Jerry Boylan, the captain of the scuba dive boat Conception, has been found guilty of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer by a federal jury in Los Angeles in relation to the 2019 fire that killed 34 people. This is the deadliest maritime disaster in recent U.S. history and has prompted changes to maritime regulations, congressional hearings, and a National Transportation Safety Board investigation. Boylan is the only person to face criminal charges connected to the tragedy, and the NTSB has issued 25 safety recommendations to the Coast Guard and other federal agencies in response.
Posts tagged as “5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal”
Senate Republicans have proposed a one-page plan to President Biden, calling for stricter immigration laws as part of an emergency funding package. The plan includes raising the “credible fear” standard for asylum-seekers, curtailing officials’ ability to grant humanitarian parole, toughening penalties for illegal border crossings, and creating a new “border security trust fund” to pay for additional personnel and technology at the border. The proposal has been met with criticism from some immigration advocates, and it is expected to be a major point of contention in the negotiations over the emergency funding package.
Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, owner of an exotic animal safari in South Carolina and featured in the Netflix documentary series "Tiger King," pleaded guilty to wildlife trafficking and money laundering. He admitted to overseeing the sale or purchase of protected species between 2018 and 2020, and will pay a $100,000 fine and serve three years of probation. He will be sentenced in January 2021.
A new poll released Sunday shows that former President Donald Trump (R) leads President Joe Biden (D) in five key swing states, despite doubts from his rivals about his viability in a general election. Trump has been able to maintain a strong base of support among Republican voters, and Biden has been focusing on his plans to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and the economic crisis. The poll results suggest that Trump is in a strong position to take on Biden in the general election, but the race is still in its early stages.
Stephen Tyler Bieneman has been accused of assaulting a woman at a U.S. research station in Antarctica and has pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge. Despite this, he was sent to a remote icefield for a week to protect the safety of a professor and three graduate students. Questions have been raised about the decision-making of the National Science Foundation and the safety of those in the field, but the agency has yet to comment on the incident.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has invited former U.S. President Donald Trump to visit Ukraine and warned that he could debunk Trump's claim that he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours. Zelenskyy believes that only by visiting Ukraine can Trump understand the details of the conflict and that he is "very welcome" to do so.
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders has expressed his disapproval of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the Palestinian sovereignty issue, criticizing his "extreme" and "racist" policies. Palestinian American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib responded with a video featuring pro-Palestinian protests and remarks from President Joe Biden, ending with a call to remember in 2024. Sanders concluded by expressing his hope that Israeli voters will "get rid of" Netanyahu and elect a government that understands the severity of the crisis.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rejected suggestions that the war with Russia has reached a stalemate, and has pleaded for the U.S. to provide more weapons. Opposition in Congress to providing more weapons appears to be rising, and Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Oksana Markarova has said that the Ukrainian government is running very short of U.S.-provided aid. The war in the Middle East is also diverting some attention from the war in Ukraine, making the situation increasingly dire.