Judge rules Trump admin. can’t require states to help on immigration to get transport money

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from withholding billions of dollars in transportation funds from states that don’t agree to participate in some immigration enforcement actions. Twenty states sued after they said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to cut off funding to states that refused to comply with President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. U.S. District Judge John McConnell Jr. on Thursday barred federal transportation officials from carrying out that threat before the lawsuit is fully resolved. An attorney for the Department of Transportation had argued that the department had the legal discretion to set conditions on states receiving the congressionally appropriated funds.

Supreme Court revives lawsuits against Palestinian authorities

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has revived long-running lawsuits against Palestinian authorities from Americans killed or wounded in terrorism attacks in the Middle East. The justices Friday upheld a 2019 law enacted by Congress to allow the victims’ lawsuits to go forward against the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. The attacks occurred in the early 2000s and in 2018. The victims and their families say Palestinian agents either were involved in the attacks or incited them. The Palestinians have consistently argued the cases shouldn’t be allowed in American courts. A lower court in New York has repeatedly ruled against the victims.

Pilot killed in small plane crash in NC raised a wheel to avoid a turtle, NTSB says

MOCKSVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report says the pilot of a small plane that crashed at a North Carolina airport runway this month raised a wheel after landing to avoid hitting a turtle. Officials say the pilot and a passenger were killed in the June 3 crash near Sugar Valley Airport in Mocksville. A second passenger was seriously injured. A communications operator reported that she advised the pilot about the turtle and that after landing, the pilot lifted a wheel to avoid it. A man cutting grass reported that after the wheel was raised, the wings rocked back and forth and the plane took off again. He then heard the crash.

Aflac finds suspicious activity on US network that may impact Social Security numbers

(AP) — Aflac says that it has identified suspicious activity on its network in the U.S. that may impact Social Security numbers and other personal information, calling the incident part of a cybercrime campaign against the insurance industry. The company said Friday that the intrusion was stopped within hours. “We continue to serve our customers as we respond to this incident and can underwrite policies, review claims, and otherwise service our customers as usual,” Aflac said in a statement. The company said that it’s in the early stages of a review of the incident, and so far is unable to determine the total number of affected individuals.