What was supposed to be a time of celebration for Asna Tabassum – the University of Southern California’s 2024 valedictorian – has turned to disappointment after the university denied her the chance to give a speech at commencement over security concerns. “Over the past several days‚ discussion relating to the selection of our valedictorian has taken on an alarming tenor‚” USC Provost Andrew Guzman said in an online campus-wide letter. “The intensity of feelings‚ fueled by both social...

The University of Southern California canceled a commencement speech by its 2024 valedictorian who has publicly supported Palestinians‚ citing security concerns‚ a rare decision that was praised by several pro-Israel groups and lambasted by free speech advocates and the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization. Andrew T. Guzman‚ provost and senior vice president for academic affairs for the private university in Los Angeles‚ said in a statement April 15 that debate over the...

The University of Southern California valedictorian who was barred from delivering a commencement speech while accused of promoting antisemitic rhetoric has doubled down on her views. “I stand by exactly what I stand by‚” Asna Tabassum told KABC-TV Wednesday of the views that led to her ban. “It is the very values and the very lessons USC taught me that I stand by.” The biomedical engineering major with a 3.98 grade point average spoke to the Los Angeles station after...

A mostly Democratic group of lawmakers are among those launching a renewed push for the Justice Department to condemn racist Supreme Court rulings from a century ago that shaped a legal landscape in which people living in U.S. territories were essentially treated as second-class citizens. Civil rights groups and professional legal associations are also joining the effort targeting the so-called Insular Cases‚ beginning with a letter sent to the Attorney General Merrick Garland this week.

Boeing whistleblower Sam Salehpour has doubled down on his claims that Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes need to be grounded due to widespread safety concerns. Salehpour‚ a Boeing engineer‚ previously alleged in documents to the FAA and during an interview with The New York Times that shortcuts taken when manufacturing the jets could become a serious problem as the airplanes get older‚ raising even more questions regarding the company's manufacturing practices. &;quot;I think it's as serious as I...

A Boeing whistleblower spoke up Wednesday about a &;quot;cover-up&;quot; of an incident involving one of the company's planes. Ed Pierson‚ a former senior manager for Boeing‚ on Wednesday appeared before the Senate Homeland Security &; Governmental Affairs Committee to speak about several incidents involving Boeing planes. During his testimony‚ Pierson spoke about the incident where a Boeing 737 MAX-9 plane‚ operated by Alaska Airlines‚ had a door panel break off shortly after take-off. &;quot;I'm...

A Boeing engineer who went public last week with safety concerns about the company’s 787 Dreamliner told a Senate panel on Wednesday that he was concerned that shortcuts the company was taking would eventually lead to a crash if they continued unchecked. The engineer‚ Sam Salehpour‚ testified that in an attempt to address bottlenecks‚ Boeing introduced production shortcuts with the potential to lead to planes breaking apart during flights. Mr. Salehpour said that the company was knowingly...