Author: rpnadmin

Carnegie Mellon University said it’s taking “swift action” against tenured professor Uju Anya after determining that her recent social media posts violated the school’s community standards, with some colleagues reporting they now fear for their safety. The president and provost of the university said Anya used “expletives, racial slurs and derogatory language that demeaned, dehumanized and intimidated” while invoking her Carnegie Mellon affiliation and implying support from university colleagues. Source link

A man refusing to eat food while jailed on charges he shot two National Guard troops near the White House, killing one of them, can be fed against his will under a judge’s emergency order. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta agreed Saturday to order “nonconsensual” nutrition and medical treatment for Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who was rushed to a hospital in July after he stopped eating. Judge Mehta said federal Bureau of Prisons medical staff can feed Mr. Lakanwal intravenously or through a medical tube to save his life. Redacted court filings haven’t specified a reason for Mr. Lakanwal’s refusal to eat, but prosecutors…

LAS VEGAS — A prosecutor urged jurors Monday to convict Duane “Keffe D” Davis of first-degree murder in the 1996 killing of Tupac Shakur, arguing that Davis’ own words and a case “drenched in circumstantial evidence” prove he orchestrated the drive-by shooting. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors that Davis acquired a gun and “went hunting” for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight after they beat up Davis’ nephew earlier that night. Palal acknowledged that Davis’ accounts of the killing evolved over the years but argued those differences reflected Davis’ changing motivations and efforts to…

WASHINGTON — The sole pipeline that supplies water for millions of Grand Canyon visitors was badly damaged by weekend flash flooding, setting up a tricky repair scenario and upending a yearslong construction project to upgrade the line laid over terrain so rugged helicopters are often required to make basic fixes. Park officials said roughly 40% of the pipeline was damaged or destroyed. The long-term implications of the damage to the park’s infrastructure, visitors and year-round residents weren’t immediately clear. The 12.5-mile (20-kilometer) long Transcanyon Waterline has endured dozens of breaks in recent years. A more than $200 million repair and…

A federal judge has ruled that J.M. Smucker can proceed with a lawsuit against Trader Joe’s over frozen sandwiches that Smucker claims are too similar to its Uncrustables. Smucker sued Trader Joe’s in federal court in Ohio last fall, claiming Trader Joe’s committed a trademark violation when it introduced frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with the same round shape and crimped edges as Uncrustables. The lawsuit further alleged that Trader Joe’s put its crustless PB&Js peanut in packaging that too closely resembled the coloring of an Uncrustables box and featured a similar photograph of a sandwich with a bite…

NEW YORK — The Federal Trade Commission and 22 states filed a lawsuit against online retailer Amazon on Monday claiming that it defrauded advertising customers. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington, claims that Amazon overcharged 1.2 million advertising customers by misleading them on prices for online auctions for ads. The complaint says Amazon said it was offering competitive prices on several ad products when it was actually inflating auction prices. “When one of the world’s largest online retailers engages in unfair and deceptive conduct, the impact can be staggering,” said FTC Chairman…

NEW YORK — A woman randomly stabbed two people in New York City’s Times Square on Monday, killing one woman, and then was fatally shot by police, according to the New York Police Department. The shooting happened next to a New York Police Department substation, just outside One Times Square, the building that hosts the city’s annual New Year’s Eve ball drop celebration. It is one of the most heavily touristed and policed spots in all of New York. The 49-year-old woman from Queens pulled out two knives from a shopping bag and stabbed a 68-year-old man in the abdomen…

An Oklahoma man has been charged with murder following a large explosion at a marijuana extraction facility that killed two of his employees and damaged surrounding businesses, prosecutors said Monday. Ryan Bassham, 35, turned himself in this weekend after being charged with two counts of first-degree murder in Thursday’s blast at Solos Extracts near Tulsa, authorities said. The explosion around 1 a.m. partially tore the roof from a building, crumpled doors and scattered debris around an industrial park. Bassham was booked into a Tulsa jail and released after posting a $2 million bond. Court records did not list an attorney…

LAS VEGAS — A jury found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, marking the first conviction in a case that has gripped hip-hop fans for decades. The 63-year-old Davis was convicted Monday of a single count of murder with a deadly weapon and could be sentenced to life in prison. The jury deliberated for less than 3 hours after a weekslong trial in Las Vegas. After the verdict was read, Shakur’s sister, Sekyiwa “Set” Shakur, cried and hugged the prosecutors. Also in the courtroom was Davis’ son, who covered his face…

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, responding to a growing backlash over Flock cameras, has ordered the pole-mounted license plate readers to be removed from all state roads.  The Florida Department of Transportation revoked all permits Monday for license plate readers, most of them owned and operated by Atlanta-based Flock Safety, from the right-of-way of state roads.  State officials said the devices must be removed within 30 days.  The move came less than a week after Mr. DeSantis echoed the concerns of Florida residents who complained the cameras, powered by artificial intelligence, go too far in monitoring the public…