Navy fighter jet falls off aircraft carrier
The Navy has revealed that a $60 million F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet fell off the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman and was lost at sea. The airplane was being towed on the deck of the carrier as the carrier was making a hard turn and that may have contributed to the accident. The carrier was in the Red Sea at the time and was maneuvering to evade fire from Houthi rebel positions. One member of the ship’s crew received minor injuries.
Houthis claim U.S. strike killed 68 civilians
Houthi rebels in Yemen claim that U.S. airstrikes have killed 68 civilians in Yemen. The Houthis say that U.S. warplanes struck a center holding African migrants. The encampment that was struck apparently was a waypoint used by African migrants trying to get to Saudi Arabia. U.S. officials declined to provide information about the Houthi’s claim. The U.S. reportedly has staged attacks on about 800 targets in Yemen since the middle of March.
Power slowly being restored in Spain, Portugal, France
Electricity was slowly being restored after a massive blackout plunged most of Spain, Portugal and some parts of France into darkness. It was initially thought that excessive heat in Spain caused fluctuations in the power grid, leading to the spreading blackout. However, officials said that an investigation to determine the cause could take quite some time. Portugal’s Cybersecurity Center said that there were no signs of a cyberattack on the electrical system. It’s estimated that 60 million people were affected by the blackout.
Putin declares three-day ceasefire in Ukraine war
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he is ordering a three-day ceasefire in the war he started when he sent Russian troops to invade Ukraine. The ceasefire would be from May 8 through May 10. He said that the ceasefire would be to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The U.S. has been pushing for an immediate 30-day ceasefire while peace talks continue, and Ukraine has agreed to the proposal but Putin rejected it. Ukraine called on Putin to immediately agree to the 30-day ceasefire and not delay putting it into effect if he really is interested in ending the conflict.
Judge sets hearing on Harvard lawsuit for July
Federal Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston has set a hearing on Harvard University’s lawsuit against the Trump Administration for July 21. Harvard is trying to stop Trump from cutting off $2.2 billion in federal funding. Harvard contends that the administration is trying to control who it can hire and what it can teach. It says what the Trump Administration is doing violates the Constitution. The administration has gone after a number of universities, trying to eliminate their diversity, equality and inclusion programs and also trying to control how they handle student protests on campus.
Trump administration threatens University of PA with prosecution
U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights has announced a finding that the University of Pennsylvania violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. It notified notified UPenn President J. Larry Jameson that the university’s policies and practices violated Title IX by denying women equal opportunities by permitting males to compete in women’s intercollegiate athletics and to occupy women-only intimate facilities. The government said if the university doesn’t resolve the issue to its satisfaction within 10 days it may turn over the matter to the Department of Justice for enforcement action. It also threatened to cut off federal funding to the university.
