The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a missing Canadian research submersible that disappeared while exploring the wreck of the Titanic, with five people onboard including British billionaire Hamish Harding. The Coast Guard has deployed multiple vessels and aircraft to search for the submersible and is asking anyone with information to contact them.
Posts tagged as “Massachusetts”
Jack Teixeira, a former Air National Guardsman, has been indicted on six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information. He allegedly shared highly classified military documents on a social media platform, despite having received training on the proper handling of classified information. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and three years of supervised release.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is facing criminal charges for allegedly using funds from a state program to pay for a controversial migrant flight to Martha's Vineyard last September. The Bexar County Sheriff's Office in Texas has recommended criminal charges against DeSantis, alleging unlawful restraint was involved in the flight. The incident has sparked outrage and calls for the Governor to be held accountable for his actions.
In New Bedford, Massachusetts, a father and his 8-year-old son were found dead in their home in an apparent murder-suicide. The District Attorney's office believes the father killed the boy with a sharp object before taking his own life. The tragedy is being investigated by the Bristol County District Attorney's office, and counseling services are being offered to those affected.
Two Massachusetts residents, Ali Jaafar (63) and his son Yousef Jaafar (29), have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a massive lottery fraud scheme. The Jaafars were part of a "ten-percenting" operation that involved cashing in 14,000 winning lottery tickets over a roughly 10-year period and then lying on their tax returns to cheat the IRS out of about $6 million. Ali Jaafar was sentenced to five years in prison and Yousef Jaafar was sentenced to three years in prison, with their third son Mohamed Jaafar receiving two years of probation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston said that the sentences should serve as a warning to those who engage in similar schemes.
The National Association of Government Employees (NAGE) has filed a lawsuit against Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts, seeking an injunction to prevent the government from defaulting on its debts due to the current debt limit. The lawsuit claims that the union’s workers are “at immediate and imminent risk of layoff or furlough” if a deal is not reached to increase the government’s borrowing limit. NAGE President David J. Holway said the debt limit “puts our members’ jobs and livelihoods at risk” and the union is “fighting to protect the economic security of our members and their families.”
An explosion at an industrial park in Newburyport, Massachusetts left one worker unaccounted for and four hospitalized. Firefighters found an industrial-sized vat thrown 30 feet from the building, and the cause of the explosion is under investigation. The Newbury Fire Department is asking anyone with information about the missing worker or who may have been affected to contact them.
The United States is facing a potential debt crisis, with the possibility of defaulting on its debt as early as June 1. In response, House Democrats have taken the first procedural steps to try to force a House vote on a clean debt ceiling increase. President Biden has invited the top four congressional leaders to the White House on May 9 to discuss potential solutions to avert the crisis.