International
U.S. Department of Justice. The United States will have to pay $100 million to the victims of Larry Nassar
The U.S. Department of Justice will pay $100 million to resolve lawsuits against the FBI for mishandling of the investigation into sexual abuse committed by former U.S. gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The newspaper said that the agreement involves 100 victims of Nassar, who was convicted in late 2017 and early 2018 for sexually assaulting hundreds of athletes and is serving a sentence of up to 175 years in prison.
Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney and other American gymnasts filed a billion dollar lawsuit against the FBI in June 2022 for not having acted properly to reports of sexual abuse by Nassar.
The Journal indicated that the agreement was reached several months ago and was initially accepted by the victims of Nassar, but it has not been finalized.
Citing a report by the inspector general of the Department of Justice, the newspaper said that there were multiple failures in the handling by the FBI of the complaints against Nassar filed by USA Gymnastics to the local FBI office in Indianapolis in July 2015.
The lack of action in the face of the complaints allowed Nassar to continue sexually assaulting dozens of victims before his arrest in 2016.
Nassar worked as a sports doctor at the U.S. Gymnastics Federation (USA Gymnastics) and at Michigan State University for more than two decades.
FBI director Christopher Wray acknowledged the organization’s failures during a testimony before a Senate committee in September 2021, saying that they were “unforgivable.”
Addressing the victims of Nassar, Wray said: “I especially regret that there were people in the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster in 2015 and failed.”
The victims of Nassar reached a $380 million agreement with USA Gymnastics in 2021, one of the largest ever registered for victims of sexual abuse.
USA Gymnastics filed for bankruptcy in 2018 after a wave of accusations against Nassar flooded the organization.
Michigan State University reached a $500 million settlement with hundreds of Nassar victims in 2018.
Nassar was stabbed by another inmate in July last year in the state of Florida prison where he is serving his sentence but recovered from his injuries.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
Costa Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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