US raises pressure on Cuba with indictment of former leader as island's president condemns charges
MIAMI (AP) — Federal prosecutors have announced charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles. The announcement was made Wednesday as the Trump administration escalated pressure on the socialist government. The indictment was related to Castro’s alleged role in the shootdown of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro was Cuba’s defense minister at the time. The charges included murder and destruction of an airplane. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and other top Justice Department officials made the announcement in Miami at a ceremony to honor those killed in the shootdown.
What to know about the US indictment of former Cuban President Raúl Castro
Former Cuban President Raúl Castro has been charged in a U.S. indictment with murder and other crimes for his alleged role in the downing of two civilian aircraft operated by Miami-based exiles in 1996 off the coast of the Caribbean island. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the indictment in Miami on Wednesday. Castro is charged with murder and other crimes in connection with the shootdown of the two small, unarmed planes by Cuban military jet pilots off the coast of the island. It's not clear if Castro will ever set foot inside a U.S. courtroom as he remains in Cuba. But Blanche says he's confident that Castro will be prosecuted.
SpaceX reveals plans for what could be the biggest-ever initial public offering
NEW YORK (AP) — Elon Musk announced plans Wednesday for one of the biggest sales of stock to the public ever for his space company that is currently losing billions of dollars year. A filing Wednesday shows his SpaceX lost $2.6 billion from operations last year on $18.7 billion in revenue, and the losses kept piling up at the start of this year, too. Still, the initial public offering is expected to rank among the largest ever, possibly surpassing the current title holder, Saudi Aramco, the oil giant that went public seven years ago. The stock sale could also make Musk, a major owner who founded SpaceX in 2002, the world’s first trillionaire. Forbes currently puts his net worth at $839 billion.
Officers who defended Capitol from rioters sue to block payouts from $1.8B ‘anti-weaponization’ fund
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two police officers who helped defend the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot are suing to block anyone from receiving payouts from a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for people who claim to be victims of politically motivated prosecutions. The lawsuit was filed in federal court on Wednesday in Washington. A day earlier, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the new fund during a congressional hearing. Blanche wouldn’t rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6, 2021, would be eligible for fund payouts.
US military boards Iranian-flagged oil tanker suspected of trying to breach blockade
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military says it boarded an Iranian-flagged commercial oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman that was suspected of trying to violate the American blockade. U.S. Central Command said Wednesday on social media that the M/T Celestial Sea was searched and redirected after being suspected of trying to head to an Iranian port. It’s at least the fifth vessel to be boarded since the Trump administration began the blockade of Iranian shipping. Iran has a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the vital shipping lane for global oil supplies, and the U.S. military has enforced its own blockade on Iranian ports and coastline as well as seizing ships linked to Tehran further afield.
Barney Frank, a liberal congressman and trailblazer for gay rights, dies. He was 86
WASHINGTON (AP) — Barney Frank has died. The longtime Democratic congressman from Massachusetts was a leading liberal who brought new visibility to gay rights. He also helped to craft the most significant changes to the financial system in a generation. Frank was both brusque and erudite. He was the first lawmaker to come out as gay voluntarily. Frank recently spoke to The Associated Press and he advised the left-wing of his party to be less purist and more willing to accept compromise as a form of progress. Frank died late Tuesday. He was 86.
Ebola fears surge on the ground in Congo over rapid spread of a rare type
BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Healthcare workers in eastern Congo say they are underprotected and undertrained as a rare Ebola virus spreads rapidly in one of the world’s most remote and vulnerable places. The virus known as Bundibugyo had spread undetected for weeks and will take months to control. So far, 51 cases have been confirmed in Congo, with two in Uganda. The World Health Organization says the outbreak poses a low global risk but that local case numbers will increase. The arrival of any potential vaccine is months away. The region faces immense pressure from conflict and a collapsing health system, stretching limited resources even further.
Republicans mull dropping $1 billion security money request for the White House and Trump's ballroom
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican senators are considering dropping a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom after it has failed to win enough party support on Capitol Hill. The White House has pressured Republicans to try to add the money to a roughly $70 billion bill intended to restore funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. But some Republicans are questioning the security price tag and asking for more detail from the White House and U.S. Secret Service about how the money would be used.
3 dead in New Mexico and first responders decontaminated after exposure to unknown substance
MOUNTAINAIR, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico authorities say three people are dead and more than a dozen first responders were assessed for possible exposure to an unidentified substance after being called to a rural home for a suspected drug overdose. New Mexico State Police said four people were found unresponsive inside the Mountainair home east of Albuquerque. Three died and the fourth was being treated at a hospital. Officials at the University of New Mexico hospital say nearly two dozen patients were asessed and decontaminated after being exposed to the substance. Most of them were first responders who displayed no symptoms and later were discharged.
Tennessee man jailed over Charlie Kirk post wins $835,000 settlement
Tennessee officials will pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by a man who was jailed for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Retired police officer Larry Bushart spent 37 days in jail last year before authorities dropped the felony charge against him. He was arrested after he refused to remove memes joking about Kirk's death. The Perry County sheriff said one of Bushart's posts alarmed residents because it referenced a school shooting. Bushart says he was exercising his free speech rights and never should have been arrested.
