Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Why did Mr. Biden pardon Dr. Fauci?Almost immediately after President Trump was elected to a second term in 2024, Republicans vowed to pursue several prominent figures, among them Dr. Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, for his management of the pandemic. On his last day in office, Mr. Biden issued Dr. Fauci, and others, an unconditional “pre-emptive pardon” that protects him from federal prosecution for his actions from 2014 through Jan. 19, 2025.Why did the Senate committee seek his testimony?There were many pandemic-related issues that senators sought to explore. They accused Dr. Fauci of funding research that led to…

After Uber and Waymo ended their partnership in Phoenix earlier this year, experts and robotaxi watchers wondered whether the companies’ improbable bromance was fraying. Not so, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said today. The two companies are committed to continue working together in Atlanta and Austin, and the partnership remains “very strong.”“Waymo is a very important partner of ours, and we continue to operate in Austin and Atlanta,” Khosrowshahi said in an earnings call today. “We believe we’ll continue to operate next year in those marketplaces. It’s a terrific product, and the on-the-ground partnership continues to be very strong.”There’s been plenty…

Maksim Silnikau, the creator and administrator of the Ransom Cartel ransomware operation, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in ransomware attacks against at least 18 companies worldwide. The U.S. Department of Justice announced today that the 40-year-old Belarusian national was sentenced for conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft. The DOJ says Silnikau had been active on Russian-speaking cybercrime forums since at least 2005 and used the aliases “J.P. Morgan,” “xxx,” and “lansky.” He was also a member of the Direct Connection cybercrime website between 2011…

Grayscale XRP Trust ETF (GXRP) clawed back 480,000 shares in Q2, covering 12.2% of its derived 3.94 million-share first-quarter contraction. The fund’s Aug. 4 Form 10-Q shows 510,000 shares issued and 30,000 redeemed during the quarter.The six-month ledger shows the true size of the gap. GXRP issued 1.87 million shares and redeemed 5.33 million, a net contraction of 3.46 million. Subtracting Q2 from those totals leaves 1.36 million shares issued and 5.30 million redeemed in Q1, producing the derived 3.94 million-share contraction. Related ReadingAfter a $1.2 billion run, XRP ETFs just flipped from inflows to outflowsInstitutional adoption of XRP remains…

A first of its kind measurement of a magnetar may have captured empty space behaving in a way physicists have predicted for 90 years, but never directly observed. The results published Wednesday in Nature. Magnetars are a special class of neutron stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields, the strongest of any object in the observable universe, around a trillion times stronger than the strongest permanent magnets ever built on Earth. These super magnetic neutron stars offer glimpses into the physics of intense environments that cannot be found anywhere else. Neutron stars are the leftover cores of massive stars, formed at the…

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Nobody should be left to struggle with their mental health alone. But every day, thousands of people are waiting months for help, then finding the only door open to them is a busy A&E.”These new centres will be a lifeline for so many,” he said.”They will bring NHS services closer to home, making it easier to get support before problems get worse and ensuring those in crisis get the right care in the right place.”The chief executive of the Centre for Mental Health, Andy Bell, said he welcomed the announcement on the whole – although…

A widespread downsizing of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the second Trump administration has exacerbated longstanding workforce challenges there and imperiled its response to disasters, a congressional watchdog warns.  More than 4,300 employees resigned or were let go from the agency last fiscal year, representing some 17 percent of its workforce, according to a report released Tuesday by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent nonpartisan federal agency. A hiring freeze also began in January 2025 and was in effect until this past May. The reductions have resulted in a loss of institutional knowledge and experienced personnel and…

I remember fondly Jimmy Cricket (No smut, no swearing, wrong-feet wellies and a silly hat: the gentle comedy world of Jimmy Cricket, 4 August) taking over the intercom from the cabin crew who had just announced our flight to Manchester would be delayed. Groans from the passengers quickly gave way to laughter as Jimmy read a letter from the mammy in Ireland and the next hour passed so enjoyably that when the pilot announced take off, disappointment could be heard. Martin BrayfordAltrincham, Cheshire Goodness me, Mick Foster (Letters, 3 August)! Don’t you know that “creativity” is the sole prerogative of…

In one month, from May to June, overall inflation in the U.S. dropped at the “fastest rate in more than six years,” as President Donald Trump said in late July remarks. But he has repeatedly cited the statistic while wrongly suggesting that the inflation rate is now “way down” from when he took office. It’s not. Photo by alvaro gonzalez via Getty Images. The big one-month drop came after several months of increases in the inflation rate that were largely due to high oil and gasoline prices caused by the war with Iran. When the U.S. and Iran were honoring…

A California man who was arrested at Donald Trump’s Los Angeles-area golf course ahead of a presidential visit is facing more charges, as authorities released new details about the investigation.Authorities say federal agents first observed 38-year-old Jeanine John Taele near the golf grounds in Rancho Palos Verdes on 31 July, wearing an earpiece and capturing photographs and videos of security agents assessing the property.Taele returned on 2 August, authorities say, two days before Trump was scheduled to visit the resort for a fundraising dinner with the Republican National Committee (RNC). Teale approached federal agents and said he was employed by…