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AP
CBS News Fires Veteran 60 Minutes Correspondent Scott Pelley Over Strained Relations","description":"After accusing editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss of undermining the show and alleging the new producer lacked qualifications, longtime 60 Minutes anchor Scott Pelley was dismissed, deepening turmoil at the flagship news program.","summary":"Scott Pelley, the iconic 60 Minutes correspondent, was fired by CBS News following a heated staff meeting where he accused the network’s leadership of threatening the program’s integrity. The move, coming days after a leadership overhaul, highlights the conflict between Pelley, new executive producer Nick Bilton, and editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss.","image":"https:\/\/dims.apnews.com\/dims4\/default\/cd33d6d\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/3600x2400+0+0\/resize\/599x399!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F6c%2Fe7%2Fb553edb5b6448206b538498b3370%2F8c9c8f390853414fbe6839e426ea0b66","text":"<p>CBS News fired longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent Scott Pelley on Tuesday, a day after he reportedly said Editor‑in‑Chief Bari Weiss was “murdering the show” and accused its new producer of having “slender qualifications” for the job.</p><p>The move deepened the turmoil at the nation’s most influential TV news program days after a leadership overhaul.</p><p>Pelley, 68, criticized management Monday during a fiery staff meeting with Nick Bilton, the program’s new executive producer installed by Weiss last week, according to a detailed report on the Status website.</p><p>In a termination notice obtained Tuesday night by The Associated Press, Bilton, a technology journalist and filmmaker with no traditional broadcast news experience, accused Pelley of carrying out an “ambush” against him.</p><p>“Yesterday, you hijacked my first meeting with staff to disparage me, my qualifications, and my intentions with remarkable incivility and contempt,” the letter states.</p><p>Pelley said in his statement that “60 Minutes” has lost its DNA under new management. He accused them of asking him to “inject falsehoods and bias” into his work, without sharing specific details.</p><p>Pelley’s statement also claimed his colleagues “stood for fairness against the forces of political bias.” He further accused CEO David Ellison of casting aside the show’s reputation “apparently to curry a moment of favor with the Trump administration.”</p><p>In the dismissal letter Tuesday, Bilton said Pelley’s “performative display of hostility” demonstrated that he has “no interest in contributing to the future success of the show.”</p><p>Since Weiss took over the network’s news operation last October, it has traveled a bumpy road. Pelley’s termination came just five days after Weiss, who has become a polarizing figure in the media world, told staff that it was time for a “new approach” at the top‑rated newsmagazine.</p><p>In the memo, Weiss and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski said their goal for “60 Minutes” was “building a show that thrives in the 21st century.” That could include extending the show beyond a 60‑minute broadcast.</p><p>“60 Minutes” first aired in 1968 and is the longest‑running prime‑time show in TV history. Its investigative journalism and probing interviews have given it the reputation of uncompromising journalism—precisely the trait that Pelley said was under assault.</p><p>Pelley started working for CBS in 1989. He was its chief White House Correspondent from 1997 to 1999, during Bill Clinton’s presidency, and anchored “CBS Evening News” from 2011 to 2017. He has won 51 Emmy Awards, according to his CBS bio.</p>
AP
Santos Under Investigation After Betting He Would Not Attend State of the Union","description":"The prediction‑market platform Kalshi flagged suspicious bets by former Rep. George Santos, who had boasted he would attend President Trump’s State of the Union yet then placed a wager that he wouldn’t. This action prompted referrals to the U.S. Justice Department and the CFTC, sparking a fresh probe into potential insider trading.","summary":"Former congressman George Santos is under federal investigation after betting he would not attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union, after publicly announcing his intention to be there. Kalshi, an online prediction market, detected suspicious trades and reported them to the Department of Justice and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, both of which are cracking down on insider trading in prediction platforms. Santos has declined to comment on the matter, and the DOJ and CFTC have not yet issued a statement. The case follows his recent 7‑year prison sentence for fraud and identity theft, and the Trump‑approved clemency he received before his expulsion from Congress.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/4bc062b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5151x3434+0+0/resize/1440x960!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F97%2Fbb%2F1d94341e19d95c13fcd921d0857a%2F04b42ab3edb74f57b307389b93f45f31","text":"<p>In a move that drew federal scrutiny, former U.S.\u2019 Representative George Santos was flagged by the prediction‑market platform Kalshi for betting that he would not attend President Donald Trump\u2019s State of the Union address, despite repeatedly announcing he would be there. After noting Santos\u2019 public statements, Kalshi detected what it deemed suspicious trades—bets that the former congressman would be absent from the speech—and promptly referred the activity to the U.S. Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, regulatory bodies that are tightening oversight of insider trading in such markets.</p>\n<p>Santos had publicly boasted that he would attend Trump\u2019s February 24 speech, even mentioning the event on his social media channels and on his podcast. Minutes into the speech, he posted on X that he had been delayed at the airport, and his followers quickly accused him of running a new scheme. In the days that followed, Kalshi placed the odds for Santos attending at nearly 75%, before him tipping that he would not participate.</p>\n<p>Kalshi and its rival Polymarket have both said they are reporting suspicious trades to federal regulators, and several investigations have led to criminal charges. A recent high‑profile case saw a U.S. soldier charged for using classified information to profit more than $400,000 on the Polymarket platform when predicting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture.</p>\n<p>In April, the Senate approved a bipartisan resolution aimed at preventing its members from using prediction markets, a move that follows growing concern over the vulnerability of these platforms to insider trading. While the DOJ and CFTC have not yet issued a public response, Santos declined to comment on the investigation, leaving the outcome uncertain. His legal woes—spanning fraud, identity theft, and a 7‑year prison sentence—had already ended when former President Trump granted him clemency bestowing a brief, controversial release before his expulsion from the House.</p>
AP
Federal Judge Postpones Baltimore Bridge Collapse Trial After Settlements","description":"Judge James Bredar delays the civil trial over the 2024 collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, following a flurry of last-minute settlements that resolved most claims.","summary":"U.S. District Judge James Bredar postponed the trial scheduled for Monday over the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, citing a wave of settlements that covered most claims—including the death claims of six construction workers. While economic‑loss claims from businesses and local governments remain unresolved, the judge expressed frustration over the timing of these settlements and the ongoing criminal charges against the container ship’s operators. The postponement reflects a desire to explore further settlements and possibly avoid a lengthy trial.","image":"","text":"<p>BALTIMORE (AP) — A federal judge agreed Monday to postpone a civil trial over the 2024 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after last‑minute settlements resolved most of the remaining claims.</p><p>U.S. District Judge James Bredar expressed frustration about the timing of last week’s settlements, including deals that resolved all pending claims over the deaths of six construction workers. The workers were filling potholes when the container ship Dali lost power and crashed into the bridge in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024.</p><p>Virtually all of the unresolved claims are alleging economic losses by businesses and local governments. None of the remaining parties were requesting to start the trial as scheduled this week.</p><p>Bredar, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, was scheduled to hear attorneys’ opening statements on Monday for a trial expected to last approximately five weeks. He postponed the proceedings indefinitely to consider legal arguments that could lead to further settlements and possibly end the litigation without a trial.</p><p>“It’s not directed at just one side or another. It takes two to tango,” Bredar said. “I’m frustrated on behalf of the public (and) the court.”</p><p>Details of the settlements with families of the construction workers weren’t publicly disclosed.</p><p>Less than two weeks ago, Bredar rejected a prior request to delay the trial after the filing of criminal charges against companies that managed the Dali.</p><p>On May 12, Justice Department prosecutors announced the indictment against Singapore‑based Synergy Marine Pte Ltd. and Chennai, India‑based Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd.</p><p>The operator of the Dali and its technical superintendent are charged with conspiracy, misconduct causing death, failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a hazardous condition, obstructing the National Transportation Safety Board and making false statements.</p><p>The criminal indictment accuses the ship operator of intentionally relying on an improper fuel pump and then lying about it to investigators.</p><p>Synergy Marine accused prosecutors of improperly treating an accident as a crime and said it would “vigorously” defend itself against the indictment’s “inaccurate” allegations.</p><p>“This was a maritime casualty that should be assessed through the full factual, technical and regulatory record, rather than through selective mischaracterizations in a criminal indictment,” the company said in a statement last month.</p><p>In April, a $2.25 billion settlement was announced between the state of Maryland, Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean Private Limited, the Singapore‑based ship owner. Grace Ocean hasn’t been charged with any crimes related to the collapse.</p><p>The list of claimants with unresolved claims includes the city of Baltimore, which has claims for economic losses it blames on the bridge’s destruction. The city joined the companies in asking for the trial to be delayed.</p>
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