Largest housing provider for migrant children engaged in pervasive sexual abuse, US says
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Employees of the largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children in the U.S. repeatedly sexually abused and harassed children in their care for at least eight years, the Justice Department said Thursday, alleging a shocking litany of offenses that took place as the company amassed billions of dollars in government contracts.
Southwest Key Programs Inc. employees, including supervisors, raped, touched or solicited sex and nude images of children beginning in 2015 and possibly earlier, the Justice Department said in a lawsuit filed this week. At least two employees have been indicted on criminal charges related to the allegations since 2020.
It was not immediately clear how many children are currently in Southwest Key's vast network of shelters across three states, which have room for more than 6,300 children. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment beyond the lawsuit announcement when asked whether the department recommended that children be removed from the shelters or that the the nonprofit's contracts be terminated.
“In some cases, Southwest Key employees threatened children to maintain their silence,” the lawsuit states. “In harassing these children, these Southwest Key employees exploited the children’s vulnerabilities, language barriers, and distance from family and loved ones.”
In a statement, Southwest Key said it was reviewing the complaint and disputed the portrayal of its care for children.
___
A faulty software update causes havoc worldwide for airlines, hospitals and governments
NEW YORK (AP) — A faulty software update caused technological havoc worldwide on Friday, grounding flights, knocking down some financial companies and news outlets, and disrupting hospitals, small businesses and government offices.
The breadth of the outages highlighted the fragility of a digitized world dependent on just a few providers for key computing services.
The trouble was sparked by an update issued by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike and only affected its customers running Microsoft Windows, the world’s most popular operating system for personal computers. It was not the result of hacking or a cyberattack, according to CrowdStrike, which apologized and said a fix was on the way.
Businesses and governments worldwide experienced hourslong disruptions — their computer monitors glowing blue with error messages — and they scrambled to deal with the fallout. CrowdStrike’s CEO said some of their systems will require time-consuming manual fixes.
Thousands of flights were canceled and tens of thousands were delayed, leading to long lines at airports in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America. Airlines lost access to check-in and booking services in the heart of the summer travel season. By late afternoon Eastern time, the worst appeared to be over, though there were still lingering cancellations and delays do to the cascading effect of the disruption.
___
Internet outage latest | Airlines, businesses, border crossings hit by global tech disruption
Businesses and governments worldwide experienced hours-long disruptions Friday as a widespread technology outage affected services across industries. Flights were grounded and numerous hospitals, small businesses and government offices were disrupted.
At the heart of the massive disruption is CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that provides software to scores of companies worldwide. The company says the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows, noting that the issue behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack.
Here's the Latest:
MEXICO CITY — Long lines of people were waiting for information in several international airports in Mexico as hundreds of people had their travel plans interrupted by delayed and canceled flights Friday.
In Cancún, the main tourist destination on the Caribbean coast, a band was stranded and was playing at the airport, while some travelers livened up their long waits by singing a popular Mexican song, “Cielito Lindo,” with a chorus urging people to sing instead of cry. The title translates roughly to “Lovely Sweet One” or “Sweetheart,” and the song embodies a national sentiment of remaining happy even in the worst moments.
___
A massive tech outage is causing worldwide disruptions. Here's what we know
NEW YORK (AP) — Much of the world faced online disarray Friday as a widespread technology outage affected companies and services across industries — grounding flights, knocking banks and hospital systems offline and media outlets off air.
At the heart of the massive disruption is CrowdStrike, a cybersecurity firm that provides software to scores of companies worldwide. The company says the problem occurred when it deployed a faulty update to computers running Microsoft Windows, noting that the issue behind the outage was not a security incident or cyberattack.
CrowdStrike has said a fix is on the way. Still, chaos deepened hours after the problem was first detected.
Here's what you need to know.
Friday's disruptions began when a faulty update was pushed out from CrowdStrike for one of its tools, “Falcon.” In a statement about the ongoing situation, the company said the defect was found “in a single content update for Windows hosts” — noting that Mac and Linux systems were not impacted.
___
Biden pushes party unity as he resists calls to step aside, says he'll return to campaign next week
WASHINGTON (AP) — A rapidly growing chorus of Democratic lawmakers called Friday for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, even as the president insisted he’s ready to return to the campaign trail next week to counter what he called a “dark vision” laid out by Republican Donald Trump.
As more Democratic members of Congress urged him to drop out — bringing the total since his disastrous debate against Trump to nearly three dozen — Biden remained isolated at his beach house in Delaware after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The president, who has insisted he can beat Trump, was huddling with family and relying on a few longtime aides as he resisted efforts to shove him aside.
Late Friday, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat who is in a tough race for reelection, called for Biden to step aside.
Brown said in a statement that he agrees with “the many Ohioans” who have reached out to him. “I think the president should end his campaign,” he said.
And in a statement later Friday, Rep. Morgan McGarvey, D-Ky., also called on Biden to drop out while saying, “there is no joy in the recognition he should not be our nominee in November. But the stakes of this election are too high.”
___
Firefighter killed at Trump rally honored with bagpipes, gun salute and a bugle sounding taps
CABOT, Pa. (AP) — The keen of bagpipes, a three-volley gun salute and a bugle sounding taps pierced the air of a small Pennsylvania town on Friday as hundreds gathered to honor an ex-fire chief who was shot and killed at a rally for former President Donald Trump.
Following funeral services for Corey Comperatore, large crowds of mourners waiting outside fell silent as his American flag-draped casket emerged from Cabot Methodist Church. Firefighters ceremoniously removed the flag and presented it to his wife, Helen, before loading the casket onto a fire truck adorned with black bunting.
Three firefighters stood sentry on the back of the truck, trailed by more than 100 other emergency vehicles from fire departments across the region as it rolled slowly toward Comperatore's hometown of Freeport, where he was to be laid to rest.
A sharpshooter team mounted on a nearby rooftop served as a reminder of last weekend's bloodshed. Officials have said that Comperatore spent his final moments shielding his wife and daughter from gunfire at Trump’s rally last Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Trump, who suffered an ear injury in the shooting but was not seriously hurt, did not attend the funeral because of Secret Service concerns, according to a person familiar with the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly.
___
Missouri woman who served 43 years in prison is free after her murder conviction was overturned
CHILLICOTHE, Mo. (AP) — A woman whose murder conviction was overturned after she served 43 years of a life sentence was released Friday, despite attempts in the last month by Missouri’s attorney general to keep her behind bars.
Sandra Hemme, 64, left a prison in Chillicothe, hours after a judge threatened to hold the attorney general’s office in contempt if they continued to fight against her release. She reunited with her family at a nearby park, where she hugged her sister, daughter and granddaughter.
“You were just a baby when your mom sent me a picture of you,” she said. “You looked just like your mamma when you were little and you still look like her.”
Her granddaughter laughed. “I get that a lot.”
Hemme had been the longest-held wrongly incarcerated woman known in the U.S., according to her legal team at the Innocence Project. The judge originally ruled on June 14 that Hemme’s attorneys had established “clear and convincing evidence” of “actual innocence” and he overturned her conviction. But Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey fought her release in the courts.
___
Ten Commandments won't go in some Louisiana classrooms until at least November as lawsuit plays out
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana won't take official steps to implement a law requiring the Ten Commandments be placed in all of the state's public school classrooms until at least November as a lawsuit makes its way through the courts, according to an agreement approved by a federal judge Friday.
The suit was filed in June by parents of Louisiana public school children with various religious backgrounds, who said the law violates First Amendment language forbidding government establishment of religion and guaranteeing religious liberty. Backers of the law argue that the Ten Commandments belong in classrooms because the commandments are historical and are part of the foundation of U.S. law.
The Louisiana law requires the commandments be posted no later than Jan. 1, a deadline unaffected by Friday’s agreement. The deal assures that the defendants in the lawsuit — state education officials and several local school boards — will not post the commandments in classrooms before Nov. 15, and won't make rules governing the law’s implementation before then.
Lester Duhe, a spokesman for Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said the defendants “agreed to not take public-facing compliance measures until November 15” to provide time for briefs, arguments and a ruling.
In 1980, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a similar Kentucky law violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which says Congress can “make no law respecting an establishment of religion.” The high court found that the law had no secular purpose but rather served a plainly religious purpose.
___
Churchill Downs lifts suspension of trainer Bob Baffert following Medina Spirit's failed drug test
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Churchill Downs has rescinded its extended suspension of Bob Baffert, allowing the Hall of Fame trainer to resume racing his horses at the historic track and partner facilities after more than three years of banishment for a failed drug test of ultimately disqualified 2021 Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit.
The stunning announcement came Friday after Baffert issued a statement in which he took responsibility for now-deceased colt Medina Spirit’s failed drug test after crossing the finish line in the 147th Kentucky Derby in May 2021. Kentucky racing stewards disqualified Medina Spirit the following winter, and Churchill Downs elevated runner-up Mandaloun to Derby winner.
Churchill Downs said in a release that it was satisfied for Baffert taking responsibility while completing the penalty and committing to compliance.
“All parties agree that it is time to bring this chapter to a close and focus on the future. Baffert is welcome to return to any of CDI’s racetracks, including our flagship Churchill Downs Racetrack, and we wish him and his connections good luck in their future competitive endeavors,” Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen said in the statement.
The two-time Triple Crown winning trainer frequently criticized the ban and had unsuccessfully sued Churchill Downs, which last year extended the ban to the end of 2024 for subsequent criticism. Medina Spirit’s owner, Zedan Racing Stables, had sued for the trainer's discipline to end this spring in an effort to get his Baffert-trained Arkansas Derby winner Muth into the 150th Derby.
___
Drone strike by Yemen's Houthi rebels kills 1 person and wounds at least 10 in Tel Aviv
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Iranian-made drone sent by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck Tel Aviv on Friday, leaving one person dead and at least 10 wounded in the group’s first lethal strike into Israel.
The aerial strike rumbled through the center of the city near the U.S. Embassy, causing shrapnel to rain down and spreading shards of glass over a large radius.
The hit in Israel’s biggest city was startling because the drone appeared to have crossed much of the country through the multilayered air defenses that have intercepted almost all of the drones and rockets that Yemen’s Houthis have been launching toward Israel since the Gaza war began. Most have failed even to reach Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat, on the Red Sea some 270 kilometers (160 miles) south of Tel Aviv.
The Israeli military said it was investigating what went wrong. Chief spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the drone was detected by air defenses, but an “error” occurred and “there was no interception.“
“We are investigating the entire chain,” he said. Another military official blamed “human error.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
