SRN NEWS

WASHINGTON, Oct 7 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was considering asking the FBI to look into the death of an 18-year-old Black man whose body was found on a Mississippi barrier island following a Fourth of July trip with friends. Asked by reporters at the White House whether he planned to push the FBI to launch an independent investigation into the death of Nolan Wells, Trump said: “Well, we’re looking at that. Yes, we are.” Trump’s comments come after the family of the teenager called earlier this week for a federal investigation into his death after a grand jury declined to indict anyone. Wells’ body was found on July 6 on the northwest end of ‌Horn Island, ⁠a barrier island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast, after he went missing during a Fourth of July weekend trip with friends from nearby Ocean Springs. The case developed drew national scrutiny. Although authorities had not alleged foul play, questions were raised in the weeks after his death by family members, civil rights leaders and others about transparency, accountability and disparities in attention to cases involving Black victims. Last month, a grand jury unanimously declined to indict anyone in the death. Jackson County District Attorney Angel Myers McIlrath said there was no evidence to support allegations that Wells’ disappearance and death were racially motivated. (Reporting by Bo Erickson and Daphne Psaledakis; editing byu Michelle Nichols ) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

WASHINGTON, Oct 7 (Reuters) – The Federal Communications Commission said on Wednesday it will vote on October 29 to bar all Chinese labs from testing electronic devices such as smartphones, cameras and computers for use in the US, widening a previous action targeting Beijing. The FCC said it will prohibit test labs and certification bodies in countries including China that deny reciprocal treatment to US-based test labs. FCC Chair Brendan Carr said in 2025, 82% of electronics were tested in China, which does not have an agreement with the US. (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

Oct 7 (Reuters) – US President Donald Trump, asked by a reporter on Wednesday about mortgage rates, said the Federal Reserve Board “would like to see the country do badly”. The 30-year mortgage rate last week hit its highest point in almost three years. Trump called Fed chairman Kevin Warsh “great” but added the rest of the board “would like to see the country do badly, in my opinion, because I think interest rates should come down.” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in the Oval Office with Trump, said inflation was high because of the energy shock”. “So once we get on the other side of this Iran conflict, (the) energy market is going to be well supplied, and we will move down towards the Fed’s target and mortgage rates and the 10-year will come back down,” Bessent added. (Reporting by Bo Erickson, editing by David Ljunggren) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) – The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed that international students pay at least $70,000 in training fees if they want to work in the country, according to a government notice posted online on Wednesday, part of the Trump administration’s wider crackdown on foreign visa holders.  Under the proposal, nonimmigrant students with F-1 visas would be required to pay $70,000 to a certified institution for on-the-job training, known as Optional Practical Training (OPT), and $30,000 for any additional work training.  DHS said the new rules were meant “to combat fraud, strengthen the integrity of the immigration system, and protect US workers.” Under the OPT system, foreign students can engage in work training for up to 20 hours per week while school is in session, as well as for a limited time after graduation, with an additional allowance for those with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Those who enroll are currently expected to pay around $500. “DHS is now setting a fee to ensure employers, students, and institutions are engaging in appropriate activities consistent with admission as an F-1 nonimmigrant,” the agency said. Such training programs often serve as a bridge for students seeking work under H-1B visas, which the Trump administration has also targeted with increased fees. For decades, the H-1B program has allowed young engineers and scientists from across the world, especially India and China, to turn years of study at US universities into high-paying jobs and a path to permanent US residency. Leading US tech companies have come to rely heavily on these workers to fill skilled positions. When he was campaigning in 2024, President Donald Trump vowed he would make it easier for foreign students to remain in the country, suggesting they be automatically awarded a Green Card after graduation.  Like similar DHS proposals, the rule change is likely to be met with swift legal challenges.  “This proposed rule isn’t going to fare well in the courts, just as the 100k H-1B fee and other restrictionist policies have been struck down,” Doug Rand, director of the Talent Mobility Fund, which works to attract foreign STEM professionals, wrote on LinkedIn on Wednesday.  The proposal is subject to 30 days of public comment before it can be finalized.  DHS said it would wait 60 days after finalization before putting the rule into effect to allow schools, students and employers time to prepare.  (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Editing by Daniel Wallis) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com

By Helen Coster NEW YORK, Oct 7 (Reuters) – Cornell University’s administration and president are facing mounting pressure over the school’s handling of an alleged 2024 gang rape that has thrust it into the national spotlight and set off a wave of outrage over sexual violence on college campuses. Since Monday, the administration has faced student protests, a no-confidence resolution from faculty, and criticism by alumni. A seven-hour sit-in in support of the alleged victim is planned for Wednesday. Representatives for University President Michael Kotlikoff and Cornell did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kotlikoff released a video statement over the weekend in which he said “we must do better” and the school would take “a serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life.” Still, calls have mounted among some demonstrators for the resignation of Kotlikoff and members of his administration, blaming their policies for what protesters have described as a “culture of rape” on ​campus. The demonstrators also want an external inquiry into how Cornell’s administration has handled the matter, independent hearings and uniform minimum sanctions for all sexual assaults on campus, as well as better training for campus police in responding to complaints of sexual violence and harassment. The Cornell Faculty Senate, which represents faculty members in university governance, introduced a resolution this week calling for a no-confidence vote in the administration’s handling of the school’s “ongoing crisis of sexual assault.” The resolution will be debated at the Senate’s October 14 meeting. Alumni are also voicing concern. In an open letter to Kotlikoff and the university’s Board of Trustees, posted on the Cornell Daily Sun website, alumnus Marco Fuentes wrote that the president and trustees had “single-handedly degraded” the school’s reputation and “eroded the value of the degrees earned by tens of thousands of proud alumni” through their “administrative negligence and spineless handling” of the alleged assault. Fuentes wrote that he will no longer bequeath half his estate to the school, and is contacting alumni and donor networks to advocate for a freeze on donations until leadership changes occur. The outcry began last month with a lawsuit in which the alleged victim, referred to as “Jane Doe”, said she was plied with drugs and alcohol and sexually assaulted by ⁠several members of the campus chapter of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024 after she became incapacitated. She reported the alleged assault to police several ​weeks after the fact, leading to an internal university investigation and a law enforcement probe, but the local prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges in the case. Cornell, which has defended its response to the original report, shut down the Chi Phi chapter and imposed a range of discipline on the fraternity members involved, including expulsions and other sanctions. The alleged victim’s lawsuit criticized the university for having offered some of the ​alleged perpetrators a chance to mitigate their penalties by writing essays. The men all denied any wrongdoing, some saying the ​sexual activity was consensual and others disputing their participation, the New York Times has reported, citing Cornell documents. Cornell said this week it hired a top former US Justice Department lawyer to conduct an independent review of how Cornell prevents and responds to sexual assault claims. (Reporting by Helen Coster in New York; Editing by Paul Thomasch and Daniel Wallis) Brought to you by www.srnnews.com