Scott

After federal officials released an initial report concluding that this month’s toxic train wreck in Ohio was completely preventable, investigators will begin examining procedures, practices and design prior to the derailment that has sparked long-term concerns among hundreds of frustrated residents. The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its preliminary report on the investigation into the February 3 train crash in East Palestine, Ohio, where residents have been complaining about feeling sick after hazardous chemicals seeped into the air, water and soil. Ohio environmental officials made a civil referral this week asking the state attorney general’s office to begin “legal and/or equitable civil actions” against train operator Norfolk Southern, which could result in a civil complaint if negotiations with the company were to fail. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/24/us/ohio-train-derailment-east-palestine-friday

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With the sodium-ion battery, the test Sehol E10X is able to cover about 157 miles (252km) on a charge and is capable of charging at up to 4C speeds or 15 minutes. The Na-ion cells of HiNa Battery currently ship with energy density of 145 Wh/kg and are rated for 4,500 full charge-discharge cycles. Doubling of the cycles and 200 Wh/kg energy density is expected for the second Na-ion battery generation that HiNa is currently developing. While those numbers don’t sound all that impressive compared to the density of current performance lithium batteries, Na-ion cells are much more affordable to produce and with chemistry that is way less volatile. https://fr.techtribune.net/uncategorized/first-electric-car-with-cheap-sodium-ion-battery-offers-157-miles-of-range-as-it-appears-out-of-a-vw-partnership/601976/

Referees in Italy’s top football league give more yellow and red cards to Black and darker-skinned players than to their light-skinned teammates, research shows. Officials in Serie A awarded an average of 20% more fouls per season against darker-skinned players from 2009 to 2019, with 11% more yellow cards and 16% more red cards. But during the Covid-19 pandemic, when matches were played in empty stadiums, there was no bias in the way referees treated players. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/feb/25/italys-referees-punish-more-dark-skinned-footballers-than-light

A new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland is not yet done but is "inching towards a conclusion", Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has said. The taoiseach said a protocol agreement could come within days but negotiators still have a gap to close. He urged politicians from the UK, Brussels and Northern Ireland to "go the extra mile". https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-64773113

After weeks of testimony, a South Carolina court finally heard this week from Alex Murdaugh, who is facing two counts of murder in the deaths of his wife and son. The disgraced former attorney pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two weapons charges in the killings of his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh, on June 7, 2021, at the family’s home in Islandton. Prosecutors accuse Murdaugh of killing his wife and son to distract from an array of alleged financial crimes, in which he separately faces another 99 charges, and rested their case last week. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/23/us/key-moments-alex-murdaugh-trial-testimony

Police in Hong Kong said Saturday they have arrested three people following the discovery of the dismembered body of model and influencer Abby Choi. Parts of the 28-year-old’s body, along with a meat slicer, an electric saw, and some clothing were found in a rental unit in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Friday afternoon, police said in a press release. Police said three people had been arrested and detained for questioning. https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/25/asia/abby-choi-hong-kong-model-dismembered-arrests-intl-hnk/index.html

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The creator of the Dilbert cartoon script has fired back after multiple outlets dropped it following the outrageously racist comments he made earlier this week. In the previous video posted to social media, Scott Adams had stated, "Based on the current way things are going, the best advice I would give to white people is to get the hell away from Black people. Just get the f*ck away." https://www.rawstory.com/dilbert-creator-lashes-out-after-papers-pull-his-strip-dicey-situation/

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Qin Gang's trip to Indonesia - his first visit to Southeast Asia since his appointment as China's foreign minister last year - has shown that Beijing is increasingly concerned that the region is leaning more towards the United States, analysts said. While the agenda for Qin's two-day trip this week was dominated by trade and infrastructure development, statements from the Chinese side, as well as remarks by officials from both countries, revealed growing unease about a rivalry between China and the US, according to diplomatic observers. The anxiety, they said, reflected the challenges both the US and China face as they try to nudge Asean countries to pick sides on particular issues. https://www.yahoo.com/now/china-races-influence-frets-over-093000832.html

Donald Trump Jr. and Kyle Rittenhouse kicked off with a baseless claim on the Trump scion’s “Triggered” podcast on Thursday. Rittenhouse in 2021 was found not guilty of homicide after killing two unarmed racial justice protesters in Wisconsin in 2020. He argued self-defense. https://news.yahoo.com/donald-trump-jr-interview-kyle-093436538.html

China is considering sending Russia lethal military aid in the form of artillery shells as President Vladimir Putin's army rapidly depletes its supply of ammunition a year into his invasion of Ukraine, U.S. officials said, a prospect that has alarmed those in the Biden administration who believe Beijing has the ability to transform the war's trajectory. There is no evidence that any weapons transfers have occurred, these officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the U.S. government's assessment. But if China does move ahead, it would mark the first time Beijing has provided lethal aid in the conflict despite repeated warnings by the United States not to provide such support. https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/2023-02-24/china-artillery-shells-russia-9245174.html

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he plans to meet China's leader Xi Jinping to discuss Beijing's proposals on ending the war in Ukraine. Speaking on the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, he said the proposal signalled that China was involved in the search for peace. "I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia," he said. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64762219

A new bill overhauling Florida universities to match Gov. Ron DeSantis’ vision for higher education would shift power at state schools into the hands of the Republican leader’s political appointees and ban gender studies as a field of study. The legislation, filed this week, would also require that general education courses at state colleges and universities “promote the values necessary to preserve the constitutional republic” and cannot define American history “as contrary to the creation of a new nation based on universal principles stated in the Declaration of Independence.” It would prohibit general courses “with a curriculum based on unproven, theoretical or exploratory content.” https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/24/politics/ron-desantis-florida-universities-gender-studies/index.html

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FIRST ON FOX — Arizona rancher George Alan Kelly, who is facing murder and other charges in the shooting of a Mexican national on his border property, has been released from custody, Fox News Digital confirmed Thursday. Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Gerardo Castillo confirmed that 73-year-old Kelly posted bond Wednesday after appearing in court. Judge Emilio Velasquez had upheld Kelly's $1 million bond, though agreed to convert it from cash to surety. He also set the next hearing date for Friday despite the defense pleading for a continuance of 30 to 60 days to allow time to confer with experts and gather the forensic and ballistic evidence they say authorities have neglected to process. https://www.foxnews.com/us/arizona-rancher-george-alan-kelly-posts-1m-bond-released-custody-next-hearing

Hell hath no fury like a Mike Lindell scorned. The MyPillow tycoon is livid that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy released more than 40,000 hours of surveillance footage from the Jan. 6 Capitol riots to Fox News and Tucker Carlson—instead of him. On Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast on Thursday, Lindell, who also founded the far-right broadcast channel Lindell TV, swore that he would sue McCarthy over the exclusive. “Why does just Fox get this? https://www.thedailybeast.com/mike-lindell-throws-massive-tantrum-after-mccarthy-slips-riot-footage-to-tucker

A federal judge ruled Thursday that former President Donald Trump can be deposed in a pair of lawsuits brought by two former FBI officials whom he has long publicly disparaged. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson of Washington, D.C., ruled that former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page would also be permitted to question FBI Director Christopher Wray. The depositions must be limited to two hours and to a “narrow set of topics” that were discussed at a sealed hearing Thursday, the ruling said. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/judge-says-trump-can-deposed-lawsuits-ex-fbi-officials-publicly-attack-rcna72077

In a murder trial that has gripped the US, the scion of a South Carolina legal dynasty has admitted to lying about his whereabouts on the night his wife and son were killed. But Alex Murdaugh, 54, denied ever hurting Maggie or Paul Murdaugh, who were fatally shot at the family's secluded hunting estate in June 2021. The former lawyer took the stand on Thursday in week five of the trial. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64752755

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