Man Pleads Guilty After His Drone Hits LAPD Helicopter
A Los Angeles resident pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal criminal charge of unlawfully operating a drone that struck a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter last year.
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Government
Feds Lobby Ninth Circuit to Lift Barrier to Ban on China’s WeChat
An attorney for users of Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat told a Ninth Circuit panel Thursday the Trump administration sought to unlawfully ban the app and should be blocked from ever doing so because it never intended to address purported concerns about Beijing-directed espionage.
Read moreDelisting Gray Wolves
Environmentalists sued the Trump administration Thursday over its plans to remove Endangered Species Act protections from nearly all gray wolves in the lower 48 states, despite scientific evidence the wolves are functionally extinct throughout much of their historic range.
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Cruz Battered by Blowback From Electoral College Objection
Texas Senator Ted Cruz, thrashed by the backlash over his refusal to certify Electoral College votes, is facing growing calls to resign from detractors across the political spectrum who have labeled him a terrorism fomenter and akin to a Nazi propogandist.
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Judge Wrestles With Oakland A’s Ballpark Environmental Review Fast-Track
A coalition of trade groups looking to stall construction of a new Oakland A’s ballpark near the Port of Oakland argued in virtual court on Thursday that Governor Gavin Newsom doesn’t have the authority to fast-track the project.
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Biden Readies $1.9 Trillion Covid Relief Plan
President-elect Joe Biden wants Congress to pass a $1.9 trillion Covid stimulus package that will include $1,400 checks for every American and money for vaccination programs and the effort to reopen schools.
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Georgia Hospitals Filling Up Amid Spike in Virus Cases
Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, the spread of Covid-19 shows no signs of slowing down in Georgia, with cases and deaths reaching record highs over the past week.
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Watchdog Finds Lack of Planning for Zero-Tolerance Immigration Policy
A government watchdog report released Thursday found Justice Department officials implemented the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy, knowing it would lead to family separations, without properly preparing federal agencies and prosecutors.
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MIT Professor Charged With Hiding Work for China
A Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor was charged Thursday with hiding work he did for the Chinese government while he was also collecting U.S. dollars for his nanotechnology research.
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European Rights Court Takes Up Russian Annexation of Crimea
The European Court of Human Rights said Thursday it will take up Ukraine’s complaint asserting Russia committed human rights abuses during the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
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New York State Sues New York City in Renouncement of Protest Brutality
New York’s attorney general brought a federal complaint Thursday over the NYPD’s brutal response to civil rights protests following the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
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Denmark to Hold Impeachment Trial Vote on Ex-Minister
Denmark’s ruling party said it would back a vote in parliament Thursday on whether a former immigration minister in the previous government can be tried before the rarely used Court of Impeachment for a 2016 order to separate asylum-seeking couples when one of the pair was a minor.
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S. Korean Court Upholds Prison Term for Ex-President Park
South Korea’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a 20-year prison term for former President Park Geun-hye over bribery and other crimes as it ended a historic corruption case that marked a striking fall from grace for the country’s first female leader and conservative icon.
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Former Michigan Governor Pleads Not Guilty in Flint Water Case
Former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder appeared in court Thursday morning to plead not guilty to state charges of willful neglect stemming from the contaminated-water crisis in Flint that began during his time of office.
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Somber Tunisia Marks 10 Years Since Revolution in Lockdown
Tunisia on Thursday commemorated the 10th anniversary since the flight into exile of iron-fisted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, pushed from power in a popular revolt that foreshadowed strife and civil war in the region, known as the Arab Spring.
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‘The World Is Watching’: Ugandans Vote in Tense Election
Ugandans voted Thursday in a presidential election tainted by widespread violence that some fear could escalate if security forces try to stop supporters of leading opposition challenger Bobi Wine from monitoring the process. Internet access remained cut off.
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UK to Ban South American, Portugal Arrivals Over Brazil Virus Strain
LONDON (AFP) — Britain will ban all arrivals from South America, Panama, Cape Verde and Portugal starting Friday over fears
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LA Has Plan for Network of Waterways in the Land of Cars
In an arid land, the Los Angeles network of waterways abounds with big birds, bike riders, hikers and horsemen. Now the city has a plan for it.
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Judge Mulls Sanctions After Holding Portland in Contempt for Violent Protest Policing
Last month, a federal judge held Portland in contempt of court for violent protest policing. Now, he’s deciding which sanctions might prevent police from doing it again.
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Report Explains Why California Power Grid Couldn’t Take the Heat in 2020
Several days of extreme heat were to blame for the first California power outages in nearly two decades last summer, but a report released Wednesday offers a granular take on why the power grid couldn’t take the heat.
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