Police hunt for gunman who shot 10 people
in NY subway
A man in an orange construction vest put on a gas mask, released two smoke grenades and opened fire on a train in Brooklyn on Tuesday, shooting at least 10 people, inciting panic in the subway during a peak commuting period and setting off a citywide manhunt, officials said. At least 23 people were injured — 10 from gunfire. By nightfall, police were still searching for the gunman, and the city remained on high alert. The Police Department said it had identified a person of interest, Frank R. James, who was being sought in the shooting.
As Texas snarls traffic at border, Mexican truckers form blockade
Trucks attempting to enter Texas loaded with goods from Mexico sat motionless for hours Tuesday as lengthy vehicle inspections ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott in a clash with the Biden administration over immigration snarled traffic at major commercial crossings. In Pharr, a major international bridge over which about $12 million in produce is shipped to the United States daily has been effectively shut down in both directions since Monday as scores of drivers in Mexico set up a blockade of their own in protest of the new inspections. A similar protest by truckers also blocked a bridge into El Paso.
South Dakota lawmakers impeach attorney general involved in fatal crash
The South Dakota House of Representatives voted Tuesday to impeach the state’s attorney general, Jason Ravnsborg, who fatally struck a man with his car in 2020. The impeachment vote, which split the Republicans who dominate South Dakota politics, suspended Ravnsborg from his official duties while he awaits a trial in the state Senate that could result in his permanent removal from office. For Ravnsborg to be convicted by the state Senate and possibly removed from office, two-thirds of the senators would have to vote to convict him. Attempts to reach Ravnsborg, a Republican, after the vote were not immediately successful.
NY Lt. Gov. resigns after campaign finance indictment
Lt. Gov. Brian A. Benjamin of New York resigned Tuesday, hours after federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment implicating him in a brazen scheme to enrich his political campaigns with illegal donations. The five-count indictment charging Benjamin said that while he was a state senator, he had conspired to direct $50,000 in state funds to a Harlem real estate developer’s charity. In exchange, the developer gathered thousands of dollars in illegal contributions to Benjamin’s 2020 Senate campaign and his unsuccessful 2021 bid for New York City comptroller, the indictment said. Benjamin pleaded not guilty Tuesday.
An angry public wants Sri Lanka’s president gone
As Sri Lankans waited hours in line for fuel, sweated through the springtime heat during daily power cuts and watched the value of their incomes erode, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa blamed forces beyond his control. “This crisis was not created by me,” he said in an address last month. Tens of thousands of protesters are swarming the streets of the capital, Colombo, clashing with security forces outside the ruling family’s official residences. Low on essential goods and patience, they are demanding that the president step down. On Tuesday, the government said it was suspending payments on its international debt, a signal that economic conditions could get worse.
UK police to fine Boris Johnson for breaking lockdown rules
Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain has revived his fortunes at home recently by becoming Europe’s most aggressive supporter of Ukraine’s fierce fight against Russian invasion. But Tuesday, Johnson was battling for his survival again after police fined him for attending a lockdown party that broke coronavirus laws. Johnson said he had paid the fine, although he did not say how much it was, insisting that he would continue in his job despite calls for his resignation. The announcement made Johnson the first holder of his office in living memory to be found in breach of the law and provoked anger from Britons who obeyed strict coronavirus rules.
By wire sources
