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• Headlines: Friday, April 26, 2:50 AM

• Two Chinese nationals have been charged with conspiring to illegally export semiconductor-manufacturing machinery to a prohibited Chinese company, federal prosecutors said. The four-count indictment unsealed Thursday accuses Han Li, 44, and Lin Chen, 64, of conspiring from at least May 2015 and August 2018 to export a DTX-150 Automatic Diamond Scriber Breaker machine to Changdu GaStone Technology Company. Made by Santa Rosa's Dynatex International, the DTX-150 Automatic Diamond Scriber Breaker is used to cut thin semiconductors used in electronics, and requires a license and authorization to export to CGTC, which was added to the Department of Commerce's Entity List in August 2014. Prosecutors said the pair tried to acquire the machine for CGTC through intermediary Jiangsu Hantang International to obfuscate the blacklisted Chinese company's involvement. The court document said the Chinese nationals lied by presenting Jiangsu as the purchaser of the product. As part of their efforts to conceal CGTC, Li and Chen told Dynatex to not list CGTC as the consignee of the shipment. "The export restrictions at issue in this case were put in place to prevent the illicit procurement of commodities and technologies for unauthorized military end use in the People's Republic of China," U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey for the Northern District of California said in a statement. Chen was arrested Wednesday in Chicago, while prosecutors said they believe Lin is in China. They have each been charged with conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, IEEPA violations, smuggling and false electronic export information activities. If convicted, they each face up to 20 years' imprisonment and a $1 million fine for each of the IEEPA charges, 10 years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for the smuggling charge and five years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine for the export charge. The indictment was unsealed more than six years after a two people were charged with a scheme that illegally exported technology and integrated circuits with military applications to CGTC. Yi-Chi Shih, of Hollywood Hills, Calif., pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to 63 months for the conspiracy in July 2021, while co-conspirator Kiet Ahn Mai, of Pasadena, Calif., was sentenced to 19 months after pleading guilty in December 2018.
• The U.S. Secret Service has dismissed an agent assigned to Vice President Kamala Harris after showing "distressing behavior," a spokesperson said Thursday. The agent was part of Harris' security team at Joint Base Andrews base in Maryland on Monday morning when the vice president was leaving for Wisconsin. The agent, whose identity has not been released, began acting strangely and exhibiting behavior "colleagues found distressing," Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said in a statement Thursday. "The agent was removed from their assignment while medical personnel were summoned." Guglielmi said Harris was not present during the incident, that she was at her residence at the Naval Observatory and her trip to Wisconsin was not affected, CNN reported. A story in the Washington Examiner, which first broke the news, said the agent was involved in an altercation with other Secret Service personnel. "The U.S. Secret Service takes the safety and health of our employees very seriously," Guglielmi said. "As this was a medical matter, we will not disclose any further details."
• The satire publication The Onion has been sold, the latest in a string of sales for the quirky and popular publication, G/O Media announced Thursday, Company CEO Jim Spanfeller said The Onion will stay in its home city of Chicago because it was sold to another windy city media company called Global Tetrahdron. It is operated by NBC reporter Ben Collins and owned by tech executive Jeff Lawson, both of whom reportedly love The Onion's offbeat and often snarky and ironic humor. "This company is made up of four digital media veterans with a profound love for The Onion and comedy-based content," Spanfeller wrote in an article for The New York Times. "The site's new owners have agreed to keep The Onion's entire staff intact and in Chicago, something we insisted be part of the deal." The Onion started as a weekly newspaper in Wisconsin in 1988 and became a weekly satirical online publication, which gained a loyal following. It has taken a light-hearted and satirical approach to many serious topics, but has also not shied away from gun violence in the United States by publishing the same headline about mass shootings 21 times sine 2014. The Onion published its first book in 1999, titled Our Dumb Century: The Onion Presents 100 Years of Headlines from America's Finest News Source. The name of the new owner, Global Tetrahedron, was the name of a fictional firm that appeared in the book.
• Patrick Mahomes welcomed a speedy new weapon Thursday night after the Kansas City Chiefs traded with the Buffalo Bills to acquire wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Chiefs sent the No. 32 overall pick, a third-round selection and a seventh-round pick to the Bills in exchange for the No. 28 pick, a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round selection. They then snagged Worthy at No. 28 overall. Worthy, who set an NFL scouting combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash in March, will now join a cast that already included Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, a fellow All-Pro. He became the fourth wide receiver taken by the Chiefs within the first two rounds of drafts since 2019. He was the first wide receiver the Chiefs have selected in the first round during Mahomes' tenure as a full-time starter, which started in 2018. Mahomes welcomed Worthy with a happy face and running emoji post on X. He also reposted another message about adding worthy to the Chiefs roster. The Chiefs also signed wide receiver Marquise Brown earlier this off-season. He is expected to start alongside Worthy and Rashee Rice. Skyy Moore, Justin Watson and Kadarius Toney are among the other wide receivers on the Chiefs roster. Worthy totaled 62 catches for 981 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman in 2021 for the Longhorns. He then caught 60 passes for 760 yards and nine scores as a sophomore. Worthy logged a career-high 75 catches for 1,014 yards and five scores last season.
• Boston police cleared a tent encampment at Emerson College and arrested more than 100 protesters overnight, the school's president said Thursday, as pro-Palestinian demonstrations rile universities the country over. The encampment had been erected in Boylston Place Alley days earlier by Students for Justice in Palestine, which seeks to create a student movement in support of Palestinians, according to its website. Boylston Place Alley is not entirely owned by the school, and the university had warned Wednesday that the protesters were risking "legal consequences beyond Emerson's control." Local police had informed the school that some of the demonstrators' actions violated city ordinances, including the prohibition of tents in a public right-of-way. The school added that it was concerned over credible reports it had received of some protesters "engaging in targeted harassment and intimidation of Jewish supporters of Israel and students, staff, faculty and neighbors seeking to pass through the alley." "Emerson College recognizes and respects the civic activism and passion that sparked the protest in Boylston Place Alley in support of Palestine while also holding and communicating concerns related to the numerous ordinance violations caused by their encampment," Emerson President Jay Bernhardt said in a statement Thursday. "We also understand that clearing the encampment has significantly and adversely impacted our community." The school is offering counseling and support resources, including grief counselors, to affected students. In a story posted on its Instagram account, Students for Justice in Palestine said they had been "attacked" by police, surrounded and trapped. Boston police said no protesters were injured though four officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries, three minor and one more serious, NBC News reported. Emerson is one of many universities dealing with pro-Palestinian encampments on school grounds with police being mobilized to make arrests. More than 100 were detained at Columbia University last week when they, too, refused to leave an encampment. The protests are in solidarity with the Palestinian people, sparked by the ongoing war between Israel and Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza which has a death toll of more than 34,000. Demands from the protesters often call on the schools to divest from companies linked to the Israeli government. President Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has called the protests anti-Semitic. "What's happening in America's college campuses is horrific," he said Thursday in a recorded statement published to his social media accounts. "Anti-Semitic mobs have taken over leading universities. They call for the annihilation of Israel. They attack Jewish students. They attacked Jewish faculty. This is reminiscent of what happened in German universities in the 1930s," he said. "It's unconscionable. It has to be stopped." Amidst the protests, the schools have struggled to support freedom of speech principles while upholding their by-laws and those of the cities they are in. Many of the schools have requested police assistance. In Georgia, at least 28 protesters were arrested at Emory University, Vice President for Public Safety Cheryl Elliott said. The Georgia Department of Public Safety said in a statement that its assistance was requested at about 8:30 a.m. Thursday to deal with an encampment protest at Emory. As troopers were breaking up the encampment, at least one protester threw bottles at them and refused to leave, it said, adding that at least one protester resisted arrest, requiring the use of a taser to restrain the subject. "During the encampment protest response, troopers deployed pepper balls to control the unruly crowd but did not use tear gas," it said. A group of Georgia Democratic lawmakers has expressed concern over the police presence and reports of excessive use of force. "State leaders have created an environment where state police feel free -- or perhaps are directed -- to respond to normal peaceful protests with violence," they said in the letter. "We cannot allow this dangerous repression to continue."
• New Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. said he hopes to have a similar career to Larry Fitzgerald, but first expects a learning curve after being picked No. 4 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. "I'm just going to go out there and be me," Harrison told reporters Thursday. "I'm not going to try to be anybody else." Harrison made the comments after walking off the stage Thursday in downtown Detroit. He was the first non-quarterback picked, following selections of Caleb Williams to the Chicago Bears, Jayden Daniels to the Washington Commanders and Drake Maye to the New England Patriots. Harrison, an All-American at Ohio State the last two seasons, will now catch passes from Kyler Murray as part of a revamped Cardinals offense. Harrison became the earliest wide receiver taken by the Cardinals in an NFL Draft since 2004, when they selected Fitzgerald at No. 3 overall. He went on to become the franchise's all-time leading pass catcher, with 1,432 catches for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns. "Hopefully, I can have the career that Larry had," Harrison said. "That would be amazing. I gotta try to be me and work as hard as I can and help the team win football games." Harrison also will be chasing the legacy of another legend, his father. The Pro Football Hall of Famer is the Indianapolis Colts' all-time leading pass catcher, with 1,102 catches, 14,580 yards and 128 scores. "I've been training for this my whole life," Harrison said. "It's always been my goal to play in the NFL. There will be some learning curve, but hopefully I'll learn fast."
• Reality TV star turned businesswoman Kim Kardashian joined Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House on Thursday to discuss strategies for criminal justice reform and congratulate recently pardoned people. Kardashian, who is famous largely for her family name, has used her celebrity platform to draw attention to individual prisoners she believes have been wrongly convicted and talked with Harris about President Joe Biden's use of pardons and clemency. Kardashian was at the White House during the same week that Biden pardoned 11 people convicted of nonviolent drug charges and commuted the sentences of five others. "I am super honored to be here to hear your stories today and I think it's so important to share them and amplify them because there are so many people that are in your position that could use the inspiration," Kardashian said to the pardoned individuals attending the event: Beverly Holcy, Jason Hernandez, Bobby Darrell Lowery and Jesse Mosley. "I'm just here to help and spread the word." Harris said during the event that she is a "big believer in second changes," and that the administration will continue to work to remove barriers for people who have paid their debt to society but still face obstacles to success. She added that the Biden administration will continue to use pardons and commutations as a means to address the issue. "For example, on marijuana, we have pardoned all people for federal convictions for simple marijuana possession," Harris said. "Many of you have heard me say I just don't think people should have to go to jail for smoking weed. And these pardons have been issued as an extension of that approach." Harris also mentioned during her remarks the finalization of a Small Business Administration rule she announced in January. It removes almost all loan eligibility restrictions based on someone's criminal record. Kardashian has visited the White House during both Democratic and Republican administrations. In 2020, she met with former president Donald Trump and thanked him for commuting the sentences of three women and discussing change she said the U.S. justice system "desperately needs." "It was actually in this very room that I was in years ago, my first clemency meeting, that really inspired me to take a journey," Kardashian said Thursday. "I didn't know a whole lot, and I was inspired to go to law school and really further my education to see what I can do to help." Kardashian also brought specific cases to Trump of people she believed were wrongly convicted. This week's meeting came as the Biden administration marks "Second Chance Month," during which Biden has promised to "recommit to building a criminal justice system that lives up to those ideals so that people returning to their communities from jail or prison have a fair shot at the American Dream," according to the White House proclamation.
• The Minnesota Vikings completed a trade with the New York Jets on Thursday, acquiring the No. 10 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and using it to obtain former Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings sent the No. 11 overall pick, a fourth-round pick and a fifth-round selection to the Jets in exchange for the No. 10 pick and a sixth-round pick. McCarthy was the fifth quarterback selected in the first round. The former Wolverines star, who won a national title in January, completed 72.3% of his throws for 2,991 yards, 22 scores and four interceptions last season. He totaled 44 touchdowns and just nine interceptions over his final two seasons with the Wolverines. The Jets used the No. 11 pick to select former Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu.
• A National Guardsman who launched an FBI manhunt following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol pleaded guilty Thursday during a hearing in Washington, D.C. Gregory C. Yetman, 47, of Helmetta, N.J., pleaded guilty in the District of Columbia to a felony offense of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with physical contact, a release from officials at the U.S. Justice Deptartment said. Yetmen pleaded guilty to spraying police officers with a lethal substance, officials said. As rioters were assaulting police officers, Yetman picked up an MK-46H canister containing OC spray, capable of causing serious bodily injury, held the canister under his arm, and intentionally assaulted the officers by spraying them, authorities said. "After Yetman sprayed multiple officers for approximately 12-14 seconds, the officers retreated toward other officers and left the area," officials said. When officers tried to arrest Yetman on Nov. 8, 2023, he fled into the woods when he could not get back into his house, Justice Department officials said. Yetman, who was a heavy equipment operator and enlisted in the military police at the time of the riot, said he did attend it. Court documents, though, indicate that he "then walked to the west side of U.S. Capitol building, where he heard people chanting, 'Stop the Steal.' While there, he heard 'flash bangs' and observed tear gas being deployed by U.S. Capitol police officers who were defending the Capitol. He observed rioters who had been exposed to gas and oleoresin capsicum ('OC') spray and watched as other rioters attempted to break windows. He also saw a police officer get pulled into the crowd but did not attempt to help the officer." Yetman had been one of 15 defendants held in custody without having been convicted of a crime. At least 1,385 people have been charged in almost all 50 states for crimes related to the Capitol riot in the 3-plus years since it happened, including nearly 500 people charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, which is a felony. The investigation remains ongoing. Prosecutors said Yetman is expected to serve between 37 and 46 months in federal prison.
• Hulu released the trailer for their original movie Prom Dates on Thursday. The film premieres May 3. A clip released last month showed a promposal gone wrong. The trailer elaborates why Jess (Antonia Gentry) and Hannah (Julia Lester) are in need of dates the day before the prom. Jess caught her boyfriend cheating on her and Hannah came out as gay. Jess convinces a college boy to bring her to the prom, but some physical pratfalls threaten their date too. The principal (John Michael Higgins) tries to teach the students about safe sex by putting a condom over his entire head. Chelsea Handler, Kenny Ridwan, JT Neal, Jordan Buhat, Zin Moreno and Terry Hu also star. Kim O. Nguyen directs Prom Dates from D.J. Mausner's script.