WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following remarks on May 14, 2024, by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in celebration of the 70th anniversary of Brown vs. Board decision: * * * As Delivered Good afternoon. Thank you, Shaheena, for that generous introduction. And for your leadership. I am honored to welcome everyone to the Justice Department's Great Hall. Secretary Cardona, thank you very much for being here today on behalf of the Department of Education. S  more

DES MOINES, Iowa, May 16 -- The Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird issued the following news release: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird called on Biden's EPA to reverse a rule that will devastate Iowa agriculture by banning formaldehyde that has been used at safe levels for years. EPA's mandate effectively bans formaldehyde by mandating that formaldehyde levels be beneath the background levels naturally found in many Americans' homes. Formaldehyde is a critical component in ensuring families ha  more

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana, May 17 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana issued the following news release on May 15, 2024: A former Mississippi Bureau of Investigations Officer assigned to the U.S. Marshals' Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force pleaded guilty today to using excessive force against a handcuffed arrestee. According to court documents and evidence presented in court, on Sept. 16, 2021, John Winstead was working as a federal task force officer whe  more

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana, May 16 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana issued the following news release: U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on May 15, 2024, U.S. District Judge Lance Africk sentenced SHIVA AKULA ("AKULA"), age 68, of New Orleans, to 240 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release and $2,300 in mandatory special assessment fees, in relation to an extensive health care fraud scheme orchestrated by AKULA. In November 2023, a  more

JACKSON, Mississippi, May 17 (TNSres) -- The Mississippi Department of Education issued the following news release: The Mississippi Department of Education is announcing that 75.7% of 31,787 third graders passed the initial administration of the third-grade reading assessment given this spring for the 2023-24 school year. The percentage is nearly the same as the initial pass rate in 2022-23 of 76.3% when 31,623 third graders took the assessment, and higher than the pre-pandemic initial pass ra  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, May 17 -- Gov. Roy Cooper, D-North Carolina, issued the following statement on May 16, 2024: * * * One year ago today, North Carolina Republican legislators overrode Governor Roy Cooper's veto of their abortion ban by one vote, putting reproductive care for millions of women in jeopardy. Today, Governor Cooper issued the following statement on the one-year anniversary of the veto override: "Last year, every single Republican legislator, even those who promised not to   more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The Naval Sea Systems Command issued the following news: CRANE, Ind. - "People are the most important part of the U.S. Navy and at NSWC Crane," said Captain Rex Boonyobhas, the Commanding Officer (CO) at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane). "We must always strive to take care of our people and continue to develop great relationships within our command and with our external partners." CAPT Boonyobhas assumed command at NSWC Crane in  more

JACKSON, Mississippi, May 16 -- The U.S. Army Forces Command issued the following news: By Walter T. Ham IV U.S. military units trained for domestic nuclear forensics missions with interagency partners during Exercise Prominent Hunt in Jackson, Mississippi. Soldiers from the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command's Nuclear Disablement Team (Infrastructure) 2 and CBRNE Response Team 3, 46th Chemical Company (Technical Escort), certified to serve on the Nat  more

JACKSON, Mississippi, May 16 -- The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the following news release on May 14, 2024: * * * Federal Agency Charged Company Disclosed Employee's Confidential Medical Information and Fired Her for Complaining * * * Headquartered in Tennessee, Tractor Supply Company, the nation's largest rural lifestyle retailer with over 2,400 stores and more than 50,000 employees, has agreed to pay $75,000 and provide other relief to settle a disability discrimination   more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today the appointment of 10 members to the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. Seven members are new appointments, and three members are re-appointments. Members represent a mix of university, non-profit, and industry representatives. The NAREEE Advisory Board provides feedback to the Secretary o  more

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 16 -- Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes issued the following news: Attorney General Sean D. Reyes joined a letter to President Joe Biden over the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations and new Pandemic Treaty. The letter, led by the State of Montana, urges the president to reject these accords to protect individual freedoms, national sovereignty, and local control. In their letter, the attorneys general share several reasons for their oppositio  more

WASHINGTON, May 17 -- The White House issued the following transcript of a news briefing on May 16, 2024, by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Director of the Office of Public Engagement Stephen Benjamin: * * * MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We'll wait for -- for -- I don't want to call her out, but -- (laughter) -- Q: Madam President. MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Madam President, that's right. (Laughter.) I was trying to be good, not call out people. All right. Good afternoon. As President Biden said during   more