Nation and world news — at a glance — August 21
Final report on Maine shootings criticizes gunman’s army supervisors
(NYTimes) — The commission charged with investigating the mass shooting in October in Lewiston, Maine, released its final report Tuesday, laying out in detail how law enforcement and Army Reserve leaders failed repeatedly to take steps to prevent the worst mass shooting in Maine’s history. The independent commission, appointed by Gov. Janet Mills, had previously found fault with sheriff’s officers who allowed the assailant, Robert R. Card II, 40, an Army Reserve grenade instructor, to keep his firearms despite evidence that he was dangerous. On Oct. 25, 2023, Card killed 18 people and wounded 13 more at two popular spots in Lewiston; he was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
2 are killed as private plane crashes into Texas mobile home park
(NYTimes) — Two people were killed when the private business jet they were on crashed into a mobile home park in West Texas on Tuesday morning, the authorities said. The crash caused a fire, injuring one woman who was rescued from a burning mobile home. The National Transportation Safety Board said that the plane, a Cessna Citation 550, crashed around 7 a.m. after taking off from Ector County Schlemeyer Airport in Odessa. Sheriff Mike Griffis of Ector County said at a news conference that witnesses said the plane appeared to have struggled to gain altitude before it clipped a power line and crashed. The two people who were killed have not been named.
Tennessee prison is under federal investigation after reports of abuse
(NYTimes) — The Justice Department said Tuesday that it was investigating conditions at a troubled correctional facility outside Nashville, Tennessee, over reports that understaffing and high turnover of employees have contributed to the physical and sexual abuse of prisoners. Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general, suggested that a lack of oversight from the state and mismanagement by CoreCivic, the private company that runs the prison, could have contributed to the dangerous environment at Trousdale Turner Correctional Center, the largest correctional facility in Tennessee. The inquiry is part of a broader effort by Clarke’s civil rights division to scrutinize prisons and jails across the country.
Woman lost for 4 days in Colorado mountains is rescued
(NYTimes) — A Canadian woman was rescued over the weekend after she got lost in the Colorado mountains for four days as part of a guided spiritual “quest,” according to a local sheriff’s department, which said that participants had been encouraged to fast and discouraged from bringing cellphones. On Aug. 14, the woman, Gina Chase, 53, of Victoria, British Columbia, embarked on a “solo journey” but was reported missing the next day, the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office said. On Saturday, after a search that included K9 teams, aircrafts and drones, Chase was found “alive and uninjured,” officials said.
Hit Chinese video game seeks to curb ‘negative discourse’
(NYTimes) — “Black Myth: Wukong” is one of the most highly anticipated Chinese video games ever, a premium title with a blockbuster-worthy budget that underscores the country’s push to become a global cultural power. But before its debut Tuesday, a company affiliated with the game’s China-based developer rankled some influential overseas players with a list of topics to avoid discussing while livestreaming the game. The list of forbidden subjects laid out in a document under “Don’ts” — politics, “feminist propaganda,” COVID-19, China’s video game industry policies and other content that “instigates negative discourse” — offered a glimpse of the restrictions that content creators face in China.
Israel says it recovered bodies of 6 hostages in Gaza
(NYTimes) — Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages from the southern Gaza Strip in an overnight operation, the Israeli military said Tuesday. Five of the six were previously known to have died. Of the roughly 250 people Israeli authorities say were taken hostage during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack, Israeli forces have so far rescued just seven hostages alive. Scores of others were returned to Israel during a cease-fire in November. More than 100 captives still remain in Gaza, at least 30 of whom are believed to be dead. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the bodies had been retrieved from Hamas tunnels beneath the city of Khan Younis in a “complex operation.”
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