Author: Olive Metuge
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published. The former operator of one of the largest HomeVestors of America franchises has agreed to plead guilty to federal wire fraud in connection with a sprawling Ponzi scheme targeting people who believed they were investing in his real estate empire. Federal prosecutors in Texas identified 80 victims defrauded of nearly $40 million by Charles Carrier since 2018. Though Carrier agreed to plead guilty to only one count of felony wire fraud involving one $200,000 transfer, he admitted to…
Ukraine’s president has questioned Russia’s commitment to progressing peace talks after Moscow confirmed it was sending a team to talks in Istanbul on Monday.Russia is yet to send its negotiating proposals to Ukraine – a key demand by Kyiv. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow’s conditions for a ceasefire would be discussed in Turkey. But Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of “doing everything it can to ensure the next possible meeting is fruitless”.”For a meeting to be meaningful, its agenda must be clear, and the negotiations must be properly prepared,” he said. Ukraine had sent its proposals to Russia, reaffirming “readiness…
An Alaska man who was pinned face-down in an icy creek by a 318-kilogram boulder for three hours survived the ordeal with no major injuries, thanks in part to his wife’s quick thinking and lots of luck.Kell Morris’ wife held his head above water to prevent him from drowning while waiting for rescuers to arrive after Morris was pinned by the boulder, which crashed onto him during a hike near a remote glacier south of Anchorage.His second stroke of luck came when a sled dog tourism company that operates on the glacier overheard the 911 dispatch and offered up its helicopter…
The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled to limit the scope of environmental review required under a seminal 1970s environmental protection law. The move brought a proposed 88-mile railroad line that would transport crude oil from oilfields in northern Utah to refineries on the Gulf Coast one step closer to production. Environmental groups and a neighboring Colorado county had told the justices that the federal agency that approved the project had failed to consider its broader environmental costs. In ruling for the railroad, the justices sketched out a relatively narrow role for courts reviewing future decisions under the National Environmental Policy Act,…
For the past few years, this column has focused primarily on generative artificial intelligence software. In each column, I offer an overview of a category of AI software, including what it does, how to choose the right tool for your firm, and available options in the marketplace. It’s not an easy task since AI is a moving target. Technology is advancing rapidly, with new tools and use cases cropping up seemingly overnight. My hope is that my articles offer guidance in the midst of rapid change, helping to streamline understanding of the legal generative AI marketplace. Having been armed with…
New restaurants in Dubai, because the city is always hungry for more…Dubai’s always got something new cooking, and June is no exception. This month, there’s an exciting lineup of new restaurants in Dubai to explore. From classic Greek dining to innovative Cantonese cuisine, here are 5 new restaurants in Dubai to check out this June.Click through the gallery 3 of 12 China TangThe iconic London-born Cantonese restaurant makes its Middle East debut at The Lana Promenade. Opulent, Art Deco glamour meets 1930s Shanghai. Think mirrored ceilings, stained glass, intricate wallpaper, and a moody, elegant cocktail bar. Offering: A refined take…
This article was produced for ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network in partnership with The Connecticut Mirror. Sign up for Dispatches to get our stories in your inbox every week. The Connecticut Senate on Friday overwhelmingly passed the most significant reform to the state’s towing policies in decades, a measure lawmakers said would help protect drivers from predatory towing. House Bill 7162 overhauls the state’s century-old towing statutes and comes in response to an investigation by the Connecticut Mirror and ProPublica that showed how state towing laws have come to favor tow companies at the expense of drivers. It takes several steps…
Loretta Swit, who won two Emmy awards for her role on the popular comedy TV series M*A*S*H, died on Friday, according to her representative.She died at her home in New York at age 87, her publicist Harlan Boll told the BBC. She likely died of natural causes, although a coroner’s report is pending.On M*A*S*H, Swit played US Army nurse Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan. The series, which followed a mobile Army surgical hospital during the Korean war, ran for 11 seasons from 1974 to 1983.Swit was nominated for numerous awards, and appeared in nearly every episode of the series, including…
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif must undergo genetic sex screening to participate in upcoming events with the sport’s new governing body.World Boxing announced mandatory sex testing for all athletes Friday. The governing body specifically mentioned Khelif when announcing the policy, saying the Algerian gold medal winner must be screened before she will be approved to fight at any upcoming events, including the Eindhoven Box Cup next month in the Netherlands.”The introduction of mandatory testing will be part of a new policy on `Sex, Age and Weight’ to ensure the safety of all participants and deliver a competitive level playing field…
The Supreme Court on Friday morning cleared the way for the Trump administration to revoke the Biden administration’s grant of parole – that is, permission to stay in the United States for humanitarian or public interest reasons – to more than 500,000 noncitizens from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. In a brief unsigned order, the justices paused a ruling by a federal judge in Massachusetts that had temporarily barred the federal government from implementing the decision by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem while a challenge to it moves forward. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented from Friday’s order, in an eight-page…