Families criticize police for delays in Texas rampage
The grief of families in Uvalde was compounded by anger and frustration Thursday as police leaders struggled to answer questions about the horrific hour it took to halt a gunman who opened fire on students and teachers inside Robb Elementary School. No school police officer confronted the gunman before he went into the school, a state police spokesperson said Thursday, contradicting earlier reports. On Thursday, focus shifted for some lawmakers in Texas and in Washington from debates over the weapon the gunman had used, an AR-15-style rifle, to questions about the hourlong delay in bringing the rampage to an end.
Senators grasp for a bipartisan gun deal
A small group of Republican and Democratic senators have begun an urgent effort to strike a compromise on new gun laws, voicing hope that a wave of collective outrage at the slaughter of 19 children and two teachers could finally conquer a decade of congressional paralysis. Members of the bipartisan group emerged from a private meeting on Thursday determined to work quickly to try to reach a deal on modest steps to limit access to guns. They agreed to spend the Memorial Day recess examining a number of proposals.
Supreme Court allows greenhouse gas cost estimates
The Supreme Court said Thursday that it would allow the Biden administration to continue to take account of the costs of greenhouse gas emissions in regulatory actions, rejecting an emergency application from Louisiana and other Republican-led states to block the use of a formula that assigns a monetary value to changes in emissions. The court’s brief order gave no reasons. The case concerned an interagency working group created by President Barack Obama that in 2010 announced a framework for assessing the costs of greenhouse gas emissions. President Donald Trump disbanded the group, and President Joe Biden revived it.
Palestinian inquiry accuses Israel of intentionally killing Al-Jazeera journalist
The Palestinian Authority announced Thursday its final findings from a two-week investigation into the killing of a Palestinian American journalist, again accusing Israeli soldiers of intentionally killing her. The Palestinian Authority’s attorney general said at a news conference in Ramallah that an Israeli soldier shot Al-Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on May 11 with an armor-piercing bullet fired from a Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic rifle. The Palestinian Authority based its findings in part on examination of the high-velocity 5.56 mm bullet that struck her in the back of the head. Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz responded by saying Israel was still conducting its own investigation into her killing.
Former head of Louvre charged in artifact trafficking case
The former president of the Louvre has been charged with complicity in fraud and money laundering in connection with an investigation into Egyptian artifacts that were trafficked over the past decade, French prosecutors said Thursday. Jean-Luc Martinez, president and director of the Louvre from 2013 to 2021, was released under judicial supervision after he was charged, the Paris prosecutor’s office said. The prosecutor’s office did not provide more details about the investigation, which was first reported by Le Canard Enchaîné and Le Monde. Under the French legal system, the charges against Martinez indicate that investigators suspect him of involvement in a crime but he may not necessarily stand trial.
CEO pay rose 17% in 2021 as profits soared; workers trailed
Pay for CEOs who run the biggest U.S. companies soared 17.1% last year, up to a median of $14.5 million. That’s according to the AP’s annual pay survey conducted with Equilar. Such raises tower over the 4.4% gain in wages and benefits netted by private-sector workers. The raises for many rank-and-file workers also failed to keep up with inflation, which reached 7% last year. CEO pay took off as stock prices and profits rebounded sharply and the economy roared out of its brief 2020 recession. Because much of a CEO’s compensation is tied to such performance, their pay gains zoomed higher after years of mostly moderating growth.
NRA stages big gun show in Texas days after school massacre
The National Rifle Association begins its annual convention in Houston on Friday, and leaders of the powerful gun-rights lobbying group are gearing up to “reflect on” — and deflect any blame for — the deadly shooting earlier this week of 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. Former President Donald Trump and other leading Republicans are scheduled to address the three-day gun industry marketing and advocacy event, which is expected to draw protesters. Some scheduled speakers and performers have backed out, including two Texas lawmakers and “American Pie” singer Don McLean, who said “it would be disrespectful” to go ahead with his act.
By wire sources