US and UK go after Chinese hackers accused of state-backed operation against politicians, dissidents
Hackers linked to the Chinese government launched a sweeping, state-backed operation that targeted U.S. officials, journalists, corporations, pro-democracy activists and the U.K.โs election watchdog.
Engine maker Cummins agrees to pay $1.67 billion to settle claims it bypassed emissions tests
Engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. has agreed to pay an over $1.67 billion penalty to settle regulatory claims that the company unlawfully altered hundreds of thousands of pickup truck engines to bypass emissions tests.
Justice Department targets eBay for alleged unlawful sales of pesticides and other toxins
The U.S. Justice Department filed a civil complaint against eBay, claiming the online marketplace unlawfully sold and distributed hundreds of thousands of products like pesticides and motor vehicle emission-evading devices that violate environmental laws.
Justice Department announces charges against hundreds of alleged COVID-19 fraudsters
Hundreds of people have been charged with the theft of more than $830 million in COVID-19 emergency aid following a nationwide operation conducted by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.
2 Pinterest directors resign from Nextdoor's board in response to antitrust enforcement efforts
The Justice Department says two Pinterest directors resigned from Nextdoorโs board of directors in response to the department's efforts to enforce an antitrust law aimed at barring executives from holding similar positions at rival companies.
US launches prosecutions of Chinese companies on charges of trafficking fentanyl ingredients
The U.S. Justice Department has filed criminal charges against four Chinese companies and eight individuals for allegedly trafficking the chemicals used to make the highly addictive painkiller fentanyl in the United States and Mexico.
Trump lawyers questioned Nevadaโs 2020 vote, records show
Nevadaโs most populous county has provided the U.S. Justice Department special counsel with correspondence that shows lawyers for then-President Donald Trump raising concerns about the integrity of the 2020 voting process that were later deemed baseless.
U.S. civil rights enforcers warn employers against biased AI
The federal government said Thursday that artificial intelligence technology used to screen new job candidates or monitor worker productivity can unfairly discriminate against people with disabilities, sending a warning to employers that the commonly used hiring tools could violate civil rights laws.
Widely debated cases help spark federal Phoenix police probe
The attorney for the family of a homeless Black Muslim man who died while being restrained by officers says his case may have helped prompt the U.S. Justice Department this week to launch a widespread civil rights probe into the Phoenix police force.
Benjamin Crump to visit Cocoa, calls for Justice Department investigation into โjustifiableโ shootings
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump said he'll be visiting Brevard on Friday for a press conference aimed at asking the U.S. Justice Department to review the deputy-involved shootings of two Cocoa teens.
Justice Department warns about fake post-vaccine survey scams
WASHINGTON โ As thousands of people get vaccinated every day the U.S. Justice Department is warning about a new scheme to dupe people out of their money. According to the department, it has received numerous reports of fraudsters creating fake COVID-19 vaccine surveys for people to fill out with the promise of a prize or cash -- but the survey-takers arenโt rewarded. Instead, the schemers use the survey to steal someoneโs personal information and in some cases money. The messages say survey-takers only need to pay shipping and handling fees to receive their prize, according to investigators. Unless from a known and verified source, consumers should never click on links in text messages or emails claiming to be a vaccine survey, the DOJ warns.
Flood of Capitol riot, tribal cases swamps US prosecutors
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)OKLAHOMA CITY โ The U.S. Justice Departmentโs to-do list was already daunting, especially with this year's flood of pandemic-delayed federal cases. Now, more than 300 people have been charged so far in the Capitol riot that resulted in the deaths of five people, and at least 100 more are expected to be charged. Meanwhile, Capitol riot investigators are wading through more than 15,000 hours of footage from surveillance cameras and officersโ body-worn cameras, information from about 1,600 electronic devices and more than 210,000 tips from the public. The Capitol riot cases will likely be lined up behind older ones waiting months to go to trial, Hernandez said, noting that she had one originally scheduled for last April that's now booked for September. โRight now, because of our resources, weโre triaging and taking the most serious of cases, the violent crime cases, the cases that have acts against children and things of that nature."
Justice Department drops Yale admissions discrimination suit
FILE - In this May 24, 2010 file photo, future graduates wait for the procession to begin for commencement at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. The Biden Justice Department says it is dismissing its discrimination lawsuit against Yale University. On Feb. 3, 2021, the Justice Department noted in its filing that it was voluntarily dismissing the action. Federal prosecutors said the Justice Departmentโs underlying investigation, aimed at ensuring Yale complies with federal anti-discrimination laws, continues. The groupโs president, Kristen Clarke, is Bidenโs nominee to run the Justice Departmentโs civil rights divisionAdBidenโs Justice Department is working to undo Trump policies, including โzero tolerance,โ the immigration policy that was responsible for family separations.
The Latest: US gives go-ahead for Pfizer coronavirus vaccine
This October 2020 photo provided by Pfizer shows freezers set up in a warehouse in Kalamzoo, Mich., in preparation for distribution of the company's coronavirus vaccine. ___THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:The White House is pressuring the FDA chief Stephen Hahn to grant an emergency use authorization for Pfizerโs coronavirus vaccine by the end of the day. Andrew Cuomo has reinstated indoor dining restrictions indefinitely in New York City in an effort to limit the increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. Michiganโs health department argues the teaching restriction is necessary to control the spread of the coronavirus, especially after Thanksgiving gatherings. State Health Department officials on Friday confirmed 513 new cases of the coronavirus.
Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud
Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday, Dec. 1, that the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud and has seen nothing that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)WASHINGTON โ Disputing President Donald Trumpโs persistent, baseless claims, Attorney General William Barr declared the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. Under federal regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest. An attorney general must document such reasons in writing. Trump himself continues to rail against the election in tweets and in interviews though his own administration has said the 2020 election was the most secure ever.
No evidence of fraud thatโd change presidential election outcome, AG William Barr says
Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday, Dec. 1, that the Justice Department has not uncovered evidence of widespread voter fraud and has seen nothing that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)WASHINGTON โ Disputing President Donald Trumpโs persistent, baseless claims, Attorney General William Barr declared Tuesday the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. Under federal regulations, a special counsel can be fired only by the attorney general and for specific reasons such as misconduct, dereliction of duty or conflict of interest. An attorney general must document such reasons in writing. Trump himself continues to rail against the election in tweets and in interviews though his own administration has said the 2020 election was the most secure ever.
US dropping case against former Mexican defense secretary
FILE - In this Sept. 16, 2016 file photo, Defense Secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, left, and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, salute during the annual Independence Day military parade in Mexico City's main square. The U.S. Justice Department is dropping its drug trafficking and money laundering against former Mexican defense secretary Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2020. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)WASHINGTON โ The U.S. Justice Department is dropping its drug trafficking and money laundering case against former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos, Attorney General William Barr said Tuesday. Barr said the department would drop its case so Cienfuegos โmay be investigated and, if appropriate, charged, under Mexican law.โ Cienfuegos, who was charged in federal court in Brooklyn, was arrested in Los Angeles last month. Prosecutors alleged he helped the H-2 cartel smuggle thousands of kilos of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana while he was defense secretary in 2012-2018.
Tech giants report higher profits - some more than others
FILE - This combination of photos shows logos for social media platforms Facebook and Twitter. (AP Photo/File)Five technology giants are reporting earnings Thursday, providing the latest indication of whether they are rebounding from an economic slowdown earlier this year. Apple and Google's parent Alphabet are also reporting results Thursday. Analysts were expecting earnings of $2.18 per share on revenue of $19.80 billion, according to a poll by FactSet. The social media giantโs average monthly user base was 2.74 billion as of Sept. 30, up 12% from a year earlier.
Justice Department ramps up inquiry into NY care home deaths
Andrew Cuomo apologize for his response to clusters in nursing homes during the pandemic. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)NEW YORK โ The U.S. Justice Department vastly expanded its inquiry Wednesday into whether New York is undercounting coronavirus deaths among nursing home residents, demanding detailed data from hundreds of private facilities. The governor has often boasted that New York has a lower percentage of nursing home deaths than other states. โNew York, actually, weโre number 46 out of 50 in terms of percentage of deaths in nursing homes โ 46 out of 50. โWe believe the numbers are so significantly higher and theyโre trying to find ways of massaging the numbers so they donโt reflect the devastation.โSeparately, the Justice Department also sent a letter to Democratic Gov.
Seattle, Portland, New York sue over Trump's 'anarchy' label
New York, Seattle and Portland, three cities recently labeled "anarchist jurisdictions" by the U.S. Justice Department, are suing to to invalidate the designation and to fight off the Trump administration's efforts to withhold federal dollars. โThe Trump administrationโs political threats against Seattle and other Democratic cities are unlawful and an abuse of federal power," Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan said in a news release announcing the federal lawsuit. The Justice Department last month identified New York City, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle as three cities that could have federal funding slashed. โTheyโve actually taken this anarchist designation and started to include it in applications for federal grants,โ Johnson said. As much as $12 billion in federal money affecting health, transportation and law enforcement programs could be at stake, Johnson said.
After years grappling with Google, Europe has tips for US
But it treads on ground already broken years before by EU officials in Brussels. Veterans of Europe's antitrust tech battles welcomed the U.S. investigation and said American authorities should learn from the blocโs experience. As a result, EU officials in Brussels are weighing up new rules and tools. The investigation found that Google unfairly directed visitors to its comparison shopping service, Google Shopping, to the detriment of its rivals. A year later, the EU commission fined Google 4.34 billion euros for forcing smartphone makers that use its Android operating system to install Google search and browser apps.
U.S. antitrust case against Google mirrors Microsoft battle
The Justice Departmentโs 64-page complaint accuses Google of thwarting competition and potential innovation via its market power and financial muscle. To avoid the appearance of political animus, Justice Department officials were under intense pressure to present a strong case against Google. The Justice Department โfiled the strongest suit they have,โ said antitrust expert Tim Wu, a professor at Columbia University Law School. Google contends the Justice Department is relying on โdeeply flawedโ theories that have become outdated by dramatic changes in technology. Google also maintains that the same deals that make its search engine ubiquitous also benefits consumers by boosting the fortunes of its partners.
Tests, background checks can thwart police diversity effort
Black applicants to law enforcement agencies are often filtered out early through racially biased civil service exams, accusations spelled out in multiple lawsuits over the years. In Pittsburgh, a 2012 federal lawsuit alleged the city police department systematically rejected Black applicants at the outset of the process after background checks turned up traffic tickets or drug offenses. The recruitment issue isnโt one solely faced by police department applicants. โI have seen far too many good black candidates disqualified for mistakes that they made when they were 18," Navarre told Republican Ohio Gov. Without addressing the modern-day militarization of law enforcement and establishing better community relations, little will change, said Rodney Coates, a Miami University sociology professor.
Justice Dept.: 179 arrested in darknet opioid takedown
WASHINGTON โ Law enforcement officials arrested 179 people and seized more than $6.5 million in a worldwide crackdown on opioid trafficking on the darknet, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday. As part of the initiative, law enforcement officials seized over $6.5 million in cash and virtual currency, in addition to 500 kilograms of drugs, the Justice Department said. About 275 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy and other opioids, had been seized in the U.S. The Justice Department said its investigation was ongoing and investigators were still working to identify other individuals behind darknet accounts. Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said the takedown showed โthere will be no safe haven for drug dealing in cyberspace.โ
US asks to defend Trump in rape accuser's defamation lawsuit
That means the federal government, rather than Trump himself, might have to pay damages if any are awarded. She says his comments including that she was totally lying to sell a memoir besmirched her character and harmed her career. Carroll, meanwhile, said the developments illustrated that Trump will do everything possible, including using the full powers of the federal government, to try to stop the case. It will be up to a federal judge to decide whether to keep the case in federal court and to allow the U.S. to become the defendant. The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly.
US Justice Department warns FIFA on international ban
WASHINGTON The U.S. Justice Department has entered into a sports dispute involving the company of a longtime friend of President Donald Trump, warning FIFA that a prohibition against staging league matches internationally could violate American antitrust laws. The letter from the Justice Department was included in a filing by Relevent on Tuesday seeking permission to amend its complaint by adding FIFA, soccer's governing body, as a defendant. Relevent alleges the stakeholders committee on Feb. 27 recommended the policy against international league matches be added to FIFA's statutes. Relevent withdrew its state court suit and filed this latest action in federal court, citing antitrust law. Delrahim wrote the department is raising the concerns to protect competition for the benefit of American consumers and soccer players."
New Orleans sheriff regains authority over troubled jail
NEW ORLEANS The sheriff of New Orleans can be put back in control of the citys long-troubled jail despite still-serious problems that triggered U.S. Justice Department oversight and a 2012 lawsuit, a federal judge ruled Wednesday. For example, there remain significant incidents of violence relating to inmates and staff that must be addressed, he wrote. It has been accomplished through the leadership of the Compliance Director, Monitors, Sheriff Gusman, jail staff, and all parties, Africk wrote. The agreement left the elected sheriff nominally in charge, but with board authority over jail operations left to the compliance director. Gusman had touted the move as key to improving conditions but monitors said violence endangering inmates and staffers continued at the new facility.
UN agency: US-sought tanker 'hijacked' off UAE now in Iran
DUBAI A United Nations agency acknowledged Sunday that a U.S.-sought oil tanker hijacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates after allegedly smuggling Iranian crude oil is back in Iranian waters. The International Labor Organization said that the MT Gulf Sky was hijacked July 5, citing its captain. The vessel was taken to Iran, the ILO said. Iranian state media and officials have not acknowledged the hijacking and arrival of the MT Gulf Sky to Iran. Suspected limpet mine attacks the U.S. blamed on Iran targeted several tankers.
Tanker off UAE sought by US over Iran sanctions 'hijacked'
DUBAI An oil tanker sought by the U.S. over allegedly circumventing sanctions on Iran was hijacked on July 5 off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a seafarers organization said Wednesday. Satellite photos showed the vessel in Iranian waters on Tuesday and two of its sailors remained in the Iranian capital. TankerTrackers.com, a website tracking the oil trade at sea, said it saw the vessel in satellite photos on Tuesday in Iranian waters off Hormuz Island. The vessel then took on Iranian oil from Kharg Island to sell abroad, the U.S. government said. It filed a report saying the vessel and its sailors had been abandoned by its owners since March off Khorfakkan.
American jailed in Spain was unwitting drug mule, US says
Stemberger, who marks his one-year anniversary in Spanish detention on July 5, faces a trial next month in Madrid. Officials did not consider the narrative plausible and sought to have him jailed before trial rather than let him return to the U.S., the spokesman said. He certainly knew that talking to these folks internationally could be possibly something that our family would question, said Vic Stemberger. Last July, he traveled to Brazil on a trip that was to take him to Spain and on to Asia. The younger Stemberger said he understands how extraordinary the saga may sound, joking that if every drug dealer used his fathers defense, no one would be in jail.