Maine
Suspect in custody after video recorded him appearing to steal a police car
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A man in Maine stole a police cruiser on Monday before crashing, exchanging gunfire with police and stealing another police vehicle in a chase that created a chaotic scene in a mostly rural part of the state, police said.
Police said the man, who is unhoused, was being transported to a jail by Paris police when he was able to steal a police cruiser while handcuffed. He then crashed on Route 117 in Paris, about 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) north of Portland, police said.
Officers confronted the man and gunfire was exchanged, police said. The man was struck but fled the scene and stole an Oxford County Sheriff’s Office police vehicle, which he crashed up the road, police said.
He was then taken into custody and faces numerous charges.
The man “was taken into custody and treated at a local hospital,” police said. It was unclear on Monday if the man had retained a lawyer.
There were multiple reports of roads closures in the area. A motorist captured video of the man in handcuffs appearing to steal the police cruiser Monday amid the exchange of gunfire.
The man was dressed in white, possibly in a hospital robe, when he fled from a vehicle that had crashed in a ditch, said Linda Marie Mercer, who encountered police vehicles blocking the road and began filming the scene with her cellphone.
Mercer said there were two volleys of gunfire — one when the suspect was inside the vehicle, and again when he drove away.
“The door of the truck was open most of the time. You could see him. They kept telling him to put his hands up,” she said. “Then all of a sudden, he stands up, runs right out of the ditch, and climbs right into the police vehicle.”
Mercer, a mobile notary public, said she continued to an appointment after the incident. “It was my most interesting excuse for being late, but I had video proof,” she said.
The Office of the Attorney General will investigate law enforcement’s use of force, police said. Police also said all officers involved will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
New York
Deadline for businesses to apply for their share of massive credit card company settlement looms
NEW YORK (AP) — A deadline is looming for millions of businesses who may be entitled to a payout in a $5.5 billion antitrust settlement with Visa and Mastercard.
The settlement stems from a 2005 lawsuit that alleged merchants paid excessive fees to accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards, and that Visa and Mastercard and their member banks acted in violation of antitrust laws.
Any businesses that accepted Visa and/or Mastercard credit or debit cards in the U.S. between January 1, 2004 and January 25, 2019 may be eligible to receive part of the settlement. Eligible owners whose businesses have since closed or went bankrupt can also submit a claim.
Mitch Goldstone, CEO and owner of the film scanning business Scan My Photos, and lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, said it has been difficult to get the news out to small businesses so they can file a claim in the settlement.
“Most eligible merchants still haven’t filed their claims, despite my efforts — such as helping design a user-friendly claim form with a simple QR barcode,” he wrote in an email. “It’s frustrating, considering it only takes a minute to file.”
The deadline to file a claim is Friday, May 31, 2024. Claims can be submitted on the claims portal PaymentCardSettlement.com and by mail if a company received a paper claim form.
Only businesses that submit a claim by the deadline will get money from the settlement. The amount of the payout for each business will be calculated after all claims are filed and validated.
Washington
TikTok sues U.S. to block law that could ban social media platform
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance are suing the U.S. federal government over a law that would ban the popular video-sharing app unless it’s sold to another company.
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday may be setting up what could be a protracted legal fight over TikTok’s future in the United States.
The popular social video company alleged the law, which President Joe Biden signed as part of a larger $95 billion foreign aid package, is so “obviously unconstitutional” that the sponsors of The Protecting
Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act are trying to portray the law not as a ban, but as a regulation of TikTok’s ownership.
The law requires TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, to sell the platform within nine months. If a sale is already in progress, the company will get another three months to complete the deal. ByteDance has said it “doesn’t have any plan to sell TikTok.” But even it wanted to divest, the company would have to get a blessing from Beijing, which previously opposed a forced sale of the platform and has signaled its opposition this time around.
TikTok and ByteDance argued in the lawsuit that is really isn’t being given a choice.
“The ‘qualified divestiture’ demanded by the Act to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally,” they said.
Under the act, TikTok will be forced to shut down by Jan. 19, 2025, according to the lawsuit.
The fight over TikTok takes place as U.S.-China relations have shifted to that of intense strategic rivalry, especially in areas such as advanced technologies and data security, seen as essential to each country’s economic prowess and national security.
U.S. lawmakers from both parties, as well as administration and law enforcement officials, have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data or sway public opinion by manipulating the algorithm that populates users’ feeds. Some have also pointed to a Rutgers University study that maintains TikTok content was being amplified or underrepresented based on how it aligns with the interests of the Chinese government, which the company disputes.
Opponents of the law argue that Chinese authorities — or any nefarious parties — could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through commercial data brokers that rent or sell personal information. They note the U.S. government hasn’t provided public evidence that shows TikTok sharing U.S. user information with Chinese authorities, or tinkering with its algorithm for China’s benefit. They also say attempts to ban the app could violate free speech rights in the U.S.
Suspect in custody after video recorded him appearing to steal a police car
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A man in Maine stole a police cruiser on Monday before crashing, exchanging gunfire with police and stealing another police vehicle in a chase that created a chaotic scene in a mostly rural part of the state, police said.
Police said the man, who is unhoused, was being transported to a jail by Paris police when he was able to steal a police cruiser while handcuffed. He then crashed on Route 117 in Paris, about 50 miles (80.47 kilometers) north of Portland, police said.
Officers confronted the man and gunfire was exchanged, police said. The man was struck but fled the scene and stole an Oxford County Sheriff’s Office police vehicle, which he crashed up the road, police said.
He was then taken into custody and faces numerous charges.
The man “was taken into custody and treated at a local hospital,” police said. It was unclear on Monday if the man had retained a lawyer.
There were multiple reports of roads closures in the area. A motorist captured video of the man in handcuffs appearing to steal the police cruiser Monday amid the exchange of gunfire.
The man was dressed in white, possibly in a hospital robe, when he fled from a vehicle that had crashed in a ditch, said Linda Marie Mercer, who encountered police vehicles blocking the road and began filming the scene with her cellphone.
Mercer said there were two volleys of gunfire — one when the suspect was inside the vehicle, and again when he drove away.
“The door of the truck was open most of the time. You could see him. They kept telling him to put his hands up,” she said. “Then all of a sudden, he stands up, runs right out of the ditch, and climbs right into the police vehicle.”
Mercer, a mobile notary public, said she continued to an appointment after the incident. “It was my most interesting excuse for being late, but I had video proof,” she said.
The Office of the Attorney General will investigate law enforcement’s use of force, police said. Police also said all officers involved will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
New York
Deadline for businesses to apply for their share of massive credit card company settlement looms
NEW YORK (AP) — A deadline is looming for millions of businesses who may be entitled to a payout in a $5.5 billion antitrust settlement with Visa and Mastercard.
The settlement stems from a 2005 lawsuit that alleged merchants paid excessive fees to accept Visa and Mastercard credit cards, and that Visa and Mastercard and their member banks acted in violation of antitrust laws.
Any businesses that accepted Visa and/or Mastercard credit or debit cards in the U.S. between January 1, 2004 and January 25, 2019 may be eligible to receive part of the settlement. Eligible owners whose businesses have since closed or went bankrupt can also submit a claim.
Mitch Goldstone, CEO and owner of the film scanning business Scan My Photos, and lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, said it has been difficult to get the news out to small businesses so they can file a claim in the settlement.
“Most eligible merchants still haven’t filed their claims, despite my efforts — such as helping design a user-friendly claim form with a simple QR barcode,” he wrote in an email. “It’s frustrating, considering it only takes a minute to file.”
The deadline to file a claim is Friday, May 31, 2024. Claims can be submitted on the claims portal PaymentCardSettlement.com and by mail if a company received a paper claim form.
Only businesses that submit a claim by the deadline will get money from the settlement. The amount of the payout for each business will be calculated after all claims are filed and validated.
Washington
TikTok sues U.S. to block law that could ban social media platform
TikTok and its Chinese parent company ByteDance are suing the U.S. federal government over a law that would ban the popular video-sharing app unless it’s sold to another company.
The lawsuit filed on Tuesday may be setting up what could be a protracted legal fight over TikTok’s future in the United States.
The popular social video company alleged the law, which President Joe Biden signed as part of a larger $95 billion foreign aid package, is so “obviously unconstitutional” that the sponsors of The Protecting
Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act are trying to portray the law not as a ban, but as a regulation of TikTok’s ownership.
The law requires TikTok’s parent, ByteDance, to sell the platform within nine months. If a sale is already in progress, the company will get another three months to complete the deal. ByteDance has said it “doesn’t have any plan to sell TikTok.” But even it wanted to divest, the company would have to get a blessing from Beijing, which previously opposed a forced sale of the platform and has signaled its opposition this time around.
TikTok and ByteDance argued in the lawsuit that is really isn’t being given a choice.
“The ‘qualified divestiture’ demanded by the Act to allow TikTok to continue operating in the United States is simply not possible: not commercially, not technologically, not legally,” they said.
Under the act, TikTok will be forced to shut down by Jan. 19, 2025, according to the lawsuit.
The fight over TikTok takes place as U.S.-China relations have shifted to that of intense strategic rivalry, especially in areas such as advanced technologies and data security, seen as essential to each country’s economic prowess and national security.
U.S. lawmakers from both parties, as well as administration and law enforcement officials, have expressed concerns that Chinese authorities could force ByteDance to hand over U.S. user data or sway public opinion by manipulating the algorithm that populates users’ feeds. Some have also pointed to a Rutgers University study that maintains TikTok content was being amplified or underrepresented based on how it aligns with the interests of the Chinese government, which the company disputes.
Opponents of the law argue that Chinese authorities — or any nefarious parties — could easily get information on Americans in other ways, including through commercial data brokers that rent or sell personal information. They note the U.S. government hasn’t provided public evidence that shows TikTok sharing U.S. user information with Chinese authorities, or tinkering with its algorithm for China’s benefit. They also say attempts to ban the app could violate free speech rights in the U.S.
