President Donald Trump on Friday requested that a federal judge deny a request by Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to prevent the president from firing her, as the court proceedings in the lawsuit to block her removal play out. Trump on Monday moved to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations raised by the president’s ally, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, which centered on Cook claiming primary residence status on two mortgages obtained on homes in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Atlanta in the span of two weeks in 2021. Pulte sent his criminal referrals to the Justice Department, though Cook…
Author: Emily Carter
Shell is facing a lawsuit alleging the company conducted a corporate reorganization that racially discriminated against white employees. America First Legal (AFL) filed a lawsuit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas on behalf of employees in the company’s security division who claimed that Shell racially discriminated against them in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights as the company carried out a reorganization in line with corporate diversity goals. AFL’s lawsuit claims the employees had better credentials and performance reviews but were forced to reapply for their jobs, complete in-person assessments and were ultimately…
After shutting down parts of Venice for their epic star-studded nuptials, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez embarked on a European getaway that included hitting the nightclubs on one of the Balearic Islands. The newlyweds spent the summer bouncing between the U.S. and Europe after their extravagant wedding. Earlier this month, they were spotted letting loose at a nightclub in Ibiza, Spain. In a video obtained by TMZ, Sanchez, bathed in a deep red glow, is seen dancing in front of Bezos and their staff inside the club. On a separate occasion, they were spotted on a double date with Leonardo…
We’re now less than two weeks away from the Apple iPhone 17 event. Themed “Awe dropping” this year, the event — confirmed after Apple sent “save the date” invitations to the media on August 26 — will be livestreamed on YouTube September 9 at 1PM ET from Cupertino. And Engadget staff will be there, reporting and liveblogging from Apple Park to give their hands-on impressions. This year is shaking up to be a departure from recent September product rollouts, with the strong possibility of an all-new superthin iPhone expected to join the company’s lineup. Also on tap could be new…
Overdrive’s digital book lending app Libby is adding — you guessed it! — AI. The new Inspire Me feature is an AI-fueled discovery tool tuned to your local branch’s collection. Following a soft launch this month, it will be officially available in September. To avoid the pitfalls of a full-on chatbot, Overdrive is limiting the discovery process of the feature. Instead of typing freely into a prompt box, you’ll start by answering several canned preference questions. These include categories (such as fiction and biography), age groups (adult or child) and preset adjectives (like “clever” and “silly”). You can also let…
by Tim Golden ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. More than two decades after victims of the 9/11 attacks began trying to hold the government of Saudi Arabia responsible for helping the Qaida terrorists who carried out the plot, a federal judge has ruled that a civil lawsuit against the kingdom can go to trial. The decision on Thursday, by Judge George B. Daniels of the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, represents a crucial victory for survivors of the attacks and relatives…
by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with the Anchorage Daily News. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. Leaders in Alaska and elsewhere have repeatedly promised action in recent years to address the nation’s chronic failure to solve the murder or disappearance of Indigenous people. Federal legislation backed by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski called for improving data collection and information sharing among law enforcement and tribes. Gov. Mike Dunleavy said again and again and as recently as May 5 that the state government…
By JASON HINES This is Part 2 of Jason and Gigasheets’ investigation into the Capital Women’s Care vs UnitedHealthcare contract dispute in which (partially at my request) he expanded the investigation to look at other providers in the same market. Revealing stuff!–Matthew Holt While Capital Women’s Care (CWC) battles UnitedHealthcare over contract terms, a deeper look at Maryland’s OBGYN market reveals a complex competitive landscape where negotiated rates vary dramatically across providers and procedures. By analyzing price transparency data from both UnitedHealthcare and CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, we can see exactly what each insurer pays CWC’s competitors. The results are eye-opening. The Players…
By KIM BELLARD On the heels of the disastrous floods in Texas, days away from the Hurricane Katrina twenty year anniversary, and with Hurricane Erin almost becoming another Hurricane Sandy, the dedicated employees at FEMA are worried. Very worried. They’ve got a President who repeatedly has called to dismantle the agency, a DHS Secretary who is more interested in photo ops and slow walking expenditure requests, and an acting administrator who has no experience in emergency management. Oh, and they’ve suffered losses of about a third of their workforce. So some of the more outspoken employees have written a…
By GREGORY HOPSON There is no doubt Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. is sincere about wanting to make the world a better place. The Hudson River cleanup, which he helped lead, is one of the most successful environmental achievements in the United States. It had bipartisan support, set global standards, and earned the highest compliment: imitation. It was quite reasonable to believe Mr. Kennedy could use those same skills and passion to lead Health and Human Services (HHS). He has a proven track record with complex systems, scientific evidence, and protecting public welfare. Even skeptics of his appointment want him to…