TV News LIES

A man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a head-on collision in western Texas that killed Laura Lynch, a founding member of a country music band now known as The Chicks, prosecutors said.

As part of a plea agreement, Domenick Chavez, 33, admitted that he was driving recklessly and caused the head-on crash that killed Lynch on Dec. 22, 2023, the El Paso District Attorney's Office said in a news release on Tuesday, Feb. 24. Lynch, 65, was killed instantly after Chavez attempted to pass four vehicles and collided into Lynch's truck.

The incident occurred on an undivided highway in Hudspeth County, about 50 miles east of El Paso. The El Paso District Attorney's Office also covers neighboring Hudspeth and Culberson counties.

"The death of Ms. Lynch caused profound sadness for her family, the Dell City community, and all those who appreciated her music. It is a loss made more acute by the fact that it happened just days before Christmas," El Paso District Attorney James Montoya said in a statement. "Our office will continue to hold accountable those defendants who choose to drive in an extremely dangerous manner."

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President Donald Trump’s administration has sued the University of California system over alleged discrimination against Jewish and Israeli employees at UCLA involving what the Justice Department called an antisemitic hostile work environment.

Tuesday’s lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles, marks the latest instance of the Trump administration acting against a U.S. university and represents its latest dispute in Democratic-governed California.

Trump last year tried to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds for UCLA over pro-Palestinian protests but a judge directed that those be restored.

The Republican president has attempted to crack down on universities over pro-Palestinian protests against Israel’s assault on Gaza, transgender policies, climate programs and diversity initiatives, leading to concerns over academic freedom, free speech and due process.

The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department seeks a court order requiring UCLA, part of the University of California system, to investigate and address antisemitism complaints and provide training on anti-discrimination policies. It also seeks an unspecified amount in monetary damages to go to two UCLA professors who alleged being subjected to antisemitism.

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A Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist at Columbia University resigned from some of his positions with the institution over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Richard Axel, co-director of the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, won a Nobel Prize in 2004 for discovering over 1,000 special receptors in the nose that send olfactory information to the brain.

“My past association with Jeffrey Epstein was a serious error in judgment, which I deeply regret. I apologize for compromising the trust of my friends, students, and colleagues,” Axel said in a statement obtained by NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network. “I recognize the problems this has caused, and I will work to restore this trust.”

He added, “What has emerged about Epstein’s appalling conduct, the harm that he has caused to so many people, makes my association with him all the more painful and inexcusable.”

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Two Missouri sheriff's deputies were shot and killed and two more were injured after a suspect opened fire during a traffic stop and led authorities on an hours-long manhunt that ended in a shootout, authorities said.

The suspect, 45-year-old Richard Dean Bird, was also killed in the exchange of gunfire, authorities said.

Bird was pulled over by a deputy on the afternoon of Feb. 23 near Highlandville, Missouri, a small city in Christian County about 20 miles from downtown Springfield. During the traffic stop, Bird allegedly shot and killed Christian County Sheriff's Deputy Gabriel Ramirez, 30.

Bird fled, and local and state authorities began a search that would last about nine hours and stretch into the night, reported the Springfield News-Leader, part of the USA TODAY Network. The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued a "Blue Alert," used when a law enforcement officer is killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, which was canceled at about 1 a.m. on Feb. 24, the News-Leader reported.

Late on the night of Feb. 23, law enforcement agencies found Bird's vehicle and began searching a wooded area. At about 11:38 p.m. on Feb. 23, Bird began firing with a rifle, Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said at a news conference. Two deputies were wounded and Deputy Michael Hislope, 40, was also killed, the sheriff's office said. Bird was then shot and killed by law enforcement.

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Bill Gates "took responsibility for his actions" over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a town hall meeting with employees of the Gates Foundation, the group said in a statement.

Gates answered questions at the twice-a-year meeting Feb. 24 on a range of issues, "including the release of the Epstein files," the foundation said. "In the townhall, Bill spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions," the foundation said.

Documents released by the Justice Department have indicated Gates and Epstein met repeatedly to discuss expanding the Microsoft founder's philanthropic efforts. The meetings came after Epstein was imprisoned for 13 months, ending in 2009, for a conviction on state charges in Florida of soliciting the prostitution involving a minor. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while in custody on federal charges that he had sex-trafficked underage girls.

According to the Journal report, Gates told staff it was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein and bring Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender. The report cited a recording of Gates' comments in the town hall.

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Former Treasury Secretary ‌and Harvard President Larry Summers will resign from teaching at the end of the academic year, a Harvard spokesperson told USA TODAY.

The Feb. 25 announcement comes more than three months after the Justice Department revealed the longtime economist's ties ‌with ​the ​late ​convicted ‌sex offender Jeffrey ​Epstein.

“In connection with the ongoing review by the University of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were recently released by the government, Harvard Kennedy School Dean Jeremy Weinstein has accepted Professor Lawrence H. Summers’ resignation from his leadership position as co-director of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government," said Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton in an emailed statement to USA TODAY.

Summers is also resigning from his academic and faculty appointments and will remain on leave until then, Newton added.

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