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Multiple Legal Battles Entangle Public Figures and Institutions
Several legal actions made headlines this week, involving figures ranging from a professional athlete to a former government official, and institutions like the National FFA.
In New York and New Jersey, a lawsuit was filed against the Trump administration over the freezing of $16 billion in federal funding for the Gateway project, a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. According to Fox News, the states accused the federal government of "illegally withholding" funds committed to the project and sought emergency relief to force the release of the frozen funds. The states argued that construction was already underway and the project could be forced to shut down as early as Friday, potentially eliminating thousands of jobs.
In Michigan, Ryan Kennedy, a Detroit Lions fan, filed a $100 million lawsuit against Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf following an altercation at Ford Field in December, Fox News reported. Kennedy's legal team held a news conference in Farmington Hills, Michigan, on Dec. 26. The lawsuit was filed in Wayne County Court.
Federal lawmakers are also scrutinizing the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) over its ties to a Chinese Communist Party-controlled agribusiness, Syngenta Group, and its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Fox News reported. The House Ways and Means Committee and the Congressional FFA Caucus are leading the inquiry, raising national security concerns and questioning the organization's tax-exempt status.
Meanwhile, newly released documents revealed details about Jeffrey Epstein's estate. According to the New York Times, two days before his death in a federal jail, Epstein signed a document called the 1953 Trust, giving away much of his estate, estimated at $100 million, to his girlfriend at the time, Karyna Shuliak. The document also mentioned 40 other potential beneficiaries. It remains unclear how much Ms. Shuliak and the other beneficiaries will receive from the estate, which has shrunk considerably over the past seven years after paying taxes and restitutions to victims.
Internationally, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy sector as "barbaric" and "particularly depraved," the BBC reported. The attacks occurred as temperatures dropped to -20C (-4F). Starmer made the comments after speaking to US President Donald Trump hours after Russia hit power plants and critical infrastructure in Kyiv and elsewhere. The attacks came at the end of a week-long pause that Trump had asked Russia's President Vladimir Putin to observe as a fierce cold swept Ukraine. Trump said on Tuesday that Putin had "kept his word" and that he would let the pause continue.
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