UAW files federal labor charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk
(NEW YORK) — The United Auto Workers Union has filed federal labor charges against former President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the union said Tuesday.
In a thread on X, the union said Trump and Musk had illegally attempted to “threaten and intimidate workers who stand up for themselves by engaging in protected concerted activity, such as strikes.”
Musk — who has endorsed Trump for president — interviewed him for two hours Monday night on X Spaces in a conversation that reached over 1 million users.
During the interview, Trump praised Musk as the “greatest cutter,” seemingly referring to the mass layoffs he conducted when he took over X, then known as Twitter.
“I mean, I look at what you do. You walk in, you say, ‘You want to quit?” Trump said. “I won’t mention the name of the company, but they go on strike, and you go, ‘You’re all gone.'”
Going on strike is considered protected activity under the National Labor Relations Act, and workers cannot legally be fired for doing so.
“When we say Donald Trump is a scab, this is what we mean,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement. “When we say Trump stands against everything our union stands for, this is what we mean.”
“Donald Trump will always side against workers standing up for themselves, and he will always side with billionaires like Elon Musk, who is contributing $45 million a month to a Super PAC to get him elected,” Fain continued. “Both Trump and Musk want working-class people to sit down and shut up, and they laugh about it openly. It’s disgusting, illegal, and totally predictable from these two clowns.”
Musk has denied reports he is contributing $45 million a month to get Trump elected. He has long been outspoken against workers forming unions, however.
On Tuesday, Musk replied to a post on X about the labor charges, criticizing Fain, responding, “The last two UAW presidents went to prison for bribery & corruption and, based on recent news, it looks like this guy will join them!”
ABC News has contacted the Trump campaign and X for comment.
Musk told BBC’s James Clayton in April 2023 during a Spaces interview that the cuts at Twitter were “one of the hardest things he’s had to do.”
Georgia Schools Superintendent Richard Woods announced on Wednesday that the state will restore public funding for Advanced Placement (AP) African American studies to be taught in public schools after seeking “guidance and clarity” from the state’s attorney general regarding whether state law permits its inclusion in the state-approved course catalog.
In a statement posted to the Georgia Department of Education website, the Republican school chief said that “It has “been determined that this law shall not restrict local school systems from adopting any AP, IB, or dual enrollment course,” as long as “these courses are implemented ‘in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs,’” as outlined by the law.
“As I have said, I will follow the law. In compliance with this opinion, the AP African American Studies course will be added to the state-funded course catalog effective immediately,” Woods’ statement continued.
In his decision last month to pull public funding for the course, Woods cited Georgia’s House Bill 1084, Republican-backed legislation that became law in 2002 and that banned teaching “divisive concepts” in public school, including numerous concepts dealing with race and racism, including what is generally described as institutional racism.
But on Wednesday, Woods said that his decision to reverse course is based on a determination by Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who said in a letter sent to “the sponsor of [HB 1084]” that “this law shall not restrict local school systems from adopting any AP, IB, or dual enrollment course,” and that “Each such course will be exempted from the provisions of the divisive concepts legislation, so long as these courses are implemented “in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs.”
Woods’ statement did not name HB 1084’s sponsor, but the bill was authored by state Rep. Will Wade.
Carr said in that letter, which was obtained by ABC News, that HB 1084 was “not to be construed or applied to somehow prohibit the implementation of advanced placement, international baccalaureate, or dual enrollment coursework.”
“The only limitations placed on such coursework by [HB 1084] are that it is implemented ‘in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs.'”
A spokesperson for Carr told ABC News on Wednesday that the letter reflects his view on state funding for the AP African American studies course.
ABC News reached out to Wade’s office for further comment, but the request was not immediately returned.
A representative for the Georgia Senate told ABC News that despite the reversal, Democratic lawmakers from both of the state’s legislative chambers are still expected to hold a previously scheduled hearing on the issue on Thursday.
Woods’ July 23 decision to prohibit the teaching of AP African American studies in Georgia public schools was met with weeks of backlash from state Democratic lawmakers, educators and students, who urged the superintendent to reverse his decision.
“From the beginning, we knew that Woods was wrong,” Democratic Sen. Nikki Merritt wrote Wednesday on X. “This is a victory today for our students, teachers, and Black History demonstrating the potential of community involvement.”
Merritt previously criticized Woods’ decision during a July 24 press conference at the Georgia State Capitol, where a group of Democratic lawmakers and advocates called on Woods to restore funding for the AP African American studies course and argued that it has been unfairly targeted.
“This course is the only AP course removed. And we’re left wondering why. I can tell you it’s not about funding,” Merritt said during the event.
While the state rejected funding for the AP course, school districts still had the option to offer courses on African American studies as a topic, but Merritt said that was “not good enough.”
“Explain to me why this course is being singled out and is no longer eligible for state funds,” she added.
Woods said in his statement Wednesday that the exemption will require that a disclaimer be added to all AP courses in the Georgia course catalog, which in part says that “Advanced Placement (AP) courses and their instructional frameworks and curriculum are solely owned and endorsed by the College Board. The contents of these courses have not been reviewed or approved by the Georgia Department of Education.”
The disclaimer further advises school districts to “use a process for reviewing, approving, and adopting AP courses and instructional frameworks that engages students, parents, educators, and community stakeholders.”
“Curricula and training should abide by state and local policies, including House Bill 1084 – which requires that the curriculum of exempted AP courses be implemented in a professionally and academically appropriate manner and without espousing personal political beliefs,” the disclaimer concludes.
The inclusion of AP African American studies in public schooling has become a politically charged topic in many states. Florida, South Carolina and Arkansas have also recently pulled public funding for the course.
ABC News’ Mariama Jalloh contributed to this report.
(LONDON, Kent.) — As the hunt for the suspected gunman in an eastern Kentucky interstate shooting that left five people injured entered its sixth day, Gov. Andy Beshear said law enforcement officers will be posted at high school football games and stationed along school bus routes in an attempt to ease fear in nearby communities.
Beshear on Thursday said four of the victims shot in Saturday’s sniper-like attack on Interstate 75 near London, Kentucky, have been released from hospitals and that the fifth victim is also expected to survive.
The governor said he is confident that law enforcement teams with the help of agents from the FBI, the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives will catch suspect Joseph Couch and bring him to justice.
“I don’t yet have the evidence in front of me of what fully led him to this point, but there’s no excuse,” he said. “When you put a plan in place to take the lives of our fellow human beings and try to take as many of them as possible, you can and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Beshear said the Kentucky State Police believe Couch, 32, is still in the thick woods of the 708,000-acre Daniel Boone National Forest, which he described as “some of the most rugged terrain that anyone could hide in.”
Kentucky State Police Commissioner Phillip “PJ” Burnett said more than 100 officers are combing the forest, where on the day of the rampage investigators found an AR-15 rifle believed to have been used in the the shooting as well as Couch’s vehicle abandoned on a forest road.
“We have no significant updates at this time, but we are following up on leads,” Burnett said.
The commissioner said police are using sophisticated technology in the search, including Kentucky National Guard Black Hawk helicopters, aircraft equipped with thermal imaging and multiple K-9 units, including cadaver-sniffing dogs and FBI bloodhounds brought in from Illinois.
Burnett said the search, which has focused on the area near I-75’s Exit 49, is being expanded in the Daniel Boone National Forest.
“We will keep working until we exhaust every single lead,” Burnett said.
Beshear said he’ll consider deploying National Guard troops to the forest to help in the ground search.
“Right now what was requested is some aerial assistance. The Black Hawks have proven to be very helpful. Right now we don’t have an extra request, but that’s something we would certainly look at,” Beshear said of deploying the National Guard on the ground.
However, Beshear said investigators believe Couch could still be armed and dangerous.
“This isn’t the type of search where you can put a whole bunch of people out there at once because this is an individual that we believe is still armed, would be very difficult to spot and we want to make sure we don’t lose anybody throughout this,” Beshear said.
According to an arrest warrant, Couch, a former member of the U.S. Army Reserves, is wanted on charges of attempted murder and first-degree assault. A $35,000 reward is being offered for information leading to his capture.
Couch was allegedly involved in a domestic dispute on Saturday morning and legally purchased an AR-15 rifle and ammunition at a gun store hours before allegedly opening fire on vehicles traveling on I-75, law enforcement officials told ABC News.
Up to 30 rounds were fired from a hillside near Exit 49, officials said. At least 12 vehicles were struck by gunfire, leaving five people with gunshot wounds, including one victim who was shot in the face, officials said.
Investigators said they believe all of the victims were shot at randomly and that Couch had no previous contact with any of them.
Before the interstate shooting, according to the arrest warrant, a Laurel County 911 dispatcher received a call from a woman who alleged Couch texted her and “advised he was going to kill a lot of people. Well try at least.” The text message was sent to the woman at 5:03 p.m. Saturday, about a half-hour before the interstate shooting started, according to the arrest warrant.
“Couch sent another message to [the woman] that read, in part, ‘I’ll kill myself afterwards,” according to the arrest warrant.
London city officials told ABC News the woman Couch texted is the mother of his child.
Burnett said Thursday that the police “understand there is fear in the community.” To ease fears, he said state troopers and officers will be posted at every high school football game in Laurel County on Friday night.
Beshear said the presence of law enforcement officers is being boosted at area public schools and that state police are helping local police with some bus routes to ensure students get to school safely.
The governor implored citizens not to turn Couch into a folk hero for evading capture.
“There is no notoriety, there is no celebrity in committing an act like this,” Beshear said. “There’s just evil.”
(WASHINGTON) — Two top leaders of the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel have been taken into custody by United States authorities to face charges for their role in leading the group’s vast drug trafficking enterprise, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, the son of “El Chapo” Guzman, were placed under arrest in El Paso, Texas on Thursday, according to Attorney General Merrick Garland.
“Both men are facing multiple charges in the United States for leading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks,” Garland said in a statement.
“El Mayo and Guzman Lopez join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates who the Justice Department is holding accountable in the United States,” Garland said.
Zambada faces multiple federal indictments for his alleged role in the cartel and has been on the run from U.S. and Mexican law enforcement for years. His fellow co-founder of the Sinaloa cartel, El Chapo, was extradited to the U.S. in 2017 and convicted in 2019 and sentenced to life in prison.
“Today, the FBI and DEA arrested two alleged cartel leaders who have eluded law enforcement for decades. Ismael Mario ‘El Mayo’ Zambada García and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, son of El Chapo, will now face justice in the United States,” Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray said in a statement.
“Garcia and Guzman have allegedly overseen the trafficking of tens of thousands of pounds of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl into the U.S. along with related violence. These arrests are an example of the FBI’s and our partners commitment to dismantling violent transnational criminal organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel,” Wray said.
The circumstances behind Zambada and Guzman Lopez being taken into custody were not immediately clear as of Thursday evening, however, the men were arrested in an operation that ended on U.S. soil.
“El Mayo” thought he was headed to inspect a clandestine Mexican airfield, of which the Sinaloa cartel has many in the country. Instead, according to a Homeland Security Investigations official, a senior ranking member of the cartel tricked him and flew him to El Paso, Texas instead.
Upon landing on the tarmac, agents from HSI, along with the FBI arrested “El Mayo” and Guzman.
The HSI official tells ABC News the operation had been planned “for months.”
They were placed in handcuffs by FBI agents during an operation culminating at an airstrip not far from El Paso.
“The arrest of Ismael Zambada García, better known as ‘El Mayo,’ one of the alleged founders and leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, strikes at the heart of the cartel that is responsible for the majority of drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, killing Americans from coast to coast. El Mayo is one of DEA’s most wanted fugitives and he is in custody tonight and will soon face justice in a U.S. court of law,” said Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Anne Milgram.
“Joaquin Guzman Lopez, another alleged leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, and the son of ‘El Chapo,’ was also arrested today – his arrest is another enormous blow to the Sinaloa Cartel. In 2017, he and his brothers, the Chapitos, allegedly took control of the Sinaloa Cartel after El Chapo was extradited to the United States. DEA will continue to seek justice for any American life that is lost and will work tirelessly to prevent more needless deaths and pursue those that are responsible,” Milgram said.
The U.S. government had offered a $15 million reward for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Zambada.
Guzman Lopez’s brother, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, was charged last year with two dozen others as part of a crackdown targeting a global drug trafficking network run through Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. According to the charges, the cartel used precursor chemicals shipped from China to fuel the fentanyl crisis plaguing the U.S.
Ovidio Guzman Lopez had been wanted by U.S. authorities since 2019 and was captured by Mexican armed forces in January 2023 in a small town just outside the city of Culiacán, the capital of the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
He was captured in an overnight raid that had been in the works for more than six months, officials said at the time. The arrest followed an infamous incident in 2019, in which authorities briefly detained Guzman Lopez at a home in Culiacán, before word spread and heavily armed gunmen flooded the city. Massive shootouts occurred between cartel members and Mexican armed forces around the city. Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador ordered Guzman Lopez released in order to avoid more bloodshed.
Their father is serving a life sentence in the U.S. after being convicted in 2019 of conducting a continuing criminal enterprise, including large-scale narcotics violations and a murder conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracies, unlawful use of a firearm and a money laundering conspiracy.