Government agrees settlement over FBI's botching Larry Nassar allegations
DETROIT — The U.S. Justice Department is paying a $138.7 million to settle more than 100 claims that it badly mishandled allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016. It was a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue preying on victims before his arrest. Nassar worked at Michigan State University and at USA Gymnastics. He’s serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including Olympians. For more than a year, FBI agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles had knowledge of allegations against Nassar but apparently took no action.
Aboriginal spears taken by Captain Cook returned to Australia's Indigenous people
LONDON — Four Aboriginal spears that were taken to England by Captain James Cook more than 250 years ago have been returned to Australia's Indigenous community at a ceremony in Cambridge University. The artifacts were all that remain of some 40 spears that Cook and botanist Joseph Banks took in April 1770, at the time of the first contact between Cook’s crew and the Indigenous people of Kamay, or Botany Bay. The spears were presented to Trinity College, Cambridge in 1771. Their return was agreed last year following a campaign and a formal repatriation request. It is hailed as a step toward reconciliation and a greater understanding of Britain and Australia’s shared history.
UnitedHealth says some patient files may have been taken in cyberattack
UnitedHealth says files with personal information that could cover a “substantial portion of people in America” may have been taken in the cyberattack on its Change Healthcare business. The company said Monday after markets closed that it sees no signs that doctor charts or full medical histories were released after the attack. But it may take several months of analysis before UnitedHealth can identify and notify people who were affected. It has launched a website and call center to answer questions. The company also is offering free credit monitoring and identity theft protection for people affected by the attack.
Woman who crashed into building killing children arraigned
A 66-year-old Michigan woman has been arraigned on second-degree murder and other charges after prosecutors say she drunkenly crashed her SUV into a boat club that was hosting a young boy's birthday party, killing him and his sister and injuring several other people. Marshella Chidester didn't enter a plea Tuesday to the eight counts she faces in Saturday’s tragic crash at the Swan Boat Club in Monroe County. During a court hearing that was livestreamed, Chidester’s right arm was in a cast from just above the elbow to her fingers. She has been jailed since the crash and the judge set her bond at the $1.5 million prosecutors requested. The crash killed 8-year-old Alanah Phillips and her 4-year-old brother, Zayn.
Russian strike on Kharkiv's TV tower part of intimidation campaign, Zelenskyy says
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says a Russian missile strike that smashed a television tower in Kharkiv was part of the Kremlin’s ongoing effort to intimidate Ukraine’s second-largest city. Kharkiv has come under increasingly frequent attack. Zelenskyy said the strike sought to “make the terror visible to the whole city and to try to limit Kharkiv’s connection and access to information.” The northeastern Kharkiv region straddles the approximately 600-mile front line where Ukrainian and Russian forces have been locked in battle for more than two years since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The front line has changed little during a war of attrition, focused mostly on artillery, drones and trenches.
United Methodists open first top-level conference since breakup
Thousands of United Methodists are gathering Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, to begin an 11-day denominational General Conference. Typically it is held every four years, but church leaders delayed the 2020 gathering until now due to the pandemic. Hundreds of delegates will vote on policies, though many international delegates are not confirmed as able to attend. It's the first gathering since thousands of conservative U.S. congregations left the denomination over its failure to enforce bans on LGBTQ clergy and on same-sex marriages. Progressive delegates will attempt to overturn these bans. Other proposals include allowing regional autonomy in deciding such policies, and making it easier for international churches to disaffiliate.
