Nation and world news in brief for November 7

San Diego man sentenced to two years for sexually abusing teenager aboard flight

LOS ANGELES (TNS) — San Diego resident Ryan Coffey was on a cross-country flight in January 2023 when he offered alcohol to a 14-year-old sitting next to him, according to court records.

He didn’t know the girl, who was 17 years his junior, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

That didn’t prevent Coffey, however, from sexually molesting her on the five-hour-plus American Airlines evening flight from Charlotte, N.C., to San Diego.

Now a federal judge has sentenced Coffey to prison for his actions.

The now 33-year-old was sentenced Monday to two years in prison and 10 years of supervised release afterward and saddled with just under $11,000 in fines and restitution. Coffey had pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact in August.

Australia proposes ban on social media for those under 16

SYDNEY (Reuters) — Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday the government would legislate for a ban on social media for children under 16, a policy the government says is world-leading.

“Social media is doing harm to our kids and I’m calling time on it,” Albanese told a news conference.

Legislation will be introduced into parliament this year, with the laws coming into effect 12 months after it is ratified by lawmakers, he added.

There will be no exemptions for users who have parental consent.

“The onus will be on social media platforms to demonstrate they are taking reasonable steps to prevent access,” Albanese said. “The onus won’t be on parents or young people.”

Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said platforms impacted would include Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook, as well as TikTok and Elon Musk’s X. Alphabet’s YouTube would likely also fall within the scope of the legislation, she added.

North Korea enters Ukraine fight for first time, officials say

(NYT) — North Korean troops have entered the fight in Russia’s war against Ukraine, clashing for the first time with Ukrainian forces who are occupying a large chunk of Russia’s Kursk region, according to a senior Ukrainian official and a senior U.S. official.

The engagement was limited, the Ukrainian official said, and likely meant to probe the Ukrainian lines for weaknesses. The North Koreans fought together with Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade, the official said.

It was unclear when the fighting took place. The Ukrainian official offered no details about casualties, but the U.S. official said a significant number of North Korean troops were killed. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive military information.

The North Korean troops are part of what Ukrainian and Western officials estimate to be a contingent of about 10,000 soldiers sent by the North’s leader, Kim Jong Un, to bolster Russian forces trying to dislodge the Ukrainians from the Kursk region. Ukraine’s forces currently hold about 250 square miles there after an incursion that began last summer.

Though the bulk of the North Korean troops have not yet seen action, Western and Ukrainian officials have called their appearance on the battlefield a major escalation after more than two years of war.

Julie Johnson becomes first openly LGBTQ person to represent Texas in Congress

DALLAS (TNS) — Julie Johnson, a Democrat from Farmers Branch, will be the first openly LGBTQ person to represent Texas in Congress.

Johnson decisively won the 32nd Congressional District with more than 60% of the vote, according to The Associated Press. She will fill the seat left vacant by Colin Allred, who unsuccessfully challenged Ted Cruz for a U.S. Senate seat.

“Tonight, Team Julie made history,” Johnson wrote in a social media post Tuesday evening.

“I am incredibly honored and humbled that you have elected me to be your Representative for the 32nd District. Together, we have shattered barriers and proven that representation matters.”

Prior to this win, Johnson has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2019, after flipping a seat previously held by former Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi. During that session, she helped launch the chamber’s first LGBTQ Caucus.

Since then, she has also been a vocal opponent of legislative attempts to restrict the rights of LGBTQ Texans.

Idaho health department barred from offering COVID shots

(TNS) — An Idaho health department is no longer offering COVID-19 shots after its board voted last month to restrict the department from doing so, an unusual step driven largely by misinformation about the side effects and safety of the shots.

The ban will make it harder for some people to access COVID vaccines in the six-county region in southwestern Idaho, which includes Adams, Canyon, Owyhee, Gem, Washington and Payette counties and covers over 300,000 residents. But doctors and public health officials also worry that the move will have a far broader effect, by giving credence to false claims about the vaccines and fueling further efforts across the nation to stop people from getting vaccinated.

“This is a real challenge for us, because I don’t think it’s going to be the last department that’s going to be directed to do that,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. He added that the decision could further undermine trust in public health institutions.

The move is most likely to affect people without health insurance, said Kelly Aberasturi, chair of the board that voted to stop providing the vaccine. (Aberasturi was one of three members who voted to continue to offer it; four voted to stop doing so.) That includes people who are homeless or living in the U.S. illegally, who often rely on public health department clinics for vaccines, said Taisha Bergman, deputy director of CATCH, an organization that provides services to people who are homeless. People will still be able to seek out vaccines at other community clinics and health centers, but now have fewer options.

Some doctors in the area also worry that the move could further compound the vaccine skepticism that is widespread in Idaho, where childhood vaccination rates are already low compared to the rest of the country.

Man who allegedly said he was ‘hunting’ Latinos agrees to 16-year prison term

OAKLAND, Calif. (TNS) — Prosecutors here have struck a plea deal with a man who shot and killed his ex-girlfriend’s friend in 2021, allegedly over jealousy and racial animus, court records show.

Earl Godhigh, 47, pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter in the Aug. 23, 2021 death of 40-year-old Francisco Figueroa. In exchange for his plea, Godhigh will be sentenced to 16 years in state prison and prosecutors dropped a murder charge against him, records show.

Figueroa was shot and killed on the 2200 block of East 22nd Street in Oakland. Godhigh’s ex-girlfriend later helped police establish a motive, telling investigators that he was “abusive” and jealous of Figueroa over his perception they had become too close.