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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Trump administration said Thursday that it has opened an investigation into whether a Minnesota state agency’s newly updated affirmative action policy violates civil rights laws.The Minnesota Department of Human Services’ policy requires supervisors to provide a “hiring justification when seeking to hire a non-underrepresented candidate.” Supervisors who don’t comply can be disciplined, even fired. The Department of Justice said in a statement that the policy “seems to be part of a broader effort by the state to engage in race- and sex-based employment practices in its ‘affirmative action’ objectives.”The Trump administration has been using federal civil…

A big shift for travelers in the United States took place this week, with the end of an onerous airport security rule.On July 8, the TSA officially said it would no longer require travelers in the regular security line to remove their shoes before proceeding through the body scanners. Passengers celebrated the end of the policy, which many experts had long seen as obsolete. “First, the screening of shoes in a bin can tell nothing, usually,” says Michael Boyd, President & CEO Boyd Group International, an airline analytics firm. “Second, today thousands of people in the PreCheck [line] don’t take…

Amidst unprecedented budget cuts and looming layoffs, U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy as acting NASA administrator. The appointment is temporary, and Duffy will continue leading the Department of Transportation while assuming the NASA role, Trump said in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. “Sean is doing a TREMENDOUS job in handling our Country’s Transportation Affairs, including creating a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control systems, while at the same time rebuilding our roads and bridges, making them efficient, and beautiful, again,” Trump said. The appointment is highly unusual. There is no precedent for…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration will restrict immigrants in the country illegally from enrolling in Head Start, a federally funded preschool program, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Thursday. The move is part of a broad effort to limit access to federal benefits for immigrants who lack legal status. People in the country illegally are largely ineligible for federal public benefits such as food stamps, student loans and financial aid for higher education. But for decades they have been able to access some community-level programs such as Head Start and community health centers. HHS said it will…

NEW YORK (AP) — Justin Bieber is teasing his long-awaited seventh studio album — apparently called “Swag” — with a series of billboards and social media posts Thursday.Billboards depicting Bieber were found by fans in Reykjavik, Iceland and Los Angeles with the word “Swag.” The singer also shared images of billboards on his official Instagram account that appeared to depict a tracklist that includes song names like “All I Can Take,” “Walking Away,” “Dadz Love” and “Forgiveness.”No details on when the album would drop were included. The Hollywood Reporter, which was first to report the album was nearing release, said…

Miral Experiences, Abu Dhabi has unveiled brand new water-filled adventures for its expanded waterpark, Yas Waterworld Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.The new offerings include a “Lost City” theme, a continuation of the park’s original story ‘The Legend of the Lost Pearl,’ along with 20 new rides, slides, experiences and dining. With the expansion, Yas Waterworld will be home to more than 60 attractions offering more aquatic adventures than ever before. A recent global survey, “What Kids Really Want on a Dream Holiday,” conducted by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, revealed that 96 percent of Indian children said…

Google on Thursday announced the second cohort to take part in its AI Academy: American Infrastructure, which seeks to support companies using AI to address issues such as cybersecurity, education, and transportation.  The four-month program is designed for companies at a seed to Series A stage and provides equity-free support and resources like leadership coaching and sales training. It’s primarily virtual, but founders will convene for an in-person summit at Google. Applications opened in late April of this year and closed mid-May; companies selected had to pass competitive criteria, including having at least six months of runway and having proof…

Diligent Robotics is bulking up its leadership team as the company looks to scale its fleet of humanoid robots that work in hospitals and pharmacies. Austin, Texas-based Diligent announced Thursday it appointed Rashed Haq as its chief technology officer and Todd Brugger as its chief operating officer. Both Haq and Brugger were most recently at Cruise, the GM self-driving subsidiary that shuttered earlier this year. Haq was formerly the vice president and head of AI and robotics. Brugger was Cruise’s COO. Andrea Thomaz, the co-founder and CEO of Diligent Robotics, told TechCrunch it was the right time for the company…

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday opened a civil rights investigation into the hiring practices at George Mason University, expanding a national campaign against diversity policies to Virginia’s largest public university.The Education Department said it is responding to a complaint from multiple professors at George Mason who accuse the university of favoring those from underrepresented groups. The complaint takes aim at the university’s president, Gregory Washington, saying he issued guidance that favors faculty candidates based on diversity considerations rather than their credentials, according to the department.It marks an expansion of the Trump administrations campaign to reshape higher education,…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Larry David will bring his grumbly sensibility to U.S. history in a team-up with Barack and Michelle Obama for an HBO sketch show, the network announced Thursday. The “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator and “Seinfeld” co-creator will act as executive producer, writer and star of the limited series consisting of six half-hour episodes, produced by the Obamas’ company, Higher Ground. The show marks the 78-year-old David’s return to HBO just over a year after the end of the 12th and final season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” His “Curb” showrunner Jeff Schaffer will co-write and direct episodes. HBO…