FBI opens criminal probe in Baltimore bridge collapse – National & International News – MON 15Apr2024

FBI opens criminal probe in Baltimore bridge collapse.

Trump’s first criminal trial gets underway in NY.

FBI opens criminal probe in Baltimore bridge collapse

The FBI is collecting data from the M/V Dali, the 985-foot long cargo ship that rammed into one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26. The Dali collided with the pier after suffering a power failure and losing control of the ship. The FBI is focusing on what knowledge the ship’s crew had of any prior mechanical issues on the ship before the collision. The impact caused the bridge to collapse within seconds, killing 6 road workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge. The bodies of three of the victims are still missing.

An anonymous source told the Associated Press that the ship had experienced electrical issues while still in dock. An alarm in one of the ship’s refrigerated units had indicated inconsistent power supply. It’s not clear from reporting whether there was any attempt to investigate or fix any power issue before the vessel set sail. 

The City of Baltimore is also pursuing legal action “to hold responsible all entities accountable for the Key Bridge tragedy, including the owner, charterer, manager/operator, and the manufacturer of the M/V Dali, as well as any other potentially liable third parties,” according to the city’s mayor Brandon M. Scott. Scott said the action would hold “the wrongdoers responsible” and “mitigate the immediate and long-term harm caused to Baltimore City residents”. The port is still out of service, putting 8000 people out of work. 

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Trump’s first criminal trial gets underway in NY

Jury selection began today in the hush-money case against Donald Trump. Trump is charged with over 30 felonies related to payments he made to reimburse his former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who had paid porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about her affair with Trump ahead of the 2016 election. The state is alleging that these payments were part of a scheme to “unlawfully influence” the outcome of the election.

Out of an initial pool of 96 jurors, about 60 were immediately dismissed after answering that their prior feelings about Trump would make them unable to deliberate impartially. Jury selection was initially expected to take two weeks and the trial itself about 4-6 weeks.

Trump faces up to four years in prison if convicted on all charges. Cohen was previously sentenced to three years for his part in the scheme and will be a key witness in this trial.

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