Author: 5amResearch
DOJ in talks to drop criminal prosecution against Boeing
The United States Department of Justice is in talks to drop a criminal prosecution against Boeing (BOE, Washington National) stemming from two fatal B737 MAX crashes, according to a May 18 court filing. Instead, the DOJ says the matter is likely to be resolved through a settlement that will not result in a criminal conviction. Multiple outlets reported on a May 16 meeting between the DOJ and law firms representing some of the 346 people killed in the crashes in 2018 and 2019. Boeing faces…
Texas alleges BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard used their holdings in coal companies to reduce U.S. coal production
Today, the Justice Department, joined by the Federal Trade Commission (the “Agencies”) filed a statement of interest in the Eastern District of Texas in the case of Texas et al. v. BlackRock, Inc. The States’ lawsuit—led by the Texas Attorney General—alleges that BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard used their management of stock in competing coal companies to induce reductions in output, resulting in higher energy prices for American consumers. This is the first formal statement by the Agencies in federal…
Former Defense Contractor Pleads Guilty to Tax Crimes
A former defense contractor pleaded guilty today to tax crimes related to his scheme to defraud the United States and evade taxes on income that he earned from his contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: Douglas Edelman founded and owned 50% of Mina Corp. and Red Star Enterprises (Mina/Red Star), a defense contracting business that received more than $7 billion from contracts with the U.S. Department of…
Canada Moves to Take Ownership of Stranded Russian Cargo Plane, Hand It to Kyiv
Canada is moving forward with a legal bid to gain full possession of a Russian Antonov An-124 cargo plane and potentially hand it over to Ukraine, the country’s foreign ministry has said. The Antonov An-124 — the world’s largest mass-produced cargo aircraft — has been stranded at Toronto Pearson International Airport for over three years due to airspace restrictions that Canada imposed due to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. “The Attorney General of Canada commenced forfeiture proceedings by seeking the…
Ukraine, U.S. Sign Minerals Deal, Tying Trump to Kyiv
Trump had originally sought $500 billion in mineral wealth — around four times what the United States has contributed to Ukraine since the war. U.S. presence against ‘bad actors’ Trump has balked at offering security guarantees to Ukraine and has rejected its aspiration to join NATO. But Trump said on Wednesday that a U.S. presence on the ground would benefit Ukraine. “The American presence will, I think, keep a lot of bad actors out of the country or certainly out…
U.S. Attorneys for Southwestern Border Districts Charge More than 990 “Illegal Aliens”
Since the inauguration of President Trump, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Last week, the U.S. Attorneys for Arizona, Central…
Canada’s Role in a Shifting Global Order — with Mark Carney | Prof G Conversations
Mark Carney, Canada’s 24th Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Party, joins Scott to discuss the country’s economic outlook, how Canada fits into a shifting global order, and whether the U.S.-Canada relationship can be repaired amid rising trade tensions.
US detains Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi at citizenship interview
Mahdawi’s lawyer says Columbia University student detained as ‘retaliation’ for pro-Palestinian stance. United States immigration agents have arrested a Palestinian man who led demonstrations at Columbia University against the war on Gaza. A green card holder since 2015, Mohsen Mahdawi was detained on Monday as he attended an interview at an immigration office regarding his application for citizenship, according to his lawyers. The arrest is the latest in a controversial crackdown by the administration of President Donald Trump on immigrant student…
Why bonds, not stocks, could predict the next economic crisis in the US
United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs have roiled financial markets globally. But while Trump’s trade salvoes have sent stock markets on a rollercoaster ride, it is the turmoil in the bond markets – specifically the fall of bonds in tandem with stocks – that has prompted the most concern among economists. What are bonds? Bonds are a type of investment that involves the buyer lending money to a government or corporation for a specified period. In return for their investment,…
Did Trump really ‘exempt’ Chinese phones, chips from tariffs?
United States President Donald Trump has threatened new tariffs on Chinese electronic goods, three days after his administration announced exemptions on smartphones, laptops, flash drives and a host of other tech products from levies he has announced since April 2. Those exemptions provided relief to US tech companies reliant on Chinese manufacturing, like Apple and chip company Nvidia, which saw their stocks rise considerably after the release of Friday’s notice. Then came Monday’s announcement, which sparked criticism of Trump over…
“History of Racism” page missing from Harvard’s Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging department site
As archived here. History of Racism Louis Agassiz Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) was a Swiss-born natural scientist, a professor of zoology and geology in the predecessor of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a prominent supporter of racial segregation and white supremacy. Agassiz was educated and spent his early career in Western Europe (Irmscher, 2013, p. 41-84). He began his scientific career cataloguing fish fossils, work for which he would later win the Wollaston Medal, the proto-Nobel Prize (Irmscher,…
Video: Bodies of eight missing paramedics found in Gaza mass grave
The Palestine Red Crescent says it’s located the bodies of eight of the nine paramedics who went missing about a week ago. The medics had been surrounded by Israeli forces while responding to the scene of an attack in Rafah. Gaza’s Health Ministry says their bodies had been discovered in a hole, and that some were bound and had gunshot wounds to the chest. Mads Gilbert, professor of Emergency Medicine at Norway’s University of Tromso weighs in.
China adds 12 US entities to export control list, adds 6 US firms to unreliable entity list
China’s Ministry of Commence (MOFCOM) said on Wednesday that it has added 12 US entities to the export control list. In order to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Export Control Law of China and the regulations on export control of dual-use items, the MOFCOM issued an announcement to include 12 US entities in the export control list and prohibit the export of dual-use items to…
Brussels threatens to block US from bidding for public contracts
Brussels has threatened to bar American companies from bidding for taxpayer-funded contracts as Europe seeks to retaliate against Donald Trump’s tariffs. Stéphane Séjourné, executive vice president of the European Commission, said the EU has “the cards” to hit back at Mr Trump’s new levies of 20pc on goods and 25pc on cars. “We could decide to withdraw all American companies from European public procurement,” Mr Séjourné, who is also commissioner for industrial strategy, told Radio France. It represents a fresh…
Telegram Accused of Removing Popular News Channel at Russia’s Request
The messaging app Telegram is facing censorship accusations after reportedly removing a popular Russian news channel whose alleged owners face criminal prosecution inside Russia. VChK-OGPU, an anonymously run channel claiming to share insider information from Russia’s security and law enforcement agencies, had 1.1 million subscribers when it was taken down overnight Monday. On a backup Telegram channel, VChK-OGPU’s owners wrote that the removal came at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and state media watchdog Roskomnadzor….
China hits back at Trump with 34% tariff on U.S. imports
China announced a 34% tariff on all products imported from the U.S. on Friday, escalating the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. The move came two days after President Donald Trump imposed the same tariff on all Chinese imports as part of what he called reciprocal tariffs on a long list of U.S. trade partners. Combined with 20% in other levies that Trump has imposed on Chinese goods since returning to office in January, the total U.S. tariff…