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A4 U.S. NEWS
Friday 7 July 2023
New York City’s Rikers Island, facing possible federal takeover

By JAKE OFFENHARTZ ing detainee deaths and ventilation systems, and fire
NEW YORK (AP) — Facing gruesome injuries — that safety.
the looming prospect of correction officials failed to The monitor has frequently
a federal takeover, New report. found the city in violation of
York City's troubled Rikers Mayor Adams has defend- those orders, leading to ad-
Island jail complex is failing ed his stewardship of Rik- monishments and promises
to meet a court-ordered ers Island, arguing that his of reform. In the latest mon-
requirement to properly administration is working to itoring period, which cov-
clean and maintain its fa- stabilize a jail system that ered the first four months of
cilities, according to a new spiraled into chaos during this year, "the only aspect
report issued by a federal the pandemic. of the Court's order that the
monitor. On Thursday, a spokesper- Department substantially
In a progress report re- The Rikers Island jail complex stands with the Manhattan skyline son for the city's Depart- complied with is providing
leased Thursday, the moni- in the background on June 20, 2014, in New York. ment of Correction said the a sink," according to the
tor described a decrepit jail Associated Press jail's facilities were cleaned monitor.
complex where detainees age. One detainee com- The findings represent the three times daily, adding Lauren Stephens-David-
are forced to live in damp, plained his cell was full of latest setback for the no- the agency was in the pro- owitz, a staff attorney with
fetid quarters infested with mice "because there's no torious city-run jail system, cess of updating its internal the Legal Aid Society, said
mold, vermin and other dust pan on unit to properly and could undercut Mayor tracking procedures. Cor- the lack of urgency around
"generally unsanitary" con- pick up the trash," Eric Adams' argument that rectional leaders are also the issue was further proof
ditions. The report also faulted jail his administration should re- working with a fire safety the city was ill-equipped
Despite some progress to- leaders for failing to main- main in control of the com- consultant to enhance to care for its incarcerated
ward collaboration, the tain key infrastructure, in- plex at a moment when a its safety procedures, the population.
monitor — a court-created cluding a sprinkler system federal judge is consider- spokesperson said. "There's a disregard for the
body known as the Office that was out of service dur- ing putting Rikers Island in The latest report stems from health and well being of
of Compliance Consul- ing an April fire that injured receivership. a 1975 class action lawsuit the people living at Rikers
tants — found thousands of five people. The broken The possibility of a federal challenging "environmen- Island," she said. "The re-
open violations inside the system was only disclosed takeover, an extraordinary tal conditions" inside Rikers port describes completely
jail, ranging from "chronic after the monitor inquired step, follows a report from Island. As part of an agree- unacceptable, dangerous
pooling" of water, clogged about the extent of the a separate monitor that ment, the city agreed to and disgusting conditions
vents limiting air flow and damage, according to the uncovered a pattern of dis- meet certain requirements in a place that over 6,000
the persistent smell of sew- report. turbing incidents — includ- around sanitary practices, people call home."q

TikTok and 5 content creators ask federal judge to block Montana

from banning app

By AMY BETH HANSON Chinese government to harm by depriving them of al security.” More than half May, saying Montana was
Associated Press access information on U.S. the ability to express them- the U.S. states, including taking “the most decisive
TikTok Inc. and a group citizens or push pro-Beijing selves and communicate Montana, and the federal action of any state to pro-
of five content creators misinformation that could with others. government have banned tect Montanans’ private
who are suing the state influence the public. TikTok TikTok has safeguards to TikTok from government- data and sensitive person-
of Montana over its first- has said none of this has moderate content and owned devices. Republi- al information from being
in-the-nation law to ban ever happened. protect minors, and would can Gov. Greg Gianforte harvested by the Chinese
the video sharing app are The motions for injunctions not share information with signed the bill into law in Communist Party.”q
now asking a federal judge make the same arguments China, the company has
to block implementation as the cases against the argued. But critics have
of the law while the case state that the ban is an un- pointed to China’s 2017 na-
moves through the courts constitutional violation of tional intelligence law that
and before it takes effect free speech rights and that compels companies to co-
in January. the state has no authority operate with the country’s
The separate requests for to regulate foreign affairs. governments for state in-
preliminary injunctions were Attorneys on both sides telligence work. “TikTok us-
filed Wednesday in federal have agreed to a sched- ers don’t use the app the
court in Missoula. The cases ule that calls for the state app uses them and turns
challenging the law were to respond to the motions them into a spying appa-
filed in May and have since by mid-August and for the ratus for the Chinese Com-
been consolidated by U.S. plaintiffs to file their replies munist Party,” Emily Flower,
District Judge Donald Mol- by mid-September, court a spokeswoman for the
loy. records state. Attorney General’s Office,
Montana Attorney Gen- The company and the said in a statement that
eral Austin Knudsen had Montana content creators also noted recent report-
the bill drafted over con- argue a preliminary injunc- ing that TikTok is paying for
cerns shared by the FBI tion should be granted the lawsuit filed by the con-
and U.S. Secretary of State because the plaintiffs are tent creators. “TikTok’s ‘sup-
Antony Blinken that the likely to succeed in their port’ is bought and paid for
app, owned by the Chi- challenges to the law and Montanans recognize the In this photo provided by the Montana Governor’s Office,
Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signs a law banning TikTok in
nese company ByteDance, if the ban took effect it threat that the app poses the state, Wednesday, May 17, 2023, in Helena, Mont.
could be used to allow the would cause irreparable to their privacy and nation- Associated Press