she said must be done to address gun violence, including her repeated calls for universal background checks and assault weapons bans. 

    “But there are some that frankly, to use a colloquialism, are just no-brainers. And one of the points again that I will emphasize today is the red flag law as a tool that can help us address some of the tragedies that we know have occurred, and occurred here,” she said.

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    Susan Carpenter

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  • 2 crew members die during ‘incident’ on Holland America cruise ship

    2 crew members die during ‘incident’ on Holland America cruise ship

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    Two crew members on a Holland America cruise ship died during an “incident” in the ship’s engineering space, the cruise line said.

    The unidentified crew members died Friday while the Florida-based Nieuw Amsterdam was at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, Holland America said in a statement.

    Authorities were notified and the cause of the accident is being investigated, the cruise line said. Crew members were being offered counseling.

    “All of us at Holland America Line are deeply saddened by this incident and our thoughts and prayers are with our team members’ families at this difficult time,” the statement said. “The safety, security and welfare of all guests and crew are the company’s absolute priority.”

    The cruise line did not offer any further details about the crew members. It later said the Bahamas Maritime Authority was leading the investigation. The ship set sail out of Fort Lauderdale on March 16 for a seven-night trip.

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    Associated Press

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  • Thousands attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of war

    Thousands attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of war

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    Thousands of Christian faithful attended Palm Sunday celebrations at Jerusalem’s sacred Mount of Olives, marking the first day of Holy Week as conflict surges across the region.

    What You Need To Know

    • Thousands of Christian faithful attended Palm Sunday celebrations at Jerusalem’s sacred Mount of Olives on the first day of Holy Week
    • Pilgrims were seen waving branches and fronds in the air. The Bible says such items were placed before Jesus’ feet during his entrance into Jerusalem where he was greeted by cheering crowds
    • Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre also held a service on Sunday
    • The annual celebration comes as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in Gaza. The conflict appeared to have little effect on the procession which swelled to a similar size as last year


    Pilgrims waved branches and fronds in the air, items that were placed before Jesus’ feet as he was greeted by cheering crowds during his entrance into Jerusalem, according to the Bible. Earlier Sunday, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre — revered as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion — also held a service.

    The annual celebration came as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in Gaza. However, the conflict appeared to have had little effect on the procession, which swelled to a similar size as last year.

    “Although there is war, in my impression I don’t feel any kind of tension,” said David Manini, a pilgrim from Italy.

    The celebration marks the beginning of the most somber week in the Christian calendar, which marks Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter.

    “I’m here because I love Jesus Christ,” said Jennifer Weedon, who traveled form the United States for the occasion.

    Since the war erupted, Israel has seen a huge downturn in tourism. The war began on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants from Gaza invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. Israel has responded with an air and ground war that has left more than 32,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.

    One of the placards held by a pilgrim read, “Save us lord. The Church of Saint Porphyrius and Holy Family Church, Gaza.”

    In late October, Palestinian health officials said that an Israeli strike hit St. Porphyrios, a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza where displaced Palestinians were sheltering, killing 18 people.

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    Associated Press

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  • Thousands attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of war

    Thousands attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of war

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    Thousands of Christian faithful attended Palm Sunday celebrations at Jerusalem’s sacred Mount of Olives, marking the first day of Holy Week as conflict surges across the region.

    What You Need To Know

    • Thousands of Christian faithful attended Palm Sunday celebrations at Jerusalem’s sacred Mount of Olives on the first day of Holy Week
    • Pilgrims were seen waving branches and fronds in the air. The Bible says such items were placed before Jesus’ feet during his entrance into Jerusalem where he was greeted by cheering crowds
    • Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre also held a service on Sunday
    • The annual celebration comes as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in Gaza. The conflict appeared to have little effect on the procession which swelled to a similar size as last year


    Pilgrims waved branches and fronds in the air, items that were placed before Jesus’ feet as he was greeted by cheering crowds during his entrance into Jerusalem, according to the Bible. Earlier Sunday, Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre — revered as the site of Jesus’s crucifixion — also held a service.

    The annual celebration came as the Israel-Hamas war rages on in Gaza. However, the conflict appeared to have had little effect on the procession, which swelled to a similar size as last year.

    “Although there is war, in my impression I don’t feel any kind of tension,” said David Manini, a pilgrim from Italy.

    The celebration marks the beginning of the most somber week in the Christian calendar, which marks Jesus’ crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter.

    “I’m here because I love Jesus Christ,” said Jennifer Weedon, who traveled form the United States for the occasion.

    Since the war erupted, Israel has seen a huge downturn in tourism. The war began on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants from Gaza invaded southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 others hostage. Israel has responded with an air and ground war that has left more than 32,000 Palestinians dead, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.

    One of the placards held by a pilgrim read, “Save us lord. The Church of Saint Porphyrius and Holy Family Church, Gaza.”

    In late October, Palestinian health officials said that an Israeli strike hit St. Porphyrios, a Greek Orthodox church in Gaza where displaced Palestinians were sheltering, killing 18 people.

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    Associated Press

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  • Senate approves House-passed $1.2T funding bill

    Senate approves House-passed $1.2T funding bill

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    The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills in the early morning hours Saturday, a long overdue action nearly six months into the budget year that will push any threats of a government shutdown to the fall. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

    What You Need To Know

    • The Senate passed a $1.2 trillion package of spending bills to fund the government through September in the early morning hours Saturday

    • The bill now goes to President Joe Biden to be signed into law

    • It came after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight, but the White House sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing the Office of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of confidence that Congress would pass the legislation and the president would sign it on Saturday

    • The House had approved the package of spending bills earlier in the day, but more House Republicans voted against the measure than for it, reflecting anger among conservatives over the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote


    The vote was 74-24. It came after funding had expired for the agencies at midnight, but the White House sent out a notice shortly after the deadline announcing the Office of Management and Budget had ceased shutdown preparations because there was a high degree of confidence that Congress would pass the legislation and the president would sign it on Saturday.

    “Because obligations of federal funds are incurred and tracked on a daily basis, agencies will not shut down and may continue their normal operations,” the White House statement said.

    Prospects for a short-term government shutdown had appeared to grow Friday evening after Republicans and Democrats battled over proposed amendments to the bill. Any successful amendments to the bill would have sent the legislation back to the House, which had already left town for a two-week recess.

    But shortly before midnight Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a breakthrough.

    “It’s been a very long and difficult day, but we have just reached an agreement to complete the job of funding the government,” Schumer said. “It is good for the country that we have reached this bipartisan deal. It wasn’t easy, but tonight our persistence has been worth it.”

    While Congress has already approved money for Veterans Affairs, Interior, Agriculture and other agencies, the bill approved this week is much larger, providing funding for the Defense, Homeland Security and State departments and other aspects of general government.

    The House passed the bill Friday morning by a vote of 286-134, narrowly gaining the two-thirds majority needed for approval. More than 70% of the money would go to defense.

    The vote tally in the House reflected anger among Republicans over the content of the package and the speed with which it was brought to a vote. House Speaker Mike Johnson brought the measure to the floor even though a majority of Republicans ended up voting against it. He said afterward that the bill “represents the best achievable outcome in a divided government.”

    In sign of the conservative frustration, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., initiated an effort to oust Johnson as the House began the vote but held off on further action until the House returns in two weeks. It’s the same tool that was used last year to remove the last Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy of California.

    The vote breakdown showed 101 Republicans voting for the bill and 112 voting against it. Meanwhile, 185 Democrats voted for the bill and 22 against.

    Rep. Kay Granger, the Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee that helped draft the package, stepped down from that role after the vote. She said she would stay on the committee to provide advice and lead as a teacher for colleagues when needed.

    Johnson broke up this fiscal year’s spending bills into two parts as House Republicans revolted against what has become an annual practice of asking them to vote for one massive, complex bill called an omnibus with little time to review it or face a shutdown. Johnson viewed that as a breakthrough, saying the two-part process was “an important step in breaking the omnibus muscle memory.”

    Still, the latest package was clearly unpopular with most Republicans, who viewed it as containing too few of their policy priorities and as spending too much.

    “The bottom line is that this is a complete and utter surrender,” said Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo.

    It took lawmakers six months into the current fiscal year to get near the finish line on government funding, the process slowed by conservatives who pushed for more policy mandates and steeper spending cuts than a Democratic-led Senate or White House would consider. The impasse required several short-term, stopgap spending bills to keep agencies funded.

    The first package of full-year spending bills, which funded the departments of Veterans Affairs, Agriculture and the Interior, among others, cleared Congress two weeks ago with just hours to spare before funding expired for those agencies.

    When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, or financing the country’s rising debt.

    To win over support from Republicans, Johnson touted some of the spending increases secured for about 8,000 more detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country. That’s about a 24% increase from current levels. Also, GOP leadership highlighted more money to hire about 2,000 Border Patrol agents.

    Democrats, meanwhile, are boasting of a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. They also played up a $120 million increase in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s research.

    “Make no mistake, we had to work under very difficult top-line numbers and fight off literally hundreds of extreme Republican poison pills from the House, not to mention some unthinkable cuts,” said Sen. Patty Murray, the Democratic chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

    Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on that committee, appealed to her GOP colleagues by stating that the bill’s spending on non-defense programs actually decreases even before accounting for inflation. She called the package “conservative” and “carefully drafted.”

    “These bills are not big spending bills that are wildly out of scope,” Collins said.

    The spending package largely tracks with an agreement that then-Speaker McCarthy worked out with the White House in May 2023, which restricted spending for two years and suspended the debt ceiling into January 2025 so the federal government could continue paying its bills.

    Shalanda Young, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, told lawmakers that last year’s agreement, which became the Fiscal Responsibility Act, will save the federal government about $1 trillion over the coming decade.

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    Associated Press

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  • White House touts record Obamacare enrollment ahead of anniversary

    White House touts record Obamacare enrollment ahead of anniversary

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    President Joe Biden’s White House is touting record enrollment in the Affordable Care Act ahead of its 14th anniversary on Saturday as his reelection team looks to take the issue out on the campaign trail. 

    What You Need To Know

    • The Affordable Care Act, the sweeping health care overhaul also known as Obamacare, prepares to mark 14 years since then-President Barack Obama signed it into law in 2010
    • The White House is touting a record 21.4 million people enrolled in health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces during the 2024 open enrollment period
    • In the decade since the bill’s implementation in 2014, the White House noted a total of 45 million are enrolled in marketplace over Medicaid expansion coverage under the ACA
    • Biden’s reelection campaign is hoping the numbers give the incumbent president’s quest for another four years in the Oval Office a boost in the face of renewed GOP threats to repeal the health care law

    On a call with reporters ahead of the announcement, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra noted a record 21.4 million people enrolled in health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces during the 2024 open enrollment period.

    Five million of those enrollees, he said, were new to the marketplace, a 41% increase from 2023. 

    “21.4 million people that’s almost an 80% increase from the end of the previous administration’s term with the Affordable Care Act,” Becerra said. 

    The 21.4 million sign-ups for 2024 marks a more than 30% increase from 2023, when 16.4 million people enrolled, according to data from the White House. The annual enrollment figure, the data shows, increased more than 78% from 12 million in 2021 when Biden first took office to 21.4 million this year.

    The White House pointed to the expansion of tax credits intended to increase the affordability of marketplace coverage included in two of Biden’s signature pieces of legislation – the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act – as aiding in the increase. 

    It comes as the sweeping health care overhaul, colloquially known as Obamacare, prepares to mark 14 years since then-President Barack Obama signed it into law in 2010. 

    “When I ran for president in 2020, I promised the American people that I would protect the Affordable Care Act from partisan attacks and build on it,” Biden said in a statement on Friday marking the bill’s anniversary. “That’s exactly what I’ve done: getting more people affordable health insurance, lowering prescription drug prices, and giving families more breathing room.”

    “Now more Americans have affordable health insurance than ever before, premiums are down, and enrollment is at an all-time high,” the statement continued. “We took on Big Pharma – and won, capping insulin at just $35 per month and out-of-pocket prescription costs at $2,000 per year for seniors.”

    In the decade since the bill’s implementation in 2014, the White House noted a total of 45 million are enrolled in marketplace over Medicaid expansion coverage under the ACA. About 12.6 million people were enrolled in 2014, according to White House data. 

    The overall rate of Americans uninsured in health coverage, according to the most recent federal survey, has dropped 16% from 2010 to 2023. Florida, for instance, saw its uninsured rate fall from 20% in 2013 to 11.2% in 2022. California recorded a drop of 17.2% in 2013 to 6.5% in 2022. Wisconsin dipped 9.1% in 2013 to 5.2% in 2022. 

    Biden’s reelection campaign is hoping the numbers give the incumbent president’s quest for another four years in the Oval Office a boost in the face of renewed GOP threats to repeal the health care law.

    Over the next few days, Biden’s team plans to host more than 20 events to mark the bill’s anniversary in eight battleground states. The campaign also plans to release ads and social media content surrounding the health care act. 

    On Saturday, the bill’s official anniversary, the president will bring in his former boss, Obama, and former Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a call with supporters and volunteers. 

    The campaign’s emphasis on the ACA builds on his team’s efforts to shine a light on the health care bill as Trump toys with a renewed push to repeal it. 

    “There are extremists out there who say they will destroy the ACA. They will take health care and the peace of mind that comes with it away from millions of Americans,” Becerra said on Thursday’s call. “Well, that’s what they’re saying. But we won’t let that happen.”

    Republicans’ crusade against the Obamacare largely quieted in the years after three GOP senators voted against repealing it during the Trump administration in 2017. But the former president reawakened the fight last year when he warned the legislation could be on the chopping block again should he win back the White House in 2024. 

    “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare. I’m seriously looking at alternatives,” Trump wrote in a post on his social media site Truth Social. 

    That comment sparked a rapid response from the Biden campaign, which sent a flurry of emails warning about the impacts of the bill being repealed and calling on Pelosi to host a press call on the topic with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. 

    Amid the attention on his comment, Trump clarified that he doesn’t want to “terminate” the law, but wants to “replace” the landmark health care legislation.

    “I don’t want to terminate Obamacare, I want to REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE. Obamacare Sucks!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. While a Trump-backed repeal passed the House during his sole White House term in 2017, the effort failed in the Senate when three Republican lawmakers sank it. He has not offered a replacement plan.

    “Trump wants to take us back to a time when health insurance companies could deny coverage to Americans with heart disease or diabetes or asthma. When you couldn’t leave a dead-end job because you couldn’t risk losing your health insurance. When a 22-year-old kid could be kicked off his parents’ plan because he graduated from college. When insurance companies could cut people off halfway through chemo because they’d reached the limit of what they were willing to pay,” Biden said in a statement marking the ACA’s anniversary. “I won’t let that happen.”

    Biden’s team on Friday released a digital ad arguing “45 million Americans could lose their health insurance” should Trump win the White House again. The ad, the campaign said, is set to run on digital platforms such as Meta and YouTube in English and Spanish in battleground states. 

    In December, Biden called in Obama to record a video message promoting the ACA, it still a “BFD” – a tagline Biden even gave a shoutout in his State of the Union address earlier this month. 

    Folks Obamacare, known as the Affordable Care Act is still a very big deal,” he said in the House chamber. 

    And speaking in New Hampshire earlier this month on the heels of his State of the Union address, the president sought to draw a contrast between himself and the GOP on health care. 

    “Over 100 million Americans can no longer be denied health insurance because of a pre-existing condition,” Biden said. “But my predecessor and many Republicans want to take that away – take that protection away by repealing the Affordable Care Act. I’m not gonna let that happen.”

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    Maddie Gannon

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